• clothes peg bats
    Halloween crafts - Kids crafts - tutorial

    How to make clothes peg bats

    October 26, 2014 - By 

    Halloween crafts and fun and can be really simple. My children are itching to decorate the house so we made some simple clothes peg bats to hang up. Equipment needed to make clothes peg bats: wooden clothes pegs black acrylic paint black paper scissors sticky tape and glue dots How to make clothes peg bats: Paint the clothes pegs with black acrylic paint and leave to dry. Draw around your child’s hands on black paper and cut out. Tape the two hand shapes together at the wrists and glue the clothes peg in place. Add eyes or ears, we used…

  • crafts - eating - handmade

    Building a Chocolate House

    October 25, 2014 - By 

    I am really looking forward to lots of crafting time over half term. My 4 year old has a long list of things to make, bake and craft which I couldn’t be happier about. Today we made a Chocolate House which was a choc on choc kit so everything was included – the chocolate beans, moulds, garden scene and chef’s hat. I melted the beans using a small silicone pot in the microwave which made pouring the melted chocolate really easy. I used the white chocolate for the four walls and the milk chocolate for the roof and trees. The…

  • driving - parenting

    Surviving the school run

    October 24, 2014 - By 

    Today is the last day of this half term and I couldn’t be happier. My 4 year old loves Reception and I support him with everything from getting to school on time, completing his homework to providing cakes for the Halloween party and much more. Being a full-time mum of a school aged child really is a full-time job and I need a break next week as much as he does! We’re really lucky that we live 3 minutes from school so although mornings can be a rush I don’t have to worry about finding a parking space when I…

  • school

    Improving handwriting with STABILO

    October 23, 2014 - By 

    I’m actually quite excited about half term next week. My little 4 year old needs a break from his school routine and I’m looking forward to not rushing out the door in the morning. My son has had a great report from school and the only thing he needs a little help with is holding a pen correctly which will give him more control over his writing. He loves to practice his writing at home, he writes little letters to his grandparents every week. I was delighted to be contacted by STABILO who have a huge range of products specifically…

  • book review - competition

    Win A Child’s Christmas in Wales – 3 up for grabs

    October 21, 2014 - By 

    ‘All the Christmases roll down toward the two-tongued sea, like a cold and headlong moon bundling down the sky that was our street…’ Celebrated poet, Dylan Thomas, recalls his own childhood with wit and magic in this beautiful children’s classic that has become one of his most popular works. Dylan Thomas’s lyrical account of his childhood Christmases in a small Welsh town, featuring wolves, bears, hippos and Mrs Prothero’s cat, has become deservedly famous. This re-designed edition from Orion Children’s Books celebrates the centenary of his birth, and features brand-new artwork from illustrator Peter Bailey. This would make a beautiful…

  • baking - crafts

    Monday happy things

    October 20, 2014 - By 

    This has been quite a quiet week for us. We’ve stayed close to home, just trying to get through the days until half term.   My 4 year old had a brilliant school report. I know I’m totally biased but it was great to hear how well he’s settled into Reception. I was able to look through his workbooks where he had written about why he was special (because he can ride a bike) and what he wants to be when he’s older (an artist). I baked some delicious lemon meringue cupcakes after finally getting my hands on a packet…

  • playing - toy review

    Take and Play Roaring Dino Run

    October 19, 2014 - By 

    Over the summer you may remember we went to see the new Thomas and Friends film, Tale of the Brave. My 4 year old has always loved Thomas and when he was younger never went anywhere without his wooden Thomas and Gordon – it was a sad day when he grew out of that particular habit. Both my children enjoyed Tale of the Brave so were happy to be sent the new Fisher-Price Thomas and Friends Take-n-Play Roaring Dino Run Playset, which was inspired by the new Thomas and Friends DVD Tale of the Brave, to review. Take and Play Roaring…

  • baking - Halloween crafts

    Planning a Spooktacular Halloween

    October 18, 2014 - By 

    Yesterday we had a practice run on our Halloween cupcakes. The children are excited as we’ve decided to bake our contribution to the school Halloween party. We made chocolate cupcakes with little graveyard cupcake toppers from Felt-o-Ween. They should be good enough for our own Halloween party the following week too. So far I’ve resisted putting up our Halloween decorations. I’m not sure when’s the right time. We have some costumes, Big Brother is a skeleton (in a comfy onesie) and Little Sis will be a witch. My 4 year old is itching to fill a bowl with spooky sweets…

  • play dough acorns - the gingerbread house
    Autumn - Crafts for kids - Kids crafts - tutorial

    Easy play dough acorns

    October 17, 2014 - By 

    I set up an Autumnal invitation to play for my 4 year old when he got home from school yesterday. He’s play dough crazy so I thought I would combine some Autumnal coloured play dough with some of the acorns we collected at the woods over the weekend. Equipment needed for easy play dough acorns: Autumnal coloured play dough – red, orange, yellow, green and brown Acorns and acorn caps (I placed them in a bag in the freezer over night to make sure there were no nasties in them) How to make easy play dough acorns: I set out…