When I was pregnant I was genuinely dreading sitting through TV shows live on stage. I shouldn’t be such a theatre snob. Thing 1 and Thing 2 absolutely loved In The Night Garden Live.

I had been thinking that The Things were too young to go the theatre. We’ve seen performances outside or in small studios but I knew The Things wouldn’t sit for longer than five minutes so had totally ruled out a theatre trip for the foreseeable future. I go to the theatre more than the average person; I love the atmosphere and understand what is expected of me as an audience member – I need to be on time and in my seat before the show begins and I need to remain in my seat and not move too much or disturb other members of the audience for the duration of the performance. I can’t do any of this when I am out with Thing 1 and Thing 2. I imagined that we would disturb other people enjoying a performance. I had no idea if Things 1 and 2 would even be engaged by a performance on a big stage. But then I saw that In The Night Garden was coming to a local theatre and I took a deep breath and decided to give it a go.

We are big CBeebies fans in our house and often catch a bit of In The Night Garden before bath time. The Things like the characters and love the music so this did seem like a good option for their first trip to the theatre. We took Granny with us and I tried not to worry about where I would put the pushchair, how Thing 1 was going to react to sitting in the dark and how I was going to keep The Things quiet.

I really didn’t need to worry. As soon as we walked into The Wyvern Theatre I felt relaxed. We were greeted by a very friendly member of front of house who gave a big smile, said hello to Things 1 and 2 and before I even had a chance to ask, they told me they had a designated space to leave pushchairs. Excellent. I felt welcomed.

Granny spoilt Thing 1 and Thing 2 with a programme to remember their first trip to the theatre and a cuddly character toy. The Things were over the moon, immediately kissed their new toys and joined together in a chorus of Daisy, Maca Paca. I had no idea they knew who the characters were or that they could say their names!

We were shown to our seats by another friendly member of staff who also gave us a couple of booster seats. I felt like the theatre was more prepared than me. They really did know their audience and it really helped me feel more relaxed.

The theatre wasn’t completely full but there were a lot of people in the auditorium. I was relieved to see a lot of children the same age as the Things and some younger. As the lights went down and familiar music began Things 1 and 2 were transfixed. The main auditorium lights did dim but didn’t go completely out and there wasn’t any moments of complete black out so Thing 1 didn’t worry about the dark at all. It’s a little thing and maybe other people didn’t notice but it was good to know I didn’t have the extra worry of toddlers afraid of the dark.

The show was everything you would want for your child’s first theatre trip. Things 1 and 2 were immediately paying attention, they recognised the voices, the music and the characters straight away and there were plenty of ooos and rrrs.

Thing 2 was happy sitting down and we had a little space so Thing 1 started by standing. They did both move a lot during the hour’s performance. They loved the music and had a good dance every time there was anything to dance to. They stood, they sat on their seats and sat on my lap at times. This was something I was worried about but you only had to look at all of the other children in the audience to see all of the children were the same. It was the same with the noise. The Things did make a bit of noise but so did a lot of the audience. No one looked at me once with an accusing stare.

The performance was an hour and at times Things 1 and 2 lost concentration but a song or the return of the Ninky Nonk brought their attention back to the stage. Towards the end when it felt like every child had started to get bored the Pinky Ponk made an appearance and every little pair of eyes was on it. The Pinky Ponk flew around the audience and was the perfect way to bring everyone’s attention back to the story. Then just like that the performance was over and Thing 2 looked at me with a face that said ‘where have they all gone?’.

This was a magic experience for Thing 1 and Thing 2 as well as for me. Watching something live that the Things were so familiar with was the perfect introduction to live theatre. I loved seeing them enjoy themselves so much and I love how much they enjoyed their trip to the theatre. Many of my early memories of theatre trips include going to see The Sooty Show and Button Moon Live. Now my children are enjoying theatre in the same way.

It’s that time of year when people get their Union flags out and enjoy the BBC proms. This year I got to watch a special CBeebies Proms. CBeebies have a lovely tradition of introducing live theatre, pantomime, ballet and classical music so I made note of the date they were going to show the concert and made sure we were in front of the TV. When the music first started Thing 1 and Thing 2 were completely mesmerised and gravitated to the TV. They stayed close and took in the first two pieces of music without moving. They enjoyed the rest of the concert, along with familiar presenters playing in front of the TV and casually having a little dance.

It’s a lovely way to introduce children to classical music (its on iPlayer if you haven’t had a chance to see it) and its great that the BBC think of their little audience too. I spent the whole time wishing we were at The Royal Albert Hall but knowing that The Things aren’t ready for such a big venue and such a big trip. It’s on the list for one day. Instead we headed to the park for the final band concert of the year. Things 1 and 2 picked their favourite spot near the bandstand, where they can run around and play but stop and have a little dance when they are enjoying a piece of music.

Its been nearly six months since I started the blog and I have noticed how much music we have in our lives. We go to our music class each week, we’ve been to Rock the Tots and Music for Miniatures, there are live bands in the park, buskers in the high street and we watched some of Glastonbury live. Accessing music for me and Thing 1 and 2 is easy but that has just shown me how other arts and cultural activities have got to up their game.

Yes there are theatre options for children and families and street theatre is great, especially in the sun. Museums and galleries are natural spaces to wander into but I have noticed how some museum displays and certainly artwork in galleries is too high for a child to see. And then there is dance. I have danced since I was three years old. I love all forms of dance and I love to watch it too. We do have a dance piece suitable for The Things to enjoy booked for this autumn but it certainly isn’t as accessible as music. Music has a much bigger audience in general than all other art forms and it is so accessible from such a young age. Audience development really does start from birth.

If you have read any of my blogs you will know that Thing 1 and Thing 2 are not good at sitting still. They are full of energy and want to explore everything. I find myself attending activities and feeling like mine are the only children who aren’t sat listening and paying attention.

As the British autumn sets in I have found my usual plan to take The Things to the park to run off some energy has been ruined by the rain. This week I decided to make the most of a rainy morning and go to the library. I made sure we had time to pick some books and join in with Toddler Time.

When we arrived the baby Rhyme Time session had just finished so when we got into the children’s section of the library it was quiet. Plenty of space for Things 1 and 2 to explore and look at books. While they wandered about, said hello to people (they will say hello to anyone) and picked up books I chose a few books to get out of loan. Then I picked a spot to sit ready for some singing.

Thing 1 and Thing 2 rarely sit with me at any activity; they like other people and they love other children. They like making friends and being sociable and as long as they know where I am they are confident going about on their own. But when it comes to occasions like these I am torn. As the parents, grandparents, childminders, nursery nurses and children piled into the library I felt like The Things stuck out like a sore thumb. The majority of children sat down with their carer and waited. I was torn between calling them back and just letting them do their own thing – and I had this feeling throughout the whole session. They aren’t being noisy or disruptive; they are being friendly, they are dancing and they are joining in with their favourite songs. They just aren’t doing sat on my lap and I feel like they are the only ones! And I feel like I’m being judged for it.

Recently my cousin took us on a tour of her place of work at Dance East. Something one of her colleagues said to me really struck a cord. She said a preschool child is 95% creative but by the time a child has finished formal education they are 5% creative. There is something in society and our education system that knocks the creativity out of a child and I don’t want to do that. In hindsight I don’t mind Thing 1 and Thing 2 not sitting on my lap. I don’t want to force them to engage in the same way as lots of other children just because that’s how the majority of children are behaving. I am happy for them to engage in whichever way they want to as long as they aren’t being disruptive and are learning from the experience.

It’s hard not to think everyone is looking at me and judging me as a parent. I know lots of other parents who feel the same, especially parents of twins and multiples. I just need to not feel the pressure and ensure The Things are having fun, whilst being respectful of others around them.

I’d been aware of the various sculpture trails of animals and characters for the past few years but hadn’t really taken much notice. A friend of mine is an illustrator and has painted a variety of sculptures including bees, elephants and a wallaby but unfortunately I haven’t managed to see them in the towns they have been displayed in. We recently spent the weekend with family in Ipswich where they had an Elmer trail, so one sunny afternoon we thought we would take a look at what it was all about.

I’ve read some of the Elmer books to Thing 1 and Thing 2 and they even have some clothes with the colourful patchwork elephant on so I thought this would be a great trail to take them on. Each Elmer we found had been painted by a different artist and was sponsored by a different organisation. The Things loved finding the actual Elmer and enjoyed the beautifully painted elephants we found. It was a great idea for getting us about the town – as well as being able to admire the art work we also got to explore Ipswich and found a great spot for lunch.

As we admired the colourfully painted elephants I began to wonder if these trails are a new take on a Greek vase. Throughout history artists have used sculpture and pottery to paint stories on. These elephants felt like our modern version. They were bold and bright and caught The Things attention. At the same time I was able to admire the artwork and read the stories. I particularly enjoyed the Elmer with paintings from local famous artists, including Constable and Gainsborough, as well as the elephant sponsored by the adoption and fostering service. This one in particular has some beautiful detail.

These pieces of sculpture are the perfect way for me to enjoy some free public visual art, open air and different towns, and still keep Things 1 and 2 entertained. I will definitely be looking out for more of these in the future.

I’ve always felt that street arts are the ultimate in accessible performance. You can plan to watch or just stumble across it, be a spectator for as long or as short as you like and there are usually free elements to street arts so money is not a barrier either.

I’ve been to the Devizes International Street Festival a couple of times before. This year I thought it was time to introduce The Things to this amazing event that is right on our doorstep.

When we arrived it was already hot. I’m a natural worrier but…I had already thought about the fact that the site didn’t have a fence so Things 1 and 2 would need to be in their pushchair or on reins the whole time. And how we would manage if it was very busy, when The Things would eat, where we could change them, etc. The heat added to my worries. Luckily we had Daddy with us and he doesn’t worry nearly as much which does calm me down.

There was a band playing as we walked towards to the Festival and Thing 1 and Thing 2 immediately started bopping away in their pushchair. They clapped at the end of each number and sat happily while I bought a programme. Before children I would have had a pen handy so that I could mark off all of the acts I wanted to see. I don’t like to miss anything. I had a look through the programme and realised that the day was going to be led by The Things and they probably weren’t going to sit through one performance, let alone several.

As the band played we put Things 1 and 2 on their reins and let them have a walk about. We wandered past an act having a joke with the gathered crowds. I thought The Things might want to stop but they were enjoying walking too much so I only caught a brief glimpse of that artist.

Then it was time for lunch. So back to the band where we used the double pushchair to create some shade. As we were finishing lunch Circus Raj began. We had pointed The Things in the direction of the performers, made sure they were shaded by the pushchair and hoped for the best. They didn’t move for the whole performance. They sat for over half an hour enjoying the juggling, tightrope walking, dancing, colourful performance. They clapped along with the crowd and we all had a great time.

After that success we packed everything up and went in search of the next performances. We stopped by Hocus Pocus but Thing 2 had clearly had enough and took Daddy off for a walk around the field. Thing 1 couldn’t see much of this performance but seemed to be enjoying dancing to the twinkling music before he decided he had also had enough. At this point we had two hot and restless toddlers that wanted to run around. I didn’t like the idea of putting them in the car while they were so fractious and I didn’t want to stay too close to the performers as it would disturb people. At this point we spotted the play park. A play park with a fence. Perfect!

After letting Thing 1 and Thing 2 run off some energy we decided it was time to head home. The Things had been great and in the heat too. A successful introduction to street theatre complete.

We’ve been going to the Rock The Tots gigs for a few months now and both The Things and I love them, so I was disappointed when they said they were taking a break over the summer. Then they announced their one off Summer Party. Great I thought, so I checked the venue. It was going to take place in an auditorium, with seats! Thing 1 and Thing 2 were never going to sit down, were they?

I thought long and hard about whether this was a suitable gig for my mischievous, active, music loving toddlers. I finally decided I could make it work as long as I had two things: 1. Plenty of snacks, 2. Another adult. So, with the help of Auntie P and a bag full of breadsticks I felt ready.

This was The Things first experience of a ‘real’ venue and I was pleased there were so many people already there when we arrived. I love the buzz of an audience and the anticipation and excitement whilst waiting in the foyer. We collected our egg shakers, found our seats and made a plan; Auntie P and I were going to sit with Things 1 and 2 between us. This way we could contain them….or at least attempt to.

To begin with both Thing 1 and Thing 2 sat quite happily in their seats, probably a combination of just having woken up and possibly being a bit overwhelmed by the space and the people. Once Craig and Steph got started though it was like a switch and Things 1 and 2 wanted to dance. There was plenty of space for two little toddlers to have a bop about in front of their chairs without getting in anyone’s way so we were all happy.

This gig lasted an hour. The longest performance I have ever attended with The Things, but with a combination of space for dancing, breadsticks, musical instruments to play and some great entertainment from Rock The Tots we made it through with two happy Things (and a very relieved Mummy and Auntie P!)

Both Thing 1 and Thing 2 enjoyed the added extras with this gig. Firstly, the graphics on the big screen. They spent a good ten minutes at the beginning pointing at the big moving sun. They loved the large, remote control flying fish (yes you read that right) which swam over the audience. The Things were doing their best impression of a fish the whole time. They also enjoyed the bubbles. But the highlight for all of us was the return of Olly the Octopus and his rendition of Insomnia.

We made it through this gig pretty unscathed. Me and The Things know what to expect from Rock the Tots and although we were in a different venue Thing 1 and Thing 2 seemed to remember what it was all about. It did however, confirm my thoughts that getting Things 1 and 2 to sit in seats during a performance is not going to happen right now. We need to stick to activities where toddlers can move or be sat on the floor. We’ve got plenty of time for sitting on seats in the future.

I have been following Music For Miniatures on social media for a while now so I was really happy when they announced a summer concert in a venue near us. I play classical music to Thing 1 and Thing 2 when I want them to calm down but they had never heard any live. They hadn’t seen a musical instrument up close either so I booked as soon as the dates were released.

Music For Miniatures perform concerts suitable for babies and toddlers. When we arrived at the venue I found a friendly informal set up with scarves and ribbons piled in the middle of the room and chairs set out around the edge. We had Granny with us for this concert (its always helpful to have at least the same number of adults to children when I don’t know a venue) so we found seats and The Things started to explore the space. They went straight for the scarves and ribbons which kept them amused until the concert began.

I really wasn’t sure how Things 1 and 2 were going to react to classical music. As the concert began Thing 1 sat on my lap. He was so mesmerised that he didn’t move for ten minutes. That has never happened before! During this time Thing 2 was happily standing in front of me swishing his ribbons and having a little dance. It was lovely to watch them so enthralled. After ten minutes Thing 1 joined his brother and danced along to the music. They were both really interested in the instruments and it was great to be in an environment where they could get so close to them, look at them and listen to how they all sound.

It does seem that 25 minutes is the limit for The Things concentration because that was when they started to run in circles. I very quickly got the snacks out and managed to divert Thing 2 to a seat next to Granny and Thing 1 on to my lap. That seemed to do the trick and they sat, snacked and enjoyed the music.

The end of the concert was well planned and had considered little ones attention spans, so there were plenty of pieces of music for the audience to move to. The theme of the concert was Musical Zoo and The Things enjoyed jumping like kangaroos and buzzing like bees. Flight of The Bumblebee is one of my favourite pieces of music so it was great to buzz along with my children.

We all thoroughly enjoyed this concert. There was plenty to entertain adults and toddlers and as always it was great for me to enjoy some music in an environment where it was ok for The Things to be mobile. I love that children can get so close to the musicians and the instruments at these concerts. I’m looking forward to more concerts in the future.

After the semi success of Thing 1 and Thing 2s first arts and crafts session (they only ate a few crayons) I thought it was time to start getting creative at home. First we purchased a little table and chairs (nothing too expensive as I foresee Things 1 and 2 decorating it with their own take on arts and crafts) and then I needed to think about what would be suitable for two excitable toddlers.

I decided to have a go at some homemade play dough. My Mum has always made her own and I remember enjoying it most when it was freshly made and still warm. So, I got the recipe from my Mum and bought the ingredients. My Grandparents took care of The Things whilst I set to work in the kitchen. I love to bake so this was a bit of fun for me. I have to admit at one point I was stirring what looked like a blue lumpy pond and I did start to wonder why I didn’t just buy some but I need not have worried. It all came together and looked a lot like I remembered.

While it cooled down, I raided my kitchen and baking accessories for cutters, etc that Thing 1 and Thing 2 could use with the dough. I really should have thought about this before I made the play dough but it turned out I have a few suitable things. I got The Things sat down and presented them with the still warm dough. They explored it, cutting, poking and prodding for a good ten minutes. After that I tried to teach them how to roll the dough in to sausage shapes or balls. They gave this a go for a few minutes but mainly enjoyed squashing anything I made.

The play dough was a hit. I enjoyed making it and we all enjoyed playing with it. The Things didn’t even try eating it (I expect that will happen at some point)! I will definitely be getting it out again.

Here is my Mums recipe for anyone who would like to give it a go –

2 cups plain flour

1 cup table salt

2 cups water

2 tablespoons cooking oil

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

Food colouring

(The cups can be any size as long as you use the same one for everything)

Put everything together in a large non-stick saucepan and stir all together. ‘Cook’ over a low heat until it starts to come away from the sides of the pan and look like dough. Cool. Keep in an airtight container.

Now that the summer holidays have started some of our regular activities have stopped for a few weeks and new activities are available for during the long break. Lots of these involve arts and crafts. I love a bit of art myself and find it very therapeutic to colour or make something. I have never let Thing 1 and Thing 2 anywhere near anything arty for fear of what they might do. Firstly I had no idea if they would sit still, or if they had any interest in colouring or making anything. But with so much about I thought maybe it was time to give it a go.

We joined some friends at Lacock Abbey (another chance to use our National Trust membership), who are running craft activities Monday to Friday during the school holidays. It’s a lovely set up with a gazebo in the botanical gardens. Two ticks to begin with, firstly, the gazebo offers shade plus there is plenty under the trees. Secondly, it’s a walled garden with plenty of space and only one way in and out so as long as I was between The Things and the exit, they couldn’t escape.

We headed straight for the craft gazebo as our friends had already begun. Thing 2 was having a little snooze so I had some rare one to one time with Thing 1. I have to say I was surprised. He sat down on a little seat, picked a crayon and started to make marks on the paper. He enjoyed picking different colours and in turn I was saying the different colours to him and he was repeating some of them. When Thing 2 woke up he happily sat down and joined in. The three of us sat for 20 minutes picking crayons, learning colours and colouring in. How lovely!

Once they had had enough Things 1 and 2 had a good run around the gardens with their friends and then we sat and ate a picnic. I was so surprised that after our picnic they headed back to the tables to colour. I got them some fresh paper and let them get on with it. I should have known it was all too good to be true, when I looked back both Things were eating the crayons. It didn’t matter how many times I said no, took the crayons away and removed Things 1 and 2 from the craft area, they always found their way back to eating crayons. I suspect they will have some colourful nappies later!

In the end I decided it was time for ice cream and we left.

Apart from eating the craft materials I was surprised at how long Thing 1 and Thing 2 were engaged in colouring and how much they were enjoying themselves. I’m definitely going to try out some more arts and crafts this summer and may even be brave enough to try at home, especially while I can let them make a mess outside.

I was very excited about taking Thing 1 and Thing 2 to experience theatre for the first time. I’ve been waiting for a piece aimed at their age at a venue not too far away and when I saw Paper Moon advertised at The Pound I booked straight away.

I love going to the theatre and I’ve been going for as long as I can remember. My childhood theatres are like a second home to me and I’ve even worked in them in the past. A lot of my career has been around audience development and I know that getting children into arts venues, getting them used to how it works and how to behave is the key to a life of enjoying live events.

We arrived at the venue early which gave me a moment to let The Things have a wander about – essential if they are going to need to sit still for any length of time. We were first to enter the studio. Thing 1 had made friends with the Usher but was happy to toddle away once we could get in the space. He took one look through the door and turned around, back to his new friend. Great. Thing 2 happily walked in so now I have to keep an eye on him while I coax Thing 1 in. Luckily for me one of our twin Mummy friends was also there so I had an extra pair of eyes. Eventually (with the help of a breadstick) I persuaded Thing 1 that is was ok to go in the room. I can only think he didn’t like the dark space as he had never experienced anything like it before.

As we entered the studio the Usher explained that we could sit anywhere but we needed to keep children behind the red line. I picked some pillows on the floor, near the front and away from a tempting door that I thought The Things were likely to try running out of. I took one look at the red line and my heart sank. How was I going to keep Things 1 and 2 from going over the red line? Of course, they wanted to go over the red line. It was red and on the other side they could see paper and paint. So tempting for a couple of adventurous toddlers! We were sat down for all of eight minutes before the performance was due to start so out came the breadsticks and cups of water. Luckily this worked.

Then something magical happened. When the first performer popped their head around a huge piece of paper they were mesmerised. They were actually watching the performance. Yes, I was amazed. I wasn’t sure how they were going to react so I was so pleased. They didn’t move for 10 minutes and any time after that, if they moved at all a breadstick made it in to their hands.

Paper moon was wonderful and pitched perfectly for Thing 1 and Thing 2. The language was lovely. One of the twins we were sitting with is a couple of months older than The Things and was repeating words. They were all smiling and laughing. The interaction was great and performers and props wandered around the small audience. They were even given a paper fish and at one point different bits of paper to explore along with the performers.

After about 25 minutes Thing 1 started to edge towards the red line. We were in the front row so I was trying to subtly get him back. He was edging very slowly and I was having flashbacks to AfterMirth comedy club where The Things got on stage. Then, as Thing 1 was right on the line, the performance was over. I took a sigh of relief. Perfect timing. And it really was. Just enough for Things 1 and 2 to get in to the performance and not long enough for them to lose interest.

Once the performance was over children walked up to the set and explored. Thing 1 and Thing 2 loved this. They loved exploring the area and all of the paper that had been the set and props.

This was a great experience for us. I now know The Things will stay still (with the help if breadsticks) for half an hour and they enjoyed the experience which means more theatre for me. Hurrah!