Play dough fans rejoice! Kate from Picklebums is joining us today with a fantastic set of printable sea creatures that are perfect for enjoying with some ocean play dough. Printable sea creatures for ocean play dough We have four kids – twin girls aged nine, a five year old boy and a two year old . . . → Read More: Printable sea creatures for ...

Do your children like to create and play with small worlds? My girls always have one or two landscapes on the go at any one time. Today B made a fairy garden in the sand pit which she declared ‘the sweetest thing I’ve ever made’ – so I had to show it to you. It’s . . . → Read More: Sand pit fairy garden :: small worlds play The post Sand pit ...

This homemade paint recipe with spices is as much a delight for the nose as the eyes! It’s super easy to make and great for both sunny days when you’re painting outdoors, or dark days when your senses need a boost. Here’s how to make it. Homemade paint recipe with spices We started out . . . → Read More: Homemade paint recipe with spices The ...

Welcome to a brand new feature on NurtureStore! I’m thrilled to be joined by a group of fabulous guest writers, who will be bringing us their take on fun play ideas. I’ve invited some of my favourite bloggers over to share with us ideas their children love. There will be . . . → Read More: Dragon small world :: messy play The post Dragon small ...

Welcome to our special week on NurtureStore where we’re focusing on all things toddlers! The ‘terrible twos’ has such a bad reputation but really toddlers are at a wonderful stage of childhood. It’s a time when they are on their feet and ready to explore the world. They’re beginning to chat and to enjoy imaginary . . . → Read More: Activities for ...

What are the best toys for babies? Do babies need toys?  Here’s how to make treasure baskets for babies filled with interesting items from around the home to provide your baby with lots of shapes, textures and sizes to explore. Treasure baskets for babies Sometimes referred to as heuristic toys or un-toys, everyday items are free, readily ...

Remember the kids art idea we tried last week, exploring texture? Here’s what happened when we added painting on top – lovely sensory, textured experiments! Kids art :: painting on texture The surface of our boards was made up of a collage of recycled materials, in all sorts of textured finishes. (See how we made . . . → Read More: Kids art :: ...

Here’s a favourite idea from our kids painting archive, introducing children to watercolour painting and trying out a while new – and rather exciting! – way of using it. Watercolour painting with kids Watercolour painting can produce beautiful effects, and the technique we’re trying today uses a wet on wet technique for really exciting . . . → ...

As a review of the letters and their sounds, the children stirred up some alphabet soup.

Here’s a kids art idea that you can try at home using recycled items that you’d otherwise throw away – we’re up-cycling and exploring texture to make touchy feeling patchwork pictures. Kids art : exploring texture We started off with some big pieces of strong card, packaging from a book delivery. It’s really nice . . . → Read More: Kids art :: ...