Showing posts with label Education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Education. Show all posts

Thursday 2 July 2020

Win a Learning Resources GeoSafari Jr My First Microscope - Competition

You may have seen our recent blog post about the fantastic outdoor learning products we have been using during lockdown, from Learning Resources UK. These items have been such a great help with our home schooling, with Riley's favourite product being the Learning Resources GeoSafari Jr My First Microscope.

This wonderful microscope allows Riley to view items with up to an 8x magnification and its bright and chunky size really appeals to him, as he is able to use it independently and with ease.


The Learning Resources GeoSafari Jr My First Microscope is recommended for children aged 3 to 7 years of age and the fixed platform means that children can observe both flat and 3D objects through the comfortable, extra large, dual eye pieces.

Riley found the microscope very comfortable and easy to use, which made him really keen to explore and view such a wide range of objects. He loved pretending to be a scientist and very quickly got the hang of using the microscope by himself. It also has a really cool feature of a bright LED light, which helps you to enhance the viewing of small details and the button was simple for Riley to control. This requires 3 x AAA batteries which are not included.


The Learning Resources GeoSafari Jr My First Microscope has an RRP of £20, which I think offers excellent value for money. It is available to purchase on the Learning Resources website here, however if you are feeling lucky, then why not enter our fabulous competition to win one!

For your chance to win, simply read through the terms and conditions and then enter using the gleam form below, before the 11th July 2020. Good Luck!

Win a GeoSafari Jr My First Microscope

Terms and Conditions

  • There is 1 (one) prize of a Learning Resources GeoSafari Jr My First Microscope
  • Entry is open to UK residents aged 18 years old or over
  • Competition closes on the 11th July 2020
  • A Winner shall be drawn within 7 days of the closing date and notified via email
  • The winner will have 7 days to confirm their acceptance of the prize, before an alternative winner is drawn from the remaining eligible entries.
  • No bulk or third party entries
  • The winners details shall be shared with the promoter for the purpose of prize fulfilment and permission shall be obtained from the winner prior to doing so.


*Disclaimer - We were gifted a Learning Resources GeoSafari Jr My First Microscope as featured in this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own unless otherwise stated.

Saturday 13 June 2020

Outdoor Learning and Education with Learning Resources - A Review

(AD - This review features gifted items)

Like most parents we have been busy trying to juggle our home life, working life and our children's home education over the past few months. My youngest child's school has been fantastic at setting work and this has been easily accessible since the start of lockdown, mixed full of literacy, numeracy and practical homework tasks. However, my son has been flying through the work set and so I have tried my best to introduce some other elements with educational tools we have at home.

With the weather being so nice, both Riley and I have been very keen to work outside and so when the opportunity arose to review some of the fabulous Learning Resources products, we quite literally jumped at the chance and couldn't wait to find out more about nature, our environment and space. We were sent a wonderful selection of items which were sure to keep Riley motivated whilst we explored some fun and creative ways to home school.


The Learning Resources products we received are part of their GeoSafari range and included a GeoSafari Jr. My First Microscope, a GeoSafari Jr. Mighty Magnifier, a GeoSafari Jr. Bug Viewer Jar, a GeoSafari Vega 360 Telescope and also some Discovery Acorns. My youngest son Riley was so excited to try these out in the garden and my eldest son Ben was also really looking forward to testing out the telescope at night.

The first item we used was the Discovery Acorns. These are recommended for children aged 3-7 years old and are the perfect size for little hands. Riley enjoyed searching around the garden for little objects to put inside the acorns that we could then take a closer look at. The design makes them look just like real acorns with their natural colours and it was very easy for Riley to remove and replace the lids on them as and when he wanted to.


We played a few little games with these items which were great fun. The first game was that Riley would collect a few objects and place them in the acorns without showing me. He would then describe the items that were inside and I had to guess what they were. This really helped Riley to improve his description language skills and it taught him how to speak about colours, shapes and textures. We each took it in turns to do this and admittedly we both really enjoyed it.


We also played hide and seek with the acorns and I would hide them around the garden. We have quite a large garden so there were plenty of hiding places and Riley loved trying to seek them out. Another game we played was a memory game, where I would place items in the acorns and then Riley had to try and remember which item was in which acorn and write it down. Each acorn has a animal silhouette on its base, so we would write all of the animals down in a list, with another list opposite of the contents and Riley would have to try and remember what was in each one and match it up. The Discovery Acorns are available on the Learning Resources website for only £9 which I think is excellent value for money.


The next item we tried was the GeoSafari Jr. Mighty Magnifier which is recommended for children aged 4-8 years old. This allows children to see items up close and are perfect for scientific observation of nature. As we have been doing a lot of work in the garden over the past few weeks, we have come across many creepy crawlies and Riley loved wearing his Mighty Magnifier to see creatures and other objects up close.


The Mighty Magnifier has a built in headset with comfy eyecup supports which means it can be worn. This allowed Riley to keep his hands free, allowing him the ability to still touch or move things whilst he observed. The magnifier could easily be changed between a 2 x and an 8 x magnification, so Riley really enjoyed experimenting with each. We would play a game where he would look at an object in 2x magnification and write down what he could see, before he then increased it to 8x and would write down anything different that he could notice once the object appeared larger.


I really liked how the Mighty Magnifier is light enough to carry around, so it is ideal for us to take in our backpack on one of our walks so Riley can take a closer look at other nature that we might see on our travels. This item has an RRP of £14.00 and it can be purchased on the Learning Resources website here.


Riley also really enjoyed using the GeoSafari Bug Viewer which allowed him to see all kinds of different bugs up close. Admittedly I was too scared to pick up any bugs or spiders to place in it, so I left that in the capable hands of my eldest son, who was more than happy to oblige. The bug viewer is recommended for children aged 4 to 8 years of age and the jar allows children to collect their specimens and see them through the transparent casing.

Once you have found a bug to take a closer look at, you simply place it in the jar and then secure the magnifying lid. I had initially been concerned about the bugs being able to breathe, however there are air holes and also a handy measuring grid. Riley enjoyed finding different creatures and then using the measuring grid to write down their sizes and compare them. The magnifier has a 3x magnification so it was great to be able to see them so clearly. At a cost of only £4 on the Learning Resources website, this is great value for money and is at a pocket money price too!

Riley's favourite educational item was the GeoSafari Jr. My First Microscope which allowed him to view items up to an 8x magnification. It's bright and chunky design really appealed to Riley and it was the perfect size for him to be able to use himself. It is recommended for children aged 3 to 7 years of age and the fixed platform means that children can observe both flat and 3D objects.


The dual eye pieces are extra large so it makes for very comfortable viewing and prevents the need to close one eye. Riley absolutely loved pretending to be a scientist and soon got the hang of using the microscope by himself. It has a cool feature of a bright LED light which helps you to enhance the viewing of small details and the button was very easy for Riley to control. With an RRP of £20 I think it is excellent value for money and it can be found on the Learning Resources website here.


Riley's older brother Ben has helped him a lot with his outdoor learning, especially when it involved bugs and spiders, so it was only fair that Ben had the opportunity to stay up late and try out the fantastic GeoSafari Vega 360 Telescope once the night sky appeared, so that we could take a closer look at some star constellations and the moon. This is recommended for children aged 8 to 12 years of age and as well as taking a look at the night sky, it can also be used to take a closer look at nature, your surroundings, birds and animals.


The telescope comes with two different eyepieces which are 20mm and 9mm in order to offer different viewing magnifications. We used it together with the included tabletop tripod and we were able to see different objects at 20x, 40x and 80x magnification. Ben loved observing the craters on the moon and was surprised to be able to see so much detail.


We had hoped to catch sight of the International Space Station and the Space X Rocket on the first launch attempt, but due to it being postponed for a few days, we were unfortunately unable to spot this. However, now that the weather is dry again, we are hoping to get back out in the garden and look for the space station once again using the telescope.

We found the telescope to be really easy to set up and really lightweight too. I have already promised Ben that once we can travel again, we will take this on holiday with us, so that we can take a closer look at different environments. The GeoSafari Vega 360 Telescope is available on the Learning Resources website for £48 and is the perfect item for budding young scientists.

Although Riley is in bed before it gets dark at the moment, he is looking forward to searching into space later in the year once the early nights return. In the meantime he has loved listening to what Ben has spotted and he has also enjoyed using the telescope to look at some of the birds that land on the top of our shed.


If you would like to find out more about Learning Resources and their fabulous range of products, then check out their website or social media pages on the following channels:

Website - https://www.learningresources.co.uk/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/LearningResourcesLtdUK/
Twitter - @LRUK
Instagram - @learningresourcesuk


*Disclaimer - This is a collaborative post and we were gifted the items featured for the purpose of writing an honest review of the products. All thoughts and opinions are my own unless otherwise stated.

Wednesday 6 March 2019

Celebrating World Book Day!

Every year since my children have been in school, we have celebrated World Book Day. Usually my kids will go into school dressed as their favourite character along with a copy of their chosen book. This provides children with a great way to talk about reading and celebrating books, both at home and in school. So when World Book Day recently got in touch and asked to send us a reading pack, we were delighted at the prospect of learning more about this initiative, as well as having some new and exciting books to enjoy together.

I strongly believe that books can be fantastic in so many ways, they can provide you with knowledge, help you to improve your vocabulary skills or allow you to learn more about other people or ways of life. They can also simply provide you with a form of entertainment that will allow you to escape to a world of make believe and enjoy being taken on a journey with the characters of the story.


World Book Day helps children, adults and families celebrate stories, which encourages a persons love of reading. This year it takes place in the UK and Ireland on the 7th March 2019, but it will also be celebrated in other countries on the 23rd April 2019 as World Book and Copyright Day. It is a campaign that I strongly support and this wonderful worldwide celebration of books and reading is marked on a global scale, with over 100 countries taking part. The main objective is to have fun and enjoy reading together and there are so many great ideas to help you to do this.

In my children's primary school this year, they have arranged a book swap initiative, so that each child can go to school dressed as their favourite book character and take in a book that they have already read. They then have the opportunity to swap this book for a different one in the school hall, ensuring that all students go home at the end of the day with a new book for them to enjoy. I think that this is a lovely idea and provides all of the children with accessibility to books, that they may not have seen or heard of before.

In my daughter's high school, they have arranged a slightly different event which will be a huge celebration to mark the day. They have planned competitions, quizzes, stalls and activities, as well as offering some prizes for some of the best costumes. One idea they have had that I really like is a 'Best Form Group Costume' competition, where the form class can discuss a theme, genre, or specific book and all come as characters that are linked. I think it would be absolutely hilarious for a whole class to dress as Where's Wally or Wenda, imagine the great photograph that would make!


The World Book Day website, offers a great range of fantastic ideas to give you some inspiration as to how you could celebrate this event. Ranging from fun activities to creative costume ideas, there is something suitable for all ages to enjoy. This year they are also asking people to join in with their fun nationwide social event encouraging everyone to simply share a story. Reading can be done at any time in any place and reading and sharing stories can have a wonderful impact. 

You can also join in with this campaign on social media and tell everyone what you are reading and your favourite stories by posting on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using #ShareAStory or #RhannwchStori.

In addition to all the fun activities that will be taking place, there is also an incredible initiative in the UK where World Book Day will be distributing more than 15 million £1 world book day tokens, in partnership with schools all around the country. This is with thanks to National Book Tokens (the sponsors of World Book Day), as well as lots of lovely booksellers and publishers. These tokens can then be taken to a local participating book shop and swapped for one of the 12 new and exclusive World Book Day books. Full details of this initiative along with a full list of the books available can be found here and includes some fantastic titles! You can also find out more about the £1 book scheme for Ireland here.

To find out more about World Book Day you can visit their website or social media pages, which can be found on the following channels:

Website: https://www.worldbookday.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/worldbookdayuk
Twitter: @worldbookdayuk
Instagram: @worldbookdayteen


*Disclaimer: This is a collaborative post and we were gifted a selection of books to enjoy and celebrate World Book Day with.

Saturday 25 February 2017

Our Visit to Manchester Sea Life

As a family, we love being able to enjoy fun days out together, but isn't it great when you come across an attraction that isn't only fun, but also educational too?

In our previous post, we wrote about our recent visit to the Legoland Discovery Centre, and situated just next door to there, is the wonderful Manchester Sea Life, which you can visit on its own, or for added value you can buy a combined ticket to both attractions.

On arrival we joined a short queue which was for customers who were pass holders or who had pre booked tickets. There was another queue for guests wishing to pay to visit on arrival, and this was also short at the time of our visit which was just after 1pm on Monday. A member of staff spoke to each customer waiting to make sure that they were in the right queue, and to also make sure that any customer queries could be answered straight away prior to getting to the ticket desk. I think that this is a great idea as it prevents any hold ups being caused in the queue and keeps things moving quickly.

Once we had our tickets we made our way towards the entrance and had our photograph taken together before waiting to begin our Sea Life adventure. The start of the Sea Life experience begins with a short educational talk, which helps to stagger entry into the attraction and make sure that it is not too busy inside. We have visited several Sea Life attractions both in the UK and in the USA, however the beginning of this particular one is my personal favourite.

We entered into a large room with a staff member and stood behind some barriers, the lights then dimmed and we were taken on a beautiful mini adventure to Turtle Beach, which taught us all about sea turtles. With the help of some clever lighting trickery the talk became quite magical and my youngest son Riley found it fascinating. I was very pleased to see that the talk appealed to the younger ages as it can often be hard to maintain Riley's attention with lengthy talks, but the visuals made it a lot more interesting for him. We were also told about the resident Sea Life turtle Ernie and Riley couldn't wait to try and spot him inside. After five minutes we were able to enter the main part of the attraction and were ready to see thousands of wonderful and amazing creatures.


Our journey began in the Shoaling Ring where we became surrounded by beautiful fish circling around us before moving on to the Rocky Hideout. This area was one of my children's favourite areas of the attraction, as there was so many wonderful creatures to spot and learn about, and children were able to climb through tunnels, enter small caves, and stand under glass bubbles within the tanks so it felt like they were underwater with the fish. This made the hideout area feel quite interactive and Riley enjoyed trying to find new places to seek out some fish and other underwater creatures.



We then made our way to the Jellyfish Seas where there was a lovely large window to view the amazing jellyfish. There were a number of coloured buttons to the left which allowed you to change the colour of the mesmerising display tank. This really made the them look stunning and you could see their every detail.


Next up was the Shark Shipwreck, which featured a whole host of wonderful fish. The appearance of some were literally amazing, and despite visiting other Sea Life centres in the past, I definitely saw some creatures that I had never seen before. As we made our way out of the Shark Shipwreck area, we entered the amazing Underwater Ocean Tunnel, where my children were very quick to spot the beautiful Sea Turtle Ernie. He swam so gracefully through the water and I literally could have stood there and watched him for ages. Before long the children became distracted from Ernie though, as they spotted a large shark swimming above and became very excited at being only inches away.



Our underwater adventure continued into Turtle World, where we saw some beautiful turtles swimming amongst the water and climbing on the rocks. Tyler the Talking Turtle provides you with interesting facts and information and there is the opportunity to get hands on in the interactive zones. We were very impressed with how well cared for the turtles looked, with all tanks being really clean and there being ample space for the creatures.


The Tropical Ocean area that followed was beautiful with an array of hundreds of colourful ocean fish swimming effortlessly through the water. You could even catch a glimpse of some sharks and rays, and at certain times, you can even spot some of the Sea Life divers or SeaTREK experience guests exploring the underwater world.


My son Ben, really enjoyed the Stingray Bay area as he loved to watch the rays swim swiftly through the tank, with what looked like beaming smiles on their faces. All my children enjoyed reading the fun facts that were located around the whole attraction and learnt lots of new information, that my daughter in particular can't wait to tell her friends.


We also came across an added piece of fun that we weren't expecting in the form of a soft play area. This wasn't huge, but really that was ideal, as it meant that you could see your child easily and there was no worry about you losing sight of them. It was busy, but we noticed that some children didn't stop here for long and so it wasn't as busy as the main attraction and it was a nice place to stop for 15 minutes to have a little rest whilst our kids had a play.

Once they had burnt off a lot of energy we spent some time in the Rockpools area where you were able to get up close to some beautiful sea life and even touch some of the creatures. Experts were on hand to supervise, and answer any questions and my children enjoyed learning about the creatures habitat and being able to touch a starfish.


Overall, we had a lovely experience at Manchester Sea Life. The staff members we met were all friendly and knowledgeable and they were able to answer any questions that my children had. The walkways in between each area can get busy, and so I would imagine it could be quite hectic if school or group visits are taking place, so it may be best to call ahead and check if any are booked in before visiting, as this may impact your visit.

The displays are all wonderful, and all the creatures look very well cared for within the tanks. The addition of informative facts around the attraction make it a fun place to learn, and the interactive areas make it exciting and interesting for children. In total we spent around 2 hours here, but combined with the Legoland Discovery Centre next door it can be a full day out to enjoy as a family. The introduction to the attraction here is my favourite of any other Sea Life attraction we have been too, and it also made my children eager to get inside and try and spot their resident turtle Ernie.

Tickets are available online here and cost £15 for an adult entry, and £11 for a child aged 3-17. Under 3's are admitted free of charge.

For extra value, you can also buy combination tickets which combine your trip to Manchester Sea Life with a trip to the Legoland Discovery Centre, so you can enjoy both attractions on the same day. However should you run out of time the Legoland Discovery Centre entry is valid for 90 days from the date of purchase meaning you can come back at a more convenient time if need be. These tickets cost £25 for an adult and £16 for a child aged 3-17 when purchased online. Under 3's are admitted free of charge.

You can also purchase tickets on arrival at the attraction, however these will be at a slightly higher price than the saver option online.

Disclaimer: We were provided with complimentary admission to the attraction for the purpose of providing an honest and impartial review. All opinions and photographs are my own. Ticket prices and opening time when stated, were correct at time of writing.