Tag: activities

Pantomimes in the South West

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CARDIFF

MARY POPPINS AT WALES MILLENNIUM CENTRE

14 December 2016 – 14 January 2017

A Christmas treat to delight all the family. Take the children to enjoy the multi award-winning musical Mary Poppins at Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff this winter. Follow the magical story of the world’s favourite nanny who arrives in Cherry Lane. Presented by Disney and Cameron Mackintosh, this stage adaptation of P L Travers unforgettable stories and the Walt Disney film features stunning choreography, amazing effects, a timeless score and unforgettable songs.

Wales Millennium Centre, Bute Place, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff, CF10 5AL

BRISTOL

CINDERELLA AT BRISTOL HIPPODROME

10 December 2016 – 8 January 2017

Don’t miss sporting heroes Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean taking to the stage as the Fairy Godparents in Bristol Hippodrome’s production of Cinderella this Christmas. The national icons will be swapping their ice skates for inline skates to perform on stage. Featuring stunning skating sequences, fabulous costumes, dazzling sets, real Shetland ponies and unforgettable song and dance numbers, this magical pantomime tells the rags-to-riches tale that has delighted generations of children.

Bristol Hippodrome, St Augustine’s Parade, Bristol, BS1 4UZ

CORNWALL

JACK AND THE BEANSTALK AT HALL FOR CORNWALL

6 December 2016 – 31 December 2016

Starring Cornwall’s very own Kernow King and the much-loved Granville Saxton, Hall for Cornwall proudly presents this delightful children’s Christmas adventure which is suitable for all the family. Follow the adventures of Kenwyne and Aunty Flo, Cousin Jack and his Mum and the legendary giant Cormorant! Please visit the website for show dates and times.

Hall for Cornwall, Back Quay, Truro, Cornwall, TR1 2LL

Family days out

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Bracknell Leisure Centre

Get active when planning a children’s day out in Berkshire! There’s plenty of fun to be found for the whole family at Bracknell Leisure Centre. The range of facilities and children’s activities will get you and your little ones burning off excess energy and creating healthy habits for life.

Family tickets are available for the swimming pools enabling everyone to get splashing and save money! There are also plenty of badminton courts and tennis tables available. With lots of other bookable and pay-as-you-go activities such as soccer dribblers, tweeny tumblers, fun sessions, go karts and gymnastics, it’s a great place to go with the kids over the summer.

The Time Out Café and Bar is ideal for meeting and unwinding during a visit to the leisure centre. This warmly decorated and comfortable venue offers a mouth-watering menu and an excellent choice of snacks. Choose from a menu including sandwiches, panini’s, jacket potatoes, soup of the day as well as a daily special. Inflatable Aqua Run and Water Walker birthday parties for children are available.

British Motor Museum

The newly refurbished British Motor Museum is home to the world’s largest collection of historic British cars – from the very first Land Rover to Lady Penelope’s FAB1.

Experience the sights, sounds and stories of the British motor industry and get ‘under the skin’ with our interactive exhibits. Explore how motoring and family life has changed through the decades as the cars are brought to life by costumed explainers and free guided tours.

Family trails and school holiday activities add to the family fun, whatever the weather! Nearest train stations are Warwick or Banbury.

Arundel Castle

For a lovely day out with the family, visit Arundel Castle which is set high on a hill in West Sussex. Steeped in 1,000 years of history, Arundel Castle offers a full day out with guided and free-flow tours of the finely preserved castle rooms, including the Baron’s Hall, 14th Century Catholic Fitzalan Chapel, Regency Library and Victorian bedrooms.

There are also opportunities to ascend the Norman Motte and Keep and enjoy The Collector Earl’s Garden, which was opened by HRH The Prince of Wales in 2008. Special event prices apply for the Castle Siege and International Jousting and Medieval Tournament.

Get your skates on

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Guildford Spectrum

Guildford, Surrey

Escape the festive mayhem by chilling out at Spectrum this Christmas. The complex is open over the whole of the Christmas holiday period, so there are plenty of opportunities to give your mind and body a break from the shopping, cooking and eating!

The complex is open from 10am – 12.00 noon for skating and swimming on Christmas Day, a fantastic way to boost your energy levels. Tickets are limited and need to be booked in advance – book online or call.

In addition to swim, skate or bowl, there is also a great range of children’s holiday courses on offer over the festive period. Keep the kids active and entertained by learning a new skill, or simply enjoy Christmas children’s activities with friends. All this, plus gift vouchers for membership, family outings and courses which make the perfect gift.

Royal Tunbridge Wells at Christmas

Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent

Calverley Grounds will be transformed into a beautiful winter ice rink signalling the start of the festive season, with stylish skating, festive food and drink, music and Christmas cheer.

It will be open seven days a week from Friday 18th November 2016 to Monday 2nd January 2017 (closed Christmas Day) – with capacity for 250 skaters. Dedicated thirty minute parent and toddler session and main skating sessions are available.

Tickets are available to buy now with sessions starting from £7.00 for children and £10.50 for adults. Ticket price includes hire of skating boots and lasts for 45 minutes. New this year is the Season Ticket, priced at £150 which allows unlimited skating across the whole six weeks.

Family tickets, concessions and Go! Card tickets are also available.

Tower of London

London

Soak up the historic atmosphere at this exclusive ice rink in the grounds of the Tower of London. Kids will love being able to glide around the ice rink set against the most dramatic backdrop in the city. With quiet morning sessions ideal for younger children and families, leading into busy afternoon and bustling evening entertainment, we have fun and entertainment for all age groups and skating abilities. For the very first time, in the heart of this world-class landmark there will be the immersive pop up Eis Haus Ice Experience – with hand carved sculptures, using over ten tons of purified crystal clear ice… literally everything you see and touch is made of ice! Make sure you book now to beat the queues. Price cost: adults £13.50 and children £9.50.

Hampton Court Palace Ice Rink

Hampton Court, London

Join us to skate against a backdrop of one of the greatest palaces on earth – Henry VIII’s historic home, Hampton Court Palace. Combining a stunning setting, spectacular scenery and seasonal skating, this favourite open-air ice rink epitomises the very best in festive fun. Prices cost £13.50 for adults and  £9.50 for children… book now!

Ice skating at Edinburgh’s Christmas

St Andrew Square, Edinburgh

Get your skates on and glide all the way round the Melville Monument on this 360 degrees circular ice rink in St Andrew Square. We’ve got skates for the tiniest of feet and friendly penguin skating aids for younger children so all the family can glide around our glittering ice rink this Christmas!

Also a 20% discount to all Edinburgh EH postcode holders – just bring proof of billing address (utility bill, driving licence etc).

Visit Santa this year

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Rainforest Cafe.

Piccadilly Circus Underground Station, London

Create memories to last a lifetime and kick start the holiday season for all the family. Follow our magical elves as they take you on a journey deep into the heart of the rainforest where you will find Santa’s enchanting grotto.

This Magical Experience includes a Personalised Invitation from Santa, a warm welcome from his elves on arrival, a presonalised meeting with Santa in his grotto, a Christmas gift and children’s 2-course meal and soft drink. All for just £45 per child.

Santa Arrives at Paradise Wildlife Park

Broxbourne, Hertfordshire

See Santa arrive in his beautiful carriage pulled by his white horses on Saturday 26th November at 10:30am (sharp). Santa will open our Christmas Craft Fayre at 11am before taking pride of place in his magical grotto. Be greeted by reindeer and then step inside Santa’s grotto, meet the man himself and take home a special gift. After your visit explore Paradise and enjoy a hot drink in our seasonally decorated restaurant or cafe.

Fancy a spot of Christmas shopping? Join us exclusively on the 26th November and as we celebrate Santa’s arrival at our craft fayre, you can browse our festive stalls and purchase some lovely Christmas gifts! Entry included in general ticket price.

You can visit Santa every weekend from the 26th November and every day from the 17th December until Christmas Eve. We are very lucky here at Paradise as Santa is sparing two one-hour slots each day and in between this he is checking his Naughty or Nice list or making sure our reindeers are ready to fly this Christmas Eve.

Bird and Deer Park

Prinknash, Gloucestershire

The Bird Park at Prinknash has been listed by Huffington Post in 2015 as one of the Top 3 Attractions to visit Christmas lights in the UK, as well as The Sunday Telegraph nominating us in the Top 10 Rural Attractions to visit in the UK for Christmas in 2013. We have been hosting Winter wonderland for 10 years, which includes a meet with Santa who will offer children a gift, stunning illuminations, face painters, the Christmas Fairy, reindeer and a creative kids christmas activities area where children will be provided with all the materials (sourced within the park) needed to make a Christmas card to give to their parents. What more could you ask for other than artistry and a stunning setting?

Stephenson Railway Museum

North Shields, Tyne and Wear

Melt into the magic of Christmas and make memories with your loved ones on a unique festive heritage train ride to meet Santa Claus and his guests.

You’ll be entertained during your visit by our costumed entertainers and Victorian musicians who will be making merry with joy, music and celebration. Your visit will begin with a four mile heritage train ride along our restored urban railway. Santa will then make a special visit to the train, giving out gifts to all those lucky children on board.

Once you step off the train, head back into our warm and welcoming museum to receive your complimentary drinks and sweet treats! Don’t forget to stop by the museum during your visit, take part in the Children’s Christmas craft, see if you can find all of the mischievous elves and of course there are lots of engines to see inside as well.

Santa Specials are available on selected dates from Saturday 3rd – Friday 23rd December.

Children’s parties on a budget

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Gone are the days when a sandwich, bowl of jelly and a game of pass-the-parcel were enough for a jolly children’s party. Social media bragging and peer pressure have upped the ante.

Some parents admit to spending £800 on their little one’s birthday bash, with £300 being the average cost, according to a poll.

Here are simple ways to stop your party parting you from you money.

Invites

Email invitations or download them for free from websites.

A fun idea from is to write the details on an inflated balloon, let the air out and ask the nursery or school to hand them out after class.

Share the party with one of your children’s friends with a birthday around the same time and keep it short, say two hours rather than three. Keep numbers down by making it clear that guests’ brothers

and sisters aren’t invited.

If you can’t face having it at home, or don’t have enough space, summer parties can be held in a local park or free outdoor play area with a picnic and energetic party games.

If you don’t want to take a risk with the weather, get a quote from a soft play centre or local hall. Avoid peak times – weekends, school holidays and half terms – when admission charges are higher. Babies often get in for free. Ask if you can bring your own food.

If there is a play centre or child-friendly cafe near you, try to do a deal. Investigate offers for children’s parties on parenting sites such as Likebees and Littlebird. Or go to a Saturday morning movie where tickets can be just 99p.

Entertainment

Professional children’s party entertainers are expensive. There are horror stories of the family pet savaging the magician’s rabbit and little ones being left in tears by grumpy clowns. Keep the stress and cost down by doing it yourself.

You can always organise traditional games such as blind man’s bluff, pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey and musical chairs.

Catering

Young ones typically don’t eat much, so don’t go overboard. Sandwiches, crisps and ice cream with a flake should be enough. Or ask family and friends to bring a dish and bake your own cake.

If you’re not a baker, and don’t know an enthusiastic amateur, buy plain fairy cakes and get the kids to decorate them.

Borrow a tablecloth and decorations from a friend. Or get a plain white paper cloth, scatter crayons and stickers on it and get the children to draw on it. Balloons are always popular, especially if you customise with glitter.

Party bags

These are a real bone of contention and thinking up what to put in them can be stressful. Even if you buy loads of plastic toys from a pound shop this can quickly add up.

One idea is to buy a set of books such as the Mr Men series and let the children choose one to take away. A book will last far longer than a tatty toy that will be broken by bedtime. Or do a lucky dip.

If you must have a going-home gift, decorate brown paper bags and buy seeds, multipacks of sweets and stickers to fill them and a slice of cake. Or fill a jar with sweets and tie a ribbon round it.

There are lots of ideas on the internet on how to throw a great party on the cheap. The mums’ websites have chat rooms where you can ask others for tips.

Making your own party bags

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Every parent wants to be imaginative and give their little guests an amazing party bag. So why not let the kids make their own party bags at the party?

If you purchase some white paper birthday party bags with handles which are perfect for the kids to draw and colour on with some colouring felt tips or pencils. Children can write their names and draw some great pictures or shapes, you could even use stencils. The coloured party bags have a special shiny coating which pens cannot be used on. Give the kids a choice of crafty bits to add to their bags e.g. fun stickers, peel and stick alphabet foam letters and shapes, die cut card shapes, trimmed fabric piece with fabric embellishments etc. –

Fold over the top of the colour party bags and hole punch. Thread some ribbon through and tie in a bow, makes a lovely finishing touch! You can theme your party bags to suit your kids party theme e.g. Pirate Party, Princess Party, Fairy Party, Under The Sea Party.

You can fill your party bags with your handmade crafts from the party or why not fill a tub full of goodies and ask each little guest to put their hand into (in turn) to uncover a special treat to take home.

Getting the children involved in making their party bags makes them it a bit more special. The children are more inclined to cherish their bags when they get home, making the party even more memorable.

Children love arts and crafts and will happily sit on a craft table for hours rather than running around a children’s party venue trying to create their own fun and generally being a ‘bit silly’. Distraction is the key to a successful children’s party.

Children’s party mistakes

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Sometimes the best way of doing something well is to learn a few things that you should avoid doing. By discovering certain practices and helpful pointers, you can make your whole children’s party planning process a lot less stressful and you can ensure thing go as smoothly as possible.

Whether you are organising a celebration for your child’s birthday, a party to wash away the winter blues, or an event for any other occasion; here are some things you may want to avoid.

Inviting Too Many Guests

The stresses involved on the day of your party are likely to be directly proportionate to the amount of children you invite. Whilst it’s often a good idea to invite everyone in your child’s class, to avoid anyone feeling like they have been left out, this will ultimately depend on the space you have available and the amount of other parents you have managed to rope into helping you out. If the party is going to be staged in a small room or you only have limited help available, it may be wise to restrict the number of little guests so that things are a bit more manageable on the day.

Eating too early

One of the most anticipated and important parts of any kid’s party is the food, but if you offer this up too early then you could struggle to regain order amongst the troops. Instead, it is a good idea to build up to the food and have it near the end of the event. This way if anyone spills anything down them they haven’t got to sit through the rest of the party in dirty clothes, and you won’t have to try and get them settled again before they go home to their parents.

Trying to Do Everything Yourself

Although you will be proud of the party you have planned, there is a danger that doing everything yourself will make it a much more stressful process. This is especially true on the day. After you have put in all the effort prior to the occasion, why not take some time to relax during the actual event?

Ignoring The Wishes of Your Child

Although you will be doing most of the planning, the main aim of the kids party is to give your child the best time they could wish for. This means that you should think about them in every decision you make. There is little point in wasting money on expensive decorations and gourmet food if all they would like is a few balloons and their favourite snacks. It’s always a good idea to ask them their preferences for the party – maybe give them 3 or 4 suggestions to choose from so it helps with the decision making process, and then you can guarantee they are going to love whatever you plan for them. More importantly, it also means you’ve involved them in the process and it makes them feel much more like it’s their party. Try to avoid going to the other extreme though and allowing your child to have all the say, and giving them too much choice, or you may struggle to make any decisions about the party.

Inspirational children’s party venues

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Are you looking for venues for your special children’s party in the coming weeks? Looking for the right location is almost always problematic, unless you know who to ask! Thankfully, we have some of the answers when it comes to organising an amazing kids birthday party and we’re here to help.

Looking for a Top Venue

There are many reasons why you wouldn’t want to host a children’s party in your own house. Either you don’t have enough room in your house for a whole classroom of children, or you don’t want your house to get damaged. Perhaps you don’t have the time to clean up after a party.

Getting your party organised in the right location is of great importance. Organising a party that is too far from anywhere is not a good idea, as other parents have to consider the cost of transport. Other considerations for your setting may include disabled access, the size of the hall itself and the cost.

Where:

Consider church halls, or community centres that have their own kitchens so you can cater too. Decide how much space you will need. Do you want outside space too? Some of these venues mentioned are quite reasonably priced.

How much?

If you would like to find out how much a centre costs, you should ask the centre first if they charge by the hour or by child. Some centres do charge per person and this can become very expensive if you are looking to host a large number of friends.

If you have found the best location for your children’s party, then why not look on our blogs for amazing ideas. We’ve plenty of knowledge and experience in giving inspiration to your little one’s party.

Get the entertainment right

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There are loads of different options to choose from to make it a fun occasion but it’s important to choose what is right for your child and what you know they will enjoy.

When planning a children’s party, one thing that will be firmly on your list of things to do is ‘hire the entertainer’. However, with so many different kinds of performers available, how do you go about choosing the perfect person to keep your little guests engaged for the duration of the event and to take the stress off you?

The Magician

A brilliant magician can really add a sense of wonder to your party. Watch as the children are left amazed at the seemingly impossible tricks performed in front of their eyes and then encouraged to get involved in some of the magic themselves. It can be a lot of fun for parents too, particularly seeing how baffled kids are by how the magic is done.

A magician is usually great for children around the age of 4 and above. This way they will be old enough to understand what is going on but still young enough to be mesmerised by the idea of magic.

Science Parties

Science Parties are a relatively new but very exciting kind of children’s entertainment and something extremely varied and engaging for the kids and suitable for ages 4- 12. They are perfect if you are looking to mix fun and excitement with learning all about just how fantastic and fun science can be.

Kids get to watch really colourful and visual science demonstrations as well as fun experiments. Plus, science related games. This is another great option for parents as it’s very different from what you see at most parties. But we’d only recommend this if you know your kids are into science.

How to nurture good manners

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Baby (0-1 Years):

What Manners to Teach Them:

Politeness in speech: Modulate your tone when you speak to your baby and use social niceties such as “please” and “thank you” when speaking directly to them or in conversations in their presence. Your example will guide them as they learn to speak.

Nice Touch: Gently direct your baby on how to treat parents, siblings and pets. Teach babies from 0-1 years not to pull or grab somebody’s hair by physically moving their hand and demonstrating a soft stroke on a dog’s back or by rubbing their fingers across your hair. This will teach them limits and introduce the concept of cause and effect in relation to their actions. Gentleness will translate as they get older into politeness,

Respect for Others:

Practice well-mannered activities in front of your baby, such as holding the door for someone, saying “excuse me” when you bump into them, or picking something up after you drop it. Give commentary to your baby on what you just did and why. They register this in their minds. Babies can learn what is appropriate. When the doorbell rings, it is time to go to the door. The subtle cues of listening, watching and acting are being put together piece by piece by young children and babies.

Toddlers.

As toddlers’ grasp on language develops and they begin to move around more, you can begin to practice good manners with them. But during these years, parents must realise that manners are taught, not inherent, and it will take time for the lessons to become ingrained. So repeat, repeat, repeat!

At this age, play is still not always interactive play, but parents can start to remind children to respect others’ space, not grab, not hit. Essentially, this is the time of ‘play nice’. Parents need to be hands-on during this time, as these concepts are still difficult to understand.

What Manners to Teach Them:

Sharing: “Be gentle” and “we have to share” while taking away the fought-over toy.

Politeness: Practice saying “please” and “thank you” often — but expect to say it a lot before they get it.