The new Furchester Hotel Magazine launches today!

Today marks the launch of a brand new Cbeebies magazine aimed at children aged 3 - 6. The Furchester Hotel magazine goes on sale for just £2.75 and is packed full of fun activities to entertain the little ones on these rainy summer days.

If like us, you have a Cbeebies fan, you'll be familiar with the Furchester Hotel which features characters from the popular series Sesame Street, including Elmo and Cookie Monster as well as other special guests of The Furchester Hotel from funny fruit to talking animals!

My four year old Elizabeth was one of the first to receive the magazine and she was very excited by it!

It's packed full of a variety of activities from colouring to mask making, stories and quizzes. The magazine is targeted at four year olds and it was ideal for Elizabeth, really holding her attention and encouraging her to engage and discuss.  Some sections allowed her to enjoy it independently, colouring in, tracing mazes or copying, other sections such as the guest book and the stories we enjoyed together. We cuddled up to read through the story and then she excitedly went through the quiz (getting all the answers right of course!)

Like most other four year olds I know, Elizabeth adores playing with stickers so she was delighted to find that the magazine came with two sheets full of them and she concentrated very hard to get them in the right place.

 Like other magazines from Cbeebies, each issue comes with a free gift and the first issue of the Furchester Hotel comes with a fantastic craft set to make self portraits of the characters! The small box attached to the front of the magazine was packed full of craft materials and frames to create fun 3D pictures of Elmo the Cookie Monster, Phoebe and more... 

As well as being packed full of fun educational activities, the magazine also includes a voucher for up to two children to go free at your local SEALIFE centre! A great discount on a really fun day out!

Issue one of The Furchester Hotel is out now so why not pop down to your local newsagent today and grab a copy for only £2.75...

CBeebies Swashbuckle Magazine is out today!

The brand new CBeebies Swashbuckle Magazine is out in shops today priced at just £2.75 and we were lucky enough to be sent an early copy to take a look at! My four year old daughter Elizabeth is pirate crazy and Swashbuckle is her favourite CBeebies show!

The first issue of the Swashbuckle magazine comes packed full of fun activities and includes a free Swashbuckle play set, featuring a foam pirate hat, pretty jewels, a special pirate spinner and your very own treasure chest!

The latest magazine from the CBeebies folks is aimed at children between the ages of four and six and my four year old has really enjoyed it. I've often found that the magazines aimed at children of this age tend to be very gender specific, although Elizabeth loves dancing and her favourite colour is pink she would rather be wearing a pirate hat than a tiara any day! I love that Swashbuckles magazine appeals to both my son and daughter in equal measure.

Although the free gifts are ideal for role play and have a lot of play value, the magazine has lots more to offer, there are stories, puzzles and crafts that children will learn from while also having fun with their Swashbuckle friends Gem, Cook, Line and Sinker!

Elizabeths favourite sections were Cooks Corner with the smoothie recipes she'd decided we're making at the weekend and the Pirate School cartoon, that she got her big brother Ben to help her read! She also enjoyed coloring the pirate ship and like most four year olds she was delighted with the stickers that came inside the magazine.

This magazine is jam packed full of value and is right on target to hold a four year old's attention and encourage them to learn with out them noticing it. This is certainly going to be a regular in our house.

You can read an interview with Steph Cooper, editor of the Swashbuckle magazine, over on the UKMums.tv website and don't forget to follow Swashbuckle magazine on twitter and like them on facebook!

Win a £50 voucher to spend on educational toys at Cost Cutters!

Cost Cutters are a family run business based in Staffordshire who have of 30 years of experience providing high quality educational supplies and toys at affordable prices!

“Cutting cost, not quality” is their main aim – helping to allow your "budget to stretch further" without compromising on quality, choice, durability or reliability. Where possible, they will provide products manufactured within the UK, and are strict to ensure that where necessary all educational supplies products conform with regulations and certification standards.

They have a fantastic selection of products from toy storage and  pre-school furniture to a wide selection of educational toys from construction to role play, creative play, sensory play and more!

They lovely folks at Cost Cutters are very kindly offering one My Mummy's Pennies reader the chance to win a £50 gift voucher to spend on their website.

For you chance to win follow the instructions in the rafflecopter widget below....

Good Luck! 

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Get a Free Trial of Reading Eggs and #Win one of 5 annual subscriptions!

School's out for Summer! It's officially the summer holidays and I have a great offer for you to get a FREE trial of the fantastic online educational reading programme, Reading Eggs!

Claim your extended free trial and be in with a chance of winning a 1 year subscription to Reading Eggs and Reading Eggspress – Where children become great readers!

Reading Eggs and Reading Eggspress are comprehensive, interactive online literacy resources for children developed by a highly experienced team of educational teachers, writers and developers. They focus on a core reading curriculum of phonics and sight words using skills and strategies essential for sustained reading success. 

The Reading Eggs program is for 3-7 year olds and includes 120 literacy lessons, 96 spelling lessons, a creative writing factory, 20 comprehension and grammar lessons and much more! 

Reading Eggspress is for 7-13 year olds and uses a highly engaging spinning island where children are instantly involved and interested. The range of activities motivates students to return regularly to complete lessons, compete against others, earn more rewards and improve their skills. Within the program there are 200 comprehension and grammar lessons, a library with over 1000 e-books and much more!

My five year old will be trialing the programme over the school holidays and I will keep you updated with our thoughts!

I am thrilled to be able to offer My Mummies Pennies readers the chance to win one of five one year subscriptions to Reading Eggs and Reading Eggspress. Each subscription is worth £39.95 and covers access to both programs. To be in with a chance of winning simply submit your details and answer the question in the rafflecopter widget...


For more information on the program and to claim your special 4 WEEK FREE TRIAL simply visit www.readingeggs.co.uk, register an account and use promotional code UKF25MMC

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Terms & Conditions

There will be 5 winners of a one year subscription to the Reading Eggs and Reading Eggspress programs worth £39.95.
There is no cash alternative.
Winners will be chosen at random from those who answered the question correctly.
The competition closes at midnight on 7th August 2013.
The 4 week trial expires at the end of August.
Open to UK entries only.

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A fun day out at MOSI

Last Sunday the children and I set off for a day out at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester to meet up with some other lovely bloggers and their families for the 2nd official Blogs up North meet up.
I've lived and worked in Manchester for over eight years now and visited MOSI many times for a variety of occasions from family days out to a work's Christmas Party in the Power Hall and was looking forward to my latest visit.


As a fun family day out it is hard to beat! There are a wide variety of different areas with so much to do for all ages! And although the entertainment factor is comparable to places that charge upwards of £20, at MOSI there is no compulsory entrance fee, just a suggested donation of £3 which is well worth it for a family day out that is both fun and educational! And it's really accessible by car or on public transport. If you fancy feeding your brood while you are visiting you can either bring a picnic to enjoy in the Air & Space Hall or enjoy the freshly cooked daily specials in the restaurant or Coffee shop.

After some tasty refreshments and an introduction from the lovely staff we ventured down to the Power Hall to watch Engineer Eric and Forgetful Fred present an entertaining and child friendly talk, explaining the workings of a steam engine in a way that really held the children's attention, especially my 5 year old Ben, who was entranced. The Power Hall is filled with amazing examples of working engines and locomotives that Ben loved exploring and he could have spent hours in there but Elizabeth had spotted the steam train outside so we queued up to take a ride on that, and despite Ben having a bit of a sulk at first that we had left the big room of engines and machinery, they both loved it and I really enjoyed seeing the city that I know so well in a different way.

There was so much choice as to what to do next, from Rocket Launching in the Power Hall, visiting the 4D Theatre (ages 4+) or exploring the many galleries that MOSI has to offer but I let Ben lead and of course we ended up at Experiment! the interactive gallery that gives children of all ages the opportunity to get hands on and find out for themselves how things work, from magnetism to solar power, liquids and lights and sounds. Even though we have visited many times both Ben and Elizabeth ran around playing with all the experiments as if it was the first time seeing them. It was lovely to see the expressions of awe on their faces as they watched the outcome of their actions. We ended up spending most of the afternoon in here and after a quick play in the under fives area they were all played out and we decided to head home. I felt like we had barely touched the surface and there was so much more we wanted to do, but that just gives us the excuse to return again very soon!

I think I'll look to time our next visit to coincide with the monthly Experitots sessions (next one on 22nd March) which are activity sessions specifically aimed at under 5's including crafts, puppets and storytelling to help toddlers get the most out of the Experiment gallery. Find out more about these sessions and everything else that MOSI has to offer on their website www.mosi.org.uk.

You can also keep up to date with MOSI news and events on Twitter and Facebook.


Disclaimer: As attendees of the Blogs up North meet up we were treated to refreshments and a complimentary ride on the stream train but but all opinions are our own..

Story writing tips from Bernard Ashley and your chance to win one of 3 copies of Little Soldier...

 
As part of the Imperirial War Museum North's Free Summer Activities, they will be will be hosting a week-long programme of activities and events inspired by Bernard Ashley's children's book Little Soldier, which is one of the books that feature in the Once Upon A Wartime exhibition.

Today he was at IWMN and visitors of all ages were able to meet the author, find out what it is like to be a professional writer and what inspired him to write Little Soldier and new book, Dive Bombing.

 Little Soldier, published in 1999, follows Kaninda, a young boy who witnesses the shooting of his parents and sister by government troops in his own home in East Africa. After joining the rebel army of his own tribe, Kaninda is rescued by the Red Cross and sent to East London – where he is in danger of getting caught up in further violence.

If you were unable to make it, he has been kind enough to share some top tips on story writing below, these are great tips for any budding authors in your family...


Bernard Ashley: What I’ve found useful in writing...

1. Carrying a writers’ notebook – small, unobtrusive – for jotting down phrases heard, thoughts, people’s dress, etc. I suppose an i-phone could be used in the modern world.

2. Researching. Get on top of your subject, see it from more than one point of view. The internet is marvellous for this, but so is ‘going there’ as I did for ‘Little Soldier’ – seeing the colour of the soil, eating the food, avoiding the mosquitos. Look for the idiosynchratic detail that brings a scene to life, illustrating that life can be stranger than fiction.

3. Being aware of style – an action scene will be written with shorter sentences, fewer adjectives and adverbs, while a romantic scene can be lush in sentence and word. I imagine what sort of music would be playing beneath a particular scene in a film, and match it with words.



To inspire future authors further we have been offered 3 copies of Little Soldier to give away to My Mummy's Pennies readers!



Enter on the rafflecopter form below...


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Find more great giveaways at... ThePrizeFinder - UK Competitions

Free family fun at Imperial War Museum North...

 
Bernard Ashley, the author of Little Soldier (one of the books that feature in the Once Upon A Wartime exhibition) will be at the Imperial War Museum North today for a talk and book signing. You could learn what it is like to be a professional writer as he reveals the processes and inspirations that helped him write Little Soldier and his new book Dive Bombing. The talk will be followed by a book signing in the shop.



Little Soldier, published in 1999, follows Kaninda, a young boy who witnesses the shooting of his parents and sister by government troops in his own home in East Africa. After joining the rebel army of his own tribe, Kaninda is rescued by the Red Cross and sent to East London – where he is in danger of getting caught up in further violence.



IWM North are hosting a week-long programme of FREE family activities and events inspired by the book starting with today's talk and book signing.


Younger visitors can also get hands-on during the week and decorate their own pet chameleon
(Kaninda’s pet in the novel) and African animal-inspired keepsakes.

On Friday 24 August, families will also have the opportunity to meet professional illustrator
Karin Littlewood and learn about the techniques she used to create her pictures in The Colour of
Home, as well as having the opportunity to create illustrations of their own.

There is also a regular storytime each day during August at 10.30 am where children can meet a host of charming characters and discover tales of adventure.

See the full calendar of events here...

http://www.iwm.org.uk/events/iwm-north/family-activities/2012-08-18/2013-02-14

Bernard Ashley has shared some great story writing tips with us and we have 3 copies of Little Soldier to give away, read more here...

Story writing tips from Bernard Ashley and your chance to win one of  3 copies of Little Soldier...

Mike the Knight Mission Set review

Ever since we visited Camelot Theme park last year and watched the Jousting My 4 year old has been fascinated by medieval knights, So as you can imagine when Mike the Knight started on Cbeebies he very soon became a huge fan! The animated show follows knight in training, Mike, on his adventures around the Kingdom of Glendragon. It really is a lovely show that not only entertains with stories of castles and dragons but also teaches pre-schoolers values such as responsibility and the importance of doing things right, even if they don't succeed at first. A catchphrase of the show that Ben regularly quotes is 'Be a knight, Do it right!' I think that's a lovely sentiment!

Therefore I was delighted to hear that character online were launching a new toy range to accompany the show. When we were offered the chance to review one of the products from this range before they were available to buy in the shops I just couldn't resist!

The Range includes a variety of play figures, play sets and accessories, as well as plush and role play toys.

Ben was sent 'Mike's Mission Set' from the role play collection which consists of a blue plastic helmet with detachable feather, adjustable visor and chin strap and comes with a high density foam sword.

Since his fascination with all things medieval Ben has had a few toys swords but to be honest I've never really been happy with their quality. (The foam ones tend to be flimsy and fall apart after being played with just a few times and the plastic ones can been poorly made and one has actually snapped while being played with leaving a rather dangerous exposed edge.) However as soon as this one came out of it's packaging I was impressed. The attention to detail is great and it really doesn't look or feel like it is made from foam, while still being soft enough to be safe for young children.



The helmet is made from sturdy plastic with a movable visor that Ben loved and an easy to adjust chin strap. There is a red solid plastic feather that attached into the top of the helmet and it has the 'mike the knight 'logo on the front. There are no rough edges and again you can see that this is very well made.

Ben has enjoyed playing with these, putting on the helmet and being transformed into a heroic character to reenact scenarios from the show and create his own missions! (Often involving rescuing princess 'sister' from a 'very, very, very tall tower in a big castle with a pointy top')

I love how this set encourages imaginative play and I can see Ben playing with it long in to the future with many different scenarios! Even though it's aimed at an age range of 3 - 5 I think the simplicity of this set means that older children will also enjoy role playing with it, the helmet has plenty of room for growth and even fitted on my head (when Ben decided it was Mummies turn to be Mike!)

At an RRP of just £14.99 this set is really good value for money, both the sword and the helmet are high quality and even though Ben can be quite rough with his toys, after two weeks of playing with this regularly (including sword fights with the door!) there are no signs of wear or tear at all. I would reccomend this playset to any parents whose little ones like to play knights...

Also available in the range launching this weekend are the Glendragon Arena - for Mike's jousting competitions, Hairy Harry's Horse Stop - for Mike to take Galahad to the Viking Boat - with unique multi-oar rowing action and the Deluxe Glendragon Playset - A two tiered tower with hidden treasure features!

We were sent this item to review, but were not paid to write this post, all opinions are own own.