Category: Children

Monster bake off

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Halloween is becoming more and more popular in the UK. Every year the UK get more involved in having parties for this spooky day. The whole family can get involved and just have fun!!

Here are some kids Halloween food ideas that will impress your little monster kids!!

Ghoulish Ghost Cakes

Dariole moulds are the ideal shape or these spooky little cakes but you could cheat and use a mini chocolates rolls under the white icing!

175g butter

175g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

3 eggs

175g self-raising flour

800g ready-to-roll white icing

1 tube black writing icing

Beat together the caster sugar, butter and vanilla essence until light and fluffy. Add one egg at a time with a tablespoon of flour for each egg. Beat well and fold in the remaining flour.

Spoon into 8 greased and floured dariole moulds, place on a baking tray and bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Cut the top of the cakes off to form a flat surface and then turn out onto a board or plate. Leave until completely cold.

Roll out the white icing on a surface dusted with cornflour and cut out 8 x 16cm circles (can use a saucer as a guide). Drape these over the sponge cakes to form ghost figures. Draw the ghost’s features using a tube of black writing icing

Tombstone Sandwiches

These sandwiches will be great fun for your party guests. You can use a variety of fillings like Marmite, Peanut Butter, Egg Mayonnaise, Cheese and Tomato to make these spine-chilling sandwiches.

Sliced bread

Grated carrot

Grated cheddar cheese

Mayonnaise

Salad cress

Cut the crusts off the bread and cut into rectangles. Using a plain round cutter or a saucer as a guide cut the top of the sandwich into a round tombstone shape. Mix together the grated carrot, cheese and mayonnaise (or use a filling of your choice) and sandwich the bread together with this mixture.

Arrange the tombstone sandwiches upright on a plate and sprinkle the cress around the sandwiches before serving.

 

Winter family fun adventures

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It doesn’t always have to be gloomy in the winter, there are many things that can keep the kids entertained.  Just use a bit of imagination!!!

These fun things to do are for kids and all the family to get involved with!!

Go outdoors and find a frosty spider’s web (then make your own using PVA glue and silver glitter)

Make a puppet theatre using leftover Christmas cardboard.

Create a bird feeder using a pine cone, lard and bird seed then take pictures of the birds as they feed in your garden!

Create your own puzzles. Stick a family photo, or a child drawn picture to card and cut it into shapes

Go bowling, it’s a great indoor activity for the whole family.

Go to a castle and be a knight. Don’t forget to make a shield out of card and foil before you go!

Create a campfire and toast some marshmallows

Collect shells and create fun pictures on the beach, or in the forest with stones and twigs.

Teach your kid to thread or sew, for younger children use cardboard with holes punched in it and string as thread.

Go on a scavenger hunt. Give kids photos of things to find or set up written clues to help older children find items outside.

Visit a pottery café and create your very own masterpiece.

 

Kids attractions for under £25

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  1. The Guards Museum, London

Adult: £6, Children: Free 

Everyday around 11.30am the Changing of the Guards ceremony happens outside Buckingham Palace (this is FREE to watch!!). The guards who protect the Sovereign have carried out this duty since 1660 and during the ceremony you will see a regiment march from Wellington Barracks to Buckingham Palace to take over the guard. This ceremony takes place every day from April- July and on alternate days throughout the rest of the year (weather permitting). Afterwards pay a visit to the Guards Museum for an enjoyable and educational visit. You can learn all about the various regiments and at the end you might even get to try on a bear skin!

2. Illuminasia, Blackpool

Visit the world’s largest indoor illuminations and see wonders from around the globe light up before your very eyes! Combining traditional Chinese lantern methods with the latest in lighting technology, Illuminasia creates a family friendly, educational and awe-inspiring day out.

3. The Clink Prison, London

Family £18, Adult: £7.50, Child: £5.50 

This museum is built on the original site of a medieval prison. The kids will love the hands on educational experience where you are able to handle original artefacts including torture devices. You will also hear lots of amazing stories about the prison’s past, the inmates and the notorious South Bank.

4. Liberty’s Owl, Raptor & Reptile Centre, Ringwood

Discover one of the South’s largest collection of bird of prey, reptiles, creepy crawlies and more at the Liberty Centre near Ringwood. The flying displays with take your breath away and we can almost guarantee that you’ll learn something exciting and new about the animals you meet. After you’ve looked around, why not stop for a bite to eat at the cafe and the kids can blow off some steam in the play area and sandpit.

5. Windmill Hill City Farm – Bedminster, Bristol

FREE ENTRY

 This small community farm has loads to offer and is a great day out for kids of all ages. You’ll be able to meet loads of animals, such as goats, sheep, pigs and chickens, and learn all about farming. There’s also a kids play area when they can run around while you refuel with a coffee.

6. Ludlow Castle, Shropshire

Family: £13.50, Adult: £5, Child: £2.50, Under 6: Free

 Explore this medieval ruin and your little ones can play at being princes and princesses for the day!

 They often have loads of special events on from kids workshops to food festivals and on Monday the 29th of August they’ve got a family entertainment spectacular taking place. Watch the knights battle for the Heritage Cup, listen to the Jester’s jokes and listen to exciting talks about medieval weaponry. Please note that prices are higher for this event – £20 for a family ticket.

 

Shopping with kids

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If Mums and Dads in need of a little retail therapy, here are some fab shopping centres that cater for the kids..

KidZania London; Westfield, London

Have your kids ever dreamt of becoming a pilot, a firefighter, or the next award-winning singer? Kidzania is a child-size city inside the shopping centre! With over 60 real life role-play children’s activities in the bank, on stage or fighting crime on the streets as a police officer! KidZania is a real life role play experience for 4-14 year olds, blending learning and reality with entertainment.

Bluewater; Greenhithe, Kent

With various play areas to choose from; Bluewater is the perfect hangout for you, your friends and your family whilst letting your little monsters have some serious fun! Check out the Pirate Cove Adventure Park with caves, cascading waterfalls, pedalos and two 18-hole adventure golf courses! Children and parents alike can enjoy these outdoor spaces complete with sandpits, climbing equipment and picnic areas!

Bullring Shopping Centre; Birmingham

Teenie Weenies at the Bullring offer two dedicated multi-tiered soft play areas, allowing children to play in a fun exciting environment! For the older kids why not check out the The Junior Frame. With kids activities designed to stimulate and challenge children including; a spider’s web, ball pits, zip wires, rope bridges, and a variety of slides. For the little ones the Toddlers Frame provides younger children the chance to play and have fun with Mum and Dad.

Intu Trafford Centre; Manchester

Approximately five miles west of Manchester city centre, the Trafford Centre is hard to miss! Here the soft play area is designed for kids under 10, and includes a huge ball pool, slides, climbing nets, tube crawls, rope swings etc. For children under 6 there is the Little Tikes play area. Not enough? Then how about the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre, SEA LIFE and Paradise Island Adventure Golf. Plus the ODEON cinema shows a range of family films and host ODEON Kids film screenings on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

 

Am I A Terrible Parent?

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Shouting does not make a someone a terrible parent. I bet that most people shout because they are good parents. You see good parents try. They want to do better. They have expectations for their kids. They get frustrated when their children don’t live up to those expectations.

They are worn down because they work all day to take care of their families. They try hard to make sure that their kids have everything that they need. They feel bad that they can’t do enough, or that they just aren’t enough for their children. So it’s not surprising that we lose it every once in awhile.

Bad parents don’t feel those things. Bad parents don’t try. Bad parents don’t feel the guilt. They don’t get run down trying to do it all. Because we are good parents, we work so hard and feel so much guilt and frustration that we get overwhelmed frustrated and angry. Good parents feel so many emotions, including anger, and bad parents don’t.

I Am Permanently Damaging My Children?

Oh the guilt of shouting can be so heavy. We know it’s not good fun for kids, and there are articles after articles online telling us so.

In every healthy relationship there’s a balance between positive moments and negative moments. There have been studies and they show that for every negative moment, we need five positive interactions to keep the relationship healthy and in balance. These studies were done with couples, but have been applied to the parent/kid relationship as well.

Positive interactions can be small, a smile, a touch, small gestures and fun, free family days out. I bet you do a lot of those small gestures with your kids throughout the day.

We are all going to get angry and do things that we aren’t so proud of, it’s how we make up for those things that count.

 

Books to make your children laugh

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Experts say that there are three very important times of day to connect with your children, when they first wake up, when they get home from school, and at bedtime.

Because bedtime is usually a chore, we’ve picked out the best fun books for story telling that make both you and your kids laugh-out-loud.  After all, there’s no better medicine than laughter…

I Broke My Trunk; by Mo Willems

These books are amazing! They are seriously funny for both kids and the family. The series is about two friends, Elephant and Piggy, and their hilariously funny conversations. These books are witty, a bit quirky and always end in hilarious, unexpected ways.

Stuck; by Oliver Jeffers

The authors books are quirky and funny for both parents and kids.  Stuck , is a story of a boy whose kite gets stuck in a tree, so he throws up his shoe to get it down, but that gets stuck too.  Oh but he’s not deterred, this boy is determined to get down his kite…no matter what.  Things spiral a bit out of control in this book, and the boy’s antics will leave any kid rolling on the floor with laughter.

The book with no pictures; by B.J. Novak

The premise of this book is that whoever reads the book, has to read every word….no matter how silly the word is.  So parents are stuck yelling words like “Blork!” and sentences. Is there any better way to get kids to laugh, than by making the adults in their lives look silly?

A Perfectly Messed-Up Story; by Patrick McDonnell

It’s a story about a boy named Louie, who just wants to tell you a story, but keeps getting interrupted by…you.  How dare you drop peanut butter and jelly on him when he’s telling his story?!  These little instructions send little Louie over the edge a bit, and he has to learn to persevere and be okay with a little bit of a mess.

 

Family Glamping

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Are you wondering if it’s good idea to take your kids glamping? Glamping is also an eco-friendly option because many of the venues offering this type of break are made with environmentally friendly concerns foremost to the mind. It takes a lot of resources to build and run even a small hotel but nowhere near as much to build a luxury treehouse or to convert and upgrade a caravan.

Glamping is a worldwide trend that allows families to stay somewhere unique. Here in the UK we already have a wide range of exciting glamping spots. One such example is the yurt at Springhill Farm campsite in East Sussex. Complete with a double bed and inflatable furniture, the yurt is built in the style once used by Genghis Khan with a few modern touches and cooking is done in a fire pit outside. The site is near Ashdown Forest, so perfect for a family day out the next morning.

If you loved treehouses as a kid, then staying in one will be a perfect fun for all the family. There are a number of treehouse glamping providers spread around the country and these are treehouses in the lap of luxury.  Enjoy a session in the hot tub before turning in for the night or take the whole family along in a treehouse that can house up to eight people.

Why is it good?

In a study it was shown that kids who spend at least one holiday each year camping outdoors do better in school than those that don’t.

The study involved asking parents across the country a series of question studying the educational, social and psychological benefits of camping to kids of all ages. The study discovered that four out of five parents thought that camping had a positive effect on school education of their children.

Conclusion

So the evidence is clear from the study – camping is good for the whole family and great fun. For people who aren’t so keen on putting up the tent in the middle of a field, there are now plenty of other options that allow all the benefits of camping with a little luxury included as well. And after the holiday is over, the kids will go back to school invigorated and filled with exciting stories to tell their teachers and friends that will continue to benefit them for some time afterwards.

 

October half term ideas

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The school summer holidays have nearly come to an and end and the October half term is nearly upon us.

The October half term is often the last chance that the family get to take a break together in the year before the preparations for Christmas begin and the weather takes a serious decline.  Autumn can be a beautiful time to have a short holiday in the UK and there are plenty of places offering deals for the October half term break as well as special events taking place.

Visiting the countryside

One of the best places to head in autumn is to the forest – with the wealth of colours on show, the forest is a spectacular scene.  Add to that the wildlife can be a little easier to spot after their breeding season is finished while seasonal plants such as mushrooms and berries appear, there is plenty to see.

One of the top places to get close to wildlife is to stay at one of the Centre Parcs resorts around the country.  There are five notable forest locations on offer from the chain – Whinfell Forest, Sherwood Forest, Elveden Forest, Woburn Forest and Longleat Forest.

Whinfell Forest is within the Lake District area and sits on the side of the lake so can offer a range of watersports as well as wildlife spotting opportunities.  The centre is at the heart of a 400-acre woodland site while indoor features include a subtropical swimming pool with a daredevil ride called the Canyon Ride for the bravest.

Sherwood Forest is one of the most well-known forests in the country with its connections to the story of Robin Hood.  The Centre Parcs venue in the forest offers the chance to explore the famous woodland as well as enjoy a number of activities that are best in the woods such as quad biking or owl encounters.

Elveden Forest is a 400-acre site in Suffolk, offering a great range of outdoor activities as well as the calming effect of the forest itself for walks.  There is even a unique experience called cable water skiing to try as well as kayaking, canoeing and even raft building.

Woburn Forest is just over an hour from London and is one of the newest sites, covering some 365 acres of woodland as well as lakes and beautiful views across the countryside.  There are aerial trekking routes, abseiling and climbing opportunities as well as the indoor facilities such as the subtropical swimming pool.

Longleat Forest is close to the famous Longleat Estate and its Safari Park so is a great place to use as a base to visit both. The Wiltshire park allows the chance to see the century old Giant Redwoods as well as tour the forest with the land train or join in water activities on the lake.

Haven are another big name in the holiday business that offer a range of special deals for the October half term. These include special deals for the whole family as well as touring and camping offers that are ideal for those who prefer something a little less formal for their breaks.

Bluestone are also offering a range of competitive deals for the October break that combine the chance to get up close to nature with the indoor facilities and workshops such as the climbing wall and the swimming pool. Close by is an impressive children’s outdoor activity centre with a challenging zip wire course some 60 feet in the air as well as tree top walks and the chance to watch the sun go down from a campfire among the trees.

 

School Lunchbox Ideas

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If there’s one area that is frequently discussed among parents and teachers but has no clear solution in place, it is the topic of school lunch boxes and children’s food.  Many believe that poor quality lunches are a big part of the growing obesity epidemic and some schools are taking dramatic steps to deal with the problems.  Others believe that parents need to be better informed about what they should give their kids for lunch.  So what are the rules and ideas to make for a better, healthier lunch

Educating parents

Others take the view that the solution isn’t about banning or confiscating foods but educating parents on what constitutes a healthy lunchbox and what they should include in it to give their kids the best meal.

In the US, there is also a big move towards giving parents the information to create healthy lunches.  This can include elements such as baking batches of food to freeze such as whole grain muffins or breads as well as healthier cookies.  A big emphasis is placed on what the food looks like because tasty looking food is more likely to be eaten by the kids – hence the reason that sugary foods are always popular.

Filling a box with veggies sticks and a little amount of a yoghurt dip or hummus are ideas discussed along with healthy crackers with toppings, fruit smoothies and sandwiches made with pitta bread rather than normal white bead.  Even leftovers such as grilled chicken breasts cut into sticks or nuggets and served with a dip are easy to make options.

Why it matters

While the growing concerns about childhood obesity are at the centre of these concerns, there are other reasons why a good, healthy school lunch is a benefit to kids. For starters, eating the right foods can boost the metabolism, making the children feel more energetic and increasing their concentration.  This leads to better results in class and to have more fun.

By making all children eat school lunches, there can be a stop to the problem of some kids feeling left out when eating a school meal versus a ‘fun looking’ lunchbox filled with poor nutritional foods.  Let’s face it, kids love what isn’t good for them and if they see their friends eating fun, sugary foods, they don’t want to eat their own healthy lunch.

Whether banning, confiscating or educating is the way forward, it is clear that a plan needs to be in place to help our kids have a fun, healthy lunch that sets them up well for the rest of the day.

 

Circus party theme

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Does your child love the circus? If so, why not have a children’s party theme based on the circus..

INVITATIONS;

Use white card and envelopes.  Use red cardboard paper to make a big top for the front of card.  Square base and canopied top.  Square base to be glued on sides and bottom, top to be left open to create a pocket for admit ticket.

DECORATIONS;

Keep decorations simple.  Use red/white crepe paper to make a canopy (big top) .  Hang paper clown faces from the ceiling.  Bright tableware can be placed around the cakes.  A lion cake and a clown cake for example.

GAMES;

Put felt tips, glitter, glue etc. around and lots of coloured card paper so kids can make their own circus/clown pictures.

A must would be to have a ‘face painter’ which can paint each kid’s face, take a picture and print each one off before the party ends and stick it in onto their party bags.

Another game could be throwing darts at different coloured balloons.  Whatever colour they pop, they get to pick from that “colour” toy pile. Each toy in different coloured bags so the kids know which one they will win from.

Then an elephant game where the kids have to hook a ring around their trunks. Each child puts on an elephant mask and tries to pick up hoops with the end of their nose.  Of course no themed children’s party is complete without the clown piñata.

PARTY BAGS;

No party is complete without party bags so fill them up with sweets, colouring pens, and candy floss bags.