• Garden fun with Gazillion bubbles
    Family Life

    Garden fun with Gazillion bubbles

    May 23, 2020 - By 

    We are so excited that it’s half term. Normally we would try and visit family but this year we are having a staycation! We are all looking forward to relaxing at home, watching lots of films and playing outside in the garden. The weather was lovely today, if a little windy, but we got the chance to introduce our puppy to bubbles! The children love playing with bubbles and we have always had a fun collection of traditional bubble toys. We were recently gifted some items from the new Gazillion range to try at home. Gazillion Bubble Rush Introducing GAZILLION…

  • Cranford Country Park, Hillingdon
    Family Life - Hillingdon - Local Review - London

    A trip to Cranford Country Park, Hillingdon

    May 22, 2020 - By 

    Last week we were able to visit Cranford Park, another Green Flag award winner (in 2002 and every year since then) in the London Borough of Hillingdon. The weather was amazing and we were all excited to visit somewhere new. We took the puppy and were excited to learn something new about the borough we live in. Cranford Park, Hillingdon Cranford Park was the former seat of the Berkeley family, and is now the surviving remains of a former country estate easily accessed from the M4 motorway. The 144 acre (58 hectares) park features a number of historical relics including a…

  • STEM fun with the Build Your Own Plane Launcher Kit
    Build Your Own Brand Ambassador - Family Life - STEM activity

    STEM fun with the Build Your Own Plane Launcher Kit

    May 19, 2020 - By 

    We were recently sent a Plane Launcher kit, one of the new kits from Build Your Own who make sustainable toys with less plastic. My children are of an age when they really want toys which can be used again and again. They love a toy which challenges them, and the Plane Launcher kit has certainly done just that! Build Your Own Plane Launcher Kit The Build Your Own Plane Launcher is suitable for children (and adults!) aged 8 and up. It uses visual perception and thinking skills and makes a great STEM toy (one which utilises science, technology, engineering…

  • exploring Ickenham Marsh
    Family Life - Hillingdon - Local Review - London

    Exploring Ickenham Marsh

    May 17, 2020 - By 

    The major benefit of life right now is the chance to explore our local area. Living on the edge of London means the best of both worlds – a quick hop on the underground into town, and fields and woods on our doorstep. Over the last 2 months we’ve been exploring all the paths and byways around our village. We’ve kept the kids busy with geocaching and collecting leaves and flowers to press when we get home. Hillingdon Trail We live in the middle of the Hillingdon Trail, a 20 mile path though Hillingdon’s countryside from Cranford in the south…

  • Summer Reading Challenge Silly Squad
    Family Life

    How to take part in the 2020 Summer Reading Challenge

    May 15, 2020 - By 

    The Summer Reading Challenge is always a highlight of our summer. We love the summer holidays but this year will obviously be totally different for everyone. Home learning gives shape to our days at the moment and I’m not quite sure what we’ll do come the summer holidays. I don’t think we’ll be going away anywhere which means 6 long weeks to fill, without the weekly routine of our timetable from school and online classes. Thankfully it looks like we will be able to rely on the Summer Reading Challenge to keep us motivated with our reading! The 2020 Summer…

  • Slimelicious Soda Shop review
    Family Life - STEM activity - toy review

    So Slime DIY – Slimelicious Soda Shop review

    May 10, 2020 - By 

    We’ve had a lovely three-day weekend. We enjoyed walks with the puppy, homemade cake and playing. I have to say weekends are so much easier than trying to homeschool my youngest right now! Thankfully we were gifted a new product from the So Slimelicious DIY to enjoy at home. My daughter adores playing with slime. It’s really therapeutic for her to play with it and she loves to sit watching a film and plying with her slime. We’ve reviewed the So Slime DIY Slimelicious Case before and my daughter really enjoyed making her own slime. Slimelicious Mini Shop and Collectibles…

  • Looking for the Battle of Britain House, Ruislip
    Family Life - Hillingdon - Local Review - London - Ruislip

    Looking for the Battle of Britain House, Ruislip

    May 9, 2020 - By 

    We’ve lived in Ruislip for a good few years now and were intrigued when we heard about the ruins of a house in the heart of Ruislip Woods, where agents of the Clandestine Operations Division were trained for secret operations in occupied France! Doesn’t that sound like an amazing story!? We’ve wanted to look for the ruins for years and finally found the time. I wrote a little about Ruislip Woods a few weeks ago. There are numerous paths through the different woods and we’ve had fun exploring them over the weeks. This is my favourite time of year and…

  • Blogger Board Game Club: Concept
    Blogger Board Game Club - Family Life

    Blogger Board Game Club: Concept

    April 30, 2020 - By 

    We love being part of Asmodee’s Blogger Board Game Club and were delighted to receive Concept board game to review. We were so pleased to have a new game to add to our collection and Concept has been a huge hit with the whole family. In Concept, your goal is to guess words through the association of icons. A team of two players choose a word or phrase that the other players need to guess. Acting together, this team places pieces on the available icons on the game board. To get others to guess “milk”, for example, the team might place…

  • How to celebrate 75 years since VE Day
    Crafts for kids - Family Life

    How to celebrate 75 years since VE Day

    April 30, 2020 - By 

    Our Early May Bank Holiday was moved this year to the 8th May to commemorate 75 years since VE Day. VE Day – or Victory in Europe Day – is marked on 8th May and commemorates the Allies accepting the surrender of Nazi Germany in the Second World War. Events were planned over a 3 day weekend to mark this anniversary but sadly they’ve all been cancelled due to the pandemic. We were looking forward to a street party and events at school. How to celebrate 75 years since VE Day The VE Day anniversary will be another event that…