We're Going to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo ......

We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo

How about you, you, you
You can come too, too, too
We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo

Don't you just love that song? I do. It's a firm favourite.

Well, during the holidays, we went to the zoo, zoo, zoo - two zoos in fact. The good old Melbourne Zoo and our first trip out to Healesville Sanctuary, which was very delightful and well worth checking out.

In the days following, there were many discussions centred around animals and early one morning, Ed decided he'd like to make his own zoo using our plastic animals.

I helped to set up some enclosures.

We used some great wooden fences



Some old gift boxes



Some upside-down Frisbees



Even some rocks and a blue face washer



I went out into the garden to cut some foliage to make the enclosures seem a little more realistic (and so the animals had something to eat).



When it was finished, Ed drove his cars around the zoo and played out some "family" games with the animals.

Then big sister came along and decided she would like a zoo they could actually walk through. So we packed away the smaller animals and raided the soft toys to see what we could find.

We then set up a bigger zoo that spread through out the whole lounge room.

There was room for monkeys to swing



And pandas to roam



And bears in a cave



And a big pool for the penguins and turtles



I included toilets for the teddies



And a cafe (because no trip to the zoo is complete without a yummy snack), where a fresh morning tea was served after a morning of animal watching and holding.






The children made some signs and got out their cash register. They even made a map.



Then it was time to find some cameras and binoculars and take Hamley and Yarji to the zoo.



It was a great fun morning of play with lots of thinking, talking, remembering, drawing, imagining and learning going on.

And the best bit was, they didn't even have to get out of their pyjamas.

I'm playing along at

Settling In

Isn't it a big adjustment settling back into the new Kinder/School year?

After a couple of months of virtually no routine and very few appointments or obligations, I'm finding it a little hard to get back into the swing of things, I must say.

I'm not the only one. Ed is currently having a much needed nap as I write this and Em has been quite tired and cranky too. You'd think after 6 weeks off they'd be feeling nice and refreshed, but the truth of the matter is, after having a large amount of time of being able to go at their own pace and follow their own rhythms, getting back to the demands of school and Kindergarten routines can take it's toll.

I try to be really mindful of this in the first term and make sure I allow plenty of time for Ed to nap if he needs it and also lots of time for uninterrupted, open-ended play. We don't do much after school either. While this annoys my social butterfly a little (I'm greeted every day with "What are we doing after school?!). I know it's best for her overall well-being if she's not rushing around everywhere and she can just come home, have something good to eat, and play and create as and how and when she wants to.

How are you settling in at your place?

On Holidays ...

There has been little (ok, no) action around this blog for a few weeks. My lovely hubby who I don't mention a lot (because he works all the darn time) is having time off work until January 24th. So, while I'm tempted to lock myself away with the computer for a few hours (or days) while he minds the kids, I've decided instead to take a big break with him, and focus on family time. It's been great, we've had hot lunches and dinners around the dining room table, fun family outings, days in the garden and lots and lots of time to play.

So, you won't find any posts around these parts at least until the kids go back to school (around the beginning of Feb) because, as my regular readers know, I had a bit of a revelation last year and decided not to let my online life dominate. I really, really want to be present and accounted for in my real-life with my kids and my family and my friends in my sweet little house, so my blog has to wait until a have a bit more free time again.

I have big plans though. Ed starts 4 year old Kindergarten in Feb, so I have 12 whole hours to myself. I'm going to aim to post at least 3-4 times a week and to celebrate having a bit more time to spend on this little piece of cyberspace of mine, my very talented cousin, Trudy from Wild Oak Design is going to hep me to get this blog looking pretty and sweet and just how I would like it. I think good things are going to come this year and as the saying goes, good things DO come to those who wait .......

More Everyday Play "You Tube" Videos

I've finally put the three play ideas segments onto You Tube that I presented on "9am wih David and Kim" last year. The video you can watch was originally presented as 3 different segments over 3 weeks. I have been trying for months to separate them and put them on You Tube separately, but have finally given up and decided to put them all on together, one after the other.

I love these segments. I feel a little awkward watching myself, but love seeing the video of my little ones when they were much, much younger. I wrote and presnted these segments on my own and given it was only my second time in front of a real life TV camera, I don't think I did too badly (if I do say so myself!). They also include some lovely, simple, everyday play ideas too.

You can watch the videos by clicking here or by clicking on the bottom video image in the side bar.

No (Dramatic Play) Toys for Boys

My Ed is big into dramatic play at the moment. He talks a lot about pretending and reflects a lot on what his dad and dads in general do. You can see him ticking over, processing the role men play as dads and what that means for him as a boy. This is one of the primary roles of dramatic play and it's lovely to see it in action in my cherished one.

I'm so frustrated at the lack of range of dramatic play toys for my him though. He gets terribly strange looks when he pushes his teddy around in his sisters' pram while we're out for a walk and he has begged me for his own pram. Problem is, I can't find one. I know the colour and style isn't really important and the fact that he's still happy to push it around proves that it's not, but it would be nice to have access to dramatic play toys that aren't so gender specific.

Why can't a kid's pram just be a pram without frills and flounces. Same goes for play cribs and blankets and pillows and dolls' clothes. In an age when men play a bigger role than ever in child rearing, wouldn't it be great if our boys could confidently play out this role without all the toys available being marketed to girls?!

There, that's my rant over .... the hunt continues ..

Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley

Have you read this book? If not, you really, really should. It's a great one to have in your home library. I've just written a review for Kids Book Review. If you wold like to read it, you can click here

Learning to Play

Things are changing in the Butler household. My Em is now 7 years old and in the last few weeks or so I've noticed I'm not needed so much at play time when she's around. It seems my years of hard work focussed on encouraging play have truly paid off and Em now runs around finding resources and coming up with play ideas for her and her brother that are above and beyond anything I'm capable of.

As regular readers of this blog would know, I've always put a lot of thought and effort into my children's play. I think about how I organise their toys, what toys they have accessible to them, what other props I can add, what they're interests are and how they like to play. I set up play scenes to stimulate learning and creativity. I love to listen in on their little play scenarios and think about things I can add or bring into their play so they can benefit from what they are doing even more.

I keep checking in on their play as I always have but where I used to offer ideas or help find materials, Em has it all under control now and I find myself hanging around on the outskirts, marvelling at the ideas they've come up with, but a little bit sad that I'm not included as much any more.

Though a part of me longs for the days I was in there with my sleeves pulled up, feeding off their creativity and ideas to make a play scenario bigger and better, I am bursting with pride at the creative, play-loving little girl my daughter has become.

All of those years of fostering interests, collecting resources, encouraging independent play and negotiating arguments have finally meant I can have a few peaceful hours to myself without lifting a single finger. Bliss!! Now I just have to work on the packing up ...........