Noah's now 4.5 months and counting. This time with much less anxiety (learning to trust and let go finally!), I'm really enjoying the snuggles and growing up process more. We are literally watching him grow before our eyes. And having Shanah to snuggle and play tickles together? That's a bonus beyond bonus. Two sweethearts, wow, my heart just exploded.
I think we have now figured a schedule of sorts and with that, we managed some home activities here and there to feed my craft addiction. This love for crafts started when my mummy used to buy me craft books and materials when I was a child, and the interest kinda stuck on me all these years. I'm really glad that Shanah has also taken an interest in crafts and it's my wish that she takes it further and creates amazing things to bless those around her.
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Necklace with bubble tea straw (because we all love bubble tea, closetlover or not)
Adapted from No Time for Flashcards
I really love this activity because it's so simple and fuss free, yet it works on two motor skills at the same time! Especially for pre-writers, this really builds on their finger dexterity to help in future writing skills.
Materials needed:
3 Bubble tea straws (softer ones so it's easier to cut)
1m of ribbon/string
Scissors
Tape
I started by getting Shanah all excited about doing 'something' special. She's kinda girly, so making necklaces is totally up her alley. Plus the fact that i took out her special kiddy scissors - that got her really excited.
I demonstrated how to cut the straw with the scissors. Then i held her hands to do it together with her. When she has gotten the hang of it, i allowed her to do the cutting herself. Two things to note, firstly, cut a suitable length that allows for easy threading. Secondly, the straws can get rather sharp after you cut them, so watch out of those! The ability to use the scissors requires hand-eye coordination and some strength - both of which requires much practice. So if it's your first time, guide your child through the whole cutting process.
After cutting the straws, it's time to string the parts! One end of the ribbon was taped to the floor while the other end was folded and taped to make it easier for little hands to thread the straws in.
It took Shanah a few tries to get the threading right. She was initially alittle frustrated to put the ribbon through the straw only to have it drop out again. But once she figured how to thread the ribbon through and pull it out the other side, she's was really pleased with herself. In fact, halfway through the activity Noah woke up from his nap, and I was able to attend to him as she finished up her necklace!
When the threading's all done, just tie a knot, cut up the excess ribbon and you have a bubble tea necklace!
Proudly wearing her necklace, declaring that she wanted to show her daddy her handicraft!
