Luna Park: Shopkins and Grossery Gang Village

The school holidays are here!

Yes, we know... you suddenly become an event planner, calendar wrangler, kiddies entertainer, time manager extraordinaire.

You KNOW Luna Park is a no brainer for non stop kiddie fun (unlimited rides, anyone? YES! For kids AND adults) and now the iconic Sydney historical theme park is introducing the BIGGEST Shopkins and Grossery Gang attraction with an entire Shopkins and Grossery Gang Village! YES!

Featuring a Shopkins Swapkins Station allowing children to swap their Shopkins with fellow fans (so, it's Shopkins aficionado heaven) and a Shopkins and Grossery Gang Museum and Treasure Hunt, there will be daily meet and greets with Kooky Cookie throughout Luna Park, and much more.

Featuring every Shopkins and Grossery Gang character ever created, a selection of one of kind Shopkins showbags and merchandise and an exciting opportunity for guests to have their very own Shopkin design made into a real life Shopkin by entering the Design your Own Shopkin competition, the Shopkins and Grossery Gang activities are bound to set little hearts racing and provide endless hours of entertainment these school holidays.

In addition to Luna Park Sydney’s traditional rides, including the recently reinstated Tango Train with a modern twist, LED light show and state of the art technology for a faster white knuckle ride, a brand new experience will be making its debut at the park only for the holiday period – The Avenger. For the older and braver crowd, the ride spins on three axes. Think extreme adrenaline and extreme fun for those brave enough to strap in.

Luna Park Marketing Manager, Brendan Biddell said, “We’re stepping it up a notch these school holidays and offering something for the entire family – the little ones can let loose in the Shopkins and Grossery Gang Village, while the bigger kids and adults can enjoy all the thrills of Luna Park’s rides, venues, attractions and entertainment.”

“Having the Shopkins and Grossery Gang Village is something we are really excited about, it’s a national first and caters to the school holiday crowd - an audience that is constantly on the look out for some extra entertainment options over the holidays.”

As the weather warms up, Luna Park will not only be THE perfect Sydney day out for young and older folks (the ferries wheel! Coney Island! The dodgem cars! The Hair Raiser drop tower! That million dollar view!), you should stay tuned for the fun pop up exhibits like this, themed events like Halloween (Halloscream), and much more.

For all your questions on Luna Park, click HERE.

For more on Shopkins at Luna Park, click HERE.

You can explore the Shopkins and Grossery Gang Village, open daily during the school holidays from 10am - 4pm.

NOTE: ENTRY IS INCLUDED WITH YOUR UNLIMITED RIDES OR ANNUAL PASS WRISTBAND.

The Shopkins and Grossery Gang Village is open daily until 10 October.

And: it's exclusive to Luna Park Sydney. 

Follow Luna Park on Instagram HERE.

Follow Luna Park on Facebook HERE.

And here is a trailer for the Shopkins FUN at Luna Park:

Ice Age Live! A Mammoth Adventure: Australian 2016 Tour

Ice Age Live! A Mammoth Adventure is the live, ice-skating arena spectacular, starring the characters from the much loved 'Ice Age' films, and it's here during the school holiday season for kids to enjoy - through March and April.



Scrat, Sid and all his pre-historic friends are here. TEG Live, Stage Entertainment Touring Productions and Twentieth Century Fox bring Ice Age Live! A Mammoth Adventure to Australian audiences - the FIRST EVER AUSTRALIAN SHOW performed on Friday 25 March at Newcastle Entertainment Centre then sees the tour continue to Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth for the school holidays (pic below from media launch in Sydney, 2016).

Ice Age Live! A Mammoth Adventure combines circus, comedy, aerial arts, exceptional ice-skating, puppetry and film, with a new story based on one of the top-grossing international animated film franchises of all time. Have your kiddies watched 'Ice Age'? Okay... how many times?

Directed by some of the biggest names in live entertainment, this global phenomenon has travelled 25 (YES!) countries in its five-year tour since the premiere at London’s Wembley Arena in November 2012. Due to popular demand, three new shows have been added to the schedule in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. Fo all tickets available, go here to Ticketek site.

Here is a teaser clip:

The full run of tour dates are as follows:

CITY	DATE	SHOW TIMES
Newcastle	Fri 25 Mar 2016	2pm
	Sat 26 Mar 2016	2pm | 6 pm
	Sun 27 Mar 2016	12pm
Brisbane	Fri 1 Apr 2016	2pm
	Sat 2 Apr 2016	2pm | 6 pm
	Sun 3 Apr 2016	12pm
Melbourne	Fri 8 Apr 2016	2pm
	Sat 9 Apr 2016	10am | 2pm | 6pm
	Sun 10 Apr 2016	12pm
Sydney	Fri 15 Apr 2016	2pm
	Sat 16 Apr 2016	10am | 2pm | 6pm
	Sun 17 Apr 2016	12pm
Perth	Fri 22 Apr 2016	2pm
	Sat 23 Apr 2016	10am | 2pm | 6pm
	Sun 24 Apr 2016	12pm

Tickets on sale now: www.ticketek.com.au/iceagelive

More ABOUT ICE AGE LIVE! A MAMMOTH ADVENTURE

Ice Age Live! A Mammoth Adventure is brought to Australia by TEG Live, produced by Stage Entertainment Touring Productions and Twentieth Century Fox directed by some of the biggest names in live entertainment. The show is co-directed by the brilliant mind behind the Cirque du Soleil productions, Ka and Dralion, Guy Caron, with story, music and lyrics created by Ella Louise Allaire and Martin Lord Ferguson (Cirque du Soleil, Holiday on Ice and APM Music). 

Michael Berg, who co-wrote some of the Ice Age films, supervises character dialogue. Character Visualisation design is headed by co-director Michael Curry (Cirque du Soleil, Walt Disney’s The Lion King).

Here are some more pics from the show's International Facebook page (which you can follow here):

'Healthy Food, Healthy Gut, Happy Child' by Maya Shetreat-Klein: REVIEW

TwinnieWorld is lucky to have a guest blogger: Gabriella Dessanti, who will review books for this site, as well as sister site Josie's Juice.

Here, Gabriella reviews the new book 'Healthy Food, Healthy Gut, Happy Child' by Maya Shetreat-Klein.

Says Gabriella:

This is “the children’s food bible” for any conscientious parent.

This book is a practical step by step guide to heal and nourish a child’s body. A handy take home list at the end of each chapter summarises and reinforces key points.

The author draws on her experience as an integrative paediatric neurologist and various scientific studies to prove that true health begins from our gut. True health she asserts requires diverse and abundant microbes in living elements- sunshine, fresh food, even in soil. Microbial balance and biodiversity and is the key to robust health.  A well- nourished child allowed to interact with diverse exposures becomes naturally resilient.  What is encouraging as a parent that our children’s health is not static but fluid; it can be transformed by changing what they eat and their interaction with nature. Even chronic illness may not be cured but the quality of life can be improved.

The first step for true health is detoxification. She provides a checklist to take an inventory of your child’s health, to look holistically at all symptoms and also gives a guide to recognise toxicity symptoms. To detoxify we need to identify if a child has a full basin as this overflows with toxins and disrupts our cellular health.  Cellular health is critical, if cells are functioning suboptomally this has been implicated in autism, epilepsy, ADHD, allergies, asthma and other chronic conditions. The list of usual suspects we now commonly see in children.

Second step is to heal from choosing food wisely. She discusses food sensitivities and how “healthy” food can hurt us, providing a handy list of typical symptoms for each food sensitivity.  She then provides an elimination diet “how to”. Beyond allergies and sensitivities there are also other foods to avoid including secret sugars in food. She helps us as consumers navigating the misleading and deceptive labeling used by food producers.

The third step is to nourish kids. Part 111 of the book dissects each food group, milk, meat, nuts etc and provides details of how farming and manufacturing process have changed these food groups, what effects these modified foods can have on our bodies and gives us the criteria to look for when purchasing each food.

The fourth step is pulling it all together. We are provided with guidance to put together a shopping list, how to successfully introduce change to the family diet and what to expect.   A sample meal planner is provided together with some useful recipes. She brings together the importance of nature from the outside in- how to effectively grow food in dirt, spend time in dirt, even eat dirt…mud pies, here we come!

I was impressed by the holistic approach of focusing not only on what kids eat and how well they dispose of toxins from their body but also more broadly nurturing their experiences with the natural world. It is a positive and practical guide which helps you slowly take on the daunting task of navigating our complex food environment and changing our diet. I was inspired by the recipes and some clever ideas of to make food exciting for kids.  It also more generally inspires readers to act responsibility for our kid’s sake, stand up to government and industries by voting with our dollar.

The main disappointment is that it is American based; she mentions the ineffectiveness of the American food authorities in protecting the health of our children however no comment in made on the Australian food authority as a comparison. Also some suggestions for sourcing food only have relevance for Americans.

'Healthy Food, Healthy Gut, Happy Child' by Maya Shetreat-Klein is out now, through Pan Macmillan.

Editor's note: more about the author, from the Pan Macmillan site:

Dr Maya Shetreat-Klein, MD, is an integrative paediatric neurologist with a medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Board-certified in adult and child neurology as well as paediatrics, she completed the University of Arizona's two-year Fellowship in Integrative Medicine, founded by Dr Andrew Weil, and now serves as faculty. She lectures internationally to medical professionals and laypeople on environmental health and toxins, and healing with food and nature. Dr Shetreat-Klein lives with her family in New York City, where she runs Brainmending, her healing practice and urban farm.

Geomag: Product Review

This was the best little delivery for my little kiddies!

Combining two highly regarded, educational, tried and true play concepts - magnets and construction toys - presenting Geomag which will see your kids opening their mind to be their creative best. 

Geomag is the ultimate open-ended creative construction toy enhanced by the magic and intrigue of magnets, ensuring that the educational benefits that kids learn during play are ones that will stick!

Produced in Switzerland to the most stringent international toys standards, Geomag is now entertaining and inspiring Aussie kids from three to 103, all while providing a wealth of educational benefits developing math, problem-solving, spacial, coordination, creative and thinking skills.  

The characteristics of movement and the fascination of magnetism makes Geomag a unique construction toy. Fun and easy for little hands to manipulate, Geomag ensures that creativity never gives way to frustration. Kids can build ambitiously, big and fast, limited only by their imaginations.

Here is what Geomag looks like (and PS: it is THE perfect gift for Christmas).

The four inspiring lines of Geomag are as below:

GEOMAG CLASSIC Colour:  

This classic set combines magnetic rods, non-magnetic spheres and various accessories to build unlimited models and constructions in a very simple and fun way.  

Five colourful sets containing between 30 to 120 pieces starting from $30 rrp

GEOMAG CLASSIC Panel:

The addition of bright and transparent panels that give more rigidity, colour and appeal to the rods and sphere constructions.  Triangles, squares and pentagonal panels in many different colours across five sets containing from 22 to 180 pieces. From $20 rrp

GEOMAG E-Motion Magic Spin: 

E-Motion expresses the concept of dynamism contained in the Geomag play activity and allows kids to build fun creations in motion, giving life to surprising optical effects.  This collection has special accessories and instructions to create spinning tops and many dynamic constructions.  Available in three various sets starting from the basic ‘speedy spin’ up to the ‘magic spin’, these sets contain from 10 to 38 pieces.  From $30 rrp

GEOMAG Glitter:  

Glitterised rods and panels in new fashion and glamour colours.  Girls will love making creations with magical sparkly effects. Geomag Glitter is available in four sets with a piece count from 22 to 68. From $20 RRP.

STOCKISTS: 0419 432 761

Available at a range of toy stores including Australian Geographic and Kidstuff

www.geomagworld.com ~ Instagram: @Geomagworld #geomag

Highly recommended by TwinnieWorld and Josie's Juice!

'Dinotrux' on Netflix Now Streaming: VIDEO

It's a new trailer from the clever crew at Netflix Australia/NZ!

'Dinotrux' is here, from those clever people at Dreamworks, and your little kids (and big kids) will love it. And it is streaming right now on Netflix. Don't have Netflix yet? DO IT. Click right here.

Here is the blurb:

Welcome to a world of giant creatures that are half dinosaur, half construction vehicle and all awesome in DINOTRUX, the Netflix original series from DreamWorks! Meet Ty Rux, a massive Tyrannosaurus Trux, and his best friend Revvit, a razor-sharp Reptool. Together, the Dinotrux and Reptools join forces for the first time ever to build a bigger, better world and battle back against the biggest and baddest of them all: D-Structs, who threatens to wreck everything they’ve built.

My kids (seven year old twins) LOVED it the screener we watched together - immediately!

Here is the fab cover art for the show:

And the official trailer:

And a shot from the series:

Need something a little more your age group? Head to Netflix for their seriously good docos. Click here for some incredibly good content.

Josie's Juice is part of the very exciting 'Stream Team' for Netflix Australia.

Kardashian Kids at Big W: PHOTOS

You probably saw on the various news outlets that the kool kat of the Kardashian Klan Khloe Kardashian was in Australia, and she was spuiking the new Kardashian Kids range… guess what, you guys: it's super cute!

Kardashian Kids - the lovable children’s apparel collection designed by Kourtney Kardashian, Kim Kardashian West and Khloé Kardashian - has just launched online and will be instore at Big W on August 6, 2015.

“My sisters and I are perfectionists, especially with our kids' line. We want the clothes to be chic and stylish, but also items that will actually be worn and played in,” says Kourtney Kardashian. “Design details like fabrics, structure, waistbands and hems are all equally as important to us as what the clothes look like.”

Here are the pics of the range, then read on for more:

Says the blurb:

The highly anticipated range for little girls features an assortment of adorable designs from every day styles to special occasion items including woven broderie lace dresses with rose gold button finishes, playful soft tulle skirts with rose gold foil polka dot details, loveable one-pieces with girly tulle ruffles and two piece sets in fun geometric prints.

“We thought, if our own kids want to dress in tutus or try on our clothes, why
don’t we give kids stylish outfits that are super cute, but also reflect styles that their moms would wear? ‘Mommy and me’ style is everywhere right now! The white lace dress, bomber jacket and peplum top are all pieces that could match mom’s looks,” adds Kim Kardashian West.

In addition to offering exclusive Australian styles, the debut Australian range will be the only Kardashian Kids collection worldwide to offer designs up to size 7T for little girls.

“We are delighted to welcome Kardashian Kids to BIG W. The collection is a wonderful addition to our existing children’s range, and a great example of providing our customers access to great brands and beautiful styles at everyday low prices,” comments Alison Jones, General Manager of Marketing, BIG W Australia.

“We're really proud to have a collection that is simple, stylish, functional and in great fabrics and shapes,” says Khloé Kardashian. “Most importantly, it's a fun collection that little girls will love. We want to make fashion fun for them!”

The Kardashian Kids Spring 2015 range for little girls will be available from size newborn (000-24mnths) to Toddler (3-7yrs) and retail from $20 to $35 exclusively online at BIG W starting July 28 and inside BIG W stores nationwide starting the August 6.

Fans can stay up-to-date on the latest Kardashian Kids news by following on
Facebook (facebook.com/kardashiankids), Instagram (@kardashiankids) and Twitter (@KardashianKids) 

Flynn's Restaurant: diner's minimum age of seven

This post on Facebook… a friend alerted me and my guess is that it'll go viral:

It's from a Queensland restaurant called Flynn's.

It reads:

Flynns Restaurant requires diners be a minimum age of 7 years old. 

This is a reply to the post for Christine Hall. Yes, we have applied the rule of not permitting children below the age of 7 in the restaurant minutes after you left because we respect our guests' wishes to dine in a calm atmosphere. The feedback from our diners regarding screaming babies have been nothing but wholly negative and in the interest of their wishes we have decided to introduce this policy and it will stand.

As a born and bred European myself, I do follow a good dining etiquette and it is my responsibility as a manager to step in and politely convey information to the families with small children to find alternative arrangements (just like every other family does in Europe). If one pays money for having an enjoyable lunch during an anniversary or honeymoon, please do yourself and other patrons a favour by getting a babysitter or by removing the screaming baby from the room. It is purely out of respect for other diners, regardless whether they are two or twenty of them in the restaurant. Those are basic social skills and we do not feel that we should be teaching parents how to handle their children. Sonia Tymecka, the manager of Flynn's restaurant.

Your thoughts?

Hi-5 'House of Dreams' Australian Tour!

Hi-5 is here, you guys!

They are touring Australia!

Hi-5 presents the 'House of Dreams' Australian tour, and you can come along and enjoy a brand new national tour with your fave five people:

Dream big this June and July school holidays join Hi-5 in their brand new Australian stage show, Hi-5 House of Dreams, when it tours around Australia from June 28 to July 15, visiting Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne.

The Hi-5 House of Dreams tour gives audiences an invitation to the most exciting “slumber party” ever! There’s not much sleeping but lots of singing and dancing and adventure when our favourite puppet Chats takes control of the Hi-5’s dreams and makes their dreams come true!

Using Chats’ Magic Dream Catcher audiences will travel through jungles, fairy grottos, underwater coral gardens, the Wild West, and even outer space!! This interactive and energetic show will have audiences totally immersed in the world of dreams.

Hi-5 House of Dreams is a whimsical trip into a fantasy adventure where you can catch your favourite Hi-5 songs – Underwater Discovery, Move your Body, It’s a Party and Living in a Rainbow and plenty of new songs with the Hi-5 gang – Stevie, Mary, Tanika, Ainsley and Dayen.

Here they are below, and details on dates:

The remaining 2015 national tour dates

Sydney – Concourse Theatre, Chatswood: 7-8 July

Perth – Regal Theatre: 14-15 July 

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

Join Hi-5 for their House of Dreams stage show as they travel across Australia this winter school holidays!

More about Hi-5:

Hi-5 was launched in Australian in 1998 with five dynamic performers entertaining children aged 2-8 with music, movement, problem solving and play.

The children’s musical group is well known globally, reaching an estimated global audience of more than 10,000,000 children across Europe, North America, Australasia and Latin America with its tours, music and TV shows. The Hi-5 TV series has consistently been one of the top three most successful pre-school shows in Australia.

Hi-5 has won three Logie Awards for Most Outstanding Children’s Program, five ARIA Awards for Best Children’s Album, five Australian DVD and Video Industry Awards, an APRA Award, an AMIA Award and a Helpmann Award.

Follow Hi-5 on Facebook here.

To book tickets, go here. Here you will see 

TwinnieWorld readers can win one of two family passes (valued at around $200 each) for the Sydney performances on Tuesday and Wednesday at The Concourse, at Chatswood for the 10am or the 1.30pm performance. For more about where The Concourse is and how to get there, go here. The show is one hour long, with an interval. For more about the show at this venue, go here.

All you need to do to enter is email me at: josiegags@optusnet.com.au - and let us know which time and day you want to enjoy the world of Hi-5 fun!

Winners will be drawn on Sunday night, and advised on Monday AM. You must email your entry for this one, as I need your full name and phone number so I can reach you!