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What is the most unusual item your grandchild has asked you to make for them?

(52 Posts)
HillyN Fri 21-Apr-17 22:59:54

DGS just acquired a 'camouflage' teddy and asked me if I could make an ammunition belt for the bear. Of course I obliged but it got me wondering what other wacky craft items have Gransnetters been asked to produce?

Hopehope Sat 22-Apr-17 00:07:19

I have not produced anything requested by DGD, but this made me laugh as I can remember an occasion many years ago when our son was about 6 ( he is 37 now). it was Easter, and they were to have an Easter bonnet parade at school. At the time I had never sewn anything! i managed to get a kind of roundish felt type hat from a charity shop.
I thought if I cover it and make a cross it could be a Hot Cross Bun hat, so far so good. I got carried away with myself, and sewed on lots of real currants. i was up until about 2 in the morning doing this, because as usual he had not told me about it until the night before!!

I was pretty pleased with the result, and put it on the bed in the spare room. I had not realised that one of our cats was also hiding in there. When I got up in the morning she has eaten ALL of the currants, then to top it all off my Son had a tummy upset so had to miss the parade anyway. I could have cried . we still laugh about it now though

HillyN Sat 22-Apr-17 00:25:32

Easier to laugh in hindsight I'm sure!
Reading your story reminds me of the time my daughter asked for a boat cake for her birthday. I was up very late finishing the icing, covering the board it was on with swirls of blue, green and white icing to represent the sea. I left it on the counter top to set overnight. When I came down next day the cat had licked all the icing off the board!

Greyduster Sat 22-Apr-17 09:05:06

A 'Temple of Doom' with a polystyrene skull on the top, for some of his Playmobil characters. And a set of Noggin the Nogg characters made out of pegs and scraps of felt, with an origami dragon that flapped its wings when you pulled its tail. He still has it, but it only flaps one of its wings now! I do miss all that sad.

shysal Sat 22-Apr-17 09:36:31

I miss all that too, my 6 GCs used to love what they called my scientific experiments, usually involving bicarb and vinegar or balloon power. These days I am usually asked to make the boys' slim fitting trousers even tighter!
The most unusual item we made was probably a sarcophagus complete with mummy. Of course it was requested late on the day before it had to be handed in at school. It went well, but involved having to buy a box of Ferrero Rocher chocolates for the gold foil, requiring me to eat them all blush!

Chewbacca Sat 22-Apr-17 09:49:04

I made a volcano for my son's science project when he was about 7. It was amazing! "Real" explosions coming out of the top, courtesy of a mixture of vinegar and bicarbonate of soda. It was so explosive that it took the top of the papier mache volcano clean off. Never even made it into school. blush

TerriBull Sat 22-Apr-17 10:24:36

Nothing too unsual thankfully, only requests for a birthday cake in the shape of the number they have reached, and roast dinners, particularly roast chicken for gs who tells me all the time how much he loves chicken. Sometimes I give him fish, which he also thinks is chicken. I guess because it's white grin

TerriBull Sat 22-Apr-17 10:30:36

I remember having to make a guitar out of cereal boxes and elastic bands for one of ours years ago, cursing his teacher for gving 5 year olds a task that they hadn't the wherewithal to accomplish. I don't mind listening to reading or helping with homework but I wouldn't do anything of that nature again.

HillyN Sat 22-Apr-17 19:54:14

Think the wackiest so far has to be the 'Temple of Doom'! Primary school teachers have a lot to answer for IMHO. I remember when DD, aged about 8 or 9, came home the day before Open Evening, saying she had been chosen to help and the teacher had said they had to "come dressed as the rainforest". After some research I produced her costume: forest floor (shoes), understory (leaves and flowers round her ankles), canopy layer (green skirt) and emergent layer (a crown of greenery). When I went in the next night it transpired she was expecting the sort of clothes worn by a rainforest inhabitant. Glad I didn't insist on the parrot in her knickers.

Jalima1108 Sat 22-Apr-17 20:14:34

I made a cake for DD's birthday years ago and when I put it on the table all the icing slid off it.
All the little boys made 'yuk' and 'sick' noises but they ate it all up anyway.

3D maps out of home-made playdough anyone? Why do teachers send infants and juniors home with these tasks?
When I looked up how to accomplish this feat it said 'makes a good classroom project'.

Humbertbear Sun 23-Apr-17 09:30:25

Ive had to knit a whole family of dinosaurs. Probably the most unusual was Milo the Armadillo from the book and I had to k it three. I also had to knit an egg cosy as a hat for a mini teddy

BRedhead59 Sun 23-Apr-17 09:39:57

My mum - once made a black cloak for our youngest - he wore it all the time and was different heroes -it covered everything and he loved it. It took her about five minutes to make.

Greyduster Sun 23-Apr-17 09:40:47

jalima "sick" has a whole different meaning among small boys these days. I got quite worried when one of guests at GS's party declared his minecraft cake "sick" until I was told it was a compliment confused!

gillyknits Sun 23-Apr-17 09:41:42

I once made a Seven Dwarfs cake for my daughter. All seven dwarfs tucked up in bed and Doc had even got wire spectacles. My grand daughters request was much simpler, just a knitted unicorn!

BBbevan Sun 23-Apr-17 09:43:53

I was asked to knit a Lady Rainicorn . Something from a children's TV program. No pattern but a picture. I did manage it and it is still played with. ,!?

BBbevan Sun 23-Apr-17 09:45:41

I should have said it was half unicorn, half rainbow.

inishowen Sun 23-Apr-17 09:47:00

I knitted a unicorn for my GD a few weeks ago. She spotted the pattern in a magazine and asked me to make it. It's the first toy I've made and it turned out well. Apparently GD keeps it in the basket of her bike and loves it.

aprilgrace Sun 23-Apr-17 10:03:00

Rapunzel's hair for my nearly-three year old GD who LOVES Disney princesses.
A very long plait made from yellow wool. Very simple to make and she floated round in it for weeks.
Who needs expensive toys??

Jalima1108 Sun 23-Apr-17 10:20:10

Greyduster I think 'sick' meant exactly that grin - it was about 38 years ago.
I made a resolution not to invite any more boys to DDs' birthday parties again (until they were about 18!).

Jalima1108 Sun 23-Apr-17 10:21:20

ps I have heard someone of the very much younger generation call something 'sick' as a compliment!
confused

gillybob Sun 23-Apr-17 10:28:37

My DGD's do gymkhanas and they love the fancy dress competitions. I am often called upon to make a fancy dress costume for a horse. No easy task I can assure you.

I have made a princess dresses, unicorn horns and believe it or not, a chimney stack for a Shetland pony and a Santa costume, minion outfit and a tutu for a full size horse. grin

quizqueen Sun 23-Apr-17 10:40:08

I am usually the one who gets landed with helping my granddaughter with her school projects- the last one was to make a Tudor building out of shoe boxes and lollipop sticks. The best fancy dress costume I made was a playing cards from Alice in Wonderland copying a Queen of Hearts card. It was very robust and still survives to this day, 30 years on, to be recycled for other fetes. We've also done the volcano thing.

Lilylilo Sun 23-Apr-17 11:04:04

Being handed a piece of sponge with a 'Can you make me a glass slipper please Nana?' was a bit of a challenge!

annifrance Sun 23-Apr-17 11:05:50

I've lost count of the number of knitted animals etc, school projects, costumes, themed parties that I have contributed to or done all, and from a distance in France!

However the latest from my DGS is proving troublesome - a pinstripe city suit for a seated leather fox! Any ideas?

libra10 Sun 23-Apr-17 11:07:20

My granddaughter wanted me to make an origami bird.

We had all the instructions, found paper etc. but after ages folding and creasing paper, the finished result looked more like a turkey!