Easy Read Books Suitable For 7-9 Year Olds

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Disclosure - This post contains gifted items. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own unless stated. This post contains affiliate links. 

Little J is at the age now were he can sit alone and read a book. Reading a book is not something that we make him do as we want him to enjoy reading as much as we do. At first he read a chapter of a book that was given to us from his school as part of his reading homework and he really enjoyed it so we gathered a selection of books that are easy read books suitable for 7-9 year olds.

We have a large selection of Early Reader Horrid Henry books that we bought so we started with these. They are adapted versions of the books with smaller chapters and illustrations. They were a great starter for learning to read alone.

Horrid Henry hates car journeys - especially when it means going to visit Prissy Polly and Pimply Paul, and missing Rude Ralph's birthday party. Watch out, Mum and Dad, because Henry is prepared to do whatever it takes to get out of this trip.

Dirty Bertie Totally Epic has 3 books in 1 Burp, Monster and Disco. Dirty Bertie is gross, grubby and a trouble magnet but lots of fun and has little J laughing to himself. He is currently 99 pages in and just about to start Monster. He hasn't asked for help at all with the words used in the book yet and seems to be really enjoying it.

Dragon Detective : Schools Out is a book we have been reading together before bedtime. Little J is able to read most of the words however there are a few that he doesn't understand or cannot pronounce so it's nice to have us there to help him with it.

Holly is desperate to be sleuthing with her partner-in-solving-crime, dragon Dirk Dilly, but instead she’s stuck at her exclusive boarding school for children of the rich and famous. She’s determined to escape, until she meets Callum, the son of the Prime Minister, who claims he was kidnapped by dragons a year ago and hasn’t been the same since. And when Dirk’s own investigation into dragon activity brings him to the school, the two cases collide. What if Callum isn't as crazy as he seems?

Next on the 'to read' list is Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. We have just started watching the movies and he is really enjoying them so I know he will like the books. I like the idea of him watching the movies first so that he can imagine the characters and the settings whilst reading.

Greg Heffley finds himself thrust into a new year and a new school where undersize weaklings share the corridors with kids who are taller, meaner and already shaving. Desperate to prove his new found maturity, which only going up a grade can bring, Greg is happy to have his not-quite-so-cool sidekick, Rowley, along for the ride. But when Rowley's star starts to rise, Greg tries to use his best friend's popularity to his own advantage. Recorded in his diary with comic pictures and his very own words, this test of Greg and Rowley's friendship unfolds with hilarious results.

Mug The Wumph The Dancing Wizard is a new addition to our collection for 7-9 year olds and little J is very excited to read this one. We have had a flick through and it looks perfect for his reading ability and I cannot wait to hear all about it.

Minty Taylor dreams of a life less ordinary. Then, one day, she discovers a coin that transports her on an epic magical adventure. Little does she realise the owner of the coin is none other than Mug the Wumph the Dancing Wizard. At every twist and turn you will root for Minty as she uses her intuition and bravery to help thwart the evil plans of the dark and grisly Grimacant…This is the first novel for children from Nicola J Rowley, the bestselling author of James and the Amazing Gift and the multi-award-winning James and the Birthday Balloon. 

I think these book will keep little J busy throughout the Summer. I love that he enjoys reading and I am looking forward to watching his book collection grow.

Michelle

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Town, Zoom and Milkshake | Living Arrows 28/52

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This week we had our first trip into town. Up until now we have had no need to visit any shops so have avoided our main town centre however big J was on the lookout for new trainers so we decided to head to town. Little J was very nervous but still wanted to go. Luckily this mirror illusion in Footasylum kept him busy whilst John and Big J tried on trainers. He couldn't work it out and spent ages staring at it. 

Town wasn't as busy as I had thought however not many people were wearing masks, I would probably say less than 10%. It made me feel a little uneasy and I was actually glad when we left.

Little J's class had arranged a zoom call this week and although he was very nervous he decided he wanted to take part. It was actually really lovely to see all the kids faces and how happy they all were despite being at home for so long and missing their friends. It's juniors next year for little J so it's big changes. I wish he was able to meet his new teachers and visit his new classroom like some other schools have done but unfortunately his school haven't given us that option. 

Sunday was a treat day and both boys chose a visit to the local milkshake shop. I told little J to just drink half of his shake as it was huge and it was late afternoon and I didn't want it to spoil his dinner. He ignored me and decided to hide it under the table and drank it thinking I couldn't see. He actually finished it all and was too full for dinner but he really enjoyed his milkshake.

Michelle

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth

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Osmo Pizza Co. | Review

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Disclosure - We were sent the products below for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our unless stated. This post contains affiliate links. 

We have been using Osmo now for almost a year now and it has made our home schooling a little easier and definitely more fun. We currently have Osmo Detective Agency and Super Studio Mickey and Princesses but today we are reviewing our newest addition to our games, Pizza Co.

What is Pizza Co?
You have been left in charge of a pizzeria whilst the owner takes a well earned vacation. He hands you the keys to the shop and that's when the fun begins. Each day you will have a variety of customers come in to your pizzeria to purchase a pizza. It's up to you to make the perfect pizzas for each customer and create a 'buzz' about your shop.

How To Play
To play Pizza Co you need to have the Osmo Base, red reflector and a compatible device (iPad or Amazon tablet) which is not included. If you already own the items you are ready to play.

Place your pizza base close to your iPad with your ingredients to hand. Your customers will enter the shop and order a pizza. It's up to you to create the perfect pizza for each customer. They may order plain cheese pizza or a pizza with two mushrooms on and a pepper, it changes every time. Once you are happy that you have made their pizza you swipe the pizza to the right. This will push the pizza in to the oven on the screen. You will be able to tell from your customers reactions whether they are happy or not.

The customer will sit down and enjoy their pizza. They will let you know when they have finished and are ready to pay. To let them pay you turn the pizza base over and they will hand you their money. However sometimes the customers require change so you will have to work out how much change is owed and place their change on the upside down pizza base.

It may sound easy but believe me you will soon have a queue of customers waiting to be served and also waiting to pay. It's very fast paced however you can change the setting to fit the level of ability. There is also a junior mode too.

What Is The Aim Of The Game?
The overall aim is to make your customers keep coming back for more and have lots of people talking about your pizzeria creating a 'buzz'

At the end of each day you will be given a review of your day including your income, how much you spent on ingredients, rent and also how much in tips you received. You will be then given your total net income which will go straight in to your bank and you will receive your buzz score. You can use the  money you have earned to upgrade your shop with new items such as a new oven or wall decorations.

Is It Educational?
Absolutely.  Osmo definitely makes learning fun and can help encourage the following..

Following Instructions - You need to follow the customers instructions to make their pizza.
Colour Recognition - Customers may ask for just green ingredients or red.
Sorting - Your ingredients and money have their own trays so they need to be sorted after each day ready for the next.
Patterns - Some customers may ask for a smiley face pizza or a sunflower.
Maths - Maths features throughout the game with addition and subtraction when customers are paying their bills and also fractions when a customer just wants half a pizza with ingredients on.

What We Loved
Having physical items to use really enhances the play and makes it more realistic when playing. The pieces come in a compact storage box too which is very easy to store. The option to change the settings based on ability is a great feature. You can choose to just include notes when handling the money or for more complicated maths you can include coins too. The game can be played alone however I really enjoy playing with little J too. Sometimes I will be in charge of restocking the ingredients or handling the money whilst little J creates the pizzas.

What Could Improve
Not really an improvement just a recommendation but you need to be in a well lit room as sometimes the sensors don't pick up the pizza sliding in to the oven or the ingredients on the pizza.

For more information regarding Osmo and games available you can visit Osmo 

Pizza Co is definitely our favourite Osmo game so far. It's fun, fast paced and educational too without the kids realising.

Michelle

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Shopping During Lockdown | Giveaway

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Disclosure - The gift card used in this giveaway is a combination of cards I have been paid with in the past. Unfortunately you cannot use them online for grocery shopping.

Last week was the first time since March that I have stepped inside a supermarket. We usually get our shopping delivered each week anyway as a delivery pass holder so that just continued throughout lockdown. I was quite nervous visiting as I had heard stories that the queues were huge and the shops inside were so busy but it was actually okay.

There was a queue outside but it wasn't huge. There was a staff member at the front of the store letting customers in. I think it was a one in one out system. When it was our turn we grabbed a small trolley and headed inside. There was plenty of hand gel and wipes for trollies and baskets.

Once inside it wasn't much different than usual except there is a one way system around the shop with arrow markings on the floor telling you which aisles you can go up or down on.

There are plastic screens around the checkouts now just in front of the cashier and till. You can still load your shopping on to the conveyor belts and pay as normal. When we left I didn't notice any hand gel for on the way out but we had wipes in the car anyway.

Overall I thought it was well organised. Some people didn't follow the one way system at all but as long as you stick to it you can shop as normal.

Will I be rushing back to do a weekly shop? Probably not but I definitely will feel more comfortable now  if I need to pop in for milk or bread, as I know what to expect.

How have you found shopping during this time? Is your local supermarkets well organised?

If you would like to be in with a chance of winning £100 Asda Voucher complete the entry form below and make sure you pop back daily for bonus chances to win.

Win £100 Asda Gift Card

Michelle

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Teaching Your Child How To Ride A Bike

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You may have seen in our earlier post that Little J has learnt to ride his bike during lockdown. During the time teaching him I have noted down the most useful things  I learnt while teaching him. Here are my nine tips to help teach your child
how to ride a bike.

Start As Early As You Can
The younger you start teaching, the better.  We started quite late with little J and he was scared of falling off.  If we had have started earlier then the fear of injury isn't there as much and can help progress quicker.

Be Prepared To Be Patient
You need to set time aside every day to practice, practice and practice some more.  Praise after every try, even if no progress was made that day as this will make the next days practice easier.

Set Small Goals
Make use of safe spaces to start with. We started in the garden, on artificial grass. Although its harder to pedal on than road, Little J felt safer knowing he would land on the soft floor if he fell.

Start With Balance and Basic Control
We started with stabilisers on to get used to getting on and off the bike,  and general control, steering and pedal movement.  Even stabilisers can be hard to balance so make sure you explain this and don't expect too much on the first go!

Continue With Balance
Take the stabilisers off as soon as they have mastered the basics.  Then focus on helping them get the balance of the bike.  No need to use pedals (and maybe take them off - we did this to help Little J) Make sure they can push themselves off and then glide along with feet off the floor as much as possible.

Re - Attach The Pedals
Begin by holding your child, not the handlebars, or the bike. Hold onto then from the side and help them start off. Keep hold of them while they get used to the pedals and combining with balance.  This is the part that took the longest for us, maybe as the space we used wasn't big.  Keep going forward and back, and start to let go of them for seconds at a time so they start to get used to riding alone.

Move outside
We moved to the road outside next.  Here there is much more space, the road is easier to ride on than the grass, and here is where you will make the most progress. Continue to hold on to your child to get them started and then follow the same pattern as before. Stay alongside them, not in front or behind and when you hold on, hold on to the child only.

Let Go
As you repeat this, let go for longer periods of time, encourage turning, be prepared to start running alongside if your child is still scared of falling.

On Their Own
As confidence grows you will be able to stop running alongside and let them go. Well done - they have now learned a skill they will never forget.

I hope this short guide will help you with the challenge fo helping your child learn to ride their bike. Remember to be patient, as not all children will learn at the same pace, and it times you will think they will never get it, but they will and they will be over the moon when they do.

John

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Rain Rain Go Away | Living Arrows 27/52

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It's Monday again and we are on the countdown to the Summer Holidays. I'm not sure how different the six weeks will be to the last few months but just knowing it's Summer always make me happy. Last week was filled with the usual home schooling and trips to the park although the weather wasn't very kind to us last week with quite a few rainy days.

On Saturday we went for a walk and although playgrounds can now open, the playground was still closed in the park we visited. However as it was raining the exercise machines that are usually busy were empty so little J enjoyed having them all to himself. 

I was trying to last out till Autumn but I think if the rain continues I will have to get little J some new wellies as he has outgrown his. It wasn't long before the rain started to pour down and we had to head home but it was nice to get some fresh air despite the weather. 

Michelle

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth

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Kids Stuff Crazy | Giveaway

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Disclosure - We were gifted Kids Stuff Crazy and also another set to giveaway.

Kids Stuff Crazy have been making bath time more fun and exciting for children for 20 years. They have a range of products that help transform a boring bath routine into something stimulating and creative. All Kids Stuff products are mild, gentle, hypoallergenic, dermatologically tested and made in the UK. I have mentioned before that little J has very sensitive skin so trying new products is always a nervous time for us in case he has a bad reaction however he has been absolutely fine with the Kids Stuff range.

Trying to find ways to make bath time more fun for little J was actually a lot easier than I thought and I managed to use items that we already had lying around rather than rushing out to buy stuff. I did however stumble across Kids Stuff Crazy and little J has had lots of fun playing with their crazy foaming soap which he can shape and mould. It's great for sensory play too outside of the bath if you have a tuff tray or something similar.

We have also been using the Kids Stuff Crazy Magical Sparkling Bubble Bath. The Bubble Bath adds a shimmer of glitter to the water within creates lots of bubbles. It smells like purple grape too which smells amazing.

I was keen to try out the hair and body wash as some brands we have used in the past have left little J's hair with a sticky feel but the hair wash rinsed out well and he smelt good enough to eat afterwards.

Unfortunately our giveaway is now closed but you can still enjoy Kids Stuff Crazy by purchasing on Amazon

Win A Selection Of Kids Stuff Crazy Products

 Michelle

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Ways To Make Bath Time More Fun

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Disclosure - We were sent a selection of Kids Stuff Crazy products which have been included below and this post also mentions products previously gifted and contains affiliate links. 

I'm not sure whether it's a boy thing or just a little J thing but recently having a bath has been a no go area for little J. He has started to prefer just to jump in and out of the shower. Firstly I am grateful that he actually wants to get a wash but I do like him to have a bath at least once or twice a week as not only is it nice to have a soak but it's relaxing and sometimes he needs that 'calm down' just before bed. Apparently bath times are boring when you are a seven year old so we have decided to come up with ways to make bath time more fun again. 

Water Basketball

It's not actually a basketball and a hoop, it's a small ball and a jug but little J loves trying to score points throwing the ball in to the jug. We pretend he is in a fairground and he can win 'pretend prizes'.

Making Potions

Using empty and clean toiletry bottles little J enjoys making potions. I will let him squirt a few drops of different body washes (the more colourful the better) in to the bottles and then he fills them up with water and mixes the colours. 

Slime Bath

Creating a gooey bath is so much fun. We use Gelli Bath products. They come in a variety of colours and textures such as slime or gelli. They are really fun and it just adds a little bit of fun to bath time. 

Hide and Seek

When the bath is full of bubbles we will drop in a few of small items while he has his eyes closed. He then has to keep his eyes closed and use his hands to feel for items and try and guess what he has found.

Sensory Play

Adding textures and smells to bath time can really help relax a child. We have been using Kids Stuff Crazy soap and not only does it smell amazing (especially purple grape) but the soap can actually be moulded and shaped to add to the fun. 

Music Time

Whether it's chill out music or the latest pop songs adding music to our bath time routine has definitely helped get him in the tub. 

Extra Screen Time

We bought a very cheap tray that goes across the bath. It was actually meant for me but sometimes little J will use it to finish off a you tube video he has been watching. It's a great way to get a resilient child in to the tub by offering an extra ten minutes of screen time.

Hopefully these ideas will help make bath time more exciting for your little one and if you have any different ideas we would love to hear them so pop them in the comments below. 

Michelle

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A Different Kind Of Day Out | Living Arrows 26/52

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Last week we decided to visit Alton Towers Gardens for the day. We absolutely love Alton Towers and have been Merlin Pass Holders for as long as I can remember. Telling the boys that we were going to Alton Towers even though the rides were closed was a tough challenge. They both looked at us like we were crazy anti prompted lots of  sighs of 'what's the point?' but they came along anyway and I know they both had a lovely day.

Alton is about a 90 mins drive from home but the roads were quiet and the drive was actually really nice. It is a drive we have done hundreds of times over the years but it seemed more enjoyable than ever.

Little J was actually really excited as we pulled in to the gates asking if he could looked at the rides before we headed in to the gardens.

It was so quiet when we arrived and we were able to park right by the main gate with only ten other cars in the car park.

As soon as we walked down Towers Street little J ran straight for the large area of grass in front of the lake and towers and just kept running. A huge grass space just for him as there was no one else there.

The gardens are beautiful and there was lots of areas to explore, lots of stairs to climb and tunnels to crawl through.

Was it strange going when the rides were closed and there were probably less than 100 people in the entire park? Yes, but it was actually really enjoyable and we saw a side to Alton Towers that we have never seen before despite going 5-6 times per year.

It was our longest day out since lockdown and we did lots of walking so we were exhausted when we got home but it was definitely worth it.

Michelle

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth

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MentalUP Brain Games For Children | Review and Giveaway

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Disclosure - We were gifted an annual subscription for the purpose of this post plus prizes to giveaway. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own unless stated.

We found out last week that little J won't be returning to school till September and I have to admit I did let out a sigh of relief when I heard the news. When lockdown began I always thought he would return in September and any earlier seemed too soon so I am definitely happy although our home schooling has hit a brick wall recently. Like most at the beginning we had a strict routine for home schooling with lots of ideas although now it's 14 weeks later and the excitement and motivation has definitely fizzled out. I have been looking for ideas on how to make home schooling fun again for little J and I came across MentalUp.

What is MentalUp?

MentalUP is an award-winning brain game app for children between 4 and 13 years.

MentalUP was developed by game designers and academics incorporating innovative teaching methods to offer dozens of mind games with suitable difficulty levels to improve cognitive skills in a gamified format to engage children.  MentalUP also receives a 5 star review from teachers on Educational App Store which is a discovery, review and recommendation platform for educational apps by professionally experienced teachers.

MentalUP believes the ability to solve problems and think in new creative ways is as important as literacy and numeracy skills and they have devised a series of brain games that expose learners to new types of problems and the different ways of thinking required to solve them
. The app addresses five key skills: Attention, Memory, Problem Solving (Logic), Visual and Verbal and includes sub-skills such as counting skills, and geometry.  Importantly it provides a safe space for children as it does not include any adverts, harmful content or in-app purchases.

Getting Started

After downloading from the Google Play Store or App Stores you are ready to set up your account. First it will ask whether you want to set up an account using email, facebook or google. We chose email and had to enter our email address and a chosen password.

Next we had to select little J's grade, this means what year in school. I had to google this as it is American and we don't have 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades etc here. Little J is going in to year 3 in September so I chose 2nd Grade.

It will then ask what areas you would like your child to improve on. You can choose from
Memory
Attention
Logic
Visual
Language

I selected all but if you want to just focus on a specific area or two you can just highlight those areas.

That is it, we were ready to begin. The limited version of the app is free and you can have access to 20 free games however if you upgrade to premium you open up 120 games.

Let's Begin

The app sets out a very colourful path which you follow completing games along the way. You click on number 1 to start and a random game will be selected and you will be given the instructions and rules for the game. They are brief and very easy to understand.

Once you have completed the first game you will be given a score out of 3 stars and also some MentalUp coins. These can be used to customise your character.

Next you move on to level 2 and so on...

What Type Of Games Can I Expect?

There are so many games available however so far we do have a few favourites...

Memory Cards - Find The Pairs.

Ice Creams - Find the cone which has the number of ice cream balls specified in the voice instructions.

Highway - Count the number of specific vehicles moving along the highway.

Should I Upgrade To Premium?

The premium version of the app, which usually costs just £20 for an annual subscription, provides access to over 120 games (compared to 20 on the free version) and includes reporting systems which MentalUP believes is important in the current situation in order to help parents monitor progress, provide skills analysis and highlighting strengths and weaknesses so that they (and teachers when they return to school) can easily track children’s cognitive development and compare with same age groups.

MentalUP has five million users worldwide and to help UK teachers, homeschooler parents and parents that have found themselves working from home with the kids is offering a discount of 30% at the moment taking the cost of the app to just £14.99 for the year. This works out at less than £2 per month!

You can read more by visiting the MentalUp and you can also download the app from Google Play Store or the App Store

Giveaway

I have teamed up with MentalUp to offer 5 of my readers and followers the chance to win an annual subscription and 25 runners up prizes of a 3 month subscription.

All you need to do is complete the entry form below and remember to pop back daily for bonus chances to win.

Who would you like to win MentalUp for?

Win A MentalUp Subscription 

Michelle

Terms

Competition closes on Sunday 12th July 2020

Entrants must have a valid UK address. 

Bulk, third party or any other entries using automated software will be disqualified. 

All entrants and entries are checked and verified. 

30 lucky winners will be chosen at random by the Gleam application. 

Playdays and Runways will contact the lucky winners within 7 days of the competition closing. 

The winners will be emailed to the email address given at the time of entering. 

The winners must respond within 28 days, if no response a new winner will be chosen. 

This prize is non-transferable and there is no cash alternative 

Prizes

The first 5 winners drawn will win an Annual Subscription to MentalUp

The next 25 winners drawn will win a three months subscription to MentalUp

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Eleven Tips For Visiting Tatton Park

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For the past few weeks we have been wanting to plan a day out rather than just brief visits to the park or waterfront. As the lockdown has eased a little, going somewhere a little further is now acceptable however we are still nervous about heading out to more public places. Obviously the further you travel the more you have to plan as you aren't just around the corner from home.

I think for us trying to get back to some kind of normality is going to help us get over this anxiousness we all have about public spaces. After a lot of searching online I hit a brick wall. Everywhere looked so busy on Social Media and I didn't really want to travel somewhere only to find it was overcrowded and we all felt uncomfortable and had to come home.

Last week Tatton Park popped up confirming it was open. We love Tatton Park and the first thing I think of is 'lots of space'. Tatton Park is huge and I felt pretty confident that even if it was extremely busy we would be able to social distance and enjoy it.

To help you plan your visit I wanted to share with you some tips and thoughts about Tatton Park.

1. Tatton Park opens at 10am but we didn't arrive till about 11:30am and the queue to enter the park was very busy. We entered the park via the Knutsford Gate and we had to queue for about 10 - 15 mins on the road outside before turning in to the park. Throughout our visit there was a steady flow of cars entering so I think it will be generally busy no matter what time of day depending on the weather.

2. There is an entry fee for cars and motorbikes of £8 even if you are a National Trust Member. Blue badge holders get 50% discount on parking. Walkers and Cyclists enter for free.

3. The car park was very busy but there were two members of staff directing cars to available spaces.

4. Take a picnic. We took along our picnic and picnic blanket to enjoy our lunch on the grass. The Stables restaurant is open Weds-Sunday for take away only between 10-30-4:30 however it closes between 1:30-2:30pm for cleaning. It looked very busy with people waiting outside as I assume only so many are allowed in at each time. Taking a picnic would save you queuing.

5. The grounds are huge and there is so much space to be socially distanced from others however you may struggle to find a spot that isn't covered in sheep poo! I'm guessing as they have been closed for so long the animals have just had all the fields and grass area to themselves so the amount of poo on the grass was crazy. We did manage to find a poo free spot big enough for our blanket but not much else.

6. The toilets are open which is one of the reasons we chose Tatton Park.  For the ladies 6 women can be inside the toilets at any one time and the mens is 4. It is a one in one out system with a door to enter and another to leave. There is plenty of hand gel outside and lots of staff instructing you when you can enter and reminding you to put on hand gel. Inside the ladies there was a toilet then the next two were closed off and so on, the same for the sinks. Knowing you can go the toilet obviously makes it much more enjoyable for a day out especially with the kids.

7. Enjoy an ice cream. Inside the courtyard there is a tuck shop that was open selling ice creams. Everyone queued leaving the 2m apart and there was a nice selection of lolly ices and ice creams to choose from.

8. The garden shop and gift shop were open when we visited and had a social distance queuing system outside.

9. Just to add the farm, hall and adventure play area are closed at the moment. This may change in coming weeks so keep an eye on the website for updates.

10. Check out the 'What's On' section of the website as there are lots of trail and family friendly activities to get involved in throughout the year. Percy The Park Keep - Secret Path Trail is available until 13th June 2021 in the Gardens. 

11. Have fun.

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Michelle

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Visiting Alton Towers Gardens

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Alton Towers holds very special memories for us. As individuals John, Big J and I have all been separately with friends. As a couple John and I have visited for over 20 years now and John proposed to me during the fireworks. We got Merlin Passes when big J was young and every year we would visit the fireworks and start a Christmas tradition of visiting Santa at his Sleepover at the Alton Towers Hotel. When little J was born we continued with our Merlin Passes and he has now turned out to be the biggest thrill seeker of us all, loving rollercoasters. We visit the Alton Towers Resort at least 6 times a year so not being able to visit this year has been hard. When Alton Towers announced they were going to open the gardens I was eager to visit however I wasn't sure whether it would feel weird especially for the boys not being able to go on the rides. We decided to go anyway for a day out and we all really enjoyed it.

Obviously when you think of Alton Towers you think of a theme park but the gardens are actually quite a big part of the resort. I think we have maybe walked through them less than a handful of times and that was to get from one ride to another if the sky ride was closed, we have never stopped to actually appreciate how beautiful they are.

Here are a few tips and hints to make the most out of your day.

1. The gardens are open daily from 10-4pm and as the theme park is closed the gardens cost £12 per person or £1 if you are a pass holder. You have to book online and they will not accept walk ups.

2. Upon arrival by car you head towards the coach parking / disabled parking area. Someone will be there to show you where to park. When we got there, there where only about 20 cars.

3. Heading towards the main entrance you will see a pop up tent. Here they will take your temperature and check your bag. All staff had masks on.

4. If you are familiar with Alton Towers then the toilets to the right of the entrance are open as are the ones in Mutiny Bay.

5. Once inside you can choose to head straight to the gardens via the 3 entrances or you can head up towards X Sector and the Towers for a stroll. It was so quiet but it was actually lovely to walk around taking nice photographs of the boys next to their favourite rides, Spinball Whizzer and Smiler.

6. You cannot go inside the Towers at this time but you can walk along the front.

7. Once inside the gardens you can choose from 3 routes. There is a map available to download online which will show you a suggested route, an alternative route and an accessible route.

8. Some of the pathways are uneven and some paths have steep steps to get up and down so always check your map for an alternative way if these paths and steps are unsuitable for you.

9. There are 13 points of interest in the gardens including Conservatories, fountains, a swiss cottage and even Stonehenge.

10. You are more than welcome to bring a picnic to enjoy in the gardens and their are plenty of bins around to dispose your litter.

11. There is a snack shop open just by Mutiny Bay selling hot and cold drinks, ice creams and snacks.

12. In the Mutiny Bay Courtyard there are approx 12-15 picnic benches under cover which is a nice place to enjoy a snack if it is too hot or raining. Just watch out for the hungry birds and ducks!

13. Enjoy

We are actually really happy we went. It was lovely exploring the grounds and not rushing from one place to another. 

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Michelle

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