The fun way to learn your timestables with Counting on Gloves @countongloves #win #giveaway #education #learning #mathsisfunn

Remember learning times tables at school?

Knowing your times tables is so important for unlocking the world of maths. They underpin so much of the maths curriculum apart from just multiplication, such as division and fractions.

I find with my children they can count well in 3s, 4s and so on but throw a “what’s 6 times 7?” question at them they have to think about it.

With the eldest in year 6 and starting secondary school in September I am turning into a times tables bore.

We were thrilled to be sent a pair of Counting On Gloves – the fun way to get those times tables learnt.

Each finger, starting on the left thumb with the one times, has the times table for that number. So for example the two times tables counts up on the left hand at de 2,4,6,6,10 and on the right hand 12,14,16,18,20 with each finger correlating to its position.

Obviously, having only ten fingers means you have to learn your 11 and 12 Times yourself. Or but the gloves for that table!

It is not just knowing your times tables that is crucial, but knowing them at speed! No excuses with these gloves!

The gloves are good quality. They come in a variety of bright colours – blue, grey, pink and red. They are one size gloves that would fit a child’s hands.

Each glove is made up of a standard 88% Acrylic, 10% Polyester and 2% Elastane. They can be machine washed at 30 degrees.

With each pair of gloves you also receive ideas for activities to play to get those times tables embedded and the COGs website also has instructional videos for more inspiration.

Would you like to win a pair of these gloves for your child?

I have a pair of five times table gloves which are perfect for Key Stage one children.

Just fill in the Rafflecopter below for a chance of winning.

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https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.jsIf you don’t get lucky this time you can buy your own pair from the website. Individual pairs cost £2.95 and you can get packs with all the timestables on for £19.95.

Encourging reading for pleasure with Fiction Express @fictionexpress #books #reading #education

A love of reading is something I have always tried to foster in my children. Since they were babies there have always been lots of books around for them and we have read before bed most nights. Reading really is the key to opening up a world of opportunities and knowledge. The Department of Education, however, has some shocking statistics about the weak reading skills that our children are at risk of having – they cite figures 20% of children aged 11 who aren’t reading for pleasure in a 2015 survey.

Fiction Express is innovative online book platform that connects children with professional authors, encouraging reading for pleasure through fun co-creation of stories, improving lifelong learning outcomes. Books can be read online, printed off

Our eldest, who is 11, hasn’t really got that love of reading.. yet. He loves me reading to him, audio books and flicking through nonfiction books. Reading is almost always done under duress. Recently he was identified as having dyslexia tendencies which did not surprise us at all. His comprehension skills are really good but it is just getting him to read in the first place that is the issue!

On the other hand, the 8-year-old loves reading and it isn’t a challenge to him at all. He flies through spelling tests with just a glance at the words. In some ways, I wonder if his natural aptitude doesn’t help with his brother’s reluctance.

What is Fiction Express all about?

There are a few elements to Fiction Express but the main one is the chapters that are published each week. There are always three books “live” – different levels for different reading ages – age 6, age 8 and age 10. There are also other books from lots of different genres whatever your taste.

The books are engaging, well written and inspirational.

Noah, who is 8, really enjoyed the “live chapter” aspect of the website. You read the latest chapter of the book and then can vote, based on three options, what happens next. The following week you find out which option won the vote and can read the next chapter.

At the end of each chapter, there is a comprehension test to make sure that you have understood what you have read. This consists of 10 questions.

He was reading all three levels of books as he loved it so much!

How would it be useful in an education setting?

Children have their own login to access the whole of the site and read either the live books or any of the many other books, that are grouped by genre or ability. The teacher can track which books have been read and also the comprehension score.

Teachers or educators have their own log in where they can view the children that they have set up on their system. There are also lots more educational resources online for each of the chapters so you will not be short of activities!

There is also the opportunity for children to converse with the authors via the blog. This really brings the whole reading experience to life!

What we thought!

Our reluctant reader loved reading online! His reading was fluent and clear and he didn’t stumble over words as much as he did in a paper copy. It could have been the novelty of reading from a computer but Fiction Express also has functions to change the font and background of the text, which can help dyslexic students.

Voting for the next chapter was really well received by our younger son and he looked forward to the next chapter to see if the winning storyline was his choice.

We give Fiction Express a huge thumbs up and have recommended it to the boys school to investigate. It is an innovative and modern concept and anything that encourages and supports a love of reading can only be a good thing in my opinion.

 

What do you think? Is this something you or your school use or would be interested in?

 

 

The Vikings are here! @lakesidearts #nottingham #education #vikings #britishhistory

Lakeside Arts have a fantastic Viking exhibition on in their Djanogoly gallery at the moment.

Taking over three rooms there is lots to see including interactive displays, dress up areas, video, audio, cabinets displaying artefacts as well as original Viking carvings. This is open to the public and definitely worth a visit.

They also run some brilliant workshops for schools and I went along with school to experience two of the workshops for ourselves!

We were met from the tram by Josie from the education team who led us to the gallery. After depositing bags, coats and lunchbox we were led, through the cosy cafe area, to the gallery space where we were introduced to our guide for the session. She showed us how to make a little booklet from a sheet of large paper and then the children were let loose to find out four facts about Vikings they didn’t know before.

The displays have handy “Fun Facts” around the gallery so the children were soon scribbling away.

After gathering and then sharing some facts together, we looked a bit more closely at the Viking carvings. It is a shame, though totally understandable given their age and how precious they are, that we couldn’t touch them as they are so tactile!

The children then used their handmade notebooks to sketch out some of the carvings. They were mostly fairly simple though some looked pretty intricate and I can imagine would have been hard to carve in the stone especially given the primitive tools they had.

Now for the really fun part! The children now has the opportunity to create their own carvings! This time with soap using pencil and some basic tools. They found this lots of fun though it did look very tricky! It was also something unique that they wouldn’t normally do in the classroom.

After lunch in one of the art studios in Lakeside Arts it was time for some drama with Viking Sagas! We were introduced to two Vikings and the children took part in a role play using mime and “actors” exposing the truth behind the Vikings and their adventures! There was lots of class participation and interaction and they all thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

The children also learned a very simple tradition game played by the Vikings which they really enjoyed and they planned to make one themselves and play at school.

Lakeside Arts has some brilliant workshops for schools – I love the sound of the Viking Bushcraft one. There are also some lovely family activities going on at weekends that we will be planning on visiting I love things like this that really bring learning to life!

 

Have you visited Lakeside Arts recently? Would you enjoy this exhibition and workshop?

 

Mini Ninja Cookery School with Yo Sushi @yosushi #yosushi #cookery #children

Yo Sushi, in case you don’t know, is a high street restaurant serving up delicious Japanese street food and sushi. They now have 100 restaurants and have been going for an amazing 20 years! The boys love Yo Sushi – the food of course but also the experience of picking the fresh cold plates of food from the revolving counter that circles their restaurants. They love the novelty of it and also how you can see your food before choosing it to eat.

Now, did you know they also have a Sushi school offering cookery classes to adults and also Mini Ninja, for children!?

We went along to the Nottingham restaurant to try out one of the classes, which are running in selected restaurants around the country.

Classes run for an hour very Tuesday and Wednesday at 11am for the duration of August.

Firstly you are given your plastic apron, gloves and hair cover by the friendly staff.

Seated on the bar,the first item on the menu is the classic, Salmon Nigiri.

The boys were shown how to shape the sushi rice, then add a dash of wasabi before placing over the thinly sliced, fresh raw salmon.

Next up the children made Cucumber Maki. The seeds from the cucumber are removed so it doesn’t make the sushi soggy.

Harry, our sushi teacher, cut up the rolled maki for us.

And finally California Rolls. There is a certain knack to rolling these using your little finger and thumb. Harry made it look very easy but luckily he went through it one at a time with the mini ninjas to make sure they got it right!

The freshly made sushi is all  placed into a cute little takeaway box.

The boys really loved making the sushi and wolfed it down for their lunch afterwards. Perhaps it is something to do with making it themselves that gave them such an appetite.

They got to take home their hat and rolling mat as well as a certificate and recipe cards in a cute little Mini Ninja bag. We have since bought sushi rice and nori (the seaweed wrap) to have a go at making our own sushi. You can try out different ingredients in the rice – even sweet would work such as chocolate or mango. Yum yum!

Mini Ninja classes are suitable for 5-12yr olds. Parents are required to remain with their children throughout the class.

It is something different for children to try out and we would definitely recommend. It is reasonably priced for the experience you get and has made me tempted to try out one of the adult cookery courses. The perfect rainy day activity!

Young Driver – Part One @youngdriver #firefly #driving #safety#youngdriver

Have you heard of Young Driver? Well they provide driving lessons for children aged 5-16 at one of their 45 UK centres. The primary force behind Young Driver is safety. Research has shown 1 in 5 new drivers have an accident in their first six months of driving but it is lack of experience rather than years on the planet that  causes this. Hence getting experience in a car at a young age can only be a good thing!

For children aged 5-10 years of age the Firefly is offered. This is a 20 minutes lesson in a two seater car with an accelerator and brake pedal, steering wheel and indicators. The basics for getting a handle on driving. It costs £19.95 for the lesson.

Noah was very excited to have a go in this car on a mock road that had been assembled using cones and road signs.

Firstly we signed a form first containing all the usual safety rules, including one confirming that the child has not drunk alcohol that day which made us smile,  and things like that. We then waited our turn and watched the other drivers on the course. It was quite a windy day and some of the signs were getting blown over but the instructors were picking them up and setting out the cones so the road was clearly marked.

Eventually it was our turn! Noah jumped in the driving seat and his instructor sat with him. The instructors are the country’s best driving instructors specifically trained to teach the under 17s. They had a little chat where Noah was shown how to use the car and then they set off! The cars are battery operated and don’t go that fast but as perfect for children to get a handle on what it feels like to drive the real thing!

After about 10 minutes, and when the instructor felt confident, I was invited to sit with Noah and we went for a spin around the course. He loved it! He started to use the indicators but we were advised not to do that as they can stick and on a first turn you really need to concentrate on the steering. Very good advice! He recognised when to “Give Way” and “Stop” following the road instructions and his steering was brilliant!

After the experience he said it had been “AMAZING!” which is praise indeed from Noah who takes things in his stride. He even got his first licence!

Watch this space for Part Two of our Young Drivers experience when Ethan drives a real car – including changing gear and reversing with me sat in the back seat!

 

Worm World Giveaway!

We had such fun with Interplay’s Ant world and the boys learnt so much about the secret world of Ants that I am thrilled to be able to offer a glimpse inside the world of the worm as a giveaway in the form of Worm World!

Did you know that earth worms breathe through there skin as they don’t have any lungs?

To be in with a chance of winning this fantastic prize all you have to do is fill out the Rafflecopter!

Just tell me an interesting fact about worms that you know or have found out.

Entry into the giveaway will sign your email address up for the Interplay newsletter which gives you information about the latest products, news and offers!

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Good luck!

 This giveaway is open to UK residents only.
 A winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter and announced on this page.
 The winners will be contacted by e-mail within 3 days of competition ends, if they do not respond within 7 days another winner may be chosen.
 Your details will be passed to Interplay UK, but will not be passed onto any third parties by My Gorgeous Boys.
 The prize will be sent directly to the winners from Interplay UK who are responsible for its safe delivery.
 The company reserves the right to substitute the prize for one of a similar type/value if the prize above is not available.
 Entries using any software or automated process to make bulk entries will be disqualified.
 Competition ends midnight 20 March 2016.
 Entry into the competition constitutes acceptance of these terms and conditions.

More competitions at www.theprizefinder.com

Puzzling it out..

I do love a jigsaw puzzle. Luckily so do the boys so we were thrilled to be asked to review “My First Pets” jigsaw puzzle from Ravensburger suitable for those aged 8+.

Ravensburger have been making children’s puzzles for over 100 years and know what are the ideal sizes, piece counts and images for every age. The puzzle is designed to be age appropriate and has 200 pieces. It is also great quality using sustainable materials.

We liked how the puzzle is made up of mini pictures so we could start off in sections doing the smaller pictures then putting them altogether.

Noah is only 6 but a huge puzzle fan and he really enjoyed the challenge. Even the 9 year old found it tricky to work out where the pieces went at times but through trial and error we got there eventually. It was a lovely way to spend an afternoon.

It was also a great way to learn some pet names – terrapin and chinchilla were new ones for the boys (even though they have seen these creatures lots of times at our local farm).

Jigsaw puzzles are a fun way of learning and teaching children valuable life skills. They are also a brilliant way to spend family time bonding and of course, avoiding those screens!

Do you enjoy jigsaw puzzles? I think I am addicted now!

A Day in Historic Newark #notts #family @newarkairmus @civilwarcentre @experiencenotts

Last week we took a day out to Newark, a town in North Nottinghamshire that I have passed by (to visit Waitrose mainly!) but never actually visitied!

First up was the Newark Air Museum which lies on the site of the former World War II airfield of Winthorpe. It is now the largest volunteer managed aviation museum in Great Britain.

Having just returned from America on a big jumbo jet the subject of aeroplanes still felt very real to the kids. So they were very excited and animated about the aircraft on display. As well as having plenty of aircraft on display outside there are also two hangars (one of which was used to train RAF pilots during WWII) full of more aircraft; from the first flying machines through to helicopters and more planes. There is also a store of aviation artifacts on display. So much to see whatever the weather!

We had a brilliant time at the museum. The boys had lots of questions about World War II and a visit here would be brilliant when they are older to put things into context. Some weekends volunteers open up the aeroplanes for people to have a look inside the cockpit so we will definitely have to visit again for this!

Admission for the air museum starts at £4.50 for a child (under 5’s free), adults are £8.00 and over 60s £7.00 . A family ticket (for 2 adults and up to 3 children) starts at £22 and there are gift aid options which give you vouchers to spend in the on site cafe.

After all of the fun we were starving and well ready for lunch so headed to Mamma White’s Pancake Parlour in Newark town centre. We were a little late for our booking but luckily there was a spare table. Mamma White’s is the perfect family friendly lunch stop and the boys loved making their pancake choices on their own tick box sheet. Children’s meals cost £4.50 or £5.50 depending on whether they select big or small appetite. There were some interesting combinations chosen but regardless they disappeared very quickly. I had the All Day Breakfast (£7.50) with a side order of pancakes and syrup which were delicious.

 

In keeping with the family friendly theme there is a little play area in the window with small toys and chalk boards which is a fabulous touch for keeping children occupied whilst their lunch is being prepared. We loved the fabulous food and friendly atmosphere of quirky Mamma White’s – a perfect family treat.

Next up was the Civil War Centre which is a short walk from Mamma White’s.

The newly renovated Civil War centre tells the story of the important role Newark took in the civil wars. We found the staff are very friendly, enthusiastic and helpful which was good as I didn’t really know much about this subject before.

On display were many finds from the area as well as a brilliant film that shows the story in action. There was also an interactive map which showed you what parts of Newark would have looked like at the time of the wars. If this is a subject you are interested in or you are local to the area things would really be brought to life here.

You can also download an app which has a trail linking all the areas in Newark. We didn’t get chance to do this but would love to return and visit Newark Castle sometime which is just around the corner. This would hopefully deepen our understanding of the subject which I think is still a bit lacking!

There is a dressing up area for kids (and adults) to reenact some of the characters and give you a feel for the characters.

During the Summer holidays there were free activities for children – Noah made a peg soldier riding on a horse!

Admission is £3.00 for children and  £7 for adults with under 5’s going free and over 60’s paying £6.

 

We had a fantastic, educational day in Newark and would love to return again soon.

Bug Safari review and #giveaway @interplayuk #minibeast

My Living World’s Bug Safari contains everything you need for hunting minibeasts and learning more about the creatures that live just outside your door; in your garden, the local park or woods.

Inside the box is a bug hunting guide with information of what kinds of insects you may find with hunting tips and lots of facts and advice. There is also a pair of tweezers for handling larger insects, a magnifying glass for close up action, a small paint brush for cleaning down insects, some handy bug collecting tongs and a magnifying pot to store your collection of insects.

The boys didn’t need much persuasion to get out in the garden digging out what creatures we have living there. Learning about minibeasts (which basically means small animals without a backbone) is a key part of the Science curriculum for EYFS and KS1 so this kit is a fantastic way for children to do some hands on learning. Before you could say “ants in your pants” they had filled the clear jar with around 12 different types of minibeast all found under plant pots, around trees and scuttling about the decking. Great educational fun!

 

Don’t forget to return all of your captured treasures back to the wild back to their home when you have finished looking at them as they play an important part in our habitat. Be careful also not to collect creatures like bees and wasps that might be a tad angry at been cased up and will be likely to sting!

 

If you or your children are fans of minibeasts this is a fantastic kit for safely handling the little creatures. The enclosed guide is fun and informative. The perfect treat to keep children busy in the Summer holidays and learning too!

I have one kit to give away to a lucky reader, just fill in the Rafflecopter below telling me what your favourite minibeast is and why. Personally I am quite a fan on the centipede – I just love all its cute little legs! There are a staggering 25,000 different types of minibeasts so  you have a massive section to choose from!

If you are interested in insects check out my other giveaway for win your own Ant World – this giveaway ends on 3 August so be quick!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Good luck!

Term and conditions:
<li>This giveaway is open to UK residents only.</li>

<li>The winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter and announced on this page.</li>

<li>The winner will be contacted by e-mail within 3 days of competition ends, if they do not respond within 7 days another winner may be chosen.</li>
<li>Your details will be passed to Interplay UK, but will not be passed onto any third parties by My Gorgeous Boys.</li>

<li>The prize will be sent directly to the winner from Interplay UK Ltd.</li>

<li>The company reserves the right to substitute the prize for one of a similar type/value if the prize above is not available.</li>
<li>Entries using any software or automated process to make bulk entries will be disqualified.</li>

<li>Competition ends midnight Sunday 16 August.</li>

<li>Entry into the competition constitutes acceptance of these terms and conditions.</li>

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Cooking fun in February half term..

Holidays in my opionion are still a learning experience for children. Perhaps they even learn more, it could be argued, than in the classroom, when on holiday. Most of our holiday learning experiences are usually outdoors but as February half term is often dreary, wet and a bit cold this one was an indoor learning experience – cooking Japanese food!

We booked onto a free cookery class that was held at Wagamama’s restaurant at Meadowhall.

Luckily the half term holidays for Sheffield are a week later than ours so there was availability in the fantastic session.

So…what did we learn…

• how to make healthy juices from freshly squeezes carrots, apples, oranges and even tried out fresh ginger in our juices (not sure about this one though mummy likes it!).
• all about the different types on noodles.
• how the waiters order the food on their hand held device and how it prints off the order for the chef’s to create in the kitchen.
• weighing out the ingredients for their chicken stirfry choosing their favourite ingredients (and maybe trying some new ones).
• watched at the counter as the chef cooked up their recipe.

Then tucked into their yummy food created- delicious!

It was fabulous for Noah who is not quite 5 years old but loves helping mummy cook. He learnt lots and enjoyed joining in with the older children.

I think this is a fantastic idea and I think I can safely say Wagamamas is now the kids’ favourite choice of eatery.

Thank you guys for a fabulous morning!

 

This post is an entry for the Visit Wales #Wales4Kids Family Holiday Challenge.

Wales is the perfect place for a fun-filled family break. We love Wales and hope to visit there over the Summer. We love having fun in the outdoors and the unspoilt beauty of Wales is perfect to let off steam, embrace new challenges and have a great time. We have enjoyed two breaks there; one in a cottage on a farm in beautiful Pembrokeshire and a second camping near the glorious beaches of Abersoch. Looking at the Visit Wales website just makes me want to go back again now for more adventures!

To find out more you can follow Visit Wales on Twitter and Facebook.