One of my favourite things to bake are these Christmas Tree Cookies, which I make for all my nieces and nephews at our family Christmas party. They’re yummy, fun and ever so easy to make. Here’s the recipe.
Dinosaur themed games, crafts, songs and activities
Do you know someone who’s mad about dinosaurs? Taking a child’s passion and using it as a springboard into lots of play is a great way for them to learn.
Here’s a fiesta of all things dinosaur: dinosaur games, dinosaur crafts, art and models, dinosaur activities and even dinosaur songs. There’s lots of fun to be had while you work on important skills including maths, language, fine and gross motor, imaginary play and creativity.
Math games with 3M Post-it Super Sticky Notes
I’m working with 3M today, to showcase some of the fun you can have with their super sticky Post-it Notes. Here’s some hands-on math games you can try, exploring shape, size, patterns and scale, with some art and imaginary play thrown in for good measure too!
Math games with Post-it Notes [Read more…]
10 reasons we love Spielgaben toys
I have a great set of play and learning materials to tell you about today. Have you met Spielgaben? We were sent a free set of their wooden educational toys and learning materials to review and we’ve been enjoying playing with them for weeks now. So many play possibilities! Here’s what we think of them – plus details of a special Early Bird offer you can take advantage of.
10 reasons we love Spielgaben toys [Read more…]
What’s wrong with physics for girls?
Did you know you can stick a big pointy skewer right through a balloon and it won’t pop?
Or use a sieve full of holes to hold water? Or make milk psychedelic? Or build your own hovercraft? Super cool experiments for kids (see below to find out how) all using the appliance of physics.
Did you know that physics skills can lead children into all sorts of careers?
And we’re not just talking about scientists in laboratories. Chefs, gymnasts, poker players…
Here’s Masterchef finalist Aki Matshushima explaining how she uses physics in her work.
And did you know that in the UK in 2011 49% of co-ed schools sent no girls on to A-level physics?
Not one girl.
How to give your girls the opportunities of physics [Read more…]
Why you should play with your food
Do your kids like to play with their food? I know there are times when we might discourage this and focus on promoting polite table manners, but there are other times when fun food can be just what you need to get reluctant writers, drawers, counters and storytellers bursting with enthusiasm.
We’ve been playing around with Jacob’s Oddities this week – cute little snacks that come in all sorts of fun shapes that are just right for making art you can eat!
How to turn food into art and creative story telling [Read more…]
Forest school: story telling
The girls and I were invited to join Wild Rumpus for a trip to The Spellbound Forest at the weekend. Created by the team behind the Just So Festival, The Spellbound Forest weaved it’s magic through Delamere Forest in Cheshire, bringing to life four English fairy tales with a mixture of story telling, theatre, music, dance, woodland crafts and toy making. The event was like a forest school on a grand scale, full of inspiration and ideas to bring back and adapt to keep the outdoor story telling alive at home.