Tuesday 08 February 2011
The whole thing came about with a simple conversation. Miss 4 shouted from the dirt kitchen “Mummy! Come and buy a cake from my bakery.” I headed up to the nature cubby and placed my order…
Mum: Mmm, those cupcakes look delicious. I’ll have two of those please, and can I have a loaf of bread?
Miss 4: Sorry, we don’t sell any bread here.
Mum: Oh? I thought this was a bakery?
Miss 4: It’s a bakery that only sells cakes.
Mum: I see. So you are a baker at a patisserie then.
Miss 4: What’s a pa-sister-y?
Mum: Patisserie. A patisserie is shop where they...
Friday 28 January 2011 -
7 Comments »
There are lots of gorgeous teasets available for little girls, but ones that are gender-neutral, or suitable for boys, are quite hard to find. I don’t want my son to think that kitchen things are just for girls! Mr 2 loves to make “cups of coffee” for visitors (or for his Dad) and this wooden set is perfect for him.
This week I helped him to take his “cup of coffee” play a step further,...
Tuesday 21 December 2010 -
12 Comments »
My independent Miss 4 loves to make up her own recipes in the kitchen. She has helped me with basic baking for most of her little life, so she has some idea of what a cake needs, and how to go about it. Today I baked gingerbread shapes ready for Christmas, while my daughter made her own cakes from scratch.
First she wrote out her recipe. Not a bad effort!! I try not to do too much “teaching” with her...
Saturday 27 November 2010 -
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This week two fabulous kids’ magazines from the ABC have been released. The full-colour, super-glossy mags will appeal to lower and middle primary students, and are sure to entice reluctant readers. They are also an excellent way of encouraging reading during the long school holidays. I think these make fantastic stocking-fillers, or great gifts that don’t cost a fortune. You can pick them up online,...
Friday 15 October 2010 -
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Guest post by Aleesah Darlison:
The Joys and Challenges of Writing for Children
I set my dreams to become a published author in motion just over four years ago. After having my second child, I thought I could become an author by simply writing while the kids slept. Naive, I know, but these are the slender foundations dreams are often built on.
Now, four years later, I have had my very own picture book, Puggle’s Problem,...
Friday 03 September 2010 -
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The sixth edition of the free publication Literacy Lava has just been released this week. It’s a fabulous resource for parents who want to be literacy-aware, and who want to encourage their children as readers and writers. This time I have an article included on Story Stones. Here’s a snippet:
Stones and rocks have been used in different cultures throughout the ages to tell stories to children and adults...
Friday 27 August 2010 -
7 Comments »
I can’t believe it’s the last day of Book Week and I’m only just getting up my Book Week post! The 2010 theme is Across The Story Bridge. Seeing as though we have an actual bridge in our backyard over the dry creek bed, I thought we would take reading outside this week. I spread a small rug on one side of the bridge with a selection of current favourites.
There’s something special about...
Saturday 21 August 2010 -
32 Comments »
I love letters and sounds, and when it comes to alphabet-based resources I know exactly what I’m looking for. I want lowercase letters. I want clear fonts. I want letter-word relationships that demonstrate an understanding of phonics and awareness of the most common sounds. I’m not asking or much, am I?!
I was so pleased to find the Mm Is For Me wall stickers checked all my boxes. Ashleigh Hoyle...
Tuesday 17 August 2010 -
13 Comments »
My little man watches his big sister construct all manner of creations with boxes, junk mail, scissors and glue. She can whip up anything from a bird to a robot in no time. The other day while watching her create some masterpiece, Mr-Almost-Two discovered glue. Glorious, magical glue.
I grabbed a junk mail catalogue and chopped out pictures of items he knows and can identify. Truck, shoe, camera, train, baby,...
Sunday 18 July 2010 -
20 Comments »
I was eavesdropping on my husband reading aloud to our daughter the other night, and I was very impressed. He was doing so many great read-aloud things with a familiar and much loved book. He paused to allow her to jump in with words she knew, he invited her to make predictions about the text, he encouraged her to investigate the illustrations for further clues, and he varied the volume and pace of his voice according...
