Category Archives: Making Things

Competitions: Winning Or Taking Part?

By | December 12, 2015 | Categories: Early Learning, Making Things
If you have a prolific young artist in your family or an occassional artist who likes to work to one specific brief, we have an opportunity for you: enter our monthly Binky Picture Competition. As the entries for our current competition trickle in at a steady pace, ahead of 15th of the month deadline, I started to think about why we had decided to run monthly picture competitions in the first place. Our first competition was back in November and Daisy from Southampton, aged just 4 ½ was our first winner. We sent Daisy a certificate with a copy of her picture featured in it, wrapped in an envelope addressed to her, along with her prize. Her mum told us how delighted Daisy was to find her big envelope next to her cereal bowl at breakfast and that her certificate is now displayed with pride on the fridge door. Continue reading this article...

Can you carve the Perfect Pumpkin?

By | October 26, 2015 | Categories: Making Things
Carving the perfect pumpkin should be easy but I'm afraid until we came across these 4 easy steps, our pumpkin carving was messy, and quite frankly a bit risky.  Follow these four steps to have perfect pumpkins and a tip from me is, embrace the mess.  It will get sticky, you will have pumpkin innards everywhere but you will have had a great time and end up with a lovely Pumpkin to put in your window or pop outside on the step, as a wellcome to all the Trick or Treaters.Continue reading this article...

Binky’s Blackberry and Apple Crumble!

By | September 14, 2015 | Categories: Making Things
By Liz Nankivell I am passionate about getting children involved in doing things with you, whether it be handing them a map to lead you on a Binky Walk or encouraging them to help you in the kitchen but I know from my own experience that the thought of all the disorder and mess this might create, can easily put you off. That is until I realised that children don't really notice that they did not do everything and even playing a small part still gives them a great sense of pride in the final, delicious result. Here's a classic autumnal recipe for Blackberry and Apple Crumble. When I last made it, my little helper on the day, had a go at chopping apples with a plastic picnic knife and then she added all the pre-prepared ingredients to the dish. When the final result was put in front of the family, she proudly told everyone that she made it! PS: I thought you'd like our blog illustration of Binky getting involved too. Such a clever teddy bear. Introduction: Apple and Blackberry Crumble is a British classic pudding recipe. It is simple to make and ideal for involving a little helper. This recipe will make a crumble for 4 people. Ingredients and method: Take a kilo of apples; Granny Smith’s or Bramleys are best. Peel and core them and then slice them thinly, adding about four handfuls of blackberries. Sprinkle over some granulated or demerara sugar – about 50 grams.* (If by the time you read this all the hedgerow blackberries are long gone, just add in an extra 100grams of apple.) Now make the topping: mix together 225 grams of plain flour, 150 grams of soft brown sugar and 75 grams of butter. Keep mixing with your fingertips until it is quite crumbly. Spread the topping onto the blackberries and apples and place in the oven at 180 degrees centigrade for 30-40 minutes. Let it cool down a little before you eat it. *If you like your fruit a bit mushed up, cook first in a little water. Serve with custard or ice-cream.      

Binky’s Pumpkin Tips

By | October 21, 2014 | Categories: Making Things
By Liz Nankivell It is great to get children involved in making things with you and the more mess, the more fun they have!  Carving pumpkins has to be one of the messiest tasks there is but don't let that put you off. Depending on how old your children are, more or less careful preparation beforehand will make it all manageable and I don't think children really notice that they did not do everything but they do feel very proud of what they have produced with your help. There are not many teddy bears capable of carving a pumpkin, so it is with some pride that we can actually print Binky's Pumpkin Tips...Continue reading this article...