Author: kiddy@admin

Kids love Ice Cream

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The Ice Cream Farm, Cheshire

If you’re looking for the ultimate ice cream themed day out, then look no further than The Ice Cream Farm in Cheshire in the North West. Home to the ‘World’s Largest Purpose Built Ice Cream Parlour’, it’s not only bursting with award-winning flavours made on site, but also a range of themed activities for children to turn a tasty treat into an action-packed day out.

The farm is FREE for the whole family, including Daisy’s Garden, the parlour and the farmyard animals, but with a range of low-cost activities to try you can mix and match to find all the perfect ingredients for your visit. Head to Honeycomb Canyon, Europe’s largest indoor sand and water play area, practice your putting on the Strawberry Falls adventure golf course or race to the finish at Silvercone – the themed go kart track!

Churchfields Farmhouse Ice Cream Cafe, Droitwich

Family comes first at Churchfields Farmhouse Ice Cream Cafe, with the farm having been in the family for over 100 years. Fast-forward to today and this tasty treat is a local favourite for the DOWTK team! Home to an outdoor play area and an indoor play barn with activities for the kids, the ice cream is the star of the show with more than 36 flavours in stock at any one time. With classic combinations and some more unusual flavours too, the staff are more than happy to let you sample as many as you like before taking the plunge. If you’re visiting in a big group, or for a special occasion, be sure to book a farm tour too, giving you the chance to see the cows and find out just how the ice cream is made!

Bluebell Dairy, Derby

With a host of awards under its belt, Bluebell Dairy is a fab ice cream farm that’s a real Derbyshire gem. All 25 flavours are made using fresh milk and cream from the cows living on the farm, then lovingly made in small batches for a more intense flavour! For a full family day out, this ice cream farm is also home to Bluebells Play Park, filled with fun including climbing frames, swings, a sandpit and a toddler tractors course! At the Animal Patch, a farmyard full of animals awaits with feeding and petting sessions every morning, plus seasonal events always mean there’s something new to explore.

Solley’s Ice Cream Parlour, Kent

Combining the beautiful Kent countryside with tasty ice cream, a visit to Solley’s Ice Cream Parlour is the ideal summer day out. New for 2018 are hop-on hop-off tractor rides, marked farm trails and walking routes, giving you the chance to explore the countryside in style. Whilst there are no animals to see here, the ice cream is made on the farm using fresh milk from neighbouring farms, so you can rest assured it comes with the local seal of approval.

Ideas for Kids Summer holidays

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Visit a theme park
The summer holidays is the perfect time to plan a visit to one of the best theme parks in the UK.

Go to a safari park
See wild animals roaming from the comfort of your own car, thanks to our safari parks UK guide.

Find your local beach
Feel the sand between your toes, build a sandcastle or paddle in the sea at one of the best beaches in England.

Play in the park
There’s loads to explore at your local park, from climbing frames to minibeast hunting. Don’t miss our tips for encouraging your kids to explore more.

Visit an ice cream farm
Days out don’t come much tastier! Find an ice cream farm near you now.

Complete a maize maze
See if you can find your way to the middle (and back out again!) at a maize maze near you.

Have a BBQ at home (probably in the rain!)
Summer and BBQs go hand in hand and we’d never let a little rain ruin our chance to cook al fresco! It’s one of our favourite things to do in the summer holidays.

Get crafty
With just a few supplies, you can make lots of kid-friendly arts and crafts this summer, without needing Pinterest-worthy skills. We’ve got loads of arts and crafts for kids on the blog, including toddler crafts, pom pom crafts, pottery painting and more.

Learn a new skill
Think about how much you could learn in six weeks! Pick up the basics of a new language, learn how to read a map, try a bushcraft survival skills workshop or even learn how to ski at an indoor slope!

Go on a family bike ride
Explore on two wheels this summer (don’t forget stabilisers for younger riders!) with our list of 5 traffic-free family bike rides.

Join the painted rocks craze
Brighten up your local walking route, by creating and hiding some painted rocks. Start by reading our ultimate guide to painted rocks!

Go to the cinema
The Incredibles 2 is top of our must-see list this summer, see our full list of new kids’ films you have to watch in 2018.

Go swimming
Pack your goggles and your cossies and make a splash this summer. For sunny days, find an outdoor swimming pool near you.

A-MAZING!!!

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Each year fun themed designs are cut into living plants just waiting to be explored, and this year you’ll find everything from dinosaurs and unicorns to Wonderland, with plenty of
surprises and fun ideas for children along the way.

So grab your team of explorers and get ready to put your skills to the test – lose yourself in one of our favourite things to do in the summer holidays: visiting a maize maze!

National Forest Adventure Farm, Staffordshire
14th July – 3rd September 2018

Take on the world’s first Escape Maize Maze at National Forest Adventure Farm! Put your spy skills to the test in Agent Academy themed maze, where the whole family will have to work together to solve a series of mental and physical challenges to collect the lock combination you need to escape. With 3 miles of paths, make sure you use the bridges and towers to help find your way out, and with Dr Von Steal’s Mini Maze that’s perfect for younger kids, it’s a perfect family day out this summer!

Cotswold Farm Park, Gloucestershire
21st July – 2nd September 2018

Venture down the rabbit hole and into Wonderland, with this year’s Maize Maze at Cotswold Farm Park! With various puzzles and games along the way, successfully find your way to the middle to enjoy a Tea Party – just keep an eye out for the Mad Hatter! Entrance to the maze is included within your farm park ticket, or for maze fanatics, you can get maze-only admission from £5.50 per person!

Amazing Cornish Maize Maze, Cornwall
21st July – 2nd September

Amazing by name and amazing by nature, we’re big fans of the Amazing Cornish Maize Maze, especially it’s Jurassic Jumble theme for this year! With 3 miles of paths and two lookout towers with great views, can you find the surprise dinosaur eggs hidden within the maze? Once you’ve successfully found your way out, don’t miss all the other activities on site, including giant games, a tractor trailer safari and farm animals too!

Boston Park Farm, Yorkshire
14th July – 31st October 2018

Back again for 2018, get lost in style at the Boston Park Farm Maize Maze! Open until the end of October (perfect for half-term too!), your mission is to find the four flag poles that are hidden throughout this year’s unicorn themed maze. Mark your sheet whenever you find one, and keep an eye out for Maize Maize, a fun character also missing in the maze! She’s a little harder to find, but if you find her and all four flags, you’ll get your hands on a lollipop as a reward!

Sleepover parties for girls

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Before the party, the party girl and her parents should decide on the role the parents will play. Will they be close at hand, or just nearby in case you need them? Also, decide what siblings will do that evening.

You may want to decide, in advance, on a “code word” in case a situation comes up and the party girl wants her parents to step in and help. If there is a conflict going on or something gets out of hand, the parent can be the “bad guy,” but it also keeps the party girl from looking like they are running to mum & dad for help in front of their friends.

Have a collection of music to listen to, as well as magazines, board games, etc. That way if someone isn’t interested in an activity they don’t have to participate if they don’t want to.
And be flexible, a big part of the fun of this type of girls birthday party is just seeing what happens!

Party Games

Makeup Artist – You’ll need makeup: lipstick, loose powder and blusher. Stay away from things that could injure an eye, such as eye shadow (unless applying with a cotton ball) and no mascara. Divide players into teams. One player is the model, and their teammate is the make up artist. The makeup artist has 2 minutes to put makeup on their model. But must do it blindfolded! The other players who aren’t taking their turn can yell out directions on what to do – “higher, lower, over to the left,” etc.!

Photo Fun – Divide players into teams, with each team using a digital camera or phone camera. Give each team a list of photos to take. Some ideas are: the team pretending to sleep, of the team dancing, of the team doing yoga, etc. Whatever you can think of that will make a crazy photo! Make sure the different players take turns being the photographer so everyone gets a turn to be photographer and models!

Ticking Clock Game – Have players leave the room (or hide their eyes) while you hide an alarm clock in one sleeping bag. At some point in the evening, have the clock set to go off. Tell your guests that the alarm will go off, but don’t tell them when it will go off – that will be a surprise). When the alarm rings, whoever can find the clock first wins!

Superhero Parties

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Superhero Party Invitations

Send a “Top Secret” memo, telling them they have been selected to become a new superhero, and will need to report for training.

If you’re in a hurry, try online invitations.

Kids Birthday Party Decorations

Include decorations on your list for planning your kids party ideas. Decorations can really set the mood and make any a little more festive.

Anything to do with a superhero! Batman, Superman, The Incredible Hulk, Spiderman, Ironman and so on. Mix and match items from each of the great Superheroes.

Print images of well-known villains (find them online) and hang them up as “wanted” posters.

Obstacle Training Course – Some ideas for your obstacle course include:

Crawling through a secret tunnel or cave (use a play tunnel, large cardboard box, or table covered with a sheet, and hang streamers over the entrance and exit)

Paint some cereal boxes grey and set them up to jump over (leaping tall buildings in a single bound). If cereal boxes are too tall, choose something else appropriate in size.

Do a forward roll or other great move to show your agility

Walking on a “tightrope” – actually a line drawn in chalk or done in tape on the ground – to show balance.

Jumping through windows (a hula hoop held up)

At the end have a baby doll or stuffed toy that needs to be picked up and brought back to safety.

A Test of Speed – Divide players into teams for some relay races to show their speed!

Spiderman’s Web – Have pictures of villains posted in an area and give each guest a can of silly string so they cover villains with their “webs”.

Musical Superheros – Play a version of musical chairs, but instead of having chairs, have coloured sheets of paper on the floor. If a person isn’t able to land on a coloured sheet, then they are out that turn – let them control the music for that next round, before returning to the game.

Drench the Villain – Make some drawings of villains using waterproof markers. Have the kids throw water balloons at the villains and eventually the villain drawings will “run.”

Kryptonite Hunt – Before the party spray paint some large rocks in a fluorescent green colour. Just before the hunt have a helper hide the “kryptonite” rocks and announce a hunt for them. Give the players plastic bags to pick up the kryptonite and bring to you (so they don’t have to touch it with their hands, or else their superpowers might be destroyed!)

Superhero Children’s Party Favours a/k/a Superhero Training Graduation;

A superhero cape (presented at the end of training) and a mask
Comic books
Colouring books
Small action figures
Trading Cards

Dinomania

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Here is a list of some great easy party ideas and games for kids to help get you started on your hunt for a fun dinosaur birthday party!

Dinosaur Party Invitations

Send an invitation as a memo – with the objective being “an official dinosaur expedition”.

Make kid party invitations by covering a card with dinosaur tracks (use stamps and let the birthday boy/girl help make them!).

Think jungle – overgrown, greens, browns and the like. For kid party decorations, the more over the top, the better!

Make some dinosaur tracks with chalk or out of cardboard (for an indoor party.)

Dinosaur Party Games

Here are some fun kid party games, adapted for a dinosaur theme:

Dinosaur Egg Crazy Catch – You’ll need a ball for every two kids and a bunch of crazy stuff! Pretend the balls are dinosaur eggs and have the kids divide into pairs (these will be your teams. Have the teams play catch with the ball, but they can’t catch with their hands. Have them use nets, hats, etc.

Parachute – If you have a parachute make use of it . (If you don’t have one, you can always use a bed sheet.) For a dinosaur party, let the kids bounce inflatable balls (dinosaur eggs) or dinosaur stuffed animals on top of parachutes and to make it go up and down.

Dinosaur Dig – If you have a sandpit available, hide “dinosaur bones” related objects in the sand and let the kids hunt for them. For example, at a Princess party, you could hide plastic jewels. Don’t have a sandpit? Fill a tub with sand or rice. You might want to limit the number of items each child can find (such as three). If you have a large number of children let them take turns, just a few at a time, or set up this game as a “station” to be done when other “stations” are being played, such as some Target Games.

Dinosaur Hunt – Hide toy dinosaurs around the garden and go on a dinosaur hunt!

Dinosaur Party Cakes

Often used for kids party cakes, make a basic cake and use toy dinosaurs on top to make a scene.

Fairy Parties

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Many ideas on this list come from what little girls love to do – play dressup, and use their imagination!

Fairy parties can also be about fairies in general, follow a garden theme, or be about a specific fairy, such as Tinkerbell or one of the Barbie Fairytopia fairies.

Here are some fun, general, kids party activities that you can do for any of these different type of fairy themes!

It is always a good idea to have something for your little guests to do when they get to the party, because there is about a 10 minute time span where people are arriving and you will want to have everyone occupied from the moment they get there. Have a helper, either another adult or an older child, help with these activities to free you up to answer the door.

As guests arrive for the party, give them a “fairy makeover”. Nail polish, body glitter, glitter hairspray. You can add a tulle skirt, crown and wings if you wish.

Earning their Fairy Wings
One option on the wings is to wait to pass out the wings till the end of your party.
If you do this, you can set up the games as “tasks” to complete so each child “earns” their fairy wings.

Centreing a party around “earning” something can give you a wealth of activities!

How about your fairies-in-training trying some of these activities?
Speed Test: Have a race or a relay race to see who can zip among the flowers the fastest.
Magical Hunt: Arrange a treasure hunt where everyone must find 3 beautiful coloured jewels.
Show of Bravery: How about winning a battle against a villian? It is always a good idea to be able to stand up for yourself and your fellow fairies

Because fairies love to live in gardens, you can incorporate some of the ideas from a garden party into your theme! One good idea would be to hit a flower or butterfly pinata.

The Story Museum

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If your kids love stories then this is the place to be, with all the fun of an Interactive story Museu. Step off the page into a world of colour, characters and literary delights. You’ve discovered The Story Museum!

Address
42 Pembroke Street, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX1 1BP, England

This is a place like no other with a labyrinth of immersive and classically themed rooms. Topple down the rabbit hole and take your place at the mad hatter’s tea party in Wonderland. Wild about Colour soaks up the vivid kaleidoscopic vision of 60’s illustrator, Brian Wildsmith to stunning effect. And of course the ultimate in adventure – open the cupboard door, squeeze past fur coats and out into snowy Narnia! Just be sure to say hello to Mr Tumnus.

The museum regularly produces new installations in collaboration with illustrators, and parents bring their littluns back time and time again for poetry and storytelling, or screenings of Disney classics in the museum cinema. The essential draw, however, is the incredible dressing up room. Choose from an entire universe of costumes, step out onto the red carpet and hear your self-appointed name announced for all to hear!

Immersive experiences based on children’s books, including the unmissable Narnia
Possibly the world’s greatest dressing up box.
An array of activities including cinema, storytelling and dance

Take a walk on the wild side

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If your kids are mad about animals a Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens would be great for them.

Gaze at the Asiatic Lions and adorable cubs lazing around in their enclosures, be blown away by the stunning White Rhino grazing on the lawn of the Gothic Manor House, look a giraffe in the eye at the Giraffe Walkway, or watch the Flamingos and Pelicans on the lake. If you’re feeling brave, how about taking a peek into the Reptile House with Giant Anacondas, crocodiles and deadly snakes!

The park is also home to 131 species of bird and is renowned for its collection; which includes birds of all sizes, from the tiny Zosterops to the world’s biggest bird, the Ostrich.

It’s not just animals you can have fun with at Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens, take a ride on the narrow-gauge railway, run wild in the amazing adventure playground or climb 20 feet in the air on the scary sky maze!

The stunning gardens, picturesque parkland and themed borders make a beautiful backdrop to the animals. With over 260 different species of animals in over 120 acres, there’s plenty of space to get closer to wildlife.

It’s a wild and educational day out!
See lots of stunning animals
Enjoy the beautiful gardens
Have fun in the adventure playground with sky maze.

Visit Oxford Castle

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Travel back in time to Oxford Castle. Your kids will love this family day out and hopefully they will take in all the history.

This site is packed to the brim with history; where to start?! Begin by climbing the Saxon St.George’s Tower. This is one of the oldest buildings in Oxford with 360° panoramic views around the city. Then drop right back down to the depths of a 900-year-old crypt, the only surviving remains of St. George’s Chapel. Next explore the insides of an 18th-century debtor’s tower, before winding your way through the prison d-wing. Last but not least? Scale the mound of the 11th-century motte-and-bailey castle.

Climb one of the oldest buildings in Oxford with 360° panoramic views of the city

Explore prison cells and a 900-year-old crypt

Guided tours give visitors a true-to-life look into the history of the area

This was a site of incarceration dating back to 1071 and gives a look into the lives of real people: the owners, visionaries, activists and inmates of Oxford. Tours run every 20 minutes but you’ll have plenty of time to explore the site under your own steam. Plus be sure to get some yummy lunch at the Castleyard Café.