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Easter activities galore! Events and classes Prep schools plus Open days Baby groups we love Party hacks Issue 314 March/April 2022

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To find out more: Call (020) 8871 6666 wandsworth.gov.uk/fostering fosteringrecruitment@wandsworth.gov.uk Produced by Wandsworth Design & Print. wdp@wandsworth.gov.uk CS.1933 DC 1 (4.21)

In this issue 6&7

8&9

Top 10 support groups for mums

Real nappies and baby groups we love

Take the Bin bag challenge!

14-15

18-22

23 & 37

Parties

Bilingualism

Prep school feature

Mrs Kamaryc Queen’s Gate

38-45

48-55

Easter activities

Could you foster?

What’s On

Camps, courses, egg hunts and days out

Events, shows & concerts, museums, baby activities

To advertise: 020 8696 9680 | Editorial: editor@FamiliesSW.co.uk | Adverts/Artwork: adverts@FamiliesSW.co.uk Events/DiaryDates/What’sOn: whatson@FamiliesSW.co.uk | Next Issue: May / June 2022 | ISSN1354-9553. | All contents ©FamiliesSW 2022. familiesonline.co.uk

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March/April 2022 • Families South West 5

TOP

WAYS TO CONNECT AND BE SUPPORTED Compiled by Melissa Reynolds

Parenting can be difficult, so any opportunity for some support or encouragement is welcome. Whether it’s a support group, an app or the help of others, Families has you covered on your parenting needs.

1. The Parenting Practice www.theparentpractice.com Sometimes you need to change up your parenting path, and The Parent Practice is there to help. Try out a parent coaching class, workshop, or class. Check out their range of ebooks and podcasts and be the best mum or dad you can be. Why parents need it: “Parents spend months learning how to deal with the pregnancy and the pros and cons of different pain relief for the birth, but nobody explains the reality of what it means to have children and to have the responsibility of bringing them up to become adults… I’ve been in your shoes, I’ve been at the end of my tether with my children, but I’ve learned ﬁrst-hand the skills it takes not just to survive the struggle, but to get to the other side and change the parenting story.” Elaine Halligan, Director.

2. The NCT www.nct.org.uk The UK’s National Childbirth Trust has long been a source of support for new parents. There are courses and workshops as well as helpful articles. Their biggest help to parents though can be their meetup groups. Whether sitting or walking and talking, parents can ﬁnd support and encouragement from other parents who are in the same boat. Why it’s helpful: The NCT has formed many longstanding friendships throughout the years. The help and support mums have gained from these groups is beyond measure. Sometimes it truly takes a village!

3. Busy Lizzy www.busylizzy.co.uk Busylizzy offers classes for expectant parents and new parents including post-natal ﬁtness, baby classes, talks and events. There is no limit to the number of classes you can take, and classes can be taken in person or online. Why it’s helpful: “It’s not just one class—but a rounded club experience for you and your little one. Start at any time and take part in any combination of Busylizzy classes each week that suit your stage of pregnancy, level of ﬁtness, or baby’s age…From pregnancy Pilates to Baby Massage, Mummy&Me Bootcamp to Baby art classes, there's something for everyone” Julie Clabby, Founder. See page 9 for other groups and classes.

4. Dad AF app www.dadnatal.com Dad AF is to dads as Mumsnet is to mums. It’s a voice for hands on dads to share, worry, ask questions, and celebrate milestones. Why it’s helpful: “I think what makes our app great for me as one of the founders is that it's all the little moments we get to share. The joy of a ﬁrst funny saying, the stress of a ﬁrst bad day at nursery and how we work together to get them through it or even just having a low day as a grown man with mental health but knowing that others have been through it and are there to pick you back up. We have made a community (an odd one perhaps but still!) and what better place to learn how to be better in a family role than in our own little app family.” PJ, Founder. 6 Families South West • March/April 2022

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5. Mumsnet www.mumsnet.com For more than twenty years Mumsnet has been offering parents advice, encouragement, and support. Parents can ﬁnd information about pregnancy, parenting as well as reviews, discount codes and more. Why it’s helpful: Mumsnet is one of the biggest online forums for parents in the UK. No matter what your question or issue, the users of Mumsnet are bound to have an answer or opinion. GetSetGo! Family Club

6. Your local mums groups SW London is full of local mums’ groups that can provide you with other mums to connect and commiserate with. Sometimes having a child can be lonely if you are a stay-at-home mum, so having other mums to talk to can be a big help. Why it’s helpful: Local mums groups give you exactly that: local mums who are raising young children just like you. You can meet, commiserate, laugh, and even have a night out every now and then. Perfect for those who need mum friends who “get it.” See page 9 for recommended groups and classes.

7. Mush app www.letsmush.com Mush connects you to the mums who are closest to you with children of similar ages. Mush unites mums in pods of ﬁve, matched by age of baby and location. Members can message privately to share experiences, talk to experts, support each other, and meet in person. Why it’s helpful: Motherhood should never be attempted alone! Companionship can be a great antidote to the baby blues, and your little one will thrive in the company of others the same age.

8. Family clubs Family clubs offer mums, dads, and their children to get together for fun, activities, ﬁtness, special events, and more. Why it’s helpful: No matter your children’s ages, family clubs can offer something for everyone. No need to worry that anyone will be bored. London has several from Get-Set-Go, Cloud Twelve, Harbour Club Kensington and more.

9. Meal delivery

Mamamade

Juggling work, children, home duties and meals can be a lot in a day. Having someone deliver already prepared meals can be a life saver. Why it’s helpful: Meal delivery allows you the luxury of having a prepared meal ready at the end of the day without the stress of cooking. There are now many baby and toddler local food delivery services too to give your little one the best. Check out Healey's Real Food. Chef-made organic meals with emphasis on nutrition (see ad page 10), Mamamade baby food or Little Tummy.

10. Babysitting apps As much as we love our children sometimes nothing can be better than leaving them for a bit. London has many great apps to provide you with the perfect babysitter to take care of your little ones. Why it’s helpful: Leaving your children with a stranger can be a scary thought. Good babysitting apps take the worry away by checking backgrounds, references and matching you to someone with a similar child-rearing style. Apps and websites like Kidsitter.co.uk, Bubble, UrbanSitter, Yoopies, and Safe-Sitters.com are a great way to start. Why not start your own babysitting circle where you babysit for each other? No need to pay for a babysitter.

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Parent podcasts If you still need a bit of parenting fun, try out a podcast! Here are ﬁve to give a go. Scummy Mummies: Parenting in the real world, full of humour, wit, and likely a few dirty words, Scummy Mummies is for mums who need to hear the real truth. Happy Mum, Happy Baby: Even Duchess Catherine is a fan of Giovanna Fletcher’s candid take on parenting. No aspect of parenting is off-limits. The Motherkind Podcast: Experts discuss all things mummy including nutrition, grief, and more. Maybe Baby: Advice and conversation about all parenting aspects as well as issues of infertility and being child-free Crib Notes: Hosted by a new mum and pediatrician (Dr. Sarah Blackstock) Crib Notes answers those questions that pop into your head in the middle of the night.

March/April 2022 • Families South West 7

BABIES

The average baby goes through 4,000 disposable nappies by the time they’re toilet-trained —3 billion a year in England and Wales alone. Experts estimate that just one child wearing disposable nappies from birth creates an extra half a tonne of carbon dioxide. And, scarier still, disposable nappies take up to 500 years to break down. Reusable nappies are an eco-friendly alternative that can also be kinder to young skin but some parents worry switching nappies might create extra work and expense for them. Families asked Daniella of pēpi Collection to bust the myths around reusable and disposable nappies.

Reusable vs. disposable nappies What you need to know... Reusable nappies

Disposable nappies

Pros • Environmentally friendly. Reusable nappies can be washed and reused, unlike single-use disposable nappies. Making the switch to reusable nappies can halve an average household’s waste. • Cheaper in the long-run. Brands like pēpi offer one-size nappies that will ﬁt babies from 3.5 kg to 16 kgs—meaning that there’s no need to buy new ‘stock’ every time your baby grows. Though there is an upfront cost, kitting your baby out in reusable nappies is cheaper in the long-run—and if you have more children, you can pass your reusable nappies on, leading to even bigger savings. • No ‘nasties’: no harsh chemicals or dyes, meaning that they’re safer and softer for baby’s skin. • Some reusable nappies—as with pēpi collection—come with removable inserts. This allows you to customise your nappy depending on your child’s toileting habits (giving the nappy a ‘boost’ if your child is a heavy wetter, for example). • Fashionable designs. Pepi collection nappies come in a range of gorgeous prints allowing you to choose a style for every occasion!

Pros • Convenience. With a disposable nappy, you simply bin them once used—much like a single use plastic. • Absorbency. Because they’re made of synthetic materials, modern disposable nappies can hold several times their own weight in liquid. Reusable nappies require a little more thought if dealing with a heavy wetter (using an extra insert as recommended by pēpi, for example).

Cons • Washing and drying reusable nappies can take a bit of time and effort. Energy use needs to be managed too, but it’s possible to negate the impact by using an energyefficient washing machine, making use of removable inner layers, and hanging nappies out to dry rather than using a tumble-dryer. • There is an upfront cost when it comes to purchasing a selection of reusable nappies. However, brands like pēpi pride themselves on offering cost-effective solutions for parents.

8 Families South West • March/April 2022

Daniella is a Kiwi mum and together with her Swedish husband live the busy life of SW London. They have two children. Browse their online shop for cloth nappies, from only £47.84 for a bundle of four nappies, plus bamboo changing mat, washable wipes and nappy liners. www.pepicollection.com

Cons • Environmentally damaging. The UK throws away nearly 3,000,000,000 disposable nappies a year, costing local authorities over £60 million per annum to dispose. They will then rot in landﬁll, taking around 500 years to break down, all the while releasing huge amounts of methane into the atmosphere and contributing to global warming. • Expensive. It’s estimated that the average household spends over £400 a year on disposable nappies. • Storage and shopping. Continual shopping trips to replenish one’s stock of disposable nappies can be time-consuming and tiresome—and the packages are bulky to store. • Nasty chemicals. Disposable nappies often contain unfavourable chemicals and absorbent ingredients (like sodium polyacrylate) which can irritate young skin and cause nappy rash. • Hard to dispose of. Did you know that disposable nappies are meant to be emptied of faeces before disposal? Most people don’t do this, for obvious reasons, meaning that the poo remains inside the nappy when it is put in the bin. This is not at all ideal—not least because the excrement then rots inside the garment, increasing the amount of methane that is produced while the nappy decomposes slowly over 500 years.

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BABY AND TODDLER GROUPS

Baby and Toddler groups or classes we love Our team of Roving Mums have been going to local classes with their little ones and collectively have helped Families put together this list of classes they recommend. HARTBEEPS Running in many areas. Award-winning, original, multi-sensory musical classes. Bubbles, costumes, massage, sensory textures and lights, puppets and more. www.hartbeeps.com BABY SENSORY Balham, Battersea, Brixton, Clapham, Wandsworth, Fulham, Streatham, Tooting. An award winning learning and developmental program for babies 0-13 months. With a different theme every week babies will learn, play and most of all have lots of fun whilst enjoying precious time with your baby! www.babysensory.com CLIPTHEATRE Balham, Streatham, Tooting, Colliers Wood. Made by years of hands on experience by arts professionals using cutting edge research into neuroscience. These sessions will bring you the super-sparkly joy and also super-power your child's development and entertain you. www.cliptheatre.com

NATIONAL ARMY MUSEUM Chelsea. Playbase is a great soft play for children till 5. www.nam.ac.uk/families/play-base GAMBADO Chelsea. Indoor play centre. Toddler Time activities every week day during term time. Arts and crafts, toys and other activities will be available throughout the day for parents to enjoy some play and learn time together with their little ones. www.gambado.com PIMLICO TOY LIBRARY Qualiﬁed toy librarians will help you develop your child’s potential and support you with what toys to choose, ideas for play and concerns about your child’s development. GREAT resource and has a playroom. JIGGLE Tooting, Furzedown, Mitcham. The children will be developing their whole selves across all 7 areas of learning. Skills such as turn-taking, socialising, listening to and following instructions and collaborating are at the heart of each session, whilst enriching language with key vocabulary and enhancing gross motor movements. joininandjiggle.com

RIZE Balham. Coached Mum and baby exercise classes teaching kickboxing, HIIT, cycle classes and plenty more in a family-friendly environment. Your little ones can sit in their high chairs, prams or car seats whilst parents work out. https://wearerize.co.uk JANE WAKE’S BABY A-WAKE CLUB Six studios between Balham and Tooting Bec. Beginner, intermediate and advanced level Pilates classes on offer for mums (and babies) to help your body recuperate after delivery. Antenatal Pilates classes are proven to reduce back pain and relieve the strain on the body during pregnancy. www.janewake.com/baby-a-wake GYMBOREE PLAY & MUSIC Wimbledon, Cheam and Putney Exchange. Support growth, build self-esteem and encourage communication skills with classes that build strength through play. Let your little learners develop problem-solving skills through interactive games, play and music. www.gymboreeclasses.co.uk

MUM AND BABY AT REVIVE YOGA Balham. Baby massage, Parent & Baby Yoga and Postnatal Pilates, baby welcome to lay with you. Gorgeous environment. reviveyogalondon.com

WHIZZY WONDERS Clapham, Colliers Wood, Streatham, Balham and Wimbledon. Your little star will be introduced to a new World of Wonder that will quickly develop their senses, coordination, skills and learning. Your baby or toddler will experience a unique series of age-specific development activities, all carefully planned by an Early Years teacher and all with a high focus on fun and energy. 12 weeks -3yrs. whizzywonders.co.uk TABBY'S TUNES Wimbledon. Award winning, fun, interactive music classes for preschool children with Tabby singing live with her guitar. Enjoy a different theme each week with props, puppets, instruments and bubbles. Free trial, PAYG and Pre-pay places. 4mths-4yrs. www.tabbystunes.com MONKEY MUSIC Fulham, Putney, Barnes, Chelsea, Belgravia, Gloucester Rd & Pimlico. Amazing for confidence building, preparation for nursery, and superb for making lifelong grown up friends. Each class level is superbly resourced and beautifully presented with gorgeous puppets, hand crafted props, specialist percussion, dance, magical bubbles and lots more. 3mths-3yrs. www.monkeymusic.co.uk MY GYM Battersea. Great space for children to develop their gymnastic skills: movements, balance, roll, it has a small ballpool. Sessions for different age groups. www.mygym.com/battersea LITTLE GYM Wandsworth. Classes promote early development from infant to toddler and provide a strong foundation for your child’s critical first three years. You’ll celebrate every discovery with smiles, hugs and giggles. wandsworthfulham.thelittlegym.co.uk familiesonline.co.uk

AMANDA'S ACTION CLUB Skylark Cafe Wandsworth Common. Amanda’s Action Club, an innovative and fun physical development concept teaching preschool children how to be healthy and active from an early age. www.instagram.com/actionamanda MAMA FIT MODE Wandsworth. Small group classes for Mamas rebuilding functional strength & getting fit. Run by Jade, a new Mama herself, post & pre-natal trained with over a decades experience in personal training. Individual guidance on alignment, posture, form & technique. www.trainingmode.co.uk DANTASTIC Streatham. Dantastic Productions have been providing top quality kids' entertainment across London for over 14 years. With high energy baby classes and parties, action packed from start to finish, they pride themselves in going that extra mile to make every party truly magical! www.instagram.com/dantasticproductions TINY FEET SPORTS Fulham. Learn Through Play introduces children to the fun world of sport using educational materials to keep them entertained while you watch them learn, laugh, play, create and interact with each-other while learning their colours, numbers and also gaining valuable life skills . https://tinyfeetsports.co.uk FLIPOUT Wandsworth. Did you know they are running a very popular Toddler Time experience? An amazing way for your little ones to explore and socialise, as well as develop coordination and balance. BRAND NEW giant bouncy castle, interactive games and educational toys. www.flipout.co.uk ANIMA Parsons Green. A community based wellness space offering a playcafe, creative classes for children like story telling, sensory classes or music for little ones, holistic healing, and retreat days designed to recharge and support busy parents. www.animahouse.co

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LATINO BAMBINO Wandsworth and South Kensington. Keeping fit couldn’t be more fun at this salsa mum and baby dance class. Babies from six weeks old can join their dancing mums (in a sling) and shake their maracas to the rhythm. www.latinobambino.co.uk BUGGY FIT In a park near you. The best way to get back in shape after your new arrival. Whatever your postnatal stage they have a programme that will suit your needs, from initial recuperation in your first six weeks, through those tough times of getting back into your jeans and onto those new levels of fitness – and most of this from behind your buggy or pram. buggyfit.co.uk SING AND SIGN In person or online. An award-winning programme encouraging your baby to communicate, learn to sign for milk, more, change nappy or tired. www.singandsign.co.uk CINE MINI A true family day out for all generations including interactive crafts, face painting, animals, live music, VIP guests, before and throughout the film. Children are free to run around without fear of being told to shush. With a licensed bar and stalls geared especially for the mums and dads too, the adults have the freedom to sit back, relax and enjoy. www.cineminifilmclub.com

Please tell companies you saw them in

Families! March/April 2022 • Families South West 9

Would you like to get some more sleep? Do you want potty training sorted? Have you got a tricky eater or want help with the constant childhood meltdowns?

Wandsworth’s own organic & ethical food team Highly nutritious, top quality organic children’s meals plus easy-cook adult meal kits Using Rhug Estate organic meat, Label Rouge chicken & fresh stock made sauces delivered to your door. Visit www.healeysrealfood.co.uk | 07711 945687

Cheryl can help! Cheryl has a very gentle approach for all ages and wants it to be a calm experience for you all as a family. “You will see results in the ﬁrst 3 days but have extra support to help you through any bumps you may hit along the road with 2 weeks support. I’m a fully qualiﬁed Nursery Nurse and Sleep Consultant ready to tackle anything.” See all her packages on her website www.sleeptraininglondon.co.uk or email any questions to cheryl@sleeptraininglondon.co.uk Instagram @sleep_training_london

Calling all young Scientists! Help us discover how babies & kids learn! We’re recruiting infants from birth to school age to take part in fun studies at Birkbeck’s Babylab & ToddlerLab in central London. Our prime locations are easy to reach and we refund travel expenses. We also have online studies you can do from the comfort of home www.cbcd.bbk.ac.uk/online-studies

020 3926 1207 babylab@bbk.ac.uk www.cbcd.bbk.ac.uk

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10 Families South West • March/April 2022

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Recycling has never been more important—we should all learn to do it better Have you been religiously removing the caps and lids from your bottles and jars and recycling them separately? If like me, you have, you are doing it wrong! The trick is to put them back on the empty bottle or jar as unbelievably anything smaller than a tennis ball cannot be sorted and recycled effectively. Do you crush your cans and plastic bottles? Apparently you shouldn’t. Many recycling plants use shape sorters to separate out products and won’t recognise the interesting shapes you’ve just made. In his new book, The Rubbish Book, industry insider James Piper exposes common misconceptions about recycling so we can all do our bit for the planet. We all know we have a rubbish problem. The target to recycle 50% of 'waste from households' by 2020 was missed as the

household recycling rate dropped to 44.0%, down from 45.5% in 2019 as people spent more time at home due to lockdowns. At the same time total 'waste from households' increased to 22.6 million tonnes in 2020 from 22.1 million tonnes in 2019. These are big numbers—and behind them lies considerable confusion on the part of consumers who want to do their bit but who are baffled by what can and can’t be recycled and by the different rules in different local authorities Myths abound – does it really all go in landﬁll anyway? Is plastic always bad? Are the other materials always better? The Rubbish Book provides all the information necessary for each of us to become a true recycling expert and do our bit to help protect the planet with conﬁdence.

The Rubbish Book: A Complete Guide to Recycling is published by Unbound, £9.99.

A local initiative:

the Bin Bag Challenge

Do you feel overwhelmed by the amount of recycling and rubbish your family produces every week? Have you been thinking about ways you and your family can reduce your ecological footprint? One Wandsworth mum and waste-lite lifestyle guru Alice N. has developed a comprehensive website and associated coaching programme to help local residents reduce their waste: the Bin Bag Challenge. Local resident Catherine Roux shares her recent experience. How does it work?: The Bin Bag Challenge is a 9-week programme to reduce our waste. Using WhatsApp, Alice, the facilitator, sent us a series of challenges that we could undertake at our own pace and ability. With her support we were encouraged to change a few habits each week, using the swap and the DIY lists. Topics included food waste, using fewer and more natural cleaning products, and even suggestions for birthdays and Christmas. Some of us dived into composting, others experimented with different laundry detergents from bulk food stores. The WhatsApp group was a great source of information-sharing throughout the 9 weeks. On the website Alice familiesonline.co.uk

shares so many ideas, recipes and links based on her years of research and experience of waste-lite living.

To join or facilitate your own bin bag challenge with friends, neighbours or colleagues visit www.binbagchallenge.com

Some of the changes I made My ﬁrst major change was to recycle soft plastics. I learnt I could take my lightweight plastics, like plastic ﬁlm lids on yoghurt pots, soft fruit punnets, plastic crisp packets, pasta and cereal bags to my local Co-op*. I now buy less from Amazon, buy more loose fruit and veg from local shops rather than heavilypackaged produce, have started a compost bin in the garden, and switched to bars of soap and shampoo. Alice even shared recipes for natural deodorant which I promise, is one hundred times better than it sounds!

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About six weeks into the programme, heading out the door to take the kids to school I realised: this week I don’t have a black bin bag to put out for collection —only 2 recycling bags! The kids and I felt victorious all the way to school. * Selected Co-ops only, see online for participating stores

March/April 2022 • Families South West 11

Laugh, draw and play together, however far apart you are Connect for free, safely and securely, with Squiggle's interactive video calls. Determined to make video calls more fun for his kids, Clapham dad and software engineer, Daniel Crisp, built an app during lockdown that has since gone global through just word of

mouth. Squiggle was originally inspired by a drawing game the family would play on the back of napkins in restaurants called ‘the squiggle game’.

When Dan saw how difficult his children, then seven and three, were finding lockdown Zoom calls, he figured combining the squiggle game with video calling might just help. The results were incredible; Sam and Rosie went from awkward five minute calls to an hour each! Dan says “It was amazing, they really relaxed and opened up, “can we squiggle Grandma & Grandad?” is a regular request! We never use Zoom now”.

Beneﬁts of online connection Research shows that positive social connections with loved ones is critical to wellbeing and Dan hopes that Squiggle—which is free to play—will help connect families around the world when they can’t be together. Dan has recently added games like chess, pictionary and wordsearches, with more in the pipeline, and is seeking investment to take it to the next level. Why not give it a go this Easter? Get squiggling at www.squiggle.io

12 Families South West • March/April 2022

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LITTLE NEWS ROUNDUP

Little Dig Club We all know that our children benefit from being outdoors, connecting with nature and getting their hands dirty, but that’s not easy in London. Here are some ideas to get your little adventurers digging. 1. Collect sticks to create a labyrinth, a bug house, a stickman or a campfire. 2. Create a miniature garden in a cardboard box. Just a few flowers, leaves, stones and grass can look beautiful.

Use code 3. Get digging together FAMILIES for and get them involved. 10% discount on With a Dig garden, you Instant Beds! can more easily create a beautiful outdoor space with instant impact for the whole family to enjoy and nurture. Discover more at www.digclub.co.uk for Instant Flower Beds and a garden bespoke design service.

The move to nursery can feel like a big step Mini Oaks at 345 Balham gives children aged 15 months+ a warm and nurturing introduction to nursery by offering sessions from 9.4511.45am. They are an ideal stepping-stone for toddlers to get familiar with the nursery environment, so they feel safe, happy and conﬁdent when their move to full-time nursery begins. Led by Miss

Slavka, who has been with us for 15 years, the children beneﬁt from a 1:3 teacher/child ratio, which provides them with focused support. Activities range from sensory exploration, role play and arts, to creative play in their dedicated outdoor learning space. www.345Preschools.com

Movement important for development, brain function and mood There are numerous reports on the importance of physical activity for children. With the COVID-19 pandemic it proved problematical to ensure that children took the recommended daily amount of exercise. MovementWorks, based in South London, have been providing their specialist classes to various early years provisions, schools and community groups since 2012. The charity has a growing body of evidence on how their work has improved the outcomes for children. With the help of a grant award from the Arts Council MovementWorks provided a daily schedule of

Perform classes build children’s conﬁdence Perform puts children’s social development at the heart of their weekly sessions for 4-7s and 7-12s. Using performing arts-based games and inspiring activities, their classes are designed to boost conﬁdence, build concentration, develop communication skills and hone coordination—and are brimming with fun and laughter too. Run by professionally trained actors, dancers and singers, classes are kept small to ensure individual attention, with regular progress reports provided. Fantastic termly resources – such as free apps, music downloads and dance videos–support each theme, meaning the fun continues at home. Book a no-obligation FREE trial class to get started at perform.org.uk/try. Families readers receive a £40 discount when booking before 31st March, just quote LSW310322

classes. These were well-attended grew in popularity and meant outreach widened further than normal geographical constraints and most importantly more children, vulnerable adults and their families/carers were able to beneﬁt from impactful physical activity and have fun. An On Demand Library of sessions is soon to be launched that will be available to access from the website. www.movementworks.org or email info@movementworks.org

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March/April 2022 • Families South West 13

PARTIES

Another birthday party? Make it a Date instead .

view the trucks, equipment and a real life Fireman Sam in full kit.

Most parents think that they have no other option but to hold a party for their child’s birthday. It’s worth thinking about how you can create a memorable celebration without throwing a party. Make it a Date One of the most precious things we can offer our children is our time and often the best thing we can do to improve our relationship with them is to offer it freely. A date involves one-on-one time talking, communicating, and building a relationship with our child by asking questions and really listening to the answers. So why not make your child’s birthday extraspecial by taking them on a date? Let your child decide Give your child an opportunity to draw up a ‘wish list’ of all the

All our applicants are personally interviewed and their references checked

Feed the animals Young children adore children so take them on an outing to Deen City Farm or Battersea Park Zoo. Check out their special experiences which you can book which will allow your young one to get behind the scenes and help out.

fun things they might like to do on their birthday. Go to the theatre, a concert or to the ballet Take your child on an exciting outing and include a pre or post performance meal. Attend a big sporting event Take your child to a big game or match involving their favourite team or sport. Visit a fire station Many pre-schoolers love fire stations. Contact your local fire brigade to see if they will allow you to bring your child in to

Try something new If your child hasn’t been tobogganing, take them to one of the dry ski slopes or indoor snow centres that are popping up all over the country. Or go skating in Streatham or elsewhere. Canoeing, indoor climbing, ten pin bowling or even camping are all fun activities your child may not have tried and can enjoy with you.

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info@wimbledonnannies.co.uk www.wimbledonnannies.com 184 Copse Hill, SW20 0SP

Pappa Ciccia PIZZA DELIVERY Free delivery of delicious authentic Italian pizza Kids voted Pappa Ciccia’s pizza as their favourite party food. Gluten free and vegan options. Visit our family-friendly restaurants in Fulham where a warm welcome awaits you. #familybusiness #supportlocal #comfortfood #EatLocal #SupportLocal

www.pappaciccia.com Restaurants • Private Catering For full event catering visit pappacicciacatering.com

14 Families South West • March/April 2022

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PARTIES

Easy party hacks for parents We know life wasn’t meant to be easy but arranging a children’s party shouldn’t have to be so hard.

Kids En Cuisine

So here are some tips from the Families editors,which may help you throw a reduced-stress but still brilliant celebration.

Guest list Make it small! A manageable number of guests means more space and a bigger budget to make the party feel really special for the select few. Don’t feel you have to invite all the class. Our children and their friends are actually getting sick of going to birthday parties every other week.

Invitations Go digital with paperless invitations. Some traditions are simply bad for the environment and can be replaced with easier, cheaper and more eco-friendly options.

Food If you are catering, do as much prepreparation as you can the day before and on the morning of the party. Go for food options that will stay fresh in the fridge and make sure you have enough fridge space available. Save time and energy by pre-scooping ice cream into a cupcake or muffin baking tray lined with cases. Then pop the whole thing in the freezer until later. Simplify the catering by buying some cardboard lunchboxes and preﬁlling them with sandwiches, crisps, fruit, and other food items. Name them for each child to avoid confusion, especially if there are any allergies. Opt for simple party food. You can’t go wrong with party staples like sausage rolls, pizza, sandwiches and cocktail sausages or for vegetarian options, try the Quorn range. Don’t

forget disposable plates and cups— use paper varieties to be ecoconscious.

Decorations • Put confetti on the inside of balloons to create a pretty decorative effect. • Personalise balloons by using stickers that spell out your child’s name. • Create a funky effect with disco dance-ﬂoor balloons by inserting glow sticks in colourful balloons before blowing them up. • Use streamers to act as a fringed curtain in a doorway – toddlers and pre-schoolers will love this. • For an adorable baking-themed garland, thread colourful cupcake cases onto string. • Make a tablecloth they can decorate using a large sheet of butcher paper. Leave out (washable) felt tips and let them release their creative genius!

Party bags What party bags? It is almost impossible to avoid plastic in party bags so, either have none at all or if you must have them, Etsy have great personalised plastic free options to order.

After the party Get a cleaner It might be extravagant but organising a one-off clean the day after the party is a luxury that might be worth splurging on.

Perfect parties for little ones! •Fun live music •For 0-5 yrs •Instruments & props •Award winning musicians info@blueberryplaysongs.co.uk 07565 377 451

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March/April 2022 • Families South West 15

An independent, privately-owned nursery in the heart of Clapham Old Town for 2 1/2 to 5 year olds. A fun and nurturing pre-school offering traditional EYFS and Montessori teaching, excellent outdoor learning and with a superb team of staff.

* Forest School * STEM * RULER Programme * ‘Stay and Play’ * Large Garden * Good links with follow on schools * * Excellent teacher to pupil ratios * The Willow Nursery 55 Grafton Square, London SW4 ODE Tel: 020 7498 0319 www.thewillownursery.co.uk

The Willow on the Farm Nursery Nill Farm, Hook Norton, Oxon OX15 5DQ Tel: 01608 730143 www.willowonthefarm.co.uk

Wandsworth

Balham

Hurlingham

Academic excellence Outdoor learning Vast extracurricular programme Independent PreSchools for children aged 2 to 5 Tours & admissions 345Preschools.com 020 8166 5932

16 Families South West • March/April 2022

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THE MONTESSORI SCHOOL Queensberry Nursery Where BIG Hearts Shape Little Minds

Children from 7 months to 5 years 24 Queensberry Place SW7 2DR 0207 581 0200 queensberrynurs@gmail.com

www.queensberrynursery.com

THE MONTESSORI CHILDREN

HOLIDAY AND AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS

We provide a delightful environment for children from 2yrs of age. Offering the full Montessori curriculum with visiting teachers for Music, Dancing, Yoga, French, Drama, Sports & Gymnastics.

Local children up to the age of 8yrs are welcome to join in with our fun and creative activity days during school breaks. School pick-ups and homework clubs are also available during term time.

CALL US TO BOOK A VISIT TO THE NURSERY

0208 673 8037

102 Chestnut Grove Balham, London, SW12 8JJ

TEA TIME FOR TODDLERS This session takes place from 3:30pm to 4:30pm for children from approximately 2yrs of age to attend with an adult

www.themontessorischool.co.uk

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LITTLE ANGELS NURSERY SCHOOL A Traditional Teaching Nursery - Learning through Play Ofsted rated 'Good' nursery. Established in 2000, very homely, friendly and staff are fully qualified in Early Years. Age 3 months to 5 years with three spacious rooms to explore, learn and grow in confidence and intellect. There are two large gardens. Open all year 8am to 6pm. 15/30 hours weekly free sessions available for 2-4yrs.

Please contact our office on 020 7274 8333. info@littleangelsbrixton.co.uk www.littleangelsbrixton.co.uk 50 Gresham Road, Brixton, SW9 7NL "Overall, staff provide a stimulating learning environment where children are motivated and eager to learn" OFSTED

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March/April 2022 • Families South West 17

Founded in 1977

International French-English Bilingual Pre-Primary school for 3-6 year olds

“Outstanding in all categories” OFSTED 2020 Report

School visits every Thursday TEL. 020 7371 8350 • admin@lecoledespetits.co.uk 2 HAZLEBURY ROAD, FULHAM, LONDON SW6 2NB

Founded in 2005

International French-English Bilingual Pre-Primary and Primary school for 3-11 year olds

School visits every Friday TEL. 020 7371 8350 • admin@lecoledespetits.co.uk TROTT STREET, BATTERSEA, LONDON SW11 3DS

BILINGUALISM

Hatching Dragons Families asked Cenn John, Founder of Hatching Dragons, to talk about their bilingual nurseries Hatching Dragons was born out of an idea that we can and should aspire to do so much more for our children. I started this journey ﬁrst as a parent—like many of you, childcare is and was a necessity for me. But, like many of you, I couldn’t help but feel that so many of the schools I saw lacked something. And having lived in China for much of my adult life, that something was an educational ethos that not only taught children material skills that would have a long-lasting impact on their futures, but embedded it in a truly internationalised pedagogy that fostered the kind of intercultural understanding and excitement about the wider world that I wanted my children to share. Hatching Dragons is my expression of that intent. We offer full bilingual immersion in Chinese and English at all of our current schools across the City of London, Westminster and Canada Water to develop technical ﬂuencies in languages that matter to

relearning those qualities that once bound us together: courtesy, consideration, compassion and conviction. I want our children to be strong in their hearts, strong in their heads, and strong in their bodies to lead lives of impact and intent.

a child’s future. And our intercultural curriculum investigates the people, cultures, landscapes, animals and activities of a speciﬁc region each month to foster a sense of excitement about the wider world, the opportunities and challenges within it and what we can do to change it for the better, embedding this international learning with the kind of values an increasingly polarised world needs more of if we are to stand a chance of

And there is no better time to start: the early years is the time that we can hope to achieve the most lasting impact on a child’s sense of self, purpose and identity and capability. If we get it right, I genuinely believe we can change the way that they perceive the world and the people within it for the better. So if you share those beliefs and that ambition, come join us! www.hatching-dragons.com

A new bilingual English and Chinese Mandarin nursery Mandarin Ducklings, which already operates from two locations in Richmond borough of London, will launch a new nursery in Putney Bridge in March catering for up to 50 children aged one to ﬁve. Based on a unique combination of Montessori principles of education, bilingual English and Chinese Mandarin teaching and with a strong emphasis on the importance of outdoor learning using Forest School techniques, the new nursery will offer a fresh approach to nursery education for families in the Putney Bridge area. Many learning activities traditionally done indoor moved outdoors Founder of Mandarin Ducklings, Liya Rickards, herself a qualiﬁed Montessori practitioner and Level 3 Forest School teacher, comments: “We were delighted to discover this fantastic premises in Putney Bridge was available as it offers us a perfect mix of inside and outdoor space for the children. We believe that it is important to provide children with the opportunity to learn and appreciate nature and the world around them.” familiesonline.co.uk

As part of the transformation of the outdoor space, Mandarin Ducklings has engaged with an early years play specialist to design a natural and interactive play area including a natural tree trunk climbing frame, a textured mudkitchen and a dry river bed water play course. Inside, meanwhile, the children will beneﬁt from touchscreen technology as well as an internal treehouse, giving them the best of both worlds. Liya Rickards also commented on the remarkable capability of young children to absorb and learn new languages. “Montessori’s theory of ‘Sensitive Period’, talks about how children can learn effectively including languages acquisition if they have the right environment at the right time. Children have innate ability to develop multiple languages simultaneously…. One of our unique positioning is to have created a bilingual environment and bilingual education plays a daily part of the Mandarin Ducklings FamiliesSWLon

experience. It is a pleasure to witness the pride with which the children show off their new phrases and Chinese songs to their parents.” Families interested in Mandarin Ducklings’ new nursery should contact 020 77367 160 or email info@mandarinducklings.co.uk in the ﬁrst instance. March/April 2022 • Families South West 19

Bilingualism – start early and the world becomes your oyster

ountless studies point to the many benefits of bilingualism, not only to broaden one’s linguistic skills and allow for easier learning of additional languages, but also to develop certain brain areas and connections, hereby strengthening cognitive abilities, creativity and productivity. Furthermore, the benefit of acquiring these linguistic skills as early as possible is also generally accepted. Recreating the natural circumstances in which an infant acquires its native language’s oral skills is key to the success of a bilingual or multilingual education. Bilingual families know this and will often seek to have their offspring educated at an international school. In case a child is born in a monolingual family, school becomes the place to experience an international context first hand from a very young age. With this in mind, all French schools in the global AEFE network (the French Ministry for European & Foreign Affairs’ Agency for French Education abroad with 543 schools in 138 countries) apply the same system: teaching the French curriculum and the French language, as well as the language and culture of the host country. 20 Families South West • March/April 2022

immersed in both languages there, whether it is in the classroom with intensive English lessons or a 50/50 programme, or even in informal learning situations such as the playground, the dining hall, extra-curricular activities and other peer-to-peer interactions in a community welcoming over 40 nationalities. Teaching in the native language for best results Following the Ronjat-Grammont method where each adult is encouraged @AlexaRochePhoto to only address pupils in their own Bilingualism or multilingualism? native language, the Lycée focuses on having Beyond bilingualism, these schools’ children acquire equal ease of oral programmes actually rather aim at comprehension and expression before they multilingualism, where an additional language leave primary school. Pupils then develop becomes compulsory at secondary level. This written language skills and leave their school at is achieved through dedicated language classes 18, with excellent proﬁciency in at least two and other subjects being taught in one languages, to enter the most competitive language or the other, i.e. history-geography, higher education courses around the world (i.e. mathematics, sports etc. in France and Europe, the UK, the US, Canada The Lycée français Charles de Gaulle de etc.). Londres and its 4 locations in South Kensington, Clapham, Ealing and Fulham, is no www.lyceefrancais.org.uk exception. From age 3, pupils are thus familiesonline.co.uk

BILINGUAL DIRECTORY THE GERMAN SCHOOL Richmond. Kindergarten, pre-school, elementary school, middle school and upper school. Also a Saturday school. www.dslondon.org.uk ANGLO PORTUGUESE SCHOOL OF LONDON SW18. A free 4-11yrs primary. England's ﬁrst school providing a bilingual curriculum in English and in Portuguese. www.angloportugueseschool.org

LYCEE FRANCAIS SW7. The original French Lycée and the largest French school in the UK The primary school offers French and bilingual classes. In the secondary school, children can choose between the French and the British section to study for GCSEs and A-Levels. www.lyceefrancais.org.uk

L’ECOLE DES PETITS & L’ECOLE DE BATTERSEA SW6 and SW11. B&G, Fulham (3- 6yrs) & Battersea (311yrs). www.lecoledespetits.co.uk L’ECOLE INTERNATIONALE FRANCO-ANGLAISE (EIFA) W1. An English-French international co-educational nursery, junior and senior independent day school. London www.eifaschool.com ECOLE JEANNINE MANUEL WC1. A co-educational bilingual international French school for 3-18 year olds in the heart of London. Sister school of its Paris namesake. www.ecolejeanninemanuel.org.uk ECOLE D’ANDRÉ MALRAUX Ealing. The fourth Lycée primary with 300 pupils in 11 French classes. 3-10yrs. www.lyceefrancais.org.uk ZNANIYE Several branches including Chelsea. Teaching the Russian language with both native and non-native speakers. Prepare students to sit Russian GCSE and Alevel examinations. 3-18yrs. www.znaniye.com L’ECOLE BILINGUE W2, B&G 3-11y Bilingual French-English school. www.lecolebilingue.com BELLEVILLE WIX SW11. Two languages, three streams: english, bilingual and French. An international, language and culture rich on-site cooperation between Wix Primary School and the Lycée Charles de Gaulle. www.bellevillewix.org.uk

THE NORWEGIAN SCHOOL Wimbledon. An independent international school for children aged 6-16yrs. Founded in 1982. www.norwegianschool.org.uk WHITGIFT SCHOOL Croydon. Boys Independent day and boarding school for 10-18yrs, strong French section www.whitgift.co.uk RICHMOND DUTCH SCHOOL Mortlake SW14. Classes on Thursdays for 4-12yrs. www.richmonddutchschool.org.uk WENLIN CHINESE SCHOOL SW11. Saturday Mandarin Classes and activities like Chinese opera and painting. From 1 yr to adult. www.wenlinchineseschool.org.uk L’ECOLE DU PARC SW11. B&G, 2-5yrs. A nursery school and a bilingual school. British and French education in a warm and nurturing environment 020 7993 6460 www.ecoleduparc.co.uk MANDARIN DUCKLINGS NURSERIES Putney. A new nursery and pre-school tucked between Fulham High Street and Fulham Palace opening this March. NEW ! Based on a unique combination of Montessori principles of education, bilingual English and Chinese Mandarin teaching, and with a strong emphasis on the importance of outdoor learning. 1-5yrs. www.mandarinducklings.co.uk RAPHAEL NURSERY Clapham. A bilingual French Montessori nursery which received a Top 20 London nurseries award in 2021. For 3mths-5yrs. http://raphaelnursery.com ANGLO-SPANISH NURSERY SCHOOL SW4. B&G, 2-5yrs. www.anglospanishnurseryschool.co.uk YUME NURSERY AND PRE-SCHOOL SW18. A fully immersive English/Spanish bilingual nursery plus, complimentary languages such as French, Mandarin and Korean are also taught as a Language Programmes both for parents & children. Opened Feb 2021. 4months-5yrs. www.yumeschool.com ITALIAN DAY NURSERY SW9. B&G, 18mths-5yrs Facebook @The Italian Day Nursery LITTLE LINGUISTS NURSERIES SW16. B&G, Bilingual French & English. www.littlelinguistsnursery.co.uk PEQUES NURSERIES SW6. Bilingual French & Spanish. www.peques.co.uk

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AD MELIORA SW19. Italian, Russian, English, Spanish, French and German while you enjoy your hobbies. Facebook @AdMelioraAcademy LES PETITS CHOUX Southﬁelds. A French School for bilingual children, FLAM. www.lespetitschoux.org.uk LE FRENCH PROGRAMME LTD SW6. French language club within Parsons Green school, saturday classes and holiday clubs. www.lefrenchprogramme.com BATTERSEA SPANISH SW11. Cultural centre classes like ﬂamenco, events, Saturday creative classes and languages classes for children. www.batterseaspanish.com

KIDSLINGO Several locations in SW London. Multi award-winning Fun French and Spanish language classes for young children using song, dance, games and drama to inspire their young learners. 0-11yrs. www.kidslingo.co.uk BABYLINGUALISM SW15. Multilingualism and speech therapy workshops. Private speech and language therapy plus cantokids, a cantonese bilingual playgroup for 5-11yrs. https://babylingualism.com LA PETITE ECOLE WIMBLEDON SW19. A French Saturday school for all. Classes for non native children, francophone/ bilingual children, a playgroup for little ones 1-3yrs. Facebook @petiteecolewimbledon NANOS SPANISH Online. Learn a language through games, action songs and educational activities. Toddlers to preschool children. www.nanospanishclub.com BILINGUAL BEATS Online and face to face Spanish classes with a musical twist. From babies to six years old, each one learning at their own pace. Online or face-to-face, live music. www.bilingualbeatsonline.com AVERY HILL EDUCATION Online. Language programmes using stories for early learners and providing the teaching resources needed. www.averyhilleducation.com

SHAFTESBURY PARK PRIMARY SCHOOL SW11. B&G International Primary Curriculum and French bilingual section. www.shaftesburypark.wandsworth.sch.uk FULHAM BILINGUAL SCHOOL PRIMARY SW6. A unique partnership between Holy Cross Catholic Primary, a state English school and L'Ecole Marie d'Orliac, a French private school. www.fulhambilingual.org.uk

ET PATATI PATATA SW6. Popular French language classes, école du samedi, holiday activities 3-14yrs. Follows the French curriculum from maternelle to college. www.etpatatipatata.com

CLUB PETIT PIERROT Several areas. Popular after school fun French lessons and tuition, online and in person. Est. 25years www.clubpetitpierrot.co.uk

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ALPINE FRENCH SCHOOL Morzine, France. Learn French in the beautiful French Alps. A wide range of French language courses, camps and activities to suit all abilities and ages, plus online French courses. Age 5-adults. www.alpinefrenchschool.com

March/April 2022 • Families South West 21

BILINGUALISM

A family holiday learning French in the alps!

A new Spanish bilingual stream at The Roche School Spanish is the second most widely spoken language in the world—it’s such good news that The Roche School, a leading Primary School in Wandsworth, is now offering a Spanish Bilingual Stream from September 2022. Mornings in the Spanish Bilingual Stream will consist of the same high quality curriculum in English as the English Reception, and afternoons will involve National Curriculum-based lessons in Spanish, delivered by a fully qualiﬁed teacher with in-depth Spanish ﬂuency. Their current host of specialist teachers in music and

sport will further enrich the children’s learning. This new stream will appeal to those interested in the numerous beneﬁts of exposure to a foreign language as it: • Advances children academically • Brings cognitive advantages • Encourages a global outlook and open-mindedness • Enhances communication • Is fun! For further information on this challenging and inspirational initiative, please visit The Roche School website https://therocheschool.com/

Are you looking for something educational yet fun to do with your children this summer? Why not try Alpine French School’s French Family Summer Camps? With interactive fun French workshops in the mornings and adventure activities in the afternoon, there is never a dull moment! Parents can join in the fun or enjoy everything the Alps has to offer while the children make new friends and improve their French and try a range of sports.

With activities galore for children, teenagers and adults, including mountain beaches with watersports and warm sunny days, the Alps is the perfect choice for a family holiday. Based in Morzine in the French Alps, an 8-hour drive from Calais or a 1-hour transfer from Geneva airport. Alpine French School can also arrange accommodation and airport transfers.

www.alpinefrenchschool.com

Thriving in a bilingual school—offering pupils the best of two systems L’École des Petits in Fulham and L’École de Battersea in Wandsworth offer a French-English bicultural education, focusing on developing bilingual, open-minded, respectful and conﬁdent children, who are well prepared to move onto the next stage of their education in both top British schools and

International schools. The schools take the best elements from both systems and mould them together to provide children with a unique learning experience. “Language is not just about learning sets of words and grammar, it is also about learning another culture” says Nick Otten,

22 Families South West • March/April 2022

co-founder of L’Ecole des Petits and L’Ecole de Battersea. Bilingual and bicultural schools enable children to be immersed in both languages and cultures throughout the school day. But what does a French-English bicultural school look like? Both schools have implemented a hybrid approach to learning: blending academics with an English love of oratory through assemblies, collaborative learning and shared practice between French and English colleagues. Building conﬁdence in pupils in a fun way! The French état d’esprit for example is strongly maintained through tailored philosophy lessons that link linguistics with cultural background: “We question words, their meaning, semantics, rules and why they exist. That’s the

purpose of philosophy!” says Mélina Besse, Year 6 (CM2) teacher at L’École de Battersea. The schools also combine traditional French cursive writing and a focus on precision, with trademark English writing skills with its distinct ﬂair for ample use of freeﬂowing creativity—mixing rigour with imagination. L’École des Petits and L’École de Battersea provide children a chance to understand and thrive in two systems from an early age and for the rest of their life. At age 11, children leave primary school mastering skills in both languages, with adaptive capacities in their approach to the world of tomorrow. www.lecoledespetits.co.uk www.lecoledebattersea.co.uk

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25 years

full of

opportunities

For 25 years, Fulham students have enjoyed an education that prepares them for success in any path they choose to pursue. Discover the academic excellence that our co-educational school for 3-18 year olds could offer your child. New Nursery School opening in April 2022

To find out more visit fulham.school or contact admissions@fulham.school

24 Families South West • March/April 2022

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Help, we didn’t get our ﬁrst choice school! By Emma Lewry

School allocation day is almost upon us. In England, secondary school places are announced on 1 March. Then, during April, those who have applied for a primary school place will find out their designated school. Thankfully, almost ninety two percent of families are given their firstchoice primary school and ninety eight percent get one of their listed preferences. In secondary, ninety six percent of students get one of their listed schools. But what about those who do not get the first choice or even any preferences? How can you deal with the fallout from not getting a choice you planned for? Here are three suggestions: heard by a panel, you may be invited to the hearing and you will be given a decision with reasons.

Give the allocated option a chance If you do not know much about the school, get nosey on their website and give them a call see if you can visit. In many cases, second or third choice allocations turn out to be brilliant and families are really pleased with the decision. Give the school a chance, it might work for you!

Telling your child

Manage disappointment Sometimes the biggest issue is managing the disappointment you and your child might feel. Look after yourself and take some time to be sad, angry and frustrated; these are important and valid feelings. Communicating positively with your child is important if you can, so they don’t feel nervous about their new school.

Get on the waiting lists Plenty changes between the Spring and September and there is still a good chance you can get a space at your ﬁrst choice school or another you feel happier about. Depending on your local authority procedures, you may automatically go on a waiting list or you may need to request this with your local authority or directly with the school. If you are still feeling unsure about the school options, there is time to look at other schools and request a change. Both starting school and moving to secondary are big events and you need to feel as happy about it as you can. There are also options to appeal; although this can be challenging, it may be worth a shot. Again, your familiesonline.co.uk

local authority website should explain the appeals process.

Appealing a decision Each local authority has an appeals procedure, which they follow and can be found on their website. It will explain how to appeal and what reasons you can use for appeal. It is quite difficult to be successful with an appeal and in most cases, this only happened where children have additional needs which cannot be supported in any other setting. In a nutshell, if you appeal a decision, you are effectively asking the school which is full to remove a child from that allocation and move them to a different school. As you can imagine, that is an unlikely scenario. It can be worth going through the process though, as there are situations in which schools may take on more children if they are able to and by appealing, you are FamiliesSWLon

showing you are serious about wanting a place at that school. Once you appeal, the case will be

Find some speciﬁc things about the school they will love and show younger children pictures of happy children and fun activities on the school website. For older children, visit the website together to look at what is on offer. Stories are a great way to explore feelings and talk about sadness and disappointment. Top recommendations for little ones are: ‘The Colour Monster’ by Anna Lennas and for older children ‘No Worries,’ an activity book by Dr Sharie Combes or You are Awesome by Matthew Syed.

Emma Lewry is an Early Years teacher, former Headteacher and mum to two little girls. Emma co-owns Every Day’s a School Day (www.edasd.co.uk/links) which supports families to prepare for starting school through groups, courses and a school starters planner available from Amazon.

March/April 2022 • Families South West 25

PARKGATE HOUSE SCHOOL An independent co-educational nursery and preparatory school for children aged 2½ - 11

We are accepting applications for 2023 Reception places Limited places are available for Reception 2022 To arrange a private tour please contact Admissions on 020 7350 2461 or email admissions@parkgate-school.co.uk 80 Clapham Common Northside, London SW4 9SD parkgate-school.co.uk

Why teach languages in prep school? Claire Morgan, Deputy Head, Parkgate House School There is a kind of magic at work when you teach a foreign language to younger children. In terms of absorption, the part of the brain that is put to use when learning another language before aged five is the same as that used to learn the mother tongue. Children have the ability to acquire a second language more deeply and it will stay with them longer. Consequently, the benefits of having already acquired a foundation in a foreign language has huge benefits in children’s general socialisation.

Why teach Latin Some prep schools offer their children the opportunity to learn Latin. The structure of the Latin language itself teaches some extremely useful skills. As an inflected language (where words change their endings depending on what ‘job’ they do in a sentence) it is essential to learn and apply rules when translating to another language. By learning a few simple principles, it becomes easy to decode complex Latin texts (even at a young age). Learning this process has many practical applications in a wide range of areas; computer science, processes of scientific research and data analysis, to name but a few, are all fields in which the ability to decode multifaceted constructions logically and carefully is essential.

A wealth of beneﬁts from language-learning at prep school From their natural curiosity, enthusiasm, openness to new experiences and, most importantly, the joy the children reap from those lessons. Listening skills improve, as do reading conﬁdence and mental agility. Learning alongside their peers, they become less afraid of making mistakes. Furthermore, research has also shown the positive effects on the brain as it boosts problem-solving, critical-thinking, and memory. For pupils who already speak another language at home, there is constant play between the similarities and the differences to their native tongue, which is a joy as a teacher to witness. Mono-lingual pupils can participate along on the same wave of discovery. Not only about the new language in the classroom, but also about the language and background of their bilingual friends. In today's hyperglobalised world, developing empathy and tolerance towards other cultures, alongside the ability to engage them in conversation, are skills that open unlimited opportunities along their educational journey and beyond. familiesonline.co.uk

Many prep schools will teach French as a modern foreign language (MFL). Learning French can be lively, varied and enjoyable and will give children the capability and confidence to understand and use French for effective communication. They then develop the ability to understand what they hear and read, and to express themselves accurately in speech and writing. Children from a very young age can master new vocabulary (with the right support and environment) and start on the journey to becoming able to confidently converse in French. Activities and opportunities which historically were reserved for older children in senior schools, like performing plays in French or having pen pals with children in France or writing for a real purpose and making a difference (some children wrote to elderly people during lockdowns) are now beneficial and enjoyable possibilities for children in prep school, thoroughly preparing them for the MFL education ahead of them at senior school. FamiliesSWLondon

Learning Latin, with its noun and verb endings, is excellent early training for young brains. It offers a host of soft skills as well as the ability to understand academic studies, it teaches us to have a better appreciation of our place in the world and of our common cultural heritage and of course gives children a huge sense of accomplishment and pride in their learning.

The teaching of languages in prep schools helps to bring communities together since many prep schools have international families making up a signiﬁcant part of their school population. It also develops a host of skills, prepares them for future challenges and enhances the way they think. Given the many beneﬁts of teaching languages in the prep school, the question really should be, why wouldn’t you teach languages in the prep school?

www.parkgate-school.co.uk

March/April 2022 • Families South West 27

School Open Days Open Day events are varied across the education sector, ranging from appointment-booked only, to online tours. Check the school websites for admissions criteria, scholarships and bursaries, and the latest information for visitors: Please check direct with the schools concerned in case things have changed. Please mention Families South West.

Shaftesbury Park, Nur-11y, B&G. French bilingual & Enterprise. Tours by appointment only please ring Taylor on 020 7228 3652 to secure your place. www.shaftesburypark.wandsworth.sch.uk

SW12 SW1 Knightsbridge School, 4-16y, B&G. Watch the virtual tour on the website. www.knightsbridgeschool.com 020 7590 9000.

SW3 Cameron Vale, 2-11yrs, B&G. Open morning 9/03. To arrange a tour please contact admissions@cameronvaleschool.com Hampshire School, 3-13y, B&G. To arrange a tour of the school, please ﬁll in the form online. See the 360 Degree Virtual Tour online. Book on www.thehampshireschoolchelsea.co.uk

Christ Church & Holy Trinity Chelsea, B&G Primary. Limited places available in different year groups. Contact 020 7352 5708

SW4 Eaton House Schools, B 4-13y & G 4-11y. Book a visit for one of their Open House events on www.eatonhouseschools.com or contact Head of Admissions on 0203 917 5050. Parkgate House, 2.5-11y, B&G. Limited places still for Reception 2022 entry, applications for 2023 welcomed. Private tours. 020 7350 2461 www.parkgate-school.co.uk

Fulham School, 4-18yrs, B&G. Regular tours on Wednesday mornings. Places are limited and need to be booked in advance. Individual visits also welcomed during term-time. Contact the admissions team for more information admissions@fulham.school or book your place via www.fulham.school NEW NURSERY OPENING APRIL 2022! Visit their new nursery on 15/03 6-7pm. Book your place online.

SW7 St Philip’s School. 7-13yrs, B. To visit contact the Registrar, Mrs Kaye 020 7373 3944 admissions@stpschool.co.uk www.stpschool.co.uk Prince’s Gardens Prep, 3-11y, B&G. 8/03 9-10am and 14/05 10-11.30am. 020 7591 4620 www.princesgardensprep.co.uk/book -an-event/ If you are interested in places for Sept 2022, please email admissions@princesgardensprep.co.uk

L’Ecole des Petits, 3-6y, B&G Bilingual French nursery. Virtual tours on website. From October to May open morning every Thursday from 10am-12noon. 020 7371 8350 www.lecoledespetits.co.uk

SW17 Ernest Bevin College, B&G, 16+ Sixth form open event 30/06 6.309pm www.ErnestBevin.london Finton House School, 4-11yrs, B&G. Private tours with senior staff members. To visit call the school 020 8682 5757. www.ﬁntonhouse.org.uk

SW18 Wandsworth Prep, B&G. Contact the school to visit. office@wandsworthprep.com 020 8870 4133 www.wandsworthprep.com The Roche School, 2-11y, B&G. Open mornings 16/03 & 6/05. 020 8877 0823 www.therocheschool.com

SW10

SW19

Redcliffe Gardens School, 2.5-11yrs, B&G. Personal tours and a meeting with the Head can be booked via www.redcliffegardens.com

Willington Prep, 3011, B&G. Open morning 12/03 with fun activities for our youngest visitors, tours, a pop-up cafe and all your questions answered. https://www.willingtonschool.co.uk/

SW11

Hall Wimbledon, 4-18Y, B&G. Open Days 16/03 9.30-12noon and 21/05 9.30- 12noon. To book a place for an open event or for an individual tour or a Live Q&A session, please complete the form online. 020 8394 6144 www.hsw.co.uk

SW6 Parsons Green Prep, 4-11y, B&G. Open day 21/05 from 9.30am. Please phone the school to visit 020 7610 8085 admissions@parsonsgreenprep.co.uk www.parsonsgreenprep.co.uk

The White House School, 6m-11y B&G. 7/05 9.30-11.30am. Contact admissions@whitehouseschool.com www.whitehouseschool.com

Dolphin School, 4-11y, B&G. 1:1 tours by appointment with the admissions registrar. admissions@dolphinschool.org.uk 020 7924 3472 x2 www.dolphinschool.org.uk L’Ecole de Battersea, 3-11y, B&G Bilingual French prep school. For registration requests and visits every Friday 020 7371 8350 www.lecoledespetits.co.uk/lecole-battersea

28 Families South West • March/April 2022

The Study Wimbledon, 4-11y G. Annual open morning in the autumn. Request a visit via the website. Virtual tour online. 020 8947 6969 www.thestudyprep.co.uk Donhead Prep, B 4-11y. Catholic. Some 2022 and 2023 places

available. For tours with Head, please contact headmasterpa@donhead.org.uk

SW20 The Rowans School, 3-7yrs, B&G. To meet the Head and have a tour of the School at one of the weekly showrounds, email registrar@rowans.org.uk to arrange. 020 8946 8220 www.rowans.org.uk

SE19 Laurels School, G 11-18y. Virtual and in-person Open events available. Contact 020 8674 7229 www.thelaurelsschool.org.uk

SE21 Dulwich Prep, B 3-13y, G nursery age. Purpose-built Pre-Prep recently extended. Various entry ages. To visit contact 020 8766 5525 or admissions@dulwichpreplondon.org

SE22 James Allen’s Girls, 4-18y, G. Junior School Group tours will start again during the summer term. Senior School Open Morning 21/03. 020 8693 1181 Booking required via www.jags.org.uk

SE26 Sydenham High School, 4-18y, G. Senior school open morning 24/03. Book online. 020 8557 7004 www.sydenhamhighschool.gdst.net

W6 Godolphin & Latymer, G 11-18y. For admissions and visits go to www GodolphinandLatymer.com

ASCOT, BERKS Heathfield School, day, weekly and boarding, G, 11-18yrs. Open morning 5/03 & 7/05 9.45-12noon. To book email admissions@heathfieldschool.net www.heathfieldschool.net familiesonline.co.uk

EDUCATION

Independent Education with a Catholic Ethos for Girls 11-18

School bus routes including Chelsea, Battersea, Clapham and Balham areas Our Lady’s Close, London SE19 3FA

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FamiliesSWLon

020 8674 7229

thelaurelsschool.org.uk

March/April 2022 • Families South West 29

OPEN DAY

Saturday 7th May 9.30 - 11.30am Contact admissions@whitehouseschool to register

Sponsored feature

Alison Melrose

Meet THE head

Headmistress

Prince’s Gardens Prep

Alison Melrose started her teaching career at Norland Place, followed by 10 years at Broomwood Hall (Garrad’s Road), of which eight years were spend as a Head. After her second son was born, Alison worked for the Northwood Schools group for 7 years before joining Cognita in 2017. From there she was appointed Headmistress Elect of Prince’s Gardens in September 2019 before the school opened in 2020. school mid pandemic has been incredibly testing, and Covid-19 was certainly an additional trial. Welcoming the children to our beautiful building once schools reopened in March 2021 was a huge achievement and definitely a very proud moment. The first day the classrooms were filled with children’s voices, laughter and footsteps made us all so happy. At the end of our first year, July 2021, everyone who had worked so hard to get to that point felt that our dream to open this brand new school had been realised. It was very emotional, and I have loved every second!

Q: How would the students describe you? I would like to think that the students would describe me as ﬁrm but fair. My office door is always open and the students love to pop in and share their ideas and tell me any news. One of the best parts of the week is Head’s Break where children join me to share some of their work. During Head’s Break we have a special treat and a good chat about school, life and everything in between. I like to spend time with the children, from cutting and sticking with Pre-Reception to preparing Year 6 for interviews, all the time ensuring they learn how important it is to make a good impression. I think the children would also comment on my footwear, as would the staff. I do love a fun pair of shoes. You will have to come and visit to see for yourself! Q: What was it about the school that made you want to apply for the position? How often are you given the chance to build a new school in central London? What an incredible challenge and such a fantastic opportunity to work with an experienced team of staff to develop a forward-thinking and innovative curriculum. We embrace our location and use London as our classroom; our proximity to some of the world’s best museums and colleges means there are plenty of opportunities for immersive learning. I really believe we have the best indoor and outdoor facilities of any central familiesonline.co.uk

London Prep school and I feel very proud to be part of a school bursting with so much activity and exciting learning.

Q: Netflix or Kindle? Netflix is my guilty pleasure on my iPad mini when everyone has gone to bed (my two children and my husband) and definitely helps me unwind after a busy day. The children assigned us all a Netflix emoji and for me they chose She-Ra.

Q: What did you want to be when you grew up? When I was younger, I used to dance. I dreamt I might become a graceful ballerina, with beautiful outﬁts. My feet, however, had other ideas! They did not appreciate pointe shoes in the slightest so as a teenager this dream was laid to rest. I’m a very practical and organised person and I did wonder about being a surgeon at one point, but at school I was interested in physics and chemistry more than biology, so it probably wasn’t the right choice! Q: What have you been most proud of since joining Prince’s Gardens Preparatory School as Headteacher? I am so proud of everything that we have achieved at Prince’s Gardens. Opening a

Join Mrs Melrose, the staff and all the children at Prince’s Gardens for one of their upcoming Open Mornings: Tuesday 8 March 9-10am or Saturday 14 May 10-11.30am. https://www.princesgardensprep.co.uk/ book-an-event/ If you are interested in places for September 2022, please email admissions@princesgardensprep.co.uk or call 020 7591 4620. You can also ﬁnd out more via their social media pages: Instagram @princesgardenspreparatory Facebook @princesgardensprep

FamiliesSWLondon

March/April 2022 • Families South West 31

Christ Church and Holy Trinity C of E Schools

Where every day is a learning adventure • Outstanding Leadership Team • Wraparound care • Full enrichment programme

Contact us for limited number of spaces available in year groups across the schools Christ Church School 1 Robinson Street London, SW3 4AA 0207 352 5708 info@ccht.rbkc.sch.uk

OPEN MORNING Saturday 7 May

Holy Trinity School 1 Cadogan Gardens, London, SW3 2RN 0207 881 9860 htinfo@ccht.rbkc.sch.uk

Boarding and Day for Girls 11-18

heathﬁeldschool.net +44 (0) 1344 898343

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PREP SCHOOLS

Preparing pupils for the job market … from age seven Fulham School has launched a new digital skills initiative, Vision2025, to shake up the Information Technology (IT) curriculum and to help students develop the digital knowledge needed to be successful in the future jobs market. Through the Vision2025 initiative, designed by Fulham’s Head of Digital Learning, Brendan O’Keeffe, over 200 students in years three to eight are learning to build robots, code and use design software—all areas that the school has identiﬁed as being essential for the employment market in 2025. Preparing a generation with STEM based skills Working with LEGO products and other suppliers, O’Keeffe has built specialised personal learning kits for pupils, to prepare a new generation of digitally literate adults, capable of building

hardware and software and deciphering complex problems as more precedence is placed on developing STEM-based skills against the backdrop of a UK wide shortage in this area. The initiative also follows recent calls for an Industrial Strategy in the UK, to establish a technical education system that invests an additional £406 million in maths, digital and technical education. Set up during lockdown when the majority of students were being taught via remote learning, O’Keeffe also recognised the need

to inject practical-based learning into pupils’ school days, as well as reduce the amount of time

The world is changing, and we need to make sure our curriculum keeps pace with this. Instead of always being one step behind technological advancements, the UK’s IT curriculum needs to reﬂect emerging trends and suitably prepare students for when they leave school. This initiative shifts the focus onto where we are going as opposed to where we have been. Brendan O’Keeffe, Head of Digital Learning

students were spending in front of screens. With an initial focus on robotics, students have developed a thorough understanding of the key basic concepts needed to develop and craft their own robots. Now back in school, students will continue with the Vision2025 initiative in their classrooms. www.fulham.school

Rise to the challenge of learning

et within ﬁve acres of green ﬁelds and woodland, Dulwich Prep London’s Early Years is a popular choice for families who are looking to provide their children with a solid foundation to their education right from the start. Children spend two fantastic years in the Early Years before moving up to the Pre-Prep at Dulwich Prep’s

Alleyn Park site. The transition to the Alleyn Park site is made seamless for children through the continuation of important key themes. What is ‘Excellent Learning’? Parents visiting the Pre-Prep for the ﬁrst time often comment on the abundance of diverse decorations

and displays hanging from walls and ceilings and immediately feel at ease once they see the fabulous facilities. When it comes to their child’s learning, the language of Excellent Learning is one that the whole of the Early Years community know like the back of their hand. Are you a ‘Willing Wolf’ or a ‘Persevering Parrot’? Developed by Dr Ruth Burtonshaw, Head of Early Years at Dulwich Prep London, the Excellent Learning programme was designed to help children form positive learning skills, recognising that attitudes to learning are signiﬁcant in determining how well we learn. Through the Excellent Learning animals and characteristics, they teach the children how to rise to the challenges of learning. The Excellent Learning animals provide children with a framework for learning and each week, children from Nursery to Year 8 focus on one of the 12

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characteristics. Children are supported to become more aware of their learning skills and to develop good learning habits so that they leave Dulwich Prep as conﬁdent, motivated, independent and successful learners. Listening actively to instructions, being a happy and optimistic learner, using your imagination, developing targets and goals, doing your best knowing that effort counts and sharing knowledge and ideas are all personal attributes that the children at Dulwich Prep London develop and take with them through their journey in education and beyond.

If you would like to explore Dulwich Prep London’s Early Years and Pre-Prep further, please email Registrar, Mrs Viki Cryer, via admissions@dulwichpreplondon.org

or call 020 8766 5525.

March/April 2022 • Families South West 33

DONHEAD PREPARATORY SCHOOL FOR BOYS AGED FROM 4 TO 11 YEARS

A Jesuit School where boys are honoured, cared for and believed in. CURIOSITY • CREATIVITY • COMPASSION For a personal tour with the Headmaster, please contact Sian Buckley headmasterpa@donhead.org.uk

www.donhead.org.uk Some 2022 and 2023 entry spaces available

34 Families South West • March/April 2022

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INDEPENDENT DAY SCHOOL FOR GIRLS AGED 11-18

PREPARATORY SCHOOL FOR BOYS AND GIRLS AGED 2½–11

Independent Secondary School of the Year 2020 SUNDAY TIMES

Small Big School Family BOOK A TOUR: www.redcliffegardens.com Godolphin and Latymer Redcliffe Gardens School 47 Redcliffe Gardens London SW10 9JH

VISIT OUR WEBSITE: www.godolphinandlatymer.com

@redcliffeschool

Families Mag Ad Feb 2022.indd 1

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@gandlschool

Godolphin and Latymer Ifﬂey Road, Hammersmith London W6 0PG

04/02/2022 14:39

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March/April 2022 • Families South West 35

PREP SCHOOLS

Fresh air vital for children’s health, happiness…and success

New Foundation provides more opportunities The end of 2021 marked the beginning of Eaton House’s 125th year of continuous education, throughout this time the schools have maintained their family feel which over the last two years has been particularly important. They told Families: “ We see more Alumni sending their children to us and now have the third generation of The Manor’s founding family working at the schools. Parents have been more involved than ever in strengthening this family feel; in 2020 our parents funded the purchase of a PCR machine to keep all the pupils and staff safe and healthy and in 2021 our parents approached us wanting to establish the Eaton House Foundation to provide more children with the opportunity to join our family. The foundation’s success relies on the collective social conscience and sense of

broader responsibility towards our community, shared by the parents and the Schools.” Three fully funded places per year The intention is to fundraise and create an enduring endowment that will fund 100% bursaries for pupils whose family’s circumstances meet the award criteria and who are successful in the assessment process. The endowment complements an ongoing commitment by Eaton House Schools to fully fund three places per year for the duration of a child’s time at Eaton House for gifted children in the local community. In this way, the Foundation widens access to an Eaton House education and can have a potentially transformative effect on children’s educational opportunities and life choices.

The St Philip’s School garden, with its abundance of footpaths, plants, ﬂowers and trees, is open each morning from 8am to allow pupils to play for 30 minutes before they settle down to work. Another 30 minutes outside breaks up ﬁve academic lessons before lunch, and 30 minutes after lunch allows them to get the most out of four lessons in the afternoon. The rationale for giving the boys so much time outside is simple: play and fresh air are integral to maximising output in classrooms. They attach such importance to fresh air at St Philip's, that the academic timetable is dedicated

entirely to sport on two whole afternoons of the week. The boys use private playing ﬁelds at Barn Elms with several acres of manicured ﬁelds, an athletics track and a secure pavilion allowing football, rugby, hockey, cricket and athletics to be coached and played to a high standard. A child’s schooldays ought to be fun and happy, and St Philip's outcomes—multiple academic, music and sports scholarships won in the past three years alone to Eton and City of London—prove that happiness and success go hand in hand. www.stpschool.co.uk

www.eatonhouseschools.com

COLLEGE GUARDIANS YOUR CHILD THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON IN THE WORLD

Ever Thought of Hosting an International Student? We are currently seeking host families to look after children attending boarding school in the UK whose parents are based overseas. Our hosts look after the children during some half term holidays and occasional weekends. Dates of stays will depend very much on the school that the child attends. In exchange for your hospitality you will receive a generous compensation package as well as the invaluable experience that hosting an international student can bring to you and your family.

SCHOOL VISITS

1:1 tours by appointment with the Admissions Registrar 36 Families South West • March/April 2022

For more informa on please contact Caroline Lloyd, Guardianship Manager

caroline@collegeguardians.co.uk • +44 (0) 1684 581600

www.collegeguardians.co.uk familiesonline.co.uk

Parsons Green Prep announces new head

FREE science family activity packs

Participate in British Science Week British Science Week is a ten day celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths which takes place from 11 to 20 March. People from all over the UK take part in events and activities to develop their skills in these areas at a wide range of venues, such as community groups, cultural centres and museums. A range of FREE activity packs and other resources suitable for all age groups can also be downloaded for fun family activities in the home. To ﬁnd a local event, visit www.britishscienceweek.org

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FamiliesSWLondon

Parsons Green Prep is delighted to announce that Dr Pamela Edmonds will be joining PGP in September 2022 as the new Head. Dr Edmonds is an experienced Head with considerable success as a senior leader in prep schools, with wider engagement as a member of the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) Educational Advisory Forum and as a team inspector when called to inspect for ISI in the independent sector. She is currently the Head of The Hampshire School Chelsea, where her all-encompassing approach to pupils’ personal development and promotion of the highest standards of teaching and learning, from Early Years through to the transition to senior school, have led to national recognition, including a nomination for ISA Junior School of the Year 2019. Fundamental to Dr Edmonds’s approach to education is the conviction that all children must be supported with the very best pastoral care system to enable

them to ﬂourish personally and excel academically. Her commitment to enabling pupils to meet the challenges of life is evident through her promotion of STEAM and passion for a personalised curriculum that provides challenge and fosters articulate, conﬁdent, independentthinking children, equipped with the strength of character and resilience for success. For more information go to www.parsonsgreenprep.co.uk.

March/April 2022 • Families South West 37

Helping children believe they can do anything Singing, dancing and acting classes for 4 - 18 year-olds

BATTERSEA 07956 288928 battersea@stagecoach.co.uk stagecoach.co.uk/battersea

PUTNEY 020 8099 9861 putney@stagecoach.co.uk stagecoach.co.uk/putney

FULHAM 07498 213142 fulham@stagecoach.co.uk stagecoach.co.uk/fulham

WIMBLEDON 020 8946 3400 wimbledon@stagecoach.co.uk stagecoach.co.uk/wimbledon

Stagecoach Performing Arts is the trading name of Stagecoach Theatre Arts Limited. Stagecoach Theatre Arts schools are operated under franchise and are independently owned by their Principals. Stagecoach and Creative Courage For Life are registered trademarks of Stagecoach Theatre Arts Limited.

38 Families South West • March/April 2022

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EASTER HOLIDAYS

Easter Holidays

London Wetland Centre

The Easter holidays are upon us! A well deserved time to relax, a time to be en famille but also a lot of time to spend with our children! How to occupy them? What to do? Start by taking them outdoors, go for long walks, go biking, hiking, cycling. Why not have a go at growing your own food and plants. Do lots of cooking. Let them be bored for a change—without a phone. When you can take it no more, follow our handy activities guide, there is something for everyone and every taste. Children will love going to classes, camps and workshops, learn news kills and make new friends. Please make sure you say where you found them! All details are as provided when going to press, however in case of changes, do double-check before setting out

FAMILY DAYS OUT WWT London Wetland Centre Queen Elizabeth's Walk SW13 9WT www.wwt.org.uk/wetlandcentres/london 2-18 April Easter Duck Trail ‘Quack the case’ this Easter and ﬁnd the bright yellow ducks hiding around the wetlands. Pick up a trail card at admissions and crack the clues to ﬁnd the bright yellow, cheeky ducks that are hiding around the wetlands. You’ll need all your special detective skills to track them. Look up as well as down; ducks like to perch above you sometimes. They also love splashing around, so they won’t be far from the water.

Easter Fuzzy Farm Parsons Green Sports & Social Club SW6 3DP https://bit.ly/32LKLoX 10 April A family fun day with a fuzzy farm petting zoo, craft activities, soft play, and an Easter Bunny meet and greet.

Dino Kingdom Gunnersbury Park W3 8LQ www.dinokingdom.com 1-18 April This epic outdoor, prehistoric exploration offers an incredible 100 AR and holographic beasts from as big as the Tyrannosaurus Rex to hatching babies. An educational experience as much as an adventure, perfect for those budding palaeontologists out there, with an excavation sandpit, dinosaur eggs, fossils, volcanoes, a giant dinosaur skeleton head and a walkthrough fossil tunnel!

RHS Garden Wisley Woking GU23 6QB www.rhs.org.uk/wisley 1-19 April The Giant Egg Hunt The Easter bunny has hidden several giant eggs all around the garden for children of all ages to discover. Daily Easter activities include planting and craft workshops in the CLORE Learning Centre.

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See also What’s on for more Easter activities

Easter family fun at Royal Museums Greenwich Opened daily 10–5pm rmg.co.uk/families * Climb aboard Cutty Sark for an action-packed adventure on the fastest ship of its time. Meet characters from the ship’s past such as Captain Woodget, ﬁnd your sea legs at the ship’s wheel and discover how the crew lived. * At the Royal Observatory journey through space in an awesome planetarium show and over at the National Maritime Museum, explore the interactive galleries or play on the Great Map. Enjoy a snack in the café. * Don’t forget the awe-inspiring Queen’s House which houses worldfamous artworks and a fascinating royal history; uncover all of its hidden gems with a free family trail and craft sessions.

Kensington Palace Kensington Gardens W8 4PX www.hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace 13-17 April Lindt Gold Bunny Hunt Use a trail map to explore the palace gardens and ﬁnd the Lindt Gold Bunny statues that are hiding there. Match up the names of important palace characters on your way to collect a chocolate reward at the end. Ages 4-12.

RHS Garden Wisley Royal Museums

Continued on page 41

The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Kew Botanic Gardens

OPEN ALL

YE A DECEM PART FROM AR BER 2 5TH & 26TH

Kew Royal Botanic Gardens Kew TW9 3AE www.kew.org 2-18 April The Very Hungry Caterpillar Follow an enchanting Easter trail on your way to becoming a beautiful butterﬂy, based on Eric Carle’s muchloved book, winding through sculptures of juicy fruits and a cosy chrysalis along the way. Digest facts about the wonder of nature and the close connections between plant and insect life on Earth. Included with admission charge.

BE AMAZED BY WILDLIFE Meet our amazing animals at this family friendly zoo in the heart of Battersea Park.

Wakehurst Haywards Heath RH17 6TN www.kew.org/visit/wakehurst 2-24 April The Very Hungry Caterpillar Extra dates for Kew’s interactive Easter adventure to feed curious minds - see listing above.

Hever Castle & Gardens Edenbridge, Kent TN8 7NG www.hevercastle.co.uk 2-18 April Easter Fun Take part in a colourful carrot trail, looking out for the Hever Bunny along the way. Discover hidden eggs around the gardens, solving clues to win a chocolate surprise at the end. Get creative with a free scratch art craft workshop.

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After listening to our many keeper talks and watching the feeding sessions, why not have fun on our adventure play areas. Located next to our farm you will 昀nd a life sized helicopter, 昀re engine and tractor along with a sandpit, swings, wooden fort, climbing ropes and much more. Battersea Park Children’s Zoo Battersea Park, London SW11 4NJ

T: 020 7924 5826

www.batterseaparkzoo.co.uk March/April 2022 • Families South West 39

0208 088 0117

Little Voices Putney: St Mary’s Church, Putney High Street, SW15 1SA Little Voices Fulham: St Etheldreda Church, Fulham Palace Road, SW6 6JF

at London Wetland

Centre

SAT 2 - MON 18

APRIL Can you ‘quack the case’ this Easter and find the bright yellow ducks hiding around our wetlands!

For more information search WWT London

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EASTER HOLIDAYS Hampton Court Palace

Upbeat Easter Camps

East Molesey KT8 9AU www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace 2-18 April Easter Lindt Gold Bunny Hunt Use a trail map to explore the palace gardens and ﬁnd the Lindt Gold Bunny statues that are hiding there. Match up the names of important palace characters on your way to collect a chocolate reward at the end. Ages 4-12.

Parsons Green SW3 www.upbeatmusiccourses.co.uk 4-8 and 11-14 April Sing, dance, play guitars, drums, percussion and keyboards, record and write songs with professional musicians and qualiﬁed teachers. There’s outdoor play too, and an end-of week performance. Ages 4-12.

Spa Valley Railway Tunbridge Wells TN4 8HJ www.spavalleyrailway.co.uk 15-18 April Little Red Riding Hood’s Easter Train Ride A theatrical performance ﬁlled with slapstick comedy, magic, mayhem and eggs from the Easter Bunny - and a real steam train journey!

National Trust Easter Trails Various venues www.nationaltrust.org.uk Easter holidays There'll be lots of fun for you and your family on your trail as you take part in nature-inspired activities. Complete the trail and collect your Rainforest Alliance chocolate egg.

Windsor Castle Learning Centre Windsor Castle SL4 1NJ 9-11, 14-18 & 21-24 April Jubilee Jamboree Bring along a ‘Platinum Picnic’ to have within Pug Yard and enjoy some Jubilee themed crafts. Free upon admission to the Castle

CAMPS & WORKSHOPS The holidays are the perfect time to make a song and dance, play sports or learn new skills

MUSIC Funky Monkey Keyboard Classes Venues across SW and SE London www.funkymonkey.info 4, 5, 6 and 7 April Make music the fun way in a one day beginner workshop. Children learn how to write and play notes C-G and try some famous tunes using electronic keyboards. With games, quizzes and art activities all based around music, all equipment and take home workbook provided. Ages 4-8.

The Strings Club Various venues including Tooting SW17 www.thestringsclub.org School holidays Multi award-winning holiday camps offering professionally led instrumental play, interactive workshops and a Grand Concert at the end. Free instrument hire included. Ages 4-11.

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THEATRE & THE ARTS Perform Various SW London venues www.perform.org.uk 4-6 and 11-13 April The Secret Garden workshops. Take part in the excitement of reviving a long abandoned garden! Packed with drama, dance and singing activities, Perform’s three full day course will explore the themes of friendship, determination and the joy of the natural world, leading to a lively costumed performance for family and friends on the last day. Ages 4-10.

Little Voices Fulham SW6 6AS www.littlevoices.org.uk 4-7 and 11-13 April A singing and dancing workshop based on Disney’s Encanto & Luca. Complete with props and costumes, the ﬁnal, theatrical performance will be professionally ﬁlmed to watch back again and again at home with family and friends. Ages 5-11.

Stagecoach Performing Arts Wimbledon SW19 www.stagecoach.co.uk/wimbledon 4-8 April Five days to have fun and be creative, working on a different Musical or theme each day, led by top industry professionals. Book individual days or for the whole week. Ages 4-16. Putney SW15 www.stagecoach.co.uk/putney 4-8 April Discover the joys of drama, dance and singing with friends old and new, working towards a performance at the end of the week for parents, friends and family. No experience necessary - just bags of enthusiasm! Ages 4-6+. Battersea SW11 www.stagecoach.co.uk/battersea 11-14 April Four brilliant days of dance, drama and singing for children and teenagers. Enjoy a different musical theme each day with talented theatre practitioners. Ages 4-16.

SPORTS AND MULTIACTIVITIES South West Swimming School Various SW London pools www.swswimschool.co.uk 4-8 and 11-14 April

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Safe, inclusive and effective swimming lessons run to the Swim England Learn to Swim Programme.

Youngstars Holiday Camps Various SW London venues www.young-stars.co.uk 4-14 April An introduction to a wide range of sports, centred around enjoyment rather than winning or losing! Full and half days available. Ages 4-10.

SwimWay Various SW London venues www.swimway.co.uk 4-8 and 11-14 April Combining fun with the obvious health beneﬁts, SwimWay crash courses are an excellent boost to children’s development. Ages 2+.

Funky Monkey Music

Barracudas Day Camps Streatham & Clapham www.barracudas.co.uk 11-14 April Multi-activity daycamps where children get active, try new things and make new friends while developing key life skills and building conﬁdence. Sports, games and crafts all included. Ages 4 -14.

Ultimate Activity Camps

Little Voices

Fulham www.ultimateactivity.co.uk 4-14 April Ofsted-registered holiday daycamps offering a fantastic range of sports, games and art activities every week. Ages 4-14.

Activ Camps

Stagecoach

Venues across SW London www.activcamps.com School holidays Innovative and inclusive variations of traditional games and sports, plus experiences children might not normally encounter, including Body Zorbing, Archery Tag, rock climbing and giant inﬂatables. Ages 4-14.

LANGUAGES South West Swimming School

Alpine French School https://alpinefrenchschool.com Family Summer Camps with interactive fun French workshops in the mornings and adventure activities in the afternoon. Parents can join in the fun or enjoy everything the Alps has to offer while the children make new friends and improve their French and try a range of sports.

Et Patati Patata Hammersmith W6 www.etpatatipatata.com 4-8 April A wide range of fun and creative activities, all in French, exploring the sounds, ﬂavours, customs and cultures. With stories, songs, visits and workshops, children are encouraged to talk, write and progress in French with fun! Ages 4-15. Continued on page 43

El Patati Patata

March/April 2022 • Families South West 41

CONFIDENCE AND INDIVIDUALITY through creative writing

ONLINE WRITE! CLUBS & A NEW 11+ club in 2022 Gently nurturing bright kids www.creativehare.co.uk clare@creativehare.co.uk

42 Families South West • March/April 2022

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EASTER HOLIDAYS Learn how to make a main dish and dessert from scratch with high quality ingredients, run by certiﬁed chefs in a professional kitchen. Bookable by day or week. Ages 6+.

Fun and engaging holiday workshops where children develop skills in creative writing, English exam prep, intensive handwriting, reasoning and arts and crafts. Ages 6-11 in small groups.

Little House of Science

Creative Hare www.creativehare.co.uk Termtimes and holidays Fun and supportive story writing classes, imagination-stretching English tuition and 11+ preparation.

DEVELOPING SKILLS

Kensington W8 www.littlehouseofscience.com 4-8, 11-14 and 19-22 April Fun science-based camps with a different theme each week. Book by day or full week. Ages 4-12.

Kids En Cuisine

Yellowbird Education

Ecclestone Square SW1V1 www.kidsencuisine.com 4-15 April

Fulham and Wandsworth www.yellowbirdeducation.com 4-8 and 11-14 April

Club Petit Pierrot Chelsea SW3 www.clubpetitpierrot.co.uk 4-8 April An immersive week of creative and educational activities including worksheets, arts and crafts, sporty games, stories, yoga (indoor and outdoor weather permitting), singing and dancing - all in French! Beginners to advanced. Ages 4-6.

Club Petit Pierrot

Spark4Kids www.spark4kids.com Computer coding & touch-typing courses where children creatively explore coding and touch-typing,

Spark4Kids

helping them naturally develop their computational skills. For kids that love computers, Spark4Kids might just be their ultimate holiday activity. From absolute beginners to experienced children, for online and in-person courses.

Mother Nature Science Various SW London venues www.mnature.co.uk 28-31 March, 4-7 and 11-14 April Every day at this 4-day camp is a science expedition into the unknown and over the week your child will do 30+ science activities, exciting demonstrations, hands-on experiments, team games and fun quizzes. Ages 5-12.

Playmakers

Swimway

ART

Paint Pots Montessori Easter Fun St Mary The Boltons, Chelsea, SW10 9TB Lucy@paint-pots.co.uk. www.paintpots.co.uk Mon 28th Mar – Fri 1st Apr. * Mornings 9.30-11.30am. Art, music & sensorial activities, accompanied classes. Mon-Thurs for children 18 months – 2.5 years. Fri for children 12-18 months. £50 per session. * Afternoons 3-4.30pm. Themed music & craft parties with games. Mon-Thurs For children 18 months – 2.5 years. Mon - Dinosaur, Tues - Animal, Weds Bear & Thurs Easter Bunny. £45 each.

Playmakers London

Do you have a creative child who enjoys exploring the world? Seven Seals holiday camp might be just perfect. Seven Seals pride themselves on providing the best quality of care and experiences for children aged 3-7 years. Based in Clapham Common their enriching themed holidays consists of building conﬁdence, learning new skills and exploring the world around us allowing children to express their creativity and nurturing. The camps consist of themed based arts and crafts, forest school trips, Spanish and French learn through song sessions. Children also explore phonics and maths through play themed activities. Join them this Easter holiday from 28th March to the 15th April 9-3pm, for a range of activities from chick hatching, Easter bonnet parades, basket making, Easter egg hunts and more. For more information email: Manager7seals@gmail.com or telephone Demi on 07380 670 429. familiesonline.co.uk

FamiliesSWLondon

Clapham. www.playmakerslondon.com Drama, crafts & lots of fun! Workshops to unlock their imagination, ﬁnd their voice and boost their conﬁdence. Playing creative games, improvising and performing. It's for children who love to be artistic and to learn exciting arts & crafts techniques! 9am-3pm -Ages 5-11 £45 a day, £200 for a week, 5% sibling discount available.

Drama, crafts and lots of fun!

GET READY FOR OUR EPIC EASTER WORKSHOPS! Honeywell Infant & Junior School, Honeywell Road, Clapham, SW11 6EF

Monday 4th - Friday 8th April 2022 9am-3pm Daily 5-11 years Cost £45 per day or £200 for the week 5% sibling discount available

Book now: www.playmakerslondon.com

March/April 2022 • Families South West 43

LOOKING FOR CHILDCARE? Multi award-winning Holiday Camps for children aged 4-11

Now booking ahead

Offering only the best in childcare and music

www.thestringsclub.org | 0121 369 1950

To advertise in

s Box of Flit Edie and the

THE LOST PROPERTY OFFICE

Call: 0208 696 9680

Lost and Found London Transport Museum

N22

Easter Holidays 2-18 April Discover the curious world of London Transport’s Lost Property Of昀ce.

LTM

Meet children’s authors Emily Rand and Kate Wilkinson on selected dates. Book at ltmuseum.co.uk

2022.012_M_Easter Lost and Found_Print ad_Families Mag_180x130mm_AW.indd 1

44 Families South West • March/April 2022

KIDS GO FREE

16/02/2022 13:41

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Endless creations at your child’s fingertips! Receive a FREE DoodleJamz pad for your child* Draw, squish, sculpt, shape, erase and repeat... Apply at familiesmag.co.uk/go

Magazine

*while stocks last T&Cs apply

SW Storytelling Feb2022 Advert 180x130mm.indd 1

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17/02/2022 16:31

FamiliesSWLondon

March/April 2022 • Families South West 45

Could you be a Wandsworth Foster Carer? A conversation with Stephen

Fostering is incredibly rewarding for those who open their homes to a child. We asked Stephen Hall to share his experience of fostering for Wandsworth Council Stephen has been fostering since 2002, he wanted to ensure that children have a safe, stable and loving home if they cannot live with their birth families. Over the past 11 years fostering with Wandsworth, Stephen has had 6 children placed with him long-term, providing the best care in a secure and loving environment. Stephen currently sits on the committee of the Wandsworth Foster Carers Association and facilitates the Men Who Foster support group. We sat down with him to ﬁnd out more about his journey in his important and valuable role as a foster carer. Stephen references his childhood, growing up in Jamaica, as the main reason for his interest in becoming a foster carer. In Jamaica there was no official fostering programme, but the community came together to support those in need. Stephen’s mother was a particular inspiration to him, she gave back to the community by taking in children that needed a home. Stephen’s natural instinct to give back and support children in his local community meant that he had little hesitation in becoming a foster carer. He credits his family unit and the support he receives from his wife and children, which is integral to them as a fostering family. Stephen is the main carer in the household as he works from home, but he acknowledges that it is uncommon for the main carer to be a male, which is why he was keen to be proactive in supporting other men through the support group. The group empowers male foster carers, offers peer support and acts as a forum for discussion about challenges and opportunities for men taking on a caring role for vulnerable young people.

46 Families South West • March/April 2022

Incredibly rewarding Stephen doesn’t seek anything in return, he sees the most rewarding part of being a foster carer as “providing a child with a family, watching them achieve great things, making them feel wanted and develop into a valuable member of society.” Stephen holds many special memories over his years of fostering. Building relationships and trust can take time with some of our most vulnerable children in Wandsworth. The young person that he is currently caring for was extremely shy and would not speak much when they ﬁrst met. Almost 5 years later, they are now in Sixth form, and on track to achieve the grades needed to apply to University. The pride Stephen has for this young person was so clear when we spoke. He hopes their success continues into adult life. Stephen knows that the home he has provided, treating the young person with respect and dignity, has allowed them to grow up into a successful young person. Fostering has taught Stephen that the love you have for your family can always be extended to others and that there are so many children out there that need a safe, stable and loving environment to grow up in. His top tip for anyone who is considering becoming a foster carer is to only get involved if you have a lot of love to share and want to give back to the community.

Wandsworth needs more people like Stephen. Every child is unique and deserves the best care through a secure and loving home. Wandsworth Fostering are committed to ensuring that all children who are unable to live with their birth families are cared for locally in Wandsworth communities, so they welcome interest from anyone from Wandsworth and the surrounding areas that would like further information on becoming a foster carer. Speak to a member of Wandsworth Council’s fostering team by calling 020 8871 6666 or emailing fostering@wandsworth.gov.uk. Further information can be found on our #lovetofoster website Wandsworth fostering - Love to foster.

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Cut out and Keep

Make an Easter bird’s nest! Spring is springing and the birds are nesting. So why not take the time to get crafty with the kids and help them make their own bird’s nest for Easter. Once you have gathered all of the pieces, you can put together your bird’s nest in no time. Your child will love developing new skills as they explore making, sticking and creating. Once the nest is complete, why not go on a walk and enjoy the sights and sounds of spring and see if you can spot birds’ nests in the trees? You will need: • • •

Paper plate Brown paper squares Brown shredded paper

• • •

Feathers Wiggling eyes Bird cut outs (see below)

Instructions:

Step 1:

Step 3:

Step 5:

Step 6:

Cut the paper plate in half. With one half, cut out a semicircle.

Add the brown shredded paper to the half with the semi-circle cut out.

Then cut out the blue and yellow circles with the bird beaks in them and stick into the nest.

Add the wiggly eyes and feathers to the birds.

Step 2:

Step 4:

Cover both halves in brown paper.

Stick the two pieces together, the half with the shredded paper on it on top of the other (so it makes a nest).

And, ta da, your nest is complete!

With thanks to Karen Allen, co-owner of Kidzplay Playbox for this craft activity. Kidzplay Playbox produces creative playboxes which are guaranteed to be fun and contain high quality, engaging activities. Visit www.kidzplay.co.uk for playboxes delivered to your door.

I love Families, it's always easy to ﬁnd a copy and it's great for family activity inspirations. Dani Tulip, Tooting

All of the local activities are in one place, unlike social media / emails etc where it is drip fed. Sam Davison, Clapham

South West

R O YA L A L B E R T H A L L P R E S E N T S

Fri 23 – Sun 25 Sep 2022 With the London Symphony Orchestra performing John Williams’ epic score live to picture.

PRESENTATION LICENSED BY

48 Families South West • March/April 2022

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What’s On Mar/Apr 2022

Compiled by Robina Cowan

All details are as provided when going to press, however in case of changes, do double-check before setting out

If you only do one thing this month... Terrible Thames From Tower Bridge Quay. www.terriblethames.com Daily from 2 April Provided by the Horrible Histories team, this is a boat tour all about the history of the Thames with the nasty bits left in! There’s no better way to learn about the country's most famous river and the incredible history of the nation's capital. Departing from Tower Bridge Quay, the fantastic journey incorporates immersive theatre to surprise and shock in equal measure as it delivers a unique take on London, thrilling both children and adults alike.

Polka Theatre

SHOWS & CONCERTS Colourhouse Theatre Merton Abbey Mills SW19 2RD www.colourhousetheatre.co.uk Weekends until 26 June Beauty and the Beast The beautiful Belle ﬁnds herself trapped in a strange castle in the heart of the French a tiny, tiny, countryside, an much loved unwilling guest of a mysterious, theatre lovelorn Beast. Enjoy this musical adaptation of Madame de Villeneuve’s classic fairytale romance. 4-10 April Snow White & The Big Bad Wolf A fun-ﬁlled romp mingling characters from well-known fairy tales, whose stories take amusing and unexpected twists.

The Puppet Theatre Barge Opp Blomﬁeld Road W9 2PF www.puppetbarge.com Until 20 March The Red Balloon String Theatre tells the story of a small boy's friendship with a balloon and explores the poignancy of a child's imagination, performed using string puppets. Ages 3+.

The Questors Theatre Mattock Lane W5 5BQ www.questors.org.uk 11 - 27 March Snow White When Snow White’s angelic beauty is deemed the fairest in the land, her menacing stepmother, the Evil Queen, is overcome with jealousy. On escaping death's clutches, Snow White is offered shelter in the woods by some friendly faces. But will the machinations of her Evil Stepmother stop there? Oh no, they won’t… 11 April The Velociraptor Show See the Exchange Twickenham listing.

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The Broadway SW19 1SB www.polkatheatre.com

Shakespeare’s Globe New Globe Walk SE1 9DT www.shakespearesglobe.com Until 16 April Storytelling: The Tempest The powerful sorcerer, Prospero lives on an island with only his daughter Miranda, the spirit Ariel and the slave Caliban. Be guided through the strange and wonderful land of The Tempest by a storyteller in this interactive live storytelling event. Ages 5-12. Xxx bubble: Check these out! Sounds fun!

Sadler’s Wells Theatre Rosebery Avenue EC1R 4TN www.sadlerswells.com 25 March Family Fridays Dance workshops for accompanied children, facilitated by a freelance lead and supporting artist and managed by the Learning & Engagement Department. Ages 24, all abilities. 15+16 April The Lost Happy Endings What happens when the Happy Endings are stolen? Deep in the forest lives Jub, a magical girl with six ﬁngers on each hand. Jub’s job is to guard the Happy Endings to stories and fairytales. An original story by Carol Ann Duffy, created and produced by balletLORENT. Ages 5+. 15+16 April Family Dance Workshops For children and their families of all abilities, based around music and dance at the heart of The Lost Happy Endings. Participation by all the family adults and children alike - is encouraged.

FamiliesSWLon

Until 27 March Ready, Steady, GO! Join Soﬁa and her Mum as they cycle across mountains and lakes, through day and night, in a race like no other. This gentle show for younger children introduces different natural environments and explores the bond between a mother and her young daughter. Ages 2-5. 11 March - 24 April How to Hide a Lion Join Iris on a mission to squeeze and squash her furry new friend into a variety of sneaky spots, as Helen Stephens’ magical book comes to life with playful

Lyric Hammersmith Theatre King Street W6 0QL www.lyric.co.uk 19 March Oldilocks and the 3 Bears One winter, Oldilocks ﬁnds a teddy bear in the park and remembers a delicious bowl of porridge she tasted years ago in the woods. As she sets off for the forest, will she ﬁnd the bears’ house and what will happen then? Ages 3-7. 2-9 April Jabala and the Jinn A story of a little girl’s encounter with a very cheeky Jinn. Using

humour, dazzling puppetry and original songs. Ages 3-6. 6 April - 8 May Plastic Drastic Fantastic Disentangle the fantastic possibilities that plastics offer us, from the drastic consequences of their misuse. A vibrant, fun and thoughtprovoking show for our time, using the medium of South Asian dance, intricate movements, play and lots of interaction. Ages 7+. physical theatre, original music and vivid design, this new play by award-winning writer Asif Khan is a funny and endearing story. Ages 5-12. 23 April The Story Game Andrew Barnett Jones - star of CBBC’s ‘The Slammer’ - is going to tell you a story, but he has no idea what it is. No title, no characters, not a single word in his head. Instead, with your help, he’ll be creating a hysterically funny, wildly creative story from a handful of words, a roll of the dice and his own roller coaster imagination. Ages 6+.

March/April 2022 • Families South West 49

ug A 8 2 – l u J 12

KIDS GOICE* HALF PR * Mon-Thurs, excl Band AA. Subject to availability. Offers may be withdrawn at any time.

50 Families South West • March/April 2022

openairtheatre.com familiesonline.co.uk

What’s On Mar/Apr 2022 Unicorn Theatre

SHOWS & CONCERTS continued Wyndham’s Theatre Charing Cross Road WC2H 0DA www.wyndhamstheatre.co.uk Life of Pi After a cargo ship sinks in the middle of the vast Paciﬁc Ocean, there are ﬁve survivors stranded on a lifeboat - a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan, a Royal

Tooley Street SE1 2HZ www.unicorntheatre.com

Bengal tiger, and a sixteen yearold boy named Pi. Time is against them, nature is harsh, who will survive? Featuring breath-taking puppetry and state-of-the-art visuals, Life of Pi tells of an epic journey of endurance and hope. Ages 8+.

Until 17 April Gulliver’s Travels Lemuel Gulliver sails away to a world of strange islands and even

Southbank Centre Southbank SE1 8XX www.southbankcentre.co.uk

The Exchange London Road, Twickenham TW1 1BE www.teachrex.co.uk/events 10 April The Velociraptor Show Teach Rex uses life-like dinosaurs to teach children about the anatomy and life of one the most

mesmerising creatures to ever roam our planet. Teamed with music and effects, the interactive show brings dinosaurs into audience at numerous times through the show, for an up close and personal view of these fantastic, realistic beasts. Ages 3+.

Book this one soon!

Doctor Who: Time Fracture

12 March WOW Under-10s Feminist Corner Are you a budding gender equality champion? Do you think we should all have the same opportunities in life? Southbank is running three workshops: for girls aged 6-7, 8-10, and 8-10 year-old boys.

Little Angel Theatre Dagmar Passage N1 2DN www.littleangeltheatre.com Until 16 April Handa’s Surprise Travel to Kenya and follow in Handa’s footsteps as she journeys to see her best friend Akeyo, in the next village. A blend of physical performance, puppetry, live music and song combine to create an intimate, magical production with audience participation. Ages 2-5. Until 24 April The Singing Mermaid One day, the singing mermaid is tempted away from all of her sea creature friends and

stranger creatures on an epic adventure of survival, unexpected friendship and self-discovery. This perfect family Easter show is an adventure-ﬁlled modern adaptation of Jonathan Swift’s surreal masterpiece. Ages 7+.

8-10 April Zog and the Flying Doctors A brand new, roarsome family adventure based on the book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. Ages 3+.

her peaceful home at Silversands to join a travelling circus. Beautiful puppetry and music bring to life Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks’s enormously popular story. Ages 3-8. 20 April - 1 May Jina and the STEM Sisters HMDT Music’s production introduces audiences to scientiﬁc heroines such as Marie Curie who help Jina follow her dreams to become a scientist. Created and performed by an allfemale team, this enchanting production features Motown, jazz, opera and musical theatre. Ages 7+.

LDN, Davies Mews W1K 5AB www.immersivedoctorwho.com Until 22 April The Doctor needs you! The Universe as we know it is at stake - now is the time to step up and be the hero. With 43 live actors and 17 different worlds to explore, take an epic journey across space and time, travel to exciting new (and old) places, confront menacing monsters and encounter ancient aliens – all while you battle to save all of existence. Ages 8+.

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The Singing Mermaid

FamiliesSWLondon

March/April 2022 • Families South West 51

What’s On Mar/Apr 2022

Compiled by Robina Cowan

SHOWS & CONCERTS continued Prince Edward Theatre

Ciné Lumière

Old Compton Street W1D 4HS www.princeedwardtheatre.co.uk Mary Poppins Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s iconic stage adventure is ﬁlled with music, lyric, dancing, incredible effects and of course the world’s favourite nanny. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

Institut Français, Queensbury Place SW7 2DT www.institut-francais.org.uk/cinelumiere Join CinéFamilies for a mix of English and subtitled French language ﬁlms and events for all ages from babies to teens.

Cambridge Theatre

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

Earlham Street WC2H 9HU www.lwtheatres.co.uk/theatres/cam bridge Matilda the Musical Inspired by the beloved book by the incomparable Roald Dahl and with original songs by Tim Minchin, this is the story of an extraordinary little girl who, armed with a vivid imagination and a sharp mind, dares to take a stand and change her own destiny. Don’t miss the multi-award winning musical from the Royal Shakespeare Company. Ages 6+.

openairtheatre.com 12 July – 28 August 101 Dalmatians A brand new musical packed with puppetry and brilliant songs. Children go half price at performances Monday – Thursday*. Food is served in the theatre grounds before the show, or why not bring your own picnic to enjoy in the parkland surrounding the theatre? Tickets from £25. * Subject to availability.

SEN DAYS OUT A number of major London venues offer quieter sessions for visitors with SEN including those with an Autism Spectrum Condition, where they can enjoy everything on offer, free from the hustle and bustle of the general public. Venues include the Natural History Museum, London Transport Museum, The Science Museum, Tower Bridge, the

Postal Museum and British Library - check their websites for dates and details. 12 March and 23 April SENsory Sailors at the National Maritime Museum 9 April SEND Explorers at London Transport Museum 30 April Dawnosaurs at the Natural History Museum

MUSEUMS Horniman Museum London Road SE23 3PQ www.horniman.ac.uk Until 30 October Cats and Dogs Discover more about our fascinating furry friends in this interactive, family-friendly exhibition offering a revealing

pets’-eye view of the world. Immersive displays explore the scientiﬁc, social and cultural role that cats and dogs play in our world, and invites visitors to go on an exciting, sensory journey, exploring what it’s like to be a cat or a dog.

BABY & TODDLER ACTIVITIES Mini Masterpieces

Adventure Babies

Dulwich Picture Gallery SE21 7AD www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk Last Thursday of every month Take your little one on a journey through the Gallery to discover people, places and animals in paintings, followed by a ‘messy play’ art-making activity. Ages under 5.

Natural History Museum SW7 5BD www.nhm.ac.uk Every other Tuesday Sensory storytelling classes brought to you by award-winning Adventure Babies, ﬁlled with sensory props, magical stories, singing and messy play. Ages 0-4.

Bach to Baby Various venues www.bachtobaby.com Critically-acclaimed classical concerts for babies and their grownups. Outstanding musicians

put on exhilarating performances where babies can ‘join in’ with as much noise as they like! 7 March and 4 April in Notting Hill 16 March in Kew & Richmond

52 Families South West • March/April 2022

Science Museum Exhibition Road SW7 2DD www.sciencemuseum.org.uk 2-19 April Power UP Get handson with some of the very best video games, computers and consoles. With over 160 consoles and hundreds of games, visitors can go on an immersive journey through the history of gaming, trying everything from early pioneering video games to some of the latest in gaming technology. Until 5 June Ancient Greeks: Science and Wisdom Ancient Greek philosophers deﬁned themselves as ‘lovers of wisdom’ and, for them, art, religion and

science were inseparable. This exhibition displays rare and remarkable objects, most of which have never been seen before in the UK, alongside the latest scientiﬁc research into this ancient civilisation’s understanding of the universe. Free.

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What’s On Mar/Apr 2022 London Transport Museum

MUSEUMS continued Natural History Museum

The Foundling Museum

Cromwell Road SW7 5BD www.nhm.ac.uk Until April Our Broken Planet: How We Got Here and Ways to Fix It Explore the extraordinary impact humans have had on the planet through what we grow and eat, from bees threatened by the loss of wildﬂower meadows to birds of prey poisoned by pesticides. NHM’s free display highlights some fantastic species, explains how our actions are affecting them, and what we can do to protect the natural world. Until 5 June Wildlife Photographer of the Year 100 powerful photographs tell the story of a planet under pressure. Gaze through the lens of some of the world's best wildlife photographers and marvel at the beauty of our planet. Once a month Dino Snores for Kids Spend a night amongst the museum’s incredible collections, exploring world class galleries after hours and sleeping beneath Hope, the breathtaking blue whale skeleton in Hintze Hall. After setting up camp in one of the amazing galleries, there’s an evening of awesome learning activities before bedtime, and breakfast in the morning. Ages 7-11.

Brunswick Square WC1N 1AZ www.foundlingmuseum.org.uk 1 April - 28 August Superheroes, Orphans and Origins Enter into the world of superheroes in this ﬁrst major exhibition to explore the representation of foundlings, orphans, adoptees, and foster children in comics, graphic novels and sequential art from around the globe.

The Postal Museum Phoenix Place WC1X 0DA www.postalmuseum.org Ride through hidden tunnels and discover stories of Britain’s postal heritage. Inspiring amazing exhibitions are but true: it’s a great place for packed with incredible objects, toddlers! exciting stories and fun-ﬁlled interactive displays. The Postal Play Space has sackloads of indoor play fun for under 8s.

Fulham Palace Bishop's Avenue SW6 6EA www.fulhampalace.org 20 March Family Fun Day: From Bud to Blossom Creating a beautiful garden takes lots of work all year round. Join the garden team for a fun-ﬁlled day with crafts, activities, produce and more. 26 March Little Green Fingers

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Museum of London 150 London Wall EC2Y 5HN www.museumoﬂondon.org.uk Until 8 May London: Port City Find out about the ongoing impact of the Port of London on our capital city, its people, design, culture and international reputation. The exhibition includes an interactive timeline, dockers’ accounts, artworks, gathered materials and even distinctive port scents.

Covent Garden Piazza WC2E 7BB www.ltmuseum.co.uk Explore the heritage of London and its transport system, and the stories of the people who have travelled and worked in the city over the last 200 years. Legacies: London Transport’s Caribbean Workforce Many people know about the history of Windrush, but are less familiar with London Transport’s advertising recruitment campaign to attract employees directly from the Caribbean to London from 1956 to 1970. Uncover stories and memories from ﬁrst, second and third generation Caribbean people who worked for LT in the past and

The British Museum Great Russell Street WC1B 3GD www.britishmuseum.org Until 17 July The World of Stonehenge For the very ﬁrst time in a major exhibition in the

now work for its successor, Transport for London (TfL). 2-18 April Lost & Found Family Fun Follow a family-friendly trail around the Museum’s stamper route to discover the wonderful and weird world of London Transport’s Lost Property Office.

UK, the story and secrets of Stonehenge are brought into focus, revealing that prehistoric Britain was a place of big ideas, commerce and travel, rather than a shadowy land of mystery.

Museum of London Docklands West India Quay E14 4AL www.museumoﬂondon.org.uk/do cklands Once upon a time, London was the hub of the world’s largest empire, and this museum tells its tales of trade, slavery, life in Victorian times and through the wars. Mudlarks is a free interactive space where under 8s can discover, explore and play. Admission free. Until 17 July Feeding Black: Community, Power & Place This free display at the Museum of London Docklands spotlights four African and Caribbean businesses and their owners, exploring how they are much more than the services and goods they provide. All details are as provided when going to press, however in case of changes, do double-check before setting out

V&A Museum Cromwell Road SW7 2RL www.vam.ac.uk/families Families can enjoy free activities and events at the museum every day. The ever-changing programme is designed for all ages and encourages play and learning through the diverse V&A collection and temporary exhibitions. Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature This family friendly exhibition takes visitors on a journey to discover Potter’s life as a scientist and conservationist, exploring the places and animals that inspired

her most beloved characters. In collaboration with the National Trust, featuring original paintings, letters and photographs.

Get down to earth in a Explore the gardening workshop devoted to how fruit, vegetables and walled gardens while you are ﬂowers grow. Ages 3+.

there. 17 April Family Fun Day: Springtime at the Palace See the palace and gardens in a new spring light on a self-guided spring passport trail, collecting stamps along the way.

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March/April 2022 • Families South West 53

What’s On Mar/Apr 2022 MUSEUMS continued National Maritime Museum Romney Road, Greenwich SE10 9NF www.rmg.co.uk/nationalmaritime-museum 1 April - 25 September Canaletto’s Venice Revisited This major exhibition will display the complete set of 24 Venetian views painted by Canaletto in the 1730s.The works, from the worldfamous collection at Woburn Abbey, form the largest single commission the Italian artist ever received. 15-18 April Canaletto Family Weekend Explore Venice’s iconic

canals, culture and communities throughout the Canaletto Family Weekend. Families can get creative, inspired by the Canaletto’s Venice Revisited exhibition. Easter Holiday dates Actions for Earth Get creative in exciting free workshops inspired by Earth Day. Sundays Discover Sundays Each week a different artist takes families on a journey into the museum’s collection, featuring stories and creative activities. All ages, free.

Compiled by Robina Cowan

THE GREAT OUTDOORS Hever Castle & Gardens Edenbridge, Kent TN8 7NG www.hevercastle.co.uk 4 March - 22 November Becoming Anne: Connections, Culture, Court Visit the childhood home of Anne Boleyn for an exhibition depicting her early life and learn how she became the woman who so caught Henry VIII’s eye. 26+27 March Mother’s Day Weekend Celebrate with a tempting afternoon tea of freshly prepared ﬁnger sandwiches, savouries and a delicious array of cakes and desserts. Children can take part in a free workshop to make a keyring or pose for a family photo in a Mother’s Day frame with the beautiful Castle as your background.

Where’s Wally Weekender You choose the venue! www.literacytrust.org.uk

Royal Observatory Greenwich Blackheath Avenue SE10 8XJ www.rmg.co.uk/royal-observatory 26 March Astronomy and Islam Arabic tales are ﬁlled with characters and creatures that people imagined seeing by joining together the bright stars in the sky. Find out which stars astronomers still call by their original Arabic names and what some of those stars are famous for today. Learn all the Moon and why it seems to

change shape over the course of a month. Ages 7+. Various dates The Sky Tonight A live show taking visitors on a tour of what can be seen in the night sky. See the stars, constellations, planets and moons, including a ﬂyout to the edge of the visible universe. Ages 7+. Various Ted’s Space Adventure Explore the solar system with a bear named Ted, learning about the things we ﬁnd there and how they affect us. Ages 3-7.

London Landmarks Half Marathon Through Westminster and the city www.llhm.co.uk

Cutty Sark

19+20 March Hundreds of runners, families and book lovers are signing up to take to the streets dressed as popular children’s book character Where’s Wally? and run, jog or walk to raise funds and awareness for the National Literacy Trust. Supported by Walker Books, the virtual event is open to everyone across the UK to show off their Wally stripes and take on a 5k, 10k or even 1k challenge for children under 12.

charity, Tommy's to beneﬁt themselves and many other good causes. Over £20 million has been raised to date since the ﬁrst event in 2018.

3 April Not your average half marathon. From cultural landmarks and heritage to the city's quirky and hidden secrets, runners get to explore the capital on a route like no other. The event is organised by baby

Kew Royal Botanic Gardens

King William Walk SE10 9HT www.rmg.co.uk/cuttysark Weekends and school holidays Cutty Sark Characters Meet Captain Woodget, the ship’s most

2-18 April Easter Fun See our Easter Activity pages. Playtime Let loose and kick free in the beautiful extensive grounds, which include a water maze, a natural play area for under 7s, and an adventure playground for 7-14 year-olds.

daring master, Nannie the ship’s ﬁgurehead, James Robson, the ship’s cook, and a 19th century dockworker, who all have special stories to tell. Ages 3+.

54 Families South West • March/April 2022

Kew TW9 3AE. www.kew.org Discover the world of science behind Kew’s famous botanical collections, with over 50,000 living plants to be found across a UNESCO World Heritage site. Take the Kew Explorer land train for a relaxed and gentle way to explore the Gardens and learn about the diverse living collection.

Kew for One Pound A new lowcost entry has been introduced for a visit to Kew Gardens and its sister site, Wakehurst in Sussex, for people in receipt of Universal Credit or Pension Credit. For families or other groups, there is also now a reduced price for early bookings. 2-18 April The Very Hungry Caterpillar See our Easter Activity pages for trail details.

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What’s On Mar/Apr 2022 Tate Modern

ART GALLERIES

Tate Britain Millbank SW1P 4RG www.tate.org.uk Until 26 March Story Space A celebration of books that centre children of colour, which aims for everyone to see themselves reﬂected in the books they read. The library also includes stories about queer and disabled children and families.

Bankside SE1 9TG www.tate.org.uk/visit/tatemodern

Until 3 April Life Between Islands: Caribbean-British Art This landmark exhibition explores the extraordinary breadth of Caribbean-British art over four generations, showcasing 70 years of culture, experiences and ideas expressed through art, from visionary paintings to documentary photography, ﬁlm, photography, sculpture and fashion.

Until 29 August Surrealism Beyond Borders Spanning 80 years and 50 countries, the exhibition shows how Surrealism inspired and united artists around the globe, offering artists the freedom to challenge authority and imagine a new world.

Saatchi Gallery King’s Road SW3 4RY www.saatchigallery.com Until 18 April Bob Marley One Love Experience Take a journey through Bob Marley’s lifestyle, passions, inﬂuences, and enduring legacy. Venture through the One Love Forest, visit the Soul Shakedown Studio and delve into a multi-sensory experience celebrating one of the world’s most beloved and unifying musical and cultural ﬁgures.

Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience Commercial Street E1 6LZ www.vangoghexpo.com/london Until 30 May Encounter the brilliance of one of history’s greatest artists in 360 degrees. A 20,000 square foot light and sound spectacular featuring two-

story projections of the artist’s most compelling works, the experience includes separate galleries that chronicle his life, technique, and inﬂuence through informative panels, larger than life re-creations and engaging interactives. Suitable for all ages, there is even a surprise at the end for young artists!

Somerset House Strand WC2R 1LA www.somersethouse.org.uk 5-26 April The Arks of Gimokudan This striking outdoor installation created by Filipino artist Leeroy New features a ﬂeet of three ships, constructed using

reused and recycled materials and plastic waste. Docked in the centre of Somerset House’s famous courtyard, the arks appear to ﬂoat, elevated up to three metres from the ground. It’s as if you are underwater yourself, looking up at these fantastical forms.

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March/April 2022 • Families South West 55

LYCÉE FRANÇAIS CHARLES DE GAULLE DE LONDRES Excellence in International Education since 1915

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Nursery to Year 6

Fulham Marie d’Orliac Primary School Nursery to Year 6

Clapham Ecole primaire de Wix Reception to Year 6