Thames Valley Mums Blog

Calling all children: Put on a Panto!

Panto season has started and to celebrate Robinson's has created Put On A Panto -- a cute web site that gives children all the tools they need to stage their very own Pantomime -- from planning, to practising to performing. It even includes invitations, posters and suggestions on making costumes.

Come on, I know you want to try it.

And if you'd like to win tickets to a local pantomime of your choice (for a family of five, worth up to £250) please visit A Modern Mother, Violet Posy or The Potty Diaries for a chance to win a fun night out!

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Kids bored this half term? Try these activites...

I used to measure the success of school breaks based on the number of trips made to A&E. One year I had to deal with a 2-year-old who lost her fingernail in a slammed door AND a 3-year-old who broke her arm whilst climbing out of her cot.

We've moved on since then, and so has the economy.

The credit crunch means that many people may opt to stay local this half term, rather than the usual trip to France and Euro Disney.

Here are some ideas in preparation for when you wake up on Monday morning and the children ask "what are we doing today mummy?"

This post has a Thames Valley twist, but there are ideas that you can use to beat half term boredom in any location.

And if none of these ideas appeal ... you can always hire a babysitter and get a massage!

A little boy's dream: the London Transport Museum

Where do you take a train, plane, bus and car mad three-year-old for his birthday in London?  Why, The London Transport Museum in Covent Garden, of course! This was Boy #2's treat of choice last week.  Admittedly, they don't have airplanes there, but as a place where you can spot practically every other mode of transport in London, it ticked all his boxes.
 
The Transport Museum is tucked away in the South East corner of the Covent Garden Piazza, and is easily reachable by tube.  As a family-friendly destination, they don't come much better than the Piazza, with it's host of shops and stalls on the galleries in the restored old Covent Garden vegetable market, the street entertainment on offer in and around it, the (admittedly pricey) restaurants and bars when you need refuelling, and the simple pleasure of being outdoors in what I personally find an exciting, buzzy and vibrant part of town.  Add the Opera House, the local theatre, and the Transport Museum to the mix and this are becomes one of the top tourist attractions in London.  

Seven FAB activites for children during the Christmas holidays

My daughter has four weeks of Christmas holidays.  Every year I’ve worked the holidays, so I’ve never really had to deal with keeping her entertained.  However as I’m only working two days a week now and hubby’s just been made redundant we aren’t for one minute going to spend £45 a day on holiday club - no matter how much she begs to go - LOL!

So being a good thrifty mummy I’ve scoped out the local bowling alley, it turns out you can bowl for £1.95 if you go between 10am and 12pm. An ice rink opened locally for the holidays but it’s quite expensive so we might have to give that a miss or see if they have a reduced rate time.

All Aboard! Try the IMAX with children

We took the Boys to the Imax on Southbank yesterday, to see the wonderful movie, 'The Polar Express'. 
 
This is not a review of the film, however; it's been out for long enough (five years) that there's a pretty good chance you'll already have seen it, and if you haven't, I suggest you rush down to Sainsbury's where the dvd is usually on special offer at Christmas for around £5.  Then settle down for an afternoon of escapism with your children - I defy you not to be swept up in the story...

Ten things to do in Oxford with children this Christmas

Wondering what to do with the kids this Christmas?

Oxford is just a hop, skip and a jump away and it's a great place for kids. You just need to know where to go and what to do.

Check out these insider tips by Kelli Terrington, an Oxford mum and founder of Ox and Cross Publishing, publisher of the Oxford Colouring Book, where all proceeds go to charities that help children.

1. The Botanic Garden near Magdalen Bridge has an inspiring Christmas tree decorated with things found in the garden.  If you are worried about being out in the cold, there are several glasshouses where you can keep warm and admire many interesting plants despite the outside temperatures.

London's most spectacular winter attraction -- ice skating at the Natural History Museum

The Ice Rink and the Christmas Fair at the Natural History Museum are billed as 'London's most spectacular winter attraction'.
 
Well, what could be better for a cold November afternoon when the nights are drawing in and the park is out of the question?  We took our two boys (five and three years old) and a couple of visiting family members to see if it lived up to the hype.
 
To a certain extent, it does.  It's in a fabulous location right in front of the beautiful Victorian façade of the museum, and is prettily lit by twinkling white lights in the surrounding trees, so it certainly looked festive enough.

This half term was a huge success

Half term is over, and we had no trips to A&E. I consider this a huge success.

One year I had to deal with a two-year-old who got her finger nail ripped off by having it slammed in the door (her sister swears she didn’t do it) AND a three-year-old who broke her arm climbing out of her cot.

In the UK, kids seem to have time off from school every few weeks. I’m lucky as my children go to state schools. It’s worse at the fee-paying schools. The more you pay for your child’s education here, the more time off they get off school (I guess it comes in handy if you have a chalet in Chamonix and want to get full use of it).

Nip boredom in the bud! Top 50 activities for children this half term

I used to measure the success of school breaks based on the number of trips made to A&E. One year I had to deal with a 2-year-old who lost her fingernail in a slammed door AND a 3-year-old who broke her arm whilst climbing out of her cot.

We've moved on since then, and so has the economy.

The credit crunch means that many people may opt to stay local this half term, rather than the usual trip to France and Euro Disney.

Here are some ideas in preparation for when you wake up on Monday morning and the children ask "what are we doing today mummy?"

This post has a Thames Valley twist, but there are ideas that you can use to beat half term boredom in any location.

And if none of these ideas appeal ... you can always hire a babysitter and get a massage!