crafts, google+ hangouts, halloween, key stage 2, kids

Chaos writes:

kidschaos-dragon-shadow-puppetHere’s a very simple stick craft we’ve been doing this week… great shadow puppets inspired by Chinese New Year:

You’ll need some sticks (!) from the garden, or as we do, collected on weekend walks by small children. Some black card, sellotape, a pencil, scissors and some ‘brads’ (the pins with bendy legs, I never remember what their name is!) Oh, and some coloured tissue paper or sweet wrappers. AND a torch if you fancy doing a shadow puppet show!

We drew the dragon ‘pieces’ out onto the black card – cut them out, and joined them together with the brads (we used a bit of plasticine behind the card, and pushed a pencil through to make the hole for the brad).

KidsChaosRedTedArt screen grabAttach the sticks with tape at the back and you’re ready to go! You’ll need a couple of characters for the shadow puppet show – standing behind a large white sheet – we dimmed the lights, shone the torch and tried them out. We made up some short stories for our characters and put on a fun silhouette show!!

Click the YouTube link to view the Google+ hangout hosted by Maggy Woodley from Red Ted Art and meet me Ali Clifford at the Stick Craft hangout with Anthea Barton  from Zing Zing Tree, Kelly Innes ( Domestic Goddesque) and Liz Burton.

Don’t forget to head over to Red Ted Art and check out the links for all the crafts featured on the video:

I also write over on www.agreenerlifeforus.com 🙂 and incredibusy.com (first published 2013)

baking, cooking, cooking with kids

Lemon drizzle cake with ground almonds

lemon drizzle cakeWhat’s your favourite cake in your house? Ours has to be lemon drizzle cake…

we’ve have the recipe scribbled down on a piece of paper, shoved in the cake section of Delia’s cookbook, for years… Quite fortunate it’s our favourite cake really, as we sort of OVER-ORDERED the lemons on our Ocado delivery on Friday, and ended up with 12 lemons, yes, TWELVE lemons… oops!

So we wanted to share the recipe with you, and tbh, it makes it easier to find if we write it up on KidsChaos, as we just google ourselves ‘ kids chaos lemon drizzle’… 🙂

Admittedly this recipe doesn’t use all twelve lemons, however we make two lemon drizzle cakes at the same time as it disappears pretty quickly here, and we like to have it in our packed lunches in the week, in place of shop-bought snack bars (so just half the quantities if you only have a 1 litre loaf tin)

Lemon Drizzle Cake Ingredients:

350g caster sugar
350g butter, softened
4 unwaxed lemons
6 eggs
200g self-raising flour
150g ground almonds
A drop or two of milk
200g demerara sugar

Lemon Drizzle Cake Instructions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C/160C fan. Grease and line two loaf tins with greaseproof paper. Beat together the caster sugar, butter, and the finely grated zest of two lemons until light and fluffy. Add a pinch of salt and beat in the eggs, one at a time.

2. Sieve the flour and fold in, then add the ground almonds (not essential, particularly if anyone has a nut allergy!). Add a tiny amount of milk to ensure the mixture has a dropping consistency, then pour into your lined tins. Bake in the oven for about 50-55 minutes, until your knife pulls out dry when you test it. Leave it in the tin for now….

3. Mix together the lemon zest, and juice of the lemons with your demerara sugar, then prod holes all over the top of the lemon drizzle cakes and pour over the lemon drizzle, so that it runs into all of the little holes.
4. Allow the lemon drizzle cakes to cool in the loaf tins before turning out.

honeycomb with chocolate fondueFor more delicious #cookingwithkids fun try our honeycomb recipe golden syrup pictured here…

Oh, and I’m on twitter.com/MoreKidsChaos too… Instagram is my new favourite thing, Erm, and funnily enough on Facebook and Pinterest! Pop over to say hello x Like it? Pin it!

If you enjoyed this, check out an updated version with poppy seeds over on incredibusy.com

Uncategorized

Creating A Stylish But Functional Playroom: 5 Key Tips

Creating a playroom can be a great way to help create a space in your home for your children to enjoy their toys and activities. There are a few ways to help ensure you and your children get the most out of the playroom you create. To help you get started, we’ve put together the following tips and inspiration for designing the perfect playroom that’s both functional and stylish.

party-castle-neon-lights

Adding Customizable Features

Incorporating customised features in the design and decoration of your playroom can help to make your children feel more like the space is really theirs. This not only helps them to enjoy it more but also can create a sense of responsibility, which can help when it comes to dealing with problems such as tidying up and maintaining the space. Consider elements such as customized wall murals, or customized neon wall signs from Echo Neon to combine customised art and lighting in one.

You can customize using your kid’s names, or a phrase or song lyric that has meaning to you and your family, for example.

Effective Storage Solutions

It can be very easy for playrooms to end up looking chaotic and messy without the right kind of storage solutions to help keep toys organized and neat. Think carefully about the right kind of storage solutions that would work for the space you are creating the playroom in. For example, wall-mounted storage solutions, or integrated storage design such as benches or fold-away tables spaces. Consider which items you might want to have out on display or which ones you want to have stored away out of sight when they’re not being used.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Involve your Kid’s Input in the Design

Where possible, it’s a good idea to try and incorporate your kids in the design of the playroom to help make sure they are able to enjoy it as much as possible and be proud of their space. Allowing their input can help the playroom to reflect their personalities and interests, and provide them with the opportunity to be creative and problem solve. You can ask for their opinions on aspects such as color schemes, design themes, and different areas in the playroom such as arts and crafts or music zones that reflect their interests.

Using A Theme

Basing the playroom on a theme is a great idea to help create a room that incorporates the personality and interests of your little ones. It also helps to create cohesion when adding different design elements to your plans. Some great ideas for themed playrooms include designs such as under the sea, wildlife safari, or a favourite film or character. You can find inspiration for themed playrooms online and helpful design elements to make them work. Adding elements such as wall murals can help incorporate the theme and can either be completed by hiring a local artist or by yourself if you’re blessed with artistic skills.

Creating Zones

Creating zones within a playroom can help to make the space work more effectively and keep toys organized and easy to find. Using furniture can help to section off different zones and can double up as storage space such as bookshelves or toy box storage.

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Photo by @juliusjansson via Unsplash

Finland’s capital city, Helsinki, is visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists annually. These visitors flock to the city due to its stunning natural beauty, cultural attractions, and commitment to sustainability. If you’re planning a family trip to this picturesque city, you’ll be delighted to discover that Helsinki offers a wide range of kid-friendly eco-tours and nature excursions. These activities not only provide valuable outdoor experiences but also instill a love for the environment in your children while making a positive impact on our planet (and their health).

From lovely national parks to picking mushrooms to forest bathing, it’s not hard to find something to do with kids here that’s both fun and ecologically responsible. You should plan to rely on public transportation and walking to get around Helsinki to minimize your carbon footprint. And with all the exploring you’re bound to be doing, it’s a good idea to have a plan for your bags. Drop them off with a Bounce luggage storage service in Helsinki and get to wandering.

Nuuksio National Park: A wilderness adventure


Photo by Gabriella Clare Marino on Unsplash

A world-class wilderness escape is a mere 40-minute drive from the city center. Nuuksio National Park is home to tranquil lakes, lush forests, and diverse wildlife, so the kids definitely won’t get bored here. 

To add a little structure to your visit, Nuuksio offers various eco-tours and activities designed for children, such as guided forest walks, wildlife spotting, and even wilderness camping experiences. 

While exploring Nuuksio, your children can learn about the local ecosystem and the importance of preserving it. The park’s emphasis on sustainable practices, such as waste reduction and recycling, sets an excellent example for young environmentalists.

Finnish Nature Centre Haltia

On the doorstep of Nuuksio National Park, you’ll find the Finnish Nature Centre Haltia, which will provide the whole family with information about Finland’s National Parks. With a focus on experiencing nature using all five senses, this centre also hosts events and workshops regularly.

Learn about the various flora and fauna of the park and the wider region, as well as talks about moving in nature, outdoor adventure skills, and even join a guided tour of the adjacent park.

One of the most striking features of the nature centre is the building itself. Built entirely of wood (except for the windows, obviously), the rounded walls, glass-edged terrace, and well-maintained landscaping are enough to draw you in. 

But it gets even better than that from an eco-tourism perspective. The building was designed to require minimal lighting, cooling, and heating. They achieved this by paying close attention to window placement, the building’s orientation, and the structure’s shape. Additionally, to keep the carbon footprint low, Haltia uses solar energy from panels and geothermal energy from the soil to cool and heat the building.

Lammassaari Island

Helsinki, Finland by Santtu Perkiö (@santtupee)

Lammassaari Island, situated in northeastern Helsinki, is a haven for bird-watching enthusiasts and families who appreciate unspoiled nature. The island is only reachable over a 1.2 km-long trail made of wooden duckboards that travel over the marshes. Here, you and the kids can get to know the local bird population from the various bird-watching platforms, hides, and viewpoints. Spring and fall are the best times to view the collection of migrating birds.

Lammassaari promotes a “leave no trace” philosophy, so it’s a good lesson about protecting the local wildlife and vegetation. 

The name translates to Sheep Island, although don’t get the kids’ hopes up as this island doesn’t have any sheep. You’ll have to travel to nearby Kuusiluoto Island to see them, and even then, it’s only in the summer.

Linnanmäki Amusement Park

Photo by Juhani Pelli on Unsplash

We know, an amusement park doesn’t exactly scream eco-friendly and sustainable. But this one is different. Linnanmäki Amusement Park demonstrates a real commitment to the environment in a few ways. First, they have vegan items on the menus of every snack stand and restaurant in the park. Second, in 2023, the rides were powered exclusively using wind energy. And lastly, the park’s indoor locations use renewable district heating to keep things toasty warm.

Now for the fun part: the rides. Linnanmäki has over 50 rides alone, which should please kids of most ages. As for the games, there are more than 15 different varieties. And to combat waste, if you win a prize and don’t want to take it home with you, you can exchange it for an edible treat instead.

Another way that this amusement park is different is that The Children’s Day Foundation manages and maintains it. Through the money raised at the amusement park, this organization has pledged about €120 million to child welfare.

The park is open during the summer and periodically throughout the year, so check if it’s open before you arrive.

Sompasauna

For a unique and eco-friendly experience, consider a visit to Sompasauna. This community sauna near the city center is heated by wood and fueled by community contributions. Kids and adults are expected to help keep the saunas clean, get water, or even saw wood. Since the community runs it, there is no fee for a session, and it’s always open. If you have young children, you may need to give this one a pass, though. Some experts recommend saunas only for kids aged six or older.

Saunas are a way of life in Helsinki, and this is a perfect place to relax while appreciating Helsinki’s strong sauna culture. Surrounding the sauna, you’ll find a relaxed outdoor area with a DIY spirit, including art installations and a communal garden. It’s an excellent place for families to connect with locals and learn about sustainable, community-driven projects.

Conclusion

Helsinki’s commitment to sustainability and preserving its natural beauty make it an ideal destination for families looking to impart eco-conscious values to their children. By exploring Helsinki’s green areas, eco-friendly businesses, and even a sauna or two, your children can learn to appreciate the beauty of the natural world and understand the importance of protecting it for future generations.

crafts, create, google+ hangouts, key stage 2, kids

spiral flowers newspaper

Fairy Tale crafts – taking inspiration from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves we decided to upcycle a charity shop mirror and create the famous Mirror Mirror on the Wall….

This was a fabulous team effort, and my son now proudly has this Fairy Tale Craft beauty hanging on the wall in his bedroom.

You will need:

Old sheets of newspaper
Cocktail stick
Glue stick
Stronger glue, (I recommend a glue gun!)

Instructions:

1) Roll the newspaper sheet diagonally from the corner, using the cocktail stick to get you started, so that the roll is nice and tight. When the cocktail stick starts to disappear inside the paper, gently pull it out, and continue to tightly roll the newspaper to create a long ‘stick’ – the first of MANY!

2) Flatten the ‘stick’ using a hard surface.

3) Taking your cocktail stick, start to roll the flattened ‘stick’ into a tight spiral, securing it with glue as you get to the end of the spiral.

4) When you have enough of these spirals, you can start to build up the pattern around the mirror – we found that the glue gun was the best tool for this!

KidsChaos-Mirror-paper-spirals-selfie

You could also spray paint the spirals, however we like the newspaper spirals in their natural form!

KidsChaos-newspaper-flowers

 Ali also blogs over on incredibusy.com and is a new lover of Instagram too… pop over and say hello! And I’ll be adding this to Lizzie’s#MagpieMonday as I love to salvage, upcycle and re-use stuff!

Fairytale KidsChaos RedTedArt Video

If you’d like to see more Fairy Tale crafts, firstly pop over to see our Jack and the Beanstalk Reward Chart, and then click the youtube link here, as I got together with Missie Lizzie who talked magic beans, Anthea with her elves’ shoes, Kelly talked Rapunzel, and Maggy at Red Ted Art (talking three little pigs) who hosted a Fairy Tale Craft google+ hangout.