Play and Learn Every Day

Ivy's Starry Mobile

19:31

Most of the toys that Ivy has have been handed down from Ethan, but as his mobile was no longer working properly we got Ivy a new mobile. We chose the Fisher Price Starlight Cot Mobile for her and we've put it on her crib. Ethan had the Rainforest mobile and he absolutely loved it, so hopefully Ivy will love hers as well. It's great for her development as it stimulates her senses with the sounds, lights and movement.

So far she hasn't really interacted with it very much, she is only 3 weeks old! But the music is quite soothing, and Ethan loves that it projects stars on the ceiling. It does seem to calm her a bit and she's able to stay in her crib while awake for a little bit longer while I help Ethan with other things.

2 years old

Big Boy Bed!

19:06

Today was a big day in our house, Ethan's big boy bed has arrived! It's a big step for him, and we've been preparing him for weeks for this very special day. It's great for his Personal, Social and Emotional Development as he takes another step from being a baby to a little boy.

He was so excited when it arrived, he wanted to help Daddy to put it together and couldn't wait to climb in and try it out. He absolutely loves his dinosaur bedding, so he calls it his dinosaur bed. He happily got in at bedtime and went straight to sleep (he does also have a cold and is super tired).

* Update: Ethan slept quite well in his first night in the bed (as good as he normally does) it's naps that we're struggling with, that's when he decides that he can climb out of his bed and wander around!

2 years old

Learning Resources - Pancake Pile-Up! - Review

21:17

In preparation for Pancake Tuesday next week, we're reviewing a fun game from Learning Resources called Pancake Pile-Up! It's aimed at children from age 4-8 and from 2 or more players (it can be played in teams) and it costs £14.95 to buy from their website. There are cards with a sequence of pancakes and the players have to stack up their pancakes with the different toppings in the same order as the ones on the card. It's a great activity for matching as a part of Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy development as well as fine motor control in balancing the pancakes on the spatula as part of Physical Development.

As Ethan is a bit young, we started by just going through how the game works and letting him follow along with a card and make a stack of pancakes. He enjoyed just matching the pancakes to the pattern on the card and using the spatula to lift them. There are also pictures of the pancakes on the bottom of the box, which acts as a 'griddle pan' with full size pictures of the pancakes that they can be matched up with. This was also a good activity for Ethan as he could clearly see the pancakes to pair up.

It is a really fun game to play and can be used in a variety of ways for matching activities. Ethan had a lot of fun with it. The pancakes and spatulas are also lovely as other toys, they fit in Ethan's toy frying pans, so we also played at making pancakes for pancake day and thinking of other toppings that we could put on them. A great way to prepare for pancake day, now we can't wait to make the real things!

* This has been a review post, Learning Resources sent us the Pancake Pile Up game to play with and write an honest review, for more information about our review process please click here *

2 years old

Soft Play

15:53

Today Ethan went to soft play with his Grandparents and his Auntie. They went to a place that we haven't been for some time, and when we went when Ethan was quite small we spent most of the time in the sensory room with the lights. Today was quite different, I've been told, as Ethan just wanted to run and climb around. I'm not surprised as he is quite an active little boy now. It is great for him to go to these different places to play and encounter a variety of different equipment that he can learn how to use as part of his Physical Development.

Ethan had so much fun and just wanted to tell us all about the slides and the ball pools when he got home. He was completely exhausted from all that climbing and playing and had a nice long nap afterwards, which is also a very good thing. Next time I'll have to figure out how to take 2 kids to soft play, wish me luck!

2 years old

Simplifying Life with a Baby and a Toddler - Cosyplay Play Mat - Review

15:06

Now that we have both a toddler and a baby, I needed to find a mat that both could play on together. Ethan had his thin car mat, and we have a play gym for Ivy, but neither of these would suit both. I was on the hunt for a thick mat, made out of soft material that was also non toxic and could be easily cleaned for both children to play on.

I was then recommended to have a look at Cosyplay, and immediately knew that this was the mat for us. The mats were created and are made in the UK, by a Mum who also happens to be a doctor. They are made out of a memory foam material that is soft and cushy and they have removable, washable covers. We were given the multi spot Baby Play Mat to try out and review, it sells on their website for £85, which I think is quite good value for a large play mat of this quality. The first thing that we noticed is how fluffy and comfortable the mat is to sit on.

The Cosyplay mat is great for all the family, both Ethan and Ivy can play on it side by side. We've put Ivy's little play gym on one side and Ethan sits on the other side with his Lego or cars or whatever he's playing with. We also love it (as do the Grandparents) as it's really comfy for us to sit on for long periods of time as well.

It's also a gorgeous mat, I've been using it loads to pose the kids on to take photos. Everyone who sees it says how lovely it is and I've recommended it to lots of friends. It's a great mat, and we love supporting a British company and knowing that the mat is great quality and made of high standard materials. I would highly recommend the mats from Cosyplay, let me know if you get one and what you think of it!

*This has been a review post, Cosyplay sent us the play mat to use and to write up an honest review. For more information about our review procedure, please click here *

2 years old

Watching the Winter Olympics

22:00

We have absolutely loved watching the Winter Olympics this year, and we're so sad that it's come to an end. It's been great timing as Ivy was born just before it started, and we've been spending a lot of time at home, so it's nice to have something to keep us entertained during the day. It's also a great learning opportunity for Ethan, teaching him about the different sports as well as the different countries. As Canadian / South Africans living in the UK, we have a lot of countries that we can support! Of course we spent most of the Olympics as proud Canadians with a lot to cheer for!

I am proud to say that Ethan can now recognise the Canada flag, and knows when to shout 'Go Canada Go' at the TV. He loved watching the ski jumping (and even tried to do it himself off the couch!) So today, after a very busy weekend, we just spent the day watching Canada win the hockey and then watching the Closing Ceremonies. It's a shame that the Olympics doesn't happen every year, we really will miss it!

2 years old

Bowling

22:30

Today we took Ethan bowling for the first time! It was a great big family event as we were still away for the wedding and with the extended family. I got Ethan very excited before we went about wearing special shoes, and made sure I emphasised that we roll the ball (didn't want any bowling ball throwing disasters!) and so by the time we got there he couldn't wait to start! Bowling is great for Physical Development as Ethan had to hold the heavy ball and roll it down the lane.

Ethan took to it straight away, we had the bumpers come up for his turn so that he couldn't get a gutter ball. Then he either took his turn with us helping him carry and roll the ball, or using the ramp to roll the ball into position. He loved when it was his turn, but he equally loved cheering for everybody else and giving high fives when it was there turn. I have to say, I am an absolutely terrible bowler, but little Ethan shouting 'Go Mummy Go' really did help motivate me, he's such a star!

Newer
Stories

Older
Stories

Pages

Ivy's Starry Mobile

Big Boy Bed!

Learning Resources - Pancake Pile-Up! - Review

Soft Play

Simplifying Life with a Baby and a Toddler - Cosyplay Play Mat - Review

Watching the Winter Olympics

Bowling

Follow

Popular Topics

Search This Blog

Topics

Popular Posts

UK Blog Awards

Blog Archive