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IN THIS ISSUE Make this the Happiest Year Ever!

Education Culture Vultures

Parenting Make a date with your child

What’s on Things to do in Gloucestershire this New Year!

Issue 54 January/February 2020 familiesonline.co.uk

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ISSUE 54

Gloucestershire

Editorial Katie Azam 07921 338894 editor@familiesgloucestershire.co.uk

In this issue 4 NEWS Air quality is worse indoors Ofsted Rating improves house prices

6 EDUCATION

Design 45 Degrees Design & Print Next issue March / April 2020. For Easter fun, parenting tips and much more…

To Advertise with us... and reach over 50,000 parents in the region contact Katie Azam on: 07921 338894 or email editor@familiesgloucestershire.co.uk …endless ideas for families of young children in: Gloucester – Cheltenham – Tewkesbury Forest of Dean – Painswick – Stroud Cirencester – Tetbury And all other surrounding towns and villages throughout Gloucestershire.

Why thinking should be in the curriculum Make your child a Culture Vulture

10 PARENTING

Early Years – use baby science Make a date with your child

12 HEALTH

Have the happiest year ever!

From Dad bod to Dad God.

14 WHAT’S ON Your guide to what’s happening in Gloucestershire

16 Kids Corner!

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3

News & Views

Air Quality is Worse Indoors A new report into the state of air pollution in UK households has found that our homes are experiencing dangerous levels of indoor air pollution.

The report commissioned by Clean Air Day found that nearly half of UK homes have high indoor air pollution as a result of dangerous levels of formaldehyde and other pollutants.

Data also shows that outdoor air pollution adds to indoor air pollution; it builds up in the home, taking longer to disperse inside than outside.

According to the British Lung Foundation, children are particularly sensitive to poor indoor air quality as their lungs are proportionally larger in relation to their body weight than those of adults, and immature immune systems mean they are less able to

fight off problems arising from polluted indoor air.

Sources of indoor air pollution include smoking, faulty boilers, open fires, gas cookers and heaters, as well as

irritant chemicals from new furniture, air fresheners and household cleaning products.

More info: www.cleanairday.org.uk and www.blf.org.uk

Sleep Lessons for School Children School children across Britain may be offered sleep lessons to help tackle the problem of insomnia in young people.

Children and young people’s sleep is being seen as an increasingly important issue.

According to the British Medical Journal, there is increasing evidence emerging that lack of sleep has a major impact on children’s mental and physical health, as well as learning. A recent study by the BMJ suggests that sleep has a greater impact on an adolescent’s mental wellbeing than bullying, physical activity and screen time.

National Storytelling Week National Storytelling Week takes place from 1 to 8 February and is a chance to reflect on one of the oldest art forms in the world. We are all immersed in stories — from conversations during which we re-tell events in our lives, to watching our favourite television shows.

Speech and language therapists believe that storytelling is vital for children’s academic success as it promotes narrative skills and strengthens the ability of children to correctly sequence ideas. To be a good reader and writer a child needs firstly to be a good speaker and listener.

Above all though, storytelling is fun. Whether we are listening to someone else’s story or telling our own, inventing and adapting narratives can open doors to exciting new worlds — both real and imaginary.

National Storytelling Week takes place in storytelling clubs, theatres, museums, schools, hospitals, spoken word venues, and care homes.

To find a local event or to look through its extensive archive, visit www.sfs.org.uk 4

Families Gloucestershire

The sleep lessons are aimed at children ages 7 to 16 years and are available as part of the PSHE curriculum. The lessons focus on giving children strategies for falling asleep and raising awareness of how sleep needs change in adolescence.

Experts say the increase in sleep problems is down to a combination of higher obesity levels, excessive use of social media before bedtime and a mental health crisis among young people More info: www.pshe-association.org.uk www.thechildrenssleepcharity.org.uk/

News & Views

Ofsted Ratings Driving Up House Prices Families in England are paying a house price premium of as much as £100,000 to make sure their children live within the catchment of schools rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted, new analysis suggests.

The Big Garden Birdwatch The RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch takes place from 25 to 27 January and is the largest wildlife survey in the world. The information collected helps monitor bird species in the UK, and is great fun for children.

To take part, you need to watch the birds in your garden or local park for just one hour at some point over the three days and report your results to the RSPB. You can request a FREE Big Garden Birdwatch pack from the RSPB which includes a bird identification chart and advice to help you attract wildlife to your garden.

To make it fun, challenge your children to see who can spot the most birds. Take a bike ride to a local park to look for birds, or make a day trip out of it and spot birds in a new place.

More info at www.rspb.org.uk

Researchers analysed the Ofsted ratings of 20,545 secondary and primary schools in England and found that average house prices often reflect the quality of the local school.

The average price of a house in England with top-rated schools nearby stands at £331,605, according to research by comparison website Confused.com. This is about £38,600 more than the average price of homes with schools rated ‘good’ by Ofsted nearby, about £78,000 more than in areas with schools that ‘require improvement’ and nearly £100,000 more than in postcodes with schools rated ‘inadequate’.

A similar study by the Department of Education found that house prices are 8% higher near the best performing primary schools.

To view the report, visit www.confused.com

Grammar School Ready?

Autumn and Christmas have gone and suddenly year 6 is on the horizon. Are you,like many hundreds and thousands of parents across the county starting to turn your attention to secondary schools? Are you opening up the chocolate box of secondary provision and realising there is no picture menu to guide you through the next 12 months.Our beautiful county is host to a vast range of educational provision and finding the right school for your child, is your job - no pressure mums and dads !

Many families will have their sights set on Grammar school.

Competition for the limited places is fierce and growing every year. As a parent it is your responsibility to prepare your child for the exam. Coaching for the exam has become the traditional route for many families. However the quality of this varies vastly, as does the price! So what are the golden rules for 11+ coaching?

Ensure your tutor is a qualified teacher.

Ensure your tutor has a proven track record.

Ensure your tutor covers all aspects of the CEM style test.

Ensure your child has access to mock exams.

Ensure homework is provided to enhance learning.

Finding the right tutor is never easy. It must be someone you trust and someone who can inspire and engage your child.

However, once you find this person you will be amazed at how your child flies and their confidence grows.

Patricia is a former Headteacher who has established 11+coachinggloucestershire. An 11+ tutoring company dedicated to providing high quality small group and 1-1 tutoring for children in their local communities. familiesonline.co.uk

Is your child sitting the Gloucestershire Grammar School Entrance Examination?

We provide coaching for pupils in years 4 and 5, ensuring that children are fully prepared for all aspects of the CEM test.

Our small group approach is designed to increase knowledge and build confidence, allowing children to flourish and achieve their potential.

Why choose us?

• Your child’s coach has twenty years education experience, including 14 years as a primary and secondary headteacher.

• Our successful programme has been carefully designed to cover all aspects of the CEM test.

• Each session lasts 1 hour 45 minutes. Sessions run during term time and school holidays, ensuring momentum and skills are retained.

• Children take part in termly mock exams. Following this a full question level analysis is shared with parents. Enabling you to see which elements of the test your child needs to focus on and where they are succeeding.

• Children have access to our on line learning hub. The hub allows children to practice various aspects of the CEM test, increasing your child’s speed and confidence.

Classes in Highnam, Gloucester, Tewkesbury and the Forest of Dean

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WHAT OUR PARENTS SAY My son was so happy to receive his marks.

Your sessions supported and encouraged him. Without you he would never have achieved such a high score. Thank you !

For more information visit www.11pluscoachinggloucestershire.co.uk Or email coach@11pluscoachinggloucestershire.co.uk 5

Education

Why Thinking Should be a Curriculum Subject Following his defeat at the Battle of Actium in 31 BCE, Marc Antony heard a rumour that Cleopatra had committed suicide and, in consequence, stabbed himself in the abdomen—only to discover that Cleopatra herself had been responsible for spreading the rumour. He later died in her arms.

‘Fake news’ is nothing new, but in our Internet age, it has spread like a disease, swinging elections, fomenting social unrest, undermining institutions, and diverting political capital away from health, education, and good government. So how best to guard against it?

As a medical specialist, I have spent well over twenty years in formal education. With the possible exception of my one-year degree in philosophy, the emphasis of my education has been firmly and squarely on fact accumulation.

Today, I have little use for most of these facts, and though I am only middle-aged, many are already out of date, or highly questionable. But what I do rely on—every day, all the time— is my faculty for critical thinking. As BF Skinner once put it: “Education is what survives when what has been learnt has been forgotten.”

But can critical thinking be taught? The answer is ‘yes’ - or, at least, the beginnings of it. So why not make more time for it and be more rigorous and systematic about its learning?

Logic is a good start, but there is much more to critical thinking than mere logic. Educationalists often amalgamate thinking with logic. True, logic is able to provide immediate certainty and the authority and credibility that goes with that.

But logic is a lot more limited than many people imagine.

Logic essentially consists of a set of operations for deriving a statement from other statements. In a sense, it merely makes

By Dr Neel Burton

explicit that which was previously implicit. It brings nothing new to the table. The conclusion flows from the premises as their inevitable consequence: 1. All birds have feathers. (Premise 1) 2. Woodpeckers are birds. (Premise 2) 3. Therefore, woodpeckers have feathers. (Conclusion) What’s more, logic is not concerned with the actual truth or falsity of the premises or, indeed, the merit or relevance of the conclusion.

Reasoning, in contrast, is a much broader psychological activity which also involves selecting and assessing evidence, creating and testing hypotheses, weighing competing arguments, evaluating means and ends, developing and applying mental shortcuts, and so on. All this requires the use of judgement, which is why reason, unlike logic, cannot be delegated to a computer, and also why it so often fails to persuade.

Just as there is more to reason than logic, so there is more to thinking than reasoning. If school curricula make very little time for logic and reasoning, they make even less time for non-rational forms of cognition such as the emotions, intuition, and imagination.

To see the significance of non-rational forms of cognition, let’s hone in on the emotions. With the decline of religion and traditional social structures, our emotions have come to assume an increasingly dominant role in our lives. It has forever been said that we are ruled by our emotions, but this today is truer than ever. Much more than reason or tradition, it is our emotions that determine our choice of profession, partner, and politics, and our relation to money, sex, and religion.

Yet, remarkably, the emotions are utterly neglected by our system of education, leading to millions of mis-lived lives.

Nothing can make us feel more alive, or more human, than our emotions, or hurt us more. To control our emotions is to control ourselves, and to control ourselves is to control our destiny.

Our school curriculum needs to make more time and space for thinking. And we need to rehabilitate alternative forms of cognition, such as the emotions, intuition, and imagination, that can support, supplement, or supplant reason and return us to wholeness.

Dr Neel Burton is a leading psychiatrist and author of Hypersanity: Thinking Beyond Thinking, which is out now, priced £12.99.

To find out more, visit www.neelburton.com 6

Families Glasgow Upon Thames

Education

10 Top Tips for choosing your child’s first school The New Year can mean exciting new beginnings for many young children approaching school age in 2020. As a parent, you are looking for the very best environment to nurture your child’s important first steps in education, launching them on a journey which will lay the foundations for their future. No two children are the same and so finding the right school is a significant and personal choice and one we all want to get right.

Here are my 10 top tips: 1. Arrange to visit the school on a normal school day – this is the best time to assess the real atmosphere of the school, meet teachers and children, and gain a picture of how your child will fit in and develop.

2. Ask to meet the Head – the Head sets the ethos for the school and so it is vital that you understand and are inspired by their view of education.

3. What is the atmosphere? Do the children look happy, engaged in activities and excited by what they are doing? Is this a place where you can envisage your child being wellcared for, challenged and stimulated?

4. How are children catered for through the school

DCPPS Early Years OM Ad Dec 2019_Layout 15:12 Page 1 child’ curriculum?

Is there a focus1on06/12/2019 developing the ‘whole

in addition to academic achievement? This is a key time for your child to develop a love of learning so a vibrant and stimulating curriculum is vital.

5. What are the class sizes and how do the teachers structure classes to support different abilities, ensuring that each

DCPS - Family Magazine Advert - 130mm x 180mm 4 December 2020

child’s needs are targeted? Are there teaching assistants in the classes?

6. How is the day structured and what extra-curricular activities are available? Will this school provide opportunities that will engage and develop your child – individual music lessons, choir, sports, art and craft clubs etc?

7. The facilities – does the school have good facilities and support, for example, sport, P.E., music and drama? Are the facilities well-maintained and safe? Do the noticeboards and displays suggest a stimulating environment?

8. How does the school report to parents? Do they have frequent parent meetings in addition to reports? Do they have an open-door policy to enable you to ask questions and find out information?

9. Is the school welcoming to parents? Are there social events to get involved in, for example charity events, coffee mornings? Parents are so important in a child’s education and good schools want parents to be in partnership with them.

10. Research! This is important – look at the Ofsted or ISI report and, if possible, talk to other parents. The best information can come from other parents already at the school.

Dr Carolyn Shelley Dean Close Pre-Prep School

Reception

OPEN MORNING Tuesday 21st January 2020

Sessions at 9.15 -10.00am or 10.45 -11.30am To book please contact us: Tel: 01242 258079 Email: squirrels@deanclose.org.uk www.deanclose.org.uk

familiesonline.co.uk

DC

DEAN CLOSE

CHELTENHAM

PRE-PREPARATORY SCHOOL

7

Education

Being a Culture Vulture is Good for Your Children

A cultural education is not only hugely enriching, it can boost academic achievement and improve the selfconfidence and self-esteem of children. Research also shows that participating in art projects can also lead to an improvement in social behaviour helping to engage even the most disconnected students. An arts education can boost tolerance levels in children too. Being immersed in a dance show or art installation allows them step out of their own lives and put themselves in another’s shoes.

At the same time, they are introduced to other cultures.

Community-based art projects can involve the whole community, helping society become more cohesive, inclusive and tolerant.

Not only this but regular exposure to the arts can encourage children to take up an artistic project themselves, whether it be drawing, painting, performing or dancing. In this way, they can actively explore their own creativity and emotional world, expressing their feelings with or without words.

By Claire Winter Did you know that full participation in cultural and artistic life is a basic human right for children that is enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child?

Giving children an education in art and culture is a way of broadening their knowledge and experience of the world.

By sharing different experiences with them, whether art, theatre, dance or music, you are offering them a window into other people’s perspectives, lives, imaginations, hopes and dreams. An arts education helps children learn how to observe, describe, analyse and interpret.

However, there are still too many children for whom education in the arts and culture is inaccessible. For instance, 27% of secondary school students who claim free school meals and 14% of students from low-income families choose not to study subjects like art and drama due to the related costs, compared to 8% of students from wealthier families.

Additionally, a recent study shows that the learning opportunities for students in arts and culture have significantly declined in many state schools because of a lack of funding. Schools need increased support from the government to ensure that children are engaging with the arts and culture throughout their education. Programmes that promote the value of arts and cultural education for children, irrespective of their class, wealth, gender, ethnicity,

Walking into our centre you will observe a calm and positive atmosphere, it is quiet and focused with students so engaged with their work. Students walk through the door with a smile on their faces, excited to start their lesson. It is a great place to learn and achieve.

At Kip we work with a range of students, providing professional maths and English support with qualified teachers. Some students require further support to catch up, others who want to excel to achieve top marks, but with all students we are supporting them to achieve their full potential.

All of our students receive an educational assessment, from which we plan a bespoke programme that focuses on the strengths and weaknesses of the child. We work at a pace that is comfortable for our students, enabling them to make huge leaps in their ability.

We work closely with parents and schools collaboratively, with the same end goal of achieving the best outcome for the student and providing regular summative and formative assessment and feedback to parents. Tuition takes place both in centre and via our interactive online system.

Our aim is to make learning fun and engaging whilst delivering fantastic results. If your child could benefit from tuition to catch up, improve their confidence or preparation for 11+, SATs or GCSEs visit our website to book a free educational assessment.

8

Families Gloucestershire

Education or religion, are needed so all children can benefit.

We have a long way to go in terms of parental engagement, training teachers, out of hour’s activities and funding for school trips, to ensure that an arts education is accessible to all children in the UK. Clearly, parents can help expose their children to the arts by taking them to performances, exhibitions and galleries. However, this can be costly. We are lucky that there are many free art galleries and museums across the UK at which you can inspire and educate your children. I remember taking my toddlers to Tate Britain in London and sitting them in front of a giant Constable painting. They were given large bits of paper and crayons from art carts so they could draw. It was a completely free service that totally captivated them.

You can also take advantage of the live screenings of ballet, theatre, and opera that are regularly shown in cinemas across the UK. For the price of a cinema ticket, you can see The Royal Ballet and many other famous actors and musicians perform. It’s also worth getting on the mailing list of your local arts centre as they often hold events or festivals that are free, partially free or subsidised, particularly in school holidays.

Why Choose Wycliffe?

Wycliffe is a thriving independent day and boarding school for boys and girls aged from 2 to 18, set within the heart of the Cotswolds.

Children join our Nursery from 2+ years. The Nursery offers independent nursery school facilities with a stimulating and safe environment all set within the beautiful grounds of the Preparatory School. Our standalone Preparatory School accommodates children aged from 4+ to 13 years, where they are able to flourish and where they are encouraged to do their best.

Wycliffe is an ideal destination for pupils who want all the Not only is art good for education, it is also good for our advantages of a contemporary environment in a beautiful economy. According to recent Government statistics, the rural location. Wycliffe successfully blends the best of the creative industries are worth £8 million an hour to the UK traditional and modern. The boarding school has excellent economy. Additionally, according to ‘As Others See Us’, links to London both by road and rail and is close to the a recent British Council report says that arts and culture amenities offered in the Cotswolds, Cheltenham, Bristol are regarded as the number one ‘selling point’ in the UK and Bath. among people ages 18 to 34 years from China, Brazil, India, Germany, and the US. If the UK is to continue attracting At Wycliffe, we value tradition, embrace modernity and tourists, students, and business investors from overseas, we– 4.00pm respect individuality. Wycliffe accepts pupils with a wide Friday 7th February 1.30 must continue to highlight the importance of educating our range of abilities and rejoices in their individual successes. children about art and culture.

Discover how we guide children on Pupils their individual learning are valued for who they are; diversity is celebrated.

Open Afternoon for Reception to Year 2

journey that is tailored to their character and learning style.

• Wrap‑around care from 8.00am–6.00pm included in the termly fee • Swimming, Music and Art every week, and small class sizes

Open Afternoon for Open Afternoon Open Afternoon forfor Receptionto to Year 2 22 Reception to Year Reception Year

Open Op Af Recepti Re

Friday 7th February 1.30 – 4.00pmFriday 7th February 1.30 – 4.00pm Discover how we guide children on their individual learning

Discover how we guide children on their Friday 7thjourney February 1.30 – 4.00pm that is tailored to their character andindividual learning style. learning journey that is tailored

Friday 7th February 1.30 – 4.00pm to their • Wrap‑around care from 8.00am–6.00pm included in character and learning style.

Discover howthe termly we guide fee children on their individual learning • Wrap-around care from Discover how we guide children on their individual learning journey that tailored to and their and style. included in • is Swimming, Music Art character every week, and smalllearning class sizes 8.00am–6.00pm journey that is tailored their character andincluded learninginstyle. the termly fee • Wrap‑around care to from 8.00am–6.00pm • Swimming, Music and Art the termly care fee from 8.00am–6.00pm included • Wrap‑around in small class sizes every week, and the termly fee Music and Art every week, and small class sizes • Swimming, school approach that supports A school • Swimming, MusicAand Art every week, and small class approach sizes that your busy family lifesupports your busy family life Call Briony Armstrong, Prep School Admissions Manager on 01453 820470 to book your place

wycliffe.co.uk/openafternoon familiesonline.co.uk

A school approach that supports

9

Parenting

Using Baby Science to Soothe your Newborn

By Vanessa LoBue

Babies start learning before they’re born. In the third trimester, they begin to learn about what’s most familiar to them, and develop preferences for these things, perhaps because they are comforting. For example, they develop a preference for familiar tastes and smells, like the smell of their own amniotic fluid, or flavours from their mothers’ food. Most importantly, there’s evidence that we can promote a soothing and sleep in the short-term and emotional development and even literacy skills in the longterm by leveraging the science of newborns’ love of the familiar.

One example is touch. In the third trimester, fetuses have typically grown so much that they fill up all the space that their mothers can provide for them, likely resulting in the sensation of being compressed, or tightly bound by the walls of the uterus. The familiarity of this sensation could make swaddling—or being compressed tightly with blankets - calming, mimicking the feeling of being inside the womb.

Consistent with this idea, research suggests that babies who are swaddled sleep longer and cry less than other babies.

In the same way, skin-to-skin contact might be particularly soothing as well, as babies are used to being surrounded by the warm pressure of the sides of the womb. Like swaddling, research suggests that skin-to-skin contact is related to better sleep and reduced crying, as well as a variety of other benefits including lower stress responses, and better established breast-feeding routines. In fact, because of the benefits of skin-to-skin contact - especially for premature babies who don’t typically get held as much after birth compared to babies who are born at term - many hospitals are now promoting as much skin-to-skin contact as possible starting from birth.

Besides touch, newborns also become accustomed to rocking and swaying in the third trimester, moving with their mothers’ bodies, swaying back and forth as she walks around during the day. In fact, babies are often born with day and night mixed up, since they are used to being rocked all day long as mum walks around, and still during the night.

This can mean they wake up at night when she lies down to go to sleep!

10

Families Gloucestershire Upon Thames

The familiarity of the motion of walking could make both carrying and rocking soothing for a newborn as well.

Research has shown that infants who are carried more cry substantially less than infants who are placed in front of a mobile. And although people might tell you that too much carrying will spoil your babies, there is no evidence to support this idea. In fact, research suggests that carrying has long-term benefits for emotional health, as well as shortterm benefits for sleep and reduced crying. Indeed, infants who are held and cuddled as babies are the most likely to be healthy and well-adjusted as adults; the more they are held as babies, the better they function later on.

One last preference that parents can use to soothe babies is familiar sounds. By the time babies are born, most will prefer the sound of their mother’s voice to all other voices, and there is evidence that they can even learn to prefer the familiar rhythm of stories that they’ve heard over and over again while in the womb. This could make their mother’s voice, and perhaps even familiar stories or songs particularly soothing to a newborn. In fact, even though you might be embarrassed to use your best “baby talk” voice out loud, research suggests that babies love the drawn out, high pitched nature of baby-talk or what researchers call “motherese”. The use of “motherese” has even been suggested to help babies parse their first words from a long stream of speech. Talking to babies in general can promote language development and literacy, so talking to your baby as much as possible might not only help with soothing, but also with later communication.

Vanessa LoBue is the author of 9 Months In, 9 Months Out: A Scientist’s Tale of Pregnancy and Parenthood, recently published

by Oxford University Press. She is an expert in the field of child development, particularly in infancy and she writes a monthly column for Psychology Today called The Baby Scientist.

Parenting

Another Birthday Party?

Make it a Date Instead

By Andrew Campbell

Most parents think that they have no other option but to hold a party for their child’s birthday. But throwing one can be a major source of stress and a substantial drain on the bank account. It’s worth thinking about how you can create a memorable celebration without throwing a party.

Make it a Date

One of the most precious things we can offer our children is our time and often the best thing we can do to improve our relationship with them is to offer it freely.

A date involves one-on-one time talking, communicating, and building a relationship with our child by asking questions and really listening to the answers.

So why not make your child’s birthday extra-special by taking them on a date?

Let your Child Decide

Give your child an opportunity to draw up a ‘wish list’ of all the fun things they might like to do on their birthday. If they are stumped you can make suggestions. Narrow down the list to what is manageable and within your budget - and let your child make the decision.

Go to the Theatre, a Concert or to the Ballet

If you child loves performance or dance then take them on an exciting outing and include a pre or post performance meal so that you can anticipate the event together or share what you both enjoyed afterwards.

Attend a Big Sporting Event

Take your child to a big game or match involving their favourite team or sport. Most sports these days, including netball, badminton and hockey have exciting elite-level competitions with fixtures throughout the country. Or you could try something new like an Elite Ice Hockey game.

Visit a Fire Station

Many pre-schoolers love fire stations. Contact your local fire brigade to see if they will allow you to bring your child in to view the trucks, equipment and a real life Fireman Sam in full kit. Maybe combine it with fire safety education session.

Finish the excitement with an ice cream or hot chocolate

Feed the Animals

Young children adore children so take them on an outing to a petting farm or to nearby lake to feed the ducks. Most zoos also have special experiences which you can book which will allow your young one to get behind the scenes and help out.

Progressive Dinner

Your child will love going on one of these. Start somewhere for an appetiser, then move on to the next restaurant for main course, and finish up somewhere else for dessert.

Or organise some family and/or friends to host separate courses at their homes, finishing with a cake involving everyone.

Go Crazy at a Theme Park

A birthday will be one big thrill ride if you take your son or daughter to a theme park. Many parks have buy-ahead options which save money, such as discount food, parking and ticket packages. Some also have onsite accommodation options, if your budget permits.

Take in a Movie

Let your child choose two or three of their favourite films and make a day or night of it. With a bit of preparation such as movie snacks and popcorn and pizza, your home movie night can become a bonding event for you and your child.

Have a Spa Day

If you have a daughter celebrating a birthday, she’ll love having a spa day. Check the spa has no age restriction.

Or plan a home spa day and give each other facials, manicures,pedicures, and serve fruity drinks.

Try Something New

If your child hasn’t been tobogganing, take them to one of the dry ski slopes or indoor snow centres that are popping up all over the country. Or go skating at a permanent or pop-up ice rink nearby. Canoeing, indoor climbing, ten pin bowling or even camping are all fun activities your child may not have tried and can enjoy with you.

Do you have a spare room in your home?

Are you caring, nurturing and supportive?

Become a Host Family for an international pupil at a local boarding school Attractive daily rates Occasional weekend and half terms only To find out more call 01684 252757 or email sarahw@pippasguardians.co.uk

Spend the Night in a Hotel

Make it a celebration they will really remember by packing your bags and heading to a hotel for the night. This could be close by or in a nearby city. Suggest options that fit within your budget. familiesonline.co.uk

www.pippasguardians.co.uk 11

Health

How to Have your Happiest Year Ever

By Dr Andy Cope

The secret to happiness turns out to be not-so-secret. Family. Relationships, love, human connection - that’s basically it! So are some quirky and fun tips taken from the science of positive psychology that will help your family towards the happiest year yet!

Get Huggy

Christmas and New Year is a time for family and friends and, chances are, you will have been giving and receiving more hugs than usual in the last few weeks. So how about continuing the hugging habit all year and using this scientific fact that might just change your life: apparently, the average hug lasts 2.1 seconds. So a quick one…two… and it’s done and dusted. However, for the love to really transfer a hug has to last 7 seconds or longer. So a top hugging tip is to treat the ones you love to the full 7 seconds. Obviously, don’t count out loud as that spoils the effect, and they might start wriggling after 4 or 5 seconds – but a 7 second hug says “I love you.” Everyone wins. Hugging releases oxytocin (a happy chemical) in you and the one you’re hugging.

Be a Hygge Spotter

The Danes have a word – hygee (pronounced ‘hoo-ga’) – that has no direct translation in English. The closest I can give you is ‘comfort.’ For me hoo-ga is sitting by an open fire, drinking hot chocolate, while a storm rages outside. And hoo-ga also being wrapped up snug and warmly on a snowy walk.

Hoo-go is also sharing a tub of Quality Street while watching a family movie you’ve watched many times before. Work out what your hoo-ga moments are, and then get good at spotting them, all year round. This is linked with mindfulness and improves your happiness by enabling you to better appreciate more wonderful moments.

Play

As we grow up, we get weighed down with responsibilities and life can lose its lustre. Stop seeing yourself as a ‘responsible adult’ and start being an ‘inspirational adult.’

Rewind to when you were age 6, a time when everything was new and exciting. Start jumping in puddles and playing on the swings… Your children will love it!

A year of Experiences

Get everyone in your family to write an early Christmas list for December 2020. The exact question is this: What 20 things would you would like for Christmas? That aren’t things.

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Families Gloucestershire

Share the ideas and schedule them to actually happen (where you can) in 2020.

Celebrate What Hasn’t Happened

Have you ever asked yourself, what hasn’t happened that I didn’t want that I haven’t celebrated?

Feel free to read that line again. And again. And again? Sadly, unless you’re a black belt happiness ninja your children don’t sit in a maths lesson thinking how lucky they are to have a nice school and a wonderful teacher. They curse because they have to remember stuff. And when you’re stuck in traffic you don’t sit there marvelling at the sunglasses compartment and cup holders, you mutter and swear under your breath at the delay.

The opposite of savouring good experiences is to notice the many things that could have gone badly, but didn’t. Hence the question again - what hasn’t happened that you didn’t want that you haven’t celebrated?

Here’s my list for today (and it’s only 7am): I woke up and didn’t have toothache. My laptop isn’t broken. I haven’t got measles. My children aren’t poorly. I haven’t just stubbed my toe, we haven’t run out of Cheerios, there hasn’t been an earthquake and I haven’t been bitten by a zombie.

I mean, what a fabulous start to the day. None of those bad things has happened! Of course, it’s hard to notice something that didn’t happen. But it’s helpful to sometimes switch your thinking to all the bad things that could have happened, but didn’t. And then celebrating the positive result.

Share it with your children and get them to think of examples.

The chances are theirs will be much more creative than yours!

Dr Andy Cope is a positive psychologist and bestselling author. His latest book Diary of a Brilliant Kid is available now on Amazon. For more information, visit www. artofbrilliance.co.uk

Health

5 Steps from Dad Bod to Dad God Firstly, let’s get a few things straight. If you are expecting your dream body to be waiting at the end of a 12 week programme, then think again. If, on the other hand, you want to lead by example in your household when it comes to health and fitness, then by taking action you can really inspire your children to value their health and fitness too.

Author of Start with ONE THING: The Dad’s no BS approach to fat loss and fitness, Dan Fallon, gives us dads a step by step real-life approach to getting fit and staying healthy in 2020 If you are a dad like me who has let the reins slip a little, or you’ve let your waistline expand without even realising it, here are my top tips to get right back on track in 2020:

Start with One Thing Be realistic. It’s unlikely you are going to get straight back into the same gym routine you had when you were 25 years old.

So don’t write a great long list of health and fitness goals that within 3 weeks they will be completely unmanageable within the context of work and family life.

Instead, start with something simple. Like walking.

Power walking can burn up to 350 calories per 30 minutes if you are at a good pace (13 to 14-minute mile). Do this for 10 days and that is 1lb of body fat torched. As you build momentum in your routine, then you can start adding extras.

Bulletproof Winning the Morning Most parents are time poor. They feel guilty if they sacrifice any time with the family for anything other than work. That’s why I am a big fan of mornings.

Most people go to bed around 10pm and wake around 6.30pm. That’s 8 and half hours. Considering that evidence suggests that we can survive very well on 7 or 7 and a half hours, I think sacrificing an hour in the morning to burn some calories is a good trade off.

To make sure this actually happens, place your alarm at the other side of the room. When it goes off, get straight up and go to the bathroom to start brushing your teeth as soon as the alarm goes off. This is the art of distracting and stops the brain negotiating – no more “well, I could stay in bed for 10 more minutes.”

Stay NEAT, Keep on your Feet Most people think fat burning happens by doing 45 minutes in the gym. The reality is that although this has huge benefits familiesonline.co.uk

for your health, if you then sit on your backside for the rest of the day, you aren’t burning many more calories.

You know those people that never put any weight on and seem to eat what they want? Well, it’s nothing to do with their magical metabolism – the fact is they never sit still.

They are up all the time, fidgeting, cleaning, moving. This burns energy – energy is calories – and calories mean fat.

This is called Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis.

Get Support from Friends, Family and Online Communities If you are one of those characters that has every meal plan or “Get ripped in 30 days” book in Waterstones sitting on your shelf, ask yourself this question – why are you still struggling with your fitness journey?

The answer to that is accountability.

In your work and family life, you are accountable. You don’t want to let people down, and this kind of accountability is such a powerful tool for staying on track that it can become one of the most important ingredients for the long-term fitness journey.

Do Stuff to Impress your Kids I take my little girl to gymnastics every Saturday. Although I may not be the most flexible guy these days, I have stayed strong throughout the years and this means I can do pull ups, handstands and all that jazz.

My little girl loves that sort of stuff.

And let’s face it, this is the real reason why many of us start (or re-start) our fitness journey. Seeing our kids smile, being able to join in their games and leading by example are really powerful incentives for us father folk.

Dan Fallon is author of Start with ONE THING: The Dad’s no BS approach to fat loss and fitness (Rethink Press, £12.99) and founder of the Super You Project, the Dad’s online fitness community at www.facebook.com/ superyouproject 13

What’s Out & About On? JANUARY 1ST – 12TH JANUARY CINDERELLA @ THE EVERYMAN THEATRE You still have some time left to polish your pumpkins, dust off your gowns and grab your glass slippers to join a host of crazy characters at the Everyman Theatre.

Box office: 01242 572573, Everyman Theatre, Regent street, Cheltenham, GL50 1HQ

1ST – 20TH JANUARY ‘KNITIVITY’ AT GLOUCESTER CATHEDRAL The ever popular ‘Knitivity’ returned to the Cathedral this December and will be on display for visitors up to the 20th January. Highlighting the important Nativity story in a colourful and accessible way, the entirely knitted life size Knitivity shares messages of hope and unity through its unique creation by community groups across the county.

Gloucester Cathedral, College Green, Gloucester, GL1. 2LX

9TH JANUARY CRICKLEY HILL NATURE TOTS Outdoor time for pre-school children to enjoy nature in all seasons, have fun and enjoy creative activities.

Crickley Hill Country Park, Crickley Hill, Birdlip. Call 01452 383333 to book.

10TH JANUARY GREYSTONES NATURE TOTS Outdoor time for pre-school children to enjoy nature in all seasons, have fun and enjoy creative activities.

Greystones Farm Nature Reserve, Greystones Lane, Bourton-onthe-Water. Call 01452 383333 to book.

11TH JANUARY THE MUSEUM OF GLOUCESTER DOC SAURUS DAYS Come and meet Doc Saurus!

Fossil hunter, dinosaur expert and philanthropist! Have a closer look at his finds and chat about all things dinosaur and fossil.

10am-12pm and 2-4pm (This is a free event) Museum of Gloucester, Brunswick Road, Gloucester, GL1 1HP

12TH JANUARY ANNUAL RUBBER DUCK RACE Pittville Park Boating Lake Returning for another year, The Annual Rubber Duck Race comes to Pittville Boating lake in January 2020 From 11am – 1pm, Pittville, Cheltenham

16TH – 19TH JANUARY ROBINSON CRUSOE AND THE PIRATES AT THE BACON THEATRE Robinson Crusoe will have all the ingredients that make it a not-tobe missed Panto - a large cast of singers and dancers, lavish costumes, colourful scenery and lots of audience participation.

The Bacon Theatre, Dean 14

Families Gloucestershire

We take great care in compiling our events guide, but check with the venues before you leave home just in case times or prices have changed since we went to print.

Close School, Shelburne Road, Cheltenham, GL51 6HE, Tickets available from Showcase 01242 224144

18TH – 19TH WILD WINTER WEEKEND @ WWT SLIMBRIDGE Be amazed by the winter spectacle of wildlife at Slimbridge with a two-day event packed with conservation talks, workshops and demonstrations.

There will also be an exclusive opportunity to watch the Flight of the Swans film.

WWT, Slimbridge, Glos. GL2 7BT

18TH JANUARY AND 15TH FEBRUARY JANUARY EASTGATE CHAMBER TOUR WITH A MEDIEVAL MERCENARY Ever looked down through the glass chamber outside Boots and wondered what else is down there? Why not join medieval mercenary Sir Miles DeLaney (a real Medieval mercenary in authentic attire) for a fascinating look at Gloucester’s Medieval history.

Museum of Gloucester, Brunswick Road, Gloucester, GL1 1HP call to book 01452 396131

21ST JANUARY DEAN CLOSE SCHOOL RECEPTION OPEN MORNING You are invited to come and discover how the school can enhance your child’s learning journey and ask any questions about your child’s potential future at Dean Close.

To Book Call 01242 258079 or email squirrels@deanclose.org.uk

25TH JANUARY STROUD VEGAN FAIR Join us and celebrate our 3-year anniversary of Stroud Vegan Fair at the Subscription Rooms!

Showcasing a fantastic line up of local traders selling everything from delicious plant-based food to ethical clothing, cruelty-free cosmetics to eco household products.

Stock up on your firm favourites and discover new and exciting products. The Perfect way to finish off Veganuary!

10am – 3pm, Subscription Rooms, George Street, Stroud.

25TH JANUARY - 29TH FEBRUARY

dances they have been preparing together, having been inspired by. The theme: ‘Our Wonderful World’. To book your ticket call 0844 576 2210

27TH JANUARY – 1ST FEBRUARY SIX @ THE EVERYMAN THEATRE Nominated for 5 Olivier Awards including Best New Musical, the sell-out international smash hit SIX is the phenomenon everyone is losing their head over! From Tudor queens to pop princesses, the six wives of Henry VIII finally take to the mic to tell their tales, remixing five hundred years of historical heartbreak into an 80-minute celebration of 21st century girl power Box office: 01242 572573, Everyman Theatre, Regent street, Cheltenham, GL50 1HQ

FEBRUARY 1ST – 23RD FEBRUARY LIGHT UP CHELTENHAM Kicking things off on Saturday 1st, Light Up Cheltenham’s launch event will feature street theatre group Spark whose impressive drumming and choreography will travel from The Brewery to Imperial Gardens.

With over 30 buildings lighting up for the 23-day event, Valentine’s Day will be marked with all buildings turning red.

Offering great views of Cheltenham’s skyline, the giant observation wheel will also return to Imperial Gardens.

For more information, call Visit Cheltenham (01242) 387492.

1ST FEBRUARY OBJECT HANDLING DAY @ MUSEUM OF GLOUCESTER A rare opportunity to handle some of the hidden object’s in the Museum’s collection.

The Museum of Gloucester is situated in the city centre on Brunswick Road. It tells the story of the city’s origins as a Roman settlement and its subsequent development through the Dark Ages and Medieval period, to the present day.

10am-12pm and 2-4pm (This is a free event) Museum of Gloucester, Brunswick Road, Gloucester, GL1 1HP

SNOWDROP WEEKENDS AT COLESBOURNE PARK Visitors can walk through the ten-acre garden at Colesbourne Park with its woodland and lakeside paths, the new Spring Garden and the formal garden to see huge banks of snowdrops, hellebores and other winter plants.

Colesbourne Park, Colesbourne, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL53 9NP Tel: 01242 870264

3RD – 8TH FEBRUARY

27TH JANUARY

CRICKLEY HILL NATURE TOTS Outdoor time for pre-school children to enjoy nature in all seasons, have fun and enjoy creative activities.

Crickley Hill Country Park, Crickley Hill, Birdlip. Call 01452 383333 to book.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE SCHOOLS DANCE FESTIVAL 2020 Cheltenham Town Hall Primary & Secondary schools from across Gloucestershire come together to perform

ON YOUR FEET! @ THE EVERYMAN The Gloria Estefan musical On Your Feet! Is coming to the Everyman Theatre direct from a sensational sell-out run in the West End. Box office: 01242 572573, Everyman Theatre, Regent street, Cheltenham, GL50 1HQ

6TH FEBRUARY

7TH FEBRUARY OPEN AFTERNOON FOR RECEPTION TO YR 2 Wycliffe College Find out about our school ethos, and discover how we guide children on their individual.

Learning journey.

Call 01453 820470 to book your place

11TH – 13TH FEBRUARY CATCH THE TIDE @ WWT SLIMBRIDGE Enjoy one of the highest tides of the year on the Severn Estuary which should wash over the Dumbles and reach the seawall, all viewed from the comfort of the new Estuary Tower Hide WWT, Slimbridge, Glos.

GL2 7BT

14TH FEBRUARY DANCE TO THE MUSIC @ THE ROSES THEATRE A sumptuously beautiful, glamorous dance show created, directed and choreographed by ex Strictly Come Dancing professional Kristina Rihanoff. with even more fabulous costumes, stunning vocals and breath-taking choreography.

Hosted by heartthrob Jake Quickenden who first found fame with on the X Factor, I’m A Celebrity and Dancing on Ice and an exciting troupe of dancers including Marcella Solimeo & Dylon Daniels from Dancing with The Stars, this promises to be an evening not to be missed.

Roses Theatre, Sun Street, Tewkesbury, GL20 5NX, 01684 295074

16TH AND 23RD FEBRUARY TWEEDY PRESENTS THE MISSING COMPANY OF SHERLOCK HOLMES @ THE EVERYMAN Tweedy is putting on a largescale theatre production of Sherlock Holmes. He’s built the set, got the props and booked The Everyman Theatre for the show. There is only one problem - Tweedy has lost all the actors!

Tweedy calls on his faithful friend Monsieur Loyal for help, and together the two of them must solve the mystery of the missing actors and also perform the whole show between the two of them.

How hard can that be?

11am & 2pm, Box office: 01242 572573, Everyman Theatre, Regent street, Cheltenham, GL50 1HQ

18TH FEBRUARY LITTLE HOWLERS COMEDY CLUB FOR KIDS This February Little Howlers is back with a full comedy club line up for kids with the same great acts we use for our adult show Howlers at The Hall. Little Howlers acts are not children’s entertainers, they are regular circuit comedians who take on the challenge of pitching their comedy to a far younger audience! Rest assured it will be good clean fun! Cheltenham

To find out more call 01684 252757 or email sarahw@pippasguardians.co.uk

Out What’s & About On?

Town Hall, Cheltenham. Call 0844 576 2210 to book.

22ND FEBRUARY CHELTENHAM VEGAN FAIR 2020 We are very excited to announce that the Vegan Fairs team are bringing an event to Cheltenham in 2020! The event will be taking place at the Park Campus which is part of Gloucestershire University and will be an epic celebration of all things plant-based.

10am- 3pm. Park Campus, The Park, Cheltenham, GL50 2RH

28TH FEBRUARY STORYTELLING IN THE ROUNDHOUSE Enjoy hot chocolate, stories and music with ‘The Ghost Lady’ in our replica Iron Age roundhouse. From 6.45pm Greystones Farm Nature Reserve, Greystones Lane, Bourton-on-the-Water.

Call 01452 383333

www.pippasguardians.co.uk

New Hosts needed

Every year, children from all over the world come to England to attend our boarding schools and experience the benefits of an English education. This is a wonderful but hugely daunting experience for children, who are sometimes as young as 9 or 10, and often come from as far away as China or Japan.

Pippa’s Guardians was established in 1997 when Pippa Hughes - Registrar at Cheltenham College and a mother herself, noticed the need to support these students.

We are looking to find new host families locally, who can look after students for exeat weekends and half-terms. Hosting an international student is a great opportunity

to introduce your family to other cultures and languages.

The families we look for are welcoming and interested in other cultures. We have many host families who have no children, younger children or indeed older children who have left home. Being part of a family and experiencing day-to-day family life enhances students’ study and plays a part in improving their English language.

Pippa’s Guardians offers competitive daily rates and a high level of support to our host families.

For further information please contact sarahw@pippasguardians.co.uk or call 07719559144 visit our website www.pippasguardians.co.uk

Families Magazine meets Ross Welford Here at Families we love a good book. Whether it’s curling up with a book and a cuppa ourselves (or wistfully remembering when we had the time to do so!), or sharing a story with the kids, books are an important feature in our family lives. Often we suggest our top picks for stories to share with younger children, but this month Rachel Bailey has been talking to Ross Welford about his best-selling novels for young readers (aged 8+) and to celebrate the publication of his newest book The Kid who came from Space, we have a full set to giveaway!

Your first novel was Time Travelling With A Hamster and that was followed by What Not To Do If You Turn Invisible. Is there a particular superpower you wish you had?

Oh yes: the ability to write a full-length book once a year effortlessly. It’s not exciting like invisibility, but it’s a power that I would do almost anything to possess.

As well as having a talent for writing, we’ve heard you put on a pretty impressive event when you visit schools/festivals. What do you enjoy most about sharing your books with young fans?

It’s a privilege simply to meet readers. I especially like it when a teacher introduces a child saying “He/she didn’t like reading until familiesonline.co.uk

they discovered your books…”

The knowledge that I have made a difference like that is awesome: that’s a proper superpower!

What’s the thought behind your re-writing competition, and can anyone enter?

I had been doing an “improvised story” with school and festival groups since the start, and the end results are often hilarious.

But I worried that I was leaving the children with the impression that that’s how books get written! So I stress that everything needs to be re-written if you hope that other people will read it. I invite the students to re-write what we come up with and submit the results to my competition via my website. It has proved very popular!

What’s your favourite childhood book/ author?

Growing up I loved The Magic Faraway Tree books by Enid Blyton and loved them again when I read them aloud to my own kids.

She was phenomenal: the sheer volume of her output was astonishing. There are occasional lapses of quality, but they are pretty rare and she seldom repeats herself.

The Kid who came from Space is available from 9 January 2020 priced £6.99.

Visit Ross’ website: rosswelford.com

WIN

Families Central Scotland have one full set of Ross’ books: Time Travelling With A Hamster, What Not To Do If You Turn Invisible, The 1,000 Year Old Boy, The Dog Who Saved the World and The Kid who came from Space to give away to a lucky reader!

For your chance to win, all you have to do is answer the question below and email your answer, name and address to competitions@ familiestveast.co.uk What is the name of Ross’ new book?

A The Child who came from Space B The Dog who Saved the World C The Kid who came from Space Closing date for entries is 28 February 2020

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Kids Corner

PICTURE CROSSWORD

Can you solve the picture clues and put them in the crossword?

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WINTER FUN

DOT TO DOT Join the dots to create a creature you may see in your garden this winter!

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When you’ve finished, why not colour it in?

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Find these winter words in the grid.

Then read the remaining unused letters on the bottom three lines from left to right to find a secret message!

E T A L O C O H C T O H

C L N E F E B A K H U S

Y L O R R O B I N A N W

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G A D D R N E N P V P I

S O S O L E T R C E U D

C U S N O W M A N L D E

A H M G C U K T I O D L

R O A H A N O G L T L S

F H R O E M E R M S E N

O Y W Z M E P I T O T T

R E O L E O E O B H H E

I R A U L A B C P F A R

F K V S K I R S I F I W

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❄❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ski thaw puddle

ice sled robin scarf frozen snowman hot chocolate

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