Ant farming

Okay, here is my moral dilemma. My daughter has wanted an ant farm for a while now, and seeing as she has been very well behaved this last week, unlike the previous week when she was doubling as a moody dragon, we decided to get her one. It was nicely packaged and it was great fun making the plaster of Paris mould, it came with gloves and mouth mask, and she looked like a real little scientist. As far as educational goes this rocks! Even I am getting into it, you can watch the ants nesting, feeding and laying eggs and can buy other sets in the range, link them up and create a whole ant world. There is an interconnecting Ant Circus, Ant Mine, Ant Jungle, Worm Farm and Eco Dome. Great! But it was pointed out to me that maybe taking twenty ants out of their natural environment was, well, maybe a tad cruel. What are your thoughts? Is it ant prison or ant utopia?

Beautiful creatures

If you don't own one of these cds yet, you should definitely try and get hold of one. There are 7 cds within the Beautiful Creatures range and they provide hours of fun. I have to admit that sometimes after dropping my daughter off at school, I find myself still singing along to 'Bongi the Boisterous Buffalo' and others. They are proudly South African which is great, and were started by Alan Glass, Ed Jordan and Paul Choritz, who said that they felt there was a need for "Parent Friendly" children’s music. Yes indeed! Some of the children's cd's out their have you wanting to pull your hair out. Well done guys!
You can also join the Beautiful Creatures group on facebook, or listen to a preview of my favourite - Tallulah the Tortoise.

Disco time

A quick and easy disco ball for kids to make, which they can then hang up in their room and admire as all the different colours reflect off it. The idea is courtesy of Jack Hutchison on a great site called kidsmakestuff.com and is perfect for kids from 7 years and up.

You will need:
• about ten cd's
• styrofoam ball
• scissors
• string
• hot glue gun

Here's what to do:
Cut the cd's into squares and attach the string to the ball. Glue the squares to the ball and attach it to something on the ceiling, then sit back and admire and don't forget to turn on the disco music.

P.S. Should only be made under adult supervision.