We can never have enough books in our house, with four kids who are all keen readers (as well as us parents!) One site I’ve been ordering from lately is Books2Door who have some great collections for the children. I find the website simple to navigate and it’s easy to find products that will suit our family.
Here are some of the books we’ve chosen lately..
Have your kids discovered Ricky Zoom? This colourful all-bike show for preschoolers has been showing on Nick Jr since October, and if your children have already been watching then I’m sure they will be glad to hear about the new first ever Ricky Zoom Christmas special which is zooming onto screens on Monday!
We had the chance to watch the episode ahead of it’s TV premiere and it’s a lovely festive tale, full of the magic of Christmas and all the speed and excitement of Ricky Zoom and his friends.
In the Christmas special, Ricky Zoom and his loyal bike buddies – Loop, Scootio and DJ – come face to face with SantaCycle himself on Christmas Eve. He has crash landed in Wheelford in a spot of bother, as his fuel has run out! With the help of these four friendly bikes, and a selfless Christmas sacrifice from Ricky Zoom, they manage to capture the magic of Christmas and get Santa flying again ready to deliver presents to all the little bikes around the world.
Have you heard of 44 Cats? It’s a fun TV show for young children on Nick Jr, and it has also just been released onto the POP TV Channel on Freeview, so that even more children can watch.
The series concentrates of four cats, named Lampo, Milady, Meatball and Pilo who play together in their band called the Buffycats. Along with lots of catchy music, the show has good morals for little ones as each episode has an underlying message of friendship, diversity and helping others. Each episode of 44 Cats is under 15 minutes long – an ideal length for younger viewers like my 2 year old, N.
Over October half term, we spent a couple of days in Stratford-upon-Avon, staying at the Hallmark Hotel Stratford-upon-Avon The Welcombe who had invited us to come along and try out their hotel (Ad). This was our first time in Stratford-upon-Avon, and being so close to London it made an ideal city to visit for a short break.
We found plenty in the area to keep our family entertained, and with The Welcombe having a selection of seven self catering apartments within their hotel this made it an ideal place to stay in comfort with our gang of kids. We had the space to spread out in our apartment, but also the convenience of the facilities within the hotel (the swimming pool being the highlight for the kids.) The Welcombe is a Grade II* listed 19th century neo-Jacobean mansion, so there is plenty of history and style for the adults to appreciate too!
Things to do in Stratford-upon-Avon
The Hallmark Welcombe Hotel is a short stroll or drive to the centre of Stratford-upon-Avon, where you can find lots to see and do. Of course, Stratford-upon-Avon is home to William Shakespeare and this is a huge draw for tourists. When you visit the town centre, you can’t miss all of the landmarks such as Shakespeare’s birthplace, family homes, school and theatre.
Did you know that September is Colic Awareness Month. It’s something that you probably wouldn’t even think about until you have a new baby, but if your baby does suffer from colic it can make life miserable for all involved! There is no right or wrong answer to how to solve colic, but sharing experiences with other can really help and that’s why Infacol have developed Colic Awareness Month in September as a time for parents, carers and healthcare professionals to swap stories of soothing crying babies and to offer support, solidarity and information to anyone that might be going through a rough first few months with their newborn.
If you are not sure what Colic is all about – according to NHS Choices, colic is the name for excessive, frequent crying in a baby who otherwise appears to be healthy. It affects 1 in 5 babies and tends to begin when a baby is a few weeks old. Normally, it stops at 4 months of age but can go on until a baby is 6 months old. Other signs that a baby might be suffering from colic include when that baby clenches their fists, draws up their legs and goes red in the face. One of the theories is that it is caused by trapped wind which is very uncomfortable for babies.
We are all big readers in our family, with bookshelves stacked up in every room. It’s really important for me to encourage the children in this from a young age, and one of the best ways to do this is by having appealing and good quality books around the home. However many books we have already read, it’s still always a joy to come across another great one!
The Way Home for Wolf is a heartwarming new picture book from the best-selling creators of The Lion Inside. This book stands out for its gorgeous illustrations as well as it’s positive message, and is a story that I really enjoyed reading to my toddler (as did her older brother as you can see)
The Way Home for Wolf tells the tale of a plucky young wolf cub named Wilf. He’s very stubborn and believes he can do everything by himself, even wanting to lead the pack although he is just a young cub! But during his journey, young Wilf gets left behind, finding himself lost and alone in the chill of the arctic night. In his time of need, Wilf comes across a new friend who’s willing to help.. and then another.. and then another. He soon learns the benefit of letting others help in your time of need, and realises that with the help and kindness of the other animals he can soon be guided back exactly where he wants to be – back with his pack.
Flipazoo World is a fun imaginary world including soft plushes and smaller play sets, each with a quirky and clever twist. Every animal can flip and instantly turn into another one, giving you 2 fun characters in one. We were sent some products from the range to try out, and have had lots of fun with these cute characters.
With the first week of the Summer holidays already behind us, I’ve been starting to think about the back to school preparations. There’s always a lot to get ready, but even more so this year with our eldest child starting secondary school.
The transition from Juniors (or primary school) to secondary school is a big jump, and it hardly feels like any time at all since he started in reception! There is so much to stock up on, from the school blazers and ties, to bags, shoes and stationary. I’ve found it really helpful to make lists so that nothing will be missed.
Jump In is a brilliant place to take the kids over the summer holidays, whether you want to escape from the rain, or give them a chance to burn off some energy. There are 9 Jump In trampoline parks across the UK, and we visited our local Slough Jump In with four children aged 2-11.
This was my first time at Jump In, although the older children had been before for friends birthday parties. I was impressed with the amount of different activities within this trampoline park, especially with how well it caters for the little ones as well as the older children. It’s not always easy balancing the needs of a toddler plus older siblings over the summer holidays but Jump In catered for this mix perfectly, so that was a huge plus for me.
Tens of thousands of mobile phone applications are created each and every month. If your smartphone is connected to services such as Google Play or the Apple Store, this is likely to be already apparent thanks to the sheer number of updates that you receive on a regular basis. Have you been thinking about creating a mobile app specifically designed for children? This is actually one of the fastest growing markets and it could represent an excellent venture to pursue. Still, there are many variables that you will need to address if you hope to avoid potentially costly mistakes in the not-so-distant future. Let’s take a look at some professional recommendations offered by those who have already enjoyed a good deal of success.
Hands-On Knowledge Counts
One of the most beneficial aspects of applications specifically designed for children is that you have numerous options to select. Some extremely popular categories include: