With a moo moo here...

In my 10 years as a teacher working in Gloucester schools, I can't count the number of times that a weekend recount from an excited child, has included a trip to Cattle Country. With such rave reviews from so many, I felt the time had come to see what all the fuss was about. I found out the times, prices and attraction list from Cattle Country's easy to navigate website then crossed my fingers for good weather. 

We started with the farmyard where there were feeding demonstrations, meet the animals sessions and special animal foods available to buy. Honey liked the goats best, even though they kept trying to nip her fingers! Next, Honey's brave godsister Robyn climbed the tallest  climbing net in Britain (she made it look so easy) and then we embarked upon the farm trail, a short walk with various fields of animals along the way. Next stop was lunch, there is a cafe and snack hut on site but we took our own food and stopped at one of the many picnic areas. 

After lunch, the girls (aged 10 and 2) were none stop in the beach barn, two huge soft play barns, on the bouncy pillows and roaming all over the outdoor adventure playgrounds (which included a zip wire, as well as a huge, wooden fort)! Unbelievably, they both had enough energy at the end of the day for a turn in the splash pool! 

We were there for over 5 hours and there were still things left for us to do if we'd had the energy but everyone was flagging by the end, which meant a quick trip to the gift shop then back to the car. Honey fell asleep almost straight away, a sure sign that she'd thoroughly enjoyed herself and had used up every ounce of energy!

Tips:

1. If you're going with friends, be sure to ask for the group rate. This means that everyone in your group gets in for the same flat rate. Under 3's are free.

2. There aren't a lot of bins around so take a spare carrier bag for picnic waste.

3. Keep your hot drink cups as you can get refills for £1 if you use your cup again.

4. Take your little one's swimsuit/sunsuit so they can cool off in the splash pool at the end of the day!

Honey wears... Green leggings by Next

Family fun for everyone...

With friends down from North Wales for a couple of weeks, we were keen to make the most of everything going on in the area and had been keeping an eye out for things to keep a 10 year old and a 2 year old occupied. The Midcounties Co-operative family fun day kept popping up in my Facebook newsfeed and each time I saw a post, there seemed to be more and more exciting additions to the programme!

The event was held at Newlands Park and was in support of Riding for the Disabled Association so we knew our (bargainous) entrance fee and donations would go to a really good cause. There was absolutely loads going on and the whole event was incredibly well organised. Honey and Robyn rode go-karts, went on bouncy castles and fairground rides and had their faces painted, lots of these activities were free of charge. The highlight of Honey's day was being allowed to hold a beautiful owl called Snow, she was a little disappointed to wave goodbye to her!

Honey wears... Pink crocs by Hot Tuna

On thin ice...

"Oof, I fell on my bottom like Peppa" Honey said this a lot during our recent trip to Oxford Ice Rink! Almost every time, it was swiftly followed by "I love ice skating" - phew! We didn't have to pay for Honey's skating or skate hire but we did spend £4 on hiring a push along penguin which turned out to be an excellent decision after two back breaking laps holding Honey up ourselves! She had the smallest ice skates available (toddler size 5) and was well wrapped up in a fleece, hat and gloves, although she did end up soaked so maybe a splash suit next time! It was her 10 year old godsister's first time on the ice too and she also loved the experience, improving no end during the session. 

Honey wears... Spotty fleece by Mountain Warehouse

Jetting off...

Facebook is a wonderful tool for finding bargainous and sometimes even free activities for children and that's how I found out about The Jet Age Museum in Staverton. With free parking and free entry, we had to give it a go when some of Honey's family were in town!

Honey loved being allowed to climb inside the various cockpits and touch all the buttons, dials and controls and with plenty of subject matter for a creative teenager to practise her photography skills, a treasure trail perfect for a ten year old and knowledgeable volunteers for Grandad to chat to, the museum kept everyone occupied for an hour or so. 

There are lots of picnic benches outside so you can sit and watch the planes and helicopters take off from the adjacent airport while you snack or have lunch. We opted for a short drive down the road to The Aviator pub, where we carried on watching the planes take off and land while tucking into a delicious lunch (the nachos are awesome btw). Honey and her big cousins then spent a happy time in the beer garden playing with foam planes and fairies they had been bought from the museum gift shop!

Honey wears... Pink top by Primark