Flora's Funspiration Activity Guide for Kids

We all sometimes need a bit of inspiration when it comes to coming up with new, fun ideas for things for the kids to do.  With the Easter holidays here and the prospect of at least a few rainy days, I know I'll be trying to come up with lots of activities to keep my little ones busy.  So I was delighted to find that Flora Buttery have produced their Funspiration Activity Guide filled with simple and fun ideas for keeping children entertained.

With fifteen activities, each needing no more than five things and taking fifteen minutes to prepare, it's an essential guide for busy parents.  Featuring ideas such as cupcake baking to holding a fashion show to launching a rocket, there is so much inspiration for activities that there will never be a dull moment this Easter!

Written by Tanith Carey, award winning journalist and parenting author, the guide is perfect for when you want to spend some quality time with the kids, trying something new. There are also things that the older kids can do independently to keep them busy. Activities can be adapted for doing indoors or outdoors, so if it brightens up you can take it outside. Everything can be adapted to the age and ability of the children.

Mumsnet have challenged me to try out one of the activities with Kizzy and Freddy.

We loved a lot of the activities, especially the recipes and crafts, but the idea of the Kids on the Catwalk challenge really caught their imagination. All you need is a selection of clothing, accessories, some music and a space for the kids to strut their stuff!

The kids decided on the theme of Summer Wear and Kizzy decided to try her hand at upcycling some old clothes, as suggested in the activity guide as something for older kids to try.  She had a pair of knee length denim shorts and a t-shirt that she she wanted to upcycle into something funky and fresh for the fashion show.

Take some old clothing that you want to upcycle.

Mark out where you want to cut down the item.

Carefully cut the clothing, saving the cut off pieces to use for scrunchies, wristbands etc.

Kizzy got creative and made a funky new outfit consisting of a tie-up crop top with denim sleeves, cut down shorts, hair scrunchies and wrist band! Adding a pair of shades, her outfit was complete.

Freddy enjoyed the accessories and posed in sunglasses and hats, harnessing his inner Romeo Beckham!! He loved delving into the pile of scarves, hats and glasses to change his look.

We set up a space to make a runway and put out chairs for the audience.  We played some summer tunes and the children paraded on the catwalk, with walks that they had choreographed themselves.

It was such a simple activity for the children to enjoy, extended to include the upcycling of the clothing, which Kizzy really enjoyed doing.  It's such a confidence boost for children to get up and perform.  Afterwards, we did a modelling session with me as the photographer snapping some lovely photos of Kizzy in her summer outfit.

We will definitely be trying out some more of the activities - next on the list is to 'Put on a Puppet Show' using odd socks to make the puppets.  I have loads of odd socks at the bottom of the airing basket that will lend themselves perfectly to becoming sock puppets!  I particularly enjoy the activities that incorporate a craft activity followed by a performance, because it keeps the kids busy, unleashes their creativity and I get to enjoy the show afterwards!

The Funspiration Activity Guide from Flora is completely free to download from the Mumsnet website:
http://www.mumsnet.com/pdf/flora-buttery-funspiration-guide.pdf


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