How to make a DIY Frozen Inspired Snowflake Sensory Bottle

We're a little bit obsessed with sensory bottles in this house and we're slowly making them for each and every possible theme. Our latest one is a winter snowflake sensory bottle that was inspired by Frozen. It's perfect for little Frozen fans and sensory seeking kids {and adults}.

Sensory bottles are a great tool to help children learn how to self regulate and calm down. It's mesmerising watching the contents disperse and slowly fall back to the bottom. They're also super easy to make at home with just a few items. My 4yr old actually made our winter sensory bottle and only needed help with a few steps.

This Frozen inspired sensory bottle is great to add to a calm down corner, or to use in some Frozen inspired play. The girls love shaking it to create snow storms all the time. It's like an oversized snow globe and shaking it is pretty addictive, even for me!

11 Excuses To Use If You're Caught Moving The Elf

If you've done Elf on the Shelf before you'll know just how nerve wracking it can be each time the elf has to get up to new shenanigans, and not just because you need to constantly come up with new elf ideas.... but because of the very real fear that you'll get caught in the act!

Most parents are seasoned pros at being stealthy with the elf and know to wait until the kids are in bed, however we all know kids can be kids and sometimes they aren't as asleep as we think they are. Then there's the countless trips to the bathroom, requests for glasses of water, wanting to be tucked in again etc etc. You know what I mean. 

Then some kids will also secretly spy to catch the elf in the act out of general curiosity.... so you see our nights in December can be risky when there's an elf in the house. But what do you do if you're caught red handed with the elf? Don't panic! Keep these 11 excuses in your back pocket to get you out of trouble and keep the magic alive.

25 Creative Elf On The Shelf Departure Ideas

Does your elf leave on December 23rd so it's gone on Christmas Eve, or December 24th with Santa? Over the years we've done a mix of both, but now the kids are getting a little older {aka not toddlers} we're sticking with Santa takes the elf back to the North Pole on Christmas Eve after he drops off the presents. No matter what happens in your house, here's 25 different creative ways for the elf to say goodbye.

Just like the elf arrives in style, the elf can leave in epic, subtle, funny or heart warming ways too. Even if the elf is hitching a ride with Santa, they can still leave their mark behind for the kids. Have a look through our huge list of elf departure ideas below and let us know which one you'll be doing this year.

Free Printable Christmas Playdough Mats

If your kids love playing with playdough as much as mine then they'll love these new Christmas playdough mats I've created. If you're looking for a fun and easy way to occupy the kids either in the classroom or at home over the holidays, download my free playdough mats below and have fun getting creative with playdough, Christmas loose parts or washable markers.

Elf on the Shelf Mini Oreos Toothpaste Prank

My girls love mini Oreos as snacks after school so we always have some in the cupboard. This year our elf, Elfie, found them and had some fun playing a prank. She switched out the cream for toothpaste!

The best part is they looked so much like normal mini Oreos the kids licked them to see if it really was toothpaste. It was priceless!

97 Adorable Names For Your Elf

So you've decided to do Elf on the shelf this year and introduce a special elf friend to your family, but how does the elf get it's name? Well there's two main options really, either the elf arrives with a name Santa has already picked out for them, or you let the children decide on a name once the elf has arrived for the first time. 

Depending on your children's age this may result in some pretty.... interesting name choices, so if you want some ideas, here's 97 elf names for you to choose from, including names for boy and girl elves and some unisex elf names too.

19 Fun Ways to Use a Wobbel Board

You may be wondering how a curved piece of wood you rock back and forth on can actually be a really useful open ended resource? It's ok you're not alone, lots of people don't understand why the Wobbel board is so great, but don't worry, I'm going to show you exactly why they're awesome, including all the fun and creative ways to use the Wobbel board for exercise and play.

10 Ways to Overcome Learning Difficulties

Learning can be difficult when you’re a kid. If you have learning difficulties, it can feel impossible, even anxiety-inducing. As a parent, you can feel powerless while watching your child struggle in school, wondering if you can do anything to help.

But there are ways you can help your child with their learning difficulties. It’s essential that you understand the type of difficulties that they can have since knowing what disability they have is half the battle.

What are common learning difficulties affecting children?

Children may have difficulty learning due to various factors, including language, attention, coordination, memory, and motor skills. These are just some of the learning difficulties that may affect your child. However, there are more common ones that can affect their everyday learning, such as:

49 Easy Halloween Craft Ideas for Kids

If you're looking for some fun and creative kids crafts for Halloween you've come to the right place. I've put together the ultimate list of 49 easy Halloween crafts for kids of all ages from toddlers through to teenagers. There's crafts using different mediums including paint, paper, clay, felt, beads and more. There's also lots of different process art techniques such as spin art, marble painting, food stamping and many others.

Free Printable Halloween Word Search

If your kids love Halloween and word searches then they'll love this free 12 word Halloween word search. It's a great way to introduce some early literacy work with a fun theme. Perfect to use at home for fun, as part of a homeschooling unit, or in class as a group rotation activity, English activity or during free time. The free download includes the word search + the answer key and you can print off as many copies as you need for your children or students.

30 Fun Elf On The Shelf Arrival Ideas

The most exciting time of the year for kids is December and the most exciting morning for any elf family {other than Christmas Day} is December 1st because the kids know their special elf friend will be coming back to visit. But how will they make their appearance? Will they bust in with a grand entrance, be sneaky and hide, or return with some Christmas goodies? 

Whether you have an Elf on the Shelf, or any other type of elf, there's so many fun ways to make the elf's {or elves} return extra special. Here's 30 different ways for the elf to arrive {some of them can even be combined for an extra spectacular arrival}. It doesn't matter if your elf is arriving for the very first time, or returning for another year of fun.

Horrible Harriet and the Terrible Tantrum Book Review

What's green, has three eyes and lives in a cage by Horrible Harriet's bed? And what happens when it goes missing?

No stranger to terrible tantrums herself, my daughter was keen to find out more about Horrible Harriet, who she is and why she has a terrible tantrum locked in a cage. So she delved straight into Horrible Harriet and the Terrible Tantrum as soon as it arrived on our doorstep.

Horrible Harriet and the Terrible Tantrum
Leigh Hobbs

BUY HERE: Book Depository | Amazon AU | QBD Books

Whatsie Play Couch Review: The Ultimate Guide to Australia's first Play Sofa

Have you been looking for a versatile gross motor play resource - one that's incredibly open ended and grows with your child? Maybe you've already heard of play couches, or just want to know more about the Whatsie and what it can be... If so you've come to the right place because I've put together the most comprehensive review of the Whatsie play couch to show you why it's a great addition to any playroom no matter what age your kids are. It's even fun for adults too! 

16 Pumpkin Science Experiments & STEM Activities for Kids

Take advantage of all the pumpkins at fall time with these pumpkin science experiments and stem activities. Pumpkins aren't just for carving into the jack-o-lanterns, they're also really fun to decorate, explode, dissolve and disembowel. These experiments will explore chemical reactions, density and elasticity while delighting the senses.

If your kids love pumpkins and science experiments, they'll have heaps of fun exploring pumpkin guts, exploding and oozing substances out of pumpkins and creating pumpkins out of different materials. These experiments and activities are all great to do at home with preschoolers and school kids, or as a display at a science fair.

14 Reusable Wooden Toy Advent Calendars & Nativity Sets (2023)

If you want to bring the magic of advent alive, but don't want to create a DIY advent calendar or buy a gimmicky chocolate filled one, then these reusable wooden advent calendar toys and nativity sets are a great way to build the excitement for Christmas and create a magical family tradition that can be repeated each year. The kids will love unwrapping a new piece each day in the countdown to Christmas day, and by December 25th they'll have a beautiful complete wooden toy set.

There's nothing more exciting than waking up each morning in December to reveal a surprise from the advent calendar. Make your coveted Christmas memories even more precious with a gorgeous wooden advent calendar, toy set or nativity set that can be reused each year as your children grow.

The Best Open Ended Halloween Kids Toys {2023}

I love spending hours getting lost down the Etsy rabbit hole searching for the best handmade toys for kids. It's my favourite form of window shopping and I come across so many awesome quality products and stores. This post includes the best Halloween toys for kids that I've found from artisans on Etsy this year.

Foaming Bubbly Witches Brew Halloween Sensory Play

If your kids love making potions they'll love this frothy, bubbly foaming witches brew complete with loads of creepy crawlies. I'll show you how to make some fun sensory witches brew using just a few common household supplies. This witches brew will come to life in seconds and keep the kids entertained for ages. An added bonus is the kids will also have super clean hands after playing!

Once you've put together your creepy concoction watch the magic unfold as the kids have loads of fun casting spells and creating potions. Will they make a love potion, heal the sick or turn people into frogs with their marvellous mixture...

Fizzing Pumpkins Halloween Science Experiment

If your kids love fun, simple science experiments then they'll love these fizzing pumpkins. This experiment is a fun way to combine a recipe, chemical reaction and sensory play all in one, with a spooky Halloween twist.

How to make a Flamingo Sensory Bottle

In this house we're definitely sensory bottle addicts! The girls love making new sensory bottles all the time. My 8yr old is also firmly obsessed with flamingos, so it was only a matter of time before we made a flamingo sensory bottle. I made sure we had all the items needed to make one together for her birthday and I'm going to show you exactly how we made a pink flamingo sensory bottle in easy to follow step by step instructions.

36 Homemade Playdough Recipes - No Cook, Scented, Flavoured & Specialty Play Dough

I have a confession to make, for years I never made home made playdough because it just seemed like too much effort. I put it in the too hard basket and spent hundreds of dollars on Playdoh and other fancy store bought dough. Little did I know it's actually super easy to make homemade dough, and given how much my youngest loves it {and loves colour mixing it, ugh} it's way more cost effective to make it at home.

If you want to make your own playdough too, you've come to the right place because I've put together a mega list of homemade playdough recipes for you to try! Including cooked and no cook recipes, scented, flavoured and themed specialty recipes and best of all most of them only have 2-3 ingredients and take a few minutes to make!

Image by elkimmelito from Pixabay

Free Printable Halloween Playdough Mats

My girls love playing with playdough mats and I've become somewhat obsessed with creating them since I discovered Canva, so of course I created some Halloween playdough mats. If you're looking for some fun Halloween sensory play for your kids then download my free playdough mats below and get creative with playdough, loose parts or washable markers.

How to make a Bouncy Egg

Do your kids love bouncy balls? Did you know you can make a bouncy ball from an egg? This simple science experiment will show you how to turn a regular egg into a bouncy egg in just a few steps using basic household items.

Build a Spider Playdough Invitation to Play

For some fun Halloween play I set up a build a spider playdough invitation for my girls. It's a great way for kids to do Halloween themed sensory play, without things getting too creepy. It would also be a fun way to learn about spiders and minibeasts if you're homeschooling.

This activity is not only fun for home, but would also be great at daycare, playgroup, kindy or prep for some fine motor and sensory fun. As the kids roll, squeeze, pinch and poke the playdough and loose parts into a spider shape they're working on pincer grip and hand strengthening, which are great ways to build up hand muscles for writing.

The Ultimate Guide to Magblox & Magbrix Magnetic Tiles

Have you been thinking about adding some Magblox magnetic tiles to your playroom, early learning centre or classroom but you're still not exactly sure if they're right for you? Don't worry, I've done all the hard work and put together the ultimate guide to MAGBLOX® and Magbrix magnetic tiles including tile designs, pack inclusions and play inspiration. Plus I have a discount code for 10% off*.

How to make a Coral Reef Ocean Sensory Bottle

We're huge fans of sensory bottles in our house, and not just the kids, I love them too. I still have so many more sensory bottle ideas to make, but this week we made a coral reef ocean sensory bottle just in time for World Oceans Day on June 8.

How to Make a Skittles Rainbow

Skittles famous advertising slogan is taste the rainbow, but did you know you can also use skittles to make a rainbow? In this post I'll show you exactly how to turn Skittles into a magical rainbow in seconds. If your kids love rainbows then they'll love this simple science experiment that's perfect to do at home or in the classroom. 

Taste Safe Jelly Beach Sensory Play

Do your kids love going to the beach? Mine do, but because we live a while away we don't get there as often as I'd like, so to substitute actual trips, we do lots of beach and ocean themed small world play. Normally I set these up using sand and water like a real beach, but this time I decided to do something a little different and create an edible beach small world using jelly and coconut. The girls absolutely loved it!

Follow the instructions below to create your own edible beach play at home, or in the classroom. I'm also going to share how you can find even more fun sensory play ideas.

Recycled Egg Carton Flowers

If you love doing recycled crafts at your place then you'll love these recycled egg carton flowers. The kids and I made them for Grandma for Mother's Day. They're an easy and affordable craft to make for birthdays, Mother's Day or just to have on display in the house. An added bonus is they'll never droop or wilt.

25 DIY Mother's Day Gifts Kids Can Make

When it comes to Mother's Day gifts I know the ones I cherish the most are the sentimental gifts from the kids, rather than store bought items. I love a good hand written letter, homemade card or Mother's Day questionnaire and have a soft spot for pasta necklaces {even when they don't fit}. 

Mother's Day doesn't have to mean a mad dash to the shops with Dad, or spending heaps on gifts at the Mother's Day stall at school, there are so many practical DIY gifts kids can make themselves for Mum {or Grandma} at home. I've put together 25 easy Mother's Day gifts kids can make for mum, there's something for everyone whether she's into jewellery, flowers, gardening or candles. Lots of these gift ideas are also suitable to do at school or daycare as a whole class activity.

How to Build Disney Inspired Castles with Connetix Magnetic Tiles

If you have a little one who loves Disney movies, then they'll be blown away if you create their very own Disney inspired castle from magnetic tiles! Our girls are firmly obsessed with Disney movies {and just quietly I still am too}. In our house Frozen {and Frozen II}, Tangled and The Little Mermaid are on constant rotation. 

Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Sven, Olaf, Rapunzel and Ariel make regular appearances in my girls imaginary play, so I decided to extend on their interests and gave myself a challenge to recreate Disney princess castles with Connetix tiles. Each week for the past few weeks I've built a new castle from one of their favourite movies and I'm sharing them all here so you can do the same for your kids too.

24 Ways to Dye & Decorate Eggs for Easter

One of my favourite Easter traditions as a kid was dyeing eggs for display. But how do you dye eggs for Easter? In this post I'll show you 24 different ways you can dye and decorate eggs for Easter. Whether you have white, brown, plastic, foam or wooden eggs doesn't really matter, there's easy Easter dyeing ideas for all types of eggs.

Free Printable Indoor Easter Egg Hunt Clues

I love doing an Easter egg hunt with the kids each year, but I'm always too scared critters will get to the eggs if we leave them outside, so each year we do an indoor hunt. This year I got creative and made my own Easter hunt clues and I'm sharing them here so you can download them too! 

If you don't have a backyard, or are too paranoid to leave treats in the backyard like me, these free printable Easter hunt clues will be the perfect way to set up a fun and easy indoor Easter egg hunt. Mix and match the clues in any order to create an indoor egg hunt to suit your family.

Free Printable Easter Playdough Mats

You may have noticed that I've started making a few printable products lately {yay for free printables right} and that's because I recently discovered Canva and am firmly obsessed with creating all the things for my kids and the blog. My latest creation is this set of free Easter playdough mats which my girls have been loving. 

These playdough mats are great for young kids from toddlers through to primary school students. Use the playdough mats for playing at home, as a daycare activity, for playgroup or in the classroom.

Easter Search & Find I-Spy Game - Free Printable

If you're looking for a fun Easter activity that involves virtually no set up, no clean up and no chocolate high after, then this is it! I've created a free printable Easter I-Spy game that you can download to use with the kids at home, or at school as a classroom activity.

25 Rainbow Crafts for Kids

Rainbow crafts are a fun way to brighten up a dull day and a great way to celebrate St Patrick's Day with kids of all ages. I've put together 25 different rainbow crafts for toddlers right through to teens. Kids can learn colours, practice fine motor skills and have fun exploring different materials while cutting, painting, weaving, stitching and sticking together lots of different rainbows.

How to make DIY Plastic Egg Sensory Shakers

Want to know the thing I love most about Easter? No, it's not chocolate {although that is a bonus!}. What I love most are the plastic eggs. Weird I know, but they're just so versatile for play, and they're so cheap! Today I'm going to show you how you {and your kids} can turn plastic Easter eggs into sensory music shakers with just a few items from your pantry or craft drawer.

DIY Toilet Paper Roll Heart Stamp Painting

If you're after an inexpensive, easy to set up Valentine's craft activity for toddlers, preschoolers or school kids then look no further because heart stamp painting is about as easy as it comes. The best part is you can make the heart stamp yourself from empty toilet paper rolls or cardboard tubes you have at home. Heart stamping is also a great art activity for daycare, kindy or school and can be used to make Valentines gifts for family and friends.

Kmart Playroom Storage Solutions & Hacks

If you want to set up a Pinterest or Instagram worthy playroom, but don't have a huge amount of cash to splash, don't worry Kmart has everything you need! Whether you want to add some style or just need things to be functional, Kmart Australia have playroom storage solutions for all different decorating tastes at really affordable prices. I've put together a list of our favourite Kmart playroom storage solutions and hacks for all the books, toys and general clutter that's taking over your toy room.

Where to Buy The Best Miniland Doll Clothes on Etsy

You've just bought an adorable Miniland doll {or 6 like me, eek} and now you want some gorgeous clothes to go with it. Most of them come either naked or with a cotton underwear set, but don't worry there are heaps of amazing handmade dolls clothes available to fit Miniland dolls. Whether you love vintage or modern styles there's a business that will make exactly what you're looking for. To save you spending ages searching for them, I've put together a list of the best Miniland dolls clothes on Etsy.

Image: Little Luna Nova

How to Prepare Preschoolers for Primary School: 7 Tips for Starting School

Starting school can be an extremely emotional time for children {and parents}. It's often the biggest change in routine kids have experienced in their lives and for many it will be the longest time they've spent away from their parents. Understandably children are likely to be anxious about the new environment, new rules and new people they'll meet at school. 

Many parents worry about academically preparing their kids for school and can often overlook other skills they'll need to know. While knowing colours, shapes, the alphabet and numbers to 10 before school is recommended, there are many other important social, emotional and physical skills children will need to help make the transition as smooth as possible.

10 Easy Ways to Repurpose & Upcycle Kids Art

I know the thought of throwing out any of the kids masterpieces can be heart-wrenching, especially if you're a sentimental person like me who wants to keep everything, but at some point you'll have to face the reality of culling the hoards of pictures, paintings and letters that make their way into your home. 

However, just because you decide you don't want to store or display some of the kids artwork, doesn't mean it's destined for the recycling bin. In fact there are many creative ways you can upcycle kids art. I've put together a list of 10 easy ways to upcycle kids artwork and give them new life.

Kids drawings, paintings and even letters can easily be turned from scribbles on paper into practical objects. With a tiny bit of effort your scrap pile of art can be turned into free gifts for friends and family, homemade decorations and even functional items like placemats and envelopes.