Category: Around the Web

Quib.ly is a great resource for modern day parents who need a little helping hand to negotiate the world of technology and understand what is safe, suitable and of course educational for their children.

On Quib.ly you can browse for information on a subject of interest, perhaps you want to know which apps are best suited to your child’s age for example. Ask questions about a subject you’d like more information on and receive replies from other parents and experts on the subject like our CEO Chris Puttick, who is one of their E-safety experts. With discussions and articles like ‘Six baby gadgets you’ll actually use‘, ‘Why should we teach kids safe practice on social media‘ and ‘Half Term Hacks: Rainy day hacks that are genuinely useful‘, there’s always something that is relevant to your life and your children on there. So why not give it a go today and see how this great site can make your life a little easier.

This week it’s the turn of Red Ted Art, a fantastic blog absolutely brimming with things to make with the kids. 

Packed with how to’s, videos and craft ideas, there’s something to suit children of all ages, no matter how crafty they are. Perhaps try your hand at making some gifts for the children’s teachers, which will save you buying them gifts at the end of the summer term and they’ll love something the children have made themselves. Create some gorgeous designs with paper plate weaving or customise those school books and notebooks with a bit of easy decoupage. There’s so much to try and new craft ideas being added every day, you’ll never run out of ideas for things to make with the kids. Perhaps get them to pick out a few things they want to try over the summer holidays. 

Disney’s Frozen is a huge favourite with both adults and children alike, so it’s no wonder the internet is brimming with fantastic crafts, party ideas and even food you can make with the kids at home. So we’ve put together a few of our favourites from around the web just for you, just click on the link below the images to be taken straight to the web page: 

These great colouring pages from I am a Mummy Nerd are just what you need to keep little Frozen fans happy. Just print them out and let their imaginations run wild with pencils, paints and maybe even glitter. You can choose from Elsa, Anna, Kristof, Olaf, a few mazes to negotiate and even learn how to cut snowflakes from paper with Elsa’s help. 

Spoonful has lots of Frozen themed activities to try, but these gorgeous hair accessories have got to be our favourite. Little girls will love making these pritty hair clips before transforming into the beautiful Elsa themselves. 

Fans of sensory bins will absolutely love this Frozen Sensory Bin from Happy Hooligans. Made with rice, crystals, snowflakes, tinsel, cotton balls and more, it really will keep little ones happy for hours. 

Get this great free printable from Red Ted Art and see how they can be turned into puppets. The kids will love this easy craft and if you challenge them to put on a puppet show, they’ll be kept busy for hours. 

How unbelievably cute is this fantastic No Sew Elsa Costume from Let’s Do Something Crafty!?! So pretty and even someone like me with not a crafty bone in my body could have a go at something like this and I’m sure the kids would love getting involved in making it too. 

Playdough fans will absolutely love Elsa’s Frozen Play Dough from Here Come the Girls. It’s glittery, it’s colourful and you can squish it between your fingers, what more could you ask for!?!

Another fabulous Frozen themed crafts from Here Come the Girls is Elsa’s Ice Castle. It’s another easy craft the kids can easily make themselves and you can really go to town with the glitter and sparkly gems. 

There really are some hugely talented blogger out there! So why not take a look at these great Frozen crafts for yourself and get making with your very own Frozen fans.  

This great blog from childminder and freelance writer Adele, is brilliant for craft ideas to do with the kids. As you might imagine, it features a wealth of activities that have been tried and tested by the children in her childcare setting, as well as by her own three children.

Some fantastic ideas which have been on the blog recently are:

What a fabulous idea! The post Discussing emotions with cress eggs is a wonderful demostration of how you can use play to help children identify and deal with their emotions in a fun way. 

If you haven’t heard of Rainbow Loom or Loom Bands as they’re otherwise known, you’ve been living under a rock. Many a parent, including myself, have about 100 of these little things currently clogging up their hoover and may have even become as addicted to this new craze as their kids. In this post you’ll see how Adele and her daughter made this cute rainbow fish. 

With other great posts for making all kinds of playdough, sensory trays for little ones, baby and toddler play and much more, this is a great blog for anyone who needs a few ideas to help them get creative with the kids.  

Fans of Paragon’s ‘Gold Stars’ educational sticker books for kids will be glad to know they offer downloads on their website, enabling you to sample the kind of activities available before you buy the books themselves. 

You’ll find some great printable downloads for Pre schoolers to children of Key Stage Two age. Plus you can even print a certificate to reward your little one for their efforts in completing their worksheets.  

If you have kids, it’s likely you’ll have heard of the latest craze for packed lunches – the bento box. It takes inspiration from the Japanese trend for making kawaii (or cute) lunch boxes for children. It’s even made the press recently and it seems everyone has an opinion on it. From those who enjoy it saying it helps with fussy eaters and is something both they and their children enjoy, to those who insist it’s the work of bored housewives with nothing better to do with their time (nice huh!). Whatever your opinion on bento it is craze that has taken the internet by storm and one that isn’t going to go away in a hurry. 

Source: 1. Seascape by Lisa Storms. 2. Snails by Mothering Corner. 3. Great Sandwich Ideas by Funky Lunch Gallery. 4. Hello Kitty by Modes

If you fancy trying your hand at making your little one’s lunch boxes or even lunches at home, that little bit more interesting, why not take a look at the regular Bento Babies linky  or browse for bento inspiration on Pinterest. 

My own forray into the world of bento has pretty much stopped with the purchase of a few sandwich cutters, but it’s a start! And who wouldn’t love a cute panda shaped sandwich after all!?! 

Have you seen all the bento box ideas on the internet? Have you given it a go?  

This is a weird one. I thought my 2 year old was the only one who had a strange obsession for these kinds of videos, but it seems he’s not alone. Having spoken to friends, it seems their preschoolers also have a thing for them. 

So what are these bizarre videos taking YouTube by storm? It’s the unwrapping of Kinder Eggs. I kid you not! People actually spend the best part of half an hour filming themselves unwrapping Kinder Eggs before showing off the numerous toys contained within them.

YouTube is literally packed to the rafters with video upon video of these Kinder Egg openings and kids are fascinated by it. Having been subjected to a few of these videos now, my only concern is for the chocolate which is so carelessly discarded during these videos. Maybe I could offer my services as a chocolate dustbin for the makers of these bizarre videos. 

Has your child caught onto this rather bizarre craze too?  

A fantastic website packed full of ideas for the whole family is Spoonful. Created by Disney to provide inspiration to parents, it’s a fantastic resource absolutely packed full of ideas to create great tasting family friendly food, crafts, play ideas and even tips on planning kids parties. 

There’s some great recipes all the family will enjoy, including the fussiest of eaters, from Cinnamon Ripple Muffins and school lunch ideas to delicious dinners and showstopping cakes. There are literally thousands of craft ideas, many of which have a Disney theme and others like handy printables, videos to help draw your favourite Disney characters and even crafts you can do around the home, like the great kids room makeovers. With hundreds of play ideas whatever the weather, family travel and movie night recommendations, as well as the fabulous party ideas, it really is a website that both children and adults will love.