Category: Toddler life

Blaze and The Monster Machines: how simple toys and TV shows can spark creativity and imagination

Blaze and The Monster Machines: how simple toys and TV shows can spark creativity and imagination

Posted on by Rebecca

We all know we should be limiting screen time for our kids…. right?

Well I will be the FIRST to admit there are certain times in the day where TV is my LIFESAVER, and I am not afraid to say it. Yes I try to “limit” their screen time, but I also need my sanity. First thing in the morning, when I am too tired to think and need them to just sit in one place long enough to eat a decent bowl of oats, Saturday afternoons when I just want to try to catch a 15 minute nap and of course sometimes at those unravelling dinner times, when the only way to get them to eat is to watch something on the I-pad (we have all been there right?).

YES, my kids watch TV ! In fact it’s often on in “the background” in my house, BUT, I do monitor what they are allowed to watch VERY carefully.

We are pretty spoilt for choice in today’s world with educational shows for our children, but one of our favourites by far, has to be Blaze and the Monster Machines. As a mum, it ticks all of my STEM obsessed check lists, teaching children about Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (click here to see some of my STEM experiments). As a child it ticks off speed, cars, and crazy imaginative talking animals/vehicles.

Each of the show’s presents some sort of problem that is addressed and fixed by getting kids involved, asking the viewer’s questions directly, inviting responses. My 3-year-old has learnt about concepts such as force, acceleration and friction. He can tell you all about combustion and how an engine works. He knows about angles and trajectory. In fact, by allowing him to watch Blaze I feel like I am encouraging a future scientist in him, I certainly DO NOT worry about him watching TV.

Playing with toy trucks in a sense promotes STEM concepts as well. Toy cars roll, they crash, they race. They learn that “wheels turn” and that cars move faster when pushed downhill. It teaches them pressure, and strength, learning how hard to push a car to make it go further. By playing with the toys alongside the show, they aren’t just “learning”, they are “experiencing it”. The best way to learn is through doing.

Mattel South Africa has a great range of toys out from Blaze and the Monster Machines™. We have had great fun playing with our trucks, re-enacting scenes from Blaze with our Talking “Zeg”. Zeg “loves to race” and is a mighty dinosaur truck who loves to smash and bash. The “Talking Zeg Truck” brings to life for kids the STEM concept of sound waves. Get involved with the kids and create your own adventures.

There is a full range of Blaze Talking Vehicles available to help you and your littlies recreate Blaze’s high octane adventures at home. These monster-sized truck tires, authentic styling and lots of phrases make these talking Monster Machines a must for every Blaze fan! Perfect for recreating the amazing adventures of Blaze and the Monster Machines™, each of these freewheeling vehicles comes to life with phrases and awesome action sounds! Suitable for ages 3 plus.

Technology is here to stay, that’s a given, I won’t feel guilty about letting my children watch TV, but I can also actively get involved in their play time and be selective in the programs they watch. If I had shows that encouraged critical thinking like Blaze does when I was growing up, maybe I would have had a chance to pass physics 🙂

** We received a talking Zeg Truck to review**

Top 20 Child friendly Cafes and Restaurants in Johannesburg

Top 20 Child friendly Cafes and Restaurants in Johannesburg

Posted on by Rebecca

Its taken some time to compile this list, and many a weekend wanting to go for a lunch somewhere but wanting somewhere the boys can run and play. These are my favourite outdoor restaurants, with a play area for kids, if you are looking for more of a general list of things to do or places to go with kids in Joburg you can see my previous blog here .

Some obvious, a lot are hidden gems. Hopefully this list will make your weekends a little easier.

Top of the list we will get the most obvious out-of-the-way, the spurs and the pappachinos.

For me personally, the best two spurs in terms of play area’s for the kids are: Spur Morning Glen mall (Corner of Bowling and Rivonia) – The outside kiddie area here is lovely, with ships and aeroplanes. Grey Wolf Spur – Broadacres – Sadly both of these are not halaal, so we tend to take out kids there when we have waffles and Ice cream.

Pappachinos – Again my two personal favourites are Broadacres and Clearwater – I love the outdoor play areas for the kids and Broadacres even has a putt putt course and soccer nets.

Now for the hidden gems…

Northern Suburbs

Munch – Bryanston. There are 4 in the northern suburbs but the Bryanston branch is situated inside the Garden Shop it has a beautiful play area for kids and children can also take delight in the curious animals at the Reptile shop.

Buitengeluk – Broadacres. Set in a beautiful Cape Dutch landscape this remains one of my firm favourites in Johannesburg, with the most exquisite gardens with ponds and ducks it can also host weddings and various celebrations. Just around the back they have the most glorious play area for kids, complete with jumping castles and trampolines. You wont find a prettier place to sit admiring the gardens while your children happily play.

Ristretto – Morningside. Offers two play areas, one perfect for toddlers and a bigger kids area as well. The child minders are terrifically friendly and the pizza makes it all worth while.

The Green Garden café -The Purple Tulip . Broadacres – A haven for kids, this café is set inside a nursery and has attentive staff and a donkey cart for kids to ride on. A fun morning out whenever you choose to go.

River Café -Sandton. Closed on Mondays. One of my favourites set next to the Sandton Field and Study Centre. Endless amounts of grass for the kids to ride one of their many plastic motorbikes and the perfect patch of sand for a sand pit. It’s the perfect place to stop for a healthy breakfast after a walk in the park.

Gia’s on Montrose – Morningside. There is a jungle gym on site to keep the little ones occupied, beautiful gardens suited for any member of the family. Gia’s has been around for a while and is a firm favourite with residents in the area.

State 5 – Witkoppen road. The centre offers a wide variety for kids, with a great kids play area and lots of arts and crafts shops around it, I am never disappointed. The kids play area is better suited for younger children though.

The secret tea garden – Norscot Manor – The Secret Garden offers a quiet escape from the malls and roadside coffee shops. Beautiful manicured lawns and an impressive play park for the kids. Perfect for a Saturday or Sunday morning brunch.

The Oak Leaf Restaurant – Sandton. Set amongst large leafy trees the Oak Leaf offers a homely environment with a wonderful kiddies play area. Right in the middle of sSndton it’s a lovely escape with caring and attentive child minders.

Olive and Twist – Northriding. A great little Italian restaurant with a fantastic kids space. Children are looked after by child minders, they have a variety of educational things for the kids to do.

Johannesburg Central

Rustic café – Blairgowrie. Set in a sports ground, rustic café is not your typical sports club restaurant. It makes a mean coffee and has a perfect little jungle gym outside. If your kids are sports fans like mine it’s also the perfect place to sit back and watch a local game.

The Noisy Rooster – Rosebank. Bringing free range food right to our door step. The Noisy Rooster is set in an unassuming suburb in Rosebank. Kids can choose from a number of different jungle gyms and trampolines or choose to pet the rabbits or partake in one of their creative crafts, dress up days, or story time.

Bambanani – Melville. A bit like a pappachinos setting – Bambanani has more of a homely feel. With a fantastic ratio of child minders to child, they have a fantasy play corner, arts and crafts as well as the traditional soft play equipment.

Delta Café –Craighall Park. Closed on Mondays. A hidden gem inside Delta Park it’s a perfect spot to grab a light bit to eat while taking in the beauty of the park around you. Their friendly staff and cute little play area for the kids always bring people back in.

Johannesburg West

Tres Jolie – Ruimsig. The perfect place for some relaxation and fresh air. Sprawling gardens and pretty water features, this is definitely the place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Not only do they have a fantastic play area they also have the most perfect little farmyard where Kids can feed the animals or take a Camel ride.

256 on Smit – Fairlands. Friendly staff with a super little hairdresser and masseuse right next door this is also set in an unassuming suburb in Fairlands. The play area is cleverly designed in the middle so you can watch your little ones from pretty much anywhere. They also have an aviary and some bunnies.

iPlay – Randpark Ridge. iPlay Party Venue, Coffee shop, Toy Shop and Kiddies play area. Great child friendly restaurant with kids playground and sandpit.

 

Johannesburg East/ South

A Churrasqueira Alberton. Fantastic Portuguese restaurant in the south. They can get a little busy which can leave you calling for your waiter but the fantastic kids play area and the fact that kids can make their own pizza, make up for it.

Two Trees Bakery – Klipriversberg. Ive yet to come across a place with as much Jungle Gym equipment for kids as Two trees do. They have zip lines catering to both older and younger kids and brilliant big seat swings for the whole family to swing in. Kids can decorate gingerbread cookies as well.

Kiddilicious – Bedfordview. So much more than just a café. Kiddilicious offers a great little café, country-style play areas, a party venue as well as a mother and baby wellness clinic.

 

Do you have any other places you would recommend? Id love to hear from you and your suggestions or feedback. For a full list of places to go with activities for kids you can see my previous post here.

Picky eaters – 6 hidden vegetable meals to put your mind at ease

Picky eaters – 6 hidden vegetable meals to put your mind at ease

Posted on by Rebecca

Lets talk about picky eaters, because I know, at some point it is something every single mum will experience.

Up until a couple of months ago I would have said my boys were pretty good eaters, in fact, I was confident that they were eating a good, balanced diet. Aadam loves his “mealies”, broccoli, raw carrots and peas, (He will not however, touch raw tomatoes, potatoes, butternut) and Yusuf eats pretty much EVERYTHING. Fast forward a few months and I find myself getting stuck in a rut and I feel like he’s surviving on bread, pasta, carrot sticks and cucumber. (partly due to my own laziness).

Lessons learnt

When Aadam started solids I pretty much pureed and mashed everything up for him for FAR FAR too long. I think it’s the first time mum syndrome, you are paranoid your child is not eating enough so you mash it up and make it easy for yourself to quickly feed them. Funnily enough, he used to eat a TON of mashed potato and butternut then (explains a lot now). With Yusuf however, at about 4 months old he grabbed a piece of wors (sausage) from my hand one day, and literally stuffed it in his mouth, our sign he was ready. With him I took more of a “baby led weaning” approach, pretty much letting him eat whatever he wanted as long as it was easy enough to hold and soft enough to dissolve. I do think that has made a huge difference in their eating habits, and if we were to have a third child I would definitely do that again.

I’ve noticed a definite difference as well with 2 things. By my kids picking the veggies themselves, they are more likely to eat them! I’ve learnt through this that Yusuf loves Celery and Aadam adores Aubergine ! Secondly, getting them involved in the cooking peaks their interest and they have more desire to taste the food they have created, so wherever you can, get them involved in the prep work. One of my boys favourite things to do is to peel corn and top and tail beans!

That being said, here are 6 of my favourite “hidden veggie” recipes, for all of those days/times I feel like my kids have not have a balanced diets and I need to be a bit sneakier :

  1. Chicken fried rice – This is my non brainer for a Sunday evening, especially if you have left over rice or chicken in the fridge. Sautee some diced onion in olive oil with some garlic until soft. Add in chicken, if its uncooked fry until lightly browned (I flavour mine with chicken spice, garlic and rustic herb and a pinch of paprika). Next, I add finely diced peppers (red and yellow) together with a cup of the good old McCain mixed veggies (peas, carrots and mealies) and soften down. Add in your rice and mix well. I push everything to the side and add in a beaten egg and scramble it in the same pan at this point and then incorporate into the rest of the pan. Finally I add in a bit of Soy Sauce and Tomato Sauce for the kids.
  2. Lasagna – Always a sure way to get Veggies into my kids. I finally dice up peppers, carrots and sometimes mushroom to add in mine
  3. Stews are a no brainer – I have to be careful here though, Aadam refuses to eat cooked carrots (beats me as he will eat a whole pack raw), so when I dish for him I have to mash the carrot up a little so it’s not as obvious
  4. Hidden Veggie Chicken + Rice – This is a one pot wonder and another one of my favourites. You can view the full recipe here , I have tried it out with diced up cauliflower and broccoli added in as well and it’s been fabulous
  5. Hidden Veggie Pasta Sauce – I’ve always used Annabel Karmels’ recipe for this one and the whole family loves it! It includes peppers, carrots and courgettes.
  6. Ratatouille – Funnily enough – with all my kids quirks, they both LOVE ratatouille! I add pretty much whatever I have in the fridge but typically its aubergines, courgettes, tomatoes, onions and peppers. I serve it with Bulgur wheat, which we call “special rice”.

A lot of this I only have myself to blame, for example, I never thought to give them soup (though I love it), I left it too late and now they won’t touch it! Smoked Salmon/ Trout is another example, I sat in awe the other day watching a friend’s 1 year old happily munch away on smoked trout, if I tried to give it to my boys I’m sure they would throw it in my face! Again, my own fault, I never thought to give it to them.

Studies do show that if you put vegetables on your child’s plate every night, within a few months they will eat those vegetables, so it’s all about exposure and leading by example I guess. We will keep persisting.

What tips/ tricks do you have with your kids? I’d love to hear about your experiences with fussy eaters.

The best flat mop of 2018 – Review and Giveway of The Vertex Mop

The best flat mop of 2018 – Review and Giveway of The Vertex Mop

Posted on by Rebecca

“Don’t walk on the floor its wet” “Stay right there until it’s dry” how many times have you said this to your kids when trying to mop up the floor? How often have you gone around after mopping to find a lanky piece of grey “string” lying around that’s fallen off your mop? We all Continue reading “The best flat mop of 2018 – Review and Giveway of The Vertex Mop” →

Party Inspiration – Cookies and Milk

Party Inspiration – Cookies and Milk

Posted on by Rebecca

So we have decided this year to NOT throw a birthday party for my soon to be 4-year-old, because he wants a slightly more expensive birthday present (A red Ferrari sports car to be exact, I think we may have to settle on a go-cart). I’ll be honest, its got me feeling like a pretty terrible mum, because If you are anything like me, you slightly obsess over children’s birthdays party. Well any party’s really. The creative side comes out and I spend months trolling the internet for ideas and ways to be original. I LOVE IT! It’s my side hobby. My bestie and I always say one day we will focus on it full-time and make it a career. I love to creative unique idea’s and I hate the stereotypical “Disney cartoon” themes, with cartoon characters plastered all over plates, though I did cave once my putting barney toppers on my sons 2nd birthday cakes. Continue reading “Party Inspiration – Cookies and Milk” →

Soap Foam Recipe

Soap Foam Recipe

Posted on by Rebecca

Foam is one of those things I do for my kids at least once a month, and to be honest, I think it’s more for me than for them, it keeps them busy and out of my hair for at least 20 minutes! My kids are going through a super “whiney” phase which is driving me nuts, so I’m looking to all the distractions I can get 🙂 Continue reading “Soap Foam Recipe” →

Perfect Puffy Paint

Perfect Puffy Paint

Posted on by Rebecca

A while back I helped out at my son’s playschool and the theme for the week was “Night Sky”. I had so much fun researching and testing out activities and crafts to do with the kids.

I settled on two hands on crafts for the children, one being a galaxy playdough. It wasn’t just normal playdough, this one had gelatine cooked into it for a little extra stretch. Continue reading “Perfect Puffy Paint” →

5 toddler friendly Science experiments to expand young minds

5 toddler friendly Science experiments to expand young minds

Posted on by Rebecca

So I’ll admit it, I’m a bit of a “Pinterest” mum…. with such great ideas out there, who has time to come up with their own original ideas right ? With it being “holiday season” with various mid year breaks coming up its perfect timing to get some new ideas on how to spend time with your kids. Continue reading “5 toddler friendly Science experiments to expand young minds” →

Keeping little ones entertained in Johannesburg – my favourites list

Keeping little ones entertained in Johannesburg – my favourites list

Posted on by Rebecca

I keep getting people asking me for tips on where to go and what to do with their kids. I’ve been trying to sit down and write a list for a while now but as any multi-tasking, working mum would know every day seems to escape me and my to do list just keeps getting longer.

After our move back to Johannesburg from Cape Town I was at a loss of what to do with my boys in a big city and struggled to find a mums group like I had in Cape Town. In Johannesburg I find most mums have less flexibility with their working hours …. Until a friend suggested a download the adventure clubs app and our lives changed forever 🙂 It’s opened up my eyes to a whole new Johannesburg, discovering hidden gems and unique places to take my boys. So thank you thank you thank you!

That being said, here’s my list, together with some of the places we have discovered with Adventure Clubs, of fun things to do, with your kids in the big city:

Lion and Safari Park (Lanseria Side) – New and improved, the recently re-opened Lion and Safari park is bigger, better and has a lot more interaction for kids.

Crocodile City (Just before Lanseria) – We had such a good time at our outing to Croc City. They boys got an educational talk on crocs, on how thick their skin is and got to hold and observe their eggs. They also house a number of reptiles and much to my horror my boys lined up to hold the snakes.. After a tour of the croc park the kids ran around counting and feeding as many tortoises as they could. The play area of course provided hours of entertainment.

Old MacDonald’s Farm Yard (The Fat Olive Restaurant) (Lanseria Side) – This is a true hidden gem. Home to the Fat Olive restaurant and a Beach bar, Old MacDonald’s has free roaming Zebras, geese, duck and a whole mini farmyard for kids to feed/interact with. It doubles up as a party venue as well as a restaurant. Theres even canoes to take out on a paddle on the small lake.

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Old Macdonalds Farm

Crazy Kids Farmyard (Randburg) – A diamond in the middle of a bustling city. Crazy Kids has also recently had a bit of a refresh with some new animals (including another pony and a friendly pig). It is literally smack bang in the middle of a residential area in Randburg. It has a huge variety of play equipment for kids, a ton of bikes to ride around and an epic sandpit. This is a winner, everyday of the week.

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Feeding the Pony at CrazyKidz

Bird Garden – Monte Casino (Fourways) – We have been going here since the boys were small. The only bird park of its kind in Africa and perfect for all ages! Take a stroll through the gardens and aviary and see a wide variety of bird life, reptiles, and other exotic animals. It also has a café and a cute kids play area.

Clay Café (Irene) – About twenty minutes out of Johannesburg Clay Café is opposite the iconic Red Barn in Irene. Kids can choose from a large variety of ceramics to paint with lots of accessories to add patterns/ shapes to their masterpieces.

The Irene Dairy Farm – Every child’s dream, right on our doorstep! A working dairy farm situated right in the heart of Gauteng. Kids can enjoy seeing the cows being milked, ride on one of the numerous tractors and enjoy an ice cream underneath the beautiful shady trees. We were lucky enough to go when the construction was still occurring, it was every little boys dream, with tractors, trucks and diggers to watch!

Pappachinos – No Johannesburg list would be complete without one – Broadacres seems like the biggest, Clearwater mall also has a bike track)

Lori Park Zoo (Midrand) – Holds a nice variety of crocodiles, predator birds and of course lions/ leopards – though I do feel for the bigger cats as their enclosures are very, very small.

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Lori Park Zoo

 

The Johannesburg Zoo – A timeless classic and always good for a family day out.

Delta Park – Probably holds the best play area out of all Joburg parks. It also has glorious walking paths with gigantic trees shading them.

Lonehill Park – Between Lonehill Park and Angelo’s Restaurant you are guaranteed a good time with the kids. Lonehill Park has a beautiful enclosed play area for kids and Angelo’s Kitchen borders onto the park with additional jungle gyms, bike tracks and games for kids.

 

Mushroom Park – Our go to park for mid week fun. Mushroom park is a little piece of green forest in amongst Sandton’s high rise buildings. It has the perfect tracks for kids to ride their bikes on and has over 5 jungle gyms and a large sandpit area. Perfect for soaking up the winter sun, and when it is in operation, also holds the Hyundai Hot Air Balloon.

Raspberry Picking at Fieldberry Farm (When in Season) – A morning spent in the fields at Fieldberry farm is a morning well spent. A beautiful day out for the entire family, kids will have an amazing time selecting and picking the juiciest berries to pick. After all their hard work mum and dad can relax on hay bales around the play area while sipping on a handmade smoothie. My boys had sooo much fun. Raspberry season typically ends around April.

Alliepad Alpakkas – A bit of a drive out of Johannesburg, Alliepad Alpakkas is just before Magaliesburg and has the most adorable fluffy Alpacas to go crazy over. Make it a weekend drive or wait for one of their festival days when you can get a tour around the farm, learn more about how they get wool and feed the Alpacas.

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Willow Feather Farm (Pretoria) – Originally started off as an Indigenous tree farm, Willow Feather now hosts a nursery, tea garden and awesome Farmyard for kids. They have a number of interactive activities for kids and the number of animals in the Farmyard is exceptional. Alpacas, pigs, bunnies, cows. Kids can get up close and personal to the animals and of course participate in feeding. There’s also a wonderful kiddies play area to keep little ones busy while mums can enjoy hot tea and scones.

Two Trees Bakery (Mulbarton) – Under the shade of blue gum trees, this gem is in the South of Joburg. It possibly has the biggest selection of climbing equipment, monkey swings and zip lines that I’ve seen in a restaurant. They specialise in pizza’s, burgers, and yummy baked goods. Super friendly staff and a mass to do with the kids, my boys cried when they left!

TreeTop Adventures (Riversands) – Situated in amongst an old pine forest, Treetops have constructed different obstacles at varying heights catering from about 2 years of age right through to an adult course! Kids can climb through the trees, complete an obstacle course, and if brave enough (my 4 year old was), zipline across the river!

Yeesh for Kids in Woodmead is a favourite of ours on down days or in colder weather. With a huge soft kids play area, Yeesh goes the extra mile by hosting cupcake/cookie decorating sessions, as well as an art corner where kids can paint a range of items ranging from t-shirts to canvas to ceramic ornaments.

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Ball Pit at Yeesh!

Tres Jolie (Ruimsig) – Traditionally thought of as more of a wedding venue, Tres Jolie actually is a littler wonder world for kids. They offer a touch and feel farmyard, giant sand pit, pony and camel rides, and a big jungle gym. You can bring your own food to feed the animals or buy packets at the Kiosk.

These are just some of the places I’ve explored with my boys and I know there are probably hundreds of more hidden gems waiting to be discovered. The list is on going, and ever expanding. Where are some of your favourite places to go?

Cloud dough/ Moon sand recipe 

Cloud dough/ Moon sand recipe 

Posted on by Rebecca

It’s been a while since we did this one, in fact shockingly, I don’t think I’ve ever made it for my youngest ! (Hides behind hands).

Moon Sand or Cloud dough as its sometimes referred to in the USA promises at least 40 minutes to an hour of exploration for my little ones. With a consistency similar to beach sand (obviously alot softer), the possibilities are endless. You can make cakes, or castles, pies or if you’re a mum of boys like me, everything turns into a quarry and the sand will end up being transported in dump trucks!

Its easy to whip up when your kids need some stimulation in the day, and we often use it to create a sensory tray and hide treasures at the bottom, little ones can then dig through the sand to find the treasures.

It takes less then five minutes to create and is made with ingredients found in your cupboard.

8 cups flour to approximately 1 cup of oil. You can either use a vegetable oil or baby oil. I’ve used both and obviously vegetable oil is safer with smaller kids. Just mix it together in a big bowl until its the right consistency, akin to slightly damp beach sand.

Have fun 🙂
Ps. Excuse the pyjamas I always like to do messy play in the mornings before we get dressed for the day 🙂