Join the Easter Eggsplorers on Nick Jr

The fun continues on Nick Jr this Easter with a bumper pack of Easter programming and a whole host of activities online to help keep kids entertained over the long weekend. Here's a quick guide to what's on offer so you don't miss out !

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Every day Nick Jr.’s beloved characters will head off on seasonal adventures with Easter and spring-themed episodes scheduled between 12:00-2:00pm, supported online with crafts and games for children to make and play.

Dora the Explorer: Good Friday sees Dora’s Easter Adventure on air at 12:00pm. Dora and Boots are waiting for their friend, the Hip-Hop-Bunny, to bring his basket filled with eggs and treats for their big Egg Hunt. But just as the Bunny arrives at the forest, Swiper swipes the basket and throws it far, far away into the Rainbow Garden - where it’s headed for a waterfall! It’s Dora and Boots to the rescue as they join the Bunny on an Easter Day Adventure.

Online, Dora fans can find plenty of Easter-themed pictures that can be coloured in online or printed off to colour-in at home. If the weather keeps everyone stuck inside try Dora’s Little Cooks to bake up some delicious treats that are easy for little children to get involved. Or if you’re travelling Dora’s car bingo will help time fly during car journeys.

Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom: On Saturday at 12:45pm kids can watch The Lost Egg, where Ben, Holly and Gaston the Ladybird find a large egg in the meadow. A tiny chick hatches from the egg and the children must find the mummy bird. Following it at 1:00pm fans can catch Dolly Plum. Daisy and Poppy turn Nanny Plum into a doll, and the Wise Old Elf copies it and in a matter of seconds, it becomes very popular, much to Nanny Plum's dismay.

Fans of the Little Kingdom can create their own Easter cards featuring their favourite fairy and elf with the Nick Jr. card-o-matic. Upload pictures, choose the design and create a bespoke Easter card that can be emailed to friends and family or printed off and given in person.

Team Umizoomi: On Easter Sunday at 12:45pm is the Umi Egg Hunt. In it the rainbow egg is the most special egg at the Umi City Egg Hunt and it's fallen down a rabbit hole. The Team chases after the egg and discovers an underground rabbit city where they must hurry to save the egg from getting scrambled.

For anyone conducting their own hunt, there is a Team Umizoomi Egg Hunt certificate to reward little eggsplorers.

Peppa Pig: On Easter Sunday at 1:15pm everyone’s favourite pig is going on her own adventure in Mummy Rabbit’s Bump. Everyone is excited when Mummy Rabbit arrives with a big tummy and they learn that there is a baby bunny inside. Spring follows at 12.35pm where Grandpa Pig organises a chocolate egg hunt for Peppa and her friends but will the piglets track down the treats?

If kids wish to head outside download the Peppa Pig Patio Puddles game guide - Peppa Pig’s version of snakes and ladders which helps children with their counting skills whilst jumping in pretend muddy puddles!

Bubble Guppies: On Easter Monday at 12:00pm youngsters can tune into The Spring Chicken is Coming, the Spring Chicken wants to announce the arrival of spring but first she needs a flower to make it official. To help the Bubble Guppies put their green thumbs to the test.

If you’re travelling download the free Bubble Guppies games to keep children entertained. The Choose the Right Ball activity pack asks children to match objects to scenarios and the Bubble Guppies Spot the Difference asks children to find five differences between two images of the underwater friends.

Guess How Much I Love You: On Easter Monday, The Scents of Spring can help wind down children with its relaxing pace at 1:00pm. One morning Little Nutbrown Hare wakes to find the air filled with a delightful smell. He and Little Field Mouse search all over the meadow, the woods and by the riverside to find the source of the wonderful smell. They discover all kinds of new and unexpected Spring scents sweet, pretty and fresh but will they find the one they are searching for?

Anyone wanting to create their own Spring scene can colour-in Little Nutbrown Hare in the meadow online or print it off to create a physical piece of art.

Disclosure : I received an Easter activity pack from Nick Jr but was under no obligation to blog about their Easter programming.

Other blogposts you may be interested in :

ASDA Easter goodies review

Eggnogg Colour-in Easter-time Tabelcloth review

Yellow Moon Easter Crafting Supplies review

Aero Easter treats review

When Aero got in touch to see if I'd like to try out their Easter range of treats, I jumped at the chance - mint Aero is one of my favourite all-time chocolates. I actually had a friend at school who used to take one to school with her for breaktime, put it next to the radiator so it would melt, then put it in the fridge so it would go hard again without the bubbles - what a waste ! But I digress -  I'm supposed to be telling you about this year's Aero Easter collection, not reliving the trauma of seeing my best mate repeatedly massacre her Aero bars !

The first product from the range - the little Aero Lamb (RRP 69p) - instantly leapt out at me because it looks so cute. I've bought several of these from the shops because, firstly, I love the cute lamb shape and, secondly, they are perfect as a calorie-controlled chocolate fix. I may still be trying to lose weight but, let's face it, it's Easter - I'm not going to totally avoid chocolate so as the Aero Lamb only contains 146 calories, that sounds like a pretty good option to me. I love the bubbly texture too.

They also have a duo of bigger treats that had me drooling when I saw them in the supermarket. The Aero Bubble Collection Egg  (RRP £7.49) is a lovely milk chocolate Easter Egg accompanied by milk, orange and peppermint Aero bubbly bars - yum ! 

And finally, the Aero Bubbles Egg (RRP £5.41) is a milk chocolate egg filled with minty Aero bubbles. I love the fact that the bubbles make it seem really light so you feel like it's a virtuous option, even though it's not !!

Something on the enclosed press release made me shriek though - "2011 saw the launch of Aero biscuit, a delicious combination of Aero bubbly chocolate and crunchy biscuit bubbles, all wrapped up in smooth milk chocolate. This incredibubble biscuit is bursting with bubbly taste and all for 99 calories per biscuit." Eeeeek, how have these totally passed me by?! I need to go and have a good look in the biscuit aisle next time I go shopping - they sound lovely and they're quite low-calorie too. I NEED some !!

Disclosure : I received some Aero Easter treats in order to write an honest review. 

Other reviews you may be interested in :

ASDA Easter goodies review

Yellow Moon Easter Crafting Supplies review

Eggstra special Easter treats from Ocado

ASDA Easter goodies review

 You may have seen our Easter crafts session yesterday (click through if you didn't to see what the Madhouse Mini-testers made) but the fun just didn't stop ! They also found some goodies from ASDA's range of Easter-themed products.

Sophie loved the cute chick basket which is ideal for Easter egg hunting - plus it only costs £2 so won't break the banks if you need to buy several.

Speaking of Easter egg hunting, their Easter Egg Hunt Kit (again costing a very reasonable £2) looks great fun - it's packed with enough supplies for four children and I will definitely be using it to add some excitement  (or should that be eggscitement?!) to our egg hunt on Sunday.

But what really leapt out at them was the Easter Crafts Kit. You get some pre-cut Easter-themed cardboard shapes - rabbits, eggs and flowers (six in a pack, perfect if you've got three kids !) - along with shredded green and yellow paper, fuzzy balls (no rude comments please !), sparkly jewels, stick-on paper eyes, glitter glue and normal glue. 

The Madhouse Mini-testers had great fun colouring them in them customing them by sticking things all over them and there was plenty for the three of them to finish their masterpieces with no squabbling. I was amazed to see that this retails for just £1 - that's amazing value for everything you get in the pack.

If you're looking for ways of keeping your kids entertained during the Easter holidays, you might want to throw a couple in your trolley as you do the weekly shop !

Disclosure : We received some Easter-themed goodies from ASDA in order to write an honest review.

Other reviews you may be interested in :

Yellow Moon Easter Crafting Supplies review

Eggnogg Colour-in Easter-time Tabelcloth review

Clover Seedburst Hot Cross Muffins recipe

We've been testing Tesco's Price Promise

I often find that prices vary quite a lot from one supermarket to the next when doing the weekly shop. If I want to buy a specific product, I often look at the MySupermarket website because it's great for flagging up special offers and finding the cheapest price currently available. Tesco's have recently launched a new "Price Promise" though, which takes all the hassle out of getting the cheapest deal.

Tesco explained how it works :  "This supermarket price campaign is significant because it compares the overall cost of a shopping basket – not only brands, but own-label and fresh. It matches the price against the same or equivalent products from Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s. If the basket would have been cheaper elsewhere, a coupon for the difference in price, up to a maximum of £10, will be issued to the customer right there at the till."

They sent me off to do a £50 shop and see how much we would save.

We already had our main weekly shop done so we just did a top-up shop with some nice extras.

We went for a mixture of family basics and a few higher end products - Heinz beans, alphabetti and numberetti spaghetti, apple sauce, Galaxy chocolate, Celebrations and Heroes chocolates, Bisto, Spam, Party Rings ...

Jammie Dodgers, a couple of loaves of bread, a big slab of cheddar, a family tin of biscuits (we were having a Peppa Pig party, remember?!), some pickled onions, some Wensleydale with Cranberries and some Stilton with Apricots. This all came to a grand total of £51.94 (well, £54.26 but there were some Multibuy savings too).

After putting it all through the till, I got my usual receipt and another one telling me that my shopping would have cost £3.93 less in a difference supermarket. It's a bit hard to read in the photo but it says : "Today your comparable grocery shopping would have been cheaper elsewhere so here's the difference back". There's a code that I can use for an online shop or a barcode to scan the next time I go shopping.

Getting £4 off a £50 shop sounds like a great saving to me - that's almost 10% (well, just under 8% if you want to be exact) and I love the fact that you can be sure you're getting the best deal without needing to go hunting out the best prices yourself.

There are a few things you need to know about the scheme :

To qualify for Price Promise, customers must purchase a basket containing a minimum of 10 different products, at least one of which is comparable.

To ensure the price comparison is as comprehensive as possible, it will also cover promotions including "half price" and "buy one, get one free" offers at Tesco and at other supermarkets.

for more information : www.tescopricepromise.com/

Disclosure : Tesco's paid for my shopping so that I could test out their Price Promise sceme and see how much (if any) we saved.

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Eggnogg Colour-in Easter-time Tabelcloth review

Colouring is one of those timeless activities that appeals to kids of all ages and that has appealed to generations of kids. Needless to say, when Eggnogg offered to send through one of their creative products for the Madhouse Mini-testers to review, I knew it would get a warm reception.

We received the Colour-in Easter-time Tablecloth and, as you can see, all three of the kids sat happily colouring together. The tablecloth covers about two thirds of our dining table - it measures 100x89cm - so there was plenty of room for them all to work side by side with no squabbling. It's great to find an activity that all three siblings can do together despite the age difference.

The tablecloth is made of fairly thick paper - I was worried the felt tip pens would go through to the real tablecloth underneath but they didn't. You could put newspaper or a plastic sheet underneath to be on the safe side though. The whole surface is packed with interesting things to colour - rabbits, eggs, birds, butterflies and a whole host of other bits and pieces.

It kept all three Madhouse Mini-testers entertained while I got dinner ready and it's still far from finished so we'll be getting it out many times to keep them busy until it's all coloured in.

There are various themed tablecloths available - Christmas, teatime, seaside, puzzle time and the Easter one that we received - and Eggnogg also have other products, including colour-in bunting, masks, placemats and even fancy dress ! If you want to keep your kids entertained in the holidays without resorting to iPads and video games, you're sure to find something to appeal to them. This would be great for kids' parties too.

star rating : 4/5

RRP : £11.99 for a pack of 2

for more information : http://www.eggnogg.co.uk

Disclosure : We received a colour-in tablecloth in order to write an honest review.

Other reviews you may be interested in :

Ravensburger puzzle club review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Patchino Toy and Chocolate Easter gift review

Finger-painting is for wimps !

Yellow Moon Easter Crafting Supplies review

We've been having a good old crafting session this afternoon - we did attempt a trip to the park but, despite the sunshine, it was bitterly cold so we only lasted half an hour ! Luckily, we had lots of Easter-themed craft kits to keep us busy back at home because Yellow Moon had sent us through a fabulous package of Easter goodies.

First up, all three Madhouse Mini-testers wanted to try out the Easter Bonnet Kits. There are three complete kits in a pack which was absolutely ideal (although almost all of the goodies we received came in packs of three so I think someone at Yellow Moon had done their homework and gone for a squabble-free package with everything in threes for us !). The cardboard hats are very simple to put together, although we opted for sticky tape rather than glue because I wasn't sure they'd stick properly otherwise.

The Madhouse Mini-testers excitedly discovered a bag full of Easter-themed foam stickers in the bottom of the box and tipped the whole lot out all over the table.

They made short work of them, using up the whole bagful on their bonnets ! Pierre looks quite sad but he's actually just concentrating really hard !

Where did you get that hat ?! At The Madhouse, obviously !

Juliette had her eye on the Sequin Egg Kits next - you get a polystyrene egg, some ribbon and a whole pile of sequins with (blunt) platic pins to push the sequins into place.

Older children or even adults will be able to make very neat rows of sequins, but 3-year-old Pierre had a great time stabbing them in randomly all over his egg and it actually still looked quite good at the end.

Sophie took ages doing hers to make it look perfect and it did look really good at the end. I didn't hear a sound out of them while they were doing this activity and they managed it all by themselves, with the girls helping Pierre from time to time, while I wandered off to get dinner ready.

Sophie had spotted some Egg Decoration Sewing Kits and asked to do them once I'd put Pierre to bed.

You get pre-cut felt shapes with holes punched to make sewing easier, a large plastic blunt needle and some thread. Once you've sewn and stuffed the eggs, you use the adhesive shapes to create a cute design on the front.

Sophie loved making these and managed them all by herself, with just a little help threading the needle and tying off the knots. She made one for Pierre and one for Juliette, keeping the final one for herself. They're very simple but the end product is very impressive and very cute.

We still have a few kits left to play with at the weekend - some Easter baskets that will be ideal for going Easter egg hunting.

The Foam Crowns look great fun too.

As well as the foam stickers which we used on the Easter bonnets, we also have some Fun Tattoos and some long stickers that could be used for decorating eggs - that sounds like a fun Easter breakfast, decorated boiled eggs !

And last but not least, some Easter cards ready for us to colour in.

for more information : http://www.yellowmoon.org.uk/

Disclosure : We received a selection of Easter crafting kits in order to write an honest review.

Other reviews you may be interested in :

Yellow Moon toys review

Yellow Moon rainforest-themed crafting supplies review

Yellow Moon Christmas crafting supplies

Ravensburger puzzle club review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

To be quite honest, this month's puzzle from Ravensburger Puzzle Club was one that I wouldn't have picked out for the girls - a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-themed puzzle. Nevertheless, Juliette excitedly grabbed it and asked if I'd help her make it - shows how much I know then ! 

It's a 200 XXL piece puzzle aimed at children aged 8+ . Juliette had no trouble at all putting the edge pieces together. As usual, we were impressed by the quality of the puzzle and the fact that the pieces interlock so firmly that you can slide it about all over the floor without it breaking apart.

The puzzle shows all four hero turtles - Donatello, Leonardo, Michaelangelo and Raphael - as well as three brightly coloured baddies (sorry, I have no idea what they're called !). It's actually quite a tricky puzzle for a child to do because the colours cover quite large blocks and lots of pieces look very similar. 8-year-old Juliette had great fun putting it together but did need a bit of help.

The fact that it was quite difficult gave her a real sense of satisfaction when it was finished though. Any TMNT fans who are eagerly awaiting the upcoming movie will definitely love it.

star rating : 4.5/5

Disclosure : Having been selected as a Ravensburger Puzzle Club member, we receive a puzzle each month in order to write an honest review.

Other reviews you may be interested in :

Ravensburger Bin Weevils Jigsaw Puzzle review

Ravensburger Puzzle Club : The Hobbit 200XXL puzzle review

Ravensburger Puzzle Club review #8 : Club Penguin XXL100

Clover Seedburst Hot Cross Muffins recipe

If you want to bake something a bit special in the run up to Easter, these look ideal. I have to admit, I haven't tried Clover Seedburst yet but I did think it looked like a great idea for adding some wholegrains and extra taste to sandwiches and cakes, so this could be the ideal time to try it.

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Clover Seedburst Hot Cross Muffins

Makes 9

Preparation time: 45 minutes - 1 hour rising time

Cooking time: 18 minutes

Ingredients

For the muffins:

500g strong plain bread flour

½ teaspoon salt

75g light muscovado sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground mixed spice

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

50g Clover Seedburst

7g easy blend dried yeast

150g vine fruit mix

50g glacé cherries, halved

250ml milk

2 eggs

For the crosses:

3 tablespoons plain flour

2 tablespoons cold water

For the finishing touch:

3 tablespoons golden syrup

Extra Clover Seedburst, for spreading

Line nine holes of a 12-hole muffin tin with large muffin paper cases or 14cm squares of baking paper to overhang the tin.

Place the flour, salt, sugar and spices in a large bowl and mix together. Add the Clover Seedburst and rub in using your fingertips. Stir in the yeast, fruit mix and cherries.

Warm the milk until just luke warm, then beat in the eggs. Stir into the flour mixture, to form a soft dough.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, knead lightly and divide into 9 equal sized pieces. Shape each into a round ball and drop into the cases. Cover the tin loosely with lightly oiled cling film and leave in a warm place, for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 200˚C, Gas Mark 6. For the crosses blend the flour in a small bowl with the water to make a smooth paste. Spoon into a small piping bag and snip off the end. Pipe a cross on the top of each bun.

Bake for 15- 18 minutes until risen and nicely browned and transfer to a cooling rack. Warm the golden syrup in a small pan and generously brush the top of each bun. Serve warm or cold spread with Clover Seedburst.

The buns are best eaten the day they are made.

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Del Monte Fruit Burst review

"The Man from Del Monte. He say yes !" That's what instantly springs to mind whenever I hear the name Del Monte - orange groves and tinned fruit ! So when I was contacted recently to see if I fancied trying out some of their new Fruit Burst drinks, I was keen to see what we'd make of them. As they come from a brand specialising in fruit, I was keen to see if this would be a kid-friendly, high juice drink.

We received two cartons - in the lime green and orange coloured carton was the intriguingly named Sherbert Lemon, Orange & Lime and in the purple carton was Sweet Apple & Blackcurrant.

We started off with the Sweet Apple & Blackcurrant. It is very nice with a strong (but not overly strong) fruity flavour and a slight sharpness. It tasted like a high quality fruit squash with a lovely natural flavour. Very nice but not hugely original.

Then we moved on to the rather more original Sherbert Lemon, Orange & Lime and took a tentative sip, unsure of what to expect. It actually really reminded me of a drink called Five Alive that I used to drink as a kid but if you're not a child of the eighties, that probably won't mean much to you. It's a light citrus flavour with a slight sharpness to it and makes a nice change to all the usual fruit flavours available.

I could tell from the flavours that these weren't pure juices and turned to the ingredients list to find out more. They are actually a blend of Water, Juice from Concentrate, Citric Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Flavourings, Fruit and Vegetable Concentrates and a Sweetener (Sucralose). They also contain Vitamins B1, B3, B5, B6, B12, Folic Acid and Biotin. As they are very sweet, I was expecting quite a high calorie count but they only contain about 15 calories for a 200ml glass.

I love the packaging - the products is targetting 7-13 year olds and features the slogan "Fruit-fuel, it's not rocket science !". The brand is encouraging children to think more and has included unsolvable questions, brain teasers and puzzles on the pack. Kids can submit their answers and the best answers win prizes.

At the moment, you can buy 1 litre cartons but it will also soon be available in a multipack lunchbox variant. It doesn't need to be kept in the fridge, although it does taste very nice chilled.  As well as the two flavours that we tried, you can also buy Sour Apple & Strawberry and Cool Cherry & Luscious Lime. All three of the Madhouse Mini-testers loved the drinks that we had so I'll definitely look out for the other varieties to give them a try.

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £1.29 for 1 litre

for more information : http://www.fruit-burst.co.uk/

Disclosure : I received some Fruit Burst in order to write an honest review.

Other reviews you may be interested in :

Um Bongo review

Innocent smoothies and juice review

Apple Flavoured 5Alive

#PeppasThemeParkParty Peppa Pig Toys review

Having laid out all the toys on the table in preparation for the #PeppasThemeParkToys twitter party, Pierre couldn't wait to get his hands on the toys and open them up to show his friends. He was very excited to see that the Peppa Pig Theme Park iPad app - which he absolutely loves - has "come to life" in these toys. 

He loves making the Peppa soft toy talk and count along with her, but what made me laugh the most is that he keeps trying to wipe off the muddy splashes on her clothes ! Very cute !

First up, Pierre had a good play with the Peppa Pig Ferris Wheel (RRP £14.99). As a first impression, I didn't think this looked very sturdy but it's put up with some pretty rough playing so far with no signs of wear and tear ! The seats can be taken off which makes it easier to put Peppa and her pals into position, but they do tend to fall off quite easily when pushing it round. This one comes with a Peppa Pig figure but we had extra figurines to add in some extra riders - the more the merrier ! I like the fact that this doesn't need batteries - you just push it round by hand. This seems to mesmerise Pierre who will sit pushing it round and round for absolutely ages without getting bored !

Juliette, meanwhile, was getting stuck in with the Deluxe Peppa Pig Balloon Ride playset (RRP : £19.99). This one has two balloons that go round and round as well as up in the air !

It's a great playset for encouraging imaginative roleplay because, as well as the two characters who are riding the balloons, you can also put someone in the ticket booth, which has a hatch that you can open and shut. Pierre loves saying "Tickets please" before Juliette fits Peppa and her friends into the seats. There is also a bell that you can ring by pushing the button to make the balloon go up, just like the "test your strength" machines at the fairground that you hit with a hammer !

Pierre also absolutely loves the Jumping In Muddy Puddles Peppa plush toy (RRP : £19.99). He loves jumping in puddles as much as Peppa so play-acting at jumping in puddles is the next best thing, especially as he has been gutted lately that the puddles are all frozen over so he can't go splashing ! Peppa says lots of different phrases from the show, counts and jumps, encouraging you to jump too - Pierre didn't need to be asked twice ! The toy needs 3 x AA batteries and it took me ages to find the button above her mud splash on her dress to make it work (although Pierre seemed to find it straight away !)

You can buy extra twin packs of Peppa charactersfor £4.99  - George, Candy Cat, Danny Dog, Zoe Zebra, Suzy Sheep and Rebecca Rabbit all want to have a go on the rides and join in the fun too ! The addition of extra characters from our box of goodies led to some great interaction amongst the kids, with different voices and stories being invented - always lovely to see !

And when they all need calming down, the brightly coloured board book "Peppa's Big Day Out" is absolutely ideal.

It tells the story of Peppa and her friends visiting a theme park and the kids are all very excited to see the rides from the book brought to life in the toys.

Any little Peppa Pig fan will love the toys, especially if they have the Peppa's Theme Park app or have been lucky enough to visit Peppa Pig World at Paulton's Park. 

for more information and the chance to win the whole collection  : http://www.peppasthemeparkparty.co.uk/

Don't miss the #PeppasThemeParkParty which will be kicking off on twitter (and in my living room !) from 3-5pm this afternoon - follow @UKMums.TV for more information and the chance to win some lovely Peppa-themed prizes !

Disclosure : Having been selected as a party host, I received a box full of party supplies as well as the toys, some to play with and some to give away as prizes.

Other blogposts you may be interested in :

Peppa Pig excitement is mounting !

Kids' app review : Peppa Pig Theme Park

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