Our Christmas Newsletter

Christmas Gospel

Hi everyone, I don't know you but I would love to see a Christmas Gospel this year, if you 'd like too the 12 th of December there is a concert for 12.00 pounds at City Temple Church & Conference Centre.

The event will help women children in Nigeria and Malasia with your money 

http://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/event/43118460-a-gospel-christmas-at-city-temple-church-and-conference-centre

Free Concert the 5th of December in Myfair &Belgravia

Christmas Entertainment on 30 November-3 January, London Bridge City

St Joseph's School Choir (16 Dec 12:30-13:00 at Hay's Galleria and 16 Dec 13:00-13:30 at More London)

Here below the link 

http://www.morelondon.com/events/calendar/london-bridge-city-christmas-market/

V&A Museum of Childhood

Art activity for children from 3 to 12 years old at the V&A for this Christmas Holiday.

Free drop-in art and craft session, story telling inspired by animals tales and tour around the gallery.





Children can have the experience to work in object inspired by the Museum, that they can bring at home. 






 Have a look the website for information about time

under the What s on you can have more information about the current exhibition and all the available activities.

ehttp://www.vam.ac.uk/moc/whatson/

Our first newsletter!

Nativity Show WITH REAL ANIMALS!

I think this Christmas event at Vauxhall City Farm on Sunday 13th December is going to be a lot of fun!  http://vauxhallcityfarm.org/events/christmas-family-fun-day-2/

Trip to Horniman Museum

We had a lovely time on Sunday at the Horniman Museum. On the lower ground floor is a display full of musical instruments and we discovered a little room to the side where we could go in and have a go and make our own music.

We made a quick trip to the aquarium before going to see the animals on the farm.

Before we left we spent some time on the outdoor music area.

Our Sunday outing to the Horniman Museum

Making beats!

Last weekend we had a group outing to the Horniman Museum in Dulwich. It's a fantastic FREE museum with a few exhibitions that you need to buy tickets to get into (such as the Aquarium).

CS and Dad really enjoyed the music room in the basement which had interactive tables where you could select the items on the display to listen to and to find out more about. CS also very quickly found the hands on area where children (and adults) can explore and play with some of the instruments.

Exploring the Gosse anemone tank

After the music room we moved onto the Aquarium which had sealife from Britain and far more tropical spaces. I loved the aquarium but don't think Callum was too keen as he was more interested in splashing the water (which isn't good for the sealife) and wandering about, I think it will be something that we will take him back to when he is a bit older.

My favourite - Sea Horses!

 Here are some of the pictures I took at the aquarium

Lobster - not for eating!

Clownfish - Finding Nemo!

Jellyfish

  

Picasa for giving your pictures that je ne sais quoi

I have just been re-introduced to Picasa and have fallen in love with it again. So easy to use and has made some pictures I took on a dull day look so much better. I also look forward to using it with my children so they can have fun with their pictures.

Jag x

What to do with your baby items when you don't need them anymore....

At the moment, we are starting to pack up for our big move in a few weeks (its going quite interestingly as CS is at the stage where he is keen to do what we are doing though occasionally this helpful other times not so much such as when he takes the dirty washing out the basket and puts it on the dryer or when he adds random items to the packing boxes!)

As CS is our first child we received a lot of clothes, some new and some from other family members children. Whilst we also bought a few items new, we found ebay was a great place to buy bundles of clothing from others. 

When CS gradually grew out of his clothes we generally passed them on to other family and friends to use with their wee ones before being passed back to us. We now have several boxes for various clothes both in our place and in my parents home, the majority of them still decent quality.

We're keeping some of the items for memories and some for possible future children. Quite a few though we are reselling on ebay for other families to use. 

Whilst ebay is a great place of the occasional bargain and free to sign up and buy from (if you also have a nectar card you can gain points on your purchases) they do charge for anything that you sell - you get 20 free listings per a month afterwards costing 35p per a listing - the amount you pay is dependent on how much you item sells for and how you are paid (if you are paid via paypal then there is an additional cost). 

There are other sites and pages where you can buy and sell your items without paying additional fees however you aren't guaranteed the same 

level of protection that you get with ebay/paypal and it may be difficult get your money back (depending on how you have paid).

Other useful sites include:

gumtree - prices vary depending on what you are selling and how you wish your ad to appear, though its generally free 

netmums - its free to join and you can advertise on the forum, they also have information on local nearly new markets

facebook - you can search for local buying and selling groups to your area/borough

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The Big Scream

One of the things I thought I would not be able to do without a baby sitter was go to the cinema. Whilst I could still go to U and PG's and depending upon the movie maybe even a 12A, I would feel uncomfortable if CS became quite vocal.

However the picture house cinema's have a great scheme which allowed me to occasionally see a 15 or 18 with CS, they generally show the movies which have just been released like Spectre or the upcoming star wars movie. 

The Big Scream is open to parents with children under the age of 1 years and depending on the cinema, it has showings on 1 or 2 days a week. If the film on is a U, PG or 12A then it is possible to bring other children with you although you will need to pay for their ticket (the price may vary depending on the cinema and day)

The entrance cost is reduced for the parents attending and free for the baby, the cinemas have space for lots of pushchairs and for baby changing, some of the cinemas also offer free coffee. Best of all no one gets annoyed if there's a baby being a bit vocal and the staff are great with the kids.

You can book your tickets online or in the cinema itself (though its best to do this in advance if its a popular movie) most showings are can be viewed online though sometimes you need to go to the viewing list for the day itself

The big scream showings are at:

Clapham Picture house on Thursdays and Sundays at 10:30am

Ritzy Picture House on Fridays at 11am (occasionally they have 2 films on the same day and time)

East Dulwich Picture House on Wednesdays at 11am

During the holidays, the children's centre's in brixton/lambeth also run family screenings, tickets for these are available through the children's centre and posters advertising these are in the children's centres too. 

KMG

Pop Brixton

Fantastic 4th Birthday party for my little girl in the Pop Box was a roaring success! 

Plenty of fun had by all with amazing Zumbini dance session with exceptional teacher Angee.

Too add, kids disco with dance floor,foot stomping,shape making tunes.

Please watch this space for future events & coming soon Fari's Retro specialising in vintage clothing for the grown ups!

www.popbrixton.org

Fari

Morning guys, hope you all had a good week.

 Last week we went on a trip to Windmill children's centre with our children to support our child's language development and explore colours. There was water to splash, grass with flowers, mud, clouds made out of cotton wool dropping around and also some fruit, like pealed oranges and raspberries  which some children were drawing on the floor with. Here's the link to the theater company 

omnibus-clapham.org

Ephragie

Brockwell Walled Garden and Community Greenhouses

Whilst the weather was still nice, me and CS decided to explore more of Brockwell Park, as the wet play area was closed and as CS is walking more, we took a walk around the Walled Garden and the community greenhouses.

The Walled Garden was initially the main kitchen garden of estate, with the neighbouring greenhouses. Between the greenhouses and the garden, all the fruit and veg for the estate family and its workers, was grown for the whole year.

After Brockwell park was sold and access was given to the public, the kitchen garden was redesigned into the Walled Garden or 'the old english garden'. Further restorations were made in 2012 to the walled garden, its temple and the community greenhouses.

The garden itself can be accessed by a secure gate (sorry no dogs are allowed in here) and during park events (such as the county show during the summer) there are often free activities such as tea parties and searches.

Little model village just outside of the Walled Garden

After exploring the Garden we moved onto the Greenhouses, unfortunately we only had a short time there as they close at 4pm during the winter season however we still got to see quite a bit. 

The greenhouses are ran by a group of volunteers and between them they maintain the greenhouses, its crops (which included some juicy looking raspberries that CS tried to pick) and its resident bee's. 

The garden has been cultivating their honey bee's over the past few years (as the amount of bee's having been getting lower each year) and this year at the county show they had a stall with one of their hives as well as selling some of their natural honey (which you can also purchase at Blackbird Bakery on Railton Road in Herne Hill.

KMG

Good morning everyone,

Click the link below for lots of useful information on eSafety (Internet Safety).

https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/

Did you find something interesting? Please share your thoughts in the comments section!

Have a great half-term,

Adam

things to do for halloween

Hello
looking for something cheap and fun to do for halloween with the kids??
 The Horniman museum have lots of activities for children on the Saturday 31th October and Sunday 1st november check out the link for further information.
Vanessa

http://www.horniman.ac.uk/visit/events/horniman-halloween-fair

Hello everybody,

Would you like an ideas for a activities with your kids?

Just have a look at this useful website Day out with kids, you can find informations about museums, theme parks, outdoor play and more.

I am interested in what s going on the Tate.

The Tate Britain is currently running a lunchtime offer where kids can eat for free in the Tate Britain Restaurant. The main course from the kids menu is free when an accompanying adult purchases a main course from the respective a la carte menu.
This offer is valid at lunchtimes only, for children aged 12 or under, and is for one child eating with an accompanying adult in the Tate Britain restaurant.
The offer is available until 30 August 2009 and subject to availability.
Irene


I
Tate is currently running a lunchtime offer where kids can eat for free in the

Tate Britain Restaurant. The main course from the kids menu is free when an accompanying adult purchases a main course from the respective a la carte menu.
This offer is valid at lunchtimes only, for children aged 12 or under, and is for one child eating with an accompanying adult in the Tate Britain restaurant.
The offer is available until 30 August 2009 and subject to availability.

HJkjjj

Hello guys I hope you are well, so we hoping to go on a trip with our children in the coming month and I am hoping to go to the  London Aquarium because it is very family interactive. Also it is a lots of fun for the kids to see the real fish and the ticket is cheap if we book online the day before the trip. The bus from Brixton is 59 to Westminster bridge road.
 Ephragie

National Maritime Museum

How to get there form Treehouse CC:
Any bus to Elephant and Castle station then bus 188 to National Maritime Museum. Takes approximately 1.5 hours.
Things to see:
AHOY! 
Lovely gallery targeted at under 7's and incorporates All Hands Gallery for slightly older children. Open to the public on weekends, week days during school holidays and Tuesdays during term time.
Play Tuesdays 
Have fun with

your family and friends by exploring the Museum through music, art and stories. Open Tuesdays in term time 10:30, 11:30, 13:00, 14:00 and needs to be booked at the ticket desk for 3 pounds per child

Explore Saturdays
Meet a character from the past and take part in an exciting performance that will bring maritime history to life. Free event for over 5's at 12:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00.


Jag Flore

You are invited! 

Possible family days out in London

As part of our family newsletter course we have been looking at different places for family outings in London. Here a few of the places I have found:

Mudchute Farn
Is a free farm here in East London which is accessible by bus and DLR (although its a bit far on the bus from Tulse Hill - nearly 2 hrs!)

Deen City Farm in Morden
Oddly enough from Tulse Hill its actually quicker to reach here by bus than the underground (although there's only a few minutes in it) roughly 1 hr. Its part of Morden Hall which is part of the National Trust.

V&A/Science Museum/Natural History Museum

 Are 3 fantastic museums in South Kensington all within 5 mins walk of each other. In particular The Garden (up to 5 years) and Pattern Pod (up to 8 years)  in the Science museum are great and both have free buggy parking outside the activities.
Getting there again can take some time but can be done in about 40mins-1hr on the no. 2 to Hyde Park corner then either the 52 or 452 to Exhibition Road.

Kensington Palace and Gardens

If visiting the museums (and if its a decent weather) Kensington Garden's are a lovely way to pass the time, rather than turning down Exhibition Road to go to the museums you cross the road at the Albert Memorial.
Whilst there is a fee to enter the palace (although if you have a tesco clubcard you can  convert your points into a voucher towards your entry).
The park itself has a a huge round pond ideal for feeding the ducks, geese and Swans and various different areas to explore including the Italian Gardens. There are also 2 free parks to access, the Diana Memorial Park and Buckhill gardens (opposite Lancaster gate). Whilst both free, the Diana Memorial Park gets very busy during the school holidays and the weekends so be prepared to queue to get on. Generally during the school term it isn't too busy during the day, The Diana Memorial park is also aimed towards including all ages and abilities with different activity areas.
Kensington Garden's was also the inspiration for JM Barrie's Peter Pan and there is a statue of Peter Pan in the Garden.

 Outside the Diana Memorial Park there is also the Elfin tree which is a statue with lots of different fairy tale characters which are great to spot

St James Park/Buckingham Palace
Another free activity which is about a 10 minute walk from Victoria station. Whilst going into Buckingham Palace has a fee and is only open at certain times of the year, viewing the changing of the guard is free and lasts 45 minutes (daily April to end of July at 11:30am then alternative days throughout the rest of the year), from there you can walk through Green Park or along St James Park, where you can feed the ducks and see some Pelican's. At the other side of St. James there is the Horse Guards parade where the Queen's Lifeguard and horses are on parade, they change at 11am each weekday and 10am on Sunday's/


The london baby website is a great site for other ideas for baby/family outings in London (although it primarily covers South West london/ Zone 1


KMG

 hello everyone I hope you all have a great week whatever your doing, from Ephragie.

Hi I am Rutha see you next week.

A day out in Brockwell Park

One of my favourite places - for a number of reasons including its a 5 minute walk away and free - to take my wee one is to Brockwell Park in Lambeth.


Brockwell Park is a large open park based between Brixton, Herne Hill and Tulse Hill in Lambeth which is suited to all the family (we even had CS first birthday here during the summer) and is easily accessible on foot from the main stations as well as plenty of bus stops around it.

Sing-a-long

I just thought I would share with you a few songs my children enjoy:

When All The Cows Are Sleeping

When all the cows were sleeping

and the sun had gone to bed,

Up jumped the scarecrow

and this is what he said,

 “I’m a dingle dangle scarecrow

with a flippy floppy hat,

I can shake my hands like this

and shake my feet like that.”

When all the hens were roosting

and the moon behind the cloud

Up jumped the scarecrow

and shouted very loud,

 “I’m a dingle dangle scarecrow

with a flippy floppy hat,

I can shake my hands like this

and shake my feet like that.”

I Had A Little Turtle

I had a little Turtle,

His name was Tiny Tim.

I put him in the bathtub,

To see if he could swim.

He drank up all the water

And ate a bar of soap.

And now he's in his bed,

With bubbles in his throat.

Bubble, Bubble, Bubble,

Bubble, Bubble, Bubble,

Bubble, Bubble, Bubble

Bubble, POP!

Miss Polly Had A Dolly

Miss Polly had a dolly who was sick, sick, sick.

So she phoned for the doctor to be quick, quick, quick.

The doctor came with his bag and his hat

And he knocked at the door with a rat-a-tat-tat.

He looked at the dolly and he shook his head

And he said “Miss Polly, put her straight to bed!”

He wrote on a paper for a pill, pill, pill

“I’ll be back in the morning with my bill, bill, bill.

Peter Rabbit

Peter Rabbit had a fly upon his nose,

Peter Rabbit had a fly upon his nose,

Peter Rabbit had a fly upon his nose,

And he flipped it and he flopped it and it flew away.

Floppy Ears and Curly Whiskers,

Floppy Ears and Curly Whiskers,

Floppy Ears and Curly Whiskers,

And he flipped it and he flopped it and it flew away.

Peter Rabbit had a fly upon his toes,

Peter Rabbit had a fly upon his toes,

Peter Rabbit had a fly upon his toes,

And he flipped it and he flopped it and it flew away.

Floppy Ears and Curly Whiskers,

Floppy Ears and Curly Whiskers,

Floppy Ears and Curly Whiskers,

And he flipped it and he flopped it and it flew away.

Jag Flore