Dippy the dinosaur at The Herbert Art Gallery Coventry.

 Hey readers,

If you're looking for something to do with the kids in the West Midlands area, then why not visit the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum in Coventry? 

It hosts an impressive life-size replica of a Diplodocus carnegii skeleton – a 26-metre-long dinosaur that lived 155-145 million years ago.

For over 100 years, Dippy has been delighting visitors of all ages at the Natural History Museum in London. Now, Coventry families can discover the Jurassic giant on their doorstep.

You can see Dippy free of charge; however, you need to book tickets beforehand on the website Here. 

Dippy will be at the Herbert until 2025, so there is plenty of time to visit if you want to.

Ensure you bring a digital or physical copy of your ticket when you visit to enter the gallery and collect any purchases from the shop.

Slots are bookable in 15-minute intervals, but you can stay as long as you wish.

If you wish to book for more than 10 people, please email our visitor experience team at ctm.info@cvlife.co.uk.

You can purchase enhanced tickets which will cost you £8 per person. 

Online exclusive deal: This ticket includes entry to see Dippy and a goody bag, which contains Dippy: The Nation’s Favourite Dinosaur book from Natural History Museum and a plastic assorted dinosaur toy. Goody bags must be collected in person on the day of your visit.

If you feel even fancier, you can buy an Online exclusive deal: This ticket includes entry to see Dippy and a goody bag, which contains Dippy: The Nation’s Favourite Dinosaur book from Natural History Museum, a 15cm dinosaur teddy and a children's lunch voucher for Alfred's cafe. 

Goody bags must be collected in person on the day of your visit. 

My personal experience is my kids love seeing Dippy in actual real-life size.

 They love exploring and seeing Dippy smiling. It is great to see the physical form of the dinosaur.

 There is also a paper trail where you can fill in answers to questions relating to Dippy, adding more fun to your learning. 

Plus, you can take the sheet away with you as on the other side of the sheet is a picture of Dippy you can colour in. 

There is plenty of other artefacts relating to the era of Dippy. See the photos below. 

Getting to Herbert Art Gallery is easy as it is in the city centre and a 5-minute walk from the train station. 

Cheers for reading X 

How to make homemade coconut hair mask

Hey readers, 

A coconut oil hair mask is quick, low-cost, and efficient to calm frizzy, dry hair.

Because it includes lauric acid, a type of fatty acid that aids in moisturising your hair, it is a particularly effective hair treatment. 

Additionally, it can enter the hair shaft and nourish your strands from within. Its antimicrobial qualities are excellent for your scalp.

Follow these instructions to make an easy coconut oil hair mask at home.

Ingredients. 

• * 2 tablespoons of coconut oil. 
• * 1 tablespoon of olive oil. 
• * 120 ml of honey (optional). 

Method. 

1.  In a small dish, mix the coconut oil and the olive oil. Both coconut oil and olive oil are thin, natural treatments that can add shine and hydration to dry hair.

 To get the most out of these hydrating substances, combine both in a dish.[1] For longer hair, increase the amount of each ingredient while maintaining the balance.

Because it nourishes and softens your hair, coconut oil is an ideal ingredient for hair masks.

2. Honey can be added to moisturise and brighten skin tone. Another all-natural product that locks in moisture is honey, which is also excellent if you want to lighten the colour of your hair subtly. To loosen it up, add 20 ml and thoroughly stir.

Don't add honey if you don't want to change the colour of your hair.

3. Gently comb the mixture through your hair. Apply the mixture to your hair with your hands and comb a wide-toothed comb through the strands to distribute it evenly. Make careful to cover all of your hair, from the tips to the roots, with the mask.

 Pay special attention to coating your ends. They are usually the most damaged and dry parts of your hair.

4. Gently comb the mixture through your hair. Apply the mixture to your hair with your hands and comb a wide-toothed comb through the strands to distribute it evenly. 

Make careful to cover all of your hair, from the tips to the roots, with the mask.

 Pay special attention to coating your ends. They are usually the most damaged and dry parts of your hair.

5. To assist the mask in penetrating your hair, use heat. You can also use a hair dryer to heat your hair if you'd like. 

For a few minutes, direct the drier at your hair to open the cuticle and aid the mask's efficacy.

6. In the shower, thoroughly rinse the mask, then condition it. After rinsing off the mask in the shower, condition your hair, as usual, to help eliminate any remaining products.

 Although shampooing may suck out even more moisture from dehydrated hair, it is still an option.

To maintain healthy, smooth hair, use this mask once a week.

Cheers for reading X

My Sunday photo 25/06/2023

 

Seeing Dippy the dinosaur. 

5 great reasons to play board games with the family.

Hey readers,

 

The family game night provides a lot of advantages. While having fun, your youngster can pick up skills like patience, taking turns, and teamwork.

Playing classic family games together may be fun for you and your kid. 

They will learn how to share, take turns, and lose. Along the way, hopefully, they'll also gain a little patience! 

They're also wonderful for keeping you occupied at home on a rainy school holiday morning or afternoon.

1. Practices and teaches essential life skills. 

 Parents can teach their children important life lessons through playing games, such as how to communicate with people, how to deal with failure, how to handle conflict, and how to demonstrate teamwork, strategy, flexibility, and resilience. 

Together, playing games is the ideal learning environment for developing these skills as well as a sense of sportsmanship.

Children learn how to converse with adults and react and feel after losing a game. Additionally, by having to wait their turn and deliver it, they develop patience. 

Kids are forced to plan and solve difficulties at the moment by playing strategic games, which increases their adaptability and resilience.

Awesome bonus Games can boost self-confidence, especially if they provide certain difficulties. Kids feel successful and begin believing they can do it when they successfully navigate these obstacles (or win the game).

2. Making memories.

 

Playing games provides enduring memories. Outside of the grind of housework, errands, and homework, playing games with the kids is an enjoyable way for parents and children to communicate.

As kids age, they will reflect on such moments and recall how much pleasure they had doing something together.

 It fosters a relationship between parents and children that endures beyond this day, this week, or even this year. It endures forever.

3. It's fun and relaxing. 

Playing games is enjoyable and soothing; there is no denying that. It also makes you chuckle, which makes you feel wonderful.

 As a result, everyone in the house is happy. Additionally, playing video games helps you feel good and enjoyable since it releases more endorphins into your body.

4. Games help your kids solve problems. 

Children who practise problem-solving and strategy with their parents have superior memory skills and are more successful at solving various problems independently.

Playing strategy games with your children is one technique to help them improve their problem-solving skills. 

But more significantly, it allows you to show how to solve problems in a way your children may learn from and imitate. 

When you play games with your friends, discuss how you approach each issue that needs to be resolved. 

Describe how you break challenges down into steps, how taking the time to prepare ahead can help you succeed, and how your brain processes operate when you solve a problem.

Your children will gain a valuable understanding of their thinking through these discussions, which will help them later on when they need to solve problems in the real world.

5. Improves cognitive performance. 

Some board games demand a lot of concentration and expertise. 

You may not even be aware that you are improving your mental agility while playing, whether you have to memorise information, follow a pattern, or perform quick calculations in your head.

What do you think about board games with the family? 

I love to hear your thoughts in the comments. 

Cheers for reading X 

50 boredom jar ideas.

Hey readers, 

Those who can handle adversity often do. Although, as a parent, we know to help with creativity by making an I'm Bored Jar to help give ideas for things to do when boredom hits.

What is a bored jar? 

A bored jar is a container with ideas for things to do when your child gets bored. It doesn't have to be a jar; it may also be a tiny box, tub, or bag. Even though our bored jar is just a simple recycling container with some lollipops inside, it is essential in our home.

Building a fort, making the bed or painting rocks are just a few examples of creative, fun or practical ideas. Ideally, these activities should be ones your child can perform in and around your home.

Therefore, you can go to the jar, box, or tub, and you'll have many ideas at your disposal if your kids get bored, or you run out of things to do for the day.

The type of things to our on a stick are enjoyable, like going on a nature hunt or making an obstacle course; others will make your kids think a little harder.

 To put it another way, there is a possibility that they will reach into the "I'm bored" jar and discover an activity that will make them feel less bored than they had anticipated. 

They might visit the "I'm Bored Jar" for the remainder of the year, then.

Check out these 50 I'm Bored Jar ideas right now!

50 bored jar ideas. 

1. 30 mins YouTube. 

2. Bake a cake. 

3. Build a Den. 

4. Play football in the garden.

5. Tidy your room.

6. Play Dress Up.

7. Watch a movie.

8. Paint a picture.

9. Vacuum the house.

10. Create a scavenger hunt.

11. Transform a cardboard box into a house, car, or whatever you want.

12. Build an awesome fort, inside or outside.

13. Research an insect, animal, planet, or country. 

14. Build a bridge that can support a tennis ball. 

15. Use a large piece of paper to draw a neighbourhood map. 

16. Create a new language – create a dictionary of terms. 

17. Make friendship pins or friendship bracelets. 

18. Make an original board game. 

19. Do twenty star jumps. 

20. Write someone a letter. 

21. Have a disco. 

22. Paint your family. 

23. Make the beds. 

24. Design a new car. 

25. Play charades. 

26. Craft a robot from recycling. 

27. Paint rocks. 

28. Call a grandparent. 

29. Dress up. 

30. Try some yoga. 

31. Dance to loud music. 

32. Tidy craft cupboard. 

33. Sew something. 

34. Bake cookies. 

35. Make some ice lollies.

 

36. Ride your bike. 

37. Water balloon fight. 

38. Wash the car. 

39. Make something with buttons.  

40. Read a book. 

41. Write in your holiday book. 

42. Tidy your bedroom. 

43. Do one job. 

44. Draw something. 

45. Draw an animal. 

46. Draw our house. 

47. Paint something. 

48. Watch a movie. 

49. Do something for someone. 

50. 30 mins on your computer console.

Cheers for reading X  

My Sunday Photo 18/06/2023

 

A knife angel made up of 10,000 knifes which were anonymously denoted and knives sized by the police were included. 

The sculpture is to highlight knife crime in the United Kingdom. 

Limeade recipe.

Hey readers, 

Suppose you are looking for a classic drink with a twist, then you're in the right place. I have limeade, the perfect refreshing drink on a hot summer day. 

Ingredients.

 
* 3 unwaxed lemons, roughly chopped.

 
* 140g caster sugar. 

* 1l  water. 

How to make. 

1. Place the limes in a food processor together with the sugar and half the water, and process until the lime is very finely diced.

2. Press as much juice through the sieve as you can after pouring the mixture into a bowl over it. 

3. Fill to the top with the remaining water, then garnish with frozen lemon and lime slices or plain ice.

Cheers for reading X