Make a Solar Eclipse Viewer...in just 5 minutes!

This Friday there will be the most spectacular solar eclipse seen since 1999! In London there will only be a partial eclipse but even so, it's going to be pretty special. According to the experts the moon will start to pass in front of the sun at 8.25am and it will all be over around 10.40am, with peak coverage at 9.31am.

Now, if like me, you are a little late getting your stuff sorted, don't worry. Yes, solar eclipse glasses are like gold dust but it's not too late to make your own solar eclipse viewer. This version of a pinhole camera takes literally 5 minutes to make so you'll be able to make one today and look super organised come Friday morning! They are easy enough for the kids to make too, although I'd get an adult with a steady hand to make the pin hole. This needs to be small and perfectly round.

This amazing event allows for so many discussions about planets, orbit paths, the effect of the sun on earth (it's going to go dark during the day! wow) as well as how pinhole cameras/projectors/our eyes work! (See here if this is where your interest goes.)

I hope all of that makes sense and you're all able to make a viewer for yourselves. Of course, if you have longer than 5 minutes then you can jazz up the outside of your box. Or the kids can! Just remember, the box needs to be as dark as possible so covering or painting the outside is a good idea but makes sure you don't make any extra holes or damage your pinhole.

Let's hope the weather is kind and the clouds stay away on Friday morning at least!

For the Kids - Toucan Box Review

If your kids are anything like my Wiss, they'll love making stuff and they'll love getting a package in the post even more! We were sent a Toucan Box to review and this exciting looking baby arrived on our doorstep...

Toucan Boxes contain everything you need to play, learn, create & explore. They come in various sizes, containing one, two or four projects and are aimed at 3-8 year olds. We received the Grande Toucan box and Wiss couldn't wait to get stuck in!

Inside were two smaller boxes, each containing a craft to make, plus there was a book to read and a colouring chart with stickers (that you can collect over time to claim a special prize.) Our box had a seaside theme which was echoed in the book as well as the makes, perfect for Wiss as he loves the beach and Octonauts, but there are loads of different themes to appeal to everyone - even a chill out yoga one! I particularly like the fact that they are non gender specific - all of them come in the same boxes.

The crafts are really original and come with a detailed and easy to follow instruction booklet. Wiss made two Hermit Crabs (pictured above) from a polystyrene cup complete with googly eyes and mini pegs for claws! And then we made Jellyfish Racers pictured below. Once you've made your jellyfish you can pull the ribbons to make them climb up the window or mirror. It got very competitive in our house!

The storybook is a great way to enjoy some quieter time together but still continue with the theme of your box. We received 'Titch the Tiddler'; a story about a little fish that saved the day.

We really enjoyed everything about our Toucan box - even the fantastic 'interactive' box has been played with regularly, as an airport and a multistory car park! I think a Toucan Box would make an excellent and original gift, and with half term just around the corner they're a great way to keep the kids entertained. If you sign up to their newsletter then you'll be given a code to entitle you to 50% off your first Toucan Box. What's not to love about that?!

Disclaimer: I was sent the Grande Toucan box for free for reviewing purposes but all opinions are mine (or Wiss's!) Normal retail price £12.95

For the Kids - Weekend Boxes

Regular readers will know that Wiss has now finished nursery ahead of him starting school in September, and that I am officially on Maternity Leave for a year. Yay! I've been really looking forward to spending time with my little man, especially before the baby comes, but being 8 and 1/2 months pregnant does mean I have had to plan a little more 'at home' time than usual.

We were really lucky to be sent a Weekend Box, which is full of activities for kids. The Weekend Gang is made up of four characters who each have their own speciality: Wooster the Rabbit likes to get creative in the kitchen, Hattie the Hedgehog likes getting her hands dirty in the garden, Sammy the Squirrel likes arts and crafts while Oswald the Owl loves to read. Every box has four envelopes containing the things you will need and full instructions for each task, plus stickers for once you've completed it.

Wiss really liked the different characters and getting to choose which project to do first. There was a Sammy Squirrel face mask to make, including powder paints to mix up. I have to say, I was tempted to use our ready-mixed paints but this was actually the bit that Wiss enjoyed the most, and while he mixed the paints we talked about what colours would be made by adding black or white, and how paint was originally made.

We also made Popcorn Cupcakes with Wooster's envelope which contained the special ingredients and recipe (a few store cupboard extras were needed but this was no problem.) Wiss decided that he needed an audience to help him make the cakes, as you can see!

The only cooking required was to make the popcorn itself, but apart from that Wiss made them by himself. And ate most of them himself too!

Our other activities were to make a board game (dice and counters included in the box) and to plants some seeds using expanding compost disks! Once all the projects have been completed there is a certificate on the bottom of the box to be coloured in.

Although the boxes may look quite small initially there was definitely enough to keep Wiss entertained across a few days (or weekends), and all the activities were open-ended enough to lead on to further questions or spark his imagination to try something different.

The boxes are aimed at 4-6 year olds, and can be delivered in the post fortnightly or monthly, with each box costing £7.50. We thought our box was really good fun, and would make a great present idea.


Disclosure: We were sent our Weekend Box for free but all opinions are my own.

For The Kids - Thank You Presents for Teachers

Now I realise that I'm a bit late in getting this post up, seeing as most schools and pre-schools have already finished for the summer. Doh! But Wiss is at a private day care nursery and isn't finishing for another 2 weeks yet, so forgive my bad timing please.

I really wanted to give the staff who have looked after him for the last few years a little something to say thank you very much. I also thought it would be good if Wiss could help make the presents too. I was thinking about making chocolates using a mould like this one, but I thought that teachers always get chocolates (plus it has been so hot in London that I didn't think they'd last!)

So...Tote Bags it is! They will last longer than chocolates, and be useful at the same time. I bought these plain bags from eBay, but you could equally make your own if you wanted to.

How to Make a Thank You Tote Bag:

You will need: plain tote bag, freezer paper, fabric paints, fabric pens (optional)

If you have never used freezer paper before prepare to be amazed! This stuff is brilliant. You can buy it online and it is basically American waxed paper, used for freezing food. However, the waxed side sticks to fabric when it is lightly ironed in place and makes the perfect stencil. Then it can simply be peeled off once the paint is dry. Easy!

So first, trace out your stencil onto the freezer paper and carefully cut it out using a scalpel or sharp craft knife. This can take a while depending on your design but if you cut exactly you get two stencils for the price of one - a positive, and a negative! Iron these into place with a warm iron.

Now comes the fun bit (I know Wiss doesn't look like he's having that much fun but this is just his concentrating face, honest!) Put some scrap cardboard (like old cereal packets) inside the bags to prevent the paint from leaking through to the other side. Paint over the stencils using fabric paint (we used Dylon in little pots but any fixable fabric paints will do.) You can go as crazy or as simple as you like...

Once all the fabric within the stencil has been covered leave them to completely dry.

When the paint is totally dry you can peel off the freezer paper to reveal your design underneath.

Refer to the fixing instructions on the paint you have used - a very hot iron for a minute or two, with a clean cloth over the design fixes Dylon fabric paint. And voila! You have your thank you tote bags.

They look fab as they are but I think they would look more personal with a little message from Wiss added to them: "from Lewis x" for instance. Using fabric pens you can add extra decoration, names or a handwritten message.

Have you made any Thank You presents for your child's teachers? If so, I'd love to hear all about them. Leave a comment or link in the box below, or you can tweet me @thisiswiss And if your kids have already left school for the summer, enjoy! :)

Architecture - For the Kids

This week I've mainly been sitting down with my foot up - foot, not feet I'm afraid, and it's not been very relaxing. I developed an infection from a random horsefly bite which left me barely able to walk. I mean, honestly, how much pain can one little bite cause? Let me tell you... A LOT! Anyway, I seem to be on the mend now thanks to some strong antibiotics, and I'm going to be wearing a head-to-toe boiler suit from now on at all times, just in case!

I was due to be giving a talk to Wiss's pre-school nursery class about Architects (and Modelmakers!) but that has had to be postponed too. Instead, and to keep me prepared, I thought I'd share some of our personal architectural gems in London.

Photo Source

The view from the top of Gipsy Hill, SE19 is one Wiss has grown up with, and as views of the City go it is pretty spectacular. We watched the Shard being built from this vantage point and we see it daily in all sorts of weather - the way the sun reflects off it is amazing. Wiss developed a love for the Shard and points it out whenever he spots it somewhere on the skyline!

The Shard

Getting the train into London Bridge station offers a completely different view of the Shard, and standing at the foot of it you can feel completely dwarfed. The trick perspective from this angle makes it seem like the Shard is even taller than it really is. 

We have not taken Wiss to the top viewing level yet as the prices have always been prohibitively expensive, but this half term children go free! Between 26 May and 1 June up to 2 children can get in free with at least one full-paying adult. Even though adult tickets are still £25 each, this could mean a saving of up to £37.90 on the kids!!! See their website for more details and to book in advance.

City Hall

Once you've got the train to London Bridge, it would be silly not to take a stroll along the river. We always cut through Hayes Galleria (great pirate ship sculpture in the middle) then have a look at HMS Belfast moored just before City Hall. The piazza round here is always buzzing with people and interesting things to see. There's even a free table tennis table with bats and balls provided!

City Hall (designed by Norman Foster) is home to the Mayor of London and the Greater London Authority, and as such may seem to be off-limits, especially with a child...but no! Parts of it are open to the public, and once you've negotiated the airport-style security (always exciting for a kid) you will be able to explore the enormous aerial photo of the whole of London (just seen at the bottom of the ramp in this photo) I wish I taken some pictures of Wiss running around on this but maybe I will, and add them in post-posting?

Photo credit

As well as trying to find your house on the huge map, there is a great cafe with an outside terrace into the Scoop (for little ones to run around in, if there's no free entertainment on) and of course, there is a toilet with baby changing facilities. Always handy to know where these are in busy tourist areas!

Toddle in the City

I've posted before about these brilliant Treasure Hunts for kids armed with digital cameras, and I'm pleased to say that Yat is back again with more Toddles this summer! The first ones kick off on the 30 & 31st May in Crystal Palace as preparation for the Overground Festival running from 26th -29th June. I love the idea of encouraging a love and respect for the city from an early age, and you really do get to see things from a completely different perspective when a child is behind the lens.

 

 

As well as being a great day out there is hope that the photos from these Toddles may help with the future redevelopment plans of Crystal Palace and the Park! The pictures taken by these children could help to shape the city of tomorrow by informing the city-planners - how cool is that?

We're booked in already and can't wait to see what treasures the kids discover in Crystal Palace. If you want to book too then go to the Toddle in the City website.

Iggy Peck

Finally, you can keep the architecture theme going even at bedtime! 'Iggy Peck, Architect' is a great story about a little boy who just loves buildings (and bridges) The rhyming story is funny, and we love the illustrations by David Roberts. (I particularly love the use of graph paper backgrounds!) I found this a really easy way to start introducing the concept of architecture to Wiss, and it has led on to lots of discussions about designing buildings - and how suspension bridges work!

Project Wild Thing

Hello! This month's post For the Kids is all about "Wild Time".

I first read about Project Wild Thing on Lori's Wild & Grizzly blog in January (check out the post here) It really resonated with me because as a parent I do worry about the amount of time Wiss spends in the great outdoors. We are really careful to monitor his screen time, and as he's only 4 it's quite easy at the moment, but I want to make sure he experiences that there's more fun things 'out there'. I bought the dvd straight away so I could watch the documentary at home - it is brilliant! It's funny, and all too familiar, and actually desperately sad too: "children in the UK spend less than 5% of their time outdoors". Wow.

If you'd like to see the film for yourself then check out the website. You can see it in cinemas, buy the dvd or even request a screening for your group.

This weekend Wiss and I headed out to Bradfield Woods in Suffolk with Nana Daisy. It was a beautiful day so we packed sandwiches and drew up a list of things that we hoped we could spot while we were exploring. You can see the list below... The dog poo was at Wiss's insistence I'm afraid!

When we got there we discovered that Suffolk Wildlife Trust actually have a wonderful visitors hut, staffed by volunteers, where you could have a cup of tea, find out more about the woods and their conservation projects and they even had an 'Explorer's Pack" for kids to borrow. The green rucksack (which matched his outfit perfectly) was filled with similar laminated lists of things to to look out for and pictures of the Spring flowers we may spot, as well as binoculars, a magnifying glass and a bug pot. Wiss loved these three items and marched off into the woods to put them to the test!

At first he was in a hurry to check things off our list as soon as possible, but it was great to see him gradually forget about it as he was busy looking and he started exploring at his own pace. There was lots of hunting small creatures, listening to the different bird songs and poking sticks into muddy puddles to see which was the deepest!

We spent a few hours in the woods and it was wonderful for all of us, plus we managed to tick everything off the list apart from the snail!

Even if you're in a city (which we usually are) there are lots of ways you can still enjoy Wild Time - just get outdoors and see what happens! There is a fab and free Wild Time app which can provide inspiration if you get stuck, and you can even get ideas for as little as 10 minutes up to activities to take half a day.

We have a long Easter bank holiday coming up in the UK, why not pledge to swap some screen time for wild time this weekend and see what you and your kids can get up to? Please share your adventures by either leaving a comment or link below or if you're on twitter you can use #wildtime to link up.

Have a great long weekend and Happy Easter to you all :)