by jo

Smencils – a Review

Smencils are a new kind of pencil from Learning Resources. They’re made from 100% recycled newspaper, and they smell. (see, smelly pencil – smencil!)

Smencils

Incidentally, by smell I don’t mean of pencils – these ones are fruity, based around Robinsons Fruit Shoots drinks – the flavours being Orange, Tropical, Apple, Summer Fruits and Blackcurrant & Apple.

Now, H loves pencils. She’s only just three, so actually using them is another matter – I think we’re maybe a year too soon for them, as they’d be perfect for school. Each smencil comes in its own tube to help keep the smell fresh – I’ve read it could be anything from months to years, depending on how well looked after they are, so this is where I hope they’ll keep their scent for the next year, so she can take them to school where they’ll get a lot of use… having said that she does use them to draw with and identify each smell – and she gets them right too.

You can buy Smencils in store or online now!

Learning Resources have a Facebook competition on the go at the moment too.

We were sent the Smencils for the purpose of review – all opinions are our own.

by jo

App Time – Bob the Builder Playtime Fun

Disclaimer – this app has taken us the longest to review – and there’s a reason why. H is a huge Bob fan, but all she wants to do is clean the characters from the show – and that’s one of the game options here; you choose the character, get the sponge and clean them (and there’s almost always some muck left around the wheels) then rinse off with water (you need to be a good aim here, though it’s not difficult), then polish with a cloth.

Every time we’ve played the game, it’s the only part H will actually play.

Bob the Builder Play Time Fun MenuThis morning we’ve sat down together and I’ve instructed her that she has to play the other parts of the game which include:

Clean the Can Do Crew – Can you clean it? Bob the Builder’s machine wash has broken down and needs fixing.  Can you help wash and hose down his muddy crew?
Mix and Paint – Can you mix it? Mix the colours together to create the perfect palette and paint your favourite characters.
Who Is It? – How well do you know the Can Do Crew? Match the characters to their shadows. (you get an Easy or Hard option on this too)
Picture Puzzle – Complete the puzzle by connecting the pieces to create scenes from the TV show. (another option for Easy or Hard)
Memory Game – Remember the location of the character cards to match all the pairs. (another Easy or Hard)
Plus special Sticker Book – collect stickers throughout the games to decorate a various Bob the Builder scenes within a sticker book.

H loves memory games, so played that for a while, and had fun with ‘Who Is It?’, but I’d say within five to ten minutes of playing those games she’d still made her way back to the ‘Clean the Can Do Crew’ section for the bazillionth time – she just loves cleaning, it would seem – even over the colouring in  section which she does enjoy doing.

Bob the Builder Playtime Fun colouring in

The sticker book characters can’t be made larger or smaller (like with the Peppa Pig and Ben & Holly games) which isn’t a problem as they’re in proportion with the scenes you can stick them to.

Neil Morrissey narrates through the game as you’d expect (and if it isn’t him, it’s a good soundalike), and much like the other games from P2 Games it follows a familiar pattern – do well in games and win a sticker. I have to say it’s definitely a hit in our house as H just will not stop cleaning the characters!

Bob the Builder – Playtime Fun! is available for £1.99 from the App Store on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.

We received a code to review this app – all opinions are our own.

by jo

Bigoodi – Review

Bigoodi is a new hair and beauty salon in Parsons Green, which opened in May 2012.

After a quick check, it’s also really quite easy for us to get to, so when the opportunity arose to have H’s hair cut in there we jumped at the chance.

As the day drew closer I had a fear, a terrible fear. What if she hates having her hair cut? What if she wont keep still? I was reassured that Mya, the manager and a very experienced hairdresser would be able to cope with it, and it wouldn’t be a problem, so off we went, me still with a little fear of what was to come (which is completely irrational – H is a patient little girl and nothing like my sister who I remember screaming when getting a haircut)!

H's haircut at BigoodiH’s hair is long and thick and fine too – a bit like mine really, and we’ve followed the same kind of hair routine – I’ve cut it, so I knew she needed a tidy up if anything. When Mya checked H’s hair she complemented me on what a good job I’ve done! Also, due to H’s hair being the way it is we’ve picked the best style for her (long) as it draws out the curls in her hair and makes it more manageable (until she can do it herself).

H's haircut at Bigoodi - Charlie and Lola

So it was decided H only needed an inch or so from her hair and a general tidy up. Here’s where things got really cool – she got to sit in a police car, and to help keep the concentration there’s a little tv screen which this morning was showing non-stop Charlie and Lola. This went down extremely well with H who barely acknowledged we existed – while Mya chopped and tidied and made my little munchkin into quite a pretty beautiful little tidy haired one.

H's haircut at Bigoodi

I had a quick nosey around the store as well – there’s some really lovely things you can buy. They’re doing a 50% off sale in clothing at the moment, so I picked up this adorable dress for £21 – which was perfect for our NCT party this weekend.

Dress

Bigoodi also stock the Beatrix range of children’s bags which are reasonably priced – AND they’ll be doing Mail Order very soon. There’s loads of things in the store – and from what I could see a lot of local handmade things too (which were all really cute).

Bigoodi also offer pamper parties – though that’s something we’re probably still a couple of years off at the moment – but worth checking out!

Mya did a great cut for H’s hair and was so good with her too – H can be quite shy sometimes but was quite chatty straight away – she was put completely at ease by her.

H's haircut at Bigoodi - final result!

Follow Bigoodi on Facebook or Twitter

H behaved like a little angel and received her beautiful haircut free of charge for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own.

by jo

Loving Argos….

ArgosCrazy, I know. Many a lunch hour I’d dread going to Argos – I’d reserve what I needed to get, and get in there after I’d done everything else in the hope I’d be out of there within twenty minutes (as just going in and ordering was even worse). A visit to Argos was PAIN.

Well, today I graced our local one in Wandsworth with my presence and was in and out within three minutes – it looks like they’ve had a swishy computer upgrade – I processed my reservation and spotted a new computer system up there – there was a regular sized queue at the tills, but not many people waiting to collect.

My receipt said it’d take three minutes, and indeed it did. Gobsmacked doesn’t cover it… I was out of there in less than five minutes.

Something somewhere has gone right – I don’t know if all Argos stores have had this upgrade, but all I do know is that it was really quite nice to shop there – no more waiting forever, just a nice quick shopping experience.

So Argos, whatever you’ve done, thank you. I’ll be back and I’ll have less of that fear of a long wait!

EDIT – yesterday I even joined the queue to purchase something – I was in and out of there in five minutes. Seriously, Mr or Mrs Argos boss, this new system is great, thank you for improving things – I really like going back now, I’m not spending my entire lunch hour in there. Has anyone else found the new Argos to be a bazillion times improved too?

by jo

A Cheaper London – Diana Memorial Playground

We had a fairly frugal day this time, what with payday looming at the end of the week. A quick trip to the Natural History Museum, then a wander through Hyde Park to Kensington Gardens, where the Diana Memorial Playground lives.

We had to queue as it was busy and they don’t want it too overcrowded – but got in quickly. The actual playground? It’s fantastic. A massive wooden pirate ship lives in the middle with various rides and places – all designed for little ones (there’s even an under 3’s area which H quite enjoyed amongst some obviously over 3 children) and going up to the age of twelve.

Diana Memorial Playground

There’s swings, slides, teepee’s and pretty much anything you can think of. Near the pirate ship are a few fountains where your kids can roll up their jeans, take their socks off and splash around in water and do some water play safely.

There’s signs around the playground – which point out that while the playground does follow all EU safety regulations, that it’s recognised children need an element of risk to learn and progress – and that children should be supervised at all times (which is sensible enough information!) – but as one review I read said, if you lose your child, just head to the pirate ship in the middle – they’ll more than likely be in there.

I really liked how it was fenced off from the rest of the park – so you can’t just get in or exit – making it a safe envoironment and also how there were areas for everyone – you don’t have to be the best climber to enjoy your time there.

The Diana Memorial Playground is free of charge to get in – and is approximately five minutes walk from Queensway or Bayswater tube stations. For more information please visit the Royal Parks website.

by jo

Nickelodeon’s Dora The Explorer – LIVE REVIEW! Search for the City of Lost Toys

Wow. Okay, we got back just now from a fabulous afternoon at the Apollo Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue – where we got to see Dora The Explorer Live – in her search for the City of Lost Toys.

Dora Stage 2012

 

What we love the most about Dora is how interactive it is – you’re invited to shout out and join in, and particularly in the case of M, yell at the top of your voice “SWIPER NO SWIPING!!!” in an absolutely brilliant way – it was a joy to watch, it really was. H was quite reserved to start with, though was soon dancing like a butterfly and pointing or shouting to Dora where things were, and got into the swing of it fairly quickly.

So, the story? It’s your usual Dora – something is wrong, it needs fixing and there’s two major obstacles as revealed by The Map which everyone must remember – this time she’s lost her teddy bear, so they need to get to the City of Lost Toys. There’s the familiar songs, lots of audience interaction an interval of 20 minutes (which makes the total running time of the show an hour and a half – it started at 3.30 and was over by 5pm) and a fabulous ‘We Did It’ finale which I wont spoil (though the photos *may* give it away a little bit).Dora's Friends 2012

Dora’s friends are all present, so that’s Boots, Tico, Benny, Isa and of course Backpack and Map – as well as special appearances by Swiper the Fox and her cousin Diego (from the ‘Go Diego Go!’ series, of course).

Swiper the Fox

We were handed out a little star which is used a lot in the audience participation throughout the show – so keep yours safe if you’re going – you’ll need it more than once. The Official Programme folds out into a large poster too – so make sure you’ve got an A4 sized bag to take it home in if you don’t want to spoil it.

There’s plenty of merchandise on sale, though they didn’t take cards so we didn’t get anything (possibly a good thing so soon after H’s birthday, mind – she wanted a Boots doll) – everything is reasonably priced and not too expensive.Dora 2012 Merchandise

As far as the show goes, we were impressed with it – the characters mouths don’t move, so remain fixed the whole time, and it’s miming to an existing track rather than their own voices (which I’d never seen before), which took no time at all to get used to. Afterwards we were chatting about how as adults you find characters believable and it can be any kind of show – and how the Dora characters (especially Dora and Diego) were all excellent. My friend Heather who came with us has plenty of experience of this, having toured with Bob the Builder in the past – and was also impressed. We liked the numbers section and love how the show can have educational elements and keep the kids entertained – learning being fun is a very good thing.

More from Heather; “Tico and Benny were excellent too – I thought them and Diego were the best acting wise,  (if you can believe in someone in a huge stuffed costume at all!) but they were clearly all dancers (especially Boots) so lots of energy which is really important when in costume.  I’d have loved the finale to have gone on a bit longer as everyone seemed to be really getting into it then and it felt like it stopped a bit abruptly but that might just be me.”

Ultimately, the best reviews come from the fans – so that’ll be H and her friend M. Both loved it – we were able to ask them which parts were their favourite, and both were able to mention parts of the show we’d not thought of (H was particularly random with “Boots and his red bus”), as well as the other kids present. I loved the finale, it was a good end to a fun show and one that kept them amused too – with of course more obligatory shouting at Swiper.

Dora and the City of Lost Toys Finale

Dora The Explorer – LIVE! Search for the City of Lost Toys is showing NOW at the Apollo Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue – here’s the info:

Dates: 28 August – 16 September 2012
Performances : Monday – Sunday 10.30am/1.00pm/3.30pm*
*Please see full performance schedule on the website for dates with no 3.30pm performances
Ticket prices: £13.00, £18.00, £25.00 (premium)
Prices include a 50p restoration levy

Address: Apollo Theatre, 31 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W1D 7ES
Box Office: 0844 412 4658
Website:
www.ticketmaster.co.uk
www.nimaxtheatres.com
www.nickjr.co.uk/

I received complimentary tickets for the show (though would have bought some anyway) – all opinions are our own and honest.

by jo

Genes for Jeans day 2012

Jeans for Genes Day takes place on Friday 5th October 2012. The charity’s target for this year is £2.5 million, and it’s a simple idea – on Jeans for Genes Day people leave their suits and uniforms at home and wear their jeans to work or school in return for a donation. (hey, we did this in the Brownies in the 1970’s on non-uniform day!)

Jeans for Genes Day raises money for Genetic Disorders UK which aims to raise money to provide vital care and support for individuals and families with genetic disorders. In 2012, twenty three charities will benefit from the funds raised.

Elen Rivas and Ben & Holly Genes for JeansThis year, celebrity mum Elen Rivas joins Ben and Holly (from Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom, of course), as well as children from Peques 1 Nursery in Fulham to kick-start a nursery school campaign for this year’s Jeans for Genes Day. To help raise money there’ll be exclusive Ben & Holly zip pulls for sale in the UK. Elen is also going to be judging a nationwide competition with participating nurseries to find the best denim dress and denim trousers designed by pre-schoolers for Ben and Holly themselves.Ben & Holly denim for Genes for Jeans

The exclusive zip pulls come in four Ben & Holly related designs featuring Ben Elf, Princess Holly, Nanny Plum and Gaston the Ladybird. The range is now on sale at the official online store:  http://www.jeansforgenesday.org/webshop and will be available from selected UK retailers. All proceeds generated from the sale of the zip pulls will go direct to Genetic Disorders UK, the charity that brings you Jeans for Genes Day.

Ben & Holly zip pulls for Genes for JeansFor more information on Jeans for Genes Day or to request a free fundraising pack please visit www.jeansforgenesday.org or call Freephone 0800 980 4800. To find out more about Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom, please go to, www.littlekingdom.co.uk

by jo

Music For Kids – Five Little Speckled Frogs

Music For Kids - Five Little Speckled Frogs

Having a vague musical background (well, I played the recorder at school) I want to encourage H to understand and read music when the time comes – but let her work it out in her own time. So when we were offered a chance to review the Music For Kids jigsaw activity pack, we opted for one of H’s current favourites (thanks to Jos!) ‘Five Little Speckled Frogs’. We’ve not been disappointed.

In the pack you get a jigsaw which I have to say H finds quite easy to do (she’s just turned 3), as well as a CD which has twelve nursery rhymes and a story on it, as well as a singalong songsheet and over 20 peel-able ‘Five Little Speckled Frogs’ activity stickers. The jigsaw is 1000mm x 200mm and is sixteen pieces in total.

Five Little Speckled Frogs - Music For Kids

Jigsaw-wise, I wish the pieces had been a bit smaller to make it a little more difficult, however the beauty of it is that it forms the notes to learn to play the song – so whereas the puzzle may become less challenging in time, it’s contents wont be.

The CD contents are :
Five Little Speckled Frogs
12345 Once I Caught A Fish Alive
1, 2 Buckle My Shoe
Ten Little Pigs
Two Little Chickens
Two Little Dickie Birds
Three Blind Mice
Three Little Kittens
Five Little Ducks
Alice the Camel Has Two Humps
One Elephant Went Out To Play
One Man Went to Mow
Bonus Story – Goldilocks and the Three Bears

So we lucked out with this – loads of counting songs which is great for where H’s development is at the moment – and some less traditional nursery rhymes too.

You can buy the Activity Pack, which is aimed at 3-6 year olds for £9.99 via Musicroom.com. It’s also available with other songs – ‘The Wheels On The Bus’, ‘Old Macdonald Had a Farm’ and ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’.

Coming soon we’ll be having our next giveaway – an ‘Old Macdonald Had A Farm’ activity pack, so keep an eye out!

We were sent this activity pack to review, all opinions are our own.

by jo

A Cheaper London – Thames Ditton Miniature Railway Open Days

We’re on a definite train theme this year, and were tipped off by a friend about Thames Ditton’s Miniature Railway which is operated by Malden and District Society of Model Engineers who have open days for the public on the first Sunday of every month after Easter and until October (as well as Bank Holiday Sundays).

Thames Ditton Miniature RailwayWe’re on the August Bank Holiday weekend right now and its open today and tomorrow – Bank Holiday Monday.

Admission to the site is free, where you get an option to buy various tickets to ride miniature trains on their two tracks – both of which go around twice. The coolest part of all this is it’s run by volunteers – there’s zero commercialism here – no sponsorship, just trains, people restoring them and the public getting to ride on them.

Thames Ditton Miniature Railway

We bought two unlimited travel tickets at £6.50 each (there’s no parent or child fares) and swapped them between us so one of us got to ride with H (while I gossiped with a friend mostly).

There’s a buggy storage area, and they don’t allow bags or baby slings onto the trains – but you can store them at the station safely.

The trains run every few minutes on two separate railways – and are usually hauled by model scale steam locomotives. Some trains are hauled by diesel and electric locomotives.

Thames Ditton Miniature Railway

On site there’s refreshments, and a large grass area which is perfect for picnics. You can access this via a footbridge from the main entrance. The site opens from 1pm, trains run from 2pm to 5.30pm.

Every year the club runs Santa Specials – pre booked rides to see Santa at a cost of £10 per child. I’ve no idea what it’ll be like, but I’m liking the sound of it.

Thames Ditton Miniature Railway

How to get there – this is the slightly difficult bit. It’s on a trading estate type area in Thames Ditton – there’s not much parking, so park around the nearby park on the Portsmouth Road (A307) – it’s just off Claygate Lane – postcode KT7 0DL. We turned from the Tolworth Roundabout on the A3 and it took under ten minutes to get there.