Adele Jarrett-Kerr
Writing, thinking and parenting for compassionate living
Ten Charlie and the Chocolate Factory activities for younger children
Learning at home

Ten Charlie and the Chocolate Factory activities for younger children

This post was originally published in November 2015. It reappears here in collaboration with million eyez. We’ve just finished a happy romp through the wonderfully bizarre world of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Having realised from page one that this chapter book was going to be a hit, I gathered a few ideas for activities we could try alongside it. For my four-year-old, it was delightful to dig deeper into the experience of the story. For my 21-month-old, it meant she didn’t keep trying to pull the book out of my hand or take me some place else.…

May 18, 2017
Summer Crafts: CD Suncatchers #CollectiveBias
Learning at home

Summer Crafts: CD Suncatchers #CollectiveBias

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CollectiveBias I tried to get some bigger crafts and activities with kids in before the baby came and life inevitably slowed right down and got that bit more chaotic. As it turned out, we managed this windchime made of CD suncatchers literally just before the day Delilah was born. As in, we started it on the due date, finished it on 40+1, I went into labour that night and she was born the next morning! I wrote the birth story that night so…

July 20, 2016
Make a matchbox trinket box
Lifestyle

Make a matchbox trinket box

While I love getting my teeth stuck into bigger craft projects – I have a few on the go at the moment – there’s something surprisingly satisfying about quick projects that yield great effect with little effort. So when Harveys Furniture sent me a few swatches from their sofas range with the challenge to use the fabric to craft a home accessory. I’m a sucker for little boxes so decided to quickly decorate a matchbox fit to hold the odd trinket. They have a fun quiz at the moment to find your “shape” with Sofas by You. I unsurprisingly got…

March 30, 2016
Lucky fish – Chinese New Year craft
Learning at home

Lucky fish – Chinese New Year craft

Last year when Talitha was three-and-a-half, she and I really got into Chinese New Year with lots of reading, looking and videos and, of course, crafting. Fish appear a lot in Chinese New Year iconography as symbols of good luck. So, this lucky fish craft fit right in with our Chinese New Year wall display on the go (we need to start this year’s!) and worked those fine motor skills too. We used: a red paper plate a marker stick on eyes glue glue pen gold glitter hole punch pipe cleaners a small measure of gold rick rack a red…

January 15, 2016
What I wore – Lori & Lumps Lace cowl
Lifestyle

What I wore – Lori & Lumps Lace cowl

This cowl has pretty much made the season for me. My friend Tash crocheted it and it’s a real testament to her craftsmanship, quirky personality and joyful dedication. She recently launched her crochet business Lori & Lumps Lace and there is lusting a-plenty to be had over the collection there. There are dragon shawls, swirling scarves, children’s cardigans, mermaid tails and much more, all exhibiting her careful stitching and beadwork. Many of her pieces are made from beautifully hand-dyed merino yarn. You can probably tell I’ve been drooling over her shop for a while! I kept saying that I would…

November 13, 2015
Milk bottle cap hot air balloons
Learning at home

Milk bottle cap hot air balloons

With hot air balloons fresh in our minds from the Bristol Balloon Fiesta, I wanted to do a craft with Talitha featuring them. We always have lots of recycling objects around so I grabbed a few milk bottle caps and we got going. We used: Blue card Milk bottle caps PVA glue Glitter glue pens A toilet roll tube A dark felt tip pen Polystyrene packaging chips What we did: Spread LOADS of glue on the bottle caps and stick them to your card. Talitha did her own, I helped Ophelia. Cut the tube into little rectangles for the basket…

August 24, 2015
Hama Beads
Family

Hama Beads

While Talitha napped (!) one day, I fancied doing something fun with the time instead of stealing an opportunity to wash dishes/hoover/do a million other things I probably should be doing. So I got out a set of Hama Beads sent to me by CraftMerrily. Creating with Hama Beads involves following a pattern by placing beads on a board. In this case, the beads were so tiny I used a pair of tweezers to place the beads. It’s kind of like cross stitch, without the stress of having to rip thread out if you make a mistake – which I…

November 9, 2011

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