When money is tight you have to make the most of what you have and this is where creative play really comes into its own.
In the last few weeks me and my little girl have had some great fun making and doing things that if we had a bit of extra cash we wouldnt really have been doing as we would have been out.

making bread- stick all your dry ingrediants on a bowl give your little one the cup of water and let her get on with it. i mean how much damage can a child really do with flour and water anyway.they learn textures of the flour and water in different cirumstances to the normal playing in water in the bath or pool.
The sticky and dryness of the mixture at different stages, how come the dough is warm ? why do you leave it prove? so much to learn from something so simple.
plus when its ready they can make any shapes and sizes they want and when cooked enjoy eating it for lunch too which is always an added bonus and adds so much fun.

sand/water table- we went to a friends daughter party at the weekend and this was the first thing my daughter went for as we dont have one at home.
as soon as she saw the sand one side and the water the other side yo could see what was coming. yep the sand was instantly put into the water to see what it felt like, the face my little one pulled didnt look impressed to start with i must say but she soon got use to it and loved it. her and her little friend were soon playing icecream shops.scooping up the sand and putting it into bowls and giving it to the mummys and daddys for the snack time.


mega blocks- all diffent colors and sizes.perfect for making a bed for dolly, a shed forthe toy cows or a chair for my daughter to park her bum on for 5 minuets before the whole thing falls apart.

tin foil/cereal boxes and yoghurt pots and some celotape(blue peter style fun)-
build a house for mummy, a car for daddy, a little person for granny and granddad.A child with some junk is amazing to watch as there little minds tick away with which bit shall i stick where and do i color that in/paint it or stick this paper on there instead ??

look in the cupboards, the cupboard under the stairs, the bottom of the wardrobe for that old top you were going to throw in the bin and give it to the kids with some felt tips and let them make you someting nice and something to treasure.