Activities of old women.

Yesterday was the last of the Kids Activities at the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses.  For the Summer that is.  Our theme was Sea Birds.

Every time I do this I do wonder why.  Such a lot of effort, planning, downloading, copying, printing, sometimes making a template as there isnt anything on the internet that is suitable, getting the craft supplies, beg, borrowed or stolen, (our bedroom has bags under the bed, in the wardrobe and along the walls with loo roll inners , kitchen paper inners, foil, yoghurt pots, etc.etc.)  My small band of volunteers, has grown, from 4 at the beginning we now have 12 ladies of a certain age who are buzzing with ideas, skills, and also have bags of anything they think can be recycled into ......

 The printed off silhouette gets stuck onto the inside of a clear plastic drinking vessel.  Using Sharpe Pens you then do your own thing, in my case this was a gannet, what else, you remove the silhouette/picture which reveals your own personally decorated pencil pot.

 Masks or Puppets are made with paper plates, templates and lollipop sticks (for a puppet).  We did Puffins and Gannets.  The child decided on the colour.

Making Octopus from loo roll inner, scissors, paint and googly eyes.  Some sea birds will eat baby octopus - well I think they do.
 

 Puffin pals, loo roll inners, templates which one of our volunteers had to create as we couldnt find a Puffin, colouring and sticking by the child.

 We have also made, binoculars, telescopes, flowers, (sea birds nest on cliffs where there are flowers!)  And some beautiful card making depicting seabirds.

Stones from the beach were transformed.  Into all manner of things, but I stuck to the sea bird theme.

Not sure who enjoys it the most, us the volunteers, the kids, the parents, the grandparents. 

For me a lot of satisfaction of seeing the enjoyment. 

Luring in a screaming child playing up and Mum about to give in and depart and the child then beams with pride at creating something. 

A Mum gently chastised (well okay, I said, "I will smack you!")  for trying to do it all and then letting the child do their own thing and giving the Mum all the bits and pieces to do her own thing.

But the best bit for me has to be at the end.  

Story time.  

What you cannot see on this photograph is the circle of Mums, holding babies in their arms, listening too. ......