Great site for Craft Ideas!

Just looking for hygienic toilet paper rolls for a craft suggestion from one of our members, I came across this great web site (click on the title of this post) with lots of ideas for how to use them when I do find them! I love the frog, and the turkey (there are lots of American craft ideas, but we won't hold that against it) - definitely Playgroup needs to try some of these!
Actually, I did find a place to buy toilet roll substitutes - you can buy a bag of 36 clean cardboard rolls, for $9ish dollars plus delivery, from OfficeMax online store (if anyone knows other places to get them, please let me know).

Planning Ahead

I'm not a parent myself. But I do get to spend a lot of time with kids, of all ages. Something I've discovered is that having a plan - a flexible plan, but a plan - really helps. An hour of 'quality time' can seem like forever, when I spend that whole hour reacting to a small person's needs, and basically playing catch-up. It's true for older kids too - if I haven't worked out what we're going to do, well, I can depend on the kids to start doing something, and chances are good the time will end up being less than quality - you know, me sweeping up the bits of broken TV, or attempting to extract the wet pasta from the expensive rug, while the bored small person starts on yet another activity I didn't plan.
A plan can include asking, "What would you like to do now?" - but it's always a good idea to have some ideas on standby, so if the answer is vague "Play with me!" or more vague, "I don't know..." or totally impractical "Ride in a helicopter!" I'm ready with some choices of activities that we can actually do.
I've found a couple of books that are full of good ideas. Not having a small person at home to experiment with, I can't tell you if washing the car or setting up a colouring book exchange with friends are workable ideas, but I can vouch for the craft activities we've tried at Playgroup. On that basis, one of my favourites is "The Playskool Toddler's Busy Play Book: Over 500 Creative Games, Activities, Crafts and Recipes for Your Very Busy Toddler", by Robin McClure. I bought my copy at Borders in Carlton, for $32.99.
At Playgroup we tried out egg carton ants, crazy glasses and beautiful bouquets; super-hero masks and butterfly footprints; we made tambourines, and bees too - the book called for small flat rocks, but we used sturdy cardboard rolls from the centre of biodegradable plastic bags.
There's a section on planning activities for your baby sitter to use, so that your night out is peaceful; occupying toddler on trips; fun things to do at bath time; and even activities to help little ones stay calm and restful when they are sick.

Spring Insects, Family Fun!

I'm struggling to come to grips with the warmer weather - winter is really more my time of year, and just yesterday I was enjoying fluffy quilts and cosy coats. And already here we are turning the heaters off, stripping off the long sleeves and opening up the doors!
At Playgroup you can tell it's spring - butterflies and animals have appeared on the craft menu, and we've enjoyed using the little outdoor space which acts as a light-well and delightful play area for the crypt. Our invisible gardener has lavender blooming out there, and (I'm really not a green thumb!) various other purple and white flowers! The grass is great for small feet to explore, and as it gets warmer we'll have water-play and a sand box out there too.
And of course, Spring is a great time for families to enjoy the longer days and snatch a picnic in the park or a trip to the beach before the summer heat gets you sizzling! Last week we made families - here's a sample from one of our keen young crafters - representing mum, dad, herself and baby brother!