Ironic really that it's during Children's Mental Health Week that I get called into school to discuss one of my children's attendance. This is a first for me. Up until 5 years ago I was the one with 100% attendance certificates all over my fridge and mantlepiece. I'm not unduly concerned, he's had a rough trot lately with several stomach bugs and it took about 6 weeks to clear the flu from his system. He's been ill. Hopefully that's our turn at everything done and we can have an easier time for the rest of the year.


My son has also just had a stressful time for other reasons than flu and associated headaches and vision problems. Over Christmas he saw his Dad rushed off to hospital again, this time with the flu, and he knows I have to have another hernia operation. In his world people he loves do really die, suddenly and forever. The last of his big siblings moved out in September and that's a really big change to our household. It's something that our doctor was concerned about for my partner and I, so it has to be a concern for the younger two as well.

My son has already had to live through far more trauma than most adults. Some days I look at our household and realise it's actually a miracle he ever attends school at all. I have always been quite strict with my kids about going to school, but I know I am slightly softer on the young ones than I ever was with their siblings. If in future they feel they can't cope with anything and can't even say exactly why, I wouldn't ever ignore it - but don't tell them that, they'll get ideas.

Bizarrely February 4th was National Poop Day and Hasbro very kindly sent us one of their family games to celebrate, Toilet Trouble Flushdown. This is one of the simplest games we've ever played, but it's also one of the funniest and it's been a huge surprise hit!!

Not what you might think, Toilet Trouble sees the two players battle it out to see who can spin the roll of toilet paper quicker than the other. The slowest has the forfeit - a face full of water...


I usually avoid games like this because, well, mess, water, crying children etc, but it simply isn't like that. The jet of water is very tiny, under a teaspoonful, it's just the surprise which makes you laugh, but you don't really get wet at all.


Everything is in the box except for 3 x AA batteries, for which you'll need a small crosshead screwdriver and assembly couldn't be easier. The unit can be disassembled really quickly so that you can store it in the box afterwards - yeeeay! There's also very little plastic packaging.

Like most modern families who like to play with toys, we use hundreds of batteries a year. There are loads of reasons why rechargeable is better than buying new non-rechargeable batteries, cost in money and materials are the main ones. It's much cheaper to recharge and we are all now painfully aware just how important it is to avoid throwaway consumables.


I've tried lots of different battery chargers and rechargeable batteries over the years, but hadn't heard of GP Batteries ReCyko range until I received the email. Their Rechargeable Batteries can be charged up to 1500 times each, but one of the things that makes them really special is that they retain their power really well, so that even after 5 years in a drawer you should still have up to 70% charge.

Charlie Green And The Knights Of The Round Table is the third book in the Charlie Green series by children's author and real life pilot Martyn Blunden, and it was sent to us for review by Matador Children's Press.

With 336 pages this is a thick book and although the language is suitable for independent readers aged around 8+, you will probably need to be a couple of years older to follow the storylines. Truth meets fiction meets myth and then rewrites everything as we discover the 'true' story of what happened to King Arthur and Guinevere...


Charlie is your average 11 year old, he's friendly, kind-hearted and loves his family. He's also the sort of boy who can't resist anything interesting and at the beginning of Charlie Green and the Knights of the Round Table we find him on a school trip, capturing the attention of museum employee Mr Bernard Pugh.

Jumbo Games are a brand I've worked with several times in the past and they are the experts at jigsaw puzzles. They have a huge range including puzzles for people of all ages and abilities, including their fabulously popular Wasgij Puzzles, which offer a whole new level of puzzling...


I was sent a big bundle of puzzles to take a look at, including some of the Wasgij Puzzles. If you like puzzles and have never heard of Wasgij then you will be in for a treat. These are unlike any other jigsaw puzzles in that you aren't given the solution, you need to work it out yourself.


On the box are images and characters which portray a story or scenario and you have to use logic and imagination to work out how to complete the puzzle. These have humorous and modern cartoon illustrations and offer a real challenge. I'll be giving away 3 bundles of puzzles including some Wasgij and I'm testing a mini 54 piece puzzle this morning myself...

Sometimes something really needs a good looking at before you can say how good it was, so I often think it'd be more sensible to come back to it. Sometimes we review things which prove to be worth their weight in gold.

Reviews Revisited is a series of posts I'll do every couple of weeks to look at the best things we reviewed since the blog started back in 2012... Here's a look back at things we reviewed in the second half of January...


In 2013 when the blog started I was already a regular reviewer for Orchard Toys, so I have them to thank for this whole thing really. I reviewed a handful of games and puzzles for them in January 2013, including What A Performance, which is a brilliant game for any family with children aged around 5-10 and still one of their most popular.

It barely seems like moments since the Christmas round up, but February half term will be here before you know it, so here is my Spring round up for families of all ages in the North West UK. It's theatre heavy mainly because it's not the weather for spending hours outdoors at the moment!

This February Carlton Books release a new range of Paperscapes nature books which have press-out pieces to create a 'parade'. They offered to send one for review and my 10 year old chose The Amazing World Of Animals by Moira Butterfield...


This is a book which can be enjoyed by a really wide age group. The text is suitable for independent readers aged around 7+, but it is presented in short text boxes and there are also a list of facts for each animal, so even younger readers can pick out salient points. The facts are fascinating and I've learned loads. The writing isn't condescending at all, so a 12 year old or older will also enjoy this book.

I try to be honest in reviews, but quite often what I'm reviewing needs a really good looking at before I can truly judge it, so I often think it'd be more sensible to come back to it. Sometimes we review things which prove invaluable or 5 years down the line are still just as fabulous.

This is the first in a regular series where I'll feature some of the best products we've reviewed since the beginning of the blog... Here's a look back at things we reviewed in the the first half of January...


The first ever published review on the blog back in 2013 was one I did for Izziwizzikids, which was a Facebook page which held discussion evenings on play. We focused on slow play, which nowadays would cover most STEM toys. It was LEGO, the Goblin King Battle set 70910. Obviously we still have it, although the Goblin has a loose hand nowadays...


In January 2016 I reviewed two really great things which have stayed with me ever since. Room the movie, an incredibly powerful film loosely based on real events, in which a young girl is kidnapped and held in a single room until she escapes many years later. Brilliant acting by Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay, lots of crying and a true sense that as long as we don't give up, we can win.

It doesn't take much to spot that here at The Brick Castle we are huge fans of construction toys and we like to try everything. Construction is brilliant for encouraging imagination and confidence. It develops problem-solving skills, hand-eye coordination. finger strength and it's a brilliant way to learn some of the skills needed to become an Engineer.

2019 has been labelled as the Year Of Engineering and it's about time because the other STEM subjects (science, technology and maths) get a much better press. What we don't always realise though, is just how much relies on engineers. They are the people who decide what we can safely and sensibly build or make, what quantities of materials we'll need, how we should start and how to test the end result.


The people who built the railways were engineers, the people who designed and built your car are engineers. Your Nan was an engineer when she made up her own recipe for biscuits. We really need engineers....