Do your kids watch Shimmer and Shine on Nick Jnr?
This is a new TV show for my kids and, I confess, I’ve found myself stopping to watch it on occasion too.
It’s just that it’s so great to see a kid’s TV show that has fun, friendly, characters and lots of positive messages. Plus, as the parent of twins, it’s nice to see twin characters who are not the ‘naughty’ ones for a change!
If you haven’t seen the show, here’s a quick rundown…
Shimmer and Shine are twins, and they are genies! Shimmer is always happy and a bit of a dreamer, and Shine is bold and spunky and loves a good joke.
Leah is a kind, brave girl who likes to think things through before she acts, and Shimmer and Shine are her secret genies… well genies in training!
It is Shimmer and Shine’s job to help Leah with problems that pop up. They can grant Leah three wishes a day, but sometimes those wishes don’t turn out so well. These wish mistakes make for lots of wild and crazy adventures, but Leah and her genies work together and always manage to sort things out in the end.
Shimmer and Shine is all about team work, problem solving, working together, and appreciating everyone’s individual strengths and weaknesses. And it’s all about mistakes.
I love that Shimmer and Shine sends the message that mistakes are ok. It shows kids that it is not the end of the world if you make a mistake, you can always learn from it, keep trying, and work things out. This is such an important message to share with our kids and you can’t resist messages about resilience, teamwork, and creative thinking, from three cool girls and all their magical friends.
I asked my kids what the best thing about being a genie like Shimmer and Shine would be, and the unanimous answer? The magical flying carpet!
So for a bit of Shimmer and Shine inspired fun and creative thinking, we designed our own magical flying carpets!
Design your own Shimmer and Shine Flying Carpet
Supplies:
- Flying carpet printable (download printable PDF file here)
- Printer and A4 printer paper
- Markers, crayons, water colour paints
- Glue stick
- Sequins
- Glitter
Instructions:
Step 1 – Download and print the flying carpet drawing prompt (link to printable pdf file) on regular A4 printer paper
Step 2 – Let the kids design and decorate their flying carpet anyway they like.
We used metallic pastels, markers, and water colour paints to decorate our flying carpets. Drawing with the pastels and markers first, and then painting over the top for a cool crayon resist technique.
You could use pencils, crayons, or markers, or whatever you have on hand.
Step 3 – Add some sparkle to the flying carpet with some sequins and glitter!
Let your flying carpet designs dry and you can cut them out, or stick them up on the wall just as they are!
Art and creativity gives kids lots of opportunities to express their ideas, to problem solve, and to let go of the fear of making mistakes.
What will you do if your sequins won’t stick?
What can you do if your design doesn’t turn out the way you want it to?
How can we encourage and inspire each other?
Encourage your kids to come up with their own ideas and be creative in their own way. There is no right or wrong way to design a flying carpet!
If your kids enjoyed designing their own flying carpet, they might like to keep creating and learning with the Shimmer and Shine Magical Genie Games app.
It’s a fun app for pre-schoolers teaching shape identification, colour recognition, caretaking, and counting concepts. They can explore the magical world of Zahramay Falls with Shimmer and Shine, play games, earn rewards and decorate your very own genie palace!
You can find the Shimmer and Shine Magical Genie Games app here on iTunes and here on Google Play.
