Spent some time with Girl No.1 this morning making some banana bread to take home with her. I’m a great fan of banana bread, as its a fairly frequent occurrence at ‘chez welikeplay’ to find some blackened ‘nanas in the depth of the fruit box. Not to self: check the organic box out on the day it arrives, do not resorting to in-box composting.

You will need
15 min messy time + 1 hour in the oven
3 or 4 squidgy bananas
a childs handful of diddy bits of apricot or sultanas or whatever is lurking in your cupboard
zest from a lemon if you’ve got it
100g butter
150g caster sugar
2 eggs
300g flour
bread tin

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tag... play for today, 2up, 3up, 5up, 8up, be healthy, cooking

Being World Maritime Day, today I’ll be making paper boats with the kids. A quick trawl through the net found a fantastic instruction sheet from Wild over Waterways. Being inland, I suppose its not strictly maritime, but any port in a storm.

you will need:
A4 paper
wax crayons
a little tape
a blob of playdough or tack
this sheet
a bath, big bowl, or paddling pool

remember… children and water are a good mix if you keep them safe and supervised

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tag... play for today, 3up, 5up, printable

It’s the 23rd of September, the first day of autumn, and time to indoctrinate the next generation into my preferred extreme sport… leaf jumping.

The rules are simple, find a pile of leaves - collected by patient hands, or gusts of wind - and jump. There is no scoring, only a feeling of crunchy satisfaction. And I’m not alone, there is even a Facebook group devoted to the art. I can only hope this week brings some cold crispy days to indulge this pastime in.

Leave a comment dedicating yourself to this sport this autumn, or go admire our new Leaf Ninja T’s

tag... our shop, play for today, 2up, 3up, 5up, be healthy, nature, out and about

If stuck on a desert island, No.2 child would choose Hayao Miyazaki’s My Neighbour Totoro as his only film. And for that matter, if stuck inside on a rainy DVD-day, he’d probably do the same; and I may well make it my choice too. There is no other film I’d happily sit down and watch every other day if allowed, and I can hardly believe that the film is coming up for its 20th birthday, yet I’ve only been aware of its existence for the last two years. That’s 18 years of viewing I’ve missed.

As an introduction to Japanese cinema, the plot line is graspable by mere mortals. Two girls and their dad move into a new house, whilst their mother is convalescing in hospital. Little Mei meet the Camphor dwelling, keeper of the forest, Totoro, and his entourage of sprites. She gets lost while trying to hike out to the hospital so her big sister Saschi seeks out Totoro for help; who in turn summons the Cat-Bus. All is restored.Perhaps I’ve understated the plot, but it is riveting and beautifully executed, with so much warmth of human spirit without the over-sweetness that often irks me in other children’s films. it led us here at welikeplay HQ into the films of Studio Ghibli and for that we are truly greatfull (I’ll post some other reviews on these over the next while). For worn out kids and adults who need some vegging time slobbed out on the sofa, this is a must.

tag... review, 3up, 5up, film

Tommorrow (Sept. 19th) is international ‘Talk like a Pirate‘ day; and I’ll be playing pirates… yarrr! But the game of Pirate Islands is not for the house-proud, or for children who cannot be coerced into clearing up after. You have been warned.

You will need:
cushions and tea-towels
shoes removed
pirate costumes or toilet-rolls (microwave for 30 secs. for an illusion of hygiene)
for the 7 ups: paper, old tea-bags and black felt pens

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tag... play for today, 3up, 5up, 8up, pirates

… or the sidewalk stance.

Children can be very focused on their feet as they walk, perhaps because its a lot closer to them than us. It takes some time to adjust to their ways, but the perspective they give is so cool. Pavements take on a texture of their own when studied, and play ensues.

You will need
a 5-10 minute walk
20 miuntes to do it in

read on »

tag... play for today, 3up, out and about

Right now in the UK, and for three or four weeks to come, there are conkers beneath the mighty chestnuts. Collecting them is so much fun. Arm yourself with a sturdy bag and a polishing cloth for each child and set sail for your local woodland/scrubland/park/garden.

Please ensure that you’re not snaffling them from an area of nature conservation. And even in ‘normal’ areas ask them to sort and select for nicely round ones, leaving the others behind for bugs, weevils and grubs.

Once you’ve got them its time to use them, or they’ll rot in that plaggie bag of yours (in a grim experience this does take a year).

A list of uses follows the jump…

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tag... play for today, 3up, 5up, 8up, cheating, collecting, nature, traditional games