Category: Ideas

London’s fab attractions

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London has countless fab attractions which can be explored in many different ways. If you want to enjoy London’s stunning landmarks with the kids and with a difference, then check out our handy list below.

O2

Take in stunning views of London from 52m above the ground when you enjoy this exhilarating guided expedition over the roof of The O2! This is a thrilling 90 minute experience over the 380m long O2 walkway, which, at its steepest point, has a 28° incline on the way up and 30° on the way back down! Perfect fun for all the family.

Arcelor Mittal Orbit

Climb the UK’s tallest sculpture and ride the world’s tallest, longest and fastest tunnel slide. Enjoy a superb view of many of London’s famous landmarks from the viewing platforms then take the slide down! As you twist and turn as you will take in London’s skyline at speed through the ‘clear sections’. This is without a doubt, one of the most fun ways to see the city from above!

This is a fantastic experience all the family will enjoy seeing London from the air in a cable car as it crosses the River Thames right by the side of the O2. By day or night enjoy spectacular views in an air conditioned cabin and listen to informative and interesting audio information. Cabins arrive every 30 seconds and each journey last around 10 minutes.

The London Eye

The London Eye offers its visitors a stunning view of the wonderful city day or night and at 135 metres up, you won’t miss a thing! On your 30 minute ride you will see landmarks such as Big Ben, St Paul’s Cathedral and even Buckingham Palace. Great for all the family to enjoy.

 

Kids love skateboarding

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How about a Children’s party theme all about skateboarding? If you kid is totally nuts about skateboarding why not throw him or her a party that he or she is obsessed about?

Invite:

Make Cut-outs of skateboards telling them to skate on over to “name” Birthday bash! You can ask  guests to bring  skateboards or rollerblades and safety equipment. When each child arrives they can get a large # for the back of their t-shirt and a score card that listed all the activities that they were going to be judged on.

Games:

You can put a ramp into your theme and your guests will get 2 chances to freestyle on the ramp, a few of the guests can be chosen as judges and they can hold up large numbers, their scores were wrote on their score cards, etc.

The second children’s activity can be a bean bag toss on the skateboards, the buckets will have points on them and they will have 2 chances to make it into the bucket of their choice, the scores would be put on the cards.

The 3rd children’s activity could be limbo (obviously skateboarding or roller skating under), each time the stick doesn’t drop they get 5 points, their totals would be also put on the score cards,

Food.

A skateboard shaped cake and sub sandwiches could be served for children’s party food ideas. When all the gifts and cake was done all of the kids can sit in a circle so they could have an award ceremony take pictures.

Your Birthday boy or girl can give awards and prizes out as winners names were called

Prizes:

Computer made certificates, ribbons, mini trophies, skate board keychains, ramps, grab bags. At the end of the award ceremony use fizzy drink to fizz up and celebrate (or for something less messy, use confetti) great fun!!!

 

Easter party ideas

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Easter is a time to celebrate the renewal of life with flowers, eggs, rabbits and chicks as you and your family celebrate Easter! Easter commemorates Jesus’ resurrection and the coming of the Spring season when flowers begin to bloom and baby animals are born. What better way to embrace this special time of year than with an kids Easter party?

Easter Decorations – Decorating for Easter can be lots of fun! You can keep things simple by incorporating traditional baskets around the house filled with eggs, toy animals and spring flowers. Or if you enjoy getting a little more creative, try hanging colourful eggs from a tree, making flowers form tissue paper or even creating an Easter centrepiece by surrounding a candle with decorative grass and tiny blue robin’s eggs. There are countless other ways to get into the spirit of the Easter holiday just by using materials found around the house and tapping into your artistic side.

Easter Egg Colouring- There is a basket full of fun children’s activities to choose from in preparation for Easter that you and your friends and family can enjoy. The first and most popular one that comes to mind is egg decorating. It is amazing how many fun things you and your kids can do with eggs that include dyeing, painting and decorating with everything from glitter and stickers, to stencils and tissue paper. In addition, newspaper or string Papier-Mache can be handy materials to create model eggs, bunnies or chicks which can be painted spring colours after they dry. These activities and many others are a great way to welcome the Easter bunny and embrace the coming of the Spring season.

Easter Egg hunt and games – There is only one way the children can know for sure that the Easter bunny has come to visit their home: when there are eggs hidden in the garden to snatch up and collect in their baskets! Not only is the “Easter Egg Hunt” the most traditional children’s game of the Easter holiday, but it also allows for a variety of ways to play it. You can have the children in your family collect eggs that they have painted, or plastic ones which you can fill with yummy snacks, chocolate or candy for a sweet surprise. But besides the egg hunt, there are countless other games you and your family can enjoy such as a bunny hop race or Spring art contest to celebrate Easter Sunday.

 

Easter egg snacks and treats- All those blissful games and activities wouldn’t be the same without a savoury Easter dishes and sweet treats to fuel the festivities. In fact, when most people think of Easter, chocolate bunnies, jelly beans and cream-filled eggs easily come to mind! The Lamb roast is an easy choice for a traditional Easter feast, as well as spring vegetables and new potatoes and of course a simnel cake.

 

Places to take the kids this Summer

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Meadow Keeper’s Cottage, East Sussex

Set on a 40-acre farm, between two wildflower meadows, this idyllic little holiday home is the perfect base for a taste of country life – kids can become junior farmers, helping out at animal feeding time.

The “cottage” itself looks like it’s been lifted straight from a children’s storybook and put on wheels. Hand-made by a local craftsman, it’s as cute as can be with flowers in boxes under blue-framed windows, a wooden door and wood-burner indoors to keep you toasty.

Not one for a large family or older kids but perfect for young ones, with a double bed and two singles that double up as benches, a fold-away dining table between them and indoor cooking area. The loo and (wood-fired) shower are outside.

Walking in the Lake District

If you’ve got kids who need to burn off energy every day, how about a dedicated walking holiday? This group trip features a choice of three child-friendly walks a day ranging from an easy option at six miles to a full 13-mile hike. In the evenings, activities are geared towards children; there’s also a games room.

A cottage in Wales

Wayside, Near Dolgellau, Snowdonia

Sheepskin, which specialises in luxury homes geared for families – the majority of which are in Wales, is offering 10% off its larger properties half-term, including Wayside, near Dolgellau in Snowdonia, a charming cottage with an open-plan living area and cosy sofas around a wood-burning stove, looking out over a valley of fields and forests and perfect children’s entertainment. It sleeps six and costs £1,328 for the half-term holiday.

Travelling with older kids

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Travelling with older kids can be a real pleasure – the trip becomes a group effort. Older children can sometimes become bored quite easily, but it is always an interesting experience as they form their own impressions and tell you what they are experiencing. Children at this age are clearer about what they enjoy and what they don’t, which makes it fun to plan for the journey.

Remember to make a checklist and take it with you.  Children can take their own daypacks with a book, colouring books, paper and pencils. Pack a few toys but don’t overdo it.  Take food, snacks and water. You can take anything from bananas, apples, rice cakes, raisins, dried fruit and sandwiches.

You could also take along your young child’s blanket or pillowcase to make the journey and the places you visit more familiar.

Plan for travel sickness and have plastic bags, medication and a clean set of clothes handy. Also pack medication, such as child paracetamol, rehydration fluid and anything you might need for travel sickness, especially if you are unfamiliar with the local medicines. It can also help to think of the journey as an adventure in itself, and not just the means to get to your destination. To this end there are many fun ways that children can keep themselves busy on the journey – they can:

 

  • Collect things (stamps, postcards, shells, souvenirs) along the way and glue them into a journal.

  • Draw maps and pictures of what they see and maybe even write down the things they liked best.

  • Take photographs – a disposable camera is a fun cheap alternative.

  • Record sounds they hear or talk into a tape recorder if they are too tired to write.

 

Remember that every journey is different. There are, however, quite a few things that overlap whether you travel by air, car or train and every journey completed is practice and experience gained for your next journey. Spread the days out, i.e. don’t give them all their toys at once! Otherwise you might run out of ideas within the first hour. It is also wise not to pack any special blankets and toys in your main suitcase – rather take them with you on your journey, so that they are available.

Easter holiday fun

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Entertaining children during the Easter break is not always the easiest thing to do. If you are at home this Easter, you may want some tips on things the children can do that will keep them occupied and having fun.  Our ideas will not break the bank and are a great alternative for indoor fun especially if the weather is not in your favour.

Use up odd socks by making an Easter bunny sock puppet.  Use buttons or cut out pieces of paper or card for eyes and a nose and hey presto!  You have all you need to create your own Easter bunny puppet show.

Make Easter cards.  You can use scraps of paper, old birthday and Christmas cards, magazines etc.

Memory Minute – Place ten small household items on a tray or table, cover with a tea-towel.  For example, a button, keys, a cotton bud, a fork etc.  Show the items for about thirty seconds then re-cover.  Each child has a minute to write down as many items as they can.  Smaller children can reel them off and you can write them for them.  The best memory wins.

Egg Collage – give each child a piece of paper and draw a big egg shape outline on it.  With a pot of paste and scraps of material or ribbon they can make their own creative picture.  For ribbon scraps raid your wardrobe and snip off all those ribbon hangers in the shoulders of tops and jumpers that often don’t seem to serve a purpose and usually end up getting in the way.  Have a small prize for the best one or the best one in each age group so everyone gets to be a winner.

Mini egg challenge – Make up a small race track or obstacle course on the floor or table.  Give each child four chocolate mini eggs of the same colour and a straw.  Let each one have a turn at blowing down the straw to guide each egg in turn to the end of the course.  You could use your watch to time how long it takes for all their eggs to get “home”.  To make it even more of a challenge you could tie their hands behind their backs with a scarf so they are not tempted to use them to cheat.

Easter decorations – Use paints or felt tips to decorate some eggs (you can use hard boiled or blow some if you prefer).  To do these, make small holes each end and then blow the contents into a bowl – you can use this for scrambled eggs or omelettes for tea.  As it’s a good idea to rinse the eggs out and leave them to dry you might like to do this the day before the planned activity.  Keep the egg box to stand them in and it’s also useful to put them in when they are drying off after being decorated.  Suggest faces with glasses, hair, beards, etc. or zigzag patterns or just let the kid’s imaginations run riot.  When they’re done they can be used on a plate as a decoration – perhaps with a couple of chicks on top (these are really cheap to buy in card shops or similar or make your own with yellow wool) or you could get a small twiggy branch from the garden or elsewhere and stand it in a vase and hang your eggs on with cotton or ribbon.

Jurasic days out

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Get your little ones interested in Dinosaurs. Have fun with the whole family and explore dinosaurs galore at these brilliant dinosaur attractions across the country!

The Dinosaur Park; Tenby, Wales

Follow the trail and spot over 30 dinosaurs waiting for you – be sure to tiptoe past the spitting Dilophosaurus or you might get wet! The Information Centre is the place to learn some interesting dino facts plus you can also explore the indoor and outdoor adventure play areas!

Dino Park, Dumfries

Discover the giants who roamed the planet 150 million years ago! Dig for fossils, hear stories, find out facts and take a journey through a dinosaur mine!

The Dinosaur Museum; Dorchester, Dorset

Discover real fossils, dinosaur bones and life size models at this hands on museum. Are your little ones brave enough to touch the T-Rex?!

Dinosaurland Fossil Museum; Lyme Regis, Dorset

This museum is run by Palaeontologist Steve Davies and is a private collection. The museum contains over 10,000 specimens including some of the best fossils to be found on display. Top off your visit with a walk along the beach at Lyme Regis which is a fantastic place for children to search for fossils to take home!

West Midland Safari and Leisure Park

Little dinos will LOVE West Midland Safari Park’s latest addition… the amazing Land of the Living Dinosaurs! Come and see the UK’s largest collection of animatronic dinosaurs to learn all about these fascinating creatures. You’ll get to learn all about the Permian, Triassic, Jurassic and the Cretaceous periods… making this not only a fun but educational day out too! Plus, new is the latest dino addition, the Spinosaurus! Scientists believe it was the largest dinosaur to ever roam the earth so go along to the Land of the Living Dinosaurs to learn all about it!

The Lost Kingdom at Paultons Park; Romsey, Hampshire

Brand new to Paultons Park, The Lost Kingdom is a Jurassic adventure full of realistic dinosaurs in all shapes and sizes! You can even get up close to a ‘living’ animatronic dinosaur! There are also two exhilarating rollercoasters, a dinosaur adventure play area where you can dig for fossils, and a 4×4 jeep safari dinosaur expedition!

Torquay’s Dinosaur World; Torquay, Devon

With lots of hands on exhibits for you to touch (are you brave enough to grab the Triceratops by the horns?!) plus full sized and scale models of dinosaurs, this is a great place to learn about these prehistoric creatures and see incredible fossils.

 

Choosing the right entertainment

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There are loads of different options to choose from to make it a fun occasion but it’s important to choose what is right for your children’s party.

When planning a children’s party, one thing that will be firmly on your list of things to do is ‘hire the entertainer’. However, with so many different kinds of performers available, how do you go about choosing the perfect person to keep your little guests engaged for the duration of the event and to take the stress off you?

The Magician

A brilliant magician can really add a sense of wonder to your party. Watch as the kids are left amazed at the seemingly impossible tricks performed in front of their eyes and then encouraged to get involved in some of the magic themselves. It can be a lot of fun for families too, particularly seeing how baffled kids are by how the magic is done.

Science Parties

Science Parties are a relatively new but very exciting kind of children’s entertainment and something extremely varied and engaging for the kids and suitable for ages 4- 12. They are perfect if you are looking to mix fun and excitement with learning all about just how fantastic and fun science can be.

Kids get to watch really colourful and visual science demonstrations as well as fun experiments. Plus, science related games. This is another great option for parents as it’s very different from what you see at most parties. But we’d only recommend this if you know your kids are into science.

The Puppeteer

Puppet shows are great for children of all ages and have been part of our culture for thousands of years. They’re normally aimed at 3-7 year olds but can work for 2 years too. Even if the younger children don’t fully understand the storyline or the jokes, they can still enjoy the visual aspects and get involved with audience participation, which usually includes shouting things to the puppets and doing loads of funny actions.

Puppet shows can be the main event or form part of a huge mix of party activities. Either way, it goes down a treat and is often one of the things kids remember best.

 

Children’s party traditions

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Your baby may not remember being a part of these traditions, but the photographic evidence is something you coo over for decades to come. Nothing is more adorable than a baby’s first time doing just about anything, and what better occasion to start new traditions than their first birthday party?

Unfortunately, with all of the charm and attention being poured into decorations, food, party favours and phone calls, we often forget to relax and enjoy a few firsts with our little ones.  Here are a few traditions new and old to help you make this day special for years to come.

Birthday Outfit

Parents dressing their little ones in the same (or similar) outfits every year for a single photograph has been going on longer than we may realize. Of course we take photos of our children nearly every day with our phones and personal cameras, but having an annual photo of your child wearing the same ensemble or pretty cotton dress is something special. It’s something they can look forward to each year (until their teens) and you can look forward to seeing how much they’ve grown and developed their personality. This may be the time to have a Photographer take over; they have a knack for capturing those adorable poses.

Sharing Stories

The first year of your child’s life has undoubtedly been filled with very sweet and not so sweet stories. One tradition you may consider starting would be to share a few of your favourite stories from the past year. In the beginning, this may just mean you reminiscing with fellow parents, but as your little boy or girl gets older you can share these stories with their friends.

Memory Boxes

A memory box is a fun memorable way to collect the most sentimental pieces from your children’s parties and safely store them until you’re ready to share the memories. You could collect photos, cards, their first outfit, their special book and anything that brings back memories.

Remember, the most beautiful moments in your child’s life are the ones they spend with friends and family, and the experiences you share together. So take the time to relive old traditions or create new ones, they make for the best memories.

Make your own party bags

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Every parent wants to be imaginative and give their little guests an amazing party bag. So why not let the kids make their own party bags at their children’s birthday party?

If you purchase some white paper party bags with handles which are perfect for the kids to draw and colour on with some colouring felt tips or pencils. Children can write their names and draw some great pictures or shapes, you could even use stencils. The coloured party bags have a special shiny coating which pens cannot be used on. Give the kids a choice of crafty bits to add to their bags e.g. fun stickers, peel and stick alphabet foam letters and shapes, die cut card shapes, trimmed fabric piece with fabric embellishments etc. –

 

Fold over the top of the colour party bags and hole punch. Thread some ribbon through and tie in a bow, makes a lovely finishing touch! You can theme your party bags to suit your children’s party theme e.g. Pirate Party, Princess Party, Fairy Party, Under The Sea Party.

 

You can fill your party bags with your handmade crafts from the party or why not fill a tub full of goodies and ask each little guest to put their hand into (in turn) to uncover a special treat to take home.

 

Getting the children involved in making their party bags makes them it a bit more special. The children are more inclined to cherish their bags when they get home, making the party even more fun.

 

Children love arts and crafts and will happily sit on a craft table for hours rather than running around a party venue trying to create their own fun and generally being a ‘bit silly’. Distraction is the key to a successful children’s party.