Nobody could say it better!
Hope you have a great Father’s Day!
The children and I managed breakfast in bed (poached eggs Benedict – yes, surprised myself with that one at 7.30am! – bacon and mushrooms on toast.
Here’s the evidence. It was wolfed down too quickly for me to photograph the ‘before’ version!
It’s gone competition crazy in the angels & urchins blog household. The boys’ school is keen on the Royal Mail’s Christmas Stamp Competition, the first time children have been invited to enter their designs for a Christmas stamp since 1981.
The winning stamp from 1966
The competition is open to children aged 4 to 11, and – as well as having their design on a stamp – there are overall prizes worth £1,000 for the winning child and his or her school. Entries must be received by 19 July 2013. Read up on all the details here.
Wish us luck! To inspire here’s an image of all the previous winners.
Doesn’t this sound great?
A cross between Kirsty’s Homemade House and having a good old chat in the stitch-and-bitch vein (have you heard of these societies where you go to sew and have a nice little gossip?), The Old School Club opens its doors on June 17. There’s even an on-site creche available for £5 per hour per child.
Get crafty while Jnr is in the creche
This new creative and social space where people can learn, share, make and teach arts and crafts is based in Battersea’s Business Centre, about a 10-minute walk from Clapham Junction Station. Local mum Inma Goodhew is the founder, and in her words:
Inma Goodhew - she's the one not in the buggy - creative genius and founder of The Old School Club
“Creating something by hand is a wonderful experience – and whether you’re young or old learning a new skill can be very rewarding. I came up with the idea for The Old School Club when I was on maternity leave with my first son. I was running some small craft and sewing workshops from my home but couldn’t keep up with the demand and soon realised that Battersea needed its own creative space. The Old School Club is a friendly and relaxed space where everyone is welcome – it’s about inspiring people and helping them unlock their creative passions.”
The new club will offer a mixture of short and long courses as well as a Cocrafting™ space for creative and crafting entrepreneurs in need of a space to teach.
On opening on 17th June the club will offer two weeks of free taster sessions for adults and children, and a special introductory rate in the on-site crèche. Visit www.theoldschoolclub.co.uk to find out more.
The Old School Club taster classes are running until the 28th June and include:
Introduction to Sewing & Crochet
Breakfast Craft Club with crèche
All About Flowers
Introduction to Cross-stitch
Junior print making
Dads and Kids Saturday workshop
Lino print for the over 50s
New courses for summer and autumn include:
SEWING, CROCHET & KNITTING:
Learn to Sew, Crochet & Knit projects
Home Revamp Series: making cushions, curtains and roman blinds
Children’s Clothes, Dressmaking & Modern Embroidery
CHILDREN & TEEN CLASSES:
Little Crafters – 1yrs-5yrs
Juniors Sewing School – 6yrs-11yrs
Teen Fashion Design and Crafts – 12yrs-16yrs
Holiday Craft Clubs for children aged 5-11 years old
Regular Saturday Workshops for Dads and Kids
DIY & UPCYCLING:
Learn basic DIY skills, upcycle pre-loved furniture, how to transform a lampshade
TEXTILE & PAPER DESIGN:
How to design, make and print your own patterns on paper and fabric
ARTS & CRAFTS:
Make a sketchbook & pop art portraits
THURSDAY NIGHT CRAFT NIGHT:
Learn to make something new from beautiful materials, every Thursday night. £25 for two hours
New courses will be launching every month, and all courses can be booked online at www.theoldschoolclub.co.uk
They’re a war-like lot, little boys.
I should know, I’ve got four of them.
When my first son was born I tried to encourage him to play with gender-neutral toys. Garages, lots of storybooks and plenty of crayons. All he was really interested in were toys that had wheels, could be lined up then knocked over, and anything that could make something else move. He was drawn to Nerf guns, catapults, and water pistols like moths to a flame. He was given a gorgeous wooden pirate ship as a birthday present from a kind godmother, and was overjoyed to discover that there were cannons on board. Pull back the trigger and they shot out wooden balls.
Fun, though I can’t help but be a bit uneasy about the way male minds so naturally turn to destruction. So I decided to try and channel their excitement about making things move by encouraging home-build projects.
One of their favourite makes is the tin can catapult.
The Tin Can Catapult!
It’s easy to make.
1) Get a clean, empty tin can. Check there are no nasty sharp edges at the top. Attach a couple of elastic bands, about a third of the way down, then two thirds of the way down.
2) Find a suitable stick. Either a bundle of thin sticks Sellotaped together, or one thicker piece. About 1.5cm wide and 15cm long should do it.
3) Cut out a launcher from a cardboard box (needs to be fairly sturdy; double up the cardboard if using a cereal box). Fold up one quarter of the way up to make the ‘launcher’.
4) Sellotape the cardboard launcher to the stick.
5) Slide stick under the elastic bands, with launcher platform resting at the top of the tin can.
The great thing about this catapult is that it isn’t too powerful, so there’s no real risk of it causing eye or other injuries. My sons use it to fire Lego men around the room. As well as the environmental and cost-saving benefits, this is also a great project to do on a rainy afternoon. Not that we’re going to have any of those this summer!
Sit very pretty indeed if you win a £500 Sunuva voucher with Turquoise Holidays
Did you know angels & urchins runs a competitions page?
We don’t like to boast, but it’s pretty good. This week you can win…
…DRUMROLL
A £500 voucher to spend on swimwear Sunuva with Turquoise Holidays
Read all about it here, but essentially click the right answer to a simple question and the £500 voucher could be yours. Which is definitely worth planning a holiday for.
Good luck!
Up and away at Kew Garden's Treehouse Towers
Of Kew Garden’s many virtues, top of my list is that children get in free. Adult entry is £16, not insignificant, but I’ve four children and when I take all of them to the gardens it works out at £3.20 a head. In London that’s got to be considered a bargain.
Other virtues include endless space to run around, amusing surprises to discover, such as sea horses in the basement of the Palm House, and lots of options for when the weather turns all Britain and bleary, including a brilliant indoor play area.
Kew Garden's Bouncy Carrot Patch is good for your eyesight, and your fitness levels
From 25 May, Kew has been hosting the IncrEdibles summer festival. “Architectural foodsmiths” Bompas & Parr (who could forget their chocolate-based climbing wall at Alton Towers?) have built a tutti frutti boating lake with floating pineapple island. Book ahead – it looks as though it’s going to be popular, especially on days when the sun does shine.
Other treats include a Bouncy Carrot Patch, tea party where you can see and taste edible herbs, and a Global Kitchen stocked with edible plants from around the world.
It’s a winner, and I’ll definitely be paying a second visit with my brood at least once more over the summer.
Oh, to be pregnant again! Or to have had the opportunity to enjoy this free service when I was pregnant.
All the bumpy ladies – enjoy!
AWESOME! May half-term holiday workshops at Kensington and Chiswick include ‘Bang Crash Baking’, ‘Super Street Dance’, ‘The Big Maggie & Rose Pie Off’ and ‘Inspired by Lichtenstein’ Maggie & Rose is the place to be this half term.
Know anywhere decent to spend half term?
Oxford Street goes Gatsby
Half term is looming, and it reminded me how fab London is, come rain or shine. There’s so much to do for free, and so much excitement to be found in even the most everyday places.
Take the Gatsby makeover of Oxford Circus tube station. Almost enough to make a commuter break out into a spontaneous Charleston, and definitely child-friendly (especially with goddaughters in tow on the way to TopShop).
As to more free stuff, here’s a blog post on Top 10 FREE outings for Kids in London
We’ll be back to the National Gallery this half term, and have also budgeted to splash out (no pun intended) on a trip to the fabulous Wetland Centre in Barnes.
Milly Green's Fine Bone China Tableware Set, £39.99
Every baby shower I’ve been invited to has been cancelled because the mother has gone into labour a week or so early. So I’m a bit reluctant to commit to presents pre-birth, just in case (and there are tragedies too, not that I want to introduce a sad note on this fine sunny morning). However I’m going to find it difficult not to treat the children (ok, myself) to Milly Green’s Royal Baby range. It’s adorable.
Milly Green Fine Bone China Mugs, £7.99
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