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. 

Complete guide to tuff trays

Are you wondering what a Tuff Tray is? Perhaps you can't understand what all the hype is about - do you REALLY need a tuff tray? Are they any alternatives to having a Tuff Tray? Will a tuff tray fit inside your space? Perhaps you have purchased one and now you don't know what to do with it, and need some help and advice on tuff tray set ups? 

 

Fear not, we have you covered! This post will tell you everything you need to know about tuff trays and will sign post you to some fab tuff tray play ideas too!

Gift Guide for 40 year olds

Welcome to our carefully curated gift guide for 40-year-olds! Whether it's a milestone birthday, a special anniversary, or just a thoughtful gesture, finding the perfect gift for someone in their 40s can be a delightful challenge. At this stage of life, individuals often have a clearer sense of their interests and preferences, making it all the more important to choose a gift that resonates with their unique personality and experiences. 

 

Disclosure: Some of these items were gifted in return for an honest review.

In this comprehensive guide, we've compiled a diverse range of gift ideas that cater to the tastes, passions, and lifestyles of those navigating their 40s. From personalized and meaningful presents to practical and indulgent options, you'll discover the ideal gift to celebrate this significant moment in their life. So, whether you're shopping for a friend, family member, or your significant other, let's dive into this treasure trove of gift inspiration to help you make their 40s even more remarkable!

Preparing for Twins: What do I need?

Congratulations! You're expecting twins! But what products do you actually need when preparing for the birth of multiples?  How can you make sure you have everything covered when you have one pair of hands and 2 (or more) babies?

This blog post will make your life so much easier, by arming you with the info and the items you really need to buy when expecting twins...and yes, this guidance comes straight from my own twin sister, who also gave birth to twins herself...shes a twin with twins, and she knows her stuff. Let's dive in...

Mud Kitchen | Ideas & Accessories for Outdoor Play | EYFS

Would you like to understand more about what a mud kitchen is? What the benefits are of having a mud kitchen in your outdoor area? How can you you effectively use a mud kitchen and plan for activities for kids? What do you need in a mud kitchen? Where can you buy a mud kitchen and accessories and what are the learning outcomes? 

This post aims to give some useful ideas and inspiration for using your mud kitchen and mud kitchen accessories effectively for outdoor play...

 

For young children to really benefit from outdoor play, the outdoor area should be an extension of the indoor area - not a simply a separate place for 'limited' playtime, a reward for hard work or somewhere to simply 'have a run around'. I have talked before about this separation of indoor and outdoor play, and the negative consequences that this can have in my post about the importance of learning through play outside which can be found here. One of the key pieces of equipment for an outdoor learning space, which will tie into lots of different areas of learning is to have a mud kitchen. Whether you are looking to encourage role play, speaking and listening, relationship building, mathematical concepts or simply to create a space where children can learn and explore and play with what they know or just make mud pies - a mud kitchen provides endless possibilities...

Exploring the Benefits of Coding for Young Learners

It is no secret that the world of technology is changing and evolving at a rapid rate, and in order to cope with this constant evolution, it is more important than ever that coding and the various essential elements of computer programming be taught to students at a younger and younger age.

What seems difficult to grasp to an uninitiated adult will hopefully feel like second nature to a young person growing up with all of the education and tools provided to them, and this is what is needed to ensure that generations of the future are adequately prepared to face all of the changes that are inevitably coming. Whilst there is plenty to read at Codemonkey on the subject, here is an exploration of some of the biggest benefits of coding for young learners.

57 Tuff Tray Activity ideas for open ended Play

I love our tuff tray, (probably even more than the children do), and thinking up tuff tray ideas - and although it can be a challenge to set them up sometimes - I love the wow factor a new tray play activity brings to young children and how excited and enthusiastic they are to go and explore straight away! I know that my carefully laid resources will be scattered around within minutes, but honestly, that's the beauty of it. A well played with tuff tray, where learning opportunities arise, does not come from children feeling like they can't touch, move, reorder or explore. A day without some 'mess' has usually been an unproductive one....

I often post new tuff tray ideas over on my Instagram or my Facebook page - usually they never make it into a blog post because I'm just too excited to share our learning straight away! Please pop over and give me a follow if you'd like to keep up to date with new activities.  You can also subscribe to my blog using the box at the bottom of this post. I've picked out 57 (originally 19 but i keep updating!) of our current favourite tuff tray ideas here for you to enjoy and feel inspired! I also have a post showcasing our best sensory tray play ideas here.  If you want to learn more about tuff trays first - have a read of our complete guide to tuff trays here. 

You can find many of the resources mentioned over in my Amazon affiliate ideas list here (click here for USA version).

Forest School Activities

Are you looking for Forest Schools activities for your home or setting? Perhaps you’re wondering how to set up a DIY Forest School, considering the benefits of sending your child to forest school or simply wondering what a Forest School is?

 

This post is here to answer all of your Forest School questions, we’ve got some fab book recommendations to get you started and information from our very own Forest School expert – Kim Jarvis from Wirral Wildlings Forest School.

CARAT London Carissa necklace review

This Carissa necklace from CARAT London is a gold vermeil of 92.5% Sterling Silver with a layer of gold, 9 round stones to the front and additional decoration on the closure at the back.
 

Disclosure: Partnership with CARAT London

I have recently had my very long locks cut into a graduated bob, and so this graduated stone design which sits beautifully on the neck is the perfect finish to my current look. Read on for more detailed information on this piece, how best to wear it and measurement details…

Planning our Summer holiday 2023

It’s been almost 5 years since our last proper summer holiday. We went to Spain in 2018 when Charlotte was still a baby and the world was a very different place! Throw in a few years of Covid lockdowns, a new summer born baby, a new house and a partial renovation … the chance of a holiday was way out of our grasp. 

After losing my lovely Nanna last year (the day after the Queen passed), we decided that we wanted to focus more on family experiences this year - going to new places, doing things together and absolutely having a summer holiday. I’d been saving for the last few years and used most of my maternity allowance as our budget for going away. I was pretty sure that once I’d given birth, I’d find it harder to undertake my usual work and so wanted to get used to living without the security of my wage ‘just in case’. You can use various financial calculators to help plan your finances if you wish. We made sacrifices in lots of areas of our life in order to cut our spending (I stopped having my hair coloured and highlighted and embraced the grey for a start!) and so thankfully, we were finally able to book somewhere to go...