Tag: soft play

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Celebrating The Small Things:Week Twenty Five

by thejoyoffiveLeave a Comment on Celebrating The Small Things:Week Twenty Five

This week has been a real mixture of sentimentality, celebrating new challenges and making new friends.

17 Years Of School Runs – It was only the other day when I was taking the obligatory video of my feet for Instastories on the school run that I realised my little toes had been doing the school run for the past 17 years! There have been different schools, we have taken different paths but ultimately I have wracked up a fair few miles over the years and still have plenty more to go and I love it!

Facebook Live – This was actually a pretty big one for me but wanted to celebrate it as it was a big step in my confidence journey.

I was lucky enough to go along to Mumsnet Head Quarters in Kentish Town to film a Facebook Live to let everyone know about the Disney 24 Hour Challenge that I am taking part in.

Not only did I face my fear of the camera I also had the added pressure of it all going live which aside from a massively dry mouth and sweaty palms I got through. I had some help and encouragement from the lovely Franca from A Moment With Franca and Amie from Mumnet and thoroughly enjoyed every minute.

Oscar’s New Friends – When my older children started school it pretty was just that. There were no meet the teacher days or picnics to welcome the children and their families, we were all just thrown in at the deep end and had to deal with it.

Over the years this transition has become much more of an event and our lovely local softplay organised a meet up for children starting reception at our school. It was a great chance for the children to meet their new friends and the parents to meet over a coffee and of course a big boy of cake!

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Sunny Sunday At Godstone Farm

by thejoyoffive2 Comments on Sunny Sunday At Godstone Farm

  
With such a hit and miss Summer weather wise this year we took the opportunity to visit Godstone Farm in Surrey on this wonderfully sunny day. 

We are lucky enough to have this fabulous farm only twenty minutes drive from home; but it is well worth a drive out to as you can have a full day here as there is so much on offer.

Our first port of call is always the petting area as mine love nothing more than getting hands on and getting to know the animals.  They had a great time holding the chicks and stroking the rabbits.  It took a good while to prize number five away from the chickens.

   
 

From here we moved onto the bigger animals and the boys loved shooting the feed down the tubes to feed the sheep and goats.

   
 

In between visiting the animals there are several small play areas that the children can hop on and ride toy tractors, wizz down slides and clamber into big wooden cars. 

  

 

Soft play is always a big hit with all mine and they are never disappointed with the large area that Godstone has to offer.  They had a great time climbing and sliding whist we grabbed a coffee.

A relatively new attraction to the farm is the Dino Trail.  Number five is a massive dinosaur fan so this is a very welcome addition for us.  We walked through the trail where the huge dinosaurs are nestled amongst the undergrowth for you to spot, there are lots of fun facts to read on the way round and some big bones to excavate. 


  

We only had the youngest two with us today but the huge playground area is always the biggest draw for my brood. There is a massive sandpit that we build sandcastle and burried number four in, a brilliant climbing wall that leads to a super steep slide and so much more than I can mention.

   
     

We only had a limited amount of time here today as we had the others to collect but we could have happy stayed and eaten at the lovely cafe which serves a good selection of hot and cold food and yummy cakes and taken a ride on the tractor to take in the sights on four wheels.

We will be visiting again very soon and hope to get along in the half term holiday to join in with their spooky Halloween events. 

   
  

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Checking Out Little Lambs Softplay

by thejoyoffive3 Comments on Checking Out Little Lambs Softplay

A while ago I was asked by the lovely Sophie to bring my little ones along to her softplay cafe Little Lambs in Sutton.

So today mine were in desperate need to let off some steam and I was in need of a good coffee so we popped along to see what we thought.

  
We parked easily in the St Nicholas centre car park which took us straight to the cafe.  I didn’t bother to get the buggy out but there is ample space to leave your buggy outside and the full glass frontage allows you to easily keep an eye on it.

We found ourselves a table and went over to the counter where we were greeted by the super friendly staff who served me my much needed coffee.

  
The boys spent a good few hours jumping on the bouncy castle, slipping down the slide, leaping into the ball pit and balancing on all the soft bricks.

   
     

Once they had built up a good appetite we sat down to a wonderful lunch.  I was extremely impressed with the large range of healthy choices that were on offer, including Slimming World options.  You can also choose from some yummy homemade cakes if you fancy something a little naughty!

The children’s menu was perfect for number four as I was able to choice from the lunchbox menu so that all  his allergies could be catered for.

     
     

Before we headed home the boys popped round to the quiet corner to do some pictures on the chalk boards and play with the toy kitchen.  This is a great addition as sometimes little ones like a change from the hustle and bustle that softplay brings.

   
 

All in all we had a fantastic trip.  The staff were super friendly and more than helpful, the play areas were well kept, safe and had plenty to amuse my youngest two, number three was more than happy to have a snack and play on her iPad whist the boys played, and finally the food menu was vast, tasty and extremely good value for money.

I would highly recommend Little Lambs to anyone with under 5’s and will be returning there very soon myself.
We were given a free day out at Little Lambs in return for this review.  All opinions are my own honest thoughts.

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Rainy Summer Holiday Trips In Surrey

by thejoyoffive18 Comments on Rainy Summer Holiday Trips In Surrey

I knew that my post on outdoor summer days in Surrey was tempting fate, and I was right!  A few days later we  have horrendous torrential rain.

For me a bit of rain never puts me off getting outside and to be honest all the places such as farms are empty which I love!  Unfortunately though even I have to give in sometimes and settle for indoor activities instead.

I’ve listed a few of my favourites for you here:

Mother Kitty’s

  

If you have under fives, nestled at the top of Rickman Hill in Coulsdon is a wonderful little softplay and vintage tea rooms called Mother Kitty’s perfect to relax and have a cup of tea whilst you watch the little ones play.

   
 

The soft play is only sutiable for under 5’s but I bring my older ones along as they are more than happy to sit and have a drink whist making use of the free wifi!!

  
If the weather holds out then there is a large park and playground that is great to have a run around in too.

Airhop

  

If you want your older ones to let off some steam and get away from their games consoles, Airhop is a fantastic place to visit.

Over 4’s can bounce around to their hearts content on the many trampolines, foam pits and basketball areas.

  
You need to book your hours session online and they do get full very quickly, so make sure you book well before your intended visit.

Little Street

I have only visited this fantastic place once, and it completely blew me away.  

The name says it all and once inside Little Street really is a mini town for your little ones to play to their hearts content.

   
 

They can do their shopping in the supermarket, go to the hairdressers, visit the doctors, pop to the cafe, drive up and down the street, work on the construction site and lots more.

   
   

This is a refreshing change to your run of the mill soft play area which I loved playing in as much as the kids.

   
 

You book your hours slot online as numbers are restricted to ensure your child can play in the best environment.

I couldn’t recommend this place more.  Really is a fantastic trip.

Honeywood Museum

We came across the Honeywood Museum last year after years of visiting Carshalton and were pleasantly surprised.

The entry is free and they simply ask for a donation as you leave.  The house is fasinating to explore and you can pick up question sheets from the front desk that the children can fill in as you walk around.

   
 
They put on regular craft sessions for the children that mine really loved taking part in.

I would suggest checking out their Facebook page to see what events they have going on before taking a visit.

  
Kidspace

Kidspace is a mega softplay area along the Purley Way in Croydon.

With a large age range in children places like this can sometimes be tricky for me, but this cover all ages for me.

There is a smaller area with a sensory play section, mini trampolines, climbing areas and slides that is sutiable for the little ones.

  
  
The main area homes a huge area that they can climb and slide around, a big ball shooting area, go carts and climbing walls.

   
   

It is more expensive than most soft plays, but it is worth the money.  

They have a lovely cafe serving hot and cold food that is a great addition to a great soft play.

The Lightbox

I love art and love to find places that the children can explore the arts in a fun yet educating way.

The Lightbox in Woking, Surrey is a small gallery perfect for children.  They  regularly change their exhibitions and always have something to capture the thoughts of little minds.

   

They have a craft room where they can get hands on and create their own masterpieces with the help of the lovely staff.

   
 

There is a all cafe serving a small selection of snacks and some wonderful homemade cakes.  Theses can be enjoyed in the beautiful garden to the front of the gallery of the weather is good.
I hope you have found something here that your children would love to visit; I would love to hear what you think.