Lucy is our wonderful Brand Ambassador. Lucy has a background in early years and shares her love of play on instagram with inspired posts, tips and ideas, so that you can delve into the world of your child's interests. Find her account here
How did your play journey begin?
I have always valued learning through play and spent a lot of time working with and teaching early years so as soon as our little girl B was born we started sensory play at home . I would say it really became part of our daily life during lockdown , setting up a new tray each day . Some were very simple, and others were extremely messy, but we had great fun with them .
From then on, we have continued to enjoy them daily , exploring , sparking interests, and learning through play . When Mr. N was born, we started sharing our plays on instagram ,hoping to inspire others and always be inspired. The play community is so supportive and full of incredible ideas.
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When creating play invitations what guides you?
We tend now to follow a theme , usually suggested by one of the minis, season specific festivals or special days that are coming up . I find it helps me create ideas for trays a lot quicker / easier if I have a theme to follow.
Also by the minis picking their own topics they are excited to learn , play and explore. We can add in our core subjects such as maths , phonics and science in a way that keeps it fun and interesting .
I also like to decorate our playroom in the same topic so they have access to all the resources to learn and create in their own way too.
You have two fans of natural history! What sparked B's love of fossils and Mary Anning and N's love of dinosaurs?
Dinosaurs are a big topic for us, I’m lucky in the way that both minis are so interested and fascinated by them. Creating play is really fun, easy to do and always well received . Fossil digs have to be one of their fave plays , B is a massive fan of Mary Anning and all things fossil and N amazes me how much he knows about dinosaurs , their names , what they eat , how they ‘roar ‘ .
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N has loved Dinosaurs since he was born. B choose a little Dinosaur soft toy for him back then and he still loves it today. He is so good at recognising & naming the different dinosaurs. I have had to do a lot of research and learning myself to be able to share information with them. Luckily, Steg & Rex have an incredible amount of resources to help with this.
He can spend a whole day playing with Dinosaur figures, making footprints in dough, burying them in the sand, cleaning and washing them, which of course means he stomps and roars all day, holding arms like a mini T-Rex . N will always ask for a Dinosaur play every day .
B I would say has really become interested in them within the last 18 months when she got a book about Mary Anning . She is fascinated by her. The fact that she started finding fossils when she was just a little girl has really clicked with B and inspired her to want to do the same. I think also the fact that others tried to pass the research and discoveries of Mary Anning off as their own and not give her the recognition she truly deserved has made B even more determined to discover her own fossils, particularly an Ichthyosaur.
Mary Anning Fossil Hunter Book here
N is definitely a dinosaur fan! What's his favourite dinosaur?
N is a massive Dino fan indeed! At the moment I would say the Spinosaurus is becoming a new fave along with a Carnotaurus, he likes the big, scary, loud carnivores where as B much prefers the herbivores, a Parasaurolophus is her all time fave.
What are your go to resources when creating play invitations for your children?
A decent size tray especially if they’re exploring a play together. A good base has such an impact on the play, kinetic sand is great for a fossil dig, rice or chickpeas create a great sensory play and if it’s getting messy then you need some oobleck or aquafaba to enjoy.
We then add in our loose parts depending on the theme or learning goal. We have a great collection of fossils and dinosaurs along with an incredible amount of books and info cards too.
Washable resources are always helpful and good as you can reuse them again and again .
Shop our Fossil Dig Kit here
How do you like to spend your free time?
We like to get outside , especially to our local park or woods . There’s so much to explore and discover. They love collecting ‘treasures’ that we can then use in our play trays back at home .
I honestly adore setting up plays for them, chatting and learning whilst spending time together and giggling , it’s magical and so rewarding.
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