Photo album

Let the kids loose with the camera and then create an album for them to look at .
 If your kids are old enough you could write the names of the items or people in the pictures underneath as an early start to reading

Ladder fun

I decided to make use of the ladder that is littering the garden! I put some number bean bags out too. Printed numbers or the letters in your child's name might be fun . I 'm going to  put some teddies out later and see what the children choose to do with them.

Playdough play mats

Another typical British summers day :(
 I printed off and laminated some playdough play mats from sparklebox.co.uk to get some creative ideas. You don't need to print them all off but they're are some great activities on here. We made dinosaur horns,eggs and put the leaves on the trees- all before morning snacktime!

http://www.sparklebox.co.uk/misc/playdough/topics.html

Pat a cake

Pat a cake , Pat a cake baker man,

 bake me a roll as fast as you can,

 knead it and knead it and mark it with E and put in the oven for Em and me !



Bathtime buddies

The girls really enjoy melting ice cubes so I found some room in the freezer and froze some of their animal figures. They loved playing with these in the bath, but if the sun ever comes out these would be just as much fun outside.These were quite small, yogurt pots might make some more interesting ice blocks.

For older children it would be interesting to have a competition to see who could make theirs melt the quickest or last the longest.

Lunchtime treasure hunt

As a way of making mealtimes more interesting why not have a lunchtime treasure hunt? All you need to do is fill a few present bags with lunch items and hide them around the house or garden. Then let the kids loose to find them.
 I can't guarentee they'll eat it, but it might takes some of the misery out of mealtimes. I have been known to use this for tea time too. Happy hunting x

Very cheap and very cheerful

After sorting out the wardrobes and ending up with dozens of odd socks I couldn't bear to throw them out so they've been in the back of the "arty" cupboard  ever since. Well until today, this was the most simple adaptation of a sock puppet ever. All I did was draw the faces of a dog and pig, my better effort, on with felt tips. With a bit more time, materials and patience on behalf of the eager recipients I may of produced a higher quality product, mmm maybe next time.

Making the most of the warm weather

We are really enjoying the warmer weather. This activity's great when your getting hot and sticky. All you need is a plastic storage box full of water and a few drop of food colouring. Hey presto ! Today we used tea cups in the water , I might use bath toys next time, lets hope there's another opportunity soon .