A Bing Bunny themed Halloween Pumpkin!

CBeebies was on my TV every single day when my son was little and I actually remember him watching the first ever episode of Bing being broadcast just before he turned two. He instantly fell in love and when his sister was born a few months later, she was basically introduced to the show right away.

Fast forward three years, my children are five and three and even now my eldest will ask, "Mummy, can we watch Bing on BBC iPlayer?" It's one of those shows that they never get sick of. With Halloween around the corner we decided to give carving a pumpkin a go. I have never carved a pumpkin in my life but I was willing to give it a try as I knew C and E would love getting their hands dirty and who better to carve than Bing himself? I liked the idea of doing a familar character for them rather than a traditional scary one.

As I'm such a beginner, I watched Bing's 'How To' Pumpkin Tutorial and it seemed easy enough even for me. I started off by printing a Bing pumpkin template and taping it to the front of our pumpkin. I then followed black outlines of Bing's face, eyes and mouth and pushed a pin along so that when I removed the template sheet, I had a dot-to-dot image of Bing's face. 

Now for the fun bit! We scooped out all of the insides and cleaned it out, then I did the tricky bit of doing the actual carving and making holes at the mouth and sides of the eyes. I honestly couldn't believe how easy it was! The template was a massive help and it's hard to go wrong when you use it.

If you want to give carving a Bing pumpkin a go, check out the Bing website for inspiration and you can view some other cool Bing pumpkins on the Bing Facebook page!

(This is a sponsored post.) 

Twirlywoos Fun Sounds Big Red Boat & Great BigHoo Review

As a mum of two aged 5 and under, CBeebies has been a staple in our house. The children both have their favourite shows to watch on the channel with one of those being Twirlywoos. I actually remember seeing the first advertisements for this new show and both C and E quickly fell in love with it. The characters are lovable, it's educational and hilariously funny - everything you can ask for from a TV show.

With every TV show, comes character merchandise. The majority of toys in our house are character related and Golden Bear Toys have a lovely range of Twirlywoos toys for fans of the show. We received the Fun Sounds Big Red Boat and Fun Sounds Great BigHoo to test out.

E was beside herself with excitement and couldn't wait to get playing. Both toys are small enough for the hands of small children and, if your children are anything like mine, the fact that they makes noises is the selling point.

The detail of the Big Red Boat is perfect and exactly what it's like on the TV show. If you roll the wheels along the floor you can hear ocean sounds or push down on the boat mast to hear three different boat sounds. The stickers with the Twirlywoos characters in the window are a very nice touch.


 
Fun Sounds Great BigHoo was a massive hit with both C and E. He is their favourite Twirlywoos character and this soft toy is great for cuddles. If you squeeze his belly, he makes six different sounds.

The Big Red Boat is suitable for children aged 18 months+ while the Great BigHoo is for ages 10 months+. My two children are 3 and 5 and still absolutely love playing with them together so I feel that they are toys that will last and be enjoyed for a long time.

You can purchased both toys from all major retailers at a price of £14.99 for the Fun Sounds Big Red Boat and £14.99 for Fun Sounds Great BigHoo. Youcan find out more about the Twirlywoos range of toys at the Golden Bear Toys website or you can keep up to date on Facebook and Twitter.

(We received these items for the purpose of this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)

Something Special Mr Tumble Toys from Golden Bear Toys

C has been a fan of Something Special and Mr Tumble since he discovered CBeebies at ten months old, then when E was born she took a liking to it from seeing C watching. Even now, at 4 and 2, they watch every day and join in with answering questions when Justin asks them.

Golden Bear Toys have created a range of Mr Tumble toys for mini fanatics like mine! We were lucky enough to receive two items in the range to try out for ourselves. We had actually seen them advertised on TV so C was aware that they existed and asked if he could put one in particular on his Santa list.

Mr Tumble with Tumble Tapp (£29.99) was the first toy and E had an instant love for this one. It is a plush toy so it's perfect for cuddles from little ones - it is suitable for children aged 10 months+. The soft Mr Tumble holds his very own Tumble Tapp (which is sewn on and attached to the doll) which has five icons that you can press. Each icon will play a song or phrase that Mr Tumble says in the TV show. E's favourite is the music - she is always singing along and making me sing too! Mr Tumble's nose lights up when the buttons are pressed which is a cute little addition.

Next up was the Mr Tumble's Fun Sounds Musical Car (£29.99). This was the one that C had been asking for and ever since it arrived, both of my children have fought over it. Every. Single. Day. The car itself is heavy duty plastic which is perfect as my two can be a bit heavy handed! There are four buttons; the Aunt Polly and Grandad Tumble ones play phrases, the music one plays music and the big red nose flashes and makes sounds.

A Mr Tumble figure is included which can be put inside to "drive" the car by lifting the front up. When you push the car along, engine noises are made. C thought it was really funny how the car can be quite rickety as it goes along but it's exactly how you would imagine Mr Tumble's car to look as it drives. 

As if that wasn't enough, there are even four Makaton cards included and there is a slot on the back of the car where you can store them. My kids still haven't lost them which is a huge deal because they lose everything. E is really enjoying the Makaton cards - one of the first things she learnt as a baby by watching Something Special was to sign "friends". 

The car requires 2 AA batteries but luckily these are included and it's recommended for children aged 3 years+. E is two but she can play happily with it, whilst supervised.
You can find out more about the full new range of Mr Tumble toys at the Golden Bear website and you can keep up to date on Facebook and Twitter.

(We received these items for the purpose of this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.) 

 

Christmas Gift Ideas: Teletubbies

Both of my children are massive fans of CBeebies and it is on in the background every single day. I've grown to love the shows just as much as them so it was certain that they would like Christmas gifts featuring characters from one of their favourite shows - Teletubbies. I'm sure my children aren't the only ones so I've put together a little selection of some of my favourites and I hope you get some ideas. The prices vary so you can even find some cool stocking fillers.

Ravensburger Teletubbies Mini Memory / GoGlow My First Torch / Pocket Library / Tubby Snowball DVD / Ball Pit / Milk Chocolate Advent Calendar / Po Scooter / Po's Helmet / My First Trike

I've grouped some stocking fillers and outdoor toys together here based on what my own children would love. The scooter and helmet with Po's antenna is genius and I think any child would think they were so cool whilst riding it.

Save

Pull and Play Giant Noo-Noo / Water Filled Play Mat / Guitar / Superdome Playset / My First Kitchen / Light and Sound Tea set / Jumping Po / Roly Poly Po / Keyboard

In the above image, I've gone more for toys to suit all ages. Some, like the Roly Poly Po and keyboard, can be used by younger children but enjoyed by older ones too. I love how bright and colourful they all are. I had to include Pull and Play Giant Noo Noo as we actually reviewed it a couple of months back and it is a fantastic toy. Any child, I think, would be chuffed to open him out on Christmas Day.

Do you have any Teletubbies fans at home? 

 

Ravensburger Bing Bunny 4 in a Box Jigsaw Puzzles - Review

CBeebies is always on in the background when we're home and Bing is definitely one of my kids top three TV shows. Every time the opening credits roll, I hear a chorus of "Bing's on!" then their eyes don't come off the TV until it's over.

When C was offered the chance to review Ravensburger's Bing Bunny themed 4 in a box puzzles I knew I had to say yes. I definitely think he would disown me as a mother if I said no and he found out.

When the puzzle arrived and I opened it out of the packaging, both children were excited at seeing their favourite characters Bing, Flop, Pando, Amma, Padget, Sula, Coco and Charlie on the outer box. The puzzles are recommended for children aged 3 years + so for reviewing purposes I did them with C first but over the past few weeks E has had a go but, of course, can't quite work them out just yet. 

As I mentioned before, there are four puzzles included in the box. Each puzzle has a different amount of pieces - 12, 16, 20 and 24. When completed, the puzzles are all the same size so the individual jigsaw pieces get smaller as the amount of them increases. I wanted to start C off with the easiest puzzle - the 12 piece - to see how he got on before gradually progressing. 

As I imagined, he had no problems whatsoever. He does own jigsaws and enjoys doing them so this was no different. Except the fact that he was a bit more excited by the characters. As we did the rest of the puzzles he did need more help (understandable as he's just shy of 4 years old) but I know he'll be whizzing through them in no time. 

Both children loved the bright, recognisable images on the finished puzzles and gave cheers when they were completed. I love how each puzzle has a different coloured border. It really helped C understand which pieces go together as I don't think that he would be able to tell solely by size at this age. The jigsaw pieces themselves were very well-made and perfectly finished. C has no trouble holding them and slotting them into place. He has asked to do them quite a lot over the past few weeks and I definitely think I'll be picking up more character puzzles for him to have a go at.
The Bing Bunny 4 in a box puzzle retails at around £5.99 from all good toy and bookshops. You can find out more at the Ravensburger website and keep up to date on their YouTube and Twitter accounts.

(We received this item for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.) 

 

Win a copy of Q Pootle 5: Pootle The Explorer on DVD

My kids are both massive CBeebies fans and I don't think a day has passed in the last 3 years where it hasn't been on my TV. Q Pootle 5 is one of C's favourite shows to watch and today (11th April 2016) sees the release of the new Q Pootle 5 DVD - Pootle the Explorer!

Q Pootle 5 is based on the best-selling children's books by author and illustrator Nick Butterworth and it boasts a fabulous voice cast with talents from Ed Gaughan (Bunny Town, Black Mirror), Joanna Page (Gavin & Stacey, Poppy Cat), Steven Kynman (Thomas & Friends, Fireman Sam), Richard Ridings (Peppa Pig) and Ella Kenion (Cuckoo, The Hive, Swashbuckle).

Q Pootle and his five friends - Oopsy, Eddi, Stella, Ray, Groobie, Bud-D and Planet Dave - love to have fun in space, finding adventure and tackling the everyday problems of the final frontier. In this DVD, you can join them for seven spectacular episodes titled:

• The Cosmic Whipple
• Pootle The Explorer
• The Groobie Woobie
• A Friend for Ray
• Rocking Not Rolling
• Beat Box Bud-D
• Planet Dave in a Spin

The show is a firm favourite with both children and adults across the nation and it is sure to raise a smile and spark imaginations. The DVD retails at £7.99 and it even comes with a free poster inside. You can keep up to date with all the goings on at the Q Pootle 5 Facebook page.

The lovely people at Abbey Home Media have very kindly offered a copy for one of you to win! All you have to do is fill in the Rafflecopter widget below. 

Good luck! 

T&C's: 

• The giveaway will run from 11th April until 18th April
• One winner will win one copy of Q Pootle 5: Pootle the Explorer on DVD
• Open to entrants aged 18+
• UK residents only
• Prize will be sent directly from Abbey Home Media
• No automated entries
• One entry per person

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

More competitions at ThePrizeFinder

Boj 'Blast Off Buddies' DVD - Review

CBeebies is the only kids TV channel that gets watched in our house and Boj, without a shadow of a doubt, is C's favourite programme. I remember seeing the adverts for it only beginning in around April/May last year and we eagerly waited on it being shown for the first time. We instantly loved it and it became a firm favourite in our house. Every time the theme song comes on, C stops what he's doing to watch. It's not only the kids who love it, Chris and I do too. I defy anyone to listen to the theme tune and not feel happy afterwards!

Boj the bilby and his adventures in Giggly Park with Mimi, Pops, Denzil, Gavin, Mia and the rest of the gang have reined in half a million views in just over a year of being on air. If you're not a CBeebies watcher, you can now watch the adventures whenever you want thanks to the release of Boj's first DVD - Blast Off Buddies. C is a very lucky boy and he has recently had the opportunity to give the DVD a watch.

When it first arrived, he was so happy and excited and shouted, "BOJ!". We popped it on and you can choose to watch in English or French which I thought was great if you are a bilingual household. C tried his hardest to sing along - it's the cutest thing! The DVD has ten 11-minute long episodes including the episode 'Blast Off Buddies' taken from the DVD title where Boj tried to fix his friend Gavin's rocket and blast it to the moon.

The premise of the show is that Boj, alongside his parents Mimi and Pops (voiced by Jason Donovan of Neighbours fame!) and they live in an underground burrow. We also see a whole host of other characters such as Boj's friends Denzil Woof and his parents Mrs and Dr Woof, Gavin Bleat and his parents Mr and Mrs Bleat, Mia Twitch, her parents Mr and Mrs Bleat and her brothers The Twitchlets, Rupa Nibblit and her parents Mr and Mrs Nibblit and finally Mr Cloppity who is the keeper of Giggly Park.

Each episode is so much fun and we see lots of messy fun and creativity.  Boj always finds solutions to situations or dilemmas with his 'Boj-a-boom' ideas! I think that this teaches children a lot about how to fix things and think for themselves.

The fact that the episodes are only 11 minutes long means that your child doesn't lose interest and can remember everything that's gone one in the one episode. C actually sat through all of them on first watch - he loves it that much! Alongside the episodes, listed in full below, you can also find the Boj theme tune karaoke video, The Duckling 'Home To Me' karaoke music video, Keeping Mr Cloppity 'Altogether Now' karaoke music video and even printable colouring in sheets of Boj, Denzil, Mia, Rupa and Gavin.

The episodes on the DVD are:

Blast Off Buddies
Denzil accidentally breaks Gavin's new toy rocket so Boj comes up with an idea that will make the spacecraft fly. 

Hoppy Birthday

It's Rupa's birthday and Boj has a boj-a-boom idea to help Mia get her an amazing present. 

Flat as a Pancake

It's a hot day in Giggly Park and Denzil has invited some friends over to play. Boj gets a boj-a-boom idea how to mend the leaky paddling pool with Mrs Woof's extra sticky pancakes. 

Carry On Carrot

Mrs Woof makes her big soup but is missing Me Cloppity's carrots because his crop has failed. 

Giggly Park Rescue Squad

Denzil, Gavin and Boj rescue the residents of Giggly Park from a variety of mishaps and create a game they can all play happily together. 

The Giggly Dig 

The friends want to bury their own time capsules but soon begin to miss the items they put inside them. 

Denzil's Lost Teddy

Denzil has lost his treasured teddy bear, Snugsy. The Twitchlets have Snugsy but they won't give him back! How can Boj get him back to Denzil and keep the Twitchlets happy?

Boj the Collector

All Boj's buddies have collections and Boj wants one too. But he loves everything in Giggly Park so much that he can't decide which things to collect. 

Sneezy Snufferoos 

To keep birds away, Mr Cloppity hangs out yoghurt pots on strings over his seeds and Boj's friends are ill so can't come out to play. 

Keep On Going

Boj, Rupa and Gavin are trekking for their Ranger survival badges. When Gavin's satnav boots go on the blink, Boj has an idea to get them back on track. 

Blast Off Buddies is available now from Sainsbury's (RRP £4.99), ASDA (RRP £5.99) and Amazon (RRP £7.25). 

You can keep up to date with all things Boj at the website, Facebook and Twitter. The next DVD release, Giggly Holiday, will be released in July so keep an eye out for that too! I think I'll have to purchase it for C and E! 

(Disclaimer: We received a copy of the DVD for the purpose of this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)

Mr Tumble's Big Book of Counting - Review

I was so pleased to receive an email from Egmont asking if we'd like to review their Mr Tumble's Big Book of Counting. C loves Cbeebies and anything with Justin Fletcher is a huge hit.

I was really happy to see that it is a hardbacked book. C has a habit of being a little rough with his books and he always puts them in his mouth. When he noticed Mr Tumble on the front, a huge smile crept upon his face. He recognised him instantly!

We made our way through the book and C was a little excited and kept trying to turn the pages before we'd even finished the one that we were on! I love the little rhymes as they keep C entertained. I did find on a few occasions that he tried to copy the sound of the number after I said it which was just what we were aiming for.

This is a lift-the-flap book and C was able to lift these himself. He loved seeing all the characters that he knew from the TV show such as Grandad Tumble and Aunt Polly.

This is definitely a great way to teach children to count to five as they can associate it with characters that they're used to seeing. There are also questions such as "Can you count 1?" to encourage your child to repeat it back to you. This is definitely going to be one of our favourites and I know that C will be counting to five with the help of this book.

(Disclaimer: We received this book free of charge in exchange for an open and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)