The Autumn/Winter 2017 Issue
Contents 4. New Brands We Love: your need-to-know arrivals 6. Phil & Phae: the founder on what inspires her timeless clothes for kids 8. Trend – Save Our Seas: sealife motifs, marine stripes and powerful slogans 24. Back To School: the coolest buys for termtime 28. Cool Kid: seven-year-old Hind tells us about her favourite things 26 New Brands We Love: four more new arrivals at Scout & Co 32. Style It My Way: Ashley Clowes photographs her favourite pieces of the season 38. Copenhagen With Kids: the best family hangouts in the Scandi city 40. How To Make a Pompom Bichon Frise: take a break, make a pompom 42. Trend – Magical Mystery: fluffy knits, mystical creatures and bold graphics 58. Olli Ella: Olivia Brookman shares her tips for styling a family home 62. Yoga & Meditation For Kids: quick and easy practices to try together 66. Sweet Dreams: stylish bedtime buys from books to pyjamas 68. Okido: we meet the editor of the wonderful arts & science magazine
Editorial & Marketing Director: Nicky Westbury Creative Director: Fiamma Poltock Commercial Director: Gemma Morgan Design: Caroline Nitsch Photography: Stephen Winslade On the cover: Bobo Choses sweatshirt, £50 and hat, £58 Opposite: Bobo Choses overalls, £72 and scarf, £30. Main Story top, £36 SCOUTANDCOKIDS.COM
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Autumn/Winter 2017 Welcome to the second issue of our shoppable Scout & Co magazine. Get inspired by two trends for the season, our favourite new brands and buys for back to school and bedtime. (Like what you see? Click on an item or credit to shop it…) Plus, the best family hangouts in Copenhagen, yoga and meditation with kids, Olli Ella’s décor tips for family homes, why you’ll love Okido magazine and how to make a pompom Bichon Frisé! Happy reading!
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New Brands We Love
MAED FOR MINI Hailing from Amsterdam, Maed For Mini was founded by parents of two, Maerle Mulder and Edward Ouwerkerk. We love the sophisticated colour palette and soft organic cottons in the ‘Concours d’Amour’ AW17 collection. Our favourite pieces? Fringed jumpers and knit bloomers, leopard-print separates and the softest teddy bear coat…
SHOP MAED FOR MINI
MERI MERI We’ve solved all your gift-buying dilemmas with our new range of wonderful Meri Meri accessories featuring unicorns, rainbows, mermaids, Wild West, space, animals, hearts and more. There are adorable hair clips and necklaces, irresistible enamel pins and fabric badges, finger puppets, canvas purses and temporary tattoos. Prices start at £2…
SHOP MERI MERI
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New Brands We Love
NOFRED Award-winning Danish brand, Nofred makes beautiful children’s furniture. The iconic Mouse collection features super-sweet ‘mouse ears’ backrests on chairs and benches in solid oak or painted birch wood in four colours. Then there’s the wonderful Harbour House, a wooden dolls house inspired by the famous higgledy-piggledy buildings of Nyhavn canal in Copenhagen and designed to be the perfect fit for Playmobil. Plus, we have three stunning wallpapers in Safari, Toucan and Ladybird designs.
SHOP NOFRED
MINI A TURE We’ve found our perfect wardrobe basics: Mini A Ture’s new Essentials range. There are darling crossover tops, bodysuits, pants and onesies for babies, plus tees and dresses up to age six, all in go-with-everything grey, blush pink and navy. Extra-soft merino wool and bamboo mix pieces have a lovely subtle pointelle design, while cotton items have stitched polka dots. More good news: prices start at just £11…
SHOP MINI A TURE
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Style
Brand Focus: Phil & Phae The Dutch label is all about timeless clothing with special details. Founder Barbara De Jonge shares her inspiration How did Phil & Phae get started? ‘I was a womenswear designer for different brands for five years, but dreamed of starting my own babywear brand. Rather than the usual bright or sweet colours, I’d rather dress kids in the desaturated shades I like to wear myself – no bells and whistles, like cartoon graphics, bows and frills. When I became a mother myself, I decided to go for it and in summer 2015, I started working fulltime on Phil & Phae. The first collection hit the shops in August 2016.’ What’s the Phil & Phae design ethos? ‘I want to make clothes that parents 6
love for the style and quality, and that kids want to wear because the pieces are so comfy and soft. Our style is minimalist but recognisable for its fit, modern cut and attention to detail. Some shapes and details return in every collection: our harem pants with fold-over detail, the one-sided pocket on sweaters and jumpsuits, and raw-edged hems and necklines. I aim for comfy and nonchalant yet sophisticated, hence our tagline: “comfy chic for the mini”.’ What are you most proud of so far? ‘How many babies and kids all over the world already have Phil & Phae in
their little closets! Building a brand is far from easy or glamorous, and takes many hours of hard work and sacrifices. But seeing happy customers posting photos of their kids in our clothes on social media makes up for that, as does knowing customers ask shops specifically for Phil & Phae or make return purchases within a week.’ Take us through a typical day at work. ‘It starts with a family breakfast and quickly checking social media. Then my husband and I bring our kids to daycare or one of the grandmas – by bike when the weather allows – then go to the office together (I share an office with my husband and brother in law). After making coffee, my work day starts, and it’s always different: buying appointments, working on the new collection’s colours and designs, creating lookbooks, prepping a photo shoot, communicating with suppliers or sales agents, packing webshop orders... Sometimes I go out for store visits or fit appointments with kids – all new designs are fitted on real children before going into production!’ Tell us about your AW17 collection. ‘‘‘A Forest Tale” is about my idea of a perfect autumn day: a cosy family weekend in a forest hut, reading bedtime stories by a campfire.
The stardust print is inspired by a woodland clearing’s starry sky on a clear cold night. The berry and acorn shades are found in the forest, too.’ What are your favourite AW17 pieces? ‘Sweater Mads: it has a slightly longer fit, a gender-neutral tan colour that combines with almost everything and it’s made of the softest organic cotton. My own two boys love the allover printed jumpsuit and salopettes.’ What inspires you creatively? ‘How cliché – my kids! I can see which are the best cuts and fabrics from the items I pick most often for them to wear; what my eldest chooses; which items can handle washing and outdoor play. I use it all for my next collections!’ What’s next for Phil & Phae? ‘I am excited to reveal that for SS18 we’ll have knitwear, plus new shapes with our iconic fold-over detail. I’m also exploring woven fabrics... Enough ideas and plans for the future!’ SHOP PHIL & PHAE 7
S A E S R U EO
SAV
with s e e r a g n du d n a s ans e g p i o l r t s s l u e f n r i owe mar p p d u n r a e s y t i a L y kn k n u h c , s int sealife pr
Above: Bobo Choses T-shirt, £28, overalls, £72, and hat, £25. Right: Bobo Choses overalls, £72 and jumper, £67
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Save our Seas
Above: Bobo Choses sweatshirt, £55. Mingo joggers, £28. Below: Bobo Choses hoodie, £59, and sweatshirt, £50. Mini Rodini dungarees, £67
Above: Bobo Choses overalls, £72, scarf, £30, and bag, £33. Main Story top, £36. Mingo socks, £9. Opposite: Bobo Choses sweatshirt, £45. Maison Labiche top, £40
Save our Seas
Above: Main Story cardigan, £58. Bobo Choses overalls, £72
Bobo Choses overalls, ÂŁ72 Maison Labiche top, ÂŁ35
Bobo Choses jumper, £59, and scarf, £30
Save our Seas
Mingo cardigan, £48, and socks, £9. Bobo Choses dress, £67, hat, £27, and scarf, £30.
Bobo Choses sweatshirt, from £42
Mini Rodini dungarees, £67. Bobo Choses buttons top, £29, and hat, £27. Vans shoes, £35
Bobo Choses sweatshirt, £42, and tracksuit pants, £42
Bobo Choses dress, £67. Mingo scarf, £29.50
Bobo Choses zip sweatshirt, £47, and hat, £27. Mingo leggings, £21. Amy & Ivor moccasins, £38
Bobo Choses sweatshirt, £50, and hat, £25
Save our Seas
Bobo Choses sweatshirt, £50. Mini Rodini dungarees, £67
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Save our Seas
Oeuf knit hoodie, £109. Bobo Choses pants, £33. Amy & Ivor moccasins, £38
Tiny Cottons cardigan, £81. Bobo Choses top, £26, and skirt, £53. Olli Ella Piki basket, £25
Maison Labiche top, £40. Bobo Choses trousers, £61, and bag, £59 19
Shop the Shoot
Clockwise from top left: Bobo Choses sweatshirt, £50. Bobo Choses hat, £25. Tiny Cottons scarf, £36. Beau Loves cardigan, £56. Mini A Ture wool top, £29. Bobo Choses coat, £136. Bobo Choses bag, £33. Tiny Cottons denim pants, £45. Bobo Choses skirt, £42. Oeuf knit hat, £40. Phil & Phae salopettes, £42. Maison Labiche top, £40
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Shop the Shoot
Clockwise from top left: Bobo Choses skirt, £53. Bobo Choses scarf, £30. Mini Rodini jacket, £105. Tiny Cottons onepiece, £62. Bobo Choses cardigan, £81. Bobo Choses overalls, £72. Bobo Choses bag, £59. Maed For Mini hat, £29. Vans shoes, £35. Bobo Choses top, £28. Tiny Cottons knit pants, £56. Bobo Choses jumper, £82
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SHOP NOW
Main Story cardigan, £58. Bobo Choses overalls, £72. Mini Rodini backpack, £54
Back to School 11 cool buys to get kids excited for the school run
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Clockwise from top left: Mini Rodini Pico jacket, £86. Kitpas blackboard and chalk, £28. Vans Authentic shoes, £25. Design Letters initial lunch box, £18. Ooly Colour Core pencils, £16.50. Mini Rodini backpack, £54. Takenaka lunch box, £24. Noodoll notebook, £2.50. Design Letters initial bottle, £15.50. Liewood panda gym bag, £15. Design Letters neon crayons, £15. 25
New Brands We Love
SIGNED & DEDICATED WILL MABBITT BOOKS Will’s brilliantly funny and silly picture book is about worms. You might think worms are boring, but you’d be wrong. These worms have incredible adventures! He can’t draw those bits, though, so you’ll have to imagine them. We love the dry humour and bright illustrations in this clever take on a counting book. We’re excited to offer signed copies with a personalised dedication from the author, making this a really special gift for birthdays or Christmas. Just add a note to your order with the recipient’s name and occasion.
SHOP I CAN ONLY DRAW WORMS
TAKENAKA Time to upgrade your lunch box! Takenaka bento boxes from Japan are sleek, durable and come in five amazing, glossy hues (handcoloured individually by artisans to make them extra vibrant). There’s a moveable partition inside to separate out your lunch and a stretchy orange band to keep the lid secure. We love these for adults AND kids.
SHOP TAKENAKA
New Brands We Love
BANWOOD BIKES
This beauty of a balance bike is the perfect first ride for kids, promoting early cycling and an easy transition to pedal bikes. The First Go comes in six colours (with matching helmets available too), each with a wicker basket and bell. Safe and durable, it has an adjustable handlebar and seat height, making it suitable from 2.5 - 5 years. What an awesome Christmas gift!
SHOP BANWOOD
MINI SIBLING The new little sister brand to Beau Loves, Mini Sibling was created by designer Faye White for her younger son, Knox. It’s a cool and modern baby and toddler collection with a muted palette of black and grey melange with stripes, speckles and confetti print. Expect easy-to-wear, mixand-match unisex pieces in beautifully crafted soft cotton jersey, fleece and cotton knits.
SHOP MINI SIBLING
Bobo Choses jumper, ÂŁ67
Cool KID Seven-and-a-half year old Hind tells us what she’s into 28
What kids love Where do you live? ‘London. Both my parents are from the Middle East.’
Who inspired you to learn? ‘Both Ed Sheeran and my music teacher inspired me to learn. They are both amazing musicians!’
Do you have any hobbies? ‘Yes! Playing the guitar, reading, baking, art and knitting.’
Does anyone else in your family play instruments? ‘Yes, there’s always music playing in my house! My older sister plays the keyboard.’
Tell us more about your guitar playing… ‘It started when I was four and my music teacher asked me to join the guitar club. I used my sister’s old guitar. It was so much fun and I was surprised how quickly I learned.’
What are your favourite films and books? ‘Harry Potter.’
When did you first decide you wanted to play the guitar? ‘When the guitar club started I wasn’t sure I’ll enjoy it, but I went to give it a chance. I really loved it and then I decided to keep playing.’ How often do you practise? ‘Twice a week.’
Where is the best place you’ve ever been to? ‘The beach in a hot country.’ Do you choose your own clothes? How would you describe your style? ‘Yes I do! Arty, colourful and comfortable! I love Bobo Choses and Les Coyotes de Paris.’
What’s your favourite song to play? ‘Clap, Turn Around.’
Describe your perfect day…. ‘On the beach with my family, swimming and having a picnic.’
What music do you listen to? ‘All types –my favourite is Ed Sheeran and I love the song, Shape Of You.’
What do you want to be when you grow up? ‘A fashion designer.’
HIND’S SHOPPING EDIT
Tiny Cottons llama knit scarf, £36
Bobo Choses Loup de Mer jumper, £55
Lomography Diana Mini camera, £49
Moon Picnic rabbit cross stitch set, £12
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SHOP NOW 31
Style It My Way: AW17 We asked Ashley Clowes to photograph her kids wearing her favourite pieces from our autumn/winter collections Tell us about yourself… ‘I’m Texan, mama of Edie (5) and Max (2) and wife of Mark. We live in Hertford and I’m a massage therapist. I moved to England seven years ago and was immediately drawn to the beauty of it and how different the light was here. I captured it on my phone and soon dove into photography, constantly setting up photos in my head through composition and light. It’s my passion.’
lot of time outdoors so the kids’ clothes need to accommodate the dirt and ice cream from a day out. My biggest thing is individuality and comfort – every time.’
What’s the inspiration for your shoot? ‘Immediately, I thought outside for everything. My first shoot was in a wheat field as the colour to me is gold. My second was in a dear friend’s camper van on a trip to Norfolk.’
What do you love about autumn? ‘When we get on our bikes with the kids in the trailer, wrapped up warm with bobble hats, and cycle through a teeny (compared to Austin, Texas) town stopping for coffees and cakes.’
What made you pick out these pieces? ‘We’re a laidback family and spend a
Instagram: @ASHLEYDASHLEY_ ASHLEYCLOWESPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
Which are your favourite collections? ‘Bobo Choses “Dear World” – I love the meaning behind it. We need to teach our kids to care and love for this beautiful world full of happiness.’
Above: Edie wears: Bobo Choses pocket dress, £50. Max wears: Bobo Choses buttons top, £29, and overalls, £72 Opposite: Bobo Choses knit cardigan, £67
Edie wears: Bobo Choses sweatshirt, from £42, skirt, £53, and embroidered dress, £67 Max wears: Bobo Choses Fish T-shirt, £31
Max wears: Tiny Cottons sweatshirt, £53. Beau Loves hoodie, £44. Edie wears: Indikidual top, £26, and skirt with braces, £32. Beau Loves sweatshirt, £39.50
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Max wears: Beau Loves hoodie, £44. Edie wears: Beau Loves sweatshirt, £39.50. Mini Rodini leggings, £27
SHOP NOW
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Travel
Kasper and Magnus at the Harbour Bus. Right: Kate with Adrian, Magnus and Kasper
Copenhagen with Kids Mama-of-two and design/lifestyle/travel copywriter, Kate Poulsson Johnson shares the coolest family hangouts in her home city of Copenhagen Copenhagen embodies the Scandi emphasis on a healthy balance between family and work life. Compact, clean, safe and low-fi, its distances are short, greenery and water is never far, and children are welcome everywhere. But it’s also expensive, so our favourite things to do are also gentle on our pockets. Harbour Bus In Copenhagen, the water’s pull is magnetic, so in good weather, that’s where we are. The yellow harbour buses zigzag the city’s main waterway, taking in iconic sights like the Opera 38
House, Nyhavn, Islands Brygge harbour pool and the Black Diamond. We go to the very end – which takes an hour – for the quiet Sluseholmen harbour pool in Sydhavn, hitting the good supermarket for a pontoon picnic. Ofelia Plads This gently sloped platform stretches out between Amalienborg Palace and the Opera House. On Fridays, we grab a six pack and takeaway pizza from Lagano and take it to Ofelia Plads where the kids scoot, I dive into the cool, clean harbour and we watch people cruise by on boats. There are
street food trucks and open-air bar Luftkastellet, where DJs play and people lounge on deckchairs.
Photography by Kate Poulsson Johnson
Designmuseum Danmark Set in a grand old building, this is Scandinavia’s chief exhibition space for Danish and Nordic industrial design and crafts. Its permanent collection is lovely, but my boys love the ‘Learning From Japan’ exhibition (samurai swords and intricate armour; on until summer 2018), while my favourite is a show of pieces by Danish haute couture designer, Erik Mortensen. |The pretty garden is a welcome Overlooking the lakes: view from Søernes Ølbar respite in this tourist part of town. delicious lunch at child-friendly Enigma in the park’s southeast corner. Fælledparken In family-friendly Østerbro, the vast, Israels Plads Fælledparken is home to trampolines, An example of Copenhagen’s easy-onassault coursing, giant swings, and the-eye urban design, this gently skate, scooter and water parks. But we undulating concrete space includes a have heart-eyes for Tårnlegepladsen, shallow skating ‘bowl’ and a steepwhose bright climbing structures are stepped structure edged by a manmade fashioned after the city’s iconic towers, stream. Covered market Torvehallerne and for Trafiklegepladsen’s small is across the street and rustic La Fiorita roads, cycle lanes, roundabouts and pizzeria is a couple of blocks away. working traffic lights. Coffee carts and Ørsteds Park and Botanical Garden are waffle wagons abound, and there’s nearby for ornamental greenery. Our just-us hangs When untethered by kids, my husband Adrian and I make for Ryesgade, a quiet street linking the Nørrebro and Østerbro neighbourhoods. At La Esquina, we scoff brunch platters, huevo al plato for lunch, or burgers for dinner, heading along the street for dessert at Instagrammable pastry shop, Leckerbaer. Later on, we love to drink beer at lakeside Søernes Ølbar.
Kasper on the steps at Israels Plads
Instagram: @K__P__J KATEPOULSSONJOHNSON.COM 39
Crafts
Pom Maker Get crafty with these wooden doughnut pompom makers Say hello to the cutest way to make pompoms! These solid beech wood beauties are suitable for everyone from beginners to pom pros. And obviously, we love that they’re shaped like doughnuts, with four different ‘frosting’ colours to choose from. They come beautifully packaged in a cloth bag and make super gifts for kids and grown-ups. Have a go at making your own rabbit, panda or dog pompom!
Pompom makers, £17.90 each
SHOP POM MAKER 40
How to make a pompom Bichon FrisÊ! Watch Pom Maker’s step-by-step tutorial
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Mystery Magical
Bold graphics and my knits and velvet, in blu
Magical Mystery
ystical creatures meet fluffy ush, grey and black tones
Above: Beau Loves hoodie, £44. Indikidual pants, £31 Opposite: Main Story dress, £40. Meri Meri bunny hair clips, £6.75
Magical Mystery
Tiny Cottons jacket, £138, and hat, £36
Above: Tiny Cottons jumper, £77, and hat, £36. Indikidual skirt, £32. Braveling tights, £16 Opposite: Beau Loves T-shirt, £29, and leggings, £29. Indikidual hat, £27, and scarf, £27. Vans shoes, £30
Sways raincoat, £54. Beau Loves pants, £29
Modern Pastels
Tiny Cottons jumper, £53. Mingo pants, £25. Vans shoes, £27 46
Above: Mini Rodini sweatshirt, £38. Mingo joggers, £28. Beau Loves scarf, £30 Opposite: Mingo cardigan, £48. Mini A Ture wool top, £29. Bobo Choses leggings, £42, and socks, £13. Oeuf knit hat, £40. T-Lab wooden toys, £12 each
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Magical Mystery
Mini A Ture wool top, £29. Beau Loves skirt, £30. Liewood bag, £17, and socks, £6
Main Story top, £36. Mingo joggers, £28. Beau Loves scarf, £30.
Main Story dress, ÂŁ40. Beau Loves pants, ÂŁ42
Magical Mystery
Sways raincoat, £54. Mini Rodini dress, £48. Bobo Choses socks, £15. Vans Authentic shoes, £30
Beau Loves dress, £56
Beau Loves cardigan, £56, and T-shirt, £29
Magical Mystery
Beau Loves T-shirt, £29. Indikidual hat, £27, and scarf, £27
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Shop the Shoot
Clockwise from top left: Kid + Kind T-shirt, £30. Mini Rodini dress, £43. Tiny Cottons scarf, £33. Tiny Cottons socks, £12. Tiny Cottons knit vest, £62. Maed For Mini sweatshirt, £44, Tiny Cottons knit pants, £56. Oeuf knit hoodie, £109. Meri Meri bunny hair clips, £6.75. Vans SK8-Hi shoes, £52. Beau Loves dress, £56. Liewood bag, £17
Clockwise from top left: Tiny Cottons sweatshirt, £53. Mingo knit hat, £27. Jax & Hedley top, £25. Mingo socks, £9. Mini Rodini onesie, £57. Oeuf unicorn hat, £40. Beau Loves jacket, £145. Meri Meri finger puppets, £8.25. Maed For Mini knit bloomers, £35. Amy & Ivor moccasins, £40. Tiny Cottons cardigan, £77. Mini Sibling knit pants, £45. Vans shoes, £32
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Décor
Brand Focus: Olli Ella Co-founder, mama of two and basket aficionado, Olivia Brookman tells us about the design ethos behind Olli Ella and shares her décor tips Tell us a bit about you… ‘I was born in the UK but lived in Sydney and LA before moving back to London in 2007. I live near Finsbury Park with my husband Patrick, daughter Nika (3), son Jules (1) and dog Peach (13). I founded Olli Ella seven years ago with my sister Chloe, who was pregnant with her first child. There was a lack of stylish, well-made nursing chairs, so we designed one and found a local craftsman to build it. Our small collection of Britishmade nursing chairs was picked up by Harrods, which catapulted us into a worldwide brand with offices in Sydney and LA.’ 58
What do you like about running your own business with your sister? ‘Neither of us have a background in business and we go on instinct rather than hard and fast business rules. From day one we had a vision of who we are as a company and have stayed true to it. We can take risks and try things that more conventional companies might be averse to. I adore working with my sister. There is a freedom in being completely candid without fear of hurt feelings.’ What’s the Olli Ella design ethos? ‘Products that are livable, unfussy, effortless and timeless.’
3 Tips For Styling A Family Home Olli Ella’s Olivia shares her décor knowhow
What are your favourite pieces? ‘My heart is with our children’s products like the Luggy, Piki and Chari bags. Kids and parents really respond to them because they are timeless and practical. I’m so happy that they are beloved by those who own them.’ What are you most proud of so far? ‘The Luggy basket holds special importance to me. I designed it when Nika was 18 months – she wanted to bring her toys wherever she went and always had too many to carry. The Luggy was the perfect solution to this universal toddler dilemma. The name Luggy is also significant as Nika pronounced the word “love” as “lug”. So to me, Luggys are little baskets of love and there is nothing that makes me prouder than seeing children all around the world loving their Luggys.’ What inspires you creatively? ‘I love objects of beauty that are useful. Our children’s baskets come from seeing how our kids interact in their
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Start with a focal item then add layers. For Nika’s room, I took colour inspiration from our World Map print, adding mustard, coral and blue accessories to complete the look.
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You can never have enough baskets! I use them for laundry, Lego, blankets, nappies… They’re practical, keep mess hidden, look great and you can move them from room to room.
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It’s all about personality over perfection. Just keep it fun and surround yourself with things you love to look at and your space will reflect your family’s personality. 59
spaces - collecting treasures, wheeling toys, adventuring and organising. Chloe and I design for our own families and love that the products resonate with our customers in the same way.’ What’s your own interior style like? It looks beautifully serene on Instagram! ‘Haha, thank you – serene is certainly not how it feels! My style is playful, considered and constantly evolving. I prefer not to rush things and am fine with spending months in search of that perfect piece. I love pastels, clean lines and versatility in design. My home is a constant work in progress, but I wouldn’t want it any other way!’ carry. Made from unfinished, sustainably Does Nika decide what goes in her room? sourced birch, it can be painted, ‘Nika, like most three year olds, has an decorated or left beautifully bare. Our opinion about everything. If she doesn’t Playpa colouring rolls – 8 metres of like something, I know it’s not gonna fly. printed paper for colouring, playing and She is my sounding board, product stickering – are one of Nika’s favourites, tester, mini muse and my fiercest critic.’ too. I love encouraging imagination and creativity by combining play with art.’ What’s new for Olli Ella? ‘I’m excited about our new Holdie house How many Olli Ella baskets do you own?! [coming soon] – inspired by Nika’s ‘Ummm… 50? More? Always too many, Playmobil collection! It’s a portable dolls but never enough!’ house that’s the perfect size for kids to SHOP OLLI ELLA
OLIVIA’S SHOPPING EDIT ‘I love this Bobo Choses cardi because I can’t get enough of little people in chunky knits! I got these Wee Gallery bath books for Jules’ 1st birthday and they’ve been such a hit. This Make A Face toy is great as it’s designed for play, but also encourages children to discuss feelings and emotions.’
Bobo Choses cardigan, £81
Wee Gallery Colour Me bath books, £8.99 each
Moon Picnic Make A Face toy, £34
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Yoga & Meditation For Kids Esme Daly shares short and simple practices to try with your child Meditate together!
Try these three simple steps to find a few mindful moments with your child. Sit, connect with your breath, breathe and be with each other.
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Sit: Sukasana means sitting crosslegged with a straight spine. Ask your child to imagine a golden thread from the top of their head to the ceiling that gently pulls them up to sit tall. Bring thumb and index finger together with arms straight, resting back of hands on knees.
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See: Use your Om glasses – what can you see? Children love to spy things, encouraging awareness of the present moment. Ask, ‘Can you see me?’ and look at each other through your Om glasses, then bring your Om glasses back onto your knees. Make the ‘Om’ sound three times, breathing in deeply through the nose and exhaling with ‘Om’, grounding your attention into the now.
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Breathe: Keep length in your spine and close your eyes. Bring the palms of hands to knees or cup together at the centre of your body (my son chose to do thumbs up instead!). Feel the breath in your body. Take a deep breath gently in through your nose and out through your mouth, making soft ocean sounds with the waves of your breath flowing in and out. Try sitting back to back: can you feel each other’s breath moving in your bodies? 62
‘One conscious breath is meditation’ - Eckhart Tolle 3 Yoga Poses To Try With Kids Hold these poses for the count of three breaths
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Downward Dog: From hands-andknees position on the mat, bring your hands slightly forward of your shoulders and press into your hands. Raise your sit bones (bottom) up towards the celling. Bend your knees to find length in the spine, then straighten your legs and slowly release your heels towards the ground.
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Warrior 2: Standing at the front of the mat, take a wide step back with the right leg, turning the right toes out slightly. Bend the left knee so it’s directly over the left heel. Raise your arms out straight and look to the middle finger of the left hand. Make sure your arms are level with each other.
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Tree Pose: Bring your hands on to your hips and find your gaze point (Drishti) to help you balance. I ask children to find something in the room to fix their eyes on, such as a picture – not another person as they might wobble! Once you have your Drishti, start to raise one foot onto the sides of the other leg’s shin or thigh. If you wobble that’s OK, remember your Drishti is there to help you find your balance. If you have your balance, you can bring your palms together at the heart centre. Release your foot back to the floor and try on the other side.
Bobo Choses top, from £26
Sun Salutation
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Mountain pose: Stand with feet hip-width, palms together at heart centre.
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Stretch up high into the sky: Lift arms high and look to fingers.
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Hang down low, tickle your toes: Fold forward gently, bending knees if needed so your fingers touch toes.
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Feet-jump back, just like a frog: Take hands a little forward of feet with palms on the floor to jump, step or walk feet back to a plank position.
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Belly on ground like a snake, look at the sun: Lower knees to ground, then chest and chin. Bring elbows under shoulders, forearms to ground, look up.
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Now downward dog and breathe: Pushing into hands, lift up and back to downward dog.
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Feet-jump up, just like a frog: Bend knees, look forward and jump, step or walk feet back to the hands.
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Hang down low, tickle your toes: Fold forward gently, bending knees if needed so your fingers touch toes.
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Stretch up high into the sky: Lift arms high and look to fingers.
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Mountain pose: Stand with feet hip-width, palms together at heart centre.
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Esme Daly is a yoga teacher and mother based in north London, creating simple yoga and meditation practices for adults and kids. She teaches mindfulness and yoga in primary schools and in private classes for families, plus Vinyasa yoga at One Life Studio in Stoke Newington, N16.
ESMEDALY.COM
Photography by Aridonis Anthony
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Sweet
15 buys for st
From top left: Design Letters bedding set, £58. A Little Lovely Company moon light, £10. Liewood rabbit soft toy, £39. Noodoll Ricecarrot toy, £21.50. The Land Of Nod by Robert Louis Stephenson & Robert Hunter, £9.99. Mingo pyjamas, £40. Liewood rabbit cushion, £43
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Shopping
Dreams
tylish bedtimes
From top left: Mingo baby sleeping bag, £50. Hush… Little Bear Is Sleeping by Wee Gallery, £8.99. A Little Lovely Company star light, £10. Little Knittle lambswool blanket, £70. The Bright Company sleepsuit, £25. Mini Sibling baby bundler, £30. Noodoll Ricemere soft toy, £25, Wee Gallery giant muslin, £21.50 67
Books
Read: Okido Okido magazine founder & editor Sophie Dauvois takes us behind the scenes of the ace arts and science mag for kids For anyone who doesn’t yet know and love Okido, could you sum it up? ‘It’s a fully illustrated, independently published, monthly arts and science magazine for young children and their families. It’s full of educational content and it’s a huge amount of fun.’ And how did it all begin? ‘In 2007, Rachel [Okido creative director] and I felt that parents (just like us) deserved better children’s magazines than what was on offer – something well researched, educational but beautiful to look at. At the time, Rachel was artist-in-residence at Saint Martins and I was working and researching as a scientist. We both felt strongly that art and science are not the polar opposites that education currently likes to consider them. Why not think about art and science together and with equal importance?’ 68
Okido is the antithesis of the plastic tat magazines at newsagents and each issue is beautiful to look at. What’s it like designing for such young kids? ‘Thank you so much for saying that. It’s a privilege designing for young, inquisitive minds. Children see science in everything – standing, blinking, looking... They’re full of questions about the world. It’s such a joy to be working with this audience to remind ourselves every day about how great the world is to discover. We don’t see why something aimed at small kids shouldn’t be of the highest design quality. We have a hugely talented team and bring in exceptional guest illustrators such as Paul Noble, Nina Chakrabarti, Benji Davies and Lesley Barnes. These are all people at the top of their game and we’re delighted to offer young children and their families such a wealth of talent.’
How do you choose the issue themes? ‘We try to plan out a year at a time. We’ll sit and have an editorial meeting to throw ideas around and just make sure that we catch a variety of physics, biology, chemistry, nature and the environment within the year.’ What’s your favourite ever issue? It’s Poo & Wee in our house, of course! ‘All the planets and space issues sell like hot cakes but they’re quite hard to make as space facts are always evolving. It’s funny, we’re up to 52 issues now and whenever I look back at an old issue, I’m always delighted to revisit the content. If you push me, I’ll choose Germs (6) or Hair (27) because these were great fun to work on.’ Do you have a fave activity in Okido? ‘We developed the pull-out cardboard activity to give Okido extra height and get us noticed on the high-street
shelves. What started as a necessity is now a favourite part of the magazine for me. What you can achieve with two cardboard pages is a source of wonder: camping sets, Messy-flying-copters, friendship buses, astronaut puppets – seriously, these activities are a lot of fun.’ Do you test out the games and activities with kids first? ‘Absolutely! You would not believe the amount of play that happens at Okido Studio. We are constantly testing and playing with everything that we come up with. First amongst ourselves, then with any kids we can get our hands on… friends, family, studio visitors, outreach events – anywhere we can play, we will!’ What’s it like at Okido Studio? We imagine it’s a very fun place to work! ‘Yes, it’s great – very different to 10
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years ago when we worked out of the living room! The CBeebies animation Messy Goes To Okido is produced in the studio too. The magazine is made by a part-time team: Rachel works on the emotional questions in the magazine, the stories and Messy Monster; Alex does a huge amount of the drawing – from the doodles to illustrating stories and the poems; Maggie works on illustrations and games; Louis on games and activities. We’ll stop and meet for brainstorming sessions at the start of each issue and throughout the month.’ What other projects are you working on? ‘We’re working with Imperial College on a huge research programme into healthy breathing in babies and children. We’ll engage with 1,000 babies and their families from birth to age five and provide them with mags, books, toys, festivals, digital games and more. I’m so proud that we’re getting a reputation for communicating science to families.’ What inspires you? ‘Children. They are the best humans on the planet and I just love to be with them at our events in schools, festivals
and museums. It’s hugely fun and I’m constantly inspired with what the kids come up with. Surrounding myself with a great team at the studio is also creatively inspiring and hugely rewarding.’ What does your own child like to read? ‘I started this when he was small and truly, he was my inspiration. Now, he’s just completed his GCSEs so spent summer hanging out with friends and family and not reading much at all!’ SHOP OKIDO MAGAZINES
SOPHIE’S BOOK EDIT ‘Your book selection is THE NUTS! I love them all and this was v-e-r-y hard…’
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Make & Move Mini Beasts by Sato Hisao, £8.95
The Journey by Francesca Sanna, £12.99
All Kinds Of Cars by Carl Johanson, £12.99
‘We’ve met Sato through the Design Museum where we provide family trail booklets and family workshops. He’s a great and talented guy and we LOVE this book.’
‘This book blew our minds and broke our hearts. To write and illustrate such a beautiful book about such a difficult and tragic story is a work of pure genius. Very inspiring to us.’
‘We love, love, love this book. It perfectly captures what young children are looking for in a picture book and the drawings are beautiful.’
Okido Activity Sheet Print out this ace London-themed activity sheet – it’s perfect to keep kids entertained on-the-go
Colour me in!
Big and small
The London activity worksheet by
Which building is the tallest? Draw an even bigger one.
Which building is the smallest? Draw an even smaller one. How many windows can you count in all the houses?
Magazine
www.okido.co.uk
A growing town
A droodle is a mix in between a doodle and a riddle. Guess what these drawings are.
This village has grown into a town. Draw more houses and buildings.
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Draw people in the train
1- A barge going under Tower Bridge 2The Shard through a pair of binoculars 3A bowler hat and a cup of tea 4- A royal guard reading the newspaper 5- The top of a London taxi 6- A bird on Nelson’s head 7- The London Eye from above 8-Commuters with umbrellas at rush hour
London droodles. What are we?
How to draw London wildlife
City bricklayer Can you help the bricklayer finish off his bricks:
Now you try:
Let’s talk!
Maze
What are the birds saying?
Can you help the aliens find their way out of the London underground bunker?
Use the brids secret code to write what this germ is saying
Use the birds alphabet code to guess what the germs are saying
DOWNLOAD & PRINT HERE
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