Families Thames Valley West Lockdown 1 Apr/May 20

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Thames Valley West

Isolation survival guide Resources to stay safe, well and sane!

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Plus ‌ get ahead for life post-lockdown Best party entertainment and venues Local summer camps and clubs

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We're all in this together Late Spring 2020 familiesonline.co.uk

Magazine A

Issue 107 April/May 2020

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familiesonline.co.uk

LEIPER GUPTA FAMILY L AWYERS

“On a par with any of the top City family law firms.”

Legal 500 Leading Firm 2020 Areas of Expertise: • • • • • • • • •

Divorce and Financial Settlements Children and School Fees Orders Separation Issues Domestic Abuse Co-habitee Agreements & Disputes Pre-nup Agreements Mediation Collaborative Law Surrogacy

Offices in Swallowfield and Reading FREE initial consultation for qualifying individuals

LGFL Ltd Tel: 01189 735521 www.lgfamilylawyers.co.uk

We have spaces available forr critical iti l (key (k worker) k ) children. n.

Set in 60 acres, with access to gardens and woodland.

A highly experienced and caring team.

Freshly prepared food.

Fo or more information please contact ct

0118 970 1600

info@jubileedaynursery.co.uk k

Convveniently e y situated in Padworth, central al bet between ween w n Basingstoke, Reading and Newbury wbury.

R Rectory y Road, Padworth, Reading, RG G7 4JD

Luckle HOUSE SCHOOL

Excellent all-round education for boys and girls aged 11-18 years

SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE! ACADEMIC ART DRAMA MUSIC SPORTS Means tested BURSARIES also available School Transport from across Berkshire, Surrey and North Hants Luckley House School, Wokingham Tel: 0118 978 4175 Email: Registrar@luckleyhouseschool.org www.luckleyhouseschool.org Families Thames Valley West is part of Families Print Ltd, a franchise company. All franchised magazines in the group are independently owned and operated under licence. Families is a registered trademark of LCMB Ltd, Remenham House, Regatta Place, Marlow Road, Bourne End, Bucks SL8 5TD. The contents of Families Thames Valley West are fully protected by copyright and none of the editorial or photographic matter may be reproduced in any form without prior consent of Families Thames Valley West. Every care is taken in the preparation of this magazine, but the franchise company, Families Print Ltd and Lifecycle Marketing cannot be held responsible for the claims of advertisers nor for the accuracy of the contents, or any consequence thereof.

...endless ideas for families of young children in Henley • Reading • Wokingham • Bracknell • Newbury • West Berkshire Families® Thames Valley West • Issue 107 • April/May 2020 Visit us at www.familiesonline.co.uk

In this issue...

4

News and views

6

Party ideas for the ages and stages

7

Party planner

8-9

Party directory

10-11 Summer camps and survival guide

Find us on Facebook and Instagram To advertise: If you are reading this, so are your customers! We can help you reach an audience of over 47,000 parents in Reading, Henley, Newbury, Wokingham, Bracknell and West Berkshire. Give us a call on 07968 711937 or drop us a line at editor@familiestvw.co.uk to find out how we can help support your family friendly business!

FR EE

Thames Valley West

Isolation survival guide Resources to stay safe, well and sane!

The Families team 12-13 Room for one more?

14-31 Isolation survival guide 32-33 Clubs and classes directory

Editor: Rachel Jones

Please tell advertisers you found them in Families Thames Valley West

Open for Business...

Little Oak Clothing of Bucklebury has an online shop selling quality children’s clothes, toys and room accessories and uses Hermes’ no contact delivery service. diddi dance Reading & Wokingham runs dance classes for children from 18 months.

Now operating online sessions for children to join from home.

Claire Brown The Reading-based life coach is offering online coaching sessions through Zoom (see page 4).

Jubilee Day Nursery at Padworth is available as a hub for critical (key worker) childcare requirements (more information on page 4).

Beale Park at Pangbourne is sharing daily behind-the-scenes updates on its Facebook page, including what the animals are up to.

Pop-up Play Village is sharing daily ideas on its Facebook page for role play fun to try at home.

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our To enter, sign up to FREE digital magazine

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kdown Plus … get ahead for life post-loc and venues Best party entertainment clubs Local summer camps and

We're all in this

together Late Spring 2020

familiesonline.co.uk

Magazine A

Issue 107 April/May2020

ME HOME

Lock Down Issue Lockdown Issue22

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2020 5

familiesonline.co.uk

Getting through the crisis...

Welcome to a special issue of Families magazine in an online format. Apologies to all of you who usually enjoy our printed version — we simply cannot get it out there at the moment.

BestLife Basics ladies-only gym in Bracknell invites you to join its community through live online Zoom sessions.

I believe the magazine still has a potentially helpful role at a time like this and we have tried to shape the content around what you will all be worrying about and include some advice and coping strategies.

Schools like Luckley House at Wokingham, Moulsford Prep and St Joseph’s College at Reading are supporting pupils in working remotely with virtual lessons and a range of resources and ideas (see page 4 for more details).

On a personal level, I must thank the advertisers who have stuck with us. I would also like to express the huge admiration we all have for all those in the NHS who are battling the effects of this virus.

While many local businesses and venues have had to close, I have to admire the ingenuity being devoted to carrying on in ways that still allow them to serve their customers. I am listing a few here and will be very happy to promote others via our social media. Just email me with your brief info and links.

The River & Rowing Museum in Henley-onThames has an education team that is busy creating activities for everyone to try at home.

LADIES LEARNING TO LIFT

Stay safe everyone.

Bracknell’s Newest Fitness Studio

Rachel.

Designed Specifically for Women Now 100% Online Going a bit nutty during quarantine? Of course you are!

At BestLife Basics in addition to continuing to work on our physical health we are also working on our mental health by keeping up with our exercise.

Here’s what Ruth, one of our clients has to say: ‘Just finished an online live full body session in my garage gym with Best Life Basics and Marla Murray..I love that we get the 'live' workout experience..Thank you, Marla!’

Join our awesome community: https://www.bestlifebasics.co.uk/online-personal-training/

familiesonline.co.uk

Email: editor@familiestvw.co.uk • Tel: 07968 711937

Families Thames Valley West • 3

News & views

Career clarity with Claire Brown Reading-based life coach, Claire Brown, is offering free virtual career consultations during the pandemic through Zoom. Claire says: “The juggling act between work and family life has never been more challenging. If this season of change and uncertainty has caused you to reconsider your plans for the future, I can help to gain career clarity and carve out a step-by-step action plan for moving forwards.” Claire’s free Facebook Group, The Career Hub for Mums, offers a supportive online community for like-minded Mums where you'll find lots of tips, strategies and professional guidance to help navigate career and family life. facebook.com/groups/thecareerhubformums

Supporting key workers … and having fun The Jubilee Day Nursery at Padworth has made itself available for the children of key workers during the crisis, using its 60 acres of private woodland, gardens and working farm. But it certainly hasn’t forgotten its regulars and is sharing a range of ideas, activities and events that parents can build into their daily plans. These range from story time with David Walliams, to maths with Carol Vorderman and PE with celebrity fitness guru Joe Wicks. Amongst the activities the children of key workers have been able to pursue has been creation of a sensory area using plants donated by Rosebourne, which has a garden nursery in Aldermaston.

Well prepared for remote lessons

Becoming experts in home learning

Moulsford Preparatory School in South Oxfordshire ran a successful virtual timetable over the last week of term to prepare for remote teaching. Pupils are having lessons via Google Classroom, with regular online assemblies, form meetings and wider contact time through Google Meet. PE and games are being taught through daily online skills and fitness challenges. Skills packs will be distributed at the start of the summer term.

Art, DT and Music are also being taught via online resources. Pre-Prep boys are less easy to teach online but are supplied with work resource packs.

Luckley House School near Wokingham reports a smooth start to the introduction of remote learning. It builds on a base of strong information, communication and technology skills with the added resource of a notebook computer for all pupils. Pupils’ independent learning skills have been recognised in inspection reports as well-developed. Emphasis now is on refining and improving the programme using experience gained to date. “The work from home concept has been on the rise for many years, but this generation of school pupils will be the experts,” says the school.

The ‘new normal’ for family courts As the UK adjusts to the ‘new normal’ of life, so do the family courts. Throughout the lockdown, the justice system and courts have been fully functioning, hearing cases via video links rather than in person.

Our two Directors here at LGFL have both conducted remote hearings and conferences via video, and seen the benefits. There is no travel required, documents are digitised and securely sent in advance, and it removes the need for you to be in the same room as your ex-partner.

When the judge decides a hearing doesn’t need you to appear in person, this ‘virtual courtroom’ provides a good alternative to adjournments and postponements, as delay can be generally prejudicial. It is certainly suitable for simpler cases, but for complex matters and those involving children it can feel

highly impersonal. So, moving forward, we foresee a combination of in-person and virtual hearings.

Mediation has always offered a safe space to work out matters with the help of an independent mediator. That safe space could now be a virtual space, allowing parties to move forward without an in-person meeting.

Collaborative law could benefit too, as all parties and their trained collaborative lawyer can ‘meet’ in a virtual environment, to work out mutually acceptable separation, child arrangement or divorce agreements.

Only time will tell as to the lasting effects of the COVID-enforced video experience on family courts, but rest assured family lawyers like ourselves will still opt to fight your corner in person at every opportunity!

4 • Henley • Reading • Wokingham • Bracknell • Newbury • West Berkshire

Rita Gupta is a Director at LGFL Ltd, a boutique family law firm in Reading. Rita is offering qualifying readers of Families Thames Valley a free 30-minute consultation via phone or Skype to discuss any family law issue, including divorce and separation. https://lgfamilylawyers.co.uk/free-30-minuteconsultation/ familiesonline.co.uk

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Holiday Club open to all ~ ages 3 to 12 run by qualified in-house staff trips including horse-riding, bowling & laser quest crafts, sports, activities 8.00am to 6.00pm every school holiday from ÂŁ34.70 a day Find out more and book your place online

www.sjcr.org.uk

Thames Valley West

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram

BOYS WILL L BE...active

at Moulsford Prep day and boarding school of 360 boys aged 4 – 13 years

MEET TH HE HEAD

via conference call during the t Coronavirus lockdown To arrange a call please email ad dmissions@moulsford.com or visit ouur website Moulsford Prep School, Moulsford-o on-Thames, Oxfordshire OX10 9HR

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Email: editor@familiestvw.co.uk • Tel: 07968 711937

Families Thames Valley West • 5

Party ideas for the ages and stages

By Simone Ryder

I

wish I was a parent who loved planning my child’s birthday party and had the energy to enthusiastically invest a lot of time into this activity. Unfortunately, I fall into another category: the group of parents who feel that party planning is yet another of the daunting challenges to be faced on the hazardous path to parenting success.

Regardless of which camp you fall into, we hope this thumbnail guide to age appropriate parties will help guide you on the road to a successful event.

Age 1 Your child’s first party is really your celebration – the anniversary of becoming a parent.

Meanwhile, your 1-year-old may enjoy the festive atmosphere, but will have no idea what’s going on. So many parents choose to make this a celebration for adults only. If you decide to invite other babies, be sure to keep the party short (under an hour) to accommodate nap schedules. As far as activities go, blowing bubbles or singing songs will probably provide all the amusement your little one needs.

Age 2 Hosting a party for a 2-year-old presents unique challenges. They can catapult from excitement to temper tantrum in minutes — so you need to be prepared. Most age twos are still very possessive of their toys; they may offer them to each other but will want them right back. So it’s best to put away your child's favourite things beforehand. Word of warning:

avoid opening gifts at the party since most of the guests won’t understand they can’t just take the birthday child’s new things home. You can try organised games but they aren’t really necessary since children still play independently at this age.

Age 3 Now children begin to really understand parties. If your child is used to preschool, nursery or playgroups, they may be familiar with celebrations. Singing and circle activities work better than group games for most 3year-olds as they will usually enjoy playing with other children briefly but may still have trouble co-operating. Keep the party to about ninety minutes to avoid over-stimulating them (and exhausting you).

Age 4 Children of this age are full of energy and imagination, which makes them wonderful partygoers. Plan short games and keep things moving as they may still find it hard to wait their turn. Treasure and scavenger hunts work well but many parents opt for soft play venues or similar to allow little ones to burn off energy.

Another popular option at this age is for an entertainer at your home or hired venue. Plan for a party of one to two hours.

Age 5 5-year-olds know parties are very important and may have all sorts of wonderful (and wild) suggestions about the event. Theme parties work well at this age. Children are usually ready

6 • Henley • Reading • Wokingham • Bracknell • Newbury • West Berkshire

for games that involve instruction like Hokey Cokey and Simon Says. They are acquiring fine motor skills necessary to use scissors and string beads so they’re ready for simple crafts too. Plan for a party of about two hours.

Ages 6 to 9 Once your child has been in school for a couple of years, you will find they have strong opinions about their party. You may find that during these years, you go from whole school class invites, to more exclusive groups of friends. Activity-based parties become popular, from trampolining and football to drama, or, as children get older, rock climbing or tree top and zip wire adventures. Children this age like secrets and mysteries, so consider games with clues and puzzles. Fewer children are now fussy eaters, so you can take more chances with the menu. Parties should not exceed two and a half hours.

Ages 10 to 12 Now your child may start to want something more sophisticated and grown up. Although activity-based parties remain popular, as the invite list gets smaller, you may be able to attempt something even you might enjoy, such as an outing to the cinema, theatre or restaurant. A movie night at your home with select friends is regarded as cool at this age.

Beware however: throwing a sleepover party will be a rite of passage you cannot completely avoid!

Good luck! familiesonline.co.uk

Birthday Party Countdown Planner Plan your party the easy way using our cut-out planner and checklist!

3 months before

6 weeks before

4 weeks before

★ Set a budget and a date

★ Send out a ‘save the date’ by email

★ Prepare invitations

★ Make a guest list

★ Pick your theme

★ Buy/make party decorations

★ Book a venue/ entertainer

★ Plan the party food you wish to order

★ Order cake

✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸✸ TIP

TIP

TIP

TIP

Don’t forget cost of venue, party entertainment, food and decorations.

Popular options may need to be booked even earlier!

Ask for an RSVP.

Choose a theme your child loves.

1-2 weeks before

1-3 days before

★ Sort out the party bags

★ Buy party food ★ Pick up cake

★ Plan party games ★ Send out reminder by email

★ Write list/timings for party day

✂

✸ ✸ ✸ TIP

TIP

TIP

Allow research time and get the birthday boy or girl to help.

Don’t just leave this to chance.

Roughly plan enough games to last for at least half the party.

Reconfirm party food if ordered from a supplier.

TIP

Get your child to hand out invites at school/ nursery.

TIP

Decorations can make or break the party vibe!

Party Day

✸ TIP

Leave plenty of time to get to the venue…

Enjoy the day and take lots of pictures!

Party directory

ARTS AND CRAFT PARTIES

PARTY ENTERTAINMENT

POP UP PLAY VILLAGE - for children who love to role play! The play village features a construction site, baby nursery, hospital, vets, cafe, supermarket, baby play area, library and art studio.

There is also an outdoor explorers play area which can be set up in an outdoor environment for children to explore and have fun in nature.

Pop Up Play Village is a great option for your child’s next birthday party.

Different party packages available including the option to theme a party as well as to hire individual play areas. Photography is included in our party packages and the option of catering can be included.

More information at www.popupplayvillage.co.uk

01628 821145

MASTER BUILDERS CLUB - do you have a LEGO fan who has a birthday to celebrate? Master Builders Club will provide a memorable event for your child’s special day. With LEGO games, a fun 90-minute LEGO building workshop, thousands of LEGO bricks and lots of themes to choose from we have everything you need to create the perfect party. We pride ourselves on offering a personalised service from start to finish. Having organised countless parties for our own children we understand the importance of offering a stress free, reliable and enjoyable experience for everyone. Send us an email to start planning an unforgettable occasion for your LEGO loving child: info@masterbuildersclub.co.uk

07721 422554

Bringing all the fun of the farm to your school, Home, Private Party, Family Funday or Fete, also providing beneficial therapeutic/sensory sessions for visits to Nursing Homes or Special Needs Activities.

Call Pete to discuss your requirements, and obtain prices e: farm@basilandcrew.co.uk • www.basilandcrew.co.uk

BASIL AND CREW - a mobile farm, visiting you at school, home, family events or nursing homes. We bring a selection of farmyard animals to you, with all necessary fencing, and assist you and your guests to get ‘hands on’ with the animals, including, grooming, feeding and handling. We are not specialists, but we just know our animals and help them to enjoy their days out, while hopefully allowing our guests to learn a little too, but more importantly understanding animals a little better and gaining confidence. www.basilandcrew.co.uk

A fun and imaginative experience where your guests will love taking their masterpieces home! www.squiggleanddot.co.uk

MUSIC, DANCE & DRAMA PARTIES

STAGEABILITY – bring in the Superhero Academy! Work through our Superhero challenges and graduate as a fully-fledged Superhero with a certificate to prove it. Ages 4-9. High-energy games and activities for your little Superheroes. High-energy action parties to WOW the kids – and their parents! - run by experienced drama teachers with enhanced DBS certificates and fully insured. £160 for a two-hour party for up to 20 children. parties@berkshire.stageability.co.uk T: 0118 933 3791

DIDDI DANCE – READING AND WOKINGHAM – as well as our popular classes, we also offer great value diddi dance parties for 2-6 year olds at your choice of location. Your little one and their friends will enjoy up to an hour of fast-paced activities including dancing games, action songs, a host of props, bubbles, balloons and loads of fun! Our parties offer fantastic, high-energy and affordable entertainment leaving you free to relax and enjoy the fun too! www.diddidance.com 07719 878 789

8 • Henley • Reading • Wokingham • Bracknell • Newbury • West Berkshire

SQUIGGLE AND DOT - offers unique art parties for 2 - 7 yearolds. Simply choose one of the pre-themed packages and the activities will be tailored to your event.

BILINGUASING - Wokingham & surrounding areas. Sensory music parties with a Spanish or French holiday disco flavour!

Popular nursery rhymes and catchy songs are sung in English and also in Spanish or French. The songs and music are accompanied by dancing, bubbles, role play, party games, musical instruments, sensory toys, puppets, light shows and more.

Lively interactive fun guaranteed to get all children at your party singing along and enjoying themselves. Suitable for babies, toddlers & pre-school children. www.bilinguasing.com, kate@bilinguasing.com, 07810 751645

To advertise here please call:

07968 711937

familiesonline.co.uk

SPORTS AND ACTIVITY PARTIES

Bulmershe Gymnastics Club

BULMERSHE GYMNASTICS CLUB offers party fun at their purposebuilt gymnastics facility in Woodley.

Invite up to 25 guests for an hour in the gym with two qualified coaches providing organized gymnastics games and activities, followed by 30 minutes for your own food, drink and birthday cake. www.bulmershegymnastics.co.uk

STRYDE – parties with a difference, encouraging teamwork, physical stimulation and imagination in a fun environment. Various two-hour packages available including those themed to a favourite character, superhero or sport. Activities are run by experts in youth fitness, and range from water balloon fights and scavenger hunts to gymnastics or football fun. For more details, call 0203 488 1467 or email hello@strydetogether.com

Odds Farm

PARTY VENUES BEALE PARK – parties include entry into the park for the whole day to enjoy the animals, beautiful gardens and play areas including the ‘Pirate Island’ adventure playground, plus two hours exclusive use of the Peacock Party Room, party food and drinks, invites and a birthday card. £130 for 10 children and 2 adults. 0118 976 7480 www.bealepark.co.uk

ODDS FARM PARK – make their special day extra-Odds-inary at Odds Farm Park! Choose from one of four exciting NEW party packages and a selection of optional extras to create the perfect day for your child! Classic Party Package includes a stylish party room with acres of indoor and outdoor adventure play, furry friends to meet and treats for the adults too. Or upgrade to a VIP Party, with even more included!

Also new for 2020, enjoy a unique celebration and soak up the beautiful countryside surroundings, with the Outdoor Picnic Party package. For those looking for some action-packed after school fun, the Tea & Tumble package gives children full access to the Giant Indoor Playbarn. Parties are very popular, so book early to avoid disappointment. www.oddsfarm.co.uk familiesonline.co.uk

ACTIVE TOTS - host your little ones’ 1st, 2nd or 3rd birthday party at Active Tots and choose from a variety of packages from £12.50 per child.

Stryde

Exclusive Hire being our most popular option! All you do is bring the cake and the children! www.activetots.co.uk

BilinguaSing

Active Tots

THE LOOK OUT DISCOVERY CENTRE – two-hour parties for between 10 and 20 children, aged 5-12.

The package includes a party explainer, a special visit from Eric the Owl, a gift for your child, invitations, a cold buffet and a 10% per cent discount card for the gift shop.

There is also the option of readymade party bags. Up to four adults admitted free of charge.

Call 01344 354400 to book.

Squiggle and Dot

Email: editor@familiestvw.co.uk • Tel: 07968 711937

Master Builders Families Thames Valley West • 9

Summer camps

Summer holiday camps Summer camps are a great way to keep the kids active over the school holidays, giving them the opportunity to make friends and learn new skills. We have handpicked some of the very best in the Thames Valley area.

Information was correct at time of going to press but, in the current uncertain times, please check with the provider directly if the camp is still going ahead or if any details have changed.

Multi activity day camps CAMP BEAUMONT providing parents with a flexible, affordable and fun childcare solution, children aged 3-16 can join us in the week for individual days or weekly bookings. Held at Leighton Park School in Reading from 13th July to 28th August. www.campbeaumont.co.uk APOLLO summer club runs from 22 Jul – 28 Aug for children from ages 4 - 12. Activities include offsite trips, drama, cooking, arts and craft, specialist instructor sessions, outdoors play area, creative play, team games, indoors and outdoors games. Cost: £20.00 for full day (8.30am-5.30pm) half days also available (8.30am-1pm or 15.30pm). Contact 0118 916 8416 / 0118 916 8417 or info@apolloyouthclub.org.uk / apolloyouthclub@gmail.com

JUBILEE JETS is an action-packed holiday club for children aged 5-11 years old. Open from 8am until 6pm from 20 July – 1 September, with full, half and short days available. Located in beautiful countryside at Padworth Common, there is a wide variety of indoor and outdoor activities for the children to enjoy, including quad biking, woodland trips, farm visits, arts and crafts, cooking, ball games, plus lots more. Book online using childcare vouchers or credit/debit card. Visit: www.jubileejets.co.uk JUBILEE CADETS is a woodland based holiday club for children aged 5-11 years old. The club is open from 8am-6pm from 20 July – 1 September, with full, half and short days available. Located in private woodlands in the heart of

Padworth Common, Jubilee Cadets offers a variety of outdoor activities to give children a funfilled holiday adventure! This includes; den building, team games, toasting marshmallows, outdoor cooking, farm visits, natural craft, pond dipping, treasure hunts, plus much more.

Book online using childcare vouchers or credit/debit card. Visit www.jubileecadets.co.uk ULTIMATE ACTIVITY CAMPS provides Ofsted-registered activity day camps for children aged 4-14 with a fantastic range of sports, games and art activities. School locations include Crosfields, Reading Blue Coats, Cranford House, St Gabriel’s and Luckley House. Camp runs from 8.30am until 5.15pm with the option to buy an extended day pass – prices from

£41 per day or £214 per week. www.ultimateactivity.co.uk SUPERCAMPS provides schoolholiday childcare at Trinity College (Newbury) and The Abbey School (Reading). At all venues, they offer multi activity camps, where children aged 4-12 years can enjoy sports, arts & crafts, games and occasional highlight activities or excursions such as Laser Tag and Go Ape. There is also a range of specialist courses at selected venues. Running from 6th July to 28th Aug. Prices from £33.05 per day. www.supercamps.co.uk KOOSA KIDS Ofsted-registered holiday clubs run every school holiday for children aged 4 to 13.

The activity day runs from 8.15am to 6pm, with the option to book a continued on page 13

Apollo Club SUMMER HOLIDAY CLUB 2020 22 July — 28 August

Ofsted-registered care for children age 4-12 years – arts and crafts, cooking, sports, off site trips and more £20 for a full day, or £10 for half day. Concessionary rate available and childcare vouchers accepted

T: 0118 916 8416 or 0118 916 8417 E: apolloyouthclub@gmail.com

TERM & HOLIDAY COURSES

Baby & Toddler classes – book now!

BOOKING NOW for classes in Compton, Thatcham, Pangbourne and Calcot

4

Rookie Lifeguard Course now on!

10 • Henley • Reading • Wokingham • Bracknell • Newbury • West Berkshire

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shorter day from 10am to 4pm.

With a huge programme of over 350 activities on offer, including Go Karts, clay moulding and drama sessions. Running at Birch Hill Primary School, Bracknell and Waingels College, Woolley. Prices from £22 per day, www.koosakids.co.uk ACTIVATE CAMPS running from 3 July – 20 Aug from 9.30am4.30pm at Moulsford Prep School.

Suitable for ages 5-14. Prices are from £49 per day to £150 for a full camp. Activities include Global Games, Survival Adventure and cricket. www.activatecamps.co.uk FUNTECH fun and dynamic tech camps are underpinned by a structured learning environment; teaching impressive tech skills that will last way beyond the summer!

Tech courses including Minecraft, 3D modelling and printing and touch typing. For ages 7-16 and running at Reading Blue Coat School. Prices from £375. www.funtechsummercamps.com

ST JOSEPH’S COLLEGE HOLIDAY CLUB in Reading is open to all, from ages 3-12. Run by qualified in-house staff. Crafts and sporting activities, and trips include horseriding, bowling and laser quest.

Open from 8am-6pm every school holiday. From £34.70 a day. Book online at www.sjcr.org.uk Theatre & performing arts

STAGEABILITY Theatre Camp presents A Show in a Week. A week of great fun for kids who love to act, sing and dance! 3rd -7th August with full theatre show on Saturday 8th August. Running in Tilehurst, Wokingham and Mortimer from 10am-3pm daily for ages 5-14. For more info and booking, please visit www.stageability.class4kids.co.uk/c amps T: 0118 933 3791 E: jackie@berkshire.stageability.co.uk

camps for ages 5-15, developing fundamental tennis and movement skills. Multiple locations across Berkshire, 20th July – 28th August. www.gdtonline.co.uk 01189477885 info@gdtennis.co.uk GR SWIMMING SCHOOLS is running intensive swimming courses from 20th-24th July at Brockhurst School, for children of all abilities from 3yrs upwards. The small, friendly classes have an emphasis on giving children confidence in the water and having

fun as well as learning to swim.

Contact 07853 194327; email jo@swimlessons.co.uk or visit www.swimlessons.co.uk BULMERSHE GYMNASTICS CLUB in Woodley offers week-long gymnastics courses during the school holidays. Sessions are organised according to age and are open to members and nonmembers. No previous gymnastics experience is necessary! More details at www.bulmershegymnastics.co.uk

Sports & outdoor fun

GDTENNIS Over 2,500 children joined our LTA Qualified Coach Led Tennis and Multisport Camps last year. 25 years’ experience running

GR Swimming GDTennis

Summer camp survival guide By Claire Winter The summer holidays are looming and, like many other parents in the many children in the Thames Valley, you may be booking your child into a day or residential camp so they can have fun and be with other children. Whether they are going for the day, the week or attending a day or residential camp, the key is to be prepared!

Most summer activity days involve different sports and activities so your children need to wear suitable clothes. Opt for casual, comfortable clothes that you don’t mind them getting messy during an art and craft session or wet or dirty in bad weather. Sportswear is ideal and adaptable to various outdoor activities. Layering is also good to accommodate the unpredictability of the weather!

Make sure you label everything! The last thing you want is for your child to lose their favourite hoodie.

Encourage your child to leave their phone at home, if they have one, but if it’s absolutely necessary that they take it, make

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sure it’s in a protective, waterproof case. They should leave all other electronics at home as activity providers will not take responsibility for missing or broken items.

Remind your child to stay hydrated during the day. The camp organisers will ensure there is plenty of drinking water available but send your child with a refillable water bottle.

Ensure your child leaves the house with sun cream already applied and ask them to re-apply it every four hours. Camps for younger children are likely to remind children about this. If they are going to be outside all day, send your child with a hat to make sure they don’t get sunstroke. Most kids don’t mind wearing a baseball cap.

Weather is often unpredictable, so as long as you pack for both cold, warm and wet, you can’t go wrong. Your kids will make great friends at their summer camp or activity day. There are an amazing variety of things for them to learn and do.

Email: editor@familiestvw.co.uk • Tel:07968 711937

Jubilee Jets Stageability

Families Thames Valley West • 11

Fostering in West Berkshire

Room for one more?

Providing a caring and supportive home for a child or young person who cannot live with his or her birth parents can add up to a rewarding career. It could enable that youngster to write a next successful chapter in a life that has not been straightforward. Families Thames Valley West asked West Berkshire Council about the fostering process and how it works in its area.

The first practical requirement is a spare bedroom. Beyond that, it is down to a process that establishes whether foster caring is right for you and whether you could offer the sort of home and support that a child needs. On the financial front, an allowance is paid while a child lives with you based on age and any additional needs he or she may have.

You could work with children for short or long periods, or for respite periods. The council is also seeking carers who could give a home to children with additional needs, those seeking asylum from their home countries, plus families who could care for siblings so that they are not separated from each other.

As elsewhere, foster carers in West Berkshire enjoy training opportunities, reflective supervision with experienced social workers and a chance to build a career from their homes.

How would I become a foster carer?

Once you have enquired (either by phone or via the website), you would be contacted by Laura Taylor, Publicity and Recruitment Social Worker. She would arrange a visit to your home to explain what young people really need from fostering, what the council expect from carers, and what you could count on in terms of support.

What’s the process beyond that?

If you wanted to progress and meet the criteria, you would be invited to attend a ‘Skills to Foster’ course, lasting three days and based in Newbury. This covers a variety of topics, designed to give you the base knowledge needed to begin fostering. If you were still keen to progress, you would be allocated a social worker to begin your assessment. This involves a progressive interview-style process lasting

12 • Henley • Reading • Wokingham • Bracknell • Newbury • West Berkshire

around six months. At the same time the fostering team would undertake background checks such as Disclosure and Barring Certification (DBS), health and safety, medical and references. All this would then be presented to the council’s Fostering Panel. You would be invited to meet the panel with your social worker to consider your application.

Once approved, you would be considered for children needing homes.

Who would I foster?

This depends on a series of factors. They include: the number of people in your home and their ages; whether or not you plan to continue to work as well as foster; your own preferences around the age of the child; and your existing skill set.

When would a child come to live with me?

The timing of the first offer made to you would depend upon the needs of the different children needing a foster home at any time and matching them to the right foster carer. You would not have to say ‘yes’ to every child discussed with you – it must feel right for you and your family.

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Fostering in West Berkshire Cassie’s story...

“I decided to become a foster carer after being a nanny locally for about ten years. I felt that I had the energy and patience needed to care for young children. I also had a lot of experience and wanted to transfer my skills to benefit young people while they were living away from their birth parents.

“Over the ten years in which I (and my partner, Rob) have fostered, West Berkshire has provided me with the opportunity to attend numerous invaluable training courses that provide information and strategies to help me manage the challenging behaviours I can often encounter.

“Patience, care and the ability to start each day as a fresh new beginning go a long way when caring for vulnerable young people.

In my experience, children will settle in a nurturing environment. I am now classed as a long-term carer so the children living with me are very settled, attend school and enjoy a range of extracurricular

activities while still retaining a relationship with their birth families.

“I also have a young man who has now left the care system but decided to stay with us. In order to

Do you have a spare room?

Do you o have experiencce of caring for ch hildren?

Are you the right person to help us #writethenextchapt c er for o fostered children in West Berkshire?

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give him more responsibility and privacy, we have converted our garage into an apartment for him.

“About five years into fostering, I fell pregnant with twins. So

although life is at times busy, we always pull together and look out for one another. I am so pleased I decided to look into fostering and hope to continue to work with West Berkshire for years to come.”

The Family Placem ment Team are looking ffor or new ffost oster carers to provide a loving and nurturing home ffor or children of all ages, including those with ith additional needs and those seeking asylu um from other countries.

Your warmth and passion p could help them reach their full pottential and write the next chapter in their lives e . We would like to hear from you; whether you can off ffer er short or long term care or even so ome emergency or respite support within are par p t of the Local Authority.

West Berkshire Children & Family Services have been recognised as Good by OFSTED. We off ffer er a competitive ffost osterring allowance, dedicated support and a compr o ehensive training programme. We would o love to hear from you today! Please con ntact: T: 01635 503155 E: Fostering@ @westberks.gov.uk

Email: editor@familiestvw.co.uk • Tel: 07968 711937

Families Thames Valley West • 13

HOME LEARNING

Best Home Learning Resources Our guide to the best FREE online learning resources

BBC Bitesize

Daily online lessons for ages 5-14 Also on TV.

Book Trust Home Time

Classroom Secrets Kids

Free books, games, quizzes and recipes.

Free resources for teaching English,

Doorway Online

Teacher’s Pet

Pobble 365

Interactive games to practice phonics, numeracy and money.

Free weekly downloadable home learning packs.

Up to age 11.

Inspiring creative writing every day of the year.

Oxford Owl for Home

BBC Teach

Brain POP

Resources divided into primary school year groups. Free ebooks.

Advice for teaching at home, video resources for kids up to 16. Free interactive live lessons.

14 • Henley • Reading • Wokingham • Bracknell • Newbury • West Berkshire

Short animated videos to create curious learners – free access during school closures. familiesonline.co.uk

HOME LEARNING

Supporting Home Learning Supporting your child to learn at home probably feels daunting.

Leslie Saffron is a member of The Otherwise Club, a community of families choosing to learn together without school.

Leslie advises: “To prepare for the jobs of the future, we need curious, creative, flexible people, with a strong sense of self. You can build your child’s sense of self just by listening to and working alongside them, and showing them that their thoughts are valuable.”

Mike Wood from Home Education UK says: “The strength of home learning is the freedom for children to follow their own interests and learn naturally. Real learning is driven by intrinsic curiosity. The trick is to encourage your child’s curiosity and use it as a basis for them to develop learning skills. Knowing how to learn can help motivate them to fearlessly harness new skills in later life.”

SEN Resources London Grid for Learning Inclusion resource centre.

Nessy

English help for dyslexia.

Busy Things

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Free learning resources.

TES Autism/ Tess Dyslexia Free learning resources. familiesonline.co.uk

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Families Thames Valley West • 15

HOME LEARNING

Best Subject-Specific Home Learning Resources

Teach Your Monster to Read

Wow in the World Podcast For curious kids interested in science, tech & innovation!

Games testing knowledge of countries, flags and more.

Duolingo

Big History Project

Numbots

An award-winning game that makes learning to read fun.

Learn 30+ languages for free! Access via website or app.

Free online social studies course for secondary school kids.

World Geography Games

A fun robot game for addition/subtraction.

Free via web or app.

Credit: Autodesk Tinkercad

History Hit TV

Interesting historical videos from World Wars to creepiest toys in history.

Tinkercad

Children’s Classic Books

Free easy to use app for 3D design, Wow! Loads of free electronics and coding. children’s classic books to read/listen to.

16 • Henley • Reading • Wokingham • Bracknell • Newbury • West Berkshire

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HOME LEARNING

Lockdown School Day Timetable 8.00-9.00

Plan the Day. Get out school books/resources.

9.00-9.30

Get Moving. PE with Body Coach Joe Wicks. Check out these options too.

9.30-10.30

Expand your Mind. Try Maths with Carol Vorderman.

10.30-11.00

Break Time. Get fresh air in the garden if you have one.

11.00-12.00

Expand your Mind. English with David Walliams.

12.00-1.00

Lunch! Your kids can help make it.

1.00-2.00

Chill Time. Read/listen to a podcast.

2.00-3.00

Art & Culture. Draw, do Lego or learn about different cultures.

3.00-4.00

Get Active. Play football in the garden, or go for a walk/run.

4.00-5.00

Let’s Cook with Theo Michaels or Jamie Oliver.

5.00-6.00

Have Dinner! Clean up together.

Story Podcasts All Ages BBC School Radio Storytime

Motivating your Child to Read During Lockdown

Stories from popular picture.

Bedtime FM

Stories to help children relax.

CBeebies Radio Podcast

Stories with favourite characters.

Little Stories for Tiny People

Original audio stories and poems.

FunKids Story Quest Stories for of all ages.

Circle Round (4-10 years) International folktales.

The Creeping Hour (8-12 years) Horror anthology series. familiesonline.co.uk

Every parent understands the tremendous value of their children reading regularly.

Given our current experience of the extraordinary Coronavirus lockdown – without the input of typical school life – reading daily at home matters more than ever.

READ MORE

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Families Thames Valley West • 17

PRE-SCHOOL PLAY

Structuring the

By Daisy Upton Day

Example of a dinosaurthemed day: 9.00 Musical phonics. Every time the music stops, children jump on a letter on the floor and make its sound.

9.30 Write the word dinosaur as large as possible on a big piece of paper. Children can colour in the letters, adding shapes and patterns.

10.00 Snack and fresh air.

For some of us, having a loose structure for the day can really help with little ones at home. It’s not something I would stick to rigidly. If a child is happily playing independently, then I’d sneak off for a cuppa! But having a rough plan means I always have ideas ready to go. I am currently doing a theme a week to keep things interesting.

10.30 Make holes in empty shoe box. Get kids to post dried pasta through holes. Great for number recognition and learning to count!

11.00 Read dinosaur book/act out with toys.

11.30 Lunch/play.

12.30 Make a dinosaur jungle with sand/earth in trays, leaves, rocks and twigs. Add in dinosaurs and play!

Tips

1.30 TV and clean up time.

• The activity doesn’t always have to fill the time slot.

• If you’re sharing childcare, do shifts.

• If you’re overwhelmed, take a few minutes alone, somewhere where you can see but not hear the kids.

• Do ‘tidy up time’ at the end of an activity before introducing the next.

2.30 Outside play/walk.

18 • Henley • Reading • Wokingham • Bracknell • Newbury • West Berkshire

3.00 Snack.

3.15 Jigsaw puzzle and board game 4.15 Film e.g. The Good Dinosaur

More great ideas from Daisy at Five Minute Mum in her book Give Me Five. familiesonline.co.uk

PRE-SCHOOL PLAY

Home-Based Fun for Under 5’s Mum to Martha (3) and Freddie (2), Families Editor, Rebecca Lewis, shares ideas for playtime in lockdown.

Pocket money jobs

10p is the daily going rate for odd jobs in our house: weeding (AKA pulling up lawn daisies), bagging up old clothes for charity, sorting the recycling into the correct coloured bags. Bargain!

Big bug watch

Naps are a distant memory, so this is our version of ‘quiet time’. I’ve repurposed the wooden pallets my magazines arrive on as a creepy-crawly sanctuary. Fortunately for the woodlice, my two are finally getting the hang of ‘be gentle!’

Virtual gardening

Martha’s a keen gardener, specialising in growing dwarf beans. She’s planted them for her nursery buddies, decorated the cups with their names, and showed them off over FaceTime. Her friends love seeing how they’ve grown.

Storytime for Under 5s Oliver Jeffers reads:

The Day the Crayons Quit Rob Hodgson reads:

The Cave

Emily Gravett reads:

Cyril and Pat

Malachy Doyle reads:

Big Pig

Benjii Davies reads:

The Storm Whale Chris Haughton reads:

Shh! We Have a Plan Zanni Louise reads:

Archie and the Bear familiesonline.co.uk

Win a Copy of Give Me Five!

Over 150 easy and fun activities for guilt-free parenting created

by Daisy Upton in her new book.

Each game uses objects and materials available in any household and takes just five minutes to set up and tidy up.

WIN!

Enter here before 31 May 2020.

Email: editor@families.co.uk • Tel: 07968 711937

Families Thames Valley West • 19

FAMILY HEALTH

Best Family Health and Wellbeing Resources

NHS Every Mind Matters

Jump Start Jonny PE with Joe Wicks The Body Coach Exercise/dance work

Ten tips to help if you are worried.

outs for children.

PE/work out sessions for children.

The Little Gym at Home

Headspace

Mind

Fitness for primary and pre-school children.

Anxiety UK

Coronavirus support resources.

Audio guided meditation/relaxation for all.

Resources for wellbeing.

Nuffield Health Wellbeing Journal

Fegans Online Counselling

Downloadable daily journal for children.

20 • Henley • Reading • Wokingham • Bracknell • Newbury • West Berkshire

Therapy for children (year 7+) and 1-1 parent support. familiesonline.co.uk

FAMILY HEALTH

Talking to Children about Coronavirus It’s understandable if your child is feeling anxious about Coronavirus (Covid-19). The British Psychological Society (BPS) stresses the importance of being truthful and giving children factual information, but adjusting the amount and detail to suit their age.

For example, you might say: “we don’t yet have a vaccination for Covid-19, but doctors are working hard on it” or “lots of people might get sick, but for most people it is like a cold or flu and they get better.”

Download full BPS guide Families also recommends the following blogs from Understood.

• How can I calm my child who won’t stop talking about the virus?

• What to do when your child WON’T talk about the Coronavirus.

• What to do when your child is anxious about Coronavirus.

And this great blog from Hand to Hand Parenting.

Dealing with your Coronavirus Anxiety

Your Child’s Mental Health: Spot the Signs

Perhaps you find yourself obsessively checking the news for fresh information on Coronavirus? Maybe you are constantly symptom checking, washing your hands, feeling consistently fearful or tearful, and playing potential scenarios through in your mind?

READ MORE

Would you recognise the signs?

It’s Mental Health Awareness Week between 8 and 24 May and since March, large numbers of families have been dealing with much more anxiety than usual: about their health, their jobs, their finances and their futures.

READ MORE

By Anna Mathur

familiesonline.co.uk

By Ian Soars

Email: editor@families.co.uk • Tel: 07968 711937

Families Thames Valley West • 21

ENTERTAINMENT

Best Virtual Zoo and Aquarium Tours!

Chester Zoo

San Diego Zoo

Cincinnati Zoo

Learn surprising animal facts and download fun activities

Animal art & craft.

Baboon, Polar Bear & Penguin live cams.

Enjoy home activities or watch a Home Safari Facebook Live

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Watch fishes, penguins and sharks on webcam

New England Aquarium

Hosting daily virtual visits.

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

Zoo Atlanta

Smithsonian National Zoo

Ouwehand Park Polar Bear Cubs

Check out the Pandacam for some cute furry creatures!

Live webcams of naked mole rats, elephants and lions.

22 • Henley • Reading • Wokingham • Bracknell • Newbury • West Berkshire

Meet the koalas of the world’s largest sanctuary.

Watch cute twin polar bear cubs live from the Netherlands! familiesonline.co.uk

ENTERTAINMENT

Lockdown Family Fun It’s a tough time. So, try to make sure you have something to look forward to each day. Here are some ideas: • A kitchen disco burns off lots of energy! Lots of DJs are live streaming on social platforms like Facebook and TikTok. Defected Records are hosting regular live events and mini ravers can go to a midday party hosted by Big Fish Little Fish every Sunday.

• Plan a games night or classic movie-thon with popcorn.

• Host a virtual quiz night with friends/family over Zoom. Everyone loves Bingo and you can make your own cards.

• Host a ‘Come Dine in with Me’ night where each family member cooks or designs a meal and the rest of the family gives it a score.

• All out of ideas? Try the random idea generator, the brainchild of 11 year old Sam Bennett from Birmingham.

Explore the World Take your family on a global tour of famous sites and natural wonders.

Machu Picchu Mount Rushmore

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Buckingham Palace Pyramids of Giza

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The White House Visit the Colosseum

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The Great Wall of China Head inside the heart of a volcano

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Families Thames Valley West •23

ENTERTAINMENT

Best Virtual Space Experiences Learn about the solar system, build your own rocket and wander on Mars – all without leaving your living room!

Hubble Space Telescope

Interactive Solar System Tour

International Space Station

360 degree virtual tour at NASA.

Explore the solar system like an astronaut.

Free exciting game simulation.

Mars Surface

NASA at Home

NASA Exoplanet Exploration

NASA Kids Club: Rocket Builder

National Geographic Videos

Twinkl Space Activities

Walk along the real Learn about NASA with surface of Mars with these virtual tours and Explore planets outside NASA’s Curiosity Rover. apps. of the solar system!

Build your own rocket with this free fun game.

The solar system, the universe and black holes

24 • Henley • Reading • Wokingham • Bracknell • Newbury • West Berkshire

Worksheets and colouring pages. Plus special offer. familiesonline.co.uk

NATURE & OUTDOORS

Making the Best of Outdoor Time By Claire Winter Getting fresh air is vital, so make sure you make the most of your garden (if you have one) and daily exercise outings.

Walk ideas • Go on a rainbow hunt and count how many you see in people’s windows; • Ask local friends to put soft toys in their windows for children to spot; • Give your children a list of things they need to find/take photos of; • Develop a nature trail, where your children have to look up and identify the birds/flowers/insects they see; • Change it up by taking bikes, scooters, skateboards and skipping ropes.

Garden ideas • Plant a mini veg patch/herb garden if you can find some seeds; • No garden? Make a cress head; • Go on a mini-beast hunt and build a plush bug hotel; • Little ones will enjoy painting the shed/fence with a big brush and bucket of water; • Invest in chunky coloured chalks for patio or pavement drawing; • Enjoy a night under the stars.

Tent share is encouraging families to dust of their camping gear and hold a mini-festival in their garden!

Play-at-Home-Fest on 23/24 May is another virtual family festival packed with children’s characters, celebrities and brands, and funds raised going to the National Emergencies Trust Coronavirus Appeal.

You can register free.

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Email: editor@families.co.uk • Tel: 07968 711937

Families Thames Valley West • 25

INDOOR ACTIVITIES

Five Ways to Make the Most of #TheGreatIndoors

By Bear Grylls, Chief Scout Before you climb a mountain or sail an ocean, you need a plan. The same is true for getting through the next few weeks. Families are spending more time together than ever, and without a plan, getting to bedtime may be as tough as climbing Everest.

That’s where #TheGreatIndoors comes in. It’s a collection of over 100 fun, free activities from the Scouts that your family can try at home. And you don’t need to be a Scout or an expert to deliver them!

Families has chosen its favourite ideas from #TheGreatIndoors collection and you can find these on the next page (page 27)

Make a daily plan Do this the night before. Choose activities for the morning and afternoon.

Start the day with something active Take part in a family work out. You’ll find plenty online or you could just do some gentle exercises together.

Don’t forget to warm up and give each other plenty of space.

26 • Henley • Reading • Wokingham • Bracknell • Newbury • West Berkshire

Keep learning It’s a great time to learn a new skills, whether improving your French or learning to play the ukulele. What can you teach each other?

Get some fresh air If you have a garden, make the most of it. Eat your lunch outdoors. If you don’t, try to get out into some open space while respecting the rules, social distancing and staying safe.

Be kind Respect each other’s personal space and make an effort to do nice things for each other. Why not think about making a thank you card?

Good luck and stay safe.

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INDOOR ACTIVITIES

Activities & Games

Art & Craft The Imagination Tree

Activities using sensory play.

Red Ted Art

10 Nature Activities

Bring nature into your home or garden!

Earn Blue Peter Badges!

Easy crafts for all ages.

Get a famous badge.

Facedrawer

PawPrint Family

Hundreds of challenge packs.

Become a budding artist.

Hello Wonderful

Roll20 - Virtual Games

Art for Kids Hub

Board Game Arena

CBeebies

Highlights Kids

The Artful Parent

Activity Village

Best of #TheGreatIndoors

Win £100 Amazon Vouchers!

Activities using household items.

How to draw…videos for kids.

Making and colouring activities.

10 things to do at home.

Something for the older kids.

Play board and card games.

Games, jokes, science, activities.

Downloadable activity packs.

Be a Blackout Poet

Try this alternative style of poetry.

Best Concert Ever!

Design posters for best concert ever.

Got it Covered

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Create a cover for your favourite book.

Show your Art to Grow your Art

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Create/exhibit masterpieces.

Storm in a Teacup

We're all in this together

Understand energy by creating your own tornado.

Leaf Animals

Use leaves to make an animal collage.

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Families Thames Valley West • 27

COMMUNITY

We’ve Got this People!

Five ways of pulling together until the world starts turning again.

• Good-hearted souls across the country are volunteering help to those in need. Two excellent co-ordinating resources working at local level are: BBC’s Make a Difference Campaign and Covid-19 Mutual Aid UK • Share this Families magazine link with other parents, via email, Facebook, WhatsApp. Like and Follow your local Families magazine on social too so you can share the tips and good news you find.

• Thank supermarket and home delivery staff who are working their socks off – show them they’re appreciated.

• Phone friends/relations to chat, particularly those who are living alone.

Ask how they are, recount a heart-warming anecdote. You’ll both feel better for it.

• Smile at people on your essential outings – spread simple cheer across the 2 metre safe space!

Helplink Safety

Latest Government Advice

Domestic Violence/Abuse National DA Helpline Women’s Aid Men’s Advice

Giving Community Support

How to Help Safely Do-IT Local Volunteer Centre Finder Helping Elderly People

Seeking Help

Care and Essential Supplies Lockdown Tips and Advice Your Local Delivered 28 • Henley • Reading • Wokingham • Bracknell • Newbury • West Berkshire

Helplink Financial

Claim Universal Credit Working Families Help Coronovirus Finance & Bills Help Self-employed and Employment

Family Disputes

Family Mediation Child Law Advice Family Breakdown Advice Co-Parenting During the Crisis

Parenting Advice

Dad.info Fegans Family Hub Free Parenting in a Pandemic email course familiesonline.co.uk

BIRTHDAYS

Celebrating Birthdays in Lockdown

By Rebecca Lewis

Movie and bowling night Download a movie and a bowling app game, and hey presto your home becomes a makeshift entertainment complex. Google cinema ticket template and popcorn box template

Hold a teddy bears’ picnic

From teddy bears’ picnics to neighbourhood poster parties, a birthday under lockdown can still be special.

Turn their bedroom into an escape room Create your DIY version with clues to help them unlock their birthday gift. Google easy riddles for inspiration.

Involve your local community

Water lot of fun!

Create an aqua park in your back garden! Use dunked sponges for a water fight; play skittles with open bottles of water; run a hose along a sheet of tarpaulin for sliders; fill the paddling pool with warm water and bubbles for an outdoor Jacuzzi.

Tips

Ask members of your community or school’s Facebook/WhatsApp group to create a happy birthday poster or put up a balloon in their window. See how many you spot on your daily walk.

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Invite your child’s favourite soft toys to a special picnic at home!

Decorate with bunting and balloons; draw paw prints in chalk; hunt for the ‘missing’ bear; end with a calming game of sleeping bears.

Invite your child’s family and friends to a virtual celebration via Zoom or similar! Make sure you prepare beforehand by reading the Zoom Help Guide.

Consider a virtual party.

Google virtual birthday party entertainers kids uk

Email: editor@families.co.uk • Tel: 07968 711937

Families Thames Valley West • 29

ART & CRAFT

Best of Colouring Printables We’ve assembled a great range of colouring pages for all ages and interests to help keep your children busy and stimulate their creativity.

Just click on the title of the image to download.

Asiatic Lion

Baby Woolly Mammoth

Cinderella & Fairy Godmother

Dinosaur Hatching from Egg

Mary Queen of Scots Crown Scotland

Paxi Space Explorer

Raptor

Unicorn Friends

06/04/2020

Rainbow with Clouds and Sun - Coloring Page (Nature)

Rainbow Support the NHS

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30 • Henley • Reading • Wokingham • Bracknell • Newbury • West Berkshire

familiesonline.co.uk

STAYING SAFE & WELL

Here are some great printables to help you and your family stay safe, well and sane during lockdown!

Hand Washing Song Infographics

Covid-19 Parenting Tips

Encourage the whole family to wash their hands for 20 to 30 seconds! You can get printable handwashing infographics for each family member based on their favourite song lyrics.

The World Health Organisation and UNICEF have come up with these great printable sheets covering topics like encouraging good behaviour, managing stress and talking to your child about Coronavirus.

Covid-19 Time Capsule Journal for Children

Families Magazine Colour-In Reward Chart The Grrreat Colour-In Reward Chart

ALL ABOUT ME I AM

MY FAVOURITE THINGS Toy

STEP 1

STEP 2 Tell your Fill in daily child when to Explain behaviour rewards your colour in the targets animals! child will receive

Colour YEARS OLD

I AM

Animal

MY 2020 COVID-19

Food Show Movie

METRES TALL

I W EIGH

Book Activity

TIME CAPSULE

Place Song

KILOS

SH

MY BEST FRIENDS

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THEM

WIN Family Tickets for a day at a UK Zoo or Wildlife Park of your choice!

Tickets are valid for two adults and two children.

How to Enter: Email an image of your child’s completed chart to info@familiesmagazine.co.uk with your child’s name, age, your postcode and up to 50 words from you or your child explaining how the chart has helped them achieve their targets. You have until 30 June 2020 to enter.

I will...

✹ ✹ ✹ Reward

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

I will...

Reward

BY:

O E SIZE

Name:

t the Real Animals!

Visi

STEP 3

I will...

Reward

When I have coloured in all my animals, we can enter the competition to go to the zoo!

Email info@familiesmagazine.co.uk for extra copies of the chart!

Competition T&Cs at www.bit.ly/37LNg7w reward chart landscape.indd 1

We are living in challenging and difficult times. It may help your child to document their experiences in this journal.

31 • Henley • Reading • Wokingham • Bracknell • Newbury • West Berkshire

15/01/2020 16:44

Set “lockdown” goals and encourage your children to behave well with our printable colour-in reward chart.

There’s even a competition to enter for when we are allowed out again! familiesonline.co.uk

Clubs and classes directory Many clubs and classes are currently not running due to the need for social distancing. However, here are a list of the regular out of school activities that will be resuming in the near future. In the meantime, several of the businesses are offering virtual classes and fun at-home activities on their social media pages or websites – do check them out.

Developmental classes

brain-training programme, designed to bring out the genius in every child.

Activities are aimed at 0-6 year olds, and improve concentration, memory skills, general knowledge, musical ability and more. Hour-long classes take place in Reading once a week, with parents accompanying their children.

For more information and to book: www.shichidauk.com, contact@shichidauk.com, 07774 523660

Master Builders Club Brick Building Workshops for Children Master Builders Club is a LEGO® lover's paradise!

Our weekend and holiday workshops, after school clubs, birthday parties and nursery/primary school events are designed to provide children with an exciting and captivating experience. Our fun workshops start with a short story which our Master Builders “bring to life” through the LEGO® models they build.

We provide 1000’s of LEGO® bricks in a calm and supportive environment along with the imaginative stimulus to transform a room into a world of creativity. If you are passionate about providing engaging and stimulating play opportunities that nurture your child's mind, then Master Builders Club is for you! To book your LEGO® fan a place or to find out more about our events then please go to: www.masterbuildersclub.co.uk

a unique and exciting markmaking class, designed to help babies, toddlers and preschoolers learn to write through play.

Fun and engaging one-hour sessions develop pre-writing motor skills, as well physical and social skills. Each session includes messy play, paint, play dough, sand, scribbling, movement and dance – all in a safe environment.

Term-time sessions run in Reading and Caversham on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and there are also special events in the school holidays. Little Learners also offers birthday parties.

More info at www.littlelearnersuk.com or call Jalpa on 07474 368173.

BilinguaSing Wokingham – award-winning bilingual sensory music & movement classes with Spanish or French singing for babies (from 1 month), toddlers and preschool children.

BilinguaSing is a unique class for parents and little ones to learn Spanish or French together in a fun and engaging way. Familiar nursery rhymes and songs are learned in both English and Spanish or French and are accompanied by a variety of fun movements and lovely props.

Classes suitable for complete beginners to native speakers in Wokingham, Winnersh, Bracknell & surrounding areas.

First taster class is FREE! Private sessions also available in nurseries, pre-schools and primary schools to support the EYFS, KS1 and KS2 learning objectives.

Call Kate on 07810 751645, kate@bilinguasing.com, www.bilinguasing.com

32 • Henley • Reading • Wokingham • Bracknell • Newbury • West Berkshire

Portuguese Language Club – offering tuition to help you talk fluently in Portuguese, but we don’t stop there. For us, it’s all about you and ensuring that you enjoy your stay with us whilst also making sure that your Portuguese language skills are vastly improved. We offer a range of services to suit all needs; including one-to-one and group lessons, in-school clubs, holiday Portuguese and GSCE and A Level tuition. Based in Tilehurst, Berkshire. Contact Maria on 07427630331, 0118 942 4591, info@portugueselanguageclub.co.uk, www.portugueselanguageclub.co.uk

SwimKidz – runs small group classes within warm pools to provide a swimming program which starts from birth through to approximately ten years. The structured plans are fun and progressive ensuring children enjoy learning to swim. With each instructor teaching within the water, children learn to swim independently from a young age.

As an accredited Swim England and Swim Teachers Association swim school, you can be confident that we provide children an aquatic journey in a safe, caring and nurturing environment. Contact us at E:havefun@swimkidz.co.uk T:01635 777888 M:0750 005 6623 or visit our website for more information www.swimkidz.co.uk

Gym, sport and swimming didi rugby – devised to get young children (aged 18 months to six years) active, and to teach them new skills while having fun in a safe environment. Classes running in various venues across West Berkshire and Reading. Contact donna.clark@didirugby.com to book a free taster session near you. www.didirugby.com Bulmershe Gymnastics Club – based at a purpose-built gym in Woodley, run gymnastics classes for all ages including Leap Frogs for walkers to five years lead by qualified coaches. www.bulmershegymnastics.co.uk GR Swimming Schools – children’s swimming lessons from 3yrs in Newbury, Thatcham, & Pangbourne. Places for nonswimmers through to advanced academy levels. Also holiday crash courses in swimming, diving and coming soon SYNCHRO!!

Uniquely structured lessons, following Swim England Award Scheme. 01635 34862 www.swimlessons.co.uk

Turtle Tots – baby and toddler swimming lessons in Reading and Wokingham. The programme is gentle and progressive, offering a fantastic opportunity for some special bonding time with your little one.

Classes are baby-led, focus on the health and wellbeing of babies and children alike, and use songs and nursery rhymes to create a relaxed atmosphere.

Contact littleturtle@turtletots.com or 07810 864810

familiesonline.co.uk

Clubs and classes directory Music & dance

The Dance Zone a fun and friendly dance school that offers Ballroom, Latin American, Freestyle and Street dance classes for adults and children from the age of 3 in the Wokingham and Winnersh areas. www.thedancezone.co.uk, info@thedancezone.co.uk, 07789 175439.

individual and group classes run by Alexander Clarke, B.Mus (Hons), M.A. Inspiring students, fulfilling aspirations.

Learn guitar in your school or home, Inspire Guitar School is a Berkshire based music service that offers tuition in Acoustic, Classical, Electric, Bass and Ukelele.

The benefits of learning to play a musical instrument cannot be overstated.

Learning to play helps with confidence, mindfulness and creativity. Flexible style to suit the student and fulfil their aspirations.

0118 9375 9185, 07414 675 858, www.inspireguitar.co.uk, alex@inspireguitar.co.uk Monkey Music – fun music classes from 3months-4yrs with action songs and rhymes, music and movement, percussion instruments and musical games. Classes in Newbury, Thatcham, Mortimer, Henley and Upper Basildon. 01635 860 959, www.monkeymusic.co.uk

familiesonline.co.uk

diddi dance - funky pre-school dance classes for girls and boys.

Award winning, high energy sessions explore 16 different styles set to original, age-appropriate music. Classes improve gross motor skills, rhythm, co-ordination, confidence, creativity and social skills with dancing games, fun exercises, action songs and a host of props. Lessons are aligned to the EYFS and are structured yet relaxed. Nursery workshops and parties too! Free trial available.

Classes run every day throughout Reading & Wokingham. Call Andrea on 07719 878789, or email andrea.bickford@diddidance.com Street Feet Dance® - helps children aged 3-11 to get dramatically more confident through Street Dance in Reading. Book a 2-week free trial in Caversham, Tilehurst, Woodley or Woosehill now at www.streetfeetdance.co.uk and discover how we have helped over 1,000 children raise their selfesteem and develop their selfbelief through dance.

Starmaker Stage School – a Saturday stage school based in Woodley that offers drama, dance and singing tuition, allowing younger children to explore their creative side without pressure. The experience of performance aids with public speaking, presentation skills and self-discipline. Saturday sessions run from 9.30-11.45am (Mini Stars for 4-6 years) and 11.45am-3pm (Young Stars for 7-12 years). To book a free trial, please email Sue at stageschool@starmaker.org.uk and quote this advert.

children to the performing arts.

Local branches in Wokingham, Henley, Reading, Bracknell, Marlow and Newbury. www.stagecoach.co.uk Perform weekly drama, dance and singing classes – confidence building fun for 4-12s. A unique mix of drama games, dance and singing specially developed to bring out every child's true potential. Classes are kept small to ensure lots of individual attention.

Go to perform.org.uk/try to book a FREE class.

Venues: Reading, Wokingham, Goring, Newbury, Crowthorne and Twyford T: 020 7255 9120 / enquiries@perform.org.uk, www.perform.org.uk Berzerk Productions – LAMDA examination classes, unique Drama Factory workshops, musical theatre and production opportunities for 6-19 years in Tilehurst, Woodley, Spencers Wood, Caversham, Reading, Pangbourne and Woodcote. Trial class free. 07863 734 830, www.berzerkproductions.com

Award-winning after-school drama classes for kids who love to ACT! Burghfield, Tilehurst, Lower Earley, Mortimer and Wokingham.

High-energy classes mean that students never get bored, can't wait to get to class and develop confidence, creativity and focus. Free trial class and a Pay-As-You-Go option for infants. Ages 5+.

Full listing of available classes, prices and venues at: https:// stageability.class4kids.co.uk Come and join the fun!

Email: jackie@berkshire. stageability.co.uk M: 07721 565898 T: 0118 933 3791

To advertise in

please ring 07968 711937

Drama & Theatre Arts Steppin Out Stars of Tomorrow – fun, energetic classes for 3½ to 18yrs. Dance, drama and singing, tap, street dance, pop styles, musical theatre. Regular classes in Wargrave, Wokingham and Woodley, plus summer classes. Call Shelley on 07970 034 488, or email shelley@steppinoutstars.co.uk, www.steppinoutstars.co.uk

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Stagecoach Theatre Arts School – dance, drama and singing classes for 4-18 years that build confidence and teach skills. Early Years classes for 4-6 years designed to introduce young

Email: editor@familiestvw.co.uk • Tel: 07968 711937

Families Thames Valley West • 33