A while ago Molly Moo published a picture of the most fabulous Papier-mâché Chicken/Hen that she had made at her Papier-mâché course. This precipitated a Hen Craft Challenge which I agreed to take part in, although frankly I was never going to match up to Her Craftyness's high standards. I used a cereal packet to do most of the work for me. Firstly, I took off the top third, and put to one side for the 'bits' < that's a tchnical term, by … [Read more...]
Earth Day activity: toilet roll planters, milk jug Earth scoops and planting sunflower seeds
It's been a dreadful year for growing things: the weather has put everything back. So it was only last week that we finally got round to dealing with our spring planting. In particular, we planted some sunflower seeds- provided by Center Parcs- as part of this month's Tots 100 Challenge whilst also incorporating recycling as an Earth Day Activity. The planting also has pertinence because 22nd April is Earth Day, something we try to mark each … [Read more...]
Things to do in Suffolk with small children
For the last three years we have spent Easter week at Potash Barns in Suffolk. It's the perfect retreat from our busy city life, run by a lovely couple who retreated from busy City Life with their three children and now run the smallholding and self-catering cottages instead. The cottages are lovely: beautifully decorated, well-laid out and comfortably furnished. There are logs in abundance for your wood-burning stoves for a small price to keep … [Read more...]
How to play squares
I'm going to teach you how to play squares. It's a really simple game which takes no time at all to learn. It teaches simple tactics and turn taking to children, and is a great way of keeping them occupied in restaurants and doctor's surgeries. All you need is paper and pencil. If you have coloured pens, so much the better. First you need a grid of dots, evenly spaced. To while away the long double Chemistry lessons at school we used … [Read more...]
Things my children have been saying
"I don't think I will be very hungry at pudding time." Dimples, just before she hoovered up two scoops of ice-cream. "The hot is not going away" Dimples, whilst blowing on her sausages to cool them down. "My feet feel very fizzy." LBG, describing pins and needles. "Mamma, what is a dick-head?" Dimples, shortly after the afore-mentioned bad driver caused me to do an emergency stop in the middle of a busy junction on a school-run. Yes, … [Read more...]
Giving your children a #naturalchildhood
Something David Bond said last weekend at a National Trust property in Sussex really struck a chord with me: that our children are free to roam in a much smaller area now than they used to be able to. I immediately thought of my childhood in Cyprus which-in my head at least- is comparable with an upbringing in 1950's England. Outside school hours we were free to roam the local scrub-land- not much grew in the lands around our Army Quarters- on … [Read more...]
{Review} Four Season’s Canary Wharf
We got to spend the night at the Four Season's Canary Wharf, in conjunction with Luxury and Little Ones, a site which- to quote one David Cameron- does exactly what it says on the tin: it offers you a selection of incredibly luxurious hotels which genuinely cater for families. I don't mean that they can dig out a high-chair if you really need one, I mean that they go out of their way to make sure that you little ones have the greatest stay of … [Read more...]
