Hobbies And Interests
Photograph Displays
In the world of make-believe, dolls become best friends and confidantes. Take and print photographs of your child with Molly and create crafts that star the ̶0;best friends.̶1; For example, you can carefully cut a photo frame from a sheet of cardboard. Help your child paint and decorate the frame. Once it dries, you can tape the photo to the underside and attach an easel crafted from the remaining cardboard. Or help your child use craft glue to affix the photographs to an 11-by-14 sheet of white construction paper. Encourage her to draw pictures or to write words or phrases in the white space around the images. For a nominal cost, have the finished work laminated at a local office supply store and use the artwork as a place mat.
Patriotism
Your kids are never too young to learn about history. Consider doing crafts that highlight the patriotism of the home front. With younger children, help them to create a flag out of red, white and blue construction paper, or they can draw a flag with crayons. Home victory gardens were a rallying theme during the 1940s. Buy seeds to plant in the spring or fall and allow your kids to decorate craft sticks with each seed type. As your child draws, explain why victory gardens were important to the war effort. When it comes time to plant your garden, show her how to push the craft sticks into the soil to use as garden markers.
The Holidays
The holidays were an inventive time for children during World War II. With many fathers overseas and limited family budgets, families often created their holiday memories, rather than buying them. Cut out ornament shapes and ask your child to decorate each ornament with a drawing of the toys that were popular during the era, including wagons, trains, stuffed dolls and marbles. Punch a hole in the top of the ornament and string it with yarn. You can also help your child string popcorn and cranberries on thread or fishing line to use as garland.
Molly Adventures
Encourage your older child to use her mental muscle and craft adventures for Molly. The child can create a written or picture book about Molly encouraging her friends to participate in an aluminum or war bond drive. Also, as you read one of the Molly stories out loud, ask her to draw a map of the world on construction paper ̵1; with some help from an existing map ̵1; and then instruct her to color the Allied powers in one color and the Axis powers in another color. Ask her to cut the picture into jigsaw shapes and put it back together again. Alternatively, she could create a game of Molly̵7;s school adventures or her understanding of how the war will be won.