This Christmas, momstown’s Sarah McLaughlin is giving her daughter the gift of fun, creative experiences. Learn how you can put together your own DIY letter-writing and no-sew-blanket kits.
by Sarah McLaughlin
LETTER-WRITING KIT
My daughter has discovered the postal service. She was thrilled to be able to send letters & drawings to her cousins and grandparents! The excitement is multiplied when Grandma writes back!
She is constantly asking for more supplies, so I thought this was a great opportunity to create a letter writing kit. As needed, we can just replenish her supplies.
I’ve included
• Stamps
• Envelopes
• Paper
• Stickers
• Markers
• A small spiral notebook for addresses
• A zippered pouch to keep all supplies organized
I wrote the addresses she needs (including ours – her return address), in the spiral notebook. We can add to this as she expands her delivery area.
All the supplies pack away nicely into the zippered pouch, which I picked up at the dollar store.
Learning value
• Practises printing letters & numbers when she writes the addresses.
• Proper letter-writing skills are something everyone should learn.
• In a time of instant gratification via email, receiving snail mail creates a sense of anticipation.
NO-SEW BLANKET KIT
We never have enough blankets. My kids love them – they cuddle under them for movie night, make forts with them, carry them all over the house. This kit perfectly combines their enthusiasm for crafts with our need to have a couple of extra blankets around the house.
I’ve Included
• 2 pieces of fleece (60”x60” each) – I made sure to buy patterns they’ll like
• Scissors
• Cue cards for measuring
• Instructions
Learning value
• Reading & following instructions
• Cutting
• measuring
Instructions
• Line up the two pieces of fabric, patterns facing out.
• Cut a 4” x 4” square out of each corner.
• Holding the two pieces of fleece together in your hand, cut inch-thick, 4” long strips along each edge (4” x 1”), creating a fringe around the entire perimeter of each piece of fleece.
• Strip by strip, twist the aligned pieces of fringe fleece into knots, tying the two fleece pieces together.
