Travel – Page 3 – Mediocre Mum

Things to do with Kids Outdoors in Dorset

Go Ape, Moors Valley near Bournemouth

I don’t know who had more fun, the kids or the adults. We were recently camping at Eweleaze Farm in Dorset and thought we’d take the opportunity to check out Go Ape, The UK’s #1 Forest Adventure. One of my friends always wanted to take her daughter and as we were in the area, approx 30 miles away, we thought ‘why not?’.

I stayed on the ground and supervised the 3 girls aged 6 and 7 on the Tree Top Junior Adventure, while the two adults, I use the description ‘adult’ loosely as you will see by the photos, went on the main Tree Top Adventure.

The Junior Adventure is suitable for children aged 6 and up but they have to be over 1m. They have an hour to clamber around the site, navigating wobbly crossings and zooming down the zip wires. The nice thing about the Junior Adventure is that they are connected the entire time via a cable so incredibly safe. The girls absolutely loved it and charged around like loons and got 5-6 ‘goes’ on the two routes, even though it was rather busy.

Once the girls finished we tracked down their mums on the Main Tree Top Adventure so we could watch/laugh at them from the Forest Floor. There’s takes a bit longer 2.5-3 hours with 5 different circuits, is higher, scarier and more physically challenging (suitable for 10+) but by all accounts they loved it!

One of the mums said ‘she can’t remember the last time she had that much fun!’

How to Make S’mores in the UK

I love nothing better than sitting around a camp fire drinking beer. This probably stems from all the camping that I did as a child in Canada, minus the beer of course, I waited till I was a teen for that.

Who needs Graham Crackers anyway?

We used to make S’mores while sitting around the campfire, which is a toasted marshmallow sandwiched between two graham crackers with a piece of chocolate. You always want ‘some more’ hence the name. We’ve recently taken up camping in the UK and have purchased all the necessary gear.

I wanted to carry on the tradition of Smores with my daughter but became a bit unstuck when it came to sourcing Graham Crackers. I can get them on pricey American online food shops, but couldn’t justify the delivery charge and price, so was looking for an alternative and think I’ve done just that.

How to make Smores in the UK — Photo Courtesy of ‘Where in the World is Rebecca Today?’

For each Smore you will need:

1 Marshmallow
2 Digestive Chocolate Biscuits
Wooden Skewer or a stick (you may have to use a knife to get a point on it)

Method

Place a marshmallow on the end of a stick. The hold it gently over the flames, not in them, rotate slowly to evenly roast the marshmallow. They should be golden brown on the outside and gooey on the inside. If you put it too close to the fire they will most likely catch on fire, unless you like the taste of charcoal.

Do not try this at home!

But if I’m honest, this is what we tended to do as kids as it was great fun, albeit dangerous, waving a flaming marshmallow around at night and resembles shooting meteors if they come flying off the stick and could seriously burn someone, but I did grow up in the 70’s where Health and Safety was pretty much non-existent.

Once your marshmallow is nicely toasted, simply sandwich it between two digestive biscuits with the chocolate facing inward and Voila! I’d be surprised if they didn’t want ‘S’more’.

Starting a Fire can be Tricky

We recently went camping at Town Farm near Tring in Herts. It was very last minute so we hadn’t brought a lot of stuff with us, so we purchased firewood, firelighters and a fire pit on site. This is the first time I’ve come across ‘Flamers’ an all Natural Firelighter, which are untreated, wax dipped fine wood shavings.

As a true veteran of building fires I wasn’t convinced, as it just looked like a small bit of wood shavings and I thought it would go ‘puff’ and disappear, but I was wrong. It was probably one of the easiest fires I’ve ever lit, which was a godsend as it was only April in the UK. Flamers are now on our essential camping items and will also stock up for our wood-burner at home.

How to Light a Fire

Clever Lunchbox for Kids

What a clever design for a kid’s lunch box!

‘We absolutely love M’s new lunchbox!’ – dinner ladies

I was sent this Flatbox-Lunchbox from The Nicest Stuff a few weeks ago and I think it’s absolutely brilliantly clever! As you can see, it opens out flat so you can use it as a mini picnic blanket which is great for school and days out. It easily holds all the contents of her lunch and even her nimble six-year old fingers can cope with the zippers.

Cinch to Clean

But one of the things I like the most is the fact that it’s easy to clean. Anyone who has tried to dig crumbs out of the creases of normal lunch boxes will know what I’m on about. For the most part I can just open it up and give it a shake in the garden.

However, yesterday it had some yogurt on it from a rogue spoon. I tried to give it a little wipe, which works most of the time, but this time it didn’t. So, as it is neoprene, I just chucked it in the washing machine on a short cycle, hung it on the back of a chair and it was dry by morning which makes it much more hygienic than other lunch boxes.

Being neoprene it is also heat resistant and the dual layer keeps things cold for longer. It also comes in a selection of colours.

Currently on sale for £19.25 down from £27.50!

Disappearing Act

My only complaints would be that there isn’t a place to put her name on it. We have lost several lunchboxes in the past but luckily they resurfaced. One was in the child-minders toy box.

Other than that, I highly recommend it!

Visiting The British Museum with Kids

British Museum with Kids

My daughter’s topic at school at the moment is ‘Digging up things from the past’ which includes art. So we thought it was the perfect opportunity to pop down to the British Museum to see the Eldorado Exhibit, to show her we are interested in her learning and support what she’s doing in school. It’s only a short hop from St Pancras International, you could walk it or jump on the tube to Russell Square.

Enduring tale of a city of gold

‘The exhibition delves into the legend of El Dorado and features over 200 objects from Museo del Oro, Bogotá, and around 100 from the British Museum’s collection.’

If I’m honest, she wasn’t too taken with the exhibit, albeit it was rather impressive collection for adults, but didn’t have the ability to grab and hold her attention. Do bear in mind she is only 6 but she did enjoy working out what the objects were made of and what they may be used for, which is exactly what they’ve been doing in school.

However, we are grateful for the introduction to the British Museum. I’ve been in the UK for 15 years and have never been. I’ve been to the Science Museum and Natural History Museum but never the British Museum. You’d remember if you’d been to the British Museum, the columns as you walk up to the museum are impressive but when you enter the inner courtyard it takes your breath away.

Get the most out of the Museum

After the Eldorado Exhibit, we wondered around a bit lost, not actually lost, just not sure where to start, but then we were pointed in the direction of the Families Help Desk, where the staff were incredibly helpful. They introduced us to a selection of Museum Trails for kids age 6-11, that were only about 45 minutes long which was perfect.

Museum Trails for Kids

Surprisingly my daughter chose the one about Ancient Egypt (Sailing the Nile), even though she previously suffered from a fear of mummies, so much so that she hid all her books that had any reference to them. It was the perfect length, gave us a focal point and helped her to engage with the exhibit.

It’s Free!

We will definitely be going back to try out a few more of the trails. Thanks to American Airlines and the British Museum for this opportunity.

Note: The places to eat inside the Museum are decent, plus there are loads of pubs and other eateries dotted around the Museum. Or if the weather is nice take a picnic and eat on the stairs out front.

Why it’s important to show an interest in your child’s schooling

Why is it important?

We try to be as involved with our 6 year olds education as much as we can as feel genuinely believe it will help her succeed not only in school but in life. Research shows that it’s not how much money you make or what your own educational experience was like but the things that you do at home to encourage learning that makes a difference. By taking an active interest we are showing her that we value what she is learning at school and helps her to develop a positive attitude towards school. She skips to school each morning, her attendance is exceptional and she loves it.

What can we do to help?

At the beginning of term we receive a letter from her teacher/school telling us what the next topics are going to be and we try to plan activities around this. This term is all about Famous Buildings.

Day trips

As we are only 20 minutes away from London what better place to explore famous buildings. Thanks to a good friend , Richard Warmsley, who knows London well, suggested a fabulous route, starting at the New Blackfriars station, which spans the Thames, we wandered along the Southbank; taking in the Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern, strolled passed The Globe Theatre of Shakespeare Fame, salivated through Borough Market, stopped for refreshments at the George Inn, London’s only remaining galleried pub which is run by the National Trust, with fabulous views of the rather impressive Shard, then back along the Thames, across the Millenium Bridge to St Paul’s Cathedral.

A very busy day but when we got back she insisted on drawing a map of our route, sticking pictures on it and writing a bit about each of the places. Fabulous!

There must be an app for that?

She wanted to explore famous buildings on the internet and my first thought was there has to be an app for that. Low and behold there was. I found Barefoot World Atlas, which we love. It’s an interactive 3D globe that you can spin, zoom into places, explore famous buildings/landmarks and listen to Nick Crane the BBC presenter tell you all about it. Her favourite is the Blue Mosque in Turkey. She insisted on taking the iPad to school to show her teacher.

Good old fashioned fun

I can’t remember the last time I’ve sat down and done a puzzle. It’s not all just about technology in our house. I know that may come as a surprise. We’re huge fans of traditional games and family time. We spent hours, working on this gorgeous wooden jigsaw puzzle from Wentworth’s with World Map surrounded by famous buildings including the Eiffel Tower, Parthenon and the Colliseum. I have to admit the puzzle and all 250 pieces was a bit challenging, but a great sense of accomplishment when we finished and gave us an opportunity to chat about different places and other famous buildings.

What others things we could be doing to help

There is probably a lot more that I can be doing but as a working mum, I can’t be around all the time. At the moment I run, with another parent, a Computer Coding Club as a volunteer on a Friday at lunchtime. I try my best to attend all parent teacher interviews and any other workshops that the school is offering (e.g Phonics, Spelling and Grammar, Numeracy and Internet Safety).

I think the most important thing I can do as a parent as she gets older is to try and stay involved, even during those years when she would rather not know me.

Are you involved as much as you would like to be? What other things could I be doing? Do you find as your child got older you were involved less even though you wanted to be?