Category Archives: way to play

Easter tree decoration – homemade clay recipe for kids

Posted on March 28, 2017 | Leave a comment

Hop in Easter mood with us and let’s start the decoration with this beautiful tree. Let your kids DIY the ornaments with a homemade clay recipe, ready in less than 10 minutes and with only 3 ingredients:

1 cup cornstarch (cornflour)
2 cups baking soda
1 1/2 cup water

Mix all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to medium heat. Whisk continually until it starts to thicken. It will take couple of minutes to look like mashed potato in consistency, remove it immediately from the heat. Place it in a bowl and cover it with damp cloth until it’s cool.

Knead it on a smooth surface, adding cornstarch if it feels a bit sticky, hand it to your kids and let the fun begin!

Cut out eggs and bunnies, using the cookie cutters and let them dry overnight. I am sure not all kids will have this patience, you can dry it in the oven for couple of hours on very low, so your kids can color them in the same day.

Don’t forget to make small holes (with a straw) before they dry, to be able later to insert a thread and hang it on the tree.

This year the fun is double, i am crafting with my two boys! Let me be honest and say it’s beautifully insane 🙂 i need to tame my 19 months old boy excitement who is still discovering, exploring and creating that artistic mess, so overwhelmed with colors and beauty, he doesn’t believe rules exist and everything for him is edible! While my 4 years old boy, my charming little artist, who’s been doing this for a quite time, doesn’t fail to show me his passion and innate artistic skills. They both have it actually and i am so happy about it!

Back to our decoration, and while the paint is drying, get some dry branches and fix them in a pot (fill it with sand or pebbles not to fall) to have a tree like shape. And let the kid enjoy hanging up their handmade deco when they are completely dry.

By the way, we prepared a lot more ornaments, but before having our final tree up, my little monkey dropped it 3 times and broke some! Well let me tell you this is part of the game, part of the fun and part of the learning. The most important is to be patient, and try to enjoy with them!

easter tree decoration | marmite et ponpon

Those cracks make it more beautiful and real, and they will tell you later million story and laugh. Crafting with kids is not about the final outcome, the least you care about is working for the end result, let them enjoy the creative process, be patient again and enjoy as much as you can those priceless moments.

If those bunnies and chick are striking your attention, they were made last year by my eldest son. You can check the link to that post.

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Posted in design, DIY, way to play

Tagged clay recipe, colors, create and play, decoration, design, DIY, doha, easter, handmade, homemade, jaymmy, kids activity, kids blog, kids blogger, lebanon, little artists, marmite et ponpon, paitning, photography, qatar, spring, tree, way to play

Blotto painting lion – kids art and craft

Posted on February 20, 2017 | Leave a comment

A fun and alluring art project for kids. So fascinating that when you open your paper to reveal the lion face, you think it’s a painting that took days and hours to accomplish while it’s just done in 5 easy minutes!

Blotto painting! A surprise painting to discover when the paper is unfold.

Fold a white paper in half, better a thick one, than open it to put drops of paint in the center, using the lion colors, different browns and yellows.

Close it again and rub gently the paper to help spread the paint, in a circular move to obtain a round face, and finally open it to reveal your surprise lion face.

Surprise surprise! what a beautiful lion face, the look of surprise on Nady’s face was priceless! Leave it for several hours to dry completely, better for overnight, not to risk loosing all the arbitrary details you get from the wrinkled paint.

We cut the face to paste it on a frame (white canvas). Then we drew eyes, nose and mouth with a black marker. Lions have always been symbolic of ferocity and strength, so it’s time to make his mane that makes him so wild.

Using yellow paper yarn, cut different lengths to paste all around the face.

Et voila our lion! It’s for a school project, can’t wait to return it home to hang on the wall in Nady’s room where he has his favorite pieces.

It’s a great fun project to fire your kids imagination. All parents should favor the imagination of their children and feed this power. It’s like revealing the natural genius in them. A child with a good imagination is a happy child. He is more alert, presenting ability to cope with life’s changes, and more likely to grow into a secure adult.

For all the people who thinks you should be an artist to craft with your kids, or crafting with your kids will make them grow to be artists, i want to tell you, a creative child, is not necessary growing into an artist adult.

Creative people see things in different ways and find solutions to problems others might miss. Problem solving and innovative thinking begins with the power of imagination. Imagination ignites the forces of creativity in your children.

Last but not least, leaders are creative people!

If you like this post give it some likes and shares to spread the joy. Don’t forget to like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More interesting posts are yet to come. Stay tuned!

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Posted in design, DIY, way to play

Tagged art, blog, blogger, blotto painting, collage, craft, creativity, design, development, fun, ideas, jaymmy, kids, kids activity, learning, lion, lion project, mane, marmite et ponpon, surprise art

Expressing love and gratitude

Posted on February 12, 2017 | Leave a comment

This is the third year in a row we enjoy this beautiful game of love. This year we revisited it as per Nady’s request, who is so proud and happy of what we love and appreciate in him.

The beautiful part of this game this year is that he was teaching his youngest brother the rules of it and he was expressing his recognition to us (mom, dad and brother) through words that were my daily serotonin and immunity dose; lets say i was waiting impatiently for his heart everyday. Trust me you never expect the attention to details and the quantity of emotions kids can express. And yes the recognition to the smallest things you do to them!

It’s so important to tell your children “I love you” everyday. Knowing that they are loved unconditionally, develops their secure attachment to you. Strong closeness to the family will lead no doubt to positive relationships in adulthood and high self esteem.

So the aim of this game is to put the reasons i love him (mainly appreciating the good things he does and expressing my big love and pride) in written words on cutout hearts to celebrate love.

As i always say, many of you stopped celebrating valentines for how commercial it became. Don’t lose faith in this beautiful occasion and teach your children about love in deep and expressive ways.

This year we are hanging the hearts as a garland. Last year we did a frame of love, and the year before it was a wheel of love. You can click on the hyper link to review them.

If you like this game and wanted to do it with your kids, click here, to download the file of hearts to use. Enjoy writing on the hearts the many and endless reasons why you love your children and husband/wife too 😉 It’s not just for kids! Do it to your significant other and let love flourishes in your hearts and homes! You can do it over a week until valentines day comes or even extend it as much as you want to enjoy.

Don’t forget that love is not only words, it should be followed by actions, and the most important the presence. Be present for your kids, in love, protection and service. Happy valentines xx

My PRECIOUS part of me

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Posted in design, DIY, j delights, way to play

Tagged blogger, celebrate love, design, DIY, doha, expressing love, garland, heart, jaymmy, kids, kids activity, kids play, lebanon, marmite et ponpon, qatar, recognition, teaching love, valentine, way to play

Advent calendar – Santa claus beard

Posted on December 1, 2016 | 1 comment

Welcome to that time of the year that works magic on my serotonin! They say in each one of us there is a hidden child… mine really likes to have an appearance around Christmas time.

…Everything gets dressed in festive look; windows at the shops are more joyful, same food and desserts taste better, red and green are not just ordinary colors anymore and all eyes are on that enchanting sky hoping to see the red nose between the stars…

It’s the time when we all pause and reconsider our values, belief and attitude.

It’s the perfect quality and happiest time with the family, especially for those living abroad, but unfortunately this year we can’t make it back home for the reunion… It’s sad we are not sharing this Christmas with the family, but thinking positively, Santa got me an early gift this year, I have a new friend. And this is what Christmas is all about; something new and precious is born…

Today is the first day of the festive month and i am aaaaaaall ready for Christmas, this buzzword “Christmas” you will be reading zillion times in my posts during December until we reach the D day. So let’s start the countdown folks!

This year i have to prepare 2 advent calendars, one for Nady and one for Joud! They are both about Santa’s beard; one is trimming it while counting down to reach Christmas and the other about growing it, since Joud is only 16 months and can’t use scissors, sticking cotton balls on the beard was a good and fun idea for his age.

If you are wondering about the fun part, the daily sweet or toy, Nady will find it written behind each strip he will cut and Joud will collect it from the christmas tree 🙂

If your kid’s age let you take the advent calendar to the next level, don’t just offer sweets or toys, you can teach them the real meaning of Christmas by putting words of values (such as faith, forgiveness….) instead or along with the daily surprise.

Click here to download the trimming option and click here for the growing one.

If you really like this post give it many likes and shares to spread the joy. Don’t forget to like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More festive posts are yet to come. Ho Ho Ho!

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Posted in design, DIY, special occasions, way to play

Tagged advent calendar, art and craft blogger, beirut, christmas, countdown, craft, create, design, DIY, doha, festive season, kids activity, kids blog, lebanon, qatar, Santa Claus, santa's beard, way to play

M&M wheels experience – little scientist

Posted on November 14, 2016 | Leave a comment

Experimental science, one of the favorite activities that Nady really enjoys and looks forward to! He is absolutely fascinated by science, for him it’s magic, mystery and fun. I totally understand him since we share same interest and enthusiasm, i am as passionate as him when experiencing something for the first time 🙂

It’s been a while i see on the net the M&M experience, so i decided to take it to another level and make it more interesting and fun.

Already having the M&M creating those colorful streams when melting with warm water is something, but what if we make it as the bicycle wheels to create optical illusion?!

First draw the bicycle and use two white plates as wheels. Place the M&M in circle then pour inside each circle warm water.

mm-wheel-experience-little-scientist-marmite-et-ponpon

Watch how the melting M&M start forming rays/ streams of colors inside of the wheel

Place one M&M in the center to make it look like a real wheel

Watch out not to shake the plates to keep the lines defined. Nady was so excited he moved the plates, that’s why you see the colors a bit mixed. But it’s ok, it’s not the end of fun 🙂

And here is our beautiful bicycle, that looks like moving. Isn’t it?

If you like this post give it some likes and shares to spread the joy. Don’t forget to like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More interesting posts are yet to come.