Happy Halloween

A touch of Halloween. 

Picture It

I thought that I would share this really great idea with all those mums who can't finish a coffee in a cafe without it getting cold. I completely understand what it's like. Children need constant entertainment, well it seems to be the case, and often parents will be willing to hand over their iPhone that is jam packed full of the latest kiddy apps.

Now it doesn't look much but it's amazing what children can do with so little. Simply, it's a soap box container with some crayons and a Post-It notepad attached. How easy is that?

Thank you to Simply Frugal Mom for the idea. If you would like to see more then visit this site. http://www.simplyfrugalmom.com/2011/12/15/on-the-go-crayon-box/ 

Peek-A-Boo!

Little games of peek-a-boo are wonderful for babies. It engages them and entertains them while teaching them much about the world around them. It's hard to imagine but this is what learning they gain from the experience.

Learning achieved -
* When you disappear you will reappear
* Repartition
* Patterning, which helps with understanding of predictability
* Interpreting facial expressions and making connections to the meaning behind these.
Peek-a-boo!!! :)

Here is Possum with her aunty. 

"Where has your aunty gone?".......

Peek-a-Boo!!! 

Disgusting Halloween Treat

Now this is a treat that adults are sure to think is disgusting but kids will LOVE! 

It is easy to make and will have everyone in this Halloween spirit. 

Purchase some eyeball candies from Big W ($2), some red jelly and small plastic cups. 

You might like to have just one big container instead. 

Place an 'eyeball' at the bottom of each plastic cup. 

Spoon the jelly liquid over each eyeball candy. 

Place in the fridge until it's set. 

You can see some of the candies rose to the surface but it doesn't really matter. 

Serve these up as a tasty(?!?) Halloween treat. 

You may like to set the jelly in a large container and smash it up to look like this ghastly mess. 

Enjoy (if you can)

kate_lloyd@hotmail.com

DIY Play Dough (no cook)

PLAY DOUGH

VIDEO

Please be kind. This is my first ever video post with myself included. Hope you like it. 

Blanket Hammock

This is an activity that Possum has enjoyed since the first few weeks of life. Simply place your little one of their back and with the assistance of another adult, grab the corners of a blanket and gently raise the baby off the ground.

If your baby seems to enjoy the experience then you like to very slowly rock them from side-to-side and raise and lower them slightly from the ground. Please be sure to monitor your baby closely during this activity.

This is a great activity to developing sensory awareness.
Enjoy!

Halloween Mummies

Here is fun and yummy Halloween treat for the special people in your lives. They are quite simple to make and look very impressive.

_______

Begin by breaking apart Oreo biscuits and eating one or two.

Place a store bought candy stick into the icing and use some melted

chocolate as glue to attach the other side. 

They should look like this (above).

  

Melt some white chocolate in the double boiler. 

Cover the whole biscuit in the white chocolate. 

Add two chocolate drops for eyes and place in the fridge for 30 minutes. 

Melt some more white chocolate and drizzle over each biscuit. 

These are to look like the bandages on each mummy. 

These are delicious. 

Of course I had to have one to show you the inside. 

;) 

kate_lloyd@hotmail.com

Spaghetti Play

I'm sure there are a few of you who would really not like the feeling of cold spaghetti. Well, kids love it, especially babies. I couldn't resist giving some coloured spaghetti a go and it turned out really well.

This is a sensory activity and is great for developing sensory awareness and fine motor control.

Thoroughly cook some long spaghetti. 

It's important to have the spaghetti somewhat over-cooked

Once the spaghetti is drained running it under some cold water to ensure it doesn't become a 

huge clump of pasta. Set the spaghetti aside to dry out. 

Add two or three drops of food colouring. 

I suggest you don't add any more as it may stain little fingers. 

Much like our rice colouring, shake the bag of pasta until it is stained. 

It is unlikely to stain evenly but this adds to the interest. 

Once you have stained your spaghetti, set it aside for an hour or two to dry out. 

You may need to break it apart a few times within that drying period. 

Lay out a towel and allow your little one to play! 

Possum LOVES playing with cold spaghetti. 

She was laughing and giggling the whole time! 

She was also enjoying eating the spaghetti too. 

Rubbing the pasta between her hands was an interesting sensation for her. 

She also found it between her toes. 

I hope you have an opportunity to make some coloured spaghetti. 

Of course it doesn't have to be coloured.

Love to hear your ideas. 

kate_lloyd@hotmail.com

Milky Magic

This is a brilliant science experiment that is sure to amaze children and adults of all ages. Look what happens when you add ONE DROP of dishwashing detergent to a milky mixture.

Begin by adding a layer of milk to a plate. 

I used a large flat plate but you can use whatever you have at home. 

Add a few drops of food colouring to your milk. 

Add ONE DROP of dishwashing detergent and watch what happens. 

Be sure to be watching because it happens quickly and is very dramatic. 

Children can learn a lot from an experiment like this one. It's a great example of cause and effect. 

You could also ask children to - 

* Write or draw a picture of what is happening as a procedural text

*Under supervision, google why the milk has reacted to the dishwashing detergent

*Experiment what happens if you just use two colours. 

What else? 

Magic Trick for Babies

Here is an activity that Possum has spent the last 15 minutes playing with. It's her very own magic box.

All you need is an empty tissue box (or similar) and some long pieces of material which you can feed in. I suggest feeding the material in bits at a time, rather than as a scrunched up ball, as it will pull out better for baby and make them work harder to completely empty the box of material. 

Be sure to check for any threads that might interest and danger little ones. 

Obviously supervise babies at all times. 

Possum thought this looked interesting and immediately started pulling out the materials. 

She was also understanding that once the materials were all removed they needed to be put back in so the game could start again. It was fun watching her attempt to get the material back into the box. 

This is great for babies as it helps them with their fine motor skills  and hand/eye coordination. 

DIY Bubble Mixture

It's true that bubble mixture isn't expensive or hard to find, however, what your kids miss out on is process of making it themselves! It's very easy and has only a few ingredients. 

Bubbles are so beautiful and captivating. 

They are loved by everyone and the need to pop a few is simply irresistible!  

Children can count how long a bubble lasts before it pops.

Children can make up their own bubble mixture and test it out through trial and error.

Children can test out different bubble wands and make conclusions from testing them out. 

The list is endless....

You will need - 

* Dishwashing liquid

*Water

*Glycerol (which can be purchased cheaply from the Chemist)

I used a small lid to measure out each part of the ingredients. 

Add 7 parts water. 

Add 1 part Glycerol

Add 3 parts dishwashing detergent.

Mix this really well together. 

Shhhh special trick! 

If you leave the mixture overnight you will make bubbles that are easier to 

blow and last longer in the air. Resist if you can. 

For larger quantities of bubble mixture, you can remodel an old wire coat hanger

and use it as a bubble wand. 

This is a great activity that gets dads involved. 

Here we are using a garden tie as a bubble wand. You can use long bread ties too. 

Success!!! 

Enjoy

kate_lloyd@hotmail.com

Bubbles

Who doesn't love the grace and beauty of bubbles?

 They are absolutely captivating and it's almost a natural response to pop a few. 

Bubbles are loved by all ages, especially newborns. 

We made the most of a few moments of sun to go outside and play with bubbles. 

Possum watched the bubbles until they suddenly popped! 

Possum - "Hmmm.... they were here a second ago".

Bubble mixture is very cheap and a easy to make. 

Tutorial will follow shortly. Stay tuned. 

Possum loves bubbles and could watch them for hours (well, maybe not hours). 

;)