Playgroup!

Something I never did with Lumpy, mostly because I had a lot of friends with babies/toddlers/children the same age- both friends and mothers group through the health centre, was join a Playgroup, I looked at them but never signed up or attended. With having a 4.5year gap between Lumpy and 2.0 and not many friends with babies at the same time, I found I needed to find something to help socialise not only 2.0 but me too.
We have been attending Playgroup during the school year this year, we love it! There is always so many things set up - some crafts, play dough, puzzles at the tables, on the floor there are play kitchens, dress ups, dolls, a clothes line and pegs, some blocks, cars or other transport activity for the children to play with to their hearts content. There is also some other activities, this week was an obstacle course. 2.0 loved it. It was the first time she actually went through the tunnel and discovered how much fun they can be.
There are other children of a variety of ages and after a play and afternoon tea, they do some songs and listen to a story.
I am glad I gave it a go and have met some wonderful parents and grandparents and 2.0 has more people to interact with.
to find your nearest play group click here

Glow sticks and balloons!

My girls are obsessed with balloons and glow sticks at the moment. 2.0 especially has been playing with balloons every day - Balloon play is fantastic for gross motor skill development (kicking, throwing, catching) and I have noticed they also helping with colour recognition. While glow sticks are fun but I haven't found any benefits developmental benefits, I did find a heap of uses for doomsday prepping though, that's a whole new blog though. Anyway, we had some friends over for a play date and decided to try putting the glow sticks inside the balloons (let me tell you, it's easier in theory than in practise!). It's safe to say the kids enjoyed themselves. and once the balloons popped, we used the glow sticks in the bubble bath.
Photographing balloons with glow stick, in the dark, is very tricky. I apologise for the poor quality photos.

Supplies needed -
Ballons
glow sticks (we used both the thin and thick ones, the thin were easier to slip in after the balloon was inflated, the thick ones were brighter though)
A dark room or night time :)