30 Days Wild 2022

Filed Under: HOME, KIDS CLUB, NATURE, PLAY // May 26, 2022

It’s Almost June, which means #30dayswild is back! #30dayswild was set up by The Wildlife Trust to encourage young people to get out in nature. It’s where you to do one wild thing a day throughout the whole month: for your health, well being and for the planet. The Wildlife Trust provide packs and materials and you can still sign up and join in, it’s completely free! Once signed up, you will be able to download and print and abundance of material and things to do throughout the month of June.

Here at TMC, we wanted to encourage you guys to join in with #30dayswild. So, we have decided to ditch the normal # challenge for the month of June and have created #TMC30dayswild challenge!! We did this last year and it was such a hit and some of you have already been asking if we are doing it again this year. The answer is yes. Yes we are, and it will be bigger and better!

Easter Bucket List

Filed Under: HOME, KIDS, LIFESTYLE, PLAY, TODDLER // April 11, 2022

We all know it can be hard to entertain the little ones on holidays. The pressure to make things ‘insta worthy’ can be huge. So the team here at That Mama Club put together this Easter bucket list of free/easy things you can do without much pre-planning.

DIY Makes | Felt Pancakes

Filed Under: DIYS, KIDS, PLAY, TODDLER // February 24, 2022

“Pancake Day, or Shrove Tuesday, is the traditional feast day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday … Shrove Tuesday was the last opportunity to use up eggs and fats before embarking on the Lenten fast and pancakes are the perfect way of using up these ingredients.” – Historic UK

What better time to share a felt play food DIY for felt pancakes, ahead of Shrove Tuesday? This craft is so easy, you don’t even need a template!

I made my pancakes out of two slightly different brown/beige coloured felts. One colour for the top, the other for the bottom. This is in homage to our family where one side of the pancake always cooks faster than the other and ends up a darker colour! Plus, I like the easy dimension that it gives these pancakes.

Build a Hedgehog House

Filed Under: HOME, KIDS, KIDS CLUB, NATURE, PLAY // December 10, 2021

If you follow the TMC Kids Club Bucket List Challenge you may have noticed that we suggested that something you could do this month is to Create a Hedgehog House.

Christmas Crafts, Treats & Play Ideas

Filed Under: Christmas, KIDS CLUB, MESSY, PLAY, SENSORY // December 8, 2021

Here at TMC, we love a good theme and what better theme could you ask for, than Christmas? We’ve been going crazy over all of the Christmas crafts, treats and play ideas so we wanted to share some with you.

The Journey Stick

Filed Under: HOME, HOMESCHOOLING, KIDS, KIDS CLUB, NATURE, PLAY, TODDLER // November 24, 2021

If you follow the TMC Kids Club Bucket List Challenge (if not, why not!) you may have noticed that we suggested one thing you could do this month is to create a Journey Stick.

The History of The Journey Stick

“First, a little background on the journey stick for you. Aboriginal people in Australia used journey sticks to more easily recount their journeys to other people upon their return. They found a large walking stick, collected materials found along the way, and tied them to the stick in chronological order. Native Americans also decorated sticks to recount their journeys and tell about their travels. These sticks can be used as storytelling and navigational tools. The collected materials and markings have various purposes. Some things can be used as markers for natural features in the land, such as tree bark to indicate passing through the woods. While particular symbols carved into or painted onto the stick could show weather patterns, natural features, or events that took place.”

– Sara McCarty / Run Wild My Child Blog: Journey Sticks and the Art of Storytelling

A Journey Stick is an amazing way of encouraging your children to engage with their surroundings on your daily walk. In a world where we are always on the go, even slowing down on a woodland walk can sometimes be a challenge – so having an activity to do while you’re out can really help with that slow and simple lifestyle.

Making your Journey Stick

Step One:
Find a nice thick stick! Wrap some string or lots of rubber bands around it (which, from experience, is much easier to navigate with little hands).

Step Two:
Pop on your wellies, a nice thick coat and get outside! Start picking up leaves, feathers, sticks, twigs (anything that’s safe to do so) from the moment you step out of the door. Make sure to start your journey stick from the bottom, so that it can show a chronological timeline of your journey.

Added Bonus: There are hundreds of ways that you can use nature to enhance your outdoor adventures. Whether you turn your stick into a journey stick or something completely different, encouraging your children to use nature in their day-to-day lives is fantastic for their imagination and observation skills.

Here are some amazing books that you could read alongside this activity. Make sure to tag us using #thatmamaclubig with any photos that you take so we can share your ideas!

Stanley’s Stick by John Hegley

Not A Stick by Antoinette Portis

Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert

KIDS CHRISTMAS ACTIVITY PRINTABLES

Filed Under: HOME, KIDS CLUB, PLAY // November 5, 2021

November is finally here and that means Christmas is well underway in both our personal lives & here at TMC HQ.. We have so many exciting things coming your way and we are here to bring you some kids Christmas activity printables!

We have Christmas countdowns, colouring sheets, playdough mats & lots more! They are all free to download and you can print as many copies as you like.

KIDS CHRISTMAS ACTIVITY PRINTABLES

If you want to use the sheets for play dough mats, we recommend laminating or sticky back plastic them so you can reuse over and over again. We also recommend printing some on card if you want them to be more durable! If you missed the Christmas planning printables we shared last week, you can download them here

Make sure to tag us on Instagram if you use the printables using @thatmamaclub #thatmamaclubig

CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO DOWNLOAD THE PRINTABLES

LEARNING THROUGH PLAY

Filed Under: HOME, PLAY // October 16, 2021

I think everyone out there would agree that children learn best when they’re engaged and having fun, right? Yet I know from personal experience it can be completely overwhelming to find the right activity for the right development stage. Children of any and every age can be learning through play – it is never too early or too late – so let’s dive in and explore some of the most common areas of play!

SENSORY PLAY

If you have spent even five minutes on Instagram, I am confident you will have seen some of the thousands of beautiful sensory play set ups being posted every day (and if you haven’t, be sure to check out #catkinplay for some fantastic eco-play ideas). They can be incredibly beneficial for children as it allows them to develop a whole host of skills simultaneously.

Sensory play helps to develop fine motor control, hand eye co-ordination and problem-solving skills as they move and manipulate the various materials. Not only that, but sensory experiences help to improve memory, concentration and even build nerve connections in the brain.

Some sensory materials are unsuitable for children under 3, (such as chickpeas due to small parts) however there are plenty of taste safe alternatives that are suitable for all ages. Rainbow drops, mash potato, cooked pasta or ice are all great options. Don’t forget to use a play mat or tuff tray – it makes everything much easier to clean away afterwards!

Activity ideas:

Use a pair of tongs to separate chickpeas by colour for fine motor control
Add food dye to spaghetti water and make a rainbow tuff tray!
Make foot prints in mash potato
Use a scoop to transfer sensory rice from one place to another using hand eye co-ordination (a great example is shown here using a rainbow sensory board).
Use a slotted spoon to catch peas in a tub of water

MONTESSORI

An increasingly popular approach to learning and development is Montessori. I couldn’t begin to cover the topic fully here, but my two favourite Montessori mottos are to ‘Follow the child’ (allowing their current interests to guide you) and ‘Play is the work of the child’ (meaning that every activity a child completes should be considered as their work for the day).

I particularly love the simplicity of Montessori activities, such as simple shape puzzles or even learning to peel and/or cut a banana independently. Furthermore, children are encouraged to ‘work’ in an uninterrupted space and with minimal adult guidance so they can develop their sense of independence and feel a true sense of accomplishment when they finally succeed.

Activity ideas:

Sort loose parts by colour or shape
Match the parent to the child using realistic animal tiles
Count to then using a ten counting frame
Cylinder puzzles
Pouring water or lentils from one jug to another.

SMALL WORLD PLAY

This is perhaps one of my favourite types of play to set up. Small world play is creating a mini universe for your little one to explore. For example, if your little one is starting school or nursery, creating a small world classroom is a perfect way to explore that situation ahead of time. If they are an animal lover, setting up a farm scene is a perfect way to visit the farm without setting foot outside the door.

Small world play is great for developing language, exploring real life events and developing emotional understanding.

Activity ideas:

Create a zoo set up to explore the various animals
Take a trip around the world by exploring a different continent each week
Explore how a place can change – how will it look in winter? At night?
Recreate previous places you have visited. What can they remember?
Create a mythical place or one from a book you’ve read together.

LOOSE PARTS PLAY

Loose parts play is all about gathering items (of course for children under 3 each piece should be large enough not to go in the mouth!) that can be explored in a completely ‘no wrong answer’ way. The items have no specific function or goal, but can be moved, arranged, ordered and sorted in any number of different ways.

It is the perfect opportunity for children to explore in an open-ended way while developing creativity and imagination.

Loose parts play can be done with regular household items, such as bottle caps, or specific loose parts sets.

Activity ideas:

How many pieces can you stack before it falls?
Grab pieces of various colours for colour exploration.
Use loose parts in the garden to create a mud pie!
Take a walk and see what loose parts pieces you can find (conkers, acorns etc.)
Add play dough as a base to build your loose parts play.

NATURE PLAY

Nature themed play can encompass a range of play ideas. It could mean bringing nature inside to explore in more detail or getting out into the big outdoors and exploring what it has to offer.

For children, a walk through the forest can be the most exciting play set up of all time. Everything has different textures, smells, colours and nothing is off limits.

Nature play is the perfect way for children to explore cause and effect, to understand their bodies and its capabilities, learn about the environment and can even help better sleep routines and a healthy lifestyle.

Activity ideas:

Take a bag or bucket when heading to the woods. See what you can gather and bring it back for some nature inspired art work.
Take some toys with you on your next walk. Where would they live? Can you stack them? Sort them? Recreate them using sticks and leaves?
Use a stick to write numbers and letters in mud.
Make bark and leaf rubbings with crayons.
Look for signs of animal life (habitats, foot prints etc). Why not take photos along the way?

The benefits of learning through play are countless, but I have definitely saved the best for last! Learning through play is – fun! Don’t be afraid to get messy, throw out the rulebook, experiment and above all else, enjoy making memories together.

I hope you found some inspiration or new ideas. For more ideas, resources or help & support, pop over to our Instagram @CatkinToys.

FUN INDOOR ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS

Filed Under: PLAY // August 12, 2021

AD | COLLABORATIVE POST

As a mother, you will want to assist your children and provide them with the resources to learn and grow. You want to ensure that your kids’ needs are satisfied and you offer them or indulge them in the right environment suitable for their development. However, helping your child can be fun as it is helpful! There are various hobbies your child can partake in to develop mentally, physically, and safely. Here are some great indoor activities for kids.

PAINTING

Painting offers an excellent opportunity for your kids to develop and improve their cognitive skills and explore their creativity. Crayons and brushes also help young children develop their finger muscles and improve their hand-eye coordination. You can also introduce your children to the works of great painters to develop an interest and learn more about this activity. While learning to paint, kids can have fun with different colours such as acrylic, oil, or watercolours. Fortunately, there are several DIY paint kits for kids of all ages to get them busy creating masterpieces.

WOODWORKING

Woodworking can be a lot of fun for kids because it gives them the chance to use various tools and logs of wood to create unique items like simple boxes and wooden trays, toys, birdhouses, or DIY photo frames. Exploring the processes of using essential tools such as mallets, glue guns from retailers such as Glue Guns Direct, and the chisel and simple woodworking procedures help your child explore their creative side while improving their motor abilities. Giving your child ample time to practice regularly and educating them about techniques and tools is an excellent method to introduce woodworking to young children. However, keep an eye on your child to prevent any injuries.

DRAWING

You can teach your child simple drawing and sketching techniques to children to draw whatever their imaginations desire. Beginners can learn to draw simple patterns by tracing them and then progress and eventually use their skills to get into more complex works like comic book art. As your child creates narratives, plots, and several characters, there is a lot of brainstorming and creative thinking. This type of hobby can help your child’s cognitive abilities and further help them build a career in animation or become a cartoonist when they are all grown up.

GARDENING

Gardening is another fun hobby to indulge your kids in. Not only do they get to get their hands dirty, but planting a seed and watching it sprout may be a good way for kids to learn care and maintenance. They can learn to tend to beautiful rose flowers or vegetables. Additionally, you can make things more intense and exciting for older kids by allowing them to grow crops without synthetic fertilisers and chemicals. This way, they will practice organic farming, and you can use their products for family meals. It would be a fun hobby for your child to take up. You can encourage your youngster to cultivate vegetables and fruits in your backyard and then enjoy the results.

WHY INDEPENDENT OUTDOOR PLAY IS IMPORTANT FOR DEVELOPMENT

Filed Under: GUEST POST, HOME, PLAY // April 22, 2021

WRITTEN BY SOPHIE WHITWORTH (GUEST WRITER)

INDEPENDENT OUTDOOR PLAY

Today we have the lovely Sophie sharing all about Independent outdoor play and why it is so beneficial for your child’s development, as well as different ways to encourage outdoor play

I have always loved spending time outside; I remember spending endless Summer days riding my bike around the local area with friends that lived on my road and family camping trips. As a teenager, when all of my school friends were getting weekend jobs in clothes shops and cafes, I was knee deep in Horse muck earning my money mucking out stables and teaching young children to ride Ponies. When I met my Husband, at University, we spent much of our holidays travelling and exploring the outdoors, from hiking in the Lake District to climbing Mount Kinbalu in Borneo. I always knew that when I had children, I wanted them to love being outdoors as much as me, but I never really thought about how important it might be for their development.

I have three children, aged 8, 7 and 3 and love nothing more than sitting back and watching them together enjoying independent outdoor play, away from adult intervention. However; it hasn’t always been like this and when I had my first daughter 8 years ago, I was very anxious. Yes, I took her outside for walks in her pram and of course as she got older, I took her to the play park and to farm parks etc, but I don’t think I was ever intentional about the time we spent outdoors. It wasn’t until sometime during the first period of lock down here in the UK that I realised how much time we spend all together as a family and that other than when the children are at school, we were pretty much all together all of the time. I realised, also that we had fallen out of the habit of spending a lot of our time outdoors-Yes, I know we were in a lock down and not allowed out much at that time, but I think this is what made me start reflecting on our lives. Any time my children were spending outside was either as part of an organised sports team or with me hovering around. I thought back to my childhood in the 90’s and about how much time me and my siblings and friends spent playing outdoors, away from our parents and I decided that this is what I wanted for my children too. I began to read around the subject and this is what I discovered.

During recent years we, as humans, have suffered from a disconnect from the natural world; in modern, industrial societies 90% of peoples time is spent indoors. However, our ancestors were deeply connected to their environments; relying on them for needs such as food, shelter and clothing. Since starting to domesticate and cultivate nature our societies have become increasingly urbanised and disconnected, with 77% of people now living in urban areas where they aren’t reliant on the ecosystem around them for their daily needs. Research suggests that a disconnection from nature is linked to both mental and physical health disorders such as; anxiety, depression, heart disease, fatigue and lowered life expectancy. Worryingly, Nature Deficit Disorder is now a recognised condition in children and has been shown to be a contributor to conditions such as; obesity, depression, ADHD and lowered cognitive ability. Having a child, myself, who finds it difficult to concentrate and struggles with anxiety, this really piqued my interest. Could spending more time outside, connecting with our surroundings help my daughter?

Through my reading I have discovered many developmental benefits for children who spend time engaged in outdoor, free play. Unlike the indoor environment, where there are always rules that need to be followed, even when playing independently, the outdoors offers almost limitless potential for children to relax their minds. A place where they can design, create and explore or just be quiet, calm and still. Many studies have shown that when children have free play opportunities outdoors, they become better at problem solving. The outdoors is, by its very nature, unpredictable and children will come across things that are unexpected whilst out playing; forcing them to constantly assess their environment and evaluate their risk. By spending time learning how to navigate the changing terrains of the natural environment children become more confident and competent, they develop strength and resilience.

Nature and being outdoors are calming for children, they offer respite from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and give them a chance unwind and recharge. The colours that are found out in nature are often more subtle and gentle, compared to those found in the classroom, for instance; in this way they do not overstimulate Children.

Simply looking at nature, calms children-Angela Hanscom

Here are some suggestions that I have put together to help encourage your children (and you) with getting outside.

Pick Your Own: Many farms and garden centres now offer a Pick Your Own experience, from a Pumpkin Patch in the Autumn, to berry picking in the Summer. This is a great way to get the whole family outdoors and for them to learn about where some of their food come from. There are also various types of Food Festivals and Farmers Markets that you can attend. My local town hold a Farmers Market one Sunday of every month and my Parents town has a Food Festival every Summer (Covid allowing)!

Gardening: Children love digging around in the dirt and getting messy. If the space in your garden allows, try dedicating a set area for your children to “look after” and maintain. Help them to plant some flowers or vegetables and then encourage them to look after them. If you don’t have the space for this in your garden, why not give them a couple of pots on a patio or balcony to have as their own?

Star Gazing: Pick a warm and clear Summer evening, take some blankets out into the garden and lay down together looking up at the stars. My children love this as, firstly it probably means they are up past their bedtime and secondly, it usually ends up with us all telling and making up stories about the stars together. Take a flask of hot chocolate out with you and turn it into a really memorable experience.

Play at the Beach: The Beach is one of our favourite outdoor places to take the children. They offer such a wide variety of play and sensory environments and opportunities; from pebbles to sand to water. The Beach is also a great place, as long as its safe to do so, to just pick a spot to sit down and let your children run around and play by themselves-so don’t forget to take your book!

Get Climbing those Trees: Tree climbing is a great way for children to begin independent risk assessment. Often, at first, children won’t climb very high off the ground but as they begin to build their confidence and skills, they will start to venture higher. Through practice they will learn what they are able to do and usually won’t put themselves in danger, but you may want to stay fairly close by for this activity-just in case!

Cook and Eat Outdoors: Cooking over a campfire is such a fun and exciting experience for many children. Get them involved with the food prep and the cooking and they will love the eating part. If you’re not really feeling confident enough to cook a whole meal outdoors why not try toasting marshmallows or making S’mores? The children will definitely love that.

Go Camping: Children just love camping. The thrill of sleeping outside is so exciting for them. Camping gives children an opportunity to fully immerse themselves in nature for an extended period of time and become a little bit wild. Let the children take some responsibility for helping put the tent up, cook over the camp stove and collect water from the tap. Go for it, you won’t regret the experience.

So, I’ve shared some reasons as to why to get outside and some ideas as to what you could try outside, but what about my personal experience? As I mentioned previously, my oldest daughter sometimes struggles with separation anxiety and concentration issues at school, she can also be quite highly strung with a fiery temper. Over the last few months since being more intentional with the time my family spend outside and making a conscious decision to spend an extended period of time outdoors every day, I have definitely noticed a change in her. She is sleeping better and at home her concentration levels for her homework and independent reading have improved. Now this could just be a coincidence and she may have started to settle anyway, but I am sure that the time she is spending playing independently outdoors is having a positive impact on her and her wellbeing.

If you have found this interesting and you want to learn more, I would recommend these books to read:

How to Raise a Wild Child by Scott Sampson

Balanced and Barefoot by Angela Hanscom

Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv

We absolutely loved Sophie’s post on independent outdoor play and why it is so important. Do your little ones love independent outdoor play?

Sophie Whitworth

@sophieawhitworth

www.sophieawhitworth.com

THE IMPORTANCE OF PLAY

Filed Under: GUEST POST, HOME, PLAY // April 13, 2021

Written By Georgie Bradshaw (Guest Writer)

THE IMPORTANCE OF PLAY

I’ve always loved play and seen the huge importance it has on child development. I also always knew I wanted to work with kids so went to study Early Childhood Studies in Uni. Since graduating I’ve worked in the children’s hospital, with children’s Physio and I’m now working as a community nursery nurse (when not on mat leave).

When I got pregnant I was so excited thinking ahead to all the play I could do with him/her, thinking about all the developmental milestones they would meet that I’d been taught about & after years of playing with my friends kids and meeting families through my job and helping them with their children I just couldn’t wait to experience it all for myself!

Fast forward 9 months… it’s been the most amazing 9 months! My little girl is such a dream and we have had so much fun with messy play, sensory play & watching her explore and learn all about the world around her.

She was born in May 2020 – the height of 1st lockdown. I remember in April when she was due just hoping & praying that she would be late so maybe we would be out of lockdown by then (yes I know, very naive of me!) She did listen though and was 2 weeks late! But we all know how lockdown went.. 12 months later and we are still here! (But with the hope that this will be over soon!!)
The first few months were so hard, not being able to surround our little girl with our family and friends, grandparents having to meet their first grandchild at a distance on the driveway.. it still breaks my heart thinking about it and it’s taking me a long time to grieve. I initially felt such grief about it but felt I couldn’t say that out loud & others have gone through so much more but I’ve come to accept that we have all lost so much and we all deal with things in different ways and it is actually OK to grieve what we have lost and missed out on because of lockdown.

The fact we have missed out on so many baby classes has been tough, missing out on the benefits they have not only for our babies but for us parents too! The meeting other parents, being able to talk to other parents going through similar things & having that connection!

Play is such an important part of child development, and asides from knowing all of the benefits play has for babies and children it has also really helped me and my mental health. Planning different activities and thinking of creative ways to help C with her development has given me a focus and has kept my brain working!

Don’t get me wrong, I have plenty of days where motivation is low – I definitely don’t set up wonderfully looking play everyday!! And that’s ok too! In fact sensory play can be pretty much anything! Think, the feel of your carpet or any kind of textures you have in your house, the feel of grass (when its warm enough to be barefoot on grass!) Smelling some flowers, simple water play – it really doesn’t have to be fancy or elaborate! And for young babies – all they need is you! Your face – they love to see your facial expressions, your voice – they love it when we sing no matter how bad we sound! Or some simple sensory items such as ribbons or a feather.

Why do I love sensory play so much?

From birth babies are learning to explore the world around them through all the different senses – touch, sight, sound, smell & taste.
Providing opportunities to use these senses is crucial to brain development.
Babies naturally use their senses to explore – anyone else’s baby mouth everything?! This is their way of figuring things out.
Exploring different textures is a great way of using sensory play but as will anything that will stimulate their sense of touch, sight, hearing, smell & taste (this is also why I love including messy food play!)

There are so many benefits to sensory play – it helps babies to explore the world around them & their body (for example understanding their different body parts)

The great thing about sensory play is that you really can let your imagination go wild and use pretty much everything (providing its safe – and you always supervise them).

Some Ideas

– treasure baskets (a firm favourite) this does not need to be fancy or cost you anything – just find some items from around the house and put them in a basket (or a bag or box) and let your child explore. Let them take the lead and explore it & talk about the texture or what they are playing with, this will also aid their language development.
Some examples of what you could include – exfoliating gloves, sponge, feather, flannel, wooden spoon, brush, a spiky ball…

– sensory bottles/bags for some mess free sensory play
Fill bottles with things like water and food colouring or glitter, pompoms, coloured rice, pasta – glue the lid shut and let your child explore.
Fill zip lock bags with paint for mess free painting or old cereal like Weetabix, tape them shut & let them explore. Recently I taped the bags to the floor to let my daughter crawl around the room to each one.

– get outside – I love using anything for sensory play but nothing beats exploring ‘real play‘ so letting them explore the grass or let them feel real food such as fruit.

– black & white play for young babies – in the first 3 months babies can only see around 8-11inches away from them & their vision is limited to white/black/grey as it has not yet fully developed. They love to look at high contrasting images so doing some tummy time on a black and white blanket or muslin or putting a black and white book in front of them is great for their development.

messy play – again there’s so much you could do. I love using a tuff tray for this.

• Rainbow rice/pasta & let them go wild!

• Oats/any type of cereal

• Edible paint (yogurt and food colouring)

• Edible sand (flour & coconut oil)

• Chickpea foam (blend the water from a can of chickpeas & some food colouring)

• Water play (and some fruit/toys into the mix)

Babies and children really are so fascinating! And I’m so thankful for my girl for bringing me joy & helping me get through this crazy time!

If you want more ideas of play for your little ones I post some ideas over on my page @Littles_Journeyandme

We hope your enjoyed Georgie’s post on the importance of play!

VALENTINE’S ACTIVITIES FOR EVERYONE

Filed Under: HOME, LIFE, MESSY, MOTHERHOOD, PLAY // February 11, 2021

We are here with a MEGA wrap up of all the best Valentine’s activities. We asked our fabulous Instagram community to share THEIR recipes, craft activities and sensory play set ups & we are sharing them with you!

BAKING

HEART BISCUITS

IMAGE & RECIPE COURTESY OF; CLARE’S PRETTY THINGS

For these gorgeous biscuits you will need;

– 250g butter
– 140g caster sugar
– 1 egg yolk
– 2 tsp vanilla extract
– 300g plain flour
– 250g chocolate
– Sprinkles

– Mix butter and sugar together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs
– Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract and mix
– Sift in the flour and combine to form a ball. Wrap in cling film and pop in the fridge for 20-30 mins
– Turn the oven on to 180C/160C fan and put some parchment paper on a baking sheet.
– Roll out the dough on a floured surface and use cookie cutters to make your favourite shapes then transfer to the baking sheet
– Bake in the middle of the oven for 10-12 minutes
– Allow to cool on baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack
– Dip in chocolate and cover in sprinkles.

VALENTINE’S OREOS

IMAGE & RECIPE COURTESY OF; SHANLEY LIFE

You simply melt white chocolate & mix in a drop of red food colouring, cover half an Oreo, add sprinkles & edible eyes! Et voila.

VALENTINE’S CHEESECAKE

IMAGE & RECIPE COURTESY OF; CHLOE_JADEE

Base:

– 300g digestive biscuits (bash them up! Or blitz in blender)
– 150g salted butter to melt
– Mix & put in fridge for a bout 2/3hours.

Filling:

– 700g full fat cream cheese (room temperature)
– 50g icing sugar
– 2 tea spoons vanilla extract
– Mix & add to base of cheesecake & back to the fridge for 4hrs (ish!)

Topping:

– Chocolate heart sweets
– Melted chocolate hearts- melt some chocolate chips (or bar of cooking choc) I used a cutter to dip in the chocolate and put it straight on some baking paper & in the fridge to set.
– If you want to make your own hearts you can!
– Decorate when set!

LADYBIRD BISCUITS

PHOTO & RECIPE COURTESY OF; EMMA BISH

– 150g unsalted butter
– 100g caster sugar
– 50g light brown sugar
– 1 medium egg
– 1 tsp vanilla essence
– 300g plain flour

– Cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy
– Beat in the egg and vanilla essence
– Sift in the flour and mix till combined, roll into a ball, wrap with clingfilm and then pop in the fridge for 30 mins
– Roll out the dough to approximately 1/2cm thick and cut into hearts, bake for approximately 10-12 mins at 180c
– Rollout the red icing and cut into hearts slightly smaller than the biscuits.
– Top each biscuit with a red fondant heart dampen the back with water or icing sugar and water mixed to a thin consistency and then gently press to secure in place.
– Use black icing to pipe on the details add edible eyes and leave to set!

PINK CRISPY HEARTS

PHOTO & RECIPE COURTESY OF; KRISTIE CRAFTS

– 50g butter plus extra for greasing
– 350g marshmallows
– 200g Rice Crispies
– Pink food colouring

– Grease a baking tray with butter
– Melt the 50g of butter in a pan over a low heat
– Add in the marshmallows and stir until completely melted
– Take off the heat and add a few drops of food colouring
– Stir in the Rice Crispies
– Press the mix into your baking tray and leave to cool
– Once fully cooled cut out heart shapes with a cookie cutter
– Push in a lolly/cake pop stick and enjoy!

SHORTBREAD VALENTINE’S BISCUITS

PHOTO & IMAGE COURTESY OF; ADVENTURES AT NUMBER 28

– 250g butter softened
– 100g caster sugar
– 300g plain flour
– 50g ground almonds
– Zest 1 lemon
– 2tbsp milk
– Jam/Nutella
– Icing sugar

– Line two baking sheets with baking paper.
– In large bowl cream butter & sugar until light and fluffy.
– Beat in lemon, flour and ground almonds
– Add milk to form a dough. Wrap in clingfilm put in fridge for at least 30 mins.
– Pre heat oven to 160•c fan or 180•c.
– Roll out dough to 4mm thickness.
– Cut out 24 biscuits with heart cutter. With smaller cutter cut out the centres of 12 (these are the tops)
– Bake for 10-12 mins place on wire rack to cool.
– Spread jam or Nutella on the bottoms then sandwich the tops on top. Dust with icing sugar.

HEART SUGAR COOKIES

PHOTO & RECIPE COURTESY OF; JACQUI JOLIE

– 2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
– 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
– 1/4 teaspoon salt
– 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
– 3/4 cup granulated sugar
– 1 large egg, at room temperature
– 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
– 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Mix butter and sugar on high speed until combined. Add egg, vanilla & almond extract and beat until smooth and creamy. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. Add 1 tbsp more flour if too sticky.

Divide dough into 2 equal parts. Roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness. Lightly dust one of the rolled-out doughs with flour and place piece of parchment on top; place the 2nd rolled-out dough on top. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. Then bake at 350F/160C (fan oven) for 10 to 12 minutes.

SHORTBREAD JAM HEARTS

PHOTO & RECIPE COURTESY OF; RAMBLINGS OF A SCOTTISH MAMMY

– 110g caster sugar
– 250g of unsalted butter (a butter block is perfect- no measuring!)
– 360g plain flour (and a little extra for rolling)
– Jam of your choice- I prefer strawberry but any would work
– Icing sugar (just a small amount is needed. If you don’t have icing sugar put a little caster sugar on top before putting into the fridge)

– Make sure your butter is softened before starting this. Give it half an hour out of the fridge or until it feels soft to touch.

– Mix together the butter and caster sugar until you have a soft paste. Add in the flour until you form a dough.

– Line a baking tray with some baking parchment so they don’t stick.

– Roll out the dough to about 1cm thickness on a floured surface and cut to size. I used a heart shaped cutter but could easily just use a knife. On half the biscuits cut out another smaller shape. Use a fork and create small dents on the top (as a typical shortbread would have).

– Once finished put the baking tray in the fridge for 5-10 minutes until the biscuits harden up slightly. (If you don’t have icing sugar this is when you would put a little caster sugar on top).

– Preheat oven to 190 degrees. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden on top.

– Let cool and then put jam on the full biscuits and sandwich together with the cut out halves. Dust with a little icing sugar to finish.

LOVE BUG BISCUITS

PHOTO & RECIPE COURTESY OF; SAM SCOTTWOOD

Use a heart shaped cookie cutter to cut out a basic shortbread biscuit recipe, then bake and cool.

For the decoration; the icing is glacé icing (icing sugar and water) with some food colouring (we used red to make two shades of pink) and then any decorations you like (although in our house there have to be eyes on pretty much anything we make

CRAFTS

They are all super simple & fun for everyone! We have spent the past few days actually creating some lovely t-shirts for the boys – we stumbled across these CUTE Baseball Mom SVG & Basketball Mom SVG stickers and it makes me insanely bitter that I won’t be given the opportunity to ROCK them – LOL.

CARDBOARD HEARTS \\PHOTO COURTESY OF; CLARE’S PRETTY THINGS

HEART WANDS \\ PHOTO COURTESY OF; EMILY THOMAS

LOVE BUGS \\ PHOTO COURTESY OF; DOYLE FAMILY LIFE

MOSAIC HEARTS \\ PHOTO COURTESY OF THE DIARY OF MUM

LADYBIRD CRAFT \\ PHOTO COURTESY OF BECKY

– White card (you could use black card for the big if you didn’t want to paint it I just didn’t have any)
– 2 Split pins
– Red paint
– Black paint
– Stick on eyes
– Scissors
– Pva glue
– Hole Punch
– A photo of your choice, of your child, to stick inside.

– Cover your children’s hand with red paint with a brush
– Leave to dry
– Paint half an a4 piece of card black.
– Once dry cut the handprints
– On the back of the card painted black draw around two cups. One larger than the other.
– Cut the two circles out.
– Stick the larger circle to the bottom of the smaller circle.
– Hole punch two holes on either side of the top of the big circle.
– Punch a hole at the bottom of each hand print.
– Stick a split pin through each hand print and put through the holes on the bug.
– Stick on two eyes using pva glue.
– Stick a photo underneath your wings.
– Cut out two antennae and stick to the back of the small circle.

LOVE HEART WREATH // PHOTO COURTESY OF CHELSEY

HEART GARLAND \\ PHOTO COURTESY OF NORSE PROJECTS

LOVE BUG WREATH \\ PHOTO COURTESY OF KAYLEY BAKER

– Thin card/ paper
– Glue/ glue gun
– Paint
– Stickers
– Paper plate (I used an acrylic plate I had laying around)

– Cut your hearts (I folded the thin card in half and then drew a half heart stencil and cut them out)
– Paint the hearts (I blue tacked them to the surface so they were easier for my daughter to paint)
– Use stickers on your plate or cut a hole in the middle
– Glue hearts around the outside
– I then glued a small hoop of string to the top/back so I could hang it up

HEART SHAPED BIRD FEEDER \\ PHOTO COURTESY OF OUR DARLING DAYS

– Cardboard heart wreath templates
– Spread it with peanut butter
– Sprinkle and pat down the bird seeds
– Tie with ribbon

TOILET ROLL PRINT \\ PHOTO COURTESY OF POSH LEMONS

SALT DOUGH FRAMES & HOT AIR BALLOON \\ PHOTO COURTESY OF EVERY DAY MUM

– 4 cups pain flour
– 1 cup salt
– 1 1/2 cups water

– Mix together to make a dough and knead for 10 mins. Roll till smooth and flat (approx 1-2 cm thick). You can use cookie cutters or do free hand.
– Place on parchment paper and bake @250 for 1-2 hours till hard.
– Then the fun not to paint and decorate how you like. We painted them and decided to stick photos

TOILET ROLL BUTTERFLY’S \\ PHOTO COURTESY OF ZARAH LOVES TEA

TEA LIGHT HOLDER \\ PHOTO COURTESY OF TEDDY’S TRIO

CARDS

THUMB BUGGY CARD \\ PHOTO COURTESY OF \\ SIMPLY TOGETHER

YOU MAKE MY HEART FLUTTER \\ PHOTO COURTESY OF GEM

“LOVE” CARDS \\ PHOTO COURTESY OF MUMMY NELLIE

LOVE HEART FEET \\ PHOTO COURTESY OF BERRY TIRED MAMA

SENSORY

LOVE BUGS RICE SENSORY \\ PHOTO COURTESY OF BABY HOLMES

PINK GELLI PLAY FROM ZIMPLI KIDS \\ PHOTO COURTESY OF DOYLE FAMILY LIFE

We really hope you enjoyed seeing all these Valentine’s crafts ideas!

WATER PLAY IDEAS FOR TODDLERS

Filed Under: HOME, PLAY, SENSORY, TUFF TRAY, WATER // January 26, 2021

Water play is one of the boys favourite activities (& mine to be honest) – there is something kids love about splashing in the water & it is definitely our go-to play choice. Water play is amazing in the summer but you really can do it all year round, bring it inside – put down towels (lots of them in our case), strip them off & let them have at it. I thought I would share our favourite water play ideas. I picked up this water & sand play table from Amazon for less than £10, it comes with 8 accessories including sand shapers, buckets and spades & a watering can.

DEVELOPMENTAL SKILLS

Water play is great for developing skills such as fine motor skills & hand-eye coordination through actions such as pouring, filling & stirring. Water play also releases energy as it can be really relaxing & calming for children. They also build up muscle strength through filling buckets with water.

ACTIVITIES

Make coloured water (mix two drops of food colouring into room temperature water), then add objects of the same colour; building blocks, cars ect.
Add some bubbles! Easy.
Add in toy boats.
Set up a pouring station with buckets, cups & jugs.
Add coloured ice to the water.
Add bubbles & use a silicone whisk to swirl and mix.
Add ball pool balls, drop them into the water & make a little splash.
Freeze pompoms into ice cubes and add them to the water, pompoms are perfect as you can re-use them once they are dry. They are also good for babies to squeeze once they are free from the ice and watch the water come out.
Add rubber ducks and a little net – let them go fishing!
Add sliced lemons & limes to the water and let them try to fish them out & taste them! Perfect for slightly younger babies who like to put everything in their mouths.
Add a empty pop or squash bottle and insert a plastic funnel – watch them pour the water into the funnel & fill the bottle. This entertained Oliver for AGES.
Add plastic animals such as fish or other sea creatures.
Water beads are a new discovery of ours & whilst they do get everywhere, they are great for littles. Just make sure you keep an eye on them & that they don’t put the beads into their mouths!
Add different textured & sized sponges.
Add foam letters and numbers – stick them to the side of the water table to spell out words.

Those are just 15 water play ideas – there are so many more! You don’t need to do anything overboard or crazy, kids can have a whale of a time with just an empty bottle. I find Pinterest is an amazing place for ideas & inspiration.

OUTDOOR RAINY DAY ACTIVITIES

Filed Under: HOME, KIDS, NATURE, PLAY, TODDLER // January 20, 2021

Does anyone else hate being stuck indoors all day when its raining? To be honest, as much as I love a good old duvet day every now and then, nothing beats a bit of fresh air. Rain or shine. Our little family always tries to embrace the weather and go out as much as we can, regardless of the conditions. The last few days however have been ever so wet. So, I thought I’d compile a list of some of the rainy day activities I do with Molly. Yes they are all outside, in the rain. Just stick your tiny human in a puddle suit and some wellies and you’re good to go!

The Importance of Play for Children

Filed Under: PLAY // January 10, 2021

Pablo Neruda once wrote, “A child who does not play is not a child.”

Playing isn’t just for fun. Did you know it is a massive part of children’s learning and development? By playing, children can practice and develop all the skills they’ll need as they grow up. It allows children the freedom to explore their environment, mastering skills at their own pace, experimenting to figure things out on their own. There are several stages of play and how it features as your child progresses from baby to toddler to preschooler and beyond.

Key Characteristics of Play:

Must be self chosen and self directed.
Should be voluntary.
Should be meaningful to the participants.
Play is fun.
Should be spontaneous, flexible, creative.
Play offers the ability for children to explore in a low risk environment.

As children develop, their play evolves too. Children pass through these stages as they grow, becoming capable of more interactive play as they develop. There are several types of play that children will progress through during their development. It is important to keep in mind that at any age, a child’s play may reflect an earlier stage. Children enjoy play. Remember, there is no “right way” or “wrong way” to play.

Unoccupied Play

Unoccupied play is most commonly demonstrated in babies. In the early months of infancy, from birth to about three months ( yup, that young! ) your child is busy in unoccupied play. Babies seem to be making random movements and noises with no clear purpose, but this is the initial form of playing.

Everything is brand spanking new to them and they are trying to understand the world around them. Whilst the baby tends to stay in one place and makes seemingly random movements and gestures with no real objective. These movements are an attempt to learn about and move within their environment. Despite seeming like this is not a stage of play it is as it is setting the stage for future play exploration.

At this stage, dont worry too much about organizing anything special. Even the simplest household object is full of wonder because they have never seen it before.