Stay and Play

Fun activities to do at home

Create a dance to Pata Pata

Pata Pata is an incredibly joyful song from South Africa. It means “Touch Touch” in Xhosa, a language of southern Africa. Angelique Kidjo, UNICEF Africa’s Ambassador, has created new lyrics for the song to raise awareness of coronavirus. Families and children around the world have come together to create their own dances to this song. Take a look and then ask your children to create their own dance routine.

If you want to show off your moves, why not send your dance videos to @UNICEFAfrica on Twitter or Instagram?

Want to take it one step further? Ask your children to write their own joyful songs and record them.

Give a gnome a home

Gnomes symbolise good luck and owners all around the world put them in their gardens, supposedly to help keep things healthy and vibrant. Gnomes are usually made out of clay, but you can make them out of all sorts of materials. Now we can enjoy more time outdoors, why not get creative and spread some joy (and luck) by making stick gnomes. Why not place them along your walking route so that others can find and enjoy them?

You can also add notes of good luck and wishes with them. Communication is so important and meaningful in these unusual times. The next time you go for a walk, leave your little gnome friends for people to find.

Materials:

  • Sticks
  • Different colour paints (acrylic paints are good but any will do)
  • Paintbrush (fine tips are best but any will do)
  • Paper
  • Pens
  • Clear varnish (optional)

Instructions

  1. Whilst on your walk, collect as many sticks as you wish to decorate – just make sure they are dry to touch, wet sticks will not work! Thick sticks are easier to use.
  2. Create your gnome characters using any paint but acrylic paint works really well, here are some design inspirations.
  3. Start by painting the hat first, then let it dry, followed by the face (let it dry), then the beard (let it dry). This process stops one colour smudging into the next.
  4. Once these are dry, you can then add details such as facial features. A pen is good to use for the finer details such as the eyes but you can also paint them on.
  5. You can decorate one side of the stick or both. If doing both sides, we recommend letting the whole side dry and then putting it in a glass so you don’t smudge the paint.
  6. Once you have finished, it’s a good idea to apply some clear varnish to seal the paint, but this is not necessary if you don’t have any.
  7. The next time you go for a walk, leave your little gnome friends for people to find.

 

Paper lanterns

Lanterns symbolise the wish for a bright future. Why not create your own paper lanterns with your children and then all write down your wishes for the future. Hang your lanterns around your home and wait for your wishes to come true!

Materials:

  • Paper or card x2 different colours
  • Scissors
  • Stapler or tape
  • Glue
  • Ruler
  • Pencil
  • (optional) Decorate your lantern with wrapping paper, ribbons, sequins, stickers, glitter glue etc

 

Instructions:

  1. Take one of the pieces of paper or card and fold it in half, lengthways.
  2. Draw a horizontal line about 4 cms along the edge opposite the fold.
  3. Starting from the folded edge, cut a straight lines about 2 cms from the short edge, all the way up to the horizontal line you have drawn – make sure you don’t cut all the way to the top. Cut more straight lines about 2 cms apart until you reach the opposite edge.
  4. Unfold the paper. You should now have several vertical slits in the middle of the paper. Rub out any pencil marks.
  5. Glue one horizontal edge to the second piece of paper or card.
  6. Next draw a horizontal line about 3 cms from the top of the other paper, then glue down the opposite edge on the line you have drawn (about 3cms from the top).
  7. Carefully cut off the extra strip of paper and put to one side – you will need it later to make your lantern handle.
  8. Join the two shorter edges together and glue or staple them together.
  9. You can decorate the top and bottom part of the lantern using things like glitter glue, decorative tape, pens etc – we’ve left ours blank.

To attach the handle, put some glue on either end of the strip of paper that you put to one side and stick it to the inside of the lantern

Want to learn more about coronavirus?

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Coronavirus: Fast facts and what you can do

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