Shaving cream fun

We started with two bowls of shaving cream and mixed a few drops of food colouring into it ....
And mixed...

Started a shaving cream masterpiece by adding a few drops of glue to the mix the foam sticks to the cardboard. Added some glitter,flowers,toothpicks and ribbons. Just a tip when placing out items to use like glitter, i find using a small container with only the amount needed works much easier than reminding your child to "only use a little bit"

Masterpiece finished and ready to dry...what next?

We couldn't let all that foam go to waste so in a big tub we played with it, squishing it and mixing the colours to make green

Then to finish off the foam we used it to play 'car washing' with Tara's bike. Soaping it up then pouring water over it to rinse and not forgetting to dry it off. Tasks like this are a great way to encourage sticking to a task till its finished in a fun way!

Sandpit treasure hunt

To make a treasure map we used an A4 sized paper, ripped the edges and scrunched it up to make creases. Using black tea we flattened it out and painted the tea onto the paper. Let it dry overnight or if in a hurry use a hairdryer to dry off the paper
The finished product

This was our sandpit that we made into our land of treasure and Tara used the map to follow the hunt to find the "x"

Tara followed her map and started at the hill top goats and she crossed 3 pebbles...

Made her way over the bridge

Across 5 diamond stones to the gorilla and panda forest

Then over 9 square stones to the crocodile creek

Through the grazing cows and around the 8 triangle corner stones

Up 4 hexagon hill watching out for the mega birds nest on the left

She used her wooden dolls to do the search

Found the "x" marks the spot

Started to dig and she found the treasure box

Full of treasure!

Sensory balloons

For these you need a balloon,funnel,spoon and whatever sensory item you want to put into your balloon. We used Flour, Rice, Birdseed, Polenta and a flour/water mix
Attach your balloon to your funnel and hold it in place while you use a spoon to transfer your sensory mix into the funnel.

The flour/water mix was the trickiest and messiest to transfer but i like most mums had to remind myself to step back and watch her learn from the process

After i tied them off we sat down and investigated them...how they felt on our feet and in our hands. We named them cranky balls and remembered times when we both felt frustrated and we squeezed them as hard as we could to make us feel better

And we weighed them using scales to see which was heaviest.

Lacing cards

Lacing is a great first step into sewing and great for those fine motor skills so to make some lacing cards you need old birthday cards or photos and a heap of pipe cleaners,string or rope. The younger your child the thicker the materials need to be.
We laminated our photos and cards to make them stronger and easier to manage then used a hole punch to make holes around the edges
Simply choose your string and weave in and out the holes

Great concentration..

Finished product...a nice gift for someone you love

Princess Goop

Goop is a fun messy sensory activity that everyone loves but we decided to put a spin on it for all the little princess'
The Goop recipe is an easy one. Mix cornflour and water until it makes a thick enough consistency to handle. We mixed some pink food colouring into it to make it more girly then found some glitter,butterflies,stretchy horses, pink cellophane shapes, heart toothpicks and small pink containers

Squishing it and letting it fall through your fingers is what a sensory tub is all about!

For a spin on tradition mud pies, Tara made her own pink goop heart cupcakes with a sprinkle of glitter to top them off!

Tara used the containers to pour from one to the other. Great messy activity best done outside !

Toilet Roll Racetrack

Toilet paper rolls are something we always have a stack of so finding an activity to use a few seems like a great idea

I cut them all in half length ways and Tara used tape to join them together making a long track

She made a tunnel by leaving one roll full half way down the track and then we placed them on a basket to make a slope. If you have steps at home they will work better.

And off they go!....so many games were played. Who can come first or second, who's car can reach the furthest distance, and crashing into objects at the end

Hama Beads

It's not every day that we as busy mums have time to plan and set up an activity that will keep our kids entertained but there are some great products out there that can help us out on those busy days.

On our latest trip to one of our favourite store "IKEA" we found what i remember as Hama beads but ikea call pyssla beads.

They are great for pincer grip practice which helps with writing skills and you can use a set of tweezers to pick them up for a different technique

These are a great time wasting activity that kids of any age enjoy. It does have extremely small parts but under supervision you can let your imagination go wild!

Simply choose your beads and place them on the pegboard then place a sheet of baking paper over your design then use your iron on a low heat setting to melt the beads together.

Tara made a bracelet!

Fishing letter bingo

The summer has finally hit us so lots of water activities are on our planner! This fishing game i set up for Tara to practice her letters with.
There are milk bottle lids that i have glued a magnet onto (make sure its the inner side of the lid so it floats) and on the outer side used permanent marker to write letters on.
She used a magnetic fishing rod to fish for a lid and then turned it over and told me the letter on it.
I made up some laminated cards with a photo and word on them that were meaningful to Tara and she used the lids to match the letters on her cards.




I played with her with my two cards and she had her two cards and we saw who could finish their card first just like bingo

Pull ring braclets

We have been saving pull rings from cans for craft and finally decided to start a project. Tara painted her pull rings and let them dry then used a satin ribbon to weave the pull rings in and out the ribbon to make a lovely bracelets for her special friends

And one for herself of course!

Icy cold paints

With a week of over 40 degree heat in Sydney we have been busy with summer activities and this was one of Tara's favourites

We filled up our ice cube trays with a few drops of food colouring and Tara poured a jug of water evenly in each cube.

Tara then cut drinking straws into smaller sizes and placed one into each cube to use as a handle.

After they were frozen we took them out and painted!

Red ribbon bell

Montessori commonly add this type of mobile to a baby's environment around 2 months. A red satin ribbon with a bell securely connected, hung just in reach of baby's arms. The baby will practice movement and batting which helps with cross lateral development.



Such a simple idea and can be set up in any home with minimal fuss and will keep baby interested

Float & Sink

This is a Montessori activity that is great to do in this summer heat! All you need is a large tub filled with water, a box full of waterproof objects from around the house, that your child may want to choose themselves and two laminated A4 sheets that say "float" and "sink" on them.


Tara picked up an item from her bucket and placed it in the water and saw if it floated or sunk then placed it on the correct paper.


This not only helps explain gravity and weight but also identifies familiar words

Mason's Homebirth

It has been a month since my last blog but we have a great excuse! We have been on our Babymoon with the newest addition -Mason Rook born 26/12/10

This blog was started to share our learning experiences in our home and the birth of my son was an amazing learning experience for all of us that continues every day of his life.

My complete birth story can be found at

http://forums.naturalparenting.com.au/birth-stories/40674-unassisted-water-home-birth-mason-rook.html#post521552

Through the birth of my second blessing i have learnt the power of relaxation and the miracle of what the body can do when it is not interfered with. I encourage any pregnant woman to ask questions and trust in her own instincts. If you have had a negative birth experience previously, do the research, educate yourself as your birth experience is the first decision you will be making as a parent and we all want what is best for our children.

Why do we as woman not talk about our birth experiences unless they are negative? Why do we spend more time looking for the perfect school to send our child to but just select the first "well regarded" medical professional around to support us through such a private experience as labour?

Our children are precious and they deserve to be taught how natural birth is so they too can experience the magical experience of childbirth one day with no fear