Treasure Baskets

hi, would it be cheeky for me to ask for you to send me the info on treasure basket f&z??
or shall i wait for you to put on website?
if you can send it then my email address is [email protected] great thanks xxxxxx

frannyandzooey just reminded me that there is a picture of a child playing with a treasure basket on my website. that picture was taken 4 years ago, so childminders have been using them for a while. \link{http://www.think-small.co.uk/activities.html\here}

You put them in a basket, hence the name, ideally it should be round and shallow and not tip over when your baby reaches into it and it is plsyed with with adult supervision,by little ones, although mine is easily accessible for all my children from 15months to 8 years.

Im lost describe to me in simple terms what this is. Do you hide all these things in something or just put them in a pot?

Frannyandzooey
i have a website my husband built for me. He owns UkNetCo. How much webspace do you need?

You might want to contact him direct via my website www.pfcm.co.uk (Then go to the 'contacts' page, if you leave your land line phone number he'll give you a ring):)

You know what it is already then snowleopard :)

Heuristic just means 'learning through discovery', i.e. finding things out for yourself rather than sitting passively and being taught. Providing children with the sorts of natural and everyday materials that katymac lists enables them to play in an open-ended way so they initiate their own learning. All sounds very complicated but in practice is simple - just provide them with interesting objects and leave them to it. You have to supervise of course, but you don't need to otherwise get involved or 'show' them what to do. They can expliore and experiment with the materials from about 5 months and get a huge amount of stimulation from it.

I'd like to do this F&Z... but what is "heuristic play"?

(I'm a bit like this already though - give DS interesting non-plastic stuff to play with like wooden bowls and loofah!)

Your website looks great and thanks for the offer. I would quite like to get my own webspace with information about my groups so I could put it on there. I am a bit challenged in these technical matters though

I know we have a block on the new website for adding new stuff, about a week I think? Maybe it could be added once the block has been lifted.

I would love a copy of the document, [email protected], but am happy to wait for the website if that's easier :)

our website
\link{http://www.freewebs.com/mncmclub/\set up by RTKangaMummy}

Katymac, yours sounds super! I am sure you know as much about it as I do, I am not really an expert, just decided to do it for a living. I know exactly what you mean about older children loving it, I think it's the open-endedness that appeals to them.

Freshstart oops sorry I have sent it twice because it kept saying "undelivered mail"

Mumlove I will mail you.

Could anyone advise me on how to get free webspace? Maybe I could post the info up somewhere. I don't mind sending it to people but might make more sense to have it on a web page at this rate.

frannyandzooey....is mine on the right lines?

sweet lord franny you should def start to charge these disciples of yours

can you email me to PLEASE.

[email protected]

Thankyou very much

Freshstart, yours keep bouncing back. It's a big file, about 2 meg, could that be the problem?

LOL cod. The last Mumsnetter who asked how I made money from letting babies play with old crap is now starting her own class up so beware.

The idea is that it's an antidote to all the plastic that children get given these days. Babies learn by feeling things and chewing them, and plastic toys all feel, smell and taste the same. A treasure basket contains up to 150 different natural and household materials which provide a rich sensory experience for the baby. It also encourages open ended play which develops creativity, self-confidence, trust, concentration, decision-making, fine motor skills etc.

The babies do absolutely adore it and as they are so contented and quiet the parents love it too :)

That is the short version, I will email the long version now to anyone who has requested it.

frannyandzooey, I'd love your info too please. It's always great to get new ideas. I do have a couple of trasure baskets and have went to a day on Treasure baskets with the lady who co wrote The Little Bokk of Treasure Baskets with Sally Featherstone. [email protected]

Elinor Goldsmeid's book, people under three is also very good if any one else in interested in more ideas.

Cod it's heuristic play for babies - you'd love one......you could round off all your sharp edges chewing on a bit of wood for hours

seriously tho' the children love them

whats ia treasure basket?
a lod of old crap?

I have
Bottle opener (smooth edges)
2 sizes of castle pudding tins
ametal egg(which opens)
a wooden egg
chamois leather
seive
metal sink drainer
wooden scoop, spoon, spatular, honey dipper, panstand, blocks, eggcup, vegatable scrubbing brush, clothes pegs & curtain ring
dogs toy (rope pull - short about 5inches)
Paintbrush, pastybrush (2 types)
lavander bean bag
woven wicker ball & coaster

Their favourite is a rubber mat for putting soap on that has suckers on either side

when supervised (for babies) and with older children you can add
an orange or lemon
crumpled paper or foil
small peices of sponge with essential oil on them
dried flower/plants/pinecones etc (I don't put pinecones in if I'm not one-on-one)
bar of soap

love the idea of a bottle with rice - I'll try that

We have 2 in our minding room and when we get them out all the children love them....right up to an 11yo boy who was grouping them by the material they were made from

oh please email me too!

dark willow girl @ yahoo.co.uk (no spaces)

Thanks

Thank you

LOL, yes loads of people on here seem to be interested in the subject! I am happy to share it, but am off to bed now so will email you ladies in the morning.

There is another Mumsnetter who is planning to start up her own heuristic play classes as well but I shall say no more as she may prefer to keep quiet for now :)