Animals of the Ice Age at Howletts Wildlife Park

Many zoos and wildlife parks seem to be expanding with new Dinosaur areas, but Howletts near Canterbury in Kent has created an Animals of the Ice Age walk featuring the creatures that walked the earth after dinosaurs and we were invited along for the day to take a look.

I visited Howletts often as a child but I don't remember the last time I was there so I was excited to see if it was the same as I remembered it.  We didn't pick the best day to visit, but it was dry when we arrived and we decided to go and find the ice age walk straight away.  Howletts is one of very few wildlife parks that has elephants and they were clearly in a playful mood when we arrived as we could watch the younger ones play fighting and teasing each other.  The animals of the ice age walk is situated right next door and we were given books at the front desk to help us explore the area.  Unfortunately we completely forgot to take them out the bag but next time we will as they look perfect for my six year old with challenges to draw, right and puzzles to complete as you walk through the area.

The ice age starts where the Jurassic period (which you can walk through at the sister park Port Lympne) ends and along the walkway we could spot little and large creatures as well as living animals too.  Many of them resemble the animals we know and love like elephants, rhinos and anteaters but the size and shapes were different and each one came with a board giving us help on how to pronounce each name and a few facts about the animals.  It was the perfect size for my six year old to digest and easy enough for him to read.  He has been learning about herbivores and omnivores at school and loved that each board had this information.  The little ones were excitedly running between the animals amazed at the size and pointing out familiar features.  

We had brought Grandma and Grandpa along for the day and the children couldn't stop telling us all about the animals.  Towards the end of the walk there is one with a huge horn coming out the top of his head which was definitely a big hit and some of the animals were situated close enough to the barriers to be touched.  The woolly mammoth was indeed woolly and the children loved feeling the fur.  

It wasn't long after the animals of the ice age walk, or possibly during it that it started to rain and it only got heavier as the day went on.  Of course I am that unprepared mum who just told the children to put some shoes on so none of them were in wellies.  My coat didn't have a hood and none of us had umbrellas.  Many of the animals seemed to be hiding away to escape the rain and we didn't blame them, but there were a few that just weren't bothered and as the park was quiet we got great views.  The tiger was on top form and we loved watching the lemurs feeding.  The gorillas were fascinating to my mini monkeys and the elephants were great fun to observe.  The ice age walk was definitely the highlight of our day though and the good thing about model animals is they are always exactly where they should be!

As much as we love dinosaurs, and we really do, it was really fascinating to learn about a different era that we know much less about and the exhibit is unique and fun for children and adults of all ages.  My camera was hastily hidden away when the rain started gushing but I got a few pictures before hand.  On a seperate note if you have children that love muddy puddles then bring wellies as Howletts is great for splashing as the three boys will tell you!

Thank you to Howletts for hosting us for a fun day, the kids thought it was fantastic even in the rain and have asked to go back again over Easter! I am definitely up for it as long as it is a little drier!

PIN ME!

Read more ⇨

Me and Mine in March

March is leaving us with the taste of Spring and sunshine along with a threat of snow and plenty of rain.  It feels like Spring should be starting about now, but the weather man is not convinced yet.  Boots and coats are still very much needed and we are feeling a little nervous about our Easter holiday plans.

March was the month that Ed turned 34, that Archie broke his collarbone, that Finn took mischief to another (more destructive) level, that Dylan challenged stereotypes and that Cora decided to assert her independence and the month where we had a 'mini' holiday' to London.  It was quick and busy and quiet all at the same time and we are excited for April and Easter and hopefully sandals and sunshine.

This month I have loved going to see School of Rock with my Mum, buying myself fresh flowers, discovering there is more local woodland than I thought and watching the children playing so nicely when we went to London.

Ed has loved getting new windows for the whole house, playing Junior Monopoly with the boys, eating mini eggs every night and the Beer Festival on Good Friday.

Dylan has loved visiting the SeaLife Centre in London, choosing his new glasses, making Easter hats at school and eating red pepper.

Archie has loved building his own bear at Build-a-bear, getting extra cake because he has a broken bone, playdates with his friends and counting down to Easter.

Finn has loved playing in the rain at the zoo, playing Football with some German men on the Southbank, starting at toddler gym and doing puzzles.

Cora has loved choosing her own clothes in the morning, peeling satsumas,  answering every question with the word 'me' and carrying around a Chase from Paw Patrol teddy all the time.

Read more ⇨

What the Kids Wore // Frugi

One of the challenges of Dylan getting bigger is finding clothes for him.  The high street choices become so grown up and we both love more playful and comfortable styles for him.  I have written before about how I love Frugi for older boys and this season we were allowed to choose an outfit for each of the children from their stunning Globetrotter collection.   We stayed in a beautiful hotel at the weekend and I took some photos of the children playing around before our day out.  Their cheeky faces match the clothes perfectly!

There were so many beautiful designs and I am so happy with what I chose.  Dylan has a shark surf t-shirt and joggers with a fun pirate and fish skeleton print.  The outfit is colourful and perfect for his age. The organic clothes are soft, stretchy and suitable for everything a six year old wants to do.  Dylan is 128cm tall and wearing age 7-8 years.

Archie has an amazing Motorbike t-shirt but due to a broken collar bone he can only wear button up shirts so he is just wearing the joggers here.  The boys love matching so we went for the same style and they go with everything as well as being comfy and easy for him to get on and off, even with one hand.  Archie is about 109cm and he is in age 5-6 years.

I got Finn the same joggers as his brothers and I am amazed at how well they fit all three children despite the fact they have very different figures as Archie is very slim and Finn is wider and still wears a nappy.  Finn's t-shirt is a gorgeous bright colour and has a little tail coming up the back too.  Finn is around 95cm and wears age 3-4 years.

I chose Cora a beautiful summer dress with a snail on the front and we teamed it with some turqouise leggings and a rainbow stripe cardigan all from the new collection.  The dress will be perfect in the summer on its own but it works so well layered for the spring as well.  The whole outfit is fun and playful and I think it looks gorgeous together! Cora is 79cm tall and wears age 12-18 months.

The new collection is all organic and designed for active kids.  One of my favourite things about Frugi is how well it caters for all ages and I think these outfits suit a little toddler as much as they suit a six year old boy.

Thank you to Frugi for the gorgeous outfits!

PIN ME!

PIN ME!

Read more ⇨

What the Kids Wore // Vertbaudet

Finally we are getting glimpses of Spring and I am avoiding any mention of a possible third 'Beast from the East' snow storm.  Everywhere I look I see daffodils sprouting, the sun is starting to warm my skin as I walk in it and we are getting outside much more. 

Vertbaudet asked me to pick an outfit for the children, and I chose this top and trousers for finn as well as a dress and coatigan for Cora.  The dress is perhaps a little too summery for this weather so you can see only a glimpse of it underneath but the coatigan is perfect!

They love visiting soft play and playgrounds, but one of my favourite places to take them is into woodland as I get more of a glimpse into how their brains work.  I love watching them explore and notice things in nature.  Everything is for climbing on and Finn is full of questions.

Finn's trousers have an adjustable waist and roll up cuffs which means they are perfect for exploring. I can roll them up when he wants to take his shoes off and paddle in puddles! His top is lovely and soft and he loves that is says pirates on it.

Cora's coatigan is warm and lined and a lovely length to keep her warm as well as being Oeko-Tex certified.  I went for age 2 although she is a very petite child and usually wears either 9-12 months or 12-18 so the arms are a little long but I think it looks great with them rolled up.  She has refused to take it off all day which is a sign that she loves it too!  Vertbaudet sell a great selection of clothes for newborns, toddlers and children

Check out the Vertbaudet website to find these items and lots more!

PIN ME!

Read more ⇨

Purple Glasses

Last week I took my six year old son Dylan to the opticians for an eye test.  He has worn glasses for nearly 3 years now and every six months we have a check up where they assess his eyes, usually tweak the prescription ever so slightly and issue a voucher for a new pair of glasses.  The opticians we chose lets the children have two pairs and there is a great selection for them to choose from.

Last week Dylan got to pick his new glasses and as we walked over to the stand with its two boards, the pink one with 'girls' written at the top and the blue board with 'boys' written at the top, he checked with me that he was allowed to choose any pair.  Of course, I told him, although some pairs might not be the right size for your face, they might be best for older or younger children, so you can choose your favourites and we will check with the optician to see if you can have them.

We walked over and he spent a long time looking.  I turned around to chat to his little brother who was in the shop with us and Dylan picked up his two favourite pairs.  One of them had a black metal frame and spiderman jumping down the arms, the other had purple plastic frames and a Finding Dory image on the side.  One was clearly from the boys section and the other from the girls.

It took all my will power to not say anything, to support his decision.  He is six and a half and able to make his own choices.  I have tried to bring him up to know that women and men are equal, that a woman can be an engineer and a man a ballet dancer, that toys and colours and jobs do not have a gender and that his choices are valid and valued.  But still there is a stigma on boys choosing from a girls section.  A girl choosing Spiderman glasses is considered cool, but a boy choosing pink or purple ones is more difficult and I want to do anything to protect my son from hurtful comments and actions. 

But I respected his choice and we ordered his new Finding Dory glasses.  The next morning out of the blue he told me in a very matter of fact way that he thought people at school would laugh at him when they saw his new glasses.  I asked him what made him think that.

"Because some of them think there is such a thing as boy colours and girl colours, but I know that anyone can like any colours because they don't belong to girls and boys".

And he reminded me of his strength, of his individuality and that quiet confidence that lives within him.  He didn't choose the glasses naive to the social impact he may make, he chose them in spite of them, because he is not afraid to be who he is, to like what he likes and to stand up for his belief that any person can like any colour.  My son is confident in his decision, not so swayed yet by peer pressure and I hope he stays that way.  His decision made me more confident, in my decisions and in my parenting, because this is the boy that I raised. 

Read more ⇨

5 Tips for Photographing Toddlers

Sitting babies are perfect for photographing, mostly because they stay where you put them.  Toddlers are notoriously more tricky as they are not so co-operative and definitely not as still!  These are my top 5 tips for taking photos of toddlers and capturing this amazing stage in their lives.

1) Get down on their level.

The best angle is usually theirs so I usually photograph my little people whilst sitting on the floor.  It means I can see their faces and expressions clearer and capture the way they move.  Sit on the floor or crouch down so that the camera is at their face level to get a great shot.

2) Quick shutter speed on manual

If you are shooting on a 'big' camera, then the key to capturing these little sprinters is a fast shutter speed.  The faster your camera can take the picture, the less likely you are to get motion blur.  With toddlers I think you need 1/200 as a minimum and 1/320 or above if they are moving

3) The subject doesn't always have to be central

Sometimes it seems easiest to keep the subject in the centre of the shot but often the most interesting ones are a little different.  Imagine there are lines across the screen splitting the image into three across and down.  Try framing your shot with the subject centred on one of these lines.  This is called the rule of thirds and is a great way to capture something natural.

4) Think about the little details

Photos don't have to feature the whole child, sometimes they can tell a story with just a little detail, the way they hold a toy, or a facial expression, or the way they swing their legs and some of the best photos focus on one little detail rather than the bigger picture.  Try experimenting with different styles to capture the little things.

5) Show what you know, the best photos aren't staged, 

they are those that capture the behaviour and expressions you love

You know your own children better than anyone else, you know how to get smiles, you know the little looks they give, the little features that someone else might miss so try and use this information to capture what you know.  Snap away whilst they are busy playing, capture the candid moments when they are being natural and they will be the photos you treasure.

Those are my top tips for photographing toddlers.  What would you add?

PIN ME!

Read more ⇨

A Spring Family Bucket List

Ever since the snow melted (after its very brief appearance down here) it has felt like we are on the countdown to Spring and as much as I love Winter, all the magic of Christmas and New Year has faded and I am ready for the new season.  Spring means colour and flowers, new life, lighter evenings and the promise of Summer.  

I have started thinking of things for us to do this Spring and my list is long.  I want to walk barefoot in the sand, to pack away the big winter coats, to make daisy chains and study the bugs that live in the trees.  I have put together a list of the Spring activities which we are determined to complete in the next couple of months as a reminder for the days we don't know what to do.

Read more ⇨