Author: kiddy@admin

Ideas for some sweet days out

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Cadbury Easter Egg Trails, Nationwide, FREE!

Find 250 Cadbury Easter Egg trails across the UK at National Trust and National Trust for Scotland properties. Each child gets a Trail Journal containing clues that they need to solve to become an Eggsplorer. Once all the clues have been solved they are rewarded with a Cadburys treat! Yum!

Ilfracombe Chocolate Emporium, Devon

This award-winning chocolate shop and museum has a collection of chocolate memorabilia, giant Easter eggs and lots more for you to drool over. Once you have looked through the museum you can purchase some tasty treats in the shop.

Chocolate Ecstasy Tours, London

Take a tour around London on one of many chocolate tours, Each tour showcases a different story if chocolate in a beautiful area. Stroll through the streets to beautiful boutiques with lots of sharing and tasting along the way! They also offer dairy-free, gluten-free options!

Oban Chocolate Company

Oban Chocolates are all handmade and you can watch the processes in the café through a viewing window. Production times do vary, but generally, the chocolates are made late morning and early afternoon, apart from on Sundays.
Click here for more information

Cadbury World, Birmingham

Discover the history behind your favourite chocolate treats and explore the magic of how they are created. The fabulous, state of the art, Purple Planet offers visitors the chance to grow their own cocoa bean and experience chocolate rain. With so many amazing things to discover, including an adventure play area and the world’s biggest Cadbury shop, this is one delicious day out not to be missed!

Smart Sightseeing

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Sightseeing in London is so much fun to do with a smart App..

Vox City is a flexible self-guided sightseeing and tour app that enables you to explore London at your own pace. Perfect when you have kids in tow!

Simply select the city sights you would like to see then follow the app. Once downloaded over Wifi the app works using GPS so no data connection is required. It even works if you decide to take a taxi or bus! The app can even lead you to Wi-Fi hotspots and photo opportunity hotspots.

How to use the VOX City app:

Download the ‘VOX City’ App to your smartphone from The Google Play Store or App Store. (This will need to be done over Wifi.) Then login by scanning your QR code! (This can be found on your confirmation email)

Select your City (London) and then choose your language! There are 6 languages to choose from which include; English, French, Spanish, Italian, German and Mandarin. Then click ‘download’

Your map will download to the app and now you are ready for your self-guided tour around London! Enjoy the sights and keep the kids entertained, there’s lots to do for the whole family!

Spring blossoms

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As Spring arrives pretty blossoms begin to bloom, so come and see them in all their glory…

RHS Wisley, Woking
There is always plenty to look at when you visit these beautiful gardens including spring blossom! Families can follow fun trails and join in with the great children’s activities on offer too.

The Blossom Trail, Vale of Evesham, Worcestershire
Follow a 45-mile wonderful journey through beautiful countryside and quaint villages lined with pretty cherry and apple blossom trees. This region has been famous for its fruit growing since medieval times.

National Botanic Garden of Wales, Carmarthen
These gardens are a great place to bring the family to see the very beautiful Japanese blossom in the Japanese Gardens. There are flower meadows and lakes to explore set in over 500 acres of parkland.

Cherry Blossom in Abundance, Kew Gardens, London

Kew is always a beautiful place to visit but when the blossom trees are in full flower it is extra special! Find the prettiest ones just behind the rose garden at the back of the palm house.

Kyoto Garden – Holland Park, London
The arrival of blossom in Japan is nothing less than magical and is widely celebrated. The Japanese Kyoto Gardens will offer a little taste of this far away country and is home to koi carp and very pretty cherry blossom in a very peaceful setting.

Acorn Bank, Cumbria
These beautiful grounds, house and gardens are a tranquil haven that have an industrial past. The gardens are well known for their orchards with and in the spring you can see carpets of snowdrops, daffodils and pretty fruit blossom. Wander along to find the restored watermill and look out for wildlife in the woods.

St Andrew Square, Edinburgh
Take some time out in this lovely city to visit this tranquil square in the heart of Edinburgh and see the cherry blossoms in the spring sunshine.

The Alnwick Garden, Northumberland
This garden is a magical place to bring a family and has sky walkways and rope bridges to explore. Visit the Cherry Orchard which promises to be a sea of pink and entice the kids to make cherry blossom snow angels amongst the fallen petals!

Kingston Lacy, Dorset.
The enigmatic gardens of this stately home spring into life with gorgeous cherry blossom in the Japanese Garden and white apple blossom in the Kitchen Garden and orchards so a family walk is guaranteed to offer a lovely day out for everyone!

Greenwich Park, London
This park was once the hunting ground for Henry VIII and is London’s oldest enclosed Royal Park. Behind the cricket pitch lies a stunning pink candy floss arch that will bring a happy smile to anyone’s face!

Head to Portsmouth to see the Mary Rose

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The fascinating Mary Rose Museum! The ship was raised from the seabed in 1982 and can now be found in Portsmouth.

1. Discover England in 1545
The Mary Rose is a time capsule, preserving life in Tudor England. Explore objects recovered from Henry VIII’s flagship and discover what life was like in 1545. There’s a common misconception that the Mary Rose sank on her maiden voyage, but she was a successful warship for Henry VIII for almost the entire duration of his reign. A visit here is an educational and fun day out for all the family!

2. See the Mary Rose come to life!
An amazing light show brings the ship to life. Experience life on board, through both war and peace!

3. Explore life as a Tudor
No matter what your age, you’re bound to love the dressing up area. Why not see how you would look sat on the throne? There are also Tudor craft activities available for children too!

4. Download fun activities
There is a whole range of maps, worksheets and models available to download. You can continue the fun after your visit too!

Mother’s Day

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We’ve found some great places to go for Mother’s Day…

Cheddar Gorge and Caves, Somerset

Treat mum to a special family day out exploring the spectacular caves with their stalagmites and stalactites and find out how these wonders of nature were created during the time of the Ice Age. Hop on board the open top tour bus to see spectacular views of the stunning gorge or follow the 3-mile cliff top walk with a picnic. Kids will find the museum of prehistory fascinating and can see demonstrations on Stone Age survival, fire lighting and flint knapping.

Diana: Her Fashion Story at Kensington Palace, London

Why not bring mum to see a wonderful exhibition celebrating the life of Diana, Princess of Wales. See some of the outfits she wore during public appearances and royal engagements including the iconic velvet gown worn on her visit to the White House, where she famously danced with John Travolta! Families can follow an interactive trail and explore the wonderful, opulent interiors of the Queen’s Apartments, the Palace Gardens, the King’s Staircase and other areas, each grander than the last.

Thames River Services. London

What better way to explore London this Mother’s Day than on a relaxing Thames River cruise! Take the family on a fantastic return cruise to and from many piers located along the river. Some of the fantastic landmarks you are likely to see include Cutty Sark, The O2 Arena, Tower Bridge, Tower of London, The London Eye, Big Ben, The Shard and plenty more! Each city landmark is truly beautiful and has a unique historical story to tell.

Farmer Palmer’s Free Entry for Mother’s! Poole

Treat Mum and the rest of the family to a fun day down on the farm! Visit the website and download a web voucher giving mums free entry!

Windsor Castle, Windsor

As the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world and the Official Residence of Her Majesty the Queen, this is the perfect setting for a regal day Mother’s day out with the family. Covering 13 acres discover gorgeous architecture, stunning interiors and many changing displays for you to learn all about the history. Families can follow a family activity trail and be introduced to magical characters who live in the palace.

The View From The Shard

Treat mum to a sky-high experience with a fantastic 360-degree view of the city. See how many famous buildings your family can name! Peer through interactive telescopes and enjoy one of London’s highest gardens!

Zip World, Betws-y-Coed, Wales

Adventurous mums will just love a visit to this attraction for a totally unforgettable, exhilarating experience! Choose from flying through the trees on a roller coaster or bounce in the ‘Treetop Nets’. Kids will love the underground playground set in an old Victorian mine, where they can make their way across nets suspended deep underground. There are even slides to conquer that are the height of two double-decker buses!

Mother’s Day Craft Weekend at Bodiam Castle, East Sussex

Mum’s will love visiting this magnificent castle on Mother’s Day for a family walk around the stunning castle and grounds. Meanwhile, kids can use their green fingers decorating a pot and planting something pretty to give mum on her special day.

Active Family days out

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British Motor Museum

The newly refurbished British Motor Museum is home to the world’s largest collection of historic British cars – from the very first Land Rover to Lady Penelope’s FAB1.

Experience the sights, sounds and stories of the British motor industry and get ‘under the skin’ with our interactive exhibits. Explore how motoring and family life has changed through the decades as the cars are brought to life by costumed explainers and free guided tours.

Family trails and school holiday children’s activities add to the family fun, whatever the weather! Nearest train stations are Warwick or Banbury.

10am – 5pm daily

Arundel Castle

For a lovely day out with the family, visit Arundel Castle which is set high on a hill in West Sussex. Steeped in 1,000 years of history, Arundel Castle offers a full day out with guided and free-flow tours of the finely preserved castle rooms, including the Baron’s Hall, 14th Century Catholic Fitzalan Chapel, Regency Library and Victorian bedrooms.

There are also opportunities to ascend the Norman Motte and Keep and enjoy The Collector Earl’s Garden, which was opened by HRH The Prince of Wales in 2008. Special event prices apply for the Castle Siege and International Jousting and Medieval Tournament.

Bracknell Leisure Centre

Get active on a day out with the kids in Berkshire! There’s plenty of fun to be found for the whole family at Bracknell Leisure Centre. The range of facilities and activities will get you and your children burning off excess energy and creating healthy habits for life.

Family tickets are available for the swimming pools enabling everyone to get splashing and save money! There are also plenty of badminton courts and tennis tables available. With lots of other bookable and pay-as-you-go activities such as soccer dribblers, tweeny tumblers, fun sessions, go karts and gymnastics, it’s a great place to go with the kids over the summer.

The Time Out Café and Bar is ideal for meeting and unwinding during a visit to the leisure centre. This warmly decorated and comfortable venue offers a mouth-watering menu and an excellent choice of snacks. Choose from a menu including sandwiches, panini’s, jacket potatoes, soup of the day as well as a daily special. Inflatable Aqua Run and Water Walker birthday parties for children are available.

Ideas for kids Spring fun

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BeWILDerwood

For an amazing day out in Norfolk, not far from Norwich, visit the enchanted, award-winning Curious Treehouse Adventure Park, BeWILDerwood. Take lazy boat rides across The Scary Lake, cross jungle bridges, visit tree-houses, whizz down The Wobbly Wires, get befuddled in the marvellous Muddle Maze, build dens with bracken and sticks and dress up and join in with the enchanting daily storytelling.

This is a world with more than a little sprinkling of fairy dust; enough for the whole family! It’s also a great place for children to have the best birthday party ever in the woods.

Bodmin and Wenford railway

Discover the excitement and nostalgia of steam travel with a journey back in time on the Bodmin and Wenford railway, Cornwall’s only full size railway still operated by steam locomotives. Relax in style and enjoy a leisurely 13-mile round trip, through beautiful countryside, taking in the sights, sounds and smells of a bygone age, as the era of a Cornish branch line in the 1950s reveals itself during the course of your journey.

Battersea Park Children’s Zoo.

There’s a world of enjoyment at Battersea Park Children’s Zoo. From feeding the farm animals, saying hello to our parrots or spying on the meerkats in the secret lookout, children will have hours of fun. With monkeys, snakes, pigs, donkeys, ring tailed lemurs, rabbits, emu, chipmunks, coati, wallabies and chickens, plus a fun-packed adventure playground with a real tractor and fire engine, it’s a great family day out.

The Zoo is offering new Keeper, Mini and Junior Keeper Experiences for children and adults. The kids will love being able to find out more about their favourite animals and what it’s like to feed and care for them. Sessions last from 1.5 to 2.5 hours, there are a variety of Keeper Experiences available, and children must be accompanied by an adult, who goes free of charge.

More movie ideas for kids

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Trolls 3D (U)
Pitched firmly at the younger spectrum of the kiddie market, this latest, wildly colourful DreamWorks musical animation, based on the toys (called Gonks in the UK), comes from the creators of Shrek and Kung Fu Panda.

Princess Poppy (voiced by Anna Kendrick) is the leader of the relentlessly optimistic and cheery Trolls who live in the middle of the woods and are always ready to burst into song. Unfortunately, they also live in fear of the Bergens, miserable giant ogres who, led by King Gristle (John Cleese), believed the only way to become happy was to eat Trolls.

For 20 years, the Trolls have managed to remain hidden, but, then, the light from a wild disco party gives them away and, as the Bergens prepare to revive their annual Trollstice feast day, Poppy joins forces with the Branch (Justin Timberlake), the world’s only unhappy Troll, to rescue her friends from the cooking pot.

Featuring the voices of Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Prince Gristle, the young ruler of the Bergens, Zooey Deschanel as the maid who’s secretly in love with him, Gwen Stefani as the Trolls’ DJ and Russell Brand, Icona Pop and James Corden as fellow Trolls as well as a whole bunch of new and old songs sung by its stars, this may not be for anyone older than their shoe size, but it’s still an irrepressibly fun ride. 92 mins. Also in 2D.

Storks 3D (U)
Back in the day, storks deliver babies, but, following an incident in which one of the birds (Danny Trejo) tried to keep the tot for himself, breaking her, quite literal, homing beacon in the process, they got out of the baby business and now deliver parcels from their Corner Store HQ on Storm Mountain.

Top of the delivery tables is Junior (Andy Samberg) who is thrilled to be told by Hunter (Kelsey Grammar), the big boss who uses little birds as golf balls, that he’s going to be promoted to take over from him at the upcoming StorkCon shareholders meeting. But first, he has to fire Tulip (Katie Crown), who, the baby that never got delivered, still lives with them. Now that she’s 18th (and also because she tends to cause all kinds of chaos), Hunter says it’s time she became part of the human world. However, faced with telling her, Junior just can’t get the words out and, instead, tells her she’s been given a job in the letter sorting office. Which she should never leave. Given that nobody writes asking for babies any more, she’s bored out of her head and spends the time talking to herself, acting out (with the help of a pliable hairdo) different personas, each of them excruciating annoying.

Meanwhile, out in people land, his real estate parents (Ty Burell and Jennifer Aniston) always too busy to spend any time with him, young Nate decides he’d like a baby brother, one with ninja skills. Mum and dad dismiss the idea, but, finding an old leaflet about the stork service, he writes a letter which duly winds up in Tulip’s hands and, before Junior can stop her, goes into and reactivates the baby making machine. Now they find themselves with an unexpected tot to deliver, before the meeting and before Hunter finds out. Junior, however, has injured his wing, but, fortunately, Tulip’s cobbled together a makeshift plane.

Without prolonging the agony of explaining things, suffice to say that Tulip’s maternal instincts mean the mission doesn’t go as planned, leaving the trio being pursued by wolves and, thanks to the aptly named Pigeon Toady, quite possibly the most annoying animated character ever, their secret is revealed to Hunter. And to top it all, Jasper, the stork who tried to abduct Tulip in the first place, also turns up, determined to rectify his screw up. All of which somehow manages to end up with Nate’s intended sibling in the custody of Hunter’s penguins and the baby machine churning them out like rabbits.

Mercifully, there are some good moments (almost all of them involving Alpha and Beta, the two wolves who fall for the cute pink-haired infant, and the way the pack is forever forming itself into things like a plane or submarine), but they’re mostly overwhelmed by the unrelenting screech elsewhere. Undemanding four-year-olds may be entertained, but, unfunny, relentless and charmless, the best thing to be said is that it’s not as bad as the profoundly tedious The Master: a Lego Ninjago Short that precedes it. A bundle of joy it is not. 87 mins. Also in 2D.

Take the kids to the movies

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The LEGO Movie 2:

The Second Part, it’s been five years since everything was awesome in Bricksburg and the citizens are now threatened from outer space by LEGO Duplo invaders who are wrecking everything that the locals are trying to rebuild in the newly-named Apocalypse Burg. Builder Emmet (voice of Chris Pratt) has to step up again and go rescue would-be love Lucy/Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks), Batman (Will Arnett) and other friends from a weird alien queen when she has them kidnapped. Courage and a belief in self-worth will be required. Is Emmet up to the task? Will his teaming up with the macho space wanderer Rex Dangervest (also Pratt) on his quest be a good or bad thing?

Kid Finn from the last film, is still avidly playing with his LEGOs in the basement and has turned “dark”, making their world a Mad Max-style wasteland of “un-awesomeness”. When his little sister Bianca tries to join in with sparkly toys, hearts and happy yellow stars, all heck breaks loose. They turn dangerous and attack Bricksburg. It stays wrecked and only cheery Emmet seems to be happy in this hopeless scenario. Batman is lonely and Judy is dark and brooding even when she sees that Emmet has built an adorable little house for them to inhabit.

Alien Commander
A ship with a force field attacks. Judy and Batman’s efforts to defend aren’t enough and Emmet accidentally destroys his own little house. Aliens land, led by General Mayhem (Stephanie Beatriz) who tells inhabitants that her shape-shifting leader Queen Watevra Wa’Nabi (Tiffany Haddish) of the Systar System wants to marry their leader.

Despite a good fight, Lucy, Batman, Unikitty (Alison Brie), astronaut Benny (Charlie Day) and others are taken hostage. Emmet tries to lead a group to rescue them but nobody will join him. He turns his destroyed house into a ship and takes off on his own rescue quest.
Batman, MetalBeard, Lucy and Unikitty are kidnapped

The Queen
On the Systar home planet, Queen Watevra wants to marry Batman since he says he’s the leader. No way. He is a Bat-chelor! She sings a song about how harmless she is and starts wooing the newcomers by giving them what they want.

In space, Emmet is aided by mystery man Rex Dangervest whose homies are LEGO velociraptors! He says he can help with the coming Armageddon. He’s bitter because he was left alone a long time under the clothes drier in the basement. Emmet asks him to teach him to be an ass-kicker which he thinks is necessary to pull off this rescue.

Emmet will have to grow up fast. Meanwhile, Lucy and the others are taken to a sparkly planet where they are pampered. Only Judy stays tough. Suddenly her black hair is multi-coloured again. She is sent to music therapy. Rex and Emmet discover a village where all the missing LEGO super-heroes are living in harmony. Listening to the music changed them. They’re evidently brain-washed.

The Rescue?
Lucy puts on earmuffs against the music and escapes, running into Bruce Willis in an air duct.
Can Lucy ever reunite with Emmet? Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Emmet has learned to channel his anger and busts open the sidewalk at the village breaking the happy mood. The Wedding Ceremony between Batman and the Queen is about to happen at the Space Temple but she admits in song that she is “Not Into Gotham City Guys”. She likes Superman! Batman can’t let Supe win so he says he loves her. Let’s get married. Rex and newly-empowered Emmet are on the way to blow up the temple before the wedding. Is the Queen evil or have they all misread her? Is Rex who he seems to be or….something totally different?

Wrapping Up
There is a lot going on in this 2nd film…maybe too much and too fast to follow easily but the movie is packed with fun cultural references, creative new characters, good morals and it supports teamwork. Jokes at Chris Pratt’s expense are hilarious and the actor is obviously okay with them. Even the name Rex Dangervest takes aim at his macho yet flawed Jurassic World hero. Message: learn how to play with your younger sister before she destroys your world. It’s teamwork people and it’s painted on pretty thickly but with a light-hearted and colorful brush.The rough and ready Rex Danger

Although songs aren’t as catchy as the annoying “Everything is Awesome”, they are fun and lyrics are a hoot. Voice acting is top notch all around.

Top tips for family trips

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Making sure a family day out goes smoothly and everyone has a day to remember… for all the right reasons!

Plan ahea
Plan your journey to avoid the stresses of getting lost on route with excitable children in tow! It also helps to pack the bag you’re taking the night before to stop the morning scramble.

Pack some spare clothes
No matter how old your children are take spare clothes with you, then they can relax and get messy or wet even if it wasn’t in the plan. I take a unisex variety so that it doesn’t matter who ends up wearing them!

Snacks to the rescue!
You can never take too many snacks! Keep separate snack boxes/ bags for each child to avoid arguments! Even better if they can pop them in their own backpack.

Money Money Money
Take loose change with you, especially £1 coins and keep it handy. Many attractions have ‘extra’ activities you can do such as; feeding animals or rides and often this costs £1 or so, plus there might be parking charges.

Prepare the children
Keep behaviour on track by preparing your children for the frustrations they may experience during the day. For example ‘sometimes we will have to queue up’ or ‘you will need to stay quiet when we go in…..area’.

Take wellies/walking shoes
Some places might get muddy when it has rained and no one wants to get their shoes caked in mud. Also, take plastic bags to put the wellies in after so you can keep the car clean!

Plan for any ‘boring bits’
Have some games in mind encase the kids get a little bored. Make a bingo list or treasure hunt, if you are in a museum or gallery they might have a trail for you to follow or even activity packs, ask at reception when you arrive.

Sun protection
With the weather always being changeable it is a good idea to always carry sun cream, sunglasses and sun hats.

Keep a basic makeup set/ hairbrush in the car for the days when it was easier just to get everyone out of the house before making yourself look presentable!