Little Big Shots Film Festival

Queens Birthday Long Weekend - 12th, 13th & 14th June 2010
ACMI Cinemas, Australian Centre for the Moving Image
Federation Square, Melbourne

Little Big Shots is a children's film festival that showcases the best in local and international shorts, animations, documentaries and even child-produced films for kids aged 2 to 8 years. The films inspire discussion of world cultures, different languages, cultural diversity, emotional intelligence and human values. They are guaranteed to make kids laugh, whoop, think and create. Each year in June, Little Big Shots returns to its Melbourne home town with a whole new crop of juicy screen adventures to amaze and delight.

Films suitable for the 2 to 5 age group are being screened at the following times
9.10am - 10am on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th June
11.45am - 12.35pm on Monday 14th June

For a full list of films visit the Big Shots website
For bookings, visit the ACMI website

Toddler Tuesdays @ Werribee Zoo

Every Tuesday, Werribee Open Range Zoo have dedicated activities for the under five age group. Activities include;

JUNIOR SAFARI
An energetic 35-minute safari bus tour for young children and their families. The tours feature puppets, music and lots of animal action. 11.15am and 12.15pm. Free with zoo entry but bookings reguired - 1300 9667 842.

VILLAGE DANCE PARTY
Tiny tots and the young at heart can dance, sing and laugh in the zoo's highly interactive musical dance theatre. Special zoo songs, written by Melbourne musician Lamine Sonko, encourage children to play bongos, wiggle hips, stamp feet and 'call animals to water'. This section is open Monday to Friday 10am-2pm. Free with zoo entry and no bookings required.

MINI ZOO KEEPERS
Children can enjoy a 90-minute zoo adventure with face-to-face encounters with meerkats, frogs, lizards, snakes and possums, and then go behind-the-scenes and feed our beautiful giraffe. 9.30am-11am. Children and adults $40 (1 child must be accompanied by 1 adult). Bookings required - 1300 9667 842.

Unfortunately my daughter has occasional care on tuesdays so we won't be getting to this until the holiday period. Looks like great fun though so love to hear what it's like. For more information on Toddler Tuesdays, visit the Zoos Victoria website

Wombat Stew

National Theatre
20 Carlisle Street, St Kilda
11th & 12th May, 11.45am

From the producer of Possum Magic The Musical comes another classic Australian picture book live on stage. The simple story of a dingo who catches a wombat and decides to make wombat stew has been developed into a “true-blue-dinky-di-big-aussie-musical” complete with blops of mud, very fine feathers, creepy crawlies, fliesss, gumnuts and a big, bubbling billy can! WOMBAT STEW is a “mouth-watering”combination of story-telling, mime, music, dance and puppetry suitable for children aged 3 to 8 years.

Foogo Drink Bottles

I have bought so many different drink bottles but these are the only ones that haven't ended up at the bottom of the plastics drawer. Made by Thermos, they keep drinks cool for up to 12 hours which is great in summer and they are super tough and don't leak. They are quite expensive but I can't say I've regretted spending that bit extra for what has proven to be a quality product. We got ours at General Trader but they are also available online

Alex Bath Stickers

I think these are a great gift idea for kids under five. We have a bit of a collection in our bath toy tub and they come out every night. The best ones I think are the scene builders or people builders which they can use to build a story on the side of the bath. I've seen them at Baby Bunting and many other toy shops, or online.

Shopping List Game

Our new nightly routine is to play a game with our three year old before putting her to bed. This way she gets an extra half an hour after her brother goes to bed and some quality time with us. It seems to be working quite well and the Shopping List memory game is her absolute favourite. Every player gets a trolley and a shopping list, then you take turns in turning over the pieces to find the items you need. If somebody else turns over an item that you need, you must remember where it is when it comes to your turn. The first person to fill their trolley wins.

A range of the Orchard Toys board games are available at Windmill Toys

GALT Floor Puzzles

We recently bought this floor puzzle for our three year old daughter and she absolutely loves it. She does it every night before bed. It's not super easy and they are not the traditional square shaped pieces so she has to think about it, but she is so proud when she completes it on her own. We also have the smaller farm version.

We bought ours from our local toy shop but I haven't seen them anywhere else. May be worth asking at your local shop though as GALT is a pretty popular brand. I also found them online at Always on Sale

Uimi Textile Design Studio

A very clever friend of mine designs the most beautiful range of eco friendly knitwear for body, baby and home. Her products are created from natural fibres, including wonderfully soft merino wool and organic cotton. Find them at the following retailers

Playdough Recipe

Could be the pregnancy but I'm feeling a little Suzie Homemaker today so thought I'd make the kids some playdough. I am so sick of buying commercial dough that dries out really quickly so I thought I'd try this recipe from Frills in the Hills

I highly recommend this recipe. It is easy and fairly clean to make, plus with a little less food colouring than the original recipe it makes a bright pink colour that my daughter loves.

Ingredients:
2 cups white flour
1/2 cup salt
4 tablespoons cream of tartar
2 cups water
2.5 teaspoons vegetable food colouring (we used rose)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Method
In a saucepan:
1. Mix flour, salt, and cream of tartar.
2. Add water, food colouring and oil.
3. Cook and stir over medium heat for 3 to 5 min.
4. When it forms a ball in the center of the saucepan, turn out and knead onto a lightly floured surface - careful as it's pretty hot.
6. Store in plastic container or ziplock bag.

Facebook Group

Join the Things to do with Under Fives Group on Facebook for review updates and a chance to have your say on our discussion board.

Little Eats

When I first discovered Little Eats it was one of those ‘I wish I’d thought of that’ moments.

In my first 18 months of motherhood, I visited so many cafes, either catching up with friends or following through on the promise of a babychino after an outing. Indeed, my daughter became such a chino connoisseur that she developed a three point check system. Chocolate on top, check! Spoon, check! Marshmallows, 1,2, check! A startled waiter got a serious dressing down from her one day for failing to provide the marshmallows on the side. Move over Gordon Ramsay!

But as any parent will tell you, a good kid-friendly café is not just about the babychinos. Highchairs, pram access, change table, kids menu, play area, crayons, atmosphere, friendliness of staff – these are all things you have to consider when you take young kids into a café and they are not easy to assess from a quick peek in the door or from your standard café review. This is when a visit to the Little Eats website could seriously make your day.

Searchable by area (north, south, east, west, out of town, other), Little Eats rate cafés out of five milkshakes with five meaning that it ticks all the boxes for parents and children alike. For each café, they provide basic info, a child-friendly checklist, a short ‘soundbite review’ and then a more detailed review which includes their own personal experience and the overall ‘vibe’ of the place.

Often the reviews are a little too amicable (four milkshakes seem popular) and it would be good to have multiple search options, but overall I find this website really appealing. There is something in reviewer Jemma’s style that makes you crave that special moment with your little one when their top lip is covered in milk froth and they’ve just set their eyes on a “teeny tiny little mini cupcake”. And as a mother, there is nothing better when you’re feeling sleep deprived and a little removed from society, than to get out for a good coffee and a tasty treat in a nice and welcoming environment.

Little Eat’s reviews are particularly focused on the good years for café outings – under two years old and one child only. But from the information provided it is pretty easy to assess whether a café is going to be the right choice for you and your brood. They also include some dinner suggestions which are handy, and their out of town reviews may provide inspiration for a day trip or even a trip to Bali.

So now I can refrain from pouring over the Epicure section of The Age every week and living vicariously through the reviews of uber cool and so not child-friendly cafes and restaurants. Instead I can visit the Little Eats website and find myself a nice workable option to try out with the kids. Lets just hope they have marshmallows!

www.littleeats.com.au

Churchill Island Family Fun Festival

Churchill Island - Phillip Island
Easter Weekend

This is definitely one to keep in mind for next year.

Just off the coast of Phillip Island, Churchill Island is an historic working farm that provides the perfect setting for this traditional family fun festival. Activities include wagon rides, a three-legged race, plaster painting and a Punch & Judy show, as well as wool spinning, wood crafting, sheep shearing and blacksmith demonstrations. There are lots of farm animals, a lovely kitchen garden and plenty of open space for a picnic and/or play. The absence of commercial rides and fast food options is refreshing and we found it to be a fun, relaxing and affordable event which the kids thoroughly enjoyed.

Parking is available on the Island. Admission costs $10 for adults and $5 for children over four. For more information, visit Phillip Island Nature Parks

A Farmers Market is held here on the fourth saturday of each month and this could also be worth a visit