5 activities with the Wooden Number Trays – Making Maths Magical through Play

“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 …

Product Launch – Woodland Animals Puzzle and Play

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 …

How to incorporate early math and numeracy skills into mud kitchen play

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 …

Jigsaw Feature – Forest Discovery I Spy Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle

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 …

Lottie’s Toy Emporium – Online Shop Launch

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 …

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 …

20 Exciting Dinosaur Activities for Children

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 …

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 …

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 …

Our Top 20 Favourite Educational Resources for the Early Years

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 …

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 …

Autumn Play Idea Gallery for Children

I don’t know about you, but we love Autumn in our house. Watching the leaves change colour, Autumn natural treasures to collect such as acorns, pinecones and conkers. Making leaf kebabs, autumn mud kitchens and Pumpkin activities. Leaf painting, crafts and baking. Before we dive into our activities below, I’d love to share with you …