Chuggington Toys - Brand New for Easter! Review

Elliot is a typical 4 year old, he loves trains. Playing with trains, watching trains, waving at trains, going on trains...you get the idea! His Grandad is a real train buff so that's definitely where he gets it from :)

We were lucky enough to be one of the first families in the country to receive some of the very latest Chuggington toys. Elliot was over the moon and couldn't wait to rip into the box to see what he'd got!

The new range features 24 collectable Little Chuggers and various ConnecTrax track packs. The track is really handy as it is compatible with lots of other pre-school train sets - and I'm sure we've all got at least one of them in the toy box!

We received the Track Pack which contained sturdy blue track and Chug Patrol Wilson who is one of the exclusive chuggers. We also had Hanzo and Hoot & Toot which were 2-car chuggers and then Koko and Wilson who came in little plastic sheds which also fit onto the track. All the chuggers fit together too so they can be played with separately or as one long train.

The set is aimed at 2+ and the little chuggers are perfect for toddlers who are just getting into trains - they are very sturdy and well made and can be used really easily on the track. At 4 and a half, Elliot is probably a little old for these toys as he is used to playing with his Thomas Trackmaster sets but that said he did have lots of fun with the chuggers still.

I like that the Track Pack comes in a zip up bag, we managed to squeeze all the chuggers in there so it makes it really handy to take out . There are other chuggers in the set so we might have to look out for the others to add to the collection!

These toys are brand new and will be hitting the shops this Easter so keep your eyes peeled for Chugginton coming to a toy shop near you!

*Disclaimer: We received these products in exchange for an honest review. All views are my (Elliot's!) own

When you try and take a picture....!

Gruffalo Spotting at Moors Valley Country Park, Dorset

You wouldn't think that going Gruffalo spotting was your typical Mother's Day treat but this is what we got up to! The sun was shining and Spring had most definitely sprung so we packed up a picnic and headed over to Moors Valley Country Park, a lovely big country park on the Dorset/Hampshire border.

I had recently heard about the new Gruffalo Spotter app and Moors Valley Country Park was one of the 26 parks in the Country that the app worked at. It's something completely different and something I've not tried out before but the augmented reality app brings the Gruffalo characters to life.

We arrived at the park nice and early and made our way to the Visitors Centre to pick up our Gruffalo Spotters kit. This was £3 and contains activity and fact cards, magnifying glass, ruler, pencil and an evidence bag to store all your bits and bobs you may pick up on your Gruffalo adventure! The app can still be used without the kit but it might be fun for slightly older kids to fill in as they make their way round the trail. In hindsight we probably wouldn't have bothered with the kit as Elliot was more interested in looking for the actual clues in the forest and not what was in the bag!

Moors Valley have wooden Gruffalo sculptures so of course we had to go and see these first - I wonder if they are true to size?!

The Gruffalo trail began and I immediately noticed that it took visitors along a different route to where we would normally go - we saw parts of the forest we'd never seen before! We followed the clues along the way until we eventually found the mouse. This is where we tested out the app - I pointed my phone at the Mouse footprint sign and all of a sudden we could see the Mouse on the screen! It's really clever and Elliot loved it. At the end you're able to take a photo - we tried to get Elliot to hold his hand up so it looked like he was petting the mouse...not sure it worked very well though hah!

We had a lovely stroll through the forest following the clues but we did take a bit of a detour at lunchtime. We headed up to the lookout point - it was a bit steep pushing the buggy up but worth it at the top for the views and the fact it was so quiet! We had our first picnic of the year - it was so warm and almost felt like Summer.

We rejoined the Gruffalo trail and found the remaining characters. Unfortunately my phone decided to die just as we got to the snake! It's a great app but totally drained my battery. We managed to watch the animation on someone else's phone but what a pity we couldn't get a picture of Elliot and the Gruffalo!

The trail takes you back to the start of the forest but we decided to go the other way and continue walking as it was such a nice day. We ended up at the railway station which was perfect as Elliot was starting to flag....but his tired legs were soon forgotten when we got an ice lolly!

The railway is always a winner with children and you can ride the little steam trains around the park. This weekend they were offering "driver for a fiver" and collecting for charity so my husband took Elliot to have a go at driving a train. I thought he looked the part!!

We ended our visit with a quick stop in the adventure playgrounds - you could spend hours in here, there are so many things to play on. There's a separate play area for little ones but Elliot loves the big slide in the bigger play section!

We always have a brilliant time at Moors Valley Country Park and this time was no exception. I loved the Gruffalo Spotter app and we can't wait to return in the Easter Holidays to do it again!

A Ride on the West Somerset Railway

The West Somerset Railway is the longest heritage railway in England and is a trip well worth doing if you're visiting the Minehead area.

We spent 5 days at Butlins in Minehead and couldn't wait to take a day trip on the steam trains. We originally visited back in 2014 and have fond memories of Elliot's first railway trip however as he was only a little toddler, he can't remember it atall!

The trains depart from Minehead and travel 22 miles along the coastline and through beautiful countryside to a small village called Bishops Lydeard. The WSR offer a variety of tickets so you can either travel all the way to Bishops Lydeard, or hop on and off at the many stations along the way.

It was a lovely sunny day when we decided to go on the train and we were at the station bright and early for the first departure of the morning. We did have a small panic however as we spotted one of the redcoats and a massive crowd of holidaymakers making their way to the train station on an organised trip. We thought the trains might be packed out, we needn't have worried though as there were plenty of spare seats and the Butlins gang were herded up to other end of the train!

Elliot was really excited when we got on the train and couldn't wait to bag himself a window seat so he wouldn't miss any of the action! He had great fun waving at everyone on the platform.

We decided to stay on the train the whole way to Bishops Lydeard and it took around 75 minutes. The time flew by though and by the time we'd had a quick visit to the on board buffet car for a drink it was time to disembark. Bishops Lydeard station has a museum, shop and a cafe and the village is only a short walk away if you wanted to explore. It's also really interesting to watch the trains being fed and watered ready for their next trip!

After a quick stop at Bishops Lydeard, we hopped back on the next train and traveled to Watchet, a small coastal town situated 9 miles from Minehead. It was lunchtime so we decided to stop for a bit of lunch and enjoy the sunshine!

It was market day in Watchet so it was nice to have a wander around the stalls - and of course we got tempted by the chocolate stall!! We found a great pub, Pebbles Tavern which had a large selection of ciders and ales and they even gave Elliot a free soft drink which was a nice touch. There's nothing like an ice cool cider on a warm sunny day!

As the weather was so nice we decided to get fish & chips and take them down to the harbour. From here you can take a stroll along the harbour walls and see the lighthouse.

Our train back to Minehead was slightly late arriving into Watchet but the staff kept us informed and were very friendly to speak to. They are all volunteers and you get a real understanding of their passion for the railway if they stop for a chat. Elliot was even allowed to try on the ticket inspector's hat!

We had a lovely day out on the steam trains and it's something I'd definitely recommend if you're visiting the area. And especially if you have a train mad child!! The WSR also run lots of special family events throughout the year so it's worth keeping an eye out on the website for details of these.

For more information and to book tickets online, please visit:

http://westsomersetrailway.vticket.co.uk/

Orchard Toys Giant Railway - Review

One of my favourite toy brands is Orchard Toys and Elliot has a large number of their games and toys in his games cupboard. (yes, we have a games cupboard - was running out of room in his bedroom!)

Orchard Toys have some brilliant new products for 2016 and one of these was the Giant Railway Floor Jigsaw. Like most little boys, Elliot is fascinated with trains so I knew he'd love this. And when Orchard Toys offered us the chance to review it, we jumped at the chance! 

Like the rest of the range, the Giant Railway floor puzzle comes in bright colourful packaging and you automatically know it's Orchard Toys. 

The puzzle contains 26 large chunky pieces, including two stand up trains, a couple of workmen and a cow! The puzzle pieces are interchangeable which means you can make a different track each time. 

The jigsaw has been designed to: 

• Develop knowledge and understanding of the world - talk about journeys, railway safety and own experiences
• Encourage personal choice and decision making
• Develop manual dexterity - constructing the jigsaw
• promote imaginative play

As I guessed, Elliot absolutely loves this and literally couldn't wait to get it out of the box!! He loves building his own track and actually, some of his creations were better than mine ;)

One of the best things about the Giant Railway is that it can be used with the other products in the Giant Road system. Elliot was given the Giant Road puzzle for Christmas and so he has been able to link this up with the tracks. This has given him hours of entertainment, especially when he bought down a load of cars, animals and people to incorporate into the game. At one point we even had dinosaurs on the track!

Orchard Toys also have a Giant Town which interlinks with the track and road so I'm definitely going to be purchasing this soon.

This is a great addition to the Orchard Toys range and I know that it will continue to be a popular choice for Elliot to play with!

The Giant Railway has a RRP of £13.95 - see www.orchardtoys.com for more toys

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