Tag: rainy day activities

Stabilo Fibre Tip Pens and Coloured Pencils

Birthday Gifts, Children, Christmas, Family Life, Gifts for children, Stocking Fillers, Toys

Disclaimer: We received these products free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

We all know how tough it can be to keep the kids entertained during the school holidays. You get a few weeks of lovely sunshine in the run-up, then as soon as school’s out -down comes the rain! And as much as I’d love to pack our days with trips to the cinema, bowling alley or soft play, let’s face it, it soon gets expensive so it’s not an option for most parents.

That’s why I’m such a big fan of keeping it simple. You really can’t beat a good old-fashioned colouring session to keep little hands (and minds!) busy. Felt tips and colouring pencils might not sound like much, but they’re absolute lifesavers in our house – and STABILO have a brilliant range that makes colouring and craft sessions a lot of fun.

The STABILO Cappi felt tip range have clever caps so you can thread them together and fasten the set to a bag or a carabiner which is perfect for keeping them all in one place, especially when you’re out and about. It also means no lost lids too! The triangular shape is comfy for small hands to grip, and they come in packs of 12 or 24 vibrant colours.

If you’ve got younger kids who tend to press a bit too hard, the STABILO Trio Scribbi is a game-changer. These pens are practically indestructible thanks to their spring-loaded tip. Press down too hard and the tip just bounces back – no more ruined pens! Plus, the water-based ink is washable (thank goodness), and they come in 14 bright colours.

Then there’s the STABILO Woody 3-in-1 – a chunky pencil that works as a colouring pencil, wax crayon, and even a watercolour for the more adventurous, simply add a splash of water and with a small paintbrush the little ones will soon be creating  masterpieces for your walls. They’re also great for craft projects as they can be used on windows, lunchboxes, mirrors, and blackboards too. The colour wipes off easily with water, and the thick lead lasts for ages – eight times longer than a regular pencil! Available in 24 shades, these have been a big hit with our little ones.

As well as drawing we’ve been making homemade cards for birthdays and using colouring books too. There’s also loads of free printable sheets online too if you want something different.

So next time the kids say those dreaded words – “I’m bored!” – hand them a rainbow of STABILO colours and let their imagination do the rest. They’re affordable, portable and most importantly fun!!

Connetix Pastel Starter Pack (64-Piece)

Birthday Gifts, Children, Christmas, Family Life, Gifts for children, Toys

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

Connetix is an exceptional magnetic construction toy that perfectly blends education and fun, making it ideal for indoor play during the school holidays. The Pastel Starter Pack is a wonderful introduction to the Connetix range, featuring 64 pastel-coloured tiles crafted with safety and durability in mind. Each tile is made from food-grade, non-toxic materials and features strong magnets along every edge for effortless connection. The riveted corners enhance safety, making it suitable for younger children, while the bevel design adds extra strength to the tiles.

As well as being great fun to play with, Connetix tiles are a powerful tool for promoting STEAM learning (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics). They help develop cognitive abilities, spatial awareness, hand-eye coordination, and both fine and gross motor skills. As children (and adults!) explore different ways to build with the tiles, they naturally engage in problem-solving and gain a deeper understanding of geometric concepts. Suitable for ages 3 and up, this set has enough pieces to allow everyone in the family to get involved.

One of Connetix’s standout features is its versatility. By combining different sets, you can create even more complex and imaginative builds—the only limit being your imagination! Connetix is available in various sizes, from the 24-piece Mini Packs to the 202-piece Mega Packs, perfect for large, collaborative projects. Specialty packs like the Transport Pack, which adds wheels to your creations, the Geometry Pack for exploring shapes, and the popular Ball Run Pack for high-speed fun, add even more variety to playtime.

During the school holidays, the Connetix Pastel Starter Pack has become a favourite among our young reviewers, keeping them entertained day after day. Its open-ended design allows for endless possibilities, from building castles one day to constructing towers the next. Whether you’re collaborating on a grand project or each creating your own masterpiece, Connetix encourages creativity and teamwork, making it a fantastic way for children to learn through play.

I’m really impressed with Connetix, the combination of educational benefits and pure fun makes it the perfect toy for the whole family, fostering creativity, learning, and quality time together.

RRP £79 Available from Amazon

Galt Card Craft

Children, Easter, Family Life, Gifts for children, Learning, Toys

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

It’s a good job our mini reviewers enjoy crafts, as the weather at the moment is absolutely dreadful and we’re having to spend more time indoors than we normally do in the school holidays. With a couple of family birthdays coming up, a card making session with the Galt Toys Card Craft set kept our mini reviewers occupied and they have made some lovely cards, some of which currently have pride of place on their grandparents mantlepiece!

The set contains 10 cards and envelopes and a variety of patterned and plain papers and stickers, you can either follow the enclosed guide and use their designs or come up with your own creations. Wavy scissors, a heart punch and a couple of stamps allow you to personalise your cards and our mini reviewers especially loved using the heart punch to make lots of mini hearts to put inside the cards which fell like confetti when the envelope was opened, much to the girl’s delight!

The set is aimed at children aged 8+ and our mini reviewers aged 7 and 10 were able to make the cards with minimal assistance. With 10 different cards to make it kept them busy all afternoon and they both really enjoyed making them.

This set is a great introduction to card making and now we have the scissors, heart punch and stamps I’m sure all my family will be getting homemade cards for all future celebrations!

RRP £14.99 available here

Hey Doodle Toot Toot Honk Colouring Mat

Children, Christmas, Easter, eco friendly, Family Life, Gifts for children, REUSABLE, Stocking Fillers, Sustainable, Toys

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

We’re half way through the school holidays and it’s never stopped raining! Luckily our mini reviewers love colouring so have spent a good half hour or so each day quietly colouring in the vehicles on the Toot Toot Honk Hey Doodle MiniMat.  

The reuseable silicone mat comes with three coloured pens and unlike paper it doesn’t move about when you’re colouring it. The pens are lovely to use, they glide smoothly on the silicone and don’t bleed into one another when the colours are used next to each other. All the colours are nice and bright and when the mat is coloured  in it looks quite  impressive. If they do make a mistake it doesn’t matter as they are easily erased by wiping them away with a damp cloth.

 There are 5 different Minimats available – Toot Toot Honk, Dinoroar, Aussie Animals, Sugar & Spice and Into the Wild and each one is printed with illustrations that fit the theme along with either letters from the alphabet or numbers that can be traced over.

Once the mat has been coloured in the ink is easily removed with a damp cloth and you’re ready to start again. I did find you do need to apply a little pressure when removing the ink, especially if it has been left for a couple of days, so you may need to help younger children do this.

As well as being great fun, Hey Doodle colouring mats are better for the environment as they remove the need for endless sheets of paper that get thrown away afterwards.

Aimed at children aged 2- 7 these are a great way to keep the children (and adults) entertained during the school holidays. They also make great birthday gifts too!

RRP £14.99 available here

ToucanBox Halloween Crafts

Autumn, Birthday Gifts, Children, Gifts for children, Halloween, Learning, Subscription Boxes

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review but all thoughts an opinions are our own

October half term can be quite cold and wet so it’s good to have a few rainy-day activities up your sleeve to keep the children occupied. With Halloween at the end of the month these Halloween craft packs from ToucanBox are a great idea to keep the children entertained and away from the electronic devices!

If you haven’t heard of ToucanBox before they are a flexible art and craft subscription box aimed at children aged 3-8 years old. The boxes are inspired by the school curriculum to develop cognitive, social and motor skills and each box contains all the materials and inspiration you need for 2 different craft projects, as well as instructions, stickers and a great magazine that has even more puzzles and activities to enjoy. The step by step illustrated instructions are very easy for younger children to follow and depending on the age of your child, require minimal assistance.

WACKY SCIENTIST’S GHASTLY LAB

This pack contains everything you need to construct a wacky scientist’s lab which can be decorated with ghastly specimen stickers. 

FACE FLIPPIN PHANTOM GLOWING GHOST LANTERN

This pack contains everything you need to make a ghostly lantern which makes a great Halloween decoration.

Both packs contain the Halloween magazine and the activities inside cover STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Maths). Children will enjoy creating a bubbling cauldron and making paper mâché pumpkins as well as baking some Scrummy Mummies biscuits along with other Halloween themed activities.

I was really impressed by the contents of the packs and the fact that they contain everything you need for the craft – a real winner for busy parents! Take a look at their website for more Halloween crafts ideas to keep the little monsters occupied over half term!

RRP £12.95 with 20% off if you buy 2 Halloween packs