FAMILIES SOLENT EAST NOV/DEC 22

Welcome

Some of you love it and others find it overwhelming….we think you all know what we’re talking about! Yes, the festive season is just round the corner and it’s not too soon to start planning. If you fancy a festive family city break before Christmas – which could also double as a gift-buying opportunity – then investigate some of the cities that put on the best show in the lead up to the big day.

As things get increasingly busy, it’s important that you don’t burn out before Christmas even arrives. Take a look at our tips for lightening your load in the run up.

Meanwhile, life ticks on. You may be choosing your child’s first school, worrying about conflict in the playground, musing on your child’s future education or trying to work through the day while your children keep you awake at night If you are preoccupied with any of these things, this issue offers something very relevant for you.

Finally, especially for you, we tonnes of Weebles to giveaway! Apply for these adorable wiggly, wobbly mini-toys at familiesmag.co.uk/go. By doing so, you’ll also ensure you receive our digital magazine with lots more content and goodies on offer.

July/August competition winners

Congratulations to all our winners. You can find a list at https://bit.ly/JArecipients

Families is a registered trademark of LCMB Ltd, Remenham House, Regatta Place, Marlow Road, Bourne End, Bucks SL8 5TD. The contents of this magazine are fully protected by copyright and none of the editorial or photographic matter may be reproduced in any form without prior consent of Families Print Ltd. Every care is taken in the preparation of this magazine but Families Print Ltd, its distributors, franchisees and LCMB Ltd cannot be held responsible for

claims

nor for the accuracy of the contents, or

Portsmouth Grammar School is a Eureka school

The Junior School at The Portsmouth Grammar School is a happy and dynamic place for children aged 4-11 (Reception to Year 6) to learn.

PGS is a ‘Eureka’ school, where every day the children are challenged to ‘find things out’. Children in the Junior School excel academically and grow into happy, confident individuals.

“There is no greater moment for teachers when children, through determination and desire to learn, start to apply the skills and knowledge they have been taught to gain a deeper understanding of the world around them,” says Mrs WilsonSmith, Head of the Junior School.

“Our Connected Curriculum provides countless opportunities for children to learn flexible and lifelong skills, through a rich curriculum and co-curriculum, enhancing their learning journey.”

The learning curriculum, co-curriculum, house system and pastoral care provide a framework of opportunities across a wide range of inter-connected disciplines that enables the children to flourish and have fun.

If you would like to arrange a visit, call 023 9236 0036. Find out more about Portsmouth Grammar School at www.pgs.org.uk

Explore, discover and learn at Ryde School

Beach and Forest School sessions have long been a part of school life in Prep, Pre-Prep and Nursery at Ryde School.

Alongside the vibrant academic curriculum, children spend time immersed in nature, learning skills invaluable to their wider development, broadening their learning through discovery; building confidence and fostering their natural desire to learn and explore.

At the heart of a school day is a traditional academic curriculum, enriched with an introduction to Spanish Mandarin and Latin and a wide extra-curricular programme. Inter-schools maths challenges, explosive science sessions and fun, educational residential trips like a night in a museum or a trip to Valencia help children ignite their passion for learning.

Team sports matches against other schools, on and off the Island and sailing competitions in the School’s own fleet of dinghies embed team spirit and healthy competition that are part of the School ethos.

Scholarships and bursaries are available for 2023 entry into Years 5, 7, 9 and Sixth Form.

Ryde School’s next open morning is on Saturday 4 February, 10am until 12.30pm but private visits may also be arranged to view the school on a week day.

For more information call 01983 617970, email admissions@ rydeschool.net or visit www.rydeschool.org.uk

Get your child a letter from Santa

All children love to receive a letter addressed to them in the post. And what could be more special than a letter from Santa?

Here are two ways of making this happen.

Royal Mail Letter to Santa

Anti-Bullying Week 2022

Anti-Bullying Week takes place from 14 to 18 November.

The week will kick off with Odd Socks Day on Monday 14 November, during which adults and children wear odd socks to celebrate what makes us all unique.

The theme of ‘Reach Out’ is about empowering children to do something positive to counter the harm and hurt that bullying causes.

The Anti-Bullying alliance website has a free parent pack offering advice and tools to support families.

To get involved, visit www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk

For children to receive a FREE letter from Santa via the Royal Mail children must post their letter to Santa in an envelope with either a first or second class stamp and addressed to Santa/Father Christmas, Santa’s Grotto, Reindeerland, XM4 5HQ. The letter must include your child’s full name and address.

Check the deadline for posting the letter to Santa at www.royalmail.com/christmas/letters-to-santa

NSPCC Santa Letter

Children can also receive a personalised reply from Santa via his elves at the NSPCC in exchange for a donation to the charity.

The letter is ordered online. Check the deadline at https://letterfromsanta.nspcc.org.uk

Educating for the future

By Louise Livingston

Children are often asked what they want to be when they grow up. From farmers to flight attendants, astronauts to doctors, the answers are always a mix of familiar careers. But astonishingly, over two thirds of children joining primary school this September will end up in jobs that don’t yet exist. Think back thirty years - there were no social media managers or Bitcoin traders!

Today’s workplace is rapidly changing. As Richard Riley, former Secretary of Education, said:

‘We are currently preparing students for jobs that don’t yet exist, using technologies that haven’t been invented to solve problems we don’t even know are problems yet.’

It’s a challenge and mainstream education will be required to adjust. Is an education system that focuses mainly on teaching children academic subjects outdated? Focusing on tests and exam results will not deliver for a future which will need creative, flexible problem-solvers who can collaborate.

The visionary educational pioneer, Maria Montessori, recognised this when she wrote,

‘Education must no longer be mostly imparting knowledge but must take a new path, seeking the release of human potentialities.’

In Montessori education, children are guided by a teacher trained in child observation and development. Classrooms provide open-ended, hands-on activities where children choose tasks appropriate to their stage of development.

With activities so targeted to each child’s individual needs and interests, children are engaged and motivated to concentrate, persevere and develop self-discipline. In addition, the activities are designed to encourage children to think flexibly and come up with creative solutions. In the early years, this may simply be how to unbuckle their shoes or share a snack. Later, it may be an exploration of the Jurassic period or a novel approach to solving quadratic equations.

Mixed-age classes with children aged up to three years apart is another key feature of Montessori education. Younger children learn from older role models and older children benefit from the experience too. In this mini community, children share resources, put things away ready for someone else after they have used them and help each other. This fosters social collaboration and builds emotional intelligence.

Louise Livingston has over thirty years’ experience in education and a background in educational neuroscience. She is Head of Training at the Maria Montessori Institute (www.mariamontessori.org), which offers Montessori teacher training, online short courses and the Maria Montessori School for ages 2 to 12 in London.

Resolving playground conflict

By Zuzu Jordan

Playground conflicts can shape a child’s experience at school. When we show children how to manage them, they are learning vital life lessons about getting on with other people.

Conflict vs bullying

Conflicts in the playground can flare up and be forgotten from one day to the next.

As parents, we can’t swoop in and save our children from uncomfortable or even painful situations while they are at school. However, we can equip them with their own skills to use when teachers are not immediately available to intervene. Using well-chosen words can change the course of a conflict and help equip children to deal with future ones.

Of course, it’s important to understand where conflict ends and bullying begins: bullying involves a repeated, intentional act to hurt someone; it can take many forms. All schools must have an anti-bullying policy should bullying occur.

Take action

When conflict occurs, explain to your child that ‘hotting up’ a conflict makes a disagreement worse and ‘cooling down’ makes it better; we can help children realise they have the power to influence and resolve situations.

Start by listing which behaviours can hot up a conflict, such as shouting, name-calling, invading personal space, accusing, lying and being physical. Then list the behaviours that can cool down a conflict: admitting to what you did wrong, saying sorry, saying what you would like to happen, using a calm voice and avoiding words such as ‘always’ and ‘never’ which can immediately make someone feel defensive.

Active listening is a fundamental skill in resolving conflicts. Help your children practise by asking them to listen and repeat instructions back and paraphrase what you have said. Encourage them to ask questions so they learn how to develop healthy dialogues.

Older children may have more complex conflicts involving social media. These require a slightly different approach. Childline (www.childline.org.uk) and UNICEF (www.unicef.org.uk) offer support and advice for those who are experiencing issues online.

Dealing with conflict provides an opportunity for growth, emotionally, socially and intellectually. By continuing to observe and give children a safe space to talk about any conflicts they have, we are providing useful safeguards against potential bullying scenarios.

Zuzu Jordan is a Mastery for Maths specialist who has taught primary aged children for sixteen years and is interested in early years and home learning. For free homework and home learning resources, find @edumate_uk on Instagram.

Choosing the right primary school

By Gabrielle Nash

If your child turns four this academic year, they’ll be starting Reception next September and now’s the time to make their primary school application. Exciting times!

Your child’s primary school and its community becomes a large part of your family’s life, so feeling happy about the choice is very important. Depending on where you live you might have just one, two or maybe three schools to apply to. Or there may be numerous schools if you live in a city. So how do you go about knowing which will be a good fit for you and your child?

The catchment area

School catchment area is a key admission criterion for schools. This is generally based on the furthest distance that a pupil was admitted to the school the previous year but boundaries can be extended or shrink, according to the variables of each intake year. For example, one year there may be a larger cohort of siblings or looked-after children taking priority or it may be a year with a high birth rate, so the map alone does not guarantee your top choice.

You can check each school’s catchment area through your local authority to establish whether you’re likely to fall within it. Think carefully before aiming for a school for which you’re not in the catchment area. You don’t want to waste one of your choices.

Consider your working week. If you’re commuting to work, how will you do that after school drop-off? Is there a train or bus nearby or space to park your car?

A good fit

Every school is organised and managed differently, so you’ll need to do some research to see what each school offers and what matters most to you. When you’re shortlisting schools, it’s important to visit to get a feel for each one. Go armed with lists of questions and an open mind.

Each school will have its own personality but so does your child. Are they loud or reserved? Smaller schools with just one-form entry might suit a quieter child. If your child has any special educational needs, you’ll want to know the school caters well for them.

Extras

What wrap-around care does the school offer? If it doesn’t suit your needs, are there sufficient alternative options? Find out which secondary schools pupils go on to and see how that impacts on your thought process. For example, if a high proportion of the pupils go to the best local secondary school, then that’s a plus.

Why should my child aim for university?

Your child is probably still at primary school or may not even have started school yet but, at some point during their education, the question of whether or not they will go to university will doubtless come up.

Deciding whether to go to university or not depends on the career your child wants to pursue but not every student that embarks upon a university course is dead set on a specific career.

The good news is that all university courses equip students with transferable skills that benefit their careers. Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh believes that whatever the course, a university education will equip your child with these skills. Here they explore why the key skills learnt at university can make a student more employable.

Teamwork

Group projects undertaken at university are valuable because teamwork is an essential skill that’s required in almost any job you can think of. Even if your child pursues a career that involves a lot of individual work, like becoming an author or photographer, they will still need teamwork skills.

Through team activities at university, students learn how to work with a variety of other people. In our lives and careers, many of us might have experienced group work with someone who does not pull their weight or someone who wants total control.

Knowing how to deal with these issues professionally will be vital for your child’s future career. They will also gain valuable experience in supporting others, as well as collaborating with other people to come up with new ideas.

Planning and organisation skills

Alongside time management, the ability to plan out their workload and organise tasks and events will be useful for your child in any number of employment roles. If they choose to undertake a degree that is very practical, they will have a lot of opportunities to hone these skills in scenarios that will present themselves in the world of work. If they are considering a more theory-based degree, they will learn how to plan tasks that require a lot of work hours, like their dissertation.

Time management

Two of the greatest skills learned at university are how to manage time effectively and how to work to both long and short-term deadlines.

Coursework projects, like essay submissions and a dissertation, tend to be medium-to-long-term projects and your child will likely be juggling multiple projects simultaneously.

Additionally, your child might have practical work to complete or a presentation to create and present in a lecture.

Managing multiple projects that have different requirements and deadlines helps them learn to prioritise, which is key to time management.

Outside of their studies, there are other opportunities to hone these skills at university too, like volunteering. Student Volunteering Week, which usually happens during February, gives students an amazing opportunity to take part in organised volunteering projects.

Volunteering doesn’t have to be limited to one week each year either. Most universities have partnerships with charities and businesses, offering volunteering opportunities year-round.

This could involve organising fundraising events for a chosen charity, providing support during an event, or even getting out on the streets to raise awareness or money. All these events can help students enhance their planning and organisational skills, as well as many others.

When the time comes, whether your child has a dream career carved out in their head or they are still pondering their options, going to university can equip them with skills that are valuable in any job role.

One of the key benefits of university is the transferable skills it delivers; these can make a young person more employable, whichever degree they have studied.

In fact, transferable skills are key to your child’s future at work. Their ability to problem-solve, be creative, resilient and adaptable and willing to lead, will contribute massively to any job in any industry.

That’s why, these days, employers consider transferable skills to be a priority when evaluating potential candidates for positions. According to Barclays, three quarters of employers prioritise these above or equal to technical skills when recruiting new employees.

Leadership

From lectures and group projects to practical work and extra-curricular activities, the learning methods of university help students learn some of the key elements of leadership.

For instance, your child might assume the leadership role in a group project, which will help build critical delegation skills.

Some courses lend themselves particularly to the development of leadership skills and even teach them as part of the curriculum, like a business management degree.

Students learn about different areas of business and explore specific pathways including accounting, marketing, finance and economics.

Festive family city breaks

By Vicky Bradley

It’s the MOST wonderful time … of the year! It sure is! And what better way to experience Christmas with little ones than on a city break? Our friends at Tested by Tots have identified some of the most family-friendly UK cities in which to experience the full magic of Christmas.

Glasgow holds all the festive fairs that you would expect from a city but it also offers a range of theatre and entertainment for little ones. From a variety of pantos to Children’s Classic Concerts such as The Night Before Christmas, there is plenty to keep you entertained.

https://bit.ly/glasgownightbeforexmas

Kidderminster

Travel by Santa Trains (www.svr.co.uk/ events/santatrains22) from Kidderminster to Arley to see your favourite characters in pantomime. Twenty minutes away, Bodenham Arboretum’s (www.bodenhamarboretum.co.uk) live nativity play is superb.

Nottingham

Nottingham’s festive markets offer something for everyone, from retro style to a sparkling Winter Wonderland!

Trinity Square is a city highlight and last year it contained a specially constructed Christmas village which offered visitors the chance to relax with hot chocolates in a number of igloo-style domes. A unique experience!

https://bit.ly/nottswinterwonderland

Durham

A beautiful, picturesque city that truly embraces the spirit of Christmas. Alongside its regular markets, the city holds an annual Christmas Festival. This year’s Festival will run from 2 to 4 December. In addition, Durham will be full of festive music, seasonal storytelling, Carols in the Cathedral, a children’s Lantern Procession and so much more.

https://bit.ly/durxmasfestival

www.allevents.in/kidderminster/ christmas

Norwich

Perhaps not the first destination that comes to mind when you think about Christmas but Norwich has lots of festive charm, including the most anticipated Christmas attraction in the UK - The Tunnel of Light! As one of the largest of its kind in Europe, the Tunnel of Light consists of more than fifty seven thousand LED bulbs and over five and a half miles of cabling!

https://bit.ly/norwichxmas

Cardiff

Why not celebrate Christmas with a trip to a festive castle? Cardiff Castle has a fantastic Christmas festival with incredible shows such as Santa’s Wish, Castellana and The Nutcracker, all performed in the round. Plus, there’s the usual spectacular Christmas Market and Winter Wonderland.

https://bit.ly/cardiffcastlexmas

Tested by Tots checks out and recommends only products and services that are genuinely child-friendly. For hints and tips on holidaying with children, including holiday packing checklists, go to www.testedbytots.com

Belfast

This city goes big when it comes to Christmas with light shows, displays, markets and a Georgian experience. The kids won’t believe their eyes!

https://bit.ly/xmasbel

Winchester

Winchester Cathedral’s Christmas Market is widely recognised across Europe and is inspired by German Christmas markets. The Cathedral is at the heart of the city’s festivities, lighting up in celebration with Christmas services and other festive activities that carry on into the New Year.

https://bit.ly/wincxmasmarket

Exeter

Exeter city comes alive this time of year with an ice rink and Winter Wonderland plus the usual carol concerts and pantomimes. Drive twenty minutes and you’ll also find Pennywell Farm (www.pennywellfarm.co.uk) which boasts one of the best live nativity and Christmas experiences in Devon.

https://bit.ly/xmasinex

Glasgow

Winchester Cathedral Christmas Market

Norwich Cardiff

Belfast

Glasgow

Lightening the mental load this Christmas

By Chloe Lowe

Christmas is one of the busiest times of the year for parents. The pressure to create the perfect experience for everyone builds into a behemoth balancing on a plate of mince pies, threatening to crumble at any minute.

The upward comparison with Insta-perfect mums and crafting geniuses, let alone the constant narrative in the press, on television and on social media, means the mental load reaches an all-time high during the festive season and it’s well documented that mums bear the heaviest burden.

The sheer volume of things to think about and do can quickly lead to high-stress, low mood and burnout and not enjoying a minute of Christmas.

It’s very British to need to present the perfect picture. But when you realise that you can’t control everything, including the actions of your extended family or your delivery man, it can be truly liberating!

How to create your ‘perfectly imperfect’ Christmas

Here’s a few tips on how to manage the mental load this Christmas and feel good about it too.

Grab a pen and paper and write a list of the top three things that mean the most to you this Christmas.

Focus on those first. Doing a few things well will feel so much better than spreading yourself too thin and doing lots of things, just ‘ok’.

Ask for and accept help - it’s a sign of strength, not a weakness.

Slow down to speed up. Running on caffeine at one hundred miles per hour is detrimental to your mind and body. Slowing down and taking some deep breaths or even indulging in a Christmas movie, will help you reset, re-energise and get some headspace.

Ask yourself what your children really want and need this Christmas and focus on that rather than succumbing to the pressure to spoil them or compete with peers.

Reduce your time on social media. It’s amazing how many hours you’ll get back.

Avoid too many excesses. Don’t deprive yourself of a glass of fizz and a few mince pies but counter them with a family walk in the fresh air or a healthy breakfast or lunch.

And don’t forget to give yourself the gift of self-care so that you can enjoy Christmas too.

Chloe Lowe is founder of @parentlistapp (www.parentlist. app), the app for busy parents who want to find joy in parenting.

Choosing and caring for your Christmas tree

We all want a fabulous Christmas tree that lasts as long as possible. Here are some tips for selecting and maintaining your tree.

How do I select a tree that’s the correct height for my room?

Measure the distance between your ceiling and floor, which gives you the vertical height limit. Take a note of the height of your tree stand. Deduct the height of the stand from your vertical height limit and you have the maximum possible height of tree that your room can accommodate. Take these measurements with you. Doing this preparation will ensure you don’t end up coming home with a tree that is too tall.

Is my tree fresh and how long will it last?

A healthy tree will have bright and shiny needles, not dry and dull. If you spot any grey sections, that’s a sign of dehydration which means that the tree is not that fresh.

If the tree is fresh, the needles should not break easily and should be hard to pull off. If the trunk is sticky and there is any sap residue, the tree is fresh. Also, the tree should be heavy, which means it is freshly cut and still contains all its water.

Which trees typically survive longest?

Choose Douglas or Nordmann Firs as the best options. If cared for well, they can last for about six weeks before withering, offering the best longevity throughout the Christmas season.

Lower the temperature in the room where you put up your tree, as this really slows down the drying process and keeps your tree fresher for longer.

What are the best watering tricks?

Your tree will need one litre of water per three cm of the stem diameter. That means a fresh cut tree can consume four to five litres a day. Watering is critical, especially for Norway Spruce trees.

Check the water level daily and never let it go below the tree’s base. Without water at the tree’s base, the tree will dry out within a week. The temperature of the water is not that important and no, you can’t overwater your tree, it will absorb only as much as it wants.

How to give a fading Christmas tree new life

Give your tree a good trim which will reduce the number of water-requiring branches. Keep the room as cool as possible and move your tree to the darkest place of the room.

Families would like to thank Fantastic Services (www.fantasticservices. com) for this article.

Winter fun at Hampshire country parks

Wrap up warm and join the Hampshire Countryside Service for A Winter Wander with The Snowman™ and The Snowdog around three of Hampshire’s spectacular parks.

From Saturday 26 November to Monday 2 January, this is a family day out you don’t want to miss! Trail packs cost £7 and include a 12-page activity guide, a voucher for a winterwarming babyccino and a special The Snowman™ and The Snowdog gift.

The Winter Wander trail will take place around Lepe Country Park, Royal Victoria Country Park and Queen Elizabeth Country Park.

Parks are free to enter but parking charges apply. It’s advised you purchase your trail pack online before you visit.

To book your tickets, visit www.hants.gov.uk/winterwander

Incredible journeys into space this Christmas

The South Downs Planetarium in Chichester is an exciting place for people of all ages to visit. Get lost in their stunning fulldome images and breath-taking videos whilst highly experienced and enthusiastic lecturers take you on a mindblowing journey through space.

In conjunction with the new fulldome video system which produces stunning immersive images and video, their magnificent star projector projects nearly 4500 stars and other celestial objects onto the dome above your head.

The Planetarium puts on new public shows every month, including during the school holidays before and after Christmas. With its 100-seater auditorium, colourful displays and well-stocked sales kiosk, the Planetarium has something for would-be astronauts and stargazers aged 6 years and above.

Visit www.southdowns.org.uk for details of upcoming shows, opening hours and ticketing information.

Enlightened at Staunton Farm this winter

The twinkling lights of Enlightened are waiting to welcome you this winter! Fun for the whole family, the spectacular light trail returns to Staunton Farm this December.

Make the most of the long evenings as you stroll through the magical illuminations and immerse yourself in the beautiful installations. The enchanting light trail is sure to delight everyone from little ones to grandparents.

There will also be a tantalising selection of tasty treats and delicious hot drinks to choose from, so wrap up warm, make sure you have a marshmallow-topped hot chocolate in your hand, and prepare to be dazzled by Enlightened.

Enlightened runs from 1 December to 1 January. With peak and off-peak pricing, make sure you don’t miss out on the spectacle at Staunton Farm.

For more info and to book visit www.enlightenedmoments. co.uk/events/staunton-farm-2022

Festive family fun at Spinnaker Tower

Join Santa’s mischievous Elves for fun and games at Spinnaker Tower this festive season.

From 3 to 24 December on selected dates at Spinnaker Tower, join in for some festive family fun. Write a letter to Santa, receive a special gift and enjoy the incredible views in this uplifting Christmas experience. You can even meet Santa himself!

Christmas at Spinnaker dates include: Sat 3, Sun 4, Sat 10, Sun 11, Sat 17, Sun 18 and Mon to Sat 19 to 24 December. There are two 45 minute sessions per day at 9am and 10:30am.

Prices are £19.95 per child, £14.95 per adult and £8.50 for a child under 4.

Don’t miss out. Book online at www.spinnakertower.co.uk

Chichester is fantastic for families

Unwind in Chichester Festival Theatre’s free family friendly spaces, go on unforgettable adventures with shows or get creative at exciting events. From bubble magic to sensory soundscapes, you and your family can find plenty of family fun at CFT.

The new Winter season is jam-packed with family friendly fayre and its bumper Christmas programme includes a trip to the Wild Wood as Chichester Festival Youth Theatre present The Wind in the Willows, a shimmering sensory journey for babies with Glisten and the Christmas cheer continues with Dear Santa Live, from the creator of Dear Zoo, where you can meet Santa in his grotto after the show. Family tickets and offers available.

Don’t forget, the welcoming Café on the Park is ideally located for a winter walk and theres toys, colouring-in, chalkboards, fancy dress and books in the nooks to discover.

Find out more at www.cft.org.uk/forfamilies

Festive fun at Titchfield Festival Theatre

Titchfield Festival Theatre are pulling out all the stops to entertain the entire family this festive season with tickets from just £9!

From 23 November to 3 December, enjoy the Dicken’s classic ‘A Christmas Carol’, a thrilling journey through Scrooge’s past, present and future in the company of characters who leap out from Dickens’ unforgettable tale.

For younger audiences, Father Christmas himself will be making an appearance in the wonderful ‘The Night before Christmas’ show from 9 to 11 December.

And to finish their 2022 schedule there is a fantastic original pantomime, ‘The Nutcracker’ from 13 to 23 December. With the help from Nutcracker, Sugar Plum Fairy and Mother Ginger, Clara must travel through the magical enchanted land of sweets to defeat the evil Rat King to get her brother back. Full of songs, laughter and your favourite pantomime gags.

Find out more at www.titchfieldfestivaltheatre.com

Christmas at Weald & Downland Living Museum

There is so much to look forward to this Christmas at the Weald & Downland Living Museum including a special advent event on 26 & 27 November featuring festive experiences that explore Christmas traditions from the past.

There will be a boutique Christmas market with over 100 hand-selected stallholders. On Sun 4 December, the Museum’s magical tree dressing event returns which sees visitors join in a procession before placing jam jar lanterns around the Aspen trees to create a circle of light.

Book to visit Green Father Christmas in his enchanting outdoor workshop and receive a traditional toy wrapped in brown paper and string.

Christmas is a magical time to visit the Museum and explore the stunning countryside setting, visit the fascinating historical buildings, see the traditional farm animals and more.

Pre-booking is essential at www.wealddown.co.uk

Christmas comes alive in Chichester City Centre

From Saturday 3 December until Friday 23 December, East Street and North Street in Chichester City Centre will come alive with an array of festive stands as we celebrate the return of our Chichester Christmas Market.

You’ll find a varied, carefully handpicked selection of exhibitors offering high quality, interesting products.

Among a host of superb gift ideas will be handmade ceramics, original artwork, seasonal gifts, glassware, unique jewellery, giftware, traditional toys, artisan cheeses, homemade pickles and chutney, seasonal decorations and so much more.

This event and this inspiring location form a fantastic combination of all good things when it comes to Christmas shopping, all with the reassurance of quality and service you can expect at a Woodland Crafts event.

More info at www.chichesterchristmasmarket.co.uk

Make Christmas banana penguin pops

Here’s

Step

Start

Step

Take

the

Neha

from

who

Sleepless in ….wherever…

By Shyamantha Asokan

How do you juggle work and home when your kids won’t sleep?

It’s 4.30am and I’m sleeping across the bottom end of my bed. I’m all crunched up so my feet don’t dangle off the edge, with no pillow and my duvet at a weird angle. I doubt this even counts as sleep – but I’ll take whatever I can get.

So how did I get here?

My three-year-old daughter and my fifteen-month-old son are just emerging from a month of back-to-back nursery illnesses, which has thrown their sleep right off course. Although, even in normal circumstances, neither of them is great at sleeping when they should or where they should. They certainly don’t sleep like the children in all the parenting books I’ve read (seriously, who are those children?).

Here’s a typical night in our house at the moment…

• 8pm: Both kids go to sleep in their bedrooms.

• 11pm: My son wakes and will only go back to sleep in our bed. Husband goes to sofa.

• 1am: My daughter wakes and goes to sleep on the sofa with my husband.

• 2am onwards: My son wakes one or two more times and I cuddle him back to sleep with varying degrees of success. Sometimes it takes an hour.

• 6am: The kids are up for the day.

Sometimes my son falls asleep on my lap and I have to shuffle him onto our mattress at a diagonal angle, in order not to wake him, leaving me just the bottom strip of the bed to sleep on.

Sometimes he falls asleep on my arm and I have to ‘ninja slide’ it out from under him when he’s in a deep-sleep phase. The whole thing is absurd.

Writing emails in my mind

Of course, I still need to go to work – and working while sleepdeprived is brutal.

Madonna and Margaret Thatcher, two under-slept women who were big in the 1980s, both seemed to equate a lack of rest with a passion for their job. This is questionable for a million reasons. Tracy Emin, big in the 1990s, perhaps more sensibly described her insomnia as ‘crippling.’

In any case, I just turn out to be a rubbish version of my usual self. My eyes burn as I read research reports, concentrating is hard and pretending not to be tired is tiring.

In meetings, part of me is listening to what everyone is saying but part of me is just thinking about how well-slept they all look. If you’ve had a meeting with me recently and you thought I was a bit distracted, it’s because I was thinking about how great the skin under your eyes looks.

Overnight, when I’m woken by the kids, I struggle to go back to sleep as work-thoughts pop up and race around my head. I lie at the bottom of the bed and write emails in my mind. Meanwhile my son snuffles and snores like a contented little sea-lion, in his rightful place at the centre of the only double bed in the house.

I was, of course, working when I was on maternity leave last year – looking after children and running a house is a job. But I was surrounded by other women with young children, in a blearyeyed ecosystem where everyone was tired. The professional

‘back-to-work’

world feels very different. Arianna Huffington has said that sleep is a feminist issue, as women get far less of it than men.

But, in the midst of it all, there are suddenly moments of pure rest.

There are endless parenting books that tell you not to cosleep with your children but in my family’s case it’s a balm for everyone involved. At the weekend I have afternoon naps with my daughter and her truly innocent sleep, the kind that only a child can have, calms me until I drop off too.

Shyamantha Asokan is a Midlands-based journalist and mother of two. This blog is part of a series called The Chaos Train, a record of daily life when you have a career and preschool children.

With thanks to www.workingmums.co.uk who host her blog online. Find part time, home based and flexible full-time jobs plus advice for working mums on its site.