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open this document to find out a little more about who we are and what services we can offer

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Activity pack letter annmaria for padlet

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Try this no cook playdough recipe.

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The Best No Cook Playdough Recipe! | Little Bins for Little Hands

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This has to be the BEST homemade playdough recipe around! Finally, an easy playdough recipe you don't have to cook! Kids love playdough and it works magically for a variety of ages. Add this no cook playdough recipe to your bag of sensory recipes, and you will always have something fun to whip up any day you want!

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Arts and crafts can help children to express themselves and develop important skills. It also inspires them to think creatively and provides a space to get messy. But most importantly it's a chance to have fun, use their imagination and even create something useful!

There's no need to go out and buy lots of expensive art and crafts equipment for your modelling session when you've got recycling bins full of goodies! Using junk for your modelling and crafts isn't just saving the planet, but also your wallet and your time.

Paints and glue at the ready! Here are 20 of our favourite junk modelling ideas for you and your kids to try, using old bits and bobs you may have hanging around the house!

Toilet Roll Tubes

Your used toilet roll tubes can make all kinds of models, from the weird to the wonderful. You may need extra bits, depending on what you're thinking of conjuring up, but the base of all the following ideas simply need toilet roll tubes!

You can (really easily) make biodegradable mini planters using your toilet roll tubes. This activity can also help children to understand gardening and how growing plants works! Of course, you can decorate your pots before you plant your veg/flower of choice, and you could even label what they are, on the pot!

Kids who love doing arts and crafts probably have various pens, pencils and paintbrushes in their room. So, what better way to organise them than in a craft they've created themselves? Add some colour, decorative paper and use different heights and sizes to accommodate all stationary.

Plastic Bottles

Plastic bottles are in every house with children. From squash and cordial bottles to milk bottles, there are endless possibilities for what they could be transformed into.

Again, using just the bottle lids you can add a splash of colour to a room, and also enjoy a fun activity for you and your child. Simply thread the string through the bottle lids and hang together on a strong piece of metal or wood. If you want to see a finished product and gain a little inspiration, click

You're never too young to start saving some pennies. You and your child can make a fun piggy bank for the hard-earned pocket money (or gifts from family) by simply turning your plastic bottle on its side, cutting a slit and adding some creativity and imagination. You could even turn it into an actual ' piggy bank ', with some ears and a little curly tail.

Cardboard Boxes

Every household has cardboard boxes, whether it's leftover from an online order or from the weekend pizza. While it does depend on the size of your cardboard box, there are so many things that it can now become.

Egg Cartons/Boxes

Most households have old egg cartons that go straight in the recycling bin, however, their unique shape makes it the perfect piece of rubbish to get creative with.

Glass Jars

Glass jars make a really great, upcycled candle holder, plant pot or decorative fairy light holder. They are also suitable for gift-giving. Whether you are giving home-made jam or some sweeties or creating a tealight holder, a personalised jar is super special. You and your child can have some bonding time by painting and decorating the jar together.

When you have free time with your children, every minute is cherished. Much of the time there's no need to spend lots of money or indulge in extravagant activities when you have plenty of fun right in front of you. Nothing is more special than quality family time - and what better way to spend this time than by getting messy with paints and creating something meaningful? Not only that, but these modelling ideas will provide hours of fun (not just for the kids!). What's on your DIY list? Will it be a bottle-cap curtain, a desk organiser or a bunch of egg-carton flowers?

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20 Genius Junk Modelling Ideas For Kids To Try | Play Like Mum

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Arts and crafts can help children to express themselves and develop important skills. It also inspires them to think creatively and provides a space to get messy. But most importantly it's a chance to have fun, use their imagination and even create something useful!

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follow this link for some brilliant how to art challenges.

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From artist-led workshops to galleries full of art and architecture, and at-home art activities, we have a lot on offer for families - and kids under 16 go free to all RA exhibitions.

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Follow this link for some fun craft ideas.

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Follow this link for all the instructions on how to make this amazing aquarium at home.

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There's something fun about turning a piece of cardboard headed for the recycling bin into something else! Do you remember doing shoe box crafts as a kid? I remember making a shoe box manger and it was one of my favorite activities in school. This is a similar idea (you could do a shoe box aquarium too!) but this is using a cereal box! This cereal box aquarium is so much fun to make and such a fun craft to keep afterwards too.

RELATED: Tissue Box Monsters

This cereal box aquarium craft is a great one for encouraging creativity! Kids can choose how they want to decorate their aquarium, what colored fish and what colors even! There are so many options and ways to build an aquarium. We would love to see how you make yours!

Our book - Fun and Easy Crafting with Recycled Materials is bursting with cardboard crafts like this one. There is a whole chapter of cardboard crafts. But not only that, there are other recycled crafts for kids too - egg cartons, paper rolls, newspaper, popsicle sticks, jars and more!

Supplies to Make This Cereal Box Aquarium Craft

Watch the Video Tutorial

Directions to Make a Cereal Box Aquarium

1. First you need to trace a cut-out on your box. We used a sharpie to make our lines and then used an x-acto knife (adults only) to cut out the center of the box.

2. Now paint the inside of your box a turquoise blue color.

3. Paint the outside of your box silver (to make it look like an aquarium).

4. Now you can decorate your aquarium however you'd like!

Kinetic sand as a background on the bottom. We didn't try regular sand but regular sand would likely work too. The kinetic sand sticks together and holds in place so it's easy to work with. You could also use cereal like cheerios or a puff style cereal to make it look like sand.

Green Pipe Cleaners - cut some strips of green pipe cleaners and glue to the bottom of your box to make it look like seaweed.

Sea Shells - we used the sea shells to hide the bottom of the pipe cleaners. Add some sea shells wherever you think they will fit! These will need to be hot glued down.
Here are the elements we added:
Stones for the bottom of the aquarium. Stones will add some weight for the aquarium to stand up on its own. Stones can be placed at the bottom or hot glued down.

4. Print off this fish template to make these adorable fish for your cereal box aquarium.

5. Now cut out your fish template and use it to trace your fish shapes onto your colored paper. We used orange, yellow and red cardstock.

6. Glue on googly eyes to your fish.

7. Take a small piece of string and tape it to the back of your fish.

8. Now attach the strings to the top of your cereal box.

Now you have a finished cereal box aquarium. We hope you had as much fun making these as we did!
Now it's time to add your fish!
Looking for another fun fish craft? Make this adorable Fish Handprint Card. This would be perfect for Father's Day or the fishing lover Dad's birthday!

These butterfly handprint cards are also an adorable craft to make for any occasion!
Looking for more fun crafts? Check out some of our favorites and most popular crafts below!

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There's something fun about turning a piece of cardboard headed for the recycling bin into something else! Do you remember doing shoe box crafts as a kid? I remember making a shoe box manger and it was one of my favorite activities in school.

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a lovely little booklet to complete with your child ideal for age 3-6 yrs