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Weekend Wanderings – Winter Woes and Fairy Garden Magic!

by The Empowered Educator 5 Comments

Another weekend has flown by! I normally love Winter but this season has seen the whole family come down with one bug after another. Obviously our immunity needs a bit of work!

The pic below is of the toddler twosome having a ‘rest' in the lounge since daytime naps and coughing fits are not a match made in heaven apparently!

They love their new ‘Bumpa Mat from Ecoviva Australia. You can't see it very well here but it is beautifully cushioned and yet easily cleaned or folded up and put out of the way….I've actually moved my carpet square out to the verandah as this mat is so much better for my family daycare environment! Perfect on our hard wooden floors and there are so many lovely designs to choose from.

Can you tell I'm excited? I really do love finding new products that don't cost the earth just because they are child friendly. I cannot recommend this mat to educators highly enough!!

I'll be sharing more about the Bumpa Mat in an upcoming post about incorporating mats into play. Some easy ideas for both parents and educators. For now it has been sickbed central and has hosted lots of little quiet activities for grumpy sick toddlers…and a grumpy, sick Mummy!

Home Daycare Ecoviva Bumpa Mat

I didn't have the camera on me much this weekend as I was feeling pretty awful with this flu but I did catch a few little moments as the girls began to emerge from their little cough and cold cocoons!

Miss teen went away on the weekend with a friend (which was a tough lesson in loosening my parental reins!) and when she came back she brought a few fairy and angel treats back for the girls which they of course loved!

How these girls are growing up!!

But with their renewed energy they were soon flying off down to the trampoline which we just finished moving down from the paddock into the backyard. Don't you love how when you move toys and playthings around they instantly become popular again?

Big Sister's gift was great timing as Sunday morning we ventured out to one of our village markets where they have some beautiful things to spend too much money on!
I  , The twins fell in love with this little purple fairy mushroom set for the garden….we of course had to get started on a little fairy garden as soon as they were out of the bag.
I collected a few other bits and pieces and we chose a little spot in a shady garden bed near our back steps. Apart from putting the toadstools in and the little orange gravel path the toddler twosome pretty much put everything where they wanted it.
Easy Toddler Fairy Garden via Mummy Musings and Mayhem

There are lots of loose parts  to provide different sensory experiences and room for them both to make their own little areas. It really took no time at all to set up and they had so much fun arranging and playing with it.

It's not one of those  picture perfect fairy gardens I see all over Pinterest but it is toddler friendly and able to be changed and explored every day in a new way. 

Easy Toddler Fairy Garden via Mummy Musings and Mayhem
It only takes up a small area in one of our garden beds and is easy to move or pack away if the weather gets really bad at any stage. I am really loving those mushrooms I have to say!
Easy Toddler Fairy Garden via Mummy Musings and Mayhem
We managed a little sensory painting while sitting on the grass in the sun which made some lovely patterns…will share more later in the week!

A little masterpiece for the wall!

I also finally got around to making these little sprinkler watering bottles from empty milk cartons for the girls to use in the garden.
Toddler Recycled Sprinkler Bottle via Mummy Musings and Mayhem
They have many watering cans which they love using but they go through a lot of water very quickly with the spouts on them and it does get a tad tiresome having to refill them constantly as I try to water!
Putting a few little holes in the lid of the milk carton allows for a slower, gentler sprinkle of water and it takes a lot longer and wastes less water…and best of all they loved them!
Toddler Recycled Sprinkler Bottle via Mummy Musings and Mayhem

They were able to get nice and close to the smaller plants and Ruby checked each plant after watering to make sure it was wet!

Toddler Recycled Sprinkler Bottle via Mummy Musings and Mayhem
Important work balancing and choosing the plant you want to water….
Toddler Recycled Sprinkler Bottle via Mummy Musings and Mayhem
Mustn't forget to water the bee!
Toddler Recycled Sprinkler Bottle via Mummy Musings and Mayhem
The girls also decided they worked really well in the sand kitchen too….
 Toddler Recycled Sprinkler Bottle via Mummy Musings and Mayhem
Some co-operation, water and coloured sand and we had a tray of sandcakes ready for the oven…
Toddler Recycled Sprinkler Bottle via Mummy Musings and Mayhem
It was good to see them beginning to get over their latest cough and cold episode…and to explore till dusk in the warmer weather….we are looking forward to Spring just around the corner!
I hope you had a lovely weekend….please tell me…how does your family stay healthy in Winter?
Toddler Recycled Sprinkler Bottle via Mummy Musings and Mayhem

Warm Wishes

Filed Under: Home daycare, outside play, sensory play, vegie garden

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Comments

  1. Twins Squared says

    27/08/2013 at 9:42 am

    Jode, you are brilliant for coming up with all you do and for successfully implementing such cute ideas! Love the fairy garden!

    Reply
  2. [email protected] says

    04/09/2013 at 12:39 pm

    Love love love your fairy garden and toddler sprinkler bottles Jode. And those new mats look very cool. Featuring you this week in my outdoor play roundup. xo P

    Reply
  3. The Reading Residence says

    07/09/2013 at 9:58 am

    Wow, that fairy garden is absolutely brilliant! Must fit one in to our garden somewhere now….thanks ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  4. Coombe Mill says

    07/09/2013 at 1:29 pm

    The watering cans are a fab idea – no spillage with little ones while they sprinkle. I also love the idea of a fairy garden, a great play set for the children to encourage creative play. Thanks for linking up and sharing with Country Kids.

    Reply

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Jodie
Hi, I'm Jode, Mum to twins and a teen, and an early childhood educator.
I love to share ideas & resources for play based learning
Find out more about me here...

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