Capable Child

Looking around the auditorium of Lichfield’s Garrick Theatre, my daughter and I could see any number of small (but fairly fierce looking) pirates. However, in between them we could see one lad clutching his copy of Robert Louis Stevenson’s ‘Treasure Island’. A classic children’s tale of adventure, piracy and derring-do, we were about to meet Jim Hawkins, Long John Silver and, quite randomly, Captain Birdseye of ‘fish finger’ fame (although it was quite disturbing to discover during the show that fish fingers are actually comprised of pirates that have crossed the white bearded grandfather figure of my youth). This was Le Navet Bete’s comical adaptation of the classic novel after all! Exeter-based, 4-man Le Navet Bete are currently touring the country and my 9 year old daughter and I managed to catch them as they passed through the Midlands. The show was full of laughs, with a few of the original characters and some additional ones too. Long John Silver’s parrot had been renamed ‘Alexa’...

Finally back on my blogspot with a great family day out. Slimbridge is somewhere that I had been meaning to visit with my girls for sometime. It's about an hour and fifteen minutes away from Birmingham when the M5 is happy. It's proximity to the M5 also make it a great place to break a journey if you are travelling south west. Do be sure to book in advance though as it's popular. The whole family really enjoyed our day at Slimbridge and that is the real brilliance of the place. It's engaging for adults and keeps toddlers happy. Not many venues can claim to please everyone. The children's favourite part of the day was Welly Boot Land. Amazingly, I had dressed the children appropriately in welly boots but it was a sunny day and within minutes boots were off, socks were off and trousers were rolled up. (Take a towel!) The girls were in the stream, on the slides and splashing each other. The take away coffee hut was aptly positioned just outside the gates to keep the gr...

My family has spent much more time outdoors over the past year. This has been a real positive to come out of 2020 and I hope it's something that we will continue. With this in mind, I didn't hesitate to book a Twixmas walk at Hawkstone Follies in Shropshire. Twixmas is the word used to the described the period between Christmas and New Year. However, in my family it describes the period when we aren't sure what day it is and we live on left overs from the fridge.   This year Twixmas meant snow for parts of the UK and that was the case for our visit to Hawkstone Follies. How lucky we were to see this incredible place transformed into a winter wonderland. We wrapped up warm and with a map in hand and sturdy shoes headed off to discover the rugged sandstone hills. Everything to do and see at Hawkstone is outside. You need to be prepared for this in whatever season you visit. You are also required to take a torch so that you can investigate the caves safely.   We took the high ...

What to do on a slightly dreary October afternoon? One option is to have a really fantastic time at B’Opera’s Alice and the Library Tree. We didn’t really know what to expect. I’d seen photos of previous performances and we knew there would be singing and bright, interesting costumes. B’Opera describes itself as beautiful music for tiny ears. Whilst that is very true, it’s also so much more. My 7 year old really enjoyed herself and so did the grown ups! We arrived at Walsall’s New Art Gallery and zipped up to the top floor in their lifts with a view loved by Little Lady. B’Opera were all set up for the show with blankets and cushions for us to sit on. As we waited for the show to start, the performers were welcoming children to the library where the show was set and handing out books. There was a real mix of ages from babies to grandparents. Some people had been to B’Opera performances before and were back for more.  It is very relaxed atmosphere and we were told from ...

In 10 years time, my children won’t specifically remember the occasions that I picked them up from school, cooked our favourite pasta dish or watched their swimming lesson. But they will remember some of things that we did that were out of the ordinary. They will remember some of the memories that we made together. As we headed out of the door on Friday evening, I knew we were making memories. I was just hoping it wasn’t going to be because the whole family had got soaked to the skin sitting in a park on a Friday night watching a play. We had a flask full of hot chocolate, a box of malteasers and some large umbrellas borrowed from a neighbour. We were heading to a Heartbreak Productions outdoor show in Walsall Arboretum. It was pretty exciting heading out in the evening and walking through an empty park to get to the bandstand where the show was being staged. When I told Little Lady what we were going to see, she was extremely excited. In fact, we all were because ...

What is it? MiniBrum is a play space for under eights based on the theme of a mini Birmingham. There are different areas for children to explore including a canal barge, a construction zone and a shop. The whole of MiniBrum is designed to support children’s role play and exploration of real life spaces. The unique interactive gallery has been created with the input of over 800 children and families from across Birmingham. Where is it? Mini Brum is part of ThinkTank which is Birmingham’s science museum. MiniBrum is on the third floor next to the recently revamped planetarium. Entry to ThinkTank is £14 per adult and £10.25 per child. Under 3’s are free and during Birmingham term time there is a special adult and toddler (aged 3-5) ticket for £15. Another great offer is the £3 per person entry fee after 3pm on term time weekdays. When does it open? It opens to the public on 25 th May in time for half term. I would expect it to be very busy. My advice woul...

Whatever your view is on testing children using SATs, most parents will agree that they want their children to achieve the expected standard in Maths, Reading and Writing as they leave Key Stage One and move up into Key Stage Two (or ‘The Juniors’). This means that they are on track for their age and ready for the challenges of Year 3 and beyond. There are definitely ways that parents can support and encourage their children in all subjects. Below, I give my top five ways of helping your child in Maths- no specialist knowledge required! Money, Money, Money My Little Lady invariably sees me paying for things with card. If I need cash, I have to scrabble around for it! Children need to be able to recognise the different values of coins so I have to make an effort to ensure that we firstly have some coins at home and secondly play with them. A favourite activity for us is setting up a shop with jars, tins and packets from the kitchen cupboard. We use real coins, a toy cas...

Zog is Julia Donaldson family favourite. Dragons, princesses, knights, humour and a strong female with high aspirations. The book is a winner and so we were very keen to see the play while it was on at the Town Hall in Birmingham. So it seems, were many other families! When we arrived at the venue, there was a queue of pushchairs, parents, grandparents and lots of under-fives. There was a buzz of excitement in the air as we went inside and found our seats in the packed auditorium. Having seen previous Freckle Productions shows, we eagerly awaited their winning combination of music and puppetry. We firstly met Princess Pearl who opened in song. The puppets also soon arrived on set. We were kept amused by a pair of rabbits and a flexible frog. As we watched the opening scenes, I could hear children around beginning to whisper, “Where’s Zog?” Zog was clearly a favourite and the children were waiting for their first glimpse. The dragons arrived on stage and Zog received a chee...

Today marked our first theatre trip as a family of four! We headed to Birmingham’s Old Rep Theatre to see Treasure Island. I was a little nervous that our one month old baby might not enjoy the show as much as the rest of family. I need not have been so worried. As we came into the theatre staff were immediately helpful with opening doors and storing our pram securely in the cloakroom. Littlest Lady slept through most of the show only surfacing to top up on milk. I was so pleased that we’d all made it out the house and done something that my older daughter really enjoyed. Within minutes of the show starting, Little Lady, aged 6, was giggling away. The Treasure Island story, first published as a book in 1883, had been cleverly adapted to entertain a  family audience in 2019. The characters introduced themselves and the children watching quickly caught onto the fact that this was a hunt for treasure. Early on in the show, the cast had the audience participating wit...

My family had been looking forward to going to Bodega Cantina in Sutton Coldfield for a while so when the opportunity came up to review the refreshed menu, we jumped at the chance. I had heard good things about the eatery from a number of people and had been with some friends a while ago and enjoyed the food and atmosphere. As I was about to have a baby, I thought that it was either now or in several months and decided to head over one Saturday evening together with my husband and 6 year old daughter.  We got there slightly early and had a drink at the bar. There was an extensive menu of alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails and beers. As we waited for our table, the bar area was hotting up as people arrived before heading out for the evening into Sutton Coldfield. The atmosphere was relaxed and good natured and the décor mirrored the South American menu that was on offer. Out table was spacious and the feel of the room was uncluttered. As well as those wh...