The Tiny Seed

I love the colourful collage illustrations used in Eric Carle's books! This story tells the fascinating story of the life cycle of a flower in terms of the adventures of a tiny seed. Master 4 loved listening to the journey whilst Master 2 took great delight in finding the seed on each page as it went through its journey. After reading our story we decided to paint some flowers and put seeds in the middle. I had a whole lot of seeds in the cupboard that we got out and looked at and even tasted!!

I had been promising the boys all weekend that they could paint the spare pots I had in my cupboard, so today was the day!Painting clay pots is the perfect activity for a sunny afternoon, suitable for any age group and skill level, as seen with Master 2 and Master 4 busy at work, allowing creativity and imagination to run wild. Painted flower pots brighten up balconies and windowsill and make the perfect personalised gift.The boys decided today that they would paint these pots for their nanny who has been away for a few days. I find Terra-cotta clay pots or ceramic pots are the best types of flower pots for painting. Terra-cotta will actually absorb a little of the paint, so give your little one lots of paint.

Alternative ideas for painting clay pots

• Stick scraps of material on top of your painted flower pot for a textured appearance.
• Instead of painting clay pots, cover them in coloured tissue paper, glue down well, then spray with varnish.
• Tie a bright ribbon round the top of your painted clay pot and fix in place with a little glue if giving it as a gift.
• Cut out pictures from magazines and glue them onto your painted flower pot for a collage effect.