Legoland Windsor with babies and toddlers

This post was updated in June 2013.

We've been taking Harry to Legoland Windsor since he was about a year old. It's a fantastic place for really little ones, and I've put together some tips for how to make the most of a day at Legoland with babies and toddlers. This guide is aimed at children that are shorter than 0.9m and therefore don't meet the height restrictions for many of the rides, yet there is still plenty to do to keep them entertained.

The key bit - A suggested itinerary

This route plan will ensure that you can experience all the suitable rides and attractions with minimal waiting around. 

The most important thing is to aim to arrive at the park at least 15 minutes before it opens. It will take you this long to unpack the kids out the car and get through the entrance. Opening times and other information can be found on the Legoland Windsor website.  

Once through the entrance, walk straight down to the Information Board and the Lego dinosaur, and take a right. There will be a barrier here where people will queue to enter the main park. Wait here until it opens. 

When the barrier lifts, you have two options to get down the hill. One is the Hill Train (which the kids may enjoy), the other is to walk. Given the time it takes to load the Hill Train, unload at the bottom and the position of the train exit, I'd recommend walking as the quickest route.

First make your way to Boating School. This ride is extremely slow loading, and within 20-30 minutes of opening will generally have a long queue. The quickest way to get to Boating School (assuming you have a pushchair) is to go down the ramps towards Duplo Playtown, walk past the Duplo Theatre, and walk past the Driving School to the Boating School.

Once you have finished the Boating School attraction, do the short walk to Atlantis Submarine Voyage and go on this ride. Whilst the loading on Atlantis is fast moving, it can get busy due to it being a new attraction, and is therefore worth going on early.

Then walk back towards the Boating School, over the bridge to the left and walk to the Laser Raider (not suitable for mums to be). Again Laser Raider is a ride that can get very busy, so worth doing early.

After Laser Raider, go on the Aero Nomad which is pretty much opposite. Following this, cross over the bridge near the Laser Raider and ride the Balloon School. You've now done the busiest rides in the park. 

By now the Orient Express should have started running (it normally starts later than park opening) so ride this next. You may get wet on this ride. After this make your way to Desert Chase. 

At this point, I suggest making your way over to Duplo Valley and doing the attractions there.  There are three things worth doing in Duplo Valley 1 - Watch the Puppet Show at the Duplo Theatre, 2 - ride the Duplo Train, 3 - let the kids play in the Brickville playground, which is a fun playground designed for little ones with slides, climbing frames, seesaws and so on. It can get quite busy. There is also Drench Towers which is a large waterpark area. We've not tried this out yet but it looks very good, depending on the weather! See the bottom of this post for more details.

If you've brought a packed lunch, I'd recommend sitting in the Duplo Theatre and watching the puppet show whilst eating it. Queues on the Duplo Train vary a lot in the day, one minute there will be no queue, next minute you may need to wait ten minutes. Try and avoid going on the Duplo Train straight after the puppet show, when the Train and the Playtown can get busy. A good tip is whilst the kids are playing in Playtown to keep one eye on the train, and when the queue goes down, whisk your child over to it.

Once you finish Duplo Playtown, go over and ride the Fairy Tale Brook. This ride was updated in May 2013. Again, avoid going on this attraction straight after a puppet show has finished as it can get busy. Another tip for the Fairytale Brook is to enter the ride via the exit, and therefore you can leave your pushchair a little closer to the ride, next to the Photo Booth. 

By now it will probably be early afternoon, by which time the park is filling, and the rides can have some relatively big queues. Use the rest of the afternoon to see the other attractions in the park. With the exception of the 4D Theatre, you don't need to queue for any of the below attractions:

Waterworks - This is an open-air water playground. Kids will get wet, and swimwear is recommend. It is situated next to the Fairy Tale Brook.

Miniland - Make sure you don't miss this - a large area of Lego models of famous scenes from around the world with moving trains, cars and boats. Generally very quiet with plenty of space to move around and get close to the models. Suitable to walk round with pushchairs. In particular don't miss the Space Shuttle Launch every few minutes.

As you move towards Viking Land there are the following attractions:

Enchanted Forest - a short walk through area with models of woodland animals. Suitable for a pushchair.

Loki's Labyrinth - a maze to walk around.

Pirate's Training Camp - a large outdoor play area. Adults can accompany smaller children around, but it can get quite busy with older children.

Halfway back up the hill are the Build and Test Workshops. These are several indoor areas where you can play with Lego bricks. One room is ideal for smaller toddlers with large bricks to build with, another is suitable for older toddlers with an area to build and test racing cars. The smaller toddler area in particular is usually very quiet and these rooms are perfect for some quiet time away from the crowds, and ideal if it is raining.

Close to this is the 4D Theatre. Check showtimes before making your way to this attraction. It's worth bearing in mind that the 4D Theatre requires your child to wear the 3D glasses. If they can't/won't then the picture will appear fuzzy.

Another show is the Pirates of Skeleton Bay Stunt Show. This is an outdoor stunt show, it may be a bit difficult for younger ones to follow and if it's busy you may need to arrive early to get a good position.

Once you have finished your day, I'd recommend using the Hill Train to take you back up to the top.

Once at the top, don't forget to stop at the Lego Creation Centre, which is an indoor exhibition where you can learn about history of Lego and see some models, for example the Crown Jewels. It is a very quiet indoor area, some areas are accessed by lift. Racers Store inside the Creation Centre is worth a quick look, it carries a range of discounted Lego products, for example pick and mix Duplo bricks.

Further information about the rides suitable for babies and toddlers:

Desert Chase - a traditional carousel

Laser Raider* - a ride with laser guns through a labyrinth, not suitable for mums-to-be

Aero Nomad - themed big wheel, small capacity

Orient Expedition* - longer train ride with lots of Lego animals, you may get wet

Balloon School* - rising and falling gondola with rope to adjust height, small capacity

Fairy Tale Brook*  - gentle boat ride through Lego story book scenes, avoid just after the Duplo Theatre finishes

Boating School* drive your own boat about, this is very popular, you may get wet

Atlantis Submarine Voyage - submarine journey under the sea

Duplo train* - small, short train ride

Hill Train* - not really a ride but transport up and down the hill. May need to fold pushchair if busy.

* for these rides, babies must be sitting without assistance

Facilities for families 

• Parking costs £2 or you can pay £6 for preferred parking closer to the entrance.
• Pushchair rental is available on a first come first served basis at £12 for a double and £8 for a single from the Lego Big Shop as you enter the park.
• Lost child stickers and maps are also available here.
• Lockers are available for £1 which is non-refundable.
• Free water is available from water fountains throughout the park.
• There is a breastfeeding area in the Baby Care Centre in the First Aid building in Lego City with locking rooms, a chair and plenty of space for a pushchair.
• Pit Stop Cafe and City Walk Restaurant have a microwave and bottle warmer. Some restaurants have baby food available, ask a member of staff behind the counter. 
• Baby Change facilities are plentiful and pleasant.
• There are a range of reasonably priced family friendly restaurants, with suitable food and highchairs.

Tips

If you are intending letting your children play in the Waterworks area then pack a change of clothing and/or swimwear and towels. Drying facilities are available, but at extra cost.

You will need to leave your pushchair at the entrance to rides and attractions. Take a small, easily removable bag for valuables to carry with you, and tie something cheap and memorable to the handle, such as a bright scarf, so that you can easily find it again.

At the end of the day it can be a long walk back up the hill to the car park with a pushchair so consider taking the Hill Train. You may need to fold your pushchair.

Look out for the Lego models throughout the park, like the cars outside the Orient Expedition that children can climb in.

Update June 2013 - The Duplo Playland is no more. It has been replaced by Duplo Valley, which is a water play area for children (swimming costumes/swim nappies required). This area opened in May 2013 and so is likely to be busy because it is so new, although of course it is weather dependent. There is also a new large Duplo playground in this area, Brickville, and the Fairy Tale Brook boat ride has been updated. You can read a very good review of the updated Legoland areas here.

Disclaimer - I have no affiliation with Legoland Windsor, we have just spent many happy days there and I wanted to put together some information for other parents that might otherwise feel that it was not suitable for their younger child. Prices and other information correct at time of writing, please check the website for up to date information.

10 things to try with play dough

Today I'm sharing lots of activities that you can do with play dough and a toddler!

Make your own! There are recipes everywhere, but I've had a lot of success with this recipe for Four Minute Play Dough from The Imagination Tree. Elsewhere on the site there are also many more recipes for themed play dough in different colours, scents and so on, there are so many!

Collect a range of tools to use with your play dough to create different textures and patterns. They can be purpose made tools or else bits and pieces from around the house, for example a garlic press, plastic knife from the toy kitchen, little bowls and plates, plastic cookie cutters and so on.

Dried spaghetti can be used with play dough to add lots of interest. Use it to make a hedgehog, to make models and for fine motor activities such as threading Cheerios onto the spaghetti.

Add a generous handful of glitter to the play dough for some fun sparkles. Although obviously once a batch of play dough is glitterified there is no going back!

Make the dough into snakes and practice cutting with child safe scissors as a good first introduction to scissor skills.

Decorate your creations with small objects from around the home, for example dried beans, paperclips, dried pasta, buttons, curtain hooks, coins, keys, pieces of pipe cleaner. They are easily removed from the play dough when you come to put it away and can be stored separately in a small container.

Create templates on paper or card with the outlines of numbers and letters. Use play dough snakes to fill out the shapes. You could laminate these for repeated use. Older children can try without templates.

Sculpt amazing landscapes like these at Filth Wizardry - train set and dinosaur island. You can use play dough alongside many other toys, like Duplo, Playmobil, dolls, or toy cars and trains for example. You can also use it to make quick props for other imaginative play, for example we make a simple Button Moon and Mr Spoon's spaceship.

Collect leaves and other natural objects from the garden and press them into the play dough to create patterns.

Extruders are brilliant for playing with play dough. I can't think of any easy way to make them yourself but there are many different types available to purchase like this one - Play-Doh Fun Factory (affiliate link). You push the play dough into a hole and then press down on a handle to force the play dough out in different shapes. 

Findon Sheep Fair 2011

This afternoon we went to the Findon Sheep Fair. The fair takes place in Findon ever year in the early Autumn. In 2011 we visited for the first time, and have been back over subsequent years. There is a car park for the fair available adjacent to the green at a cost of £4 per vehicle. The sheep fair dates back as far as 1261. Although there is no longer a traditional Sheep Auction, there is still sheep judging, as well as sheep exhibits, sheepdog demonstrations, a traditional funfair and many stalls selling a variety of local produce and crafts, as well as lots of farm animals for little ones to see.

The highlight for Harry was probably the opportunity to sit in a selection of different tractors!

 
There are also lots of stalls selling crafts, bric-a-brac type items, books, jigsaw puzzles and so on, as well as local charities and businesses. There were some beehives that you could have a look at, some ladies demonstrating how to spin sheep wool, and various bouncy castles and other entertainments. It was a really fun day out!

Felt lavender bags

When we moved into our house, we were lucky enough to inherit loads of mature lavender bushes which lined the front path and door. When the time came to move out, I made sure that I harvested plenty of the lavender to dry and use for lavender bags!

I bought some felt in the sale in Hobbycraft once to have a go at felt crafting. Because it was in the sale, it is a selection of rather vibrant and some quite hideous colours. This was great for some projects but a bit too bold for others. But I like to make the best of what I've got, so I had a go at some lavender bags. I dug into my collection of buttons and ribbons (neither of which I have ever bought, they just seem to accumulate). I made:

Blue heart. Claimed immediately by Harry. I have just noticed that the blue top I am currently wearing has a button missing which looks suspiciously like the ones on this heart. Never mind.

Pink heart. Given to Mia by Harry. No input at all from me here, are children born believing that blue is for boys and pink is for girls? Harry did wear pink vests and flowery Grobags as a baby though.

A yellow flower. Left over for me by default, but my favourite anyway. We've all got them in our drawers to make our clothes smell nice. I didn't think that Ram would appreciate one, maybe he will get one from round two.

I'm quite pleased with them, as a first effort from a keen but not very competent sewer. Which one do you like best?

Making simple jigsaws for toddlers

Harry and I spent the morning making some simple toddler jigsaws. Another activity where the process is just as much fun as the finished product!

I cut up some cereal boxes for the backing of the jigsaws, and got out our picture collage basket, some glue and some felt pens. Harry had a lot of fun gluing the pictures down onto the cardboard, and we added a few extra details using our felt pens.

We made up four pictures:

Then I covered each one with clear sticky backed plastic to make it more sturdy (I should buy shares in the stuff I get through so much!)

Then I cut them up into different shapes. I discovered that the simpler the better as they can be a bit fiddly when they don't stick together very well and they tend to slip about.

You could also use larger pictures from magazines, greetings cards, family photographs, spare artwork, a letter, a secret message to a family member...there are endless possibilities!

How to make a car park play mat

After the success of my last two play mats, I put together a car park play mat, and this has been Harry's favourite so far, as well as being the easiest one to make!

All you need is an A3 piece of cardboard (or larger if you like!) with black construction paper glued on. The lane dividers are made with white cut up stickers, and for interest I've added a disabled space, direction arrows and a pay point (the blue box!). A fun way to extend this activity would be to put coloured stickers or numbers into the spaces and get the child to match up colours or numbers stuck to the top of the car.

I'm surprised by how much Harry has taken to these playmats. They are so simple, and cheap and quick to put together.

You might also like my other playmats - a racing car play mat and a construction play mat.

Collage baskets for arts and crafts

My little ones have always enjoyed making collage pictures, even from a very young age, and I've always kept a few baskets around full of bits and pieces for collage and sticking. I give them a handful of scraps, some white PVA glue in a plastic pot with a spreader, and something to stick to. Either flat coloured paper or cardboard, or something solid like a toilet roll tube or cardboard box from the recycling bin. Then I can get a quick activity going within minutes!

Some ideas for things to collect together:

Plain and patterned flat collage bits:

Ribbons - collect from posh chocolate boxes or flowers if you're lucky, or hanging loops on clothes
Cut up old clothes for pieces of lace and fabric embellishments
Scrap pieces of coloured paper and card left over from other projects, either torn out or cut into shapes
Blocks of colour or pattern from junk mail and magazines
Paper napkins in different colours and patterns, paper doilies, confetti
Tin foil
Bows and embellishments from greetings cards
Felt and fabric scraps
Sequins
Coloured tapes - washi tape, shiny gift wrapping tape or electrical tape in different colours

3D collage bits:

Coloured pom poms
Coloured fun foam shapes
Buttons
Silk flowers
Shredded coloured paper
Pipe cleaners
Lollipop sticks, cocktails sticks
Dried pasta in different shapes, lentils, beans, seeds (sunflower, pumpkin...)
Sand, sugar, salt, flour

Pictures:

Collect pictures cut from magazines, catalogues, junk mail, greetings cards. TV magazines and toy catalogues will have pictures of favourite characters, baby magazines (try the free supermarket ones) will have pictures of baby equipment, babies and children. Keep a pair of scissors by the recycle bin! If you want specific pictures then I find Google Images to be a really useful resource.

More ideas:

• If you have some shaped punches you can make a collection of cutouts in different colours.
• Go out into the garden or park for leaves, twigs, grass, flowers and so on.
• A fun way to make collages is to use some clear sticky backed plastic. Expose half of the sticky side and sprinkle on sequins or glitter or pieces of tissue paper, then fold over to seal them inside. You could use as a sun catcher or as the insert for a greetings card.

What do you find yourself collecting for collages?