Disney on Ice - Fit to Dance

Disney on Ice and EBC Education have created a new programme called "Fit to Dance" encouraging children and families to create their own stories and turn them into dances using inspiration from Disney on Ice shows.

As a family we have loved watching the Disney on Ice performers take to the stage, particularly Anna and Elsa, and bring the Disney tales to life. It's exciting to now be able to follow the same creative process at home to choreograph our own routines. My two little ones do love to put on a show!! 

We were invited to meet two of the Disney on Ice performers recently at the UK Theatre School. My son wasn't overly keen, but I reminded him that Star Wars is now part of Disney and he was more interested. I didn't need to worry because when we arrived he was his usual confident self chatting away to all the grown-ups. We had brought with us two of our friends that are similar ages to my little ones and they were all a little hyper to start with.

We gathered round into a circle to decide upon our story... a tale of some our favourite toys who got left outside in the garden one evening and had to find a way back to their owners bedroom. The kids had great fun deciding on the characters and the plot.

We then worked with the Disney on Ice skaters to bring our story to life. The kids were very active and there was lots of excitement as we pretended to creep through the grass, climb up a rope and cheer when we got to the end, working with the skaters to convey all the different emotions. We then had our faces painted and we put on the show to all the grown-ups!

The online resources for the Fit to Dance programme are excellent, particularly the videos of the performers - they really help bring the ideas and concepts to life. I think it's great that both male and female members of the cast are involved too, this will encourage some little boys who may be less inclined to participate. My son was adamant that he didn't want to join in, but then when our session started he was loving it! For older children the footage of the cast could also prove inspirational and perhaps give them ideas for future careers. 

How amazing is this floor at the UK Theatre School!!

Disney on Ice is returning with World of Enchantment from 25th September to January 2016 visiting Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester, Birmingham, Sheffield and London.

What's On: Foodies Festival, Edinburgh plus a GIVEAWAY

Next month the Foodies Festival is back at Edinburgh's Inverleith Park on 7th, 8th and 9th August. We had a brilliant time there last year and are super excited to be returning. It was such a fantastic weekend - you can find my previous post here and below is the vlog I created from our weekend antics. This year I'm taking my wee sister Ali & her other half Robin along with us - it's going to be so much fun.

For the 10th Anniversary Celebrations, the event is going to be 50% bigger and there are loads of interesting demos, an extended Producers Market and a huge selection of street food to feast upon...Japanese, Thai, Brazilian, Argentinian, Indian, Mexican, French, African...

There are some hands on masterclasses that sound intriguing... bee keeping, oyster shucking and foraging. There is going to be food and drink pairing masterclasses in the new Wine, Champagne and Craft Beer Theatre; daily cocktail competitions between local bars to find Edinburgh's Best Mixologist and cake modelling and sugar-craft workshops in the Cake & Bake Theatre. It all sounds brilliant!!

For the kids there are Picnic in the Park themed masterclasses in the Children's Cookery Theatre where they can learn to make finger sandwiches, jellies and chocolate bugs (all children under 12 years old go free when accompanied by an adult).

There is also a Chilli Eating Competition that I'm sure Rick will be up for.. can he win the Chilli Eating Crown?

And guess what? I have three pair of tickets up for grabs!! All you need to do is follow the Rafflecopter instructions below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you don't win the tickets, then you can buy yours online at www.foodiesfestival.com or by calling 0844 995 1111.

Competition runs 15th July to 29th July.
There will be three winners; picked at random.
Each prize is one pair of tickets; no cash alternative available.
Thanks to @LanyardMedia for providing this prize

What's On - Family Activities for the Summer Holidays

I actually can't quite believe that the school summer holidays start today.

I've pulled together some of the activities that I've come across for Glasgow and the surrounding area. Do let me know if you have an event you'd like featured...

Saturday 27th June
Pirate Day at Heads of Ayr Farm Park

Tuesday 30th June
Superhero Academy, Bricks 4 kidz at Briarlands Farm, 2-4pm
Book here.

And if like us you love Lego, you'll also be interested in the Brick built - Iconic Creations in Lego Bricks which is running from now until 15 August 2015 at North Lanarkshire Heritage Centre. There is also a Lego room, open 10am - 4pm each day where you can create your own masterpieces (small charge applies).

Wednesday 1st July
Rapunzel - A Tangled Tale at Eastwood Park Theatre, 3pm
Family ticket is £15

Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th July
Family BBQ at Eastwood Park with burgers from Snooks Steakhouse

Sunday 5th July
Fancy Dress Fun at Eastwood Park Theatre, 1pm and 3.30pm
Family ticket £40

Wednesday 15th July
Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom at King's Theatre, £14.50-£31.50

I haven't made it along yet to the Saturday Art Club at GoMA, but this is running throughout the summer every Saturday 10.30am - 12 noon and it's free. 

If like me you've got to work during the holidays, you might be interested in Glasgow's first American style day camp, Camp Indy. I took part in BUNAC when I was at university and spent a summer working at a summer camp in Connecticut - it was brilliant fun. Camp Indy is aimed at 6-14 year olds and is based in the West End at Kelvinside Academy. One or two week sessions start from 27th July and are £35 for a day (8.30am - 5pm) or £150 per week.

Camp Indy

P.S. We're yet to have a family holiday abroad, but I have the chance to win £1000 towards a villa in Portugal with the Clickstay Mummy Blogger Awards. I'd really appreciate your vote - it takes just two clicks. No need to register or anything and you can vote up to once a day. So please take a second and click here... I really do appreciate your support.

What's On - Family Activities in June

I thought I'd share with you my top picks of family activities for the next few weekends...

Tuesday 9th to Sunday 12th June 2015
Zippos Circus at Queens Park
Tickets from £8.50

{Photo Credit - Piet-Hein Out}

13th & 14th June 2015
Jurassic Weekend at Glasgow Science Centre

There are plenty of dinosaur themed activities taking place at the Glasgow Science Centre this weekend, including meeting Velma the velociraptor.
Plus you can view Jurassic World at the IMAX cinema on Scotland's biggest cinema screen!!

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There are also some dinosaur activities this weekend at Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum.

13th & 14th June 2015
Glasgow Science Festival at Whitelee Windfarm
This is a free event suitable for ages 7+

Practical demonstrations of "Fantastic Forces" including a rocket building workshop!

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Saturday 20th June
Armed Forces Family Fun Day at Rouken Glen Park, Giffnock, 12 noon to 5pm
This is a free event

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20th & 21st June 2015
Family Fun Weekend at Mearns Castle Golf Academy, 10am - 5pm
This is a free event

Free kids golf lessons.... face painting... bouncy castle.... ballooons and a DJ.


*** Plus don't forget it's Father's Day on Sunday 21st June! ***


Saturday 27th June
Everyone's Invited at intu Braehead
This is a free concert but you will need a wristband to attend.

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Do get in touch if you have an event that you'd like to share and I'll do my best to feature it. My contact details are on my About Me page.

What's On: Festival of Museums, Glasgow

The Festival of Museums takes place this weekend on the 15th - 17th May. The programme has over 100 events across the country, many taking place as part of the Museums at Night initiative and many events are one-off too. There is plenty happening in Glasgow if you are looking for something for the weekend...

The Great Big Museum Bus Tour is a hop-on, hop-off tour of Glasgow's must-see museums including the Burrell Collection, Scotland Street School Museum and Riverside Museum. Each museum will be showcasing a different traditional craft with inspiring practical demonstrations (Sat 16th May from 11am onwards).

Past Times Weekend - Auld Kirk museum in Kirkintilloch are taking guests back in time at their Family Fun Day on Sunday 17th May, 12 noon to 4pm. There will be craft activities - making and decorating swords and crowns - plus face painting, medieval weaponry and birds of prey.

The event that takes my fancy is the Reid Building Tour - Glasgow's most daring new architectural work. The one hour guided tour will explore the architectural concepts behind the building (Saturday 16th from 3pm, advance booking required).

I'm also intrigued by The Museum of Light at Paisley Museum (Saturday 16th May, 7pm to midnight) where there are a wide range of activities running from 'painting with light' to scientific demonstrations and a viewing of the planets Venus, Jupiter and Saturn through the telescopes in Coats Observatory.

What are your plans this weekend?

Sarah x

Travel - Our Easter Holiday at Piperdam, Scotland

Since the kids were born we have holidayed in Scotland either at my sister's house in Aberdeen, my dad's house or borrowed my aunt & uncle's holiday home. This Easter however we had our first 'proper' holiday that I paid for! It felt rather grown-up (although saying that it was my sister and her other half who arranged it & all I did was transfer them the money!!).

We had booked a lodge at Piperdam Golf & Leisure Resort which is just outside Dundee, Scotland. Ali & Robin had chosen the Forester Executive Holiday Lodge, a 5 bedroom lodge that sleeps 10 people, and it was beautiful. The highlight for me was definitely the outside hot tub on the balcony... bliss! It worked out at £360 a night for the Easter min-week break which I think is reasonable given that we were splitting this between two couples. However for a 4 star lodge at this price, I would have expected that towels, toilet roll and electricity would have been provided, which weren't. That said, the lodge was gorgeous and we were nestled in amongst the trees which was lovely. We also lucked out with the weather - it was sunny for the whole week!! Not often that happens in Scotland!! The kids had a blast.

Champagne in the hot tub

Enjoying a Bear fruit yo-yo whilst watching the bears at Camperdown

The couples took turns at cooking - steak by Ali & Robin (Tesco Finest of course!!)

The Easter Egg Hunt

Making toilet roll owls with Auntie Ali - she was super organised and 

brought plenty activities for the kids

It turns out there are plenty of things to do for little ones in the surrounding area of Dundee. We had a morning investigating the Dundee Science Centre, spent some time enjoying the wildlife at Camperdown Country Park and went on the flumes at the Olympia Swimming Pool.

What's On - Disney on Ice

This year Mickey and Minnie are touring the UK with a Magical Ice Festival.

Last year we went to see Disney on Ice at the Hydro, and we are absolutely delighted to be going back this year. Both my kids were captivated by the performers and they truly believed that Tinkerbell was waving just at them as she flew through the sky. This may be a bit OTT, but it genuinely was magical and I loved seeing their reactions to the characters. It brought a wee tear to my eye.

And guess which Disney stars are going to be appearing this spring....

Anna and Elsa from Frozen! 

The littlest is going to be so excited!!!

"Produced by Feld Entertainment, Magical Ice Festival is an enchanting mix of royalty, highlighting the stories of Disney's most beloved heroines with energetic choreography that will have audiences singing, dancing and cheering their favourite Disney characters as they each embark on their own epic journeys. Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse guide fans through an enchanting wonderland where they encounter Sebastian and the Daughters of Triton from Disney's The Little Mermaid, the rowdy pub thugs from Disney's Tangled and the loyal enchanted servants from Disney's Beauty and the Beast."

The show is in Glasgow from 26th to 29th March, and you can buy tickets online here.

Spiderman & the Glasgow Climbing Centre

At the weekend, we all headed to the Glasgow Climbing Centre for the first time to have a shot on the wall.

We started off at The Balcony Cafe where we had a bite to eat. The menu was sizeable, and there was plenty of choice. The kids went for toasties whilst Rick & I had nachos with haggis. Yum! Portion sizes were immense, perhaps not the best before going climbing! Tip for other newbies - climb first, then eat!

Anyway, if like us you haven't been before, the Glasgow Climbing Centre is a converted church on Paisley Road West (not far from Ibrox). The cafe is up at the top of a spiral staircase overlooking the climbing walls. The kids enjoyed watching all the participants as we ate.

We were met at the cafe by Ewan our instructor who then took the boys to get their harnesses on. I would have been keen to have a shot, but my daughter was too young to take part so I sat with her whilst the boys had a session. Next time, promise! (If you have little or no experience of climbing and would like to learn, then now is the time to do it - the introduction to climbing course is discounted this month and next to just £35 for the 2 x 3 hour sessions. It's usually £70).

Ewan was a really good teacher - very knowledgeable, gave clear instructions and made the session enjoyable for the boys. They even managed to play a few games too. He was great with my son, giving him plenty of encouragement.

Yikes!

The centre offer group instruction for kids as young as 4 years old, and clubs from kids from 7 years and up. My son was a little unsure to start with, but by the end of the session his confidence had improved and he had made progress in just under an hour. Rick made it to the top of the wall easily - show off! I'm not sure I'd have faired so well...



What I found very interesting is that the centre holds Rock Climbing Birthday Parties, and they can accommodate groups of up to 36. For the older children, aged 7 and up, the session lasts for 1 hour and 45 minutes at a ratio of 6 participants per instructor. If you book via their website, the price is £90 for 6 children.

For the younger ones, aged 4 and up, the session is an hour with a ratio of 4 per instructor. Parents are requested to stay at the centre, but they can sneak off to the cafe for a coffee! If you book via their website, it's £45 for 4 children and the cafe can cater too (for an additional cost). Would be great for a superhero party!

Another thing I've noted is that you can abseil down the spire of the church, and the centre are also organising the Titan Crane Abseil on 22nd March this year... I'm thinking this could perhaps be my 'something crazy for charity' for my 35 at 35 list?? What do you think?

We received a complimentary lunch at The Balcony Cafe and a session on the walls in exchange for an honest review. As always opinions are our own.

What's On - St Andrew's Day

Similar to last year, there are events and offers on across Scotland to celebrate St Andrew's Day this month.

P4 pupils from Royal Mile Primary in Edinburgh, Sophie Martin (chef), Angelina Wood (skier), Siaka Jateh (golfer) and Erkan Gullupinar (surfer), all aged eight, got into the spirit of the celebrations, dressed to represent the vast range of activities on offer across Scotland - from food and drink events and surfing lessons to skiing experiences and mini golf – all to mark our national day on 30 November.

There are over 200 participating attractions across the country offering 2 for 1, kids go free or even free entry, presenting a huge variety of fun days out to suit every taste.

Culture vultures can enjoy visiting House for an Art Lover in Glasgow (I recommend a trip to the cafe for lunch) and the latest exhibits at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh (I've been twice, with and without the kids and highly rate it), while outdoor enthusiasts can take in the best of Scotland’s scenery at the Nevis Range, explore the countryside with Segway tours in Dumfries or go Nessie hunting at the Loch Ness Centre.  Budding scientists can investigate the cosmos at Satrosphere, Aberdeen or learn about the world underwater at Macduff Marine Aquarium.

To find out what's on across Scotland this St Andrew's Day and download your event vouchers, visit www.scotland.org/winter.

{Ideas for the October Holidays - Days Out & Things to Do}

I thought I'd share a few ideas for days out and things to do with the kids for the October holidays, in no particular order I might add...

Fingers crossed for some dry weather!

1. Kelburn Castle, Country Centre and Estate - they have a magical Secret Forest!!! I know that my littlest would *love* this. I'm sure I've been here as an adult, bc (before children). But I must take my kiddies back to have a look themselves.

2. Briarlands Farm - the kids and I  have been here once before and we all had a blast. I can highly recommend it.

3. Heads of Ayr Farm Park - we've also been to this farm and loved it too! Loads to do and you could easily spend a whole day here.

4. M&Ds Theme Park - again, the one time that we visited M&Ds we had so much fun! I think if I was to go back, we'd spend a bit more time and visit Amazonia too.

5. The Helix - this is on my list of places to visit. Once my son is a bit more competent on his bike, I think we'll head here to do some of the family bike rides.\

6. Whitelee Wind Farm - also on my list is the wind farm at Eaglesham. There's a visitor centre with an exhibition and cafe plus trails to go cycling round that I believe are suitable for a leisurely cycle plus more adventurous riders.

7. Enchanted Forest - we're going here this month for Scotland's award winning sound and light show and we're super excited! All Saturday night shows have now been sold out but there are still tickets available for other evenings. I've never been before, but heard many great things.

8. Kirkcudbright - this was a recommendation from a colleague of mine. Kirkcudbright is set on the edge of the Galloway hills in Dumfries and Galloway. There are plenty of activities to do in this fishing town including a farm park, horse riding, cycling and some museums too.

Any other suggestions folks?

We're actually off to Aberdeen today for a few nights. We have plans to visit Drum Castle for the Exclusively Highlands Meet the Makers event and I also fancy taking the kids to Satrosphere. I have great memories of Satrosphere from when I was a kid, so hopefully mine like it too! We'll also be spending some quality time with my family that are still in the city.

Enjoy the holidays everyone :-)

{I want to ride a bicycle}

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Progress in the cycling department with my son has been slow to say the least.

We were gifted an amazing red bike from Dale's Cycles in Glasgow in June. It's now 3 months since we collected said bike, and my son still isn't confident riding it. He's very cautious and will cycle holding onto the brake so that he doesn't go too fast.

I'm probably partly to blame because we don't practice enough. He's with his dad half the week, and then when I do have the kids we've generally got things on... school, swimming lessons, classes, catching up with friends... so cycling is low on my agenda.

However, when we were in Aberdeenshire last month sans children, we went for a bike ride and I really enjoyed it. I don't currently own a bike, and I think if my son saw me cycling then perhaps he'd be more inclined to cycle himself. So this is now going onto my wishlist... a grown-up bicycle for me. And then I guess I need to get the littlest one too otherwise she'll never keep up with us. I'm imagining family trips to the park, us all on our bikes. Perhaps with a wee picnic in tow... Trust me to have this inspiration when the weather is turning though!! 

Anyway, Katy Hill has a great YouTube tutorial on teaching your child to ride a bike. I just need to set aside some time to try it out. Fingers crossed I can get my son cycling soon!

Not great quality, but here's me aged 9 with my red BMX for #throwbackthursday. 

This was when we lived in the Middle East :-)

{Love to Craft}

The kids and I love to craft. My mum loved to be creative - she used to do rubber stamping with us as kids and I have such fond memories of our day trips to Edinburgh where we would chose a new wooden stamp at the stand which was in the Waverley Shopping Centre (and then get sweets from the old fashioned sweet shop on Cockburn Street). We also used to draw, paint, glue, glitter, Fimo, Hama beads etc... the list is endless.

With the recent loom band craze - that my littlest of three is even a fan of! - I started to think what other crafts we could do. I still have all of our rubber stamps from when I was a wee girl and we regularly make stamp pictures. We also love to mould things out of Play Doh (I just love the smell of Play Doh!). And we make greetings cards and pictures using my supplies of embellishments and we even have a set of embossing tools from Becky that are perfect for little hands!

I could easily spend hours at HobbyCraft, and luckily there's a massive store at Glasgow Fort that's open until 10pm during the week!

I used to LOVE fuzzy felts when I was growing up

Hama butterfly kit

Everything is better with a bit of glitter, pink glitter no less!!

I'm already starting to think about *whispers* Christmas, and this punch would be ideal for making Christmas cards with the kids.

And sticking with the festive theme, these stamps are so cute. My littlest would love the snowflakes -  ideal for her to make some Frozen pictures.

This weekend on Saturday (13th September) there are free docrafts demonstrations in-store between 11am and 3pm where you can find out about the Creativity Essentials papercraft range.

What are your favourite crafts for with little ones?

{Learning to Ride a Bike}

Dale's Cycles are Glasgow's oldest and largest local bike shop, and when we were asked to participate in a campaign to encourage kids cycling and learning to ride a bike, we jumped at the chance!

The eldest has a balance bike which is now a bit too small for him, and I felt he was ready to take the next step up to a bike with pedals.

The store is massive and there is a huge selection of bikes. We arrived for our appointment with Chris on a Saturday lunchtime and the store was busy - lots of customers milling about and staff hard at work.  We didn't need to wait long to be seen though and a bike had already been looked out for us as I had previously been in touch with my son's age and height.

I'm such a child, but the lubricant and performance centre signs had me chuckling!

Hotrock Kids Bike 16" boys

Chris really knew his stuff and as a parent himself he was great at talking to my son and engaging him in the process. I have to admit I wasn't listening as intently as I could have been because the littlest was adamant that she wanted a bike too, but she wasn't getting one! A bit awkward, but I can only apologise to Dale's for her screaming throughout our visit!! I've been told it's not uncommon!

Checking the seat height

Test cycle through the shop!

A few adjustments had to be made. Eldest watching intently!!

We also required a new helmet as the one we previously had was getting a bit too tight. We bought one in red/black which matched the new bike!

I was seriously impressed with the turnaround time and felt confident in Chris' knowledge and expertise. I would highly recommend you pay them a visit if you're looking to buy a bike, either for yourself or for your little ones. Dale's Cycles also participate in the Government's Cyclescheme which we felt was of interest.

Next stop was Crammond to visit R's family and let my son have a shot on his new wheels.

He absolutely loved it, but does needs practice. 

Concentrating hard on the pedals!

I'll be back in a few weeks to update you on our efforts. After our first week the eldest has been of the opinion that the pedal bike is too much like hard work and still wants to use his balance bike. I think it's time to remove the small bike from the house and force him to use the bigger one! He has been practicing in the new driveway which has been ideal for cycling/scooting and is starting to get better.

Watch this space!!

Dale's Cycles Ltd

150 Dobbies Loan

Glasgow

G4 0JE

Tel: 0141 332 2705

(free parking available at rear of building)

We received a bike for the purpose of this review. Opinions as always are honest and are my own.