As you may already know my husband works in the toy industry. He shared a report he had seen (from the USA) that said: Grandparents account for about one-quarter of sales, or nearly $7 billion, within the $28 billion U.S. toy industry. Most readers of my blog won’t be surprised with this news and will… Continue reading Grandparents and toys: the time and means to buy and play
Author: grannysmithsdiary
Pumpkin maths
Have you noticed the array of pumpkins and colourful squashes at your supermarket or greengrocers? And have you bought some to decorate your home or your doorstep? Pumpkins and squashes are brilliant additions to our homes at this time of the year and you can also share them with your young grandchild. Before you even… Continue reading Pumpkin maths
How small world animals can inspire early role play
I'm sitting on the dayroom floor playing with Daisy and we are surrounded by her array of small world animals. I can see a variety of animals from her wild animal collection and her Happyland sets that she's had for nearly a year. Daisy regularly plays with them in different scenarios including hiding them in… Continue reading How small world animals can inspire early role play
What to look for in Autumn; a guest blog by Grandpa Smith
Autumn is Grandpa's favourite season so I've invited him to write this - Daisy may be too young to understand the turning of the seasons but she’s not too young to savour the assault on the senses presented by the arrival of Autumn. It is the most sensory of the seasons providing stimulation colour and… Continue reading What to look for in Autumn; a guest blog by Grandpa Smith
Why keep all those cardboard boxes? Construction and imaginative play
If you are looking for inexpensive play activities for a toddler then this one should definitely be on your list. You must remember a time when you gave a toddler a gift and once it was unwrapped they were more interested in the container than the contents. So take the lead from the child and… Continue reading Why keep all those cardboard boxes? Construction and imaginative play
Cooking Time with Toddlers; learning in the kitchen
While a lot of Daisy's play and activities centre around toys and play equipment we've recently started to involve her in some basic food preparation activity; encouraging her to join in when we're preparing vegetables for a meal, letting her stir milk into a drink and to use a small butter knife to butter her… Continue reading Cooking Time with Toddlers; learning in the kitchen
From Montessori to today; the enduring learning value of wooden blocks
The first pre-schools and nurseries began to be established in the nineteenth century and all of the children's toys and play equipment in the pre-schools and nurseries were made from natural materials. Plastic toys began to be manufactured in the twentieth century and today our homes and nurseries contain a wealth of toys and play… Continue reading From Montessori to today; the enduring learning value of wooden blocks
Messy play: take your toddler to mud club
A guest post by Daisy’s Dad. Has your toddler made their first mud pie yet? With depressing statistics suggesting that children’s daily lives have become increasingly domestic and digital, the popularity of activities like mud clubs and woodland nurseries seems set to rise, as parents attempt to introduce some balance into their children’s play options.… Continue reading Messy play: take your toddler to mud club
Green Toys to the rescue!
Have you noticed that when your young grandchild goes to play in someone else's house, she quickly discovers the toys that are different from the ones she has at home and she starts to play with them? We noticed that, on a recent visit to relatives, Daisy enjoyed playing with all kinds of vehicle and… Continue reading Green Toys to the rescue!
Knitting Flop, it’s a Bing thing!
I can't go on holiday without a craft project. I needed something not too bulky and something not too complicated for our family holiday. I settled on a knitting project, choosing to knit Bing's Flop for Daisy. I'd discovered a knitting pattern for Flop on the CBeebies Grown-Ups site and packed pattern, yarn and knitting… Continue reading Knitting Flop, it’s a Bing thing!
Granny Smith's Diary 