The last twelve months has been a time of upheavals for everyone. We’ve all had time to reassess our priorities and for many of us it’s not likely that we’ll be going “back to normal” once lockdown finally ends. Working from home made me really value my living space and I decided back last spring … Read more
The school holidays are about to commence, another few weeks at home, after only being back for a few weeks seems almost crazy! WeââŹâ˘ve covered every messy play idea imaginable and itââŹâ˘s fabulous that parks and tourist attractions are starting to open up. Like most families we all still need a bit of down time … Read more
Like most three year olds Arlo is absolutely obsessed with bugs and so now that spring is blooming the garden is full of them and they are a great natural resource to explore. We have been moving around the pots and digging up the borders for the last few weeks and so have found quite … Read more
Easter bonnets are a tradition I remember participating in when I was a little girl. I was so excited when the nursery asked us to get craft as parents as theyââŹâ˘re having a bonnet parade this week before the holiday break, but of course when I asked Arlo what he wanted to make he didnââŹâ˘t … Read more
I like to think of myself as a dab hand in the kitchen but I’m under no illusions that my meals are no where near “gourmet” standard. I’m really missing dining out and celebrating special occasions with beautiful meals. I’m no stranger to meal kits now and have been using the time in lockdown to … Read more
We have been out and about again today and this time our travels took us to Trentham Gardens, which are amongst the finest in Britain. A week ahead of Easter there has been a Beatrix Potter themed trail added to the grounds. You can book online to visit the gardens. Tickets are ĂÂŁ12 for adults … Read more
This weekend marked the Spring Equinox and so we decided to start with the Easter bakes. This indulgent mini egg cheesecake is a fun one for little ones to make because it involves lots of bashing with a rolling pin. You will need: For the base Digestive biscuits – 300g Ground almonds – 50g Honey … Read more
Bodenham has become another one of our most favourite outdoor places to explore, and is a hidden treasure of the Midlands. As you turn in to the main drive you’re greeted with a landscape of rolling hills and in spring time there’s plenty of lambs to see skipping in the fields. The visitor centre is … Read more
In 2020 the Black Lives Matter went viral. ItââŹâ˘s always been present but this year, amplified by the lockdown and sociopolitical goings on racism was at the forefront of social media feeds and hashtags were trending. Now we see the royal family latest scandal centres around issues of racism too. Today however I saw one … Read more
Spring has sprung and the days are now mild enough to enjoy a walk in the great outdoors. Cannock Chase Gruffalo Trail is one of our favourite places to visit for a wander and is great value – as all you really need to pay for is the car parking. We usually park up near … Read more
This is a sponsored blog post I am extremely passionate about learning through play. I share all sorts of activities we do at home and most of the time it looks like complete chaos, but there’s method behind the madness. I try to incorporate opportunities to learn in to everything we do, in such a … Read more
I couldn’t quite believe it when conducting research for this blog. Could it be true – were Noddy and rupert bear racist ? Writing this on the eve of World Book day, not just a chance for parents to play top trumps with costumes, but an opportunity to invoke a love of literature in our … Read more
This is a really fun project for budding scientists – when you mix baking soda and vinegar a chemical reaction occurs which creates bubbles. This is fun all on its own but when you involve colours things take on a new direction. I’ve previously written about how Arlo’s schema penchant is for transformation and so … Read more
I previously wrote about how I like to make the most out of a roast chicken by stretching out the leftovers to make additional meals and I had so many questions and requests to showcase what I would do with other meats. This week we had a Sunday roast with beef and so I had … Read more
This was an interesting play set up, I’m so used to having to pretend that shaving foam ice creams are delicious – I wanted to put Arlo’s mixology skills to the test for real. I’ve been reading about schemas recently and figuring out that Arlo seems to have a penchant for transforming things and so … Read more
These love bug cookies are a twist on our super simple sugar cookie recipe which is the basis for all of our fun themed biscuit bases. You will need: 200g butter 100g sugar 300g flour Vanilla essence Red food colouring Choc chips Chocolate Edible eyes Heart cookie cutter You begin by combining the sugar, flour … Read more
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
I often use rice and chick peas for indoor play activities. They provide the sensory fun element of play but as dry ingredients the clean up process isn’t as daunting as it is with slime. Here is how to dye chick peas for messy play. You will need: My process for dying the peas is … 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
This blog post contains sponsored links If you follow my social media channels you may have noticed that I have been slowly renovating the house from top to bottom. There’s something happening in every room and I constantly change my mind when it comes to colours and so there’s always something new going on. I’m … Read more