We’re embracing the warm weather with some fun summer activities.

Real, free play – a chance to get a little messy and have fun without constraints – is so important for young children, and helps them develop and improve their motor skills, co-ordination and concentration. It also encourages independence, collaboration, exploration, problem solving and creative thinking.

Here are six fun summer activities we encourage you to try this week.

1. Fizzy ice chalk

This is so much fun for kids – and adult! And super easy to make. Children can get involved in the making, as well as playing afterwards.

Chalk cubes are made in the freezer with three ingredients and frozen in an ice cube tray. Pop the ice chalk put of the trays and they’re ready to use! Hosing down the road/patio can help blend the colours beautifully, but isn’t necessary at all.

Once the ice chalks has sufficiently melted and mixed, it’s time to have fun with squirting vinegar to make the chalk ‘erupt’ and fizz!

We recommend this excellent step-by-step method from Learn Play Imagine.

2. Animal Kingdom races

What animal might win the race – crab, duck, bunny, frog, elephant… or maybe even a starfish?! Keep children moving, fit and having fun with these hilarious animal exercises. They’ll love pretending to be one of their favorite animals!

Here’s a great video from hellowonderful.co to get started.

3. Yoga

Here are 14 easy yoga poses for kids from Great Wolf Tales.

4. Toy washing station

Image: Crayon Box Chronicles

This is super easy to set up and so much fun for little ones to spalsh around with. Kids can scoop, pour, whilst, scrub and dry toys in any way they wish!

Supplies

• Large container
• Washing up liquid/soap
• Washable toys, e.g. wooden animals, dolls etc
• Bowls, sponges, ladles, spoons and other utensils
• Towels

1. Fill the container with warm water and washing up liquid/soap.
2. Place the bowls in the water, some filled with water, some not.
3. Here’s where children can have ultimate free play – using the main container for washing, a bowl for rinsing, another bowl for ‘drying’… the options are endless.

5. Squishy colour bags

Image: Learning 4 Kids

This a wonderful sensory activity for children to experience how colours mix. They can use their hands to squash the bags and create new colours.

Supplies

• Large tray
• Water paints (red, blue and yellow are the minimum number of colours that can be mixed to make the greatest number of secondary colours)
• Clear plastic zip-lock lunch bags
• Sticky tape

Method

1. Add a few squeezes of paint to each bag, starting with one colour in each corner, ad using three in some bags (being careful to keep them separate). Zip the bags closed. Feel free to double-bag if you’re worried they might split!
2. Use sticky tape to seal the squishy bags. You can also stick the bags down to the table to keep them in one place and help younger children with control over ‘squishing’.

Help children identify what’s happening by explaining how each colour is blending with the others, and asking them to repeat the colour names. It’s also a great opportunity to ask questions like “which colours made purple”?

For younger children, just feeling the consistency of the paints and seeing the colours mix are great sensory experiences.

6. Looking for Spaghetti Worms

Image: Learning 4 Kids

Possibly the messiest – but also one of the most fun activities! It’s amazing what a little mud and some cold spaghetti can do to keep children entertained.

Supplies

• Container (large tray or bowl)
• Sand or soil from the garden
• Cooked spaghetti

Method

1. Wet the soil or sand and make sure it’s not packed down too tighlty (spaghetti can break easily under too much weight)
2. Place the strands of spaghetti on top of the soil, covering some lightly and burying some deeper down

Children can use their hands to dig out the spaghetti worms from the soil. For more of a challenge for older children, they can try lifting the worms out with BBQ tongs or tweezers.

Extra ideas to add to the sensory experience: counting ‘worms’ as they’re saved from the mud, and measuring the lengths of the worms.

Here are some other ideas from previous blogs, like making playdough, a 7 Day recipe challenge, bake Spitzbueb biscuits, and activities that teach children about sustainability.

Teaching future generations about sustainability has never been more important.

If we can show children the importance of protecting the environment, they will undoubtedly play an integral role in making our planet more sustainable and healthy.

Environmental education also helps build creative thinking, relationship skills and leadership qualities.

Here are 14 activities to do with children to help spark their interest in, and get involved with, sustainability.

1. Pick your own fruit and flowers

This is such a great way to be outdoors and be active, whilst also supporting local producers. There are many seasonal ‘pick your own’ locations around Basel.

2. Help at a local farm

There are lots of fun activities like feeding animals and raking hay that encourage children to understand how farms work. Or, just observing the animals in their paddocks can be just as interesting for little ones.

3. Go on a green walk

Children love having a sense of purpose. With gloves on and a bag, go on a ‘green walk’ to pick up any small bits of rubbish in the woods or a park near you. Going with other children and wearing hi-vis vests can make it even more fun for them.

At home, why not create and label recycling bins? They can decorate them with pictures of what should go in each one and then ‘practise’ sorting by putting the right items in each bin.

4. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

The three ‘Rs’ are an excellent way to help children remember how to be sustainable most effectively.

Children also learn through singing – This Jack Johnson song is a great one they can learn to sing along to!

5. Make a compost container

Having the responsibility of looking after their own compost container can help children’s green habits.

This compost bottle activity is a great way to show composting in action.

6. Make homemade laundry products

Here’s a great recipe for homemade detergent to make and use at home.

7. Make a worm farm

Most children love watching worms at work! Even if you’re not the most enthusiastic worm-lover, you’ll find this easy eco-friendly activity great for teaching your kids all about recycling and taking care of the environment.

8. Do a water pollution experiment

Here’s a super simple activity that helps children understand that water pollution exists, even if we can’t see it.

9. Make a mini greenhouse

Plant the seed of sustainability with a mini greenhouse – a great way to recycle cups (in line with the 3 Rs!).

10. Make recycled paper

Making paper offers children a rich sensory play experience, too. Here’s a recipe to try at home.

11. Plant a garden

Children will get a huge sense of achievement from growing something from scratch and then being able to eat it afterwards! Teaching kids to do some gardeing also encourages those green fingers for later on in life.

12. Recyclable art

The 3Rs explored creatively through art – here are some ideas to get you started.

13. Explore nature

Whether by foot or on wheels, exploring nature is a beautiful way for children to gain respect for looking after the environment. On a rainy day the exploring can continue further afield via Google Earth maps! Komodo Island, the Great Barrier Reef or the Sea of Cortez are just a few to look at.

14. Read books about sustainability

As we’ve mentioned before, we’re great believers in increasing a child’s knowledge with books and stories. This is a fantastic list of 100 of the best books for children on sustainability.

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These are just some of many activities to do with children to help them learn about the importance of sustainability.

At Wild.Kind., we focus on the positive impact we can have on the lives of young humans and their own positive impact on the world through:
• Vegetarian nutrition of mainly organic, seasonal and regional origin
• Care and compassion for ourselves and each other
• Awareness of nature, animals and our environment
• A sustainable approach to all materials and resources we use.

Are you interested in finding out more and potentially booking a place in the playschool for your child/children? Please contact us to organise a visit or to speak to our team.

The first five years are imperative to a child’s development of cognitive skills.

Cognitive skills include a child’s ability to think, imagine, communicate, understand, remember, and work out what might happen next.

One of the founders of cognitive development theory is Jean Piaget, who suggests that children progress through four main stages of mental development:

• Sensorimotor stage (birth to 2 years)
• Preoperational stage (2 to 7 years)
• Concrete operational stage (7 to 11 years)
• Formal operational stage (12 and up)

As a parent or caregiver of young children, it’s crucial to encourage the development a child’s cognitive skills from the day they’re born as it forms the foundation for success in school and later adult life. Children who can distinguish sounds at six months, for example, tend to be better at developing the skills to read and write when they reach the age of four or five.

Here, we focus on some of the things we can do to encourage the development of cognitive skills in our children.

Things to do on a daily basis

• Encouraging a baby to explore and move around
• Singing and reading to a baby
• Being patient and taking the time to answer “why” questions
• Encouraging growth in knowledge of a particular interest, for example cars, trains or dinosaurs.

Play ideas

Children learn best when they’re interested in an activity, so it’s a great idea to let your child take the lead when playing.

Here are some play ideas to support your child’s cognitive development:

• Games that combine singing and moving, such as ‘If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands’
• Jigsaw puzzles and other memory games
• Card games like ‘Snap!’
• Stacking and building games like Lego and Duplo
• Board games like ‘Snakes and Ladders’
• Cooking (especially the measuring, counting scoops, repeating ingredient names)
• ‘I spy’
• Exploring in the garden

Language skills

Playtime is also a great opportunity to help your child practice language skills by asking them to describe what’s happening. For example, if Teddy is at the vet we can ask “What can we do to help Teddy?”.

It’s important for us all to remember that every single brain is completely individual, both in its development and in the way it encounters the world, so progress in your child’s development may differ to other kids.

At Wild.Kind., we encourage the development of cognitive skills as much as we can in everything we do. Interested to find out more about our approach? Read up on our philosophy or contact us.

We live in a wonderful, colourful, diverse world. Children’s books that celebrate diversity are a fantastic way to teach youngsters about embracing culture, differences and the world around them.

By reading stories that discuss different cultures and people from around the globe, children gain exposure to these topics. In turn, they can understand and embrace these differences and become rounded individuals from an early age.

Here’s our list of 15 children’s books that celebrate diversity.

Whoever You Are

Every day all over the world, children are laughing and crying, playing and learning, eating and sleeping. They may not look the same. They may not speak the same language. Their lives may be quite different. But inside, they are all alike. Stirring words and bold paintings weave their way around our earth, across cultures and generations. At a time when, unfortunately, the lessons of tolerance still need to be learned, Whoever You Are urges us to accept our differences, to recognize our similarities, and-most importantly-to rejoice in both.

The Family Book

The Family Book celebrates the love we feel for our families and all the different varieties they come in. Whether you have two moms or two dads, a big family or a small family, a clean family or a messy one, Todd Parr assures readers that no matter what kind of family you have, every family is special in its own unique way.

Susan Laughs

Told in rhyme, this story follows Susan through a series of familiar activities. She swims with her father, works hard in school, plays with her friends — and even rides a horse. Lively, thoughtfully drawn illustrations reveal a portrait of a busy, happy little girl with whom younger readers will identify. Not until the end of the story is it revealed that Susan uses a wheelchair.

Told with insight, and without sentimentality, here is an inspiring look at one spunky little girl whose physical disability is never seen as a handicap.

Last Stop of Market Street

CJ begins his weekly bus journey around the city with disappointment and dissatisfaction, wondering why he and his family can’t drive a car like his friends. Through energy and encouragement, CJ’s nana helps him see the beauty and fun in their routine.

This beautifully illustrated, emotive picture book explores urban life with honesty, interest and gratitude.

Last Stop on Market Street has won multiple awards and spent time at the number one spot in the New York Times Bestseller List.

The Sandwich Swap

Lily and Salma are best friends. They like doing all the same things, and they always eat lunch together. Lily eats peanut butter and Salma eats hummus-but what’s that between friends? It turns out, a lot. Before they know it, a food fight breaks out. Can Lily and Salma put aside their differences? Or will a sandwich come between them?

The smallest things can pull us apart-until we learn that friendship is far more powerful than difference. In a glorious three-page gatefold at the end of the book, Salma, Lily, and all their classmates come together in the true spirit of tolerance and acceptance.

Same, Same but Different

Elliot lives in America, and Kailash lives in India. They are pen pals. By exchanging letters and pictures, they learn that they both love to climb trees, have pets, and go to school. Their worlds might look different, but they are actually similar. Same, same. But different!

Through an inviting point-of-view and colorful, vivid illustrations, this story shows how two boys living oceans apart can be the best of friends.

The Colours of Us

Seven-year-old Lena is going to paint a picture of herself. She wants to use brown paint for her skin. But when she and her mother take a walk through the neighborhood, Lena learns that brown comes in many different shades.

Through the eyes of a little girl who begins to see her familiar world in a new way, this book celebrates the differences and similarities that connect all people.

Karen Katz created this book for her daughter, Lena, whom she and her husband adopted from Guatemala six years ago.

This Is How We Do It: One Day in the Lives of Seven Kids from around the World

This Is How We Do It follows the lives of seven REAL kids from Japan, Uganda, Russia, Iran, Peru, India, and Italy for a single day.

From the time each kid wakes up until the time they fall asleep, the details of their days differ: their homes are different, their schools are different, even how they play is different.

This genuine exchange between real kids provides a window into lifestyles and traditions that may differ from our own, as well as a mirror reflecting the common experiences that unite us all

Everywhere Babies

Everywhere Babies is a fantastic diversity book for toddlers. The rhymes are catchy, but the best thing about this story is that it’s full of babies (and their parents) of all different races and creeds. The underlying theme is that no matter what babies look like, they’re all loved “for being so wonderful just as they are!”

Not Quite Narwhal

In the tradition of Uni the Unicorn and Gaston, this heartwarming and adorable debut picture book tells the story of a young unicorn who was born under the sea to a family of narwhals.

Growing up in the ocean, Kelp has always assumed that he was a narwhal like the rest of his family. Sure, he’s always been a little bit different—his tusk isn’t as long, he’s not as good of a swimmer, and he really doesn’t enjoy the cuisine. Then one night, an extra strong current sweeps Kelp to the surface, where he spots a mysterious creature that looks just like him! Kelp discovers that he and the creature are actually unicorns. The revelation leaves him torn: is he a land narwhal or a sea unicorn? But perhaps, if Kelp is clever, he may find a way to have the best of both worlds.

Told with heartwarming illustrations and spare, sweet text, Jessie Sima’s debut picture book is about fitting in, standing out, and the all-encompassing love of family

All Are Welcome

Follow a group of children through a day in their school, where everyone is welcomed with open arms. A school where kids in patkas, hijabs, and yarmulkes play side-by-side with friends in baseball caps. A school where students grow and learn from each other’s traditions and the whole community gathers to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

All Are Welcome lets young children know that no matter what, they have a place, they have a space, they are welcome in their school.

“This is a must-read for pre-school and elementary classrooms everywhere. An important book that celebrates diversity and inclusion in a beautiful, age-appropriate way.” – Trudy Ludwig, author of The Invisible Boy and Quiet Please, Owen McPhee!

The Skin You Live In

With the ease and simplicity of a nursery rhyme, this lively story delivers an important message of social acceptance to young readers. Themes associated with child development and social harmony, such as friendship, acceptance, self-esteem, and diversity are promoted in simple and straightforward prose. Vivid illustrations of children’s activities for all cultures, such as swimming in the ocean, hugging, catching butterflies, and eating birthday cake are also provided. This delightful picturebook offers a wonderful venue through which parents and teachers can discuss important social concepts with their children.

Why Are You Looking at Me? I Just Have Down Syndrome

This story is about the life of a child with Down Syndrome that wants to be your friend. Lynn may look different than most children, but has many of the same likes and dislikes. Help your child discover what it means to accept and embrace a relationship with people who are different.

Lovely

Big, small, curly, straight, loud, quiet, smooth, wrinkly. Lovely explores a world of differences that all add up to the same thing: we are all lovely!

Elmer’s Special Day

Elmer, the patchwork elephant, has been a favorite of children around the world since the first book debuted in 1989. Elmer’s Special Day is the latest book in this classic series. It’s almost Elmer Day again for the elephants, and they are getting their colorful parade outfits ready. But in their excitement they are making an awful lot of noise and upsetting the other animals. So Elmer changes the rules and invites every single animal to join in the parade. And they have a surprise in store for Elmer…

________

Happy reading! We hope you enjoyed seeing our top picks of children’s books that celebrate diversity.If you’d like to find books that teach children kindness and compassion, read our list here. All books can be purchases via Amazon and good book shops.

We are proud to celebrate diversity at Wild.Kind., and encourage children through play, reading, and general conversations to become knowledgeable and well-rounded in this topic.

The most important skills we teach in the early years are social-emotional ones – like kindness, sharing, and self-regulation.

Children who are socially and emotionally healthy tend to demonstrate, and continue to develop, several important behaviours and skills. They are more likely to form good relationships, care about others, recognise and manage their own emotions, understand others’ emotions, and show empathy.

According to Dr. Daniel Siegel, author of The Whole-Brain Child, “When children are interconnected, in tune with others, and have the capacity to be reflective, it increases empathy and understanding for the self and others. The ability to be reflective and to understand the self and others is what builds resiliency.”

Progression through the early years

At around 3-4 years of age, a child is likely to:

• feel generous and show an understanding of sharing, but might not share all the time
• ?use words to describe basic feelings like sad, happy, angry and excited
• ?understand if they have done something ‘wrong’ and feel sorry

At 4-5 years of age, child is likely to:

• ?use words to describe more complex feelings like frustration, annoyance and embarrassment
• hide the truth about something if they feel frightened, embarrassed or guilty
• ?be better at managing strong emotions like anger, frustration and disappointment

By the age of 5, a child is likely to:

• ?use words to describe complex feelings like guilt and jealousy
• be more aware of their feelings towards others and act on them with kindness and empathy
• ?try hard to follow the rules to avoid getting in trouble

Activities

To boost social-emotional skills in children there are lots of activities you can do with them, such as:

• Reading books – hearing stories about characters can help children empathise and relate (here’s a list of our recommendations)
• Starting each day with a check-in helps them identify their emotions
• Listening games like “Simon Says” allow children to practice listening carefully
• Simple yoga poses help them learn how to control their bodies when emotions are running high
• Create a special share box that children can decorate, for items that can be shared like instruments, toys and games.

Attitudes

We can also help by:

• Showing respect and care to each other and ourselves
• Giving effective praise and modeling appropriate behaviour
• Listening with full attention to what children are saying and taking the time to answer fully
• Showing warmth and affection.

Teaching social-emotional skills is clearly an investment of time for parents and caregivers, and something we focus on heavily at Wild.Kind.

Efforts are richly rewarded with engaged, happy, empathetic and kind children who express their emotions in productive ways.

The world will always need compassion and kindness, and we can teach our children these important skills in lots of ways, including by reading books together.

Books that teach kindness and compassion are a powerful and effective means to portray important messages in a visual way. They can shape the way children think and feel about things and open up their worlds to understanding concepts that can otherwise seem quite complex.

There are so many books based on morals of kindness, acceptance and compassion, and this sort of content will help children be kind and inclusive themselves. There are also brilliant books available to help get children be more understanding of others in lots of other ways, such as those with special educational needs. We also encourage you to ask children questions about the books during reading to encourage conversation about the topics.

Here’s our round up of children’s books that help teach children the concept of being kind to others and themselves.

16 books that books that teach kindness and compassion

Ranvir Cannot Hear

Ranvir Cannot Hear is a magical story set in the plains of India and is about a little elephant who goes on a long journey in search of his hearing. On his travels he meets some wonderful friends along the way who can’t do certain things but tell him about the things that they can! Ranvir even finds out he has a special talent too… This is a beautifully illustrated children’s story with a message of inclusion and empowerment.

The Big Umbrella

By the door there is an umbrella. It is big. It is so big that when it starts to rain there is room for everyone underneath. It doesn’t matter if you are tall. Or plaid. Or hairy. It doesn’t matter how many legs you have.

This is a sweet, timeless picture book which addresses the themes of inclusion and tolerance.

Come with me

This book follows a little girl’s quest to make the world a better place.

In this lyrical and timely story, author Holly M. McGhee and illustrator Pascal Lemaître champion the power of kindness, bravery, and friendship in the face of uncertainty.

Be kind

From asking the new girl to play to standing up for someone being bullied, this moving story explores what kindness is, and how any act, big or small, can make a difference?or at least help a friend.

With a gentle text from the award-winning author of Sophie’s Squash, Pat Zietlow Miller, and irresistible art from Jen Hill, Be Kind is an unforgettable story about how two simple words can change the world.

A Sick Day for Amos McGee

This award-winning book shows the value of selflessness and caring for one another.

Friends come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. In Amos McGee’s case, all sorts of species, too! Every day he spends a little bit of time with each of his friends at the zoo, running races with the tortoise, keeping the shy penguin company, and even reading bedtime stories to the owl. But when Amos is too sick to make it to the zoo, his animal friends decide it’s time they returned the favor.

Hey, Little Ant

“Hey, Little Ant” forces readers to consider the feelings of others.

What would you do if the ant you were about to step on looked up and started talking? Would you stop and listen? What if your friends saw you hesitate? That’s what happens in this funny, thought-provoking book. Originally a song by a father-daughter team, this conversation between two creatures, large and small, is bound to inspire important discussions. It might even answer that classic childhood question: To squish or not to squish?

You Hold Me Up

This vibrant picture book, beautifully illustrated by celebrated artist Danielle Daniel, encourages children to show love and support for each other and to consider each others well-being in their everyday actions. This is a foundational book about building relationships, fostering empathy and encouraging respect between peers, starting with our littlest citizens.

Harry the Happy Mouse

A best-selling children’s picture book about kindness. Harry The Happy Mouse is a cheerful, traditional story about a mouse called Harry who lives in the beautiful English countryside. Harry helps a Frog, but asks the Frog to repay the kindness to someone else. We follow the good deed as it moves through other characters, who each selflessly help someone else, making themselves feel happy in the process! We learn that a little bit of kindness can go a long way.

We’re All Wonders

The unforgettable bestseller Wonder has inspired a movement to Choose Kind.

Wonder is the unforgettable story of August Pullman, an ordinary boy with an extraordinary face. With over 5 million copies sold, Wonder is a true modern classic, a life-changing read, and has inspired kindness and acceptance in countless readers. We’re All Wonders taps into every child’s longing to belong, and to be seen for who they truly are. It’s the perfect way for families and teachers to talk about empathy, difference and kindness with young children.

The Invisible Boy

When Justin, the new boy, arrives, Brian is the first to make him feel welcome. And when Brian and Justin team up to work on a class project together, Brian finds a way to shine.

From esteemed author and speaker Trudy Ludwig and acclaimed illustrator Patrice Barton, this gentle story shows how small acts of kindness can help children feel included and allow them to flourish.

Stick and Stone

When Stick rescues Stone from a prickly situation with a Pinecone, the pair becomes fast friends. But when Stick gets stuck, can Stone return the favour? A funny story about kindness and friendship with a warm, rhyming text that includes a subtle anti-bullying message even the youngest reader will understand.

Have You Filled Your Bucket Today?

While using a simple metaphor of a bucket and a dipper, author Carol McCloud illustrates that when we choose to be kind, we not only fill the buckets of those around us, but also fill our OWN bucket! Conversely, when we choose to say or do mean things, we are dipping into buckets. All day long, we are either filling up or dipping into each other’s buckets by what we say and what we do. This 32-page picture book is perfect for children, parents, grandparents, teachers and people that want to teach empathy, nurture kindness and create a positive environment in their home, classroom, workplace and community.

Horton Hears a Who

‘A person’s a person, no matter how small..’  Horton the elephant sets out to save the inhabitants of a speck of dust, in this classic and hilarious tale about friendship and respect, from the inimitable Dr. Seuss.

Listening with my Heart

When Esperanza finds a heart-shaped rock, she sees it as a reminder to spread kindness and love in the world. But when the school play doesn’t go the way she’d imagined, will she remember to give it to herself?

In today’s hyper-competitive world, kids often internalise the message that their worth is attached to their accomplishments and that messing up is something to be ashamed of, rather than a normal part of life, which can lead to critical self-talk.

Listening with My Heart reminds us of the other golden rule—to treat ourselves like we would treat a friend.

Chocolate milk, por favor!

It’s Gabe’s first day of school in America, and he doesn’t speak English. This story shows how a simple act of kindness is worth more than a thousand words. Kindness really is a universal language.

How Kind!

What goes around comes around in this farmyard tale about the contagiousness of kindness.

Hen gives Pig an unexpected present. “How kind!” says Pig. Pig is so touched, in fact, that he decides to do something kind too. So Pig gives Rabbit a gift. “How kind!” says Rabbit, who does something kind for Cow, who is kind to Cat, who wants to be kind in turn. Where will all of this kindness lead?

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At Wild.Kind., the notion of kindness is a top priority and a key part of our philosophy.

Happy reading!

We received great feedback on our previous post on activities to do at home with children, so we’ve come up with Part 2! The list is divided into ‘Play’ and ‘Arts & Crafts’ – but essentially all activities are aimed at making creative use of a child’s time.

Creative play

1. Go camping in the living room
   Set up sheets over a dining table to create a tent and eat a picnic ‘indoors’, while telling each other stories about a magical woodland animal kingdom
2. Indoor treasure hunt
   Create a map for the ‘treasure’, with hints left at different points along the way to help guide children to the ‘treasure’. Perhaps the treasure can be a box of their favourite treats and snacks – or a recipe and ingredients for one of them! Here are some recipe ideas
3. Washing up toys
   This is a great sensory play activity, which is engaging and surprisingly calming for kinesthetic learners. Simply fill the kitchen sink with warm soap water, get a stool and let children ‘wash up’ their toys (the waterproof ones!). This can also be done from the side of (or in) the bath for smaller children
4. Explore outdoors with a magnifying glass
   This can be a great way to allow a child’s imagination run wild with stories of hidden garden creatures and treasures
5. Smell challenge
   This one is great fun and another sensory challenge! Choose a variety of aromatic foods in bowls to create a smell challenge for children, asking them to guess what each one is with their eyes closed. Try using some very familiar ingredients, plus a few more obscure.
   For older children, this can also be an opportunity to practice written skills by writing down each one as they go
6. Film a cooking show!
   Choose a favourite recipe to make and hit record on your phone to create a video. Older children might even want to star as a celebrity chef! Here are some recipes to try.
7. Chime in with a rhyme game
   Call out words and challenge your child to think of a rhyming word for each one. Older children can think of a rhyming line to add to make a poem!
8. Rock and leaf race
   Set up a race to find the biggest rock and leaf in the garden. One child can be timed with a stopwatch to work on a ‘personal best’, or a group of children can race against each other. Keep it lighthearted and not too competitive!
9. A Grand Night Out
   Dress up in your best clothes and have a fancy dinner at home. Go as low key or elaborate as you all wish!
10. Freeze dance
    A classic! The only guideline is to freeze when the music is paused. Encourage children to ‘freeze’ in fun poses or with funny faces. Use a variety of musical styles and tempos – they’ll be giggling away in no time
11. The sleeping song
    Here are the short lyrics:
    “Sleeping, sleeping, all the children are sleeping. And when they woke up, they were all —.”
    Fill in the blank with various animals, insects, or even inanimate objects and lets their imaginations run wild. A few examples to get started with: cat, snake, robot, banana… As soon as one thing has run its course, begin the song again with the next word
12. Indoor obstacle course
    An all-time favourite. Push aside some furniture, and practice gross motor skills without breaking any priceless antiques! Set out a laundry basket and use balled up socks to practice throwing and accuracy. Tape down some string for a makeshift balance beam. Try on-the-spot running, jumping and hopping. Add yoga or tai chi moves… there are an infinite number of possibilities
13. Copy dancing
    It’s as simple as it sounds and imitation is, after all, the highest form of flattery. One person dances while the others copy their moves. Swap between you and a child being the ‘leader’.  So pop on some dancing tunes and show off those moves!
14. Make up a dance
    A fun way that gets everyone involved (and a good one for older kids). We suggest each person creates 4-8 counts of movement, before putting them together into sequence. If this sounds too complicated, just go back to the Flattery Dance!
15. Story go-round
    This is the same concept as the dance-making game. Make up a collaborative story by letting each person add one sentence. Start with characters and a simple plot, like “a dog and a mouse went to the playground,” and let the children take it from there. The sillier, the better!

Arts and crafts

1. Homemade ‘reusable’ collage
   Using a few items that can be rearranged again and again (like buttons, scraps of coloured card, ribbon, string), arrange them on a tray or placemat to make patterns, then take a picture to commemorate each creation. As the materials are reusable, children can start again and create something new
2. Mirrored self-portraits
   This is a great way for children to practice motor skills by using a mirror to draw themselves. For younger children, offer to draw their outline and ask them to fill in their facial features like eyebrows and eyelashes. Next stage is to get creative with colouring in the faces
3. Shape drawings
   Help your child learn their shapes by tracing common household items like cups, plates and boxes. Add in a few obscure items for a bit of range – hunting down the objects is part of the fun. The next stage is decorating and colouring!  Get creative with glitter, felt and other craft materials
4. Squiggle art
   This one is so much fun and the beauty is in its simplicity. Each person playing gets a piece of paper to make a squiggle on. The person next to them then draws a picture out of the squiggle shape. Use different colours and thickness of pens for variety
5. Make a book
   This is a great, easy way to bring a child’s stories to life. Either large pieces of paper in half or staple them together (the latter gives more of a bound book feel). Depending on the age of your child, they can recite the story for you to write (and they then add in pictures) or, if a little older, children can practice their own handwriting technique. This simple activity builds confidence, self-esteem and literacy skills
6. Collages
   Dig out old magazines and newspapers and get creative! Help children cut out their favourite pictures before sticking onto card and gluing and decorating the images with everything in the arts and crafts box. Recycled wrapping paper and catalogues are also great resources.
   These can be turned into cards for family members by folding a thick piece of paper in half and decorating the front, leaving the inside empty for a message.
7. Invisible ink messages
   Who doesn’t love receiving a secret message? Try the recipe for lemon juice invisible ink here
8. Bubble painting
   This is great for all ages – using food colouring makes it a safe option with beautiful results. Here’s a ‘recipe’ for bubble painting
9. Marble Planets
   This is such a creative way to educate children and have fun at the same time. Here is a guide to making the planets after finishing marble art
10. Sunken treasure bottle 
    Little pirates love making these! A really simple way to have fun doing arts & crafts with a showpiece to play with long after, too. Instructions here

We hope these keep you busy and entertained! If you have any other fun activities you’d like to share with the Wild.Kind.community, we’d love to hear from you.

We are facing challenging times, and finding things to do all day with the children can be difficult. In this article, we’ve put together something a little different, in the form of a 7 day recipe challenge! We encourage you to try one recipe each day as part of your planned activities at home this week. As we mentioned on the vegan ‘Spitzbueb’ recipe post, cooking with children is a great way to keep them entertained and also a wonderful way to encourage their social-emotional development, cognitive development, fine motor and eye-hand coordination skills.

Children of any age can help with all the dishes in the 7 day recipe challenge (older ones more than very little ones, of course) – and naturally under the guidance of an adult.

Monday: Scrumptous zucchini fritters (vegetarian)

Image credit – Just Taste

Scrumptious, healthy and super simple, made with just 6 ingredients!

Ingredients (makes 8-10)

• 4 medium zucchini, grated
• 85g all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• Bunch spring onions, sliced (green and white parts)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 100g grated cheese
• Sour cream, for serving (optional)

Cooking method

1. Place the shredded zucchini in a colander set over a bowl and sprinkle the zucchini lightly with salt before leaving to stand for 10 minutes. Squeeze out as much liquid from the zucchini as possible before transferring to a large bowl.
2. Add the flour, eggs, cheese, spring onion, pinch of salt and pinch of pepper to the bowl, stirring with a fork until the mixture is combined. Line a plate with paper towels.
3. Add the olive oil to large sauté pan set over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, scoop 3-tablespoon mounds of the zucchini mixture into the pan, pressing them lightly into rounds and spacing them at least 2 inches apart. You can also use an ice cream scoop to do this.
4. Cook the zucchini fritters for 2 to 3 minutes, then flip them once and cook an additional 2 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to the paper towel-lined plate and immediately sprinkle them with salt. Repeat the scooping and cooking process with the remaining zucchini mixture.
5. Enjoy!

Tuesday: Bananas in Pyjamas (vegan)

Image credit – Epicurious

These are a energy boosting treat – the banana provides most of the sweetness. Bananas in Pyjamas also allow kids to get really creative with the toppings.

Ingredients (makes 8)

4 x bananas (peeled and cut in half)
2 x 400g blocks of dark chocolate
Toppings of choice like crushed nuts, sprinkles, desiccated coconut, granola

You’ll also need wooden skewers (or ice lolly sticks)

Cooking instructions

1. Line a baking tray with baking paper and set aside.
2. Push a wooden skewer into the thickest end of the banana halves. Lay out on tray and freeze for 2 hours or overnight if you can.
3. Melt the chocolate in a glass bowl. Give it a 1 minute heat on HIGH and then stir. Microwave at 20 second intervals, stirring in between until all is melted.
4. Set out coatings on plates, such as the sprinkles, nuts and coconut.
5. Remove bananas from the freezer and dip in chocolate mixture. Roll in the different toppings before placing back on the tray to store in the freezer for a minimum of 30 mins.

Wednesday: Pitta pizza (vegan/vegetarian)

Image credit: Kidspot

A really simple and scrummy meal, which requires no dough making and can be whipped up in no time. Plus, it encourages you to use ingredients already in the fridge as toppings. Children love being a ‘pizzaiolo’, too…

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 4 pita bread (small)
• 180 g tomato pasta sauce
• Oregano
• Grated cheese or sliced mozzarella – sliced raclette is also perfect for this! To veganise this meal, use vegan (or no) cheese
• Toppings of choice – leftovers are also great for this recipe. Some of the favourites in our house include sliced capsicum, grilled aubergine, sliced mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, basil, small florets of broccoli, sliced leftover cooked potato, and feta cheese.

Cooking instructions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. Place the pita breads onto a baking tray. Spread tomato pasta sauce over the base of each pita.
3. Now the fun part! Scatter toppings of choice over the tomato sauce before adding the cheese and herbs.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden and cooked.

Thursday: Fruit kebabs (vegan/vegetarian)

Another healthy treat, this is almost a ‘cheat’ recipe – no cooking required! Children love ‘poking’ the fruit onto skewers and drizzling the chocolate on at the end with a wooden spoon.

Ingredients

• Fruit of choice, for example strawberries, kiwi, pineapple, banana, pear, apple, watermelon… literally anything you like!

You’ll also need wooden skewers (or ice lolly sticks)

Method

1. Cut the fruit into chunks before laying out on plates
2. Thread pieces of fruit onto each skewer, keeping them fairly close together so they don’t fall off. Stack on a plate.
3. To finish, melt some dark chocolate (see method in Tuesday’s recipe) before drizzling over the kebabs with a wooden spoon.

Friday: Soft, baked pretzels

Image credit: Sally’s baking addiction

This is one of the easiest ways to prepare homemade soft pretzels. The best part is, the dough only needs to rest for 10 minutes before shaping. The quick baking soda boil gives the pretzels their traditional flavour.

Ingredients (makes 12)

• 360ml warm water
• 1 packet active dry or instant yeast (2 and 1/4 teaspoons)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and slightly cool
• 460-500g all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
• coarse sea salt for sprinkling

Baking soda ‘bath’

• 120g baking soda
• 2 litres water

Cooking method

1. Whisk the yeast into warm water. Allow to sit for 1 minute before whisking in the salt, brown sugar, and melted butter. Slowly add the flour, around 150g at a time. Mix with a wooden spoon (or dough hook attached to stand mixer) until dough is thick. Add a little more flour more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. If it is still sticky, add more, as needed. Poke the dough with your finger – if it bounces back, it is ready to knead.
2. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough for 3 minutes and shape into a ball. Kids love this bit! Cover lightly with a towel and allow to rest for 10 minutes. (Meanwhile, you can get the water + baking soda boiling as instructed in step 6.)
3. Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, lightly spray with nonstick spray or grease with butter. Set aside.
4. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut dough into 12 pieces.
5. Roll the dough into a 20-22 inch rope. Take the ends and draw them together so the dough forms a circle. Twist the ends, then bring them towards yourself and press them down into a pretzel shape. Here’s a very useful video on how to create the pretzel shape.
6. Bring baking soda and water to a boil in a large pot. Drop 1-2 pretzels into the boiling water for no longer than 20-30 seconds. Any more than that and your pretzels will have a metallic taste. Using a slotted spatula, lift the pretzel out of the water and allow as much of the excess water to drip off. Place pretzel onto prepared baking sheet and sprinkle each with coarse sea salt. Repeat with remaining pretzels.
7. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Saturday: Yoghurt ‘ice lollies’ (vegetarian/vegan)

Image credit: Sally’s baking addiction

Made with just three ingredients, these are really yummy – and healthy, too! The berries can be swapped out for another alternative – and the Greek yoghurt can be substituted with a plant based version to veganise this recipe.

Ingredients (makes six)

• 200gs blueberries*
• 2 Tablespoons agave or honey*
• 500g vanilla Greek yogurt (or any flavor)

You’ll also need an ice lolly tray (if you don’t have one, enjoy this recipe as smoothies, instead

Cooking method

1. Blend the blueberries in a food processor or blender on high speed until nearly liquified into a smoothie-like consistency.
2. Pour the thick blueberry liquid into a large bowl. Stir in the agave/honey.
3. Add the yogurt and very gently mix everything together. If you want a tie-dye, swirly look to your lollies, don’t fully blend the yoghurt and blueberries to retain some patches of white and blue. The mixture will be lovely and thik – if you’d like it sweeter, just add a little more honey/agave.
4. Pour mixture evenly into each lolly mold. If your lolly mold has slots for sticks, you can insert them before freezing – if not, freeze for 2 hours, then put a wooden stick in the middle (that is what I did). Continue to freeze for an additional 4-6 hours or overnight.
5. Run lolly molds under warm water to easily remove. Eat on a hot day. Enjoy!

Sunday: Croissants

Image credit: Sarah’s vegan kitchen

Light, crispy, fluffy roll ups of yumminess – some with hidden ‘treasure inside’. Some ready made puff pastry is ‘accidentally’ vegan, too (keep an eye out for non ‘all butter’ varieties).

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour for rolling
• 397g box frozen puff pastry, thawed (check to make sure it’s vegan)
• 1 tablespoon non-dairy milk (such as soy or almond)
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup or agave
• Optional fillings, such as jam, chocolate spread, grated cheese with ham

Cooking method

1. Preheat your oven to 350F (180C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Lightly flour a clean work surface. My puff pastry came in two blocks. Taking one block of puff pastry at a time, roll it out to a rectangle about 10″ high x 16″ wide. Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut the puff pastry into 3 tall rectangles, then cut each rectangle diagonally from corner to corner so that you have 6 triangles. For plain vegan croissants: roll up the triangles tightly from the wide end of the triangle to the point. For stuffed croissants: put a bit of your filling along the wide end of a triangle. Roll up the triangle tightly around the filling. Repeat with the remaining block of puff pastry to make 12 croissants total.
3. Space the croissants out on the parchment paper lined baking tray bending them into a crescent shape. Mix together the non-dairy milk and maple syrup in a small bowl. Liberally brush the tops of all of the croissants with the mixture, and also use it to glue down the points of the croissants. This will help them get golden in the oven. Bake 22 to 27 minutes until lightly golden and browned on the bottom. Serve straight from the oven. SO YUMMY!

We hope you enjoy this 7 day recipe challenge!

• Learning from mistakes
• Acknowledging and moving on from difficult situations
• Acceptance
• Perseverance
• Problem solving
• Not dwelling on ‘failures’
• Confidence
• Positive outlook

• Invest time in asking a child “how” they will overcome the effects of an action, rather than just “why” they did it
• Always encourage sharing of food and belongings, without expectation that the kindness might be returned by others
• Teach children that the gift is in giving, not receiving
• Give the responsibility of keeping their room clean and cupboards tidy
• Provide positive affirmations for difficult situations that they can learn and use, like “a rainbow will come after the storm”
• Encourage problem solving, but let them know you’re there for them at any time – being brave and strong also means knowing when to ask for help
• Strengthen the prefrontal cortex by strengthening a child’s executive functioning. This can be done through establishing a routine, providing opportunities to nurture their own relationships, and creative play
• Encourage and remind a child that lots of things need practice – twirling a hula hoop, doing a cartwheel or learning how to paint within the lines all require patience
• Build feelings of competence and a sense of mastery with encouraging words like “You’re brilliant at this, try a few more times and you’ll get there”
• Celebrate achievements and let go of the things that don’t go as planned. Encourage a dialogue about how to improve next time
• Stick to your word – “No means no” shows them the power of boundaries
• Nurture a child’s flexibility and independence by encouraging them to try new things they’re intrigued by, like a vegetable they’ve never tried before, or playing with a new group of children at the playground
• Allow them to wait for you to be ready to answer their questions or chatter if you’re midway through a conversation with someone else
• Provide opportunities in the day when they will need to find ways to entertain themselves, for example if you’re on a phone call
• Maintain a positive attitude about household jobs, emphasising the benefits of the outcome
• Teach self discipline by asking a child to wait for mealtimes rather than snacking in-between
• Encourage a child to practice non-attachment to things by willingly giving away toys regularly to charity or other children
• Resist the urge to help them with everything – allow a child to discover how to tie their shoelaces or put on a scarf, even if it means leaving the house a few minutes later.