One thing I am trying to instil in my children is gratitude. Gratitude for what we have and what we have access too. Yes, it’s nice to dream, have goals and most definitely important to work hard towards reaching their ambitions but I also feel it is paramount to be grateful for what we have…
Dinosaurs and kids pretty much go hand in hand. I haven’t met many who aren’t keen to start roaring and stomping their feet while showing off a toothy grin. After laminating these dinosaur printables, I thought what better way to introduce them to the kids than by having them create a lovely home for our…
Painting is always a welcomed activity. This quick and easy homemade puff paint recipe can take your arts and crafts to a whole new level with a dash of science- literally! Using ingredients in the kitchen, you can have your very own homemade puff paint made and ready to play in minutes. Puff paint that…
Scanning and searching for patterns, symbols and objects are known as a great pre-reading exercise. These Discovery Bags make learning so interesting and fun! While I feel Miss 18m is well and truly not ready to pick up a book and interpret the words on its pages, there are some pre-literacy skills that I feel…
Long winters days, tucked up inside often have my kids missing the sunny days of yesterday when they could go outside and play. Over the last summer and spring, we enjoyed playing outside, exploring different sights and smells and lots of water play. We washed the cars (grown up cars and the kids ones!), experimented…
When entering the world of measurements, it can all be a bit daunting. There are grams, cups, tablespoons, litres, centimetres, kilos and millilitres just to mention a few! Then there are questions such as how tall are you? How much does your pumpkin weigh? How much water is in your cup? So how can we…
How does you child play with their toys? Parent Activity: Make a nice hot cup of tea or coffee, sit near by and watch your child play with their toys Our children are sensory learners. They are equipped and geared to learn by exploring, examining and experiencing. When children are participating in an activity, their…
We keep a fair number of our toys on rotation. Every couple of weeks or so, I’ll go through and take some out of our play space and pop them away. These are then replaced with some that had been stored away. Its fun watching the kids explore the toys with fresh eyes. Miss 16m…
We love playing with water beads at our place however they can be very dangerous if consumed. Miss 4 is old enough to understand the risk and will happily keep them away from her mouth. The same cannot be said for Miss 16m – understandably. The water beads turned into an activity that really only…
Welcome to a quick and easy rainy day activity. Patience is a skill that needs to be practised and what better way to encourage it than with glue. I haven’t met many kids who haven’t loved glueing. Miss 4 loved slathering on the sticky goop so when I came across this pineapple craft activity we…
Learning the true value of a number is so very important. This vital skill will give a solid foundation for other life lessons stemming to understanding money, fractions, time and distance to just think of a few. When Letter Basics released their new Watermelon Counting Game, I had it downloaded, printed, cut out and laminated…
The immediate result of giving some plastic straws and pair of scissors to four and nine year old quickly is a whole lot of teeny tiny coloured tubular pieces! To be honest, Miss 4 was being the ultimate pest to everyone in the family and I needed a quick activity that would keep her busy…
One topic that often comes up amongst mummies when we are out and about is getting our love munchkins to eat their food. More often than not, if mummy was to prepare a lovely, healthy, well thought out, well assembled plate of quality nutrition, it seems that it is more common for our children to…
Paper plate hair cuts are a fun way to practise scissor skills for toddlers and preschoolers. This simple craft can be set up and ready to play within minutes and can present other valuable incidental learning opportunities at the same time. Paper Plate Hair Cut Craft Watching Miss 4 try and manipulate her scissors around…
We use our hands, particularly our fingers every day. Whether it be using a spoon while eating breakfast, fastening the button of our jeans or turning the steering wheel of our cars when driving, it goes without question that life would be challenging without being able to use our fingers. Strengthening the small muscles in…
I was a kid who loved science experiments and I still do today. If you have been wanting to do a science experiment with your kids for awhile now, you are going to love the Magic Milk science experiment.Its science that is fun, educational and easy enough that they could help you out too! One…
Miss 15m loves screwing and unscrewing the lids from bottles, containers and little pots. Watching her manipulate her fingers in different positions and strategising how to remove the lid is so rewarding. She is learning to persist through trial and error- a skill that will continue to develop well into adult hood! This morning I…
I have often referred to learning through play as being so much more than just 123s. While I still completely stand by this statement, I certainly still see the value of teaching our young bugs their numbers and how to count. I feel it is just as important to put these numbers into context than…
After getting some inspiration from one of our lovely colleagues, we just had to give this activity a shot for some toddler fun! Pots of Fun for your Toddler It didn’t take long for us to undress our dress ups clothes rack, find some hooks and venture to our pots cupboard. With some assistance from…
I have always been a bit hesitant to involve Miss 14 months in our sensory tray activities. She loves putting things in her mouth, like many toddlers. The fear of her choking on the sensory medium, has been the leading factor of leading her to other play opportunities. Yesterday, while we were settling Miss 4…
