As excitement mounts for the queen's Diamond Jubilee this weekend, your little ones are probably just too young to understand the significance of what is going on, but they certainly aren't too young to join in the fun.  Here are some fun ideas to explore royalty and help them learn who the queen is:-

• Coin Rubbing: Take a selection of coins and tape them to an A4 piece of card.  Place a sheet of paper over the top and rub over them with chalk or a thick wax crayon, watch as the queen appears in front of you.
• Queen for a Day: Have one of your children act as queen for the day, see what they imagine the queen gets up to in a normal day!
• Flagging: Draw out the lines for the union flag and have your little ones colour them in.  Stick them onto straws to make a flag they can wave, or attach a number of them to a piece of string to make some royal bunting.
• Royal Tea Party: Discuss what food and drink the queen might enjoy at a royal tea party and then hold a tea party with all the foods they talk about.  Don't be too concerned, their ideas are probably less caviar and Champagne than jam tarts and sausage rolls!
• Create a Stamp: Look at some real stamps and show how the queen is always portrayed.  Cut zig-zag lines around an A4 sheet of paper and have your little one design their own stamp; have them use lots of royal imagery such including the queen, a castle, a royal carriage and anything else that a queen might have.

A six year old boy took the time and effort last year to write to the Queen complaining about the lack of play facilities at the park in her Sandringham Estate.  He eventually received a letter from the Queen's Senoir  Correspondance Officer thanking him for taking the time to write and for his suggestions.

He suggested better play equipment for young visitors be installed, perhaps goalposts, a slide and a roundabout for children.  He received a reply from the Queen's office  thanking him for his comments and saying she had passed the suggestions to Sandringham's land agent for consideration.

The little boy, Charlie, was pleased with his letter and that it may result in some better park equipment.  He and his parents had forgotten they had sent the letter, as the reply came some seven weeks later, but when they saw the envelope with the royal stamp on it, they knew exactly what it was.

Well done to the Mum who encouraged her son to write a letter and well done, Charlie...it's easy to complain about things, but it takes more effort to sit down and do something about it!

The mood of the nation has lifted with the delightful news that Prince William and Kate Middleton are set to marry, and at the same time, the dream of every little girl will become a reality for one young lady - soon Kate Middleton will become a real Princess!  More than that, she will one day become our Queen, and queen to the other commonwealth countries that will recognise her as their sovereign head of state.

We all treat our little daughters like princesses, we often even refer to them as such, but no one expects their children to become a genuine Princess.  All the more extraordinary for Kate's parents who, after leading normal lives and raising their children in an ordinary, down to earth manner, suddenly find themselves mixing in Royal circles.  Their eldest daughter is about to become the third most important female in the Royal Family after the Queen and the Duchess of Cornwall!

Kate's children will of course enjoy a life of privilege never dreamed of by her parents of grandparents, but William's generation of modern royals have managed to remain as grounded as they probably can be in how ordinary people live their lives.  Yes, William, Harry and all their cousins have enjoyed a rare upbringing in royal circles, but they have also managed to mix with a broad section of society and truly understand what it is for the ordinary family to live in the 21st century.

We join the nation in wishing William and Kate all the very best for their forthcoming wedding, and wish them a happy family in the future!