GLASS OR CERAMIC PLATE PAINTING

There are so many paints available at quite affordable prices and also in quite a few of the high street shops. If you think you children maybe too young for paints then have a look at the alternative for flower pot decorations.

I brought some really inexpensive plates from a local discount store. Make sure you get plain ones or clear glass ones that mean they have a blank canvass to work on!

Let them decide what they want to design on it or whether they are going to make it with someone in mind (Grandparents love them!) then let them get to work creating their own plate design. Please make sure you follow the instructions for the paints and some allow you to keep the plate permanently decorated with the childs handy work by using heat but if they make any mistakes whilst creating their artwork its normally easily remedied with a quick wash off in the sink!

It sounds so simple but doesnt need to be expensive and can be made with just coloured card strung together with some paper fasterners but its a great way to record the summer and also gives children a good way of remembering what they did over the summer holidays! (We have all been there where we have done loads with them over the summer holidays only for them to go to school and be asked what they got up to for them to say 'nothing'!)

Keep keepsakes from any days out.. tickets.. photos and the best thing to do is leave it for a rainy day when they can draw, stick things in and write their scrap book summer diary. One thing I tried which worked really well was to get all my three to compile a list of things they wanted to do over the summer holidays and then choose one thing from each list that we could do. That way if you have children at different ages and stages then at least you can include all of them in your summer plans. Just remember on any days out to take your camera with you so that they have a snap shot of things they have been up to!

Fairy Cakes

FAIRY CAKES

Ingredients
100g (4 oz) soft margarine

100g (4 oz) caster sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla essence

2 eggs

100g (4 oz) self-raising flour

METHOD

Pre-heat the oven to 350F/180C/Gas mark 4.

Put all the ingredients for the cakes into a bowl or food processor and beat together until smooth. Spoon into 12 paper cases and place these into the sections of a 12-hole bun tray.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until well risen and the sponge springs back when you press with your fingertips.

DECORATION IDEAS

The shops are great for ideas from ready made cake decoration kits to sweets. For example for boys be adventurous by getting vivid red food colouring and add this to some icing to top the cakes and buy some ready made bug sweets to decorate the tops. For another fun idea try making faces on the tops with again shop bought sweets for eyes and now in most shops you can buy various colours of tubed icing sugar perfect for making features on the cakes. Most importantly let the children have a range of choices for toppings and let their imaginations run wild.