WHAT’S ON AND WHERE TO GO P4
CLUBS AND CLASSES P8
COMPETITIONS P18
SOLIHULL
MAGAZINE & WEBSITE THE GO-TO GUIDE FOR YOU AND YOUR CHILD
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SPRING 2021
Raring2go! EDITOR’S WELCOME
Become a
A Spring full of hope
Look out for interactive clickable content
The days are starting to get longer, the weather warmer and we are beginning to steps back out of the restrictions • take It’s small FREE to join that have become a part of our lives over the • past Monthly email newsletters year.
with offersis looking and events I’m sure new that everyone forward to days we can arrange to meet upand with friends and • when Download vouchers family to enjoy days out together. You’ll find some save ideas for £££’s holiday clubs for the kids in this edition as as activities and days out as local attractions • well Great competitions reopen.
Take a few moments to have a browse through with a coffee and see what may take your fancy. There are plenty of opportunities for fun together over the Easter Holidays and beyond as we approach the Summer.
Nicola, Editor Contents Page What’s On?...................................... 4 Clubs and Classes........................... 8
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Competitions....................................18 Follow us on social media to keep up to date all year with your local #gotoguide for families.
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Raring2go! THINGS TO DO
Set up an egg hunt at home
Bake homemade Easter treats Click here for recipes
Click here for readymade clues
Easter fun at home Make an Easter wreath
Click here for instructions
Make an Easter card
Click here for a template
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Raring2go! WHAT’S ON?
What’s On? Guide Details of planned events are changing all the time so make sure you check the What’s On? guide on our website to make sure you are up to date. I’ll be adding to it all the time. Remember to check with the venue or attraction before you plan your visit to find out the latest restrictions Click here or booking to visit the requirements online that might be What’s On? in place. Guide
RED PANDA PLANS FOR WEST MIDLAND SAFARI PARK The Bewdley attraction are proposing to introduce red pandas to their collection of animals. This will be the first time red pandas are housed at the Park, with a new enclosure which has been specifically designed to allow the pandas to express their natural behaviours. Red pandas are endangered and can be found in the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. The wild population continues to decline due to habitat loss and poaching. They live in trees and love eating bamboo using their sharp, curved claws to grip the stems. The proposed plans also
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include renovation works to two existing cottages on the Park’s site, which will become luxurious accommodation for guests to stay at; authentically integrated into the panda’s new habitat. Building work could commence in spring, if the plan is approved. In line with the latest Government guidelines, West Midland Safari Park will re-open its doors on Monday 12th April 2021, and tickets are now on sale for guests to purchase.
raring2go.co.uk
Raring2go! WHAT’S ON?
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Raring2go! WHAT’S ON?
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raring2go.co.uk
Raring2go! WHAT’S ON?
Perfect Places to Picnic As the weather starts to get a little warmer and the COVID restrictions begin to relax allowing us to meet up with friends and family outdoors, it sounds like the perfect excuse to organise a picnic. I’ve pulled together some ideas of places to go, whether it is just your close family or as part of a group, as well as some food suggestions and recipes if you’d like inspiration to give you some variety if you need it.
Click here to find out more
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Raring2go! CLUBS AND CLASSES
GO-TO GUIDE
to Clubs & Classes Click here for local children’s classes and holiday club ideas
Click here
TEACHING BALLET AND TAP IN THE BOROUGH FOR OVER 40 YEARS Ballet Classes:
Let’s Dance!
Tap Classes:
Come and join the fun on Saturday mornings from 9.15am at St Helens Church, Solihull
from the age of 2½ upwards
from the age of 4 upwards
Call Kate on 07722 732 678 www.solihullyoungdancers.co.uk 8
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Raring2go! CLUBS AND CLASSES
Princethorpe has fuelled my passion for Science. The wonderful opportunities and experiences I’ve had have opened me. my eyes to a world of possibilities for me
Lauren Mason, Sixth Former and member of 1,000 Girls,1,000 Futures Global Science Programme.
Find out what Princethorpe can do for your child, book a place at our Open Evening on Wednesday 9 June 2021 from 6.30pm to 8.30pm. Our Year 5 Taster Experiences will also take place in May and June 2021. For information call 01926 634201 or visit princethorpe.co.uk #princethorpeandme
Princethorpe College An independent school for 11-18 year olds
A Princethorpe Foundation School. Registered Charity Number 1087124.
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Raring2go! CLUBS AND CLASSES
Active Camps is back for Easter! Keeping activity levels up over the last year What has been tough. The activities are closing of schools, running? the restrictions on • Multi Sports Academy clubs and staying at • Dance & Stage Beatz home for our safety Academy has meant many • Bikeability children have been Level 1 & 2 unable to get that much needed 60 minutes of physical activity a day.
Active Camps is a chance to get children up and active with days packed full of sports and physical activity. And loads of much needed fun! The safety of you, your children and our team is always top priority. We’ve created a six-point strategy to keep Active Camps Covid-safe this Easter. Book a spot by 5pm on 31st March before prices go up! You can find out more and book a place by visiting aspire-sports.co.uk/activecamps/solihull or calling us on 0121 663 1426.
Ofsted registered
Action-packed childcare this
Easter Holiday Solihull
We accept childcare vouchers
Alderbrook School
12th – 15th April Contact free sign in and out is here!
Brand new Active Camps App now used for registration and collection.
Bikeability Level 1 & 2
£40 per two day session
Book by 5pm 31st March before prices increase to £60!
How are we making Active Camps safe?
With our six point strategy developed in line with government guidance.
Book before 5pm on 31st March for a third off
For more info visit aspire-sports.co.uk or call 0121 663 1426 10
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Raring2go! CLUBS AND CLASSES
Where children become everything they can be Singing, dancing and acting classes forr 2 - 18 year-olds www.stagecoach.co.uk/solihull
0121 745 4007
Tudor Grange Upper School, B91 3PD
Stagecoach Performing Arts is the trading name of Stagecoach Theatre Arts Limited. Stagecoach Theatre Arts schools are operated under franchise and are independently owned by their Principals. Stagecoach and Creative Courage For Life are registered trademarks of Stagecoach Theatre Arts Limited.
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COURSES
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Raring2go! THINGS TO DO
Easy Plants to Grow with Kids
How to grow tomatoes
Click here to find out more
Click here to find out more
Spring Fun in the Fresh Air Make a bird feeder
Click here to find out more
Follow a Nature Trail
Click here to download your trail sheet
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Raring2go! THINGS TO DO
“A good bookshop shows you the books that you never knew you wanted” Fantastic range of books Educational, fun games and puzzles Welcoming Children’s Corner Book ordering service Book tokens sold and accepted
12 Talisman Square, Kenilworth CV8 1JB Phone: 01926 855784 www.kenilworthbooks.co.uk
Raring2read!
Delving into a fictional world can offer true escapism for both children and adults alike. Something we all need at the moment! Reading opens up a world where there are no boundaries, where imagination rules. At Raring2go! we love to support family reading initiatives - anything that encourages children to put down the screen and pick up a book (comics
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facebook.com/ KenilworthBooks @KenilworthBook
Click here to join the Raring2read! Facebook group now
and audio books count too) is a massive plus. Joining the Raring2Read! Facebook Group is open to anyone and everyone who loves to read. We’d love to hear your recommendations for family-friendly reading. Let us all know which books you and your children enjoy, or feel free to share tips on how you’re supporting your children to read each day.
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Raring2go! BOOK REVIEWS
Book reviews for Spring Ghoul Scouts, Welcome to Camp Croak Taylor Dolan This is the first book in a series from a great children’s publisher (Guppy Books) and a really exciting new writer and illustrator, Taylor Dolan whose drawings are as clever and entertaining as her words. In this story Lexie is dropped off at the wrong summer camp by her distracted grandmother, and all sorts of chaos ensues…but Lexie is made of stern stuff - she becomes part of the Ghoul Scout Summer with relish (along with a few tall tales). She and her new friends (a werewolf, a ghost, a voodoo zombie) soon have a challenge on their hands when Scoutmaster Euphemia Vile appears, determined to make these gruesome scouts behave in just the way she wants…
Cinnamon Neil Gaiman and Divya Srinivasan This unusual but intriguing little fable from Neil Gaiman has been turned into something extraordinary by Divya Srinivasan’s luscious colour illustrations. Here a princess, called Cinnamon, is blinded by the lustrous pearls that she has for eyes. The beautiful, blind princess is also silent. She has never spoken a word. The Rajah and the Rani offer luxury to anyone who can make her speak; but the wisest teachers in the kingdom only ever fail. When all hope is lost, the tiger arrives from the night-forest. He terrifies everyone at the palace, and walks like a God through its halls. He locks himself away with the princess and teaches her about pain and fear - and then about love. When the full moon lights the princesses’ pearl-eyes, she sees the world clearly and, now having something to say, at last she speaks. In this book, a story as dark and odd as anything William Blake wrote,
combines with colour and pattern of which Matisse and Gauguin would be proud, to create something important and wonderful. In this one single book lies proof that an illustrator and a writer working together can create something are far greater than the sum of its parts.
Blitzcat Robert Westall Blitzcat has become a classic of children’s literature and is now read in many schools by year groups studying the Second World War. This is a tale of a cat, known as Lord Gort, who takes a journey through wartorn England. She is a black cat searching for her beloved master, an officer serving in the RAF; she knows him to be alive and she is determined to travel her whole life if necessary to find him. With a lucky sixth sense she changes the lives of those she passes on the way, she alerts people to danger, offers them luck, and leads them to safety, as she weaves her journey home. There is an extraordinary description of the Blitz on Coventry in this book which will bring our own local history alive for many youngsters.
Wed Wabbit Lissa Evans Wed Wabbit is splendid political satire for kids – I first read this on a train to London and got some odd looks when I hooted out loud with laughter. Fidge is nearly eleven when she stumbles into a very strange world. Along with her awful cousin Graham, she ends up in a land ruled by a cruel overlord, which just happens to be the hideously cute teddy bear owned by her little sister – Wed Wabbit! Wed Wabbit is suppressing three thousand sweet but useless Wimbley Woos, so Fidge and Graham set off to try and solve a series of nearly impossible clues. This book is political – and seriously funny!
Reviews by Tamsin Rosewell for Kenilworth Books Kenilworth Books, Talisman Square, Kenilworth CV8 1JB
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Raring2go! THINGS TO DO
GO-TO GUIDE
to children’s parties Click here
If you are planning a children’s party as restrictions ease, click here for local party businesses
Sustrans Big Pedal 2021 Sustrans Big Pedal will run for 10 days from 19 – 30 April and is open to all primary and secondary schools in the UK, including SEN schools. On each day of the challenge schools compete to see who can record the greatest number of pupils, staff and parents cycling, walking, scooting or using a wheelchair to school. There are lots of amazing daily prizes to be won!
Click here to find out more
Click here for inspiration for your next family bike ride
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Which one are you?
PADDLER
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ADVENTURER
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never-sit -stiller
Explore the possibilities
For the best savings on your Eurocamp holiday visit:
raring2go.co.uk/eurocamp
Raring2go! COMPETITIONS
Competitions Click here to enter
Visit raring2go.co.uk to enter lots of amazing competitions! COMPETITION TERMS & CONDITIONS: Enter the competitions online at www.raring2go.co.uk/ solihull/competitions. The winner will be the first correct entry or entries drawn at random. No cash alternative. The winner will be notified by phone or email. Full terms and conditions are available online at www.raring2go. co.uk/competition-terms.
WIN!
a family ticket to visit Butterfly Farm and Activity Guide Whilst the country prepares to emerge from lockdown over the next few months, the team at Stratford Butterfly Farm are once again busy behind the scenes preparing to re-open on 17 May to welcome visitors. Hundreds of stunning tropical butterflies are being readied for release into the Farm’s Flight Area. There has also been a new arrival amongst the inhabitants. Bennie, the green Iguana has settled in and is the perfect companion for Prudence, the existing green Iguana. To be in with a chance of winning a family ticket (2 adults plus 2 children) to visit StratfordUpon-Avon Butterfly Farm plus a copy of the children’s “Amazing Butterfly” activity guide, just answer the following question: What is the name of the new green iguana who is settling into the Flight Area? A: Billie B: Bennie C: Bertie Closing date 14 May 2021. Enter online at raring2go.co.uk. Full terms and conditions opposite.
WIN! a week at a Complete Cricket holiday club Established in 2007, Complete Cricket are a rapidly expanding Midlands based company who specialise in delivering an extensive range of ground-breaking high-quality cricket coaching programmes for individuals, schools, clubs, universities and county boards. Our exciting vision is to strengthen and enrich the quality of professional cricket coaching throughout the UK. We achieve this through our stellar team of outstanding coaching personnel, who boast an exceptional variety of expertise, specialisms and experience of coaching and playing cricket across all levels of the game. It is our passion to develop cricketers of all ages and abilities to help them to fulfil their potential in the sport, whether that be to play for school, the local club, district/county, or at the highest level as a professional. Complete Cricket offer fantastic and enjoyable cricket camps throughout the holidays for
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boys and girls of all ages and abilities. To be in with a chance of winning a place on the camp of your choice for one child in either the Easter, May Half Term or Summer 2021 school holidays, just answer the question below: Complete Cricket run a range of holiday camps for players of different ages and abilities. The Softball Camps for the youngest players are suitable for children aged.... A: 2+
B: 4+
C: 6+
D: 8+
Closing date 29 March 2021. Enter online at raring2go.co.uk. Full terms and conditions above.
raring2go.co.uk
Raring2go! COMPETITIONS
WIN!
a family ticket to West Midland Safari Park
Good news! In line with the latest Government guidelines, West Midland Safari Park will re-open its doors on 12th April. It’s an exciting time, with lots of new developments in place aimed at improving animal facilities and the overall guest experience. This includes eight new luxury lodges, with beautiful views of the Park’s African elephants and cheetahs. To be in with a chance of winning the family ticket, just answer the question below: West Midland Safari Park has announced that it is hoping to introduce red panda’s to the park. What is a red panda’s favourite food? A: Eucalyptus plant
B: Sausages
C: Bamboo
WIN!
a family ticket to visit Thinktank Science Museum
Thinktank, Birmingham’s award-winning science museum, offers a fun, packed day out. From steam engines to talking robots, Thinktank has four floors of hands-on exhibits and historical collections that will amaze and inspire, showing you the science of the world all around us. There’s also a Planetarium, Science Garden and MiniBrum interactive gallery for under 8s. New for 2021 is Our Changing Planet – an incredible exhibition that tells the story of how human activity has been changing our planet for thousands of years To be in with a chance of winning a family ticket (up to 2 adults and 3 children) to Thinktank, just answer the following question: What is the name of Thinktank’s new exhibition for 2021? A: Planet Earth B: Human Planet C: Our Changing Planet
Closing date 21 May 2021. Enter online at raring2go.co.uk. Full terms and conditions opposite.
Closing date 14 May 2021. Enter online at raring2go.co.uk. Full terms and conditions opposite.
WIN!
WIN! An easter egg
a tobogganing session
To be in with a chance of winning a tobogganing session for 4 children at Ackers Adventure, just answer the following question:
How many children is the prize for ? A: One B: Two C: Three D: Four
WIN!
A family disc golf session
To be in with a chance of winning a disc golf session for a family of 4 at Acker Adventure, just answer the following question:
How many people in your family is the prize for? A: 3 B: 4 C: 2 D: 1 Closing date 10 May 2021. Enter online at raring2go. co.uk. Full terms and conditions opposite.
Watch the video, solve the anagram and enter our competition to win an easter egg to enjoy at home.
Click here to enter 19
THE
HANDMADE MEMORY CO. Toys, Gifts, Memory Teddies, Quilts www.facebook.com/handmadememoryco
