Diwali is nearing. And you have managed to clean every nook and corner of your house, painted it, refurbished it, maybe had a few pills to get through that body pain, but all in all, your house has never looked better! Every Diwali, we look forward to the gifts, the mouth watering ghee-dripping food and those five days of complete no-work time.
Although what we cherish the most is the time we spend with our loved ones doing even the simplest of things. And if you have kids around, there is always so much more fun you can have! If your kids love spending time at home doing fun activities then here is a list of things you help them do.
Decorative Diyas : Diyas are always a favourite during Diwali. They are used abundantly in India across all cities. Diyas of different shapes and sizes are easily available in the market.
Lets make a Rainbow Diya Stand - For this activity, you will need 7 diyas of the same design. Soak them in hot water for an hour and let hem dry. This will retain oil in the diyas for a longer time. Take a card sheet or a cardboard and cut a thick border in the shape of a semicircle. It will look like a C. Before you cut it, make sure that all the 7 diyas can be easily arranged on that C-shaped strip of cardboard. Now let your kids colour the cardboard and keep it for drying. In the meantime, they can colour and decorate the 7 diyas in the colours of the rainbow. For better results, make sure that the diyas are coated twice. Decorate the diyas with bindis, stars, stickers, cut-outs, laces, etc. Make sure you spread newspapers on the floor before you begin. Kids can get messy and you don't want paint on your floor! You can also use a swastika shaped cardboard as the base and decorate your entrance with it.
Diwali Cards to send out : Diwali greetings are very common. In this digitally advanced world where we resort to e-cards and e-greetings, the beauty of making a hand made card with your kids can be very alluring. Let them bring out their creative side while doing this. You can arrange different indigenous materials like different shaped pulses, bindis, stamps, foam cutouts, laces, sand, etc. If your kid is tech-savvy, encourage him or her to design a card in paint. You can email it as an e-card or take a printout and paste it on a card sheet.
Kids are generally fond of rockets. Draw the outline of a rocket on a sheet of paper and allow your kids to fill it up with these materials. Empty out some fevicol in a plastic bowl and add a few drops of water. Make sure its consistency isn't lost. Give your kids a brush to apply fevicol on the outline of the paper. This will help avoid the messiness of using glue.
Wall Art : We often decorate our walls with interesting wall hangings and paintings during diwali. Give your walls a little personal and 3D touch this Diwali.
Take an A4 sized card sheet or cardboard (make sure it is thick). Draw a Diya and a flame. Now apply glue along the outline and stick a thick jute rope along those lines. Cover up the entire card sheet or cardboard with an aluminum foil. Press the foil along the inside and outside of the jute rope. The shape of the diya will appear embossed! Now colour the foil with acrylic colours and border it with lace. Punch a hole in the middle and tie a ribbon through it. Your innovative wall hanging is ready!
Cane Diwali Lanterns : Paper lanterns have been for long extremely popular during Diwali, especially with kids. Looking for something innovative? Lets make Cane-lanterns then.
Cane baskets are easily available in the market. Take a simple one with a round base. Make sure it doesn't have a handle. Now invert it and paint a thick coat of any colour. Kids can stick cut-outs of flowers, mirrors and bindis on the outside of the basket. They can decorate it as they please. On the edge of the basket, beaded strings can be hung. It will look like a chandelier. Parents must make a circular hole in the middle, at the base of the basket so as to allow the bulb to fit in, when it is inverted. You can make such cane lanterns of varied sizes and hang them outside your balcony.
Candle Stands : We often decorate our houses with candles. This candle stand idea will surely beautify your home from within.
To make this candle stand, adult supervision is a must. Add one cup water, two cups flour and two cups salt in a bowl. Make a ball from this dough and then flatten it slightly. They should be as thick as doughnuts. Cut it with a cookie cutter or a knife in the desired shape. Now place the tea candle in the middle and press it slightly. Twist it twice and take it off. Bake such dough cakes in the oven for an hour at 250 F / 120 C or till they are dry. Paint them once out and apply glitter when the paint is still wet. Your very own candle stand is now ready to use.
Remember to Appreciate and encourage their art works. These fun activities will leave your house looking even more brighter and beautiful.