• STEM Valentine tangram for kids
    Crafts for kids - Crafts for teens - Crafts for tweens - STEM activity - Valentines Day crafts

    STEM Valentine tangram for kids

    February 9, 2021 - By 

    Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and we’ve been enjoying all kinds of Valentine themed arts and crafts this year. I like to come up with different things to keep my kids busy and active and now they are a little older they enjoy STEM learning. Our STEM Valentine tangram for kids is a great STEM learning tool which helps build important STEM skills. STEM Valentine tangram for kids What is a tangram? Invented in China about 200 years ago, a tangram is a two-dimensional puzzle, created by cutting a square into seven pieces. The puzzle consists of seven…

  • Monday Happy List

    Monday Happy List {Week 330}

    February 8, 2021 - By 

    Starting the week by writing the Monday Happy List  is something I’ve been doing for a while. It’s a chance for me to sit down and reflect on the things that made me happy in the previous week, as well as to record some of our family adventures. It’s a post I always love to write. Monday Happy List {Week 330} Thankfully my son went back to school last week as we are both critical workers. They only had room for my son which was really disappointing for my daughter. We are juggling her home learning around our work which is difficult…

  • {Giveaway} The SS Officer’s Armchair by Daniel Lee
    competition

    {Giveaway} The SS Officer’s Armchair by Daniel Lee

    February 7, 2021 - By 

    Last year I read The SS Officer’s Armchair: In Search of a Hidden Life by Daniel Lee and really enjoyed it. I’ve always enjoyed historical fiction but this was a book very much based on fact. Despite the Second World War ending xx years ago, it still has a huge impact on our lives. It began with an armchair. It began with the surprise discovery of a stash of personal documents covered in swastikas sewn into its cushion. The SS Officer’s Armchair is the story of what happened next, as Daniel Lee follows the trail of cold calls, documents, coincidences and family…

  • Dissolving Love Hearts Valentine science
    Crafts for kids - STEM activity - Valentines Day crafts

    Dissolving Love Hearts Valentine science

    February 5, 2021 - By 

    Our home learning has been a lot of fun recently. My 9 year old loves science so we’ve been trying all those home science experiments we’ve wanted to try but never had the time. After the success of our winter Candy Cane experiment my daughter suggested we try it again with Love Hearts. We love those cute little Love Hearts, especially the emoji ones! I thought they would be easy to find but they weren’t – so I ended up buying a huge box of them! Love Hearts have been around for years and I’m sure everyone remembers looking for…

  • Valentine STEM challenge for kids
    Crafts for kids - Valentines Day crafts

    Heart Marshmallow Valentine STEM challenge for kids

    February 4, 2021 - By 

    We are so happy to see the back of January and welcome February. There are so many things to look forward to in February including Valentine’s Day, Pancake Day, birthdays and Spring! Now my children are a little older I knew they would enjoy some STEM experiments and we have tried a few over the last week. There are some really fun science experiments you can do at home and they never fail to delight my children. The first one we wanted to tell you about was the Heart Marshmallow Valentine STEM challenge I set the kids. You don’t need…

  • Exploring Bentley Priory Nature Reserve
    Family Life - Local Review - London

    Exploring Bentley Priory Nature Reserve

    February 2, 2021 - By 

    Last weekend we went off to explore Bentley Priory Nature Reserve in Stanmore, north London. We wanted to visit after we went to the Battle of Britain Bunker at Uxbridge last year. RAF Bentley Priory was the headquarters of Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain and throughout the Second World War. Bentley Priory Bentley Priory itself was the final home of the Dowager Queen Adelaide, Queen Consort of William IV, before her death there in 1849. Bought by the RAF in the 1920s The Royal Air Force station was closed in 2008 and the original house was turned into…

  • February stitched calendar
    Monday Happy List

    Monday Happy List {Week 329}

    February 1, 2021 - By 

    Starting the week by writing the Monday Happy List  is something I’ve been doing for a while. It’s a chance for me to sit down and reflect on the things that made me happy in the previous week, as well as to record some of our family adventures. It’s a post I always love to write. Monday Happy List {Week 329} We had such a busy week last week, keeping ourselves as busy as we could. Home learning isn’t going brilliantly so instead we’ve been filling our time creatively. My children still aren’t allowed to return to school despite my husband and…

  • Puff pastry mincemeat tart recipe
    Family Life

    Puff pastry mincemeat tart recipe

    January 31, 2021 - By 

    You’re probably not expecting another Christmas recipe in January. Sorry, not Sorry! I love mincemeat and don’t see why it shouldn’t be enjoyed throughout winter. It’s warming and delicious and there are so many ways to enjoy it. I have so many jars that I was looking for a quick and easy pudding to make. This puff pastry mincemeat tart is a winner! Puff pastry mincemeat tart ingredients: 375g ready-rolled puff pastry 300g mincemeat Brandy Butter or Brandy Cream to serve How to make a puff pastry mincemeat tart Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C for a fan oven. Unroll your…

  • Pressed Spring flowers suncatcher
    Crafts for kids

    Pressed Spring flowers suncatcher

    January 29, 2021 - By 

    So you may not be expecting me to be sharing a Spring craft at the end of January. My daughter was clearing out some old notebooks last week and discovered some flowers she had carefully pressed last year. We actually have a vintage flower press which we picked up at a charity shop but for some reason we had placed the flowers she picked amongst the pages of her notebook. The notebook was untouched for months and we were surprised to find leaves and simple flowers all perfectly preserved. Pressed Spring flowers suncatcher It felt wrong to just throw the…