Mark making ( Learning through play )

Mark marking doesn't just had to be boring old  pencil and paper. A box of good quality chalk and the path in your garden is a whole new world. Here are some some ideas for mark making out side. After all it is the start of the journey of being able to write. mark making helps them develop imaginatively, creatively and physically. Mark making is important for many reasons. It is a visible way for children to tell stories and express feelings, record what they have to say, solve problems and discover solutions - and sometimes it is just an outlet for pure physical enjoyment

• Water bottles just old washing up bottles will do.
• and old clean paint brush a bucket of water and they can't faint their little hearts out.
• and a little bit of play sand in a tray or if you have a sand bit that's brilliant.
• Get some old wall paper and weigh it down. You can create hand prints, footprints and don't just let them limit themselves to that. let them use toys you don't mind getting paint on such as old cars, trucks. And perhaps things from nature such as pine cones , leaves etc!
• Why not create a splat picture ?
• Or perhaps why not have several pots of paints with marbles in and have a tray lined with white paper. let the children tip the marbles into the tray and then slide the marbles about in the tray.

 Any craft activity will encourage your child's fine motor skills - above all have fun as life is a journey !

Meal Planning Monday 11/6/2012

I have never been one to plan my meals it was a case of smash and grab from the freezer and on the odd occasion it was the dreaded takeaways. But nowadays with food prices being what they are I can not simply keep on affording to buy food blindly so meal planning is called for. Not only will it help control the family budget , I am also hoping it will control the families waist line I have to watch what J eats at school because now he is at senior school there is less control on what he eats than there was when he was at Primary school. He is pretty sensible any way though he still has to be steered towards fruit and vegetables and his fussiness would haveAnnabel Karmel weeping in her pretty little sandwiches. Though he is a little big now to have his sandwiches crafted into a pretty little bunny *cough*


And Mr T I need to control his waist line as much as mine so I am on a diet though I have to admit my scales have no batteries.

When it was jubilee weekend, awe had a family Jubilee picnic As I won some voucher , bunting and paper plates  etc from the Co op. I have to admit I have never ever ever planned my meals like this before so its a first for me and the family. They are going to be shocked with my new found domestic goddess qualities!

So this is what my meal plan looks like for the week so far:

Monday: Fish and new potatoes, carrots sweet corn in front of the England game.

Tuesday:  Leek and Bacon Flan

Wednesday: Sloppy Joes Burger with salad 


Thursday: Chicken Caesar Salad

Friday: Saucy Sausage Pasta

Saturday: Probably eating out as I will be freaking out about Sunday!

Sunday:  Family picnic in my garden.

There will be the proverbial back up meals from the freezer to the cupboard as we are always having trot off to one of my sons many sporting commitments so a contingency plan is always needed.

You can find more Meal Planning Monday posts over at At Home with Mrs M - why not head over there and see what other people are eating this week?

You might have seen this before .. its a repost as my blog went a went mental as you say !

Silent Sunday #silentSunday 10/6/2012

Caption Saturday #satcap 9/6/2012

Rainy Day fun with clean mud

This was something I made a few weeks ago for Foundation stage ( Early Years Foundation Stage) and its both an outside activity and a rainy day one * looks at weather * Yes more defiantly a rain day activity. You and child will have so much fun and this activity is great for their fine Motor Skills  and sensory and one that will promote also their hand writing skills.

• warm water (warm enough to melt soap)
• 1 bar of kind to hands soap
• 1 roll white toilet paper

double up on this quantities as you so wish !

Directions

Get the children up you tear up the toilet paper into little bits (the smaller the better). Using a cheese grater, grate the bar of soap into a big bowl. Add the torn up toilet paper to the bowl.  Add the warm water a little bit at a time while mixing the toilet paper and the soap together. You have added enough water when the mixture  starts to feel like a thick milk shake!. Do not make the mixture too sloppy. The more you play with it the fluffier it becomes. The kids will have so much fun with it ( I know I did)