Keeping-Kids-Happy

We were delighted to be invited to the launch of the Ocean Hotel at Butlins, Bognor Regis.

The day begin with the special train for press and bloggers from London, Victoria. The journey took almost two hours but went quickly as the boys enjoyed watching the magician and chatting to red-coats Shane and Ronnie, whilst we were treated to champagne and canapies.

Butlins and holiday camps have long been considered traditional British holidays for the masses, and in recent years they have lost their lustre compared to overseas jaunts and quaint cottage by the sea. So, to be honest, I really wasn't expecting the shiny and stylish Ocean Spa Hotel.  With a £20M pricetag, it definitely looked fantastic and had a fun yet stylish atmosphere. Indeed, it seems this investment is already paying off for Butlins as the hotel is heavily booked for the rest of the summer.

  Front view of the Ocean Spa Hotel

The hotel is shiny, stylish and contemporary, yet designed with families and children in mind. There are lots of little extras that make everyone’s stay more memorable:  the moving fish on the reception floor, the bright colour scheme and art work, and the unforgettable disco lifts.

Indeed, the lifts were an instant hit with us. The doors close, coloured lights and cheesy 70s and 80s music has us dancing up to the 4^th floor every time. The boys giggled every time the door opened.

Our room also simple yet very stylish. The boys loved the fact that they had their own ‘den’ with a DVD player, coloured lights and special storage boxes under the bed for their treasures.

             
Main adult bedroom  

                                                                    
Kids 'den' bedroom

The ambience of the rooms was fresh and relaxing. The bathroom had coloured lights so you could have you're very own 'mini spa', although it has to be said it was a little small for getting the children ready in the mornings.

The day of the launch continued with the official opening by the MD of Butlins and the Mayor of Bognor Regis, a fantastic buffet lunch, a weird and wonderful show in the gardens, and tours of the hotel. 

 

 

 

 

 

  

  

Butlins MD and Mayor of Bognor Regis cut the ribbon

 
Redcoat Shane entertains the children  

                                 

 A colourful  show marked the launch of the Ocean Hotel

We had a lovely time on our , the staff were all fun and friendly and the hotel was much better than our expectations. What more could we ask for :)

Check out the Butlins Website for more details on the Ocean Hotel.    

With everything Halloween in mind, the favourite book in our house is the wonderful 'Room on the Broom' by Julia Donaldson and Alex Scheffler.

"The witch had a cat and a very tall hat...."

Written in rhyming style and with lots of repetition, this is a book that young children will quickly remember and join in. Infact my two boys know if off by heart and Jacob can recite it almost word perfect whilst Mikey often gets the book and 'reads' it to himself.

It is also great to read aloud. One of the best lines, which is repeated throughout is "the witch tapped the broomstick and WHOOSH they were gone" and you can always add voices for the different animals that the kind witch meets....

"I am a frog, as clean as can be, is there room on the broom for a frog like me...."

After a problem with overcrowding on the broom the witch flies into trouble and meets up with a scary dragon..

"I am a dragon as mean as can be, and I'm planning to have witch and chips for my tea..."

But, no need to worry as with a little help from her friends the witch is OK and she decides to built a "Truly Magnificent Broom"

As you can see from these photos, the illustrations by Alex Scheffler are great and reflect childrens own imaginations of witches and dragons.

So, having read a lot of childrens books over the years, I would definitely recommend this as one of the best for ages from 2 all the way up to about 8. The only problem with it is that you will be reading it again and again and again and again!

**********

For more details about Julia Donaldson and Alex Scheffler go to:

http://www.juliadonaldson.co.uk

http://www.gruffalo.com

Or to order ‘Room on the Broom’ from Amazon go to:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Room-Broom-Julia-Donaldson/dp/0333903382

Amazingly the big day is almost here. My oldest son Jacob, all of four and three-quarter years of age, is starting big school next week.

To me it is simply unbelievable that it has come around so quickly. In fact the momentous and somewhat traumatic occasion of his birth still seems like only yesterday….

Nevertheless, he is very excited about everything, from going to the shoe shop to get ‘school shoes’ and constantly reminding me that he still needs some grey socks, and working up to a fever pitch of excitement when he talks about all his little friends who are in his class and his new teacher – Mrs Ding Dong Bells (she is actually called Mrs Burles but somewhere between his taster session and the summer holidays her name has changed..)

Anyway, here are some helpful hints and suggestions I came across. They come from experienced reception class teachers and are to help the little ones settle in to school life and calm anxious parents:

“ Many parents like a list of suggestions to help their child starting full-time school, for the first time. None are vital, and because every child is different, some children will find them easy, whilst others will not be ready to do them just yet. Even if your child can only do some of these things, it is a big help:

* blow nose efficiently and be used to having a hanky in pocket.

* get undressed for PE (send your child in easy clothes for PE days)and then dressed again afterwards (practise with those buttons and zips!)

* have a go at putting on shoes and fastening Velcro / doing up laces

* put on and take off outdoor clothes, and then hang them up on the peg

* use a knife and fork reasonably well in the correct hands

* go to toilet unaided, and know how to use it properly (but accidents do happen, so don't worry; and again practise undoing those buttons and zips)

* wash own hands and dry them unaided

* tidy away toys or equipment that he or she has been using

* sit still and listen at least for a short time - e.g. for a story

* follow an adult's simple instructions "

Frisbees are one of the world's best-selling toys but they started life as simple pie dishes!

The Frisbie Baking Company (1871-1958) of Bridgeport, Connecticut, made pies that were sold to many New England colleges. Hungry college students soon discovered that the empty pie tins could be tossed and caught, They could make the round metal dishes spin and soar further than they could throw a ball - all it took was the right technique and a flick of the wrist - providing endless hours of games and sport.

The words 'Frisbie's Pies' were embossed in all the original pie tins and from these words 'Frisbie' was coined the common name for the toy.

In 1948, a Los Angeles building inspector named Walter Frederick Morrison and his partner Warren Franscioni invented a plastic version of the Frisbie that could fly further and with better accuracy than a tin pie plate.

Sales soared for the toy, due to the clever marketing of Frisbee playing as a new sport. In 1964, the first professional model went on sale.

The Frisbee world championships were first held in Sweden in 1983 and the farthest a Frisbee has been thrown is 250 metres.

*******

Just came across this history of the humble frisbee and it has inspired me to take a couple along when we next go to the park....if it ever stops raining.....

Putting their best foot forward......

Walk to School is a campaign asking parents, pupils and teachers to incorporate regular physical activity into their daily lives by walking to and from school whenever possible.

Each year, there are two national Walk to School weeks in the UK. In 2006 they are:
Monday 22nd - Friday 26th May
Monday 2nd - Friday 6th October

October is also International Walk to School Month - giving children, parents, school teachers and community leaders an opportunity to be part of a global event as they celebrate the many benefits of walking. Last year, more than 3 million walkers from around the world walked to school together for various reasons – all hoping to create communities that are safe places to walk.

These events encourage schools come together to promote the importance of walking.

For more details on this campaign see http://www.walktoschool.org.uk/

*********

Although I think this is a great campaign, it does seem a sad sign of the times that it is needed at all.

Surely most children live within walking distance of their school? and the benefits of walking to both children and parents are seemingly obvious.

However, you only need look the traffic congestion around any local school, both in the morning and at pick-up time, to realise that the car is definitely king. We are all forced to rush everywhere and driving is seen as the solution - despite the fact that with traffic jams it is often actually quicker to walk.

Due to the fact that we don't own a car, I always walk my little boy to school (a journey which takes about 20 minutes).

I can't say that it is always pleasant or peaceful - especially not in the terrential rain we have had this week!

Wee are usually running late and have to negotiate a couple of major road junctions along the way.

However, I do think that he is learning much more awareness of his surroundings and it is a great time for us to be together and discuss what he is doing / has done that day.

Infact I completely agree with the walk to school campaign when they say that:

"By encouraging parents to walk to school with their children from a young age it helps the children to develop the necessary skills to make their own journeys in the future and lets them learn many skills from experience:
* Road safety and personal safety skills
* Meeting and greeting people
* Time and distance relationship - management skills
* The feeling of the weather
* Exploration - what's around the corner? "

So all you car addicts out there - Why not join in and walk tomorrow or Friday? You never know you might even enjoy it - but don't forget your raincoat and wellies!

14th March is Einstein's birthday.

To celebrate this fact and to publicise national science week in the UK, I have found some great experiments that kids can do at home.
So gather up your budding professors and get ready for cries of Eureka!

THE SOAP-PROPELLED BOAT – or how to brighten up bath-time

What you’ll need:
• Card
• Scissors
• A baking dish full of water (or you can do it in the bath at home)
• Liquid detergent

What to do:
• Cut out a boat shape from the card. (Make it about 6cm long and 4cm wide)
• Make a notch at the back of the boat.
• Place the boat gently on the water in the dish.
• Pour a little detergent into the notch in the end of the boat.

Your boat should zip across the water…

What's happening?
Water molecules are strongly attracted to each other and stick close together, especially on the surface. This creates a strong but flexible "skin" on the water's surface that we call surface tension. Adding soap disrupts the arrangement of the water molecules and breaks the skin, making the boat go forward.

Custard Gone Crazy

What you’ll need:
• Custard powder (NB not instant custard) / cornflour
• Water
• Bowl
• Spoon
• Eggcup / spoon

What to do:
• Mix 8 eggcups of custard powder or cornflour with 4 eggcups of water, making sure to stir in the water slowly so you don’t get any lumps. (Don’t cook it!)

The result is a strange yellow substance that will either act like a solid - if you punch it quickly, or roll it into a ball OR will act like liquid, if you touch it gently.

If you increase the amounts of custard and powder, you could in theory fill a bathtub with the mixture, and run across the top without falling in. (You’d have to be very quick though!)

What's happening?
The custard powder and water mixture is a mixture of solid particles suspended in a liquid, called a "colloid". When you stir the mix slowly, the custard powder particles can move around in the water quite freely, and so it acts as a liquid. When you stir the mix faster or hold it in your hand tightly, the solid particles rub against each other causing friction. This makes them stick together and act like a solid.

Volcano!

What you’ll need:
• Vinegar
• Baking powder
• Washing up liquid
• Food colouring
• Small plastic bottle
• Balloon
• Plate/tray
• Clay (optional)
• Tablespoon

What to do:
• Put 1 tablespoon of baking powder in the plastic bottle. If you have time make a volcano shape with the clay around the bottle.
• Add a small amount of washing up liquid, and a few drops of food colouring.
• Make sure that the volcano is on the tray / plate.
• Add vinegar and stand well back…

Variation 1: Place a balloon over the end of the bottle and collect the gas – it is heavier than air.

Variation 2: Put a bung in the bottle and watch it fly out.

What's happening?
This experiment demonstrates a classic acid base reaction. Carbon dioxide is given off when the vinegar reacts with the baking powder.

Notes:

National Science Week, UK runs from 10th-19th March 2006. For further information see:
http://www.the-ba.net/the-ba/Events/NationalScienceWeek/

Experiments taken from http://www.planet-science.com/home.html

"Fifty years from now
It will not matter what kind of car you drove,
what kind of house you lived in,
how much you had in your bank account,
or what your clothes looked like.

But the world may be a better place because you were important in the life of a child"

I came across these words of wisdom whilst looking at articles on the babyandkids.co.uk website
(http://www.babyandkids.co.uk/features/Positive.asp)

With the hectic lifestyles and commercial pressures that most parents have to deal with today, these gems of truth are often overlooked.

I wonder what society would be like if we collectively decided to forego unnecessary commercialism and concentrate on the happiness, well-being and development of our children?

All parents tell stories to their children. Ever since humans first learned to speak, storytelling has been a powerful way of communicating. It can be used to entertain, teach, heal, and to transmit traditions from one generation to the next.

Parents make great storytellers as they have strong bonds with the listener, and they know their child's needs better than anyone else.

Whether the stories are folk tales, memories of family occasions, or fantasies invented on the spot, they convey a sense of security and knowledge to the child.

Infact stories are the most effective teaching tool ever used. Oral storytelling pre-dates the written word and all of the world's great civilisations and religions used tales and parables to preserve and transmit beliefs and values.

The power of storytelling can be profound. If a child is crying, you put your arms around the child and talk. The sound of your voice is soothing. When you tell the child a story, the extra power of imagination takes them to magical worlds.

Still, many new parents lack confidence in their storytelling abilities. They usually start reading favourite books to their children, but feel uncomfortable reading aloud. Why? There is no-one to judge, and your child will love the time together.

Loose your inhibitions about talking out loud. Play with the rhythm of the words and the sound of your voice. Re-discover the fun of the story and see it reflected in your children’s eyes.

Once your playfulness has reappeared, you will gain more confidence in both reading and making up stories. It becomes fun to invent allegories on the spot, building on everyday experiences.

Many great family stories and traditions being with “ When I was a child, I used to ………..” This story is extra special as it gives you children a glimpse of your own childhood, creating a sense of connection and identity.

Storytelling takes the ordinary stuff of life and turns it into a gift for your child.

Top Tips for successful storytelling

* Choose stories that you like to tell. Select tales with a clear, simple, straightforward plot and a limited cast of characters. Traditional fairy stories and legends are a good starting point.

* Don’t worry about memorising word for word. Just learn it and then tell it to yourself in your own words. When you're comfortable with the story, tell it to someone else.

* There is no one right way to tell a story. It is the willingness to share it with someone else that is important.

* Remember the power of silence. It is as much a part of the story as the words. It adds depth and excitement, and gives the both you and the listener a chance to picture what is happening.

Notes:
National Storytelling Week UK runs from 28th January - 4th February 2006. For more details go to http://www.sfs.org.uk/