Capable Child

We love to travel and explore new places. Like many new parents, when our daughter was born we were determined to keep travelling and introduce her to this passion. When I realised how much paraphernalia a baby takes seems to need, I began to wonder how we would ever take a flight again. Before becoming a parent, I often travelled up to my own baggage allowance. Where would I put all the extras for a baby? We put the flights on hold and decided to try a no-fly cruise. After years of airports, security and stop overs, arriving at Southampton for our cruise was quite a revelation. We drove up to check in and handed our bags & boxes of nappies to the porters. We parked the car and walked onto the ship with just our pushchair (and change bag). It was a great first impression. We had chosen a big ship on a family friendly cruise line so there was plenty to keep us entertained. With a young baby, we weren’t able to make use of the drop off children’s club. How...

Family Thai meal? Yes please! ✅  Last night we head to Siam Corner Ma Ma Thai. Driving over to Lichfield in heavy rain with Little Lady announcing that she felt ill, we began to wonder if we were doing the right thing. Why be adventurous when fish fingers and chips would have gone down very well thank you? Anyway we ploughed on and we were not disappointed. As soon as the prawn crackers came out, Little Lady was happy. This was added to by smiley staff who made a real fuss of her. This isn't a family restaurant with colouring pencils and children's menus but it was great fun to enjoy really tasty food as a family. We ordered a variety of dishes, avoided spicy options and chose a starter of chicken goujons (AKA Thai nuggets). Sticky rice was a real hit. Our own activity book and pencil case provided entertainment when needed. www.siamcornermamathai.co.uk 17 Bird Street  Lichfield £40 for three including drinks. I'm so glad that we tried somewhere n...

As soon as I saw the Shakespeare’s Stories event advertised, I booked our tickets. We knew it involved art, stories and cake so we were sure to enjoy it. The artist leading the event was James Mayhew, writer and illustrator of books such as Ella Bella Ballerina.   As the show began, James appeared on the stage in front of us dressed as Shakespeare. He unravelled a scroll and proceeded to tell us the story of Romeo and Juliet. The clever bit came as he paused his story telling at various points to produce illustrations. The children were able to watch as he very quickly transformed a blank canvas into a picture from the story. It really was fascinating to watch as he painted. As the audience watched James paint, a brilliant pianist, Alex Kirk, played accompanying music on a grand piano which sat on the stage. Shakespeare’s Stories was a unique event and children and adults were captivated by the music and art. James produced six or seven pictures and although we could...

If you drive up and down the M6 or M5 and need a place to stop off in the Midlands, the RSPB Reserve in Sandwell Valley is a great place to explore. Tanhouse Avenue Birmingham B43 5AG Free entry. Small charges to take part in children's trails and activities. Parking £3 or free to RSPB members.  https://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/reserves-a-z/sandwell-valley This nature reserve is a hidden gem and a great place to get outdoors in all seasons. It's 10 minutes drive from J7 M6 or J1 M5.  There is a warm, welcoming centre where you can grab a drink or snack and watch the birds on the lake from the large glass windows at the back. There are telescopes set up for you to watch birds on the feeders. Children are made very welcome and there are always colouring and cutting activities available. Getting outside to explore is what the reserve is really all about though. There are often trails for children to follow for a couple of pounds with a prize for comple...

Almost all schools teach reading using a phonics first approach. Some of you will argue that not all children learn to read using phonics, and that of course is true. Some children learn to read by sight and struggle to hear the phonics sounds. But how can you help your child to have the best shot at succeeding with phonics? Appeal to your child’s senses Pre-school children need to see the lowercase letters of the alphabet as much as possible. Flash cards can get very boring very quickly but there are plenty more options out there: foam letters for the bath, alphabet jigsaws, magnetic letters, wooden letters to draw around, letters that you have drawn in trays of glitter or foam. Our favourite game with our letters was hiding them around the garden or house and searching for them. It was active, lots of fun and gave plenty of opportunity to reinforce the letter sounds. Develop their listening skills Later, children will need to hear how letter sounds blen...