I have such great memories of weaving paper placemats when I was young at school. Making them again for this blog post reminded me how fabulous they are as an indoor activity and how few materials it requires. It is also great for developing fine motor skills and creativity. Age – 3+ (This activity is open to […]
Decorating Fans for Chinese New Year
Craft activity for kids in decorating fans for Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year is an important Chinese holiday the begins on January 31st and runs over many days. I’m sad to say that I’ve never experienced the traditional Chinese New Year celebrations, although it is on my list of things to do. Splashes of […]
Learning about States & Territories of Australia
Australia Day is approaching and so I thought I’d take the opportunity to share a fun (and edible) way of learning the Australian states and territories. Great mapping lesson for kids! I was never very good at geography at school. It’s still something that I know I should be better at, however, I’m sure if […]
Blue-Ringed Octopus craft for kids
Here is a craft that will have children learning more about the Blue-Ringed Octopus. For those who have visited or heard the rumours, in Australia you can find some very dangerous animals. One of the most deadly (and attractive) marine animal, mainly found off our east coast, is called the blue ringed octopus. Here is […]
Aussie scented sensory rice
Australia Day is my national day of celebration and it takes place on 26th January of every year. It is on this day that many ‘Aussies’ get together with friends and family, usually over a friendly BBQ or casual game of backyard cricket, to reflect on what they love about our country and show their pride by displaying […]
Most popular posts from 2013
It’s hard to believe that another year is drawing to a close and 2014 is steam rolling around so quickly. Where does the time go? Possum is another year older and certainly much wiser and I take the time to reflect on what has been a terrific year of learning together on Laughing Kids […]
Simple Santa Decoration using a plastic cup
Here is a simple Santa craft that school aged children would be capable of making themselves. It’s a decoration that can be made to sit on a mantle or even of top of a Christmas tree! Materials Plastic Cup Paste Cotton Balls Red Felt (rectangular shape) Stapler or sticky tape Black pen […]
Share It Saturday activity link up
Share It Saturday Share It Saturday is a weekly linky party which allows other bloggers to add creative crafts and education based posts to Laughing Kids Learn. It is a wonderful way that I can share the terrific ideas circling the web and hopefully highlight the existence of other blogs, allowing them to receive greater […]
Share It Saturday – 5 matching activities for kids
As a mum and a teacher to young children I love activities that require children to match and make connections for learning. Matching type activities allows children to check and confirm what they believe to be correct and feel supported at the same time. Here are a few great matching activities I noticed linked up this week. Check […]
Share It Saturday – Nature Activities for Kids
‘Share It Saturday’ presents a collection of nature activities for kids! Getting children involved in their natural world can often be overlooked and somewhat forgotten. The good news is there are so many wonderful ways we can get children engaging their environment and use it to assist with building creativity and developing other important […]
Share It Saturday – Hands on Activities to get Kids Messy
Children love hands-on activities and if they are messy then it’s even better! Messy play is something that most children absolutely love! Unfortunately it can be the type of play that parents shudder at the thought of and avoid because it can be unpredictable and seen as a challenge to clean up. Why […]
Share It Saturday – Simple Activities for Little Fingers
It was very difficult deciding which links to include in this weeks ‘Share It Saturday’ post. Thank you to each and every one of you who contributed. It highlights what incredible talent you all have. Hopefully you will be featured very soon. _____________________ With little people in mind, I decided to focus on activities that […]
Sensory Learning using Wax
Sensory learning is fascinating to me! Researchers are really discovering it’s benefits to improving the way children make connections in the brain and so I think it’s worth considering when it comes to teaching our children. This post is about learning through our sense of touch. Here I am creating a fun way […]
Brauer Baby Products and Giveaway
Being a mum is a seriously hard job and we really can only do our best with what we know. With that in mind, I thought I’d share with you some brilliant natural bath products that I’ve become quite obsessed with of late and use on Possum during bath time each night. […]
Shaving Cream Fun
Let’s face it, who could really resist not smooshing their hand into a pile of shaving cream? The sprinkles on top just add to the temptation. When I asked my mum if we could use her glass table I just accidentally (on purpose) forgot to mention we were going to get my niece and nephew […]
Write in Sand and Learn
LETS WRITE IN SAND!!!! Here is a great list of ways your child can have fun and learn by using sand at the beach. Developing skills in letter and number formation, building on thinking and creativity skills and sensory awareness is just some of the learning that can be achieved. There is just so much I love […]
I have a child with a severe food allergy
Allergic reactions occur when a person’s immune system reacts to normally harmless substances. Soon after Possum turned into a big one year old we purposefully tested her with a teaspoon of some scrambled egg only to quickly discover she has a life-threatening allergy. _______________________________________________ I have a child with a severe food allergy and […]
Tube Play
I love a simple idea that is easy to set up, fun for children and education. Let me tell you more… It’s Educational It teaches children (especially babies or young toddlers) about cause and effect. So to explain, if I drop a pompom into the top of this tube it suddenly appears […]
Reading Numbers
Reading numbers can seem simple but for many children it is very difficult. Here is a tool that you can make at home using a few toilet roll tubes. More than reading numbers, this tool can teach children to – extend and improve their understanding of place value build skills across the four main […]
SNUTZ
Firstly, let me take the time to remind you that I rarely choose to recommend products to you, my valuable audience. Quite genuinely I love this Australian company ‘Snutz’ for so many reasons. In fact, I actually contacted them wanting to share their products with you because I think every parent needs to know about them. […]
#playmatters
Play is such an important part of life. It gives us an excuse to enjoy ourselves, experiment and build on what we already know. I recently wrote a massive list of what ‘play’ meant to me and I took up three A3 sheets of dot points! The truth is that play is so many things […]
Play with a Tray!
This is a very basic idea that you can do with babies that is also educational. It is simply a cupcake tray with a few small and interesting items. I have included items such as – * baby socks * teething rings * blocks The good news is that babies are not very fussy when […]
DIY Baby Rattle
For centuries, the humble baby rattle has been one of the first toys that babies play with. They benefit babies because they are a source of stimulation. They provide entertainment as well as helping to fine tune their senses. Here is a rattle that a talented friend made. She simply […]
Fruity Ice Cubes
These fruity ice cubes are a brilliant idea, especially when you’re experiencing warm weather like we are here in Australia. I simply cut small pieces of fruit and placed them into an ice cube tray and filled them with water. I found that some of the fruit floated to the top […]
Christmas Toast
Create a cute little surprise for someone special this Christmas by giving them some Christmas Toast. Simply mix a few drops of food colouring in a teaspoon of milk and create your message. Obviously your only limited to your creative mind with this one. You can toast the bread as normal and […]
DIY Party Planning
I really do love to entertain and once I have a theme my obsession starts.Here are a few things I put together for little Possum’s 1st birthday. BIRTHDAY CAKE Now I’ve already done a tutorial on how to make the pink shaded birthday cake. If you would like to see it then scroll […]
Mouthing in Children
It wouldn’t be unheard of to hear me screaming in a panic ‘Possum, stop! Don’t eat that dead fly!”. The truth is that to anyone over the age of about 5 years old understands the sheer thought of eating a dead fly wouldn’t be highly appealing. Mainly because we already know much (or enough) about dead […]
Sticky Fingers
Children need to experience a range of sensations and sticky surfaces are no exception. _____________________________________________________ Here is Possum ready to accept the large loop of sticky tape. It was fun watching her transfer the tape from one hand to the other. Just be sure they don’t eat this one. […]
Baby Maracas
Here are some delightful little shakers that your little ones will have a great time playing with. These baby maracas are so simple to make and will entertain your baby many times over. Simply find yourself some small containers that have strong twist seals. Bead storage containers are a good choice. Then find […]
Salt Drawing or Writing
This is a really great activity that uses many things found around the house. _______________________________________ Simply find a large plate or tray and stick down some coloured paper with sticky tape. It’s a good idea to stick it down quite well or else you’ll find salt gets behind the sheets and […]