14 fun mud kitchen activities to promote learning through play

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 …

Exploring Garden Birds with Children

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 …

Forest School in the Early Years and Beyond

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 …

The A B C of Play

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. …

14 Popular Mud Kitchen Activities

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 …

Spring outdoor play activities

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 …

Forest School fun and activities – check out what we have been up to recently

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. …

Be inspired by our Hygge in the early years journey and setting

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 …

Sand and Water Ideas for Babies and Toddlers

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 …

100 Tuff Tray Play Ideas

100 Tuff Tray Play Ideas! The popular Tuff Tray is such a versatile resource to have for children at home or in your setting. With or without a stand it can be used for many small world set ups, messy play, investigation, explorations, adventures and crafts. Tray Play filled with provocations and invitations to play help children to play and learn at the same time.