“Let them feel maths in their fingers before you ask them to hold it in their heads”. All activities featured use the Maths Mastery Wooden Number Trays 1-9 and 10-20. Build a strong sense of number through exploring, counting, identifying, sourcing and most importantly, doing it through play. Children will enjoy collecting and counting objects …
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Today saw the launch of my first ever product launch – in my own own little shop. The Woodland Animals Puzzle is a simple 6 piece puzzle, perfect for little hands. I designed it without the typical plastic pegs in the pieces because I felt that these spoilt the pieces and I wanted users to …
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Incorporating early math and numeracy skills into mud kitchen play is a fantastic way to engage children while they explore and have fun! Here are some activity ideas that blend math concepts with mud kitchen play: Counting Ingredients We love these wooden number trays by LearnWell Education. We use them a lot, but how fab …
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A beautifully illustrated i spy jigsaw puzzle for children. Featuring Forest animals, insects, flora and fauna. Buy the Jigsaw Here Children can enjoy piecing together the puzzle whilst talking about Forest life and what animals and insects can be found. Once complete the jigsaw has items down each side to find within the puzzle. Teaching …
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So I’ve done a thing!…I’ve started my own online shop! It is currently very small whilst I navigate all things online shop! It took me a good few weeks to fathom shopify but I now have my own shop… Lottie’s Toy Emporium. I would love an actual shop, with little coffee lounge, creative space and …
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Here are 10 fun and creative content ideas for mud kitchen play and activities that can engage children and promote learning through outdoor exploration: 1. Mud Pie Bakery Content Idea: Set up a “mud pie bakery” where children create different types of mud pies using a variety of natural materials (leaves, sticks, flowers, etc.). Encourage …
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Exploring garden birds with children is a wonderful way to connect them to nature, spark curiosity, and develop observational skills Exploring garden birds with children Here are some fun and educational ideas: 1. Bird Watching Basics Binoculars: Provide child-friendly binoculars so they can observe birds up close. Observation Spot: Set up a quiet spot in …
Dinosaur activities are a fun and educational way to engage children in learning about these fascinating creatures. Here we share over 20 of our Dinosaur Activities for Children. Here are some of our dinosaur-themed activities for children: Digging for fossils and bones Using a sensory base such as sand or mud, bury some fossils and …
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Forest School is an educational approach that takes place outdoors in natural environments, typically wooded areas or forests. It originated in Scandinavia in the 1950s and has since gained popularity worldwide. Forest School programs are designed to provide children with regular opportunities for hands-on learning and play in nature. Here are some key aspects and …
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The “A B C of Play” can refer to a variety of concepts related to children’s play, education, or developmental psychology. Here’s a breakdown of what each letter might represent: A: Active Play Engaging in physical activities such as running, jumping, climbing, and playing sports, which are crucial for children’s physical development and overall health. …
One of our favourite rainy day sensory activities – but not just indoors – we take Play dough outdoors too – in the mud kitchen, in my handbag for a meal out or holiday! Playdough offers a time for calm, quiet, mindful time and can also be a great collaborative activity. Here we share 8 …
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A lovely simple craft for Chinese New Year. Create this lovely Egg Box Chinese Dragon to display in your setting year after year.
Egg box flowers are so simple, and yet so beautiful. Once made, the flowers can be used in a variety of ways. Find out below how we made ours and what you can do with them.
A mud kitchen can either be made yourself or purchased from many stores. We started with a homemade version that we made from old wooden pallets, we then progressed to a more substantial variety and now have a few; up at the allotment, in the garden, a pack away / travel version. A mud kitchen …
A recycled cardboard box craft to make a castle. Your castle slots together with 2 simple pieces and can be stored away easily. It could be a Kings Camelot Castle or a Fairy Princess castle. You could have dragons in the dungeon or Trolls in the library! Decorate your castle how ever you like – you could even have a Frozen Castle painted blue and sprinkled with bio glitter to make it sparkle. Light it up with fairy lights!
Spring is the time for longer lighter days, the sun shines brighter, it is warmer and nature springs to life. Although we love outdoor play all year round, Spring is a welcome season as it brings warm sunshine, flowers and life to explore. The birds are out, and insects are ready to be discovered. Below …
Turn simple plastic eggs into magical, decorated dragon’s eggs with a tiny Fimo dragon to go inside!
Papier Mache is a great medium to work with, we use it quite a lot and have made Caves, Volcanoes, and Dragon and Dinosaur eggs. This time, we have made a Dragon Egg, although it can be easily re-purposed to a Dinosaur Egg.
We are lucky enough to have a few outdoor play groups locally including Forest schools. Our favourites have been Wild Ones and Forest Folk Play. Wild Ones started us off on our journey into Forest School and I have very fond memories of spending time in the woods, in nature with Jess and her girls. …
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We embarked on our Hygge in the Early Years journey in 2022. As a work from home, stressed mum of 3 children, our house is always full of toys, play areas, books and random activities set up in every room. Long lists of stuff we want to do. We basically couldn’t see the wood for …
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Lottie Makes