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. …
Continue reading "Forest School fun and activities – check out what we have been up to recently"
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 …
Continue reading "Be inspired by our Hygge in the early years journey and setting"
My boys love Halloween and it is a great opportunity to keep them busy with craft projects. Here are our favourite 9 craft projects for kids.
How to make Sensory Rainbow Chickpeas - quick and simple instructions.
Our topic this morning was circles. How many circles can you find and identify? Followed by Pizza making with basic fractions and finally we set up a small world based around a circle.
Awwww...we loved making a whole host of these Recycled Cork Characters! From The 3 Little Pigs and Aliens Love Underpants to Superheroes, Farm animals, Princesses, Butterflies, Bees and a full set of Nativity Cork Characters! It is fair to say we got a little carried away making these!
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 …
Continue reading "14 fun mud kitchen activities to promote learning through play"
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 …
Continue reading "20 Exciting Dinosaur Activities for Children"
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 …
Continue reading "Forest School in the Early Years and Beyond"
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 …
Continue reading "The Benefits of Playdough and lots of Activity Ideas"
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.
Did you know that Learning traditional nursery rhymes by heart supports children’s speech and language skills? I thought that I would share some of our activities with Nursery Rhymes in our Play. One of our favourite resources is the Alphabet Rhyme Time Book. With a rhyme for every letter of the alphabet, and, a double page spread …
This is a whistle stop tour of our top 20 favourite educational resources for the early years. It is actually a blog version of the reel I created - pinned on my insta page so if you get chance to head over there you can watch the video too. So, here goes... Magical Mirrored trays …
Continue reading "Our Top 20 Favourite Educational Resources for the Early Years"
We are a family of jigsaw lovers. I always ask for a jigsaw for Christmas (along with Lego!) and always buy my boys Jigsaws for birthdays and Christmas. Most recently we have come across some beautiful wooden jigsaws, handmade by a family in Derbyshire - Just Jigsaws. I was lucky enough to visit their workshop …
Continue reading "Learning through Play with Jigsaw Puzzles"
We love play dough and it is great packed up in a little container with other items to take on trips and holidays for entertaining the kids. We take ours on long journeys in the car, on the plane and in the caravan. You will need: Play dough (bought or own made - see below) …
Exciting ways to explore and play with Sand and water. Whether it is being used in the mud kitchen, sand pit, water tray, measuring for potion making, toddlers and babies love sand and water activities. Filling and tipping, transporting, digging, mixing, pouring and splashing. Play can be as simple as a tray filled with sand …
Continue reading "Sand and Water Ideas for Babies and Toddlers"
Lottie Makes