Play Table

I don’t think I am updating this blog as often as I used to when I was working. I’m not entirely sure why. Maybe it is because I don’t want to moan online about the things that annoy me about living here, and equally feel a bit nervous that I’ll sound hideously smug if I waffle on about the great things. There are also things that make me nervous, and I don’t want to talk about them either. This blog used to be my way of recording my children’s childhood, and a few of my more creative achievements; perhaps now that I don’t work outside the home, I am more deeply embedded in their day to day childhood, and simply don’t think to record it so often…? I also don’t take my camera out so much, which often provided me with the inspiration to blog. I don’t feel bad about this though - we had friends visiting recently, who talked about meeting a very skilled photographer who gave them lots of tips for their photography, and whose parting wisdom was, “But remember to look with your eyes.” I’ve been doing a lot of looking with my eyes.
Anyway, back to the title of the post, and one of my reasons for blogging: this is the play table in the middle of our hallway, and this is what I mean to do more often that I actually DO do. The idea is that it has a selection of activities, hopefully some choices for everyone, so that they can pick / invent / adapt and play / learn independently, especially at the times of day that I am busy / not at my best, ie first thing (and I mean FIRST thing – 5am) in the morning, making lunch, just getting in from the school run. It’s not something that I find easy, putting things on a table in the hope that there will be something for Eve, who is now embracing literacy, Noah, who likes Maths but only when free to choose, and Thom who wants to get involved in what his older siblings are doing, which often leads to frustration on both sides. So, let’s see what they make of this: Eve’s school reading book; a poster already partly coloured by Noah and written on by Eve; a handful of beloved decorated bottle tops from Canada; a couple of activity books (Ben 10 and Lion King – yeah, we have lovely eco, ethical ones too – I’m into a real honesty run at the moment, though, and feeling very anti-‘oh, my children just play with pine cones and pebbles, they’re so free!!’ so, um, honesty, think that’s enough explanation…); chunky books for Thom, including noisy one as he adores things happening when he presses buttons; a felt flower that fell off my hair band; some lovely quality pencil crayons – really nice, bright colours; a regular pencil; a play-cube thingy; some pretty stickers; a book of plain paper that Eve usually uses for writing.
Maybe we need a bigger table……..

Can you imagine the fuss if I got them each their own table?? No one would ever have the right things on their table…..

So – I’ll let you know how we get on…………………..


I wrote this post offline yesterday, while Blogger was down, so can update right now tha;, Eve was happily entertaining herself this morning with things from the table; Noah was mildly interested, but spurned the pencil crayons and ran off to get the felt tips. Thom was nowhere in sight until I walked into the dining room, where I found him sitting in the middle of the table, elbow deep in the water-filled bowl I float flowers in, making some kind of soup.....

They are currently dressed as a cowboy, a pirate and one is entirely naked, and playing a Mr Tickle game in a den they've made in the sitting room.

Swimming later, time to get organised.....

Have a great weekend everyone.