Birthday parties are such a special event in a child’s life and who say’s birthdays have to be just once a year when you can have fun with some birthday party pretend play? And we all know toddlers love singing Happy Birthday on a regular basis! So we've rounded up some great ideas to help celebrate your child's pretend birthday party! Imaginary presents at the ready...

First off comes from our go to creative play blog, The Imagination Tree
Lots of ideas here from quickly wrapping up existing toys, using wooden play:
https://theimaginationtree.com/role-play-birthday-parties/
https://theimaginationtree.com/birthday-imaginative-play/

And over Little Bins for Little Hands they have a whole play box dedicated to this theme!

Here's what's in their party play box:

box (we use this 25x16x6 inch size the most)
pretend food
pretend coffee maker (a must here)
party goods, hats, noise makers, balloons, old birthday cards
card making supplies
books about birthday parties for inspiration
games or music makers for entertainment
dress up clothes, hats, or masks

For more details check out their blog here: https://littlebinsforlittlehands.com/dramatic-play-pretend…/

If your child wants to throw the party for someone why not suggest holding it for one of their favourite toys? Here at Inner Child Fun they are throwing the birthday bash for their Teddy! Genius idea!
https://innerchildfun.com/…/02/birthday-party-for-teddy.html

Right, we're off to blow up some imaginary balloons so have fun at your pretend party!

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This article has been taken from the RHS site....
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Composting is useful in all gardens. Only in the very smallest gardens will it be difficult to find space for a compost heap and material to fill it. Owners of such small plots could consider worm composting instead.
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Although councils offer green waste collections, the RHS encourages home composting because it does not involve heavy transport, with its associated environmental costs.
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When to compost
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Composting is done all year, as and when suitable materials are generated in the garden or home. However late summer to early winter is the peak time for making compost.
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The site and container
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It is important that the site is not subjected to extremes of temperature and moisture, as the micro-organisms (bacteria and fungi) that convert the waste to compost work best in constant conditions. Position the bin in light shade or shade; it is often more convenient to use a shady area of the garden.
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An earth base allows drainage and access to soil organisms, but if you have to compost on a hard surface, then add a spadeful of soil to the compost bin.
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Bins retain some warmth and moisture and make better compost more quickly, but even an open heap (not enclosed in a bin) will compost eventually. Any of the compost bins on the market should produce compost as long as they exclude rain, retain some warmth, allow drainage and let in air.
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Bins less than 1 cubic m (1.3 cubic yd) in size are much less effective than larger ones.
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Getting the right balance of composting materials
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Aim for between 25 and 50 percent soft green materials (e.g. grass clippings, annual weeds, vegetable kitchen waste, or manure) to feed the micro-organisms
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The remainder should be woody brown material (e.g. prunings, wood chippings, paper, cardboard, straw or dead leaves)
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The bacteria and micro-organisms that produce the compost function best when the balance of green and brown materials is correct.
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Avoid letting any one material dominate the heap - especially grass clippings, as these can become a slimy, smelly mess on their own.
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Kitchen waste and grass clippings are best mixed with brown woody material, as they tend to be wet and easily compacted, excluding air.
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Some common composting materials
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\nGreen: Grass clippings; soft, leafy plants including annual weeds; fruit and vegetables, uncooked kitchen waste; selected pet waste/bedding
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\nBrown: prunings and hedge trimmings (ideally shredded), woodchip, leaves, paper and card (torn up or shredded), straw, plant stems
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\nAccelerators and activators: Products such as ‘Garotta’ are sometimes added where green waste is in short supply. They contain high levels of nitrogen (a nutrient found in green waste), but should not be necessary if green waste is plentiful. It is also possible to purchase activators containing carbon (a nutrient found in brown woody waste); these are aimed at composting grass clippings or other green waste where there is insufficient brown waste
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\nLime: People sometimes think you need to add lime to the compost heap, but there is no need to do so
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Turning the heap
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Turning the heap adds air; air is necessary for composting to occur. If the heap is too wet or becomes compacted, then the composting process is slower as less air is available.
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Ideally, place a lot of composting materials on the heap in one go, and turn it periodically (perhaps every month) to introduce air. Failure to turn the heap is probably the main cause of poor results.
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Many gardeners are unable to fill the heap in one go, as they accumulate waste gradually. Because of this, home-made compost is seldom as perfect as municipal compost, but it is still effective.
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Remember to keep the heap moist in dry weather – turning will give you an opportunity to assess the moisture level.
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When is the compost ready?
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Garden compost can take between six months and two years to reach maturity. Mature compost will be dark brown, with a crumbly soil-like texture and a smell resembling damp woodland.
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It is unlikely that all the material in the heap will be like this, but any remaining un-rotted material can be added to the next batch of composting materials.
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Its so easy! I saw kits online but then thought I would have a go and it was so easy....and a great activity to do with the children....its gets real messy so perhaps best to do outdoors or spread out a load of newspaper!

Seed balls are, first and foremost, a way to protect seeds - the clay exterior prevents rodents from eating the balls, the drying process protects them from rot, when exposed to sufficient rain, the absorbent compost helps to provide the right amount of water for germination for most seeds

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You will need;

1. A pack of wild flower seeds

2. Potters clay

3. Compost

4. Cookie cutters - optional

METHOD

Simply mix up a lump of clay, with a couple of handfuls of compost and all your seeds ( I did all this on a wipe clean surface ) and squash together using a couple of spoonfuls of water if the whole mixture gets too dry....I kept on kneading the mixture until it came together.

Once in a suitable crumbly paste I squashed lumps of it with the heel of my hand and shaped into rounds and pressed a little flower into each surface.

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They dried overnight and looked a bit like biscuits! They're now are ready to go scattering!

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A new book called Seedbombs: Going Wild with Flowers by Josie Jeffery introduces this concept to modern readers, but the idea of seed bombing first germinated in Japan with the ancient practice of tsuchi dango, which translates as \"earth dumpling\". The idea was again popularised in the 20th century by Masanobu Fukuoka, an advocate of \"Do Nothing Farming\". And there have even been proposals in recent years to adopt the idea on an industrial scale to repopulate vast areas with trees.

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We are beyond excited and thrilled to have been shortlisted for the prestigious Junior Design Awards for 2019....

We only entered 2 of our wooden products this year and they both got through to the Judges day and so now all we have to do is wait till August when we will find out whether we have been awarded with a prize!

We really pride ourselves with our lovely designs and spend alot of time researching, drawing and fine tuning our products so that not only are they gorgeous to look at but they also pass all the necessary and stringent safety tests for toddlers.

Category: Best Toy Design 0-2 Years

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Category: Best Toy Design 2-4 Years

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Juniormagazine.co.uk draws on 20 years of heritage and expertise from a journey through award winning print into digital publishing and offers an inspirational combination of children's fashion, the latest travel trends, beauty buys for parents, interior ideas and more.

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ThreadBear Design news.

Party Time!

Learn about composting!

How to make Seed Bombs

Junior Design Awards 2019