Search Results

Are you looking for a festive craft project to encourage your child's play, and for an opportunity to discuss and bring the story of Christmas to life? If so, you can recycle an empty egg box and transform it into your very own nativity scene with painted peg dolls. An egg box nativity scene What you'll need: Egg box Scissors Blue and brown paint Paintbrush Star stickers (ideally one will be a different colour to the others) Shredded paper - brown or yellow Peg dolls - either x3 peg dolls will be required, or x9 as above Acrylic paint pens Fabric to swaddle baby Jesus Glue (Gorilla Glue or a hot glue gun) Mod Podge (Gloss) Felt sheets (optional) Saw and sandpaper (optional - to remove the body part off a peg doll in order to create a sheep) Steps: Cut off the pointed parts of the egg box in the centre. Paint the base of the egg box brown and the top half blue, and then leave it to dry. Add the shredded paper to the base of the box to symbolise the hay in the stable. Stick the stars to the top of the box and make sure to stick the Star of Bethlehem centrally. Using the acrylic paint pens paint the number of peg dolls that you require to portray those involved in the nativity. As a minimum, paint baby Jesus, Mary and Jospeh. If you would like to paint more then you can add the three wise men, Angel Gabriel, shepherd(s), and sheep. Note: If you are creating a sheep as above, then you will need to saw off the body of the peg doll and then smooth the rough edge using sandpaper before painting. Once your designs are complete, seal the peg dolls with a coat of Mod Podge and then leave them to dry over night. Optional: If you would like to add a 3D element then you can cut and glue on the appropriate coloured felt pieces for the peg dolls headdress and cloak. For baby Jesus - cut the size fabric required to wrap the body of the peg doll in and then glue it into place. Enjoy playing with your nativity scene!

Are you planning on jumping on an airplane and heading somewhere abroad? I’ve listed some toys, books and entertainment ideas below that we have used over the years to keep our kids occupied whilst travelling on holiday. So, if you would like to see what we packed in their rucksack for the plane journey then please keep reading. Suction toys - I found these on Amazon and they have been a big hit. They are a really fun construction toy that are also great for imaginative story telling, and for developing motor skills. There are a variety of geometric shapes and some funny little creatures in lots of different colours. They are be used on a range of surfaces and even in the bath, so they could double up as a bath toy on holiday! Writing tablet - These doodle boards were one of the Bee's favourite travelling activities and were perfect for the car, train, airplane and pram. The adults may have also enjoyed some doodling sessions too! A pocket library - Both of our children love Thomas the Tank Engine, and they thoroughly enjoyed the mini book collection that we took with us. They are tailored towards younger children, and you can get all sorts of pocket libraries like, Little Miss, Paw Patrol, Cocomelon, Fireman Sam, Hey Duggee, Peppa Pig and so on. They were also great to read as some of our books before our bedtime routine. Wikki Stix - These reusable moulding and sculpting sticks are a great creative activity to do on long journeys. The Bees made all sorts with them, but dinosaurs and people were consistently made. Magnetic puzzle - We purchased a travel tin magnetic puzzle from The Works that went down an absolute storm. They had a range of other travel tin games too. Alternatively, Floss & Rock do magnetic playtime tins where you can create fun play scenes with the magnets. Skip Hop bag with the essential toys in, power walk ready, she's off on holiday - see ya! Colouring book - A good ol’ fashioned colouring book and crayons. We selected a Peppa Pig one as they are both fond of it, and I packed a pencil sharper and used a small zip wallet for easy access and tidying up. Re-usable stickers and scenes - We have got lots of use out of the First Sticker Pictures set from GALT. You get 6 colourful scenes and over 100 reusable stickers to spark your imagination with. My personal favourite interpretation from Big Bee was when the horse was floating out in space, and Little Bee's was when one dinosaur was on top of another dinosaur, who was on top of another, and another, and another... Search and find books - You could stick with the classic 'Where's Wally' or pick from the large variety on Amazon e.g. 'Where's the Poo' or 'Where's the Unicorn'. Magazines - A very popular choice in our household! Getting your child to pick a magazine before your trip is all part of the fun too. Empty spice jar - Recycle an empty spice jar and find some little wooden coloured sticks (ours are from Hobbycraft). A great fine motor skills activity with them pushing the little sticks through the holes. Sticker/activity book - There are lots of different sticker/activity books available out there. We really love the Usborne sticker books in our household. Both Bees picked the one that they wanted to take on holiday with them. They were enjoyed during the flight and on the holiday itself. Little Bee enjoying the doodle tablet and the suction monster toys Ipad/tablet and headphones - It goes without saying that these definitely have a place when travelling. Don’t forget to download their favourite shows before travelling and make sure that it’s fully charger (and the headphones if they are wireless) and that you’ve packed all the charging cables and Aux cables for the headphones. We also purchased a splitter, so that if needed then they could both watch something off the same device with their own set of headphones. Post-it/sticky notes - If you have an unhealthy relationship with stationery (like me) then you may have a pack or two of these hiding away. Using colouring pencils your little ones will enjoy scribbling on them and then sticking them on the surfaces around them. You could also draw different coloured shapes or different emotion faces and ask them to pull down the ‘blue triangle’ or the ‘happy face’ for example. Games - Pick an age appropriate game to play with your little one on your travels. There are so many on offer from an Usborne snap game, to the many varied Orchard Toys games on offer. Squishy toys - I visited the local toy store and round a wriggly centipede with a flashing light and a ladybug. They were low cost, something new and different for them to play with, and a great sensory toy. Oldies, but goldies - I packed some of their favourite little toys (that they hadn’t seen for a few weeks) and put them in each of their rucksacks. My Busy Book - Now this one was a big hit for our Bees when they were younger, and occupied them for most of the journey and throughout our 12 days away. If your child is into small world play then you can't go wrong with this. It’s probably the best value for money book/toy that we have purchased, and there are different themed books to choose from. Now, it is a little on the bulky side, which is a con if you are limited on space. Enthralled with the paw Patrol My Busy Book. Cockpit - If like us, you have a delay and your sat on the runway then why not ask the cabin crew whether you can go and visit captain and the cockpit. I thought the children would enjoy it, but turns out my husband and I did too (A LOT). It was really interesting to ask the captain questions, take a couple of photos, have a change of scenery and stretch our legs. As the captain eloquently put it on our flight, "hopefully the memories of the cockpit visit will out last those of the delay". I spy with colours and 'Guess the X' - Eye spy with my little eye, something that's purple. This was our take on the traditional version of the game as it was more appropriate for the ages of our children. Great for social and observational skills and increasing vocabulary. Alternatively, give some descriptive words for any object e.g. a vegetable, fruit, dinosaur etc. and see who is the first to guess what you are describing. Masking tape road - This is one for any car fanatics and works well on the aeroplane's tray table. You can take a roll of masking tape and a pen to draw the lane divider, or buy some road play tape. Then let them enjoy driving their little cars along the road. Coloured dot stickers and paper - If you have time before your travels then you can draw some different coloured dots on the paper for your child to match the dot stickers to, otherwise a simple and fun activity for them to take off the different coloured dots and stick them onto the paper. Water WOW books - These magic colouring books are a great size for travelling. You can get them in a variety of themes and they have numerous pages in each book. You just need a little water in the pen, and you have some mess free painting. Suction cup fidget spinners - For babies and toddlers these are a fun sensory toy that you could stick on a surface and spin away. So, there's my list. There are a couple of other bits I didn't take/trial on this flight, but have saved for the next journey abroad. I will let you know if I have any luck with these. I would love to hear if you have any success stories your end.

Over the holidays we did a long car journey down to the south-west. It ended up being considerably longer due to traffic delays, and felt much longer when our youngest only slept for a generous 10 minutes the whole way there! I prepared some activities suitable for our pre-schooler and toddler, which kept them entertained on the drive. I’ve shared them below for anyone else who is planning on a long road trip in the future and might be looking for some inspiration - I hope they come in handy. You may recall that I did a blog back in the summer about 'TIPS ON HOW TO ENTERTAIN YOUR TODDLER WHILST TRAVELLING ABROAD' and some of these I packed for our Easter car journey too. However, I guess the beauty of travelling in the car is that you can pack a lot more than you can when travelling on a plane and train, so I definitely took advantage of this. Audiobooks - Both the Bees really enjoy listening to audiobooks, particularly Big Bee. We downloaded Paddington Bear, Winnie-the-Pooh and Mary Poppins for the journey there and back. There are so many benefits of audiobooks from developing imagination and vocabulary, to enhancing their listening skills. Complaints were made when we thought they weren't listening and turned it off... Object scavenger hunt - Such a fun activity to play throughout the journey. In the 'Resource Library' (you can join for free!) I have created a two page worksheet with a variety of objects to find on your travels. We did one page on the way there and the other on the way back. Big Bee in the midst of her scavenger hunt Post-it/sticky notes - Big Bee is really into scribble writing little messages with her tiny pencil in her tiny notebook at home, so I thought she would really enjoy doing the same on some small post it notes that I had in my cavern of stationary wonders. Needless to say, the sticky factor was a hit and the car door had a glamorous make over. Books - We have a basket of books in the car that the children can access (this is rotated regularly) and before the journey I made sure that they had a fresh batch to look at. Make sure there are lots of interesting illustrations for them to look at in the selection you choose. Storytelling - A fun activity to do as a family where you can take it in turns or build on a story together. Who knows, you may end up with next 'The Gruffalo'... Hidden object bottle - I have always wanted to create one of these for a longer journey, so I finally made one for this recent trip. I used a recycled water bottle, trinkets and some of our coloured rice from our rice sensory box. For the trinkets I just collected items from around the house, for example mini toys, pom poms, beads, balls, gems and dice. I sealed it with some tape. For older children you could write a list of what they have to find, and for younger some drawings. In our instance I made a note of what I had added and then asked them to find it. It was a big hit and doubled up as a wonderful shaker instrument! Little Bee enjoying searching for the trinkets Alphabet scavenger hunt - There can never be too much scavenging on one road trip! If your pre-schooler is really into recognising letters then you could print off the 'Road Trip Letters' sheets in the 'Resource Library' for them to keep a look out for, and when they spot a letter then they circle it. There are uppercase and lowercase sheets available. Magnets/Magnatiles and a baking tray - Find a variety of magnets that you have lying around the house, and an old baking tray for some magnet fun and/or storytelling. Zoo magnet play on an old baking tray Music - Ensure you have access to your children's favourite tunes (and yours) for the journey. Have a Spotify account? Why not prepare a 'Road Trip Playlist'? Otherwise, make sure you have your best singing voice and a repertoire of nursery rhymes to tap into. I spy road trip sheet - In the 'Resource Library' you can find the 'Road Trip I Spy' sheet (with answers) that has lots of hidden object within for your child to search for a tick off. Stickers - Either take a pad of paper and some stickers, or even better take some reusable stickers. GALT do a travel friendly book, or for a bigger sticker book try these Melissa and Doug books. Colouring books and crayons - A classic activity that is sure to keep them occupied. If you don't have a colouring book that you can take then you'll be able to find some colouring sheets online to print off. Water magic - We are such big fans of these books and have found them invaluable for travelling. A firm favourite is a recent gift for Little Bee's birthday - 'WOW Water!', and he gets so engrossed when colouring it in! A must have for any journey with young children. A water colouring adventure to space Flash cards - For younger children they may enjoy looking through object flashcards and the illustrations on them, and then putting them in places that are hard for you to reach when you are later tidying up! Or letter and number flashcards for recognition. For older children you can purchase flashcards like "X things to do on a car journey/plane journey". Magazines - As a special treat we took the Bees to our local shop to purchase a magazine each. To say that the excitement levels were sky high would be an understatement. This definitely made up for the shock of discovering how much children's magazines cost nowadays! Nevertheless, a worthwhile investment as they thoroughly enjoyed reading them, the stickers included and the little accompanying gifts. Just a spot of light magazine reading and flicking Activity books - When we travelled abroad last year the children picked out an activity book to do on the plane together. Although it's not possible to do an activity book with your younger child in the car unless your sat next to them, they could still enjoy the graphics, colouring in pages and stickers. You could then support them on the activities at your final destination. Bag of toys - We encourage the Bees to pack a little rucksack of their favourite toys to enjoy on the journey (if they wish) and at their destination. They then keep them in the back next to them, so that they can access their selection whenever they want. Ipad/tablet and headphones - If your children watch TV in the car then make sure you've charged their devices up and download their favourite shows onto it! Where’s Wally? (or the Queen) - Who doesn't love searching for Wally? An activity that's sure to keep the little ones entertained and engaged with lots of amazing illustrations to enjoy. You can also find other search and find books on Amazon, like 'Where's the Poo?' and 'Where's Bluey?'. Little Bee searching for and spotting the Queen Counting game - A fun family game whereby you pick an object and colour to count in a certain time frame e.g. how many blue cars can we see in a minute, or how many green lorries/trucks in a minute. Object I spy and colour eye spy - Play the class i spy game as a family, or for younger children you could play the colour version whereby you say a colour and they have to spot an object in that colour. Travel etch-a-sketch/scribbler pad - For a different drawing and stamping medium that creates no mess then a scribbler pad is a must. Other tips to remember for a long journey: Lots of snacks and water Ensure you have easy access to a travel potty/loo roll A change of clothes First aid kit - plasters, calpol, antiseptic wipes etc. Baby wipes Plastic bag for rubbish Don't forget your own snacks, water and a thermos of tea/coffee! If you have any recommendations that you couldn't do a long car journey without then please send them over. I'm always looking for more ideas to share. Happy travels :)

We at Head of the Hive have had the pleasure of taking part in a ‘Ready for Year 1’ masterclass offered by Jen, from Jen Teaches Reading. We found it very informative and helpful, providing practical tools on how to approach the next milestone for our child. Therefore, we wanted to share the wisdom that Jen has to offer for any other parents/carers who are soon to be going on the journey from Reception to Year 1, the biggest transition they will face until secondary school, in September. But firstly, a little introduction to Jen herself:- Let’s Get Started!   Year 1 is, hands down, the best year of school. Yes, I’m a little biased, as it’s the year I love the most, but after 10 years of teaching (and I’ve been in every Primary school year group!) it’s where my heart is. So many amazing things happen in Year 1. Our kids enter just starting to learn to read, just starting to do maths, and they leave, confident, independent learners, ready to take on everything education has to offer them.   However…   The transition from Reception to Year 1 is the largest your child will face until they go to secondary school. So much changes over the course of the year and it can be really intimidating, both for our little ones, and for us!   In this blog, I’m going to highlight a few of the major changes and what we, as parents and carers, can do at home to support our little ones.   Facing Change For many of our kids, they’ll have taken time to settle in to Reception. Starting school can be scary, whether your child was in Nursery or at home with you. But over the year, hopefully, they settled in. They got to know their teachers and their classroom and they loved it!   Now, at the start of Year 1, they’re facing a lot of change. From realising that, yes, they have to come to school every year for the next 10 years (at least) to changing the way they’re taught from ‘free play’ to tables, it can be very daunting, and even confident children can have a bit of a wobble.   Some simple things you can do to help with some of these changes are: •  Talk about your child’s new teacher. Use their name at home and talk about how many amazing things they’re going to learn in Year 1. •  Practise the walk to school. If your child is going to enter through a different door to last year, explain this to them. Do the walk a few times as a dry run and talk about what they’ll do on the first day. This can help them feel prepared and ready for when they have to do the real thing. •  Talk positively about Year 1 and school in general. If you have an older child who’s already done it, ask them questions and encourage them to talk about all the things they loved about Year 1.   The National Curriculum When your child starts Year 1, they move from the EYFS framework (which focuses on foundational skills like speech and language, physical and emotional development) to the more well known subjects of English, Maths, Science etc.   There’s a very big jump in expectations from Reception to Year 1. Our kids have to learn so much, so quickly and this tends to be done in a much more formalised way than they’re used to. They have to concentrate for longer and have less time to ‘blow off steam’.   This can sound really daunting, and I know for many it feels really sad that our kids are playing less, but there are some really good positives. Our kids are in a position where they learn so much more, so much faster. This is where we really see that ‘love’ for learning start to flourish and kids become more independent and resilient in their work.   Lessons are designed to be engaging with several ‘hooks’ throughout the sessions to keep kids excited about the topics and ready to learn. For example, one of my science lessons at the start of the year involves kids creating their own life-sized skeletons by drawing around their partners. Yes, they have to write labels for the body parts and bones, but we also then use those skeletons in our doctors role play, so they’re writing for a purpose. It allows our kids to engage more deeply with their play than they might have done in Reception, broadening their understanding rapidly.   The other amazing thing about Year 1 is that our kids can physically see their progress. The difference from the start of the year to the end is HUGE and our kids can flip back in their books and see that themselves, leading them to have more confidence in themselves and pride in what they’ve achieved.   When we’re thinking about how to support our kids with this, a massive one is to focus on the positives. Talk about how much they’ll learn, how proud you are of the effort they’re putting in, and what subjects they’re most interested to learn about. All of this will help to build excitement for this next stage of their lives.   From Play to Tables The final area I want to talk about today (and if you want a more full break down, you can watch the entire masterclass here ) is probably the biggest difficulty you’ll hear about - the move from play to tables.   Before I start, I do just want to clarify a few things: •  Few schools move to tables straight away. There’s usually a ‘transition period’ where kids have a mix of tables and play, and this is adapted over time until the ‘free play’ stops all together (usually around Christmas, though this varies from school to school). •  In most cases, children will still be doing lessons on the carpet before going to tables to complete the activity and as I mentioned, lessons are designed to be short and engaging, with lots of 'brain breaks' and 'hooks' to help kids find it fun and be engaged in what they're doing. •  In most classrooms, it's not the stereotypical kids sitting in rows on their own, not being allowed to talk. Instead, kids tend to sit in groups, with a lot of collaborative or conversational work. In fact, in my classroom, it's always noisy. It's when it goes quiet I worry, because that means the kids aren't working!   At some point through the year, you are likely to hear the phrase ‘Why don’t we get to PLAY anymore?’ (I always feel like such a villain when I hear this!)   It can be frustrating, especially for active or younger children, who’ve suddenly moved from doing what  they want when they want, to being much more structured, particularly when they have a lack of understanding of ‘why’ this has happened - something that I often question myself, but unfortunately, with the level of work and requirements, it's something that does need to happen.   As the year goes on and the work gets 'easier' (it doesn’t, it actually gets harder - our kids simply get better at it and more used to it) this complaint tends to drop off.   Having said that, there are a few things you can do at home to help: •  Over the summer, encourage your child to build independence in their work and play. This could be leaving them to play by themselves for a period of time each day, or encouraging them to think about how they can solve problems on their own by saying ‘how do you think you can fix that?’. Obviously, I’m not saying don’t help at all, but encouraging independence and resilience will help your child when they start school and they’re back in a class of 30 with 1 adult! •  When your child is back at school, give them a bit of ‘down time’, both at the end of the day and for the first few weekends after they re start. Chances are, they'll be knackered and may be more boisterous or lack concentration, because they've been trying so hard at school. Giving them a bit of extra play time at the end of the day is a great way to combat this and help them feel like they’re still getting that free time they may be missing at school. •  I also suggest not doing too many after school activities for the first half term. It's a big change and I often find the kids are exhausted already. It's not uncommon for one or two of them to fall asleep on the way home (or even during story time at the end of the day!) •  Taking some time to talk positively about their day, what they've learned, how hard they've worked etc is invaluable too. Encouraging them to be proud of themselves will build up resilience over time so they're able to become more independent and confident, as well as help them to view all of these changes in a positive light.     Ready for Year 1? So, what’s the biggest take away from all of this?   Change is scary, but it’s also exciting. Your child will learn so much in Year 1 and you’ll be amazed by their progress.   Supporting them at home by being positive, talking about these changes and preparing them for the start of the year will set them up for the best possible start for one of the best years of the school career! If you’d like to watch the Ready for Year 1 masterclass, which goes in to more detail than I was able to offer here, you can do so here . Equally, I re-run the live Ready for Year 1 Masterclass regularly over the summer, so if you’d like to come along you can sign up here and be notified of the next time I run it! And if you’re ever feeling a bit overwhelmed yourself, please reach out! I’m always happy to help and I love a chat. Instagram:   https://www.instagram.com/jen.teaches.reading Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/784158515996895 Website: https://www.jenteachesreading.co.uk/rrc   Click here to read Head of the Hive's other interviews...

With it now being spring and Easter just around the corner, here are a handful of Easter activity and craft ideas to enjoy in the lead up to Easter and over the school holidays. Easter tree  - To get you in the Easter spirit buy an Easter tree or go scavenging for a large branch to decorate with eggs, and Easter themed decorations. You could even make your own decorations - see salt dough decorations further down. Easter bonnet hats - For a fun and creative activity you could make an Easter bonnet hat for your child to enjoy over the Easter period. You need a plain bonnet base and then decorations such a pipe cleaners, spring embellishments etc. We’ve created this blog post as a guide to making a bonnet hat. Chick process art - Using anything from a basting brush, cork, sponge, to a fork paint the body of a yellow chick. Then add eyes, a beak and some craft feathers. Garden games - Play some fun games that all the family can join in on. For example, race with a plastic egg between your legs (use a balloon if you don't have any plastic eggs) and play toss the plastic or chocolate eggs into a basket. Spring pasta art - Fusilli, spaghetti, farfalle…find a variety of pasta and some PVA glue and create a flower spring pasta picture. For the finishing touches add poster paint and some glitter. Kitchen roll bunny printing - Using a used cardboard kitchen roll, cut it to make the shape of a bunny - a circle for the face and then two squashed circles for the ears. Glue together and add paint to then stamp away on card. Add the face with a pen afterwards. Easter cards - Make some personalised Easter cards for family and friends with some card, crayons and Easter stickers. Or, alternatively use paints and turn a footprint into a carrot and a hand print into a chick for example. Playdoh eggs - Make some egg shapes out of playdoh and then decorate with gems, buttons and large sequins for example. Salt dough decorations - Make some Easter decorations to hang on a tree or to decorate the house with, using a simple salt dough recipe. Divide the mixture and add different food colourings dependent on desired colours, or leave white if you would prefer to decorate with poster paint once baked. Don’t forget to add a hole (I used a straw) and then add ribbon to hang. Recipe: I used one-third of:- - 500g plain flour - 250g table salt - 125ml warm water + a few drops of food colouring It made approx. 30 decorations that were approx. 7cm. Bake at 150 degrees for ~1 hour. Easter garden - For a traditional Christian celebration craft make an Easter garden to retell the Easter story in a hands on way. Read our blog post on how to make an Easter garden. Easter cookies - Using Easter themed cookie cutters you could make some delicious treats to be enjoyed over the Easter weekend. You could decorate with icing sugar and Easter sprinkles from Dr. Oetker. Recipe: - 200g butter at room temperature - 100g soft brown sugar/golden caster sugar - 300g plain flour Bake for 10-12 mins at 175°C Easter stories - Discover the Easter story with a range of Christian books from Eden.co.uk, or non religious picture books such as Paddington's Easter Egg Hunt and The Dinosaur the Pooped Easter! Dice games - You can play roll a chick where the different number on the dice corresponds to a different part of the chick. You could even have a race to see who could build their chick first. Alternatively, for something to get your little ones moving and burning off some energy, each number could correspond to an Easter/spring related action. For example, hop like a bunny, peck like a chicken, roll like an egg, flutter like a butterfly, grow like a flower, buzz like a bee etc. Potato stamping - Cut a potato in half and then cut an egg shape into the open side. You can add further designs such as stripes, dots and zig zags. Add paint and stamp away.  We hope that you all have a fabulous Easter weekend and that some of the suggestions above come in handy!

Asides from the obvious passports, suncream, hats, sunglasses, sun protection suit/rash vest, and travel pram, I've listed below some other items that I took abroad with us that I found very useful. So, irregardless of whether you are staying in an Air B&B, Bed & Breakfast or half/full board hotel there will hopefully be some items that you can add to your list for your holiday. I mentioned in my post 'KEEPING YOUR TODDLER AND PRE-SCHOOLER ENTERTAINED WHILST TRAVELLING' that I wanted to write about what I packed when we recently went on holiday to Sicily, and here it is! I mean, ideally suitcases would miraculously pack and un-pack themselves and weight limits wouldn't exist, but sadly...this is not the case. So, if you need a little inspiration then here are my top tips. For those of you who wish that a list for the whole suitcase would miraculously appear, today is your lucky day. Your Fairy Godmother is here! Just head on over to the resource library to download it. Our little stripy bees rocking their towelling ponchos on the beach Towelling poncho - Big Bee and Little Bee are wearing Dock & Bay children's mini ponchos in the photo above. They are so practical and perfect for using at the beach and by the pool. I particularly like them because they are very light (in comparison to others I've seen whilst shopping and used), quick-drying and come in a travel pouch to store them away after use. They also do a variety of towels and beach blankets made in the same fabric. Trunkie Boostapak - This doubles up as a car seat and backpack for a revolutionary all-in-one kids travel solution. The BoostApak is a ECE44.04 approved car seat for group 2 & 3, certified to European Union safety standards, recommended for children under 135cm weighing between 15 and 36 kg (approx. 4–12 years). First aid kit including Calpol sachets - You can never be too prepared! Our first aid kit includes items like plasters, antiseptic wipes, bandages, tape, hayfever tablets, adult ibuprofen and paracetamol etc. and the magic medicine, Calpol, but in sachet form to save on space and weight. Thermometer - For peace of mind we take our thermometer whenever we go away, in the UK or abroad, just in case we are caught off the hop Clogs - I first mentioned these in my 'TACKLING LOO/POTTY TRAINING FOR TODDLERS' post as we initially purchased them when we started potty training Big Bee, but they are brilliant for the beach and by the pool. On holiday the children used them all the time, and they are really easy for them to put on themselves too. We are now on our third pair and think they will be a staple for a long time. Anti-bacterial hand gel - This went in the rucksack and was especially used during the travelling to and fro. Big Bee loves to touch everything (she's a sensory kinda gal), so it was a necessity to bring it if we were to try and avoid catching every germ taking a ride on the plane with us too. Mosquito spray - Don't forget to pack a spray or lotion to ward off the mosquitoes. Ensure that it is dermatologically tested and DEET free. Just in case you or your little ones get bitten, make sure to pack an antihistamine cream. SnoozeShade - Inventors of this piece of black fabric with holes in - thank you! I don't know how naps are supposed to take place on the move without it, and the thought of it gives me the chills. If you want to do naps out and about on holiday then I would certainly recommend packing this gem of an item. Some of our holiday essentials including our first aid kit, Calpol sachets and reins Small insulated cool bag, Tupperware and a freeze block - This one is less likely to be of use if you are staying in an all inclusive, but I found these invaluable on our recent trip in self-catering accommodation. Big Bee and Little Bee are such foodies and are of an age where their meal times are ingrained into ALL of our internal clocks! We did many visits to the beach and little day trips to local towns, and it was useful having either their lunch or perishable snacks easily accessible and nice and cool. When we were staying in the Bed & Breakfast for a couple of nights, I was that person (I never thought I would be) making sandwiches at breakfast for the day ahead. Traditional reins/ wrist reins - I know people have mixed opinions on the use of reins, but personally I am in the camp that likes them. I think that they have a time and a place, and have provided a balance between safety and independence for our little ones. In the instance of going abroad safety was certainly at the forefront of my mind - busy and unfamiliar places and cars driving on the opposite side of the road. We took a CLIPPASAFE harness and reins, and an anti-lost wrist link that straps around your wrist and your toddlers. Pool/beach toys - When I was younger, I vividly recall bouncing around on a huge killer whale inflatable for hours in the pool. Whilst, Big Bee and Little Bee are not quite there yet, we opted for some Zoggs balls and puffer fish off Amazon. We also took some little bath squirter animal toys and were thoroughly enjoyed. Travel cutlery - I was not sure whether there would be suitable cutlery available for little hands in the accommodation we were staying in, so I took some travel cutlery with us. I actually purchased ours from Aldi, but there will be lots available online. Alternatively, just pop a few items of their cutlery from home in the suitcase. Blackout blind - If your child can lie-in with the light shining through the windows then I am in awe of your child and you. We packed a blackout blind to ensure we could make the room sufficiently dark for the children. I wasn't going to risk it! Float jacket/arm bands - Depending on the confidence of your little ones in the pool/sea, you may want to pack some floatation aids like a jacket or armbands. More of our essentials including clogs, flotation devices and pool toys Toys - I think it's easy to focus on toys for the travelling and not give much thought for the toys/books to enjoy the other end. I hid some of their toys a couple of weeks before we left and bought a couple of new items - balls, frisbee and a few travel size Play-Doh pots. Travel stain remover - Maybe it's just my little ones, but I'm forever reaching for the Vanish to remove stains (and that's with them wearing bibs when they eat!). When we go away I pack a travel sized bottle as to ensure their clothes stay looking un-stained. Favourite snacks - Because of the aforementioned love of food, we packed their favourite Organix snacks etc. not just for the aeroplane, but for the holiday itself too. So, if you're children are like ours then I would recommend doing the same. Games for adults - It's easy to forget to pack properly for yourself when you have little ones, but try to remember to pack something for yourself to enjoy during those stolen moments whether it be a book, magazine, music or games. My husband and I love a card game and so we took a pack of cards, Avocado Smash!, Sushi Go! and Dobble (my favourite!). I hope this list has been helpful and good luck with your packing!

With Easter just around the corner, we have started preparations and talking about why we celebrate it in our household. Making an Easter (resurrection) garden is a wonderful way to think about, and explore, the Easter story. Before we made our garden we read “The Story of Easter’ by Fiona Boon, which is a great book to introduce Jesus’ death and resurrection to young children. This was the first time that I had made an Easter garden with the children, and they were so engaged and proud of their creation that I felt it deserved its very own blog post. We will definitely be making this a tradition each year. What we used: Terracotta saucer and plant pot Potting soil A big rock Small sticks Twine Moss Grass seeds (optional) Wildflower seeds (optional) Decorative white pebbles (optional) Small watering can (optional) Steps: Place the plant pot on its side in the saucer. The plant pot will act as the tomb. Add soil to the saucer and on top of the pot, then compact the soil (that’s on the top of the pot) to create a mound. Position the large rock to the side of the tomb (pot) entrance. Sprinkle grass seeds over the soil, and wildflower seeds if you wish. Water the soil with a small watering can if seeds have been added. Add moss over the rim of the pot for decoration. Use two sticks and twine to create a large cross. Then use smaller sticks to make two other crosses. Position the larger cross in the middle of the mound, and then add the smaller crosses either side. Add decorative pebbles if you wish. Leave the Easter garden in a warm sunny spot to encourage germination of the seeds if added. Our Easter garden is now proudly sitting on our kitchen table and has been shown off to every visitor we’ve had! Excitement levels were high when the grass and wildflower seeds started sprouting, and they love monitoring their growth. I think the scissors will need to make an appearance now though! We will be revisiting our garden again over the Easter weekend, and linking it back to the story and its significance.

I was recently long overdue some quality self-care, so I wanted to share what I focused on and some tips on what you can do too! A mother's wellbeing is so important and very easily overlooked when many plates are being spun, and lots of different people are dependent on you. Recently it hit me - after almost 4 years of either pregnancy or rearing our beautiful children full-time, I was suddenly craving, needing, DESPERATE for some focused energy on self-care! I was starting to not recognise myself. I'm sure this is normal...please tell me it's normal!? Within this time I no doubt would have had moments of carrying out some self-care, but they felt stolen and were ridden with guilt. Now, it goes without saying that I absolutely adore being a mother to my wonderful little babes, but I recognised that something had to change in order to be the best version of 'mumma'. I did a little research into self- care and have summarised 6 of the different types. There is also financial (e.g. being responsible with your finances - saving, budgeting, management) and professional self-care (e.g. having clear and professional boundaries, development, taking breaks, time management). Hopefully, the visual aid will help you identify what form of self-care you need in your life to nourish you. An overview of some self-care examples Can you recognise any areas from the infographic that you need to focus on? What should you prioritise? Your goals will invariably be dependent on how much time you have in your day, but here are some suggestions for different lengths of time:- 10 minutes: - Flick through a magazine - Write down your gratitudes - Have a little boogie - Do some mindfulness colouring - Meditation - Make a smoothie - Have a quick call with a friend/family - Listen to some music 30 minutes: - Paint your nails - Watch an episode of your favourite series - Have a nap - Go for a walk - Skincare e.g. facemask - Read a book - Yoga/pilates etc. class - Go for a run - Do some gardening 2+ hours (whoop - freedom!): - Spa - Visit the garden centre and buy some plants for the house - Go for a bike ride - Haircut/highlights - Catch-up with a friend/family for lunch or dinner - Watch a movie - Learn a new skill - Go shopping Personally, I instantly recognised that I was under nourished in the 'personal self-care' department. So, my first port of call was treating myself to some new bras that actually fitted me. Yes, that's right, my ol' faithful, shapeless and dull nursing bra buddies were being packed up (even though I hadn't stopped breastfeeding entirely, I was this desperate). My breasts were rejoicing at the prospect of having a bit more lift and 'oomph'. The small (and sadly, now saggy) gals were back in town! This was followed by a wardrobe cleanse, signing up to yoga classes and indulging in some products from Beauty Pie. Once I got on a roll in identifying areas that I could improve in, there was no stopping me. Here is a list of some other priorities that I added to my self-care journey, that may hopefully give you a little inspiration to you: Prioritise date nights. We have got into a rhythm where we try and go out for dinner once every couple of months, and dress up for the occasion. We also try and have a games night each week as we love a good game. Book in to see friends during the evenings. Meeting up for playdates is obviously a great opportunity to see friends, but you don't exactly have quality conversations together when little ones are around. So, going for dinner or grabbing a drink one evening is a better way to connect and enjoy being in each other's company. Psychologically heading out after 7pm can certainly feel like a big hurdle to overcome (loungewear and TV can be so appealing!), but you won't regret it once out! Reading before bed. I like to have a couple of books on the go now - one fictional to help switch-off and more of an educational one, and then I can dip into either depending on my mood. Try a new skill and create a bucket list of new skills. It could be anything from needle felting to learning to play the piano. Practising gratitude and encouraging it as a family too, for example you could go around in a circle at dinner saying what you are each glad for. Or you could do the G.L.A.D. technique, which was apparently adapted from Donald Altman's 'The Mindfulness Toolbox'. It is a way to find joy, balance and positivity. - G : Gratitude, one that you are thankful for from your day. - L : Learning, one new thing you've learnt from the day. - A : Accomplishment, one big or small thing that you have accomplished today. - D : Delight, one thing that laugh, smile, bought about joy or pleased your senses. Apparently, in order to enhance your G.L.A.D practice it's best to share it with others. Subscribers can access a self-care weekly tracker that you can download from the resource library. You can add your own personal affirmation each week e.g. I am doing my best, and my best is good enough. You have a reminder to practice the G.L.A.D. technique each day, and space to add your personal priorities/goals for each week, e.g. spend time with loved ones, stay active, drink plenty of water etc. and tick them off. I hope this had given you some food for thought and helped you identify what self-care you require and need to focus on. Remember it's much harder to pour from an empty cup! Enjoy filling yours up.

Research suggests that saying positive statements about yourself causes the reward centres in our brains to light up. Affirmations are therefore a fantastic way to create and nurture self-worth and confidence in your child, equipping them with the skills and confidence to tackle challenges and seize opportunities throughout life. Why are positive affirmations important? It is believed that our self-beliefs are formed in childhood from our experiences and the beliefs of the adults around us. So, it is during this time that a child can develop a positive self-image and self-love. Using positive affirmations with your child is a powerful way to wire in those positive beliefs about themselves that will serve them into adulthood. Other benefits of positive affirmations: A decrease in stress Reduced negative thinking and self-criticism Increases motivation Builds confidence Helps to cope with strong emotions and challenges Cultivates a growth mindset Examples of positive affirmations: I am strong I am brave I am kind I am enough I am important I am smart I am beautiful Some examples of how to use positive affirmations with your child: Saying them together: Practise saying positive affirmations with your child in front of the mirror each morning or evening as part of their daily routine. You could come up with a family song of affirmations specific to your child and add actions for each to make it fun and memorable. Arts and craft: Encourage your child to create a piece of artwork with their affirmations written down. This could be as simple as drawing around their hand and filling it in with their self affirmations and decorating it. Superpowers: You could pick an affirmation of the day and focus on it throughout. It could be their superpower for the day and they can put on their 'brave' superhero cloak in the morning. Listening to music: Some examples are... This is Me - The Greatest Showman A firm favourite in our household and sure to get everyone showing off their 'power dance' moves. It's a positive song about being proud of who you are, ignoring other people's opinions of you and celebrating being unique. Roar - Katy Perry A song about bravery, standing up for yourself and expressing your voice. Love My Life - Robbie Williams This is a song full of affirmations - "I love my life. I am wonderful. I am magical. I am wonderful. I love my life. I am powerful. I am beautiful. I am free." Breathing exercises: Combining breathing techniques and positive affirmations you can help support your child in reframing their outlook, for example overcoming a fear they may, and bringing about a sense of calm and a focus on their wellbeing. Before each deep breath they say their positive statement out loud e.g. I am brave. Family dinner time: If you are able to have a family meal together, then you could make it a tradition to take it in turns to say what qualities each person posses that you love. Eg. I love how kind/resilient/brave you are. You demonstrated this when... Little notes: Leave a note or a post-it note in their school rucksack, on their pillow for when they go to bed, by their breakfast etc. affirming their qualities. Remember, the more your child practises using positive affirmations about themselves then the more natural those thoughts will become. Repetition is key! References: Self-affirmation activates brain systems associated with self-related processing and reward and is reinforced by future orientation. Christoper N. Cascio et al. 2015 Cohen GL, Sherman DK. The psychology of change: self-affirmation and social psychological intervention. Annu Rev Psychol. 2014 Steele, C.M. (1998). The psychology of self-affirmation:Sustaining the integrity of the self.

With the recent weather in the UK having resembled that of the arctic or monsoon season, I thought that some indoor play suggestions for your children might be well received. So, here's our list of ideas to keep you and your little ones from climbing up the walls if you are staying in. I hope that it comes in use! A very belated Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a very enjoyable and restful Christmas break and getting through the grind of January. This blog has come out a bit later than I had anticipated, but with Little Bee's 2nd birthday, his party, some illness, and then with Little Bee starting nursery it's been a little hectic, as I'm sure you can understand. I also underestimated how long it would take me to write a list of 40+ suggestions! But without further ado here is our list of things to do with a toddler/pre-schooler at home when it's raining or seriously cold outside. Magnetic-tiles - We are big fans in our house and if you are too then you'll know that the opportunities are endless with them. You could make shapes with masking tape on the floor and fill them (as shown in '30+ FUN CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES TO ENTERTAIN THE KIDS' blog), make a maze for a 'Hexbug' (if you have one at home), build houses, make an obstacle course and blow a ball around it with a straw, develop a board game with them, create different coloured boxes for a colour sort, garages for cars, create silly faces with them, to name a few. Make a magazine collage - If you have any read magazines or newspapers around the house then you could recycle them, and cut them up to create a new image. You will need some scissors, paper and glue. Build a den - Another firm wet weather favourite in our household. We either use a pop up tent that we have, or some chairs and old sheets designated specifically for den building, and the children stuff it full of blankets, cushions and teddies. The last time we made a den we used some glow sticks too (did you know that you can store your glow sticks in the freezer to prolong their life?). Make jewellery - You'll need some beads and you could use with a pipe cleaner to twist into a bracelet for example, some jewellery laces or some elastic. A great activity for encouraging those fine motor skills. Don't have any beads? Why not use penne or macaroni pasta and some string or wool. Big Bee in the thick of using her beads from Father Christmas to make a bracelet Have a disco - Put on some tunes, a disco/sensory light if you have one, maybe some fancy dress clothes and glow sticks if you have them to hand, and throw some shapes. You could play musical bumps, statues or chairs too. Movement cube - If you want to burn some energy then this is a fun and different option. Print off our movement cube here from the Resource Library, preferably onto card, cut, and stick together to make a cube. Then take it in turns to roll the cube and act out the different animals. Play balloon tennis - If you have x2 paper plates, tape, x2 lollipop sticks and a balloon then you will be able to play a game of balloon tennis. You could also see how long you can keep the ballon bouncing without it hitting the floor, or bounce it whilst the music is playing and then try and balance it on the plate when the music stops. Play-Doh cakes - You'll need some Play-Doh, candles, gems, glitter, sprinkles, small bits of pipe cleaner bent into different shapes and any other small bits that can be added to their cakes. You could even use their play kitchen or a recycled cardboard box to act as their oven. Sure to be a hit! Anyone fancy a Play-Doh cake slice...? Rice/bean play - You don't have to have an all singing, all dancing rice play set-up to enjoy some sensory pay. Just get some dried rice or dried beans and a container that is large enough for scooping and pouring into. Then get some little pot and scoops or spoons and let your little ones enjoy. You could always add some little toys, like mini diggers or excavators to add to the fun. Vegetable and fruit printing - If you have some fruit or vegetables in the fridge that are on the turn then why not use them for printing. You will need some paper, paint and foods like apples, pear, celery base, onions or broccoli. Texture rubbings - Go on the hunt around the house for items that you could use, such as coins, a grater and comb. Then using wax crayons make a rubbings onto paper. Shadow play - You could either use your hands to make different animal shapes and a torch or use different animal figurines you have at home. To begin, you could encourage your little ones to guess the animal and then make the sounds that they make, discuss some facts about each one and then create a storyline including a few of the animals. Alternatively, you could make some shadow puppets using card or cardboard from a cereal box, lollysticks/skewers, Sellotape and scissors. When Nelly the elephant met Gerry the giraffe during our shadow play Marble maze - On a baking tray use some playdoh to make a maze and then run a marble through the maze. You can then re-mould the playdoh and make a different maze. Do a scavenger hunt in the house - For younger children you could write a list of items for them to collect or draw a little map of where they can find their treasures. Alternatively, you could do an alphabet hunt with some foam letters that they have to find to make up a word on a flashcard/written on paper. For older children you could write clues for the items they need to find that have been hidden. For multiple children you could time them and turn it into a race. Baking - Whilst on the theme of baking, why not actually bake a real cake, cookies or muffins with staples that you have in the cupboard? Check out the recipe we used for some vegan cookies at Christmas in our blog post '30+ FUN CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES TO ENTERTAIN THE KIDS'. Big Bee in the process of making some chocolate banana bread during a baking session Vet play - A fun activity to encourage role play and the important values of caring for others including animals. You could use animal figurines or cuddly toys and if you don't have any medical toys then you could either use your house thermometer and a Calpol syringe for example, or make some out of recycled cardboard and use loo roll as bandages. Make an obstacle course - I mentioned our carnival set in 'THE 3RD BIRTHDAY GIFT GUIDE THAT YOU NEED TO READ' blog post, which we use for setting up mini obstacle courses and a pop up tunnel. If you don't have anything like this in your home then why not use cushions, chairs and sheet for a tunnel, empty bottles, pool noodles and rings to make a DIY one. Children's yoga - A great way to get your little ones moving and doing something a bit different, and not to mention the plethora of other benefits from helping to manage anxiety to developing their flexibility. Cosmic Kids Yoga on Youtube is accessible and fun for children. Jump in muddy puddles - No rain day play would be complete without playing outside in the actual rain. As long as there is no thunder, storm or lightening, and you have the right rain gear for both your children and yourself then splashing in and out of puddles will no doubt be enjoyed. You can't beat fresh air! Visit the library - One for outside the house, but this list wouldn't feel right without it. Allow your children to explore their local library and immerse themselves in the wonder of books. Getting children interested in reading at a young age is important to encourage positive reading habits later on in life. You could also check to see if there are any story times or activities being hosted at the library that you could attend. Making ourselves VERY at home at our local library Portrait paintings - Using mirrors you could get your child to paint themselves, or if you have more than one child you could suggest that they paint one another. Alternatively, if you don't have any paint you could make some portraits out of loose parts like bottle lids, stones and beads. Teddy bear tea party - Collect all the teddies who want to attend a tea party and then serve them a cup of tea and slice of cake. If you don't have any tea cups and play cake, then you could use recycled bottles and some cardboard to make some delicious treats. Salt painting - Draw a pattern or image on some card stock using PVA glue and then pour some salt over it. Then tip off the excess salt. Using some liquid watercolour paints dip your paintbrush and then dab it onto the salt and watch it spread. If you don't have any watercolours then you can use some food colouring and water. Then leave it to dry for a day or two. Painting with household items - Bored of using a paintbrush? Then why not try something a little different and find some household items to paint, for example, a comb, old toothbrush, sponge, bristle brush. Make a fairy house - Do you have a small cardboard box that could be converted into a fairy house? If so, decorate with tissue paper, card, stickers, paint. We also used some recycled faux flowers for the top of the house. Cut a door out and if you have more cardboard going spare then you could use it to make little beds for the fairies. We then added some items like battery operated tea lights, conkers, gems and real flowers and the fairies of course. The Bees then enjoyed playing with their creation and immersed themselves in a magical world. Introducing our magical fairy land and house Read books together - Cosy up underneath a blanket on the sofa and read your favourite books together. If you have been to the library to collect some new books then this would be a perfect time to read them at home together. Fancy dress - Not that your little ones need an excuse to dress up, but a grey and rainy day is a perfect reason to open up the fancy dress box. Don't have any fancy dress items? You could play dress up with some of your clothes, or make hats from newspaper. Puppet show - If you don't have any puppets at home then it's a perfect excuse to make some with lolly sticks and felt, old socks, wooden spoons etc. In a past blog post we made some space and under the sea puppets - WOODEN LOLLIPOP STICK PUPPET CRAFT. Play a board game - If you have any board games in the cupboard then it's the perfect time to get them out and play with together. You could also get your favourite teddy bears involved. Memory games are the top of our list in our household, particularly our latest purchase 'Shopping List' by Orchard Toys. Big Bee teaching Teddy the rules for the 'Shopping List' game Make a rain cloud mobile - Using half of a paper plate create holes at the top (curved side) to thread some string through to hang it up at the end. Then spread some glue over it and stick on some cotton wool balls. Then on the back of the plate add some different lengths of blue thread across the length of the flat side, ~ 5-6 of them. Cut out some raindrops from some blue card (a mixture of light and dark would be ideal) and then stick them along the length of the pieces of thread. Add the string at the top to hang. Complete a puzzle - This would be a firm favourite for Little Bee at the moment as he is obsessed with completing them! If you don't have any puzzles then why not make one? You could also add a challenge to get your child moving and hide the puzzle pieces for a game of 'hide, seek and complete'. Learn about where rain comes from - For slightly older children - why not learn about where rain is from and then do a rain experiment. It could be as simple as seeing what volume of rain you collect; to collecting rain water to watering some seedlings, and then comparing how well they grow compared to those grown using tap water (remember to make it a fair test e.g same type of seeds, same amount of sunlight to same volume of soil etc.); or illustrating rainfall through a demonstration using a jar filled with water and then putting shaving foam on the top to illustrate the cloud, and then using liquid food colouring and pipetting it on top of the foam and seeing it fall through into the water. Make houses for animals - Using recycling, Magnetic Tiles, Lego or Mega Bloks you could make little houses for any toy animals that you have around the house. This will then open up other opportunities for role play. Little Bee in the building stage of these animal's houses Ooblek (cornflour goop) messy play - An entertaining activity that the adults can enjoy just as much! It's affordable and easy to make too and it's likely that you will have the main component in your store cupboard. For a small quality for x1 child, use approximately 75g of cornflour and 50ml of cold water and mix together. If the mixture seems too dry then add a few drops more of water. You could also add a few drops of food colouring if you would like to make the mixture a certain colour. Prepare to get messy playing with it and enjoy something that is both a solid and a liquid! Bowling - Have any empty cartons or plastic bottles then why not use them as bowling pins? You could then use either a ball or an orange/satsuma as the ball. Do a science experiment - There are so many fun science experiments you can do at home with your children using common household products, from the milk, food colouring and dish soap experiment; the bicarbonate of soda and vinegar experiment; to demonstrating diffusion with skittles and water. Do a little research beforehand into what is needed and what science is going on in order to answer any questions they may have, and to help with your explanation. I do plan on doing a blog post on some different experiment you can enjoy at home with your pre-schooler. But most importantly encourage your children to tell you what they notice and nurture the excitement of doing experiments at home, in the hope that this will carry on through the years. The fun and easy skittle experiment Felt shape pictures - Using different coloured felt sheets and scissors cut out different geometric shapes, and make different pictures with them. You could either place them on another piece of felt sheet for a background and take photos of the different scenes you create, or for something more permanent you could glue them down onto some card. Simon Says - An easy and fun game that children love (and will no doubt bring back some nostalgia to your childhood). You can give commands such as "Simon says, hop, crawl, jump, dance, fly like a butterfly" etc. and watch out for when Simon doesn't say a command! Play hide and seek - A classic game that should never be underestimated! Need I say anymore? Bean bag toss game - Use a recycled delivery box, and either draw straight onto it the image you want or onto paper that you have stuck onto it, and then cut a hole (adults should do this step!) for the bean bags to go through. If you don't want to do the first activity step of creating an image then you could just skip it and make the hole. If you have a big enough box then you could add multiple holes for a different value of points. If you don't have a box then use a laundry basket. If you don't have any bean bags then you could make your own with rice, some scrap fabric and needle and thread, or use scrunched up newspaper or recycled paper. For Little Bee's Thomas the Tank Engine themed birthday I made a bean bag toss from a recycled Amazon box Junk modelling - Have some rolls, boxes, jars, lids, bottles, cardboard boxes laying around then why not use them for junk modelling and made some different objects out of them e.g. a train. Sticky picture - Cut out a rectangle (or your preferred shape) out of some coloured card so that you are left with a border onto some recycled cardboard e.g. a flower, and then clover it with clear contact paper (the stuff you use to cover your text books with) and then add some loose craft bits such as, button, coloured lolly sticks, tissue paper, sequins, wool, felt etc. to make a picture. To access any of the free HOTH resources, simply subscribe and then click on the link below.

Preparing your child for a visit to the dentist can be instrumental in helping to build a healthy relationship and association with the dentist. Below I've listed different strategies that I take before we attend our dental appointment to help my toddler and pre-schooler deal with their visit. We all know that taking our children to visit the dentist is necessary to promote good oral hygiene habits and keep their teeth healthy. From a child's perspective they are expected to lie back in a big chair in an unfamiliar room, have a stranger (or someone they see infrequently) put their hands in their mouth and poke around with some unfamiliar instruments. So, understandably this can all be very intimidating to a small person (I mean, I feel a little intimidated just writing it!). Therefore, any preparation that you can carry out before their visit is going to be beneficial and help put them at ease, make their visit go as smoothly as it possibly can, and potentially even fun! Even though Big Bee has been to the dentist numerous times I still explain that the dentist is there to help us look after our teeth and keep them healthy. I then reinforce that we also have to take care of our teeth and then we talk about how we do that. In addition to this my other tops tips are: Ready and waiting for our dental appointment Positive talk - First and foremost, positive talk = positive mood. Think about the language you are using and avoid negative words like 'hurt', 'pain' and 'scary'. You can also explain what the dentist will do e.g. in our case I said that the dentist is going to have a look at how well you've been cleaning your teeth, and count how many teeth you have. It's important to be honest with them when they ask questions, but try and keep your answers short and simple. Speaking about going to the dentist in a positive light and not sharing any of your own negative experiences (if you have had any) is vital. Staying calm - Irregardless of your own personal experiences with the dentist, it's really important to not relay this to your child. Children pick up on everything and if you are stressed and tense, they will likely become like this too. Try and stay as upbeat, calm and positive as you can. Arrive with plenty of time to spare before the appointment, so that you are not stressed from running late. You could always take a little bag of toys to entertain them while you wait. Music - We are avid music fans in our household, so listening to children's music about teeth, such as 'Brush Your Teeth' by The Wiggles was a no brainer. One morning we put some different songs on about teeth and did some tooth brushing action alongside some questionable dance moves. It was just a bit of fun and another way to reinforce the importance of brushing our teeth. Books - Read a book about visiting the dentist. We had the story Peppa Pig dental story and we read it multiple times before our appointment. We have some 'big steps' books and have used them for different milestones, they have one on about visiting the dentist too. Our little bookworm 'brushing' up on dental appointments Videos - I've found watching videos can be really a beneficial aid too. Examples that we have enjoyed include Blippi visits the dentist - educational videos for kids, and Peppa Pig at the dentist. Role-play - After reading the books and watching the videos we did lots of 'visiting the dentist' role-play. We took it in turns to be the dentist and patient, and the children really enjoyed it. We also made sure some of the teddy bears had their check-ups too. It was a playful and fun way to normalise what they were going to experience at their appointment. Comfort toy - Have your child take their favourite toy to visit the dentist so that they feel more at home - safe and familiar. You could then have the dentist either check the toy's 'teeth or encourage the dentist to allow your little one to. When we visited recently I asked the dentist if Little Bee could check his cuddly doggy's teeth and he gave him the dental mirror to do so. This was a great way to 'break the ice' and he absolutely loved doing so. I believe it then made him feel confident and comfortable enough for the dentist to look in his mouth without any issues. After our recent visit Big Bee turned around and said that she loved visiting the dentist, so I felt that it made the preparation beforehand all worthwhile. Fingers crossed for the next visit! Hopefully the above will be of some use to you when your own child has their teeth checked, and they will have a similar experience. If you have any other recommendations to share on how your prepare your toddler before the dentist I would love to hear them! I do appreciate that not everything might be smooth-sailing for you and your child. If your child has developed any anxieties around attending the dentist then why not talk to them about why are are anxious or worried, acknowledge their fears, and then offer them some reassurance. You can practice some breathing techniques together and find a welcome distraction that will suit your child whilst they are waiting to go in. It might also be worth speaking with the dentist beforehand to make them aware of any concerns that you have before the appointment, and to see if they have any recommendations on how to settle their nerves. Also, you could provide them with information about your child before you visit, such as animals that they like, their favourite activities and foods. This could act as a conversation starter for the dentist and help them build a rapport with your child and break down any barriers.

Christmas songs have started on the radio, shops are smelling of cinnamon, the supermarket Christmas ad competition has officially began…Christmas is officially only 33 sleeps away. We’ve decided to start a little tradition this year of giving ‘1st December sacks’. It includes everything that you might want your children to wear or use in the lead up to Christmas Day. Ours will contain what I have traditionally given them over the month of December, but this year I wanted to sprinkle some extra magic and get them in a festive mood at the beginning of the month. I’m also hoping that it will help encourage Big Bee to get through those last few weeks of her first term at school. Firstly, I have ordered them a cream sack off Etsy with their first initial embroidered onto the bag in a Liberty festive print. But, if you didn’t want to do this then you, or your child, could perhaps decorate a canvas bag. Alternatively, you could use a cardboard box and wrap it with Christmas wrapping paper, or a wicker basket or crate that you can pick up from a charity shop. Below are a range of ideas that you could include in your sack or box: Colouring/Activity Book - Colouring books are a great activity to do during a very stimulating and busy period. If you want to add a mindful activity to your sack then, The Works and The Range are good places to get affordable Christmas colouring and activity books from. Window Stickers - You could pick up some window gel stickers or stickers e.g. 'Santa, please stop here' from a variety of places including Amazon, Ginger Ray, The Works, The Range, and The Card Factory. PJs - Gifting Christmas pyjamas at the beginning of the month makes a lot more sense to me, so that they get more wear out of them over the festive period. You can chose some wonderful designs from a whole host of places in the UK e.g. Next, ASDA, H&M, M&S and Sainsbury's. Outfits - Whether it's a Christmas jumper, leggings or a top that you would typically buy during this period then it would be a great addition to the sack. Socks - Fluffy and cosy Christmas socks are sure to go down a treat, or some animal themed welly socks for the winter months. Accessories - Christmas themed hair accessories or a novelty headband are a fun way to get into the festive spirit. Stickers - The Bees love using stickers for their Christmas crafting sessions and for making cards, so Christmas stickers are a must in our household. Art and Craft Kit - The Bees were bought a craft kit last year and they absolutely loved it. I have found something similar to what they were gifted here. Otherwise, you could pick up some craft supplies from a store like Poundland or Hobbycraft to then create your own cards or decorations with. Sticker Book - You could pick something traditional like the Usborne Nativity book to reinforce the meaning of Christmas or a Christmas sticker book. Advent Calendar - A classic tradition of marking down the days until Christmas where the joy builds and builds! No 1st December sack/bag would be complete without one. However, if you have decided to go down the road of a homemade calendar with little treats each day, then you could always put the first treat of advent in their 1st of December sack. Magazine - If your child loves magazines (or the free gifts!) as much as mine do then adding one to their sack as a special treat is sure to be well received. Sweet Treats - You could add some hot chocolate, marshmallows, a gingerbread man or some chocolate coins. Event tickets - Have you booked a pantomime, light show, or Father Christmas visit this year? To show what you have in store for them then you could include a homemade personalised ticket. Board Game - Add to your board game collection and spend some quality time together during the Christmas period. If you wanted the game to be festive themed, then Orchard Toys do a range of Christmas games. Cookie Cutters - Baking cookies together is a fun Christmas activity to do with your children. So, you could include a Christmas related cookie cutter in their sack, or one that matches their current favourite topic e.g dinosaurs. Christmas Book - This year we have bought Big Bee a book from the 'Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam' series - 'Santa's Stolen Sleigh', and Little Bee 'The Christmasaurus' by Tom Fletcher. If you are not looking for a specific Christmas book then I would highly recommend visiting a local charity shop for some second hand Christmas books. Christmas Bauble - Adding a new decoration to the Christmas tree each year is a great tradition to start. If you wanted a unique personalised one then there are many on Etsy or Not On The Highstreet, or local garden centres often have personalised Christmas decorations.