Arts and Crafts Corner - Homemade 'Moon Sand'

May has been unseasonably miserable, with a ridiculous amount of rain, so when you can't even guarantee a dry day this summer, what do you do with the kids?

You make 'Moon Sand'!




'Moon Sand' is a mouldable play sand, think wet sand at the beach, that doesn't dry out and is always re-mouldable.

The children can help you make this, it only requires 2 ingredients, which most people will already have available to them in their homes right now!

Ingredients

5 cups of Plain/All Purpose Flour
1 cup of Baby Oil

Method

Bung it all in a bowl and mix until it forms a silky bread crumb like mixture.





Couldn't be simpler, right?

Now have fun building and moulding with your children!

Hair Bear Bunch: Style of the week!

This weeks hairstyle is super easy and cute.

All three of my daughters regularly ask for this hairstyle. And it gives gorgeous relaxed wavey curls to their hair the next day!

This is a 'High Pony, with 4 Spiral Twists'

Monkey Music Charity Single

On the 18th of May 2012, pre school music group, Monkey Music, are releasing their charity single titled "The Day is Here" in aid of Nordoff Robins, a national music charity dedicated to transforming the lives of vulnerable children and adults across the UK.
To find out more about the Nordoff Robins charity and what they are all about, you can click here.

Monkey Music is a pre school music group who cater for children aged 3 months to 4 years, check out their website and see if they have a group near you.

Taken from the Monkey Music website:

"Monkey Music has recorded a special song to celebrate the amazing summer of sport ahead! Performed by children and written especially for Monkey Music families, our fundraising charity song, 'The Day is Here!', tells the exciting story of a running race. The song will provide a sporting musical interlude during our classes and by selling the song online, we also aim to raise money for our charity partner, Nordoff Robbins.

Nordoff Robbins is a national specialist music charity, delivering 50,000 music therapy sessions a year to a broad range of people in schools, hospitals, care homes and prisons across the UK. They help people with a range of challenges including autism, dementia, mental health problems, stroke, brain injury, learning difficulties, depression and in some cases clients have threatening or terminal illness, such as cancer.

Both Monkey Music and Nordoff Robbins offer children fresh opportunities and life changing experiences through music. We believe that by working together we can raise awareness of the benefits of music for everyone."

You can find out more about Monkey Music, and download "The Day is Here" charity single, from May 18th, here.

Meal Plan Monday! - 14/05/2012

Welcome to the start of yet another week.
After a blissfully dry and sunny weekend, we are back to the standard grey, wet and cold weather that we are all too used to here in Blighty!
This weeks menu is as follows:
Monday: Sausage and Pea Rossotto
Tuesday: Jacket Potatoes
Wednesday: Vegetable Casserole with Herby Dumplings
Thursday: *Chicken and Tomato Couscous
Friday: Cod and homemade chips
Saturday: Cheese and Tomato Pasta Bake
Sunday: *Chicken Roast Dinner

* denotes cooking double quantities to save time in the kitchen for another meal.

Baking: Vanilla and Strawberry Cupcakes.

What are you cooking this week?

Silent Sunday