Instead of screens today, why not… play with rocks. Rocks and sticks. For many kids in the world today, that’s all that’s in the toy box. I can’t quite get my head around it and I know my kids couldn’t, but I wish we could. One of my earliest childhood friends had a rock dolly that she…
Make some cute pot plant friends
Instead of screens today, why not… make a couple of pot plant friends? We recently spent a goodly amount of time making these gorgeous little pot plant friends to pretty up our front verandah. It’s such a simple (and cheap!) thing to make and it’s fun to change the faces or designs over time. Words are always…
How to play pooh sticks
Instead of screens today, why not… play pooh sticks? ‘Pooh sticks’ is the game that Winnie the Pooh invented in AA Milne’s The House at Pooh Corner. As is fitting for our beloved Pooh, it’s a simple game with very few rules, best played with friends. The real beauty of pooh sticks is finding a suitable…
How to make and use Story Stones
Instead of screens today, why not… use story stones to tell a tale? We went on a rock hunt and found some smooth pebbles in the creek near our house. On the day we went hunting it was a wet day and the leeches were rampant! Eeek! Once those leeches started attaching, I didn’t feel…
30 creative writing prompts for kids
Instead of screens today, why not… do some creative writing? All children love listening to stories and as they get older their urge to tell their own stories grows too. For some kids (often those we call ‘born writers’) this is an easy thing to do. They grab a piece of paper and a pencil…
6 lovely things for kids to make with clay
Instead of screens today, why not… make something with clay? I signed myself and the kids up for a free council-run “clay habitats – making terrestrial shelters” workshop in the holidays. It turned out that they were the only kids at the workshop, but that didn’t stop them. We started the morning with a talk…
Slipping away on the technology slide
An unexpected, but entirely welcome, side effect of coming out as a ‘screen freedom’ parent is that I have become something of a sounding board for parents to air their grief about the impact technology has had on their lives. I do not use the word ‘grief’ lightly here, either. The sadness and hopelessness expressed in…
How to finger knit (with easy-to-follow video)
Instead of screens today… why not finger knit a teddy bear scarf? Cappers recently taught me how to finger knit. Her friend Stella taught her. I am always grateful to clever little friends who show my kids how to do the things I can’t. Cappers is really interested in all things wool – knitting, weaving,…
6 more books that make creativity explode
Yesterday I shared my top 6 books for bigger kids and today it’s the little kids’ turn. There is no doubt that we are living in an era filled with marvellous stuff for kids and books are absolutely leading the way. As my children have grown I have found myself having to resist buying little kid…
6 books that make creativity explode
Instead of screens today, why not… read a book that charges up creativity? Any kind of book is wonderful food for creative minds, but some books make kid’s creativity explode out of their heads. Or something like that. Over the years we’ve collected many of these books and my creative-sponge Cappers is the one that…