Capable Child

What is full of sausage, smells of garlic and is sitting on the front row at Town Hall Birmingham waiting for the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra to strike up a medley of winter cheer? Us!  On a chilly Saturday afternoon, Birmingham city centre doesn't always feel like the place you want to be. Not so at in the run up to Christmas. Parking at the Snow Hill station car park allowed us a slow stroll through the village of stalls, eateries and kids' activities that have taken root around St Philips's cathedral - spotting penguins on the way. We were then swept up New Street past gluhwein, Christmas decorations, chocolate covered marshmallows and a singing reindeer. Birmingham's German Market proved a good lunch stop before our final destination: Town Hall Birmingham. On entering the building, we were ushered downstairs to take part in a free children's craft session. Although it was a bit crowded we were able to locate a template of a mask, as well as feathers, g...

Sparkle and Shine, the well know finale song, in this incredible production sums up the the whole show. The musical is directed by Debbie Isitt who herself grew up in Birmigham which explains why there are so many funny local jokes in the show. Debbie not only directed the stage show but also wrote Nativity and launched it as a film. This means the play is true to the film and 'goes big' in every way possible from the sets, the costumes, the songs and the cast. In the local area, it seems like there are many whispers of children who tried out for the show or almost made it to the stage. Having watched the show, its clear that it must have been incredibly competitive to be one of the 50 local children out of a cast of 67 who made it onto the stage. The children were amazing, quickly falling into role as sweet, funny, moody or prim as required. 6 year old 'Matilda Flower' stole the heart of the audience as the star of Bethlehem and got well deserved applause after applaus...

Rory Mackay as Drosselmeyer A cracking ballet that you would be nuts to miss! Have you guessed what it is yet? Yes, it is the Birmingham Royal Ballet’s festive classic, The Nutcracker. Returning to the Birmingham Hippodrome after extensive rebuilding of the sets, this beautiful ballet is a wonderful start to the Christmas season.  Karla Doorbar as Clara As we followed Clara through her family’s Christmas Eve festivities we were treated not only to mesmerising ballet, but also a magical performance, stunning costumes and scenery that brought the whole experience to life. These only became more so as we followed Clara through her journey to the lands of snow and sweets and home again. Whether being attacked by rats, flying on a snow white swan or being transformed into the Sugar Plum Fairy, Clara led us into a world of imagination fuelled by the beauty of what was laid out on stage before us. For those who know The Nutcracker, you will not be disappointed, as the storyline is true to...

  A Winter Funland just half an hour from the centre of Birmingham? It's becoming a tradition for the NEC to host this fun family event. I headed there with my family to experience a day of fun last Christmas and below I share my 10 top tips about visiting. Choose a date that suits your family. A pre-Christmas visit will definitely make your family feel festive. (You can't help it when there are elves everywhere you look!) Before Christmas, Santa's grotto is open so you can visit Mr Claus in person as part of your experience. Post-Christmas there are likely to be discounts on tickets. We got a great Groupon deal and  greatly appreciated some indoor fun on a cold January day. Take a photo of the 'show times' board. The shows are excellent and included as part of your ticket price. People queue in advance to get into the shows. So maybe park a grown up in the queue so you get the show that you want and a choice of seat. Under 3s are free! This is brilliant. We saw lot...

As the summer came to an end, we headed over to Twycross zoo  to take a look at the new Gruffalo Discovery Land. Here are my 5 tips for a great visit.  1. Before you get there, book your tickets. It's always cheaper to book your tickets in advance online. There are also some great offers to be had. In the past, my family has benefitted from free entry with a Blue Peter badge, free entry for dads on fathers day and free entry for educators with my school badge at certain times of year. Blue Light cards also give discounts. 2. Visit The Gruffalo Discovery Land early in the day. It's Twycross' newest attraction and it gets busy by the afternoon. We went through the ticket booths, turned left and walked back on ourselves to get in there as the first thing that we did. This meant that my children where able to press the buttons and do the games without queuing or rushing.  3. Time your gift shop visit! When we left the zoo in the middle of the afternoon, the gift shop was ramm...

Keeping a collection of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 years and their families entertained and happy for a few hours can be a tricky task. But the CBSO's Notelets concerts manage it every time. Today's 'On Safari' theme was winning before the music began as children were asked to make binoculars for animal spotting during the show. There were lots of crafting materials available and the task was clearly explained. Children, parents and grandparents were all kept busy. This was provided for free an hour before the show began as part of the ticket price. What my three year old wanted to know though was when does the music start? There is something extra special about experiencing a live music performance. It's a fantastic experience for children and 'grown ups' as the CBSO centre allows you to be close to the musicians. The musicians themselves are obviously immensely talented but are also friendly and engaged with the young audience during and after the show. T...

Look up, look down, the Smartest Giant's in town! Julia Donaldson books are that great combination of utterly brilliant stories, exceptionally clever rhymes and little repetitive hooks. So when you are a 3 year old fan of The Smartest Giant in Town and your mum and dad know the book almost word for word, you want the stage show to be true to the book. In this case Fierylight and Little Angel Theatre get this spot on. When George the Giant stepped onto the stage of Lichfield Garrick Theatre, his costume was just like the book and so was what he said. I knew we were in for a great show and the smile on my preschooler's face confirmed it. The Smartest Giant had a clever mix of actors and puppetry for the animals. We loved the part where George got fitted out for his new clothes. It was very funny with some great jokes for the parents from 'French speaking' Simone who threw out some French vocab: 'pret a manger,' 'JoJo BeBe Maman' to convince us of her coutu...