"We're Going on a Bear Hunt" Activities

Aug 28, 2013




We're Going on a Bear Hunt is a classic story, written by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. It has long been a favourite children's book of mine, from my days reading it in the classroom, to enjoying the rhythmic story with my own children.
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10 Backyard Play Ideas

Aug 27, 2013

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Welcome again to this week's TUESDAY TOTS.
Brought to you by Learn with Play at home (us), Rainy Day Mum,
and One Perfect Day


This Week:
Learn with Play at home is showcasing

10 Backyard Play Ideas

These great posts all came from last weeks Tuesday Tots linkup
where we featured 30 Counting Activities


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Easy Toddler Name Art

Aug 25, 2013

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I've had a small canvas sitting in the art cupboard for a while, just waiting for a new art project. The size and shape of it was just perfect for a small name so I decided that my toddler (just under 2 years old) could make himself some art for his room whilst also helping with his name recognition.

To do this with a toddler I thought the easiest way would be some simple tape-resist art.
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30 Counting Activities for Kids

Aug 20, 2013

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Welcome again to this week's TUESDAY TOTS.
Brought to you by Learn with Play at home (us), Rainy Day Mum,
and One Perfect Day


This Week:
Learn with Play at home is showcasing

30 Counting Activities

These great posts all came from last weeks Tuesday Tots linkup
where we featured Quiet Time Activities



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Of all the maths skills that children will acquire, counting is one that most children will already be doing before they reach school-age. It is one of the areas that parents are most comfortable helping their children with and it's obviously an incredibly important and fundamental skill that will build a basis for further learning.

Rote counting (or saying numbers in a sequence from memory) is what most children will be able to do, but this does not mean that they can actually determine the amount in a collection. In order to help your child develop an actual understanding of numbers and how counting relates to real life, here are a whole lot of fun, hands-on counting activities that will help your child develop their one-to-one correspondence with counting and make a connection between the spoken numeral and a concrete amount (while also learning and practicing a whole range of skills along the way including fine motor, number recognition, ordering, subitising, writing, grouping and more).
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DIY Dinosaur Castanet Craft for Kids

Aug 15, 2013

This is a guest post for Learn with Play at home written by the lovely Amie from Triple T Mum. Enjoy, Debs :)

I have been following LWP@H since Debs first started blogging and I am so proud of all that she has accomplished in this time. I just love how her activities are easily prepared and are quick to apply in the home setting. It is such a pleasure to be here today on LWP@H guest posting.
I am Amie from Triple T Mum (tttmum). I am a busy mum of four kids, ranging from a teen, to a preschooler and toddler twins. This equates to 3 children under the age of 4. Life at times can be intense, it can be full on, it can be crazy! I love to share our family life, activities with the kids and ideas for making the mayhem seem less overwhelming. I also love to craft and whenever that 'spare' bit of time pops up, you'll find me creating something for the loves of my life.
My teen, Gamer, recently put on a live music show for us all in the back yard, which inspired the littlest ones to make music. Not one to miss a crafting opportunity I put together a Castanet Craft Kit for the kids to create our own musical instrument.

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10 Activities for Quiet Time. Tuesday Tots

Aug 14, 2013

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Welcome once again to this week's TUESDAY TOTS.
Brought to you by Learn with Play at home (us), Rainy Day Mum,
and One Perfect Day


This Week:
Learn with Play at home is showcasing

10 Activities for Quiet Time

These great posts all came from last weeks Tuesday Tots linkup
where we featured Activities using Balls



FEATURED

I'm not a believer that children need to work in silence in order to learn, in fact, generally speaking, quite the opposite. However we all need and relish some quiet time. Whether it's to change the direction of play or attitudes, to help calm down, to let a little sibling sleep, to have a rest, to relax or to really concentrate, a bit of time being quietly engaged can sometimes do a world of good. Here are a selection of activities suitable for some independent quiet time.
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DIY Fine Motor Activity for Toddlers Plus New Toddler Snack Review and Giveaway

Aug 12, 2013

This post is sponsored by Nuffnang.


Feeding toddlers can be challenging. Because of their smaller stomachs, they need to eat smaller meals more regularly and it's not uncommon for parents of toddlers to be heard complaining that their child is always hungry!
I found feeding toddlers to be the hardest stage, as depending on how many teeth they have, some foods can still pose a choking hazard, plus constantly coming up with new and interesting foods that they're willing to try and won't make a huge mess with, is definitely a challenge.
To help save myself time, I ended up making a Toddler Food Ideas List with a whole lot of suggestions of different foods that I could provide for my toddler. The idea of having this list on hand was so that I wasn't constantly reaching for convenience foods every time I was confronted with, "Eat! Eat!!" There are times though, when being able to quickly reach for something convenient and easy would be really handy, but previously, I've not been happy with the range of snack type foods available for kids, especially toddlers.

When I discovered that Mamee, (who I'd become familiar with as a teacher for making canteen friendly snacks for kids), were making a new toddler snack to be available in the baby aisle of Woolworths, I was delighted to give some a try. (So were the kids!).

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Baby and Toddler Box Play

Aug 10, 2013



Ageapprox. 6 months to 2+ years (see bottom for tips)
(N was approx 13 months here. See bottom for tips to simplify or extend to meet your child's needs)


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Cornflour Slime. How to make and what not to do!

Aug 8, 2013

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Cornflour Slime (or Cornstarch Slime) is a favourite activity of teachers and parents around the world. 

It is very popular as it's incredibly easy to make, doesn't use any nasty chemicals and has amazing properties unlike anything you may have experienced before. 

It is sure to delight young and old alike!

This is a great activity to introduce your kids to the concepts of  fluids and solids, because unlike most fluids (which are something that can flow), when applying pressure, this mixture acts like a solid. 

You can read more about the science behind why it does that, here and here.
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Fun and Learning Activities with Balls

Aug 6, 2013

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Welcome once again to this week's TUESDAY TOTS.
Brought to you by Learn with Play at home (us), Rainy Day Mum,
and One Perfect Day


This Week:
Learn with Play at home is showcasing

Fun and Learning Activities using Balls

These great posts all came from last weeks Tuesday Tots linkup
where we featured "Kids Chalk Activities"




FEATURED

Aside from the gross motor and hand-eye coordination that using a ball can help aid children with, there are lots of other fun ways to utilise a humble ball that work on a range of different skills and experiences for children.

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