MOJI POPS – switch moods, flip faces, change emotions, love life – We received a really exciting parcel this week and I have made the girls wait until this weekend to open it, which has…
View PostKIDZANIA-AN INDOOR CITY RUN BY KIDS
We have just returned from a fun family day out in London visiting Kidzania for the first time and as it happens, it was also the first trip to London with all five of us.
To celebrate the launch of Yoshi’s Crafted World on the Nintendo Switch, we were invited to come to Kidzania for the day to take part in the exclusive Easter egg hunt featuring the beloved character and have a play on the newly released game which we all enjoyed very much, especially Leo who is Nintendo mad.
Anyone visiting Kidzania during Easter holidays can take part in Yoshi’s Easter fun, which is running until Sunday the 21st April 2019.
Visiting Kidzania
As we approached the top of the escalator the first thing the kids saw was the front of a giant aeroplane and as we got to the top we could see Kidzania and a queue of people waiting to get inside. We were there on a press event so we went straight over to join the queue, otherwise, you would need to go to the desk opposite to the entrance to pick up/purchase your boarding passes (tickets).
As you go through the entrance, it is set up to look like an airport with gate signs and escalators replicating a real airport showing you where to go to check in.
Once you have gone all the way to the top of the escalators you will reach check-in which looks like you are actually at an airport. When it was our turn we handed over our boarding passes, which then got ripped just like a normal boarding pass would and handed back.
The lady behind the desk asked the children how old they were before putting on a security tag on our wrists including us adults. This was so they couldn’t leave Kidzania without an adult if they had got lost and also to check them in and out of jobs, which I will get to shortly.
The kids were given a hairnet to look after in case they did any cooking and 50 Kidzo’s to get them started on their day. Kidzo’s are Kidzania’s currency so when they have completed a job, they get paid in Kidzo’s.
Once we had finished checking in, we headed straight over to the Nintendo switch event where Leo, Lydia and Emily got to play on Nintendo’s new game ‘Yoshi’s Crafted World’ for a short while before heading off on an Easter egg hunt around the city.
They were each given an activity book and inside there were seven clues on where to find the letters they needed to complete the hunt and win a prize. The clues were easy enough for the children to work out on their own with no adult help and it was lovely to see them take the lead.
After we had completed the Egg hunt we went to explore more of Kidzania, but first I needed to offload the five coats I was now carrying with me. We saw a storage locker place that costs £3.50 and was big enough to fit two backpacks and five coats inside. You don’t get a refund upon returning the key, but it was a small price to pay to have my arms free to take photo’s and not have to worry about carrying luggage.
Their first job was to be a Dentist, as there was no queue at the time for this one, so I thought it would be a good starting point. When it is their turn to go in they have to be checked in and out and they do this by scanning their security tags. This was so they knew the age of the children and where the children were.
For this particular job, they were inside for fifteen minutes and there is a member of staff inside each workplace to give instructions and create a structure to what they are doing and then at the end, as they are checked out, they get paid in Kidzo’s which really impressed Lydia and Emily.
Each job has an information board at the entrance stating how many kids can go in at one time, the duration of the job, a minimum age limit and a salary of how many Kidzo’s they would earn in the duration of the job.
Only kids are allowed inside the workplace and the adults have to wait outside, but there are tables and chairs scattered around so you can sit and watch them/wait for them whilst enjoying a cup of tea. You can also bring in your own drinks and snacks if you wanted to save some money.
As a parent, I would recommend wearing comfortable shoes and bringing something with you to help pass the time, as you will be waiting around for them – a lot.
Our next stop was food, so we headed over to the Gourmet Burger Kitchen where the kids could make their own burger to eat. This does cost £3 each which you have to prepay for at the till. Today, however, it was running slow. The sessions say they run for 15 minutes but for some reason, it was more 20 minutes which took a big chunk out of our day and I wish we had just brought them burgers, but they had fun so it was ok.
David and I had bought ourselves two cheeseburgers and 2 fries whilst we were waiting for them. There is a kids meal you can buy for £6.95 that comes with a burger, fries/chips and a drink. Otherwise, the main menu provides each part of the meal separately and will cost a lot more – although the portions are bigger.
After lunch, Leo and Lydia wanted to go and work in the Nintendo switch Labo lab. This job came in two parts, which each took 25 minutes.
In the first part, Leo and Lydia got to build and decorate an RC car for the switch and in the second part they got to play with all the Labo sets that had been already made. Lydia’s favourite was the house and Leo’s was the piano. They each earnt 8 Kidzo’s.
I knew this wasn’t Milly’s thing so whilst David was staying to watch them, I took her round to be a baby care nurse, a job which had caught her eye as she could see Luvabella through the glass. Inside she got to wear a uniform and then pick a Luvabella baby from a cot. They learnt how to look after a baby; feed them, play with them, change their nappies and put them to sleep! Emily really enjoyed this job and earnt herself 6 Kidzo’s.
Next door she got to be a paramedic – she looked adorable in her little uniform – and in no time at all, she had carried out her first liver transplant at the grand age of 4. When I asked her what she had to do she said “I had to cut his belly skin off, pull out the brown thing and then put another brown thing and then put his belly skin back on again.” This earnt her 8 Kidzo’s.
Whilst Emily and I had gone off to do these two work placements, David was still waiting for the kids at the Labo so, unfortunately, there wasn’t a lot of time left for Leo and Lydia to do anything else, as you only got a 4-hour time slot so we went for an ice cream at the shop and headed to check out.
Just before we were about to make our way to the airport to check out, Lydia announced that she had left her Labo Rc back at the activity station so we went back to get it. We noticed lots of press and curiosity got the better of me, turned out that it was the Nintendo Labo Director, Sakaguchi-san, with the two BAFTA games awards that Nintendo Labo just won in family and Game Innovation categories.
How’s that for good timing.
We had to go through immigration when we were leaving Kidzania and inside there was a photoshop where a member of staff scans your security bracelet and the photos of you that had been taken throughout the day appeared on the screen. We bought a print for £12 and you get the digital copy free (the code is on one of the receipts they give you).
Upon checking out, we got our bracelets scanned and removed before heading to the shop so the kids can spend the money they had earnt throughout the day. The shop wasn’t that great, unfortunately, and most of the half decent toys you could buy were over 100 Kidzo’s which I doubt you could earn during one visit alone unless the kids work tirelessly. If anything, it teaches kids to work hard to earn more.
A very kind family did randomly give us 75 Kidzo’s which we put towards a princess crown for Emily that cost 110. Lydia and Leo decided to take their’s home in case we ever came back.
We had a lovely day in Kidzania and we will definitely come back soon so the kids can explore some more of the city. Four hours is plenty long enough for the day but not enough to do everything.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIaE3fbaSHc[/embedyt]
***We received complimentary tickets in return for a review on our blog, all opinions are my own.***
Winding down for the evening with children requires a routine; they need it and they love it. Here in the Knight Tribe’s home we stick to the routine come rain or shine, even in the school holidays.
This time we have someone new to share it with, in the form of a doll, with her bathtub and her accessories.
Meet Isla (Emily named her after her BFF). She is from the Baby born range and stands 43 cm tall. She is the same height as Baby born so she can share her clothes and accessories for lots of Baby born fun.
She also comes with 10 accessories including scrunchies, necklaces, a hairbrush and her own sippy cup.
You can move her arms and legs, she can stand up on her own, she drinks water from her sippy cup, she can cry real tears, she is bathable and does not require any batteries which is always a bonus.
We received the new Baby born bathtub with an automatic shower to help us with our nighttime routine.
There’s loads of bath time fun to be had for Baby born. The Baby born Bathtub features an automatic shower function, unique lights and sound effects. Press the button and the base of the tub lights up in all sorts of colours and bathing sounds play while water pours from the shower head. Suitable for dolls up to 43cm, the bath also comes with BABY born’s favourite bath time rubber duck.
Don’t worry about getting her hair wet because as long as you are using lukewarm water it will dry naturally ready to be brushed and styled. She has synthetic hair so do not use any heat on her otherwise you will ruin her hair.
Now bath time is over and Emily needed to get Isla out quickly before she cries because she is too cold, just like Emily does.
We were too late and she had already started to cry.
Emily worked as quick as she could to dry her doll fast so she would stop crying and it worked.
We also received a Baby born bath wash and go set with lots of different items needed for bedtime.
Included;
After Emily had finished creaming and powdering her doll it was now time to brush both of their teeth.
In our house, after we have brushed out teeth it’s time for bed.
We have really enjoyed showing you our bedtime routine with our new Baby born sister doll and interactive bath.
Overall this is great. Emily has taken her everywhere. She loves playing with her hair which surprisingly doesn’t get very knotty, as other doll’s hair does. She didn’t like that the dolls eyes didn’t close when she was laying down but this didn’t seem to bother her too much now. We love that she can stand up on her own and that she’s not a ‘baby’ baby.
The bathtub is so much fun with the sound effects, rainbow lights and bubbles. There is a button on the front of the bath which you press and the shower will automatically turn on so no pumping is required like the older model and you can stop the shower by simply pressing the button again. The shower head also comes away from the stand a little bit like a normal shower does which is pretty cool.
Check out our summer adventure post on Baby born
*** We were sent these products in return for an honest and open review ***
We are complete newbies when is comes to Playmobil, I have never brought or owned one in my life and neither have the kids up until now. So I can tell you first hand what I thought of it.
Playmobil have just released a brand new Space range and we were lucky enough to be sent the Mars space station to play with and review. Lydia who is six years old loves learning about Earth and space and I knew she would love this set when it arrived and I was right.
Once you have opened the box you will see that there are quite a few sealed bags inside with different parts needed to build the model. The contents inside the bags are not in building order, so after Emily opened them all I sorted them into colours, ready for David to to start building.
The Mars space station was a little bit fiddly with the smaller parts (for big hands) but otherwise it was straight forward to put together, the instruction manual was easy to read and overall it took David just under two hours to build, which included applying all of the stickers. Stickers are easy to apply, but care should be taken when following the instructions as they are only listed by number.
In the core of the space ship is where you will find the lights and sound effects, which requires 2 AAA batteries. There are six buttons and three lights inside, the sound effects are pretty cool and have a little picture above them to show you what sound will play. For example the engine button will play the sound of the engine for 15 seconds and then turn off, the planet button will play the sound effect of what it may sound like moving around the planets from outside the station, then you have a button with the sound effects of people communicating through radio transmission.
There are also two light buttons, one will switch on two of the lights inside the model and the other button will switch on the lights underneath the model.
On the top of the space station theres a functioning double missile shooter, which you can easily launch by pressing the eject button. They shoot a good distance and are easy to reload. You can remove the top easily to play inside or you can use the door to the space station which is on the side. What I love about this is that it has an revolving door which mimics an air lock to the station that you can turn open and closed.
There’s also sleeping quarters aswell as a botanical garden quarters complete with play candy bars, drink and a microscope.
Playmobil’s attention to detail on the Mars space station is brilliant. Inside the the space station there are all sorts of different accessories like clip boards, laptop, tools, drinks, fire extinguisers and they all live in there own little spaces.
Emily loves her little play sets with characters and it wasnt that long ago we went to our local museum to see Tim Peaks Soyuz space craft and since then they have both shown an interest in space.
So taking into account that this is our first experience with Playmobil we are definitley fans now and Emily has already asked for another set for her birthday in July, even my thirteen year old son has enjoyed playing this with his sisters.
The Playmobil Mars space station retails for £64.00, which I think is a very good price considering just how much you get and the amount of hours of fun they have got out of it so far.
Everything in this set is very well made so there are no worries of heavy hands breaking anything flimsy and fragile which is something you can be confident of when purchasing Playmobil.
Also available to purchase in the space range is the Mission to Mars Launchpad set, Mars research vehicle, Mars rover and an astronaught and robot duo pack.
Click here to read some more of our reviews
Mothering Sunday is coming up and I have put together an affordable, easily available gift guide to give you some inspiration if you are stuck for gift ideas.
Sesky Embrace perfume *- is embellished with Swarovski® crystals to add more sparkle to the already lavishly designed 12-sided bottle.
A feminine gourmand fragrance which embraces the senses, Enchanting and seductive – glamorous and effervescent. Fruity top notes of Orange Blossom, Blackcurrant and Pear open into a heart of Iris, Jasmine and Patchouli before settling into a delicious swirl of Tonka Bean Vanilla Musk & Praline Accord.
I love the smell of this perfume. It looks elegant and smells fresh and fruity. I do not personally like flowery perfume but this one smells really beautiful and isn’t overpowering.
Mum on the run water bottle– This water bottle will help mum keep hydrated through the day, fitted with a handy pink flip top straw to prevent spillages. The design is decorated with metallic spot detailing and front slogan, reading ‘Mum on the run’. 670ml.
No3 Pomegranate Luxury fragranced candle -Bring elegant scents into your home with this Luxury Pomegranate Glass Candle Centrepiece.
Floral Arrangement in Glass Vase- Display fresh looking flowers year after year with our range of artificial flowers and plants. Nothing creates an inviting home interior more than a colourful floral arrangement, and we love this beautiful white bunch presented in a small glass vase.
The English tea shop Organic Revive me teabags* – Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Organic, Raw, Vegan, Vegetarian, Wheat Free, Sugar Free, Nut Free, Egg Free, Celery Free, Lupin Free, Milk Free, Mustard Free, Sesame Seed Free, Soy Bean Free, Sulphur Dioxide Free, Maize Free, Citric Acid Free, Crustacean Free, Mollusc Free, Fish Free, Peanut Free, No Added Sugar, Certified Low FODMAP
Mum/Grandma Cushion (available in-store only at Matalan) – Show Mum how much you love her this Mother’s Day with this pretty cushion. The lilac design features a gold printed slogan to the front, reading ‘Only the best mums get promoted to grandmas’. The look is complete with a pom pom trim edge.
Crystal Effect Frame-(available in-store at The Range) -A beautiful gift idea or way to display your own treasured memories, this Crystal Filled Mirrored Frame is carefully crafted from reflective glass with a panel of clear crystals cascading down either side of your photograph. Complete with a stand, this frame offers the perfect way to showcase your special moment.
I hope you have found some inspiration with my Mothers day gift guide this year and I wish all mums and carers a lovely and relaxing Mothers day.
***I received some of these items* in return for inclusion in my gift guide***
