Planting sunflowers

As you may be aware we have a tradition this time of year and that is to plant out sunflowers.  I have decided to share this idea with you again as I think many of you may find it helpful as it is a great activity to start over the Easter holidays!

I first started growing sunflowers when I found out that I was pregnant (I think my nurturing instinct kicked in).  This activity is now something that I share with Little Boo.  I think that growing flowers, plants and fruit and vegetables is a great way for children to experience how things grow. We have looked at books which talk all about flowers and how they need water and sun to grow. 

This book contains colourful pictures and labelled diagrams to explain the flower parts.  The images are really clear and easy to understand this is a non-fiction text which is great to share with children as you can select the sections that you wish to read.

This is a wonderful book to link in with the growth of flowers.  The author Eric Carle with his wonderful illustrations explains how one seed that is tiny survives all the different sorts of weather and grows into the biggest and tallest flower. 

Little Boo helped to plant the seeds then we re-potted them once big enough.

This was interesting as Little Boo had to be careful with the plants as they were still very fragile.  Some did end up getting broken but it was nice to observe how she learnt to be careful. 

We have taken pictures at each stage and have taken a picture of Little Boo standing by the sunflower so she can see it get taller than her.  It has been wonderful watching the sunflowers grow with Little Boo.  She has really looked after them and watered them even after the rain! Unfortunately due to the odd weather this year the sunflowers have not grown as good as last year. 

Looking after the sunflowers 

One of our sunflowers

I have made a pack with the sunflower activities that we have done contained in it.  I hope that everyone likes this we have tried and tested most the activities in here and have had loads of fun. Please let me know if you have enjoyed this it is the first pack I have made so am keen to know how people get on with it and what people would like to see more of.

Sunflowers Activity Book

Little Boo's Book shop

I have been trying to find ways for Little Boo to discuss books in a fun and enjoyable way.  So decided to set up her own Little Book shop.  I was the customer who came in and asked for books about different subjects and it was up to Little Boo to suggest books.  It was really good fun as when I picked up a book I asked what is this book about? I was really happy that she could always answer. I would also ask her if it is funny and which bits were the best.

In the shop we set up our top ten favourite books and sorted them.

There was also a quiet reading corner.  Little Boo enjoyed being the shop keeper and sorting the books out onto their shelves.

Then Little Boo scanned them and asked me for the money.  This helped her to practice her numbers.  She has some play money so it gave her opportunity to familiarise herself with the coins in a fun way.

This was a wonderful activity to share books together, it made me realise that Little Boo really knows a lot about her books.  We hope that you enjoy sharing this idea it is great for a rainy day or why not set up a book shop in the garden if it is sunny.

20 great animal books fact, fiction and sticker

I LOVE reading books to Little Boo (think that you may have noticed by now).  So today I have decided to look at our top 20 animal books as this week we are looking at the theme of animals I thought this would be appropriate. 

I have split the books into three sections of fiction, fact and sticker books as I feel there is a benefit to each area.  I confess that it was not up until a few months back after reading a book about reading to children that I even considered factual books for a child of Little Boos age. However this book really promoted the reading of factual books to children and I have been really pleased with the benefits.  

The benefits of reading Factual books 

• Books can be picked on the child's interests, (last week Little Boo decided on the post deliverer) 
• Makes books less overwhelming as they do not need to be read in order but can be dipped into and out of and sections the child likes can be discussed.
• Improves vocabulary the words that are written in a factual book are often different to fiction as the text is written to inform.  
• Answers children's questions very often children start the "why" stage using factual books can feed their curious nature. 
• Teaches children to read for meaning from a young age especially if you ask simple questions about what has been explored.  

Factual Books

The factual books that are available now for children are fantastic here are the ones that we like. These are fantastic as you can select the areas that you want to read.

This one is great as the pages flap out to
 be massive life size images
 it is just unfortunate that
 they did not consider
 making the pages with thicker paper as it
could be easily ripped. 

This book is really big and has loads of interactive sections
like lifting flaps to reveal other animals or pulling the tabs. 

Little Boo using the wheel to change the colour
of the Toucans beak

Moving the tab to reveal the baby Joey. 

A book  that talks about opposites strongest and weakest animals 

This book is wonderful just to read little sections

A really lovely illustrated book

Fiction Books

The quiet lady bird saves the prize cow from the nasty thieves.  We always try to spot the lady bird on each page and especially like the glitter!

Handa has some fruit for her friend Akeyo however on the way  different animals take the fruits. Also a good book to learn numbers .

The animals decide to have a beauty contest before the zoo opens. 

As you know from the previous post we love this book. 

I know the words to this.  Little
Boo always asks for this book all
about a Little Monkey who has lost his Mom.

A very funny story where they go shopping but wild animals are on the shopping list 

All about animals in the Jungle a great rhyming book. 

A funny book where you need to guess the animals
in fancy dress

A different animal for each letter is explored and accompanied by a poem about the animal 

Going on a safari and spotting different animals 

The sections that are feely

A very funny story about a giraffe who learns to dance.

Sticker Books 

This is expensive for a sticker
book but it is really nice loads
of different stickers and scenes.  

Sharing a story- The Very Hungry Caterpillar

This story is wonderful it is one that I can remember as a child so therefore love reading it to Little Boo who to like myself always places her little fingers in the tiny holes. The book is wonderfully illustrated and incorporates learning days of the week, numbers, food names and all importantly the life cycle of a caterpillar, all in one book!  The book has 4.24 stars on Goodreads.  Here is how we shared the book.  A lot of the resources have been found through using the Internet I will be adding on the links (when I can find them as very helpfully I cut off the websites when making the resources)

This is our story sack nice and simple a pillow case with a coat hanger clipped on so it can be stored hung up in the wardrobe.  All that I used to get the image on the pillow case was a t-shirt transfer.

Little Boo was keen to see what was in there.

First of all a threading exercise whereby the green pipe cleaner is the Caterpillar and the fruit is threaded as he eats it.  This is brilliant for counting as me and Little Boo counted on the food for each day. This activity also encouraged Little Boo to look for different foods.

The caterpillar eating the apple.

One very greedy caterpillar!

Counting using pom poms.



Included in the story sack is also the days of the week printed out and there was (until it was returned to the library) a caterpillar life cycle book.  After reading the story I read through the days of the week and we talked about what usually happens on those days.

I hope that you like the activities the possibilities are endless with the Hungry Caterpillar and I feel that I will be adding more and more to my story sack as Little Boo develops.

Sharing a book- The Gruffalo Day

On Monday we decided to have a Gruffalo day as part of our sharing books together.  The Gruffalo is a Julia Donaldson Book which has some fantastic illustrations and links into learning about animals as the mouse meets different animals on the journey  through the woods.  The mouse it actually very clever and makes up a character, the Gruffalo to scare off creatures who may eat him.  Whether children as young as Little Boo actually understand this about the story I doubt but older children may do which may lead to conversation about who eats who in the animal world. The Goodreads website score this book 4.3 and many comments on the book give it glowing praise and refer to how the book uses rhyme and repetition effectively. 

Our Gruffalo day was fantastic! I really would encourage any parent to do this or have a Gruffalo inspired party there is a plethora of resources out there to have a really good day.

We started our morning making a Gruffalo Cake.  Whilst playing our latest CD from the library which is the Gruffalo songs

Just the sponge at first as it needed time to cool. We went to the park and recreated the Gruffalo with print outs that I got from Twinkl.  We first had to go on the swings and slides, then settled down on a bench before our walk to read the Gruffalo

I really do not know why I have not thought of taking books with us before on a picnic (probably the thought of carrying them) as Little Boo just sat and listened really well.

Little Boo enjoyed thinking of places where the characters could go and knew what came next in the story better than I did! We were busy finding a tree for the owl, a log pile for the snake then a hole for the fox.  She picked the characters that were needed for each photograph.  We did get some strange looks from people passing which was quite funny. 

"his favourite food is scrambled snake"

When the Gruffalo story was finished it was picnic time we settled down to picnic with all the Gruffalo cut outs and played some games.  First matching the pictures.  Then spotting the missing one and then we played with the finger puppets to tell the story again. 

Matching the pairs

Who is missing?

We also read The Gruffalo again with  the finger puppets.

When we came home we finished making the Gruffalo cake and had this for pudding after tea and it was lovely!

Little Boo keeps saying now that we had a, "Gruffalo Day" hence the name for the post.  I hope that you like this and that the links may be useful for parties or Gruffalo days.