I like nothing more than having a couple of sewing projects on the go. I’ve been working on Wild Olive’s Spring Stitching Club for a while and thought I’d write about my progress to spur me on to finish it. The Stitching Club in a Seasonal sewing club where you receive a weekly email with an embroidery pattern. Over the weeks the individual pieces are made into something bigger, such as a doll quilt or cushion cover. So far I’ve only completed the Summer Stitching Club but I have the Autumn and Winter patterns too which I will get round…
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Every afternoon Big Brother attends nursery at the local Primary School. Little Sis and I love our time together and we can usually be found watching Frozen doing puzzles together, painting or playdough. She loves to be busy which is why we were excited to be sent some products from Meadow Kids who are an international toy brand from the UK. All of their creations are designed to enhance family interaction and stimulate cognitive development. We were sent a copy of The Hungry Duck puppet book and Train & Truck Pop and Play bath toy to review. The Hungry Duck…
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You know that our family are huge fans of the author Julia Donaldson. My children have nearly all of her books, especially those illustrated with Axel Scheffler, but their favourite is easily The Gruffalo. We’ve had great fun exploring the themes of the book and wanted to share some great Gruffalo crafts with you today. Take a look at my list of 15 brilliant Gruffalo activities for kids: Ways to explore the story: Gruffalo Story Stones from the gingerbread house and Gruffalo Story Sack from the fairy and the frog, perfect for encouraging little story tellers. Or how about making…
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This week Little Sis has been having fun with a brand new product from Ravensburger called Peppa Pig Colorino. It is aimed at children aged 2+ and involves children learning about colours through matching coloured pegs onto a variety of Peppa pictures. Peppa Pig Colorino contains 4 colour pictures, 4 black and white pictures, 24 coloured pegs in 6 colours and a clear plastic board. The idea is you choose a picture to play with, slide it behind the plastic board and then ‘colour’ in with the pegs. It’s great for children learning their primary colours and Little Sis has…
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I’m always keen to encourage my children’s learning so was delighted to be sent some Leapfrog products to try with them. Leapfrog sell a huge range of learning toys which range from tablets to gaming systems, reading and writing toys. Both my children already have a My Pal Violet and My Pal Scout and Big Brother has a Read with Me Scout too which he loves. They both love technology and are completely happy to have an iPhone or iPad to play with but I prefer them to play with age suitable toys. Big Brother was very happy to receive…
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A couple of weeks ago I saw a poster advertising the Creation Station, educational creative fun. As soon as I saw it I knew it would be perfect for my 4 year old. Since Little Sis has come along we’ve found it really hard to find an organised activity they can both do but with her attending nursery two mornings a week we now have a little more time. The idea of the activity is to stimulate your child’s senses through the medium of art, craft, music and movement. My son was a little shy to begin with but as…
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You may have noticed we’ve been a little obsessed with the Gruffalo lately. We recently spent a lovely time in the deep dark wood hunting for the Gruffalo and friends on a Gruffalo activity trail. My children also enjoyed a fun Gruffalo-themed bento box for their lunch. I thought I would keep the theme going with some Gruffalo Story Stones. Gruffalo Story Stone materials: Smooth stones Decopatch glue Colour images of the Gruffalo, Snake, Owl, Fox and Mouse How to make Gruffalo Story Stones: First I chose some smooth stones from our stash, every time we visit the beach we…
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Today Big Brother and I were invited to meet the Moomins on a summer musical adventure at the Polka Theatre in south London. It’s not often we go out without Little Sis but as the show is recommended for age 4+ I thought it would be a nice opportunity to see this show together. Tove Jansson’s most iconic characters the Moomins, who have charmed children for generations, take to the stage for Moominsummer Madness. With breathtaking puppetry, heart-warming humour and original songs performed live by actor-musician puppeteers, this musical adventure makes the perfect summer family treat. We arrived at the theatre…
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Regular readers will know that I love to craft and upcycle. So it’s probably no surprise that I adore Reloved magazine. It’s a brilliant magazine for people who want a little creativity in their lives and upcycling is a great way to make beautiful, practical things for a fraction of the cost of buying them in the shops. The latest issue of Reloved magazine is a Summer Special with 29 fun new craft projects. As usual there are Midweek Makes, Fashion Fixes, Home Refurbs, 3 Ways With… and a Furniture Revamp. There’s a great mix of projects for upcycling furniture,…