It's on days like these that I like to mix a few little, more structured activities between naps, food and the time Josephine is happy to play by herself, in her own little world. This afternoon, the perfect activity was a garden treasure hunt. So, complete with basket, we began traipsing round the garden searching for trinkets. We talked as we walked, discussing the animals we came across (bees and snails, mostly) the plants we smelt and 'oooh'd and ahhhh'd' over and the truly random bits we discovered buried in the grass (an old peg, a piece of beautiful broken porcelain).
As Josephine gets older and is both more eager and able to learn, it's activities like these that are fun and educational, for the two of us. I doubt there is anything more amazing than seeing the world through her eyes; the mystery and wonder of the things we take for granted. What are your favourite at-home activities with your little ones? I'd love to make afternoon learning a more regular part of our daily rhythms so any inspiration would be appreciated. Also, I was thinking of buying this book. I imagine most of it will be a little old for Josephine right now, but I wondered if anyone out there had read it and what you thought.
Tomorrow, our darling girl turns 18 months old. This year is flying by. Days are turning to weeks and months in the blink of an eye. In a few weeks we'll be heading down to Cornwall to stay with my grandparents, and before we know it this boiling heatwave will turn into autumn. It's these quiet days that draw the hours out a little longer, making them even more important. Yes, days like today will definitely become a fixture of our weekly rhythms from now on.
Sounds like a gorgeous way to spend the afternoon. My little one is not quite yet at this stage (would just want to eat everything we found and then take it all out of the bag!) but I can't wait until she is! That last photo is just beautiful - very timeless.
ReplyDeleteI love the Imagination Tree blog for ideas - lots of sensory/messy play, plus more educational bits and bobs.
Would love to hear about the book too, if you do buy it. As a Primary School teacher, Montessori teaching has always intrigued me.
x
It is hard finding time between naps and eating to do much at that age! That book is a great resource and with some clever tweaking you could make many of the activities appropriate for Phiney. Love that photo. So sweet those tiny feet. xx ashley
ReplyDeleteThe days are long, but the years swift .... or something along those lines. Scary, isn't it. She has the cutest, chubbiest, little legs. Kellie xx
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pictures, you've a real eye for taking interesting shots. I too would be interested to know what the book is like xx
ReplyDelete