This month Bandai have sent us three of the Mini Dig Kits from National Geographic for review. Smaller than the standard Dig Kits, each contains one genuine specimen which your child can dig out using the tool included.


The Mini Dig Kits are hard plastic-wrapped, so not very eco-friendly. With scissors they're much more easily opened, but can have sharp edges, so watch your fingers. Inside is your specimen and a digging tool, as well as a leaflet with information.


I may not be so keen on the packaging, but I love the contents and so do children. Dig Kits offer a surprise reward - you don't know what you'll end up with exactly, and no two end results are the same.

Stars of Paradise is the first book in The Wonderful Life of Daisy & Ewe (The WLDE) series by Mary Obozua and I've been sent a copy for review by publisher Hashtag Press. Previously better known for her designer shoes and brand Mary Smith, she promises the series to bring girl power, a multicultural cast, mystery and fun packed adventures.

Stars Of Paradise is recommended for young independent readers aged around 6-9 and stars two schoolfriends, Daisy and Ewe.


Daisy and Ewe are quite girly girls. They're a bit pink and fluffy, but they are also incredibly intelligent and fantastic gadget-makers. These are the sort of heroes I like best. They remind me of my own childhood hero, and really do prove that you should never judge anyone by how they look.

This Summer Knowsley Safari is hosting the massive Ultimate Brick Safari, and 80 lifesize LEGO models have taken their places among the real live animals and attractions. We were invited over to take a look, and my daughter and her boyfriend tagged along with us too.


It was 30 degrees all week and the Summer heatwave records broken, so naturally we arrived at Knowsley in the pouring rain. It was warm though, and quite honestly the damp didn't spoil our day.

There are lots of places to shelter from any weather conditions, including the regular Sea Lion Display - I've written about the Sea Lions at Knowsley before, so I concentrated on the LEGO on this visit.


It didn't take us long to spot the first of the 80 models. They start as soon as you enter the park, and really are spread all over the site, all around the walking route, or 'Foot Safari' . The baby gorilla and pandas were two of my favourites.

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We like to find new and exciting things here at The Brick Castle and Nudge definitely counts. An addictive, quick-paced but intelligent board game for 2 players, which is incredibly simple to learn yet hard to master, and entirely created from fully recyclable materials.

We've been sent a copy of Nudge for review, and I also have one to give away to one of my readers.


The game arrives in the regular post, packaged in a recycled and recyclable bio-plastic bag. Your game is all contained in a sturdy cardboard box, which is a great shape and size for storage.


Inside the box the contents are really very beautifully arranged. An envelope containing the 6 Bioplastic Game Discs and the 5x5 Game Board, tied with string. There is absolutely no waste here and total commitment to the environment, while still being a beautiful game. No plastic, no extra dyes or even extra card or paper. The game rules are printed on the back of the box.

Blockbuster is a brand new game from the very clever people at Big Potato. A party game for 4 or more, played in 2 teams, film knowledge is a bonus, but definitely not essential.

Frankly it's hilarious and even my 9 and 10 year old boys, who don't even know 2/3 of the films on the cards, think it's hilarious too.


Our parcel arrived with a big "Quik Drop" label, and I knew what it was instantly! I practically lived in Blockbuster for about 10 of my most influential years. The very thoughtful people at Big Potato had sent us everything we needed for a movie night...


The packaging is THE BEST PACKAGING IN THE WORLD EVER!! A real genuine imitation Blockbuster video box. Nostalgia is pouring into my soul.

We've been to Coral Island in Blackpool more times than I can possibly remember. A very popular spot for us, up between the tower and central pier, and an ideal place to escape the sun, wind or rain for half an hour, or stop in to have lunch. We reviewed 18 months ago, we loved our day out, and they invited us back again this year as guests, to check they haven't changed...


Coral Island is Blackpool's biggest free admission attraction and it's all indoor. I love Blackpool, and it can be hot and sunny at times, but often it's bracing and Northern. An indoor drop-in attraction is a great thing. You can find my 2018 Coral Island Blackpool review here - where we spent £20 per person for the entire day, including meals. Prices were roughly the same then, as they were this year...

As soon as I saw the So MAGIC Wonder Garden I loved it. As a child I was fascinated by real and imitation miniature gardening, and my Grandmother used to buy me magic trees as a very special treat. We've been sent the DIY Wonder Garden for review and it's great to introduce my own children to one of the real joys of my own childhood.


The main packaging is a sturdy cardboard box, which my postman trashed, so this is a rear view. Inside there are lots of smaller separate components which are mainly packaged in plastic bags. You can play instantly, so it's Christmas morning-friendly, but lacking points for Earth-friendly.

Included are: several different colours of sand, small gems, glittery stones, 4 characters, an arbour, a rainbow, 2 magic trees, instructions, 2 double-ended tools, cylindrical terrarium cover, plus of course the actual garden base itself - in shocking pink!

Rain Town has been sent to me by Matador for review and it made me laugh aloud. It's brilliant. Written in a very modern tone and full of comments and 'Dad jokes', it's actually a light-hearted look at modern life, corporate crime, middle age and redundancy.

The stars of the book are father and son Sidney and Stanley, and their respective friends. Stanley's schoolfriends are Billy and Chloe, and Sidney's initially more reluctant sidekicks are Terry and Billy's Dad, Bobby.


Sidney is a struggling single parent to Stanley. He's also The Raven, a nightime crime fighter alter-ego, sometimes described as "the crazy guy in the bin bag". No-one is entirely sure The Raven really exists, except Billy, who met him once and is his greatest fan.

Strictly Briks manufacture building blocks and other elements which are designed to work along with your own collection of building products and give you new and different options during play. We've been sent a couple of products to review. A 156 piece Classic Brik Set and the Strictly Briks AlphaBriks Set, which contains a 10" x 10" green baseplate, 100 letter and symbol tiles plus drawstring storage bag.


Strictly Briks produce elements you won't find from other manufacturers of building blocks, such as tall stacks to create levels, silicone baseplates, trap doors, flexible joining pieces and much more.

We were very honoured to be invited back to Timber Festival for a second time to review this year and it was even better than the last one. A very laid back festival which intertwines arts and nature, and takes place in the woodland in Derbyshire. It's a place I really feel at home...


Timber Festival 2019 took place on Friday 5th to Sunday 7th July at Feanedock, near Ashby de la Zouch in the National Forest and it was, to put it bluntly, epic*.

*Except for the bit where I drank 'not enough water', bumped into Stuart Maconie and told him who he was, that I hadn't caught him on stage this year and that he'd just done the Jarrow March - clearly he already knew most of that, so I'll just pretend that never happened...

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We arrived around 6pm, set up camp, collected our wristbands and went into the festival. There's plenty going on, even after 8pm on the Friday. The sunset was amazing, as was the view from the top of the big hill - all across the site and over to where they are still quarrying. You relax immediately...