Chicken and Avocado sandwich recipe

                  Try making these Monkey tail sandwiches for your next picnic!!


This week, we have been on a few picnics as part of our holiday! I am intrigued to find new and interesting ideas for picnic snacks you can make for your children, and I found this fab recipe :

    You will need:

• 2 slices from 1 loaf of white bread, cut lengthways
  
• 1/2 large avocado, peeled, mashed
  
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  
• 2/3 cup chopped cooked chicken

 

    What to do:

1. Using a serrated knife, remove crust from bread. Using a rolling pin, flatten each slice.
   
2. Make chicken and avocado filling Combine avocado and lemon juice in a bowl. Spread 2 slices of bread with avocado mixture. Top with chicken. Starting from 1 short end, roll up bread tightly to enclose filling. Cut each roll into 4 slices.
   
3. Place sandwiches, cut-side up, on a large plate. Serve.

 Recipe from www.taste.com.au 

 

Creating a garden for our little one

                We have been having fun starting to create a garden area for our daughter

Now we have a new garden, I have been quite eager to create a little patch for our daughter to grow flowers, vegetables and decorate how she likes!! She helped to pick the flowers (bedding flowers which will be changed every year) and the pinwheels to decorate the area, which had been recently dug over for her by our friend.

We had a few large flower pots going spare in the garden, and we chose one to place some stones in for her. She had recently taken an interest in some smooth pebbles she had seen at her Grandmas garden and we found some for her to have, mixing them with glass pebbles. She spends ages feeling them and commenting on their colours (some of them even have stripes!)

We wanted to make the area quite sensory to and have plans to add some herbs and scented flowers next year, wind chimes etc. We have already chosen a plant which is a little like an ornamental cabbage for alpine areas and rockeries, which she already has taken a liking to touch!!  The best thing about the area is that she will learn how to care for the plants she grows in the patch She helped me water the plants, after being less than enthusiastic in planting them, and loved watching the wind make her windmills move!!

There is still a lot to do. We hope to create a raised bed in order to plant carrots next year. I would have loved to grow tomatoes, but she isn't keen on them at all!! We may attempt a few strawberries too!! I will keep you posted on how the garden comes into shape over the next year or so!

An idea for story corners!!

              Create your own special box of reading materials for your child to look at!!

Being on holiday over the last week, we have been handed out a range of leaflets and guides about various places that we have visited. Our daughter has shown a keen interest in them and enjoys looking at maps and pictures of things she has seen.

I thought it a shame to dispose of all these pieces of literature, after all they are made to be looked at and teaches our daughter that print comes in many forms. Then the idea came  to me to create a box for all the leaflets we collect and any junk mail she takes an interest in ( she loves it when I give her junk mail, she calls it her post!!) I had a shoe box from a new pair of trainers and put all the leaflets in there.

This idea is useful for practitioners too, as a box of old magazines (appropriate ones!!) and leaflets, guides etc can be placed in the book corner for children to explore. Old catalogues are also pieces of literature you could add. Of course, leaflets do get easily ripped and screwed up, but the beauty of it is that they are free and can be easily replaced with new material!!

It is a simple, yet effective idea and has already proved a big hit with my little one.....so why not give it a go!!

A wonderful sight!! Looking at Playgrounds

                    A trip to the beach revels how children's playgrounds are changing

I have always loved a good play on the swings at the local play area........even now a little swing brings great satisfaction!! But one thing I have noticed as I have grown older is that play areas have changed a great deal!!

Gone are the roundabouts we remember (health and safety!!) where we used to lay down and look up at the sky as we span round and round and even swings themselves have had their chains removed for tubes or ropes! In many places, however, the play areas have changed for the better. Where councils have had enough money to do so, they are really thinking about the designs of their play areas and how children learn through play.

Take the play area we saw today at Brighton sea front. Not only did it have plenty of places to climb, slide and swing, it even had tubes and funnels for the children to put the sand down. The children were so engrossed in their play exploring the flow of sand, it was fantastic to watch!! I have noticed how parks have become more suited for certain ages too. We have a local park which is tailored for toddlers, with everything at the correct height for under fives, whilst another park within walking distance is more for older children.

It is fantastic that more time is being taken when it comes to planning children's outdoor areas. I sometimes look at some and wish they had been like that when I was a youngster!! There are still some more derelict play areas out there in more run down areas of the UK, where the money isn't being spent improving facilities. Where we used to live, the play area was vandalised and cordoned off for well over 4 months, meaning children had nowhere to play. This was most upsetting for myself as I liked taking my little one there for fresh air and some time on the swings.

More money does need to be spent on the outdoor spaces for our children, to help promote good health practises and allow children to be safe whilst taking risks.

Our potty training latest

                  Getting out and about whilst newly potty training is a trial in itself!!

We are currently in our third day of our "Staycation", taking day trips to local attractions and spending some time together whilst me husband has two weeks off of work. Of course, we are also entering the third week of potty training our daughter, which led to the dilemma of what to do about her clothing.........do we keep her in underwear or in nappies??

What we didn't want to happen was that she would revert backwards and stop going on the potty or toilet which she has done so well and sometimes with no accidents. So, we took the decision to put her in pull ups during the times we were in the car on a journey or out and about. We have made sure that we encourage her to ask us when she needs to go still, which in itself has caused issues!! It is all very well when we are near to facilities and we can pop her on the toilet with her special toilet seat, but when were are in the middle of a public place with nowhere to go, it can make it quite tricky!!

At the zoo the other day and eating our picnic, she triumphantly screams..."Mummy, i need poo poo!!" A little embarrassed, we whip out the potty and sit her on it, still munching her bread and carefully shielded by her pushchair, her parents either side and our cool box in front to keep her dignity and stop putting people of their lunches!! We did get a few disapproving looks, but what were we supposed to do?? We had no toilets nearby and she needed to go!!

There are times too where you just cant do anything, like when I was alone today and she asked to go to the toilet. I was ages away from the toilet facilities and only had her toilet seat available. I placed it on the grass and tried to get her to go, but she just said no when she sat on it........it didn't feel right to her. We then had a very upset little girl when she was very wet in her pull ups and cross at herself so much she wouldn't even let me change her until we were in a toilet.

I have noticed that she is really feeling the need to go and will voice it. Unfortunately, this means letting us know at 2am, 4 am or 5 am in the morning!! It is good, as she does go, but getting her back into bed and to sleep is a pain!!

Whilst out, I make sure that whenever we stop somewhere, the first thing we do is go to the toilet. The, whenever I go, she goes too........and I ask whenever we pass a toilet whether she wishes to go or not. I tend to find, if we can get her to come with me, she will go. She even doesn't mind if we hold her on an adult toilet seat if we don't have hers available. However, the thought of her wetting herself whilst we are out is so daunting for me, I still haven't been brave enough to change her to her underwear unless we are in a house with access to a toilet in easy reach.

It is a very hard time for a parent, especially for those parents whose children are  younger than most potty training children. I am really pleased with what she has achieved over the last few weeks and can't wait until I feel we are all confident enough for us to venture out minus the pull ups!! The nights will take a lot longer, but by encouraging her to go whenever she asks, this will come sooner rather than later, I am sure!!

The new EYFS from a practitioners point of view

The EYFS is changing this September, so what do practitioners actually think?


Being at home with my daughter and no longer in a setting, I find it quite frustrating that I am not as informed as I used to be when it comes to changes in the everyday things that make a setting tick. The EYFS is changing next month and although I have written a little about it previously, (http://www.childcareclair.com/2011/07/eyfs-being-made-simpler-and-easier-to.html ) I have no idea what it is like for settings getting themselves prepared for all the changes. That's where you come in

I am looking for practitioners points of view about the new EYFS and how it effects your setting as it is something I cannot write from experience about. You can email me at childcareclair@hotmail.co.uk

Today's post is from Katrinas point of view:

"So we have our nice copies ordered and delivered, all staff have been on the training from early support, whether this was the 2 full days of the 2 evenings (3 hours each) and we have had our second in house training last week.

We planned in 2 staff meetings that would be concentrating on looking at the document, speaking about what we had learnt on the training and deciding exactly what it is we are going to do/ already have in place and what we are NOT going to do. By doing this, we made a medium sized list of things to do and who would be doing them and these were bought to the second meeting, where we decided we were readyish!!

So we have updated registration forms, our all about me forms, our 'two week assessments' forms and we now have summative assessments that take place termly on each child. (This was previously called a periodic progress review).The two year old check forms are all in place and ready to go and we have some idiots guides that we have edited to suit our setting. The last 2 were sent by the council and can be downloaded from there but we have edited ours a little.

The classrooms have adjusted their planning plans and are test driving them over the summer... And we have been butchering our learning journeys, a quick chop down the middle of the book and re-distributing in folders with tabs for the different areas of learning as a best fit.

To bring the characteristics of play to the foreground, we have a section at the beginning of each staff meeting planned for the next 6 months so we look at them as a team and room meetings will also have a 10 minute section on their agenda where staff will bring an obs to the table and as a team, pick out what characteristics that child has in their play....

So next to bring the planning to life and observations and work out the ever difficult task of paperwork, how much will be collected, how much time will staff have 'out' and what can be done in class, realistically with the children there... And we have a lot of new children this term coming.
Only other biggie on the list is working out a meaningful way that we as a nursery and individual staff can track groups of children's progress... Spreadsheet? Poster on back of cupboard door in age/ stage related? Do I compile it with a whole load or assessments in front of me or do staff take ownerships and do it, with the ever increasing things that there is to juggle. We have been too busy thinking about the individual child. "




What is interesting about Katrina's point of view is how much re arranging needs doing in order to get the new changes into effect. It reminds me a lot of the original changes from the Early Learning Goals and Stepping Stones to the EYFS in the first place. It was a lot to take in then! After a while though, you get used to changes and it becomes the norm.........until a few years later when it changes again!!!

Thanks Katrina for your thoughts. You can read about her setting at http://www.goldsmithdaynursery.co.uk/

 

 

A painting idea - back to basics!

                    All the painting ideas I have shared so far, but its always great with a brush!


So over the last year or so, I have been sharing the various ideas for painting with different tools (with many still to come, I may add!) Well, it's time I went back to basics and share with you the simple and most used form of painting..........with a brush!!

Paintbrushes are fantastic tools as they come in many shapes and sizes for your child to explore. For younger budding artists, the large chunky brushes are great to handle, but as they get older they can begin to explore thinner brushes for finer strokes and even traditional decorators brushes for larger scale pictures (a bit like Rolf Harris!!)

Brushes are great for hand- eye co-ordination as your child creates strokes on the paper. Many children first use back and forth motions with the brush, with circular motions and up and down strokes coming as they get older. Not only are they expressing themselves using a brush, but they are also starting the mark making skills needed for writing, strengthening the finger and hand muscles.

Of course, paintbrushes are also extremely useful for colour mixing ( and less messy than using your hands, even if hands are more fun!) Having a range of different paint brushes is a great idea in the home. They don't have to be paintbrushes as such either.......they can be a pastry brush, a nail brush or for more adventurous large scale paintings, an old dustpan and brush brush! (for older children you may even be brave enough to try a broom!)

Some relevant articles on paintbrushes are:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4184160.stm

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Z05VsfCkba4C&pg=PA108&lpg=PA108&dq=children+paint+with+brushes+development&source=bl&ots=rA9gVBO0UR&sig=qwWaBbDWX7_Mfdn3LdW6v6zGQyQ&hl=en&sa=X&ei=8Y4rUKKmBI610QWsmYCADA&ved=0CFsQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=children%20paint%20with%20brushes%20development&f=false

http://voices.yahoo.com/broom-painting-4682275.html

You can even make your own paintbrushes..........or use a hairbrush!! Watch out for some of these ideas being tried out with my daughter on here!!

How to survive the first day of school

           


                  Yes, it's hard for some children, but it is for the parents too!

For many parents, the first day of school is fast approaching, meaning many four year olds will be venturing into their educational journey, some of them only just four, others a little more ready. But how about the parents and how they feel about this major step in their child's life? I know it is a little different, but my daughter starts pre school in a month, and I am feeling a little anxious about it!

Mainly, it's the thought of the unknown..........will they make friends? Will they like their teacher? Will they be willing to learn? Will they like it? So many questions in your head and making you feel anxious!! Here are a few tips to help you survive the first day of school, and although it won't stop the way you feel, it can help ease them a little!!

1. Make sure you are prepared - get everything our ready for your child's first day. Make sure the uniform is out and ready and that you set an alarm giving you plenty of time to get ready. You don't want to be rushing around on the first day because you are late or you have forgotten something.

2. Prepare yourself for saying goodbye. It is best not to linger around as your child needs to be used tot he fact that they go to school without their parents. Try not to cry in front of them either as it could make them worry.

3. Make sure you have visited the school before the first day so you know where to take your child on their first day, who their teacher is and where the classroom is. This helps both you and your child to feel a little more at ease.

4. Remember to be patient - your child's behaviour can change when starting school. They may revert to babyish behaviour or begin wetting themselves. These changes are normal and all you should do is reassure them and give them a hug rather than to get cross with them about it.

5. Look after yourself - make sure you get time to relax and be calm. If you are ever concerned about your child's school life, speak to their teacher.

Good luck to all you first time schoolers over the next few weeks!! Enjoy every minute of your learning journey!!

Mediterranean Cottage Pie Recipe

Mediterranean Shepherd's Pie
Shepherds pie is one of my daughters favourite meals, so here is a variation we use now and again.

You will need:
2 onions;
2 Carrots;
1 Celery stick;
500g pack mince, such as turkey;
100g smoked bacon, chopped;
2tsp plain flour;
284ml carton vegetable or other stock,
700g potatoes peeled; knob of butter;
4Tb red pesto;
25g Parmesan, grated.

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6/fan oven 180C from cold. chop the onions, carrots and celery in a food processor. In a pan over a low heat, cook the mince until the juices start to run, stirring. Add the vegetables and bacon and cook for 15 minutes until browned. Sprinkle over the flour and cook for 1 minute, still stirring. Stir in the stock and cook, covered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Meanwhile, cut the potatoes into chunks and boil for 10minutes. Drain well, and return to the pan. Stir in the butter. Season.
3. Stir the pesto into the meat, season and spoon into a shallow ovenproof dish. Spoon the potato pieces on top, sprinkle over the cheese and bake for 30 minutes until golden. Serve immediately



Recipe adapted from 101 Cheap Eats BBC good food book

Inspiring, magical and over for another four years!

 
        London 2012 comes to an end, but the future for our children in sport should be continued

I have been hooked for the last 2 weeks on the Olympics, not only for the fact that it is in my home nation, but because I have been truly inspired by the strength, determination and quality of all the competitors. There have been pictures of athletes in pain, cyclists skidding off of their bikes and people with dreams shattered as they had trained so hard to take a medal home.

I know I spoke about the future of sports in Great Britain the other day, and I won't go on about it again for the fear of repeating myself, but I really do think we should be supporting the future Olympians that could be sitting in our front rooms, enjoying watching their heroes getting a medal. I have seen so many of my friends children on Facebook enjoying the games, hearing stories of children getting so excited when team GB get a medal, toddlers getting confused as to why the lady on the TV is not sad, but happy as they have won a medal and my own daughter pretending she is riding in the equestrian event on her rocking horse!!

I admit, I have never been really sporty. After dabbling with gymnastics, tennis and hockey in my childhood, I found myself watching the games thinking " That could have been me if I had kept it up!" There isn't much that I can do about that now, but I can show my support for promoting sports in the wake of the Olympics. I will definitely support our daughter if she decides when she is older that she wants to take up sport, as I will with whatever path she chooses. Even if she enjoys sport but doesn't end up heading off to the Olympics one day, it is important that she realises that sport can be fun. My husband enjoys a game of squash with his cousin and I enjoy walking once a week, and we all know that children learn by copying adults, so who knows!!

Lets hope that we will see many more wonderful moments in sport like we have over the last 2 weeks. There could be a mini Bolt, Wiggins, Ennis or even a Pendelton in our homes right now just waiting to be nurtured!!

What your childs drawing shows about their development

               There are several stages which your child's drawing will go through

Before becoming involved in child care, I never really realised how children's drawing can say so much about their development. It starts from an early age, once your child grabs hold of a crayon and begins to explore. Between the ages of 15 months to 2 and a half years, a child will be in the first stage of drawing " random scribbling".

Random scribbling : This is where a child is beginning to figure out how their movements create the lines and marks that appear on the paper. Usually the child will hold the writing implement in their fist and create movements from the shoulder. The way they hold the crayon is known as the Palmer grasp. Before long, they begin to hold their writing tools correctly, in the tripod grasp.

Controlled scribbling :  Between the ages of 2 and 3 years, a child will start to develop more control in their hands and fingers, therefore making more controlled marks on paper. They may make repeated marks too such as circles, diagonal lines, curved and vertical lines.

Lines and patterns : This stage occurs around 2 and half years to 3 and a half years and is where a child will start to understand how writing is developed from curves, lines and patterns, which they will begin to start to copy within their own mark making.

Pictures of objects and people : When a child is between 3-5 years they will start to plan what they intend to draw. There will be more detail in what they are drawing and they will have an extensive use of colours and shapes. Towards the end of this stage, children may even start to label their pictures by "writing" what it represents underneath and telling you what it says.

These are the stages between 1 and 5 years, but it does continue further!

You can find out more about the stages of drawing at these websites:

http://www.learningdesign.com/Portfolio/DrawDev/kiddrawing.html

http://www.education.com/magazine/article/Ed_Art_Milestones_Whats/

http://planningwithkids.com/2010/08/03/childrens-drawing-stages/

The benefits of balloon play

                       They make me cringe.......but balloons have many benefits!!


It is true......I cringe at the thought of my daughter digging her nails into a balloon! When she was young, she used to put them in her mouth and I'd sit there dreading the moment it burst and made her cry! In fact, it is only recently that she has had one pop on her, which she found quite devastating! But, balloons are actually a fantastic tool to aid your child's development and even their health.

Balloons come in different shapes, sizes and colours, allowing your child to become familiar with the mathematical side of learning. They are also light and can be used for kicking, hitting and bouncing. Balloons can therefore be a great way to relieve tension, as children can take their frustrations out on a balloon rather than another child or anything breakable! Balloons have also been used for behavioural management where a child is full of anger and rather than shouting their frustrations out, they blow air into a balloon, thus getting rid of their "hot air".

By moving balloons across a room, such as keeping it up in the air, children gain gross motor skills and hand to eye co-ordination too. When passing balloons through the air to other children, a balloon also helps to build eye contact for social and communication skills.

Children with asthma and Cystic fibrosis also benefit from blowing up a balloon. It can really help keep the airways clear and working correctly. Many adults even use ballooning as a way of helping them after giving up smoking in order to keep the lungs working correctly.

You can find some interesting balloon games to play with your child at:

http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/199940/family_events/fun_kid_party_balloon_games.html

http://www.kiwifamilies.co.nz/articles/balloon-games/

http://wilderdom.com/games/descriptions/gamesballoons.html

Don't Stop The Sports!!

                            How can we support the sport stars of the future with no PE?

It was in the news yesterday that the Educational secretary in the UK, Michael Grove has approved the sales of more than 20 school fields within the last two years, meaning that many school children do not have access to space for sports. Not only that, but school sports provision has been labelled as "patchy" by the sports secretary Jeremy Hunt.

Then, today as I switched on the television, the news is that PE in schools is being cut. No longer is there a compulsory 2 hours a week for schools to provide physical education. This to me seems totally ridiculous.......we are here in the spirit of the Olympic games and cheering on our wonderful team GB who are stacking up the medals and yet our future Olympians are being deprived the chance to show their skills!

If we want our children to enjoy sport, we need to instill it in them from an early age. Primary schools therefore are a great place to start enjoying sport and getting the benefits of physical activities. With the obesity levels within our children being so high in this country, the emphasis should be on providing more school fields and places to play sport, rather than selling them off to build housing or supermarkets.

I watch my daughter enjoying cheering on team GB and pretending to join in with the events and feel disappointed that she may not have the chance to be able to try sports when she is older. My husband and I have been sitting daydreaming that we could be watching her one day at the Olympics (although we are going to support her in any career choice she may have!!) Surely the government should see how this whole situation is not helping our children and is instead stopping us creating the sports stars of the future!!

Growing up fast!

                                     And all of a sudden, she really isn't a baby any more!!

We have just come back from a weekend break with my husbands family at Butlins. My first time as well as our daughters and it really was a huge learning curve for me as a parent!! Our little girl really showed how independent she is by going on rides all by herself, and pretty much showing how she can keep up with her older cousins!!

As a parent, you do worry about how your child will cope in new surroundings, and I was even more anxious about the size of the place and how many people there were around. Of course, being so in awe of her cousins, our little one wanted to be just like them, which meant walking around without holding Mummy and Daddy's hands!! At first, she obliged us holding on tight as she was so overwhelmed with everything, she needed to feel secure. However, as the days passed and her confidence grew, she was wanting to explore her surroundings more independently!!

Holidays are about letting your children stay up later, eat and drink more and do things they would not get to do any other time. It does play on your mind though whether all the excitement and late nights are actually good for them. Once I realised she was coping with it fine (all bit it with a few looser nappies!!) I began to relax a little. As long as I knew where she was and that she was happy, things were fine!!

What has surprised me the most is the way she has easily adapted to being home again. She has realised straight away that things are back to normal, she is back in her bed and into her usual routine. I guess what I have learnt is not to underestimate your toddler!! Worrying and panicking does not allow you to enjoy yourself (although it is perfectly normal and of course you should be aware of your child's safety at all times!!) She obviously has enjoyed herself, as she has been role playing with her toys "going to the pub" and making me sit for pretend face painting!!

To surprise me further, today I started the next stage of potty training and she has been so positive about wearing underwear and using a potty! She has only had 3 accidents today!! I know it is early days and I am sure the amounts of accidents will vary day to day, but I really have realised over the last 5 days that my little baby is growing up now and is becoming a little girl to be proud of.

Children escape from nursery

                                        Is security slacking in our day nurseries??

Back in May this year, I was shocked to hear that three toddlers managed to escape from a nursery in Knowsley, Liverpool. With all the tight security measures day nurseries are meant to have, especially under OFSTED regulations, you don't expect to be hearing such news. As a parent, you expect your day care facilities to be safe and secure.

The toddlers aged 2 and under, were spotted by a passer by after they had managed to slip through a gate which was no longer used by staff and parents. OFSTED did investigate the incident and have declared the setting as safe. Apparently the children had only been gone a couple of minutes and that staff were aware of their disappearance before the member of the public raised the alarm. But, in my head surely the children should not have got that far out of the staff's view??

Not knowing the full story, it is hard to really pass a judgement on this incident, but it does make you wonder how such things can occur in today's nursery environments. Mostly, incident like this are to do with staff error, whether staff are inadequately trained or just have no common sense remains to be seen.

Back in March, a toddler in Inverness was dubbed "Spiderboy" as he managed to scale a 7ft wall to escape from his nursery after being left alone by staff. He was found in a local housing estate in tears. Staff error was in this case the issue after a head count failed to note that a new child had recently started the setting had been left off of the register, making it easy for a child to go unnoticed.

It is these incidents that make it to the press which can really add to a parents concerns about putting their children into day care. These incidents are few, thankfully, but still manage to leave parents wondering about the safety of their children.

What are your thoughts???

Beady fun!!

                                     How beads can help your child's development

My hairdressers is at the back of a fantastic bead shop and the last time we went, I decided to buy some beads for my daughter. I grew up loving my Mums button box, many of which had come from my Grandads house once he passed away. I loved the sound of the tin they were in and looking at all the different sizes, colours and shapes. I loved counting how many holes the buttons had, how many blue ones there were.......the possibilities seemed endless!!

The same can be said for beads. They come in many shapes, sizes, colours and patterns! They offer a chance for children to gain mathematical skills such as sorting, shape recognition and counting.
Looking at colour recognition, creating pictures with the beads........there is so much a child can learn and gain from these!!

The important thing is to make sure your child is developmentally ready for beads. If they are still putting things in their mouths, it would be worth waiting before introducing them, even the larger ones. Once they are ready, you can introduce them. The thing I enjoy about bead shops is that there is such an extensive variety for 10 pence upwards!! This way, I am using the beads as a treat too. Every time she goes to get her hair cut, she gets some more beads for her collection. This collection is kept in a special box (which will certainly grow as the collection does!!) and only comes out for special one to one play at the moment, as they get lost easily and scattered across the room!

You can add items to the beads too.........my daughter loves filling pots with the beads, hiding them in paper bags and envelopes too!!If you have a big enough collection and don't mind using them, you can even use them for making a collage!! Beads or buttons are a great thing to collect for your child to explore, so give it a go!!!