Hidden Cheltenham...

With school runs a distant memory, 9:30am felt early to be meeting up with friends in town, but it forced us to be up and at ‘em and was the start of a free, fun filled day! 

We spent a happy hour at Cheltenham Children's Library (with baby bounce and rhyme going on in the background) choosing books for the summer reading challenge, reading and doing some of their activities. After returning the old books and borrowing the new, we all headed across the way to The Wilson for a play in the World of Wonders Gallery. Dressing up, colouring in and making music were the favourite activities, and again we spent a cheerful hour having fun.

Next up, we had decided to follow the Hidden Cheltenham trail, having picked up the map last week. We waved goodbye to our friends, then headed out.

The first clue is in the reception area at The Wilson and they advise you to take a photo of it so you don’t forget the instructions. This turned out to be great advice all the way round, as some of the clues are multi step and it’s good to be able to check what you need to look for or do.

The trail is around 2 miles and I thought scooters would be a good move, so I could pull Ace along on his if he got tired. Between clues, the scooters were a godsend, but I didn’t realise that you actually had to go inside some of the shops, so they were a bit of a pain at times (especially in Tiger as we missed the clue on our first circuit, so had to negotiate the narrow aisles twice).

Everywhere we went, we were met cheerfully and some of the stops even had activities or treats for any children taking part in the trail. Shout out to Middletons for their colouring station and free sweet bowl and also to Lakeland for their lovely gift of an icing bee making kit (another free activity for tomorrow).

The trail itself was very interesting and I definitely learnt some new Cheltenham facts on the way round. It also made me visit parts of town I hardly ever venture into. The route was a little haphazard at times, we were frustrated with having to go back on ourselves at times and Ace didn’t like going past green spots with the ‘wrong’ numbers on, only to come back to them a while later. I will add that this was sometimes due to me wanting to take a safer scooting route, away from main roads.

Including a picnic lunch and a few pit stops for snacks and water, the trail took us around 3 hours. If your children are older, you may need less time, but equally the trail could last all day if you stop to browse in the shops it takes you to or further explore the areas you are led to. We liked the distance updates dotted around some of the stops, Honey was especially motivated by these.

Our last stop was back at The Wilson to swap our trail sheet for goody bags. The kids were excited to find bubbles, balloons and glow sticks in the bags. If you have more than one child, just be aware that the contents of the bags may vary, for example Ace had a beach ball in his, while Honey had a WarHammer figure instead. This initially caused a little friction, but after a quick chat, both were happy with their lot!

As we went round, Honey and Ace also managed to collect another few stickers on their 'No child left behind' summer challenge sheets, so don’t forget to take yours too if you head off on the Hidden Cheltenham trail!

My only suggestion for the Hidden Cheltenham trail, would be to have the option of following the it digitally. Our map and answer sheet were rather tatty by the end and nearly blew away a couple of times when I dropped them due to hand holding or scooter wrangling (having now visited the website, the map is available to download if you sign up for the trail online). It would have been great to have had the option to follow the trail via QR codes and an app where you could also record your answers and unlock the clues, especially as I had to have my phone out to keep track of all the photos of the clues anyway. 

All in all, I would recommend the trail to anyone living in or visiting Cheltenham. It's a great way to see the town and a fun, free way to spend a day. 

Honey wears... Dress by Mini Boded (preloved)

Ace wears... Cargo shorts by frugi

Summer Learnin', Had Me a Blast...

I really can't believe how fast this school year has whizzed by. I'm a primary school teacher so I'm used to my life being arranged in 6-8 week blocks, but the terms seem to be flying by even more quickly now that one of my own children is in school too. Honey has absolutely loved being in reception and we couldn't be happier with the school and staff who have helped her learn and play this year. She's really excited about becoming 'a big year old' and can't wait to 'be a year', but she's equally excited about the thought of having 6 weeks of home days! As am I!

I know that some parents find the summer holidays difficult. If your job isn't term time only, then childcare can be a huge issue or if you're struggling for things to do with the kids and counting down until the weekend when there will be support from partners or other family members, the days may feel never ending. While I can't help with your childcare arrangements, I can suggest some ways you can help your 5 year old to retain at least some of what they've learnt this year at school. The idea of this post is for me to suggest a few incidental activities that you can slot into your days. I am not suggesting that you turn your home into a classroom and deliver structured lessons in any way, these are just some ways you can turn their play into fun, free learning activities to wile away the (hopefully) long, hot days.

Writing

If you have a blackboard or whiteboard at home, why not leave some new chalk or pen colours out for your child to discover and explore? Set silly challenges, like who can draw the most circles in 30 seconds, who can draw the longest line without taking their writing implement off the surface or who can write their name the most times by the time the second hand on the clock or watch gets back to 12. If you model games like these, you'll soon find them picking up the chalk and challenging their siblings or friends independently.

While out and about in the park, pick up sticks and stones and use them to spell out words. The children will love writing their name and practising their tricky words by scratching them into the dirt or laying down their treasure so that they form words.

Play writing games on 'special paper', we love coloured, lined paper here but sugar paper or in fact any paper will work! Honey loves making things and will sit for hours designing fabulous cards, books and posters. Why not play pass the story (write a line, fold it over, swap and repeat), use prompts like 'name of your favourite CBeebies character' or 'Go Jetters location you'd most like to go to' then have a giggle at the results (Grand Master Glitch and Cinderella visiting the Taj Mahal together could totally happen...)

Need to go shopping? Write a list together. Encourage your little one to have go at words they're unsure of by using their sounds or other, similar words they know as a reference (e.g. If they can spell could, can they work out should and would too?)

Reading

There are words everywhere and now that your child has a good grounding with phonics, they can decode many of them for themselves. Road signs, menus, timetables, labels, they're all great, real life applications of the fantastic skills they are mastering. Perhaps your little one could choose and order their own lunch in a cafe or let you know when they spot a sign saying 'beach'.

When you're reading together, encourage your child to pick put words they recognise and to join in with parts of the story they know. If they're in the mood, try taking it in turns to read pages of simpler books. 

Don't forget about the library, not only can you spend time there reading, colouring and having fun with your children, if they have a library card, you can also take books home (including levelled 'reading books' if your child is missing the structure of school). If they haven't got their own cards, make it your mission to sign up for free this summer.

Maths

Counting is a skill that can be practised anywhere. We are always asking Honey and Ace how many cows in a field, birds on a path, swings in a park... Honey is also keen on sharing and will divide boxes of raisins between herself and Ace, commenting on whether or not the piles are fair.

What time is it? Time is a really difficult concept to teach children but simply including it in your daily routine can really help them start to understand. Keep it simple, start with o'clock times and relate them to regular activities (lunch time, bed time etc). We bought Honey a cheap watch and regularly ask her what time it is when she's wearing it. Whatever the time is, she usually says an o'clock time based on where the hour hand is pointing, but at least she's starting to become aware that the hands tell us different things.

Challenge your child to find numbers when you're out shopping. How much is that top? Which pair of shoes is the most expensive? If they're a bit older, give them an imaginary amount of money to 'spend' it's never too early to start learning about budgeting! Show your children what money looks like and talk to them about equivalents e.g. A 20 p piece is worth the same as four 5p coins. Money is also gives counting in 2's, 5's and 10's real purpose, Honey loves laying out the coins from her money box and counting them in different ways.

Dig out the rulers and tape measures, they'll have a great time measuring sticks and stones and putting them in order. They could also measure their friends, toys or plants in the garden and tell you which is tallest, smallest and if any are the same height as each other.

Playing in the paddling pool? Grab some cups, bowls and jugs and let the children explore which containers hold the most/least water. They don't need to be able to read scales, they may choose to measure based on how many cups or jugs something can hold. In my experience, one of the things children find most baffling about capacity is that containers of different shapes and sizes can hold the same amount of liquid. You could challenge them to find the pots which both hold 6 cups of water (for example).

General

Arrange your child's toys so that they're inviting and accessible. When they're at school, everything has a place and continuing this at home encourages children to continue making choices about what to play with and how to play with it. You're also more likely to be allowed some time to yourself if they can reach everything and find what they're looking for, plus they can easily tidy things away independently so you don't feel like you're spending all your time picking things up after them!

Honey is quite interested in the World Cup and brings her globe and atlas down so she can find the countries and have a chat about them. Don't forget that the library is a fantastic resource for non fiction books as well as stories, if your child has a particular interest, why not borrow some books so they can find out more. This in turn might lead to art, craft or other related opportunities presenting themselves to you.

Last but not least, go outside and be active, family bike rides, scoot/skate/jog round the park. Go for a walk. Go camping, it's a cheap (if you already have all the kit) but fun way to get away together. Whatever you choose, try to take time to look at the world through the eyes of your child, ask questions, answer questions, but most of all, have fun!

Honey wears... Sun Suit by Frugi
Ace wears... Sun Suit by Matalan

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