What makes play, play? I work with lots of schools and children's centres, helping them to improve the quality of their play provision. One of the exercises we often start with is to answer this question and to define ‘play’. It sounds easy, but is surprisingly hard. Read more

Classrooms are always in need of more storage; finding new ways to store the plethora of materials necessary is a never-ending teacher adventure. Fear not however, as we've compiled a list of storage solutions that will hopefully make mess a thing of the past ...maybe not entirely, but we hope it makes a difference! Read more

Aerial Photography is a great resource to get your children thinking about their Local area, as well as the wider world. Getting high quality aerial photography is key, so your children can pick out all the large and small physical and human features. Read more

Give this tasty fruit salad a try and make learning tasty. Cooking in the classroom is made easy with these specially designed, appealing free recipes. They are supported by activities that link the ingredients and practical experience to the curriculum, especially Maths, English and Science.  Read more

In the first year of life there are limitations in babies’ vision and they respond well to simple, bold patterns with high contrast. These types of toys and resources support their visual development, inviting babies to engage whilst offering stimulation that will keep them captivated for short periods of time. The visual contrast encourages babies to explore the different patterns and textures offered, giving a multi-sensory experience to young explorers. Strong black and white patterns also help babies to develop their ability to focus their attention and levels of concentration. Read more

Wonderful wood can be used to enhance babies’ levels of learning and discovery and to encourage babies and toddlers to explore. They learn through doing and they practise skills at their own pace. It is best to choose wooden resources that have a strong aesthetic appeal so we can ask, what does it look like? What does it feel like? It is also best to choose resources that are fun to hold, shake, stack, fill up and empty. Resources can be complemented with natural objects like pebbles, pine cones and leaves. Read more

Many adults would say they have no interest in politics at all and a significant percentage do not even exercise their right to vote. Could it be different for the next generation? Is there a need for children to learn about politics or is it a subject too far on their overloaded timetables? Politics is part of the curriculum for Citizenship, which is a compulsory subject for Key stages 3 and 4. What do your class know about politics and the recent referendum? How do you discuss the subject and answer the questions that they have? Teachers are not in the business of telling children what to think, but of giving them the tools to think for themselves. How would children have voted if they were able? Read more

With the new school year rapidly approaching, we have been busy making a cake! A back to school stationery cake! Along with other goodies to help you settle back into school life after the summer break. Read more

We all have good intentions for being super organised when we return to work after a break. We have compiled a list below of top tips for getting organised. Read more

Getting ready for secondary school is a hard thing to do because you just don’t know what to expect. I am about to have a totally different experience where I will make new friends, move around the school a lot to different classrooms, have to carry my bag everywhere and get used to lots of new teachers, rules and routines. Read more

On windy days, the temptation is to stay indoors and keep warm, but there is a lot to be gained from experiencing and thinking about the effects of the wind! So brave the outdoors and try out any of the following ideas! Read more

Follow these easy steps and transform your classroom into an exciting magical learning location with dancing fireflies, a cosy leafy cave lit up with twinkling lights and an old mysterious tree. Can you find any fairies? Read more

A cross-curricular STEM class kit for 30 pupils to each design and make a model house with a working doorbell and light. Follow this step-by-step guide on how to make and wire up a model house. Read more

Many classrooms already have a variety of recordable devices, such as buttons, microphones and cards. Which are your favourites? Read more

Cooking these yummy pizza muffins in the classroom is made easy with this specially designed, appealing free recipe. It is supported by activities that link the ingredients and practical experience to the curriculum, especially Maths, English and Science.  Give them a try and make learning tasty. Read more

Engage children in your science activities from the outset with these clever, thought-provoking lesson openers. As John Dabell recently wrote "Opening activities should be the hook to entice children deeper into the content. This isn’t some cheap trick, it plays an important role in activating prior knowledge, engaging children and establishing a purpose for learning. Openers need to question and challenge in spades." Read more