Monday, March 21, 2011

Monday Made: A rainbow of ribbons

Hello!  How was your weekend?  The hubby was overseas for a conference, and I was down with a very bad flu, so we stayed in the whole time.  Thankfully though while I was coughing like crazy, little boy only had a slight cough which hardly bothered him (I like to think its due to me passing antibodies to him).  I've been spending most of the time reading to the little boy, since I barely have the energy to do anything, and housework is piling up, but I did manage to make this for him:


Its basically a whole rainbow of ribbons tied to a hoop, some which were scraps, while others were from my craft supply drawer.  I used to give the little boy ribbons tied to a stick, but sticks are pokey things and not that safe, so when I chanced across the same idea but using a hoop (in this book, which is chokful of great ideas for toys you could make yourself), I thought it was brilliant and worth giving a try!  I used the inner ring of a plastic embriodery hoop (available at Daiso for $2, use the inner ring as the outer has a screw which may come out), which is large enough for little hands to grasp, but not large enough to slip through their heads and cause strangulation (same goes for the ribbons, if you are worried, keep them short, I think the guide is 7 inches).

So you can wave them all around and make rainbows in the air:


... And you could go just crazy while doing it:


Then when you are tired, the hoop can hang nicely on your shoulder, while you go and do other important things (like chop apples for your bear bear, for example):


Other points you might find useful:
:: We are also having fun identifying the colours, and learning about light and dark colours.  And spotting unique ribbons, like those with polka dots and those with silver trims...

:: The ribbons can be cut with varying lengths to teach about the concepts of "longer and shorter", and you can use different widths and textures too!

:: Attach the ribbons to the hoop and tie  double knots to secure them.  Initially I just looped them through (like how you loop ribbons through the holes for bookmarks), but these loops would come out rather quickly since toddlers can be really enthusiastic about waving those ribbons!

:: This is great for bringing outdoors where you can let them run with it to their hearts content, plus they can also see the ribbons catch the wind!

Have a great week ahead! :) And come over to play at the Childhood 101 We Play link up!

14 comments:

  1. Lovely idea! I think it's good to make one for my baby too. ((: And wishing u a speedy recovery too! Take care

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  2. Lovely creations!!! WHoo!!!! Hope u had a blast in taiwan! Catch u soon!

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  3. having a cold and having to look after kids is really exhausting! big hugs to both of you. hope u're feeling better.

    ps are you still bf-ing your son? wow! it's soo rare for u know, mums back home to be bf-ing this long! i am still bf-ing too and I get all the shitty assvice. *ok, i just sweared on your blog. :( *

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  4. Yvonne: Thanks :) Happy making one, its a quick and easy project!

    Jo: Thanks gal, yup, catch up soon!

    Just Me: Thanks for the hug, am feeling sorta better today. :) And yup, still feeding, the boy absolutely refuses to wean as he always wants to feed before naps! Haha, I know what you mean, some people give me weird looks and comments, but I just shrug them off.

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  5. I saw pictures of how to make a ballerina skirt with this same method. I guess it´s easy. I may try something like this for Lara´s birthday next week. Get well soon!!!

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  6. Kira: Hello, long time no hear, my friend! Happy birthday to little Lara in advance!

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  7. i love this idea - i have been thinking of making twirling ribbons but the hoops is a great idea!! thanks for sharing xx

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  8. My fairy-loving daughter would be thrilled with one of these! I have to make one! Thank you for the idea :)

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  9. Brenda and Heather: Thanks for dropping by, and glad it was helpful! :)

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  10. A lovely simple idea my little girl would love. Hope you feeling better, its so hard being a Mum when you are sick

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  11. Simply gorgeous! I hv three lil girls im sure sure they gona loove this! Thanks for sharing.

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  12. Chapter Forty & Annie: Thanks! Seems like this is going to be a hit with little girls too! :)

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  13. What an adorable, simple and fun idea to make with my lil 4 yr old ballerina/tap dancin' cheerleader. :) Can't wait to get some kodak shots of it. :)

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  14. Gena: Thank you for dropping by! :) Have fun snapping away. :)

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