Tried & Tested: GeoSafari® Jr. Subscope™
- Laura Hutchinson Posted On Jul 14, 2017 | Community
Product Testing: GeoSafari® Jr. Subscope™Name: Niki from Play and Learn EverydayAge of children: 3 and 5
Niki is a former teacher and deputy headmistress. She is currently a full time, stay at home mum to her two young children, doing as many fun and educational activities as they can each day. What were your first thoughts when the toy arrived?The Subscope looks really impressive; the kids were so excited as soon as I pulled it out of the box! They couldn’t wait to give it a try and knew almost immediately when looking at it what it could be used for.
What is the long term appeal?We will be able to use the Subscope in different situations; it will probably even come on holiday with us!
Fun Factor: 4/5Educational Benefits: 5/5Ease of use: 5/5 *For more fun follow Play and Learn Everyday on Facebook, twitter and Instagram!
Niki is a former teacher and deputy headmistress. She is currently a full time, stay at home mum to her two young children, doing as many fun and educational activities as they can each day. What were your first thoughts when the toy arrived?The Subscope looks really impressive; the kids were so excited as soon as I pulled it out of the box! They couldn’t wait to give it a try and knew almost immediately when looking at it what it could be used for."I cannot even express to you just how excited Ethan was when this Subscope arrived for him to play with!”How did you use it?We filled up some buckets with water and some shells and special rocks from our recent holiday to Cornwall to examine.
"The Subscope couldn't be easier to use, you just put one end into the water and put your eyes up to the other end.”What are the educational benefits?The Subscope is great for STEM learning, exploring and having a closer look at things that you can then use as a springboard for many different activities. What did you like/dislike about the toy?We really like that the Subscope is so easy to use, both children were able to pick it up and use it straight away.
What is the long term appeal?We will be able to use the Subscope in different situations; it will probably even come on holiday with us!"The next step is to take our Subscope down to the river to do some real investigating; the children are definitely going to love that!”Is it unique?It is very unique. I have definitely never seen anything like it! Would you recommend it to a friend? Yes, definitely. The Final Score:
Fun Factor: 4/5Educational Benefits: 5/5Ease of use: 5/5 *For more fun follow Play and Learn Everyday on Facebook, twitter and Instagram! 
(Photo Credit: http://www.teacherbythebeach.com)A ‘reading buddies’ box is a good way to allow structured time with cuddly toys and provides an incentive to spend time in the reading corner. 
(Photo credit: missteachwise.blogspot.com)Children respond well to 
(Photo credit: alove4teaching.blogspot.co.uk)Children complete activities at different speeds so it’s handy to have a pre-made “I’m Done!” jar to keep early finishers occupied. Tasks could include silent reading, making lists, 
(Picture credit: www.weareteachers.com)Pegs work wonders to keep track of homework and activity sheets. Label a peg for each child in your class so that they can clip it to their work when they hand it in. Any remaining pegs will quickly show whose is missing!
(Photo credit: shelleytpins)Create a teacher post-box to open the lines of communication between you and your class. This means that things they don’t feel comfortable talking about face to face or notes from parents can go into the box for you to respond to privately. 
(Photo credit: missgiraffesclass.blogspot.co.uk)Create a box for children to return lost items! It can be frustrating when one piece is missing from a game or puzzle but this simple method provides a chance for them to make their way back home! 
It’s inevitable that a classroom will get messy! Make clean-up time fun with your very own ‘tidy up tune’. Primary Teacher, Miss Moore, uses ‘
When was the Green Britain Centre established and what does it aim to achieve?
The Green Britain Centre was built and completed in 1999 as part of a millennium project. It is a cutting edge, sustainable building made from a wooden frame. When it launched, the building was the first of its kind and the project focused mainly on compost and recycling. In 2012 the centre became part of the 
We also have the 
In our gardens we house a solar tracker which follows the suns rays all day long, converting them into electricity. The solar panel is equipped with two thin layers of silicone – as the daylight hits the top layer, the electrons ‘jump’ to the lower layer, creating a current.
We also have organic gardens that we use to grow fresh produce for our café which features a fully vegan menu. All produce is organic and locally sourced where possible so we can proudly say that our food travels from the grower directly to your plate.
How do you educate schools about sustainability?We run a 
*Browse our 
Fresh Veggies Day is on the 16th of June and emphasises the importance of eating fresh fruit and vegetables every day.Liz Roffe is our Sales Office Manager and resident vegetable grower! We caught up with her to find out about her vegetable patch and asked for hints, tips and recipe inspiration in celebration of Fresh Veggies Day! Where is your vegetable patch and how long have you had it for?
Our veggie patch is part of our garden and we have had it since moving in, so around nine years.It’s nice having it as part of the garden as you can just pop out and get fresh veggies for tea each evening (you’ve got to have obligatory veggies for tea in our house!) What vegetables do you grow and which is your favourite?We grow a range of veggies including: carrots, parsnips, sweet corn, butternut squash, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, peas, broad beans, leeks, spinach, potatoes, onions, beetroot, runner beans, French beans & broccoli. My favourite is freshly picked sweet corn, you can’t beat it!
(Liz’s sweet corn plants in the greenhouse before being planted)
(Liz’s sweet corn plants after being planted) What is the easiest vegetable to grow, and which one takes the most effort?I grow most of my plants from seeds in pots before planting them in the patch. Things like carrots, potatoes and parsnips are planted directly. The easiest things to grow are sweet corn and butternut squash as, once planted in the patch, they pretty much look after themselves. Carrots, beetroot and parsnips just need a bit of thinning out and covering but apart from that they are quite easy to look after too.
How much time goes in to maintaining the patch?Once the veggies are planted it’s just a case of keeping the weeds down and watering them when it’s hot. Initially it can be a little time consuming but just doing the odd 15 minutes here and there is enough to keep on top of things. What are the biggest challenges when growing your own veg?Bugs and slugs! We do our best to use natural remedies and nets to keep them at bay. What time of year do you reap the rewards of your efforts?We try to have things in the garden all year round but there are some times at the beginning of the year when things are a little sparse. It’s normally from July/August onwards when we have an abundance of veggies.
How do you keep the soil rich and nutritious?My husband David and I compost all of the leaves from the garden and use it on the veggie patch. We also add horse manure. Once a year, to help keep the soil light, we add recycled compost from a nursery, normally a tractor trailer load.
(David ploughing with his Anzani Iron Horse, a piece of horticultural machinery from 1945) What advice would you give to somebody who was thinking about starting a vegetable patch? Do it! Even if you don’t grow things from seeds you can get veggie plants ready to set out from garden centres. However small a patch, there is nothing better that having fresh veggies straight from the garden. Do you have any special recipes you can share with us?As we get quite a lot of butternut squash I make soup which is lovely.
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