PERFECT PARTIESSolving pitfalls,and local entertainers

FAMILY LIFEAre we putting our children under too much pressure?

WHAT’S ONFamily workshops,shows and half term events

PERFECT PARTIESSolving pitfalls,and local entertainers

FAMILY LIFEAre we putting our children under too much pressure?

WHAT’S ONFamily workshops,shows and half term events

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MAY 2015ISSUE NO. 168

ESTABLISHED 1996

Put on a fantastic show at our fun-packed drama, danceand singing courses and have the coolest summer ever!

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The Ice QueenSummer holiday fun for 4–7s

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Diddi dance athomeThe team behind the much-loved national pre-schooldance classes, Diddi Dance,are dancing for joy on thelaunch of its first ever collection of CDs, for dancing fun at home.The new dance CDs feature the classes’ original and funky songs written

especially for little ones, with a variety of dance styles encouraging boys andgirls to get on their feet in the living room, the kitchen, the hallway... Each alsohas relaxing and soothing tracks, offering a great way for little ones to winddown at the end of the day.The music is available as individual CDs, as a set, or iTunes downloads.

For orders and local class details, go to www.diddidance.com.

Tumbletots ‘Eat Fit Keep Fit’ According to the National Diet and Nutrition Survey of pre-school children, less than half of children aged 1 - 4 regularly eat fruit and 20% of British school children eat no fruit at all.Tumble Tots teamed up with Organix for this year’s

campaign Eat Fit Keep Fit, with fruit as its central theme.Eating the daily recommended five portions of fruit and

vegetables can sometimes be difficult enough as adults, and gettingour children to eat their required daily portions of fruit can be very challenging.Fruit is a very important part of a healthy diet for children of all ages and thisyear’s Eat Fit Keep Fit leaflet tells you why, while also providing many tips onhelping your child to eat fruit every day. With children’s tastes generally mostlyformed by the time they start school, it is important to get them eating and enjoying fruit (and vegetables) by the time they are 2 - 3 years old.The Eat Fit Keep Fit campaign promotes an awareness of the importance of

a good diet alongside regular healthy exercise for all our children, right from thetime they are able to first sit up and crawl. Julia Forrest runs Tumble Tots and GymBabes classes across southeast

London. She told us: “I love eating fruit and would like my children to enjoy fruittoo. I am always looking for tips and suggestions for ways to incorporate fruit inmy family’s diet on a daily basis and the Eat Fit Keep Fit campaign is just theright place to look for those tips.”Copies of the leaflet are available to families enrolled in Tumble Tots classes -

call Julia Forrest on 020 8464 4433 or email julia.forrest@tumbletots.com for details. It is also available as a free download from www.tumbletots.com.

Calling young writersThe National Young Writers’ Awardsreturn for an electrifying, time-defying seventh year! Back by popular demand, children from allover the country are competing inone of the biggest writing contestsof the year - taking on the challengeof putting pen to paper and writing a 500 word story to theme of ‘Strange Events& Peculiar Happenings’. This year’s judge is none other than author of thehugely popular The World of Norm series of books, Jonathan Meres.Since launching seven years ago, tens of thousands of children have

battled it out to be crowned National Young Writer of the Year where they areawarded the coveted prize of a trip to Disneyland Paris for their whole family -and £500 worth of books for their school.The contest is organised by English and maths tuition provider, Explore

Learning, which has 111 centres located across the country. Children aged five to 14 can enter for free by submitting a 500 word story via www.explorelearning.co.uk/youngwriters or popping into your local ExploreLearning centre (see page 5). The closing date is Friday 5 June.

LocalNewsemail your news to editor@familiesse.co.uk

Front cover: Boy wears: blue beanie hat £6, stripe polo top from £7, grey cuff jogger from £13, all from Next, 0844 844 8939.

June issue out 29 May, deadline 8 May

Families South East PO Box 11591, London SE26 6WB 020 8699 7240, www.familiesse.co.uk, editor@familiesse.co.uk

NICE here, innit? Southeast London in May is lush and green, and when it'ssunny, people smile more at each other in the streets. And barely have the children returned to school after Easter, there's half term round the corner; aweek's practice before the big summer holidays. What's not to like? Find a warm spot to sit outside and enjoy the latest magazine we've written for you - it's all good...

Robina Cowan, editor

IN THIS ISSUE

2-3 Local News and ViewsActive fun for children; Billy Elliot tickets to be won, spring fairs and tennis in Ladywell

4-5 Educations NewsSuccess stories from local schools; gardening projects and fundraising pupils

6-7 Perfect PartiesAvoiding pitfalls, and local professionals to make your celebrations go with a swing and whoops of fun

8 Family LifeAre we putting our children under too much pressure? Author Tanith Carey helps parents whose children are struggling in school and at home

9 Family Life - part 2Health advice, Child Safety Week, and maintenance payments after marriages break down

10 What’s NewBeautiful new products, and sharing technology as a family

11 Making Mealtimes FunHow playing with food helps little ones learn

12-18 What’s OnOur pick of forthcoming family events, shows and creativeworkshops worth noting in your diary

19 The Bookseller CrowBookseller and writer - read Justine Crow’s page of new publications

© Families South East. We take every care preparing this magazine, but the publishers and distributors cannot be held responsible for the claims of advertisersnor for the accuracy of the contents nor for any consequence. Families South East is part of the Families group, established in 1990 and headed by Families SouthWest. All franchised magazines in the group are independently owned and operated under licence.

Activities for children

families south east - may 2015

3may 2015 - families south east

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News for parents

WIN a family ticket to seeBilly Elliot the MusicalThis year, Billy Elliot theMusical celebrates its10th birthday and tomark the occasion, we’re offering Familiesreaders the chance to win a family ticket to see the award-winning show for themselves!Set against the

background of the1984/85 miners’ strike,Billy Elliot is the inspirational story of one boy’s struggle to realise his dream to dance against the odds. Featuring atimeless score by Elton John, sensational dance and a powerful story, Billy Elliot the Musical is an uplifting and spectacular theatrical experience that will stay with you forever. For more about the show, see our What’s On listings or www.billyelliotthemusical.com.To enter the competition, go to

www.familiesse.co.uk and hit ‘Competitions’ in thetoolbar before the closing date on Friday 29 May -and good luck!

Love West Dulwich on 16 MayThe Love West Dulwich Spring Fair will take place on16 May, and promises to be a wonderful day for allthe family.Run in conjunction with Dulwich Festival and

following on from the success of Love West DulwichChristmas Fair, the day promises live demonstrations,workshops, entertainment and music, face painting,street food stalls, arts and craft stalls, ‘Shaun theSheep’ activities, with special discounts and family-friendly events just for the day.The Fair will take place in and outside the shops

and businesses on Croxted Road, Parkhall Road andRosendale Road SE21 from 10am-5pm. For the fullprogramme and updates, find ‘lovewestdulwich’ onFacebook.

Hay fever reliefSpring is in the air - and so, unfortunately, is hay fever.Roger Humbles from Fourway Pharmacy in Herne

Hill has taken to the airways (see what we did there?)to endorse Prevalin Allergy Nasal Spray which is fast,effective and drug-free so can be used in pregnancyand while breast-feeding. It is available for adults andchildren. To see the TV advert, and a whole lot more family

health advice, go to www.fourwaypharmacy.co.uk.Fourway is a friendly neighbourhood pharmacy whichoffers a wide range of baby products, eco-friendlyand organic toiletries plus a comprehensive range ofmedicines and NHS services. Call in at 12 Half MoonLane, Herne Hill from 9am-7pm weekdays, to 6pmSundays, 020 7924 9344.

Tennis in LadywellOn 17 May, community tennis company South EastLondon Tennis is hosting an free open day for thelocal community as part of the Great British TennisWeekend, from 10am-1pm. There will be taster sessions for 4-10 year-olds, adult cardio tennis, familysessions and the chance to chat with the friendlycoaches at their base on the courts in Ladywell Fields.Established in May 2011, South East London

Tennis has recently won a Lewisham Business Awardfor Social Enterprise. They offer affordable sessionsfor all on Saturdays; free junior coaching in primaryschools; and school holiday tennis camps for children in Sydenham.The latest offer is Tennis Tuesdays in the evening

for women only, while on Wednesdays the Tennis Express course is for adult beginners. For bookings and more information, go to www.southeastlondontennis.com.

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Marathon fundraisersCongratulations to all who took part in Greenwich &Bexley Community Hospice’s Mini Marathon aroundRoyal Greenwich Park in April. 1000 children took part,raising over £40,000 for the Hospice, enough to enable its doctors and nurses to provide specialistcare to Hospice patients for one whole week.“The best part of the day for me was seeing the

children's faces as they crossed the finish line to receive their medals,” said organiser Augusta Adu. For more hospice news and information, go to www.communityhospice.org.uk.

4 families south east - may 2015

education news

New life for old toolsAs spring sprang into life, young gardeners fromStreatham’s Hitherfield Primary School were delightedto receive a donation of equipment for the edible playground which the school is growing in partnershipwith Trees for Cities.B&Q West Norwood proudly handed over some

very special tools from Tools Shed, The ConservationFoundation’s garden tool recycling project which is run in association with a number of UK prisons. ToolsShed is a successful sustainability project which givesproductive work and skills to prisoners, while savingtools from landfill. The refurbished tools give schoolchildren the chance to get involved with fun, outdoorprojects, learning to tend and grow plants and create something they can feel proud of.Last year B&Q held a tool amnesty in a number of stores in order to collect broken garden hand tools

for Tools Shed. Store manager Lee Tattersall commented: “B&Q was so pleased to help out with the project.It’s a really great cause and we look forward to seeing how Hitherfield Primary School’s edible playgroundgrows!”Chris Ashley-Jones, headteacher of Hitherfield Primary School said: “Our children are very excited about

the development of their edible playground, and with the support of B&Q the children will be able to plantand grow a variety of edible foods, learning about where foods come from and the seasonality of the plants.”Sharon Johnson, Chief Executive of Trees for Cities said “Edible playgrounds engage children with

nature and show them how rewarding it is to spend time outdoors.”Schools and community gardeners can apply for tools by contacting

tools@conservationfoundation.co.uk, and read more at www.conservationfoundation.co.uk andwww.treesforcities.org.

St. Olave’s local charity fundraising The Freddie Farmer Foundation is over £4,700better off, thanks to a 13-year-old student fromSt. Olave’s Grammar School who nominatedthe charity to benefit from the school’s annualfestival and cabaret.Student Nikhil Dawood nominated the

charity at a school assembly where pupils got to vote to support their favourite localcause. The annual school festival and cabaretsupports a local and a national or internationalcharity every year, and last time the students raised over £9,400 for the Freddie Farmer Foundation and DEC Ebola Crisis, through various events including non-uniform days, stalls and game show events, culminating in a sixth form musical cabaret on stage in the Great Hall.“We are incredibly proud of all of our pupils for their hard work in raising such an impressive amount,”

said St. Olave’s director of Sixth Form, David Budds.Freddie Farmer charity officer Karen Smith added: “We’re over the moon and can’t thank the school

enough. We’ll use the funds to purchase adapted equipment needed for the children receiving therapy at our centre. The Freddie Farmer Foundation was formed in 2011 to raise the funds needed for a specialised

physiotherapy centre in southeast London for children and young people with cerebral palsy and seriousmobility problems. It is in Bromley. Read more at www.freddiefarmerfoundation.org.uk.

Artist in residence at St Dunstan’sTheatre-maker and former pupil, Vivien von Abendorff, has been collaborating with St Dunstan’s College (SDC) as Artist in Residence.Vivien approached her old school as part of preparations to bring theshow, I Am Not Antigone, to the Brighton Fringe Festival this May. MattLewis, also an Old Dunstonian, is a technician on the project.St Dunstan’s provided on-site rehearsal space for two weeks, where

Vivien and her theatre company gave students a private performance of the show, along with theatre-based workshops for pupils. The collaboration comes at a time when SDC plan for a new summer Arts Festival in 2016 and are keen

to work with more local artists. “This is a fantastic opportunity for our students to learn from professional performers and closely follow the work that goes into putting together a successful theatre production,” said the school’s deputy head, Mr Tim Kirk.

Magic of MathsMagic of Mathsis a fun packed,school-based educationalshow that is allbased aroundnumbers. Itgoes into probability,chance andodds usingevery day propssuch as coins,playing cardsand dice; where students arechallenged towork out theodds.Invited to

make a magicsquare from anumber theychoose is trulymind-blowingand engaging.The show includes interactive maths questions which teach pupils to look at things from a different angle and think outside the box - a skill which can be used for life. Magic of Maths typically runs over a double

lesson and has already captivated pupils in localschools including Streatham & Clapham HighGDST. Interested schools can book or find out more by calling Simon on 020 8480 8176, or emailsimonrosselli@themagiccircle.co.uk.

f am i l i e s s e . c o . u k

Running ahead of the packBromley High School is best known for its outstanding academic reputation (this year’s UpperSixth hold offers for Oxford, Cambridge, Princetonand several medical schools); but its ethos is one of all-round achievement. Little surprise then, that some of the school’s

athletes swept the board at the British Schools’Biathlon Championships at the Olympic Park, withBromley High girls placed 1st in the U13 event, 2ndin the U16, and 3rd in U10, making this the fourthyear in succession that a Bromley High girl hasbeen a national biathlon champion. In the run-up to Easter, girls won national awards

for public speaking and creative writing, sung onstages from the Queen Elizabeth Hall to Disneyland,from Paris to Leipzig. During the school holiday, themajority of Y10 took off on a Duke of Edinburgh expedition in the English countryside; classicists enjoyed the delights of Italy; geographers thethrilling landscapes of Iceland, while the World Challenge Team prepares for its expedition to Madagascar.

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Murder in the libraryThirty-two budding crime scene investigators aged between 11 and 12gathered recently to solve the fictitiousmurder of ‘Victor’, whose body had beendiscovered in the library of Forest HillSchool. Starting with clues including hairs,fibres, fingerprints, footprints and spilt ink,it was up to them to gather the evidence,subject it to a number of laboratory-basedtests and present their courtroom evidence.

Organised by Sydenham School, thescience challenge was presided over byspecial guest, the author Dr MalcolmRose. “If I wasn’t here, I would be at hometrying to day-dream my way through theplot of the latest novel I have got on the go- my 42nd,” he told the students. “It is agreat joy to get out and take part in something like this,” he later confided. “Aswell as observing and advising the teams, it is helpful for me too, chatting toyoung people and hearing about what they enjoy and don’t and even gaugingwhat vocabulary they are familiar with - ‘contamination’ posed them no problems while some students needed a little help with ‘chromatography’”.

The event was the culmination of a term’s effort throughout Forest Hill and Sydenham Schools. “The murder mystery day was the reward for studentswho had produced the best work associated with a variety of science writingchallenges,” explained Forest Hill librarian Carol Webb. “To qualify they had tohave written a science-based story, a journalistic piece and a science book review. What we asked the students to do is very much based on the sciencecurriculum, and also the type of science they’ll encounter in Malcolm’s books.”

In the end the winning team was commended by Carol Webb for its scrupulous evidence collecting including the quality of the fingerprints they retrieved from the murder weapon - a bottle. The winning team were presentedwith medals and books by Dr Malcolm Rose and PC Bawden.

6 f am i l i e s s e . c o . u kfamilies south east - may 2015

Can you... say no to siblings?Most of us wouldn’t dream of turning up to a partyuninvited. Yet some parents feel it acceptable tobring along a string of siblings and presume theytoo are welcome.“They won’t eat. In fact you won’t even know

they’re here,” cry the parents as they sprint out ofthe door, while said siblings begin pilfering from thepre-prepared party bags. The point is if you’ve budgeted for 20 and catered for 20, you’re ready for20 children - not 25. Very often entertainers insist ona maximum number and siblings can tip you overthe limit, and in turn, tip you over the edge. Preventthe problem at the point of invite and make the sibling rule clear. A simple ‘Sorry, no room for siblings!’ means there’s no question. I find the addition of an exclamation mark makes you look fun and not mean.

Can you... exclude individual children?This is a tough one because as a general rule, youshould stick to one of three party invitation rules.1. Invite the whole class - this is perfect for

Reception age children2. Invite all the girls or all the boys - this becomes

popular as children head into KS2 and the opposite sex become toxic

3. Invite a few close friends - this works whenyou’re keeping the budget down or as you headtowards the end of primary school.

However there are exceptions. If your child is thevictim of a classroom bully, you’ve grounds to exclude that individual. This is your child’s specialday and they’re entitled to enjoy it without fear. Excluding problematic children is more difficult. In this case it’s best to ask the parents of said childto stick around to offer a helping hand.

Can you... host a successful sleepover?Let’s face it. They shouldn’t be called sleepovers.They should be called stay awake overs becauseyou will sleep about as well as a meerkat balancedon a branch and the children won’t sleep at all.However with a few basic rules, you can survive.Keep the numbers low - as far as sleepovers go,more is definitely not merrier but it is noisier. Keepthem busy and active before bed time to exhaustyour pint sized house guests. Remove electrical devices at a reasonable hour and make sure youhave a note of all parental contacts - as sure asnight follows day someone will get homesick atabout midnight and infect everyone. Wildly exciting for children, sleepovers aren’t

for faint-hearted parents and deserve a whole article in themselves, so we’ve written one; coveringeverything from home sickness to headlice andhouse rules. Find it online by clicking Family Life/Children’s Parties on our websitewww.familiesse.co.uk.

Can you... invoice a parentfor a no-show?Well, we all know the tale of the mother who invoiced another parent after they failed to turn up to her son’s skiing party in January - it was all over Facebook and the press in a trice.There is little more irritating than parents who

confirm their child will be joining your party, only tomake other plans, leaving an empty, often paid-forspace at the bowling alley/ cinema/ birthday tablewithout so much as an apologetic last minute text.While you might feel justified in ‘billing’ a parent, it’s likely to make you the subject of gossip at theschool gates and could alienate your child. Our advice is to move on - life’s too short for grudgesand surely it’s better to teach your child how to behave with grace.

Perfect Parties- solving pitfalls

Call THE BEDLAM BUNCH Children’s Entertainersfor professional, theatrical fun! Hilarious characters,interactive story-telling, magic, balloon modelling,puppets, music, games, treasure hunts and plentyof surprises. The Bedlam Bunch specialises in adventure stories in which the children play a vitalrole all the way through. There’s no sitting down andbeing quiet! The team harness kids’ energy in aroller-coaster ride of discovery and downright silliness. Choose your character and let them take over in the best possible way! The Bedlam Bunch entertainers are professionally

trained, CRB checked and fully insured. Suitable for children aged 2 - 10 years. For a friendly party quotation, call 07846 068 583, www.thebedlambunch.co.uk.

DIDDI DANCE bring parties to your choice of location. Little ones enjoy an hour of great activitiesincluding dancing games, action songs, hoops,dance ribbons, bubbles, balloons, bells and lots of fun. The parties promise fun and affordable entertainment which will ensure your party is the talk of the tots. Call Anne-Marie on 07973 982 790,Nicola on 07832 913 282, or seewww.diddidance.com

LOVE A SLICE is a family run business deliveringcheesecakes by the slice, cupcakes and milkshakesto your door - perfect for birthday teas! Drop in andtry one at 260 High Street Beckenham, or contactthem on 020 8663 6655, www.loveaslicetogo.com.

Party pr

Are you planning a party and need some advice? Sarah Butters takes a look at some party pitfalls and has tips for avoiding serving a can of worms at your

child’s next celebration...

Can you... go italone?Of course. If you love the idea of over20 high spirited children rampaging intoevery nook and cranny of your home;and are confident that they will happilytake part in every activity you’ve scheduled, go for it. However, a seasoned entertainer brings enviable crowd-handling experience and fun plus a big bag ofprops. How much more tempting to sit back and enjoy it all from the sidelines.

NUTTY’S CHILDREN’S PARTIES THE BEDLAM BUNCH AMIGO’S MAGIC

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7f am i l i e s s e . c o . u k may 2015 - families south east

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AMIGO’S MAGIC brings a magical show for all agesfrom 3 - 99+. With over 20 years’ experience acrossthe world (and a member of the Magic Circle), award-winning Simon encourages the children tocome up and help (as it all ‘goes wrong’ for him). The more they get involved, the more things begin to happen - making for a fast, exciting and interactiveentertainment. At the end of a one hour show all the children receive balloon models. The two hourshow includes plate spinning, interactive and nonelimination games all to music with a bubble machine at the end. Mini Disco and Karaoke are also available, while

for adult parties there’s close up magic (table hopping/ mix and mingle) and a cabaret.Amigo’s also do fundraising shows for PTAs and

charities. As it doesn’t cost anything to put one ofthese on you have nothing to lose and it’s a win-winsituation. These shows sell out and there is little or nowork from your side, as most of it is done for you. Tofind out more, email simonrosselli@themagiccircle.co.uk,020 8480 8176, www.amigosmagic.co.uk.

THEATRE TOTS run interactive drama parties for 1-6 year-olds. Filled with songs, stories and silliness,you can choose from a traditional hour long party or a themed character party hosted by one of 10 originalcharacters - from pirates to princesses, dinosaurs tojungles. The team can work in spaces big or small,you only need provide a plug in the wall! Call Laura on 0780 107 2776 or see www.theatretots.com.

GAMBADO With their huge indoor playframe,dodgems, carousel and interactive games, birthdayparties are hassle free at Gambado Beckenham. Partypackages cater for children up to 12 years old and include Laser Tag, NERF parties, Make A Bear, TigerTots and the popular Tiger Parties. Prices include aparty host, balloons, invitations, thank you cards anda free gift for the birthday child. Seewww.gambado.com or call 020 8662 6910.

THE GOLDEN HINDE hosts pirate parties aboardthe reconstruction of Sir Francis Drake’s ship besidethe River Thames. The adventure includes invitations,a treasure hunt and games with madcap sailors, withadd-ons including party lunch boxes, a cake, partybags and professional photography. Ages 5+ on Sundays, 020 7403 0123, www.goldenhinde.com.

NUTTY’S CHILDREN’S PARTIES is run and ownedby Danny Nutt, is based in West Norwood and coversall of London and the South East. They offer a variety of fun-packed, exciting, dynamic and originaladventure parties for children aged 3-9, discos forages 4-11, drama workshop parties for ages 7-11 and football parties for ages 5-11.Especially aimed at those with active imaginations

and bags of physical energy, kids will be transportedto: Pirate Dan’s Treasure Hunt, Super Dan’s Adventure, Explorer Dan’s Adventures (for fans ofAndy’s Dinosaur Adventures and Indiana Jones),Danijel The Space Warrior’s Mission (for Star Warsfans) and The Princess’ Adventure, plus many morethemes!All parties are run by experienced, dedicated,

professional actors and most themes can be catered for. They are also offering holiday workshopsthis summer in Dulwich from 20-22 July.Visit www.nuttyschildrensparties.co.uk, email

danny@nuttyschildrensparties.co.uk or call 07884 050 954.

DJ AQUAMANDA is a musical performer and popular DJ (and also a localmother of two), who brings all the latest tunes to yourparty, with a full sound system including sparklylights. At your venue, home or school 0796 8512229, www.aquamanda.net.

MORE ENTERTAINERSHow about a spin paintingparty in Peckham? Or aLatino dance party? For more party ideas, click Children’s Parties in our directory atwww.familiesse.co.uk.

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8 families south east - may 2015 f am i l i e s s e . c o . u k

family life

Anxiety, sleeplessness, depression, homeworkresistance and learning blocks. These are justsome of the issues children can develop intoday’s hot-house educational atmosphere.

Children in the UK are currently some of the most tested on earth. But as my new book Tamingthe Tiger Parent shows, far from making them a generation of high-achieving, accomplished uber-children, they are actually the most worried and unhappy.

In the constant striving for league table positions,not just by schools, but also by the Education Ministers above them, one important lesson seemsto have been lost: stressed kids don’t learn.

Many parents also may not realise that some of thebehavioural problems they are struggling with athome are down to the fact that children feel judgedvery early, and almost continually, as they move upthe education system.

How a child responds to an overly pressurised environment will vary according to many factors:their temperament, their genes, their resilience, their success at school, their personal threshold and also their relationship with in their family. If they are affected, at first it can be hard for parents to tell thedifference between what is a normal stage of childhood - and what might require some help.

But when children do suffer the ill-effects, it’s vitalthat we intervene. Studies have found that childrenwho show signs of anxiety in primary school aremore likely to develop depressions in adolescence.

Some of the early signs that kids feel overly pressured to achieve include:• Saying they just want to go home and play• Using a whispering voice in class• Saying they don’t deserve good marks - or

pointing out how much better other children aredoing and ripping up work

• Asking to go to the toilet a lot in lessons.• Avoiding eye contact when talking to a parent.• Stopping enjoying activities they used to enjoy• Fidgeting, hair-twirling, chronic nail-biting and

skin-picking• Showing a lower tolerance to frustration than

normal; shouting without making much sense orflying off the handle

• Having a sad look and difficulty smiling, whichmay be remarked on by others in the family orat school

• Starting to express feelings of helplessness,hopelessness and worthlessness

• Experiencing chronic worry, becoming overlypanicked by small things and thinking small setbacks are the end of the world

• Having trouble sleeping• Finding excuses not to go to school• Talking less and less to parents• Suffering unexplained stomach pains and

tension headaches

• Suffering physical symptomssuch as mouth ulcers, coldsores, eczema or panic andasthma attacks

• Showing OCD-like symptomssuch as frequent washing ofhands, arranging possessions ordeveloping rituals that they insist on doing.

The good news is that it these symptoms can be relieved by addressing your child’s worries directly,taking steps to ease the pressure and re-calibratingyour relationship.

For example, one of the most distressing symptomsparents witness is kids insisting they are ‘rubbish’ at a subject or they are ‘stupid.’ That’s often because in today’s test-driven culture, youngstersoften internalise the critical voices they constantlyhear telling them they must do better.

Children assume that because they hear these messages inside their head they must be true.Teaching them to recognise them, and showingthem how to switch them off is an important firststep.

Another upsetting outcome is that because yourchild always thinks you always expect them do better, they distance themselves. They may becomeuncommunicative, defensive and try and avoid youto protect themselves from the pain of feeling yourdisappointment.

At the other end of the scale, there will also be the children who are so desperate to meet the expectations placed on them they become overlyworried about tests and homework. They turn intoperfectionists who live their childhoods with the fear that whatever they do is never going to be good enough.

However your child reacts, it’s important to helpthem realise that being good at everything is an impossible goal and there are lots of different waysin life to excel, outside the increasingly narrow confines of the current concentration on Maths,English and Science.

There are also techniques that I describe in my bookfor taking your relationship back to the time beforethe resentments and defensiveness started to pushyou apart.

Of course, it’s very hard to take your foot off the gaswhen you know that every other parent you knowseems to doing it and you fear your child will sinkwithout you.

But it’s worth it because the simple truth is that tigerparenting can actually make kids perform worse,making kids develop anxieties like maths anxietyand reading resistance.

Beyond that, I found that children who are in a constant race to compare themselves in all areashave brittle confidence, because this is not a warmand welcoming world in which to grow and find outwho they are. Instead it turns childhood into a constant battle on all fronts.

There’s a good chance you have had enough too.Perhaps you are tired of constantly nagging yourchild about school work. Perhaps you have tired of the competitive undercurrents with other parentsat the school gates; the conversations which feellike duels; the icy smiles you have to feign as humble brags about reading levels, maths scores and music grades rain down on you likebody blows.

Or possibly you hate the constant, overarching fearthat other parents are working harder than you areto make their offspring excel and get ahead ofyours?

Most of all, there’s a good chance you don’t like theway being constantly measured, assessed andjudged makes the children you love feel aboutthemselves. Possibly you can’t remember the lasttime you saw your children truly feeling carefree.Perhaps you can’t see any other option if your childis not going to be left behind.

But there is a way out - and you can start todaywith your family. By making the simple decision toput your child’s well-being first, letting them playmore and letting them focus on their innate talents,you will be one step closer to restoring the balance.

Furthermore you will not just start to enjoy being a parent once again, rather than a ring-master.

You will also be reclaiming your child’s right to acarefree childhood, a better guarantee of success inlife than any number of high-flying exam results.

Read moreTaming the Tiger Parent:how to put your child’swell-being first in a competitive worldby Tanith Carey is published by Constable/ Little Brown, rrp £8.99. For more information, go to www.tanithcarey.com.

Are we putting ourchildren under toomuch pressure?

By Tanith Carey

The Court of Appeal has turned down a woman’sappeal against a decision that maintenance payments from her ex-husband should no longer be payable once he reached retirement.The case concerned a couple who had divorced

after an 11-year marriage. The original decision ofthe court was that the ex-wife should receive£75,000 per annum from her former husband. Aswell as child maintenance and school fees, this included £33,000 in maintenance for her for life. Thecouple’s matrimonial home was ordered to be soldand the proceeds divided between them, allowingher to have a property free of mortgage with stablingfor the family’s horses.However, when the husband, now 59, began

to consider his retirement and the consequent reduction in his income, he applied to the HighCourt to have the maintenance payments to his ex-wife reduced.A family judge criticised the ex-wife for making no

effort to find work for herself and expecting that herex-husband would maintain her for life, saying thatshe should ‘get on with it’ and get a job to support

herself. She ordered that the payments must cease,being gradually reduced over a five-year period untilthe ex-husband’s retirement.The Court of Appeal

refused the ex-wife permission to appeal againstthe ruling, Lord Justice Pitchford saying, “It is nowimperative that the wife go outto work and support herself.”Judges have discretion

when deciding the financialarrangements on divorce andeach case will be decided onthe individual facts.If you are concerned about

your maintenance obligationsyou can contact Grant Sawsolicitors for advice. With offices in Greenwich andBlackheath, Grant Saw offer a first fixed-fee appointmentof £100+VAT in respect of

relationship breakdown and/ or issues concerningchildren. Call 020 8858 6971 or see www.grantsaw.com.

9may 2015 - families south eastf a m i l i e s s e . c o . u k

Is it coeliac disease?Coeliac disease is a serious autoimmune conditionwhere the body’s immune system damages the lining of the small bowel when gluten, a proteinfound in wheat, barley and rye is eaten. There is nocure and no medication; the only treatment is astrict gluten-free diet for life. Key symptoms include;diarrhoea, stomach pain and cramping, mouth ulcers, fatigue, bloating, vomiting and unexplainedanaemia.Coeliac Awareness Week will run from 11-17 May

2015. The charity Coeliac UK is highlighting themost common symptoms, aiming to prompt peopleexperiencing them to ask themselves - ‘is it coeliacdisease?’The campaign website has information and

advice for the general public and healthcare professionals on the symptoms and risk factors associated with undiagnosed coeliac disease. Anew self-assessment checklist helps people decidewhether they need to seek further medical adviceabout diagnosis of coeliac disease. Read more atwww.isitcoeliacdisease.org.uk.

family life

FamilyHealth

Tackling teatime terrorsChild Safety Week 2015 will run from 1-7 June, andthis year’s theme is ‘tackling teatime terrors.’ KatrinaPhillips, chief executive of the Child Accident Prevention Trust, acknowledges that:“Teatime is a high pressure time for parents, with

lots of competing demands. But it’s when pressuresare high and everyone is tired that serious accidentscan happen, including devastating burns and children knocked down by cars.”

CAPT’s top 10 tips are:1. A hot drink can burn a young child even 15

minutes after it has been made. Place yourmuch-needed mug of tea or coffee somewhereyour baby or toddler can’t grab at it.

2. Child road injuries peak between 3pm and 7pm.Set a good example to your children and avoiddashing across the road or using your mobilewhile you cross. And remember that your car’sspeed can make a huge difference to a pedestrian’s likelihood of survival if they step out in front of your car.

3. Detergent liquitabs are really convenient forlaundry loads but pose new risks to young children. If yours are under the sink, move themaway from little hands and mouths. And look for products with a bittering agent - this makesthem taste disgusting so children spit them out.

4. Remember some 3-4 year olds can open childsafety caps in seconds (‘child-resistant’ doesn’tmean ‘child-proof’). So keep medicines awayfrom small hands too. Don’t forget thepainkillers in your bag - painkillers are the mostcommon cause of poisoning for small children.

5. Trampolines are a great way for children to workoff surplus energy at teatime. Remember, it’ssafest if there’s just one child on the trampoline.Add safety netting or a safety cage so childrencan’t be thrown to the ground.

6. Small, hungry children can mistake a buttonbattery for a sweet. But, if swallowed, a buttonbattery can burn a hole through their throat andkill within hours. Keep objects with accessiblebutton batteries well out of young children’sreach and take care when replacing batteries.

7. Toddlers can choke on food that’s too big, evenjust the size of a grape. Take a minute at tea-time to cut their food into small pieces.

8. In five seconds a toddler’s skincan be burned sobadly by hot tapwater that they need to go to hospital. At bathtime, put the cold water in firstand top up with hot, then test the water withyour elbow, to reduce the risk of your childbeing burned.

9. Drowning is silent and babies can drown in aslittle as 5cm of water. Always stay with yourbaby or small child when they’re in the bath.And remember, while bath seats can be a greathelp, they’re not safety aids - don’t leave yourbaby alone in one, even for a moment.

10. It’s the end of the day and finally the childrenare in bed. To keep them safe while they sleep,get a smoke alarm fitted on every level of yourhome and test it regularly. Thick, black smokefrom a fire can fill your home in minutes and killyour sleeping child in seconds.

For more safety tips and events taking place up anddown the country, visit the Child Accident PreventionTrust website www.capt.org.uk.

“Lady of leisure lifestyle no longer an option”, says Court of Appeal

By Grant Saw Solicitors

More than meatLocal food entrepreneurand healthy-eating enthusiastBarry Honeycombehas launcheda range oftasty and satisfying meat-free products, includingburgers and casseroles.

More Than Meat dishes are home made in smallbatches, and are high-protein, zero-cholesterolmade with no added fat, no eggs and no dairy. Suitable for everyone, the range is loved by meat-eaters, meat-reducers, vegetarians and vegans alike.

The burgers and casseroles are available to try and buy from the monthly SEE3 market in Sydenham (next dates 9 May and 12 June), and online at www.morethanmeat.co.uk.

10 families south east - may 2015 f a m i l i e s s e . c o . u k

What’sNewCrowninggloryWe couldn’t resist it! If you’ve recently welcomed your ownlittle prince orprincess into thefamily, how cutewould they look intheir own adorableknitted crown.

Priced at £24.95,these are two from a delightful range of Cobwebknits’ handmade hats, which also includes Viking hats and policeman helmets; plus teacosies, wraps, knitting kitsand more, from www.cobwebknits.co.uk.

Cheeky chompersCheeky Chompers, hometo the award-winning Neckerchew, has introduced the first in a range of special needsproducts for children andadults with chewing and dribbling symptoms, commonly known as oralmotor stimulation.

The product is based onthe design of the world-firstNeckerchew, a chewy dribble bib uniquely combining the popular bandana bib style with anattached chewable teether.The second is the Comfortchew; a teethingcomforter that attaches to a buggy, wheelchair and car-seat.

Both products are machine washable and comein a variety of stylish designs, priced from £9.99 atwww.cheekychompers.com.

SpringtimecaterpillarsTalking of caterpillars,how about this funkyoutfit? Baby Moo’s new season designs include everything boysand girls could want,from caterpillar outfits to skull skirts, funkybabygros and funky t-shirts.

Baby Moo founderAnna loves to give babies personality withtheir clothing: “I wasbored with seeing all of the bland pinks andblues”, she said of her motivation to set up her new company. To see therange, go to www.babymoos.com.

Saving fairies from evictionFollowing the news that Wayford Woods in Somerset began removing some fairy doors from its grounds, The Irish Fairy Door Companybrought forward its expansion into the UK in order toprevent a rapid rise in fairy homelessness.

As director Niamh Sherwin Barry, explains, “Removing fairy doors from the woods needlesslycasts fairies out of their homes, whilst also spoilingthe magic and belief for those who visit them toleave gifts or letters. Everyone at Fairy HQ washugely disappointed to hear of the potential evictions and we received an overwhelming numberof messages from worried adults and childrenacross the UK, expressing concern and offeringhuman homes to the newly-homeless fairies.”

The company has already housed more than150,000 fairies worldwide since its inception just 18 months ago and has now come to UK shores to ensure no fairies are left out in the cold.

Created by life-long friends Niamh Sherwin Barryand Aoife Lawler, along with their husbands Oisinand Gavin, The Irish Fairy Door Company helpsfairies relocate into homes, classrooms, gardensand woods by creating beautiful, high quality, handmade Irish fairy doors which can be installedalmost anywhere. Once in place, the creative teamat Fairy HQ ensures direct access to Fairy Valley sothe magic continues long after the fairy has movedin, with ongoing magical messages, play ideas andstories delivered to children and parents who register their fairy, via Magical Matters on the website www.theirishfairydoorcompany.com.

My tech familyMy Tech Family, backed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, tackles the concerns of UK parents that the rate at which technology is developing, is creating a divide between the generations. Following on from an in-school pilotstudy that ran to January this year, thousands of primary schools across the UK are now benefitingfrom a new initiative to help engage parents in thecomputing curriculum, and to encourage childrenand their families to share more digital activities.

In conjunction with Vodafone, the initiative provides resources for primary schools that are designed to extend beyond the classroom, allowingparents and children to explore their shared digitalworld at home. To help teachers introduce My TechFamily into lessons for all primary school classesfrom Year 3 to Year 8, there are free, downloadableresources available - including a Digital Style Quiz,presentations, lesson plans and a workbook.

The activities help children discover their digitallearning style by taking a simple quiz, and by encouraging other family members to take it too,help children explore the online world safely withtheir families while learning and enjoying a range of digital activities together.

Some of the examples of how children sharedtechnology with their families during the schoolspilot include:

• A child showed her grandparents how to watcha live feed from CCTV cameras on the familyfarm so they could watch cows being milked

• A child taught her aunt, who lives some distance from the family to do FaceTime successfully

• A child downloaded a recipe with his motherand tried cooking with her.

From making a movie, to building a game, the resources highlight a wide range of fun and creativedigital activities for families to try. Start with the Digital Style Quiz at www.digitalstylequiz.co.uk, andjoin in at www.vodafone.com/parents/mytechfamily.

11may 2015 - families south east

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Making mealtimes fun

Being creative and playful with food is greatfor little ones as they try new foods forthe first time and start learning to feed themselves. The challenge for parents can be how to introduce varietyand come up with newideas to present foodthat will help make itfun for their little ones.

Creative fun with finger foodshelps little ones trysomething new and learn to feed themselves.Finger foods are a great

way of offering variety to yourchild, as they provide a wholenew world of exciting tastes, textures, shapes and colours to yourbaby, in foods that are easy for them to graband get hold of so they feel more in control of their choices.

Playing with finger foods helps little ones learn. Mixing up textures, shapesand colours and encouraging little ones to play and experiment with food helpsthem gather sensory information and learn how to accept new foods.From chewy pasta, to crispy rice cakes, melt in the mouth corn puffs, crumbly

baby biscuits and squishy strawberries, you can offer lots of texture choices to helpdevelop your baby’s curiosity about food and build their confidence and enjoyment.Unlike in the old days when parents told their little ones off for playing with their

food, modern mums see the positive benefits of encouraging little ones to play withtheir food and have fun.Dr Frankie Phillips, Nutrition Advisor to Organix, says, “The introduction of finger

foods can help to develop a little one’s sense of independence, and parents can encourage a positive attitude to food by making mealtimes fun for their child and allowing them to play with and experiment with their food.”Frankie explains that as well as encouraging self-feeding, independence and

autonomy, finger foods come with lots of other benefits for little ones, like developing hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills, and improving dexterity.The variety of colours, shapes and sizes of finger foods also gives little ones a

range of sensory experiences. Psychologist Dr Angharad Rudkin says, “This is important as babies learn through their senses in the first two years of life. So when you introduce a new food to your child, by giving them an opportunity to touch it, squish it and rub it between their hands, you are allowing them to use all of the resources they have to learn about that food.”

Fun finger food plates help little ones explore food. To add some fun with acreative finger food plate, you can mix up purees with finger food so your baby hasa choice of tastes, textures and shapes to explore. You don’t have to have an art degree, just a little imagination and a little help from Organix!

Try these fun ideas: trees made with Organix carrotsticks as the trunk, vegetable florets for the

branches, an Organix sweetcorn ring forthe sun and mashed avocado for thegrass; a caterpillar made with Organix carrot & tomato ricecakes and pieces of salad andvegetables; or an Organix babybiscuit bird, with bananawings, flying over a blueberrysea. And you could alwaysmake up a rhyme or song tosing along with each creationto make it more fun.

For more inspiring fingerfood plate ideas, visit ‘organixfood’ on Facebook or

Instagram, where you can alsoupload and share your ideas with

other parents; and find more adviceand recipes at www.organix.com.

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12 families south east - may 2015 f am i l i e s s e . c o . u k

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Half Term Holiday Clubs

FIT FOR SPORT THE HIVE DAYCAMPS

ELECTRONIC KEYBOARD HOLIDAY WORKSHOPSHERNE HILL, BATTERSEA and STREATHAM, 0800 107 7949, www.funkymonkey.infoFunky Monkey Keyboard Classes music workshops are brilliant ‘taster’courses for 4-8 year beginners. Fun packed one day taster sessions will berunning in the May half term. In an action packed four hours, children learnto read, play and write notes C-A alongside learning electronic keyboardtechnique and countless music-based activities including composition, artwork, singing and performance skills! All equipment provided. See thewebsite or telephone for prices, times and more details.FIT FOR SPORTVarious venues including DULWICH, BERMONDSEY, DOWNHAM andGIPSY HILL, 0845 456 3233, www.fitforsport.co.ukFit for Sport will be bringing Looney Tunes-themed sports, games and eventhe beloved characters themselves to more than 250,000 children at 80 Activity Camps during school holidays across the country.The energetic Looney Tunes characters are Warner Bros’ ambassadors

for active lifestyles, making them a perfect fit for Fit for Sport’s ActivityCamps, where children are encouraged to be active and healthy throughfun sports and games. Ages 4-14 years, 8am-6pm, bookings available byday at £45 or £144 for four days. READER OFFER: Readers can claim 10% off - quote ‘Families’ when booking.NIMBLE ARTS HOLIDAY CLUB 26-29 May, HEBER PRIMARY SCHOOL, East Dulwich SE22 9LA, www.nimblearts.co.ukImprovise your way through a dramatic adventure, carry out crazy experiments in the Mad Professor’s Lab, design and make things to takehome and exercise your vocal cords at Nimble Arts’ Sing School. Chooseall four days or pick the ones that interest you the most! Ages 4-12, 10am-4pm with free wrap-around childcare from 8.30am-5pm for 5 to 12-year-olds. Half days 9am-1pm or 1-5pm for 4-year-olds. The workshops areOfsted registered and parents can pay with childcare vouchers.CAMP BEAUMONT DAYCAMPS 26-29 May 2015, COLFE’S SCHOOL, Upwood Road, Lee, SE12 8AW,01263 823000, www.campbeaumont.co.uk Up to 40 different activities ranging from arts and crafts, swimming, soccer,tag rugby, tennis, motorsports, dance and drama, basketball, and manymore. Ages 4-16 years, 8.30am-5.30pm, from £175 per week.

SE LONDON TENNIS CAMPS26-29 May, SYDENHAM LAWN TENNIS CLUB, Lawrie Park Road SE26 6ET,www.southeastlondontennis.com, emailchris@southeastlondontennis.com Four day group activities with professional coaches in weekly blocks. Eachsession includes tennis coaching, games and other team events, with amini tournament at the end of each week. Facilities are available for wet-weather activities if necessary. Beginners and improvers welcome.9am-12noon for 7-10 year-olds, 1-4pm for 11-15 year-olds, £52 for all fourdays, one day £15. Book and pay online; or call Chris on 0773 993 6999 orMichael on 07956 995820.

THE HIVE DAYCAMPS26-29 May, ELTHAM COLLEGE, 69 Marvels Lane SE12 9PH, 020 32913791, www.thehive-kids.com Book a week of outdoor fun on a team-building adventure which will teachchildren new and different skills every day. The Hive Daycamps introducechildren to such skills as foraging, nature webcams, geocaching, lab-building, fire making, wildlife tracking, wild cooking, whittling, bee keeping, gardening, scripting filming, and even potion making.Ages 7-11 years. The Lair, ages 9+, £70 per day of £260 for four days. Project Haekon, £190 for the week.

GAMBADO ACTIVITY CAMPS 26-29 May 2015, GAMBADO BECKENHAM, NatWest Sports Ground, Copers Cope Road, Beckenham BR3 1NZ, 020 8662 6910, www.gambado.com/clubs/beckenham Gambado’s Ofsted-registered holiday activity camps are run by fully qualified managers who run themed activities, with a hot lunch, snacks anddrinks included. Prices from £23 for a half day, from £35 full day, with theoption to add extended hours between 8am and 6pm. Parents can pay withchildcare vouchers too. Book first.

CAMERA OBSCURA: COPIED CREATIONS26+27 May, DULWICH PICTURE GALLERY, Gallery Road, London SE217AD, 020 8693 5254, www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.ukStudy perspective and draw like a master of the Renaissance. Ages 7-10years, 10am-12noon, £12, book first.

Dairy Dates For GrownupsCAR BOOT SALE10 May, HEBER PRIMARY SCHOOL, Heber Road, East Dulwich SE22 9LA Are you having a Spring clean? Sell your unwanted/ preloved things -household, garden, toys, equipment, anything goes! 9.30am-12.30pm, £10for a car pitch, £5 table top rental, £1 admissions for buyers (children free).Refreshments available, car parking near site. Emailkristy.macdonald@heberparents.org for more information.

CRYSTAL PALACE FOOD MARKETSaturdays, Haynes Lane SE19 3AP, www.crystalpalacefoodmarket.co.ukLocally sourced meats, fresh fish, fruit & veg, eggs, cheese, raw milk, artisan bread, cakes and hot food, on sale in the heart of Crystal Palace.Open 10am-3pm every Saturday, with regular events as well (check first as these are subject to change).BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS, 9 May. The market will celebrate its secondbirthday with musical performances, face painting and more. TOTE BAG MAKING, 16 May. Green Leaves Art Club presents a specialdrop-in tote bag making workshop. Dig into the history of illuminated manuscripts and create your own tote bag inspired by this ancient art. 12-3pm, donations welcome, www.greenleavesartclub.com.THE MAN FROM STORY MOUNTAIN, 30 May. Tales to enthral, inspire,and send you away on wings, told by children’s author and professionalstoryteller Adrian Beckingham, aka The Man from Story Mountain. 11am-2pm, suggested donation £1.

SEE SYDENHAM ARTISAN MARKET16 May and every second Saturday in the month, VENNER SQUARE &Queensthorpe Square, Sydenham SE26, www.see3.co.ukMexican and Vietnamese street food, vegetarian, dry curd meats, sushimaki, bakery, cakes, Japanese & Asian teas plus a range of hand-madecards, bags and leather goods, fashion jewellery, knitted goods, antiquesand much more - often including live music. 11am-5pm.

HITHER GREEN FESTIVAL16-24 May, in and around HITHER GREEN SE13, www.hithergreen.comNow in its seventh year, Hither Green Festival returns to SE13 with dancing,music, food and much more! The line up was being finalised as we went to press but highlights incude Open Gardens, a Teddy Bear’s picnic, live music events, a quiz night, free pilates sessions, beekeeping demonstrations and guided historical walks. Tickets can be bought fromthe Cafe of Good Hope and You Don’t Bring Me Flowers, and online from the event website.

HAVEN’T STOPPED DANCING YET16 May, St SWITHUN’S CHURCH HALL, St Swithun’s Road, Hither GreenSE13 6QE, 0796 716 3247, www.haventstoppeddancingyet.co.ukHSDY offers 70s and 80s soul, funk and disco - for people who rememberthe tunes first time round and still want to party. DJs Lord Anthony andhula-hooping DJ, Da’Lynne spin the tunes, with dance line-ups to geteveryone into the groove, plus free retro sweets and ice pops. 7.30-11pm,£12 on the door, or guarantee your place on the dance floor by booking first for £10.

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THE NATIONAL THEATRE

14 families south east - may 2015 f am i l i e s s e . c o . u k

Theatre, Shows and Music GREENWICH THEATREGREENWICH THEATRE, Crooms Hill, Greenwich SE10 8ES, 020 88587755, www.greenwichtheatre.org.ukAVENUE Q, 12-24 May. Following five years in the West End and sell-outruns worldwide, this hugely entertaining show is back! Hilarious, cheekyand uproariously entertaining, with a terrific batch of songs performed bya cast of hugely talented performers and puppets, Avenue Q is the musical like no other. Ages 14+, tickets £28.50.THE CAT IN THE HAT, 25-27 May. From the moment his tall, red-and-white-striped hat appears around the door, Sally and her brother knowthat the cat in the hat is the funniest, most mischievous cat they haveever met. Based on the much-loved book by Dr Seuss, The Cat In TheHat is a lively and engaging first theatre experience for young children.Tickets £13.50, concessions £8.50.LITTLE HOWARD’S BIG SHOW FOR KIDS, 28 May. Life is tough inshowbiz; Little Howard’s big new act keeps going wrong, Roger The Pigeon has spent all their money on cookie cutters, his comedy counterpart Big Howard has been diagnosed with being clinically unfunny and there’s a slug in the backstage toilet. And it’s about to getworse: a sinister figure arrives and Big Howard and Little Howard have to put on the best show of their lives to keep themselves out of jail! 2pm,tickets £13.50, children £8.50.KID CARPET AND THE NOISY NEIGHBOURS, 6 June. This funnyand moving new show uses music, puppetry and projection to look atwhat it’s like to move into a new house in the city and find your placethere. Are the neighbours really feeding cats to their dog? Why do theysmell like lemons and cat wee? Where has Dad mislaid the children thistime? Can he be un-arrested before Mum gets home? And why is thatcar on fire? 2pm and 5pm, tickets £13.50, children £8.50.

BLACKHEATH HALLS23 Lee Road, Blackheath SE3 9RQ, 020 8463 0100,www.trinitylaban.ac.ukFRACTURED FAIRY WORKSHOP, 9 May. Local author Rachel Mortimer will be introducing you to her fairy tales with a difference! MeetRed Riding Hood and the Sweet Little Wolf who loves fairy tales, andSnoring Beauty, who snores so loudly, the whole kingdom is in chaos.Hear about The Three Billy Goats Fluff and see how Mother Goat finds a clever way to make Mr Troll happy. Last but not least there’s Jack, whocan’t resist the sweetshop and finds a delicious Jelly Bean Stalk in hisback garden. 11am, ages 3+, £7. RUMPLESTILTSKIN, 9 May. A traditional puppet play using hand andshadow puppetry, mechanical moving scenery with wheels that spin andwindmills that turn. Ages 4+, 3pm start, tickets £7.THE TODDLER FOLK TREASURE BOX, 17 May. Delve into the FolkTreasure Box and experience sounds and textures in a delightful playsession. Ages 1-4, 11am-12.30pmn, free with a ticket.STORYTELLING CORNER, 17 May. Listen to traditional tales broughtto life with music, for all children. 2-3pm, £7.FAMILY CEILIDH, 17 May. Folk dancing fun for children, family andfriends. 4-6pm, tickets from £5.A REAL MERMAID’S TALE, 30 May. Follow intrepid explorer, AmeliaButtersnap, on an exciting adventure on the high seas with pirates, monstrous sea creatures and mermaid treasure. A fun and exciting showfull of magic, puppetry and mutinous rats. 3pm, ages 3+, tickets £7.

UNICORN THEATREUNICORN THEATRE, 147 Tooley Street SE1 2HZ, 020 7645 0560,www.unicorntheatre.comGET UP AT THE WEEKEND. Join the Unicorn Play Club every Saturdayfrom midday. Take part in free activities in the foyer such as rocket building, cake decorating or even Olympic musical chairs.PLANETA KA, 7 May - 4 June. An explorer gradually discovers this mysterious land; its mountains, craters and caves full of surprises. Tickets £10 for one child and up to 2 adults.HENRY THE FIFTH, 17-31 May. Kings need crowns and castles toprove themselves, and so does Henry. Henry the Fifth, that is, of England. Tickets from £10.ONE LITTLE WORD, 6-21 June. Two characters play together, exploringnew space, new objects, dressing up and taking turns. But there’s a bitof a struggle when one of them wants to be the only captain of the ship.Tickets from £10.

SOUTHBANK SOUTHBANK CENTRE, Belvedere Road SE1 8PX, 0844 847 9944,www.southbankcentre.co.ukFUNHARMONICS, 3 May. Join the London Philharmonic Orchestra ona musical adventure to the home of jazz, blues, bright lights, big cities,Hollywood and the Wild West. 12noon, tickets from £3 children, £10adults.MORGAN & WEST’S SPECTACULAR MAGIC SHOW, 2-23 May.Time-travelling Victorian magic duo Morgan & West unload another boxful of bafflement and impossibility for kids and childish grown-ups, at Udderbelly. Tickets £10.CAPTAIN FLINN AND THE PIRATE DINOSAURS, 27+28 May. WhenFlinn discovers a pirate hiding in the school supply closet, it’s all aboard,me hearties, for a real live pirate adventure. Captain Stubble needsFlinn’s help to find his stolen ship, but there are some mean pirate dinosaurs on the loose, and Flinn and his friends soon sail into trouble...Will fearless Flinn be able to captain the ship and defeat the pirate dinosaurs? Ages 4+, tickets £12. CIRCUS GEEKS: BETA TESTING, 26 May - 21 June. Three jugglersshare their obsession with throwing and catching through theatre, comedy and circus skills. Tickets from £10 children, £12.50 adults.

IN THE NIGHT GARDEN LIVE28 May - 13 June, The 02, Peninsula Square, Greenwich SE10 0DX,www.nightgardenlive.comThis summer, the world’s only In the Night Garden Live Showdome returns to The O2 - for two weeks only. See Igglepiggle, Upsy Daisy andMakka Pakka brought to life with beautiful costumes, magical puppets,enchanting music and breathtaking projections. In the Night Garden Livetakes place in its own family-friendly Showdome. With just 13 rows ofseats, you’ll be close to the action and everyone gets a great view!Watch the trailer and book online at www.NightGardenLive.com. Tickets from £14.50.

BILLY ELLIOT THE MUSICALVICTORIA PALACE THEATRE, Victoria Street, London SW1E 5EA, 0844 248 5000, www.billyelliotthemusical.comSet against the background of the 1984/85 miners’ strike, Billy Elliot isthe inspirational story of one boy’s struggle to realise his dream to danceagainst the odds. Featuring a timeless score by Elton John, sensationaldance and a powerful story, Billy Elliot the Musical is an uplifting andspectacular theatrical experience that will stay with you forever. Ticketsfrom £29.50, family tickets from £105.READER OFFER: We have a family ticket to be won. For details onhow to enter, see page 3.

THE NATIONAL THEATRETHE ROYAL NATIONAL THEATRE, Upper Ground, SE1 9PX, 020 745523000, www.nationaltheatre.org.ukThe Clore Learning Centre is a new dedicated space for Learning at theNational Theatre, offering events and courses for all ages, exploring theatre-making from playwriting to technical skills, often led by the NT’sown artists and staff. Family days take place on the first Saturday ofevery month and in school holidays. They are designed for children aged6-12 and adults to enjoy together.BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: SET DESIGN, 2 May and 6 June. Workwith a director to create a character and perform a brand new version of this popular traditional tale. 11am-12.30pm, £3 children, £5 adults,book first.

BRER RABBIT AND THE TAR BABYUntil 17 May, PUPPET THEATRE BARGE, Blomfield Road, Little VeniceW9 2PF, 020 7249 6876, www.puppetbarge.comLong, long ago, the Rabbit was king of the tricksters. He was alwaysplaying tricks on the other animals, and getting the better of them, andhe usually got away with it... Movingstage bring this classic African-American story to the stage, with marionettes, music and mischief.

LYRIC HAMMERSMITHLyric Square, King Street W6 0QL, 020 8741 6850, www.lyric.co.ukBUGSY MALONE, From 1 May. Fat Sam’s Grand Slam comes to Hammersmith to reopen the Lyric after a multi-million pound redevelopment. Join Bugsy, Blousey and Tallulah for an unforgettabletheatrical experience. Ages 6+, tickets from £8 .

THE ADVENTURE, 23 May - 6 June. When a famous scientist is abducted, it takes his two children, their best friend, an incompetent storyteller and audience members to rescue him and to help solve afiendishly puzzling mystery. This interactive mystery promenade performance takes audience members backstage. Ages 7-13 years.

STORY DAYS AT THE GLOBESackler Studios, SHAKESPEARE’S GLOBE, 21 New Globe Walk SE19DT, 020 7401 9919, www.shakespearesglobe.com/educationDynamic and unforgettable retellings of Shakespeare’s stories by GlobeEducation story tellers, suitable for the whole family. Ages 6+. 11am and2pm start. Tickets £15 for one adult and one child.

THE FAIRFIELDFAIRFIELD HALLS, Park Lane, Croydon CR9 1DG, 020 8688 9291,www.fairfield.co.ukMERLIN: THE SWORD IN THE STONE, 10 May. Arthur is a youngsquire destined to become king. Guided by Merlin, he has many adventures culminating in successfully pulling the sword from the stoneand unwittingly fulfilling the legend’s prophecy. With beautiful costumes,enchanting sets, magical puppetry, the opportunity to singalong and forsome children, to participate in the show, this is live theatre at its best.Tickets £14.50, concessions £12.50.THE CAT IN THE HAT, 22+23 May. From the moment his tall, red andwhite striped hat appears around the door, Sally and her brother knowthat The Cat in the Hat is the funniest, most mischievous cat they haveever met. Based on the much loved book by Dr Seuss, The Cat in theHat is a lively and engaging first theatre experience for young childrenaged 3+. Tickets £11.50 children, £13.50 adults, £48 families.THE PIRATES OF TREASURE ISLAND, 23+24 May. This swashbuckling adventure is packed with treasure maps, bearded one-legged pirates, tropical islands, parrots, mutiny, and the dreadedblack spot! This new stage version of the children’s classic by RobertLouis Stevenson, blends the best of storytelling, pantomime and musicaltheatre, to create a spectacular adventure for the whole family, with a fullsupporting cast and a 5-piece band. Tickets £15 children, £20 adults,£65 families.ALIENS LOVE UNDERPANTS, 2+3 June. Hold on to your undies andprepare for a bloomer-ing, knicker-tastic, pant-abulous adventure! Thiszany and hilarious tale based on the bestselling children’s book, writtenby Claire Freedman and Ben Cort, is delightfully brought to life on stagefor the very first time with stunning effects, madcap action, original musicand loads of crazy aliens. Make sure you are nice and early to join in theactivities before the show. Suitable for ages 3+, tickets £14.

FAMILY SHOWS AT THE ALBANYTHE ALBANY, Douglas Way, Deptford SE8 4AG, 020 8692 4446,www.thealbany.org.ukAll tickets £7 or £24 for a family unless otherwise stated.THE JOURNEY HOME, 10 May. Join Polar Bear as he sets off in searchof a new home when the ice starts melting. The acclaimed children’sbook by award winning author Frann Preston-Gannon, is brought to lifethrough puppetry, lyrical music and transformative design in this newproduction by Little Angel Theatre. 1 and 3pm, tickets £7, family tickets £24.DISCO KIDS: DOWN ON THE FARM, 17 May. Jump on your tractors,round up your sheep and head to the Albany’s disco barn for an afternoon of farmyard fun. DJ Jean Genie will be spinning some springtime favourites and C-12 Dance return to teach you and your littlefarmhands the best country-disco moves. Learn to plant and plough inthe Albany garden, enjoy growing games and play in the hay. 2-5pm, £6, family ticket £20, book first.

CANADA WATER CULTURE SPACECanada Water Library, 21 Surrey Quays Road, Rotherhithe SE16 7AR,020 7525 2931, www.canadawaterculturespace.org.ukTHE FEATHER CATCHER, 9 May. Freda loves feathers but there’s onespecial feather that she just can’t catch on her own. Can Greta help heron her quest and teach her about friendship at the same time? This non-verbal show playfully uses live music and beautiful projections to tellthis delightful tale of teamwork, with a chance to stay and play with theperformers after the show. 1 and 3pm, tickets £7, family tickets £24.PUSS IN BOOTS, 23 May. Would you trust a talking cat? You neverknow, he might turn you from a pauper to a prince just like the hero ofthis story, brought to vivid life on our incredible sloping stage by PatrickLynch from Cbeebies. With a host of puppets, a working windmill and anavalanche of fruit and nuts, come and see this classic furry tail. It’s thecat’s whiskers! 1 and 3pm, tickets £7, family tickets £24.

15f am i l i e s s e . c o . u k may 2015 - families south east

BRER RABBIT THE CAT IN THE HAT

Join us at Royal Mail fun runs

Put your best foot forward this May with Royal Mail’s 5km and 10km fun runs

in aid of our Charity of the Year, the Stroke Association

Entry cost for the 5km is £5 and 10km is £10 Children under 16 and adults over 65 can participate for free

Find out more and register at www.royalmailfunruns.com

Greenwich Park, London Sunday

24 May 2015

*Latest start time for the 8 and 11 mile walks is midday and for the 3 and 5 mile walks is 3pmwww.stchristophers.org.ukSt Christopher’s is registered charity 210667© St Christopher’s Group January 2015

To register free visit www.stchristophers.org.uk/funwalk Contact funwalk@stchristophers.org.uk or 020 8768 4575 for more info

#funwalk15Let everyone know you’re walking for St Christopher’s... and why!

Start from 8.30am* and pick your walk of 3, 5, 8 or 11 milesAwards for best fancy dress and the most money raised

Entertainment and refreshments on the Common throughout the day

Celebrate 25 years of our biggest fundraising event!Join us at Keston Common, Kent – walking to supportSt Christopher’s Hospice and St Christopher’s Bromley

POLKA THEATREPOLKA THEATRE, 240 Broadway, Wimbledon SW191SB, 020 8543 4888, www.polkatheatre.comSHOE KANGAROO, 8-10 May. Did you ever lose ashoe that tumbled into a bird that flew? Come on a fantastical journey to the island of lost shoes withclowning, mime and beautifully crafted puppets.Ages 4-7, tickets £11.50.MRS McMOON’S TEA PARTY, 16+17 May. Singingflowers, scrumulumptious biscuits and a Scottish jig are all just a door knock away at Mrs McMoon’s entertaining tea party. Let her take you by the hand toexplore a world of daring adventures, mischief, surpriseand laughter. Ages 3-6, tickets £11.50.UP IN THE ATTIC, 23 May. Join three children on abedtime adventure in this story about friendship andovercoming your fears. Exploring the attic of an oldhouse they discover hidden secrets, unravel a mysteryand realise there is no need to be frightened of thedark. Ages 3-6, tickets £11.50.THE COSMIC DANCER, 27-31 May. Pepita wants tobe a dancer. More than that, she wants to become acosmic dancer, to swing from a star and be lifted by theclouds. But that’s not as easy as she thought, the starsare far away and the clouds slip through her fingers. Exquisite balletic charm is combined with swirling digitalprojections, set to Debussy’s rich and evocative musicand inspired by Linda Ferri’s picture book. Ages 4 - 8,tickets from £10.OPERATION MAGIC CARPET, 1-24 May. Nomi wantsa story of her own. She lives in London but dreamsabout Baghdad, where her parents are from. One nightover dinner, a genie bursts out of a mango pickle jarand Nomi is swept away on a magic carpet to Baghdad. Characters from the Arabian Nights come tolife as she meets Sinbad, swims the Tigris and sees awater buffalo. A magical play about exploring your culture and knowing where you come from so you knowwhere you’re going. Ages 6-11, tickets from £10.CASA ... HOME, 27-31 May. Casa. Home. A placewhere I am just who I am. A home in which to shelter,eat, have a bath, sleep. A place in which to live andshare experiences. To welcome others. A home to explore, a place that changes as I change; to leave anddiscover everything outside it, and to go back to, everytime. Performed in English, with some Italian. Ages 2-4,tickets £11.50.

BACH TO BABY CONCERTS4 + 25 May, St PAUL’S CHURCH, Bedford Street, Covent Garden WC2E 9ED, www.bachtobaby.comA concert for babies and tots to enjoy together. Childrendance, roam about and listen to music the way they feelit, while you take a moment for yourself and enjoy exhilarating performances by outstanding musicians,with your baby in tow. 11am, £10 adults, children free.

ROYAL ALBERT HALLKensington Gore SW7 2AP, 0845 401 5045, www.royalalberthall.comSTORYTELLING AND MUSIC SESSIONS,Wednesdays from 13-27 May. Storytellers Paul Rubinstein and Olivia Armstrong deliver a series of sessions for babies and toddlers, aiming to engage and encourage interaction between parents/ carers and their little ones using musical instruments, singing,movement and stories. Ages 0-4 years, 10am and11.30am, £4.SHH.. BANG! 26+27 May. Two characters set out on a journey through a world filled with boings, whooshes,tick-tocks... and cacophony! Their journey is punctuated by silence, and as they are wrapped up instillness, they learn to listen to that silence. A delicatedance-theatre performance for children and their adults,playfully exploring sound and silence. Suitable for ages3+, tickets £9.ALBERT EINSTEIN: RELATIVITIVELY SPEAKING,28 May. Join Albert, the genius behind the übercoolestmoustache in science, for a lecture like none you’veever seen. Along with his wives, his mum and a guestrapper, he quantum leaps through two world wars, thewurst sausage joke ever, and even some actual properboffin-checked science. Suitable for bright sparks of 6years and up.

THE TWITS1-31 May, the ROYAL COURT THEATRE, SloaneSquare, London, SW1W 8AS, 020 7565 5000, www.royalcourttheatre.comMr and Mrs Twit are not very nice. In fact they’re extremely nasty. They’re nasty to each other, and they’revile to everyone else. Mischievously adapted from oneof the world’s most loved books by Roald Dahl, EndaWalsh turns the The Twits upside down and brings thisrevolting revolution to the stage.

The Great Outdoors

COVENT GARDEN MAYFAYRE AND PUPPET FESTIVAL10 May, St Paul’s Church, Bedford Street, COVENTGARDEN WC2 9ED, www.alternativearts.co.ukThe festival celebrates its 40th anniversary with over 40 Punch & Judy and puppet shows performingthroughout the day. At 11am a ground procession willtour the neighbourhood of Covent Garden, led by theSuperior Brass Band with a birthday toast to Mr Punch.From 12.30-5.30pm visitors can enjoy puppet workshops, stalls, refreshments, folk music, maypoledancing and clowns. Admission free.

LEEDS CASTLELEEDS CASTLE, near Maidstone, Kent ME17 1PL,01622 767866, www.leeds-castle.comLeeds Castle has been a Norman stronghold; the private property of six of England’s medieval queens; a palace used by Henry VIII and his first wife Catherineof Aragon; a Jacobean country house; a Georgian mansion; an elegant early 20th century retreat for the influential and famous; and in the 21st century, it hasbecome one of the most visited historic buildings inBritain. Grounds open 10am daily, admission to castleand grounds free for under 4s, children £13.50, adults£21, valid for a whole year.

GREAT BRITISH TENNISWEEKEND17 May, LADYWELL FIELDS, Ladywell Road SE13 7UT,0773 993 6999, www.southeastlondontennis.comPlay tennis for free! South East London Tennis is hosting an open day for the local community, with tastersessions for 4-10 year-olds, adult cardio tennis andfamily sessions. 10am-1pm, find out more and book online. For open days in other locations, go to https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/opendays.

HEATH FOR HEALTH10 May, BLACKHEATH COMMON SE3, www.heathforhealth.org.ukThe second Heath for Health community fun run willraise funds for Cancer Research, Macmillan Nurses andthe 999 club in Greenwich. With sponsorship fromHamptons estate agents, the event will begin with a funand dynamic dance based warm up followed by a 5kmrun for adults and families, and a one mile race for children. There will be 1st, 2nd and 3rd places awardedto participants, who are running the event competitivelyand a race clock so that all entrants can work on personal bests or with the view to improve their time infuture events. All runners will receive a bespoke runningnumber and Heath for Health medal.See the event website or Heath for Health Facebookpage for updates and more information.

16 f am i l i e s s e . c o . u k

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM HMS BELFASTBANK OF ENGLAND MUSEUM LONDON TRANSPORT MUSEUM

MoreWhat’sOnFind even more activities: www.familiesse.co.uk then click What's On

families south east - may 2015

ST CHRISTOPHER’S FUN WALK17 May, from KESTON COMMON, Kent, 020 8768 4575, www.stchristophers.org.uk/funwalk or emailfunwalk@stchristophers.org.ukBy signing up for this year’s St Christopher’s Fun Walk you’ll be able tohelp raise essential funds for the south London hospice. Choose from a3, 5, 7 or 11 mile walk and join in the fun - the more, the merrier! There’llbe prizes for the best fancy dress and the most money raised, with entertainment and refreshments on the common throughout the day. St Christopher’s cares for over 2,500 dying people each year with 750

patients being cared for in their own homes on any given day. The charityserves an ethnically and socially diverse area of London, covering Lambeth, Southwark, Lewisham, Croydon, and Bromley, and provideseducation services which benefit healthcare professionals worldwide.

ROYAL MAIL FUN RUN24 May, GREENWICH PARK SE10, www.royalmailfunruns.com/londonSign up and join hundreds of runners in raising funds for Stroke Association, who provide Life After Stroke grants to help survivors taketheir first steps back into the community. There are 5km and 10km circuits, plus a series of fun-filled activities including sack races, ‘guessthe weight of the parcel’, facepainting and a guest appearance fromLenny the Letter in his mail van. 10am start, entry £5 for the 5km run and£10 for the 10km (free for under 16s and over 65s), with £1 from everyentry fee going to the charity, thanks to Royal Mail’s support.

IGHTHAM MOTEMote Road, Ivy Hatch, Sevenoaks, Kent TN15 0NT, 01732 810378,www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ightham-moteIghtham Mote is a moated manor house dating from 1320. Described asthe best example of a small medieval manor house in the country, themain features of the house span many centuries from a great hallthrough to the last owner’s library dressed from 1950s. There is an extensive and beautiful garden, children’s natural play area, sign-postedwalks on the surrounding estate, plus an onsite cafe and shop. Open10am-5pm.

50 THINGS TREASURE HUNT, 23-31 May. Pack a compass and headoff on a treasure hunt. 50p.GROW YOUR OWN CRESS HEAD, 28 May. Tick off another of your‘50 things’ by growing something to eat. 11am-3pm, £1.

EDWARDIAN LIFE AT HEVER23-31 May, HEVER CASTLE, Hever, Edenbridge, Kent TN8 7NG, 01732865224, www.hevercastle.co.ukThe half term event for families gives a fascinating glimpse of the Edwardian era just before the First World War when the Astors were inresidence. Children can take part in an Edwardian school in an old fashioned classroom complete with chalk and blackboard. There are traditional games such as croquet and a coconut shy, and a prize for the best dressed boy and girl each day for those who come in Edwardian costume. In the Castle’s Astor Suite, an exhibition brings thefascinating ‘Upstairs Downstairs’ years vividly to life. Listen to interviewswith former ‘below stairs’ staff on old fashioned telephones and radiosand watch the Astor’s rare archive collection of home movies on a 1930sTV set. Gardens open 10.30am, castle from 12noon. Admission £16adults for castle and gardens, £9 children, £42.50 families.

STEAM UP AT KESR23-25 May, KENT & EAST SUSSEX RAILWAY, from Tenterden Town Station, Station Road, Tenterden, Kent TN30 6HE, 01580 765 155,www.kesr.org.ukThe Kent & East Sussex Railway is one of the country’s finest examplesof a rural light railway. The line gently wends its way from Tenterden forten and a half miles through unspoilt countryside on its way to theshadow of the magnificent Bodiam Castle. During the Bank Holidayweekend visitors can travel between Tenterden and Bodiam station.Some train services will also be timetabled to take the journey over a new section of restored railway track between Bodiam and JunctionRoad. The new track is part of a major reconstruction project which willultimately extend the current line from Bodiam to Robertsbridge.

THE HORNIMAN MUSEUMHORNIMAN MUSEUM and gardens, 100 London Road, Forest HillSE23, 020 8699 1872, www.horniman.ac.ukMuseum open 10.30am-5.30pm daily, general admission free, chargesapply for special exhibitions and the aquarium. The museum’s musicgallery and hands-on base, regular weekend and holiday drop-ins andworkshops allow family visitors to explore the collection through arts andcrafts, music, stories and hands-on sessions. All this within 16 acres ofbeautiful green space which has the oldest nature trail in London.PLANTASTIC, Until 1 November. Explore the wonderful world of plantson a massive scale. From giant seeds and exploding cucumbers to sun-seeking flowers and a huge crawl-through root system, Plantastic’sinteractive exhibits and games bring visitors up close to all kinds of fantastic plant life revealing how plants are essential for life on Earth.Special discovery and craft events run alongside the exhibition duringschool holidays. £3.85 per child, £7.15 adult, £18.15 family.

LONDON TRANSPORT MUSEUM LONDON TRANSPORT MUSEUM, 39 Wellington Street, Covent GardenWC2E 7BB, 020 7379 6433, www.ltmuseum.co.ukLet your children’s imaginations run wild as they are transported back intime at the historical and interactive London Transport Museum. Filledwith buses, trains, and taxis they can take the wheel, try their hand as atube conductor or bump around with the other passengers in the back,as they explore the vehicles of London’s past and present. Museumopen 10am-6pm Mondays to Thursdays and weekends, from 11am Fridays. Admission free for under 17s, £16 adults. Tickets are valid for 12 months’ unlimited admission.ALL ABOARD. In the museum’s exciting new playzone, children can getinto the driver’s seat of a real bus, repair a mini Tube train and play in the‘Lost Property’ office. They can also enjoy ‘sailing’ the Thames Nipper,serve passengers in the Nipper Cafe, fly the Emirates Air Line cable car,make driver announcements and help customers at the mini informationdesk using a magnetic message board, maps and clocks. Ages 0-7years.

THE FAMILY STATION. Visit the Family Station, pick up a coin bag andchoose some activities to do as you explore the museum. Whether youfold your own bus and drive it between the vehicles, design your ownposter-postcards or take photos through flickr frames, there is somethinghere for families with children of all ages. Open weekends and schoolholidays, suitable for families with 3-12 year-olds.LONDON PLACES & SPACES, 15 May - 6 September. The Prize for Illustration 2015: London Places & Spaces exhibition will display 100 illustrations that capture a variety of aspects of London’s unique character and qualities.

GAMBADO PLAYCENTRENATWEST SPORTS GROUND, Copers Cope Road, Beckenham, KentBR3 1NZ, 020 8662 6910, www.gambado.com/clubs/beckenhamGambado Beckenham boasts one of the largest indoor play frames ingreater London, plus special dodgems and a carousel. Children canplay, learn, explore and party in a healthy, fun and safe environment while parents can kick back in the cafe bar. Open 9.30am-6.30pm daily,admission from £6.60 children, £2.95 adults plus a registration fee of£5.50 on your first visit.

BANK OF ENGLAND MUSEUM BANK OF ENGLAND MUSEUM, Threadneedle Street, London EC2R,020 7601 5545, www.bankofengland.co.uk/museumThe Bank of England Museum tells the story of the Bank of England fromits foundation in 1694 to its role today as the UK’s central bank. Examineintricately-designed banknotes, feel the weight of a genuine gold bar andsee the pikes and muskets that were once used to defend the Bank.Children’s activity sheets provide fun for younger visitors. Open 10am-5pm Mondays to Fridays, admission free.MAGICAL MOSAICS, 26-29 May. Learn about the colourful mosaicsthat decorate the ground floor of the Bank. Join a creative workshop and make your own mosaic to take home, with designs inspired by theanimals and plants featured in the Museum’s Flora and Fauna exhibition.10am-4.30pm.

THE FOUNDLING MUSEUM40 Brunswick Square, Camden Town WC1N 1AZ, 020 7841 3600,www.foundlingmuseum.org.uk Britain’s first home for abandoned children and London’s first public art gallery, The Foundling Museum reveals the stories of the FoundlingHospital’s founder Thomas Coram, the artist William Hogarth and composer George Frideric Handel. It houses significant collections ofeighteenth-century art, interiors, social history and music. Open 10am-5pm Tuesdays to Saturdays and from 11am Sundays. Admission free for under 16s, £8.25 adults.INTRODUCTORY GALLERY. Showcasing a decade’s research into theHospital’s archive, the introductory gallery takes visitors on an emotionaljourney through the history of London’s first home for children who wouldotherwise have been abandoned. New displays of favourite objects offervisitors greater access and depth of information, while previously unseenitems shed new light on the Foundling Hospital story.SIR JACOB EPSTEIN: BABIES AND BLOOMSBURY, until 10 May.The exhibition reveals how babies and children inspired modernist sculptor Jacob Epstein, and explores his unconventional family life inBloomsbury. A very important selection of Epstein’s remarkable andmoving bronzes and drawings of babies and children, including of members of his own family, are brought together for the first time.

KENSINGTON PALACEKensington Gardens W8 4PX, 0844 482 7777, www.hrp.org.uk/KensingtonPalaceTHE KIDS’ SLEEPOVER, 16 May. The palace is throwing open itsdoors for a very special slumber party. Princes and princesses are welcome for a fun-filled evening of activities and entertainment beforebedding down in one of the spectacular palace rooms. Then rise andshine the next morning for a breakfast fit for royalty. Ages 5-11 years,children must be accompanied by an adult. Tickets: adult and child £60 each with breakfast included.WHEN I GROW UP... 26-30 May. Join in with games, dressing up, craft activities and storytelling and hear tales from Princess Victoria’sgoverness about Victoria’s strict childhood growing up in the palace.Family event recommended for children aged 4 -11 years old. Limitedcapacity, admission included as part of a Kensington Palace ticket.

CHURCHILL WAR ROOMSCHURCHILL WAR ROOMS, Clive Steps, King Charles Street SW1A,www.iwm.org.ukThe Churchill War Rooms were originally the Cabinet War Rooms, created in 1938 as underground storage areas for the Office of WorksBuilding in Whitehall. They were soon converted to house the centralcore of government and to become a temporary military information centre serving the Prime Minister and the Chiefs of Staff of the air, navaland land forces. Visitors can hear the first-hand personal accounts ofthose who worked in the Cabinet War Rooms during the war. Learn what life and conditions were like underground and experiencing the authenticity and emotional resonance of walking through the corridorswhere Churchill made history. Open 9.30am-6pm, admission free forunder 16s, £15.95 adults.

SCIENCE MUSEUM SCIENCE MUSEUM, Exhibition Road SW7 2DD, 0870 870 4868,www.sciencemuseum.org.ukAiming to be the best place in the world for people to enjoy science, the Science Museum makes sense of the science that shapes our lives,sparking curiosity, releasing creativity and changing the future by engaging people of all generations and backgrounds in science, engineering, medicine, technology, design and enterprise. Open daily10am-6pm except 24-26 December.LAUNCHPAD SCIENCE SHOWS. The largest free interactive sciencegallery in the UK is packed with exhibits which allow visitors to launch arocket, turn their head into a sound box and control a magnetic cloud.Ages 8-14, free.ENGINEER YOUR FUTURE. Put your problem-solving skills to the testand explore engineering through large-scale, high quality interactivegames and digital experiences. Discover some of the fascinating storiesof women and men who work in engineering today, with striking objectsand an accompanying film illustrating cutting-edge engineering. Suitablefor ages 11+CRAVINGS: CAN YOUR FOOD CONTROL YOU? From the flavoursyou learned to love in the womb to the very next bite you take, your appetite has been shaped by food. Through personal stories, fascinatingobjects and cutting-edge science and technology, Cravings explores the power food has over our bodies, brains and behaviour. This new exhibition will reveal how the brain, gut brain and gut bacteria work together to control our desire for food. Visitors will be able to discoverhow not one but two brains affect our cravings and take part in real experiments to uncover how our senses trick our brains into wantingmore.

Events and Attractions

STEAM UP AT KESRCOVENT GARDEN MAY FAYRE AND PUPPET FESTIVAL

17f am i l i e s s e . c o . u k may 2015 - families south east

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H U D S O N

Eltham Palace & GardensBy Zosia Edwards

Eltham Palace & Gardens, Court Road, Eltham, London SE9 5QE, 0370 333 1181, www.english-heritage.org.uk

Set just behind Eltham High Street, the glamorous Art Deco mansion sits intertwinedwith the remnants of the medieval royal palace where Henry VIII spent much of hischildhood. Eltham Palace reopened this April after a £1.7 million English Heritage makeover, revealing five new rooms never before seen by the public. Visitors are invited tostep inside the home of textile magnates Stephen and Virginia Courtauld, as it wouldhave been when they owned Eltham in the 1930s - complete with their beloved petring-tailed lemur Mah-Jong. The newly opened rooms provide a fascinating insight into their lives of luxury -from the stunning circular entrance hall to lavishly decorated bedrooms, and themagnificent Great Hall, which dates back five hundred years. Virginia Courtauld’swalk-in wardrobe features beautiful vintage clothing, while the 1930s map roomdemonstrates the levels of planning that went into the Courtaulds’ exotic holidays tolocations across the globe. You can even experience what sheltering from the Blitzmight have been like for the household, deep below in the cellar. Along with new information panels, visitors can borrow a multimedia handset, andthe family tour is certainly a highlight. Visual guides featuring a dapper 1930s chapnamed William tour the palace with you, and there are lots of games to play as youwander around. Family-friendly facilities include a dressing up box of costumes, a stamp-collectingpaper trail for children, an outdoor play area and garden paths to follow, a greenhouse cafe stocked with freshly cooked snacks and meals, and free car parking. Also check the website for special events throughout the year.Open 10am-6pm Sundays to Thursdays April-September; check for winter openinghours. Admission with Gift Aid £14.40 adults, £8.60 5-15 year-olds, £37.40 families. English Heritage and Art Fund members free.

loves

HMS BELFASTOn the THAMES at The Queen’s Walk by MorgansLane, Tooley Street SE1 2JH, www.iwm.org.ukDiscover the exciting stories of those who servedHMS Belfast; exploring the nine decks where sailorsonce hurried up and down its ladders, or take a lookat the mess desk where her 950-strong crew ate andslept. Open 10am-5pm, admission £16 adults, children £8, family tickets from £28.GUN TURRET EXPERIENCE. Immerse yourself inthe Gun Turret Experience, a chance to see whatfighting at sea would have really been like. Overlooking the front of the ship, or Fo’c’sle, is theforward most of HMS Belfast’s Triple Gun Turrets.Lights, audio, videos and projections will recreate the experience, highlighting the hectic and crampedconditions that would have seen twenty-six men inthis confined space at any one time. Entry included in general admission price.THE TOURISTS, until 7 September. In 1962, at theheight of the Cold War, HMS Belfast was making herlast international voyage. The ship called at Trinidadexactly three months after Carnival. Artist Hew Lockeimagines an alternative history with the ship arrivingin time for these celebrations. By altering the ship’snormal displays he shows us the crew preparing totake part, as a fantasy narrative featuring dramaticallycostumed mannequins.

CROSSING THE LINE, 23-31 May. Witness the ceremony that took place when sailors crossed theequator for the first time. Find out why the crewdressed up as different characters from Neptune’scourt and what kind of initiation rites men were putthrough - including being blindfolded and gettingsoaked! 11am-12.30pm and 2-4pm.

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUMNATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM, Cromwell Road SW75BD, 020 7942 5000, www.nhm.ac.ukDinosaurs, volcanoes, precious gems and creepycrawlies - discover the diversity of the natural worldthrough the nation’s finest collection of natural historyspecimens. Fascinating exhibitions display up to 70million plants, animals, fossils, rocks and minerals,with a hands-on education centre where you canmeet real scientists at work. Museum open 10am-5.50pm, admission free.ONE MILLION YEARS OF THE HUMAN STORY.What was Britain like when the first humans arrivedon its shores? Travel back in time nearly one millionyears to uncover what life was really like for our ancient relatives. £4.50 children, £9 adults, £24 families.DINO SNORES, 9 May. Discover what really happens at the museum when the staff and visitorshave gone home. Children aged 7-11 years, from7pm to 9.50am the following day. Tickets £60.

GOLDEN HINDE1 Pickfords Wharf SE1 9DG, 020 7403 0123, www.goldenhinde.comBoard the replica ship on Saturdays for a family-friendlyguided tour to find out about life at sea and Sir FrancisDrake’s voyage around the world. Regular fun days with costumed staff feature Tudor life at sea, filled with gruesomestories, treasure hunts, battles and hands-on activities. Open10am-6pm, £4.50 children, £6 adults, £10 families.

ROGUES & RASCALS23-31 May, LONDON DUNGEON, Riverside Building,County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road SE1 7PB, 0871 4232240, www.thedungeons.com/london‘Stand and Deliver’ as London Dungeon brings to life thedeadly (and dandy) highwaymen (and highwaywomen) whorobbed the rich (and not so rich) on the roads around 17thcentury London. The notorious Moll Cutpurse and ClaudeDuvall will be holding up the Dungeon and demonstratingthe skills required to pull off the perfect highway robbery in a flamboyantly fun masterclass. Visitors who prove they havethe daring to deliver the goods will be signed up to join Cutpurse and Duvall in a life of crime; those who fail maypay for it with their purses! More rascals and rogues lay inwait, deeper into the depths of the attraction. From Jack theRipper’s Whitechapel to Sweeney Todd’s Fleet Street, HenryVIII’s deadly torture chamber and Guy Fawkes’ parliament,1000 years of London’s murky past is brought to life in 18shows, featuring 18 actors, two thrilling rides and plenty ofedge of the seat surprises. Admission on the door £25.95adults, £20.95 children, discounts for online pre-bookings.

IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUMIMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM, Lambeth Road, London SE1, 020 7416 5000, www.iwm.org.ukIWM London has been transformed with ground-breakingFirst World War Galleries alongside a central atrium spacewith large object displays, shops and cafes. Family-friendlycreative and object discovery sessions take place on Sundays. Admission free.FIRST WORLD WAR GALLERIES. Discover the story of the war - how it started, why it continued and its global impact, through the lives of those who experienced it at thetime on both the front line and the home front across Britainand its empire. HORRIBLE HISTORIES - SPIES. Uncover the deadlyworld of spies in interactive exhibition aimed at families. Horrible Histories: Spies brings to life the horrible history ofSecond World War spies and their secret schemes, basedon Terry Deary’s book. Adults £6.20, children £3.30.A FAMILY IN WARTIME. Explores the lives of William andAlice Allpress and their ten children and what life in Londonwas like during the war. A Family in Wartime is brought to life through interactive exhibits, photographs, recorded interviews with the family, archive film footage, paintings, personal documents and an intricate model of the Allpressfamily home.FASHION ON THE RATION, until 31 August. Explore theways in which fashion adapted and even flourished duringthe Second World War, with items on display including awoman’s siren suit, the original ‘onesie’, and underwearmade from RAF silk maps. Adults £10, children £5.

NATIONAL ARMY MUSEUMNATIONAL ARMY MUSEUM, Royal Hospital Road SW3 4HT,020 7881 6606, www.nam.ac.ukThe history of British land forces from 1485 to the presentday, with costumes, paintings, artefacts and special displaystelling the stories of men and women who served in Britisharmies across the globe. Open 10am-5.30pm daily, admission free.ACTION ZONES. Learn about life as a Victorian soldier orWorld War evacuee through quizzes, games and hands-onactivities.KIDS’ ZONE. Under 8s can enjoy an exciting soft play area.

MUSEUM OF LONDON MUSEUM OF LONDON DOCKLANDS, West India QuayE14, 020 7001 9844, www.museumoflondon.org.uk/dock-lands, and MUSEUM OF LONDON, London Wall EC2Y 5HN,020 7001 9844, www.museumoflondon.org.ukOpen daily 10am-6pm, admission free. Regular programmesof weekend and holiday events and workshops help visitorsfind out more about London’s history, covering events suchas the Great Plague, Londoners’ jobs and occupations, andRoman life. On Sundays, museum hosts help visitors explore the galleries through fun, hands-on activities at 11am and 2pm.

18 families south east - may 2015 f am i l i e s s e . c o . u k

IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM RAVILIOUS – DULWICH GALLERYROYAL ARTILLERY MUSEUM

MoreWhat’sOnFind even more activities: www.familiesse.co.uk then click What's On

Art Activities

ROYAL MUSEUMS GREENWICHNational Maritime Museum, Queen’s House, Royal Observatory andCutty Sark, Greenwich SE10, 020 8858 4422, www.rmg.co.ukRoyal Museums Greenwich holds the world’s largest maritime collection.It is housed in historic buildings forming part of the Maritime GreenwichWorld Heritage Site and incorporates the Royal Observatory Greenwich,the 17th-century Queen’s House, and Cutty Sark. The Museums works toillustrate for everyone the importance of the sea, ships, time and thestars and their relationship with people, and is also a major centre of education and research. On Saturdays and Sundays free performancesand workshops entertain family visitors, while on Tuesdays prechoolerscan make music and play with parents and carers. Open 10am-5pmdaily. General admission is free; some buildings, special exhibitions andevents have an admission fee. AGAINST CAPTAIN’S ORDERS, until 31 August. A new family adventure run in conjunction with Punchdrunk Entertainment. With so much history secured in one museum: so many objects, so many stories, so many doorways to other times and other worlds, who knowswho or what will turn up on this exciting journey. Exhilarating, enlightening and perhaps just a tiny bit dangerous, this is atheatrical expedition through the museum, the likes of which have neverbeen seen before. Ages 6-12 plus parents, tickets £19.75.THE GREAT MAP. Borrow a tablet and ‘set sail’ to explore distant lands,discovering stories of female pirates, Scott’s Antarctic expedition andmore.AHOY! Visit the museum’s new gallery where younger visitors can boarda pirate ship, stoke the fire of a steamship, navigate an ice-breaker, andmore, all under one roof. Under 7s, free.HALF TERM EVENTS, 25-29 May. A week of craft workshops, storytelling and more.A SAILOR’S TRAFALGAR STORY, 26-28 May. Discover what life waslike for a sailor in Nelson’s navy through the eyes of John Simmonds,who was press-ganged from his home in Jamaica. 12noon, 1, 2 and3pm at the Maritime Museum.

MEET THE TIME TRAVELLERS, Weekends and holiday weekdaysthroughout June. Meet time-travelling Astronomer Royal Nevil Maskelyneor his human computer Mary Edwards next to the Steampunk time machine in the Meridian Courtyard and find out about their life and workat Greenwich in the 18th-century. 12noon, 1, 2 and 3pm, ages 7+.

V&A MUSEUM OF CHILDHOOD Cambridge Heath Road, Bethnal Green E2 9PA, 020 8983 5200,www.museumofchildhood.org.ukThis gem of a museum is fascinating for families with young children.The collection includes dolls, dolls’ houses, puppets, teddy bears,games, childcare, clothing, furniture and art and photography.Everyday drop-in activities include storytelling, arts and crafts, andtrails. There’s dressing-up, role play and an under 3’s area, an indoorsandpit, and regular special events. If it’s sunny there’s an outdoorspace to enjoy a picnic. Open 10am-5.45pm daily, admission free. ALICE IN WONDERLAND, 25-29 May. Celebrate the 150th anniversaryof the publication of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Enter Alice’sweird and wonderful world with great activities, making, story-telling anddressing up inspired by this classic children’s book. Drop-in, suitable forall ages. Plus, Mad Hatters Hat Making. Join artist Miriam Baez to fashion a bonkers hat inspired by the wonderful images and imaginingsfrom Alice’s world. £5, book first.AT HOME IN A DOLLS’ HOUSE, until 6 September. This exhibition reveals the fascinating stories behind some of the UK’s best-loved dolls’houses, taking you on a journey through the history of the home, everyday lives and changing family relationships. The small stories of 12 dolls’ houses from the past 300 years will be brought to life by thecharacters that live or work there. Meet the residents and discover talesof marriages and parties, politics and crime.IT’S MY PARTY. Take a look at children’s birthday parties from the perspective of both children and parents. The exhibition centrepiece is a life-sized installation telling the story of a party thrown for Wilfred, a shyresident of the museum.

DULWICH PICTURE GALLERYDULWICH PICTURE GALLERY, Gallery Road, Dulwich Village SE21 7AD,020 8693 5254, www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.ukMuseum open 10am-5pm Tuesdays to Fridays, from 11am weekendsand bank holidays. Admission free for accompanied children, £6 adults.Listed activities free for families with a gallery ticket or £3 per child.RAVILIOUS, until 31 August. The first major exhibition to focus on thewatercolours of celebrated British artist Eric Ravilious (1903-42). Wellknown for his iconic work for Wedgwood, he was also one of the finestwatercolourists of the century, with a prolific carer spanning peace andwar. Tickets £12.50 adults, £7.50 concessions.EYE SPY WORKSHOP, 16+17 May. Contribute to a mass installationcreation on the external walls of the gallery, inspired by the work of EricRavilious. 11am-5pm, included with a gallery ticket.EYE SPY STORYTELLING, 16 May. Join a special session with one ofthe gallery storytellers to experience the magic of storytelling and learnabout the life and work of Eric Ravilious through the works featured in the current exhibition. 11am, included with a gallery ticket.ARTPLAY, first and last Sunday of each month. Creative drop-in workshops for adults and children, with a different activity each session.Make anything and everything from bunting to block printing and allthings in between. 2-3.45pm.FREE FAMILY TRAIL. Ask a gallery assistant or stop by at the GalleryFriends desk for a free trail; updated frequently and available for the permanent and temporary exhibitions.

SUNDAY FAMILY ART CLUBTHE CONSERVATOIRE, 19-21 Lee Road, Blackheath SE3 9RQ, 020 8852 0234, www.conservatoire.org.ukJoin the Conservatoire on the first Sunday in every month for a family artadventure. Each month there is a different themed activity and absolutelyno experience is required as the sessions are led by a professional artisttutor. Pre book or just drop by, but places are limited. Max three childrenper family group. 10.30am-12noon, £15 per family.

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERYNATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, St Martin’s Place WC2H 0HE, 020 7306 0055, www.npg.org.ukThe gallery features thousands of portraits of the most famous people inBritish history, from the 16th century to the present day. DROP IN FAMILY SUNDAYS. On the third Sunday of every month, families are invited to drop-in with children aged 3+ to take part in portrait-related events.

THE WALLACE COLLECTIONTHE WALLACE COLLECTION, Hertford House, Manchester Square W1U 3BN, 020 7563 9500, www.wallacecollection.orgThe Wallace Collection displays wonderful works of art collected in theeighteenth and nineteenth centuries by the first four Marquesses of Hertford and Sir Richard Wallace, the son of the 4th Marquess, in theirmain London townhouse. Family multi-media tours and trails bring the exhibits to life for younger visitors. Open 10am-5pm daily, admission free.

ART AT SIR JOHN SOANE’S HOUSESIR JOHN SOANE’S MUSEUM, 13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields WC2A 3PB, 020 7440 4263, www.soane.orgTucked away in Lincoln’s Inn Fields at the heart of London, this magical,mysterious museum encourages young visitors to explore Soane’s treasures and develop new skills with specialist guidance. Sir JohnSoane (1753- 1737) was an inveterate collector, filling every nook andcranny of his beautiful home with items that fascinated him. From fossilsto classical fragments from Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome and fromcontemporary paintings to architectural models, drawings and literature,he intended that after his death both his house and its extraordinary contents should be used to educate and inspire. Free drop-in activitiesrun on the third Saturday of every month, with activities for all ages andfamilies can take part together from 1.30-4.40pm.

SOMERSET HOUSE FAMILY EVENTSSOMERSET HOUSE, Strand WC2, 020 7845 4600, www.somersethouse.org.uk

Free family workshops run on Saturdays from 2-3.30pm. Tickets available from 1pm from the information desk. Children aged 6-12 yearsmust be accompanied by an adult.

THE NATIONAL GALLERYTRAFALGAR SQUARE WC2N 5DN, 020 7747 2885, www.nationalgallery.org.uk

Open daily 10am-6pm, Fridays to 9pm, admission free.With over 2,300 paintings in the collection, there are hundreds of reasonsto visit the gallery, along with free hands-on art workshops for families atweekends and during school holidays. No need to book, but places arelimited and allocated on arrival up to one hour before the start.THE HORSE’S TAIL, 23 May. Celebrate the unveiling of Hann Haake’sfourth plinth by taking part in a special horse themed day full of interactive performance and art workshops.

FAMILIES AT THE TATETATE BRITAIN, Millbank SW1, 020 7887 8888, www.tate.org.uk/britain

Open daily 10am-5.50pm, and until 10pm the first Friday of the month.Family trails are available daily from the Information Desks and are freefor 5yrs and under. Go on a journey around Tate Britain and post yourdiscoveries into your ‘Post it’ box as you go. When you get home, openup the box and show your friends what you found. Or you could followthe ‘Join up’ trail: play the listening game, search for shapes, patternsand talking hands, and make your own sculptures.Every weekend the free Art Trolley encourages children to imagine and

create, make colourful collages, style a wonderful sculpture or perhapsmake a sketchbook and fill it with great ideas.

CUTTY SARK CUTTY SARK, King William Walk, Greenwich SE10 9HT, 020 8858 2698,www.rmg.co.uk/cuttysarkThe world famous 19th century tea clipper offers visitors four levels to explore. Take in the views from the main deck and steer at the ship’swheel, meet the crew who worked on board, explore the various cargoesfrom wool to whiskey, and see how tea was loaded on board through interactive displays, props, information boards and animations. Familyfriendly events run at weekends and during school holidays. Open 10am-5pm Tuesdays to Sundays, admission £7 children, £13.50 adults, from£24 families. Bundled tickets are available with the other Royal MuseumGreenwich attractions. WEATHER MOBILES, 25+26 May. Cutty Sark sailed in all kinds ofweather. Bring waves and storms to life by designing your own weathermobile to take home. 11.30am-1.30pm and 2-4pm, included in admission entry.FISH ON A DISH, 27-29 May. What lives in the water? Using a paperplate and your imagination, create a colourful sea creature to take homeand play with. 11.30am-1.30pm and 2-4pm, included in admission entry.

BRITISH MUSEUMBRITISH MUSEUM, Great Russell Street WC1B 3DG, 020 7323 8181,www.britishmuseum.orgThe British Museum was founded in 1753, the first national public museum in the world. Each year nearly 6 million visitors pour through thedoors to see the museum’s collection of ancient and historical artefactsincluding the ever-popular Egyptian mummies, or to take in the latestblock-buster exhibition. Open 10am-5.30pm daily, admission free,charge for some exhibitions.

GEFFRYE MUSEUM EVENTSGEFFRYE MUSEUM, Kingsland Road E2 8EA, 020 7739 9893, www.geffrye-museum.org.ukSpecial workshops and quizzes inspire creativity and provide amusement for accompanied 5-11 year-olds on the first Saturday ofeach month and during school holidays. Places allocated 30 minutes in advance of each workshop. Museum open 10am-5pm Tuesdays toSaturdays, from noon Sundays.HISTORIC ALMSHOUSE TOURS, 15 + 28 April, 2, 12 + 26 May. The restored historic almshouse has been fully restored to its originalcondition, offering a rare glimpse into the lives of London’s poor and elderly in former times. Tours are conducted by museum volunteers andtake place at specific times each month. Adults £3, under 162 free.

FIREPOWER - THE ROYAL ARTILLERYMUSEUM ROYAL ARSENAL, Woolwich SE18 6ST, 020 8855 7755,www.firepower.org.ukFirepower, the Royal Artillery Museum in Woolwich tells the powerful anddramatic story of artillery, scientific discoveries made through warfareand human stories of courage and endeavour. The ‘ground shaking’Field of Fire audio-visual show puts you in the midst of battle as shellswhizz overhead and guns roar. Open 10am-5pm Tuesdays to Saturdays.Admission £2.50 children, £5.30 adults, £12.50 families.MUSEUM SLEEPOVER, 16 May. ‘Put That Light Out!’ is an eveningpacked with fun activities followed by sleeping in among the guns andexhibits of the Museum. £60 for one adult + one child.WATERLOO WEEK, 26-29 May. To mark Waterloo 200, the museum’shalf term activities will all have a Waterloo theme. 11am-4pm, admissionplus £4.50 for children.

On the downside, chasing a toddler around as you attempt toapply pump action suncream is a regular pain in the neck. Once,I pretended to give up, abandoned the Nivea with a shrug andwarned my small son that only those that use sun lotion were allowed ice-cream, before going inside to get myself one fromthe freezer. When I came out again making cruel “mmmm,yummy” noises, I found he had squirted novelty blue SP50 allover the lower half of the French windows. Quite aside from theastronomical cost of a modest quantity of cancer-preventionslop, have you ever tried rubbing that stuff off glass? KIDS COOK FRENCH by Claudine Pépin , illustrations byJacques Pépin - Quarry rrp £12.99. The aforementioned smearedwindows were not only French, but actually in France. My son,now tall enough to reach the top of those very same windowsshould he get out of bed for long enough, as my regular readerknows, is less than impressed by my insistence on returning to Normandy year-in, year out preferring to consider himself deprived because we’ve never been to the Maldives or Malibu(“We’ve never even been to McDonalds,” he adds), is not surprisingly, a reluctant French student. He isn’t a brilliant eatereither, unless the menu includes Frosties. But I haven’t given uptrying to coax a love of food or France out of him and have hadmy eye on this cookbook with a twist for a while now. It is a cleverconceit: Gallic flavoured dishes that are easily concocted withthe recipes in English on one side and in French on the other.Next stop Poulet Roti aux Herbes de Provence and a big fatCrème Glacée! Bon appétit!COMPLETE CHILDREN'S COOKBOOK - Dorling Kindersleyrrp £19.99. As with all these so called educational giants who puthouse-style before imagination, the creators of this huge tomeare not credited on the cover and inside, there is no single ‘author’, just a mention of a robotic sounding ‘pre-production producer’ (eh?) and a ‘special sales creative project manager’(yawn). And people complain that children have no idea of thevalue of books thesedays. Still, what it lacks in, er, humanwarmth, it makes up for in practicality and quantity with photograph after photograph of step-by-step food prep fornearly 300 child friendly dishes. Merely leafing through it is kindof fascinating in a clean and tidy automaton sort of a way.There’s even the odd pic of a smiling child in there. Though that could possibly have been an oversight.Its sister publication, billed as a book for baking and learning together, MUMMY AND ME BAKE, rrp £9.99 looks like an appalling grammatical error until you realise it is the name of aseries and punctuation has been deemed unnecessary by one of the cast of a hundred that compiled it. I’m not gonna make ahabit of knocking a significant institution like DK but if you aregoing to produce books by committee, at least appear to set a good example. You are still in the literary business, afterall.Sheeez...1000 THINGS TO EAT - Usborne rrp £9.99. Another dedicatededucational outfit that sometimes, though not always, forgets wepunters like human attribution on the cover, at least this companyremains an indy, which is rare in our industry. And I happen tofind their loose and informal illustrative house-style very appealing, though possibly that’s because, as Trasha my middleone is oft to remark accompanied by a fleck of snakespit, I aman excited four-year old inadvertently wearing middle-aged lady'sclothes. Listen, any book of food lists that not only has a condiments page but one that name-checks Worcestershiresauce has got to be worth buying for your little darling. Who’shungry?ONE THOUSAND THINGS by Anna Kövecses - Wide Eyed rrp £12.99. I agree with the blurb, this is indeed a “vibrant vocabulary builder” - along with a question, there’s a little mouseto find on every page.. D@mm*t!!DINOSAURS, MY BEASTLY ACTIVITY BOOK by Victor Escandell - Thames & Hudson rrp £9.95. More than just a

colouring book (the lastest band-wagon genre), if the excellentlyknowledgeable interactive content featuring facts and puzzles inrobust sketchbook format complete with bright elastic page-marker never sees a frayed felt-tip or coloured pencil, itssuperb illustrations and tongue-in-cheek style ensure it standsalone as a worthwhile picture book.THE KING & THE SEA by Heinz Janisch & Wolf Erlbruch -Gecko rrp £9.99. Twenty one extremely short stories about a kingwith attitude, solemnly told but philosophical and nonethelessfunny. For example, he shouts at an indifferent dog and points tothe ground: “I am the King! Stop! Fetch! Heel!” Then naturally hehas to run after it. Yes, it is a familiar scenario for us parents.YOU CAN’T TAKE AN ELEPHANT ON THE BUS by PatriciaCleveland-Peck, illustrated by David Tazzyman - Bloomsbury rrp £6.99. A brilliant title and a jolly ridiculous ruse that parks animals on inappropriate modes of transport with abso-chuffing-lutely hilarious pictures. Genius. And I especially like the perforated ticket endpapers. There are some things that childrentoday are definitely deprived of - the utter joy of a two inchclipped sugar paper machine printed ticket for one. That marvellous sensation of having your ticket clipped for another.Horrible Oyster cards simply can’t encapsulate the memory of a magical bus ride on a terrific day out. Ghastly money-loadedplastic.We are back in France for the tale of THE HAPPY LION byLouise Fatio & Roger Duvoisin, Dragonfly Books rrp £5.99, a classic originally copyrighted in the 1950s recounted with thecharacteristically deft panache of its era that retro wannabes can only dream of today.USE YOUR IMAGINATION by Nicola O'Byrne - Nosy Crow rrp£6.99. Rabbit is bored but suddenly a wily wolf, our fairy tale stalwart, is on hand to suggest they write a story together but hecan’t quite prevent his appetite from hurrying the process along.“Use your imagination,” he implores with lupine impatience. SoRabbit does. And zoom, up in the air in a rocket goes Mr Wolf!After weeks and weeks and weeks up to our necks in the election, envisaging stuffing all the participants in a rocket andblasting it off to space works for me.THE SOMETHING by Rebecca Cobb - Macmillan rrp £6.99.More thoughtfulness here with what appears to be a more traditional and down-to-earth series of drawings but as the storyout in the garden unfolds, what is going on under the grounddown that little hole? And why is that fox wearing sunglasses,drinking wine and listening to a record player? Methinks he is enjoying the summer term too.YOUR HAND IN MY HAND by Mark Sperring & Britta Teckentrup - Orchard rrp £6.99. Journeying through the seasonswith big mouse & tiny mouse, this would be a little too icky for mytastes if it wasn’t for the fine, fine artwork from this accomplishedillustrator. It really is all about the art for me this month. I thinkwe’ve all had enough of rhetoric. THE GOOD MORNING GAME by Hervé Tullet - Phaidon rrp£7.95. Here’s another delightfully silly French toddler book for thecollection (and not just because I’ve discovered where to find accents - ooh là là! - on my laptop keyboard). Pop your fingerthrough the petit trou for the full daft effect.DREAMS OF FREEDOM, IN WORDS AND PICTURESby Amnesty International, Frances Lincoln rrp £12.99. What isfreedom? How do you explain the concept to the young withoutfrightening them or causing anxiety? It seems that we are goingto need all the help we can get to convey hope and reason andright to our babies in this current selfish climate where it is apparently respectable to deny others what we take for grantedourselves; acceptable to be the arbiter of just who is worthy of occupying civility and comfort and who isn’t; to condone exclusion and call it fair-mindedness. Gah! With words from Anne Frank, Mandela, Chief Standing Bear, Malala and ElsaWiezell among many, and wonderful images by the likes ofJackie Morris, Chris Riddell and Alexis Deacon, all royalties willbe donated to the charity whose simple barbed wire encasedcandle appears on the cover, speaking volumes. Vote for books!that’s what I say.

The Bookseller Crow is a fantastic, volume stuffed shop run by some of the most knowledgeable bookworms in the business.

Call in for the feel of a real bookshop, or if you’re too busy, pick up the phone or point your mouse at their website for a fast mailorder service. Justine Crow recommends this month’s best titles.

Ah. Finally, summer term is here. No more hunting about at the last moment for miniature matching gloves, or matching socks, or even matching shoes. When youemerge from swimming lessons, it is, miraculously, still light. Plus when the sun shines,a glass of wine after school on a Tuesday is strangely perfectly legal, honourable even.

19may 2015 - families south eastf am i l i e s s e . c o . u k

The Bookseller Crow, 50 Westow St. Crystal Palace, London SE19 3AFTelephone: 020 8771 8831 email: info@booksellercrow.co.uk www.booksellercrow.co.uk

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20 families south east - may 2015

Families South East

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Learn about the colourful mosaics that decorate the ground floor of the Bank. Join a creative workshop and make your own mosaic to take home, with designs inspired by the animals and plants featured in the Museum’s Flora and Fauna exhibition.

Free admission

26–29 May 10:00am–4:30pm

Magical Mosaics

Tiny Totsage 2.5-3

Little Acesage 3-4

Junior Champsage 5-7

Grand Slammersage 8-11