When Bath mums Jill Murphy and Lucy Taylor met at their local NCT group whilst pregnant with their first children, little did they know that their new friendship would develop into an exciting business venture. Skip forward a few years, these inventive mums have just launched their own business, Time Flies for Kids, designing and making magnetic travel activity packs for children aged five years and above.
“Like most parents, we care about making our children happy, we care about protecting the planet and we care about nurturing creativity,” said Lucy. “We know it’s tricky when you and your family are in certain situations or locations that aren’t so child friendly. The struggle is real! We couldn’t find a solution, so we made one.”
Lucy went on to explain that everything in the packs has been carefully designed or chosen by her and Jill to make them ideal for travel. The packs come in two themes, Space and Magical Forest, each containing a magnetic play tray hidden in the lid. This play tray can be used with a choice of four board games, their magnetic counters and a game spinner, all illustrated for the packs by local illustrator Kaz Lammie.
“Also, inside there are two activity books, one with themed activities to let the kids really show off their creativity, the other, a pocket-sized book of game ideas full of talking and writing games,” added Jill. “To complete the packs, there is a vibrant set of 12 recycled colouring pens in a handy cotton bag.
“Starting Time Flies for Kids has been scary but also so exciting. It took a bit of planning initially to work out how to fit everything around our families. Having someone to work with has made juggling things like helping out on school trips and chicken pox outbreaks much easier. Plus, we get to meet up every day to chat, oh and to work!”
Being environmentally minded, the duo have made sure that the packs have been created to make as small an impact on the planet as possible, with the packs and their contents being either recyclable, reusable or biodegradable. They have also teamed up with Tree Nation to plant a tree in Madagascar for every 10 packs that they sell.
While the main packs sell for £25 each, an activity books and little ideas book is also available for each themed box for £8, with a spare set of 12 recycled colouring pens costing £6.
To find out more visit www.timefliesforkids.com