I G

B Fun
...on Small Change
Family Edition
100 top tips for saving pennies while
making memories your kids will treasure

Beverley Houston
‘Every money-conscious parent should read this book’
FAMILY TIME MAGAZINE

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 Big Fun...on Small Change
100 top tips for saving pennies while making memories
your kids will treasure

Beverley Houston
Sparky Books

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 Copyright © Beverley Houston 2009

The right of Beverley Houston to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in
accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998

First published 2009 by Sparky Books Limited, 54 Ideal Street, Edinburgh EH1 5AB

www.sparkybooks.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher

Typeset by Qwerty Industries, Glasgow

Printed and bound in Great Britain by Imagine Workshop, Edinburgh

Sparky Books Limited Reg. No. 798109

ISBN 0 9553010 0 9
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Papers used by Sparky Books are natural, renewable and recyclable

products made from wood grown in sustainable forests and certified
in accordance with the rules of the Forest Stewardship Council.

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 Contents
3 Welcome 59 Flip flop pancakes
60 Cheese and potato whirls
4 Outdoor adventures 61 Squishy squashy eggs
6 How to use your space 62 Slurpy smoothies
8 Treasure hunt 63 Fruit kebabs
10 Growing together
12 Mystery day trip Fun and games
14 Schoolyard games 64 Getting started
16 Nature quest 66 Dragons and dinosaurs
18 Bark rubbings 68 Little writers
19 Flower pressing 70 Photoshoot
20 Seasonal secrets 72 Razzamatazz
74 Jungle play
Getting crafty 76 Buzzers and bells
24 Where to begin 78 Wacky races
26 Play dough
28 Animal models Party time
30 Group mural 80 Choosing a theme
34 Trinket boxes 82 Witches and wizards
36 Family collage 84 Magic show
40 Pasta jewellery 88 Pop stars
42 Glass painting 90 Scary beasts
44 Greeting cards 94 Beautiful ballerinas
48 Basic papier mâché 98 Spies and secrets
49 Hand and foot printing 100 Alien adventures
50 Pop up storybook
Templates and resources
Kitchen wonders 104 Featured masks
54 Basic pointers 106 Cut out decorations
57 Yummy cupcakes 108 Reward charts
58 Gingerbread family 110 Example diary

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 Recent
studies
show that
stress in
85% of children is
children increasing
surveyed wanted at an
to spend more alarming
time with their rate. Ways
families. to reduce
stress
All the include
accessories spending
of modern time
life are outdoors,
expensive, getting
but giving creative
your time and In the UK
to make sharing today, 75%
someone time with of people
smile is free. friends and admit to
family. having to
make their
budget
stretch
further than is
comfortable
each month.

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 Welcome
Do you ever feel like you deserve a medal?
Looking after children is not an easy job. Sometimes it requires bucket
loads of patience just to get through the day. When finances are tight,
families are put under yet more undue pressure and it can be difficult
to cope with all the demands that kids place upon us.

We don't want to disappoint them, but kids often seem to

need the priciest things on offer. I have a secret to share
with you - they don't. What they definitely do need is love,
laughter and a sense of security in their lives. And the
good news is, it doesn't cost a fortune to achieve!

None of the activites in this book costs more

than £10 to enjoy, and many cost much less
than that. Take time to laugh with your kids
and the rewards will be much greater than
anything you can withdraw from the bank.

I hope you and your family enjoy the ideas

and tips in this book. Try them out together
and most importantly... have fun!

Beverley x
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 Growing Together
Gardening is a wonderfully relaxing and educational
low-cost activity you can do with your kids. Results
won't be instant, so this one will take a little patience,
but the rewards will be worth the wait when your flowers
bloom and your veggies ripen!

Daffodils

These are ideal to plant with your kids as they are one of the easiest
flowers to grow. They grow well in pots or window boxes so are
perfect if you are short on space. Their lovely sunny yellow
colour when they bloom is sure to make your kids smile.

How to: Plant 3-5 inches deep with 3 inches between each
bulb. It's best to plant in February for flowers in April.

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 Sunflowers

With a curious habit of facing the rising sun in the

east, sunflowers provide excellent nature lessons in
sun, earth and sky.

The copious seeds that sunflowers produce

provide a fun and nutritious snack as well.

Sunflower seeds are large enough for little fingers

to handle, meaning sunflowers are easy to plant.
Just add water, and stand back!

How to: Plant outdoors and allow plenty of room.

It's best to tie your growing sunflower to a wooden rod
early on to support them properly throughout the
summer. Then keep your fingers crossed for lots of sun, and water
them often as they rapidly grow...and grow...and GROW!

Have fun helping your child measure

his growth spurts against the Sunflowers
sunflower's own! can grow up
to 20 feet tall and
can produce
flowers up to 2
feet wide!

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 Schoolyard Games
Remember all your old favourites? Well, they're having a
revival! Time to dig out your trainers!

Hopscotch - hop for the longest to win!

minimum players: 1- no maximum

Use chalk to draw a hopscotch pattern on the ground

outside. Draw a grid with ten sections and number
them. Give each player a marker that they can throw.
Perhaps a stone, bottlecap, or something similar in size.

The first player stands behind the starting line to toss her
marker into square 1. She then hops over square 1 to square
2 and continues hopping to square 10, turns around, and
hops back again.

Continue by tossing your marker into

square 2. You must hop on one foot only
unless you are at a point in the hop-
scotch grid where two squares are
side-by-side. Then two feet can be
set down with one in each square.

You are out of the game if your

marker does not land in the
proper square, if you step on
a line, or if you lose
14 your balance and
wobble over!

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 15 minutes of
hula hooping gives you
the same health benefits as
15 minutes of running.
A hula hoop should cost less than
£4 and just takes a little practice to
get right! Your kids will love
challenging themselves to keep the
hoop going longer than you!
Think of all the good you're doing for
your stomach muscles as you twirl
your way to fitness while having
fun! Have you ever laughed
so much at the gym?

Prepare to get dizzy!

15

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 Getting Crafty
You don’t
Where to begin
need to spend a
lot of money on craft It's easy to feel daunted if you're not naturally creative, but
equipment for your with a little imagination and a stash of simple supplies
kids. Just take a look at the most ordinary items can become extraordinary fun!
what you have around
you and let your Look through your old magazines and cut out and keep the
imagination best pictures. They will come in handy for making an idea
run wild! book. Keep a stash of old snapshots for making collages and
family portraits. Old newspapers are essential for making papier
mâché masks and decorations for kids' parties.

Keep any spare buttons, wool or scrap material in a sewing box that everyone
can dig into for making jewellery, dolls' clothes and for decorating cards.

Always keep some dried pasta in the kitchen cupboard. It can

be used to make a necklace, bangle, or even spray
painted or covered in glitter for lots of projects.

Lollipop sticks, washed and dried, can be

made into many fun creations.

Paper plates make great masks.

Cut out holes for the eyes and attach
a piece of elastic once the plates
are painted or drawn on.

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 Keep anything colourful, shiny or sparkly that could be used
for crafts. It won't take long until you have a collection a
magpie would be proud of!
Always be
safety conscious
Think before you throw anything out. It's time to hoard old with scissors, glue
yoghurt pots and egg boxes - they can become anything and any sharp or
from useful pencil pots to essential parts of a spaceship! small items you use.
Supervise children
A great place to find free craft materials is outdoors. In the at all times.
woods, gather leaves, twigs or bark. Flowers can be picked
for pressing.

The beach is another good place to gather materials. Small shells can
be glued onto plain trinket boxes or picture frames to make highly
individual gifts. Collect large stones and paint them. Make an interesting
texture on paper by spreading glue over it and
sprinkling on sand.

Explore charity shops. Buy cheap glassware Remember

and crockery to paint on. Old wallpaper
rolls are great for scrap paper and
cutting out.
Try out the projects in this book to get you
started. I’m sure that you’ll soon be able
to come up with lots more ideas for
inxpensive crafts with your kids.
Enjoy yourselves!
to help your kids
when they need it, and
offer your advice, but try
not to take over. They may
not be able to cut a perfect
circle from cardboard but it's
important for them to learn
in their own time and to
enjoy the process
with you.
25

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 You
can adapt this
recipe to suit any
occasion - birthdays,
Christmas, celebrations, or
even just ‘any day’ baking.
There’s a world of toppings and
inspiration to be found - just try
asking your kids!
They’re sure to come up with
hundreds of reasons to
get messy in the
kitchen.

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 Yummy Cupcakes
You will need:
125g / 4 ½oz soft butter 2 tbsp milk
125g / 4 ½ oz caster sugar Cupcake baking tray
2 eggs, lightly beaten Paper cake cases
1 tsp vanilla extract Large mixing bowl
125g self-raising flour Icing sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 190˚C/ gas mark 5. Ask your child to place
the paper cases in the holes in the baking tray.

2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until
pale and fluffy. Let your child have a go with the wooden spoon
but help out when the mixture begins to thicken.

3. Add the beaten egg, a little at a time, stirring constantly, then

beat in the vanilla.

4. Add half of the flour and fold into the mixture. Add the milk and
the rest of the flour and mix until well combined.

5. Your child will love spooning out sticky blobs of the mixture into
the cases. Bake for 12 minutes or until risen and golden on top.

6. Allow to cool for ten minutes on a rack before removing from

the tin. Get creative with icing sugar to decorate.

57

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 Cheese and Potato Whirls
You will need:
200g potatoes 1 tbsp chopped/ dried parsley
½ medium onion, finely chopped 1 pack of puff pastry
2 tbsp milk 1 saucepan
1 egg, beaten 1 baking tray
100 g grated cheese

1. Cook the potatoes until tender (15-20 mins) then drain and mash.

2. Fry the onions in a drop of oil until soft and then add to
the potatoes.

3. Add the rest of the ingredients, give your child a

wooden spoon and ask them to mix everything up well.

4. Have fun rolling out your pastry together, then spread

your cheese and potato mix on top leaving a little space
at one end.

5. Roll up your pastry so you have what looks like a

swiss roll, and put a little milk along the last edge to
seal up the roll.

6. Cut the roll width ways into slices.

7. Place on baking tray and cook at 180˚C/

gas mark 7 for 10 minutes or until golden.

8. Serve warm and fresh from the oven.

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 Squishy Squashy Eggs
You will need: Plus various fillings such as:
2 eggs per child Chopped tomato
A splash of milk (optional) Grated cheese
Sealable freezer bags Ham
Boiling water Peppers
1 large saucepan Mushrooms

1. Start by chopping up some bits and pieces for the filling and placing
them in bowls/containers. Older children can help with this.

2. Give each child a sealable freezer bag. Then let each child break two
eggs into their bag, taking care not to drop in any shell.

3. Add a tiny splash of milk (optional), seal the bag securely and let the
kids gently shake and squeeze the gooey mixture.

4. Once the yolks have broken up and mixed together, let the kids add
whatever fillings they like from the bowls.

5. Then squeeze the bags to remove air, and seal them securely. It’s a
good idea to label the bags so they don’t get mixed up.

6. Place the bags in a large pan of boiling water and cook for about
10-15 mins. You will know it's ready when all the liquid has gone.

7. Open the bags carefully (mind the steam) and serve.

61

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 Big Fun ... on Small Change: London Edition
Charles Charlie-Charles

‘Hot foot your way round the capital without burning money’
Daily Mail

Big Fun ... on Small Change: Holiday Special

Cara Van-Tentleak

'Holidays like they used to be in the good old days!'

TOP TRAVEL

Big Fun ... on Small Change: Retirement Focus

Mayka Rightfuss

'Just what's needed in today's economy'

AGED TIMES

Order online now at www.sparkybooks.com/shop

Big Fun... on Small Change.indd 18 03/04/2009 22:55:38

Big Fun... on Small Change.indd 19 03/04/2009 22:55:40
 BIFG
un
...on small change this is a book you will turn to again and again for
inspiration on a rainy day with an empty wallet.
Family edition
GMTV’s Beverley
Houston is a
renowned financial
guru and family
health expert. With
12 years’ experience of helping
people in difficult financial
circumstances to reset the
balance of their family lives,
Houston is uniquely placed to
provide you with expert guidance
to ensure your family comes
smiling through tough times.
www.sparkybooks.com £9.99
Big Fun... on Small Change.indd 20
A compendium of fun for all the family,
‘A welcome return to good old-fashioned,
low-cost fun and giggles for all the family’
Martin Lewis, Money saving expert
‘I wish I’d had this book years ago!’
Lorraine Kelly, GMTV
‘Houston's handy hints are set to become a part of
British family life with this accessible,
easy to use book’
Guardian
‘Buy this book - your kids and your wallet
will thank you for it’
Daily Mail
Sparky Books
03/04/2009 22:55:45