Category Archives: review

Port Lympne Wild Animal Park – UPDATED!!

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29/3/2010
Today I was very excited when I collected the post to see a letter from The Aspinall Foundation. I thought that they had read the review below and sent me a free pass for the safari truck at Port Lympne, but no, it was something even better than that. They are improving entry prices for everyone!!

Now, anyone who buys a full price ticket at Port Lympne will be able to come back to the park for a whole year at no extra cost! How good is that?

So now David and I have a choice.

We can keep our annual pass which now includes free safari or exchange our passes for passports which do not include the safari and so we would get £30 in gift vouchers. We have not yet decided what to do as it will depend on whether or not the passport is an open ticket meaning that anyone can use it not just David or I. We have decided that we will return to Port Lympne for Mothers Day and go on the safari and talk to the staff there to help us make up our minds.

I am so glad that Port Lympne have made this change and I am certain that lots of local people will now visit the park and support the conservation work ongoing there more frequently as it is now more affordable for families.

You can find out more about the chane here
and I will write a full review including the safari after our Mothers’ Day visit. Hurrah!

Original Review dated 27th March 2011
For Christmas David and I were lucky enough to be given annual passes for Port Lympne Wild Animal Park. So far we have been three times and today was definitely the best. The sun was shining and the animals were out and playing. We had a lovely walk around the park with our giant double buggy. It was a great afternoon.

Port Lympne is near Hythe on the Kent Coast. When walking around the park you can see the sea in the distance. Hythe is just 20 minutes from our house and so to receive an annual pass for the zoo was just such a fantastic present. We hoped that they would be open tickets like the ones given at Leeds Castle but at Port Lympne each ticket can only be used by one person and there is a photograph attached to each card to ensure that they are used properly. As a local girl I found this disappointing as I was hoping to go there lots throughout the season with different companions as it is so good for young children and double buggies! But alas that is not to be so David and I will just use our tickets as often as we can. Port Lympne will lose out on the refreshment money that we would have spent with other guests.

Port Lympne is on a hilly site and so the paths are quite steep in places. The park is well signposted so that you know where to go to see the animals that you want to see. There are also specific signed routes for buggies and these are wide enough for a double. Dotted around the park there are various places to get refreshments and there are also toilets and baby change facilities.

Today we found a new area with a cafe, an outdoor classroom area and a play area. If you look through the gallery below you will see that I viewed this facility very much with my teacher hat on as it would be perfect for a school trip. The children could eat in the classroom area, the adults in the bandstand which would also enable them to clearly view children on the play equipment. It seemed to me very well thought out with schools or large groups in mind.

Port Lympne is a great place for a picnic and again there are lots of perfect spots dotted around the grounds some with spectacular views over the downs to the sea.

As well as places to get food and drink you can also play in different play areas around the site. This again has been well thought out so that families can sit at regular intervals for a break from the animals to let off some steam. I think that this is really important for a family day out to have opportunities to let the children, and sometimes the adults, play.

Today we saw lots of animals including the elephants, two terrific tigers, some playful lion cubs and a beautiful baby rhino. The gorillas are a highlight at Port Lympne and so are the giraffes. I was very sad not to be able to see the giraffes today as they can only be seen if you take a trip on the safari lorry. We were a bit late arriving today but also the safari is not included in our annual pass and so we would have to pay extra for this. I was very disappointed that for £100 we did not even get one complimentary safari ride throughout our year of membership. This is a real shame as it is only on the safari that some of the main animals can be seen and you also miss the Reptile House and a lovely cafe with viewing platform over the safari plains. I think that annual pass holders should be able to also use the safari facility to ensure that they are able to make full use of the park.

The safari is something that again has been well thought out and they have a buggy park where you can leave your buggy under cover whilst you are on the trip.

Port Lympne has so much to offer all the family and they do amazing work in conserving and protecting endangered species. It is a tremendous treat for all the family and if you do live locally then I think that the annual pass is well worthwhile though you may want to ask for one free go on the safari!!

Here are some photos from our day.

Jenny Craig – Week 3

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This week is my third week on the Jenny Craig Weight Management Programme. I have to say that I am feeling good. I have had two comments on how slim I am looking and I weigh 9 stone 6 pounds. I have lost a steady 5lbs which I am happy with.

Last week my consultant corrected my calorie count to take into account the fact that I am breastfeeding twins. I am now eating up to 2300 calories a day by supplementing my Jenny Craig foods with recommended foods from their Grocery List.

This plan is so easy to follow and allows me to eat some lovely foods. I have porridge with blueberries for breakfast washed down with a fruit tea. This afternoon I used my milk allowance, a banana and a spoonful of cocoa powder to make a delicious dark chocolate milkshake / smoothie. It was lovely and healthy too!

My favourite foods so far are the mushroom and bacon risotto and mushroom stroganoff with rice. I also love the potato snacks and chocolate bars.

As part of the programme I have also made sure that I am more active. I have been out walking most days, with my double buggy, and have been more active in my play with the babies. I am feeling the benefit of this exercise and my bingo wings do seem to be tightening up.

I am looking forward to next week when I will re measure my vitals and see if I have lost inches as I think that I have.

Last week I was asked to reflect on what kind of eater I am. I am definitely an emotional eater. if I am struggling with the babies I eat, if I am bored I eat. I just like to eat, and the great thing about the Jenny Craig plan is that I can eat, I am positively encouraged to eat and still I lose weight. It is great!

But … it is also expensive. I am lucky enough to be writing this review in exchange for a 28 day trial of the Jenny Craig programme, I am not sure that this is something that I could afford to continue myself. What I can continue though are the methods and ideas that I am learnign every day to develop a healthier relationship with food.

I will always now eat little and often. I will refer to Jenny Craig’s free foods and portion control. I will continue to exercise regularly. I will continue to try and have a positive outlook about my weight loss that will remain steady until I reach my desired weight.

Jenny Craig has made me think that my goal might just be possible, and this ugly duckling will become a swan in time for her wedding!!!

Thank you Jenny Craig!

Book Review Owl Babies

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This book by Martin Waddell I adore. It is such a simple, repetitive text but with much that can be read beween the lines. In our house this book is often performed with finger puppets! I find this text perfect for performing or reading aloud, gving each owl baby a distinct voice and character of its own. The text in parts is poetc and reads much like a lullaby. It is a classic bedtime tale.

Three owl babies, Sarah and Percy and Bill, are waiting together for their Mummy to come home from hunting. They are worried that she might not return and Bill in particular really wants his Mummy. Together they wonder where she might be and when she will be home. They huddle together for warmth and comfort until soft and silent Mummy swoops through the trees to Sarah and Percy and Bill.

This book is also perfect for use in the classroom for children aged 5 – 7.

My favourite activity is to use puppets or sequencing cards to retell the story.

You can split a class into three groups and ask each group to read the speech of one of the owls and try to imagine what that owl is thinking and feeling. The children could then extend their character profiles by using their understanding of the three personalities to try imagining how they would each respond to other situations, such as learning to fly, making a new nest and finding their own food.

During a shared re-reading of the story you can ask children to listen carefully to the babies’ speech and decide at the end of each page whether the owls are getting more nervous as the story progresses. A nerve chart/graph can be used to support visual and kinaesthetic learners. Understanding characters’ motivation for their actions is an important part of reading and understanding narrative fiction.

Ask children to think how a trio made up of their own friends and family would respond differently to various situations. Encourage children to think of times when they have been scared or excited and when they have reacted differently to a family member or friend. Think about actions, words and feelings. Role play could be used to explore different situations.

A great tool for the classroom is Role on the Wall. Draw an outline of each owl baby on the wall and then write key words about their character on to the outline. What they look like on the outside and what they think and feel on the inside of the outline. This is a good plenary activity that can be used after characters have been explored through role play.

As well as being a beautiful simple story, Owl Babies also exemplifies theuse of a full ramge of punctuation marks in context. This book is a great resource for sentence level work in literacy. How many different words, for example, can children come up with to replace ‘said’?

For a book with so few words, there is so much to be gained from sharing this story wih children in your classroom or your home.

Why not try these ideas linked to the text?

Ask children to write a set of Keep Safe rules (procedural text) for the owls when their mother is a way or for themselves in a given situation – in the playground, in the classroom etc.

Compare Owl Babies with the first chapter of The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark to compare the feelings of the Plop with Sarah, Percy and Bill.

Ask children to compose a speech by the mother owl to make the owls feel better. The Owl Mother puppet can be used for children to deliver their speech through. This could be a good paired activity.

Make a class reference book called ‘All About Owls’, use the information text included as an introduction to the text type and as a model for children’s own text.

Incorporate the use of ICT and create a web page, ‘All about Owls’.

A fantastic resource and a right good read!

Mummy and Esther and Will!

Jenny Craig – 14th March 2011

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This morning I had my Jenny Craig consultation with a lovely lady called Claire. We reviewed the week and I admitted to my cheating. We discussed the fact that I am breastfeeding twins and she explained that my calorie intake should not be 1200 calories but 2300 calories so it was no wonder that I had found the need to cheat!
Today Claire is going to send out new, adjusted, menus to allow for the extra calories.
Not sure that I will eat the full 2300 calories but what I will do is continue regulating my portion sizes and being aware of how much salt there is in certain foods. Too much salt leads to water retention which can lead to excess weight!
The main focus of today’s consultation was finding out what kind of eater I am.
There are 5 main styles of eater as identified by the Jenny Craig Programme:
Uninformed Eater; Emotional Eater; Unconscious Eater; Social Eater and Balanced Eater.
I am an emotional, unconscious eater. I miss some meals, I eat food because it is there and I also tend to eat when I am bored and sad.
You can learn more about these eating styles and discover what style you are by looking at the Jenny Craig website.
This week I have been asked to reflect on my eating style and try to avoid eating when and what I shouldn’t.
Today I have so far eaten porridge and a banana, soup and crumpets and a Jenny Craig snack bar. Looking forward to Jenny Craig chilli for tea!
Wish me luck! I will let you know how I get on x

Jenny Craig – End of Week 1

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The end of my first week with Jenny Craig is here.

Jenny Craig is not a diet but a weight management programme it consists of a calorie controlled menu, physical activity and lifestyle coaching.

At the beginning of the week I had a 15 minute chat with my Jenny Craig consultant. She talked me through my hamper which had arrived bursting with edible goodness to last me through the weeks ahead. 28 days of breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks delivered directly to your door! In this case, to my door!

Next my consultant talked to me about expectations of the programme and of myself. She said that the programme is designed by a dietician to help you lose weight steadily. Eating six times throughout the day maximises your metabolism and aids weight loss. She explained that each day on the menu was nutritionally balanced and so though you could do the days in any order to follow the programme correctly you had to reach all the foods from each day and not mix and match. She also advised taking a multi-vitamin supplement which I do anyway as I am breastfeeding the twins.

So how is the food? It is a diet after all even if it is part of a programme. The snacks are great. The best part of the diet by far. However, as my best friend pointed out to me there are actually similar amounts of calories in Wotsits and Quavers as there are in Jenny Craig Potato Snacks. The cereal bars are tasty, very similar to Special K bars in taste and calorie content. The chocolate wafers and digestive bars are great ways to feel naughty ad get that chocolate fix. So though the snacks are good I am not sure that cheaper, perhaps tastier alternatives cannot be bought as part of your usual weekly shop.

The meals themselves are fine. I supplemented mine with a lot of vegetables and chillies and this masked much of the taste. The foods do all taste quite similar with something of a faint after taste?? They were not horrible at all and I look forward to tasting more of the options next week but they were not what I would call bursting with flavour. I am certain that they are more than good enough if you are desperate to lose weight and have a lot to lose. They are actually very filling for the portion size given.

I have struggled with the diet this week as I have had a bad week with the twins and I am not sure that 1200 calories is enough when breastfeeding twins but with what I have done I have lost weight.

This morning I weighed 9 stone 8 pounds and I started the week at 9st11lbs. So one thing has to be said for Jenny Craig so far, it works, and if I had been following it religiously I think that it would have worked very well indeed.

One thing that I am certain of is that if I do not continue with this diet afte the 28 day trial I will definitely continue with the methodology particularly relating to portion sizes. I know now that though I eat very healthily I do eat far too much and this is why I was not able to lose the baby weight without this help.

I also feel that the available consultations and support are needed to make the initial weight loss a success and to help keep the weight off. At home I have my mother for support who just keeps feeding me biscuits!!

Anyway, onwards and upwards to next week when I have another consultation and a new menu to explore.

If you would like to find out more about this programme then you can visit their website by clicking the picture below.

JENNY CRAIG

Tots 100 Learning Through Play

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Zu3D – Learning Through Play in the Early Years

For this month’s Tots 100 Blog Hop I am submitting the post above. It tells how animation and Zu3D software in particular can be used throughout the early years curriculum to encourage and enhance learning through play. Animation can be seen as digital role play for children of all ages and is a great way of using technology with small children. It is easy to do at home as well as at school. It fosters sharing, team work, speaking and listening skills.

This month’s Tots 100 Blog Hop is being sponsored by MEGA Bloks. These kits would make great animation models providing children with characters and props for their stories and even plot ideas.

To find more ideas to help children learn through play, hop on over to Tots 100 to read the other entries in this month’s Blog Hop.

And please don’t forget to read the post I have chosen to submit this month:

Zu3D – Learning Through Play in the Early Years