Playing with new Plasticine Softeez #PlasticineSofteez

We hosted a Plasticine Softeez Party in conjunction with UKMums.tv and Plasticine. It allowed us to test out the new, softer, squishier modelling clay from Plasticine, and share our experiences during a two hour Twitter Party. 

I provided everyone with a lovely lunch, which included a great looking cake topped with a Plasticine Softeez cake plaque and coloured polka dot sprinkles as well as some savoury food to nibble on.

There was a bit of an under the sea theme going on and I made some cheese spread topped open sandwiches shaped like a shoal of fish. I also decorated a pizza with fish shapes cut from a variety of toppings.

We had lots of activities for the guests to do during the party. Firstly, they used the Under the Sea Play Boxes, which contain 12 blocks of brightly coloured Plasticine Softeez, a play mat and nine accessories including cutters and rolling pin.

The soft texture of the modelling clay makes it perfect for little hands to shape and mould. The children used the cutters but also made under the sea creatures and plants freestyle, showing off their creativity. I particularly loved the deep sea diver and the pink sea dragon that Freddy and his little pal T made. Being able to use the Pasticine Softeez so easily to create exactly what they wanted to make was good for their confidence.

It is a really good set, which gives kids some structure to their creative play but also inspires them to create their own models based on the under the sea theme.

Using the Plasticine Softeez Tub of Fun gave rise to some really creative play. There was rolling, cutting, twisting, squeezing, spiralling and flattening!  The Softeez is really easy to work with and never dries out, making it perfect for freestyling imaginative fun. 

The fruit bowl that L made was so cute with its apple, banana and grapes (and what looks like a cucumber?)  The colours are all so vibrant and the Plasticine Softeez is just so inviting.

Making animals was another favourite theme. T's tiger cub was my favourite with its cute stripes! It is lovely to see the kids so inspired making a range of fun creations. A's elephant was really cute with its purple eyes and K's pink piglet looked so squishy.

Rolling snakes with the Plasticine Softeez was a lot of fun. Everyone enjoyed using their hands to roll out the longest sausage shapes from the samples of the modelling clay. Using a tape measure we found the longest snake was 1.3 metres long! Everyone got a certificate with their name and the length of their snake recorded for prosperity. It was a really popular game that brought out some healthy competition among the guests!

The Cupcake Creations kit allows little ones to design and make cute cupcakes. The guests used the colouring sheets to design their cake before making it using the set which consists of 8 blocks of Plasticine Softeez, 1 cupcake mould, 1 cutter, 1 modelling tool, a roller and an instruction sheet. Big sister Kezia had some fun with this one. The Softeez is just so tactile, it is quite relaxing for older kids or us adults to have a play with. In fact all of us mums enjoyed trying it out as much as the kids did - it is a real stress reliever!

All in all, Freddy, his guests and his sisters had a really good time trying out the new Plasticine Softeez. Everybody left with goodie bags filled with samples, sweets, stickers and toys.

We enjoyed this Twitter party and loved the new Plasticine Softeez products. Thank you to UKMums.tv and Plasticine UK for having us as hosts.

***Update ***

The Plasticine Softeez is still as soft as it was when we first used it. The claim that it doesn't dry out is definitely true! It also has not gone that dirty brown colour that happens when the different colours get mixed together. We have some multicoloured lumps but they still look appealing and colourful. This is a great new product in the modelling dough market that is long lasting and can be reused again and again.

Join us for a Plasticine Softeez Twitter Party

Join us on Wednesday August 5th from 2-4pm for a Twitter party for new Plasticine Softeez.

Plasticine Softeez is a new product range coming soon from Flair, which is aimed at children aged 3-7 years old. New Plasticine Softeez has the stability of original Plasticine and never dries out, but is softer and easier to model with than the original. So is perfect for little hands!

We'll be putting it to the test and having some fun, while sharing our experiences over on Twitter with @UKMumstv and #PlasticineSofteez. There will be some great prizes to be won too!

To host the party, we have received a box of goodies including an under the sea set, a cupcake set and various tubs and samples of Plasticine Softeez so we can take part in a variety of fun activities. Every child will be taking home a goodie bag with their own Plasticine Softeez to take away and play with.

Festive Fun and Prizes to be Won with #NickJrCraftmas

On Monday December 1st from 1pm to 3pm, I am taking part in a Nick Jr Craftmas party on Twitter with @UKMumsTV. There will be lots of fun to be had and we'll be sharing some cool Christmas craft and kid friendly food ideas. There will also be some lovely prizes to be won! 

I have received a fabulous box of exciting craft sets and games ready to be played with.  We'll be making Snowman Cupcakes and Chocolate Cornflake Christmas Puddings as part of the party tea. We'll also be playing games such as pin the nose on Rudolph and making our guests into toilet paper snowmen! Plus we'll be making Christmas cards, gifts and decorations.  You can find out what we get up to and hopefully get some inspiration for things to do with the kids over the festive season.

It promises to be an afternoon of festive fun and friendly chat and I hope you'll be able to join us over on Twitter!

Be sure to follow @wendymcd83  @ukmumstv @NickJrUK and #NickJrCraftmas.

We're Zack & Quack Party Hosts

This Friday, join me for a Zack & Quack Twitter Party from 3.45pm to 5.45pm.

The party is timed to coincide with the Nick Jr UK premiere of their brand new show Zack & Quack at 4.30pm.  We'll be sitting down to enjoy the show and Tweeting about what we think.

Zack and his friend Quack love to make things out of bits and pieces in their pop up paper world, so the theme for this party is arts and crafts.

As well as washing the show, we'll be getting crafty and making models using boxes, glue, glitter, paper plates and pompoms.  It might get messy!

Throughout the party, you can join the party hosts, @NickJrUK and @UKMumsTV on Twitter and if you join in the fun using the hashtag #zackandquack you could win some great prizes.

Twitter parties can be lots of fun so I hope you will join us to celebrate the premiere of Nick Jr's new show Zack & Quack!

Our Something Special Party

Yesterday we hosted our Mr Tumble's Something Special Party in conjunction with UKMums.tv.  I spent the whole day while Freddy was at school baking and decorating cakes and biscuits, making spotty jelly, knocking up pizzas and preparing snacks, all with a spotty theme.  I laid the table, prepared the games, put the Something Special CD on, hung my Justin poster up and readied myself for the arrival of my guests.  We had six extra little ones to feed and entertain.

They loved looking at the toys when they arrived.  The spotty bag was a real favourite as it is so recognisable from the show.  The colourful, textured spots make it really tactile for little ones, while the older ones liked slinging it over their shoulder and pretending to be Justin.  The interactive soft toys are a lot of fun.  The kids liked to press the big one's hand and the little one's belly to hear the funny phrases.  We had them having a conversation at one point! The light up nose proved to be a popular feature too.  The felt Stick Ons were enjoyed by the older ones who loved dressing Mr Tumble.  The choice of clothes is varied and the addition of underwear is always well received by kids who think spotty pants are hilarious!

We had some great activities to enjoy.  The Pass the Parcel was absolutely brilliant.  Everyone was so pleased with their gifts and the Mr Tumble CD provided perfect music for it. Stick the Nose on Mr Tumble was an easy game that got everyone involved.  Dancing and singing along to the CD, playing with the Interactive Mr.Tumble toys, dressing the felt Justin in his spotty pants and colouring in the bow ties and Mr Tumble printouts kept the children occupied.

The children enjoyed their tea party and went through the pizzas, crudites, cheesey rolls, cup cakes, biscuits and potato rings at a fair rate.  I had made the pizzas spotty by using a small circle cutter to cut out spots of Quorn ham and processed cheese slices and popping them on top.  I also sliced up some vegetarian hot dogs to make smaller spots.  It was very effective!

I made spotty jelly by adding Jelly Tots to the jelly before it had set.  Freddy ate two bowlfuls!  I was really pleased with my named biscuits.  I made a basic vanilla cookie dough and cut in into rounds.  Once baked and cooled, I used writing icing to write names and draw on spots.  The cupcakes were decorated with small circles of fondant icing on top of frosting or with dotty sprinkles to keep with the spotty theme.

We live tweeted during the party, but it was multi-tasking at its best trying to keep the kids happy, entertained and fed while tweeting!

My youngest guest was so delighted when I gave her the Mr Tumble Interactive toy to take home.  She hugged him and quickly worked out how to make him talk by pressing his hand.  It really made me smile!  These toys are perfect for little fans, bringing Mr.Tumble into their toyboxes.

After the kids left, clutching their fabulous Something Special Goodie bags and prizes they had won from the games, I tidied up the mess before collapsing on the sofa exhausted but so happy to have thrown such a lovely party for the little ones and their friends!

This Week It's Our Something Special Party

This Thursday at 4pm we are hosting a Something Special Twitter party for UKMums.tv.  We will be trying out the new range of Something Special toys, playing games and eating yummy themed food.  Whilst we are enjoying ourselves, we will also be live tweeting using the hashtag #somethingspecialparty. There are loads of prizes to be won, so it's well worth joining in and following @ukmumstv on Twitter.  You can also follow me @wendymcd83 so you don't miss what we're getting too!

We've been sent a lot of goodies to treat our party guests, including the Something Special toy range.  Take a peek at some of the toys in the video below.  They are going to be a huge hit with Mr.Tumble fans this year!

                            

I have a lot of cooking to do, making Spotty Cupcakes, Pizza Spots and Spotty Bowtie Biscuits ...do you detect a theme?!  We'll be playing Pass the Parcel, Stick the Red Nose on Justin and What's In Mr.Tumble's Spotty Bag.  It's going to be a lot of fun.  i hope you can join us on Twitter!

Join the Something Special Twitter Party!

Golden Bear will be launching the full new collection of Something Special toys this autumn. The exciting new Mr Tumble toys and accessories, inspired by the hit CBeebies show will be a hit with any little fans!

Something Special features the much loved presenter Justin Fletcher, together with his alter-ego Mr Tumble. The show encourages children to explore the world around them and incorporates the use of Makaton, a recognised form of communication using signs and symbols, as well as rhymes and songs, to encourage and develop language in a fun and exciting way.

In autumn 2013 the full new collection of toys will be available for all to enjoy and will include some wonderful new products. New additions to the range include the Something Special Mr Tumble Textured Spotty Bag and the Aunt Polly Tea Party Puzzle, which comes with eight brightly coloured chunky pieces..

Also new for 2013 is the Mr Tumble Interactive Toy with special features including a light up nose, opening waistcoat and spotty bag. Children can also press Mr Tumble’s hand to hear fun phrases and sounds. The Mr Tumble Soft Toy interacts by responding to the child with a series of Mr Tumble noises and recognisable phrases. The Mr Tumble Pick ‘N’ Match pairs game and Mr Tumble Stick-on Felts will also be available.

Each toy in Golden Bear’s Something Special range comes in packaging with Makaton signs that relate to the product. If they wish to, parents can also use these signs with their children to further enhance the toy and the Something Special experience.

Stockists of Something Special toys includes Tesco.com.

On Thursday 12th September,  UKMums.tv will be hosting a Something Special Twitter Party and everyone is invited to join in the fun!  We are very excited to be taking part! 

The Twitter Party will begin at 4pm with myself and other bloggers hosting and live tweeting our very own Something Special parties, and there will be lots of freebies up for grabs on Twitter until 6pm.

Simply follow @ukmumstv and join in using the hashtag #somethingspecialparty. 

You can find out more by visiting www.evolutioncomps.co.uk/somethingspecial

Sylvanian Families Twitter Party Invitation #sylvanianfamiliesparty

On Tuesday, ten of Kizzy's school friends will be descending upon us to join in with our Sylvanian Families Party. We have cupcakes, Sylvanian Family toys (from Flair) to try out, games to play and an indoor country style picnic to feast on.  We are one of twenty five families up and down the country who will be hosting a party but UKMums.tv want everyone to get involved.

At the same time as I am catering to the needs of a houseful of 9 and 10 year olds, there will be a Twitter party taking place where you can win prizes and join in with the fun using the hashtag #sylvanianfamiliesparty

Hope to see you on Twitter!

Our Jungle Junction Toy Party

Yesterday, I hosted a Jungle Junction Toy Party along with 15 other blogging mums across the country. We were sent loads of fabulous toys, cup cakes, colouring sheets and ideas for the food and activities.  The parties ran from 4-6pm alongside a Twitter party hosted by UKMums.TV.  The event was a massive success that got Jungle Junction trending on Twitter!!

The children happily played with the giant Jungle Junction Playset and the Race Launcher along with lots of characters including Taxicrab and his Boat.  They did colouring sheets, made Plasticine models, designed new roadsigns (the 'No Spilling' sign invented by one of my guests was very appropriate as we had our first Tropical Cocktail drink spill about 10 minutes into our party!!) and ate a yummy themed tea of road sign pizza, munch crunch veg, chocolate cupcakes and Kizzy's Jungle Jumble Cupcakes!  We watched Jungle Junction on TV as I'd been recording them all on my Sky Planner in readiness!  Every child took home some lovely Jungle Junction goodies and prizes were won for the colouring and modelling.

It was pretty hectic, but it was a lot of fun for all the children who came to play!

Here is a photo collage of our party!

Find all these Jungle Junction Toys and more at the Flair website!