The Art of Brick DC Super Heroes

July 9, 2017July 28, 2017 - Dee Angel Leave a comment

Is your Son or Daughter a huge Lego fan and do they love Batman or Superman? Are you an art lover and do you enjoy DC comics? Did you answer yes to any or all of these questions? Then Nathan Sawaya’s The Art of Brick® DC Super Heroes is definitely for you and your family!

Who is Nathan Sawaya?

Nathan Sawaya is an award wining artist who creates stunning large scale sculptures using Lego® bricks. He is the first contemporary artist to use Lego® as an art medium and his acclaimed touring exhibition, The Art Of The Brick®, continues to break attendance records globally.

What is ‘The Art of the Brick: DC Super Heroes all about?

The exhibition features sculptures of the most popular characters from DC comics such as Superman, Batman and Wonder-Woman. In fact, one area of the exhibition focuses on the most important theme in all comics, ‘Good’ versus ‘Evil’. There is even a fantastic sculpture of half of Batman’s face and half of Jokers’ face which is titled, ‘Necessary Evil’.

Our Visit

As a result of visiting the last The Art Of The Brick®, Ky really wanted to visit the new exhibition and to be honest so did I. So consequently our tickets were booked for Saturday 15th April 2017.

We arrived around 1:30pm but unlike the original exhibition it only took us about 25 minutes to see everything. You can watch some of our visit here.

Yes or no?

Unfortunately and I must be honest, Ky and I went with high expectations and were a little disappointed with the amount of sculptures on display. This exhibition is much smaller than the original. Yet this worked to our advantage as because it wasn’t as busy, it meant we could see each sculpture properly without feeling rushed!

In addition one more thing to note is that there is a shop and cafe at the end of the exhibition and you have to go through both to leave. Therefore, be prepared in terms of money as I found that most of the the items available were very expensive and not very unique at all. Most of the items you can get at a Lego Store or even online. Hence if you really have to buy something and knowing children they will want something, I would consequently suggest you set a budget and stick to it otherwise your purse or wallet will probably suffer!

In conclusion, if your a big DC comic fan and you absolutely love Lego® and art you should not miss this exhibition. All the sculptures will leave you in awe! Awe of how much time, energy and creativity goes into building these wonderful pieces of art!

All things considered the exhibition is definitely a good day out for the whole family!

Ky rated The Art of the Brick®: DC Super Heroes

Dee rated The Art of the Brick®: DC Super Heroes

More information

The Art of the Brick®: DC Super Heroes exhibition is open now and until the 3rd September 2017. It is at Londons South Bank and is open 7 days a week. Tickets are priced at £16.50 for adults and £11.00 for children aged 3-16. Concessionary and group tickets are also available and in addition children aged 3 and under are free.

For more information and to book tickets visit: http://www.aotbdc.co.uk/information/

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Day Out: Arsenal Stadium Tour

January 25, 2017 - Dee Angel Leave a comment

Looking for a day out, then why not try the Arsenal Stadium Tour…..Ok first let me give you a bit of the back story!

I never really got into football until Ky took an interest in it! Many members of our family support different teams..I know strange but true! Then when Ky was about 6 he finally decided after watching one of their matches, that he was now an Arsenal supporter.

I have yet to take Ky to a match, but I thought seeing as his dream is to play for his beloved Arsenal, that it would be a good idea to actually see the stadium and have a visual idea of where one day he will be coming to work!

After speaking to a friend they informed me that the Arsenal Stadium do daily tours and that there is also a museum that you can go to and see some of Arsenal’s memorabilia.

With the summer holidays coming to an end I decided this would be a great way to end the holidays.

About the tour

There are different stadium tours available. Ky and I decided we would do the self guided audio tour. This tour allows you to go behind the scenes and explore areas such as the Director’s Box and the players tunnel using an audio visual guide handset.

Ticket Prices and Information

Adults = £20.00

Children (Under 16) = £10.00 (Must be accompanied by a full paying adult.)

Infants (Under 5) = Free

OAP’S and Students = £15.00

Family Ticket (2 adults & 2 Children) = £50.00

Group bookings are also available. Groups of 15+ will receive a 10% discount. Groups of 30+ will need to email tours@arsenal.co.uk or call the Arsenal Stadium Tours helpline to book tickets.

Tours are available Monday – Saturday 9:30am to 17:00 and Sunday 10:00am to 15:00pm. Some days the tours may be unavailable due matches being played.

Check here for dates of the tour closures https://bookings.arsenal.com/stadiumtours/booking/fixtures.htm

All tour tickets include free entry into the museum. However if you want to only visit the museum you can just purchase tickets at £10 for adults and £7 for children.

Unfortunately Ky and I never had time to go to the museum after the tour. We decided that we would come back another day and visit the museum.

I would definitely recommend this tour for anyone who is an Arsenal fan or even a football fan who has never had the opportunity to go to a game in a stadium like the emirates. I would advise though, to allow yourself enough time to do the tour and visit the museum. The tour took Ky and I about 1 hour and 30 mins.

For more information or to book tickets go to https://bookings.arsenal.com/stadiumtours/pass/ticketquantities.htm?id=30

Click here to watch our vlog of the Arsenal Tour!

Review: Apple Summer Camps

October 18, 2016October 18, 2016 - Dee Angel Leave a comment

Summer holidays are always a struggle! Trying to keep your child entertained for a whole 6 weeks can be so difficult. This year I really wanted Ky to try some different things, so the Apple Summer Camps were just the thing!

Just before the end of June, Ky’s Godmother told me about Apple Summer Camps. She told me to hurry and register before all the spaces go. So I registered Ky the very same day!

What are Apple Summer Camps?

Apple Summer Camps are free 3 day workshops which take place in July and August for children aged 8 -12. In these workshops children will learn how to use Apple products and software.

What are the workshops?

This year (2016) the workshops available were:

Stories in motion – Children learn how to film, edit and create a movie using an iPad, MacBook and the iMovie app.

Interactive storytelling – Children learn how to create an interactive book using the iPad pro and pencil, a MacBook and the iBook app.

Coding and Robotics – Children learn how to use visual blocks and solve puzzles while programming Sphero robots.

Ky said he really wanted to do the Interactive storytelling workshop. So he was booked into a camp at the Westfield Stratford Store the week beginning the 8^th August 2016.

You will then receive an email confirming your booking along with a Camp Permission Statement. This is basically a form to fill in, giving consent for your child/children to attend the camp.

What happens at camp?

On the first day we were greeted by the staff running the workshops and Ky was given a free t-shirt.

The workshop started with an initial talk about what they would be doing over the next 3 days.

Day one’s workshop was to get the basis of their story together. This meant coming up with the, who, what, where and when. They then had to start drawing the storyboard for their story. Each child was given an iPad pro and the pencil. Using an app called ‘Sketches’ they drew their characters. At the end of the session they were given an USB so they could save all their pictures.

Before we knew it the workshop for Day 1 was over. What was really good was that they were told to keep working on their stories at home. In essence…it was homework!

The workshop on Day 2, was about putting their book together using the iBook app. They were each given a MacBook and shown how to use some of the software to complete their book. In this session, they added the pictures they had drawn, sound effects and the text of their story.

At the end of the session they saved everything onto their USB. They were told, if they could to finish their stories. This was because in the last workshop they would be showing their stories to everyone. Ky was unable to finish his story as we do not have a MacBook. However he had already thought about an ending so he was somewhat prepared for the show and tell.

On day 3 of the Apple Summer Camp, all the children showed their books and explained their stories to everyone. They all had worked hard on the stories in such a short time. It was also nice to see the different types of media they used, such as pictures, video and sound effects. They truly tried to make the story as interactive as possible and some added questions at the end!

My Final Thoughts!

All in all I would definitely say that the Apple Summer Camp is worth it! Ky had so much fun! He can’t wait till I get my MacBook so that he can create more interactive books. He also wants to attend again next year but really wants to do the coding workshops!

From a business aspect I can see how clever Apple’s marketing strategy is. These camps definitely make sure that children verve more toward apple products after attending. However there isn’t any pressure to buy any anything once your child has attended. Not unless you count the pressure from your child. You could probably find alternatives to the apps and software used if you are not a big apple fan!

Interested in attending next year’s camps please click here to register.

Did any of your children attend any Apple Summer Camps this year? If so how did they find it?

Did they enjoy or did they find them a bore? Also if you do not own an Apple product would you consider buying one now after attending?