Days Out With The Kids This Christmas

Yes I know we have only just put our sandals and summer dress aways but before you know it Christmas will be upon us and if you want to get those special days booked in then you really do have to start thinking about it now!

Christmas is by far my favourite time of year and I have compiled a list of a few of our favourites that I hope you might enjoy:

Lapland UK – This one just had to be top of my list as I have experienced nothing like it before. We were lucky enough to have our first trip there last year and we were absolutely blown away.

From helping the elves in Father Christmas’s toy factory, icing biscuits with Mother Christmas, taking to the ice in the most beautifully setting and finally meeting the main man himself who Frankie has named ‘the real’ Father Christmas it was sheer magic.

It brought a tear to my eye and I don’t think that day will ever be topped!

Hever Castle – For me Hever brings you everything you would imagine when you think of an English christmas celebration. The traditional fairground rides and beautiful christmas trail are perfect for the little ones, whilst the stunningly decorated castle is a sight that everyone will enjoy.

We are off there at the end of November so keep an eye out for what they have in store this year.

Chessington World Of Adventure – The Winter’s Tail event at Chessington World Of Adventure is always a fantastic day out. There is the chance to visit Santa in his grotto, ride on a few selected rides that are specially opened including our favourite – The Gruffly River Ride Adventure, decorate festive treats in the Gruffly kitchen and something new this year will be The Gruffalo Christmas Groove.

alongside all of this they are also offering sleepover packages and we can highly recommend a stay in their fantastic hotel.

Painshill Park – This one for us has the ultimate wow factor when it comes to the grotto. After a walk along a pretty lit walkway you find your way to the crystal grotto where Father Christmas is waiting to hand out his gifts.

It is certainly different from the norm and gets booked up extremely quickly so don’t leave it until the last minute.

Southbank – If you are looking for a day out with festive foods, quirky gifts and the perfect London backdrop then the christmas market at Southbank if definitey one for the list.

Hobbledown – I am so sad that I won’t be going along to the toddlers lunch with Father Christmas this year.

I have visited for many years now and it is the perfect trip for preschoolers where they decorate a biscuit, have some lunch and meet Santa in the cutest little wooden hut.

Winerville – We had our first trip here last year and it really exceeded our expectations. It is an uber cool experience in the heart of Clapham common offering a bit of everything from great food and drink to ice skating, roller skating, fairground rides, crazy golf and a whole lot more.

Disney On Ice – This has become somewhat of a tradition for us to visit a few days before christmas. The culmination of all our favourite Disney characters, the chill of the ice and the excitement of Christmas makes for a great day out.

National Trust – We have visited a fair few properties over the festive period and each one has its on unique and wonderful christmas feel. They offer visits to Father Christmas, crafts galore christmas markets and brilliant trails to wear the kids out which is always a bonus!

CBeebies Christmas Show:Thumbelina – Getting cosy in the cinema is perfect at this time of year and when its to watch a classic such as Thumbelina put on by some of your favourite Cbeebies characters then its always going to be a hit.

We are off to see this later in the year so keep an eye out for what we think!

RHS Wisley – Now the illuminated trail at Wisley is something I’ve heard so many good things about but haven’t actually got there yet. I think it will have to go on my list for this year.

Winter Wonderland – If you want Christmas on a grand scale then this is the place for you. Winter Wonderland is a huge area in Hyde Park full of fairground rides, food stalls, gifts, ice skating, shows and bucket loads more. We had our first trip there last year and had an amazing time!

Bocketts Farm – I love a farm visit over the christmas period and Bocketts offers an amazingly festive day out complete with a trip to santa in his hay barn.

The Snowman – My children laugh at how much I love The Snowman in any form. My first love was of course the illustrated character and I have loved watching how he has evolved over the years. We watched the stage show a few years ago which was absolutly spell binding and keep the attention of my younger two for over two hours which is no mean feat. This year there is also a magical exhibition at the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery, an immersive experience at The Backyard Cinema, a special story telling session at Bath Pavilions by the talented author Michael Morpurgo and a the most magical showing of the animated film at the Royal Albert Hall accompanied by the Royal Philamonic Orchestra.

Priory Farm – This has been our Christmas Eve tradition for a few years now. We stop off in the cafe for a mince pie and a warm drink, get the last of our foodie bits at the fab farm shop and a trek round the discovery walk to wear out the over excited little one.

Giggles Galore And Family Fun At Camp Bestival

When it comes to Camp Bestival nobody is left out. There really is something for anyone from 1-100 and at no point throghout the whole festival is there time for anyone to get bored.

As the countdown begins the line ups are looking more and more exciting and if it’s things to keep the family happy you are looking for or having some belly laughs for yourself then this year all these bases are certainly covered.

Top of the comedy bill is award winning Sean Lock who is probably best known for his captain spot on 8 Out Of 10 Cats who will be taking to the stage in the Big Top on Sunday afternoon.

Veteran of comedy Dave Jones will also be heading back to Camp Bestival this year. He has been touring festivals and comedy clubs for three decades now and always enjoys his time with his family at Camp Bestival.

Another familiar face who will be returning this year is Andrew Maxwell, one comedy great modern stand-ups.

If its more family fun you are after then the line up is looking pretty spectacular already!

Camp Bestival regulars Mr Tumble and Dick and Dom will be there to keep the little ones entertained, joined again by Mister Maker And The Shapes who were a huge hit with my youngest ones last year.

Something that we are really looking forward to is the Nautical Gorilla Circus And Flying Trapeze School that will have everyone in awe at their dazzling and death defying acts, there will even be the chance to have a go yourself.

Andy And The Odd Socks will be making an apperance with the fun filled show of singing and dancing that is sure to entertain everyone.

The Magic Meadow will be home to a very special guest this year – The Whale Of The Pirates Misadventure. There will be a chance to climb inside the 50ft inflatable sperm whale and see all sorts of seaside tales.

Lastly a very exciting festival exclusive is going to be show casing this year – ZSL London Zoo: Gruesome Nature Live with an interactive musical show. There is all fun an interesting facts to find out about from who has the slimiest eyeball to which species of animal can endure fire.

This really is just a small snippet of whats to come this year and I I can’t wait to let you know more about this fantastic festival.

There is still plenty of time book your tickets and I have left all the info below:

Camp Bestival Ticket Info:

Camp Bestival 2018 will take place on July 26th – 29th. Early Bird tickets and Weekly Payment Plan are on sale now. Book Tickets here / 0844 888 4410

WEEKLY PAYMENT PLAN

The Camping Bestival 2018 Weekly Payment Plan is on sale now. Use our 25-week payment plan from £7 per week. Book online via Ticketline only.

TICKET EARLY BIRD PRICES

Adult Weekend Ticket – £180*

Student Weekend Ticket – £175*

Age 13 to 17 Weekend Ticket – £111.20*

Age 10 to 12 Weekend Ticket – £84.75*

Age 5 to 9 Weekend Ticket – £31.75*

Age 4 & Under Weekend Ticket – £10.60*

Babes in Arms (1 & Under) – FREE (but ticket required)*

*All weekend tickets include camping from Thursday

*Please refer to the Camp Bestival Ticket Terms & Conditions

Camping Plus, Boutique, Backstage and Hospitality tickets are available.

Car Parking – £20 in advance

Campervan Ticket (Field A) – £90 – please read Campervan T&Cs here before booking

Caravan / Trailer Tent Ticket (Field A) – £100 – please read Caravan / Trailer Tent T&Cs here before booking

Festival Programme Pack – £10 (reserve your festival programme pack to collect on site at the festival)

In The Night Garden Live:Review

Last year we had our first visit to In The Night Garden Live at Richmond Park and I have to say it was an absolutely magical experience.

With this in mind I did wonder if we attended again we would still get that wow factor. 

This year we were lucky enough to have two trips to the huge snow dome as we had been asked along to experience the Meet A Character and try out the goody bag which is something we hadn’t tried the year before.

I went along with Oscar the day before opening and had the pleasure of meeting Upsy Daisy and our favourite Iggle Piggle.

The rooms are set up so that you have your own individual experience and the surprise is so much greater then the usual ‘meet and greets’ as it is all done in a separate room for your own personal experience.

The minute the curtain went back Oscar’s eyes filled with delight and he ran straight in for a big hug!

Over the moon at the chance to meet his favourite characters we then went and collected our goodie bag to try out.

For those of you that read my blog you will know that I am not a fan of merchandise at events such as this as it is usually massively over priced and broken before we even get though the show.

In The Night Garden Live however offers a huge goodie bag full of treats from the usual light up toys to cuddly toys and cutlery sets.

It come at a hugely discounted price compared to buying the gifts separately and there is a whole host of keepsakes that will keep those memories of your trip alive for a long time to come.

The next day we headed back to the snow dome with my husband and Frankie and although the boys were a year older the magic of the snow dome captivated them as soon as we entered the theatre.

Their favourite characters took to the stage in the form of puppets and costumes actors and the whole dome was filled with laughter from the pre school audience.

I’m always a sucker when it comes to sights such as this as there is nothing better than seeing the delight on little ones faces  from the sheer delight of what they are experiencing.

If you are looking for a show to introduce your children to the wonders of the theatre then this is the perfect place to start.

The whole area is geared up for little ones with a huge buggy park, food warming facilities, plenty of toilets and changing facilities and of course their favourite characters coming to life in front of their very eyes.

*we were given tickets to the show and souvenirs of the trip for the purpose of this review.

 

The Teletubbies Turn 20!

Teletubbies
It must have been around this time of year twenty years ago when I was going in elbows first to get my hands on the sell out Teletubbies soft toy at my local Woolworths store for my newborn, that had absolutely no idea when an impact these four cute and cuddly characters were having on a nation of preschoolers.

It’s hard to believe that they have graced our screen for such a long time and although they have had a few changes over the years they have kept the ability to capture the hearts of over a billion children spanning over a hundred countries.

All of my children have fallen for their charms and you can imagine the delight on my youngest ones faces when I told them we were going along to celebrate their twentieth birthday and take a sneak peek at the new series that is set to hit our screens on the 13th March, with a special birthday show on the 31st March.

I arrived at The Riverfront on The Southbank on the Sunday morning with two super excited boys just itching to meet their favourites!

Before the screening we were treated to a yummy brunch whist the children ran wild in the soft play area, created masterpieces, got their faces painted and watched in awe as a magician covered children in a humongous bubble.

Teletubbies Teletubbies The Riverfront, Southbank   

Sufficiently full and a little worn out we headed to the cinema where a hub of excited children were donning their party hats in anticipation of the arrival of the ‘real’ Teletubbies!

Teletubbies Teletubbies  

Chris from Cebebbies took to the stage to introduce the larger than I expected characters and there were gasps and cheers from the entire crowd.

Teletubbies
After joining in with the new ‘Big Hugs’ song that includes a lot of bottom bumping…a big hit with my potty minded children the Teletubbies left the stage for a rest and we were treated to a viewing of the new series.

David Walliams and Rohelle Humes have been addded to the already star studded cast and it’s not just the voiceovers that have had new additions.

The Teletubbies have been treated to a brand new play area called the Hidey Hub that homes the Tubby Bounce, Tubby Slidey, Tubby Uppy Downy and Tubby Spinny.

It’s a great new area that was a big hit with my two, especially the Tubby Slidey which is a seemingly never ending slide…what child wouldn’t love that!

The changes don’t stop there as we can also welcome the Tubby Car that sees them all driving around in their super sweet car that cleverly has a steering wheel for each of them.

The Tiddly Tubbies also play a big part in the new series and I have to say I love them as much as the children do.

Unbelievable a cinema packed with under five’s was left in silence.

This is a hard audience to crack and the Teletubbies did it with no problem at all which just goes to show that the magic that was created with them twenty years ago is a winning combination and is a real testament to the writers they Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa Laa and Po are still going strong today.

I would love for you to tune in on Monday 13th and let me know what you think.

Teletubbies