Families Leeds & West Yorkshire Jul/Aug 2023

Courtesy of the Henry Moore Foundation. Photo © Jonty Wilde.

Welcome

We have tonnes of ideas for summer fun in this issue. If you’re looking for a day out, take a look at our articles on top UK beaches, theme parks and outdoor adventure parks to get truly inspired. And, if you’re heading on holiday or on a day trip, don’t forget to download our free activity printables for those ‘I’m bored’ moments.

Closer to home, try some Forest School activities and some great recipes which will develop your child’s cooking skills.

September will roll round before you know it, so read tips on how you can help your child with the transition to a new school year and check out the best uniform labelling and stationery ideas.

Look out for LOADS of fabulous giveaways in issue too. Apply inside and you’ll also ensure you receive our digital magazine with lots more content and goodies on offer.

Have a wonderful summer!

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Editor, Families Leeds & West Yorkshire

Award-winning Toddler Sense classes available in North Leeds

A session made up of two parts allow toddlers to explore adventure playtime on bouncy castles, soft play, ride ons and more. Followed by themed sensory activities with puppet shows, interactive games and light shows. Each week there is different equipment and a different theme; meaning both toddlers and grown ups are never bored!

For ages 13 months to 5 years

Siblings under 13 months are FREE!

Text Lou on 07870275916

www.toddlersense.com/northleeds

Let the kids in the kitchen!

We asked Heather Staller, writer of the new book Kid Kitchen, for some of her favourite recipes for developing kids’ cooking skills.

No-Bake Trail Mix Cups

Healthier granola bar alternative. Use crushed pretzels, cereal, chopped nuts, seeds, dried fruit.

Healthy Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Glaze

Wholegrain, lower in added sugar and made in one bowl!

Stuffed Pizza Bites

A fun twist on pizza night – stuff with whatever you like.

Baked Spaghetti Cups

Healthy and easy weeknight meal kids can virtually make all by themselves.

PB&J Breakfast Cookies

Full of fruit, protein & whole grains, kids will love this breakfast choice.

Blueberry Pancake Breakfast Cobbler Blueberry pancakes BUT also a dessert cobbler that’s healthy enough for breakfast!

Chicken Fajita Burrito Bowls

Veggie-packed, easy dinner. Kids can make with just a little help!

Strawberry Oatmeal Snack Cake

Made from wholesome ingredients. Easy to stir up before breakfast.

S’mores Brownie Bites

Easy, impressive dessert that kids can make with just a little help.

Free activity printables for all ages

Perfect for those ‘I’m bored!’ moments or for some quiet time.

Bluey and Bingo paper masks

Make a Bluey and Bingo paper mask by downloading this template.

Duggee and his friends

Download this sheet to colour in Duggee and the Squirrels.

Make your own Routemaster

Download the template to make this iconic double-decker bus.

Tracy Beaker word search

For Jaqueline Wilson fans! Find the hidden words connected to Tracy Beaker.

A Beginner’s Guide to Bear Spotting activity book

Fun activities for 5-8s based on popular book.

Make a pirate hat

Download this pirate hat template to sail the seven seas in style.

Let’s play butterfly snap

Download these cards and play a fun snap game.

Everything Under the Sun activity pack

Test your knowledge and let your imagination run wild.

The Funny Life of Sharks activity pack

Activities for 8-11s based on the hilarious book.

Seven great Forest School activities

We asked Naomi Walmsley, author, with Dan Westall, of the Forest School Handbook for some ideas from the book on how to connect kids with nature. Here are her inspiring ideas.

Be a mud detective

Camouflage your hand

Mark out a sticky, muddy area (or area of loose dirt) with sticks about three by two feet. One person turns away whilst the other hops, skips and jumps through the pit. Now guess how they moved through by looking closely at their tracks.

Make a goblin or toy village

It’s all about blending in. Place your hand on a tree or at the base of it. Take away the shine using charcoal, add mud to change the colour. Sprinkle on some woodland mulch or stick on some tiny sticks and moss or bits of bark to add texture.

Make a simple Stone Age tool

Imagine a family of tiny goblins or make this village for your favourite toy. Find places that have interesting characteristics, a hole in a tree, creeping roots etc. Add leaves on sticks for miniature trees, pebbles for bridges, moss for roofs and make mini shelters big enough for your imaginary guests or toy.

Find a thin sheet of slate. Place it on a hard surface and break off bits you don’t want with a round, heavy stone. Make a triangular arrow shape. Rub back and forwards to smooth it, using sandstone, any rough rock or rough outdoor surface. Hey presto! Your own simple stone tool.

Seven great Forest School activities

We asked Naomi Walmsley, author, with Dan Westall, of the Forest School Handbook for some ideas from the book on how to connect kids with nature. Here are her inspiring ideas.

Nature is a rainbow

Make nettle smoothie

You’ll be amazed how many different colours you can see when you start to look. Pick up a free colour chart from a hardware or DIY shop. Head to the park or forest or even into a town to see which natural things match the colours on your chart.

Conkers are a great resource

Pick a large handful in spring using a gardening glove. Add them to a blender with a banana, some pineapple, a glug of coconut milk, a slab of cucumber, half an avocado and blend until completely smooth: this will remove the sting.

Numberblocks toy bundles to giveaway

For endless play and learning adventures

Bundles include:

Numberblocks

Friends One to Five & Six to Ten

Numberblocks

At the end of summer, the seeds (conkers), leaves and bark of the horse chestnut tree all contain ‘saponin’ which has similar properties to soap. Grate the conkers, pour over warm water and leave to steep. Use after about half an hour to wash grubby hands or clean your clothes!

Step Squad Mission Headquarters playset As seen on CBeebies

Summer Camps

Summer camps provide fun, safe and nurturing spaces for children. Not just useful childcare for working parents, there are many benefits for children too. Here are some great camps running during the holidays.

Accomplish Sports Academy Cricket Camp

A series of cricket and rounders camps being held throughout the summer holidays. Including hard ball and soft ball groups, for school age children from Year 2 to Year 10 (ages 6 to 15). All the skilled and dedicated coaches are DBS checked, and you can book a day or a whole camp.

25-27 Jul, 8-10 Aug & 15-17 Aug: Calverley Cricket Club

1-3 Aug & 29-31 Aug:

Horsforth Hall Park Cricket Club

8-10 Aug & 22-24 Aug:

Rawdon Cricket Club

For more info call 07791155999 or EMAIL.

Wildings Holiday Club

Wildlings Holiday Club, run by Live Wild for ages 5 to 12, is held in the beautiful valley of Calderdale.

Learn forest skills, experience outdoor adventures and enjoy creative play. Live Wild teaches bush craft skills, how to work with fire and tools, connection to nature and lots of foraging. Experienced programme leaders support young people to feel a sense of belonging and competence in the outdoors whilst having lots of fun and adventures.

For more info EMAIL or visit HERE.

Kickstart Kamps

Providing diverse, fun and educational activities for children ages 4 to 11, designed to help children develop new friendships, have fun together and provide a new peer support network.Encouraging children to try new things, broaden their imagination and creative flare. As well as offering them the opportunity to develop skills in sport activities.

Kickstart Kamps at: Collingham Memorial Hall and Moor

Allerton Hall Primary School

For more info call 07725597961 or 07720266624, EMAIL or visit HERE.

Full steam ahead for Number Train!

The exciting journey continues for Number Train, with three new teachers on board.

Now delivering more award-winning pre-school numeracy classes – in North Leeds, Harrogate, Wetherby and Otley – Number Train is a topquality activity for children getting ready to start school.

Established six years ago by experienced primary school teacher Annette Peterson, it offers a variety of fun activities each week.

“Very often, the children are learning maths without realising as it is dripped in discreetly and as part of their play,” explained Annette.

She added, “My dream to roll out Number Train far and wide is finally happening, starting right here in West Yorkshire. A huge shout to Becky and Rachel, who joined the Number Train team in 2022 and

now Cathryn who joined this year. All three are experienced teachers and simply the best. Two heads are better than one, but three heads... or even four, means we can do so much more!”

This summer, in addition to termtime classes, Number Train is offering new Starting School Workshop for parents and carers.

More info HERE.

Fantasy Kingdom in Bradford Enjoy Breeze In The Park this summer

A magical brick trail of dragons, castles and princesses is coming to Bradford city centre (22 Jul to 6 Aug). Visitors are invited to take part in a free adventure quest, provided by Bradford BID, to find over 15 large installations of mystical and fantasy figures including unicorns, dragons, and warriors. Presented and built by BRICKLIVE, each extraordinary figure is constructed from 1,000s of toy bricks. The trail can be accessed via the LoyalFree app, or collect a copy from The Broadway Shopping Centre Hub or the Visitor Centre.

More info HERE.

Get caught up in sun, fun, chills and thrills with Breeze In The Park this Summer. Coming to a park near you!

Get involved with interactive play system, arts zone, fun fair, food and inflatables. There are also relaxed sessions for children with additional needs.

Fast track the inflatables with a Breeze Pass.

Find your local event HERE.

Pop-up play at Harewood

This summer at Harewood, explore new pop-up play activities, discover the grand estate’s medieval past, get the family together for a carthemed day out – and simply enjoy the beautiful house and grounds.

The summer holidays kick off with Medieval Harewood, when the remains of Gawthorpe Hall will be uncovered once more. Archaeologists will be on hand to answer questions from budding historians, and you might even meet someone from the distant past.

There will also be new pop-up play activities and crafting fun throughout the holidays, and in August, the Rolls Royce Rally and the VW Festival return for great family days out.

MORE INFO HERE.

Child Friendly Leeds Live Join Lloyd Of The Flies at RHS Harlow Carr

The biggest children’s festival in Yorkshire in returning to Millennium Square this summer. Enjoy a fantastic day out as Breeze Presents Child Friendly Leeds Live (Wed, 2 Aug) to celebrate National Play Day. Featuring popular children’s characters, performers, music, entertainment, games and more.

MORE INFO HERE.

This summer, (22 Jul to 3 Sep) download Lloyd’s augmented reality Bug Hunt app and have fun on the Grand Bug and Pest Hotel Hunt trail. There’s so much to do in the garden. Have a go at an animation workshop, build insects out of Lego, chill out with some family-friendly wellbeing yoga and more.

MORE INFO HERE.

Kids’ favourites at Carriageworks

This summer, join an adventurous young girl and her seafaring father as they reimagine the story of The Snail and the Whale, inspired by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s popular picture book. This stage adaptation, suitable for ages four and above, will be on at the Carriageworks Theatre from 22 to 24 July.

Then on 30 July, it’s Sarah and Duck’s Big Top Birthday. Join Sarah and her best friend Duck as they plan the ultimate circus soiree as part of the 10th Anniversary of the much-loved CBeebies show. For ages three and above.

MORE INFO HERE.

Curiosity and Wonder at the YSP

We’re going on a bear hunt…

Yorkshire Sculpture Park has unveiled an inspiring summer programme such as: painting, a family rave, poetry reading corners, listening walks, creative writing, calligraphy, imagination play and sculpting. Curiosity & Wonder (15 Jul to 3 Sep) includes daily events that will delight all ages.

MORE INFO HERE.

This summer, Leeds Bear Hunt will bring the magic of Michael Rosen’s iconic children’s book, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, to life with a blaze of colour and creativity. More than 50 giant Bear sculptures will hide in plain sight on the streets and within the parks of Leeds, highlighting iconic spots and hidden gems.

MORE INFO HERE.

Grab Start Rite Schools shoes worth £50

Families has 5 pairs of Start-Rite Schools shoes to give away.

A leader in children’s fitted footwear for over 230 years, StartRite school shoes are designed to be tough and provide the correct support for the age and developmental stage of the child.

Containing biomechanical sole units, a proprietary air flow system and with double industry standard testing, StartRite delivers shoes that are comfortable and dependable: never outworn, only outgrown.

Winners will receive a £50 voucher to select from a broad School Shoe range. The range includes a selection at a more value-driven price point and a selection that donates profits to The Daily Mile, a charity working to help children get more exercise during the school day, thereby improving their physical, social, emotional and mental health.

APPLY HERE

T&C’s apply.

FREE Readly digital mag subscriptions worth

£120

Families has 3 annual subscriptions to Readly to give away, offering hours of digital magazine fun for young readers, including 80+ Disney magazines and comics.

Featuring much-loved character comics such as Disney’s Frozen, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, High School Musical, Star Wars™ and MARVEL, kids can immerse themselves in the world of Disney through brilliant stories, fantasy adventures, craft ideas and activities revolving around their favourite characters.

The Disney magazines are available to all the family as part of the unlimited reading subscription on Readly – where users can instantly read over seven thousand magazines and newspapers via their smartphone, tablet or laptop. Five user profiles per household. Parental controls apply.

APPLY HERE

T&C’s apply.

The Grand Bug & Pest Hotel Hunt

Sat 22 Jul – Sun 3 Sep

There’s a brand new luxury bug hotel opening at RHS Garden Harlow Carr. Can you help Lloyd and friends to find it? Follow a garden trail featuring an amazing new augmented reality app and enjoy fun, family-friendly activities all summer long!

Your visit supports our work as a charity.

A natural environment for nurturing children

The first five years of life are pivotal in a child’s development. Our nurseries based in Lindley and Edgerton, Huddersfield and Shelf, Halifax provide the highest standard of quality care and education from birth to five years.

Each nursery has its own individual character and we feel confident you will find a nursery that meets the needs of you and your child.

Ofsted Outstanding Settings

Natural outdoor play areas

Forest School

Stimulating learning environments

Award winning healthy menu

15 & 30 hours free nursery education

Term time places available

Inclusive SEN Care

After school and holiday club

Highly qualified and experienced staff team

Aardman presents

Top theme parks to visit this summer

If you’re thinking of visiting a theme park this summer and are not sure where to head to, take a look at our suggestions.

Alton Towers & CBeebies Land

Stoke on Trent

Offers thrills and spills for older children. Cbeebies Land for younger kids.

Chessington World of Adventures

Surrey

40 rides and attractions, zoo, Sea Life aquarium and Go Ape.

Paultons Park & Peppa Pig World

The New Forest Something for everyone, with Peppa Pig World tailored to pre-schoolers.

Legoland Windsor Windsor, Berkshire

Iconic theme park, dedicated to children 3-12 years.

Landmark Forest Adventure Park

Scottish Highlands

From larger-than-life dinosaurs to water coasters

Sundown

Adventureland

Retford, Nottingham

Quaint and traditional attraction dedicated to children under 10.

Drayton

Resort & Thomas Land

Rides for older kids plus Thomas the Tank area and big zoo.

Warrington, Cheshire

For ages 2-13, six themed areas, over 25 rides, host of attractions.

Lightwater Valley Family Adventure Park

North Yorkshire

40 rides and attractions.

Manor

Gulliver’s Resort

Top family beaches in the UK

Pack the buckets, spades and picnic gear and head to one of these gorgeous 2022 Blue Flag Award beaches for an old-fashioned family day out. All have food outlets and toilets.

Llangranno, Wales

Sandy, sheltered ‘village beach.’ Various food outlets. Water sports, surfing, dolphin viewing. Parking.

Scarborough North Bay, Yorkshire

Esplanade, hills, cliffs, crazy golf, surfing. Parking.

Burntisland, Fife

Sandy/rocky beach. rockpools, Seaside Park with crazy golf, bouncy castle, fairground. Parking.

Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire

Long sandy beaches, donkey rides, funfair, paddle boating, crazy golf, bike hire, parking.

Cromer, Norfolk

Traditional Victorian seaside resort, with a wide sand and shingle beach and iconic pier. Parking.

Woolacombe, North Devon

3 mile sandy beach, surf school, kayaking/ kitesurfing, rockpools, theme park. Parking.

Southwold, Suffolk Pier, attractions, lighthouse, model boating pond, shingle beach, harbour. Parking.

Blackpool Sands, South Devon

Sand and shingle beach with clear, calm waters. Water activities. Parking.

St Ives, Cornwall

6 sandy beaches, surf & non-surf, Limited parking, take spectacular train ride from St Erth.

Fun at Wiggles

Have you been to Wiggles? It’s a lovely family-run play space in Idle village, perfect for little ones up to age five.

Three playrooms include a climbing wall, role-play small world and reading nook. There’s a sensory room and a small soft play frame too, as well as well-equipped, enclosed outside area.

Wiggles hosts classes and events for children and adults, including new mums meet up, baby massage and baby yoga. And there’s an allimportant coffee shop, serving delicious food via an easy text service.

An OFSTED registered wrap around childcare service and holiday club for children ages 3 to 11 is also offered.

Open seven days a week, Monday to Saturday, for normal play sessions and Sundays for private parties and events, Wiggles play sessions can be booked HERE or walk-ins are accepted.

Enjoy the flexibility of a nursery setting, whilst benefitting from teacher led learning from the age of three years, with a guaranteed place in our Kindergarten (Reception) class.

We are now offering the option to choose any four mornings from five, in our Lower Kindergarten Class, allowing an ideal opportunity to experience school life whilst leaving yourself a day at home with your child.

Come in and have a chat to us and explore our amazing Early Years classrooms, our exceptional outdoor space, hidden forest and treehouse.

Giving a Flying Start to the Citizens of Tomorrow

Outdoor adventures for summer

If you’re heading out of your local area this summer, here’s a selection of fantastic places where you can give your kids an outdoor adventure.

Lilidorei Play Village

The Alnwick Garden

Northumberland

NEW! Largest play structure in the world. Fantastical play universe.

Belvoir Castle

Grantham, Leicestershire

NEW! Set over 4 acres. Giant timber fortress, tunnels, zip wire, toddler area.

WildPlay at Whinlatter

Keswick, Cumbria

FREE! Forest adventures in 9 play areas on a 600m trail. Summer water features.

Culzean Castle

Ayrshire, Scotland

Adventure Cove & Wild Woodland play areas include towers, treehouse, zip slides.

Heartlands

Redruth, Cornwall FREE! Shipwrecked boat, mini beach, huge wooden climbing frame and more.

Tyntesfield

Wraxall, Somerset

Den-building village, Home Farm courtyard, big tractor to climb, slides.

Stanwick Lakes

Northamptonshire

Extensive adventure playground, water play, large sand play, climbing tower and more.

Basingstoke, Hampshire

Network of covered tunnels, wooden fort, slide, deep sandpit, stream, water play.

Chatsworth House

Bakewell, Derbyshire

Woodland playground with rope park, zip wire, water/sand play, working farmyard.

The Vyne

Clubs & Classes Directory

Find inspiration and sign up! Don’t forget to say you saw them in Families Leeds & West Yorkshire magazine.

Little Seedlings

Pregnancy, baby and toddler classes that focus on development in a fun, easy way.

Number Train

A fun and interactive introduction to maths for preschool children.

Music Bugs

Sensory, playbased music and singing classes for babies, toddlers and preschoolers.

Diddly Oms

Baby yoga and family classes offered in and around Leeds for ages 12 weeks+.

Seasons

Sensory experiences for holistic development by learning through nature play. Ages 0-5.

Toddler Sense

Explore adventure play on bouncy castles, soft play, ride-ons and more. Ages 13mths-5 years.

Visual processing: what parents need to know

By Usha Patel

Helping your child with school transition

By Catherine Loble and Lisa Wander

‘My son’s Educational Psychologist Report revealed he has visual processing problems. But what does this mean?’

Opticians check your child’s eye health and how well their eyes take in visual data. But how well does your child’s brain interpret what they see?

READ MORE

Summer Reading Challenge 2023

Moving to a new class or school can be challenging for kids. Most adapt to changes within the first few weeks but preparation and emotional resilience can greatly help with this adaptation. So how can you support your child through this unsettling time?

READ MORE

The Summer Reading Challenge encourages children ages 4-11 to read six library books during the summer holiday and collect rewards, like stickers, on their way to receiving their challenge certificate and medal.

The Challenge will continue through September.

READ MORE

Fun ‘back to school’ stationery

There’s nothing more guaranteed to get your child excited about the new school year than some new stationery for back to school. Here are our top summer shopping choices.

Mini Highlighters £2.00 each

Fruit Eraser Collection £3.50

Magnetic Metal Ball Pen £14.99

Fidget Pen £3.50

Super 3D Moving Cover Notebook £2.65

Giraffe Wooden Ruler £3.95

Duck Crayons £3.95

Mini Stationery Set £6.00

Wild Wonders Colouring Pencils £9.95

A flexible nursery setting with teacher-led learning

At Froebelian School in Horsforth, Leeds, teacher led learning from the age of three enables children to make secure foundations, upon which they can build, throughout their school life.

The effects on early language and literacy, as well as their social development and confidence are huge at this age.

Children develop problem solving, reasoning and critical thinking skills, when engaged in this kind of environment.

Lower Kindergarten Teacher at Froebelian, Mrs Giles said:

“Recognising the pressures of everyday life for families and combining that with our Froebel values of the benefits of a teacher led learning environment from the age of three, we have taken the decision to create more flexibility at Lower Kindergarten. We are delighted to now offer the option to choose four out of five mornings, enabling families to spend a full day at home with their child.”

Full days, wrap-around care and holiday clubs are available if needed and can also be booked on an ad hoc basis with up to 30 hours Early Years Entitlement up until the end of the term your child turns five.

Ideal for busy families where you’re juggling time at work alongside precious time at home with your young family.

Visit the school and have a chat with the team, explore the Early Years classrooms, exceptional outdoor space, hidden forest and treehouse, or visit on the Open day, Saturday September 30, 2023. EMAIL for more details and to reserve a place.

More about Froebelian School HERE.

School uniform labelling options

Labelling school clothes is not a fun job so, to help, we’ve identified some of the most reliable labelling options out there.

SnappyTag

No ironing or sewing. Clip on plastic tags with special tool.

50 labels £23

easy2name Shoe Label Covers

Stick these over a stickon label to protect name from wearing off.

20 labels £3.95

MyNameTags Ministickers

Big enough for child’s name but small enough for stationery.

175 for £15.95

WovenLabelsUK

Sew On

For traditionalists, sew on labels offer durability and value for money. 36 labels £4.99

Petit Fernand

Convenient stick-on labels that can used on anything. 30 labels £9

Stamptastic

Stamping with longlasting ink makes labelling fast and easy. Basic bundle £24

WHSmith Laundry Marker

Short of time and money? Nothing beats a laundry pen. £4.99

Able Labels Iron On Labels

Avoids sewing and produces similar result. 30 labels £3.75

tinyme Nursery Labels

Nursery-themed colourful stickers. Starter pack 144 sticky labels inc 72 iron on labels £23

Avoiding summer learning loss

At home

Encourage creative play. Start with a box of dressing-up props. Teach them to cook. Check out skills it develops by age HERE. Make a scrap book. Encourages creativity, writing and reading. Get gardening. Explore plants in the garden, get kids planting their own.

Reading. Increases vocabulary, literacy and creativity. Try the Summer Reading Challenge

On holiday

Encourage organisation and research skills, involve kids in planning activities for your trip. Challenge kids to concisely describe their holidays in writing by sending postcards. Sandcastle building encourages learning about patterns and structure.

Learning lurks in seaside rockpools! Get the kids to draw and research their sightings.

How to go rockpooling

Out and about

Go on a mini-beast hunt at your local park. Visit a museum, zoo or aquarium. Frequently an interactive experience with educational school holiday activities on offer. Physical activity. Develops concentration, team work and logic. Visit a castle or stately home. A three-dimensional history lesson!

On the move

The AA’s 10 best car games can transform a boring car journey. Encourage appreciation of local food. Choose local and avoid fast food outlets or chain restaurants. Help kids observe climatic and geographic differences compared to where they live. Provide real life exposure to history and culture. Visit places of local significance.

Laying out a scrapbook

Watch

This guide gives you tips on what you need to take and shows what you may find.

Numberblocks toys to giveaway

8 bundles worth £80 each Collectables and playset for endless play and learning adventures

As seen on CBeebies

Bundles include:

Numberblocks Friends

One to Five

Numberblocks Friends

Six to Ten

Numberblocks Step Squad Mission Headquarters playset

Turning your child into a bookworm

By Emma Shingleton

Is your youngster a reluctant reader? Despite tempting them with every type of book, do they still only read when they ‘have’ to and not for pleasure?

The long summer holidays are an ideal time to encourage your child to ditch their screens and curl up with an engrossing story book instead.

So let’s get started:

Create a reading den

Every home should have a reading corner or den; a place that is inviting and excites children. Choose a quiet spot and add some pillows, bean bags or cushions to curl up on. Perhaps you could put up some posters to get them in the mood for imaginative thinking. What about: Under the Sea, Rainbows, Castles, Transport, In the Jungle?

Use television subtitles

Put your child’s favourite programmes on with subtitles and no sound. Can they read along and understand what is happening?

Try karaoke with lyrics

Host karaoke sessions so that children are challenged to read and sing lyrics on the screen.

Learn a poem together

Why not learn a topical poem alongside your child: find one about holidays, the weather or beaches to fit the season!

Film yourself reading a story

Think of it as CBBC bedtime stories. Use your phone to film yourself reading a story and send in the video to your child’s teacher. If other parents do the same, the whole class can enjoy a story read by someone other than their teacher! READ

Silcoates offers a 3 - 18 co-educational experience, instilling children with a love of learning, a willingness to seize opportunities and to fulfil their potential.

SILCOATES.ORG.UK

Let’s go plastic-free in 2023!

Mark Plastic-Free July by reducing your family’s single-use plastic waste this summer. Try one of our ideas to help the planet and future generations.

Eco Warrior shampoo bar

Lasts longer and produces foamy lather with fewer chemicals.

Aluminium refill bottle

Zero waste. Just buy washing up liquid in bulk and refill.

Shaving soap

Free from plastics, including in the packaging.

Plant-based dental floss

Made with 100% renewable resources. Recycle in food waste.

Reusable cotton snack bag

Perfect alternative for sandwiches and snacks.

Bamboo dish brush

Made with natural bamboo, durable and effective.

Disney Stitch stainless steel straws

Reusable stainless-steel straws with adorable Stitch toppers.

Zero Waste Locator

Find your nearest plasticfree food outlets using this interactive map.

Toy

swap

subscription library

The more affordable and sustainable alternative to buying toys.

RHS Harlow Carr