National Unplugging day with Bugs in the Kitchen

As you all know , our family are great fans of games especially ones that the whole family can enjoy together and that are aimed for most ages so we were thrilled to be asked to review ''Bugs In The Kitchen'' by Ravensburger.

We are used to getting board games , you know the ones with a board and playing pieces with a dice to roll or a disc to spin  but this was among the choice we had to chose from that seemed to look different to the usual games we were used to , hense why we chose this for our latest review. 

''Bugs In The Kitchen'' is a game that is aimed for ages 6+ and for 2-4 players although my younger ones joined in and some even paired up to make teams so all were able to play together . 
This game costs around £19.99 and is available from most stores .

We chose this game due to the feature of the HexBug nano , I've never seen a game like it and as the younger boys aged 7 and 8 years love HegBugs , I knew they would like this .
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The interesting thing I found from the game is that the box was the actual carrier of the game and it turned into the board itself once put together which I loved.
There is nothing worse than having a flimsy box that is useless and usually rips after use and long term use and so using the packaging of the game and integrating it in the game itself makes it more appealing to me and there was very little waste to add to recycling afterwards also  .

There were a few bits to put together but it was very simple to do and the instructions were a great help with easy to follow steps so I did not even have to show the children how to do it , they simply done it all without my supervision.

This year will be the 3rd National Unplugging Day event on Sunday 25TH June (surprisingly this is my daughters birthday also ) so it will be hard for me to join in but I am willing to give it a go .

The idea is that for the whole 24hrs on this day only , all Gadgets are turned of and that means no phones, computers, consoles, televisions or any other electronic devices for that matter.
We want all parents around the UK to pledge #GoGadgetFree for just one day to encourage the traditional family values of spending time together and with friends too without the use of technology.

You may already be in the long battle with your child now if you have a child who loves nothing more in life than their best friend the mobile phone or one who hides screaming at a computer console in their spare time other than running around in the fresh air after school or at the weekend.
I have 8 children and all of mine are already showing signs that technology plays too much of an impact in their lives and yes it is my fault . I understand I should be taking control and using my parental role to show them that there is so much more to life than living it through a screen. I work from a computer myself so it is hard to step away .
I tried this last year and at first the children just sat there , staring at the black empty screen that I had turned of by the switch , motionless and unable to understand why I was doing it . I tried to explain to them that a world of wonderful things and adventures were waiting for them and there were so many other things they could be doing that would be fun and exciting.

This year , the event is held on Sunday and so being that it is a full day where you have no excuses that your working or they are in school , you have the whole day to plan something great for the family to do together and what we usually do is this .

As soon as we wake up , we all get our breakfast and get ready . Remember even an electric toothbrush is banned if its plugged in by the mains so ensure everything you are doing does not need electricity, batteries are OK in some things like a toothbrush for example but try not to , even little things like this get them using their body and mind a little more, it is all good practice .
We pack all the essentials we need to take a trip out such as a first aid kit and packed lunch or picnic and go out for the day . All phones including the parents mobiles are left at home and we definitely do not wear a watch .

OK so a watch you might add is not really a gadget but in my eyes they're the biggest gadget by far and they definitely interfere with family values. For example, to me , family means spending as much time as possible without the worry of anything of anyone getting in the way .
I love spending time together with them and I find lately we look down at our wrists too often worrying about time , being home for a certain time or having dinner at a certain time or even making sure we are in a certain place at a certain time. What would you do if time was not an issue?
We all say it many times and often share our thoughts about wishing we had more time on our hands and so for the #GoGadgetFree day , time is also one of the important things I put away along with my working on computers and social media networking .
One day with no gadgets or technology and no time to hurry or wait for .

We take a trip somewhere, usually to a park or a beach , even going a few hours drive away to see family we may never normally get to see. We have all the time and all the attention we need for one day to enjoy it all together as a family . o you know how much time I actually spend taking pictures of our day out rather than just enjoying it with my family?
The children take pens and paper with them instead of an IPad and make games up on their way . Good old fashioned I Spy games and counting coloured cars or clouds become fun and not something they would necessarily enjoy doing before.

We get to the destination and they're running around in the fresh air , playing with siblings and talking to family  when they would normally hide in their bedrooms or peer over the top of a screen with a quick ''Hi''!
You see them smiling more as they forget that they probably have around 100 emails, inboxes, missed calls from people who don't really matter and probably never met either but they're with you , for the first time in what seems like forever they're actually spending 100% of their time and attention with you as a family and it feels great.
Returning home , not due to the time but because they're all worn out from doing more and not sitting down all day , they're exhausted so you play a few board games before bed to wind down , read a few books , even talking to each other about how much fun you had and what your next plans are for your next family day .

Having an unplugging day is not just about getting away from the technology but it is more about remembering how family values are worth more than whats on the other side of the screen. Whats more important in life is always right in front of you and it costs nothing.

We love to play games , family values are encouraged so much more when your having fun , will you be joining in ?
This game is so fun , the idea is to make a trap for the '' Bug in the kitchen '' so that you can rid it from the area into one of the corners and trap it to remove it from the area . All you have to do it roll the dice, move one of the items the dice displays in any direction and make a clear path for it to walk straight into your trap. 
It is a rather quick game but this means they do not get bored easily and they found it rather exciting as you can see.