It’s hard to imagine five year old me being able to explain what a timely adverb is yet Boo as she nears the end of Year 1 can already with pride describe not only what a timely adverb is but reel off examples (firstly, lastly etc. in case you were wondering!)
Regardless of your views on the current state of our educational system (believe me I have lots) one thing that must remain at the centre of primary education is ensuring it’s fun and engaging.
Education Quizzes are an online resource that allow parents to introduce fun and educational quizzes that are suitable for children of all ages from KS1 right up to GCSEs. The monthly subscription is £9.95 and gives you unlimited access and comes without a tying minimum term contract. It’s great to see that Education Quizzes recognises the modern day financial constraints on families are has made available a subscription service for schools which breaks down to £2
per pupil per year out of an average of £4,550.54 available to schools for pupil spending.
Learning and education are two different things with the latter often being responsible for stifling the former. Tools such as the online interactive quizzes form Education Quizzes allows learning to be re-rooted at home – some of my best memories as a child were some of the crazy songs we made up; little did I know at the time that they were in fact helping with my spelling and times tables.
We found Education Quizzes great fun and a break from the norm of Boo’s usual learning material helping to keep her passion for learning burning bright. Plus it’s always easier to engage and enthuse a child if it involves a laptop aka mummy’s one that she’s not normally allowed to touch!
Disclosure: A fee was received for this post. All opinions are my own.
Boo is at tha age (and generation) where she loves YouTube – couple that with the fact that she’s five and obviously loves playing with the latest toys. Golden Bear’s latest toy brand Bush Baby World has been brought to life in an exciting new animated series full of adventures. As you can imagine Boo was excited to check out the first batch of sparkletastic (her words!) episodes.
With five episodes so far on their channel ranging from one to three minutes they’re the perfect bitesize digital treat for little ones – I find these sort of webisodes are great for those times during a busy family day when as if by some miracle Boo is ready for school five or ten minutes early or for whenI want her to sit still for one of her complicated hairstyle requests aka four dutch braids!
There are five dream star characters in Bush Baby World so it won’t be long until your child has picked out their favourite; Boo’s already taken a big liking to Neesha!
Check out the first episode of the Busy Baby World series below by clicking through to YouTube:
It’s great to see such simple yet fun animations for kids – and like I said, it’s nice for them not to get caught up in twenty minute episodes, meaning as a parent you’re more likely to let them watch a Bush Baby World’s video or two.
Disclosure: A fee was received for this post. All opinions and words are my own.
Greetings from Mummy and Boo HQ, I’ve had a great week of catching up with fiends aka wandering through the endless delights of Zara and the like and I’ve collated the very best of what I’ve spotted.
First up is the M&S dress of the summer, designed to suit everyone I’ll admit that I’ve been a bit late to get on board with this self titled capsule piece of the season – but I’ve warmed to its high neckline and potentially awkward hemline – this is a piece I can see me wearing year in year out, it’s standout but in a relaxed way and as with all dresses I pick, it pairs well with statement sandals and trusty trainers.
Talking of awkward hem lengths, I’ve steered clear of cropped wide leg trousers and culottes thinking that they would be a silhouette no no but as we begin our love/hate relationship with the British summer they seem to be the stylish yet sensible choice. These crop wide leg trousers by Topshop are ticking all my summer dressing dilemma boxes.
Ok so, here’s my slice of unrealistic luxury (hey a mama can dream) – the Cartier Love Bangle is one of those grown up timeless pieces that I’ve lusted for a long long time, yes it’s unlikely that I’ll be treating myself anytime this decade but the simplicity and unmistakable Cartier traits make this the ultimate brand swag.
One luxury brand that you can indulge in a slice of is Chanel beauty – I’m enjoying falling back in love with Chanel at the moment and the Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Colour Blush in No. 42 is as dreamy in real life as it looks. Working perfectly with Soleil de Tan it’s an easy way to look effortlessly ready during the summer months and helps strike the balance between barefaced beauty and flawless without looking (and feeling) cakes in make up.
I love the lightness of make up and beauty that comes with summer; the new Hydra Genius range from L’Oréal is a skin drink and promises to deliver up to 72 hours of hydration all while being as light as water, a surprisingly budget friendly way to sample the undeniable benefits of asian inspired skincare.
& Other Stories is one of those brands that has quietly developed cult like status – and with their sheer shirt, it’s easy to see why, it can be as minx like or mum (yes I really did just coin that phrase) with added cami or statement bra.
Sliders: surely a strong contender for the word of 2017, they’re everywhere and one of those trends that has me hopelessly undecided as to what style to take the pop fashion plunge with. I’ve come full circle with the evolution of the poolside and urban jungle accessory, the unapologetic sporty vibe of the Addidas Adilette Slides make them the ‘wood for the trees’ choice.
Zara I think has made an appearance in pretty much every single Want It Wednesday since it’s launch las year so much so that it won’t be long until I’ll probably start a monthly roundup of all the best bits available at the Spanish high street stylista. This vinyl tote is everything we’ve come to expect from Zara – fun, practical, grown up with a hint of two fingers up to the world; their play on textures, shapes and marrying of different fashion genres make them everything.
Whether it’s online, in the shops, splurging or window shopping enjoy shopping this week…
The Easter holidays saw me and Boo head to Cornwall for my best friends’ Ruth and Chris’ wedding – I make no secret that I’m a die hard city girl so I’d already joked that any further west and I’d be in New York and whether it would be easier to fly (trust me I tried!). So on a sunny Thursday afternoon we set off from London yet we weren’t heading straight for the Cornish countryside; instead we’d be stopping off in Exeter for an overnight luxury family pit stop at Hotel Du Vin.
Located in the city centre, Hotel Du Vin Exeter is a former eye hospital and I loved the grand façade and entrance. We were greeted by a friendly member of concierge who check us in and directed us to our room – the decor is luxurious with a quirky feel. We were staying in a deluxe room with views over the garden and pool. The rooms at Hotel Du Vin are compact yet luxurious and the macaroons were a lovely welcoming touch and promptly devoured by Boo.
We quickly settled into our room and headed to the restaurant for dinner. Boo was really tired from a long journey but the staff were fantastic with her – and me, bringing me the most welcome Aperol Spritz! Our meal was absolutely delicious, I opted for the three course set menu, and Boo had the children’s menu, both great value. I loved the starter of Ox cheek and a main brisket with onion pudding was one of the best wintery dishes I’ve tasted in a long time.
Boo was weaving with tiredness by the time we’d finished our main courses but still very much wanted her dessert so we had them as room service which is a great touch when travelling with children. The desserts went down a treat and it wasn’t long before Boo was snoring and I got the chance to enjoy a rare bath with the lovely complimentary REN products.
A fantastic nights sleep saw me and Boo set for a busy day ahead which began with a 7am swim in the heated outdoor pool. Yes we were crazy to be swimming that early but it was lovely to spend an hour with Boo splashing about with me managing to get a few (albeit short) laps in.
After working up an appetite in the pool it was time for breakfast and the vast choice made setting Boo up for a busy day a doddle. There was so much to chose from and the cooked breakfast was so filling.
We just had time before checkout to head into Exeter city centre to pick up some last minute pre wedding essentials (10 out of 10 to their impressively large Zara!)
Travel with children and luxury on the go aren’t divorced form each other and I’m a big believer that with a little planning there’s no reason that you (and the children) can’t enjoy both.
Hotel Du Vin was the perfect staycation pit stop to inject a spot of much needed luxury and should be your first choice when choosing a base to explore the wonderful cathedral city of Exeter and surrounding Devon.
Disclosure: We were guests of Hotel Du Vin, all opinions are my own.
I remember buying my first car all those years ago – my top three criteria were colour, stereo and being a three door; fast forward over a decade and I luckily seem to have shrugged off my seemingly girl racer tendencies and am now more concerned with safety that what name would suit my new car.
The family car market is saturated with makes and models and it can be daunting to know where to start when picking the your new family car. Even as a blogger who has test driven and reviewed a number of cars it can still seem like an endless road (see what I did there) and a job that you keep putting off.
I was pleased to see the Kia Niro score highly on the safety guide – I reviewed the Niro, one of the newest models form the kia range last year and it’s top of it’s class safety is just one of it’s many attributes.
choosing a model that ticks all the right boxes when it comes to car safety doesn’t have to be boring or time consuming with the interactive guide and helps to put parents minds at rest that they are making the best choices for their family.
And yes you’ll be pleased to know that a stereo isn’t top of my priorities when it comes to picking a new family car but I do admit to still being particular about the colour proving that there’s trivia in this Mama still!
Disclosure: A fee was received for this post but all words and opinions are my own.
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