The Hole Punch

This week's project was another one that developed on its own. After a fun weekend getaway I was planning to spend the morning doing laundry and cleaning house while the girls played nicely with the toys they so missed while we were gone, but instead Rebecca decided to get into the art materials, and Elliot followed soon after. Still afraid to give up complete supervision of the art stuff, I decided to hang around and help as needed. Rebecca stumbled upon a kid-size hole punch

that came in a flower press kit she received from her aunt and uncle in Atlanta and was immediately intrigued. I showed her how to punch holes in paper and then string ribbon through the holes. At first she had a little trouble lining the hole punch up so that it made a complete circle for stringing ribbon, but after a little practice she figured out the technique. The ribbon stringing concept was also a bit tricky for her as far as weaving the ribbon in and out of the holes. With my help she was able to approach the first hole from the top and the next hole from the bottom, but when left on her own she preferred wrapping the ribbon around the edge of the paper and putting it through the top each time.

Elliot also had fun pressing the hole punch handle down with her palm, and after helping her punch several holes in a sturdy cereal box I tried to teach her how to string a shoelace through the holes she had made because, let's face it, she really does want to do everything that her older sister does. Instead of weaving the shoe lace she liked to pull it completely through each hole.

The hole punches were also a big hit. Rebecca used some of them to glue onto the papers she had strung along with pressed flowers from earlier in the spring, and Elliot enjoyed pressing the punches through the holes they came from in the first place, as well as scattering them around on the carpet. I guess laundry and house cleaning will have to wait until after naps today, with an unplanned but necessary vacuum job in order after this morning's art fun.