It's never just a cardboard box

I am constantly amazed at the creativity of young children to see the possibilities in ordinary things. Various recyclable materials and other bits of "junk" can be magically transformed into imaginative worlds and crazy new characters.

A while ago, Miss M's school books arrived in a cardboard box, measuring about 60cm x 40 cm x 5 cm high (plus an identical lid), and I thought to myself, I can't just put it in the recycling bin, surely we can make something out of them! They were the perfect size for creating a small world, so that's exactly what we did.

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Fairytale Inspired Imaginary Play {With Little Peggys}

It's been a while since my last small business product review so today I'm really pleased to introduce you to "Little Peggys". Hand painted peg dolls ideal for imaginary play and perfect for little hands. We were lucky enough to sample the Goldilocks set + The Three Little Pigs set and I watched them unlock a whole heap of pretend play possibilities, language development and story telling. Both of my kids love playing with them.

*Kindly gifted for the purpose of this review.

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Play Ideas From Your Kitchen Cupboard {Guest Post}

Sometimes I find the best play ideas are the simplest ones. The activities which don't require many materials. You don't even need to go to the craft shop. In fact you probably already have these items in your pantry, utensil drawer or kitchen cupboard. That's the theme of today's guest post by Amy from The Egg Box Parent. She has some fantastic ideas to share with you all today (and something for all ages!).

Thanks Amy! The floor is yours!

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My name is Amy I am mum to a very busy one year old. I have lots of qualification in early childhood and I am currently finishing my masters in Child Development. I have worked within early years my entire carer both in Australia and in the United Kingdom. My most recent role led me to work with some of the most disadvantaged children and families in Australia. Upon meeting these families it soon became apparent that these children needed to gain the same skills as any other child, without any toys, flash cards or printouts. Through this my Instagram page The Egg Box Parent was born. My philosophy leans heavily towards education. I believe that children do not need copious amounts of toys to help them achieve their developmental milestones and we already have all the resources we need to get them there. We all know that the favourite present at Christmas is the box the toy came in, I have embraced this and try to create as many learning opportunities as possible with what I can find in the cupboard at home.

- Musical pots and pans

- Tissue box scarves

- Fine motor with cotton balls

- Pasta in a tub!

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A Very Hungry Caterpillar Tea Party {With Story Stones}

I'd be very surprised if you told me that your child didn't own a copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar (and if they don't I insist you get one!). It's one of my absolute favourites with so many opportunities for early learning. The clever way that Eric Carle integrates concepts of days of the week, numbers, healthy/unhealthy food as well as the life cycle of a caterpillar is like no other early childhood text.

So when Johanna from Hello Pear asked me if I would like to help her launch her 'Very Hungry Caterpillar' story stones, of course I said YES!

Kindly gifted for the purpose of this review. 
Not sponsored.

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Seven Puzzle Hacks for All Ages!

Ah puzzles. They've been around for ever and kids still love them - plus they're great for early learning. Shape, rotation, transformation, spatial awareness are the foundations for more advanced mathematical concepts learnt later on.

To be honest, Miss M doesn't play with puzzles all that often, so I'm always looking for new ideas for how to make a standard simple puzzle more interesting and turn it into a fun and inviting play activity. Some of my favourite Instagrammers/Bloggers have shared some of their ideas lately, so we wanted to try some ourselves.

Peekaboo Puzzle

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What To Do With All Those Special Baby Clothes?

Are you a keeper of all your little one's baby clothes? Do you organise them into sizes? Store them in nappy boxes? Tuck them away in a cupboard for if you have another baby or to give to a friend or family member to make use of? Or do you regularly purge and make trips to the op shop?

But what if you aren't planning to have any more children? What about all those super special teeny tiny items of clothing that you feel you must keep? Would you love to do something special with them instead of leaving them packed away in that cupboard to be forgotten about??

I was so pleased to meet Nicoleta via the Mums with Hustle biz club FB group. She turns those special baby clothes into keepsake softies that are just as cute as pie :)

Here's what I sent her...

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Homemade Musical Instruments

Ok so what kind of kid blogger does homemade musical instruments with her three year old while the 6 month old baby is asleep??

Me that's who!

Oops.

Apart from the fact that we woke the baby up with our instrument playing, this activity was so much fun. I'd been wanting to do it for ages. I had been gathering and collecting materials, and finally had the time this week. 

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DIY Magnetic Chalkboard 3 Ways

Hello!

How are you? I hope that you enjoyed my recent back to school series. Now back to my more regular posts of activities and opportunities for early learning with your little tikes. I'm always looking for interesting ways for children to write! It doesn't always have to be pencil on paper.

Now I can't take credit for this idea - it came from here! But I had a go at making these DIY Magnetic Chalkboards, simply by painting some oven trays in chalkboard/blackboard paint that you can buy at Bunnings (or any other hardware shop I'm sure).

First and foremost - get back to old school and use them with chalk. These days with smart boards and whiteboard, children don't use chalk much any more.

Secondly, they make great magnet boards for letters, numbers and word building.

Finally this little nifty idea - simply paint with water! No mess no fuss! You could also paint over the chalk board letters, numbers or patterns you have done first. 

Well now, a little about what's going on with me... Hubby is out tonight on a bucks night so I'm home with a sleeping toddler (thank goodness!) all set to catch up with what's been happening in the blogging world. I'm bursting to tell you my exciting (blog related) news but I'll just have to wait for the next post! I'm all set to go back to school next week and so excited to get to know my new little people. Little Miss is doing so well, lots of talking, stringing more and more words together. So proud!

Tell me - what's one of your child's (or student's) non pencil + paper ways to write?

Lauren

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20 Busy Bags Ideas for Busy Little People | Part 4

Thanks again to Alison who is here with five more busy bag ideas. I'm so looking forward to compiling them all into one great photo collage ready for Pinterest (see below)!

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Here we are again with another busy bag post! The weeks sure seem to be going quick! I had fun putting together these busy bags over the last week and am looking forward to sharing them with you.

These bags are perfectly suited to my 12 month old boy. They focus on developing his fine motor skills and for introducing and practicing new words for his language development. I also believe that they will grow with him and that he will continue to enjoy them as he becomes an older toddler and even a preschooler. The farm set will be used for increasingly complex dramatic play, the Mr Potato Head can have more accessories added to it, the magnets could be used for picture making and puzzles and the wallet may turn into a much loved possession, I know a lot of kids who would love a purse like Mum!

So let's have a look at the busy bags for this week!

1. Farm Mat Busy Bag

A variety of farm animals to play with on a square of material with a farm theme. You could use all sorts of animals depending on what themed pieces of material you can find!

2. Felt Mr Potato Head

Develop both fine motor and language skills as Mr Potato head is built. The great thing about this is that it can be done in any language, perfect for bilingual babies like my boy!

3. Magnets

The lid to a metal container makes a great base for magnet play, think gourmet biscuits and chocolates next time you are at the shops!

4. Wallet with Family Photos

Do you have a child who loves to play with your wallet and pull everything out? Now they can have one of there own! I found an old wallet and filled it with family photos for something sweet. He can recognise names and faces and even partially familiarise himself with new family members he will meet at Christmas!

5. Montessori Cylinder Blocks

I found that the tubes from the middle of garbage bag rolls are the perfect size for fitting our wooden cylinder blocks from our typical set of blocks. I put some (fancy) tape on the bottom to stop the blocks slipping right through and used a rubber band double wrapped to hold them tight together. This is a particular favourite for my 12 month old!



So there you go, 20 busy bag ideas for the busy little people in your life from Lauren at Teacher Types and myself!

Make sure to go back and read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 of our series and then be sure to pin your favourites for later so you don't lose the ideas! Or even better pin our collage to come back to them all and help it circulate around the pinterest world.

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Here's a reminder of where you can find Alison in the wonderful world wide web!

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20 Busy Bag Ideas for Busy Little People | Part 3

Welcome to 'Busy Bag Tuesday' and it's my turn again. Here are five more ideas to add to your collection. I must admit having a blogging schedule to keep up with this month adds a bit of pressure to my weekend! I wasn't as organised with my busy bags this time. But I made it and we are once again linking up for IBOT (and recently discovered 'Turn it up Tuesday').

Finger Puppets with Animal Flash Cards (great for imaginative play and matching)

I couldn't help include the extra photo showing both front and back sides of these gorgeous Eric Carle Animal flash cards (shop here). Older children can be challenged by matching the puppet to the letter it starts with (finger puppets were from Ikea).

Threading Straws and Pipe Cleaners (great for fine motor control)

Gem/Pebble Sorting and Counting with 'Montessori inspired' Number Templates (this one is aimed at older children)

Here's the blog where I found the number templates 1+1+1=1. They go right up to 10 - all you need to do is print, cut and laminate. I've also included an example of sorting and patterns that little people can be kept busy with! I'd suggest 3-5 year olds would enjoy this one.

Mini Sticker Books (simple yet effective if you don't want to carry around a large sticker book with you)

Fuzzy Felts (another 'quiet' one to encourage little imaginations)

Now I can't claim any creativity for this one because I just bought it from cheap as chips. But if you were feeling creative, you could buy some pieces of felt and cut out shapes yourself. And you'll notice my zip lock bag wasn't big enough to fit the felt board - oh well!

One little tip if you're planning to use busy bags for a long car drive, try using a medium sized oven tray as a 'desk' for your little person to put their busy bag items on.

If you've enjoyed the busy bag posts so far, make sure you check out our last one next week. I've got a couple more busy bag ideas that didn't quite make the cut - maybe Alison and I will do a 'Part 5' to this series ;)

Until next time
Lauren

*** Please take note: as with any baby and toddler play activities, please be mindful of objects smaller than a 50c piece that may present as a choking hazard. Always supervise your little one, and of course, you know your child best.

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20 Busy Bag Ideas for Busy Little People | Part 2

Last Tuesday's busy bag post was a huge success. I'm pleased to welcome Alison here today to share her next instalment of busy bag ideas.

Alison's blog - The Way He Plays is a lovely place with a focus on Nature and Sensory Play. Her little boy has just celebrated his first birthday, so if you have a little bub under one you'll find lots of fantastic play ideas (of course many of her ideas can be used for older children as well). My favourite post of her's is Spring Flower Playdough. I came across The Way He Plays via a comment Alison left on another blog, and realised that she was also from Adelaide. After chatting and connecting we discovered that we went to uni together. Small world! If you're from Adelaide too - you'll know what I mean about that kind of thing happening all the time ;)

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Welcome to Part 2 of our 20 busy bag ideas for busy little people! You can see the fabulous bags that Lauren made last week here in Part 1 if you didn't see the quiet blocks then you really must go and check it out, they were my favourite!

When choosing which busy bag to make it is important to think specifically about your child. You want the activity to be something that keeps them busy which means it has to be engaging to them as well as being developmentally appropriate. Choose something too tricky and it is going to frustrate them and cause the same behaviour you are trying to avoid. Choose something too easy and it is going to bore them, not keeping them very busy at all. Finding that happy medium will mean that they can play independently and let you get on with the things you want or need to do. Try paying attention to the toys and activities that your child is already drawn to and make smaller, on-the-go versions of these.

Mini Ring Stacker using a cylinder block, a sturdy lid and wooden curtain rings (great for hand-eye coordination)

Spice containers and pom poms or ear buds (great for the pincer grip)

Cars and a play mat (great for language development and pretend play)
This fantastic double-sided car mat is a free printable from The DIY Mommy which you can find here!

Surprise sensory boxes using match boxes and various materials (great for sensory exploration, guessing games and stacking)

Homemade Toy Puzzle, I simply took a photo of the toys sitting on A4 white paper and adjusted the colours a little on the computer to make the white a pure white for printing (great for visual matching)

These busy bags are designed to keep my 12 month old entertained on a long haul flight so I filled them with lots of exploration, manipulation and cars as these are the things he loves at the moment. I also needed to ensure they would get through security which is why I used paper mache craft versions of match boxes instead of just using and covering the real things!

Don't forget to join us again next Tuesday for 5 more busy bag ideas!

Alison :) 

*** Please take note: as with any baby and toddler play activities, please be mindful of objects smaller than a 50c piece that may present as a choking hazard. Always supervise your little one, and of course, you know your child best.

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Thanks so much for sharing your fantastic ideas Alison!

To follow with The Way He Plays you can find Alison here...

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20 Busy Bag Ideas for Busy Little People | Part 1

Welcome to November at Teacher Types. I'm excited to be teaming up with fellow Early Childhood Educator and mum Alison from The Way He Plays to bring you 20 busy bag ideas over this month. Every Tuesday we'll post different 5 busy bags on both blogs for you to try. And we're linking up with Essentially Jess for #IBOT :)

The idea of busy bags is to be able to take them anywhere - doctors waiting room, long drives, flights, etc. We recently trialled a couple pictured below on a weekend away to the river. Busy bags are designed to be simple, inexpensive, little mess or fuss, easy to carry or throw in your nappy bag or back pack. I don't know about your little one - but the key with my little miss, is to always keep things different, new, ever changing and interesting.

- "Quiet blocks" - just your ordinary kitchen sponges (great for constructing and creating)

- Pom poms & a cardboard tube (great for fine motor and posting)

- Sticky post it notes with crayons (great for drawing and sticking)

- Pegs and paint chips (great for colour matching)

- Pop sticks with velcro corners (great for shape creating)

If busy bags are your thing - please come back again next Tuesday, when Alison and I will be featuring 5 more busy bag ideas.

Lauren :)

*** Please take note: as with any baby and toddler play activities, please be mindful of objects smaller than a 50c piece that may present as a choking hazard. Always supervise your little one, and of course, you know your child best :)

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Fun with Straws | Simple Toddler Play

Hi there!
A short and sweet post today.
Remember this post about simple baby and toddler play ideas? Little Miss and I discovered that my straws wouldn't fit through the little holes of my colander. Well look what I found in the shed! A little canister from IKEA was just the thing I needed for some fun straw play.

You could turn this into a fun game of kerplunk for older kiddies by just adding some pom poms :)

And I couldn't help but sharing this little screen shot. A small milestone in the world of blogging - but a pleasant surprise when I logged on to 'blogger' this evening.

Until next time (which won't be very long I hope)

Lauren.

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Three MORE Simple Activities | Baby & Toddler Play

I'm back again with three more super easy new activities for your baby or toddler (click here for my previous post Three Simple Activities). My aim with these activities is that they are low cost, low mess and low fuss! My 15 month old is at the stage where new and interesting things really capture her attention and (can) keep her occupied for ages! I relish in these moments of independent play during our busy life - and try to breathe deep, take it all in and appreciate those times.

So without further ado - here are today's ideas!

This is such a beautiful activity for fine motor development. Your little one will love pulling out the pipe cleaners and may even try to put them back in again. This one was a big hit! You could also use straws if that's what you've got around the house (although my colander holes were too small for straws).

Does your toddler love putting things into boxes and then taking them out again over and over? We love finger puppet play at the moment and this is a great chance to talk about animal names and the sounds they make. You could also cut up scrap material to put into the tissue box and pull them out like pretend 'tissues'.

Don't you find it amusing that 'tupperware' the brand is the word we use for all plastic containers? Every kitchen in Australia probably has a whole cupboard named after it! Anyway, my little one has loved playing with tupperware for months and is just beginning to recognise a few colours. I presented them to her all jumbled up and assisted her to sort them out into their colours. She loved the pom poms and kept calling them "balls". She couldn't yet put the right coloured pom poms into the right cups on her own, but it was still fun and I tried to show her! It goes without saying that this activity requires constant supervision to ensure that the pom poms aren't swallowed.

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Hope you found something useful whether you are a regular reader or have just somehow stumbled upon my little corner of the internet.

Lauren :)

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Food Colouring Fun | More Sensory Play Ideas

Sensory Play is becoming a regular activity in our household...and we are loving it! I've built up my resources and figured out a great way to manage the mess. I'm really enjoying watching the cogs turning in my little toddler's mind as she plays, and then asks for "more" by signing (incase you're wondering, we've also taught her "eat", "all gone" and "toilet" in baby sign language).

I've posted back in February about making rainbow rice and rainbow spaghetti for sensory play, and this week I tried coloured macaroni. The difference between this and the rainbow spaghetti is that it's dry rather than wet and slippery. Such a feast for the senses - sight, sound and touch!!

I searched around a bit and tried three different methods -

• simply diluting some food colouring in water
• food colouring with vinegar
• and food colouring with alcohol hand wash

I simply put the liquid in a container with some macaroni, shook it around a bit and left it out to dry on paper towel. I must say the pasta that I mixed with water became a bit sticky, and the vinegar had quite a strong smell (although many bloggers say that if you leave it out in the sun for a bit the smell will almost disappear). So the best result was actually the hand wash!

I had two things in mind for the rainbow pasta - a sensory bin (above) and a new discovery bottle (below).  Click this link for my other discovery bottle ideas. I was all enthused to create some new and interesting discovery bottles for my little miss, as they loose their appeal after a while.

From L-R Gems & Glitter | Coloured Pasta | Pom Poms & Rice | Paperclips & Foil | Oil & Food Colouring.

It's also lovely to combine plain pasta with other sensory materials such as lentils, beans and oats.

From L-R Macaroni | Oats | Red Lentils | Red Kidney Beans | Penne Pasta

So - my secrets to keeping the mess to a minimum, is to set up for sensory play outside. However it's winter here in little old Adelaide at the moment so my alternative is on the kitchen floor inside a little sand pit/ball pit/paddle pool/clam shell whatever you like to call them. It certainly contains the mess and makes pack up quick and easy. I'm currently modelling and teaching my toddler to use a dustpan and broom to pick up any stray sensory materials that might escape the pool (one of the key Montessori approaches to early learning is 'practical life' - ie washing dishes, cleaning up etc).

And there you have it - some simple sensory play ideas with items you may already have in your pantry :)

Thanks for reading
Lauren

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Nuts 'n' Bolts Board | Toddler Play

This post is possible thanks to hubby! He did such an amazing job creating this "Nuts 'n' Bolts Board" for our toddler. She has recently shown such an interest in light switches, door knobs, handles, door knockers and buttons that we knew this would be the perfect outdoor activity to keep her amused. We find that Little Miss One is always so 'busy' when she's outside and is always interested in the jobs her Dad is doing in the garage or shed - so when I saw this idea on (yes you guessed it) Pinterest, we knew she would love it. And she does! The door bell is the favourite so far, and it's amazing to see her concentration when trying to put the key into the key hole. Her fine motor skills are developing right before our eyes!

Now, my previous post was about Sensory Play, and these boards are often referred to as "Sensory Boards" as they engage sight, touch and sound. Since it was going to be outside (undercover) and it needed to be relatively water proof, we didn't add any different textures such as carpet or fabric. So I thought "Nuts 'n' Bolts Toddler Board" was a more appropriate name.

Now I must point out that there are gaps. The top left is for her name (we took the blog photo before attaching the letters due to privacy reasons) and the gaps beyond her reach will allow us to add to it as she grows and gets taller! It's attached to a brick wall about 20 cm from the ground, so everything from the CD below is within reach of Miss One.

Here are the items we used (from L-R, top - bottom)

• Letters of her name (not displayed due to privacy reasons)
• Numbers 1, 2, 3
• Hand towel rail (to clip things onto)
• Door bell speaker (battery operated)
• CD which spins
• Slide bolt
• Trailer socket
• Light switch
• Strip of metal (for magnets)
• Key in a sliding door lock (we made sure to attach the key to the board so she couldn't remove it)
• Door handle
• Door bell button
• Coloured carabiners
• Wheels
• Door security chain

The wooden board is marine ply which is important if the board may get wet. We also varnished it to give it a nicer finish.

It goes without saying that supervision is always essential when "under 3's" are playing with homemade toys such as these.

Thanks again hubby for creating this fantastic Nuts 'n' Bolts Toddler Board...

...and thanks to my readers for stopping by my little corner of the Internet once again :)
Lauren

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Three Simple Activities | Baby Play

Looking for some new ideas to keep your little one entertained? I find that my eleven-month-old gets bored easily with the same toys, but by adding a few additions or presenting them in a different way you can make the old seem new again! Changing toys around regularly or putting some away for a week or two and then getting them out again can also help to keep little ones interested. Think about the way you present the toys as well (eg treasure baskets or tins - see 2nd picture below). I come across the term "invitation to play" quite often (will do a post all about this idea soon) and this is what I try to create when setting up activities and toys for my little miss.

A mummy friend and I also love to do toy swaps... At the moment her little one is borrowing our ball pit white we are borrowing her Fisher Price "learning home". Fun, fun and more FUN!

So here's three little easy ideas for you to try...

These types of balls are available at most baby/toy shops (the one on the top is called an 'o-ball' and the one on the right has a bell inside so that's nice for a bit of music). I simply cut up some soft thin material scraps and put them inside the balls. It's fascinating watching my little one try to pull them out with a look of determination on her face! You could also try putting material scraps in an empty tissue box or baby wipes container.

Another very simple idea to present everyday baby toys in a different way. My little one loves small toys that fit into her hand that she can carry around with her (pictured are some of her favourites). She enjoyed taking them all out and putting them in, banging them against the tin, all the while discovering what sounds they make.

Ribbon rings are very easy to make (I used curtain rings from spotlight). I'm not sure the name of the knot I used to secure the ribbon, but it worked well. I'm hoping to add to our collection and make many more using different colours. One tip I have is to regularly trim the ends of the ribbon because they fray.

I hope you enjoyed these little simple ideas, please share in the comments below if you have any baby play ideas to contribute.

Thanks for reading :)
Lauren

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