Get Crafty - Kids LUV it!

Wild horses couldn't keep me away or, to be exact, the Walk/ Jog/ Wheel-a-thon earlier in the morning at the Dataran Merdeka ( see previous post).

I had to be at the British Council to conduct 2 sessions in the afternoon in conjunction with Parents' Day. There was a request for storytelling and craft .

I am like a child in so many ways though my children will attest that it isn't true!! You're an adult!! Ok, I admit. I love to be with children, engage them in craft and let them explore their interest and be creative. So, I am more than overjoyed when parents stay with their kids and enjoy the sessions together.

I always keep my craft simple - never trying to put too many ideas in or make it' first class' art!! LOL! The idea is to let kids know and believe they too can make it. So, no ego trip here :) In the initial thought process, I always put myself in the shoes of the kids and should I find it difficult, what more them? The idea is to allow them to add or do their thing with just some guidance and words of praise.

It helps when parents join in to create or just be there. Even kids who are initially shy, they are soon enticed into the world of making things .It's then the parents' turn to say, Hey! we have to go home!!'

My reward? - the kids want to show me their craft , each one of them , proudly holding their very own craft! You should see the beam in their faces when some sincere words of praise are given . I can sense their elation, for with a skip and a hop, they are off!

For a start, store some 'junk'( my own kids know I thrive on them). Grab some quiet moments to make something . Bet ya, you'll enjoy it just as much as your kid's!!

I wanted the kids to 'feel' the icy presence of the North Wind in the story 'The North Wind's Presents.' Right down here at the Equator, I suddenly had a 'brainwave' when I looked around I found it among my clothes. There's a cap, when turned inside out - is WHITE ! Great stuff! The creative juices started flowing - shredded office paper for beard and thick , furrowed eye brows, an old nose from a broken mask, silvery paper for the eyes and the North Wind's cold, frosty mouth!!

He's really one of my faves. And the kids always love the 'whoo.. whooosh' From the story, they take a lesson home about not telling lies.

Yes, parents , let's celebrate our kids! Glad to say kids still love dressing up dolls, paper at that. I dressed many when I was young and had a whole family of people living in shoe box houses. Parents and kids had scraps of colourful material, laces, ribbons, rattan, wool and the 2 doll templates to dress up - all in celebration of Children's Day which I conducted at Times the Book Shop, Pavilion. What an eco -friendly activity too!! In Malaysia , Children's Day falls on the last Saturday in October.


No, I can't make wooden blocks like the lovely one I bought on holiday in the UK. But I can make it enjoyable for the kids on paper with a piece of twine for the mouse's tail. This craft got the the kids squeaking with delight . Ater all, who doesn't jump up in fright when a mouse suddenly scurries by!! The story told to accompany this craft was the timeless, The Lion and the Mouse.


It's time to monkey around! The kids enjoyed putting the paper fasteners through the manila card templates on the different parts of the monkey. 10, all in! - gosh that's why they are so nimble. Hey! try and catch me !!


There is much to learn from this simple craft - life in a pond, amphibians, frog etc. In the Australian Aboriginal myth from the dreamtime, TIDDALIK the frog has drunk all the water in Australia. The animals are very worried. How will they get their water back ? Catch me leaping froggy -like and sweating it out!


Be a Bird of Paradise, kids! Flaunt it and make a mask and party - they just dived into making it. It followed a story from the Panchatantra, 'The Bharunda Bird'. It is a myth about a bird with 2 heads and 1 stomach and how it fell to its death when a quarrel broke out through non -co-operation. I think the kids appreciated the ending though not a happy one as there were some lessons to take home.

The Stego lives! With the kids it was a winner. Once the pieces were put together, their interest in dinos was fired. Some of them could just rattle off names ( a mouthful, if I may so). It followed the story, 'Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp' by Carol Diggory Shield. When we left the story, the dinos were till asleep in the marsh... till the next time . Adios!

Ready to try? Get crafty 'coz kids just luv it!

Get Krafty!

Last month, as I walked into Times the Book Shop ,Pavilion, to my utter surprise,I saw MYSELF beaming from cheek to cheek and as gay as the kids zooming around - on a poster.Great stuff ! 'Grandma's ' on the loose !! If only my kids were with me! Gosh! where's my pen to autograph for a few fans?? It will happen, one day...

Weekends see me doing my rounds of storytelling for kids. That keeps me out of mischief and spreading some cheer too. For sure, some parents are delighted to have their kids under my wings for them to recharge their own batteries. After stories, there's always craft time for the little fingers to explore themselves and be creative.


There are kids that just dive in to do , others will watch and then, after the initial uncertainties, they too are immersed in tackling the craft at hand. In a world of their own , their heart and soul work to produce their art.

When I told The Bharunda Bird, a timeless story from the Panchatantra, I made the 2 headed bird. Several children wanted to know how I got the 2 heads to move. I showed them a little gadget, the paper fastener that made the bird move.

There was more colour following the story. The kids dived into making the most colourful Bird of Paradise mask. I had prepared a big box of colourful paper , cut into strips and odd shapes for them to decorate. Really, the next thing they could do was just turn up at a masquerade ball!!!


In July/ August, we swam with the fishes in the warm waters of the coral reef. As the story unravelled, I plonked laminated hand drawn pics of the sea creatures, held faithfully by the blue tac . The background cardboard displayed a coral reef. Just right to set the scene. Among the sea denizens were - a hermit crab, blue sea slug, eel, spotty fish, fiery dragon fish , cuttlefish, puffer fish.

A baby clownfish was just dying for adventure in the story, The Curious ClownFish. Well, he had a gala time but sea life also has its spills and thrills. Baby Clownfish was frightened out of his wits when Eel gnashed and bared his teeth at him. Heart pounding , poor Clownfish spun away and twirled and swam furiously back to the warm arms of the anemone. Home!

Hope you can spot baby Clownfish among the rest. The kids sang a few songs about the fishes and they made a paper plate fish , mouth open wide. It caught a tiny fish too!!





With the younger ones, the classic, The Lion and the Mouse make them want to be the mighty lion and the grateful little mouse all at the same time!! The toilet roll mouse is an effective prop. When all the bits are glued together, the fat, well-fed looking mouse, as craft is always a winner!



Talk about a dull time with kids? No way! Only thing, 'Grandma's' legs got to keep running to keep up with the young 'uns! Go, Grandma, go! Keep telling!