• 6 ways to stop the Summer brain drain
    Summer - Twinkl Blogger

    6 ways to stop the Summer brain drain

    July 16, 2016 - By 

    As much as I am looking forward to the School holidays I have been thinking how to help my children having the dreaded brain drain. They have had their Class Swap morning at school and know who their new teachers and class mates will be. This will be a slightly different Summer for us as my husband is currently in hospital. He will be out of action for a good few weeks so we will be staying local for most of the holidays. I’ve been looking for ways to stop the Summer brain drain as they have both learned so…

  • FIMO winners' medal craft
    crafts - Kids crafts - Olympics - Sports crafts - tutorial

    FIMO winners’ medal craft for kids

    July 15, 2016 - By 

    A few weeks ago we got our FIMO collection out for some after school crafting. We wanted to have a go at making our own FIMO winners’ medals – fun for both Sports Day and Olympic crafting. The kids love FIMO Kids as you can use it straight out of the packet, there’s no need to knead it in your hands before you use it. My children are both impatient but also lack those fine motor skills so this is a great product for them. How to make a FIMO winners’ medal We picked our colours and rolled out the…

  • decorating with Annie Sloan stencil and chalk paint
    homestyle - interiors - upcycling

    Adding detail with Annie Sloan stencils

    July 15, 2016 - By 

    This week I booked my tickets to The Handmade Fair. I went last year with my sister and we had a brilliant day out so I can’t wait for it this year. Last year I tried some new crafts but also went shopping! We’re both big fans of Annie Sloan Chalk Paints and there was quite a big Annie Sloan stand where I picked up some pots of paint as well as a stencil. My sister and Annie Sloan! I had read a lot about the stencils and really wanted one to finish off a little project. Years ago we…

  • More Colouring for Contemplation
    book review - competition - What I'm reading

    Win a copy of More Colouring for Contemplation

    July 14, 2016 - By 

    With the School holidays looming I thought you may be interested in More Colouring for Contemplation by Amber Hatch and Alex Ogg, the follow ­on title from the team that brought you the hugely successful Colouring for Contemplation. Colouring books for adults have seen a huge rise in popularity, ­ this ‘new’ craft is an antidote to the stresses of modern living. In answer to this, Watkins released Colouring for Contemplation in November and a pocket edition of the same book in January. These books have received fantastic 5 star reviews across the board with positive comments on the book’s…

  • 7 mud kitchen essentials
    crafts - garden crafts - Kids crafts

    7 mud kitchen essentials

    July 14, 2016 - By 

    Our outdoor kitchen has been a big success. Our garden isn’t huge but the children love to be outside so we’ve given them several areas where they can play, explore nature and grow things. I think I enjoyed putting the mud kitchen together just as much as my children enjoy spending time with it. Today I’m sharing some of the mud kitchen essential items which we use the most. 7 mud kitchen essentials 1 A mud kitchen can be as simple or complicated as you like. Before we built our mud kitchen from old pallets the children were happy to…

  • holiday

    Protection Against Meningitis on Holiday in Africa

    July 13, 2016 - By 

    If you have young children at home, they should already have received a vaccine against this potentially dangerous bacterial infection but as an adult, it is possible that you may not have done. If you are planning an African holiday for you and your family in the near future, it is therefore a good idea to check whether a meningitis vaccination is recommended for the country you will be visiting. High Risk Countries and Areas When considering a trip to Africa earlier this year, I discovered that there is what is known as a meningitis belt across the mid portion…

  • The Lyric Theatre
    baking - Cath Kidston - days out - London - mindfulness

    Monday Happy List – Week 94

    July 11, 2016 - By 

    Another busy week for us and now we really are counting down until the school holidays. This week both children had their Sports Days and Class Swap Days. They are really tired and in need of the holiday. I am so proud of them for getting good reports but this term has felt long so the holidays can’t come quickly enough now. This weekend was pretty special as we enjoyed a family trip to the theatre to see the Gruffalo Live. My children can pretty much recite any Julia Donaldson story word for word so we were excited to see…

  • Peppa's house and garden playset
    playing - toy review

    Peppa Pig Classic Toys

    July 10, 2016 - By 

    Peppa Pig fans will love the new Peppa Pig Classic Toys range. Inspired by the TV show, the new playsets, characters and themes are all instantly recognisable to children (and their parents too!). My children have always loved Peppa and her friends and were so happy to be sent 2 toys from the new range to review. Peppa’s Home and Garden Playset The Home and Garden Playset is the iconic Peppa Pig home from the well loved TV show. The house opens up to reveal four rooms and an attic space with lots of accessories included for hours of imaginative…

  • Hank from Finding Dory wind sock craft
    garden crafts - Kids crafts - Recycled crafts - tutorial

    Hank from Finding Dory wind sock craft

    July 10, 2016 - By 

    We’re so excited about the release of Finding Dory this month. It feels like we’ve been waiting for this film for a long time. We’ve been watching Finding Nemo to get in the mood and thinking of ways we can incorporate the new film in our crafting. Everyone’s favourite forgetful blue tang is back at last for ‘Finding Dory’, which sees her go off on a new adventure to search for the family she forgot about. Waking up one morning, she sees a picture in her head – and comes to a shocking realisation. She remembered something! It seems impossible,…