I love doing crafts with the children, but so few are geared up for boys. I have three sons, and have painted pirate treasure chests, sponged spaceships on to paper, and decorated plastic Easter eggs for various bonnets. All were fun, but I suspect they’d love a Donna Wilson Make Your Own Monster Kit even more. They cost £15 at Supra, and our friends at Parklife.org, a life-enhancing blog for Kensal Rise and Queen’s Park, created this one.

Here’s how they did it.

While fighting the urges to get Folk cardigans and toddler-sized Converse at Supra on Chamberlayne Road, we stumbled across these packs, which are perfect as rainy-day projects for gifts for kids aged 3+. Donna, whose cushions at Supra are another temptation, has cunningly converted offcuts from her hip homewares into these ingredients for a fun mini monster… Basically, you get to play Dr Frankenstein, but with slightly more child-friendly results.

Each cool arts-and-crafts kit contains one pre-stitched unique  monster shape, stuffing, felt and material strips, and easy-to-follow four-step instructions (without a word in Swedish – phew) on how to magic your one-of-a-kind cuddly creature. How you interpret these bits and bobs is up to you – just have some PVA glue or a needle and thread at the ready.

 

 

For a feel-good 2010 angle, there’s not only the promise of some creative itch-scratching but some potential ace parent/child bonding time. Beats ready-made toys any day.

Supra 71 Chamberlayne Road, Kensal Rise, London NW10. And if you’re on Twitter, follow Park Life at Twitter.com/ParkLifeBlog.

Tags: Practical but fabulous, Treats for teenies

1. Iota says:

   May 12, 2010 at 19:05

   I love the idea of craft for boys – as you say, it’s a very under-represented sector of the market. I guess Lego has captured most of the occupying-small-male-fingers sector.
2. angels&urchinsblog says:

   May 13, 2010 at 11:51

   Iota – Another benefit of crafts is that they’re usually a lot less sharp underfoot than Lego!
3. Belgravia Wife says:

   May 13, 2010 at 12:29

   Hi thanks for this I am utterly hopeless at anything to do with craft but my two sons love it ! We can never have enough monsters x
4. Catherine says:

   May 14, 2010 at 09:50

   Great idea. I have two boys and getting them to concentrate on anything that doesn’t involve building something that you can knock down is a nightmare. This looks like it might do the trick.
5. angels&urchinsblog says:

   May 14, 2010 at 12:40

   Belgravia Wife – I always think I’ll make a quilt, or fill photo frames with glorious montages, but somehow it never happens. An anarchic fish seems vaguely within the realms of possibility.

   Catherine – It all boils down to Lego, in the end, doesn’t it?
6. Juliet Kinsman says:

   May 16, 2010 at 20:42

   It was really fun making that monster as well (I wrote the blog post) – both for me and my little one! Just the right amount of time too to match the still-short concentration span!
7. angels&urchinsblog says:

   May 18, 2010 at 15:52

   Juliet Kinsman – Very nice monster it is too!