Remember, remember the 5th November!

We're slightly obsessed with sparklers!

Admittedly there was the unfortunate business with the gunpowder, treason and plot, but nonetheless we love Guy Fawkes. Without his foiled attempts to blow up the Houses of Parliament, there would be no bonfire night – one of the best nights of the year to be a kid or to have one!

Not only that, but Mr Fawkes was a Yorkshireman…we’re sure that as such he would approve of the ten percent discount that Skipton Sweet Shop is offering MooBaaKids users on bonfire toffee for the run up to Bonfire Night.

Skipton Sweet Shop

The fabulous traditional sweet shop opposite the Castle Pub on Mill Bridge, will sell you their delicious bonfire toffee for just 90p per 100g for the whole week (from 30 Oct till 5 November – visit the shop local section of our website to print off your voucher). Our little ones absolutely LOVE looking at the shop’s brilliant window displays and you can’t beat the hundreds of sweetie jars inside the shop for a special treat!

So, where to take your bonfire toffee once you’ve stocked up? There must be loads of village bonfires going on but two of the bigger ones locally are Guy Fawkes Night at the Devonshire Arms at Bolton Abbey and the Firework Extravaganza at Thornton Park Farm, near Skipton (both on the 5th).

And from one infamous Yorkshireman to a famous Yorkshire chef…James Martin’s yummy toffee apple muffins are perfect for baking with children and will get you in the mood for bonfire night.

Toffee Apple Muffins (from bbc.co.uk)

Ingredients
* 2 free-range eggs, lightly beaten * 80g/2¾oz caster sugar * 240ml/8½fl oz milk * 100g/3½oz butter, melted * 300g/10½oz plain flour * 2 tsp baking powder * ½ tsp salt * pinch cinnamon * 2 eating apples, peeled, cored, finely chopped * 200g/7oz shop-bought toffee pieces

Preparation method
1. Preheat the oven to 190C/380F/Gas 5 and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.
2. Mix the eggs, sugar, milk and melted butter in a large bowl. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon into the bowl. Stir well to combine.
3. Add the chopped apple and lightly mix.
4. Using half of the mixture, quarter-fill each of the muffin cases with the mixture and top with a few pieces of toffee. Cover with the remaining filling so the cases are half full.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes until well risen and golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or cold.

Feeling Peckish? It's Feed The Birds Day!

If the closest your little ones get to our feathered friends is singing along with Muffin, Jordan, Beakman and the like (and let’s face it, who isn’t totally charmed by 3RD and bird?!) then tomorrow (Saturday) is the day to change all that – it’s the RSPB’s Feed The Birds Day 


The aim is to encourage birds of all shapes and sizes into your gardens and feed them up before the really cold Yorkshire weather kicks in. We’ve found this great Bird Food Cake recipe which looks cheap and easy to make. Little ones will love getting their hands in the mix and watching the flocks come down to feast once it’s out in the garden.


And if Masterchef for birds doesn’t fit the bill (pun not intended, but left nonetheless!) for you this weekend, you take your little ones to look at some birds instead. There can’t be many kids in Skipton who haven’t spent happy times feeding up the ducks on the canal, or you could take a trip out of town? There’s the aviary at Cliffe Castle, near Keighley; Falconry centres at Settle and Coniston Cold and the aviaries at Harewood House and Tropical World, Leeds.


Enjoy! x

Rhythm (Time) is gonna get you!

Anyone who’s heard the enthusiastic strains of a pots and pans band knows how much little ones enjoy music and rhythm. It’s great to encourage this from an early age and it seems you can’t start them early enough – babies are aware of sounds in the womb and as soon as they’re born respond to music and singing. 

We can’t recommend Lynne O’Malley’s Rhythm Time classes in Skipton (at the baptist church, Otley Street) highly enough – as they’ve grown, our little ones have nodded and bobbed their heads and developed their musicality under Lynne’s brilliant guidance. 

Rhythm Time is more than just a sing-a-long and uses music and activities to encourage children’s development through structured but fun learning. Because children develop at different stages there are three courses on offer – babies; toddlers; and pre-schoolers. And because each child is different within the group, Lynne takes care and time to make sure each and every one gets something out of all the classes. 

The action-packed classes involve a lot of unaccompanied singing which helps the babies and children to start vocalising and sing in tune (without any judgement along the way!) The courses have been specially developed to stimulate language growth and memory. Lynne crams a lot in to the 30 minute classes and always responds to requests from the group – when asked if she could get the class moving to burn off a bit of energy – that’s exactly what she did and they loved it! Lynne has a really intuitive way with the children and even the most strong-willed (and aren’t they all from time to time!) seem to calm down with her and listen to her requests. 

Rat-a-Tat making an appearance!

The aim is for the little ones (and accompanying adults!) to really enjoy themselves while learning that making music as a group is a wonderful experience. As they develop each week, so does their confidence, co-ordination and creativity.  One of the highlights for many children is meeting (and cuddling!) Rat-a-Tat, the Rhythm Time mascot (aka hand puppet!) who makes an appearance at each session. Some of the children literally leap into the air when they see him and it's been difficult to prise some kids away from the cuddling him!  

Another highlight in the babies group is a relaxing session towards then end where the lights are turned down and Lynne plays some soothing music while the babies lie on a patchwork blanket and watch bubbles float down from the sky. There really is a magical atmosphere and most of the mums we’ve spoken to said they felt emotional to see the little ones’ faces filled with wonder, transfixed on the bubbles!  

We are so lucky to have such a creative Rhythm Time group here in Skipton – it’s obvious from the classes how passionate those taking the classes are and how well all the little ones respond to it. You can attend a free first trail session to see if you like it and for more information can contact Lynne on 07789 895894. In the meantime…dig out those pots and pans!x

Core blimey – it’s apple day!

We’ve been in overdrive with national days and weeks in celebration of various things at MooBaa recently – what with the delights of Curry Week and Chocolate Week - but we thought one more wouldn’t go amiss. Especially when it’s something as simple and as lovely as Apple Day at the end of National Baking Week! What’s not to love?!

Apples crop up everywhere when you’re growing up (not least if you’re Gwynneth Paltrow and Chris Martin’s offspring) – we used to get one most days in our packed lunch with the promise of keeping the doctor away.Did anyone ever actually take one in for the teacher? And who wasn’t just a little bit wary of them after reading Snow White?!

West Winds Tea Rooms, Buckden

So, in celebration of the humble apple we thought we’d let you know about the apple festival on at the West Winds tearooms over half term in Buckden. The tea rooms will have 20 apple varieties from Ampleforth Abbey Orchards, Helmsley Walled Garden and West Winds to try free along side applelicious food to feast on by the log fire and apples to take home.


Ampleforth Abbey Orchards, near York, are open to the public until November if you wanted to visit England’s northernmost commercial orchard. Monks still provide the workforce at the traditional orchard where more than 40 varieties of apple are grown. And if you’re thinking it all sounds a bit too twee, they make and sell their own apple cider and brandy – which goes down a treat for the grown ups!

Caramel filled appples

If you don’t want to leave the house to celebrate you could always try apple bobbing with older children or some simple activities and games for little ones.


And if you fancy killing two birds with one stone and ticking off Apple Day and National Baking Week simultaneously then why not make a delicious apple crumble for tea, or try these gorgeous – and so simple to make – caramel filled apples. So if not an apple a day, then maybe try an apple for Apple Day at least!

Strid Wood gets especially spooky for Halloween!

If you go down to Strid Woods next week, you’re sure of a big surprise…but as it’s almost Halloween you won’t find teddy bears picnicking – rather, ghoulish witches, grisly spells and hidden pumpkins!

We can’t play it cool when it comes to Bolton Abbey – we absolutely love it! The changing seasons and packed schedule of fantastic activities mean that no two visits are ever the same and the Pumpkin Trail and lantern carving look set to be a real highlight.

The estate offers more than 80 miles of footpaths – many of which are pushchair-friendly and clearly marked – with bags of space for little ones to take in the beautiful scenery on the banks of the Wharfe, enjoying the fresh air and letting off steam.

From 22 – 30 October, the Pumpkin Trail set up in the woods will enchant little ones during half term and get them in the mood for Halloween. As you wander through Strid Wood, there’ll be hidden pumpkins to search for as well as low-flying witches to dodge! All the while, you’ll be looking out for clues to unravel a grisly spell. Once back from your spooky stroll, children can join in with making their very own pumpkin lantern to take home. This activity also runs from 22-30 October between 10am and 4pm.

Normal admission to the estate applies (it’s £6 per car and the estate opens at 9am every day) and the Pumpkin Trail is free. Simply collect a trail sheet at the Sandholme Kiosk, Cavendish Shop or Dusty Bluebells on arrival. The walk is accessible for wheelchairs and pushchairs. The pumpkin carving activity costs £3.50.

Alongside the Halloween event, Bolton Abbey offers the whole family the chance to explore the ruins of the priory as well as riverside, woodland and moorland paths. And if you need to refuel afterwards, we think the Cavendish Pavilion is great for kids! The fab menu includes children’s lunchboxes and they are happy to provide smaller kids’ portions on request. There are baby-changing facilities, high-chairs, a pushchair-friendly entrance and layout as well as stuff to do to keep toddlers amused until the food arrives.

For more information about the Pumpkin trail, lantern carving and everything Bolton Abbey has to offer, visit their website at www.boltonabbey.com

Variety is the spice of life for National Curry Week!

It’s National Curry Week and Skipton-based Kashmiri catering company Amaali has shared a brilliant child-friendly recipe with us to celebrate!

Based at Brougham Street, Amaali is family-run and specialises in delivering authentic Asian cuisine for any event alongside working with nurseries, schools and businesses to increase cultural awareness.

As well as providing traditional, homemade catering for parties, weddings, business events and festivals, Amaali runs a wide range of cookery courses for adults and children (ages have ranged from 2-90 years old!) which can be run on week days, evenings and weekends (at a venue provided by Amaali or in your own home).

Traditional Kashmiri cooking is called Wazhawan and is rich and aromatic with a wonderful flavour. Rice is the staple food and lamb, chicken and goat form the basis of many of the famous dishes.
Amaali’s experienced CRB checked facilitators can also deliver hands on activities such as Henna painting, dressing up and Arabic and Urdu writing as well as dance workshops to improve understanding of British born Pakistani/Kashmiri communities.

Amaali children's party

They also run children’s birthday parties including Kashmiri food, cooking demonstrations, henna tattoos, dressing up and a party gift bag.

Our four-year old niece could not get enough of Amaali’s delicious vegetable samosas when she tried them at the Skipton Waterways Festival where Amaali had a stall. High praise indeed from someone who is usually quite particular about flavours and how she likes her vegetables (ie rarely!)


We can’t wait to try the following recipe for a traditional Indian dessert, which Yesmien from Amaali says always goes down a treat with little ones both in terms of making and then eating afterwards!

Coconut Balls

Ingredients
200g dessicated coconut; 50g icing sugar; 200g tinned condensed milk; Pink food colouring; Sugar strands; Mini bun cases

Method
Place coconut into a bowl; Add condensed milk; Add some food colouring into the bowl and mix all ingredients; Powder your hands with icing sugar; Make small balls; Dip them in sugar strands. Place the coconut balls in bun cases. After 5-10 minutes they are ready to eat.

For more information or to contact Amaali please visit www.amaali.co.uk

A leap of faith!

We live in a fantastic area for nature and are lucky enough to have on our doorsteps what countless other people travel across the country to come and visit. Alongside the incredible scenery of the Yorkshire dales, there is another natural spectacle occurring every Autumn just 20 miles away near Settle – the leaping salmon.

From late September through October is usually the best time to see the salmon leaping out of the water and up the waterfalls, returning upstream to spawn. They have journeyed a distance of about 75 miles from the open sea to the entrance to the Ribble river.

It’s best to go a day or two after heavy rain (ideally following a dry spell) where you’ll see the determined fish flinging themselves against the flow of the river and against all odds to get where they need to go. This stretch of the River Ribble is famous nationally as a great vantage point and older children would no doubt enjoy the ringside seats!

Packhorse Bridge

Stainforth itself (about 20 miles away from Skipton) is a village just outside Settle, a quiet place with stepping stones over the beck in the village centre. The best place to see the salmon is near Stainforth Force – a beautiful small waterfall. There’s an old packhorse bridge which makes a great spot for something to eat (perhaps stretching it a bit to refer to it as a picnic in October weather!)

The waterfall (which begins as a series of small cascades followed by a final slightly larger one of approximately 4 feet) is very close to the village and is on the Ribble Way so is ideal for little legs and a family outing.

For more information try http://www.gbwildlife.co.uk/post/October-Leaping-Salmon.aspx or
http://stainforth.info/stainforth_today.htm