Yesterday, through the wonders of modern technology I was able to watch Daisy playing at home with Mummy and Daddy. When Daisy plays at home, her play is different from the play she has when she's at a playgroup or with the childminder. In Early Years environments, activities usually have 'zones' for different types of… Continue reading Bringing The Learning Play Into Your Home
Tag: Low-cost activities
Counting on repetition: helping your grandchild to master numbers
Daisy first started to learn about numbers from rhymes and action songs then last year she started to watch Numberblocks programmes on Cbeebies. This series of programmes has really improved Daisy's understanding of numbers. Over recent months, with the help of Mummy, Daddy and her childminder, Daisy has learnt the names of numbers up to… Continue reading Counting on repetition: helping your grandchild to master numbers
Keeping Pre-schools Kids active in Winter: Expressive and physical play through ring games and action songs
At this time of year the days are shorter and recently we’ve had more than our fair share of very wet days too. There is only so much outdoor play that your grandchildren can do at this time of year; they still have the same amount of energy but they're spending more time indoors. This… Continue reading Keeping Pre-schools Kids active in Winter: Expressive and physical play through ring games and action songs
Feeding Rudolph and his friends with RSPCA recipes
Daisy and the family will be staying with us this Christmas so I am planning activities I can prepare ready for their visit. One thing we will be making this year we will be a reindeer food mix for Daisy to sprinkle on our lawn on Christmas Eve; the perfect snack for Rudolph and the… Continue reading Feeding Rudolph and his friends with RSPCA recipes
More Creative Autumn-Themed Activities For Pre-schoolers, Using Black Sugar Paper
A pack of sugar (or construction) paper is a great investment offering lots of opportunities for crafting activities including some that perfectly suit events in Autumn. Sugar paper has a slightly rough surface and so is ideal for young children to use in craft activities. (Just in case your grandchild asks: the term "sugar paper"… Continue reading More Creative Autumn-Themed Activities For Pre-schoolers, Using Black Sugar Paper
A Simple Autumn Craft Activity for a Three Year Old
When Daisy comes to visit us she has plenty of play time. There's a different set of toys her for her to play with, she has our garden to explore, and I enjoy having those special one-to-one moments with my granddaughter. As well as joining in with her play-time, I try to prepare a few… Continue reading A Simple Autumn Craft Activity for a Three Year Old
Sharing and Learning from what happens in Autumn
We adults are familiar with the sequence of the seasons and the gradual changes that take place in nature during autumn. As part of beginning to understand the world around her (part of the Early Years curriculum), this year we've started to talk to Daisy about the way trees change in autumn, and to observe… Continue reading Sharing and Learning from what happens in Autumn
Conkers for Counting
This week the fine Autumn weather tempted us to the local park with Daisy, while Mummy and Daddy did more boring things at home. As Daisy ran along the tree-lined path to the playground a strong gust of wind shook the branches overhead and conkers dropped from the sky, one bouncing of Daisy’s head (no… Continue reading Conkers for Counting
Wibble Wobble, Messy Jelly learning on a plate
Indoors or outdoors, Daisy regularly enjoys messy play. Of course some of her messy play is spontaneous and sometimes we plan activities for her. Messy play can involved all different types of media from mud and compost to things found in the kitchen like flour, custard and jelly. Setting out the play For a recent… Continue reading Wibble Wobble, Messy Jelly learning on a plate
Going Shopping to Develop Writing and Counting Skills
Writing The skill of writing develops over several years and young children first learn about writing by observing adults writing. A few months ago we started to introduce Daisy to the process of writing by including her in one of our routine activities that requires writing We explained that we were going to go shopping… Continue reading Going Shopping to Develop Writing and Counting Skills
Granny Smith's Diary 