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This is a sweet project, perfect for even the youngest crafters, and it makes a lovely decoration. It's also a great project for developing fine motor skills, through cutting card and ribbon and tearing up the cotton wool.
To make this craft you will need:
White card stock
Cotton wool balls
Pencil
PVA Glue
Scissors
Yellow cardstock (optional)
Start by drawing a cloud shape on your card stock and cutting it out. You can cut the cloud shape and ribbon in advance if you want to make it easier for little fingers.
Now cut your ribbon into equal lengths (around 6 inches long). Younger children will find this easier if you hold the ribbon at either side of the scissors nice and taught.
Squirt small blobs of PVA glue and attach your ribbon. This is a great opportunity to talk about the colours of the rainbow and the order - red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple (we don't worry about indigo and violet yet).
Once the ribbons are dry, flip the cloud over and cover it in a layer of PVA glue. Take a cotton wool ball, gently pull it apart and begin to cover the surface of the cloud.
Cover the whole surface of the cloud this way until it looks nice and fluffy.
This is a great activity to do as part of a weather theme in the classroom, or just at home to decorate a bedroom; it's also great for celebrating St Patrick's Day, Pride or the NHS.
For a fun little twist on this activity, you can cut a sun shape and glue it behind, like it is just 'peeking' out of the clouds! Instead of a rainbow you could ask your child to choose their favourite colours! Or make a storm cloud from grey card and different tones of blue ribbon for rain. Lots of opportunities for your child to put their unique touch on this craft!
Do you love crafting with your little one? Or maybe you've never tried and just need some pointers? You'll love my book The Grown-up's Guide to Crafting with Kids as it's full of tips on getting started and ideas for sourcing materials!