Our Day Out at the Geronimo Festival 2017

Arley Hall is the beautiful setting for this year's Geronimo Festival. The festival is running across this bank holiday weekend, and we visited today and had an absolutely amazing time. I'd go as far to say that this is the best Geronimo Festival yet! Freddy had a day filled with some incredible experiences and activities where he learned new skills, tested his nerve and had a huge amount of fun.

Animal encounters form a big part of the Geronimites' day. Little ones can meet exotic reptiles with Ranger Rob and learn about them in a hands on wildlife experience. Freddy and Kezia held a huge black and white lizard, which was stunningly beautiful. The Parrotman is there with a collection of colourful birds while The Feathery Folk have a selection of beautiful birds of prey for children to learn about. The Giant Tortoises are just wonderful and we loved petting them in their enclosure. Freddy rode on Geronimo the Donkey! We also saw some shows in the arena with horses and there were sheep for little ones to meet. Add to this the performing T-Rex, Bear's Big Bear Hunt and a host of weird and wonderful animal models and puppets, and kids are in for a wild time!

Arley Hall is in a gorgeous estate, surrounded by trees and fields giving the festival the most perfect venue. The colourful tents and decorations across the festival ground make Geronimo a wonderland for families, where there is so much to see, do and explore. There is a main stage where stars of CBeebies and other kid friendly acts perform. There are two circuses and also a main arena where you can watch knights on horseback, a stunt show and BMX riders. There is also a theatre zone where you can take in a show or you can go and listen to some magical storytelling.

If you prefer getting hands on there are plenty of craft activities to do, a funky junk workshop or a Play Doh area. There is music and dancing and lessons where you can have a go at playing a musical instrument. However your family likes to have fun, Geronimo has something to keep you happily entertained.

Freddy's favourite activities are the high adrenaline ones. He learned some trapeze skills, did archery, threw axes and fired a crossbow. He scaled a climbing wall, went caving in an interactive, replica caving trailer, had a go on the Ace inflatable obstacle course and zipped down the Skyfall zipwire. Freddy also learned how to fence and did some pretty impressive parkour over obstacles.  His favourite thing was The Air Bag, which saw him jumping from a high platform and landing on an inflatable crash mat. He was like a proper little stuntman!

There is absolutely loads of fun things to do at Geronimo. We missed so much that we are going back tomorrow to do the rest. Freddy really had a great time today, and speaking to other mums and also to my sister who came with her two little ones, the general consensus is that this year's Geronimo is a really fantastic family day out. With so many things included in the entry price, it's really good value. (The funfair costs extra, but with everything going on, Freddy didn't even have the time to ask to ride the carousel!)

There is still two days of Geronimo to go. Find out more at http://www.geronimofest.com.

A Family Day Out at Fordhall Farm Fordfest Music and Beer Festival

We are so lucky to live near to the beautiful Fordhall Farm in North Shropshire.  It is a lovely place where we can go for walks, visit the animals, dine in the tea rooms and breathe in the fresh country air.  Yesterday, they held their annual beer festival, Fordfest.  With live music, local ales and activities to keep all the family entertained, it is a great event.  Plus Ella was invited to play on the acoustic stage in the beer tent!

My nieces were also performing so it was a lovely opportunity to catch up with family.  Ella played beautifully, performing her own arrangements of some of her favourite Killers songs along with an acoustic version of Jason Derula's Wiggle and Iggy Azalea's Fancy!  I just love how engaging Ella's performances are, and her smile and love of playing light up the place.  She gained a new fan who said that she was 'special' and asked for her autograph as he was convinced she will get famous one day!

Freddy and his sisters had a great time trying out the circus skills:  hula hooping, ribbon twirling, plate spinning, stilt walking, diablo and juggling.  It was lovely watching them have so much fun!  I loved the freedom that Freddy had, to run around, try new things and make new friends.

We enjoyed listening to some local bands play on the main stage, we ate veggie burgers and Ian sampled the local ales from Shropshire breweries.  I watched the traditionally rural barrel rolling competition and my niece's boyfriend won the trophy, beating off the competition in a rather ferocious final!  It was a lovely way to spend a Saturday afternoon in the country.

Fordhall Farm continues to be one of our favourite local places and we really enjoyed Fordfest!

Little Live Pets at Eureka! The National Children's Museum

We were lucky enough to be invited to the Eureka! The National Children's Museum in Halifax for the Little Live Pets takeover.  I was really excited to take the two little ones on a day out to a place that has the ethos of encouraging kids to play to learn.  Plus we were delighted about discovering the must-have toy for summer, the Little Live Pets from Character.

The museum was so hands on, perfect for children who want to explore, play and touch everything!  There are six galleries where kids are encouraged to interact with the exciting exhibits.  These were our three favourite areas:

All About Me is an amazing area dedicated to the workings of the human body.  From exploring the senses to pretending to be a doctor to finding out about bones, brains and the digestive system, the newly opened area was a huge hit with Freddy and Kizzy.  Freddy loved filling in his All About Me Passport, taking part in activities to test his reflexes, monitor his heart rate and measure his body.  The Health Centre allows children to role play as doctors, midwives and dentists.  Freddy loved giving the pregnant woman model a scan and seeing her baby on the screen.  He also enjoyed testing his brain and body on the climbing wall.  At 11, Kizzy was interested to learn facts about the human body, look at X-Rays and microscope slides and take part in some experiments. It is such a great area with so much to see, do and learn.

Living and Working Together is a fabulous reconstruction of a little town complete with garage, post office, shop, bank and petrol station.  Kids are able to role play all the jobs from being a postman to a cashier to a car mechanic.  It was great fun!  Kizzy and Freddy enjoyed the bank vaults where they were able to crack codes to enter the bank's safety deposit boxes and discover the content of customers from Doctor Who to Harry Potter to our Queen. The garage was pretty cool too.  They changed tyres, used petrol pumps and learned about the parts of an engine (with dad's expert tuition!!)  There is also a house where you can learn about what happens when you flush a loo, play with water, have fun in the kitchen and explore your dreams. 

Our Global Garden takes children on a voyage of discovery of the outdoors, looking at environments as diverse as the Arctic, the jungle, the town, the countryside and the sea bed.  There are so many things to explore.  Kids get to surf and light up a city; play instruments in a jungle hut and see through the eyes of a rat.  Whilst in the Global Garden, we also took part in the Little Live Pets Bird Watching Trail, finding hidden birds and solving the clues to find a word.

Outside the main Eureka! museum building is a huge sandpit, grassy areas and some outdoor activities and there are lots of events taking place throughout the year.  A cafe and gift shop are on site and the toilet facilities are good.  The area is lovely, with views of the countryside, as the 13 acre site is nestled between Beacon Hill and the town centre.

We were treated to a yummy buffet lunch and Freddy got his face painted, which made him very happy!  The children also made glass painted butterfly sun catchers and  coloured in Little Live Pet colouring sheets.

The Little Live Pets area let children get up close and personal with the latest interactive toys.  With gorgeous birds and butterflies to play with, little ones can enjoy the feeling of holding a fluttering butterfly on their hand or chatting to a tweeting, talking bird.

The butterflies are very beautiful and the movement is very realistic, but Freddy fell in love with the birds.  Petting them makes then sing, chirp and tweet with a moving beak that makes them seem alive!  Pressing a button allows you to record a message which is converted to chirrupy bird language and tweeted back to you.  Freddy loved the mimicry feature, which enhanced the play value of these cute little toys.

The Little Live Pets Birds (RRP £9.99) and Butterflies (RRP £12.99) come in a host of colours and designs making them appealing to every taste.  You can also buy a Birdcage complete with a bird for £19.99 and a Butterfly House with a butterfly for £22.99.  Perfect for displaying your collection.  

Find out more at: www.character-online.com/products/Little-Live-Pets

Entrance to Eureka! is £11.95 for ages 3 to adult, but your day ticket can be converted to an annual season pass for free allowing you to visit as often as you like over the year.  There is so much to do and so much fun to be had, having access for free for a year would be fabulous for families.  It's an amazing deal.

Find out more at:  www.eureka.org.uk

What Did You Want To Be When You Grew Up? #IWantToBe

This week, Blossom Magazine has launched a brilliant competition for their readers.  The #IWantToBe campaign is asking young readers to submit a video entry of what they want to be when they grow up.

In each edition of the magazine, Blossom features a different career to show girls they can aspire to be whoever they want to be - whether it's an airline pilot, an author or a doctor.  It's great to see a magazine aimed at young girls, which promotes the fact that they can aspire to do any job...even that of the Prime Minister!

As a little girl I distinctly remember wanting to be a vet.  I loved animals and would leaf through the pages of my dad's wildlife encyclopedias learning about all the different creatures of the world.  At school I loved biology, and refused to do animal dissections on moral grounds.  It was during my early teens that I first decided to go vegetarian on the basis of loving animals and would listen to The Smiths "Meat is Murder" religiously! However, it turns out that the veterinary business was never my vocation. Ironically for an animal mad kid, nowadays I am not an animal person at all. I don't have any pets.  Funny how you change over the years!

When she was younger, Kizzy wanted to be a scientist and had a huge interest in all things related to science, conducting experiments in the kitchen using household items. Kizzy is now 11 and has set her sights on becoming a make-up artist or stylist.  She loves fashion and cosmetics and shows a real flair for design, knowing how to put together specific looks and styles. It will be interesting to see where life takes her and whether she will achieve her dream.    

Entrants have until 6th September to submit a short video ( less than one minute long) to the email address of hello@blossommagazine.co.uk and one winner will be selected to win a VIP London family trip which includes one family ticket to ZSL London with a Meet the Meerkats experience (minimum age 5); one Rainforest Café voucher worth £100; overnight accommodation in one family room at 3-star hotel, in Central London and a visit to Blossom HQ plus a Blossom Goody Bag.  What a fabulous itinerary for the lucky little girl and her family to enjoy! Visiting Blossom HQ will be an amazing experience, and who knows, the winner might go on to be a top magazine editor of tomorrow.

So why not get together with your daughter to record and submit a video to the competition. As well as giving them a chance to win a wonderful trip to London, it will also be something quite amazing to look back on in the future, reminding you of what your little girl wanted to be when she grew up!

Full t's & c's are in the current edition of Blossom magazine available now.

Shop 'til You Drop at Cheshire Oaks - A McArthur Glen Designer Outlet

This summer is the perfect time to indulge in a spot of retail therapy at one of the McArthur Glen Designer Outlets.  With six in the UK: Ashford, Bridgend, Cheshire Oaks near Chester,  East Midlands near Nottingham, Swindon and York, and a further fourteen outlets across Europe, they offer fantastic discounts on leading premium, designer, high street and lifestyle brands.

Throughout the summer, the UK outlets have extra activities on site to keep all the family happy.  We were invited to visit our nearest McArthur Glen Designer Outlet, Cheshire Oaks to discover what it had to offer over the school holidays.  With water walker balls, trampolines, fairground rides, giant sandpits and inflatables, the Activity Zones will make sure everyone is having fun.  Parents can relax in the deckchairs, enjoying a drink from the Beach Bar, while little ones play in the sandpit.  Older children will love the rides (extra charges through the purchase of tokens is required).   The outlet also has two fabulous play areas where kids can run off steam.  One of the areas is undercover so kids can play whatever the weather.  There are also ten coin operated children's rides around the site, to give little ones a treat when they have been good!

Today, Cheshire Oaks were hosting an event in conjunction with Heart FM.  A team from Heart were on hand in an al fresco area offering shoppers the chance to take part in a competition to win vouchers.  Shoppers were also invited to chat to the team about their shopping experience with the possibility of  their Vox Pop being featured in an ad on the radio!  Myself and my 18 year old daughter Ella recorded one and had a chat with the lady from Heart.

On arrival at Cheshire Oaks we were met by the lovely Marketing Manager who showed us around the site.   We learned that the whole outlet is in the process of a massive refurbishment with new flooring, fresh white paintwork and funky seating being introduced.  Everything looked fresh, bright and clean.  It was brilliant seeing all the shops so busy and bustling.  There were even queues outside some shops, in particular the Ralph Lauren stores.  Everybody loves a bargain and with discounts typically up to 70% off, there are lots of great money saving offers to be found.

Parking is free and there are over 3000 spaces available.  There are 135 stores and 12 restaurants as well as numerous food kiosks dotted around the site.  Cheshire Oaks is accessible from junction 10 of the M53 and is close to the city of Chester, Chester Zoo and the Blue Planet Aquarium, making it a great place for incorporating into a weekend away or a short break.

For the summer at Cheshire Oaks, there is a great free competition where shoppers can Unlock Their Style.  There is a selection of locked perspex boxes with some great prizes inside.  You have to choose a key and if your key fits one of the padlocks, you instantly win what is inside the box it opens.  I had my eye on a £100 Yo Sushi voucher, but sadly our keys did not unlock any of the boxes.  It is a really fun, instant win competition, and lucky shoppers are winning prizes everyday.

Trying to unlock the padlock to win a prize!

The range of shops available is brilliant.  High end designer names such as Burberry, Radley, Ralph Lauren and Armani, sit alongside top high street brands such as M & S, Next and Nike.  So whether you are looking for an expensive designer item with a great discount, or whether you want to pick up high street brands at outlet prices, you will find whatever you are looking for in a one stop shopping experience.  And it's not just about fashion, there are lots of stores selling cookware such as Pro-Cook and Le Crueset.  There are cosmetic shops like L'Occitane, W H Smiths and Paperchase for stationery and  Cadbury, Thornton's and Lindt for buying chocolatey treats!

My girls loved the Claire's Accessories store which offered 30% off full prices as well as a load of sale items at 10 for £5!  They bought loads of lovely bits and bobs including jewellery and hair accessories.  The Next outlet was also a huge hit as the kids amassed a haul of clothes, shoes and make-up at low prices.  Kizzy picked out a dress that she took a fancy to when she saw it at a Next event we attended earlier this year.  Now at just £6, it is a great bargain for the summer.  Freddy picked out some half price character tees and some jeans.  Ella found two pairs of shoes and a top, all heavily discounted.

We also enjoyed visiting the Vans store where Kizzy bought a pair of hidden heel hi-tops for just £10!!  A huge bargain!  Nike, Adidas and Sports Direct also proved excellent sources for picking up bargains.  Kizzy got some essential sports equipment she needs for her new school and Freddy bagged a football for just £4.  The M&S outlet had some incredible clearance bargains including a three pack of pyjamas for Freddy, a school skirt and a summer playsuit for Kizzy all at just £3 each with an extra 20% off at the till!  He also got a tuxedo jacket, shirt and bow tie set also for £2.40 which is a massive 90% discount on its original price.  He will look like a mini James Bond and I'm sure there will be a special occasion for him to wear it.  The Joules store and Gap have some great buys for children and the Superdry store is huge and is heaven for teenagers!

For lunch we were treated to a meal in Ed's Easy Diner, which is a funky restaurant steeped in Americana with juke boxes playing Elvis and a real 50's vibe throughout.  We enjoyed veggie burgers and some of the most incredible milkshakes we had ever tasted which came in metal jugs.  The girls had Oreo and peanut butter milkshakes while I had a skinny coffee milkshake.  Delicious.

It is nice to see so many restaurants with so many options for vegetarians like us.  With Yo Sushi, Cafe Rouge, Harry Ramsden's, Starbucks and McDonald's among the choices, there is something for everyone whatever your taste or your budget. You really can enjoy a full day out at Cheshire Oaks; shopping in the amazing shops; letting the kids enjoy the play areas and having a family meal together.  

There are plenty of facilities for families with young children including baby changing stations, restaurants with baby food heating and high chairs and kiddy cabs for hire.  There are ramps around the whole site making easy access for pushchairs when walking between the stores.

We had an excellent day enjoying all the facilities at Cheshire Oaks.  Because of the play areas and Activity Zone, Freddy had a fun day too. Ian looked after him for a while in the undercover play area while the girls and I did some serious shopping!  It worked really well and everyone was happy.  It's a great day out. When we arrived home we checked all the bargains we had bought.  We had masses of stuff for all three children for their summer holidays and for Kizzy's Back to School essentials. A very productive trip indeed.

Find out more about McArthur Glen Designer Outlets.

Check out a Heart FM or Capital Radio event near you at Bridgend on 2/8/14 or Ashford, York and East Midlands on 9/8/14. 

“I am a member of the Mumsnet Bloggers Network Research Panel, a group of parent bloggers who have volunteered to review products, services, events and brands for Mumsnet. I have not paid for the product or to attend an event. I have editorial control and retain full editorial integrity”.

A Family Day Out at Chester Zoo

On Saturday, with the shine shining, we set off for a family day out at Chester Zoo courtesy of Superbreak.  Superbreak offer pre-bookable fast track ticket and hotel packages so you can enjoy a brilliant day out at one of the UK's top attractions knowing you have a comfy hotel room waiting for you.  Perfect for a sunny weekend or for the summer holidays!

Chester Zoo is easily accessible from Jct 14 of the M56 or Jct 12 of the M53, and is set in 110 acres of landscaped grounds.  It is home to a range of over 400 rare, endangered and exotic species of animals, which are housed in large enclosures.  There are some great exhibits including the Realm of the Red Ape where you can see the family of Orang-Utans at play.  There is also a monorail and waterbus for anyone wanting a more leisurely way to get around and see the 11,000+ animals.

With our Superbreak ticket we were able to jump the queues at the ticket kiosks and head straight into the zoo.  Armed with our map we were ready for our zoo adventure.

As soon as you arrive through the gates, you can see just how well maintained, spacious and modern the zoo is.  There are lots of open spaces, beautifully landscaped areas and well kept animal enclosures.  The paths are well signposted so it is easy to find the exhibits you want to see.  Animal welfare is of utmost importance, and the world class enclosures provide the best environment for the animals to live in, whilst providing some up close encounters for us to enjoy.

There are Zoo Rangers on hand around the zoo giving talks, plus you can watch some of the animals being fed.  A trip to the zoo isn't just about entertainment, it's also about education.  Freddy learned lots about animals and their environments, what they eat and how they live.

We headed straight to the Fruit Bat Forest as Freddy was quite keen on seeing the free flying bats.  Being a big fan of superheros, he wanted to feel like Batman in his Bat Cave.  It is very dark in the exhibit and the sensation of bats flying past your head is quite a thrill!  Freddy was very brave and spotted some of the huge Fruit Bats hanging upside down from their perches.  He did complain that they were a bit smelly though!

The Realm of the Red Ape was wonderful.  The brilliant exhibit has lots of interactive displays and information about the Indonesian forest and its inhabitants. The huge enclosures provide lots of space and lots for the apes to do.  We spent ages watching a mother and her young baby play with a sackcloth blanket, hiding themselves and then peeping out.  It made Freddy giggle to watch their antics.  There were also snakes in the exhibit in glass fronted enclosures.  Freddy enjoyed spotting them among the plants and branches.  They were definitely his favourite of all the creatures he saw!

Around the grounds are some statues - perfect for photo ops!  The life size models gave us an idea of the size of the Komodo Dragon and a newborn elephant calf.  There is a lot of attention to detail around the zoo with models, pictures and information boards to keep the most curious of young minds occupied.  There was a zoo ranger who was talking to the kids and comparing the skulls of a human with those of some apes.  It is so interesting to see the similarities between us and other animals.  There is also a craft stand where children could make animal pictures using their handprints.  There is an exhibition called Hot Pink Flamingoes - Make Change Not Carbon, which includes a trail around the zoo.  It raises awareness of climate change.  Plus you can learn about UK gardens, bees and birds with Bloom - celebration of UK wildlife.

On such a sunny day we were grateful for so many places to just sit and relax in the sunshine.  The grass is all so beautifully kept, meaning there is lots of room for the kids to run around or to have a picnic.  You can even hire deckchairs!

Freddy absolutely loved the play areas.  The Fun Ark is a great place for little ones to let off steam and play in the big themed area.  Wherever Freddy goes, it is the playgrounds and play equipment that he enjoys the most, and he was most impressed!

For lunch we headed to June's Pavillion where we were pleased to find veggie burgers, chips and salad on the menu.  A Family Meal Deal costs £25 and you get 2 adults meals, 2 kids meals plus drinks.  It's not bad value at all and the portion sizes were big.  You get plenty of fresh salad to add to your burger, which was nice.

The self-service restaurant is very spacious, very clean and has several different counters offering different types of food to suit most tastes.  There are several other outlets and kiosks around the zoo and they even offer a homemade picnic service, where picnics are made to order.  You can even add some fizz to your lunch by ordering a bottle of champagne!

Freddy went for a monkey faced pizza for his lunch, priced at £4.95.  He really enjoyed it and it was freshly baked to order.

After lunch we were back to the animals.  The girls all love Giraffes and we spent quite a while simply watching the family of giraffes as they wandered around their enclosure, occasionally stopping for a bite to eat or to scratch their necks on the door frame.  There were some young animals alongside some much larger ones, including one that stood over 4.5 m tall.  There is an enormous height chart on the door to their pen so you can see how tall they are when they walk past!

By far, my favourite exhibit was the elephant enclosure.  The Asian Elephant herd includes two very young infants, Bala and Hari, who are cousins.  They are so adorable.  The younger elephant Bala, born in January 2013, is such a little livewire!  From throwing dirt to chasing a family of ducks who had landed by the water hole to falling over a log, Bala kept us totally enthralled with her antics. She was so much like a human toddler in her behaviour and her mum kept a watchful eye on her little calf!

We were surprised to discover that one of the elephants at Chester Zoo is the same age as Ian, and they can live to be 70 years old.  They are such majestic creatures and it is great to know that Chester Zoo have launched the Asian Elephant Conservation Programme to help villagers and elephants live in harmony in India and reduce the conflict between them.

The Painted Dog enclosure is great.  We were privileged to see a family of incredibly rare African Painted Dogs, which are almost extinct in the wild, just after they were fed.  They were very active and had such beautiful colouring.

The chimpanzees were on top form on their island home, but we were a little grossed out by the antics of one of the monkeys who took a rather large interest in his own bodily functions. Someone should let him know that bodily waste is not meant to be played with or eaten!! 

The zebras, buffalo and antelope were all magnificent.  The unusual aardvark and the tapir were wonderful to look at up close.  The big cats were sunning themselves lazily.  Some animals had managed to hide themselves away from view, but on a whole we got a good look at all the animals we wanted to see.

It really was a great day out and we all had a fantastic time together enjoying what Chester Zoo had to offer.  It is such a beautifully kept zoo with so much to see and do.  We didn't get to do everything on offer and somehow missed the Spirit of the Jaguar exhibit completely.  That'll be first on our to-do list next time we visit, because we will definitely go again!

Find out more about Chester Zoo at www.chesterzoo.org or book a Chester Zoo Superbreak and enjoy a short break with hotel and fast pass tickets!

Fun at Little Fun Fest

Little Fun Fest was held this year on April 5th and 6th at Red House Farm.  It is a festival aimed at families with children under 10, where little ones can see stars from the telly, take part in workshops, enjoy funfair rides and watch exciting fun filled shows.  We were lucky enough to attend as VIPs and in spite of the rainy weather we had a fabulous time.  The venue itself is a lovely find, with a play area, courtyard, tea rooms and shop set in the heart of the Dunham Massey countryside.  When we first arrived we treated ourselves to a vegetarian cooked breakfast to fortify us for the day ahead!  RHF make their own tomato sauce which is incredible!  We will certainly be visiting there again soon when we're en route to Manchester to sample some more of the tea room offerings.

Clad in our raincoats and sensible footwear, we made our way to the field which housed the Big Top.  Freddy was keen to head straight for the fun fair rides and enjoyed trying out everything on offer.  He loved the swing ride, the pirate ship and the plane ride.  With all the rides being included in the price of the ticket, he could ride as often as he liked!

There were also go-carts, a climbing wall and pedal boats for the little ones.  Freddy loved the boats!

He was able to learn some circus skills too.  He tried his hand at tightrope walking, stilt walking and plate spinning and had a lot of fun assisted by his big sisters.

There was a programme of shows running throughout the day at the Big Top and also at the Fun Barn.  Both being undercover meant the weather didn't spoil the fun.  The Big Top hosted shows from stars such as Dr Ranj and Alex Winters, alongside interactive music and dance activities from Baby Ballet, Mr Yipadee and Dene Michael from Black Lace fame  plus many more fun acts.  

There were opportunities to meet the stars of the show and have photos taken with them.  My girls were particularly excited about meeting the everso handsome Dr Ranj!

 They enjoyed catching up with very funny and very lovable Alex Winters too!

 The lovely Cat Sandion from CBeebies was also there telling stories and chatting to the kids.  Fred was very happy that she said hello to him while he was playing in the play area!

Freddy loved the Starkidz Disney princesses in the Fun Barn who kept the crowds entertained all day.  He loved Anna and Elsa from Frozen.

He also loved meeting Flynn Rider and Rapunzel from Tangled, who let him hold Pascal for the photo!  He was delighted to get a cuddle from all the lovely ladies and a handshake from Flynn!  We also saw Spiderman, the Easter Bunny, Hello Kitty, a Despicable Me Minion and the Mad Hatter wandering around.  It is so magical for children to have these experiences, immersing themselves in the excitement of the book, films and TV characters that they love.

The Hogwart's Magic School let little ones plant magic beans and make wands under the guidance of Harry and his friends.  Kids also got to enjoy regular shows and take part in some magic!  The Ford Anglia car,  just like the one in the films, was there to look at and there were plenty of photo opportunities with the lookalike stars of the show.  My girls had a snap with Harry!

There was some brilliant piratey fun to be had in the Fun Barn.  Freddy joined in with some singing and dancing with Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates, along with Alex and Mr Yipadee.  It was high energy fun and the kids all loved getting up and doing the actions to the songs.  There were craft activities for the children to take part, storytimes and puppet shows too.

 Red House Farm has a great play area with climbing frames, swings, playhouses and a giant sandpit.  The sandpit was Freddy's favourite thing and he spent a long time playing in it towards the end of the day while singing Let It Go from Frozen.  RHF is a great venue choice for a kids' festival.

Although we weren't blessed with sunshine, instead getting grey skies and rain, lots of the activities were undercover and with appropriate clothing we could enjoy most activities. The fields got very muddy, but the organisers ensured the safety of everyone attending by laying down straw to walk on.

There were lots of places to eat with food ranging from burgers, chips, pizzas, wraps to crepes available on site.  Lots of veggie options were available, which is always good to see. The Little Fun Fest sweet shop had some sweet treats, and the children were able to take part in a Easter treasure hunt to find letters around the festival to make up a word.  Once they had that word they were rewarded with a bag of mini Easter eggs as a prize! 

I love the idea of having a festival for kids, allowing them to experience the fun of live entertainment and activities designed just for them.  Seeing and meeting Alex, Dr Ranj and Cat is a wonderful opportunity for CBeebies fans. They are all so lovely with the kids.  It really is a great day out for Little Funsters...even when it rains!

http://www.littlefunfest.co.uk/