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Transform playtime in the Little Play Club!

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Wanna take a peek inside some of our loose parts s

Wanna take a peek inside some of our loose parts storage? 👀

Over the years, we’ve tried lots of different storage combinations but here are some of my favourites:

👉🏻 TROFAST from @ikea_australia for some of our small world play materials

👉🏻 8 compartment organisers from @bunnings for natural loose parts

👉🏻 Food storage containers from @kmart thanks to @littlepicassosadelaide

For our small world play props especially, I look for stage that’s easily accessible for our little learners so they can be as independent as possible. THAT is what sets them up for success and loads of independent play!

How are you storing all your loose parts and little bits and pieces right now? Is it working for you? If you need some extra help in this department, just tap the link in my bio to read about my Play Space workshop ❤️

When’s the last time you got a new toy your kids

When’s the last time you got a new toy your kids loved SO much that they woke up at 3am because they were SO excited to keep playing? 🤭

For us, it was just a few weeks ago when our @cubbibuddi made its way to our lounge room. Swipe on through to the end to see Audrey’s VERY EXCITED face! 😂 You see, I’d heard a lot of talk about play couches, but I wasn’t fully convinced.

That was until the lovely Tara and Amy at @cubbibuddi reached out to me. I’d already been following Tara for many years and she KNOWS her stuff when it comes to early childhood development. These ladies are both incredible Paediatric Occupational Therapists and they’ve designed an equally amazing play lounge for kids. Like seriously. I’m almost as obsessed as our kids!

But as if their combined experience as mothers and OTs wasn’t enough, they’ve also gone ahead and sourced EVERYTHING here in Australia. Yep. They’re totally and completely designed AND made here in Australia 🇦🇺

Cubbi Buddi are restocking on the 23rd at 8pm so you’re gonna want to set your alarm. And if you’re the least bit curious, I’ve written a blog about some of our favourite Cubbi Buddi features so tap that link in my bio and go take a read!!

Road trip essentials!. I’ve been busily collecti

Road trip essentials!. I’ve been busily collecting supplies for our big road trip next month! 🚗

Take a look at some of the bits and pieces I’ve put aside for our 3, 5 and 7 year olds!

👉🏻 Doodle Mat from @littletoytribe
👉🏻 @zipboomkids I Spy Camping from @littletoytribe
👉🏻 @fabercastellaustralia colouring books and pens from @officeworks
👉🏻 Pencil cases from Amazon
👉🏻 Activity books from @bigwaustralia
👉🏻 Scratch Art and Sticker books from @officeworks
👉🏻 Magnetic pen board from @amazon
👉🏻 Go Find It and Body Awareness games from @amazon
👉🏻 Orchard Games from @modernteaching outlet
👉🏻 Dino Eggs from @kmartaus

I’ve got a bunch of other things like our @chameleon.reader from @littletoytribe and lots of little busy bag activities already packed away which I’ll also bring along. I’ll be sharing a blog once we get back with all my best tips!

Got any questions? Pop them below!

Alright. I’m just going to admit it. I’m obses

Alright. I’m just going to admit it. I’m obsessed with our train table!

Many years ago on Lilly’s first birthday, my mum @myteachingcupboard gifted Lilly her very own train table. My mum had been using train tables in her classroom for years. They were the perfect height for little ones to sit at and explore so she knew Lilly would get a lot of use out of it.

Little did we know that SIX years later, we’d still be using a train table for our play every single day. It makes a beautiful discovery table for theme-based learning. We add artificial turf on top to create small worlds. We set up investigations with light panels and numbers. We add our play silks to make magical seascapes.

This piece of furniture is easily my favourite in the entire play room (but don’t ask me to choose between the train table and the FLISAT sensory table because I CANNOT 😂). There are so many possibilities beyond a simple train area...so what do you use yours for?

Tag a friend that needs a repurposed train table in their life 👇🏻 #TrainTableHack #kmarttraintablehack

When the kids need a little somethin’ to help us

When the kids need a little somethin’ to help us get through an energetic afternoon, we love a good sensory play activity!

One of my favourites is frozen oobleck! All you do is mix 1 cup of cornflour with 1/2 cup of water and pour it into a silicone mould to pop in the freezer. It’s THAT simple to prep and play! 💁🏻‍♀️

You’ll find this recipe and a heap more of our favourites in my Sensory Play for Toddlers and Preschoolers book which is available online at places like @littletoytribe @dymocksbooks Amazon, Booktopia and Book Depository 📚

I designed the book to be incredibly visual so that you can flip through the pages with your little learner and choose something to enjoy together. No more scrolling Instagram or Pinterest needed! 🙅🏻‍♀️ Just grab the book, prep together and PLAY! 🥰

If you’re a little worried about the messiness o

If you’re a little worried about the messiness of sensory play, I’m about to share three simple tips to make sensory play a little less stressful!

1. Use an old bed sheet! We often pop an old sheet down under our play to catch any spills then once we’re done, we can pour our bases back into the tray to store for next time!

2. Under bed storage crates make the perfect container for sensory play. They’re big enough for a few little ones to sit around and they’re tall enough to keep sensory bases inside the tub while your little learners play!

3. If all else fails, head outside or pop your little ones in the bath with their extra messy sensory tubs! You can wash the mess right down the drain when you’re done 🙌🏻

If you’re a sensory play pro, share your best tip for newbies below! And if you’re a newbie, let me know what kinds of sensory play you’ve tried so far!

There’s a lot of unknown right now (especially i

There’s a lot of unknown right now (especially if you’re in lockdown) and your little learners might be finding it hard to put those big feelings into words. And when our little learners are overwhelmed, they sometimes show us they need help in ways that aren’t safe or kind.

Last year I put together a Play Pack full of printables, hands-on invitations and resources to support your little learner to explore their feelings. And it’s available in my store for everyone, not just our Little Play Club members! 🎉

This pack even includes signs and cards for setting up your own calm down space or tub with signs for naming feelings and strategies for calming our bodies when we’re having some big, tricky feelings. Little people often need space to slow down and decompress when they’re feeling sad or angry, so a space like this gives them that safe space so that once they’re calm, you can have a talk and discuss some coping strategies for next time too.

There are over 75 pages of resources inside ready to support you in helping teach your child about their feelings. You can grab a copy by following the link in my bio 🥰

To all the dads out there, thank you for positivel

To all the dads out there, thank you for positively impacting the lives of your little people day in, day out!

And to Kurtis, affectionately known as @mrlittlelifelonglearners - thank you for being the best dad our little people could ever wish for. You’re here for every moment in our children’s lives - the happy ones, the hard ones and all the ones in between.

One day they’ll look back at these incredible years at home with you and smile. They’ll remember you chasing them around the yard with the hose in summer. They’ll remember you in the garden, chasing the pesky chickens away from your lettuce. They’ll remember the hours and hours you spent on all the projects to make their house a home.

They’ll remember your proud face when they got awards on parade. Your hand holding theirs tight when they were nervous at Kindy drop off. The sauce smiley faces on their party pies and the lollipops you buy them when they help do the groceries.

They’ll remember the marble runs, the paper mache’ farm animals, your funny drawings and how you packed their school lunch boxes every single day…even though I maybe didn’t approve of what you packed 🙊

All those special little things you do are what they’ll treasure most…and we are so lucky to have you in our lives! We hope you never forget how loved and treasured you are ❤️

Wanna take a peek inside some of our loose parts s

Wanna take a peek inside some of our loose parts storage? 👀

Over the years, we’ve tried lots of different storage combinations but here are some of my favourites:

👉🏻 TROFAST from @ikea_australia for some of our small world play materials

👉🏻 8 compartment organisers from @bunnings for natural loose parts

👉🏻 Food storage containers from @kmart thanks to @littlepicassosadelaide

For our small world play props especially, I look for stage that’s easily accessible for our little learners so they can be as independent as possible. THAT is what sets them up for success and loads of independent play!

How are you storing all your loose parts and little bits and pieces right now? Is it working for you? If you need some extra help in this department, just tap the link in my bio to read about my Play Space workshop ❤️

When’s the last time you got a new toy your kids

When’s the last time you got a new toy your kids loved SO much that they woke up at 3am because they were SO excited to keep playing? 🤭

For us, it was just a few weeks ago when our @cubbibuddi made its way to our lounge room. Swipe on through to the end to see Audrey’s VERY EXCITED face! 😂 You see, I’d heard a lot of talk about play couches, but I wasn’t fully convinced.

That was until the lovely Tara and Amy at @cubbibuddi reached out to me. I’d already been following Tara for many years and she KNOWS her stuff when it comes to early childhood development. These ladies are both incredible Paediatric Occupational Therapists and they’ve designed an equally amazing play lounge for kids. Like seriously. I’m almost as obsessed as our kids!

But as if their combined experience as mothers and OTs wasn’t enough, they’ve also gone ahead and sourced EVERYTHING here in Australia. Yep. They’re totally and completely designed AND made here in Australia 🇦🇺

Cubbi Buddi are restocking on the 23rd at 8pm so you’re gonna want to set your alarm. And if you’re the least bit curious, I’ve written a blog about some of our favourite Cubbi Buddi features so tap that link in my bio and go take a read!!

Road trip essentials!. I’ve been busily collecti

Road trip essentials!. I’ve been busily collecting supplies for our big road trip next month! 🚗

Take a look at some of the bits and pieces I’ve put aside for our 3, 5 and 7 year olds!

👉🏻 Doodle Mat from @littletoytribe
👉🏻 @zipboomkids I Spy Camping from @littletoytribe
👉🏻 @fabercastellaustralia colouring books and pens from @officeworks
👉🏻 Pencil cases from Amazon
👉🏻 Activity books from @bigwaustralia
👉🏻 Scratch Art and Sticker books from @officeworks
👉🏻 Magnetic pen board from @amazon
👉🏻 Go Find It and Body Awareness games from @amazon
👉🏻 Orchard Games from @modernteaching outlet
👉🏻 Dino Eggs from @kmartaus

I’ve got a bunch of other things like our @chameleon.reader from @littletoytribe and lots of little busy bag activities already packed away which I’ll also bring along. I’ll be sharing a blog once we get back with all my best tips!

Got any questions? Pop them below!

Alright. I’m just going to admit it. I’m obses

Alright. I’m just going to admit it. I’m obsessed with our train table!

Many years ago on Lilly’s first birthday, my mum @myteachingcupboard gifted Lilly her very own train table. My mum had been using train tables in her classroom for years. They were the perfect height for little ones to sit at and explore so she knew Lilly would get a lot of use out of it.

Little did we know that SIX years later, we’d still be using a train table for our play every single day. It makes a beautiful discovery table for theme-based learning. We add artificial turf on top to create small worlds. We set up investigations with light panels and numbers. We add our play silks to make magical seascapes.

This piece of furniture is easily my favourite in the entire play room (but don’t ask me to choose between the train table and the FLISAT sensory table because I CANNOT 😂). There are so many possibilities beyond a simple train area...so what do you use yours for?

Tag a friend that needs a repurposed train table in their life 👇🏻 #TrainTableHack #kmarttraintablehack

When the kids need a little somethin’ to help us

When the kids need a little somethin’ to help us get through an energetic afternoon, we love a good sensory play activity!

One of my favourites is frozen oobleck! All you do is mix 1 cup of cornflour with 1/2 cup of water and pour it into a silicone mould to pop in the freezer. It’s THAT simple to prep and play! 💁🏻‍♀️

You’ll find this recipe and a heap more of our favourites in my Sensory Play for Toddlers and Preschoolers book which is available online at places like @littletoytribe @dymocksbooks Amazon, Booktopia and Book Depository 📚

I designed the book to be incredibly visual so that you can flip through the pages with your little learner and choose something to enjoy together. No more scrolling Instagram or Pinterest needed! 🙅🏻‍♀️ Just grab the book, prep together and PLAY! 🥰

If you’re a little worried about the messiness o

If you’re a little worried about the messiness of sensory play, I’m about to share three simple tips to make sensory play a little less stressful!

1. Use an old bed sheet! We often pop an old sheet down under our play to catch any spills then once we’re done, we can pour our bases back into the tray to store for next time!

2. Under bed storage crates make the perfect container for sensory play. They’re big enough for a few little ones to sit around and they’re tall enough to keep sensory bases inside the tub while your little learners play!

3. If all else fails, head outside or pop your little ones in the bath with their extra messy sensory tubs! You can wash the mess right down the drain when you’re done 🙌🏻

If you’re a sensory play pro, share your best tip for newbies below! And if you’re a newbie, let me know what kinds of sensory play you’ve tried so far!

There’s a lot of unknown right now (especially i

There’s a lot of unknown right now (especially if you’re in lockdown) and your little learners might be finding it hard to put those big feelings into words. And when our little learners are overwhelmed, they sometimes show us they need help in ways that aren’t safe or kind.

Last year I put together a Play Pack full of printables, hands-on invitations and resources to support your little learner to explore their feelings. And it’s available in my store for everyone, not just our Little Play Club members! 🎉

This pack even includes signs and cards for setting up your own calm down space or tub with signs for naming feelings and strategies for calming our bodies when we’re having some big, tricky feelings. Little people often need space to slow down and decompress when they’re feeling sad or angry, so a space like this gives them that safe space so that once they’re calm, you can have a talk and discuss some coping strategies for next time too.

There are over 75 pages of resources inside ready to support you in helping teach your child about their feelings. You can grab a copy by following the link in my bio 🥰

To all the dads out there, thank you for positivel

To all the dads out there, thank you for positively impacting the lives of your little people day in, day out!

And to Kurtis, affectionately known as @mrlittlelifelonglearners - thank you for being the best dad our little people could ever wish for. You’re here for every moment in our children’s lives - the happy ones, the hard ones and all the ones in between.

One day they’ll look back at these incredible years at home with you and smile. They’ll remember you chasing them around the yard with the hose in summer. They’ll remember you in the garden, chasing the pesky chickens away from your lettuce. They’ll remember the hours and hours you spent on all the projects to make their house a home.

They’ll remember your proud face when they got awards on parade. Your hand holding theirs tight when they were nervous at Kindy drop off. The sauce smiley faces on their party pies and the lollipops you buy them when they help do the groceries.

They’ll remember the marble runs, the paper mache’ farm animals, your funny drawings and how you packed their school lunch boxes every single day…even though I maybe didn’t approve of what you packed 🙊

All those special little things you do are what they’ll treasure most…and we are so lucky to have you in our lives! We hope you never forget how loved and treasured you are ❤️

Pssst….fancy a sneaky look inside the Little Pla

Pssst….fancy a sneaky look inside the Little Play Club? 👀

Today I shared our All About Shapes play with with our incredible members. This pack was 100 pages long, jam packed with quick and easy play ideas, printables and activities to make getting playful SUPER quick and easy for our members.

So many families are in lockdown right now and I am honoured to be a part of their playful
journey. Their little learners will look back on this tricky time with such fond memories among the tricky ones.

These play packs take hours upon hours upon hours for me to put together…and nothing makes me prouder than seeing how our community uses their packs to build playful connections with their little learners 😍

Which activity would your little learner love?