Early Scope

Parent child activities

Organic Mobile

Required: String, Glue, nuts, dried leaves and other natural objects Sometimes when we are out of any crafts material, we must look around. Nature is the ultimate arts-crafts supply center.

Look for interesting objects from the outdoors with your child. Collect nuts, dried leaves and small rocks or pieces of wood. Anything that won’t rot is best for the Organic Mobile! Collect several small but sturdy branches for supporting rods as well.

After your search, sort your collection on a table and experiment with various layouts. The mobile can hang from one branch or from several branches (see fig.). In any case, let your child do the arranging; if the mobile looks like it may have balance problems, suggest alternative arrangement.

Once the layout is settled, tie the objects to the strings whenever possible; use nontoxic white glue when you can’t. Let the glue dry overnight before affixing the strings to the branches.



Required: Stiff paper, crayons, paper, straight pin, cardboard, pencil, eraser

To make a pinwheel, take a five or six inch square of stiff paper, then have your child decorate it with stripes, circles, lines, colour blobs, and whatever else he or she wishes. Fold the decorated paper diagonally both ways. Now comes the assembly (grown up job). Cut along the diagonal lines to within an inch of the center (see illustration).


Then bend the four corners down toward the middle, overlapping them so you can pin them at the center. Push a pin through the pinwheel and then stick the assemblage into the eraser at the end of a pencil. Make sure the pin allows the pinwheel to move freely; bend it back for safety, making sure there is no sharp point exposed. Pour some white adhesive on top of the bent pin, after drying it shall add a smooth coating covering the sharp edge of the pin.



Hand Shadows

Required: Darkened room, lamp

All you need for this activity is a darkened room, a lamp and a little imagination. Adjust the lamp until the shadows casts are clear and the lamp itself is out of everyone’s way (you don’t want any accidents arising from the sudden movements of enthusiastic audience members). Then try the following shapes- or make up your own.

A Flying Bird: Link your thumbs and wave your fingers as you move your hands in an upward diagonal path.

A Quacking Duck: Join your two hands together, interlocking your fingers. Then extend your two fingers and turn your handsso your palms are parallel to the floor. Tap yourindex fingers against one another.

A Butterfly: Place your thumbs side-by-side; keep your fingers together. Touch your palms together, and then return them to their original position. Repeat.

Amazing how many pets you have between your fingers!