Two Half Term Ideas - Journey to Space and Trash Robots

It's half term for most people this week, and seeing as the great British weather has taken a nose-dive I think that it is the perfect time for this post.

Going Out:

If you live in or near London and have kids then make a bee-line to Discover - Children's Story Centre in Stratford E15. It is a complete gem!

I blogged about it here at the start of last year and I still cannot recommend Discover enough - there are things to climb on and slide down, puppets to play with, outfits to dress up in, and somewhere to make and draw things too. And that's just on the ground floor! The outdoor playground is brilliant and although there is a small on-site cafe (that serves good coffee) there are tables and chairs for you to eat your own food if you wish. Other 'family friendly' places take note!

Downstairs they have a programme of changing visiting exhibitions; at the moment it is 'Journey to Space'. The children get to put on space suits, go in a 'spaceship' to a unknown planet and search for the missing Major Tom. Wiss loved it!

He made a paper rocket at the craft tables, which he played with all afternoon and the next day too. In fact, it's still in pride of place on his window ledge.

We booked into one of the (free) storytelling sessions to end our day. 'Where on Earth is the Moon?' was read aloud by one of the Story Builders while the kids sat on big cushions on the floor and were encouraged to help bring the book to life by using musical instruments. The beautiful illustrations were projected on the wall in front of us. The final stop on the way out has to be at the brilliant bookshop - they have a fabulous selection of some classics, some really original but all very cool books.

Staying In:

If you can't make it along to Discover then how about making something at home instead? Wiss was given this Trash Robot kit for his birthday but we saved it for a rainy day (!)

You get eyes, wheels and plenty of stickers to make at least two robots using whatever recycled packaging you have. As you can see we used a milk carton, and a shampoo bottle - it's a great way to start talking about recycling with kids. I had to help Wiss with the arms as they are made from folded paper but he enjoyed putting the stickers on himself. We then spent the afternoon racing our robots up and down the dining room, and perfecting our robotic voices!

Whatever you get up to this half term, I hope you have fun regardless of the weather! And if you go anywhere that you'd like to recommend then please let me know with a comment or link... Enjoy!

Little People Who Lunch

Since having a child I spend lots of time in places I didn't before: soft play areas, the city farm, duck ponds, the library. I also find that my day is now firmly arranged around food in a way it never was before. It seems like it's always either time for a meal or a snack! I prefer to have lunch out if at all possible, otherwise I don't think we'd ever leave the house! Picnics are great but seeing as it will be a good few months before they'll be back on the agenda I've had to find some new lunch spots for Wiss and I.

The first one, I thought about not sharing as it's that good! But seeing as I was told about it by a dear friend it only seems fair to pass it on, plus it's a charity run place so the more visitors the better. It's called Discover in Stratford, E15 and is billed as a Children's Story Centre. If you are not a fan of the typical ball pit-type playground then this place is for you!

We met up with all our friends and their kids last weekend to celebrate Wiss's birthday. (You can book birthday parties there but I felt the little ones were too little for the planned activities.) It's large enough and varied enough to keep everyone happy for hours and there's a cafe for parents to get their caffeine-fix on an weekend morning! They have a permanent area on the ground floor and outside, and a changing exhibition space downstairs. At the moment it's 'Monsterville' but from the 1 April it will be 'Super Heroes'; they have readings of similarly themed books twice a day (our favourites are Where The Wild Things Are, Troll and of course, The Gruffalo.) I could go on and on, I love this place so much, so the last thing I'm going to add about Discover is that they have picnic tables outside and allow you to bring your own packed lunches. How cool is that? Check their website for even more details.

I live near Crystal Palace and are lucky enough to have lots of child-friendly cafes nearby. I've met friends for coffee with all our babies, or we've taken Lewis out for lunch with family but I'd never gone out for actual lunch, just the two of us. Until this weekend! The two of us sat down at a table (Wiss on a chair, not in a high chair!) and we ordered beans on toast, times two. It felt so different to be out with a little person rather than a baby. We played with cars between the salt and pepper pots until the food arrived, but my dining companion was on good form and best behaviour. I know it's a little thing but I was so proud and have been smiling all week about our lunch date.

Finally, I have a very secret spot to share with you. Wiss and I go swimming every week; he's been having lessons since he was 3 months old at Crystal Palace Sports Centre. In the summer we have a picnic in the park before swimming, and we had been having lunch in the cafe in the sports centre until recently, but it gets expensive and to be honest, the food is not great. Then a couple of weeks ago my husband suggested eating our sandwiches in the spectators seats alongside the olympic-sized swimming pool.

What a place to have lunch. It's warm, calming (almost hypnotic!), there's always lots to see and people to watch, and we're usually the only ones in the stands. And if the sun is shining, then wow! The light through the huge glass windows and on the water is beautiful. But sssshhhhhh... Don't tell anyone our little secret!

Maybe you have some good ideas to share for a spot of lunch with the little ones? But I've got to go now...I'm getting hungry!