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,…
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One of my favourite upcycled crafts has been transforming our old Ikea coffee table into a Lego Duplo table for the children. It’s probably the piece of furniture we’ve had the longest as I think we bought it 8 years ago when we first moved in together. It’s served us well. A couple of years ago it got its first transformation. It was given a coat or two of blackboard paint so the toddler could do his mark making on it. He quickly got bored of that idea (walls were much more appealing) so it was pretty un-used and even…
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This week we sent off a parcel to the Reading Residence as part of the 2014 Love Books Summer Exchange. We took part last year and had a lot of fun with it. Basically you send a book and related craft suitable for the age of your child and receive the same. My son eagerly awaits the Postman knocking on the door as he often receives packages with things to review. You can imagine his expression when he opened the door to a large cardboard box! It contained a copy of Herman’s Letter by Tom Percival, and everything needed to…
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Yesterday I told you how much fun we had at the Gruffalo Activity Trail at Wendover Woods. After running about in the woods, building dens, climbing trees and hunting for the Gruffalo we had all built up quite an appetite. We took a picnic as we were out all day and I made a special Gruffalo Bento Box for the children. I had so much fun putting together the Gruffalo Bento Box that I thought I would share it with you today. How to make a Gruffalo Bento Box I knew I wanted to give the children Roasted Fox, Owl Ice…
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Did you know The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler is celebrating his 15th anniversary? The Forestry Commission are marking the anniversary with special trails in some amazing woodlands around the country. My children adore the story of The Gruffalo so we were very excited to head off to our nearest Gruffalo activity trail at Wendover Woods. Wendover Woods is lovely with numerous walking, cycle and horse riding trails; a children’s play area; a Cafe in the Woods; toilets; fixed barbecue stands you can book in advance and Go Ape adventure course for the very adventurous. You can buy a…
