If you’ve read some of my other articles, you’ll know that play is really what I’m all about. As a teacher and a parent, it is increasingly my belief that providing children with plenty of time and space to play is the best way to foster their natural curiosity and develop a lifelong love of […]
play
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 […]
Baby Play: Circles Treasure Basket
I’ve written before about the concept of Treasure Baskets and how they provide valuable sensory and learning experiences for very young children. The idea is that babies aged 6-18 months can enjoy playing with a ‘treasure basket’ of ordinary household items which can provide more stimulation and sensory input than traditional toys.
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 […]
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Messy Play: “Ooey Gooey” Cornflour Gloop
Cornflour gloop is such a simple messy play – easy to set up and easy to clear up, too, since it all wipes off easily with a damp cloth! It’s a great one for doing with babies, since it is taste-safe – although in the end A didn’t try eating much at all, which came […]
Baby Play: Farm Animal Book Basket
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]