I really like the ethos of Ellie Dix and The Dark Imp, so when she asked if I wanted to take a look at her brand new Buzzlebox, I was more than happy. This is a beautiful box of brand new games and puzzles designed to be played together, whatever your ability or age (from around 8+).


Ellie is a keen promoter of maintaining good healthy relationships with your kids through play. As your offspring get older, it's easy to drift apart until you realise you barely spend any time together when you aren't already busy. Games create relaxed environments for chat and laughter.


The Buzzlebox is gorgeous. It felt like a treat opening it, and then I saw what was inside. This is almost entirely plastic free, and the only plastic included is reusable. The first Buzzlebox has a Gardens and Poultry theme. (Box 2 will be Doughnuts and Cake!)

This month Asmodee have sent us One Key from Libellud to review for the Blogger Boardgame Club. A co-operative game for 2-6 players aged 8+, players work together to find the Key Card by eliminating wrong answers. Once only the Key is left, you win the game.


There are lots of exciting box contents and you'll need 5 minutes to press out tokens before first play. No batteries to find or excess plastic, Christmas morning-friendly.


Libellud games are notable for their artwork, One Key is no exception. It's gorgeous and very different. There are 84 specially shaped illustrated clue cards with random scenes full of detail.

Cockfields Farm is in Oldham, about 15 minutes drive from J22 of the M60. I've never been before, but I'd heard that their Christmas activity is something really special, and this year the North Pole themed grotto is bigger and better than ever before. We were invited along to review - and collect our special passports to travel to the land of snow and see Santa.


As we arrived the boys were given their 'passports' and a special token for the Build-A-Bear later. They had them filled out in seconds. Inside are spaces for you to collect stamps as you take part in the different activities. It was great because it made sure we didn't miss anything.


We started the morning with a light breakfast - and I was ecstatic to see there was a choice of bacon, sausages or veggie sausages.

Last night we were invited to the launch night for Waterside's Christmas Show, Mr Popper's Penguins. We love visiting Waterside, it's one of our favourite venues and the welcome is always warm. Mr Popper's Penguins is a story we all enjoyed, and bringing the penguins to life was a challenge that we were all excited to see.

Pins And Needles production of Mr Popper's Penguins is recommended for children 3-11 and their families, it's full of song, dance, puppetry and formation flying penguins - and it was brilliant.


Waterside is super easy to get to, opposite Sale Tram Station. It's a gorgeous purpose-built building and houses more than just theatre, until 4th Jan they are exhibiting a Cosgrove Hall collection, and it's well worth popping in to see that if you are nearby.

We were sent a copy of Sproutword last month for review and I am delighted to say that the creators have offered one of my readers a copy as a Christmas Present.

Suitable for 2-4 players, Sproutword is a letter tile game which is entirely plastic-free and utterly beautiful. The tiles are a joy to play with, and the gameplay is so much more than 'make a word'. In this game you can use everyone else's letters and change words, and winning is all about having control of the longest word in play - the Sproutword.


Sproutword is a brand new game and doesn't yet have an official age recommendation, but as long as you are a fairly confident reader then you'll be able to join in, and with luck can even win. You'll have a more fierce and competitive game with players aged around 10+.


Inside the box are 4 cloth drawstring bags containing the wooden letter tiles (made from sustainable wood in Devon and Dorset). Each player chooses a colour, takes out a number of tiles and places them face up on the table before play begins.

In the past few years Escape Rooms have become incredibly popular. The rush of adrenaline as you hear that clock ticking away, and the pride when you solve the clues and escape, are both excellent fun. Now you can experience that thrill at home with your friends and family thanks to Goliath Games, and they've sent us a copy of Escape Room The Game for review.


Inside the box are lots of different components for 3 full one hour Escape Room scenarios - Prison Break, Virus and Nuclear Countdown. Almost everything is hidden inside sealed envelopes so that you don't see it in advance and spoil your game.

The Good Toy Guide is brought to us by Fundamentally Children, who I'm working with again this year to promote the 2019 Christmas Good Toy Guide. They promote toys that teach your child the skills they'll need as they grow. Toys which make your child think, explore, problem-solve and develop motor skills like hand-strength or dexterity. The sort of toys I really like.

The special edition Christmas Good Toy Guide 2019 is out now and is free for anyone to read online,  plus 65000 paper copies are also being distributed around the UK.


Fundamentally Children and the Good Toy Guide don't sell toys, so included in the guide are over 50 toys which have been tested and specially chosen to be included based entirely on merit. Each toy is clearly rated for Fun, Skills Development and Ease of Use.

This Winter the Great Northern Warehouse in Manchester's Deansgate is playing host to The Art Of The Brick, a touring installation of more than 75 models and 1 million genuine LEGO bricks. It's all been created by artist Nathan Sawaya, and we were invited along to take a look...


I'd never been to the Great Northern Warehouse before, but it's really easy to find and get to, every tram except 1 goes down Deansgate. Inside it's a huge space, as you'd expect, and the exhibition is housed on the 1st floor.


When you first go in, don't miss the short introduction film by the artist himself, Nathan Sawaya. I found it really interesting, and I love the fact that he tells anyone watching 'anything can be art. Go and make something with whatever you have to hand' - which brings you nicely to the first model.


The first room is a collection of still life objects and the planets did fascinate my boys, as they often do. I particularly liked the Cello, the way the shape curves is spot on. My favourite was THINK!, and we had to peep inside that brain. I won't spoil it, you can probably guess the contents...

We're working with ARTdiscount and they've sent my boys one of the products from their recently expanded own brand collection for review. The 69 piece Multi-Media Art Set is a great introduction to more 'grown up' painting, sketching and drawing, with charcoals, acrylic paints and lots more.


This is an impressive set and the sort of thing that any amateur artist would be delighted with. Big, bright and colourful, and when you look inside, it's also lovely quality. I know ARTdiscount are very excited about their new products, and with over 40 years experience, they know their stuff.


The box is a mix of card and plastic. My boys choose to keep large sets like this 'in the box' when they can, as it looks so impressive and keeps it together, but ultimately it'll be nice to see more card used in future, as most people will just throw it out. The delivery packaging scores full marks for Earth-friendly - reused cardboard and paper tape - nice one.

Included in the set are:
12 x 12ml Acryclic Colours
12 Coloured Pencils
5 Drawing Pencils
12 Soft Pastels
3 Brushes
3 Charcoal Pencils
3 Charcoal Sticks
2 Blending Stumps
12 Sheets of Paper
Sand Paper
Plastic Palette
Metal Sharpener
Kneadable Eraser
White Eraser

Last weekend we were invited over to Media City in Manchester to try out the recently installed Manchester Ice Rink. A temporary ice rink set up as part of the Winter Village at Media City, it's completely under cover and family-friendly, with plenty of seating and space for spectators.


Manchester Ice Rink is very easy to get to, a couple of minutes walk away from the Media City Tram Stop. You can see it on the right hand side, just before your tram pulls in.


When you go inside, the ticket office is to the left, and the Retreat bar area is to the right, with lots of benches for changing footwear in the middle. It's a really big space and wasn't at all cramped, even though loads of people were changing at once. It is understandably noisy though.