It's official, at the ripe age of four, Mr. T has moved right into the LEGO stage. Finally, I've been waiting for one of my children to really get into LEGO. I have such fond memories of my sister and I playing with my father's old LEGO collection for what seems days on end and I want my children to ...
How to Put together a My Color is Rainbow Story Basket
There are only a few books one will await so eagerly to arrive as this one: My Color is Rainbow by Agnes Hsu and Yuliya Gwilym. For those of you who don't know, Agnes is the writer, editor and creative brain behind Hello Wonderful, a website filled to the brim with colorful, happy and insanely ...
Heuristic Play Toy Posting, a Fine Motor Game for Babies
The shape sorting box is a classic toy. We have one, got one or at least know someone who still has one. They are a classic for a reason. Babies and toddlers love posting things. But it takes a while before they are able to fit the right shapes in the right openings. So we've come up with an ...
Create a Nativity Small World with Grimm’s Wooden Toys
Each year we set up some kind of nativity small world. It's a great way to get into the spirit of Christmas: decorating the tree and creating a nativity scene. Last year we crafted our own stable and figurines from recyclables. This year we're using our Saint Nicholas presents: Grimm's wooden ...
Invitation to Build with Loose Parts
Block play is a favourite with most kids. A box with blocks is one of those classic toys that children throughout the years keep coming back to. And with good reason, blocks are the ultimate loose parts for building. On top of that a basic set of blocks lends itself so well as a starting point ...
How to Create a Loose Parts Small World with Toys
I love watching children play. Last weekend I had a field day when my nieces were staying over and the three girls set about creating a loose parts small world with any toy that caught their eye. It was gorgeous to watch and a whole lot of fun to join in. Keep scrolling to see what they made of ...
How to Set Up a Pet Shop Small World for Pretend Play
We are huge fans of small world play and will grab just about any opportunity to create one. A lot of asking to get another pet has led us to creating a pet shop small world. The thing is, getting a pet is serious business and more than one conversation needs to be had before committing to take ...
Using Loose Parts to Make Pretend Play Cookies
The other day my 5 1/2 year old daughter was having one of her after school moods. "I don't know what to do!!!" She yells out at me. "How about you bake us some pretend play cookies in your kitchen?" I calmly suggest. "There's nothing for me to bake with ... and besides we're not allowed to ...
Old Macdonald had a Farm Small World
Do you have a child that wants to read the same stories over and over again or sings certain songs non-stop? I do, and it drives me insane. Old Macdonald has a Farm is the latest offender in our house (and car). Someone needs to turn that noisy tractor around and I found the thing to do just that ...
How to get Back to Basics with LEGO
Why would we want to get back to basics with LEGO? I'll tell you why. Because of nostalgia. Let me tell you a little story ... I grew up playing with LEGO. My dad had this huge (well, huge to us) collection of LEGO blocks from his childhood days that my sister and I got to play with. We ...