The Big Garden Birdwatch is taking place on the 24th-25th January hosted by the RSPB.
During one hour over the course of the weekend thousands of people take part in watching for birds in their gardens or green space, they record the birds they see during that hour.
They then submit this information over to the RSPB. This information can be submitted by the RSPB live bird counter online via tablets, desktops and smartphones or you can use a good old pen and paper.

We are looking forward to taking part this year and have received a free pack from the RSPB that we sent off for in the post. It came within the week. Send for your pack here.

I also ordered a Toob Garden Bird set from Amazon. I wanted to create some play set ups for Little N before taking part in this event. They are a lovely little set of 7 garden birds, well made and realistic.

Today we created a small world bird set up to talk about garden birds:
- Where they live
- What they eat
- What they drink
- What nests are made from

To create this set up we used:
- An empty Roses tub
- Toob Garden Birds
- Bird House
- Bird Seed
- Twigs
- Small container
- Water

Today's invitation for play looked like this -




During the play session we spoke about what birds like to eat. Little N remembered this from the Bird Seed Feeders we made not too long ago.
We spoke about birds living in trees, what they make their nests from and what they do in their nests.

Little N enjoyed putting the birds to bed on the twigs.

We also spoke about what bird drink and where they like to have a wash.

Little N really enjoyed this feature in the small world tub which I wasn't suprized about. She kept putting them in the water tub for a little wash before shaking the water off and putting them in the nest for bedtime.

She studied the birds closely and spoke to them ever so caring during her imaginative play.


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We have recently been enjoying lots of fun with a range of different sensory bags.

They are new in our setting at the moment and I am kicking myself that I didn't create these sooner.

What is a Sensory Bag?
A sensory bag is a bag that is filled with interesting sensory stimulating materials that allow access to explore without getting your hands messy. They are great for babies under supervision and also for children who experience sensory overload and steer away from getting their hands 'dirty'.

What do I need to create a sensory bag?
There is a huge range of materials and liquids that can be explored via sensory bags. Here is a list of some of the things you may wish to consider:
Shampoo, Shaving Cream, Hair Gel, Baby Oil, Water, Paint, Playdough, Straws, Sequins, Buttons, Food Bags, Tape.

What should I consider when creating Sensory Bags?
Here are a few things you should take into consideration when putting sensory bags together and whilst your children are playing with them:
- Topics - Can you link a bag to a topic you are covering/your child is studying at school/nursery/with their childminder? Is there a festival or celebration coming up that could inspire your bag?
- Interests - What are your children currently into? Linking activities and play set ups to their interests will always go down well!
- Sharp Edges - You really must steer away from items that have sharp edges as they will pierce the bags.
- Creativity - Allow children to explore the bags with different body parts for example exploring them with your feet can give a different spin on the experience.
- Sealing - The bags are not 100% water tight so sealing the bags with tape will prevent leakages.
- Settings - Consider the setting you are exploring them. Some bags will look more effective stuck to the window to allow light through. Light tables also work well.
- Supervising - All children will need supervising when exploring sensory bags.

Examples of Sensory Bags.







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