Bow & Arrow

Yesterday we took to the yard with some home-made bows and arrows. I had wanted to organise some stuff for the kids to do over the holidays and while searching the web for ideas I came across some clever mums who had made bows and arrows for their kids. The first one I found, here had crafted up some bows using the bamboo stick thingies you use to stake things up in the garden. Yay, I thought, I have some of those already, too easy. But when I tested my bamboo for bendiness, they just snapped. Poo.

Then I found this here where they had used pvc piping to make their arrows. Again I thought, too easy, I'll just get some pipe at the hardware store. Ah, no, I won't. They don't have any. Of course. So I hunted around the hardware store until I found something else. What I found and used was very thin, lightweight dowling (dowl? dowling? is that even how you spell it?) You know the stuff I mean, don't you? Anyway I got the thinest stuff they had, and this is how ours turned out.

What I did was use a little hack saw to make small notches at each end.

 I used string which I knotted at each end and slipped into the notches to hold it in place. Does this make sense? I pulled the string tight and curved the dowling up as I put the second end on so the end result was as above in the first picture (with Clary holding it). After a bit of a play I added the foam and strapped around it with electrical tape, this gave them something to hang on to, as well as a guide of where their arrow should rest. Arrows were made using the same dowling, just cut in lengths and a small notch (shallower than the ones on the bow) cut in the end for the arrow to rest on the string with.
Hmmm, don't know if this is all making sense, I should have taken more pictures.

Anyway, then it was just a case of getting your bow and arrow, lining up your mums head (Ruby below), and you're away!

I can tell you right now that Ruby loved it and Clary had pretty much no interest what so ever in this little activity. But I think Clarys' lack of interest came partly from the fact that he found it a little hard to do it.
Even with Ruby it took her a while to get the hang of it.
The next two pictures show how she was holding the arrow at first, it took her a while to get out of that, and hold it a little less awkwardly.

It was fun though! Ruby loved it, insisted on a minimal amount of clothing and no shoes because 'that's what the Indians do' (it's winter here, remember, we had a blazing fire going INSIDE the house).
This picture below is Rubes in her 'Indian' pose. It was very serious.

Happy Indian.

Not So Happy Indian.

 I'm hoping to be able to share some more holiday activities with you over the next couple of weeks.

cheers