Tag: kids

Traditional Game for kids

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The ‘National Day of Play’ is on Wednesday 7 August 2019 and occurs once a year to celebrate the importance of play in children’s lives.

We want to bring these games back into fashion and tell our children how much fun we had with these classics games that are perfect for any children’s birthday party.

1. Mud pies, mud gardens, mud everything
It’s amazing how many mums and dads used the word “mud” to refer to a game they played when they were younger – it certainly was a key component of our childhoods.
Being outside in the summer meant mud pies, ladybird homes and simply playing in the soil… and didn’t involve a single smartphone.

2. Cat’s Cradle
The piece of string that made a brilliant stocking filler and with which you could waste hours simply making the same patterns with a friend? Cat’s cradle is a game where two people pass the “cradle” made from string back and forth between their fingers to make shapes and catch each other out.

3. Dens
Making dens in the field, and anywhere else you could find suitable materials
Den making involves gathering absolutely everything you can from around your house, including blankets, duvets, pillows and cushions to make a hideout in the living room.

4. Making perfumes in jam jars
Making perfume in jam jars was all about going outside to find rose petals and simply mixing them with water, as well as adding a drop of two of washing up liquid to make the colour even nicer.

5. Marbles
When was the last time you saw a marble? The tiny glass balls provided us with hours of fun coming up with endless games using them. The classic game you play with these balls involves shooting 11 marbles into a circle and knocking other ones out of the ring.

6. What’s the time Mr Wolf?
You simply take small steps towards a “wolf” who is stood with his back to you, – the number of steps you take depends on the time he shouts out, before he would turn around and chase you. The screams you made when the wolf ran towards you was the best part of the game. As you frantically ran away so as not to be caught.

7. The floor is lava!
It sounds a lot more daring than it is. The idea is that you can’t walk on the carpet or you will melt (obviously).You get around this by getting as many sofa cushions, blankets and anything else you can find, to put on the floor and walk over it to get to the other side of the room. Simple. Easy. Fun.

8. Sardines or hide-and-seek
Hide-and-seek is great fun, especially when you don’t get found within the first five seconds. But another similar game that proved popular with our parenting community is sardines.

It’s like hide-and-seek but only one person hides and all the others must find them, hiding with them when they do. The hiding place obviously becomes hugely cramped (like sardines) and the last person to find the group is a loser.

Garden activities that are lots of fun

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Make a daisy chain

In my mind, this makes me think about lazy sunny days on a grassy lawn, picking daisies together and creating garlands, necklaces and bracelets to wear for the rest of the day! In reality, my little one gets a bit frustrated trying to make the tiny holes but maybe in a few years, she’ll be able to do it!!

Make your own compost

When dead plants and leaves rot down, they turn into soil material called compost which is great for the garden! You can buy plastic composters or use a plastic dustbin with the bottom cut out to make your own ‘composter’. Get the children out collecting the garden waste and over time they can watch it turn to compost! This is a fantastic children’s activity for teaching the little ones about the importance of recycling.

Make a hanging basket

At this time of year, you can grab an empty hanging basket from a garden centre or a pound shop. Fill with soil and colourful flowers and your hanging basket will look beautiful! This is a lovely activity for children as they can see quick results rather than waiting for something to grow.

Plant some seeds

Get some seeds from a garden centre and watch them grow. You can measure your seedlings every week to see how much they have grown, then plant them in your garden once they are ready.

Make a worm farm

Fill a glass jar with 4 alternate layers of sand and soil, (sand/ soil/ sand/ soil). The soil layers need to be about 3 times as thick as the sand layers. Leave a gap of about 2 inches of space at the top of the jar. Now the fun bit! Find the worms! Put in the worms and then add some potato peelings, overripe fruit and old tea leaves as a final layer. Put a few holes in the Jar and then watch to see what happens over the next few days as the worms wiggle around!

Grow a pizza!

Using a grow bag or some mid-sized tubs plant tomato, basil and onion seeds/ plants and grow to create your own pizza toppings!

Make a miniature garden

Remember doing this as a kid? Use a metal or plastic sweet/ biscuit tin and fill with soil, then add miniature flowers such as daisies and forget me nots. Twigs can be used to create mini trees and foil or a small tub filled with water can make a pond. Let their imaginations run wild and choose bits and pieces from around the garden to create their mini version! If you want to use seeds/ plants with roots, put some holes in the bottom, fill with a single layer of stones then top up with soil. This will provide some drainage and allow plants to grow and the garden will last longer!

Become a bug detective!

Using a magnifying glass set off on a hunt around the garden! Look under leaves, under stones and dig near garden walls/ fences. See how many creatures you can find- ladybirds, beetles, woodlice, worms! Take photos or put into plastic pots with leaves and soil and take inside to draw them as a record of your findings! (Remember to put the bugs back after and never put them in the same tub otherwise they might fight!)

Make pot-pourri

Collect fragrant petals and leaves from around your garden. Ideal things to look for are rose petals, lavender, mint leaves and basil leaves. Lay them out on a few pieces of kitchen roll and leave to dry (this can take up to a week). Once they are dry cut a circle of thin fabric, place the petals and leaves inside and tie up with a piece of ribbon!

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!

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.

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.

Free Activities

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Speke Hall – Liverpool
Speke Hall is a Tudor house set on the banks of the River Mersey and is a lovely place to bring the whole family. The house has survived a turbulent 400 years of history, been restored and here you can learn all about it. There are plenty of activities for children and the gardens are perfect for the kids to run around and explore. There is a fantastic maze for them to get lost in too!

Cycle routes at Nunnington Hall – Yorkshire
This fun and easy-to-cycle loop route is perfect for all of the family to enjoy! Start at the beautiful manor house Nunnington Hall, nestled within the banks of the River Rye, then head through the North York National Park towards Bransdale.

Great North Museum
This amazing museum brings together a world of fascinating things both natural and man-made. See Egyptian mummies, Greek artefacts and a brilliant interactive model of Hadrian’s Wall. Families can gaze into space in the planetarium and be just a little scared of the life-size T- Rex replica dinosaur!

Tollcross Children’s farm
Tollcross Children’s Farm is a wonderful place to take the kids for a couple of hours. You’ll see a random mix of adorable animals, including horses, peacocks, llamas, sheep, pigs and a pair of lovebirds. Learn all about the animal world, the life of insects and also see the story of Cock Robin in 3D!

Formby Red Squirrel Walk, Merseyside, England
Spot native red squirrels in the beautiful woodland surrounding Formby in Merseyside. Enjoy breathtaking sea views as you head out on a bracing coastal walk or find out about Formby’s fascinating coastal history with links to asparagus growing and the early days of aviation. The perfect place to get outdoors and active this winter!

Discovery Museum
If your little ones are interested in the wonders of history, science and technology be sure to take them to the Discovery Museum! Explore fascinating collections such as Turbinia, the first steam-powered turbine ship, regimental militaria and many other amazing displays!

Kids eat free

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Are you looking for a family-friendly restaurant for your rumbling tum?
Head to one of these fab spots where kids eat FREE when they’re with mum! The hardest part will be deciding what yummy food to choose!

Gordon Ramsay Restaurants
Selected Locations
There are several Gordon Ramsay’s Restaurants which offer Kids Eat Free all day every day for every adult main course ordered, including Maze Grill Mayfair, Bread Street Kitchen and The Narrow in London.

Giraffe World Kitchen
Every Saturday kids can eat for free with every main meal purchased! All you need to do is simply download and print your voucher from their website. Find out more.

Coal Grill and Bar
Various Locations
Kids aged 10 and under can enjoy a free meal from Coal Kids Menu per adult spending £10 or more, available from Monday to Friday 12-5pm. Find out more.

Morrisons
Countrywide
Morrisons offers one free kids meal (for under 16 years old) with any adult hot meal (over £4.50) from 3pm every day.

ASDA
Countrywide
Kids can eat free on weekdays after 3pm for every adult meal purchased worth £4. Find out more.

The Real Greek
Various Locations
The Real Greek offers free kids meal on Sundays for every £10 spent by an adult. One free kid’s meal per adult only.

Bella Italia
Various locations

And finally and not quite free but only a £1! Valid from noon every day of the week kids can eat for one pound with each purchase of a full priced adult meal at selected restaurants. Find out more.
What have you been up to? We’d really love to know! Someone else might love it, and really want to have a go! If you’ve got ideas, suggestions or reviews, you can shout all about it on whatever channel you choose!

Roald Dahl Children’s Gallery

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We’re always delighted to discover an indoor day out for those miserable rainy days.

If you fancy a spontaneous visit to Roald Dahl Children’s Gallery in Aylesbury – it won’t disappoint, packed with fun and exciting children’s things to do and see, your little one’s will love this.

You purchase your ticket through the Buckinghamshire Museum next door and then walk around the corner to the glass elevator and ring the doorbell where one of the team will let you in, take your coats and show you the way.

The gallery is a fully interactive experience with exhibits inspired by Roald Dahl’s stories. Children had delight in crawling through Fantastic Mr Fox’s tunnel and looking at minibeasts and other items through the telescopes inside James’ Giant Peach. They found the sounds they could make with the BFG exhibit hilarious and spent ages in the “freeze your own shadow” room.

The gallery is educational, interactive and fun, you can spend a good 2 hours in the gallery and then you can visit the Buckinghamshire museum, which had a number of exhibits to keep the children entertained. The museum also has a café if you fancy a drink or something to eat while you’re there.

Details:
Location: Roald Dahl Children’s Gallery, Bucks County Museum, Church Street, Aylesbury HP20 2QP
Tel: 01296 331441

Opening times for the Roald Dahl Children’s Gallery:
Summer opening 1 April to 29 October: Saturdays 10am – 5pm.

School Holiday Openings
October Half Term
21 – 28 October: open Monday to Saturday 10am – 5pm

Prices:
Child (4-17yrs) £5.50
Under 4s: By Donation
Adult: £7.70
Family/group ticket: £22.00 (4 people including at least 1 adult).

Fun for all ages

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Waterparks, Zoos, festivals and many more, there’s plenty of fun for all ages in store!

Camp Bestival, Lulworth Estate

Family fun is at the very heart of this festival and there’s a whole boatload of activities for everyone young and old(er!) to enjoy. Large areas of the festival site are dedicated to kids, including BigTop Mania in the ‘Upper Kids Garden’, where they can learn a circus skill or two, or burn off some steam on bikes and go-karts! For parents, Simple Minds, Rick Astley, and Clean Bandit top the lineup, and here are a whole host of comedians and other attractions on offer.
Longleat, Warminster

You really won’t be short of fun when you visit Longleat. Explore the stunning house and grounds and come up close to lions, monkeys and more on the safari drive through! Over 100 hand-painted panda statues have also taken over the park so you can discover the beautiful designs while you explore!

Disneyland Paris, France

Who doesn’t love a bit of magic at Disneyland Paris? Marvel is taking over the park with their Summer of Super Heroes so you can see your favourite heroes. Take on some of the rides too, such as Big Thunder Mountain and the Tower of Terror!
Zip World, Betws-y-Coed, Wales

For adventurers, head to Zip World in North Wales for exhilarating experiences on the ground and in the air! Bounce up in the sky on the Treetop Nets, or whizz through the forest on the Fforest Coaster. You can even slide and bounce around underground at Bounce Below! BOOK NOW.
The Monster Tour, various locations

The World’s biggest bouncy castle is travelling around the UK throughout summer along with live DJs, the mega ball pit, and delicious food and drinks. Kids hour runs from 10-11am for those aged 11-15 years. Afterwards, adults can enjoy the fun-fest for themselves!

Siam Park, Tenerife

No trip to Tenerife is complete without a visit to Siam Park! Voted the number 1 water park in the world by Tripadvisor, the park offers a fun-filled, action-packed day for the whole family. From the Mai Thai lazy river and the sandy beach to the adrenaline pumping Tower of Power and Kinnaree, there’s literally something for everyone.

ArcelorMittal Orbit, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London

Take in breathtaking views of London from the 360-degree viewing platform before riding the world’s tallest, longest and fastest tunnel slide! Enjoy 178 metres of twists and turns as you take in London’s skyline at speed going down the slide.

The Medieval Banquet, London

One of London’s most exciting interactive experiences and a great family must-do in London at any time of year. As a royal guest, you will be led down to the Great Hall to mingle with medieval and mystical characters and be treated to a 4-course banquet with drinks and a fantastic array of entertainment. Including professionally trained fighting knights, acrobats, musicians, dancers and court jesters.

Up at the O2, London

Reach new heights and take in a stunning view of London 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 the steepest point, has a 28° incline on the way up and 30° on the way back down!