Valentine’s Day crafts Card for the parentsI try to do crafts based on the season and holidays. I think it is important for children to experience and understand the world around them. For feb we covered Chinese New Year and valentines. Arts and crafts are the easiest way to cover each topic, exploring textures and making things. canvas painting by the boysI have a love hate relationship with hand prints, its a stressful time to try and get the perfect hand print. But I managed to do it. The canvas I let the boys choose hands or brushes to do their art work. I loved that the boys wer ..read more

So it has been a few weeks since I last wrote a post. I sit down to start writing and basically fall asleep. The last few weeks have been hectic, Mum Boss (MB) went back to work which means I have been flying solo. I knew this day would come but it happened without me even realising it. Then it became the season of colds and flu, baby came down with sniffles first, then I got the flu and was wiped out, then came back to baby and toddler with colds. We have chilled days, wild days and “we made it” days. Sleepless nights baby and parents, not eating any food days and anything goes days. To s ..read more

We all love messy play or do we? I personally love it, I have worked in nurseries and schools and had to clean up after 30 children. So messy play with 1 or 2 is a breeze. So much can be explored and learnt with messy play, so many topics can be covered and you can do it over and over again without getting bored. I introduced cornflour to B3 this term, he is not a huge fan of getting his hands dirty, so thought this was a happy medium of mess and clean because of the texture. Something to this day I am still fascinated by. It pours and drips likes a liquid but is solid unde ..read more

Day trip I have added this to my favourite places to go with children, https://maps.app.goo.gl/ShpYLvAcnjkbisDB6 have a look you might find some gems B3 is in love with all things transport. This place covers that and more. There is so much to see and do, the Village has a play area for children so they can run around and have fun. They also have a train ride that goes around a small section of the park. Lighthouse The detail in the model village is out of this world. From the items in the shop window to what the people are doing in their gardens. Some of the areas has mov ..read more

Bug swampWater play using a sink, is a great way to allow your child to still have fun playing and exploring water if you do not have room for a water tray. I saw this on social media and thought such a good idea. You can create lots of different scenes using props and toys. B3 loves water and currently really into bugs so I created a swamp and filled it with bugs and water animals. He loved this and spent lots of time playing and making up stories. Then once you have all finished you simply pull the plug and let the toys dry. Areas covered in this activity, communication and langu ..read more

leaves leaves leavesMy favourite season has arrived and I am over the moon. Everything from the colours, smells and sights I am in love with. The weather is not perfect especially if it rains, but the leaves and the conkers make excellent activities. One thing I like doing is a scavenger hunt for autumn objects. Sensory PlayI started our autumn theme with a sensory activity, with dyed rice, key words and conkers and acorns. B3 had lots of fun mixing, filling and emptying and counting. He also made up his own story with the squirrel and the nuts. We talked about the textures and co ..read more

Simple IngredientsEveryone loves playdough! Homemade playdough is so simple and very easy to make and you get hours of fun from it. I used these ingredients and it took less than 30 minutes to make. 2 cups of flour 1 cup of water 1 cup of salt 2 tablespoons of oil food colouring (optional) scents (optional) playdough finishedI mixed the dry ingredients together first then the wet ingredients, I sprinkle a little flour on the worktop and roll out the dough until light and not sticky. There are so many activities you can do with playdough. It is perfect for fine motor skills, imaginat ..read more

When I first started nannying many years ago, it was a lonely and isolated affair. The area I worked in did not have many baby and toddler groups, soft play or classes locally. If I wanted to do anything we had to travel or we spent time indoors, lots of arts and crafts. As much as I enjoyed my job and looking after the little boy, I got very bored and returned to nursery work. Fast forward to 2017, I started my new nanny job. My new place of work had nannies everywhere, this was the start of my nanny community, the difference was amazing. The nannies in the area met weekly at various acti ..read more

We have applesThe family I work for are luckily enough to have an apple tree in the garden and the time has come for yummy apples. So I thought it would be a great idea to make something yummy and get the little boy involved. This was a fun and great for learning opportunities, including Maths; Communication and Language and Understanding the World (links to the EYFS). I found a simple recipe online and we got baking. Peeling apples Placing apples in the traymaking the crumbleTadaEach step was a great opportunity to discuss steps and encourage independence (the whole process was sup ..read more