Baby Sensory Play – Baby Sensory Bottles

08/04/202104/11/2023 Lisa

Baby Sensory Bottles

Entertaining your little ones can be tricky sometimes and the abundance of colourful plastic can be overwhelming for your baby or toddler. These easy to make Baby Sensory Bottles will give them hours of fun.

Hands up if you’ve bought a present and the box gets more attention than the actual gift. Babies and children have the most amazing imaginations and the simplest of things such as emptying the pots and pans and a wooden spoon can give hours of fun.

Not all play things have to be conventional ‘toys’ so we’re going to bring a series of ideas for sensory play and crafts to keep your baby, toddler or pre-school children entertained.

What you will need:

Clear plastic bottles
Rice
Oil (can be whatever edible oil you have in the cupboard)
Food colouring in colours of your choice
Glitter
Sparkly Craft Items
Beads
Superglue
A funnel

Shaky Sensory Bottle

Before you start you will need to colour the rice. All you have to do is measure out how much rice you will need to filling the bottle you will be using so that it’s about three quarters full and then separate it into bowls and add a few drops of food colouring. You may need to leave this for a little while so that the colour doesn’t transfer onto the bottle.

In the meantime you can choose what you would like to add to your bottle. We added a selection of coloured glitters, pom poms, coloured plastic beads and a selection of craft sequins and shapes.

Once the rice is dry, using a funnel (I used a jug as I don’t have one) add the rice to the bottle and with a bit of superglue screw the lid on. We finished this off with some coloured tape to make it extra nice.

And Shake………..

Water Sensory Bottle

For this bottle you need to fill up your bottle to about a third of the way up and add a few drops of food colouring of your choice. We added some coloured glitter to make it extra pretty. Then fill the bottle with the cooking oil of your choice leaving about an inch gap at the top. Again add a bit of superglue before screwing on the lid, and we added some coloured tape for prettiness.

AND Shake…… the water and oil will separate giving a lava lamp effect.

We’d love to see your Sensory Baby Bottles so either leave a comment with a pic or pop over to our Facebook Page and upload one.

Handmade Chocolate Treats

14/12/201911/01/2024 Lisa 1 Comment

Scrummy Easy to Make Handmade Chocolate Treats

Isabelle loves to get a bit crafty and Christmas gives you the perfect excuse. Both of these are really easy to make and can be done with the kids.

Chocolate Orange Christmas Puddings

I pinched this idea off a work colleague as I thought they looked really great and who doesn’t like a Chocolate Orange.

Here’s what you need:

Chocolate Oranges (as many for the number of people you want to make for)
A big bar of white chocolate for the topping. Again the amount will depend on how many you are making. We made 5 and used a large bar of milky bar
Either ready made holly cake toppers or red and green icing to make your own.
Cellophane wrapping/bags to put them in
Ribbon for tying

We unwrapped the chocolate oranges and put them in a bun tin so that they didn’t roll away.

If making the holly and berry toppers yourself, cut these out and set to the side for later.

Melt the white chocolate and put a spoonful on the top of the chocolate orange allowing it to drip down the sides.

Add the holly and berry toppers and put into the fridge until set.

Wrap in cellophane and tie with ribbon.

Perfect and simple to make.

Christmas Chocolate Block

I’ve seen these many times on pinterest so we decided to make our own version.

What you will need:

A square shaped tin lined with greaseproof paper. We lined ours with foil as we found the empty greaseproof paper box in the cupboard.
Lots and lots of chocolate – We opted for three large sized bars of Galaxy, one had rice crispy bits in and the two other were milk chocolate.
White chocolate for a bit of swirling on the top
Toppings – We opted for Cadbury’s Snow Balls, Maltezers reindeers, sprinkles, silver balls, pink sugar crystals and red edible flakey glittery type cake toppings

Melt the milk chocolate and pot into the tin making sure that it covers the bottom.

We then melted the white chocolate chocolate and swirled it through the milk chocolate.

Bash up the Chocolate snowballs and sprinkly willy nilly on top.

All other toppings just get added to the top – perfect for the kids to do.

Pop into the fridge and wait to set.

Once set you can break into pieces and add to a cellophane bag as a lovely chocolate gift, or you could do what we did and sit in front of the telly and scoff the lot!

Enjoy x

Easy to make Christmas Tree Bunting

02/12/201902/11/2023 Lisa

Easy to Make Christmas Tree Bunting

Today we’ve made Christmas Tree Bunting for you.

What you will need:

A5 Green Card
Scissors
Christmas themed stickers
String
Glitter glue

We used A5 coloured card (A4 folded in half) and folded the card in half. We drew half a Christmas Tree with the plant pot base and cut this out so that the tree was symmetrical on both sides.

Christmas tree bunting template — Christmas Tree Bunting Template

We then cut these out. Make as many as you like depending on the space you have to string up the bunting.

Then the fun begins. I let my three year old daughter loose with a selection of Christmas stickers, cut-outs and glitter glue. You could of course be more extravagant and use any crafty bits that you have available.

Once complete and dried we hole punched the tops of the trees and hung them up with string. I think they look quite effective and Isabelle was thrilled.

The decorated Christmas Tree Bunting is ready for hanging up — Gorgeously Decorated Bunting with stickers

Have a go yourselves and don’t forget to post a pic of any creations on our Facebook Page or email them to mail@babynotincluded.co.uk and we will add them.

If you’re feeling extra crafty then why not give making Handmade Christmas Wrapping Paper or make Christmas Tree Shaped Pizzas.

Rainbow Bubble Snakes

19/08/201913/11/2023 Lisa

Rainbow Bubble Snakes

Rainbow Bubble Snakes – I’ve seen these on a few blogs recently so thought I would give it a try with my daughter who is a huge fan of bubbles.

What you will need:

An empty plastic bottle
Duct tape or elastic band
A sock
Washing up liquid
Food colouring

Cut the end off your plastic bottle and put the sock on the end (we had quite a selection to choose from).

Secure with either duct tape or an elastic band.

In a tray or washing up bowl mix some washing up liquid with water (a good squirt).

Dip the sock end in the mixture and gently blow.

To make rainbow bubbles, add a few drops of colouring onto the sock before dipping into the mixture.

Make a few and see who can make the longest bubble snake.

Preschool Activities - Rainbow Bubble Snakes

The colour didn’t work too well but the kids really loved making these and we would definitely do it again on a stay at home day.

Just a quick note that younger children may need reminding to blow rather than suck. It doesn’t taste very nice.

If you enjoyed making the Rainbow Bubble Snakes then you may also enjoy some of the other things we’ve made in our Kids Crafts Section.

*This post may contain affiliate links which means that I receive a small payment should you click the link and make a purchase at no extra cost to yourself.

Gingerbread Playdoh

10/12/201719/06/2020 Lisa

Gingerbread Playdoh

Gingerbread Playdoh – We’ve been trying to get our ‘Christmas’ on by doing things with Isabelle that she will look back and remember like we did with Ryan. Of course she loves all the presents, but it’s not the material stuff that you remember so much but the things that you do together as a family.

Isabelle has major Crafty Fingers and we spend a lot of time making and baking.

Belle inherited all of Ryan’s playdoh cutters, rolling pin and other bits and bobs as well as the additional things we have bought for her.

Playdoh is an awesome rainy day activity which will keep them amused for ages.

We’ve made our own Playdoh before so thought we’d go for a Christmassy option. This playdoh looks like Gingerbread dough as well as smelling just like gingerbread so you could make a batch and then play baking with them.

What you will need:

1 Cup of Flour
1/2 Cup of Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
1/2 Cup of Water
A big sprinkle of Gold Glitter

How to:

Put all the ingredients in a bowl and get your hands (or your child’s hands) and mix to form a dough.

Let the kids loose with cutters, rolling pins or any other playdoh stuff, add in some beads like we have to create Christmas Trees and Gingerbread Men.

Enjoy

Lisa x

Handmade Christmas Wrapping Paper

04/12/201702/11/2023 Lisa

Handmade Christmas Wrapping Paper

Handmade Christmas Wrapping Paper is perfect for making your gift extra special, particularly for Mummy’s, Daddy’s and Grandparents. Using brown paper is also much better for the environment since usual wrapping paper isn’t recyclable.

For this you can use either plain brown paper (the type used for packaging) or you can get a roll of white paper from most craft shops.

Isabelle sat waiting to get started with her handmade christmas wrapping paper — Waiting to get stuck in!

We cut a good size piece of paper and used bluetak to attach it to table making the job easier.

Printing onto brown paper with Christmas sponge shapes — A spot of sponge painting

Using stamps (we found some sponge Christmas stamps in our local craft shop) and red paint. I let Isabelle loose with the stampers and armed with glitter she went to work to create a great piece of Christmas Wrapping Paper.

Sponge painting onto brown craft paper with christmas shapes — Stamptastic fun!

We have stashed this away to use for Daddy’s Christmas present and will finish it off with some matching red ribbon.

adding some glitter to make it extra special — Adding a sprinkle of glitter

Easy peasy!

If you’re feeling extra crafty then why not give making Easy Christmas Tree Bunting or make Christmas Tree Shaped Pizzas.

Puffy Paint Snowman Christmas Cards

03/12/201702/11/2023 Lisa

Puffy Paint Snowman Christmas Cards

Pinterest has been a massive inspiration for lots of things, especially craft ideas to do with my daughter. I’ve created an Christmas Board which you can follow for some great inspiration.

Isabelle loves to make cards for any occasion and they’re much nicer than a bought one.

Whilst browsing recently I found this great idea for Puffy Paint Snowman Christmas Cards.

Shivery Snow Paint Snowman Christmas Cards

What you will need:

1 cup of Shaving cream (we used the cheapest we could find)
1 cup of PVA glue
Glitter of your choice
Peppermint essence
Black Card
Orange Card
Blank cards and envelopes

How To:

Put the glue in the fridge for a while and then mix the glue and the shaving cream together.

Using shaving cream and PVA glue to make the puffy paint snowman christmas cards — How to make Puffy Paint

Add in the glitter and peppermint essence (not essential). We used our favourite colours, purple and silver and mix again.

Mix together glue and shaving cream to make puffy paint — Mix together the glue and shaving cream

Use the paint mixture to draw a snowman (use lots as this will give you a better effect). Using a bigger brush is easier as a smaller brush left marks on the snowman.

Use glitter and stickers to create your snowman — Get your glitter on!

Cut out a hat shape from the black card and a carrot nose from the orange card. For the eyes and buttons you could use buttons or cut out the shapes in the card. Alternatively we used little sequins to add some extra colour.

Painting the snowman using your puffy paint — Paint your Snowman

We added a few more blobs for snowballs.

Using sequins to give the snowman eyes and buttons — Adding some sequin details

Wait to dry and hey presto!!

Have a feel and let us know what you think!

If you’re feeling extra crafty then why not give making Handmade Christmas Wrapping Paper or make Christmas Tree Shaped Pizzas.

Wincy Spider Craft

27/10/201709/08/2021 Lisa

Kids Crafts – Wincy Spider Craft

This simple Wincy Spider craft is a good one to do with little ones and doesn’t take very long to make.

What you will need:

Paper Plates
Paper
String
Paint
Scissors
Sharp Pencil

This is really simple to make and great to save for a rainy day.

We made the spider first by covering our hands in our chosen colour of paint and printing on the paper using one hand, and then again after rotating the paper to get the spider legs.

Get your paper plate and cut out the middle. I used the sharp pencil to poke a hole so that I could get the scissors in.

Paint the back of the paper plate (the front of our plates were shiny).

Wait to dry.

Once everything is dry, use the sharp pencil to poke hole in around the paper plate where the string will be threaded. We based our holes on a clock face.

Put a bit of sellotape on the end of the string to make it easier to thread, and using the string create an intricate web.

Cut out your spider and attach to your web, using a hole punch in the top of the spider head and attach to the string to give it some dingle factor.

Hang wherever you like – This would make a great Halloween decoration.

Add a pic of your spiders in the comments or pop over to our Facebook page and share yours.

Don’t forget to have a look at our other Crafts for Toddlers and Kids.

*This post contains affiliate links which means I may get a small payment at no cost to you if you click and make a purchase.

Kids Crafts – Grow Your Own Mint

18/10/201709/08/2021 Lisa

Kids Crafts – How to Grow your own mint

Isabelle loves doing things whether it’s a craft project, baking or a spot of gardening. She would love to have a lot more plants and flowers in our garden, but our dog likes to eat anything and everything. You can of course grow your own mint in pots and planters on windowsills or hanging baskets.

Have your kids had a go at growing mint? Pop us a pic on our Facebook page or leave a link to your blog post and we’ll pop over and have a look.

Lisa x

*This post may contain affiliate links which means that I receive a small payment should you click the link and make a purchase at no extra cost to yourself.

Kids Crafts – Build a Bottle Bird Feeder

04/10/201713/06/2020 Lisa

Kids Crafts – Build a bottle bird feeder

Easy to do kids craft. Make a bottle bird feeder using things that you’re likely to already have around the house. Pop it into the garden and keep an eye out to see what birds visit your garden.

We’ll let you know how we get on and please show us yours on our Facebook Page and we’ll reveal ours as well.

Lisa