Running, bouncing, climbing, swinging, rolling, jumping… PlayGym is probably our most looked forward to activity of the week. We love it!
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West End
Rugbytots
We heard about Rugbytots from a friend a while ago. Since the little lady is so physical I thought we’d go and try it out. And maybe it would tire her out…
Hartbeeps
We tried out our first ever Hartbeeps class last week. We’d heard about it from a few friends who went along to the class in St Enoch’s on a Wednesday, but we’ve never managed to make it along. However they’ve just started a new class in the No. 1 Chocolate Factory on a Wednesday morning …
The Children’s Wood Playgroup
Guest post coming from me today so here’s a short intro to myself and the kid – Rachel: mummy to my little lad who is two years old, living in Glasgow and having great fun exploring the city through the eyes of a wee one. We’ve been meaning to check out the outdoor playgroup in …
The Beach at Riverside
We’re at the beach today! Not in the usual sense though. We’re in a giant sandpit (aka the Beach at Riverside) and it’s really nice.
It’s been here for a few summers now. But I’ve never been before, so I was pleasantly surprised at how big it is, and at how deep the sand is. The sand is really soft and lovely too.
There are some sun loungers dotted around outside the sandpit. A number of them had towels or bags or something on them to signify that they were ‘taken’, even though there were no other adults at all except me in the sand with the kids. Not that I wanted a sun lounger. But that just irritated me and reminded how much I sometimes really hate other people.
Anyway, it’s a really nice little beach for the kids to potter about in, and it’s right at the door of the Riverside Museum if you wanted them to have a play in there too. There is an ice cream van and a hot food van next to it, and a cafe inside the museum.
Just bear in mind that we live in Glasgow, and as such the sand will probably be a little bit damp. I took a picnic blanket just in case, but since I was playing in the sand with the little lady I didn’t use it.
Make sure you remember your buckets and spades! 🙂 It’s great fun!
The Beach at Riverside is located at the Riverside Museum, and it’s here until the 1st of September.
Toddler Sense Kelvinside: A Chance Happening!
We found a brand new Toddler Sense class the other week that’s just up and running in Kelvinside. We found it entirely by accident – we’d gone along to the outdoor playgroup in the Children’s Wood that nobody else turned up to, and whilst having a wee wander round Kelvinside Meadow a lovely lady called Gail came and handed us a flyer. As it turned out the class was just about to start, so we joined in!
The Class
It’s a brand new class; so new that it was the very first day of it when we went along. There were only a couple of us there, but I expect that the next time we manage along it’ll be far busier as Toddler Sense classes tend to be pretty popular.
As always, there was a play area for the kids to clamber about in before the class (and in the case of my little lady also during, when she managed to eventually escape my clutches). There were blocks to climb about on, a bouncy castle & slide, a ball pool, bikes plus a bunch of other stuff I’ve since forgotten.
Each week has a different theme – last week was sparkle week. There were flashy balls, sparkly sticks, songs about stars, a snowy mountain that the littles climbed and quite spectacular sparkles projected from the ceiling (our cat would’ve loved all those lights flashing on the floor).
The lady who took the class (whose name has unfortunately now been lost from my terrible mummy brain) was great with the kids. She was super enthusiastic and they seemed to really enjoy playing with her in the play area at the beginning of the class.
The Cost
It’s £15 for your first 3 classes. After that you can pay as you go at £6.50 per class, or you can buy blocks of classes which work out a bit cheaper.
The Details
The class is on in the Scout Hall on Kelbourne St, just across from Kelvinside Meadow. It’s on Mondays and Wednesdays at 10 am and 11.30 am. Classes last about an hour.
The Verdict
My little lady absolutely loved it. She always loves Toddler Sense. The play area is physical enough to keep her entertained and the singing part of the class has enough going on to keep her engaged. It’s really excellent. And it knackers her. Bonus!
Toddler Sense Kelvinside takes place in the Scout Hall, Kelbourne St North, Kelvinside, Glasgow, G20 8PR.
Back Bouncing & Rhyming
We went back to bounce & rhyme for the first time in AGES this morning. There’s songs & rhymes & stories & lots of other babies & toddlers. It’s still just as entertaining for the little lady as it’s always been. And it’s free. The groups are in libraries all over Glasgow. You can find …
First Steps To Music
We were at our lovely little music class this morning – First Steps to Music. We’ve been going for over a year now & my little lady loves it.
The Class
First Steps to Music is a music class created and run by Katie, an early years musician. It has lots of singing, lots of rhyming, shakers, puppets, drums, marching, teddies & violin playing.
The class is great fun for the little ones. It is relaxed & the kids love all the props that are used.
But it’s also very structured. I think that’s probably partly why my little lady has picked so much up from the class. She constantly sings, tunefully, (with just ‘la la la’s’ instead of words, mostly) the songs from the class at home. Her favourites are ‘Knock, knock, knock, Who’s in the box…’ (the ‘who’ is usually a finger puppet in the class, but she sings it to whomever has the audacity to lock the bathroom door at home), and ‘Lets go a-walking…’ (excellent for getting her to walk properly along a pavement!) The kids learn to tap along with a beat too, amongst other things. They learn pretty quickly what they’re supposed to do and at what point. It’s quite amazing to see actually!
The Cost
The class runs in terms & you need to book a term in advance. It works out at £5 per class.
The Verdict
Katie is great with the kids. The class is really fun for them, but at the same time you can almost see them learning!
Classes are quite small and as far as I can tell the people who start the class (including ourselves) tend to keep going for a long time. I think that pretty much says everything!
The Details
It’s on in St Mary’s Cathedral on Monday mornings, and in Wellington Church on Saturday mornings. (Both in the West End around Woodlands). There are baby, toddler & pre-school classes available.
All info can be found on the First Steps To Music website
Jungle In The City – CLOSED
We had a spare hour the other day and decided to pop into Jungle In The City soft play in Glasgow West End. It’s in Partick, and it’s so close to us that I can’t believe I’ve never been before! The Play Area The play area is in a few parts: there’s a play frame, a big …
The Hunterian Museum
We’ve been doing a lot of museum-ing recently, since Spring decided it wasn’t quite ready to come out yet.
So last week we took a wee wander around the Hunterian Museum, in Glasgow University. I hadn’t been since I was a student and unsurprisingly, it was a bit of a different experience with a toddler!
There’s nothing at all interactive & not much that would peak the interest of a typical toddler. Most of the exhibits are up much higher than the eye level of small children too.
But it’s free, it’s nice & warm and since toddlers are happy as long as they’re free to roam, it’s good for an hour on a rainy day. It’s a pretty good place for a game of peek-a-boo.
You might even get to look at something if you have a toddler that doesn’t run away at every possible opportunity.
Note: The radiators run around the bottom of the railing on the top level. And they’re really hot. Make sure your toddler doesn’t think it’s a seat.
The Hunterian Museum: The University of Glasgow, University Avenue, Glasgow, G12 8
A little bit of charity shopping
We popped into Birth, Baby & Beyond on Dumbarton Rd in passing a few days ago for a wee look. We only had a few minutes, but managed a pretty decent haul: laptop & guitar toys, converse, shorts & leg-warmers. All for £14. They are a non profit who help families in the Greater Glasgow …
Jo Jingles
We checked out the Jo Jingles class in Partick this week. It was numbers week & so we did lots of numbers songs (obviously!) with castanets, tambourines, pom poms… It felt more educational and maybe slightly less fun than other classes we’ve been to. Not that it wasn’t fun, because it really was; my little …
Turtle Tots Baby Swimming
It was certificate day at our Turtle Tots swimming class today. That’s us completed the level 2 toddler course, and we’ve been going to Turtle Tots for over a year, so I figured it was probably about time I did a review.
The Class
It was almost 16 months ago we started going, but I remember our first Turtle Tots class like it was yesterday. The Little Lady was about 12 weeks old and I wasn’t allowed to go in the pool yet (section took a while longer than it should’ve to heal) so her daddy took her instead whilst I sat and watched. There was lots of singing, with Hickory Dickory Dock where the baby goes up the clock being a definite favourite.
She was slightly nonplussed with being in the pool, but our teacher, Kim, was great. I enjoyed watching it, and my husband enjoyed the one-to-one time with her in the class, even if the Little Lady wasn’t overly enthused herself!
Her first submersion, about 4 classes in, was quite traumatic (for me) but again, she wasn’t that bothered. By the end of the term (and into the second term) I think she was the only kid who still cried after been dunked, but she was still happy to be in the pool.
As the classes and levels progressed you do a lot more with the babies, and use lots more equipment. Her favourite was always chasing the squirty fish around the pool, and in the earlier classes chewing on the foam mirror! She also always loved the singing.
In our most recent block she was jumping into the pool, holding onto the edge and monkey-monkeying (shuffling along the pool using her hands), kicking her legs, and we were doing submersions with her on my back holding on round my neck. She was also happy to be on her front in the water, kicking her legs with me just holding her hands.
The Venues
We’ve been to 4 of the venues over the past year and a bit. Some are better than others: some are in state of the art leisure centres and some are in schools – the facilities are obviously going to differ.
The Cost
It recently went up to £120 per term of 10 classes. That is pretty costly, but since the little lady and I (or the little lady and her daddy) have enjoyed the classes so much, and she has learned so much from them (and gotten lots of confidence in the water) I really think it’s been worthwhile.
The Verdict
It’s truly amazing seeing the progress of these tiny tots: jumping in, kicking their legs, using floats, holding onto the edge, going under water for a brief swim (and being happy about it) and really enjoying being in the pool! Not only has it given my Little Lady lots of confidence in the water, but it’s given me lots of confidence in taking her into the water too.
Her nursery recently took her swimming and they reported back that out of the 4 or 5 kids who were there that day, the Little Lady was the only one who was happy to jump in, who was kicking her legs and who was happy to be on her front in the water. Obviously I don’t know what she would’ve been like if she hadn’t gone to Turtle Tots classes, but I certainly wouldn’t have taken her swimming anywhere near as much.
As I said above, the classes are pretty costly – they’re the most expensive classes we’ve ever done, by quite a margin. But she and I, or she and her daddy have enjoyed them so much, and learned so much from them that I honestly think it’s been worthwhile.
Highly recommended.
The Details
Turtle Tots classes take place all over Glasgow and the surrounding areas. There’s bound to be a class near you. You can find more info on their facebook page & website.
The Riverside Museum
We took a little trip to the Riverside Museum at the weekend. It was an attempt to simultaneously get out of the house, and not be outside in the freezing cold. (We’re not big enough for snowman building yet, and although picking up tiny bits of snow and holding them for a while is fun, it results very quickly in tiny cold hands!)
Anyway, it’s big and echoey and not quiet at all. There are lots of trams & buses to climb on, a couple of little kiddie toys to play in, and two very large horses that are seemingly great to point at/yell excitedly at/run towards & away from.
As with all Glasgow museums it’s free, and the cafe upstairs isn’t bad too.
The Verdict
Great place to let a toddler run around for an hour or two, especially when it’s slippery, snowy, crazy windy or freezing outside!
Side note
You don’t actually get to look at anything with a toddler running around!
Toddler Sense in Knightswood
So we tried out Toddler Sense Knightswood yesterday. We used to go to Baby Sensory regularly, and my little lady loved it. But then I went back to work, she went to nursery and we haven’t had the chance to even check out a Toddler Sense class until now! But anyway, the review… The Class …
The Irn Bru Carnival with a 1 year old
We had great fun at the Irn Bru Carnival, but I think the little lady was still a bit young for it as there weren’t many rides she could go on. Next year though!
Zoo Tots
We’ve been going to zoo tots for a few weeks now, and it’s one of the little lady’s favourite classes we’ve been too. It’s totally different from any of the other classes, mainly because there are various live animals there to pet or feed or look at. The Class The class structure is pretty much …
A Meal At The Loft
We went out for some food today in The Loft. I’ve never eaten there before; only drank there, quite a bit actually… But anyway, I was so pleasantly surprised. I can’t believe I didn’t know just how child friendly The Loft is. There are toys for kids to play with, a balloon man who made us an extra …
Buggyfit, 11 months post birth…
After months of trying, the stars aligned & we finally made it to our first Buggyfit Glasgow West class this morning in Victoria Park. It was a pretty nice day for once, if a bit breezy. Perfect for my first workout in a long time. The class itself was great. We did some running, and quite a …
Grosvenor Baby Cinema
We went along to, what I think is going to be our last, Baby Cinema this morning in the Grosvenor Cinema on Ashton Lane. We’ve had a good run (we’ve seen Hunger Games, Godzilla, Dallas Buyers Club, Gravity and The Wolf of Wall Street amongst other) but we’re getting too old for it now since …