Families SE June 2012 issue 140

ISSUE NO. 140

®

www.familiesse.co.uk

south east london

In this issue: Is your child ready for school?

Summer holiday activities What’s On listings

WIN • a family break in Devon • family board games • MP3 players

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ESTABLISHED 1996

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JUNE 2012

IT’S MY BIRTHDAY this month - frocks on and about and about! Do go and see the Royal River exhibition in Greenwich if you haven’t already, then pop over the road to the Cutty Sark for more nautical fun.

This month, we’re asking what you think about Families South East magazine. You can enter the survey on paper, online or on your smart phone and there are prizes up for grabs - we’d love to hear from you.

Robina Cowan, editor

IN THIS ISSUE

LocalNews email your news to editor@familiesse.co.uk

ildren h C r o f s ie it iv Act

2-3 Local News and Views Theatre, ballet and music classes for children, and new businesses in southeast London. Plus, tell us what you think about Families and win prizes

4-5 Education News Open day dates, top tutors, and preparing your child for school life

6-7 You and Your Baby New friends for new parents, baby classes and finding support when the going gets tough

8 Book Review More wit and wonderful books from Justine Crow

9 Mothers Mean Business Bookshop owner, swimming teacher, book and restaurant reviewer, wife, mother and now author the busy life of our own Justine Crow

10-11 What’s New The under 5s guide to the royal family, child safety, new products and London highlights

12 Summer Holiday Activities Daycamps, theatre and arts workshops, sports and music to keep children occupied through the summer holidays

13 Festivals are Fun Choose your festival wisely and you can avoid being at the wrong place, at the wrong time, with grumpy kids and partner

13 Hip Hip Hooray Facepainting Simple step-by-step guide for facepainting the union flag for this summer’s celebrations

14-18 What’s On Our comprehensive listings guide with diary dates for grown ups, events and exhibitions, shows and days out in the great outdoors

19 Swaps and Shares Swapping your skills, tools and time is the new way save money and meet new people

20 The Back Page Local business contacts to make your life easier Front cover: Girl wears: Duns Sweden organic cotton green and mint stripe t-shirt. Available for 12-18months and 4-5 years plus more colours. £14 from www.loveitloveitloveit.co.uk

Summer issue out 29 June, copy deadline 11 June 2012 Families South East PO Box 11591, London SE26 6WB 020 8699 7240 www.familiesse.co.uk editor@familiesse.co.uk © Families South East. We take every care preparing this magazine, but the publishers and distributors cannot be held responsible for the claims of advertisers nor for the accuracy of the contents nor for any consequence. Families South East is part of the Families group, established in 1990 and headed by Families South West. All franchised magazines in the group are independently owned and operated under licence.

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families south east - june 2012

Theatre Tots fun Theatre Tots are having an awfully busy early summer. The team are putting the finishing touches to their brand new musical show The Day I Entered the Olympics. Touring schools and nurseries this summer, it tells the story of five year-old Ivy and her pet bee Boris, who get more involved than they bargained for at the Olympics.

Meanwhile the Theatre Tots book The Not So Scary Caterpillar was nominated for a ‘bedtime book’ award, with a second book The Star

That Lost Its Twinkle due for publication soon.

Finally, founder Laura Sydonie has just returned from an exciting overseas trip training teachers to deliver Theatre Tots classes on a licensing deal with Ibest Children’s Centres across China.

Closer to home, children can join in the fun at Theatre Tots’ weekly early years classes in Blackheath, Hither Green and Lee. Find out more at www.theatretots.com or call 0780 107 2776.

New Babyballet classes Babyballet are bringing their classes to Dulwich and Clapham from September, following the huge success of the classes which launched in Greenwich, Blackheath and Eltham last year.

Babyballet is an award-winning, national dance programme aimed at the under-5s.

Unlike other classes, the programme introduces classical ballet steps and positions at an early age, in a fun environment where both boys and girls can learn the foundations of ballet without pressure.

The classes help to develop strength, balance and poise, giving children a sense of pride in their achievements through termly certificates and an annual dance presentation, and introducing them to the discipline of regular dance instruction. All teachers are former professional dancers or Music Theatre performers at the highest level.

Classes in more areas will be added as demand increases further; to enrol or find out more call Miss Stephanie on 07809 148348, email greenwich@babyballet.co.uk or go to www.babyballet.co.uk.

Gently Elephant We've just heard word of a brand new children's shoes and gifts shop in Brockley.

Gently Elephant is open for business at 169 Brockley Road SE4 2RS, 020 8692 2881 - look for the wooden teepee!

The Day is Here Monkey Music children have recorded a special charity song to celebrate the amazing summer of sport.

Performed by 7, 8 and 9 year-olds and written especially for Monkey Music, The Day is Here tells the exciting story of a running race, complete with movements to go with the music.

The Day is Here is not only providing a fun sporting interlude during Monkey Music classes across the UK but also, by selling it online Monkey Music will raise much needed funds for music therapy charity, Nordoff Robbins.

All Monkey Music groups across the UK are involved, with the

pre- school children learning it in their action filled music and movement classes.

For a free trail class in Blackheatn, Greenwich, Dulwich or Herne Hill, call 020 8764 5185.

For Forest Hill, Sydenham, Penge, Crystal Palace and Gypsy Hill, call 020 8699 0977. Class information and the single are available from www.monkeymusic.com.

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News for Grown Ups

How much do you really love us? (be honest!)

Reader Survey Many readers have told us Families is the only local publication they read - thank you! However, we don't want to rest on our laurels. We want to know what you think: what you like, and what you'd like more of - or less of.

Please fill in and return our questionnaire to be entered in the draw to win a fabulous prize!

The Dish and the Spoon

It should take no more than 2 minutes to fill in!

WIN one of five fantastic

The Dish and the Spoon is a new cafe/ delicatessen which is already popular with SE15 locals.

Owner Shona Chambers has fulfilled her aim to “create a place that brings together people and food in a friendly and welcoming environment.”

Drop in for a range of coffee, tea, baked goods, lunches, afternoon teas and deli goodies including daily bread for sale from Paul Rhodes of Greenwich. Hot drinks include the only tea actually grown in the UK, from Tregothan estate in Truro, and coffee by the award winning Dark Fluid Coffee Roasters, based in Grove Park, who currently sell from Brockley Market every Saturday.

Shona told us: “In addition to our deli offering we have endeavoured to be as child friendly as possible, with a children’s play area with dolls house, toys and books, plus space for buggies inside, booster seats, high chairs, little person steps in our bathroom, and baby changing. We stock Ella’s Kitchen baby products, as well as home made wholesome children’s treats.

Friendly and well-behaved dogs are also welcome inside with their owners. We are available for children’s after school birthday party teas, and can cater entirely in house for your special occasion.”

The Dish and the Spoon is open from 7.30am-4pm Tuesdays to Fridays, 8am-5pm Saturdays and 8am-4pm Sundays. 61 Cheltenham Road SE15 - perfect for hungry tummies after a run on Peckham Rye! www.thedishandthespoon.co.uk.

family games bundles each worth over £100 Games include Scrabble Original, Scrabble Junior, Pictionary, UNO, Angry Birds board game and the new Chameleon Crunch active learning game for kids.

1. How much of each issue do you read?

All of it from cover to cover More than half Just the articles which catch my eye

2. Which element is the MOST USEFUL OF ALL (tick max two) Articles List of holiday activities Lists of clubs and classes What‘s On in your area Children’s party venues and entertainers Adverts Local news

3. How often do you contact advertisers you’ve seen in Families?

Often Occasionally Never

Tea and thyme

❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏

A really good searchable list of what’s on events in my area ❏ Specific parenting articles ❏ Children’s activity classes ❏ Local nurseries and schools ❏ Local plumbers, carpenters etc ❏ More news about my area ❏ To chat to local mums ❏ Book/product/restaurant reviews ❏ To sell my unwanted stuff ❏ Other............................................................................ ......................................................................................

7. Tick any that applies to you

❏ ❏ ❏

4. Which advertiser type have you contacted after seeing them in Families?

Nursery School Children's activity class Nanny/Au Pair/babysitting agency Health practitioner/therapist Party supplier Parenting course Photographer Private tutor Holiday/family hotel Services (like Cleaners/gardeners etc)

6. In your opinion, which category of information is the hardest to find online?

❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏

5. Online how do you find most of your family-related information? (about local nurseries, schools, clubs and classes, local news and events etc) Tick all relevant to you.

I do use FamiliesOnline ❏ I never use FamiliesOnline ❏ I mostly Google randomly ❏ I mostly visit other sites such as ❏ ...................................................................................... ......................................................................................

I have and use a Facebook account ❏ I have and use a Twitter account ❏ I own a smart phone, i-pad or plan to buy one soon ❏ I use a What’s on app if so, which one do you like and use? ...................................................................................... ......................................................................................

8. Which age group are you in?

20 something 30 something 40 something 50 something

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9. How would you describe Families to a friend? ...................................................................................... ...................................................................................... ......................................................................................

Any other comments or things we could improve? ........................................................................................... ........................................................................................... ........................................................................................... .......................................................................

Thank you for your time.

Please return your replies by 30th June to Families SE Survey, PO Box 11591, London SE26 6WB Data will be treated in confidence and your details will NOT be passed on to a third party If you would like to be entered in the prize draw, don’t forget to include your email address.

Winners will be notified directly. One entry per family. Editor’s decision is final, no cash alternative.

My e-mail.........................................................................................................................

My postcode....................................................................................................................

✂

A former caretaker’s house and workshop in Penge has been restored and transformed into an offbeat garden centre and vintage homeware shop by landscape gardeners Sarah Garcia and John Parker.

Alexandra Nurseries in Penge opened for business at the end of April. John explained: “We’ve focused on sustainable, low-impact gardening, covering everything from guerrilla gardening seedboms and peat-free compost to fairtrade gloves and planters made from recycled tyres. In terms of what we sell, almost anything goes. You can get your summer geraniums and runner bean and cabbage plants for the allotment, but you can also pick up a vintage gardening book full of beautiful illustrations, then have coffee and cake and sit in the yard next to the Victorian watering trolley. It’s a bit Hampton Court Flower Show meets Steptoe’s Yard! “ In addition to the outdoor garden area, Sarah and John have converted the two-storey former workshop into a shop and café. Tea, coffee and cake reside with handmade greetings cards and various tools, utensils and curiosities. There’s a library of gardening books covering half a dozen decades: yours to browse while you’re having a drink and a snack. Both qualified horticulturists, the couple are on hand for a wealth of free advice, and they are planning gardening and craft courses from the shop.

For your Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary moment, call into Alexandra Nurseries at Estate House, 56b Parish Lane, Penge SE20 7LJ, 020 8778 4145. Open 9.30am5.30pm Tuesdays to Saturdays, 10am-4pm Sundays and Bank Holidays and online at www.alexandranurseries.co.uk.

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If you prefer to enter online follow this link www.surveymonkey.com/s/7JSTGQB

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june 2012 - families south east

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education news

Is your child ready for school?

Develop your child’s independence

You’ll know by now which primary school your child is due to start in September, but is he/she ready? Forget force feeding them phonics, this is about getting your child ready for the social challenges of school.

Kumon’s maths and English study programmes are tailored to your child’s individual needs, nurturing their independence and enthusiasm for learning.

To unlock your child’s potential, contact your local Instructor for a Free Assessment:

Blackheath Rizwana Arain 020 8239 0093

South Bermondsey Snezhana Stoyanova 020 7703 2466

Forest Hill Ann Rolfe 020 8699 0264

Thamesmead Kemi Olomo 020 8316 7516 kumon.co.uk

Fees vary. Please refer to your local study centre.

The more prepared they are, the easier they will settle and the more they’ll get out of those early days. Sarah Butters outlines the Top 10 things you can help them with now, so that they can feel confident and settle in well.

1. Can they dress themselves?

Imagine the scene. One teacher faced with thirty children and their coats. By the time each child is zipped up and wrapped up, playtime is over. If your child is able to go some way to helping, they may get some fresh air.

If you can see buttons on trousers and skirts becoming a problem during the post PE change, invest in elasticated waistbands. These will also help during any ‘last minute’ toilet visits. Avoid tights in the early days - they can also lead to unnecessary bathroom accidents. With shoes, laces and buckles are a no-no. Stick to Velcro fastenings which your child can do themselves.

2. Are they used to sharing?

Sharing is a difficult lesson for a child to learn, especially if they only start learning it at school. But it’s a vital lesson if you want your child to settle in and make friends easily. No one wants to play with the boy who refuses to take turns and share, and before long that child becomes isolated. Start to make a point of praising your pre-schooler for sharing his bag of figures or his last few sweets.

3. Can they use the toilet on their own?

Reception classrooms usually have a toilet nearby but children are expected to use it on their own. That can mean less confident children avoid a visit until it’s too late.

Encourage your child to begin taking toilet trips without you to build up their confidence. Remind them that hand washing is part of the ‘visit’. Beginning school toilet training now will mean fewer accidents (and tears) in September.

4. Are they able to eat independently?

Win!

one of o the best-loved family familyy holi holidays in the land

Lunchtimes can be a real flashpoint in the early days of your child’s school life.

Dinner halls are noisy places and can make a child feel overwhelmed. Make sure they arrive at school able to pick up and use a knife and fork. If they’re opting for a packed lunch, make sure they can open a yoghurt, put a straw in a juice box and unpeel a banana. With school a few months off, it may seem like the easier option to feed them, but it won’t help in the long run. Practice, however painful, makes perfect.

One lucky family can win a three night weekend stay with Feather Down Farm Days this September worth £500!

5. Are they able to recognise their name?

Farmers Robert and Jayne look forward to welcoming one lucky reader to Billingsmoor, g , their picture postcard organic farm m in mid Devon. Their tranquil herd of Friesians, Kunekune pigs, sheep and nd chickens will soon lift the cares of daily life from your shoulders. You'llll enjoy spectacular views across rolling countryside whilst your children enjoy the sort of freedom you remember from your youth.

6. Can they use scissors?

If your child can recognise their name, they’ll be able to find their peg, identify their drawer in the classroom and find their cardigan if it gets misplaced. Starting school can make even the most confident child feel a little lost. If they can locate important places, it will make them feel more in control.

Teachers look for this in the early stages of Reception to evaluate dexterity. Get crafty over the next couple of months.

7. Do they understand discipline?

It’s important your child understands what’s expected of them when they arrive at school. They need to know that hitting, kicking, biting and hair pulling will not be tolerated. Not only will it bring your child to the attention of the head teacher for all the wrong reasons, but it will make your child unpopular with their classmates.

Reputations earned in the early days of school tend to stick and can be hard to shake off.

Fleet Tutors

To enter simply go to: www.familiesonline.co.uk/featherdown Closing date for entries: 9am, 2nd July 2012 Please quote this competition code: FDF2012

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families south east - june 2012

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8. Can they communicate with an adult?

Giving your child the skills to communicate with their teacher means they will be able to have some control. How else will they ask to go to the toilet? If they don’t understand how to get the attention of an adult, how will they let their teacher know they don’t understand their work? A child who can communicate will get more out of the school day than a child who is unwilling to speak up. Encourage your child to ask and even practise with a raised hand at home to make sure they understand the most appropriate way of getting a grown up’s attention.

9. Are they able to count?

If your child can count up to 20, and count back from 10, this will give them a really good head start. Use some of their favourite toys or foods to make counting fun. Lay out ten grapes and get them to eat them one by one, counting as they go. It will give them confidence and help them see learning as fun. Plus it’s a great way to get one of their five a day down them!

10. Can they follow simple instructions?

The school day is full of instructions. Your child will be asked to put coats on pegs, bring packed lunches into classrooms and sit cross legged on the carpet for circle time. If a child is used to following instructions, they will avoid being reprimanded.

The more time a teacher dedicates to repeating instructions and encouraging co-operation, the less time there is for teaching. Start giving your child simple tasks – perhaps helping with the weekly shop or with some straight forward jobs around the house. It will prepare them for school life.

Some books you may find useful: * I Am Too Absolutely Small for School (Charlie and Lola) by Lauren Child * Topsy and Tim Start School by Jean Adamson * Starting School Sticker Book (Usborne) by Felicity Brooks * Going to School (Usborne First Experiences) by Anna Civardi * Starting School by Janet and Allan Ahlberg

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Fleet Tutors also supply home tuition tutors for all ages from four years to adult, and are running intensive small group courses this summer to boost 11+, GCSE and A level results. Read more at www.fleet-tutors.co.uk.

For information and bookings call 0845 644 5452 or email clientsupport@fleet-tutors.co.uk.

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We are now enrolling Year 5 pupils for Year 7 entry into Grammar and Independent schools 020 8318 2106 • enquiries@theedcentre.co.uk

www.theedcentre.co.uk 23 Lewisham High Street, SE13 5AF 1 min walk from Lewisham DLR and bus garage

Open day dates

Clothes Labelling made easy.

The following independent schools are welcoming prospective parents and pupils for 2013 entry.

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Eltham College, Age 11+ Saturday 16 June, ages 7+ and 11+ Saturday 15 September. Grove Park Road, Mottingham, London SE9 4QF. 020 8857 1455, www.eltham-college.org.uk Rosemead Preparatory School, 14 June, Prep 70 Thurlow Park Road SE21 8HZ, Pre-Prep Elmcourt Road, London SE27 9BZ, 020 8670 5865, www.rosemeadprepschool.org.uk Streatham & Clapham High School GDST, Junior School 26 June.

Wavertree Road SW2, 020 8674 6912, www.schs.gdst.net Colfe’s School, Senior School 19 June 2012. Horn Park Lane SE12, 020 8852 2283, www.colfes.com.

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june 2012 - families south east

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You and Your Baby - life’s ups and downs

By Joanna Parry

SO, YOU’VE HAD a baby - congratulations! After nine months of waiting, being a new parent is absolutely life changing.

On a good day, you’ll be elated and amazed at this tiny new being who has entered your life. You spend every waking hour staring in adoration at their tiny little toes and gorgeous little mouth. Your exhaustion doesn’t matter as you drift from day to day in a haze of milky delight.

But there can be downsides. If you are like me those first few weeks, even months of parenthood can feel like the hardest days of your life. Exhausted after weeks of unbroken sleep, you might be struggling with breast feeding and getting your baby to take a bottle, your baby unsettled and suffering from reflux and why oh why won’t she just go to sleep? Even if it’s your second or third baby, it can still be just as hard, particularly if the baby blues hit. The most important thing you can do, even if you don’t feel like it, is to get out there, meet other new parents and get some support.

Mother and baby get togethers

The NCT arrange regular coffee mornings, and local playgroups often arrange get-togethers outside of the playgroup. You don’t have to ‘join’ these groups or come every time, but you’ll be sure to get a warm welcome and have the chance to swap tips and experiences while introducing your baby to the big wide world.

Alternatively, join a class for a regular and fun get together.

• Start with a baby massage class, where simple massage techniques help stimulate your baby’s senses. Baby massage has also been proven to help enormously with postnatal depression. Many local health services run free massage classes and there are plenty of private classes around too, often including postnatal support alongside baby massage. Try Babistic: 07799 032 191 www.babistic.co.uk or Calm Birth Calm Baby, 07949 764105, www.calmbirthcalmbaby.com.

• Baby yoga is also a great way to encourage baby-parent interaction. A natural transition from baby massage, it incorporates stretching, relaxation and yoga techniques, enabling you and your baby to create a joyful interaction. Try Yumi Yoga, 07957 204 177, www.yumiyoga.co.uk or Push Studios, 020 8693 9111, www.pushstudios.co.uk.

• Activity classes. These don’t have to be expensive, so shop around. Choose from music classes to drama to sensory stimulation classes even for newborns! It’s a great way to get out of the house, meet other new mums and compare notes. Find mother and baby classes at www.trainingpoints.co.uk, www.perform.org.uk, www.monkeymusic.co.uk, www.gymboree-uk.com, www.latinobambino.co.uk, www.tinpanannie.co.uk, www.babymusic.co.uk, www.boppinbunnies.co.uk, www.theatretots.com, www.caterpillarmusic.com,

Treat yourself If you feel up to it, get a babysitter for an hour or two and treat yourself to some quality ‘me’ time. Try a day spa for a pampering and revitalising treatment, or many of the ‘Yummy Mummy’ clubs that are springing up across the country offer spa treatments as well as a range of classes and support groups for new mums, usually with créches onsite. Sign up to www.yummymummytuesday.com for local offers.

Alternatively, take a walk in the park with a hot chocolate. It will do you the world of good!

Build up your strength Shenda Falvey is a qualified post natal personal trainer, whose specialised, tailor-made programmes include gradually training pelvic floor and abdominal muscles, along with functional exercises to build the strength to carry and care for a new baby. The programme can be carried out at home or in another location of your choice, fitting around your baby’s sleep and feeding patterns.

She also runs invigorating outdoor group bootcamp classes for everyone from new mothers to unfit beginners, offering a complete body workout that guarantees to get results fast.

For more information, call 07887 727 335 or read more on www.shendafalveypersonaltraining.com.

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Postnatal depression Postnatal Depression (PND) is often not fully understood by those who experience it, yet one in ten mothers will suffer from it. Becoming a parent can be a shock and it is perfectly normal to feel emotional, vulnerable and sensitive after your baby is born. Some mothers may feel confused about their feelings - they feel they should be overjoyed and instantly fall in love with their baby but this is not always the case, especially if you’ve had a difficult labour or a traumatic delivery.

Baby blues typically occur between 3-5 days after the birth, and one theory is that they coincide with the hormonal changes that occur as the breast milk starts to come in. Another theory is that they are due to the ‘come down’ after the effects of endorphins, or a sort of physical shock reaction after the upheaval of birth. You may feel weepy, irritable, have a low mood and feel that you lack confidence in being able to look after your baby but these feelings usually subside after a week or so.

However, postnatal depression is more serious and must be treated immediately. PND symptoms can be wide ranging and debilitating and include sleeping problems, crying a lot, not eating or over-eating, physical pains such as headaches or stomach pains or blurred vision, a lack of motivation to get up and do anything, a constant sense of anxiety, sometimes escalating into panic attack, a feeling of being lonely or isolated, guilt, emotionally disconnected from your baby or over protective, through to having frightening thoughts about harming yourself or your baby or about bad things happening.

If you feel any of the above, it is important to seek professional help. Your GP may suggest antidepressant medication and/ or counselling, and your health visitor will know about local postnatal depression support groups. You can also go to www.apni.org or www.birthtraumaassociation.org.uk for information, support and advice. Also, tell your family and close friends, as talking about your feelings is part of the cure.

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Cotton baby sling £36 from Calin Bleu, www.calinbleu.com

Whether it’s a picnic in the park, a coffee in a pushchair-friendly cafe, the one o’clock club or a mother-and-baby group, having a baby opens up an entire new social life with other new parents.

Support groups When you’re constantly tired, struggling to bond with or feed your baby or have a touch of the baby blues, there are plenty of support networks to help.

Health visitors are there for the welfare of babies and their parents, and your health visitor should support you in whatever way they can. They should get in touch with you in the first few days of you returning home from hospital, but if you don’t know how to reach your health visitor, your doctor’s surgery will be able to put you in touch.

HomeStart is a charity that helps parents by providing volunteer support.

Whether you’re struggling to look after your baby or suffering from postnatal illness or even just feeling lonely and isolated, HomeStart can help. Volunteers offer regular support, friendship and practical help to young families under stress in their own homes. The visits are flexible and you decide together what to do during that time.

For HomeStart Southwark, call 020 7737 7720, Greenwich 020 8317 4298, Lambeth 020 7924 9292, www.home-start.org.uk.

Children’s Centres (also called the SureStart programme) have been developed throughout England to help parents, with many offering support groups for new parents as well as stay and play sessions, baby clubs, postnatal and breastfeeding classes. Find your nearest centre at www.direct.gov.uk/en/parents.

NCT is a charity which runs Bumps, Babies and Beyond groups across the country, where you can make friends and share experiences with other new mothers, and support is provided. For your nearest branch, call 0300 330 07700 or go to www.nct.org.uk.

Drop-in centres, playgroups and baby groups offer vital postnatal support and advice. Most importantly, they don’t cost more than a pound or two. Look out for them at local church halls and community centres.

GYMBOREE HERNE HILL Award Winning Classes for 0-5’s

Book your FREE trial class today!

020 8123 8423 hernehill@gymboree-uk.com visit

We also run parties too!

www.gymboree-uk.com for further information

Family-friendly cafes Friendly, local independent cafes are popping up all over southeast London, serving great coffee, cakes and light snacks with a welcoming smile - and a free copy of Families South East for you to take home! Try these: • Pistachios in the Park, Hilly Fields SE4

• Cafe Crema,

• Mon Petit Chou,

306 New Cross Road SE14

• The Crooked Well, 16 Grove Vale SE5

• The Dish and the Spoon,

• Pistachios in the Park,

61 Cheltenham Road SE15

Pleasuance Park, Haslow Road SE10

• LWS Community Cafe,

• Pistachios in the Park, Manor House Gardens, Brightfield Road SE12

• Jam and Bread, 386 Lee High Road SE12

• Rhubarb and Custard, 164 Manor Lane SE12

• Cafe of Good Hope, 216-218 Hither Green Lane SE13

46-48 Westow Street SE19

• Blackbird Bakery, 71 Westow Street SE19

53 Lordship Lane SE22

• Blackbird Bakery, 52 Grove Vale SE22

• Canvas & Cream, 18 London Road SE23

• From the Forest, 1 Devonshire Road SE23

• Cafe Provencale,

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4-6 Half Moon Lane SE24

• Blue Belle, 182 Maple Road SE20

• Blue Mountain, 260 Kirkdale SE26

• Hardedge, 113 High Street SE20

• Pavilion Cafe, Dulwich Park SE21

Helpful websites

Twins and more

www.familiesonline.co.uk www.nct.co.uk www.direct.gov.uk/en/parents www.nhs.uk www.home-start.org.uk

www.ddtwinsclub.org www.twinsonline.org.uk www.twinsuk.co.uk www.tamba.org.uk

WIN an Aquabeat MP3 player with New Metanium Everyday Exercising with your baby can be a great way to get in shape, and listening to music can be just the motivator you need to get out there every day.

New Metanium Everyday Barrier Ointment is giving away three purple Aquabeat MP3 players (rrp around £70) which can store 1000 of your favourite tracks. It’s waterproof so you can even use it while swimming.

Six runners up will receive a specially designed Metanium changing bag (RRP £30) – handy for all those everyday essentials.

New Metanium Everyday Barrier Ointment has a unique double action formula to help guard against nappy rash. It helps seal in the skin’s natural moisture keeping the skin soft, smooth and supple. Metanium Everyday contains no fragrance or lanolin, so is gentle enough to use at each nappy change.

Protection for your baby and motivation for you - Every day! The Metanium website has lots of useful help and advice about nappy rash and healthy bottoms, and you can sign up to the free Metanium Baby Club for more information and special offers including a free busy baby planner, all on www.metanium.co.uk.

THE COMPETITION: It’s easy to enter online - simply go to www.familiesse.co.uk and click ‘competitions’ in the toolbar, by 1 August.

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$FWLRQ VRQJV DQG UK\PHV 0XVLF DQG PRYHPHQW )XQ ZLWK SHUFXVVLRQ 0XVLFDO JDPHV Since 1993 thousands of children across the UK have grown up with Monkey Music. Our unique teaching curriculum was written by classically trained musicians, and introduces music to very young children in a way they can easily understand and enjoy.

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Family Legal Services To arrange an initial free consultation please ring

020 8858 6971 Friendly, professional legal advice Email family@grantsaw.co.uk Visit www.grantsaw.com Norman House, 110-114 Norman Road, Greenwich, SE10 9EH Find us just around the corner from Greenwich train & DLR stations

june 2012 - families south east

7

The Bookseller Crow

is a fantastic, volume stuffed shop run by some of the most knowledgeable bookworms in the business.

Call in for the feel of a real bookshop, or if you’re too busy, pick up the phone or point your mouse at their website for a fast mailorder service. Justine Crow recommends this month’s best titles.

IT’S THE FINAL term and thoughts turn inevitably to a proper holiday. Possibly this idle desire also has much to do with the wettest drought on record. Not that I’m a sunbather. Any parent with a tan that isn’t out of a bottle (or, indeed, a flung jar of muddied poster paint) is, frankly, not doing its job. I recall my discreet pleasure at the comeuppance of a rather deliciously distracting mum in the slightest of bikini bottoms (no top), who lay down on the beach to bronze while I struggled to contain a small Trasha, who was busily handing out adoption papers to strangers and telling them of her life of cruelty at home, and her little brother. Who was locked-down in a pop-up tent anchored with stones. Thereby lending weight to his sister’s tale of woe. The lady leisurely applied lotion. Lay down again. And then, like an angel, appeared the most gorgeous of naked baby daughters (hers, not mine) lightly caked in sand who, on seeing her mother dozing, climbed on to her flat (of course) tummy to lay a perfect twirl of poo in her belly button.

TRAVEL WITH KIDS by William Gray - Footprint rrp £19.99.

Unfortunately, unless you are the queen or Kate Moss, the kids have to go with you on holiday. The trouble is, where? Yes, I know the press say that the ‘stay-cation’ is all the rage. That’s because those underlings that write the watercooler bits haven’t had children yet and are hoping we’ll believe them and stay clear of those places abroad they intend to get bladdered in without the nuisance of parents telling them to keep the noise down and language clean. This is a great ideas guide for when your brain is too tired to be creative and your wallet too scared to dream. Country-by country with star ratings for wow factor, worry factor, value, “keeping teacher happy” (not during termtime, tut-tut), importantly baby & toddler friendliness and vitally, teenage coolness, it has all bases covered, from the best Greek islands to craters in the Antipodes.

THE CAMPER VAN COAST by Martin Dorey - Salt Yard Book Co rrp £16.99. If you must be macho however, and show off by a) braving a domestic holiday and b) doing it in style, this is your manual. Let’s hope you don’t need the matching Haynes.

And they’ve done their research, with everything from the best crabbing spots, seaside piers, Scottish islands, lighthouses, traffic jam survival tactics, weather survival tactics, foraging recipes and spar shop recipes. By heck, Britain looks attractive when viewed through the cosy window of a design icon.

COOLCAMPING KIDS, Punk Publishing rrp £16.95 pitches itself on similar territory but without the need to hit the road too often once the pegs are hammered in. Each site is measured by its upsides and downsides, its degree of ‘nanny state alert’ safeness, proximity of walks and rides and rivers (and boozers) and ultimately, the damage to your sky rocket. Meanwhile, once again my lot ask where they will be spending their precious time away from their friends this year. And once again I pause, give them hope, then dash it with the usual “France.” This time though I intend to use COOLCAMPING FRANCE to find us somewhere distantly warm and quiet because - cue hysterical shriek - daddy is coming this year! And he will help with the driving and I won’t have to erect a tent alone in an Atlantic gale watched by Dutch experts in the lee of their motorhomes whilst the children hand me a succession of stubbies to stop me crying.

ROYAL JUBILEE BAKE BRITANNIA - Ladybird £5.99. You promised you weren’t going to get involved. Then a small voice from the future asks: What did you do for the jubilee? Here is your conscience salving kit, complete with mini bunting and recipe for victory sausage rolls. Personally I am a little particular to the matchless motorcycle cupcake wrappings.

THE LONDON COLOURING BOOK by Julian Mosedale Buster Books rrp £5.00. Whether lining up for royalty or tennis or triathletes or to escape a festival carpark, or indeed for trains out of town to avoid all of the above, we locals are going to find ourselves in a whole lot of queues this summer. This idiosyncratic activity book is full of familiar city sights to while away the pain of waiting. And if you are fed up with the offspring having all the fun with crayons while you fume at the... wheel (insert

steering/ Millennium/ roulette as appropriate), there is a CREATIVE COLOURING BOOK FOR GROWN-UPS, O’Mara rrp £9.99. Less narrative than the London one but not prosaic by any means. Rather than just staring at the metaphorical wallpaper, you could be colouring it in.

HOW TO BUILD A ROBOT WITH YOUR DAD by Aubrey Smith - O’Mara rrp £12.99. What a perfect title and what a perfect idea on so many levels - weather proof, fiscally astute, environmentally responsible, funny, educational, nerdy and just in time for Father’s Day!!

LOOK INSIDE SPORTS by Rob Lloyd Jones & Stefano Tognetti - Usborne rrp £9.99. As usual this particular publisher provides us with a timely primer and one that is pleasantly devoid of a certain ubiquitous branding (how clean and plain the walls of this city are going to seem come Autumn, and I speak as a sports fan). Lots of flaps to lift for inquisitive fingers coupled with that clever house style that busily informs without drenching young minds with overwhelming detail.

A FIRST BOOK OF NATURE by Nicola Davies - Walker rrp £14.99. Isn’t it brilliant now that natural history is fashionable?

Where once it was the preserve of woolly jumpers and display tables cluttered with leaves picked out of the gutter on the way to nursery (“Don’t pick that up, it’s dirty. Oh alright, we’ll give it to your teacher.”), these days we can be tree-huggers without shame. This is a beautiful beginners’ book, the only drawback being that it is more tempting to stay in the comfort of the living room to read it than to pull on the wellies and experience the real thing.

HOUSE HELD UP BY TREES by Ted Kooser, illustrated by Jon Klassen - Walker rrp £11.99. Though the imagery is instantly recognisable as by the author of last year’s surprise picture book hit, I Want My Hat Back, do not expect such whimsy here. It is about growing up and getting old set against an inexorable backdrop of nature’s will. We are enacting the same story at the end of the garden where despite my efforts the bindweed, brambles and sticky grass are indeed, inexorable.

First one to spot the barbecue gets a free jar of next year’s blackberry jam.

THE HUEYS IN THE NEW JUMPER by Oliver Jeffers Harpercollins rrp £10.99. Just when you thought I’d gone completely bumpkin, along comes a book without a single blade of grass. Tell a lie, there is a watering can. But somehow, as ever, our man spins a whole story out of a few simple pencil strokes and a very basic premise - that we all like to look the same while maintaining an individual streak. Until you reach forty. Then we really like to test the offspring embarrassment barometer by giving the streak full rein.

A couple of pooch based picture books to round off the page.

ONE TWO THAT’S MY SHOE! by Alison Murray, Orchard rrp £5.99 features a bouncing hound, some stolen footwear and some serious counting (NB Walker, as a bookseller, this would make a marvellous board book). And in WINSTON WAS WORRIED, Pamela Duncan Edwards & Benji Davies (is the latter human?), Macmillan rrp £5.99, you’ll find some hilarious depictions of canine angst. Though maybe that’s just little ole dawg cynic me.

What did I do for the jubilee? Well, for the silver I celebrated with the neighbours on our cul-de-sac listening to a reel-to-reel tape of the Sunday chart countdown dressed in a red circle skirt and wedgies. For the gold I got drunk with my sister while a fledgling witch slept in my lap and she (my sis) assured me I’d made a rod for my own back (it was a broomstick actually).

For the diamond? Whatever happens in the coming summer months, rest assured the aforementioned individual streak that secured the ultimate shame of my children who held my hands down and stood on my feet in an effort to stop me dancing in public to Primal Scream will indeed be given a long leash. After all that rain, recession and road rage, how else can I get my rocks off?

The Bookseller Crow, 50 Westow St. Crystal Palace, London SE19 3AF Telephone: 020 8771 8831 email: info@booksellercrow.co.uk www.booksellercrow.co.uk 8

families south east - june 2012

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Mothers Mean Business Justine Crow: author Regular readers of Families South East will already be familiar with Justine Crow’s wonderful monthly book review. In between times, she co-owns the Bookseller Crow with her husband, teaches swimming, is a restaurant reviewer, and runs around after their three children.

Her newest triumph is co-authoring The Little Book of Nits with Richard Jones, out now from Bloomsbury rrp £7.99.

FSE: Where did the idea for the book come from?

JC:”Hundreds and hundreds of head lice inspired me! In my early bookselling days, there was a hugely successful book called the Little Book of Calm. I was so frustrated, exhausted and bemused by the general business of parenting and the corollary complications like lice, I decided that I needed something similar. I was lucky enough to be friends with an entomolgist, Bugman Jones, and as a published author and broadcaster, he has influence.”

FSE: What is it about?

JC:”It does what it says on the tin. Everything you need to know and more about the business of insect infestation. The Bugman provides the academic stuff and I did the practical bits and collected the anecdotes. Ultimately our aim is to get parents and carers to take responsibility for the problem in a calm, methodical and informed way, to wash out the hysteria and taboo and to learn from the fact that it has been a human affliction for thousands of years which we need to deal with sociologically. And have a laugh and a glass of wine along the way, of course.”

FSE: Books take a long time to write. How did you fit it in with everything else?

JC: “I had already written down the snippets of conversation I’d had with fellow sufferers, I mean, parents and I worked in Foundation Stage for a while and that was a rich source on many levels!

And as a writer I’ve always kept cuttings. I was also employed as a support worker to a professional who was severely visually impaired but who still had the same parenting problems to tackle. That gave me a different take. I mean, how do you deal with something you can’t see? The Bugman is also a busy parent. Basically, we wrote the book in bite-sized pieces!”

FSE: You are one very busy Crow. What was your first ‘proper’ job, and what made you decide to give it up?

JC:”Once upon a time, bookselling was a respected proper job. I began in the pre-computer 80s as a ‘junior’ and learned my trade from the bottom shelf and worked my way up into management. We were quite a community in London, real experts. The UK industry only has itself to blame for the change in attitude - publishers devalued their product by scrapping retail price maintenance and discounting to the ‘pile ‘em highs’. We have sacrificed much to survive but had a lot of fun over the years and I’ve met many well-known authors, though my children are only interested in the day that Princess Diana came into the shop unannounced to buy some ‘airport reads’ for her ultimately ill-fated trip to India with her husband. The YTS boy nearly fainted.”

FSE: The Bookseller Crow has legions of regular customers.

What makes it so special?

JC: “Jonathan is the hardest working bookseller in the business. Over the years, I have supplemented my income by doing other things but he has remained steadfast behind the till. Because of the shop, for years we never went on holiday as a family. I would take the children and he would stay behind. I often wonder who got the best deal. But between us, somehow there has been a kind of continuity. Our combined experience of retailing and knowledge coupled with the atmosphere on the shop-floor which is necessarily an extension of our personalities - music, clutter, colour, exasperation - has a resonance with people.

Mums like us because we ‘get’ what they need picture books, presents, distractions - our play table is very popular, and Jon is also a bloke’s bloke. He is fantastic for a recommendation.”

FSE: Bookseller, swimming teacher, primary school support teacher, restaurant reviewer, ballet dancer, wife, mother, blogger, author... which of these do you feel is the ‘real’ you?

JC: “Hahahaha! The real me? I have various jobs to pay the bills and I actually get quite a kick out of teaching swimming. It keeps me fit, it makes me feel that I’m doing something useful, it is enormously satisfying, especially as I prefer the ‘shallow end’.

Getting tiddlers water confident, then seeing them take off is a genuine thrill.

As far as the shop is concerned, I love meeting people. I love the product. I don’t feel as if I am flogging something trivial as books are a true necessity and deserve every penny of their non-vatable status.

Working in school was an eye-opener and changed me as a person into someone altogether more sympathetic, more patient.

With regard to parenting, you won’t be surprised to hear I think I’m pretty inadequate. But ultimately, I think like a writer every moment of the day. That is how my brain works. I can’t drive on a bend without the sound of skidding in my head and that is where I have had the most fun as a mum. I might be hopeless at baking or knitting or maths homework but give me and the kids a motor and a map and we have really silly adventures together. I guess it helps that when I was growing up I was convinced I was going to be an actress and there is still a bit of a performer in me. Jon says I can conjure up a story out of a tissue and in an ideal world, I would invent stories all day long.”

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FSE: How do you like to relax, when you have time to yourself?

JC: “I am so lucky. I get a ‘proper’ dinner every night because Jon relaxes by cooking and that has kept me sane over the years - that and a saintly childminder when the kids were small. Now they are older, it seems I am even more stretched but thanks to the shop book group, I am forced to sit down and read novels. It is like having homework. I am famous for my speed-gardening and the 50m pool at the Crystal Palace sports centre is my place of worship.

Like a fool, I still do ballet. Given the choice, I write to relax but there is always something more important that needs doing. Like mowing the lawn or wiping down the fridge, or wielding a nit comb!”

Read more: • The Little Book of Nits is out now from Bloomsbury, rrp £7.99. If you order yours from the Bookseller Crow (see opposite) and ask very nicely, they’ll probably save a signed copy for you • The authors have a blog at http://lousehead.wordpress.com/ • Back issues of Justine’s book reviews are online: http://bit.ly/Kck8mM • The Bookseller Crow has a website: www.booksellercrow.co.uk/

june 2012 - families south east

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What’sNew Family Life “The Queen is married to Union Jack” With patriotism coming out of our ears thanks to the Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics, Micro Scooters UK asked what Britain’s under 5s thought about the celebrations before launching its range of Union Jack Scooters.

Over 750 children aged five or under throughout the UK took part in the multiple choice survey. Although most children recognise the Queen herself, they were charmingly vague regarding other members of the Royal Family: Who is the Queen married to?

• Union Jack 39% • Prince Philip 37% • Prince Charles 24% • Her husband 14% Who is Prince Edward?

• A potato 47% • The Queen’s son 21% • A brand of salmon 20% • A pub 12% What does the Queen do?

• Help run the country 63% • Travel & meet people 16% • Clean Buckingham Palace 12% • Have parties 9%

The sport that saves lives

Why is everyone celebrating the Jubilee?

• Because the Queen is a diamond 35% • Because the Queen has reigned for 60 years 35% • Because of the Olympics 22% • Because people like street parties 8% How long has the Queen been on the throne?

• 60 years 54% • 160 years 34% • What’s a throne 10% • 6 months 2% Micro Scooters also took on board children’s views on colourways for their new range of Union Jack scooters. Young children didn’t want scooters featuring the British flag - instead they wanted blocks of red, white and blue teamed with black, available with a range of accessories from www.micro-scooters.co.uk.

Why is our flag a red white and blue design?

• Queen’s favorite colours 64% • America got first choice for the nicest flag 15% • They look nice together 6% • Combined flags of England, Wales & Scotland 5%

New figures show that one in three children can’t swim 25 metres by the time they leave primary school, despite drowning being the third most common cause of accidental death of children in England.

A report released by the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) and Kellogg’s shows of those children unable to swim, 39% have never been offered school swimming lessons despite it being a statutory element of the National Curriculum. The research also revealed the role of parents in helping their children learn to swim, and discovered that without school swimming, many children would miss out completely as one in six parents admits they never take their child swimming.

Superkids Swimming School are running intensive crash courses for children aged 4+ this summer at St Dunstan’s College in Catford.

Bookings are being taken until 24 June - call 020 8651 2002 or see www.superkidsswimmingschool.co.uk for more details of holiday and termtime classes. Also try your local leisure centre for more children’s lessons.

Fathers online No matter whether you’re an expectant dad or have vast experience, fathers all need support from each other to encourage stronger relationships with their children and families.

Dadzclub.com is where all such individuals can come together to share resources, information, news, tips, products, services and more, all for the purpose of making men better fathers.

Through the high-quality content, interactive environment and mentorship provided through dadzclub, opportunities for growing stronger bonds with their children and families are limitless.

Founder Craig Hodgson explains: “Our aim is to build a site where dads can not only seek parenting advice; they can also read product reviews from other dads and make informed choices.”

Join for free at www.dadzclub.com.

Child safety week Accidents are the second biggest single killer of UK children - and even children who survive serious accidents are often left with injuries that take months or years to heal.

What’s more, the psychological damage caused to children and to their parents as the result of an accident can last a lifetime.

This year’s Child Safety Week runs from 18-24 June and aims to raise awareness of accident prevention amongst parents and those who work with children - reminding them, for example, to make sure that hot drinks are placed out of a child’s reach and that bathroom cleaning products are locked away. For more information on planned activities and to download a free ideas booklet, see www.childsafetyweek.org.uk.

S L O O H C S R E M SUM EAST EA ST D DULWICH ULWI UL WICH WI CH / F FOREST ORES OR EST ES ST H HILL

N NOR NORTH ORTH OR TH D DUL DULWICH ULWI UL WICH WI CH

CRY CR CRYSTAL RYS PALACE ALA ACE CE / S SYD SYDENHAM YDEN YD ENHA EN HAM HA M

Week long courses jammed full of acting, song and dance!

To book your child’s place and for more information please contact us

TEL: 0208 244 4873 www.freedomacademy.co.uk

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families south east - june 2012

info@freedomacademy.co.uk

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s New Product

Wash day eggs With regular detergents, traces of powder can remain on the skin and may cause allergic reactions in people with sensitive skin.

The Ecoegg is a soap-free alternative to washing powder. It is an egg-shaped gadget which goes inside the drum of your washing machine each time you put on a wash. It contains two types of cleaning pellets containing natural minerals that weaken the adhesive forces between the dirt and fabric, lifting away dirt and grime without fading colours or damaging the fibres.

The Ecoegg contains no harsh chemicals and is 100% hypoallergenic, making it ideal for babies or those suffering with any kind of skin allergy. The gadget lasts for up to 720 washes - approximately three years’ worth of washing (depending on the hardness of water, length of cycle etc.). This works out as less than 3p per wash, compared to approximately 25p for branded washing powders.

There are three to choose from; a fragrance free Egoegg and two new spring blossom and soft cotton fragranced eggs, priced £19.99 each.

For orders or more information, go to www.ecoeggonline.com or call 01732 42 41 20.

Mini morphsuits If you have a teenager, you’ll probably have already come across the festival-favourite, bizarre accessory known as the Morphsuit.

Children love getting in on the act, and now they can with the launch of Kids’ Morphsuits, following a trial in the US where an amazing 35,000 suits were sold in 48 hours.

You can see through them, talk through them, even drink through them; and children absolutely love them. They zip up at the back and the hood is attached with Velcro. Even cleaning your teeth is more fun when you do it in a Morphsuit, and it’s even more fun when all your friends are wearing one too. They stimulate creative play as the plain suits are ‘neutral’ - you can be whatever you want to be.

The mini versions are available for children aged 6 upwards (or measuring 102cm tall). They have been rigorously safety tested and conform to the European Safety Directive and are available online now for £24.95 from www.morphkids.co.uk.

Imagination for the Everyday Early years Drama www.theatretots.com

+ Weekly classes in Lee, Blackheath and Hither Green

+ Schools, nurseries and parties too! info@theatretots.com - 07801072776

Fit for a queen We love these handmade felt and cotton fabric Union Jack party crown.

Designed to fit head sizes or around 20 to 23 inches, they will make children and adults alike feel thoroughly regal. £9.99 each from www.wowthankyou.co.uk.

Come and Join the Fun! The award winning movement to music, dance and singing programme for boys and girls from 6 months upwards run within a fun, safe and caring environment.

Singing

Dancing

Lots of Fun

Skipping

Hopping

Teddies

Music

Instruments

Colours

Numbers

Balance

Coordination

Confidence

Discipline

Certificates

Jumping

Scarves

Interaction

Boys

Girls

Exciting Classes available in

Dulwich

Contact Miss Stephanie on

07809 148348

dulwich@babyballet.co.uk

on We love Lond Carddies come to London Kids Week is 15 The much-loved London theatre initiative ‘Kids Week in the West End’ is back for 2012, and celebrating its 15th birthday this summer by extending the renowned ‘Kids Go Free’ offer to run for the whole of August.

Kids Week is all about encouraging young people to get involved in theatre. Children aged 16 or under can go free to any participating show when accompanied by an adult paying full price. Up to two extra children’s tickets can be purchased at half price. The offer is backed up with a fantastic range of free activities, workshops and events. Whether it’s an energetic dance workshop with the cast, a sneaky peak behind the scenes, or a post-show meet and greet with the stars of the show there is truly something for everyone to enjoy!

Kids Week tickets go on sale in mid-June. For family-friendly theatre news and information, ticket offers, competitions and more, visit www.kidsweek.co.uk

Carddies are award-winning, pocket-sized sets of little card people that children colour in, give names to and use to invent tiny stories. Each brightly designed, robust box contains 12 double-sided characters, 12 colouring pencils, a background scene and stands to arrange each character.

The newest set, Carddies London features iconic and familiar symbols and characters of our city. Set against a London background, there is a Queen and corgi, a London Bobby, a Grenadier Guard, a Beefeater and others to colour in and play with on sunny days out or rainy days in.

There are nine other sets to collect: Sports, Ballet, Fairies, Football, Cavemen, School, Knights and two Families, rrp £8.99 each. Order from Amazon or go to www.carddies.com, 077 111 97993.

London bus t-shirt The wheels on the bus go round and round... There’s a great big funky red London bus on this 2-tone royal blue and white long sleeved t-shirt. 100% cotton with an easy dress neck, designed and handmade in the UK for 0-24 months. £17 from www.funkyfeetfashions.co.uk, 01743 719270.

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bbdulwich Babyballet Dulwich

www.babyballet.co.uk

As seen on...

We are looking for babies and children between the ages of 0 and 12 years to assist us in a range of fun activities investigating how children see.

The Child Vision Lab is based at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology in Central London.

We will refund any travelling costs up to £20.

020 7608 6819 www.childvisionlab.org

Spring clean your website today!!! lots of fresh ideas for websites, blogs & shops 020 8658 9975

www.lancasters.co.uk

june 2012 - families south east

11

Holiday Workshops - booking now for summer STAGECOACH SUMMER HOLIDAY WORKSHOP

INTENSIVE TOUCH TYPING

23 - 26 July, ALLEYN’S SCHOOL, Townley Road, East Dulwich SE22, www.stagecoach.co.uk/dulwich Stagecoach Dulwich will be running its annual Summer Workshop, offering four fun-filled days of dance, drama and singing that culminates in a performance to family and friends. Stagecoach workshops are always popular, with the team’s teachers working hard to ensure that the children have a fantastic week in a safe and secure environment. Ages 4-7 and 8-16.

For bookings of information, call Jonny now on 020 8949 4116 or enrol at www.stagecoach.co.uk/dulwich.

THE ANIMAL GAMES WITH THEATREBUGS

Fun French for Children • 3 – 11 years old • Games, Songs & Drama • Native French Teachers • Professional Materials • Free Trial Session For SE3, SE4, SE12 SE21, SE22, SE23 & SE24

Call Séverine: 020 8699 7665

23-27 July in CLAPHAM, 20-24 July in EAST DULWICH and HERNE HILL, 20-24 August in BECKENHAM, 30 July - 3 August in WEST WICKHAM, 0800 975 5290, www.theatrebugs.co.uk Squeaker the Mouse really wants to enter the Running Wheel Competition in the upcoming Animal Games. Silly William Wolf has other ideas; he wants Squeaker to just give up - oh dear! Luckily Rover the Dog and Princess Skip are standing in the wings to cheer Squeaker on. Can the boys and girls help too? Theatrebugs offer five fun filled days of acting, singing, dancing, dressing up and arts and crafts, and on the last day they hit the stage in a performance for family and friends. Ages 3Ω to 8 years, £120, 10% sibling discount. For Dulwich, Herne Hill and Clapham workshops and classes, call 0800 975 5290. For the Greenwich area, call 020 8244 2036.

FREEDOM ACADEMY SUMMER SCHOOL 30 July - 24 August, 020 8244 4873, 07530 061 658, www.freedomacademy.co.uk Following the success of previous Summer Schools, Freedom Academy are back with two brand new week long courses where 3-18 year-olds can dance, sing and act with professional actors and choreographers. Sibling discounts are available for each course.

GLEE SCHOOL, 30 July - 3 August in Sydenham, 6-10 April in Dulwich.

Learn the harmonies, tunes and moves to all your favourite chart hits and finish with a spectacular performance at the end of the week. Ages 6-18, 9am-30.30pm, £150 per child.

JACK AND THE BEANSTALK, 30 July - 3 August in Sydenham, 6-10 April in Dulwich, 13-17 August in East Dulwich. An all-singing, all dancing journey to Fairy Tale Land with Jack. Ages 3-5, £80 per child, sibling discount available.

FILM SCHOOL, 20-24 August in East Dulwich. Lights, camera, action!

Write, direct and star in your very own mini movie. Go out on location to film the scenes and end the week in style with a red carpet premier for family and friends. Ages 6-18, 9am-3.30pm, £150 per child.

FUNKY MONKEY KEYBOARD SUPERSTARS 30 July - 3 August in STOCKWELL, 6-10 August in DULWICH, 13-17 August in HERNE HILL The Keyboard Superstar workshop is a brilliant all-round scheme and ‘taster’ workshop for 5-8 year olds. Pupils learn to read, play and write notes C-A alongside learning keyboard technique and countless music-based activities including composition, artwork, singing and performance skills.

The benefit of this relaxed, friendly course is your child can try making music for a week and, if they enjoy it, can take term classes. 10am-12.30pm Monday to Friday, course price £99.

SUMMER SWIMMING COURSE 6-10 and 20-24 August, St DUNSTAN’S COLLEGE, Catford SE6, 020 8651 2002, www.superkids.eclipse.co.uk Superkids Swimming School is running intensive half-hour crash courses for children aged from four years old. Limited places - book before 24 June. Superkids also run weekly lessons during term time in Catford, Dulwich and Nunhead.

THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ WITH PERFORM

LEARN YOUNG HAVE FUN Rally round for a smashing time.

A fun filled introduction to tennis for 2-8 yr olds.

Played indoors with small rackets, sponge balls and scaled-down court.

Aids agility, co-ordination and balance.

A positive introduction to tennis with lots of fun.

Weekend and weekday sessions now available.

For further details ring Gordon on 07877391005 or e-mail gordon@tennis-4-kids.com

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families south east - june 2012

St Stephen’s Millennium Hall in DULWICH and St George’s Church Hall in BECKENHAM, 0845 400 1277, www.perform.org.uk Children are invited to take a trip down the Yellow Brick Road to join Dorothy, the Scarecrow, The Tin Woodman and the Cowardly Lion for the adventure of a lifetime.

Perform’s summer experience workshops are specially designed to stimulate creativity, confidence and communication skills.

Together with a team of experienced young theatre professionals, the children will combine live original music, inspirational dance and quick witted improvisation into a colourful mini performance on the final day.

Ages 4-8 years, 2.30-4.30pm each day.

Weekly termtime classes are also available.

School holidays and weekends, YES TUITION and Training, The Station Building, 187 Greenwich High Road SE10 8HA, 020 8858 9180, www.yes-tuitionandtraining.co.uk Learn a new skill with a touch typing courses run by YES. Children find them fun, and they work - most children are tapping away proficiently in just ten hours. Sessions can be booked to fit around other holiday commitments so children can progress at their own pace. Termtime classes also available.

SUPERCAMPS 23 July - 24 August, venues include BLACKHEATH, STREATHAM, PUTNEY, CROYDON and SIDCUP, 01235 832222, www.supercamps.co.uk Supercamps have 15 years’ experience in running action packed programmes of sports, arts and crafts for 4-14 year-olds. As well as multi activity days, there are RAW Adventure camps for 8-14 year-olds, and ‘ passion for’ courses for 6-16 year-olds focusing on specific interests including stage, dance, food, invention and creativity. The programme is Ofsted registered and all staff are CRB cleared. You can book individual days or full weeks, take advantage of the free extended hours (8am-6pm) and pay with Childcare Vouchers. A Flexi-change option allows parents to change pre-booked dates with seven days’ notice. 9.20am-4.30pm each day, single days £38, four days £140, five days £174, sibling discounts and extended hours available.

CLUB FRANCAIS FUN 23-27 July and 30 July - 3 August in DULWICH, 020 8699 7665, email severinecoupe@aol.com Indoor and outdoor games, cooking, arts and crafts, singing and drama all in French! Ages 4-11, 10.30am-1.30pm each day.

DULWICH PICTURE GALLERY WORKSHOPS DULWICH PICTURE GALLERY, Gallery Road, Dulwich Village SE21 7AD, 020 8299 8732, www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk CONTEMPORARY CONSTRUCTIONS, 8-10 August. Be inspired by the giant Philip Haas installations in the gallery gardens and create your own sculptures with willow and other recycled materials. Ages 12-15 years, 10.30am-12.30pm, £30 for three days.

TEXTILE MONSTERS, 29-31 August. Design and create your own monsters from colourful textiles. Learn the techniques of felt making, image transfer, simple stitching and fabric collage using a range of recycled fabrics, buttons and trimmings. Create small storybooks that make your characters come alive. Ages 6-8 years 10.30am-12.30pm, ages 9-11 years 2.30-4.30pm, £30 for three days.

CAMP BEAUMONT 9 July - 31 August, venues include BLACKHEATH and CROYDON, 01263 823000, www.campbeaumont.co.uk Multi activity daycamps offering over 40 different activities including sports, games and crafts. Ages 3-17, day passes from £42, four days £140.

HOLIDAY DROP-OFF DULWICH COLLEGE SPORTS CLUB, Pond Cottages, Dulwich SE21 7LD, 07944 485 552, www.holidaydropoff.com Multi sport daycamps for 4-14 year-olds, offering a wide variety of activities including swimming, football, rugby, athletics, team games, tennis, trampolining and much more. From £32.50 a day, £150 a week, sibling discounts available. 9am-4pm a day, extended days available.

BUZZ DAYCAMPS THE SPA at Beckenham, 24 Beckenham Road, Kent BR3 4PF, 020 8662 6835, www.mytimeactive.co.uk/leisure/ Ofsted registered holiday day camps offering sports, arts & crafts, soft play and more. Ages 5-11 years, 8.30am-5.30pm, members £25 a day, nonmembers £25.85. Half and full days available, discounts for weekly bookings and siblings.

ASHCROFT THEATRE SUMMER SCHOOL 6-10 and 13-17 August, FAIRFIELD HALLS, Park Lane, Croydon CR9 1DG, 020 8688 9291, www.fairfield.co.uk Five days of acting, singing and dancing, taught by industry professionals from London’s West End and teachers from top London dance and theatre schools, with a final day showcase for family and friends.

9.30am-4.30pm a day, ages 6-16 years, £100 per week.

CHAMBER PLAYERS 20-24 August, SYDENHAM HIGH SCHOOL GDST, Westwood Hill, Sydenham SE26 6BL, www.chamberplayers.org.uk A music course for string players of all abilities. Pupils play in small ensembles, lead by tutors and teachers who are experienced in chamber music. The course culminates in a concert where all groups perform the pieces they have been studying during the week. Ages 6-18 years, 10am-12.30pm grades 1-5, 1.30-4.30pm grades 6-8,

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n Fair London Gree Pictures from

All the fun of the

festival The teenagers are already planning their summer festivals, but why should they have all the fun?

Do you remember dirty camping, spontaneity, dancing and partying, sleeping in till noon and overall irresponsibility? Sigh. Well do not fret, there are still ways to enjoy an incredible day out at a festival even if times have changed, and you now come with a baby change mat instead of a sleeping bag and beer. The trick is to choose your festival wisely to avoid being at the wrong place at the wrong time with grumpy kids and partner.

The best family-friendly festivals make life easier and more fun: 1. FREE. A free festival is a smaller commitment and less stress than a fee-paying one. You can come and go as you please, you don’t need to worry about the costs. It’s so simple but makes such a big difference to your day out.

2. Stalls selling organic / natural products and food. Organic and natural are relevant to the modern parent. Especially when the event is family geared, you’ll find child-friendly foods and

can rest assured it’s on the healthier side.

3. Activities and workshops for kids of all ages. This is the game changer. Knowing that your little ones are having a blast doing arts and crafts, taking dance classes or watching a live performance while you sit back and enjoy the music.

4. Something for dad and something for mum?

This means that you are not just going into a baby, goo-goo zone, but are having a great time yourself doing the adult things you enjoy too. A nice chilled beer while watching a band play.

Splendid.

5. Crechè or child-minding. This would be a luxury for parents - the opportunity to go off and have a dance or walk around while your kids are in safe hands having fun.

6. Baby changing facilities. We all know what a drag it is trekking around to find somewhere for the children to go to the toilet. A baby changing area ensures most of the public is going somewhere else, and you and other families have some privacy.

7. How the event is powered. An event powered

by natural or renewable energy ensures that you won’t have nasty diesel fumes at a festival.

Especially not at a green festival.

8. Accessibility for pushchairs. Yes, lugging prams up and down stairs or through muddy patches sucks. It’s a turn off before you even get into the event itself. Is there a path handy?

9. Quiet area, away from loud music and hustle-bustle. A nice chill out area where you can talk to one another is relaxing. At some festivals the loud amplified music, along with moving crowds and lots of energy can be exhausting.

10. Do any of the organisers have children of their own? If yes, then chances are it’ll be more child-friendly as they understand your needs.

The London Green Fair is a leading free familyfriendly festival - returning to Regent’s Park on 9-10 June, with a 20 year history.

Organised by people with families for families.

All completely free, this year boasts children’s dance classes and theatrical performances alongside all the regular workshops and activities, baby changing and chill area, healthy food, organic bars and markets, picnic area with daily performances from an 80-piece symphonic orchestra, walkabout performers, plus two full festival stages all powered by the wind and sun. For more information go to www.londongreenfair.org.

Hip, hip, hooray!

Whether celebrating the Jubliee or cheering on team GB, we’re set for a real flag-waving summer.

Get in the spirit of things by painting your children’s faces. Just grab some red, white and blue face paints and follow the steps below (we used Snazaroo Union Jack Face Painting Kit, £4.99, www.snazaroo.com).

1 3

1 3 2 1. Using a damp sponge and white face paint, sketch out the white areas. There’s no need to be exactly accurate as you can paint the other colours over it once it’s dry.

2. With royal blue paint and a brush, draw the outlines of the triangular areas and fill in using the sponge or the brush.

3. Using bright red paint and a brush, fill in the central cross and then carefully paint the fine diagonal lines. Done!

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2

If you prefer a more understated look, here’s how to create the perfect Union Jack cheek art: 1. Using a brush and white paint, sketch out the shape of the flag, the central cross and the diagonals with a fine line.

Then fill in the diagonal lines.

2. With bright red paint and a brush, fill in the central cross and then add the fine diagonal lines.

3. To finish, using royal blue paint and the brush, fill in the eight triangular shapes that remain.

june 2012 - families south east

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YES, YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL!

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ON YOUR MARKS

CAFE CREMA

BOOM BOOM’S BOW

What’sOn Find even more activities: www.familiesse.co.uk then click What's On

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07973 749 846 Recycling quality second-hand baby & toddler goods Community & Commercial Stalls available prams cots clothes toys books Events held in Gipsy Hill | Blackheath | Clapham Enquiries: info@sellitmama.com

More info www.sellitmama.com

Diary Dates for Grownups FRUIT TREES AND ESPALIERS 9 June, CAFE CREMA, 306 New Cross Road SE14 6AF, 07950 552 571 The cafe’s back garden has been planted with a ‘secret orchard’ of pears, apples, peaches, quinces and figs, where expert gardener Paul Richens leads community training sessions. As part of Open Garden Squares weekend, Paul will be running a workshop covering summer pruning for fruit trees and espaliers. The workshop runs from 10am-12.30pm and is open to all Open Garden Squares visitors (www.opensquares.org). The cafe itself will be open from 10am-5pm with fresh produce stalls, knitting workshops and a fully licensed bar.

DULWICH PICTURE GALLERY TASTER COURSES DULWICH PICTURE GALLERY, Gallery Road, Dulwich Village SE21 7AD, 020 8299 8732, www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk CAPITAL CALLIGRAPHY, 10 June. Explore calligraphy in a one-day course which covers the basics of this delicate and beautiful art form.

Concentrating on capital letters, create large shapes for pattern making and develop your decorative handwriting skills. 10.30am-4pm, £45.

EMBROIDERED SUMMER JEWELLERY, 17 June. Create unique embroidered jewellery. Learn a new technique and create rings, brooches, earrings or necklaces based on a strawberry design. 10.30am-4pm, £55.

BUSINESSMUMS NETWORKING GROUP 14 June, CHAPTERS in Blackheath SE3, www.selondonmumpreneurs.blogspot.com Meet like minded mothers in business, brainstorm any business issues you may have and make new connections. £15 to trial the group includes coffee and croissants. To book or find out more, email motherslife@hotmail.co.uk.

new practical skills and strategies, and over 70 suppliers of specialist products and services including learning tools, visual aids, sensory equipment, advice and support services, residential care and specialist schools. Open 9.30am-5pm each day, admission free for accompanied under 16s, adult tickets £15 on the door. Discounts available for concessions, online and group bookings.

MUSIC FOR ADULTS 16 June in EAST DULWICH, 0800 107 7949 or visit www.funkymonkey.info Why should the children have all the fun? Join director and founder of Funky Monkey Ali Edwards for a crash course in beginner keyboard and start making your own music. Very basic or no knowledge is ideal! 11am-4pm, £45 per person.

SELL IT MAMA! MOTHER AND BABY FAIR 23 June, CHRIST CHURCH, 1 Highland Road, Upper Norwood SE19, www.sellitmama.com Visit the Mother and Baby Fair for quality second-hand baby goods anything from prams, baby clothes and toys to books, nursery equipment and maternity wear. There will also be a pop up Brown & Green cafe, entertainment for the children and local businesses will also be showcasing their products and services with a mother and/ or baby theme. 11am-2.30pm.

CANVAS & CREAM DESIGNER SHOW 27 June - 25 July, CANVAS & CREAM, 18 London Road, Forest Hill SE23 3HF, 020 8699 9589, www.canvasandcream.co.uk An exhibition and sale of work by local designers in the airy gallery space to the rear of Canvas & Cream’s dining rooms.

THE AUTISM SHOW

NCT PARENTING COURSES

15+16 June, ExCel London, One Western Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock, London E16 1XL, 020 8882 0629, www.autismshow.co.uk The Autism show brings together the latest thinking, skills, practical advice, professional consultations and specialist products to help better your understanding of autism.

There will be presentations from leading professionals, clinicians and researchers, one-to-one clinics offering professional advice, workshops on

GREENWICH and BLACKHEATH, London SE10, www.nct.org.uk NCT Early Day courses cover issues such as coping with babies’ sleeping, feeding and crying patterns, in a friendly setting which offers the chance to meet other parents with 0-6 month-old babies. There is a charge for classes, with discounted rates for parents on low incomes. To book a place and ask about the next course, call Alison on 0844 243 6921 or email bookings4h@nct.org.uk.

Theatre, Shows and Music JAZZ, GROOVE AND FUNK: INTERACTIVE CONCERT 9 June and 14 July, St JOSEPH’S CHURCH, 103 Pelton Road, Greenwich SE10 9AN, 07855 916496, www.boppinbunnies.co.uk A series of join-in concerts for families with children of all ages, led by Henry, Anna & Tim from Boppin’ Bunnies, with the support of Jools Holland.

As people arrive they are given an ‘instrument pack’ and at various points in the concert everyone plays with the performers, and sings together (hopefully in harmony!). Concerts start 10.30am, tickets £3 children, £5 adults on the door.

ON YOUR MARKS: FAMILY CONCERT 16 June, CADOGAN HALL, 5 Sloane Terrace SW1X 9DG, 020 7730 4500, www.cadoganhall.com Southbank Sinfonia presents a Saturday Spectacular concert as a great way for families to get to grips with classical music, with a fun interactive workshop from 10.435am. Make a mess with arts and crafts activities, or have a go on your favourite instrument at the Meet the Musicians session.

The concert starts at 11.30am and will include Ravel’s Bolero, Botsford’s Black and White Flag, Carl Davis’ Grand National, Shostakovitch’s Festive Overture, and Strauss’s Thunder and Lightning Polka. Tickets £6 children, £7 adults, £24 families.

GREENWICH THEATRE PRODUCTIONS GREENWICH THEATRE, Crooms Hill, Greenwich SE10 8ES, 020 8858 7755, www.greenwichtheatre.org.uk THE GRUFFALO, 8-10 June. Join Mouse on an adventure through the deep, dark wood in this magical, musical adaptation of the award-winning picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. Ages 3+ tickets £8.50 children, £11 adults.

SWAMP JUICE, 1 July. Welcome to a swamp like no other. Bickering toads, overbearing fairies and a rather gentle swamp monster. Using mind-

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families south east - june 2012

blowing shadow puppetry, acclaimed Canadian performer Jeff Achtem brings his astonishing award-winning show about life in a swamp, with a stunning, jaw dropping 3D finale. 4pm start, tickets £7.50 children, £10 adults.

LEGENDARY HISTORIES Until 24 June, COLOUR HOUSE THEATRE, Merton Abbey Mills, Merantun Way, London SW19 2RD, 020 8542 5511, www.colourhousetheatre.co.uk A festival of highly entertaining and interactive theatre, featuring shows straight from the pages of history. Find the silly bits from the past with the Tudors, ancient Greeks, Victorians, Egyptians, Invaders, and exploring from the pages of the Beano Derek the Sheep in The Quest for the Googly Glasses. Weekend shows, tickets £7 children, £8 adults.

POLKA THEATRE EVENTS POLKA THEATRE, 240 The Broadway, Wimbledon, London SW19 1SB, 020 8543 4888 www.polkatheatre.com RUN - A SPORTS DAY MUSICAL, 1-30 June. It’s Ella’s last day at primary school and her last chance to show she’s more than just the shy girl. This funny, heart-warming musical follows four students and their teacher, Mr Budge, in a story of falling over, getting up and carrying on. With original music and dance. Ages 7-11 years, tickets £8 children, £12 adults.

POP-UP POLKA FAIR, first Sunday of every month. With handmade crafts, gifts and delicious treats. Young people can enjoy Polka’s playground and the cafÈ will be open as usual. 11am-4pm.

BOOM BOOM’S BOW 9, 16, 23 and 30 June, HIDEAWAY, 2 Empire Mews, London SW16 2ED, 020 8835 7070, www.hideawaylive.co.uk Boom Boom’s Bow is a totally interactive jazz musical romp that can be enjoyed by the whole family. The audience will be in bundles of laughter with jazz played by Lea DeLaria, Emmy and Obie award winning actor, stand up and Warner Jazz recording artist. Mrs Tinkle is played by Janette Mason,

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THE TIGER WHO CAME TO TEA

HORRIBLE HISTORIES

MUSEUM OF CHILDHOOD

Parliamentary Jazz nominee and composer, with Mark Fletcher as Crash, and Tom Mason as Boom Boom. Ages 3+, tickets from £8.

stage adaptation of Judith Kerr’s picture book is fun for youngsters everywhere, and their grownups. Ages 3+.

WAR HORSE

HORRIBLE HISTORIES - BARMY BRITAIN

NEW LONDON THEATRE, Drury Lane, London WC2, 0844 755 0017, www.warhorselondon.nationaltheatre.org.uk Experience the emotional journey that charges through the battlefields of history straight to the hearts of audiences around the world. Based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo, War Horse is a powerfully moving and imaginative drama, filled with stirring music and magnificent artistry.

Handspring Puppet Company brings breathing, galloping, full-scale horses to life on the stage. Ages 10+, tickets from £15.

THE TIGER WHO CAME TO TEA 25-27 June at the CHURCHILL THEATRE, Bromley 0844 871 7620, 4 July - 2 September at the LYRIC THEATRE, 29 Shaftsbury Avenue, London W1D 7ES, 0844 412 4661, www.thetigerwhocametotealive.com The doorbell rings just as Sophie and her mummy are sitting down to tea. Who could it possibly be? What they certainly don’t expect to see at the door is a big, stripy tiger!

Following on from the highly successful 2011 tour, the loveable teaguzzling tiger appears in this delightful family show; packed with oodles of magic, sing-a-long songs and clumsy chaos! David Wood’s stunning

HMS BELFAST

Until 1 September, GARRICK THEATRE, 2 Charing Cross Road, London WC2 0HH, 08444 12 4662, www.barmybritainlive.com British history is full of barmy people who did nasty things to each other.

With blood, battles, murder and mayhem, the show explores stories from Roman, Tudor, Stuart, Georgian, Victorian and the wars, featuring famous figures such as Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, Guy Fawkes, Florence Nightingale and General Earl Haig. Ages 6+, tickets from £10.

MATILDA THE MUSICAL Until 17 February 2013, CAMBRIDGE THEATRE, 32 Earlham Street WC2, 0844 412 4652, www.matildaathemusical.com Roald Dahl’s much-loved classic comes alive in an award-winning musical. Tired of being teased by her couch potato parents and horrible teacher Miss Trunchball, little Matilda discovers that she has a very special gift and sets out to teach the grown-ups a lesson. Tickets from £20, child discounts available. Audio-described and captioned performances are available for some dates.

CUTTY SARK

Events & Exhibitions CRYSTAL PALACE OVERGROUND FESTIVAL 13-16 June, CRYSTAL PALACE TRIANGLE, Upper Norwood, London SE19, www.crystalpalacefestival.org Now in its sixth year, the festival once again promises plenty of summer fun for all. Shops and independent businesses around the Crystal Palace Triangle will come alive with live music, theatre, film, food and fashion, with Westow Park hosting art workshops, sports and children’s entertainment.

FAMILY EVENTS AT THE HORNIMAN HORNIMAN MUSEUM and gardens, 100 London Road, Forest Hill SE23, 020 8699 1872, www.horniman.ac.uk The museum’s music gallery and hands-on base, regular weekend and holiday drop-ins and workshops allow family visitors to explore the collection through arts and crafts, music, stories and hands-on sessions.

All this within 16 acres of beautiful green space. Museum open 10.30am5.30pm daily, general admission free, charges apply for special exhibitions and the aquarium.

CANSTRUCTION AT CANARY WHARF 24 June - 7 July, CANARY WHARF SHOPPING MALLS, Canary Wharf, Cabot Place and Jubilee Place, London E14 5AB World-leading architects and designers are creating giant sculptures from 40,000 cans of food throughout the famous business and shopping district, wowing the public and helping to feed people in need.

The competition big build takes place on 24 June, after which the sculptures will adorn both the lobby of One Canada Square, Britain’s tallest skyscraper, and Canary Wharf’s shopping malls, which have over 240 shops, bars, cafes and restaurants. When the free exhibition is finished, all cans will be collected and redistributed by the awardwinning UK food charity FareShare to communities throughout the capital. This will provide 6,000 senior citizens, children, homeless and vulnerable people with up to 16 tonnes of canned food, equivalent to 38,000 nutritious meals. This can only be achieved with cans provided by, and support from, AF Blakemore Ltd and Waitrose Canary Wharf.

V&A MUSEUM OF CHILDHOOD MUSEUM OF CHILDHOOD, Cambridge Heath Road, Bethnal Green E2 9PA, 020 8983 5200, www.museumofchildhood.org.uk This gem of a museum is fascinating for families with young children.

The collection includes dolls, dolls’ houses, puppets, teddy bears, games, childcare, clothing, furniture and art and photography.

Everyday drop-in activities include storytelling, arts and crafts, and trails. There’s dressing-up, role play and an under 3’s area, an indoor sandpit, and regular special events. If it’s sunny there’s an outdoor space to enjoy a picnic. Open 10am-5.45pm daily, admission free.

BEAUTIFUL GAMES, until 9 September. What makes an athlete successful? How does the latest technology help us to become faster and stronger; and where do we draw the line between fair play and downright cheating? As part of the exhibition, visitors young and old can get their own blood pumping with a white knuckle ride in a virtual skeleton bobsleigh, measure their reaction time with a ‘beat the clock’ test, and throw some moves on an electronic dance floor.

MASCOTS OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES, until 28 October. A showcase of over 50 mascots from the last 44 years of summer and winter Olympic Games including the London 2012 mascots, Wenlock and Mandeville.

BRITISH MUSEUM EVENTS BRITISH MUSEUM, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG, 020 7323

8299, www.britishmuseum.org Open 10am-5.30pm daily, until 8.30pm Fridays, admission free.

OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS, 16 June. Learn about the ancient Olympic Games, then use a green screen and Photoshop to create your own ancient Greek Olympic champion’s portrait to print and take home. Ages 7+, 11.30am-3.30pm, free.

ANCIENT SPORTS DAY, 16 June. Family activities focusing on athletics and other sports in the ancient Greek and Roman worlds. Meet gladiators and experience the thrill of gladiatorial combat, explore the ancient games at Olympia, marvel at statues of victorious athletes, listen to tales of heroic feats and find out about the Olympic dark ointment.

Suitable for all ages, 11am-4pm, free.

BANK OF ENGLAND MUSEUM FUN BANK OF ENGLAND MUSEUM, Threadneedle Street, London EC2R, 020 7601 5545, www.bankofengland.co.uk/museum The Bank of England Museum tells the story of the Bank of England from its foundation in 1694 to its role today as the UK’s central bank. Examine intricately-designed banknotes, feel the weight of a genuine gold bar and see the pikes and muskets that were once used to defend the Bank.

Children’s activity sheets provide fun for younger visitors. Open 10am5pm Mondays to Fridays, admission free.

CROWNING GLORY, 6-8 June. Celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee by finding examples of crowns, enter a competition quiz about monarchs and the bank, and create your own crown to take home. The activities are part of the Museum’s ‘Royal Connections’ exhibition, which highlights the many connections between the monarch and the bank, tracing the development of the royal portrait on banknotes. 10am4.30pm, free.

GEFFRYE MUSEUM EVENTS GEFFRYE MUSEUM, Kingsland Road E2 8EA, 020 7739 9893, www.geffrye-museum.org.uk Special workshops and quizzes inspire creativity and provide amusement for accompanied 5-11 year-olds on the first Saturday of each month and during school holidays. Places allocated 30 minutes in advance of each workshop. Museum open 10am-5pm Tuesdays to Saturdays, from noon Sundays.

HISTORIC ALMSHOUSES, 2, 6 and 20 June. Visit one of the Geffrye’s 18th-century almshouses which has been fully restored to its original condition, offering a rare glimpse into the lives of London’s poor and elderly in former times. Timed entries at 11, 12, 2 and 3pm, admission £2.50, accompanied under 16s free.

SCIENCE MUSEUM HIGHLIGHTS SCIENCE MUSEUM, Exhibition Road SW7 2DD, 0870 870 4868, www.sciencemuseum.org.uk Aiming to be the best place in the world for people to enjoy science, the Science Museum makes sense of the science that shapes our lives, sparking curiosity, releasing creativity and changing the future by engaging people of all generations and backgrounds in science, engineering, medicine, technology, design and enterprise. Open daily 10am-6pm except 24-26 December.

TEN CLIMATE STORIES, until 28 September. Take a long view of our climate changing world - where all is not what it seems.

LAUNCHPAD SCIENCE SHOWS. The largest free interactive science gallery in the UK is packed with exhibits which allow visitors to launch a rocket, turn their head into a sound box and control a magnetic cloud.

Ages 8-14, free.

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WHO AM I? Find out what makes you special through interactive activities which use the latest in brain science and genetics. Free.

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM, Cromwell Road SW7 5BD, 020 7942 5000, www.nhm.ac.uk Dinosaurs, volcanoes, precious gems and creepy crawlies - discover the diversity of the natural world through the nation’s finest collection of natural history specimens. Fascinating exhibitions display up to 70 million plants, animals, fossils, rocks and minerals, with a hands-on education centre where you can meet real scientists at work. Museum open 10am-5.50pm, admission free.

ANIMALS INSIDE OUT, Until 16 September. A new blockbuster exhibition explores the intricate biology and physiology of some of the world’s most spectacular creatures. The exhibition is the UK premiere from the team behind the famous Body Worlds shows and includes over 80 plastinate and blood vessel specimens, from goats and giraffe to octopuses and ostriches. Highlights include a 3.2 tonne Asian elephant plastinate, an adult gorilla plastinate, and a blood vessel plastinate specimen of a metre long shark. Admission free for under 3s, £6 children, £9 adults.

TOWER OF LONDON TOWER OF LONDON, EC3N 4AB, 0844 482 7777, www.hrp.org.uk/toweroflondon Tower open 9am-5.30pm Tuesdays to Saturdays, from 10am Sundays and Mondays. Admission free for under 5s, children £10.45, adults £20.80; book for less online.

FIT FOR A KING. Discover 500 years of spectacular arms and armour worn by kings and royal princes in this stunning exhibition on the first floor of the White Tower. Learn about the personalities, power and physical size of our nation’s kings, from the Tudors, and the notorious Henry VIII, to today’s royal family through the historic collection.

POWER HOUSE. Discover the stories and personalities behind the major organisations of state, who took care of royal business behind the mighty Tower walls, from 1100 to the present day. The exhibition showcases the roles of the major organisations that provided the bedrock of England’s power throughout the centuries.

ROYAL BEASTS. Find out about the Tower’s imperial Royal Menagerie.

Founded during the reign of King John in the early 1200s, it became a regular feature of the Tower for over 600 years. Visitors can encounter a diverse cast of former Tower residents through arresting modern animal sculpture by artist Kendra Haste and new interactive sensory displays.

The recently restored north wall walk and the never before opened Brick Tower will host some of the displays, including sights, sounds and smells of some of the animals.

NATIONAL ARMY MUSEUM NATIONAL ARMY MUSEUM, Royal Hospital Road SW3 4HT, 020 7881 6606, www.nam.ac.uk The history of British land forces from 1485 to the present day, with costumes, paintings, artefacts and special displays telling the stories of men and women who served in British armies across the globe. Open 10am-5.30pm daily, admission free.

WAR HORSE: FACT & FICTION, until 31 August. A hands-on exhibition exploring the true history behind the hugely popular ‘War Horse’ novel by Michael Morpugo. Free.

ACTIONS ZONES: VICTORIAN SOLDIERS. Quizzes, games and hands-on activities help you learn about life as a Victorian Soldier and

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MARITIME MUSEUM

LONDON GREEN FAIR

OPEN GARDENS - CHARLTON MANOR

MoreWhat’sOn Find even more activities: www.familiesse.co.uk then click What's On the part they played in the shaping of Britain’s Empire. Free.

KID’S ZONE. A play area where children can explore aspects of army life from camping to clothing, including a dedicated soft play space for babies, plus art and crafts, dressing-up costumes, books, interactive toys and panels, and a dedicated soft play space for babies.

DRAW YOUR WEAPONS. A colourful and dynamic exhibition exploring the history of the war comic, in partnership with leading publisher DC Thomson.

CUMING MUSEUM EVENTS CUMING MUSEUM, 151 Walworth Road SE17 1RY, 020 7525 2332, www.southwark.gov.uk/cumingmuseum The Cuming Museum is the home of the worldwide collection of the Cuming Family and the museum of Southwark’s history. It houses a diverse collection that includes archaeology, ethnography, social history and natural history. A mix of permanent and changing exhibitions tells the story of the Cuming family and the history of Southwark, from Roman times to the diverse communities of today.

FAMILY CLUB, Thursdays. Explore and play with the Cuming explorers.

10am-11.15am for under 5s and their parents/ carers.

CHARLES DICKENS: A SOUTHWARK CHILDHOOD, until 24 November. A family friendly exhibition celebrating 200 years since the birth of Charles Dickens, novelist and social reformer. It explores his experiences of the Borough area of Southwark during 1824 when his father was imprisoned for debt in the Marshalsea Prison. The exhibition is accompanied by a lively events programme for adults and families.

Museum open 10am-5pm Tuesdays to Saturdays.

JEWISH MUSEUM EVENTS JEWISH MUSEUM, Raymond Burton House, 129-131 Albert Street, Camden Town NW1 7NB, 020 7284 7324, www.jewishmuseum.org.uk The museum houses internationally acclaimed collections where visitors can explore Jewish culture, heritage and identity within the wider context of British history. The museum is packed full of hands-on, interactive displays and fascinating exhibits perfect for families to explore together, with three hands-on galleries and family trails. Open 10am-5pm daily, Fridays to 2pm. Admission £3.50 children, £7.50 adults, £18 families.

HMS BELFAST HMS BELFAST, The Queen’s Walk, London SE1 2JH, www.iwm.org.uk Iconic London landmark, HMS Belfast will be ready to welcome visitors back onto her historic decks on 18 May 2012. A weekend extravaganza of family activities and events on the 26 and 27 May will mark the re-opening of the ship that made history during her service in the Second World War and Korean War and for the past 40 years has been a much loved visitor attraction, located in the heart of the capital.

Discover the exciting stories of those who served HMS Belfast; exploring the nine decks where sailors once hurried up and down its ladders, or take a look at the mess desk where her 950-strong crew ate and slept.

Open 10am-6pm daily, admission free for under 16s, £14 adults.

CHURCHILL WAR ROOMS CHURCHILL WAR ROOMS, Clive Steps, King Charles Street SW1A, www.iwm.org.uk Visit the Churchill War Rooms, part of Imperial War Museums, to discover the original Cabinet War Rooms, the wartime bunker which sheltered Churchill and his staff during the Blitz. Explore the historic rooms to experience the secret history that lives on underground. Look through the lens of history into the Map Room where the books and charts have remained exactly where they were left when the door was locked in 1945. Discover the stories of those who worked underground as London was being bombed above them, and explore the life and legacy of Winston Churchill in the interactive Churchill Museum. Visitors receive a free sound guide to the 30 historic rooms on display as well as the new museum, all helping to bring the exciting story of Winston Churchill to life. Open 9.30am-6pm, last admission 5pm. Entry free for under 16s, £16.50 adults.

IWM LONDON IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM, Lambeth Road, London SE1, 020 7416 5000, www.iwm.org.uk Museum open daily 10am-6pm, admission free. Special exhibitions may charge an admission fee.

A FAMILY IN WARTIME. Take a step back in time to the Second World War and experience life on the Home Front, through the eyes of one London family, the Allpress’.

BUILD THE TRUCE, from 24 May. This new interactive display looks at the concepts of truce, conflict and resolution and how they are relevant to us in the twenty-first century. Build the Truce, part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad, showcases for the first time films, interviews and insights collected as part of an IWM learning project.

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families south east - june 2012

LONDON TRANSPORT MUSEUM LONDON TRANSPORT MUSEUM, 39 Wellington Street, Covent Garden Piazza, WC2E 7BB, 020 7379 6344, www.ltmuseum.co.uk Museum open 10am-6pm Saturdays to Thursdays, from 11am Fridays.

Admission free for under 16s; under 12s to be accompanied.

ALL ABOARD! Let your under 6 ‘drive’ a scaled-down bus, train, tube or taxi , complete with passengers. They can also take control of the transport system, moving buses and trains around the museum’s miniature London.

INTERCHANGE. The interactive area for 7-11 year-olds has replica costumes to try on, mystery objects to discover, and the chance to drive an Optare bus.

NORWOOD CEMETERY

FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE MUSEUM FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE MUSEUM, 2 Lambeth Palace Road, South Bank, London SE1, 020 7620 0347, www.florence-nightingale.co.uk Uncover the lady behind the legend at the brand new Florence Nightingale Museum on London’s South Bank. The museum presents a vivid retelling of her story and how modern nursing began. The museum’s unparalleled collection features highlights such as Florence’s pet little owl Athena as well as her lamp and medicine chest from the Crimean War. Engaging interactive exhibits as well as regular contemporary art exhibitions enhance the experience, visitors even use stethoscopes to hear the audio tour. Admission £4.80 child, £5.80 adults, £16 families.

CHILDREN AT THE V&A V&A MUSEUM, Cromwell Road SW7 2RL, 020 7942 2000, www.vam.ac.uk/families During any visit, families can pick up a trail from the Information Desk and explore the museum through puzzles, drawing and observation.

Suitable for 7-12 year-olds. There are also hundreds of exciting hands-on exhibits containing plenty to touch and try out. Museum open 10am-5.45pm daily, admission free Saturday BACK-PACKS. Pick up a back pack and explore the museum with fantastic jigsaws, stories, puzzles and games. 10.30am-5pm.

MUSEUM OF LONDON DOCKLANDS MUSEUM OF LONDON DOCKLANDS, West India Quay E14, 020 7001 9844, www.museumoflondon.org.uk/docklands Open daily 10am-6pm, admission free. Regular programmes of weekend and holiday events and workshops help visitors find out more about London’s history, covering events such as the Great Plague, Londoners’ jobs and occupations, and Roman life.

MUSEUM OF LONDON EVENTS MUSEUM OF LONDON, London Wall EC2Y 5HN, 020 7001 9844, www.museumoflondon.org.uk Open daily 10am-6pm, admission free. Regular programmes of weekend and holiday events and workshops help visitors find out more about London’s history, covering events such as the Great Plague, Londoners’ jobs and occupations, and Roman life.

ROYAL MUSEUMS GREENWICH National Maritime Museum, Queen’s House, Royal Observatory and Cutty Sark, Greenwich SE10, 020 8858 4422, www.rmg.co.uk.

Royal Museums Greenwich holds the world’s largest maritime collection. It is housed in historic buildings forming part of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site and incorporates the Royal Observatory Greenwich, the 17th-century Queen’s House, and Cutty Sark. The Museums works to illustrate for everyone the importance of the sea, ships, time and the stars and their relationship with people, and is also a major centre of education and research. Open 10am-5pm daily. General admission is free; some buildings, special exhibitions and events have an admission fee.

ROYAL RIVER: POWER, PAGEANTRY AND THE THAMES, until 9 September at the National Maritime Museum. Magnificent gilded barges, liverymen in their finest uniforms, the splendour of lavish celebrations: the Thames is the ‘royal river’, used for centuries by British monarchs to involve the people in ceremony and festivities displaying their regal status. For hundreds of years this famous royal river has been host to the pageantry of coronations, processions of boats, and other events which helped tie people closer to the Crown and to London as Britain’s capital. ‘Royal River’ brings together nearly 400 beautiful, fascinating and often unique objects, including one of the largest-ever loans of Royal Collection objects to any museum. Created to mark Her Majesty The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, and guest-curated by historian David Starkey, the exhibition presents the historic Thames in all its glory, from British royal and City events to London’s famous watermen, and the river’s transformation after the notorious ‘Great Stink’. Family tickets from £14.50.

CUTTY SARK. The world’s famous 19th century tea clipper has reopened to the public following an extensive refurbishment. Four levels offer visitors the chance to take in the views from the main deck and steer at the ship’s wheel, meet the crew who worked on board, explore the various cargoes from wool to whiskey, and see how tea was loaded on board through interactive displays, props, information boards and animations. Family friendly events run at weekends and during school holidays. Open 10am-5pm Tuesdays to Sundays, admission £6.50 children, £12 adults, from £20 families. Bundled tickets are available with the other Royal Museum Greenwich attractions. 020 8858 2698.

EXPLORE SATURDAYS. Meet a character from the past and take part in an exciting performance that brings maritime history to life. Suitable for ages 6+. Noon, 1, 2 and 3pm start, free.

DISCOVER SUNDAYS. Be inspired by the National Maritime Museum’s galleries and take part in free design, craft, illustration and music workshops designed for families. Suitable for all ages. 11.30am-1.30pm and 2-5pm, free.

PLAY TUESDAYS. Young children can have fun with their families as they explore the National Maritime Museum through making, music, dance and drama. 10.30 and 11.30am, 1 and 2pm, suitable for under 5s; collect a ticket from the admissions desk.

THE SECRET LIFE OF STARS. A spectacular show, narrated by Patrick Stewart, explores the fascinating life history of the stars, from the smallest red dwarf to the largest blue giant. Using state-of-the-art digital simulation, it charts the life of a star from birth to death and beyond, and looks at what impact this has on the universe around us. Ages 5+, tickets £4.50 chidden, £6.50 adults, £17.50 families.

SPACE SAFARI, weekends and holiday weekdays at the Royal Observatory. Join teddy bear Ted for live music and rhyme as he journeys throughout the solar system looking for the Great Bear in the sky in a show designed especially for younger children and presented by a real astronomer. Tickets £4.50 children, £6.50 adults, £17.50 families.

DISCOVER GREENWICH OLD ROYAL NAVAL COLLEGE (next to the Cutty Sark), Greenwich SE10, www.greenwichwhs.org.uk Unlock the history of Maritime Greenwich, through artefacts, artwork, film and stories of former lives to bring the past to life. A permanent exhibition takes visitors on a journey from the College’s Tudor beginnings, through its naval past, as the Royal Hospital for Seamen and Royal Navy Staff College, right up to the present day. Special objects, including personal items from Henry VIII’s palace, as well as fascinating stories from monarchs, admirals and architects help chart the historic town’s development.

SEA LIFE AQUARIUM SEA LIFE LONDON AQUARIUM, County Hall, Southbank SE1, 0871 663 1678, www.visitsealife.com/london Explore the world’s rivers, oceans and reefs and come face to face with the life that inhabits them. Open 10am-7pm daily, admission from £12.96 children, £17.82 adults, family tickets available.

BEHIND THE SCENES TOURS whisk visitors right into the heart of the aquarium to discover what it takes to keep everything running smoothly.

You can see the dedicated aquarists at work on research and breeding programmes, caring for sick creatures and new arrivals, preparing food and monitoring the sophisticated water management systems. Tickets can be booked online or purchased on entry; £5 children, £7.50 adults.

SHARK REEF ENCOUNTER features a stunning shoal of over twenty magnificent creatures - including two impressive 2.8m long brown sharks and a ten strong group of sleek black tip reef Sharks. Visitors step onto a 5m long glass walkway and witness the unique spectacle of sharks swimming literally inches beneath their feet. Next, they come face to fin through the aquarium’s gigantic 19.6m by 12m pacific reef display where the striking crThe Great Outdoors

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Family & Childcare Solicitors

Solicitors

When legal decisions influence the lives of your family, you want the best.

We specialise in:

ST HELEN’S SCULTPURE SPACE

FAMILY TREASURE HUNTS

The Great Outdoors OPEN GARDENS WEEKEND 9+10 June, VARIOUS VENUES, www.opensquares.org Around 200 communal gardens, many that are not usually open to the public, take part each year, ranging from the historic to the traditional through to roof gardens and allotments.

Among the green spaces open for 2012 in southeast London are Charlton Manor Primary School, Culverly Green in Catford, the Secret Orchard in Lewisham, Sydenham Garden and Winsford Gardens in Penge.

For the first time, Open Garden Squares Weekend and Slow London have joined forces to encourage Londoners to step back from the hubbub to explore the pleasures of slowing down. At 2pm on the Sunday, Slow London volunteers will be in selected gardens and squares for a session on slowing down and developing mindfulness - giving visitors the opportunity to explore their senses by listening, looking and smelling the world around them. In addition there will be a variety of guided tours - both walking and cycling. For those who want to discover the gardens independently, two podcasts and self-guided bike rides can be downloaded from the website.

One ticket allows entry to all venues over the entire weekend. Tickets bought in advance cost just £9 and £12 during the weekend. Tickets go on sale in late Spring. Visit the website for information on how and where to buy tickets.

• Divorce & Ancillary • Domestic Violence • Child Abduction • Financial & Property • Surrogacy/Adoption • Guardianship Legal Aid Available

Interpreters Available

t: 020 7923 4020

web: www.duncanlewis.com

Offices: Harrow, Hackney, Islington, Lewisham, Romford, Shepherds Bush, Tooting, Uxbridge & Watford. web: www.duncanlewis.com, 24hr Family Emergency Helpline: 07920 077 054

YES, I can touch-type Touch-typing taught in just 10 hours Book now for Half-Term and Summer Holidays

LONDON GREEN FAIR 9+10 June, Cumberland Green, REGENTS PARK, Camden, 020 7324 4693, www.londongreenfair.org London’s favourite ‘all things green’ festival is celebrating its 20th birthday and returning to Regents Park. The event reflects the green aspirations and achievements of London as a whole, celebrating, educating and empowering all who take part.

High profile speakers lead debates; London’s global communities provide poetry and spoken word performances, there are two full festival stages, a permaculture area, dedicated exhibitions areas, campaigning stalls, boutique market stalls, organic bars and global cuisine, and serious environmental education and entertainment. Families are catered for through children’s dance classes and theatrical performances, walkabout performers, baby changing and a picnic area with daily performances from an 80-piece symphonic orchestra. Opens midday, admission free.

BLISS BUGGY PUSH 16 June, BROCKWELL PARK, Herne Hill London SE24 Help raise money for special care babies by joining hundreds of others in a buggy push at Brockwell Park.

Registration is only £10 and includes a Buggy Push T-shirt and fantastic goody bag for the first 200 entrants. There will also be prizes for Bling your Buggy, and the biggest London fundraiser. Read more and register at www.bliss.org.uk/buggypush.

LEWISHAM TOY LIBRARY FUN DAY 17 June, LADYWELL ARENA, Ladywell Fields, Silvermere Road, Catford SE4 4QX, www.lewishamtoylibrary.org.uk Lewisham Toy Library was launched in 1972 and now has over 500 members regularly benefiting from this fantastic service. The Fun Day gives visitors the chance to find out more. There will be fun for the whole family with children’s entertainers, face painters, arts and crafts, bouncy castles, a barbecue and much much more. 1-5pm, admission free.

GREAT ST HELEN’S: SCULPTURE SPACE 18 June - January 2013, GREAT ST HELEN’S, St Helen’s Square, City of London EC3, www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/publicart The City of London Corporation is installing up to seven works by internationally renowned artists including Michael Craig-Martin, Julian Opie, Thomas Houseago, Yayoi Kusama and Dan Graham, transforming Great St Helen’s in the City of London. The free public exhibition will be accompanied by a rich programme of events run by Open-City that will inhabit and animate the public spaces in and around Great St Helen’s, Undershaft and St Helen’s Square EC3.

These will culminate in free family events on Saturday 23 June in Leadenhall Market and on Cheapside in the Cheapside Fayre.

ART TRAIL: WEST NORWOOD CEMETERY 22 June - 20 July, WEST NORWOOD CEMETERY, Norwood Road, London SE27 9JU, 07817 906204, www.westnorwoodcemetery.com Twenty six artists have created an exhibition of pieces within the historical cemetery. Using sculpture, film, ceramics and textiles, the artworks uncover aspects such as natural history, different cultural groups and themes of mourning, loss and afterlife. The architectural and overgrown areas of the cemetery will be used to theatrical effect as a site for the works; an animated film by Jo Lawrence glowing from inside a mausoleum, a celebration of Mrs Beeton by artist Sophie Herxheimer and a huge painted ship sculpture in the Greek section will all feature. Other pieces include a bus stop to the afterlife, a tree full of architectural bird boxes and a Victorian train/ rickshaw for visitor rides around the site.

A specially designed free trail map by Okido guides visitors around the exhibits. Open daily until 4pm. On Saturday 7 July there will be an evening of live performance from 8 to 10pm, curated by Vanessa Woolf and Nigel of Bermondsey, who has composed special folk songs about the cemetery. Tickets cost £10, for an evening of magical performance, music, film and art. This will take place in the historic Greek orthodox section of West Norwood Cemetery.

IT’S A KNOCKOUT CHARITY EVENT 23 June, BOSTALL HEATH, Bostall Hill, Abbey Wood, London SE2 0GB, 020 8319 9230, www.communityhospice.org.uk It’s a Knockout returns to Bostall Heath. Based around the popular TV programme of the same name, teams of up to 10 people will compete against each other to win the title of ‘Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice It’s a Knockout Champions 2012’.

The event is a fundraiser for the only adult hospice in the Royal borough of Greenwich and in Bexley. It provides free specialist end of life care for people with life-limiting illnesses and supports their families, friends and carers.

A fantastic day out for spectators as well as competitors with 3-metre high characters, giant inflatables, water pools and much more. 1-5pm, £20 per team member (minimum £100 sponsorship per person), spectators free.

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‘It has proved an enormous advantage as Max has started secondary school.’ Mother of 11 year old.

With proper tuition children can learn to touch-type surprisingly quickly and, what’s more, enjoy the whole experience.

■ Improved speed and effectiveness in study.

■ Well presented work increases self-esteem.

■ There are particular benefits for those with dyslexia or dyspraxia.

‘Fantastic –tutor and course.’ Mother of 10 year old girl.

‘Chris was amazed that he was able to touchtype in just 10 hours.’ Mother of 12 year old boy.

Also booking Saturday classes.

To find out more call:

020 8858 9180

YES Tuition and Training, The Station Building, 187 Greenwich High Road, Greenwich SE10 8JA. www.yes-tuitionandtraining.co.uk

Summer Swimming Courses Intensive half hour crash courses for children 4 years plus 6 – 10th August & 20 – 24th August at St Dunstan’s College, Catford Bookings taken until 24th June – places are limited

020 8651 2002 mrick@superkids.eclipse.co.uk

www.superkidsswimmingschool.co.uk We also run weekly lessons during term time at Catford, Dulwich & Nunhead june 2012 - families south east

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SOMERSET HOUSE

SIR JOHN SOANE’S HOUSE

grounds to explore. Grounds open 10am, castle opens 10.30am, admission £12.50 children, £19.75 adults. ‘Key to the Castle’ tickets are valid for one year from the date of purchase.

MoreWhat’sOn

WWW WETLAND CENTRE

Find even more activities: www.familiesse.co.uk then click What's On

ABBEVILLE ROAD CHARITY FETE 30 June, ABBEVILLE ROAD, Clapham SW4, www.abbevillefete.com Clapham’s Abbeville Road is set to take centre when it hosts its annual fete with an Olympic theme.

There will be lots activities on the day including races, pet shows, games, entertainment, stalls, food and drinks and plenty of fabulous raffles and auction prizes to be won such as a long weekend for two in the Caribbean and trips away to holiday homes across the UK. The businesses of Abbeville Road will also be getting involved in the day, opening up their stores to customers for some fun and games and offering raffles prizes by way of meals in the restaurants and cases of fine wine. Estate and letting agent Hamptons is a key sponsor for this year’s Abbeville Fete having generously donated both money and their staff who will be hosting the Bar and Band area. Proceeds from the day will benefit local charities with all the money raised being split between, Ace of Clubs, Lambeth Summer Projects, Age UK Lambeth, Kids City and Church of the Holy Spirit.

WHAT THE BUTLER SAW, until 21 October. As Downton Abbey and Upstairs Downstairs return to our screens this year, a new exhibition at Leeds Castle tells the real stories of life at ‘the loveliest castle in the world’. Leeds Castle was a playground for the rich and famous, as Lady Baillie entertained high society at weekends in the run up to the Second World War. She was supported by over 30 servants in the castle who met the needs of the family and their guests. Discover how former owner Lady Baillie’s life in London society and her household in the country is mirrored in the current popular television dramatisations.

Leeds Castle has plenty to entertain visitors, including falconry displays, hot air balloon flights, a land train, Go Ape! and beautiful

WWT LONDON WETLAND CENTRE, Queen Elizabeth’s Walk, Barnes SW13 9WR, 020 8409 4412, www.wwt.org.uk Take a springtime walk around the centre, listen out for singing birds and see new baby animals taking their first steps, first flight or first swim, and make an animal finger puppet to take home. Nature crafts focus on animal lifecycles, or you can go pond dipping to see what’s swimming underwater.

Open 9.30am-6pm, admission free for under 4s, children £6.10, adults £10.99, families £30.60. eatures circle a dramatic shipwreck scene dominated by huge floor to ceiling Easter Island heads. On the upper level, the shark academy area has plenty of touchy feely, fun interactives telling fascinating shark stories - from their 450 million year evolution to the modern horrors of shark finning.

FAMILY TREASURE HUNTS VARIOUS VENUES, www.huntfun.co.uk For a fun day out, follow a treasure hunt and explore a local area, unearthing hidden historical gems you might ordinarily walk right past. Hunt Fun has pre-prepared DIY treasure hunts in over 240 locations across the country in kit form including everything you need directions, clues and a map. Local hunt maps cover Greenwich, Croydon, Southbank and the West End, in categories including families and friends, school outings, fundraising, group outings and more. Kits are ordered online, cost from £4.99 each and can include personalised hunt fun certificates for participants.

LEEDS CASTLE LEEDS CASTLE, Maidstone, Kent ME17 1PL, 01622 767865, www.leeds-castle.co.uk

DULWICH PICTURE GALLERY

Art Activities DULWICH PICTURE GALLERY DULWICH PICTURE GALLERY, Gallery Road, Dulwich Village SE21 7AD, 020 8693 5254, www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk Founded in 1811, this was the first purpose-built public art gallery in England. It houses beautiful masterpieces by Rembrandt, Rubens, Watteau, Gainsborough and Van Dyke; critically acclaimed temporary exhibitions; and award-winning education programmes for all ages.

Open 10am-5pm Tuesdays to Fridays, from 11am weekends and bank holidays. Listed activities free for families with a gallery ticket or £3 per child.

ARTPLAY, first and last Sunday of each month. Creative drop-in workshops for adults and children, with a different activity each session.

Make anything and everything from bunting to block printing and all things in between. 2-3.45pm.

GOING FOR GOLD, 24 June. Celebrate the Olympics by joining the summer party from 11am-5pm. There will be a grand parade of veteran bicycles from Herne Hill Velodrome to Dulwich Picture Gallery; Punch and Judy shows; traditional merry-go-round rides, displays of flying falcons and Art Play fun; jazz, classical and blues music performances; a display of Olympics cycling memorabilia; and a giant balloon race to end the day’s fun.

PHILIP HASS: THE FOUR SEASONS, 20 June - 16 September. The gallery gardens will be transformed with Philip Haas’ large-scale sculptures, inspired by Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s renaissance paintings of the four seasons. Flowers, ivy, moss, fungi, vegetables, fruit, trees, bark, branches, twigs have been recycled to form four vast human portraits, each representing an individual season. There will be a children’s trail for the Philip Haas sculptures, and the gallery’s work with Avant Gardening will see Haas-themed sessions as part of Art in the Garden family drop-ins in August 2012..

THE QUEEN: ART AND IMAGE Until 21 October, NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, St Martin’s Place,

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London WC2H 0HE, 020 7306 0055, www.npg.org.uk An exhibition which brings together images of Elizabeth II from throughout her reign, showing the way she had been portrayed down the decades, ranging from official paintings to works by Lucian Freud, Andy Warhol, Annie Leibovitz and Gilbert and George. Open 10am-6pm daily, until 9pm Thursdays and Fridays. General admission free, charge for special exhibitions.

ART AT SIR JOHN SOANE’S HOUSE SIR JOHN SOANE’S MUSEUM, 13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields WC2A 3PB, 020 7440 4263, www.soane.org Tucked away in Lincoln’s Inn Fields at the heart of London, this magical, mysterious museum encourages young visitors to explore Soane’s treasures and develop new skills with specialist guidance. Sir John Soane (1753- 1737) was an inveterate collector, filling every nook and cranny of his beautiful home with items that fascinated him. From fossils to classical fragments from Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome and from contemporary paintings to architectural models, drawings and literature, he intended that after his death both his house and its extraordinary contents should be used to educate and inspire. Free drop-in activities run on the third Saturday of every month, with activities for all ages and families can take part together from 1.30-4.40pm.

SOMERSET HOUSE FAMILY EVENTS SOMERSET HOUSE, Strand WC2, 020 7845 4600, www.somersethouse.org.uk Free family workshops run on Saturdays from 2-3.30pm. Tickets available from 1pm from the information desk. Children aged 6-12 years must be accompanied by an adult.

THE NATIONAL GALLERY TRAFALGAR SQUARE WC2N 5DN,5DN 020 7747 2894, www.nationalgallery.org.uk Open daily 10am-6pm, Fridays to 9pm, admission free.

With over 2,300 paintings in the collection, there are hundreds of reasons to visit the gallery, along with free hands-on art workshops for families at weekends and during school holidays. No need to book, but places are limited and allocated on arrival up to one hour before the start.

FAMILY SUNDAYS. Free hands-on art workshops at 11am and 2pm every Sunday, offering fun activities designed especially for families to enjoy and learn together. Free.

MAGIC CARPET STORYTELLING. Fly away on the magic carpet, which comes to land in front of a different painting each Sunday. Ages 2-5 years, 10.30am and 11.30am starts.

TAKE ONE PICTURE, until 16 September. How can a single painting ignite the imagination and curiosity of young people? This display captures a range of creative responses to Veronese’s “Family of Darius before Alexander”, produced by primary school children.

FAMILIES AT THE TATE TATE BRITAIN, Millbank SW1, 020 7887 8888, www.tate.org.uk/britain Open daily 10am-5.50pm, and until 10pm the first Friday of the month.

Family trails are available daily from the Information Desks and are free for 5yrs and under. Go on a journey around Tate Britain and post your discoveries into your ‘Post it’ box as you go. When you get home, open up the box and show your friends what you found. Or you could follow the ‘Join up’ trail: play the listening game, search for shapes, patterns and talking hands, and make your own sculptures.

Every weekend the free Art Trolley encourages children to imagine and create, make colourful collages, style a wonderful sculpture or perhaps make a sketchbook and fill it with great ideas.

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Swaps and shares

By Sam Chippindale

A NEW ECONOMY is emerging to fit these cash-drained, eco-conscious times. Swapping computer skills for fresh vegetables, renting out your car or lending an empty office to a youth group are all ways of joining the new ‘what’s mine is yours’ society.

No one enjoys being stuck in a recession, but having to rethink our spending and how we consume and often waste goods does seem to encourage innovative and highly effective alternatives to the ‘buy it, use it, bin it’ routine.

A genuine social revolution The internet is home to a flowering of new sites that exist to connect people who have skills or unwanted items to share, exchange, barter or loan out. Far from being merely an alternative, feel-good movement, this is a genuine social revolution that is gaining momentum.

Not only do people who swap, lend and loan on a regular basis save - and sometimes make money, they also connect socially with people they wouldn’t otherwise have met, adding to a sense of community involvement. Finding that your skill as a writer or hairdresser or gardener is genuinely valued and needed by others is also a boost to your sense of self worth; something that can often be lost in our everyday working lives.

Stop wasting, be real!

The starting point for many collaborative consumption sites has been to look at the accumulated stuff around us, from coffee machines to cars, and to ask how much of it we really need and use.

Rather than buy a new item, let’s say a camp bed for occasional visitors, wouldn’t it be better to

Anything I can do...

A key area of the new global marketplace is skills swaps, a particularly appealing phenomenon if you are a parent taking a career break with small children. Your ability as, say, an accountant, IT specialist or chef could come in very handy. Equally, you might know someone who hates ironing, but would do dog walking in return. Sites such as www.tradeurtrade.co.uk connect people who have time rather than cash to offer. The international www.u-exchange.com does the same - house painting for proofreading perhaps.

Along the same lines as skills sites are those that share assets such as space or money. If you are one of the 100,000 people in the UK on a waiting list to get an allotment, it might save time to hook up with someone who has spare land of their own that you could use. The nationwide Landshare scheme, www.landshare.net, puts individuals or groups in touch with anyone prepared to give them land to grow their own produce on.

Share and share alike Where eBay leads, we follow, with sites dedicated to getting our unwanted goods to people who can use them, either by selling them, swapping or loaning them. For example, www.netcycler.co.uk allows users to swap unwanted items: a recent visit saw a mobile phone being swapped for a play set. Once

What’s mine is yours temporarily Across London, thousands of regular users of ‘Boris Bikes’ are already part of the trend for hiring services rather than owning them.

And if it works for two wheels, why not four?

Instead of paying road tax and insurance, thousands of people now rent cars for the hour, day or week, only when they need them. With www.whipcar.com, members can rent out their cars (with insurance and breakdown cover provided) whenever they don’t need them.

Short of space? www.somewhereto.com is tailored to the needs of young people from 16 to 25.

What many need is a suitable space in which to gain experience in their chosen field, to perform in or to set up a group. Somewhereto has regional advisers who help pair up young people with companies, councils or individuals who can give them a site.

Testimonials include a budding fashion photographer who was given access to shoot at London Fashion Week and a magician who got the chance to perform in front of a live audience.

Somewhereto even managed to get a group into Number 10, although that seems to have been a one-off.

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VE GE LISTA ON

The Tiger Who Came to Tea

borrow one from a friend or colleague? If your elderly neighbours can’t manage to mow their lawn, but own a mower, why not do their mowing in return for borrowing the machine to do your lawn with?

Common sense perhaps, but registering with one of the host of websites dedicated to this way of living spreads the effectiveness of this new economy and what we can all get out of it. A good place so start is www.collaborativeconsumption.com.

you find something you like the look of, you offer your item in return, and if successful, either meet up or post the items.

If you need a sledgehammer for a short building job, or a glamorous dress for a wedding, you could be lucky and find it at www.ecomodo.com, which connects those who have with those who need.

Registered members can offer items for free or for a modest rental fee.

The fashion industry, which encourages us to think of what’s in season, then to ditch it, is to blame for mountains of unworn clothes. Swishing is for the fashion-conscious swapper. Swishing parties allow guests to swap their good quality clothes for ones brought by other guests. Result: a girly good time and reduced fashion waste. Local swishing dates are advertised on www.swishing.com.

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