Families Leeds & West Yorkshire March/April 2023

THE SUPER SOAPBOX CHALLENGE IS COMING TO BRADFORD CITY CENTRE!

Sunday 30th April 2023

Starts from 10am, on Kirkgate

Come and enjoy a fun day for all the family!

Welcome

Spring is around the corner and so are all the possibilities that come with it. Right on cue here’s your trusty Families magazine, full of information, ideas and resources for making the most of March and April.

For Easter egg hunts and loads of other events going on in this area – turn to our what’s on section.

We’re also really excited to share crafts and recipes, tips on hosting an egg hunt, downloadable family walking challenges and an interesting feature on setting up Play Streets to give kids more freedom to play outdoors.

There’s plenty on education too, from engaging your child with history, links to free SATs revision tools, and an interesting article on the various approaches to discipline in primary schools.

Don’t miss our giveaways either! This issue’s goodies include Smoby Nature Playhouses, tonnes of books and a device to help those who find reading difficult. Apply inside and also ensure you receive every issue of our digital magazine with lots more content and goodies on offer.

Finally, I’d like to wish all the mummies out there a Happy Mother’s Day. We have a gift guide for mum all for under £20 (page 25). Personally though, I’m more interested in our top Easter eggs for 2023 on page 12 – they all look far too good for the kids!

Education

Downloadable walking challenge

Easter treats

Easter crafts

Top Easter eggs for 2023

Hosting an Easter egg hunt

Education Giveaways

Easter Sunday with my Mum (also her birthday!) last year

Free KS1 and KS2 SATs revision tools

With KS1 and KS2 SATs approaching, your kids can have fun AND learn with these free resources.

CHECKLIST

Maths English ✓ ✓

Karate Cats

English

Fun BBC Bitesize game which prepares for Year 2 English SATs.

Year 2 KS1 SATs topic checklist

Use this to identify skills and gaps that need more practice.

Karate Cats maths And prepare for Year 2 maths SATs with Karate Cats too!

Year 6 KS2 2022 English SATs papers

Practise English using past papers.

CHECKLIST

Maths English ✓ ✓

Year 6 KS2 topic checklist

Use this to identify skills and gaps that need more practice.

Year 6 KS2 2022 Maths SATs papers

Review and practise maths using past papers (with answers).

Guardians

Defenders of Mathematica

Fun BBC Bitesize game which develops KS2 SATs maths skills.

KS2 Crystal Explorers

Join the adventure and improve grammar, punctuation and spelling.

KS2 SATs Online 10-Minute Tests

10-Minute Tests (and answers) - ideal for practice on-the-go.

Family Walking Challenges

Family life is busy and it can be difficult to stay active whilst still finding time for everything else – particularly spending quality time together. By making time to walk as a family, you can meet your exercise goals together. Try one of these three family walking challenges from PlanBee.

You are challenged to walk 30,000 steps 5 hours Or set your own challenge

DOWNLOAD FOR YOUR KIDS HERE!

By Jemma Z Smith

Easter treats to make with the kids

From Neha Gandesha @squashedpickle

Froyo Easter egg lollies

Easter hot chocolate

These frozen yoghurt treats are considered the best Easter cooking activity in our family. With a few simple ingredients, such as Greek yoghurt and food colouring, you can create a delicious Easter snack which the kids will run to the freezer to devour!

RECIPE VIDEO

Cinnamon Swirl bunnies

Kids can top these with their favourite chocolate eggs, sprinkles or even cookies and enjoy in a hot cup of milk. They make great Easter gifts when wrapped up too. Remember, marshmallows should only be given to kids over 5-years-old as they are a choking hazard.

RECIPE VIDEO

Milky Bar Oreo chicks

These bunnies are so fun for Easter and very easy to make, thanks to the ready-to-bake cinnamon swirl rolls made by Jus-Rol. The fun is in shaping the rolls so they turn into bunny ears! Kids can decorate the finished product with sprinkles and candy eyes and they make a really cute little Easter snack.

RECIPE VIDEO

These are another really fun Easter-themed treat to make with the kids and they use favourite chocolatey treats including Oreos, Milky Bar and yellow and orange Smarties. Other than that, all you really need are some lolly sticks and some candy eyes to really bring the chicks to life!

RECIPE

Parents and children aged 2-7 are invited to enjoy a real-life animal handling experience with both familiar and wild animals, plus an Easter Egg Hunt and a variety of fun Easter themed games and activities.

Easter crafts for the kids to enjoy

Get the kids crafting during the school holidays with this great selection of arty Easter and spring-themed ideas.

Burlap bunny bunting

Bunny scrunchies

Spring tin can animals

Easter biscuits

DIY Easter egg pinata

Easter bonnet

Easy button Easter egg

Mini Easter baskets

Easter egg weaving

Top Easter eggs for 2023

Choose your Easter eggs from the couch this year with our wonderful selection of treats.

Space Eggsplorer

Chocolate Egg

Decorated, hollow milk chocolate space shuttle with milk chocolate balls.

Egg On My Face

Chocolate Slab

Cheery milk chocolate slab with two white chocolate half-eggs.

Percy Pig™ Easter Egg Hunt Bucket

Hollow milk chocolate eggs and a small bag of mini Percy™ Piglets.

Easter Eggtastic Easter bundle

A chocolate egg for every occasion in this eggtastic Easter bundle.

Chocolate Dorset

Dinosaurs

Handmade shapes with milk, dark & white chocolate.

The Raspberry White Chocolate Egg

Belgian white chocolate, raspberry pieces and marshmallow chunks.

Giant Dinosaur Egg

Gargantuan 700g egg, 11+ inches tall, made of smooth, rich Belgian chocolate.

Extra

Thick White Chocolate Easter Egg

A generous egg, piled with fun chocolate treats.

Capsule of Milk

Chocolate Robots

Fabulous tin capsule filled with ten mini milk chocolate robots.

Hosting an Easter egg hunt

Choosing the location

Your garden is great or a local park if your group is large. Allow for weather. Have an indoor Plan B or take wet weather gear. Avoid an area so large that it’s impossible to find the eggs! For younger kids, keep it simple. Scatter eggs about in obvious locations.

Incorporating nature

An outdoor hunt is an ideal way to incorporate outdoor learning. Use vegetation in your own garden or park as hiding spots. Instead of solving clues, complete a spring spotting sheet or scavenger trail along the way.

Collect items along the way instead to make a nature craft to win the prize.

How to decorate eggs for Easter

Hiding the eggs

Before you start, count the eggs. You’ll thank yourself later!

Make it fair with different colour eggs for different kids. Try treasure hunt style with clues and rewards along the way. Finish with a grand prize. Find age-appropriate hiding spots - too easy and it’s over in a flash; too hard, kids get upset.

Selecting prizes

Go healthy with less sugary offerings.

Personalise your own decorated eggs (name, date, place) to create keepsakes. Customise treats for your child - favourite pens, books, gift voucher.

Try tokens to collect and redeem for prizes or even cash.

Readymade Easter egg hunt downloadable

A short 3-minute video which demonstrates how to easily decorate eggs for your hunt.

Try this readymade indoor hunt with clues and hiding spots suitable for most houses.

Steve Tiplady, as Geppetto, uses the objects of a carpenter’s workshop to tell the tale of the puppet that wants to be a real boy, and the puppet-maker who wants to be a real father.

Pinocchio is carved on stage, brushes become a fox and the shadow of two saws transforms into a giant shark An element of improvisation makes each performance unique to its audience

Puppetry, shadows, illusion and specially composed music combine to create a show with something for all ages.

Discipline in primary schools

By Lucy Dimbylow

At some point during their primary school years, all children – even the very best behaved – are likely to find themselves in hot water after committing some sort of misdemeanour.

How these incidents are handled will vary from school to school and also within schools, depending on the severity of the behaviour.

And while many schools still use traditional punishments, such as keeping children in at breaktime or sending them to the Head Teacher, a growing number are adopting a method called restorative practice to improve the behaviour choices of their pupils.

What is restorative practice?

Restorative practice is a set of principles and practice that encourages children to take responsibility for their behaviour by thinking through the causes and consequences.

‘In a rules-led system, the tendency is for the teacher to tell the child what they’ve done wrong and how they’re going to pay for it – for instance, by sending them out of the classroom if they’re disrupting the lesson,’ says Chris Straker, a former Head Teacher and interim Chief Executive Officer of the Restorative Justice Council.

‘The problem with this system is that children don’t learn about the responsibility they had in that situation and how it affected other people, because an adult has intervened and told them what they’ve done wrong.’ READ

Engaging your child with history

Presented well, history can be enthralling for kids. If you want to encourage an interest, these books will really stimulate engagement.

The Story of World War One

Ages 6-8. Beautifully illustrated with facts explained in simple English.

Rupert’s Parchment: Story of Magna Carta

Ages 4-8. The exciting Magna Carta story seen through Rupert’s eyes.

The Lion and the Unicorn

Ages 5-7. Powerful story about a child’s WWII experience.

Coming to England

Ages 3-6. An inspiring true story celebrating the Windrush Generation.

The Spanish Armada

Ages 6-11. Explores the English navy’s defeat of the Spanish Fleet.

Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot

Ages 5+. Accessible re-telling of the plot to blow up parliament.

Plague: A Cross on the Door

Ages 7-9. Exciting read bringing the plague and its impact to life.

Vlad and the Great Fire of London

Ages 3-9. How did the fire start and how did Londoners escape?

1066 The Norman Conquest

Ages 7-9. Exciting account of the military invasion of England.

Helping children who find reading difficult

Word Window is a specially designed hand-held tool that helps children break down words to make them easier to read. It was invented by a mum with an extensive background in education who created it to help children that found reading difficult.

Words are built on letters, sounds and other words and Word Window gives children, parents and teachers the ability to highlight sections of the word so that fluency and comprehension can build over time.

Word Window is successful at helping children to bridge the gap between learning phonics and building these skills into reading as it engages the kinesthetic sense when reading, a sense which is often neglected.

Check out the website HERE or find on Facebook.

Special offer for Families readers using discount code FM10 at checkout.

Pain free property move with Emsleys

Moving house can be one of the most stressful times in your life.

Conveyancing can seem a standard part of the journey, however, choosing a conveyancing team you can trust can make all the difference as Associate Director at Emsleys, Adam Dawson points out…

“As soon as you embark on the house buying journey, you become part of a chain. The chain from the seller to buyer, and so on. The shorter the chain, the less variables there may be to causing hold ups or, in the worst case, causing the chain to collapse.

Stress points come typically when a party hasn’t gone about their house purchase in the right order, or they have instructed a conveyancer that has failed to provide the pragmatic and quality service required for a smooth process. You can’t control what happens in the other areas of the chain, but you can have an

impact on your part in the chain by instructing trusted professionals.

After more than 30 years in the industry, the team at Emsleys Solicitors provide a quality, proactive and friendly service from start to finish. We hold the prestigious Lexcel quality standard and recognised in the Quality Conveyancing Scheme.

Plus – if you instruct Emsleys Estate Agents to sell your property, you will receive a 20% discount on your conveyancing fees.”

More info HERE or call Emsleys on 0113 264 4414.

Fun-packed family holidays with Away Resorts

Get away to brighter days this Spring with Away Resorts.

Whether you want coast or country, there are 23 stunning UK locations, all jam-packed with fantastic facilities - from arcades to swimming pools, surrounded by awesome local attractions.

At selected parks this Easter there’ll be themed activities, stage shows and live acts to keep you and the little ones happy, and the parks are dog friendly too.

More info HERE or call 03333 634189.

Get away to doing what you’d normally get a telling off for.

To the amazing colour festival. To embracing the technicolor chaos. To finishing the day exhausted, on a big comfy sofa in your Exclusive accommodation. Get away to it all, at one of our 21 UK locations.

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.

Northern School of Contemporary Dance School

Weekly dance classes for ages 5-12.

Baby Sensory North

Leeds

Supporting your child’s cognitive development with different weekly themes.

Music Bugs

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

Number Train

A fun and interactive introduction to maths for preschool children.

Pyjama Drama

Develops key skills by creating imaginary worlds for children to explore through play.

Toddler Sense

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

Diddly Oms

Yoga classes offered in Leeds from ages 12 weeks+.

Seasons

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

Could you run Pyjama Drama?

Pyjama Drama Leeds North is up for sale! It’s an exciting opportunity to buy a financially rewarding, flexible drama business with a proven track record of success.

Current franchisee Sara Wainman has built a fantastic reputation with parents, schools, and nurseries and works term-time only, during school hours, delivering award-winning drama and imaginative play classes in North Leeds. This is a flexible business opportunity offering the new business owner the option to work around a growing family or to expand the business.

You don’t have to have any drama experience. If you can make a child laugh by pulling a funny face and putting on different voices when reading them a story you can already do drama, and full training and ongoing support is given.

To find out more and request an information pack, EMAIL Sara.

Smoby Playhouse &

Stay and play with Seasons

Seasons Nature Craft and Play was created by Charlotte Ellis during the pandemic.

when she was studying a degree in early years while home schooling her own three young children (and having her fourth!).

What she learnt inspired her to start running nature play classes in her local community hall.

“I noticed my children were struggling being confined to a desk and laptop so I adapted learning to make it more fun, active, hands on and outdoors,” she said.

“I immediately saw an improvement in their wellbeing, behaviour and enthusiasm to learn, they thrived outdoors.”

After completing her dissertation on the benefits of nature play and forest school, Charlotte was convinced Seasons would work.

“Using sensory play and natural materials as a learning tool, I encouraged parents and families to get back out and socialise at playgroups after noticing a huge decline in them,” she said.

The stay and play sessions for young children aged from birth to five, themed each week, and in school holidays family sessions for primary aged children.

“For Easter, the outdoor garden area will be opening, and I’ll be offering forest school, mud kitchens, fairy garden, sensory and messy play, sand pit, sensory garden, fruit and veg patches, loose parts play, den building and art easels, to name a few.”

“This will give children space and freedom to explore nature play safely and for parents to benefit by having time out in nature too.”

Find out more HERE.

Advice on sling safety

Nicola Lawson from the West Yorkshire Sling Library gives a quick guide to baby carrier safety…

VISIBLE

The safest carrying position for newborns and young babies is upright on the adult chest. You should be easily able to see your baby’s face, mouth and nose just by glancing down at them, ensuring their airways are clear.

KISSABLE

“Close enough to kiss” is the rule which helps keep babies high and snug in the carrier. You should be able to easily kiss your baby without having to stretch, this easily shows up if a carrier is too loose, a poor fit or being worn too low down.

LAYERS

Extra weatherproof or warm layers are best over the top of a carrier, not underneath - so steer clear of bulky

snowsuits or chunky hoods. Put your baby in as close to your skin as you can, so layers can be easily added or removed.

GET HELP

Keeping your baby visible and kissable is a good start, but if you aren’t sure if your carrier fits or need support with using it correctly, most reputable brands offer instruction videos and online support.

Sling libraries run across the country for experienced baby carrier advice and fitting.

The West Yorkshire Sling Library based in Leeds offers free fit checks and drop in days every week for baby carrier fitting, advice and support with a huge collection to try on or hire.

Find out more HERE.

Healthy after-school snack ideas

We asked our friends at Kitchen Titbits for healthy ideas to satisfy our kids’ after-school hunger and to avoid spending a fortune on packaged snacks.

Energy-balls

Banana and blueberry muffins

(vegan)

Banana ice cream

Butternut squash and feta scones

Oat pancakes

Yoghurt and fruit bark

Fruit smoothie

Courgette spinach cheese muffins

Snack mix

Mother’s Day gifts for under £20

Attention dads! This is one for sharing with the kids before 19 March!

Gourmet chocolate pizza

For the mum who loves pizza and chocolate! £11.75

Personalised wooden memory box

Kick start mum’s collection with a few of your own items. £19.99

Photo cushion

Capture family memories on this multi-photo upload cushion. £19.99

Olive & Pip’s Drawing Make Up Bag

Create something special with those drawings on the fridge. £20.99

SHO reusable drink bottles

For mums who are both eco and style conscious. From £12.49

Mother’s Day Sketchy Muma biscuits

Gift box of ten biscuits. Hand drawn illustrations of heart-warming messages. £20

Reusable coffee cup

Designed to last 10 years. 100% recyclable. £14.95

Rarebirds Lucky Dip Book Club

Choose a genre; they will choose a book for mum. £8.99

Gift wrapped botanical posy

Mini posy made up of seasonal flowers, foliage and herbs. £15.95

Let’s play outdoors!

Get your little ones active and outdoors now spring is on its way. Here are some favourites from child psychologist and play expert Dr. Amanda Gummer, founder of The Good Toy Guide.

Xootz Bubble-GoScooter

An easy-to-master 3-wheeled scooter which blows bubbles as you ride! RRP: £49.99

Geosafari®

JR.Kidnoculars®

Extreme™

Magnify nature! 3x nofocus binoculars & builtin mic. RRP £26.50

Kids First Weather Science Kit

Investigate different types of weather with this interactive lab kit.

RRP: £16.95

Naylor Activity

Tunnels

Lightweight, bright play tunnels for indoor or outdoor adventures!

RRP: £33

Diditrike

Quirky, lightweight and easy-to-manoeuvre early year’s ride-on.

RRP: £44.99

Smoby AquaPlay

LockBox

Kids can explore waterway adventures with this canal-inspired playset. RRP: 39.99

Zoomarang

The original backyard boomerang! Circles out 30 feet with ease.

RRP: £4.99

Smoby KS Slide

Encourage active play with a slide that doubles as a water-slide!

RRP:£69.99

Waterwall

Hands on problemsolving fun with this interactive water flow.

RRP: £99.99

Helping boys manage the gender gap

By Lisa Wander and Catherine Loble

Six reasons children switch off from learning

By Gail Hugman

A 2022 global report shows that boys are increasingly becoming left behind in education. Furthermore, recent school entry baseline assessments show over one million boys are already under-achieving by the time they enter Reception. So what are the reasons behind this?

READ MORE

Given eleven years of full-time schooling, it’s not surprising many children face difficulties that affect their learning and some switch off altogether. What are the reasons for this and how can children be helped to reengage?

READ MORE

Award-winning Toddler Sense classes available in Leeds

A session made up of two parts allowing 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 I Siblings under 13 months are FREE!

North Leeds classes in Adel, Bramhope and Roundhay on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Text Lou on 07870275916. www.toddlersense.com/northleeds

Central and South Leeds classes at purpose-built Wow Centre on Wellington Road, right next to Armley Gyratory, on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, plus some weekend specials. Email Kirsty at southleeds@toddlersense.co.uk www.toddlersense.com/centralandsouthleeds

Bringing back playing out

The best childhood memories don’t usually involve expensive toys or organised activities. Instead, it’s playing and running around outside with friends.

There have been many studies into the benefits of free, unstructured outside play for children.

In the past, it was easy, but today things are very different, and one of the biggest barriers is traffic. UK traffic volume has doubled since the 1980s and roads are now seen as ‘just for cars.’ Parental fears are justified, as the numbers of children being killed or injured on our roads is shocking.

So, what can parents do?

Play Streets temporarily stop through traffic on a residential street, but they are still open to the people who live there. It means neighbours can open up a safe space for children to play together on their doorsteps.

Leeds is a trailblazer for Play Streets, winning a national award

in 2018. There are dozens of play streets taking place across the city, supported by Leeds City Council.

Getting started with play streets

Consult your neighbours.

Apply to your council for permission.

If you live in Leeds and you’d like to find out about applying to set up a Play Street, visit HERE.

There’s also a Play Street Network Leeds group on Facebook where you could find our more and connect with others.

If you would like to try out a oneoff event – for example, start with a street party for the King’s coronation, EMAIL Child Friendly Leeds for advice and support.

In other areas, councils may well be open to supporting play streets, even if they don’t yet have a Play Street policy. There’s more information HERE.

The Super Soapbox Challenge returns

Holiday adventures at Harewood

Bradford is getting ready to welcome back the Super Soapbox Challenge.

This fantastic event saw over 17,000 people soak up the atmosphere in the city centre last year.

Hosted by Bradford BID, the popular go-cart race makes a return on Sunday, April 30.

A fun, free event for all the family to enjoy, Bradford’s city centre streets come alive with cheers as the teams race their carts around the course – all hoping to be crowned this year’s winner with the fastest lap. The entertainment starts from 10am, with the first race taking place around 10.30am.

It is the first of a series of FREE, family focused events being hosted in Bradford city centre by the Bradford BID team, with Dino Day planned for June, and the Brick Live trail taking place for two weeks in July.

More info HERE.

There’s lots going on at Harewood House from April 1 to 16. Discover the amazing story of how Red Kites were reintroduced to Harewood, kitemaking workshops and outdoor activities. Plus, find the giant eggs hidden around Harewood for a chance to win a prize.

Find out more and book HERE.

Hop down to Harlow Carr this Easter

Hop on down to RHS Harlow

Carr Gardens this Easter and discover giant eggs hidden around the garden to win a chocolate prize. You can also get stuck in with fun family activities including storytelling, arts and crafts workshops, family-friendly planting and much more.

More info HERE.

Action-packed Easter family fun at Royal Armouries

Enjoy a family visit to the Royal Armouries Museum this Easter holiday, from April 1 to 16.

Book your free visit and enjoy a full programme of events and activities inspired by the challenging life of the knights in the Middle Ages. Have a go at wielding some whopping great swords yourself, and try your hand at archery.

Over the bank holiday weekend (April 7-10) the action ramps up with the International Jousting Tournament. See three teams of world-class jousters battle it out for honour and trophies.

Find out more HERE.

Leeds Young Film Festival is back

Leeds Young Film Festival is back this Easter holiday at the Carriageworks Theatre.

From April 1-7, find a whole week’s worth of movies and movie related activity.

April 1 is Harry Potter day. Watch the first three Harry Potter movies and dress up in your best wizarding outfit.

Plus there’s a brand new Movie Club, a chance for children to go and see films at the cinema with their friends, their siblings or even on their own - with the Leeds Young Film team to look after them.

More details on Leeds Young Film Festival and tickets HERE.