I remember seeing an episode of Mister Maker about a year ago in which he crafted a table golf set in a minute, and thought that it would make a great craft for Father's Day, and never got around to trying to make one. Yet when I saw an old jar lid the other day it popped back into my mind so I dug out our air-drying clay and sought to recreate the project. It took me more than a minute, though. I used a jam jar lid for stability. It … [Read more...]
How to make a Chinese Pellet Drum
If you are of my generation you will remember the scene in Karate Kid II where a Chinese Drum is used to great effect in the climax of the story. Actually I've just checked Wikipedia and seen that the one in the movie is a Den-Den Daiko, which is Japanese, but pellet drums exist across vast swathes of Eastern culture, so I'm guessing I can call this a Chinese Drum. Anyway, the Karate Kid inspired my father to make my brothers and I some pellet … [Read more...]
{Review} KiddyCharts.com have a chart for everything
When LBG was smaller we spent a long time one day making her a progress chart or reward chart as a tool to encourage her to sleep in her bed rather than on the floor. It was a big success and we have subsequently introduced reward charts for good behaviour and so on for both girls as we have needed them. But they get tatty quite quickly from daily use so I have been looking for a better option. Wouldn't you know that Kiddy Charts … [Read more...]
The sun is out, let’s have a picnic.
This month's Tots 100 Center Parcs Challenge is all about picnics. We had family visiting from New Zealand over the Bank Holiday weekend, so took advantage of a break in the clouds to get out for a picnic at our local park. The thing about picnics is that they can be as simple or as complicated as you want: my Girls often have a carpet picnic for tea during the week- just sandwiches, crisps and fruit, for example, which takes little effort and … [Read more...]
When we went to Center Parcs Longleat
A long time ago I was selected to be a Center Parcs Blogger. If you follow the blog you will see that we have been taking part in monthly various challenges since last year, from designing a Water Ride to planting some sunflower seeds. As part of the package, I got to take the DG family to Center Parcs Longleat to give the Center Parcs experience our full and considered opinion. We set off on a beautiful day: the sun shone almost all the way … [Read more...]
{Indoor Play Bloghop} Indoor Camping
I often hear people talking about building memories, and I never really understood what they were on about, but used it as a convenient excuse whenever DH complained about the lack of housework that had been done. This is the story of my discovery of memory-building. We enjoy camping, but The Girls and I are most definitely fair-weather campers, so the camping gear spends about ten months of the year in storage. Recently however, we were … [Read more...]
My Top Ten Potty Training Tips
It feels like a thousand years since my youngest was trained, but she's only just three. Which means that this time last year, I was 'in the zone'. She received pants as a birthday present from her Granny and that was it: she insisted she never wear nappies again. I have to say that part of the ease of it is her personality. Once she decided it was time, it was time. Which is my first tip: 1. Listen to your child. You know them … [Read more...]
