Today is R U OK Day, and I feel that this question should be asked each and every day, particularly in light of current world events. Surely it’s a given that most of us right now aren’t OK. That times are changing, and these changes are strange and frightening and costing people’s peace of mind, not to mention their health, livelihoods and lives. It’s OK not to be OK, because this is all new and uncharted territory, and whilst we are trying to gain our footing among it all, our children are behind us, taking it all in.
In times like our present, kindness goes a long way.
It must be absolutely terrifying to grow up in a fractured world. My heart sincerely goes out to those who live in and have escaped from war-torn countries, from poverty and destitution, from abuse and hardship and injustice. And my heart goes out right now to my city, struggling with a mental health crisis; a ‘shadow pandemic’ that will haunt men, women and children for years to come.
This week I received a wonderful order of bio glitter, and we decided to add some sparkle to our week – and maybe someone else’s week, too. I’m excited to now be stocking and exclusively using The Glitter Tribe’s Eco Friendly and Biodegradable glitter, and know that if you’re an enthusiast of crafting magic, you will love this range of glitter, too.
I know it is a small thing, but our small moments of crafting are an escape, a wonderful and carefree time of connection and creative play, and play right now is so sorely needed. Play, I feel, is the answer to sadness and hardness and grief, and so many other things. My 6 year old has herself been having good days and bad, and inevitably on a bad day, the solution is always for her to play. Most days I leave her to her play, knowing for her it is all that she needs right now to cope with what’s going on in the world outside.
Whilst there is no certainty in what is to happen in the future, we may safely say with certainty that one day all too soon, our children’s childhood will come to an end, and that if we can inspire in them a love of play and playfulness and simple joy, they may be lucky enough to never have to abandon their inner child.
“Dance. Dance for the joy and breath of childhood. Dance for all children, including that child who is still somewhere entombed beneath the responsibility and skepticism of adulthood. Embrace the moment before it escapes from our grasp. For the only promise of childhood, of any childhood, is that it will someday end. And in the end, we must ask ourselves what we have given our children to take its place. And is it enough?” Richard Paul Evans, The Christmas Box Miracle: My Spiritual Journey of Destiny, Healing and Hope
So when I received a bright and cheerful assortment of bio glitters, what better way to banish some lockdown blues during the week of R U OK Day and add a bit of sparkle to our week – without adding to landfill or harming our natural environment along the way. So here you are: 3 super fun, super simple activities for you to use in your very own Sparkle School lesson.
Enjoy playing! X
HAPPY AFFIRMATION ROCKS
We’ve seen and collected so many painted rocks, it felt lovely to paint a whole heap and take some (okay, the ones that I painted, haha) to our local park and green space to leave for others to find. It wasn’t long at all before a group of pre-teen girls came upon them and we ended up spending some beautiful time with them. It was so lovely to see how these little treasures brightened their day, and it truly goes to show how simple something needs to be to inspire connection.
I bought these rocks from Woolworths for $2.49 and we used acrylic paints to decorate them, and embellished with a sprinkle of glitter. I wrote positive words on my rocks, whereas my daughters opted to simply paint theirs. Be sure to varnish your rocks using a modgepodge or other craft sealant so as to protect your handiwork!
UNICORN SNOW
One of my daughter’s STEM tasks during lockdown was to make snow. Seeing as we are now in Spring, I thought it would be more seasonal to create some magical Unicorn Snow using our glitters, and to decorate with some bright and cheerful Spring flowers. The girls thoroughly enjoyed moulding and re-shaping their Snow Lady (naturally she was a she, haha) adding bits of foliage and petals and just enjoying the entire creative process.
Thank you to my daughter’s STEM teacher for this fun activity! Recipe below
TWO INGREDIENT BIO SNOW
- 1 Cup Bicarb Soda
- 1/2 conditioner
Combine ingredients using your hands in order to get to the right consistency that you can shape the snow and it holds. Add The Glitter Tribe Eco Glitter and play! We loved how it sparkled!
BEESWAX ALPHABET
A lovely idea that I came across on Instagram, this is one delightful way to engage little ones in learning their letters and word building skills. My daughter has an incredibly low affective filter, so benefits from a lot of confidence building. When she makes a word that she is proud of, I let her take a photograph of it and I then compile them into a slideshow that she can present to us as a way of her building her esteem and pride of work. You can also experiment with collage making and use these letters to create a simple mixed media photographed picture book (I don’t know about you, but we are a real fan of Jeannie Baker’s picture books), so this could be a beautiful project to chip away at in the afternoons for your craft time.
I purchased the mould from ebay and I already had beeswax on hand. I made three sets of the letters, but it’s so quick and easy you can easily make more. Children can help with the creation by sprinkling the glitter into the mould before pouring the wax. I used the Rose Gold bio glitter blend from the Glitter Tribe.
What’s great about this activity is that you can custom make an alphabet based on theme, i.e. use flowers, various colours, bits of sea shells etc depending on your child’s interests of to custom make for a project. Let your creativity go wild!
I’d love to hear how your sparkle school projects turned out, and please do suggest any others you’d like me to try out in the comments below!
Amanda X
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