Blog

This months guest blog is from Sam Goldsworthy Childminding, a wonderful mother and daughter team. You can follow them on their adventures at Facebook and Instagram @samgoldsworthychildminding. As most of you know I am Sam from Sam Goldsworthy Childminding. We are a...

This months blog post is brought to you by Jennifer Wooldridge @mamasden. Jennifer is a childminding mother of 3 who is highly influenced by the natural world and loose part play. She creates a fun learning environment and her instagram, facebook and blog posts offer...

This months Forest School blog post is brought to you by the wonderful mother and daughter team at Sam Goldsworthy Childminding.One of our favourite outings that we provide is definitely Forest School which has become a weekly ritual in our setting. We use the same...

This months blog is written by my very dear childminding friend Vikkie Murray, of Little Acorns Banbury. Vikkie is a passionate advocate for the sensible use of technology in the early years and her blog gives some fantastic ideas for ways in which it can be...

This months guest blog is by the fantastic Kimberly Smith from KSEY Consultancy. Lots of the members of my rep team are enrolled on her Hygge in the Early Years Accreditation™ course so I approached Kimberly for advice when creating a Hygge Collection for the website....

Happy New Year to everyone reading this blog. This year has been so exciting for Tinker Tray Play. I never even dreamed that my little Etsy store selling home made tinker trays and treasure baskets would grow into the shop I have today. My website is 5 months old now...

Loose Parts Shelves I have arranged my loose parts on 3 shelves. The furthest shelf is filled with jars of natural loose parts i.e bamboo circles, fur cones, shells. The second and third are filled with recycled and other loose parts i.e. bottle lids etc. The third...

Top Ten Christmas Picks Christmas is just around the corner, so close I can almost hear the tinkling of the reindeer bells in the air... a perfect time for me to share some of my top picks and best sellers with you!1. Seasonal Subscription BoxesGive the gift of a...

I am going to start this blog post off by saying… I am not a blogger! I am a busy mum of two, who is trying to run a small business and keep everyone alive and happy! My early years teaching experience gives me invaluable insight to the benefits of play/sensory...

Written for, and published by The Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years (PACEY). https://www.pacey.org.uk/news-and-views/pacey-blog/march-2019/getting-to-grips-with-loose-parts-play/ Anna Welch, owner of Tinker Tray Play, 26th March 2019. Children...

My first Treasure Basket encounter was as a new mum at a baby class run by my local children’s centre… and I didn’t get it. I remember wondering why on earth they were passing round baskets full of strange household items, and not toys. Surely funding constraints...