everyday play

It's Official - I'm Outta Here (until next year anyway!) But Before I Go, Some Tips to Get Ready for School

2011-12-04T17:18:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd find some time to post a bit more after that last post I wrote, but I haven't. The lure of not having to juggle is just far too strong at the moment.

My boy Ed starts school at the beginning of next year and I'm going to return to my blog then. When I have no-one at home for hours on end and my kids don't need me quite so much any more - sniff!

I just wanted to make it official just in case there is any one popping in, wondering when and if I'll ever be back. I do have an article in January's Practical Parenting if you'd like something to read before then.

In the meantime, I'll be getting ready for my little boy to start school (amongst other things). If you have a little one starting school too, my best advice would be:

Start them doing as much as they can for themselves. Really encourage as much independence as possible. Get your child to look after her belongings, dress and undress herself, manage her own toileting and feed herself.
Focus on language. Encourage your child to speak slowly and clearly, pronouncing sounds as best he can. Actively listen to what he's saying by making eye contact and repeating back bits of what he's said eg. "Mum can I have a drink" "You'd like a drink would you?). Also play lots of silly word games, making up rhymes and riddles as well as singing songs, saying nursery rhymes and reading stories.
Visit the school. Go to all the transition sessions you can make it to and play on the playground after hours if possible.
Set up a school play corner at home. Include pens, paper, a whiteboard if you can and your child's uniform and school bag. Don't forget to include soft toys, they make great imaginary pupils.
Talk about what happens at school. Ask your child what they think will happen. Talk about the routine and recess and lunch. Get your child to use a toilet cublicle on her own like she'll have to at school. Often little things like getting stuck in the toilet or not knowing where her lunch or jacket might be or where she'll eat lunch or how she'll find her friends can be the biggest causes of anxiety. Talk things over giving your child jsut a little bit of information at a time and let her ask lots of questions.
Wind back all the activities you can now and SPEND AS MUCH TIME WITH THEM AS POSSIBLE. This makes them feel loved and safe and secure and ready to meet challenges. It also lets you drink up those last lovely moments of together time which come fewer and further between when school starts.

That's what I'm off to do now. Merry Xmas to every one and enjoy safe, happy holidays!

Belinda x

Where Have I Been?

2011-11-09T19:02:00.000-08:00

Well, I wasn't back on October 10 with another "Play Moment Monday", was I?

I enjoyed my bloggy break way too much. Life is just so simple when I only have to think about family and friends and housework and cooking and gardening. It's a little 1950s I know, but since I've had kids, I've really let go of the desire to "have it all".

Studying feminist politics at uni did make me want it all and made me believe it was possible. But now, I don't "want it all", I just want the time and space to enjoy what I've got, and I'm a lucky, lucky girl. I've got a lot.

The truth is, there will always be writing, but my kids will only be little for such a short amount of time and I don't want to miss a second.

My best memories as a child are when people took the time to really see me and listen to me and value me. I want to give my children as many of those memories as possible.

Sure, it's important I take time for myself too and I know that. It makes me feel stronger and re-charged and in the end it makes me a better mum. I'm actually heading to Adelaide tomorrow for two nights by myself for the first time and I'll miss the kids terribly, but I know it will be great for all of us.

And I'm so grateful for the work I've done over the last few years and the friends I've made through my blog. There are so many wonderful women out there with an amazing amount of knowledge and ideas. I like that in a small way I'm contributing to that.

But when I feel pulled and tugged in different directions, and I'm tired and snappy and not giving the kids the attention and time they deserve, when I can't be in the moment with them and enjoy all of their lovely ways, it's time to pull back on everything else and get those wonderful, warm, mindful, mummy feelings again.

So, I did take a long break and I might again. You'll have to forgive me, but I hope you'll keep on reading. Ed heads off to school next year, so who knows what adventures that may bring, but the kids will keep coming first, I'm the only mum they've got, they have to.

Ways to Play Together

2011-09-26T20:17:00.000-07:00

It's school holidays here in Victoria and all over the state, children of different ages are coming together to play. I like to have lots of time at home while the kids are on holidays and love to find ways to get my two kids happily and busily playing together. Here are some of my best 'play together' ideas:

Find a common interest - my two just love to play games with their soft toys. So, I have all they need for their imaginative play games available to them always. That way, they can play as the mood strikes them and cater their play to the interest thay have at the time. They have their school, beds, clothes, food, textas, paper, pens all tucked away neatly in these baskets so they can pull them out whenever they like (without involving me - yipee!)

Like I said, my kids love tehir soft toys, but these baskets could be easily filled with rocks, animals, cars, blocks, rockets or dress-ups.

I like to set things up for them too. Sometimes it can take just 5 minutes to throw an open-ended activity together that the kids will play with for hours.

Our favourites are

Painting

I pour out some colours, put out brushes and a few other painting utensils, paper and a drying rack and leave them to it. Sometimes we use cardboard cut-outs we even like to use canvases sometimes too.

Building

I've written about this before, but just taking a bit of time to set up Lego for 2 or 3 or 4 can make a big difference to how long children will play there. Of course this works well for all types of building materials

Sensory Play

We love water play here, but these containers could just as easily be filled with sand or mud or coloured cornflour and water. Now that the kids are bigger, I'll just pull out the container of water toys and plonk them in the middle. They need a bit more space now too, so I like to give them a couple of different areas to play in. It makes the play a little more elaborate and so keeps them busy for longer.

Dramatic Play

I think it's great to sacrifice a small area of lounge room to make a dramatic play space that can stay set up too. Our favourites are a zoo, a restaurant, a cafe, a doctors surgery a shop and of course, good old home corner! (my apologies for the grainy photos, but you get the idea!)

I'm going to take a little bloggy break for the rest of the holidays. I'll be back on October 10 with another "Play Moment Monday". In the meantime, Happy Playing!

Belinda x

Play Moment Monday: Baby Girl

2011-09-25T18:17:00.000-07:00

Today's "Play Moment Monday" is devoted to my girl who today turns 8 (I can't believe it!)

These moments remind me of how much she has always loved to play and funnily enough, she still likes to do all the things she is doing in these photos. (She still likes to spend a lot of time in her PJs too!). I think play stays with you for life, we just lose touch with it every now and then. I hope she never does. Happy Birthday Big Girl x x x.

Taking care of baby dolls

Digging in sand and getting messy

"Dressing Up" - she would put those on all by herself as soon as she woke up (thankfully, we've lost the dummy!)

Do you have a play moment to share? Come on, you know you want to:

Capture a play moment that celebrates play
Write a post about it
Mention Play Moment Monday and add it to the list below

I'll read it and leave a comment, I promise!

'Focus on' Friday: Great Behaviour Guidance Resources

2011-09-22T17:34:00.000-07:00

Behaviour Guidance is a tricky thing to negotiate. I've found it one of my biggest challenges as teacher and a parent. A great way to start wading your way through this topic is to do some research in two different areas -

How children develop - so you know where your child is at developmentally and what to expect of their behaviour
What different approaches there are out there to managing behaviour. If you're having a particular issue, it's great to research that specifically too.

It's important to find a 'fit' for you and your family when it comes to behaviour guidance. You need to feel completely comfortable with what you're doing for it to be effective.

Here is a great checklist for social and emotional milestones in the early years. It's a great place to start when thinking about your expectations.

The Raising Children Network has an enormous amount of info on what to expect in the Early Years.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website (from the US) also has some great info on milestones.

For info about Behaviour Guidance techniques, again, the Raising Children Network has some great info.

I just love Dr Tanya Byron's advice, I think she has so much common sense. She is the psychologist who advises families in the BBC series "The House of Tiny Tearaways". If you google her, you'll find some great links.

I think Michael Grose gives some great common sense parenting advice too, but he mainly focuses on older children (primary school and above. He has a great website called Parenting Ideas and I highly recommend subscribing to his newsletter.

My favourite book about the topic is "Understanding Children" by Jeanette Harrison. This book has really helped me as a teacher and a mum.

I've just discovered Louise Porter. I read this transcript of an interview she did, here, back in 2002. Have a read and see what you think. I think she makes some really good points but I'm not entirely convinced yet. I've just put a hold on some of her books at the library. I'm looking forward to reading more.

What great "Behaviour Guidance" resources have you found?

Ways to Get Kids to Co-operate More

2011-09-20T17:12:00.000-07:00

Wouldn't a bit more co-operation be nice? With some children (my Em included), co-operation doesn't come easy, so I've needed a repertoire of tricks and talents to motivate her to go with the flow. I thought I'd share some today:

Distraction -

It's amazing how well a "come over here and have a look at this" can work when a child is building up to a tantrum and getting to the point where they'll refuse to do anything you ask. My other distraction favourites are putting something funny on my head, pretending to eat a teddy bear, foot or shoe or pulling a funny face similar to the angry or sad one in front of me. I've always found that this technique works way better with Ed, who is more easy-going, then with Em, who is much more head strong and way harder to distract.

Keeping Kids Busy -

If kids have something to do, they are for more patient and easy-going than if they're bored and waiting. When the kids were little I would always time my grocery shops at lunch time, so they could sit in the trolley and eat their lunch while I would get my shopping done. Going to restaurants, I'd have a small bag full of things for them to do while we were waiting. Sometimes it was as simple as a tic tac box, a car, a notepad and a cream container with a hole cut n the top and some rocks inside, but I always made sure the activity fit where the kids were at and was easy and fun to do.

Making Your Communication Count -

Getting down to your child's level and asking them to look at your face when you are talking can make a huge difference to how what you are saying is received. I like to hold their hand or gently put my hand on their shoulder too, to give them some sort of physical contact. Really taking the time to let them know that talking to them is important to you helps kids to value what you are saying. It also lets you know your child is really listening. It's great to get them to repeat back to you what they've heard too.

Mind Your Language -

Don't use too many words. Keep your language very simple. Don’t go into lengthy explanations or detailed accounts of what is going on. Use the same words every time you want a particular thing to happen. Simply say ‘Stop’ when you want them to stop what they are doing. Say “listen’ when you really want them to focus on what you are saying.

Break Down Tasks -

Children can find tasks very overwhelming. They are yet to develop the skills to break down a task into small, achievable blocks. Instead of asking a child to eat their dinner, ask them to eat their carrots, then their meat, then their potato. Instead of asking them to pack up their toys, ask them to put their dolls away, then their cars, then their blocks. Instead of asking them to get dressed, ask them to put on their singlet, then their t-shirt, then their jeans. And try not to say general things like "Be good". Instead say "when we're at the doctors', you need to keep your voice quiet and stay close to mummy".

Always Have a Consequence You're Prepared to Follow Through With -

This sometimes requires a little forward thinking, it's hard to think of things in the heat of the moment. It's great if the consequence somehow directly relates to what is going on. In the above scenario for example, if your child isn't "keeping her voice quiet and staying close to mummy", you could remind her once - "Remember, at the doctors, you need to keep your voice quiet and stay close to me". Remind her again but with a consequence this time - "Listen, if you cant remember to stay close to me, you'll have to come and sit on my lap". And then follow through by bringing her to sit on your lap. After a couple of minutes, you might like to let her play quietly again, reminding her that if she can't, she'll need to come back on your lap again. A consequence isn't a punishment. I believe you need to give kids a chance to regulate their own behaviour and then help them if they can't manage on their own.

Make It Fun -

Appealing to a child's sense of play and fun is a great way to get things done and is one I use a lot. If we all need to go somewhere, we hop aboard the "Butler Bus". For a quiet, hassle free dinner we pretend we're in a cafe or restaurant and I'm the waiter and the kids are dining by themselves. When we have to be quiet, we pretend to be little mice. To get dressed or run toys to their room I'll time them and see if they can beat their personal best and I've written before about our packing up games. If you make it fun, kids don't even realise they're doing it.

Acknowledge Feelings -

Feelings can be very overwhelming for young children. Sometimes, they don’t really want to upset you, cause trouble or make a scene, it’s just that right at that minute, they are feeling something so intensely that they can’t control themselves. If you can try to be a little understanding when this happens, it can take you a long way. Try acknowledging your child’s feelings “I know this is making you really cross/upset/frustrated, you want to stay and play, but it’s time to go, we can come back on the weekend” or “I know you don’t really love eating vegetables, but they have so many vitamins and minerals in them that are good for your body”. Acknowledging how your child must be feeling gives them a little validation and makes them feel a little bit better about the situation. There’s nothing worse then when nothing is going your way and no-one understands how you feel.

Having Something to Look Forward to -

If I have errands to run, I'll always leave something til last that the kids will enjoy doing. This could be, choosing a DVD from the DVD shop, looking at the toy department, choosing something special for lunchboxes, getting a tasty bun for afternoon tea. That way, they look forward to it and are more likely to co-operate along the way. On the rare occasion they don't co-operate with the few things I need to get done, we simply don't get to do the fun thing at the end.

Taking Time Out -

Sometimes, the only way to deal with a situation that has gone to far is to have some time out. I know not everyone is a fan of "time-out", but I think it depends on how you use it. If a situation gets me fired up, I like to remove myself from it, calm down and then discuss it rationally, with a clear head. I explain this technique to the kids to and that's how we see it. I never say, you've got a time out, I always say, "I think you need to go to your room and calm down a bit". A lot of the time I will say "You can come out when you feel calmer and we can talk about this then". But sometimes I say "You need to stay in there for 5 minutes and I'll be in to see you then". This works well with Em whose emotions can sometimes get the better of her and she actually finds it a helpful technique. She'll often take herself to her room and say "I just need some time by myself". Because we've consistently used this technique and had this dialogue over the years, she's now able to recognise her feelings and regulate her own behaviour. Which I think is the ultimate goal of any behaviour guidance.

What tips do you have to get more co-operation at your house?

Play Moment Monday: Learning about "Behaveya"

2011-09-18T16:39:00.000-07:00

A corner of our lounge room has been a "school" since Em started prep way back in 2009.

I couldn't resist snapping this photo. It shows just how valuable this school area has been in helping my Em process what happens in her school day.

She was teaching her soft toy pets with help from Ed and, obviously, they were having a lesson on behaviour. Playing out this scenario puts Em in charge of what "behaveya" is expected of her pupils at this home school, rather than Em having to conform to what is expected of her at her school.

In doing this it helps her to process school rules and expectations. Because the shoe's on the other foot and she is the teacher, she can now see how 'behaviour' might effect her classroom.

I love her reflections on what behaviour means and how she has drawn it in an easy to read diagram for her furry pupils. I also love the fact that she has said it means "doing what you're asked as long as it's safe". It shows that in her mind, you don't just blindly comply with what's expected of you, you have to actively reflect on whether it's the right thing for you to do. I don't think I would have had the same insight at almost 8.

Do you have a play moment to share, I hope so .....

If you do, snap a photo of your favourite play moment, write a short post about it and leave the URL in the link list below. I would love to come and have a read about the wonderful learning going on at your house.

'Focus on' Friday: Sensory Play

2011-09-15T05:04:00.000-07:00

I once worked with a boy who was a little challenging, let's say. He would come to our room every morning straddled by his mum so he didn’t run into traffic. When she let go of him, he would run around the room, messing up what the other children were playing with and generally causing havoc and unsettling everyone.

I set up a big trough full of warm soapy water and added some plastic dishes, a dishcloth and a scrubbing brush. That little boy loved it. He stopped running and spent over an hour at the trough every morning. He’d wash the dishes and dry them and then wash them again. He wouldn’t let any one else play with him. It was his little space.

He came from a busy family and had a young baby brother. I think the water was extremely soothing for him and for me, this is the biggest benefit of sensory play. It’s soothing and fun and nice and there’s no right or wrong way to do it, it just is.

Of course, sensory play has a lot of other great benefits too:

Pouring, scooping, digging, squelching and scraping is great for fine motor skills

Answering questions like how does that feel, smell, taste or sound? encourages descriptive language and encourages your child to reflect on what she is experiencing.

Experiencing the world through her senses helps brain development as each new experience builds new neural pathways. Providing a great foundation for all future learning.

And getting messy is fun, fun, fun!

(By the way, if you'd like to read more about brain development, there's a great article by the UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities called "Brain Development in Early Childhood". You can read it here)

So what are some great sensory play ideas?

Sensory play is not always messy of course. Playing games where you guess a smell or a sound or a taste are fun and no mess is needed.

Dancing and moving and playing instruments uses many of the senses and doesn’t get too messy either.

Having a bowl on a table with different objects form nature to look at and feel and smell is pretty contained too.

But my favourite sensory play experiences do involve a little bit of mess. Things like:

Water Play

Sand Play

Playdough

Painting

Gluing

Goop (cornflour and water)

Slime (soap flakes and water)

Shaving cream and

Mud

Or letting babies loose in their high chair with yoghurt, fruit and vegetable purees or simple spreads (like Vegemite here in Australia) on toast. Here are some photos of my messy babies in times gone by

For Toddlers and Preschoolers you can add the following for extra messy play fun:

Cars

Toothbrushes

Whisks

Scoops

Containers

Funnels

Jugs

Spoons

Cups

Tongs

Rocks

Gumnuts

Leaves

Plastic animals

Dolls

Wash cloths

Don’t forget bath time is a great time for sensory play and cooking provides some great sensory experiences too.

We like to get messy and make schnitzels, meatballs, gingerbread, chocolate chip cookies, cakes, pizza dough and this tasty bread and blueberry pudding together. To name just a few.

What are your favourite sensory play moments?

Ways to Make Messy Play Not So Messy

2011-09-13T14:41:00.000-07:00

In "'Focus on' Friday" this week, I’m going to talk about the benefits of sensory play and what I think are the best sensory play experiences. Today I wanted to suggest some ways to make this sort of play a little easier to clean up. I’ve found many parents are reluctant to give messy play a go at home because it’s just so, well, messy.

I don’t like mess any more than the next mum and I hate cleaning up even more. I’ve got enough to do around the house without giving myself another job. But messy play is important so I’ve come up with a few ways to minimize mess and still let the kids enjoy the wonderful benefits of sensory play.

Invest in some plastic

These tables cost around $10 and are great because they clean down really easily. I either wipe them or squirt them down and let them dry in the sun. They're not the prettiest tables, but they live outside and if they get a bit ruined or something won't come off, it really doesn't matter.

Keep disposable containers that can go in the bin

I recycle some of my recycling to use as paint pots, glue containers as well as sand and water play toys. I find fruit, yoghurt, jelly and cream containers work the best but I'm also partial to butter containers, glass jars and the measuring scoops you sometimes find in washing detergent boxes.

Always wear old clothes

I keep those old, scrappy stained clothes that are a little too small for messy play days. That way, they can go straight in the bin if they get too wrecked. If you've already thrown everything out, second-hand shops are a great place to find clothes to muck around in.

Clean up outside

I like to include a couple of bowls of warm soapy water so the kids can clean up while they're still outside. I'll have a few old towels and face cloths handy as well. That way the mess stays outside and the kids come in relatively clean. It's a good idea to head straight to the bath or shower too.

Use a drop sheet

A plastic table cloth or old sheet can double as a drop cloth too. Again, a second-hand shop is a great place to pick up a cheap sheet and discount stores often have plastic table cloths for just a couple of dollars. They can both be cut to size and then thrown away if they get ruined.

Use the kitchen or bathroom if the weather is bad

When the weather's bad, I'll bring the plastic tables inside and put them in the kitchen or the bathroom. The kitchen and bathroom floors are much easier to wipe down if the mess overflows.

What's your best messy play tip?

Play Moment Monday: Times Gone By

2011-09-11T18:24:00.000-07:00

My moment today is actually from a long time ago now. It's the first time my kids dressed up together. Em was 4 years old and Ed was around 20 months. I was in the kitchen, busy doing kitcheny things when the two of them appeared at the door with these lovely grins on their faces. They'd been raiding the dress up box together for the first time. Seeing them like this was my first glimpse into the wonderful playmates they would become. It also shows how imaginative and resourceful and capable even young children can be when they have great materials available all the time. They've even thought through details like Em's headband and wings and Ed's stethoscope and doctor's bag.

I'm devoting Mondays to sharing play moments and why they're valuable and important. Would you like to share your special play moments on Mondays too? I would love to see them. Here's what to do.

1. Take a photo from a 'moment' at your house that shows just how clever and resourceful and creative and lovely kids can be when they're involved in play.

2. Write a post about the moment and link it back to me

3. Include your details in the link below and add yourself to the list.

4. Leave me a comment so I know to look for you.

Let's celebrate play!

Dressing Up in September Practical Parenting

2011-09-08T20:11:00.001-07:00

I have an article in this months' Practical Parenting all about dressing up. There's great suggestions on how to put together relatively inexpensive dress up outfits but also details on how to put together prop boxes to go with the clothes.

I've always found that 'dressing up' doesn't last too long if kids don't have something to do while they're dressed up. I always like to collect up items from around the house and source out cheap props from discount stores so that when the costumes are on, kids can pretend play too.

For a post on some fun my kids have had with extra props when dressed up as doctors, have a look here!

'Focus on' Friday: Fine Motor Skills

2011-09-08T18:45:00.000-07:00

On Fridays from now on, I’ll be focus on specific topics relevant to the Early Years that I think are important.

Today I want to focus on fine motor skills.

I found this definition at http://k6.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/linkages/ContentLinks/links_fmskills.html and I think it sums these skills up beautifully.

"The components of fine motor skills can be considered to be:

Grasping -eg using a crayon, pencil, brush, glue stick, beater, blocks
Manipulating - eg playdough, clay, unifix, centicubes, paper, sewing, scissors, fingerplays
Hand-eye co-ordination - eg writing, cutting, threading, moving a cursor, using a glue gun"

I’ve always thought of fine motor skills as having two components –

strengthening and building up the muscles in the fingers, wrists and hands; and then
training the brain to manipulate those muscles effectively.

These muscles develop according to how much they are used and which means it’s really important to think of ways kids can use fine motor skills everyday. Of course, the best way to do this is through fun, open-ended play.

Some play activities that are beneficial to fine motor skills are quite obvious. Like

Threading

Drawing

Painting

Gluing

Lacing

Using scissors

But there are loads of other activities that use fine motor skills too ...

Playing with plastic animals and toy cars

Playing with playdough

Digging in sand

Squelching messy goop, slime or yoghurt

Serving pretend ‘food’ with spoons and tongs

Mixing

Putting on dress up clothes

Doing puzzles

Building with small blocks

Dressing dolls

Feeding dolls and giving bottles

Pouring water

Turning the pages of a book

Singing songs that involve actions like “Where is Thumkin?”, “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”, “Open, Shut Them” and “Incy, Wincy Spider”

Doing puzzles

The best way to build fine motor skills is to practice, practice, practice and when this practice is linked in with a play scene, game or activity your child really enjoys, he won’t even realize he’s doing it.

Unfortunately, poor fine motor skills can have a devastating effect on your child’s self-esteem. The inability to write and draw along with friends or perform basic tasks like putting on jackets and doing up buttons can make a child feel terrible, I’ve seen this first hand. The best way to help a child overcome this is to get them involved in one of the play ideas above as often as you can and to find the help of an Occupational Therapist to assess your child and help him fine-tune his skills.

To get an idea of what fine motor skills are developmentally appropriate and different ages and stages, there’s a great “Fine Motor Development Chart” on the Sensory Processing Disorder website which you can look at here. The “National Childcare Accreditation Council” and “Fingergym” both have some more detailed info on fine motor skills if you’d like to read more too.

"Ways" on Wednesdays - Different Ways to Get Kids Drawing and Writing

2011-09-06T20:32:00.001-07:00

I've decided it's time to get a little more structure and routine around here, so from now on, Wednesdays will be devoted to talking about 'ways' - ways to get certain things happening in your child's life or ways to use different materials and objects.

Today I'm looking at ways to include drawing and writing in children's play.

Drawing and writing is a great way to build on fine motor skills, eye-hand co-ordination and to get children enthusiastic about expressing themselves on paper.

Some children will happily sit down and draw for hours, relying only on their imagination and creativity. Other children are reluctant drawers and need a reason to pick up a pencil and a piece of paper.

I’ve found one of the best ways to get texta-shy kids drawing is to include pencils, pens, textas, paper and notebooks in their games.

This week I’ve put together some race sheets for my Ed. His favourite thing to do is to line his cars up in a race and talk about the order the cars have finished in. I thought a great way to get him to build on his written literacy skills would be to document the outcome of each race onto a “Race Sheet”. I set out a rough grid and he got together the coloured textas he needed to record the event.

Then he put the races together and coloured in the squares according to the order the cars finished in.

He adopted a letter code for his cars because sometimes he used two cars the same colour.

While he is technically not drawing in a creative, imaginative way, he is practicing some very basic writing skills and using his cognitive skills to record his cars in the order they race in. One of the biggest benefits is that he is just getting used to using textas and paper and recording his experiences. This will stand him in good stead for starting school next year.

There are other great benfits in this play too. He is:

Learning about ordinal numbers (eg. first, second, third)
Problem solving (eg. what to do when 2 cars have the same colour)
Documenting patterns
Using basic graphing skills

Here are some other great ways to include writing and drawing in play:

Encourage children to draw plans before they build with blocks

Always include a notepad and pen in dress up boxes

Cut small pieces of paper to make ‘tickets’ to include in play

Set up a post box with letters, envelopes and stamps

What creative ways do you include drawing and writing in your child’s play?

Play Moment Monday

2011-09-04T17:38:00.000-07:00

If you look closely at where a child has been playing, you might be lucky enough to see what has really been going on. You might see something well thought out or extremely imaginative, maybe an example of caring and nurturing or something so creative and innovative it makes you laugh out loud.

When I see these things, I love to take a moment and reflect on the power and beauty of play. If I'm lucky enough to have a camera nearby, I'll take a photo too. I like to think of these photos as capturing a "Play Moment" and I've shared these on my blog many times.

Most of these moments have been play scenes or things I've discovered when packing away at the end of a long day. What may seem like a jumbled mess of random objects can be a real insight into the power of play and how a child's mind works.

Remember when Em had her "Littlest Pet Shop" toys crowded around the TV in a lounge room she had put together?

Or when Ed covered all his cars neatly in a blanket for rest time?

Or when both Em and Ed had been playing babies and had carefully thought of all the things they would need to keep the babies happy?

These moments show care and empathy and thoughtfulness at work. They also show the power of memory, organisation and an attempt to make sense of how our word works. For me, these little moments really capture why play is so lovely and important and should be valued and celebrated. Kid's are totally in the moment when they play and I don't think there's another time they are more truly themselves.

I'm devoting Mondays to sharing Play Moments and why they're valuable and important. Would you like to share your special Play Moments on Mondays too?

Just take a photo and write a post about a little play moment you've discovered that makes you go "Awwwww!" and include it in the link-up below. Don't forget to write about why it's a special moment for you. I look forward to discovering your favourite moments too ....

The Teddy Bears Are In Practical Parenting

2011-08-09T17:30:00.000-07:00

My article in "Practical Parenting" this month is all about craft ideas to inspire dramatic play with your child's teddy. Any regular reader of my blog will know this is a subject very near and dear to my heart.

My kids both have teddy bears that they love and adore and have had since they were babies.

These teddies are the inspiration for many of their dramatic play games.

When Em was 2, I found a great way to inspire her with an art and craft project was to encourage her to make something for her Teddy, Hamley. The very first thing she made was a shoe box bed for him that we still have to this day.

Ed has followed in her footsteps making many things for his teddy Yarji.

When the magazine asked me if I had any photos of the craft projects I'd written about, I couldn't miss the opportunity to include my 2 small furry family members in the shoot.

The magazine is out until the end of the month if you wanted to check it out!

More Holiday Fun – Pictures and Movies

2011-07-26T21:23:00.000-07:00

The other thing my kids spent ages doing while we were on holidays was making movies and taking photos.

I love the way our kids can play with video cameras and cameras today in a way we couldn’t when we were kids. With everything being digital, results can be instant and there’s no extra cost in developing or recording. We were even able to look at the kid’s work on the LCD TV in the house we were staying in that had a port for an SD card – amazing!

The kids were really fired up when they could see their work so instantly. They took a tonne of photos and put together some really nice movies too. I love that we have a record of their perspective.

Em likes to take in a whole scene

Or focus on people

Whereas Ed seems to be drawn to little things that catch his eye.

There were lots of photos of all their friends too.

Of course it wouldn't be a kid-photo-shoot be without a bit of crazy!

I love this little insight into the way their minds work.

There are lots of great benefits in this sort of play.

Taking photos builds on perspective and creativity and encourages the kids to notice what’s going on around them. It also works eye hand co-ordination and gets them planning and preparing as they work out where to put their hands, what button to press and not to cover the lens.

Making movies builds on extra skills too. At first the kids would just take random footage of their toys and what they were thinking of at the time.

As they got more into it, they started wanting to write out a plan of their movie and then practice it before they started taping. They gradually saw it as an opportunity to tell a story in their own voice.

We talked about how writing out a movie is called writing a script and how practicing it is called a rehearsal. We’re yet to edit the movies, but it’s part of the process Em is keen to be involved in. Ed is a bit young for that yet, but had a ball just putting it all together.

Holiday Fun With A Deck of Cards

2011-07-18T21:03:00.000-07:00

We've just returned from a fabulous trip to sunny Port Douglas. It's one of my most favourite places to visit and this year we hired a house so that we could have a bit of space for just lounging around. I packed quite a few toys and things to do. I wanted the kids to be able to keep themselves busy so I could do some important things (like reading and sitting and looking at mountains and rainforest!).

One of the best things I packed (well actually, I didn't, my husband did) was a deck of cards. I spent many hours playing with cards as a kid; there are really a lot of fun things to do with them.

Here's a few:

Sorting the cards

It's fun to sort and classify the cards in many different ways. You can put all the reds in one pile and all the blacks in another. You can put all the hearts, diamonds, spades and clubs together. You can put all the numbers together and you can even put the cards in numerical order from lowest to highest or highest to lowest. Each time the cards are sorted in a different way, it builds on important maths skills and sorting and classifying is just as important as counting and ordering.

Playing Card Games

Good old “Snap” is a great game for kids to start with and children as young as 2 can often get the hang - even if you start by just matching black and red. It builds on concentration and reflexes as well as helping to identify numbers, colours and symbols. It's also heaps of fun and guaranteed to get participants laughing. Unfortunately it sometimes gets participants crying too, but learning that you can have fun without "winning" is also important.

Older kids will enjoy games that are slightly more complicated. My hub loves a good card game and has taught the kids to play something called "2's and 3's". It's something he used to play when he was a kid. There are loads of great card games for kids and I think the best thing to do is try to remember what you enjoyed.

If you have no idea, you could try these ideas from About.com

Solitaire

I taught both the kids how to play “Clock Solitaire” and they both loved it. It was a real favourite of mine when I was young. It's the easiest to learn out of all the “Solitaries” and is great for concentrating, remembering, learning numbers and time as well as working motor skills when handling, shuffling and dealing the cards.

Here's a link to how to play "Clock "Solitaire" if you've forgotten the rules.

Building Card Houses

My kids had the most fun (and frustration!!) with this old fave. It was actually great for Em who sometimes finds it hard when things don't go the way she wants them to. It really worked on her patience, persistence and acceptance. Ed had great fun too, controlling his muscles and sense of balance to get the cards sitting just right.

Ed's Masterpiece

Sharing Fun Food Facts

2011-06-26T21:31:00.000-07:00

I love to arm my kids with information about things, especially food. I think it's important for kids to know that we don't just eat for taste - food is to nourish our bodies to help us stay healthy and strong.

I remember the first time I taught about food in my Kinder program. I was amazed at the level of interest and just how much ownership the kids took of what went into their bodies after they knew how food effected it's functioning.

I thought I'd share some of the food facts I continually talk about with my kids. I really find it helps to get them to eat good, nourishing food:

Meat has protein in it that builds up strong muscles.
Bread, crackers and cereals have grains that give you energy and keep your poo healthy.
Milk, cheese and yoghurt have calcium that is good for your teeth and bones.
Fruit and vegetables have vitamins and minerals that keep your eyes and hair and skin healthy and also help your body to fight germs that can make you sick.
Water is good for your kidneys and keeps your wee healthy.
Too much sugar is bad for your teeth and puts you in a bad mood.
Too much salt is bad for your blood and makes you really thirsty.
Too much fat is bad for your heart.

Food is quite a complicated topic and some of these 'facts' probably over-simplify things. But you have to give kids a starting point and I've found these small pieces of information along with a bit of basic knowledge about how the body functions really help to get the kids eating well.

Do you have any tricks to get your kids to eat well or fun food facts you like to share in your house?

Foamie Pictures

2011-05-30T17:23:00.000-07:00

I bought a packet of foam dinosaur stickers the other day on a bit of a whim. The kids have been a bit sick of late and I've been on the look-out for quiet activities for the two kids to do together. Ones that require a bit of imagination and creativity but not so much input from me.

The stickers I chose were just the shape and outline of the dinosaurs, so when the kids were using them, they not only had to think about the background in the pictures they were making with the stickers, but also the what the faces of the dinosaurs would be like.

Em, who is seven, experimented with colour and stories and also thought a lot about the detail that would be on the dinosaurs if the stickers were real pictures.

Ed, who is "going to be five" (as you can see in the pics!), thought about whether his dinosaurs would be happy, sad, angry or excited. He spent a lot of time thinking about the story he was creating in his pictures.

They both had a great time with it, talking, creating and researching.

I couldn't resist these people shaped foam stickers when I spotted them a few days later. I also bought some fine-tipped permanent markers so that it was easier to include detail.

So the fun started all over again .....

Keeping it Simple

2011-05-16T21:25:00.000-07:00

I read an article today (and the many comments afterwards) that reminded me of how simple a happy life can be. It’s so easy to try to complicate things with career aspirations, mortgages, a constant barrage of info from the media on how to look better, feel better, have more and do more …

When it comes to kids, they need very little to be happy

lots of sleep
good, nutritious food served at meals spent with loved ones
lots of love and hugs and kisses and smiles
someone who listens to them and values what they have to say and do
simple toys and materials that encourage creativity, exploration, investigation and imagination
a place to feel safe and secure
music, books, songs and silly games

I don’t think adults are too different.

It makes you wonder how things got so complicated ……………….

What simple things make you and your little one happy?

The Fairies are Back

2011-05-10T16:34:00.000-07:00

Last year I wrote a very excited post about a beautiful fairy toadstool that had popped up on my front nature strip. It was a proper red and white toadstool, the 'Enid Blyton' kind that features regularly in stories about fairies and pixies and goblins. We were so excited and very tempted to play fairies under our toadstool until some of my northern hemisphere readers pointed out just how poisonous this type of fungi is.

I thought it was a lovely, magical one-off kind of thing because these toadstools don't pop up much in this part of the world. So you can imagine my astonishment when this year, 13 toadstools appeared on my lawn.

Yes, it seems the fairy enjoyed her stay so much last year, she told all her friends and now we have fairy village just outside our front gate. Ok, I realise the one that was out there last year probably spawned and that's why we have so many this year, but I like the idea of the one little fairy that was here last year telling all her friends about the wonderful time she had outside our house and the beautiful happy energy that radiated from us and so all her friends have come to experience it to. That's a much nicer story and I'm sticking to it!

Fun With A Lid

2011-05-09T19:25:00.000-07:00

I just love listening to how the kids are playing and thinking of ways I can build on what they’re doing.

Ed loves to set up a little house for his teddy Yarji. Recently, he had put together the highchair, potty, microwave and stroller to play house when I suggested he use a little swing we have to give Yarji a back yard. He was keen to set this up and so I started to think about ways I could incorporate a slide.

I grabbed a lid I had to a large plastic container and propped it up against a dining room chair. This made a perfect slide for Yarj.

After Yarj had a few turns, Ed ran off to get some cars to drive down the slide too

Then Yarj’s turtle friend “came over” in his tissue-box car and had a go playing in Yarji’s backyard too.

Making ramps like this is a great way to keep kids interested and busy. It really works cognitive skills as kids experiment, anticipate and recall how each toy and item behaves as it travels down the ramp. It’s generally something they’re happy to use over and over and over again.

I'm playing along at the Childhood 101 "We Play"link up

Independent Baking

2011-04-27T00:13:00.001-07:00

As I mentioned in my post about making a recipe book, Em, 7, has just started to become interested in cooking independently. She has long been a great helper in the kitchen and has helped with beating, stirring, breaking eggs (she’s a bit of an expert at this!) and more recently, vegetable peeling and chopping.

She was really keen to try something on her own and we decided that some simple biscuits would be a great starting point. She has quite a few kids’ cookbooks, but I find that for kids starting out, these often contain quite complex recipes that are hard to read and keep track of for beginners.

I remembered I had read an easy recipe on the side of a roll of baking paper and so I fished it out of the cupboard and wrote the recipe down for her on a piece of paper.

I edited it a little, taking out any unnecessary words and putting each step into simple point form. It’s quite a skill to follow a recipe step by step and I just hate the way so many kid’s recipes contain words and steps that aren’t really needed. It just sets kids up for failure and gives them the sense that it’s all too hard. Taking the time to break a recipe down for your child can mean the difference between her completing the task on her own or giving up when it gets too overwhelming.

I edited the recipe so it looked like this:

Fairy Biscuits

125g unsalted butter
½ cup caster sugar
1 egg
1 tspn vanilla
1 ½ cups sifted self-raising flour
Pinch salt

Preheat oven 180 C
Melt butter in saucepan
Cool slightly, then add sugar
Beat in egg, vanilla, flour and salt
Roll dough in walnut-sized pieces and place on tray
Flatten with fork
Bake 15 mins
Ice when cool

It’s the recipe from the “Select Baking Paper” by Woolworths, so thanks Woolies!

I wrote it out in quite large print on an A4 piece of paper so it was easy to read and to follow and got Em started by helping her to melt the butter. I’m not quite confident yet that she can manage hot things safely, but she decided when she thought it was melted enough.

Once the butter was done, I left her to it, but hovered around to be there if she needed anything. She had a few questions, but for the most part, she measured, poured and stirred everything else herself according to what she read in her recipe.

She did a fantastic job practicing reading skills, independence, self-help skills, life skills and problem solving, as well as receiving a strong sense of self-achievement, which is a great boost for her self-esteem.

The biscuits turned out beautifully for a first go. A tasty, home-made treat to share with the whole family. YUM!!

Separation Anxiety (Part 2)

2011-04-10T20:15:00.000-07:00

We are currently on school holidays which thankfully gives us a little reprieve from our separation anxiety dramas. I though I'd post an update about what's been happening at Kinder drop offs over the last few weeks.

There have been highs and there have been lows. There's also been a bit of vomiting (yuck!!) some runny noses and Ed's first ever bout of asthma, so the quest for a happy drop off has been one step forward and one step back for the most part.

A big part of being happy to go to Kinder is getting used to the idea of going and unfortunately, because he has been having a few days off for being unwell, it's kind of confusing and gets him out of the habit of going.

It meant we had many days of him crying when I left and that's a tough thing to deal with. It's so important to leave quickly when this is happening. I would seek out his teacher (who as I've mentioned has been fantastic), give him a great big hug and kiss and cuddle and reassure him I would be back soon. Then I would leave regardless of how he was responding and not look back, knowing he was with his teacher who was physically and verbally reassuring him and caring for him. I would always get a call within 10 minutes or so to say he'd settled and was happy.

The lowest point was definitely a couple of weeks ago when on a well day (in between the asthma and the second bout of throwing up), I took him to Kinder in his PJs. He was refusing to go, refusing to get dressed and I realised he was testing his boundaries and it was time for me to put my foot down firmly and so I did. I put his clothes and shoes in his bag, carried him out the door screaming and took him to Kinder. He got dressed in the car before he went in whimpering and I left him and then burst into tears when I hopped in the car.

It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. It felt a bit mean, but we had come to a point where I needed to say - "enough of the nonsense, you have to go to Kinder". If you're even contemplating this kind of drastic action, I can recommend a few tips:

- Don't get angry. This is really important. Be firm, but not angry. Let him know you're following through because he has to go to Kinder, not because you're angry. Be reassuring. Say things like "I know you're sad and I'm sorry about that, but we've talked about this, you have to go." Still give him hugs and kisses and let him know it will all be ok.
- See it through. If you say you'll take him in his PJ's if he doesn't get dressed, you have to do it.
- Give him one last chance to get dressed in the car.
- Give a really big positive reinforcement if he does get dressed before he goes in.
- Don't beat yourself up about it. Teaching your child that there are some things that are non-negotiable is important and it's sometimes a relief for kids to know this decision is out of their hands.

This was a turning point for Ed. We talked afterwards about the fact that he has to go and it's up to him whether it's a happy experience and he focuses on the fun and his friends or a sad experience where he focuses on wanting to stay home. We have only had two Kinder days since, but both were happy days with no tears before hand or at drop off.

We also made this simple little chart so he could count down the days until holidays.

Kinder days are in big blue font and non-Kinder days are in red. I will definitely be doing this again next term. I think it makes him feel a bit more in control of the situation because he can see in print when he goes and when he's home. (It's great for learning the days of the week and pre-reading skills too!)

I'm sure we're not done with crying at Kinder, but I'm glad we have made some headway. It will be very interesting to see how he goes back after 2 and a half weeks off ..................

The Buzz About "FiveHive"

2011-03-31T16:22:00.000-07:00

Have you discovered "FiveHive"? It's the brainchild of Yvonne Adele (aka Ms Megabyte) and is a lovely "collection of useful fives for modern parents" It's full of tips and ideas grouped together in fives - ie. "5 Ways to Wear Camel" or "5 ways to Handle Swearing Kids".

I think it's a super-great idea and it has fantastic contributors like the very clever Pip Lincolne (from Meet Me at Mikes) as well as one of my favourite Australian Parenting Experts - Michael Grose.

I have a post up there at the moment called " 5 ways to Have Fun (and Learn) with a Jar of Buttons" If you'd like to check it out (as well as some of the other great contributions) you can click here

Making A Recipe Book

2011-03-21T17:44:00.000-07:00

Em has always loved to help in the kitchen and lately she has felt confident enough to try recipes on her own. I thought it would be nice for her to make a recipe book where she could write down the recipes she enjoys. I was wanting a recipe book for myself too - to hold all those delicious dishes that take my fancy in the hundreds of food magazines I buy. I thought it would be a nice idea to sit down and make our books together.

I collected up a couple of exercise books, some scissors, glue and some catalogues and food magazines.

We looked through the magazines together, cutting out pictures of food and ingredients we liked and then organised them to cover the books.

I needed to show Em how to think about where to put the pictures once they were cut out, but she soon got the hang of it. She actually took off the pictures we'd laid out together and started again on her own.

Here's the finished products:

To protect our books, we covered them in clear contact.

This was a great activity because it:

Worked on fine motor skills and eye-hand co-ordination
Helped with spatial awareness
Built on creative expression
Enabled Em to practice her planning skills
Gave us a lovely opportunity to spend some quality time together, sharing something we both enjoy.

Ed wanted to have a go too, but he didn't see his book through to the end. As with most 4 year olds, he was just happy to sit alongside us cutting and gluing, exploring and experimenting until he had had enough. Unlike his 7 year old sister who was quite focused on her outcome, Ed was more interested in the process.

It's so important to not discount the experience of this type of activity for younger children, just because a tangible outcome isn't produced. It was still a valuable experience for him as he:

Spent time with his Mum and Sister
Practiced gluing and cutting
Talked about all the things he saw in the magazines
Discussed what he likes and doesn't like
Shared his knowledge and learnt more about food groups and nutrition.

It's great how one activity can have such wonderful benefits for 2 children at completely different stages of development.

What's a Doctor to do?

2011-03-15T19:49:00.000-07:00

Sure, it's great fun to dress up as a doctor, put once the coat's been put on and the stethoscope's in place, the Doctor needs something to do!

The obvious thing is to see some patients, but that can't be done in the middle of a lounge room - not very professional at all!!

Dr Emily decided to put together her own surgery (with a bit of help from me of course!)

We got an old phone to make appointments, an upside down biscuit tray to use as the keyboard (when you push down on it, it makes crunchy, buttony sounds like a real keyboard) and an ice cream container as the computer screen.

Then we made a waiting room complete with magazines for the furry patients waiting to see the doctor.

Then we filled her doctor's bag with band aids, bandages, empty medicine bottles, medicine cups and medicine syringes.

When she was finished, there was not an ill soft toy in sight!

Separation Anxiety (Part 1, I'm sure!)

2011-03-07T19:06:00.000-08:00

When you're a teacher and dealing with a poor little soul who is having trouble being away from Mum, it can be very difficult. Lately I'm finding, when you have a poor little soul who doesn't want to go to Kindergarten and you ARE the mum, it's even tougher still!!

Such is life with Ed at the moment. He just simply DOES NOT want to go to Kindergarten. He wants to stay home. He wants to be with me. Home is much more fun ....

And so, 3 times a week, I battle to get him there.

I've learned a lot about 'Separation Anxiety' over the years, but never has my learning curve been as steep as it is right now, as I sit on the other side.

So, what am I doing about it? A few things actually ..

1. Talking constantly to his teacher.

She needs to know what's going on at home so she can deal with upset times at Kinder properly and I need to know what's going on at Kinder so I can follow through at home too. It's important that Ed is getting a consistent message from both of us and that message is - "I know you're sad, but you have to go to Kinder".

2. Making sure he has plenty of rest.

He is miserable when he's tired so I'm making sure that on days when we're not traipsing off to Kindergarten, he can have some home time and get an afternoon nap.

3. Talking it up.

We're talking about Kinder a lot. Not in those times when I'm trying to get him there, these are times when I say "We've talked about this, you have to go". No, the discussions are happening when he's not emotional (and I'm not feeling beside-myself!). We talk about how all 4 year olds have to go to Kindergarten and that he has to find a way to make it a nice place to be. We talk about how great his teachers are and the fun things he gets to do there. We also go through some strategies that can help him to not feel so sad when he's there. Things like finding a new thing to do, finding a teacher for a cuddle and getting his teddy out of his bag. I also reassure him that if he gets really, really upset, I'm not too far away. These talks help to change his outlook and also give him a chance to voice his feelings and problems without being overly-emotional.

4. Encouraging friends.

His friendship with one other little boy is the only thing that gets us there some days. I'm making sure I help this friendship along as much as possible while also trying to encourage new friends.

5. Sending the bear along.

Fortunately, Ed's teacher has no problem with him bringing good old Yarji along with him and this has really helped. When you're young, a friendly, familiar face goes along way but Yarji's familiar smell and touch are hugely reassuring too.

6. Giving him something to look forward to.

I think all human beings need something to look forward to, particularly when they're faced with something they don't really want to do. Kids are no exception, so I try to have something nice for him when I pick him up - a little treat, a surprise, a trip to the park. I also try to plan nice things for his days at home. That way, we can focus on those nice, positive things instead of constantly talking about Kinder.

7. Sometimes letting him stay home.

I feel naughty even typing this. In my pre-children teaching days, I NEVER would have allowed this. You see, it teaches kids that sometimes they don't have to go, that it's not really that important and I have to agree, letting him stay home does send a bit of a mixed message. But, I only let him stay home when he seems really, really tired and he always has to go to bed and have a sleep when he's not going to go. To be honest, at this stage, I think getting enough sleep is more important and I know he copes better when he's not exhausted.

We've got 3 long terms ahead of us and I can only hope he makes some headway with his issues. I can't change my little man (and I wouldn't for the world). I have to accept him for the wonderful little love he is and try and give him the tools he needs to deal with what life throws at him. After all, he's got 5 days of school to cope with next year. I hope he stops needing so much sleep by then .......

Another Play Moment

2011-03-02T18:15:00.001-08:00

A lot of play at our house involves caring lately. I think it's lovely. Children should be encouraged to model care and empathy. It builds the parts of our brains that deal with these emotions, making us more caring and sharing as adults.

I stumbled across his little play scene Ed had set up the other day.

Apparently it was rest time for the Lightning McQueen brigade and the little blanket was keeping them 'cosy'. Aaaawwwwwwwwww!

A Happy Compromise

2011-03-02T18:02:00.000-08:00

One corner of my lounge room looks like this at the moment.

Ok, so it's not going to get my house into an issue of "Home Beautiful" any time soon, but this little space is really working for us.

As I've mentioned before, Em likes to set up her own play a lot at the moment. She likes to move when the mood strikes her and it helps to have resources and toys at her disposal.

Having furniture, accessories, doll's and animals accessible like this means she can play when it suits her and if she wants to leave things a little set-up and come back later, she can take up exactly where she left off without too much hassle. And in the meantime, I'm not left looking at a huge amount of mess which makes me a bit happy too!

A Beady Good Time

2011-02-22T17:49:00.000-08:00

When Em had her 6th birthday, she had some friends round and I bought a few bags of beads to put into a large bowl so they could all do some threading together. Those beads got put into some containers and put into the cupboard and during the holidays, we re-discovered them again.

I got the box out, which was a great big mess, and left Em to thread on her own. She decided she wanted to sort through the beads instead, so I got out a bunch of plastic containers form the recycling box in the cupboard and we started to sort.

We sorted them into colours and had a great time looking at each one and talking about the shapes, sizes and colours.

After a while Ed joined in too.

When we'd finished the kids made some necklaces for their teddies.

Ed had never done anything like this before and I was actually surprised how much he enjoyed it.

Luckily, we still have lots of beads left to do some more threading soon.

Make Your Own Baby Book on KBR

2011-02-20T21:01:00.000-08:00

When Em was little, I loved to take the time to make books and toys for her to play with. By the time Ed came along, I didn't have quite as much time to indulge in my crafty, creative side, but I still took the time to make him a few special things too. Things made at home have that personal touch to them that little, egocentric children find particularly appealing.

Today a favourite idea of mine -making a very simple "Baby Book" is being shared at KBR - "Kids Book Review". If you'd like to pop on over and read about it you can click here.

A "Play" Moment

2011-02-13T18:10:00.001-08:00

Don't you just love it when you stumble accross a play scene that your kids have set up?

I know I do and I love it even more when you take a closer look and see a real insight into the way kid's minds work. Just the simplest scene can show such a depth of understanding or empathy or compassion. I always take a moment to stop and say "aaaah".

I want to share some more of these moments this year.

Here's one of my favourites from over the holidays.

It shows a game that a little boy and girl were playing together. A little girl who loves baby dolls and a little boy who love cars. Both children love having something to cuddle ........

I love how neatly the bed is set up. That they've remembered to give the baby a pillow and to set up all the things baby will need around her. I also love that they've tucked a little toy car under her arm to cuddle. It shows beautifully how kids can care, understand and show empathy - and how they can use their combined interests to work together.

We're Going to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo ......

2011-02-13T17:38:00.000-08:00

We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo

How about you, you, you
You can come too, too, too
We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo

Don't you just love that song? I do. It's a firm favourite.

Well, during the holidays, we went to the zoo, zoo, zoo - two zoos in fact. The good old Melbourne Zoo and our first trip out to Healesville Sanctuary, which was very delightful and well worth checking out.

In the days following, there were many discussions centred around animals and early one morning, Ed decided he'd like to make his own zoo using our plastic animals.

I helped to set up some enclosures.

We used some great wooden fences

Some old gift boxes

Some upside-down Frisbees

Even some rocks and a blue face washer

I went out into the garden to cut some foliage to make the enclosures seem a little more realistic (and so the animals had something to eat).

When it was finished, Ed drove his cars around the zoo and played out some "family" games with the animals.

Then big sister came along and decided she would like a zoo they could actually walk through. So we packed away the smaller animals and raided the soft toys to see what we could find.

We then set up a bigger zoo that spread through out the whole lounge room.

There was room for monkeys to swing

And pandas to roam

And bears in a cave

And a big pool for the penguins and turtles

I included toilets for the teddies

And a cafe (because no trip to the zoo is complete without a yummy snack), where a fresh morning tea was served after a morning of animal watching and holding.

The children made some signs and got out their cash register. They even made a map.

Then it was time to find some cameras and binoculars and take Hamley and Yarji to the zoo.

It was a great fun morning of play with lots of thinking, talking, remembering, drawing, imagining and learning going on.

And the best bit was, they didn't even have to get out of their pyjamas.

I'm playing along at

Settling In

2011-02-09T18:16:00.000-08:00

Isn't it a big adjustment settling back into the new Kinder/School year?

After a couple of months of virtually no routine and very few appointments or obligations, I'm finding it a little hard to get back into the swing of things, I must say.

I'm not the only one. Ed is currently having a much needed nap as I write this and Em has been quite tired and cranky too. You'd think after 6 weeks off they'd be feeling nice and refreshed, but the truth of the matter is, after having a large amount of time of being able to go at their own pace and follow their own rhythms, getting back to the demands of school and Kindergarten routines can take it's toll.

I try to be really mindful of this in the first term and make sure I allow plenty of time for Ed to nap if he needs it and also lots of time for uninterrupted, open-ended play. We don't do much after school either. While this annoys my social butterfly a little (I'm greeted every day with "What are we doing after school?!). I know it's best for her overall well-being if she's not rushing around everywhere and she can just come home, have something good to eat, and play and create as and how and when she wants to.

How are you settling in at your place?

On Holidays ...

2011-01-12T20:52:00.000-08:00

There has been little (ok, no) action around this blog for a few weeks. My lovely hubby who I don't mention a lot (because he works all the darn time) is having time off work until January 24th. So, while I'm tempted to lock myself away with the computer for a few hours (or days) while he minds the kids, I've decided instead to take a big break with him, and focus on family time. It's been great, we've had hot lunches and dinners around the dining room table, fun family outings, days in the garden and lots and lots of time to play.

So, you won't find any posts around these parts at least until the kids go back to school (around the beginning of Feb) because, as my regular readers know, I had a bit of a revelation last year and decided not to let my online life dominate. I really, really want to be present and accounted for in my real-life with my kids and my family and my friends in my sweet little house, so my blog has to wait until a have a bit more free time again.

I have big plans though. Ed starts 4 year old Kindergarten in Feb, so I have 12 whole hours to myself. I'm going to aim to post at least 3-4 times a week and to celebrate having a bit more time to spend on this little piece of cyberspace of mine, my very talented cousin, Trudy from Wild Oak Design is going to hep me to get this blog looking pretty and sweet and just how I would like it. I think good things are going to come this year and as the saying goes, good things DO come to those who wait .......

More Everyday Play "You Tube" Videos

2010-12-16T21:57:00.000-08:00

I've finally put the three play ideas segments onto You Tube that I presented on "9am wih David and Kim" last year. The video you can watch was originally presented as 3 different segments over 3 weeks. I have been trying for months to separate them and put them on You Tube separately, but have finally given up and decided to put them all on together, one after the other.

I love these segments. I feel a little awkward watching myself, but love seeing the video of my little ones when they were much, much younger. I wrote and presnted these segments on my own and given it was only my second time in front of a real life TV camera, I don't think I did too badly (if I do say so myself!). They also include some lovely, simple, everyday play ideas too.

You can watch the videos by clicking here or by clicking on the bottom video image in the side bar.

No (Dramatic Play) Toys for Boys

2010-12-01T22:05:00.000-08:00

My Ed is big into dramatic play at the moment. He talks a lot about pretending and reflects a lot on what his dad and dads in general do. You can see him ticking over, processing the role men play as dads and what that means for him as a boy. This is one of the primary roles of dramatic play and it's lovely to see it in action in my cherished one.

I'm so frustrated at the lack of range of dramatic play toys for my him though. He gets terribly strange looks when he pushes his teddy around in his sisters' pram while we're out for a walk and he has begged me for his own pram. Problem is, I can't find one. I know the colour and style isn't really important and the fact that he's still happy to push it around proves that it's not, but it would be nice to have access to dramatic play toys that aren't so gender specific.

Why can't a kid's pram just be a pram without frills and flounces. Same goes for play cribs and blankets and pillows and dolls' clothes. In an age when men play a bigger role than ever in child rearing, wouldn't it be great if our boys could confidently play out this role without all the toys available being marketed to girls?!

There, that's my rant over .... the hunt continues ..

Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley

2010-11-18T00:11:00.000-08:00

Have you read this book? If not, you really, really should. It's a great one to have in your home library. I've just written a review for Kids Book Review. If you wold like to read it, you can click here

Learning to Play

2010-11-12T20:48:00.000-08:00

Things are changing in the Butler household. My Em is now 7 years old and in the last few weeks or so I've noticed I'm not needed so much at play time when she's around. It seems my years of hard work focussed on encouraging play have truly paid off and Em now runs around finding resources and coming up with play ideas for her and her brother that are above and beyond anything I'm capable of.

As regular readers of this blog would know, I've always put a lot of thought and effort into my children's play. I think about how I organise their toys, what toys they have accessible to them, what other props I can add, what they're interests are and how they like to play. I set up play scenes to stimulate learning and creativity. I love to listen in on their little play scenarios and think about things I can add or bring into their play so they can benefit from what they are doing even more.

I keep checking in on their play as I always have but where I used to offer ideas or help find materials, Em has it all under control now and I find myself hanging around on the outskirts, marvelling at the ideas they've come up with, but a little bit sad that I'm not included as much any more.

Though a part of me longs for the days I was in there with my sleeves pulled up, feeding off their creativity and ideas to make a play scenario bigger and better, I am bursting with pride at the creative, play-loving little girl my daughter has become.

All of those years of fostering interests, collecting resources, encouraging independent play and negotiating arguments have finally meant I can have a few peaceful hours to myself without lifting a single finger. Bliss!! Now I just have to work on the packing up ...........

Homemade Party Hats for Furry Friends

2010-10-11T20:04:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time there was a three year old girl named Em who loved to throw birthday parties for all of her soft toy friends almost EVERY SINGLE DAY!

Her mum would help her to organise some 'party food' (using plastic food, real food or playdough), make invitations, blow up balloons, find a make-do cake and invent party games. Her mum would also buy her cardboard party hats for her party guests to wear.

Mum liked to encourage this sort of play because she knew:

it was a great boost to Em's self-esteem as she got to pretend to be the adult and boss her toys around
it helped her girl to practice pre-literacy skills as she 'wrote out' invitations
it was sometimes a great fun art and craft activity when Em felt like making fancy invitations
her daughter would talk and talk and talk the whole way through the party which was great for her language skills
it helped Em to process what she understood about social rules and interactions as she sorted out problems that arose between her furry friends
her little girl was building on all of her fine motor skills as she set things up and made the things she needed
Em's memory, recall and imagination were getting a big boost too as she remembered what happens at a party and invented her story for the day
once she was set up and happy with how things were going, Em would spend an hour or so playing on her own as long as mum checked in every now and then
and it was a whole lot of fun!!

One day, Mum got sick of buying party hats and decided Em could make her own. So, Mum went out and bought a packet of plastic, disposable picnic bowls.

When Mum got home, she turned each of the bowls upside-down and punched a hole in either side with a hole punch. Then Em helped her mum tie some elastic onto each hat.

After that, Em got busy with her art and craft ideas (with a little help getting set-up) and decorated a hat for each of her friends. She put stickers on some and stuck flowers and ribbons on others. It was a great art and craft activity that kept her busy for quite a while.

Those hats are still in the dress-up box today, four years later and, luckily, those furry friends haven't grown a bit!

October PP - Growing Grass

2010-10-11T19:27:00.000-07:00

I've been so busy lately, I haven't stoppped to tell you what I've written for Practical Parenting this month. It's an article about growing small patches of grass to include in imaginative play scenes.

I've done this loads of times with Kinder groups and my own kids and it really is a bunch of fun. If you get a chance, have a read and give it a go!

Learning to Relax

2010-09-29T18:37:00.000-07:00

I think teaching children to become aware of their minds and bodies and giving them tools to slow down, unwind and relax is so important.

I was an anxious, shy, nervous child (and adult for that matter!) and discovered meditation in my early twenties. It's not an overstatement to say that meditation changed my life, helping me to relax and get control of my emotions. I only wish someone had given me some of those tools when I was much, much younger.

I try to pass on some of what I've learnt through meditation to my kids. I'm amazed at how receptive they are and how much they embrace the techniques we use. In my experience, kids have such an innate ability to just be in the moment as well as a wonderful sense of themselves. It's amazing what happens when this is nurtured.

I've also taught relaxation techniques to my Kinder groups over the years, so I thought I would share with you some of the exercises that have worked well with both my kids and my Kinder groups.

1. Counting

When Em was a baby, wiggling and complaining on the change table, I started to count to her rhythmically and slowly. She responded immediately, mesmerised by my words. Later, when she was having trouble settling at night, again I would count. Some nights I would get all the way up to 500, but eventually, she would unwind and go to sleep. The slow, even rhythm of sequential numbers is really soothing (and as a bonus, she could count to 100 at the age of 3!)

2. Guided Meditation CDs for Kids

I found this wonderful CD at a meditation workshop I did a couple of years ago. Em and I do it together sometimes and it is really, really good. It encourages the child to slowly relax each part of their bodies and then talks them through imagining gorgeous rainbow sparkles, falling all over them, making them healthy, happy and well. It also has a very nice "Parent's meditation" too. It's lovely.

3. Becoming Aware of the Breath

Encouraging your child to focus on their breath going in and out, filling and emptying their lungs is a lovely way to relax them. You can even encourage them to say words in their head while they do it, like inhale, exhale or in, out. Young children can't do this for too long, but it's amazing what a difference just 10 or so slow, deliberate breaths can make.

4. Touch

I've been doing a really great meditation course (which you can read about here) and we did an exercise a few weeks ago where we had to trace our fingers around our face and focus on the sensation of touch. Ed enjoys doing this. I slowly move just one finger over his face while he keeps his eyes closed. I talk him through it, talking about where I am tracing my finger. I encourage him to focus on how it feels on the different parts of his face.

5. Creative Visualisation

I've just reviewed a book over at Kids Book Review that is all about talking kids through guided meditations that boost creativity and help develop focus and concentration. You can read about the book here.

6. Watching a Flame

With one of my Kinder groups, we would light a candle and sit in a circle and watch the candle flicker and move for 5 minutes while being aware of our bodies and our breath. We would then often share our thoughts/feelings/observations. This was one of my first experiences of relaxation with young kids and I was amazed at how still they could be.

7. A Relaxation Cave

I will still often encourage Em to rest on the weekends and, at 7, she sometimes strongly opposes the idea. To try and woo her, I made her bedroom into a "Relaxation Cave" and she loved it! To be honest, all I did was make her room quite dark and put on some beautiful classical music and close her door. She totally bought the idea though and it has since become a bit of a Saturday ritual. She lies in her 'cave' for around half an hour

8. Story CDs

Story CDs are great for little ones. My kids have really loved them from about age 2 til about 5. While listening to a story is not strictly meditation, I encourage them to lie with their bodies really still and floppy and tell them to close their eyes and imagine the story in their head. This engages their focus and concentration and makes them one with the story, forgetting their cares and troubles. I think it's a great introduction.

9. Using the Body

Tai Chi and Yoga have some great poses and exercises that are really good for getting children to become aware of their body and the way it feels and moves. There are some lovely books to get started with. It's great to start with some poses and movement and then move into a creative visualisation story or a few minutes focusing on the breath.

10. Meditation Books for Kids

To be honest, we are just moving onto this area as Em is that bit older. I found this lovely book called "Small Souls" and we have only just started using it. It guides children through a meditation, focusing on a particular feeling or idea. This type of book is probably best for children who have had some experience of slowing themselves down and becoming aware.

How do you relax at your house? I would love to hear about it

Setting Up Lego Play

2010-09-16T20:22:00.000-07:00

Lego has been the toy of choice here over the last couple of days. I haven't met many kids over the years who don't love playing with those cheerful, colourful, perfectly-sized little blocks.

The benefits of building with Lego are enormous. It
- works the fine motor muscles really, really well
- develops eye-hand co-ordination and spatial awareness
- builds on planning skills
- helps concentration
- brings attention to detail
- works pre-literacy skills when kids follow instructions to build something specific
- can be a wondeful medium for building imaginative play elements

I like to set it up like this.

I find it is much easier to find specific pieces when I take a few minutes to put the Lego into baskets and plastic containers. That means there's not a massive bucketful tipped out all over the floor and the kids don't need to break out of their creative momentum to go searching. That leaves more time for building, learning and fun!

Lots of fun with a Marble Run

2010-09-07T17:49:00.000-07:00

One of our all-time favourite toys would have to be our Marble Run. I remembered the kids at kinder absolutely loving this toy, so I bought one for Em (well, Santa delivered one) when she was around 2.

She has had hours of fun with it and in the past year or so Ed has started to really enjoy it too.

It is something that requires a reasonable amount of adult-help to begin with. I've taken the time to build some runs with the kids so that get an idea about how it works.

But, once they get the hang of how it works, it allows for lots of opportunities to problem-solve, plan, build, co-operate, negotiate, follow instructions, imagine and create on your own, hypothesise and then of course, there's the irresistible fun of sending lots and lots of marbles scooting down the run.

If you don't have one at your house, I highly recommend it. It's worth investing a bit of money on one with lots of pieces and sturdy construction and buy an extra bag of marbles for even more fun!

A Bloggy Break

2010-08-29T18:15:00.001-07:00

I haven't been around these parts for the last couple of weeks. I was in need of a little break from my blog. Does anyone else feel like they need a break sometimes too?

I was just feeling a little bogged down by it all. Like my bloggy life was taking over my real life. I couldn't enjoy the kids playing without snapping a photo and thinking about how I could turn it into a post.

I was starting to plan things so that I could post about it, rather than planning things that my kids would enjoy and then turning it into a post. I started to see posts everywhere and I was constantly thinking about what I could write about next.

When I wasn't thinking about posting, I was checking emails, looking for comments or checking how many visits I'd had, then I was checking out other people's blogs all the time, reading, commenting and thinking about what it all means for my humble little space. I really felt like it was taking over. I was constantly distracted.

This was never what I wanted my blog to be. I wanted to use it to complement my life, not dominate it. Because I was thinking about my blog so much, my washing was piling up, my house was messy, my kids were getting their own snacks and making do with the toys left out from yesterday. Because I was thinking about my blog so much, I wasn't getting much paid writing work. I'd stopped thinking about articles I could write and be paid for.

So I needed to take a break and give myself some space and it's served me well. I love this little patch of cyberspace I have and I love writing for it. It used to be my favourite thing to do because I could write about what I wanted to write about, when I wanted to write it.

And now with some space, I have all those lovely feelings back again. And, from now on, I need to give myself set times to be online and this time I need to stick to it. It's really important I give myself the time I need to get things done and it's equally important that whatever I'm doing has my full attention. I just work better like that.

I love the way a little bit of space can sometimes give you some clarity and in the meantime I've cleaned out cupboards and reorganised a bunch of stuff around my house. It feels good to get so many things done that I just haven't been able to find the time for. I know life is often refered to as a juggling act, but I seem to work better when I don't have all the balls up in the air at the same time. I think as I get older, I've realised I just like to hold one or two at a time and put the others down. Just for a little while ...

When Baby becomes a Toddler ..

2010-08-11T20:43:00.000-07:00

My lovely god-daughter is now 19 months old and, I have to say, looking after her is a much busier time than it used to be when she would sit exactly where I put her.

The first time I looked after her after she started confidently moving around was quite a challenge and I really had to re-think what toys I put out for her to use and where I put them. This led me to write an article that is feautured on pg 66 of this month's "Practical Parenting" magazine - called "Baby on the Move"

It's all about how life (and play) changes after baby starts to move around and includes some ideas on "play stations" to set up for a baby who has just become a "toddler". These play station ideas are really open-ended, so they suit children aged from around 9 months, all the way up to children who are almost 2. They can be varied according to the interests of your child.

When I did this for my little Ally, she played independently for over an hour, keeping herself busy with what I had set up. I just made sure I wasn't far away so she could come and visit and play near me if she needed to and I also made sure I checked in on her every now and then, asking her questions and showing her toys she hadn't discovered yet.

Here is what I set up for her:

A dolly to feed

Some furry friends

A place to hide (her favourite thing)

Some baby toys and musical instruments

Some noisy buttons to press

Interesting animals

Somewhere to sit

Some light reading

A basket of pegs

I spread everything out around the loungeroom so she could move about and explore

This was a couple of months ago now, but I looked after her just the other week and did a similar set up, with the play stations just a little more elaborate now she's older. She still had her cubby, but I added some blankets, food and a high chair for the baby and also set up a pretend cooking area for her.

The wondeful thing about these play experiences is they can keep little ones busy and engaged for long periods of time. Setting small staions up around the room like this allows children to go from one thing to another (as young children are prone to do) and then back to things they enjoy, without getting bored. It also gives them lots of opportunity to
- practice motor skills
- problem solve
- explore
- have an effect on their environment
- create and imagine
- concentrate
- use their memory
- practice language skills
- play out things they see mum and dad do

I'm looking forward to her next visit. I have some ideas up my sleeve taht I can't wait to try out. I'll keep you posted

Painting On A Sunny Sunday

2010-07-26T21:08:00.000-07:00

How was your weekend? Ours was relaxing, quiet, low-key, lovely.

Sunday was a chilly but sunny day here in Melbourne and, inspired by a recent post by SquiggleMum, called "Playing Whatever the Weather", I decided to let the children play outside despite the cold. I am what my family refers to as a 'cold body', so I really don't like being outside in winter, but thankfully my kids are big enough (and the windows looking out the back are large enough) that I don't necessarily have to be out there with them.

They had a ball. They spent the morning chasing each other up and down the hill we have in the yard on their bikes. Then, after some lunch and a much-needed rest, Em asked to do some painting (Ed had fallen asleep).

I try to minimise mess and cleaning up after the kids paint, so I headed straight to my very messy art cupboard to raid the recycling items I keep there. I grabbed an egg carton to pour the paint into and a large glass jar to hold the water for the brushes.

Next I set up a plastic table I bought from a cheapy shop that can get as painty and grotty as it likes because it lives outside. That's where I put the paint, the jar and a dishwashing cloth for Em to dab her brush onto after she had finished washing it off. I set all of this up alongside her easel.

I took my clothes airer and some pegs out too to hang the wet paintings on.

Em asked for a pencil and eraser to sketch what she wanted to paint.

She must have been inspired by her beautiful outlook.

It wasn't long before sleepy Ed came out from his room and Em decided she wanted to paint his portrait. But Ed just wouldn't stand still long enough.

Then surprise, surprise, Ed wanted to paint too.

I was a bit stuck because I don't have 2 easels, but he soon decided he wanted to do "foldy" paintings, so we didn't need an extra easel after all.

I made a makeshift table for him using an upside down storage container with an esky lid as a table top.

I got him some cotton tips, a bag to throw the tips into when he had finished and some plain white paper which I pre-folded. Once they were set up, I headed back to my ironing.

It wasn't long before hands were being painted, so I went back out with some warm soapy water, a facewasher and an old hand towel.

The two of them painted outside by themselves for over an hour. Because the activity was so open ended, it suited both of their developmental needs and abilities. Em painted masterpieces and her hands and started to fold her large paper in half. Ed mostly experimented with colour mixing and colour squishing.

Cleaning up was easy, most of it went straight into the bin, then we left the paintings to dry outside. A simple, creative, fun afternoon.

Don't forget to checkout my "You Tube" video if you haven't already and play along at the Childhood 101 "We Play" link up.

"everydayplay" on You Tube - Pt 1

2010-07-25T17:55:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how many of you remember the play segments I taped for "9am with David and Kim" last year. Well, since the show was axed (nothing to do with my segments, I'm sure!), I've got permission to put the videos onto You Tube. You can hopefully view the first one by clicking onto my sidebar here or, you can click on this link to take you there

I'm not the most tech-savvy person, so it's taken me a little while to get them on (it's supposed to be simple, I know!). I have three more so I'll hopefully get them up and going in the next week or so.

Hope you stop by to have a look. I had so much fun taping them and it's great to look back on my little ones and see how much they've grown. Ed wasn't even 2 when this first one was taped. My how time flies ........

Tall Stories

2010-07-20T17:01:00.000-07:00

Amanda (over at "HomeAge") has written a great post this week for the Childhood 101 "We Play" link up about a story her daughter told involving a make-believe cat who had gone missing. Her daughter made up stories about where he could have gone and even made some 'missing' posters to try and find him.

I am such a sucker for these sorts of stories. I just love the way a childs' imagination works and the novel, interesting details they put into their stories just make my heart sing.

My own boy was making up stories when we were all on holidays together. It seemed that while he had his dad to himself for a change, he wanted to fill dad in on all the ins-and-outs of the life of his favourite bear - Yarji.

Here are some of the wonderful facts he shared:

- Em is Yarji's mum and Ed is Yarji's dad
- Hamley (Em's bear) is his best friend
- He loves to eat nuts and apples
- He only drinks milk and boo-boo juice. Boo-boo juice is only for grey bears.
- He loves to make carrot soup. That's the soup he really loves. He doesn't like coconut soup or anything.
- He learnt to fly from a chicken (!!)

I've written these 'facts' down and I'm going to write them up on a sheet of paper, then print out some pictures of "Yarj" that Ed can cut and paste. It will be a custom-made Yarji fact sheet that I'm sure will be enjoyed for years to come. This is going to make a great addition to his "Learning Book"

What wonderful "Tall Stories" are being told by the kids you love? ....

Different Types of Play

2010-07-14T18:59:00.000-07:00

When observing kids at play, I've always thought in terms of the developmental benefits of the play (cognitive, language, motor, social or emotional), or the kind of play being carried out (eg. art and craft, building, imaginative, dramatic etc.) As a Kindergarten Teacher (and a mum), these classifications really work when it comes to identifying play and it's benefits and planning for future activities.

I've just read a book by Dr David Elkind called "The Power of Play: How Spontaneous, Imaginative Activities Lead to Happier, Healthier Children ", which categorises play in a different way to what I've read before. It's really helped me to look at play a little differently and value it even more (which I didn't really think was possible!). Of course, the book raises a lot of important, valuable points about play, but these classifications have really stuck with me.

Dr Elkind categorises play into the 'types' of play children engage in and what I like about these categories is that they look at play from the child's perspective and why the child is personally motivated to play in that particular way.

The types of play Dr Elkind outlines are
1) Mastery Play
2) Innovative Play
3) Kinship Play and
4) Therapeutic Play

I've been looking at my kids' play with different eyes over the last couple of weeks as I bear these in mind and it really has helped me to value play even more.

For example, Ed was turning the 'lazy susan' (a rotating plate) I have on my dining room table a couple of weeks ago. He asked if he could play with it and I said yes. He started to experiment with it, turning it quickly and then slowly. This was "Mastery Play" at work.

Mastery play is when a child is using play to help them to master a new skill or object and this is what Ed was doing here. He was experimenting with the 'lazy susan' to find out how it worked.

Once he had that worked out, he moved on to "Innovative Play". Innovative play is what children do once they have mastered a skill or object. They then engage in play that is imaginative and creative, with new variations on what they have already learnt. Ed started to put things onto the 'lazy susan' and spin it really fast so that the objects (cars mostly of course) would fly off in all directions. Then he would load on as many as he could and see if he could get them all off with a spin.

Normally I would have looked at this play in terms of the cognitive and motor benefits this kind of play was providing, but seeing it as Ed's way to master something new and then innovate with what he had learned, made me value the play even more.

"Kinship Play" is something I'm seeing with my children more and more as they get older. Kinship play is when children invent games or play for the purpose of developing a friendship or relationship. If you watch children who don't know each other, you can see this type of play in action. Often the play doesn't involve talking, but will involve some kind of gesture to get a friendship up and running.

With children who know each other, you can hear it in the games they develop to just be together. Looking at this type of play in this way has really helped me with my two kids. As they get older, they play more and more games that to this grown up looking in, seem a bit silly really.

Their current favourite is to play "Tom and Jerry" or "Tweety and Sylvester" (they love the cartoons). I have to admit, this play was driving me a little crazy before I read this book. It all seemed a little pointless and just involved a lot of screaming, loud noises, running and talking in funny voices. Looking at the play as their way of bonding and strengthening their relationship has given me a new tolerance for it and even helped me to encourage it along.

I love the classification of "Therapeutic Play". I've often watched kids at play and thought about how peaceful and happy and 'in the moment' they looked. I've also listened to a lot of dramatic and imaginative play and marvelled at the social and emotional insights and development going on. I love that Dr Elkind has identified the value of this and called it children's therapy.

When Ed lies on his car mat and just brrmms his cars backwards and forwards or when Em comes home from school and plays out her day in her own pretend 'school' or when they sit in a lovely warm bath at the end of the day and gently pour water from one cup into another, they're undergoing a type of therapy that helps them. What a lovely thought. Hopefully all these hours of therapy I've provided them in their Early Years will save them from hours of therapy when they grow up.

So, there you have it, Dr Elkind's ideas about the types of play children engage in. What do you think and what types of play are going on at your house?

If you'd like to read a review of Dr Elkind's book, I like this one.

A Shoe Box Garage

2010-07-11T20:59:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, Ed was 'brrming' his cars around his car mat and had invented a story about how the cars were all looking for parks.

I remembered a garage I had made back when I was doing my teaching rounds for some other little boys who were car-mad and decided to make one for my boy.

It really couldn't be simpler. I turned a sturdy shoe box upside down and made two parallel cuts into it at a couple of centimetre intervals (6 cuts in all). I then lifted the piece of cardboard between the cuts and presto!, instant garage doors and ample parking space for cars.

When I originally made the garages for those boys all those years ago, I made the garage openings different widths and heights and gave the boys a selection of different cars so they could experiment with size and fit.

This eventuated with Ed too because he wanted a garage for his long rocket-launcher truck and "Charlie" (as he is called) wouldn't fit in the original garages I made.

So, after a bit of discussion and problem solving, we found a fit for "Charlie".

Find other great play ideas at the Childhood 101 We Play link up

Link is Working

2010-07-07T16:10:00.000-07:00

The link to my "Learning Book" guest post wasn't working thanks to holiday-brain and a very dodgy computer I was working on in Far North Queensland. I'm back in Melbourne and out of holiday mode (and very cold!), so I've got the link working. You can click on "here"in my earlier post to read my post over at "Little People Books" or click here now!

Guest Post - Little People Books

2010-07-02T16:57:00.000-07:00

I'm a guest at "Little People Books". I've written a post about making a "Learning Book", a great thing to do for kids aged 2 and up. Click here to visit and have a read.

Positive Puzzle Play

2010-06-25T15:46:00.000-07:00

My little boy got some money for his birthday and do you know what he wanted to buy? A puzzle. They are his absolutely favourite thing to do at the moment and he keeps trying to challenge himself further and further.

The puzzle he wanted was one he spotted a couple of weeks ago and it made a big impression. It was 100 pieces and I was a little worried it would be a bit out of his league and put a dampener on his enthusiaism.

I had nothing to worry about, he did it in a couple of sittings. He is really proud of himself and he should be. It's proven to be a great boost for his self-esteem as well as providing the wonderful benefits doing puzzles provides.

Being able to do puzzles is quite a specific skill and I thought I would share with you some of the tips and ideas I use to encourage positive puzzle play.

1. Start young - the kids have both had puzzles since they were very young. Most baby puzzles are the kind with large knobs that involve the skill of matching shapes to a particular space. This is one particular skill, but the type of puzzle that involves putting a picture back together is a different skill again. It's great to get your hands on 2, 4 and then 6 piece puzzles where younger toddlers can work on recreating a picture to complement the "matching shape" type puzzles.

2. Don't have too many out at once - too many puzzles are confusing and messy. Try to have just one or two out for young children and three or four out for older children. That way children don't get confused for choice and the puzzles pieces don't get messed up. I tend to have the easier puzzles on an accessible shelf for everyday play and then harder ones put away for times when the kids are looking for something to do.

3. Give children time to do harder puzzles - it's great if you can leave harder puzzles set up somewhere undisturbed so that children can keep going back to it. Ed's puzzle was on his toybox in his room

4. Choose puzzles that have interesting pictures - I'm not a huge fan of "character" toys and branded items, but puzzles are one case where I make an exception. If kids are really interested and excited by the picture, they're far more likely to do the puzzle.

5. Try not to take over - Some of my more frustrating teacher moments have been whilst sitting at the puzzle table with a child attempting puzzles for the first time. It's so easy to take over, but it's really important to let them work it out for themselves.

Lots of kids will ask "Where does this piece go?", but it's great to encourage them to look at the pieces and see which ones look like they go together and start there. You can ask the child to look for all the pieces of a certain colour, or choose a particular part of the picture to re-create. I find this works really well and if children work on a small piece at a time, the puzzle ends up coming together.

I know as adults we tend to do the edges and corners first, but I find this is quite complicated for a young child to understand. It is possible to explain that some edges are smooth and others are bumpy, but I find the picture/colour technique works better.

Puzzles are great fun and work on spatial awareness, observation, perception, recall, memory and fine motor skills. They also provide opportunities for problem solving and language development.

Ed has his eye on a 300 piece puzzle his Dad had when he was a boy. It's a picture of a 1970's race car and the pieces are tiny. I'm not convinced he's quite ready for it, but I have been wrong before ............

We Play - With a Mirror

2010-06-21T18:34:00.000-07:00

When I found Ed heading up to my bedroom with an armful of cars the other day, I got a little curious.

"Where are you going with those, mate?" I asked

"Oh, I'm going up to your bedroom to play with them" he answered.

"Uh-oh" I thought, "that can only lead to mess and trouble!" Instead of jumping in with a, "No, you're not!" I decided to get to the bottom of why playing in my bedroom was so appealing. I'm glad I ignored my first instinct ...

"Why do you want to play with the cars in my bedroom and not in the lounge or your room?"

"Oh Mum, when I brmmm my cars in front of your mirror, it looks like they're going up the hill and then down the hill" he replied.

What an interesting thing he had observed. I wanted to help him explore this, so I moved my full length mirror down into our loungeroom so he could have some fun experimenting.

He "brmmed" his big car up the hill and down the hill. Then tried lots of different cars in front of the mirror. Then tried those roads I made, that I've talked about before. Then played peek-a-boo with himself, pulled some funny faces and then looked all around the mirror from many different angles.

He played for quite a while, checking in with me and reporting what he had discovered. All the while he was working on his:
- motor skills while he pushed the cars along
- cognitive skills as he tried to determine how the mirror works
- memory skills as he remembered what had happened when he played in front of the mirror before
- language skills as he talked to me about what was going on; and
- self-awareness as he checked himself out in the mirror

Come over and play at the 'Childhood 101' 'We Play' link up

ABBAWORLD Giveaway

2010-06-20T19:07:00.001-07:00

I joined the fun of the nuffnang Family Day at Federation Square yesterday, thanks to nuffnang (and Nicole from Planning With Kids) Unfortunately I missed the first part of the day, the Rupert Bunny exhibition, due to some Kinder commitments, but we made it along to the second part of the day where we had great fun at ABBAWORLD.

If you're an ABBA fan (like my 6 year old), ABBAWORLD is a must-see. There's loads of information, photos, costumes, album covers and also heaps of interactive displays. We got to take an ABBA quiz, sing-along karaoke style with some ABBA classics and perform in a music video. We could have gone up on stage to bang out a tune in front of live audience too, but little Ed wasn't up for that.

The exhibition goes over 3 levels and takes a good couple of hours to get around. I am not a huge ABBA fan, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself, helped along by the fact Em had such a good time. At the beginning of the tour, we were supplied with headphones and a small device that when swiped over information points at each display, supplied information through the headphones. Em really loved this feature. In her own words "it was great to get so much information".

Nuffnang have been generous enough to also supply me with 2 guest passes to the display to give away to my readers. The tickets are valid until July 4th and are for the Melbourne exhibition. They are not transferable for cash and obviously, you need to be able to get yourself to Federation Square in Melbourne before July 4th to use them.

To be eligible for the giveaway, just leave me a comment below before Thursday June 24th. Tell me your favourite ABBA song. Mine is 'Waterloo', Em loves 'Dancing Queen', Ed also likes 'Waterloo' but according to him, he "really just likes rock and roll"!

Ed turns 4

2010-06-17T23:07:00.000-07:00

My sweet little boy is four today and as this important milestone passes for him, I'm reminded of how different my two children are and how important it is to be mindful of this.

Em loves birthdays - the presents, the traditions,the phone calls, the fanfare, the attention. She'll spend ages writing lists of what she wants, pawing through cookbooks to find the perfect cake, thinking about ways we can celebrate. She already has her September birthday worked out.

My little boy, not so much. I was waiting for the hype today, but it just hasn't happened. I know he's younger and things might change, but he's not big on the fuss. He doesn't want a party or any celebration with friends, he chose his cake in record time, wanted very little in the way of presents and when it came to spending a special day with his mum, he just wanted to stay home and play and have a nap cuddled in my arms because he's tired. So we did.

Sure, we've carried out all the traditions I've written about before, but in more of a low-key sort of way, because that's what suits him. It hasn't come easily for me, but letting children be who they are is so important. So I've taken a step back and let things be how he wants them to be.

Here are 4 of photos of my easy-going boy who once was my baby, but now is big. It's such a pleasure and delight to watch him unfold. Happy Birthday Fred x

His First Birthday

Carrying "Yarji"

We called this face "Evil Baby"

Is that your foot?

The Fairies Have Landed

2010-06-15T19:29:00.001-07:00

It's not often I post two days in a row, but I just had to share this.

You know how we're always looking for treasures? Well, nature has landed a fabulous gift on our doorstep!

It's a real-life fairy toadstool!!!!!

In my all of my 30-something years, I've never seen a real one, have you?

It's very beautiful.

I'm tempted to host a fairy tea party underneath it .......

We Play - With Matchboxes and Tiny Things

2010-06-14T20:17:00.000-07:00

I bought some matchboxes from the craft store quite a few months ago now and Ed found them the other day while he was going through one of our toy cupboards.

He stuffed the matchbox with some other tiny treasures he found and came to find me. I had to guess what was in the matchbox. In the beginning, he made it multiple choice. Once I'd guessed correctly a couple of times, he changed the rules so that I got no clues.

Realising this was something he was quite taken by, I quickly collected up some more tiny treasures and displayed them near where he was originally playing.

You can see in the photo I gave him some buttons, pom poms, fairy stones, small babies, nuts and bolts and some small pieces of felt that we had cut up to use as baby blankets.

He kept playing the guessing game for almost half an hour and then got a few of his dump trucks out to carry the small items around as 'loads'.

With these little lovelies he was giving his development a workout too. He was building on his:
- fine motor and manipulative skills
- eye-hand co-ordination
- language skills
- ability to develop strategy
- problem solving

Little things are so much fun!

Come over and play at the 'Childhood 101' 'We Play' link up

Some Tips to Encourage Independent Play

2010-06-10T23:41:00.000-07:00

Following on from my last post, I thought I would share with you a response I gave to someone who contacted me about some tips to encourage her child to play independently.

The little girl in question was around 2 years old, a lover of dinosaurs and a confident, secure child, except when she was at home with mum. Her mum was doing all the right things. She was very in-tune with her daughter's interests, took her to the library, rotated her toys and had always encouraged her to play for periods of time on her own. But lately she had been particularly clingy and was wanting mum to play with her ALL THE TIME!

Here is what I suggested (with a few little tweaks). I've also changed names, because in these times of extreme privacy it seems like the right thing to do.

Hi Sally,
It's pretty normal for Bella to enjoy playing more with you than with herself at her age. From what you've told me, it sounds like she is really starting to enjoy imaginative play and when she plays with you, the stories and characters you make up are probably quite creative and involved. Then when it comes to playing by herself, she may just be having a little trouble keeping herself amused with her own imagination and it's easier if mum does it! This is perfectly normal because her imagination is only just starting to develop. There are lots of things you can do to help her along.

Firstly, don't feel guilty about saying 'no' to her. Teaching her to play independently is a wonderful skill to learn. You're helping her to develop her inner dialogue, her imagination and creativity as well as the confidence to feel comfortable with her own company. Not to mention the self-esteem that comes with working things out and accomplishing things independently. These are great gifts.

The hard part is weaning her off of playing with you. A nice way to go about it is to use a timer. You can say something along the lines of "Mummy has some jobs to do, but I'm going to put this timer on (use the oven timer or a wind up one if you have it), and when the timer goes off, it's going to be Mummy and Bella time and we can do something together".

Then set the timer and go about some jobs as best as you can until the timer goes off.
It's best to ignore resistance as much as you can and just keep reassuring her you will play when the timer goes. It's probably best to set the timer for ten or twenty minutes to start with (whatever you feel she's ready for), so she gets the hang of how it works, then gradually make the time longer and longer. Don't worry too much if she doesn't play at first while she's waiting, she will eventually go and play once she realises you mean business and she gets bored. You could set up a little play scene with her dinosaurs close by and suggest she play there while she waits for you.

For the time being, I would perhaps avoid playing pretend games with her when the timer goes off and use your time together to do a puzzle or play a simple board game. That way, she will associate these things with time spent with you, rather than the imaginative games. It makes pretend play games her domain, which will encourage her to develop these games on her own, becoming less reliant on you.

The other thing you can work on is helping her to develop her imaginative play stories. I do this a lot with my kids. When you are in the kitchen or the family room and catch her involved in her dinosaur play for example, it's great to ask her questions about what is going on to help her develop the story. This also helps to reassure her that you are close by and interested in what she is doing. For example things like "How are the dinosaurs today?" "What's the orange one up to over there", "He sounds cross, what's happened?", "Is she having a swim in the water?". Questions and comments that observe the play Bella is involved in and encourage her to develop the story more on her own.

Another thing I would suggest is perhaps seeing how Bella goes having her toys rotated less frequently. At her age, she will probably enjoy going back to the same toys over and over again. I have found with both of my kids that once they got to around 2, they would play with "pretend play" toys every day and it would be the same ones over and over again.

Children love to re-visit things they've done, pick up where they've left off and recall stories they've made up before. It's a really important part of their brain development. Toys that are great to leave out all the time are basically ones that have unlimited uses - things like plastic animals and dinosaurs, cars, trains, babies and baby accessories, dress-ups and "home corner" play things. You'll know when she is getting bored with these things because her play will stop being as constructive and that's when it's a good time to find new things to do by rotating toys or adding new props.

I hope these tips are helpful. You sound like a switched on mum, very in tune with her little girl and from what you've told me, it sounds like you have a great relationship. As I mentioned earlier, playing independently and enjoying your own company is a wonderful thing to learn and I'm sure it will be only a matter of time before Bella is spending hours playing on her own and you're seeking her out to find out what she's up to. I'd love to hear how you go.

Kind Regards
Belinda

I've had some feedback from 'Sally' and apparently, after some persistence and a few months of sticking to these tips, 'Bella' is again enjoying busy, independent play. Hurray for everyone!

Inspiring Play

2010-06-07T19:30:00.000-07:00

Some of you might be surprised to learn, I don't really play with my children very much. Sure, I've been known to put on the odd dress-up and I've certainly eaten a lot of pretend food and drunk many cups of pretend tea, but it's not very often I sit and play with them for long periods of time.

This is completely deliberate. I think child's play is and should be a child's domain and too much involvement by grown-ups can actually remove a lot of the benefits play can provide.

Don't get me wrong, I always keep an ear out to hear how they're playing and I think a lot about what they play with and how they might use it. I also 'check-in' often to ask about what they're doing and offer help and suggestions if it's needed. I guess I try to inspire play and help the kids to build on their own ideas. I think it's really important for their problem-solving, imagination, creativity and ultimately their self-esteem

A great example of this happened on the weekend. The children were busy building with some 'mobilo' close to the kitchen where I was preparing dinner.

Em came up to show me some of what she'd been doing. She had made a perfectly working see-saw. Always keen to extend on what they're doing, I said to her "that would make a great see-saw for one of your 'Littlest Pet Shop' toys, wouldn't it". "Yeah" she yelled and ran back to where she was working to share this new information. "Ed", she said "my 'Littlest Pet Shops' could fit in this see-saw and in all these other things we made". "We could make Littlest-Pet-Shop-Town" he said.

So, they set about it with a new purpose to their building and an extra dimension to their play.

This idea turned a couple of hours of building into an imaginative play game that grew and evolved and blossomed for the whole weekend, giving so many areas a developmental work out. The kids were building on many, many skills including:
- imagination
- creativity
- problem solving
- fine motor skills
- eye-hand co-ordination
- planning
- negotiation
- language skills
- story-building/literacy skills
- concentration

I'm still not allowed to pack it up today

Come over and play at the 'Childhood 101' 'We Play' link up

5 Fun things to do with Junk Mail and Magazines

2010-06-01T23:31:00.000-07:00

...that help with development too!

Do you get lots of junk mail or buy lots of magazines?

Well, we get loads and I buy loads, so we always end up with plenty of recycling.

But, before it goes out to the bin, there are lots of ways to use print material to help development along. Here are just a few really simple suggestions:

1. LOOK THROUGH THE CATALOGUE OR MAGAZINE TOGETHER

Suitable for: All ages
Work on your child’s language skills by looking at the pictures together. Point to things and label them. After a short while point to something your child knows and ask them “Do you know what that is?” Encourage him to take the lead and start identifying things he knows by asking “Can you see anything else you know?” Children will soon be volunteering information and asking questions. Your baby will benefit from looking at objects he is familiar with, a toddler will enjoy talking about what he already knows and a pre-schooler will enjoy learning new words and also a little bit about the world he lives in as well as volunteering what he has already worked out.

How this helps development:
Children learn language primarily by listening and practicing. This activity gives your child a chance to practice words he already knows and also gives him the chance to learn new ones.

2. CUT OUT PICTURES THAT YOUR CHILD CAN SORT THROUGH
Suitable for: Toddlers and Pre-schoolers
Cut out pictures from a catalogue of food and grocery items. Get two pieces of paper and some glue. Toddlers can sort the items into “Things you can eat” and “Things you can’t eat”. Pre-schoolers can sort the items into “Healthy foods” and “Unhealthy foods” or “Fruits” and “Vegetables” or “Grains” and “Meats”, any categories that are of interest.

How this helps development
This helps develop your child’s ability to sort and classify objects which is a very important mathematical skill. It also helps him to think a little about the world and how it is organsied. It is also a great opportunity for him to learn and think about nutrition and where foods come from.

3. IDENTIFY FEELINGS
Suitable for: Older babies, Toddlers and Pre-schoolers
Look at the faces of people in magazines. Talk to your child about the different expressions on peoples faces. You can start a conversation about it by saying “That person looks happy/sad/angry/embarrassed” Ask your child why they think the person looks that way. Offer some suggestions yourself. Try to look at a wide range of emotions and encourage your child to talk about them. After a little while ask your child “What makes you feel happy/sad…etc”. You could also ask him to show you what he looks like when he feels those things. You could pull some funny faces yourself if you're in the mood!

How this helps development
Being able to identify, label, express and manage emotions is a crucial part of your child’s emotional development. Looking at the emotions of others teaches empathy and helps your child to think about the fact that everyone has feelings that are influenced by outside influences. Seeing the feelings of others also makes him feel better about his own feelings. Also, a secure, non-threatening conversation about feelings with you makes him aware that feelings are important and can help him to feel safe to discuss feelings at other times.

4. CUT IT OUT

Suitable for: Older Toddlers (with supervision) and Pre-schoolers
Give your child scissors, glue and paper and allow him free reign to cut and paste things that are interesting to him. Talk to him about what he's cut out and why they have chosen certain pictures. (Make sure you supervise younger children when using scissors, but remember, the best way to master a new skill is to practice, practice, practice)

How this helps development
This helps the development of the smaller muscles in your child’s fingers and hands which are very important when your child comes to learn to write. It also helps with eye-hand co-ordination and builds on your child’s confidence as he works on mastering a new skill.

5. RIP IT
Suitable for: All ages but particularly babies and toddlers
Allow your child to flick through the pages, feeling the textures, crinkling and tearing the pages. The pages of magazines and catalogues have many different finishes to them, some are glossy and some are matte, some pages are hard to tear or turn and others are easy but all pages make a great noise when they are crinkled or torn.

How this helps development
Your small child uses his senses to explore the world. Allowing him to use these senses is very important to his sense of security and comfort and is really important for brain development. Ripping and tearing paper and turning pages provides him with many different sensations and allows him to explore his environment. This activity also does wonders for strengthen fine motor muscles in the fingers, hands and wrists

Come over and play at the 'Childhood 101' 'We Play' link up

June Practical Parenting

2010-05-26T17:44:00.000-07:00

I have an article in 'Practical Parenting' this month, so check it out if you get a chance. It includes some 'Rainy Day Play Ideas' for both babies and toddlers.

It can be tricky trying to find play ideas that suit a wide variety of age groups. I had my own dilemma last week when I had Em home with a cold, Ed, of course, and my 15 month old god daughter to look after.

I got them busy doing a group drawing. I put a large sheet of cardboard onto the ground to provide a firm backing for the paper. Then I spread out a large sheet of paper so that there was plenty of room for everybody. I grabbed Em's texta bucket to share and left them all to it. They were just in the dining room while I was in the kitchen, so I was close by if I was needed.

They all had a really great time and there were no dramas. Em helped my god-daughter with the texta lids and also talked a lot about colours and what everyone was drawing. Ed helped out too.

It was a great activity to keep them busy and help practice drawing skills, but it also provided a great opportunity to build on language skills and encouraged social skills like peer-teaching, considering others and sharing.

The Rock Box

2010-05-24T17:55:00.000-07:00

Do you like collecting things?

We do, big time!

One of our favourite collections at the moment, something we all seem to be interested in, is Ed's rock collection.

His interest in rocks began at a very young age when he would seek them out and try to eat them. Needless to say, I wasn't encouraging this interest too much when he was sampling the objects of his interest, but as soon as he stopped putting them into his mouth and started to admire their colours, sizes and textures, I started to help him look for his little 'treasures' at every opportunity.

To encourage his interest along, I bought him a special little rock box to keep his rocks in. As you can see from the photo, he has outgrown it and next time we're out, we need to find a new box to keep them in.

Collections like this are great because
1. When you're collecting items from nature, they're absolutely free
2. It gives us something to bond over. We find them together and talk about them and it's nice.
3. It encourages him to notice what's around him and helps him to appreciate nature
4. He loves to look through his rocks, remembering where he got them from (great for his recall and language skills)
5. He likes to sort through them and group them according to size, shape and colour (and sorting and classifying are great pre-numeracy skills)
6. They always get included in his play (building on imagination and creativity)

What do you like to collect at your house?

Making 'Clothes'

2010-05-16T20:22:00.000-07:00

I used to take pictures of the kids at play long before I started this blog. I've always put a lot of thought and effort into the toys and materials I provide for them and I liked to look back on the fun things we'd done. The other day I stumbled across this photo of Em and remembered a great fun activity I used to set up for her.

It was around the time when had just turned four and her favourite things to do were to play with her soft toys and plastic animals and do art and craft activities (nothing's really changed!).

I used to get all of her larger plastic animals out onto the kitchen table, along with textas, stickers, long strips of paper, scissors and a stapler.

She would 'dress' each animal one by one in the decorated strips of paper, designing, sticking and stapling as she went.

Then she would line them up in an "Animal Fashion Parade"

Of course, she could never resist making something special for Hamley too.

This activity is not only great fun, it also
- helps her to master the use of sticky tape, scissors and staplers
- gives her practice in measuring and estimating
- works on creativity and imagination
- builds spatial awareness and eye-hand co-ordination
- helps her to practice her drawing skills
- builds on her language skills as she talks about what she is doing
- and gives her yet another way to express and explore her interest in animals

I was thinking it would be great to use wrapping paper as well. I wonder if those trains and cars would like some clothes too?

Come over and play at the 'Childhood 101' 'We Play' link up

More Teddy Bear Fun

2010-05-11T19:38:00.001-07:00

As I mentioned last week, Hamley (Em's teddy) and Yarji (Ed's teddy) had been dressed up and dragged into Em's 'school' game which has been on the go, morphing, changing and evolving for well over 6 months.

A new chapter has begun with the inclusion of the teddies, a spin-off of some sorts called 'The Teddy Bear Game' (original, I know!). It seems that dressing the teddies and getting them off to school every morning has inspired Em to create more of a story about where they live and how they get ready and so the new game was created.

As soon as the inspiration hit, I had to drop everything and help her to get out an old baby nursery that she used a lot from about the age of 2 til about 5.

We set it up in the loungeroom and she rummaged through a plastic container full of baby care items I had put together when she was going through her 'baby play' stage. It includes baby nappies, bottles, bibs, baby jumpsuits and cardigans, booties, empty baby food jars, spoons, and blankets.

She set herself up and included Hamley's dress up clothes. She was so excited and I was struck by how enthusiastically she resumed the same kind of play she used to engage in at a much younger age. Of course, the play itself has changed. Her story is much more involved and the play is far more organised and sophisticated, but all the materials are the same.

Em's play here is such a great example of how toys and play materials that are truly open-ended, can be adapted and used to suit a wide range of developmental stages and ages.

What toys do you have that will/or already do stand the test of time?

Come over and play at the 'Childhood 101' 'We Play' link up

Zingo! Winner

2010-05-09T16:34:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who entered my Zingo! giveaway.

The winner is ..... Steff!!! (Comment number 1 - thanks to the True Random Number Generator!)

Congratulations!! Steff, you can claim your prize by emailing Jade directly - jade@donnielam.com

Jade also has a book to giveaway to anyone who books a "Learning Ladder" party through her for May or June. There are great discounts for people who agree to host a party, so it's well worth considering. You can contact Jade by emailing her via the link above.

Two of Our Favourite (Play) Things

2010-05-05T20:27:00.000-07:00

Em and Ed both have teddies that they adore. This is Hamley (Em's teddy on the right) and Yarji (pronounced Yar-gee,on the left, who belongs to Ed). I have posted about Hamley before, when, after a trip to the craft store, Em came up with a new outfit for him. Well, there have been many outfits in-between, but I couldn't resist this photo yesterday, after the children had dressed their bears ready to go to Em's pretend school.

We have a small suitcase full of teddy clothes that I have collected on my trips over the years. I just love coming accross little things to add to the collection because teddy clothes are generally pretty hard to find. We have some great hand-made cardigans and beanies and my mum knitted the little scarves you can see above. My favourite find would have to be these teddy underpants I found at the local market. The children love them too.

I often call these two teddies my other children. They go everywhere with us, they are involved in a lot of the children's games, they are an absolute necessity at bedtime and as you can see, I shop for them as though they belonged to me.

They both have their own little voices and personalities too. "Hamley" can be a bit short tempered and only likes to eat "cakes and lollies and biscuits" which results in Em having to encourage him to control his temper and constantly educate him about nutrition. "Yarji" can be easily frightened and is often a little cheeky when he's meant to be behaving himself. Ed is constantly reassuring him when he's scared and reminding him how to behave.

So they are not only great friends and companions, encouraging comfort, thoughtfulness and empathy, but also great teaching and learning tools as well.

Does your child have a furry friend they wouldn't be without?

Come over and play at the 'Childhood 101' 'We Play' link up

I'm Playing Along at Childhood 101

2010-04-29T18:31:00.000-07:00

Christie at Childhood 101 has created "We Play", as a special part of her great blog. It's a weekly link up where people can share their play experiences and ideas. I think it's a wonderful idea and I'm glad to be a part of it.

Christie says in her post introducing the idea that she believes play is a child's 'work'. I absolutely believe that too. It's what they do to grow, learn and develop. It also gives them a sense of purpose and helps them to work out their place in the world, just to mention a few of it's benefits.

But, as parents, I also believe it's kinda our 'work' too. When we bring these wonderful, sweet beings into the world, it's our job to care for them, to love them and to help them grow. So, it's our work and responsibility to take play seriously, to encourage it, allow time for it, to value it and nurture it and to advocate it's importance at every opportunity.

So well done Christie and everyone else who is getting involved. Here is my favourite play experience from our house this week.

What's going on here?

I made these 'roads' last year sometime. They usually live outside, but with the weather being so cold and wet here in Melbourne at the moment, I've let a few outside toys come in. This has given these roads a new lease on life. They have been used as roads/ramps/bridges and platforms leading down from our stairs.

The kids have put various things underneath them as support (you can see a couch cushion here) and have used small and large cars, animals and trains with them.

These two humble pieces of wood have led to many discussions about scientific ideas (physics mostly) and how to solve problems. These discussions have naturally arisen as the play has gone along and my two don't even really realise the learning that is going on.

You see, big cars don't drive so well on the narrow pieces of wood, so their configuration needed to be modified for that. Some cars veer off, so that needed to be fixed with some angle adjustments. Sometimes Ed wants the cars to go fast, other times slow and again, modifications need to be made. He has solved all of these problems on his own or with a bit of help from his big sister and while doing so has cemented a foundation for scientific learning later in his life.

All the while, the kids have been strengthening fine motor skills while moving the objects around, building on language skills while talking to each other about what might happen, what has happened and how things need to change. Not to mention working on social skills as use of equipment is negotiated and conflicts are resolved.

So, two pieces of wood sanded and painted equals lots of learning and lots of fun.

Come over and play at the 'Childhood 101' 'We Play' link up

'Zingo'!, It's Another Giveaway!

2010-04-28T21:12:00.000-07:00

I have a good friend who is a huge party plan fan. I've been dragged along to candle parties and linen parties and there's even a lingerie party on the horizon. Not that I mind. That's what friends are for after all. But last Friday I went along to a get-together for 'The Learning Ladder', and I really liked what I saw.

According to the 'About Us' part of their website,

The Learning Ladder is one of Australia’s best and most-respected educational direct sales companies, and is a wholly owned company of the Pearson Australia Pty Ltd.

We are dedicated to the business of introducing parents to books, toys, games and puzzles that offer children of all ages wonderful opportunities for exploration, discovery, play, fun and learning. We also offer an irresistible range of family reference books and books for parents.

So you can probably guess why I was so interested. The catalogue is really outstanding, with lots of great resource, information and story books for young children as well as fantastic toys and games that promote learning and development. They source their books from the publishers who work under their umbrella - well-respected names like Penguin, Puffin, Ladybird and DK.

So, what did I buy? I bought a school dictionary aimed at children aged 5-8. I thought we would use it a lot in our house. Em will love reading the meanings of the words and Ed will love the tables of information in the back. It had a lot of lists in the back of things childen find interesting - colours, seasons etc. I know he'll really enjoy looking at the words and matching them with the pictures.

Then I got these resource books because they hold lots of information that both my kids will find interesting and the photos are really eye-catching and dynamic. 'WOW Earth' is by John Woodward and 'WOW Animals' is by Richard Walker. The photos in these books will get my boy in and the interesting information will make my girl happy.

I also bought this great fun game that we played on the day. It's called 'Zingo' and as the catalogue says, 'it's Bingo with a Zing!'. I know my kids will really enjoy this game. They love to play games by themselves and the simple format of this one will allow them to organise and play it on their own. It also has clear pictures and words, which both Em and Ed will be able to easily decipher.

Jade Lam is a long time reader of 'everyday play' and is also an Independent Advisor with 'The Learning Ladder'. She has generously donated a copy of 'Zingo'(RRP $36.50) as well as a 'Tiny Rockers:Car' (RRP $12.95) book to give away to a lucky reader of my blog. To be in the running to receive this great gift, please leave a comment below. The give-away will run until next Friday the 7th of May at 5.00pm EST and is open to Australian residents only.

If you're interested in booking a presentation, fundraising enquiries, business opportunities or even one off orders with 'The Learning Ladder', you can email Jade at jade@donnielam.com or contact her through her great blog (it's well worth a read) play.learn.love . You can have a look at 'The Learning Ladder' catalogue yourself by clicking here .

May Practical Parenting

2010-04-23T19:46:00.000-07:00

I have an article in May's Practical Parenting which is out now.

It's all about "Doll Washing" which is a great fun thing to do either outside or at bath time, with lots of learning opportunities involved. It's also especially relevant to young children who have just had a baby brother or sister come into the home.

Em took great care of her baby dolls when Ed was born. She fed them when I fed Ed, bathed them, changed them, read to them and loved them, while I was doing the same for her new baby brother. It not only kept her busy and out of mischief, it gave her an opportunity to play out what she was seeing me do, which helped her to process what was going on. It also helped her to understand the love and caring required for a new baby and helped her to feel she was being important and included too. It was easy to interact with her while she was alongside me and we could talk about what we were doing together.

Here is a photo of us sharing bath time at the kitchen sink. Ed was only about 4 weeks old.

A Box with Hole in it

2010-04-19T19:25:00.000-07:00

It never ceases to amaze me how children can be kept amused by just the simplest things.

This is the latest 'favourite plaything' at our house at the moment. A cardboard box with a slit cut in it.

It all started on Sunday afternoon when my girl was wondering around looking a little lost. "Are you finding it hard to find something to do?" I asked. "I am", she answered. I started to think about the things she likes to do at the moment - drawing, colouring in? These things wouldn't do, I could tell she was in the mood to do something a little different.

'How about I put together some paper, envelopes and stickers for stamps and you could write some letters?". She perked up, I knew I was onto a good thing. I picked up the cardboard box waiting to go into the recycling. "This could be the post box' I said. She seemed more excited.

"I could be the post lady too" she chimed in. "I could deliver the letters, I would need a hat". She ran off to her room and came back with her visor and her brother's satchel. "What if you were the Queen when you write your letters?" I suggested. (She is quite taken with the idea of being a Queen. The other day she asked me "What do you have to do to become the Queen?" She sets her sights high, my girl!). "Yes!!" she said, "I would need a crown". Of course!

We went to her room and fetched a crown she had made at school last year. We proclaimed her the 'Queen of Art and Craft' and she sat at her royal table writing letters for her royal subjects.

When she had written a few, she took off her crown, put on her visor, sorted through her post box, made a list of the letters she needed to post, stamped them with the special post mark I had given her and went off delivering.

She played this game for over 2 hours and only packed it away for dinner. She grew the game on her own, callng herself "Postman Patricia" when she wasn't being the Queen. She even went and found her own 'black and white cat' and came up with an elaborate story about how Postman Pat was her husband and he was ill, so that's why she was delivering letters with Jess the cat.

Once I had set up the play and got it flowing, she didn't need me at all any more, except to receive my letters and tell me about the latest twist in the game. This is the beauty about setting up a play experience that embodies a child's interest and learning level - they can stay engrossed in the game for hours and will keep going back to it. The box has been brought out every morning before school this week too.

A New Look

2010-04-15T20:28:00.000-07:00

My blog has undergone a much-needed revamp as you will notice (unless you subscribe through a Reader, in which case, come and have a look!). I hope this makes it a little easier to get around and much more pleasing to the eye. Would love to hear what you think of my new look.

Holiday Hits

2010-04-14T18:45:00.000-07:00

I'm always being told by my husband "You give yourself too many things to do!" and these holidays were no exception. I didn't get through all the things I had planned, but we did have loads of fun doing what we did, and our time away was very enjoyable.

I thought I would share a few highlights:

Easter Basket Making:

A big shout out to Liss from 'Frills in The Hills' for her basket making idea. We put our own twist on it and covered our baskets in felt instead of paper. Em had a great time making these baskets and was very proud of her end result. Ed enjoyed decorating his little felt eggs with fabric paint, but I had to put his basket together for him on the Saturday before Easter. I was waiting for him to show some initiative to do it himself, but he wasn't interested until the night before when Em put out her beautifully prepared basket and his wasn't ready. He's a little bit last minute like his Mum.

Painting Canvasses

Em really enjoyed painting her own designs. She spent a couple of hours on it and had a ball mixing colours and creating effects. These will take pride of place in her room for a while I'm sure. The "Dead Heart" design is particularly interesting ........

Visiting Family

We had a wonderful time visiting our family in Adelaide. Extended family is so important and I am reminded of this more and more as my children get older. The role Aunties, Uncles, Cousins and Grandparents play in the development of self-esteem, a sense of belonging and feeling valued is priceless. Not to mention the sense of security felt when being loved and cared for by a large group of people. My children blossom and thrive when they are with their interstate-loved-ones and I enjoy watching every minute they spend with them.

Free Play Time

We had lots of free play time over the holidays and the children had a ball with it. Much of the play centred around this corner of the lounge room.

As I've mentioned earlier, as part of Em's 'school play', I've set up an office and staff room.

Over the holidays, this area was used as a restaurant, a house and ,my favourite, "Em and Ed's Cafe".

We added some notepads for order taking and the kids played in this area for hours.

What I've Used Here:

A toy changing table as a bench
A kettle
A toaster
An empty 'Weet-bix' box
A toy oven
A plastic saucepan
A collection of pretend herbs, spices and sauces
All the plastic food and toy crockery I could find
A small table and chairs
Paper, pens, textas and notepads
Band-aids (Em NEEDED them?!)
An op-shop handbag and a purse

What fun did you get up to on your holidays?

Practical Parenting Website

2010-03-31T17:41:00.000-07:00

My holidays are going well, hope yours are too. As promised, I'm just popping in with the link to the new "Practical Parenting" website. I've only had a chance to have a quick look around, but it looks great. There's so much to see - recipes, food tips, play ideas, forums and of course, the great informative articles you always find in PP. Here is the link to the homepage and if you're interested in looking at some of my work, you can find it by clicking here

Off for the Holidays

2010-03-21T21:00:00.000-07:00

Late last year, I was going through a bit of a rough patch. I was stressed-out busy and my sweet little three year old was giving me a very hard time. That all changed over the holidays and peace was restored to the Butler household. So, I decided this year to not work too much. I love my writing work and my blog, so I decided those two things could stay, under strict time management conditions, but I let every thing else go. And so, this year has been lovely so far. I write while Ed is at Kinder and I spend the rest of my time being a relaxed, in-tune, happy mum (well most of the time anyway). I have to say, I'm really enjoying myself and I'm happier than I've been in a long time (and my sweet little three year old has returned!)

So, in the tradition of my new found peace, I'm going to take the school holidays off. I'm going to enjoy having my 2 children around for 2 weeks without having to worry about getting some time on the computer. I have a deadline for PP to manage, I'll probably check my emails from time to time and I'll be back with a quick link when the Practical Parenting website goes live (things that can all be managed while the kids are resting), but apart from that, I'm going to have a break writing about play so that I have time to play with my children while they're around. Here are some of the things I plan to do:

1. Some Art and Craft

As I mentioned last year, I love doing a structured "art and craft" activity at Easter time. I was tossing around between decorating eggs and making easter baskets, but after I read Liss' post over at Frills in The Hills, the baskets won hands down.

I also want the kids to paint a couple of canvasses for their bedrooms so I've got these ones ready to go. We're going to experiment a bit with paints too.

2. Out and About

I always try to take the kids on a couple of outings through the holidays. Last time we went berry picking and it was such good fun. We're just in time to catch the end of the season, so we'll head off to do it again. If berry picking might be your thing, you can visit to find out what's available in your area by visiting pickyourown.org

I also plan to take the kids on a minature train ride to keep my little train-spotter happy. Here in Melbourne, we like to visit the Diamond Valley Railway

3. Play time

I'm hoping to leave a few days for some home-play time. As I've mentioned earlier, school is running in my lounge room and that has been going on for months. The play has evolved to include a staff room and an office and the kids play in this area drawing, talking and learning every single day. I might take them on a special shopping expedition to get some more supplies.

In my banner above, there is an elephant standing in some grass. I've been thinking about growing grass with the kids again this year. Ed confirmed it the other day when he asked "Mum, can we do that elephant in the grass thing again?". So, we will through the holidays. I'm going to grow the grass in lots of different sized meat trays this time so we can use them as different play spaces. I'm going to be writing to about growing grass for play spaces for PP in the coming months, so I'll keep you posted about that.

Ed has a new found passion for dressing up at the moment. He did it a lot when he was two, but hasn't really enjoyed it for about a year. Then, just yesterday, he was a lady bug, a dragon, a "girly-boy" (?!) and a builder in the space of about an hour. I'm going to encourage this new interest over the holidays too, because it's a great way for him to expand his learning and development.

4. Jet setting

The kids and I are off to Adelaide for a few days too. It's only an hour flight and the kids are pretty seasoned travellers, but I don't want to be complacent about the need for them to be kept busy. So far I've got some small activity and colouring-in books that came from Big W for just $2. If I combine these with a pencil case of new textas each, some Littlest pet shop toys with some plastic conatiners as houses, some matchbox cars and some foam roads, and some tasy snacks, I should be just about set.

I'm really looking forward to the holidays and I'll be back in just over 2 weeks to tell you all about it. Hope you enjoy your holidays, wherever you are, too.

Practical Parenting News

2010-03-21T20:31:00.000-07:00

I have an article in April's Practical Parenting magazine which is out now. It's all about setting up a home corner at home and how to get the most from your childs' play while he's busy playing there.

I'm also excited to let you know that Practical Parenting is (finally!) launching a website on April 1st. Some of my work will be featured, as well as a link back to my humble little blog. I haven't heard too much about it, but PP is such a wonderful magazine, the site is bound to be fantastic. It's very exciting news. I've been trying to do a bit of housekeeping and tidying up around here before the launch. I'll be in touch with the link when it goes live.

We're Going on a Leaf Hunt

2010-03-16T18:19:00.000-07:00

Leaves are falling all around us here at the moment. On the weekend I took the children down to the park for a quick play to burn off a little energy. We took a couple of plastic bags with us on the trip to collect any interesting leaves that caught our eye on the way.

I thought it would be a nice way to pass some time. There are many great developmental advantages to this kind of 'Nature Treasure Hunt". It was something I wanted to do with my children because:
- it slows them down and helps them to be in the moment rather than rushing ahead and just thinking about getting to the park
- it teaches them to look at and appreciate nature and beauty in general
- it gets them talking about colours, sizes and shapes
- it encourages them to think about the seasons and life cycles
- it gets their imagination working overtime. There were many discussions about the shapes of leaves and what they look like - "Look at this one, it looks like a witches hand"
- it adds to creativity as they think about what they want to do with their treasures.
- it's a lovely way to spend a beautiful autumn morning

We had such a lovely time meandering to the park and the walk and search became the main focus of our trip, the fact that we eneded up at the park was just icing on the cake for my two. What would normally be a 10 minute walk took well over half an hour. It's made an impact too. Every walk we've done since then, the kids have their heads down, looking for more treasures. We're yet to decide what we're going to do with our leaves, but I'll keep you posted if anything interesting eventuates.

Voucher Winner

2010-03-08T17:55:00.000-08:00

The 'True Random Number Generator', has decided the winner of the $30 voucher giveaway is comment number 2 which is Melissa!!!!! Congratulations and a big thank you to all 4 people who entered (gotta love those odds!). Melissa if you drop me an email with your email address and a contact number, I will forward these details to Maree from buyster who will look after you.

Early Learner's Booklet Pt II

2010-03-01T16:12:00.000-08:00

Thanks to a very favourable mention from Nicole aka The Planning Queen, the "Early Learner's Booklet" I spoke about late last year has gone into another print run. If you missed out due to the chaos of Christmas and New Year and would like to purchase a copy, you can email me at the address on the top of my blog. The booklet is $15 plus $1.50 p&h. You can read Nicole's review by clicking here and even if you're not interested in reading the review, check out Nicole's blog if you haven't already, it's one of my favourites.

Product Review and Giveaway

2010-02-25T22:24:00.000-08:00

Well, after a small amount of drama, I received a package of doll's house furniture last week from buyster.com.au to review. To be honest, it wasn't the first lot of furniture I received (hence the drama). When I opened the first box, quite a few pieces were no longer put together. But, to the credit of Maree from buyster, the issue was dealt with very promptly with a great amount of apology and a huge effort to rectify the problem. A great example of fantastic customer service.

My new box of "Annie's Furniture Set with Ladybug Pattern" arrived just a couple of days later, much to the delight of my Emily who was very keen to get her hands on it after seeing it the first time. It just so happened that she was in the middle of a game with her 'Littlest Pet Shop' pieces and the furniture worked in beautifully with the game she already had going. This is the beauty of doll's house furniture, you don't necessarily need a doll or a house to enjoy it.

The furniture itself is wooden and painted white with a gorgeous little ladybug and flower design on it. There were lots of different pieces in the box, certainly enough to furnish a whole house. Apart from the staples - tables, chairs, lounge suites and a bed etc, there were also some sweet little extras like a table lamp, a floor lamp, a bath, a TV, an oven and a couple of wardrobes with doors that open and close with shelves to put things on, 19 pieces in all. It really is a very sweet set, the kind that makes grown-ups go 'awww' and want to take a closer look (which is what my father-in-law did when he came to visit the other night) and makes children want to get in and play. Ed wasn't even put off by the girly design, he is itching to get his cars involved.

Unfortunately, a couple of pieces in the second box had fallen apart too. It seems as though in a couple of cases, the glue just hasn't worked to stick the pieces together. It really is a shame because apart from that, it is an absolutely gorgeous set of furniture that any girl would love. I'll be getting out my glue to fix the two broken pieces in the second box, because I know we have a lot of playing with this furniture ahead of us.

buyster.com.au have a $30 gift voucher to give away to an 'everyday play' reader. All you need to do is leave a comment below to enter. It could be something as simple as 'I'd like to win please!'. The voucher can be spent in any of buyster's stores. There's a great range of play rugs (including the one that Ed has that has featured in many of my posts) as well as toys and children's furniture. Unfortunately, only Australian residents are eligible to enter. You have until Monday March 8th at 1pm(EDT)
to leave a comment. Good luck!

Packing Up

2010-02-14T20:05:00.000-08:00

Packing away toys at the end of a busy day of play is a job no-one in our house enjoys. The majority of the time, the children are encouraged to clean up after themselves and take responsibility for their own belongings, but I understand that sometimes it's hard to be motivated to pack up, especially when there are a lot of toys to go away.

For these tough times, I've invented a game we like to call "Job Step". It's quite a bit of fun and doesn't actually involve me doing any of the tidying, I just need to be around to run the game. I think it's effective because it breaks down the task of packing up (which can be overwhelming for young children) and gives an extra motivation for packing up (because, let's face it, when you're 3 and 6 years old, the prospect of tidy lounge room is not motivation enough!).

How we play:
- We have some steps going down to our lounge room, so the children sit on the "job step" (hence the name) and await their instructions.
- I then assign each child a small, easy job. I say it in a quick, fun way though, so it sort of sounds like a race eg. I'll say "Right, Em, put all the plastic animals back in their container, go!" "Ed, take your shoes to your bedroom, go!"
- They then rush around, completing their task until it's all done, then run back to their step to wait for their next job.

It's a really simple way to manage packing up time and the kids love it. Sometimes I make it a bit fun and silly by commentating on the packing up like a horse racing race -caller and other times we have a tiny sticker at the end of each job. But most of the time, we just play the simple version and the packing away is done before we know it.

Animals, Animals, Animals

2010-02-14T19:43:00.000-08:00

I've included a small container of animals in amongst Ed's trains and cars and these are being incorporated in his play more and more. Sure, they generally ride around in the back of a ute or train carriage, or the cars and trains visit a 'zoo' he has set up, but I'm glad to see him including the animals in his made up stories.

Branching out into a new interest area like this helps development in so many ways. It builds on his mental catalogue of objects in his world, builds his memory and recall, helps him to expand his understanding of social rules and norms and encourages him to notice new and interesting facts when we're out and about.

For instance, we visited the museum on Friday and Ed took a great interest in the animals and creatures displayed there, learning the names of new animals and finding out about where and how they live. Talking about and playing with animals at home has really helped to trigger this interest.

I doubt he will ever embrace the animal kingdom in the way he loves his cars, trains and trucks, but it's really important to introduce children to new things and broaden their horizons. Introducing new open-ended, imaginative toys into play is a great way to do this.

Coming soon ..

2010-02-03T21:25:00.000-08:00

In the next couple of weeks I will be having my first product review and give-away courtesy of 'buysterbedroom' (to Australian residents only, sorry). A $30 gift voucher will be up for grabs to put towards anything from doll's house furniture to play mats to bunk beds. I will provide more details soon, so stay tuned ........

A Little Project

2010-01-20T20:10:00.000-08:00

My school girl was following me around a little lost and bored yesterday morning so I decided to give her a project to do. I suggested she make a book about 10 things she has enjoyed doing over her holidays.

She was very keen, so to get her started, we sat down together and made a list of 10 things she had done and really enjoyed. I wrote the list so I could help spell tricky words like "Aquarium" and "Federation Square", but I deliberately did it in note form so she would have to think through how to construct sentences when she came to write the book (this is something she has done at school and is quite capable of).

Next, we downloaded the photos we have taken over the last couple of weeks. She chose her favourites and I copied them onto a word document, making each photo passport size.

Then I stapled together 6 pages of white A4 paper that I folded in half, and left her to her own devices. She collected up her own glue, scissors and textas and set herself up to work at the kitchen table.

I was doing some work around the house, so I was at hand if she needed help with spelling or when she took a break to show me what she had done, but for the most part, she worked on her own for a good couple of hours.

Putting together a book like this is a great way to practice literacy skills in a nonthreatening, fun way. It's also a great opportunity for self-reflection and when the task is completed, it provides a sense of mastery which boosts self-esteem. It also kept Em absorbed and occupied for over 2 hours which not only helped develop her memory and concentration, but also gave me some time to get a few things done.

School's Out But At Our House It's In

2010-01-12T12:57:00.001-08:00

Well, we are having a lovely break from the daily grind of school lunches, uniforms, dropping off and picking up. But here at my house, we haven't left school behind altogether.

We have had a school corner set up in our loungeroom for about the last 4 or so months and it has been used a lot in the last week since we got back from our trip away.

The school corner came about when I got an old school desk and some chairs from a friend. I set it up in the loungeroom when em was having some friends over to celebrate her birthday. It never got packed away because it became a great place for the kids to draw and create which saved my dining room table.

It wasn't long before Em asked me to get out her whiteboard so she could play 'schools'. I also added whiteboard markers, rulers, calculators, pens, pencils, stickers and a few notebooks. The area has been used almost every day since.

Sometimes Ed Is the student, sometimes her toys are, sometimes I am, and a lot of the time she plays there by herself. It's been a great place for Em to play out and process all that has happened to her in her first year of school and, during the holidays, it's been a great way for her to revisit what happens at school when she's thinking about being there.

This is what it looked like when it was first set up. It's not quite as tidy now...

When I ran my own kinder room I would always set up the dramatic play area as a classroom in the last term. It would give the kids a chance to play out the big change that was about to happen for them. It also enabled the kids who had older siblings and knew a bit about school to pass on some of what they knew to the students that didn't and it also allowed for questions and concerns to naturally come up and be dealt with.

I set it up much the same as the one I've done for Em at home only I would include uniforms, school bags and lunch boxes. All of these things need time and practice to get used to.

If you've got a little one starting school for the first time this year or have some bigger ones who are a bit bored and missing school, a school corner at home could be just what your house needs.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

December PP

2009-12-13T19:40:00.000-08:00

I have an article in Practical Parenting this month. Actually, I'm pleased to say I have articles coming out in the next 4 issues, so stay tuned.

This month's is a really simple idea for sand play. Most kids love playing in the sand pit and I've written about an idea for imaginative play for all those animal lovers out there. It's on page 82 of December's PP, so have a look if you get a chance.

The Water Boy

2009-12-09T19:07:00.000-08:00

When I found my little boy in the bathroom sink the other day, up to his elbows in water, I knew it was time to save myself and the bathroom and set up some water play (again!). I have done this for him so many times now and he really does love it. The weather is perfect at the moment, so I got out my plastic tubs, set up two tables (because his sister was home) and collected up all of the water toys I could get my hands on.

Usually I would set up something with a specific goal in mind, but he has done it so many times now, I decided to get the toys out and let him decide what path the play would take. This helps him use some extra thinking skills as he remembers what he has done before and works out how to achieve what he has planned.

Getting out quite a few different play things also meant that Em could play what she liked at her level and wasn't stuck with what Ed wanted to do.

They both chose different toys and played different types of games. Sometimes they worked together and played different roles in the same story, other times they went solo and did their own things. They both had loads of fun though and played happily for quite a long time on the deck. It was a great way to have them both busy while still allowing them to play at their own developmental level.

A Booklet for Early Learning

2009-12-04T21:58:00.000-08:00

I've been working with a friend of mine this term who is a paediatric speech pathologist. We've written a program that we've been running at the local community centre called "Early Learners". It's a play-based language and learning program based around open ended activities that are lots of fun and help children to experiment, explore and learn.

We've put 20 of our favourite activities into a booklet. Each activity uses simple items that you would find around the home or could buy cheaply and is written up in a recipe format that it is easy read and follow. We've also included some tips on things you can say as a parent to promote learning and development. But the best thing about these activities is that, for the most part, you can set up the play and go away, knowing that your child is engaging in play that promotes learning and development. The tips can be used when you check in to see how things are going.

The activities are really simple ideas like different ways to paint and dramatic play scenes to set up for your child to play in. But what makes them so valuable is that it's simple, basic open-ended play experiences that children stay involved in and get the most developmental benefits from.

The booklet costs $15 AU plus $2 p&h within Australia or $5 for overseas postage. If you're interested in purchasing a copy, you could leave a comment or contact me via my email - belinda.butler@inbox.com

A Change is as Good as a New Toy

2009-11-29T23:01:00.000-08:00

As I've mentioned earlier, we have a few dolls' houses around the place and one of them (a plastic fisher-price number) is usually a permanent fixture in our lounge room. Ed would pull it out every so often as a house for his cars, but Em (who it belongs to) hadn't visited the house for quite a while.

This changed this week, when the dolls' house took a little trip to playgroup and then ended up in our sitting room rather than in it's usual spot in the lounge room. This has breathed new life into it for Em who has played with it everyday since its shift.

She sets up the most elaborate play scenes and has left me wondering - what is the appeal? It's funny how moving it's location helps her to see it again after ignoring it in the lounge room for a good few months. It makes me consider what other toys we could move around and whether buying new toys is always necessary?.....

Toys for Baby

2009-11-08T21:48:00.000-08:00

I am lucky enough to be god-mother to a gorgeous ten month old little girl and looking after her always gets me thinking about how important play is for babies. Just the simplest toy or item from around the home provides an opportunity for learning, skill development, exploration and experimentation.

I have a bunch of baby toys still in Ed's cupboard. I have got rid of quite a few, but there are some that both the kids enjoyed so much (and still do on occasion) that I haven't been able to part with them. And it's a good thing too given that I still regularly have a baby in the house.

The wonderful thing about babies is that they'll play with just about anything you give them. Everything is new and wonderful, so chances are they'll pick it up, have a shake and a good look, put it in their mouth and move it around a bit. If they like it or are interested, they'll hold on to it for a while and have a bit of a think about what else they can do with it, if they don't, they'll put it down and move onto the next thing.

I've learnt a few tricks over the years about engaging babies in play and I thought I'd share some of the things I bear in mind when I'm getting toys together for my god-daughter. Here is a photo of the group of toys I gave her last time she was here.

Tip 1. Don't give a baby too many toys.
They get overwhelmed really easily and I always found that giving my babies a lot of toys would mean they spent less time exploring each toy individually and would randomly move from one toy onto the next. A few specially chosen toys at a time is a much better option.

Tip 2. Include toys that they can explore and experiment with.
The stacking cups and ball you can see in the picture are loved by every baby who comes into contact with them. The ball is easy to hold and chew, can be thrown or rolled and babies are intrigued by the multitude of holes and ways it can be held. The stacking cups can be used lots of different ways too and it's great to include a dummy or smaller (baby safe) toy that can be put inside the cups.

Tip 3. Always include a book and a furry friend.
Books for babies are wonderful. They learn very quickly how to turn pages and hold the book the right way up so that the pictures can be seen properly. I have taught a few children in my time who can't handle a book correctly at aged 4, it's something that comes with exposure and practice and I personally don't think kids are ever too young to start.

Soft toys are fantastic for developing motor skills and eye hand co-ordination. Babies also love to sit and babble to their furry friends which is great for early language development. Soft toys can also be very reassuring for a baby who is getting used to sitting by themselves to play with mummy just out of view.

Tip 4. Put everything into a baby-safe container.
This creates an activity in itself as baby takes each item out and then puts some back in. Some babies will really enjoy including a lid that can be taken off and put back on. You can see in the picture I've used a small plastic storage container, but empty shoe boxes and large metal mixing bowls work just as well.

Tip 5. Include some items from around the home.
Babies are drawn to everyday items. I think it's natures' way of getting them to learn about the environment they live in. They have an intrinsic desire to seek out items, explore them and find out how they work. It's a beautiful thing. You can see I've made some shakers using grains and soft drink bottles, put some crinkled up catalogue paper into a knee hi stocking and thrown in some empty plastic fruit and yoghurt container. It's not surprising that these were my girl's favourite toys!

It's REALLY REALLY important to note however, that everyday items have not undergone the stringent safety testing that baby toys have (obviously, I know, but it needs to be said!) Babies should always be supervised when they're being given something for the first time and the item should be continually checked for wear and tear and possible safety hazards. Never give a baby anything that is small enough to fit into a film canister and always listen to you inner voice - if you have the slightest doubt about something, take it away.

Not Listening!

2009-11-01T22:30:00.000-08:00

Ed has been going through a very challenging phase over the last month or so. In my humble opinion, whoever coined the phrase "terrible twos" was yet to parent a three year old.

What I personally find difficult with head-strong, independent, opinionated yet emotionally immature and irrational three year olds is the fact that it is so hard to get them to listen and co-operate.

My teacher training and years of early-childhood experience have been heavily drawn upon in the last few weeks as I've reflected on our daily lives and routines, re-visited my knowledge about what is developmentally appropriate for this age and gone over what I know about managing behaviour.

I've used a bunch of different strategies to get me through and I finally feel like we're over the worst of it and heading into a new phase.

There's no denying that as children change and grow, they go through difficult stages where, as they re-negotiate their position in the world, they challenge boundaries and test their limits. It's perfectly natural and is to be expected, but I really believe there are things we can do as a parent to make these times a little easier for everyone involved.

Here are some of the strategies I've adopted to encourage Ed to listen and co-operate a little better:

1. Trying to get to the root of his misbehaviour - I read a great book while I was studying called "Understanding Children" by Jeanette Harrison. I've taken a lot from it, but the biggest thing that I've found helpful with both my kids is understanding that children have a motivation for their misbehaviour. It's almost always happening for a reason. When I reflected on Ed not listening and co-operating when I wanted him to, I came to the conclusion that a big reason for him being difficult is the fact that he probably feels a little powerless in his day-to-day life and so he excerpts his power and tries to regain control by defying what he is being asked to do.

So, my first step was to:

2. Give him some choices and decisions that make him feel a little more in control - simple things like letting him choose his clothes, get himself dressed, set the table, choose what flavour juice we buy, where we go in our spare time, choose a meal we have for dinner. All the choices and decisions that are really quite irrelevant when it all boils down, but can mean a lot to a three year old.

Then I:

3. Looked at our weekly schedule - the poor little thing gets dragged to two different playgroups that I run, plus school pick up and drop off every day, plus grocery shopping and errand running. He gets shipped off in the car way more than his sister ever did and it's a lot to cope with when all you want to do is stay home and play with your cars and trains.

So I:

4. Re-organised things so he wouldn't be pulled around so much - my mum came over from Adelaide for a week and stayed with him so he could have a little rest and then I've organised some play dates for him to go on when I work so he's not being dragged along there when he's tired. The school pick up he just has to wear, but I've also tried to organise a few more days at home, just while he's going through this phase.

That means we can:

5. Have a little fun together - by setting up play experiences for him and having times when we laugh together, it's not all nag, nag, nag. He feels valued and important and that way when I ask him to do things, he's in a better mood and more likely to be receptive.

It also means he can:

6. Sleep, sleep , sleep - sleep breeds sleep and he just wasn't getting enough which meant he was getting less rest than he needed and he was tired and cranky. We all know how hard it is to be open and receptive to what people want when we are sleep deprived.

All these things help to limit the behaviour, but I also have a few little tricks up my sleeve for when it still presents itself.

7. Consequences - I use these all the time. It's great if the consequences occur naturally, but if they don't, a logical consequence can be really effective eg. "If you use that as a weapon, I'll have to take it away from you so your sister doesn't get hurt", or "If you are going to run away from me, I'll have to hold your hand, because it's not safe" or "Stand up so I can wash you or I'll have to just get you out of the bath". The consequences should always relate directly to what is going on and I think it's good to ask for what you want a few times before you offer a consequence, that way the child has the opportunity to do what you want without the consequence looming.

8. The timer - for some reason both my kids listen to the timer way more than they listen to me. I guess you just can't argue with an electronic timing device connected to the oven. So, I use it mostly when I want them to change what they're doing and move onto a new part of the routine eg. "When the timer goes, it's time for a bath" or "I'm going to put the timer on for ten minutes, then it's bed time". It works a treat.

9. Breaking tasks down - Ed has trouble coping with more than one to two instructions at a time - as do most children his age. This also means that it's hard for him to break down and attempt tasks on his own. He's finally mastered getting dressed, but I still sometimes need to break it down for him when he's having a bad day. So, instead of saying "It's time to get dressed", I'll say "It's time to get your pants on", then move through each item of clothing until he's done. Similarly instead of asking him to tidy up his room, I'll ask him to put his cars away, then his trains, etc.

10. Some things I don't ask ... - I learnt very early in my teaching career, there are some things you don't ask. It leaves too much opportunity for the answer to be 'no'. So if I really want something done, I don't ask, I assume it will happen eg instead of "Shall we go now?", I'll say "It's time to go" and take his hand.

A very long post I know, but it actually feels good to get this off my chest. It's been a long month, but there's finally some light at the end of the tunnel. Who knew this parenting caper would be such hard work....??

Finishing Off My Week With Ed

2009-10-19T22:59:00.000-07:00

My week of setting up activities for Ed ended with some racetracks and some art work.

On Thursday we got out one of my husband's old Hot Wheels racetracks for Ed to play with. I took a few minutes to put it all together and he played with it for a couple of hours. The great thing about where he is at at the moment is he loves to add to things I set up. He is constantly thinking about what he can add to what he's doing. This is why it's great to have a whole range of toys accessible to children from about 2 years and up, particularly toys and accessories that are open-ended and stimulate imagination, curiosity and exploration.

On Friday we were watercolour painting. This is one of my favourite types of painting for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it involves a lot of thinking. To get a good result, the brush needs to be washed in water before it's put into another colour. The brush also needs to move around on the colour chosen for a little while in order for the water to mix with the paint. This means it can take a little bit of time and thought, instead of instant result being achieved like when arcrylic paints are used. It's also great for younger children like Ed too, though, because it almost always leads to a sponatneous exploration of colour mixing, which is something Ed really enjoyed on Friday.

Lastly, it is super easy to clean up and doesn't stain anything it gets on, which is a huge plus in my book. You can see in the photo, I use a really old sheet to protect the table and recycled yoghurt and fruit containers to hold the water in. Only one brush is used and this is really easy to wash out and the paints can be rinsed under water if the colours get too mixed up. Because it's so easy to clean up, I even let my kids do it indoors, although I wouldn't recommend this for first timers!

Drawing on Wednesday

2009-10-14T19:56:00.000-07:00

Ed and I were out all day yesterday, catching up with friends, and so play needed to wait untl well after school. But, determined to follow through on my quest to set up a play experience for Ed everyday this week, I got a few things out just as I was about to prepare dinner.

Our dining room adjoins our kitchen, so the kids love to set up something for themselves to do at the dining room table while I cook. They can be busy and I can be busy, but we can still talk to each other and be together.

Last night I got some paper and crayons out for Ed and some transport stencils I bought from the supermarket. He has used these stencils before and really enjoys them, but he usually uses textas.I thought I would make the experience slightly different this time by adding crayons instead. Changing drawing implements like this allows your child to use difefrent skills. They need to hold the implement differently, apply different amounts of pressure and renegoiate a task that they are familiar with. These things work fine motor skills and cognitive skills.

While I was getting things organised last night, I discovered an extra bonus of my quest to set things up for Ed this week. It's something that I hadn't really reflected on, but is probably the most developmentally beneficial learning point of all. As I said to Ed, "I'm going to set something up for you to do, come and sit up here", his face lit up with excitement and his sister moaned "Oh, can you set something up for me too?"

As I got them both set up and made my way to the kitchen to start preparing dinner, I replayed what had just happened over in my head and realised how affirming it is for the kids when I take the time to set something up for them. It sends such a powerful message of "I value you, you are important to me and I want you to grow and develop and pursue your interests and creativity". What a wonderful boost to their self-esteem.

What we did on Tuesday

2009-10-13T16:31:00.000-07:00

I'm committed to setting up a play experience for Ed everyday this week and I have to admit, yesterday was a real challenge. I work on Monday and Tuesday morning at the local community centre where I run a couple of play-based kid's activity groups. Ed comes along to both of these groups and so by Tuesday afternoon, we are both exhausted.

He put himself to bed as soon as we got home and slept for 2 hours before we had to rush off to get Em from school. After school, we headed off to the library to get some more car and truck books (I can't believe he's not sick of them yet - we keep getting the same ones!!) and then home to make dinner and have a bath.

I decided to squeeze his activity into bath time. There are so many lovely activities you can set up in the bath and most children just love playing with water - it is one of Ed's favourite things to.

I collected up a bunch of plastic containers big and small as well as some disposable plastic plates I had left over from birthday parties. I then got together some plastic animals of varying shapes and sizes. I just put them on the edge of the bath and left the kids to work out what they wanted to do.

Of course, Ed complained that there weren't any cars, but he was happy to just play with the animals for a change. I sat for a while and we talked about sinking and floating and how many animals could fit in the container. We explored concepts of heavy and light, sinking and floating, in and out and large and small, by just letting the kids experiment while we talked about what they were doing. When the experimentation was over, Em and Ed created their own imaginative play game where the animals would travel in their boats to get to an island. The big animals were the 'Mummies" and the small animals were the 'Babies'. Here, they were working on their social skills and developing their self-esteem and sense of self. There is so much learning and developing to be had in imaginative play games and the wonderful thing about siblings is that they learn so much from each other (with a little help from mum of course!).

The Second Time Around

2009-10-11T21:34:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling a little guilty lately that I don't seem to take the time to set up the activities for Ed that I did for Em when she was his age. I'm a lot busier these days with work, writing, school and a lot more play dates than when I was a lonely mother of one, yet to enter the wonderful social world of Kinder and school. But I'm being a bit tough on myself because play is important and it really matters, so this week, I'm committed to setting up something for Ed to do everyday.

He does play everyday now, but a lot of the time it's initiated by him. With Em, I would set up things that would stimulate her interest, imagination and curiosity. Sometimes I feel like my boy doesn't get the same opportunities. So, I've said 'no' to lots of things this week, and we have some home time planned.

I work on Mondays and Tuesdays, so I will have to have pretty basic activities for the first two days of the week, but sometimes it doesn't take much to set up something exciting.

Today, I went with water play. It's a lovely sunny day here in Melbourne, so I got a plastic basin full of water and put it onto a child-sized table on the deck. We added some plastic cars, toothbrushes, facewashers,a water wheel and a cup - and hey presto! we had an instant car wash. Lots of learning and fun for very little time.

Birthday Traditions

2009-09-27T21:07:00.000-07:00

I've read many articles over the years about the importance of establishing family traditions. They have huge developmental benefits by giving children a sense of belonging and adding to self esteem. They also help to create a sense of family unity and culture. My husband and I have created a few traditions over the years as well as carrying on some from our own families.

My little girl celebrated her sixth birthday on Saturday and it really brought home to me just how important traditions can be and for the first time, I could see how kids benefit form them with my own eyes. Em is old enough now to remember birthdays that have been and gone, and given the fact that Ed had his birthday back in June, Em was able to remember a lot of the things we did for him and she was really excited that it was her turn this time.

I was quite surprised actually at what these little traditions meant to her and she was so keen and eager to be a part of them. It added to her excitement and she had a strong sense of feeling special and being a part of something bigger. It was a really lovely weekend for our family.

We don't do anything major, but these were the things Em was really looking forward to and couldn't wait to be a part of.

Some of our "Butler Family Birthday Traditions":
- Choosing a birthday cake - Growing up, whenever a birthday would roll around, mum would always let us look through her "Women's Weekly" birthday cake book and choose the cake we wanted. It didn't matter how difficult it was, mum would always have a go. I remember loving this as a child. It really did make me feel special and I loved knowing that mum would happily make whatever cake we wanted, just to make our day as special as she could. I've tried to do the same for my kids and my sister does it for her kids too.

- Presents on the coffee table - I didn't really mean for this to become a tradition, but it has taken on a bit of a life of it's own. The night before each child's birthday, I'll wrap the presents and collect up any that have come from family interstate. They all go onto the coffee table for excited little ones to find first thing in the morning. It comes with a very strict "look but don't touch" rule, which has worked well for us so far.

- "The last day I'm 5" - the night before the birthday, I take a photo of the children on the last day before they turn a year older. I always have a little chat to them about what has happened through the year just gone and encourage them to reflect on what they've enjoyed. I record this in a little notebook I've had since they were young.

- The Birthday interview - folowing on from that, since Em's fourth birthday, I've asked her some interview questions and written down her answers. I think she will enjoy looking back on them as she gets older and she can see how she is growing and changing. They're pretty simple questions like - Your favourite food, colour, friends, toys, but I may make them a little more involved as she gets bigger. I think self-reflection is such a lovely thing to nurture.

- Family time - whether we have a party or not, we always spend some time together as a family on the weekend before or after the birthday and try to have a special outing. In the past few years, we've taken Em to the Melbourne show but this year we went bowling.

- Birthday dinner - Again, regardless of what else has gone on, we always have a family dinner on Birthday night and the person who is celebrating gets to choose exactly what we have. This is always followed up by a cake, which means I am often stuck making two cakes for one birthday, but looking at that little smile as she blows out the candles, surrounded by the people who love her makes it all worth it!!

What birthday traditions do you have in your family? I would love to hear about them.

A House Not Just For Dolls

2009-09-19T18:06:00.000-07:00

We have 4 dolls' houses at our house. One holds all our board books, the kid's have one in each of their rooms and the other is a lovely small wooden one that is in the playroom for everyone to use.

A dolls' house is great for development. It provides a lovely back drop for imaginative play games that work on fine motor and language development, cognitive skills and of course those very important social and emotional skills. It's such a lovely place for children to play out the social rules and norms they see going on in their everyday lives.

I found during my teaching years and with my own two kids, that not all children enjoy playing with dolls. But that doesn't mean they have to miss out on the great developmental opportunities the dolls' house provides.

Take my boy for example. The other day I went into Ed's room to find him playing with the dolls' house he had pulled out from under his bed. There was not a doll in sight mind you, his cars had taken over! I quickly gathered up some furniture for him to keep his game going, but snuck back in to take these pictures when he was having a toilet break. He played at this game for a really long time and the cars took on the roles that the dolls usually take.

I've substituted dolls many times for my daughter too, and added props to extend her play. Here are some great things to add to the dolls' house:
- an animal family - cats, dogs, elephants, lions etc
- fairies
- cars
- trucks
- buttons
- rocks
- glass stones
- small squares of felt and/or material
- small grocery boxes with one side cut out of them to act as extra furniture
- paddle pop sticks
- matchsticks
- bottle tops
- small patty pans

A Truckload of Fun

2009-09-03T18:19:00.000-07:00

Ed seems to have a particular interest in construction vehicles at the moment. He is obsessed with the "Digger" book we got from the library a couple of weeks ago and loves to play with the 2 dump trucks from his Thomas the Tank Engine collection - Max & Monty.

We've been enjoying some much needed time at home this morning so I decided that instead of just leaving him to his own devices, I would take 5 or so minutes to collect up some materials that would help his imaginative play along a little. Here's what I came up with.

I've noticed he likes to be quite active in his play, everything needs to have something to do, so I thought I would collect up all of his dump trucks and construction vehicles form his various suitcases. I put all of these together in the wooden box. I then got some buttons, rocks and stones to act as "loads" for the trucks to carry and move around. I added the meat trays and container lids to act as places for the trucks to unload and the blocks and road signs to be included as buildings, bridges and well, signs. I didn't add the small squares of material for any particular reason, but I like to just throw things like this into their play and see what they do with it.

Ed had an absolute ball with this set up. I started him off by showing him what I had put out and talking him through what I thought he could maybe use the materials for. I then showed him how the dump truck could unload into one of the trays and left him to it while he got himself going. I find with Ed that if I get too involved, it stifles his creativity a bit, so I went into another room to leave him to it.

The activity provided lots of learning opportunities. He talked the whole time he was playing - to himself about what he was doing, creating voices for the trucks and bossing the vehicles around. He used lots of the technical, descriptive language to talk about the play - loaders, trays, ditches, flat beds, road trains. It gave him the chance to put into play the language he has learned from the books we have read and the shows he has watched about vehicles. This is a really important tool for strengthening what he is learning. He also talked about and explored lots of concepts like big/small, full/empty, loading/unloading, fits/doesn't fit. He also needed to work his fine motor skills when trying to get the small items in and out of the trucks. His brain got a bit of a workout too as he tried to determine which loads would fit in which truck and what cars were small enough and thin enough to fit under his bridge.

The wonderful thing about this sort of play is he could do it on his own. I only needed to set it up for him and then it's totally up to him what happens next and what direction his learning and exploring takes. In the meantime, I had a chance to tidy up, get the washing on and some dishes done. Of course I got lots of updates about what was going on as well as the occasional "this is so exciting". I also had to look at the ditch being built and the cars fitting under the bridge as I walked through the lounge room to put some things away but my involvement and feedback, however brief, sends a really powerful message of "I'm interested in and value what you are doing" which is also valuable for his learning and self-esteem. Can you believe we achieved so much in an hour of free-play with buttons, rocks and a couple of trucks?!