Guest Post: String Painting

Hello, I'm Hannah from Making Boys Men and I'm delighted to be guest posting at Playful Learners.  I'm a fellow stay at home Brit Mum to three boys under five and I blog about the adventures and play we have together.

One of the things we love to do is paint, so I thought I'd share some string painting we did recently.  I had seen the idea on Inspiration Laboratories and although it looked a bit messy, I thought we'd give it a go.

I did this with Champ (nearly 3).  We took some paper and folded it in half, then on one side of the page he squeezed out some paint.

Then we layed our string (or wool) over the top of the paint making sure the ends were off the edge of the paper.

Fold the paper in half and with one hand on top pull the string out.

Ta dah!  Pretty string pictures!  We did a few of these, before Champ lost interest and started putting his hands in the paint and then on his face (sigh!) and I had to dash for the wet wipes!  But, it was good fun whilst it lasted!

Teaching Children about Recycling at Christmas

Since moving into a house and having a door step recycling service I feel it is important to encourage children to take part in the process and learn more about why we recycle. At Christmas there are so many boxes and packaging building up it is the perfect time to encourage children to take part in this process.

A great way to teach children about recycling is through reading and below there are a few favourites which will help to strike young ones imagination and have a little fun with along the way.

Rubbish and recycling-A fantastic and informative book to teach children and about recycling. Children aged 6 can even read this book independently. The book covers all materials which can be recycled. Rrp- £4.99

The Adventures of a plastic bottle- This is a good factual book which helps children understand what happens to plastic bottles when recycled. It is fairly lengthy, but it is detailed and with some good diagrams. This book will help any child who is covering recycling at school and the illustration work wonders at grabbing their attention. RRP- £3.99

The art of recycling-  A great book which is packed full of fun and educational ideas to have crafting fun with children aged 7-11. Crafts include activities such as sock puppets, cardboard castles and bottle bugs. £7.99

Peppa pig recycling fun- A great book from the pepper pig collection. This is a great story for three year olds and as children get older they will be able to read this short story them selves. £3.99

Micheal recycle- Good rhyming text tells the story of Michael Recycle, a flying caped crusader with a colander on his head who fights for the green cause and encourages a dirty town of lazy. A fantastic story for little boys £5.99






I have saved some large boxes to label up for the children to add their recycling rubbish to through out the day, each will be labelled cardboard or paper. This way they are helping out a little during the day and learning at the same time. With all the excitement of Christmas I'm not expecting miracles but a little bit of responsibility can not hurt even at Christmas.

20 Great Ideas for Organising a Baby Shower

Although Christmas time does not seem to be the most convenient time to have a baby there seems to be a baby boom in my area. There is at least three people at P's school expecting now and a few of our friends are also due.

 

I was recently thrown a beautiful baby shower by my mother and sister in law. It was lovely to have all our friends around us to celebrate even at such a busy time of year. We played some great games and my home was decorated beautifully for the party. Unfortunately I never got round to taking any photo's of the day but it did get me thinking that there are some truly beautiful and great idea's out there to help throw a baby shower and many of these ideas do not even take much preparation.
 

 

Baby showers have recently become much more popular in the UK and in America they are really celebrated in style. Here are some ideas if you are planning a baby shower.

Cakes

https://www.facebook.com/KellysCakeBoutique

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: blog.pinkcakebox.com via Kari on Pinterest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: cakecentral.com via Gale on Pinterest

Source: studiocake.com via Norma on Pinterest



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: catchmyparty.com via Nikcole on Pinterest

 

Guest favours

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: cheapbabyshowerfavors.net via Sabrina on Pinterest

 

 

 

Source: flickr.com via Nani on Pinterest

 Blue sparkle cake pops https://www.facebook.com/CherryAmour1

Source: mumzworld.com via Mumzworld.com on Pinterest

 

Source: frostmeblog.blogspot.com via Kelly on Pinterest

 

Baby Shower Games



Source: catchmyparty.com via Lillie on Pinterest

 

Source: beau-coup.com via Dani on Pinterest

 

Source: fortheloveofgeorge.com.au via Cristina on Pinterest

 

 

 

Source: Uploaded by user via Beth on Pinterest

 

Source: lilsugar.com via Tabitha on Pinterest

 

Decorations

 

Source: pin4fun8055.blogspot.com via Yokary on Pinterest

 

Source: chiccheapnursery.com via Paula on Pinterest

 

Source: ontobaby.com via Alexa on Pinterest

 

Source: snickerplum.com via Courtney on Pinterest

 

Source: frugal-home-design.blogspot.com via Kevin Brittany on Pinterest

 

Have great fun planning your next baby shower and I would love to hear how it goes.

Christmas Shopping in Europe

This year I have been doing a lot of shopping from at home. Looking on line for the best bargains and getting every thing ready before the baby comes. I must admit it has made things pretty much stress free but at the same time I have got fed up of looking at the computer screen. I feel like the whole lead up to Christmas has been missed really. Usually I would have shopping trips out to get presents with my mothering law but this year I have been avoiding the shops as much as possible.

Because of this next year I have a sneaky plan to kill two birds with one stone. Cheapflights asked me to write about my favourite holiday but I have never flown before, not even across the country. Before I was married I could not really afford holidays aboard and now that I am married I have found a man who is scared of flying so it is not really an option. Next year my thought is to get a cheap flight to a European market town with the girls in the family including lady P . This would mean that we could both experience flying even if its only a short distance and also get to feel a festive experience in another country.

I think it will give P a lovely cultural experience and she has been bursting to go a on a plane so a cheap flight for a day trip would be perfect for this with out leaving the boys in the family for too long. I would love to bring home some decorations to help brighten up the home such as nut crackers or tree ornaments. We could also use this as an educational experience looking at how Christmas and the advent is celebrated in different countries. Exploring more information on line and researching a couple of places she may wish to visit as well as a few words in their language.

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Snow Cakes

 

We were lucky enough this week to get some snow. Seeing the excitement on the children's faces first thing was lovely. Lady P had school she went off happily in her wellies while Little man was left bursting to play in the snow. Once I had managed to get some breakfast in him, I let him loose outside but he soon wanted to come back in because he was cold.

 

Instead I brought some of the snow in and placed it in a tray on a towel in the middle of the room. Little man first of all enjoyed using his diggers in the snow,  then I changed it over when he had lost interested to be an opportunity for him to pretend at making cakes.

 

 

I mixed some sprinkles into the snow and left some in their pots. I gave him some plastic cupcake cases and plastic spoons and watched as he got to work making colourful creations.

 

Little man was very tempted to eat the cakes that he made and who can blame him they are beautiful.

 

I'm sure last year I saw on a blog a recipe for snow ice cream so I may have to try that recipe out with him if we get more snow.

 

If you have posted any ideas on your blog or know of any great ones about playing in the snow please feel free to link them below.

 

 

Makedo Giveaway

Every parent knows that feeling, when you’ve spent a fortune on the latest high-tech toy only to find your children much more engrossed playing with the packaging.  Makedo  enables children of all ages to transform packaging into creative play objects such as cars, robots, play spaces - whatever their imagination desires.

 

 

Touted as the ‘Lego of the next generation’ by international media and winner of three of the most prestigious International Design Awards, Makedo is an ingeniously simple and reusable connector system which makes it easy to craft creations using up-cyclable materials such as boxes, plastic containers, foam and fabric scraps - all of which are plentiful, especially once the Christmas gift packaging is piled high.

 

Makedo supplies a Safe-saw for cutting and punching through materials safely; and Re-clips and Lock-hinges for connecting - the child’s creativity and instinct for building things then takes over from there.

 

For more information about the different Makedo sets available please check out the site

 

To be in with a chance of winning a underground tube set please feel in the attached Rafflecopter form.

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Starting to resemble a Christmas Pudding!

I have been very lucky in this pregnancy. I have managed to carry on working as a Childminder up until I was eight months and have kept the same energy through out, only passing out at nine pm on the sofa. My bump stayed relatively small and neat and could be kept well hidden under jumper dresses or baggy tops which I already owned.

 

Now with only three weeks to go and the festive season upon us my clothing has become rather uncomfortable and rather than looking like I have the pregnancy glow I feel much more like a Christmas pudding ready to explode! I will however be making do with seem cheaper larger clothing thanks to the advice given to me by some blogging friends but I would like to splash out on something new to wear on Christmas day. I want to find some thing to make feel a little glam but I would also like to be able to wear the dress again if possible.

 

I was introduced to a company called Tiffany Rose who specialise in maternity occasion wear. There dresses are beautiful and they have a huge range of dresses to pick from. I decided I was quite fond of this dress because it could also be worn when nursing, in case  baby bean decides to make an early appearance.

 

 

The ranges include day wear, nursing and even wedding dresses!! I wish I had of discovered this site with my other two as it would have come in very handy. So fingers crossed on Christmas day I will be feeling more like a yummy mummy than a Christmas pud.

 

This is a featured post.

Tuff Spot- Digging in the Snow

 

This morning we woke up to the beautiful sight of  snow out side our window and it was still coming down pretty hard. Lady P was lucky taken to school by another parent which meant I did not need to try and make it to school and back without falling over.

 

Little man was desperate to go out and play in the snow but I thought to start with we could bring some inside for him to play with. I love it when children are so young that every year they see snow again it is like a completely new experience. I brought a tray of snow in from out side and placed it on a towel from him to play with. After a quick run up to his room he decided to bring his diggers down to play with in the snow.

 

 

He loved scooping up the snow once his hands had got used to the cold. He noticed that when the snow fell back out of the diggers they would keep their shape. He worked at moving all the snow from one side to another.

 

 

It didn't take long for him to move the snow out of the tray and onto the towel. He discovered that he also had a plough part to his larger digger and moved used it to move the snow around the towel.

 

Baby Count Down- Week 37

I have only three weeks to go now and its fair to say I am no where near as prepared as I was with the other two. There are a few items I still need to buy and many things which still need doing around the house to get us ready for the new arrival but I am currently feeling like I want to do nothing but sit on the sofa drinking hot chocolate.

 

This weekend I plan to at least have the house ready and it may be pushing it but I'm also going to try and place an order for what we are still missing with an online company. I thought that by listing these jobs on the blog I could easily cross them off as I go along, making a nice excuse for another sofa/hot chocolate session.

 

To Do

• Place on line orders
• Clear out babies room
• Sterilise babies room and hoover
• Hang pictures
• Make up moses basket stand
• Make room for stand in our room
• Make up babies swing seat.
• Find space in the Kitchen for babies sterilising equipment and bottles

To Buy

• Cot and then put together
• Emergency car seat
• Nursing bra's
• More bibs
• Electric breast pump
• 6 more bottles

I'm going to have a good search on line for the last bits and pieces but I have already spotted car seats at Bambino Direct which I quite like so I'm hoping to do it all from one site to save on postage and the amount of delivery men knocking at our door.

 

This is a featured post.

Stained Glass Christmas Tree

With just Little Man at home during the day this week it has been nice to continue the festive spirit and do some festive art ready for Christmas. At the back of the house we have double patio doors which have been rather bare since I stopped Child minding so yesterday we got to work making a beautiful big Christmas tree to make a eye catching display.

Little man was very enthusiastic to get stuck into hand panting. To start with he would only use his fingers but once he was used to it he had both hand in spreading the paint. While the paint was still wet Little man covered the tree with beautiful green glitter.

Extending Vocabulary during play: wet, cold, lumpy, smooth, rub, pat, mark, tree, Christmas, sparkle.

 

While the tree was busy drying we cut out a star from a paper paint and decorated it with silver paint and gold glitter.

 

Once every thing was dry we used a egg cup to draw circles on the blank side of the tree. We cut these circles out and the using glue, stuck the tissue paper over the holes. By this point Little Man was very excited to hang up his tree. The tree has turned out beautiful and Little Man is very happy with how it turned out. This morning he sat at the table eating his breakfast and told his daddy exactly how he made it.

 

 

 

A Love for Bingo

When I was younger I always saw bingo as a thing for old people to go to in the evening or to play when on holiday and your waiting for the entertainment to start. As I have grown up and times have changed bingo has become much more popular and not only is there more places around the country to go and play but you can now play it on line. I'm sure you have seen the adverts on TV!!

With Christmas not far away my husband has been spending a lot of evening at work and this has left me plenty of time to blog but also discover the joy in playing Bingo on line with Ladbrokes Bingo. I must confess then when we are on holiday with the family I love to have a little play and get so excited when I'm getting close to winning. When I started playing on line it was the first time I have won at bingo and it can be quiet addictive so I would always advise that you set a budget.

This is a featured post 

Finger Print Gift Tags

This weekend we started getting all of our presents ticked off the shopping list and wrapped ready to go underneath the Christmas tree. We love to add the personal touch to the gifts we give out to the family and this year we though to would make a variety of gift tags. We used a similar idea last year for our Christmas cards when we made family reindeer Christmas cards. We each printed our finger print on one card and wrote our name underneath. 

With these gift tags I wanted to make a variety to add more colour under the tree as well as making it more exciting for little man who helped me. 

First of all we planned out what we wanted to make. Little man looked at collection of cards we received last year and picked his favorite designs. We made the finger print bodies and designs and I explained that we would add detail when they were dry. 

Once dry we used a pen to draw on the details. We then threaded festive ribbon through the hole in the top ready to stick on to the presents. 

Have you been busy making any gift wrap or presents this year?

Babies First Christmas Presents

My bag's now packed and most of the Christmas shopping is done but I still need to do get some little presents for the baby. I want to get some presents which will be useful as we already have so many toys and books for Little man and lady P. I would like to especially get a keep sake or comforter which is more likely to mean something to him as he gets a little older.

I came across the site Kidsen who sell some more unusual gifts and clothes from Scandinavia. I thought I would have a look at see what the have to offer and found some rather lovely gifts which fit the bill perfectly.

I thought these little fella's make a perfect comforter and I love the rabbit. 

I wanted to get one of these when Little Man was born but never got around to it. I love the little tin and  label on the size for his details,

Sebra the pull along elephant would make a great toy for when he starts to mover around more. 

The site has a lot of lovely products for children of all ages including clothing, shoes and furniture.