Collaborative post Are you busy planning this year’s family holiday? January is traditionally the busiest month for holiday sales, and it’s not hard to see why. We all need something to look forward to once Christmas is over, don’t we! We always plan our family holidays in January, and this year we’ve got quite a big adventure on our wish list: a New Zealand road trip. We’ve been talking about this holiday for a while now, but ...
Six fun name crafts and activities for kids
Collaborative post Do your kids love crafts and activities that involve doing something creative with their name? It's a real favourite with my two! As well as being lots of fun, personalising a child’s creation with their name is a great way to make lovely homemade gifts for friends and family. You’ll also be helping your little ones develop their fine motor skills and flex their creative muscles. Here are my ...
How to have a successful family day out
Collaborative post Can you believe we’re into October? It feels like the kids only went back to school a few days ago! With half-term looming on the horizon, I’m starting to think about ways to keep the kids entertained. We always have a bit of Halloween-themed craft on the go at this time of year, and I’ll definitely be getting my two helping out in the garden, but my list of ideas will also inevitably involve more than one family ...
Five easy ways to encourage outdoor play
Collaborative post If you’re a parent or carer, you’ll no doubt be well aware of the constant presence of screens and the internet in your children’s lives. And you probably spend quite a bit of time and energy trying to strike a healthy balance between screen time and other activities. One really great way to achieve that balance is to encourage outdoor play. Getting kids active outside has so many benefits: it encourages ...
Ideas for multigenerational days out
Collaborative post The school holidays are in full swing, have you got any days out planned? I’m very late with the summer activity planning this year. I usually have lots of things planned before the schools break up, but we went camping as soon as term ended, so all my focus was on that trip. Now we’re home I need to get myself organised! Whether you’re juggling childcare, heading off on holiday, or planning a staycation, ...
Nature Crafts for Kids: how to make a journey stick
Making a journey stick is such an easy, fun outdoor craft to do with the kids - and a great low-cost way to have some fun family time. We learnt what a journey stick is and how to make one at our local Skylarks nature reserve in Nottingham, which is part of the Wildlife Trusts. What is a journey stick? I'd never heard of journey sticks before, but apparently they've been around for a very long time. A journey stick (also known as a ...
5 fun, low-cost family days out
Collaborative post The school holidays are almost upon us - are you ready?! I really look forward to having some much-needed downtime as a family at this time of year; everyone is usually pretty frazzled by the time we get to the end of term! But that doesn’t mean we’re going to sit around getting bored this summer; we’ve got a camping trip planned, and we’ll definitely be heading off on a few family days out. You probably know ...
My garden-inspired Cadbury Dairy Milk Bar – and how you can invent the next flavour!
Oh I’ve been having so much fun with this! I’ve had a chance to combine two of my favourite things: grow-your-own and all things chocolate. Sometimes my job is just so hard 😉 Have you seen the latest Cadbury Dairy Milk campaign yet? It’s a fab competition which invites the nation to ‘go madbury for Cadbury’ and create their very own Cadbury Dairy Milk bar to sit alongside the iconic range of faves such as Cadbury Dairy Milk, Whole ...
Christmas morning traditions
Christmas has officially begun in our house. The Christmas tree is up! Last weekend we spent a lovely day decorating the house for the holiday season; the whole family gets stuck in with this annual task, and to be honest we usually go a bit over the top. That’s part of the fun though - what other time of year allows you to be so shamelessly sparkly? I’ve always loved putting up the decorations; as a child I remember pestering my parents ...
Nature craft: flower pressing
Oh this flower pressing nature craft has taken me right back to being seven years old :) We've been finding beautiful flowers and petals in nature, then preserving them using a flower press, just like I did when I was little. How have I not done this with the kids until now?! We didn't over-complicate this nature craft; we just worked with what we found in the garden. It was an absolute joy to watch these two exploring nature, getting ...