Colourful artwork

I gave the children some coloured paper and asked them to paint their favourite things. These are the results which they proudly showed me and took home to their parents. Can you spot a train, a garden, a monster and a rocket? The important thing when children express themselves through art and colour is always to reward their efforts and wait for them to describe what they have produced, never putting my expectations onto what they have done. The children became utterly absorbed in this activity and there was also lots of lovely chatter about the colours they were choosing and what they would tell their mummies and daddies.

Chalking fun!

I always keep some giant chalks around for the children to do some mark making. They go with us to the allotment too and even the bigger children love making patterns and once they decorated the whole garden by colouring in all the edging bricks in different colours over the course of 2 days!

Colour magic!

Colours colours and more colours! I was so impressed by this child's ability at the tender age of 4 to paint such recognisable things in his pictures now. I really think they are masterpieces and worthy of framing! Can you see a garden and a train?

First Harvest

Hooray its rhubarb time!! Its always so lovely when we can pick the first few stalks of the season. The children love helping to pull them, cut or tear the leaves off and compost them, wash the rhubarb and then help carry them home to make into something yummy! Firm favourites are rhubarb fool, rhubarb crumble, rhubarb cake and of course lots of it ends up as puree in the freezer for year round delicious healthy organic puddings.

Terrific Transport Network owned by kids

One of my children (now 8) who has been with me since he was a baby has quite the train, bus and basically any transport system obsession. He does NOT like or approve of cars however! He has designed a whole transport network for the house and has even made a ticket dispenser, maps and route planners. He and the other children can be heard giving the babies lifts around the house on their ride-on-trucks, saying things like 'if you want bathroom, you're on the wrong train, please change here'. I love the thought that went into this and the confidence he has to run with his ideas and the way he got everyone else on board (sorry!). He has put so much work into it and all the other children were really engaged with this project for several months! It provided lots of opportunities for interesting conversations about the environmental impact, sustainability, building and planning. I absolutely love this and feel so proud of him!

NOTE re the plug sockets: the little babies in my care can't reach these and the older ones who can have learned not to touch them.

Messy fun

Painting is always a firm favourite activity, even if it does mean that most of the paint is on our hands rather than the paper.  Today he spent most of the time asking to do finger painting and concentrated really well on applying the paint to hands and fingers. So pleased with himself! We made some lovely finger painting pictures to take home to show mummy and daddy and learned about colours while we did it. I always keep a big plastic sheet ready to protect the table and the cookie trays at hand as they are brilliant for putting lots of colours in and super easy to wash afterwards.