Modern Art with a Toddler

 Who Knew that viewing modern art with a toddler could be so much fun.  We 'accidently' went to Tate modern on Easter Sunday and had such a lovely time.  We just went around the public bits as we didn't have loads of time to get around but Chops loved it.  We spent a good 30 mins just charging around the turbine hall, rolling on the floor and generally enjoying space! It really is the most amazing gallery.






The Dan Flavin rooms were the best bits as far as Chops was concerned as they made rainbows on the walls and Chops just danced around with Nanny making different shapes and patterns.

We then went around the Energy and Process rooms where Tree of 12 metres was where squirrels and the Gruffalo lived, Terracotta Circle is where our cat Bean would sleep and Remade 2008 needed 'tidying up' as there were a lot of dust bunnies around it!!!

It was hilarious and actually made much more sense than some of the descriptions that were in the galleries! We will be going again very soon.

Easter Fun Sensory Bin

Well we didn't manage much Easter fun last week due to the 'house of sickness' but we have been doing lots of things this week to make up for it and my favourite so far has been the sensory bin that we made for playgroup that we whipped out again on tuesday.  I love playing with it as the texture of the rice is so relaxing.

I bought really cheap white rice and dyed it with food colouring. I found the best way to do this was to use the liquid food colouring (I used some out of date colour I had). Place the rice into a food bag and massage the colour into the rice - once all covered pour it onto a tray and let it dry out.

 I had two deep bins and then my trusty tuff tray and placed rubber measuring spoons, plastic eggs with things hidden in then (stars, chicks and rice), plastic shot glasses, coloured lolly sticks, flowers, egg cartons and a little basket that acted like a sieve (got to love the freebies on the front of Cbeebies Magazine).  Chops and her friend also delved into the plastics cupboard (a cupboard that I let them play in with pots and cups).  This meant lots of filling and pouring.  They also turned the eggs into shakers and Chops had fun making 'drinks' by putting rice in the little cups with the lolly sticks as straws.

It did get very messy but so easy to sweep up and the they helped do that too with their 'mini me' broom and brush set. A great activity.

Sick but still having fun!

So we have been a house a sickness! But still have a toddler to entertain so luckily we had help from neighbours and a bit of nursery time to fall back on and in between we set up a few activities.  

Luckily we had some 'cloud dough' made up already (thanks to The Imagination Tree for the inspiration for this).

7 cups of any type of flour (we used plain flour), 1 cup of vegetable oil or baby oil (we used vegetable), powder paint to colour the dough and as much glitter as you wish!!! (We also had fun making it together - Chops loves to stir)!

I put some stones, cutters and pots on a large play tray and we just had lots of fun and some how dinosaurs joined us - always a bonus.  Its such lovely stuff with a silky texture and makes solid forms and then crumbles back to a soft loose texture - could play with it for hours myself but Chops can manage about 15 - 20 mins at a time these days!  Best thing is its easier to clean up than sand and safe if a bit ends up in the mouth (which it invariably does with Chops).  It has kept really well in a sandwich box too, so great to whip out when needed.

Cardboard tube fun

So this is what we have been doing instead of being out in the spring sunshine (ha ha)!

Its amazing how much fun you can have with a load of cardboard tubes and stones.

Chops was very excited by the extra large tube which was an old wrapping paper insert.  They ended up being used to talk through and spy through (and all tubes should be used in this way - its only right).

We extended the play by talking about how we could feel the sound and taping lots of small tubes together to try to make it as long as the wrap insert.

Is it Spring

So I was trying to remember that it really is spring and looked at some of the photos of when we did manage to get out into the garden and have some fun digging and planting spring flowers (which are now under an inch of snow and probably not going to make it)!!!

This is such a great activity as we have given chops a patch of her own and she can dig away without worrying about the plants and we can plant some veg when the weather comes good again!

We also gathered stones, shells and pinecones from around the garden and decorated the border which was good fun too. (Who knew that the very annoying 50ft Christmas tree, planted over 50 years ago according to our neighbour, could be a source of fun and decoration rather than just piles of needles!)

Come back spring - pretty please.

Start again?

Ok so the 'I am back now' post but didn't really work out so let's see if we can get going again. My creativity is getting more directed into play with the munchkins now (particularly having found the wonderful theimaginationtree which has inspired lots of creative play). 
So I am going to include ideas for play, musings about mummy life and general creative things to see if I can pour some of my creative urges into here to keep me inspired. Fingers crossed!

I am back - hopefully

So its over 2 years since I posted anything on here - thats terrible but I was having a beautiful baby girl and starting as a childminder so I can be forgiven I hope.  I am going to try to get things back up and running.  Want to try to get back to regular making not just one offs so fingers crossed I will be more organised and get things done!!!!