It’s the school holidays and we are all under-the-weather and in need of rest. So what better way to slow down than sitting on the veranda painting pine cones! Goobie’s attention-span with creative activities is about 20 minutes, so this is perfect for him because it can be done in chunks as and when we fancy. No brain-power or physical power required, just the following:

24 pine cones (more or less, depending on how large you want your hanger to be) – ours were from Troodos and our garden.
Driftwood – found on most beaches. Needs to be fairly strong
Twine
Paint – if the hanger is likely to get rained on, use water-resistant paint
Brushes or sponges
Small pots/toilet roll tube/egg cups for resting the pine cones on to dry
Scissors
Kitchen towel/wipes for messes
Tray – when doing anything crafty we do it on a big tray with sides to contain everything. Ours is from IKEA
Hook to hang it up

And it’s wonderfully simple to make! Paint four pine cones per colour, then tie each row together with twine. Attach to driftwood. Tie more twine to the driftwood so that you can hang it. Then put up somewhere for everyone to admire. Hey presto – rainbow loveliness!