stories – the joy of five

Children, Children's Books, Families, Family Life, Peter Rabbit, Reviews

Making Bedtime A Breeze With Moonlite

November 28, 2018December 5, 2018by thejoyoffive2 Comments

Bedtimes in my house are an absolute battle ground. Each child has been very different and I have had to use a whole array of different strategies to get them to bed over the years. However when it comes to Frankie all of my attempts at getting him into bed have failed at the first hurdle and six years on this is beginning to take its toll.

For some children going to bed can be a very stressful experience and lead to a lot of anxiety and this is certainly something that is behind Frankie’s sleep problems. He worries about not being able to see whats going on in the dark of the night, he worries about people getting into the house when he’s asleep, in fact you name it he will worry about it.

One thing that seems to calm him down is a bedtime story, although even this he can struggle to engage with and whilst I’m reading his brain will still flit back and forth between all of the worries he has.

When we were asked to try to try out the Moonlite story projector I had high hope that this would be something to help with our bedtime woes.

Moonlite takes traditional storybooks and mixes them with modern technology through the use of HD projections, sound effects and read-a-long features.

The kit comes with with a projector that you simply slip one of the four story wheels into and attach to your phone. Using the projector and a downloadable app the phones flashlight brings the story to life on any surface. The Moonlite app contains the full story for you to read along to whist the pictures are projected for you to follow along with.

The app was super easy to download as was fitting the projector to the phone. Frankie absolutely loved following the words of the story and waiting for the different Mr Men characters to appear on the ceiling. The fact that its a more interactive experience than reading a book in the traditional way allowed Frankie to be more focussed on the story. It took his full concentration and didn’t allow his mind to wander onto all those anxious thoughts he normal gets and he actually settled down so much better than he had for such a long time.

Moonlite has a great variety of stories to choose from such as Spot Loves Bedtime, The Tale Of Peter Rabbit, Dinosaur Roar and lots more. They are going to make for great stocking fillers .

The Gift Pack sells for £39.99 and includes 5 stories and 1 projector. The starter pack which contains 2 stories and a projector sells for £19.99 and you can buy additional story reels for about £8 each.

This has been a great way for us to make bedtime a calmer and more enjoyable experience and has opened up a whole new meaning to our bedtime story routine.

*collaborated post

Children, Children's Books, Christmas, Families, Family Life, Holidays, Reading, Siblings

Celebrating The Small Things:Week One

January 7, 2018January 8, 2018by thejoyoffiveLeave a Comment

When I first started blogging it was a subject I knew very little about, and to say that I went into it blindly would be an understatement; but through the encouragement of family and friends I began my blogging journey and haven’t looked back since.

Over the past few years my blog has gone from strength to strength, it has now become my full time job and has bought me and my family some of the most amazing opportunities and allowed us to meet some wonderful people…some of which I would now class as good friends.

My blog is a place that I come to when I want people to find out about a great day out we have been on, somewhere I can give advice on great new products I have tried out or to celebrate big milestones in our lives; but as the New Year sets in and we naturally evaluate the different parts of our lives I have realised there is one area I have really overlooked when it comes to writing…The Small Things.

There are so many small moments in our lives that we take for granted or miss all together, moments that although may seem small and insignificant they give us great pleasure and we should learn to cherish and show our gratitude for them all.

I have decided to now do a weekly post highlighting all those little moments that would normally pass me by as a document to look back on in years to come and remember fondly.

Brotherly love: When it comes to the youngest two its always been a bit of a love hate relationship, with the latter certainly being more predominant, so when a special moment such as Frankie requesting to take his little brother out to share his birthday treat is an occasion that should be marked.

Lego: This may seem like a strange one, but the wonderful world of Lego has bought us all so much joy since Christmas in many ways. It dominated the youngest two’s christmas lists this year but has brought the whole family such pleasure and brought us together for some much needed quality time as we all muck in trying to make the next creation.

Storytime: Its been more than a few years since Izzy has requested a bedtime story, and to be truthful its not very often she willingly picks up a book! So after buying her the fantastic Goodnight Stories For Rebel Girls it has been an absolute pleasure to see her engrossed in reading and sharing what she has learnt about a whole host of ‘kick arse’ women.

Books, Children, Children's Books, Families, Family Life, Imagination Play, Kids Days Out

Dr Seuss And Nick Butterworth At Discover Story Centre

November 1, 2016November 1, 2016by thejoyoffive5 Comments

I had the delight of visiting the Discover Children’s Story Centre last year and fell in love with everything about it.

Since our last trip they have undergone a refurbishment and everything has only been bettered!

The Story World now spans two floors where the children can explore flashing lights and music inside a cool cave.

Sit quietly in the book corner and let their imagination run wild by creating their own story to stash away for others to read.

Weave through pathways whilst encountering lettered stepping stones.

Jump onboard the sail boat or climb and slide to your hearts content on the ropes and slides.

If quiet crafting is your thing then they still have the beautiful trees full of spoon people that you can create and leave in the trees.

Or if concentrating on crafts is not your thing like number four then they are also fabulous to balance on your nose!

We had booked ourselves into The World Of Dr Seuss exhibition and were hit by an explosion of colour and a very enthusiastic story teller as soon as the doors were open.

The children were taken over and read the famous Dr Suess Cat In The Hat book and even with all the exciting surrounding that they must have been itching to explore every child sat captivated by the animated story teller who had them hooked on her every word.

They were then free to explore!

They could take part in crazy golf, climb aboard the Once-let Wagon, dance along to the music of the boomband, dress up as Thing 1 or 2 and much, much more.

We made our way into the Story Garden from here where they were free to run around and let off some steam before our next adventure.

Not only does the Discover Children’s Story Centre have a whole host of activities to amuse the little ones inside their own centre, they also put on some fantastic events at the nearby Stratford Library.

For me this was the highlight of the day as the legendary author Nick Butterworth was there for a book signing.

Nick Butterworth and his classic stories have been a part of my life since I had my eldest child nineteen years ago and through his great writing and beautiful illustrations we have all become very fond of his books.

I was a little apprehensive upon walking into a very formal looking set up and realising I was going to have to keep the children in one spot for an hour.

These feelings soon past as Nick took to the stage to talk about his life and works that was interesting for the adults and still fun and engaging for the children.

It was so nice to meet the man behind the stories and find where he found his inspiration.

He was a very humble, down to earth man that just ozed passion for his work and his readers.

For me Discover Children’s Story Centre offer a space for children to forget about technology, learn bundles through play and let their imaginations run wild and grow in a fun and relaxed atmosphere.