Crafts: How to make a Packing Peanut Flower Garland

These days we’re increasingly mindful of what we throw away. Disposing of plastic and packaging responsibly is something we’re really trying to do, although not always successfully. I often get boxes, packages and deliveries and where I can I recycle or re-use the packaging, but sometimes I need to get creative. When a box arrived filled with packing peanuts my heart sunk. What was I going to do with all these? The answer was simple, crafts. On this occasion I thought I’d make a Packing Peanut Flower Garland to pretty up my freshly painted living room.

Crafts: How to make a Packing Peanut Flower Garland

I hadn’t realised this until now, but most packing peanuts are made from cornstarch, so if you get them wet they just dissolve into a sticky mess. I thought they were made from a plastic foam which wouldn’t biodegrade, but I was wrong. If you can find no other use for them, you can happily throw them in your compost bin and think no more about it, but I had plans for my packing peanuts!

The Packing Peanut Flower Garland is a simple craft which I happily sat and sewed while I was watching my current guilty pleasure – Say Yes to the Dress! It doesn’t require any great skill with sewing – because I have none really, but it’s a lovely little garland which costs pennies to make and would brighten up any space!

make a Packing Peanut Flower Garland

You will need –
Packing peanuts – 5 or 6 per flower
Needle and thread
Buttons
A long piece of ribbon

Method –
Flatten your packing peanuts. I used a rolling pin but you can squash them flat with your hands if you want.

Take 5 or 6 flattened peanuts and arrange them in a flower shape. Using a needle and thread, sew them together in the centre of the flower. Once they’re secure, take your button and sew it on to the centre of the flower. Then place your flower where you want to sew it on the ribbon and stitch it in place through the button.

Crafts: How to make a Packing Peanut Flower Garland

Keep sewing flowers and adding them to the garland until you’re happy with how many flowers you’ve got. Tie a small loop at each end of your ribbon and hang up wherever you think best. It doesn’t matter where, as long as it’s dry!

I’m really quite pleased with my Packing Peanut Flower Garland. It’s so simple and costs very little to make, it’s the prefect frugal craft for those who hate waste!

If you enjoyed this, you might also like some of my other craft posts.

Crafts: How to make a Packing Peanut Flower Garland

Children’s Books: Five Brilliant Books About Spring

Believe it or not, it’s spring (as I type this there is snow on the ground and the heating is on full blast). Spring is one of our favourite seasons; with the first garden flowers of the year popping up; some blue skies, and the birth of new life. We always like to visit a local farm in spring, helping to feed the orphan lambs is a particular joy. As ever, we like to keep our reading seasonal too, so here are five sensational books about spring we love…

Five Sensational Books About Spring

Spring by Gerda Muller is one of a series of four books without words, which lead the young child through the seasons of the year. Full of fun and active illustrations, this chunky board book shows the joys of playing with lambs, sowing seeds, painting Easter eggs and watching baby birds. It’s the most wonderful book to share with little ones this spring!

Children's Books: Five Sensational Books About Spring

The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle. Join the tiny seed on an adventure as it becomes a giant flower! In autumn, a strong wind blows flower seeds high in the air and carries them far across the land. One by one, many of the seeds are lost. They are burned by the sun, fall into the ocean, or eaten by birds. But some seeds survive the long winter and, come spring, sprout into plants. The delicate plants face new dangers; being trampled by playing children or picked as a gift for a friend. Soon only the tiniest seed remains, growing into a giant flower and, when autumn returns, sending its own seeds into the wind to start the process over again.

Little Baa by Kim Lewis. For me, spring isn’t spring until I’ve seen and preferably snuggled a lamb. This book is perfect for lamb-lovers like me! One spring day, Little Baa jumps, skips and runs in the field. Soon he leaves his friends far behind – and his Ma too; but Little Baa’s Ma misses him and searches for him. Will she ever find her Little Baa?

Animal Seasons: Rabbit’s Spring Adventure by Anita Loughrey. Animal Seasons are a beautifully illustrated series of picture books for young children and emerging readers and they are great for learning a little more about the natural world. In this spring adventure, Rabbit leaves his warren and discovers that the woods are full of new life. There’s so much to discover that poor Rabbit loses his way, but who will help him find his way back home?

A Year in Brambly Hedge by Jill Barklam. When I was a child, I was completely enchanted by the Brambly Hedge stories. I still have my little collection of books today. The mice of Brambly Hedge have many beautifully illustrated adventures throughout the year. They mark the seasons with feasts and festivities and, of course, the mice never miss an opportunity to have a little party. This wonderful collection would make a great gift for any child and it really is a collection to treasure.

If you enjoyed these books about spring, you might also enjoy my five classic books about bears.

Children's Books: Five Sensational Books About Spring

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Chocolate-Free Alternative Easter Gifts for Kids

When I was a child (about a million years ago) we got one chocolate Easter Egg at Easter, if we were lucky. These days my son gets so many chocolate eggs that it takes him weeks to eat his way through them all. A couple of years ago we decided that we would just get him one egg and one or two little Easter Gifts on the side.

Don’t get me wrong, Easter in our house is mostly about giving, receiving and hunting for chocolate eggs. At Easter he gets more chocolate than he can cope with, so giving him something different as Easter gifts makes sense. I’ve picked out some simple and inexpensive ideas for alternative Easter gifts for kids.

What's on in Manchester this Easter?

Hatching Dinosaur Eggs

You can get these absolutely everywhere these days and they’re really fun to hatch. Soak your dino egg in water for 24-48 hours and the egg will crack open and a dinosaur will emerge. We’ve had cheap ones from the pound shop and more expensive ones for around £5. The quality of the dino figure was MUCH better in the £5 egg, so choose wisely. A cracking little Easter present!

LEGO Easter Bunny Hut 5005249

For LEGO fans, what better gift than the new LEGO Seasonal Iconic Easter Minifigure (5005249). Every Easter LEGO brings out a seasonal collectible minifigure and this year’s Easter Bunny is super-cute! This highly sought after LEGO collectible will probably be snapped up quickly, so if you see it, buy it. I believe it is currently available in Sainsbury’s for £4, but will probably sell out fast!

Easter Craft Kits

Easter is a time which is ripe for crafting. There are so many Easter and spring themed crafts you can do with the kids, but we like to buy a couple of Easter Craft Kits and do a few different crafty things over the Easter break. Baker Ross make lots of really colourful and fun craft kits, they usually contain everything you need to make the craft so they’re easy to throw on the table and do with no lengthy set up. We always add a craft kit or two to his Easter bag of goodies.

Tiddlytubbies Board Book

Say eh-oh to the Tiddlytubbies in this bright and colourful board storybook for toddlers! The Teletubbies love to visit their friends the Tiddlytubbies. Now you can visit them too in a storybook that’s ideal for reading and sharing together, not to mention, a really lovely chocolate-free gift for woddlers and toddlers!

Chocolate-Free Alternative Easter Gifts for Kids

The Teletubbies are a great way to introduce little ones to early learning concepts such as colours, counting and numbers. The colourful world of Teletubby land is especially designed to capture little imaginations. These books are perfect for babies and toddlers aged 1+, cost just £4.99 and are widely available.

Playmobil Easter Eggs

Playmobil have really upped their game this Easter. They’ve been making eggs for a number of years now, but this year the range seems to be bigger and brighter than ever. Choose from Dragon Warrior; Kite Surfer; Queen Moonbeam; Tightrope Walker; Vet with Foals; Fairies with Magic Cauldron; Girl with Dino Egg and many, many more! They cost around £6.99 and are a great alternative to standard Easter Eggs.

Easter Treats - Make and Melt Chocolate Egg Heads

Choc On Choc Make and Melt Chocolate Egg Heads kit

Ok, I did promise you a chocolate-free list of alternative Easter gifts, but I had to include this one. The Choc On Choc Make and Melt Chocolate Egg Heads kit contains everything you will need to make and decorate some chocolate eggs. We reviewed it a few weeks ago and whilst everything didn’t go entirely to plan, it was the most fun. It combined three of our favourite things – cooking, crafting and eating chocolate. The kit costs £12 and is a brilliant way to spend an afternoon with the kids. There may be fights over who gets to lick the spoon though!

Cool Customised T-Shirts?

What about a cool customised t-shirt? Printsome are a small company who specialise in printing t-shirts. You could get one of your child’s drawings printed onto a t-shirt, or a photo of their cat, or anything your wild and wonderful imagination can come up with. These t-shirts are also great for groups or to wear for parties. How about matching t-shirts for the whole family this Easter?

What do you think of my alternative Easter gifts? What, if anything will you be giving the kids this Easter?
This blog post contains affiliate links.

Recipe: Baked Russet Squire Crusty Bread Bowl

Cheese is an important part of my life. I eat a lot of it at an amateur level, but once a year I dust down my judging jacket and head off to the International Cheese Awards to do my bit for the dairy industry. It’s the most fun and each year I get to discover a new cheese or two that I just have to have. Just after the International Cheese Awards last year, I popped into one of my favourite delis – John’s of Instow in Devon and spied two of my favourite cheeses – Miss Wenna and Boy Laity, both from Cornish Cheesemakers Curds and Croust.

Recipe: Baked Russet Squire Crusty Bread Bowl

Curds and Croust have recently launched an interesting new cheese – Russet Squire, a cider washed cheese Cornish soft cheese. They sent me some to try out and I couldn’t resist making something incredibly delicious with it.

Russet Squire is bathed in Cornish cider seven or eight times which gives the soft rind a distinctive russet look. The cheese itself is rich and creamy with a sweet note. It’s unbelievably good on an oaty biscuit and really lends itself to lots of recipes. It has quite a low melting point which makes it wonderfully oozy very quickly.

If you’re a fan of brie, it’s well worth looking out for Russet Squire. It’s got all lovely oozy things you love about brie, but with the addition of the slightly sweet cider. It’s next level Cornish brie.

I often think with brie style cheeses, if you’re going to cook with them they best thing you can do it leave them whole and not mess about too much with other flavours. I wanted to bake a round of Russet Squire into a round loaf which you could tear apart and dip in the melted cheese.

Recipe: Baked Russet Squire Crusty Bread Bowl

The problem was I couldn’t find the kind of loaf I wanted locally, so I had to bake my own bread. All you want is a nice crusty round loaf, you should be able to find them at a good bakery or perhaps a supermarket. Or you could just bake your own. I baked a cheese and onion loaf and left it to cool for a bit before I made my baked Russet Squire Cheese in a crusty bread bowl.

Baked Russet Squire Crusty Bread Bowl

Ingredients:
1 Russet Squire Cheese
1 round loaf
2 tablespoons of Cider
1 teaspoon of chopped rosemary
A pinch of brown sugar
A twist or two of black pepper

Method:
Pre-heat your oven to 220°. Take your round loaf and cut out a hole in the top to nestle your cheese. Scoop out some of the bread, save this for dipping and dunking later.

Skim the top off the cheese to help it melt a bit better. Place your cheese in the loaf. Spoon over your cider and scatter over your chopped rosemary, pinch of brown sugar and your black pepper.

Bake you loaf in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is going slightly brown on the top and is all oozy and melty inside.

Serve with chutney, sticks of celery or anything else you want to dip in this gorgeous cheese.

This Russet Squire Crusty Bread bowl is seriously, seriously good. It just works perfectly. It’s so easy to put together and looks really impressive too. Can you imagine putting one on the table next time friends come round for lunch?

Recipe: Baked Russet Squire Crusty Bread Bowl

We were sent some Russet Squire cheese to make something lovely with. I have not been paid for this post. All images and opinions are my own.

Recipe: Baked Russet Squire Crusty Bread Bowl

How to make a really easy Volcano Birthday Cake

For my son’s 7th birthday he wanted me to make him a Volcano Birthday Cake. I am by no means an expert cake decorator, so I knew whatever I made would need to be really simple to put together. The great thing about making a volcano cake if you’re not an expert cake decorator, is if it looks a bit rough and rustic when you’ve finished, it all adds to the rugged volcanic charm.

A few years of watching The Great British Bake Off has given me a few ideas, so I sketched the plan and set to work. You will need six round sponge cakes. I also used my favourite kind of shop bought frosting – Morrison’s Chocolate & Brazilian Orange Frosting. It’s the best shop bought frosting I’ve ever tried and it’s well worth searching out. If you can’t find it, use whatever chocolate frosting you can get your hands on.

How to make an easy Volcano Birthday Cake

Here’s how I made my pre-historic Volcano Cake.

How to make a Volcano Birthday Cake

You will need:

6 round sponge cakes (I used 9 inch tins)
2 tubs of Morrisons Chocolate & Brazilian Orange Frosting
Dr Oetker Regal Ice Ready to Roll Icing pack of multi-coloured icing
Wooden skewers or long straws
Selection of small plastic dinosaurs
Fountain Sparkler candle
One cupcake per letter of name (eg Ben = 3 cupcakes)
Birthday candles
Wooden letters spelling name

How to build your cake:

On a large clean tray or board put a dollop of Morrisons Chocolate & Brazilian Orange Frosting and start to build your volcano on top of this. The frosting will help to anchor the cake in place.

Sandwich your six layers of cake on top of each other with a layer of the Morrisons Chocolate & Brazilian Orange Frosting in between each cake. Take your skewers or straws and push then down from the top of your volcano structure down through the six layers to the bottom, this will make the cake more stable.

Carefully using a knife, carve your cake structure into a volcano shape. It doesn’t have to be perfect, remember if it’s rustic it all adds to the charm. Dust as many loose crumbs off your cake as you can and then start to plaster the whole cake in the Morrisons Chocolate & Brazilian Orange Frosting. Once it’s completely covered, leave it to harden a little for an hour or so.

How to make an easy Volcano Birthday Cake

Taking the red and yellow icing from the Dr Oetker Regal Ice Ready to Roll Icing pack, cut each pack of icing in half. Set aside half of each pack and with the other halves, knead them together to make an orange coloured icing.

Here’s where you can get artistic. Roll pieces of the red, yellow and orange icing into rivulets of lava and press them into your volcano. Make sure there’s plenty of lava coming out of the top and running down the sides. You might want to pool some lava at the bottom of the volcano.

How to make an easy Volcano Birthday Cake

Taking your dinosaurs and a little of the chocolate orange frosting (to stick the dinosaurs in place) add some dinos to the scene. Again be artistic; get them caught in the lava, running away from it, have them in little family groups, whatever you want.

Take your cupcakes and top with some frosting; wedge a letter on the top of each one and using the frosting on the bottom of the cupcakes, stick them in place to spell out the name. Again you can have dinosaurs around the cakes, or looking like they’re eating them maybe.

How to make an easy Volcano Birthday Cake

To finish your cake, put the fountain sparkler candle in the top (so when you light it, it should sparkle and flame like a volcano.

My son was absolutely delighted with his volcano birthday cake, and his friends were pretty impressed too. It’s surprisingly simple to put together and it doesn’t have be perfect in order for it to be impressive. I dread to think what he’s going to ask for next year!

How to make an easy Volcano Birthday Cake

How to make a really easy Volcano Birthday Cake

If a volcano cake doesn’t cut it, what about this super-simple train birthday cake?

Crafts: Simple Paper Plate Hot Air Balloons

This month Craft Merrily have set the Bostik Bloggers the task of creating a flying craft. I asked the boy what he wanted to make with his friends and he said hot air balloons. His wish is my command, and so I set to work gathering what we needed to make hot air balloons.

These hot air balloons are a really simple craft and a great excuse for the children to let their imaginations go wild and to decorate their balloons however they want. I did originally imagine that they would want to decorate the hot air balloons with pieces of coloured paper and sparkly embellishments, but on the day they were very keen to just draw pictures of the dog.

Crafts: Simple Paper Plate Hot Air Balloons

How to make Paper Plate Hot Air Balloons

You will need:
A paper plate
Some string or wool
A paper cup
Bostik White Glu
Scraps of colourful paper
Felt tips
Sparkly embellishments

How to make your hot air balloons:

Set up your craft table and set the kids to work decorating the back of the paper plates (this is so the balloon looks domed). I lay our Bostik White Glu, scraps of colourful paper, felt tips and some extra embellishments and let them get on with decorating their balloons how they wanted.

Crafts: Simple Paper Plate Hot Air Balloons

While they were busy decorating, I took the paper cups and made two small holes to thread the string through. I then cut a length of sting, threaded it through each hole and knotted it inside the cup.

Crafts: Simple Paper Plate Hot Air Balloons

Once they’d finished decorating their plates I sellotaped the loop of string to the back of the plate, making a loop at the top of the plate so it could be hung up. We then left them alone for a few hours for the glue to dry.

Crafts: Simple Paper Plate Hot Air Balloons

They were delighted with their hot air balloons and were really happy when we hung them up around the house. They filled the paper cup basket with all kinds of things too. Small teddies and little LEGO figures found themselves floating through the sky!

It’s such a simple craft, perfect for a rainy day and great for making use of any craft bits and pieces you’ve got in your craft box.

Check out my other craft tutorials here!

Crafts: Simple Paper Plate Hot Air Balloons

A little catch up with HodgePodgeDays – Spring 2018

Hello there. I don’t feel like I’ve been writing much about the things we’ve been doing and what we’ve been up to lately, so I thought it might be about time for a little catch up.

The last month has been a bit of a whirlwind really. We went away for a week in Devon with some friends for February half term. That seems like it was a million years ago now, but in reality it was just over a fortnight ago. We had a brilliant time. It was so good for my son, an only child, to share some space with other children. To have the more lively companionship of people his own age, rather than just his boring parents who want to sit down with a brew every hour or so.

A little catch up - Spring 2018 Devon cottage

We were incredibly lucky with the weather too. It wasn’t wet or miserable, it certainly wasn’t warm, but for the most part it was clear blue skies and sunshine. We returned home just before the “Beast from the East” made itself known and we were treated to a week of snow. We didn’t have drifts of it, but enough for the boy to go to school on his sledge on a couple of days. I don’t like snow, so I spent most of that week looking out of the window wanting it to go away so I could go out again.

I always worry a little more about some of my neighbours when the weather is bad. So I did force myself out to visit a neighbour who I am very fond of. I took her a cake I’d baked, had a chat with her and fussed her dog for a bit. It was nice to get out and I felt a bit better about seeing her. It put my mind at rest that she wasn’t starving or shivering to death and that she wasn’t too lonely.

A little catch up - Spring 2018 snow

Then I had some bad news from my husband. He’d broken my favourite chair. This really is bad news, because of my ruined spine (I have constant pain and my legs are always a bit numb and prone to going completely numb) this is the only chair I can sit it comfortably. The problem is, it’s a vintage g-plan saddleback armchair made in the 1960s. They don’t make them anymore and they’re very hard to come by. I’m hoping my original chair can be repaired, but in the meantime we’ve managed to find a replacement in Glasgow and hopefully that should arrive this week.

I was a bit cross about it, but if my chair can be repaired and my new one reupholstered, then I will have two good chairs in the house which I can sit on in comfort. I work in my favourite chair, with a plank of wood resting across the arms with my laptop on. It sounds weird, but ergonomically it’s the best set up for my back. In the meantime (and as I type this) I’m working for my bed. Three days into this working arrangement and I can’t feel the soles of my feet anymore. Hurry up new chair, hurry up!

And then it was Mother’s Day. I don’t want anyone in my life to feel like they need to make grand gestures to make me happy; so Mother’s Day is always a low key affair. I was woken with a card and a cuddle. He toasted me a hot cross bun which slid off the plate several times on its way to me before dog ate it. It’s the thought that counts!

A little catch up - Spring 2018 Devon

We hung out together for the day, none of us were feeling particularly amazing. I think we are about to simultaneously come down with colds. I even managed an early night. I’d like to say I woke up feeling refreshed and wonderful, but I woke up with a sore throat and a snuffle. And now we find ourselves in mid March.

Shall I do a little catch up post on a more regular basis? What do you think?

There’s more to The Printworks than meets the eye!

Living and working in Manchester, I am spoilt for choice for places to hang out for an afternoon or evening. The Printworks has long been a place we visit as a family, usually to go to the cinema and then for lunch afterwards. Last week I went along to The Printworks to hang out for the afternoon with some friends and discovered there’s more to The Printworks than meets the eye.

There's more to The Printworks than meets the eye!

My first stop was a sauna and a swim at Nuffield Health at The Printworks. I’d always known there was a gym somewhere inside, but I hadn’t really thought about where it was in the building. You hop in the lift and go up to the first floor and you’re met with a huge, beautiful state of the art gym.

I was given a quick tour of the facilities, then I took myself off for a swim. The pool is a good sized 20 metre long pool with a jacuzzi, sauna and steam. I bashed out 30 lengths (that’s 600 metres fact fans!) and enjoyed the fabulous view across the city centre. I then went for a well earned sauna and a steam, grabbed a shower, got dressed and headed off into The Printworks to see what else was on offer.

The Printworks is mostly known for the wide variety of bars and restaurants it houses. I have a few favourites I always go to when I visit, but it’s always good to expand your horizons.

I went to Waxy O’Connor’s for a post-gym drink. Waxy O’Connor’s is an Irish themed bar and if you walk downstairs there’s a huge bar area with lots of tables. They do food too, and I was tempted, but I stuck to my Black Velvet cocktail and was later joined by my friends. By this time it was 5pm and the bar was starting to fill up with people popping in for an after work drink with their colleagues and friends.

There's more to The Printworks than meets the eye!

We could have picked anywhere in The Printworks to carry on with our evening; but we headed to Wagamama for a steaming bowl of ramen. Then off to Hard Rock Cafe for a few cocktails and a good old gossip.

There’s something for everyone at The Printworks; whether you’re taking the kids to the cinema and for a bite to eat afterwards, painting the town red or if you’re in search of a workout and a pool with a view; The Printworks has it all!

For more information about what’s on at The Printworks visit their website.

I was offered a free swim and a cocktail when I visited The Printworks. I was not asked to write this blog post.

12 places to take Science mad kids in the North West

As the parent of a science mad child, we seem to spend a lot of our free time in science museums and visitors centres getting hands on with the sciences. As a result we’ve had some brilliant days out in our hometown of Manchester and across the North West. Today I’m sharing with you some of our favourite places to visit in the North West (and a little bit beyond) for science mad kids.

Top Secret: From ciphers to cyber security

12 places to take Science mad kids in the North West

Manchester Museum of Science and Industry

I can’t even contemplate writing about science in the north without mentioning the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry. It’s a huge and iconic site, you can pop in for a quick hour or very easily spend a whole day exploring, learning and getting hands on. They have a wide range of permanent and temporary exhibits as well as lots of hands on things to do.

They have a vast number of permanent displays including the Power Hall, Air and Space Hall, Textiles Gallery, Revolution Manchester and explore some artefacts from the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. Take a ride on one on the working steam trains along the track at the museum.

It’s such a great day out, slap-bang in the heart of Manchester City Centre. Find out what’s on at the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry on their website.

Tim Peake science

National Science and Media Museum, Bradford

The National Science and Media Museum, located in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The museum explores the science and culture of light and sound technologies and their impact on our lives. With the aim of inspiring the scientists and innovators of the future, it invites visitors to see more, hear more, think more and do more. It was previously the The National Museum of Photography, Film & Television and has its own cinema and lively collection of events. It was also the first place outside of London to show Soyuz TMA-19M – the space capsule that brought British astronaut Tim Peake back to Earth after his months-long stint on the International Space Station.

For more information, visit their website.

Catalyst Science Discovery Centre, Widnes

The Catalyst Science Discovery Centre is the only museum in the UK which explores the science and technology behind the chemical industry. Packed with lots of hands-on exhibits, activities and demonstrations it’s one of our favourite places to visit with our son. They have an ever-changing programme of hands on exhibits as well as a fabulous observatory, a “Scientrific” Gallery and the Alchemy Theatre & Catalytic Discovery Lab.

It’s a brilliant science-packed place to visit, we love it there! For more information about the Catalyst Science Discovery Centre, visit their website.

Jodrell Bank Observatory, Cheshire

Most people will recognise the Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire as the place where Stargazing Live is filmed. Jodrell Bank is owned and run by the University of Manchester and it is the home of the Lovell Telescope, the third largest steerable radio telescope in the world. It is open to the public and has a lovely new visitors centre as well as fantastic hands-on exhibits and gardens to explore, as well as the chance to have a look at the Lovell Telescope up close and personal.

You can read about our visit to Jodrell Bank Observatory here. For more information about Jodrell Bank Observatory visit their website.

Jodrell Bank science

Manchester Museum

Manchester Museum is such an iconic place to visit for Mancunian children. It has so many interesting things to explore and is packed full of science exhibits. There are lots of natural history exhibits, plus geology, archaeology, botany and Earth sciences to go and see. The big draws for us are Stan the reproduction cast of a fossilised Tyrannosaurus rex and upstairs the frog filled Vivarium, home to a large collection of endangered Costa Rican Frogs.

We visit Manchester Museum with almost alarming regularity. It’s a brilliant place to spend a few hours exploring and learning about all kinds of things. For more information about Manchester Museum, visit their website.

Eureka! The National Children’s Museum, Halifax

Eureka! is an interactive educational museum for children in Halifax, West Yorkshire, with a focus on learning through play. Ideal for children up to the age of 11, and a great day out in general. There are six unique zones to discover, each filled with hundreds of interactive exhibits designed to inspire enquiring minds to find out about themselves and the world around them. With a name like Eureka! you know there’s a heavy leaning towards science and discovery there too!

For more information, visit their website.

World Museum, Liverpool

The World Museum is home to exhibitions about space and time, as well as the natural and physical sciences. My son especially loved the Clore Natural History Centre, which is packed with geological finds, as well more than 20,000 of the most unusual and fascinating items from their huge natural science collections. You can get hands on with many of the exhibits, which is very exciting. Up on the fifth floor, you’ll find their space and time gallery, and they also have a planetarium where you can watch all kinds of spaced themed shows. Read about our visit here.

For more information, visit their website.

Visiting the World Museum, Liverpool

Magna Science Adventure Centre, Rotherham

Magna Science Adventure Centre is an educational visitor attraction, located in Rotherham’s former Templeborough steelworks. It’s a fantastic day out, packed with hands-on experiences and interactive exhibits. Explore the wonders of science and technology in the four pavilions – Air, Earth, Fire and Water.

Splash in water, work a real JCB, wow at the fire tornado and even explode a rock face! Magna is a coats-on experience set in the vast, former Templeborough steelworks. The awesome Big Melt Show brings the story of steelmaking to life. The fun continues outside with our huge adventure playground and summertime splash park.

For more information, visit their website.

The National Videogame Museum, Sheffield

The National Videogame Museum collects, preserves, exhibits and interprets videogames for everyone. It’s an incredible interactive museum dedicated to exploring the culture, playfulness, design and people behind videogames, as well as encouraging visitors to develop their own game-making abilities. A visit is a must for any aspiring gamer!

For more information, visit their website.

11 places to take Science mad kids in the North West

Eureka! Science + Discovery, Wallasey

New for 2022, Eureka! Science + Discovery in Wallasey brings together the interactive experience of Eureka! in Halifax with science and discovery centre innovation, created for children aged 7-14.

For more information, visit their website.

MathsCity, Leeds

MathsCity is the home of hands-on maths, located in the heart of Leeds. Climb inside a giant bubble or a kaleidoscope. Try their laser Ring of Fire. Meet the challenge of our fascinating puzzles. Explore and discover the wonderful and surprising world of mathematics at MathsCity with over twenty interactive exhibits. You can count on MathsCity to show you a good time!

For more information, visit their website.

A little bit further afield…

Xplore! Science Discovery Centre, North Wales

Xplore! Science Discovery centre is where science lives in North Wales. They are chock full of spellbinding science, incredible experiences, and it’s a chance for the whole family to get involved with science and to learn more about the world around us.

For more information, visit their website.

There are so many fantastic places to visit in the North West. Where are your favourite places to take the kids to learn about science?

12 places to take Science mad kids in the North West

Holiday Memories: Vintage Style Cornish Art Posters

I’ve been holidaying in Cornwall since I was a baby. Cornwall has a way of getting under your skin and making you fall in love with it. Whenever I’ve visited Cornwall I’ve always picked up momentoes to remember the wide blue skies, rugged scenery and clean sandy beaches once I get home. One thing I’ve been wanting to bring home for a while has been a vintage style Cornish art poster. Artist John Dyer specialises in these. If you’ve ever visited Cornwall, you will almost certainly have seen his work on display somewhere.

The vintage style Cornish art poster I chose features a print from the well-known and acclaimed Cornish artist Joanne Short. Working with her husband and fellow artist John Dyer, Joanne has spent much of the last 25 or so years travelling around Cornwall and painting the stunning sights that she sees. You can buy their original paintings and prints in The John Dyer Gallery in Cornwall and they have recently launched their new range of affordable vintage style framed art posters.

Holiday Memories: Vintage Style Cornish Art Posters

We visit Cornwall several times a year as a family. Last year we spent a wonderful weekend in Rock as guests of Sharp’s Brewery and Chef, Nathan Outlaw. It was such a special weekend that I wanted something to remember it by. When I spotted this beautiful Vintage Style Seaside Cornish Art Poster by Joanne Short of the Camel Estuary, Rock in Cornwall I had to have it.

This colourful print reminded me so much of that wonderful weekend. I especially liked that it wasn’t the standard Padstow Harbour scene. The print came beautifully framed and looks fabulous in my light, bright kitchen; it really lifts my spirits every time I look at it.

The framed A3 sized print costs just £45 and I’m delighted with it. The white frame really helps the colourful print “pop” out. I love how the pools of water shimmer on the soft sand and how they’re beautifully framed by the elegant flowers in the Cornish hedgerow. Looking at it, you can almost smell the fresh sea air!

Holiday Memories: Vintage Style Cornish Art Posters

I love my Cornish art print so much; I think I’m going to buy a few different prints and make a feature wall of them. That way when I look at them I can remember all the wonderful holidays we’ve had and all the beautiful places we’ve visited.

For more information, or if you want to buy a print of your own visit The John Dyer Gallery’s website.

I was sent this Vintage Style Cornish Art print in return for this review. All images and opinions are our own.