World Series STARE OFF Official Game takes staring competitions to the next level with two headbands and poles for an official game along with a blocking screen, red card, distraction cards and a rule sheet. It’s great fun for all the family and for all ages – anyone can join in and it’s great that young can fairly compete against those older than them.
The essential parts of a the game include a three piece pole and two head pieces that attach to each end. The pole can be shortened by removing a section of the pole and you do this as you move through the rounds.
You randomly draw names to choose the first two players to have a match and pick someone to be the referee who will do a countdown to start and also shout ‘Blinker’ and show the red card when a player has blinked. This ends each round and players move onto the next one to see who wins the match (first player to win two rounds).
There’s also a blocking screen which you hang from the centre of the pole before each game so that the participants can prepare. The referee removes this on the countdown to start.
An added fun part to the Stare Off game are the distraction cards. Each player picks one at the start of the match and can use it in any round of their choice to try and distract their opponent. These are a really fun and interactive part of the game. My children thought they were hilarious and certainly gave us all the giggles.
You have to do what’s on the card and it can be anything from ‘Meow like a cat wanting food’, ‘Smile a crazy smile’ or ‘Recite your favourite nursery rhyme’.
There are a few rules to follow in the instructions which help you set out guidelines for the Stare Off game, although we did pick and choose these a little as we played, the kids decided that they wanted to use a distraction card in every round as added to the fun. But with a game like this you can be flexible and make it suit your situation.
Overall we think Stare Off is a fun game that would be ideal for family gatherings or parties. We can’t wait to play this at Christmas when family come over and my kids are already eager to challenge their cousins to a few staring contests when they visit. It’s a simple but fun and certainly has the entertainment factor when a group of people are around. I imagine it would make a good drinking game too if you wanted to add a bit of fun to a social night with adult friends.
Will you be adding Stare Off to Santa’s sack this year?
All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions. We are not paid for reviews although we do receive the product to try out and enable us to write the review.
Ace for Colours Powder is your perfect friend for when it comes to refreshing your Winter wardrobe. If you are anything like me you stash your Winter attire in storage bags under your bed or let it fester at the back of wardrobe until the long, sunny days are over. Then when you go to retrieve that warm, cosy cardigan or long, dark trousers for work, you find they are looking a little neglected and unloved.
This is where Ace for Colours Powder comes in by simply adding two spoonfuls in addition to your usual detergent in the machine to give your clothes a refresh, remove any marks and stains and leave them smelling great. It really gives a boost to your clothes and is an ideal way to pep them up for the Winter months.
My Winter work wardrobe isn’t the most exciting of colours but it’s what I prefer to stick to for the office after wearing brighter clothes during the Summer months. I find running these through the wash with some added Ace for Colours Powders really does make them smell and look good after Winter storage and I feel ready to wear them again. It also removes any little marks that they had and leaves them refreshed.
Although I have a few brights, it’s the children’s wardrobes that are full of bright coloured t-shirts that they wear all year around as well as red school jumpers which need to be kept looking fresh and new. In fact I found a whole rainbow of colours in the washing this week which I gave a little boost with some added Ace for Colours Powder in the washing machine. It’s left them looking really colourful and fresh – a great way to revive clothes to ensure they look their best for longer.
Reasons to use ACE:
A – Active – ACE makes life easier by gently removing stains in your wash
C – Colourful – ACE keeps clothes brighter and cleaner meaning they last for longer
E – Eco friendly – ACE comes in a fully recyclable Tetra pak
I find that you don’t need to use it in every wash but if you use it every few washes or if you want to boost some clothes that haven’t been worn for a while then it’s worth adding a couple of spoonfuls to your wash. I love the fragrance too, so it will leave your clothes smelling Spring fresh despite it being cold, dark and drizzly outside.
If you want to give Ace for Colours Powder a try then it should be available in Morrison’s Supermarkets or online from Amazon – give your wardrobe the refresh that it deserves!
This post is an entry for the BritMums #ACEWinterRefresh Challenge, sponsored by ACE for Colours Powder. Get help for all kinds of stains with the ACE Stain Helper http://www.acecleanuk.co.uk/and pick up the range at your nearest Morrison’s store or buy online on Amazon.
Clock it! is a new game from Ideal Games this year that is fast paced and fun for all the family. Aimed at ages 8+, although I think slightly younger could easily join in if they are keen, this is actually a game that is fun for all ages the family. It’s basically a guessing game in which players have to guess what one player is either describing, drawing or miming – but remember you are against the clock – how many can you guess before the alarm sounds?
The game consists of:
1 Clock It! light up alarm clock (this does require 3 AAA batteries)
1 key
80 double sided challenge cards
Clock It clock shaped board
1 wipe clean drawing board
1 wipe board pen
The first job is to put the batteries in the clock which does require a screwdriver, don’t they all these days! And you obviously need to have the batteries but if you are a family household like mine, we have a permanent stash for any toy or gadget that enters the house and requires batteries.
The Clock it! clock although looks a little basic at first, is actually what adds all the fun to the game and is quite clever in the way that it works. You can select various modes on the back using the key, either just drawing, just describing, just miming or a combo of all three.
You control it by pressing on the yellow handle at the top and the relevant action and number light up.
Onto the game play for Clock it! of which there are number of variants depending on how many players you have and whether you want to mime, draw, describe or do a combo of all three.
Decide on a number of rounds you wish to play and see which team or individual wins the most. Firstly you need to set the cards out around the clock it board. The cards are double sided, one side with a word of an item, the other with a picture of an item. You can either stick to one or do a mix of both. Then place twelve cards around the clock, one by each number.
One player is picked to be the first describer and they take control of the clock and need to hide the front from the other players so they don’t see what number the describer is performing. A top tip in the instructions is that the describer and the people guessing are sat at opposite sides of the table – we found this worked really well!
Once you’ve guessed correctly, you take that card away from the clock and the describer presses the handle down to give them another number to describe. Play continues until you have either guessed all twelve cards or the alarm bells sound so the quicker you are the more cards you can collect.
The timer clock with it’s ticking sounds and alarm bells really add excitement and fun to the game, keeping everyone on their toes during play. Once the round has ended you move onto another player or team to be the describer until your desired amount of rounds has ended when you can declare the ultimate winner!
Our pro’s for the Clock it! game:
If you like charades style games then this is perfect for you whether you are acting, drawing or describing
The alarm clock adds so much excitement and tension to the game and keeps everyone on their toes.
The bright coloured cards are eye catching and engaging and with 160 different objects you rarely see a repeat within a round of games
There are many variants of the game to keep interest and change up the way you play
It’s a game for all ages and can be played with just 2-3 people or 2 larger teams
Perfect for Christmas, parties or just all round family weekend fun
All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions. We are not paid for reviews although we do receive the product to try out and enable us to write the review.
The Melissa & Doug Deluxe Magic Set available from Hello Direct website is a really fabulous wooden set suitable for the ages of 8+. It’s a case of what you see is what you get, no excessive packaging, no plastic pieces, a beautifully crafted wooden magician’s box that contains ten classic tricks and illusions. With a bit of fine motor skills practice, you will soon have a little magical performer in the recipient of this wonderful toy.
The tricks can all be stored in the box when not in use which is really handy.
Tricks and illusions included are:
Disappearing ball
Magic coin box
Secret silks
Great escape
Magic number prediction
Money maker
Egyptian prediction
Vanishing zone
Cylinder squeeze
Vanishing coin
I love that the wooden storage box for the Melissa & Doug Deluxe Magic Set doubles up as a magicians stage as well to perform all of your magic from and gives you a place to hide your tricks and conceal your hand movements as you prepare them.
I also love the presentation of the instruction sheet.
On to the magic tricks and I think just by looking at the picture you can tell that these are all well made and sturdy due to them being made of wood. They are all painted with bright, fun designs to really help make your magic come to life. My boy who is 8 was immediately struck with all the pieces and couldn’t wait to turn himself into a magician.
The Vanishing Coin trick and the Secret Silks where big hits with my little boy and he couldn’t wait to show everyone once he’d learnt how to do them. Having such well thought out pieces in the Melissa & Doug Deluxe Magic Set makes the tricks look really effective and the bright colours help make the show realistic and magical.
We found the instructions easy to follow and once you understand how a magic trick works it’s just a case of perfecting your moves to make your audience really believe in the illusion you are performing.
One of my boy’s favourite illusions was the Vanishing Zone, in which he passed his magic wand and attached scarf but we couldn’t actually see it when it went through the middle of the box – amazing!
I can honestly say I was very impressed with the Melissa & Doug Deluxe Magic Set. I love that it’s made of wood, the pieces are sturdy and help create a really entertaining magic show. My boy is currently practicing all of the tricks to do a big magic show for relatives next time they visit and I can’t wait to watch it.
If you are looking for a gift for a child of 8+, then I think this is brilliant and one that will last. It’s well worth checking out the Hello Direct website as they cover a vast array of baby and children brands such as Melissa & doug, Casdon, Brio, Fisher Price, Hauck, Hape to name just a few!
All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions. We are not paid for reviews although we do receive the product to try out and enable us to write the review.
Dough Nab is a fun new game from Ginger Fox based around doughnuts! It is essentially a card game with some fun props that can be enjoyed by all the family, with a suggested minimum age of 8 years.
The game comes with:
60 doughnut shaped cards
3 doughnut playing pieces
turn tracker
head baker winner’s hat
rule sheet
We played as a family including my two children age 11 and 8 who both love playing games and were super excited at the prospect of a doughnut themed game. The large, durable doughnut playing pieces particularly appealed to them and they couldn’t wait to get started.
In each round the players are dealt 10 doughnut shaped cards with the large doughnut playing pieces sitting in the centre of the table. You then take it in turn to turn over a card and this is repeated around the table with all your eyes on the upturned cards and as soon as you spot certain things you step into action. For example if you can see 3 cards of the same coloured doughnut then you all race to grab the same colour doughnut from the centre. The first person to get it can then offload their ‘nab pile’ of discarded cards onto another player.
The object of the Dough Nab game is to get rid of your cards so the more on the ball and observant you are, the better chance you have to win. Other than the three main colour doughnut cards there are cards with different meanings such as a galaxy covered doughnut that represents any colour so helps you to find a full colour set even quicker. Then there’s the crumbs cards which simply mean you are unable to grab a doughnut if a colour set comes up in the cards. You then also have NAB! and DON’T NAB! cards to add extra fun into the game.
We found the game to be fast paced and the children loved it. We found it easier to play and work out some of the rules as we went along and probably played slightly our own version of it but Dough Nab was definitely a game that we all enjoyed and the kids asked to play it again and again.
The lucky winner of each game get’s to wear a baker’s hat!
The Dough Nab game by Ginger Fox is available from Debenhams and would make an ideal present under the tree this Christmas for fun and games over the festive period. A game for all to join in, the more the merrier up to 6 players for an entertaining and competitive bit of fun – who will get rid of their Dough Nab pile first?
All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions. We are not paid for reviews although we do receive the product to try out and enable us to write the review.
Plantpal automatic watering systems are really handy throughout the year but particularly in warmer weather and especially for times when you go away. The bonus with these is that you know that your plants will be watered as and when is needed during your absence to ensure they stay alive and in optimum condition. The range of products available are suitable all year round and the perfect gift for all plant lovers.
Plantpal 3 Watering Globes come in three bright translucent colours that really brighten up your plant pots and allow you to see how much water is left in them at the same time. I think they are fantastic from what I have seen so far and they are so easy to use. You simply unscrew the cone, fill the ball with water, screw the base on again and then poke into the soil of the plant you want watered.
I’m currently trying the globes out in three of my different house plants and it’s really interesting to see how much water each of them need. I also love seeing the bright coloured balls in the plant pots, adding both a decorative and functional purpose. Suitable for use in 15-23cm pots and with the ability to water plants for up to 2 weeks I think these are a fantastic idea that saves both time in your normal daily routine and a handy helper when you are away from home.
Another great product in the range is the Plantpal Watering System which is a cleverly designed water tank to fit inside a curved plant pot and is made in such a way that the water is regulated as it comes out of the container with a capillary wick that sits on the bottom of the pot. I have the perfect pot for this sitting on my decking with a Fuschia plant in that I’m trying to grow so really want to make sure it doesn’t dry out. We have had to lift the plant out to place the tank inside the pot then gently put the plant back in – ideally do this when you are first placing the plant in a pot or repotting it. Just leave the water level indicator and filler hole visible and you know you only have to top it up every couple of weeks as required.
If you love the look of these then I have a fantastic giveaway to win a selection of Plantpal self-watering planters to help keep your plants irrigated for up to 2 weeks.
All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions. We are not paid for reviews although we do receive the product to try out and enable us to write the review.
If you are looking for a fun day out for the kids this Summer then I can highly recommend Diggerland Devon as a thoroughly fun and entertaining place that will keep the children occupied throughout the day. I took my daughter age 11 and son age 8 and found they were both of the optimum age to enjoy the majority of rides, even driving solo which was amazing although there was plenty going on for younger ones too!
With four Diggerland parks located across the UK, from Devon to Durham, Yorkshire to Kent there’s somewhere for everyone to visit across the country. With the Devon park just a 70 minute drive for us, we arrived for the 10am opening on a fabulously sunny day.
Top Tip: Don’t forget your suncream if it’s a sunny day as you will be outside for the majority, if not all of you time in the park !
After passing through the Diggerland reception and onto the main park layout we first came across some smaller style but real life diggers that have really fun games attached to them. Providing you are the minimum height even fairly young children can control these and you can sit there playing Hook a Duck, Skittles or search for Buried Treasure.
Here they are playing Dippy Duck,
And when it came to skittles, it was a game of fastest first!
Or if you really want to get stuck in, how about jumping on board a JCB digger and digging up piles and piles of mud! My two both had fun controlling these for a while.
For a bit of fun the family can all enjoy at the same time is the Groundshuttle where you sit in a special carriage on the front of a JCB Teleporter and get bumped and elevated as it drives around an uneven course raising you a little higher every now and again.
The Mini Tractors were an instant hit with my two as they could physically drive these by themselves around the track. Miss M was fairly good but I went in the back of Mister B’s drive and I think he managed to hit every bump along the track, but it was all good fun and they loved being in control of a vehicle.
Joyrider, a Diggerland Police 4WD SUV was an amazing opportunity for the children where they got to sit in the driver’s seat and drive around the small course, twisting and turning their way behind the wheel.
Continuing on the kids self drive theme are the Dumper Trucks which have a good size muddy track to drive around. I have to be honest I was surprised that they are allowed to drive these on their own subject to minimum height restrictions but my 8yr old did brilliantly – I think it’s a fantastic opportunity for them. Even if your child is below the required height or perhaps just a toddler, they can always travel around on your lap so everyone gets a chance to ride around.
Although if you think that looked cool, apparently these JCB Robots are the best! Absolutely awesome to drive over the bumpy, muddy course, these were definitely a winner with my two and I have to say we returned to them many times over the day.
A big highlight of Diggerland is Spindizzy a ride not for the faint hearted as you take a secure seat in the bucket of this digger and get spun around high up in the air. To keep you on your toes it suddenly stops every now and again before starting to spin in the alternative direction.
One of my personal favourites is the Skyshuttle, a JCB that extends 50 feet into the air giving you amazing views across the entire park.
Stack Attack was a fun but challenging ride in which you drive about in your own digger trying to move tyres from one stack to another. This is something my 8yr old, 11yr old and my husband all enjoyed having a go of several times across the day.
What I love about Diggerland is that there is something for everyone, whether your child is younger or older, you know that they can sit on your lap on some rides or depending on height can drive diggers independently which is a pretty cool thing to do.
For the younger guests there are Mini Landrovers which my boy just managed to sneak into being on the borderline height (but he loved them!). Further to that for toddlers is the most amazing Little Tikes area – I have to say I was super impressed with this area, there were far more vehicles than my photo shows but for little ones it’s pretty amazing. On top of that is a sand pit literally packed with little play diggers – for my boy a few years ago this would have been paradise!
As well as the above you have an indoor play area complete with soft play and bouncy slides but we didn’t even venture inside there is so much to do outside which is where my children would rather be.
There is also an extensive outdoor play area with picnic tables and a large grass area, ideal for a lunchtime break from digging!
I’ve left one of the little hidden gems until last – Crazy Carts were in the top 3 rides for my children. They are little electric carts that little whizz across the metal surface allowing you to do crazy spins. My children found them so much fun and we ventured over to them multiple times during the day so that they could have another go, a ride that could easily be missed so if you do go to Diggerland, be sure to check these out!
I think you can tell my children thoroughly enjoyed their day at Diggerland Devon. It is packed with rides that are unique and thoroughly entertaining giving children some fantastic and different opportunities. I also found the park really clean and tidy and being in the countryside it had a peaceful atmosphere. We did get the perfect sunny weather for being there which helped make it a fantastic family day out but it is definitely somewhere that I would recommend visiting with children as I’m sure that would love it as much as my two did!
All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions. We are not paid for reviews although we do receive the product to try out and enable us to write the review.
With one of the top toy trends at the moment being slime related, the Glam Goo Deluxe Slime set was sure to get a positive first impression from my daughter so I was keen for her to try it out and give me her views. The set comes boxed featuring a good sized glitter plastic handbag with sections inside to store all of your fantastic slime creations in.
The set contains:
Glitter storage handbag
Double finger storage ring
Pot of Glam Goo (clear slime)
3 pots of mixed glitter – Cloud Crunch, Daydreams, and Unicorn Tears
2 colours – Electric Blue and Pinky Promise
1 scent – Violet Vibe
1 mixing spoon
So essentially you have a large pot of clear slime and you are free to make any creation you wish with it using the glitters, colours and scent although there are some suggestions of combinations to follow on the included instruction sheet,
The three glitters are all really pretty and themed with different shaped pieces and shiny colour combinations. There are two pots of iridescent powder colours and some lilac scent to add a fragrance to your glitter.
As you can imagine my 11yr old was super eager to get started and began by giving the entire pot of slime a good knead to soften and stretch which she thoroughly enjoyed and found very therapeutic.
It was then time to get creative with the Glam Goo and add the glitters, scent and powder colours to make various different combinations which you can store in the ten compartments of the glitter storage handbag. Miss M really enjoyed this part and came up with an array of pink, blue & lilac slimes with different glitter combinations in each one.
There really are numerous possibilities and you can change and add to them later on. Miss M found that some her colours were quite pale at first so when she got them out to play with the next time she added more colour pigment or some extra glitter to make them more vibrant.
I think the storage case is a brilliant idea and something my daughter really loved. It enables you to store the slime safely and the sections mean that your different combinations don’t get mixed up. You can even store some slime in the heart compartment on the front of the Glam Goo bag.
One thing my daughter loved was how the slime settled and spread out evenly in the sections when it was left alone and she found it pleasant to pick up and play with again at anytime. It’s non sticky, very stretchy and has a great texture that you can pull, break, roll and stick back together again.
The ultimate fun of the Glam Goo Deluxe set though has to be how portable your slime is. You can carry it around in its fun storage case with over the shoulder strap and play with it at your leisure anywhere you go.
This set is an absolute winner with my daughter, she loves everything about it, from making the slime, playing with the slime and carrying it around with her. Glam Goo Deluxe set has our seal of approval and I think that it’s non sticky texture and secure storage make it a great gift for girls!
All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions and we received the product in order to write an honest review.
The Anker Soundcore Icon Bluetooth Speaker combines great quality, great sound and great durability! Quite a lot packed into small size speaker but for the current Amazon price point of £54.99 I really do think this speaker packs in a ton of features that make it perfect for those on the go, inside or outside making it the perfect speaker to take with you on your travelling adventures.
The best adventures always have a killer soundtrack. So when the good times start, take Icon along for the ride.
Inside the box you get the Soundcore Icon along with a micro USB charging cable and basic instruction sheet. For me it’s all about ease of use and set up – I want something I can take out of the box and find fairly simple to work and this is exactly that.
The Icon sits firmly on a solid surface with two small silicone feet on the underside while the touch function buttons are across the top.
Each charge lasts for up to 12 hours which is pretty good going and I’d say that seems pretty accurate, I tend to play music for around 2-3 hours a day and this easily lasted me 4-5 days before I needed to recharge. Once charged I simply used my phone to pair it up via Bluetooth, it found it immediately and then played my favourite tunes via Spotify. As well as the on/off button on the top of the speaker there are volume buttons and a play/forward/back button in the centre.
Design & Durability
The Soundcore Icon is a solid but fairly lightweight speaker and one thing I love about it is it’s easy to hold and carry in your hand due to its long, oval, slimline shape making it really portable. It also has a unique feature of a detachable strap making it perfect for hanging up somewhere or onto something either in the home or out and about. Again making it the perfect travel companion.
Detachable Strap
So let’s look at bit more at the detachable strap – it is incredibly strong and durable and really doesn’t feel like it will break despite you stretching it and wrapping it around things. The strap comes off of both sides of the speaker so if you happen to have a different coloured one you can always swap them around. The other benefit of owning two Icons of course is that you can pair them up for stereo sound.
The bonus of this strap is that you don’t have to find a surface to put your speaker on or you can simply carry it with you on your bag, bike etc.
If I can get few minutes peace from the children and it’s a sunny day I do like to sit outside reading a book and instead of burying my speaker among the grass I can simply hang it from a tree!
The strap has many uses such as to aid me to listen to my tunes in the shower or hang it from my kitchen window sill out the way as I cook or I even love hanging it from the bar of my Velux window in my attic to admire the glimpse of the sea I get above the rooftops – one of my peaceful places to hang out at home!
Being perfect for out and about and travelling I can hang the Icon onto my bag or pack it in my case knowing I’ll have great sounds wherever I go!
Ultimately though you don’t need to use the hook, you can simply sit the Soundcore Icon on the side of your bath while you have a soak, because if it did happen to fall in – you know you are safe as it is fully waterproof with an IP67 rating!! This does also mean it’s protected from dust and dirt so wherever you are you know it’s safe wherever it is.
Final Opinion
For me this is a great speaker to move around or carry around a lot for two reasons, it’s durability and portability. Soundwise – I personally think it sounds great for the size and compared to another branded portable speaker of similar spec that I own, they sound pretty much the same, although the other speaker cost twice the price of the Icon. I look forward to taking this away with me on weekend trips and our family Summer adventure in Europe later this year knowing that we can have music wherever we are, whether that be beside the pool, on the beach or having a picnic in the country. Knowing that the Soundcore Icon will be safe and is tough enough for anything my kids will put it through, makes it the ideal on the go speaker for me and my family!
All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions and we received the product in order to write an honest review.
With the warmer weather and drier days upon us it’s great to get the children outdoors and enjoying the fresh air. When at home it’s good to have things to encourage them to go out in the garden away from technology and Addo Play have an Out and About range of simple garden toys that are great value for money and can be played both in the garden or taken out with you to the park, beach etc. All toys are available from The Entertainer toy shop.
We were sent a few items from the range to try out:
The Mini Soccer Goal is actually a really lovely set for young budding footballers. I’d say this is more aimed at younger players although I’m surprised at how much fun my two children have had playing with this. It comes as a set which includes push together poles and corner pieces, anchor pegs, a small football and pump.
My children have had so much fun with this over the last couple of weeks. My 8yr old isn’t a huge football player at school but really enjoyed kicking the ball into the goal himself – a great way for him to keep occupied and moving about outside. He also played with his football mad sister and they created little obstacle games to play to get the ball into the goal. They’ve literally had this out everyday that it’s been dry and sunny in the garden which is great to see.
Next up is the Racket Set which comes with two rackets, a ball and a shuttlecock.
I like that this comes with two ways to play, either ball or shuttlecock and the bats themselves look really nice with a soft padded handle. My children got stuck in straight away with these playing along the garden. I actually think these would be great to take on holidays for either an open space at the beach or a park – a great activity that adults can join in too for a bit of family outdoor fun!
Finally we tried out the Baseball Bat & Ball set which was a surprising hit. I wasn’t sure how much they would play with this but it’s actually been a fantastic addition to our garden games collection.
The children used the bat to create a mini game of rounders in the garden. They put some cones down as markers, asked daddy and me to join in and we played our own little version of rounders, trying to run around the cones before the others got our ball back to one of the bases.
Whilst playing on their own they just practiced bowling the ball and improving their batting technique!
Overall these garden games are great value for money and simple sports that children will enjoy and keep them active.
