F NEW YEAR 2016 R ISSUE NO. 174 E ESTABLISHED 1996 E ® ffaammiilliieessssee..ccoo..uukk ssoouutthheeaasstt lloonnddoonn NEW YEAR, NEW YOU Steps to success with The Vale Practice CREATING CONFIDENT CHILDREN Expert tips for parents WHAT’S ON Family events and half term workshops online edition with working website links ARE YOU feeling like our front cover girl? Her big sister gave her that lovely beanie hat for Christmas and she has vowed not to take it off until the very first hint of spring. While we can sympathise, there’s school to go to, life to be lived and hey - February half term to look forward to. Local News l email your news to [email protected] Aha! - that’s caught her attention! We’re running pell-mell into 2016 with gusto and a magazine full of things to do, think about and enjoy - Happy New Year readers! Funky Monkey’s new look - and new offer! Robina Cowan, editor Funky Monkey Keyboard Classes, founded in IN THIS ISSUE 2003 by oboist and pianist Ali Edwards, keep going from strength to strength and start 2016 2-3 Local News and Views with the launch of a cheeky new logo and shiny, Outdoor challenges in Battersea Park; easy-to-use website. London theatre for less, Funky Monkey’s The group based electronic keyboard lessons new look; nursery open days; are a perfect introduction for 4-11 year old birdwatching for beginners and beginners to reading, writing and playing music Alpine holidays en famille to first grade, in such a way that children just want to keep coming back for more! As well as term time classes, Funky Monkey 4-7 Education News To celebrate the makeover, there are free trials run ‘One Hit Wonder’ workshops during school Local schools’ news, raising standards and free lessons on offer during January 2016. holidays, with the next from 15-19 February in and expectations, and independent Find a centre, read more and book your free trial, Beckenham, Herne Hill and Sydenham - see school open days in Spring at www.funkymonkey.info, or call 0800 107 7949. page 14 for details and bookings. 8-9 New Year, New You lThe Vale Practice can help you stick to those resolutions; a financial makeover; Are you looking for a nursery? and new skills for your new year Providing naturally inspiring and exceptional care and 10 Family Life education for over 20 years, Bright Horizons Day Nursery and Preschool company is holding an open week from Family law expert Mandeep Clair on the Monday 25 to Friday 29 January at their nurseries across need to be open and honest during the country. divorce court proceedings Bright Horizons understand that selecting a nursery for 11 Creating Confident your child is one of the most important decisions you will Children ever make, and is committed to continually meeting the l needs of individual families. They told Families : Parenting expert Liat Hughes Joshi “We invest our time, focus and resources into creating specially designed nurseries that provide helps parents instil confidence in rich learning and play environments, empowering children to be happy and confident with a love of children - particularly if it doesn’t come learning and ready for school. It is Bright Horizons’ mission to continue to make a positive difference naturally to them to children, families and employers, and to provide the highest quality care and early education for 12 The Book Page each child entrusted to our care.” Visit www.brighthorizons.co.uk to locate your nearest nursery, then experience first-hand how they Part blog, part book review - Justine make a difference to children and families every day. Crow greets the new year through the pages of new titles for children and lgrown ups 13 What’s New Go Ape comes to south London The first doll in space, a GP on your Set among Battersea Park’s tallest trees, Go Ape is an exciting, smartphone, swapping skills with other wobbly, high wire treetop obstacle course that is great fun for ‘helpful peeps’, and retro mittens adventurers who love an outdoor challenge. Go Ape has 28 sites across the UK with Battersea Park the 14-18 What’s On newest and highest, offering great views across London. Ages six Family events, shows, workshops and plus, admission £18 - £33, bookable online at half term holiday clubs to kickstart the www.goape.co.uk/battersea-park. new year READER OFFER: Families readers can save 10% per person on pre-booked tickets until 30 April (restrictions apply). Book l19 It Takes Two... Families online or call 0845 519 8739, and quote ‘FamBat’. Should you share a holiday with another family this year? Front cover: Girl wears Lala & Bea super-soft merino wool beanie hat. £24 from Lala and Bea, www.lalaandbea.com Next issue March issue out 25 February, deadline 5 February Families South East PO Box 11591, London SE26 6WB 020 8699 7240, www.familiesse.co.uk, [email protected] !"#$%&'(!)*$+',-$'./$-/&+'01.$ 2-3."2$'+,122$41./1.5 Families South East is part of Families Magazines Ltd a franchise company. All franchised magazines in the group are independently owned and operated under licence. Families® is a registered trademark of Families Magazines Ltd, Remenham House, Regatta Caring for babies from 3 months Place, Marlow Road, Bourne End, Bucks SL8 5TD. The contents of to children up to 5 years of age. Families South East are fully protected by copyright and none of the editorial or photographic matter may be reproduced in any form without prior consent of the publisher. We take every care preparing this magazine but the publishers and distributors cannot be held 0333 920 0411 responsible for the claims of advertisers nor for the accuracy of the brighthorizons.co.uk contents nor for any consequence. [email protected] 2 families south east - january / february 2016 familiesse.co.uk The Voewood in Treasures of the Blackheath Fan Museum A lovely new shop The UK’s only museum dedicated to has opened at the history of fans and craft of fan 13 Old Dover making - right here in southeast Road, Blackheath London - celebrates its twentieth fifth Standard. anniversary in 2016. The Voewood To mark the occasion, the curators stocks have delved deep into the collections, womenswear, handpicking a remarkable array of gifts and fans, featuring richly painted homeware, and mythological subjects, elaborately as owner Nicola carved and gilt rococo confections, Hibon Jackson ostrich and bird of paradise feature told Families : fans, and many more. “we also have Treasures of the Fan Museum will run from 16 January to 5 June, at 12 Crooms Hill in Greenwich, a toy corner for www.thefanmuseum.org.uk. children to play in so mums and dads with young children are most definitely welcome to come and browse.” Wear a hat for BTR Wear A Hat Day is a fun-filled, annual brain tumour awareness event helping support research. The Brain Tumour Research charity is asking families and children and Just an average school schools across the UK to sign up, don a hat and support the cause in March. day... Involving families and school children in the The average British mother leaps out of bed by London theatre - for less campaign is poignant, given that brain tumours are 06:38am in a bid to get ahead of the daily tasks Get Into London Theatre returns with incredible new the biggest cancer killer of children and adults before the rest of the family wakes, and carries out year offers on more than 40 top shows. under the age of 40. Children have lost parents, up to 59 different tasks every single school day, Participating productions ranging from plays and family members and teachers, and in many according to a new study. musicals to ballet and opera offer tickets from as classrooms there remains a tragic reminder of a Mums will nip quietly downstairs to empty the little as £10 for performances from 1 January to 12 child whose life has been lost or damaged by this dishwasher, make the first drinks of the day, pack February, giving everyone the chance to experience cruel cancer. the children's lunches for school and fill the water the magic of London theatre. Families can also take Fundraising materials including posters, bottles. Then they'll make and serve breakfast, pack advantage of the promotion with offers for Matilda leaflets, fridge magnets, pin badges, wristbands the school and work bags, remind the children to The Musical, Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, quizzes and hat making instructions are wash, put on their uniform, brush their hair and The Gruffalo and The Tiger Who Came To Tea. available now to everyone who registers, teeth, go to the lavatory and leave the house - For the full list and bookings, visit and taking part is simple. To sign up, go to NOW! www.getintolondontheatre.co.uk. www.braintumourresearch.org/registration-form-hat Not to mention starting a load of washing, a spot of ironing, making the beds, tidying the house and putting out the rubbish. Following the afternoon school run, there's homework to contend with while Big Garden Birdwatch planning and serving up a nutritious meal for the Last year over half a million people took part in the RSPB’s whole family. Big Garden Birdwatch, spotting more than 8.5 million birds A spokeswoman for Simply Beef and Lamb, across the UK, and the organisers are hoping this year’s which conducted the poll said: “The results show watch will be a record-breaking event. the huge amount of work mothers put in to making The survey will take part on 30 and 31 January.