Welcome back to Kids Get Crafty. Today we are making snowflakes with nature’s “very own snowflake stamp” – waiting for you to pick it and have a go. Once you have the stamp, you can make pictures, cards, wrapping paper etc etc. Come take a look! Don’t forget Kids Get Crafty is also a link up party/ blog hop for all craftiness with and for children! Do take part. Do be inspired! Link up at bottom of post! Hooray!
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There a number of reasons why I am bringing you snowflakes in autumn.. one is, that as we are using “nature’s very own snowflakes stamps” and I am not sure how much longer they will be around! The other, is that Christmas Get Crafty is around the corner, and I would love to bring you as many simple and inspiring ideas for your own Christmas crafts as possible…. I find that MY creative process works in a way, where I let things “sink in”, then I develope it and then I make something.. so hopefully you will be getting very crafty with your little ones for the festive season!
First to our book.
The Snowy Day, by Ezra Jack Keats. Read together age: from 2yrs. Winner of the Caldecott Medal.
Peter wakes up one day to find that the worlds I covered in a beautiful white blanket. He goes out to play and explore. He sees his footprints, makes tracks, shakes snow of the tree and learns about snowballs and snowmen! He loves the snow so much he even takes some home for later. After his evening bath the snowball is gone! Oh no… but the next day brings more snow and beautiful snowflakes.
It is a simple story of a children enjoying snowy days. Illustrated in beautifully simple and bold colours. Very appealing.
Our craft – Poppy Flower Snowflakes
Ahem, this is a classic example of “toddler led crafting”, i.e. he really wanted to do his own thing and not what I wanted him to do. That is ok. I decided to “do a sample” anyway for two reasons 1) you may still like to do it with your older children (or yourself!) and 2) children learn through watching and sometimes him not wanting to do something is Red Ted telling me that he doesn’t know how and that he would rather watch. So maybe next time… Interestingly, the “final final product” was led by him…
Poppy Flower Husks
Here is what we did. At the end of the summer weeks, I noticed this lovely little pattern on the Poppy Flower Husk. “Oh ho! that looks pretty.. could that be a snowflake or star even?” So I “gathered” some, shook out all the poppy seeds and soaked the husk. (Dried, the husk is concave and will therefore not print flatly). Once soaked, squeeze out excess water, but take care not to damage the pattern.
Get a bit of paint and hey presto you have a snowflake. It does take a bit of fiddling and less paint is definitely more. But once you get the hang of it, you will get these delicate little flakes. So pretty. I think children slightly older than Red Ted (2.5yrs) should manage fine.
Wax Crayon Snowflakes
I also showed him the “wax crayon” magic trick: Draw some white crayon snowflakes and then paint over it with coloured water, the snowflakes magically appear. Red Ted was fascinated!
Glitter Snowflakes
We also made some Glitter Snowflakes just to get things messy! They will look lovely cut out on a card. I helped a little with the glue, but mainly as it was a bit tricky to squeeze it out. I tried to let Red Ted do all the “guiding” of the lines, but did turn the paper at 45 degrees to get the right shape. Red Ted then added the glitter!
I let The Snowy Day inspire the colours I chose.
After they had dried, Red Ted grabbed a sheet and demanded we did some cutting! So I helped him cut out circles (ok, I cut them all) and he started playing with them… which then gave me the idea to get him to stick them on cards. So we did. You can add “little lines” and make the “snow balls” into Christmas Baubles, woudn’t they look sweet? Also, this works lovely as wrapping paper or printed on fabric it makes a lovely jam jar/ chutney jar decor (we like making green tomato chutney and jam!! and they make great stocking fillers).
Hope you like and Get Crafty with your kids!
Oh.. and then I quick go with ink, isn’t ink just too lovely and delicate?:
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This was featured on Beyond the Picket Fence!
Love this one! I wish I’d known you when I was a teacher!!
thank you 😉 but then if you had known me then, I wouldn’t have had this idea yet… all come with my children!!! And walking past the same poppy flowers day in day out with pram or toddling toddler!
I love this one too – such a clever idea.
oh Maggy this is a lovely idea and the snowflake prints are really clever!
beautiful 🙂 Love the lid cover idea
Love this! We have a great poppy plant in our back garden and the flowers and their seed pods are really beautiful. Will have to have a go at this- both kids will love it I’m sure & a great way to decorate their Christmas cards when the time comes too!
@Fiona oooh you are lucky to have your own supply in the back garden! How fabulous! Have fun making snowflakes!!
Fabulous! Only just found you today, but am definitely now a fan. Can’t wait to read more of your super site. My 3yo absolutely loves crafting and we live in the country so lots to play with. Unfortunately no large poppies, but this was a lovely idea.
(I tend to make some of the things he says he wants out of cardboard as on a shoe-string. (I save all manner of boxes and packets etc.) It’s challenging, but is fun for me and somehow I think he appreciates the toys more than the expensive ones!)
Will definitely keep dropping in.
MJM.
Ah! Thank you MJM! That is a lovely comment to leave. Will have to pop round your way and see what you have been making! LOVE recycled crafts!!! 🙂 (In fact am doing a whole “Recycled Get Crafty” feature in December!)
Lovely to “meet”.
Brilliant Maggy! I love these and we have poppy heads so will definitely be having a go. (And you’ve prompted an idea…if it works, I’ll let you know!)
C xx
Oooh Chris, can’t wait to see your idea! Fingers crossed it works!!
Maggy x
I don’t think I’ve seen Poppy flowers around, but I am going to check out every seed pod at the park to see what we can use for this (I would really love it it they turned out Christmassy too, I really want to start to get our Christmas organized!)
I love this! I’ll certainly be looking at all the flowers, and seed pods differently, now 🙂
Good timing with this post – A Snowy Day is the campaign book for this year’s Jumpstart Read for the Record on October 7th. I’m planning on reading the book with my kids then and maybe we’ll have to try one of your crafts!
@almost unschoolers & @amandab- ooh if you find any other pretty husks – you must let us know!
@janelle – oh that is a lovely book to read for any reading campaign! Fabulous! Hope you enjoy the crafts (have another snowflake coming on Friday…)
I love this! What a great idea!
SUPER creative!
Brilliant!
I always thought there was something that could be done with those wonderful sculptural poppy husks, or whatever they are called.
They are so beautiful!
This makes me wish I still had a Girl Scout Troop.
Cass
I love using the pine cone to print. The Snowy Day is such a wonderful book.
That is so cool! I’m going to have to look out for some of those. Thanks so much for sharing.
Brittany
http://www.prettyhandygirl.com
oo very pretty! What neat natural snowflakes!!
Such fun! Are poppies indigenous to certain areas? I’ve never seen them around just growing. I think I’ve seen them dried in Michael’s, but have never noticed the starburst end. I’ll have to check again.
Would love for you to stop by tomorrow and link it up to Passion for Paint! And I need to get my act together for my grandson so I can link up some fun for your party!
Done! And would be LOVELY to have you join in with us too!!
(Baking counts, as does making something FOR a child ;-))
Maggy
PS I live in the UK… so yes, it may be that parts of the US do ot have them growing wild…
What a great idea! I don’t have poppies, but I wonder what other plants would make great stamps! Thanks for the inspiration!
(Found you at It’s So Very Cheri!)
Thank you for joining us at Show & Tell on ABC & 123: A Learning Cooperative! I love using nature for crafting and these are so cool looking, they also remind me of fireworks for fourth of July.
Thanks for linking up to Passion for Paint, Maggy. As soon as I’m organized enough to get some projects for a 3 year old, I’ll be back!
Hope you’ll stop by again soon!
Very pretty snowflakes! Definitely time to start thinking about Christmas crafts so I’m not doing them all in a frenzy at once!
Thanks for linking up at Feed Me Books Friday!
Very cute! Looks like you two had fun!
Great projects as usual! 😉
Thanks so much for linking them up at Gettin’ Crafty on hump day!
Fantastic idea! Love this.
I did not know that!
What a great idea. I’ll have to be on the lookout for poppy’s and other items from nature to use in my children’s art projects.
I really like it! Thanks for sharing.
I didn’t thought of this. We have to try it before christmas.