Sealife London Aquarium-Review

Last week we had a fun summer holiday day out to the Sealife London Aquarium. I've been there a few times before but not for a good while, there were a lot of changes, from a new entrance to the addition of penguins, there were lots of new things to see!

As you first go in there is a clear walkway over some of the sea life...including sharks enabling you to get a look at them swimming below!

It was obviously busy being the holidays, so it was handy there were toilets while we were queueing to get into the next part. There was large family toilet which we went into complete with a kids toilet as well as a 'normal' toilet and a baby change! It was perfect timing as Nola needed nappy change.

As well as there being an abundance of sea creatures to see, there were also several talks about some of them, repeated several times a day.

One of my favourite things about our visit was being able to get a bit hands on. Eliot touched a starfish for the first time, despite having opportunities to do this in the past he was never quite brave enough. He said he was 'too scared' on this visit but after a member of staff said she would show him how to do it first he was happy to have a go.

 As we were about to go through the tunnel there was another member of staff with different specimens talking about what they were and answering any questions.

Eliot getting hands on

Another favourite part of our visit was seeing the giant turtles, I'm always in a bit of awe when I see wildlife and it was amazing to get so close, minus the glass. Of course one of the main attractions are the sharks and there a plenty of opportunities to see them from different perspectives in the tank.

Nola enjoying looking at the sharks!

 Seahorses are another of my favourites, they're so interesting to watch and move so gracefully. I think the tiny white specks you can see in the clear tube were baby seahorses!

There are plenty of species to see and read about as you walk through the different areas.

We all enjoyed the 'Rainforest Adventure' zone which started off with some creepy crawlies. The giant leaf cutter ants were fascinating to watch, as well as being in a tank there was a tube that ran above the other exhibits meaning you could catch a good sight of them in action. 

There were also hissing cockroaches and a rather large tarantula! The tanks they were in enabled you to get a better view and give the impression you were in there with them, with a dome in the centre you could crawl into.

Moving further through there were plenty more species to look at including piranha fish, poisonous dart frogs and cuban crocodiles.

Of course there were many people surrounding the penguin tank, all hoping to see them in action. Most of the penguins stayed at the back but there were a few that seemed to love having the crowds watching them. They'd dive in, swim around at an incredible speed before launching themselves back on to dry land like absolute pros!

One penguin in particular that wowed the audience was 'Max', he took it upon himself to parade right next to one of the windows, going back and forth before diving back into the water again. What an absolute character, such a joy to watch!

I certainly recommend a visit to the Sealife London Aquarium whether it's a trip with your other half, friends or a family day out, there's plenty to see! It was also interesting to learn about the conservation projects they are involved in.

Have you visited recently?

*I received complimentary entry in exchange for a review, all options are my own

Hamerton Park Zoo Review

We  recently had a family trip to Hamerton Park Zoo near Sawtry in Cambridgeshire. Nestled deep in the countryside on first appearance looks more like a farm than a zoo but it's actually a lot bigger than it seems. We arrived in the afternoon just before half one, on entry we were handed a couple of leaflets and entered the park. There was a noticeboard with different animal feeding times throughout the day, the last one being (on the day we were there) at 1:30pm. It was the cheetahs being fed which I was keen to see so we started to rush round the zoo (in the wrong direction). This is where I felt it would have been helpful to be handed a map on entry or be informed they were available to buy within the guide.

Whilst trying to get to the cheetah enclosure I was briefly distracted by the frisky tortoises, Eliot loudly declared 'Look mummy that tortoise is climbing on that ones back', which made me chuckle. You can always trust an animal to give you some sort of nature in action!

We were just in time to catch the end of the feeding session and I was surprised how close you were to these beautiful animals. Being a cat owner I also have a love and fascination for big cats too and really enjoyed observing them. It was great to see their enclosure was large, with plenty of space for them to roam.

Even though their keeper had finished feeding them, the cheetah's were obviously hoping for more food as they stuck close to the fence whilst the keeper chatted to people and answered questions. It was then one of the cheetahs began to make a 'meow' type noise over and over again which was amazing to hear as I'd never heard it before and was surprised how much it sounded like a pet moggy!

Eliot had spotted the play area and the train by this point and was eager to get on to both. We told him we'd do both later as we needed to have lunch first.

We did have a look at a few more of the animals including the American mammoth donkey's which were happy to be petted. There was also a step up to reach them making it easy for children to stroke them.

The hand washing area was just behind, so made it very easy to ensure hands were cleaned after stroking the mammoth donkeys.

 

We then headed to the café to get a bit of a late lunch. Below is picture of the food that was on offer and prices on the day we visited.

I quite fancied a jacket potato and the other half (OH) wanted a bacon roll but unfortunately all the jacket potato's had gone and there was no bacon left, which was a bit disappointing but I suppose can happen later on in the afternoon. There were still different sandwiches available to choose from but I ended up going for the pepperoni pizza, as did Eliot and the OH went for a burger and sandwich. The hot food was microwavable so not anything to have high expectations of but was fine to fill a gap.

There were a few tables inside the café and then picnic tables dotted around outside as well as nearer to the play equipment. One thing that did make my experience in the picnic area less enjoyable were the amount of wasps that were around. Obviously being one of the warmer days, they were out in force around the food and drink. I personally can't bear them and admit to having a bit of a fear after being stung as an adult, I'm one of those people that runs, flaps their arms, squeals and shrieks if they get too close and certainly did all of those things a few times! I know they don't bother some people but I think it could put a dampener on a day out if your child got stung, therefore I think those wasp catcher bottles would be useful around the café and picnic area for those warmer months.



 

We were kindly gifted £25 to spend in the café or shop as part of our review, the above food along with some drinks, left us with just over £8 change which we saved for Eliot to buy a souvenir in the shop.

 

Once we'd finished lunch we decided to go back to where we'd started and have a proper look at all the different animals before having a train ride and letting Eliot loose on the play area. There are over a hundred different species of animals to see, so really lots to look at and take in.

We spent a fair bit of time around the bird enclosures, particularly observing the vultures who were intimidating as well as fascinating to watch. Their wingspan was incredible and their body language and movements was really interesting. I think the were hoping to be fed but also seemed to have a dislike of cameras.



One thing that I liked around Hamerton Zoo were the information plaques for each species somewhere around their enclosures. They weren't overwhelming with information but gave you enough, including the animals' level of vulnerability in the wild e.g. 'critically endangered'.

I loved the display cabinet of different bird eggs, (above) Eliot was also interested in the different sizes which included replicas of eggs of extinct birds such as the dodo.

We continued enjoying looking at and reading about the different creatures in their enclosures even though Eliot continued to pester us about the train and play area. From meerkats to bearded dragons back to the mammoth donkeys and the other animals in-between, there is plenty to see.

It was when we were back near to the mammoth donkeys that we realised the train was being put away for the day. Shock, horror, we thought this may end in an epic meltdown from Eliot being the train fanatic that he is, luckily he didn't but he was disappointed he was unable to have a ride. I was surprised as it was around 4pm and the zoo was open until 5:30pm. It was pretty quiet and perhaps that was why the train was put away but I felt there should have been timings visible somewhere or it should have been mentioned when arriving and entering the zoo. I wasn't even aware that tickets to ride the train had to be purchased until after our visit. This is something you could definitely be made aware of when entering.

So with a train ride fail under our belts, we headed to look at some more big cats, two Bengals and a Malaysian tiger. Again I could watch these big cats for hours, and was in awe at being so close to these incredible animals.
The tiger enclosures are quite new and there are indoor parts where there is lots of information about tigers and the conservation work Hamerton does.

After exploring the tiger enclosure we headed to the 'Stroll A Safari' where you'll find sheep, ducks, chickens, camels, alpacas and pygmy goats. Some of the animals can roam out of their enclosures and you can feed them with food from the feeding station which you will need 20p coins for. Unfortunately the animals had ventured back into their enclosures so we missed out on feeding any.

Luckily Eliot didn't mind as he was still keen to spend time on the play areas. Before doing so though we headed to the shop so he could buy a souvenir as we didn't want to miss the shop too! I must admit I'm not a fan of gift shops as they're usually overpriced but there were a fair few items at pocket money prices. Eliot did spend a very long time deciding what he would like but in the end chose a zoo themed story book and a dinosaur egg which you're meant to put it water and it hatches but he ended up cracking it open whilst pulling it out of the box.

We were one of the last few families there so Eliot pretty much had the play equipment to himself and enjoyed the end of his day out climbing and going down the slide.

Overall we had a really enjoyable afternoon at Hamerton Park Zoo, if you're not too far away and looking for days out in the last week of the summer holidays it's definitely worth a visit!

Things we loved...

• Opportunities to see some of the animals being fed
• Able to observe the animals in large enclosures
• Information available not too overwhelming
• Covered picnic areas so still able to eat outdoors in wet weather
• Some walkways around enclosures covered so able to stay undercover in some areas if weather is wet
• Play area for babies and toddlers as well as older children
• Opportunities to stroke/feed some of the animals

 

Things that could have made our visit even better...

• Being given a map on arrival (the park is not huge but as we arrived at a feeding time this would have enabled us to get to the enclosure quicker)
• Being told that train tickets need to be purchased on arrival/having a sign near the train pick up point
• Having train start and finish times visible to avoid any disappointment
• Wasp control measures around café and picnic areas

 

 

Hamerton Park Zoo is open everyday apart from Christmas and Boxing day. Adult entry is £13.99 per person, children between 3-8 years pay £8.99 and under 3's go free. Tickets can be purchased online or on the gate. Head to the website to get your 10% off voucher!

 

 

* We received free entry and a £25 voucher to spend in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own



 

Breakfast With The Easter Bunny

On Good Friday I took Eliot and my niece for Breakfast with the Easter Bunny at the Podington Wyevale Garden Centre. I was really looking forward to the experience and thought it would be a great start to the Easter weekend!

When we arrived we were greeted by a member of staff who showed us to our table which was all laid out ready for us. At this point the member of staff double checked our order which had been placed at the time of booking. There were a few different options. Adults could select a full English, vegetarian breakfast (£7.99) or a hot drink & pastry (£3.99). The children's breakfast was £9.99 which included unlimited squash.

 The children received a kids activity sheet with some crayons and a little bag of mini eggs which Mr Eliot was dying to get into and managed to get one out before breakfast!

 

Unfortunately we had quite a long wait from sitting down to actually getting our breakfast. It took around 10-15 minutes for our drinks to be served and around half an hour for the food to arrive. As well as part of the restaurant being used for Breakfast with the Easter bunny, the rest of it was also open as normal. I think this is what had such an impact on the wait for the breakfast, the staff in the kitchen struggled to cope with the demands of different customers.

Kids breakfast

When breakfast did arrive it looked nice and both Eliot and my niece tucked in without any complaints!

Vegetarian breakfast

I opted for the vegetarian breakfast but wasn't sure exactly what would be on the plate until it arrived, I presumed some veggie sausages would be on there but was pleasantly surprised by the sight of bubble and squeak. However, I did find my breakfast a bit of a let down. The egg was very crispy on the bottom, as you can see in the photo and the bubble and squeak seemed a bit undercooked in places. Nothing major but a let down all the same.

 

Once all the tables had finished breakfast we were grouped together for an Easter egg hunt. The children were told they had to look for eggs on posters which were 'hidden' in different locations around the shop. My niece really got into it but Eliot was probably a little too young so didn't have a full understanding. Still this didn't stop him getting excited each time they found an egg as each child was given a mini bag of Haribo when one was found.

There were three eggs to find in total. Once the last egg had been found the Easter Bunny arrived bearing gifts of cuddly rabbits for all the children!

We then returned to our tables in the restaurant which had been cleared and where a biscuit and goodies to decorate it had been left for the children.

There was a bag of icing all ready to pipe, chocolate, marshmallows and sprinkles in a pot to decorate the biscuits. Both Eliot and his older cousin really enjoyed this and took time making their masterpiece!

A member of staff then came round and asked if the adults would like to make one too which of course I said 'yes' to! It was a good job too as after Eliot had squeezed out as much icing as he could and decorated his biscuit, he decided he wanted a plain one so I ended up giving him mine.

 

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and most importantly Eliot and his niece did too. Even though the long wait for food and my breakfast were a disappointment I would still do the experience again and definitely recommend it to others.

 I would choose having 'tea' over breakfast which I had intended to do but unfortunately there was no availability for tea.

 

 

*We received complimentary breakfast with the Easter Bunny for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

 

 

Eliot's First Theatre Trip-The Gruffalo Live

As both a teacher and parent I am a HUGE fan of books by Julia Donaldson/Axel Scheffler, so when we were invited to watch The Gruffalo Live the weekend before Christmas I of course said yes!

The Gruffalo is undoubtedly one of my favourite  children's stories, I love reading it to a whole class of children or at home to Mr Eliot, in both cases it is always a hit.

This was actually the third time I've seen the live performance (teacher perks :P), the first time I watched it was in 2010 with two classes of year 1 children, the second in 2014 with two classes of year 2 children and the most recent with the OH and Mr Eliot.

The production is by the Tall Stories theatre company, in theatres since 2001 it has has evolved over the years and was back at the Vaudville theatre with a new set and new costumes.

I was so excited to be watching it with my own son but also a little apprehensive about Eliot being able to watch the whole show. The show is recommended for  3+ on the website but I definitely think it depends on what type of toddler you have and whether or not they can cope with sitting through the show. Eliot is a two and half year old who likes to be on the go pretty much all of the time (you can see why I was apprehensive) but I thought he did really well on his first trip to the theatre. The show is 55 minutes long, just about right for those with younger children, it didn't have an interval which was perfect. When I watched it in 2014 there was an interval, perhaps because it was a showing for school children but I personally preferred it without the interval.

 

 If you know the story, you may be thinking 'how can The Gruffalo last for 55 minutes?' but the magic of theatre adds in lots of extra bits including songs, some which get the audience joining in and singing along. I still have one of the songs in my head which I belt out even though I only remember the first line, continuing by humming/whistling!

The characters were brought to life on stage by three amazing actors, one taking on the role of fox, owl and snake. All performed outstandingly and portrayed the characters from the story accurately.

 I love how you get to know a bit more about each character through how they are adapted for the stage. My personal favourite is the owl, I can just imagine an actual owl being like the stage character.

This is a perfect family show, whether or not you are Julia Donaldson fan the live production of The Gruffalo is highly entertaining and I recommend putting it on your 'to do list'. Tall Stories also have productions of The Gruffalos Child and Room On The Broom which are definitely on my to do list, I'm itching to see the live performances!

The Gruffalo is at the Vaudville theatre until tomorrow but do check Tall Stories for future perfomances!

 

*We were invited to watch the show as part of this review, all opinions are my own

 

 

 

 

Eliot's First Ice Skate at Frosts Willington

 

We were recently invited to try out ice skating at one of the Frosts garden centres. Back in my teenage days I used to ice skate nearly every weekend with my friends so I was really keen to get back on the ice over the festive period!

We were originally booked in to ice skate on the 12th December. We arrived around our skate time, went to get our skates and I purchased a ticket for a skating aid  (the orange seal) which cost £4 for Eliot to sit on/hold on to out on the rink. I was surprised there were tickets left for the skating aids as the website forewarns you to arrive early to ensure you can get one for your skate session.

Once I had my ice skates on and Eliot had his toddler skates on over his trainers we headed for the ice. I could see as we approached the entrance to the rink that someone was getting on to the ice with the last skating aid. I asked a member of staff if there were any more as we had bought a ticket for one. I was told there wasn't which I knew would be the case and questioned why we were able to buy a ticket. The member of staff called a colleague over and they counted the amount of tickets that had been handed over which identified somebody had managed to sneak on the ice with a skating aid without buying a ticket. The staff were apologetic and called the manager over who was already talking to another family who appeared to have the same issue as us. By this point Eliot was quite restless and kept repeating 'I want to go on the seal'. When the manager got to us he apologised and took us in to the outdoor café, got us some drinks and cake while he went to see if we could be booked on to the next skate session. Unfortunately this wasn't possible as there was a birthday party and the next session we could get booked on to was two hours later. We didn't think hanging around for two hours with Eliot would be a good idea so the manager booked us in for a skating session the following weekend and refunded the £4 I'd paid for the skating aid. Even though I was disappointed that we didn't get to skate that day, I felt the manager did the upmost to keep us as customers satisfied and I was impressed with how the situation was dealt with.

 

Fast forward to the following weekend, I made sure we were there early, to ensure we did get a skating aid. This coincided with the previous skate session finishing, so it was a little busy with people handing their skates back to get their shoes on whilst we were doing the opposite. I'd purchased another ticket (£4) for a skating aid and sent my other half off to get it whilst I sorted out Eliot's toddler skates to go over his trainers. They were really easy to adjust the length and the adjustable straps just had to be tightened once Eliot's feet were in. Eliot wasn't too keen on having them on his feet but was still excited to be 'going on a seal'. We had to wait a few minutes before the session started (sessions last for 45 minutes) but once the rink was open for our session, Eliot and I were keen to get on the ice. We were one of the first people on, the session kicked off with Mariah Carey's 'All I Want For Christmas' playing through the speakers which made me feel really festive and set a lovely 'christmassy' atmosphere.

Even though I skated most weekends as a teen it was mostly for the social side, I was never a 'good skater' and my fear of falling over and hurting myself stopped me from letting go on the ice. Now I'm older and wiser that fear is certainly still there and worse than what it was back then, so I was quite relieved that I did have a skating aid boost my confidence! It took a few minutes for me to find my feet on the ice but I got there. It was wonderful hearing Eliot giggle with enjoyment as I pushed him around.

As we were one of the first people on the ice we got to skate around for a bit before it got quite busy. I'm glad we had some time with the rink being quite quiet as I felt my confidence decreasing the busier it got. It was quite comical watching people drag themselves round holding on to the sides, which is exactly what I would have been doing if I didn't have the skating aid to hold on to!



Eliot was adamant he wanted to push the seal himself at one point, being two he didn't really understand he would slip over easily on the ice, which is exactly what happened. He was fine and still attempted to push the aid himself but quickly decided he'd rather ride the seal, so I helped him clamber back on.

After around 20 minutes Eliot decided he wanted to get off the seal so I was left on the ice by myself, thankfully still with the skating aid. I did attempt to skate solo but was too worried I'd fall and not be able to get back up! So I skated with the aid weaving in and out of the other skaters.

To miss the rush of returning skates and collecting shoes I decided to leave the ice five minutes early which meant the process was very quick and easy.

We then headed to the heated ice café for a hot drink and treat which was a perfect way to end our skating session.

 

I really enjoyed skating at Frosts Willington and definitely recommend trying it out if you're not too far from a Frosts that offers ice skating before the ice rinks disappear at the beginning of January. I loved skating outdoors and think it makes a great family activity. It would ne a fab way to end the holidays before the kids go back to school!

 

Ice skating at frost is £14.99 for an adult & toddler ticket. £8.99 each for adults and £7.99 for Children.

 

* I received an adult & toddler skating ticket in exchange for a blog post. All views and opinions are my own.