December 13th 2015 - Glow in the dark snowman

On wednesday of this coming week it is the sja christmas party.  The party is going to be uv/glow in the dark.  It should be a really good night.  I think the kids are going to be quite shocked when the uv/ lights get turned on.

I have spent to day painting a glow in the dark snowman that we can use as a "Pin the nose" game.  It was painted with glow in dark and white paint.

October 27th 2015 - Roll a pumpkin game

Me and lil man had a game of roll a pumpkin today.  We had a dice but  no paper to hand so we drew our pictures on the paint programe on my laptop.

Mine is on left made with shapes, lil man used the pencil to draw his.

We had good fun and must have had about 5 or 6 goes - the1 of the image we both drew what ever was rolled so no-1 won.

if you roll a 1 - you draw the body
if you roll a 2 - you draw the stalk
if you roll a 3 - you draw the leaf
if you roll a 4 - you draw the eyes
if you roll a 5 - you draw the nose
if you roll a 6 - you draw the mouth

September 25th 2015 - Pumpkin game

September 25th 2015 - Pumpkin game

For Halloween my friend has asked me to sort out the games for the party.  This got me thinking of what we could do that wont involve lots of things needing to be taken with us.  I was also thinking along the lines of normal party games that we could make "halloweeny".

I had the thought on musical chairs - we don't have much room or enough chairs for loads of kids BUT we do have cushions, and from here came the idea of making pumpkins from paper for it.  I found a pumpkin template, asked my friends to help with orange paper/card as I didn't have any (2 of my friends were able to help).  I printed the pumpkin image and cut it out, and used it to draw round on the orange paper.  These were then cut out and the extra lines added, the pumpkin stalks were made from brown paper and glued on.  From here they are going to be laminated so can be re-used.

 Although this may look big it was cur out of A4 paper, and its not as dark as it looks its a real bright orange.

The idea is that of musical chairs, each child will start with a pumpkin on the floor and they will dance round them etc, when the music stops they need to stand on a pumpkin.   After the first round 1 pumpkin is removed so there is an extra child to pumpkin.  therefore when the music stops 1 child will not have a pumpkin to stand on and will be  out.  Another pumpkin will be removed and play will continue.  The winner is the last child that stands on the single pumpkin out of the last 2.

August 7th 2015 - Making mini marshmallows

August 7th 2015 - Making mini marshmallows

I found this marshmallow toss game on pinterest, it is played with real marshmallows.  However, I was really dubious about this incase any of the children put them in their mouths after they had been on the floor etc so I decided to make some mini marshmallows from material.

The other day I had bought some pillows to make a big marshmallows for a smore race, I only used 1 of the 2 pillows so this is what I have used for the mini ones.  I have done them in the same way as the big ones.  I cut open one end and removed all the stuffing, now with the paper material cover I have cut it into strips about 1 1/2 " wide and then pinned and cut the strips into squares:

From here I have stitched 3 sides and then stuffed them with original stuffing.  The first 1 I did was just stuffing but when we threw it it didn't go very far so I undid part of it and added some rice to it to give it some weight for throwing, this worked much better.


I have a big red box that is coming to camp (it has chairs n things in it) and this will be used as the marshmallow toss game instead of the bucket like picture shows.  I have printed and laminated a picture of fire and the words marshmallow toss to be stuck on them as well.  We also have a small red spade from the sandpit to throw them with.


Although the image doesn't tell you how to play the game it looks very simple - you have a bucket that has fire/flames on it and marshmallows and a spade, I assume that the marshmallows represent water and you need to throw them into the fire to put it out.  The way we are going to play is each person has a turn with all of the marshmallows to see who can get the most in the bucket.

May 28th 2015 - Would you rather.....

May 28th 2015 - Would you rather.....

My boys are always asking questions when we are in the car, so I thought I would see if I could find them a quiz type thing that I could print off.  I came across this Would you rather..... link on pinterest and it seems ideal.

So I set about copying the questions from the link as well as loads of others I found on the net and added them to a word document/table.  I will print them (when my ink arrives) and laminate them, so that they can be added to a carrabena type clip to keep in the car.

The questions I have are as follows:


Would you rather have an elephants trunk or a giraffes neck?

Would you rather swim in a pool of marshmallows or swim in a pool of skittles?	Would you rather eat carrots or apples all day?	Would you rather have bright blue hair or bright blue feet?
Would you rather have pink and green hair or pink and green skin?	Would you rather live in a place that was always hot or a place that was always cold?	Would you rather live in a desert or in the snowy mountains?
Would you rather wear your shoes on the wrong feet or your pants back to front?	Would you rather have a bucket stuck on your hand or your foot?	Would you rather ride on a camel or a tiger?
Would you rather eat a whole pack of biscuits or a whole cake?	Would you rather go sledging in winter or outdoor swimming in summer?	Would you rather have super hero power of flying or being strong?
Would you rather clear the table or clear your toys?	Would you rather have chocolate or sweets?	Would you rather go to the zoo or an aquarium?
Would you rather play a trumpet or a flute?	Would you rather drive a convertable car or a motorbike?	Would you rather have a pet goat or a pet chicken?
Would you rather eat cabbage or brussel sprouts?	Would you rather have a pet cat or a pet dog?	Would you rather eat cookies or donuts?
Would you rather be a teacher or a doctor?	Would you rather be a fire fighter or a policeman?	Would you rather have a toy robot or a toy space ship?
Would you rather stay up late or get up early?	Would you rather go for a long walk or a long bike ride?	Would you rather sleep in a tent or under the stars?
Would you rather have all white clothes or all black clothes?	Would you rather go up and the stairs or up and down a hill?	Would you rather have ice cream or cake?
Would you rather go to school by bus or car?	Would you rather have a dog or a dinosaur?	Would you rather play football or basketball?
Would you rather paint pictures using brushes or your hands?	Would you rather have a chocolate flake or sauce on your ice cream?	Would you rather go to the park with swings or water park with slides?
Would you rather keep an otter or an octopus in the bath?	Would you rather be a plumber or an electrician?	Would you rather be a deep sea diver or an astronaught?
Would you rather whisper for ever or shout only once?	Would you rather have long hair or be bald?	Would you rather be a doctor or a vet?
Would you rather mix all your food in a bowl or have to use a spoon for everything including drinks?	Would you rather live in an igloo or a teepee?	Would you rather sleep on the floor with a cover or an 20 mattresses with no cover?
Would you rather be a princess or a fairy?	Would you rather play football or rugby?	Would you rather be clean and unhappy or dirty and happy?
Would you rather walk backwards for ever on your hands for a day?	Would you rather have a lizard or a snake?	Would you rather be a pig or cow?
Would you rather go on a train or an aeroplane?	Would you rather be inside or outside all day?	Would you rather live in a top floor flat with nice views or the ground floor flat with your own garden?
Would you rather wash the dishes or clean the bath?	Would you rather live in the busy town or the quite countryside?	Would you rather have a tv or a computer?
Would you rather go skiing or snowboarding?	Would you rather cartwheel or walk on your hands to get about?	Would you rather have antlers or a fluffy tail?
Would you rather have short straight hair or long curly hair?	Would you rather be tall or short?	Would you rather wear ballet shoes that are too small or clown shoes that are too big?
Would you rather have a clown wig or clown nose?	Would you rather live in the past or now?	Would you rather eat pizza or hot dogs forever?
Would you rather stay in a hotel or a caravan?	Would you rather be a dancer or a gymnast?	Would you rather write with a stubby wax crayon or a permanent marker pen?
Would you rather eat burgers for breakfast or cereral for tea?	Would you rather eat all food hot or all food cold?	Would you rather go everywhere by skateboard or scooter?
Would you rather have brothers or sisters?	Would you rather drink milk or water?	Would you rather have a cold bath or no sleep?
Would you rather have a big garden with no tree or a small garden with a tree?

Would you rather have stripes or spots?

 Would you rather wear a bobble hat or gloves?

 Would you rather swim with jellyfish or starfish?

 Would you rather live in a beach house or on top of a mountain?

 Would you rather shovel snow or rake leaves?

 Would you rather no electricity or no water at home?

 Would you rather have a peg leg or an eye patch?

 Would you rather drive a race car or be a pilot?

 Would you rather eat from a napkin or the floor?

 Would you rather pull up weeds or cut the grass?

Would you rather wear a snowsuit in the sun or a swimsuit in the snow?

 Would you rather be stuck in a room with 30 screaming babies or 1 hungry crocodile?

 Would you rather be a famous pop singer or a famous actor?

 Would you rather have no teeth or no hair?

 Would you rather be a unicorn or a leprechaun?

 Would you rather find out your mum & dad are aliens or witches?

 Would you rather be a pencil or an elastic band?

 Would you rather celebrate halloween or christmas?

 Would you rather celebrate your birthday or christmas?

 Would you rather have mcdonalds or chinese as a takeway?

 Would you rather go fishing or sailing?

 Would you rather be a lion or a tiger?

 Would you rather kiss a frog or hug a hedgehog?

Would you rather be a snail or a slug?

 Would you rather have 2 houses or 2 cars?

Would you rather be a pirate or a ninja?

 Would you rather build a snowman or build a sandcastle?

 Would you rather make a snow angel or have a snowball fight?

 Would you rather drink hot chocolate or chocolate milkshake?

 Would you rather be a princess or a mermaid?

 Would you rather go on a 1week holiday to a foreign country or a 2week holiday in your own country?

Would you rather have no pudding or no sweets for a year?

 Would you rather be able to control the weather or talk to animals?

 Would you rather live in narnia or hogwarts?

 Would you rather have 1 eye or 2 noses?

 Would you rather be father christmas or the easter bunny?

 Would you rather sing jingle bells everytime you walk into a room for a week or dress as an elf for a week?

 Would you rather live in a rubbish bin or a pond?

 Would you rather ride a flying carpet or a flying car?

 Would you rather raise a cow for milk or chickens for eggs?

 Would you rather have hands for feet or feet for hands?

 Would you rather have a ladies name or ladies hair style?

 Would you rather have a mans name or a mans hair style?

 Would you rather eat a tin of cat food or 3 lemons?

 Would you rather have a pet dragon or be a dragon?

 Would you rather drive a beautiful, sleek sports car that was unreliable OR an ugly, dented, rust-covered beater that never broke down?

 Would you rather be batman or spiderman?

 Would you rather read a book or watch a dvd?

 Would you rather grow your own food or make your own clothes?

 Would you rather be a tree or live in one?

 Would you rather ice skate or roller balde?

 Would you rather be a caged animal or free in the wild?

 Would you rather shot fire or shoot ice at people?

 Would you rather be a big giant or a tiny person?

 Would you rather fight 10 duck sized horses or 1 horse sized duck?

 Would you rather answer all questions with "ha ha that's funny" or "sorry your an idiot"?

 Would you rather be the oldest or the youngest brother/sister?

 Would you rather be a piece of fruit or a vegetable?

 Would you rather be a cat or a dog for day?

 Would you rather fall into a watery puddle or a muddy puddle?

May 4th 2015 - Matching pairs game

May 4th 2015 - Matching pairs game

As part of my Story Sack for family learning I have made an Underpants matching pairs game.  The idea was from the link which is linked to the Aliens love underpants book.

Rather than using that 1 I went on the net and found loads of bright, colourful,patterned underpants and put them in a grid so that I can cut them out and laminate them.  I then realised that the images could be seen through the A4 white paper so I printed out the image from the cover of the book in the same size grid and stuck them to the back of the pants - making them non-visable.

There are a total of 24 pairs of underpants that I have made for the game, and they will be going in a mini bag to keep them safe and together.

March 24th 2015 - Bedlam cube

March 24th 2015 - Bedlam cube

I had to got to town today to see if I could get my middle son some jumpers as he only has 1 that fits and my friend is on the hunt for some travel games to take on holiday but hasn't been able to find any so I said would have a look whilst in town.

Well it wasn't a particularly good trip, none of the charity shops had any jumpers in my sons age nor did any have mini travel games, well thats not quite true I had a game called the Bedlam cube.  Now my friends children are younger than mine so sadly I didn't think it would be of use to her but ok for mine.  It says it has 19,186 ways to make it - I took it out of its case and after 10minutes couldn't get it back as a cube. lol!  So I passed it to hubby and he spent a further 10minutes trying to do it and neither of us have managed to re-build the cube to put it away.  I think it may make the kids very annoyed as they will want to do it but may not be able to.

I have looked online and most of the solutions to the bedlam cube are via youtube, nothing you can print off and stick in the box!

However, all was not lost for my friend as I nipped into home bargains as they had games at 49p last week - they had none but they did have travel snakes & ladders for £1.49 and a 4-in-1 kids card game for 99p, plus I got a noughts  crosses for £1.00 from £1 shop.  So I have 3 games to post to her this afternoon ready for going away at weekend.

February 23rd 2015 - Hill Climb game

February 23rd 2015 - Hill Climb game

Back last August we got our youngest son a cheap tablet as his main present hadn't turned up, he loves it and plays on it most days and will tell anyone that asks (or listens) that he has an "i-pad".  He has a variety of games on it - some that he asked for and others that we thought he would like.  Hill Climb is one we thought he would like.

Upon reading the blurby bit on google play store it says QUOTE "Meet Newton Bill, the young aspiring uphill racer. He is about to embark on a journey that takes him to where no ride has ever been before. With little respect to the laws of physics, Newton Bill will not rest until he has conquered the highest hills up on the moon!  Face the challenges of unique hill climbing environments with many different cars. Gain bonuses from daring tricks and collect coins to upgrade your car and reach even higher distances. Watch out though - Bill's stout neck is not what it used to be when he was a kid!".  Sounds ok and the sort of thing a 5year old would enjoy playing.  And I was correct, he loves it.

It's a challenge for him to get to the next meter distance and collect as many coins as he can and he can upgrade the different vehicles and buy different scenes to try and complete.  A lovely game for him to play.  That was until the other day when he's sat by me playing it and declares "i've just broke his neck it went with a crack, did you hear it Mummy?"  ME - "errr no I didn't."  SON "i'll do it again listen!".  So he repeats the level and crashes the vehicle on purpose and yes there is a lovely crack as his head flops back and forth and the level ends.  NOTE HERE the line from above - "Bill's stout neck is not what it used to be when he was a kid!"   It doesn't say that you can hear it break, nice!!!

Well I downloaded the game to my laptop to see if it was every level or just a one off and it happens every time you crash the vehicle.  Plus if you have a bus full of people theirs all do the same!

Despite this lovely breaking of peoples necks complete with sound, the game is actually very adictive and fun.  As I put above you can get different vehicles and levels to race.  You need to collect coins from the levels in order to upgrade the vehicles and buy new levels.  My personal favourite is the quad bike in the cave and I have got a long distance with this combination.  My son loves santa's sleigh on any level.  The graphics are pretty cool but basic and change as you move along.  Each level is the same thing to get as far as you can without dying or running out of fuel (you pick this up along the way).  You can quite easily waste a good few hours playing this game once you get over the shock of the broken necks.

As long as your not bothered about the gruesome cracking and breaking of necks its a great game and suitable for all ages.  Me and my son were "racing" each other to see who could get the furthest, he was on his tablet and me on my laptop.  We also had played to see who could get the most money and buy a new level.   I would reccommend this game to my friends with children.

January 5th 2015 - dice

January 5th 2015 - dice

Today peace and quite has resumed in the house as 2/3 kids are back at school and the other 1 is on his computer.  I have painted the last part of the wall in the boys bedroom (eldest son helped by doing the top and painting the ceiling blue as he went grrrr! never mind!) and I have done todays pin.

I have made a sealed pot dice for in the car.  The original idea came from here and was so dice didnt fly across the room.  But my boys have asked if they can have the snowman game from the other day in the car, so that will be being laminated and put in a folder with other similar bits.

January 4th 2015 - race game

4th Janury 2015 - race game

Little man was saying he was bored so I decided to do today's pin as another game for him.  I have various things like it pinned to my board "ideas for the kids to do".  The original pin can be found here.  Our version was slightly different and probably took longer as we used buttons!

The idea was a race to fill your cup by rolling a dice and adding that many objects to it.  Little man won (but i'm sure he was cheating and adding more buttons than what the dice said.)  It also helped him with his counting and he even counted some of them out in french and spanish!

He enjoyed it and asked if we could play again, but as it was dinner time we had to put them away.  But it will certainly be a game we will do again, maybe with lego bricks so it doesn't take as long!

January 2nd 2015 - Do you wana build a snowman???

January 2nd 2015 - Day 2 of 365 challenge

Do you wana build a snowman???  Sadly we have no real snow to do one, but I found this dice and drawing game and printed it out.  Me and the boys had fun for about 45mins playing it.  The pic shows a couple of our snowmen pictures.  I think I may laminate the game and put in a folder to start a games folder of easy things they can do in the car.