a stereotype-smashing story + Ivy & Angus in their Book Week costumes

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a stereotype-smashing story + Ivy & Angus in their Book Week costumes

ages 2 to 7 years
We recently went through all our books trying to find the perfect costume for our playgroup's Book Week parade. There were many contenders, but in the end Ivy chose A Proper Little Lady.

She saw it and proclaimed "This will be the perfect book, I’m so excited!". I was pretty excited too and not just because it was a costume that required no sewing! This was one of my favourite books when I was Ivy's age and I feel a special kind of closeness in sharing and enjoying 

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an edible (ish) mud farm + a few fave books make for a perfect spring day

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an edible (ish) mud farm + a few fave books make for a perfect spring day

ages 0 - 6 years
Spring is finally here and while it's still quite cold in Tasmania, the sun is out and we're loving being outside. I'm always on the lookout for new ways to make mess and have fun with the kids, especially outdoors, and found a bit of inspiration while spring cleaning the shed—a shallow plastic container that looked like the perfect size for a mud farm.

I'd had my eye on a muddy farm sensory play activity from The Imagination Tree for a while, so thought I'd give it a try, with minor adjustments to this original recipe: 

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5 books to tickle a toddler's senses

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5 books to tickle a toddler's senses

ages newborn to 3 years
Angus is a sensory toddler. He loves to get his hands (or mouth, or any body part) into anything with an interesting texture—the sheer delight on his face as he plays with his mashed potatoes and the joy he emanates from trying to eat bubbles in the bath is wonderful to see.

It's also wonderful to see his love of all things sensory extending into his love for books—thanks to these five beauties: 

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life lessons about tipping points and the need for balance

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life lessons about tipping points and the need for balance

ages 0 to 8 years
‘It’s like ...who sank the boat!' That’s how my family often describes an overwhelming day, too much of something, or a time when we've gone one step too far.

In this story, there’s ‘a cow, a donkey, a sheep, a pig and a tiny little mouse’ who decide to go for a row on the bay. One by one, they gingerly climb in the rowboat and restore the equilibrium before the next passenger. Finally it’s the tiny little mouse’s turn and so in it jumps. You can guess what happens next I’m sure!

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the brilliance of Dr Seuss in rap video and political satire

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the brilliance of Dr Seuss in rap video and political satire

How many Dr Seuss books can (or could) you recite by heart? There was a time when I could rattle off the whole of Green Eggs and Ham while driving—Thomas would sit in his car seat behind me, flipping the pages at the appropriate moment while his two younger siblings looked on. I could give Fox in Socks a good crack too, though I did sometimes have to agree with Mr Knox:

“I hate this game, Sir. This game makes my tongue quite lame, Sir.”

All the Dr Seuss rhymes are brilliant for little kids who are learning to read, as that great-fun video points out.

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a bit of brain gym tied up in provocative story-based art

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a bit of brain gym tied up in provocative story-based art

ages 6 years to adult
Is there a more universal and constant battle for western parents than the fight to limit technology? We so want all the benefits of technological immersion but also feel instinctively that lives need a bit of analogue in them too. Labyrinth is like a book bridge—it crosses the chasm between story and interactive play...

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help a sweet little rabbit to go to sleep by tickling his ears

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help a sweet little rabbit to go to sleep by tickling his ears

Lovely fun for toddlers to about 4 years.
Do you have funny little bedtime routines at your house? One of my children always needed a cold tummy-button, summer or winter. We eventually settled on a little ice pack to cuddle up to in bed! For other children, it was endless stories or just the right pyjamas – you know the drill I’m sure.  

The little rabbit in this story has a routine too.

He loves to have his ears tickled, and his pillow fluffed, and his back stroked - and a goodnight kiss, of course.

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