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Our Favourites | April Bedtime Stories

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Disclosure - We were gifted the products however we were not asked to feature these on our blog. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own. 

We were away for most of April however just before we left we were sent some lovely books by Little Tiger. As you will know if you read our blog we love reading a story at bedtime and it's a huge part of little J's routine. Here are our favourite bedtime stories this month.
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Seaworld, Orlando

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Disclosure - We were gifted tickets for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own. 

Our on recent visit to Walt Disney World we decided to head out of the parks and visit two other attractions, Universal Studios and SeaWorld. We have visited Universal before but we had never been to SeaWorld so we were really looking forward to it. SeaWorld tends to get quite bad press although I never actually take notice of such things in the media unless I experience it myself, so I was eager to explore the park myself and make my own decisions.

SeaWorld entrance
Arriving at SeaWorld was easy from Walt Disney World, we ordered an Uber which took us straight to the main gate and cost around $11. We headed straight through security and then were greeted by a very friendly dolphin who was more than happy to pose for a photo with little J.

I had already downloaded the SeaWorld app so had an idea of what we would get up to there and also little J was quite excited to visit the new Sesame Street Land.

Just from glancing at the app you will know that SeaWorld isn't just about animals and shows it's so much more than that. It's a theme park too with actually some of the best thrill rides we have ever been on but I will talk more about them later.

Stringray
We started to make our way around the park and we soon came to the StringRay area. We have visited many aquariums in the past and seen StringRay up close but we actually got the chance to feed them which was an amazing experience.

Stringray food
Stringray food
Stringray
The StingRay food is available to buy for $6 and I will warn you that you will be given little frozen fishes. They are dead of course but their eyes are still there and it did make me feel a little queasy. The idea is you hold the fish in-between your fingers upright and place your hand on the bottom of the tank. The Stingray will then swim over your hand collecting the fish on the way. I actually didn't give this a go myself but the boys loved it and it did look fun.

Dolphins at SeaWorld
Dolphins at SeaWorld
Next we wandered to the dolphins however there was something going on down by the pool, maybe a 'swim with' experience so it was very busy and a huge queue was forming. We did get to see them swimming around and doing little tricks but it would have been nicer to get closer to them but unfortunately that wasn't an option for us on this trip as it's quite costly.

Boy looking at a lizard
On our way to see the Manatees little J found a little creature wandering around, a lizard.

SeaWorld Rescue Centre
Boy looking at a lake
It was nice to see the Manatee's in rehabilitation. Some of them were huge and I had no idea that they eat cabbages, how strange. The Manatee Rehabilitation gives you a glimpse behind the scenes of the  five acre Rescue Center used for rehabilitating wildlife that have been ill, injured or orphaned – including manatees, sea turtles, birds and other marine animals. While a guided tour of the entire facility has been available for years, the park has now opened up one portion of the area for complimentary viewing to all park guests. This gives you the chance to see firsthand some of the top problems Manatee populations are facing and simple actions we can all take to help, through interactive displays and rescue footage straight from the SeaWorld Animal Rescue Team.

Boy looking at Flamingos
While John and big J headed to queue for the Manta ride, little J and I stumbled upon some pretty birds.

Penguins at SeaWorld
Our first family ride was Antartica - Empire Of The Penguin. The ride is a motion based simulator ride that takes you on the journey of a little penguin. When we were near the front of the queue we were offered wild or mild spinning. We opted for mild however we did see 'wild' once inside and it didn't look too bad. Once we had finished the ride we were surrounded by penguins and it was so cold. Some of the penguins were motionless so we thought they were not real at first however we soon realised they were. It was lovely to see them swimming around in the waters.

Like I said earlier SeaWorld is much more than animals it is also a theme park which if I am honest appeals to us as a family more that seeing animals and shows.

Kraken Ride
Kraken Ride

View of Seaworld
Boys on Manta ride
Kraken, Manta and Mako are three of the best thrill rides we have actually ever been on. We love rollercoasters and if I am honest I didn't think the rollercoasters at SeaWorld would be any good but I was so wrong. Each ride had no waiting time at all, we just walked on them which is crazy as if these rides were in Disney, Universal or UK theme parks the wait would be over an hour, possibly two. I'm not sure why they had no queues as they are amazing, I am guessing people head to SeaWorld with their families to see the animals and not for rides.

Both big J and I loved Mako. It's so strange to have a thrill ride that does not secure you in over your shoulders, there is just a bar by your stomach. It reaches up to 73mph and goes up to 200ft high. It's actually Orlando's tallest, fastest and longest rollercoaster and we loved it.

Manta was John's favourite and is very similar to Air, at Alton Towers however it has a loop and seemed a lot faster.

Kraken was also lots of fun and we all enjoyed it.

SeaWorld
SeaWorld
SeaWorld
As well as the rides, attractions and animals there were two attractions that were not included in your ticket price. You can pay $6 per person to go on a Pink Flamingo Boat Ride or $5 per person to go on The Iconic Sky Tower. To be honest I wasn't happy that if you want to go on these two attractions you have to pay. We actually didn't realise and we had already said we were going to on on the Iconic Sky Tower so it cost us $20.

We did all enjoy soaring 400ft feet into the air and the views of Orlando were amazing.

Sesame Street
Cookie Drop
Sesame Street Rides
Sesame Street Rides
Sesame Street Rides
There were rides for little J too in Sesame Street Land. New to SeaWorld this year, Sesame Street has lots of fun rides and attractions for little ones and little J really enjoyed the time we spent there. It was a really hot day and there was very little shade in this area but there were no queues for the rides so we managed to do everything quite quickly before it was time to head home.

We all really enjoyed our day at SeaWorld and it was nice to visit a different theme park that wasn't Disney for a day. I think if we had visited some of the shows and talks our day would have been longer however due to the heat we did call it a day just around 4pm but we did manage to go on all the rides, and the thrill rides twice each.

The best value ticket for visiting SeaWorld Parks in Florida is the Discovery Cove Ultimate Package, which includes a one-day reservation at Discovery Cove (with 30-minute dolphin swim experience and all meals and snacks included) plus 14-days unlimited entry to SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and Aquatica Orlando, with free parking included at all parks. Prices start from £192 per person.

For more information, visit www.seaworldparks.co.uk

Would we visit again? Absolutely. There is so much to see and do and like I said earlier we are a family that loves rides and the three thrill rides here are amazing, so they alone will bring us to SeaWorld on our next visit to Orlando.

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Michelle
 
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Smashers Series 3 DINO Review

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Disclosure - We were gifted products for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own. 

This week I planned an Easter Egg hunt at home for little J. He loves doing treasure hunts, usually for sweet treats but this hunt didn't involve chocolate, this hunt was a little bit different. We recently received a huge Smashers Series 3 Dino bundle which included an Easter hunt challenge for us to enjoy. We have played with Smashers before so I knew little J would love them.

Smashers Dino Products
To prepare for the Egg Hunt I cut out 11 dino shaped eggs and hid them inside and outside. When I was done little J searched high and low using his magnifying glass to try and find all 11 eggs. I may have hidden them a bit too well so I did have to use the 'getting hotter' 'getting colder' method to help him find all 11. Once he did his reward was to open up the Smashers Series 3 Dino Eggs.

It’s time to go back to the land before time… with Smashers Series 3 DINO. Smash open the Smash Egg to find what’s crawling inside! Will you find the Dig n’ Find Rare Dino Fossils? Smash your Smashers on the ground, to the wall or anywhere you can think and start building your Smashers collection today. Little J loves Dinosaurs so I knew this series would be a hit.

Smashers Dino Products
Smashers Dino Products
Smashers Dino Products
First we opened our Smashers Smash Rex set. Rex comes with 2 exclusive figures. If you want to you can actually smash your Smashers eggs in Rex's mouth. Little J loved watching Rex crunch the egg until it smashed and then if he pressed Rex's back we watched him poop it out.

Smashers Dino Products
Smashers Dino Products
The playset contains two exclusive Smashers and Collector’s Guide as well as the Smash Rex figure. There’s also a Smash Egg Rebuilder. We  have finally managed to master rebuilding the Smashers eggs.

Smashers Dino Products
Smashers Dino Products
Smashers Dino Products
Smashers Dino Products
Little J loves blind bag type toys and although the multi pack packaging allows you to see some of the characters in your pack,  the rest are hidden away waiting to be discovered. Series 3 Dino comes in single packs, packs of 3, packs of 8, packs of 12 and also packs of 20. As with most blind bag type toys there are lots to collect with series 3 having over 100 characters. Each pack contains a Collector’s Guide which is great to keep track of which characters you have found and also if you have found any rare or ultra-rare Smashers. In the past we have been quite lucky and found gold and silver characters. This series we have found quite a few exclusives, fossils rocks and an ultra rare one too.

Smashers Series 3 Dino are available to buy in most good toy shops and online too.

Michelle
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Review | Rollplay Nighthawk Ride On Toy

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Disclosure - We were gifted products for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own. 

Little J turned 6 last month and his birthday wishes were to receive lots of outdoor toys. He loves to be outside and as soon as he wakes up he always wants to go in the garden straight away no matter what the weather. While we were away last week little J actually got a very special delivery. Rollplay have sent little J their Nighthawk Ride On Toy to review and he couldn't be happier.
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Gifted Review | Hape Kitchen and Food Range

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Disclosure - We were gifted products for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own. 

We are really big fans of Hape and little J has gathered quite a large range of their toys over the years.  Our latest additions are from the Hape Kitchen and Food Range. We were sent My First Waffle Maker, My Coffee Machine and The Fresh Fruit Set. I am a huge fan of wooden toys and this range does not disappoint. 
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Review | Casdon Supermarket Till

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Playing shop is something that never gets old, we love playing shop and as little J gets older although it is still lots of fun we can make it educational too. For the past few weeks we have been playing with the Casdon Supermarket Till and it's been a great addition to his role play toys.
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Review | Hape 2 in 1 World Puzzle

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Disclosure - We were gifted products for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own. 

Since little J got his first globe he has been obsessed with the World, Countries and Capitals. He is fascinated about learning more about the different types of people that live around the world and the languages they speak. We received a lovely puzzle of the world recently and little J loves it. The Hape 2 in 1 World Puzzle is perfect for little ones who are interested in the World.
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Salford Museum and Ordsall Hall

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Disclosure - We were invited to Ordsall Hall and The Salford Museum. We were gifted lunch and snacks however entry was free and we were not paid to create this post.

Ordsall Hall
On Sunday we had a lovely day visiting Salford Museum and Ordsall Hall in Manchester. Usually I would do a little review of each place however they are only a 5-10 minutes drive from each other so you could easily do both on the same day and they are both free to enter and make a lovely day out.

We visited the Salford Museum first, this was due to the opening times of both. The museum building is quite pretty from the outside and reminded me of a library rather than a museum. There was parking at the front of the building however it is chargeable parking which cost us £2.50 for the time we were there.

We went to the reception desk first as we had never been before and the lady kindly told us a little bit about the museum, what to expect and she pointed out the toilets and the cafe.

Salford Museum
The Salford Museum is home to Lark Hill Place. It was our favourite part of the Museum. Lark Hill Place is a re-creation of a typical Northern street during Victorian times.

Salford Museum
Lark Hill Place was originally created in 1957 when many shops and houses in central Salford were being demolished to make way for new developments. Many of the shop fronts that are in Lark Hill Place today were saved and restored. The interiors have been furnished and are full of authentic objects, recreating the way they were used in Victorian times.

Visitors can explore the street and dress up in traditional Victorian costumes to really get in the spirit of things.

Salford Museum
Little J loved dressing up and chose his own outfit.

Salford Museum
Salford Museum
Salford Museum
Salford Museum
Salford Museum
Salford Museum
Salford Museum
After we looked through the shop windows and experienced what it felt like to walk down a Victorian Street, we finished at the sweet shop. There was a volunteer behind the counter handing out sweets to the children. There is no charge however you can make a donation. It was a lovely treat for little J and it was nice to see her weigh out the sweets. 

Salford Museum
Man looking at paintings on a wall
Once we had finished visiting Lark Hill Place we headed to the first floor to the art gallery. I enjoyed this part of the Museum however little J wasn't too interested and wanted to head back to the Victorian Street.

Once we had finished we headed to the cafe for some lunch before we headed to Ordsall Hall.

Like I said earlier Ordsall Hall is only 5-10 minutes away so perfect for enjoying both in the same day.

Ordsall hall
The Grounds at Ordsall hall
boy standing in The Grounds at Ordsall hall
Ordsall Hall has had a long and interesting history with many different uses since it was first mentioned in records in 1177! Today, it is a welcoming and friendly historic house telling the story of the Hall and some of the people who made it their home.

The building looks very impressive but the location is quite strange as it is amongst a housing estate and is surrounded by a main road and while we were there lots of people passing by heading to the Manchester United game. 

boy standing in The Grounds at Ordsall hall
The Grounds at Ordsall hall
The Grounds at Ordsall hall

The grounds are well kept  and lots of nice walkways to explore and things to see.

Before we began exploring the hall we were shown a 10 minute video which explains a little more about the Hall and also help you understand more about the building and it's history. It was a beautiful afternoon so little J just wanted to explore outside so John and I have said we would love to return to explore the hall more another day. Entry is free so would make a perfect day out for just the two of us. There is also another lovely cafe with delicious looking cakes.

We really enjoyed our visit to Salford Museum and Ordsall Hall. As both are free entry they make a really nice cheap day out.

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If you found this post useful there are a few ways that you could say thanks and support Playdays and Runways.

Leave us a comment below and let us know about your visit 

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Share This Post With Friends Who May Also Find It Useful. 

Michelle
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