Miss K, at age 5, is still very fond of her toy kitchen. She has lots of pretend food to cook, such as rock cakes, toilet roll fish and even the glitter sponge cakes we made a long time ago are still going strong. Sometimes she doesn’t even need food that looks real, ordinary round seed pods become chocolate balls, a few sea shells become biscuits and she is happy as happy can be in her little cafe world. Recently we collected a few seed pods and they somehow migrated from my craft basket into her toy kitchen and before long were served to me on a little plastic platter as a delicious meatballs. So these meatballs and pasta I have made were not really my idea, I took it from Miss K and tried to make it look a bit more real for her – of course, they are now the most popular choice on the menu of her pretend play cafe. To make some for your own toy kitchen at home is pretty simple.
You will need:
– One standard sized piece of yellow felt for the pasta, plus a print out of this template
– A few pieces of double sided tape
– Some round seed pods or something else that is round and small for the meatballs
– Mod podge, or PVA (craft/school) glue mixed at a 1:1 ratio with water
– Red tissue paper cut into small squares (approx 10cm x 10cm)
– A paintbrush & scissors
How to:
Once you have printed out the template, attach it to your piece of felt with some double sided tape. It doesn’t need to cover the entire back of the felt, but place it across-ways so that the paper is still attached to the felt as you cut it into strips.
Then peel the felt off the paper, removing the small piece of tape that attached it. You now have pasta!
Next, paint some mod podge onto your seed pod and wrap a square of red paper around it. Paint a little bit more over the outside to make it shiny, but beware not to make it too thick or it will take forever to dry.
Mine is a bit too thick, and it did seem to take forever to dry! It’s a good idea to paint a thin layer on one side, then once that is dry turn the ball over and do the other side so it won’t stick to the surface it is sitting on. I have placed mine onto a plastic plate as a drying tray, so that I could move it out of the way and also because if you lay it on paper the paper can get stuck to the ball and wouldn’t come off.
… and that’s all there is to it!
I put them in a plastic container all together for storage when not being used.
If you are interest in more crafty ideas for pretend play food craft, try visiting my play food board on Pinterest.
Similar Posts
Dancing flamingo puppet
How cute is this dancing flamingo puppet you can make from chunky yarn and a few additional bits and pieces. Scroll down for the full tutorial and free printable face details. This marionette DIY toy idea is suitable for older kids, tweens and teens. Or big kids at heart (like me!). You might also like…
Shark paper bracelet
Want to make a printable shark paper bracelet? This easy craft is a fun, quick, no-fuss shark activity for kids of all ages (we also have a dinosaur version). It’s also a good opportunity to talk to your kids about sharks and the important role they play in our oceans’ ecosystem. You might also like…
2022 party hats
Celebrate for New year with our free printable 2022 party hats! Get the 2024 party hats here These are super fun to make at home and you can use them for both real celebrations and Zoom parties. You might also like our DIY party crackers (the bon-bon kind) Kids are going to love these print-and-colour…
Love monster finger puppets
Today we have the sweetest love monster finger puppets to share. These make a fun Valentines Day-themed craft and are also a good way to engage in play with a DIY paper toy. The printable template is free! You might also like our printable Valentines colouring cards These guys might be monsters but that doesn’t…
DIY Advent tree calendar
Create your own DIY Advent tree calendar from painted branches and recycled paper rolls. This is a fun, eco-friendly way for kids to celebrate the countdown to Christmas This craft was first published in 2013 and has been updated and reshared for today’s audience You might also like our printable paper Christmas Tree advent calendar…
Recycled plastic squid craft
How adorable is this recycled squid craft by Mini Mad Things? Today as part of our sustainable crafting theme I’m pleased to have Eleanor from Mini Mad Things sharing this easy recycled squid craft for kids. Plastic waste is such a HUGE problem, it’s good to know that plastic can be recycled – and even…
Toys that are meant to look like real food are a joy when you’re a kid. I felt like I knew how to cook. Thank you for the post!
After making the cakes,we made this pasta..so adorable on her stove in a pot.. tomorrow we will make the meatballs..
Fantastic! The meatballs and pasta were a favourite of my daughter at that age too
I can’t get over how real those look! Wish I’d seen these while my kids were still in the play kitchen stage.
They are so fun! My daughters are both school aged now and still they play with them.