Under £5
1 hr
Ages 3+
Giant wallpaper frieze
Roll out a length of cheap wallpaper and paint a picture as long as the hallway. Space monsters very welcome.
Crafts and slime
Pasta collage pictures
Sketch a simple picture on card, then fill it in with different pasta shapes. Twists for curly hair, penne for a stripy dress, shells for a beach and spaghetti for rain. It's cheap, it's crunchy, and it's brilliant for little fingers.
Ages3+
Time45 mins
CostFree
MessSome mess
WhereIndoors
What you need
Dried pasta and beans are a choking hazard for babies and toddlers, so keep a close eye on under-3s.
Let's go
Draw a simple outline on the card. A face, a person, a house, a fish, a rocket or your name in big letters.
Sort the pasta into little bowls by shape and talk about what each one could be. Hair, bricks, scales, flames.
Spread PVA glue thickly over one small part of the picture at a time.
Press the pasta into the glue, filling in each part with a different shape.
Leave it flat to dry for a few hours, or overnight for thick layers.
Paint it once it's dry if you like, or leave it plain for a golden look.
Real talk
- Colour the pasta before you start. Shake it in a sandwich bag with a few drops of food colouring and a splash of vinegar, then spread it out to dry.
- Use alphabet pasta to add their name or a message.
- Lentils, rice, dried beans and seeds work too. Make it a "kitchen cupboard collage".
Hungry for more?
Some pick-your-own farms and food festivals run kids' cookery and craft sessions over the holidays.
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