We are big fans of the cast of CBeebies as the kids have all grown up watching them.
We have seen many of them perform live, including, Alex, Andy, Katie, Mr Bloom, the Rhyme Rockets and Sid but one that had eluded us until this year was Mister Maker and we caught our first glimpse of him in the pouring rain at Camp Bestival.
His show was full of fun and his infamous sidekicks, the Shapes, were there too.
Camp Bestival only shows the highlights of his Mister Maker & The Shapes Live tour, so when I found out it was touring and heading to Bournemouth Pavilion I knew the kids would love it.
In a bizarre twist of fate, it coincided with Bournemouth Arts by the Sea Festival so we headed into town a little early to see some of the fun in Bournemouth Gardens.
There were lots of weird and wonderful things to see and do, including getting to do their own artwork……
Making their own music…..
….and seeing the bizarre and wonderful artwork that was on display, with much of it highlighting the issue of sea pollution.
It was soon time to head back into the Pavilion, where the kids were handed a piece of coloured paper and waited for the show to start.
The fabulous supporting cast opened the show with singing and dancing which had the kids joining in from the off.
I had worried about how he was going to keep the kids interested in a theatre show but it is one of the most interactive theatre shows we have seen and every single part got the audience involved with singing along to songs we all know and love, with a Mister Maker twist, clapping and even rolling paper sheets into balls to help create the shapes on stage.
The kids adored the show and were all inspired by the items that were created. These can be viewed online when you get home, with downloadable instruction sheets to help recreate everything made in the show.
The second half of the show welcomed The Shapes onto the stage, with Circle, Square, Rectangle and Triangle too joining in the fun.
Unlike many other shows you are positively encourage to take photo’s and videos of the onstage antics and the kids joining in. I am only disappointed that I only took my iPhone, but I did manage to catch the kids dancing in the aisles.
You still have time to catch Mister Maker and the Shapes, as they are touring the UK until 12th November.
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The Cotswolds are an area of England that I have not really explored, so when we were offered the chance to review Talbot Cottage in Stow on the Wold with Manor Cottages I started researching all the places we could visit locally.
Top of my list was Cotswold Wildlife Park which is located two miles south of Burford and just a short drive from where we were staying.
Cotswold Wildlife Park is one of the largest privately owned zoological collections in the UK and has over 260 different species of animals and the first ones we saw were these fascinating Emu’s who followed us around their enclosure.
Set in 160 acres of landscaped parkland and gardens, the park has a diverse and fascinating range of animals, beautiful grounds to explore, a large well-equipped play area and a narrow gauge railway which runs around the entire site.
Although the kids did not want to leave the play area, I managed to tear them away to look at the animals and we were all really impressed with what we saw.
The enclosures are huge and not only do you get the chance to get up close to the animals, but they are also as close to roaming freely as they will come in a UK-based zoo.
The Pelicans were wandering among us, although I am not sure the kids were so sure about being so close to them.
The range of animals at the park is really impressive and the kids loved spotting animals as we wandered around. I was really surprised to see turtles resting on a log in the lake.
Cotswold Wildlife has welcomed some new additions this year and the kids were eager to try to spot the newborn Rhino who is so young he has yet to be given a name.
Sadly we only caught a glimpse of him as Mum was very over-protective, but the other Rhino’s were happily roaming outside in their huge paddock.
One of my favourite animals are giraffe’s and in all my visits to see them at various zoo’s I have never been as close to them as we were here.
The kids loved watching them eating and even offered them bits of straw which they took gently from their hands.
Opposite the giraffe enclosure were the big cats including the stunning clouded leopard.
Last year the Asiatic Lions, Rana and Kanha, made history with their very first litter of cubs, giving birth to triplets, Kali, Sita and Sonika and all were chilling out and sunning themselves on a platform.
Another baby in the park who was much happier to have his photo taken was Clyde the camel baby.
Opposite the Camel paddock are the Porcupines and they had their first ever Porcupettes born earlier this year, although sadly we didn’t get to see them.
Inside the ‘Little Africa’ area are Gundi, an African small mammal that I had never heard of before which are housed next to the fascinating Naked Mole Rat colony. Did you know that these fascinating animals are the only species known to be immune to cancer, so they are scientifically a very important animal.
Hidden at the back in a wooded area are the wolves and we just about caught a glimpse of one watching the world go by.
The kids were keen to ride the train and next to it is the Wolverine enclosure, where spotted one as we waited for the train.
The train costs £1 per person and is well worth factoring into the budget as it gives you a great view of all the animals as it goes around the park.
There are also smaller enclosures to explore hidden behind the gift shop in the exotic gardens where you will find the penguins and smaller mammals.
Like the animals in the larger enclosures you can almost reach out and touch them they are so close.
We weren’t hopeful at spotting the Lemur’s in the Madagascar walk-through as the keeper told us they were all sleeping, but thanks to eagle-eyed Isaac, we spotted the snoozy bunch.
We were really impressed with our visit to Cotswold Wildlife Park, there is so much to see and do that it will keep you entertained for the whole day and after hoping to see a Red Panda I finally got a brilliant view of one happily sat in a tree.
You are more than welcome to take a picnic and there are plenty of areas to sit and enjoy is, but if you are planning a treat there is a large cafe serving hot meals, a smaller hot snack bar and that all important ice cream and tea/coffee hut too.
Tickets to Cotswold Wildlife Park cost from £14 for adults and £9.50 for children over the age of 3 if bought online in advance which I think is very reasonable for the amount of animals to see and activities on offer. Tickets on the door are £15 for adults and £10 for children.
We are fairly frequent visitors to London and have enjoyed a short trip on the Thames aboard a “Duck” with London Duck Tours as well as a sightseeing tour last year up as far as the Tower of London.
Last week we were invited to join MBNA Thames Clippers on a family day of sightseeing from the river and exploring Greenwich and the Greenwich Peninsula.
MBNA Thames Clippers are the fastest & most frequent fleet on the river Thames with departures from major London piers every 20 minutes. Their services stretch from Putney to Royal Arsenal Woolwich, and they cater for all, from early morning commuters to families wanting a day out on the river.
We started the day by boarding the boat at the London Eye, where the kids were given activity packs to complete once they were on board.
We then travelled along the Thames as the kids tried to spot the landmarks in their activity book which included The Shard, The Globe and St Paul’s Cathedral. They also got to try their hand some colouring and puzzles too.
During our journey we had to make an unscheduled stop of about half an hour to let the Thames waters settle for the Doggets Coat and Badge race, the oldest rowing race in the world. Up to six apprentice watermen of the River Thames compete for this prestigious honour, which has been held every year since 1715 and it was a real treat to watch.
Whilst we were waiting for the race to start, Isaac and Sebastian were invited up to the wheel house by the Captain and got to learn all about the Thames Clippers as well as watching the race start from a great vantage point.
Once the race had gone past it was time to set off again to continue our journey to Greenwich to visit the historic Cutty Sark, Britain’s only surviving tea clipper and fastest ship of her time.
With interactive exhibits, different samples of the ship’s cargo and a cast of colourful character actors from Cutty Sark’s past, it is a really interesting visit, plus there are magnificent views over the Thames from the helm.
In comparison to the 19th Century ship, the museum is a modern marvel and the glass housing is made to look like the sea from the outside and suspends the ship in mid air so you literally walk under the hull once inside.
By now the kids were getting hungry so we headed to the Rivington Grill, located in the Greenwich Picture House in the town centre to sample their new children’s menu.
Rivington Grill are offering a fabulous ‘kids eat free’ offer, with a maximum of two children per paying adult over the summer holidays and Isaac and Eliza enjoyed a tasty burger and chips whilst Sebby plumped for traditional bangers and mash. They all had ice cream for dessert though.
Once lunch was finished we headed back to the pier to catch the MBNA Thames Clipper to North Greenwich, where we would be riding the Emirates Airline from Greenwich Peninsula to Royal Docks and back.
I have been wanting to go on a RIB ride of the Thames to experience some speed, so I was pleasantly surprised when the clipper opened up the throttle and sped along the Thames at 30 knots past Canary Wharf and The O2.
We have ridden the Emirates Airline before, but it was dark and raining so we were all excited to do it in the sunshine.
Sebby was excited to spot planes flying low overhead, whilst Eliza was determined to make the passengers on passing cable cars wave to her.
Isaac, on the other hand, was much more studious and was busy studying his booklet and pointing out everything we could see out of the windows.
The journey itself is 1km long each way and the maximum height you reach is a staggering 90m at its highest point, so great for a birdseye view over east London.
Once we were back on dry land we headed into the Emirates Aviation Experience which is situated opposite the entrance to the cable car.
Here the kids got a real insight into the operations and achievements of modern air travel, including getting to see the travel cycle of a piece of luggage, from check-in all the way through to collection.
There was the chance to learn how an aircraft engine works, which was explained in laymans terms so even the kids could understand the physics of it and the screen moved along the length of a real engine so you knew what part did what job.
All the displays were interactive which held the kids attention and they even enjoyed a spot of in-flight entertainment.
It was the upstairs they were most excited by though, as they got to pretend they flying their own plane.
There are also commercial flight simulators available to try, so you can practice your very own take-off and landing skills.
By now it was getting late so we headed back to the MBNA Clipper terminal to catch one back to the London Eye and this time we sat in open air at the back to let the wind get in our hair as we whizzed back along the Thames.
MBNA Thames Clipper prices vary depending on your destination, however, we had a river roamer which allows you to get on and off as many times as you like throughout the day and the Family River Roamer ticket for two adults and three children costs just £32.60.
Disclaimer: We were guests of MBNA Thames Clippers for the day. All thoughts and opinions are our own.
