Homemade Windbreaker

I've been looking for a windbreaker to Daisy, the ones I've liked have been far to much for my budget. So I thought I would have a go at making one! 

I already had some wood, going unused in the garden. Not round poles I would have picked for this job and far to thick but it's free! 

I've really guessed the size and if they come out ok I will check how high they are! 

My amazing muti tool has come in handy yet again!

Then changed the head to sand, it's not the best sanding ever but they are going to be painted!

You can see the difference a quick sand had made! 

The yellow was attracting far to many flys and bugs so I've painted over in the blue!

 I now have 6, cut, sanded and painted.

While am on the hunt for the perfect  vintage fabric, my mum had the great idea of using bunting! 

It was Dot's birthday and we had a beach day with family and friends! Sand castle building and cake! It was perfect, the first vegan birthday cake I've made was gone in minutes! 

I will update with how to add the fabric, as soon as I find the perfect material! 

Holiday/Summer Brake Activities

7 weeks feels like a very long time, to keep my 5, 4 and 2 year old entertained for!  As both our boys have a speech and language delay I wanted to come up with some fun activities which will work on their understanding, of letter sounds, writing and reading.

Here's a few of them:

Chalk

Chalks, a big pack was only a pound! They have come in so handly. Am going to get another pack to take on holiday in the caravan with us. They are fun and wash off really easily, so I would be happy to use them on our drive etc. Theres not many places to use them in our back garden but the trampoline was perfect! It kept them all entertained for ages, drawing and then running around the lines. I joined them to draw some number for them to copy. Pops 5, loved it, copying the numbers and talking about them. Bear 4, was more interested in drawing lines to run round. Our youngest Dot at 2, loved it running around and drawing. It washes off our trampoline really easy with some water or rain. It brushes off while your playing on it too, so they can just keep drawing! Great fun! It's kept them entertained the longest so far.

Second day of chalk on the trampoline and they are still loving it! (Don't mind Bear he's going through a naked faze!)

We have made spaceships, numbers and words. I write a word and then Pops copies! We are all covered in chalk! 

 

Sometimes I just hand them the chalk and let their imagination run riot! It's great to see their spaceships and tracks.

To help Pop with his reading and writing. I like to grab some chalk, and write out a few words and sounds to learn. It's quite relaxing, spending a few mintues setting up the trampoline with a few words. I try and do themes, so 'home' then draw a house and a few words for home, like house, flat etc. 

I try and stick to things they would know, so draw a car and talk about our car. Pops drew a hat, so I wrote it and sounded it out and he copied. It's such a fun away of getting them drawing and writing, while learning about sounds. 

They don't have to be good drawings, just the letters work so well. 

Pegs

Click HERE for more info on Peg Letters

Bubble Wrap:

There is so much you can do with a sheet of bubble wrap! Here's one, very loud, fun thing!

We had some post this morning and there was some bubble wrap. Being a hoarder, I was going to put this with the wrapping paper. But the boys where 'playing' races, with the push alongs (I say playing, loud crashing...) 

So just using a very small amount of Sellotape, I put this in their path. They love it! 

Salt Dough:

I love this stuff! Hours of fun and useful too, we always make things for Christmas. From little hanging gift tags too Christmas tree ornaments! So much fun for the kids and useful. Cheap and easy to make as well.

1x cup of SALT

1x cup of FLOUR

1/2 cup of WATER

Salt, flour and water! Easy! Loads of ideas on Pinintrest of the huge amount of things you can do with Salt Dough. I mostly make it in the run up to Christmas, for hand prints of our babies or little stars for labels on gifts. So much fun.

I've found that leaving them to air dry works best for me. When I've tried in the oven they have just grown and not fully dried. If you have an airing cupboard that's the perfect place! 

Left over salt dough:

Little food bag, paint-

No mess fun!

Peg Words

Our two boys have a speech and langwish delay. If you have read my other blogs you will have an understanding of how much this impacts our life's. 

Am trying over the summer to spend as much one to one time, with each boys working on getting them ready for September. 

Our oldest Pops is starting year 1 and Bear year R. Bear is much further behind than Pops was last year. 

Pops is starting to write and read, but quite far behind his class. I am very worried. With three childern 5 and under, it can be really hard to get much one to one time! 

My plan is that everly day in the summer holidays, am going to get Dot down for a nap. While she's having a morning nap (she is not like the boys at all who used to have two hour naps, but likes 10min power naps, unless I time it right!) am going to sit down and do an activity with the boys. One to one or both together. 

Their school have given them both a little book, with photos of their teaches and classes rooms. So each day am going through their books, getting them used to the big change that's coming.

I've been trying to think of good one to one activitys I can do to help, with Pops reading, writing and sounding out letters.

Here is the first one.... 

Peg Letters! 

I love this idea, pegging on letters. Finding the matching letter and pegging it to the card. Easy to make, and lots of reading, sounding fun! 

I have printed and laminated lots of words, words they know, like Gigi and Grandma. Some simple words like Cat or Red and harder ones like Sunshine.

Each day I've picked different words, and then got Pops to sound out and find each letter. Then we have talked about that word, it's fun and he's getting quicker each day! 

Keep an eye out for more of these summer learning fun activitys coming soon! 

Pirate Ship Rewards Cart

Our children's school has a reward chart system, based around a pirate ship. They start on the ship, and move to the happy face if they do something wonderful, helpful or makes someone else happy. The sad face is if their actions have upset someone. To get our middle son ready for starting school, I would do the same over the summer holidays. Their new class is named after a sea animal, so I have added them in too, to help get used to them. It's a big thing starting school but for a child with speech delay its huge! 

This is a very quickly drawn ship, happy sun and sad cloud. If I get some spare time I will try and make it a little better!

My idea is that they move up the ship's sails towards the happy sun, for each great thing they do. So far I have stayed away from reward systems but I've seen how well our oldest, Pops, has responded to the schools one so thought it was worth a try. 

It's a long 7wks before school starts, and I want to make sure we make the most of this special time together. While getting Bear used to the idea, that he will move up and down a chart, just like in school. 

Am not a fan or 'good' or 'bad' so am trying to make this more about 'kindness'  'helpfulness' 'thoughtfulness' or your actions have upset someone and this is why. Not, you have been a naughty boy. Etc. When Bear has thrown a few toys over fence, hit and kicked his baby sister, thrown sand everywhere and taken all the photo frames off the wall (I've run out of coffee and it's not even 9am yet) I have to remind my self, not to scream at him and quietly explain to him why that's really unhelpful and unkind....thank god I found some coffee in Daisy this afternoon to last me till shopping day! (He spent a lot of time on the sad cloud this morning, but after a long lovely walk he has been on the ship for the rest of the day!)

Am hoping I get a moment to draw it out a little better or make it in fabrics!

Avocado, Nuts and Sweet Chilli

Quick easy yummy lunch, my take on a buddha bowl!  

Sliced up avocado, ground up nuts and seeds, dried fruit, coconut slices and lemon chunks. Served with rice and wheat. With drizzled sweet chilli sauce over the top! 

Use all your favourite nuts, I had walnuts peanuts and cashew nuts to hand. Chia and pumpkin seeds! 

Click here for perfect rice!