How To Make Rainbows With Clear Nail Varnish

It was a different Lovely Friend (the first one) again this morning and thank goodness I didn't have to head out in The Weather. I have completely lost my voice today and everything seemed like a bit of a struggle. At least my throat's not too sore.

Anyway, so Elizabeth went with said friend to play group and Francesca and I managed to do violin (I was invited to play duets!), maths (she did a whole page of sums in the Heinemann book in about 15 minutes!) and English (I couldn't work up the enthusiasm for any more crocodile stories so we read poems - or rather she read poems and I whispered in with the occasional correction.)

Then there was free time and Francesca settled herself at the dining table and told me not to look. It was going to be a surprise. Then she asked for some blue glitter and I thought that's not really the sort of surprise I want, but I relented and she was quite careful with it, although what was I thinking?! Anyway, she duly presented me with a lovely Get Well picture which I really should have photographed but not now, ok?!

In the afternoon, our friends came round and we had one of those 'this is what HE should be like!' moments with everyone sitting round the table absorbed in colouring, sticking and (Sebastian, uh-oh) cutting.

I felt relaxed enough to make some rainbows (well, I had extra adult back-up).

If you want to make shiny rainbow patterns using clear nail varnish, here's how:

1. Put some water in an old tub. Mine was about an inch deep, in a take-away carton.
2. Sink a piece of paper or card, onto which you will catch your rainbow. Black card works well.
3. Put a drop of nail varnish onto the surface of the water. It will spread into a rainbow pattern.
4. Gently capture the rainbow by lifting up the cardboard and tipping off the water.

Ta da! We might make them into greetings cards or something.

Meanwhile, Francesca found an activity that we had picked up in Seven Stories a while ago, and was making her own Jack and The Beanstalk:

That's the giant at the top, a big curly beanstalk and Jack at the bottom, by the way.

And after all that, I was so tired, I let them watch CBeebies again, while I got the dinner ready.