Category: Indoor Activities

The Great British Bake-Off is a much-loved show that often inspires viewers to get baking themselves.

If you’re looking for a fun baking project to do with your kids, why not try making a digger cake? Digger cakes are both fun to make and decorate, and they’re sure to be a hit with any construction-loving child. Get inspired with our recipe and spend some quality time with your little ones bringing their favourite digger toy to life with JCB Explore!

Ingredients

You will need:

• Two portions of sponge cake mix
• Black and yellow food colouring
• Ready made chocolate buttercream
• Pack of chocolate fingers
• Melted chocolate
• Chocolate biscuits

Method

A digger cake is a fun and impressive-looking dessert that is perfect for construction-themed parties or any other special occasion.

When it comes to creating the perfect digger cake, there are a few key elements you’ll need to get right.

First, you’ll need to bake two batches of sponge cake – one mixed with yellow food colouring and one with black or chocolate.

Once the cake is cooled, cut each horizontally to create thin layers.

Carefully stack the yellow and black cake on top of each other, alternating colours to create a stripe effect. This will resemble the construction signage pattern and will be the star of the show once the cake is cut.

Decoration

Spread a layer of chocolate buttercream over the top and sides of the cake. Then stick chocolate fingers around the edge of your cake to create a fence effect.

In order to achieve the most genuine effect, it is important to cut down the chocolate fingers and sponge cake at the front of the cake so that it resembles an excavated site.

Once this is done, use a piping bag to pipe melted chocolate over the excavated area. Doing this will create a dripping effect that makes the cake look even more realistic.

You can also sprinkle some crushed chocolate biscuits around to create a rubble effect. 

Finally, allow the chocolate to set before serving the cake. This will ensure it looks its best when presented to family and friends.

Finishing touches

Now that your digger cake has been assembled and decorated, it’s time to add the finishing touch.

Place a small plastic digger toy (JCB Mini Moverz are perfect for this) on top of the cake and sprinkle some more biscuit crumbles over it.

Just remember to keep an eye on the little ones so they don’t try to take a bite out of the digger!

If you have a little builder in your life, then you know how important it is to encourage their creativity. Baking a digger cake together is a great way to do just that. Not only is this a fun activity, but it’s also a great way to bond with your child. And when they see the cake come to life, they’ll be over the moon. So what are you waiting for? Give our recipe a try today.

One of the most important parts of any children’s party is the food. Whether you are hosting or attending, your kids will be happy if they have a great meal to enjoy! The best way to make sure that your party is a success is of course to plan ahead. And when you think about it, planning ahead for the food might be one of the most important things on your list. To make things a little bit easier, we have compiled a list of some of the best party food ideas to try! All kids are sure to love it just as much as their parents.

Themed cupcakes

Every party has a different theme and sometimes the preparation is more difficult than you would think so make sure you allow enough time. One of the all-time favorite things to serve at a party are themed cupcakes. They are so simple to make, but they look like something you would order from a cake connoisseur. These can be served as appetisers or dessert! Just bake the cupcakes and buy some ready made toppings that match the colour and theme of the party and go creative.

Shaped biscuits

Want to serve something special but easy to make? Why not make biscuits in shapes! It’s easy and fun. They are perfect for any age group, and they’re so much more interesting than just regular old round shaped biscuits. You could try cutting out the shapes with cookie cutters, or just using a knife. And if you’re organising a construction themed party, our already famous digger biscuits will be just perfect! Download our easy to follow recipe with the cutter template and create your own digger-shaped biscuits! 

Mini-pizzas

Who doesn’t love pizza? This all-time favourite is a winner for any party. Some kids can be picky eaters so pizza is a safe option to serve alongside other, more unusual options. Mini pizzas are perfect for little hands and are very easy to make. You can use a ready base or make it yourself using the classic recipe. It’s good to make a few different flavours, including meat-free and dairy free versions.

Coloured lemonade

Lemonade is another crowd pleaser and kids’ favourite so it’s probably the best drink option to serve at a party. However, it’s good to add a bit of a twist to its classic recipe just to make it a little more original. Use spirulina powder to turn the lemonade green or blue or swap the ice cubes for frozen raspberries or cherries for extra flavour, colour and texture!

As winter has well and truly arrived and it’s too cold to play outside, it can be challenging to keep your little ones entertained. 

It can be easy for children to be glued to a screen during the colder months. Whether that is a television or a games console, too much screen time can be harmful to a child. Despite the grey, cloudy skies, winter needn’t be dull and there is plenty of fun to be had indoors. 

If you’re struggling to find ways to keep your children occupied, there’s no need to worry. We have compiled a list of 5 fun activities you can do with your kids indoors, when it’s too cold and dark to go outdoors, that are not only great fun but will help to develop their manual skills and creative thinking. 

Some fun stay at home activities for kids include:

• Baking
• Colouring
• Games (not digital games!)
• Constructive play

Now, let’s break these down and look at how you can make some of these activities fun for children.

Indoor activities for kids

1. Have fun with baking 

Being able to bake is an amazing skill to have and the earlier your child starts baking the better. Baking is a great way to spend time with your child whilst having a lot of fun. Not only that, you both get to enjoy a nice treat at the end.  Baking themed cakes or biscuits are perfect for encouraging your child to try their hand at baking. It could be characters from their favourite films or even their favourite animals. If your little one is an aspiring construction worker then our JCB digger biscuit recipes are bound to go down a treat. 

2. Get lost with colouring

It has been proven that colouring has a calming effect, promotes creativity and is ideal for engrossing anyone – especially children. Maybe your child likes flowers, or perhaps they have an interest in animals. Whatever your child enjoys, there are colouring books for just about everything. Does your child love construction? Then we have JCB-themed colouring sheets so your young one can colour their favourite machines to their heart’s content.

3. Pick up a book 

Reading shouldn’t just be kept for bedtime. Have you ever been so engrossed in a book that time just flies by? Well, reading with your child not only helps to teach them to read, but it also helps them to use their imagination and have a great time doing so. There are so many children’s books out there that you are bound to find one that your child will love. Find your child’s interest and fuel their passion. 

4. Enjoy wordsearches

Learning new words is crucial for the development of children and wordsearches are a fun way to encourage your child to broaden their vocabulary. Our wordsearches for kids are perfect for the little keen-eyed construction fan. 

5. Play builder

Is your child dexterous with their hands? If so, encourage their inner builder with building activities and toys. Constructive play is all about using objects materials to build and play – helping to develop a child’s sense of the world around them and manipulating it to create something new.  Building towers and playing with construction toys are both forms of constructive play. Construction toys and constructive play go hand in hand. If you’re interested in encouraging your children to participate in constructive play, then activities like our Build Your Own Hydradig activity are perfect for doing so.