GET OUR CRAFT ON // PINECONE HOOPLA GAME

As nature is supplying such a bounty of conkers, sticks, pinecones and acorns this autumn, I thought it only right to share a quick DIY game you can play with your little ones. F is always asking to make toys, whether it's bows and arrows, stick men, Go fish game, swords, catapults, sensory boxes, the list goes on. So after a lot of talk about the Moscow State Circus before his birthday, I decided to reinvent the old fairground classic, Coconut Shy game, with things that can be found outside.

To make your Pincone Hoopla game you'll need:

1. A few pinecones
2. Glitter glue / OR loose glitter and PVA glue.
3. A hoop of some sort.
4. Paper.
5. Washi tape.

To make your game is super simple, place some paper down to protect your surface from any mess and let your kiddo get creative with the glitter glue. Try and encourage them to use different colours and place blobs on different parts of the pinecones to make them sparkly. 

Once the glitter has dried, decorate your hoop with washi tape. I used an embroidery hoop but any circular ring will work well, or you can even make your own hoop with bendy twigs tied together. Once everything is ready, find an open area and place the pinecones spaced out on the floor.The aim is to throw the hoop over the pinecones, the person who captures the most pinecones wins! Simple. F really loved playing this game and got quite competitive with me, and was thrilled when he managed to catch one. This is a great game for concentration, spatial awareness and gross motor skills, as well as the creativity involved making it. After you've finished playing the pinecones can also make a pretty nature display in the home.

THE LONELY BEAST 123 // F LOVES

Images via The Lonely Beast 123

As you may have noticed F loves books, and there are certainly some firm favourites on our shelves, one being The Lonely Beast by Chris Judge. So when we were approached to try out The Lonely Beast 123 app for kids, we were super excited. Learning to count with his favourite beast is now a daily occurrence and he doesn't seem to tire of it, the app captures the character and style of the book, bringing the beast to life with simple yet effective interactive fun, as we help him wear coats, eat cake and water the flowers in the garden. The app has some great little touches hidden around the screen for those curious fingers to find, like turning on the lights, bounding balls and slurping lemonade while counting the stars.

F now spends ages making sure he's found each one before moving onto the next number and let's out a giggle when the Lonely Beasts relatives talk in their various accents.

The Lonely Beast 123 was created by Chris, James and Simon in their little shed at the end of The Beast's garden. Their first app, The Lonely Beast ABC, was winner of the Editor's Choice Award from the Children's Technology Review, and a finalist for the Bologna Ragazzi Digital Award at the Bologna Children's Book Fair.

It's now available as a universal app for the iPad and iPod Touch and costs €1.99. Well worth the cash for some learning fun for your little ones and even the chance of a quiet cuppa for you. Check out the promo video below to get a taste of The Beast in action.


We were given The Lonely Beast 123 for free for review purposes only.

GET YOUR CRAFT ON // DIY SENSORY BOX

When stuck at home with a sick toddler you have to get creative on the entertainment front. So after way too much TV I decided to make a rice sensory box for F. After hearing from friends how great they are at helping concentration levels and swallowing hours of the day, I set to work in the hopes that it might do both. I found this DIY tutorial online and decided to adapt it, creating a box centred around F's current interest: nature, more specifically bugs. 

To make our 'Hunt the Bug' game follow the below step by step instructions and have fun!

TO MAKE YOUR GRASS

The size of your box will dictate how much rice you'll need to make. I used this 16L storage box, based on this you'll need 3kg of plain white rice to make your grass.

Once you've got everything you need, you're ready to get creative.

1. Split your rice between two large sealable plastic bags (1.5kg per bag).

2. Add 3 tbsp of white wine vinegar into each plastic bag.

3. Next add 1tsp of green food colouring to one bag and 2tsp of green food colouring to the other. 

4. Seal the bags and shake each bag so the colour is evenly distributed throughout the rice. 

5. Ideally you want your rice to consist of two different shades of green. 

6. If the bags need more food colouring add another tsp to each and repeat step 4 until you reach the desired result. 

7. Once the rice is green, open the bags and leave overnight to air.

 

In the morning take the bags of green rice and empty them into your container so the two different shades sit side by side. You will probably be able to smell the subtle scent of vinegar adding an extra dimension to your sensory box. 

NOW FOR THE FUN

Submerge your bugs into the rice so their heads are poking out, waiting to be found and introduce the game to your kiddo. F was delighted when I handed him the brightly coloured measuring cups and told him we were searching for bugs in the grass. He immediately sunk his hands into the rice and said 'it smells warm'. I find it amazing and funny how they process different sensations. 

 

 

F spent a solid 55 minutes finding bugs, digging holes, making dinosaur footprints, creating waterfalls and generally messing around. He has NEVER spent this long concentrating on one activity. When you've finished simply pop the lid on an store for another day.

What games to you play on sick days?  

LET'S GET CRAFTY // DIY GO FISH GAME

So yesterday it rained. Again.

And as it's probably going to rain forever, we decided to get crafty and go fishing. F loves collecting sticks when we're exploring and as we hang out at the park/woods/sandpit almost everyday we have a LOT of sticks lying around. If you want to play 'Go fish' (as F has named it) then follow the below step by step instructions and have fun!

TO MAKE YOUR FISH

Once you've got everything you need it's time to let your little one loose with paint and (hold your breath) glitter...