Some Autumn activities from Twinkl Teaching Resources

Harry brings home a few bits of homework every week but Mia doesn't have any apart from her reading, and despite me assuring her that she has many years of homework ahead of her, she's always asking for something that she can do while Harry gets on with his.

With Autumn most definitely in the air, I had a look at the Twinkl website for some Autumn themed resources that would be suitable for her as she begins her schooling in Reception.

At our recent parents evening her teacher suggested that she needs a bit of help with number recognition, so I printed out a set of these Autumn Leaf Numbers (free download). They are A4 sized, but I printed them at 50% and laminated them to make smaller number leaves. To begin with we just used the numbers 0 - 10 and we played various games with them - I hid them around the living room and asked her to name each number in turn as she brought it to me, we put them in the right order and I took away numbers from small sequences and asked her which one was missing.

I think it really helped her to have something tactile to hold and play with! When we've finished playing I'm going to stick them up in her bedroom so we can look at them together while she's getting ready and I'm brushing her hair.

While I had the laminator out, I also laminated each child an Autumn Tree Playdough Mat (Twinkl subscriber resource). Both children love play dough and I really love the Twinkl range of play dough mats, making specific shapes is great for their fine motor skills and finger muscles, especially making the little leaves. Harry found a piece of textured Lego that was the perfect size and shape to make the veins on the leaves, and he spent ages on this.

Another thing that we need to work on with Mia is her pencil grip. Although she does lots of colouring, drawing and writing, she doesn't hold her pencil properly and so it's something that we need to practice. Activities like this Autumn Shadow Matching Worksheet (Twinkl subscriber resource) are great for her because they are quick, simple and fun. She was so pleased with herself when she correctly matched the shapes.

We also practiced her cutting skills with an Autumn Leaf Sequencing Worksheet (Twinkl subscriber resource). She found it a little challenging to work out which leaf shape should come next so she just chose her favourite one to stick in the box! Both children then had a go at some Symmetrical Leaf Drawing Templates (free download) which require them to complete the second half of a leaf shape and then colour it in, and even Mia managed a good go at this.

I really do love Twinkl resources, it's great to be able to print out a couple of things during the day for the children to get on with after school and there are so many different themes that I can always find something that will interest them or that fits in with the topics that they are learning about at school.

I have been given a Premium subscription to Twinkl but I am under no obligation to write about them, I just like to share their resources because I think they are brilliant!

Book review - Frank Einstein and the Brain Turbo

Frank Einstein and the Brainturbo by Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Brian Biggs is the third book in the best selling Frank Einstein series.

Frank Einstein is a kid-genius, scientist and inventor, and along with his best friend Watson and Klink (a self-assembled artificial-intelligence entity) and Klank (a mostly self-assembled and artificial almost intelligence entity) they once again find themselves in competition with T. Edison, their classmate and arch-rival. This time they are trying to unlock the power behind the science of the human body.

The book is packed full of drawings and illustrations that bring the science behind the story to life. There are experiments to carry out that relate to what is going on in the story. For example, when the characters are trying to improve on the design of the human body there are some little experiments that you can do to find out more about how your body works, like making a cone out of paper to improve your hearing or finding out where your nerve cells are closer together.

At the end of the book is a well-written and accessible chapter which summarises some of the key facts that have been touched upon during the story, like the different systems in the body.

I found the book quite difficult to read aloud to Harry as it's quite chaotic and fast moving! But I'm not the target audience for the book and I think it will really appeal to him, so I'm going to put it aside until he's confident enough to read it for himself. I know that it's definitely going to appeal to his love of all things science, and the writing style is going to impart a lot of scientific knowledge in a fun way!

I received a copy of this book to review, Amazon link is affiliate.

Blog On Winchester blogging conference #blogonwin

At the weekend I was lucky enough to attend Blog On Win - a fantastic one day blogging conference held at the Winchester Science Centre. I'd heard great things about previous Blog On conferences, and it was so nice to be able to attend one that was fairly local, or at least didn't involve a long train journey and a night in a hotel.

One thing that I particularly liked about the event was its size - only 70 or so bloggers - which meant that I was easily able to find the people that I wanted to talk to and found it less intimidating to speak to new people. We were welcomed by Laura, who has been hosting Blog On conferences since 2012 with three this year alone, the conferences are always really popular and successful.

The sessions began with a very interesting Keynote about Principles of Social Media from Peter Lunn. What I took from this session was the importance of interaction when building up your social media profile, and making sure that you are listening more than you are broadcasting.

Then I learned about Developing a Photography Style with Annie from Mammasaurus. I'm well aware that the photography on my blog could be a lot better, but I've never really got the hang of all the different photo editing software that's available. I love the idea of having a consistent look for my photos, and Annie highlighted several different bloggers that do this very successfully, with instantly recognisable photographs. Annie had loads of tips, and it's definitely something that I'm going to be working on.

The session finished with a practical demonstration outside, where we were invited to take photographs of either a table of sweets or flowers on our phones and use the settings in Instagram to experiment with different ways of changing the photograph before we uploaded it. I've never done this before, I very rarely edit photos before I publish them, and I was really impressed with how much better my second photograph looks after just a few minutes of inexpertly messing around with the Instagram settings. The white paper bag looks so much brighter and the colours really pop.

There were lots of brands available to talk to in the breaks, and they were all really approachable and keen to work with bloggers. I saw some really cool new toys and games and I'm hoping to be able to work with some of them in the run up to Christmas.

After lunch I listened to Sarah from The Unmumsy Mum talking about her blog and Blogging Without a Rule Book. She was so funny, and it was really reassuring to hear about her amazing (and well deserved!) success despite the fact that she doesn't do any of the things that most bloggers worry themselves about. She has a brilliant blog post Twelve Reasons I'm the Last Person You Should Ask for Blogging Advice and if you are a blogger you should go over and read it!

The final session was titled No Such Things as a Stupid Question and aimed to answer some of the questions that bloggers often have about tax, disclosure, page rank and so on. It was very helpful and definitely gave me a few things to think about.

Then the day finished with a fantastic performance from the Scummy Mummies - they were hilarious and I'll definitely be checking out their parenting podcast. It was a brilliant way to end the day, we all left the venue laughing!

The Blog On Conferences are well known for their excellent goody bags and the one that I received didn't disappoint - the two big bags were packed with a lovely selection of toys and other things. I don't have a photo as many of them have been put aside for the children this Christmas, but there were a few bits that I squirrelled away for myself (not that there is much of them left now!)

It was a really good day, and excellent value for the price I paid for the ticket (just over £30). If you are able to get to a Blog On blogging conference I'd definitely recommend it!

Money Matters - Teaching your little ones how to be responsible with money

When your little ones are running around playing, learning, and exploring, teaching them how to be responsible with money probably isn’t the first thing on your mind – after all, they’re only young, there’s plenty of time to learn about boring things like finances, right?

But the fact is, children develop most of the attitudes towards money in their early years, which is why it’s so important that you start instilling good values from an early age. Trust me, the sooner the better!

It might seem like a daunting task, but there are so many ways you can make it a fun, exciting, and hopefully, super successful process.

Here are some top tips that I’ll definitely be trying out….

Take them shopping

It may sound less than appealing, but taking your little ones shopping with you, will help to teach them some valuable lessons about money, budgeting and spending. Start off by taking them to the cashpoint with you, explain that the money coming out of the wall isn’t from some magical, endless money tree, but is actually coming out of your bank account. Then, as you go around the shops, explain why you’re buying the things you’re buying, and point out things that you would like to buy but can’t quite afford just yet or don’t need. Engaging with your child will not only open their eyes to the world of finances, but it will also allow you to spend some quality time with them too!

Credit

As your little ones start to grow, it’s time to introduce them to the concept of credit and, perhaps most importantly, the importance of making wise financial choices. A good way to do this is to get up your own credit report using a service such as Experian, and talk them through it. Explain how their decisions at 18 or 19, will affect their credit rating for years to come.

Pocket money

Pocket money can be a source of stress and tension in many households. Whilst you should absolutely never feel pressured to give your child an allowance if you can’t afford it, if you can afford to give them something every week or month, however small it may be, this will really help them to learn lessons about saving, budgeting, and spending. Set up a bank account for your child and encourage them to save at least some of their money towards something they really want. This is also a great opportunity to introduce the concept of working to earn – simply outline some chores or tasks that they must compete in order to earn their pocket money (nothing too taxing, of course!).

This is a sponsored post.

Trying again with the crochet - and having some success!

I've mentioned many times that crochet and I don't get along, yet for a while now I've had the idea that I'd like to crochet a blanket. Nothing complicated, perhaps just granny squares sewn together. I even have a Pinterest board - Crochet blankets - which I love to browse while dreaming about all the gorgeous blankets that I could make.

Unfortunately when my Mum tried to teach me to make a granny square a little while back, it ended up in a crochet fail. Although that blog post does have a picture of a fairly reasonable granny square, it was my Mum that made most of it and I had no idea what I was trying to do.

But a few weeks back, Coats Crafts, who I work with as an ambassador, invited me to take part in a crochet along, with the aim of having a finished crochet blanket by Christmas. I was honest about my poor crochet skills, but they were encouraging and so I agreed to join in. I realised though that even the most simple of blankets was going to be a little above my skill level, so I have enlisted my Mum to help me get started and help me out along the way!

I decided to start with learning to make a basic granny square. I'd heard that YouTube was a good source of helpful videos, and indeed there are many showing how to make a simple granny square in real time so you can crochet along. Some use slightly different patterns when it comes to the chains around the corners, but as long as you are consistent it doesn't really seem to matter. I spent many evenings sitting in front of the computer with my crochet hook. It didn't come at all naturally, and I had to rip it back many many times.

These are my very first attempts, not great, and also these are the best ones that I managed at that time, the rest were pulled apart over and over again!

But to my surprise, when I kept at it and didn't get frustrated with not being able to understand what I was doing, I found that over time it started to click, and I could work out what I was doing. I learned to make my stitches looser, and they became neater and more even. After a few evenings sat in front of YouTube I'd managed to make several squares, without nearly as much ripping back and starting again.

I'm particularly proud of this large pink square, which is the first one that I managed to make without having the video playing at the same time as my crocheting. I even managed an extra round after the point at which the video finished. I know that it's nowhere near perfect, but it's pretty impressive given where I started!

I've been sharing my progress on Instagram using #jenlearnstocrochet and I've been really encouraged by people commenting, especially awesome crocheters whose progress I follow across social media admitting that they found crochet difficult too at first!

I'll also be sharing how I get on across social media when the crochet along officially starts on the 9th October. Fingers crossed, with a bit more practice I'll be well on the way to actually finishing a blanket in a few months time!

Book review - Two lovely new kids travel books from Lonely Planet

If you're a regular reader of my blog you'll know that as a family we love to travel, and my children are lucky enough to have visited some amazing countries and seen some wonderful sights. I'm very keen to develop an interest in seeing the world with the children, and while we can't be away on holiday all the time, it's great fun to spend time looking through travel books, remembering past adventures and planning new ones.

I was recently sent these two wonderful new books from Lonely Planet Kids to review.

The first, Adventures Around the Globe (affiliate link), is aimed at children aged 3+ and is perfect for Mia. The book introduces each continent in turn with a beautifully illustrated map, then takes a closer look at some of the most iconic sights to be found there, the animals that live there, festivals that are celebrated and so on. Each continent has a lovely big double spread page which can be decorated with some of over 250 re-positionable stickers.

Part of the back cover can be popped out to make a 3D globe, a great way to help children understand how the continents fit together. There are also plenty of colouring pages and some simple puzzles like matching activities and spot the difference, as well as pages filled with fun and interesting facts.

The Lonely Planet Kids Travel Book (affiliate link) is aimed at children aged 8+, and will be a fantastic addition to Harry's bookshelf. This large format, hardback book takes the child on a fantastic journey around the world, with a page for each country, arranged by continent. Each page is packed with photographs, sketches and key facts, as well as information about the history and culture of the country and much more.

It's easy to find each the page for country from the contents page at the front, and a detailed world map at the back makes it easy to find its location. It's a lovely book for browsing through. Harry loves going through to find places that we've already visited, and hunting for pictures and information about the things that we've seen. It's also a great book to prepare children for a trip to a new destination, or to learn more about a country that they are studying or interested in. It's a brilliant new reference book for his collection.

I received these two books to review, Amazon links are affiliate.

Halloween Ice Block Excavation activity

If you are looking for some spooky sensory play ideas for children, this Halloween ice block excavation activity is really fun. It just takes a bit of easy set up in advance, and will keep small children occupied for ages as they try to release all the Halloween bits and pieces!

You need:

For the ice block

A plastic container (I used an old ice cream tub) and freezer space
Water, food colouring (I used gel food colouring for a stronger colour)
A collection of little Halloween themed toys and decorations
Glitter and sequins

For the excavation

Tools (we used tools from the dinosaur excavation kit, you could also use plastic and metal cutlery, and plastic droppers and syringes if you have them)
Things that the children suggest might melt the ice - I gave them a bowl of salt and a bowl of hot water.

The ice block needs to be prepared a day or so in advance, and I made it over the course of a day. First I put a couple of centimetres of water into the bottom of the tub and let it freeze, then I added a further three layers, each filled with a handful of different items. I also added in food colouring and plenty of glitter, and I let each layer freeze before adding the next one. This way everything doesn't sink to the bottom of the ice block while it freezes.

Then I put it out for them to have a go at. First we used a large tray underneath, but as they added more and more hot water it was getting messier, so we ended up with it in a washing up bowl. Note to self - do this again in the summer when it can all be done outside!

I also gave each child a bowl where they could collect the things that they had excavated, fortunately they worked really well together and didn't argue over what they wanted to reach. The hot water proved to be the most effective way of getting through the ice, and when they started to get a bit frustrated I simply boiled the kettle and poured it over the block for them to make it easier.

We had a lot of fun with this, definitely something we'll be doing again. In fact it made a good threat - if you don't tidy up your toys I'll freeze them and you'll have to dig them out! I'd also like to extend the activity to make it a bit more scientific - perhaps with a wider range of materials that might melt the ice for them to experiment with that we could discuss beforehand.

Many of the little Halloween bits and pieces were recycled from our Halloween sensory tub, another great Halloween activity for little ones. Some other toddler friendly Halloween crafts that we have enjoyed were our super simple Halloween window decorations and our make a monster busy bag kit. Finally if you are hosting a Halloween party for young children you might like some of the ideas in my post about Halloween party ideas for small children.