Hobbsy's House

Hobbsy's House

Saturday 28 July 2012

Mud Pie Kitchen

I've seen these on a few parenting blogs and been dying to make one! I cobbled it together from a few bricks and planks of wood and chopped the bottom off some plant pots to make the 'hob rings'. The kids loved it of course - it was messy! Major downside was that they kept bringing me overflowing bowls full of 'soup' so I got pretty muddy myself!




Sunday 22 July 2012

Good Clean Messy Play

This is always popular with toddlers and preschoolers - shaving foam! I put a load of it on trays and added a few drops of paint. I also gave them a paint brush each. They loved mixing up the colours and the sensation of the foam on their hands. My 3 year old had an absolute ball, asked for spoons and cups so he could make 'ice cream'!



Tuesday 17 July 2012

Monster Playdoh and Olympic Rings

Yesterday me and the kids made a big batch of green playdoh. Today I put it out with some googly eyes and lollipop sticks/straws so the kids could make some monsters and aliens. They played with it for ages and made all kinds of wierd and wonderful creatures!



I'd also had the slightly too ambitious idea of getting them to paint some olympic rings using old toilet rolls. They thoroughly enjoyed printing with these but preferred to let their own creativity flow and did something much more abstract!



Saturday 14 July 2012

(Summer) Holidays are Coming!

So with only 3 days left in school and no sign of the rain stopping, it's time for a Summer Holiday survival plan. I've scoured the internet to find out what's on in Swansea and Neath - the good news is there's loads, and lots of it is free or at least very cheap:

JULY
21st Victoria Gardens, Neath. 12.30-2.30pm. Jamba Drama Bear Hunt with face painting and crafts. Call 01639 686775 for more information.
21st - 27th Waterfront Museum. 12 and 2pm. Kite Making. Suitable for ages 7+. Book on 02920 573 600.
23rd. Margam Country Park. Birds and Balloons. Environmental Fun with the RSPB 10am - 4pm. Balloon Modelling with 'Dr Bob' 11am, 12, 1.30pm and 2.30pm.
23rd. Swansea Community Farm. Between 10am and 3pm. Family Fun Day including treasure hunts, kite making, adventure play, pond dipping, flower bomb making and honey extraction. Call 01792 578384 for more information
23rd + 24th Discovery Centre, Brynmill Park. Giant Games in the park. 10.30am - 11.30am . No booking required. Free
24th The Gnoll, Neath. Family Fun Day

25th  Crown and Shield making, Oystermouth castle. £1 per child.
25th and 26th Plantasia. 10.30am - 4pm. Cycle power and Ice Cream Making. Come along to make your own ice cream and learn how to make electricity using pedal power to the sound of the rainforest. Normal admission prices.

26th Learn to play tennis, Victoria Park. 10.30-11.30. £1 per child. This is a Junior Park Ranger event (suitable for ages 5-11). For booking: 01792 635485
27th Swansea Central Library. Family film. 1.30pm. Contact the library for film information.


29th Waterfront Museum. Urban Sports Skills (football freestyling, basketball, BMX). 11am, 12noon, 1.30 pm and 3.30pm (have a go sessions at 11.30am, 12.30pm, 2pm & 3pm. Suitable for families, book on the number above.

AUGUST
1st-31st St Fagan's Museum, Cardiff. 'Art Cart' art and craft sessions. 11am - 1pm, 2pm - 4pm
2nd Margam Country Park. Mr Bubbles Family Fun with balloon modelling, magic and puppets. 10am - 4pm
4th & 5th Waterfront Museum, Swansea. 'Get Knotted'. Make friendship bracelets. 12-3.30pm. Suitable for families, no booking required.
7th, 8th & 9th Plantasia. Animal Antics, Birds of Prey. Get up close to birds of prey.Book on 01792 474555. Prices: Child: £3.95, Adult: £4.95 (½ price to season ticket holders) 4 shows a day: 10.30am, 12.00noon, 2.00pm and 3.15pm
9th Coed Gwilym Park, Bug Hunt 10.30am -11.30am. £1 per child.

11th & 12th Waterfront Museum. Pirate Weekend.
13th Margam Country Park. Meet Captain Barnacle. A Pirate pantomime show with comedy, music, puppets and mayhem. Shows at 11am, 12.30pm, 2pm and 3.30pm.
16th Discovery Centre, Brynmill Park. Lots of adventurous games and sports. 10.30am - 11.30am £1.00 per child

18th–24th Waterfront Museum, Swansea. Inflatable Planetarium. 11.30am, 12.30pm, 2pm & 3pm. Age 7+. Booking required. 40 minute show.

18th & 19th Waterfront Museum, Swansea. Constellation Cotton Bags. 12 – 3.30pm. Families, drop in. £1.50 a bag. Trace the constellations on a cotton bag.
20th Margam Country Park. How the Whale Became and Other Stories. Inspired by the short stories
written by Ted Hughes, these tales are loved by children and adults alike and will leave you with some entertaining answers to these and other questions. Sessions at 11.30am, 12.30pm, 1.45pm, 2.30pm and 3.30pm.
21st Oystermouth Castle. Medieval Story Telling. We'll be enjoying stories about the past 'Horrible Histories' style! 10.30am - 11.30am £1.00 per child

21st, 22nd &23rd Plantasia. Tribes, teeth & tarantulas.4 shows a day at 10.30am, 12.00pm, 2.00pm and 3.15pm. Price and booking as for Animal Antics above.
23rd Clyne Gardens, Swansea (Meet at Woodman entrance). Treasure Hunt. We'll be solving clues and searching through the gardens. 10.30am - 11.30am. £1.00 per child

24th Margam Country Park. Jimmy Juggles - Circus Workshop. 11am - 4pm

25th–27th Waterfront Museum, Swansea. Bank Holiday Beady Bracelets. 12 - 3.30pm . Make your own beads and bracelets. Families drop in.

PLUS, there are playschemes and a playbus in various parts of Swansea throughout the summer holidays. In Clydach the playbus will be on Park Road (by the Scout Building) on Wednesday 25th July, 15th Aug, 22nd Aug and 29th Aug. 11am - 1pm.

If anyone knows of any other free/cheap events in or around Swansea over the holidays do please comment below. I wish you all luck and sunny weather for the next 6 weeks!



Wednesday 4 July 2012

Happy Independence Day!

We've celebrated July the 4th today by making flags (I know, not the right number of stars or stripes but I was working with 2 year olds!):


We just glued some strips of red and white over a flag I already had and then added a blue square. The children put silver star stickers over the top.

We also made some blue red and white star cakes!

As you can see by the rough finish, it was all the children's own work.

Tuesday 3 July 2012

Here comes the Sun

We're sick of waiting for the real sun to make an appearance so over the weekend the kids and I made our own sun to brighten up the playroom:

A lot of yellow paint with glue mixed in:


Tonnes of yellow bits and bobs stuck on the paint:


And here we go, the closest we'll be getting to real sun for while I think!