Mummy & Moose
clapping, napping and yapping our way through the day

Adventureland at Springfields Outlet Shopping & Leisure Spalding

Every Friday Moose has a day off from preschool. I work from home so I try to pack as much work into the first 4 days of the week. This leaves Friday as our day. We only have 1 Friday left before the schools are out for the summer. After that we have everyone at home and then my baby boy is <gulp> off to primary school.

mummy and moose

I am determined to fill our Fridays with fun.

Last week we were invited to the new Adventureland located at Springfields Outlet Shopping & Leisure in Spalding, Lincolnshire.

This £1 million adventure playground is an exciting addition to what is on offer for families in the East Midlands area.

How much is it?

Entry to Adventureland is priced at £7.95 for an All inclusive wristband during peak season or £29.95 for up to 4 people. This covers children under 12 for

  • Adventure Land
  • Springy’s Beach
  • Tree Top Village

Plus, one session to each of the following attractions: (token/wristband provided upon entry)

  • JCB Young Drivers Zone. One hour in the zone includes Foreman’s briefing and pedal power driving trucks, building bricks and mechanical diggers. Timeslot booked on purchase. Recommended for children under 10 years old
  • Goldie’s Gold Mine – 1 x 15 minute session per child to pan for gold and find the treasure
  • Springy’s Railroad – One trip through the Tree Top village and woodland
  • Dino Golf  –  One round of the 9 hole, dinosaur themed adventure golf course

If you don’t fancy trying out the latter, you also have the option of purchasing a standard wristband.

Standard tickets include entry to:

  • Adventure Land
  • Springy’s Beach
  • The Tree Top Village

You are able to purchase individual tokens for the other activities which are priced as follows

  • JCB Young Drivers Zone £6 per child – Sessions last an hour  and includes a safety briefing, your own pedal powered JCB truck, huge JCB house and scaffolding play tower, brick laying area, mechanical diggers and bouldering wall plus more!  Time slot booked on purchase. Recommended for children under 10 years old.
  • Gold Panning £2 per person   One 15-minute session to pan for gold and find the treasure. Includes treasure memento
  •  Springy’s Railroad £2 per person – One trip through the Tree Top Village and woodland
  • Dino Golf £3 per person – One round of the 9 hole dinosaur themed adventure golf course
  • Remote Controlled Boats £1 Token – Available from any Kiosk. This is located by the Dino Golf

What did we think?

Moose absolutely loved Adventureland. He had been feeling a little under the weather the day before so I was anxious that maybe he would find it all a bit much but I needn’t have worried.

The beach area is under a large shade so there is no danger of little ones getting sunburnt while they play and splash in the little stream running through the beach area.

We thought the JCB young drivers zone was a great idea! The platforms inside the scaffolding tower which the children have to climb in order to go down the big slide were unfortunately too high for Moose. He is a tall 3 year old (he’s around 110cm) so I think that is really for slightly older kids. Shame as he loves a slide!

It was great for the children to be able to select safety gear to wear as they scooted around on the little JCB’s and the petrol station and play shop were really well done. Grandma was pleased that there was seating provided for the grown ups.

Panning for Gold

The Gold Panning activity was one which we really enjoyed. Moose surprised me and spent a really long time sifting through to look for coloured stones and pieces of (fools) gold. I really like that the children get to keep what they find. That’s a really nice touch.

After we had collected our treasure we headed to have a ride on Springy’s railroad. It was a nice little trip around the woodland area and as you can see, Moose enjoyed himself immensely!

Something I thought might be a little old for Moose was the

Dino Golf.

We thought we would have a go but I really underestimated how much he would love this! We liked spotting the Dinosaurs hiding around the 9 hole course and Moose managed to name quite a few!

Then we decided to head to the tree top village. Moose was a little unsure at first but he soon got the hang of climbing  across the bridges and even ventured onto the tree walk, a massive 12m2 suspended net. This activity needed adult supervision for anyone aged 3-6 so I had a go too. I was a little worried that my weight might be an issue here but it was absolutely fine – and good fun!

What about food?

Springfields has a good choice of places to eat. We decided to stay in Adventureland and grab a quick bite at Springy’s diner. The outdoor seating area is right next to Springys beach so it’s handy for watching the kids play. It also has bottomless coffee which from a parental point of view is a massive bonus!

 

Grandma and I decided to try the small bites trio deal. You can select 3 dishes for £12. We chose the chicken strips, ranch salad and potato skins. Moose settled on the children’s cheeseburger and fries which was priced at £5.95.

The food was nice but I do think that the kids meal was slightly too pricey and maybe should include a drink at least? I think on our next trip we would probably go and try The Kitchen which looked to be really good for families. It’s great that Springfields has a choice of places for families to eat.

Would we go back?

Absolutely yes. I am planning on visiting during the summer holidays. I really like the choice of activities on offer and a really nice aspect of Adventureland is it’s setting. Springfields outlet village offers a nice shopping experience which my older daughter will want to explore with her friends. And if shopping is not your thing, the festival gardens are a lovely place for a peaceful walk.

We are also hoping to have a ride on the Spalding water taxi so we can explore the town centre too! All in all I think Adventureland offers a really valuable resource for parents and we can’t wait to visit again!

 

Disclaimer:We received wristband entry to Adventureland and a gift card to try Springys diner but all opinions are honest and my own.

900 years of Peterborough – Queensgate Medeshamstede Medieval Village

As a self confessed history geek I am really enjoying the celebrations surrounding the 900th anniversary of Peterborough.

It wasn’t always called Peterborough though.

Prepare to be taken back in time, back to Medeshamstede, when Peterborough was born, as Queensgate Shopping Centre puts on a week-long celebration and festivities to mark the 900th anniversary of the city.

From Monday 30 July until Sunday 5 August, shoppers are invited to step into a medieval village, complete with a castle and towering turrets, in Central Square. Walk across the drawbridge, through the giant gates and into the courtyard where real knights, villagers and churchmen go about their daily lives.

 

The grand hall houses a giant banquet table, creating the perfect setting for activities to take part in, such as bread making, crown and shield making workshops, Merlin’s spell school, dressing up, stories of bravery and valour and much more.

 

Watch knights of the round table battle with incredible sword skills, listen to traditional harps and folk music, and for those that have been naughty, it’s off to the village stocks!

peterborough 900th anniversary

“Embracing Peterborough’s heritage during this special year is important to Queensgate,” said Marketing Manager, Laura Chandler. “The Medeshamstede village is a fully immersive interactive experience replicating life in Peterborough 900 years ago. From a working water mill to the peasant’s house, this is going to be a great way to show where Peterborough came from.”

 

There’s also the chance to find the king or queen of Peterborough as shoppers are invited to pull the sword from the stone.

The Medeshamstede village, the name of Peterborough in the Anglo-Saxon period, is completely free and a full schedule of events and timings can be found at www.queensgate-shopping.co.uk/whats-on.

I think this will be a really interesting and fun thing to do with the children and best of all it’s free!

 

 

Sleeping Beauty Pantomime at Key Theatre Peterborough

We had never taken the children to a pantomime before so when we were kindly invited to watch Sleeping Beauty at the Key Theatre we were happy to accept! 

I have been to see other productions at the Key. However, as much as I love the theatre I don’t get the opportunity to go as much I would like to. I am definitely intending on changing this in 2018! Call it a resolution if you like. 

p

We awoke on the morning of the pantomime to find that overnight the snow had settled covering our street in a blanket of white. As beautiful as the snow looks it’s not really practical when you have things to do.

I did wonder whether the pantomime would go ahead at all but one look at twitter and it became clear that it would take more than a bit of dodgy weather to stop this show. 

key theatre

The show must go on

We got to theatre a little later than planned thanks to a bit of trouble with the parking machine. Parking at the theatre is chargeable. 

Collecting our tickets from the box office was simple and the queue was thankfully a fast moving one. We hurried to our seats and waited excitedly for the show to begin! The Key Theatre do have booster seats available but thanks to its gradient seating and the small person in front of him, Moose didn’t need boosting.

key theatre

As any parent of large age gap children knows, it is sometimes difficult to find an activity which entertains both children at a similar level. The pantomime can definitely be added to that (short) list. 

From the moment that Fairy PD walked out onto the stage both Bess and Moose were hooked. I had been a bit apprehensive that 135 minutes would be a bit much for Moose to sit through but he was utterly transfixed by it all. 

theatre

Carabosse (the bad fairy) was a surprise hit with both of the children. When asked who his favourite was, Moose said the bad fairy because he liked shouting BOOOOO. Bess loved her Taylor Swift parody. She really was a fabulous character and probably my favourite too!

135 minutes could have been a bit long

As I said previously, I had my doubts. To be honest I wasn’t sure MrG would like it. He is quite grumpy about these things and has said in the past that he doesn’t really “get” the appeal. Even he was laughing at the carefully constructed adult jokes which flew straight over the children’s heads and although he did say he felt like there was a lot of music (no less than 15 songs) I caught him humming along… 

In the interval Grandma Chicken (not a panto character, just a nickname for my Mum created by Bess which stuck) bought some goodies. We were pleasantly surprised that the prices for snacks were really very reasonable. The children had a pack which cost £3.50 and contained; popcorn, fruit shoot, packet of buttons and a pot of ice cream. I had some popcorn £2 and a bottle of coke £2. Moose ate his in the correct way by tipping the chocolate buttons into the popcorn. He gave me his ice cream as (and I quote) “it was too cold”. Kids are odd. 

There were also flashing wands and swords available. I decided not to buy one as Moose hadn’t spotted them and I was pretty sure him having one would result in some kind of injury (to someone else) but they too were not badly priced at less than £5 each. 

 

If you haven’t booked tickets then I think you should

It’s a very traditional family friendly panto with the usual audience participation and funny lines to shout.  The Panto follows the story of Aurora who is cursed at her naming ceremony by Carabosse (the spurned former fiance of the King) and is sent to live with the 3 good fairies as their niece until her 18th birthday to escape Carabosse’s curse. There to help along the way was Jingle the Jester. 

The cast were all fabulous! Jingle the Jester and Queen Iona Trumpet especially were very funny. I was really impressed by the set and costumes too! It all felt really polished – Bess wasn’t sure whether Carabosse getting the giggles was part of the show but it was amusing nonetheless.

We found the show to be fun, engaging for all ages and really a great way to introduce the children to the theatre. I will feel a lot more confident taking Moose to future productions. 

Will we return? Oh yes we will!

queen igotta trumpet

Disclaimer: We were given tickets to watch the pantomime in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

 

Picturing Hetty Feather At The Foundling Museum

Reading has always been something I have loved to do. bESS TOO!

Ever since I was a small child I have enjoyed the escape offered by a good read.

Bess has thankfully inherited this love and is rarely seen without her nose stuck in a book. Her most favourite author is and has been for some time. Jacqueline Wilson. She has read everything Dame Wilson has written but has a special fondness for a character called Hetty Feather.

You can imagine how excited we were to receive an invitation to travel to the Foundling Museum and have the opportunity to meet Bess’s aforementioned idol!

Getting There

As we don’t often get to spend one-to-one time together I decided we should make a day of it. My brother kindly did his Uncle duty and agreed to look after Moose overnight so that Bess and I could catch an early train.

We hopped on the 7am train to Kings Cross and we were off! It was nice and quiet for most of the journey so we spent time chatting about how excited she was to meet Dame Wilson.

The Foundling Museum

The Museum is found on Brunswick square – the nearest tube station being Russell Square. It is set inside the Foundling hospital which was established in 1739 to offer care to babies at risk of abandonment. The founder, Thomas Coram was helped in his endeavour by the artist William Hogarth and the composer George Frideric Handel. Over the years many artists have become fellows which allows them to use their talent to create a project to inspire and involve young people and contribute to the work of the museum.

In 2008 Jacqueline Wilson became part of this fellowship and she created the character of Hetty Feather.

Picturing Hetty Feather

The exhibition is situated in the basement of the museum. At first glance it isn’t that big but to a Hetty fan I can assure you that it is a trove of delights! As well as costumes and props from the television series you will find other items such as a meal planner for the hospital and a set of rules for Matron.

watching Hetty Feather

I call this look; “sweaty, frizzy tube hair”

As well as things to see, the children could also dress up in some of the costumes from the series. Sadly I couldn’t persuade Bess to do so this time.

It was really interesting to explore the museum and try to imagine the lives of the foundlings and as a Mother I found some of it quite emotional. To have reached the point where signing your child over seemed like the best choice for them must have been so desperately sad.

Meeting Jacqueline Wilson

So, as we walked through the exhibition I saw a small set woman with white hair sitting quietly next to a desk and it took me a minute for my brain to catch up and realise that it was Dame Wilson.

Bess took her place in line (and grumbled a bit about deciding to leave her copy of Hetty feather at home) and soon it was her turn. To say Bess was starstruck was a bit of an understatement. She very politely asked Dame Wilson if she could please take a photo with her and told her that she was a massive fan. Dame Wilson was really lovely and thanked her for her kind words.

After that Bess didn’t stop grinning. We stood and listened to Jacqueline Wilson speak about Hetty Feather and her new book ‘Hetty Feather at Christmas’ as well as a book she is working on about a character called Rose Rivers which will be one to watch out for next year!

Admission

£8.25* Adults
£5.50* Concessions
FREE for children, Foundling Friends & National Art Pass holders

An additional £3 applies for Picturing Hetty Feather (FREE for children & Foundling Friends)

*Ticket prices include a voluntary Gift Aid donation

Open

Tuesday – Saturday, 10:00 – 17:00
Sunday, 11:00 – 17:00
Monday closed

Joanne Whelan (Yara Greyjoy in Game of Thrones) is one of the impressive cast from the CBBC series

She just cannot walk past one without having a go (we didn’t get chucked out this time)

We really enjoyed our experience at The Foundling Museum and I would visit again. There are plenty of activities for families over the summer and into September. You can find more information here

 Bess hasn’t stopped talking about meeting Dame Wilson and I hope it’s something she will remember for a long time.

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Mummy & Moose

Half Term Fun At Wicksteed Park

During half term we were invited by Wicksteed park to come and try out their theme park and playground for the day in exchange for an honest review. We were only too happy to oblige!

Wicksteed

Our day began calmly enough.

I had a quick check of the weather and made a picnic lunch. We were in the car and away by 10am. We only live a 40 minute drive from the park and since the rides don’t open until 10:30 it made sense not to rush.

Family in car

This plan would have been foolproof had it not been for a major road closure resulting in us making a very bumpy detour around some very pretty local villages. Col played navigator and thankfully I happened to have a map handy so it wasn’t long before we were back on course.

Wicksteed entrance

The first big difference you will notice between Wicksteed and other theme parks.

Instead of a big entrance fee, Wicksteed Park charge for the rides. This can be paid for either by purchasing a wristband granting unlimited access (aside from a few things – I will touch on those later) or with ride tokens.

I used to come to Wicksteed Park as a child and it has been the same charging model for as long as I can remember. That is a good sign that it works well! (Moose decided that he could just take his wristband off halfway through the day and although he did have a good go, it weathered quite well I thought)

The wristbands appear to be highly priced at first at £19 per child and £16 per adult but actually it turns out that they offer very good value indeed. A sheet of ride tickets costs £22 for 20 tickets or £37 for 40. They can also be purchased singularly for £1.25.

I counted 22 goes on the rides (and I am sure I missed a couple) and as each ride cost 2/3 tickets it is clear that the wristbands do represent better value for money. It was so lovely to be able to answer with a resounding YES when asked if they could go on something!

Parking at Wicksteed is not free.

With 137 acres of parkland to maintain and a wonderful free playground for the children to enjoy I can understand why. The charge for parking is £6 for the day which I don’t think is unreasonable.

group photo

Everybody loved the train!

Our first stop of the day was the train. This was 3 tickets per person and took passengers around the park. It was a lovely way to explore and to plan what we wanted to do next!

Moose watched the others on the drop tower ride.

Lex doesn’t look particularly impressed but I can assure you, they absolutely loved the teacups! I think Bess and Col were in an unspoken competition to see who could spin the fastest. Bess won.

The Astro Slide was a big hit with all. The children loved that they could have more than one go and certainly made the most of it! Children under 1m have to be accompanied by someone over 14 so Col rode with Moose.

I think the dodgems might have been Bess’ favourite. We aren’t allowed to talk about how many times she crashed into the sides…

I really liked the little train station and the train. Moose said it was “a proper train”. High praise from a 2 year old.

kids lunch

Moose scoffed his lunch early so he had another one! This was the childrens meal – good sized portion.

Col, Bess and Lex all wanted to have a go at the driving. Much to the girls dismay and Cols amusement, he was the only one tall enough to drive so the girls were resigned to being his passengers and he got 2 goes!

Wicksteed is more than just rides. Although the rides are brilliant. There was so much to see and do that even though we were there for over 6 hours we were nowhere near having seen it all!

There is the opportunity to camp at Wicksteed Park and I think it would be a lovely way to spend a weekend.

We Loved Our Time At Wicksteed Park

Moose’s favourite ride was also the oldest! The Waterchute. Wicksteed Park opened in 1926 and the Waterchute has been there from the start. It was invented by Charles Wicksteed and was the forerunner to many of the theme park rides now popular all over the UK. In 2016 it was added to Historic England’s list of protected heritage sites. Moose just loved the SPLASH! and rode it 5 times!

waterchute

We will most definitely be returning. It is difficult to find days out to suit all ages but Wicksteed absolutely gets it right!

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Mummy & Moose