Fairtrade Banana Muffins & Banana Book

This recipe for Banana Muffins is so simple & quick to make, perfect for impatient toddlers, or anyone who likes a sweet treat with their morning coffee.

"Little Cloud" Storybook & Outdoor Activity

Take some cotton wool, a preschooler's imagination, & Eric Carle's beautiful book "Little Cloud", & you have an outdoor adventure which lasts an entire afternoon.

The 3 Little Pigs - Reading, Playing & Building Outdoors!

Minnie loves the classic fairy tale 'The Three Little Pigs' it's one of those books she's eager to share again & again. I thought she might like to explore the building materials the three pigs had, so I collected our bricks, some straw (kindly donated by a friend) & some sticks, & left them in the garden... here's how her adventure unfolded.

Exploring Bricks - Outdoor Play

Sometimes the most amazing play stems from the simplest of things. Today Minnie played with building bricks. Not the wooden cube variety, or even the plastic kind, but actual concrete bricks. We've had these lying around for ages, & today I thought I'd leave them in the garden just to see what Minnie did with them.

Gruffalo Cupcakes

Sharing books, & baking in the kitchen are two of Minnie's favourite activities! Inspired by our outdoor Gruffalo Trail the other day we decided to combine a little baking with one of our favourite books & came up with these 'Gruffalo Cupcakes!'

Mini Pancake Recipe & 5 Pancake Stories

Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) is nearly here! To mark the day we're making these yummy mini pancakes (drop scones) which are an ideal size for toddlers. Alongside these, we're sharing some of our favourite pancake storybooks.

The Gruffalo - Outdoor Play Trail

We are huge fans of Julia Donaldson's books in this house! Minnie's favourite character though has to be the Gruffalo! We read this nearly every night (I say we read, I used to read it to Minnie, but now she can recall most of the story & reads it to me!) She loves to act out the story at home, & has perfected a rather impressive Gruffalo roar!!

Beetroot & Blueberry Play Dough Recipes

Here's our latest play discovery from a pan of veg! I'd been making a chocolate & beetroot cake & boiled up beetroot as part of the recipe. After adding it to the cake mixture I was left with a pan of vibrant red liquid. It seemed such a waste to pour it away, so I used it as a natural dye for homemade playdough!

Super Simple Cloud Dough Recipe

If Minnie had to choose her Top Five sensory play activities I guarantee this would be there! It's one of those activities that she regularly explores, but I never get round to writing about! 

Homemade Heart Soaps

 Make your own mini soaps with this simple activity. Perfect to make as Valentine's Day gifts for friends, or just for spreading a little love throughout the year.

Glowing Hot Air Balloon - made from a paper bag

As you know we love upcycling, & when we heard of Tinkerlab's latest creative challenge we jumped at the chance to join in. Tinkerlab's previous challenges have inspired some amazing creativity across the globe, & I'm sure this paper bag challenge will too! All you need is a paper bag & a little imagination!

Constructing 2D Shapes with Sticks - Outdoor Play

Ever since Minnie designed her heart nature sculpture, she's been wanting to create more shapes with large sticks outside, & requesting that I 'build' them for her to play in!

Yesterday she requested we create a heart, square & circle!