Downloadable Resources

This page is for the downloadable printables and resources I’ve created to go with some of my tutorials, crafts, and activities.

Below, you’ll find a brief description for each resource with a link to the source article that will contain any instructions.

Please note that these printables and downloads are all my own creations and as such are provided to you for personal use only. You are welcome to link to this page but must not share the resources directly either for free or for a fee. Please contact me with any questions. Thank you!

Contents:

1. Mason Jar printable
2. Alice in Wonderland printables
3. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory printables
4. Giant Bubbles mixture and wand instructions
5. Glow-worm and Firefly Lantern templates
6. Colourful insect spotter poster
7. Jubilee Crown templates
8. Flapping butterfly peg automaton template
9. Flapping bat mobile
10. Straw rocket template

(Click to go straight to the printable you want.)

Mason Jar

This image is a scan of an original linocut print that I made for a mason jar shaker card craft. I made these cards as teacher thank-you cards at the end of the school year, but they are so versatile you could use them for all sorts of occasions. They are especially good if you are looking to include something special with your card, whether it’s a picture, a note, or cold, hard, cash!

And of course you can print out this mason jar to use for all sorts of other activities and crafts too.

Check out the original post for the full instructions: mason jar shaker card tutorial

Download the image:

mason jar linocut print (copyright 2018 Rhubarb and Wren)

Alice in Wonderland Printables

I made these fun ‘Alice in Wonderland’ posters for my local Scarecrow Festival. This is an annual event where the neighbourhood make scarecrows to display in front of our houses. There isn’t an official theme, but in 2015 I got together with friends on my street to theme our scarecrows for the 150th anniversary of the publication of Alice in Wonderland.

You can see photos of our efforts in the original post. These ‘Wanted’ posters are great for decorating an Alice-themed tea party or event, and look pretty good framed too! My kids also loved colouring them in.

Please note that I used the wonderful original illustrations by Sir John Tenniel for these posters, which are out of copyright, but (as per copyright law) this does not mean that my posters containing these illustrations are also in the public domain. My posters are covered by the same copyright as all my other printables, and are provided for personal use only.

Again, while you are welcome to link to this page, the printables themselves must not be redistributed directly either for free or commercial use. Thank you!

Check out the original post to see the posters at the scarecrow festival: Alice in Wonderland Scarecrow Festival

Download the printables:

1. Alice in Wonderland ‘Wanted’ Poster (copyright 2015 Rhubarb and Wren)
2. Knave of Hearts ‘Wanted’ Poster:  (copyright 2015 Rhubarb and Wren)
3. White Rabbit ‘Wanted’ Poster (copyright 2015 Rhubarb and Wren)

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Printables

The year after our Alice in Wonderland scarecrow festival was the 100th anniversary of the birth of Roald Dahl so of course we had to use his books as our theme for that 2016 scarecrow festival.

Sadly, it was also the year that Gene Wilder passed away, so I made it a double tribute by focusing on Charlie and The Chocolate Factory for our scarecrow. G-man picked his favourite room as our theme, it was Wonka Vision cameras and giant Wonka bars for our front garden, along with the smallest scarecrow ever – a teeny tiny Mike Teevee.

I went whole hog for the printables on this one (did I mention how much I LOVE Roald Dahl?) so there are a whole heap of signs and posters for you to use for your own Wonka-fest!

See the scarecrows here: Roald Dahl Scarecrow Festival
Make your Willy Wonka hat: How to make a (Gene-Wilder-style) Willy Wonka Hat Tutorial

Download the printables:

• ‘Days since…’ factory accident awareness poster (my all-time favourite stroke of inspiration)
• ‘Juicing Room Clean-up Roster’
• ‘Room 54 (all types of creams)
• ‘Room 77′ (all types of beans)’ sign
• ‘Room 39’ (butterscotch and buttergin) sign
• Inventing Room door sign
• Television Room door sign (Wonkavision)

(All Roald Dahl printables above are copyright 2016 Rhubarb and Wren)

Giant Bubbles – Tri-String Wand and Bubble Mixture

Make truly enormous bubbles with our plastic-free giant bubbles tri-string wand, and the best home-brew bubble mixture you’ll ever make. This is our ultimate summer activity, and both kids and adults will play with these for HOURS! Best of all, they are both really easy and quick to make

These printable single-sided instruction sheets (one each for the bubbles and the wand) are designed to be a quick read and should be easy to follow. But check out the full posts for more detailed and instructions and all the science behind the bubbles.

See the original post with illustrated, step-by-step instructions for the wands here: How to Make a Giant Bubble Wand
Get the recipe and all our hints and tips for the perfect mixture here: Best Ever Giant Bubble Mix Recipe

Download the printable templates:

1. Giant Bubbles Tri-String Wand Instructions – 1 pp (copyright 2017 Rhubarb and Wren)

2. Giant Bubbles Mixture Recipe – 1 pp (copyright 2017 Rhubarb and Wren)

Glow-worm Lantern and Firefly Lantern templates

Inspired by sightings of our native glow-worm, I made these templates for a simple paper glow-worm lantern. As I didn’t want anyone over the other side of the Atlantic to feel left out, I also made a firefly version.

See the original post for instructions on how to make them – basic instructions are also printed on the templates, but the post has lots more information.

As we were fascinated by these wonderful insects, we also spent a fair bit of time finding out all about them. You can read a summary of what we discovered, along with a list of our sources and other glow-worm resources, on this post all about glow-worms.

See the original post on how to make glow-worm and firefly lanterns.
Read all about glow-worms.

Download the printable templates:

1. Glow-worm Lantern template – 1 pp (copyright 2020 Rhubarb and Wren)

2. Firefly Lantern template – 2 pp (copyright 2020 Rhubarb and Wren)

Colourful Insect Spotter Poster

Adding a bit of forest school fun to a beautiful rainbow ribbon dell, I made a poster of real-life UK insects for children to hunt for while they played. I decoupaged copies of the insects onto wood slices and river pebbles, which were hidden through the area, as I obviously couldn’t depend on the real things being present.

Print out the poster for your own rainbow insect safari, below.

See the original post for instructions on how to make the ribbon dell itself – it’s very simple!

Download the printable poster:

Colourful insect spotter poster – 1 pp (copyright 2022 Rhubarb and Wren)

Jubilee Crown Templates

Made for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of 2022, these regal crowns are based on the British coronation crown, the St Edward’s Crown.

Print out the templates for the tissue/crepe paper inner lining, and the decorative cross on the top.

See the original post for instructions on how to make the crown, using these templates.

Download the printable template:

Jubilee Crown template – 1 pp (copyright 2022 Rhubarb and Wren)

Flapping Butterfly Peg Automata Templates

These beautiful and very flappy butterflies are simple automata made with card, sticky-tape, and a peg.

There are two templates to choose from – the first has a template for one peg butterfly, and includes quick instructions. The other template has three butterflies but does not include the instructions.

See the original post for step-by-step instructions on how to make the butterflies, using these templates.

Download the printable template:

Instructions and template for 1 butterfly – 1 pp (copyright 2022 Rhubarb and Wren)

Template for 3 butterflies (no instructions) – 1pp (copyright 2022 Rhubarb and Wren)

Flapping Bat Mobile Template

This bat take on the classic flapping bird pull-cord mobile is made with cardboard, string, and a few pennies. Perfect for a bat halloween decoration, or as a kids bat activity.

See the original post for step-by-step instructions on how to make this DIY flying bat decoration, using this template.

Download the printable template:

Instructions and template for bat mobile – 1 pp (copyright 2022 Rhubarb and Wren)

Straw Rocket Template

This simple activity can be made in minutes but give hours of fun! Make a paper rocket and launch it by blowing down a straw.

See the original post for step-by-step instructions on how to make this DIY flying bat decoration, using this template.

Download the printable template:

Template and instruction sheet for straw rockets – 1 pp (copyright 2022 Rhubarb and Wren)

Template only (two rockets on one sheet) – 1 pp (copyright 2022 Rhubarb and Wren)