During the 2019 summer holidays, we travelled down to Cornwall for the week with the kids which is a five, six-hour journey from where we live. Unfortunately, an hour into our return journey, David’s cambelt…
View PostWorld book day is just around the corner and some parents are a lot more organised than others and have already started to plan their kids costumes well in advance, or, some parents are like me and like to leave it to the last minute and then start to panic. I have two kids in primary school and for the short few years that they have been there we have only been able to choose a book our self as the school usually picks one.
The first year we could pick our favorite book and at the time Lydia’s was ‘Dear Zoo’ by Rod Campbell. I browsed Pinterest, as you do and I came across something completely different to your standard costume and she won the best costume in her year group. Find out how I made this here.
In 2019 the girls school chose the book ‘ The day the crayons quit’. I had never read this book before then and what a wonderful book it is to read. The costumes were also so easy and cheap to make.
Another Book idea was from Roald Dahl Day when Lydia dressed up as Miss Honey wearing a pretty dress she already had, clear glasses from Claire’s accessories and I had printed out a book cover and stuck it over the top of a McDonald book that she had got in her happy meal. Emily dressed up as Matilda and all we did was print out a picture of a lizard and stuck it on a clear bottle filled with a little bit of water.
Here are some more fun and fantastic idea’s from other parents.
Thing 1 and Thing 2 by Boo Roo and Tigger Too
Ella from Typical Mummy Said:
I always have to think of ideas whereby he can wear his own clothes so he feels like he isn’t “dressing up”, but then he takes in some props so he is still joining in. One year he took a bucket of dinosaurs with him, so was “Harry and his Bucketful of Dinosaurs.” He’s also been Charlie from “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and I made him a Wonka Bar (by decorating a bar of Dairy Milk) and a Golden Ticket. Last year he was the Mad Hatter so I bought a cheap hat on eBay and added ribbon and feathers and a 10/6 note.
All very simple and easy, meaning he could still join in without feeling like he was properly dressing up!
Emma from All she loves has put together an easy guide for last minute world book day costumes made from things at home which is very useful and handy with really good idea’s.
Tina from Mother Geek has made Mog from Meg and Mog.
Andrea from Bluebearwood has some fantastic idea’s over on her blog.
Emily from EmilyandIndiana dressed up as Kittie Lacey from The Fairytale Hairdresser.
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As the summer holidays drew closer I wanted to do something nice but different for the girl’s teachers to say thank you for everything but without spending a fortune on gifts. Between the girl’s classrooms there two teachers and three teaching assistants and in my opinion, the teaching assistants are just as important as the teachers, so I browsed the web for cheap and affordable gift idea’s and these cute little plant pots popped up, they were perfect and just what I had been looking for.
All you needed is:
I already had a bag of soil in the garden and the chalkboard paint in my cupboard so where would I find these plant pots that wouldn’t cost me a small fortune? Amazon, of course. I brought 8 pcs 4″ small plant pots with saucers for just £8.99
Before I painted my plant pots with the chalkboard paint I made sure to give them a quick wipe over with the sugar soap spray to remove any grease so that the paint would go on smoothly.
Then I painted free-hand around my flower pots and tried to leave an inch gap at the top of the pot so I could then create my ruler effect at the end. I advise you to use masking tape around the top when you come to paint these and it will look so much neater.
Fortunately for us, it was the hottest day of the year when I painted mine and they dried outside within twenty minutes instead of the two-hour stated on the back of the tin. You will also need to do two coats for a better finish.
Once they have all dried, use a black sharpie pen to create the ruler look around the top of the plant pot and some chalk to write the teachers name on the plant pot.
For the gift tags, you will need:
For the gift labels, I looked online for a free template and then I just edited a photo into it which I had taken that morning of the girls holding their ‘Last day of Year 1/ Reception’ sign. I printed the tags out and laminated them.
I cut off mall strips of velcro and used my hot glue gun to stick one side of the velcro to the name stick as the other side of the velcro was sticky so I used that for the back of the name tag itself.
And just like that they were done and I got a huge sense of satisfaction knowing that I had made these all by myself. It took me about an hour to make all five of these and the children really loved giving them to their teachers and of course their teachers loved them.
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My oldest son Leo has Cerebral palsy. When he was little, he was a full time wheelchair user and so his little school shoes would last him the whole school year, in fact even longer because we would always have to buy his shoes two sizes bigger to accommodate his Orthotics. Shoe shopping for a kid who wears splints is not the easiest task to do either and I would often leave a shop feeling very stressed out and frustrated, I dreaded it.
Fast forward quite a few years later and the girls had now started school. This academic school year alone and keep in mind we are only 6 months in, they have both already got through two pairs of shoes each nearly, three pairs up until Treads got in touch and boy was I glad to hear from them. Leo is 14 now and doesn’t walk the same as most children so we are really excited to be putting these to the test.
So, what makes Treads different to the rest?
Treads are constructed using a “strobel” technique where the upper is placed into a mould and the sole is then injected around it creating one unit without the need for any gluing. This not only creates a really strong bond but offers additional flexibility, perfect for active kids.
Every shoe comes with reinforced heels and seams. The front of the shoes is scuff proof and can be wiped clean. Plus there is a 30 day money back guarantee and a 12 months guarantee.
Shoe sizing and getting it right
No matter where you go to buy shoes, the sizes never come up exactly the same. We downloaded the paper gauge off there website to measure the kid’s feet and found it very easy and straight forward to do, in fact when the shoes arrived they were all a perfect fit.
Dual Fit Technology
All of Treads shoe range have dual fit technology which is ergonomically designed to give you the perfect fit.
All you need to do is simply remove the base under the sock layer and it will increase the width of the shoe from a standard to a wide fitting, Also if you remove the foot bed it will give you more depth which is perfect for people like Leo who wear Orthotics (splints in our case). Every pair of shoe Leo has ever owned is missing the insoles from having to rip them so that they would fit.
What I thought
The kid’s have been wearing their new school shoes for the last two weeks and I can report that we have had no blisters and they all find them really comfortable to wear. Emily is the boisterous one of the three and if any of them would come home on the first day of wearing them with scuffed shoes, it would be her. I love both the girls and the boys ranges on the website and I think there is something there that will suit all tastes, with some pairs starting as low as £35 – which if you consider how many pairs of school shoes they have ravaged in a year, and the stress of having to keep going to buy more, it is well worth it in my eyes.
I am so pleased that the fabulous people from Treads has given 1 The Knight Tribe reader the opportunity to win a pair of Treads school shoes of their very own. To be in with a chance of winning, follow the instructions and make sure you enter by 23:59 on 18/02/20.
*We were gifted 3 pairs of Treads School Shoes in return for an honest review. All opinions and photos are my own
Having a teenager with cerebral palsy I am often asked about his hobbies and if he takes part in any after school activities. As much as Leo hates it, it isn’t safe for him out there on his own especially as he falls unexpectedly and we live by very busy main road. Over the year’s I have searched for things he could do to keep him busy so that he would feel less ‘trapped’ like he does and to also make some new friends.
When he was a small child there wasn’t a lot to do like there is now for children with disabilities. Now we have Little Miracles which is an amazing charity that supports families that have children with additional needs, disabilities and life limiting conditions. Just like everyone else these children need a place to play, laugh and create friendships – Little Miracles provides this whilst the families are able to access the advice, support and care that they deserve.
The Activities Leo takes part in:
Pan Disability football which is run by Peterborough United Football club
Nene Valley Community Centre
Mondays 5.30- 6.30pm
£3 a session
Adapted Cycling
Peterborough regional Athletics club
Wednesday 5pm till 7pm
£3 a session
Fins Swimming Lessons
Jack Hunt Swimming pool
Saturday 3pm- 3.25pm
£28 per month
Other activities are:
Sharks Basketball
Focus Centre Dogsthorpe, PE1 4PE
Sunday 10am – 12pm
£3 per session
Archery
Focus Centre Dogsthorpe, PE1 4PE
Sunday 12.30pm- 1.30pm
£3 per session
Boccia Club
Peterborough Indoor Bowls club, PE1 5HA
Saturday 10am-12pm
£3 per session
Sailability
Ferry Meadows (Lakeside area)
Tuesday’s and Thursdays: 10am- 4.30pm (April-October)
Booking is essential 07948-262919
£5 per session and sessions are 30 minutes
I will update this as often as I can to keep all information correct and relevant
If you have an activity you would like to include, Please fill in the information below and I will get back to you.
