The Tiger Who Came To Tea

Yesterday, as the weather was too changeable to risk our planned picnic in the park, my friend (owner of the 3 children on the right of the picture) and I (owner of the one on the table and the blue blur in front) made an impromptu visit to the Judith Kerr retrospective at the Museum of Childhood, Bethnal Green.

The Museum of Childhood is one of my favourite places to visit and, over the years since I first went there as a teacher planning a class trip, it has changed from a museum for adults about childhood to a museum for children with a lot of adult interest. I loved it back then, but the altered focus has really made it a worthwhile day out for families. The building is lovely - an excellent history of the site can be found here - and it is fully accessible for people with buggies/wheelchairs, which makes such a difference to a day out. One word of warning, though: the tube station is emphatically not wheelchair/buggy friendly as it has steps to all entrances and no lifts to the platform. If you're using public transport I'd suggest either walking up from Liverpool Street via Shoreditch or taking the bus. There are small mainline stations at Cambridge Heath and Bethnal Green but I'm not sure if they have lifts either. Set aside a good few hours and feel free to leave the kids at home for a really good look round!

There are two 'museum' floors and a ground floor which hosts the cafe (good cake - a Benugo venture) and the shop which is sensibly priced and has a good range of books and toys. For those on a budget there is also a lunchroom for picnics (this may not be available in termtime, however, as the Museum is deservedly popular with schools), or the Museum Gardens next door if the weather is good. The mezzanine floor has moving toys - take a stash of 20p pieces - including railways, Scalextrics, clockwork toys and a robot that seems to be permanently broken, as well as a sensory area, imaginative and small-world play areas, a drop-in art area and enough vintage and modern toys to have everyone from your great-granny downwards mooning over the cases saying 'I had one of those!' Case in point: Triang scooters, Fisher Price playhouses, old handheld arcade games, Sindy dolls and much more. It's right up to date with award winning toys from 2010 too, including the Sylvanian Families motorbike and sidecar set which Daisy and Tove would love to get their paws on!

The first floor houses displays on childhood through history with comparative items to show how design has changed - the Museum is, after all, part of the V&A which has a strong design remit - as well as a fantastic seaside area where children can play on the 'beach' and create their own Punch & Judy show. There is a school area, games tables, kitchen play, construction toys and much more, as well as yet more toys to look at and a soft play area for younger children.

The first floor also houses the temporary exhibition area where the Judith Kerr retrospective can be found. Entitled From The Tiger Who Came to Tea to Mog and Pink Rabbit, it is a wonderful trove of original paintings and drawings by the author (you'll find her in the post about favourite bedtime stories below!) as well as beautifully thought out low-tech interactives throughout the installation. There is also a biographical section about Kerr's own childhood, which inspired the book When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit.

Daisy particularly enjoyed playing with Sophie's kitchen in the Tiger Who Came to Tea area, while I loved the giant tiger at the table who can be seen in the photo at the top of this post. There was also a giant Mog's basket where children could dress up as Mog, a 'school' area with desks, a magnetic 'dream creature' area, and more magnetic play with a wheel of 'thought pictures' and magnetic Mog expressions. There were also photos of the real Mog, and areas focused on particular Mog books - Goodbye Mog, mentioned in an earlier post, and Mog the Forgetful Cat. Eve was thrilled to see Pink Bunny on the wall! Tove particularly liked the magnetic play and spent ages making dream creatures.

The Judith Kerr exhibition is well worth a visit but be quick as it finishes on 4 September! Upcoming events can be found here although even without a major display the Museum of Childhood is a great day out. There are always smaller exhibitions in the entrance area which often have local school input.

Next week, we're braving the Docklands Light Railway (and yes, we'll be trying to get the front seats!) to the Museum of London Docklands for Pirates: The Captain Kidd Story. I worked on this in the early stages but it didn't open until I was on maternity leave so I haven't seen the final exhibition yet. 8 year old Oliver is more interested in this one, and his dad is apparently very jealous indeed!

Running update: I finished the Couch to 5K programme this morning! Regular readers will know that I've been really enjoying running, and when I blogged about it 4 weeks into the programme I was averaging 2.5 miles per workout and was doing 16 minutes of running in each workout - well, today was the third & final week 9 workout and I ran for 40 minutes non-stop (walked 5 minutes to warm up and 2 to cool down as well). My total workout today was 3.99 miles (6.4k!). I'm feeling very proud of myself and the plan is to carry on at this level until it starts feeling 'easy' and then move onto the Bridge to 10K programme (and yes, I've already downloaded the app). I start back at work next week and will be running along the Thames in my lunch hours...that'll get me away from my desk! I'm well on my way to losing my first stone, too.

Cygnets at Connaught Water

Taken on a walk this afternoon

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Are you sitting comfortably?

It struck me last night that the other half and I seem to spend a large portion of our evenings these days reading a variety of bedtime stories (rather than, y'know, working on our respective crafts/hobbies). So, as I haven't taken pictures of any new crafty makes recently, I thought I'd share some of our children's favourite evening reads instead. These are the ones that we read over and over and over again to our two girls, and heaven help us when the Boy Child is old enough to choose his own stories to add to the mix.

I always loved being read to as a child and I believe that sharing books from an early age is putting them on the right path to being adult readers. It's a rare night when we don't manage to read them a story or six, and on those occasions we always leave them with a story CD and the books to look at as well.

In no particular order, then, here we go!  All credit for the images reproduced in this blog post goes to the authors/illustrators and copyright remains with them.

1. The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler - and the sequels The Gruffalo's Child and Stick Man. The quick witted mouse who almost gets tripped up by his own story is a superb creation.  The original Gruffalo story is brilliant for reading aloud as you can have so much fun with the voices, and there is lots of detail in the illustrations to talk about too. The BBC film of the book is just as good, too, with some masterful voice casting. We also like looking out for the tiny gruffaloes that appear in the illustrations of other books by this pair.

2. We're Going On A Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury. The rhythm of this story with its repeated 'can't go over it/can't go under it/got to go through it' chorus makes it enormous fun - we've even been known to act it out in the garden. Helen Oxenbury's illustrations are lovely, but my kids' favourite picture is the lonely bear walking home across the sand after he's chased the family all the way home. They say he's sad because he only wanted to play!

3. The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr. Fabulous story about Sophie and her mum who open the door at teatime to find a large and hungry tiger who proceeds to eat everything in the house. Sophie has become Daisy's favourite name for all dolls, pets etc and both she and Tove love to join in the story.

4. More Judith Kerr - the Mog stories. All of them! From Mog the Forgetful Cat all the way through to Goodbye Mog (and I dare anyone not to cry at that one). Mog is an utterly delightful cat who often frustrates her owners and gets things wrong, but ultimately things work out.

5. I really want to eat a child by Sylviane Donnio. Sounds like an odd choice for a bedtime story but this book about a VERY fussy eater never fails to make me smile. I bought it on sale from The Book People and I'm so glad I did!

6. That Pesky Rat by Lauren Child. Don't get me wrong, I like Charlie and Lola as much as the next person but this story of a street rat who only wants someone to love him is my favourite book of hers. My best friend recommended it to me as her son loves it too, and we now have a copy in France for holidays and a copy here for every day. The good thing is that money from the sale of this book goes to a charity which helps street children. I also love Who wants to be a poodle? I don't by the same author, about a lap dog kicking back against the stereotype.

7. Hairy MacLary from Donaldson's Dairy by Lynley Dodd. A rollicking, frollicking tale (to use Dodd's own phrase) about a pack of dogs out on the prowl who get scared off by the wonderfully named Scarface Claw, the toughest tom in town. Excellent illustrations and a wonderful, playful grasp of language and rhythm. Told in a lively rhyme, this book and all its sequels are nightly favourites. We also have the Hairy MacLary collection on CD, read by David Tennant, whose voice is perfect for the stories.

8. The Dudgeon is Coming, also by Lynley Dodd. This is a Chinese Whispers story about how messages change in the telling, with fabulous characters like the Pineapple Pig and the Omnibus Owl. Beautifully illustrated, too - Tove absolutely adores this book.

9. Another of Tove's favourites is Sam Chaffey's Where's my mama? which is the story of a little chick who can't find his mum one morning. A pop-up book which really brings the story to life, there are days when its almost impossible to read this to Tove as she's so busy empathising with the chick! She even gives the pop-up chick a cuddle...perfect for toddlers and again with very detailed pictures. We love the mouse's  feet.



10. Mick Inkpen's children's books are always great - the Kipper stories, for example - but at the moment we love Wibbly Pig's Silly Big Bear. I always tear up at the end, too. It's about a big bear who can't do all the things we can do but who has some very special qualities anyway. We're also loving We are wearing out the naughty step by the same author, perfect for any parent at the end of their tether. This one also touches on the difficulties of single parents trying to have a life outside the home!

11. An all-time classic - Eric Carle's story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Daisy took her 'fat pallar' toy to bed with her for months when she was younger, and all children like to poke their fingers into the holes that the caterpillar has made in the food. Tove is now starting to join in with the words as well, and she loves the butterfly at the end. I like The Bad-tempered Ladybird too, but then I would...

12. Another old one! Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. We all have a favourite wild thing in this story, and mine is the one with the stripy jumper. I've always loved this tale of a naughty boy who becomes King of all the Wild Things, but who eventually realises that even though his mum told him off she still loves him best of all. These days I don't need to see the book to tell the story, but then you don't get Sendak's wonderful pictures!

13. Another monster story! Not Now Bernard by David McKee, which is a gently humorous tale about what happens when parents don't listen to their children! Poor Bernard tries to tell his parents about the monster in the garden but they're too busy to listen....and they're too busy to listen to the monster too.

14. Jill Murphy (who also wrote the Worst Witch stories) created the Large Family and pretty much every parent will identify with them at some point! The current favourite is Five Minutes Peace, where Mrs Large tries to find somewhere in the house for a cup of tea and a read of the paper without being over-run with children. Daisy listened to it the first time and then said 'Mrs Large sounds like you!'. There are several others in the Large Family series - my niece loves elephants and  A Piece of Cake in particular.

15. And last but not least - one I haven't got round to buying for the children yet as its sadly out of print (but there are currently copies on Amazon). This was one of our family favourites when my sisters and I were young - David McPhail's The Bear's Toothache. The illustration that stays with me is of the bear sitting in the garden and the word 'OOOOOOOOOOoooooooOOOOOOOooooooOOO' floating through the window to wake up the little boy. Poor old bear!

We're always up for new bedtime stories so if anyone wants to recommend their favourites I'd love to hear about them - do leave a comment below or you can tweet at me by following http://www.twitter.com/LadybirdBeads.

The view from the stall!

Fox & Firkin Summer Fete, Lewisham High Street. 7 August, 12-6, more details below!

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Fabulous Hats in post below..

..are by Fair Heads Headwear and you can find them here. Thanks to Vintage Child for clearing that up!

Weekend Wonder

Right, children fed and happily redecorating themselves with felt-tip pens, so I can sit here and share some of the lovely stuff I saw at Wonder Hill Market at the Miller on Saturday. For once I managed to take a camera with me so I can show you stuff instead of just rambling.

It was the first time I'd been to the Miller and it took me ages to get there from London Bridge station (went the long way round via Borough High Street- took about 5 minutes to get back) but it was absolutely worth it, the venue is lovely. When I got there there was a chap stringing bunting around the place (hazardous for taller people but for 5 foot 3ers like me, no problem) and tables were scattered about the ground floor in varying states of undress. Kiki, one of the Wonder Hill team, was dashing about looking rather glam in a white frock and clutching a clipboard - later on she did a sterling job flyering just about everyone within a mile radius, resulting in a good footfall throughout the day. I was a bit worried that there would be too much competition for us in the area, what with the big Vintage Festival going on up at the South Bank, but the combination of flyering and glorious sunshine seemed to work. The market had a really relaxed atmosphere, fitting perfectly with the Sergeant Pepper-style vibe coming off the poster (see previous posts!). I like the idea that people can come in for a drink and buy something unique while they're there.

So, what did I covet? The stall next to mine was Design by Vickle, a fabulous collection of wonderfully tactile cushions, baby blankets and vintage Fuzzy Felt brooches. I particularly loved the Etch-a-Sketch cushion and the panda cushion, neither of which are in this picture! Clearly remembering the camera didn't automatically engage my brain...however, you can see more of Vickle's work in her Folksy shop here.

My mouth watered at the sight of these lovely goodies by Miss Pie. I'm still trying to eat healthily so didn't indulge, but the cake pops looked lush!

One reason for not indulging in gorgeous cakes like these are outfits like the one below - I'd love to have the figure to carry this Vintage Child ensemble off.

I'd also like to have the insouciance to wear fabulous hats at all times! I didn't manage to get the stallholder's name to reference these but hopefully someone reading this can tell me.

I also ran into the lovely Luna Hearts (aka Kirsty Pate, who is a colleague at the Museum of London) and her fantastical accessories. Lovely to see her - she is her own best advert and always has something amazing and handmade on!

I want one of these recycled maple rings by BHMakes, please!

And one (or two!) of these beautiful rings by Hart and Bloom Jewellery.

Finally - more for my when-I'm-thin wishlist - a beautiful Japanese style kimono top or one of their lovely obi belts, exquisitely embroidered by Christ'i. They look so pretty and flattering.

There were many other amazing sellers/makers there including Anikraft, Dora Ann, Tobyboo, Hairy Molly (moustaches on sticks - excellent disguise!), Miss Match-Socks, Sample Remix and FotoBellaFoto and hopefully they'll be there again on 27 August. If you're in the London/Kent/Essex area Wonder Hill market is really easy to get to via public transport (London Bridge and Borough are the closest stations but if you're not laden down with stock it's an easy walk from various others) and it's also close to the famous Borough food market. Check out their Facebook page for more details.

Rather foolishly I managed to forget all the important bits for the jewellery projects I was planning to work on across the day - seed beads and stretch magic - so didn't get anything done, but I can highly recommend the Satay Chicken Wrap from the rather tasty Miller menu, and if you're looking for a night out you could do worse than head to the pub as they have a regular comedy nights and more.