The Green Board Game Company make inclusive games that you can play together, whatever your ability or age. They encourage brain power and build skills such as memory and vocabulary, but don't ask for hours of commitment and concentration. Most of all though, they're fun.

Green Board Games sent us 3 of their most popular games to review: Visual-memory game Shaperise, one of the original BrainBox games - BrainBox Roald Dahl and the very different and creative Re,Cycle,Me.


The first game we tried was Shaperise, rrp £15. This was the winning game in the Young Games Inventor Of The Year Competition 2016 and was designed by 11 year old Sebastian Fleming-Smith. Suitable for age 8+ and 2 players, younger children can join in non-competitively and it's great for hand-eye co-ordination, concentration and even learning colours.


Everything comes in a neat cardboard box which can be used for storage afterwards. There are 40 coloured blocks, a timer, instructions and 60 different Shaperise Cards. The cards are in 3 levels of difficulty and each show a design that you have to copy using the blocks.

The Beyblade Burst Evolution Star Storm Battle Set is a heck of a mouthful to say, but it deserves the title as this star shaped Beystadium battle arena is definitely quite special. Also included are 2 Beyblade Burst SwitchStrike launchers and 2 Beyblade Burst SwitchStrike tops.


Packaging is brilliant. A no-frills cardboard box and very little plastic. Earth and Christmas-morning friendly. Not bedroom-friendly in the same way as the as the Epic Rivals Beystadium, because it doesn't fit back in the box once assembled.

It's only a month until BlogOnX - the 10th BlogOn Conference. I'm delighted to still be part of the team helping make it happen, and it looks like being a really special event with some fantastic sessions on everything from photo backdrops to GDPR compliance for bloggers, loads of on-the-day prizes from brands, and of course, the infamous goodie bags...

Traditionally we have a 'get to know you', so here are my answers to the BlogOnX Introduce Yourself Linky...

1. Share a recent photo of yourself.

I'm holding a pot of keyrings I won on the 2p machines - I am easily pleased. PS. I do love Foo - Dave Grohl is genius.

For once and probably only once a genuine recent photo of me, taken on Tuesday on our day out in Blackpool. I'm so proud my partner actually took this photo - for once I have proof I left the house...

When I spotted Treads school shoes have a '1 year Guarantee Against Destruction', I had to question if it was real. It is, and they're confident that their specially designed moulded soles and reinforced shoes can withstand all the punishment your little angels can put them through.


Treads asked if I wanted to review, and as my youngest is on his 3rd pair of shoes already this school year, I was utterly delighted to put them to the challenge. Obviously this post is our initial reaction, but I will revisit our shoes once my children grow out of them to see how well they did!

We might love books and theatre and kitchen science, but we also love a good traditional day off. Last Tuesday we had an awesome stress-free fun day off in Blackpool courtesy of Coral Island. Right by the pier, the tower and the best parking spots behind SeaLife, Coral Island is Blackpool's largest indoor free-admission family-friendly attraction.


I had no idea just how much Coral Island had to offer until this week, but the claw prize machines are just the start. They have a huge selection of arcade machines from brand new through to those which bring back memories from my SEGA days, 3 rides and 4 restaurants with freshly cooked food and staff who really care about their guests. We spent almost 6 hours there - by sheer fluke getting back to the van 3 minutes before the parking ran out!

A couple of weeks ago we were guests of Z-arts and Half Moon to watch the interactive spoken word play Friends For All. Suitable for children aged around 5-11, it was a really excellent performance with a clear aim to empower youngsters and help them realise they are already special, and they already have the ability to create change. I think we all took something away from it.


I visited with my partner and 8 and 9 year old boys. We love Z-Arts because it's so warm and welcoming, and you feel like you are back with friends. The cafe is excellent and on this visit had children's milkshake cartons for something fabulous like 25p! You can't ask for more than that.

The stage set was sparse, with the only scenery several white rectangular blocks. Once the performance started they became populated with the projected characters from the story. The lighting and projection were virtually spot on, timed to perfection. It was really well executed, with the supporting cast remaining almost still except for subtle movements - just enough to remind you they were there.

My Fairy Garden might seem an unusual product for my boys and I to promote, but pretty much all children love miniature gardening. Indoors or outside, it's an excellent way to celebrate the arrival of Spring at last!

Getting closer to nature through plants teaches children about life cycles and gives them a better understanding of where a lot of their food comes from. It helps them learn about taking care for living things and loads of other skills that will be useful forever. Growing plants is science!


This Easter My Fairy Garden had the idea to create a beautiful Easter Basket and one of my readers can win all the sets they need to fill one for themselves. The prize includes a Fairy Picnic Basket, Fairy Watering Can, Fairy Flower Pot and Magic Bean Pot (basket, cellophane, ribbon, flowers and chicks not included in prize)...

Fingerlings are awesome, but Fingerlings have evolved and Untamed Raptors have an extra, more ferocious dimension. They caught my attention and will appeal to a huge range of children - they're dinosaurs! We've been sent Stealth to review and he doesn't disappoint.


Your Velociraptor takes a couple of minutes to open, and you may benefit from scissors because he's held in place by a plastic band around his body. Batteries are included, so once unleashed he's ready to go - just switch him on!

Today I'm delighted to be taking part in the My Little Sous-Chef Blog Book Tour. I'm the second blog in the tour, check out the list towards the bottom to find the rest. As it's Easter, we took one of the recipes and added a little Easter twist....


My Little Sous-Chef is a brand new cookery book release from Caterina Falqui, Francesca Grassi and Laura Pantaleone. Completely unlike other cookery books, My Little Sous-Chef is actually two books.


One book is for children and the other is for their grown ups. Both books have exactly the same recipes, but one has all the boring stuff like oven temperatures, and the other focuses more on those tasks that children can take charge of.

Molang is an incredibly popular TV series and this Easter Tomy have released a range of incredibly soft and cuddly toys based on the two characters on the show - Molang himself and Piu Piu. What ciould be more perfect? Prices start at £5.99rrp and these Easter bunnies and chicks last so much longer than chocolate...