Families Birmingham Sep/Oct 2020 by Families Magazine

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Birmingham

IN THIS ISSUE

Win a family holiday to Santaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lapland Tuition Plus

'Helping students achieve their true potential'

Professional Tutoring Literacy & Numeracy Harvest Fields Centre, B75 5TJ Mere Green Centre, B75 5BT

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Issue 59 September/October 2020 familiesonline.co.uk

familiesonline.co.uk September 2020 1

GET BACK TO NATURE Take a breath of fresh air in the safety of our beautiful Gardens, where you can get some much-needed headspace. Visitors are welcome to bring their own picnic for the perfect day out.

A VIBRANT RHYMING STORY CELEBRATING YOU BEING PERFECT JUST THE WAY YOU ARE!

Book your visit online

For more information please visit us at;

birminghambotanicalgardens.org.uk Find us on: Your support keeps the Gardens growing

AN EDUCATIONAL CHARITY

Win a magical break to Santa's Lapland in 2021 Enjoy a Reindeer sleigh ride, sledging with huskies, exploring a real igloo and much more, including a once in a lifetime private visit with Santa himself! Click here to enter

Entries close at midnight on 30th October 2020. Terms & conditions apply, see website for details.

2 September 2020

familiesonline.co.uk

CONTENTS

Next issue: ADVERTISERS: BOOK NOW for our November/ December magazine!

Call Suzanne on: 07807 352087, or email editor@familiesbirmingham.co.uk

before October 9th. Editor: Suzanne

Brown

Designer: 45 Degrees Design & Print Print: William Gibbons and Sons Ltd © Families Birmingham, Solihull and Sutton Coldfield, September 2020

In this issue 4 10 12 14 18 19 20 22

Education Autumn Activities Early Years Halloween Health Parenting Clubs & Classes Activities

There are some reasons to celebrate as we head into autumn. Our children have by now hopefully settled well into school and nursery after the huge break. Really good news for them and their parents. This autumn also marks the 30 year anniversary of Families Magazine, first launched in London in 1990. Throughout the next 12 months, we’ll have lots of freebies on offer for our subscribers to mark this milestone. So sign up if you don’t want to miss out! It’s FREE. To get the ball rolling, we’re proud to offer you the chance to win a family holiday to Santa’s Lapland in Finland! See opposite page for details. . In the meantime, we hope you find this issue useful in negotiating the start to the new school and nursery year.

Suzanne

Editor • Families Birmingham Families Birmingham, Solihull and Sutton Coldfield magazine is part of Families Print Ltd, a franchise company. All franchised magazines in the group are independently owned and operated under license. Families is a registered trademark of LCMB Ltd, Remenham House, Regatta Place, Marlow Road, Bourne End, Bucks SL8 5TD. The contents of Families Birmingham, Solihull and Sutton Coldfield are fully protected by copyright and none of the editorial or photographic matter may be reproduced in any form without prior consent of Families Birmingham, Solihull and Sutton Coldfield magazine. Every care is taken in the preparation of this magazine, but Families Birmingham, Solihull and Sutton Coldfield magazine, our distributors, the franchise company, Families Print Ltd and Lifecycle Marketing cannot be held responsible for the claims of advertisers nor for the accuracy of the contents, or any consequence thereof.

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September 2020 3

EDUCATION

Free Learning Support Resources Need some additional tools to help your child catch up at school?

BBC Bitesize

Preschool, KS1, KS2+.

Oxford Owl

Early Years, KS1, KS2+.

BBC School Radio

Daily Phonics Lessons by Ruth Miskin Training

Mathematics Mastery Home Resources KS1, KS2.

Literacy Counts Home Learning Packs

Reception, KS1, KS2.

Bud’s Number Garden Game

Literacy Shed

NRICH Maths at Home Resources

Preschool, KS1.

4 September 2020

KS1, KS2.

Early Years, KS1, KS2.

Hi I’m Max from MAOAM. Follow me through the magazine to try to win a Halloween prize!

KS1, KS2+.

familiesonline.co.uk

EDUCATION

What Do We Say to the School about our Separation?

Five “Must-Do’s” When Choosing a School for your Child

Any parent who has been through a separation will understand the massive stress it involves and the anxiety around co-parenting. One of the important issues that can get overlooked in the mix is what to tell your child’s school. READ MORE

It always makes sense to put your child at the centre of the process when choosing a school. Parents know better than anyone how different individual children can be and individual schools can be very different too.

By Rebecca Giraud & Bob Greig

By Judith Judd

Making history, creating the future

Welcoming girls in September 2021 To see our school please view our videos at www.oshsch.com and contact the Registrar to arrange a personal visit

admissions@oshsch.com | 01384 817325 | oshsch.com Heath Lane, Stourbridge, West Midlands, UK DY8 1QX

familiesonline.co.uk

September 2020 5

EDUCATION

18 Top New Children’s Books for Autumn

Duck and Penguin That Dog! Things I Love by Emma Lazell. Do Not Like Bear Will smart dog outwit the Susie Linn/Alex Willmore. Sleepovers Julia Woolf. Night time adventure for babies/toddlers.

dog-nappers? For babies/toddlers.

Scenes and activities little ones will recognise. For babies/toddlers.

The Diddle That Dummed

It’s OK to Cry

I’m Sticking with You

Kes Gray/Fred Blunt. Laughter, music, word play & silliness. Ages 3+.

Molly Potter/Sarah Jennings. Great intro to emotions. Ages 3+.

Moth

The Blue Giant

Egneus. Powerful/ visually spectacular evolution story. Ages 5+.

story about pollution in our oceans. Ages 5+.

Smriti Halls/Steve Small. A story about friendship. Ages 3+.

Super Milly and the By Isabel Thomas/Daniel By Katie Cottle. Poignant Super School Day

6 September 2020

By Owen Millward. Upbeat/funny picture book about kindness. Ages 5+.

It’s me again, Max from MAOAM. Count how many times you can see me to win a Halloween surprise!

familiesonline.co.uk

EDUCATION

18 Top New Children’s Books for Autumn

Mermaid School: Ready, Steady, Swim!

Noah Wild and the Floating Zoo

Lucy Courtenay/Sheena Dempsey. An underwater school story. Ages 7+.

Alexander Mccall Smith. An ordinary boy’s heartwarming/extraordinary feat. Ages 7+.

Louis Sachar/Aleksei Bitskoff. Brilliantly illustrated story of mixedup mayhem. Ages 7+.

My Name is River

Turtle Boy

Health Heroes

The Virus

Return to Wonderland

The Unadoptables

Beneath the Cloud of Doom

Emma Rea. M. Evan Wolkenstein. Emily Sharratt. Thrilling, ecological A story offering hope/ ‘Health heroes’ talk adventure in the Amazon new perspectives to life’s about their working lives. jungle. Ages 9+. outsiders. Ages 9+. Ages 9+.

Ben Martynoga/Moose Allain. Explores the science behind viruses/Covid-19 pandemic. Ages 11+. familiesonline.co.uk

Wonderland-inspired stories from top contemporary authors. Ages 11+.

Hana Tooke/Ayesha L.Rubio. Adventure set in oldworld Amsterdam/ surrounds. Ages 11+.

September 2020 7

EDUCATION

Supporting a Dyslexic Child By Ellie Malt “Do you think she might have dyslexia or something like that?” I asked. I was standing in the playground with one of the teaching assistants, watching my 4 year old climb into her buggy, eager for her after-school snack. Although it was only her second term in Reception, I’d noticed she seemed uninterested in the alphabet, while other children could already write their names. But I was only really thinking out loud. Even to me, it seemed ridiculously early to be jumping to any conclusions. “Probably” she shot back over the general hubbub. I admit, I was shocked. But looking back years later, finally in possession of a formal diagnosis, I appreciate her honesty. I only wish I had acted sooner; it could have saved so much struggle and frustration. READ MORE

Dyslexia Features

Sources of Help

Your child may:

British Dyslexia Association Advice and assessments. Find your local association.

• • • • •

Talk well but write little; Be a slow/reluctant reader; Struggle with spelling; Have difficulties with writing; Not always remember/ understand what he/she has just read; • Seem inattentive and unable to concentrate/remember instructions; • Have difficulty organising himself/herself; • Struggle to remember the order of things, eg days of the week. 8 September 2020

The Dyslexia Association Screening, assessment, tuition, assistive technology training. Dyslexia Assist Find local support. Achieve Now Works with dyslexic pupils and IT. All services online. IPSEA Free, independent legal information, advice and support. Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre Influential regional centre. familiesonline.co.uk

EDUCATION

Top Homework Tips Where, When and How

Let THEM Do the Work

Create space. If possible, this should be a communal space but one with minimal distractions. This enables parental supervision/input without it feeling like an intrusion.

Provide guidance, not answers. Use questioning to help them get as close to the answer as they can but don’t tell them.

Establish a routine. Some children prefer to do homework straight after school; others need to ‘unwind’ or eat first. Whatever is decided, stick to it. Get organised. Have your child do the hard work first when they are most alert. Help them make a “Done/To Do” list.

Let them make mistakes. Giving answers means they will not learn the material and their teacher will not know how much they understand it. Step in only when progress comes to a halt. Encourage them to set small positive targets promoting independent working and selfsufficiency.

New 11+ Vocabulary Quiz Game Market leaders Farquhar’s Vocabulary Flash Cards are pleased to announce a new addition to their range – a childfriendly quiz game 11+ VERBAL REASONING VOCABULARY FLASH CARDS designed to Expand your child’s antonym add some and synonym knowledge and fun and achieve a higher 11+ score variety to 11+ A comprehensive vocabulary resource with preparation. child-friendly definitions VOCABULARY FLASH CARDS

READ MORE familiesonline.co.uk

and a list of synonyms

www.vocabularyflashcards.co.uk September 2020 9

ACTIVITIES

Autumn Outdoors Enjoy these seasonal outdoor activities with the family.

Bark Rubbing

Autumn Scavenger Hunt

Conkers

Mushroom Hunting

Tree Decorating

Making and Flying a Kite

Building a Hedgehog Home

Litter Picking

Making a Leaf Maze

10 September 2020

Max from MAOAM here. How many pictures of me can you spot? Follow me through the magazine to win a Halloween prize!

familiesonline.co.uk

ACTIVITIES

Great Autumn Crafts Join our friends at MyBaba and get crafty with the kids!

Autumn Leaf Pictures

3D Autumn Tree Craft

Autumn Leaf Sun Catchers

Autumn Play Dough

Painted Leaves

Leaf Rubbing Busy Bag

Animal Seed Collage

Leaf Chromatography

Autumn Sensory Tray

familiesonline.co.uk

September 2020 11

EARLY YEARS

A-Z of Early Years Activities By Gabrielle Nash @thelondonishmum

Animal Hunt. Search for tiny creepy crawlies, the chirpy in the trees kind and the bigger more exciting kind! Baking. Use overripe bananas to bake muffins. Or roll out some biscuit dough. Cardboard Creations. A pirate ship, a car, or a doll’s bed? Save a box, colour it in or cut it up! Den building. Inside with chairs and sheets. Outside with pieces of wood! Envelope Endeavours. Send photos/stickers or a letter/card to a friend/family member. Film Fun. Make popcorn, print off ‘cinema tickets’ and snuggle up. Garden Growing. Ingredients: patch of soil for digging/planting, old spoons for digging and water for watering! Hiking. Pack a bag and snacks/ drinks. Get your kids excited about a little ‘hike.’ Imaginary Play. Kids LOVE it! Visit the doctors or take a pet to the vet! Jumble Sale Jollies. Involve kids in sorting things for charity or a jumble sale. Kickabout. Visit the park with a ball – run, jump, slide, shout! Learning through Play...is the best way! Games like i-spy improve letter/sound recognition. Mud Mess. It’s such FUN! Make mud pies. Noise. Bang pans; pick out a tune/rhythm with bells or drums. 12 September 2020

Outdoor Painting. Paint leaves/stones. Add food colouring to bubbles and ‘paint’ windows – it washes off! Puzzles. Jigsaws develop fine motor skills, spatial awareness and hand-eye coordination. Quiet. Help your little one enjoy quieter things - small world toys, books, colouring or painting. Reading. Make reading special. Try different voices to captivate your child’s imagination. Safari Special. Hide toy animals (or pictures) around your home. Grab paper/pen and go on safari. Write down the animals you see. Treasure Time. Make a map and hide “treasure.” Grab a toy sword and battle pirates as you search for it! Under the Stars. Show your toddler the twinkling lights from galaxies far away. Virtual Fun. Journey down the Amazon; enjoy a virtual roller coaster ride! Water. As a wise person once said: when a child is grumpy “just add water!” X-Ray. Draw around your child’s body. Stick the drawing on the floor. Draw in bones, explaining what they are and what they do. Yoga. Find great kid-friendly options on Youtube. ZZZZ….Time to sleep. familiesonline.co.uk

EARLY YEARS

Clever Ways to Get your Child Eating Healthily

Childcare Post Lockdown

Do you dread mealtimes? Does your child have little interest in broccoli and beans? Whether you’re trying baby-led weaning or desperate to get vegetables into a pre-schooler, here’s our tips on how to give your child the best start at the dinner table.

As childcare opens up postlockdown, there is a sense of unease about whether it’s safe to send our children back to nursery. Of course, we want to protect them. So how are nurseries making their environment safe for our children? READ MORE

By Gabrielle Nash

BilinguaSing Birmingham South These multi award-winning music and language classes help develop your child’s early communication skills, build their confidence, and enhance their physical and emotional development. Each BilinguaSing session is a fun-filled sensory adventure, ... WEB • EMAIL READ MORE familiesonline.co.uk

September 2020 13

HALLOWEEN

9 Best Halloween Recipes Creative Halloween party snacks for all the family to enjoy making and eating.

Sticky Toffee Apples

Spider Pizzas

Frozen Banana Ghosts

Scary Halloween Jelly

Sausage Mummy Dippers

Halloween Cupcakes

Spooky Pumpkin Soup

Eerie Eyeball Pops

Pumpkin Rice Krispies Treats

14 September 2020

familiesonline.co.uk

HALLOWEEN

MAOAM’s Top Halloween Hi folks. Max here. For those who don’t know, I’m not just the green guy you see on your bags of MAOAM. I’m MAOAM’s favourite mischief-maker too! And, I’m sharing with you some of my favourite family Halloween pranks. Let the mischief commence!

Pranks with Max

Spider Scare

Cut out a paper spider and stick it inside a lampshade. When a family member turns on the lamp, they will think it’s REAL!

Blood for Water

Re-vamp your bathroom with this ghoulish trick! Place red food dye gel around the tap. When turned on….gasp! The kids will see blood streaming from the taps.

Spooky Hot Dog Fingers

Bring extra scares to dinnertime! Add chopped onion to the end of your hot dogs - AND you’ve got yourself a creepy finger. Add one to the kids’ lunchboxes for an un-boolievable surprise.

Enjoy the SPOOOKY Fun!

Top Tips for Halloween Costumes

Creepy Sock Puppet

These aren’t just any old sock puppets. These are stinking scary ones! Grab some old socks. For the eyes, attach two delicious MAOAM Pinballs with glue and you’re ready for some spook-tacular mischief. Remember, the Pinballs are decoration only! Find loads more, super cool (and mischievous) family prank ideas at our Mischief Hub. familiesonline.co.uk

Get the creative juices flowing by browsing Pinterest for inspiration or YouTube for tutorials. Once you’ve done your research, put pen to paper and do some sketching. It doesn’t need to be a masterpiece, but you’ll be less stressed, if you have a plan. Then…. READ MORE September 2020 15

HALLOWEEN

9 Best Halloween Games Perfect for a small gathering or indoor family fun!

Halloween Pinata

Sticky Spider Web Game

Pumpkin Golf

Halloween Bingo

Halloween Tin Can Bowling

Apple Bobbing

Pin the Tail on the Black Cat

Toilet Paper Mummy Game

Doughnut Eating Race

16 September 2020

Andâ&#x20AC;Śguess what? Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m back! How many pictures of me have you counted so far?

familiesonline.co.uk

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Families Magazine turns 30!

To celebrate, we have ✯ ✯ FREEBIES for YOU! years

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IN THIS ISSUE

Easter activities & What’s Ons * Win chocolates for Mother’s Day & family day out tickets * Play café guide * School open days * Reader offers Issue 10 March/April 2020

17 September familie 2020 sonline .co.uk email: editor@familie

swestkent.co.uk

HEALTH

Dealing with Separation Anxiety

Children with OCD: Recognising the Signs

Transitions are always stressful, and even more so if you have been out of the swing of things for a while. Dr Sarah Mundy from Parenting through Stories has created a guide to give you some ideas about the best ways to support your child through separation anxiety.

Children worry. Feeling anxious, having doubts, or being worried is normal at any age. However, those who are experiencing OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder), may feel unable to stop focussing on those feelings – no matter how much they want to. This can compel them to behave in particular ways. READ MORE

DOWNLOAD HERE Ofsted registered

Action-packed childcare this

October Half Term Monday 26th – Friday 30th October 2020

Choice of venues available

We accept childcare vouchers

Our number one priority is the safety of you, your children and our team. How are we making Active Camps safe? With our six point strategy developed in line with government guidance.

Contact free sign in and out is here! Brand new Active Camps App now used for registration and collection.

For more info visit aspire-sports.co.uk or call 0121 663 1979 18 September 2020

Top Tips for Getting Active

Don’t be over-ambitious. Be active often, rather than attempting a 10 mile hike! Make it fun. Dance! Put on some tunes that get your kids moving. Set screen time limits. Make time. Think of creative ways to be extra active. Can you cycle to a friend’s house? Can you get off the bus one stop earlier? It all counts. Look for new options. New places to visit for physical activity or new types of activity to try. Set a good example. Live an active life. Explain to your children that it makes you feel good and STRONG! familiesonline.co.uk

PARENTING

Who Will Take Care of the Children IF….?

Busting the Myths about Adoption: Are you Eligible?

It’s tough deciding who will take care of your children if the worst happens and they no longer have a parent around. Unfortunately, in this eventuality, the situation is not straightforward for your children. Find out why.

Sadly, the number of children in care being adopted each year has fallen, while the number being looked after by local authorities is steadily rising. So there’s a continuing need to find more adoptive parents to look after vulnerable children. READ MORE

By Andrew Campbell

Family-Friendly Staycations with Daish’s Holidays Millions of families across the country face missing out on their international holidays due to travel restrictions and stretched budgets. So what are the alternatives to holidaying abroad? Daish’s Holidays specialise in UKbased staycations, offering families attractive, affordable, and safe options to take a trip to popular destinations across the UK. WEBSITE READ MORE AND SEE OUR REVIEW familiesonline.co.uk

September 2020 19

CLUBS & CLASSES

Face-to-Face and Virtual Classes and Clubs

Solihull Young Dancers

Gymboree

Dubarrie School of Dance

Music Bugs

Face to face classes for Ballet and Tap Lessons. 0–5s utilising music, movement, props, and Classes from age 2½ patented apparatus. Tel: Kate on 07722 732678

Ballet, Tap and Jazz age 2½ +. Yardley & Solihull Tel: 0121 448 0055

Rugbytots

Online sensory music classes for babies and toddlers.

Teddies Music Club

Face to face and online music toddler groups for 0-5s.

Masquerade Musical Theatre

Youth Theatre Group, Age 5+ Sheldon Tel: 0121 722 3761

Little Gym

Little Kickers

Face to face rugby play Face to face and online Face to face football programme for 2-7 yrs. gymnastics activities classes for 18mths-7yrs. for 4mths-12yrs. 20 September 2020

familiesonline.co.uk

CLUBS & CLASSES

Face-to-Face and Virtual Classes and Clubs

Themed Anna Fiorentini chocolate making Theatre & Film parties School

and workshops guiding you through the for chocoholics of process of crafting your all ages. All of our chocolatey creations. holiday workshops Every workshop is and children’s parties unique and ... are run by our READ MORE fabulous team of local Caterpillar Music FunTech chocolatiers who are WEBSITE Face to face and online looking to Online techforward and coding

for 7-18 yrs.

Face to face and online drama for ages 4-18yrs. at Moor Pool Hall, Harborne.

Early exposure to a second language is fantastic for your little one’s brain development and learning! Baby classes:

BilinguaSing Birmingham South Play SA Dance Learn Tots Spanish or French Gentle, sensory classes

Face to face online for with your littleand one! babies from classes 4 weeks Online dance baby and play old to for crawling. 2.5yrs+. Classes on toddler Tuesdays programme.

Teddy Tennis Face to face tennis Teddy Tennis

classes for 2.5-6yrs. Face to face tennis classes for 2.5-6yrs.

familiesonline.co.uk

Lingotot Face to face and online Lingotot

language classes for Face to 0-12yrs. face and online language classes for 0-12yrs.

EMAIL music/movement classes babies and toddlers.

Mixed Age Family classes: Super-active classes for toddlers/preschoolers ...