Remember our visit to Gardens by the Bay?
It made me realise that while Angel can name 7 out of 10 animals she sees, she couldn't name a single flower. That's because, well, I have not taught her any.
Since we had taken some pretty pictures on that excursion, I decided to make use of the opportunity to start teaching her the names of flowers. However, instead of just making the pictures into flashcards, wouldn't it be better to turn it into some fun craft instead?
So, we decided to make our first Craft Stick Puzzle.
Materials:
1) Ice cream sticks (I used coloured ones so that I can revise names of colours with her too, kill two birds with one stone!)
2) Photo paper
3) Ruler
4) Scissors
5) Craft knife
6) Double sided tape
7) Printer
Firstly, choose pictures from your computer or search for them online. It is good to have a theme in mind, like flowers, animals, fruits, vehicles etc and vary it from time to time. I selected some of the best pictures we took that day and added the names of the flowers at the bottom. Adjust the size of the picture to 11cm (length) by 10cm (width). You can resize this according to your preference.
Next, print out the pictures on the photo paper and cut them out neatly.
Arrange 11 sticks lengthwise, leaving no gap in between. You can put two sticks vertically by the sides to help in alignment. Cover the entire back of the picture with double-sided tape, peel off and then carefully stick it onto the sticks. Press down firmly.
After that, you need to cut up the puzzle! Turn the sticks over and use a craft knife to slice up the picture by cutting along the lines. This can get a little tricky and to help you do the job better, you can make a small fold every time so that the gap becomes more obvious.
Tip: To get neat edges, use a little strength and make a clean cut with one try instead of repeatedly cutting along the same line.
Once you are done, turn them over and
ta-dah, here's your very own craft stick puzzle!
Simple, right?
I found them pretty fun to play with too! And you know what's the best thing, these are so easy to carry around and great for entertaining kids!
In fact, you can make as many as you want! I made four this time round and they get increasingly difficult. The easiest one had to be the flamingo flower, then the hibiscus, then orchid and not surprisingly, the most difficult one was the bed of roses which we had to take more than a few moments to complete! Well, that's the point of it too right? To learn as you try, to try as you learn.
So, how do you like our new puzzles? They have become Angel's favourite 'game', at least for now, and we play them every day and night.
She was proud to show them off to the grandparents and it made me beam when she completed her first puzzle. With a little help from me, of course. Nonetheless, at least she now knows the names of four flowers. Woohoo!
Will you have a go at making a craft stick puzzle for your kids too?
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very interesting idea! Lil Pumpkin isn't as great with flowers as she is with animals too haha
ReplyDeleteAi @ Sakura Haruka
Summer,thanks for sharing ! This is creative and interesting apart from using a puzzle maker !
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