Holiday Kids' Clubs in Bristol Summer 2018

Holiday Kids Clubs - great way to break up the 6 weeks school Summer holidays

Ensuring our kids still get the company of their peers and 

lots of activity in a formal secure, yet fun setting throughout

You don't even need to be a working parent

You might just want a few days out where kids can be kids and adults can be adults

When you reconnect afterwards you'll both have a renewed spirit and

be happy to share with each other what you all got up to. 

The first time we dropped Aaron at a holiday club Lottie was sad to say goodbye

but he had so much more time for her at the end of each day

when he'd had time away with kids his own age. 

Of course it also meant I could focus on Lottie one-to-one

which she loves like when he's at regular school.

The trouble with the school Summer holidays is most of your extra-curricular evening hobbies break up for the Summer too just like school. I know all of Lottie's toddler play and stay groups do. With Aaron though, we're very lucky in that our Football Club training and our BMX Club classes carry on throughout. But it can be a long six weeks with no school and no formal structured activities.

We ourselves tried Bristol's Premier Camps in February and Aaron loved it - he made great friends and took part in gymnastics, football, archery, fencing and Nerf Gun wars over two days even coming away with a certificate. When he was in nursery when I went back to work just before he turned one, childcare was circa 50GBP a day, so I was pleasantly surprised to find Premier Education holiday camp from only 15.95 GBP a day (cheaper or dearer depending on the amount of notice given and whether booked on or offline. Book online before you attend, to guarantee a place and the cheapest price. There is a mobile phone contact for each Premier course and the phone is answered by a very personable and informed team member who will give you the exact advice you require. If you do a course local to home you may well find your child knows a few people there.

Premier Camps!Everyone is invited to join the fun.

Inspire to Engage is Premier Sport’s brand new holiday course initiative. Your children will keep busy and active with a huge variety of activities and sports for them to enjoy during the school holiday. The fun environment on our holiday courses means they mix with loads of children of their own age, get active and most importantly have fun.

The programme is accessible across all age groups and abilities. It ensures your children have fun with friends, at the same time learning the importance of living a healthy and active lifestyle. The programme helps your child improve their communication skills, build their self-confidence and develop valuable social skills.

It’s a fantastic, healthy, way for kids to get out of the house. Kids love being active and of course it’s cool being with friends. The usual verdict is "it was brilliant!"

Premier - Bristol on FACEBOOK

Premier - Bristol website: Premier Education Bristol Kids Clubs Online

Clifton College Kid’s Clubs – 3-13 Years of Age

This summer, Clifton College in Bristol are hosting their popular kids’ clubs, with a group suitable for all ages between 3-13 years of age. Each club includes a wide variety of activities all with the aim that your children enjoy themselves and learn different skills on the way. 

The Mini’s Kids’ Club (3-4) 

focuses on personal development and interaction with others.

The Junior Club (5-7) 

focuses on encouraging children to pursue their interests and develop their skills through their own choice of activity. 

The oldest club, the Kids’ Club (8-13)

promotes self-expression, confidence building, offering complete flexibility and choice of involvement. Of course, all three groups offer FUN, with activities such as arts and crafts, outdoor play and even afternoon swim sessions (Kids’ Club and Junior’s Club).

Prices for all kids' clubs at Clifton College 

- start from £22 for half a day and 

- £44 for a full day. 

The Mini’s Club started from 6th July 2018 while the Kids’ Club and the Junior’s Club started on 9th July 2018. Feel free to join at any time. For more information, and to book online please visit www.cliftoncollege.com

An example of a day in Clifton College Minis Kids Club

Minis Holiday Club

Minis Holiday Club is for 3–4 year old children plus 2 year olds who attend our nursery during term time and is based in Clifton College Nursery. This provides a stimulating and creative environment for young children during the holidays. Qualified and experienced staff will support children to engage in age-appropriate activities with particular attention paid to personal development, interaction with others and, most importantly, fun! Minis must bring a packed lunch each day.

Typical Day Timetable

0800–1000 – Arrivals, Early Play including Arts and Crafts, Games etc
1000–1030 – Registration and Chat Time
1030–1130 – Playground and Games
1130–1200 – Optional Activities
1200–1300 – Lunch
1300–1600 – Outdoor Play/Free Play/Adult-led Activities
1600–1800 – Departures, Stay and Play and Quiet Time

*Above is an example of a typical day and should be treated only as a guide. Variances regularly occur as staff adopt a flexible approach to meet children’s needs.

This post is a collaboration

The Street Art Where The Wall Tour and Colour that inspired Aaron to #HartleysYourLunchbox

Hartley's Jelly via BritMums sent us two of their lunchbox portable jellies (Jelly Pots) and a gorgeous yellow lunchbox. It came in very handy yesterday when we went on a Street Art Tour and I knew my lil Aaron would get nibbly and restless along the way.

He did. His lil on-the-go pit-stop assisted by Daddy, who did this all whilst pushing a buggy (I love him having a few days off work):

The jelly is the perfect portable pudding as it has a lid, is sweet and is lovely and cool for this hot weather we've been lucky enough to get. Don't forget to pack a spoon. I did remember thankfully. Yes, as you can see in the photo it was a proper spoon, from my £40 John Lewis cutlery set, but what can I say, I left the house in a hurry and it was grabbable. We'd been up since 7:20 and on a Sunday on a bank holiday weekend I'm not normally a morning person. Scrap that! I'm never a morning person, so yes, back to school is going to be VERY interesting to say the least, but thankfully Aaron has school dinners. So, me trying to be organised to pack a lunchbox is something that only happens on days out. Actually that's not entirely true as I meet him with one every day after school as he always comes out ravenous and won't walk home till he's eaten something. Me meeting him with a full on lunchbox at 3:15 is something we did for the whole of Reception and Year 1 and I can't see it stopping now as we enter year 2, so yes, you may see this lunchbox again :-)

The lunchbox and jelly got delivered to us with 2 sheets of stickers so yesterday over breakfast Aaron personalised it before we even went out:

Truth be told, before using the box yesterday, he'd actually already had one of the jellies when he took it for a picnic with Rachel in Real Life's lil man "Cheeky Chap" the other day at the park. But at that point he hadn't got his mitts on the stickers yet so his name wasn't yet on the box :-)

Although I have a feeling that the urge to go on the bouncy castle with Cheeky Chap saw him not finish it.

But yesterday after a 2.5 hour Street Art Tour walk I think he was more than ready for his lunchbox and didn't have the temptation of another child there to run off and play with.

More information on this Street Art on Instagram.

So our Street Art Tour finished at The Canteen - the location of Banksy's famous Mild Mild West - by which point Aaron was so inspired by all of the art he'd been looking at all morning, he sat down and decorated his lunchbox with Daddy unprompted whilst he recuperated from the long walk. He was such a good boy throughout the tour I was really proud of him. While they did this, I got to listen, along with the other bloggers, to the founder of Where The Wall talk about the origins of his tours and how/why they started. I was humbled by his approach to the artists. Very inspiring, authentic and genuine. A lovely morning.

Once he'd decorated his box he tucked into his sandwiches (ACTUALLY the photo below jogs my memory he ate his jelly FIRST) and yes they were in tinfoil. No glamorous bento box lunch box here sorry. It was practical and convenient and tasty. By the time I fitted in sandwiches and crisps and jelly our lil box was full.

My tips for lunchboxes would be:

1. Pack what they love. You want them to eat it. Aaron's favourite sandwich is ham and cheese. I make this more nutritious by ensuring it is good ham and good cheese. None of that square processed reformed ham and none of that orange burger rubbery cheese. It may be Aldi's finest but the ham and cheese are good. I then add hummus which is fabulous as it contains CALCIUM. What Google says about hummus: One of the healthier options for dips is hummus, a Middle Eastern dip made with chickpeas, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and tahini (sesame seed paste). It provides you with protein and a number of essential vitamin and minerals, and while it can be high in fat, it is mostly heart-healthy unsaturated fat. Lifehack.org even makes the point that: "Hummus is gluten-free nut free and dairy free". It's also great for bones which means it's fab for growing children especially when they have growth spurts and growing pains (I'm not a medical or nutritional expert but that's my opinion).
2. Make sure they love their box. That's why I love that this one came with stickers that included letters which means you can personalise it. For kids who have a packed lunch at school anything that is a talking point with their friends is a big thumbs up.
3. A healthy pudding. There are schools that will take some puddings out of a child's lunchbox. The dinner ladies will literally do this quoting the school's healthy eating policy. As these jelly pots are sugar free I can't see there being a problem. For a dairy free child they're a great alternative to yoghurt and lunchboxes aren't left in a refrigerated place between the start of school and lunch so my money would be on jelly surviving that time better than yoghurt. Warm yoghurt? Yuk!!!!
4. Include some fruit. Yesterday we had two bananas with us and given that they come already wrapped they're so easy as long as you don't let them get bruised. Aaron didn't touch them so Daddy and I benefited but they really are a superb way to replace lost energy.
5. Easy clean. The Hartley's box is plain and simple with no fabric or nooks and crannies meaning it is delightfully easy to wash and keep clean. Hygienically clean!

So that's me. Plain and simple. I've never learned how to do one of those amazing arty types of lunchboxes and thankfully Aaron's never seen one so doesn't ever expect one. As long as he's in the dark on that score it's convenience and speed out the door for me :-) but we do mix it up. Some days it'll be grapes he'll want. BUT the ham and cheese sandwich has been a much loved staple for a couple of years now. Kids do sometimes have something that they won't be moved from. He'll regularly change his breakfast cereals but the good old favourite sandwich seems here to stay.

If you would like to get involved there is a blogger's competition but today is the deadline/closing date for entries.

If you would like to participate as a customer:

In store from July onwards, Hartley’s will offer consumers the chance to collect 12 special edition green lids from across the No Added Sugar Jelly Pots (115g), to claim a free Hartley’s lunchbox and stickers.
Consumers can claim their exclusive lunchbox by heading to the Hartley’s website www.hartleysfruit.co.uk. Each one comes complete with a sticker sheet of Hartley’s much loved characters and a sticker alphabet for children to personalise their lunchbox.

This post is an entry for BritMums #HartleysYourLunchbox Linky Challenge, sponsored by Hartley's Jelly.

At-Bristol Science Centre Review and Shaun in the City Harbourside

It has to be said Bristol is my favourite city in the UK and At-Bristol Science Centre, the science museum, is one of its diamonds in the crown.

It's perfect whatever the weather and consists of two floors of interactive education that both adults and children love. In fact there were adult visitors  there who didn't even have kids with them.

The Planetarium is one of its many best bits. It's housed in a chrome plated dome and is the first 3D digital Planetarium in the UK. Not to be missed. Aaron came out of the session a Qualified Space Explorer. You cannot use a camera at all in the Planetarium so I cannot share any pictures with you, other than to tell you that it is shaped as a globe (as you see pictured above). You get to pretend to open it up, so as to see the night sky; it's just magical and like the museum itself, VERY interactive. What they say:

After extensive work to create our new, immersive Planetarium featuring 360° digital 3D, 4K Ultra High Definition and incredible 7.1 surround sound! Using this system you can have an astronaut's eye-view of Earth, peer inside a glowing nebula, and even fly through the rings of Saturn!

Actually it goes on to say the following, which means we didn't even see it (as amazing as it WAS) in all its glory:

*Unfortunately Active 3D technology is unsuitable for under 6’s due to health restrictions

You can see from the blue sky here and above that it was GLORIOUS weather the day we went, which means we didn't queue for any of the activities. With this Summer being very on and off, I think people were out enjoying water and beach activities. When you get a few days of rain it encourages you to make hay when the sun does shine.

Even when sunny it's worth sneaking in to At-Bristol for half a day as you can spend the other half in the sunshine as we did, gloriously experiencing the beautiful day from the upstairs of an open top bus.

Plus even if water is your thing, there's plenty of paddling space and water features aplenty just outside At-Bristol right by the above Planetarium. Also, At-Bristol is right on the Harbourside. A very picturesque location that makes you feel like you could be anywhere in Europe. I've included some Harbourside footage in my youtube video.

If Shaun in the City is your thing there are several near At-Bristol. 

You can see a snazzy video of the Bristol Shaun The Sheeps' multiple installation here. 

The easiest way by far to track your progress and locate the sheep though is to download the app. 

The one you see pictured here is Justice Lamb, designed by Mike Ogden, which I spotted in Queen Square. I'd popped there to collect my Press Pack as we were guests of Destination Bristol for our day out. I didn't know at the time though that there are 2 at Queen Sq - ooops!

This is Beach Boy, designed by Mike Ogden again, and is located on the Cascade Steps, Harbourside. Even nearer to At-Bristol though is the Life Aquatic Shaun the Sheep, which is right outside Bristol Aquarium, and designed by Peskimo.

There are 9 trails in total. Firstly Sheep Drive, then Downs trail, then Brunel Trail, Heritage Trail, Farmyard Flock, Harbourside Trail, Southbank Trail, Old City Trail and Temple Trail. The Harbourside Trail is perfect to combine with time at At-Bristol, is 5km long, estimated at a 2 hr walk and consists of seeing 12 Shaun The Sheep in all.

Get the official Shaun in the City App for up to date and easy trail navigation. Get souvenirs  from the Shaun in the City shop at The Mall at Cribbs Causeway. Driving or busing to Cribbs Causeway will find you another THREE sheep :-)

Aaron stayed with Daddy whilst I went to Queen Square (hence not being in the above Shaun the Sheep photo) as they were both dumbstruck in awe of the Whales swimming in 70,000 recycled plastic water bottles. I got this overhead view on a craft workshop at At-Bristol with Hillary's Blinds :-) where I made this.

Bristol Post says of the whales:

Two huge whales have made a splash landing in one of Bristol's biggest squares.

Two life-sized model whales will be swimming through an ocean of 70,000 plastic bottles in Bristol's waterfront. It is part of a new art installation built by Cod Steaks, together with Artists Project Earth and funded by Arts Council England. The sculptures, made of Somerset willow, will be surrounded by plastic bottles recycled from the Bristol 10K and Bath half marathon earlier this year. Lead artist and managing director of Cod Steaks, Sue Lipscombe said: "Whales are intelligent, beautiful, charismatic animals and have become symbols of the world's oceans. Our sea of recycled plastic bottles represents the detrimental effect of plastic pollution on the ocean which is something that all of us can act on – today – by reducing our consumption of single use plastics.

Anyway, back to At-Bristol. You can see Aaron's FAVOURITE activity by far by watching our video (apologies it is all filmed on my phone as I recently *sniff* dropped and broke my camera).

We visited those parachutes both morning and afternoon, before and after the open top bus tour.

We visited the Planetarium in the morning - you have to purchase a ticket for the Planetarium and we chose  the showing for Under 6s. It was tailored to Aaron's age so just perfect for him. I think Daddy would have loved to have watched an adult version too as he is knowledgeable and curious regarding all things space!

I'd say Daddy's favourite part of our time there was creating animations with Aaron, which you do upstairs on the first floor. I wish I took more photos of this. There are many tables, each with backdrops, props and cameras. You simply scan the barcode on your wristband to begin. The selection of tables mean you don't queue long, even when it is busy. You also get the opportunity to request that your creation is emailed to you.

As some readers will know, I am pregnant (this week I am now 17 weeks) so my favourite part of the science museum was this:

I should have got IN the photo, silly me. As you can see above, the baby is a doll from 4 to 9 months, which mean there are SIX dolls you can take out and cradle, to show you and baby's siblings, how large or small they are at that stage. I wasn't yet 4 months when we visited :-( There is also an area like a clothed lift that you can stand in; it simulates a womb. So whilst in there, you hear  the "Mummy" above you, like baby does and the womb rocks to simulate the motion of Mummy walking. Mummy then went into labour which gave Aaron a fright, even though it was very brief and tame compared to real life. Daddy had to assure Aaron that when pickle comes, Mummy will be just fine.

TigerLillyQuinn took a great snap whilst there:

A morning at #atbristol - The size of the baby right now (and reminding myself how big it's going to be at 9 months 😱) #visitbristol

A photo posted by Fritha Tigerlilly Quinn (@tigerlillyquinn) on Aug 1, 2015 at 3:33am PDT

We actually didn't end up having lunch on the Harbourside and opted to eat packed lunch on the open top bus, saving our appetite for dinner instead. The only trouble is, all of the Harbourside bars and restaurants that are INCREDIBLY family friendly in the afternoon for lunch, are all of a sudden full of adults and alcohol more or less from 6 p.m. onwards, so we wandered away and ended up in Pizza Hut, which although not as hip and happening, was an oasis of calm, along with beautiful air conditioning after such a hot day. Both the food and service were fab. Aaron loved the colouring in/activity book and the unlimited soft drinks were a big hit with Daddy and I combined with the affordable menu. But then we've been fans of Pizza Hut as a family dinner venue for a while - oh yes, it's because I LOVE the unlimited salad bar!

In reality though, where lunch is concerned you don't even need to step outside the door of At-Bristol as the At-Bristol cafe is superb!!! Lots of people hang out in there for ages and there is even a very basic soft play area in its corner, which even kept my adventurous 5 year old Aaron out of mischief for 15 minutes :-)

I spent quite some time playing with this but still couldn't get it. Have you?

Daddy even taught Aaron how to play Chess upstairs:

A real highlight of the upstairs area are the water bubbles, which I didn't photograph but they do feature in my video above. You can move a large ring around in bubbly water and then pull it up to make such a HUGE bubble that it can arc around your whole body if you are talented enough. We saw a teenage girl do it again and again - I was in awe of her skill.

Despite us spending half a day in At-Bristol there is MORE than enough to keep you occupied for a full day, without feeling the need to rush off anywhere else (we just wanted to avail of our wonderful complimentary trip on the open top bus which I will review separately as it deserves a post of its own).

Daddy and Aaron talked to each other from one side of the ground floor to the other by talking through this circle into a large red disc. Even though you get similar things in playgrounds, on a smaller scale, they both loved it and passed some fun time this way.

Going to At-Bristol is the sort of day that is not at all taxing, because not only is your child entertained but you are too. Plus it is in that educational way that leaves you feeling fascinated, like you are all the wiser for having been. You're SPENDING QUALITY time rather than just killing time. Well worth a visit. We've been before and no doubt we'll go again.

When we popped back in, in the evening after the bus tour we really enjoyed putting this body together, literally organs, bones, muscles and skin. So educational and fun. Educational stuff is so perfect to keep their brains active in school holidays. But no matter what he did, sending that foam rocket and parachute up, and seeing it fly down, again and again and again and again was by far his favourite activity.

So much more I could say about At-Bristol but I think I will say bye for now.

We do need to thank Visit Bristol for a superb day out. You can find them on Twitter via @VisitBristol and see lots of fun tweets/pics via the hashtags #VisitBristol and #ShaunInTheCity. Incidentally Bristol this year is European Green Capital and has many many times been voted Best City to Live in the UK, by the Sunday Times and many other publications.

Routes To Reading - Bristol Free Day Out for 3 Years Olds and Under.

We're going to meet friends in Bristol City Centre this weekend.

Reading's always been extremely important to Aaron and I. We have a large collection of books. 

I laughed at his open evening for his big school in September  - he starts this year in reception. They said, over the Summer, to get them reading for school, try and read to your child for 5-10 minutes a day. Me and the lady next to me looked at each other horrified. I read to Aaron for anything between 60 and 90 minutes a day. I know children not being read to is a big issue as London's Evening Standard has been campaigning about it for years, and it is not a class issue. I know lots of middle class parents who by the time they collect kids from childcare after work, all they have time for is dinner, bath and bed, and that often times does not include a story, or a very brief one.

If reading's important to you, and you're in Bristol this weekend, come along. I found with Aaron that they're never too young to be read to. What they don't understand one week or month, they do the next. Raising the bar, each time to the next level of vocabulary or picture recognition leads to progress in leaps and bounds.

This is the timetable: 

This is a free launch event for Bristol company: Education Umbrella. Their new Reading Scheme is "Routes to Reading".

Little Readers’ Day Out is a free event aimed at helping parents to get the most out of reading books with their babies and toddlers. 

On Saturday 28th June in the At-Bristol science museum, parents will have the opportunity to take part in storytelling and rhyme time sessions with their little ones, and to speak to our reading experts about their child’s reading journey. There’s something for everyone; from parents who are yet to start reading to their baby to those who already read regularly. 

This is also an opportunity to join the baby book club and receive the best new books for babies and toddlers.

As well as story telling sessions and rhyme time there will be crafts and colouring, face painting, competitions and give-aways, guest appearances by well known book characters and a picture opportunity with Steam Dog Gromit. It promises to be a fabulous free event and great day out for any family with pre school children.

Routes to Reading was conceived when a group of seven Bristol-based families met at their first National Childcare Trust (NCT) class. 

A year later one of the parents, Ruth Wadsworth, joined Education Umbrella. She set out to capture the reading trials and triumphs of her NCT group and turn them into something helpful for fellow parents. 

At the same time, Education Umbrella’s child literacy expert, Sandee Sond, was seeking a platform from which to showcase the best in children’s literature. 

When they put their goals together Routes to Reading was born. 

Combining the power of reading with the pleasure of the right book, the new team devised a unique yet simple initiative: every month an expert panel would select two books for each of the seven families, in exchange for which the parents would submit videos of reading time with their child. 

This exciting project is now ready to share these reading experiences with the world and help more parents create their own reading journeys. The book club will officially launch at the end of June complete with a website packed full of reading tips and videos for parents to browse as well as an opportunity to upload their own.

The Routes to Reading website will also feature

• A Little ones’ library where you can find the best books for children aged 0-3, month by month; 

• Reading guidance from early years and education professionals;

• A video gallery of parents reading to children – this is divided month by month so parents can get guidance for their child’s exact age;

• A video upload page; parents who upload their videos could be featured in the video gallery and;

• A chance to join the baby book club.

Event: Little Readers’ Day Out

Date: Saturday 28th

Time: 10.30am-3.00pm

Venue: At-Bristol, Anchor Road, Harbourside, Bristol, BS1 5DB www.at-bristol.org.uk

Free entry

Suitable for: Parents of children aged 0-3

Older siblings will be catered for