December 2011
5 posts
it's playtime - christmas free zone →
Welcome again to It’s Playtime. If this is your very first visit you can find full instructions on how to play with us here. Playful Picks
There are so many Christmas ideas flowing…
bark christmas decorations →
Armed with our trusty baskets, we headed outside on a nature hunt. Our mission: to find interesting things that we could decorate for Christmas.
The…
gum leaf necklaces →
We are forever sweeping up gum leaves.
Of course, being a preschool teacher I can never throw anything away without first thinking of how we can use it with the kids. These gum…
it's playtime - it's christmas time →
Welcome again to It’s Playtime. If this is your very first visit you can find full instructions on how to play with us here. Playful Picks
During the silly season I’m always on the…
shameless self promotion →
Vote for Me (Please)
There is something to celebrate in the land of Let the Children Play - nominations in two categories for the 2011 Edublog Awards:
Best Individual…
August 2011
10 posts
creating quiet spaces outdoors at preschool →
Jim Greenman called them ‘places to pause’.
Just as children need quiet, personal spaces for peace and calm in the classroom so do they need small, hidden spaces outdoors to escape the hustle…
it's playtime - playing with sticks →
A big welcome to this week’s It’s Playtime - and an even bigger thank you to all of you who submitted your inspiring play ideas last week. First visit to It’s Playtime? You will find…
gum leaf jewellery →
Gum leaf jewellery: what every well accessorised young nature lover is wearing this season.
Stockists: A bushland near you.
Playful Learning Blog Tour and Giveaway - A Place... →
Mariah Bruehl - author of one of my favorite blogs, Playful Learning - has released her debut book, Playful Learning: Develop Your Child’s Sense of Joy and Wonder.
chalking in the rain →
On wet Preschool days, the only thing to do is to embrace the rain. Or go a trifle mad.
Drawing with chalk in puddles produces a satisfying paint-like concoction, perfect for…
it's playtime - stones as play things →
A big welcome to this week’s It’s Playtime - and an even bigger thank you to all of you who submitted your inspiring play ideas last week. First visit to It’s Playtime? You will find…
baking potatoes in the campfire at preschool →
It was time to lay out the bricks:
Gather the firewood:
Wrap the potatoes in tin foil:
Light up the camp fire:
our kids like to hide in boxes →
Every day they make you smile.
There’s a child in there.
And a couple in here as well.
Boxes are endlessly attractive to children.
my favorite waldorf / steiner inspired blogs →
Image from the wonderful MamaMoontime blog
Last week I shared with you inspiring images of Waldorf / Steiner preschool indoor and outdoor learning environments.
…
nature calms children →
We all have days that are more hectic than others. Days when children are feeling hyped up, overwhelmed or out of sorts with the world and the people around them.
Thankfully we…
July 2011
9 posts
A playful learning community →
Community makes the blogging world go round.
How can I make Let the Children Play more of a community space - a playbourhood - for all of us who share an interest for play in early…
It's Playtime - let's play outside →
A big welcome to this week’s It’s Playtime - the perfect place to find play inspiration these school holidays. First visit to It’s Playtime? You will find full instructions on how to…
set the stage for imaginative play outdoors →
Create a simple blank canvas or set the stage for imaginative play outdoors by making a border using stones, logs or pieces of wood and filing it with bark mulch.
What is one…
it's playtime - let's mix things together →
A big welcome to this week’s It’s Playtime - the perfect place to find play inspiration these school holidays. First visit to It’s Playtime? You will find full instructions on how to…
thank you and some link love →
This is the post where I say thank you.
Thank you to the 5000 + of you who ‘like’ Let the Children Play on Facebook and thank you to the 2000 + of you who have clicked on the…
building a house of bricks →
It all began in a puddle of mud.
A group of boys decided that they were making cement.
“We need to add sand” said one who had recently helped his Grandfather do some work…
Australia's first forest preschool →
Children of Westgarth Kindergarten via Preston Leader
Oh happy days - Australia finally has it’s first Forest Preschool Program. Westgarth Kindergarten in inner…
reggio-inspired learning environments part 3 →
Another day, another batch of Reggio inspired preschools to ogle. Welcome to Part 3 in our series of Reggio inspired preschool learning environments. If you missed Parts 1 and 2 you can find them…
reggio-inspired learning environments part 1 →
I like to snoop. Give me a peek into someone else’s classroom and I’m one happy camper. Preschool teachers don’t often have the opportunity to visit other centres to gather inspiration so finding…
June 2011
6 posts
junk as loose materials for play →
What do you do with the spare bits and pieces of toys that you inevitably accumulate?
The lego piece that doesn’t fit, the cracked plastic block, stray nuts and bolts?
…
It's Playtime - fun with mud →
Wow, there were over 100 ideas for playful learning on It’s Playtime last week - a big thank you to everyone for joining in and helping to create an amazing play resource of ideas for…
mud pie kitchen roundup →
Simple Whimsy
I could hardly let a post on digging patches go by without a salute to mud pie kitchens, or outdoor play kitchens now could I? Mud Pie Kitchens are…
10 good reasons why teachers should blog →
I’m Jenny. I’m a teacher. I blog.
I started blogging because I was frustrated by talk of introducing more formalised learning programs into preschool. Everything tells us that children…
it's playtime - trucks and rocks →
Welcome to It’s Playtime - a community of play and share your ideas for playful learning and find inspiration from around the blogosphere.
New to It’s Playtime? Full instructions on how…
worlds of imagination - resources for imaginative... →
There was high excitement when my package arrived from the talented Worlds of Imagination - home of gorgeous hand-made resources for children’s imaginative play.
I tore it open and looked…
May 2011
23 posts
14 top Australian Teacher Blogs →
The number of Australian teachers with blogs is on the rise - a couple of years back when I first started hunting for them they were few and far between.
Either that or I was looking…
a day in the garden at preschool →
All in a days work.
What have your children been up to in the garden lately?
creating a fairy garden in a pot →
As soon as I saw this tub on the side of the road - yes, I’m one of THOSE people who pick up other people’s junk at council clean-ups - I knew that it was going to be reborn as a…
loose parts + imagination = their own obstacle... →
In a preschool playground filled with loose parts that the children are free to move around as they please, anything can happen.
Using anything they could get their hands on -…
creative thinking in preschool →
“Can you move the water from the new water pump to the hole in the sandpit without using buckets?”
“Yes we can.”
And they even threw in…
It's Playtime - let's make music →
Welcome to It’s Playtime
Join our community of play and share your ideas for playful learning and find inspiration from around the blogosphere. New to It’s Playtime? Full instructions on…
splat painting →
Here’s an art idea for preschoolers that is guaranteed to interest “the boys who don’t paint at the easel” crowd. Splat Painting is messy, fun, big. outdoors, creative and it goes SPLAT -…
it's playtime - let's head outdoors →
Welcome to It’s Playtime The Imagination Tree, Quirky Momma, hands on: as we grow, Messy Kids and I would love you to join our growing community play space. Join in and share your…
teaching is like a game of "Whack a Mole" →
Sometimes teaching preschool can feel like you are playing a game of “Whack a Mole.”
Do you remember the arcade game where a mole pops up out of a hole and you whack him on the head,…
