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familiesse.co.uk
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Summer holiday fun For 4—8 year olds
Drama courses on the magical theme of Peter Pan Throughout July and August, our five day drama, dance and singing courses will take your child on an amazing journey to Neverland. All material is specially written and our experienced leaders will ensure all children enjoy the fun! Call 0845 400 1277 or visit perform.org.uk/peterpan
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ISSUE NO. 160
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JUNE 2014
THE BIG NEWS this month is that we’ve had a facelift (no not me; although I could do with getting my roots done ‘ere too long). We’ve had the virtual decorators in to declutter and repaint our website, as it were. If you’ve not logged on in a while - do have a look. Familiesonline now has more of a national face, bringing together the collective wisdom of all of the local editions (40+ on the last count), but you can still enjoy the best of southeast London by popping the first part of your postcode into the top left corner. All your favourites are still there - our current magazine and back issues as online versions; the constantly updated What’s On listings; our directory of local services; education, health and parenting articles and much more. Happy reading! Robina Cowan, editor
IN THIS ISSUE 2-3 Local News and Views Hands-on with The Hive; brilliant bookshops; lovely cheesecakes and local charities
4 Education News Cooking with Jamie; reading with children and learning BSL
5 Active Imaginations Child psychologist Dr Amanda Gummer explains how important imagination is in developing lifelong skills
6 Holiday Workshops Summer daycamps and workshops to entertain your little darlings during the school holidays
7 Book Review Page
LocalNews email your news to editor@familiesse.co.uk
n Ups News for Grow WIN a cheesecake Everybody say “Cheeeese!” Cheesecakes are the perfect addition to summer celebrations, whether parties, picnics, family lunches, coffee mornings or supper with friends at yours. Think cheesecake - think Love A Slice. The family-run business is a very friendly and popular cafe at 260 High Street, Beckenham, with a tasty sideline in home deliveries across southeast London. They have around 80 (yes really) cheesecakes to choose from - and you could win one! COMPETITION: One lucky Families reader will win a lip-smacking cheesecake delivered to their door, worth up to £40. Five runners up will receive a 20% off voucher to use instore or for a home delivery. To enter, simply visit www.loveaslice.com to choose your cheesecake, then email editor@familiesse.co.uk with “I Love a Slice” in the subject line, and tell us which cheesecake you’d like to win, and include your name, phone number and address. Feel free to tell us if it’s for a special occasion! The closing date is 4 July 2014 (it’s independence day in the US - home of the cheesecake - see what we did there?). For full terms and conditions, see our website.
Justine Crow on books, and family life
8-11 You and Your Baby Choices in childcare; expert help in southeast London; plus sorting the baby-buy essentials from those you don’t need
11 Family Holidays Joanna Moorhead on how to have a proper holiday when you’re parents
12-17 What’s On Families’ whopping six page guide to summer events, festivals, shows and family workshops
18 What’s New ‘Dad skills’ workshops; changes to support for children with disabilities; safe summer swimming and new products we rate
19 Going Without Gadgets Digital burnout and risky wifi - why it’s good idea to be a more unplugged family
20 The Back Page Local business contacts to make your life easier
Front cover: Bike print shirt £9, animal WOW t-shirt £4,
twill trousers £11, all M&Co. 0800 0317 200, www.mandco.com Next Issue out: 26 June, deadline 9 June Families South East, PO Box 11591, London SE26 6WB 020 8699 7240, www.familiesse.co.uk, editor@familiesse.co.uk © Families South East. We take every care preparing this magazine, but the publishers and distributors cannot be held responsible for the claims of advertisers nor for the accuracy of the contents nor for any consequence. Families South East is part of the Families group, established in 1990 and headed by Families South West. All franchised magazines in the group are independently owned and operated under licence.
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families south east - june 2014
Bookshop of the year The team at Dulwich Books are justifiably over the moon on being named Independent Bookshop of the Year 2014. Having been the London regional prize-winning bookshop for the Bookseller Awards and shortlisted for Independent Bookshop of the Year for Great Britain and Ireland, grabbing the crown is something to celebrate. The bookshop runs regular events, stocks thousands of great reads and is run by a team who really know their stuff. Find them at 6 Croxted Road SE21 8SW, 020 8670 1920, www.dulwichbooks.co.uk.
Your round? If you know southeast London like the back of your hand, have a car and free time to spare once a month, by joining Families’ delivery team you could earn yourself some money. We often have vacancies delivering to local shops, nurseries, schools, cafés and libraries. The magazine comes out at the beginning of each month, and deliveries can be completed within school hours. If you’re interested, please email info@familiesse.co.uk with ‘Delivering Families magazines’ in the subject line, with your phone number and any questions you have.
Handyman heroes More than half (57%) of UK adults pay a handyman to do some or all of a number of relatively straightforward jobs around their home, according to a study conducted for Ocean Finance. 1 in 10 would hire a handyman to put up a shelf; 1 in 10 would hire someone to bleed their radiators; and 7% would call in a professional to assemble flat pack furniture. However, paying someone to do work in the home might not be a totally false economy, as one in 10 people say their previous attempt at DIY has led them to hire a professional anyway. In fact, 11% of respondents admitted they have at some point had to pay someone to fix their DIY disasters. So, if you’re not the most practical parents on the block - you’re not alone! Here at Families, we always give Shaun the Handyman a call first. He’s fixed furniture for us, hung doors, installed light fittings and much more - he comes recommended. Call Shaun on 020 8249 3264 or see his website www.shaunthehandyman.co.uk. Q: What is a volcano? A: A mountain with hiccups!
hildren C r fo s ie it v ti c A Back to nature with The Hive The Hive is a new daycamp that brings together iPod technology, gaming mechanics and nature exploration to offer exciting outdoors missions for children 7-11. The Hive daycamps provide children with unique hands-on nature experiences, cool tech, great team building, a bit of competition and an opportunity to learn new skills every day! From geocaching to fire making, wildlife tracking, whittling, bee keeping, gardening, or potion making, not only is every day at The Hive different but children get to use real tools to solve real problems with results they can be proud of! The Hive will be running weekly daycamps throughout the summer holidays in the beautiful grounds of Eltham College with two new exciting missions! For more information and to make the most of taster offers, email info@thehive-kids.com or go to www.thehive-kids.com.
Ten years of tales Specialist children’s bookshop Tales on Moon Lane is celebrating ten years of success with a week-long celebration from 30 June - 4 July at Dulwich Picture Gallery. Special guests will include Axel Scheffler, Anthony Horowitz, Anthony Browne, Cressida Cowell, Dan Freedman, ET Harper, Liz Pichon and Tamara Macfarlane. All are welcome but book first: call 020 7274 5759, email tenyearsoftales@gmail.com, online at www.talesonmoonlane.co.uk/events, or in person, instore at Tales on Moon Lane, 25 Half Moon Lane, Herne Hill SE24.
Sydenham Arts Festival Sydenham Arts Festival is southeast London’s biggest arts and culture spectacular - with poetry, film, theatre, comedy, visual arts, workshops and open-air events packed into sixteen days of fun and excitement. Running from 5-20 July 2014, family-friendly highlights include award-winning author of The HundredMile-An-Hour Dog, Jeremy Strong, and a classical music concert and workshop with Toy Symphony. There will also be multiple outdoor performances of Romeo and Juliet for children - with cat and dog puppets, while Screen Sydenham: A Century of Cinema will show the classic Disney’s Lady and the Tramp as well as hosting a young people’s film workshop and special screening for the over 12s. There will be special guest storytimes at Kirkdale Bookshop, five hours of free live music, dance and street performance with Street Celebration and the amazing inflatable Colourscape will be among lots of attractions at the Arts in the Park, Family Fun Day. For the full line-up, look out for the printed programme in local shops, cafés and libraries, or book online at www.sydenhamartsfestival.co.uk.
harities Campaigns & C Go dotty for Demelza Local schools, companies and individuals are signing up to Go Dotty for Demelza from 13-20 June and raise vital funds for Demelza Hospice Care for Children during Children’s Hospice Week. This year for the first time specially designed dotty t-shirts are being sold at just £5 each in Demelza charity shops, or call the fundraising department on 020 8859 9800. Demelza’s Dotty mascot will also be out and about spotting those taking part. For more information, to download a fundraising pack or request a visit from Dotty, go to www.demelza.org.uk. Children’s Hospice Week will culminate with Hero Friday. Dress up as your hero and help raise money to provide 24/7 care for seriously ill children. It could be your favourite pop star, actor, sports personality or superhero. Or maybe your hero is a family member or friend who has made a world of difference to you. See www.childrenshospiceweek.org.uk.
Clothes for charity Local charities could raise further funds by joining forces with Clothes for Charity. The organisation is inviting charities to sign up and enjoy the various benefits of being featured on the Clothes for Charity site, including having donations of £200 chosen by donors to be sent directly to them. The clothing donation service already has hundreds of high-profile charities listed as partners, including The Christie, Refuge, the Rainbow Trust and Centrepoint, as well as more niche charities like Bipolar Scotland, Daisy’s Dream and LionAid. Now they are calling out to more charities to register as partners with them and be able to be chosen by thousands of donors to receive important donations. To find out more or order a donation bag, visit their website: www.clothesforcharity.org.uk.
Me 4 MEfA Autism Awareness Southeast London charity Montessori Education for Autism (MEfA) runs after-school nurture groups for primary school children with autism. Held at Mycenae House, 'Montessori Moles' is for children who are having difficulties at school because of their autism, including behaviour, social interactions, communication and sensory integration. The charity recently launched a new fundraising campaign at Blackheath High School for Girls, where Me 4 MEfA director Wendy Fidler gave a presentation at a whole school assembly. She says: "Blackheath High School is the first school to sign up and we hope more schools will support us by each raising £100. The campaign will help us to reach more families with autism and raise awareness of the needs of children with autism in schools and in the community." To find out more, contact MEfA: 020 8305 2202 or 0771 0433 994, www.montessorieducationforautism.com.
The Hive is a new Day Camp that brings together iPod technology, gaming mechanics and nature exploration to offer exciting outdoor missions for children 7-11.
Contact caroline@thehive-kids.com 020 3291 3791 / 07815 966 635 WWW.THEHIVE-KIDS.COM for programme, prices and location
familiesse.co.uk
From geocaching to fire making, wildlife tracking, whittling, bee keeping, gardening or potion making, The Hive provides children with unique hands-on nature experiences, cool tech, great team building, a bit of competition and an opportunity to learn new skills every day! Kids play, experiment, explore. They use real tools to solve real problems with results they can be proud of in a fast-paced, hands-on and exciting outdoor environment!
june 2014 - families south east
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Education News
Imagination for the Everyday Early years Drama www.theatretots.com Weekly classes in Lee, Blackheath and Hither Green Schools, nurseries and parties too! info@theatretots.com - 07801072776
Tiny Tots age 2.5-3
Little Aces Junior Champs Grand Slammers age 3-4
age 5-7
age 8-11
fun filled tennis games and activities indoors with sponge balls and mini tennis rackets
FREE introductory session phone
07877 391005
Education News It’s a wrap with Jamie Sydenham High School’s cookery suite was a hive of activity when twelve lucky girls got the chance to cook with Jamie Oliver. The girls, from years 8 and 9, linked with over 3,000 fellow students around the globe in a record-breaking, live video cookery lesson run by the popular TV chef and food campaigner, organised by the Times Education Supplement. The girls first watched Jamie take them through the recipe and then, supervised by cookery teacher Ms Mikkaila McKeever-Willis and Assistant Head Mr Craig Batty, they got chopping, grating and mixing to create their own Rainbow Salsa Wraps - and very tasty they were too! The event was the focus of Food Revolution Day which aims to educate children about making better food choices. “This was a great opportunity for the girls to be part of a unique worldwide event and to build on the cookery skills they will need to help them live healthy lives,” said Headteacher Kathryn Pullen. “We introduced cookery as an enrichment activity in September and it has proved popular from year 7
to our sixth formers. We are looking forward to the major refurbishment of our cookery suite over the summer and the increased opportunities this will give us to give as many of our students as possible the chance to be inspired to cook”. Sydenham High is a GDST school for girls, with a junior and senior department. For admissions criteria, open day dates and more, go to www.sydenhamhighschool.gdst.net.
www.tennis-4-kids.com email: gordon@tennis-4-kids.com
A book before bedtime Once upon a time, parents used to sit down with their children every night and share a bedtime story. This family-favourite tradition is today facing a sharp decline due to younger parents falling out of favour with the tradition of reading to their children before bed. A poll for reading charity Booktrust, shows that younger parents (aged under 24 years) score bedtime reading far less favourably than previous generations of parents (now aged 55+), with only 28% of younger parents voting reading a bedtime story to their pre-school child as their favourite part of their day compared to 42% of older parents. When it comes to men, the split is even more dramatic: only 19% of younger dads say they enjoy sharing the bedtime read with their children, compared to a massive 78% those aged 55+. Booktrust Chief Executive, Viv Bird, said: “If parents can manage to share a bedtime story every day, their child will be 12 months ahead when they start school. Even reading to them two or three times a week gives them a six-month head start.” Booktrust wants to encourage parents to read to their children as often as possible. It’s not just about academic success - the bedtime story is a lovely way for parents and children to relax and spend time together. Bookstart is a national programme that works through locally based organisations to give a free pack of books to babies and pre-schoolers, with guidance materials for parents and carers. See www.booktrust.org.uk.
British sign language With around 85 per cent of deaf children attending a mainstream school in England, the country’s leading awarding body for qualifications in deaf communication, Signature, is urging families to learn British Sign Language (BSL) to ensure their children are equipped with the skills needed to communicate with deaf peers. Figures from the Consortium for Research into Deaf Education (CRIDE) show that there are around 38,000 deaf children in England, which is an increase of 9% in just two years. Signature chief executive, Jim Edwards, said: “It’s great fun for families to learn BSL together, ensuring that both parents and children are able to communicate with an ever-increasing deaf population.” He added: “It has been demonstrated that children who learn BSL have increased concentration and motivation in the classroom, as well as high levels of confidence, better spoken communication skills and behaviour.” Signature is also encouraging schools to teach BSL to children in Key Stages one to four, and has created a short introductory video demonstrating 11 BSL words and phrases including ‘hello’, ‘friend’ and ‘please’ so that teachers can take 15 minutes out of their day to introduce pupils to basic sign language: see http://www.signature.org.uk/eleven-signs. For information on courses, go to www.signature.org.uk.
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families south east - june 2014
familiesse.co.uk
Family life
Active imaginations The long summer holidays are just around the corner, providing a great opportunity for children discover new things - but where to start? Child Psychologist Dr Amanda Gummer has been working with Maynards Discovery Patch to champion the importance of an active imagination in both adults and children. We asked her how it works. “An active imagination is a wonderful thing - it allows us to enter a world of make believe and fantasy, as well as enabling us to think about how to handle situations in the real world that have not yet happened. Imagination can help children to make sense of the real word. Imagining what the other side of a wall might look like can help us to predict what might be around the corner and thus be prepared for whatever we encounter. There are two different known types of imagination: Imitative imagination and creative imagination. With imitative imagination, people use the information they have experienced to recreate role or events (but with their own personal views), while creative imagination involves mental imagery or photos, which children can use to understand events that they have never experienced. Parents can use a combination of the two approaches to enhance their children’s imagination. By allowing children to use their imagination from an early age, they will subsequently become equipped with skills that they can later in adult life, making them more flexible and successful. Parents and guardians can play a very active role in this, simply by challenging children and encouraging them to develop their learning process and enable them to be self-expressive.”
Dr Amanda Gummer’s top tips to promote an active imagination •
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Not always giving children the answers to everything they ask, instead, it is beneficial for children to try and think about their own answers, so parents should feel free to enable this to happen Spark a child’s imagination with joint story time the parent can start a story then it’s up to the child to continue it. This can be played out by alternating the story leader role between you, giving the child a chance to think about what they would like to happen. For inspiration, use these four key areas to build the story - setting (when does it take place), location (where is it), the hero (the goodie!) and the villain (the baddie). The rest is up to you! • Using imaginative language. Phrases such as ‘I wonder what...’ or ‘imagine if...’ can help children think more imaginatively and incorporate hypothetical or fantasy ideas into their everyday lives, helping them to imagine what it might feel like to be in a certain situation and empathise Ask open ended questions - this provides children with an element of freedom in which they can construct their answers without indoctrinating adult views onto them Don’t feel the pressure to constantly amuse and stimulate children. Allowing them to feel a little bored will encourage them to use their own devices for entertainment - allowing them to understand what sparks their own imagination and enjoy their creativity.
An active imagination is a wonderful thing - it allows us to enter a world of make believe and fantasy....
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Dr Amanda Gummer’s top 5 imagination tools 1
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Augmented reality and interactive apps (such as the Maynards Discovery Patch Explore & Play app) provide an exciting avenue for new depths of discovery during family playtime. They can excite a child’s imagination and help them to interact with ideas that they simply would not have thought about The use of imagery or photos can help children to understand events that they have never experienced - e.g. imagining travelling to the moon via a photograph of an astronaut Pretend play can help children gain perspective - giving them an understanding of how to react Model play - parents can demonstrate what to do in a certain situation as this promotes creativity - acting out situations or scenarios can help them gain a clear understanding of how this might apply in real life Establishing a secure and safe environment where the child can freely express themselves, sharing made up songs or performing poems will enable them to learn through self discovery, safe in the knowledge that their parents are interested and supportive.
Read more Dr Amanda Gummer (independent expert) is working with Maynards Discovery Patch on promoting the importance of an active imagination. For more tips and ideas on how you can inspire your family’s imagination, visit www.facebook.com/MaynardsUK. Maynards Discovery Patch is a new range of fruit flavour jelly sweets, all wrapped up with bags of fun facts and quizzes to share. The Discovery Patch Explore app is free to download from www.maynardsdiscoverypatch.co.uk.
SUMMER WORKSHOPS BOOKING NOW!
ACTING Ages 3 yrs - 19 yrs
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SINGING * STREET DANCE * PERFORMING ARTS BOOK A FREE TRIAL CLASS TODAY! South East London
0208 244 4873 www.freedomacademy.co.uk
familiesse.co.uk
info@freedomacademy.co.uk
june 2014 - families south east
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ACT DRAMA
CATS WITH STAGECOACH
FROZEN WITH GDND
THE HIVE
Summer Holiday Workshops (now booking) Not long to go now until the long summer holidays are upon us. If you need safe, supervised childcare with heaps of fun thrown in, these workshops and daycamps are already booking. For even more, check out “Things to Do” at www.familiesse.co.uk. PETER PAN - PERFORM SUMMER WORKSHOP 28 July - 1 August in BLACKHEATH and DULWICH, 0845 400 1277, www.perform.org.uk Children can take a magical trip to Neverland with Peter Pan, Wendy, John and Michael as they help rescue Tinkerbell from the dastardly Captain Hook. Perform’s energetic young team of actors, musicians and dancers will be with them every step of the way to inspire and encourage. Using funky dance and quick-witted improvisation, the five day course is a dazzling adventure guaranteed to fire their imaginations. With colourful costumes, original songs and live music, the fun-packed week will end with a fantastic show for family and friends. £149 per child, sibling discount available.
GAMBADO HOLIDAY ACTIVITY CAMP 28 July - 29 August, GAMBADO BECKENHAM, NatWest Sports Ground, Copers Cope Road, Beckenham BR3 1NZ, 020 8662 6910, www.gambado.com Daylong fun in Gambado’s huge indoor playcentre, with an actionpacked programme of activities that change daily, and a day trip each week. The scheme offers Ofsted registered childcare with fun and caring staff. Open 8.30am-5.30pm with the option to book half days or extend from 8am to 6pm. Ages 4-12 years, £39 per day, 5 days from £169 includes lunch, a two-course hot evening meal and snacks. Book by 2 July for Early Bird discounts, childcare voucher payments available.
PETER PAN WITH PERFORM
SUPERCAMPS FREEDOM ACADEMY HOLIDAY WORKSHOPS 28 July - 22 August in FOREST HILL, SYDENHAM and DULWICH, 020 8244 4873 or 07530 061 658, www.freedomacademy.co.uk THE GRUFFALO, 28 July - 1 August and 11-15 August. Follow the mouse through the woods on the hunt for the Gruffalo! With songs and dances along the way children will recreate this small magical tale in a five day workshop for 3-6 year-olds. 9am-12noon and 1-4pm, £90 per child, sibling discount available. ALIENS LOVE UNDERPANTS, 4-8 and 18-22 August. Join the Aliens on their fun packed all singing all dancing adventure to earth. Each week will be filled with fun, games and of course lots of underpants!! Ages 3-6 years, 9am-12noon and 1-4pm, £90 per child, sibling discount available. POP ACADEMY, 4-8 August. Star in a music video and record your own CD! Budding performers will work with expert vocal coaches before stepping into the studio to record a CD. Groups will then join the fantastic choreographer and learn the routine they will perform in a fabulous music video. Ages 7-18 years, 9am-3.30pm, £150 per child, sibling discount available. FILM SCHOOL, 18-22 August. Write, direct and star in a film! Professional actors and directors will take the children out on location to shoot their own film, with a premiere for friends and family on the final day. Ages 7-18, 9am-3.30pm, £150 per child, sibling discount available.
FUNKY MONKEY KEYBOARDS
CREATIVE WRITING WITH INKHEAD
CATS - STAGECOACH SUMMER WORKSHOP
28 July - 22 August, HERNE HILL and LEE, 07943 514408, www.inkhead.co.uk CREATIVE WRITING, 28-30 July, ages 7-9 years. Write stories with the help of the Inkhead team, including an illustrator who will draw your characters and show you how to put them into your own story. £135 CREATIVE WRITING, 7+8 August, ages 13+. Two days working on developing writing using writing prompts and exercises, with feedback on progress. £90. CREATIVE WRITING, 11-13 August, ages 10-12. Write stories with the help of the Inkhead team, including an illustrator who will draw your characters and show you how to put them into your own story. £135 CRIME BUSTING COURSE, 20-22 August, ages 9-12. Inkhead need your help! Hone your detective skills, solve a crime and write up the case into fact and fiction. £135.
4-8 August in DULWICH, 020 8949 4116, www.stagecoach.co.uk/dulwich Stagecoach Dulwich will be staging Andrew Lloyd Webber’s record-breaking musical ‘Cats’ this summer. Children are invited to join the dance, drama and song-filled Summer Workshop, working towards a free presentation on the last day for family and friends to enjoy, complete with costumes, lighting and sound equipment. It will be fast and furious but promises to be lots of fun for 4-7 and 8-16 year-olds. You do not have to be a regular Stagecoach student to attend and no previous experience is required - all you need is enthusiasm! For information or bookings, contact Principal Jonny Clines by phone or online.
14-22 August, ELTHAM COLLEGE, 69 Marvels Lane SE12 9PH, 020 3291 3791, www.thehive-kids.com Book a week of outdoor fun on a team-building adventure which will teach children new and different skills every day. The hunt is on for specimens, using foraging, geocaching, lab-building, fire making, wildlife tracking, whittling, bee keeping, gardening, and even potion making. Ages 7-11 years.
FROZEN - GDND SUMMER WORKSHOP 28 July - 1 August at the GOOSE GREEN CENTRE, East Dulwich SE22, 07904 424 504, www.gdnd.co.uk The Bafta award-winning ‘Frozen’ is the theme for GDND Academy’s fun-filled, song, dance and acting summer workshop. Children will make new friends and have so much fun, while learning the songs and new dance moves, preparing for an entertaining show on day 5, for family and friends to enjoy. Ages 4-6 10am-1.30pm; ages 7-12 10am-4pm. If you’re new to GDND workshops you’ll receive a discount. Email the office@gdnd.co.uk for more info, or to book - spaces limited.
TENNIS-4-KIDS 28-31 July in HERNE HILL, 4-7 August in EAST DULWICH, 12-14 August in FOREST HILL, 07877 391005, www.tennis-4-kids.com Rally round for a smashing time learning to play tennis with other children. Tennis-4-Kids run mini sessions giving children lots of fun learning basic to advanced skills. Small groups for ages 2Ω to 6 years indoors, and 6-8 years outdoors.
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Locations include CATFORD, BLACKHEATH and STREATHAM, 01235 467300, www.supercamps.co.uk A multi-activity daycamp designed to appeal to children of all types and ages. Each child will explore and experience a daily schedule of different activities with children their own age, under the guidance of superbly-trained staff. The venue offers sports, an adventure playground and indoor games, arts and crafts activities. 8am-6pm, ages 4-14, £42 a day or £170 for five days.
families south east - june 2014
THE HIVE DAYCAMPS
ALICE IN WONDERLAND - ACT SUMMER WORKSHOP 28 July - 1 August in STREATHAM, 07976 873161 email: actdrama@googlemail.com, www.actdrama.co.uk Be a part of the fantastic play Alice in Wonderland; wow your family and friends, laugh all week long and make new best friends with Act Drama. The week is jam packed with activities for everyone, including: drama & outdoor summer games, music, singing, dancing, props and set making. Led by professional actors, classes are high energy, fun and inspiring. Age 5-15.
INTENSIVE TOUCH TYPING School holidays and termtime classes in SYDENHAM, 020 7515 1707, www.yes-tuitionandtraining.co.uk Learn a new skill with a touch typing courses run by YES. Children find them fun, and they work - most children are tapping away proficiently in just ten hours. Sessions can be booked to fit around other holiday commitments so children can progress at their own pace.
CRYSTAL PALACE DIVING CRYSTAL PALACE NATIONAL SPORTS CENTRE, Ledrington Road SE19 2BB, 020 8771 4729, www.crystalpalacediving.co.uk Make a splash and take to the pool during the school holidays. Champion diver Chris Snode runs weekly and holiday courses for all levels from beginners starting on dry land, through to seasoned young divers looking for extra practice off Olympic boards. Ages 6-14, four day courses £45 - £105 depending on expertise.
KEYBOARD SUPERSTARS 18 -22 August in HERNE HILL, 0800 107 7949 www.funkymonkey.info Funky Monkey’s Keyboard Superstar workshop is a brilliant all-round scheme and ‘taster’ workshop for 5-8 year olds (4 years accepted, but please contact Director first). Pupils learn to read, play and write notes C-A alongside learning keyboard technique and countless music-based activities including composition, artwork, singing and performance skills. The benefit of this relaxed, friendly course is your child can try making music for a week and, if they enjoy it, can take term classes. You’ll be amazed how much they will learn as a run of five days really helps consolidate their learning, and there’s a concert and presentation to enjoy on the last day. 10am-12.30pm each day, £110 per child includes all equipment, a ‘take home’ workbook and snack. Sibling discount available.
TRY TIME KIDS’ RUGBY CAMP 4-27 August in DULWICH, 01252 794150, sales@trytimekidsrugby.com, www.trytimekidsrugby.com Three-day blocks of fun-filled rugby-based activities. Children develop physical skills while increasing their enjoyment of sport. Boys and girls aged 4-8, 10am-1pm per day, £22.50 per day or £60 for three days, sibling discounts available.
URBAN SAFARI Wednesdays 30 July - 20 August, CREEKSIDE DISCOVERY CENTRE, 14 Creekside, Deptford SE8 4SA, 020 8692 9922, www.creeksidecentre.org.uk You don’t have to leave the city to go on a wildlife safari - just head into the rugged river of Deptford Creek hunting for crabs, eels, shrimps and fish. Creekside staff will accompany children bug hunting in Sue Godfrey Nature Park to find shield bugs, crickets, grasshoppers, bees and hoverflies. Any intrepid explorer needs to be able to set up camp, build a fire and make bread. And there are two opportunities to do that in darkest Deptford. Children (5+) can be left under the care of the centre’s CRB checked staff but parents are very much encouraged to stay and join in the fun too. Most activities are aimed at 5-12 year olds. Prices from £7 per person, £18 for families; book first.
familiesse.co.uk
The Bookseller Crow
is a fantastic, volume stuffed shop run by some of the most knowledgeable bookworms in the business. Call in for the feel of a real bookshop, or if you’re too busy, pick up the phone or point your mouse at their website for a fast mailorder service. Justine Crow recommends this month’s best titles. So summer is here and there is something for everyone to look forward to from the Trooping of the Colour for the wrinklies, the World Naked Bike Ride (get your backside down to Regents Park), The Eagles (more for the wrinklies - whatever happened to rock and roll eh? It’s a long way from Hotel California to the 02), Wimbledon fortnight, to open air theatre, art expos, wine fairs, school fetes. And the media is positively brimming with all that diverse cultural stuff. Yeah right. In October 1863 twelve men in frock coats formed the football association and it has been on the telly ever since. With events kicking off in Brazil, there is no escape. Well, welcome to my world. I personally cannot remember a time when I could turn left then right in the car without a squad of footballs thunking against the interior of the boot. UP FOR THE CUP by Simon Bartram - Templar rrp £6.99. Up there in the pantheon of brilliant, brilliant picture book authors, Bartram has a new story in his words, “for complete and utter football nutters.” The fella speaks a language we understand and as ever offers us for more gorgeous detail than we can ever hope to digest in one sitting. His are books for all ages and this one is no exception, and for yer money you get action, gossip and visuals to rival Sky. You get wit and backstory, a centrefold team photo, tongue-in-cheek footie facts about everything from the origins of footie strips to goal celebrations the pirouette, the dead men and my personal favourite the ‘burning angry furious chaps tribute’ - and of course, GOALS! KICKING A BALL by Allan Ahlberg, illustrated by Sebastien Brown - Puffin rrp £6.99. Know any kids with a ball permanently at their feet? This terrific picture book tells a familiar tale: could kick a ball before he could walk, eschews all other ball games, grows up with ball still attached to his toes and finally he’s a new dad gazing lovingly at his baby, who even has a mobile featuring footballs dangling above the crib. Then Ahlberg kicks us a rather marvellous curve ball when, in turn, the new baby grows up to be a kid with a ball permanently at HER feet.. THE STORY OF THE WORLD CUP by Richard Brassey Orion rrp £4.99. As it says on the back: “Billions of fans around the world, two hundred countries, three stolen trophies and one heroic dog named Pickles.” What it doesn’t say but what you as a parent or carer have a duty to impart is that Pickles, medal-winning sniffer-outer of the precious world cup, actually discovered it wrapped in newspaper just off Beulah Hill in South Norwood. And the place has been covered in glory ever since. Ahem. KINGFISHER FOOTBALL ENCYCLOPEDIA - rrp £9.99. Great managers, tactics, formations, football legends, great sides, the leagues all over the world, football nightmares inc fixing and racism. Have I missed anything? Ah, that’ll be the women then.. DIDIER DROGBA by Gavin Bao & Pierre Sauvalle - Books of Africa rrp £5.99. The story of the man they call ‘the elephant’, also known as Tito, in comic book form following the superstar’s childhood growing up in Abidjan, walking at 6 months, falling in love & signing for Marseille and arriving at Chelsea with a £24 million price tag. As you do. 555 STICKER FUN FOOTBALL - Top That rrp £5.99. My football crazy son used to spend hours and hours re-creating actual matches with felt-tips, a clump of dotted loops depicting the passage of the ball, mimicking the roar of the crowd under his breath. This clever sticker job has girl and boy players, various scenes to fill from airport and training camp, to commentary box and changing rooms to stadium and tickertape final. Probably a lot more fun the real thing! OFFICIAL 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP BRAZIL - Carlton £5.99. With the official hologram and official stickers and official facts from the official mascot Fuleco, I am now officially bored. A LONDON PUB FOR EVERY OCCASION by Herb Lester Associates - rrp £9.99. There’s only one thing to do and that’s find a pub without a widescreen and I do like a booze guide whose first chapter is headed, It’s not too early is it? This fine little reference work approaches the subject of leisurely embrocation from a different angle to the customary travel
guide. Other chapters include, When it’s chilly (the Bell in Bush Lane EC4 has an open fire); Because they like dogs (the Colton Arms in the appropriately named Greyhound Road W14); For that Patrick Hamilton feeling (like stepping back in time at the Duke, WC1); Because a story goes with it (the Star Tavern SW1, a pub that was not only patronised by 60s movies queens but also some very naughty Great Train Robbers). Don’t worry, there’s also a chapter on rubbadubs for the whole family, so you don’t need to leave the kids in the car with a coke.. DRAW IT! LONDON by Sally Kindberg - Bloomsbury rrp £5.99. With facts to get the creative juices running such as news that the ravens at the tower of London travel in a cab to go to the vets when they are poorly - “Draw some!” and, so many people got the plague that there wasn’t enough space to bury them all - “Draw some!” (I kid you not) and did you know London has a museum full of false teeth? You got it.. “Draw some!” WILLIAM AND THE MISSING MASTERPIECE by Helen Hancocks - Templar rrp £6.99. Speaking of art: who has stolen the Mona Cheesa? Some seriously talented mice carry off the heist of the century via some terrible puns in order to win Monsieur Gruyere’s grand prize of, guess what? From the same genius publisher, featuring an ‘incredibly friendly fear remover’, ORION & THE DARK by Emma Yarlett, rrp £6.99, tackles bedtime frights beautifully. ARCHIE’S HOLIDAY by Domenica More Gordon - Bloomsbury rrp £6.99. Archie’s going on holiday so what should he pack? But what happens if it rains or he gets tummy ache, if the sun is too hot or there’s a chance to go swimming? Archie’s suitcase explodes in anticipation, that’s what. PIGSTICKS AND HAROLD AND THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY by Alex Milway - Walker rrp £6.99. The last in a line of noble pigs, our hero holds interviews for a travelling companion and once the delectable Harold the hamster is on board, among the items they pack for their adventure is a pith helmet, an Australian cork hat, an anchor, a travel pillow, beachball, thermals - I think it is fair to say they are not headed for Centre Parcs. 365 OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES YOU HAVE TO TRY - DK rrp £9.99. For adventures without a price ticket, most that go no further than the garden. And some of ‘em are really smart but require effort - calculate the height of a tree; dig a pond; build your own barometer; build a den - and others are more fun than, um, educational like, make a water balloon pinata. Call me a hoary old generaliser but give me one dad that won’t get off the sofa to do that. HELP! I’M A DAD by Nick Harper - O’Mara rrp £9.99. Perfectly pitched with clearly labelled, easy to navigate instructions (remember how much some blokes love asking for directions), stacks of lists (think Nick Hornby) and a note that at some point, bafflingly, your baby will consider his dad the cleverest person in the universe and ask him an average of 390 questions a day. To be forewarned is to be is to be forearmed. THE NEW DAD’S SURVIVAL GUIDE by Rob Kemp (for a moment I thought it was by Ross and my eyebrows went north), Vermilion rrp £10.99, has more of the same but with extra tips such as it is probably unwise to keep the dogs on the bed when mum is breast-feeding, how to avoid ‘fat father syndrome’ and, if there’s another World Cup match on the telly, is it fair to get the wife to do bedtime yet again? Actually, I made the last one up but I think we all know the answer. Once Brazil has blown its whistle, there’s always the prospect of the family holiday to cheer you up. Afterall, it isn’t as if you are allowed to sneak away early and even if you did, football will always find a way. We spent one World Cup sitting in a hotel laundry cupboard watching the games. We weren’t even booked in. So for the meantime, you might as well get your shorts on and dust off that vuvuzela because, if nothing else, both will come in handy for getting their attention when dinner is ready.
The Bookseller Crow, 50 Westow St. Crystal Palace, London SE19 3AF Telephone: 020 8771 8831 email: info@booksellercrow.co.uk www.booksellercrow.co.uk f a m i lf iaem s islei e . csos .eu. k co.uk
june 2014 - families south east
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You & your baby Choices in childbirth Who decides how you give birth? Midwives? Politicians? You? How much does it matter where and how it happens? I have three children and when I started on my pregnancy journey I embraced it wholeheartedly. I read the books, attended antenatal classes and wrote a birth plan. I thought I had choices in where and how I gave birth. Months later, having never seen the same midwife twice and my birth plan remaining unread at the bottom of my bag, I realised I didn’t really have a choice. A home birth was never offered to me, nor was the natural birthing unit in hospital. I didn’t have a named midwife overseeing my care so I didn’t build up the trust that is so vital between mother and midwife. I was fortunate - my babies came quickly and my hospital births were uneventful. However, many women want something different, and it is not as readily available as it might be.
Wanted: time and space In a recent survey by Birthrights and Mumsnet only half of women said they had the birth they wanted. These mums weren’t whining about not having candles burning or music playing, they wanted the time and space to give birth the way they chose to bring their baby into the world in a gentle, stress-free environment. Whether this is at home or in hospital, they wanted a midwife alongside them who has seen them through from the beginning. They didn’t want to be pushed into choices they weren’t 100% happy with. Doula Lucy Pilkington is well aware of this problem. “Women need time to birth. As a doula I see women not being given enough time to go into labour naturally or being told they aren’t progressing fast enough. They end up being induced because it is hospital policy,” she says. “Today induction is often ‘routine’ rather than medically necessary.”
Medical intervention Some women want to avoid having a Caesarean section, as evidence mounts that babies delivered this way could have a higher propensity towards obesity, asthma and allergies. By not passing through the birth canal babies potentially miss out on protective bacteria that could help prevent disorders in childhood and later life, including type 1 diabetes, eczema and coeliac disease. Some mums want to avoid epidural pain relief. Although the research is ambiguous, studies suggest that drugs administered by epidural enter
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families south east - june 2014
the baby’s bloodstream and although not harmful in the long term, some babies might become lethargic or struggle to latch on when breastfeeding. Dr Michel Odent, who introduced the concept of ‘home-like’ birthing rooms in hospitals and birthing pools, is particularly concerned about the use of synthetic oxytocin to induce labour. “Too many women give birth now on a synthetic oxytocin drip. It is the most common medical intervention in childbirth,” he says. But with no long-term studies on its side effects, he adds: “We are playing with the oxytocin systems of human beings without knowing what we are doing.”
Home births and hired help As the belief grows that the way we give birth can have a real bearing on our future health and the health of our babies, isn’t it time women really had the choice about how they give birth? As the NHS struggles with a shortage of midwives, many women are turning to home births or independent midwives, doulas or private hospitals to get the birth they want. A home birth can give women the space and time to deliver they way they desire, with an NCT study showing that if you book a home birth you halve your chances of needing to have a Caesarean, ventouse or forceps delivery. Babies who are born at home are less likely to have infections after birth and are more likely to breastfeed successfully, with some studies saying they are more relaxed and peaceful. Some women are hiring independent midwives fully qualified midwives who work outside of the NHS - to oversee their care. Some are choosing a doula, a non-medical carer who offers emotional and practical support. But all of these options cost money, and I believe that everyone should have the birth they want (in principle. We all know things can change greatly during labour), not just those who can afford it.
Expert help Bumps, babies and beyond Down in East Dulwich, the well established and much loved natural healthcare centre The Vale Practice has launched a new initiative called ‘Bumps, Babies and Beyond’; helping parents provide the best possible start to a child’s life by taking a fresh look at the key healthcare needs of parents, babies and children in southeast London. The Vale Practice have formed collaborative partnerships both with independent midwives ‘Neighbourhood Midwives’ and specialist ante and postnatal experts ‘The Neopractice’, creating what they describe as ‘an integrated care pathway to help with the physical and emotional challenges of parenting and childhood from pregnancy through infancy and onwards through family life’. The idea is to advise on and deliver a range of established treatments and services that follow the journey from conception through to early years, complementing and expanding on standard NHS/ GP care. By taking an integrated yet individual ‘a la carte’ approach, working with experts in their field, Bumps, Babies and Beyond targets challenging periods in family life and offers an appropriate care pathway to support these challenges. Examples include post conception anxiety and post natal depression, back and pelvic pain in the 1st and 3rd trimester, breast feeding problems in the first few weeks of parenthood, baby digestion problems, tongue tie, concerns with having a second child, IVF support and even care provision through the birth process itself. They can, in this way, provide a tailored solution to suit differing individual needs.
A named midwife In 2012 the Department of Health issued a mandate saying it wanted every woman to have a named midwife overseeing their care. I truly hope this will happen, so that each and every woman in the UK will have the birth choices she desires. Whether it’s a natural homebirth or a hospital C-section, having a choice of where and how we give birth is better for us and better for the next generation, in the short term and beyond.
familiesse.co.uk
Pic © evgenyatamanenko - Fotolia.com
By Joanna Parry
Baby Gifts Baby book baskets With one born every minute, it can be tricky finding the perfect, original, new baby present. Tales on Moon Lane’s baby book baskets come beautifully packaged, in a range of sizes to suit all budgets and can be tailor made just for you. For a present to delight every new parent, give the pleasure of reading! Tales on Moon Lane is a specialist children’s bookshop which was voted Children’s Independent Bookseller of the Year in 2008 and 2011; nominated for the Eleanor Farjeon Award 2012; and is One of Time Out’s Top 5 London Bookshops. It is at 25 Half Moon Lane, Herne Hill SE24 9JU, 020 7274 5759, and online at www.talesonmoonlane.co.uk.
Lovely leggings Oh, how we love these Blade and Rose leggings with their jolly bottoms! The high quality, funky range is designed by Amanda Peffer and inspired by her own children. She combines modern funky designs with top quality yarn; lovely and soft and designed for comfort. £10 from www.bladeandrose.co.uk
A good night’s sleep
Night Nannies Therapy and service provision for antenatal, postnatal and neonatal include: • Acupuncture • Osteopathy and cranial osteopathy • Independent midwifery, antenatal and postnatal classes • Nutritional therapy • Neonatal advice service, breast feeding support • Tongue tie clinic • Pregnancy massage • Pilates • Reflexology • Hypnotherapy • Counselling • Homeopathy The Bumps, Babies and Beyond team are taking a fresh and comprehensive look at our health needs at an important time in our lives, offering a little more for a betterstart to life. For more details contact The Vale Practice in East Dulwich, 020 8299 9798, and read more at www.thevalepractice.co.uk, www.neighbourhoodmidwives.co.uk, and www.theneopractice.com.
If you are exhausted and need help getting an older baby to sleep through the night, call Night Nannies. The accredited and recommended agency has a team of highly experienced Night Nannies who can help with all aspects of care: • Guiding your newborn baby into a good sleeping and feeding routine • Teaching your older baby (over 6 months) to sleep through the night • Breastfeeding counselling • Postnatal depression care • Pre and postnatal visits to your home. For help, call 020 8467 9761 or read their advice and tips at www.nightnannies.com.
An organic nest Around the fifth month of a pregnancy, the nesting instinct is likely to kick in, and expectant mothers will have the urge to go about cleaning every room in their home. Spotless Organic, London’s premier organic, eco friendly, green cleaning company, says cleaning is an ideal way to give you piece of mind knowing everything is clean, fresh and ready for the arrival of your baby. The company offers a ‘nesting instinct experience’ starting from £140 to offer new mums a professional deep clean of their home and a de-clutter of any particular cupboards or wardrobes. For more information visit www.spotlessorganic.com or call 020 8127 3818.
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Maternity nurses, nannies and mothers’ helps Abbeville Nannies have been based in south London for twelve years and they offer maternity nannies, night nannies and daily nannies and mothers helps, both on a part time and full time basis. Night nannies are available to book at short notice, even the night before! Maternity nurses are booked up months in advance. Abbeville Nannies also provide temporary nannies/ mothers helps as well as permanent nannies happy to work in ever popular nanny share arrangements. Do contact Kate or Katherine if you would like to talk through your requirements, 020 7627 3352, www.abbevillenannies.co.uk.
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june 2014 - families south east
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What to buy for your baby (and what not) By Joanna Parry
It’s not unusual for new parents to spend thousands of pounds on baby gear, most of which will be gathering dust in a cupboard or winging its way to a nearly-new sale within a matter of months.
Feeding Believe it or not, you can spend over £400 on a highchair. Everyone’s favourite is the Stokke Tripp Trapp as it ‘grows’ with your child but it comes with a price tag of over £150. John Lewis’ East Coast highchairs are another top choice, at less than half the price. Or IKEA’s easy-clean Antilop highchair is a snip at £12. For a futuristic pod try Mamas and Papas’ Loop - it fits neatly under your table, looks like an office chair and costs nearly as much. If you want to buy top end, the Bloom Fresco chrome boasts designer looks in a myriad of colours, pneumatic height adjustment and the ability to spin 360 degrees. Another option is to do away with the chair altogether and invest in a Lobster seat from Phil and Teds that screws onto your tabletop. Mountain Buggy do a similar one called Pod Portable.
Many products you can borrow from friends or buy second-hand. Others you just don’t need. Every parent has their favourite gadget here are some of the best products that Families mothers swear by.
Pushing Top of the list of things you’ll need is a pram. Before being seduced by the most fashionable wheels on the block, does it need to fit in the car, or on the bus? Do you walk a lot? Do you have a toddler, or two? If you live in a top floor flat go with a lightweight fold-up buggy, if you go for a tramp in the outdoors every weekend, a three-wheeler might be better. Prams can cost more than a month’s mortgage, so choose carefully. Bugaboo, iCandy and Stokke are still favourites but depending on what add-ons you choose you could be saying goodbye to over £1000. We love the limited edition Liberty Quest from Maclaren, as well as their Cath Kidston buggy, both of which cost considerably less. A popular choice is the Babystyle Oyster, which looks great and is less expensive than its rival ‘travel systems’. Another big fave is the Uppababy, recently judged as a ‘Best Buy’ by Which? magazine with features including a reversible seat, carrycot and compatible car seat. If you like all the bells and whistles, look at the Origami Pushchair. It’s not cheap but will fold itself away at the touch of a button. It also has pathway lights and will charge your phone when on the go! The LCD dashboard includes thermometer, speedometer and odometer, so you can keep check of the distances travelled. Yikes! It may be the future of travel systems, but with this amount of technology, you might decide a reliable Maclaren buggy will do the job just as well.
Those little things we can’t do without... 4a dimmer switch in the nursery is the single most effective thing I ever invested in. A nightlight will also do the trick
4avoid tripping over stairgates and buy a retractable one, such as Lascal Kiddyguard
4warm mist humidifier, although it could also go in the ‘most useless’ category. Instead, pour hot water into Tupperware
4get a baby seat for the bathtub. They free up your hands, save your back and are cheap as chips
Carrying When my firstborn came along the choice of slings was limited to Baby Bjorns and wrap-arounds that nobody could work out how to use. Now, there are ring slings and pouch slings, backpacks and soft-structured carriers. Take advantage of www.slingmeet.co.uk, which organises meet-ups across the UK for parents to test-drive different slings. The Lifft sling consistently comes out on top as it spreads the baby’s weight, reducing back strain. Baby K’Tan is a sling-wrap hybrid - too complicated for me but there are plenty who love it. For a ring sling the Joovy Baba is a favourite. Our must-buy is the Ergobaby. It is comfortable, easy to use and can be worn as a backpack as well as in front. Beware though - baby slings are often voted ‘most useless’ product by parents!
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4cot mobile 4a nursing pillow such as My Brest Friend provides back support and encourages correct position for feeding
4Neal’s Yard Baby Barrier (a pricier version of Sudocrem) lasts forever and is excellent
4organic food and toiletries are best for baby, best for the health of the planet 4almost everyone we know swears by Lansinoh cream if you are breastfeeding
4a baby nasal aspirator so you don’t have to do the sucking out yourself! Try Chicco Physio nasal aspiration kit
4Calpol, of course! Use a syringe instead of a spoon. Calgel for sore gums and Infacol to prevent wind. Homeopathy is great for babies - find a qualified practitioner and build a relationship early. Aromatherapy is great for baby massage and burning essential oils aids sleep
4Vanish stain remover, and lots of it! familiesse.co.uk
Most mothers tell us you don’t need to splash out on a moses basket, cot and cot-bed. Your pram is perfect for daytime naps, and at night even a tiny newborn is fine in a cot-bed - block off one end by rolling up blankets. We love the Ryeland cot-bed from The Little Green Sheep, and the Stokke Sleepi convertible nursery bed which starts as a crib, becomes a cot, then a junior bed and finally either two chairs or a sofa! Another favourite is the Alex cot-bed from John Lewis, at a tenth of the price. If you want to share your bed with your baby but are concerned about the risk of smothering, go for the Arms Reach Universal Co-Sleeper bedside cot, which always gets 5-star reviews. Invest in some good blackout blinds - our favourite is the Gro Anywhere Blackout Blind from Gro Company.
Read more Compare products and read reviews before you buy at www.babyworld.co.uk, www.babycentre.co.uk, www.askbaby.com, www.which.co.uk.
...and those products we thought were a waste of money 8 the worst culprit of all has got to be the pop-up travel cot. Travel cots are bulky and impossible to assemble (most holiday destinations provide them anyway) but pop-ups are so lightweight they become useless the minute your baby can roll over
8 baby monitors. If you do use one, chose a monitor that doesn’t emit Electro Magnetic Radiation, as most work on wifi. See recommended ones here: http://bit.ly/1dSZI1P
8 bottle warmers. They take an age and don’t work very well. I always use a jug of hot water (it’s best to avoid microwaving baby milk)
8 nappy stackers. Nope, I’d never heard of them either; ditto disposal bins
8 bouncy chair, baby swing, playmat and door bouncer - borrow them! 8 baby-weighing scales 8 pram sunshades 8 hooded baby towels 8 bath thermometer 8 newborn-sized feeding bottles. Use normal bottles with a newborn teat
8 designer babygrows - they'll be too small in weeks. It's lovely if a doting relation buys them, but a six-pack from the supermarket does the job just as well
8 shoes for children who aren't walking yet 8 dummies. Not only is a plug in the mouth not a good look, babies can't learn to talk when they have their mouth full, and experts warn that prolonged use distorts growing teeth.
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How to have
a proper holiday...
© olesiabilkei - Fotolia.com
Sleeping
when you’re parents Everything changes when you have children, and nothing more than your annual holiday. But there are still ways to feel as though you’ve had a break, says mother-of-four Joanna Moorhead. It’s still got the same name, but once you’ve got children your fortnight in the sun isn’t really a holiday any more. Not a holiday as you once knew it, anyway. Gone are the days when you could laze around a pool all day, with no bigger decision than how early in the day to have your first beer; gone, too, the days when you could party through the night and stay in bed until 11am if you wanted. No: once you have children, what a holiday actually means is more work than usual, with a different backdrop. Why more? Well, there are new hazards to negotiate, especially if your children are tiny (windows they could fall out of, swimming pools they could fall into, the need to be on constant watch for different dangers). And, unlike at home, you don’t have your usual safety nets in place to make things easier: no childminder, no friends round the corner, no teenage babysitter down the street, no playgroup. The good news is, there are ways round the difficulties. The caveat is, none of them are problem-free.
The cons: You thought you knew your friends but believe me - you’re going to know them a whole lot better once you’ve holidayed with them. And you might not like everything about them. In fact you’re almost guaranteed to have the odd quibble - and maybe an all-out row (especially over children and how you deal with them). Are you sure your friendship can stand it?
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take the grandparents
The pros: You’re paying, so you get to call the shots. You want a few free hours every afternoon, or two nights out in the week - you’ll get them. Your childcarer, unlike friends or grandparents, has taken this on as a job, and is likely to have experience and ideas up her sleeve about how to keep your children occupied. The cons: It’s going to be expensive you’ll have to pay for your carer’s flights, living expenses, and a salary (or pocket money if you’re taking an au pair). A paid carer means you’ll have a ‘stranger’ on holiday with you. It might be hard to get family time away from the carer, especially as she won’t know anyone where you’re going and might not want to explore the resort on her own.
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The pros: They’re free! Grandparents pay their own way on holiday (well, most do) - and some are even going to treat you quite a bit while you’re away. I’m joking, of course: grandparents are a cost-cutting way of making your holiday more like a holiday; but the main advantage of them is they genuinely love your children, and they’re going to enjoy being with them, and vice versa. The cons: Not everyone has a great relationship with their parents or parents-in-law. A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself whether you’d have holidayed with them pre-children. If the answer is absolutely not, maybe think again.
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take a paid childcarer
have a shared holiday with another family The pros: You can’t get out as much once you have little ones, so taking friends means you’ve got built-in, like-minded adult company. If you’re self-catering, you’ll find you can get a better deal on a spacious property your money goes further, in other words. And, of course, the big advantage is that your children will have playmates on hand.
go somewhere with a kids’ club The pros: Many resorts and campsites, in Europe as well as in Britain, have excellently-run kids’ clubs, some on a drop-in basis, others bookable in advance (check first). Fun staff will provide supervised activities for the children for part of the day or on some days of your holiday. Usually, they’re organised by age group, with activities geared towards the ages and stages of the children. A kids’ club has the added advantage of giving your children the opportunity to make new friends, and these friendships can provide playmates for your children when you’re by the pool or on the beach as well. The cons: Booking a holiday with built-in childcare can bump up the price. The likelihood too is that it will be wall-to-wall with Other People’s Children, which won’t suit parents hoping for a quieter get-away. If the resort staff don’t speak English, your children might be reluctant to join in.
Your new summer holiday can be done; and it can be fun. Once you’ve found a format that works, there’ll be no need to look back wistfully on those old days of just the two of you.
june 2014 - families south east
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YE ARS o f care and support A CRO SS GR EENWI CH AND B EXLEY
LK THE BIG WNADA Y
Walk starts at 10am
& FAMILY FUNE 2014
SUNDAY 22ND JU
Join us for a fantastic family day out with stalls, games and a bouncy castle!
Tea & Co
ffee
BROCKWELL PARK COMMUNITY GREENHOUSES
GREAT BRITISH TENNIS WEEKENDS
What’sOn FIRST AID FOR LIFE
GREAT BRITISH TENNIS WEEKENDS
in BALHAM and WESTMINSTER, 020 8675 4036, www.firstaidforlife.org.uk A 3-hour emergency course covering care of the unconscious baby and child as well as most commonly occurring injuries and illnesses such as choking, bleeding, breaks, bleeds, burns, head injury and febrile convulsions. 9.30am-12.30pm, £60/ £65.
21+22, 28+29 June and 19+20 July, various venues including CRYSTAL PALACE NSP, LADYWELL, BECKENHAM and SHOOTERS HILL, , https://clubhouse.lta.org.uk/opendays The LTA is bringing tennis to all, with free taster events at clubs across the country giving visitors the chance to get on court. Coaches will be on hand to give tips and pointers, and many clubs will be organising tennis playtime for children and mini games with scaled down racquets.
POND DIPPING FOR ADULTS
SOUTHERN HOMEBUILDING & RENOVATING AND HOME IMPROVEMENT SHOW 28-29 June, SANDOWN PARK, Portsmouth Road, Esher, Surrey KT10 9AJ, 0871 230 1086, http://surrey.homebuildingshow.co.uk/ Over 150 exclusive exhibitors, free seminars and masterclasses, and a wide range of property experts will be on call to provide tips, advice and answers to visitors’ property questions. Open 10am-5pm Saturday, 10am-4.30pm Sunday, tickets £12 on the door, £8 prebooked. Under 16s go free.
2-30 June, LONDON WETLANDS CENTRE, Queen Elizabeth Walk, Barnes SW13 9WT, 020 8409 4400, www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/london Roll up your sleeves and enjoy a spot of child-free pond dipping. The Pond Safari is a hunt for the many different kinds of insects and other small animals that live in fresh waters. You may find anything from a diving beetle to a caddisfly larvae and the WWT team will be on hand to tell you about the creatures’ behaviours and habitats. No previous knowledge is required, the sessions are just for fun; for people who want to know a bit more about the mysterious animals that live at the bottom of a pond. Meet in the Pond Zone. No need to book -drop-in from 12noon and 3pm.
Hot Food
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DANCING SPECTACULAR AT CANARY WHARF 23-28 June, CANARY WHARF, www.canarywharf.com Enjoy dazzling dance productions including the best of contemporary dance, circus performers and classical pieces, across lunchtimes at Canary Wharf. Featuring a diverse range of acts from the breath-taking circus act Circ Panic defying gravity on the banks of the river Thames, to the youth dance challenge which will see crowds of young dancers performing across Jubilee Plaza. Be captivated by TM Voss’s steamy Argentinean duets or enjoy an innovative ballet performance by Ballet Black, featuring some of Tchaikovsky’s classic scores.
UP AT THE 02 02 ARENA, Peninsula Square, Greenwich SE10 0DX, 020 8463 2000, www.theo2.co.uk/upattheo2 An unforgettable 90 minute experience takes visitors on a guided expedition across the roof of The O2 via a tensile fabric walkway suspended 52m above ground level. At the summit, climbers can take in 360˚ views of London towards the Olympic Park, Thames Barrier, The Shard and Canary Wharf. Ages 10+, open from 10am, tickets from £26.
BATTERSEA PARK CHILDREN’S ZOO
The Great Outdoors
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BIG WALK & FAMILY FUN DAY
Diary Dates for Grownups
Alternate Tuesdays, VALE PRACTICE, East Dulwich Grove SE22, , 020 8299 9798, www.thevalepractice.co.uk Neighbourhood Midwives are now working in partnership with the Vale Practice. Rene Bozier from Neighbourhood Midwives is holding a Tongue Tie clinic every two weeks on Tuesdays for two hours, 10am-12pm.
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22 June, ELTHAM PARK SOUTH, 020 8319 9230, www.communityhospice.org.uk Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice is inviting locals to help raise funds by signing up for a gentle 4 mile walk or a more challenging 10 or 14 mile ramble along a Green Chain Walk route. New for 2014 is the Toddler Toddle; a short walk around the park for toddlers following a special animal themed treasure hunt, and entertainment including bouncy castles, face painting, balloon modelling, lucky dips, tombola and raffle stalls. Registration is £10 per adult, £5 per child, or £25 for families.
Find even more activities: www.familiesse.co.uk then click What's On
BUMPS, BABIES & BEYOND: TONGUE TIE CLINIC
Warm up
BIG WALK & FAMILY FUN DAY
FREE FAMILY FUN DAY
SUN FEST
14 June, WATERSIDE CENTRE, 26 Avenue Road, South Norwood SE25 4DX, http://lpag.wordpress.com/ The Lakes Playground Action Group team are back! Bouncy castle, face painting, cakes, Pimms, dressing up as a policeman and playing walkie talkies with the Safer Neighbourhood team; and a dance/ music session for children - what’s not to like? Oh and all funds go to the regeneration of your local playground at South Norwood Lake and Grounds. 2-6pm, all welcome.
21 June, CHISLEHURST SPORTS & COUNTRY CLUB, Elmstead Lane, Chislehurst BR7 5EL, www.eventbrite.co.uk
BATTERSEA PARK, Chelsea Bridge Gate, London SW11, 020 7924 5826, www.batterseaparkzoo.co.uk From giant rabbits to miniature Shetland ponies, monkey mayhem to the mouse house - this is the zoo that gets you up close and personal. Open 10am-4.30pm. Admission £6.50 children, £7.95 adults, £26 families. STORYTIME WEDNESDAYS, Join the zoo staff for a story and colouring in fun. From 11am. Some events are pre-bookable on www.ptes.org/events.
LONDON WETLANDS CENTRE
BROCKWELL PARK COMMUNITY GREENHOUSES
ELTHAM PALACE
LONDON WETLANDS CENTRE, Queen Elizabeth Walk, Barnes SW13 9WT, 020 8409 4400, www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/london The centre brings the countryside to London with animals and birdlife to spot all year round. There’s lots for children to do and see, from the adventure playground and meeting otters to pond dipping and playing games at the digital pond. Open 9.30am-6pm daily, admission £6.90 children, £12.35 adults, £34.50 families. DRAGONFLY WEEKEND, 28+19 June. WWT London Wetland Centre is home to 22 species of Odonata - dragonflies and damselflies including the rare Hairy dragonfly which first bred here in 2010. Summer is a great time for dragonfly spotting as they’ll be hunting smaller flying insects across the reserve. 11am and 2pm.
BROCKWELL PARK, Herne Hill SE24 9BJ, 07427 685714, www.brockwellgreenhouses.org.uk Brockwell Park Community Greenhouses is a small charity specialising in horticulture and education. With three part time staff and up to 50 volunteers, the Greenhouses offer a range of activities including training and education courses, activities for schools, public open day events and a community nursery, all set in a beautiful open space. Open 1-5pm Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. All family events are £5 per child and need prebooking. Discounts are available for those on low incomes FATHER’S DAY DROP IN, 15 June. Come along to this drop-in event and make dad a unique coaster inspired by the flowers and foliage in the garden. Donations welcome. 10am-12noon. NATIONAL INSECT WEEK ACTIVITIES, 28 June. Get closer to some of the invertebrates who live in our garden space. Go on a bug hunt. Make a pooter or sweep net to take home. Investigate a range of minibeast habitats and create experiments to test where they like to live. Discover a whole new world under the microscope. Engage in the UK’s most gripping sport: snail racing! Free, drop-in event from 10.30am12.30pm. Some activities carry a modest charge.
ELTHAM PALACE AND GARDENS, Court Yard, Eltham SE9 5QE, 020 8294 2548, www.english-heritage.org.uk Originally the childhood home of Henry VIII, Eltham Palace is now one of the finest examples of Art Deco architecture in England. Step into the stunning entrance hall and explore the marvellous panelled dining room, magnificent medieval Open 10am-5pm Sundays to Thursdays, admission to house and gardens free for under 5s, £6.10 children, £10.20 adults, £26.50 families, English Heritage members free. GRAND MEDIEVAL JOUST, 21+22 June. See sparks fly and feel the heat of the contest as magnificent knights on horseback clash at Medieval England’s greatest event. Cheer on your favourite in this thundering battle of bravery and honour and be entertained by the naughty court jester for plenty of laughs too. Soak up the sights, sounds and smells of medieval encampments as the knights’ supporters set up camp, cook on open fires and live life as it was 600 years ago. There’ll be music, dance, falconry and medieval games to play. Plus, budding young knights can test their bravery in knight’s training school and battle drills. For tickets, call 0870 333 1183.
FULHAM PALACE, Bishops Avenue, Fulham SW6 6EA, 020 7736 3233, www.fulhampalace.org Fulham Palace is the historic home of the Bishops of London There’s something for visitors of all ages, from exploring the museum that charts to Palace’s eventful history to beautiful strolls through the recently restored 18th century walled garden. During holidays, regular events include puppet making, dressing up and mudlarking. Open 12.30-4.30pm Mondays to Thursdays; noon-5pm Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays, admission free. LONDON OPEN GARDEN SQUARES, 14 June. Visit the Palace as part of London Open Garden Squares. 11am-4pm, £10 in advance, £12 on the day. EDWARDIAN GARDEN PARTY, 22 June. The Bishops of London were well known for holding garden parties at Fulham Palace. Celebrate this tradition with a day of family fun including crafts, games, live music and dancing. 1pm-4pm, admission free.
families south east - june 2014
An urban festival with live bands and artists’ performances covering house, hip hop, indie, RnB, disco, funk, reggae world and soulful house. Lots of food and drink stalls, four inflatable dome chillout zones, bouncy castles and a free children’s creche from 1-6.30pm with fully qualified and CRB checked staff. 12noon - midnight, accompanied under 12s free, adults £10.
FULHAM PALACE
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T H I N K
LEEDS CASTLE
IGHTAM MOTE
LEEDS CASTLE, near Maidstone, Kent ME17 1PL, 01622 765400, www.leeds-castle.com Built in 1119 and set in 500 acres of beautiful parkland, Leeds Castle offers oodles of royal history, period architecture, an aviary, dog collar museum, maze, grotto and children’s adventure playground. FATHER’S DAY “GO WILD” WEEKEND, 14+15 June. Woodland crafts, garden games and learning bushcraft and survival techniques from an expert are just some of the fun activities to keep children and Dad entertained. A valid entrance ticket to Leeds Castle is required for this event. Small additional charges may apply for some activities.
IGHTAM MOTE, Mote Road, Ivy Hatch, Sevenoaks, Kent TN15 0NT, 01732 810378, www.nationaltrust.org.uk Visit a moated manor house which medieval knights and courtiers to Henry VIII used to own. Standard admission to house and gardens £10.50 adults, £5.20 children, £26.30 families. SPRING ACTIVITIES, until 30 June. Explore the estate and discover some of the National Trust’s “50 things to do”. From £1.50.
DOGS LIVE 2014 221+22 June, THE HOP FARM, Maidstone Road, Paddock Wood, Kent TN12 6PY, www.thehopfarm.co.uk/events An exciting event for all dogs and their families.Have-a-go at some of their favourite sporting activities and perhaps they can try their paws at some of the newer ones!
call: 020 8663 6655 or visit us: Love A Slice, 260 High Street, Beckenham, London BR3 1DZ
www.love aslice.com GDND ACADEMY PRESENTS
FROZEN
WALK THE WALK 6 July, BATTERSEA PARK, Chelsea Bridge Gate, London SW11, 020 7924 5826, www.walkthewalk.org The SunWalk festival is a brilliant family day out with walking challenges, live music, great food, a childrenís area (including soft play), live shows running throughout and all the fun of the fair. Walk the Walk raises funds for breast cancer causes and is inviting families to join in with a 5k walk for any age, 10k walk for ages 6 and over, or the half marathon walk for ages 13 and over. Entry is free for children, adults £27 (with one child 12 and under free with each adult ticket).
C H E E S E C A K E
The largest range of CHEESECAKE, available by the slice or as a whole, in all of south London
THE WORKSHOP
GDND Academy presents another fantastic, fun-filled, song, dance and acting workshop. s from the We will be taking scenes and songs BAFTA award winning animated film,, Frozen! Our O workshop will keep your child focused and active over the holidays, finishing with an entertaining show on day 5, that family and friends are invited to come along and watch!
DULWICH SUMMER WORKSHOP: 28th Jul - 1st Aug
Theatre, Shows and Music
THE ELEPHANTOM 30 June - 6 September, NEW LONDON THEATRE, Drury Lane WC2B 5PW, 020 7452 3000, www.nationaltheatre.org.uk Ross Collins’ much loved children’s picture book is brought to life, telling the story of a little girl who is unexpectedly visited by a giant blue elephant. At first, the little girl is thrilled to have a ghost-elephant living in her house. He makes life so much more fun! But Elephantoms are a bit too big for houses and before long he’s causing a lot of trouble. For children of 3+ and grown-ups of all ages, the story is filled with puppetry, movement, dance, music and theatrical ingenuity. Tickets from £13.
UNICORN THEATRE
JOEY’S CIRCUS COMES TO TOWN
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• Babysitting • Flexible Daytime Childcare • Temporary Nannies • Part Time Nannies • Permanent Nannies
0844 879 7189 www.likeminders.co.uk
Gymboree Herne Hill & Gymboree Crystal Palace Award winning classes from newborn to 5 years
Gymboree Herne Hill South London Dance Studios, 130 Herne Hill, London, SE24 9QL 020 8123 8423 hernehill@gymboree-uk.com
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Gymboree Crystal Palace Living Water Cafe, 46-48 Westow Street, Crystal Palace, SE19 3AF 0208 123 8423 crystalpalace@gymboree-uk.com
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Until 13 July, PUPPET THEATRE BARGE, Little Venice, Blomfield Road W9 2PF, 020 7249 6876, www.puppetbarge.com A wonderful marionette spectacle that features traditional characters such as Pretty Polly, Dog Toby, Joey the Clown and Mr. Punch, with the Beadle keeping an eye on the goings on whilst Joey enlists the help of Punch and Dog Toby. All ages from 3+.
To book email: office@gdnd.co.uk Any questions please email or call: 07904 424 504 @gdndacademy www.gdnd.co.uk GDND Academy
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UNICORN THEATRE, 147 Tooley Street SE1 2HZ, 020 7645 0560, www.unicorntheatre.com GET UP AT THE WEEKEND. Join the Unicorn Play Club every Saturday from midday. Take part in free activities in the foyer such as rocket building, cake decorating or even Olympic musical chairs. THE SUMMER BOOK, 7-29 June. Set on a remote island in Finland, six year-old Sophia and her grandmother while away the summer months together and gradually a deep yet understated love emerges between the two - one that encompasses not just their relationship but the island itself. Never sentimental but with quiet understanding and gentle humour, The Summer Book is an astute exploration into how life, death, loss and longing can co-exist in easy companionship. This new Unicorn production is based on a celebrated book for adults by Tove Jansson and is modern classic for a child or for anyone who has ever been a child. Tickets £13 children, £16 adults.
Are you new to one of our workshops? If so you’ll receive a 5% discount... Introduce a new friend, and receive a 10% discount. Limited spaces available so BOOK NOW to avoid disappointment.
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14 June, SOUTHBANK CENTRE, Jubilee Gardens (off Belvedere Road) SE1, 0844 545 8282, www.underbelly.co.uk Great Scott! Victorian magicians Morgan and West bring a magical extravaganza to a millennium near you... No future is left unseen, nor timeline left unaltered! See the plucky prestidigitators present dazzling deceptions, unparalleled precognitive powers and a totally genuine ability to travel through time. Suuitable for ages 7+, 4.15pm, tickets £10.
LITTLE ANGEL THEATRE LITTLE ANGEL THEATRE, 14 Dagmar Passage N1 2DN, 020 7226 1787, www.littleangeltheatre.com A former temperance hall in Islington is now a magical little theatre which stages marionette shows for children. The productions use every type of puppet and draw their themes, styles and stories from a wide range of cultural traditions. A wide variety of visiting puppet companies gives London audiences a marvellous opportunity to experience the diversity of this art form. SKITTERBANG ISLAND, until 15 June. Lost on a bleak and craggy island in the very north of the world, a brave little girl meets a strange and curious creature. In his cave full of metal and junk washed up from the sea, he shows her his newest treasure. But who does it really belong to? Age 3-6, tickets from £12. JUNGLE BOOK, 18-22 June. Mowgli the ‘man-cub’ finds fun and friendship as he learns to live by the Law of the Jungle. Mowgli’s wild adventures in the dangerous world he inhabits are brought to lifewith shadow theatre, original music and colourful digital projections. Age 4+, tickets from £10. ALICE, 25-28 June. It’s 1915. While bombs rain down outside, Alice Hargreaves takes refuge in her dusty cellar, rediscovering her childhood amongst broken tennis racquets,old lamp shades and moth-eaten christening gowns. Age 11+, tickets from £12. FIRESIDE TALES WITH GRANDDAD, 2-6 July. Cuddle up around the campfire as Granddad recalls a daring escape from a hungry shark. Tuck into a marshmallow or two as he attempts to make a new set of underpants for a giant. And watch as the shadows between the trees unravel a tale of greedy goblins, grumpy trolls, sneaky princes and a very unusual princess. Age 4+, tickets from £10.
DAY 5 10.00-1.00PM FOR ALL, PERFORMANCE 1.00PM The Goose Green Centre | East Dulwich Rd | SE22 9AT
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MORGAN AND WEST TIME TRAVELLING MAGICIANS
1001 NIGHTS, 5-22 June. Some of the greatest folk tales ever told, re-imagined by Shahrazad - a lively young girl who, torn between her old home in the East and her new life in England, re-tells the extraordinary stories of her childhood to her new-found friend. Age 7+.
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THE TIGER WHO CAME TO TEA 2 July - 7 September, LYRIC THEATRE, Shaftsbury Avenue 404 Strand, London W1D 7ES, 0844 482 9674, www.thetigerwhocametotealive.com The doorbell rings just as Sophie and her mummy are sitting down to tea. Who could it possibly be? What they certainly don’t expect to see at the door is a big, stripy tiger! The loveable tea-guzzling tiger returns to the west end in this delightful family show; packed with oodles of magic, sing-a-long songs and clumsy chaos! David Wood’s stunning stage adaptation of Judith Kerr’s picture book is fun for youngsters everywhere, and their grownups. Ages 3+, tickets from £14.50.
4-6’s 10.00-1.30PM £65.00 7-12’s 10.00-4.00PM £105.00
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10% off first months membership Quote FAMILIES MAGAZINE. Book your free trial class today!
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june 2014 - families south east
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CANARY WHARF DANCING SPECTACULAR
THE TIGER WHO CAME TO TEA
THE ELEPHANTOM - NEW LONDON THEATRE
TRANSPORT MUSEUM EVENTS
MoreWhat’sOn
LONDON TRANSPORT MUSEUM, 39 Wellington Street, Covent Garden WC2E 7BB, 020 7379 6433, www.ltmuseum.co.uk Children can let their imaginations run wild as they are transported back in time at the historical and interactive London Transport Museum. Filled with buses, trains, and taxis they can take the wheel, try their hand as a Tube conductor or bump around with the other passengers in the back, as they explore the vehicles of London’s past and present. Open 10am-6pm Mondays to Thursdays and weekends, from 11am Fridays. Admission free for under 16s, £15 adults. Tickets are valid for 12 months’ unlimited admission. FAMILY STATION, weekends and school holidays. Pick up a free coin bag and choose some activities to do as you explore the Museum. Whether you fold your own bus and drive it between the vehicles, design your own poster-postcards or take photos through flickr frames, there is something here for families with children of all ages.
Find even more activities: www.familiesse.co.uk then click What's On
STORY DAYS AT THE GLOBE
THE LYRIC HAMMERSMITH
Sackler Studios, SHAKESPEARE’S GLOBE, 21 New Globe Walk SE1 9DT, 020 7401 9919, www.shakespearesglobe.com/education STORY DAYS are dynamic and unforgettable retellings of Shakespeare’s stories by Globe Education performers. Ages 6+. 11am and 2pm start. Tickets £15 for one adult and one child.
LYRIC HAMMERSMITH, Lyric Square, Kings Street W6 0QL, 020 8741 6850, www.lyric.co.uk MADE UP STORIES FROM MY UNMADE BED, 10+11 June. It’s time to wake up - but one girl doesn’t want to. She’d rather stay snuggled under the covers until her dreams escape her head and become adventures around her bed. Pillows become clouds and beds are boats as the sheets billow above, inviting you into a world of puppets, feathers and fun. FULL STOP, 17+18 June. This is the bus shelter where anything can happen. In an explosion of physicality, humour and excitement. Full Stop brings a bus shelter to life with romance, adventure and surprises.
POLKA THEATRE POLKA THEATRE, 240 Broadway, Wimbledon SW19 1SB, 020 8543 4888, www.polkatheatre.com THE RASCALS OF TICKETY RUBBLE ROAD, until 27 June. Roaring lions, rattling snakes, rugged rats... Who else lives in the rubbish dump of Rickety Rubble Road? Children aged 2-5 will love this fun-filled hour exploring the sound, rhythm and movement of “Rr”, in the theatre’s pop-up arts cafe. Tickets £5. MOOMINSUMMER MADNESS, 11 June - 16 August. Meet the Moomins on a summer musical adventure. Breathtaking puppetry, live music and humour bring Tove Jansson’s much-loved Moomins to life on stage. When a huge flood sweeps through Moominvalley, the Moomins find an exciting new home - a floating theatre! Tickets £9 children, £13.50 adults. JACK AT THE BEANSTALK CAFE, 13+14 June. A visually witty, musical and comical confection from Hand to Mouth Theatre. Two customers at the Beanstalk Cafe tell each other stories using anything they can lay their hands on, including the tables, tablecloths, food and cutlery. The kitchen sink is an optional extra. Watch as two full-grown adults play with their food and learn how many beans make five, using live animation, shadows, puppets and music. A nourishing bean-feast of stories, including The Old Woman in a Vinegar Bottle, and a sideways look at Jack and an upwardly mobile Beanstalk. Tickets £8.50 children, £11 adults. SKITTERBANG ISLAND, 25 June - 16 August. Storm! Shipwreck! Adventure! Lost on an island in the very north of the world, a brave little girl meets a shy, curious creature... Not only does he look very odd, he sounds different too. Meet the Skitterbang. In his cave full of old metal and junk washed up from the sea, he shows her his newest treasure which sounds so beautiful. But who does it really belong to? Tickets £8.50 children, £11 adults.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Until 29 June, THE COLOURHOUSE THEATRE, Watermill Way SW19 2RD, 020 8542 5511, www.colourhousetheatre.co.uk Poor Prince David has been turned into a beast by an evil witch. Will Beauty be kind and fall in love with him to break the spell? 2pm and 4pm, tickets from £8.
SADLER’S SAMPLED 17-29 June, SADLER’S WELLS, Rosebery Avenue EC1R, 0844 412 4300, www.sadlerswells.com A two week taster festival of world class dance, where spectators can get closer to the action. Standing tickets from just £8, and activities before and after each show.
GEFFRYE MUSEUM GEFFRYE MUSEUM OF THE HOME, 136 Kingsland Road E2 8EA, 020 7739 9893, www.geffrye-museum.org.uk Explore the home from 1600 to the present day through a series of period living rooms and gardens which reflect changes in society, behaviour, style and taste. Open 10am-5pm Tuesdays to Saturdays, from noon Sundays, admission free. Special workshops and quizzes inspire creativity and provide amusement for accompanied children on the first Saturday of each month and during school holidays. Places allocated 30 minutes in advance of each workshop. HISTORIC ALMSHOUSE TOURS, 7 June. The restored historic almshouse has been fully restored to its original condition, offering a rare glimpse into the lives of London’s poor and elderly in former times. Tours are conducted by museum volunteers and take place at specific times each month.
WHAT THE LADYBIRD HEARD 24 July - 10 August, CADOGAN HALL, 5 Sloane Terrace SW1X 9DQ, 020 7730 4500, www.cadoganhall.com Two crafty robbers, one tiny ladybird, and a whole farmyard of fun! Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len have a cunning plan to steal the farmer’s fine prize cow. But they reckon without the tiniest, quietest creature of all: the Ladybird has a plan of her own! Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks’ award-winning picture book bursts onto stage with plenty of colour and verve. Ages 2+, tickets from £14.50.
THE FOUNDLING MUSEUM
THE KING OF MASKS
40 Brunswick Square, Camden Town WC1N 1AZ, 020 7841 3600, www.foundlingmuseum.org.uk Britain’s first home for abandoned children and London’s first public art gallery, The Foundling Museum reveals the stories of the Foundling Hospital’s founder Thomas Coram, the artist William Hogarth and composer George Frideric Handel. It houses significant collections of eighteenth-century art, interiors, social history and music. Open 10am5pm Tuesdays to Saturdays and from 11am Sundays. Admission free for under 16s, £8.25 adults. INTRODUCTORY GALLERY. Showcasing a decade’s research into the Hospital’s archive, the introductory gallery takes visitors on an emotional journey through the history of London’s first home for children who would otherwise have been abandoned. New displays of favourite objects offer visitors greater access and depth of information, while previously unseen items shed new light on the Foundling Hospital story. 10TH BIRTHDAY WEEKEND, 14+15 June. Everyone is invited to join the birthday party, with free entry all weekend and a range of events, music and activities for visitors of all ages.
26-28 June, SOUTHBANK CENTRE, Belvedere Road SE1 8PX, www.southbankcentre.co.uk An old illusionist in China needs an heir to pass on the secret of his mask tricks, so he buys himself a grandson from a needy peasant. But the child is hiding a secret. When the magician finds out there’s hell to pay, and only pure bravery can save the day.
MATILDA THE MUSICAL Until December 2014, CAMBRIDGE THEATRE, Earlham Street, WC2H 9HU, 0844 412 4652, www.matildathemusical.com Inspired by the twisted genius of Roald Dahl and original songs by Tim Minchin, Matilda is the captivating musical masterpiece from the Royal Shakespeare Company that revels in the anarchy of childhood, the power of imagination and the inspiring story of a girl who dares to change her destiny.
FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE MUSEUM
STOMP
FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE MUSEUM, 2 Lambeth Palace Road, South Bank, London SE1, 020 7620 0347, www.florence-nightingale.co.uk Uncover the lady behind the legend through a vivid retelling of her story and a look at how modern nursing began. The museum’s unparalleled collection features highlights such as Florence’s pet little owl Athena as well as her lamp and medicine chest from the Crimean War. Engaging interactive exhibits as well as regular contemporary art exhibitions enhance the experience, visitors even use stethoscopes to hear the audio tour. Admission £4.80 child, £5.80 adults, £16 families.
AMBASSADORS THEATRE, West Street WC2H 9ND, 08448 112 334, www.theambassadorstheatre.co.uk Celebrating its 10th sensational year in London, Stomp is now fresher, faster and funnier than ever before.3pm and 8pm, tickets from £26.
Events and Attractions
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FAMILY EVENTS AT THE HORNIMAN
BANK OF ENGLAND MUSEUM
HORNIMAN MUSEUM and gardens, 100 London Road, Forest Hill SE23, 020 8699 1872, www.horniman.ac.uk Museum open 10.30am-5.30pm daily, general admission free, charges apply for special exhibitions and the aquarium. The museum’s music gallery and hands-on base, regular weekend and holiday drop-ins and workshops allow family visitors to explore the collection through arts and crafts, music, stories and hands-on sessions. All this within 16 acres of beautiful green space which has the oldest nature trail in London. EXTREMES, until 2 November. Calling all explorers. Go on an expedition to see how animals and plants survive in extreme heat, cold, dryness and constant darkness or with little oxygen, in the museum’s new family-friendly exhibition. Book tickets first.
BANK OF ENGLAND MUSEUM, Threadneedle Street, London EC2R, 020 7601 5545, www.bankofengland.co.uk/museum The Bank of England Museum tells the story of the Bank of England from its foundation in 1694 to its role today as the UK’s central bank. Examine intricately-designed banknotes, feel the weight of a genuine gold bar and see the pikes and muskets that were once used to defend the Bank. Children’s activity sheets provide fun for younger visitors. Open 10am5pm Mondays to Fridays, admission free. CURIOSITIES FROM THE VAULTS, until 11 July. A unique opportunity to see some unusual treasures from the Bank’s historical collections. The curators have searched the vaults for intriguing artefacts, from archaeological discoveries to the mystery object shown above. This exhibition tells their surprising stories.
families south east - june 2014
CHURCHILL WAR ROOMS CHURCHILL WAR ROOMS, Clive Steps, King Charles Street SW1A, www.iwm.org.uk The Churchill War Rooms were originally the Cabinet War Rooms, created in 1938 as underground storage areas for the Office of Works Building in Whitehall. They were soon converted to house the central core of government and to become a temporary military information centre serving the Prime Minister and the Chiefs of Staff of the air, naval and land forces. Visitors can hear the first-hand personal accounts of those who worked in the Cabinet War Rooms during the war. Learn what life and conditions were like underground and experiencing the authenticity and emotional resonance of walking through the corridors where Churchill made history. Open 9.30am-6pm, admission free for under 16s, £15.95 adults.
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Tales on Moon Lane 25 Ha l f Moon La ne , He rne Hi ll, SE 24 9JU
Come and celebrate Ten Years of Tales Monday 30th June - Friday 4th July We’re having a week long party at the Dulwich Picture Gallery to thank all our customers for their amazing loyalty and support.
GROWING... UP!
SCIENCE MUSEUM SCIENCE MUSEUM, Exhibition Road SW7 2DD, 0870 870 4868, www.sciencemuseum.org.uk Aiming to be the best place in the world for people to enjoy science, the Science Museum makes sense of the science that shapes our lives, sparking curiosity, releasing creativity and changing the future by engaging people of all generations and backgrounds in science, engineering, medicine, technology, design and enterprise. Open daily 10am-6pm except 24-26 December. LAUNCHPAD SCIENCE SHOWS. The largest free interactive science gallery in the UK is packed with exhibits which allow visitors to launch a rocket, turn their head into a sound box and control a magnetic cloud. Ages 8-14, free. WHO AM I? Find out what makes you special through interactive activities which use the latest in brain science and genetics. Free. THE RUBBISH COLLECTION, 16 June - 14 September. What does one month of ‘rubbish’ from one institution look like? Discover the beauty, value and volume of what we throw away. A unique two-part exhibition uses 30 days’ worth of the museum’s waste to expose the beauty, value and volume of what we call ‘rubbish’.
GOLDEN HINDE 1 Pickfords Wharf SE1 9DG, 020 7403 0123, www.goldenhinde.com Board the replica ship on Saturdays for a family-friendly guided tour to find out about life at sea and Sir Francis Drake’s voyage around the world. Regular fun days with costumed staff feature Tudor life at sea, filled with gruesome stories, treasure hunts, battles and hands-on activities. Open 10am-6pm, £4.50 children, £6 adults, £10 families.
MAMMOTHS: ICE AGE GIANTS. Enter the world of some of the largest creatures to ever walk the earth. See huge fossils and life-size models of mammoths, and square up to the powerful trunks and tusks of these great beasts. Tickets £9 adults, £5.40 children. SENSATIONAL BUTTERFLIES, until 14 September. Wander among hundreds of the beautiful free-flying creatures as the family friendly exhibition returns to the Natural History Museum for a sixth year, housed in a specially constructed tropical enclosure on the Museum’s east lawn. Highlights include an outdoor butterfly garden with tips on how to attract butterflies and create your own butterfly garden at home; interactive activities allowing you to explore fascinating butterfly facts; the chance to watch butterflies emerge from their chrysalises through the hatchery window; a riot of colourful tropical plants in the house and garden; and tips and advice from the butterfly house manager. Open 10am-5.50pm, single tickets £5.50, families £19.
HMS BELFAST On the THAMES by Morgans Lane, Tooley Street SE1 2JH, www.iwm.org.uk Discover the exciting stories of those who served HMS Belfast; exploring the nine decks where sailors once hurried up and down its ladders, or take a look at the mess desk where her 950-strong crew ate and slept. Open 10am-5pm, admission free for under 16s, £15.50 adults. GUN TURRET EXPERIENCE. Immerse yourself in the new Gun Turret Experience, a chance to see what fighting at sea would have really been like. Overlooking the front of the ship, or Fo’c’sle, is the forward most of HMS Belfast’s Triple Gun Turrets. Lights, audio, videos and projections will recreate the experience, highlighting the hectic and cramped conditions that would have seen twenty-six men in this confined space at any one time. Entry included in general admission price.
NATIONAL ARMY MUSEUM NATIONAL ARMY MUSEUM, Royal Hospital Road SW3 4HT, 020 7881 6606, www.nam.ac.uk The history of British land forces from 1485 to the present day, with costumes, paintings, artefacts and special displays telling the stories of men and women who served in British armies across the globe. Open 10am-5.30pm daily, admission free. ACTION ZONES. Learn about life as a Victorian soldier or World War evacuee through quizzes, games and hands-on activities. KIDS’ ZONE. Under 8s can enjoy an exciting soft play area.
Booking is essential - call us on 020 7274 5759 visit www.talesonmoonlane.co.uk/events or email tenyearsoftales@gmail.com
www.talesonmoonlane.co.uk/events
OLIVIER AWARD NOMINEE 2012
D ON EN AS T SE ES R W ME M SU
Until 12 June, NLA, The Building Centre, 26 Store Street WC1E 7BT, 020 7692 4000, www.buildingcentre.co.uk London’s skyline is currently going through a massive change. Over 200 towers are planned in the capital in an attempt to meet the needs of the capital’s growing population. So how will London’s skyline change in the next 20 years? A series of panoramic views of London chart the ever-changing landscape, from the 1960s through to the modern day and demonstrating how London will appear in 10 years time. Famous structures including Canary Wharf, The Gherkin and The Shard are examined in the exhibition, looking at their context, their economic raison d’etre and the impact they have on our understanding of the city. The exhibition also explores the significant growth in high-rise residential development. High-rise residential was once only seen on council estates and glass skyscrapers were reserved for the business world, but the growing trend of luxury towers is currently providing the majority of new developments in the capital. Open 9am-6pm Monday - Friday, 10am-5pm Saturdays, admission free.
Join us and meet Anthony Browne, Anthony Horowitz, Axel Scheffler, Cressida Cowell, Dan Freedman, ET Harper, Liz Pichon and Tamara Macfarlane
The Tiger Who Came to Tea a musical play adapted and directed by DAVID WOOD based on the book by JUDITH KERR
PICCADILLY CIRCUS
WED 2 JULY – SUN 7 SEPT 2014 BOOK NOW! 0844 412 4661 www.thetigerwhocametotealive.com
ILLUSTRATIONS COPYRIGHT © KERR-KNEALE PRODUCTIONS LTD 1968
ELEPHANTOM - NEW LONDON THEATRE
MUSEUM OF LONDON
NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM
MUSEUM OF LONDON DOCKLANDS, West India Quay E14, 020 7001 9844, www.museumoflondon.org.uk/docklands, and MUSEUM OF LONDON, London Wall EC2Y 5HN, 020 7001 9844, www.museumoflondon.org.uk Open daily 10am-6pm, admission free. Regular programmes of weekend and holiday events and workshops help visitors find out more about London’s history, covering events such as the Great Plague, Londoners’ jobs and occupations, and Roman life.
NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM, Cromwell Road SW7 5BD, 020 7942 5000, www.nhm.ac.uk Dinosaurs, volcanoes, precious gems and creepy crawlies - discover the diversity of the natural world through the nation’s finest collection of natural history specimens. Fascinating exhibitions display up to 70 million plants, animals, fossils, rocks and minerals, with a hands-on education centre where you can meet real scientists at work. Museum open 10am-5.50pm, admission free. ONE MILLION YEARS OF THE HUMAN STORY. What was Britain like when the first humans arrived on its shores? Travel back in time nearly one million years to uncover what life was really like for our ancient relatives. £4.50 children, £9 adults.
V&A MUSEUM, Cromwell Road SW7 2RL, 020 7942 2000, www.vam.ac.uk/families During any visit, families can pick up a trail from the Information Desk and explore the museum through puzzles, drawing and observation. Suitable for 7-12 year-olds. There are also hundreds of exciting hands-on exhibits containing plenty to touch and try out. Museum open 10am-5.45pm daily, admission free. Saturday BACK-PACKS. Pick up a back pack and explore the museum with fantastic jigsaws, stories, puzzles and games. 10.30am-5pm.
CHILDREN AT THE V&A
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Based on the award-winning picture book by Julia Donaldson & Lydia Monks
LIVE ON STAGE ! Thu 24 Jul - Sun 10 Aug LONDON
Book Now 020 7730 4500 www.cadoganhall.com
THE PERFECT SUMMER TREAT. . . june 2014 - families south east
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WHAT THE LADYBIRD HEARD - CAD0GAN HALL
THE SUMMER BOOK - UNICORN
MoreWhat’sOn
FIREPOWER - THE ROYAL ARTILLERY MUSEUM
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V&A MUSEUM OF CHILDHOOD
CUTTY SARK
Cambridge Heath Road, Bethnal Green E2 9PA, 020 8983 5200, www.museumofchildhood.org.uk
CUTTY SARK, King William Walk, Greenwich SE10 9HT, 020 8858 2698, www.rmg.co.uk/cuttysark The world famous 19th century tea clipper offers visitors four levels to explore. Take in the views from the main deck and steer at the ship’s wheel, meet the crew who worked on board, explore the various cargoes from wool to whiskey, and see how tea was loaded on board through interactive displays, props, information boards and animations. Family friendly events run at weekends and during school holidays. Open 10am-5pm Tuesdays to Sundays, admission £6.50 children, £12 adults, from £20 families. Bundled tickets are available with the other Royal Museum Greenwich attractions. SHIP HATS, 7+8 June. Build a spectacular ship hat to take on an adventure. Where will your ship sail to? 11.30am and 2pm start. AHOY CAPTAIN! 7+8 June. Meet Captain Woodget, Cutty Sark’s longest serving master to learn about life on board the fastest tea clipper. 11.30am and 2pm start.
This gem of a museum is fascinating for families with young children. The collection includes dolls, dolls’ houses, puppets, teddy bears, games, childcare, clothing, furniture and art and photography. Everyday drop-in activities include storytelling, arts and crafts, and trails. There’s dressing-up, role play and an under 3’s area, an indoor sandpit, and regular special events. If it’s sunny there’s an outdoor space to enjoy a picnic. Open 10am-5.45pm daily, admission free. DAYDREAMS AND DIARIES, THE STORY OF JACQUELINE WILSON, until 2 November. Delve into Jacqueline Wilson’s life and work and find inspiration in the settings where she came up with some of the ideas for her most famous books. The exhibition begins with a replica of the childhood bedroom where she developed her love for reading and finishes with a mock-up of the study in which she now works. Also on display will be short stories and diaries written by Jacqueline as a young girl, showing the origins of her talent for writing, while annotated drafts of favourites such as Tracy Beaker and the later work Hetty Feather will give fans further insight in to these well loved stories. TOY STORIES, 7 June - 14 December. An exhibition of photographs by Gabriele Galimberti explores the role and function of toys in the lives of children around the world. The collection reflects the impact of the children’s backgrounds and families on their choice of toys and highlights the universality of play. HAND OVER HAND ME DOWNS, Until 31 August. Examining the UK’s international adoption policies, taking artist Annabel Stockman’s photographic project as inspiration.
ROYAL MUSEUMS GREENWICH National Maritime Museum, Queen’s House, Royal Observatory and Cutty Sark, Greenwich SE10, 020 8858 4422, www.rmg.co.uk Royal Museums Greenwich holds the world’s largest maritime collection. It is housed in historic buildings forming part of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site and incorporates the Royal Observatory Greenwich, the 17th-century Queen’s House, and Cutty Sark. The Museums works to illustrate for everyone the importance of the sea, ships, time and the stars and their relationship with people, and is also a major centre of education and research. Open 10am-5pm daily. General admission is free; some buildings, special exhibitions and events have an admission fee. EXPLORE SATURDAYS. Meet a character from the past and take part in an exciting performance that brings maritime history to life. Suitable for ages 6+. Noon, 1, 2 and 3pm start, free. DISCOVER SUNDAYS. Be inspired by the museum’s galleries and take part in free design, craft, illustration and music workshops designed for families. Suitable for all ages. 11.30am-1.30pm and 2-5pm, free. PLAY TUESDAYS. Young children can have fun with their families as they explore the Museum through making, music, dance and drama. Timed sessions; collect tickets from the admissions desk. LONGITUDE PUNK’D. Until 4 January 2015. The Royal Observatory celebrates the creations of wacky inventors, star-gazing scientists and extremely elegant explorers of the 18th-century. Nine UK ‘Steampunk’ artists have created new works inspired by the technical inventions that were presented to the Board of Longitude between 1714 and 1828. 10am-5pm. MEET THE TIME TRAVELLERS, Weekends and holiday weekdays throughout June. Meet time-travelling Astronomer Royal Nevil Maskelyne or his human computer Mary Edwards next to the Steampunk time machine in the Meridian Courtyard and find out about their life and work at Greenwich in the 18th-century. 12noon, 1, 2 and 3pm, ages 7+.
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MUSEUM OF LONDON MUSEUM OF LONDON DOCKLANDS, West India Quay E14, 020 7001 9844, www.museumoflondon.org.uk/docklands, and MUSEUM OF LONDON, London Wall EC2Y 5HN, 020 7001 9844, www.museumoflondon.org.uk Open daily 10am-6pm, admission free. Regular programmes of weekend and holiday events and workshops help visitors find out more about London’s history, covering events such as the Great Plague, Londoners’ jobs and occupations, and Roman life.
DISCOVER GREENWICH OLD ROYAL NAVAL COLLEGE (next to the Cutty Sark), Greenwich SE10, www.greenwichwhs.org.uk Unlock the history of Maritime Greenwich, through artefacts, artwork, film and stories of former lives to bring the past to life. A permanent exhibition takes visitors on a journey from the College’s Tudor beginnings, through its naval past, as the Royal Hospital for Seamen and Royal Navy Staff College, right up to the present day. Special objects, including personal items from Henry VIII’s palace, as well as fascinating stories from monarchs, admirals and architects help chart the historic town’s development. Activities for children and families play a significant part in the new destination, enabling families to maximise their visit to Maritime Greenwich and for children to explore and understand the history of the magnificent site.
BRITISH MUSEUM BRITISH MUSEUM, Great Russell Street WC1B 3DG, 020 7323 8181, www.britishmuseum.org VIKINGS: LIFE AND LEGEND, until 22 June. Swords and axes, coins and jewellery, hoards, amulets and religious images show how Vikings created an international network connecting cultures over four continents. At the centre of the exhibition are the surviving timbers of a 37-metre-long Viking warship, the longest ever found. Open 10am5.30pm Saturdays to Thursdays, 10am-8.30pm Fridays. Admission free for accompanied children, £16.50 adults. SUTTON HOO AND EUROPE AD 300-1100. A new display of the museum’s unparalleled early medieval collection, which includes the famous Sutton Hoo treasure. JUNIOR DIGITAL WORKSHOPS, 7-29 June. Includes Passport to the Afterlife; Ice Age animation; Olympic champions; a shadow puppet workshop and more. Free. YOUNG FRIENDS SLEEPOVER, 28 June. Listen to Egyptian storytelling and take part in related activities, then spend the night sleeping in the Egyptian and Assyrian galleries. The next morning, visit the exhibition to discover more about life in ancient Egypt and Sudan, before the Museum opens to the public. 6.15pm-9am, £35.
ROYAL ARSENAL, Woolwich SE18 6ST, 020 8855 7755, www.firepower.org.uk Firepower, the Royal Artillery Museum in Woolwich tells the powerful and dramatic story of artillery, scientific discoveries made through warfare and human stories of courage and endeavour. The ‘ground shaking’ Field of Fire audio-visual show puts you in the midst of battle as shells whizz overhead and guns roar. The Royal Arsenal was one of the most important centres in the world for munitions manufacture and until recently was a well kept secret from the public. Many of the guns and carriages on display were made in the Arsenal, making it a significant part of the local heritage. Together with a world class collection of artillery and associated weapons, uniforms, drawings, displays of diaries and medals bring together some 700 years of world artillery history, Open 10am-5pm Tuesdays to Saturdays. Admission £2.50 children, £5.30 adults, £12.50 families.
APSLEY HOUSE APSLEY HOUSE, 149 Piccadilly, Hyde Park Corner W1J 7NT, 0870 333 1181, www.english-heritage.org.uk/apsley Addresses don’t come much grander than ‘Number One London’, the popular name for Apsley House, one of the most interesting visitor attractions in London. Home to the Duke of Wellington after his victory over Napoleon at Waterloo, the interior of the house has changed very little since the days of the Iron Duke. It boasts one of the finest art collections in London, with paintings by Velazquez and Rubens as well as a wonderful collection of silver and porcelain. Pride of place goes to a massive nude statue of Napoleon. Why not include a stroll through nearby Hyde Park, and a visit to nearby Wellington Arch for a great value family day out in London. WATERLOO FESTIVAL, 14+15 and 21+22 June. Relive the drama and grandeur of the Napoleonic War as you are brought face to face with Wellington’s Troops in the midst of the combat campaign. Gossip with the soldiers wives in all their regency finery, and discover the truth behind the glory days of Wellington. 11am-5pm, admission £4.10 children, £6.90 adults, £17.90 families. English Heritage members free.
TOWER OF LONDON TOWER OF LONDON, EC3N 4AB, 0844 482 7777, www.hrp.org.uk/toweroflondon Tower open 9am-5.30pm Tuesdays to Saturdays, from 10am Sundays and Mondays. Admission free for under 5s, children £10.75, adults £21.45; book for less online. ROYAL BEASTS. Find out about the Tower’s imperial Royal Menagerie. Founded during the reign of King John in the early 1200s, it became a regular feature of the Tower for over 600 years. Visitors can encounter a diverse cast of former Tower residents through arresting modern animal sculpture by artist Kendra Haste and new interactive sensory displays. The recently restored north wall walk and the never before opened Brick Tower will host some of the displays, including sights, sounds and smells of some of the animals. KNIGHT SCHOOL, 7-29 June. The Tower of London needs you! Learn how to fire the siege engine, pick up fighting tips from their knights in combat and prepare to protect the Tower in case those pesky peasants strike again! Included as part of a Tower of London ticket. THE QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY, 15 June. Visit the Tower and see the traditional Gun Salute for HM The Queen’s official birthday. FIT FOR A KING. Discover 500 years of spectacular arms and armour worn by kings and royal princes in this stunning exhibition on the first floor of the White Tower. Learn about the personalities, power and physical size of our nation’s kings, from the Tudors, and the notorious Henry VIII, to today’s royal family through the historic collection. POWER HOUSE. Discover the stories and personalities behind the major organisations of state, who took care of royal business behind the mighty Tower walls, from 1100 to the present day. The exhibition showcases the roles of the major organisations that provided the bedrock of England’s power throughout the centuries.
LONDON BRIDGE EXPERIENCE 2-4 Tooley Street SE1 2PF, 08000 434 666, www.thelondonbridgeexperience.com Get ready for the biggest fright of your life as you journey ever deeper into the horror that is the London Tombs on a thrilling journey that uses the latest in Hollywood style wizardry and hilarious live actors. Formerly a plague pit, the venue has walls that are dripping in blood, confined spaces, spiders, snakes, ghosts and ghouls, and many other horrors. Staff are on hand at all times for those of you who just find it a little too much and have to leave. For those less brave the Guardian Angel tour is advised (suitable for under 11s), with special guides accompanying younger visitors to protect them from anything too frightening. Tickets from £20.
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HMS BELFAST
loves The London Transport Museum 39 Wellington Street, Covent Garden WC2E 7BB, 020 7379 6433, www.ltmuseum.co.uk The London Transport Museum is a fantastic destination for holiday activities and weekend days out. Right in the middle of busy, bustly Covent Garden, the museum is located in the beautiful and spacious Victorian flower market building. It brings together a comprehensive collection of real vehicles alongside posters, signs, uniforms, photographs and tickets, celebrating over 200 years of the city's transport system, from the earliest horse-pulled trams to today's Underground system and iconic big red buses. Stop off at the Family Station and pick up a coin bag filled with child-friendly activities to help explore the galleries. There are stencils, blank postcards, ticket books, Flickr frames and travel card holders waiting to be filled in, decorated and taken home as souvenirs. Also during school holidays, costumed staff hold storytime sessions to share the adventures of workers who have kept London on the move. ROYAL OBSERVATORY GREENWICH
TOWER BRIDGE EXHIBITION TOWER BRIDGE, Tower Bridge Road SE1 2UP, 020 7403 3761, www.towerbridge.org.uk Tower Bridge houses four unique venues; the award-winning high level Walkways, the small luxurious North Tower Lounge, the majestic Victorian Engine Rooms and the charming Bridge Master’s Dining Room. Enjoy stunning London views from over the Thames and continue to the Victorian Engine Rooms to learn about the inner workings of the most famous bridge in the World. Tower Bridge still lifts to enable large ships to pass through - check the website before your visit to add to the excitement. There’s a free app, where you can play games and learn more about the iconic landmark before your visit. Open 10am-6pm April - September, 9.30am-5.30pm October - March. Admission £3.40 children, £8 adults, family tickets from £12.50.
Family-friendly facilities include ramp or lift access to all galleries, two cafés, a picnic area, baby feeding and changing areas, and a shop with pocket-money priced souvenirs among the selection. Before you go, we recommend checking out www.ltmuseum.co.uk to plan your visit and take advantage of any special activities for the day you go. We say: "The museum really does have something for all ages. Grandparents and parents will enjoy reminiscing, the BIG exhibits are jaw-dropping, all visitors will learn something new, and children are very well catered for. Best of all, entry tickets are valid for a whole 12 months, so every time you're up in central London, you can pop in and 'drive' a bus!" Open 10am-6pm Mondays to Thursdays and weekends, from 11am Fridays. Admission £15 adults, free for under 17s.
Art Activities DULWICH PICTURE GALLERY
JEWISH MUSEUM EVENTS
THE NATIONAL GALLERY
DULWICH PICTURE GALLERY, Gallery Road, Dulwich Village SE21 7AD, 020 8693 5254, www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk
JEWISH MUSEUM, Raymond Burton House, 129-131 Albert Street, Camden Town NW1 7NB, 020 7284 7324, www.jewishmuseum.org.uk The museum houses internationally acclaimed collections where visitors can explore Jewish culture, heritage and identity within the wider context of British history. Open 10am-5pm daily, Fridays to 2pm. Admission £3.50 children, £7.50 adults, £18 families.
TRAFALGAR SQUARE WC2N 5DN, 020 7747 2885, www.nationalgallery.org.uk
Museum open 10am-5pm Tuesdays to Fridays, from 11am weekends and bank holidays. Admission free for accompanied children, £6 adults. Listed activities free for families with a gallery ticket or £3 per child. ARTPLAY, first and last Sunday of each month. Creative drop-in workshops for adults and children, with a different activity each session. Make anything and everything from bunting to block printing and all things in between. 2-3.45pm.
ART AT SIR JOHN SOANE’S HOUSE
THE WALLACE COLLECTION, Hertford House, Manchester Square W1U 3BN, 020 7563 9500, www.wallacecollection.org
SIR JOHN SOANE’S MUSEUM, 13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields WC2A 3PB, 020 7440 4263, www.soane.org Tucked away in Lincoln’s Inn Fields at the heart of London, this magical, mysterious museum encourages young visitors to explore Soane’s treasures and develop new skills with specialist guidance. Sir John Soane (1753- 1737) was an inveterate collector, filling every nook and cranny of his beautiful home with items that fascinated him. From fossils to classical fragments from Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome and from contemporary paintings to architectural models, drawings and literature, he intended that after his death both his house and its extraordinary contents should be used to educate and inspire. Free drop-in activities run on the third Saturday of every month, with activities for all ages and families can take part together from 1.30-4.40pm.
The Wallace Collection displays wonderful works of art collected in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by the first four Marquesses of Hertford and Sir Richard Wallace, the son of the 4th Marquess, in their main London townhouse. Family multi-media tours and trails bring the exhibits to life for younger visitors. Open 10am-5pm daily, admission free.
SOMERSET HOUSE, Strand WC2, 020 7845 4600, www.somersethouse.org.uk Free family workshops run on Saturdays from 2-3.30pm. Tickets available from 1pm from the information desk. Children aged 6-12 years must be accompanied by an adult.
FREE FAMILY TRAIL. Ask a gallery assistant or stop by at the Gallery Friends desk for a free trail; updated frequently and available for the permanent and temporary exhibitions.
THE WALLACE COLLECTION
SOMERSET HOUSE FAMILY EVENTS
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Open daily 10am-6pm, Fridays to 9pm, admission free. With over 2,300 paintings in the collection, there are hundreds of reasons to visit the gallery, along with free hands-on art workshops for families at weekends and during school holidays. No need to book, but places are limited and allocated on arrival up to one hour before the start.
FAMILIES AT THE TATE TATE BRITAIN, Millbank SW1, 020 7887 8888, www.tate.org.uk/britain Open daily 10am-5.50pm, and until 10pm the first Friday of the month. Family trails are available daily from the Information Desks and are free for 5yrs and under. Go on a journey around Tate Britain and post your discoveries into your ‘Post it’ box as you go. When you get home, open up the box and show your friends what you found. Or you could follow the ‘Join up’ trail: play the listening game, search for shapes, patterns and talking hands, and make your own sculptures. Every weekend the free Art Trolley encourages children to imagine and create, make colourful collages, style a wonderful sculpture or perhaps make a sketchbook and fill it with great ideas.
june 2014 - families south east
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What’sNew Lifesaving summer tips Lost dad skills More men own knitting needles and a sewing kit than a filleting or carving knife, Best Western Hotels GB has uncovered. The hotel brand asked 2,000 men if they could complete 14 basic skills. These included boiling an egg and sewing a button on a shirt, to putting up a shelf and changing a car or bike tyre. Despite 65% of men stating they could change a bike tyre, just 45% of men own the basic tools needed to change it such as an inner tube and bike pump. While the ability to complete ‘grooming’ skills such as wet shaving and knotting a tie are commonplace, traditional dad skills such as gutting a fish and locating the North Star are endangered. In a bid to bring back ‘Lost Dad Skills’, Best Western is offering packages for men to learn the skills of their forefathers. Boning a bird, bee keeping, dry-stone walling, gutting a fish and navigating by the stars and wild swimming are all available at select hotels. Perfect for all those who’ve been glued to The Island with Bear Grylls! Best Western has 276 properties across the UK. Full details on the skills packages can be found online at www.bestwestern.co.uk/brochure/lostskills. For more information or bookings, visit www.bestwestern.co.uk or call 0844 387 6670.
Special needs support Support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities is changing, as a new system starts rolling out from September. Statements of special educational needs and Learning Difficulty Assessments are being replaced with a single education, health and care (EHC) plan for those with complex needs. The new plan will place much more emphasis on personal goals and will describe the support children will receive while they are in education or training. The government is also introducing personal budgets to accompany this plan to give parents more control over the support they receive. The amount of funding, and how it can be spent, will be individually agreed between parents/ carers and the local council. Edward Timson, Minister for Children and Families, said: “Many parents have welcomed the changes the new law brings, particularly the greater focus on personal goals, increased family involvement and improved rights and protections for young people in further education and training... This is not about cutting services but about creating a better system that puts you and your child first.” Eligible families will be contacted with a ‘local offer’ by councils, listing the available support and services under the new system. More information is also available from the Council for Disabled Children (www.councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk), Contact a Family (www.cafamily.org.uk), and www.gov.uk.
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With temperatures on the rise and many people preparing for their summer holidays, the UK’s drowning prevention charity the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS UK) has issued water safety tips that could save lives this summer. Director of Lifesaving, Adrian Lole says: “We want people to enjoy all of the fun activities water has to offer at home and abroad during the hot weather but to do so safety by following simple advice”: • Do not allow your child to use a paddling pool without adult supervision • Ensure paddling pools are emptied and turned upside-down as soon as they are finished with for the day • Check the garden regularly for anything that could collect water, like buckets and wheelbarrows • Supervise children closely when in parks or other places that might have a river, pond or lake • Ensure all members of your family know to wave and shout help if they get into difficulty and practice treading water when at your local pool • Take extra care on river banks, they are often slippery and can crumble and beware of locks and weirs where water flows quickly • Take notice of warning signs • Never swim alone • If swimming in open water, be aware of underwater hazards, currents, uneven depths and water temperatures - all of these could pose a threat to swimmers • When around water, stay back from the edge. At least 22 per cent of people who drown fall into the water by accident, for example when fishing, running or walking. For more water safety advice or details on lifesaving courses suitable for children and adults, visit www.rlss.org.uk.
Stylish specs Children who wear glasses can now customise their existing frames to make them more personal and individual. Newly launched this month, Blinx are designed to be easily slipped on and off the arms of children’s spectacles, allowing them to be swapped and changed to suit their mood or outfit. They can be worn individually, as matching pairs or mixed together to create a unique look. The soft plastic charms fit the majority of children’s spectacles and are available in an initial range of 20 designs at just £1.99 each. Blinx could become a key fashion collectible very quickly. For orders, go to www.myblinx.co.uk.
For once in my life Oops! I was nearly late for the schoolrun a couple of times enjoying a late lunch in the sun, in the garden, devouring my advance copy of For Once in My Life, which launched to great fanfare at Waterstones in Covent Garden at the end of May. This brand new novel by Dulwich mother-andjournalist Marianne Kavanagh is a satisfying nearly-not-a-love-story for grown-ups. Frog-kissers and readers who’ve bitten their tongues while supporting their friends who stay in relationships rather than being alone will recognise the dilemmas of Tess and George. The story tangles with the proposition: what if your soulmate is out there and you just haven’t realised it yet - should you compromise or wait? For Once in My Life is adorning the windows of good local bookshops now, rrp £10.99.
Anti-stereotype childrenswear Just as toy shops have started to listen to the public about the need to scrap the signage of genderspecific toys, Emma Parkes-McQueen believes the same should be said for clothes. Her new anti-stereotype brand Rockabye-Baby has a fresh approach to dressing children and a motto to match - don’t give into mainstream cute. This great new brand simply focuses on cool that’s unisex cool; across the board cool; appealing to all cool. It’s more than a brand. It’s a statement and one that is fun to get behind (and into). With an ethos that makes refreshing sense and a quality that is unrivalled, what’s not to love about this fresh new label? See the range at www.rockabye-baby.com.
Get in the mix The Tiptree World Bread Awards 2014 include a KitchenAid competition which seeks to encourage the very best bread-baking skills in both professional and home-baker alike, old and young. In the under 18s category, keen young bread makers can show off their brilliant loaves and flaunt their focaccia, or showcase their sourdough and scones. Prizes include a stunning KitchenAid Artisan 4.8L Tilt Head Stand Mixer (rrp £450). Judges include Frances Quinn, winner of Great British Bake Off 2013, and finalists will be invited to attend a baking VIP reception in London in October. Entries close on 31 August 2014. For entry details, go to www.worldbreadawards.com.
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And finally
Wireless technology: can you feel the force? Can you remember a life before mobiles and texting? I often let my five-year-old son play games on my mobile. That’s normal, isn’t it? There is wifi in most schools and there are phone masts on top of the tower block where my son’s school friend lives. In the past, community activists campaigned against such things. Today, they are simply part of the landscape. Surely this technology wouldn’t be allowed if it wasn’t proven to be safe - would it? As the more powerful G4 network is rolled out across the nation, I think it’s wise to at least question the safety of wireless technology, so here is a little basic information. Electromagnetic radiation (EMR) is basically microwave radiation. Small doses, of course, will not kill you (in fact, I would say microwave ovens can be lifesaving at stress o’clock when the children are famished and you resort to heating up a frozen ready meal). But do we want this kind of invisible energy in our homes all the time? Wifi and cordless phones, we often forget, are all EMR-emitting devices too. The fact is that telecommunications industry-funded research says that EMR poses less danger than independent scientists say it does. Plus, the effects of EMR on children, whose skulls are thinner and whose brains are still developing, is still not fully researched or understood.
By Helena Foss
Back as far as 2011 the World Health Organisation classified EMR from mobile phones as ‘possibly carcinogenic’ and, according to a Daily Telegraph report in October 2012, a link between heavy mobile use (up to six hours a working day over 12 years) and brain tumours was upheld in an Italian court (an employee was suing his employer). The Telegraph has also reported a link found with hyperactivity and poor memory in adult offspring of pregnant mice exposed to cellphone radiation by researchers at Yale University. OK, so let’s not panic - but let’s not ignore the issue either. While the scientific debate continues, when it comes to erring on the side of precaution, I’m with Edmund Burke who said: “Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.” It’s like insurance, you don’t need it till you find it’s too late.
Simple tips to keep your family safe • • •
Always turn off your wifi router at night (just a switch) Never put your mobile close to your baby’s head, nor let them use it as toy Think twice about whether a cordless baby monitor is necessary, or place it as far as
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possible from baby. These devices also emit EMR; they work with wifi after all Carry your phone in your bag, not your pocket. Manufacturer’s small print warns users to keep mobiles away from the body, even though advertising campaigns show the opposite The NHS advises children and teenagers to text or make short, essential calls only. The further away from the body/ ears the better Do not let your teenager sleep next to their phone at night (and especially not keep it under their pillow for secret texting) Do not use your phone as an alarm clock next to your head Go back to a corded phone. No re-wiring is required, simply buy two Ethernet boxes to plug in computers and laptops to your regular electricity socket. Radiation from cordless (DECT) phones is intense, and in some cases higher than a mobile phone (models/ devices vary in intensity - check SAR levels) Get informed. We’ve collated lots of useful websites, articles, reports and videos, at www.familiesonline.co.uk/radiation.
Could you go without your gadgets? The research also revealed that some parents have discovered their children looking at inappropriate content and children as young as two have been exposed to explicit and sexual material on their devices.
Gemma Johnson is a mum to three young children under 7, a digital entrepreneur and CEO/ Founder of My Family Club. She explains: “As a parent I experience the struggle trying to juggle work and family life and the additional demands of existing in a digital world. We all lead busy lives but it is so important to lead by example with our device usage. Boundaries are set by the parents first and we need to know how to spot the signs if you are heading for a digital burnout. We want to encourage the nation to put away their digital devices, unplug and spend time doing something different with their children such as going out for a bike ride, going the park, learning a new activity or taking a walk in the woods. Or, how about some good old fashioned non-digital ‘me time’ reading a book, pampering yourself or simply enjoying your surroundings and taking it slow.” Since launch in April 2012, Johnson has grown My Family Club to reach an audience of over a quarter of a million ‘highly-engaged’ parents and the topic of social media overload, news fatigue and digital burnout are a genuine concern. Adult and children’s usage of technology is a burning topic and one that families are working hard to try and achieve the right balance.
Digital overload Getting the balance right in our constantly connected digital world, is key to enjoying family life but new statistics reveal that more families than ever are finding it hard to spend quality time together due to digital overload and technology dominating family life. The new statistics reveal that 40% of families
Get the balance right
own more than seven devices in one household alone. The statistics also revealed that 25% of parents check their devices more than five times every hour - that’s a staggering 55 times in the course of a 12 hour period; and that 27% of parents let their children use devices more than twice every day during term time whilst 42% of parents let their children go on their devices daily. More than half of UK mums claim they sleep with the phone in close proximity during the night and more and more stories are breaking about how damaging it is to your health to sleep with your connected device close by. A third of mums use their phones in the bathroom and even on the loo. Nearly 20% of families regularly check their phones during meal times and allow their children to do so.
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Leading psychologist Dr Kimberley Young who runs the Internet Addiction Clinic believes parents need to be aware of the effects technology can have on children from birth. Dr Young commented: “Children have access to the internet almost from birth now. They see their parents playing on their mobile devices and they want to play too. Sometimes I think advice on internet use should be part of antenatal classes.” Dr Young added:” “Don’t leave your iPad around because if you do, and children see all the pretty colours they will want to use it too. It’s difficult, because having a device can also be very useful in terms of having a reward, having a pacifier. But if you don’t get the balance right it can be very very dangerous.”
My Family Club www.MyFamilyClub.co.uk helps parents save money and is aimed at parents with children of all ages, from birth until the day they leave home. On the site you’ll find tips and guides on money-saving and budgeting, as well as tools to help you manage your money. My Family Club also rounds up the best vouchers, offers, deals and discounts, and tells you where to find your household essentials at the best prices every week.
june 2014 - families south east
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