Families London SE March 2014 issue 157

ESTABLISHED 1996

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ISSUE NO. 157

FR

MARCH 2014

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familiesse.co.uk

south east london

online edition

with working website links

After the shocking start to the year (our house is still leaking), we just had to put a sunburst on our front page; even if it is a made up one, and our cover star is dressed for showers.

This is the month things start getting more interesting. There’s Mother’s Day (ahem), on 30 March, on the very same weekend the clocks go forwards, officially heralding the start of British Summertime - oh yes we could all do with some of that. And we’ve written another magazine, so the ‘good things to look forward to’ start right here - turn that frown upside down!

Robina Cowan, editor

IN THIS ISSUE 2-3 Local News and Views Drama and dance for children, Pharrell Williams makes a surprise appearance, flexible childcare, baby autism research, and it’s time to wear a hat

4-7 Education News Choosing a school, prep schools, open days and going beyond the classroom

8 Flexible Working Your rights with your employer, and how to ask for the hours you want to work

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

Activities for Children Special offer from Perform Perform drama, dance and singing workshops are designed to develop children’s confidence, communication, co-ordination and concentration skills whilst being the best fun of the week.

Weekly classes are held locally in Dulwich, Hither Green, Blackheath and Greenwich, and free trial lessons are available. There are also holiday workshops booking now - see page 14 for details.

READER OFFER: Perform are offering Families readers a £40 introductory discount when you book your child’s first term. For more information, call 0845 400 1277 or book online, quoting FAMI010514 at www.perform.org.uk.

Free maths and English workshops 9 Ask the Expert A family solicitor explains the court proceedings behind establishing reasonable parental contact

10-11What’s New Family health advice, plus our pick of the best new products and services

12 Mothers Mean Business Deborah Chatterjee and Caroline Bourne, the founders of social enterprise Shared City

13 The Book Page A spring in her step, and a shelf of books for children and parents, recommended by Justine Crow

14-19 What’s On Easter daycamps and workshops now booking, diary dates for grown ups (because you have a life too), and new shows and exhibitions

20 The Back Page Local business contacts to make your life easier

Front cover: Unisex wind and waterproof jacket from Polarn O. Pyret, www.polarnopyret.co.uk 01522 537537

Next Issue out: 27 March, deadline 10 March 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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Explore Learning centres provide maths, English and 11+ tuition to 5-14 year olds of all abilities.

Explore fits easily around family life; the centres are open seven days a week, with children able to attend up to twice a week on a drop-in basis.

On 15 April Explore will host a Community Open Day, with free interactive maths and literacy workshops for 5-14 year olds across all the Explore Learning centres. Spaces are limited so to reserve your place and book a free trial, call 020 8659 6026 or 020 7871 7110, or book online at www.explorelearning.co.uk. See more on page 7.

Get children moving!

Diddi dance started off 2014 by conducting research into adults’ awareness of the amount of physical activity their child should be engaged in. Shockingly 93% of adults were completely unaware that children under the age of five should be physically active for at least three hours a day, according to the government’s physical activity guidelines; and one in seven Brits believe that young children don’t need to exercise because they run around enough as it is.

With tackling childhood obesity a high priority for the government, urgent action is required to ensure kids are getting enough exercise, and that parents understand how active their children should be.

To help increase awareness, Anne-Marie Martin, founder and owner of diddi dance, spoke to multiple radio stations in January to help bring both media and individual attention to this problem.

Something Anne-Marie has learned from over 20 years of teaching is that the general public doesn’t necessarily have negative attitudes towards exercising, but that we as a society have just slipped into easier habits in life.

Anne-Marie says: “If we can help toddlers see exercise as fun then they are more likely to lead a physically active and healthier lifestyle into adulthood.

Dance can be a great activity for children to participate in to learn the enjoyment in exercise. It not only helps with fitness, co-ordination and rhythm but it also helps with social skills, communication and interaction. It can help develop a child’s creativity and spatial awareness and is a fantastic confidence booster.

We love seeing our diddi dancers blossom in our sessions, as do their parents.”

If you are interested in getting your child moving at a local class, call Anne-Marie on 07973 982790 or read more at www.diddidance.com.

familiesse.co.uk

Theatrebugs are ‘Happy’ with Pharrell Williams

Wear a hat on 28 March

It was just a regular fun filled Theatrebugs session in a Community Centre in Woolwich - until Pharrell Williams walked in!

Queen Allen, a Theatrebugs facilitator, was finishing up one of her Theatrebugs sessions by dancing with the children to Happy, the new Pharrell song, well-known and loved by the little ones at Theatrebugs, as it has recently featured in Despicable Me 2.

All of a sudden, THE Pharrell Williams entered the room and joined in the fun. He had heard that Queen was his biggest UK fan and really wanted to surprise her at her place of work to say thanks! Not only that, the appearance was broadcast as one of the MasterCard ‘Priceless Surprises’ during the Brit Awards on 19 February.

Theatrebugs run exciting weekly classes and holiday workshops for children across London. For information see page 14, call 0800 9755 290 or go to www.theatrebugs.co.uk.

Wear A Hat Day is the UK’s premier brain tumour awareness event, taking place every March during national Brain Tumour Awareness Month.

Brain tumours are scary - this disease is the biggest cancer killer of both children and adults under 40, yet the science is woefully underfunded, receiving less than 1% of national cancer research spend.

Thousands of families and children in homes and schools across the land take part every year wearing hats of all shapes, sizes and colours, getting involved in an amazing array of fun and inventive events, making and collecting donations from everyone around, all helping to raise awareness and funds for vital research.

Stand out from the crowd and wear a hat for Brain Tumour Research on 28 March, To register or find out more, call 01296 733011 or go to www.wearahatday.org. Then tweet your pix #WearAHatDay.

ents News for Par Flexible childcare Every family needs Like Minders on speed dial! They provide safe, experienced and security checked babysitters to care for your little ones during the day or in the evening.

You can book one of their lovely babysitters as and when you need one, and they can usually accommodate last minute requests too.

Their flexible service has all the benefits of a nanny without any long term commitment to one, plus they always try to book your preferred babysitter so your family can have some consistency.

They also offer emergency childcare, temporary nannies, permanent nannies and holiday nannies. Call 0844 879 7189 or see www.likeminders.co.uk.

ACTING

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SINGING

Ages 2.5 yrs - 19 yrs

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Selling houses is childsplay

Baby scientists wanted The world-leading ‘Babylab’ at Birkbeck, University of London, is launching a new Europe-wide study of the early emergence of autism and ADHD. With over £2.5 million in funding, Professor Mark Johnson and his team are now embarking upon the Studying Autism and ADHD Risk in Siblings (STAARS) project, which will map brain development from birth in order to identify the earliest signs of these lifelong social communication and attention disorders. The research will focus on infants who have older siblings with autism or ADHD as these infants are at particularly high risk for these disorders.

Although parents may notice symptoms of these conditions from infancy, children are often not diagnosed until they are in nursery or school. Earlier diagnosis of these children would help make it possible to design earlier and more effective interventions that may prevent symptoms from developing, and improve the quality of life for individuals with autism/ ADHD and their families.

Can you and your baby help? Expenses are paid and mothers we met said they spent a very special day with their child, which they really enjoyed. To read more about the STAARS project and to take part go to www.staars.org.

STREET DANCE

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GLEE CLUB

BOOK A FREE TRIAL CLASS TODAY!

Online estate agent Tepilo has introduced a new addition to the selling process, adding a special ‘children’s opinion section’ urging sellers to include how their offspring describe the house, including the option for handmade drawings to be uploaded.

TV personality Sara Beeny, co-founder of Tepilo commented: “No one is more honest than children, right?! So we thought adding a section where potential buyers can see how the previous owner’s kids view the property would give the listing such an honest and warming feel to listings.”

Tepilo have already have adorable sketch from 9 year-old Holly Phillips from Cardiff, who notes “I think you should buy the house because: 1. If you need the loo and someone’s in there, there are two more to choose from. 2. The lounge is full of warmth and cosiness. 3. The kitchen is big enough for a humungous family. 4. There is a big hall that you can put all your junk. Buy it now!”

Last month Tepilo revealed that the average person can lose up to 5,000 calories during a house move, and that two thirds of Brits browsing property online aren’t even looking to buy, but click out of ‘nosiness’ and ‘to see how the other half live’.

Tepilo offers all the services a traditional estate agent does, but online. You (and your children) can sell your property for under £600 (+VAT), which includes an account manager to organise your viewings, negotiate your offers and progress the sale to completion, all at www.tepilo.com.

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PERFORMING ARTS South East London

Week long courses jammed full of acting,info@freedomacademy.co.uk song and dance!

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

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march 2014 - families south east

3

Education News

Education News The Learning Journey Do you have an idea of what you would like your toddler to be like when they are 16, 17 or 18 years old? Parents naturally have aspirations but young families most often only have their own personal experiences to measure what is a best start. A strong body of research supports what we would intuitively believe: that personal, cognitive and physical development is strengthened by positive early experiences.

Here are a few tips about choosing the best school when so much seems to be on offer and so much promised by a large number of institutions.

An excellent school has a vision, a curriculum that is able to meet the needs of the children’s immediate future but also has a strong idea about what the outcomes will be in the years to come, beyond the nursery and the junior school. The early years setting is a perfect one for children to establish the attributes and dispositions that will give them confidence to engage and participate effectively.

School can become overly competitive, so it is essential that right from an early age children learn to develop a sense of the needs of others. When visiting a

prospective school parents can find out that even the youngest children have a part to play in a larger community, through such things as a house system; trips and excursions; learning opportunities that extend beyond the core curriculum but are devised to enrich and enthuse.

It is topical to compare schools based on gender but a parent’s overriding concern might be better directed towards assessing how well a school can meet the needs of the individual. All schools attract children with diverse needs and differences, and gender is just one way of looking at what schools do to meet their needs.

Unsurprisingly, it is most often the least difficult one to address in regard to excellent all round provision and teaching.

Headmaster of Alleyn’s Junior School, Mark O’Donnell says, “Our vision for the children is full-involvement and total engagement. Our goal is to provide children with opportunities that will equip them not just for their immediate school needs but for future success in their senior years. Link junior and senior schools that are culturally cohesive are most often impressively high-achieving establishments that offer a breadth and continuity in all aspects of development.”

Prep schools and ‘going private’ - choosing a school

By Ellen Arnison and Robina Cowan

When they were first established, preparatory schools were traditionally attended by 8-13 year-old boys as boarders to ‘prepare’ for the Common Entrance exam before joining one of the major British public schools such as Eton and Harrow.

Nowadays, not only have girls got in on the act; around 2,400 independent single sex and co-ed day schools in England run along similar lines. They offer traditional teaching to high academic standards while offering plenty of extras on top, including a wide range of sports, languages and more specialised subjects as pupils move through their education.

1 in 10 London children now attend independent (sometimes referred to as ‘private’) schools and in surveys, many more parents say they would take up the opportunity if they could afford it. Not only do exam results speak for themselves; only last month in February, education secretary Michael Gove said he was aiming to achieve a situation where in English schools, “standards are so high all round that you should not be able to tell whether it’s in the state sector or a fee-paying independent”. So, what is it that parents are sacrificing other expenses for, in order to buy their children’s education?

Broadly, there are two kinds of prep school - one where the children leave at 11, perhaps after an 11+ exam, and one where they sit the Common Entrance exam then leave at 13 to progress to a selective senior school in year 9. The smaller classes and more focussed attention in a prep school can improve their chances. This is particularly appealing to parents concerned that their child won’t get the same preparation from the overstretched state system.

Some prep schools adhere to the National Curriculum but they are not bound to it, which gives them freedom to offer a broader and more varied curriculum that isn’t burdened by statutory tests. That said, they are still subject to regular inspections, which can be viewed online.

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‘High expectations’ Julie Robinson, a former prep school head and Education and Training Director at the Independent Association of Prep Schools says: “They say the independent sector seems to bring a set of high expectations: a huge amount of time invested in pastoral support and personal development for the children, excellent facilities and a focus on learning.

Parents believe their investment in fees is an investment in their children’s future.”

Making choices

•

If you’ve decided to consider the independent sector, southeast London has many options, from pre-prep right through to sixth form, girls or boys only, or co-educational; each with its own ethos and ‘character’. They are neither stuffy nor ‘posh’, and realistic to family budgets, most offer burseries and scholarships to widen their access.

Some schools offer places by way of an entrance exam or assessment, while others interview parents and children, perhaps inviting the children to join a ‘taster’ session in class. This allows teaching staff to observe how your child fits in, in an unpressured way.

The decision is easier when you look to the end destination - the senior school - and work backwards. Your decision will be narrowed by considering if there is a school attached to your preferred secondary and what kinds of criteria they use to offer places.

There’s nothing like visiting any school in action for a flavour of how it works with children and brings out their best. Ask yourself the following questions: • Does the school fit the basic requirements of you and your child in terms of gender, day and/ or boarding, religious denomination, curriculum and location?

•

•

•

• • • • • • • • •

Does it meet your educational objectives in terms of offering the exams your child will need to sit?

Will your child be happy there? Do you get good feedback from other parents and children?

Does the school get a good report? How are the exam results, the general atmosphere and the teaching quality?

Do you like the ethos of school? It’s usually very clear and follows strong leadership from the Head What is the teaching and staff turnover like?

What is on the curriculum?

How big are the classes?

What is the school’s approach to discipline and rules?

What did the most recent inspection report say?

What are the pastoral care facilities like?

Does the school offer the facilities you would like to see, such as for sport, music or drama?

Is there a wide-enough range of extra curricular activities?

Does the school give value for money for what you want? Be careful to take extras into account.

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Education News

BROMLEY HIGH SCHOOL INDEPENDENT EDUCATION FOR GIRLS AGED 4�18 YEARS

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4+, 7+, 11+, 13+ & 16+ Fees assistance & Scholarships available in the Senior School

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march 2014 - families south east

5

Education News

School News Big top skills for ‘big school’

Bromley High is “a top school”

Streatham & Clapham High School (SCHS) have brought fun into the classroom with a Circus Skills workshop for their nursery pupils, to help them prepare for primary school.

The workshop was designed to help develop physical skills, such as co-ordination, control, manipulation and movement; so vital in supporting personal, social and emotional development in children’s early years. The tots took part in activities based on juggling, plate spinning, tightrope walking and balancing acts. The activities, run by circus skills experts Pressplay (www.pressplay.org.uk), were both challenging and fun.

The circus theme continued with dressing up, taking roles such as Ringmaster in the circus play, face painting, and setting up a circus shop where the nursery children could sell tickets and candy floss that they had made. Physical activities also continued with the emphasis on balance and hand-eye co-ordination and included marching in time to music. The clown’s happy and sad faces were used to explore feelings with the children and to look at what makes us laugh.

Commenting on the initiative, Elizabeth Astley, Head of SCHS Junior School, said: “Nurturing physical skills is so important at this age, as children engage primarily with the world around them through movement and physical sensations.

The day helped to build their co-ordination, control and movement skills in a varied and unique way.

It was also a great way to get the whole school involved - the older girls from both the Junior and Senior School helped with face painting and our gymnasts performed acrobatics for the nursery children.”

Streatham & Clapham High School GDST is an independent, academically selective school for girls aged 3-18. See more at www.schs.gdst.net or call 020 8674 6912.

With the publication of the most recent DfE secondary school league tables, Bromley High School GDST were delighted to again feature in the top schools nationally by a number of measures.

Head Teacher Louise Simpson told us: “Academic successes are, of course, crucial to open doors for our girls onto the next exciting and important part of their life journey but school is so much more than this.

Girls do well when they are happy and happy means outstanding pastoral care. It means looking at what is right for your daughter, not the girl sitting next to her or the one who will be coming into the classroom next period. It means, in short, considering the needs of the individual over and above all else.

At Bromley High School we put the pastoral care of the pupils right at the very heart of the school.

Each girl is allowed to develop her interests, try new things, go new places and do so in an utterly supportive environment where it is normal for girls to be decision makers, in the lead and in control. In this environment they are allowed to develop and grow. On occasion they will wobble, that is normal, but we hope that they will take risks and feel that it is OK to fail sometimes, knowing that someone will care, someone will notice, pick them up, dust them off and set them off on the next challenge. We celebrate each girl’s successes and encourage her to aspire to be better next time, sure in the knowledge that this is part of the learning process, that she will develop confidence and skills and will move closer to her goals.

It is very easy to talk about curriculum and mean GCSEs and A levels, or any other academic qualification come to that - many schools do this.

Not here. We believe that the co-curricular is just as significant in every girl’s personal and academic development as the academic. Girls need to be faced with challenges inside and outside the classroom, they need to develop leadership skills, communication, negotiation and team-working

Open Days For more schools contacts and open day dates, see our What’s On guide at www.familiesse.co.uk

Streatham + Clapham High School GDST 4 March, 6 May Junior school, Wavertree Road SW2 3SR, 020 8674 6912 14 March Senior School and 6th Form, 42 Abbotswood Road SW16, 020 8677 8400, www.schs.gdst.net Oakfield Preparatory School Group tours held once a month, 125-128 Thurlow Park Road SE21 8HP, 020 8670 4206, www.oakfield.dulwich.sch.uk Bromley High School GDST 21 March, 1 May and 4 October, plus regular ‘Taster Days’ for years 4+, 7+, 11+, 13+ and 16+.

Blackbrook Lane BR1, 020 8781 7000, www.bromleyhigh.gdst.net/fse1 Thames Christian College 6 March and 30 April, Wye Street SW11 2HB, 020 7228 3933, www.thameschristiancollege.org.uk

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Sydenham High School GDST 7 May, 27 September Junior school, 15 Westow Hill SE26, 020 8557 7000.

Senior school 19 Westow Hill SE26, 020 8557 7000, www.sydenhamhighschool.gdst.net Rosemead Preparatory School 19 March and tours on Tuesday mornings by appointment Pre prep Elmcourt Road SE27, Prep department 70 Thurlow Park Road SE21, 020 8670 5865, www.rosemeadprepschool.org.uk Greenwich Steiner School 15 March and tours on Friday mornings (book first), Woodlands, 90 Mycenae Road, Blackheath SE3 7SE, 020 8858 4404, www.greenwichsteinerschool.org.uk Blackheath High School GDST 5 and 6 March, Juniors Wemyss Road SE3, 020 8852 1537, Seniors Vanbrugh Park SE3, 020 8853 2929, www.blackheathhighschool.gdst.net

skills, prioritisation, time management and all the other skills that they will need in their day to day working lives. These will help each girl to manage her time, train her brain, carry out analyses and, crucially, rest those parts of her brain which allow her to do so well in her academic studies. At Bromley High we have over 20 visiting music teachers teaching hundreds of individual music lessons each week, why we have voluntary service groups, enterprise challenges, teams travelling abroad, stunning art and DT, and dance and drama productions both within and beyond the school. We actively support and promote sport in school and we do all we can to help the individual stars to shine, as well as ensuring participation by all girls, whatever their level.

Schools with excellent academic records are schools like ours - that nurture and challenge the whole person, and provide a broad and balanced education to every single one of their pupils, in a supportive, innovative and encouraging environment where the pupils come first.”

To find out more about life at Bromley High or to register for admission assessments, go to www.bromleyhigh.gdst.net/fse1 or call 020 8781 7000.

Graffiti: art or crime?

Year 6 pupils at Sydenham High School GDST recently had the opportunity to become graffiti artists for a day and debate the question from a hands-on level.

Professional graffiti artist Leon Henderson, from Seven Stars Agency, led the girls in a structured workshop to help them create their own Banksystyle artworks. Their aim was to create four panels which would represent the key values of the Girls’ Day School Trust: putting girls first and encouraging each one to be the best she can be; being bold and brave to do things that challenge; being principled, and working together to achieve their goals.

“We really believe in cross curricular learning wherever possible,” said Headteacher Kathryn Pullen. “This is a wonderful example of how you can bring together work in an area like literacy to engage in some gritty debate along with a more practical demonstration of the topic. The girls have worked as a team and produced something they can be really proud of and which will also hang in the school as a reminder of the GDST principles as well.”

To read more about Sydenham High School GDST or to register for admission assessments, go to www.sydenhamhighschool.gdst.net or call 020 8557 7000.

familiesse.co.uk

Thames – passion for learning, inspiration for life our exceptional independent school for boys and girls

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OPEN MORNING WEDNESDAY 30th APRIL 11.00-1.00 For full list of open mornings, enrolment and fee details contact 020 7228 3933 Thames Christian College, Wye Street, London SW11 2HB

®

EDUCATION MATTERS • Open days • the 11+ maze • school appeals advice • exam revision tips for parents • private tutors • reading with children • special education needs for MORE education features, click 'articles' and Education and School News articles online

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London’s top co-educational prep school as ranked by Sunday Times 2013 ‘Top 100 Prep Schools’ national list

Maths & English tuition centre For 5 to 14 year olds of all abilities t Courses mapped to the National Curriculum. t Adapts to the individual needs of your child. t Convenient for families - Open 7 days a week. t Award-winning tuition - voted Education Investor Supplementary Education Provider of the Year.

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march 2014 - families south east

7

Work and money

Aiming to work flexibly?

Think carefully before you ask your employer This year the right to request flexible working, which has previously only applied to parents and carers, will extend to all employees. Employers can turn down a request on any of eight grounds so it pays to think carefully before you lodge a request. Below are some tips which might get you the flexibility you need.

1.

2.

8

Check out what your company’s policy is on flexible working. All companies are obliged to consider flexible working, but they are not obliged to agree to every request. However, some companies are more innovative in their policy on flexible working and may already have trialled different forms of flexible working from the usual ones of working different shift patterns or cutting your hours. For instance, they might offer term-time only working or working from home or annualised hours.

Be clear about the hours you want to work and how you want to work them, for instance, could you do some of your work at home in order to cut down on travelling time? Look at your childcare options too and ensure they fit with your working hours. Can you afford to work part time? Or does working full-time and paying full-time childcare work out to be uneconomical? Can your partner also go part time so you can split the childcare or picking up times?

families south east - march 2014

3.

Once you know the hours you want to work and how, make a business plan which emphasises the advantages for both you and the company of working this way. For example, you could say there are aspects of your job - research, reading, data input - that could be done better at home with no other distractions around.

Think through the logistics from both your and your employer’s perspective and prepare a compromise solution. Give yourself plenty of time for negotiations. It is best, for instance, to at least open conversations on flexible working before you go on maternity leave rather than a week before you return, even if your situation or ideas about working patterns might alter after the birth.

4.

Talk to other people in your company and elsewhere who have negotiated flexible working and ask them about their experiences and tips.

5.

Put your request in writing to your line manager and sign and date the letter.

6.

Your employer then has 28 days to arrange a meeting with you to discuss your request. Be calm and business-like in your negotiations.

Don’t lose your calm if they turn you down flat [this is actually proof that they are not abiding by the legislation as they should at least consider your case properly and give you reasonable grounds for turning you down].

Similarly if they do not reply to your request, this goes against the legislation. Try to pre-empt any concerns they have and suggest ways that you would address them. This is where a compromise suggestion may come in handy or you could propose that you work the new pattern for a trial period, subject to review. Your employer should reply in writing within 14 days of the meeting.

7.

If you suspect your manager has not followed procedures properly or has not given due attention to your case, make an appeal to his or her line manager within 14 days of receipt of their decision. Reasonable grounds for dismissing requests for flexible working include that it would have a detrimental effect on other staff or on the company’s ability to meet customer need, but these need to be fleshed out.

8.

If this appeal is not successful, you could lodge a claim with an employment tribunal on the grounds of sex discrimination, particularly if the decision forces you to leave your job.

About the author Mandy Garner is editor of Workingmums.co.uk, a jobsite and community for working mums. Visit the site to search for flexible jobs, or to find advice on flexible working or starting your own business.

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Image courtesy of franky242/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

By Mandy Garner

Picture posed by models

Ask the expert

“

My ex partner is taking me to court because we cannot agree on how often he should see our daughter What is involved in such court proceedings?

”

By Mandeep Clair

It seems that your ex partner has made an application to the court for what is known as a “Contact Order”. This is a type of order made under the Children Act 1989 which requires the person with whom a child lives (or is to live) to allow the child to visit or stay with the person named in the order, or for that person and the child otherwise to have contact (such as by telephone, email etc) with each other.

Reasonable contact There is effectively a presumption in favour of contact and the party opposing it must produce good reason as to why an order should not be made. The amount of contact should be reasonable having regard to all of the circumstances and the court’s paramount consideration is the welfare of the child.

Parents should try to agree the contact arrangements reasonably and constructively; there is no guarantee that the court would make an order with which both of them are happy.

How it works Commonly, the first hearing at court in a contact application involves a meeting between both parents and a CAFCASS Officer. CAFCASS stands for Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service. This is independent of the courts, social services, education and health authorities and all similar agencies. The purpose of this initial meeting is to explore the possibility of agreeing how contact should work. If it is possible to agree, the Judge can then be asked to make an order in line with the agreed contact at the hearing straight after the meeting with the CAFCASS Officer on that day.

If it is impossible to agree the arrangements, the Judge would briefly hear what the issues are between the parties and set a timetable for the court proceedings so that all of the relevant information can be gathered in order that the court can ultimately decide on how the contact arrangements should happen (if it is still not possible to agree these during the course of the court action).

The court might therefore order that CAFCASS prepares a detailed report after interviewing both parents (and possibly anyone else who is relevant) and the child herself depending on her age.

CAFCASS would act as the “eyes and ears” of the court. The court may well also order that both parents should provide detailed statements to the court setting out their respective positions. The court would not make an order for contact at the initial hearing pending the resolution of the court proceedings unless both parties agreed it.

Parents still need to agree Following the CAFCASS report, another hearing tends to take place at which it can be considered in light of the recommendations in the report whether it is possible to agree on contact in the long term. The court would not simply make an order in line with

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the CAFCASS report on the sole basis of its recommendations. At this stage, the parents would still need to agree on the arrangements for the court to make an order.

If the proceedings remain contested following that hearing, the court would usually list a final hearing at which it would listen to both sides’ evidence and they would be cross examined on it.

If one or both parties wish to challenge any of the recommendations in the CAFCASS report, the usual course is that the CAFCASS Officer who has written the report would also be required to attend so that (s)he can be cross examined on it. The onus is on the party who wishes to challenge any of the recommendations in the report to prove why, on the balance of probabilities, they should not be followed. The court then makes an order setting out how contact should proceed by which both parties would be bound.

Such court proceedings can take many months to resolve. What has been detailed here is a general overview of the procedure. It may be that more hearings are involved depending upon the issues in the case and how complicated they are.

About the author Mandeep Clair is a mediator, collaborative lawyer and an experienced family solicitor at southeast London Solicitors Grant Saw LLP. The practice offers friendly, professional family mediation and legal services including an initial fixed fee appointment of £100 + VAT for up to one hour of face to face legal advice in respect of relationship breakdown and/ or issues concerning children.

Please call 020 8858 6971 or email mclair@grantsaw.co.uk.

march 2014 - families south east

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What’sNew r You and you

baby

ts New produc Gross magic It’s truly cool to be a successful magician - add in some mischief and it’s even more fun.

Drummond’s new Gross Magic set is filled with disgusting and shockingly skilful magic tricks which everyone aged about eight and upwards can perform.

Realistic stunt cockroaches, slime, dandruff, toenail clippings, mushy eyeballs and rigged cards all promise a hugely satisfying chorus of disgust and horror from the magician’s audience.

At under £20 it’s great value for money for hours of fun - and there’s time to start practising to create some revolting memories when the family visitors arrive this Easter. Sets are widely available from good toyshops and online.

For stockists or to play games online, visit www.drumondpark.com

On the go with a YoYo The new YOYO is the smallest folding buggy in the world, and the only buggy to fully comply with size recommendation for cabin baggage. Perfect for urban parents and fantastic for globetrotters!

Weighing just 6kg, this unique buggy is the most compact buggy ever imagined, with a one-of-a-kind folding mechanism which allows it to be opened and folded in seconds with just one hand, and it can then be carried over your shoulder with the detachable shoulder strap.

Available in pink, blue, red, grey or black, with optional seat base extras, £375. For stockists, see www.babyzen.com.

Justafit onesies Caroline Driver’s attention was drawn to the dangers of ill-fitting onesies during a routine visit from her family health visitor. Previous to this, the mother of three had witnessed the ‘flipper feet’ that emerged once her children began to crawl and toddle, and the ‘daily dunking’ of overly long sleeves in the breakfast cereal.

The solution is Caroline’s Justafit colourful onesies with adjustable Velcro cuffs and ankles which help reduce the risks posed by standard all in ones, while allowing room for growth.

Made from hypoallergenic, breathable cotton, the Justafit comes in five colours and is available in five sizes from six months to three years, priced £19.99 for a two pack from new British brand Infasense, www.infasense.com.

Taking a tinkle Reluctant potty users might be encouraged out of nappies if they can make their own music.

This new potty set has a liquid sensor that rewards correct use with eight different melodies.

The three in one system evolves from potty to booster step, and finally to a lavatory seat adaptor, complete with non-slip feet and a removable tank to make it easier to use and clean.

If this all sounds like music to your ears, the Educational Musical Potty Set from Jané is £29.99 from www.johnstonprams.co.uk

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families south east - march 2014

Family health Vitamin D and the return of rickets A significant proportion of people in the UK probably have inadequate levels of vitamin D in their blood. Commenting on the return of childhood rickets to the UK, the government’s chief medical officer Professor Dame Sally Davies has noted that as many as 40% of young children may have levels below the accepted optimal vitamin D threshold.

Vitamin D deficiency causes rickets, where developing bones soften, which can lead to bowed legs and curvature of the spine.

It is easily prevented by exposure to sunlight several times a week without wearing sun cream, as well as a balanced diet that includes plenty of vitamin D and calcium. An effective alternative is supplementing the diet with tablets, capsules or vitamin drops.

Natures Aid Vitamin D3 drops have been designed specifically for breastfed babies, infants and children and provide 200iu or 5mcg of vitamin D3 per 0.5ml and can be taken 1-2 times per day. The drops have no flavour and may be taken directly or mixed with juice or food. RRP for 50ml £6.95.

Rebel with a cause Rebel Kitchen is a new brand of dairy and lactose-free ‘mylk’ drinks that are suitable for vegans, vegetarians or those on a dairy-free diet.

The first three varieties to launch are Choco, Banana and Orange Choc Mylk, all made with a base of coconut milk blended with pure spring water from Somerset and organic fruit ingredients.

Founder Tamara Arbib is a mother of three young children who was frustrated by the lack of truly wholesome products that appealed to children and satisfied cravings in a healthy way. In setting up Rebel Kitchen, she is on a mission “to make tasty, nourishing snacks available to everyone, everyday, everywhere.”

The ‘mylks’ are currently available by mailorder at 99p for a 200ml carton from www.Rebel-Kitchen.com.

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Wikipedia for schools The internet is a fantastic educational resource, but many parents and teachers are concerned about the numerous hazards young people face when browsing the web.

Even Wikipedia can present difficulties at times. Because content is written and edited by users, articles are vulnerable to vandalism. And its encyclopaedic nature means that many articles are on subjects which some parents would consider unsuitable for their children.

Occasionally, information is inaccurate, and the sheer volume of content makes it easy to get distracted.

International children’s charity SOS Children UK has launched Wikipedia for Schools, where articles are checked by staff and volunteers to ensure material is suitable for children and relevant for the classroom.

Wikipedia for Schools is targeted at secondary-level students. However, the breadth of content - 6,000 articles, 50,000 images and 26 million words - makes it useful to children of all ages. It also contains a range of carefully-selected articles chosen to reflect the interests of children more broadly. Better still, teachers and parents can download it if they wish children to learn away from the dangers of the net. See http://schools-wikipedia.org.

Mothers know best Mothering Sunday is on 30 March and here at Families we think we should be celebrating the universal wisdom of mothers. Often our advice goes unheeded but we are (nearly) always right.

We asked our readers via twitter and Facebook to share the best advice given by their mothers.

1.

“There are no problems in life, only opportunities” stuck up on her fridge.

A good one to remember when your children have scribbled on the furniture, have said no for the 100th time or they have kept you up all night.

2.

Comfytoes (and knees and hands) These night time leggings caught our eye because they look so great - and better still they are designed to offer protection for children with eczema.

Made from from Inca colourgrown 100% organic cotton, they offer soft comfort with double layer feet and behind the knee protection to help with night time itching/ scratching. £24-26 to suit ages 12 months to around six years from Cotton Comfort Ltd, www.eczemaclothing.com or 0844 245 1168.

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Lois says,

“When I was having a moan about someone, she told me that the faults we most dislike in other people are often the ones we have ourselves.”

Developmental delay A new guide has been published to help parents who are worried about their child’s development, or who have been told their child has developmental delay.

Developmental Delay includes a useful pull-out poster to help parents recognise key skills developed by most children between birth and five years of age, and encourages them to visit their GP if they are concerned that their child isn’t reaching these important developmental milestones. It includes information on: • what to do if you are think your child has developmental delay • how a child is assessed for developmental delay • what support is available to help you • top tips from other parents.

The guide is produced by Contact a Family; the only UK charity that provides vital support and information for families of disabled children whatever their condition or disability.

Head of Advice Anne Brooke says: “It can be very important to get support for the child’s development early on, without waiting for a diagnosis. This might include speech and language therapy, physiotherapy or advice from educational or clinical services. Contact a Family often hears from parents who are struggling to get this type of support for their child, and if your child has a rare condition - or has not yet received a diagnosis - it is even harder. For anyone in these situations it’s important to remember that support is available.”

For a free copy of Developmental Delay, call the charity’s free helpline on 0808 808 3555, or visit www.cafamily.org.uk for more information and support on any aspect of raising a disabled child.

Layla May says her Mum used to have:

A great bit of maternal advice for children of all ages.

3.

Thanks to Melissa, owner of Messy Monets, whose mum told her,

“You can do anything!”

4.

“Take a deep breath and count to 20....” a simple but great bit of advice from the matriarch in Emily’s family.

5.

Phoebe’s mum used to encourage her to do things that she didn’t want to do by saying,

“you can’t be good at everything, but you won’t know if you don’t try.”

6.

Trying to dispel a moan about a teacher, Rachel’s mum told her,

“Stop trying to pick a fight - she’s there to help you. You’ll learn in life that there are some people you just can’t get on with, but treating them the way you’d like to be treated goes a long way to making things easier.”

Wise, and true.

7.

Nikki, a local Zumbini and Zumba instructor has a great bit of wisdom that was passed down from her mother in Wales,

“Trust your instinct - you know your children better than anyone.”

8.

Petra’s mother Janet has come up with this cheering bit of advice,

“It’s 5 o’clock somewhere.”

9.

Alix recalls her mother saying

“Yes, I really do have eyes in the back of my head - it’s something that happens when you have children. So you can stop that right now.”

Very effective - it’s astonishing how long I believed her...

10. Finally, Claire’s mother always says,

“You shouldn’t need a specific day to celebrate mothers - we should be appreciated every day.”

This is of course true, but surely it would be churlish to turn down the opportunity of breakfast in bed with lovingly homemade cards, even if the carefully prepared meal consists of an over-milky cup of tea and some soggy cereal on a tray.

march 2014 - families south east

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Work and money

Mothers Mean Business

Shared City Deborah Chatterjee and Caroline Bourne, friends for 16 years, run social enterprise SharedCity - exciting cross-cultural experiences in London for curious people of all ages They are also currently working on Community Engagement for SEE3 The Portas Pilot Project for Sydenham, Kirkdale and Forest Hill in southeast London. Their particular remit is to bring more footfall and fun to Forest Hill. They kick-started Love SEE3 Valentine’s week and have just finished finalising events and co-organising Forest Hill Fashion Week. A Film Festival is next on their list.

FSE: How long ago did you set up Shared City, and what was the inspiration?

D & C: “We started it just over a year ago now. We were both in the process of looking for new jobs and met up for weekly coffees. We joked that we should set up our own business and then Caroline shared her vision of organising cultural holidays without leaving London.”

FSE: What did you do before that?

D&C: “Caroline spent 15 years in town management and Deborah had an eclectic career in TV & film production, theatre and teaching.”

FSE: What does Shared City offer parents and children?

D&C: “It offers the opportunity to experience a new culture together, such as learning to cook food from that culture, learning a special dance, dressing up and even learning some of the language. We make it a real experience for the family - the kids even get a SharedCity stamped passport, so they really feel like they’re travelling. As we speak, there is a special Kathak Dance workshop (pictured) going on in North London!”

FSE: How easy or difficult was it to start up?

D&C: “Our passion and enthusiasm made it easy for us to go out and meet members of the various communities and establish links with them. In our respective town management and teaching jobs we had already had contact with a lot of immigrant communities in London. In fact, we are both originally from immigrant families as well.

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families south east - march 2014

The hard part is the marketing, getting people to know about the experience we offer. There are only so many emails you can keep on sending your contacts! The research can also be challenging, we need to test out the experiences ourselves before we can start arranging ‘holidays’ to a particular destination - our friends and family have been wonderful guinea pigs!”

FSE: How have you grown the business since starting out?

D&C: “We have grown in that we have added more destinations to our list. Also, because our jobs involve community engagement and organising events it has lead us to do consultancy work with local councils and umbrella organisations, hence the current contract with SEE3.”

FSE: What are the benefits of working for yourselves?

D&C “To some extent we have flexibility, as long as we organise what we set out to do, it doesn’t matter when and where we work. There’s also this satisfaction of what you reap, you sow. We’ve both definitely acknowledged that the more hours we put in, the better the results.”

FSE: Does the work/ family balance work for you?

D&C: “Yes at the moment we both think it does work really well. Our kids are all at school now and we both manage to do the school runs, though the work doesn’t stop when they come home! For evening and weekend events that we organise, we are lucky in that we both have supportive husbands and a good babysitting network to help out with childcare.”

FSE: Do you have any tips or advice for other parents thinking of setting up on their own?

D&C: “We don’t think either of us would have had the guts to pursue this without the other. We have both acknowledged that we are more motivated as a two-woman team than we would ever be on our own.

So if you’d like to start a business but are too scared - find a like-minded friend. It’s also very important that you don’t take those moments when you’re both stressed and grumpy with each other personally. We’ll be disagreeing over something quite vehemently but then be laughing five minutes later. We spend a lot of time together and even when we’re not together we’re on the phone, so we’ve realised that we have to take the rough with the smooth.”

FSE: When you have time off for yourself, what do you like to do?

C: “Hang out with my kids and explore London art galleries, museums, markets and parks. There’s always something new to discover!”

D: “If it’s ‘me’ time, I like to write; fit in some exercise and go to the cinema or theatre.”

FSE: Do you have a favourite shop/ café or park in southeast London?

C: “I love all the independent boutique cafes in Forest Hill - it’s a mecca for a coffee-lover like me.”

D: “I love going to the different independent coffee shops in the SEE3 area - Caroline and I are caffeine addicts! My favourite park is Crystal Palace Park it’s a stone’s throw away from my house and big enough that I never get bored with it.”

FSE: How can readers find out more about what you do?

D&C: “For events in the SEE3 area please go to www.SEE3.co.uk, and if anybody fancies a cultural holiday without leaving London, have a look at www.shared-city.org.”

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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.

I'M NOT GOOD at much. I can poach an egg freestyle without breaking sweat. I'm always telling the little ones I teach how to swim that my breast stroke is perfect and they don't stand a cat in hell's chance of being better than me but they can try (works every time, though in truth my breast stroke is pretty average so I guess I'm merely good at kidding kids). I'm not bad at reading so long as I can find my glasses and I'm absolutely fabulous at watching repeats of Mad Men on a Friday night with a scotch when everyone else has gone to bed. Oh, and that roundabout at the top of the Parade in the rush hour? I'm good at that too, suckers.

PREGNANCY, THE BEGINNER'S GUIDE - DK rrp £12.99. But having babies and, eek, parenting? I was never going to be a natural. During my first pregnancy I was in awe of a fellow mum-to-be friend who boasted that she hadn't read a single word on labour and babies and motherhood throughout her entire pregnancy. But like a chef who thinks he's above tasting the stuff he's cooking, it all went terribly wrong when the timer went off.

She freaked out completely, also becoming very dehydrated and ended up putting her and her newborn's health at considerable risk. After that, I was so wary of my potential for ignorance, I ended up overdosing on Doc Stoppard and Penelope Leach - or 'Pleach' as she was known in the trade. I never got good at it but I did get informed. This guide uses the speak-slowly-and-enunciate approach, with lots of big writing, colour-coded pages and columns so that the hormone fuddled concentration can't stray too far, and comes with extras such as jolly tips for dads like 'don't make silly jokes in ante-natal classes', it's not big or clever.

MY MINI-MIDWIFE by Denyse Kirkby - Summersdale rrp £8.99.

The method here is all starched pinny and strictly no euphemisms. Our waters don't break, our "membranes rupture".

And she's polite but firm: "Please remember that natural vaginal births are the normal way to have a baby" and afterwards, "Please make sure you try to relax," once the baby is born. As I recall, relaxing once the beggar is out isn't the problem. It's trying to pee a couple of hours later when the stress really sets in.

KEEP CALM, THE NEW MUM'S MANUAL by Ellie Cannon Vermilion rrp £10.99. And you'll find on that inaugural drive home from the hospital with the newborn nailed to the Britax, the last time you drove this slowly was with a plastic BSM pyramid on the roof. And that's just the start of the anguish. You wait until you encounter the first massive poo in that tiny, tiny nappy, that first raging temperature, a belly button that won't heal. The point of this manual is to engender confidence. There's no mystery about winding babies for instance, we are told to enjoy our offspring's belches. She's obviously no fan of dummies and warns against reaching for a plug at the first sign of trouble but in general we are advised to trust our instincts. Apparently we are the expert.

THE BLISSFUL BABY EXPERT by Lisa Clegg - Vermilion rrp £10.99. So that's us then, the blissful etc etc? Ah. Or is it the babe that will be blissful? Arggh. Either way, the modus here is detail.

Tons. And quite prescriptive detail at that. If you like your manual to be in charge, follow the 'recommended weaning order' for dropping feeds; if your baby is inclined to nap during the day, try the 'sleep routine' menu. Dummies aren't quite the devil that our previous author claims but the 'timed comforting method' can be used to settle the child without one. And if you need something to suck yourself and find the fags/ Pinot/ fist ain't doing it, peruse the checklist for depression. Feel like running away? Healthy and normal. Want to murder your husband (no, really)? Best get yourself down the surgery.

HUMPTY DUMPTY & OTHER RHYMES by David Melling Templar rrp £7.99. I started teaching parent & baby classes in the pool recently and was shocked by how tongue-tied I'd become when it came to the nursery ditties that accompany the action as we splash. Once upon I time, I knew 'em all inside out but thanks to lack of use these days I find myself humming the gaps. "Our previous instructor knew the second AND third verse to The Grand Old Duke of York," one mum said airily after my pathetic

rendition. Hmm, the previous one just had two babies in four years, I replied through a gritted smile, and I'm not ruddy doing that again! (Whilst making a mental note to bone up). The creator of Hugless Douglas has gathered all the useful ones here, thank goodness, with pictures. My teaching can only improve.

LES MISERABLES, Cozy Classics by Jack & Holman Wang Simply Read Books rrp £6.99. Ooh, this is from a series of truly gorgeous board books that take the classics and render them accessible using felt and stitches, and dramatic single words to describe each scene. Here we have Jean Valjean rescuing the sweetest little fabric Cosette from her miserable existence HAPPY - but will woolly browed Javert spoil their happiness? DARK... From Moby Dick to Jane Eyre, impress your friends with these plotlines in a needle-worked nutshell. And the little 'uns can read 'em when you've finished.

WHERE'S WALRUS by Steven Savage - Scholastic rrp £6.99.

No text here but some wonderfully succinct retro pictures to help chivvy along the narrative. With a hood-winked zookeeper in pursuit, it seems whatever our be-whiskered marine mammal turns his flippers to he's good at, whether portrait painting, brick-laying or competition diving off the high-board.

HELLO LONDON by Marion Billet - Campbell rrp £9.99. In this ingenious push, pull and slide big chunky book for toddlers, the London Eye goes round, Tower Bridge goes up and down and, cue rising hysteria, the tube train doors open and close SIDEWAYS! Just like in real life. I know this because I was on one last week. But this book is much more fun than the Central Line on a Saturday.

MY POP-UP CITY ATLAS by Jonathan Litton & Stephen Waterhouse - Templar rrp £14.99. Bringing Venice to life in a chapter called Extreme Cities (well, it is isn't it!) and with the Eiffel Tower literally popping-up in your face in the Scenic Cities section, and with tabs and facts on Religious Cities, Historic Cities (give us a wave London! No, not the wet kind), Ancient Cities and Coastal Cities, by the time you've popped-up that Manhattan skyline you'll feel like you've been right round the world on the cheap. Who needs Ryanair with paper engineering like this?

LES MISERABLES, VICTOR HUGO, retold by Tony Evans & Catty Flores - Real Reads rrp £4.99. Another series of potted classics, this time for readers who are ready, thanks to that controversial concept known as 'Popular Culture,' for the intricacy of stories but not quite up to the actual multi-volume blood spattered revolutionary tragedy. Also in the series, The Great Gatsby re-told by Sean Connolly & Sam Kalda, also Real Reads rrp 4.99. Indeed, it is never too soon to learn that money can't buy you happiness (though a iTunes gift card will buy you the soundtrack).

POLINA by Bastien Vivès - Cape rrp £16.99. One for the teenager in your life, or in my case, er, me, by the same 'bandes dessineés' (familiar to those of you who are not well-versed Europeans as the 'graphic novel') artist that brought me, us, A Taste of Chlorine about finding solace in the rhythm of swimming, comes the tale of a young ballerina whose talents take her to the very top of her profession only to discover that maybe a future in ballet isn't what she was meant to follow afterall.

I know, though I still hope for a turn on the stage with Carlos and keep that tutu pressed and my toes pointy just in case the call comes, I may soon have to accept that perhaps the Royal Ballet was never really ready for me either. In the meantime, as a result of all those pregnancy and childbirth manuals I scrutinised in the past, I've realized there is something else I'm really good at pelvic floor exercises. They are extremely helpful when it comes to all the ballet jumps and lifts, believe you me.

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

march 2014 - families south east

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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 STAGECOACH EASTER WORKSHOP

THE WIZARD OF OZ WITH PERFORM

Artastic Holiday Art Club Easter Summer Christmas Half Term

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

Easter Workshops - Now booking

Dulwich Beckenham Eltham JAPS

What’sOn

St Mary's St Olave's

07792549874 info@club-tastic.co.uk www.club-tastic.co.uk

THE WIZARD OF OZ WITH PERFORM

CREATIVE WRITING WITH INKHEAD

7-9 April JOHN BALL PRIMARY SCHOOL, Southvale Road, Blackheath SE3 0TP, 14-16 April St STEPHEN’S CHURCH HALL, College Road, Dulwich SE21 7HW, 0845 400 1277, www.perform.org.uk Young performers are invited to take a trip down the Yellow Brick Road to discover the ruby slippers, brave the haunted forest and explore the strange and colourful world of their imaginations. Exclusively for 4-8 year olds, Perform Holiday Experiences are specially designed to encourage creativity and boost confidence and communication skills. The children will make new friends, stretch their imaginations and enjoy plenty of fun and laughter as they bring Dorothy, The Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman and The Cowardly Lion to life in a thrilling last-day performance for family and friends. £95 per child.

9-11 and 14-16 April in HERNE HILL and LEE, 07943 514408, www.inkhead.co.uk Inkhead’s creative writing courses are designed to trigger ideas for characters and plots, and help children to put the stories in their imaginations down on paper. During the course children will learn how to use a variety of literary techniques. 10am-1pm each day, £135.

HANSEL AND GRETEL WITH FREEDOM ACADEMY 7-9 April in FOREST HILL, 14-46 April in DULWICH VILLAGE, 020 8244 4873 or 07530 061 658, www.freedomacademy.co.uk Freedom Academy are bringing to life the classic tale of Hansel and Gretel in a three day all-singing all-dancing adventure through the woods ending in a musical performance for family and friends. Ages 3-6 years, 9am-12noon each day.

STAGECOACH EASTER WORKSHOP

Tiny Tots age 2.5-3

Little Aces Junior Champs Grand Slammers age 3-4

age 5-7

age 8-11

fun filled tennis games and activities indoors with sponge balls and mini tennis rackets

FREE introductory session phone

07877 391005

www.tennis-4-kids.com

14-17 April in Dulwich, 020 8949 4116, www.stagecoach.co.uk/dulwich Stagecoach Dulwich will be filling their annual Easter Holiday Workshop with dance, drama and singing with a free presentation on the last day for family and friends to enjoy. This year’s show is inspired by Roald Dahl’s much loved ‘Charlie And The Chocolate Factory’, offering a fantastic opportunity for the children to help re-tell the famous story of Charlie Bucket and his adventures in Mr Willy Wonka’s magical factory.

Showtime on Thursday will be in the Great Hall at Alleyn’s School, complete with costumes, lighting and sound equipment. It will be fast and furious but promises to be lots of fun for the 4-7 and 8-16 year olds.

You do not have to be a regular Stagecoach student to attend and no previous experience is required - all you need is enthusiasm!

For information or bookings, contact Principal Jonny Clines by phone or online.

SUPERCAMPS 7-17 April in BLACKHEATH and STREATHAM, 01235 467300, www.supercamps.co.uk/ A multi-activity daycamp designed to appeal to children of all types and ages. Each child will explore and experience a daily schedule of different activities with children their own age, under the guidance of superbly-trained staff. The venue offers sports, an adventure playground and indoor games, arts and crafts activities. 8am-6pm, £42 a day, or £170 for five days.

SE LONDON TENNIS CAMPS 7-10 and 14-17 April, SYDENHAM LAWN TENNIS CLUB, Lawrie Park Road SE26 6ET, www.southeastlondontennis.com, email chris@southeastlondontennis.com Four day group activities with professional coaches in weekly blocks.

Each session includes tennis coaching, games and other team events, with a mini tournament at the end of each week. Facilities are available for wet-weather activities if necessary. Beginners and improvers welcome. 9am-12noon for 7-10 year-olds, 1-4pm for 11-15 year-olds, £52 for all four days, one day £15. Book and pay online; or call Chris on 0773 993 6999 or Michael on 07956 995820.

CAMP BEAUMONT DAYCAMPS 7-11 and 14-17 April, COLFE’S SCHOOL, Upwood Road, Lee, SE12 8AW, 01263 823000, www.campbeaumont.co.uk Up to 40 different activities ranging from arts and crafts, swimming, soccer, tag rugby, tennis, motorsports, dance and drama, basketball, and many more. Ages 4-16 years, 8.30am-5.30pm, from £47 per day.

email: gordon@tennis-4-kids.com

EASTER DANCE WORKSHOP

KEYBOARD SUPERSTARS WORKSHOP 7-11 April, VARIOUS VENUES, 0800 107 7949, www.funkymonkey.info Funky Monkey’s Keyboard Superstars workshop is a brilliant all-round scheme and ‘taster’ for 5-8 year-olds. Complete beginners 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. Last day concert! 10am-12.30pm each day, £120 per child for all five days, book first.

GEORGE AND THE FRIENDLY DRAGON 7-9 April in HERNE HILL and CLAPHAM, 8-10 April in BATTERSEA, 14-16 April in BALHAM, 15-17 April in WEST WICKHAM, 0800 9755 290, www.theatrebugs.co.uk/londonandhomecounties.html Diggory Dragon has just moved to a new area and wants to make friends with his neighbours. But Princess Rainbow, Buzz the Bee and Rover the Dog are scared of dragons and don’t want to be friends with him! Can the boys and girls find Knight George and Dame Georgina before poor Diggory is chased away? We hope so! Theatrebugs’ three day holiday workshops are filled with drama, dance, music, arts and crafts for 31⁄2 - 6 year-olds. £82 per child, sibling discount available.

INTENSIVE TOUCH TYPING School holidays and termtime classes in SYDENHAM, 020 7515 1707, www.yes-tuitionandtraining.co.uk Learn a new skill with a touch typing courses run by YES. Children find them fun, and they work - most children are tapping away proficiently in just ten hours. Sessions can be booked to fit around other holiday commitments so children can progress at their own pace.

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7-9 April, DANCE COMPANY STUDIOS, Beckenham BR3 1ED, 07572 620479, www.simpsons-dancestudios.co.uk/easter-workshop Experience a variety of dance styles including street dance, commercial jazz and breakdance. Over the three days they will work on a short performance in different stlyes ready to show friends and family on the last day. Ages 8-13, 10am-3pm, £65, sibling discount available.

BEE ARTY 10 April, HOLY TRINITY CHURCH, Lennard Road, Beckenham SE20 7LX, 0798 351 3910 Make your own hen in an Easter art workshop. 10.30-11.30am, £7.

Events TECHNOPOP 1 March - 21 April, THE INTERNATIONAL QUARTER (TIQ), Stratford City, E20 1EJ, www.technopop.co.uk Technopop is an exciting and FREE pop-up science, technology, design and innovation festival, aimed at 6 - 19 year olds. The event will cover four zones: science & technology, digital, built environment and 3D and is themed over 8 weeks with each week a new focus - Looking Up, Inspiring Women, In Touch with technology and Sports Science and the human body amongst them. The festival is free for 6-19 year olds and you can book online for the sessions you want to attend.

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FUNKY MONKEY

ACTON DEPOT

VIKINGS: LIFE AND LEGEND

S 100% DB D CHECKE RS ARE CHILDC

• Babysitting • Flexible Daytime Childcare • Temporary Nannies

Diary Dates for Grownups IDEAL HOME SHOW 14-30 March, EARLS COURT, Warwick Road SW5 9TA, 0844 858 6763, www.idealhomeshow.co.uk For over 100 years the Ideal Home Show has been helping to transform British Homes. From kitchens and bathrooms, to bedrooms and basements, from fixtures and fittings to fine food, gardens and the latest gadgets, plus fashion, beauty and gifts, you’ll find it all under one roof at this award-winning show. Open 10am-6pm, accompanied under 15s free, adults £12.

CHILDCARE EXPO LONDON

BUMPS, BABIES & BEYOND: TONGUE TIE CLINIC

• Part Time Nannies • Permanent Nannies

0844 879 7189 www.likeminders.co.uk

Alternate Tuesdays, VALE PRACTICE, East Dulwich Grove SE22, 020 8299 9798, www.thevalepractice.co.uk Neighbourhood Midwives are now working in partnership with the Vale Practice. Rene Bozier from Neighbourhood Midwives is holding a Tongue Tie clinic every two weeks on Tuesdays for two hours, 10am-12pm.

MOTHERING SUNDAY

28+29 March, OLYMPIA, Hammersmith Road, Kensington W14 8UX, 01425 838393, www.childcareexpo.co.uk An unmissable early years show for nursery owners and managers, childminders and other early years professionals. The event will offer networking opportunities, hands on interactive workshops, expert seminars, show discounts and exhibitors demonstrating thousands of products and services. Open 10am-4pm, admission free (register first), seminars £9+ VAT per session when booked in advance.

NEARLY NEW SALE 29 March, St FAITH’S CENTRE, Red Post Hill SE24 Good quality baby equipment, children’s clothes, toys, books and refreshments. As it’s run by Dulwich and District Twins Club there’ll be twice as many bargains! 10am-12noon, £1 entry, profits to King’s College Hospital SCBU.

30 March, YOUR HOUSE It’s all about YOU. Enjoy the handmade cards, breakfast in bed and being put first for a special day.

BAL-A-VIZ-X WORKSHOP 4-6 April, THE BEACON, Scott Crescent, Rayners Lane HA2 0TY, 07766 837 616, www.integratedbrain.co.uk This is a rhythmic exercise programme used by parents, teachers and occupational therapists in group settings and one-to-one with children.

The classroom designed exercises are fun, inexpensive, easy to schedule and are used for dyslexia, dyspraxia and ASD and other diagnosed problems as well as for learning excellence. £490 for all three days.

Mother’s Day Specials BROCKWELL PARK COMMUNITY GREENHOUSES 30 March, BROCKWELL PARK, Herne Hill SE24 9BJ, 07427 685714, www.brockwellgreenhouses.org.uk Make a beautiful herbal bath bag for Mother’s Day. 10am-12noon, £2.50 per child. Event places are limited - book first by phone or email Beth, education@brockwellgreenhouses.org.uk

FOUNDLING MUSEUM 30 March, 40 Brunswick Square, Camden Town WC1N 1AZ, 020 7841 3600, www.foundlingmuseum.org.uk Visit the Foundling Museum on 30 March and mothers receive concession price admission.

Open 11am-5pm, standard admission £7.50 adults, £5 concessions, children under 16 free.

BRITISH MUSEUM

IGHTAM MOTE 30 March, Mote Road, Ivy Hatch, Sevenoaks, Kent TN15 0NT, 01732 810378, www.nationaltrust.org.uk Spend this Mother’s Day at a moated manor house which medieval knights and courtiers to Henry VIII used to own. Come and make something special for your mum and why not treat her to a lovely meal in the restaurant? There’s a shop full of original gifts and even a free pampering hand massage available for mum in the gift shop.

11am-3pm, standard admission to house and gardens £10.50 adults, £5.20 children, £26.30 families.

HAM HOUSE 30 March, Ham Street TW10 7RS, 020 8940 1950, www.nationaltrust.org.uk Children can make a special gift for Mum to take home - art activities take place in the dairy in the garden. Mothers visit free if accompanied by their children. 10am-5pm, standard admission to house and gardens £10 adults, £5 children.

BRITISH MUSEUM, Great Russell Street WC1B 3DG, 020 7323 8181, www.britishmuseum.org If you’ve not been to the British Museum in a while, marvel at the real Egyptian mummies, buried with treasures to see them into the next world.

and Attractions FAMILY EVENTS AT THE HORNIMAN

beautiful green space which has the oldest nature trail in London.

HORNIMAN MUSEUM and gardens, 100 London Road, Forest Hill SE23, 020 8699 1872, www.horniman.ac.uk

EXTREMES, until 2 November. Calling all explorers. Go on an expedition to see how animals and plants survive in extreme heat, cold, dryness and constant darkness or with little oxygen, in the museum’s new family-friendly exhibition. Book tickets first.

Museum open 10.30am-5.30pm daily, general admission free, charges apply for special exhibitions and the aquarium. The museum’s music gallery and hands-on base, regular weekend and holiday drop-ins and workshops allow family visitors to explore the collection through arts and crafts, music, stories and hands-on sessions. All this within 16 acres of

DAWN CHORUS WALK, 22 March. Get up early and join Horniman Gardens staff to identify the many bird songs that make up the dawn chorus. 5-6.30am, children £3, adults £5.

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march 2014 - families south east

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CHURCHILL WAR ROOMS

SCIENCE MUSEUM

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TRANSPORT MUSEUM EVENTS LONDON TRANSPORT MUSEUM, 39 Wellington Street, Covent Garden WC2E 7BB, 020 7379 6433, www.ltmuseum.co.uk Museum open 10am-6pm Mondays to Thursdays and weekends, from 11am Fridays. Admission free for under 16s, £15 adults. Tickets are valid for 12 months’ unlimited admission.

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.

FAMILY STATION, weekends and school holidays. Pick up a free coin bag and choose some activities to do as you explore the Museum.

Whether you fold your own bus and drive it between the vehicles, design your own poster-postcards or take photos through flickr frames, there is something here for families with children of all ages.

ACTON DEPOT OPEN WEEKEND 15 + 16 March, LONDON TRANSPORT MUSEUM ACTON DEPOT, 118-120 Gunnersbury Lane, Acton W3 8BQ, 020 7565 7298, www.ltmuseum.co.uk The Museum Depot at Acton houses the majority of the museum’s collections which are not on display in the main Covent Garden premises. With 400,000 items, including many original works of art used for the celebrated poster collection, vehicles, signs, models, photographs, engineering drawings and uniforms, it’s a wonderful treasure trove that together form one of the most comprehensive and important records of urban transport anywhere in the world. The open weekend will celebrate buses. Big ones, small ones, and even teeny weeny ones. Young visitors can enjoy ‘Bussing with Bertie’ storytime sessions from 11.30am and 2.30pm, and create their own make and take Bertie bus in workshops at noon and 3pm. Admission £10 adults, children free.

FIREPOWER - THE ROYAL ARTILLERY MUSEUM ROYAL ARSENAL, Woolwich SE18 6ST, 020 8855 7755, www.firepower.org.uk Firepower, the Royal Artillery Museum in Woolwich tells the powerful and dramatic story of artillery, scientific discoveries made through warfare and human stories of courage and endeavour. The ‘ground shaking’ Field of Fire audio-visual show puts you in the midst of battle as shells whizz overhead and guns roar.

The Royal Arsenal was one of the most important centres in the world for munitions manufacture and until recently was a well kept secret from the public. Many of the guns and carriages on display were made in the Arsenal, making it a significant part of the local heritage. Together with a world class collection of artillery and associated weapons, uniforms, drawings, displays of diaries and medals bring together some 700 years of world artillery history, Open 10am-5pm Tuesdays to Saturdays.

Admission £2.50 children, £5.30 adults, £12.50 families.

CHURCHILL WAR ROOMS CHURCHILL WAR ROOMS, Clive Steps, King Charles Street SW1A, www.iwm.org.uk The Churchill War Rooms were originally the Cabinet War Rooms, created in 1938 as underground storage areas for the Office of Works Building in Whitehall. They were soon converted to house the central core of government and to become a temporary military information centre serving the Prime Minister and the Chiefs of Staff of the air, naval and land forces. Visitors can hear the first-hand personal accounts of those who worked in the Cabinet War Rooms during the war. Learn what life and conditions were like underground and experiencing the authenticity and emotional resonance of walking through the corridors where Churchill made history. Open 9.30am-6pm, admission free for under 16s, £15.95 adults.

BRITISH MUSEUM BRITISH MUSEUM, Great Russell Street WC1B 3DG, 020 7323 8181, www.britishmuseum.org BEYOND EL DORADO: POWER AND GOLD, until 23 March. In ancient Colombia, gold was used to fashion some of the most visually dramatic and sophisticated works of art found anywhere in the Americas before European contact. The exhibition features over 300 exquisite objects drawn from the Museo del Oro in Bogot, one of the best and most extensive collections of Pre-Hispanic gold in the world, as well as from the British Museum’s own unique collections. Open 10am-5.30pm Saturdays to Thursdays, 10am-8.30pm Fridays. Admission £10.

VIKINGS: LIFE AND LEGEND, 6 March - 22 June. Swords and axes, coins and jewellery, hoards, amulets and religious images show how Vikings created an international network connecting cultures over four continents. At the centre of the exhibition are the surviving timbers of a 37-metre-long Viking warship, the longest ever found. Open 10am5.30pm Saturdays to Thursdays, 10am-8.30pm Fridays. Admission free for accompanied children, £16.50 adults.

GEORGIANS REVEALED Until 11 March, BRITISH LIBRARY, 96 Euston Road NW1 2DB, 0843 2081 144, www.bl.uk/whatson/events Tasteful and polite, or riotous and pleasure-obsessed? Discover the Georgians as they really were, through the objects that tell the stories of their lives. Under 18s free, £10 adults.

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 ALMSHOUSE TOURS, 11+25 March, 5 April. The restored historic almshouse has been fully restored to its original condition, offering a rare glimpse into the lives of London’s poor and elderly in former times. Tours are conducted by museum volunteers and take place at specific times each month.

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HMS BELFAST On the THAMES by Morgans Lane, Tooley Street SE1 2JH, www.iwm.org.uk Discover the exciting stories of those who served HMS Belfast; exploring the nine decks where sailors once hurried up and down its ladders, or take a look at the mess desk where her 950-strong crew ate and slept.

Open 10am-5pm, admission free for under 16s, £15.50 adults.

SLANG AT SEA, 8-9 March. Have a go at ‘Jack-speak,’ and learn the origin of navy slang and popular expressions from life at sea. Delve deeper to discover objects and stories of the crew on board HMS Belfast. 11am-1pm and 2-4pm.

SAILOR TALES, 12-21 April. Join storytellers as they spin a dit (tell a story) about life on board HMS Belfast and its role during the D-Day campaign from the perspective of the ship’s cat, Frankenstein. These drop-in interactive storytelling sessions are especially suitable for young children. 11am and 2pm.

GUN TURRET EXPERIENCE. Immerse yourself in the new Gun Turret Experience, a chance to see what fighting at sea would have really been like. Overlooking the front of the ship, or Fo’c’sle, is the forward most of HMS Belfast’s Triple Gun Turrets. Lights, audio, videos and projections will recreate the experience, highlighting the hectic and cramped conditions that would have seen twenty-six men in this confined space at any one time. Entry included in general admission price.

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.

ONE MILLION YEARS OF THE HUMAN STORY. What was Britain like when the first humans arrived on its shores? Travel back in time nearly one million years to uncover what life was really like for our ancient relatives. £4.50 children, £9 adults.

FOSSIL FORAGE - GRANT MUSEUM

FOSSIL FORAGE 15 March, GRANT MUSEUM OF ZOOLOGY, Darwin Building, University College London, Malet Place WC1E 6BT, 020 7679 2647, www.ucl.ac.uk/museums Sieve through sediment that dates from a time over 50 million years ago, when London was underwater and patrolled by sharks and rays. Any fossils you find whilst sieving you get to keep, and they are all real. Free fun hands-on activity. Drop in between 1pm and 4.30pm. Part of National Science and Engineering Week.

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

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

Ages 8-14, free.

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

FAIR PLAY, Thursdays to Sundays until 27 March. How cooperative are you? Do you play fair, or do you like to win? Researchers from Queen Mary, University of London are carrying out real experiments into the psychology of fairness and cooperation, with Science Museum visitors as participants. All ages (5+) welcome to take part.

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.

GOLDEN HINDE 1 Pickfords Wharf SE1 9DG, 020 7403 0123, www.goldenhinde.com Board the replica ship on Saturdays for a family-friendly guided tour to find out about life at sea and Sir Francis Drake’s voyage around the world. Regular fun days with costumed staff feature Tudor life at sea, filled with gruesome stories, treasure hunts, battles and hands-on activities. (Open 10am-6pm, £4.50 children, £6 adults, £10 families.

IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM: TEMPORARY CLOSURE IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM, Lambeth Road, London SE1, 020 7416 5000, www.iwm.org.uk IWM London is transforming. Brand new, ground-breaking First World War Galleries are being built alongside a new central atrium space with large object displays and new shops and cafes. The museum will temporarily close from 6 January - July 2014, when a transformed IWM London will open to the public, ready for the First World War centenary commemorations.

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

ACTION ZONES. Learn about life as a Victorian soldier or World War evacuee through quizzes, games and hands-on activities.

KIDS’ ZONE. Under 8s can enjoy an exciting soft play area.

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Saturday 15 – Sunday 16 March 11.00 – 17.00, last entry 16.00 HMS BELFAST

NATIONAL ARMY MUSEUM

KIDS GO FREE

V&A 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 3s 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.

AUTISM AWARENESS WEEK, 29 March. Children on the autistic spectrum are invited for an afternoon of events including sensory play activities and storytelling with specially designed multisensory books. 12noon - 6pm.

QUEEN FOR A DAY, 30 March. Make a crown for your mum for Mothering Sunday. Free, drop in.

Suitable for all ages.

CONFISCATION CABINET, Until 1 June.

A collection of items confiscated from children from 150 different London primary and secondary schools over three decades.

ARE YOU SITTING COMFORTABLY, until 1 June.

The effects of environment and design on teaching and learning, from the formality of the Victorian classroom to the outdoors self-directed learning of a wood school.

THE FOUNDLING MUSEUM 40 Brunswick Square, Camden Town WC1N 1AZ, 020 7841 3600, www.foundlingmuseum.org.uk Britain’s first home for abandoned children and London’s first public art gallery, The Foundling Museum reveals the stories of the Foundling Hospital’s founder Thomas Coram, the artist William Hogarth and composer George Frideric Handel. It houses significant collections of eighteenth-century art, interiors, social history and music. Open 10am5pm Tuesdays to Saturdays and from 11am Sundays. Admission free for under 16s, £8.25 adults.

BACH TO BABY, 20 March and 24 April. Led by classical musicians and singers, Bach to Baby concerts at the Foundling Museum are inspired by Handel and bring classical music to babies and their parents. 10am-11.30am

MUSEUM OF LONDON MUSEUM OF LONDON DOCKLANDS, West India Quay E14, 020 7001 9844, www.museumoflondon.org.uk/docklands, and MUSEUM OF LONDON, London Wall EC2Y 5HN, 020 7001 9844, www.museumoflondon.org.uk Open daily 10am-6pm, admission free. Regular programmes of weekend and holiday events and workshops help visitors find out more about London’s history, covering events such as the Great Plague, Londoners’ jobs and occupations, and Roman life.

TOWER BRIDGE EXHIBITION TOWER BRIDGE, Tower Bridge Road SE1 2UP, 020 7403 3761, www.towerbridge.org.uk Tower Bridge houses four unique venues; the award-winning high level Walkways, the small luxurious North Tower Lounge, the majestic Victorian Engine Rooms and the charming Bridge Master’s Dining Room. Enjoy stunning London views from over the Thames and continue to the Victorian Engine Rooms to learn about the inner workings of the most famous bridge in the World. Tower Bridge still lifts to enable large ships to pass through - check the website before your visit to add to the excitement.

There’s a free app, where you can play games and learn more about the iconic landmark before your visit. Open 10am-6pm April - September, 9.30am5.30pm October - March. Admission £3.40 children, £8 adults, family tickets from £12.50.

LONDON BRIDGE EXPERIENCE 2-4 Tooley Street SE1 2PF, 08000 434 666, www.thelondonbridgeexperience.com Get ready for the biggest fright of your life as you journey ever deeper into the horror that is the London Tombs on a thrilling journey that uses the latest in Hollywood style wizardry and hilarious live actors.

Formerly a plague pit, the venue has walls that are dripping in blood, confined spaces, spiders, snakes, ghosts and ghouls, and many other horrors. Staff are on hand at all times for those of you who just find it a little too much and have to leave. For those less brave the Guardian Angel tour is advised (suitable for under 11s), with special guides accompanying younger visitors to protect them from anything too frightening. Tickets from £20.

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Bustastic family fun!

Heritage bus rides and miniature railway Storytelling and make-and-take sessions Live replica of Hancock’s 1833 steam bus Display of guest vehicles Curator-led tours London Transport Museum Depot 2 Museum Way, 118–120 Gunnersbury Lane, London W3 9BQ Check before you travel at WÁ JRY XN

2014

TOWER OF LONDON TOWER OF LONDON, EC3N 4AB, 0844 482 7777, www.hrp.org.uk/toweroflondon Families have always lived and worked in this famous fortress, from royal families to guards and servants, even prisoners. Now you can join them for an exciting day of discovery. However old your children are, there is plenty to see both inside and out that will entertain them, whatever the weather.

Tower open 9am-5.30pm Tuesdays to Saturdays, from 10am Sundays and Mondays. Admission free for accompanied under 5s, children £10.75, adults £21.45; book for less online.

THE CROWN JEWELS. Admire the world-famous, awe-inspiring symbols of monarchy that are still in use today for special occasions.

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.

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.

Registered charity number 1153487 (England and Wales), Company limited by guarantee number 08570737 (England and Wales)

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.

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TOWER BRIDGE EXHIBITION

COMEDY 4 KIDS

ZIPPOS CIRCUS: ‘UNCHAINED’

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ROYAL MUSEUMS GREENWICH

DISCOVER GREENWICH

National Maritime Museum, Queen’s House, Royal Observatory and Cutty Sark, Greenwich SE10, 020 8858 4422, www.rmg.co.uk Royal Museums Greenwich holds the world’s largest maritime collection.

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

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

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

OLD ROYAL NAVAL COLLEGE (next to the Cutty Sark), Greenwich SE10, www.greenwichwhs.org.uk Unlock the history of Maritime Greenwich, through artefacts, artwork, film and stories of former lives to bring the past to life. A permanent exhibition takes visitors on a journey from the College’s Tudor beginnings, through its naval past, as the Royal Hospital for Seamen and Royal Navy Staff College, right up to the present day.

Special objects, including personal items from Henry VIII’s palace, as well as fascinating stories from monarchs, admirals and architects help chart the historic town’s development.

Activities for children and families play a significant part in the new destination, enabling families to maximise their visit to Maritime Greenwich and for children to explore and understand the history of the magnificent site.

GREENWICH

CUTTY SARK CUTTY SARK, King William Walk, Greenwich SE10 9HT, 020 8858 2698, www.rmg.co.uk/cuttysark The world famous 19th century tea clipper offers visitors four levels to explore. Take in the views from the main deck and steer at the ship’s wheel, meet the crew who worked on board, explore the various cargoes from wool to whiskey, and see how tea was loaded on board through interactive displays, props, information boards and animations. Family friendly events run at weekends and during school holidays. Open 10am-5pm Tuesdays to Sundays, admission £6.50 children, £12 adults, from £20 families. Bundled tickets are available with the other Royal Museum Greenwich attractions.

Theatre, Shows and Music GREENWICH THEATRE

A CHILD’S GARDEN OF VERSE

Crooms Hill, Greenwich SE10 8ES, 020 8858 7755, www.greenwichtheatre.org.uk HUGLESS DOUGLAS, 23 March. Hugless Douglas is a huggable, lovable young brown bear who wakes up one morning in need of a hug.

He tries to find the perfect one, but none of them seem quite right. After all, there are so many different hugs to choose from. But Douglas soon discovers that there’s only one hug that will do - a big bear hug from his mum! Join Douglas in this happy new show, full of laughter, sing along songs and plenty of opportunities to join in. 11am, tickets £8.50 children, £13.50 adults.

MOMO, 1-5 April. When a girl without a past arrives in town she makes time for all who visit her, but it seems that time is worth more than anyone realises. From the author of The Neverending Story, this astonishing musical version of Michael Ende’s fantasy novel is a thrilling fusion of dazzling vocals, original songs, puppetry and storytelling.

Tickets £13.50 concessions, £16 adults.

22 March - 18 May, PUPPET THEATRE BARGE, Little Venice, Blomfield Road W9 2PF, 020 7249 6876, www.puppetbarge.com Old and modern poems are brought to life as a visual anthology with shadow puppets, marionettes and specially composed music. Suitable for ages 3 to adult, £8.50 children, £12 adults.

CREATIVE: SPACE 29 March, HENRY WOOD HALL, Trinity Church Square SE1 4HU, 020 7374 8484, www.createarts.org.uk Creative: Space events are unique, interactive music concerts organised specifically for disabled children and their families. Music is performed by musical savant, pianist Derek Paravicini and Quintabile Brass Ensemble. Workshop leaders run live music, dance and craft activities.

Percussion instruments are handed out for participate music making and there’s lots of space for movement. Tickets £4 children, £6 adults, book first.

UNICORN THEATRE UNICORN THEATRE, 147 Tooley Street SE1 2HZ, 020 7645 0560, www.unicorntheatre.com GET UP AT THE WEEKEND. Join the Unicorn Play Club every Saturday from midday. Take part in free activities in the foyer such as rocket building, cake decorating or even Olympic musical chairs.

BACKSTAGE TOURS, 29 March, 17 May. Have you ever wondered what happens in the parts of the theatre you don’t see on stage? Join the Unicorn’s technical team on a backstage tour and find out what really goes into making a play. Ages 7+, tickets £3.

NOT NOW, BERNARD, until 1 May. Bernard’s got a problem. He’s found a monster in the back garden and his mum and dad are just too busy to notice. All they ever say is ‘not now, Bernard’. So Bernard tries to befriend the monster, and that doesn’t go quite to plan. The production is based on David McKee’s picture book, suitable for younger children. Tickets from £13, families 20% off.

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LITTLE ANGEL THEATRE 14 Dagmar Passage, Islington N1 2DN, 020 7226 1787, www.littleangeltheatre.com RED RIDING HOOD, 6-9 March. A young girl, a hungry wolf, and a walk through the woods - it sounds like a recipe for disaster, but Red Riding Hood’s not scared... well maybe she’s a little bit scared. Horse + Bamboo present a gorgeously rendered re-telling of the classic girl-andthe-wolf tale. Ages 4+.

TOMTEN, 13 April. When all is quiet on the farm, when everyone is asleep, when the snow covers the ground and stars twinkle in the frosty sky -that’s when Tomten wakes up.

He looks after everyone on the farm while they are sleeping. No-one has ever seen the Tomten, but sometimes you can see his footprints in the snow. That’s how you know he is real. Ages 3+.

FARM ANIMAL FUN DAY

DISCOVERY LUNCHTIME CONCERTS 7 +21 March, LSO St LUKE’S, Music Education Centre, 161 Old Street EC1V 9NG, 020 7638 8891, www.lso.co.uk If you’ve never been inside LSO St Luke’s then their free Friday lunchtime concerts are a must! Discover more about music and instruments of the orchestra in the beautiful setting of the Jerwood Hall in specially designed concerts by LSO musicians and students from the Guildhall School. The concerts offer an informal introduction to the LSO and the world of music-making. Presenter Rachel Leach talks about the works and the instruments, and there are opportunities to ask questions of Rachel and the musicians. Each concert begins at 12.30pm and lasts for 45 minutes. The café is open for tea and coffee before the concert from 12pm. There’s no need to book, the concerts are free and you can just turn up on the day.

FAMILY SHOWS AT THE ALBANY THE ALBANY, Douglas Way, Deptford SE8 4AG, 020 8692 4446, www.thealbany.org.uk All tickets £7 or £24 for a family unless otherwise stated.

NICE, 9 March. Life has suddenly become very confusing for young Lucy. One minute she is in a toy shop, waiting patiently for a simple repair to her beloved puppet, the next she is being chased by a giant chicken, talking to a piano and trying to catch a cloud. Maybe it has something to do with that crazy looking machine?

POLARBEAR’S MOUTH OPEN STORY JUMP OUT, 15 March.

Polarbear makes things up, stories, jokes, adventures- a master maker-upper. But where did it all begin?

DISCO KIDS UNDERWATER WONDERLAND, 16 March. The under 7s boogie wonderland is back! Come in fancy dress inspired by an Underwater Wonderland.

SLEEPING BEAUTY IN THE WOOD, 23 March. A long time ago, one disgruntled fairy sent the world into a spin... This adaptation of the story of the Briar Rose by the Brothers Grimm, conjures a dreamlike fantasy of palaces and forests, ogres and fairies, princes and babes.

DOTTY THE DRAGON, 30 March. Dotty is a baby fire dragon. She lives at the top of a mountain with her grumpy dad Mr Dragon. In the village below, everyone fears for their lives, for dragon’s eat children!

Or s they believe. But Dotty would never eat children! Not ever.

GROWING UP CLUB, Sundays to 18 May. Kids can dig, grow, play, make and discover before watching a show in the theatre. Only children can take part in the workshops, therefore adults do not need a ticket, but book first.

COMEDY 4 KIDS 8 + 22 March, 5 + 19 April, SOHO THEATRE, 21 Dean Street W1D 3NE, 020 7478 0100, www.comedyclub4kids.co.uk The best stand-ups and sketch acts from the international circuit doing their thing for an audience of children and their families - but without the rude bits! It’s just like a normal comedy club, but it’s on in the day, kids are allowed in, and thus there is a higher than usual chance of heckles like “why is that your face!?” 12.30-1.30pm, suitable for ages 6+, tickets £10 each or £30 for four.

POLKA THEATRE POLKA THEATRE, 240 Broadway, Wimbledon SW19 1SB, 020 8543 4888, www.polkatheatre.com MOMO, 12-22 March. In a town not so very far away, a friendly orphaned girl called Momo has a mysterious enemy to fight. Creeping through the alleys are the sinister Men in Grey, intent on stealing as much time as they can. With the help of the mysterious Professor Hora and his clairvoyant tortoise, Momo must save her friends before the world she knows is lost forever. Momo’s inspirational story comes to life with dazzling vocals, beautiful original songs, puppetry and storytelling.

LIANG AND THE MAGIC PAINTBRUSH, 14+15 March. Liang dreams of being a painter but is too poor to buy himself a paintbrush. Join him on a magical adventure where his wish can come true! An inventive and gentle show that uses puppets, origami, live painting and video images to bring this much-loved Chinese tale to life for all the family.

THE POETRYJOE SHOW, 20 March - 17 May. Join PoetryJoe, star of CBeebie’s Rhyme Rocket, for his light-up world of fabulous foods, beastly bugs and peculiar pets. Armed with his trusty overhead projector and props, PoetryJoe introduces children and their families to lots of new friends, including a naughty but nice hamster, a cheating cheetah and a whole family made out of paper and light.

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WHERE’S WALLY FUN RUN

FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! 27 March + 29 April, WIGMORE HALL, 36 Wigmore Street W1U 2BP, 020 7935 2141, www.wigmore-hall.org.uk A chamber music concert in a calm and accommodating environment, with musicians from the Royal Academy of Music. Babies under 1 and their parents, 11am and 12.30pm.

TALES FROM THE SHED Until 22 March, CHICKEN SHED, Chase Side, Southgate N14 4PE, 020 8292 9222, www.chickenshed.org.uk Chicken Shed Theatre produce entertaining, interactive theatre shows that are perfect for young children. Informal, lively and amazingly engaging, the performers and audience share the same space children are always encouraged to make a lot of noise and to make the story happen.0-7yrs.

ZIPPOS CIRCUS: ‘UNCHAINED’ 27 March - 1 April in SIDCUP, 3-8 April in HERNE HILL, 10-22 April in BLACKHEATH, 0871 210 2100, www.zippos.co.uk Zippos Circus is back with ‘Unchained’, a colourful and action-packed medley of thrilling new acts from around the world including astonishing aerial acts, contortion, juggling, clowning and feats of unimaginable strength and skill. The new line-up includes flying aerial antics, a fresh new equestrian act, awesome contortion, classic clowning, and the astonishing strongman Hercules. Once again, the show is presented by the one and only Norman Barrett MBE accompanied by his world famous budgies. Tickets from £7 children, £9 adult, plus preview shows on opening night for only £6.99, any seat.

LONDON WETLANDS CENTRE

I CAN’T SING! THE X FACTOR MUSICAL LONDON PALLADIUM, 8 Argyle Street W1F 7TF, 0844 811 0058, www.icantsingthemusical.com/ Irreverent, mischievous and strangely touching, I Can’t Sing! is the irrepressible new musical comedy hitting the London Palladium. Go behind the microphones and under the judges’ desks at the biggest show on earth, as I Can’t Sing! exposes the (allegedly) true story behind The X Factor - a gloriously twisted tale of naked ambition, heartache, hunchbacks and a talking dog. Age 5+. Tickets from £20, discounts for groups of six or more.

MATILDA THE MUSICAL Until December, CAMBRIDGE THEATRE, Earlham Street, WC2H 9HU, 0844 412 4652, www.matildathemusical.com Inspired by the twisted genius of Roald Dahl and original songs by Tim Minchin, Matilda is the captivating musical masterpiece from the Royal Shakespeare Company that revels in the anarchy of childhood, the power of imagination and the inspiring story of a girl who dares to change her destiny.

Until May 2015, THEATRE ROYAL, Drury Lane, London WC2B 5JF, 0844 858 8877, www.charlieandthechocolatefactory.com Roald Dahl’s deliciously dark tale of young Charlie Bucket and the mysterious confectioner Willy Wonka comes to life in a the West End musical directed by Academy Award winner Sam Mendes. Tickets from £16.50.

DULWICH PICTURE GALLERY

ART AT SIR JOHN SOANE’S HOUSE

DULWICH PICTURE GALLERY, Gallery Road, Dulwich Village SE21 7AD, 020 8693 5254, www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk Museum open 10am-5pm Tuesdays to Fridays, from 11am weekends and bank holidays. Admission free for accompanied children, £6 adults.

Listed activities free for families with a gallery ticket or £3 per child.

HOCKNEY, PRINTMAKER, until 11 May. Over 100 carefully chosen works give a highly constructive and entertaining overview of David Hockney’s graphic career and reveal the thought and technical expertise that underlies his extensive print oevre. Admission free for accompanied children, £11 adults.

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.

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

THE WALLACE COLLECTION

THE NATIONAL GALLERY TRAFALGAR SQUARE WC2N 5DN, 020 7747 2885, 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.

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. Open 10am-5pm daily, Fridays to 2pm. Admission £3.50 children, £7.50 adults, £18 families.

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 WALLACE COLLECTION

The Great Outdoors FARM ANIMAL FUN DAY 15 March, BATTERSEA PARK SW11 4NJ, www.batterseaparkzoo.co.uk Calling all mini farmers! Find out who eats their greens the quickest.

Help to prepare and feed some of the farm animals, and meet and stroke rabbits and guinea pigs. 11am and 1.30pm.

WHERE’S WALLY FUN RUN CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY

Art Activities

THE WALLACE COLLECTION, Hertford House, Manchester Square W1U 3BN, 020 7563 9500, www.wallacecollection.org The Wallace Collection displays wonderful works of art collected in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by the first four Marquesses of Hertford and Sir Richard Wallace, the son of the 4th Marquess, in their main London townhouse. Family multi-media tours and trails bring the exhibits to life for younger visitors. Open 10am-5pm daily, admission free.

DULWICH PICTURE GALLERY

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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16 March, VICTORIA PARK, Cambridge Heath Road, London E2 0ET, www.literacytrust.org.uk The National Literacy Trust is looking for participants to walk, jog or run 5 or 10km and help the trust continue their work with children and families in disadvantaged areas, improving their literacy and giving them better opportunities. The event is open to everyone aged 8 and over, and there will be activities and games for under 8s. Entry costs £20 for adults, £10 per child and includes an official Where’s Wally costume.

ST PATRICK’S DAY PARADE 17 March, from GREEN PARK to TRAFALGAR SQUARE Now in its 13th year, the parade attracts over 100,000 people and showcases the best of Irish music, dance, culture and arts. Marching bands, floats, street theatre, traditional music, dancing, comedy and film. 12noon-4pm.

BROCKWELL PARK COMMUNITY GREENHOUSES BROCKWELL PARK, Herne Hill SE24 9BJ, 07427 685714, www.brockwellgreenhouses.org.uk Event places are limited - book first by phone or email Beth, education@brockwellgreenhouses.org.uk SCIENCE WEEK FAMILY EVENT. What do seeds need to grow? How do plants transport water? What conditions do worms and woodlice prefer to live in? How do I find out whether soil is sandy or clay? What does a bee look like under a microscope? All these questions and many more answered at this family drop-in event in honour of National Science Week. 10am-12noon, £3 per family: participate in as many experiments as you like.

JUNIOR DIG THE PARK, 23 March. Pick up some gardening know-how while helping out at the park. Join the event organisers in sowing seed for Brockwell Park’s annual (and award-winning) wild flower meadow. Dress appropriately and get stuck in. 10.30am12.30pm, meet at the Community Greenhouses.

HERBAL BATH BAGS, 30 March. Make a beautiful herbal bath bag for Mother’s Day. 10am-12noon, £2.50 per child.

LONDON WETLANDS CENTRE LONDON WETLANDS CENTRE, Queen Elizabeth Walk, Barnes SW13 9WT, 020 8409 4400, www.wwt.org.uk MIGRATING BIRDS, weekends until 30 March. Discover the wonders of migration; create your own flying bird and learn more about the sounds that different birds make. Take up bird watching by making your own binoculars from recycled materials and then join the team in a hide to spot which winter birds are about.

FULHAM PALACE Bishops Avenue, Fulham SW6 6EA, 020 7736 3233, www.fulhampalace.org TUDOR DROP IN, 16 March. Try on period costume, handle artefacts and learn about the history of Fulham Palace. Free, no booking necessary. Children must be accompanied by an adult. 2pm-3.30pm.

march 2014 - families south east

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