I am not much of a TV addict, I love films, but it takes a special TV programme to maintain my interest. This summer however I have been engrossed in the new Netflix series Stranger Things. TV has changed a lot in recent years, especially for Netflix fans. Previously you would wait from week to week to find out what happened, now you wait 15 seconds for the next episode to play. I’d heard a few things about Stranger Things and seen a few trailers which caught my interest and decided to give it a go. I was not disappointed and watched the whole 8 episodes in the course of 3 days. A bit of background: On November 6, 1983 in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, 12-year-old Will Byers vanishes mysteriously. Will's frantic mother, Joyce, searches for him while Police Chief Jim Hopper launches his own investigation. Will's friends Dustin, Mike and Lucas discover a psychokinetic girl who claims to know Will's location. As they uncover the truth, a sinister government agency tries to cover it up, while a more insidious force lurks below the surface. Credit: Wikipedia I would describe it as The Goonies v Alien and that in part explains some of its success. It manages to create nostalgia for all your favourite children’s 80’s films such as the Goonies, E.T. and Stand by Me but with the mature themes of 80’s horror classics such as Alien, The Thing and Poltergeist. The cast is phenomenal in their performances, from the child actors to the performances by Winona Ryder as Will’s mum Joyce and David Harbour as Jim Hopper the town sheriff. The soundtrack also deserves a special mention. Just like the constant references to 80’s life in the show, the soundtrack also takes you back to the 80’s with its blend of synthesiser and songs like The Clash – Should I Stay or Should I Go. This a true modern classic and is certainly up there with True Detective and Lost. If you have fond memories of the 80’s, then this show will take you back. If you’re intrigued, then here’s the first 8 minutes to get you hooked: You can sign up for a Netflix 1 month free trial at Netflix and the great news is that the show has been approved for a second season to premiere in 2017
. When you’ve watched the show, let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
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My little boys are currently interested in all things aquatic. With the release of Finding Dory at cinemas this summer, they have obviously been caught up in the excitement of fish. My eldest son has always enjoyed Finding Nemo and the Octonauts and my youngest has now jumped on the bandwagon and thinks all things in water are either FISH or NEMO! So we thought it would be an ideal time to visit the Sea Life Centre at Birmingham. The Sea Life Centre have a number of Finding Dory themed events and are showing Octonauts in the 4D cinema; when we told the boys they were already excited before we even arrived. When we got out the car our eldest did the 'I'm excited/need a wee' dance, luckily he was just excited. From start to finish it was an exciting day for both boys and they did not stop running from one display to the next. In fact, I couldn’t take as many pictures as I would have liked because our little one was running off everywhere. As you enter the centre the first display is the Gentoo Penguins who look like cheeky chappies and were enjoying their feeding time as we arrived. At some of the areas around the centre there are advisors on hand giving creature talks about the fish. The advisor at the clown fish exhibit was giving lots of information and facts for the children and linking it to Finding Nemo. There are lots of mini activities to keep your little ones busy on their journey around the centre; they can collect stamps from various stations at each of the exhibits or spot Hank from Finding Dory to collect letters to spell a word on the Finding Dory interactive trail. Both boys loved running around looking at the fish and navigating some of the tunnels and viewing pods to get a closer look. Our eldest son’s favourite part was watching the Octonauts adventure in the 4D Cinema. He said he enjoyed ‘getting wet’. The 4D cinema is showing Octonauts: Amazon Adventure which uses 3D glasses, vibrating chairs and splashes of water to immerse you in the action. About half way around the Sea Life Centre there is an activity room which was providing badges and colouring for the children. Both boys enjoyed colouring in the Finding Dory pictures and our eldest had a go at the Finding Dory dot to dot sheets. The room allowed a little rest after spending a fair amount of time running after our little one. Both boys loved watching the Sharks and Rays in the underwater tunnel. The turtles were also popular, although they were a little disappointed there were no Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
At the end of our journey was a little soft play area which the boys loved climbing and exploring. Finally, we entered the shop which had lots of aquatic themed toys, books and accessories. It was no surprise that both boys chose Finding Dory related items as their treat. Some of the highlights of the day included:
After our visit there was an abundance of restaurants nearby for us to get some lunch. Our boys loved their visit to the Sea Life Centre in Birmingham and with all the Finding Dory related events they were thoroughly engaged and entertained for the duration of the visit. Our boys are 1 ½ and 3, it was an ideal day for them and made them even more excited about all things fish. Check out their website for more information and buy online tickets at up to 40% off at: https://www.visitsealife.com/birmingham/ We received free entry to the Sea Life Centre on the basis of providing an honest review. We’ve been camping a few times with our little ones and they love it. I would definitely recommend it for kids 1 year and up, but maybe not for more than 2 or 3 nights initially. Here’s a few tips for camping with kids and toddlers. Camping is a great budget choice holiday if you want to get away with your little ones. There is a choice of sites all over the UK and if you’re feeling adventurous you could even venture to Europe. I have lots of fond memories camping with my parents and brother as a kid in Derbyshire, Dorset and Wales. I hope my boys have the same fond memories. Here’s a few tips to help you when camping with kids and toddlers, especially if it’s your first time. 1. Packing Packing the car is the first important job, if you’re a former Tetris grandmaster then you are just about ready to take on this challenge. My tip for packing is to pack the biggest items first and soft squishy items like pillows and blankets last. Always looks for nooks and crannies you can use, the underneath of seats is often an area forgotten by amateur packers. 2. Activities for the Car If you’re going camping, then unless you’re doing a test run in your garden first it’s likely you’ll have a car journey ahead of you. As a parent I now see how irritating I must have been as a child … ‘are we there yet?’ You can always give them your phone or a tablet but if you want to limit their technology exposure then here are a few games you can play. With our little boy we play ‘I spy something the colour of…’ and ‘I’m thinking of an animal’. I spy involves picking something you can see and giving the colour rather than the initial letter. I’m thinking of an animal involves exactly that, thinking of an animal and asking questions to guess: Does it have 4 legs? Does it have a tail?... If in doubt, make sure you take plenty of crisps and sweets and then you can feed them up in to a food-induced coma . 3. Activities for putting the Tent up Just like in the car, kids and toddlers get easily bored and therefore make sure you have some activities for them to do while you put the tent up and take it down. You could agree for one parent to take the children to the park (most campsites have one) or make sure you have some toys or games ready to play. 4. Take easy food to cook While you’re camping, unless you’re Jamie Oliver or Gordon Ramsey, you’re not going to be knocking out Michelin star level food. Make sure you take food that is easily prepared or easily re-heated. You could even make some meals prior to leaving, such as Bolognese or Chilli which can be reheated when you arrive at the campsite. 5. Sleeping – wrap up warm This isn’t the Mediterranean and as warm as it gets during the day, at night it is going to be cold even in Summer. Make sure you take blankets and thick night clothes to wear. It is much easier to take layers off and cool down than put layers on and warm up when it is cold. Camping is a great activity for kids and toddlers and I hope you find these tips useful. If you have any of your own tips to share, then comment below |
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