Play and Learn Archives - Page 2 of 4

Essential Toys – Marble Runs

Why a marble run is such a marble-ous toy.

A marble run is one of the toys I consider essential for children of any age, offering as it does a wide range of play and development opportunities whilst simultaneously giving a sensory experience too.

But understanding why and how these toys are so great is vital if you want to encourage kids to play with them and help them get full value from the activity.

Read on to find out more about the benefits of this type of toy, and how to find the perfect set for your child.

Wooden marble run. Text 'Essential Toys: Marble Run' — *Marble runs are great fun, and great for helping kids learn and grow!*

Book Love: ‘Topsy and Tim’s Bonfire Night’

Bonfire Night is a very special night for our family; it’s a birthday for one of the kids as well as probably my all-time favourite event. Who doesn’t love fireworks, bonfires, roasted chestnuts in a paper bag. And (don’t underestimate this thrill for kids) going out after dark for all of the above on a crisp and cold autumn evening? So when I saw this vintage edition of the ‘Topsy and Tim’s Bonfire Night’ book, I had to buy it. Read on for a look inside!

Front cover of vintage children's book Topsy and Tim's Bonfire Night by Jean and Gareth Adamson — *Front cover of Topsy and Tim’s Bonfire Night by Jean and Gareth Adamson*

Conker Comets! Autumn Fun for Kids

Have your kids conkers gone wrinkly? When autumn comes around my kids just can’t help collecting bucket loads of shiny horse chestnuts. However conkers start to lose some of their charm once the shrivels (as we like to call it) sets in. There are only so many games of conkers we can play, so, to avoid being buried alive by these puckered leftovers, we’ve found other ways to make use of them. One of our favourites is to turn them into Conker Comets…

Probably the most fun you can have with conker – and it makes a great bonfire night craft too! Read on to see how we do it.

Brightly coloured conker comets - kids' conker activity — *Make a throwable comet out of conkers and tissue paper!*

How to Conquer Playing Conkers!

At this time of year, our local park is littered with conkers (otherwise known as horse chestnuts) – at times they are literally (and rather painfully!) raining down on us. Who can resist prising open spiky cases for that thrill of discovering shiny brown nuts inside?

My kids certainly can’t, and so over the first month of autumn we tend to accumulate a big pile. And what better way to make use of this autumn bounty than through a smashing game of conkers? We love it so much, I had to share it with you. So read on to discover all the do’s and don’ts, rules and the cheats, hows and whys of playing conkers!

Horse chestnuts threaded on butchers string for playing conkers — How to conquer playing the traditional childhood game of Conkers!

How to Make a Magnificent Forest Mini Den!

My kids love making dens when we’re out in the woods. But there are times when it’s not practical or possible to make one that’s kid-sized. Yet we don’t let that stop us – instead, we just think smaller… Read on to see how to make an adorable mini den!

Preschool girl building mini den in forest — *Making a mini den in the woods is a fun way to introduce den building to kids!*

HABA Terra Kids – Real Woodworking Tools

One Hundred Toys recently asked if we would test out a pile of fabulous-looking, kid-sized real woodwork tools from HABA. The kids and I love woodwork. We’ve had woodwork fun out in the woods, at forest school, and at home with a bit of softwood. So we were more than happy to oblige!

Read on to find out why we recommend real tools instead of pretend ones every time.

Boy using saw at a worktable in a forest — *HABA’s folding saw is kid-sized and just right for taking to forest school.*

Leaf Painting – Quick and Easy Nature Craft

Leaf painting is an absolute favourite, with my kids, and something that we do all the time.

We do a lot of painting in our house, and love finding different things to paint. After all, flat paper can be SO last earlier-this-morning. We try to bring natural materials into our play at every opportunity, and painting is the perfect thing for this as its easy to find natural objects to decorate. Stones, sticks, pinecones, shells… you name it, we’ve painted it.

Painting is a great activity for young children. It’s a fantastic work-out for their imagination, and helps them practice their fine motor skills, as well as helping to develop their understanding of colour, shape, texture and viscosity (yes, wet paint WILL drip onto the floor/your clothes/the dog’s dinner…).

Leaves painted bright colours, with a stick used as a paintbrush — *We love leaf painting! Use natural materials like leaves, sticks and stones as the canvas for your kids’ artwork!*

How to Magic Up a Perfectly-Imperfect Mud Kitchen Today!

There are images of some amazing mud kitchens out there on the web. But it can be so easy to fall down this rabbit hole of great ideas. If you’re not careful, you end up never actually making one for your child!

I was certainly guilty of this. Until one day my sister stopped by. While I described the great mud kitchen I was going to make (one day), she started hunting around the garden. And with that, I abandoned my dreams of perfection, because the kids were ready to play, right now.

And you know what? We did something incredible. By pulling together a few things already lying around, together we made a mud kitchen in about thirty seconds!

My kids have been playing with it ever since (we’re talking for years now!). And though I still dream and plan of a more beautiful and robust solution, they’re out there having fun today. They really couldn’t care less that it’s not perfect.

So read on to see what you need to make a mud kitchen right now. And I guarantee that you’ll have enough stuff already to get your kids playing today.

child pouring muddy water into saucepan in mud kitchen — *Mud kitchens are great for kids so get them playing dirty today!*

Playing with Stories – Why We Love Our DIY Playdough ‘Bog Baby’ Kit!

Find out how to make a home-made play dough bog baby kit with our play dough recipe and basic craft accessories. Not only are they great fun, they also make fantastic and original gifts when given with a copy of the book!

If you’ve read ‘The Bog Baby’ by Jeanne Willis and Gwen Millward, you’ll know that bog babies are round and blue, with goggly eyes, spiky tails and ears like a mouse, and their wings are no bigger than daisy petals.

This magical book is perfect for inspiring creative model making and small world play, while at the same time gently encouraging children to explore what it means for a thing to be wild and free.

Book 'The Bog Baby', home-made play dough bog baby kit, and fishing net — *A magical story about two children who find a mysterious wild creature, ‘The Bog Baby’ is perfect inspiration for creative play!*

Play Simple – Bubble Play

toddler bubble play — *A bowlful of soapy bubbles makes for a quick and easy sensory activity for young kids!*

Though I love letting my kids get stuck in to some messy play, I sometimes find the thought of the inevitable cleanup just too daunting. On days like that, I often resort to our tried and tested fallback -the cleanest messy play imaginable – bubble play!

Category: Play and Learn