Taf Toys Activity Chest in Chalfont St Peter has added Taf Toys’ range of developmental and learning toys to the store’s baby and nursery range. Taf Toys' wide range of products provides parents with developmental baby toys that correspond to baby's age and are challenging, fun and inspire the imagination.  All Taf Toys are created with the intention to promote baby's emotional, cognitive and physical development during their first two years. The range includes rattles, blankies, baby toys with a clip to attach to cots, prams and pushchairs, a car seat activity set, musical arch for cots and strollers, fabric baby bowling set and fabric car with mouse! Music has been included wherever possible as Taf Toys strongly believe in the positive contribution that music has on a baby's development – it’s commonly recognized as an ideal tool to soothe, entertain and even stimulate baby's imagination.  Taf Toys even have their very own originally composed music for selected toys so as to ensure perfect harmony between sight and sound. Taf Toys enhances the baby and toddler toy range at Activity Chest which includes fabric and wooden toys from Jellycat, Baby Bigjigs and Melissa and Doug. November 2011

Let It Snow Christmas is coming and it’s a time for families to get together, laugh and have fun.  So what do you do with a group of mixed ages from young children to granny and granddad and mum, dad and teenagers in the middle. A traditional pastime for the Christmas period is boardgames.  Before everyone cries ‘Nnooo ….’ very loudly with memories of Monopoly taking all day to play, there are games which take as little as 10 minutes such as the memory game BrainBox.  Look out for those games that have an estimated time of play and include a short version.  The old favourites seem to stand the test of time – snakes and ladders, ludo, draughts, chess, solitaire! One of those favourites is Tell Me Quiz, where the question cards are general categories and the answers change every time with each spin of the letter spinner so all generations can play together.   A new game in a similar style is Jask. Teach children simple traditional games like solitaire, either balls or cards.  Found on most phones and PCs, children may be surprised to learn that the game is very old and you have to physically move the pieces or cards to play. It’s a good idea to leave some games on the coffee table such as the mind bending Tantrix.  Many people are intrigued with Tantrix tiles, some will look and move on and some won’t leave it alone for the rest of the day! Being creative or active is a great way to spend time together making an Airfix model, doing a jigsaw, learning to sew, colouring, or getting outside to throw a ball about.  Although Christmas has become associated with present giving, memories of Christmas are often about experiences, so make the most of the days you get with family and friends over Christmas and enjoy.  Hope for snow and the sledges come out to play!  Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!  29 November 2011

Buying for little ones   When your little one has grown up and flown the nest, or if family life isn’t yet on the horizon, how do you buy the right toy for babies and toddlers? Play is important for children to grow and develop and as they grow up they have different needs and levels of ability. For a newborn baby the gift can be small enough for little fingers to grab, possibly colourful or black and white.  For the first few months of life babies cannot see colour and look at the world in shades of black and white.   After a few months colour focus is established and baby enjoys brightly coloured, comforting soft toys which often make noises – rattles, squeaks, boing noises!  Brands like Jellycat ensure all their baby toys are manufactured to a high safety level such as double bagging items with stuffing or rattles inside so that baby can suck and chew safely.  Such toys are designed to be played with by baby, cleaned by mum and loved for years! As a child gets a bit older the other consideration apart from age is whether the little one has older brothers or sisters.  Toddlers love to copy and they always want to do what the older child is doing.  It’s also likely they will have been exposed to toys and games that are playthings for older children and often progress faster than a child on their own. Be careful when buying for an older child that they aren’t denied some toys because they have a much younger sibling.  If you’re worried about the danger of small pieces try to think of times that mum and dad or grandparents can play with the older child when the younger one is occupied elsewhere such as bath time, day time sleep, etc. Towards a year baby begin to recognise shape and colour and is introduced to more active toys, such as stacking and building, and pairs.  Lovely wooden toys will last a long time and many toys can be used in alternative ways to lengthen their life, for example, stacking toys can also be used for sorting either shape or colour and then learning early numbers using the shapes as counters. Jigsaw puzzles are great to encourage colour, shape and pattern recognition and help to develop fine motor movement in their hands and fingers especially when they move a shaped piece around to fit into the correct position. Puzzles help with imagination too.  A puzzle with play pieces turns a 2D jigsaw into a 3D play world full of imaginative characters and scenes.  Also use the jigsaw as a support to start children talking about what they see, so developing words and language skills. As they start to stand up and take those first steps to explore, a walker and push along helps with balance and confidence.  Building blocks of varying shapes and colours or the traditional blocks with letters and images also help with coordination and imaginative play. If in doubt about the age of the child you’re buying for or if you’re unsure how far they have developed I always suggest buying for ‘older’ rather than younger.  Like a pair of long trousers, they will always grow into them! 10 October 2011

Damsons, Plums and Apples! It’s that time of year again when all the fruit trees ripen at the same time and we’re deluged with my mother in law’s fruit, so we’ve spent the last few weeks picking, stoning, bottling and freezing damsons, plums and apples.  It’s happened almost every year for the last 20 so why am I so surprised?  This time we’re trying to process a bumper crop in an even busier time of our lives.  It would be easier if the fruit stayed on the ground and rotted, but I can’t do that.  Waste isn’t good. I cooked with my mother when I was little and collecting blackberries at the end of the summer holiday was almost a ritual to make apple and blackberry pies, jam and stewed fruit and the rest going in the freezer.  I remember stained black fingers! If I hadn’t any experience of fruit picking in my childhood, I wouldn’t be doing it now.   I learnt about foods, how to use fruit in many different ways, how to peel and chop and put into jars.  Indirectly I learnt about the lifecycle of the plants, the seasons, where our food comes from and how to make the most of nature’s produce. Although learning how to cook is really important the overall activity teaches basic skills useful for everyday life.   Handling knives and spoons to cut, spread and spoon helps coordination, reading and understanding recipes aids comprehension, measuring and adding up are simple maths problems, and then there’s planning ahead and organising work.  Cooking is a fun activity and a positive experience that builds self confidence.  It’s a real time educational experience, but learning how to feed yourself with fresh food is a skill, once learnt, that’s never wasted.  So thanks mum for taking me to pick blackberries. Oh, and on the hunt for more jars stored in the garage I’ve just found damson jam from 2009! 31 Aug 2011

Are we there yet?  How often do you hear that wail on a journey!  Young children especially can’t grasp the concept of time and journeys by car or plane may seem endless to them. Make ‘getting there’ part of the holiday.  By involving your children in the preparations, they will feel the journey is worthwhile to get to the next stage of the holiday.  If your child hasn’t any other concept of holiday except the destination, it’s no surprise that the journey is of less importance.  Use stops in the journey be it by car or by plane to break the pace or momentum.  Get out of the car and throw a ball about or walk around the airport lounge looking at the people and place and discussing what they see and hear.  An airport has an amazing number of things going on! Many parents ensure their children have their own carry bag with a few things they want with them.  Taking a favourite toy will be comforting, but leave room for a few surprise treats, wrapped up to maintain the surprise, and use them at intervals throughout the journey.  Don’t forget the return journey so hold some back for then! Entertainment on the move doesn’t have to be complicated.  For babies something small and simple, even a few building blocks to put together and take apart again will entertain and can be reused later in the trip.  Toddlers love picture books, pop-up books, and reusable sticker books that can often be bought inexpensively. School age kids can still have fun with old-fashioned favourites such as Dot to Dots, Noughts and Crosses, and simple word games despite the prevalence of electronic games.   Involve everyone in the party with games like I-Spy, the I-Spot game and Hangman.  Before you leave think up some things to watch out for like a green lorry, blue writing or a white building and for younger children provide a list of short words for Hangman.  Car registration plates have always provided entertainment using the letters to make up words and silly sentences.  And finally, try to vary the type of games and set a time limit on playing – this works well for both children and adults! 28 July 2011

Is there such a thing as a new game? It’s not surprising to find that children through the ages have played with toys, but what is surprising is that some of our modern toys and games have their roots way back in the past. Although the underlying values of entertainment and learning have remained what has changed is the way games are presented - the way it’s played, the medium used, how is it powered - and how sophisticated they are. Over 10,000 years ago in the Stone Age it’s likely that children would have played with dolls made from feathers, fur, sticks and clay and probably made gourds into rattles and invented games with shells, pebbles or seeds. 4,000 years ago the Ancient Egyptians’ children played with toy animals, spinning tops and brightly coloured balls made of papyrus reeds or rags.  In Ancient Greece about 2,500 years ago they played with rag dolls and clay models of people riding on geese or donkeys.  They also played with yo-yos! Most toys in Roman Britain were made of wood or rags, but girls’ dolls were carved from wood or bone, or made from pottery and dolls’ heads may have been covered with human hair.  Boys also played with dolls, but these were of gladiators and had moving limbs.  Gladiators were like today’s sports stars having their own following. Romans enjoyed board games and the favourite was ‘three stones’, a bit like noughts and crosses while young women used to play knucklebones, something like today’s ‘jacks’. One of the most popular games of the Middle Ages was Nine Men’s Morris, a board game for two players still available today in many forms - magnetic, travel size, wooden or plastic.  The Vikings brought a board game to England called hnefatafl.  Sometimes called Viking Chess, the king has to escape from the centre throne with soldiers and bodyguards battling it out.  This game or a very similar version can now be played online!  30 June 2011

Positive Power of Play Earlier this year there was an article in the Daily Mail written by a mum who had discovered the fun of playing games with her daughter.   Nothing strange about that you may think, but the daughter was seven and mum had like many busy mums used TV and videos to occupy her daughter and give her some personal time. This article must have resonated with many parents as the one card game which was quoted so positively in the article, Rat-a-Tat Cat, was quickly sold out on the internet.  The power of the journalist’s pen! The serious side to this article was how traditional play changed her daughter’s wellbeing.  She was having trouble concentrating, she lost interest very quickly in everything she was doing, her school work was suffering and she was unable to read through a book.  Once Mum realised that it was an attention deficit issue she was dealing with the wonderful web gave her the answer - too much television! Over a short period Mum reduced television, DVD and computer viewing and instead played card and board games, did jigsaws and started to cook together.  Not only did these activities prove to be great fun, but had the added benefit of her daughter’s behaviour and school work improving dramatically.  Her school noticed a big difference in her abilities very quickly. Obvious as it is, but rarely said, the first benefit from playing traditional games is interaction with other people!  Rather than an often solo experience watching a screen, games teach listening and speaking and social skills like turn taking, winning (and losing) and following rules. In simple games such as snakes and ladders counting and number recognition are key, snap games mean recognising objects and responding quickly, moving dice and playing pieces helps with hand eye coordination and fine motor skills which are needed when writing and drawing.  Gross motor skills like jumping, help coordination, balance and flexibility and as children get older thinking and problem solving games become more important to them. Is there are place for electronic and video games?  Yes, of course, but in moderation!  These games ensure children are part of their own on and offline community, but can also help hand eye coordination, speed of reaction and many games require problem solving skills. Although traditional card and board games may not have the same attraction to young children as electronic games with exciting lights and sound, there are some very definite positive social and emotional benefits to playing traditional games.  Why not give it a try! To read the full Daily Mail article online search for Daily Mail Maggie Alderson 24th February 2011. 9 June 2011

Storytelling The sayings go 'A picture paints a thousand words' and 'Every picture tells a story', but can story telling really be fun and help children’s learning? Telling stories helps to develop listening skills as well imagination, it develops and stretches vocabulary and children learn how to use adjectives and adverbs, linking words and phrases.  All children make up stories from a young age when they play with dolls, cuddly toys or action figures.  When they start school this imagination is channelled into writing stories. Keeping this imagination fired up is easy by making story telling into a family game at home!  Find any smallish items from around the house, place them on a tray and cover with a cloth.  The first person pulls out one or more items to start the story and the other items add the next step of the story for the next player! If you want a more portable, travel size version there are many games to buy that help the creative process.  Rory’s Story Cubes has seen a surge in popularity recently.  A small box of 9 cubes pack a mightly punch!  Different drawings on each side of the cubes mean there are 54 images and 10 million possible combinations!  Roll the dice on a table and the storyteller has to tell a story using all the pictures showing on the dice. Alternatively Storyonics is a card based game.  Each of the 50 playing card size cards has 4 pictures. The aim of the game is for all players to work together to tell a story - the tallest tale, the most bizarre links, the longest story!  A player picks a card, chooses a picture and starts the story.  Players each pick a card on their turn and continue the story. 31 May 2011

Historical Background to Pinatas, an amusing insight into an American's pinata party and how to play the pinata game safely! The History of Pinatas - not what you may be expecting! Many people think of the piñata as a fun party activity originating from Mexico, but history shows a slightly different story. In the 13th Century Marco Polo was one of the first Westerners to visit China.  He found the Chinese making figures of animals, covering them with brightly coloured paper, filling them with seeds then knocking them with sticks until the seeds fell out.  Traditional colours were used for New Year celebrations.  The seeds were burnt and people gathered the ashes for good luck over the year. Marco Polo brought this idea back to Europe where it was used in religious celebrations using clay pots particularly for Lent.  The Italian word for fragile pot is ‘pignatta’.  The Spanish originally used an undecorated clay pot, later wrapping ribbons and fringed paper round the pot in much the same way as we decorate piñatas today. When Spanish missionaries went to South America in the 15th century their religious ceremonies, of which the Lent celebrations with the piñata-style pot, helped convert local people to Christianity.  They found, however, that the Aztecs had a similar ceremony for worshipping their god Huitzilopochtli and the Mayans had a game using a blindfolded player hitting a pot. Today the piñata has lost its cultural and religious symbolism and is used for party fun. 01 May 2011

Pinata Busting – How To Do It, Safely! Get more from your piñata – use it as the party table centrepiece before the bashing! What do you need? Pinata, blindfolds, buster / basher stick, lots of mini items or sweeties to go in the piñata, a few spare in case some of the children don’t get any in the rush to pick up the bits once the piñata has dropped its contents. Where to suspend the piñata  Try these ideas: Outside - Tree branch, swing frame, basketball hoop or similar Inside – Beam or hook in a hall, or more likely, two adults holding up a rope with the piñata hanging from it in the middle.  Make sure the rope is long enough for the adults to be standing far enough away from the player. Rules of the busting Although this is a party game, a few rules will keep children (and adults!) safe. Rope off an area where the piñata is hanging using chairs, skipping ropes, barriers, etc so that children are more than 4 metres away.  Make this a piñata only zone.  Whoever has the buster is the only one inside the circle and when they have finished their turn bashing the piñata they leave the buster in the circle. The rest of the children stay outside.  Remembering the rules and having an exclusive area makes the game more fun! Organise the children in a line so that everyone gets a go, usually the youngest first.  Blindfold the older ones, those under 3 need to see what they are hitting or pulling! Blindfold the child, spin them round a few times and hand them the buster.  Put them near the piñata.  Others can call out instructions where to hit – right or wrong!  Give each child a few chances to hit the piñata, it’s not as easy as you might think. Once the piñata starts to break up ensure the child hitting the piñata has finished doing so before letting all the other children rush in to pick up the goodies. 01 May 2011 A lighthearted warning of the perils of piñatas at a child’s party!   From the Miami Herald.  This classic Dave Barry column was originally published Oct. 26, 2003.   Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2009/06/14/1076168/the-perils-of-pinatas.html#ixzz0kymx7l6A