TP News

The nights are really drawing in now and it won't be long before the skies are dark by tea time. It's easy to think of this time of year in quite a gloomy way as the amount of daylight slowly dissipates, but we'd encourage you to embrace the cosiness generated by shutting the curtains in late autumn and winter.

We read so many books and articles and watch so many TV programmes that demonstrate how we can help our children learn or keep fit by getting them engaged in particular types of play.

The long, balmy days of summer are behind us and autumn is now well underway. Although it's always a shame to have to draw the curtains earlier at night and turn the heating on, it's important not to overlook the beauty of this very special season. While spring is about nature bursting back into life again, autumn is a time when trees, plants and animals are getting ready for what could be a hard winter ahead - and it's therefore a period of rapid and fascinating change. This time of year presents the perfect opportunity to entertain and educate your kids both outside and in, using materials straight from Mother Nature herself. There's still (hopefully) the possibility of some good weather and not-too-chilly temperatures ahead of us, so why not get your coats on and get your kids enthused about autumn?  Here are our best autumn-themed ideas: Tell nature's story Seeing something in action is always the best way of explaining how it works, so take this opportunity to tell youngsters all about life cycles. The trees are dropping their leaves and turning them wonderful colours, so explain that this happens for a reason. Seeds are all over the ground, so show little ones how these tiny acorns and sycamore spinners will make brand new trees one day. Another good tip here is to start a weather diary - they'll have fun and it will also present a fascinating glimpse into this particular period of time if you keep it, too. Create beautiful art Take inspiration from the natural world by collecting pretty leaves and either varnishing them to be stuck on patterned paper or rubbing them with crayons. For a more temporary piece of decoration, glue them on a big sheet of paper for a collage. Older kids will also enjoy picking up things like acorns, seed heads and bare branches to make into candelabras using florists' foam or wreaths.  See how many animals you can spot Animals will be busy at this time of year, so pretend you're Kate Humble or Chris Packham and watch them as they go about their business. Hedgehogs might appear in the late afternoon to fatten up ahead of hibernation, while squirrels might be around if you have trees for them to hide in during the worst of the winter. Caterpillars may even be crawling along your paths in the last of the warm sunshine too - all you have to do is pick a comfortable spot on your climbing frame and get those eagle eyes ready.  Get lots of exercise Just because it's turning chilly doesn't mean you can't play out. Get children's hats and scarves ready and go for long walks at the weekends, or head to the park in the short period of daylight after school. Race around, kick through piles of leaves and see how many autumnal items you can collect before you go home - you could even make a scavenger hunt sheet for things like oak leaves and conkers. Oh, and speaking of those... Prepare your conkers for battle Many schools won't let their children play conkers in the playgrounds any more for fear of injury, but you can still hold battles at home, whether it's between siblings or kids versus parents. The best preparation tactic we've come across involves putting the conkers into a quarter of a pint of vinegar for two minutes, then placing them in an oven heated to 250 degrees C for a minute-and-a-half. This should ensure they're really hard and ready to be drilled ahead of threading onto a string. The only better way is leaving them in a warm place to harden for at least a year, but that's not much good for this autumn's fights! You've no doubt got lots of other ideas for fun this season, so do share any favourites you have with us and our other readers. We'd also love to hear about fun days out you enjoy using our suggestions. It'll be winter all too soon, so make the most of autumn with your little ones.

September is around that time of year when many children start new activities, even if they're not quite school-age yet. They might begin attending a music group for the first time, or go to a playgroup without mum or dad.

Most children love music and putting on a CD of kids' songs can be a great way to while away an hour or two as they get into the groove and dance enthusiastically.

A common complaint from many people with busy schedules is that there just aren't enough hours in the day to cross off all the things on their to-do lists. Despite the fact that we all get 24, we're often left wishing there was just a little more time to achieve what we had intended.

It's always funny when you've got children to poke your head around the playroom door and watch them bringing their toys to life or mock-acting with their friends and siblings.

Where has the time gone, the children are almost back in their smart school shoes and ready for another academic year!

The summer holidays are sadly drawing to a close and you've hopefully all had a wonderful time, playing in the garden, jumping on trampolines, going on day trips and generally doing all the things that make great memories.

The summer holidays are a glorious time for children - after all, don't some of your favourite memories date back to those halcyon days when the weeks stretched out ahead of you with no school in sight?

If you're the parent of a toddler, you might assume that getting him or her to sit still is more of an issue than encouraging them to be more active. After all, what mum or dad hasn't sat down exhausted at the end of a long day, having been run ragged by a little one with boundless energy?

We all remember the giddy excitement of Christmas approaching from our childhood, so the parents among you will no doubt appreciate why your own children are finding it difficult to sleep at night now we're into Advent.

Playgrounds are a regular feature in both rural and urban environments, but you'd be forgiven for assuming that they're all pretty much the same, with swings, climbing frames and other equipment slotted in more or less at random.

School-aged children seem to be getting homework much earlier in their academic careers these days than was once the case, and the general advice is that it's better to encourage them to start it as soon as they can.

Everyone loves family trips out and now that the children have broken up it is the perfect time to pack up the car and head out for a day of fun. The days are long and the sun will defiantly be shining, so where to go? Well I am going to suggest ten great family days out so that when your kids get bored of being home you can take them somewhere new and exciting.

Olympic medalist – Steve Backley OBE is TP's brand ambassador as well as a big fan of TP Toys. Steve has been supporting TP’s ongoing mission 'Freedom to Play' - in a bid to get children out and about, and involved in creative, active play.

On Sunday I decided to make a lovely Banana Loaf with some ripe bananas that were lurking in my fruit bowl. It didn’t take very long to make and it was super scrummy.

ITV’s popular daytime show This Morning features a new series of garden makeovers in which Celebrity Gardener Sven Wombwell tackles viewer’s overgrown jungles transforming them in to beautiful outdoor living spaces.

Virtually all young children would prefer to play outside but almost one in ten spend less than an hour outside on a Saturday or Sunday, a recent survey by TP Toys reveals.

As the calendar turns to March, meteorologists are starting to talk about the beginning of spring, which is the perfect time of year to get into the great outdoors with the children.