Curly Kids Rock – review

IF like me you have a daughter in primary school, then you’re no stranger to various unboxing toys such as LOL Dolls, Num Noms, Shopkins… (the list goes on).

But with the majority of these clearly aimed at girls, it was refreshing to be invited to an event where boys were being included in this growing trend of pocket money toys.

The launch of Teamsterz Micro Motorz took place at Westfield Stratford and was hosted by super car customiser Yianni Charalambous.

Both my son and my daughter tagged along as we joined Yianni for breakfast at Giraffe and at the same time introduced to the miniature unboxing toys.

The two of them – my daughter and my toddler son – were already fascinated by the car collectables in the short time we were there.

The Micro Motorz come with six surprises, including tuning accessories, stickers, a display capsule and there are 20 to collect, including the coveted rare styles.

The display capsule also acts as a launcher for the cars to race – it’s admittedly a bit fiddly to operate and my daughter had to ask me for help and watch the how to guide on YouTube.

It has to be noted that the toy is aimed at 3+, so while my 22 month old showed an interest in the cars, I had to make sure none of the smaller pieces were within his reach.

Our day ended with the chance to gawp at Yianni’s one of a kind £300k chrome wrapped Lamborghini Aventador!

Micro Motorz retail at £4.99.

It’s the little things that make a difference, isn’t it?

And so the whole family have been road-testing some fabulous socks from the aptly named Sock Shop for the last few weeks.

We’ve all been impressed by how super soft their Bamboo fabric collection is. Not only that, the skin-friendly material contains natural antibacterial properties to prevent smelly feet – and let’s be honest, that’s a massive plus whatever age you are!

I love seeing a bit of colour on my kids so it’s great that the collection is available in a range of gorgeous shades for both children and adults, as well as school uniform white.

The website also caters to those of you looking for some quirky novelty socks – I fell in love with some great pineapple socks which have been helping me project some tropical vibes whilst it pours with rain outside! I couldn’t resist them…despite having a slight allergy to the fruit! #lifeisunfair

Head to the website and use TheMediaMummy for 10% off.

What’s that you say? A Disney animation exploring racism while being both witty and hilarious?

Well, surprisingly Zootropolis manages to do exactly that with characters voiced by the likes of Jason Bateman, Ginnifer Goodwin, Idris Elba, J K Simmons and Octavia Spencer.

In short, the film is about the determined Judy Hopp (Goodwin) who battles to become the first ever rabbit police academy graduate before teaming up with Nick Wilde (Bateman) to investigate a series of incidents that threaten the city of Zootropolis, where creatures of all types have – up until now – lived together in harmony.

My little one loved the way the two main characters bounced off each other and laughed out loud on several occasions during the film. Even a slight scare, which made half the cinema jump, wasn’t enough to mar her enjoyment.

We watched a special preview screening of the animation in Leicester Square, joined by VIPs – David Haye, Vanessa Feltz, Linda Robson, Sinitta and Jenni Falconer – and their children.

Judging from the round of applause as the film ended, Zootropolis is set to be a hit with both adults and children alike – as the content was covered with the seriousness needed for the themes explored, but at the same time, the relationship between the characters ensured it was a fun watch.

I’m a huge fan of Alesha Dixon – she’s definitely on my list of favourite celebs to chat to – so I was pleased to hear she’s been announced as judge for the Explore Learning Writers’ Awards 2019.

This is a chance for budding young authors across the UK to have their work recognised.

Open to children aged from four to 14, youngsters are encouraged to write a 500 word story with the winner bagging a trip to Disneyland Paris for their family and £500 worth of books for their school library.

To top it off, Britain’s Got Talent judge Alesha will surprise them at their school with the news.

Mum Alesha is herself a published author and will this year release the third instalment in her children’s book series, Lightning Girl.

The comp opens March 11 when this year’s theme will also be announced.

Explore Learning will be running a number of free creative writing workshops with schools and libraries across the UK to inspire kids to take part.

The closing date for entries is Sunday May 5.

For more info visit www.explorelearning.co.uk/youngwriters