tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30135425123075173212024-03-13T23:00:34.248-07:00Cry MammaFood, fun and books.Cry Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10591072797771796717noreply@blogger.comBlogger148125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013542512307517321.post-68102068300799201022018-04-04T05:46:00.002-07:002018-04-04T05:46:49.299-07:00The Inquisitive Newt<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We have MOVED!<br /><br />To continue following our booky adventures, please check out:<br /><a href="http://inquisitivenewt.com/">The Inquisitive Newt</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/inquisitivenewtbooks/">Follow us on Facebook</a><br /><br /><br />
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'The Inquisitive Newt' is my effort to share some of the inspiring, entertaining and beautiful books which brighten up both mine, and my children's day-to-day lives.</div>
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Cry Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10591072797771796717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013542512307517321.post-85062130828188174152015-03-04T14:19:00.000-08:002015-03-04T14:19:02.645-08:00Adding Machine<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A while ago, <a href="http://www.motheringwithcreativity.com/2013/04/adding-fun.html">this</a> appeared on my Pinterest feed - a wonderful, hands-on adding machine. <br /><br />I'll be honest at this point and admit that I have a weird relationship to maths. I love the figuring out how to do a sum part, and hate the bit involving actual numbers. They just <i>do not make sense</i> to me - far too... ethereal? I think that's why I loved this idea so much - it turns random digits into real, tactile things. In any case, I've been meaning to make this for ages and since I came down from changing Son one day this week to find Daughter up to her elbows in PVA glue, this seemed like the time to do it.<br />
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To start with, I cut a box to the right shape and taped on some loo-roll tubes, complete with paper funnels. You can easily just get away with the tubes if you can't be bothered faffing with cones, but as usual I wanted this activity to occupy Daughter for as long as possible. This in mind, I employed her drawing around biscuit-tin lids to make the circles we needed. <br /><br /><br /><br />Initially, I had grand ideas of papier-mache-ing the whole thing to look like an old-school pinball machine, but as it became evident that layering tissue isn't Daughter's forte, I figured we could just settle for securing the tubes to the wall of the box.<br />
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You will probably notice here how close the girl's arm is to that precarious pot of glue...<br />
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...and how the pot of glue is no longer present in this picture. We mopped up the inevitable spillage with kitchen roll and sort of dumped that on the box as our final attempt to cover it.<br /><br />Yeah. It's super-attractive. Daughter declined to paint the thing, "What's the point?" she asked. I am inclined to agree. As a token effort, I drew on the kitchen roll with a Sharpie and we left it at that.<br />
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Finally, I got her to think of some numbers and we wrote out a few simple sums. </div>
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Then out came the marbles. </div>
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How do households without such a tin function?!</div>
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The idea is that you use the funnels for the 2 digits of the sum. i.e. with 5+2, you post five marbles down the first chute, and two down the second. Then you count them all up in the tray at the bottom and write the answer on the sheet.</div>
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Daughter really loved this - especially if I sat with her and we released the two lots of marbles at the same time. She started using the large marbles for one of the numbers, and regular sized ones for the other. I think it helped her visualise how the two digits 'merged' to make one new digit. <br /><br />All in all, a stonking success, ugly as our adding machine may be. I'm trying to think of a similar way to tackle subtraction... any ideas? </div>
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Cry Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10591072797771796717noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013542512307517321.post-52948356691041151632015-03-03T04:49:00.000-08:002015-03-03T04:49:06.128-08:00Home-made board games<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN8crJ8z4pAVyvmFeiZ5V5gi5-KZkzXmEwqbXaxJGHMNNQ-cBYn2NHLLCL3VWB7c5dsokM4zSsAnoVQWxh-EqWWEv9eMVb4VGWM-p2voXzE_PCiLD8FPP7Rbme495TB2tYHHBVWfcP5d8/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN8crJ8z4pAVyvmFeiZ5V5gi5-KZkzXmEwqbXaxJGHMNNQ-cBYn2NHLLCL3VWB7c5dsokM4zSsAnoVQWxh-EqWWEv9eMVb4VGWM-p2voXzE_PCiLD8FPP7Rbme495TB2tYHHBVWfcP5d8/s1600/1.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a>A while ago, my Mum picked up a carousel of scissors from a charity shop. They cut in all different lines - there's traditional pinking shears, some that do waves, some which do crazy Victorian-style wibbly bits (technical terminology, there). They're only strong enough to cut paper, though, which means that I haven't really known what to do with them until now.<br />
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A while ago, Daughter and I <a href="http://crymamma.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/ghostly-hours-by-hape-toys.html">started getting into board games</a>, but these are expensive and since I find them a little repetitive after a few playthroughs (at least the ones which are age-appropriate for Daughter) we haven't really played any for a while. Since having had Son, however, we've had to find activities that are a little more stationary than our usual countryside stompathons. Board games are ideal for this, though because the rules are fairly rigid, I've often worried about them not being 'creative' enough (I worry about a lot of pointless rubbish, to be fair).<br /><br />In any case, there came a day when I just hadn't had enough sleep. I mean, one expects to be tired with a newborn but this was something else. I needed Daughter occupied so that I could dose myself with more caffeine than the human blood-stream should be able to handle. Obviously, on that day, Daughter was having none of it. I tried all of our usual distractions but nothing would work. In a rather strained voice I asked her what she wanted to do.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfy3Fq8rr9OH5JFYKyaEIRZ7ux1rk91ZYrhICCeW1G_5pdfeSAUuc8nuP0suXTMWQ_n6xCpT4o6Jz_m1nrPgxr-R1bPEDUhhWv2v0MdHG6CGKgU6b2SDGxo4sKaugC5-aLf8qBQgZ2fgs/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfy3Fq8rr9OH5JFYKyaEIRZ7ux1rk91ZYrhICCeW1G_5pdfeSAUuc8nuP0suXTMWQ_n6xCpT4o6Jz_m1nrPgxr-R1bPEDUhhWv2v0MdHG6CGKgU6b2SDGxo4sKaugC5-aLf8qBQgZ2fgs/s1600/2.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a>"Use those," she said, pointing at the scissor-carousel. It had sat on the bookcase for the past year and I'd forgotten we even had it.<br /><br />"Fine," I muttered, fetching it down and handing her some construction paper. She cut happily for hours and though I enjoyed the quiet, my inner-hippie was going mad at the waste of resources. When Daughter was finally fed up, I thrust some more paper at her, along with a tub of glue, and asked her to stick her funny shapes onto the large sheet of card. At least, I thought, making a collage might keep her occupied just a little longer.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNA-obV4WfR2HOlme7IsU70jCLyp19wJTKGqJ4tN1nztAu40SMHKgWSwCEPIXgR0dzGIlXtmkXt1iUJnsfLMEbewcxj5tKdg2lAv0Jm93wkQS1ARZTQyHlCmtFZfRqcJ1_tKAhLbSvKAI/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNA-obV4WfR2HOlme7IsU70jCLyp19wJTKGqJ4tN1nztAu40SMHKgWSwCEPIXgR0dzGIlXtmkXt1iUJnsfLMEbewcxj5tKdg2lAv0Jm93wkQS1ARZTQyHlCmtFZfRqcJ1_tKAhLbSvKAI/s1600/3.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a><br />
And then it hit me... through my caffeine induced haze, I realised that we could make something akin to snakes and ladders out of her artwork. I'd long been hankering after the classic - if a little passée -game but as no sets had yet come up at our local charity shops, I'd pushed the idea aside and moved onto other things.<br />
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After the glue had dried, I attacked the thing with a Sharpie, and told Daughter to grab her stickers. We ended up having a great time, making up stories about the setting. It's outerspace, you see, and the players are both in crashing spaceships. When a player lands on a square with an asteroid, they move back two spaces (because... well, you would, wouldn't you). When you land on an alien, they help you to fix your spaceship and you move two spaces forwards, bringing you closer to the end... which is a glittery star where the Pirate Princess lives. Obviously.<br />
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This is a brilliant activity for school/nursery holidays as you can drag it out to take a whole day. And once you've finished making the game, you can play it. Also, the fact that it's essentially disposable means that you can make as many different games as you like and recycle when they're no longer interesting. This one worked well for us at the moment because we could phrase the moves like sums, i.e. "You're on square 15 and need to move back two spaces. What is 15-2?"<br /><br />We're off to visit the inlaws soon so I'm thinking of buying an A3 pad and just taking lots of pre-cut squares with PritStik to entertain Daughter on the trip over.<br /><br />In any case, you'll no doubt see a homemade board game on here again in the not too distant future.<br /><br /><br />
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Cry Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10591072797771796717noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013542512307517321.post-71146212258433114162014-12-15T09:57:00.000-08:002014-12-15T09:57:00.282-08:00Christmas Craft #4 - "Pebernødder", or Danish Christmas cookies <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">As promised, here is the translated recipe for Husband's incredible Danish Christmas cookies. Literally meaning, "pepper nuts", these beauties are teeny-tiny, so can be squeezed into even the fullest stomach post festive feast. They're also incredibly cheap, easy to make and look gorgeous in a Kilner jar, tied up with a ribbon so if you manage not to scoff the lot, they make fantastic gifts.<br /><br />And as ever, they're great for little hands to join in with.<br /><br />You need:<br /><br />125 g salted butter</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">125 g sugger</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">1 egg</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">1 teaspoon bicarb</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">1/2 teaspoon ginger</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">3/4 teaspoon cardamon</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">1/2 teaspoon cinnamon</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">1/2 teaspoon white pepper</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">275 g white flour</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br />
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Blend the sugar and butter, slowly adding the egg.<br />Add the flour and spices<br />Roll the dough into a sausage and cut off sections<br />Roll the sausage sections into balls<br />Put on a baking sheet on grease-proof paper<br />Bake at 200 degrees for 10 - 12 min or until they reach a 'good colour'</div>
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Cry Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10591072797771796717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013542512307517321.post-4189128076217178672014-12-12T07:09:00.000-08:002014-12-12T07:10:04.748-08:00Christmas Craft #3 - Cornflour-dough decorations<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWGmEDrq5fwRRW3CqIA1GH7IX_xkw2f6se1PF5GSxjTjUNPaV2fYJ0thrZyhai6BHrfCsKFpFwXBWhbJIAneTgcgjt8cmuu2x2sW1UfyFQBXwkeWAGa0lE5eLqa4U77EYiiveZ9Mtrm_Q/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWGmEDrq5fwRRW3CqIA1GH7IX_xkw2f6se1PF5GSxjTjUNPaV2fYJ0thrZyhai6BHrfCsKFpFwXBWhbJIAneTgcgjt8cmuu2x2sW1UfyFQBXwkeWAGa0lE5eLqa4U77EYiiveZ9Mtrm_Q/s1600/1.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a>Last year, we made some pretty cool cornflour-dough Christmas tree decorations. I didn't blog about them at the time because a. I was too busy eating insane quantities of Danish Christmas cookies which Husband made, and b. I wanted to see how long the unbaked decorations would last in storage.<br />
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...But mostly I was just eating the cookies.<br />
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Anyhow... (and don't worry, I will post the 'pebernødder' recipe in due course) it transpires that these lovely little decorations last really well, and are actually far more sturdy than I gave them any credit for being. They not only survived a house move and the three year old attacking the Christmas tree with them, but one or two have also made it past the cat. And that's no mean feat.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGqGu5rnTrJmQ6QEkZW7idI6B79hCeHMXWIAN16rr0xQFrZgGzg4-4LXMB83hLsK5NnnlVExuX3etew-HuUMM9hzE4V2cEny90I6Df_S5XABrjKefJEYR87SRdDD7XY6eXvdWqDmXobZg/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGqGu5rnTrJmQ6QEkZW7idI6B79hCeHMXWIAN16rr0xQFrZgGzg4-4LXMB83hLsK5NnnlVExuX3etew-HuUMM9hzE4V2cEny90I6Df_S5XABrjKefJEYR87SRdDD7XY6eXvdWqDmXobZg/s1600/2.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a>Pinterest is full of recipes for this dough - it's cheap, gluten-free and if left to air dry rather than being baked, has a lovely, almost-porcelain quality. This is the <a href="http://fullofgreatideas.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/christmas-in-september-corn-starch-and.html">recipe that we used</a>, and I can highly recommend it.<br />
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<i>My only note would be for UK readers: cornstarch=cornflour & baking soda=bicarb. US references to cornflour are actually talking about something akin to oatmeal in texture as far as I've discovered.</i><br />
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We used some Christmas ribbon that I found at the market last year to add a bit of colour, and a rolling-pin intended for play-dough to get the swirls. Good ol' cookie-cutters dictated which shapes we could have and then Daughter set to it.<br />
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The mixture - when rolled out - actually makes thousands of these little decorations. Having swathed the tree in the things, I dug out some card blanks (which I think were originally wedding invites?) and used a little glue dot to attach a decoration to each. They made really nice cards, but that still wasn't enough to work through them. Cue the Sharpie - we ended up getting rid of most as gift tags. I have to say, they did make a fairly nice addition to my stingy brown paper and shiny gold ribbon.<br />
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Would I make them again? Yes, next year. I think it'll be a biannual thing, simply because of the ornaments' unexpected longevity.<br />
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And I promise that next time we do give them a go, I'll take some better photos!</div>
Cry Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10591072797771796717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013542512307517321.post-45232518879176612432014-12-10T13:05:00.000-08:002014-12-10T13:05:08.465-08:00Christmas Craft #2 - Bird feeders<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis9eanQvnZ6ugAWcltUMXJPatC5_FwQ0Ln1a38Hl2WGpKD2qLLMaUBXUaN253CyTt3cwBoPqlQJxN9BHqfES2ZSRqDYKA3uxqiV3BofhNajH-bmYza8kD6wMiG64yL4NDyJpvqYQPizqo/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis9eanQvnZ6ugAWcltUMXJPatC5_FwQ0Ln1a38Hl2WGpKD2qLLMaUBXUaN253CyTt3cwBoPqlQJxN9BHqfES2ZSRqDYKA3uxqiV3BofhNajH-bmYza8kD6wMiG64yL4NDyJpvqYQPizqo/s1600/3.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a>It's cold outside - no denying that. And though I like to think of myself as the rugged, outdoorsy type, I'm definitely more of a snuggle-by-the-fire-with-hot-tea-and-knitting sort when winter rolls around. Which isn't especially conducive when you're trying to instil a love of nature in small people.<br />
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Cue bird watching. Something that can be done from the comfort of your own windowsill with a pair of binoculars and a <a href="http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=11779639800&searchurl=isbn%3D9781405311373%26sts%3Dt">Dorling Kindersley birds sticker</a> book. Hooray!<br />
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But how do you get the birds into the garden, I hear you ask? I mean, we've got three cats, so they'd have to be fairly daft birds...<br />
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Food! Food is the answer!*<br />
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Last year we made this colossal-sized bird feeder from a 500g yoghurt pot as it was the only disposable container we had. As you can see from the picture, it took the birds longer to eat it than it did for the seeds contained within to begin sprouting...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpz2undD8uM1WBDtqoyKvvOin5QEVobwXCalpsX6nUGevqrvQ7reODiI3tZIlLxBDeKY0lleIZqZor_TVZxHs_qg9WmFViEaUUFPrMel33Y-V2hjLBuFwmBMDeNHwFtPW0igxrsIDcjn0/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpz2undD8uM1WBDtqoyKvvOin5QEVobwXCalpsX6nUGevqrvQ7reODiI3tZIlLxBDeKY0lleIZqZor_TVZxHs_qg9WmFViEaUUFPrMel33Y-V2hjLBuFwmBMDeNHwFtPW0igxrsIDcjn0/s1600/1.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a>This year, I decided to try something a little different. Instead of cutting the mould away as countless Blue Peter kids have done before me, I used foldable, silicone moulds (the kind usually reserved for cupcakes). The results were pretty good and the birds haven't seemed to notice the difference.<br />
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If you've not made bird-feeders before, they're really easy. You need a mould, some bird-seed and some fat. We use lard because it's cheap and you can pour it at low temperatures - ideal for small people - but any solid fat is fine if you're a vegetarian/vegan household.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin8otM8MKX5h2GhJkGLEV-8S4l0M9rTbJbali_l6A9NcAMDcgSUeUUYmdjETkuAVqEylNRfqPltBPiZh2d8CMxcVd-wasZbOAMiDXp8PK8zUNBlm7RFumMONi2oWzHLR7lS-9MVMNp13M/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin8otM8MKX5h2GhJkGLEV-8S4l0M9rTbJbali_l6A9NcAMDcgSUeUUYmdjETkuAVqEylNRfqPltBPiZh2d8CMxcVd-wasZbOAMiDXp8PK8zUNBlm7RFumMONi2oWzHLR7lS-9MVMNp13M/s1600/2.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
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Basically, all you need to do is fill your moulds with seeds, then pour the fat over the top and leave to set. Place these on old tree stumps, stab a hole through the 'cake' and attach a string to hang on a brand or pop on a bird table and wait... inside. Where it's warm.<br />
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Mmmm... tea.<br />
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___________<br />
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*For the record, two of the cats are too fat and old to catch anything and the one which does hunt broke her tail so she can't actually get any sort of height/balance thing going on in her little catty life (the highest she's ever jumped is the sofa - about 30cm from the ground). I'd also like to make it clear that I'm totally not advocating luring unsuspecting wildlife into a garden full of predators...<br />
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Cry Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10591072797771796717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013542512307517321.post-6082894572064305322014-12-08T12:15:00.000-08:002014-12-08T12:15:17.819-08:00Christmas Craft #1 - Book Advent Calender and morning board<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF93QYeawgLTsD-fKV_-RigMtQCi5qBYe2kHjDlCxLzSNVZnUGOthSPmYPfOBLv65AeFWpXY3Douhu182XyJNpV_HSi8Gb2PeNXULKCzrU2RAGtVBOAgQYt3sOivvYsZBmfBZ4E32Vitw/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF93QYeawgLTsD-fKV_-RigMtQCi5qBYe2kHjDlCxLzSNVZnUGOthSPmYPfOBLv65AeFWpXY3Douhu182XyJNpV_HSi8Gb2PeNXULKCzrU2RAGtVBOAgQYt3sOivvYsZBmfBZ4E32Vitw/s1600/1.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a>You might have guessed it already, but we're big on books.<br /><br />I forget where I first saw the idea of the 'book a day' advent calendar, but it's been niggling away at me for an entire year and finally, I get to do it!<br /><br />It's exactly as it sounds - I went round the house in the summer (when the books wouldn't be missed) and collected all the Christmas/Winter titles that I came across. I think I managed 20 in total, then bought the rest from the local charity shop for 50p a tome, making the total cost of the calendar £2. Since I'm going to do this for a good few years, I think that's an acceptable price - especially as I plan to put the books away again after the festivities are over and reuse those which are still age-appropriate next year. I think - all being well - I should only have to replace one this time around.<br /><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDrcvnuvCGOzE1wZ-_bZxrJ9FkXg7Lm9XKmgle0jYClV1gisDeBJAXoX4xEFYJh0-qNTaosX-ZYREQvD0XuzhUilkzuXM4Z69IxFJcos5V-eMVmDAPJOJHRmHosEwlQnbzoCywjLd0oXE/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDrcvnuvCGOzE1wZ-_bZxrJ9FkXg7Lm9XKmgle0jYClV1gisDeBJAXoX4xEFYJh0-qNTaosX-ZYREQvD0XuzhUilkzuXM4Z69IxFJcos5V-eMVmDAPJOJHRmHosEwlQnbzoCywjLd0oXE/s1600/2.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a><br />
In any case, last year when we tried the chocolatey variety of advent calendar, Daughter really took umbrage to the fact that advent ended on the 24th. She wanted to go on getting a present a day... as you would. So, forewarned is forearmed and this time, I decided to introduce a morning-board as well. It made a funny sort of sense to me that since we were starting to count days anyway, we might as well introduce other calendar elements too. This way, come the 25th, she'll still have at least part of her little morning ritual.<br />
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<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/t31.0-8/10710234_735683076526580_7360665730098789381_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/t31.0-8/10710234_735683076526580_7360665730098789381_o.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://scontent-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/10408605_735683779859843_3433163902663647152_n.jpg?oh=1117616366ab3511ee5f2aeeac4317d7&oe=5511F7CE" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://scontent-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/10408605_735683779859843_3433163902663647152_n.jpg?oh=1117616366ab3511ee5f2aeeac4317d7&oe=5511F7CE" width="320" /></a>I started off by crocheting some simple weather symbols, using a <a href="http://annabooshouse.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/a-little-sun.html">free online pattern</a> and some yarn oddments. Then I got the very talented <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BlissfulBabyGifts">Blissful Baby Gifts </a>to machine embroider the words and numbers for the board on some felt. These are absolutely gorgeous - the colours are so pretty and the stitching is perfect. Daughter's face - as you can see above - when she opened the little package was a picture. All I did then was attack the pieces with some super-glue and some cheap, ebay magnets... the rest is just a case of arranging things on any metallic surface.<br />
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So far, the novelty of coming downstairs to change the date in a morning hasn't worn off and Daughter's beginning to learn the days of the week. Good job all round, then.<br />
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And from a purely selfish point of view, I'm having a lot of fun reliving my favourite childhood books from this festive time of year.<br /><br />Anyone else remember the Summer Snowman? No? Just me then...<br />
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Cry Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10591072797771796717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013542512307517321.post-76673655983681944132014-11-23T07:44:00.000-08:002014-11-23T07:44:05.419-08:00A day of distraction<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO7phSojtI1TSbS0o-L6T9Woih_qpbaMgPIFKiQHDnFItpWi5HrgdC_oBb2Pk7ZerGVUEQctrHERZlzyR2LhorT9Gn_yIm-PLQ-gz7E4HT6Bnp8ovA2dk5vEmddO1CwDKEplT-xAqtEPQ/s1600/DSC_1771.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO7phSojtI1TSbS0o-L6T9Woih_qpbaMgPIFKiQHDnFItpWi5HrgdC_oBb2Pk7ZerGVUEQctrHERZlzyR2LhorT9Gn_yIm-PLQ-gz7E4HT6Bnp8ovA2dk5vEmddO1CwDKEplT-xAqtEPQ/s1600/DSC_1771.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a>Sometimes, the last thing anyone wants to do is actively entertain a pre-schooler. They're loud, demanding and the word, 'why' punctuates every sentence in the places that grown-up people would take the time to breathe.<br />
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I'm told that television is the way to go in these situations, but to be honest it sounds like too much hard work to go to the trouble of buying a set, installing an aerial and paying licence fees, just because I'm a little bit incredibly pregnant. In my day, we had cardboard boxes and that suited us down to the ground, thank you.<br /><br />Which got me to thinking - I might hate junk modelling now, but I didn't always. In fact, growing up, it was a high point in my little world. And it just so happens that I got a giant cardboard box in the post yesterday. Hooray for happy accidents.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLhHRvp4qJxNUPtD-RITQWXOXWRRWOMfzLlID9TWuoxYHJXx2chD338gkWgrPsmT0NJqWt0xxvBjly_kcqu6spmzoBErfw6Cgq0m61dVDIYRsu9yTyCf5S_lrZ3olBOmUaD7m0IjF1rt8/s1600/DSC_1773.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLhHRvp4qJxNUPtD-RITQWXOXWRRWOMfzLlID9TWuoxYHJXx2chD338gkWgrPsmT0NJqWt0xxvBjly_kcqu6spmzoBErfw6Cgq0m61dVDIYRsu9yTyCf5S_lrZ3olBOmUaD7m0IjF1rt8/s1600/DSC_1773.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a>This little house was really easy to construct - I cut the long flaps from the top of the box and taped them together to form the apex of the roof, then taped that to the box's understand. Voilla. Basic house shape. Then I cut out a bunch of square-shaped windows and doors, leaving the card attached along one edge so that Daughter could better post things, and so there'd be something interesting to open and close.<br />
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Then I gave her some pens and left her to it. Having always been discouraged from writing on her toys/clothes/walls it took a little while to talk her into attacking this with the pens, but when she finally did, she did so with gusto.<br />
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It was really interesting to see what she drew - I presumed she'd concentrate on the exterior but she flipped the thing over and began scrawling furniture all over the inside of it. Her décor came complete with cats, self portraits and eggs. For some reason, she drew a lot of eggs. When she'd had enough, she fetched her little wooden dolls from the fort we've been playing with them in and started acting out some very telling scenes*.<br /><br />Yes, it did require a little more work than flipping on a switch, but not much, and hopefully Daughter will be interested in playing with the house again tomorrow. I left the side flaps of the box on so that I can send her out into the garden to collect leaves. She can then stick these down on the remaining flaps for the house exterior, so that should give me another day of sitting on my bum without having to think too much... Wish me luck!<br /><br />____<br /><br />*i.e. "Daddy, Mummy says that you have to cook dinner now or it'll be too late and we'll all be hungry."<br />And,<br />"Mummy, if you don't stop tickling me, I will be <i>furious</i>."<br />
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Cry Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10591072797771796717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013542512307517321.post-87872473416491040972014-11-13T07:02:00.000-08:002014-11-13T07:02:57.428-08:00Fun ways to teach 'Sight Words'<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxXT8ndGDYqnNNna68JMDxuB3xUBCS03pv1KDsGb-atkqTwlFc8g8xUeVOqyGCY6fy97MMIJ5k3ygMVLytOjeIO2k8SA3hRyztB4xcnjCP4atgNUBkEzEvhyphenhyphenwAzg5v05vNuXuUhPXpU94/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxXT8ndGDYqnNNna68JMDxuB3xUBCS03pv1KDsGb-atkqTwlFc8g8xUeVOqyGCY6fy97MMIJ5k3ygMVLytOjeIO2k8SA3hRyztB4xcnjCP4atgNUBkEzEvhyphenhyphenwAzg5v05vNuXuUhPXpU94/s320/1.jpg" width="212" /></a>I've said it before and I'll say it again - I'm not a teacher. I have absolutely zero educator's training and this whole world of trying to impart knowledge on small people is one I know next-to-nothing of. At the moment, I feel like I'm stumbling in the dark a bit, trying to follow Daughter's lead.<br />
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And she's heading full-pelt towards reading. I mean, I thought I had at least another year until I had to sit and listen to stilted attempts at, "See him run. Run, Ben, run," but we're there now and as ever, I'm left fumbling through Pinterest and Google at night, trying to find some way of turning this all into a game.*<br />
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Since we started playing <a href="http://crymamma.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/teach-your-monster-to-read.html">Teach Your Monster to Read</a>, Daughter has come on leaps and bounds. She completed section one of the game very easily and moved onto section two. We're now about half way through it and she's beginning to struggle - particularly with the 'Tricky' words. I had no idea that these were 'a thing' and spent last night googling them.<br />
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Mainstream education refers to them as 'Sight Words' - words which don't make phonetic sense and which the reader must learn to recognise on sight alone. The examples we've come across in the game so far are:<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li style="text-align: justify;">To</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">The</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">No</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Go</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">I</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">We</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">She</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">He</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Me </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Be </li>
</ul>
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Whilst the phonetically regular words she encounters are absolutely no problem, these words are causing furrowed brows and tantrums. Pinterest to the rescue then... </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0CgDVcxrMIIPfvF5v5Tsl4m0mC42HET8vnVwMcNu0iawgj-6mk2XQYY8KrRKqqyzlTLqiwUp6npeppEF7DCNsyQzuQdzUW346D38kxOpWkkvwn56wy3OMqG55k1IqDKwIs1C6uQSoQAk/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0CgDVcxrMIIPfvF5v5Tsl4m0mC42HET8vnVwMcNu0iawgj-6mk2XQYY8KrRKqqyzlTLqiwUp6npeppEF7DCNsyQzuQdzUW346D38kxOpWkkvwn56wy3OMqG55k1IqDKwIs1C6uQSoQAk/s320/2.jpg" width="320" /></a>Except we have a very, very limited budget. I mean, it stretches to paper, pens and occasionally kitchen ingredients. And sticks, of course. We have a lot of sticks. </div>
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In any case, this is what I came up with - I drew the words out on A5 paper and asked daughter to run, hop, crawl or scoot-on-her-bum between them. This <i>really </i>helped her start to recognise the words and totally unbidden, she began giving me examples of sentences which used the word she was standing on. Epic.<br />
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To try and make doubly sure she'd got it, and it wasn't just her remembering where the words were on the floor, we shuffled up the cards and poured some salt into a quiche dish (I will use this salt later on in salt dough - no wastage here!) then had her trace the shapes with her fingers. I liked how tactile this was for her and she seemed to really enjoy doing it (see the pic at the top of the page). Of course, copying the words only lasted about ten minutes, but drawing faces in the salt kept those tiny hands amused for a good while longer.<br /><br />___<br />
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*To be fair, the rate at which she's hoovering information suggests that she would happily listen and parrot anything I have to say, but I don't want her in a 'school-room' yet. I want her running around outdoors, wrecking her clothes in muddy puddles and drawing on the walls. Life's got enough sitting at desks in it already.</div>
Cry Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10591072797771796717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013542512307517321.post-58739837435408720602014-11-04T03:39:00.001-08:002014-11-04T03:39:59.606-08:00Fridge magnet letters<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcQwStkyhxu0qfvPcs7D8UUJ5xeucVwrA4nRt7Ujvow4wLsZAHSWkvhAvO3CbkIRIh5q8TOVkOfm7ZhLwo-g-wx7xzc7n7cRpXnC4SitNDRAPXm2Ttec7oiM6s0oo2PR4SRV3dyot9n1s/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcQwStkyhxu0qfvPcs7D8UUJ5xeucVwrA4nRt7Ujvow4wLsZAHSWkvhAvO3CbkIRIh5q8TOVkOfm7ZhLwo-g-wx7xzc7n7cRpXnC4SitNDRAPXm2Ttec7oiM6s0oo2PR4SRV3dyot9n1s/s1600/1.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
This is a really easy activity for occupying small people when you're in the kitchen. Because let's face it, sometimes you just want to cook in peace - without little folk sticking their fingers in the butter and asking <i>why</i> that's a pepper.<br />
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All I did was grab a sheet of magnetic paper and a marker pen and write out the alphabet in lower case. Our letter magnets are capitals so you can adjust depending on what you have - I think most fridge alphabets these days are lower case so scribbling capitals is probably the way to go for most people. Also if you've got no magnetic paper, there's nothing to stop you taping paper-paper to the fridge door. I just figured this'd be easier to take in the car with us on long drives but again, tape some regular paper to a baking sheet and you can play anywhere.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8LNVN7zXNS5dLKY5YkoC319rj1qQ0C0Yq_evG-kHptITexhlrpAKdd9jqkqTFBUmanRTLDDc7yVcwv5MH5lMgLI-SfpjvhmtDWX1en_Zf0TBIkFZAW2t34SrqPD5pvu65ZJ_87fChOIQ/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8LNVN7zXNS5dLKY5YkoC319rj1qQ0C0Yq_evG-kHptITexhlrpAKdd9jqkqTFBUmanRTLDDc7yVcwv5MH5lMgLI-SfpjvhmtDWX1en_Zf0TBIkFZAW2t34SrqPD5pvu65ZJ_87fChOIQ/s1600/2.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a>And that was basically it. The girl knows her lower case letters/phonetic sounds from <a href="http://crymamma.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/teach-your-monster-to-read.html">Teach Your Monster To Read</a> and we've been reading <a href="http://www.abebooks.co.uk/book-search/author/LEAR,-EDWARD-AND-PIKE,-CAROL?cm_sp=brcr-_-bdp-_-author">Edward Lear's Alphabet Rhymes for Children</a> since Daughter was born (my Dad brought me a beautiful copy back from the US, illustrated by Carol Pike, so it's always been a firm childhood favourite in our house). <br />
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When we read from alphabet books which show both capitals and lower case letters, we tend to say, "A says ah" - pointing first to the former and then the later - "B says buh, C says cuh," and so on. To begin with, I did it because Daughter was learning animal sounds and wanted to know what everything said (can openers, gate posts... you name it), and it was an easy way to answer, but it seems to have stood us in good stead for this activity. With the exception of getting E and F mixed up, and V and Y, she got them all right on the first try. To keep her busy a little longer, I got her to read the letters aloud using their proper names, and their phonetic sounds. Then she sang the alphabet which really made her day - she's never been able to remember all the letters before and seeing them listed meant that she could do it without any help from me. <br /><br />Overall, this was a huge success - she kept going back to do it again and again. I not only managed to chuck everything in the slow cooker for tonight while she was occupied, but also write this blog post! Hooray for magnetic letters!<br /><br />Do you have any other ideas for using these handy little things? :)</div>
Cry Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10591072797771796717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013542512307517321.post-75050321369011408312014-10-29T14:02:00.002-07:002014-10-29T14:02:39.926-07:00Numeracy games<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.thecuriouscaterpillar.co.uk/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/a/m/aminal_trumps_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.thecuriouscaterpillar.co.uk/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/a/m/aminal_trumps_1.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
So, after raving about <a href="http://crymamma.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/activity-box-reviews.html">Toucan Boxes</a> last time I posted, ours turned up late this month. But as an apology, there was an age-appropriate card game included - <a href="http://www.thecuriouscaterpillar.co.uk/kids-create-trump-cards.html">Farmyard Trumps</a>.<br /><br />Being nothing more than unassuming cards in a tidy little tin, this game is brilliant for long journeys, waiting in restaurants, and Christmas stockings. In addition to the suggested game, you can also play snap - amazing for practising quick number recognition - and number flash cards (if you're so inclined - I never actually figured out how to use flash cards though so someone else might have to field that one...)<br /><br />We played the game as described on the box, but it became clear after a few turns that though Daughter can count really well, and recognise what the various digits mean, she has little concept of which number is larger than the other. And that's where that old box of marbles finally comes into its own. Of course, if your family doesn't have a giant tin of marbles, anything you can use as counters will do - buttons, shells, pebbles, coins... anything you can get your mits on. <div>
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Because marbles are tricky blighters, we used the tin from the game to count ours into, but obviously you won't need these if you're using coins or buttons or things which won't roll. </div>
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Having a visual reference really helped Daughter to understand the concept of less/more and she picked up the whole thing very quickly. Before we counted the marbles into their tins, I got her to guess which would have more in and after a short while, she was guessing correctly every time. I then went on to try and explain that a number made of two digits would always be more than a number made of one digit. That also really helped her to get a good grasp of things quickly.<br /><br />It struck me though, as we were playing, that she was a little unsure of the numbers above 10. A quick recap of her number books showed that very few went as far as the teens, which struck me as slightly odd. Numbers from 20+ follow a really easy pattern, but prior to that, there's little about their linguistic names to help with reading. Eleven and twelve are especially odd, whilst the rest are pronounced from right to left - six-teen, not ten-six as with every other number in English. Why not just teach them all in with the first ten - linguistically odd - numbers?</div>
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I have to admit, without books as a starting point I was <strike>massively</strike> slightly out of my comfort zone. But that old classroom favourite came to the rescue - Bingo! </div>
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A quick googling pointed me to <a href="http://preschoolmom.com/">PreSchoolMom.com</a> (which is totally worth checking out if you have a printer and a bored toddler!) and these <a href="http://preschoolmom.com/files/Bingo/BingoBlankColor.pdf">blank Bingo sheets</a>. A quick decapitation of Christmas gift tags made some super shiny bingo markers and I dug out my trusty D20 from many moons ago (I was a level 17 elf, I'll have you know). </div>
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This is fairly self explanatory - fill out the bingo sheet (you could make these with letters if you wanted to work on literacy, and have your child pull fridge-magnets out of a bag... actually, you might be seeing that one next week...), roll the D20, get the child to read the number aloud and then have them match it on the bingo card. </div>
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Daughter took to it really well, and especially liked rolling the funny shaped dice down a kitchen roll tube (long story). The shiny paper also appealed to her magpie instincts, and she had no issues matching up what she saw on the D20 to the writing on the sheet. It didn't take long at all for her to begin recognising the teen numbers and during the second play through, I was able to leave her to it for five minutes while I went to make a cuppa.<br /><br />If you're a sticker person, and don't mind printing multiple sheets (we don't have a printer so I have to bum papers like this off Mum, hence the reusable aspect of our game) then you could get 1-20 stickers and add in a third 'matching' element. Or give stickers as prizes for lines of bingo.<br /><br />We'll see how we do after a few more days with 1-20 and then start seeing if we can work in the abacus which has been sat upstairs looking pretty for a long, long time.<br /><br /></div>
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Cry Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10591072797771796717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013542512307517321.post-62643687099234506182014-10-23T02:05:00.001-07:002014-10-23T02:05:16.406-07:00Activity box reviews<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj78pfaqOK3WBwi5uwiLap-isAHEt8Sx928qPZ5aFxke8ajCdtD63I9JnkQ34gkme75H6mcAFcuQbuMaSr8os8b-4N9OjnhgfYgr50iaUuE9LZyfg-0zr-3c6NVO801mvSUiYpb6Z14VkY/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj78pfaqOK3WBwi5uwiLap-isAHEt8Sx928qPZ5aFxke8ajCdtD63I9JnkQ34gkme75H6mcAFcuQbuMaSr8os8b-4N9OjnhgfYgr50iaUuE9LZyfg-0zr-3c6NVO801mvSUiYpb6Z14VkY/s1600/1.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a>Daughter and I have few financial indulgences. Mostly, we stomp about the countryside in our wellies, collect huge bags of sticks with the intention of <i>doing things</i> with them, then return home to bake and read books. Or at least, she sits in her room and 'reads' to her toys. I pig-out on said baking, slurp my body weight in tea and wonder why it is that this pregnancy, I'm the size of a small SUV... Ah, the mysteries of life.<br />
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Now that we're in Scotland though, with winter fast approaching - and a tiny, screaming monster due to descend at the beginning of December - I thought it wise to find some alternatives to our great, stick-gathering works. And because my brain is a total mess of fuzz (through a combination of pregnancy and too much homemade Rocky Road) I'm running out of ideas for crafts.<br />
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Cue <a href="https://www.weekendboxclub.com/">The Weekend Box</a>, and the <a href="http://www.toucanbox.com/">Toucan Box</a>.<br />
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These two little packages basically do the same thing. The postman brings them to your house, you do the crafts contained within, wonder when your toddler got to be smarter than you and leave them to it... returning in time to watch them paint your dining table sludge brown with the leftover acrylics from their project. No? Just me?<br />
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In any case, having tried both boxes, I thought I'd take you through each one,. I have to say, each company has its merits and it's down to the sort of thing you like doing as to whether or not the Weekend or Toucan Box will appeal most.<br />
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Up first - as modelled above - is the <b>Weekend Box</b>.<br />
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Featuring the woodland characters Wooster, Sammy, Hattie and Oswald, each critter corresponds with a different type of craft. There's cookery, recycling, generic craft and discovery so you get four activities in a box.<br />
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The crafts themselves are well thought out, and the various elements included in the packs are of reasonable quality (though the glue absolutely doesn't stick).<br />
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After completing each activity there's a sticker to put on the instruction sheet, and when all four are finished, the child can stick a fifth, larger sticker to a chart. When they have enough stickers, they're invited to send a photo of their achievements to the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/weekendboxclub?fref=ts">Weekend Box facebook page</a> in exchange for a prize (in our case, a personalised apron).<br />
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Overall, I was very impressed, but there were a few things which just didn't work for us as a family. As a keen cook who already includes Daughter in every-day meal preparation, the recipes felt slightly patronising and seemed to try a little too hard to be 'healthy'. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for good, home-cooked foods that small people will actually eat, but these seemed to prioritise a desire to be health-promoting over the taste. As I say though, I'm a cook and I reckon a fussy eater as a result. If you're looking for a way to get your little one into the kitchen, it might be exactly what you need.<br />
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Also, there was no overriding theme to the box, and I find that Daughter enjoys things far more if she can see some kind of connection there (hence my trying to theme activities). We're also not really a sticker family - I don't do reward charts or that sort of thing, so the concept of stickers as a prize was very alien to my little girl. Again, if sticker-rewards are something which works with your routine then this would definitely be the box to consider.<br />
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Cue <b>The Toucan Box</b>.<br />
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We ordered one trial of the Toucan Box and I was instantly impressed. Though there was only one craft in the box, there was a card with suggestions of tie-in activities. These weren't complicated - just a tick sheet of things to look for on woodland walks, or things to talk about while looking at leaves etc. but it was all very well considered and had the continuity I'd felt was lacking in the Weekend Box.<br />
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When we upgraded our subscription to the middle-sized package (containing two crafts) I was glad to see that the idea of a theme continued. The customisation options even go so far as to let you select which of the prepared topics you think your child would find most interesting. There is a book included in each of the larger packs, and the box itself has all kinds of fun activities printed on it - a map to draw on, for example, and funny little Toucans to decorate, as well as spaces to 'draw your bright ideas'.<br />
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The thing which finally made me chose the Toucan Box over the weekend box was the lack of junk-modelling. Despite being a total slob, I am paradoxically house-proud and hate clutter. And though Daughter is very proud of her junk models, I can't help but feel that they are... well... junk. Goodness, I sound cruel, don't I? In any case, the items included in the Toucan boxes have been useful things - stuff that she can play with or actually use (a tote bag which she painted herself, is the one which springs to mind first). All in all, the re-usability of the makes, the book and the packaging make this feel that it's much better value for money, despite costing more and containing fewer crafts than it's smaller and more compact counterpart... I told you, I'm paradoxical.<br /><br />In any case, each box has its merits and it's worth checking out the free trials offered by both to see which you might prefer. In the interests of total disclosure, neither Weekend Box nor Toucan Box have asked me to review their products, but if you sign up to the <a href="https://mention-me.com/me/referee/registerko/233185/1030930/c/b45925deb9619aeb96f9da0417076e3d99ae86f5">Toucan Box using this link</a>, I do get a reward for referral.<br />
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Cry Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10591072797771796717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013542512307517321.post-58186286652689721912014-10-21T07:28:00.002-07:002014-10-21T07:28:36.248-07:00Teach Your Monster to Read<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJC6Sj50C_ANz-ooAqNVQ4plrSCGiRFIsByylSMKG7XP1vie0wGQYaGAj1wYxdRhAlJql6zQlmNBcs2snq5CNHoyAdGpmGsGjTLggIsJt1fxykigLn5OCJN2wk7hXdg-Lxx8RRC50Zm_k/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJC6Sj50C_ANz-ooAqNVQ4plrSCGiRFIsByylSMKG7XP1vie0wGQYaGAj1wYxdRhAlJql6zQlmNBcs2snq5CNHoyAdGpmGsGjTLggIsJt1fxykigLn5OCJN2wk7hXdg-Lxx8RRC50Zm_k/s1600/1.jpg" height="229" width="320" /></a>Oh my goodness, I think I love this game! <a href="http://www.teachyourmonstertoread.com/">Teach Your Monster to Read</a> is free for PCs and has been made to encourage early literacy. Perfect for our household then! I couldn't have had it recommended at a better time, either - today Daughter sat with a book open, told me what each of the letters on the page said and then fell into total meltdown because she couldn't get them to 'make words'. She's not generally a mardy sort of child, so it was heartbreaking seeing her so cut up about something - especially since I don't have the first clue about where to begin teaching her to read.<br /><br />I'm not usually an advocate of computers for kids, or screen time in general really, but Daughter is three now and I think I have to let go of my preconceptions regarding what childhood should be - day after day she astonishes me with her thirst for learning and I'm left lagging, trying to find activities which nurture that lust for knowledge. I was rather under the impression that the early years of childhood should be spent sat in the garden, eating bugs and mud pies, sticking leaves up one's nostrils. Apparently, things have changed since my day... Daughter's peers not only have access to tablets and iPads, but in many cases, have them sat ready and waiting in their own toy-box. I don't think we'll be going quite that far, but a half-hour per day, supervised on my laptop isn't going to be the childhood-eroding horror that I had - in my pre-children days - envisioned.<br /><br />
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In any case, <i>Teach Your Monster to Read</i> does exactly that. It uses phonetics and simple, flash games to help children learn the various sounds they need to read. It's colourful, customisable and I love the fact that they need to use a mouse, rather than just poke things with their fingers (thus paving the way for the hand-eye coordination that the girl will need when she gets old enough to play console games with me).<br /><br />The sounds are split amongst different 'islands' and children need to complete all the games before moving onto the next one. Each island takes about half an hour to play through (so far) so taking breaks is natural and easily possible. I've dug out various letter toys (wooden letter blocks, a Melissa and Doug letter puzzle, a Hello Kitty wipe clean writing book etc.) so that we can continue practising the sounds after we've finished playing. And I think I read somewhere - in our <a href="http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/bookbug">Bookbug</a> pack, perhaps (the equivalent of <a href="http://www.bookstart.org.uk/">Bookstart</a> for north of the Border) - that children learn to read better when they're able to practise making letters as they learn to recognise them.<br /><br />I'm not expecting this game to single-handedly teach my child to read and write, but it's a wonderful starting point for someone like me who has absolutely zero teaching experience. I can use each island section as a jumping-off point for the day and use those letters for as long or as short a time as Daughter wants to. Then my regularly scheduled programme of, "Stick your rain suit on and go outside," can be resumed...<br /><br />Do you have any ideas for teaching reading? Are there any great online games you would recommend for pre-schoolers?</div>
Cry Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10591072797771796717noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013542512307517321.post-14346552795015181222014-08-03T15:31:00.000-07:002014-08-03T15:31:40.085-07:00Preparing for baby, as cheaply as possible!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As I'm in the process of kitting out Child-The-Second at present, I thought now might be a good time to share some ideas I've come across about doing so on the cheap. It's a text heavy post so I hope you stick with me. I'll try to put in as many pictures and links as I can to brighten things up, though!<br />
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The following list is just my own opinion on what's necessary, and other places will tell you different things so pick and choose according to your own lifestyle. Remember - the shops will still be open after baby is born, so if you find that you're really lacking in something, you can grab it at a later date!<br />
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<li><b>Sling </b>- Daughter wouldn't be put down at any point (seriously - I slept sitting up with her over my shoulder for at least six months) and I couldn't have kept my life running if I hadn't been able to get on with things hands-free. <a href="http://www.papoozle.com/">My Papoozle</a> was a godsend, but there are hundreds of different types of slings out there and the best way of finding one to suit you is to look up <a href="http://ukslinglibraries.wordpress.com/find-a-sling-library-near-you/">sling libraries</a> in your area. The list I've just linked to is not comprehensive, so if there are none posted within easy distance, it's still worth a search on facebook for separately run groups, or private meetings. The operators can advise you on the different kinds of slings available. From stretchy wraps to woven wraps, mei-tais to Tulas, the main thing to be aware of is that <a href="http://www.schoolofbabywearing.com/Images/TICKS.pdf">baby should be close enough to kiss, facing Mum</a> (whether worn on the front or back) <a href="http://hipdysplasia.org/developmental-dysplasia-of-the-hip/prevention/baby-carriers-seats-and-other-equipment/">and the legs and bum should form an 'M' positio</a>n.<br /></li>
<li><b>Car seat</b> - This one really is non-negotiable if you drive (and some hospitals won't let you leave until they've seen the baby in a car seat, whether you're driving home or not!) but see below for ways to make the most of this investment.<br /></li>
<li><b>Pram</b> - Possibly the most cost-effective way to get a pram is to buy a car seat which clips into a pram base. Obviously, it's <a href="http://www.childcarseats.org.uk/choosing-using/choosing-child-car-seats/">not advisable to buy car seats second hand</a> as you don't know if they've been involved in an accident, but if you search summer/January sales, you should be able to find one at a discount. Then it's just a case of buying used pram accessories for your chosen model - ebay or Gumtree are good places to start, and you might even get lucky at a car boot sale.<br /><br />The pram also doubles as somewhere to put the baby if you're lucky enough to have one that will be laid flat without screaming the ears off every living soul in a thousand mile radius... unlike Daughter, whose aversion to being put down led to us giving our pram away and using the sling exclusively. This is another way to cut down on costs if you think you can manage it, by the way. If you have a good sling designed for the purpose, you can continue carrying your child well into toddler-hood. We successfully lugged Daughter around until she was two-and-a-half years old, at which point she refused to be carried any more. In terms of weight and height, even now at well past three years, I could easily get her back in the sling if she was tired enough to let me.<br /><br />In any case, though we'd initially planned not to bother with a pram this time, we were able to source one for free from Gumtree and intend to use in place of a moses basket for when baby is asleep downstairs. The moses basket, by the way, is the single biggest waste of money I came across when we bought things for Daughter.<br /></li>
<li><b>Cot</b> - If you're not planning on co-sleeping (which is really useful if you're breastfeeding, but it's not for everyone) then you'll need a cot. You might have read that co-sleeping isn't safe but if you think it's something you'd like to do then <a href="http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/health-concerns/sleep-problems/sleep-safety/safe-co-sleeping-habits">look up ways of safely co-sleeping</a>. Anyways, re. the cot, you can pick the frames up for free, or very cheaply on Gumtree/freecycle and then just buy a new mattress. Again, with my velcro baby I wished I hadn't bothered for the first six months, but now I'm glad I spent the money. I bought a second hand <a href="http://drprem.drpremandassocia.netdna-cdn.com/parenting/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2013/10/stokke-4_191.jpg">Stokke Sleepi </a>which grew from a crib to a cot, to a toddler bed to a children's bed. Were we not putting baby 2 into it, Daughter could have been in there until she was 10 and following that, it can be turned into<a href="http://mummysmiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/stokke-chairs.jpg"> two chairs</a> so we really will be getting our money's worth.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<li><b>Bedding</b> - I found baby sleeping bags a godsend when Daughter finally went into a cot as she's such a wriggler, but if you're not keen on those then in addition to the sheets you'd need anyway, a couple of cellular/crocheted blankets are great. I liked to have two of each (one on, one in the wash).<br /></li>
<li><b>Muslin cloths</b> - These save a fortune in baby wipes and kitchen roll! If you're using washable nappies, you can even use them as extra padding for night time use. Before you buy any, it's a great idea to ask on freecycle/Gumtree/facebook selling pages for used ones. Chances are that they'll be grotty, but often people are willing to give them away for the postage and they can always be thrown in the washing machine with a box of dye to brighten them up again.<br /></li>
<li><b>Nappies/wipes/bum cream</b> - Reusables aren't for everyone, but you can save a small fortune by using them and <a href="http://www.fill-your-pants.com/councilnappyincentives.html">many councils offer a lump sum towards the purchase price</a> as it saves them money on landfill. I picked some up second hand for £60. When I thought I wasn't having any more babies I sold them on for £50 so £10 for almost three years of nappies was awesome. There are used cloth nappy boards on facebook, but I find they're priced for fluffy bum addicts. Gumtree seems to be the cheapest place to go. If you're still not convinced, check out <a href="http://grassbysgreener.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/it-is-easy-being-green.html">Phoebe's post </a>about how easy it is to use cloth.<br /><br />Otherwise, Aldi nappies are cheap and very good. If you can stock up during their baby events then they're even better value for money. Reusable wipes are something I didn't know about last time round but I'm giving them a try now - a friend with an overlocker has run some old towels through it to make them for me and I plan to use them in cool camamile tea with a drop of tea-tree oil in. For nappy rash cream, I can't recommend Vaseline highly enough, or if you're breastfeeding, <a href="http://www.lansinoh.co.uk/products/breast-care/lansinoh-hpa-lanolin">Lansinoh lanolin cream</a> does an awesome job too (see below) and you're likely to have it in.<br /></li>
<li><b>Nappy bag</b> - If you're using reusables, then you need a few 'wet bags' to carry soiled nappies home in. Other than that, any bag big enough to stash nappies, wipes, a change of clothes for baby, a change of top for you if you're breastfeeding and space for a bottle if you're not, will do. Don't be suckered into expensive ones with compartments etc. - there's really no need. If you're brave, you could have a go at making one too - I did <a href="http://www.burdastyle.com/projects/fold-out-nappy-diaper-bag">one which unzipped along the corners</a> to become a changing mat and we really loved it.<br /></li>
<li><b>Clothes</b> - these are a 'blink and you'll miss them' sort of thing as they're grown out of so quickly. Check out charity shops and ask on freecycle/gumtree in case anyone is giving some away. If the ones you're offered are the 'wrong' colour then you can just dye them. For us, there was no point in spending a fortune on cute little jeans and things as they're such a pain to get on and off that they never got worn in the early months. We just had all in one suits until about six months old when things started to calm down a little and Daughter stopped screaming when she was laid flat.<br /></li>
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<li><b>Feeding</b> - If you're planning on breastfeeding then <a href="http://www.lansinoh.co.uk/products/breast-care/lansinoh-hpa-lanolin">Lansinoh cream</a> is amazing for chapped nipples and I always got on better with reusable breast pads to stop leakage onto clothes, but the disposable ones from Lansinoh are great too, if a little pricey. Treat yourself to some lovely nursing tops and bras and don't beat yourself up if it doesn't work out. Breastfeeding is a skill, and again, it's not for everyone. If you decide to go down the bottle route, see if you can borrow a few different types of bottles from friends and when choosing a formula, buy a few pre-made cartons from different brands to see which baby takes to best. I made the mistake of buying a massive tub of one when I made the switch and Daughter wouldn't take it. I ended up using it in the bread machine for about a year later :P Once you know which make of bottles/formula you're likely to use, invest in around 6 bottles and teats, as well as a steam steriliser - I used a microwave one for speed and because I could keep it in the microwave when I wasn't using it. It was cheaper than a counter-top one and took up less space. Aldi/Lidl often have bottles in their baby events, or you could look for second hand, sterilise and then just buy new teats, but it depends on what you're comfortable with. </li>
</ul>
And that's all I can think of for the baby stage.<br /><br />What were your essential buys? </div>
Cry Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10591072797771796717noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013542512307517321.post-2666582820519472862014-07-14T13:17:00.000-07:002014-07-14T13:17:14.662-07:00Gardening with preschoolers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyEqVa0siA3Esrg0muILbJw1o7428PQHdYs5OJX_8fJub_8ewu4S5kLUdXI5OsWFHnn2V6FR3AcdRUwHjzLYRPqfr3S92UeECpMaALC2wQzzPUj9qZk6NV-JOtQ522bQz7W19zequgfXk/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyEqVa0siA3Esrg0muILbJw1o7428PQHdYs5OJX_8fJub_8ewu4S5kLUdXI5OsWFHnn2V6FR3AcdRUwHjzLYRPqfr3S92UeECpMaALC2wQzzPUj9qZk6NV-JOtQ522bQz7W19zequgfXk/s1600/1.jpg" height="221" width="320" /></a>I love growing vegetables. I think it's the part of me that grew up reading the likes of <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1750844.Ivy_Cottage">E J Taylor's <i>Ivy Cottage</i></a> and <a href="http://georgeandmatildamouse.co.uk/home.html">George and Matilda Mouse</a> by Heather Buchanan ... In any case, gardening is something that I was always keen to get Daughter involved with. Aside from the obvious benefits of learning where their food comes from, I think that waiting for plants to grow can help to teach patience. A little watering can is also a very handy distraction for when you need five minutes of alone-time in the garden. Oh yes, that little metal container has let me finish many a cuppa. Fill it up, hand it over and ask them to go and water the plant furthest from where you are.<br />
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Happy days.<br />
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In any case, when choosing the plants to grow this year, I tried to learn from the errors of last season. I went really over the top, trying to have as many home-grown items as possible. Daughter didn't really notice - there was too much going on that she couldn't really take pride in any of the produce. This year we planted the somewhat reduced crop of radishes and peas - partially due to moving into the new house late in the growing season and partially because those were the first things which sprung to mind.<br />
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We bought a pack of multi-coloured radish seeds (for a bit of variety), and just used a pack of dried peas that I had in the store cupboard. I think they were from the Co-op in Norway, but any dried peas should work - Norwegian or not.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAMBQw_uSFaNB07AewIkKqjP-LAQqYF-9N1Xc6QDGCFa3JTSnH4FP5sAUu9SQ_JmRe_sFW9tPjitiO77AkhMumjxkWpA7wfokgWKNZCN272l8FV8R4FA_4Jh_dfvEuiF1c7wTolPMgAq4/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAMBQw_uSFaNB07AewIkKqjP-LAQqYF-9N1Xc6QDGCFa3JTSnH4FP5sAUu9SQ_JmRe_sFW9tPjitiO77AkhMumjxkWpA7wfokgWKNZCN272l8FV8R4FA_4Jh_dfvEuiF1c7wTolPMgAq4/s1600/4.jpg" height="320" width="301" /></a></div>
The peas, admittedly, are very slow growing once they're in the ground, but by soaking them in water before planting them, you can see them start to germinate. They're great for explaining the process of seed to plant.<br />
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The radishes have been the real stars this year though - quick growing and tolerant to my child's enthusiastic watering, they've survived the Scottish climate well and provided a great crop. My only issue with them is... well, other than sliced in a salad, they have limited usage. Whilst hours of trawling various cookery sites produced limited success in terms of recipes I could actually use, I did manage to stumble across the Japanese-style pickled radish - a quick and easy preserve with a fridge life of three to four weeks. <br />
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This is especially good for making with smalls as the liquid turns from clear to pink when it hits the radishes, giving the jar a lovely rose colour. To make these, you need:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjphB16OFv3xwNqUpaNIKeVYkQeDEPDnkvHvI8TGyonCQXU2Pb5ZHTUmURTQ82Wf5NEOxNUEV52NyZo3rFs2VS0gLfzxn2IuBLcFfXWnNseML9rKA9tIqKeSIsrMKIGjupPsCHhHLo0Wu8/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjphB16OFv3xwNqUpaNIKeVYkQeDEPDnkvHvI8TGyonCQXU2Pb5ZHTUmURTQ82Wf5NEOxNUEV52NyZo3rFs2VS0gLfzxn2IuBLcFfXWnNseML9rKA9tIqKeSIsrMKIGjupPsCHhHLo0Wu8/s1600/3.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
<i>Radishes<br />100mls clear vinegar (cider, rice wine, white wine, distilled white... whatever really)<br />100mls water<br />10 pepper corns<br />1 tsp salt<br />1 tbsp honey.</i><br />
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<i>Slice your radishes thinly and pop them in a jar. Add the pepper corns (and if you fancy something a bit different you could add some slices of garlic and/or a few chilli seeds) and set to one side. In a pan, heat the remaining ingredients until they've got a gentle boil going and then pour over your radishes in their jar. Pop a lid on, wait for it to cool and then stick it in the fridge overnight. They're ready to eat the next day and go very well with Asian food. </i><br />
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Any ideas what I can do with the rest of our bumper crop?<br />
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Cry Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10591072797771796717noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013542512307517321.post-9730271253892210852014-07-09T02:34:00.002-07:002014-07-09T07:54:09.998-07:00Healthy Summer Snacks For Kids<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQaXAuIpNbOYk37ZuawVFr8xRft6FjNZONI-T6H2HB2rsMB7AuBakAR3LpDrVHZUJTazz5ewH4LcYuRMJo0-zUbh46QC1nl3ZDdechj8j8RvKWhfekMkDnX8-_IWzPWOGbHtsm66uFZYU/s1600/15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQaXAuIpNbOYk37ZuawVFr8xRft6FjNZONI-T6H2HB2rsMB7AuBakAR3LpDrVHZUJTazz5ewH4LcYuRMJo0-zUbh46QC1nl3ZDdechj8j8RvKWhfekMkDnX8-_IWzPWOGbHtsm66uFZYU/s1600/15.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a><i>Some of you might remember a post from Lily Helitzer about <a href="http://crymamma.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/guest-post-making-food-fun-healthy.html">Making Food Fun</a>. Well, Lily's back with some words of wisdom regarding healthy summer snacks.</i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Summer is a fruitful time of year. There are masses of fresh, healthy produce on the market and there really is no better time to encourage your kids not only to eat well, but learn about their food too. Not only will this keep them occupied while school is out but it will give them a good understanding of the foods they are eating and their respective health benefits which will stand them in good stead for a well balanced diet in later life. In the here and now they will need lots of energy to fuel their long, hot, hectic summer days so here are some sin free summer snacks that your kids should be enjoying this years and the ways that you can make them fun to learn about, as well as fun to eat.</span><br />
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<strong>Berry picking</strong></div>
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Summer is prime time for berry picking – strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and cranberries all come into season during the hotter months and whilst you can buy at most local farmers markets, there is something special about harvesting your own food. An afternoon spent in a strawberry field won't just leave you with lots of a delicious berries to take home but it will inspire your kids to learn about where their food comes from. Being outdoors and getting some gentle exercise is also great for their general health and will boost their vitamin D intake as they soak up the sunshine. From a dietary perspective there are a wealth of health benefits to be found in berries. Not only are they packed with antioxidants but they are thought to fight off free radical cells responsible for causing diseases as well as improving cognitive function and maintaining joint and muscle health. Berries (particularly blueberries) are so rich in nutrients that they are being hailed as the next 'superfood' and are being recommended to people with immune deficiency problems that may be caused by health issues or lifestyle problems (such as overcoming addiction). There are so many things you can do with them - pies, jams, smoothies and toppings for cereals and yogurts are just a few ways of incorporating berries into your kids' diet.</div>
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<strong>Grow salad</strong></div>
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Studies show that kids who take an active role in growing their own food have healthier diets in later life and summer time is the perfect time to get them involved with growing their own produce. Planning, planting, maintaining and harvesting their own vegetable patch could be the perfect way to keep them occupied during the summer vacation and luckily many salad plants such as tomatoes and cucumbers tend to grow quite quickly so your greenfingered little ones won't have to wait long for their produce to arrive. Not only are salad plants generally low fat and high in water content (great for keeping them hydrated in the hot weather) but green leafy salad such as lettuce and spinach are packed full of fiber and iron whilst tomatoes are thought to contain powerful antioxidants and even components that can help protect their skin against the sun.</div>
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<strong>Make burgers</strong></div>
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Nothing tastes better than a juicy burger cooked al fresco on a warm summer evening. Although we hear a lot of bad press about the high saturated fat content of burgers, they do have health benefits and can be adapted to be lower in fat. Lean meats such as turkey mince automatically reduce fat content whilst more traditional hamburgers do contain iron and protein (essential for boosting energy levels and red blood cell production) so aren't all bad. Enlist your little ones in the mixing, molding and shaping of the burgers – they will love getting their hands messy. Substituting binding agents such as egg and breadcrumbs for apple sauce and other healthy alternatives can be another way to increase the goodness within them.</div>
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<strong>Create colorful popsicles</strong></div>
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Keeping cool and hydrated in the summer is important and sometimes your kids can be so busy playing that they forget to come indoors for a drink. Becoming dehydrated won't just make them grouchy and tired, but it can be dangerous too so it is important to get fluids into them even if you have to be sneaky about it. Making popsicles is fun and there are literally hundreds of simple recipes and flavors that you can make with just about anything in your cupboards. Some summer staples for your freezer may include watermelon popsicles, frozen lemonade popsicles and even frozen yogurts for a refreshing calcium hit. These are all great ways of keeping your kids cool and hydrated that may seem a lot more appealing than a glass of tap water. </div>
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<strong>References</strong></div>
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'Superfoods Everyone Needs' - <a href="http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/superfoods-everyone-needs" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">WebMD</a> - Accessed 17 June 2014.<br />
'Medical Detox Centres' - <a href="http://www.detox.net/articles/medical-detox/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">detox.net</a> - Accessed 17 June 2014.<br />
'Health Benefits of Wild Blueberries - Study' - <a href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-11/csp-hbo110313.php" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Eurekalert</a> - Accessed 17 June 2014.<br />
'A Kids' Garden Grows Healthier Eating Habits' - <a href="http://www.rodalenews.com/start-kids-garden" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Rodale News</a> - Accessed 17 June 2014.<br />
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'How my diet can protect me from sunburn' - <a href="http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=dailytip&dbid=344" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Worlds Healthiest Foods</a> - Accessed 17 June 2014.</div>
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'Any Benefits in Eating Hamburger?' - <a href="http://www.livestrong.com/article/512395-any-benefits-in-eating-hamburger/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">LiveStrong</a> - Accessed 17 June 2014.</div>
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'Dehyrdration Symptoms' - <a href="http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dehydration/basics/symptoms/con-20030056" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">MayoClinic</a> - Accessed 17 June 2014.</div>
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<a href="http://www.strawberryhillusa.com/strawberries" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">'Strawberry Hills USA'</a> - Accessed 17 June 2014.</div>
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'The American Heart Association Teaching Starter Garden Kit' - <a href="http://www.burpee.com/vegetables/the-american-heart-association-s-teaching-gardens-starter-kit-by-burpee-prod003388.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Burpee</a> - Accessed 17 June 2014.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">Lily Helitzer is a health and nutrition writer who works on behalf of </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">Kwikmed, an FDA-approved pharmacy which offers an accessible and safe outlet</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;"> to buy Cialis and other prescription medication.</span></div>
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Cry Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10591072797771796717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013542512307517321.post-15892838185148982172014-07-02T02:24:00.000-07:002014-07-02T02:24:00.105-07:00Beach Combing Collage <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJepfBjlIBalsHeDZ5sVxLRVxO8YK9vH5vmmxZBtQAwUFSL3w_OBiISFrVVWWkZv7BQR_v-kGIw-tFk75NFMRrvS_3UgVOVrTwPxM9KfXIvPXcRWL571J25InkzBVLJeUqMOIgciFhliA/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJepfBjlIBalsHeDZ5sVxLRVxO8YK9vH5vmmxZBtQAwUFSL3w_OBiISFrVVWWkZv7BQR_v-kGIw-tFk75NFMRrvS_3UgVOVrTwPxM9KfXIvPXcRWL571J25InkzBVLJeUqMOIgciFhliA/s1600/4.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a>Children – in my albeit limited – experience, like to come
home from walks with pockets full of treasure. I’ve covered things to do with<a href="http://crymamma.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/autumn-craft-2-bling-cones.html">pine-cones </a>in the past, and <a href="http://crymamma.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/fun-with-shells.html">how great shells can be for water play</a>, but there’s
always more than that… driftwood, heather roots, sea glass, leaves and flowers.
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And rocks. Oh heavens, the rocks. I mean, I’ve got boxes
full of the things – seriously. I reckon 90% of what we took with us when we
moved house was boxes of rocks. To make matters worse Daughter remembers them
all, so you can’t just subtly drop them into the drive way or rockery as you go
– hole-in-the-pocket-Shawshank-style. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS_npwMaB6knak00dBzeYQpF16D6tJOTD3lgrUb8xLpeFBsTIlXoRBbrdNxUAKKhF1dzMlU3-YzHkl1PB__5N_3sXjYnUWkCMjSmea_9qKfnwZAi_S7AoT3QZaytp5NLflVGR9ro81G_g/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS_npwMaB6knak00dBzeYQpF16D6tJOTD3lgrUb8xLpeFBsTIlXoRBbrdNxUAKKhF1dzMlU3-YzHkl1PB__5N_3sXjYnUWkCMjSmea_9qKfnwZAi_S7AoT3QZaytp5NLflVGR9ro81G_g/s1600/2.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a><o:p> </o:p></div>
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<br />
Anyway, I’m still working on a solution for the whole rock dilemma,
but I thought I’d share one of the collages we made when we were staying in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Denmark</st1:country-region>. This
one is possibly my favourite because honestly? It’s pretty and frame-able and
done entirely by Daughter – it’s something truly special and unique from our
time on Fanoe, rather than one of a gabillion crayon squiggles on printer paper
that I’m frequently gifted at home. My only regret is that I didn’t have some
nice backing card with me, but then, the whole thing rather took me by
surprise. I didn’t know that the girl was going to come up with something so
nice.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0QIBHPpmoQDchA3DjQO3MyB_wFyLN3ntS3PpqAznAJqqd1x4UJkr2WdIoZQ6KLsDCJDEwmqlomTN3YRwgFrM7bFVSKv5YKtVjvK-oA_Mc38jbnM49tVwZR0Jv4NDodc52EAg5oxofjNU/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0QIBHPpmoQDchA3DjQO3MyB_wFyLN3ntS3PpqAznAJqqd1x4UJkr2WdIoZQ6KLsDCJDEwmqlomTN3YRwgFrM7bFVSKv5YKtVjvK-oA_Mc38jbnM49tVwZR0Jv4NDodc52EAg5oxofjNU/s1600/3.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I literally just sat her at the table with a box full
of items, some PVA and a sheet of paper. I guess she remembered the<a href="http://crymamma.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/autumn-craft-1-making-trees.html"> button tree</a>that we made a while back and drew her inspiration from there… though I like to
think she was prompted by the landscape. In any case, I suppose my point here
is that sometimes it’s nice just to let children create, because when they’re given
free-reign, they rarely fail to amaze. <br />
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Cry Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10591072797771796717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013542512307517321.post-19729258894785719142014-06-30T02:13:00.000-07:002014-06-30T02:13:00.026-07:00Chocolate box shape matching<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxUpgNln6nRxNPTdsUAsUvkqbrhG2rF0jPWm6oUqvoBHRL-xmyJUQrKT6XedBcaHMCs12qqB7CSoQhoi10YAGVDS7Q0IpCNsSl6jHkujsZXaUVVd6uEfqlZA3YDqvxgBYCqs0pZThE9Sw/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxUpgNln6nRxNPTdsUAsUvkqbrhG2rF0jPWm6oUqvoBHRL-xmyJUQrKT6XedBcaHMCs12qqB7CSoQhoi10YAGVDS7Q0IpCNsSl6jHkujsZXaUVVd6uEfqlZA3YDqvxgBYCqs0pZThE9Sw/s1600/1.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is a cheap, easy activity – presuming you’ve got the
tray from a box of chocolates lying around. If you’ve not been as big of a
piggie as me – stuffing a whole box in one sitting - a sheet of paper with a
variety of shapes drawn on would work just as well. If you’re drawing a tray,
it might be nice to do different sizes of the same shape – this could add an
element of big vs. small to the game.</div>
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Essentially, you just need to give the tray to the child and
point to the various shapes.</div>
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“What is this shape called?”</div>
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“A circle.”</div>
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“Can you find any circles in this room/the garden/the
car/the magazine that we can put here?”</div>
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When they’ve found something, put it in the relevant shaped
hole and ask about the next one. </div>
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Rinse. Repeat.</div>
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N.B. You will note that the tray in our picture contains Silica
gel. I would not advise using this in a game with children, obviously. Apparently
though, I am not as good at this as Daughter is so…yeah… my shapes included
toxic substances. </div>
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Cry Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10591072797771796717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013542512307517321.post-2547562214289492462014-06-27T02:04:00.000-07:002014-06-27T02:04:01.816-07:00Salt Dough<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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As one of the oldest, best-tested methods of occupying a
toddler, salt dough remains one of those things which I bring out in times of
desperation. You know… those times like today when you’re stuck in waiting for
an engineer to bring dial-up speed internet to your hut in the Scottish
wilderness. </div>
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The recipe is fairly simple, and at a push can be made without salt (because
let’s be honest – how many people keep kilos of salt beneath the kitchen sink?)
if you hold back on the water and accept that you’re going to have to chuck the
lot out at the end of the play session. The recipe I find works best is as
follows, but there are hundreds out there and a quick search should reveal one
which suits your store cupboard/any gluten-free requirements. <br />
<br />
<i>2 cups plain white flour<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>1 cup salt<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>1 cup (ish) of water<br />
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Mix the dry ingredients together and add the water a little at a time. It’ll
start to clump and look as if it needs more water, but that’s the time to get
your hands in and knead it all up. It’ll need about ten minutes of working
before it’s ready to use, but it’s not the end of the world if you can’t manage
this – little hands playing will do the job of the kneading.</i><br />
<br />
Some ideas on what to do with it:<br />
<br /><b>
Use kitchen equipment</b> – rolling pins, cookie cutters, a garlic press or fork…
anything that can be used to manipulate the dough. A set of cutlery might help
to make the dough accessible for children who don’t like the feel (like me! – I
really can’t stand it under my nails!).</div>
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<br /><b>
Use props from outside</b> – we had great success when we added shells from our
beach combing trips. The best result was when we make snails by rolling out a
sausage and sticking a conch on top. You could also just mash the dough onto
the tray/table and use it to stand dry twigs up in, making a forest for any toy
dinosaurs/animals.</div>
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<b>Make keepsakes</b> – how about printing hands and feet on the
dough and then leaving it to dry/baking it. There’s a wonderful example of this
on <a href="http://grassbysgreener.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/salt-dough.html">Phoebe’s blog</a> which is well worth a look.</div>
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<b>Use toy cars</b> – roll the dough out as flat as possible and
make tyre tracks in it. If you’ve got a particularly obliging hamster/guinea
pig, you could see if they’re willing to stroll across to add their footprints
to the mix. <br />
<br />
If that’s not a compelling enough reason to give salt dough a go, how about the
fact that I’ve been able to organise all my photographs from the last year and
write this post in the time Daughter has been occupied. And she’s still going. </div>
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Cry Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10591072797771796717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013542512307517321.post-20258736736933630032014-06-14T02:27:00.000-07:002014-06-14T02:27:25.132-07:00Hiatus. Again.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Another break in proceedings, though this one will likely yield more posts rather than fewer now that I can make the announcement.<br /><br />Daughter will have a sibling as of early December.<br /><br />After swearing 'never again' ... I guess, here we are again.<br /><br />Wish me luck, dear interwebs... wish me luck. </div>
Cry Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10591072797771796717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013542512307517321.post-75212135891890970722014-04-16T10:13:00.002-07:002014-04-16T10:13:38.537-07:00An update<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Apologies for the recent lack of content. Between dropped nap-times, a house move and many other things in the pipeline, this blog has been dreadfully neglected.<br />
<br />
As of March, we are no longer residents of Suffolk. In fact, we're no longer residents of England entirely. I finally made good on my promise to 'go home' and as a result, we're currently living in the north-east of Scotland.<br />
<br />
This is where I grew up. The hills, the forests and the standing stones are all the same, but so much else has changed. In the ten years since I last stepped foot in Aberdeen city centre, the town has grown to something unrecognisable - something cosmopolitan, new and... dare I say it? Cool?<br />
<br />
But what does all of this mean in real terms? Well... it means that until the purchase of our new house goes through, we are living with my parents. I'm hoping that this means more chances to post as my Mum can watch Daughter while I do so (Hi, Mum, if you're reading). The move also means that there is a whole new library district at our fingertips. And though I can't shower anything but praise upon the Bury St Edmunds children's library, new is always fun... if only for a little while.<br />
<br />
And speaking of fun, and books, we've found a brilliant one to share.<br />
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<a href="http://www1.alibris-static.com/isbn/9781406324990.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www1.alibris-static.com/isbn/9781406324990.gif" /></a><a href="http://www4.alibris-static.com/isbn/9780811879545.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www4.alibris-static.com/isbn/9780811879545.gif" /></a></div>
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<br />
<a href="http://www.alibris.co.uk/There-Are-Cats-in-This-Book-Viviane-Schwarz/book/10781862?matches=38"><b>There are Cats in this Book </b>by Viviane Schwarz</a> is absolutely fantastic. The narration of the book is essentially three cats, talking to the child. Daughter turned the pages according to the cats' instructions - forwards, back, blowing on the cats to dry them out after a swim and tucking them in with a flap disguised as a blanket. It reminded me a lot of the books by Herve Tullet - specifically <b><a href="http://www.alibris.co.uk/Press-Here-Herv-Tullet/book/24432944?matches=32">Press Here</a></b>. This is another book in which the child is asked to perform certain tasks which have an impact on the next page. I love how interactive they are without being noisy (battery powered books are a pet hate of mine - you can seldom replace the batteries and so they end up on landfill because the story rarely works without the noises).And Daughter loves them, which I suppose is the main thing. <b>There are Cats in this Book</b> is one of the few that we've borrowed in recent months which I plan on buying a copy of.<br /><br />Aaah.... it's good to be back.<br />
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Cry Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10591072797771796717noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013542512307517321.post-2866907550603796452013-12-06T01:09:00.001-08:002013-12-06T01:09:47.345-08:00Christmas Craft #1 - Felt shapes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidqEA58EwU7ukuTGfh8ujkuT_UVczQcdOK4bm2Ir_L5ZVOnKLI0jEB2GAEpmrcd7zfdjgpn3S2bHD2scnYtSnBpbQm1ZIiks8C0BdS0dX2SQwM8UyTMmgcCgFtET7Za_i1q9ah7-LuWiY/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidqEA58EwU7ukuTGfh8ujkuT_UVczQcdOK4bm2Ir_L5ZVOnKLI0jEB2GAEpmrcd7zfdjgpn3S2bHD2scnYtSnBpbQm1ZIiks8C0BdS0dX2SQwM8UyTMmgcCgFtET7Za_i1q9ah7-LuWiY/s320/2.jpg" width="229" /></a>This is possibly the easiest thing I have ever made. The idea came from a lady in one of the groups I frequent on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cry-Mamma/343222179091175">Facebook</a> - <a href="http://guiltfreemotherhoodblog.wordpress.com/">Guiltfreemum</a>, with a great blog, full of ideas - and involves nothing more than a bit of felt and some scissors. The original was a toddler-height wall hanging, but since the felt I had in my craft box was A4 size, that's the size we've made.<br />
<br />
All you need to do is cut out a Christmas tree shape in your green, add a pot shape in brown, and cut some shapes from a third colour. I did; square, triangle, circle, rectangle, (a very squiffy-looking) heart, star and flower. These can be used as the baubles. To begin with, I stacked them all up at the side and asked Daughter to pick them out one by one, but that soon dissolved into her just decorating the tree, which is much more fun :) Hopefully, this'll help distract from the real thing when it arrives, though judging from the girl's reaction to those in the Supermarkets, I sincerely doubt that!</div>
Cry Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10591072797771796717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013542512307517321.post-46934707627242363252013-12-03T12:01:00.000-08:002013-12-03T12:01:26.399-08:00Aaaaaand the winner is....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv6_5sNqqRZ4sG6C2fHRmP-7fTwyqb0EekyogfSooHW5UTijBGU_ER_k-4lxNW48h_I6wySd0nSNsIOLyBxFudGS9S97HirC_aRsVsEiGcacBLBYXQdW8BZDZ3lbOGPMCZxJPbyFy2LVY/s1600/numbers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv6_5sNqqRZ4sG6C2fHRmP-7fTwyqb0EekyogfSooHW5UTijBGU_ER_k-4lxNW48h_I6wySd0nSNsIOLyBxFudGS9S97HirC_aRsVsEiGcacBLBYXQdW8BZDZ3lbOGPMCZxJPbyFy2LVY/s1600/numbers.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUtwbkD4-DjQkEa2lPCIJkKrIFy8DaipXrYSAnwWM6MHmteIbVxh9Sim9mVTKdHK2HRub6WnNAhIevOPxUoyl7Fx5ZakUVm_UgDah_LIB9YU2xq4Of1QocNpTQouzkb-jTa2qvsooNkSo/s1600/names.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="78" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUtwbkD4-DjQkEa2lPCIJkKrIFy8DaipXrYSAnwWM6MHmteIbVxh9Sim9mVTKdHK2HRub6WnNAhIevOPxUoyl7Fx5ZakUVm_UgDah_LIB9YU2xq4Of1QocNpTQouzkb-jTa2qvsooNkSo/s320/names.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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.... number 2! Helen Souter. Well done! If you could please email me your address at frankiesoup(a)gmail.com then I can sort out your prize.<br />
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Thank you to everyone who entered. This was my first proper giveaway and I've learned a lot from the process - namely to make sure the comment settings are correct, and that sometimes, my instructions aren't as clear as I think they are!<br />
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Another massive 'thank you' to Barefoot Books for letting me organise this. It's been a real honour.<br />
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Cry Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10591072797771796717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013542512307517321.post-63942400162028792812013-11-29T11:59:00.003-08:002013-11-29T11:59:41.909-08:00Ghostly Hours by Hape Toys<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic1698573_md.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic1698573_md.png" width="309" /></a>What an amazing game. Made from bamboo - sustainable - and packaged in recycled cardboard, this game has decent eco-credentials, as well as being massively educational.<br />
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The aim of the game is to get your ghost around the board before the graveyard closes at 6am. Players throw a pictorial die to decide whether they catapult a bat, a mouse or a spider at coloured rings. The colour of ring your animal lands in determines how many spaces your ghost can move at a time.<br />
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This is brilliant for children learning colours, as well as turn taking, and you can even add in some number work as well - counting how many spaces each colour will give you and asking your child which colour they should aim for to move the furthest. It also helps hone motor skills and hand-eye coordination. What's not to love?<br />
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The build quality is excellent and though it states 3+ on the box, my little girl is two and a half and has thoroughly enjoyed playing with this. As in, that's all I've done today. I am so glad that I didn't wait until Christmas to hand this over. </div>
Cry Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10591072797771796717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3013542512307517321.post-3605795199186274572013-11-26T07:01:00.000-08:002013-11-28T01:52:38.374-08:0025% off at Barefoot Books and the chance to win a title of your choice.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://store.barefootbooks.com/media/catalog/product/cache/2/image/540x425/040ec09b1e35df139433887a97daa66f/r/e/redhen_pbcd_w_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://store.barefootbooks.com/media/catalog/product/cache/2/image/540x425/040ec09b1e35df139433887a97daa66f/r/e/redhen_pbcd_w_7.jpg" width="249" /></a>As those of you who've been with me for a while might remember, I've been more than a bit in love with Barefoot Books for some time now. Having read <a href="http://crymamma.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/my-granny-went-to-market-by-stella.html">My Granny Went to Market</a> and <a href="http://crymamma.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/star-seeker-journey-to-outer-space-by.html">Star Seeker</a>, I wrote to the company and asked if they had any other titles they might recommend. True to form, we were sent three books - all of which have become fast favourites. In fact, the only reason I have time to sit and write this is because Daughter is currently occupied by the story CD which came with <a href="http://store.barefootbooks.com/uk/the-little-red-hen-4328.html">The Little Red Hen</a>.<br />
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Out of the three, this is probably my favourite, simply because it goes beyond the story. There's a bread recipe at the back (which Daddy tried making with Daughter and which we'll be eating for lunch) and the CD means that if you're got the tech - unlike us, who are still using cassette! - then you can take the story with you on long drives.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij3OyUvjhXRRHbTz2WzXh8tx2zbnfNDIo4rjb2xzQEBsaT93WM9wwfozTswm_2Fu2IfshRAVyqJFe3ykDMYRKx7GThRSNovkzFla39dUIJBTSV8cUuSrdki1RU4AEOAyi8MpDPwsRx6hw/s1600/DSC_0046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij3OyUvjhXRRHbTz2WzXh8tx2zbnfNDIo4rjb2xzQEBsaT93WM9wwfozTswm_2Fu2IfshRAVyqJFe3ykDMYRKx7GThRSNovkzFla39dUIJBTSV8cUuSrdki1RU4AEOAyi8MpDPwsRx6hw/s320/DSC_0046.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
When we'd finished making bread (I swear, the orange tiles were here when we moved in!), we sat down and had multiple read throughs of the other two books, <a href="http://store.barefootbooks.com/uk/clare-beaton-s-bedtime-rhymes.html">Claire Beaton's Bedtime Rhymes</a> and <a href="http://store.barefootbooks.com/uk/cleo-in-the-snow-4338.html">Cleo in the Snow</a>. The first of these really appealled to me. Being a keen crafter, it was very inspiring to see what amazing pictures could be made with felt applique. It was also lovely to have a change of bedtime songs from our usual routine, as well as finally learn the words to Brahm's Lullabye (why did I never think to look that up before?)<br />
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Cleo in the Snow was definitely Daughter's favourite though - I mean, it's been a day and she can recite it by heart already... that should give you some indication as to it's appeal. I don't know whether it's the pictures, or that she thinks the child is her, or what it is, but since I never tire of seeing her enjoy a story, the fact she loves it is all that matters.<br />
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If you haven't already followed the links through to the<a href="http://www.barefootbooks.com/"> homepage</a>, have a nosey now - not only can you take advantage of the <a href="http://www.barefootbooks.com/kids/arts-and-crafts-activities/">free activities</a> and <a href="http://www.barefootbooks.com/kids/story-podcasts/">pod casts</a> which are available, but if you pick out your favourite title and return to this post to comment, you could be in with a chance of winning your book.<br />
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If you're not lucky enough to win one of the books, why not treat your family with the 25% discount code 26th Nov. 2013, valid until 2nd Dec. 2013. Enter the code CRYMAMMA to receive your discount. If you don't have an account mentioned in the drop-down menu, choose 'Name/URL' or 'Anonymous' and leave your name in the comment itself.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">*Winners will be chosen at random according to comment number and announced via the blog and the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cry-Mamma/343222179091175">Cry Mamma facebook page </a>at 8pm GMT on 3rd Dec 2013. Winners will be asked to contact me via email and will have 7 days in which to respond. If contact is not made within this time, a new winner will be chosen.</span></div>
Cry Mammahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10591072797771796717noreply@blogger.com12