Seasider in the City…food, drink, toys, laughter & golf!
Reviews
City of Friends iPhone/iPad App
01 day ago
in Reviews
Following on from our love of all things City of Friends we had the opportunity to review the new iPhone app (and then after my birthday we gave the iPad one a go too). J was very excited when he saw the icon on the screen and he started playing immediately.
The thing that struck me straight away is that he needed no help playing it at all, his reading is getting better but he is still in reception so his words are limited – this did not matter as he was able to pick it up and work out what to do. This scores it extra points for me.
In the game you play as Elphie, Ted or Max and help put out fires, fly the helicopter and organise the first aid kit. After each level is successfully completed you unlock a new video clip from the show. I really like that for each game you an select the level you want to play, so if the child finds some things more difficult than others it is not a problem.
The only negative for me is the endless playing of the theme tune throughout the game! J completed it all in 2 sittings so it would be good if there were more levels or clips to download, but then I think he is probably towards the upper end of the age range for the game.
I would recommend this app to any City of Friends or emergency services fans. You can download the app for £2.50 from iTunes.
We received the app for free for the purpose of writing this review. My review is honest and in my own words.
Sunshine fun with Micro Scooters
31 week ago
in Reviews
When you have always been pretty sporty to hear someone say that your son shows significant cause for concern during PE is quite upsetting, and at that moment in time we were gutted. Once we had taken a step back and thought about it we took it with the pinch of salt that it deserved – he is after all, not yet 5.
However, we have always known that he isn’t the most agile of children. He was slow to crawl and then walk and has the most comical run I have ever seen, he has also inherited my clumsiness His poor balance however has held him back the most, we struggled for ages to get him to ride a bike with stabilisers and you can see how hard he tries in swimming lessons but gets nowhere.
When an email dropped into my inbox asking if we would like to review a Micro Scooter I couldn’t reply quickly enough. Something fun to do in the holidays that would get J outside and active. Perhaps it would help? The really clever bit was that we were sent 2 scooters – a Maxi Micro for J and a Micro Sprite for Daddy. To have your own scooter is fab, but to be able to go outside and do the same thing as Daddy is just amazing and really sold it to him.
The Easter bunny was a bit early and delivered our scooters on the last day of term, and they were straight outside on them. Daddy had a full week off whilst I worked and so it gave the boys a fun activity that they could do anywhere.
The scooters are really lightweight and the sprite folds down incredibly quickly to make it both portable and easy to store – not that they have been stored at all!
To begin with J found it fairly difficult, the mechanism to turn is different to anything he has done before and it took him a good week of use before he had cracked corners. I was really surprised to find that he had figured out the braking too which was a welcome change to him just jumping off when he wanted to stop! Which reminds me that I really must get him a helmet!
The scooters now come everywhere with us and even I have had a go on the Sprite! They will be great to take camping with us as they won’t take up any room in the tent .
J’s Maxi Micro is quite possibly the best present he has had, he now wants to go outside after school and is really keen to show off his scooter to anyone that come round. The improvement in him on it in just the last month has given him so much confidence, he now even wants to go on his bike as he believes he will be able to do it.
My boy that shied away from doing anything active at school as he didn’t think he would be able to do it has asked to join after school tennis club. I think his teacher was as surprised as I was. The only thing that has changed is his Micro Scooter!
See how he improved in just the first week in this video:
To help celebrate the Jubilee and the Olympics this year you can now get your own special edition Union Jack Scooters, complete with either bag or bottle holder depending on the model – Mini Micro Scooters cost £64.95 and the maxi Micro Union Jack Scooters are £105.
We were sent 2 Micro Scooters for the purpose of this review. My review is honest and in my own words.
Charley on Safari DVD
01 week ago
in Reviews
Little Charley Bear is off on a jungle expedition in this latest DVD from the CBeebies favourite.
Charley heads off on an adventure to discover which noises different wild animals make. He takes with him his friends Midge and Nibblit and goes on and exciting animal safari that includes encounters with Sharks and Monkeys. There is no surprise that J’s favourite episode was the one where they discovered a Charleysaurus!
Narrated by the fabulous James Corden the six episodes include:
- Charley on Safari
- The Charleysaurus
- Monkeying with Midge
- Charley Snaps
- Castaway Charly
- Sandcastle for Caramel
- Bear at Sea
- Under Water Explorer Charley
This DVD is perfect for a rainy day and comes complete with a plastic toy Charley Bear. It has a running time of 50 minutes and an RRP of £12.99
We were sent this DVD for the purpose of writing this post.
New toy range from Mike the Knight
01 week ago
in Reviews
Mike the Knight has been capturing the imaginations of preschoolers everywhere with his great TV show and now your little ones can get in on the act with this great new range of toys from Character Options.
We were sent the Glendragon Arena to review ahead of the launch this week. Whilst it is a lovely set, before we had even opened the box J had asked where Galahad was? The set contains two base plates that can be moved around and fitted together, a stage, various poles and flags and Mike complete with lance. Mike is all set to lift the jousting cup but is lacking in any competition.
It is all very well made and would be an excellent addition to other pieces in the collection, however on it’s own it is a little lacking in things to do. It hasn’t caused a problem though, Mike has been off on adventures in the Bat Cave and also explored a dinosaur world!
Other toys available in the range include the Deluxe Glendragon Playset, Hairy Harry’s Horse Stop and a set of accessories to turn your child into a knight themselves! I know J would absolutely love the electronic sword or the knight’s helmet you can get!
We were sent this toy for the purpose of this review. My review is honest and in my own words.
Review – JCB Pack Away Tyre Playset
03 weeks ago
in Reviews
At our dentist surgery is a huge toy crane. For this reason alone J loves going to the Dentist! He is quite fascinated by them and it always so excited at Christmas when he sees trees decorated on top of them.
When I saw that one of the main features of the JCB Pack Away Playset we were sent was a crane I knew it was going to be a hit. The set is contained in a large tyre and comes with 2 JCB vehicles to play with.
Before you get to play at construction there is quite a bit of construction to do, some of it too tricky for J to do himself. By the time we had finished putting it together he had go so impatient we didn’t even get around to putting all the stickers on the various parts.
Inside the tyre you get (please excuse the layman’s terms!) 2 scaled die-cast vehicles, a crane, 2 levels and ramps for the vehicles to move along, a lift, a working hopper full of little beads and various containers.
J spent what felt like hours letting a few beads fall from the container into the truck and then sending it down the ramp to unload. Once the bucket was full, the crane would take all the beads back to the start again. In his own little world he has had a great time playing with the set and it is still set up in the living room as he plays with it every day!
A couple of things to note – the packaging says not for children under 36 months, I usually take this with a pinch of salt but in this case the little beads are so small I really would worry about them being eaten or poked into places they shouldn’t! Also I don’t think I’d recommend getting it all out if you only want to play for a little while, as you will spend longer putting it together than playing. Better to find a spot where it can stay out for a while and then pack away for storage. This isn’t a problem for us at all but might be worth considering.
You can buy the JCB Pack Away Tyre Playset from John Lewis, Tesco and Amazon for £19.99.
We were sent the set for the purpose of this review, my review is honest and in my own words.
