tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499257246616916532024-03-08T08:42:38.396+00:00The Rainbow PlayhouseA place for play, great toy reviews and all things early childhoodWendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811378581782126686noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549925724661691653.post-65196688280494050202012-04-05T12:43:00.000+01:002012-04-05T12:43:21.610+01:00Toy Review: Birdwood PlayhousesOur new playhouse arrived this weekend! Hurrah! I've got big plans for this little house which I'll post about as I get it done, but for the moment it is being used empty and the kids are loving it.
I ordered it from Birdwood Playhouses for the bargain price of £250. Their basic small playhouse runs less, but I had ours customised. Andrew, the owner, added an Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811378581782126686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549925724661691653.post-82070529128646585452012-04-03T10:26:00.000+01:002012-04-03T10:26:45.776+01:00Sensory Bin / Discovery Box: Valentine's Day HeartsA bit out of season, but this was one of my most popular sensory boxes and got regular daily play through the whole month.
Included in the Valentine's box were 2 lined baskets, a couple of packs of plastic hearts, a pack of painted wooden hearts, a pack of red plastic jewels, some red wire balls and a couple of stray Christmas decorations. The containers are small wooden bowlsWendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811378581782126686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549925724661691653.post-12101418791169755012012-04-02T23:13:00.000+01:002012-04-02T23:13:47.587+01:00Sensory Bin / Discovery Box: Gardening (with optional water station)The weather has been glorious here in the West of England for the last week or so and all my attentions have turned outdoors. I have a small stockpile of posts to write about some of the ways I've been making my tiny garden a haven for outside exploration and play. I'll try to get a few more posts up in the next week to compensate for my bloglessness over the past couple of weeks (Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811378581782126686noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549925724661691653.post-71408977519069645852012-03-21T23:17:00.001+00:002012-03-21T23:34:25.565+00:00Simple Project: Rainbow Bird MobileWe are in full Spring mode here, even if the weather isn't quite as warm as I'd like. One of the things I've been working on in spare moments is this rainbow bird mobile. Easy, cheap and cheerful!
I ordered the polystyrene birds from Yellow Moon with the intention of just quickly painting them and hanging them in the front window.
However, as you can see, the paint didn't coverWendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811378581782126686noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549925724661691653.post-13832126966177898542012-03-14T21:47:00.000+00:002012-03-14T21:47:45.795+00:00Montessori: Posting EggsOne of the little girls I look after is mad for posting in any form. I put this Easter themed activity together with her in mind, but added numbers to the eggs as a way to introduce written numbers 10-20 to E. He is still working with the wooden sandpaper numbers I made a couple of weeks ago, but is beginning to verbally count beyond 10.
I started off by cutting a Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811378581782126686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549925724661691653.post-44685138358367716342012-03-13T14:28:00.002+00:002012-03-21T22:50:25.974+00:00Sensory Bin / Discovery Box: BirdsI am a HUGE fan of the sensory bin / discovery box and always have one out for the kids. I do change them every 4-6 weeks or so, depending on interest and season. This week I've put one together around a bird theme as the birds have all come out and are chirping away in my back garden (unfortunately it won't be long before my cat starts leaving them as 'presents' for us, upcoming Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811378581782126686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549925724661691653.post-70553277014110886292012-03-07T22:26:00.001+00:002012-03-22T16:50:17.008+00:00Toy Review: Grimm's Spiel und Holz Extra Large Wooden Stacking Rainbow
I love this rainbow stacker from Grimm's. No, really. It makes my heart sing and I intend to own it for the rest of my days. Ostensibly I bought it for the children and I do let them play with it. This is one of the very few toys we own that doesn't get rotated off the shelves. Sometimes I do move it around just to rekindle interest though.
The Rainbow Stacker Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811378581782126686noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549925724661691653.post-83621045112676947322012-03-01T22:03:00.001+00:002012-03-01T23:00:52.430+00:00Simple Children's Sofa from an Ikea Bedside TableSo I've been on the search for a suitable child-sized sofa for a while now. Everything I've come across is too big, too bland, too childish or too expensive. I was recently browsing IKEA Hackers and inspiration struck. Here's the result!
I started with the RAST bedside table from Ikea for the bargain price of £8.99. I wanted to have some storage underneath so Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811378581782126686noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549925724661691653.post-65520067630618449142012-02-29T22:21:00.003+00:002012-03-01T13:25:43.023+00:00Toy Review: Djeco Tac Boum Pom (or the Wooden Apple Tree!)
Djeco's Tac Boum Pom is a wooden ball track disguised as an apple tree.
The small bird is spring-mounted and the bird bends back to let the ball through to make its way down the tree and over the leaves to bounce off the small flower at the base and make it's way to the front again. We bought this for E's first birthday and it was one of his most beloved toys. The bird on our tree Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811378581782126686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549925724661691653.post-2730430379400991232012-02-24T22:04:00.003+00:002012-03-01T13:27:05.806+00:00Friday Fun: Squishy Bag TableI'm a big fan of the squishy bag or glitter bag. Simple, cheap, and mess free - what's not to like? I have used these with kids from babies to 6 and they are loved by all. Even the adults who venture into my house can't resist them. If you haven't seen these before the instructions are simple: fill a plastic freezer bag with something squishy, zip it closed, and tape over Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811378581782126686noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549925724661691653.post-30243964670881542592012-02-21T22:43:00.003+00:002012-02-22T20:23:56.321+00:00Toy Review: Lakeshore Sort-A-Shape Activity BoardE received the Lakeshore Sort-A-Shape Activity Board for his first birthday (he's now 2.5) and I have to say, it has been a great toy.
E's friend (15 months)
Chunky enough for small hands to manipulate, but complex enough to pose some challenge. A great introduction to numbers, shapes and colours, the Lakeshore Sort-A-Shape board helps children develop their fine motor skills and Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811378581782126686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549925724661691653.post-76066797316679927812012-02-20T21:25:00.002+00:002012-03-13T20:20:27.227+00:00Accidental Montessori: Sorting ButtonsI was using plastic buttons today for a project - my son, E, came into the kitchen and his eyes lit up. He's always loved buttons and I keep a jar on my dresser which he plays with every morning whilst I get ready for the day. These were NEW and SHINY buttons and he needed them immediately. After dumping them out and telling me all about the colours he started picking out the Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811378581782126686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549925724661691653.post-40075247818755237822012-02-19T16:18:00.003+00:002012-02-22T20:31:48.452+00:00DIY Wooden Montessori Sandpaper NumbersMy son, E, is 2.5. He has recently started asking me about letters and numbers, as in 'What is this? This is a number 1.' I'm not ready for this yet. I'm more in the camp of let the children play, there's lots of time for formal learning later on. However, I'm also a firm believer in following the child's lead and this seems to be what my kid wants to know right now.  Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811378581782126686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549925724661691653.post-78397761324582002512012-02-18T08:56:00.000+00:002012-02-18T08:56:48.839+00:00The first postSo this is my new shiny blog. Yep. I'm a blogger now. Like lots of mums I want a place to keep record of what we're doing and exchange creative and play ideas with others. I will also do regular toy reviews. I have a serious wooden toy habit and a lack of space, so only the best get space on our shelves. Maybe you have limited space too and I can save you wasting money on useless toys and Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811378581782126686noreply@blogger.com0