Christmas Playdough Mats | Free Download

There are so many benefits of playdough play, whether your children prefer lots of structure or to mix the colours of the playdough it is a great way to release inner creativity and to keep little ones (and big ones!) busy and entertained with an activity over the holiday season. These free christmas playdough mats are ready for you to download and laminate....

These xmas playdough mats were originally a free download over on my shop childledplay.co.uk to be used alongside my playdough. I am now posting them here for my blog readers to benefit from too. You can also find a home made playdough recipe here. 

'The Snowman' Tuff tray ideas and activities

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...oh yes! It's that time of year again folks, and based on the fact we have already been watching The Snowman on DVD and reading The Snowman by Raymond Briggs since November, I have been busy putting together 'The Snowman' Tuff tray and activity ideas for you - including a link to a blog post and video of how to make your own Snowman squeezy-oobleck sensory ball!

You'll have probably noticed by now that I love a good Tuff Tray Activity, and whereas I usually resort to posting them straight to my Instagram page, this time I shall provide you with  a little bit more information! Carry on reading below for information on how to put together this fab, snowman melting tuff tray activity...

10 things you don't know about me

I've had quite a few new followers recently, so in the interest of you all getting to know ME a little better, I am veering away from my usual type of post and diving head first into this one - 10 things you don't know about me!

Those who do know me well know that I'm not really one for putting myself in the spotlight, or tooting my own horn - it's taken me a while to get used to having photos of myself (rather than just my children!) on my Instagram feed, but I think I've made good progress there, so here you go.....

Paj finder GPS child tracker review

Have you ever thought you’d lost your child? Or thought that your child had gone missing? We have been in that situation and nothing prepares you for the absolute panic that washes over you. It’s like the world suddenly moves in slow motion, everything goes quiet apart from the deafening sound of your own heartbeat banging hard against your chest. Your brain loses the ability to process your actions as you focus on your one objective of finding your child. In that moment, you wish that you had a sense of where they were, that you could just look on your phone and track them via their phone…except little children don’t have phones do they?

 

Disclosure: Paid partnership in return for an honest review

When Paj got in touch and asked me if I would like to try out their GPS tracker for children, which can also be used as a GPS vehicle tracker,  I jumped at the chance. I’ve always wondered how well they work, and if they’re worth it. Arthur is now wanting a little more independence too so the timing was perfect. I’ve been given a 6 month subscription to the tracker, which I’ve been testing and will give you a little more info below…but first, back to the story of how we (thought) we’d lost Arthur when he was 3 years old…

10 Questions to ask when choosing a Primary School

Are you currently looking around Primary Schools for next September ready for your child to start in Reception class, or, Foundation stage 2? Are you wondering what questions you should ask when choosing a new school? What things you should be looking for when looking around a new school or classroom?

 I found it really hard to approach this task with my 'parent hat' on, rather than my 'Teacher hat'. As many of you will know, I am a Primary School Teacher who specialised in the Early Years (EYFS) and I am extremely passionate about active, free-flow, play based learning. 

I have compiled a list of questions to ask when trying to choose a primary school below, some of which I asked when looking around the schools...some that I wish I had asked! Anyway, here is the benefit of my hindsight, carefully set out for you to use when researching schools for yourself... and once you've chosen, you can pop back and read my post all about school readiness and how to help our children prepare for Reception class. 

Sensory Tray Play Ideas

Are you looking for ideas and activities for your tray play, tuff tray and sensory play? This blog post links to LOTS of sensory tray play activities for you to try. Simply scroll down, find the activity you like and click on the link to go to the full blog post with all of the information and resources needed. 

Best Ways to Document Your Child's Life

Have you ever looked at your child and realised how fast they are growing up? The hardest part of being a parent is seeing your child growing and knowing that you can't pause it, even just for a moment. You don't get to go back and give those cheeky rolls a squish for one more day once their limbs are long and slender. You can't rewind to their newborn days and refresh your memory on their eye colour... However, our generation is fortunate since people in the twenty-first century have access to a wide variety of digital devices. You can use them to record your child's first steps, first words, and funny or lovely events. You can also share your child's accomplishments on other social media platforms.

 

Disclosure: This is a collaborate post

Most of us associate our childhood with our hometown, relatives, holidays, and parents. Imagine your adult child being able to see many videos from their childhood after many years. Videos and photos can help people to plunge into their memories. For example, it could be a video of a family celebrating Christmas or a child's birthday...how many times do you take a photo and think, "I'm saving that one for their 18th birthday!".  Furthermore, with the growth of technology, children might pass videos and photos from generation to generation. Unlike when many of us where young - your memories don't have to be put on a shelf because photos and videos can easily be stored in the cloud.

Since memories are valuable, nothing is more important than recording your child's life. This article will teach you the finest ways to document your child's life.

First Day of School Poem

It's here. Now’s the time. I tell myself I’ll be fine

Its your first day of school, a new book, a new line

But one day you were here every day of the week,

playing with toys, reading books, hide and seek

Now those little legs skip on the pavement to class, as your hand fits in mine - but I hold it like glass...

A Poem for your First Day of School ...

School readiness – preparing your child for Reception Class

School readiness…its something you’ll probably hear quite a lot if you have a child who is preparing to start Reception Class in September, but what does it actually mean??

How can we, as parents, make sure that we are helping and not hindering when preparing our 4 year olds for big school?

Most of my Teaching career was spent teaching Reception, and so this is something I thought long and hard about when passing on information to Parents. What would I hope, as their Teacher, they could do already? What sort of things would I discuss in the Parents meetings for new starters? Where would my expectations be bearing in mind I don’t yet know the children or what level they are at?

Its not what you might expect….

10 ways to cope with exam stress

As exam season approaches, students can often feel overwhelming levels of stress that can hinder their revision preparation. Exams can feel like a lot of pressure as students need to get certain grades to get into their chosen University.

 

 Disclosure: Paid Partnership Collaborative post

Students often feel anxious and nervous when approaching this time, so we’ve devised a list of some handy tips on how to manage exam stress...