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How to Make a Quick Model Rocket for Children

Friday, 24 May 2013


One recent Saturday morning we were a bit stumped for things to do as it was peeing down with rain outside, so I noticed we had two juice bottles in our recycling and I thought surely we could make something out of these? We’d been watching an episode of Ben and Holly when they go into space so I thought why not make model rockets from them? It seemed like a fairly easy idea in my head and actually in practice it was too. The kids had a lot of fun helping with this as it really is very simple. So here’s our crafty instructions on how to make a rocket…..


Materials:

1 Bottle – we made a small rocket from a small lunchbox drink bottle
Silver Foil 
1 toilet roll 
Black card squares 
Stickers to decorate your rocket 
Bright orange/ yellow/ red tissue paper to make the flames 
Sticky tape 


1 – Take your bottle and cover the entire thing in silver foil – ensure you make a point at the top for a real aerodynamic look

2 – Take your toilet roll and cut in to 3 pieces and also cover them in tin foil

3 – Stick the 3 covered toilet roll pieces to the bottom of your covered bottle using sticky tape– these are your rocket exhausts! 


With the obligatory tongue out....

4 – Stick some black squares on the side of your rocket for windows and then stick lots of shiny stickers all over your rocket to make it look really state of the art

5 – Finally tear some strips of bright orange/ yellow/ red tissue paper and stick to the rocket exhausts for flames - there you have a a really speedy to make rocket!


Making the rockets was a lot of fun and then playing with the rockets after was also a big hit!



See Vanessa Craft

We ♥ Christopher Nibble by Charlotte Middleton

Thursday, 23 May 2013

I can't remember how this book turned up in our house for the life of me - I think it may have been given to Isla by someone at nursery, but it's proving quite popular at the moment as it's feeding into her current love of dandelion clocks. She loved the dandelions when they had bright yellow flowers and she loves them even more now they are big fluffy seed heads that she can blow or wave around!



Christopher Nibble is a guinea pig and he lives in Dandeville with all the other dandelion loving guinea pigs, unfortunately they love the dandelion leaves rather too much and they disappear from the town. It's down to Christopher Nibble to solve the dandelion crisis. We love this book, the illustrations are really cute, it has a bit of a Charlie and Lola feel to it with lots of patterns used. I have been encouraging the children to do lots of planting and looking after flowers recently so this story really fits in with that too as Christopher Nibble goes about growing the towns favourite food! I love the quirky feel and the unusual story. It sends out a gentle message about conservation too.

This really is a lovely book and I think we'll check out a few of the other Christopher Nibble titles, they're great for pre-school children!

Toddler Talk - A Few Recent Funnies

Wednesday, 22 May 2013

Now that Noah is approaching 2 (yes, where has the time gone!!!??) there are some very funny conversations going on in our house and the other morning I was lucky enough to overhear the first real conversation between Noah and Isla and they didn't realise I was earwigging - well it was 6.30am - I was trying to keep a low profile and get a bit more time in bed!
 


Noah: You're being naughty
Isla: no you're being naughty!
Noah: No Daddy naughty
Noah: I'm not a monster (I've got to disagree!)

Then Noah goes through the entire family "Grandpa naughty, Nanny naughty, Aunty Kirsty naughty, Cousin M naughty etc etc"

Noah: I like Mummy best
Isla: I like Mummy best in the whole world wide 

*I like this part of the conversation!*

Noah: I like Daddy
Isla: You are a rude person
Noah: No I not rude. I'm not naughty.
Isla: I see you in the chair in the night being naughty (this is reference to the fact that Noah STILL WAKES EVERY FRIGGIN' NIGHT and I sit with him in the chair!) I'll give you a star if you stop being naughty (I love that she is going to start her own star chart system with him...!)
Noah: I want Poppy Cat and Daisy Doo
Isla: You are naughty, I'm going now and taking my sheep (at this point she comes in to me and I'm laughing my head off)

And finally a great one from yesterday: 

Me: Are you going to be a good boy today Noah?
Noah: No, I not be good boy, ever, never.

Pause.

Noah: I be silly and billy.
Me: *sigh*

Wot So Funee?

30 Choir Festival Guinness World Record Success!


As you may have read here over the Bank Holiday weekend at the start of the month of May the London Community Gospel Choir held a fabulous 30 Choir festival at the Southbank Centre in London. The weekend was a triumph as they broke the Guinness World record for the largest number of people singing in a gospel choir under concert conditions. And I am excited to say that I was part of that attempt. The sound of 'Oh Happy Day' rang through the entire of the Southbank, it was a real moment of joyousness and something I'm so happy to be part of. 


Rev Bazil Meade Accepts the Guinness World Record Certificate!

The day started off with a rehearsal and a run through of what was expected of us and ended with a stunning concert featuring some wonderful voices - voices that to my mind would give the likes of Mary J Blige and Emile Sande a run for their money! We were also lucky enough to see one of my all time favourite female Soul singers Jocelyn Brown and young talent Jahmene Douglas from the X Factor. He had the most amazing voice, something that needs to be witnessed in real life - listening on TV doesn't even come close.

My partners in crime for the day were Helen aka Actually Mummy, Liz aka Me and My Shadow and Mary, journalist from the Voice. Here we are before Helen sprayed us with the necessary gold glitter, which clearly set us up to perform to our best! 


Actually Mummy, Mary and I!
So on returning from this amazing day I hadn't realised that perhaps my constant droning of 'Oh Happy Day' had, had an effect on my son, and during lunch at my parents a week ago he started coming out with 'Oh Happy Day' and it was very cute. Perhaps I should have taken him to the record attempt too - he could have been the youngest member of the LCGC Choir! What do you think?





Photo credits: Louise Harris and Liz Burton

Bacon and Red Pepper Risotto Recipe

Wednesday, 15 May 2013

This evening we were a bit stumped on what to cook for dinner so I threw a few things together that I had in the fridge and store cupboard and came up with this Bacon and Red Pepper Risotto and it was delicious! Here goes:

Serves 2 very hungry parents!

Ingredients
200g Risotto Rice
1 red onion
1 red pepper
2 cloves or garlic
2 chicken stock cubes
1 litre of boiling water for the stock cubes
Good glug of white wine
Glug of Olive Oil
Knob of butter
Black pepper to season (we didn't need salt as the bacon was lovely and salty!)


Method
Fry the bacon, onion and red pepper in olive oil and butter for 5 minutes

Add the garlic to the pan and gently fry for a further 5 minutes until all nicely golden and soft

Add the risotto rice to the pan and make sure it gets coated in all the oily buttery loveliness and it should hiss for a bit.

Make the stock and then start adding the stock a ladle at a time and keep stirring the risotto and keep adding stock as it gets absorbed. Splash the glug of white wine in too. If you need more liquid just add a bit more water, but I found that was enough. I can't tell you how long this process took but I could see that the rice had swollen up nicely, I tasted it and it was cooked!

Serve with a nice fresh salad and Bob's Your Uncle, a delicious quick meal! Enjoy.



Link up your recipe of the week

Didicar Review


We were recently sent a Fiery Flamboyant Red didicar to try out. I was slightly apprehensive at first as we do have the tiniest house and it isn't the smallest of vehicles. However it's given Noah so much fun and happiness since it arrived. Here is a little video of him 'driving' round (and yes Isla is scooting round the living room on her OzBozz! Not ideal...) and when I asked him if he liked his car - he did say yes but my phone stopped filming at that exact moment!



As you can see Noah is driving around using his feet to propel himself but what he hasn't worked out yet is that he could actually put his feet up on the foot rests and just by using the steering wheel the didicar moves. I only realised it myself in the last week and I've had loads of fun driving it around (yes adults can ride on it too!) and the kids have chased round after me (it can pick up quite a speed on our laminate flooring). 
We took the didicar to the park as well and it works well outside on the pavement. It got quite a few admiring glances and Noah enjoyed having a bigger space to whizz around!

Didicar is a unique self propelled ride on toy for children. Available in a bright collection of colours, didicar is safe and ideal to use indoors or outdoors on any hard, smooth and flat surface. Didicar provides exercise in any setting and promotes physical development as well as balance, co-ordination, spacial and speed awareness. Didicar provides all the above, but above all else it's just plain FUN!!

I can truly say that this is a great buy. It was so easy to assemble - there were no expletives coming from the other half, that's how I know this! It is really sturdy and feels very safe to use. The design is great, really sleek and the materials used feel like they are of excellent quality. No batteries are required so there are no extra costs involved in running the didicar

Take advantage of the offer that didicar has on at the moment, they are currently on sale for £39.95 reduced from £49.95 with half price delivery. 

Check out didicar here: http://www.didicar.co.uk/

We were sent the Didicar for free in order to write this review, all opinions and views expressed here are my own

PEPPA PIG’S BIG SPLASH LIVE

Tuesday, 14 May 2013



BRAND NEW & BIGGEST EVER SHOW ON TOUR FROM OCTOBER 2013 
including 
FOURTH WEST END CHRISTMAS SEASON 


Fresh from the huge successes of previous tours Peppa Pig’s Party and Peppa Pig’s Treasure Hunt comes Peppa’s brand new show, Peppa Pig’s Big Splash. Opening at the Orchard Theatre in Dartford on 24 October, this touring production will travel throughout the UK and into Ireland until summer 2014. The tour will also include a fourth consecutive Peppa West End Christmas season (details will be announced in due course) and it will be the biggest ever to date.

The nursery roof is leaking and Peppa and her friends need to fix it quickly. They set up a fete to raise the money for Mr Bull to do the repairs. There’s plenty of fun to be had as Peppa, George, Mummy and Daddy Pig, as well as Danny Dog, Pedro Pony and Suzy Sheep put up bunting, run stalls and organise a great day out. There's also a Champion Puddle Jumping competition judged by Mr Potato where everyone gets wet and Peppa needs to find her Golden Boots. Another all-singing, all-dancing adventure full of songs, games and muddy puddles is guaranteed for all the family.

Peppa Pig returns live on stage with puppets and brilliant sing-a-long songs from BAFTA award-winning composer Mani Svavarsson. Richard Lewis adapts and directs this brand new show, following his previous successes with the first two Peppa Pig stage shows and the the current Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom tour.

Martin Ronan, Executive Producer, said, ‘Fiery Light are delighted to be presenting their third live Peppa show in 2013-2014. Following the huge success of Peppa Pig's Party and Peppa Pig's Treasure Hunt comes the biggest tour yet for Peppa. Touring the UK & Ireland for 47 weeks, Peppa Pig's Big Splash will be a fun-packed experience for all Peppa fans. To date Peppa Live has played to almost 650,000 people and as we approach the 10th anniversary of Peppa being a family favourite, we hope the new show will thrill fans up and down the country’.

Find out about Peppa Pig's Big Splash UK and Ireland Tour at www.peppapiglive.com

Dates close by in Surrey are:

SAT 2 – SUN 3 NOVEMBER FAIRFIELD HALL CONCERT HALL, CROYDON
Sat 2 at 1 & 4 pm www.fairfield.co.uk
Sun 3 at 10 am & 1 pm

TUES 5 – WED 6 NOVEMBER G LIVE, GUILDFORD
Tues 5 at 1 & 4 pm www.glive.co.uk
Wed 6 at 10 am & 1 pm