Three Fun Spring Things for Kids

Secrets of The Bees

We're already pretty big fans of Bertie Gregory around here (Animals Up Close being a favourite), so were excited to see that he has a new show, and it didn't disappoint. Immersive and cinematic, the bee footage is like nothing I've seen before and, as always, Gregory's genuine enthusiasm (and willingness to get injured on the job!) make it a fun watch (though, like with many nature docs there are some pretty dramatic and brutal moments). Bertie Gregory also did a fun Reddit AMA to promote the show.

Watching the show meant I was able to dig out any and all bee-themed toys and books – these wee bee hives have been in an out of rotation since Ari was tiny, and the nature books, including the lovely B is for Bee, come out every spring.

Hey Clay

We recently got the kids a few Hey Clay kits and they were a huge hit. They don't play any mobile games, so I was a little wary about the app-based tie-in and the fact that you follow the steps on a screen, but it's genuinely fun to do and doesn't suck you into any games or in-app purchases. There are cute animations and the end result is very characterful. Once they're done with the main creation they usually play with the leftover clay for ages after.

Fizzy stuff

Tis the season of outdoor potion making. We buy baking soda and citric acid in bulk from Irish biz Bromar to use around the house and also to make fizzy stuff – my mix usually consists of 1/3 cup of baking soda, 1/3 cup citric acid, some gel food colouring, dried flower petals and sometimes some bio glitter. The kids like adding bits of mint or lavender from the garden and mix up all kinds of potions. It's exactly as wholesome as it sounds.