We have had a fabulous time learning through play over the last couple of weeks. Today we read the story of Little Red Riding Hood and to take it easy as Little Miss M is feeling a bit under the weather. So we had a little cuddle and Mummy read her a story. Her big brother and sister were at School and Nursery – so it was a bit different just the two of us.
After we had listened to the story, Miss M and I got ready to go out to the garden for some fresh air and to pick some flowers for Grandma. Little M obviously needed her red cape and also her home-made basket. I made these really simply using a plant liner and attached a handle.
As we ran around and played, Miss M and I chatted about the colours, sounds and shapes of the nature surrounding us. We could hear the birds singing, the cars driving by and the tractor in the field.
I showed M how to pick the flowers that she liked and she had a go at doing this herself. Usually the flower was ripped away from the stem but she enjoyed herself nevertheless. As Mummy picked the flowers, M and I counted as we put them in the basket. We identified the colour of the flower and the colour of the stem. We sniffed them and talked about how, ‘beautiful’ and ‘pretty’ they are. All this wonderful language is so good for Miss M and her ever increasing vocabulary.
After Miss M had a little nap, Mummy had laid out this little table in the kitchen. Simply with two jars, a jug and the flowers we had collected.
Miss M loved taking the flowers out of the basket and laying them on the table to explore further.
Again, as she played we had lots of talk about what we were doing, seeing and feeling.
We also had spillages as Miss M poured the water into the jars. This is all part of the learning experience, she cleaned it all up herself and we had another go. Pouring with accuracy is a tricky skill.
Once Miss M was happy with the water, she began putting her flowers in the jars. This was a great opportunity to talk about size and length. Some she declared were, ‘too big’ so Mummy said, ‘yes they are too long – shall I cut them?’ This was so valuable again for introducing new words and mathematical concepts such as measure.
A lovely sense of achievement for Miss M too as Mummy thought they looked so beautiful that they had to go in the living room. Small tantrum followed this as Miss M wanted to carry them around with her all day! 🙂 It’s all a learning journey though right!?
Precious Play 