Play Post - Something is changing outside

This week: A January Play Post about light, time, and staying in season

January is not a month that asks for big ideas. It’s cold, busy again, and somehow still tired. What I notice is something else: how much I want to stay in hibernation, while everything around me tells me loud and clear that it’s time to get going again!

But for me, January isn’t about goals or fresh starts at all. It’s about finding a different rhythm first — one that actually fits this moment. I’ll share more about that next week.

So this week’s Play Post stays deliberately simple.

You don’t need to plan anything or make something new. Just step outside today — alone or with your child — and pay attention to the light. Not the pretty kind, just the real one that’s there anyway.

In January, the light comes back very slowly — and yet more than we often realise. By the end of the month, there’s almost an hour and a half more daylight than at the start, which I always find astonishing and beautiful. You don’t feel it all at once. Mornings are still dark, evenings still early. But something has shifted.

I notice it in small ways. The sky holding on to grey instead of tipping straight into darkness. Birds becoming just a bit more active again, testing their voices on mild mornings, like this morning.

Stand outside for a minute or two and notice where the light still is. Low on a building. Reflected in a puddle. Catching the edge of a window or a wet street. Name one thing you see, out loud or just to yourself.

That’s it.

You don’t have to turn it into a lesson or a memory or a photo. In January, noticing is already enough.

We’ll be back soon!

What is Play Post?

On Friday, you’ll find one simple idea in your inbox — something to try outdoors, with your child or just with yourself.

Something you can make, discover, feel, or simply notice. It won’t take much. But it might stay with you longer than you’d expect.

A tiny ritual of connection — to the season, to your child, to yourself.