Review: Bang on Books

Review:

Personalised Book from 'Bang on Books'!

I have always loved reading, one of my earliest memories with my parents is reading books at bedtime... and then sneakily hiding under the duvet with a torch to read some more.  I have always wanted my children to share the same passion for books and reading as I did as a child - I definitely feel that reading is VERY important in any child's development to improve their vocabulary and their imagination. 

I was over the moon when Bang on Books said they wanted to collaborate with us a personalised book for Isabelle! Although they only have a small range of books, the ones they do have definitely target their demographic. As Isabelle and I love unicorns, the obvious choice for us was 'Unicorn Oo' - A magical adventure to save the kingdom from the Sorcerer's spells.

The website is very clear and easy to use and you create your selected book with three simple steps:

Step 1: Upload a photo of the child this book is being made for.

Step 2: Add the name of the child and pick their 'hero'. The hero is the character in the book who closest resembles the child... Kind of like an Avatar.

Step 3: Write a special dedication - A lovely little message which gets printed into the book.

Once this has been completed the next stage of the order process shows you a lovely little preview of what the book will look like - this was such a pleasant surprise when I was placing our order, its lovely to actually see what it will look like before it comes so you can make sure you're actually happy with the picture used and can then go back and change anything you like or progress and add the book to your basket. 

You then have the option of postage (I chose the free one which was estimated 3-4 days for delivery) and then payment can either be via card payment or PayPal. 

Once complete I got an email to say my order was being processed, this was at 08:39.. I was pleasantly surprised when I got another email at 14:33 stating that my order had been completed!! HOW QUICK WAS THAT?!!!

The book arrived the next day, and I absolutely love it!! The book is a lot better quality than I had expected, the usual price for the book is £17.99 for that I expected the picture at the start and just the one mention of Isabelle's name and not the best quality paper... but her name is used throughout the whole book and her picture again at the end with wonderful thick pages. 
The story is also a lot better than I imagined it would be, I have ordered personalised books before for my son and they have been pretty basic - but this story is wonderful! It takes you on an adventure meeting new friends and helping them out with a little bit of suspense thrown in. Definitely a story Isabelle can reread at any age! The illustrations throughout the book are very bright and eye-catching - a definite favourite of Isabelle's and the attention to detail throughout is brilliant!

The other two books on their website are 'The Golden Key' - a swashbuckling adventure perfect for any little sailor; and 'Santa socks' Helping out the Elves on a sleigh ride adventure to save Christmas (I think this one is definitely going to be a purchase of mine for Isabelle's Christmas eve box!)

I would definitely rate the book at 10/10 and recommend to family and friends and even purchase as a gift for their children.

For more information, please visit their website Bang on Books - I really cannot recommend them enough!! You can also use code: discount5 for a lovely little discount off your order ❤️

(she hasn't put it down since) 

Young Drivers Experience

Young Drivers - Oliver drove a car!

Have you heard about the Young Driver experience?

Oliver has driven a car. A real car. He's only 10 - It was such an amazing experience for him and was a gift from his Auntie and Uncle via Virgin Experience Days - He's one very lucky boy!

Children from the age of 10 up to 17 are able to have driving lessons on specially designed courses across the UK, in real, dual-controlled cars. Instructors are of course fully qualified and DBS checked, and the youngsters begin to learn the same skills as they would at the age of 17. Oliver's lesson was at RAF Church Fenton - an old RAF base which served within the defence network of fighter bases for the RAF in WWII - it was closed as an RAF base in 2013... this was cool too in its own right, never mind a 10 year old driving a car!!

The instructor who was teaching Oliver asked if he wanted either myself or Ste in the car with him - He picked Ste, obviously, but at least I got to stand on the side lines and observe how well he was doing. I was quite concerned that Oliver would struggle with his autism and hyper-activeness, but the instructor explained everything he needed to do brilliantly and kept him calm throughout the 30 minute lesson. 

I was amazed at how smoothly he set off and how quickly he learned clutch control. There was the instructor in the vehicle, but Oliver and Ste confirmed afterwards that he had been in total control of both speed and gears (And he only bunny hopped once which I think I was most amazed at!!)

At the end of each lesson the instructor fills out a record book and gives feedback which can then be taken to any future lessons which the child may have. The record book explains the different 'levels' of driving and what is needed to be accomplished to pass specific levels. Oliver was over the moon that he passed 'level one' and covered some of the second level.

Apparently, research shows that children in their early teens absorb safety messages more than the know-it-all driving age teenagers. It also suggests that encouraging children to learn over a longer period of time halves the likelihood of them having an accident shortly after they pass their test. Oliver feels like the experience was beneficial as he's learned some new skills and I definitely feel that the more experience our children have will reduce the likelihood of incidents when they're of age to actually pass their test and drive unaccompanied.

So what are you waiting for, go book that lesson now! We will definitely be returning for some more lessons prior to Oliver reaching 17.

Oliver highly recommends it and gave it a 10/10 and I think I would also give the same score, although it would have been better stood outside watching if the weather was better  😂

For more information please see the website: Young Driver