Pokkelokkie playtime activity workshop

Mar 27, 2020

Day 1

Painting is always a total hit. It`s messy but a lot of fun and can be done by ALL ages. Try and let go of the mess. Just make sure to lay down some plastic or paint outside if you can on the grass. Water soluble paint is a must.

3D objects are much more fun to paint and allows practice of fine motor skills.

Dry leaves
Stones/rocks
Pinecones
Tree trunks

Start collecting plastic or cardboard stuff.. anything that you would usually throw away. Pop a box next to the bin and throw stuff in there.

Toilet rolls (start collecting these for many other things we will do)
Egg boxes are fun
Any box of any sort - oats, cereal boxes etc
Tins
Any packaging
Plant pots

Enjoy.

Day 2

Mud kitchen.

This is very easy to set up even if you a small balcony. A bench plus all your kitchen goods:

Pots , pans, trays, spoons, sieves, jugs, baking anything… the list is endless.

A bucket of sand and a bucket of water and let them play!

Day 3

Flower pressing.

Today we went hunting in the garden for flowers. We all chose some, popped them in a tupperware then headed back to find our biggest book. (If you don’t have a garden make a mental note to grab some flowers on your way to the shops).

Place flowers on a tissue in the center of the book (if you don’t have a very big book then just use a lot of books to pile on top).

Cover the flowers with more tissues.

Say goodbye and close.

Leave them for 10 days to dry then open.

Make a picture or just marvel at them. Both our 2 and 4 year old enjoyed this. The patience though now is a bit tricky so consider hiding the book so it is not in plain sight. Those naughty fingers cannot resist having “a look”.

Enjoy.

Day 4

Baking.

Today we made butter cookies.

Baking is enjoyed by ALL ages and it can be a bit messy but does not matter. That is half the fun. Try and let go the control if you can. It`s not much fun to watch mom bake. It’s a lot more fun to get those little hands dirty and see what comes out.

This is a great recipe that works well – you don’t have to make the icing they are pretty darn yummy just as is. If you do not have cookie cutters simply roll little balls and smash with a fork.

Have fun!

Day 5

Toy organisation ideas

We used to keep all our toys in big baskets around the house. Sjoe what a mess that was.Everything got lost and no one knew what was what. They stopped playing with any of their toys.Until w e threw a bunch of stuff away, donated a whole other bunch and then reorganized it all.

Toy organisation can be so helpful. Both for you and her.

Open shelves with smaller baskets work well, as does some big drawers.We use a book shelf.
Divide things into their categories: animals in one basket, puzzles in another, cars and trains in one, coloring and art stuff together, dolls and clothes in another etc.

Since we did this we have found they tend to wander off , pull open a basket and pick what they want. They are also more likely to put it away if they know where it goes (and you can tell them where ti put it).

Toy rotation is a wonderful idea that also works very well. You do not need tons of aimless, plastic toys to entertain children. Choose interesting things that have a lot of play time.

How to rotate:

Pack away a set of things, bring out another set and place them in view on shelves or open baskets.
After a week or three, pack those away and bring out another set of things. Kids find new uses for things they have not seen in three weeks.

This idea prevents you from having to buy new stuff to add to the pile and it allows children to be imaginative. It is very useful for a time like LOCKDOWN and can be started at any age.

Reorganizing toys is very refreshing and very rewarding. Get cracking and let us know how it has changed your time.

Day 6

Build a ramp.

Day 7

Baking (round two) plus a picnic.

Today we made banana cakes.

From about 2 years old kids can manage pouring of goodies into a bowl quite well (and can focus for more than 5 seconds). Kids really, really love baking! It is messy but it`s fun.

The picnic suggestion was a hit.

They were responsible for packing the picnic bag and the setting up of the blanket in the garden (if you don`t have garden just go to another room and have it there- it is just as much fun). Add teddys and dolls for little girls and have a full on tea party.

We ate our cakes and added custard and apple juice too. Would love to see your picnics too!

Recipe here

Day 8

Smoothie making

Kids love to prepare food and can do so from a very young age. Having a sense of duty is important for little ones. It builds confidence and helps them feel they have a part to play in all of this (which they do). Also, doing things together builds a very solid relationship for you and her and helps define boundaries which children definitely thrive off.

Little ones are very capable of cutting soft fruits and throwing it into a bowl as well as cleaning up and throwing away the peels. If you do not have any child friendly knives, a blunt butter knife is safe.

We made watermelon, banana, blueberry and pineapple smoothies.

We took a two day break over the weekend :)

Day 11

Today we made NICE CREAMS. These make a very tasty and a healthy snack.

Strawberries, banana, blue berries and water melon and a bit of water. Blend it all up with a can of coconut milk and a big spoon of raw honey.

Blend any fruit - always try and add bananas as they are a great base.

Enjoy!

Day 12

Today we made playdough. This is SOOO easy moms.

Recipe:

2 cups of flour

1 cup of salt

1 TBsp oil

4 TBsp cream of tartar

2 cups of water

Food colouring

Place all in pot and mix well. heat on medium heat until it starts to form a dough. Take it out and knead until smooth (when cooled a bit).

Make monsters and food stuffs and play shop :)

Enjoy!

Day 13

Make a fort inside. Kids love this!!!Tie bed sheets together and throw pillows inside.