Exciting stories at the Festival of Archaeology

The UK’s biggest archaeological event, the Festival of Archaeology, will be running from 15th to 30th July and this year’s theme is Archaeology and Creativity. Archaeology is about storytelling and archaeologists use creative practices such as art, music, creative writing, poetry and theatre to bring to life the material we uncover and the stories of the places and people around us.

Through nationwide digital and on-site events, archaeological experts will help families discover how their local landscape has changed and shaped to become what it is now, as well as discover exciting stories about their local community.

Join educational guided walks, listen to talks, get involved with exciting archaeological excavations, or join digitally online through social media and discover more about your local area. More info:www.archaeologyuk.org/festival.html

Summer holiday and term time fun with Perform

Perform are ensuring a fun-packed July and August with their Wizard of Oz drama, dance and singing holiday courses plus their first ever festival of children’s theatre, Perform in the Park. See page 8 for more details.

Children can sing and dance down the yellow brick road with the Wizard of Oz. With colourful costumes, uplifting songs and dazzling dancing, children ages 4 to 10 will have the best fun of the summer as they bring this story to life. These five-day courses run across July and August from 10am to 3pm each day. Book online at perform.org.uk/ wizard - Newnham Croft Primary School (24th – 28th July)

Plus Perform’s term time classes are back in September and there’s no better time for your child to try Perform. Classes are for all abilities and every child is welcome to try a free class in Hills Road Sports Centre, Cambridge; Newnham Croft Primary School, Newnham; St. Andrews Church Hall, Chesterton; or St. John’s Church Hall, Cambridge. Book a FREE class at www.perform.org.uk/try

Ultimate Activity Camps

Ultimate Activity Camps provide outstanding Ofsted regulated summer activity day camps with the primary function of delivering a very high level of care and welfare for 4–14-year-olds during the school holidays. Camps are excellent for parents looking to provide their children with a fun, active and exciting experience during school holidays and offer a wide range of activities, from sports and outdoor adventures to arts, survival skills and tech camps. Staffed by experienced professionals who provide a safe and supportive environment for children to learn and grow; it’s a great place for children to gain confidence and self-esteem. www.ultimateactivity.co.uk

Let kids play outside to balance screen time

If you have young children, you may be worried about how much time they spend staring at a screen and wonder whether there’s anything you can do to balance out any negative effects.

New research from Japan has found that although more screen time at 2 years of age is associated with poorer communication and daily living skills at age 4, time spent playing outdoors can reduce these effects on daily living skills by almost 20%.

The researchers also found that socialisation was better in 4-year-olds who had spent more time playing outside when they were age 2.

According to the authors of the research, the results indicate that even if screen time is relatively high, encouraging more outdoor play time might help to keep kids healthy and developing appropriately.

More info: https://bit.ly/ScreenTimeOutdoorPlay