CRAFT: make your own forest family

Engage busy little fingers and entertain active minds with a playful project by Audrey Fitzjohn.

TOADSTOOL HOUSE

You will need:

• Cardboard
• Self-adhesive white vinyl (from a dollar store)
• Fabric scraps
• Scissors
• Black marker pen and a pencil
• Glue

Method:

1. Sketch a toadstool on the cardboard and cut out two identical toadstool shapes. Cut a slit in the foot of one toadstool and another slit in the hat of the other.

2. Trace both of your toadstool hats onto the white vinyl twice, then cut them out (so you have four vinyl stickers). Draw and cut oval shapes in each piece of vinyl to make the toadstool’s spots. (Instead of using vinyl, you could simply paint your toadstools with white paint.)

3. Peel off the backing and apply the vinyl pieces to each side of the cardboard toadstools. Cut the vinyl along the slit in the toadstool hat. Using both slits, slide each toadstool into the other so it stands up by itself.

4. With the black pen, draw different room components, eg a light, table and vase. Cut a small piece of fabric and glue it onto a wall so it looks like a tablecloth over a table, then glue some small flowers above the piece of fabric and draw a vase shape around them. Cut a small door through one of the walls of the house.

5. Embark on a little excursion with your children to find pine cones, river stones and flora and fauna to decorate your toadstool house and complete the project.

ACORN PEOPLE

You will need:

• Plain wooden character shapes (available for $12.50 for a set of six from nzlittlefern.com)
• Fine-point black marker pen
• Acorn hats (scour local parks for fallen acorns)
• Glue

Method:

1. Draw eyes and mouths onto each of your
wooden characters.

2. Apply a dot of strong glue inside each acorn hat and press them firmly onto the characters’ heads.

Photography and styling: Audrey Fitzjohn, audreyfitzjohn.com