Guess where we went?

Today is the end of a well deserved half term break.  Since last Monday was also a bank holiday we thought that it was the perfect opportunity for a jaunt to visit the De Munniks in The Netherlands.  It's been exactly 1 year since we saw them last when we went camping together but that didn't stop the boys from playing together like as though they had seen each other yesterday.  We went across on the ferry from Dover to Dunkirk - what a bargain - we will definitely take advantage of it again sometime!

The children loved Mini World Rotterdam.  It was great fun trying to find the different highlights shown on the map, spotting funny idiosyncrasies, all the popular landmarks and of course all the moving things like the trains, trams and metros caused a lot of excitement.  There was even a Gangnam Style concert at the Ahoy.  Afterwards we went for a walk through Rotterdam to see if we could find any of the landmarks in real life.  A fun day all in all!

On the Monday while our friends went about their normal lives we played tourists.  First we headed to Zaanse Schans (aka tourist trap).  It's not our kind of place but it was perfect for the boys to get a overall view of all things Dutch like windmills, clogs, cheese, mustard, canals, bikes etc.  The highlights were tasting a hundred different kinds of Gouda cheese and a close inspection of the sawmill (which incidentally tied in nicely with Nick's holiday project on trees).  Unfortunately we were too late for all the flower fields on the way home!

We also popped into our old home town.  It was great taking a walk down memory lane and showing the boys where we used to live and hang out when we were young and carefree.  Delft is really a delightful place offering almost everything that the tourist trap presented but in a real life and relaxed atmosphere.  We were so lucky to have lived in such a nice place!

The rest of the time we just hung out with the De Munniks at their house and in their hood doing things the Dutch way.  Sometimes there was absolute chaos but there were also moments of calm. It was really nice catching up with old friends and doing something touristy in a different country for a change!

London's Burning

The Mosaic Workshop that we did at St Paul's Cathedral in the autumn half term inspired me to organise a similar outing for Nicholas and his school friends during this summer half term.  Our group consisted of 9 mothers and 18 children (mostly boys from Nick's class plus a few siblings).  One of their topics next term is going to be the Great Fire of London so 'London's Burning' seemed like the obvious choice.  The grand tour of the cathedral had a fire slant to everything and proved really interesting for both the boys and their mothers.  This was followed by climbing the dome, and being the kind of mother I am, I had to take Nicholas and Daniel to the top - it was well worth it.  Afterwards we had a lovely, albeit manic, lunch at Pizza Express.  An epic walk along the South Bank, that got better and better with every random element we encountered, was a lovely end to a lovely day.  The boys even got photographed by the press at the Beano exhibition.  A great success all in all!

The Tube journey

Waiting on the steps

The whole group

Whispering Gallery

Stone Gallery

Golden Gallery

Some views from the top

The journey home via the South Bank

The end of a lovely day

We all need days like this

Still in PJs at lunch time

Nice idea

The school that Daniel's nursery belongs to recently had an art auction to raise funds.  They had some donated art from professional artists but they also had some real gems made by the children.  Each year group did a group painting on a canvas.  The Buzzy Bee one is Danny's class' creation (funny thing is that he thinks he knows which bees are his) and the collage at the bottom is a collection of all them (cut and paste activity for Danny one rainy afternoon).  It was a real money spinner!

Football Fun

Ever since Nicholas started school he became football crazy.  He proudly tells us that, at break time, he is one of the 'football boys'.  I am guessing that is a good thing based on the look on his face as he shares the information.  He also does after school football with Pro Direct every Monday afternoon and on a Saturday morning we take him to Fulham Football Club's weekend football for kids.  They run sessions for all ages at the same time so it seemed silly not to let Daniel give it a go.  The little guy has taken to it like a duck to water.  He does everything with great determination and is really good at following his coach's instructions.  Hopefully it will put him in good stead to follow in his brother's footsteps and become one of the 'football boys' when he starts school in September!

The stop position 

(also means listening time)

A pirate game incorporating different skills

(scrub the deck = roll the ball back and forth)

Quick off the mark

(walk the plank = dribble to a coloured cone)

Team talk 

(after the skills session before the mini matches)

Penalty shoot out at the end of each session

(4 chances with 1 kick)

Baker Man and Bat Man

Every year in May Donhead has a 'French Day' where the boys get to dress up.  It's all about having fun doing different sporting activities as well as a bit of drama where each year group puts on a little performance in French for the whole school.  I've got 'Les Petits Poissons' coming out my ears (can't find the French version on You Tube but here's an English version to give you a taster).  This year he dressed up as a baker man (with his French football shirt from last year underneath as a backup).  The baguette made the outfit even though lots of other boys had the same idea!

Daniel enjoys getting dressed up and sometimes he gets dressed up just for the fun of it. Like a true little boy he loves the super heroes even though he doesn't really know what they are all about. It is very sweet to watch as he enters a dream world with a lot of banter. Here he is gadding about as Bat Man!