When it comes to teaching T to read and write, I’ve always had a very relaxed approach. I knew she would learn best if we waited until she was ready and I wanted her to have autonomy over her own learning. When she attended nursery I was clear that we did not want her to […]
language & literacy
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 […]
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 […]
From the Bookshelf: Imagine, by Alison Lester

A couple of years ago, we went for a New Years Day walk with some family and stopped off at a little café nearby. It had a lovely area for the children with lots of books for them to read, and it was here that I came across this total gem! I was straight on […]
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 […]
From the Bookshelf: Tidy, by Emily Gravett

It’s been a while since I did a book review, and I have a GREAT one for you today! I’ve said before that we often visit the library together, and this is a library book which we just keep renewing because it’s such a great read! We do just need to buy it.
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 […]