Back to School - Preschool Essentials

It doesn't seem possible but Elliot is starting pre-school in September. He will be going two mornings a week and he is very very excited. Although for me, the thought of him growing up and getting close to actual school age makes me want to blub!!

Here's my list of our essentials for pre-school -

(You may notice a theme amongst these items but Elliot is dinosaur crazy at the moment and I don't see the obsession ending anytime soon!)

Stomp Dinosaur shoes - Clarks £34 /  Navy Dinosaur Applique Jeans - Debenhams £14 / Dinosaur Backpack - Kidorable £18.98

Navy Dinosaur Fleecy Raincoat - Debenhams £18 / Dino Wellies - The Elements £9.95

Dinosaur Height Chart Tshirt - JoJo Maman Bebe £15 / StickEasy Clothing Labels - Easy2Name £4.95 (from) / Navy Dinosaur Print Tshirt - George £3

1. I guess shoes are a must for a new school year! It won't be long before Autumn arrives so he won't be able to wear his plimsolls for much longer so these are perfect. Clarks may be a little pricy but the quality is great and I love the dinosaur print on the soles of the shoe

2. Goodbye to summer and hello to long trousers - love these jeans and the dinosaur applique

3. Elliot will need to take a little rucksack with him to store the very important change of clothes! This one reminds me of the one Andy uses on his Dinosaur Adventures which is sure to prove popular with Elliot :)

4. A raincoat is always an essential but this one is fleecy lined so will be perfect for when the weather starts to turn colder and Elliot is playing outside

5. Elliot's pre-school do lots of playing outside and go on various walks/trips so wellies are definitely an essential for the ever changing weather! 

6. Good to have some new clothes for the start of a new season and this long sleeved t-shirt goes great with the dinosaur jeans

7. Everything needs to be labeled of course and I don't fancy sewing much so these easy stick ones look perfect!

8. Another dinosaur t-shirt to add to the collection, this one a short sleeved incase we get a late Summer heatwave! 

What are your back to school essentials?

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First Friends Magazine - Review

We recently got offered a chance to review a brand new magazine called First Friends which is aimed specifically at 2-4 year olds.

First Friends features well known characters such as The Gruffalo and The Very Hungry Caterpillar and has been carefully designed to support children's early learning steps.

Although Elliot is too young to read, he loves magazines - especially the free gifts on the front! We normally buy the CBeebies magazine as I know it's going to be educational, and he likes looking at all the pictures of his favourite characters and presenters. Based on this, I had a funny feeling he would love First Friends! :)

The magazine was an instant hit as soon as he spotted the Gruffalo! It was bright and eye-catching and came with a free gift, a little Hungry Caterpillar tea set. It didn't take long before Elliot was offering me a "cup of tea"!

Inside the magazine there were lots of activities to keep Elliot busy and he was immediately drawn towards the stickers. He spent ages recognising the page numbers and seeing where the stickers should go - he particularly liked sticking the candles on the Hungry Caterpillar's birthday cake!

Other features included short stories, colouring pages, Woolly & Tig spot the difference, craft activities nursery rhymes, competitions and part 1 of a cute Elmer height chart.

First Friends kept Elliot amused far longer than other magazines, we read it together from start to finish and amazingly it held his attention! I loved that it captured his imagination and he was really keen to complete the activities.

First Friends is priced at £2.99 which I think is great value considering all that it offers.  I would definitely buy it again for Elliot and would much prefer him to have this than some of the magazines that are in the newsagents these days!

First Friends is published by Redan Publishing Ltd and the first issue (this very issue!) is on sale from 8th July.

Disclaimer: We received the magazine for the purpose of this honest review. All views are my own


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