Category: School Days

1. Thumbs Up Roller Wheel Review & Giveaway

   Posted on 12:00pm Thursday 14th Jun 2018

   Do you remember when you were a child and there was nothing more entertaining than rolling down a hill and ending up laughing and laughing at the bottom because you were dizzy and out of breath? Fast forward a few years and the folk from Thumbs Up have devised the Thumbs Up Roller Wheel to bring you hours of fun, whether you have a hill or not! 

   

   We found that the inflatable wheel comes complete with a collection of colourful balls inside that jiggle and bounce around as the wheel rotates, this interactive toy really captures kids' imaginations. What's more, because it's made from durable inflatable plastic, it's suitable for use both indoors and out - just be sure to use it on the grass if you're outside to avoid any potential punctures!

   

   The Roller Wheel comes with a manual foot pump but to be completely honest you might be there all day with it and if, like me, you have an impatient child who can't wait to get in the wheel, you might be better off choosing an electric pump like we did! It took around 2-3 minutes to fully inflate with the electric pump so not long at all. 

   

   As you can see, the delight on her face at being able to get inside the roller wheel and despite taking a little while to get to grips with it (i,e falling out a few times) she played it in for over an hour. Who knew so much fun could be had with an inflatable wheel?

   

   My eldest daughter was not amused that she was too big to go in the Roller Wheel (there is a weight limit of 5 stone, 7lbs) but that didn't stop her from pushing her sister around. The really big "kid" (also known as my husband) loves being outside and as the little one is a secret adrenalin junkie, the pair of them loved rolling her around in the Roller Wheel. 

   

   If I am being completely honest, when I first opened the box I thought it might be a bit young for the 6 year old and a bit limited as to its use but I can safely say that she thinks it is brilliant and has even put the iPad aside to go outside and play, so the Roller Wheel gets my vote.

   As well as being brilliant fun, the Roller Wheel also helps children sharpen skills like coordination, cooperative play, physical strength, visual and auditory stimulation and more. If you think your little one would love a Thumbs Up Roller Wheel, we are delighted to be able to give you the chance to win one! All you need to do is enter below. 

    Thumbs Up Roller Wheel Giveaway

    The Thumbs Up Roller Wheel Costs £30 from Amazon

   Terms & Conditions

   The Prize: Thumbs Up Roller Wheel

   The winners will be chosen at random by the random winner generator on Gleam and notified within 7 working days by email
   There is no monetary equivalent.
   Little Lilypad Co take no /responsibility for loss or damage in the despatch of prizes
   If the prize is unclaimed within 7 days we reserve the right to redraw the winner.
   End Date 08/07/2018

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2. Why you should go to a theme park in the rain!

   Posted on 12:00pm Thursday 31st May 2018

   It is half term here in the Midlands and we are lucky enough to have Drayton Manor Park on our doorstep. I used to go here as a child and now as a parent, have previously had fun days out at DMP. We even had our daughters christening reception in the Drayton Manor Hotel, so it is safe to say that we are a little fond of the theme park. 

    

   Once upon a time (and I do mean many many years ago) you could access the zoo without accessing the main theme park but my girls question what was the fun in that?? Fast forward to today, the Drayton Manor Zoo has projects aiming to conserve the biodiversity of the local area and a small proportion of the park entrance ticket, fundraising events and money placed in the wishing well, all go to contribute to the vital conservation work being carried out by their conservation partners.

    

   The teens couldn't wait to get on the "thrill" rides whereas the little one was trying to stretch herself so she would be tall enough to join them but I think she will have to wait for another year (thank goodness). There are over 100 rides and attractions on the and not forgetting the famous "Thomasland" on the site in Tamworth, Staffordshire.

   

   Even though she wasn't tall enough for the big rides, we still had lots of fun in Thomasland and despite my stomach churning over the rides that spin round and round, she thought it was hilarious. The runaway Troublesome Trucks was her favourite ride in Thomasland, although I was a fan of Cranky's Tower Drop, which I think is actually more exciting than Apocalypse.

   

   After the excitement of Crankys Tower Drop we were then in search of adrenalin fuelled rides and we finished our day on the Accelerator. It is a ride that has a minimum height of 1m, so we could all go on together and we were lucky enough to have no queue to wait in. (We are told that this is a particularly popular ride and worth queuing for). Needless to say we all LOVED it and if the park hadn't been closing, I suspect we may have gone on again and again! One thing to note is that while we were waiting for the ride to start, one girl put her foot out of the car and lost her shoe. She was consequently taken off the ride as you can't ride without appropriate footwear, so ALWAYS read and take heed of the safety notices!! 

   

   Despite the rain, we had a BRILLIANT day at Drayton Manor Park and here are our top 5 reasons why you should consider going to a theme park in the rain.

   1. More rain means less people. Less people means less queuing. Less queues means more times on the rides and attractions and very happy children.

   2. Children don't actually care whether it is raining. In fact stick on some wellies and they LOVE jumping in the puddles to add to the fun.

   3. It actually costs less money!! If you think that when it is warm and sunny, you need to frequently keep hydrated and there are definitely more requests for ice creams and cooling drinks. We took a drink each in our bag but only stopped once for hot chocolates to shelter from the rain at one point. 

   4. You find yourselves exploring inside attractions more readily than you would when the sun is out. We definitely went to more indoor attractions that we would otherwise might have walked past.

   5. Rainy Day Guarantee - Drayton Manor won’t let the dreary weather put a dampener on your visit to Drayton Manor Park as we offer a rainy day guarantee for all their guests. So if you visit Drayton Manor Park from 28th March – 3rd June 2018 and experience continuous rain for 2 or more hours between 10am – 5pm, their Rainy Day Guarantee will mean that you can return to the park free of charge either within June or September 2018. 

   Remember that it always pays to book tickets in advance as adult tickets are £39 on the day, with children aged 4-11 being £29. A family of four can book in advance for just £80, so definitely worth planning your visit! There are always half term and summer offers too, so don't forget to check out their website to get the best deal.

   Now go and enjoy! 

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3. Smart Ass Mini Game by University Games : Review & Giveaway

   Posted on 12:00pm Monday 21st May 2018

   I have always loved a board game, ever since I was a child and now as my girls are getting older we frequently have "games night" when friends come over. In fact my youngest gets most put out if we don't play games at the weekends but that is another story.

   We were recently asked if we would like to review the Smart Ass mini card game from University Games and we couldn't wait to try it out! So here is what we thought!

   

   Have you ever played a game and been bursting to shout out the answer, even when its not your turn .... which incidentally is me in every game we play ...... well Smart Ass gives you the chance to shout out when you know the answer to the question. Each question has 10 clues, The first player to shout out the correct answer wins the round and takes a step closer to being the ultimate ‘Smart Ass’. 

   

   There are a selection of cards with four question categories: Who am I? Where am I? What am I? and Hard Ass! Each card has a selection of clues which get easier as more questions are being read out. As soon as you know the answer you need to shout it out and the person to guess the answer correctly first wins the round and the card.

   If no one guesses correctly, the person reading the clues gets the card ..... so even if you are not a Smart Ass, there is still chance to win a card! 

   

   We have been playing the game over the weekend and it becomes more hilarious as the adults drink more and more alcohol but Smart Ass is the ultimate fun trivia game which is suitable for teens upwards. The questions are a little difficult for younger children, although my youngest daughter loved being on my "team" so younger children can still get involved, even if they wouldn't know the answers.

   The rules state that the first player to answer four cards correctly (the cards can be any mixture of categories) is declared the winner but we carried on playing and the winner with the most cards at the end won. The game is so versatile that it can be as short or as long as you want it to be! 

   Smart Ass Mini Game retails for around £8 (depending on the retailer) but we are giving our lucky readers the chance to win a pack. It is ideal for taking on holidays or weekends away as it is only slightly larger than a normal pack of cards.

   All you need to do is enter below to be in with a chance to win!

    Smart Ass Mini Card Game

   Terms & Conditions

   The Prize: Smart Ass Mini Card Game

   The winners will be chosen at random by the random winner generator on Gleam and notified within 7 working days by email
   There is no monetary equivalent.
   Little Lilypad Co take no /responsibility for loss or damage in the despatch of prizes
   If the prize is unclaimed within 7 days we reserve the right to redraw the winner.
   End Date 03/06/2018 at 12am

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4. Planning a 13th Birthday Party without breaking the bank

   Posted on 12:00pm Thursday 17th May 2018

   May has been EXPENSIVE. Not just a little bit expensive but REALLY REALLY expensive.

   You see I have a teenager. Enough said, no?

   I have a teenager with a birthday and the desire for a "different kind of birthday party"

   Many of her friends have had big parties, with disco and 100 friends. I did not want to go down that road but wanted her to celebrate with friends that matter, not half of her year group who she barely speaks to most of the time. Plus she wanted something a little different.

   

   So what did we decide to do? Hold a party on a boat! Now before you think I have actually lost my mind, there was a method to my madness. If I hired a hall I would have the hire of the venue, a DJ and the capacity for ALOT of children. On the barge we were limited to 25 people and we could plug in our own playlists, money and stress saving right there!

   My daughter wanted the very fashionable "drip cakes" that are seen all over social media and whilst they are STUNNING, they are also expensive when catering for 25 people. I received quotes for around £50 which on top of the boat hire was beginning to give me palpitations so was delighted to find a supermarket version for 1/5 of that price! 

   

   After stressing about making sure I got the right cake, the irony is that none of the girls ate it so was more than happy I had chosen the cheaper version.

   Saving on a DJ was perfect as the girls played their own songs for the first hour or so but then some of the mums got involved and took over the playlists so we had everything from YMCA and the Macarena. The teens tried to resist dancing but the sun was shining and the boat floating along the canals of Birmingham and the party vibe took over.

   

   We didn't do party bags ..... I mean teenagers do not want plastic tat (although I am not sure anyone ever wants plastic tat) and we created our own photo booth with a frame and some silly props. Another saving but with teens who love a selfie, you have to have some photo opportunities don't you?

   This post is headed "planning a birthday party without breaking the bank" and I am not suggesting for a moment that it was the cheapest option available but in comparison to a party with 100 people, it was definitely the more cost effective. That said, everyone had an AMAZING time, we had mums who wanted to join us on the boat, the sun was shining and it was certainly something that they will all remember and for me, that is priceless. Unfortunately the addition of the birthday presents, family gatherings and shopping trips for outfits offset any savings I made and made the month an expensive one!

   So I hope no one wants anything glamorous for dinner this month as the budget has been squeezed ...... I wonder how long I can feed them birthday cake for??

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