News & information

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23 News & information

EDUCATION

Improving your child’s working memory

PARENTING

Getting the best out of online kid’s classes Recognising a subtle type of bullying The importance of toddler play

CHRISTMAS

Shop local How to make Christmas special How many toys does a child need? Christmas if you’re separated

BOOK CLUB

Editors

Anna Collins I Rachel Bailey 01628 788058 Editor@FamiliesTVEast.co.uk

www.Familiesonline.co.uk

Circulation: 19,000 Next Issue: Jan/Feb 2021 Cover image: depositphotos.com

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

Welcome

The days are shortening rapidly now and although life is still challenging, Christmas is on the horizon. Whilst celebrations might feel a bit different this year, there is still plenty to look forward to.

Supporting small businesses is becoming increasingly important and this issue we’ve included some great gift suggestions in our shop local article on pages 1415. It’s also worth checking out our top picks for places to visit and other ideas to ensure this Christmas is still a special one on pages 16-19.

For those of you still taking part in classes online, there are some tips on page 10 for how to get the best out of them, as well as some great articles in our education section on how to improve memory and writing creatively. Our book club is also back this issue with two copies of Benji Davies’ new book The Snowflake up for grabs - a perfect Christmas read for young children.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a more favourable 2021!

Anna and Rach x

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MUSIC CLASSES FOR THE 2s TO 8s Tuesday afternoons & Saturday mornings Jurgens Centre 91 Harvest Road, Englefield Green, Surrey For further information, contact Nikhil Dally 01932 363624 nikhil@dally.org.uk www.dally.org.uk/steppingnotes

ASCOT 01344 206466 ascot@stagecoach.co.uk

Helping children believe they can do anything

Singing, dancing and acting classes for 4 - 18 year-olds

HENLEY AND MARLOW 07968 598227 henleyandmarlow@stagecoach.co.uk HIGH WYCOMBE 07968 598227 highwycombe@stagecoach.co.uk

MAIDENHEAD 01628 281128 maidenhead@stagecoach.co.uk WINDSOR 01932 988086 windsor@stagecoach.co.uk

Local Nurseries Celebrate Recycle Week

Recycle Week, which ran in September gave The Old Station Nursery in Iver and Uxbridge the perfect opportunity to show their children the benefits of recycling and the impact they can have on preserving our planet. The children at both nurseries participated in a number of ‘recycling’ activities such as creating structures using cardboard; using ‘junk’ to make pieces of art; and using recycled paper for sensory play.

Yamuna Jayasinghe, Nursery Manager at The Old Station Nursery Iver, commented, “We always try to promote recycling in nursery, especially by involving the children in making their own items to play with using recyclable materials. This gives the children a sense of achievement and promotes creativity which enables cognitive development.”

Rochelle Anderson, Nursery Manager at The Old Station Nursery Uxbridge, added, “Helping children understand the importance of recycling from a young age will give them the tools and knowledge to make a difference to the world in which we live in, now and in the future.”

For more information email premieriver@theoldstationnursery.co.uk or premieruxbridge@theoldstationnursery. co.uk

Langley parents can enjoy a night out thanks to kids coding club

Thanks to a new kids coding club at Langley College, busy parents can enjoy some well-deserved time off. Code Ninjas teaches kids aged 5-14 and, on top of their standard Junior and Create coding curriculums, the club offers a Parents’ Night Out programme.

“This service is really popular with parents, especially for families that have been self-isolating over the summer and want to enjoy a socially distanced date night whilst we care for their kids for the evening,” said Raman Bath, co-owners at Code Ninjas. “Between the hours of 7pm and 10pm, we’ll work on coding activities with them and sort out their dinner too. What kid doesn’t want to learn how to build robots whilst eating pizza?”

The new coding school can also host your child’s birthday party – complete with a cake, balloons and even party favours! Visit www.codeninjas.co.uk/langley-brk-uk for more information.

60th Anniversary for Claires Court School and a little history lesson!

This academic year sees the 60th Anniversary of Claires Court School, having opened its doors for the first time on 21 September 1960. Here at Families we love this picture of a class of 1960! The founders, David and Josephine first met in the late 1940s when they were History undergraduates at King’s College. After marrying, and pursuing careers in teaching, they began researching where to start a new school. They learnt that there was a site in Maidenhead which had previously been a convent school. This became Claires Court and was deemed particularly suitable as it had a large playground and tennis court!

The new school quickly established itself, offering both day and boarding places to boys aged from 6½ to 13 years. In 1964 the Ridgeway site took on boarding pupils bringing the total of students to 160. Boarding lasted till the early 1970s, then room was made here for the youngest years at this site. In 1993 the acquisition of Maidenhead College and corresponding all girls school created more space. In 2017 the school passed 1,100 attendees.

Hugh Wilding, the Administrative Principal today, said: “Claires Court is committed to providing the best education and facilities for the benefit of people in local and surrounding areas, which we currently do across our three Maidenhead sites”.

www.clairescourt.com

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Pat Steel announces new venues

After months of online classes, local dance school Pat Steel School of Dance, made a welcome return to face to face teaching in September, homed in not one, but two, new venues! The dance school who offer classes in both Maidenhead and Beaconsfield, are delighted to announce that those classes previously being held at the Magnet, have moved across to the beautiful new studios in the Braywick Leisure Centre where Miss Candy and Miss Naomi are busy teaching ballet and modern from beginners to Grade 8.

Meanwhile, Beaconsfield classes have moved into the light, airy space at Holtspur Scout Hut, which has been a great success for both their junior ballet and tap pupils.

Also starting this term, is a brand new First Steps in Ballet class which will be based in Holtspur on Wednesdays. So, if you have a 3 or 4 year old who loves to dance, please get in touch for a 4 week trial session starting in November.

All steps have been taken to ensure classes are conducted in a Covid secure environment. For more information or to book, call 01494 673919 or email admin@patsteelschoolofdance.co.uk

Letter from Santa

All children love to receive a letter addressed to them in the post, but what could be more special than a letter from Father Christmas? Here are two ways of making this happen.

Royal Mail Letter to Santa For children to receive a FREE letter from Santa via the Royal Mail children must post their letter to Santa by 11 December. Envelopes must have either a first or second class stamp and be addressed to Santa/Father Christmas, Santa’s Grotto, Reindeerland, XM4 5HQ. The letter must include your child’s full name and address.

www.royalmail.com/christmas/letters-to-santa

NSPCC Santa Letter Children can also receive a personalised reply from Santa via his elves at the NSPCC in exchange for a minimum £5 donation to the charity. The letter is ordered online and must be placed by 9 December.

Phoenix families 2.pdf 2 01/10/2020 11:17 http://letterfromsanta.nspcc.org.uk/letter-from-santa

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Top Self-Care Tips for Working Parents

The Covid-19 pandemic has been a huge test of parents’ resilience and adaptability. So how can you last the distance?

Pace yourself - take a break from screens and get regular exercise

Ask for help when needed

Use different communications channels to stay connected and break isolation

Create routines which can be flexed around changing circumstances

Make the case for why greater flexibility is a win-win for both you and your employer

Find a space to share your stress with people who are empathetic;

Focus on the next hours or days rather than being overwhelmed by the bigger picture

Check in on others and celebrate getting through each week

Mental well-being is crucial for the long haul - and because your mental health affects that of your children. For more detailed advice, visit www.workingmums.co.uk