This week is National Allotments Week. I’m very much an enthusiastic amateur when it comes to gardening, but over the years we’ve grown a few things with relative success! I love spending time outside with my kids and gardening with children is great therapy for all the family. The kids really benefit from just being […]
Outdoor Play
How To Make A Spore Print
Last Autumn, T and I spent a number of weeks exploring all things autumnal for our learning theme. As well as looking at changes in the natural world, we learned about Harvest, Bonfire Night, and Remembrance Day. One of the things we spent some time looking at was fungi, and by the end of the […]
- Outdoor Play
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Springtime Snail Race!
The days are getting warmer and it really feels like Spring has arrived, doesn’t it? If you head out into the garden or to the park, you might start to see snails which are coming out of hibernation just now. Depending on how keen a gardener you are, they may or may not be particularly […]
Risky Play: Worth the Risk?
We visited RHS Wisley this morning. There are many great things about it, but one of my favourite things is this den building area in the playground. They have two basic den structures, and a whole load of branches. These branches are BIG – I’m talking 6-8 feet – and heavy as well! The kids […]
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Chalk Number Formation Activity
Last year T was finding number formation quite a challenge. She had just turned five, so I wasn’t worried about it, but it was frustrating her as she wanted to get it right! I wanted to come up with some simple, fun ways to help her practise this skill. There are innumerable worksheets you can […]
Outdoor Noughts and Crosses
If you read my blog or follow me on social media you might know that getting outside is a big part of our day to day lives. At the moment, we tend to spend the morning outside. Our current morning routine is to have breakfast, do a couple of quick activities together, and then get […]
Hapa Zome Printing
This month, we’ve been really enjoying getting back to nature by participating in 30 Days Wild. One of the activities we’ve enjoyed is to make a Hapa Zome print. Hapa Zome is the Japanese art of print making by hammering plants in to fabric. I first came across it when a class of mine did […]
51 ideas for #30DaysWild
June has arrived and this marks the start of #30DaysWild. If you haven’t heard of this before, #30DaysWild is an annual campaign run by The Wildlife Trusts, which encourages young and old to get outside each day in June and find some small way to reconnect with nature. It’s a campaign which has been on […]
Messy Play: The Beginnings of a Mud Kitchen
I’ve been keen to make a mud kitchen for T for a long time. They’re such a fun way to spend time outdoors, and are brilliant for all kinds of learning opportunities: sensory development; imaginative play; language development; learning about capacity and measuring; and scientific exploration as they mix different materials. When T started at […]
Celebrating Autumn
I love Autumn! I don’t think I’d ever be able to choose a favourite season as I really love them all, but in Autumn I just love the beautiful colours, the knitwear, and the run-up to Christmas! Here are a few of the Autumnal activities we’ve been enjoying. Why not give them a go at […]