Need some inspiration for making with the kids whilst at home? Right now, we are in surreal times where we find ourselves social distancing and staying at home!
I can’t imagine what it is like for those juggling working at home AND looking after the kids too! So I am going to start making some projects that you could create with the kids at home and for makers to help stay sane over the coming weeks of uncertainty and lock down.
First, we are starting with animal badges! They are quick, easy to make plus all the animals are available and MORE for FREE on Cricut Design space!
On Design space the are so many free designs to choose from... check them out on the Cricut Design Space app!
Firstly do you know how to filter for free designs?
Here is how it works....
1. Go into the store in Design Space. This is under the 'images' tab.
2. In the top bar, you will see the filter option - click this!
3. You will see a drop down, next tick the box next to 'Free'
To find all the animals available after selecting the free filter, search for ‘animal’ and you will find all the ones I have used today and more!
You can use any of the images here. I used the toucan, crocodile and monkey. You will need the design in black and in colour. The colour acts as a base and the black and white cuts the different elements of the animals such as the face and arms.
Add these all into design space. To figure out the size of your badges, measure the width of your badge backing and ensure the designs will cover this width.
Cut the designs out as many times as you want! It will be great for the kids to personalise the badges in a fun way, through layering the designs and with lots of colour!
On the coloured design (referenced below for the designs chosen) in your layers remove the draw element entirely so it is a solid shape like the above on the last column.
Next cut away!
Once cut this is where the kids can get involved. Give the kids all the different colours and layers and let them go wild building up their colourful animals. You could use a PVA clear dry glue, stick of glue or double-sided sticky tape – it’s super easy and will keep the kids entertained giving you some much needed peace!
Once complete, parents will need to get involved to secure the badge backing. This can be done with either super glue or a strong double-sided sticky tape.
If you don’t want to use badge backings because of the pins you could also use Velcro, use plastic backed badges or use paper straws and use them as puppets instead! Once the characters are made there are so many games and ways kids could use the animals!
Here are the video tutorials of how I assembled them:
Crocodile how to:
Toucan how to:
Monkey how to:
Stay safe everyone through this challenging and difficult time! It’s so easy to allow ourselves to be absorbed by the worry, panic and negativity surrounding our situation and so it is important to check in with your mental health, do the things you love like your hobbies, get some fresh air and ensure you are being safe and keeping those safe around you.
Remember to check out Design space and all the free designs they have! It is a great way to come up with ideas for kids activities!
I personally want to thank Cricut during this time with offering so many free designs… I think a lot of parents out there will be thankful and none-parents like myself who just need to keep on doing their hobbies to stay sane during lock in!
Check out more inspiration on my Instagram, on the Cricut UK Instagram, Design Space and I will be back with another blog next week!
Thanks for reading,
Rebecca