It almost seems too early to talk Christmas, but it's less than 80 days away and it's time to get organised!

We all know that practice makes perfect and when it comes to maths, repetitiveness is important!

The sun is shining and we're all dying to take a dip in the sea to cool down! Whether you're heading abroad or to the local beach with your little ones, there are lots to think about and organise.

Creative play doesn't have to be messy and doesn't have to involve paint or glitter! You can get creative with your little one by making music, acting, singing or dancing, the only rule of creative play is to express yourself. Creative play provides so many life lessons and skills that your little ones will carry with them forever. Each creative play activity encourages different skills and provides different benefits but all are important.

Painting

There's a strong chance your little one loves painting and colouring and things can get a little excitable! Don't be afraid to head out into the garden with your paint so your only worry is bath time! The garden is full of opportunities for creative play, let your little one paint the fence or the patio with water, when it dries they can start again. The garden is also the perfect place to try out some chalk, easy to wash away, or just wait for the rain! Playcolor Makeup and Textile lets little ones design their own clothes that they can wear again and again to show off their hard work, it makes a fantastic gift and it's a great way to celebrate their creativity! Painting lets your little one explore textures and shapes with complete freedom. Don't stress over asking them what they're painting. The truth is, they may not have thought about the final product. The outcome doesn't matter, just that they're enjoying themselves. Painting will also allow your little ones to express feelings and thoughts, it's unlikely they'll paint a physical representation of their feelings, but being creative allows them to explore self-expression creative impulses.

Verbal creativity

Getting creative with little ones doesn't even need to involve physical play. Storytelling is a great way to get those creative juices flowing! Spend time making up stories with your little ones - let them take the lead and see where it takes you. Giving little ones time to explore creativity through speech will improve their language development and concentration span. It's also a fantastic way for little ones to tell you what they are worried or thinking about and gives them a chance to explore solutions through play. If you're not a storyteller yourself or you've got a few little ones, our storyonics games give you a great starting point and a little more structure whilst still engaging their imagination! Turn story time into a creative play session with a story sack. Take your storybook and make a physical game out of the story. Use puppets or dressing up clothes to act out and expand on the storyline and explore the lessons in the book.

Dance

Turn up the volume and have a dance party! Most little ones won't take much convincing to start dancing and while they are jumping about they're developing gross motor skills and hand-eye coordination while having a blast! There are also countless physical benefits to dance, learning about motion, body awareness, balance and coordination and they're all great fun to explore!

Music

Repetition can be a great tool in child learning. Nursery rhymes are often repetitive and this helps your little one identify patterns and learn through repetition. Anticipating the next line of a song and trying to sing along will improve their speech and help to develop pathways between cells and the brain. Developing these skills helps little ones learn literacy and numeracy. Music can also be used to explore emotions, identifying how different songs make us feel will help your little ones understand feelings. Lullabies make us tired and relax, faster pop songs make us excitable and want to dance. Take this time to think about how the body moves to different sounds, slow and gentle movements to a lullaby for example, and jumping and clapping to an upbeat song, this will focus attention on how their body moves and how music can make us feel. This can also be a great way to communicate the behaviour you expect at certain times.

Acting and Puppets

Acting gives little ones a chance to make sense of the world and find solutions to worries. As your little one takes on different characters they'll develop a deeper understanding of how someone in that situation would feel, developing empathy and creativity. You can encourage acting and role play by providing props. If you Don't have any dressing up clothes, one of mum or dads t-shirts can make a great costume! Bits and bobs from around the house also work wonders, old pans and wooden spoons can become a whole host of things. Buy or make some puppets and put on an afternoon show for the whole family, acting out favourite books and things you've seen throughout the week. Making your own music is just as important as listening. Whether you use a bucket and a wooden spoon or toy instrument, early introduction to making sound and rhythm is a great way to encourage creativity. You Don't need lots of tools and resources to enjoy creative play with your little ones, mud, water, sand, shadows and nature can all be perfect for creative play time and they're free!

What is Earth Day?

Earth Day is an annual event celebrated on April 22nd. Worldwide, events take place to demonstrate support for the protection of our environment.

How do we explain this to kids?

Well, Earth Day is a day to reflect on our planet, our environment and what we can do to keep it healthy.

It can be difficult explaining big issues in the world to kids. There's a fine line between worrying them and giving the right information to educate them. When it comes to the environment it affects us all and it's important that all ages understand the importance of preserving our earth.

To help, we've put together a few tips explaining the importance of Earth Day.

Start small:

Ask them a few simple questions, what comes in packaging? Sweets, toys? Where does the rubbish from sweets and toys go?

The most likely answer "the bin". But ask them what they think happens after that; after the bin lorry has come and taken away the rubbish, where does it go?

Keep it light and visual:

Use Google image search to show children what a landfill looks like. Now they know where our rubbish ends up you can explain why landfills are bad for our planet.

• Animals lose their home, as it becomes landfill space.
• Rainwater filters through the rubbish and into the ground, which makes its way into rivers and streams. This also affects animals and our drinking water.
• Landfills release gases that are smelly and can be unhealthy for humans.

Avoid getting too technical or factual, as they may lose interest.

Why it's important we stop:

The basics have been covered, next step is to discuss why it's so important we stop filling up landfills.

Talk about how we're running out of space for all of the rubbish. If we don't reduce it they'll be no room for parks and beaches.

If your little one loves animals, you can focus on how we need to protect the animals because they live here too.

How do we stop it:

If you have recycling boxes at home, show them and explain that by splitting the different materials, we can recycle and reuse some of our rubbish, rather than letting it rot away in a landfill.

Materials, like plastic milk jugs, are melted down which makes them reusable. Take a look at our Green Toys range made from 100% recycled plastic milk jugs!

There are also some great videos on YouTube that can help to explain.

Get them involved

If there are any local events, take them along! Down in Folkestone, the Bigjigs Toys HQ hometown, there are zero waste beach cleanups!

But if there's nothing like this nearby, take your little one out for a walk and pick up the rubbish as you go (be sure to wear gloves and to wash hands after touching anything).

Take baby steps to introduce them to the impact of waste on our Earth so they Don't get spooked! It's such an important lesson and will create good habits for life. Start small and lead by example, use tote bags instead of plastic and reusable bottles rather than single-use plastic. Explain the importance to them each time they do something good, that way they can feel like they've achieved something.

If your children are a little older, sit down with them and brainstorm how they can help to make an impact - every little helps!

Earth Day 2018: Sunday, 22nd April

Have some tips to share? Comment below!

There are many ways you can introduce your children to a more eco-conscious mindset. It can sound quite daunting and complicated but the best thing you can do to start is lead by example.

Our 6 top tips:

Spend time outdoors

Before you can push to inspire your little ones to care about the environment, you have to let them really experience nature and fall in love with it. Walks in the woods, along the beach or across local downs are fantastic. The fresh air is great for you and being amongst nature has so many benefits! Let your little ones play and run about, Don't worry about getting them muddy - nothing a bath won't fix!

Do your research and pick wild berries and mushrooms; your kids will love this!

Nurture a love for animals

If they're a fan of animals they are more likely to have an interest in protecting them and their homes. We find that talking to kids about the environment works better when you take an animal angle. Explaining how landfills are bad for wildlife is more effective than explaining water pollution and greenhouse gasses to a 4-year-old!

You can nurture a love for animals by introducing them to new animals frequently. A trip to a local wildlife reserve or zoo works perfectly; but if you have the time, and patience, then a walk in the woods looking out for wildlife works even better. This gives them a chance to explore!

If you have pets, some one on one time could do just the trick too!

Side Note: At the moment you can go and feed/cuddle the lambs at local farms.

Conserve Energy

For years parents have been shouting at kids to turn off the lights when they leave a room, so why not take it a step further? Take a moment to explain why we have to turn the TV off at the wall and why we turn the tap off when we brush our teeth. Here are a couple facts to get you started:

Fact 1: A hot water faucet that leaks one drop per second can add up to 165 gallons a month.

Fact 2: If everyone boiled only the water they needed every time they used the kettle, we could save enough electricity in a year to power the UK's street lights for nearly seven months.(Energy Saving Trust)

Fact 3: A single light left on overnight over a year accounts for as much greenhouse gas as a car drive from Cambridge to Paris

Community events

Look at Meetup and Eventbrite, or just Google, to see if there are any eco/nature focused events near you. If you live near the coast there's bound to be a beach clean! If you can't find anything, why not be the one to organise an event? Get the kids involved and locals to help.

Recycling

Segment your bins inside the house and explain to little ones why we separate plastic, paper and glass. Find examples online of items made from recycled materials, or even better, show them a video of the process.

Our Green Toys video simplifies the process so it's easy to understand for young minds.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyxBFO85NEM[/embed]

Gardening

Teaching children where food comes from is an important lesson, and probably one of the most fun to teach!

Head to the garden centre and buy some seeds with the help of the children. Pick something colourful and maybe some that produce fruit/veg. Once you have your seeds, you can head out into the garden and teach them the basics. Explain to them that they should water it every day, and discuss the germination process, remembering to keep it light-hearted to avoid boredom!In a couple weeks time they'll be able to see the flowers or produce and will feel super-proud of what they have created!

Let them cut a flower or two to give to another family member as a gift, it's bound to get a smile!

Buy or make a bird table and get children to pop some bread or waste food on it each day. Make it their responsibility to fill the birdbath, they'll love having something of their own to do each day!

As with teaching anything to young children, repetition is vital. Make sure you implement simple changes every day and explain each time why you're doing it, in a fun and engaging way. Small changes can be as easy as taking canvas and fabric bags to the supermarket to avoid plastic. Taking your own water bottles out and ditching single-use drinks bottles is a fantastic starting point!

Don't worry if you slip up now and then, we've all forgotten our bags for a supermarket trip!

With Earth Day coming up on the 22nd April, we're focusing on nature and how we can highlight the importance of taking care of our environment to kids; and what's a better way to do that than getting them outside and hands-on with nature, in the garden!

Gardening is a fun activity that provides so many educational opportunities. Children will learn to take responsibility, learning how to take care of their seeds each day so that they become healthy flowers!

Gardening engages all of the senses; as children touch and feel the dirt, seeds and flowers, see the vibrant colours and different sizes. It encourages family bonding time, developing key social and vocabulary skills; and it's the perfect chance for parents to highlight the importance of looking after our environment. Talking to kids about concepts such as pollution, plastic pollution and recycling.

We've found 4 of our favourite fast and easy to grow flowers, so you can get the kids outside and learning!

Fast & easy flowers to grow with kids

Sweet Peas

Easy to grow with the kids due to the large seeds, which are large enough for small hands to handle. Sweet Peas can grow up to 8 feet tall and come in all sorts of colours, including red, lilac, white pink and blue. All of which are sure to get the senses tingly!

Good to know: sweet peas like a sunny home (can deal with light shade) in the garden in fertile, well-drained soil.

Sunflowers

The seeds are large enough for small hands to handle. Sunflowers are fast-growing which is sure to please your little one! They can take as little as 120 days to reach full maturation (when they produce seeds) and can grow several feet tall!

Good to know: we suggest planting sunflowers in early spring so they have enough time to grow to full height during the summer, and they love to grow in a sunny spot with lots of direct sunlight!

When growing your sunflowers, why not add a little more fun by seeing who can grow the tallest. Children will feel super-proud as they watch theirs grow, and maybe even grow the tallest!

Marigolds

Easy to grow bedding plants, the seeds are easy to handle for small hands. Marigolds come in rich bright colours and grow quickly so children won't have to wait long for the colourful flowers to appear! Planting a few flowers can produce hundreds of blooms.

Good to know: sow marigolds from March to May and they will flower from summer to autumn. They like to grow in well-drained soil in full sun.

Pansies

With their cheery 'faces' and wide array of colours, Pansies are certainly kid-pleasers! They'll have a great time picking and choosing which colours will best fit into the garden. Pansies are easy to grow and take as little as 15 weeks to bloom!

Good to know: you can sow the seeds in early October for the plants to flower in the spring, but when buying seeds, check the packet for details of other times of the year you can sow the seeds. Pansies like to grow in a well-drained, moist soil in full sun or partly in the shade.

Why flowers are important

Flowers are a great way to attract beneficial insect pollinators to your garden. Some of the most important pollinators that are attracted by flowers include bees, wasps, ants and butterflies.

But in recent years, the number of bees, and other pollinators, has dropped massively. This means that planting flowers is very important, and something we should make children aware of. Knowing they could save the bees may encourage them even more so to head out into the garden!

When it comes to teaching children about gardening and discussing the importance of looking after our environment, always keep it light-hearted and avoid killing the magic of nature by being too factual. To help, we've put together a fact sheet that includes some fun facts your children will love!

Happy planting!

Have you managed to get out into the garden yet this year? Share your flower and gardening pictures with us on social media.

At Bigjigs Toys we take our environmental and ethical responsibilities very seriously. We follow a number of environmental procedures in order to ensure our impact on the environment is as small as possible.

Four Ways to Develop Shape & Colour Recognition

- Guest Blog written by What2Buy4Kids

A key building block of a preschooler's development is the recognition and understanding of the world around them. Although they may not be able to name them, kids learn from an early age that there are different shapes and colours everywhere; but as shape and colour are abstract concepts, they can appear difficult to master for young children.

We all know that kids learn best when we make things fun and exciting, so below are a list of 4 things to try out with the kids to help with shape and colour recognition.

In the Playroom

Educational toys play such an important part in a child's development and can come in very handy when encouraging children to recognise shapes and colours.

Shape sorters are probably one of the best toys to help with this. The key part is the interaction needed by the parent (or carer). As children are playing, it's important to ask questions such as, "Can you find the circle?", "Where do you think the square goes?. As the child improves, make the questions more challenging to incorporate colour, e.g. "Can you find the red circle, the green triangle? Etc:. The team at what2buy4kids especially loves the Farmhouse Shape Sorter from the Bigjigs Toys collection.

Out and About

Colours and shapes are all around us, so make it part of a daily routine. A trip to the local supermarket can encourage kids to recognise colours and shapes, e.g. Let's pick 5 green apples and 2 yellow bananas.

Then, when you turn up at the checkout, get the kids to sort according to shape. This learning can also be reinforced in the playroom, as the children set up pretend play scenarios such as a shop or as they play in their toy kitchen.

In the Garden

The garden is a lovely place for developing colour and shape recognition, and we all know the importance of getting the kids to play outdoors. In the Spring, pick some yellow daffodils, white snowdrops, etc:. This is perfect for colour recognition and what's fantastic is that the kids' are learning without even realising!

As the weather gets warmer, you can set up a treasure hunt in the sandpit or paddling pool. It's simple, just put in a range of different shapes or colours for the kids to find and they'll be busy for hours! You'll usually find that they keep on asking you to re-hide the items as they love this game so much!

Art & Craft Activities

Art and craft activities are a great way to develop shape and colour recognition. Have a red arts and crafts morning, where all the paints and materials are red (red pom poms, red tissue paper, red pipe cleaners) and create a red masterpiece!

As you can see, the ways of teaching kids about shapes and colours are endless, with so many other ways that aren't on this list! As you start exploring, you'll see that there is a whole host of fun toys and numerous activities to teach kids about shapes and colours. Blocks, shape sorters and shape boards are literally building the foundation for learning through fun, one block (or shape!) at a time!

We're giving away a Farm Shape Sorter and Train Set in partnership with What2Buy4Kids To enter, choose one of the animals below and post its name in the comment of our Facebook Post!

You must like both the Bigjigs and the What2Buy4Kids Facebook page to be entered. While you're here, why not check out our other blogs!

It's pancake day today and that means it's time to dust off your apron and get flipping!

Pancake day is a great way to get the kids in the kitchen with some interactive fun learning! We've written a recipe that your little ones can follow along whilst they help you in the kitchen.

If you're not up for the washing up today (the kids and the pans) then get out your play food and whip up a crepe with a pinch of imagination!

Bigjigs Toys have acquired popular wooden toy brand, Tidlo, from John Crane Ltd. Find out more!

It's January and that means it's time for New Year's resolutions! This year, scrap the half-hearted promise to lose weight or keep the house tidy and do something that affects the entire planet. Yup, we're talking eco-living!

Okay, so we know you're not going to end global warming in one year but there are small steps we can all take to make an impact. When we think of eco-living it's easy to feel overwhelmed and intimidated, but it's not as hard as you may think. With over 7 billion people sharing Earth, every little change really does make a difference; so with that in mind, we've put together some easy things you can do to reduce your footprint and have an awesome eco-year!

1. Don't just bin it, recycle it

Children go through toys like no tomorrow, they break and get broken and then thrown away on a regular basis. This year, instead of just binning it, recycle it! Most toys are made from recyclable materials including wood, plastic and cloth, all of which can be recycled.

2. Buy greener toys from Green Toys

Green Toys are made from recycled plastic milk jugs, meaning you can buy them guilt-free! All products are packaged in 100% recyclable cardboard, and printed with minimal colour using soy inks. Plus, Green Toys contain no BPA, lead, phthalates, or other harmful substances!

Buying Green Toys is also a great way to teach children about recycling, helping the environment, saving energy, and reducing greenhouse gases. By showing that environmental responsibility can be fun!

3. Reduce and reuse: Nappies

Now Don't run away just yet, we know reusable nappies are met with confused looks and dread, but it's probably not as bad as you think! Nappies take between 200-500 years to decompose and leave behind some nasty chemicals.

Think about it like this: New born babies get changed around 12 times a day, this means that over 2000 nappies are being tossed in landfills for each new baby... Cloth nappies could save you an average of £700 a year and divert up to 874kg from landfill, reducing the carbon footprint by 40%!

Reusable nappies have been endlessly redesigned in the past few years and there now super reliable and easier to use than ever before

4. Use less paper

Do you have a budding artist at home? Let them scribble on old envelopes and paper you are already throwing out to reduce the amount of paper you use.

You can even try using cloth napkins instead of paper and switch out kitchen paper towels for a sponge or rag. For every ton of paper we recycle, we save 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space.

Take a look at this great piece by the Small FootPrint Family for more tips!

5. Get growing outdoors with the kids

Switch part of your supermarket shop out for homegrown fruit and veg, and why not get the kids involved. Quality time in the garden with your little one throughout the summer and a great lesson in where food comes from - it's a win-win!

Growing your own fruit and vegetables also reduces your footprint massively - no emissions from food transportation or synthetic fertilizers. Plus, it's a great excuse to start up a compost bin for that nutrient-rich soil to feed your growing plants.

These really simple changes will make a huge difference in reducing your carbon footprint. Even if you're not up for the commitment of a vegetable garden just yet, start small by buying eco-friendly toys this year. Wishing you a very Happy New Year from everyone at Bigjigs Toys!