Lavania Oluban

There’s somewhat of a debate when it comes to making beautiful “keepsakes” with toddlers versus letting them experiment and play with mark making. For once I’m firmly on the fence with this. Of course if you have been following us for a while you will know I’m happy to let Arlo run wild and participate … Read more

Arlo absolutely loves painting, and playing with colours. He hasn’t stopped talking about the snow painting activity we did and every morning he looks out of the window checking for snow. We do of course get our messy play materials out indoors but there’s nothing better than having a giant canvas outdoors. Unfortunately the snow … Read more

In retrospect The last twelve months have been traumatic for everyone. As adults we are able to explain feelings of loneliness and isolation, and pick up the phone to communicate with other people who understand. I’m pausing now to reflect on how it’s been with a toddler. The terrible two’s are a real thing, and … Read more

(items in this blog were provided for the purposes of review) The main focal point of my living room has always been my fireplace. There is an old chimney breast behind it which is closed off so this is now a wooden decorative mantle with an electric fire. I’ve changed my mind about what I … Read more

(Some items featured in this blog post were gifted for the purpose of review) The beginning of a renovation project idea This cupboard has previously been used for storage in the master bedroom, it sits above the stairs which run centrally through the house, and it’s been handy – this is the place where Christmas … Read more

I’ve never seen Arlo have quite as much fun as we did today. We’ve been lucky enough to have lots of snow recently and last night it was coming down thick and fast so I decided to put together this activity for the morning. You will need: Water based poster paint Water Condiment bottles All … Read more

We had snow last night and I knew Arlo would want to play outdoors and so I rummaged around the house trying to think about what we could do – and an ice cream station seemed like the best plan. You will need: Cups / tubs Spoons Scoops Slime/foam for ice cream Water beads for … Read more

This week at nursery Arlo has been following the topic of “moon stars and sun” which works with the terms overall themes of “light and dark, hot and cold” – so to support this learning I’ve incorporated some ideas in to activities we can do together at home. This does require a little bit of … Read more

Continuing on with our Antarctic and winter themed play activities today I decided to make Arlo up a messy sensory bin of icebergs…. but instead of using a tuff tray outdoors I used a storage container which has a depth of about 20cm which is enough to contain the mess for indoor play. You will … Read more

Continuing on with our winter themed activities I have made a batch of snow dough, Thai is slightly different to our usual play dough recipe and has a texture which is a bit like kinetic sand. I added glitter and provided Arlo with a tinker tray and invited him to build snowmen with me. You … Read more

Here’s a really simple way to incorporate winter in to your baking….. melted snowman cookies. You will need: Cookies Icing sugar Marshmallows Food colouring pens I made a batch of cookies using our three ingredient sugar butter and flour recipe but you could just as easily use a digestive or similar biscuit as a base … Read more

This is another really simple ice tray play and one which requires very little set up – inspired by our trip to Warwick Castle where we saw a real life ice rink! You will need: A flat baking tray An ice cube tray Water Small plastic animals Gellibaff slime A large play tray Overnight I … Read more

If you’ve been following our adventures for a while you will know we love colour – holi powder is one of our favourite things to play with. Last year we had an “over the rainbow” party for Arlo’s birthday at the end of the first lockdown and it went down a storm and so what … Read more

Kicking the first Monday in January off with an icy themed tray play. A really low prep activity using resources we already have and adding a twist. You will need: A flat tray Water Freezer space Tin foil Paint Brushes Animals Loose parts Paper plate So it’s as simple as adding water to a tray … Read more

This little choir of pine cone elf craft characters was really simple to put together and makes a beautiful little Christmas choir display. You will need: Pine cones Wooden balls Scraps of felt Scissors Double sided tape Needle and thread Glue Bells Pens to add features First things first plan ahead and stick your wooden … Read more

It’s 2020 and people have been talking and singing about the age of Aquarius for a long time, but this major cosmic event is finally about to happen. Wether you believe in astrology or not, the changing of an astrological age seems to affect civilisation and cultural tendencies (according to Wikipedia anyway). This makes me … Read more