Salt dough ! In France we use it as clay for children. It is so salty that your youngest child (even the last born, your baby) can use it, if he/she tastes it, he/she won’t do it twice !

It is quite nice to do when your « normal clay » is gone, dried, hard…

It's easy to do, you can keep it in an airtight jar for a while.

Recipe

A cup of salt
Two cups of flour
A cup of water
A tablespoon of oil
A teaspoon of lemon

Mix flour and salt. Add gradually water until you have a fine mixture. Add oil. The dough should not stick to fingers. Otherwise, add a little flour.

And your creative or artistic side has to express itself... delusional forms, small animals, fingerprints ...
You can cook it in the oven and then paint it. Even if these works have a fleeting life ...
I read that the glue for wallpaper, added to the dough, is good if you want to keep your works of art (it hardened the dough, it is less fragile) but I have not tried it.

In any case, it is a nice clay, safe for your children, with no preservatives, no dye or chemical products.

Read it in French : Loisirs pour enfants : recette de pâte à sel

One day, my girl was leafing through a toy’s catalog and suddently stopped on a page: Mom, I want that!
That was a cooker, pinkish, cute, multifunction (washing machine and integrated oven…) ... A little wonder that any little girl would dream of…

Before saying something like : Ok, we go get it, I have a quick look at the price... Ouah !!! It's quite expensive this little amazing toy !
And all of a sudden, I have a brilliant idea : I’ll do it myself… I made a course to cardboard furniture recently, I'll try to practise what I’ve learned…

The idea was nice but it was not easy at all... but my little loves the result… And she helped a lot to achieve it.



You will need to realize it :

Time, time, time ...30 hours of free time if you’re beginning with cardboard furniture
Cartons better if they’re big
A cutter
Craft
Painting
Magnets (for the oven and washing machine doors)
Straws (for tap)
Rope (for the resealable tablet)

I leafed through several catalogs of toys, wooden toys, to find a model to copy. Mine is unique but it did give me ideas to adapt what I could do with what I wanted to do: a rectangle with holes and doors ...

You have to think twice or more the templates you ‘ll need, where you want to make the holes ... kitchen units have to be solid (it's a toy for children !), the size (we have a small house, you can do it customized!), the practical side of the kitchen, the sealing of the toy (water and cardboard are hereditary enemies !)... I had so many questions and doubts that I wanted to give it up… But as I had insistent requests, I finally began to do it…

It's not perfect (I would do it differently now if I had to do it over again) but as a first try, I was happy… and my little girl too !
She helped me to assemble the pieces, to glu, to paint the object that seemed to go on and on and never stopped or finished. It's long.
It takes time, you need room to spread out, and room in order to store the furniture, waiting for a break to continue. A bit of organization is necessary. But once finished, the cooker runs all the time: dishes, laundry or cakes in the oven ... the tablet to eat ... Your child is just to busy…



The advantage of a toy designed like this is that I did it in order to fit it in my small house. I planned it for a corner of the kitchen so it does not bother me but it is still in the area where she / I, we spend time.

She loved to help me to do it to be abble to play right away with it!

Cheer up ! If you start now, you can be done for Christmas or do it for the birthday of your little!

Summer time ! We must take care of our youth!
Have you tried stilts with kids, I did and it's nice. I even made them myself, I made them with my children ! You can do races with toddlers (2 years) ... You just have to carry them and help them to walk ! Quickly the child moves his feet alone.
As for my 4 year old daughter, after several days of intensive training with a nice mum, she moves alone without assistance. We play with my 2 year old son and we had a good laugh. Even the old one aged 12 wanted to have its own (but he is less addictive).



As with many crafts, if you want to succeed, you need to prepare the material you'll need. To do these stilts, you need a minimum of equipment ! Eat canned food and keep them !

Material:
For the 2 years old : 2 cans (empty) contents 212-ml.
For the stilts of the child aged 4 : 2 empty cans but larger (content: 425ml)
For the older one (12 years) the larger size.
String
Elastic pants (for the stilts of the two youngs) ...better to use a rubber band wider than that of my pictures, but I only had that one the day I started the stilts).
Scissors
A sharp opener



Make two holes in each can (on the side, top and front). Make sure that metal parts do not exceed (better inside for the child does not get hurt).
Tie elastic and string. Pull them from inside the box to the outside. The node is hidden.



Take the measure with the shoe for the elastic (the stilts have to be tested with shoes, otherwise it hurts to walk). Measure the rope, the child must be able to hold it in his hands. Tie it in the can, (this is the most difficult step) ... Node must be large enough that it does not pass through the hole. Repeat the same for other stilts.

The game is ready. .... Put on with shoes on. Give him the rope to move the stilt and... very soon the children understand how it works (even at two) and how to move forward. .



Read it in French : Faire des échasses pour des enfants de 2 et 4 ans

The zoo, a predictable success with children! Follow me ...

Located on the expressway Rennes - Saint Malo (Brittany, France), the zoological park of La Bourbansais is, as you guess, full of wild and exotic animals, … monkeys, wallabies, flamingos ...



lions, tigers and other zebras…In short, the classics are here.

Zoos today often are not only park animals but are also a place to save endangered species. That’s one of the goal of the zoo La Bourbansais.

The park is beautiful, you can stroll around and look at this wild world.

Animal shows are to be seen : flight of raptors, pelicans meals or giraffes care…



Wildlife is on…

Hunting dogs like to run around : a choreography of the French tricolor (name of the dogs), used for hounds.



You can also take a guided tour (fee) of the castle



which is listed since 1959. and admire the French gardens of the park.

At the end of the trail, a playground with inflatables (slides ...)… a delight for children.

A little walk on a corn maze and that ‘s the end of a busy day.

No surprise but no disappointment either. Around € 15 for adults and 12 for children.
Open all year.



Shows and events are only held during the summer. You can picnic there.

Read it in French : Visite avec des enfants du zoo et du parc du chateau de La Bourbansais (Ille et Vilaine, Bretagne)

Why should we have an hazel in our garden ? Or at least in our surroundings... Along a canal for example.... It is nice in September to go and collect the fruits.....

The hazel bushes are very useful ... Yes, yes ... and they have many advantages ... and are used to
- occupy your children during the Sunday rain
- train you to do the diviner
- enjoy the German Christmas shortbread cakes
- be a great teacher and show your children the Nutella is done, (kidding but Nutella buys tons of hazelnuts -13% of the chocolate spread ...)

Early history
The little shrub ... fine and delicate ... becomes a tree with many branches when growing. 8000 years ago, whole forests of hazels were covering Europe ... And then the climate changed and 500 years later, the trees were hunted by the oaks, elms and other limes... Briefly, our prehistoric forest has disappeared ... except in Poland where it remains in the Bialowieza National Park ...

I digress, I digress ...
It is not an endangered species...There are still hazels in our country.

Why plant a hazel tree in the garden?
- To collect hazelnuts
- To have an hedge that protects the crosps against the winds
- To know if you have dowser's gifts! (it works, my man has the "gift", just use a branch of hazel cut like a fork and wait !)
- To avoid the lightning when it is planted near a house (this was said once, but I did not try)
-To play on Sunday with your children

When will it get nuts?
Druids gave me the answer with their alphabet of trees. It's the 9th, 9 as the number of years for a tree, a hazel to bear fruits. Harvest in autumn.

Otherwise the main producers are Turkey, they dominate the market.

How to keep the nuts?
Be careful to keep them because very often someone, when you're not around, will enjoy them for you...
Harvest and dry on a dry place.

Read this article in French : Noisetiers et noisettes : de la haie contre les vents au Nutella

You’re visiting Rennes with your children. And you want to rest after your cultural visit of the old town of Rennes… Leave the historical monuments and go up North. The park of Maurepas (Parc de Maurepas) is located on the North side of Rennes and is open from 8.15 am to 6.15 pm.



It is a nice garden for young kids to young teenagers…

With your young kids :



they can play on/in the sand … or enjoy the toboggan





or the swings…



You can also try the carrousel on sundays afternoon.



If you came with their bicycles, you can let them go round the playground, on a track that imitates real traffic conditions (lights, stops…).



Your young teeny needs a break. He can use his skate board on the opposite side of the garden, on a street park for skateboarders.



And parents can have a picnic or rest on the grass



(in France you need to be allowed to walk on the grass... in public gardens? And here yes you can !!!) while your baby savours sand, your little girl jumps from the toboggan and your teenager learns to speak French with other skateboarders…

And you can also observe and compare the customs of Mister and Missis Duck.



And your artist side ??? Well admire the statue !!!



Some more informations : the park has been created beetween 1936 and 1939 thanks to the landlord of Maurepas that gave his land. It was already a garden with playgrounds for children : a track for tricycles… It is the fourth bigger garden of Rennes, it covers 5,5 hectares (the bigger is the parc des Gayeulles - 100 hectares-, Bréquigny – 17 - et le Thabor 10).

You can also discover the two unique umbrella pines of Rennes ? Where are they ???



Read it in French : Le parc de Maurepas à Rennes (bretagne) pour les enfants de 7 mois à 77 ans

Looking for a place to stay in Rennes... a place to camp : the camping des Gayeulles : a 3-star open all year (Rue Maurice Audin, 35700 Rennes Tel: 00 33 (0)2 99 36 91 22) and located in a really nice park... north-east of Rennes is done for you. You can enjoy the capital of Brittany and tour around... You're not far from the coast...

The camping place is located in Rennes largest park (100 hectares), you may even think you're in the forest but the place is a creation. Back in 1967, the city of Rennes decided to create a park that will open ten years later when the trees have grown a little.
If you're travelling with kids or teenagers, they'll love this place... Leisure facilities for everyone are available...Sometimes you feel like being in the countryside...



... And at times, you enjoy the leisure of the town ...




Soccer fields, tennis courts (02 99 36 59 71) and squash are provided for you... Golfers can try with the kids the mini-golf ... or all lovers of blue water can will have fun in pool area.

Kids will also use swings or slides. You have no excuse to avoid your traditional jogging in nature ...

If you love animals... you can visit the educational farm, located on the park, where children do things "like farmers" ! Rabbits, ponies, goats, chickens and ducks welcome you... Kids participate in daily activities: they feed the animals or press the apple juice to make cider .... You can go for a free visit: Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (Ferme pédagogique des basses Gayeulles, rue du professeur Maurice Audin, dans le parc des Gayeulles, Tel : 02 99 36 71 73).



Read this article in French : Ferme pédagogique, mini-golf ou balançoires : les loisirs de plein air au parc des Gayeulles à Rennes (Bretagne)

You can do it salty or sweet… It is an easy recipe, nice to do with children.
Several ways can be done : vegetarian with vegetables thinly sliced, with crumbs of tuna fish or sweet with fruits.

Ingredients :
50 g flour
2 yolks and 2 whites
150 ml milk
25 g melted butter
A large pan

Mix the ingredients. Add the whites softly.
Slice thinly your vegetables. Add them with a bit grated cheese.
Pour into a frying pan. 10 minutes for each side.
Eat it with a green salad.

The sweet recipe

Add 25 g of sugar to your dough. Slice thinly the fruits.
Add them. Same cooking time.

Read it in French : Recette de matafan végétarien à la mode de Bretagne

What arrogance! And such bad taste! In a Breton news blog, daring to mention the flu!

Yes, I certainly will, but without any guarantee of success! And I wanted so badly... to tell my anecdote.

I have a friend, several and one of them is a physician acupuncturist and Chinese. Which caracteristic of him should I put first : physician … or Chinese ? Anyway, we were speaking about the influenza A H1 N1.

He told me :

In China, you know, the virus has mutated. And one have realized that people who worked in vinegar factories were not sick.

And he added :

You should inhale vinegar (1 tablespoon to a glass of water) that you have boiled, once a day for 2 minutes.

What kind of vinegar?

I asked incredulously.

The one you have at home. They all have the same properties.

It obviously interested me : I am in the at risk group: 30 / 45 years. And as I have young children, I put the magic potion on a burning smell once a day since then.
I know it's a fake scoop, vinegar has been used for ever… already against the great fever ... Yes, and then. What do I risk ? I do not know whether it will work or not but it costs almost nothing to try.

But you can keep on the precautions against the spread of the virus:

Wash hands and avoid sharing your handkerchiefs with everyone!
Do not splutter on your colleagues and avoid sneezing on your neighbour !

Some last minute informations :

In the newspaper Le Monde (a really serious one in France) this weekend, the paper explains the differences between influenza A, B and C.
The first one is very dangerous, the other two benign.
To these letters, one must add another 2: H and N.
The first comes in 16 variations, the second in 9. 144 different possibilities. A lifetime would not last to try them all, these viruses!

Beauty

Anti cellulite massage: massage areas of your body with a old tight full of salt . Ready for the beach!

Health

Remedies against mouth ulcer : wash your mouth several times a day with a teaspoon of salt in 25 ml hot water.

Hot salt compresses against pain : heat salt in a saucepan. Pour into a thick sock (tennis sock) the pain (sprain) for 15 minutes.

Headaches : pour water into a hot tub and add a handful of cooking salt. Immerse your feet and ankles in it. And try to keep them it has to be really hot. Continue till the water is hot

Wellness

Need a relaxing bath! Add a large handful of cooking salt in your bath. It works very well for children.

Tips

If your silver jewelry get black : in a plastic or glass pot, put your silver on an aluminum foil, pour a handful of cooking salt and cover with boiling water.

Your tea will have more flavor if you drop some salt in the teapot.

Embers of the barbecue do not smoke and remain red if you throw a handful of cooking salt on it.

Read it in French : Remèdes et astuces avec du gros sel

Villecartier Forest, not far from Fougères is quite important over 1000 hectares of oaks... and other trees... A good escape from everyday life...

Major historical episodes took place there... No French Robin Hood did live here but it was a refuge when Normans did invade Brittany... or during the French Revolution when it was not good to believe in God.... and better to hide...
It was also the place where shoemakers used to live and work.. until the early 20th C ...



This forest is now a place of leisure and recreational activities for families ... It is a really nice on sunny Sundays of winter... Few people and lot of things to do: hiking with kids, uncles, aunts and grandparents, biking tours for cyclists, nice way to exercise with your dog... In short, everybody will found its pleasure...

Well-marked trails invite you to explore the landscape, the nature and its heritage. You can also imagine you're an adventurer and you wander in the forest ... and you'll face chaos of rocks, remarkable trees ...
Playgrounds for children will finish the walk before getting back to the carpark.



If you like to exercise... do the CRAPA (sports course ?) in the forest which is more physical... And that's free ...

The crêperie is also open on Sundays in winter ... to warm up after so many activities ...

Summer and weekends (April to September), the forest turns into a recreational park with climbing activities.



In the middle of the forest, the small port on the pond Villecartier (3 hectares), is the departure of cruises : electric models ( 2 to 4 people) will drive you around for about twenty minutes ... During yout trip, you'll admire replicas of wonders of Brittany.



The port is open daily in July and August. Only on weekends and public holidays in April, May, June and September.

The other leisure is connected with trees... in Récré nature, au parc des Grands chênes ...



Tree climbers will be welcomed from 2 years old to …. There are two different possibilities : the park designed for children (OK from 5 years old). The other one is for adults or for kids aged 10 Be careful, the child must be 1.40 meters at least...
The opening of the tree climbing park is daily in summer: in July and August. And on weekends and public holidays in April, May, June and September.
Remember to take the proper clothes and the rest of the equipment is provided. Spend the entire day … and enjoy Mother Nature !

Read this article in French : Parc loisirs en forêt de Villecartier en Bretagne