Leicester Riders - A Great Family Night Out

Red Monkey are proud to sponsor Leicester Riders Basketball Club, and we're looking forward to starting the BBL Championship off in style! With ticket season starting this week, why not join us for a great weekend of sport?

The Riders will be playing the Sheffield Sharks on October 5th in Leicester, and the Red Monkey team are going to be there, cheering on our sponsored players Jorge Calvo and Anthony Downing- and the rest of the team, of course!

It's sure to be a great family event, so if you're looking for a great Saturday night out, why not come along, say hello, and watch the team shoot for success? Tickets are available online now, so now's the time to get booking. We look forward to seeing you there!

Written by Tom for Red Monkey Play. For more play ideas and great play products, visit www.redmonkeyplay.co.uk.

Sand Play Ideas

Sand play is a great learning experience, and great fun too - with clever use of sand, children can learn to mould, build and act out sand-based adventures. Sand can be both a toy and a teaching aid if you know how to use it.

We've put together a few tips to help you make the most of sand play with your children. The children will learn all sorts of things, and have a great time doing it too!

The sand kitchen

Sand makes a great 'ingredient' in any play kitchen - whether it's dry and powdery or wet and malleable like dough. Try introducing other 'food' elements to the sand kitchen - dry pasta is a good one, and herbs or cut grass make for a great vegetarian option.

Get some old pots and pans together, and the children will be cooking up sandy delights in no time! All good fun, and they'll be learning about mixing ingredients at the same time. Why not think up some sand-based recipes for them to cook, and see what they come up with?

Red Monkey's Kitchen Units are perfect for some sand-based cookery!

Colourful sand

Give your sand play a colourful new dimension by mixing in a few tablespoons of powder paint with your sand. The colourful sand is a delight for the children, and can be used to teach them about colours, too.

See if they can match coloured sand with coloured objects - for example, filling a red cup with red sand. Or have the children colour the sand themselves, and see if they can get the hang of mixing colours together to create new ones. Perfect for both sculptors and budding artists!

Sand islands

Sand can be used to create great play-scapes for acting out stories and role-play scenarios. Damp sand can be used to create all sorts of fantastic environments - flatten it down to build roads, dig tunnels and caves for creatures to lurk in, or build mountains for characters to roam over.

Try turning your sandbox into a scene from a favourite children's book, then drop in some toys and let the children act out the story. You could even print and laminate pictures of your children's favourite characters, and bring the story to life right there in the sandbox!

Whatever you choose to do with it, sand is one of the most versatile gateways to creative play. If you're looking to add some exciting sand play opportunities to your play area, why not check out some of our great sand play products?

Written by Tom for Red Monkey Play. For more play ideas and great play products, visit www.redmonkeyplay.co.uk.

Case Study: Delves Infant & Nursery School

Our favourite part of any job comes after installation is complete, when teachers and children see their finished play area for the first time. Seeing the looks on their faces makes all the hard work worth it!

Red Monkey recently completed work on an ambitious Outdoor Play and Nature Garden project at Delves Infant and Nursery School in Walsall, and we couldn't be more pleased with the results! And seeing the look on Head Teacher Emma's face when she first saw the new play area, we know the children are going to be even happier than we are!

The brief

Our brief was to create two new outdoor areas at Delves Nursery School - an 'outdoor school area', which was to feature a dedicated outdoor learning area as well as challenging play equipment, and an 'eco zone', a natural garden area with scenic water features and outdoor shelter for learning and relaxation.

Project Manager Richard designed the new areas by combining play products from the Red Monkey catalogue with some bespoke designs created specifically for Delves - including rustic nature houses and a completely original water fountain.

The result was a comprehensive new outdoor area that's completely unique to Delves - you won't see anything quite like this anywhere else!

The reception

Project Manager Richard reveals the new play area to a delighted Emma.

Delves' Head Teacher Emma Ingram loves the new areas - here's what she had to say after we unveiled them:

"Outdoor learning is an important part of children’s physical, social and cognitive development. At Delves Infant & Nursery school we wanted an outdoor area which would inspire and excite our young minds and develop children’s confidence and inquisitive spirit. 

The team at Red Monkey completely identified with our vision, aspirations and ambitious plans. Their professionalism and commitment was consistently exceptional throughout, from the initial pulling together of ideas through to the bespoke design, manufacture and installation of our amazing ‘Eco Zone’ & ‘Forest Schools Area’. We now have an outdoor area that is both unique and extraordinary. We are thrilled!"

Emma Ingram, Delves Infant and Nursery School, Walsall

We certainly can't argue with that - thanks Emma! If you'd like to see how Red Monkey can bring a creative flare to your school or nursery, just give us a ring on 0116 281 3975 to book your free site visit today!

Written by Tom for Red Monkey Play. For more play ideas and great play products, visit www.redmonkeyplay.co.uk.

The Importance of Play Blocks

Sometimes the old ways really are the best - it's been 100 years since wooden building blocks were first mass-produced as toys and learning tools for young children, and yet recent studies show that they are still one of the most effective ways for children to learn basic skills. Don't believe us? This BBC report highlights just how important play blocks can be in aiding learning development.

Generate, Concentrate & Communicate

Red Monkey Play Blocks come in a range of sizes and
shapes, to encourage imaginative play.

It's often modern technology that attracts children's attention these days - bright screens and colourful games - and there are some excellent digital teaching aids out there. However, experts believe that there's nothing to compare with the physical act of basic building for developing children's spatial and social awareness.

So how do play blocks help children's learning? Well, by building even basic structures, children start to understand things about the world around them. When gravity pulls their new tower down, they'll instinctively build it less top-heavy next time. When a bridge won't support any more blocks, they'll look for ways to reinforce it. These are things they'll pick up innately, just by by playing. The more they build, the more the learn about the basic physics of building.

Play blocks are also a great way for children to develop their social skills. After all, we can build bigger castles faster if we work together, right? As children start to appreciate the benefits of cooperation, they also begin to develop a greater sense of empathy for those around them.

Introducing Red Monkey Play Blocks

Play blocks may prove to be an invaluable tool for children's development; so how about getting your hands on your very own? Well, Red Monkey have you covered. We've just launched our new Play Blocks; chunky wooden blocks in a range of sizes, especially designed to inspire imaginative play in young children, and provided in a handy box.

Our new Play Blocks are available now!

A 25-piece box of Play Blocks costs only £19.90 including delivery; if you're interested in getting your hands on some, give us a call on 0116 2813 975, or alternative send us an email to sales@redmonkeyplay.co.uk and let us know you're interested!

Written by Tom for Red Monkey Play. For more play ideas and great play products, visit www.redmonkeyplay.co.uk.