Friday 18 October 2019

Studio Wow Magazine Version 3


Welcome back to this fun-packed and very festive edition of WOW.

We’ve pulled out all the stops to make sure this season’s mag is packed with everything you need to help make your Christmas go with a bang. So whether you’re a last minute shopper, smart buyer or early prepper, we’ve got lots of useful stories and features to help you make the most of your winter budget.

Alongside the usual hints and tips, our Studio experts have come up with a brilliant range of inspiring gift guides, to help you find all of this year’s on-trend pressies, must-have party wear, gadgets, toys and beauty products.

If cooking’s your thing we’ve got some fab ideas for perfect - and easy - Christmas canapes too, as well as plenty of suggestions for winter mini-breaks or cosy days in.

The holidays certainly sound like a family affair in the Sawalha household and our guest celebrity Nadia Sawalha opens up about her exciting festive plans, while blogger Fifi McGee shares the secrets of her beautiful home and some amazing Christmas hacks.

We’d love to hear what you think about these - and all of our features - so if you’d like to, why not drop us a line at wowmag@studio.co.uk? Your comments might even be featured in a future issue!

In the meantime, we’re sure you can find a few minutes to step away from the festive to do lists. So snuggle in, pour yourself a Baileys and enjoy a well-deserved festive WOW break.

Have a very Merry Christmas!






Tuesday 1 October 2019

Rainy Day Activities For Kids



**This is a guest post in partnership with Studio Brand Ambassador Donna, check out her blog here! https://whattheredheadsaid.com/ **

It’s always fun thinking of ways to keep the children entertained, activities for them to do and games for them to play. But when it rains it can be difficult to keep children happy indoors.
I’ve put together a few activities that our children enjoy when the weather isn’t at its best:

Turn your lounge into a cinema

Children love a movie and making the lounge into a cinema always makes any film so much more exciting. Close the curtains, get all the cushions and blankets, make some popcorn and settle down to watch a family favourite movie together.

Getting in the kitchen

The children love to bake and cook so a rainy day is a great excuse to bake something special or get little hands involved in the dinner prep. On rainy days we love to bake a cake, cupcakes or cookies but the children also love to make pizzas for dinner.

Put on a show

Many children love the opportunity to sing and dance so inspiring them to put together a little show to perform for the grownups will be a fun challenge for them and something parents will love to watch as well.

Play games

Games are a great indoor activity and something the children don’t often think to play without prompting. Whether it’s a family game of Monopoly, Giant Jenga or the children playing Connect 4 together it always turns into quality time – whatever the weather.


Dress Up

Whenever the children have the opportunity to have a chunk of time at home they love to dress up – and this can go hand in hand with putting on a show. They’ll dress up as their favourite characters, act out stories and go on adventures all around the house.

Let their creativity run wild

Children love to get creative so giving them the materials they need to draw, paint or craft and leaving them to their own imaginations is always an adventure.
You could give them a theme – like a season, holidays, space, animals and see what they come up with. Let them raid the recycling bin and make something straight from their imagination. A dog house, a pirate ship, a space ship – who knows what they’ll end up creating!



Reading

Rainy days are a great time to plough through the bookshelves, discovering old favourite books you may have forgotten about or popping to the library to borrow some new ones. The children love it when we read together, enjoying the voices of each character as we read with them.

Build A Den

All children love to make dens and there’s no better time than when the weather is grey and miserable outside. Put throws, sheets or blankets over the furniture or a clothes airer to make a simple den. The children can then put pillows and cuddly toys inside, making it a real retreat from the outside world.

Make Meals Fun

Rainy days can often drag from breakfast to lunch and through to dinner. If you can make mealtimes fun and part of the day’s activities then it really helps the day go quicker and the children really enjoy it too.
You could have pancakes for breakfast with a choice of toppings, a carpet picnic for lunch and our favourite help yourself buffet style dinner. Just make sure the children take all they like but eat all they take!

Have a Computer Game Tournament

If your children are older and love computer games, why not have a tournament? The family can all play against each other, seeing if they can come out top in a sports game or racing. It can be girls vs boys, adults vs children or every man for themselves! Tournaments mean that the games won’t be played indefinitely and it’s something that can be enjoyed for part of the day rather than the whole day.

Embrace the Weather

If all else fails and you just need some fresh air, get your coats and wellies on and go for a walk. There are so many outside spaces to be enjoyed even in the wet weather and you can warm up afterwards with hot chocolate in a cafe somewhere.
What’s your favourite thing to do on a rainy day?