Family Thursday and a Fantastic Local Find!

Thursdays are normally spent at home, however today my hubbie took a day off work; we had nothing planned so we decided to venture out on the hunt for some new art and craft supplies for Ruby. A friend had pointed me in the direction of a place a few miles from our home and Ruby was very excited to be going to the art and craft shop!

When we arrived at the 'pre-school learning alliance resource centre', we were greeted by a lovely lady who welcomed us and explained that they were a charity  and their mission was to help children to succeed, help to create the childcare that families need and build learning communities. For just £5 a year you get access to shop as many times a year as you like; you can even hire soft play and outdoor equipment for a small fee; i'm sure we will be taking up this offer for the girls birthday parties! We didn't mind paying the £5 membership as it needed to support the upkeep of the charity since the funding was been cut.

Inside the shop there is an enclosed play area for the children to enjoy whilst you look at all the many items that are available to purchase; there is also a second hand part of the shop where they sell used toys, clothes and books. They also provides tea, coffee and refreshments too!

I absolutely loved this place and I wish I had known about it before; I would highly recommend it!

These shops exist all over the country; here is the link to the Leicester one that we went to - https://www.pre-school.org.uk/leicester-city-leicestershire/resource-centre-shop. It definitely is worth seeing if there is one local to you.

We stocked up on lots of art and craft supplies and only spent £15! It was so much cheaper and better quality than any other shop we have been to.

On the way back from the shops we went to Knighton Park; I remember going as a child and having lots of fun. The park has recently been done up and is so nice for children of all ages; there is a play area for little ones and a separate area for older children. They even had an outdoor gym which hubbie used!

Ruby had so much fun on the swings, climbing frame and even the train!

Lottie on the other hand just enjoyed the fresh air!

After a lot of play we decided to grab a bite to eat at Waitrose. Ruby said she was starving and had a special star treat! We then picked up a little bit of food shopping before heading home for the afternoon.

Ruby's treat, I wish I had been allowed one! 

Ruby has been so excited and has had a great time this afternoon using some of her new art and craft bits to make a crown; I even had the time whilst she was busy to cut out the pattern for my new lounge cushions!

Today has been one of those days where its just been so perfect; a really lovely family day!