Valentine’s Day is coming up! Here are some links to fun and easy crafts and activities you can do with your kids: The Vivify Stem website has some fun science and math oriented valentine’s projects including sampling strawberry DNA, sending a coded message, making a candy grabber, and stacking candy hearts: https://www.vivifystem.com/blog/2020/2/4/12-valentines-day-stem-activities CRAFTS SewYeah from […]
Valentine’s Day Crafts and Activities — Saturday Club
According to WHY CHRISTMAS Christmas crackers are a traditional Christmas favorite in the UK. They were first made in 1847 by a London sweet maker called Tom Smith. He had seen the French ‘bon bon’ sweets (almonds wrapped in pretty paper) on a visit to Paris in 1840. He came back to London and tried selling sweets like that in England and also included a small motto or riddle in with the sweet. But they didn’t sell very well.
Legend says that, one night, while he was sitting in front of his log fire, he became very interested by the sparks and cracks coming from the fire. Suddenly, he thought what a fun idea it would be, if his sweets and toys could be opened with a crack when their fancy wrappers were pulled in half.
In 1861 Tom Smith launched his new range of what he called ‘Bangs of Expectation’! It’s thought that he bought the recipe for the small cracks and bangs in crackers from a fireworks company called Brock’s Fireworks.
Crackers were also nicknamed called ‘cosaques’ and were thought to be named after the ‘Cossack’ soldiers who had a reputation for riding on their horses and firing guns into the air.
When Tom died, his expanding cracker business was taken over by his three sons, Tom, Walter and Henry. Walter introduced the hats into crackers and he also traveled around the world looking for new ideas for gifts to put in the crackers.
The company built up a big range of ‘themed’ crackers. There were ones for bachelors and spinsters (single men and women), where the gifts were things like false teeth and wedding rings! There were also crackers for Suffragettes (women who campaigned to get women the vote), war heroes and even Charlie Chaplain! Crackers were also made for special occasions like Coronations. The British Royal Family still has special crackers made for them today!
For 150 years, Christmas crackers have been a traditional part of Christmas festivities; Tom Smith created the wonderful invention of the Christmas cracker in 1847. Tom Smith Crackers were granted their first Royal Warrant in 1906, and today the Tom Smith brand owned by IG Design Group UK Ltd is still the official supplier of Christmas crackers to the Royal Household, which is held in high regard. Design Group are extremely honoured and proud to design the handmade bespoke crackers that are selected by the Royal Household.
Tom Smith Crackers have a historic spirit and a breath of heritage which is represented in the designs.
Every year they research the current trends and markets to ensure our crackers are the market leaders, `demonstrating new innovative designs and concepts that are created every year to keep the interest, air of Christmas and the tradition alive, as well as refreshing the content and jokes, we ensure that they remain classic and traditional in how they look and feel.
Everyone is trying to do their bit to help people out at the moment including a North-East church who are delivering hundreds of afternoon teas in a bid to combat loneliness.
According to the Evening Express Skene Parish Church teamed up with several Aberdeenshire-based organisations to form the Westhill Community Resilience Support Group. They provided 190 teas to people who were shielding or at risk of loneliness over lockdown.
The Resilience Support Group has also been involved with delivering shortbread to sheltered accommodation alongside a card made by a local primary school pupil. The group also plans to deliver an afternoon tea to a care home. To find out more about Skene Parish Church, or to donate. go to the Skene Parish Church website.
From tapas to afternoon tea : 18 Sunderland cafes and restaurants doing delivery in local lockdown. The Sunderland Echo write that with restrictions changing regularly as part of the local lockdown, Sunderland businesses have had to adapt to survive. While some cafes and restaurants have had to close their doors to sit in custom temporarily due to the difficulties caused by social distancing, they are still offering a takeout and delivery service.
The Sunderland Echo has rounded up some of the ways locals can still support local businesses from the comfort of their home. The ”Crumb On In’, Holmeside is a tearoom that kept everyone’s spirits up with their afternoon tea and treat boxes- and they continued their delivery options with plenty of sweet treat choices such as Biscoff cheesecake.
Other tea shops happy to delivery delicious afternoon teas include –
Once Upon A Time Tea Room in Cheltenham – local delivery area covers a radius of 10 miles from their Cheltenham based Tea Room.
Afternoon Tea for One-A Selection of three finger sandwiches, a scone with jam and clotted cream, a selection of two miniature cakes, a macaron, your choice of soft drink & our hot drink home kit (contains Tea & Coffee). £14.95
If you’ve heard anything about Vegas, then you know that the area is absolutely wild. Las Vegas has a ton to offer those that are looking for excitement and thrills, making it the perfect place for adventurous types to get away to. You certainly don’t need to look for Las Vegas houses for sale in order to get the whole Vegas experience, as there are plenty of great places to stay in the city. One of the best areas to stay at is The Strat Hotel, a place that has plenty of amenities to satisfy your every desire. So what does The Strat Hotel have that can satiate your needs for thrills and excitement? Here’s why thrill-seekers should visit and stay at The Strat Hotel in Las Vegas.
CASINOS…
The first thing that thrill-seekers will notice about The Strat Hotel is its amazing casino. It’s no secret that many people come to Vegas to gamble, as Vegas and gambling are essentially intertwined. Gambling can be a huge thrill, as you can risk thousands of dollars in the hope of gaining even more money. Thankfully for thrill-seekers, The Strat Hotel’s casino is home to hundreds of machines and dozens of card tables, meaning there’s plenty of opportunities for you to chase your gambling highs. Thrill-seekers go to Vegas to gamble, and there’s no better place to do it at than The Strat Hotel.
DINING…
You might not expect dining to be a part of the thrills, but at The Strat Hotel it certainly is. Here you can wine and dine hundreds of feet above Las Vegas, giving you a fantastic view of the city’s skyline as you eat your meal. At the hotel’s “Top of the World”, you can enjoy a fantastic dinner while the restaurant revolves 360 degrees every eighty minutes. Alternatively you can enjoy any of the other eateries in the hotel, offering up food that ranges from heartland classics to exotic foreign dishes. The Strat Hotel is so adventurous and awe inspiring that even its dining experience is perfect for thrill seekers.
SKYPOD…
One of the more interesting things about The Strat Hotel is the SkyPod. The SkyPod offers plenty of thrills for guests, and is the perfect location for those seeking some excitement in your life. One can ride to the top, enjoying one of the best views of the Las Vegas skyline. Here you can drink and dine, taking in the gorgeous view of Vegas the entire time. If that isn’t thrilling enough for you, the SkyPod has an extra feature. The Skypod actually has rides, just like an amusement park would. Here you can ride thrilling rides that will suspend you dozens of stories in the air, or dangle you at the precipice of falling. These rides are extremely intense, and are only recommended to the biggest thrillseekers.
ENTERTAINMENT…
Thrill-seekers will surely find some amazing entertainment that is right up their alley at The Strat Hotel. At The Strat Hotel, you’ll find entertainers such as acrobats, aerialists, and magicians. These entertainers all put on amazing performances that you’ve never seen before, performances that are guaranteed to thrill and excite you. Although many people may be fine with common cookie-cutter entertainment options like musical or dance numbers, thrill-seekers want something a little more. Thankfully The Strat Hotel obliges and provides some truly memorable entertainment for their Vegas guests. If you’re looking for some wild and unpredictable shows in Vegas, then you can find them at The Strat Hotel.
Yes, there is a guide to the best Children’s Afternoon Teas. The guide is written by The London Mother and although we can’t enjoy these lovely places at the moment it doesn’t mean we could make up our own at home. Here are just a few from the guide to the best Children’s Afternoon Tea in London.
Little Ones Afternoon Tea | Lanesborough Hotel
The Lanesborough has created a yummy tea for children up to age 12 that starts with hot chocolate or fruit juice and includes honey roast ham, mint yoghurt and cucumber cheddar cheese and strawberry jam sandwiches.Sweet treats include American pancakes with Nutella, Smarties and marshmallows, and homemade plain and raisin scones with strawberry jam and clotted Devonshire cream.
Children’s Afternoon Tea at Dorset Square Hotel
Kids get to decorate their own cupcake at the Children’s Afternoon Tea in The Potting Shed Restaurant. Flex their creative muscles with different icing and toppings on their cupcakes and tuck into a selection of finger sandwiches, cakes, fruit and ice cream.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Afternoon Tea at One Aldwych
This Roald Dahl inspired tea is just as fantastical as you’d imagine his afternoon tea with children to be; think fizzy drinks, snozzberry jam and chocolate milkshake mixed by waterfall. Tuck into not-quite-as-it-seems salmon and beetroot macaron and cheddar scones with bacon toffee jam, luscious lemon floss and plates piled high with wondrous cakes, sweets, mousses and scones – all washed down with chocolate or lemon sherbet tea or swimming pool fizz.
Rock n Roll Afternoon Tea | The Gore
Afternoon tea isn’t all hearts and flowers, older kids will enjoy Rock ‘n’ Roll afternoon tea. The unique afternoon tea experience is inspired by artists like The Rolling Stones, Guns N’ Roses, Queen and David Bowie.
Lots more to look through on The London Mother site but plenty to inspire you here.
