Straws Galore

This was a discovery time. I gave Master E and Miss a packet of plastic straws and some containers with honeycomb mesh (from a $2 shop with the craft supplies) taped across the top. There were a selection of containers, but the one pictured was most popular. Perfect for a wet day.

What a hit, they couldn't wait to get the straws out of the packet and  immediately  started poking them into the holes in the mesh.

Miss M was even in on the act.

Lots of concentrating getting the straws into the holes.

Discovering that the straws bend.

A little bit of trumpet playing.

Some drinking.

The finished creation. The straws were then pulled out and put back in over  and over.

Small World Play ~ Dinosaur World

I came across this idea on another wonderful blog called the Imagination Tree. theimaginationtree.com

My Master E is Dinosaur mad ( too much Peppa Pig!) So he and I created a dinosaur inspired small world 

while Miss M was asleep.

Today on our walk we collected lots of sticks and leaves. When we got home we created this small dinosaur world. Using pasta, lentils and dried bean mix to create different textures and playdough to hold our trees in place.

Master E loved feeling the dried lentils.

A hungry dinosaur ate some of the pasta.

Some more mixing.

The dinosaur is long forgotten and the playdough is being used to make pasta prints.

There was lots of play generated from this activity more than half an hour (a long time for my 2 1/2 year old). 

We did plan this one well and placed a plastic mat underneath the tub for an easy clean up of any spills. We also did this while Miss M was asleep as the lentils and beans are very hard and quite small.

We have packed the lentils, beans and pasta into a bag for another small world activity.

Mess Free Finger Paint

This is one of our (my) favourite activities so far. I love that the kids get all the enjoyment of paint and I don't have any cleaning up to do!!!

Put two big dollops of paint into zip lock bags. Squeeze out as much air as possible and fasten. Attach to a firm surface and let the fun begin!

Lots of pushing and prodding. The paint still feels cold through the bag.

Stripes, stripes, stripes and starting to do some colour mixing.

Miss M wanted a piece of the action too. 

Swapped over with Miss M. Lots more stripes and colour mixing. We made a lovely purple.

A lesson learnt, orange and blue makes a rather murky brown. Lots of fun was had and no mess. We did end up with some small holes after lots of play, but still relatively mess free!

Wash the Dishes, Dry the Dishes, Turn the Dishes Over

We love to play outside and my kids both love the help. Lots of fun can be had by filling a tub with soapy water adding some sponges and plastic dishes.

Miss M loved the feeling the sponge.

The dog needed to get in with the action.

Some pouring occurred, with lots of opportunities for new language.

Lots more pouring and washing. Until someone tips out the water.





Miss M 17 months
Master E 2 1/2