Gift Guide for Harry Potter Fans

Products featured were sent for inclusion in the gift guide but all thoughts and opinions are my own

I have passed my love of Harry Potter on to the children and I know there are lots of people both big and small who will have wizarding goodies on their Christmas wishlists this year! I have put together a guide of some of the best gifts to buy a Harry Potter fan this year.

This interactive Wizarding Quiz game by Tomy is designed for 2-4 players and will be fantastic fun on Christmas day and beyond.  Defend your house by using your knowledge of the franchise with over 1,000 questions.  I think my 9 year old Harry Potter fan is going to love this and bonus points when all the family can play. 

For the Harry Potter fan who has it all, I love the idea of a gift experience and this is something to look forward to in the new year.  Red Letter days have a selection of Harry Potter experiences including a trip to the Warner Brothers Studios followed by a three course meal with wine!  Whether it is your first visit or your third, there is always something different to see and the vouchers are valid for months meaning you can wait until the perfect time to visit.  

Aden and anais have a beautiful Harry Potter range featuring the golden snitch and you can choose muslins and sleeping bags as well as this rather special Harry Potter 'dream blanket' which measures 120cm by 120cm, ideal for my smaller ones to curl up with whilst watching the movies.  This 100% cotton blanket only gets softer after each wash! 

If you are looking for a Potter related stocking filler then check out The Harry Potter Pin Seeking club. Whether you are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin or like me, a Hufflepuff, there are beautiful collections or individual pins and the attention to detail is wonderful.  Now is the perfect time to start a collection, or just buy your favourite house to wear proudly.  If you want to give something even more special then you can buy Harry Potter Fan Club Gold Membership which includes a personalised and interactive Keys and Curious journal, savings and priority access to merchandise and experiences, exclusive video content, and access to all 7 Harry Potter e-books.

Another wonderful collectable and keepsake for any Harry Potter fan is a Steiff pendant keyring.  This heritage brand have created four Potter themed keyrings and they are both incredibly soft and special.  All come with the button in the ear that Steiff are renowned for, this 14cm Harry Potter can be attached to handbags, backpacks or as an everyday keyring. Find more at http://www.steiffteddybears.co.uk/

Top Trumps are very popular in our house, perfect to take on holiday, for car journeys and to play at home, they are a firm favourite.  This Ultimate Harry Potter Top Trumps Bundle makes a brilliant Christmas gift for all the family or can be split up to fit in individual stockings.  Featuring The Half Blood Prince, The Deathly Hallows parts 1 and 2 and 30 favourite wizards and witches I know this will bring plenty of smiles on Christmas morning.  If you haven't discovered the wonders of Top Trumps with children yet, this is the year to do it!

There are some wonderful Harry Potter themed gifts around this year for fans of the books and films and I hope this helps you discover something new to add to your Christmas shopping list for the Potter fan in your life.

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Days out on the Isle Of Wight - Blackgang Chine

During our recent trip to the Isle of Wight we visited Blackgang Chine, the UK's oldest theme park.  We have visited three times over the years, but it is somewhere the children remember and talk about and for us, a visit to the island isn't complete without spending a day here.  In many ways walking through the gates is like stepping back in time.  You are greeted at the entrance by a giant statue of a smuggler and a board inside informs us that he has recently had his clothes repainted for the first time since 1987.  Many of the exhibits haven't changed since my childhood.  My mum remembers bringing my brother and I here back in 1989 and it is amazing to see how much is the same.  

The park is set in Ventnor on the edge of the island and you can see where the cliff collapsed into the sea many years ago.  With a real mix of attractions, the park is aimed at under 10s with plenty to do for the little ones.  We arrived shortly after 10 and ended up leaving just before 5 when the park was shutting.  It was half term when we visited but I think the weather put a lot of people off (it rained almost all day) so it was pretty quiet and we had no problem keeping our distance from others.  We started off entering the dinosaur exhibit and the older children found the signs around the area hilarious.  Amongst the dinosaurs we could see moving and squirting water there are a few that can be climbed on which is always popular! I have photos of the boys on these from our last two visits which I need to bring out!

The land of the Dodos is worth exploring as well as a quick walk through of the crooked house and then we found the two pirate ships that can be played on, both with water guns that shoot across to the other.  As it was raining anyway there seemed no harm in letting the children soak each other.  There are lots of little cabins around the outside of the play area with different things to look at but quite a few were shut (presumably due to their size and Covid guidelines).

The bigger boys remembered Cowboy town well, including the fact you can buy those little bangers that you throw at the floor so we headed there.  There is a mini town with different buildings and shops and they love playiand exploring.  There is also a little outdoor cafe so adults can get a hot coffee! I think this is their favourite part of the park. 

We visited the underwater section, with memories rushing back for the boys (Cora wasn't quite 2 I don't think on our last visit so doesn't remember as much) and Rumpus Mansion which had a Halloween event going on.  The actors were fantastic (and all wearing masks) and it wasn't scary in the slightest.  There was a Halloween fancy dress competition but we hadn't come dressed up.  We did find the little spooky disco area though and got to meet a dragon which was exciting! 

Over the other side of the park there are two rides, one teacups style and a mini rollercoaster which children need to be 1.1m tall to go on.  I took Archie and Finn on it and they enjoyed it.  There was also a water ride which three of them loved, although the younger two needed to go in a boat with an adult (between 0.9 and 1.2m which Finn is a tiny bit shy of).  Dylan is quite cautious and prefers to watch. In the midst of the rides is an ice cream shop called iScream which looks a little modern and out of place in the surroundings but I imagine would be very welcome in different weather.  I turned down requests from the children to get ice cream and eat it in the rain and we popped back to the main cafe for a delicious cake instead. 

 

The park isn't big and there isn't anything really designed for over 8s but all four of my children love Blackgang Chine and it makes a fun day out for young families.  It is a highlight of our trip every time we visit and the children would have happily gone back for round 2 if we were on a longer trip.  With entry to both Blackgang Chine and its sister park Robin Hill, you get free return entry for 7 days.  The novelty features, like the bin that talks to you when you put rubbish in, the 'mouth of hell' that you can climb in and look out of the eyes, the musical pet shop and the distinctly old fashioned feel are quirky and charming and whilst modernising the park may increase footfall, I hope it never changes.  The park is currently closed due to Covid guidelines but we are looking forward to returning in the future.

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Making Autumn Leaf Crowns

It is taking all my will power not to wish away November and get the Christmas decorations out.  I have already cleared a path to the boxes of baubles and tinsel, cards and festive washi tape and I have chosen where the tree will go.  November is going to be great though, lockdown will give us the opportunity to get out in nature without worries that we could or should be doing something else.  The request for shops and cafes from the children can (hopefully) stop for a few weeks and we can take a thermos with us and make our own coffee shop at home (I have already bought some of those hot chocolate lumps on sticks that you stir into hot milk as they love them).  I am trying to find the positives in it all and see the privilege in getting to spend extra time with my favourite little people.

It feels a bit like winter now, even though we are still not wearing coats every day, but the heating is on, my slippers are out and the trees in the garden are looking bare, the ground a sea of brown but disappearing fast.  Before the last leaves fell, we collected some up to celebrate the consistency and inevitability of the seasons and made leaf crowns.  Unfortunately our glue has had the lid left off a bit too long each time so I ended up popping tape round to keep everything on which feels much less like a nice natural activity.  The little two loved creating their crowns though and both wearing them and putting them on the dogs that are dotted around the nature garden in our local park. They wore new clothing, sent to us as press samples, which is not only made of organic cotton but is also certified fairtrade, from Little Green Radicals.

Every year I think I declare each season my favourite, Spring is full of promise, flowers springing up, bright colours and the feel of the sun on my skin after so long, Summer is long days and going to the beach after dinner for a swim in the sea, the freedom of sandals and salty hair.  Winter is the magic of Christmas, the feeling of hot chocolate by a toasty open fire, snow if we are lucky, but I think of them all Autumn is the most beautiful.  The rich rusty tones, the sound of leaves crunching under my feet, reds, browns, I love the colours the most.  Of course this year has been unlike any others, but we swapped trick or treating for a pinata and snuggling up with a film and it was just as wonderful and special and the children maintain they enjoyed it just as much. Autumn is passing and the leaves have fallen but I am going to carry on walking without a coat when I can get away with it, marvelling at any leaves still clinging on to the branches and crunching through (if the ground actually dries out enough to!).  I took these photos because I couldn't resist the tones of Autumn and I want to share them so I can look back at these strange days of unpredictability coupled with the consistency of the seasons beginning and ending, the leaves changing colour and falling, just as they always do.

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