DIY Toys: Coconut husk mini basket

Here's a simple craft made using coconut husks. We actually prefer the taste of the larger green coconuts from Malaysia, but for the sake of art, we occasionally buy Botak coconuts from NTUC or Giant. This little hanging basket can be used as decoration, a plant pot, or in our case, a Bear Holder. We finished it in 15 minutes. It's quick and simple, but requires close adult supervision.

Materials

1. Hand drill (hand-operated, not electric. Available from Spotlight. I got my Mini German-made Hand Drill from Garrett Wade)
2. String / Yarn / Wool (We get our wool from Daiso)
3. Botak Coconut husk ( I prefer uncut coconuts. To split the coconut, whack the fattest part with the back of a chopper till it cracks. Drink, eat, scrape, wash, and put it in the sun to dry)

Instructions

1. Using one half of a coconut husk, drill 2 holes, 1 on each side, where you would like the handles to be. If you plan to use it as a plant pot, drill drainage holes at the bottom too. Be careful not to place your hands at the side of the husk, just in case the drill slips and hurts you. You may find it useful to secure the husk on a bench, using a clamp (We got ours from Daiso). A towel also helps to stop the host from slipping and sliding. 
2. Braid / finger crochet / finger knit the wool to make thicker handles.
3. Thread it through the holes and tie a knot.
4. Find something cute to put inside your hanging basket!

If you want a basket that can stand unit's own, get the pre-cut botak coconuts!

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DIY Toys: Felt Busy Bag

Here's a lightweight and fun activity that comes in very handy during long visits or while waiting for appointments.

 

We basically sewed two pieces of felt cloth together to make a bag, added handles and cut out different shapes to form pictures or tell stories. Felt tends to stick to felt unless it's windy or if you  deliberately shake it off, so you don't have to worry too much about the pieces going everywhere.

What to do with the Felt Busy Bag 

1. play tic-tac-toe
2. create beautiful pictures or designs
3. form letters or words
4. take turns to tell stories, one sentence at a time, adding new pictures as we go along

I like to carry felt scraps and a pair of scissors so we can cut out new shapes that we think of. We use my husband's tiny beard trimming scissors(!) because it's sharp, precise and easy to use on felt. 

Materials needed

For the bag:

Felt (at least 3 different colours)

4 buttons

Embroidery thread 

Needle and threader 

For the felt stickers:

A pair of sharp scissors (a small beard trimming scissors works well for us)

Felt (different colours) 

How to do it

For the bag:

Cut out 2 pieces of felt of the same size for the bag (not too small - this will be your storyboard)

Sew them together using a simple looping stitch. (I used a pencil to mark little dots on the felt where the child should pierce the needle for each stitch.

Cut out 2 long pieces of felt for the handles 

Sew on the handles, using the buttons. (Children may need help with this.)

For the felt stickers

Make a list of what you want to cut out.

Cut out the shapes using the sharp scissors. You may wish to draw the outline on the felt before cut ting.

I like having a mixture of open-ended basic shapes like circles, rectangles, triangles, squares, etc, as well as some specific shapes like animals, and objects, etc.

The open-ended shapes allow the children to create freely and imaginatively. A simple rectangle could be a tree trunk, a dress, a table, while a circle could be the sun, a face, a flower or a fruit. 

With that in mind, I find that a few specific shapes like the child's favourite animals or tools could help spark off the child's imagination. We cut out their favourite story items like cats, fish, umbrellas, and baskets.

*

What I like about the Felt Busy Bag is that it is really light, takes up hardly any space in my bag, and has endless possibilities and ways to be played with!

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Woven-Paper Heart Envelope

Here's a lovely gift idea that a child can make easily, out of paper or felt. Simple, useful, and pretty.


Here's a great tutorial:
Waldorf Valentine Envelope (Sarah's Silks)

Photo by Sarah's Silks

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What to do with all the Hong Bao Red Packets? Make Chinese Lanterns!

Every year, we have tonnes of unused red packets leftover after Chinese New Year. This year, we decided to put them to good use.  These lanterns look pretty authentic!


Here are some simple lanterns that we made:

Simple Round Lantern
This one needs just 5 identical red packets, a stapler, and string. We finished it in one sitting!

Large double layered lantern
This more ornate lantern needs about 30 identical red packets, cardboard, tape, string, beads, and more patience, but it's worth the trouble!

Happy Lantern making!

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