Families Herts Mar-Apr 2011

The Herts magazine with the information young families want

FREE Issue No.37 Mar/Apr 2011

Spring is in the Air Competitions Easter What's On Childcare Feature

Visit www.familiesherts.co.uk for competitions, What’s On listings and articles.

From your Editor …

In this issue:

Where are we?

Hello Readers, We’re very excited to tell you about a few new developments here at Families Herts.

The listings section is now titled ‘What’s On’, we’ve still got all the great content but the new name keeps us in line with our website. Go to www.familiesherts.co.uk and click on the 'Whats On' link. Also, just in time for the spring cleaning season, we’ve launched our new personal ads section on the Families Herts website. This is where you can advertise items for sale (or find items to buy) and it’s completely free – so get up in the attic or down to the shed and have a clear out!

Finally, if you’re a Facebooker, you may be pleased to know that Families Herts is too!

Just search for ‘Families Herts Magazine’ and you will find our page. We’re looking forward to seeing you there.

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News & Views

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Education

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Kid's Page

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Holidays At Home and Abroad

Baldock, Borehamwood, Chorleywood, Harpenden, Hatfield, Hemel Hempstead, Hertford, Hitchin, Kings Langley, Knebworth, Letchworth, Radlett, St Albans, Stevenage, Ware, Welwyn GC. Pick it up from cafes, playgroups, nurseries, schools, activity groups, selected children’s shops, surgeries, leisure centres and libraries. Get in touch to request copies for your venue.

Shelley

It’s Party Time!

To advertise in our May/June Party Feature call

020 8428 6384

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Deadline for May/June: 5th April

10 Childcare Feature 12 Competitions 14 Your Home 16 What’s On Front Cover Image: Stockist: Room Seven www.roomseven.com

Don’t miss a copy Families Herts by post for just (£9.30 for 6 issues (1 year) or £18 for 12 issues (2 years).

Call or email for a subscription form.

Families Herts, PO Box 434, Pinner, HA5 9AH Tel/Fax: 020 8428 6384 editor@familiesherts.co.uk www.familiesherts.co.uk Deadline for May/June: 5th April

Learning Works!

Remove the obstacles to learning Private Tuition for Literacy.

Specialist in tutoring learners with Dyslexia.

Qualified 1-2-1 tutor, offering literacy support from KS1 children right up to adults and/or students in Higher Education.

Enhanced CRB checked.

Call in confidence 01582 461 785 / 07946 358 004

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News & Views Get Active at Super Camps

Super Camps have been running Multi-Activity Camps for 14 years. The Camps cater for children aged 4-14 and activities include motor quads, climbing, swimming and archery plus they’ve got a new art programme starting this year - so there’s something for all ages and interests. They also offer free extended hours (8am – 6pm) and, being Ofsted registered, are able to accept childcare vouchers. You can book by the day or week. During the school holidays there are camps running in Hemel Hempstead, Rickmansworth and Hertford.

For more information about the camps, courses, workshops and early booking discounts go to www.supercamps.co.uk.

Keep Cosy On a cool spring night keep your child warm with a Wheaty Bag. These loveable animal characters are made of soft fur and are filled with natural wheat and seeds. Pop them into the microwave and they’ll warm up in a jiffy. New for 2011 are the Wild Warmers – giraffes, leopards, zebras and tigers.

Costing from just £9.95, Wheaty Bags are available from www.wheatybags.co.uk.

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News & Views

It’s ‘Green’ To Go For Save Money at Your Local Herts Homeowners NCT Nearly New Sale

The Hertfordshire & Essex Energy Partnership (HEEP) – is offering up to 100% grants and interest free loans, to homeowners and private tenants across Hertfordshire and parts of Essex - helping people install solar panels on their roofs for generating free green energy power from the sun, and free electricity into their homes.

The offer is open to residents living in Brentwood, Broxbourne, Chelmsford, Dacorum, East Herts, Epping Forest, Harlow, Hertsmere, North Hertfordshire, St Albans, Stevenage, Three Rivers, Uttlesford, Watford, Welwyn and Hatfield.

There are only a limited number of funding packages available and they are subject to applicants meeting the qualifying criteria. The offer closes by April 2011.

For full information and an application form call 0800 023 2326 (www.freesource.co.uk).

As many families prepare to tighten their belts, NCT’s Nearly New Sales offer new and expectant parents a financial lifeline. With VAT now 20%, child benefit payments frozen for three years, housing benefits capped and child tax credits cut, many families will bear the brunt of the changes 2011 will bring. At the Nearly New Sales, parents can kit out their kids for less than high street prices or save a fortune on preparing for the arrival of their new baby.

For sellers the Sales also provide an opportunity to make some extra money from selling clothes and equipment families no longer need. Goods must be in excellent condition and sellers will keep up to 70% of the proceeds from the sale.

The rest will be returned to NCT to help fund its vital services. To find your nearest NCT Nearly New Sale take a look in the ‘What’s On’ section in print or online at www.familiesherts.co.uk or visit www.nct.org.uk/nearlynewsales

Get the Party Started! Traveling this Easter?

Jolly Bookworms is a brand new pre-school activity class based around children’s books.

Every class focuses on a popular children’s story but as well as a traditional-style story time, your child gets the opportunity to choose from a variety of fun and stimulating activities connected with the story: colouring, make & do and a selection of toys. Each class also features the ‘sound of the week’: based on synthetic phonics, the system that is widely used to teach children to read in primary schools, the ‘sound

Clown Leisure Entertainments have been in the party business for over 21 years and have expertise in all aspects of party planning. All their entertainers are well established and fully vetted through an audition process and are also CRB checked. Clown Leisure also offers Workshops for both groups and individuals.

A new website has been set up to address every conceivable need of parents when traveling with little ones. From travel cots with canopies to sunshades and travel backpacks, www.contentandcalm.com is packed full of products to help your little ones remain content and calm when on the move. With the help

They also offer themed parties including props, fancy dress and venue decoration. Visitors to their website can view photographs and videos of all the entertainers, making it really easy to find just the right one for your child’s party or any other celebration. If you're short of time they can plan and manage your whole event from beginning to end.

To find out more about how they can help you get your party started call 0845 652 0054 or visit www.clownleisure.co.uk

of some of the products on the site, you can make traveling a breeze and, if you are going on holiday this Easter, check out the site’s top tips for traveling with babies. Take the awardwinning TrayKit – an all-in-one kid’s carry-on backpack and play-tray solution. The pack straps to train and plane tray tables and will hang from the seat in front in a car to provide an extendable play surface with raised sides to give kids their own play space. It costs £24.99. www.contentandcalm.com

Postnatal help While becoming a parent for the first (or second!) time can be very exciting, many of us also find it an immense challenge. This spring the NCT has set up a new Postnatal Line for all parents. Staffed by qualified NCT advisors, the Postnatal Line offers support and information to new parents on everything from sleeping to feeding, establishing baby routines and body image after birth. The helpline number is 0300 330 0772 and is open 9am to 1pm Monday to Friday, with calls charged at local rates.

For more information go to www.nct.org.uk.

Mid-Herts Villages to get Free School The Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove, has approved the plan for the proposed new secondary Free School in mid-Herts. The school is set to serve the needs of children living in the mid-Herts villages of Knebworth, Woolmer Green, Oaklands, Codicote, Datchworth and surrounds.

The ‘We Need A School’ team have now published the 'Ethos and Vision' document.

This sets out how the school will provide an imaginative and dynamic solution to the

Jolly Bookworms

problem of village children struggling to get places at their chosen schools in the nearest towns. The team aims to promote enjoyment of learning and to maintain high educational standards whilst also focusing on the needs of individual children. The team believes the school will be a resource of immense benefit to the five villages' communities.

To register your interest and to find out more, go to www.weneedaschool.org.

For inclusion in News & Views pages please ring 020 8428 6384

table’ introduces children to a new sound each week. Sessions finish with a game or a song – related to the week’s story. So, give your child a head-start, and a life-long love of books, by taking them to your local Jolly Bookworms.

To find out more call 07913 128870 or visit www.jollybookworms.com.

Building Skills for Life

ST ALBANS CHORLEYWOOD HARPENDEN HEMEL HEMPSTEAD HERTFORD

01582 609762 020 7622 1009 01525 717567 01442 875977 0845 6036140

POTTERS BAR 01438 213854 STEVENAGE & LETCHWORTH 01462 811120 WATFORD 01727 768738

WELWYN-HATFI ELD 020 8441 5922

Summer Workshops

St Albans: 25th - 29th July, 1st - 5th August Chorleywood: 8th - 12th August Hemel Hempstead: 8th - 12th August 8-16 years BOOKING NOW!

or email editor@familiesherts.co.uk

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Education

Education

The Art of the Japanese Soroban Abacus Father of two, Nobuyuki Fujioka, originally from Japan, has delved into his cultural roots and has rediscovered the benefits of the soroban abacus. As a result he has found that it can have a profound effect on children’s education and confidence.

Having spent time researching and devising course materials and with the belief that this method can really benefit children’s numeracy he launched his after school classes last year. Here Nobuyuki explains more about this intriguing method of working with numbers.

What is the Soroban abacus?

The soroban abacus is a traditional Japanese calculating tool. It came to Japan from China around the 16th century and then spread across Asia and the world. Even today, with computers and calculators, the art of abacus has survived and is again beginning to be seen as an excellent educational and mental arithmetic tool. Today, the soroban abacus is taught in schools and after-school programmes in many parts of Asia and has also been introduced to Western countries in recent years.

The benefits of learning to use an abacus

Visit www.familiesherts.co.uk for competitions, news, articles and our local directories.

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On the abacus, any numbers can be visually represented by beads, allowing problems of addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, etc. to be solved by moving the beads. Engaging the visual, tactile and auditory senses of the child, it particularly suits visual and/or spatial learners, who may have struggled with traditional maths teaching. As a multi-sensory method, it is not only a proven way of boosting children’s understanding of numbers and calculation skills but is also a fun and interactive way to learn the foundations of maths. For some young children the basic concepts of numbers and their relationships can be very

difficult to grasp and this can lead to a lack of confidence. The abacus, by making numbers concrete, quickly and accurately conveys number concepts.

Children start by learning basic number concepts using concrete objects and images and learn to manipulate the beads to perform calculations quickly and accurately, moving towards being able to perform the same calculations in their heads. With practice children can learn to do complex mental arithmetic.

The course also helps children to work on word problems as well as to learn other basic mathematical concepts such as time and shapes. By making sure that children consolidate their mathematical foundations, the course aims to boost each child's self-confidence and belief in their potential and mathematical ability.

Children can start the course from as young as 3 ½ years old. Children are set in classes according to their age. There are classes for 6-12 year olds and a class for younger children (3 ½ - 5). Classes are held in Hemel Hempstead and additional classes will be starting in the St Albans area.

To find our more and to book a free trial session call 01442 800 808 or email contact@abacusmaths.info

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The Abacus course at a glance:

Children will …

Learn basic concepts and rules of numbers and maths.

Develop the ability to concentrate and visualise numbers with the aid of abacus.

Learn mnemonic techniques for number/maths facts (e.g. times tables) Master the basic arithmetic foundations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division).

Develop the habit of mental arithmetic without over-reliance on calculators.

Enjoy and accelerate in learning maths.

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Kid's Page

Holidays at Home & Abroad

Make a Mini Alien World

Hot (or cold) Chilly Powder

Get stuck into this fab spring project.

Indoors or out - no garden required!

Create your own mini world in a jar with an insect-eating sundew at the centre. Sit it on a sunny windowsill and sticky droplets form on its leaves.

Passing insects stick to these and are digested to death. Add a plasticine alien to make your bottle garden out of this world!

You will need :

Aquarium gravel or re cycled beads and small ston es.

Large plastic storag e jar Glitter Carnivorous plant co mpost Sundew carnivorous plant Plasticine Important Stuff Sundews like to live in a sunny spot.

Keep well watered. Sundews only drink soft water or rain water.

Some sundews can live for up to 50 years.

Top Tip Carnivorous plants usually like a peat and sand mix of compost. You can buy it ready mixed, or make your own using two parts moss peat to one part sand.

If you think that a mountain holiday means you have to be knee deep in snow then think again. As winter white gives way to spring green the Alpine scenery becomes verdant with lush flower meadows and blue water lakes.

Chilly Powder, located in the beautiful French Alpine village of Morzine, is the perfect base from which to explore this stunning area during spring and summer. Chilly Powder is owned and run by Francesca and Paul Eyre who, with over 15 years experience, really know how to provide families with great skiing or summer mountain holidays that keep their guests coming back year after year.

The family accommodation is second to none and boasts specially designed family rooms. All the baby and child equipment and services you’ll need are provided: a crèche, a baby-listening service, baby-sitters, travel cots, bottle-warmers, off-road buggies, highchairs, ski clothes (for winter stays), bottles, sterilisers and more.

In the summer months there are activities to suit all ages and energy levels and plenty of family friendly outings and activities on offer. Let the lift take the strain and enjoy a magical picnic in sight of snow capped peaks. Children will also love a gentle tour through mountain passes on the back of a friendly donkey (four legs are better than two!). Plus, there’re 650 km of walking and mountain-biking trails, an Olympic swimming pool or swimming in Lake Montroind, tennis courts, horseriding, summer toboggan runs, orienteering, pot-holing, canyoning, white water rafting, kayaking, paragliding, golf. The world-famous Evian spa and a waterpark are nearby.

When you return to base after a fun packed day knowing that your kids needs are well provided for you can relax: Pamper yourself with a facial or Indian head massage at the onsite spa; Savour a five course evening meal prepared by the in-house chef or luxuriate in the outdoor hot tub.

You can expect average temperatures (centigrade) to fluctuate between mid to high 20s with periods during the summer when it stays consistently in the 30s.

To find out more visit www.chillypowder.com.

Plant watch Sundews are also called Drosera. There are more than 160 types. They attract insects using their bright colours and the sweet droplets that cover their leaves. Once an insect is stuck, some Drosera curl their leaves around it as it dies.

1 Start by dropping coloured gravel into the bottom of your storage jar. Make layers using different colours and sprinkle on glitter for sparkle. Next drop in handfuls of carnivorous plant compost. Press it down gently. Make sure that you leave enough room for the Sundew!

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The Snow Centre

Remove the sundew from its pot and plant it in the middle of the compost. Firm the compost gently around it.

About RHS How Does My Garden Grow?

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Make your alien using the plasticine. No one knows what an alien looks like, so make it any shape you like. Think about where your alien will go. Inside the jar? Sticking to the outside?

This will help you decide how big to make it.

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4 Leave your mini world to settle. The sundew will start to form new droplets on its leaves that small files will stick to.

Published in association with the Royal Horticultural Society, How Does My Garden Grow? Gets children involved in growing plants, helps them understand how food is made and shows them how to be creative with the plants, flowers, fruit and vegetables they’ve grown – it’s practical, educational and bucket-loads of fun!

‘RHS How Does My Garden Grow?’ is published by DK, priced £9.99 Available from all good bookshops and www.dk.com

Deadline for May/June: 5th April

You don’t need to set foot in the Alps to have fun in the snow. At the Snow Centre, in Hemel Hempstead, children can learn to ski (from 4 years) and snowboard (from 7 years) with highly qualified BASI instructors. Why not choose a Holiday Course to keep the kids active, entertained and learning something new while they’re not at school? Courses run over four days, those aged 4-6 have one hour lessons and older children aged 7-16 have two hour lessons over four days.

What’s more, it’s the perfect place to hold a fantastic fun-filled children’s party in the snow. The birthday child and their guests will have the chance to ski, snowboard or even whizz down the slope on a Rubber Ringo. The cost includes invitations and hot food which can be pre-ordered from the menu. Each party has a dedicated party coordinator who will make sure the birthday boy or girl and their guests have a party to remember!

For more information call 0845 258 9000 or visit www.thesnowcentre.com

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Childcare

Childcare What mums say:

The cost of paid work

“I’ve got two children aged two and three, and to be honest I reckon it costs me to work. Around 70% of my income goes on childcare, and the rest is eaten up in travel, lunches and clothes to wear for work. I keep telling myself that it’s a long-term investment in my capacity to work when the children are older and at full-time school, but there are days when that rings very hollow indeed. The truth is that it’s a real slog, working so hard when you’ve got small children...somewhere in your mind you know they’re happiest when they’re with you, and you know you’re happiest when you’re with them, and if you’re not even making money out of it, there comes a point when you think: why bother?”

Having a job when your children are young just got more expensive.

Joanna Moorhead explains why.

We’re all in this together – we’ve all heard that, many times, from our politicians about our country’s financial problems.

But from April, if you’re a working parent you could be forgiven for thinking you were maybe taking more than your fair share of the hit.

Why so? Well, that’s when cuts to state-funded help with childcare announced in last year’s comprehensive spending review start to kick in: and what they’ll mean is a cut in income of up to £1,300 a year to some families, according to the thinktank Resolution Foundation (www.resolutionfoundation.org).

Chancellor George Osborne announced last year that the percentage of childcare costs recoverable through the working tax credit system would be reduced from 80% to 70% in April. But, says the Resolution Foundation, many families are still unaware of the changes – and, says its chief executive Gavin Kelly, those on middle-to-low incomes are the ones likely to find the losses hardest to bear.

“Many parents find support with childcare costs absolutely essential to staying in work, and the big worry is that some will now find that work doesn’t pay,” he says. And he points out that, coming after recent rises in travel costs, the cuts come at a time when families are feeling the pinch very hard indeed.

After all, for working parents childcare cuts don’t just represent a loss of income: they force parents to think about whether working when their children are young is actually worth the effort at all. Given that the government is committed to helping parents to work if they want to, that doesn’t make much sense.

To be totally fair about it, of course, a two-parent family should view the costs of childcare as a proportion of their joint income. But in practice, how it’s seen by most couples is as a proportion of the mother’s wage.

And if the proportion of that income spent on travel, lunches and childcare becomes too high, then many mothers start to think: what’s the point of carrying on working?

After all, life is hard enough when you’ve got a small child or small children; if the money you’re bringing in is making a big material difference to your family, then it’s worth it. But when it ceases to do that, you might as well reduce the stress in your own life and increase the amount of time

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Stockist: Room Seven www.roomseven.com

you spend with your child or children, and quit work.

The problem in the UK, as compared with many other countries in Europe, is that childcare costs already eat up a huge proportion of a family’s income – 33%, according to recent figures from the OECD, compared with 4% of a family’s income in Belgium, 11% of a family’s income in France, and even compared with 19% of a family’s income in the US. And many campaigners argue that failing to invest in childcare, and so reducing the proportion of a family’s income spent on childcare, is failing the long-term economic future of the country. After all, working mothers are extremely valuable to the economy: they’re paying into their pensions, they’re learning new skills, they’re keeping their confidence up, and even if they only tread water while their children are young, they’re keeping connected with the world of work in a way that will make it much easier to up a gear when their children are at school.

From the government’s point of view, of course, the changes to working tax credit are all part of a cuts package that has to affect everyone in the land. This month’s changes to the childcare element of the credit will save £270m next year, rising to £385m by 2014-15.

The policy is one of several deficit reduction measures which will hit families, including an end to the £250 child trust fund for new babies, and the cutting of child benefit from 2013 to families where one parent is a higher-rate taxpayer.

What’s especially unfair is that, if women leave the workplace when their children are tiny, they often find their working choices hugely reduced when they try to return to work three, or five, or even ten years down the line.

And given that we’re being encouraged to anticipate living longer, and working for longer, that makes no sense.

(Julie, 37, works in marketing)

“I’ve worked out that unless I can earn at least £35,000 a year, it’s simply not worth going back – so, for the moment, I’ve decided to stay at home. What worries me is how I’ll get back into the job market – I feel that while I’m at home I’m not getting the kind of experience employers are interested in, and that my confidence will be muchdiminished by the time I’m ready to put in job applications again. Like many working parents I’d rather work part-time than full-time, but working part-time means an even lower salary, and you still have to get yourself into the office, buy lunches and so on, and that costs a huge amount. What I need is a system under which my children could get good, affordable childcare so that I could at least keep my toe in the water with my job, for the longterm.”

(Suzy, 34, former curator)

More information: Daycare Trust: www.daycaretrust.org.uk Working Families: www.workingfamilies.org.uk Childcare tax credits: www.direct.gov.uk

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RIVERBANKS NURSERY SCHOOL Established in 1990 in Harpenden 1:4 adult to child ratio Riverbanks provides ‘outstanding’ & fun education and care, for children aged 2 to rising 5 shirley.hayman@riverbanks.co.uk

01582 461608

Easter

Holiday Club 4th - 15th April

Especially designed for 2 - 8 year olds.

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Competitions

Win great prizes for the whole family!

Win one of five copies of ‘The New Pregnancy & Childbirth’

By Sheila Kitzinger This new edition of the bestselling book is one of the most comprehensive guides to pregnancy, labour and early parenthood. It helps prepare parents-to-be emotionally and physically, providing sound and re-assuring advice that takes them from conception to postnatal exercises. A week-byweek pregnancy diary shows what to expect and when, with all new colour illustrations. New Pregnancy and Childbirth encourages expectant parents to be actively involved in decisions about their antenatal care and birth method. The book has up-to-date information on everything expectant parents need to know, including: caesarean births, the birthing sling, sex during pregnancy, nutrition, screening tests, different birth options and how to give birth actively.

Sheila Kitzinger is a leading authority on women’s experiences of pregnancy, childbirth and motherhood. Sheila has written 24 books on her subject and her work has increased awareness of maternal rights and contributed towards changes in maternity services in the UK. New paperback edition RRP: £17.99 Closing date: 8th April For more information about the book visit www.dk.com

To enter go to www.familiesherts.co.uk

Win a one week Barracudas Activity Day Camp for Easter or Summer!

Barracudas, the UK’s Number 1 operator of Activity Day Camps will be in Hertfordshire once again this Easter & summer offering fun and exciting activities for children aged 4 ½ to16 years.

100+ activities will be on offer including motor sports, swimming, arts & crafts, tennis, circus skills, football, dance, drama, climbing wall, plus much, much more!

There really is something for everyone. All Barracudas camps are registered with Ofsted. Standard opening hours are 8.30am to 5.30pm with the option to extend the hours from 8am to 6pm if you need more flexibility.

Commenting on the camps for 2011, Karen Baynes, Director said, “This will be our 19th year of operating day camps and we have some fab activities on offer like our high adrenaline inflatable assault course, criss cross zorbing, interactive dance mats, den building and some extreme challenges to name a few! All in all 2011 looks set to be a fantastic year and we look forward to welcoming lots of new children to Barracudas, as well as a warm welcome for all our experienced campers!”

For a free brochure and DVD visit www.barracudas.co.uk or call 0845 123 5299

Enter at www.familiesherts.co.uk

Competitions

Win one of 6 Family tickets Win an Annual Ticket to Lee Valley Park Farms & Go Wild! to Mead Open Farm Just in time for the Easter School Holidays, the new Giant's Rock climbing wall opens at Mead Open Farm. Measuring a whopping 24 feet high, the Giant's Rock challenge will be adored by all young climbing enthusiasts and even, mum and dad can race against each other to the top too – if they’re brave enough!

Elsewhere at Mead Open Farm, there’s plenty more springtime fun to be found; the Lamb Nursery is packed with newborns and expectant mums to be; the older lambs want bottle feeding and the rabbits can’t wait to meet new friends in Bunny Hop. Plus from 9th-25th April, you can earn your very own chocolate treat in the fun Easter Egg Hunt.

Another attraction at Mead Open Farm is all the outdoor and indoor fun including Shaggy’s huge PlayWorld, go-karts, crazy golf and now, of course, the Giants Rock climbing wall.

Mead Open Farm is just south of Leighton Buzzard. Visitors should follow the brown signs from A505 or A4146. For more information and prices call 01525 852954 or visit www.meadopenfarm.co.uk The family tickets will be valid for 6 months and are for 2 adults and 2 children.

Closing date: 1st April.

To enter go to www.familiesherts.co.uk

…. The doors are now open at Lee Valley Park Farms for the 2011 season.

Visitors will meet magnificent new meerkats as well as pigs, goats, sheep, giant rabbits, chinchillas and the loveable llama.

Lambing starts in March and continues through to Easter. Plus there will be plenty of new litters due in Petunia’s Nursery, so expect plenty of baby guinea pigs, rabbits and chicks. Take a walk through the countryside or, at weekends and during school holidays, take a tractor and trailer ride to see cows being milked in the modern dairy farm. Kids can ride on the tractors in Piglets’ Paradise and play in the soft play Bundle Barn and on the incredible Spider Tower. A bite to eat at the Orchard Café will keep the family happy for the whole day. See you there!

Open daily from 10am-5pm. Adults £7.50, children £6, under 2’s go FREE. The prize is one annual ticket for one adult and one child (worth £85) to Lee Valley Park Farms. The winner will be able to visit as often as they like through 2011 and enjoy all the events planned for 2011.

To enter go to www.familiesherts.co.uk

Herts camps dates and venues: Hemel Hempstead (Abbot’s Hill School) from 11 - 21 April and 25 July - 19 August Hertford (Haileybury School) from 11 - 21 April and 25 July - 19 August Welwyn (Sherrardswood School) from 25 July - 19 August

To enter go to www.familiesherts.co.uk Deadline for entries is 25th March Terms & Conditions: Prize is one week between 11th to 21st April or 25th July to 19th August 2011 (dates vary depending on location) at a Barracudas camp. Travel to and from the Barracudas camp is not included. The children must be aged between 4 ½ and 16 years. One entry per family. The ‘week’ cannot be split across more than one child, or more than one week and cannot be used against an existing booking.

6 Ben 10 DVDs to be Won! Ben 10 goes head to head with the sinister Highbreed in the new action-packed DVD Ben 10 Alien Force Volume 6: War Of The Worlds. Fans of the top rated Cartoon Network show will find the nail biting climax between Ben 10 and the terrifying alien species unmissable!

Ben 10 is up to some serious monkey business when he pulls a fast one on the prince of the Arachnachimps. Just as he cleans up that mess, the action explodes into an all-out War of the Worlds! Ben sets an attack into motion and is forced to confront the Supreme Highbreed on his own turf. But when the Omnitrix Master Control resets, Ben is left with a big surprise on his hands!

Includes episodes: Birds Of A Feather, Unearthed, War Of The Worlds Part 1, War Of The Worlds Part 2. RRP: £9.99, Run Time: 87 mins Closing date: 8th April

To enter go to www.familiesherts.co.uk 12

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Your Home

Your Home

Should We Stay or Should We Go?

By Gavin Gutteridge of Reshape Interiors

meter of new floor area so that you have a good idea of the overall cost before you begin.

We would always advise adding a contingency allowance to cover any unexpected costs.

The thought of employing and dealing with a builder can be a daunting prospect.

As demonstrated in the many TV consumer programmes focusing on ‘cowboy builders’.

These shows, as well as their great entertainment value, do a good job of exposing the unsavoury side of the building trade.

It is, however, important to keep things in perspective and to realise that not all builders are ‘bad boys’. The majority of builders are skilled professionals who want to complete the job to a high quality at a reasonable price with minimal disruption.

At Reshape Interiors we pride ourselves on traditional values, integrity, quality and our high level of customer service. Involving a reputable and experienced builder at an early stage can save time and money. One thing is certain, if you do make the decision to extend and/or improve your home, by taking time and sticking to a carefully considered plan and providing a detailed specification your hard earned cash will be wisely spent and you will have the family home you dreamed of.

After

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f you own your own home, it is likely that at some point you will face the dilemma of whether to move or extend? On the face of it, a simple question, but the answer is not always straight forward.

It is often a wise move for families to enlarge and improve their current home rather than move to a larger and, probably, more expensive dwelling and there are sound reasons for doing so. Hugo Tugman, founder of Architect Your Home, says, ‘If you move, stamp duty, legal fees, removal-van bills and estate agency cheques all add up to a chunky five-figure sum - and that’s before you’ve shelled out to have your new home redecorated to your taste. But if you spend that money on your current home, you can transform it.”

The main reason to be thinking about moving or extending is the need for more space. There

Reshape’s top tips will ensure your building project is a success: Seek a recommendation or two - ideally from family, friends, neighbours or colleagues Initial rapport - the importance of good relationships and communication cannot be over emphasised as the key to success in any building project References – take them up and ask questions relevant to your project Opportunity to inspect previous work – do not be shy, ask and view Obtain 3 quotes - and if a price looks too good to be true, be warned Payment terms - deposits are usually only payable where very specific or custom-made materials are required, otherwise avoid paying deposits and agree a payment schedule in writing.

Ensure that proper up to date insurances are in place before work commences - on larger projects, it may be appropriate to appoint a professional Project Manager.

Professional Organisations - such as the Federation of Master Builders and the Guild of Master Craftsmen are useful and helpful points of reference.

Reshape Interiors Limited (Hertfordshire) are specialists in refurbishments and extension projects and regularly deal with requests from homeowners wishing to maximise their property to its full potential in order to increase its value for a more concrete future investment.

Many projects undertaken have increased in value despite the recent decline in property prices.

If you are thinking of doing a home extension project or any changes to your home contact Reshape Interiors for more information, advice or a competitve estimate call 01727 868844 / 07915 088929 or email info@ reshapeinteriors.co.uk

The views represented in this article are those of the author. The purpose of the article is to stimulate thought and to provide general information only and does not constitute financial, investment, legal or other advice. You should not rely on any information provided in this article and you should always seek out independent professional advice relevant to your own particular circumstances.

Before

may be a new baby on the way or your children are getting older (and larger). Perhaps it’s an extra bedroom that’s needed or a larger kitchen, or both. Sometimes people may decide that moving is preferable to staying put because they are fearful of employing building related trades to work on their home. Yet the home buying process is also accompanied by stress and anxiety.

Before making the choice some questions that you should ask yourself are: Will moving take us closer to/further from children’s schools?

Do we want to be further from/closer to our extended family?

Do we want to be further from/closer to local shops?

Do we want to be further from/closer to the train station or local bus routes?

Will moving make it harder or easier to travel to work?

Can we afford the extra costs involved in moving?

Would we be better off investing the cost of moving into our current home?

Thinking carefully about the answers to these questions will help you come to the best decision for your family.

You decide to stay put and extend …

If you decide to stay put you must get reliable advice and there are companies similar to Reshape Interiors that will be able to provide this. It is important to find out estimated costs per square

14

Say you saw it in

15

What's On

What's On

Compiled by Tricia King

THEATRE ABBEY THEATRE Westminster Lodge, Holywell Hill, St Albans, AL1 2DL 01727 857861 www.abbeytheatre2.org.uk Godspell 14-16 Apr (8pm, 3pm Sat matinee) Set in a modern school, four gangs come together under the influence of the new kid ‘Jesus’. Age: 6+ Tickets: £7, £8.50 (concs available on Saturday matinee) THE ALBAN ARENA Civic Centre, St Albans, AL1 3LD 01727 844488 www.alban-arena.co.uk The Tiger Who Came To Tea 7 Apr – 2pm & 4.30pm 8 Apr – 10.30am & 2pm The doorbell rings as Sophie and her mum are sitting down to tea. Who could it be? They don’t expect to see a big, stripy tiger! Age 3+ Tickets: £10, £8.50 (Schools) BROXBOURNE CIVIC HALL High Street, Hoddesden, EN11 8BE 01992 441946 www.broxbourne.gov.uk Roary The Racing Car 19 Apr – 1pm & 3.30pm 20 Apr – 11am It’s the day of the ‘Champion of Champions’ race at Silver Hatch and Roary is all set to battle it out with the other cars to win the race.

Tickets: £12, £14, £45 (family) CAMPUS WEST The Campus, Welwyn Garden City, AL8 6BX, 01707 357117 www.welhat.gov.uk/campuswest Cinema Animals United (U) 5, 12 Mar 10am 13 Mar 12pm You Again (U) 5 Mar 12pm, 3pm 6 Mar 3pm Gulliver’s Travels (PG) 12 Mar – 12pm 13 Mar – 10am & 3pm 19 Mar – 10am & 12pm Tangled 27 Mar – 10am, 12pm & 3pm 2 Apr – 12pm Tickets from £2 Theatre Bugsy Malone 22-26 Mar – 7.30pm 26 Mar – 2.30pm A fun tale of gangsters and molls – set in a world where bullets are replaced with custard pies!

Tickets: £12, £10, £6 (RARE Membership Card) GORDON CRAIG THEATRE Stevenage Arts & Leisure Centre, Lytton Way, Stevenage, Herts SG1 1LZ 08700 131030 Thomas and Friends Live On Stage 5 Mar – 1.30pm & 4.30pm 6 Mar – 11am & 2pm

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All the engines work together to prepare for the exciting Big Top event and Thomas must prove he’s a really useful engine.

Tickets: £15, £13, £50 (family) The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe 20 - 23 Apr – Contact the venue for times.

Enchanting amateur musical production of the classic C.S. Lewis tale.

Tickets: Wed £15, Thurs - Sat: £17, £15, £55 (family), £5 (babes in arms) HERTFORD THEATRE The Wash, Hertford, SG14 1PS 01992 531500 www.hertfordtheatre.com Fun with a Drum Tuesdays at 9.30am & 10.30am Explore the variety of sounds in the Magical Music Box. Magic Dave 13 Mar – 11am & 2pm 10 Apr – 11am & 2pm Dave’s got something magical in his show!

Age: 4+. Booking advised Tickets: £5, £3, £15 (family) Adventures of the Gingerbread Man 27 Mar – 11am An adventurous journey in search of somewhere better, but our champion learns that there is no place like home. Ages 2-7 Tickets: £6, £4, £18 (family) The Story of Aesop’s Fables 27 Mar – 3pm Two actors play all the characters, with music, masks, magic and comedy. Ages 5-11 Tickets: £6, £4, £18 (family) Private Peaceful 31 Mar – 1.30pm & 7.45pm Private Peaceful relives the short but joyful life of Private Tommo Peaceful, a young First World War soldier awaiting the firing squad. Ages 8+ Tickets: £14, £12, £8 (groups) Camp Rock: The Musical 5, 6, 7, 8 Apr – 7.30pm 9 Apr – 2.30pm & 7.30pm This summer at camp was supposed to be all about the music and having the time of their lives. But the new, flashy Camp Star across the lake threatens Camp Rock’s existence.

MALTINGS ARTS THEATRE The Maltings, St Albans, AL1 3HL Box Office: 01727 844222 www.stalbans.gov.uk Cinema Up (U) 5 Mar – 2pm 78-year-old Carl fulfils his dream to explore South America, and is inadvertently joined by 8-year-old stowaway Russell.

102 Dalmatians (PG) 12 Mar – 2pm Cruella De Vil returns and she’s soon back to her dastardly ways.

The Jungle Book (U) 19 Mar – 2pm The jungle adventures of ‘Mowgli’.

Alice In Wonderland (PG) 9 Apr – 2pm Tim Burton’s imaginative take on Carroll’s children’s classic sees an older Alice return to her childhood adventure.

Robin Hood (12A) 14 Apr – 2pm Russell Crowe stars in this all action adventure.

How to Train Your Dragon (U) 16 Apr – 2pm An friendship between a young boy and a dragon becomes a thrilling flight.

THE MARKET THEATRE Sun Street, Hitchin, SG5 1AE 01462 433553 www.markettheatre.co.uk The Great Easter Egg Hunt 20-23 Apr – 2pm A seasonal adventure where only the help of the children will ensure that all the eggs are retrieved! £7 THE OLD TOWN HALL THEATRE High Street, Hemel Hempstead HP1 3AE 01442 228091 www.oldtownhall.co.uk The Cat That Walked by Himself; Including short piece The Big Surprise.

26 Mar – 2.30pm This play of light and shadow, tells the classic Just-So story of Rudyard Kipling. The Big Surprise is an original tale of gastronomic adventure. Ages 5+. £6, £4 (concs) Luminous Tales 9 Apr – 2.30pm A witch and a girl both love the moon so much they could eat it up. Age 4-8 Tickets: £6.25 / £4.25 Dacorum Card Holders THE RADLETT CENTRE 1 Aldenham Avenue, Radlett, WD7 8HL 01923 859291 www.radlettcentre.co.uk Roary the Racing Car 5th Mar – 1pm & 3.30pm, 6th Mar – 11am & 1.30pm Tickets: £14, £12, £46 (Family) We’re Going on a Bear Hunt 22 Mar – 1.30pm & 4.30pm 23 Mar – 10.30am & 1.30pm Michael Rosen’s award-winning book comes to the stage. Age 3+.

Tickets: £10 How the Koala Learnt to Hug 2 Apr – 2pm A charming tale about the magic of family and the importance of a nice warm hug! Age 4+ Tickets: £7 Stig of the Dump 20 Apr – 2pm Barney and Stig’s adventures in the chalk pit culminate in a journey back to the days when there were only Stigs and stone circles. Age 5+ Tickets: £9 The Teddy Bear’s Picnic 21 Apr – 1pm & 3.30pm Take your teddy bear - prizes for the biggest, smallest, oldest and friendliest. For under 5s.

Tickets: £8, £28 (Family of 4) RHODES ARTS COMPLEX South Road, Bishop’s Stortford CM23 3JG 01279 651746 www.rhodesbishopsstortford.org.uk

For free listing in What's On call 020 8428 6384

The Way Back Home 5 Mar – 2.30pm A boy finds a plane in his cupboard. He flies it higher and higher until he runs out of petrol and lands on the moon. How will he get back home? Age 3+ Tickets: £10/£7.50 concs Primary Schools Music Festival 2011 20-24 Mar – 7pm 15 Bishop’s Storford primary schools participating in this musical event focusing on the theme of ‘Animal Magic’.

Tickets: £9 first ticket/£7 additional tickets TRESTLE ARTS BASE Russet Drive, St Albans AL4 0JQ 01727 850950 www.trestle.org.uk The Birthday of the Infanta 2 - 4 Mar – 7.30pm 5 Mar – 2.30pm & 7.30pm Join, the Spanish princess at her 12th birthday party - the only day of the year she is allowed to play with other children. Age 9+ Tickets: £5 Storm in a Teacup 14 Mar – 1.30pm & 4pm It’s not always easy making friends, especially when you live in a lighthouse! Ages 4+ Tickets: £8, £6, £25 (Family) THE WESTON AUDITORIUM de Havilland Campus, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, AL10 9AB 01707 281127 Small Worlds 3 Apr - 11.30am, 1pm, & 2.30pm Meet a bug, a goose, a fox, a cat and a six year old girl - and watch their wordless stories unfold. Ages: 5-11 Children’s Workshop 10.45am, 12.15pm, 1.45pm Create a puppet, and bring it to life in your own story. All children must be accompanied by an adult.

Tickets: £8 Adults/ £6 Children/ Workshop £2.50 A Town Called Panic (PG) 10 Apr – 11am A Town Called Panic follows the hilarious adventures of three plastic toys named Cowboy, Indian and Horse. Subtitled Stop Motion Animation Workshop 10 Apr – 1-3pm An in-depth look at 2D and 3D stop motion techniques and create a short film of your own! Ages: 7-12, Workshop led by British Film Institute tutors.

WYLLYOTTS CENTRE Wyllyotts Place, Darkes Lane, Potters Bar, EN6 2HN 01707 645005 www.wyllyottscentre.co.uk Wind in the Willows 19-22 Apr – 7.30pm 23 Apr – 2.30pm & 7.30pm An amateur production of Alan Bennett’s adaption of the story of Toad, Mole, Ratty and Badger. £15, £12 concs, £10 child

EASTER HOLIDAY CLUBS & COURSES BEST THEATRE ARTS Berkhamsted HP4 3FZ 01442 866 118 www.besttheatrearts.com liz@besttheatrearts.com 11-15 Apr The Phantom Jukebox When the old jukebox starts playing again, it is not only memories that are summoned from the past! Age 6-16 The Gruffalo Is there really such a thing as a Gruffalo?

Age 4-6 Early booking advised.

BIRCHWOOD LEISURE CENTRE PLAYSCHEME Longmead, Hatfield, AL10 0AN 01707 270772/3; 01707 262023 (bookings) www.hatfield-herts.gov.uk Easter Holidays (dates not confirmed at time of going to press)8.30am – 6pm Bouncy Castle, Badminton, Karaoke, Face Painting, Netball, Arts & crafts, Cooking, Football, Hatfield Kids Fun Zone. Age: 4-12 Cost: Hatfield Resident - £12 per day / Non Hatfield Resident - £16 per day.

CAMP GOSLING Gosling Sports Park, Stanborough Road, Welwyn Garden City 01707 331056 www.goslingsports.co.uk 11-22 April 26-28 April 9.15am-3.30pm Multi activity sessions: Tennis, athletics, football, trampolining and more. Junior Base Camp (4- 7 yrs), Base Camp (8-9 yrs), Sports Academy (10-15 yrs). Early drop off and late pick up facility: 8am - 6pm at extra cost.

Check venue for prices.

COOKCAMP COOKERY WORKSHOPS 07989 743 357 www.cookcamp.co.uk 5 - 7 April - 10am-3pm 12 - 14 April - 10am-3pm Easter Camp Children will have lots of fun while they learn basic cooking skills. Make snacks, biscuits and treats. Create delicious desserts, play food recognition games Pre-book veggie or meat option.

Ages: 8yrs-14yrs HERTS YOUNG MARINERS BASE Windmill Lane, Cheshunt EN8 9AJ 01992 628403 www.hymb.com 11-15, 18-21 Apr - 9.30am-12pm & 1-3.30pm.

Choose from: Sailing, Kayaking, Adventure Games, Canoeing, Bell Boating, Windsurfing, Climbing, Caving, Raft Building, Bushcraft.

Half or whole day. Booking essential. Age 9+ Membership required.

Cost: Half day - £15, Full day - £28.

or email editor@familiesherts.co.uk

Say you saw it in

HERTFORDSHIRE SPORTS VILLAGE University of Hertfordshire, De Havilland Campus, Hatfield Business Park, Hatfield, Herts, AL10 9EU www.hertssportsvillage.co.uk Junior Sports Camps Check venue for dates.

Sport camps for children of all ages and abilities.

Fully qualified coaches work to help participants develop their chosen sport in a fun and safe environment. Age: 5-17 Prices vary depending on Camp.

KOOL KIDZ CAMPS Applecroft School, Applecroft Road, Welwyn Garden City, AL8 6JZ 0845 6032858 or 07966483508 www.koolkidzcamps.co.uk 11-15, 18-21 Apr – 9am-4pm A fun and friendly camp with staff qualified in childcare and first aid. Arts and crafts, sports, go karts, bouncy castle, radio controlled cars and more. Ages: 4-11 yrs Cost: £30 per day; extended sessions available at extra cost MICK PYE’S SOCCER SCHOOL 01462 484123, 0792 891 4086 angelapye@sky.com Easter Soccer School 14, 15, 18, 19 April - 10am-3pm PERFORM DRAMA WORKSHOPS 0845 400 4021 www.perform.org.uk Wind in the Willows 13-15 Apr – 10am-12pm Fleetville Junior School, 228 Hatfield Road, St Albans AL1 4LW 18-20 Apr – 10am -12pm Northwood Methodist Church Hall Oaklands Gate, Northwood, HA6 3AA Perform’s team of actors, musicians and dancers take the children on a trip guaranteed to fire their imaginations. Age 4-8 Advance booking essential.

PLAY IN THE PARKS 01727827667 mark.caldwell@leisureconnection.co.uk www.stalbans.gov.uk/playintheparks www.activestalbans.com Easter Holidays – check above contact details for venues and times.

Play activities for 5– 2 yr olds at a park or open space near you. Sports specific sessions, Arts and Crafts, Drama Workshops, and Creative Games. (All under 8s must be accompanied by an adult) PLINSTONKIDS Plinston Hall, Broadway, Letchworth GC Herts, SG6 3NX 01462 672003 www.plinston.com 11-15 Apr – 10am-3.30pm Activities may include coach trips, walks, cinema and talent shows, quizzes, arts and crafts, competitions, sports and games, cookery, and special themed days.

Cost: Please check with venue; additional charges for early starts and late finishes.

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What's On RIVERBANKS NURSERY SCHOOL Lower Luton Road, Harpenden, AL5 5EP 01582 461608 Holiday Play Scheme 4 - 15 April Ages: 2 – 8 years.

Designed especially for this age group with qualified staff on a ratio of 1:4 Costs: £7.50 per hour.

TOP HAT STAGE SCHOOL 01727 812666 www.tophatstageschool.co.uk admin@tophatstageschool.co.uk Footloose 11-15 Apr Potters Bar, Wyllyotts Theatre 18-21 Apr St. Albans Girls School Put on a show in just one week!

Costs: £100 for 4-5 yr olds for the week. £150 for 6-17 yr olds for the week. (£130 for existing Top Hat Students).

WILD CHILD ACTIVITIES Beaumont Secondary School, St Albans, 0845 3717099 www.wildchildactivities.com Wild Wheels Skateboarding Beaumont School, St Albans 11-12 Apr – 10am-12.30pm Dive into the awesome world of Skateboarding.

For beginners and anyone who wants to learn cool new tricks. Equipment provided. 7-12 yrs.

Wild Archery St Albans Girls School, St Albans 13 Apr – 10am-12pm Archery is cool! Qualified instructors. 7-12 yrs.

Wild Fashion Designers St Albans Girls School, St Albans 14 Apr – 10am-3pm Dream of being a Fashion Designer? Update a garment into something new and trendy using our fantastic materials. 8-12 yrs.

Wild Animation St Albans Girls School, St Albans 18 Apr – 10am-3pm Find your film-making potential and learn about different animation techniques. Model characters and record sound-effects to create your own mini-masterpiece. 8-12 yrs.

PLACES TO GO ADEYFIELD ADVENTURE PLAYGROUND Turner Hill, Adeyfield. Hemel Hempstead.

HP2 4LD 01442 242852 paul.banks@dacorum.gov.uk Term Time: Mon-Fri 3.30-6.30pm, Sat-Sun 1-5pm School Holidays: Mon-Fri 9.30am-5.30pm, closed weekends and bank holidays Arts & crafts, cooking, sports, free play and a pool table, table tennis and computer games.

Outside: enclosed area with wooden play structures; football pitch; Zip Wire and nest swing. 6-12 years; under 6s are welcome and must be accompanied at all times by a parent or guardian.

Free

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What's On BRITISH SCHOOLS MUSEUM 41 Queen Street, Hitchin, SG4 9 01462 420144 www.hitchinbritishschools.org.uk See original Victorian and Edwardian classrooms and discover what school used to be like!

FROGMORE PAPER MILL & VISITOR CENTRE Fourdrinier Way, Apsley, Hemel Hempstead, Herts HP3 9RY, 01442 234600 frogmoremill@thepapertrail.org.uk Spring Fayre 27 Mar – 11am-4pm Craft stalls, and craft demonstrations, boat rides, mill tours, BBQ. Adults £1, Children 50p.

HEARTWOOD FOREST Sandridge. AL3 6JE www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/heartwood louiseneicho@woodlandtrust.org.uk Community Tree Planting 19 Mar – 10am-3pm Help plant thousands of trees at England’s largest new native woodland. Come dressed for the outdoors and bring a spade if you can! Hot food and drinks available to buy. All ages.

Free HERTFORD CASTLE Hertford,SG14 1HR 01992 552885 Castle Open Day 8 May Step into the past. Guided tours through the history of the castle, grounds and dungeon. Fun activities for children aged 5-10.

Free HERTFORD MUSEUM 18 Bull Plain, Hertford, Herts, SG14 1DT 01992 582686 www.hertfordmuseum.org Toddler Tuesdays Stained Glass Windows 15th Mar – 1.30-2.30pm Creepy Crawlies 26th Apr – 1.30-2.30pm Crafty activities, play with toys and share a story! Age 2 - 4 £1 – please book in advance Mud, Sweat and Beer – Everyday Life in Tudor Times 2 Apr-3 Sept Tues-Sat – 10am-5pm Find out how gruesome diseases were treated, discover toe curling punishments and work up an appetite for Tudor food. Explore the everyday life of Tudor people; from the penniless to the privileged.

Free Tudor Fun Day 9th Apr – 10.30am-3.30pm Sample food, listen to music and dress up like a Tudor!

Free entry, donations welcome Tudor Easter Holiday Activities 12-14 Apr – 10.30am-3.30pm Make a miniature knot garden, have a go at illuminated letters and make a Tudor character £1.50, drop-in

19-21 Apr – 10.30am-3.30pm Make a smelly pomander, a heraldic shield and a Tudor ruff! £1.50, drop-in FIRST GARDEN CITY HERITAGE MUSEUM 296 Norton Way South, Letchworth Garden City, SG6 1SU. 01462 482710 www.gardencitymuseum.org LEE VALLEY REGIONAL PARK Lee Valley Park farms, Stubbins, Hall Lane, Waltham Abbey, EN9 2EF 01992 892781 www.leevalleypark.org.uk Whether you like walking, wildlife, birds gardens, sport, kids’ activities or boat trips there is something for you.

LET’S GO PLAY Old Highway park, Hoddesdon 01992 785574 2 Mar – 11am – 3pm Face painting, bouncy castle, sports, fun with the Play Rangers, and spring time arts and crafts. 3-12 yrs.

Free MILL GREEN MUSEUM AND MILL Mill Green, Hatfield, Herts, AL9 5PD 01707 271362 www.welhat.gov.uk/museum MUSEUM OF ST ALBANS 9a Hatfield Road, St Albans, AL1 3RR 01727 819340 www.stalbansmuseums.org.uk Sunday Stories Up with the Birds 27 Mar – 3pm-4pm Stories and an activity. For under 7s. £1 Crafty Coaches 20 Apr – 2-3pm or 3.30-4.30pm Make a fantastic coach, fit for a new princess and her handsome prince. Under 7s. £1 Eggstra special storytime 23 Apr – 3pm-4pm An Eggstra special storytime with Easter Egg Hunt, stories and activities. For Under 7s. £1 (Free to members of St Albans Children’s Book Group on the production of a membership card) NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM AT TRING The Walter Rothschild Building, Akeman Street, Tring, Herts, HP3 6AP 020 7942 6171 www.nhm.ac.uk/tring Monkey Business 15 Mar – 10.15-10.45am & 2-2.30pm Make a mischievous monkey mask. Drop-in.

Tickets £1.50 Animals After School Skeletons 10 Mar – 3.45-4.30pm Find out about some incredible animals, and make something to take home. Drop in. Age 5+ Tickets £1.50

ROLLERCITY Campus West, The Campus, Welwyn Garden City, AL8 6BX Box Office: 01707 357117 www.welhat.gov.uk/campuswest Oz Sats - 10am–12 noon Beginners session. Family fun with games and obstacles to enjoy.

(Children must be with an adult) Boppin’ Stoppers Sats - 3–5pm Advance booking advised. For children 12 and under and accompanying adults.

Breeze Suns - 11.30am - 1.30pm For less confident skaters Sparks Suns – 2pm – 4pm All abilities.

Easter Skates 11-15, 18-21 Apr 10.30am-12pm 12s & under plus parents 12.15-1.45pm, 2-4pm All ages Single admission £5.50. Family Ticket 20% off. Skate hire £1.30 Spectator 50p (redeemable in the RollerCity Tuck Shop up to the value of 50p).

VERULAMIUM MUSEUM St Michael’s Street, St Albans AL3 4SW 01727 751810 www.stalbansmuseums.org.uk Fantastic Fossils 19 Mar – 2pm-5pm Make dinosaur footprints and use a jigsaw to see if you can piece together a fossil Ichthyosaur.

Thanks Mum at Verulamium Museum 2 Apr – 2pm-4.30pm Make a fabulous fridge magnet to give as a special gift for Mother’s Day. £1 Easter Holiday Activities Egyptian Mummies 11 Apr – 10.30am-12.30pm Handle some real Egyptian objects. Make a model mummy complete with good luck charms and a mask. Age 6-13 Amazing Aztecs 12 Apr – 10.30am-12.30pm If an Aztec poor person was caught wearing the wrong sort of clothes their punishment was to have their house demolished). Find out more facts and make a fantastic mosaic skull.

Age 8-13 Roman Entertainment 13 Apr – 10.30am-12.30pm What did people do for fun before the days of TV and Play Stations? Make your own Roman game. Age 8-13

Stonehenge Model Making 14 Apr – 10.30am-12.30pm Why was this stone circle built and what was it used for? Make a model of Stonehenge. Age 8-13 £5 (£4.50 for Young Friends) Book either in person at Verulamium Museum or phone 01727 751810

full of crazy experiments! Full day’s programme of fun and plenty of indoor and outdoor adventure play.

holiday activities & Parties

WOODSIDE ANIMAL FARM Slip End Village, Luton, LU1 4DG 01582 841044 www.woodsidefarm.co.uk Contact venue for times and prices.

COOKERY WORKSHOPS (8-14yr olds) COOKING PARTIES (2-10yr olds)

Prep it! Cook it! Eat it!

Book online TODAY!

FUN DAYS OUT CELTIC HARMONY CAMP Brickendon, nr Hertford www.celticharmony.org 01438 718543 Celtic events and activities in this Iron Age woodland village.

LEE VALLEY WHITE WATER CENTRE Station Road, Waltham Cross, Herts EN9 1AB www.leevalleypark.org.uk White Water Rafting, Kayaking and Canoeing on the course that will be used during the 2012 Olympics for the canoe slalom events.

Contact venue for prices.

EASTER ACTIVITIES MEAD OPEN FARM Stanbridge Rd, Billington, Beds, LU7 9JH 01525 852 954 www.meadopenfarm.co.uk Open daily 10am -6.30pm Follow the Easter Egg Trail to win chocolate treats, meet baby lambs and bottle feed spring lambs. From Easter, the popular Tractor & Trailer Rides and Sheep Races return.

All activities included in the admission fee.

Contact venue for times and prices.

STANDALONE FARM Wilbury Road, Letchworth Garden City, SG6 4JN. 01462 686775 www.standalonefarm.com Re-Opens 1 Mar 11am - 5pm daily 170 acres of farmland with animals large and small. Lambing from Mid-March.Contact venue for prices.

WILLOWS FARM VILLAGE Coursers Road, London Colney, St Albans 0870 129 9718 www.willowsfarmvillage.com Easter Eggstravaganza 9-25 Apr – 10am-5pm Easter Egg Hunt led by the Easter Bunny in the Easter Garden with chocolate treats! Bunnies and chicks in Farmyard Favourites, a Bunny Hunt with prize. Mad Science will be performing an inspired show

ASHRIDGE ESTATE Ashridge Visitor Centre, Moneybury Hill, Berkhamsted, Herts, HP4 1LX 01442 851227 ashridge@nationaltrust.org.uk www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/ w-ashridge.

Easter Egg Trail 22-25 Apr – 12pm-4pm Put on your wellies and discover the secrets of the woodland and learn more about the creatures who live there. Sun & Mon - face painters, games and story telling. £2 RIVERSIDE SHOPPING CENTRE Hemel Hempstead Chocolate Spectacular 16 Apr – 11am-4pm Stands full of chocolate samples, beauty treatments and even the odd chocolate fountain or two – a mouth watering day.

info@cookcamp.co.uk Tel: 07989 743 357 www.cookcamp.co.uk

Your local party ware supplier

0845 413 0533

www.partykingdomuk.co.uk

DIARY DATES NCT NEARLY NEW SALES Everything for children 0-5 years old including: clothing, equipment, toys, books, videos, maternity wear.

St. Albans and District Nicholas Breakspear School, Colney Heath Lane, St. Albans www.stalbans-nct.co.uk 0844 243 6276 general@stalbans-nct.co.uk 13 Mar – 10.15-11.30am (10am for members) £1.50 Herts North Kingshott School, Stevenage Rd nr Hitchin 19 Mar – 10.30am-12pm (10am for members) Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted and District Ashlyns School, Berkhamsted 26 Mar – 2-3pm (1.30pm for members). £1 Welwyn Garden City and District 0844 243 6316 www.nct.org.uk/welwyn Stanborough School, Lemsford Lane, Welwyn Garden City, AL8 6YR 27 Mar – 12-2pm (11.30am for members) £1, or free with cake donation

Say you saw it in

Hertford, Ware and District Presdales School, Ware 2 Apr Harpenden and District Harpenden Public Halls 16 Apr – 10.15am (10am for members) DROP-IN COFFEE MORNING St Luke’s School, Crouch Hall Lane, Redbourn Herts AL3 7ET 7 Mar – 9.30-11.30am Informal drop in for parents/carers who have children with additional needs, hosted by Redbourn and Villages Extended Network of Schools LONDON PET SHOW National Hall, Olympia, London www.londonpetshow.co.uk 7 & 8 May – 9.30am-5pm The UK’s only show covering all creatures great and small. Perfect for families thinking about what pet might suit them.

Tickets: £13, £9, £41 (Family); under 5s Free

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