Are you looking at something fun and different to do with the kids?
Why not take them Diamond or Crystal mining, or maybe both?
Would it surprise you that my four-year-old and I found diamonds and crystals (AKA Rocks) at our local park? I think you would be rather impressed.
It was a great time at the local park. My little boy rode his bike to the park and while there we searched for valuable crystals and diamonds.
Alexander found a few and made sure to put them safely in his pockets or if they didn’t fit my pockets. We took them home to wash them to allow us to inspect our haul of treasures.
I know that we didn’t collect actual crystals or diamonds but the hunt and chase for the real thing was super fun, plus after we were home water was involved to clean the rocks and this meant that Alex was then covered head to toe in the water and of course spent hours playing in the water and investigating his special treasures.
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It is an animal that is a unicorn and bunny all in one.
I know many dear readers had no idea, but now you are aware of this magical creature, you will definitely keep an eye out for her next Easter. (Read the twins stories to learn more about the Unibunny)
This creature helps the Easter Bunny deliver eggs on Easter Sunday.
Julia dressed as The Unibunny.
I asked the girls to write their story of the Unibunny. Click on the girl’s names below to read the Unibunny stories.
The twins wrote each story yesterday on the computer with a little help from mummy and daddy. I hope you like them.
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Young kids usually have only a vague sense of time. They probably know that an hour is longer than ten minutes, and a week is shorter than a month, but it’s difficult for them to gauge time’s passing.
Making a paper chain calendar can help them learn this valuable math skill.
What You Need:
Calendar
3” x 8” strips of colored construction paper
Glue
Make a Paper Chain Calendar
What You Do:
Pick a date in the future that has some meaning for your child, for example, the first day of school, the date a relative is set to come visit, a birthday, or the start date of a favorite activity, like soccer. Ideally, the date should be about a month away.
Pull out your calendar, and with your child’s help, count the number of days until the event you’ve chosen.
Give your child the construction paper strips and explain that each strip stands for one day. Together, count out the correct number of strips (one for each day until your event), then help your child make a paper chain, by gluing the end of each strip together to form a link, then adding the rest of the links to form a “chain”.
Hang your chain in your child’s room, or in a prominent place. Each day, allow her to remove one link from the chain. As the days pass, this will give her a visual picture to associate with the numbers she sees on the calendar.
Not only does this provide a concrete image for the passing of time, but it gives your child a great excuse to practice counting backwards!
A big thank you to Education.com for this creative way to help kids learn. If you have not checked out their website make sure you stop by. Education.com have excellent resources to help your kids be super clever.
Last year the Easter Bunny did not clean his paws when he came to our house.
I know, it was very rude of him, but we were nice about it and cleaned up the mess.
We told the girls that it was nice enough to get some chocolate and he took the trouble to visit our house.
The girls have remembered this, and tell people every now and then that the Easter Bunny came to our house, and that he left paw prints and daddy had to clean them all up. Poor daddy.
The girls were so taken with the fact that the Easter Bunny came and he gave them chocolate eggs and bunnies.
Now you might say, “What do you mean the Easter Bunny had dirty paws?, well I never!”
Well the girls were so curious about the paw prints that they investigated and wanted to find out where the bunny had been. I left carrots out the night before and they were eaten in the morning, he was a hungry bunny.
So if you want to amaze you little one, paw prints are a great way to do it.
We cut out the image and used it as a stencil to then sprinkle flour on the floor, this was easy to clean up and left the idea that the Easter Bunny got his paws dirty before he came into our house.
As Easter is approaching soon, thought that this idea might be of interest.
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The actual date we attended was in March and I was happy that the kids were still excited, even though I gave it to them in December of the previous year.
To make the whole event more fun we made a weekend of it in the city. I booked a hotel right next to the Capitol Theatre in Sydney, it was so close that we just had to walk next door to fall into our beds after the show.
The day of the show the kids and I trained it in and managed to check in earlier than expected. This allowed us to leave our bags in the room and to then explore Sydney for the day.
Our show was at 7.30pm at night so I had a whole day to fill with the twins. So what did we get up to?
We looked at shops in the QVB
We walked around Paddies Markets
Had Yum Cha in Chinatown
We all got manicures
Went to Myer and David Jones to check out what is there
Looked at the toys at Myer
Walked back to the hotel to rest and then change for the show
What did we think of the show?
The girls were super excited and so was I. We all had never been to the Capitol Theatre before, I must say that the detail of the theatre is amazing. So much detail, statues and more! A very old world theatre experience.
We were super early for the show and decided to get drinks and pre-dinner snacks. Once we dined on our treats and ate some food it was finally ready to enter the theatre. I had organised seats that were so close to the stage…the kids were amazed at how close we were.
We sat down and looked at the fabulous theatre while waiting for the show to start.
We were only 3 rows away from the stage…. how fantastic!
The backdrop of the set was the Willy Wonka Factory, and left of the stage was the Bucket house and the right of the stage was the candy shop that Charlie Bucket frequented drooling over chocolate bars that he couldn’t afford.
The way they moved between the Bucket house and the candy shop was very clever. Once Charlie was in the candy shop, the shop owner was enticing him to buy…but Charlie couldn’t. Also, Charlie had no idea that the Candy Man was indeed Willy Wonka himself.
Willy Wonka was very boom tish and so were some of the other characters, some lines were hilariously funny.
Two very excited kids waiting to see the show! I must say I was excited too!
Once they moved to Willy Wonka’s factory the background changed digitally to create the vibrantly colourful world of the Wonka Factory. Seeing Roald Dahl’s story come to life on stage was so magical.
The cast did an awesome job and they had such personality and presence.
Violet and Mr Beauregard had such great interaction between each other, every time they smiled and winked I couldn’t help but laugh. Also when Violet Beauregard became a huge purple grape and then finally popped it was so well done.
Augustus and Mrs Gloop were amazing as well, so funny and naughty. You actually forgot that these people were actors and not the actual characters from the film.
Jake Fehily – Augustus Gloop- Octavia-Barron-Martin-Mrs-Gloop-and cast in CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
The glass elevator was magical too…yes more magic. It looked like it was actually moving. The background was stunning and created such a great effect.
The Glass Elevator: Ryan Yeates as Charlie and Paul Slade Smith as Willy Wonka in CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, photo from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory website.
The whole show looked stunning and was so enjoyable for kids and adults.
We loved the show and if you want to go, please do, you will LOVE IT!
There are so many fun activities that will help kids learn and know more about Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. There is English activities, Visual Arts, Dance, Drama, Media Arts, and Music. Not only can teachers freely download the packs to help with their class but parents can do so too. I downloaded mine to help my kids before we saw the show.
You can also re-read the book again or get it as an audio book to help inspire the work or refamiliarise yourself with the story again. Below is a quote from the Education Pack Writers, Elia Erez and David Perry about the worksheets and activities.
“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory offers an excellent opportunity to explore the Australian Curriculum, with specific references to English, and The Arts (Dance, Drama, Media Arts, Music
and Visual Arts) as well as all seven of the General Capabilities (Literacy, Numeracy, Intercultural Understanding, Information & Communication Technology, Critical & Creative Thinking, Personal & Social Capability AND Ethical Understanding). These relationships to the production are examined in the document CONNECTIONS TO THE AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM. We trust that the activities and resources in this Education Pack will provide teachers with the ability to fully appreciate the educational opportunities of this
spectacular musical production. Using Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as a focus, this Education Pack contains engaging activities that can be used by teachers, or even keen fans of Roald Dahl who want to gain a richer understanding of the production.” Eli Erez and David Perry Education Pack Writers, for Charlie and The Chocolate Factory the Musical.
I booked the family room which had 1 queen sized bed and a single bed. Just perfect for 2 kids and 1 adult.
The hotel was not flash but was just what we needed. Beds and close by to the theatre.
Our family room at the Capitol Square Hotel
See how close we were to the Capitol Theatre
Have you seen Charlie and The Chocolate Factory? If so what were your thoughts?
I’m aiming to have more theatre experiences this year rather than buying things.
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Toddlers are busy creatures; they cannot keep still or stop moving.
My little toddler is having so much fun with his weird and wonderful adventures, it is hard to keep up!
Playing superheroes at the park with Super Bark the Dog!
He has been to space and loves being a superhero.
Mummy has also taken various trips to the moon and other planets too! We are frequent visitors to outer space, maybe there is a frequent flyer card for travelling so far? I’m sure I’ve collected millions of frequent flyer points by now!
On top of his normal diet, one thing that allows my little space explorer to keep on going is the energy he gets from his NAN A2 toddler milk drink.
NAN A2 toddler milk has some essential vitamins and minerals to help support my adventurous toddler needs, and lately, he has needed extra due to a growth spurt.
Having a cool drink of NAN A2 Stage 3 Toddler Milk
As you can see Alexander has been super busy with his cars, at the park and going to space with mummy.
My little boy has been super hungry and has wanted more of everything! Giving him a sippy cup of his NAN A2 toddler milk drink means that he is getting some essential vitamins and minerals he needs.
The toddler milk helps me as a mummy to make sure he gets what he needs. I find that he sometimes eats lots and then goes for days not eating anything at all. NAN A2 Stage 3 shouldn’t replace a varied diet. It’s specially formulated for toddler’s that may not be getting all the energy and nutrients they need from their food.
Alexander can’t go anywhere without his cars and Bark the Dog. Playing cars on the driveway is hours of fun!
If you also have an active space explorer or superhero, I would recommend NAN A2 toddler milk to help them get any extra energy they might need for more amazing adventures.
As a parent, the NAN A2 Stage 3 toddler milk is so easy to prepare, and you can take it anywhere, why not on your next space exploration.
Alexander loves his NAN A2 Stage 3 Toddler Milk, he flies into space to rescue the tin.
This post is in collaboration with NAN A2 Stage 3 Toddler Milk. The fab team at NAN sent Alexander some NAN A2 Stage 3 Toddler Milk to test out.
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Model Citizen was part of The Sydney Festival. The festival is a month-long art and cultural celebration that have free, cheap events, and workshops.
Previous to going to the show I told the girls about Circus Oz. Circus Oz is a circus with no animals, the circus consists of acrobats, performers, entertainers, musicians, and more!
Waiting to see the show.
This year Circus Oz is celebrating their 40th year. The circus was formed in 1978 in Melbourne, read more about Circus Oz’s history.
What is Model Citizens all about?
The show starts with a whole group of people that are wearing similar looking clothes and all act the same. They all act happy and seem to be interacting with each other well.
Then suddenly a stranger is introduced to this group of people or maybe I should say society, they are not too fond of this stranger.
The model citizens want the stranger to wear the clothes that they wear. They give them a pair of blue overalls like the other model citizens are wearing.
Some highlights were when Freyja Edney used her special hypnotic powers while hula hooping. Freyja could manoeuvre a hula hoop around in her arm and it looked like it was gliding on air…it was magic and like no effort was used at all (although I know that this would have taken years and hours and hours of practice).
Not only did Freyja make a hula hoop look seamless in the air with barely any assistance, she flipped up hula hoops on the ground and shimmied until they were in different positions on her body.
She ended up having about 5-6 hula hoops all going on her body at the same time. It looked amazing.
Other highlights were the fabulous Mitch Jones with his escape from a straightjacket and also his super knife throwing. Tara Silcock was fabulous balancing parasols on her feet and toes in a giant martini glass.
Everyone was so amazing to watch. The acrobats, balancing on the string and then the artists on the trapeze made us all oohhhh and aahhhhh!
Everyone seemed to be able to do multiple jobs, sing, dance, be a strong acrobat by holding others on their heads or other parts of their bodies.
Circus Oz is full of extremely talented people. It is a fun and entertaining show and an excellent family event.
Go and have fun with the family, you will be so glad you did.
PRINCE ALFRED SQUARE CIRCUS OZ BIG TOP
CNR CHURCH STREET AND MARKET STREET
PARRAMATTA 2510
WHEN
WED, THU, FRI, SAT AT 7.30PM (EXCEPT 18 & 26 JANUARY)
SUN AT 3PM
SAT AND WED AT 1.30PM (EXCEPT 3 JANUARY)
18 & 26 JANUARY AT 1.30PM
AUDIO DESCRIBED: 12 JANUARY AT 7.30PM (TACTILE TOUR AT 6.45PM) & 20 JANUARY AT 1.30PM (TACTILE TOUR AT 12.45PM)
AUSLAN INTERPRETED: 20 JANUARY AT 1.30PM
DURATION: 2 HRS 20 MINS WITH INTERVAL
TICKETS
RINGSIDE $90
PREMIUM ADULT $80/ CONC $70/ CHILD $65
A RES ADULT $60/ CONC $50/ CHILD $45
B RES ADULT $45/ CONC $40/ CHILD $35
A RES FAMILY (2 ADULTS & 2 CHILDREN) $170
B RES FAMILY (2 ADULTS & 2 CHILDREN) $110
RESTRICTED VIEW $35
+ BOOKING FEE
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Christmas is fast approaching and I like any parent is on the lookout for a fun gift for the kids.
Something different, fun and of course that all kids can play with.
What is even better if the toy can be used inside or outdoors. Limbo Hopis a toy that does all this.
Limbo Hop is a fun active game for kids.
What is Limbo Hop?
Limo Hop from Worlds Apart is a fun game that 1-2 people or teams can play. As the name suggests it is like limbo, but with a difference.
You limbo underneath the sweeper that goes around in a circle.
Once the sweeper gets too low to limbo underneath you can then hop over it.
Teams can keep score with the tabs on the top of the main pole. Teams can either be yellow or blue and each time you miss getting caught by the sweeper (the arm that goes around the main pole) you score a point).
The team with the most points wins.
This toy is easy to assemble and can be sized for different heights. Limbo Hop can be packed away for easy storage.
All my three kids had a go and loved the Limbo Hop
Where can you buy Limbo Hop?
For Australian shoppers, you can purchase Limbo Hop online from Mr Toys Toyworld for $39.99, and also available on Amazon for $27.00 for Aussie Amazon shoppers (could be more for postage)
Alexander testing out the Limbo Hop before his sisters had a turn.
What I loved about the Limbo Hop Game
It encourages kids to get moving, be outdoors and to play with others.
If you are not able to be outdoors playing Limbo Hop indoors still means kids are getting more movement rather than sitting still and in front of a computer or television.
Limbo Hop is a healthy game for kids.
My kids love it and cannot wait to play it with their friends down the street.
The girls having fun with funny moves while playing Limbo Hop.
Get this cool and fun game for the kids this Christmas and watch the fun happen. I am sure you will love it as much as my kids do.
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Woofy Whoops is a dog who desperately needs to go to the toilet.
Each player takes turns spinning Woofy around and whoever he lands on has to pat him according to how many times he barks. You might need to pat him once, twice or maybe more.
You need to be careful as the last pat might mean you are the one that gets wee’d on. Thank goodness it is really only water (just pretend)
How to play Woofy Whoops.
I was not sure about the idea of a game that has a dog wee on you but thought we would give it a go. The twins love the game and so did their mates that came over during the school holidays.
All the kids were giggling and wondering when or if they would be the one to get wee’d on…. yes it was funny to watch.
Isn’t it always the way… kids like something that is naughty.
Woofy Whopps looks innocent, but he might wee on you so be careful!
You need to download the Woofy Whoops App
The game works with an iPhone or Android phones. Plug in for the kids to hear the sound.
With the app, you are able to record and save video of when Woofy Whoops does actually pee on a player. The faces are priceless when this happens.
When the game replays a video of a player it is called a “wee play.”
Includes fire hydrant water tank, spinning Woofy and free Woofy Whoops app
App determines at random who will get sprayed and features funny animation
App records the moment you get ‘peed’ on in hilarious slow motion
iPhone and Android compatible – requires operating software iOS 9 or later for Apple devices and 4.3 or above for devices for Android.
Multiplayer
3 x AA batteries required
Watch Lillian and Julia have fun playing Woofy Whoops
Personally I was not sure about the game. I was worried that the kids might see that dogs weeing on them is a good thing. They both know that this is just pretending and of course would not want this to happen in real life.
I was willing to test this game out and have realised that the kids actually enjoy it and love playing it with friends.
Having warmer weather is a help with this game as well since you get wet in the process.
Woofy Whoops can be played indoors and outside as well. Due to space constraints at my house and making sure there was no water everywhere we set it up in the garden. (Music is over the video of the girls due to so many cicadas chirping and making it hard to hear anything)
If you wish to get the kids something different for Christmas this game is something to think about.
Thanks to Childsmart, Australia’s leading distributors of quality kid’s toys, nursery and lifestyle products for sending me Woofy Whoops by Worlds Apart to test out. The kids had a blast and cannot wait to test out other toys.
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Fridays are not the same when you realise they are just like any other day.
Every morning this week I have found it harder and harder to get out of bed.
I have even thought that every day was Friday or at least close to it.
Yes I thought that Monday was Friday, Tuesday was and so on. Strange but it is true.
Maybe it is wishful thinking. Maybe it is wanting the school holidays to be here now!
Fridays are not the same when you realise they are just like any other day.
However the school holidays tire me out. All the activities to keep everyone entertained and the constant whinging does my head in.
So thinking everyday was Friday was rather silly. As a mum it being Friday really has no meaning. It used to mean that I could rest on Saturday, sleep in and relax. However with kids, Saturdays and Sundays are the same as any other day.
Don’t get me wrong. Holidays are great. Not having to be anywhere or do anything is great.
I have booked the twins into some days at vacation care. This is for two reasons. Firstly, the days that I chose for the girls vacation care has special excursions or activities. The kids will also have fun with friends, be able to run around and have fun without me telling them to be quiet due to the baby sleeping.
Secondly, while the kids are at vacation care I might be able to get a few things done. Yep I can focus on the blog, tidying up around the house and maybe have some quiet time.
I have booked the kids in some days while the baby is in daycare so that this will allow full on rest or peace for me. Not totally but it will be a nice break in the holidays.
During the two weeks of school holidays I have many fun things planned. Taking the kids to the movies, a visit to the aquarium and zoo, plus seeing Frozen on Ice.
I have mixed it up for the two week break so that it gives the kids some fun things to do, and mummy some time out as well.
Have you been thinking it is Friday? Is it due to the school holidays approaching that this is happening?
It will be good to not have to do the school run and other things in the afternoon.
Today is now Friday and I am off to get ready to go to the kids school. The girls have learnt some songs in Gundungurra for NAIDOC Week. The twins can now sing heads, shoulders, knees and toes in Gundungurra. Very impressive indeed.
What are you up to for the holidays?
Do you look forward to Fridays or is it just another day?
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The below post was written near the end of the Easter School holidays this year. Now we are in the winter school holidays and I am not sure that it will be much different. What about you?
Or have you been driven mental by the kids constant demands? Maybe you have found it difficult to keep kids occupied and busy while they are off school?
I don’t know about you, but I have a hate love relationship with school holidays. Yes, I know this term is usually written as a love hate relationship, but I think my way expresses more of how I feel.
The holidays are nearly over. Maybe I should be awarded a medal for survival or at the very least managing to keep people happy.
Would this award ceremony have others that have survived too? It could become a thing for parents that have lasted through countless trips to the shops, playground, park, and the millionth time watching your child’s favourite film.
Playing in parks is always a favourite thing for my kids to do. It allows them to run wild, explore and to just burn off energy that is not able to be done inside.
So what have we been up to these school holidays?
Went to the movies to see Batman LEGO Movie, Boss Baby, and Beauty and the Beast.
Spent time at parks.
Went to indoor play centres.
Watched countless movies at home.
Cooked.
Played with friends kids.
Had playdates.
Did craft.
Read books.
Went to the Easter Show.
Tried to sleep in… this really has not happened but the attempts have been made.
Also there have been many meltdowns, tantrums, and fights over the school holidays.
Kids have not been doing as they are told. Not listening to me and being downright rude and naughty.
I am actually craving some alone time.
Time that does not have yelling kids, noise or anything that might annoy me.
Time that will allow me to finally get a few things done rather than bits of everything and never get a chance to get back to it.
Don’t get me wrong, I do love the fact that holidays allow you to not be anywhere if you don’t want to.
So what do I love about school holidays?
Able to stay in your PJ’s all day.
Don’t have to make any plans.
Don’t have to pack lunches everyday.
Spending time with my lovely kids.
Seeing fun films that normally are just for kids, but since you have kids with you it is fully acceptable to watch these fun films.
Fun days out with the kids and hubby.
Things I don’t like or hate about school holidays:
No alone time.
Constantly on the go.
Never a chance to get something done for me.
Kids arguing and fighting. Although this happens when it is not school holidays, the fights seem to be amplified during holidays.
This is what it has been like when the kids have been naughty. Oh the joys of the holidays.
Wednesday the kids go back to school and Friday the baby will be in care. He is usually in care on Tuesday’s as well but this week it is a public holiday so we are all on holiday still.
I am looking forward to Friday. It will be a day that I can have some quiet time. Alone time. Time just for me. Kids will be in school, the baby will be at care, and hubby will be at work. I will be able to focus on some much needed tasks that I wish to get done.
Although I have a list of things that I wish to get completed, I most likely will be just sitting down and loving the peace and quiet of being in the house all by myself.
What do you look forward to after kids go back to school? Maybe you have not had a break due to working as well as trying to entertain kids during the school holidays.
Some plans for me:
Get my hair done
Have a hot bath and not be interrupted
Spend some time working on my blog
Catch up on some television
Finally get stuck into my screenwriting course that I have not had the chance to do
Get some exercise
And so much more
Let us know how you coped these school holidays and what you are looking forward to do once the kids are back at school?
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Today my lovely twins, Julia and Lillian are eight! Yes they are eight years old already! How it has flown by so quickly. I remember when they were little babies and we had just got back from hospital. Although I think back to how small and little the girls were the same is happening with our little baby boy, Alexander. He is now eight months old and in the blink of an eye he will be one! Yes one….. well maybe not the blink of an eye but very soon. It is already September and will very soon be Christmas and then January will be here and also Alexander’s first birthday.
The girls are eight years old today! Yes they were super excited to be turning eight and also up extremely early to open their presents. Mummy was also up very late baking and decorating cupcakes for the kids to celebrate at school on their actual day.
One thing that the girls are happy about is the fact that they share a birthday with the wonderful and talented author Roald Dahl. He would have been celebrating his 100th birthday today. My girls love Dahl’s stories and I loved them as a kid and still do. He has brought joy and laughter to so many. I think my girls feel rather special to have been born on the same day.
So if you are wanting to celebrate Roald Dahl’s birthday here are some events from around the world that you might be able to get to. I must admit that this is not a full list. It might be well worth checking out the local bookshop or library in case they are having an event this weekend or today.
Happy Birthday to everyone that has a birthday today. The kids had a great time opening their presents and were super excited about the fact that they got a new scooter and cannot wait for it to be put together, oh and some of the other pressies were hits also.
More baking for me this week as the girls have a party in the park with their mates from school this Saturday. Let’s just hope that I will be able to get the cake done without staying up till midnight.
Oh and Happy Birthday to my wonderful and amazing little girls! They are such lovely little people and having a twins has been such a joy. I cannot believe you are both eight years old today and cannot wait for more adventures to come. Love and hugs mummy!
Why not try your hand at this celebration snack or treat?
Do your kids love to colour? Do they love to draw and do art? Mine do and they create copious amounts of art it is not funny. The girls just love to be creative and any opportunity to be imaginative and push the boundaries.
They are so cool! It is a fabulous way for kids to have their favourite characters come to life
The characters can be scanned so they are seen in 4D.
You can take selfies with your favourite character, tickle them, even have pretend fights with them (how amazing would this be. Not just your average colouring book!)
The Color Alive books come with their very own crayons and some crayons give the pictures virtual color effects. Some effects that you can create are: comic symbols for Marvel Avengers, ice sparkles for Disney Frozen, fire for Mythical Creatures and pixie dust for Enchanted Fairies.
The crayons and look a special one that is just for pixie dust.
Enchanted Forest Crayola ‘Color Alive’
The twins just loved these new colouring books. They just loved the idea that the page comes to life. Yes you read that right…All you need is an iPhone, iPad, or Android/Windows Device. Also after you have finished colouring the whole book you can download new pages from the app. Yes how great is that. Your little ones will be so happy to have more to do, it will be a win all round.
Color Alive app is compatible with iOS, Android, and Windows devices. It is available on the iTunes App Store, Google play, and the Windows Store. For specific device compatibility, visit Crayola.com/AppCheck.
Mythical Creatures Crayola ‘Color Alive’
See how one of my girls scanned in the dragon from the Mythical Creatures Crayola ‘Color Alive’ Book
I was sent the following to review:
Crayola Color Alive – Disney Frozen
Crayola Color Alive – Marvel Avengers
Crayola Color Alive – Mythical Creatures
Crayola Color Alive – Enchanted Forest
Avengers Crayola ‘Color Alive’
The above books are are priced at $7.99 each. So that is great value. My kids have had a blast with just the few that we have been sent so I can imagine the many more hours of entertainment that is left to be had. Each pack includes six Crayola Crayons, one Special Effect Crayon, 16 Action Colouring Pages and FREE app download.
See the special effects on the dragon from the Mythical Creatures Crayola ‘Color Alive’ Book
It has been cold and bad weather lately… yes we have had snow and it has been freezing. Why not be warm inside and have your favourite characters come to life. The twins loved this and cannot wait to do more and of course get more books. One of them on the must buy list is Monster High, the girls are imagining what the characters will do
Creative shot of a fairy in one of the girls hands.
Yes even I had a picture with the fairy.
I have named this picture, “Mother of Dragons” It was this girl that created the dragon so it is an apt title.
One of the Avengers
How cool does this avenger look!
Even the baby had to have a selfie with the dragon.
Geez this fairy was in everyone’s photo.
As you can see we all got in on the fun
with the Crayola ‘Color Alive’ books.
Our overview and opinion of the Crayola ‘Color Alive’ products was 100% favourable. They are a cheap, fun and a clever way for kids to spend some time. Also due to our wet and cold weather it is something for the kids to do where you know they will be okay, have a great time and have a unique experience.
It is a great gift idea and a quick item to have on hand for your child’s next play date.
Need a unique gift for a family member? Don’t have heaps of money? Well this great project will give you a cheap gift and your family member will cherish the present for years to come.
This gift can be for birthday’s, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Celebrating being a new mum/dad, or even Christmas. So don’t worry it will be perfect for any occasion.
Create your own hand and feet print canvas, great gift idea. Be prepared for mess. It was a bunch of fun though, but the baby got the messiest. Enjoy!
Gather Your Materials
Washable Paint. If you have more than 1 child you will need different colours for each child. I purchased red, blue and white paint. I made purple paint and also pink out of these colours. I ended up having purple, pink and blue for the 3 kids to use.
Canvas (You can small sizes, large ones or enormous size canvas. It is up to you and the project you are making) I chose small square ones so that they would easily fit in the post and also on a wall.
Newspaper to cover the floor or outside area. This makes sure you don’t get too messy.
Towels – You might want to have towels set up on the floor to protect the path to the bathroom so that your very messy kids can not mess things up too much once they get in there to get clean. I do find that if my kids are head to toe covered in paint, the walls and doors get covered in it too. Therefore having a washable paint is ideal as all you have to do is to give the wall and floor a quick wipe and all is good.
Paint brushes – We used the paint brushes to put the paint on hands and feet. You can just put your hands and feet in the paint but using the paint brush made it a bit easier.
How To Create the Prints
Step 1: Have your paint ready to go. If you need to mix colours have it all organised before the kids get near it.
Step 2: Put the newspaper down and then lay the canvas on top.
Step 3:Make sure kids are in clothes that can get dirty and then paint a foot or a hand and press on the canvas. (You might want to figure out where each hand and foot is going to go on the canvas. You don’t want to figure it out with excited kids who are ready to paint everything and anything. Before we put anything on a canvas I spoke to the girls about where each persons hand was going to go and we were going to save space for the baby as well.)
Step 4: Since I was making more than one canvas at the same time I did this 3 times for each person. I made one for my Mother in Law, one for my mum and also one for me!
Step 5:Once you have all the hands and prints on the canvas, it now needs to dry. It should dry well overnight and be ready to post the next day. I packed one up for my Mother in Law. It just needed some bubble wrap to protect it and it sat in the box with the other goodies for her birthday.
This is a good rainy day activity. I am sure it will keep the kids happy and having fun. Afterwards they can have a bubble bath and you get some peace and quiet after they are relaxed and tried. Maybe after the bath put on a film for them to watch or read them a story…… I do live in hope that the kids will be super tired after activities.
Oh well, whatever you do enjoy. I hope this gives you some great ideas and a cheap gift idea to create.
Need a unique gift for a family member? Don’t have heaps of money? Well, this great project will give you a cheap gift and your family member will cherish the present for years to come.
This gift can be for birthdays, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Celebrating being a new mum/dad, or even Christmas. So don’t worry it will be perfect for any occasion.
Create your own hand and feet print canvas, great gift idea. Be prepared for a mess. It was a bunch of fun though, but the baby got the messiest. Enjoy!
Gather Your Materials
Washable Paint. If you have more than 1 child you will need different colours for each child. I purchased red, blue and white paint. I made purple paint and also pink out of these colours. I ended up having purple, pink and blue for the 3 kids to use.
Canvas (You can small sizes, large ones or enormous size canvas. It is up to you and the project you are making) I chose small square ones so that they would easily fit in the post and also on a wall.
Newspaper to cover the floor or outside area. This makes sure you don’t get too messy.
Towels – You might want to have towels set up on the floor to protect the path to the bathroom so that your very messy kids can not mess things up too much once they get in there to get clean. I do find that if my kids are head to toe covered in paint, the walls and doors get covered in it too. Therefore having a washable paint is ideal as all you have to do is to give the wall and floor a quick wipe and all is good.
Paintbrushes – We used paintbrushes to put the paint on hands and feet. You can just put your hands and feet in the paint but using the paintbrush made it a bit easier.
How To Create the Prints
Step 1: Have your paint ready to go. If you need to mix colours have it all organised before the kids get near it.
Step 2: Put the newspaper down and then lay the canvas on top.
Step 3:Make sure kids are in clothes that can get dirty and then paint a foot or a hand and press on the canvas. (You might want to figure out where each hand and foot is going to go on the canvas. You don’t want to figure it out with excited kids who are ready to paint everything and anything. Before we put anything on a canvas I spoke to the girls about where each person’s hand was going to go and we were going to save space for the baby as well.)
Step 4: Since I was making more than one canvas at the same time I did this 3 times for each person. I made one for my Mother in Law, one for my mum and also one for me!
Step 5:Once you have all the hands and prints on the canvas, it now needs to dry. It should dry well overnight and be ready to post the next day. I picked one up for my Mother in Law. It just needed some bubble wrap to protect it and it sat in the box with the other goodies for her birthday.
This is a good rainy day activity. I am sure it will keep the kids happy and having fun. Afterward, they can have a bubble bath and you get some peace and quiet after they are relaxed and tired.
Maybe after the bath put on a film for them to watch or read them a story…… I do live in hope that the kids will be super tired after activities.
Oh well, whatever you do enjoy. I hope this gives you some great ideas and a cheap gift idea to create.
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Last week we had the best adventure. We were invited to Sydney Aquarium before it opened to see their new exhibit: “Jurassic Seas”. This new exhibit showcases animals that have outlasted the dinosaurs.
The kids, my mum and I had to be at the aquarium for 8.30am, yes that is super early when you live in the Blue Mountains. Although it was a very early day it was a highlight of the school holidays and the kids and I as well as my mum were looking forward to our adventures.
Kids and adults alike can learn about evolution and find out about lungfish, mudskippers, and much more.
One creature that the kids and I had never seen before was the nautilus. This creature has been around for 500 million years. Yes it is that old. We were extremely lucky to see the nautilus get fed as the staff at the aquarium do this before the centre opens. See the feeding of the nautilus below:
You can see the nautilus a bit better in the video below:
The nautilus does not like lights or noise so therefore it is best to feed it before the place gets too noisy and also with many people with their smart phones.
You can even feed the deadly Plesiosaurus using the aquariums state of the art technology based game.
The kids had a great time at the Jurassic Seas exhibit and we then went to explore the rest of the aquarium.
Nana and Alexander checking out the penguins
Lillian looking at the penguins
Amazed at such bright and colourful fish
One of the dugongs at Sydney Aquarium
The dugong came up for a close up
The girls and Nana on the Shark Walk
Alexander and Nana looking at the bright and colourful fish
Alexander was amazed. Not sure how much he took in and mind you he is only three months old but he seemed interested.
The girls were lucky to be able to feed some fish before the aquarium opened for business:
One of the favourite things to do at the aquarium was the “Art Aquarium”. At first I dismissed the kids wanting to colour in the print outs. I told them we can colour in at home, I was thinking that we had so much to see and do at the aquarium that coloring in worksheets might be a waste if we missed out on seeing some interesting creatures.
Amazed by the Art Aquarium
I did see the video wall with the fish and creatures but did not put it all together.
Checking out our art
The twins were telling me that they wanted to draw so that it could go on the wall.
Gosh….. what???? I took another look and then realised that the fish were coloured in by kids. They had names and you could see that they were scribbled with crayons and the like. How amazing and clever.
It was a brilliant and fabulous interactive exhibit that really got the kids involved. Once we figured out that there was more than just simple colouring in the girls got their creations happening, scanned in and we saw their creatures come to life on the art aquarium wall.
Once you have coloured in your work of art, you then scan it in so it will show up on the video wall.
The new activity is available daily and is included in aquarium admission, so if you are going to the aquarium this is a must do! You will all have a blast with this activity. Trust me, we stayed here for quite a while.
The girls also had fun at the Discovery Rockpool, this is an area that allows kids and adults to touch and to learn more about the creatures. The girls patted starfish and a sea cucumber, they also got to hold a shark egg.
The girls having fun at the discovery rockpool at the aquarium
Julia holds a shark egg. I had no idea that it was like this. It feels like hard sea weed and it is formed like a spiral that allows the shark to have it slide into the sand easily.
Would you love to take the kids to the Aquarium for the holidays or just for the weekend? Well find out all the great deals for tickets here
THANKS:We all had a blast at the aquarium and would like to thank those that made it possible. Thanks so much for our invite and the lovely walk around before the aquarium opened. It was amazing and made us feel very special indeed.
I just now need to win the lottery. Bring it on!
Since it is a big drive and kids get a bit stir crazy in the car for a few hours I like to give the kids time to run around and get some of their energy out before our huge drive home. We love to go to the Darling Harbour Playground, the twins love it and they have a fabulous time in the water park area, climbing, playing on the huge slide, getting dirty in the huge sandpit and much more. It is an amazing space. Just make sure you pack some towels, a change of clothes as kids get wet and of course dirty while having some serious fun at this playground.
Climbing and having fun
Watching my big sisters have fun at the playground
We are going to get dizzy on this
All the different things that make water move, stop or go through are amazing.
More of the path of where the water travels in the water park at Darling Harbour
Have you had a great time at the aquarium? Did you also have fun at the Darling Harbour Playground. Let us know.
Hope you are all having a fun time these school holidays. If you have not gotten to the city to have fun like we have maybe you can make a weekend of it or do it next school holidays.
Have you heard of GEOMAG? Well if you haven’t, it is a brilliant creative construction toy for kids. It could be for adults too, as they list the top age to 103 so if you wish to purchase some don’t let the fact that it is a toy scare you off.
I was sent the GEOMAG Color set to try out. This comes with the following:
Magnetic rods
Non-magnetic spheres and various accessories
About GEOMAG
Geomag is produced in Switzerland to the most stringent international toy standards. Geomag has educational benefits such as:
Developing maths
Problem Solving
Spacial
Coordination
Creative and thinking skills
What makes this construction toy so different?
It is an open ended construction toy that uses the magnets.
The use of magnets makes it easy for kids to create amazing works, due to the toy having magnets it makes it easy for all ages to construct anything you set your mind to.
It is easy for little hands to use
Due to the ease of use kids will never get frustrated
The girls loved the fact that Geomag was easy to use. I have been asked to get more so they can build bigger and higher constructions.
What other types of GEOMAG Sets are Available?
As mentioned the kids were sent a set of the classic color set. There are five colourful sets that contain between 30 – 120 pieces and start from $30 RRP.
Geomag Classic Panel which gives you different panel shapes. You can have triangles, squares and pentagons. There are five sets that contain 22-180 pieces from $20 RRP.
Geomag E-Motion Spin allows kids to add motion to their creations. Children have the chance to create their very own spinning top and many more dynamic constructions. These sets contain 10-38 pieces and the cost is from $30 RRP.
Geomag Glitter has glitterised rods and panels. Now this would add some sparkle and colour to your constructions. There are four sets available and has a piece count of 22-68 from $20 RRP.
If you are interested in purchasing or just checking out the Geomag range click here to find out more.
This toy is great for inside play. It kept my kids quiet for hours. I just need to buy more so they can create bigger and fancier projects.
Do your kids love constructing things? Whether it is with a toy or just play dough? Mine do.
Today we woke to snow everywhere. Yes we were snowed in. The depth of the snow was about 15cms and 30cms in parts. Very deep for up here. The whole area has been blanketed by white bright snow. As I write this the snow is slowly melting and we are all enjoying a hot cuppa, well the kids are having a hot Milo.
Our snow filled street
The other end of the street. Covered in snow and it felt like a magical playground today.
School was closed, the roads were closed and we could not go anywhere. Hubby could not get to work and was able to enjoy the snow day with all of us. Most times when it snows he misses out so it is finally nice to the whole family home on this occasion.
Our snowed in letterbox. No mail today!
Look at how thick the snow was on my car.
I know this might be cold for most of you but the temperature has just hit 2 degrees so it is slowly getting warmer (well it was when I started writing this post at about 2ish this afternoon). I did see a big black cloud on our walk with the neighbours to the local oval and was told that we might get some rain this afternoon/evening.
The kids and I with their first snowman
I do like the snow but due needing to pick up tiles in Penrith tomorrow having it melt might allow the roads to be reopened and for us to get them. We were lucky and the roads opened up late this afternoon and we managed to pick up the tiles so no need to worry.
After we got home from getting the tiles, Hubby helped the kids build a second snowman. Hope it is there still in the morning.
I must say today was a magical adventure and it was lovely that we could all be here to witness the snow and be involved with it. It was also nice that the kids and hubby were not at school or work and we all had a great day together.
Did it snow at your place? I heard it snowed in Queensland as well. Apparently this is the biggest fall of snow we have had since 1984. Yes, amazing isn’t it!
