I've blogged before about Schleich toys and how much my kids love them. They're always amazing quality and really encourage children to engage in role play which is excellent for their development. I therefore jumped at the chance of being able to review the Schleich Horse Riding Arena. We've only previously bought individual animals so I was intrigued to see what one of their larger sets is like. Firstly - what is included? As well as the arena itself, you also get a horse and rider, a couple of jumps and a few accessories like straw, carrots, horse blanket and reins. The ... read more
Ladybird Tuesday: Multiplication Made Easy
Maths. It's a school subject that seems to divide people - both children and adults. Some people just hate it and find it so so difficult, yet for others, like myself, it is their favourite school subject! When you think of Ladybird books most people remember the Keywords scheme which taught children all over the country to read, they remember fondly the classic stories and also the vast array of history books that Ladybird published. They may also recall all the nature books with their amazing illustrations and the various hobbies that were covered in other series. The books that may ... read more
My week in crafts
Strangely it's felt like I've not done much crafting this last week, but then I look at my photos as to how much my ripple blanket is growing and realise that I've actually done more than I thought. I mentioned last week about my dilemma as to whether or not to take the ripple blanket on the train to Manchester for Blog On MOSI with me and it had been my intention to find a smaller project, but in the end I was just too disorganised to find something else. Also, seeing as I was carrying a huge empty suitcase there with me in preparation for the haul of stuff I'd be bringing home there ... read more
Ladybird Tuesday: Nelson
I mentioned a few weeks back that I'd found some other Ladybird titles that have recently been republish and Nelson from the Adventures in History series (series 561) is one such book. This title was originally published by Ladybird in 1957, but some time in the late 1970s or early 1980s (I'm unsure of the exact year) the book was reprinted with a different cover, giving it a look that was consistent with the new Adventures in History books that were published around that time. All the inside pages and illustrations were identical to the original 1957 version. I'm not exactly ... read more
How to explain the general election to a four year old
As we were driving back from Little Miss C's swimming lesson last week she asked me why lost of houses has signs in their front garden and why they were all different colours. With the general election fast approaching she was of course referring to the signs that people put up showing who they were going to vote for and encouraging others to do the same. A couple of years ago she first noticed similar signs for local elections, but now she's able to articulate her questions and thoughts so much better. As her school will be used as a polling station on Thursday (meaning she has to go on a ... read more
My week in crafts
Once again it's been all about the crochet here, but a bit of other crafting has managed to sneak in too. For the first time in ages I've actually sat down and made something with Little Miss C and we actually had great fun doing so. Our paper plate Care Bear was a huge success, especially when she took him to school for show and tell. After never showing any interest in anything crafty Master C has also surprised me this week buy asking to join in when LMC was painting paper plates for her Care Bear and then when it was just me and him at home again asking to do some painting. ... read more
Review: Wicked Uncle – Brilliant Children’s Presents
I was absolutely delighted when an email came through from Wicked Uncle asking if I'd be interested in reviewing some of their products. You see Little Miss C and Master C have three uncles in total - all of whom consider themselves to be wicked - and they've actually received a few gifts bought on the Wicked Uncle site before. I've always been impressed by them and when I spoke to one of the Uncles involved he was really pleased with them too, so I thought I'd give them a whirl myself. I was sent £40 to spend on the site and I have to be honest and say that at first I kind of assumed it ... read more
Ladybird Tuesday: Junior Science – Magnets and Electricity
I'm half revisiting an old title here on Ladybird Tuesday this week. Back in early 2013 I covered Magnets, Bulbs and Batteries which is part of series 621 which was called Junior Science. In the 1980s this series was updated and reissued and the books were juggled around a little bit. Rather than the four original titles (Magnets, Bulbs and Batteries, Light, Mirrors and Lenses, Air, Wind and Flight and Levers, Pulleys and Engines) there were eventually 8 titles in this revamped series: Magnets and Electricity Light Air Simple Mechanics Simple ... read more
Paper Plate Care Bear
Spending more time crafting for myself has made me realise that since Little Miss C started full time school back in September I'm doing far less crafting with her, and I actually rather miss that. After a good pinning session on Pinterest last night I'm determined to change that too and so today whilst Mr C worked LMC and I sat down at the kitchen table with some paper plates and paint and set about making a Care Bear for her. LMC is currently addicted to a new TV channel that has appeared on Freeview called Tiny Pop. There seem to be loads of shows on there that she loves and one of those ... read more
My Week in Crafts
It's been all about crochet here this week. Well crochet and a spot of name tape sewing seeing as Little Miss C went back to school on Monday. In my usual disorganised fashion I suddenly realised at 8.30am on Monday morning that a ski coat probably was no longer appropriate for school seeing as the forecast was for 20 degrees. Luckily I'd picked up several coats from a half price sale in Millets so the kids should be correctly attired for the next couple of years between them, but of course the new coat was un-named and anyone who has had to spend an hour searching through a smelly pile of ... read more