Tuesday 30 August 2011
I believe that kids and nature belong together, so I encourage my children to play daily outside, exploring their backyard and the natural elements in it. I believe that tree climbing is one of childhood’s greatest joys. I believe that happy kids require both freedom and boundaries. I believe children’s environments should be as safe as necessary, rather than as safe as possible. And I believe that falling down is a normal part of an active childhood.
Monday 29 August 2011 -
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Every now and then I have great idea, followed closely by
“Why didn’t I think of this sooner?”
The simple ideas are always the best. I simply screwed a couple of old brass hooks (which were lying unused in the bottom of a toolbox) onto the fence at child height. We were already using the two green baskets for outdoor toy storage. I love them because:
Friday 19 August 2011 -
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I spotted these popstick-girl-shapes in a craft store, and grabbed a packet immediately. I just knew they would come in handy for… well, for something! When Miss 5 was recently at home sick they provided wonderful entertainment.
I put out any sparkly collage materials I could find, as well as some fabric and PVA glue. I also had a few leftover precut felt butterfly shapes which proved perfect for wings. ...
Tuesday 09 August 2011 -
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I have long had the idea of putting an actual letterbox in the backyard for the kids to use. FINALLY I got around to it.
Letter writing is such a great, purposeful literacy activity. It provides a reason to write, and an incentive to write well because you want the recipient to be able to read their letter when they receive it!
I picked up this letterbox from our local (big green) hardware store for around $12. ...
Thursday 28 July 2011 -
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I have seen some beautiful examples of teepees around online, including a gorgeous one you can buy the pattern for at Childhood101 for a grand $5! (This is not an affiiliate link.)
Sewing isn’t really my thing though. I’m more of a “let’s see what we’ve got and throw something together” kind of mum. Using three long sticks, a piece of string and an old sheer curtain, we made our own...
Friday 15 July 2011 -
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It was almost a year ago that I heard about creating outdoor mud or dirt kitchens, and decided to create one for the kids in our backyard. In my first post about Dirt Kitchens I wrote:
We looked around to see what we had already that might work for our kitchen, and found an old painted box from my classroom days, as well as the piece of laminate chopped out of our real kitchen to make way for the sink. Perfect. ...
Monday 04 July 2011 -
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There are lots of reasons why I love this activity, and why you should try it with your kids!
It’s easy to set up.
It’s exciting!
It gets kids outside.
It provides a purposeful reading opportunity.
It can be modified for a range of ages.
Wednesday 29 June 2011 -
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It’s a question often whispered amongst parents. We don’t want to ask out loud for fear of judgment, but most of us admit to using it. The TV. The question is… how much is too much?
I spoke on air recently about screen time. If you missed it on the radio, you might like to listen to the podcast below:
96Five Radio Podcast
Here are some of my thoughts:
I’m not against television viewing. ...
Monday 20 June 2011 -
47 Comments »
Lately I’ve been hearing a message I really dislike: Keep your kids out of the winter weather. I’m not sure where the message is coming from, or why. Of course we have to make allowances for weather, but there is no need to keep kids indoors. Outdoor play is an important part of a child’s day – every day.
Almost a year ago to the day, I wrote here on the blog about Playing Whatever the...
Thursday 16 June 2011 -
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It was a cold afternoon, and after being outside all I could think about was wrapping my hands around a warm cup of tea. I put the kettle on, and suggested the kids set up their own tea party for afternoon tea too.
They brought their “kids” along (a baby and a bear), then set the table with a tablecloth and our Plan Toys wooden tea set. The three of us enjoyed the role play as we made tea, fed the “kids”...
