• Mothers Day craft for kids
    Crafts for kids - Handmade gifts - Mother's Day crafts

    Fingerprint flower bag for a kid-made Mother’s Day gift

    February 27, 2018 - By 

    This is a busy time of year. Following a long Winter we now seem to have lots of special days to enjoy. We’ve already made a start on our handmade Mother’s Day cards and after school today we had fun with a fingerprint craft for a kid-made Mother’s Day gift. Let me tell you more about it. You will need: blank canvas bag Selection of paints Fingerprint flower bag for a kid-made Mother’s Day gift We have been having a lot of fun with fingerprint crafts lately. We’ve made fingerprint heart keepsakes for Valentine’s Day and fingerprint St Patrick’s Day…

  • Sylvanian Families Party Set
    competition - Friends of Sylvanian Families

    Win a Sylvanian Families Party Set

    February 27, 2018 - By 

    If you’re a fan of Sylvanian Families like we are then I’m sure you’ll know that 31 years since it first arrived in the UK, iconic toy range Sylvanian Families is expanding with the largest product launch in its history – a new town – which ‘opens’ on 1st March. Collected worldwide by fans as young as three years old through to adulthood, Sylvanian Families comprises miniature, anthropomorphic woodland animals who live in dolls houses within the fictitious, rural ‘Sylvanian Village’. The launch of the new Sylvanian Families Town (comprising of 22 product lines) allows fans to create an alternative…

  • Alethiometers and daemons
    book review - Family Life - What I'm reading

    Alethiometers and daemons {La Belle Sauvage}

    February 26, 2018 - By 

    The Book of Dust is a story in three parts. The first part, La Belle Sauvage, is set 10 years before the events of His Dark Materials, and the rest of the story takes place 20 years after that. Did you know that the Book of Dust was published 22 years after Northern Lights was published in 1995? I’m not sure where the years have gone but I loved His Dark Materials, so I was excited when Penguin Random House sent me a copy of  La Belle Sauvage to read. I received it over Christmas but it was such a hectic time I didn’t really get into it.…

  • Ferrari exhibition at the Design Museum
    Family Life - Monday Happy List

    Monday mindfulness – 5 happy things

    February 26, 2018 - By 

    I love starting off each week by writing my Monday mindfulness – 5 happy things blog post. It’s a great chance to reflect on the things that made me happy in the previous week. Monday mindfulness – 5 happy things The first part of the week was pretty quiet. We finished watching the first season of Altered Carbon on Netflix which we both really enjoyed. I have to admit the last few episodes got stranger and stranger but overall I really enjoyed it. I finished reading The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage, completed Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp and watched Three…

  • crafts to celebrate st david
    Crafts for kids - St David's Day crafts

    8 St David’s Day crafts for kids

    February 25, 2018 - By 

    I’m finding it hard to believe that February is nearly over, especially when January crawled by. February has rushed by and the days are noticeably longer and I would have said warmer if it weren’t for the horrific forecast of snow that is due to hit the UK tomorrow. Thankfully March is looking to be a fun month and we’re looking forward to celebrating St David’s Day on Thursday 1st March. I love St David’s Day. I have Welsh ancestry which I’m very proud of. St David’s Day is the feast day of Saint David, the patron saint of Wales, and falls on…

  • Items for a Sylvanian Families Spring Sensory tray
    Crafts for kids - Spring

    Sylvanian Families Spring Sensory tray

    February 23, 2018 - By 

    My daughter has been really enjoying her Sylvanian Families toys recently. I love that she plays with them all year around but I think they really lend themselves to Springtime. The sun was shining today so I set up a really simple Spring-themed invitation to play for her when she got home from school. Items for a Sylvanian Families Spring Sensory tray Large tray Fake green grass Plastic eggs, carrots and flowers Selection of Sylvanian Families figures How to set up a Sylvanian Families Spring Sensory tray Setting up a sensory tray is really simple. You might also think it…

  • Mine It! review
    Family Life - toy review

    Mine It! review

    February 22, 2018 - By 

    A while ago my children spotted Mine It! in a magazine and really wanted to try it for themselves. The idea is that you can  mine for real Diamond and Gold in a block. Mine It! is a reveal and discover play pattern and each Diamond or Gold block has a precious stone inside. We were sent one Diamond and one Gold block to review. Each box contains everything you need: Chisel, Hammer and Magnifying Glass, to chip away and find the surprise. The children decided to open theirs after school today. There are 12 Gold blocks and 12 Diamond blocks,…

  • ST PATRICK'S DAY craft for kids
    Crafts for kids - St Patrick's Day crafts

    16 St Patrick’s Day crafts for kids

    February 22, 2018 - By 

    We’re celebrating St Patrick’s Day here in the UK on March 17th. St Patrick’s Day, or the Feast of St Patrick, is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17th March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick, who was the patron saint of Ireland. There are so many fun St Patricks’ Day crafts and activities for kids. I’ve collected 16 of my favourite St Patrick’s Day crafts for kids which I hope gives you plenty of inspiration to get crafting at home. 16 St Patrick’s Day crafts for kids St Patricks’ Pot of Gold rainbow craft from School Time Snippets…

  • Clay fingerprint St Patrick's Day craft for kids
    Crafts for kids - St Patrick's Day crafts

    Clay fingerprint St Patrick’s Day craft for kids

    February 21, 2018 - By 

    Sometimes I’m not sure if we should celebrate St Patrick’s Day in our crafting or not. We have an Irish surname but no real connection to Ireland. But then I think that my children are taught every Saints Day at school so why shouldn’t we do something at home too. We’ve had quite a lot of fun with St Patrick’s Day crafts before which you can see here. Today we’re going to add our air-drying clay fingerprint shamrock craft for kids to them. Equipment to make clay fingerprint St Patrick’s Day craft four leaf clover shaped cookie cutter Air-drying clay…