the world of kids' diy
Post on 16-Mar-2016
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The World of Kids' DIY
Parents will run a mile at the suggestion of putting the word 'kids' and the acronym 'DIY' in the same sentence. Images of electric drills, power tools and nasty sharp things are no doubt conjured up like the ghouls in an episode of Scooby Doo – but don't worry, this article contains a far less worrying set of ideas. Behind the mask of the ghoul, as the comedian Tim Minchin wonderfully once put it, is inevitably to be found the smiling face of the local janitor. It is in the dissection of the acronym 'DIY' that the key to solving this mystery is to be found.
Do It Yourself. There, now – it is not too worrying when it's put that way, is it? The festive seasons – Christmas, Easter, Halloween and so on – are a great opportunity to do things a bit differently and engage in some creative fun with your kids. Costumes, snacks, decorations and pretty much every other aspect of festivities that we normally buy readymade can actually be a source of hours of fun and creativity for you and your little ones – and you could even save yourself a trip to the supermarket to boot!
Naturally you will have to get your kids to share this sentiment. This can be a little difficult if they are too young, too old or more interested in watching the TV, but a good show of enthusiasm on your part should usually do the trick. If not, the fear not: once cajoled into getting involved, kids will get into whatever it is you embark upon before long. You will more often than not end up having to persuade them that it is time to stop and go to bed.
So, kids having been successfully convinced (or reluctantly recruited by way of bribery or parental pleading) you have a whole spread of different things to choose from. At Easter, it is often great fun carefully extracting the contents of eggs from their shells – you can get quickly good at this – and, after a meal of scrambled eggs, creating the most charming painted decorations your house has ever seen. Christmas brings with it the possibility of laurel and ivy wreathes, festive logs, paper chains and christmas tree decorations made out of clay or more paper (hanging a box of chocolates on the tree by means of sticking little bits of string on was always a personal favourite). Halloween – well, Halloween is perhaps the best opportunity for muddyducks of all.
Carving pumpkins is great fun. Toffee apples are magnificent. But the crown jewel of all festive DIY has got to be the Halloween costume. Why settle for some limp, plasticwrapped thing from your local supermarket when you can make your own? For starters, you can be infinitely more creative than your supermarket can. Out with 'Tesco Value Zombie'. In with 'We Started Off Making A Witch But
Somewhere Down The Line It Became A Giant Chicken'. Much more fun, is it not? In fact, you could even arrange themed parties for your kids and their friends. Even adults will enjoy it. Why go for the old, stale 'vampires and priests' routine when you can organise a 'window cleaners trade union' party? You won't forget that in a hurry. Although, admittedly, you might struggle to put the costume to use a second time.
So, there you have it. DIY and kids need not be two words that when juxtaposed with one another strike fear into the hearts of parents. Unless, that is, you start thinking about the clean up operation…
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