Family Day Out at Cotswold Wildlife Park, Oxfordshire

http://www.cotswoldwildlifepark.co.uk/

Since living in Oxfordshire I have visited Cotswold Wildlife Park a couple of times with the nursery I was working in at the time.  However I hadn't been for about 6 or so years so when we were arranging a day out with my brother and sister in law and nephew we decided to visit here. On the edge of the Cotswolds and not far from Oxford its a popular attraction for families in my neck of the woods.

Price

£15(gate) £14(online) Adult

Under 3s free

Children 3-16yrs £9.50(online)£10(gate)

Whats on

• feeding talks daily
• adventure playground
• train rides
• skymaze interconnecting treehouse maze
• specialised events (link below)

http://www.cotswoldwildlifepark.co.uk/whats-on/events/

Eating Facilities

As I always say a cheap way of feeding your children is to bring a picnic and there is lots of outdoor seating and grass areas to pitch up.  As our visit had not quite hit spring at this point it was still quite chilly so we went and had a main meal in the Oak Tree Restaurant.  The food was okay I had lasagne and chips and a drink for under £10.

Value for money?

There is a wide variety of animals including lions, zebras, rhinos, birds, reptiles, penguins and many more.  You can easily spend a day here as a family as there is plenty to do.  My nephew enjoyed the animals but he also just loved running around in lots of wide open space.

Interactive features

The park have an app on the apple store that you can download prior to your visit.  This has quizs, interactive map and will tell you fun facts about the animals in the park.  This is good if you are with older children and want to make more out of your visit.

Favourite Part

I liked the penguins and have done on previous visits here. You get really close to them and I think its at a good height for little ones to be able to see whats going on. 

Accessibility

Most of the park is quite flat and has paths of a good quality for pushchairs and to walk around.  Lots to see but its not spread out to far so you are never far from when you need to walk back on yourself for restrooms/coffee etc.

Throughly recommended for a fantastic family day out if you are ever in Oxfordshire.

Nanny Bicester

Activity of the Week-Obstacle Courses

Its been a while since I've written an Activity of the Week blog so I thought I better do one.  This week I am focusing on Obstacles Courses.  This can be done with small children to older children and its really fun.
What myself and my charges do is that we get a variety of garden equipment/toys and set ourselves challenges.  We also time ourselves and see if we can improve on our time. Below I have listed some bullet point ideas of things you can do.

• play tunnels to climb through
• bouncing tennis balls on rackets for a certain amount of times
• getting a ball in a net
• hopping on one leg
• jumping in a bin liner/sack race
• skipping
• press ups for sporty individuals
• bouncing on a trampoline
• running laps
• throwing hoops

I'm going to create a pin board on my pinterest with some further ideas link is www.pinterest.com/nbicester

How to cope with teething babies and toddlers

Teething. It's a horrible time. Not just for the child but for parents,nannies and anybody else looking after young children. This blog will give a quick insight into tips and tricks to make the process bareae and signs to look for if you think a new tooth is coming through.

Teething can typically start between 4-6 months of age in babies but it is possible for it to start a little before or after.

Signs to look for

• Constant dribbling
• Rosy red cheeks
• Red and sore gums
• raised temperature
• gnawing or chewing on hands,feet, clothes and anything else

How to ease teething

• Teethers in fridge
• Flannels in fridge
• Teething capsules
• Calpol or nurofen to minimise pain, discomfort or if temperature is raised
• distraction with fun activities

What you need

• plenty of bibs, dribble cloths
• teething capsules
• medicine
• lots of teethers

Hope you found this blog useful and if you are going through the process now Good luck!!

Activity of the Week-making kites

Inspired by the crazy wind today I was thinking this weeks activity of the week could be how you can get outside and experience crazy Doris or whatever they are calling her.  Also I am trying to get this a day early from normal as this will make more sense.

What you will need

• card
• sticks
• string
• tape

The photo below I think describes how to go about making a simple kite but I have linked some instructions below to help you.

Useful links
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Kite
http://www.my-best-kite.com/how-to-make-a-kite.html
http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-Paper-Kite-for-Kids/

Happy Kite Making Everybody and Enjoy Doris!!

Activity of the Week-Junk Modelling

Wow we are into February already and hopefully you are all set for half term as children in Oxfordshire are breaking up today. Hopefully you have read my what to do in Half term blog which I posted earlier this week.

This weeks activity of the week is Junk Modelling.  Junk Modelling is so simple as all you need to do is use items that would normally just go in your recycle bin. Some times all you need is a cardboard box and some toilet rolls and there is hours of fun right there.

Items

• paint/felt tips
• carboard boxes
• empty containers, bottles etc
• sellotape, glue
• toilet roll, kitchen roll
• egg containers

What to make

• role play areas
• spaceships
• cars
• models
• houses for animals

I think this is quite self explaintary but tweet me if you need any inspiration @nannybicester

Wellington country park near Reading in Berkshire

A few hours spent in the late October sunshine with two of my uni friends and gorgeous baby girl at Wellington Country Park near Reading.
http://wellington-country-park.co.uk/

This is a very quick blog post about my trip here in half term as I didn't spend very long here and did not engage with all the activities on offer as we were with a 8 month old so there was not as much she could engage with but did love the animals.

 As you can see from the photo here the weather was beautiful and we had a lovely stroll around the lake which would be lovely at anytime of year as it doesn't take to long and you could stop and have a picnic. 
The petting zoo area is a lovely size and a few different farmyard animals for children to look at.  In the wooded area there were some cool dinosaur models to look at so would be great for any dinosaur enthusiasts.

Facilities include a large café and shop with plenty of indoor seating and outdoor seating. The cost is reasonable for what it is so go on over to the website for further information and details on special events.

They also arrange scavenger hunts and work shops which sounds fun defintley a must for small children.


I liked it here and a day could be made of it but more for 2-8 years for my recommended age of children.