Schleich Wildlife and Farm Animals

Learning about animals opens up a fascinating world for children and with Schleich’s vast collection of farm and wild life animals, little ones can learn as they play. With an extensive range of beautiful animal figures, Schleich puts the world in children's hands, allowing them to play, explore and discover.

Schleich animals are perfect for collecting and collections can be added to to create an entire play world for children to enjoy. Ready-to-play sets and accessories add extra elements to the play value and with new animals and accessories being added year after year, children's collections can grow alongside their imaginations.

I love the Schleich animal figures. The attention to detail is enhanced by the high quality paintwork that brings each animal to life. Children can learn so much about the animal kingdom through their Schleich collection and engage in imaginative games. We've collected Schleich animals for many years and they have been played with by each of my children. They are so well made they last for years so are a great investment that I can see being played with for many more years to come by the next generation of our family.

We were delighted to receive an Indian Rhino, a Lion, a Black Bull and a Fresian Cow to add to our collection. As expected, each figure is beautifully made with realistic detailing and quality paintwork. The Schleich animals are solid with a good weight, making them sturdy and robust and able to withstand being played with, even by younger children aged 3 and over, making them perfect for pre-schoolers, introducing them to the animal kingdom.

The Indian Rhino has wonderfully realistic, textured skin, while the Lion has a very detailed mane and whiskered face. The Cow and Bull are a lovely pair with their hooved feet, gentle eyes and long tails. The anatomical realism is very well observed in each animal figure.

The Lion has an RRP of £5.99 and the Rhino, Cow and Bull are £7.99 available from
www.schleich-s.co.uk.

Discovering Clementoni Toys - Crazy Chic Nail Salon and Archeofun

Clementoni is a leading European toy brand, and both Kizzy and Freddy have been lucky enough to each try something from their brilliant range. With toys suitable from birth to 13,200 piece puzzles suitable for adults, they have an extensive selection, incorporating educational toys for young learners, creative toys, Disney toys, baby toys, electronic toys and a huge selection of puzzles.

Crazy Chic - My Beauty World Nail Salon

Anyone who enjoys make-up and beauty will love this nail salon set. It includes three bottles of nail varnish along with nail file, adhesive jewels, 3D stickers and glitter to customise the look. There is also a removable, handy nail polish hand dryer to speed up the drying process.

Everything fits into a work station, keeping it all safe and together. The full colour instruction booklet gives tips and ideas for funky manicures, and there are plenty of contents in the set for using time and time again.

Kizzy and her friend Georgia had some creative fun designing looks for each other using the nail varnish and the accessories.  It is a lovely set for girls to practice their varnishing skills and explore their own unique style.

Science & Play Archeofun - T-Rex and Triceratops

Freddy is learning all about dinosaurs in school for this term's project. He is really interested in this subject matter so when he received this Science and Play 2 in 1 Archeofun set he could not wait to get started.

The set contains two plaster blocks inside which are the 'bones' of two dinosaurs, a T-rex and a Triceratops. Using the hammer and chisel, children can play at being archaeologists and chip away at the plaster to reveal the bones inside, which are then gently removed. Once excavated and cleaned, they can be attached together to create two fantastic, glow in the dark dinosaur skeleton models.

Freddy absolutely loved chipping away at the plaster block and was thrilled to find the bones hidden inside. We started off indoors with a tray, but he generated a lot of mess with his over zealous hammering so we moved outdoors to continue the process. The instructions suggest laying down newspaper, but we didn't have any. I'd definitely recommend that or plastic sheeting because it does create a lot of thick, white dust.

It took him quite a while to find and remove all the bones, but he was persistent with the job in hand and really enjoyed the whole process of unearthing his skeleton. It's a great introduction to palaeontology for children.

The models are really lovely in their own right. They fit together nicely and are quite sturdy. Freddy took them into school for Show & Tell as he was excited to share his excitement with his classmates.

I really liked that this set not only had the fun of excavating the bones, it also then allowed Freddy to build the models, which are now on display in his bedroom. The set also includes some dinosaur fact cards and an informative instruction booklet, which explains about fossils, giving some scientific background to the toy.

Find out more about this exciting toy brand at Clementoni.com.

Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths for Kids with Blaze and the Monster Machines

Nick Jr's latest show Blaze and the Monster Machines is a great way of introducing the STEM subjects to little ones.  Blaze finds solutions to problems by using his scientific knowledge and changing into different machines with the help of his friends.

To celebrate the UK premiere of Blaze and the Monster Machines we hosted a Twitter party with UKMums.tv.  Freddy and his guests enjoyed taking part in some fun science experiments and enjoyed watching the first episode of Blaze and the Monster Machines.

We had some 4M science kits from Great Gizmos  to try out alongside some other educational activities, all designed to make the children think about science, maths, engineering and technology in an entertaining and fun way.  The Magnetic Racer and the Hover Jet worked particularly well.

It was great to see the children enjoying the science activities.  They loved predicting whether things would sink or float in the big bucket of water, exploring the buoyancy of objects. They predicted what might happen and excitedly tested out their predictions to see if they were right.

They enjoyed building vehicles out of boxes with wooden wheels and also out of chocolate bars and sweeties!  The cardboard box vehicles proved quite challenging as the children worked out how to attach the wheels in order for them to be able to spin.  Seeing them puzzle through the problems and come up with a solution was great and showed exceptional team work skills.

They used balloon power and magnetism to make vehicles move, exploring the laws of motion. There was lots of thinking, lots of learning...and a lot of laughter!

Blaze and the Monster Machines proved a big hit.  The children loved the first episode and were joining in with Blaze's challenges and laughing at the funny, slapstick humour.  I was impressed with the educational content of the show, which explored friction as well as getting the kids to think about materials and types of machines.  It will definitely be a TV show that Freddy regularly tunes into to, it was right up his street.

Catch Blaze and the Monster Trucks on weekdays at 4pm on Nick Jr from Monday 9th March.

Bath Time Fun for Little Ones with the Bathtime Buddies Alphabet Set

A Bathtime Poem

The bath is not just for cleaning and washing,

It's a place for fun and splishing and sploshing!

A place for imagination and play.

A place to unwind at the end of the day.

When little Freddy jumps himself in,

Submerging himself right up to this chin,

Immersed in a sea of bubbly bubbles

Full of magical fun, free from all troubles.

One of the things he really enjoys

Is having some fun and playing with toys.

My little schoolboy is quite discerning,

Enjoying mixing play with learning,

So his favourite toy to get,

Is his Bathtime Buddies Alphabet Set!

                              

Learning how to read and spell,

Is something he is doing well,

His ability just keeps getting better,

The more he plays with the colourful letters.
Making words, spelling names,
Learning while he plays his games!

They stick to the side of the bath,

(And also to him, which makes him laugh!)

The 65 letters can also float,

Like a fleet of alphabetical boats.

And when bathtime is over for another day,

The letters are easy to pack away.

Scoop them up - water and all

Then drain with the lid...this is so cool!

A clean boy and tidy bath post play,

Is thanks to the experts at H & A!

Overview: The Bathtime Buddies Alphabet Set consists of 65 lowercase foam letters that float in water and can stick to tiles and onto the bath tub. They come in a storage tub with a holed lid for drainage.

They are fun, educational and there are plenty of repeated letters to make words with.  They float and stick well and are a great value bath toy for little ones to enjoy!

Suitable for ages 3+. Available in Asda, Sainsbury’s, Tesco & Wilko  RRP £3.30

Little Live Pets at Eureka! The National Children's Museum

We were lucky enough to be invited to the Eureka! The National Children's Museum in Halifax for the Little Live Pets takeover.  I was really excited to take the two little ones on a day out to a place that has the ethos of encouraging kids to play to learn.  Plus we were delighted about discovering the must-have toy for summer, the Little Live Pets from Character.

The museum was so hands on, perfect for children who want to explore, play and touch everything!  There are six galleries where kids are encouraged to interact with the exciting exhibits.  These were our three favourite areas:

All About Me is an amazing area dedicated to the workings of the human body.  From exploring the senses to pretending to be a doctor to finding out about bones, brains and the digestive system, the newly opened area was a huge hit with Freddy and Kizzy.  Freddy loved filling in his All About Me Passport, taking part in activities to test his reflexes, monitor his heart rate and measure his body.  The Health Centre allows children to role play as doctors, midwives and dentists.  Freddy loved giving the pregnant woman model a scan and seeing her baby on the screen.  He also enjoyed testing his brain and body on the climbing wall.  At 11, Kizzy was interested to learn facts about the human body, look at X-Rays and microscope slides and take part in some experiments. It is such a great area with so much to see, do and learn.

Living and Working Together is a fabulous reconstruction of a little town complete with garage, post office, shop, bank and petrol station.  Kids are able to role play all the jobs from being a postman to a cashier to a car mechanic.  It was great fun!  Kizzy and Freddy enjoyed the bank vaults where they were able to crack codes to enter the bank's safety deposit boxes and discover the content of customers from Doctor Who to Harry Potter to our Queen. The garage was pretty cool too.  They changed tyres, used petrol pumps and learned about the parts of an engine (with dad's expert tuition!!)  There is also a house where you can learn about what happens when you flush a loo, play with water, have fun in the kitchen and explore your dreams. 

Our Global Garden takes children on a voyage of discovery of the outdoors, looking at environments as diverse as the Arctic, the jungle, the town, the countryside and the sea bed.  There are so many things to explore.  Kids get to surf and light up a city; play instruments in a jungle hut and see through the eyes of a rat.  Whilst in the Global Garden, we also took part in the Little Live Pets Bird Watching Trail, finding hidden birds and solving the clues to find a word.

Outside the main Eureka! museum building is a huge sandpit, grassy areas and some outdoor activities and there are lots of events taking place throughout the year.  A cafe and gift shop are on site and the toilet facilities are good.  The area is lovely, with views of the countryside, as the 13 acre site is nestled between Beacon Hill and the town centre.

We were treated to a yummy buffet lunch and Freddy got his face painted, which made him very happy!  The children also made glass painted butterfly sun catchers and  coloured in Little Live Pet colouring sheets.

The Little Live Pets area let children get up close and personal with the latest interactive toys.  With gorgeous birds and butterflies to play with, little ones can enjoy the feeling of holding a fluttering butterfly on their hand or chatting to a tweeting, talking bird.

The butterflies are very beautiful and the movement is very realistic, but Freddy fell in love with the birds.  Petting them makes then sing, chirp and tweet with a moving beak that makes them seem alive!  Pressing a button allows you to record a message which is converted to chirrupy bird language and tweeted back to you.  Freddy loved the mimicry feature, which enhanced the play value of these cute little toys.

The Little Live Pets Birds (RRP £9.99) and Butterflies (RRP £12.99) come in a host of colours and designs making them appealing to every taste.  You can also buy a Birdcage complete with a bird for £19.99 and a Butterfly House with a butterfly for £22.99.  Perfect for displaying your collection.  

Find out more at: www.character-online.com/products/Little-Live-Pets

Entrance to Eureka! is £11.95 for ages 3 to adult, but your day ticket can be converted to an annual season pass for free allowing you to visit as often as you like over the year.  There is so much to do and so much fun to be had, having access for free for a year would be fabulous for families.  It's an amazing deal.

Find out more at:  www.eureka.org.uk

Bigjigs Play Patrol - Freddy Reviews Safari Blocks

My little boy Freddy and I are delighted at being shortlisted to become one of this year's Bigjigs Play Patrol Agents.  We have loved being ambassadors for the brand, as we genuinely love the company's ethos, their beautiful toys and the sense of humour that runs through their social media, so we are honoured to get through to this stage.  Thank you Bigjigs!

  Freddy has been given a very special mission to review a set of Bigjigs Wooden Safari Blocks.  As toys suitable for babies from 1 year old, I was worried that he would not be very interested in them.  Oh how wrong was I!!??  He LOVES them!

It just goes to show that traditional wooden toys are timeless classics with masses of play value.  When toys rely on imagination instead of batteries, the scope for play appeal is unlimited and long lasting.

The Bigjigs Safari Blocks are a collection of thirty two colouful, wooden bricks, which come with a handy drawstring bag for storage.

The blocks include pieces to make six fun animals, a sun, moon, flowers, bushes and trees.  They are completely child friendly making them suitable for toddlers from a year old.  They are the perfect size for little hands to manipulate, but still solid and chunky.

The Bigjigs Safari Building Blocks encourage and develop a number of skills in children.  Freddy displayed lots of these skills as he played, developing and learning as he put the fun to the test!  

Learning through play is the best way for little ones to explore the world around them, laying down the foundations for their future development. These blocks are fantastic tools for the following skills:

Dexterity - stacking the blocks helps develop the ability for children to use their little hands and practice those all important fine motor skills.  Hand eye coordination is improved as little ones manipulate the pieces to create the animals or build towers.

Balance - making towers that stay standing requires a good sense of balance.  Then knocking them down teaches them about cause and effect....plus it's totally fun!

Imagination - bricks can be built into anything, limited only by a child's imagination.  The cute animal characters lend themselves to being the stars of many role play games.  This aspect of play is something that Freddy really enjoys as he acts out wonderfully elaborate scenarios using the blocks as props for his storytelling.   From building huge towers to making a safari adventure, there are lots of things to be built, encouraging spatial awareness and creativity.

Vocabulary - animal names and sounds, colours, shapes, size, prepositions (such as above, below, next to, on top of) etc. can all be learned through playing with the blocks together.  Interacting with your child as you play together opens up a fun and engaging dialogue, encouraging children to chatter about what they are doing, improving social skills, confidence and teaching new words.

Problem Solving - For little ones, working out how to make the animals is a lot of fun.  Older children can work out how to fit together the circles inside the semi-circular spaces to make stable structures or work out ways to build the tallest towers, all the while testing their problem solving skills.

Matching - children will enjoy sorting out the blocks by size, shape or pattern and  matching up the pieces of the animals.  And of course, mix and match creatures are fun to make too!

 Shape Recognition - with rectangles, semi-circles, circles and squares, little ones can learn the names of shapes. This activity can be extended for younger children who could draw around the blocks to make shape pictures. Freddy was able to name the 3D shapes such as cubes and cuboids, counting their faces and matching them by size.

Number Skills - Freddy counted the animals and the number of bricks in his tower.  He also used the blocks as an aid to counting on, learning the basics for early maths skills. Blocks are really handy when children begin to learn simple addition and subtraction problems.  You can use them as a resource to help solve simple problems, making maths much more fun, hands on and practical!

Encourages Tidying Up - The drawstring bag made clearing up much easier and Freddy loved that it was in his favourite colour; light blue.  This fact made him positively eager to tidy the bricks away after he had finished playing.  This is a great social skill for little ones to learn (and it makes my job as a mum easier, giving me less mess to put away at bedtime!)

Watching Freddy play made me realise the value of these traditional toys.  I expected him to build the animals and create a safari play scene, build towers and knock them down.  But I was surprised at just how much fun he's had with them.  He has had them out everyday since they arrived, and has come up with some seriously entertaining ways to play. His sense of humour and imagination has shone through: 

• He has made his own funny jokes using the bricks as props...he made lots of mix and match animal characters including a 'two headed cat' which he thought was hilarious, then proceeded in doing his best Annoying Orange impression as he gave us a running commentary and laughed at his own gags!

• Freddy made himself a 'Minecraft World' with the blocks and played out some exciting Minecraft action with the animal heads as TNT!  He gave a running commentary on creepers, pigs and chickens as he brought the online game into real life with a colourful and fun Bigjigs twist.

I love his quirky way of unleashing the fun from toys, discovering ways to play that I would never have imagined. This it what I love most about Bigjigs toys.  The play value is unleashed through the imagination of the child and is not pre-decided for them. Being free from the constraints of expectation allows that imagination to soar. How much fun must it be to be a 4 year old!

As ever, Freddy played hard and the blocks are withstanding his rough and tumble approach to playtime perfectly, without a dent or scratch on them.

Take a look at the blocks (and Freddy) in action in this video:

                                 

It really was eye opening to see how much these blocks sparked his imagination and how many ways he found to play with them.  Buying these for a younger child would be a great investment as they will last for years, with the play value growing and changing over time.  The blocks can be added to or combined with other sets of building blocks, so the fun keeps growing.

Priced at just £11.99, the Bigjigs Wooden Safari Building Blocks are a great value toy that little boys and girls will love.

Join in the fun, enter competitions and keep up to date with the latest Bigjigs news on the Bigjigs Facebook Page.

What Kids Learn on Holiday

Holidays aren't simply a week or two spent away from home - they are so, so much more.  They are a chance for families to spend much needed quality time together, for relationships to reconnect unencumbered by everyday commitments.  They provide opportunities to discover many new things:  foods, cultures, things to do,  places to go. They allow individuals the freedom to grow and learn through exploration and adventure in an environment free from the restraints of  routine.  They unleash our fun sides and allow us to relax, unwind and de-stress while we experience a break from our real lives.
Holidays are also the perfect opportunity for children to learn something new, develop new skills and discover exciting things that they never knew before.  Whether you take an activity holiday where kids' swimming, surfing and abseiling lessons are on the agenda, or whether your child learns organically through play, holidays are a chance for children to grow as individuals.

Being on holiday is a great opportunity to visit castles, museums and stately homes, all of which give the children the chance to learn about history and how people lived in the past.  Zoos, botanical gardens and aquariums teach them firsthand about the flora and fauna around them.  
Visiting the beaches of Normandy opened my kids' eyes up to the realities of WWII and seeing the war memorials and cemeteries was a really educational and emotional experience, and much more powerful than reading a history book at school. 

My children have learned to fly kites, ride bikes, swim, ride horses, drive quad bikes and abseil whilst on holiday. Practicing old skills or learning new skills helps children to grow and is an enjoyable part of a week away.  I love to watch my kids taking part in new activities and seeing their confidence and independence blossom is a wonderful side effect!

Kids can unleash their creativity in lots of new and exciting ways: writing  their names in the sand, building sand castles, making art collages out of shells and seaweed on the beach, making a den in the woods or collecting pine cones, leaves and feathers to create a model.

Whether you holiday abroad or take vacations in the UK, the potential for children to learn is incredible.  We love to visit destinations in Wales, as it is relatively close to our home in Shropshire.  We've visited Bala with its water sports and love walking in Snowdonia, taking in the scenery.  But my favourite place in Wales is Portmeirion.  We had a glorious holiday where the children had a wonderful time exploring, playing, discovering and even learning a little Welsh! (Look up Visit Wales for some Welsh holiday inspiration.)

“This post is an entry for the Visit Wales #Wales4KidsFamily Holiday Challenge. Wales is the perfect place for a fun-filled family break.” 

Bigjigs Dockside Recycling Centre #playpatrol

I love a toy that can introduce a child to something that is really important in the real world.  That can open their eyes to a serious issue through the medium of play.  That teaches them about something that can make a big difference to the world that we live in.  Something like recycling.  Hats off to Bigjigs for doing just that with their Dockside Recycling Centre.  Fully compatible with other leading wooden rail systems, children can add an environmentally friendly activity into their playtime, teaching them about the importance of recycling and helping them to learn more about the process in a fun way.

Freddy, my little Bigjigs Play Patrol Agent, was very intrigued by his new toy.  The recycling centre comes with a colourful sign, a barrier gate, two working cranes with magnetic ends, a barge, a recycling truck, a train carriage, two recycling skips and two container loads of recycling.  As the recycling arrives by road, rail or sea it needs to be picked up by the cranes using the pulley system, swivelled into position and deposited into the skips.  

The play value of this toy is great.  It leads the way to imaginative games where your child becomes the harbourmaster, deciding where the recycling is going and by what mode of transport it will travel by.  Little fingers show great dexterity as they wind up the pulleys on the crane to pick up the recycling with the magnetic end.  All the while they are learning about recycling and this opens up an opportunity to discuss this issue in a fun and engaging way, asking what they think can be recycled, getting clues from the colourful pictures on the sign and the containers.

Learning through Play

Freddy loved the magnet and quickly realised that it could pick up more than just his toy recycling containers.  He raided our real life recycling bin to find a sweetcorn can and experimented with how best the magnet would stick to it.  He discovered that concentrating the magnetic force on the edge of the rim, created the best hold to pick up the can.  He wielded it about like a fisherman with a prize catch on the end of his rod!  Freddy tried the magnet against lots of materials to see which ones would stick.  This opportunity for scientific discovery is another great aspect of this toy, enabling little ones to learn through play - exactly how it should be done!

Our Play Patrol Mission Captioned Photo!!

As the set is fully compatible with Bigjigs Roads and Rail toys (and other leading wooden rail systems) it can be incorporated into a world of your child's creation.  I love toys that can grow with your child and which can be added to on birthdays and Christmases.  Each new addition brings a new lease of life to the play experience, adding its own touch of excitement and enjoyment.

The Bigjigs Dockside Recycling Centre is priced at £20.79 over on the Bigjigs website.  Take a look at the huge range of wonderful wooden toys they have on offer.  I could browse for hours!

Freddy won the opportunity to be a Play Patrol agent for Bigjigs and received this toy to complete his latest mission!

Why is Play Important?

UKMums.tv, along with their resident expert Dr amanda Gummer, are supporting the Make Time 2 Play campaign.  For 3 weeks from the 20^th May they will be creating discussion topics on the importance of play on behalf of the British Toy and Hobby Association’s Make Time 2 Play Campaign http://www.maketime2play.co.uk/.

The importance of play in the lives of children should never be underestimated.  It is an essential aspect to the healthy development of young children and a fundamental part of learning.

The official advice is simple: children learn best through simple playtime which enhances problem solving skills, attention span, social development and creativity.

Incorporating fun themes into children’s learning makes the experience more memorable, more fun and less daunting so they will be more likely to want to do it again as they will be enjoying themselves.

Real-life experiences are the best ways for children to develop new skills and understanding.  They can explore their environment and through trial and error hone their skills and make discoveries in a hands on way.

Children learn essential social skills through playing with their peers. Relationships are the bedrock of society and children who play develop mutually rewarding relationships, learn to compromise, communicate and negotiate, all of which give them much better outlooks as well rounded individuals.

Even the most frivolous activity is beneficial for children as it helps them understand themselves better – learning what makes you happy and what makes you laugh helps children cope with challenges and acts as a buffer against mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.

Join in with the Make Time 2 Play campaign on May 20th and join in the discussion on how to Make Time 2 Play with your children.

Making Messy Goo

Our favourite thing for some messy, sensory play is to make some messy goo!  Using cornflour, water and food colouring, this goo takes advantage of the strange properties of the mixture.  It isn't a liquid.  It isn't a solid.  The more you mix it, and handle it the stiffer it gets.  Let it run slowly through your fingers and it liquefies.  It is fascinating stuff and an ideal play idea if you want to get messy but are short on time and space.

To make it, simply take a cup of cornflour and add warm water slowly to reach the desired consistency.  Not too much though!  Add a couple of drops of natural food colour and you are ready to play.  It is really quick and easy to set up so little ones can be having fun fast!

• You can roll it into a ball in your hands.
• Let it drip through your fingers.
• Break it into pieces quickly.
• Hit it.
• Drop it from a spoon.
• Squeeze it slowly.
• Stir it fast or slow.
• Cut through it.

The mixture responds differently to quick and slow actions which gives so much scope to explore the properties  Kizzy was interested in the science behind what was happening.  She would lift up a lump of it as a solid and watch in amazement at it dripped through her hands.  I explained about it being a suspension of solid particles within a liquid.  Impact traps the water molecules inside the long starch chains forming a temporary semi-rigid structure.  It is a non-Newtonian liquid where force alters its viscosity.  It doesn't follow the usual rules!

Freddy was fascinated by the mixture, but also slightly afraid of it!!  He was a bit freaked out by how it would solidify on his hands.  He kept washing it off in the sink and enjoyed seeing it turn the water blue because of the food colouring.  He must have got messy and then washed it off twenty times making his own entertainment!!

The bits that fell on the floor could be vacuumed up easily as solids and the surfaces were easily wiped down with a damp sponge. Adding extra water to the bowl turned it into a free flowing liquid which could then be poured away. So tidying up afterwards was really easy.  It is an easily containable, small scale activity that still allows little ones to get messy and explore their world through play.

See More Ideas at Edspire

When Messy Play Meets Baking

As this Easter holiday is so very chilly, our activities are tending to take place more indoors that out.  There is  always a danger that this can end up in nothing more than TV viewing and video game playing, so I am determined to give Freddy some more structured activities to avoid an over-dependence on technology!

Today, Freddy had a fabulous time when he was set loose in the kitchen with 16 plain homemade sponge cakes (that we made together), three tubs of icing, sprinkles and some broken-up leftover Easter chocolate.  He had a totally multi-sensory experience as he sniffed, licked, tasted, touched, mixed and spread icing liberally!  He thought about the smells of the strawberry, chocolate and vanilla; the feel of the icing and the sprinkles between his fingers; the texture of the icing as he spread it and touched it; the shapes of the different sprinkles but mostly the flavours as he chomped on the chocolate and the Hundreds and Thousands!  He made a complete mess but loved every moment of his time.  He even enjoyed washing-up afterwards splashing in the warm, bubbly water and using different shaped vessels to pour water from one bowl to another.  There is so much for him to learn through playing and exploring his environment independently.

If you plan on embarking on some similarly messy play, I recommend using a tray to catch all the dropped sprinkles and smears of icing.  It was much easier tidying up afterwards with the mess contained.  The apron kept Freddy clean (ish!)  I often find it hard not to intervene and take control of activities that I do with Freddy and so it was really nice to take a back seat and simply let him do his thing.  I watched, listened and took photos of his antics and let him explore, completely unhindered by any grown-ups with our pre-conceived ideas on what constitutes fun!

What a lovely way to spend a day!

Thanks to Nick Jr for the chef's hat and silicon cupcake cases that they sent us so Freddy could be one of Dora's Little Cooks! Take a look at this recipe from Dora to bake up some delicious treats that are easy for little ones to help with.  You can find lots of other activities to keep the kids entertained this Easter holiday with Nick Jr online.

My Mega Bloks Prize from The Tots 100 Blog Hop

I was thrilled to bits to be chosen as the winner of March's Tots 100 Blog Hop with my Learning Through Play post.  My prize consisted of a family ticket to Drayton Manor Park which we'll be using for Freddy's birthday in July.  We also received some fantastic Mega Bloks for Freddy and Kizzy.

Kizzy received the Hello Kitty Big House and Candy Store which were absolutely gorgeous.  Even Freddy got in on the act.  The little Kitty characters were adorable and Kizzy loved designing the house....a future interior designer perhaps!

Kizzy was delighted with her goodies.

Kizzy's patio for Kitty.

Fred checks out the house.

Freddy received the brilliant MegaBloks Play and Go Table and an Imagination Bag.  The lovely colourful big pieces fitted together easily in his little hands. The lid becomes a road for whizzing the car around, and you can build a town around it.  Colourful stickers transform the bricks into buildings.

What's in here Mummy??

Brrrmmm!!

The Play table is lovely!

The Play Table has become a firm favourite in our house.  The lid mechanism is really effective.  The centre twists to lock the table top into place and the bricks are stored neatly underneath.  The table can be folded down for storage.The legs fold underneath making it easy to stow away or transport. It is a lovely toy and is really practical.  Freddy's imaginative play is getting more inventive.  His understanding of building with the bricks is getting better by the day.  It is a toy that is going to grow with him for years to come!

Thank you so much :)

Silent Sunday - Outdoor Drawing