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.

New Schleich Dinosaurs for 2018

This year, Schleich are introducing some new exciting dinosaur figurines to their pre-historic Dinosaurs collection including the Oviraptor, Tawa and a brand new design Velociraptor.

All of the Schleich figurines are designed with great attention to detail and meticulously painted by hand. The Dinosaurs collection enables children to explore the fascinating prehistoric era and discover its creatures through play. Each figure comes with its own mini fact file, so children can learn about these amazing creatures that conquered the Earth. Playsets are also available in the range helping create a pre-historic landscape for imaginative play.

The Oviraptor was a large flightless, bird-like dinosaur who lived 75 million years ago. The figurine is well detailed with a feathery body, beaked head and clawed wings. It's an odd looking creature and a great addition to a dinosaur collection, bringing its unique avian appearance.

The Tawa is a  carnivorous dinosaur with a slender snout and long neck. It was a lightweight, fast dinosaur with a long tail that originated in South America.

The Velociraptor is a very popular dinosaur because of their role in the Jurassic Park movies. They were intelligent creatures that hunted in packs, and who could run at up to 65 km/hr. Terrifying! This new figurine has jaws that open and close, and a mouth filled with impressive teeth. The arms also move up and down, adding to the play value. The detailing includes the clawed hands and feet, including the deadly sickle shaped claws on its toes. The yellow, blue and green colouring is quite vibrant and the skin texture has a suggestion of feathering. It's an impressive creature and a great addition to a collection.

The Oviraptor and Tawa are £7.99 and the Velociraptor is £9.99 available from
www.schleich-s.co.uk.

Schleich Dinosaurs - Large Skull Trap with Velociraptor

New to the Schleich Dinosaurs collection is the dinotastic Large Skull Trap with Velociraptor playset, which promises some exciting pre-historic adventures for young dinosaur fans to enjoy. It is part of a range of realistic dinosaur figures and accessories that combine to recreate through play, the days when the dinosaurs ruled the world.

The Schleich Large Skull Trap set includes a Velociraptor figure, which features movable arms and jaw, along with a Compsognathus and a bearded dragon lizard so you can begin playing straightaway. The giant fossil-like skull makes the perfect play location for children to explore. The realistic looking, sharp toothed skull opens up, allowing the hollow cavity inside to be used as a trap for canny dinosaurs to catch their prey. The trap snaps shut when the tip of the skull's nose is pushed downwards, making some interactive, jaw dropping action to inspire imaginative pre-historic play. Budding paleontologists will love to act out a Jurassic adventure with the Velociraptor using the lizard as bait to catch the larger Compsognathus!

The skull and the dinosaurs are made to Schleich's usual very high standard. The detailed models are of an excellent quality and are each lovingly hand painted to create a toy that will look great on display when not being played with. The dinosaurs look so realistic with their textured skin, sharp claws, teeth and colouring. The skull itself is very sturdy and well made and the jaw and teeth are rubberized to avoid fingers getting trapped.

I really like this playset. The quality of the skull will see years of play and it looks so impressive with its detailing and large size. All three of the dinosaur figures fit inside when the jaw is closed, making it easy to store the pieces together. The opening angle of the skull can be adjusted to two positions and the mechanism feels really strong and secure. There is nothing flimsy about this toy, it is such good quality.

At £24.99, the Large Skull Trap with Velociraptor would make a great Christmas gift. It is a standalone toy in its own right or will be an excellent addition to an existing dinosaur collection, adding a new dimension to playtime. It is recommended for children aged 4+ but will suit children much older due to its realism and collectibility.

 Find out more and discover the Schleich Dinosaurs collection at www.schleich-s.co.uk.

The First Giants of the Dinosaur World - from Schleich

For 2016, Schleich has gone back to the era when prehistoric creatures first walked our planet with the introduction of ‘The First Giants’.  This cool collection includes five of the first giant prehistoric reptiles, each of which come complete with moving jaw and educational tag leaflet which contains facts about each dinosaur.  The species includes the Dilophosaurus, Dimetrodon, Barapasaurus, Herrerasaurus and Dunkleosteus and the RRPs range from £7.99 to £14.99.  

Freddy received a Dilophosaurus and a Dimetrodon model to play with. Both have the same high quality workmanship that you expect from Schleich, with great colours and excellent attention to detail. From the texture of the skin to the realistic mouth, with moving jaw, pointy teeth and life like tongue, they are excellent interpretations of the incredible dinosaurs that walked the planet around 250 million years ago.

The little leaflet, which is attached to the model's leg, gives you some facts about the dinosaur such as when it lived, its size, weight and what it would have eaten. There is also a mini, illustrated timeline, putting each dinosaur into the period in which it lived. This adds an element of education to the toys that budding paleontologists will love.

Schleich do a great range of dinosaur models that children can collect to make their own collection ready to play imaginary games of prehistoric life or to build their very own Jurassic World. Schleich toys last for years and are great value for money. My children have always loved their model animals, they are such wonderful toys for inspiring imaginative play and educational discovery.

Stockists include Amazon and many good toy and model shops. See the full range at www.schleich-s.com/en/GB/.

Jurassic World Books from Centum

On its opening day, Ian and I went on a daytime date to the cinema, while the kids were at school and oblivious to what we were up to, to watch Jurassic World in amazing D-Box 3D. With the moving chairs, rumbling and shifting in synchronisation to the action, I felt like I was in the heart of the movie surrounded by those incredible Velociraptors and the rest of the prehistoric reptilian cast. Though of course, having the utterly gorgeous Chris Pratt in larger than life 3D was what really sold the film for me. Seriously, he could be my alpha male any day!

Not surprisingly, Jurassic World has broken box office records and has incredibly paid for itself in the first weekend of opening. Clearly we can not get enough of this amazing dinosaur franchise (nor the adorable Chris Pratt!) Adults and children alike are mesmerised by the idea of dinosaurs, and the thought of a theme park like Jurassic World would make lots of childhood dreams come true. Sadly, although Ian told me that he heard on the radio that scientists have worked out the theory for creating a dinosaur embryo from a bird's egg by switching on and off the genes for specific traits, the ethical implications mean that we probably won't be buying our tickets for a real live Jurassic World anytime soon.

However, there is plenty of great merchandise available to keep us all happily entertained while we wait for the rebirth of the dinosaur.

Freddy was sent some great Jurassic World Books from Centum.

Jurassic World - The Dino Experience Activity Book 
£4.99

With over 50 pages of puzzles, games, colouring, doodling and stickering, this book is great fun for junior dino-fans. Kids can find out all about dinosaurs with some fascinating facts and colour illustrations and will be kept occupied for hours filling in the pages.

The book is set out as if it is a souvenir from Jurassic World itself, complete with a resort map. It makes this activity book a bit different as kids can imagine they are experiencing a week at the theme park as they complete each page. The book contains over 190 stickers to use in the book. There is also a push out 3D model of a T-Rex tail to make. (You can complete the model T-Rex using the model parts from four books in the series).

This is a great book for a rainy day or to entertain children during the long summer holidays.

Jurassic World - The Ultimate Quiz Book 
£4.99

There are forty challenging quizzes in this book, which challenge older kids' dinosaur expertise to the max. It tests kids on whether they could fend off a T-Rex attack? Asks if they can identify fossils? And checks if they know their dinosaurs?  All this and more is tested within the pages of this exciting quiz book.

There are species quizzes to test knowledge of each different dinosaur along with general knowledge tests, questions on the prehistoric eras, the animals' lives and their extinction plus questions about the film itself. The quizzes are nicely presented with illustrations throughout. As an added bonus there is also a push out 3D model of a T-Rex head to make.

Other titles in the series include a Poster Book, Mega Sticker Book, a junior novel and a paperback picture book, which features high quality movie stills from the film.

Find the books in supermarkets, toy shops, gift shops, garden centres and other major retailers.

Discovering Clementoni Toys - Crazy Chic Nail Salon and Archeofun

Clementoni is a leading European toy brand, and both Kizzy and Freddy have been lucky enough to each try something from their brilliant range. With toys suitable from birth to 13,200 piece puzzles suitable for adults, they have an extensive selection, incorporating educational toys for young learners, creative toys, Disney toys, baby toys, electronic toys and a huge selection of puzzles.

Crazy Chic - My Beauty World Nail Salon

Anyone who enjoys make-up and beauty will love this nail salon set. It includes three bottles of nail varnish along with nail file, adhesive jewels, 3D stickers and glitter to customise the look. There is also a removable, handy nail polish hand dryer to speed up the drying process.

Everything fits into a work station, keeping it all safe and together. The full colour instruction booklet gives tips and ideas for funky manicures, and there are plenty of contents in the set for using time and time again.

Kizzy and her friend Georgia had some creative fun designing looks for each other using the nail varnish and the accessories.  It is a lovely set for girls to practice their varnishing skills and explore their own unique style.

Science & Play Archeofun - T-Rex and Triceratops

Freddy is learning all about dinosaurs in school for this term's project. He is really interested in this subject matter so when he received this Science and Play 2 in 1 Archeofun set he could not wait to get started.

The set contains two plaster blocks inside which are the 'bones' of two dinosaurs, a T-rex and a Triceratops. Using the hammer and chisel, children can play at being archaeologists and chip away at the plaster to reveal the bones inside, which are then gently removed. Once excavated and cleaned, they can be attached together to create two fantastic, glow in the dark dinosaur skeleton models.

Freddy absolutely loved chipping away at the plaster block and was thrilled to find the bones hidden inside. We started off indoors with a tray, but he generated a lot of mess with his over zealous hammering so we moved outdoors to continue the process. The instructions suggest laying down newspaper, but we didn't have any. I'd definitely recommend that or plastic sheeting because it does create a lot of thick, white dust.

It took him quite a while to find and remove all the bones, but he was persistent with the job in hand and really enjoyed the whole process of unearthing his skeleton. It's a great introduction to palaeontology for children.

The models are really lovely in their own right. They fit together nicely and are quite sturdy. Freddy took them into school for Show & Tell as he was excited to share his excitement with his classmates.

I really liked that this set not only had the fun of excavating the bones, it also then allowed Freddy to build the models, which are now on display in his bedroom. The set also includes some dinosaur fact cards and an informative instruction booklet, which explains about fossils, giving some scientific background to the toy.

Find out more about this exciting toy brand at Clementoni.com.

All Aboard the Dinosaur Train

On Monday, the brand new show Jim Henson's Dinosaur Train airs on Nick Jr in the UK.  Dinosaur Train is set in a whimsically realistic pre-historic world of jungles, swamps and volcanoes.  The show stars Buddy, a little T-Rex whose egg accidentally ended up in a Pteranodon's nest.  Adopted and loved, as one of the Pteranodon family, Buddy goes in search of his species, helped by his Mum and his siblings Shiny, Tiny and Don.  Buddy is intelligent, curious and questions the world around him.

Image from Nick Jr

Together, the family rides the Dinosaur Train in search of answers to Buddy's questions.  Buddy comes up with a hypothesis and with help from the conductor, his mum, other passengers on the train and the dinosaurs he meets at their destination, Buddy discovers answers and explores his ideas.  They have fun adventures as they explore different species of dinosaur and learn about their lives, similarities and differences.  The train can travel anywhere and anywhen!

This programme is aimed at 3-6 year olds and is really educational.  Made in conjunction with palaeontologists, science teachers and early years' education experts, it does not patronise little ones.  Instead it encourages scientific thinking and an interest in natural science.

We have had a sneaky peek at the first two episodes of the series.  I have to admit, I learned some things that I didn't know about dinosaurs!!  Have you heard of a Stygimoloch?? Freddy enjoyed the antics of the Pteranodon triplets and their adopted T-Rex brother.  The theme tune is really catchy and the animation is appealing.  This show revolutionizes how children learn about dinosaurs with detailed science delivered perfectly for kids!

Jurassic Park Comes to Chester

If you are able to visit Chester Zoo between now and October 8th, you are in for a pre-historic treat with the Dinosaurs at Large exhibition.  Life size, animatronic models bring to life these magnificent beasts who roar, swish their tails and shake their heads!  Here are my photos of some of the dinosaurs on display....seriously...they were so cool!

I remember as a child going to a museum in London for a dinosaur exhibition.  I recall being so disappointed by the flat, lifeless models on display.  I was expecting so much more.  The dinosaurs at Chester Zoo are exactly how I wanted the dinosaurs to be when I was a child.  The sound, movement and realism were spot on.  Both me and Ian were a bit excited by the display!

If you are considering any days out for the Summer Holidays, I'd definitely recommend Chester Zoo and the Dinosaurs at Large exhibit!