Families Thames Valley East digital magazine March/April 2022

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Thames Valley East

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Education Easter Family life Travel

March/April 2022

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CONTENTS

Welcome

In this issue

We’re really looking forward to spring here at Families and in preparation, here’s our Easter magazine. Find Easter crafts, cooking, outdoor fun and our yummiest Easter egg selection!

4 9 10

Get out and about with the family again. Plan a unique UK wildlife encounter and find those lesser- 11 visited location spots in our Travel section.

With cost-of-living increasing, saving money on everyone’s mind. Read our top tips in Family life section.

Do you have a child starting school in September?

Then you’ll want to download our free School Starters Planner taster edition.

Finally, we have lots of DoodleJamz toys to give away! So make sure you apply for this squishy, squashy, sensory but mess-free drawing pad for your child. And sign up at familiesmag.co.uk/go to receive every issue of this magazine free to your inbox.

13 14 16 17 20 23

Education Mindfulness colouring Mother’s Day gifts Easter part 1 Health Early years Easter part 2 Family life Travel Spring outdoors

Get in touch Competition winners from our November/December issue Congratulations to all our winners. You can find a list here.

Two Smoby KS Slides to give away!

Perfect for summer fun!

Magazine Familiesonline.co.uk

Worth £77.99 each APPLY HERE

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EDUCATION

Is your child starting school in September?

Plan a successful start with the School Starters Planner 2022/23

What’s in the planner?

Daily planning calendar What’s coming up – month by month School contact details and login pages

The full 12 month planner covers the entire 2022/23 academic year.

Vital information you will need for school from the experts at Every Day’s a School Day

Buy it HERE

Get a 4 month taster planner for FREE

DOWNLOAD HERE

4 March/April

Familiesonline.co.uk

EDUCATION

So you didn’t get the school place you wanted.

What next?

Watch advice from Emma Lewry at Every Day’s a School Day

Help, we didn’t get our school choice!

By Emma Lewry

In England, secondary school places are announced on 1 March. Then, during April, primary school applicants find out their designated school. Very high percentages of families receive one of their listed preferences or even their firstchoice school. But what can be done if you are unlucky?

READ MORE Familiesonline.co.uk

March/April 5

EDUCATION

Educational accessories

Great ideas to help your child learn at any age.

Apple Twist

Stimulates spatial insight, problem solving and logic. Ages 5+.

Smart Snacks Counting Cookies Engaging, imaginative & develops early maths skills at home. Ages 18mth-6yrs.

Play Plus Kids Headphones

Wireless, foldable, comfy fit and volume controls.

Ages 3-8.

Peppa Pig Wooden Clock Puzzle

Count, sort, place shapes in the correct order. Ages 3+.

National Smartmax My First Geographic Fossil Sounds and Senses Mix and match, eightDig Kit Excavate real fossils using the included paleontological tools Ages 8+.

6 March/April

piece magnetic toy for early learning. Ages 1-3.

Cargo Ship

Quality resource for literacy, numeracy and general play. Ages 3+.

GILOBABY Smart Robot Toy

Fun, interactive, introduces robotics and advanced technology.

Ages 3-9.

Baby Einstein Magic Touch Piano

Toddlers can make music or play along with classics. Age 6mths-3yrs.

Familiesonline.co.uk

EDUCATION

Does spelling matter?

By Jemma Zoe Smith As a dyslexic tutor, my answer does not fit squarely on one side of the fence. Spelling is a recognised core skill which helps with reading, processing and pronunciation. But should anyone be penalised for having important and novel ideas, simply because they struggle to write them down?

In UK primary schools, children are given regular spelling tests and spelling is tested at each stage of pupils’ lives. 11+ exams, SATs, GCSEs and even some job interviews require a writing task without spellcheck. So yes, spelling must matter because it is tested at so many points in the UK (although not so much in the USA). Fail to master spelling and it is harder to make it to top universities or careers.

READ MORE

Finding or setting up a Forest School

© Coco Jones

Want a Forest School toddler group? A school offering Forest School? Find here.

Nothing in your area? Parents/ childminders can train as leaders. Find a trainer offering ongoing support on the Forest School Association (FSA) website.

Familiesonline.co.uk

March/April 7

EDUCATION

Games to improve visual perception

Can your child make sense of what they see? Visual perception is essential for your child’s reading, writing and movement. Here are some games that help with this important skill.

Peppa Pig Guess Who?

Paddington Spot the Difference

Wooden Pick Up Sticks

Pixy Cubes

Match It Head to Tail

Dive into Shapes!

Helping children discriminate carefully between features.

Ages 6mths-3yrs.

Encourages visual attention and sequencing and spatial relationships.

Ages 6+.

Code & Go Robot Mouse Activity Set Copying mazes develops visual perception skills, Ages 4+

8 March/April

A fun family game involving spotting the differences between pictures. Ages 5+.

Aids visual discrimination, visual attention and visual memory. Ages 3+.

iTrax Critical Thinking Game

Copying and building designs boosts visual perception skills.

Ages 6-10.

Encourages a focus on details, ignoring extraneous visual information. Ages 3+.

Develops visual perception skills involved in handwriting and reading. Ages 6-10.

Lets Go Code Activity Set

Hop, turn, step and move through a gross motor maze. Ages 5+.

Familiesonline.co.uk

EDUCATION

Mindfulness colouring for kids

Download these mindfulness colouring sheets for kids who need some quiet, focused time to be calm or help with anxious or worried feelings.

Lion

Simple mandala

DOWNLOAD HERE

DOWNLOAD HERE

Hot air balloons

Two Smoby KS Slides to give away!

Worth £77.99 each Perfect for summer fun!

APPLY HERE

DOWNLOAD HERE Familiesonline.co.uk

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March/April 9

MOTHER’S DAY

Mother’s Day gifts for under £20 Dads! This one’s for you and the kids!

Mother’s Day is Sunday 27 March this year.

Patchwork Game

Pink-Champagne Truffles

Plant Mum Vase

The Naked Bee Hand & Cuticle Salve

Beenax Spiky Massage Ball Set

Calm Club Yoga Cards

Turmeric-infused Honey

Cotton Kimono Robe Wrap

A soothing two-player Made with dolomite, she game about constructing has her own removable Beautiful gift box and a patchwork quilt. £15.29 luxurious white chocolate mini-pot! £16.99 truffles. £16

Spiky massagers for A healing salve for mums arms, legs, shoulders anywhere there’s tension. who garden. £9.49 £8.99

Health conscious, handwhipped, British raw honey infused with natural turmeric. £9.95 10 March/April

A soft, elegant robe mum can feel truly spoilt in. £16.50

A card for every week of the year, teaching the basics. £10.95

Sea Salt Scented Tin Candle Hand-poured, sea salt–scented candle to transport mum to the seaside. £13.05

Familiesonline.co.uk

EASTER

Top Easter craft ideas Easter brings with it some fantastic opportunities to get out the paints and craft materials and create lovely eggs, chicks, cards and bunnies!

Easter trees

Potato Easter egg stamps

Egg carton chicks

Easter bunny headband

Easter scene jar

Stitched Easter bunny card

Pompom bunny bonnet

Easter egg pinata

No sew sock bunny

Familiesonline.co.uk

March/April 11

EASTER

Easter cooking Fill the kitchen with delicious smells and make some yummy Easter treats with the kids.

Chocolate cornflake cakes

Hot cross bun trifle

Easter bunny KitKat house

Easy hot cross bun ice-cream

Easter marshmallow bubble slice

Greek Easter cookies

Chick biscuits

Choc chip hot cross buns

Lemony Easter chicks

12 March/April

Familiesonline.co.uk

HEALTH

One snack too many?

Even if your child is a healthy weight, it’s not great if they eat little nutritious food and get most of their energy from unhealthy or sugary snacks.

Public Health England advises parents that sticking to two packaged snacks a day and keeping them each at under 100 calories (kcals) or 418 kilojoules (kJs) is really important for children.

The food label usually states how many calories are contained in 100 grams or 100 millilitres of the food or drink you are buying, so do compare the calorie content of

different products. The free NHS Food Scanner app helps you scan product barcodes to find healthier alternatives.

You’ll be surprised at how high the energy intake is for some common snacks.

Calories in popular packaged kids’ snacks Nature Valley Crunchy Oats & Honey Bar Packet of Walkers Ready Salted Crisps 32.5g KitKat 2 Finger Bar Soreen malt lunchbox loaf Cheestring McVities Ginger Nut Biscuit Mini Milk Ice Cream Lolly Froot Shoot Orange Juice Drink Fruit Shoot hydro water

823kJ 706kJ 436kJ 380kJ 253kJ 196kJ 134kJ 40kJ 8kJ

or 196kcal or 169kcal or 104kcal or 90kcal or 61kcal or 47kcal or 32kcal or 10 kcal or 1.8kcal

Useful online resources Better Health – tips, tools and apps to help you improve your family’s health.

The Eatwell Guide – how much should you eat from each food group? Plus healthy snacks ideas.

BMI healthy weight calculator - calculates healthy weight.

Familiesonline.co.uk

March/April 13

EARLY YEARS

Transitioning a toddler from cot to bed

By Charlotte Woods and Jo Taylor Amidst the 2am online searches on ‘how to help your toddler get some sleep,’ you may have wondered when the right time is for your little one to graduate from a cot to a bed.

In truth, there isn’t a one-size-fitsall answer. Do they need to use the toilet at night? Do they try to climb out of the cot? Is the cot needed for a new sibling? Or do you just feel they are emotionally and physically ready?

Once you have decided it’s time, take steps to prepare for this exciting stage of development. It’s about building up and instilling confidence in your child.

Think about sleep habits Make sure they can self-soothe and keep sleep prompts consistent eg white noise, a comforter or familiar song.

Create a safe environment Check your child’s bedroom for anything unsafe. Ensure windows can’t be opened and consider using a stairgate.

Establish a bedtime routine Maintain what works, such as a short bath, stories and cuddles – these all help to make the 14 March/April

experience more familiar.

Communicate changes positively Talk to your child in age-appropriate language and use books such as: Princess Polly’s My Big Girl Bed and Pirate Pete’s My Big Boy Bed. Prepare the sleep space Get your toddler involved. Choose bed covers together and personalise their bedframes with stickers. Think about photos of loved ones and a night light too.

Pre-empt bedtime requests Making their favourite meal before bed or introducing water in a beaker on the bedside table help with settling. If they need a nappy/ pyjama change, have everything to hand for minimum fuss.

READ MORE

Familiesonline.co.uk

EARLY YEARS

Top apps every parent needs Overwhelmed by the number of apps available in the App Store? Ari Last, founder of the Bubble app shares his recommendations. Get these on speed dial to make parenting and family life a little easier.

Mush

Find friends with kids the same age nearby.

OLIO

Allrecipes Dinner Spinner

The Wonder Weeks

Kidday

Family Locator

A week-by-week guide to Solving the endless ‘what your baby’s development – pregnancy to after can I make for dinner?’ birth. question.

Give away unwanted kids’ items to other local parents.

Store your photographs in one place. Share albums with friends/ family.

Track the location of older children/teens when out and about.

CBeebies

Bubble

Sound Sleeper

Educational games and classic cartoons for when you just need a break!

Familiesonline.co.uk

Find, book and pay local sitters/nannies recommended by friends/other local parents.

Help your baby fall asleep with this collection of calming sounds.

March/April 15

EASTER

Best Easter eggs for 2022 Find it hard to choose? Here are some of the best options this Easter.

Cadbury Twirl Orange Flavoured Extra thick egg filled with Chocolate Egg You Crack Me Up Easter Egg

Lindt Milk Chocolate Egg

Comes with Lindor Milk Chocolate Mini Eggs.

fun chocolate treats.

Large chocolate orange shell and two full-sized chocolate bars.

Ferrero Rocher Milk Chocolate & Hazelnut Egg

Montezuma’s Milk Chocolate Chick with Buttons Cute clucky chick and giant buttons.

White half-eggs sandwiched with caramel-milk chocolate.

KitKat Salted Caramel Giant Egg

Thorntons White Chocolate Bunny Egg

Marigold the Duck

Chocolate egg studded with chunks of hazelnut and Ferrero chocolates.

Caramel flavour egg, with bars of KitKat Chunky Salted Caramel Fudge.

16 March/April

With white chocolate and decorated with milk chocolate.

Caramayo Chocolate Easter Sandwich

Milk chocolate with naturally coloured yellow and white speckles.

Familiesonline.co.uk

FAMILY LIFE

Having incredible conversations with your child

By Jane Gilmour and Bettina Hohnen You: How was your day?

Your Child: Fine.

Want something a bit more?

Timing. Try not to pounce on your child with questions straight after school or nursery. Kids often need time to decompress. Wait and read the room. Start conversations when they are rested and well fed.

Setting. Many kids find face-to-face talking a bit intense. Weave your conversations into another activity eg when they are drawing.

and so on - the top of the mountain is the best, the bottom is the worst.

Expectations. Learning to communicate meaningfully together is a skill that takes time to build. Not all conversations will go smoothly Get real. Pre-teen children find but, in time, if your bids are gentle abstract concepts difficult and often and genuine, your relationship will don’t have the vocabulary to reflect thrive. their experiences. If you want to find out how your child is, draw a READ MORE mountain. Ask your child to use the mountain to show how they are feeling today, how they feel usually Truly communicating with your child is a great privilege for a parent. More than that, building a strong relationship with them improves their quality of life by protecting their mental and physical health.

How to Have Incredible Conversations With Your Child by clinical psychologists Jane Gilmour and Bettina Hohnen can help you further with this.

Familiesonline.co.uk

March/April 17

FAMILY LIFE

Top green family products If you’re looking to replace existing family products with something new, then why not consider these green options?

Reusable bamboo straws

Eco-friendly backpack

Beeswax food & sandwich wraps

100% USDA certified organic with all-natural plant-based cleaning brush.

Large enough for A4 books and folders. 100% recycled polyester.

Award-winning reusable wraps. 100% organic cotton and British beeswax.

Biodegradable & recycled swim towels

Reusable snack bag

Disposable econappies

Reusable nappy

Reusable cutlery

Beeswax crayons

Quick dry towels. 100% recyclable materials and biodegradable cotton.

Award-winning, adjustable, all in one, washable and reusable.

18 March/April

Perfect alternative to single-use sandwich bags and cling film.

100% organic bamboo.

Suitable for everyday use or picnics.

Sustainable organic bamboo fibre, plant based liners. 100% compostable.

Natural beeswax crayons made with minimum of 25% beeswax.

Familiesonline.co.uk

FAMILY LIFE

Reducing the cost of family living Get a grip of finances

Make savings

Get support

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If you’re pregnant and for a year after your baby is born, you can get free NHS dental care and prescriptions.

A monthly Child benefit of £21.15 per child under 16 and £14 for each additional child may be claimable, depending on your income.

If you’re pregnant or have a child under 4, Healthy Start vouchers can be spent on essential food items.

If you regularly spend money on prescriptions, an NHS Prescription Prepayment Certificate can save money.

Check your entitlement to Tax-Free Childcare or Free Childcare/Early Education.

Slash £1,000+ off your yearly grocery bill by taking the Downshift Challenge.

Save on big brand disposable nappies by using comparison site BumDeal.

Get free second-hand stuff from giveaway websites Freecycle and Freegle.

Buy second-hand and get great quality for less. Try eBay, Gumtree and Facebook Market Place.

Save £££ each year (and reduce your carbon footprint) by following simple energy saving tips.

Try the Energy Efficiency Calculator for personalised advice on use and solutions.

Fa m

Take back control of family spending with free apps like Money Dashboard or Emma.

Monitor and set limits on your kids spending with apps like gohenry or the free Revolut Junior.

Don’t spend more than you earn.

MoneySavingExpert’s free The Budget Planner will help.

Don’t get caught short. Try Piggybanking. Divide money into separate pots for essential bills.

Struggling with missed bills and payments? Try prioritising and consolidating. More info at debt help tips.

Get organised with family meal planning. Save money, time and waste.

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March/April 19

TRAVEL

Unique UK animal encounters Create lasting memories with a UK animal encounter. Compiled by Yonder, a new travel brand offering nature-rich stays and experiences.

Spot badgers in Dorset

Go whale watching See wild boar in the in Scotland Forest of Dean

Stay: Shepherd’s Hut, Blandford Forum

Stay: Tirlaggan Studio, Oban

Watch beavers in Cornwall

Walk alpacas in East Sussex

Stay: 2 Pencoose Barns, Truro

Herd sheep in the Lake District Stay: Winster Fields, Windermere 20 March/April

Stay: Gun Hill Cottage, Heathfield

Spy red squirrels in the Yorkshire Dales Stay: Mary’s Cottage, Hawes

Stay: Danby Lodge, Coleford

Kayak with seals in Pembrokeshire Stay: Maerdy Lodge, Haverfordwest

Spot African animals in Kent Stay: Shore, Hythe

Familiesonline.co.uk

TRAVEL

Lesser-visited UK staycation spots Avoid the crowds! Try one of these lesser-visited staycations spots put together for Families by Gabrielle Nash.

Lundy Island, Devon

Tenby, Wales

The journey to this showstopping island is an adventure!

The kids will love taking the ferry over from Ilfracombe. The name Lundy means puffin, the island’s most famous resident. Enjoy a back to nature holiday with just a handful of other inhabitants, staying in one of the historical properties. There’s even a lighthouse you can stay in!

Tenby is the perfect location for a family holiday but so often overlooked in favour of more traditional spots. Stunning sandy beaches are the major draw card but the town has a vibrant atmosphere, colourful cottages and an array of family-friendly eateries. There are also plenty of family attractions nearby.

Dungeness, Kent

Aberdeen, Scotland

Dungeness is a quiet settlement on Britain’s largest shingle beach. The well-known power station makes a great rainy-day activity and opportunity for kids to find out how electricity is generated. Surrounding it lies a beautiful nature reserve. Stay in a seaside property and take the narrow-gauge steam train out to Dymchurch and Hythe.

Perched on the east coast of Scotland, Aberdeen has a beautiful sandy beach to one side and the striking mountains, the Cairngorms to the other. Take the trail of seventeen castles you can even stay the night in one! For activities, check out the busy harbour for boat-loving kids and don’t miss the Science Centre.

Familiesonline.co.uk

March/April 21

TRAVEL

Lesser-visited UK staycation spots Avoid the crowds! Try one of these lesser-visited staycations spots put together for Families by Gabrielle Nash.

County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland

Bamburgh, Northumberland

In Northern Ireland’s lake district in the south-west of Northern Ireland, you’ll find beautiful accommodation options from a lodge on a private island to luxury camping. Kids will love the walk through the Marble Arch caves or enjoy taking a trip on the waterbus. A must-see is the medieval Enniskillen Castle.

Situated on a vast stretch of golden sand on the Northumberland coast, Bamburgh is a family holiday dream. The stunning Bamburgh castle sits imposingly above the beach in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Try surfing or windsurfing, or head to a local cafe for some freshly caught fish.

The Wye Valley

Cheshire

The Wye Valley is an area of outstanding natural beauty with the River Wye running through it. The area offers a great family holiday with opportunities to try wild swimming, fishing or canoeing. Whether you fancy a log cabin with a hot tub or glamping with the kids, you’ll find plenty of choice.

With some great family-friendly attractions, enjoy Cheshire’s beautiful countryside or opt for a city break in Chester. For space lovers, there’s a new visitor centre at the observatory Jodrell Bank, kids will love Chester Zoo and everyone will enjoy the Ice Cream Farm, a theme park dedicated to ice cream!

22 March/April

Familiesonline.co.uk

SPRING OUTDOORS

Spring make n’dos Enjoy nature and garden-themed activities with the kids - perfect to while away some hours at the weekend or during the school holidays!

Weave a nature loom

Make a spring sensory bin

Make a garden gnome

Spot early signs of spring

Grow potatoes in a tub

Make a butterfly feeder

Make easy pine cone hedgehog

Grow microgreens

Make simple garden wind chimes

Familiesonline.co.uk

March/April 23

SPRING OUTDOORS

Outdoor adventures Enjoy the great outdoors this spring and get the kids to try some of these great activities.

Try the string walk

Plant a tree

Join a fossil hunt

Take a family walk

Try orienteering

Make a stone cairn

Go pond dipping

Play Poohsticks

Go canoeing

24 March/April

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