How To Make A Stick Picture Frame

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On a recent trip to one of Britain's finest arboretums, I took our trusty craft bag with us for when I would be presented with the obligatory sticks. The place was full of wonderful vistas and so I suggested to The Boy that he collect me four sticks of equal length and a variety of interesting treasure to decorate our finished product.

How To Make A Picture Frame

You'll need:

  • 4 sticks of equal length, or 2 pairs of sticks of equal length
  • natural string
  • collection of leaves, conkers and pine cones to decorate the frame
  • Swiss army knife

Encourage children to only choose twigs and natural 'treasures' found on the floor, creating a respect for the natural world.

  1. Lay the four sticks for the frame on top of each other to create a square. Carefully wind a length of string around each of the joins, overlapping and winding from one corner to the other. This will hold them in place.
  2. Complete for each corner, winding any extra string along the sides which will help create somewhere to secure the 'treasures'.
  3. Tie a selection of pine cones to the frame and thread leaves and flowers through the string.
  4. To attach conkers, I pierced a hole through the fruit to thread jewellery wire through and wind it onto the frame.
  5. Tie some string from two corners to create a loop to hang it from a tree in your garden at home!

How To Make A Stick Picture Frame

  • This activity is great for:
    • fine motor skills and hand-eye co-ordination; winding the string around the sticks.
    • design skills; how can we join the sticks together? Can we find items to make it look attractive?
    • communication; questioning and discussion.
    • self-esteem; achievement!
    • having FUN!

'Create some wild art' is #18 on the National Trust's list of 50 Things To Do Before You're 11&¾



Back To School: Sainsbury's School Uniform (Review)

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As we race towards the beginning of the Autumn Term, I seem to be like King Canute in that I cannot hold back the ebbing tide of my little boy growing up!

The endless list of things that I need to make sure he has for school grows (lunchboxes, P.E. kits, shoes, daps, labels or stamps to claim everything as his, etc.), and so it was fortunate that Sainsbury's sent me a full school uniform outfit to test out.

Sainsbury's school uniform

We received:

I'm impressed with the quality of the cotton in the polo shirt, and it feels loose and comfortable for The Boy. The sweatshirt is soft and thick, with an elasticated hem which helps keep him looking smart and will stop the Winter draughts from blowing up his back. The teflon-coated trousers are pull on and have an elasticated waist, with an adjustable inside to ensure they won't fall down. We were sent the 4-5 years trousers and as you can see from the photos above, they are actually a little long. The Boy is 110cm tall so these are definitely on the larger side.

I'm quite impressed with the quality of the uniform and the value for money is definitely comparable with all the other supermarket uniforms.

I am very aware of how important it is to some parents that the uniform which they buy is sourced ethically, and that the damning newspaper reports from a few years ago are a thing of the past. Sainsbury's ethical trading policy shows how important it is to them as well.

I just wanted to share this cute little video as well, showing that school uniform definitely needs to be hard-wearing nowadays!

I was sent these products for the purpose of this post, my opinion is honest and unbiased.

20 Ideas For Summer Fun

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We've got just over a week until I go back to school. Normally I treasure this last week with him, while desperately trying to deny that I'm looking forward to some regular adult contact that isn't my mum or husband. However this year, I'm hoping that the time really drags as a day after I return to work (for an INSET day), The Boy will start school for the first time. And I must confess that while it is a fun and exciting prospect for him, I see the next fourteen years zooming along through primary and secondary schools towards adulthood.

I may be overthinking it somewhat.

That's why I am desperately trying to fill our last week with as many activities as possible; to make memories together and enjoy every second. I've still got a bank of activities that we can crack on with including cooking and craft, however after four weeks, even my 'toolkit' of ideas is beginning to feel a little empty!

Next weekend though is a special treat weekend for The Boy as he hasn't stopped asking to go to Peppa Pig World since around Easter time, and so I have planned for us to have a trip down to Southampton to visit the special pink porcine and her family. It's a fair old trek down to Southampton from Cardiff and so I'll be making sure I've packed a variety of activities for The Boy; it's far too easy to put on the DVD player to keep him amused for an hour and half. I do have a feeling though that as I will be spending around eight hours listening to Peppa and her family snort while queuing to ride on George's Dinosaur, I need a back-up plan so I'm not subject to endless renditions of the music on the way down. I've found in the past that packing a rucksack with activities for amusement, can be a great tip to make travel easier for children and parents.

Until that trip though, we're going to fill our days with painting, craft, cooking, play and visits to the park and beach. If anyone else is struggling for ideas on how to keep their little ones amused until the beginning of term, here are some great activities to help create a fun-filled last week of the Summer holidays!

LolliBop 2013: Tips For A Children's Festival (Review)

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We were very lucky on the weekend to have been invited to attend the LolliBop Children's Festival, in London as an ambassador family. I am not so naive that I'm not aware that as an ambassador family, our experience might have been slightly different from families who paid to go, and didn't have access to the press tent as we did, however I did go with my ever discerning eye. My eye that assesses whether things are worth the value of the ticket, worth the queues and the travel, and whether the event has been fun for my child or not. Yes 'free' is good, but I've been to some rubbish complementary events and been more than happy to 'critique objectively'.

The LolliBop festival has had a mixed reaction from parent bloggers this year, and I think that the response is very much based on what visitors are looking for from the festival. Personally, I went with a few 'must-sees' and the aim to 'go with the flow'. Our aim was to see Alex Winters and give him some Welsh cakes (admittedly, this wouldn't have happened without our little hospitality wristbands), and watch Justin Fletcher and Katy Ashworth. That's all I had planned. Anything else was a bonus.

To start at the beginning, LolliBop is an annual children's festival based in London which is now in its third year. Using the philosophy of a 'big bash for little people', it bills itself as Glastonbury for children. I think that paints the wrong impression, it's far more entertaining and comfortable with far less mud! There is a central stage for the main acts, and plenty of other smaller tents with shows running alongside the main stage throughout the day. Combined with some of the best toy companies around sponsoring play areas (Little Tikes, WOW Toys, etc.) and the variety of activities available (design a River Island t-shirt, create a Sand Art picture, etc.), along with areas to picnic, relax and play, then the whole event lends itself to some great family time enjoying a Summer's day.

The main attraction for us though was how many prominant CBeebies personalities were there, almost like an unofficial CBeebies event; Alex, Sid, Andy, Katy and Justin all were present and made it a child's dream! Combined with Dick and Dom, Rastamouse, Hello Kitty, Skylanders, Peppa Pig, Postman Pat, Mr. Men, Cloudbabies, Tickety Toc, Poppy Cat, and Titan the Robot, there was a character there to please every child.

LolliBop 2013

As far as were concerned, Katy Ashworth stole the show with her antics on the Lolli Kitchen stage. A complete natural, she interacted with both parents and children, bringing squeals of laughter during a fairly rubbish rainstorm. Ever the professional, she persevered with a wet stage and a seven month pregnant baby-bump to really show the children a good time and enthrall them. Alex Winters and his partner in crime Jem Frazer, were excellent comperes for the main stage and kept the atmosphere buzzing the entire time.

I will however admit to being a little disappointed with the Justin Fletcher segment. We'd seen him only a few months ago in Cardiff on his tour and he was excellent then, albeit aided by wonderful sets and an excellent cast. This weekend, some of the sparkle had gone from his act although I'm not sure if that was more to do with him being Justin and not dressing up as any of his characters (note to Justin: choosing to do their voices when not dressed as them is a bad move for infants; it confuses and distressed them!). We actually left his show after ten minutes due to poor visibility at the back of the very large crowd, and a daddy with a sore back from The Boy sitting on his shoulders.

Tips for LolliBop

  • LolliBop 2013 was sold out on Saturday and Sunday; that means 15,000 tickets were sold for each day. 15,000 people attending mean that visitors will have to queue for some things; toilets, activity sessions and food. However, most of those queues were fairly fast moving, and if comfort breaks and food stops are timed carefully, then the waiting time is reduced.
  • There is a huge bank of portaloos along the edge of the park, meaning queues were never very long. They are portaloos so there isn't running water for hand-washing; take wet wipes and antibacterial handgel. Toilet paper was plentiful, but I'm old fashioned and take enough to keep an Andrex factory on its toes.
  • There is a huge selection of food stands available around the entire park, there is no need to take a picnic but I would suggest packing grazing snacks so that blood sugar levels (and happiness levels!) are kept even throughout the day. There are also several stands providing free samples of their food, Barny sponge cakes and Chobani yoghurts were two.
  • Buy a lanyard programme at the main entrance and identify no more than three or four shows your children would like to see, evenly spaced throughout the day. We found ourselves having to cut off the Sid & Andy show in order to get to see Katy. Likewise we arrived too late for Justin's show and had to stand right at the back with poor visibility. Allow plenty of time beforehand to obtain prime viewing position.
  • If doing one of the very popular activities like designing a t-shirt with River Island is a must, then time it carefully and either do it straight away or at the end of the day. Lunchtime and early afternoon will see gargantuan queues.
  • Take time out to play under the trees in the Lollipromenade or The Meadows, it will help refresh and calm your nerves!
  • Do explore the discovery tents, but do it during one of the larger shows that you won't mind missing as there is more space. We missed out on the National Science Museum tent completely, much to my annoyance and by the time we walked past at 5.50 they were beginning to pack up.
  • Take plenty of water and drink a lot. Last year I didn't and ended up dehydrated with near heatstroke.
  • Avoid taking a pushchair around the site! We did take one, but only because I was able to dump it in the hospitality tent and I knew that The Boy would be tired walking back to the station afterwards. There were three pushchair parks and I recommend using them, as the main pathway which flowed through the venue was overrun with fraught pushchair parents and even more fraught people trying to guard their ankles. Use a baby carrier or sling if your child is young enough.

LolliBop 2013 1

Yes, there were queues. Of course there are going to be with 15,000 people on site. I think if a family goes with a strict timetable in mind, and tries to fit in too much or too many organised activities, then that is where discontent (and parental stress!) will set in.

I went last year when the event was held in Regent's Park, and while it was superficially prettier than this year's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, I found it less organised with fewer things to do, and I didn't particularly enjoy it. This year's venue was in the heart of the East End which made travelling to it a little more fraught, but it was in a fairly decent location and much larger with more exciting things to do.

Criticism has been made in other reviews of the lack of trees, quality of the grass and the industrial style building nearby, all of which are unfair on the LolliBop organisers; they are not in control of the wonderful Summer we've had which has blanched the grass, nor were they able to prevent another event happening weeks before which deadened the grass (LolliBop was supposed to have been the only event there this Summer). Likewise they can't control the demolition rate of the building alongside. And trees take a while to grow…

Super Earlybird Tickets for LolliBop were £16.00 each or £62.00 for a family of four. That is incredible value for money, and I would thoroughly recommend buying that price if you're looking to go next year. They then rose in price to £20.00/£78.00 (Earlybird), £23.50/£92.00 (Pre-advanced) and £28.00/£110.00 (Standard Advanced).

Would I have paid £84.00 for the three of us to attend? Yes I would. I paid £75.00 (& booking fee) to see Justin Fletcher in Cardiff for an hour and a half, so I would consider an additional £9.00 to see all of the above stars, shows and activities well worth the money. The Boy had a wonderful time, as did we.

I received free entry into the event and hospitality tent wristbands for the purpose of this review. My opinion is honest and unbiased.

365 #33

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How is your Summer progressing? We're desperate to make the most of the last fortnight before school starts!

The 365 linky only works because of people linking to it and then contributing their thoughts to others' posts via comments. I can't emphasise this enough, it's the whole point of the linky!

Join in by entering the URL of your favourite photograph of the week (either a 52 or a 365 photo) and show some comment love to everyone else in the community. We've got a Facebook group, and now I've created a collaborative Pinterest board (if you'd like to collaborate, let me know and I'll add you).

  1. Choose your favourite photo from the past week and link it up below.
  2. Please add the badge to your linked-up post so that other people know how to find all the other fabulous entries.
  3. If you can spare five minutes to comment on a few other entries I know they'd appreciate it!
365



Days 223-229 of Project 365

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223-228 of 365
20130817-160323.jpg

223. Mr. Bloom (We went to Margam Park in Port Talbot for the CBeebies Summer Roadshow, with a special show by Mr. Bloom. We were lucky and had press tickets to the show, which meant we had guaranteed seats even though it was free. I did take some cracking shots of Mr. B on stage, even if I did get 'heavied' about doing so.)

224. Golden (My wonderful birthday flowers. Love the depth of field on the 50mm lens I've got.)

225. Splash (I had frozen some of the Playmobil pirate treasure in a takeway container and put it on the tuff-spot for The Boy to get out. Once it had all melted then he realised he could sail his pirate boats in the water, and filled it up even more. The pirate islands were enlisted soon enough, and then he spent ages splashing the water about! Child-led learning at its best.)

226. Crinkle Cut (I bought one of the choppers that I'm always seeing the twins on Two Of Everything using, and The Boy helped me prepare tea. He loved it and I think his help will be 'needed' a lot more.)

227. People Watching (We met up with a friend and her daughter down in the Cardiff Bay Beach. The Boy spent ages burying his own legs and then examining everyone else and their activities.)

228. Joy (There's no mistaking how sad I am today; my brother came down to say goodbye to me today before he emigrates to Australia at the end of the month. I am heartbroken. I won't be visiting as it is too far and I can't afford it, so please don't suggest it. Yes there's social media but he will still be on the other side of the world, not in Oxford. This little boy cheers me up though, he is my joy.)

229. LolliBop (We spent the day in London at LolliBop in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, more to follow in a later post.)

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TheBoyandMe's 365 Linky

Duplo Number Train (Review)

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It was only a few months ago that we first went to Legoland and since then The Boy has become completely captivated with the Creative Cars and My First Build sets that we bought him at the time.

He was recently sent the Duplo Number Train to review, and he was enthralled with it. The great thing about Duplo boxes are that they feature a large photograph showing what the completed product is meant to look like, and this is easy for children to follow. The Boy referred to the 'map' (as he calls instructions) several times throughout, but quickly worked out which piece should go where.

Duplo Number Train

The train comes with four brightly coloured chassis to create an engine and three carriages. There are also parts to create an engine (with a driver) and ten numbered blocks, fitting three to each carriage if placed in a row (with one spare), a dog and a few spare piece of Duplo to create a basic station or a bridge.

On the first sitting, The Boy happily played with this for half an hour; laying the numbers out in a line and touch counting the blocks, creating the intended train, and then making different versions of it. He has come back to this a number of times, and actually has incorporated it into his normal Duplo sets and made a train station adapting the My First Build set for this purpose.

The Duplo Number Train is a really reasonably priced set of Duplo at £12.99 and comes with enough blocks to provide creativity with the way that the train is made or to allow children to go off a tangent, as they are want to do! Until we had a set of Duplo, I didn't fully appreciate the difference between it and other cheaper building blocks; it's hugely different due to the materials and accurate moulding. Moreover it has engaged The Boy with the idea of constuction for the first time ever!

Duplo Number Train 1

We were sent this product for the purpose of this review. My opinion is honest and unbiased.

The Washing Line (Flashback Friday)

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This morning I decided to take a chance on the weather and hang out some washing on the line.

It's not a terribly astounding washing line, especially at the moment as it's lopsided due to The Boy sliding down it like a fireman.

It's a quite unassuming Brabantia whirlygig.

But as I hung up the clothes, I had a moment when I remembered hanging out The Boy's brightly coloured pants. His first pants.

Sunday 21st August 2011

Almost exactly two years ago, I posted that photo as a Silent Sunday to show the coloured gems that The Boy was getting to grips with. Potty training was a success and he was dry during the day within a fortnight.

And it feels like only yesterday that I was pegging his little, dinosaur pants on the line.

So how come I was doing the same thing earlier, but with these?

Flashback Friday 16th August 2013

How have the past two years gone by so quickly?

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flashback friday badge

Back To School: Asda School Uniform (Review)

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I can't quite believe that in two and half weeks, my little baby will be starting school.

It seems like only yesterday that I was blogging about his vocabulary; all twenty words! And now? Now he's telling me about how, "Luckily mummy, I had put the code in correctly on the iPad!"

However, I've entered into a world that is second nature to me; the education system, albeit as a parent this time, not as a teacher. As one of those teachers who barks at children to wear the correct school uniform, it is important to me that The Boy is kitted out according to the rules of the school. And as a busy working mum, I also don't want to be washing uniform throughout the week, so want a fresh polo-shirt (at least) and (probably) trousers and sweatshirt for each day. I'm fortunate that he doesn't have to wear emblemmed polo-shirts and sweatshirts, therefore saving quite a few pounds as the only supplier in the town charges £8.00 for a polo shirt alone!

I had been looking at the uniform in Asda, especially as they sell red polo-shirts and sweatshirts, the colour that The Boy needs, when I received an e-mail asking me if I'd like to review some of the range. I was consequently sent vouchers and called into Asda in Cwmbran to pick up The Boy's new uniform.

Asda school uniform

As you can see, I bought a fair amount for the money!

  • shoes = £12.50
  • daps/plimsolls = £2.50
  • teflon-coated trousers = £3.00 (x2)
  • teflon-coated shorts = £2.50 (x3)
  • sports shorts (two pack) = £3.00
  • sports (swim) shorts = £3.00
  • tracksuit bottoms = £4.00
  • polo shirts (two pack) = £2.50 (x2)
  • sweatshirts = £2.00 (x3)
  • shower-resistant fleece-lined coat = £5.00
  • shower-resistant pac-a-mac = £4.00
  • socks (7 pairs) = £4.00 (x2)
    • Total = £66.50

I'm wowed. Actually wowed that I have bought an entire week's worth of school uniform for less than a month's worth of child benefit. I have been dreading buying his uniform for various reasons, not least of all because of the financial impact. However, these clothes appear to be hard wearing, especially as the trousers and shorts are teflon-coated.

The Boy tried his uniform on earlier, he is a fussy clothes-wearer as he likes soft clothes, and he actually commented that the shorts and trousers were very soft on his legs. He also had a big smile on his face when he pulled the sweatshirt on, due to the soft lining. And you can't ask for more than a child who is comfortable in his uniform, it means he'll be ready to learn.

Asda school uniform

When did my little baby become such a big boy?

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I received vouchers to purchase this uniform for the purpose of this review. My opinion is honest and unbiased.

I am sure that some people reading this will query how a uniform can be produced so cheaply and ethically, especially when the label indicates that the clothing has been made in a developing country. Here is the link to Asda/George's Corporate Ethical Responsibility Policy, and here is the ASDA Wal-Mart Policy on Ethical Trading.

'Kids Capture The Colour' Summer Photography Competition

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If there's one thing that's obvious from my blog, is that I love photographs. I have always been that person snapping away at family days out, gathering memories to laugh and cry over in the future, capturing the ridiculous, the poignant and the ordinary moments which otherwise pass us by. That's what my 365 project is all about, and why I am so happy to help promote photography with other parents.

The Boy is beginning to become really curious about photography, and since I gained a new dSLR last week he has been eager to snap away like a young David Bailey. That's the wonder of digital cameras; children (and adults) can take numerous photographs and view them straightaway, seeing how to improve the shot. With The Boy, mainly getting the subject in the frame is a success!

That is why I am overjoyed and proud to announce that I have been selected as one of five judges in TravelSupermarket's Capture The Colour competition.

Following the success of last Summer’s photography blogging competition Capture the Colour, Travel Supermarket have teamed up with Venture Photography to launch ‘Kids Capture the Colour’; an exciting challenge for children aged 15 or under to get creative and photograph the world around them. Children can be so creative, why should such a fun opportunity be restricted to grown-ups?

To get budding photographers started, Travel Supermarket will be sending out digital cameras to parent bloggers across the UK to help their children capture the colours of red, blue, green, yellow and white while on their Summer holidays.

A category winner for each of the five colours will be selected by the judging panel which is made up of five familiar bloggers:

To apply to take part, please email Travel Supermarket at kidscapturethecolour@travelsupermarket.com with the subject title ‘Kids Capture the Colour’. They will select 100 lucky bloggers to take part, sending each a digital camera for their children to snap their photos on the coloured themes. Once the bloggers' children have selected their five photos, their mums or dads need to showcase them in a blog post explaining the stories behind them.

I will be judging the photographs in the 'White' category and I can't wait to get started! I even let The Boy have a play at capturing things that he could see which were white. Not too bad for a four year old, but I bet your children can be more imaginative!

Kids Capture The Colour Competition

Full terms and conditions can be found on the 'Kids Capture The Colour' information page, however it is worth noting that by entering the competition and receiving a camera, you will write a blog post featuring images taken by your child using the camera provided by TravelSupermarket.com.

The cut-off date for applications is the 25th September and entries must be submitted by the 9th October. E-mail in to kidscapturethecolour@travelsupermarket.com with the subject title ‘Kids Capture the Colour’. The 100 bloggers chosen to take part will be notified and sent a digital camera. Those selected to take part should publish their Kids Capture the Colour blog post on their own blog. All entries must be made via a blog post.

What are the prizes?

5 x Colour Category winners will win a Venture Photography Family Experience worth £500:

The experience includes:

  • Fun and memorable photoshoot (A one hour unique and personal studio photo session worth £150)
  • Creative image preparation (Several hours of digital work by the Venture photography creative team)
  • Personal cinematic viewing (Preview of your image show in the Venture cinematic studio)
  • Hand-made framed photograph (A Gallery Mini (152 x 152) framed wall product worth £350)

1 x Overall winner will receive £1,000 cash prize via bank transfer.

To get involved with the Kids Capture the Colour conversation on Twitter, follow the hashtag #KIDSCTC. For more information about the competition, prizes, and terms and conditions see the competition page here.

Good luck and I look forward to seeing the entries!

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