Recently, A has become so interested in books. If he sees one lying around he’ll often go over and have a look at it – and of course, a good chew on it too. Because we already had a consistent bedtime routine in place for T, A has heard books being read nearly every day […]
learning
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 […]
Garden Sensory Play
It is so lovely that Spring is finally here! I love the beautiful sunshine we’ve been having and have been admiring the beautiful cherry blossoms coming out down our road. We’ve been doing a few jobs in the garden to get it ready for summer and it’s lovely to be spending more time outside again. […]
Tessellating Prints
I was inspired recently to make some geometric patterned paper with T. I had an idea in mind of what I was hoping we could achieve, but in order to enable her to really grasp the activity and be able to succeed, I needed to lay the groundwork by teaching her about tessellation.
Baby Play: Banging Tuff Spot
I’ve noticed recently that one of A’s favourite pastimes is to bang and to hit objects. For Christmas, T gave him a small xylophone and there is no doubt that it is one of his absolute favourite toys! In particular, he loves the beater, and can often be found crawling around the house armed with […]
Baby Play: Sensory Eggs
I don’t know about you, but I find it much harder to think of ways to entertain A than I do for T! I think a lot of it is to do with the fact that he is at the age where everything will go in his mouth, so everything needs to be taste-safe and […]
Mini Scientists: Invisible Ink
Over the last few months, I’ve become aware of how much T enjoys doing experiments. I’m really keen to nurture this, but as subject knowledge goes, Science is probably one of my weaker areas. (As an aside, it is possible that I once thought petrol pumps were directly connected to oil sources and that central […]
Make A Writing Area
I’ve been wanting for a while to find a space where we can keep some of our art equipment for T to access independently. She is old enough now that I would trust her to be fairly responsible with using equipment in the right way and the right places, and since our arts and craft […]
Baby Play: Balls!
T & A were given a tuff spot tray for Christmas and we’ve been enjoying putting it to use. In the last couple of months A has become increasingly engaged in playing and exploring the things around him. I love this age; it’s so fun to see what they enjoy and how they react to […]
Sweet Shop Role Play
Role play is a brilliant activity for children as it promotes the use of language; applying specific skills (such as counting or writing) in context; is great for social development; and best of all is lots of FUN! For T’s 4th birthday we gave her a ‘shop front’, and for one of her party activities, […]