Playing outside is an essential part of a child's development. From making mud kitchens, to getting to know nature, learning and playing outside will help little learners form key developmental skills such as physical health & self-confidence!
January flies by with a blink of an eye and suddenly the whole family is back into a routine likely to be made up of packing lunches, the dreaded school run, after school clubs and evenings spent counting down the minutes to some peace and quiet.Despite the blustery weather outside February does have a few things to offer such as Pancake Day, Valentine’s Day and of course February Half Term! We understand that entertaining little ones for a whole week can be a challenge so we’re here to help with some ideas to create your very own #HalfTermHaven Meet two of our resident Mummy Bloggers, Emma and Rachel:Emma Vanstone – Science Sparks/ Mummy, Mummy, Mum!Emma is a busy mum to three and runs two blogs; Science Sparks and Mummy, Mummy, Mum! Emma has a degree in Microbiology and Virology which she uses to share exciting activities that make Science fun for kids.Rachel Neal – Blogging MummyRachel is a mummy to two boys, born May 2011 and September 2014. Blogging Mummy was originally set up to document the achievements of her little man. Now that bubs has come along the blog also documents their journey with Congenital Hypothyroidism.We asked them some questions about how they keep their little ones entertained during the Half Term break… What is your first thought when you realise February Half Term is approaching?“My first thought is always how nice it will be to rush around less, followed by apanic about how I will get my work done with the kids around and give them agreat Half Term break at the same time. I’m very lucky that I can work fromhome around the children, but it can make holidays a little stressful.†– Emma“My first thought is actually excitement at getting to spend every full day with my eldest son. I then worry about things I am going to do to keep himentertained.†RachelWe recommend Sophie’s Seashell Scramble, fun for all of the family! How far in advance do you usually plan what you will be doing during the week?“If we’re planning on doing a tennis or swimming course I plan that about a month ahead, play dates with friends usually about a week ahead or very spur of the moment on the day.†– Emma“I am very organised and make sure I plan about 2 weeks in advance, although planning can be hard sometimes with the unpredictable weather in the UK.†-RachelWe recommend: Primary Science Magnifier and Tweezer Set! What sort of things do you usually do to keep the little ones entertained?“I always have lots of craft materials around for ad hoc projects, and generallyhave a long list of science experiments to try, but we usually get sidetrackedinto going to the park or out for day trips with friends. I sometimes buy my 8year old a new book and my daughters some stationary or a magazine so they can entertain themselves for a while too.†– Emma“I always make sure we have a selection of indoor and outdoor activities planned. We love going for a walk around our local Country Park, Games days, crafts days, bowling, cinema and soft play. I usually ask my son what he would like to do as well. If there is something in particular he would like to do I make sure we fit this into the schedule.† -Rachel We recommend Hot Dots®, ideal for independent learning! What’s your favourite activity to do during Half Term?“At home, I love to do anything creative with them. It’s always good to have a big cardboard box around in the holidays as that keeps my girls occupied for hours. Outside the house we love to find an open area with lots of trees to climb. Everyone is happy after getting some fresh air and it means we can take the rest of the day a bit easier knowing we’ve been outside.†– Emma“Crafts and games days. We absolutely love making things and painting and Little Man especially loves playing games and making jigsaws.†– RachelWe recommend Playfoam®, perfect for mess free play! We hope this helps to create your very own #HalfTermHaven at home. Enjoy the week, we’d love to hear how you got on!FacebookTwitterInstagramYouTubeLinkedInPinterest
Half Term Haven
January flies by with a blink of an eye and suddenly the whole family is back into a routine likely to be made up of packing lunches, the dreaded school run, after school clubs and evenings spent counting down the minutes to some peace and quiet.Despite the blustery weather outside February does have a few things to offer such as Pancake Day, Valentine’s Day and of course February Half Term! We understand that entertaining little ones for a whole week can be a challenge so we’re here to help with some ideas to create your very own #HalfTermHaven Meet two of our resident Mummy Bloggers, Emma and Rachel:Emma Vanstone – Science Sparks/ Mummy, Mummy, Mum!Emma is a busy mum to three and runs two blogs; Science Sparks and Mummy, Mummy, Mum! Emma has a degree in Microbiology and Virology which she uses to share exciting activities that make Science fun for kids.Rachel Neal – Blogging MummyRachel is a mummy to two boys, born May 2011 and September 2014. Blogging Mummy was originally set up to document the achievements of her little man. Now that bubs has come along the blog also documents their journey with Congenital Hypothyroidism.We asked them some questions about how they keep their little ones entertained during the Half Term break… What is your first thought when you realise February Half Term is approaching?“My first thought is always how nice it will be to rush around less, followed by apanic about how I will get my work done with the kids around and give them agreat Half Term break at the same time. I’m very lucky that I can work fromhome around the children, but it can make holidays a little stressful.†– Emma“My first thought is actually excitement at getting to spend every full day with my eldest son. I then worry about things I am going to do to keep himentertained.†RachelWe recommend Sophie’s Seashell Scramble, fun for all of the family! How far in advance do you usually plan what you will be doing during the week?“If we’re planning on doing a tennis or swimming course I plan that about a month ahead, play dates with friends usually about a week ahead or very spur of the moment on the day.†– Emma“I am very organised and make sure I plan about 2 weeks in advance, although planning can be hard sometimes with the unpredictable weather in the UK.†-RachelWe recommend: Primary Science Magnifier and Tweezer Set! What sort of things do you usually do to keep the little ones entertained?“I always have lots of craft materials around for ad hoc projects, and generallyhave a long list of science experiments to try, but we usually get sidetrackedinto going to the park or out for day trips with friends. I sometimes buy my 8year old a new book and my daughters some stationary or a magazine so they can entertain themselves for a while too.†– Emma“I always make sure we have a selection of indoor and outdoor activities planned. We love going for a walk around our local Country Park, Games days, crafts days, bowling, cinema and soft play. I usually ask my son what he would like to do as well. If there is something in particular he would like to do I make sure we fit this into the schedule.† -Rachel We recommend Hot Dots®, ideal for independent learning! What’s your favourite activity to do during Half Term?“At home, I love to do anything creative with them. It’s always good to have a big cardboard box around in the holidays as that keeps my girls occupied for hours. Outside the house we love to find an open area with lots of trees to climb. Everyone is happy after getting some fresh air and it means we can take the rest of the day a bit easier knowing we’ve been outside.†– Emma“Crafts and games days. We absolutely love making things and painting and Little Man especially loves playing games and making jigsaws.†– RachelWe recommend Playfoam®, perfect for mess free play! We hope this helps to create your very own #HalfTermHaven at home. Enjoy the week, we’d love to hear how you got on!FacebookTwitterInstagramYouTubeLinkedInPinterest
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Our product range is full to the brim of hands-on learning resources suitable for teachers, parents, childminders, Special Needs professionals, after school clubs and many more other people who have a keen interest in children’s learning. The brands in our range offer a variety of products to support the hands-on learning of children from birth and beyond. Each brand offers high-quality, award winning products that we’re proud to offer as part of our overall range. These brands can be spotted in retail stores across the whole world and we’ve even spotted them on the TV!I’d like to introduce you to these brands and the learning skills they support! We’ve had great feedback about them, and would love to hear your thoughts too!PlayfoamPlayfoam offers completely mess-free creative play fun! Children simply shape it into anything in their imagination before squashing it down and starting all over again! Playfoam is suitable for ages 3+, and does not stick to clothes or carpet. The non-toxic formula offers safe play, which promotes sensory perception and fine motor skill development.Green ToysGreen Toys are the 100% recycled alternative to traditional plastic toys! Both the products and the packaging are derived from recycled, environmentally friendly materials. Although they don’t sound like they could be any ‘greener’, all Green Toys contain no traceable amounts of Phthalates, BPA or PVC, and have no external coating or paint!Smart SplashMake a splash while learning with Smart Splash! Bring a range of early learning skills to the water table with these fun floating friends. Great in the bath too! Great for ages 2+, so younger learners can practise number, letter, shape and colour recognition.Snap-n-LearnMaster early learning skills in a snap! Each animal invites little hands to snap together and pull apart pieces, reinforcing fine motor skills. Promotes colour, number, shape, counting and alphabet skills for children from ages 2+.Smart SnacksSmart Snacks products are a tasty take on learning! Each treat-themed set combines imaginative play with essential early skills such as sorting, fractions, counting, patterning and lacing.Dino Construction CompanyPart dinosaur, part construction vehicle, machines provide hours of indoor and outdoor role play fun. Built to last, each dinosaur features a range of hand-powered mechanisms, meaning no metal pieces or electronic parts.New SproutsNew Sprouts products are specially designed for little hands! Perfect for ages 2+ and encourage role play from an early age. They are made from soft, rubberised PVC and are durable for long lasting use by small hands.Pretend & PlayPretend & Play is one of our oldest and most popular role play brands. Stock up on produce with our durable plastic play food sets. Life-size, realistically detailed and perfect for imaginative play or teaching nutrition and other PSHE subjects.Design & DrillCreativity and construction combine! Children design their own learning fun with colourful bolts and realistic tools that help develop early skills, from colour recognition and counting to fine motor skills and following directions.Gears! Gears! Gears!These open-ended play kits encourage hands-on creativity and problem solving! The construction fun develops fine motor skills and includes language-free instructions for an early introduction to step by step instructions which are easy to follow.Goodie GamesDipping your hand in the cookie jar quickly becomes a learning experience with Goodie Games! Each set develops key early skills with multiple games. Reinforce skills such as courting, colour, shapes and sorting.POP GamesQuick, easy game play and engaging illustrations are perfect for young learners! Pop games include sets for early numeracy skills including colours, rhyming, counting and shapes. Sets for literacy include letters, sight words, blends and word families.Hot Dots and Hot Dots Jr.Hot Dots interactive cards help children to develop a wide range of important skills as when used with the Hot Dots pen they deliver instant feedback and reinforcement to encourage progress. Hot Dot’s JuniorInteractive storybooks and cards introduce many key early learning skills such as the alphabet, colours and rhyming, ideal for children aged between 4 and 8.Three Bear FamilyThe award-winning mother, father and baby bear counters can be compared by size, weight and colour, perfect for introducing a range of early maths concepts. The Three Bear Family brand also includes a Bingo Game, Bucket Balance and Sorting Set!Primary ScienceEngage young scientists with bright colours and chunky pieces! Oversized tools support hands-on observation and investigating making science accessible for everyone!GeoSafari & GeoSafari Jr.The hardy products in our GeoSafari and GeoSafari Jr. brand ranges give children the opportunity to explore the world around them as they play, learning all sorts about animals, plants, or anything they can get their hands on! And for those real budding scientists there are even things that they can use to expand their learning beyond the earth and out into space!Nancy B’s Science ClubNancy B’s range of scientific tools and real-life journaling activities provide hands-on science experiences that encourage children to feel comfortable and excited about science! What’s more, Nancy B is a real scientist! Learn more about her here.Keep an eye out for these brands and other Learning Resources products in retail stores near you! We’d love to hear what you think.Until next time…Laura
Our product range is full to the brim of hands-on learning resources suitable for teachers, parents, childminders, Special Needs professionals, after school clubs and many more other people who have a keen interest in children’s learning. The brands in our range offer a variety of products to support the hands-on learning of children from birth and beyond. Each brand offers high-quality, award winning products that we’re proud to offer as part of our overall range. These brands can be spotted in retail stores across the whole world and we’ve even spotted them on the TV!I’d like to introduce you to these brands and the learning skills they support! We’ve had great feedback about them, and would love to hear your thoughts too!PlayfoamPlayfoam offers completely mess-free creative play fun! Children simply shape it into anything in their imagination before squashing it down and starting all over again! Playfoam is suitable for ages 3+, and does not stick to clothes or carpet. The non-toxic formula offers safe play, which promotes sensory perception and fine motor skill development.Green ToysGreen Toys are the 100% recycled alternative to traditional plastic toys! Both the products and the packaging are derived from recycled, environmentally friendly materials. Although they don’t sound like they could be any ‘greener’, all Green Toys contain no traceable amounts of Phthalates, BPA or PVC, and have no external coating or paint!Smart SplashMake a splash while learning with Smart Splash! Bring a range of early learning skills to the water table with these fun floating friends. Great in the bath too! Great for ages 2+, so younger learners can practise number, letter, shape and colour recognition.Snap-n-LearnMaster early learning skills in a snap! Each animal invites little hands to snap together and pull apart pieces, reinforcing fine motor skills. Promotes colour, number, shape, counting and alphabet skills for children from ages 2+.Smart SnacksSmart Snacks products are a tasty take on learning! Each treat-themed set combines imaginative play with essential early skills such as sorting, fractions, counting, patterning and lacing.Dino Construction CompanyPart dinosaur, part construction vehicle, machines provide hours of indoor and outdoor role play fun. Built to last, each dinosaur features a range of hand-powered mechanisms, meaning no metal pieces or electronic parts.New SproutsNew Sprouts products are specially designed for little hands! Perfect for ages 2+ and encourage role play from an early age. They are made from soft, rubberised PVC and are durable for long lasting use by small hands.Pretend & PlayPretend & Play is one of our oldest and most popular role play brands. Stock up on produce with our durable plastic play food sets. Life-size, realistically detailed and perfect for imaginative play or teaching nutrition and other PSHE subjects.Design & DrillCreativity and construction combine! Children design their own learning fun with colourful bolts and realistic tools that help develop early skills, from colour recognition and counting to fine motor skills and following directions.Gears! Gears! Gears!These open-ended play kits encourage hands-on creativity and problem solving! The construction fun develops fine motor skills and includes language-free instructions for an early introduction to step by step instructions which are easy to follow.Goodie GamesDipping your hand in the cookie jar quickly becomes a learning experience with Goodie Games! Each set develops key early skills with multiple games. Reinforce skills such as courting, colour, shapes and sorting.POP GamesQuick, easy game play and engaging illustrations are perfect for young learners! Pop games include sets for early numeracy skills including colours, rhyming, counting and shapes. Sets for literacy include letters, sight words, blends and word families.Hot Dots and Hot Dots Jr.Hot Dots interactive cards help children to develop a wide range of important skills as when used with the Hot Dots pen they deliver instant feedback and reinforcement to encourage progress. Hot Dot’s JuniorInteractive storybooks and cards introduce many key early learning skills such as the alphabet, colours and rhyming, ideal for children aged between 4 and 8.Three Bear FamilyThe award-winning mother, father and baby bear counters can be compared by size, weight and colour, perfect for introducing a range of early maths concepts. The Three Bear Family brand also includes a Bingo Game, Bucket Balance and Sorting Set!Primary ScienceEngage young scientists with bright colours and chunky pieces! Oversized tools support hands-on observation and investigating making science accessible for everyone!GeoSafari & GeoSafari Jr.The hardy products in our GeoSafari and GeoSafari Jr. brand ranges give children the opportunity to explore the world around them as they play, learning all sorts about animals, plants, or anything they can get their hands on! And for those real budding scientists there are even things that they can use to expand their learning beyond the earth and out into space!Nancy B’s Science ClubNancy B’s range of scientific tools and real-life journaling activities provide hands-on science experiences that encourage children to feel comfortable and excited about science! What’s more, Nancy B is a real scientist! Learn more about her here.Keep an eye out for these brands and other Learning Resources products in retail stores near you! We’d love to hear what you think.Until next time…Laura
Green ToysGreen Toys are the 100% recycled alternative to traditional plastic toys! Both the products and the packaging are derived from recycled, environmentally friendly materials. Although they don’t sound like they could be any ‘greener’, all Green Toys contain no traceable amounts of Phthalates, BPA or PVC, and have no external coating or paint!
Smart SplashMake a splash while learning with Smart Splash! Bring a range of early learning skills to the water table with these fun floating friends. Great in the bath too! Great for ages 2+, so younger learners can practise number, letter, shape and colour recognition.
Snap-n-LearnMaster early learning skills in a snap! Each animal invites little hands to snap together and pull apart pieces, reinforcing fine motor skills. Promotes colour, number, shape, counting and alphabet skills for children from ages 2+.
Smart SnacksSmart Snacks products are a tasty take on learning! Each treat-themed set combines imaginative play with essential early skills such as sorting, fractions, counting, patterning and lacing.
Dino Construction CompanyPart dinosaur, part construction vehicle, machines provide hours of indoor and outdoor role play fun. Built to last, each dinosaur features a range of hand-powered mechanisms, meaning no metal pieces or electronic parts.
New SproutsNew Sprouts products are specially designed for little hands! Perfect for ages 2+ and encourage role play from an early age. They are made from soft, rubberised PVC and are durable for long lasting use by small hands.
Pretend & PlayPretend & Play is one of our oldest and most popular role play brands. Stock up on produce with our durable plastic play food sets. Life-size, realistically detailed and perfect for imaginative play or teaching nutrition and other PSHE subjects.
Design & DrillCreativity and construction combine! Children design their own learning fun with colourful bolts and realistic tools that help develop early skills, from colour recognition and counting to fine motor skills and following directions.
Gears! Gears! Gears!These open-ended play kits encourage hands-on creativity and problem solving! The construction fun develops fine motor skills and includes language-free instructions for an early introduction to step by step instructions which are easy to follow.
Goodie GamesDipping your hand in the cookie jar quickly becomes a learning experience with Goodie Games! Each set develops key early skills with multiple games. Reinforce skills such as courting, colour, shapes and sorting.
POP GamesQuick, easy game play and engaging illustrations are perfect for young learners! Pop games include sets for early numeracy skills including colours, rhyming, counting and shapes. Sets for literacy include letters, sight words, blends and word families.
Hot Dots and Hot Dots Jr.Hot Dots interactive cards help children to develop a wide range of important skills as when used with the Hot Dots pen they deliver instant feedback and reinforcement to encourage progress. Hot Dot’s JuniorInteractive storybooks and cards introduce many key early learning skills such as the alphabet, colours and rhyming, ideal for children aged between 4 and 8.
Three Bear FamilyThe award-winning mother, father and baby bear counters can be compared by size, weight and colour, perfect for introducing a range of early maths concepts. The Three Bear Family brand also includes a Bingo Game, Bucket Balance and Sorting Set!
Primary ScienceEngage young scientists with bright colours and chunky pieces! Oversized tools support hands-on observation and investigating making science accessible for everyone!
GeoSafari & GeoSafari Jr.The hardy products in our GeoSafari and GeoSafari Jr. brand ranges give children the opportunity to explore the world around them as they play, learning all sorts about animals, plants, or anything they can get their hands on! And for those real budding scientists there are even things that they can use to expand their learning beyond the earth and out into space!
Nancy B’s Science ClubNancy B’s range of scientific tools and real-life journaling activities provide hands-on science experiences that encourage children to feel comfortable and excited about science! What’s more, Nancy B is a real scientist! 
Keep an eye out for these brands and other Learning Resources products in retail stores near you! We’d love to hear what you think.Until next time…Laura
