IN THIS ISSUE Club/Class Directory The many benefits of Scouting New Year: New You feature Issue 10 Jan/Feb 2020 familiesonline.co.uk Where is Families Newcastle Gateshead? Families Newcastle Gateshead is distributed bi-monthly WelcomeAfter all of the overindulgence that readers Christmas and the New throughout Newcastle & Year will have undoubtedly brought you, this issue of Families Gateshead. You can collect a magazine has just the right thing to help you keep to your New FREE copy from the scores of Year’s resolutions and discover a NEW YOU! Check out our outlets: schools, nurseries, play New Year: New You articles along with the directory of local businesses who are there to help you along the way. groups, clubs & classes, sports centres, libraries, family doctors Our popular club and class directory returns and is bigger and & baby clinics and children’s better than ever before! Why not have a browse through and sign your child up to learn something new in 2020? Equally, shops. If you would like to stock you’ll find an article on Scouting: a popular and every growing copies please let us know. For British institution that gets young people outdoors in the families from birth to twelve. wonderful fresh air! Read by over 34,000 local We lead such busy lives, there really is never any time to families 6 times a year. browse the internet or social media to find out how to entertain the kids, but never fear, our ‘What’s On’ guide at the back of this issue has plenty listed for a whole range of family fun options. Circlulation: 17,000 Wishing all of our families a joyful 2020 filled with plenty of fun Deadline: Deadline for Mar/Apr 20 is early Feb 20 family moments! Designed by: Anna Lawton Printed by: Warners Midlands PLC www.warners.co.uk Editor, Families Newcastle Gateshead Magazine Families Newcastle Gateshead is part of Families Print Ltd, a franchise company. All franchised Welcome magazines in the group are independently owned and operated under licence. Families is a registered Get in touch trademark of LCMB Ltd, Remenham House, Regatta Place, Marlow Road, Bourne End, Bucks SL8 5TD. The contents of Families Newcastle Gateshead are fully protected by copyright and none of E – [email protected] the editorial or photographic matter may be reproduced in any form without prior consent of Families T – 07794909820 Newcastle Gateshead. Every care is taken in the preparation of this magazine, but the franchise company, Families Print Ltd and Lifecycle Marketing cannot be held responsible for the claims of @FamiliesNGMag advertisers nor for the accuracy of the contents, or any consequence thereof. @FamiliesNGMag @familiesngmag Sleep Lessons for School FAMILY News Children National Storytelling Week Gender Reveal Parties Becoming Popular School children across Britain may be offered sleep lessons to help tackle the problem of insomnia in young people. National Storytelling Week takes place from 1 to 8 Children and young people’s sleep is being seen as an February and is a chance to reflect on one of the oldest art increasingly important issue. forms in the world. We are all immersed in stories — from According to the British Medical Journal, there is conversations during which we re-tell events in our lives, increasing evidence emerging that lack of sleep has a to watching our favourite television shows. The American trend of “gender reveal parties” to announce major impact on children’s mental and physical health, Speech and language therapists believe that storytelling the sex of a baby is a growing trend in the UK. as well as learning. A recent study by the BMJ suggests is vital for children’s academic success as it promotes that sleep has a greater impact on an adolescent’s mental Celebrated at an earlier stage in pregnancy than a wellbeing than bullying, physical activity and screen time. narrative skills and strengthens the ability of children to baby shower, a gender reveal party announces whether correctly sequence ideas. To be a good reader and writer expectant parents will be giving birth to a boy or a girl. The sleep lessons are aimed at children ages 7 to 16 a child needs firstly to be a good speaker and listener. years and are available as part of the PSHE curriculum. Sometimes this will be a surprise for the couple themselves The lessons focus on giving children strategies for falling Above all though, storytelling is fun. Whether we are with some asking the sonographer at their 20 week scan listening to someone else’s story or telling our own, asleep and raising awareness of how sleep needs change to write down “boy” or “girl” on a piece of paper and put it in adolescence. inventing and adapting narratives can open doors to in an envelope. It is then given to a friend or relative who exciting new worlds — both real and imaginary. organises the party. Experts say the increase in sleep problems is down to a combination of higher obesity levels, excessive use of National Storytelling Week takes place in storytelling Traditional ‘reveals’ include a cake with blue or pink clubs, theatres, museums, schools, hospitals, spoken social media before bedtime and a mental health crisis sweets hidden inside, a pink or blue confetti-filled piñata among young people word venues, and care homes. or a guest taking off a hat to reveal a pink or blue wig. But To find a local event or to look through its extensive more dramatic announcements, including fireworks are More info: www.pshe-association.org.uk www. archive, visit www.sfs.org.uk becoming more and more common. thechildrenssleepcharity.org.uk/ 2 Families Newcastle Gateshead familiesonline.co.uk DoThe you Big know Garden someone Birdwatch who loves to sing and act? Established in 2007, Little Voices builds condence and nurtures talent through inspirational education in music and drama for children aged 4-18. With a 100% LAMDA pass rate in our centre, we work with trained singing and drama tutors in small classes and are passionate about helping all our pupils reach their full potential. Our small classes meanwe Our aim is to help every child reach can focus on the individual child’s development, ensure everyone their potential through inspirational gets a part and provide a wonderful, caring environment where education in music and drama your child can make new friends and grow in condence . The RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch takes place from 25 to 27 January and is the largest wildlife survey in the world. The information collected helps monitor bird species in the WithUK, schools and is great under fun for p children.ressure to focus on the core subjects, . musicTo take and part, drama you need are to falling watch the o birds the in yourcurriculum garden or localbut park we forknow just one hour at some point over the three days and report your results to the RSPB. that the skills acquired through these subjects go way beyond You can request a FREE Big Garden Birdwatch pack from the RSPB which includes a bird performance.identification Ourchart andpupils advice lea to rhelpn so you much attract thatwildlife they to your can garden. transfer into other areas - important life skills like eye contact, posture, To make it fun, challenge your children to see who can spot the most birds. Take a bike breathing,ride to a local handling park to look anxiety for birds, and or makenerves, a day e tripectively out of it and spot birds in a new communicatingplace. with the spoken word, good diction and most importantlMore info yat, www.rspb.org.ukCONFIDENCE! There are 3 lessons available as well as THEATRE WEEKS and workshopsWould during You school Rent holidays: Baby Clothes? Mini Voices Ages 4-7: Mini Voices introduces children to the performing arts, with fun at the core of our lessons. These lessons are short to maximise concentration and learning. We also start to nurture your child’s talents and develop their communication skills. 07916138150 Little Voices Ages 7-12: We also start to nurture your child’s Email: [email protected] talents and develop their communication skills. During these lessons we introduce characterisation, expression, complex scripts www.littlevoices.org.uk/newcastle and working together as a cast. We really nurture their young singing voices with vocal health as a priority and fundamental acting techniques. Babies can get through an alarming number of outfits in a day, so there’s no getting away 2 FREE TRIAL LESSONS from the fact that you will need plenty of sleepsuits in different sizes, each of which will Voicesonly fitAges for a13-18: matter ofV oicesmonths isor wheweeks.re Sowe how start do youto seeavoid the ending Little up with piles of Voicesclothes training your baby br hasought outgrown? centre stage. Many of our Voices pupils go onFor tomore further and more study new parents, in performing the answer isarts simple: subjects rent. or are able to transferTwo UK the companies valuable have skills introduced acqui anr alternativeed to other which ca theyreers believe paths solves and this problem as well as being affordable and environmentally sustainable by reducing waste. The life situations.alternative also reduces time spent by parents constantly re-selling and purchasing clothes. As theyFamilies acqui payr ea themonthly higher subscription, grades return the outgrownmarks often clothes p androvide then receive the a valuablenext size contributionup, in line with their to UCASbaby’s growthpoints and for the entry changing to collegeseasons. Clothes are professionally cleaned and must pass quality control before being sent to the next renting and family.university.