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A guest blog by Lavania from The Amazing Adventures of Me Like most three year olds Arlo is absolutely obsessed with bugs and so now that spring is blooming the garden is full of them and they are a great natural resource to explore. We have been moving around the pots and digging up the borders for the last few weeks and so have found quite a few creatures in the garden. This afternoon I set up a tray and lots of resources for him to explore. We spent all evening in the garden – the lighter evenings are fabulous...

Now a tuff tray isn’t an essential item for playtime but it is definitely worth the investment. I help mums with playtime at home using every day items around the house which obviously a tuff tray isn’t but I absolutely love one and the benefits outweigh how awkward it is to store For me the biggest benefit is making play more inviting for children. Although children instinctively know how to play, they still need to have the opportunities and also be inspired to play, using a visual area for play like a blanket, table or tuff tray can encourage this....

At first, lockdown was an interesting time for parents of teens, both stressful as we interpreted the new rules and adapted accordingly, and sometimes rather wonderful as we got the time to be available for our mostly monosyllabic teens. Unhindered by routine as we knew it, our relationship actually improved. But that’s when we thought it was temporary. It’s been a while now. So…given that teens are already experts of ‘Why should we bother, there’s no future’ mentality, what do we say to them now, when in some ways we’re inclined to agree? And how do we manage their mental...

If you’ve never heard of a Tuff Tray (or Tuff Spot), then here’s what it is. It’s an octagonal black rugged tray with raised sides, just under a meter in size, that’s incredibly handy for arranging and presenting play in preschool, nurseries and primary schools. As the tray can be easily wiped down it lends itself to all sorts of play – especially messy play.

Much of Minecraft is based in geological fact – the materials, what can be created from them, the alternative dimensions of the Nether and the End, both of which draw on ideas from popular beliefs, literature and folklore. By stealth almost, learning takes place. Planning, building, adapting, imagining, working with others.