Parenting Archives - Page 2 of 12

Barracudas Activity Camps: School holiday childcare

Eight-year-old POD is heading to a Barracudas Activity Day Camp for the third time this summer. She’s always really excited about the varied activities on offer and the camp she attends has a pool as well which is an added bonus! POD loves that she can pick between two activities for each of the six daily sessions. This means one day could include activities like tennis, cheerleading and archery and another aqua slide, pop lacrosse and foot rounders! As a working parent, it’s the best feeling in the world picking your daughter up to hear she’s had “the best day ever”. The journey home usually comprises of her excitedly talking about what she’s been doing, the friends she’s made and how great the team are.

Why it’s important for kids to travel

If you’re a regular reader of our family travel blog you’ll know our overseas travels are typically based on discovery, adventure and exploration. Before POD was born we’d travelled extensively. From South East Asia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands to the Caribbean, South America and Australia where I lived for two years. Not to mention sun, ski and city breaks in Europe. When we became parents, we didn’t stop travelling we just went about it in a different way. POD loves being an adventurer and there are huge benefits to showing her the world. Here are just a few of the reasons we believe it’s good for kids to travel in whatever guise that might be.

A new era: Heading to Junior school

POD seems to have grown up so much over the summer holidays and not just in height. In just a few days time, she starts Junior School which I still haven’t got my head around. That said, it’s looking to be a fairly smooth transition as she’ll be joining many of her friends there. The Junior School feeds in from the primary she was at so it was a relief when she secured a place. I suspect we would have had to move house otherwise.

Premier League Primary Stars…a year on

You may remember just over a year ago the Premier League launched Primary Stars. It was a wonderful campaign to be involved with at it is a curriculum-based initiative designed to inspired children (aged 5 to 11) across PE and Sport, English, Maths and PSHE. The Primary Stars programme is backed by over a hundred Premier League and English Football Clubs along with industry experts like Edcoms, the PSHE Association and the National Literacy Trust, giving children the opportunity to learn, get active and develop life skills. The resources are free for teachers to use.

Waiting to hear about a junior school place

Those of you that have been following PODcast for a while will recall our previous school place challenges. Back in 2015, we’d expected POD to join the local school when she started reception. Everyone told us we’d get a place and we’d have nothing to worry about given the school was just up the road. We were well within the catchment too. As it happens, we were all wrong as POD didn’t get offered a place. We appealed against the decision but it was a battle we were never going to win. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, isn’t it?

Premier League Writing Stars Competition

Earlier this year we worked with the Premier League on their Primary Stars campaign. Designed to inspire children across PE and Sport, English, Maths and PSHE, Premier League Primary Stars is a curriculum-linked education initiative for KS1 and KS2 teachers. It’s a superb community project that’s seen more than 10,000 primary schools sign up for its free resources in just seven months.

Applying for a school place…again

It’s been a little while since we’ve written about school. But applying for POD’s junior school place is already filling me with dread and that’s without the months of waiting. You may remember POD didn’t get offered a place at the local school when she was four (in 2015). She ended up starting reception at another school, which was a faff to get to, and she didn’t know anyone. That said, after a bumpy start, POD ended up making lots of friends and finished her reception year with a glowing report. We decided to stay on the waiting list for the local school “just in case” although we did question whether we’d move her if she was offered a place.

Back to school essentials

The summer holidays seem to have flown by this year. The combination of our kitchen renovation (we re-located our kitchen to our dining space) and a holiday in Asturias has certainly helped with that. Either way we’re fast approaching September and the start of a new term. Hard to believe POD will be in Year 2, it really doesn’t seem five minutes since she began reception.

Preparing for Year 2 with Marks and Spencer

It’s hard to believe POD starts Year 2 in September. In some ways I wonder where the time has gone as it doesn’t seem five minutes since she joined reception. But so much has happened in that time. She’s grown ALOT for starters, not just in height but in character too.

Vitamin D and #PetitsFilousGoodness

POD loved Petits Filous the moment she tried them and they’ve been a firm favourite ever since. Whether it’s tucking into one of the Little Pots or pairing it with fresh fruit. Her preferred choices are apple, banana, strawberries or raspberries depending on what flavour Petits Filous she’s picked. Now she’s older she enjoys Petits Filous Big Pots too whether after a meal or as part of a packed lunch. Typically this is on a Saturday when she has Stagecoach Performing Arts plus of course whenever we take a picnic out. Petits Filous pots and pouches can survive out of the fridge for up to five hours so they’re an ideal snack for our little adventurer.

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Parenting

Barracudas Activity Camps: School holiday childcare

Why it’s important for kids to travel

A new era: Heading to Junior school

Premier League Primary Stars…a year on

Waiting to hear about a junior school place

Premier League Writing Stars Competition

Applying for a school place…again

Back to school essentials

Preparing for Year 2 with Marks and Spencer

Vitamin D and #PetitsFilousGoodness

Adventures

Visiting Mayfield Lavender Field, Banstead

A wander at Frensham Little Pond, Surrey

7 reasons to love Barracudas camps

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