The Tingle Factor Box

Roy Creates Easter Chicken Toys

Earlier this week, the Tingle Factor Item was a set 'paper dolls'. These paper dolls were not like any Roy had seen before, being animals instead of people. He thought they were beautiful, and when he saw that one sheet was chickens, decided that they would be a perfect activity to make for Easter. Of course, he didn't want to cut out the originals, but the scanned copies, printed on heavy cardboard were just as good. He liked the results so much that he thought he would share them with you.

Roy Creates An Old Fashioned Advent Calendar

This week, with December just around the corner, Roy was thinking about Christmas. All the decorations are up in the shops, and people are already starting to make gifts. Roy loves Christmas, but he thinks this might be a little early to begin celebrating - Advent, the Church season of preparation for Christmas, hasn't even started yet. That is the one area of Christmas Roy is willing to think about this early - Advent Calendars. He loves getting up to open the little window and see what is behind it. This year, he wanted to try making a really old fashioned one, so he experimented a bit and came up with his own design which he would like to share with you. So this week, Roy Creates An Old Fashioned Advent Calendar.

Roy Creates A Kaleidoscope

Earlier this week, Roy was very interested to learn about the history of kaleidoscopes and how they work. He loves the kaleidoscopes in the Tingle Factor Box collection, and it occurred to him that some children might not have a kaleidoscope of their own. He thought this was very sad, because watching the patterns is something he loves to do. He decided he would like to teach the children to make one so that they can enjoy making their own patterns. So this week, Roy Creates A Kaleidoscope.

You Will Need:

• 2 toilet rolls or a paper towel roll
• Firm cardboard
• aluminium foil
• Scissors or a craft knife
• Sticky tape
• A ruler
• Cling wrap
• Baking paper
• Shiny objects (sequins, confetti, beads etc)
• A piece of paper

Optional: Wrapping paper, white paper, stickers, pens, pencils, glue.

Method:

• First, you will make the 'mirrors' for inside your kaleidoscope. Measure how long one of your toilet rolls is. Cut your piece of cardboard to be the same length (you can make them a few millimetres shorter, but no longer). Now, you need to cut the piece of cardboard into three lengths, each 3 centimetres wide. Make sure three, put together into a triangle, will fit inside the toilet roll and if it is too tight, cut them down a little!

• Carefully cover each piece of cardboard with the aluminium foil (shiny side out) making sure not to wrinkle the foil. Use the sticky tape to hold the foil in place

• Now, use the sticky tape to secure your three mirrors together. You will be shaping them like a long triangle, as Roy has done above. You want the 'mirror' sides to face inward.

• Trace around the circular end of your toilet roll onto your piece of paper. Cut the circle out, slightly bigger than the end of the toilet roll and cut slits in from the edge, to the circle you traced.

• Use the sticky tape to stick your circle of paper over one end of one of the toilet rolls. Fold the flaps you made over the edge of the toilet roll and stick them down. 

• Carefully cut a small hole in the centre of the circle over the end of the toilet roll. Remember, you can always make it bigger, but you can't make it shrink!

• Slide your mirrors inside the toilet roll.

• Use the craft knife to cut a piece off the other toilet roll as Roy is doing above. You want to have a piece of toilet roll 1/2 centimetre long.

• Put the piece of plastic (Roy used cling wrap) over the end of your toilet roll (so make sure your mirrors are inside or you will have to take the plastic off again) and pull it tight. Use the rubber band to hold it in place. Trim the ends and sticky tape it in place. You can remove the rubber band now.

• Put the piece of toilet roll you cut off on top of the plastic wrap and use the sticky tape to hold it firmly in place.

• Put some of your shiny objects inside the piece of toilet roll. The plastic will keep them from falling down into the mirrors. 
• Cover the end of your kaleidoscope with the baking paper, as you did with the other end and then sticky tape it down.
• Hold your kaleidoscope up to the light and look through the hole in the end. Turn the kaleidoscope to change the patterns you can see. If you can't see anything, make the hole a little bit bigger.
• You can decorate the outside of your kaleidoscope with wrapping paper or white paper, stickers, pens and pencils if you like, as Roy did. 

 

Roy Creates A Simple Owl Hand Puppet

When I decided to write up my little bear hand puppet as the Tingle Factor Item earlier this week, Roy was really excited. Roy loves puppets, and he decided it was a perfect time to show his friends how to create one of their own. The children Roy knows love to sew so he thought a felt puppet would be perfect, but the younger ones find it difficult to sew around complex shapes. It had to be simple. Then, he saw a puppet which I was making and decided the simple little owl would be perfect. So this week, Roy Creates A Simple Owl Hand Puppet.

You Will Need:

• A printed copy of the pattern sheet. Download Owl Pattern
• A couple of pieces of felt. Roy used mid brown for the body, dark brown for the wings and face and orange for the beak.You can use whatever colours you like. Blue would make a great blue bird or try yellow for a canary.
• Sewing cotton in colours which match or contrast with the felt (whichever you prefer)
• 4 buttons, 2 large and 2 small. These will be the owls eyes, so make sure they the two pairs match and that when a small is stacked on top of a large one they look good!
• Scissors
• A needle

Optional:

• Sequins, glitter, glue, scraps of fabric etc to decorate your puppet.

Method:

• Cut out the template pieces carefully.

• Use the template to cut out the pieces for your owl from your felt. You will need 2 of the 'body' pieces, 2 of the 'wing' pieces, one 'face' and one 'beak'

• Position the wings on one of the body pieces and use simple small running stitches to sew them in place. You don't need to sew down the outside edge because you can sew this down when you sew the body pieces together.

• Position the face above the wings and sew it down with small running stitches.

• To make the eyes, sew the buttons onto the face in two stacks. You want to sew a small button on top of a big button to make big googly eyes.

• Sew the beak in place with small running stitches in a line through the centre. This will allow the beak to stand out from the puppets face.

• Now sew the two 'body' pieces together with small runnning stitches. You want to sew along the curved side, but leave the flat side open. This is where you will put your hand to operate your puppet.
• If you like, add some decorations to your puppet.
• Enjoy playing with your little owl.

Roy Creates A Showglobe

This week, Roy decided it was time to get into the spirit of the season. It's not only winter in Australia, it is also the 'Christmas in July' season, and Roy thinks this is a perfect time to do something wintery. The question is, what? There are many crafts and cooking activities which are based on winter as a theme, but Roy wanted something quick but really special. Then, he was sitting gazing out the window when he noticed the snowglobe on the windowsill. He remembered me telling him that I made my own snowglobes as a little girl with his grandma and thought this would be a perfect thing to teach his friends to do. So this week Roy Creates A Snowglobe.

Roy Creates A Mancala Game

Earlier this week Roy and I examined Cluedo and the history of board games. While we were researching, Roy came across some information about early board games which reminded him of an African game called Mancala. He has played Mancala many times in the past, but he didn't realise just how ancient this form of game was, dating back over 3000 years. He thought he would like to share this simple game with his online friends, but the question was how. After a little more research he hit upon the idea of using an egg carton to make his own mancala board - thanks for the idea Uncle Roger. So this week, Roy Creates A Mancala Game.

Roy Creates A Finger-Knitted Snake Toy

This week, Roy has been doing lots of finger-knitting. Some of his friends have been learning how to finger-knit, and now they are hoping for some ideas for what to do with their long strings of knitted wool. Roy has had a bit of a play and discovered that you can make a cool snake with some finger-knitting and a bit of felt. He made a couple of little snakes then decided to 'supersize' the project, and came up with a huge snake which could be used as a draught excluder to stop wind coming under the door. His friends loved the snakes so much that they asked him to show them how to make one of their own, so this week, Roy Creates Finger-Knitted Snakes.

Roy Creates A Warm Winter Rug - Part 3 - Making The Wrapping Paper

This week, Roy has decided to finish off his rug project by teaching you to make a really funky, matching wrapping paper to use to wrap the rug as a gift. This wrapping paper isn't just for rugs though - it is a great fun paper which can be used for all sorts of things. Remember, your imagination is the only limit! Roy did a similar project last year using Autumn leaves. Click here to find out about it.

Roy Creates A Warm Winter Rug - Part 2 - Joining The Squares

This week, Roy has all his finished knitted squares ready to go, and has decided it is time to start joining them together (it did actually take him more than a week to knit them!). This is really easy to do, and you can even do it while watching TV. Roy thinks knitting can be done while watching TV too, because his Grandma does, but he and I aren't quite that good yet! The joining though really is easy. Come back next week to find out how to make a funky wrapping paper for if you decide to give your rug away as a gift.

Roy Creates A Warm Winter Rug - Part 1 - Knitting The Squares

This week, Roy decided that with the weather starting to get cold and frosty, he needed a new rug, something to snuggle under on the lounge or when sitting around, to keep him warm and snug. We looked at lots of different ways to make a rug, but he decided knitting one would be perfect. Knitting is a skill he and I had been meaning to perfect, and this was the perfect opportunity. When we got under way, we even discovered it wasn't that hard! Of course, we couldn't knit the squares, sew them together and finish the rug off all in one week, so over the next few weeks come back to learn about the next stages in making our rug. We will even show you how to make special wrapping paper, for in case you decide to give your rug to someone as a gift!

You Will Need:

• Lots of brightly coloured 8 ply wool. Roy decided to make all his squares different colours, because his Grandma could give him lots and lots from her own 'wool store'.
• Knitting needles. You will need needles which are size 4 (old size 8)
• Scissors
• A ruler
• A wool needle
• Time and patience!

Method:

Notes:

1. These are instructions for right handed knitters. If you are left handed, reverse the instructions!
2. The stitch we are using is called garter stitch. 
3. Don't pull the stitches too tight or you will have trouble with your knitting!

• First, you will need to cast on your stitches. Make a loop, not too tight, on one of your knitting needles and tie a double knot. This will be your left hand knitting needle.

• Take your other knitting needle (in your right hand) and push it through the loop on the first needle (in your left hand).

• Wind the wool around the (right hand) needle and pull it back towards the centre of the X your needles make.
• Use the tip of the (right hand) needle to pull the stitch you have just wound onto the needle back through the loop you originally made (on the left hand needle).
• Use the (right hand) needle to slide to stitch you have made off the (left hand) needle.

• Now, put the stitch you have made (currently on the right hand needle) onto the (left hand) needle. You now have two stitches on the (left hand) needle.
• Repeat - you now have three stitches on the (left hand) needle.
• Roy knitted his squares on the diagonal, because he liked the edge it made, but if you aren't confident, just knit as many stitches as you want each side of the square to be and then keep knitting straight.

• Push your (right hand) needle through the back of the last stitch you made (on the left needle) and 'knit it' (put the wool around, pull through etc) as you did before.
• Slide the stitch off, onto the (right hand) needle and repeat with all three stitches. 
• Row 1: Knit one stitch, increase one stitch (make one like you did when you cast on) but don't slip it off your needle yet. Knit through the back of that same stitch as well to make an extra stitch.

• Continue this way, making one stitch at the beginning of each row until you have the side of the square as long as you want it to be (Roy made his squares 6 inches)

• Now, you need to decrease down the side of the square. To decrease, knit one stitch as normal, then knit TWO stitches together, as the photo above shows. Repeat this on every row until you are back to having only 3 stitches on the needle.
• To cast off: knit one stitch, knit another stitch and then lift the first stitch you knitted over the second one and drop it off the needle. Repeat until you only have one stitch left.

• Cut off your ball of wool leaving a short tail and use the needle to pull the leftover tail through the last stitch.

• To 'get rid' of the ends, thread a wool needle with the tail and then slip it down the outside stitches of the square. Cut off any excess and put it aside in a zip lock bag for a later project (wrapping paper). Repeat with all your squares.
• Roy used 36 6 inch squares to make a lap rug sized rug but you can make it as big as you like. 
• If you would like to visit another site with more comprehensive instructions on knitting, click here.