How does a Butlin’s summer holiday break differ from Just for Tots? What is the best Butlin’s break for young children? Do you need a dining plan at Butlin’s and can you eat in the restaurants without a meal plan? These were some of the questions in my mind when I booked my third Butlin’s... Continue Reading →
Watching planes at the Pilot’s Hub
For children who like planes it can be fun to take them to an airport or airfield if there is somewhere they can watch aircraft take off and land. You need to check at each individual airport whether it’s still possible - when I was a child I remember going to an airport to watch... Continue Reading →
Halloween Afternoon Tea Party at Dotty’s Tea Garden, Coulsdon
Dotty’s Teahouse in Carshalton is a lovely little café that is predominantly pink, with flowers, shabby chic decorations and delicious cupcakes – pretty much a little girl’s dream. They also offer afternoon tea but it isn’t cheap at £32.95 for adults and £19.95 for children. So I jumped at the chance to book a Halloween... Continue Reading →
Halloween at Flittons nursery and Bounce at the Barn
We have been to Bounce at the Barn many times now - the soft play and bouncy castle area at Flittons nursery (in the garden centre sense not childcare) in Wallington. https://minimoo.life/2022/03/07/bounce-at-the-barn-softplay-at-flittons-garden-centre-wallington/ They do a lot of special events from character visits - Elsa, or Jingles the Elf at Christmas - to pottery painting sessions... Continue Reading →
Pumpkin picking at Naturally Thinking Farm, Wallington
When we went pumpkin picking a couple of years ago the nearest place I could find was about a 35 minute drive; it was good if you want somewhere with props for photos and so on - it was really muddy so I pushed Sophie who was then two and a half, around in a... Continue Reading →
Halloween pottery painting with children
Pottery painting is great fun to do with children and creates a lasting momento, whether it’s an ornament, a Christmas tree decoration or a gift for the grandparents. You can pick up sets very cheaply, at shops like The Works, or they often come attached to children’s magazines as the cover gift. These kind of... Continue Reading →
Godstone Farm Halloween and Low Bangs Fireworks
Halloween increasingly overshadows bonfire night - certainly compared to when I was a child when I don’t really recall Halloween being a particularly big deal. But with October 31 and November 5 falling in the same week, families with young children are far more likely to do a Halloween themed day out - as fireworks... Continue Reading →
Days out with kids: Godstone Farm, Surrey
Godstone Farm in Surrey is a great place for a family day out, and one of the closest children’s activity farms (apart from city farms) to London, so it is popular with families with children of all ages. It offers a chance to see, learn about and feed farm animals, from goats and sheep to... Continue Reading →
Visiting Santa at Dobbies Garden Centre, Wallington
It's still only September but bookings are already filling up for seeing Santa. Last year (2021) with all the uncertainty still around COVID-19 for a second Christmas in a row, we were a little cautious about booking to see Santa somewhere expensive and then having to cancel. As our daughter was only three we felt... Continue Reading →
Days out with children – Fishers Farm Park review
If you have a splash park near you then make the most of it! Children love to run around under sprinklers and get wet when it’s hot, and there are parks with dedicated areas all over the country. They tend not to have paddling pools which keeps it cleaner and arguably safer, and some are... Continue Reading →