I was prompted to remember by Knitty Mummy, that we have a can of Garden Games spray paint tucked away somewhere, so dug it out this afternoon, for our very own Bug Olympics!

It featured one eager competitor, one who was content on ignoring the rules and crawling around and a Mama, juggling a camera!

First up we had the 'Butterfly Balls'. Throw the balls to make a matching pair of pretty wings!

 Next up came the 'Snail Trail'. Start at the tail and keep on the line until you reach the middle!

 'Wiggly Worm Tunnel' - you can guess!

Next up, 'Ladybird Spots'. We only had red balls so red spots it was!

A very worthy winner!

Big boy only owns slip on or velcro shoes and I have been toying with the idea, of buying one of those games, which teaches you how to tie a lace. However, I came up with a crafty project of my own to help him learn to tie and which allowed me to use my new glue gun! (My present form my sister!)

We are moving him from the box room to the spare room to give him more space to play. We are keeping the nautical theme, as he has so many lovely accessories I have collected over the last 3 years, but adding a few little things including my home made 'Get Knotted' board!

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I used a flat canvas board as opposed to a boxed version you can buy, as it was more sturdy.

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Lightly draw in pencil your chosen word. Their name or initial would work well too. Leave more room at the bottom of the board for your dangly bits to hang down.

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Cut your rope into strips roughly between 30 and 50cm long. You can always snip a bit off the bottom at the end but you can't add them! Use a glue gun or strong super glue to trace each letter, one at a time.

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Place your strips of rope on the glue letter and press down firmly. If possible use a single strip for each letter. The 'h' and 'y' needed two strips and I decided to leave the 'o' just as a letter.

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Leave enough rope dangling down on your chosen letter to be able to tie a bow.

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Turn your board over and glue the picture hook plates, so the board will lie flat against the wall when hung. You can get these in any DIY store.

I had an anchor wall sticker left over so I added it to the corner for some extra detail!

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The finished article on the wall for our big boy to learn and enjoy!

I just need to learn some knots myself so I can play with him!

Getting Crafty with Red Ted Art

The best thing about having a lovely cousin in law who lives in Bristol, is that she knows all the great (and free) places to go, to entertain the children! Big boy adores his cousin and now that she has a baby brother just like him, our family trips together are perfect! Two small boys together!

We went to Hengrove Play Park, a fantastic £1.4m play area, that was built in 2002, with giant sand pits, several climbing areas, suitable for all ages.

There is a skate park and basketball court for the older ones, a large grassed area perfect for picnics and a cafe around the central green.

Best of all it is free!

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