Mini Weekend Box Review

Mini Weekend Box review and a chance to try for FREE!

We were really excited to be asked to review the Mini Weekend Box from the Weekend Box Club. Like most kids I love getting post so was really excited to get home from football and find a package waiting for me!

 

These brightly coloured boxes look like fun right from the moment they arrive through your letter box and we enjoyed opening it up and seeing what was in store for us.

The Mini Boxes contain two activities from a selection of four choices-

* Something to make
* Something to bake
* Something to explore
* Something green

The mini Box was perfect for one child to do the activities with a little help but we used a bit of teamwork and did the activities between the two of us and still really enjoyed it. At just £4.95 a box though it wouldn't be impossible for each of us to have one in the future or we can upgrade to the bumper box which has four different activities for £7.50.

The boxes come with a theme that all the activities follow which means they tie in nicely together and that you learn something new whilst still having fun. Our theme for the weekend was 'The Rainforest' and the box had something to make and something green as well as facts, stickers and colouring.

We had a parrot mask to make and for this project we had all the materials we needed (and enough left over to make a second mask). The people at the Weekend Box Club had literally thought of everything including the glue! The directions were really easy to follow but there was also space for you to add your own individual arty touches which was great when making more than one mask.

              

We then had the chance to plant our own rainforest which I was really looking forward to (normally we don't have much luck with things we grow so this was going to be interesting!) Once again they had covered all bases- we just had to find a small drinks bottle to cut but everything else was supplied. The bottle was where I needed a bit of help as it was quite tricky to cut but the rest was again very easy to follow. We had a little disk of compost which we added water to and watched it expand and then there was a little trick of using a piece of string to suck up the water before we added the seeds! We did have a few days of disappointment thinking nothing was happen and then all of a sudden the seeds have started to grow...we can't wait to see what our rainforest ends up like!

We really enjoyed trialing the Mini Weekend Box and would definitely look at ordering them again- the great thing is you can choose how often you have them and also stop them if you want a break or if you are going on holiday. I would love to try one with a baking activity next time as I would like to see how that comes delivered and what you can make but I really liked the activities we had and would recommend this for children age 4 upwards with adult help or 6 upwards to do more independently- although part of the fun for us was doing the activities together as a family.

If you would like to try one of these fun boxes for FREE visit the Weekend Box Club here and enter code CATHERINE311 to receive your first box free.

Note from Mum

I was impressed with the boxes and found them to be very well organised, good fun and a really nice way to spend some time with the kids at the weekend- having the activities ready planned encourages you to make sure you set aside the time to enjoy them with the children rather than just vaguely planning to and then realising the weekend has slipped away yet again. Surprisingly -considering the fact that I am being especially frugal at the moment I do feel these are good value for money and will be looking to sign up for our own delivery which I know the kids will love.

Yummy no cook double chocolate nutty cereal bars

Yummy no cook double chocolate nutty cereal bars

We have been experimenting with lots of cereal bar recipes recently and after trying lots of different adjustments have found one we all really like. These yummy bars are very filling and are perfect for a quick breakfast or mid morning snack and ideal for an after football treat.

Try them yourself and see what you think!

Ingredients

220g honey

120g peanut butter

50g light brown sugar

50g cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon of salt

170g stoneground oats

40g rice crispies

80g of white chocolate chips

Method

* Grease and line an 18 x 18 baking tray.

* Add the honey, peanut butter and sugar to a non metallic heat proof bowl and microwave on full for one minute

* Stir and heat for a further 90 seconds

* Stir again and whisk in vanilla, salt and cocoa

* Add the oats stirring all the time.

* Slowly add the rice crispies until all absorbed

* Add three quarters of the chocolate chips

* Press the mix down into the baking tray

* Sprinkle with the remaining chocolate chips and press down

* Refrigerate for at least 3 hours and then cut into bars

* The bars can then be wrapped individually for use through the week if you can resist eating them straight away!

What Pet Should I Get? Dr Seuss Book Review

What Pet Should I Get? Dr Seuss Book Review

We are huge fans of Dr Seuss in this house so we were very excited to hear there was a book out that we hadn't yet come across.

What Pet Should I Get? Has been discovered as one of Dr Seuss' many 'works-in-progress' and has recently been published. This is a real treat for Dr Seuss fans of any age and is just as good as any of the others.

This is a lovely story about two children, a brother and sister, who go to the pet shop excited because they are allowed to chose a pet all of their own- it is a good lesson  for small children (especially ones like my sister who always says 'I can't decide') because it is all about making your mind up. Just like many Dr Seuss stories there is a little twist in the end and that means you get to put your own spin on the book. 

Lottie took this book to share with her class (all age 4 and 5) and they really liked it. The story is really good for this age group, it is in the well known rhyming style of Dr Seuss and they all liked the pictures too. She said it gave them lots to talk about when the teacher had finished reading and they all had favourite pets that they wished the children would pick. I think this is a great book for children age 3 upwards - it is perfect as soon as they are able to sit down long enough to listen to a story and enjoy the rhyming style and it will appeal to Dr Seuss fans of ages.

I also really enjoyed reading the publishers notes at the back of the book which gave lots of interesting details about how the book came to be found and where the illustrations were from.

You can buy a copy of this lovely book here