Stockeld Park - where magic is made and adventures begin!

The chances are if you live in Yorkshire, you have been to Stockeld Park* or at the very least heard of it! It's a magical seasonal attraction nestled amongst stunning woodland and is the perfect place for a family day out.  Despite only living about 20 minutes away, we have not actually been since October 2015. I blogged back then about our visit HERE it you fancy a read.  We were definitely due a trip there and Stockeld very kindly gave us some tickets, so off we went!

We had also seen that they were doing a Mad Science week and were having a visit from Sublime Science, who were once winners on BBC's Dragon Den.  They were going to be doing educational and fun activities which sounded great.  When we arrived, my girlie and her friend spotted a 'mad scientist' who told us what time it was on and where it was being held.  The girls were really excited!  

We had enough time to let them do some ice skating (or attempt to!) before the science stuff began so they donned their skates and went to the rink.  I sat it out this time and enjoyed watching instead!

My daughter fell almost straight away and I could tell she wasn't as amused as I was!! One of the ladies working there luckily appeared and was on hand to show her the ropes.

They lasted about 10 minutes and then we had a quick snack before heading over for some Mad Science.  The girls were the first ones there but it filled up quickly and the room was soon full.

They did various experiments and I was impressed,  never mind the girls!  It lasted an hour and it really was very good.  They left with a pot of slime that they had made and a certificate, full of smiles and pride!

We decided to go around the Enchanted Forest next.  When they say enchanted, they really do mean enchanted.  It's fantastic and full of magical, mystical creatures.  In the Winter over Halloween and Christmas, it is all lit up and looks amazing.  We must try and get there this year as I imagine it must be breathtaking.  I should also say that I took my mobility scooter which managed pretty much fine on the ground.

There are four large play areas spread out through the forest, so plenty of places for children to run off steam!  Climbing frames, slides, sandpits and zip wires galore. They loved it.

My personal favourite is the mermaid! In fact the girls had run slightly ahead and ran back to tell me I just HAD to see what they had seen.  I love mermaids and there was proof right there that they are real!!

There are various interactive things along the way and even a talking tree. It feels like being in a chapter of an Enid Blyton book.. just really special.

The girls had also made a game up and were pretending that I was a witch (yeah yeah, I know!) who had stolen crystals from them so their mission was to find them.  Each play area they went to they went to 'look for the crystals' and they apparently found them dotted around the forest. I just love childrens' imaginations!

Once we came out of the forest they were asking if we could go in the Maze.  I am not a huge fan of mazes (truth is I'm a big baby and I get scared!), however someone had told us a trick how to cheat a maze which we decided to follow, so in we went.

There are over two miles of paths in the eight foot high Tree Maze (gulp) and there are various surprises in it.  Guess what though.. the trick worked!! We made it out in about ten minutes.  I've never been so happy to see the end of a hedge.  I won't share how to cheat a maze as it will spoil it for those of you who do in fact enjoy being lost in them!!

Other than all the outdoor activities, they have a café and an indoor play area.  It was nice to sit and chill for a bit with a drink and a snack while the girls bounced on the inflatable jumping pillow.  The forecast had been slightly optimistic and it was a bit colder than anticipated!

We had a quick look in the gift shop and the girls each chose a little something. My daughter chose a pink squishy poo emoji thing which she was delighted with. The whole conversation they had in the car on the journey home was about pink poo. Lovely! 

They said they had had 'the best day' and we had all really enjoyed it.  My friend sent me a message later that evening saying how happy her little girl was and that she had been telling her all about it at bedtime. So sweet! My daughter wrote a page in her diary about it and kept her wristband to stick in it too.  Priceless :-)

I can't recommend Stockeld Park enough for a family day out. Ticket prices vary so it's best to check online and there is lots of information on their website about what's going on there too.  Thank you Stockeld for a fab day out!

Ali 

xx

Random Acts of Kindness day!

If you follow my blog you will already know how much I love random acts of kindness! I've posted before about doing them and how much of a difference they can make to someone.  One kind word really can change a person's entire day. What is it they (whoever they are!) say, that an act of kindness no matter how small is never wasted.  It's so true.

Today is National Random Acts of Kindness (RAOK) Day and the purpose of it is to urge people to be kind to each other, especially those they don't know, without any specific reason. I actually think that it should be every day as kindness costs nothing and it's so easy to do, but I do love how there is a day especially for it!

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An act of Kindness can boost happiness,  release feel good chemicals,  decrease stress and generally give an all round fuzzy feeling to those involved.

There are so many ways you can do a RAOK but a couple of examples are to pay someone a compliment.. don't just think it, say it, leave a happy note somewhere unexpected (I've done this with library books before), send a surprise card or gift, smile at a stranger, bake someone a cake or buy an extra coffee for someone when you're buying one for yourself.  I remember when my daughter was about 3 and we were on holiday. We were in a shop and I was going to buy her a Spanish dress but was 1 Euro short, so I told the shopkeeper I'd be back when I'd got the rest of the money from the hotel.  A lady in the shop overheard and insisted on paying the extra for me. She wouldn't take no for an answer and it was such a lovely thing for her to do.

I decided I wanted to send someone a surprise parcel today so I have a post on my Facebook blog page and I have asked people to tell me something kind that someone has done for them.  If you would like to join in, my daughter will be picking a number tonight before she goes to bed and all you need to do is leave a comment under my post here HERE.

Someone who really inspires kindness is Emily Coxhead who runs  The Happy Newspaper and her posts always make me smile! You can follow her on Instagram HERE. She's such a ray of sunshine!

Let me know if you have done, or been on the receiving end of, any RAOKs today :-)

Ali 
xx