Would We Dare To Meet the Dragon at Caerphilly Castle?

We wanted to go somewhere fun today. Would we dare to meet the Dragon at Caerphilly Castle? I've lived in Cardiff for over 40 years and have never been to Caerphilly Castle although it is less than 5 miles away. So what tempted me to visit today? The dragon? My new senior citizen CADW membership? All of those but we just want to take Bear to see the wonderful places on our doorstep.

Would We Dare To Meet the Dragon at Caerphilly Castle?

A Very Quiet Week. Just Sand and Water

Last week I decided to split my week up into separate posts as I had far too many photo's for one roundup. Then typically,  this week has been very quiet. Bear has been a little poorly with a cough and cold so with the weather being awful we stayed in lots.

Bear had loved playing with rice so I bought a water and sand table that he can have outside when it's warm. As soon as it arrived the weather changed to rain and very cold but he did get into the garden long enough for me to take some photos and post them here.

#MySundayPhoto Number 13

#MySundayPhoto Number 13 is of Bear taking a break. He has been full of cold and it's made him a bit weary. Although he loves moving rice about he just needed to sit down and have a snack to recharge.
I just love how little he looks.

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A Cardiff Garden In March

Welcome to a Cardiff garden in March. They say that March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb and I would normally agree but this year March started settled and warm, then last week it was freezing and today it is glorious sunshine with a weather forecast of wind and rain. I suppose it's because it's Easter and most people have a long weekend.

In the garden this month birds are building their nests, seeds are sprouting and the weeds are trying to take over. We've managed to get out and prune the Hydrangeas and Fuchsias. Lets hope the weather allows us to get out and weed the garden.

Enjoy the sunshine while it lasts and lets hope April doesn't bring too many showers.

Crows Nesting in the Oak

Messy Fun With The Smoby Water and Sand Table

Bear just loves playing with water and quite often "washes his hands" at the kitchen sink and we both get a bit wet. I had some Amazon vouchers* saved and had been thinking of using them to buy him something for the garden that would hold water and sand and then he could make a complete mess without worrying. There are a lot of tables available that are much cheaper than the Smoby Water and Sand Table (£47.99)  but this got the best reviews.

Bear having fun in the sunshine

Planting, Postman Pat and a Picnic

We've had a busy week full of planting seeds, Postman Pat and even had a picnic. We've been out for walks and iced biscuits at Tots club. Our weeks are now too busy to squeeze all the lovely photo's into one post so I've decided to write individual posts about where we go and what we do and link them all up in our weekly round up. Just click on the links to read more.

This week we learnt how to plant seeds and searched for giants at Fforest Fawr Sculpture Trail.

Planting sunflower seeds with Grandad. Just 3 to each pot please!

We spent many happy hours watching Postman Pat with his daddy when he was little. Reading the books, again and again. I realised just how long ago it was as Pat now is married and has a son of his own. Bear particularly likes Jess, the black and white cat. Now I've got the tune in my head and it'll probably stay there all day.

Watching Postman Pat. 

Bear made himself comfortable with Grandad

It was nice and sunny and Bear was desperate to get into the garden. We only have sunshine on the decking for part of the day so wanted to make the most of it and had a little picnic. It was freezing! Bear loved it and he just doesn't seem to get cold like I do.

Then at Tots club he iced a biscuit. He didn't know that they could be eaten so he didn't try any but just loved the little balls and carried some around putting them into things.

He so confident now too. Joining in with the songs although to misquote Eric Morecambe; he knows all the right moves but not necessarily in the right order.

Iced biscuit

Bear dancing when he should be sleeping because he likes the dancing best.

Just love his curls ♥♥ 

Bear now likes a nap just once a day and he likes that to be between 10am and 11am and for about 2 hours. He also likes to sleep in his cot. He will nap in the car but it can take ages for him to fall asleep and then he will only nap for about half an hour, so cot it is. On Thursday I was a bit slow to take him up. I think he's giving me a huge hint.

I'll just sleep here then

So we've had a very busy week. We were going to try out our first messy play but Bears naps fall when they are on. I've ordered some things so we can have messy play at home, I must be mad! I'm hoping the weather will get warmer and we can do them outside. I'll let you know how we get on next week.

Have you tried messy play? I'd love to read your suggestions in the comments.

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#MySundayPhoto Number 12

#MySundayPhoto this week is of Bear in a wooden sculpture of a wizard. We went for a walk around the Fforest Fawr Sculpture Trail near Cardiff. The trail is deigned to stimulate children's imaginations. There is a giant that lives in the woods but is never seen........

Bear on the other hand was blissfully unaware of the story or of hidden giants but just wanted to sit on things. He sat on logs. He sat on rocks. He tried to sit inside the carving but there was nothing to sit on.

The wonders of childhood.

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A Walk Around The Fforest Fawr Sculpture Trail Near Cardiff.

On Thursday we went for a quick walk around the Fforest Fawr Sculpture Trail near Cardiff. It is in woodland just behind Castell Coch and has a large free car park. We had planned to go further afield but Bear has decided that his daily naps will start between 10am and 11 am and last for about 2 hours. This is great when we are at home but cuts the day short if we want to venture out. Bear only likes to sleep in his cot although he will nap in the car but usually for only about half an hour or so.

The weather was lovely. Sunny and not too cold so we parked the car and set off. As it was woodland I expected lots of mud so put Bear into his puddle suit but the trails were dry and really good for buggy's.

The trail is designed to stimulate a child imagination. Something lives in the woods but is never seen.....

Lets Go!

Was that a giant in the woods? Or just a bird?

Ooops!

I'm OK! Just thought I'd have a look at the sky.

Great place to find the perfect stick

Big head with big nose!

A little mouse peeping out

Is this Beauty and the Beast? Bear thinks it's a pig *grunt grunt*

Lots of interesting things to touch...........

.....or climb into

Views towards Taff's Well can be glimpsed through the trees

Who lives here?

You can ride a friendly dragon

Even the explanatory board for the Fforest Fawr Sculpture Trail is carved

We had a great time and it was so quiet with very few people about. One thing our photo's do not show is the amount of dog mess in bags left everywhere. It is such a shame because it is a lovely place and the sculptures are great fun but it did make me cut our walk short. Hopefully Natural Resources Wales will clean it up so that it continues to be a great family friendly place to visit.

Have you been to the sculpture trail?

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How to Sow Seeds for Absolute Beginners

We were in the garden, as usual, when I remembered I had some seeds that I needed to sow. Bear loves helping so we did it together. If I can do it with a 17 month old helping it can't be that difficult!

Is It OK To Leave a Child Alone?

Is it OK to leave a child alone? If so, for how long? Is it against the law?

I was watching BBC breakfast this morning and was horrified to hear that there had been over 500 arrests of people leaving children unattended. The age range of the children was from 6 weeks to 15 years.

The law doesn't give an age when it's OK to leave them alone but the NSPCC  says that all children are different and that parents should use their judgement and not leave a child who is at risk. They continue to say that some children are old enough at 13 but others are not even at 15 years old. Babies, toddler and young children should never be left alone.

I was appalled that a baby of 6 weeks was left alone although in some ways they are probably not as much at risk as a toddler or 5 year old. Who would leave their baby alone? I just could not imagine it.

So is it OK to leave a child alone?

I must admit that I have left one of my children under the age of 15 alone. My son was in High School and very sensible. He wouldn't open the door, cook food or have hot drinks when alone. He had a child-minder that I paid for and lived in the next street but he felt he was too old to be there with the toddlers and his sister who was 5 years younger. So I let him stay at home.

I bought an answer machine so he could hear who called before answering and had strict instructions that he only answered the phone to his child minder, his father or me. There was no internet in those days so I didn't need to worry about what he was doing on-line. Day time TV was also very tame and so this wasn't a worry either.

He didn't give us a moments worry. He knew he could call his child-minder and she would be there in a flash, or he could go to hers. At his age I would have been out with my friends playing in the woods, the park or swimming. We used to get up and go out all day and come home when we were hungry. He was not at risk.

My daughter....that's totally different! She would have burnt the house down or opened the door and let strangers in. She might have decided to bake a cake, go to town by herself or wander to a friends house. She was not left alone.

Only two generations later and now we keep our children close. They don't play outside and if they do an adult is always there. They don't build dens or jump across streams without adult supervision. No riding bikes down dangerously steep hills or using rope swings across abysses.

When I was young it was just as dangerous. There were paedophiles and child murderers. Children didn't play alone, they played in groups and there were adults about. Mothers who didn't work. Fathers who worked outside. They may not have their own child in sight but would not hesitate to help someone else's child or question any adult that was loitering near children playing. There were many eyes watching us but we just didn't know it.

I wasn't left alone at home because my mother was there but I played in woods with my friends. Built dens, jumped streams, rode bikes and more. Babies were put into a pram and put outside the front door to sleep in the fresh air

My son played in the street with friends.

My grandson will probably not play outside with his friends without an adult.

What do you think? What age is it OK to leave children alone?

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#MySundayPhoto Number 11

#MySundayPhoto this week is of Bear. We had a fantastic morning at Dyffryn Gardens near Cardiff and took loads of photo's. What I love about this photo is that he is surrounded by acres of lawns and trees and there is so much to look at and enjoy and he finds a drain!

He saw it and paused then thought about it and had a little peek. I told him it was OK to look at the drain so he crouched down to see the water. I just love the way little ones make us look again at ordinary things around us.

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Dyffryn Gardens - A National Trust Toddler Paradise

Dyffryn Gardens is in the Vale of Glamorgan just a few miles from Cardiff. They are Edwardian gardens and a Victorian mansion managed by the National Trust. The sun was shining and our first visit to messy play had been cancelled so we thought we'd use our National Trust subscription and go to Dyffryn Gardens instead.

Dyffryn Gardens National Trust Entrance with the playground and cafe on the right

Does Punctuation Matter? Is English Grammar Important?

Is English grammar important? Does punctuation matter? Who cares if words are spelt incorrectly or if a few commas or exclamation marks are missing or added? The government, it seems, does care. It sets out guidelines for children up to the age of 11 on the correct use of punctuation and spelling. These are  Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 frameworks. The latest update about the use of exclamation (!) has caused the media to comment but is the government right?

Easy Potato Stamps and Hand Painting

Potato stamps are so easy to make and great fun for children. Messy play was cancelled and I didn't want Bear to miss out so I thought we would do some painting. Last time we did painting he was very concerned about the paint on his hands so I thought we'd try potato stamps. This led wonderfully on to finger painting and then hand painting. Bear doesn't worry about paint on his hands now. He loves it.

Easy Potato Stamps 

1. Using a cookie cutter

Choose a potato the cutter will fit onto and is small enough for tiny hands.
Cut in half.
Push the cutter in about half an inch. With a sharp knife remove waste potato cutting against the cutter.
Remove the cutter and dry the potato on kitchen paper.

Potato Stamps are easy to make using a cookie cutter

2. Freehand

Again choose a potato and cut in half.
Draw a shape or just cut it out.
Dry on kitchen paper.

Cut a simple shape freehand

3. Using a template

Draw a very simple shape onto paper and cut out.

Place onto potato and cut away waste.

Dry on kitchen paper.

Use a template to make a potato stamp

 4. Place your paints onto something flat. I used a baking tray as that is all I had.

Put dabs of paint on a flat surface

5. Load the stamp with paint and have fun

Load the stamp with paint

Press onto paper, or rub it about a bit

Hand Painting

1. Get hand covered in paint.
2. Place hand on paper.
3. Repeat

When bored of stamping use a finger

Or your hand

Make sure all the paints are mixed into a dirty sludge colour

But mostly just have fun

I didn't do my usual diary entry this week as Bear had a tumble. He slipped in the bath and bit his tongue (right through! Ouch!). Mummy stayed home from work to look after him so I only had 2 days with Bear.
He's fine now. The painting photo's were taken after his accident. It's amazing how quickly little ones recover.

Do you have any painting tips? We would love to read about them.

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One Wedding and Lots of Water

It has been a fantastic week. We started with a wedding. On Monday Aunty S and Uncle J got married. Bear almost stole the show. He was amazing. He waited patiently in the waiting room and didn't seem to recognise me all dressed up and wearing a hat!

Then we were ushered into the wedding room and watched the bridesmaids lead Grandad and the bride in. Big lump in my throat!

The ceremony began and the registrar asked if anyone had anything to say to prevent the marriage....total silence...."dada!" perfect timing and the whole room burst into laughter. It was truly amazing, it had been so tense up to that moment and now we all relaxed and enjoyed the ceremony. What a little star!