Are you looking at something fun and different to do with the kids?
Why not take them Diamond or Crystal mining, or maybe both?
Would it surprise you that my four-year-old and I found diamonds and crystals (AKA Rocks) at our local park? I think you would be rather impressed.
It was a great time at the local park. My little boy rode his bike to the park and while there we searched for valuable crystals and diamonds.
Alexander found a few and made sure to put them safely in his pockets or if they didn’t fit my pockets. We took them home to wash them to allow us to inspect our haul of treasures.
I know that we didn’t collect actual crystals or diamonds but the hunt and chase for the real thing was super fun, plus after we were home water was involved to clean the rocks and this meant that Alex was then covered head to toe in the water and of course spent hours playing in the water and investigating his special treasures.
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It is an animal that is a unicorn and bunny all in one.
I know many dear readers had no idea, but now you are aware of this magical creature, you will definitely keep an eye out for her next Easter. (Read the twins stories to learn more about the Unibunny)
This creature helps the Easter Bunny deliver eggs on Easter Sunday.
Julia dressed as The Unibunny.
I asked the girls to write their story of the Unibunny. Click on the girl’s names below to read the Unibunny stories.
The twins wrote each story yesterday on the computer with a little help from mummy and daddy. I hope you like them.
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Do you love books that are wonderful to look at? How about books that get your children to get outdoors and explore? Well I do! Beetle Bottoms are just the answer if you want your kids to be involved in nature, reading and have some fun. The kind people at Beetle Bottoms sent me their latest book and the kids loved it! (Read to the bottom as you will get a promo code for a free game with the order of this book)
Beetle Bottoms new book. Eyes in the Night.
What are Beetle Bottoms?
Beetle Bottoms are tiny people that live in gardens all over the world. There are a handful of people that have noticed them as they are no bigger than an apple pip. Why not go outside to see if you can spy any beetle bottoms playing in your backyard.
Beetle Bottoms have books and story play games that encourage fun, reading, exploration, children’s creativity and confidence. If you are looking for a great gift that kids will adore this is well worth a look. The twins love the books and especially the story play cards.
What is Beetle Bottoms and the Eyes in the Night about?
After a swarm of bees lands in her tree, Pip wakes to discover a pair of eyes looking at her. She soon discovers that they belong to a boy called Hummer. This is the first time Pip has met a Beetle Bottom that has different colour skin than herself. Although shocked and amazed (she did not know there was another lot of Beetle Bottoms that lived in the garden), Pip likes Hummer instantly and they are firm friends.
This book shows acceptance of people, races and cultures. It helps children see the world through others eyes.
The book is so beautifully illustrated and a joy to look at.
A page from the book, Beetle Bottoms and the eyes in the night.
Great offer from Beetle Bottoms
Would you like to get a free memory and snap game when you purchase the book, Beetle Bottoms and the Eyes in the Night? What a great gift this would make! The wonderful people at Beetle Bottoms are giving my readers a promo code to enter and it will automatically add the memory snap game to your order when you purchase the book.
Promo code: Play Time
What a great way to get a fabulous present for your child, friend or grandchild. Fun educational games and books are just the key to a happy child and parent.
After reading this latest Beetle Bottom book the twins had to go into the garden to search for Beetle Bottoms.
Do you think we found some?
Here are the Beetle Bottoms living in our garden
Do you think the Beetle Bottoms live in the mushrooms?
Enjoy reading the new book from Beetle Bottoms and you will love their memory snap game as well. Why not check out their other products as well. The girls love exploring and creating stories to do with the Beetle Bottoms. What about your kids? Let us know.
The girls got a tub of Zoob Pieces for Christmas. They are clever building block like things that attach into each other. You get connecting bits and they come in different colours. These can move around and you can create weird and wonderful creations.
Of course the kids did not want to read the instructions or what they suggest to make and just went with their imagination. I thought why not, they are happy and creating such interesting things.
You will be pleased to know that the creation that they are most proud of is thing that can kill people from the sky and also make yoghurt (copyright pending according to the twins). We learnt of the girls clever skills when they were telling us what their invention can do. Lillian explained that it can kill naughty people in the sky and then it can make yoghurt. She was very pleased with this invention and Julia was a co-creator so she also beamed with delight when we were shown how it works.
Hubby and I got a demo of what it can do in the backyard. I must say, we are safe from any aliens or things that will attack from the sky and having the ability to make a yummy and refreshing bowel of yoghurt after shooting is very clever.
Have your kids created amazing inventions with their Zoob Pieces? I am wondering what will be in our living room next.
Yesterday my girls decided to go on a hunt for a blue tongue lizard that talks. They were insistent that they would find one. I thought how amazing their creativity and imagination. I did wonder where this idea of finding a talking lizard had come from but like most things the girl’s games are out there and are made up, so obviously from their very creative brains.
The twins have interesting names for toys and characters in their games it sounds like a foreign language. Not sure where it came from again other than their amazing imagination. All this creativity got me thinking, what benefit does a very creative imagination have on your education and life?
From looking on the internet I found that imagination and creative play help the following:
Teaches kids to be better problem solvers.
Allows children to communicate better socially and with creative play give the child a way to practice new conversation and skills in different situations. Practice real life skills.
Intellectually the child is better off as creative and imaginative play help the growth of abstract thought. This in turn creates a person who is a creative thinker. Creative thinkers have been proven to be more successful than people who had less imagination.
Allows your child to be themselves and try new things in a safe environment.
According to the brainy-child.com website imagination can do the following for your child: Develop social skills and intelligence, enhance the power of self-confidence, boost and promote intellectual growth, develop linguistic abilities, create balance and order in life, treat both bad and good experiences with an equal measure, and achieve excellence in classroom.
Einstein said, “Knowledge can get us from A to B. Imagination can take us anywhere.” How true is this quote, without imagination, buildings would not have been built, books written, artwork created, new technology thought of and made, and so on.
I value creativity and of course imagination as I believe it has a lot to offer the twins and of course us as parents. Hubby and I play made up games and participate in the girls colourful and creative exercises. We have made sure to add fairy statues to our backyard to help with the fun. A while ago now, mushrooms sprouted and they were all red and pink (not sure if good to eat so we did not), the girls saw it and asked daddy what it was, he told them that it was mushrooms but in actual fact it was the fairies home. He told the girls to not touch the mushrooms as the fairies would be upset that their home would get destroyed. The girls agreed and the mushrooms or fairy home was left alone.
I make sure to have puzzles, paper and pens/crayons for drawing, paint for painting, make our own play dough, take walks and have adventures, create stories, read books, play in the backyard, go to the park, and let the girls have some creative unstructured play (basically just play in the yard and do what they want).
In case you are interested I have gained inspiration and have read the following links:
Have your little ones been busy creating or making games that you have no idea what is going on? Well mine definitely are. Do you come in and find that a room is suddenly rearranged as a fort or at least a cubby house?
What games do you play with your kids to help with imaginative play? Do you start them off and leave the tools so they can create themselves?
Why not continue the discussion on our twitter or facebook pages.
Fairy Doctor Julia – Picture by Mell Mallin Photography
What do your kids want to be when they are older? A fireman, doctor, teacher, actor or something completely different, my children fall into the completely different category.
Julia wants to be a fairy doctor, and Lillian wants to be a pussy cat fairy doctor. I presume that the fairy doctor fixes and cares for fairies, as she has told me and the pussy cat fairy doctor is a cat who cares and fixes fairies also. Both girls are most insistent that this is what will happen. Julia tells me that when she is grown she will get her fairy wings and be able to start being a doctor to the fairies.
This is all very cute and adorable, however I have to wonder. Will I end up being the mother to two doctors in the future? Will this interest in doctors although with fairies just be the girls wanting or showing an interest in being a doctor? Currently I am just putting it down to great make believe and their wonderful imaginations, but you can’t help but wonder what they will end up being.
Pussy Cat – Lillian – Picture by Mell Mallin Photography
I wanted to be a film director; I did make films and learn film-making. However I never did get to do my dream. I still have plans to make my film and shorts, however not on the scale that my dream was. I plan on eventually submitting what I make in the future into festivals; however with kids it is hard to find the time. I know it will happen one day.
What did you want to be as a kid? Have you done what you wanted, or has the dream changed a bit? Do you have any ideas on what your kids might be as an adult? It is interesting guessing and if you have grown kids were you right when you had these thoughts when they were little. Send in your comments.
Today we have learnt that it was not the girls being messy it was the aliens. I am not sure when they have visited us and where they are hiding, but Lillian has confirmed it was indeed aliens and not herself or Julia that is responsible for the mess.
When daddy was in their room asking for the girls to tidy it up, Lillian turns away and put her head on an angle. Daddy said it was very mysterious the way she did it, and then she told him about the aliens.
He lost it and just had to laugh.
I asked Lillian about why she was not helping clean up a mess that she helped create, and she quite seriously told me that it was not her that did it, it was the aliens. I asked her when they arrived, and what they looked like. She told me that they were green, and by this stage Julia was in on telling me that they were green and trying to describe them, mainly I just know that they are green, naughty and messy.
Having this ability to have a great imagination is I believe a great asset and a tool that can help you in your line of work, writing, acting, or just having a fun. I do hope that the girls never lose the ability to have fun and to have a make believe world.
Is it due to Lillian having a vivid imagination about outer space? Or just a very active imagination for a three year old? She was calm and serious in telling me about these naughty visitors and the goings ons. Or is she just trying to shift the blame? Would mummy and daddy believe there really was someone else responsible for the mess and chaos? I think she hopes so.
Has your child got a vivid imagination? Do they make up wonderful stories, and if so what are some of them that have made you laugh and think how clever the story and detail was. Send in your comments.
On Friday I visited some friends, and the girls were given a cardboard box to play with. The girls were pretending to be a Jack in the Box. This game got a bit tricky as they then had to dodge the big giant hand, which was my friend Fred trying to tickle or scare the girls; this led to screeches of laughter.
It was this moment that I thought how simple it is, just give a child a cardboard box and they are happy for hours. All the different things that a cardboard box can become, a jack in the box, a house, a shop, a table, a bed for the dog/baby/mummy or whoever they are pretending to be at the time.
We received a gift card from my mother, for James and my birthday next month, and this was for a new microwave. I know not the most exciting present, but as money is tight and our old one ended up on fire a new one was in order. The gift card got to me by Friday so Saturday we all went to the shops to purchase the new microwave, and as you guessed it. It comes with a big box.
The girls now have this big box in the living room and have been happy pretending it is all sorts of things. James wanted to throw it out, however I saved it as I think the girls would be crushed if it disappeared. They have been giggling away, jumping in and out of it and also organising cushions and blankets for the inside. Boxes definitely help to build imaginary worlds that your child/children can be engrossed in for hours on end.
Relaxing in the box
Very happy in our house
Nice to watch some tv
Do your children like to play with boxes? What is the most creative thing that you have turned your box or boxes into? If you have the time, patience and energy, you can create some wonderful things out of cardboard.
Here are some great links that will give you some inspiration:
