Families Surrey West Sept Oct 2023 Print

Children’s

The Man In The Moon drama workshops launch in Woking

Calling all aspiring actors! Unlock your child’s dramatic potential with The Man In The Moon’s after-school drama workshops opening in Woking in September. These exciting new drama workshops are on Thursdays, after school, at the Phoenix Cultural Centre in central Woking. Designed for children in School Years 1 to 8, these sessions will ignite your child’s imagination and boost their confidence, not just on stage but in life.

With over 30 years of experience and led by experienced crew members, the workshops will introduce them to the world of theatre, including improvisation, teamwork, and essential acting skills. Limited spots are available, so head over to their website to find out more details and register your interest: themaninthemoon.co.uk

Get autumn-term ready with a free Perform class

Perform classes use a mix of drama, dance and singing to bring out every child’s potential. Run by experienced actor-teachers, the classes focus on developing the 4 Cs: confidence, communication, coordination and concentration.

From September, Perform 4-7 year olds will take to the skies with Phileas Fogg as they go on an amazing adventure Around the World. Whether walking like a wallaby in the outback or revealing the legends of the Egyptian pyramids, the new term will be filled with globetrotting fun!

Meanwhile, 7-12s are going to the ball in a rags-to-riches rock show, Cinderella Rocks. This hilarious version of Cinderella features struggling band, The Ugglies, in their quest to top the charts with charming music mogul, Simon Prince.

With all abilities welcome, the children will work towards an end of term performance for family and friends. The only requirement is to get ready to have the best fun of the week!

To book a free class in Farnham, Godalming, Guildford, Haslemere or Woking visit www.perform.org.uk/try.

Admissions now open for new Surrey Maths School - entry in Sept 2024

Admissions are now open for Surrey Maths School - a new Guildfordbased state-funded specialist maths school for gifted maths students aged 16-19, serving Surrey, Berkshire, Sussex, Hampshire, South East and South West London. The school, located close to Guildford’s bus and train stations, is set to open in September 2024 and will be delivered through the Learning Partners Academy Trust and the University of Surrey. It will be a centre of excellence for studying maths and further maths at A level, along with additional A Levels in chemistry, physics, economics and computer science.

Sahar Shillabeer and Nora Kettleborough have been appointed as Co-Heads of Surrey Maths School. They are currently Assistant Heads at King’s College London Mathematics School (KCLMS), which achieved the highest A level results in the country in 2022. Surrey Maths School will be the eighth specialist maths school to open in England. For further details, please visit: surreymathsschool.co.uk

New soft play for Godalming!

A new mobile soft play, Bears Little Play, is launching at Busbridge Village Hall, Godalming. Suitable for children from 6 months, sessions are held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Not only will it be a fantastic place for keeping dinky ones busy it will be a great place to meet other parents and carers.

During the winter the sessions will be inside, but when the weather is warmer they will also make use of the secure outside space in the garden. Activities will include an inflatable play zone, ball pits, soft play equipment, rides on and lots of toys including role play, transport and a baby box. There is also a café with snacks, refreshments and children’s picnic boxes. You can either pre-book your space or turn up, for the latest info find them on Facebook and Instagram @bearslittleplay. Parties will be available soon! If you have any queries, please contact Jaye on bearslittleplay@gmail.com or 07871722290.

Save 15% on weekday parties at AirHop Guildford!

Looking to put some bounce into the next birthday? What better way to spend the day than jumping across a sea of trampolines! Take the stress out of party planning and leave the fun up to AirHop Guildford. They have various party packages to choose from - be it Classic, Premium, Premium UV, Toddler Takeover and After Dark/Sunset premium. Families readers can now save 15% on any parties booked on a MondayThursday with the code WEEKDAY15. It’s safe to say that parties don’t get much bouncier than this - head to www.airhop-guildford.com

Nora Kettleborough and Sahar Shillabeer

Why can’t siblings just get along?

By Katharine Willsher

Siblings. One minute they are the best of friends, the next minute they’re at each other’s throats. Why can’t they just get along?

The ‘Parenting by Connection’ approach developed by US charity, Hand in Hand Parenting recommends listening tools to help parents when there is conflict between their children. Some key understandings of the approach are that children are at their best when their ‘connection cups’ are filled and they’ve had a chance to offload any difficult emotions with a caring listener.

Any sign of harshness from one sibling to another can be taken as a sign that the child is not feeling connected or relaxed enough to function properly. The rational part of their brain is off-line.

Dealing with conflict in the moment

Avoid shouting. Yelling at an off-track child just frightens them more, making it more likely that they will continue to be unable to act thoughtfully.

Limit your words and step in calmly. Offer eye contact and gentle touch. Move in to prevent injuries if things are getting physical.

Look for a mood shift. Our brains communicate with each other simply through presence. When you are calm, your child’s brain will detect safety and connection and may burst into healing tears, erupt into a tantrum or even offer an authentic, unprompted apology.

Listen to any big feelings with warm presence. Good listening is enough. Very few words are needed as your child deals with difficult emotions.

Improving sibling relationships

Soapbox time! Set up an opportunity for each sibling to rant and rage about the other (away from any other siblings) and to fully express all of their frustrations. Listen well, acknowledge feelings. Resist the urge to counter or fix these feelings; just let them run.

Build your connection with each child. Fill up your children’s ‘connection cups’ with individual attention. A regular, really intentional five minutes of warm focus on a child can make all the difference.

Become a detective. Notice the times your children are most at odds with each other and plan to increase your connection with them.

Increase physical play. Games where siblings get to unite against parents are particularly good for rivalry (balled-up sock fight, anyone?)

Connected children function best

Well beyond the first few years of their lives, parent-child connectedness remains key in order for our children to thrive. Lack of it is often at the heart of so many offtrack behaviours we see in children: common displays of whining, defiance, clinginess and crying are all a call for connection.

Take an average school morning. We’ve been apart from our children through the night and are often busy doing all the things needed for the family to get out of the house on time. Our children can be frustratingly noncooperative as we cajole, raise our voices ever more loudly and perhaps resort to bribery in order to get them out of go-slow mode.

When we take as little as three minutes to connect intentionally to each child in the morning, doing or playing whatever they themselves choose, we may just find that they pack their school bags in record time. Children function at their very best when they feel safe and well connected to an adult.

Katharine Willsher (katharine@handinhandparenting.org) is a certified Hand in Hand Parenting Coach based in Guildford. Hand in Hand Parenting (www.handinhandparenting.org) is a US-based organisation that teaches a system of 5 traumainformed Listening Tools which have the power to transform family lives. It offers support for parents, caregivers, early care and education professionals.

Listening partnerships: self-care for parents

Parenting is emotional work! At times when we’d like to bring our most calm selves to our children, witnessing sibling rivalry can be really emotionally triggering for us as parents. And not just in the moment; we can unwittingly be catapulted back to scenes from our own childhoods, with words and reactions to match.

It’s so important to have support for ourselves as we support our children so consider finding yourself a listening partner. Listening partners don’t interrupt each other with questions, ideas or suggestions.

This is about giving yourself non-judgemental self-care by linking with someone outside your immediate family.

The idea is that you call or meet regularly and, using a timer, exchange equal listening time in which one person shares, rants and rages, if necessary, while the other person listens, providing warmth and non-judgement. Over time you get to build a mutually supportive relationship that can soothe you emotionally and empower you to bring your best self to your children.

When inheritance plans start leaking...

By Hart Brown Solicitors

Any fans of the mega-hit TV series Succession, which follows the fortunes of the Roy siblings, will know how fraught inheritance issues can be when there’s no clear inheritance plan in place, especially when multiple spouses and step-families are involved.

But it’s a story that’s not restricted to the super rich like the Roys, as rising numbers of re-marriages are creating more blended families and are leading to inheritance disputes.

In one recent case to reach the High Court, three siblings found themselves cut out of their inheritance when their stepmother changed her will in favour of their stepbrother after their father died.

The McLean couple had made what are known as ‘mirror wills’ in 2017, where each reflects the other, so no matter who dies first the outcome should be the same. Those wills shared the couple’s estate equally between four children, three from Mr McLean’s first marriage and the younger son born during their marriage. When the older siblings found themselves cut out of the later will, they went to court, claiming that their father had trusted his second wife “implicitly” over the terms of the inheritance.

The court has to decide whether the doctrine of mutual wills applied to their stepmother’s original 2017 will, which would mean there was an agreement between the couple to make wills with substantially the same terms and conferring reciprocal benefits, and to not revoke them without the consent of the other.

For the doctrine of mutual wills to apply, there needs to be a contract between the two testators that both wills will be irrevocable and remain unaltered, and this agreement should be incorporated into the will, or through some other form of evidence.

It’s not enough to make a mirror or reciprocal will and show some general intention.

Without an explicit agreement not to revoke the will, any surviving partner may make a new will with very different outcomes, and that’s why it’s important to be clear from the outset.

While the McLeans must wait to hear the outcome of their case, another inheritance challenge in similar circumstances has been upheld. After divorce, the Colicci’s signed a deed where they covenanted that any shares they still held in their jointlyowned company would pass to their two children when they died, and both promised to make wills to support that. But the husband had remarried and later made a new will leaving his shares to his second wife, not telling his ex-wife or children what he had done. When he died unexpectedly shortly after, his later will was challenged successfully, as the court ruled that the original deed was a binding obligation which prevented either of the parents from making other arrangements to dispose of their shares on death.

According to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, almost 30% of marriages are now second or subsequent marriages. Behind the figure is a growing complexity in family structure, with step-mothers, stepfathers, step-children and step-siblings. Proper planning can help leave everyone satisfied, and decisions will depend on individual circumstances.

This could be through mutual wills containing a clear declaration that neither side can revoke or change the agreed terms without the consent of the other.

Another option is to create a trust within a will. This can be a simple and effective way to make sure that the surviving partner has all they need while alive, but at the same time making sure that children from an earlier relationship do not miss out. It does require specialist help to get things right, but it means you can be sure things will play out as you intend.

A trust can allow for each partner to leave their estate, or the bulk of it, in trust for the survivor, and then to their children following the survivor’s death. This allows for use of the assets, such as a house or investment income, to support the survivor for the rest of their life, but with the assets held in trust (whether for children from an earlier marriage or a charity or anyone else) when the survivor dies.

Hart Brown Solicitors has been providing trusted legal advice to families across Surrey for more than 100 years. Get in touch today and speak to a member of our experienced Wills, Trusts and Estates team by calling 01483 887766 or visit www.hartbrown.co.uk.

*This is not legal advice; it is intended to provide information of general interest about current legal issues.

With increasing rates of re-marriage and the resulting blended families, parents need to take action if they wish to protect inheritance for children from a previous relationship.

Clubs & classes

Swimming

Swim Safe School Ltd

Classes in Cranleigh, Ewhurst and Bramley swimsafeschool@btinternet.com or 07539952135

Teaching the FUNdamentals of swimming in a safe and friendly environment, Swim Safe School welcomes swimmers of all ages and abilities. Offering both small group and private lessons both term time and school holiday crash courses.

Water Babies

Classes in Guildford, West Horsley, Leatherhead, Woking, West Byfleet, Chessington, Epsom & Ewell 01932 227428 or underthewaves@waterbabies.co.uk

Award-winning swimming programme teaching water confidence and safety skills from birth, with fully qualified world class instructors. Lessons are progressed in line with key phases in child development, allowing little ones to build upon the simple skills they learn very early on as they develop physically, intellectually and socially.

Aquatots

Classes in Bagshot, Bookham, Cobham, East Horsley, Heathrow, Leatherhead, Ottershaw, Send, Staines, Whiteley Village, Woking and many more locations. https://aquatots.com/ Aquatots Swimming have been teaching babies and toddlers to swim in a natural, safe and fun way, without the use of armbands or buoyancy aids for 25 years. Suitable from 10 weeks old using only warm private pools and small class sizes. Underwater photographs are also available at selected levels.

Pregnancy & Postnatal

England’s Bumps

Classes at: St Mark’s Community Church and Centre, Godalming & Godalming Borough Hall hello.englandsbumps@gmail.com / @EnglandsBumps Midwife-led Pregnancy and Mum & Baby exercise classes! Classes run by Lauren, a senior midwife and experienced group exercise instructor. Make friends with like-minded mummas, have fun and move safely in a fun, non-judgemental environment!

Suitable for all fitness levels. Email Lauren for more information and bookings.

Baby, toddler and pre-schooler

Monkey Music

Classes in Guildford, Godalming and Shalford. Call 01483 821 932 or email guildford@monkeymusic.co.uk Monkey Music baby and toddler classes! Trusted by parents since 1992. They offer a safe, supportive, nurturing environment, where parents, carers and children meet in small groups to enjoy the interactive musical activities. Join them and support your child as they learn new skills in a magical, musical environment and share precious time together with your little one - your first class is FREE!

Molly Moocow

Classes in Godalming, Liphook and Haslemere www.mollymoocow.com

Molly Moocow’s moosical sessions provide fun learning experiences for little people aged 5 months to 4 years using a combination of music and movement, action songs, rhymes, and stories. Their unique programmes are grouped by age and physical ability with a themed curriculum tailored for each age group. Trial classes available.

LullaBaby - Aldershot, Farnham & Farnborough

Classes in Normandy (near Guildford) on Mondays and Wrecclesham (near Farnham) on Tuesdays & Thursdays Call Anita on 07860 382965 or visit www.lullababy.co.uk Baby & toddler sensory development classes from birth to 2 years. LullaBaby provides a wide variety of activities specifically designed to educate and promote your baby’s early development including Baby Massage, Baby Yoga, Sensory Play, Tummy Time Techniques, Calming & Relaxation Time, Exploratory Play, Makaton Baby Signing and Music & Rhyme.

Sing and Sign

For classes in Guildford, Godalming, Farnham and Fleet contact Becky on 01483 767372 or singandsignfarnham@gmail.com For classes in Haslemere and surrounding areas contact Harriet at harrietroberts@singandsign.co.uk What Would Your Baby Like To Say?

• Baby signing classes to boost speech development using music, rhyme and games

• Simple, easy gestures to allow your baby to ‘talk’ to you before speech

• Small classes, warm and welcoming atmosphere

• Developed in conjunction with Speech and Language Therapists

• Huge long-term benefits – and great fun!

Cat Class

At St Catherine’s Prep School, Bramley. www.stcatherines.info/prep-school/cat-class Weekly classes on a Tuesday or Friday for girls aged 3-4. Activities will be led by the Early Years team and will include arts & crafts, imaginative and messy play to inspire exploration and discovery. Please book online.

Baby & toddler sensory development classes from birth to 2 years

Baby Massage Baby Yoga

Sensory Play Exploratory Play

Tummy Time Techniques

Calming & Relaxation Time

Makaton Baby Signing Music & Rhyme

Normandy (nr Guildford) Wrecclesham (nr Farnham)

www.lullababy.co.uk 07860 382965

Haslemere Performing Arts

dance and theatre school BALLET

www.lullababy.co.uk

come & dance

Monkey Music - Byfleet, Ottershaw, Pyrford and Woking

E: woking@monkeymusic.co.uk T: 01932 429 240

Guildford, Godalming, Shalford

E: guildford@monkeymusic.co.uk

T: 01483 821 932

Godalming Masonic Hall (Tuesday & Thursday)

Guildford St John’s Stoke Church (Wednesday)

Shalford Village Hall (Monday & Friday)

Baby & toddler sensory development classes from birth to 2 years

LullaBaby - Farnham, Aldershot & Farnborough

Clubs & classes

Performing arts

Stagecoach Theatre Arts

Classes in:

Camberley & Yateley 0208 979 5276

Farnborough 07717 137332

Farnham 01252 216277

Frimley 01483 676131

Godalming 07957 825641

Guildford 07717 137332

Liphook 01425 470934

Woking 07957 825641

Each school runs three hours of classes per week for 6-18 year olds, split into one hour classes of dance, drama and singing. The classes help children to grow in confidence, speak more clearly and become more self-aware - skills they learn for life. Also Early Stages classes for 4-6 year olds run for 1½ hours. Two week trial available.

Perform weekly drama, dance and singing classes

Classes in Farnham, Godalming, Guildford, Haslemere, Woking www.perform.org.uk/try

Confidence-building drama classes for 4-7s and 7-12s. A unique mix of fun drama games, dance and singing specially designed to boost confidence, communication, concentration and coordination. To book a FREE class please visit: www.perform.org.uk/try

Dynamic Performing Arts

Saturday classes at Worplesdon Memorial Hall, Guildford Dynamicperformingarts.co.uk

E: Antonia@dynamicperformingarts.co.uk

Weekly Dance and Musical Theatre classes for 2-12 years in Ballet, Street Dance, Musical Theatre, ISTD Modern & Tap. In December all pupils will be given the opportunity to perform in a professional Theatre. A fun and friendly school that encourages every child to shine. First class is on Saturday 23 September. Book your £5.50 trial today via the website.

Surrey Theatre Academy

Classes held at Haslemere Hall

Email info@surreytheatreacademy.co.uk or call 07960518468

Surrey Theatre Academy

is a thriving performing arts academy offering weekly classes in singing, dance and drama for ages 5-13 years. They also offer holiday courses, a youth theatre for ages 13-18 years and are a registered LAMDA exam centre offering exam coaching in acting and musical theatre. Free trials available!

Performing arts

The Man In The Moon

Classes in Guildford, Haslemere and Woking themaninthemoon.co.uk

Experience The Man In The Moon’s magical drama workshops now! Build confidence, social skills, and ignite your child’s creativity with exciting workshops full of improvisation, games, role-play and fun. Affordable and inclusive, limited numbers ensure expert guidance from their experienced team giving your child skills for life.

Guildford Theatre School

Classes at The Trinity Centre (Off Guildford’s High Street), Beverley Hall (next to Waitrose) and St Nicolas Centre. Email enquiries@guildfordtheatreschool.co.uk www.guildfordtheatreschool.co.uk

Established by Anna McNamara to provide a creative learning experience that focuses on the acquisition of skills and the pursuit of excellence in Musical Theatre, Tap, Ballet, Jazz, Singing and Drama. Through application and commitment an individual can achieve extraordinary things. Classes are held each Saturday for ages 4-18 years.

Haslemere Performing Arts

Classes in Haslemere, Hindhead and Liphook Contact Angela Cantan on haparts@aol.com or 01428 652 360 (answerphone)

Established in 1968, Haslemere Performing Arts has a family-friendly atmosphere.

Pupils are successful in RAD Ballet and ISTD Modern & Tap examinations. They compete in Dance Festivals and Competitions and perform in local events. HPA also has a very successful Musical Theatre Performance Group.

Synergy Dance®

For more info contact: kathryn@synergydance.co.uk To book: https://bit.ly/synergydance-book Synergy Dance ® deliver dance, fitness and yoga school clubs and courses throughout Surrey, for children and young people. On Saturday mornings at Guildford Spectrum, they offer their signature Breakdance & Street, Street Dance & Acro with Cheerleading courses with Ballet & Tap coming this Autumn. They also deliver inclusive SEND classes for children and teens at Guildford Spectrum and Woking Leisure Centre. Seasonal workshops and clubs in schools are also back this year.

MultiSports Guildford & Woking

For Guildford please call 0844 800 9096

For Woking please call 0844 335 0450 www.multisports.co.uk

The MultiSports Group provide 4-16 year olds with an exciting and educational sports program at weekends. Encouraging and developing young people to grow both as athletes and individuals. Offering an extensive program of team sports and individual sports as well as weekly team building challenges. At MultiSports your child will participate in 18 different sports a year, grow in confidence and self esteem, learn leadership and team work skills and have fun making lots of new friends.

Pitch Pals

Classes in Godalming, Milford, Witley and Guildford

Contact Paul Wicks - info@pitchpals.co.uk or 07841

675501

Pitch Pals are on a mission to harness the power of football and physical activity to develop, encourage and inspire children of all ages and abilities. Offering a full range of programmes including Early Years/KS1 sessions, School and Nursery Clubs, through to Holiday Camps and Events/Parties, there is something for everyone.

Surrey TaeKwon-Do

Classes at Guildford Spectrum, Dorking Sports Centre and Woking

Contact Richard@Surreytaekwondo.com or on 07818 224532

Free Trial Lesson! TaeKwon-Do is an Olympic Sport and provides self defence, flexibility, and fitness. Classes typically include a warm up, stretching, sparring, grabs/releases, and destruction. Classes for all ages including parents in Guildford, Woking and Dorking.

Saturday Strikers

Class in Woking at Sythwood Primary www.nssport.co.uk enquiries@nssport.co.uk

How extra-curricular activities boost learning

Taking part in extra-curricular activities after school can have a positive impact on children academically and socially. Claire Winter explores how.

Learning something outside of the classroom can give children a sense of wonder about the world, and more time to explore their wider interests. Extra-curricular activities are also useful for broadening their academic and social lives.

Fiona Todd, Executive Head teacher from The Rural Church Schools Academy Trust (www.rcsat.cheshire.sch.uk) explains that with a much narrower curriculum than in years gone by, children need to do extra-curricular activities to experience a wide range of disciplines and to develop socially. “Pupils who focus entirely on their studies do so often at the expense of their development as social beings. Rather than distracting pupils from their learning, extra-curricular activities complement study and help to develop key skills that will support them in their future.”

Lots of studies have shown that extra-curricular activities can boost academic performance in children. They also have better organisational and time management skills because they have to balance their hobbies and school work. Being part of a team or an after-school activity can also be a great boost to their self-esteem. Teamwork and being part of a group, like a Brownie pack, also helps children understand about loyalty and showing up for other people.

Stepping away from the curriculum also means your child will enjoy their academic work more because they have had a break and can look at it with fresh eyes.

07935

220924

A welcoming programme for boys and girls aged 4-6 years that provides an introduction to football which allows children to develop at their own pace. They aim to engage all abilities, to challenge and build confidence by enhancing core skills through play and practice. Delivered by their highly qualified coaching team who are paediatric first aid trained, DBS checked, and Child Protection trained. Please email to book a free trial.

Guildford Spectrum

www.guildfordspectrum.co.uk Guildford Spectrum offer swimming lessons for all ages following the Swim England Learn to Swim Programme delivering safe, inclusive, and effective swimming lessons for all ages. Also on offer are ice skating lessons for 5-16 year olds. The Skate UK Programme will take you from your first steps onto the ice, through to being a competent and confident ice skater.

Joel Sadler, engineer and founder of Piper (www.playpiper. com), the award-winning STEM DIY Computer Kit, is passionate about giving kids time to explore and make things. “Think back to your early childhood and visualise the learning moments you cherished most. Do you see a dusty chalkboard with math equations? Or do you see that thing you did or built that made you feel proud?”

Joel says what he learned outside of school shaped what he did as an adult. “I don’t remember the equations - but I do remember being creative with my hands with LEGO blocks, making mischief with DIY potato canons, and trying to hack bootleg floppy disk video games to run on my family DOS computer.”

He points out: “History also highlights extra-curriculars as a secret sauce to unlocking creativity - successful innovators all have stories about key learning moments as kids that got them on a path of creating technology. Those epiphanies typically happen far away from the classroom. A young Bill Gates was busy taking apart his family piano (and not putting it back together), teenage Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak hacked DIY electronic kits together to prank their friends and make free phone calls. The seeds of learning and innovation may be planted in the classroom - but they grow and blossom in your free time.”

Fiona Todd also emphasises the importance of relaxation time. “Children need to achieve a balance and have some ‘downtime;’ sometimes it is good for them to sit and be bored!” Getting that balance right can be tricky. Spend some time with your child and talk to them about what interests them, do some research on your local clubs and classes and go and try them out.

Celebrating different learning styles

By Lisa Wander and Catherine Loble

Just as none of us look the same, everyone is born with tendencies towards certain learning styles when developing literacy, language and motor skills. Recognising your child's learning style is important in understanding how they access their learning, particularly if they appear to be struggling in certain areas.

Visual learners rely on what they see. Encourage them to use visual aids, sit at the front of the class and write down or draw information.

Kinesthetic learners learn best through doing and moving. They benefit from using tools, acting out or roleplaying new information and having freedom of movement.

Auditory learners learn best through hearing and listening. Engage in discussions about what they are learning, read stories out loud and repeat information.

Solitary learners absorb information independently of other people. Let them make notes and recite back, provide quiet learning spaces and give opportunities for sharing learning.

Verbal learners respond well to written or spoken words. Play word games, use rhymes, acronyms and mnemonics, read their writing aloud, encourage discussion and debate.

Logical learners use logic and structures in order to learn effectively. Provide problem-solving tasks, challenge them to work things out for themselves and have them verbalise ideas and answers.

Being flexible around learning styles

As important as it is to understand and support your child with simple strategies to help them learn in the way that suits them best, it’s also helpful to encourage and embrace new ideas and a more flexible approach to their learning. Recent research has concluded that teaching children to use one specific learning style over others may not be entirely beneficial within the classroom setting. Sticking to what you perceive as your preferred learning style can create limitations, giving a false belief that learning can only be managed in one particular way. The most important thing is for a child to have the time to self-reflect on how they learn best and to be encouraged to experiment with tackling problems from a variety of angles.

It is also important to note that over time a child’s learning styles can change as they develop and progress through their own personal growth and their educational journey. Every child is unique and learning style is just one part of the greater way that your child learns.

Lisa and Catherine are co-founders of Emparenting (www.emparenting.co.uk), supporting children, parents and families with the insights, skills and tools needed to nurture the development and well-being of the next generation.

Identifying your child's learning style

Observe how your child naturally interacts with the world around them and also note weaknesses: what types of tasks are challenging?

Watch how your child expresses themselves. Children will be more expressive through their natural learning style. Auditory learners express themselves best through words whilst visual learners are more apt to reveal their emotions through facial expressions. Kinesthetic learners use more body language and may seem unable to stop themselves fidgeting.

Consider your child's interests. These will likely reflect their learning styles. Auditory learners usually show an interest in music and sounds. Visual learners often have interests both in reading, watching TV and looking at interesting objects. With kinesthetic learners, look for an interest in physical activities.

See how your child solves problems. Children lean into their learning styles. Auditory learners tend to talk through and discuss possible solutions whilst visual learners use their eyes to solve problems. Kinesthetic learners will usually try to solve problems with their hands.

Why different learning styles?

While the information people receive might be the same, each of our brains processes information differently, influenced by several factors, one of which is learning style. Your child’s tendencies and preferences for learning can be influenced by peers, cultures, age, their own experiences and available educational materials. What works for one child doesn’t necessarily work for the next.

There is no ‘correct’ learning style. Each child is unique but understanding the preferred styles of different learners can greatly impact their successes in the classroom as well as contributing to their own sense of personal development and achievement.

With the help of observant parents and teachers, children can benefit from understanding and engaging their natural tendencies. However be flexible; it is a rare child who solely works best with one style alone. By understanding and practising a range of different learning styles, a child will have a bigger ‘toolbox’ to call on, finding a combination that enhances their ability to understand, recall and use the information they learn.

Independent Schools Round Up

Coworth Flexlands going fully co-educational

Coworth Flexlands Prep School and Nursery is delighted to announce plans to extend its co-educational provision. The School is presently co-educational from 2.5 to 7 years and girls only from 7 to 11 years. From September 2023, Coworth Flexlands will be going fully co-educational so that more families can benefit from all that this wonderful school has to offer.

Nurturing Spirit and Inspiring Minds is at the heart of the School’s approach and it is a School where happiness gets results! This

year Coworth

Flexlands

received ‘Excellent in All Areas’, the highest possible award by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI); were a finalist in Independent School of the Year Awards and are shortlisted again for September 2023; IAPS Football and Judo Champions and received 93% distinctions in LAMDA.

Come and see this wonderful School for yourself and visit their Open Morning on Friday 22nd September at 10.00am. Book a place via www.coworthflexlands.co.uk/admissions/open-events.

St Edmund’s

"Life isn’t about finding yourself, life is about creating yourself". Such words by George Bernard Shaw, (a former resident of St Edmund’s main School House), perfectly encapsulate the ethos they undertake to instil in every pupil at St. Ed’s. A traditional education with a modern twist, they encourage their children to be themselves and allow them a voice; most importantly, they listen to what they have to say. In its 148th year, St. Edmund’s inspires a foundation of decency in every pupil priming them with the time-honoured values of respect and humility. Two attributes that are scarce in many aspects of society these days, but standards that at St. Ed’s they see as vital for achieving success in today’s challenging, fast-moving and changing world.

With these principles at the heart of school life, it is of natural consequence that their culture, superior academic standards and exceptional pastoral care are complemented by their commitment to small teaching groups and a dedication to the practice of learning outside the classroom. www.saintedmunds.co.uk

Belmont School

Rydes Hill to launch innovative STEAM centre

Rydes Hill is delighted to announce the imminent opening of their brand-new STEAM Centre (science, technology, engineering, art and maths). As a commitment to provide outstanding and up-to-date education, Rydes Hill’s new STEAM Centre offers the latest facilities which help to create a vibrant and pioneering learning environment, inspiring pupils to fully embrace STEAM.

The new STEAM Centre will offer three innovative leaning hubs that boast state-of-the-art equipment including robotics, 3D printing and green screen technology. The ‘Skills Lab’ will allow pupils to develop their IT skills via activities such as coding, data handling and presentation development. The ‘Media Hub’ is dedicated to digital art, photography, video creation and animation. Finally, the ‘Design Pod’ will encourage pupils to develop skills in CAD/CAM and website and computer game design and development. For more information on this exciting new investment, please visit www.rydeshill.com

Halstead St Andrew’s –a new partnership

Halstead Preparatory School for Girls and St. Andrew’s School, Woking recently announced they have formed a partnership to create a new school in Horsell. Halstead St Andrew’s is co-ed and aims to educate around 500 pupils aged 2-16 across their two sites in Horsell. The School will extend its provision to Year 9 in 2026 giving children currently in Year 5 the opportunity to complete their GCSEs at Halstead St Andrew’s. At Halstead St Andrew’s a successful education goes beyond academic studies. The inspiring educational experience the School offers ensures that pupils will leave as well-rounded, determined young adults, prepared for the future in an everchanging world. To find out more, hear it from the Halstead St Andrew’s pupils themselves on a personal guided tour of the school at their next open morning. See their website for more details: www.hsaschool.co.uk

Nestled in the Surrey Hills on its own private estate in Holmbury St Mary, Belmont provides a well-rounded and pastorally strong education for boys and girls from Early Years to GCSE. Over the last year, the school’s facilities have increased substantially with new Art Studios, Photography Department, Well-being Centre, Senior Classrooms, Black Box for Drama, Dance and Performing Arts, Astro and Junior Library. Belmont provides an academic curriculum enriched by sport, performing arts, visual arts and other cultural and creative opportunities. According to its latest inspection report: “Pupils are able to make strong progress due to small class sizes throughout the school, ensuring they receive much personal attention during lessons. Pupils of all abilities make progress.”

ISI

Inspection Report 2022

At Belmont, the happiness of every pupil is of paramount importance as summed up in the school’s strapline, Achievement through Happiness. To find out more, please visit www.belmont-school.org.

St Catherine’s Prep School in Bramley, just outside Guildford, has been shortlisted for the Independent Prep School of the Year Award 2023. The Chair of the Independent Schools of the Year noted the excellence in student experience evidenced by shortlisted schools. Naomi Bartholomew, Headmistress, noted “I am so pleased that we have been recognised for our approach to teaching science.”

The philosophy at St Catherine’s is that scientific learning should be hands-on and occur throughout the curriculum. They support their specialist Science staff to keep learning and ensure their girls have strong role-models. In doing so they encourage girls’ career aspirations in scientific fields. Prep School alumnae include girls currently studying Medicine at King’s, Natural Sciences at Durham and Computer Science at Southampton. Alumnae in Science include Natasha, an immunology research scientist at UCB, Alisa, a Mellalurgy Lab Manager and Daisy heading to Lancaster to study Zoology. They also enjoy working with local schools to share in scientific discovery with events such as their ‘Super Science Camps’.

Children in England ranked fourth globally for reading

Primary school children in England have ranked fourth in the international rankings for reading.

The latest results in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study - known as Pirls - saw England’s rank jump from eighth position into the top five.

Based on tests taken every five years, the study places countries in a global education league table. Singapore scored the highest result, with an average score of 587. Second was Hong Kong with an average score of 573, followed by Russia (567) and England (558).

The Pirls tests are taken by children ages 9 and 10, normally Year 5 pupils in England, at the end of the school year. Overall, girls were ahead of boys in their reading achievement in nearly all of the ranked countries but the gender gap has narrowed in the most recent testing round.

Ripley Court

Ripley Court is a leading co-educational Nursery and Prep School set in 19 acres of Surrey countryside, easily accessible from Cobham, Weybridge, Woking, and Guildford via the A3. With extensive playing fields, its own forest school, indoor swimming pool, theatre, and state-of-the-art food technology room, Ripley Court is an idyllic environment for educating pupils aged 3 - 11.

The school is known for exceptional pastoral care, nurturing pupils to become confident and independent learners prepared for senior school and beyond. The ambitious curriculum, designed to inspire inquisitive minds, prepares pupils for top senior schools, with many Years 6 pupils securing scholarships. Specialized teaching, enrichment programs, and a wide range of extra-curricular activities promote independent thinking and problem-solving skills. The Nursery is seamlessly integrated, providing an excellent start to each child’s educational journey. School transport is available from Walton. For further information or to schedule a tour, contact Registrar@ripleycourt.co.uk or call 01483225217. Visit www.ripleycourt.co.uk for more details.

Independent

Please

Barrow Hills School, Witley 01428 683639 Mixed 2-13 yrs. Wed 11 Oct 9.30-11am.

Belmont School Holmbury St Mary 01306 730852 Mixed 3-16 yrs.

Coworth Flexlands Prep School and Nursery Chobham 01276 855707 registrar@coworthflexlands.co.uk Mixed 2½ to 11 years.

Pre-Prep: Tue 3 Oct 10am Prep School (Year 3+): Fri 3 Nov 10am.

Senior School (Year 7+): Fri 29 Sept & Fri 10 Nov 9.30am.

Fri 22 Sept 10am.

Cranmore School, West Horsley Boys 2-16 yrs and girls 2-7 yrs. Sat 16 Sept.

Ripley Court School, Ripley 01483 225 217 Mixed 3-11 years.

Rydes Hill Preparatory School & Nursery, Guildford 01483 544973 Girls 3-11 years, Boys 3-7 years.

Halstead St Andrew’s School Woking 01483 760943 Mixed 2-16 years.

St Catherine’s School Bramley 01483 899665 Girls 4-18 years.

St Edmund’s School Hindhead 01428 604 808 Mixed 2-16 years.

St Ives School, Haslemere Mixed 2-11 years.

Sat 23 Sept 10am-12pm.

Bear Hunt Open Morning on Sun 8 Oct 10am-12pm.

Please contact the school.

Prep School: Wed 20 Sept, Fri 13 Oct 9.30am.

Senior School: Thurs 21 Sept, Wed 11 Oct 9am.

Sat 7 Oct 10am-12pm.

16 Families Surrey West familiesonline.co.uk

What’s on diary

FRI 8 SEPTEMBER

Toddler Yoga Taster

Session, Camberley Library

2pm-2.30pm. Yoga, songs, movements and more. Free, for under 3s with an adult. Book by emailing: camberley. library@surreycc.gov.uk

SAT 9 SEPTEMBER

Community Drum Circle

Cranleigh Arts Centre

2pm. £5pp. Family friendly event, no experience necessary, and all drums are provided. Book online.

Surrey Hills Wood Fair

Fish Pond Copse

Cranleigh GU6 7DW 10am5pm. Activities include tree climbing, circus skills, archery and more. Book online.

Make Your Own Marionette

Farnham Library

10.30am-11.30am. Make an animal puppet from recycled materials. £3 per child, book by emailing farnham.library@ surreycc.gov.uk. For ages 5+.

Guildford Heritage

Open Day

Visit four historic venues for free with events and fun activity sheets at each: Guildford Museum, Guildford Castle, Guildford House Gallery and the Guildhall. For details visit www.guildford. gov.uk/heritageandhistory

Build a Model Guildford House Gallery

2.30pm-4pm. Make a model of one of Guildford’s famous buildings from recycled materials. Free; drop in, no need to book. For ages 4+.

All Aboard Club

Tesco Extra Addlestone

KT15 2AS Inclusive train play sessions for autistic, ADHD and special needs children. 2-3.15pm or 3.30-4.45pm. Book online.

The Pretty Sure Tour

Aldershot Town Centre

Free. 11am or 1pm. This new family show combines music, game playing, history and humour in a walking tour. No booking needed meet by KFC on Union Street, Aldershot 10 minutes before a show.

Origami Boat Making

Guildford Museum

10.30am-12.30pm. Learn how to make a variety of origami boats. For 4+. Free; drop in, no need to book.

The West End Show

Tringham Hall

West End GU24 9JP 2-7pm. Traditional village show.

SAT

9 SEP - SUN 29 OCT

Little People, BIG DREAMS ® Exhibition and Trail, Polesden Lacey

See main listing on page 20.

SUNDAY 10 SEPTEMBER

Surrey Hills Wood Fair

See listing on 9 September.

Heritage Open Day

Hatchlands Park

East Clandon Parkland open 10am-5pm; house open 12-4pm. Free entry. Enjoy a stroll through the parkland, meet the donkeys and explore the ground floor of the house.

The Pretty Sure Tour

Farnborough Town Centre Free. 11am or 1pm. A hilarious street theatre tour. No booking needed meet by the old Peacocks unit on Queensmead 10 minutes before a show.

Great Cockcrow Railway

Lyne Miniature train rides for 2 years+ from 1-4.30pm. Booking office closes 4.15pm. Single ride: child £6, adult £5. The Surrey Society of Model Engineers

Leatherhead Miniature train rides 11am-4pm, £2.

Mizens Railway

Knaphill Miniature train rides for ages 1+ from 2-5pm. Last train 4.45pm. From £2.50.

MON 11 SEPTEMBER

Little Twigs

Ripley Court School

9.30-11am. Woodland stay and play for children aged 18 months-3 years with an adult. Sessions take place in Ripley Court’s Forest School which includes a bug hotel, mud kitchen and more. £5 per child. Online booking essential. Runs every Monday in term time.

TUES 12 SEPTEMBER

Toddler Time

Rydes Hill Prep School

Guildford 9.30-10.30am. Free session for ages 18 months - 3 years with an adult, younger siblings welcome. These sessions are weekly in term time with a mixture of fun and engaging activities. Booking is essential at www. rydeshill.com/toddler-time

WED 13 SEPTEMBER

Roald Dahl Story Day Craft Farnham Library

3.45-4.45pm. For ages 3+. Make a BFG inspired dream catcher or your own fantastic Mr Fox. £3 per child, book by emailing farnham.library@ surreycc.gov.uk.

SAT 16 SEPTEMBER

River Wey Festival

Dapdune Wharf

Guildford GU1 4RR 11am8.30pm. Relax by the river as the colourful illuminated pageant sails by plus live music, food stalls and family activities. Free entry.

Kids’ Craft: Decorative Hangings

Cranleigh Arts Centre

9.30am or 10.30 am. £8. Book online. For ages 3+.

Haslemere Food Festival Lion Green 10am-4pm. Celebrating the best local food and drink.

SING

Wilfrid Noyce Centre

Godalming Relaxed screening of the film SING. To book call 01483 523575. Free, donations welcome. 2.15pm.

Aldershot Classic Car

Show & Autojumble

Union Street, Aldershot Lots of classic cars and bikes to see from 10am-3pm. Free, plus free family crafts.

Heritage Open Day –Creativity Unwrapped Museum of Farnham 10am-4pm. Free. Celebrate the beauty of the Georgian town house and garden that houses the Museum with art activities and trails. Book online for art activities.

SUN 17 SEPTEMBER

Farm Open Morning Merrist Wood Worplesdon 10am-12pm. £6.50 + booking fee, under 3s free. Meet all the farm animals –piglets, goat kids, lambs, donkey, alpacas and more! Get up close and pet the animals. Book online.

The Bombardiers

Farnborough Town Centre Free. 11.30am or 1pm. 30 minute outdoor performance for ages 4+. Hilariously interactive adventure plus free make-and-take crafts. By the old Peacocks unit, opposite Greggs on Queensmead, no booking needed, turn up 10 minutes before a show.

Guildford Model Engineering Society

Stoke Park, Guildford Miniature train rides 2-5pm. Tickets £2 or three for £5.

Mizens Railway

See listing on 10 September. Great Cockcrow Railway See listing on 10 September.

Open Sunday

Mane Chance Sanctuary

Compton GU3 1DL 2pm. Tour of the site followed by tea, coffee and cakes. Meet the horses and learn about what the Sanctuary does. Adult £3, child £2, under 5s free. Online booking essential.

TUES 19 SEPTEMBER

Pirates Adventures in Science, Farnham Library 4-5pm. For ages 7+. Make a pirate bandana and eye patch then check out some science stuff on ‘Talk like a pirate day’ Argghhhh! £3 per child, book by emailing farnham. library@surreycc.gov.uk.

THURS 21 SEPTEMBER

Belmont Explorers

Belmont School

Holmbury St Mary 1.303pm. For parents and carers with children under 5. Woodland activities in Belmont’s dedicated camp area equipped with tyre swings, a shelter, campfire and log seats. Free, but you must book via www.belmontschool.org/explorers

FRI 22 SEPTEMBER

Mini Painters

The Lightbox

Woking 11-11.40am. £5 per child, adult free. Painting fun for under 5s with an adult. Book in advance online.

Sea Shells on the Seashore, Haslemere Educational Museum 10.30-11.30am. For under 5s with an adult. Marvel at the beauty of the museum’s shells and make a shell picture. Child £2.50, adult £1.50. Book online.

SAT 23 SEPTEMBER

Animal Encounters Tours Merrist Wood Worplesdon 11am and 2pm. On the two hour tour you will see animals including meerkats, tortoises and a wide selection of birds and reptiles. You’ll learn about the different species and meet some of the animals. For ages 5+ (under 16s must be with an adult). £20 + booking fee. Book online.

River Wey Festival

Spooktacular half term fun

What’s on diary

AirHop Guildford

Enjoy over 30,000sq ft of ultimate bouncing fun for kids and big kids with loads of attractions to keep the whole gang happy! Open jump sessions are open to everyone aged 4+. Younger trampolining enthusiasts (6 months - 6 years) can explore the park in a safe and fun environment during dedicated Toddler Takeovers. On Friday and Saturday 6-8pm you can experience the park in a cool club atmosphere during a 2-hour bargain Sunset Session at only £18.50. Plus they have just launched a super bargain after school jump - unlimited bouncing from 3pm until they close plus a slice of pizza and water or squash for £14.50 - available for ages 4+ Mon-Thurs in term time. Find out more on airhop-guildford.com and #jumpintohappy.

NEW after school unlimited jumps

National Trust

Polesden Lacey (Gt Bookham)

The Little People, BIG DREAMS® exhibition and trail runs at Polesden Lacey from Sat 9 Sep - Sun 29 Oct. Encourage kids to be bold, be brave and dream big. The exhibition and outdoor trail invites you into the stories of little artists, activists, sports stars and scientists from all over the world using artworks from the bestselling Little People, BIG DREAMS® picture-book series. Included in admission.

Winkworth Arboretum (Godalming)

Autumn Magick at Winkworth runs from Sat 21 - Sun 29 Oct. Come on an adventure with Willow the Witch and help her create a magickal potion to change the colour of the leaves. Follow the fun filled trail to find the ingredients for the enchanted potion and discover games and challenges along the way. This is included in admission. Also this Autumn there is an Autumn Amble self-guided trail (pick up a trail sheet from the kiosk) to help you to see the best of the glorious autumn colour at Winkworth.

Claremont Landscape Garden (Esher)

Enchanted Claremont runs from Sat 14 - Sun 29 Oct 10am-3pm. Join Claremont’s Wandering Witch and her merry band of goblins, pixies and other magickal creatures for an adventure trail around the garden. Living amongst the trees and shady corners, they often leave a clue or two behind that they’ve been around. Follow the trail and see what you discover. Admission + £2 per trail, includes a prize at the end.

Hatchlands Park (East Clandon)

There’ll be Halloween family fun this October half-term with a pumpkin hunt in the garden for the little ones and spooky activities on the parkland trail. In the house, discover the stories of previous residents - perhaps you’ll even catch a glimpse of a friendly ghost! Runs Sat 21 - Tue 31 Oct 10am-4pm (parkland and garden) and Sun 22 – Mon 30 Oct, 12-4pm (house).

Dapdune Wharf (Guildford)

Hubert the Hedgehog’s Autumn Adventure runs from Mon 23 – Fri 27 Oct, 11am-5pm. Take a trail round the island and discover how Hubert and his friends prepare for winter. The trail is free plus there are free craft activities.

Hindhead Commons and the Devil’s Punch Bowl (Hindhead, GU26 6AB) Halloween trail from Sat 21 – Sun 29 Oct 10am-4pm. Pick up a sheet and explore the commons on the spooky half-term trail. The trail is free. Usual car parking charges apply.

Runnymede and Ankerwycke (Old Windsor SatNav: TW20 0AE) A Weird and wonderful fungi trail runs from Sat 21 - Sun 29 Oct. Discover more about the fungi with the free downloadable fungi trail - download from their website.

SAT 23 SEPT CONT.

World Rivers Day Craft

Farnham Library

10.30am-11.30am. For ages 3+. Create a shiny tin foil fish mobile. £2 per child, book by emailing farnham.library@ surreycc.gov.uk.

Tractor Fest 2023

Dorking Brewery

Temple Lane Capel RH5 5HJ 11am-9pm. Tractors, stalls, family fun, live music, food and drink. Book online.

Community Open Day Royal Surrey Hospital

Guildford 10am-3pm. Free, no booking needed. Includes family zone with children’s activities. See web for details.

SUN 24 SEPTEMBER

Farm Open Morning

Merrist Wood See 17 Sept.

Farnham Food and Drink Festival 10am-4pm.

Car Free Day Guildford

Town Centre Paint a bird box at Tunsgate Quarter (free) to go on their roof. Plus circus skills, climbing tower, stalls, choir performances and more. See website for details.

All Aboard Club

The Lightbox

Woking Inclusive train play for autistic, ADHD and special needs children. 11am-12.15pm or 1-2.15pm. Book online.

Mizens Railway

See listing on 10 September.

Great Cockcrow Railway

See listing on 10 September.

TUES 26 SEPTEMBER

Chatterbooks Reading Group, Woking Library

This free group for ages 9-11 is relaunching and will run on the last Tuesday of the month 4-5pm. Booking is required, please register your interest with the helpdesk at Woking Library. Places are limited.

FRI 29 SEPTEMBER

Baby Cats – Music and Movement, St Catherine’s Prep School Bramley 9.3010.30am. For ages 2-4 years with an adult. Enjoy a story told through Dance and Music. Free, but book your place online: www.stcatherines. info/prep-school/baby-cats

SUN 1 OCTOBER

Frimley Lodge Miniature

Railway, Frimley Lodge

Park Miniature train rides 11am-4pm. £1.50 per ride, under 3s free.

Great Cockcrow Railway See listing on 10 September.

SUN 1 – TUES 31 OCT

Firework Fiesta Window Trail, Guildford

Pick up a map at the Library, Tourist Information Centre or Tunsgate Quarter then find the letters in the shop windows, complete the phrase and post your entry in the post box in Tunsgate Quarter and you could win tickets to the Firework Fiesta on 4 Nov at Stoke Park.

TUES 3 OCTOBER

Toddler Fun - NumberJax

Surrey Heath Museum

Camberley Fun and craft for under 5s. Drop in anytime from 10.30am-12.30pm. £1.50 donation.

WED 4 OCTOBER

Make a Bird Feeder

Farnham Library

3.45-4.45pm. Celebrate libraries week by making a bird feeder from recycled materials. £1 per child, book by emailing farnham.library@ surreycc.gov.uk. For ages 5+.

Cathedral Tots

Guildford Cathedral

10am. For under 5s with an adult. Faith-themed story, a prayer, songs, and craft. Free, no booking needed.

FRI 6 OCTOBER

Splatter and Sponge

Haslemere Educational Museum

1.30-2.30pm. Art fun for under 5s with an adult. Child £2.50, adult £1.50. Book online.

SAT 7 OCTOBER

Filmmaking Course and Short Film Festival Family Day, Nova Cinema

The Peacocks Centre, Woking

As a part of The Surrey Short Film Festival, children aged 8-11 can learn the fundamentals of filmmaking and participate in making a short film with the instructors from Sparks Arts. This course runs from 10am-12pm or 2-4pm and is free, but spaces are limited and booking is essential at www.cameolaunch. com/ssff-family-day. There will also be a showcase of familyfriendly short films, please see website for details.

© Quarto Group, Sally Felton

What’s on diary

Film Festival Family Day at Nova Cinema, Woking

To avoid disappointment, please check details with organiser

On 7th October The Surrey Short Film Festival at the Nova Cinema in Woking presents ‘Our World of Wonder’, a showcase of family-friendly short films exploring the wonders of childhood. The mix of movies includes live action and animation that will fire up the imaginations of kids and grown-ups alike. Additionally, children aged 8-11 will be able to attend a FREE 2-hour filmmaking course, delivered by Sparks Arts Film School. They will be able to explore the key roles in filmmaking and work together to create a short film. Booking for both the course and showcase of short films is essential, please see www.cameolaunch.com/ssff-family-day or email hello@cameolaunch.com for more details.

October half term at Elm Nursery

Enjoy freaky scenes and ghost hunting on the children’s farm at Elm Nursery this October Half Term. From Saturday 21st until Tuesday 31st October, 10am – 3.30pm every day (last entry is 3pm). See the animals and the freaky scenes, hunt for ghosts, complete the challenge and collect your prize! There is also a fancy dress competition and homegrown pumpkins to buy. Don’t miss! Huge range of Halloween party goodies in the shop! Open every day. No need to book. Entrance is £5 per child over 2, under 2s are free. Adults are £4. Best suited to preschool / KS1 age. Café and farm shop open too.

Spooktacular half term fun at RHS Garden Wisley

From Saturday 21 to Sunday 29 October, families can follow the fangtastic family trail around the garden, looking out for scary sights. Discover creepy crawlies and spooky stories with Halloween fun for all. No booking required and normal garden admission applies. Autumn is a wonderful time of year at RHS Garden Wisley, with an abundance of vibrant colour on display – look for vivid changes throughout the garden on acer, oak and beech trees. Plan your visit today at www.rhs.org.uk/wisely/whats-on

Merrist Wood Pumpkin Patch – PYO

New for this year is the Merrist Wood Pumpkin Patch on Wednesday 25 and Thursday 26 October from 10am4pm! Slip on your wellies, your fancy dress and get ready for the spooky season. There will be over 2,000 lovely pumpkins - big ones, small ones, wonky ones and MONSTER ones ! Also quirky gourds and lumpy squashes. Judge the Scarecrow competition, enjoy the free scavenger hunt and see the wonderful farm animals. Stay for a hot chocolate and some ghoulish treats! Book tickets online.

SAT 7 OCTOBER CONT.

Animal Encounters Tours

Merrist Wood

See listing on 23 September.

Eco Explorers

Aldershot Town Centre By the KFC crossroads, Union St Free hands-on Eco activities. Drop-in from 10am-2pm.

Fun Palace

Godalming Library

10am-4pm. Free activities for all ages including a drawing workshop with local Author/ Illustrator Susie Darnton, Ukulele workshop, children’s crafts and more. No booking needed, spaces limited for some events. See funpalaces. co.uk/fun-palace/godalminglibrary-fun-palace for details.

Space Week

Tunsgate Quarter

Guildford A day of free spacethemed activities, demos, talks and workshops for all. See website for details.

Space – The Final Frontier Haslemere Educational Museum

10.30am-12pm for ages 5-11. Take a look at what is beyond our world plus space crafts. £7 (mem £5) book online.

Fun Palace, Ash Library

10-1pm. All ages welcome. Drop into the library for a series of free fun family friendly activities and crafts.

Apple Pressing Day

Leith Hill

RH5 6LU 10am-3pm. Bring along your apples and take some freshly-squeezed juice home. Free. Usual parking applies. See web for details.

All Aboard Club

Addlestone See 9 Sept.

SUN 8 OCTOBER

Moira Butterfield - Look

What I Found in the Woods Hatchlands Park

11am-12pm. For ages 3+.

Author Moira Butterfield leads families on a nature treasure hunt, inspired by her book Look What I Found in the Woods. Book online. £8, family of 4 (2+2) £25.

Eco Explorers

Farnborough Town Centre

By the old Peacocks unit, Queensmead Free hands-on Eco activities. Drop-in from 10am-2pm.

The Surrey Society of Model Engineers Mill Lane, Leatherhead Miniature train rides 11am-4pm, £2.

Farm Open Morning Merrist Wood

Worplesdon 10am-12pm. See listing on 17 September.

Great Cockcrow Railway

See listing on 10 September.

MON 9 OCTOBER

Make Your Own Space Shuttle, Farnham Library

3.45-4.45pm. For ages 3+. Book by emailing farnham. library@surreycc.gov.uk. £2 per child.

THURS 12 OCTOBER

Belmont Explorers

Belmont School

See listing on 21 September.

SAT 14 OCTOBER

Kids’ Craft: Beautiful Butterflies

Cranleigh Arts Centre 9.30am or 10.30 am. £8. Book online. For ages 3+.

New Victoria Theatre

Woking

Book online for these films. Sing-a-Long-a Encanto 2pm. For ages 4+.

Sing-a-Long-a The Greatest Showman 7pm. For ages 5+.

BSL (British Sign Language) Fest, Tunsgate Quarter Guildford See website for programme.

SAT 14 - SUN 29 OCT

Enchanted Claremont Claremont Landscape Garden

See main listing on page 20.

SUN 15 OCTOBER

Animal Encounters Tours Merrist Wood Worplesdon 11am and 2pm. See listing on 23 September.

Great Cockcrow Railway

See listing on 10 September.

Guildford Model Engineering Society

See listing on 17 September.

WED 18 OCTOBER

Family Learning Festival

Farnham Library

3.45-4.45pm. For ages 5+. Learn about the history of antique miniature books and have a go at making your own miniature book. £3 per child, book by emailing farnham. library@surreycc.gov.uk.

© RHS, Helen Yates

Animal Encounters Tour

GODSTONE FARM’S

Join

October half-term fun

21-29 Oct, 10am-4pm

Wharf Hatchlands Park Hindhead Commons Polesden Lacey Winkworth Arboretum

Mon-Fri, 11am-5pm. Follow Hubert the hedgehog’s trail and discover more about his hibernating friends. With free crafts.

Visit the haunted house and spooky parkland trail and see how many pumpkins you can spot hiding in the garden.

Steeped in myths and legends, follow the spooky trail around the Devil’s Punch Bowl.

Little People, BIG DREAMS® 9 Sep–29 Oct Exhibition and trail encouraging all children to be bold, be brave and dream big.

Follow the trail to help Willow the Witch find the special ingredients to create her magical potion.

P I C K Y O U R O W N P U M P K I N S P I C K Y O U R O W N P U M P K I N S 1 0 A M - 3 P M 2 1 S T T O 2 9 T H O C T O B E R H A L L O W E E N G O O D I E S C R A F T Y A C T I V I T I E S R E F R E S H M E N T S T R A C T O R R I D E N O B O O K I N G R E Q U I R E D ! F O L L O W U S - @ W I L L I N G H U R S T E S T A T E S A N T A F I R W I L L I N G H U R S T - G U 5 0 S Q familiesonline.co.uk 23 Families Surrey West

What’s on diary

Guildford Spectrum

Guildford Spectrum offers a wide range of activities, including tenpin bowling, ice skating and four swimming pools. In the pools, you can show off your skills on the diving boards, race down the waterslides or test your stamina during a lane swimming session. Everyone can enjoy the indoor ice rink all year round, perfect for experienced skaters or beginners with the help of penguin skating aids. Challenge your friends and family to a game of bowling and show off your strike celebration! There’s also exciting soft play, ‘Specky’s Pirate Ship’ for little ones to explore. All activities can be booked online.

Pick your own Pumpkins at Willinghurst Estate

Hop on a giant tractor to the pumpkin patch and pick your very own home grown pumpkins. Pick as many as you like (they’ve grown a lot!). They’d love to see your best fancy dress outfits (grown ups too) and don’t forget your wellies. There will be fun for all ages; crafty activities, Halloween goodies, yummy food and a drink or two too. Follow them @willinghurstestate for further details. No booking required. This event runs from Sat 21 - Sun 29 October 10am-3pm at Willinghurst Estate, Shamley Green, GU5 OSQ.

Pumpkin Patch at Chobham Adventure Farm

Enjoy the spooky fun at Chobham Adventure Farm’s pumpkin patch from 20th – 30th October. Pick your pumpkin, carve your own design to take home, race wheelbarrows around the track and take some great photos! No pre-booking is needed, there is a small extra charge for your pumpkin on the day. There is all the usual fun as well - indoor soft play with giant slides or venture outside to the bouncy pillows, zip-wires, donut slide and more. Head to the Animal Barn where you can get up close and personal with the friendly animals. The café serves fresh homemade food plus there’ll be Halloween themed cakes and treats!

Low Bangs Fireworks and Halloween Extravaganza

In addition to a spooky Halloween extravaganza, Godstone Farm has an epic firework display aimed at those with little or sensitive ears. Available on 27th & 28th October, low bangs fireworks bring all the colour and sparkle but without the loud bangs! There’s an exciting pre-show plus food & drink available but booking in advance is a must. The Halloween extravaganza runs from 21-29 October with lots of extra activities including pumpkin mini golf, bug & beasties interactive sessions and lots more! Book at godstonefarm.co.uk

FRI 20 OCTOBER

Fancy Footwork, Haslemere Educational Museum

Find out how your footprint differs from other animals and make footprints to take home. 10.30-11.30am for under 5s with an adult. Child £2.50, adult £1.50. Book online.

Mini Painters, The Lightbox

See listing on 22 September.

FRI 20 - MON 30 OCT

Pumpkin Patch

Chobham Adventure Farm

Lots of spooky fun at the farm - see main listing below.

FRI 20 - TUES 31 OCT

Camberley’s Halloween

Haunt! Pick up a sheet from the Square or Atrium and find the pumpkins inside town centre businesses. Complete the sheet with where you found each pumpkin and post it in the boxes in the Square or Atrium to be in with a chance of winning a prize!

SAT 21 OCTOBER

Farnham Library Art Project 10.30-11.30am. For all ages. Help create a beautiful work of art to go on display in the library, no drawing skill needed! Free drop in event.

SAT 21 – SUN 29 OCT

Spooktacular Half Term

Fun, RHS Garden Wisley

Follow the fangtastic family trail around the garden this half term and look out for scary sights. Discover creepy crawlies and spooky stories with Halloween fun for all the family. No booking required. Normal admission applies, free for RHS Members and children under 5. rhs.org.uk/ gardens/wisley/whats-on

Pick Your Own Pumpkins

Willinghurst Estate

Shamley Green, GU5 OSQ

See main listing above.

Halloween Pumpkin Trail

Aldershot Military Museum

A naughty witch has hidden pumpkins around the museum, help find them and take home a prize. Entry + £2 per trail. Children must be accompanied. No booking needed.

Autumn Magick

Winkworth Arboretum

See main listing on page 20.

Halloween Trail, Hindhead Commons See page 20.

Pumpkin Week, Secretts

Milford Book online. Pick a pumpkin, activity sheet, fancy dress competition and more.

Halloween Extravaganza

Godstone Farm

See main listing below.

SAT 21 - TUES 31 OCT

Halloween Family Fun

Hatchlands Park

See main listing on page 20.

October Half Term Fun

Elm Nursery See page 22.

SUN 22 OCTOBER

Spookfest

Pine Ridge Golf Club

Frimley 3-6pm. Huge family friendly Halloween party with DJ, dancing, spooky craft activities, tombola, raffle, face painting, pumpkin competition, cupcake decorating and more! This is a ticketed event

organised by the Camberley

Fundraising Group for Marie Curie. For booking details search for their Facebook page and follow the Spookfest event page.

Family Day, Watts GalleryArtists’ Village

10.30am-4pm. Extra activities as part of The Big Draw. For ages 5+. £8 per child (accompanying adults need to pay entry fee). Book online. All Aboard Club, The Lightbox See 24 September.

Great Cockcrow Railway See listing on 10 September.

MON 23 OCTOBER

Halloween Cross Stitch

New Ashgate Gallery

Farnham 11am-12.30pm. Free, booking essential: newashgate.org.uk/whats-on

Share a Shettie

Mane Chance Sanctuary

Compton 10am-2pm. Look after a shetland pony for the day. £35 for an adult and child (aged 7-17). Book online.

Halloween Activities

Rural Life Centre

Tilford, Farnham 1-4pm.

Plant Pot Windchimes

Farnham Library

10.30-11.30am. For ages 5+. Craft a windchime in this ADHD friendly activity. Child £4. Email farnham.library@ surreycc.gov.uk to book.

Early Birds – Family Event

Haslemere Educational Museum 9-10am. Special opening for families with children who have an Autism Spectrum Condition. Book online, entry by donation.

MON 23 - FRI 27 OCT

Hubert the Hedgehog’s Autumn Adventure

Dapdune Wharf

See main listing on page 20.

Spooky Halloween Train Ride, Denbies Wine Estate

Dorking Adult £9.50, child £5.50. Book online.

MON 23 - SUN 29 OCT

Halloween Pumpkin

Carving, Aldershot

Military Museum

GU11 2LG 12-3pm. Children must be with an adult. No need to book. Entry + £5 per pumpkin.

TUES 24 OCTOBER

Pony Day

Little Trotters Farm

Chobham 10am-3pm for ages 4-9. Includes two woodland trail rides, lunch, pony care and farm management. Book at www. littletrottersponyparties.co.uk.

Fantastic Flags, Haslemere Educational Museum

10.30am-12pm. A flag themed session for 5-11s. £7 (mem £5) book online.

Spooky Halloween Mobile

The Lightbox

Woking 1.30-3pm for ages 5-10. Child £12, accompanying adult free. Book online.

Paper Making

New Ashgate Gallery

Farnham 11am-12.30pm. Free, booking is required, for details see newashgate.org. uk/whats-on.

Super Survival Squad

Storytime with Tina Talbot Horsley Library

10.30am. Join children’s author Tina Talbot, reading from her Super Survival Squad series of books. For ages 4+. Free but you must book: email Horsley.Library@ surreycc.gov.uk.

Family Day, Watts Gallery

See listing on 22 October.

Halloween Activities

Rural Life Centre

Tilford, Farnham 1-4pm.

Bach to Baby Concert

Guildford United Reformed Church 10.30am. Classical music for the whole family. Book online. Adult £15 (includes entry for 2 children).

Halloween Arts and Crafts

Haslemere Youth Hub

10.30-11.30am. For ages 3+ and teens. £3 per personplease pre book on FIXR.

TUES 24 - THUR 26 OCT

Make a Bat and Pumpkin

Surrey History Centre

130 Goldsworth Rd, Woking, GU21 6ND Free drop-in activities 9.30am-5pm. Make a flapping spooky bat and pumpkin craft. For ages 2-10 with an adult. Buggy friendly. Donations welcome.

TUES 24 - SAT 28 OCT

Camberley Kate’s Big Draw Surrey Heath Museum

Camberley 11am-4pm. Help Camberley Kate draw her many dogs. Free.

WED 25 OCTOBER

Merrist Wood Pumpkin Patch – PYO

See main listing on page 22.

Halloween Boo Bash

The Haslemere Youth Hub

5-6.30pm. A Halloween disco for the whole family, a DJ, goodie bags and Halloween activities! £5 per personplease pre book on FIXR.

Big Draw with Gerri

Besgrove

New Ashgate Gallery

Farnham 10.30am-1.30pm. Free family drop in event, all children must be accompanied by an adult.

Free Family Drop-in Trick or Treat Cones

The Lightbox Woking 1.30-4pm. Free, suggested donation £5.

Fabulous Fish

Guildford Museum 12-1pm or 1.30-2.30pm. Come and make a fabulous fish! For ages 3+. Free; drop in event.

Scribble Drawing

Farnham Library

2.30-3.30pm. For ages 5+. Create art from scribbles in this ADHD friendly activity and create a piece of art to display in the library. Free, book by emailing farnham. library@surreycc.gov.uk.

Dance in a Day, Princes Hall Aldershot For ages 6-10. 10am-4pm. Book online. £21.

Frimley Lodge Miniature

Railway, Frimley Lodge Park Miniature train rides 11am1pm and 2-4pm. £1.50pp.

Crafty Kids: Half Term Museum of Farnham 10am-12pm. Drop-in craft sessions for ages 3-7 with an adult. Child £3.50, adult free.

Family Fun Day Guildford Cathedral 10am-12.30pm. Free. Explore the cathedral and enjoy themed activities. Book online.

Little Trotters

Pony Parties

Magical pony parties for children aged 2 - 10 years old in Chobham, Woking Grooming, plaiting, and saddling up your shetland pony Woodland ride

Scavenger hunt

Pet the guinea pigs

Party room activities

Lunch is included www.littletrottersponyparties.co.uk

Wed 25 and Thu 26 October 10am4pm TIMED SESSIONS

Slip on your wellies, your fancy dress and get ready for the spooky season.

Over 2,000 lovely pumpkins - big ones, small ones, wonky ones and MONSTER ones!

Judge the Scarecrow competition, enjoy the free scavenger hunt and see our farm animals. Stay for a hot chocolate and some ghoulish treats!

Play in a Day, G Live Guildford 10am-4pm. For ages 7-11. £40. Book online.

Railway Wednesday

Rural Life Centre

Tilford 10am-4pm. Unlimited rides on the Old Kiln Light Railway included in entry.

THURS 26 OCTOBER

Dance in a Day, G Live Guildford 10am-4pm. For ages 7-11. £40. Book online.

Slab Building Haunted Castle, The Lightbox Woking Work with air dry clay to create a Haunted Castle. 1.30-3pm for ages 11 -16. £15, book online.

Book here!

Big Draw with Gerri Besgrove, New Ashgate Gallery See 25 October.

Activity Thursday

Rural Life Centre

Tilford, Farnham 10am-4pm. Extra activities to take part in and demonstrations to see. Included in admission.

Merrist Wood Pumpkin Patch See listing on page 22.

Guildford Model Engineering Society

Stoke Park Miniature train rides 10am-1pm. £2pp.

Crafty Kids, Museum of Farnham See 25 October.

THURS 26 OCT CONT.

Horrific Halloween –Family Event, Haslemere Educational Museum

1.30-4pm. Make Halloween crafts. Bring a pumpkin or squash to carve and take part in the Halloween procession through Haslemere, which gathers at the Museum at 4pm and finishes in the town’s central car park with a treat. Book online. £4 (mem £2) adult £1. No charge for procession.

Choir in a Day, Princes Hall

Aldershot For ages 7-11. 10am-4pm. Book online. £21.

Pumpkin Carving

The Haslemere Youth Hub

10.30-11.30am. For ages 3+. Includes a pumpkin, carving materials and a trick or treat dip. £3pp - book on FIXR.

THURS 26 - FRI 27 OCT

Musical Theatre Camp

Godalming Surrey Theatre

Academy are running a 2 day musical theatre camp, 9am-12pm. For ages 6-13. Book at: www. surreytheatreacademy.co.uk.

FRIDAY 27 OCTOBER

Brick or Treat

Denbies Wine Estate

Dorking One hour

LEGO sessions. Book online see www.denbies.co.uk for details.

Play in a Day - Aladdin

Princes Hall

Aldershot For ages 7-11. 10am-4pm. Book online. £21.

Halloween Activities

Rural Life Centre

Tilford, Farnham 1-4pm.

Low Bangs Fireworks

Godstone Farm

See main listing on page 24.

Storytime Draw-along

Guildford Library

Join illustrator Siân Roberts for a reading of her book

Don’t Disturb the Dragon, plus an interactive draw-along where you’ll create your own dragon! For ages 3-6. 10.3011.15am. £5 (adult free). Book at www.eventbrite. com/e/691155654167, or at Guildford Library.

SAT 28 OCTOBER

Halloween Party

The Mytchett Centre

For details and booking see themytchettcentre.co.uk.

Halloween Evening

Great Cockcrow Railway

Trains run 4.30-8pm approx. £6pp, no booking needed.

Junior Keeper for a Day

Merrist Wood

Worplesdon £70 per child aged 6-14. Join the Animal Keepers for a day, working with a huge variety of animals including tortoises, rabbits, guinea pigs, reptiles, birds, meerkats and more. Activities include feeding and watering, maintaining the enclosures and learning how to safely handle some of the animals. Book online.

Spooktacular Fun Run

Dapdune Wharf

Guildford 4.30-7pm. Dress up and run, walk or jog the 2k course and encounter spooky surprises around a haunted Wharf and Island. Run starts at 6.30pm, there will be children’s craft activities and storytelling to keep you entertained beforehand. Café will be open. £3 per runner. Booking advised.

Low Bangs Fireworks Godstone Farm See page 24.

Community Drum Circle

Cranleigh See 9 September.

Halloween Face Painting

Princes Mead Shopping

Farnborough Free Halloween face painting from 11am-4pm (break for lunch 1pm1.30pm). No booking needed.

Family Fun Day, G Live Guildford 10am-2pm. Free. Lots of creative activities from craft tables to face painting. No need to book just turn up on the day!

Halloween Spooktacular Aldershot Town Centre

See www.rushmoor.gov.uk/ events for details.

SUN 29 OCTOBER

Junior Keeper for a Day

Merrist Wood See 28 Oct.

Halloween Spooktacular

Farnborough Town Centre

See www.rushmoor.gov.uk/ events for details.

Great Cockcrow Railway

See listing on 10 September.

MON 30 OCTOBER

Halloween Craft

Farnham Library

3.45-4.45pm. For ages 3+. Make an autumn leaf Jack O’Lantern sun catcher. £3 per child, book by emailing farnham.library@surreycc. gov.uk.

OCTOBER HALF TERM HOLIDAY CAMPS & COURSES

Next Step Holiday Activities

Next Step Holiday Activities is the perfect place for your children to have fun! They provide active, affordable, and exciting childcare during the holidays for children aged 4-11. Their two programmes, NS Stars and NS Strikers, will see your child enjoy their time away from school. Their unique programmes, led by a dedicated, enthusiastic, and highly qualified team, ensure your child can maintain their development and learning through play in a safe and appropriate environment. They are running at Brookwood Primary School (GU23 0HF) and Sythwood Primary School (GU21 3AX) on selected dates throughout the October half term holidays. For further information and bookings please visit www.nssport.co.uk, or email enquiries@nssport.co.uk

Swim Safe School Intensive Course

Runs at Cranleigh Golf & Country Club from Monday 23rd - Friday 27th October. All ages & abilities welcome. Small group and private lessons available. For more information or to book on contact Jenn at swimsafeschool@btinternet.com

Pitch Pals

Pitch Pals are running more fantastic football camps at Broadwater School, Godalming in October half term. All days run 9am-3.30pm (late pick-up and half-days available). Your child can expect a camp full of fun games, activities and tournaments suitable for all. Expert coaching from FA-qualified Coaches in a safe, fun and inclusive environment. Book at: https://pitch-pals.classforkids.io

The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre

The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre will have an exciting mix of drama and theatre-making workshops on offer to inspire and keep creative minds buzzing from Mon 23 - Fri 27 October. There will be workshops for all ages with activities such as storytelling, drama, games, crafts and more! Follow them on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter for the latest details on these fun workshops! Bursary places are available, contact Rhiannon Fisher on rfisher@yvonne-arnaud.co.uk.

Synergy Dance®

Synergy Dance® will be running their popular, signature holiday workshops at Guildford Spectrum and QE Park Centre this October half term. Including Parkour & Breakdance, Little Mermaid, Disney Frozen, Cheerleading and Acrobatics and a one-off bespoke Thriller Halloween Workshop led by an industry professional! For more information email: kathryn@synergydance.co.uk. To book please visit: https://bit.ly/synergy-workshops

Xtreme Activate Holiday Day Camp

OFSTED registered fun-filled holiday camp that runs at Guildford Spectrum entertaining and challenging children aged 5-8 and 9-12. The Camp runs every school holiday from 8.30am-6pm. Children will take part in activities such as ice skating, bowling, swimming (everyday for 9 years + and on certain days for ages 5-8), track time (weather permitting) and arts and crafts. Bookings can be made in person at Customer Services (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm and Sat 9am-1pm) or by calling 01483 443322.

CHILDREN’S THEATRE

YVONNE ARNAUD THEATRE Guildford

Nana Hannah and Her Hats

Tues 10 Oct 11.30am, & 1.30pm. In the Mill Studio. Visit Nana Hannah on an epic imaginative adventure to a land far away. A voyage to an isle of pirates, maps and treasure. With live performance, projected original illustrations, interactive role-play and creative drama this is an exciting adventure into stories and exploration through the senses and play. Best for ages 0-4 years.

The King of Nothing

Sat 21 Oct 11am & 2.15pm. In the Mill Studio. MONSTRO and Little Angel’s latest puppet musical is an anarchic re-telling of Hans Christian Andersen’s Emperor’s New Clothes, in which the characters (and the audience) discover that people can be made to believe ANYTHING. With songs, puppetry, slapstick and more. Best for ages 5+.

Cinderella

2 Dec - 7 Jan. This will be the Godmother of all pantos, full of slapstick and slosh, music and magic. Starring EastEnders’ and Detectorists’ favourite Lucy Benjamin as the Wicked Stepmother. Radio’s Peter Gordon returns for his 18th year, this time in a hilarious Ugly Stepsister duo alongside Guildford Shakespeare Company co-founder Matt Pinches. CBeebies star James Merry is back for his third Yvonne Arnaud panto!

G LIVE Guildford

Wifi Wars

Sat 23 Sept and Sat 9 Dec 1pm & 7pm. Live comedy game show where you all play along on your smartphone or tablet to win prizes. For ages 6+ (matinee), 12+ (evening).

Fireman Sam Saves the Circus

Tues 24 Oct 12pm & 3.30pm. Join Sam, Penny, Elvis, Station Officer Steele and Norman in an all singing, dancing, actionpacked show.

CAMBERLEY THEATRE

The Gruffalo’s Child

Sat 14 – Sun 15 Oct. Songs, laughs and scary fun for everyone aged 3-103.

The Three Billy Goats Gruff

Wed 25 Oct 2pm. Catchy songs, funky dances and a rapping troll to boot.

ELECTRIC THEATRE Guildford

Grooving with Pirates

Sat 23 Sept 11am.

A swashbuckling adventure - an exciting, jazz and funk fuelled show for 3-7s and their grown-up crews!

Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland

Sat 7 Oct 2.30pm.

Ultimate Dinosaurs with Ben Garrod

Sat 4 Nov 11am & 3pm. For ages 5+.

CRANLEIGH ARTS CENTRE

Meet Astrid Lindgren’s Pippi Longstocking Fri 27 Oct 2pm. Playful and quirky solo storytelling performance. £12.

The Noise Next Door: The Mysterious Mansion Of Mystery

Sat 4 Nov. 2pm An hour of fun anarchic entertainment.

FARNHAM MALTINGS

Bring Your Own Baby Comedy Club

Thurs 14 Sept, Thurs 12 Oct 11.30am. 15 month age limit for little laughers.

Morgan & West’s Massive Magic Show for Kids!

Sat 23 Sept. Funny and fantastical magic filled extravaganza for ages five to 105!

Kids’ Symphonic Sundays

Sun 1 Oct 10am. Hear professional musicians give an introduction to the instruments of the orchestra. Suitable for primary and pre-school children, and their families.

The King of Nothing

Fri 27 Oct 11am & 2pm. Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s The Emperor’s New Clothes. For ages 5-11.

COWORTH FLEXLANDS SCHOOL Chobham

Out of the Hat Sun 15 Oct 3pm. A magical puppet show particularly for ages 2-9 but a delight for all ages. 45 minute show followed by a meet the puppets session. Part of the Chobham Festival, book online.

RHODA MCGAW THEATRE Woking

Oliver! Wed 25 - Sat 28 Oct.

NEW VICTORIA THEATRE Woking

Shrek The Musical Mon 30 Oct - Sat 4 Nov.

PRINCES HALL Aldershot

Ministry of Science

Mon 23 Oct 1.30pm & 6pm. Find out how science shapes the world we live in with a few loud bangs along the way!

ZIPPOS CIRCUS Bannister Field, Guildford GU2 7UN

Wed 11 - Mon 16 Oct. Book online.

DORKING HALLS

Big Fish Little Fish Pirate Themed Family Rave

Sat 16 Sept 2-4pm. Dance, laugh, craft & be daft! For 0-8s.

Dinosaur Adventure Live

Mon 23 Oct 2pm & 4.30pm. Interactive show immersing audiences in the enthralling world of Dinosaurs.

Comedy Club 4 Kids

Tues 24 Oct 2pm.

Splash Test Dummies

Sat 28 & Sun 29 Oct. Stunts, acrobatics, juggling and slapstick.

There’s A Monster In Your Show

Sat 11 & Sun 12 Nov. A high-energy adventure.

NEARLY NEW SALES

Markets 4 Parents

The next sales will take place on Saturday 2nd

September, Saturday 7th October and Saturday 4th November from 10am-12pm at Normandy Village Hall, Glaziers Lane, Guildford, GU3 2DT. Lots of stalls bursting with top quality like new baby and children’s items from birth to 8 years. £2 entry, kids are free. Come and grab a bargain or book a stall and be a seller. Keep 100% profit on the day. For more information or to book a stall visit bookwhen.com/ markets4parents or email info@markets4parents.com @markets4parents

NCT Haslemere & Midhurst Nearly New Sale

On Sunday 1st October, from 10.30am-12pm at Camelsdale Primary School, GU27 3RN. 10.15am for NCT members and expectant mums. High quality, pre-loved baby and children’s clothing and shoes (0-12yrs), maternity wear, nursery equipment, toys, books and more. Entry: suggested £1 donation per adult. For more information email nns. haslemereandmidhurst@nct.org.uk or find them on Facebook.

NCT Woking Nearly New Sale

At Knaphill Scouts Hut, Waterers Rise, Woking, GU21 2HU on Sunday 19th November 10.30am-12pm. Entry from 10.15am for NCT members (bring proof of Membership). Entry by donation.

LUCY BENJAMIN EastEnders’ Radio’s PETER GORDON CBeebies’ JAMES MERRY

THE I

RINK

Experience the magic of our Christmas Adventure, with the extra magical ICE RINK returning bigger and better!

Professor Caraticus is back!! Come and see his phenomenal latest invention, wander through the snow as you make your way to Father Christmas before heading into his Toy Workshop to choose a gift to take home!

Say hello to Santa’s real Reindeer - including our trusted favourites Dasher, Dancer, Prancer and Vixen plus a few of their friends and an extra special surprise… one of Santa’s newest reindeer in training…. ‘Baby Flurry’.

Head into the Reindeer Lodge and learn all about how we look after them, teach them to fly, and help us mix up your very own magical reindeer food which you can take home!!

Tickets go on sale in mid-September once schools have gone back!

For more information, please go to chobhamadventurefarm.co.uk/christmas