The weather is starting to turn cooler, and while it may feel like only yesterday that the first of the autumn leaves started to fall, there is no denying that winter is now almost upon us.

I make no secret of the fact that I really love autumn and all that it brings with it. There really is nothing nicer than going for a long autumn walk. The sound of the crispy leaves crunching underfoot, the cool air pinching at your cheeks leaving you with that gorgeous healthy glow. It's cool outside, but not too cold, which is why I much prefer an autumn walk over a winter walk. The freshness is invigorating! And when a walk is finished off with a large mug of gently warming hot chocolate and plenty of whipped cream, well, who can resist that?

In August I turned 28, and it really hit home that I'm approaching the big 30! Honestly, I still feel like I'm 21. I know, everyone says that, but most of the time for me it's true. My first child was born when I was 21, and I've been so busy caring for my little humans for the last 7 years that I have kind of forgotten that I've aged. Of course, I am brought back down to earth in some particular situations, like when I go out for a drink and realise I'm like a grandma new to the people around me, or when I sit down in a chair and I make and 'urrrrrgh' sound (and when I get up again), that is when I realise I'm definitely not 21 anymore!

Trick or treat, trick or treat, give me something nice to eat!

I love Halloween, it's so much fun. Pumpkins, spooky costumes, fireworks, I love it all. But my favourite thing about halloween is trick or treating. Why? Because I love sweets, and so do my children. Luckily in our village the response to 'trick or treat' is a big hand full of sweeties, when we went out last year my children came back with two full carrier bags each. Imagine the sugar rush we experienced that half term!

In all seriousness though, we all know too many sweeties are bad for your health (and your sanity, when your children are bouncing from the walls), so it's usually a good idea to find something fun to do that doesn't involve stuffing your face full of sugar. If you are looking for something sweet to keep the children entertained during the school break, this super sweet Gears! Gears! Gears! Sweet Shop from Learning Resources is just the thing to put the 'treat' in to trick or treat.


The box comes filled with 28 plastic gears, along with 5 bases, a sticker sheet and a handful of yummy looking cupcakes, ice creams and lollypops. It's all well packaged in little bags too, so you don't have cogs falling all over the place when you open the box for the first time.


Once the sticker were in place, the kids began to build some wonderful creations. The set includes some instructions to build the ultimate sweet shop, so we started out with that. Once they had the idea of how it worked, they started using their imaginations to build their own.

To play, you simply place the cogs on the base plates, place the turning gear in to one of the cogs and give it a twirl. If everything is placed correctly all of the cogs should turn creating a beautiful swirling motion. It teaches children about cause and effect, if I place this cog here next to another cog, they will both spin when I turn the gear. It was great to watch the kids give it a go, and see them thinking about where to place the cogs and how moving them around could change the way it worked.

I have to say, once you have built something and start turning the cogs, the combinations of bright colours spinning is pretty mesmerising!


The Sweet Shop Building Set is great for children to play with together. My two spent a couple of hours with it, and it was great to see them working together to problem solve and get all of the gears moving. Another great thing about the set is that the cupcakes and ice creams can be used to role playing games too, and Caitlin enjoyed playing some trick or treat role-play with them.
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