Sweet Pups - discover the magic hidden inside

The latest collectable toy is due to be launched at the end of this month and they already promise to be hugely popular. Sweet Pups, from Trends UK, are a range of soft, plush puppies hidden inside delicious looking pretend pastries. With 12 adorable breeds to collect in series one, there is a perfect puppy for everyone or you can collect them all.

Sweet Pups look like the most delicious croissants, macaroons and sticky buns on the outside, each scented with the sweet aroma of cinnamon, chocolate, strawberry or toasted bread. Inside, there is a sweet surprise, just waiting to be discovered.

You can transform the Sweet Pups toys from the delicious looking, sweet scented pastries into cute and cuddly plush puppies simply by turning them inside out. Your favourite puppy will be revealed – ready to love and play with. You can choose from twelve different breeds including Chewy Chihuahua, Raisin Pup, Pretty Poodle, Sweety Peety or Rocky Roll.

We've received a Buddy Roll Sweet Pups toy, which is a sugar roll pastry concealing a cute, plush tan and brown puppy with big blue eyes. The toys come individually packaged in a clear plastic dome with a cardboard sleeve, so you can see which one you are getting. Sweet Pups are a very novel, quirky toy that combine patisserie favourites with the cutest puppy dogs. I'm sure they'll have huge appeal to children who love collectables and cuddly toys with a unique twist.

Sweet Pups will be available from Claire’s Accessories and Amazon for £7.99 rrp from next week and are suitable for ages 3 and up. 

The First Signs of Summer with Little Tikes

Summer is the UK’s favourite season. For me, I start to feel summery when the weather gets warmer and my winter clothes get relegated to the back of my wardrobe in favour of t-shirts and summer dresses. The lighter evenings also signify the start of the summer season for me and I enjoy making the most of the longer days. However, according to a recent survey, most Brits consider it to be the start of summer when the month of June begins.

The survey of over 2000 people carried out by Little Tikes, found that despite the Solstice on June 21st being the official start of summer, the majority of UK residents class the first week of June as the start of the holiday season. In fact, just one in ten considered the start of summer to be Solstice week and some didn't consider it summertime until the schools break up for the summer holidays.

63% of Brits stated that summer is their favourite season of the year. However, less than a quarter (23%) said that warm weather heralded the start of the season for them. So despite us having the hottest May in decades, many people still didn't consider it as being summer for them.

For one in ten Brits, summer officially starts with the smell of cut grass, whilst for others, it is the smell of the first BBQ of the season (for us it's a vegan BBQ), the sound of children playing outdoors, the first spray tan of the year or even, the Queen’s Birthday. An unlucky 3% of Brits know it’s summer when their Hayfever symptoms kick in. A further 3% believe the season starts when they book their official summer holiday and begin to look forward to sunbathing on a tropical beach.

Almost half of those asked, didn’t feel they spend enough time outdoors during the summer months although they would like this to change. So this summer, Little Tikes is calling on all Brits to make the most of the season by spending time together outdoors. 

Little Tikes offers a full range of outdoor play products – from playhouses, sandboxes and water tables to the iconic Cozy Coupe. All of my children have enjoyed playing in the classic Crazy Coupe cars over the years! This season they have also launched the new Fun Zone range, which features toys like Splash Face, Dual Twister, Tumblin’ Tower and Drop Zone - for water-play with a twist, keeping the kids (and the grown-ups) cool this summer!

You can shop the full Little Tikes range at https://www.littletikes.co.uk.

Make Science Fun with National Geographic's Dig Kit and Crystal Lab

Freddy loves anything to do with science and has a very inquiring mind. He can often be found Googling things and watching YouTube videos, absorbing fascinating facts about the world, the animal kingdom and the solar system. So he was very excited to get hands-on and try out the National Geographic STEM science sets from Bandai.

National Geographic is a well-known, trusted and reputable brand. Their range of experiment based kits support the STEM subjects, making science accessible, exciting and fun to children aged 8 and over. The kits include expert learning guides and cover subjects that kids will find fascinating. Each kit includes a real piece of the natural world for kids to examine and learn about. The packaging is also really lovely. The sturdy boxes are embossed with glossy images that grab the attention and raise interest.

The Dino Fossil Dig Kits bring out the paleontologist in any child, giving them a chance to look at genuine artifacts from the past as they include three real fossil specimens: a Mosasaur Tooth, a fossilised dinosaur poop and a dino bone. The three specimens are embedded in a dinosaur head shaped dig brick. The kit includes an excavation tool and brush along with a magnifying glass. A glossy booklet gives plenty of facts and information about paleontology, fossils and about the specimens inside the dig brick.

Freddy absolutely loved excavating the specimens. The tool worked really well, cutting through the brick, which was just the right consistency. If the brick is too hard it can be soaked with a little water to make it easier to work with. With some patience and a delicate touch, the fossils can be gently removed ready for examination. A quick wash removes any remaining brick dust. The guide book gives some really fascinating details about the artifacts. Freddy was particularly intrigued by the thought of having a dinosaur poo fossil or coprolite as it is scientifically known!

Other Dig Kits include a Gemstone and a Shark Tooth variety, each with genuine artifacts to discover and explore.

The Crystal Growing Kits provide everything needed to grow and inspect an amazing crystal, and also include a real Fluorite, Amethyst or Calcite crystal.  Freddy received the Fluorite Glow-In-The-Dark Crystal Lab. It includes a bag of glow-in-the-dark crystal growing powder, a seed rock, a magnifying glass, stir stick, display stand and information guide along with the genuine fluorite specimen.

The experiment to grow the crystals takes 7 - 10 days to complete, but after this time you should have grown some genuine fluorite to compare to the sample included in the kit.

The Learning Guide booklet includes lots of information about crystals and the science behind their structure and formation. Our experiment to grow our crystals is ongoing, and it is really exciting for children to witness chemistry in action!

The National Geographic kits shown are just £9.99 RRP. In addition to the Dig Kit and Crystal Growing Kit, there are also Geode, Build Your Own Volcano and Ultimate Play Sand Kits. I love the fact that they support the learning of science, one of the STEM subjects, in such a fun, exciting and engaging way. The sets encourage children to explore the subject matter further and hopefully this will instill a love of science, which will continue through the years to come.

Stockists include Tesco and Amazon.