Textile Treasure Basket

We play with a lot of un-toys around here. Miss 2 loves playing with household objects and I find she will play a lot longer with these open ended 'toys' than she ever would with plastic store-bought toys.  Our very happy little man (6 months) has played with many household objects before but after reading about Heuristic Play, we introduced him to his first official treasure basket. A textile basket!

Included in this basket:

• Silk scarves 
• A tie
• A sheepskin hat
• A fur collar
• Woolen beanies
• Various fabric scraps
• A small pillow

Miss 2 couldn't resist joining in and things got a little crazy...

...So I made her her own 'treasure box' to keep her occupied.

Lots of fun was had by all. I am looking forward to featuring more little boy play around here and it seems that Digby will be a cheerful participant.

Paper Doll Gift

You have to take a look at this lovely gift my sister made for Christmas. It is a paper doll of Priya that she drew, then scanned,  printed and laminated.  The detail is amazing and the little clothes she made in the same fashion are exquisite. The best part is that if any get ruined at the hands of a curious toddler, we can just print and laminate some more. My sister was recently awarded an internship in Spain based on her drawing talent, so we are very grateful that she created this unique and beautiful gift.

Photos Jazzed up with Googly Eyes and Glitter

This was a great boredom buster and entertaining to boot. Check out how funny my kids look! Honestly, I would probably enjoy playing around with this even if I didn't have a child.  Anyhow, a while ago, I got some photos printed that didn't turn out because the skin tones were over-saturated (That's the last time I choose the auto-correct option at the printery). I didn't like them to go to waste so today we had some fun with them. Inspiration for the googly eyes part of this activity came from Valerie at the Frugal Friendly Fun Blog in her post Fun With Googly Eyes. 

Miss 2 and I had two photos each. We began by pasting on googly eyes using PVA glue. She actually managed this part entirely on her own. I was impressed. Next, we pasted glue over the sections where we wanted glitter, sprinkled glitter on and shook off the excess. We repeated this process with each colour of glitter. Miss 2 thoroughly enjoyed the process, as did I. After seeing the finished product I think they would actually make great cards.

The First of Many - Makeshift Cubby House & Reading Nook

 I love to hear Miss 2 'read' to herself. It's both entertaining and great for her development. Yesterday, we made a cubby which was the perfect reading nook and escape from reality. She made some 'green pie' and had me over for dinner and a nap. Daddy came home to find us huddled under a sheet thrown over two benches. "What a great cubby house," he exclaimed. "It's a real house!" she corrected him, in a high pitched squeal which has become her normal speaking voice of late.

Stamping and Painting

It is completely thrilling for me to see Miss 2's mark making evolve into shapes and lines that resemble a person. Drawing and painting have always been passions of my own and I'd like to think that they might be interests that we could share when she is older. Yesterday, she drew a picture of a friend of ours holding her baby. Miss 2 had never done that before so her father and I beamed with pride to see her advancing past just drawing a circle with eyes and legs. Her imagination is so lively that I know it wont be long before we see some weird and wonderful interpretations of the world appearing in her artwork.  

Recently, Miss 2 stamped some backgrounds for her paintings using a toilet roll and some string wrapped around a wooden block. They turned out quite well and I think she enjoyed combining both techniques in one painting.

Playing in Mud

Miss 2 has never liked to get dirty. She must get it from her father because I'm not what you could call super clean. I'll walk around with baby vomit on me and paint on my sleeves but she would need to change right away. Recently, I was reminded of the importance of playing in the mud so I made the point to send Miss 2 outside to play on a rainy midsummer's day. In true toddler form, the first thing she did was fall on her bottom. She wanted to change clothes straight away but I made light of it and encouraged her to get as dirty as she could. I even went out and spun around in the rain with her. Here are some slightly embarrassing photos to prove it.

Marginally more difficult was getting Miss 2 to put her hands in the mud. I set a good example and made some mud pies while she watched on, somewhat bemused. She made a few in the end though and went back to puddle jumping. A good start, I say.

How to Make a Play Garden - Part 1

Recently, I came across a wonderful post at Let The Children Play entitled 

10 reasons why we should let children play in the mud. Apparently playing in mud can make you happier and smarter? That post brought back some lovely childhood memories of sitting in the mud, making bridges over puddles and it propelled me into action. For some time I have coveted  The Imagination Tree's Play Garden and have been itching to make Miss 2 her very own garden patch.  This week, we got to work and with a little a lot of help from Daddy, it came to together quite quickly. Hopefully it will rain soon and get nice and muddy!

The buffalo grass in our backyard is fast growing and aggressive and would quickly overgrow a garden patch that is not protected by a sturdy boundary. Daddy pulled up a 1.8 x 1.8m patch of grass and put some sleepers down for Miss 2's garden border (Thanks Daddy!). I wanted to create a circle in the middle that she could sit and play in so we put a stake in the centre and tied a piece of rope to the base as a measure. The rope helped us create an even circle with bricks. We made an entrance at the front of the garden and Daddy and Miss 2 got straight in there where they began turning the soil around the edge.

Some flowers were planted and since imaginary play is Miss 2's forte, I had some cupcake patty flowers which we made earlier waiting to be 'planted' as well. She has quickly taken responsibility for the garden and waters it promptly every morning while Daddy waters our herbs and veggies.

We have lots planned for this little garden. Tomorrow, we will be planting some sprouts in the holes in the bricks and Miss 2's great grandmother has promised to send flowers home with us whenever we visit. I want to make some more permanent pretend flower stakes and a few more treasures to play with in the dirt over the coming weeks too, so I suppose towards the end of summer you'll be seeing a 'Play garden - Part 2' coming from me.