Catch up #3 - Small person craftiness and ideas please!

Obviously I have been trying to stick to my plan for toddler group as much as possible and we haven't been doing too badly so far.

Last week we decorated fans for chinese new year (which doesn't start until the is Sunday - 14th February, but I needed time to include Valentine's cards too) and I had a few chinese dragon cut outs left over from last year, so we decorated those too. I must admit, the fans were far easier to cut than the dragons! I thought it best to make a flat fan shape to make it easier for sticking (and a pleated one would not have held it's shape once covered in wet glue or paint).

If you were to make this at home, you could decorate first, wait for it to dry and then pleat it. You could also add tassles to the end. Unfortunately these weren't an option for me because we only have 1.5 hours and most things go home still wet!

We used red and gold collage pieces from our collage tubs.

This week we made our valentines cards. I would have liked some pastel card to use as a base, but I need to restock our craft cabinet, so white it was. I used pink and blue half circles, pink blue and red cut out hearts, little "slices" of paper doily (which would have shown up much better on the pastel card) and heaps of pink and silver glitter. Glitter's always good :)

So we made lovely love bird valentines. Doily tails, heart shaped wings and plenty of floating love around them!

We're now into half term, so I get a break next week, and we've booked a play date with one of Alex's friend's from toddler group. It's good all round because I get to have grown up chat, and the small person gets someone to play with that can actually fit in her dressing up clothes with her!

I've been having a go at a few things from my mum's "the art of crochet" and so far have one fingerless mitt to chow for my efforts. I'm quite pleased with it and found it easy to make. NOTE TO SELF: MUST PRACTICE RIBBING IN CROCHET. Mine does not look so great!

The small person thought it was good, but I think perhaps they're a little too big for her.

Mr Bogert and I are joining in with the village Open Gardens which will be held in June (not actually opening our garden though. It's more of a health and safety nightmare situated in a wasteland than a garden!). Planning is already underway. We're going to have an exhibition for photoclub in the village hall and there's also a competition across the whole village for people to make scarecrows to put outside the front of thier houses.

We have been trying to think of a really good theme for ours and so far all we've come up with is The Simpsons or The Wizard of Oz. I think both would look great and be tons of fun to make, but both would involve making a 4 or 5 scarecrows! That's a few more than we would really like!

Do any of you out there have a better idea of a recognisable theme we could use (that would hopefully involve less scraecrows!). It doesn't have to be from TV, but needs to be recognisable to both old and young.