Tag: st. albans

Highlight of Half-term: Forest School

And breathe!  We’ve just come to the end of a very busy half-term.  For once, I was organised and booked a few activities in for Madame.  She’s been to the local farm, play dates with friends, Play in the Parks Scheme, Spooky Animal Magic and Trick or Treating.  We almost need a break from our break.

However, the highlight for her by far was Forest School in St Albans.  I don’t know if it’s the Canadian in me but when I saw it advertised at school, I knew she had to go as I’m always on a quest to get her outside more.  It was held in a small Wood on the school property and runs rain or shine, so pop some wellies on and wrap up warm.

She came home beside herself with excitement.  They climbed trees, dug trenches for daffodils, carved wood medals using a peeler, made toast on the fire, drank hot chocolate and played on a make shift swing.  She also mentioned a Fire band for her hair but I’d rather not think about that one.

My only regret was not signing her up for the full 3 days, but we will definitely next time.

Disclosure:  Madame’s stylish Hunter Wellies were courtesy of Simply Hike

 

 

Child-friendly pubs? Do they exist in the UK

One thing we really lack locally is truly child-friendly pubs.  We have pubs that tolerate children but none that really go beyond offering a children’s menu and many don’t even do that.

It’s not that we want to take our daughter to the pub and get ‘fall down’ drunk but on a sunny day it would be great to go and enjoy a pub garden with other families and have a couple of drinks whilst the children play.  A swing, slide or climbing frame wouldn’t go amiss.

Years ago, prior to kids I was in Slovenia and vividly remember going to a restaurant early evening and sitting on the patio.  I noticed many families having dinner together, drinking responsibly but they had a fantastic play area for the children.  Everyone was happy!  Is this a cultural difference?  Why don’t we do this more in the UK?

A couple of months ago on a trip to Shropshire, we stopped at a pub that was advertised on my Good Pub Guide App that was supposedly child-friendly.  When we arrived, we quickly worked out that children were not allowed in the main part of the pub, which looked fantastic, open fires, beamed ceilings, etc. Unfortunately we were relegated to the scabby conservatory and felt like second rate citizens.  What I also found interesting is that dogs were allowed in the pub but children were not.  Not all pubs need to be child friendly, as not all people like kids, but please don’t advertise them as child-friendly if they’re not.

The closest pub to us that is truly child-friendly is Moor Mill in Park Street which is about 5 miles away.  We went last week when it was really hot.  There’s a pond where you can feed the ducks, a smallish playground, which could use a bit of an upgrade, the children’s menu is quite extensive but I did like that they had a special menu for even younger children and it being an Old Watermill the building in itself was interesting.

Do bear in mind it is a Beefeater, so if you’re a foodie it may not be for you but we found the menu extensive, the prices were reasonable, and the service was outstanding, but this may be due to the fact they knew that we were reviewing the restaurant.  Overall, we thought it was okay but most importantly our daughter was happy, which meant we were happy.  However, when writing this review I did come across a few negative reviews so please do make sure you do your homework.

Disclosure:  Our meals were compliments of Beef Eater Grill

 

 

 

 

Don’t fancy letting your kids at your iPad?

My daughter has been flying around my iphone since she was about 2.  It’s loaded up with tons of fantastic educational games for her.  However, there are times when I need to use my phone for work, but I also need her to be quiet in the background when I’m trying to make calls which can be a conundrum  There is nothing worse than talking to a head teacher or potential client and she shouts loudly that she needs a POO!  It’s not the professional air that I want to give off!  ;-)

So, this is why I was so pleased when the lovely Kirit from out local toy store Cuthbert’s offered us a vetch Mobigo Touch Learning System which retails for £49.99 to review.  It’s a handheld device for children 3-8 years of age, similar to a DSI, which in fact is what my daughter calls it, that is touch sensitive.

Ours came with the Disney Princess Cartridge which had 6 different games which teaches everything from colours, counting letters, shapes, and matching.  If I’m completely honest my daughter, who is four, struggled with the activities as it didn’t seem to respond to her touch which left her frustrated.  I had a go myself at connecting the dots (pearls) and I couldn’t do it either.

However, once I realised you could download other games from the Learning Lodge, that were more age appropriate, she was much happier with it.  It was very straight forward to register for the Learning Lodge and to download games.  I had a wee hiccup with Flash but we sorted it quickly.  Plus, the Mobigo comes with 3 tokens which entitles you to 3 games which normally cost £2.99 each.  I opted for Monkey Disco, Shopping Spree and Rapid Recycling.

Unfortunately, shortly after the arrival of the Mobigo I received an iPad for my birthday and it has superseded the Mobigo for the time being.

I would never suggest buying an iPad for a preschooler as it’s far too expensive and fragile.  Yes, apps are cheaper than the learning lodge games but the outlay for the iPad is about ten times as much as the Mobigo.   If you purchased an iPad and 10 apps it would cost you in excess of £500; now if you purchased the Mobigo and 10 games it would set you back about £60.  It’s a no brainer really.

The Mobigo is a good alternative and would be a great Christmas present.

Thanks Kirit!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

St Alban’s South Signal Box

We’ve just returned from St Alban’s South Signal Box as part of Heritage Open Days 2011.  We’ve gone by it countless times on the train ‘down to London’ as they say but we had no idea that it’s open to the public.   In fact, it’s open every second Sunday of the month.  Do check the website for a full list of opening times.

‘Early in 2002 a group of St Alban’s residents decided that the signal box at the end of their road had been left to decay for 25 years too many.’

I highly recommend a visit.  It’s one of those hidden gems in St Alban’s.  I’m by no means a train spotter but I found it very interesting and my husband and daughter were enthralled.  We listened to a short talk about the restoration which included a demonstration of how it would have worked in action and then the kids got a chance to pull the levers, which would turn the signals on in the garden.

There’s also a historical exhibition on the ground floor and the gardens are lovely.

Do you know any other local gems I should look out for?

 

Butterfly World

If you haven’t been to Butterfly World, near St. Albans, in awhile you may be surprised at some of the improvements.  When it first opened it was a bit of a disaster; very overpriced, including the café and it was pretty much a building site.

It was nice to see all the improvements yesterday, they’ve obviously listened.  The gardens are in full bloom and are absolutely stunning.  Madame and her pals had a whale of a time climbing on, over and through all of the sculptures.  If you go, do seek out the playground, it’s a bit tucked away behind the café.  My photos don’t do it justice.

To save a few pennies you could take a picnic as there is a dedicated picnic area.  I wasn’t organised enough so purchased lunch for us and it wasn’t too expensive (£7).

Do bear in mind though that it is still a work in progress and the large dome isn’t finished yet.

I’d love to know what you think.

If you’re struggling for ideas of what to do with your kids this summer these posts may also be of interest.

Kite Flying Dunstable Downs

Free things to do with kids near St Albans

Havilland Mosquito Museum