Activity of the week-Snowy days

Hello hello.
 Have you had any snow yet? There's been a pathetic amount in Bicester not really a lot to do with however I know some of you have had more in the UK  so thought a snowy days blog is appropriate at this time of year/winter time.
 Last night I tweeted a link to my Pinterest board where I did a board on the snowy day activities. Normally for my activity of the week I just do one activity but today I thought I would share a few with you.

1.Snowmen building
I do understand this is completely dependent on how much snow there is which as I said there is none here to do one which is such a shame.

2.Winter themed Small World play

This is so easy to do with a tray from your house.  Put some shaving foam and cotton wool in for the base.  You can then add in some of your childrens toys to make this really fun.

3. Winter Walk and collages
Take your little ones on a walk and collect some items to bring home to make a winter collage.  Take your camera to take some photos and then when you can come home you can create collages of the photos and items you collected.

Hope this has inspired you for some snowy/winter fun.  Check out the link below for my pin board for more ideas.
https://uk.pinterest.com/nbicester/snowy-days/

American Museum of Natural History, New York

During my trip in New York we visited the American Museum of Natural History attracted there by the dinosaurs and space stuff. After a small diversion of the wrong subway line we arrived 11am so had to do a small bit of queuing.  The Museum has a wide variety of exhibits and artefacts from American history, mammals to Asian culture.  It is very easy to spend a few hours here as there is so much to see.

 Is it expensive?

Adult $22 Child 2-12 yrs $12.50

Free if you buy a New York Pass or City Pass for attractions in the city.  Ill put the links at the bottom.  There is a lot in the museum to see and do so I think its priced well for what you get.  Just to note special exhibitions and events are normally extra.

Facilities?

Very clean facilities in the museum.  There is a few cafes and restaurant throughout the museum that sell hot and cold food. There are also a few gift shops dotted around the museum.

Best bit?

As we thought we really enjoyed the dinosaur section and there was real dinosaur bones and full size replicas which were huge!! I also enjoyed looking at the tomb in the photo below.

Interactive tools?

Like with most attractions the museum has its own app.  It is good in the sense that you can connect to the free wifi and it will navigate you around the museum.  However I didn't find it useful in the sense of providing me with extra information about the content in the museum.

Any thing I didn't like?

I was disappointed with the Earth and Space areas in the museum.  The planetarium was impressive but to go in would of cost extra.

Other information to let you know about

I saw that the museum do different types of tours which look amazing. They are generally about 3 hours long.  They even do a tour about Night of the Museum which the museum was used for filming.

They also do day camps and workshops for children and families, look at the website for more details.

If you are visiting New York with little ones I definitely recommend the museum for a visit. Plenty to see and do for all the family.

Useful information

amnh.org for the website link
New York Pass-https://www.newyorkpass.com/En/?aid=28
City Pass-http://www.citypass.com/

Trip to Solider Museum, Woodstock, Oxfordshire

Summer hoildays are drawing to a close with most children back tomorrow or in the next few days.  I've had a fantastic summer with my charges and we have had the chance to try a few new things.  The previous week we managed a trip to the Soldier Museum in Woodstock, Oxfordshire. If you or/and your little ones have an interest in army stuff, the war, artefacts then I definitely recommend this as a place to visit to while away a few hours.

How much?Price is very reasonable for the size of the museum about £7 for one adult and one child.

Facilities? There is a café which we didn't use but does a range of snacks and small plates and drinks. The toilet and changing facilities were clean and in good condition.

What is there to see? Lots of artefacts from different wars and most are from local places.  They have a trench bunker in which you can go into which we really liked.  Another favourite was the medal collection below which had a touch screen next to it with lots of information about the different medals.

How does it engage children?

They do lots of events and craft sessions at the museum especially in holidays and weekends.  I would say the craft is aimed more at younger children though.  There are trails to complete whilst going around and interactive features such as the morse code machine for you to have a go at creating your own message.

What age range is it suitable for?

Any age really from about 4 I would say.  Your child would have to have a definite interest in this type of thing though.

Great way of learning more about local history of Oxfordshire and our place and contribution to the great wars in history.  It was great to spend a couple of hours here and we liked finding out about the day to day life of a solider and what they had in their kit bags in the olden days and now.

Website link-http://www.sofo.org.uk/

Twitter- https://twitter.com/SOFOtrust

Facebook-https://www.facebook.com/SoldiersOfOxfordshire

Instagram-https://www.instagram.com/soldiersofoxfordshiremuseum/

2 new activities I have discovered this week-Aug 2016

Hi all,

Sorry in advance to making this a locally based post but I wanted to share two great new things to do that I have done at work this week since being back off my hols.


1. Street hockey-free two hour sessions this summer around Oxford (Sports for Streets)
https://www.facebook.com/SPORTFORSTREETS

In the local park there was a small group of children of different ages that came together for a couple of hours to play street hockey and best of all it was completely free!!! They are a community initiative who provide all their own equipment and the coaching and the children get to learn a new skill.  The people who run it were lovely and have all been semi professional/professional hockey players so really know what they are talking about.  They do play team matches but also fun games and all the children involved seemed to really enjoy it.

2. The Leys, Witney
http://www.dayoutwiththekids.co.uk/family-fun/The_Leys/5177

This above image is an artist sketch of the play area at The Leys which includes play equipment, zip wire, splash fountains, swings, mini floor trampoline and more.  The equipment provides more challenges for older children and this is what I had heard from different parents so this is why I thought we would try somewhere new today.  When looking after older children you can often find that they outgrow the equipment at the conventional parks. Also on the grounds as well as wide open green space there is a mini golf course, skate park, tennis courts and a decent café to get an ice cream/coffee.  Such a lovely afternoon had and I'm sure we will be coming back soon.

Places to go in Brighton with Kids

On a visit to Brighton a couple of weekends ago I got to go to Laser Zone with a great bunch of ladies.  I haven't been laser questing for a long time and thought this could be fun and I was right it was brilliant!

We had two games which were about £5 each for an adult and that buys you a 15 minute game.  We were split into two teams of seven and six.  For those of you who have never done laserquest before the aim of the game is to shoot at each other with your electric packs and different teams are different colours.  Cant say I was particularly brilliant if I'm honest but had a lot of fun doing so.  They do birthday parties which I think would be great fun for kids.  What I will say is that it was a very hot day in Brighton so maybe pick your time wisely as you will get very sweaty!!!

Website link-http://www.laserzone.co.uk/brighton/

After all that sweating you will do you should head to Sprinkles Gelato Shop.  I am a Sussex born girl so have been to Brighton many times but never have been here but glad I have now I had the yummiest sundae for £4.50 and that got me six scoops of my choice.  There are so many flavours of ice cream to choose from as well as waffles and other yummy desserts.

Website link-http://www.sprinklesgelato.co.uk/default.aspx

If your not to full up of sweet treats head to the seafront and enjoy some fish and chips on the beach.  Plenty of places to choose from just wonder along the coast road and you will find them.  We didn't go on the pier in the end but I have been on countless trips to Brighton and there are acarades and rides typical of an English pier.

Finally a trip to Brighton should involve a trip to the famous Choccywoccydoodah Shop.

https://www.choccywoccydoodah.com/

See the amazing cakes that are available for your special event or buy some treats or go and have a sweet treat/drink upstairs in the café.  To note they also have a London base so check out the website for more details.

I realise this post has mainly been about food lol but other activities done on this weekend were not child friendly so this is it I'm afraid.  I can recommend The Sealife Centre also but cant review this as I haven't been recently.

I recommend a trip to Brighton loads to do and places to visit and if the weather is good great to be on the beach.  For more info on places to go see thishttp://kidsinbrighton.co.uk/places_to_go/places_to_go.html

Harry Potter Studio Tour Review

Looking like abit of a goon on the night bus!!

Website- https://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/

Are you or your child/charge a Harry Potter fan? Have you read the books or seen the movies?  Then the Harry Potter Studio Tour is defintly for you.  I try in my reviews not to be biased but I am a huge Harry Potter fan and in the last two years have visited twice once for my younger brothers 21st birthday and more recently in November for Hogworts in the Snow.  My youngest brother and sister in law have actually been three times in last two and a half years.  She has actually become a fan since the first visit having read all the books and watched all the films and seems to be able to quote Potter trivia.

What is there to do?

Where do I start? I'm going to summarise in bullet points

• walk around the studio sets from the movies
• film your own short movie on a broomstick
• talks from guides
• special events
• seeing the set designs in sketch
• props/costumes from the movie
• try some butterbeer or as ive just spotted online butterbeer ice cream

Multimedia facilities?

I have not used the audio guide on either of my visits as I was going with family and decided it may be anti social.  However, I wish I had as the guide tells you extra bits of information.  This would be good also.for children with any visual difficulties.

How does it engage children?

Lots to do and look at with props and guides around the tour showing you how they did parts of the movie.  In November there was somebody showing people how they make fake snow I thought that was really cool.  You can also make your own short broomstick movie which I did on my first visit (I'm such a kid) but it was over £20 to have your own copy on a memory stick so in retrospective I shouldn't of bought it. 

On the website I have just seen that there is an Activity passport available which includes a Golden Snitch hunt (wish I had done that now!) to get children engaged in what they are seeing and lets be honest who doesn't like a treasure hunt.

Ideal age of children?

As this is based on the movies I do not really think really young children can get a lot from it till they have read some of the books and seen some of the movies.  I also think you need to be a HP fan or this wont really be enjoyable for you/them.  Saying that I did see some very young children but as the later movies are quite dark I presume they hadn't seen those yet.

Places to eat/facilities?

As you go in there is a Starbucks and a Studio Café to get small snacks and drinks.  About halfway round on the Backlot there is another café in which you can purchase the famous Butterbeer!  Slightly expensive for a small cup however delicious and you must try it as it is Harry Potter after all!

Yummy Butterbeer!

The gift shop is so cool but a lot of the items are very expensive so be warned if visiting with small ones.  What annoys me though is how they place it right at the end of the tour as you walk out so you have no choice but to walk through there.  They are not stupid right? Obviously this has been done deliberately for making money and small people going "I want I want".

How much does it cost?

I have linked the pricing page on the website below

https://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/plan-your-visit/ticket-information

Favourite parts?

So many favourite parts but to highlight the studio sets as they were used in the movies.  They look so small in reality to how they look on the screen.

Any special events going on?

Yes they often do special events and check the website for details.  On my most recent visit I went to Hogwarts in the Snow although some of my family as well as myself felt it was advertised to be more than it was.  Other than some parts of the tour being dressed festive and some fake snow in places we felt a little disappointed.  I will say however that they often create new parts to the tour to encourage people to go back such as adding the Hogwarts Express and I have seen on the website that they are making more of a feature of Privet Drive this month.

The Great Hall dressed for Hogwarts in the Snow

Any criticisms?

I think the only criticism I have of this studio attraction is what I have said previously about the Hogwarts in the Snow event but that is just my opinion I'm sure many people have enjoyed it.  Also the gift souvenirs are abit on the pricey side but is this all relative to the whole experience of the attraction?

I hope you have found this blog useful and I definitely recommend this as a place to go visit as a family, with children or just as adults just as my family did.

Family trip to Fairytale Farm, Oxfordshire

http://www.fairytalefarm.co.uk

 This weekend my parents, one of my brothers and niece came to visit me and we decided to go on a little family trip to Fairytale Farm near Chipping Nortan. Hubby decided that he would rather go and see his beloved Wycombe Wanderers play against Oxford United instead!! Bet he regrets that now after the 3-0 loss😢😢

My niece loves going to farms but is only two and has a very short attention span as most of my readers can appreciate so I had been told its perfect to visit for a few hours. My friend who's a childminder in Oxfordshire had told me it wasn't fantastic as a family attraction but little ones like it and good for a couple of hours.  This would also be a good opportunity to research places for small children to go for my blog.

So we set off for some family time.

My opinion/thoughts?
When we got inside my initial opinion was the place looked abit tired and run down and it wasn't clear where the animals were.  As you walk in there is a sandpit which in typical child form she was straight in there and that seemed reasonably clean.  There also was a play area with a decent amount of toys for babies and small children near the café/seated area which I think is good as a respite place for adults as the children can play whilst you can have a coffee/something to eat.


Favourite parts by my niece?
She loved the stupid music part in the sensory garden where she got to shake a maraca.  Typically she kept pressing the button not sure if this was to see her Auntie and Grandma do some stupid dancing or because she liked it.
She also liked the adventure playground area which had a few suitable things for her age including a wooden castle with a slide and a tractor to sit in.

What is there to do?

Sensory garden 

playground area

petting area

farm animals

mice house

rubber duck water race

How much???
Free for under threes, £5.50 per adult, £5.20 3-16 yrs

Value for money??
Suppose it is I don't think they charge more than the place is worth and my niece seemed to enjoy herself.

What did I enjoy?
Racing rubber ducks along the water funnel with my dad and brother! My dad lost claiming his one was malfunctioned, yeah right dad!

Facilities/place to eat?
If I'm honest the Toliet facilities are not great and I would not want to change a small child in there. There is a cafe that does some cold and hot food and very reasonable price wise. To feed four adults and a drink each was only £14.95. I had lasagne and salad which was okay but can't complain.

Would I visit again?
Probably not in the meantime but they were adding in new sections to the farm so maybe one day in the future. I think my friend was right in what she said it's not the best family attraction but ideal to waste a few hours.

Heres a photo of me and my gorgeous niece.  not the best photo if I'm honest but enjoying some quality auntie and niece time.

Have you visited fairytale farm? What did you think?

Edinburgh Castle-Place to visit with Kids?

My view of the castle from hotel on Princes Street

On my recent girls weekend to Edinburgh I got to visit the beauty that is Edinburgh Castle.  A castle that stands proudly above the city steeped in history you cannot stop but stare at it when walking around the city.  Home to many Kings and Queens of Scotland in history including Mary Queen of Scots to hold the keys to the castle meant you had a great deal of power.

As a nanny and now childcare blogger I am going to look at the castle as not just a tourist attraction for adults but as a family attraction in this blog.

What is there to see and do?
The castle has many areas to visit including the following:

• old jail
• martime museum
• war memorials
• Scottish crown jewels
• military hospital
• old battery
• old weaponary

What was my favourite part?

The views are amazing!! Also I love seeing the old jail and crown jewels.

Photo taken by Nanny Bicester

Is it expensive?

children under 5 free, children 5-15 £9.60, adult £16 so relative I thought but I think worth it as there is lots to see.  If you are using local sightseeing buses entry maybe including on their tours.

Eating Facilities?

There are two places to eat Redcote Café which you can get soup, sandwiches and cake amonst other things.  We went to the Queen Anne Tearoom to have a hot drink which does some hot food, hot and cold beverages and even Afternoon Tea for £16 per person!  If we didn't have an Afternoon Tea booked for later in the day I definitely be tempted to have it!! 

What age children is it suitable for?

I would take children 4+  to the castle particularly if they have an interest in history. 

I would also like to mention due to being on a steep slope and lots of stairs any parents/carers of children with disabilities should ring ahead when planning a trip to the castle as it may cause some mobility issues.

Does Edinburgh Castle have an app/interactive tools?
You can get audio guides to listen to as you walk around or listen via the app you can download from your app providers. The legend, ghosts and mysteries section has short sections of information that you can read or listen too which would be good for people with either  audio or visual difficulties as they would have a choice on how to receive the information.

Screenshot taken by Nanny Bicester

Special events?

http://www.edinburghcastle.gov.uk/whatson will give details of special events that are happening at the castle.  In August the The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo will set to pay tribute the Queens 90th birthday see website for more details.

Would I come back?

Yes!! I would love to comeback to Edinburgh and would love to visit the castle again as I feel I missed some parts.  We also found out in the gift shop what clan tartan we belong too.  If you ask in the gift shop around the castle they will use your surname to see what heritage clan you would belong too.

Anything else to mention?

Guided Tours are available for those who wish and have a browse around the gift shop its worth a look although I didn't buy anything but there was some nice items but some over priced!

Website link- http://www.edinburghcastle.gov.uk/

Do you enjoy my reviews? Do you think they are informative?

Tweet me following the link  twitter.com/nannybicester

Or comment below I would love to have your feedback

New places I have visited and the Easter hoildays

Its been a while since Ive written a proper blog post so on a sunny Saturday afternoon whilst the hubby attends a football match I thought I would write about what I have been getting upto with the charges over the last couple of weeks.

Leys Leisure Pool in Blackbird Leys, Oxford was a new pool experience to try for me and the youngest a couple of weeks ago.  We decided to try here as we knew they had the main pool and two smaller pools for children which gives more options for the youngest charge to choose what they want to do. I would defiantly recommend a visit here as the splash pool is perfect for babies and toddlers to be in the water and move around independently.  The receptionist only charged us £4.50 as she said that adults don't really get to swim properly, what a bargain to go swimming.  I would mention that you should ring ahead after the live timetable was slightly misleading and didn't inform us of the school swim session in the main pool so we were unable to have access to it for a short time.  To access the website click on the link below.

http://www.fusion-lifestyle.com/centres/Leys_Pools_And_Leisure_Centre

Easter egg hunt-  Now the original plan was to do a separate blog post on this however despite going well I don't really have a whole blogs worth of material to be honest and no photos so thought I would do a short mention here.  Both children were thoroughly involved from the buying of the chocolate to writing the clues to setting them out for their sibling.  We had only one hiccup when the youngest missed a clue and decided to follow the little eggs set along the floor and go off course.  Of course the intention was harmless but I think "end of term" tiredness of the other child turned it into a bigger deal.  Nerveless both children enjoyed the activity.

Ice skating at Oxford Ice Rink-  This week me and the eldest child tried a new activity together and went ice skating.  For three years I have avoided this as I am not able to skate well and spend the whole time glued to the side.  Also my sense of balance is not good so I never thought I would be able to support them skating when they were little.  So I was right to have apprehension as typically I fell over spectacularly on my bottom much to the disappointment of the child who missed it!!!They typically were good and were whizzing around the middle in no time.

http://www.fusion-lifestyle.com/centres/Oxford_Ice_Rink

Branca and Eddie the Eagle-  This week we were lucky to have a paid lunch out at Branca in Jericho which does yummy food and drinks.  I was really impressed with how the staff were with the children and made it a really friendly family place to enjoy a meal.  The youngest wanted a ginger ale so the barman offered to make him a virgin mojito with it.  He loved this as it made him feel grown up and looked like a little old man sat on his barstool with a drink.  The eldest meanwhile was gossiping with her friend who had joined us.  The children's menu had a good selection and I felt reasonably priced for good portions.  The children were given some fresh bread as soon as we sat down to eat and at the end a lolly so they were all pleased!!

We then went on to The Phoenix picture house over the road to watch Eddie the Eagle.  This film is so good and family friendly.  It is rated PG so be aware of a couple of bad words but really fun to go see with kids who are abit older.  The eldest said she found the film inspiring which I think is good as it encourages you not to give up on your dreams even if they are slightly crazy!!

Branca website-http://www.branca.co.uk/
Phoneix Picture House-https://www.picturehouses.com/cinema/Phoenix_Picturehouse

All in all I think the holidays are treating us well so far and some nice sunshine and longer daylight hours which is a plus so lots of trips to the park as well.

If you have any questions about anything I have written about in my blog do not hesitate to contact me.

Nanny Bicesterx

My Day out at Monkey World, Dorest

In the first of this type of post I will be reviewing family tourist attractions that I have visited.  To note I have not always visited these with children so will state so in my posts but will look at their suitability for families/nanny's taking their charges.

July 2015 and my charges have gone off on holiday for a couple of weeks so taking advantage of this extra time off me and the hubby decide to take a little road trip to Dorset.  We have also fancied going to Monkey World for a while so we thought we would visit on the way to Bournemouth.

I am glad we decided to visit as we would both say it was one of our best days out ever and the weather was perfect as it was nice and warm!  First off the admission price we thought was a bargain at £11 for one adult.  £37 for a family based on 2 adults 2 children.  Check the website for all different price options.

Monkey World is a tourist attraction and that is how they raise most of their money but rather than a conventional zoo they also are a resuce centre and raise and look after animals that cant be in the wide or are endangered.  Me and hubby have recently discovered the tv show based here and fell in love with one of the primates Ben.  When on their website I discovered that you for a small one of fee can adopt a primate for a year.  If you do this as a gift for somebody you receive a gift pack about the chosen animal and also revieve free admission for a year!!  This is well worth doing especially if you plan to visit again in which me and my hubby plan too.

This is me with the cutest monkey in the park.  He made me want to take it home as he stared at me with a very sad expression.  I don't actually think he was sad as the animals here are so well cared for and have lots of open space.  Next best thing to being in the wild.

What is there to do?

• large open areas
• amazing viewing towers to gain close access to the animals
• talks on the different primates
• large adventure playground
• Woodland walk which is lovely and chilled out and not to far for little ones to walk

Would I take children here?

Yes absolutely I would although its quite far to travel with my charges I thoroughly recommend it.  My niece would love the monkeys but at two and a half she has a very short attention span so feel maybe its better once a child is 3+.  The adventure playground at the end is perfect for adults to have some respite and a cuppa (hopefully) whilst the little ones let off some steam. 

We were visiting as adults and spent 5 hours here so there is definitely enough to do as a family.

Facilities available

Great picnic areas with plenty of tables to enjoy food with your little ones.  Eating out can be expensive as a family at tourist attractions so I would recommend taking a picnic lunch with you and more nutritious for the more health conscious of us.  There is some options available for snacks and for a treat yummy ice creams.

Nappy Changing and toilet facilities are dotted at regular intervals and I felt were up to a good standard for visiting families.

Good for raining days?

I would definitely recommend a day out here in spring summer as most of the park is open so you would not want to visit with children if the weather was being typically British.  For the adventurous though Monkey World is indeed open all year round so if you don't mind abit of rain and cold you can visit at all times of year.

As we visited early July the park was quiet as the mainstream schools had not broken up for summer yet.  If visiting with under 5s and to avoid the crowds visiting off peak would be a smart idea.

Further infomation

Leaflet for Monkey world
http://www.monkeyworld.org/userfiles/MonkeyWorld2014.pdf

Website-http://www.monkeyworld.org/home.php

Looking forward to going back