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Links to how to be a great creative writer & story starter ideas

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Links to how to be a great creative writer & story starter ideas

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Some very good ideas here about how to inspire story writing.

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How to write your own stories

Are you a budding David Walliams or the next J. K. Rowling? Then you're in the right place!

Unleash your inner author with our creative writing ideas. Find out how to come up with story ideas, plan your story, write exciting characters, and edit your story to give it that final polish. You can even watch some of your favourite authors reveal their top tips on the Oxford Owl YouTube channel.

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Are you a budding David Walliams or the next J. K. Rowling? Then you're in the right place! Unleash your inner author with our creative writing ideas. Find out how to come up with story ideas, plan your story, write exciting characters, and edit your story to give it that final polish.

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Make a “Story Mountain” before you begin

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Make a “Story Mountain” before you begin

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Take a look at this example of how to get your story started.

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Listen to these tips from a story competition judge about how to write a standout story!

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Malorie Blackman on how to write a standout story | Oxford Owl

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A synonym is a word that has the same or similar meaning to another word. So a synonym for sad might be upset or unhappy. This list gives you other ways to say commonly used words, without sounding repetitive.

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You can enhance the richness of your writing by using similes. See if you can be creative with your answers.

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Use a dice & this  chart to get your story idea:

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Design an exciting word art comic style poster💥

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Design an exciting word art comic style poster💥

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Watch the PowerPoint here to get some inspiration:

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Learn the beautiful art of paper-folding

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Instead of writing a piece of fiction, you can choose to write how to do something ~ a special skill/game/recipe/art or craft. Look at the slides to help you structure your work:

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Paul Klee, a famous German-Swiss artist, once said, "a line is a dot that went for a walk". Explore this quote by taking your line for a walk.

Check out the image below for some inspiration!

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If you enjoyed taking your line for a walk, you might be interested in exploring more of Paul Klee's work.

The link below contains ten art projects inspired by his creativity. Perhaps they will inspire you too!

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Learn all about Paul Klee with these 10 Paul Klee Art Projects for Kids. Great for toddlers, preschoolers, and grade school-aged kids

“A line is a dot that went for a walk.” – Paul Klee

Now that is quite a unique, though an accurate description of a line! And this single quote represents everything that Paul Klee, the German-Swiss artist, was about. He was a man without pretenses, who wasn’t afraid to call a spade a spade. It reflects his penchant for the basics, his simplicity, and of course, his sense of humor! This makes it all the more fun to learn about this interesting artist, with the help of some  Paul Klee art projects for kids!

Who is Paul Klee?

Paul Klee, (born December 18, 1879,  Swiss-German painter and draftsman who was one of the foremost artists of the 20th century.

Periods: Der Blaue Reiter, Cubism, Modern art

Professions: Artist, Painter

Died: June 29, 1940, Muralto

What was Paul Klee famous for?

Paul Klee was a prolific Swiss and German artist best known for his large body of work, influenced by cubism, expressionism, and surrealism.

What mediums did Paul Klee use?

Painting, Drawing, Watercolor painting & Printmaking

How did Paul Klee represent music in his art?

Paul Klee is quite different from most famous artists. While other artists were often single-minded about their art from the start, Klee grew up learning music. This enduring connection to his earliest craft manifests as paintings that directly reference music. In In the Style of Bach (1919), for example, Klee reimagines a musical score as an arrangement of graphic symbols like foliage, a crescent moon, and stars

Who inspired Paul Klee’s art?

But it wasn’t only Klee’s predecessors who informed his work—his peers were integral to his artistic development, too. Perhaps his greatest inspiration and ally was Kandinsky

He was also unique in the sense that he didn’t subscribe to any particular kind of art, experimenting and practicing all kinds instead. Let’s learn more about his colorful personality through these Paul Klee art projects for kids to make, play and learn!

1. Paul Klee The Castle and the Sun inspired Castle Collage

The Castle and the Sun is one of Paul Klee’s most iconic works of art. It’s a mix of colors and geometric shapes like squares, triangles, and diamond shapes along with a huge circle for the sun. Art is Basic recreates this artwork in a lovely collage, which the kids can make based on colors of their choice. Use a mix of watercolor paper, magazines and scrap paper for a lovely effect.

2. Paul Klee Senecio inspired Head of a Man Oil Pastel Art

Paul Klee’s sarcastic humor was often reflected in his work, and one example is the painting called ‘The Head of the Main going Senile’. It features a man with a rather whimsical expression, something that has been captured in this fun art project by Lost Persons Home School.

FREE DOWNLOAD

Looking for a resource to explore Art Appreciation with kids? Click the image below, enter 0$ in the price & download our Printable ‘Famous Artists’ Mini Cards & Art appreciation Worksheet for free.

3. Color Theory on Book Pages

Like we said, Klee studied color intensely, and he’s got some beautiful work showing color families and color gradation. Arte a Scuola has a unique take on this, by using black markers on book pages to draw shapes and coloring them in.

4. The Cat and the Bird: A Children’s Book Inspired by Paul Klee

Paul Klee adored cats and his own pets were often models for his artwork! As a result, we can see many cat-related works of art, an important one of which was The Cat and the Bird. This book of the same name talks about the friendship between a cat and a bird, told through a series of illustrations based on Paul Klee’s works. The book also talks about the painting and is a great pick for young readers.

5. Paul Klee Tissue Paper Self Portrait

Self-portraits are a part of nearly every artist’s art class, and this project from Simply Art Lessons uses Klee’s geometric shapes and bright colors with tissue paper. The paper is wet and the color is allowed to bleed through, creating a gorgeous effect.

6. Paul Klee Diagram

Remember the quote about the dot going for a walk? The art work, The Groom’s Arrival’, is almost a literal interpretation of that, and Art Projects for Kids has an easy diagram that is very close to the original! Just follow the instructions and let your pencil glide along.

7. Paint Chip City Collage

If you’ve got a bunch of paint chips, then this city collage from The Art Annex is perfect! You can create your own urban city version of Paul Klee’s Castle and the Sun – you get your personalized, modern abstract art!

8. Cat and Bird Collage

We know that Klee loved cats, and his Cat and Bird art is pretty popular. It shows a cat who’s got a bird on his mind – literally ‘on’ his mind! Elementary Art Room has quirky little project where you can make your own cat and bird. Try it using different art and craft materials, like feathers, scrap paper and googly eyes.

9. Coloring Pages

If your little ones aren’t in the mood for a full-fledged project, some coloring pages from Artsology will be perfect. Many artists are featured here, including Paul Klee’s work. Download and print for some quiet time engagement.

10.Paul Klee, Fish Magic inspired Geometric Fish

Besides cats, fish also featured prominently in Klee’s work. The most famous among his fish paintings are Fish Magic and the Goldfish, which show fish against a dark background, with an almost ethereal quality. This project from Katie Morris Art tries a clever way to recreate these paintings, and the results are quite nice!

Paul Klee is a great example of how you can attain mastery of any subject through practice and study, even if you think you’re not ‘naturally’ talented. He loved colors, thought he wasn’t good at it but persevered and the results are there for all to see!

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Paul Klee was different from other artists, his sarcastic wit being one difference! Learn more about this artist with 10 Paul Klee Art Projects for Kids.

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Put your pulse, rhythm, tempo and sense of texture to the test!

Check out the link below for a complete guide to The Cup Song.

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Origins of the cup song

It's a craze that has swept over schools everywhere and contrary to popular belief, the Cup Song (or "Cup Game") was not created for the 2012 movie Pitch Perfect. Both the song and game that accompanies it have been around for years and their history is an interesting one.

The song - When I'm Gone - was originally written and recorded by country music group The Carter Family in 1931. The Mainers Mountaineers later recorded their own version of the song in 1937 and at this time it was a stand-alone song, with no cup-based rhythmic accompaniment.

The cup routine itself is attributed to performer Rich Mullins and it started life as a rhythmic accompaniment for his 1987 song Screen Door. You can see Rich Mullins in an a cappella performance of the song in this video:

The game grew in popularity and was picked up by many music teachers and camp leaders as a fun, challenging activity which could accompany any song and even made a brief appearance on the 1980s sitcom Full House.

The cup game first gained mainstream popularity on Youtube with a performance by Lulu and the Lampshades. They decided to pair it with the When I'm Gone song and uploaded a video of their performance back in 2009 (yes, waaaaay before Pitch Perfect):

Anna Burden later covered that version and Anna Kendrik (the actor from Pitch Perfect) is reported to have seen her video on the social trend-spotting website Reddit. Anna Kendrick spent an afternoon learning it and when the Pitch Perfect producers discovered she knew it, they decided to include it in the movie.

The Anna Kendrick version has also been made into a "director's cut" film clip, simply titled Cups.

How to do the cup song

If you search on Youtube for "cup game tutorial", you'll return hundreds of results and not many of the videos do a good job of teaching the sequence! One of the better tutorials was created by two girls who created a series of teaching videos for music games and they do a great job of teaching things sequentially. They're wearing the same clothes in all of their videos which makes me think they recorded them all in one day! Here's their Cup Game video, but I would recommend taking a look at their other videos as well.

There's also a repetitive, slow version here and one by a group of kids on the Zoom TV show here.

And the award goes to...

There are hundreds of inventive (and some not-so-inventive) versions of the cup song on Youtube. Here are a few of my favourite ones:

Best percussive arrangement

The award for the most rhythmically interesting (and challenging) arrangement goes to Harvard percussion group THUD.

Best a cappella arrangement

Popular Youtube music producer Kurt Hugo Schneider created this clever a cappella arrangement with 3 friends:

Biggest number of performers

Unofficial world record for the biggest number of participants in a cup song performance: a group of 600 Irish students and staff:

Most daring use of glass

Glasses feature in this version by a Russian comedy group (and they have a few interesting variations in the routine!):

Biggest variety in cups used

Cups: The Extreme Edition features an array of cup styles:

6 cup game activities for music teachers

In addition to teaching students the cup song as it appears on Pitch Perfect, you can also try the following:

1. The traditional game-style version: do the cup routine in a circle, passing the cup to your right at the end of each cycle. Speed up gradually. Anyone who fumbles, drops their cup, or messes up the rhythm moves out of the circle while the remaining players continue on. The circle gets smaller and smaller as players are eliminated, until there is just one winner left.

2. Perform the cup rhythm on its own, as a round in two parts. The second person starts after 4 beats, half-way through the first person's rhythm.

3. Perform the cup rhythm as a round, but this time do it in four parts. Each person can start 2 beats after the other.

4. Ask students to come up with their own 8-beat variation on the cup sequence. They can then perform the original sequence, followed by their own rhythm and then the original sequence again to create an ABA form.

5. Use the cup game as an ostinato to accompany almost any song. There are a number of examples of this on Youtube including a One Thing/What Makes You Beautiful/ Cup Song mashup, a Titanium cover , a version of "Call Your Girlfriend" by sisters Maisy and Lennon and an Orff workshop in action.

6. Use this listening activity by Denise Gagne (which uses just the first part of the cup game rhythm) as inspiration for your own listening activities.

Cup Game Freebie

Teacher Aileen Miracle of Mrs Miracle's Music Room has created a free downloadable resource for music teachers which includes the cup game chant, activity directions and the song I've Been To Harlem.

Your own version?

Have you used the cup game at your school? Do you have a variation on the original game? Perhaps you've seen an innovative version not mentioned above? Let me know in the comments below 🙂 .

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Origins of the cup song It's a craze that has swept over schools everywhere and contrary to popular belief, the Cup Song (or "Cup Game") was not created for the 2012 movie Pitch Perfect. Both the song and game that accompanies it have been around for years and their history is an interesting one.

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Explore and create sounds at home by creating your own instrument.

Click on the link below for some inspiration!

Perhaps you could show a steady beat by playing your instrument to your favourite song.

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300+ Best Homemade Musical Instruments images | homemade musical instruments, diy musical instruments, homemade instruments

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Mar 30, 2012 - A collection of DIY homemade musical instrument tutorials from around the web. See more ideas about Homemade musical instruments, Diy musical instruments, Homemade instruments.

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Discover ways of making sounds using body percussion.

Try tapping, clapping, slapping different parts of your body to create sounds.

Use body percussion to show the steady beat and tempo of the popular song linked below. There are visual aids to guide you. Enjoy!

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Body Percussion - Can't Stop the Feeling`

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Have a look the video for directions on making your own slime.
Why not make some green alien slime 👽, some mermaid glitter slime 🧜‍♀️, or some marbled unicorn slime 🦄 Have fun!

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How to Make SLIME for Beginners! Best EASY Way to Make Slime!

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Make some playdough using this simple recipe. Don't forget that adding more flour really helps for if your playdough is too sticky.
You could try making your name out of playdough letters!

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Homemade PlayDough Recipe: Simple and Natural | DIY Natural

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Check out this video to learn a dance, or you could just make up your own dance moves.

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Learn How to Dance to Old Town Road" - Lil Nas X / Billy Ray Cyrus | Mini Pop Kids - Dance With Us

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Have a listen to this song and see if you can learn the words and sing along too!
You could draw a picture after you've listened to this song in response. How did it make you feel? What did it make you think about? 🙂

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Okaïdi & Playing for Change : "What a Wonderful World"

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Watch the video and follow along! The guys from Kaboom Percussion will guide you through all the actions to play along with the song. All you need is a plastic cup and a hard surface.
You can try this activity on your own or with a family member.

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Check out this link for some inspiration for making some creations using toilet paper rolls. Enjoy!

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Quick and Easy Toilet Paper Roll Crafts

To the seasoned crafter, a toilet paper roll is an opportunity. A piece of crafting material that can be used for tons of different projects!

And it's really true, you can use toilet paper rolls in all sorts of different ways. Below you'll find 40 toilet paper roll crafts for kids, toddlers, and even adults. These crafts get really creative too, you'll find games, learning activities, artsy crafts, and more!

So, if you're ready to create something awesome, don't throw away those rolls too fast!

Table of Contents:

Toilet Paper Roll Crafts for Kids

1. Rainbow Windsock

This rainbow windsock craft is adorable and easy to make so it's a perfect craft for kids. Once it's finished the kids can play with it outside too or they can hang it up and watch it sway in the wind.

Supplies:
VIEW THE FULL TUTORIAL!
2. Toilet Paper Roll Owls

How adorable are these toilet paper roll owls! If you have a kid who loves owls this is going to be such a fun craft to do with them! You can also customize and make your own owls so be sure to get creative!

Supplies:
VIEW THE FULL TUTORIAL!
3. Toilet Paper Roll Bunny

These toilet roll bunnies would be a great Easter craft for kids! These really don't require too much work either, and you can probably come up with your customization ideas as well.

Supplies:
VIEW THE FULL TUTORIAL!
4. Toilet Roll Train

A lot of kids LOVE trains and they may even want their own mechanical train set. If you want to test the waters a bit before buying them the real thing, why not help them make this super fun toilet roll train? It's fully functional, super colorful, and building it together just adds to the fun!

Supplies:
VIEW THE FULL TUTORIAL!
5. Toilet Paper Roll Fish

These toilet roll fish are super cute and customizable, and they use the toilet rolls in a bit of a different way. Instead of using them how they come, you'll be folding and cutting them to shape your fish!

Supplies:
VIEW THE FULL TUTORIAL!
6. Toilet Roll Shark

To accompany your cute little toilet roll fishies, you need a big mean shark! Soon you'll have an entire paper roll aquarium going! Seriously though this toilet paper shark craft is easy and fun, and it looks awesome!

Supplies:
VIEW THE FULL TUTORIAL!
7. Valentine's Day Dog

You could really make this toilet roll dog craft all-year round, but it would make an especially nice homemade Valentine's Day gift! This one is nice and easy to make too so it's perfect for kids.

Supplies:
VIEW THE FULL TUTORIAL!
8. Toilet Roll Unicorn

Unicorns are a magical and mythical creature and these tube unicorns are just about as magical as the real thing. They've got luscious rainbow hair, a golden horn, and an irresistibly cute face. Perfect for all unicorn lovers!

Supplies:
VIEW THE FULL TUTORIAL!
9. Toilet Paper Christmas Characters

Christmas is such a great time to craft. The weather is chilly so you can bundle up inside, get the fire going, and craft away! These Christmas characters will be so fun to work on as a family!

Supplies:

4 toilet paper rolls

Paint

Red glitter paper

Green glitter paper

Small black buttons

Small red buttons

Small red pom poms

Medium red pom pom

Orange cardstock

Small googly eyes

Cotton balls

Medium white pom poms

Red pipe cleaner

Black sharpie

VIEW THE FULL TUTORIAL!
10. Toilet Roll Grinch

Every Christmas needs a bit of the Grinch, right? To go along with the Christmas characters you made above you can make this awesome toilet paper roll Grinch! After you make it you can watch the movie too!

Supplies:
VIEW THE FULL TUTORIAL!
11. Halloween Characters

Because we included the Christmas characters above we just had to include these adorable Halloween characters too! These would make for some spooky decorations around the house and making them will surely get you into the Halloween spirit!

Supplies:
VIEW THE FULL TUTORIAL!
12. Paper Roll Aliens

If you're looking for a toilet paper roll craft that will truly allow your kid's creativity to shine, this is the one. Aliens can come in so many different forms so your kids can really go wild with what they create!

Supplies:

Toilet paper rolls

Paint, markers, crayons, or paint sticks

Glue

Your own selections of crafting materials

VIEW THE FULL TUTORIAL!
13. Tube Elephant

Elephants are cute enough and with the new Dumbo movie that just came out, this elephant craft is even more appropriate! It's nice and easy too so your kids can mostly do everything on their own (besides maybe the cutting part).

Supplies:
VIEW THE FULL TUTORIAL!
14. Toilet Roll Bowling Game

This is such a fantastic and fun idea! You can now have an at-home bowling game with some toilet paper rolls and a ball and the whole family can get involved. Maybe you can set up multiple lanes and get a tournament going.

Supplies:
VIEW THE TUTORIAL!
15. Toilet Paper Roll Chick

This is another craft project that is great for Easter time and I just think it's so cute! The chick hatching right out of the egg is a great touch.

Supplies:
VIEW THE TUTORIAL!
16. Minions

Are minions out of style yet? I don't think so! These toilet paper roll minions look awesome. If you really like minions you can check out these other minion crafts for kids too.

Supplies:
VIEW THE FULL TUTORIAL!
17. Toilet Roll Lorax

If you have kids that love Dr. Seuss and especially the book/movie Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, this craft is a must-do. The end result is so good!

Supplies:
VIEW THE FULL TUTORIAL!
18. Marble Run

This is such a clever way to use all your cardboard tubes! You can decorate them, cut them into different shapes, and build your own marble run track. Best of all, you can reuse them and create new tracks whenever you want! This is such a great indoor activity for the kids.

Supplies:
VIEW THE FULL TUTORIAL!
19. Paper Roll Seahorse Puppets

These seahorse puppets are quite different from all the other toilet roll crafts on this list. You'll have to cut and shape the toilet rolls and you'll also be adding a dowel at the end to turn them into puppets. I love it!

Maybe once you're finished you can set up a little puppet show. That would be a ton of fun!

Supplies:
VIEW THE FULL TUTORIAL!
20. Heart Robot

This is another craft that is perfect for Valentine's Day. These heart robots are just adorable! Your kids can craft some of these up for Valentine's Day and then hand them out at school!

Supplies:
VIEW THE FULL TUTORIAL!
21. Toilet Roll Turkeys

Not a lot of crafting happens around Thanksgiving but that's about to change! While you're in the kitchen cooking up the turkey, the kids can be crafting these awesome toilet roll turkeys (with a bit of help from an adult)! Watch them sway in the wind!

Supplies:

Toilet paper tube

Paper plate

Large googly eyes

Brown paint

Foam brush

Ribbons in fall colors

Feathers

Orange foam sheet

Hot glue gun

Red pipe cleaner

VIEW THE FULL TUTORIAL!
22. Toilet Roll Castle

Although in the photo above you see an ice castle, you can really make whatever kind of castle you want with your toilet rolls! Get creative and add your own flair. I'm sure your kids will have some ideas on what they want to create too.

Maybe you can help them create the first ever model of Hogwarts Castle made from toilet rolls! That would be magical.

Supplies:

Empty square tissue box

Paper towel and toilet rolls

Cardstock paper

Cone drinking cups

Old CDs

Glitter

Tacky glue

Hot glue

Spray paint or craft paint

Piece of foam core board

VIEW THE FULL TUTORIAL!
23. Toilet Tube Starwars Characters

If your kids are really into Star Wars they are going to love these toilet roll characters! They look so good! I love how cute the little Yoda one is. Look at that face.

Supplies:

Toilet rolls

Cardstock paper

Tacky glue

Scissors

Fringe cutting scissors

Stapler

Colored straws

Circle craft punch

Hole puncher

Small wiggle eyes

Black marker

VIEW THE FULL TUTORIAL!
24. Leprechaun King

This Leprechaun King craft is one that the kids can do around St. Patricks Day and the end result is so fun! The big curly beard really adds a nice touch!

Supplies:

Toilet roll

Orange construction paper

Patterned paper

Gold paper

VIEW THE FULL TUTORIAL!
25. Toilet Roll Octopus

Here's a quick and easy toilet paper roll craft that the kids can have finished in just a few minutes! If you want, you could even customize the color of your octopus with different colored craft paper. A purple octopus would be pretty cool.

Supplies:
VIEW THE FULL TUTORIAL!
26. Clown Puppet

If your kids aren't terrified of clowns (it's understandable if they are) then they might have a lot of fun with a toilet paper roll clown puppet! This is another craft that can be customized to your heart's desire.

Supplies:
VIEW THE FULL TUTORIAL!
27. Cardboard Tube Tiger

If you've been loving the animal crafts on this list, here's another one you can add to your toilet paper roll zoo! These tigers are great because the kids can draw their own faces and stripes on for a unique look every time.

Supplies:
VIEW THE FULL TUTORIAL!
28. Paper Roll Monarch Butterflies

If it's not quite the right season yet to go outside and catch real butterflies, these paper roll butterflies are the next best thing! The tutorial shows you how to make monarch butterflies but I'm sure you could change up the colors to make all sorts of different types!

Supplies:

29. Rockhopper Penguin

This rockhopper penguin craft reminds me of the movie Happy Feet. If your kids haven't seen that one yet, definitely put it on while you make this craft!

Supplies:
VIEW THE FULL TUTORIAL!
30. Toilet Roll Dinosaurs

I think almost every kid goes through a phase when they're interested in dinosaurs so this craft is a great one! Maybe after you're finished with crafting (or while you're crafting) you can put on a good dinosaur movie or TV show!

Supplies:
VIEW THE FULL TUTORIAL!
31. Toilet Roll Binoculars

This is a quick and easy craft that any kid can do! It's a fun one too and a perfect summertime activity as your kids can "explore" with them after making them!

Supplies:

Toilet paper rolls

Scissors

Stapler

Markers, paint, or stickers

VIEW THE FULL TUTORIAL!
32. Toilet Roll Mini-City

This is the last of the toilet paper roll crafts for kids on this list and it's the one that demands unlimited creativity! You can expand your toilet roll city forever! This would be great for lego figurines or other figurines who can live in the mini city.

Supplies:
VIEW THE FULL TUTORIAL!
Easy Toilet Paper Roll Crafts for Toddlers

You should be able to do most of the toilet roll crafts above with your toddlers (they just need some extra help), but the crafts below are made especially for toddlers.

33. Toilet Paper Roll Ball Drop

This is one of those quick and easy toilet paper roll crafts for toddlers that is a great learning opportunity. You really don't even need to do any crafting for this, just grab the supplies and start letting your toddler try to drop a ball through the tube into a small bowl.

Supplies:

Toilet paper rolls and/or paper towel rolls

Small bowl or lid

Pom poms or cotton balls

VIEW THE FULL TUTORIAL!
34. Paper Roll Watches

This is another great craft that has a learning opportunity built in! As you make these toilet paper roll watches with your toddler you can teach them a bit about how clocks work! You can let your toddler customize the watch band too.

Supplies:
VIEW THE FULL TUTORIAL!
35. Shape Stamps

This is one of those easy toilet paper roll crafts for toddlers that you'll probably end up crafting and they'll end up just playing with. That's ok though! As they use these toilet paper roll stamps they'll have a ton of fun and learn about new shapes!

Supplies:
VIEW THE FULL TUTORIAL!
Toilet Paper Roll Crafts for Adults

Who said crafting with toilet paper rolls was just for kids? Turns out you can make some pretty functional things with toilet paper rolls and a bit of time.

36. Toilet Paper Roll Bird Feeder

This is a great toilet paper roll craft for adults but the kids can get involved on it too! Making bird feeders can be a great family activity because you can watch all the birds interact with it afterward.

Supplies:
VIEW THE FULL TUTORIAL!
37. Biodegradable Toilet Roll Planters

This is such a fabulous idea! If you're planning on starting a garden this is a great way to reuse any paper towel or toilet paper rolls you have lying around.

Supplies:
VIEW THE FULL TUTORIAL!
38. DIY Phone Stand

This is a great DIY tech accessory! Sometimes you just need a stand for your phone and this is such an easy solution! Plus, you can customize how it looks depending on your style.

Supplies:
VIEW THE FULL TUTORIAL!
39. Toilet Roll Gift Boxes

Ok... how didn't I think of this. What a genius idea! Not only can you create your own gift boxes with toilet paper rolls, but this also allows you to customize them however you want! I really love this idea.

Supplies:
VIEW THE FULL TUTORIAL!
40. Paper Roll Poppers

These are so perfect for the 4th of July! While you're setting off fireworks you can blast some of these DIY confetti poppers around for added fun. The kids can even get involved. They're SO easy to make too!

Supplies:
VIEW THE FULL TUTORIAL!
Conclusion

Whew! That's a whole lot of toilet paper roll crafts! Now that you know how great toilet rolls and paper towel rolls can be for crafting, you might want to start stockpiling them!

Seriously though, there are so many other household materials you can use to craft too. It's really fun to try and be resourceful and crafty with what you've got.
Let me know which toilet roll craft is your favorite! Do you have any other ideas on what you could make with toilet rolls?
Other Posts You Might Like:

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40 Easy Toilet Paper Roll Crafts for Kids and Adults - Fabulessly Frugal

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To the seasoned crafter, a toilet paper roll is an opportunity. A piece of crafting material that can be used for tons of different projects! And it's really true, you can use toilet paper rolls in all sorts of different ways. Below you'll find 40 toilet paper roll crafts for kids, toddlers, and even adults.

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Can you design your own picture book? Picture books are books that can have no words at all. The pictures tell the story 🙂
Have a look at this video for an example of a picture book.

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Be inspired by the artist Anni Albers, make a loom and weave some art to hang on your wall. Have a look at the link for instructions!

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Anni Albers was a German artist born in Berlin in 1899. She was very interested in art from a young age. Albers studied at the Bauhaus. The Bauhaus was an exciting school of art and design in Germany. At the time, women were only allowed to study a few classes. Anni decided to study weaving and became one of the greatest textile artists of our time!

Albers used a loom to weave. A loom is a machine that makes cloth out of wool or other threads. You can make your own loom at home and turn wool into a beautiful mini-rug!

Anni Albers Black White Yellow 1926, re-woven 1965 Lent by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Purchase, Everfast Fabrics Inc. and Edward C. Moore Jr. Gift, 1969 (69.134) © 2018 The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/DACS, London

Anni Albers Red Meander 1954 Private Collection © 2018 The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/DACS, London

Anni Albers Study for Unexecuted Wallhanging 1926 The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation © 2018 The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/DACS, London

Here's some of her textile artworks. Look at all of the bright colours! Which one is your favourite?

Ready to make your own? Let's have a go!

You will need

Coloured wool (3 or 4 colours is best)

Scissors

Ruler

Lolly sticks

Cellotape

Glue

2 Cardboard strips (15cm x 3cm)

Piece of cardboard (15cm x 18cm)

Ready? Let's start ...
This activity was made in collaboration with OKIDO.

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Anni Albers was a German artist born in Berlin in 1899. She was very interested in art from a young age. Albers studied at the Bauhaus. The Bauhaus was an exciting school of art and design in Germany. At the time, women were only allowed to study a few classes.

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Lots of artists use sound to inspire them. Click on the link and see if you can draw a creature inspired by the sounds you hear. 👂

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What is a sound creature?

We are going to listen to a sound and use it to inspire a drawing. We have five different sounds to choose from.

Your challenge is to draw a creature inspired by the sound you hear.

What does it look like? Does it sound like a big or small creature? Is it real, imaginary, or a bit of both? Where does it live? Does it have a superpower?

How artists use sound to inspire them

Artists have often been inspired by sounds that intrigue them or by music they love.

This is an artwork called Percussion by André Bicât. He was an artist who liked to listen to music while he made art. He made this artwork as part of a series called Rhythms of different artworks inspired by different instruments and sounds. Percussion instruments are ones where you make a sound by hitting them with your hand or a stick.

What about this work makes you think he might have been listening to beating drums while he made it?

This artwork by Tom Phillips is called Music Drawing. Phillips drew while he listened to music. He wanted us to 'read' some of his drawings from left to right as though we were listening along to the music along witih him.

Other artists make something called sound art. This is where the sound is the art!

let's get started

What you need

Headphones (or you can listen to the sounds out loud)

Pens and pencils

Paper

or

You could draw your creature online using Tate Paint.

This activity is based around sounds. If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you might want to use the word prompts below as inspiration to create a creature, or ask a friend to describe the sounds to you.

Spiky / Spotty / Silky / Squiggly / Smooth

Draw a Surreal Creature instead.

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What is a sound creature? We are going to listen to a sound and use it to inspire a drawing. We have five different sounds to choose from. Your challenge is to draw a creature inspired by the sound you hear. What does it look like?

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A colour walk is a walk where you try to look for all the colours of the rainbow. You might think of it like a treasure hunt, where the treasure is colour! 🌈

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Go on a colour walk around your neighbourhood or your home, searching for colours like a treasure hunt, with Tate Kids

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Click on the notes in this link to make up your own piece of music 🎶

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Check out this map of the world with nature soundscapes and wildlife sounds from all over the planet. Try to make your own soundscape...making sounds from animals, birds and nature using your voice!

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earth.fm: Listen to nature sounds, fall in love with the Earth

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A non-profit, growing library of immersive nature sounds from all over the world. Become part of our family and help preserve the planet.

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Write an acrostic poem - using any word that you like. You could use your name!
Look at the power-point which explains what an acrostic poem is and gives examples of acrostic poems.

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Can you do some writing with your senses? You could make up a story or you could just write about your day!

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Listen to a story and do a drawing based on the story. Perhaps you could draw your favourite part of the story 🖍 Check out the link for some audiobooks.

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Storynory has over 1,000 free audio stories for children, including classic fairy tales, myths, world stories, poems, and brand new originals read by professional actors.

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Can you pick a fairy tale and write it from another perspective? For example you could write the story of Cinderella, as told by the wicked stepmother, or you could write the story of Jack and the Beanstalk, as told by the giant.
Check out this story of Little red riding hood, as told by the wolf.

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Red Riding Hood was Rotten - Books Alive! Read Aloud book for kids

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Write a letter to a friend or family member. You could draw a picture if you like too!

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Try recording yourself speaking to make your own podcast! You could have a guest on and interview them for your podcast if you'd like too.
Check out the link below for some podcast inspiration.

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Put those digital devices to good use. selects some great listening options for younger ears.

Chances are if you have tweens or teens in the family, there was some form of digital device in their Christmas stocking.

While we hear a lot about the dangers of such devices turning kids into screen-enslaved zombies, tablets, phones and iPods can also be a portal to engaging and entertaining content that is also educational.

While audio books are going from strength to strength, one other form often overlooked by parents in this regard are podcasts.

They are a great way of engaging children that doesn't involve them staring at a screen, and they are also a good option for all the family on car journeys.

In terms of producing content especially for children, US media companies are well ahead of the game, which is not surprising given the significantly larger population, a strong public radio network, and broadcasters that have the finances and resources required to produce high-quality audio content.

In terms of Irish content, while not produced specifically as podcasts, programmes that are broadcast on RTE Radio's offering for younger listeners, RTÉjr Radio, can be downloaded from the RTÉ website.

Here are ten podcasts to spark the curiosity and creativity of the younger members of your household, and grown-ups might learn something too.

Most are recommended for ages eight upwards, but some are suitable for younger children. Even better, they're all free.

Brains On!

This award-winning science podcast from American Public Media has more than 100 episodes to choose from, with each show enlisting a different expert to look at fascinating questions such as where do farts come from and do dogs know they are dogs?

A recent episode exploring who would win in a showdown between an octopus and a dolphin was a big hit with smallies on a recent car journey, providing a competitive element as they each rooted for their pick - spoiler alert, the three-hearted, nine-brained, shape-shifting octopus won.

Listen here

Shakespeare Retold

Shakespeare's verse can be daunting for younger audiences but that doesn't mean they have to miss out on experiencing one of the world's greatest ever storytellers.

This collection features easily accessible versions of the Bard's work by acclaimed children's writers such as Andy Stanton, author of the hilarious Mr Gum series, who tackles King Lear.

A good one to start with is Pamela Butchart's 10-minute Macbeth.

Read by Shirley Henderson (Moaning Myrtle in the Harry Potter films) it adds plenty of humour to 'the Scottish play'.

Not strictly a podcast but can be streamed from the BBC webpage.

Listen here

Story Pirates

Story Pirates began as an arts education project in a school in Harlem in 2004 when a group of improv comedians put on a sketch show inspired by children's own stories.

Produced by Gimlet Media, US trailblazers of the podcast format, this brings together world-class actors, comedians, improvisers and musicians who adapt stories written by children into sketch comedy and musical theatre.

Listen here

Classics for Kids

Want your children listening to less George Ezra and more George Frederick Handel?

This weekly podcast from the public radio institution NPR is a great way to get kids interested in classical music and is tailored to shorter attention spans, featuring the music and stories of well-known composers in six-minute segments.

Listen here

The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel

Winner of a prestigious Peabody Award in the US, this slick serialised mystery has been described as the Goonies meets Spy Kids meets Stranger Things.

The suspenseful drama features a cast of youngsters investigating the disappearance of their friends at a school which may not be all it appears.

It had the younger listeners in our family on tenterhooks, followed by loud pleas for the next episode....

Listen here

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls

This podcast features stories from the books that began as a record-breaking Kickstarter project and became a publishing phenomenon.

Each 12-minute episode features a different character selected from the two volumes of the Rebel Girls series, transporting listeners to the control room at NASA with Margaret Hamilton during the launch of Apollo 11, or on board a ship, loading cannons with our own pirate queen, Grace O'Malley.

Other heroines featured include mathematician Ada Lovelace; artist, Frida Kahlo and tennis star Billie Jean King.

And don't be put off by the title, boys will also learn a lot about determination and perseverance from these stories.

Listen here

Book Club for Kids

Encourage your tween's reading adventures with this chatty and informative bi-weekly podcast which features other young bookworms talking about popular and favourite titles.

Each episode also includes an extract of the week's featured book read by a celebrity guest.

Listen here

Unspookable

There's a lot to be said for the often subversive kick that children get from scary stories and this podcast manages to achieve the perfect child-friendly balance of chills and thrills.

It looks at urban legends and folklore but also topics such as why we may be prone to seeing ghosts at certain times, and the human need for storytelling and connection.

My young podcast fans were particularly taken with the story of Krampus, a figure from Central European folklore who is the sinister opposite of Santa, punishing misbehaving children.

Listen here

Thank you all for supporting the first season of UNSPOOKABLE. We've had a great first year with features & reviews from @cbcradio's @podcastplaylist @TheAVClub, @Discover_Pods, @eat_marshmallow, @RadioPublic, and @CrimeReads and we couldn't have done it without you. pic.twitter.com/R3CsfAEi4A
- Unspookable Podcast (@ImUnspookable) December 31, 2018

Peace Out

If bedtime is a battleground, this podcast could help smooth the journey to cloud cuckoo land.

It features short stories that help introduce children to the concept of mindfulness, helping them calm down and relax by guiding them through visualisation and breathing exercises.

Listen here

Short and Curly

There is no doubt that children can be mini-philosophers with an often sharply-tuned sense of what is right and wrong.

This podcast from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation explores the concept of ethics in everyday life with a big helping of fun and humour.

Episodes include, "Was Robin Hood right? Should you rob the rich to help the poor?" and "What's the point of a school uniform?"- just don't put it on first thing on a school morning.

Listen here

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Put those digital devices to good use. selects some great listening options for younger ears. Chances are if you have tweens or teens in the family, there was some form of digital device in their Christmas stocking.

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There are lots of really fun activities you can do on Scratch, for example you could design your own Google logo, make your own game, or create your own animated story.
Scratch Jr is recommended for children aged up to 7 🙂

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Scratch is a free programming language and online community where you can create your own interactive stories, games, and animations.

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Use Google Slides to create your own slideshow. Check out this video to show you how!

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Have fun with the Swift Playgrounds app. There will be no bounds to your playgrounds!

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Code is universal.
So we teach it in many languages.

Swift Playgrounds is available in 14 languages - Castilian and Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Traditional and Simplified Chinese, English, German, French, Italian, Korean, Japanese, Thai, Turkish, Dutch and Swedish. Because we believe that everybody, everywhere should be able to learn to code.

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Swift Playgrounds is an iPad and Mac app that teaches you to write Swift code in a fun, interactive way. Learn the code developers use to build apps.

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Music experiment - making music with water!

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Music experiment - making music with water!

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Check out this video to make music with glasses of water.
Don't worry if you don't have food colouring, you can still make music with just the glasses of water and a spoon. Happy playing 🎵

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DIY How to Make a Colorful Musical Water Xylophone

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All you need is a straw, scissors, and a glass of water!

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How to Make Music with a Straw | Kids Water Experiment

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Go to our Parents Association Be a Chef page and try out one of their suggestions

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Go to our Parents Association Be a Chef page and try out one of their suggestions

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Lightbot is a puzzle game based on coding; it secretly teaches you programming logic as you play!

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ABCya! * Robot Island - Teach Basic Programming Skills

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Robot Islands is a fun game to help teach basic programming skills. Help guide the robot through each level by selecting a command and placing it on the map in the proper order.

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Try some of these cool science experiments. They help us understand how weather works!

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Be an engineer with just marshmallows and toothpicks.
As well as making structures, you could also try making shapes. Have fun!

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How to Demonstrate Engineering Principles | Science Projects

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Check out the video below for some fun Lego STEM activities.

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Listen to a piece of classical music. Watch how each instrument is played. Stringed instruments are mostly played with a bow. Woodwind and brass instruments are played by blowing air into them in various ways and moving your fingers around. See if you can mime along, and imagine you are playing all the instruments in your own air-orchestra.

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A fun interactive music experience! Incredibox is a music app that lets you create your own music with the help of a merry crew of beatboxers.

Choose your musical style among 7 impressive atmospheres and start to lay down, record and share your mix.

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The characters in Shaun the Sheep don't usually speak. Watch the video and make up your own script. (A script is a log of what is happening and what people are saying in a TV show, movie or play.) You can imagine what they would be saying if they were speaking, and try to describe the sequence of events with as much detail as possible!

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NEW Shaun The Sheep 2020  |  Shaun The Sheep Cartoons | Best New Collection 2020 @AbArBiE95

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Try to tell your own news in the style of a news reader or a reporter. Here is a video to give you some ideas.

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Think of some words based on a topic, write them down, and then watch them form on a cloud!
You could make a word cloud about anything you like, for example you could make a word cloud on your own personal values or a word cloud on your favourite place.

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Create simple and professional free AI word clouds. Paste or upload text and get your customized wordcloud in seconds.

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Take a look at these amazing printing ideas!

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Paper or fabric

Fruits (apples, pears, oranges, bananas, lemons)

Vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, potatoes, carrots, corn, mushrooms, bok choy, brussel sprouts, snow peas, okra)

Tempera or poster paint (for paper)

Acrylic paint or fabric paint (for fabric)

Chopping board

Knife

Plastic plates or trays

2Prepare the fruits and veggies.

1. Broccoli and cauliflower - separate into individual florets

2. Okra - cut into 1 inch long pieces

3. Bok choy - trim off the base, save it and use the rest (leaves/stems) for cooking

4. Brussel sprouts - cut in half, either crosswise or lengthwise

1. Potato - slice into quarters, wedges or cut into specific shapes such as a flower or star

2. Carrot - same as potato

3. Mushroom - slice button or any round mushrooms in half

4. Bell pepper - slice crosswise in half, remove the seeds

1. Apples and pears - cut lengthwise in half

2. Oranges and lemons - cut crosswise in half

3. Banana - cut in half or cut crosswise into 2-inch long pieces

4. Corn - cut in half and as an option skewer with a stick to make a handle

3Prepare the paint and paper.

Prepare your paper or fabric. Cut it into the desired size.

Put different colors of paint in shallow plates or containers. Use tempera or poster paint if you are printing on paper. For fabric, go with acrylic paint or fabric paint. Add some water but do not water down too much. Mix well.

8Make random fruit/veggie prints.

Repeat the process (Steps 4 to 7) using other fruits and vegetables with different colors of paint. Discover the unique prints that each fruit or veggie makes.

Wipe off the paint from a fruit or veggie before dipping it into another color of paint to avoid getting mud-colored prints.

9Create overlapping prints.

Fill the paper or fabric with beautiful overlapping prints. Dip oranges, lemons or apples in various colors and make a collage of gorgeous fruit prints.

Use this idea to decorate aprons, placemats, table cloths, bandanas, shirts, or even summer dresses!

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Fruit and Vegetable Prints | Kids' Crafts | Fun Craft Ideas | FirstPalette.com

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Use fruits and vegetables to create exciting prints on paper or fabric. Make fun random prints or combine them to create interesting images.

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We would like the whole school to learn this song so that they can sing along altogether!

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I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing - Lyrics

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Practise coding with this Star Wars themed game

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Learn to program droids, and create your own Star Wars game in a galaxy far, far away.

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Christmas may not be celebrated by all families in our school community, but Green Santa is something we can all relate to. Our school is working towards becoming greener, and we are starting the process to get a Green School Flag. If you decide to write your wishes for a better world you can send them to #Green Santa, but you could also email them to the school so that we can use them for our application. You can email your wishes to info@citywestetns.ie and add Green School/Sarah C in the subject bar.

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There's a new Santa in town and he wants to hear what your wish for the planet is this Christmas.

What beautiful things do you want to see in the world?

Post your letters, videos and drawings on social media with the hashtag #GreenSanta so we can find your messages and share them too.

Help us spread the word by telling your family, friends, and anyone you like. This is a powerful way for everyone to start talking about what's most important to them, and to dream big!

"Imagination is the soil that brings dreams to life."
- C. Maxwell.

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There's a new Santa in town and he wants to hear what your wish for the planet is this Christmas. What beautiful things do you want to see in the world? Post your letters, videos and drawings on social media with the hashtag #GreenSanta so we can find your messages and share them too.