Dulwich & South London Mums' Blog

Looking for a piano teacher in East Dulwich?

2017-08-14T08:42:00.000-07:00

The SE22 Piano School is a well-established team of private piano teachers working in East Dulwich from a commercial studio on Pellatt Road. We are just off Lordship Lane (near Harris and Heber primary schools).

We offer individual piano lessons on Monday to Saturday and group music theory lessons on Thursday afternoons. We also offer termly performance opportunities as well as the popular Dulwich Music Festival events.

Term resumes on Monday 4th September 2017. Get in touch to find out our latest vacancies and to book your space. Have a look through our Guide to Starting Lessons.

What is the Music Aptitude Test?

2017-08-14T08:30:00.001-07:00

The Music Aptitude Test (MAT) is a test used by many selective state secondary schools in the UK to identify a child’s musical talent and grant admission to the school. The MAT allows the school to select a percentage of their intake on a music scholarship scheme that usually bypasses the catchment-area requirements, hence the popularity of this system amongst musical students.

The SE22 Piano School has been preparing students for a decade for the MAT Test. For students that do not live in the East Dulwich and South London area, they offer training test materials to help you prepare with your teacher for the upcoming test. Find out more about these online: https://musicaptitudetest.wordpress.com

The MAT is a test of aptitude and therefore does not require a child to have received formal music training or have accomplished a certain grade level. The Music Aptitude Test is therefore designed to provide a level playing field for candidates so that children who have been studying a musical instrument for a number of years do not have a clear advantage. Knowledge of musical theory is not required as these tests are based entirely on aural responses to a listening test. Often the MAT uses electronic sounds so that children that are already studying music do not have any advantage over students that haven’t had any formal training. However the second round of the audition does require students to demonstrate their skill on their chosen instrument, including voice, so a pre-prepared audition piece or pieces will be required. You can read more about the scholarship process here: http://www.se22piano.co.uk/all-about-music-scholarships-in-south-london/

The Music Aptitude Test cover 4 key areas: pitch, melody, rhythm, texture, shape and answers are written on a multiple choice sheet. There are many schools that use MAT as a selective criterion for admission. This list is not exhaustive but here are some of the schools that have recently used the MAT Test. Please check the current prospectus for up to date admissions information:

Ashmole Academy
Bushey Meads School
Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School
Chelsea Academy
Claremont High School Academy
Dame Alice Owen
Haberdashers’ Aske’s / Prendergast Hilly Fields / Crayford Academy
Highgate School
Langley Grammar School
Leventhorpe / The Bishop’s Stortford High School / The Hertfordshire & Essex High School
Old Swinford Hospital Boys’ School
Parmiter’s School
Queens’ School (Bushey)
Rickmansworth School
South West Herts School consortium schools
St Anne’s Catholic School, Southampton
St Clement Danes
St Paul’s Way Trust School
The Hertfordshire & Essex High School and Science College
Uxbridge High School
Watford Grammar School for Boys
Watford Grammar School for Girls
William Ellis School
Wymondham College

Spin Painting and T-Shirt Making Arty Birthday Parties in East Dulwich

2015-09-05T06:07:00.000-07:00

Captured on the Rye offer amazing birthday parties for children from age 4+. They also run workshops in schools and youth centres. For parties larger than 15 attendees, they can come to your home. Get in touch with Lou to discuss your party: shop@capturedontherye.co.uk

Read lots of great feedback about the parties on the East Dulwich Forum.

Back to School: 100% Organic Cotton Uniform at Sensible Prices

2013-07-25T11:45:00.002-07:00

EcoOutfitters: I was delighted to read about this company in FamiliesSE magazine as they offer 100% Organic Cotton Uniform at Sensible Prices. Children spend over 7 hours a day wearing school uniforms that are often not sweat absorbent, do not allow the skin to breathe, do not feel pleasant against the skin and are treated with harmful pesticides that can aggravate or, even spark skin conditions. I also noticed a post on the East Dulwich Forum about someone's daughter having severe eczema which means her skin is easily irritated by clothing that is not 100% cotton.

Pinafore, £16.95

Made in East Dulwich - available now at Captured on the Rye, 85 Pellatt Road

2013-06-21T06:01:00.001-07:00

We love the new range of Made in East Dulwich clothing from Captured on the Rye, 85 Pellatt Road (near The Mag pub). They also stock mugs, framed prints and greetings cards with the Made in East Dulwich brand plus Made in Peckham too!

They also host a wide range of arts activities for adults and kids including framed spin paintings and lamsphade-making workshops.

Made in East Dulwich - Youth and Adult T-Shirts available

Free Origami Workshop - Wednesday 22nd May at 4pm

2013-05-15T15:59:00.001-07:00

Free Paper Folding Workshop

For children aged 8 and up — parents too!

Local artist Ioana Stoian invites you to come and fold some easy origami designs, including models from her new book. Take home a jumping frog, an inflatable ball, a fantastic fish, and other fun creations!

WHERE:

Captured on the Rye

85 Pellatt Rd, East Dulwich

WHEN:

Wednesday, 22 May from 4 to 5 PM

Find more information about Ioana and her origami creations at www.origamiforall.com.

Ioana's book 'Origami for All' will be on sale on the day for £9.99.

Mum of the Month: Esme from the East Dulwich Nanny Agency & Live Love Local

2013-04-27T00:43:00.003-07:00

Our mum of the month is Esme - a very busy lady! She juggles work with family life (her 3 yr old – and husband – keep her busy at weekends!) like so many women, in her spare time promoting shopping locally and thinking up other ideas to help the community (see her website www.eastdulwichmummy.com for local events and business listings).

Esme organised a fantastic fundraiser in February at the Plough to celebrate Chinese New Year and help raise money for Xavier, a lovely little boy with cerebral palsy who needs specialist surgery in the US to help him walk unaided. The great news is that Xavier has reached his target thanks to the generosity of many local people, businesses and anonymous donors and is off to America in June. If you wish to find out more go to www.helpxavier.org as the team continue to help children with cerebral palsy, working in conjunction with the staff at Sunshine House in Peckham.

Esme runs the East Dulwich Nanny Agency (EDNA) and is also just about to launch a shopping loyalty card for East Dulwich businesses. The loyalty card isn't just for Dulwich though - it will hopefully be rolled out to many other areas in south London and beyond. Have a look at Live Love Local where you can read more about the loyalty card.

Esme set up EDNA after spotting a gap in the market and decided she wanted to run an agency which provides a high quality, local and personal service to parents but at affordable rates. The agency operates on a fixed fee basis, whereas most others charge a percentage of the nanny’s salary (which can equate to over a thousand pounds). They can source the perfect nanny for your family’s needs, whether you simply want temporary help night & day when number 2 (or 3!) is on the way or a full-time permanent nanny. EDNA can also help find a nanny for nannyshares at the same rate as sole care nanny. All nannies have current First Aid Certificates & are fully CRB checked (many are also OFSTED registered).

As a special offer, Esme is offering 10% off all permanent placement fees when you mention the Dulwich Mums' blog.

Tel. 07453 890 109

office@ednannyagency.co.uk

www.eastdulwichnannyagency.com

Applying for school places in East Dulwich - some tips and advice gathered from parents to help you with your application for 2014 school entry

2013-04-26T03:46:00.000-07:00

Applying for primary and secondary schools is a hot topic of conversation in East Dulwich throughout the year. It can be a rather confusing process for many parents. I have just gone through this process for my daughter's entry to primary school and thought it would be useful to pass on some information about the school admission process.

East Dulwich is an area where many schools are oversubscribed, and the ones that are undersubscribed are often ones that parents are reluctant to send their children, therefore competition for school places is very tough. Catchment areas are particularly small, sometimes under 260 metres. Occasionally, schools only admit siblings which is, of course, a cause of concern for parents trying to secure a school place for their first child.

Here are some tips and advice that I have found from local parents that have gone through the process and also Councillor Renata Hamvas who is incredibly knowledgeable and helpful with demystifying the school admission process in Southwark. I hope that all information supplied is accurate. Please do leave a comment if you find something that is not correct.

The School Application Process:

1) Make sure you choose 6 schools on the Common Application Form (CAF).

If you do not fill in all your choices, then I believe that the Council can allocate you a school that is not on your list.

2) Make realistic choices for your 6 schools.

Do you live over 500m away from a popular school? If so, you may struggle to get in on distance alone. How about choosing some alternative schools that are undersubscribed but within a reasonable journey or distance? If you do not choose 6 realistic school options, you may end up with an overflow school that is hard to reach but still within an acceptable journey as deemed by the Council. Further down this posting you can see a table with 2013 Community School statistics including last distance offered and sibling intake.

3) Attend an information session at Southwark Council

You can attend a Southwark Council drop-in information session with Liam White from the admissions team who will give you information on how to fill in the application forms. Liam runs a weekly drop in session, see details below. Liam also attends various nurseries in the local area to run sessions. If your nursery is not running a session, perhaps you could find out if it would be possible for Liam or a colleague to come to your nursery to run a session.

Weekly Drop-In Service:
Every Wednesday 9:30AM - 12:30PM at The Peckham One Stop Shop, Peckham Library, 122 Peckham Hill St, Peckham, SE15 5JR. This will be to assist parents on a variety of issues within the admissions process.

Liam White
School Preference Adviser
0207 525 5211
schoolpref@southwark.gov.uk
http://twitter.com/SchoolprefLiam

4) Apply online

It's easy and allows you to make as many amends as you like to your application form up until 23:59 before the deadline. Follow the instructions to register online. You will also receive your results online. The system says that it emails you when your result is online, but I checked at 5pm and my result was there, despite not receiving an email informing me of the result until around 6pm.

http://www.eadmissions.org.uk

5) Late Admissions

Applications received after 15 January 2013 will not be considered for a place until after the initial offer of places on 17 April 2013.

However, under exceptional circumstances Southwark Council’s school admissions team can accept a late application where it considers there are exceptional circumstances. For example, if you have moved into Southwark between 15 January 2013 and 15 February 2013 your application may be accepted subject to valid proof. Confirmation of the move including the date will be required.

If you are submitting a late application you will need to complete a paper form as the online application system will not be available after the closing date.

You can download the form at www.southwark.gov.uk/schooladmissions

Rejecting an Offer & The Waiting List procedure:

If you are not offered any of your 6 choices, then you will be automatically allocated an alternative school. However, your child's name will go onto a waiting list for all the schools that you chose. If you are on a waiting list, here are some points to note:

1) Rejecting an Offer - A warning!

If the Council has allocated a place and you reject it, then they will not find you an alternative place as they deem that they have fulfilled their obligation by offering you a space. Apparently you should accept the place but remain on the waiting lists. In these circumstances, I would definitely get in touch with the School Admissions team to make them aware of your situation.

2) Find out your number on the waiting lists.

You can email the school's admissions team to find out your number on the waiting list.
schools.admissions@southwark.gov.uk

3) Add yourself to waiting lists for other schools

You can join the waiting list for any school in the Borough. There may be some undersubscribed schools that may be able to place you higher up the waiting list in a realistic position that will get you a place. Many residents in Southwark can also apply to Lewisham schools depending on your location. This is an entirely separate process. Here are the details for the Lewisham Admissions Team:

Admissions and Appeals Team
020 8314 8282
schooladmissions@lewisham.gov.uk

4) The Appeals Process

When you appeal, you must appeal on one of the following points:

1. Why you believe the admission arrangements were not properly implemented in your child’s case, or 2. Why you believe the arrangements were contrary to the School Admission Code and the SSFA; or
3. Why you believe that the admission decision was unreasonable

Reference Guides:The School Admissions Appeals Code 2012, published by the Department for Education.

Professional Advice on the School Appeals Process

For advice on school appeals see childrenslegalcentre.com or call 0845 456 6811 (you can receive up to 30 minutes' free telephone advice); the Advisory Centre for Education (ace-ed.org.uk); and dfes.gov.uk

Facts and Figures for 2013 School Admissions in Southwark:

• 100.0% of Southwark primary school applicants have been offered a place for September 2013

• A total of 3,411 applications were received, 57 less applications than last year

• 2,804 (82.2%) children received a first preference school a 4.6% increase on last year's figure of 2,692 (77.6%)

• 3,272 (95.9%) children received one of their preferences a 1.7% increase on last year's figure of 3,269 (94.2%)

• 139 (4.0%) families without a preference and offered an alternative school, this is a 1.7% decrease on last year's figures - 198 (5.7%)

• 3,328 (97.5%) of online applications were received, an increase of 36.8% from last year's figure of 2110 (60.7%).

Community School Statistics for 2013 Intake
Including Last Distance Offered & Sibling Intake

Community School Statistics for 2012 Intake
Including Last Distance Offered & Sibling Intake

Map of Southwark Schools

T-Shirt Screenprinting Sessions at Captured on the Rye - Term-time and holiday art workshops in East Dulwich

2013-04-10T04:48:00.000-07:00

Captured on the Rye offer screenprinting workshops for children at their shop on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays by appointment. They can also come to your home to run the workshops subject to minimum numbers of 4 children. The workshops are suitable for teenagers as well as younger children. We do ask for parents to accompany children that are not confident with the use of scissors. Older children may be dropped off at our shop for the session.

Here are some fantastic creations from recent workshops. Prices are £20 or £18 for siblings at their shop. At home prices are £20 per child.

Email Lou for more information or pop into the shop on Thursday, Friday or Saturday to find out more: 85 Pellatt Road, East Dulwich, London SE22 9JD.

Lou also offers T-Shirt printing classes and Lampshade making workshops for adults.

shop@capturedontherye.co.uk
0208 613 1323

Free taster of Family SPANISH classes in East Dulwich

2013-03-07T06:56:00.001-08:00

Free taster of Family SPANISH classes

at Captured on the Rye, 85 Pellatt Road SE22 9JD

Toddlers and after school classes

Free trial, email to reserve your place today!

bilinguebabies@gmail.com

Thursday 21st March:

@2pm Toddlers and babies

@4.10 AFTER SCHOOL fives and overs

Friday 22nd March @10am Toddlers and babies

www.facebook/bilinguebabies

www.facebook.com/capturedontherye

What is the Music Aptitude Test?

2013-01-03T06:21:00.000-08:00

If your child is starting secondary school in 2014, then you may be thinking about your different options for entry to local schools, particularly the Music Aptitude Test that is offered at schools such as Haberdasher's Askes' in New Cross and Prendergast Hilly Fields.

The Music Aptitude test for 2014 entry will take place in Autumn 2013. Get a head start on practising for the test by using these training materials produced by the SE22 Piano School in conjunction with audio engineer and musician James Richmond.

What is the Music Aptitude Test (MAT)?

The MAT is a series of tests that use a combination of instruments including electronically generated sounds. Students that are familiar with the Aural part of ABRSM and Trinity exams may not necessarily be at an advantage as these tests are all conducted at the piano in the examination. The MAT tests use intervals smaller than a semitone and on the piano, such an interval does not exist. The MAT uses a wide variety of instruments and electronic ‘beeps’ so that instrumentalists do not have any advantage over students that may not have studied music formally. For this reason, we decided to commission a set of sample tests that we can use with our students to prepare them as fully as possible for the MAT.

Watch a video of a sample Music Aptitude Test:

Family Classical Music Concert, East Dulwich

2013-01-01T03:37:00.001-08:00

You are invited to the SE22 Piano School Family Classical Music Concert at Alleyn's School, January 27th 2013

This is our annual showcase for our younger piano students. We welcome families to come along and hear our students perform. Babies are most welcome to come and make lots of noise! We don’t just have pianists on stage - will have opera singers and instrumentalists too. We are mostly performing classical music but there will be a little bit of jazz and pop music too.

View more information about the recital here along with videos from the 2012 recital at Kingsdale Foundation School:

[se22pianoschool.wordpress.com]

Enter the Dulwich Piano Festival now!

2013-01-01T03:36:00.003-08:00

Calling all young pianists in Dulwich!

Happy New Year from the Dulwich Piano Festival team. The competition is now open to students in the South London area and beyond. Come and take part at a piano competition at Alleyn's School in June 2013.

We have three classes for beginners, a Set Piece class for Under 16s, 8 graded classes and a class just for adults.

http://dulwichpianofestival.co.uk

Baby Hand and Foot Casting - Special Offer

2011-08-29T04:03:00.000-07:00

East Dulwich-based sculptor offers baby hand and feet casting in the comfort of your home. Professional baby casting appointments are available everyday including Sat and Sun and can be planned to suit your baby's routine.

The casts are available in a variety of finishes including metallic and stone-effect resins, bronze and silver.

Lou is running a special offer in the month of September for Dulwich Mums' blog readers which is 2 for 1 in all the resin finishes.

Visit http://www.lousmithart.wordpress.com for full details, photos and testimonials from clients.

lousmith8@googlemail.com

Save the Date for the amazing Sparkle & Spin sample sale

2011-08-25T00:42:00.000-07:00

The next Sparkle & Spin sample sale is on September the 10th 10-2pm at St Barnabas Parish Hall, 23 Dulwich Village, London, SE21 7BT.

We casually strolled up around 11am to the last sample sale and found that about half the stock had already been sold, so do try and get here when it opens to grab the bargains!

With up to 70% off from all your favourite Danish kids designers including Ej Sikke Lej, Hollys and more! There are LOADS of fantastic things for the babies so if you have a tiny one or a bump make sure you put this date in your diary.

CASH ONLY!

T-shirt Screenprinting Workshops and Parties in Dulwich & South London

2011-08-03T00:29:00.000-07:00

Here is some information from local artist Lou Smith about his screenprinting workshops and parties:

If you would like me to come and run a workshop for children, young people or adults, at a venue of your choice, school, youth-club, workplace or party venue, I would be more than happy to discuss options and requirements with you. I have full, current CRB clearance for working with youngsters and a friendly enthusiastic approach. Themes and methods can be tailored to suit the age group/ skill level of those taking part. I will supply all necessary materials/ guidance to produce stunning results, including resource materials, inks, screens and T-shirts. Participants can also bring their own cotton garments for printing to ensure a perfect style/fit.

All inks are safe to handle, eco-friendly and water-based. They are bright and very wash-fast. They produce soft to the feel and enduring prints with very good fine detailing, machine washable and ironable.

I am happy to provide themed workshops eg. Pirates, Nature, Fairies etc, so that the screens, colours and reference material are produced to suit the theme.

I will also be happy to teach full photo-emulsion screen-printing techniques for single and multiple-colour printing techniques using a professional multi-colour press, on a one-to-one or small groups basis at my workshop. Please contact me for details.

Prices for a party of 10 children start at £175 for 2 hours including t-shirts and all materials.

Trip to perform on stage with The Southbank Sinfonia is on Saturday 8th of October, 2011 (suitable for ages 5 and over)

2011-07-01T15:28:00.000-07:00

Saturday Spectacular Family Concert

FIREWORKS!

Saturday 8 October 2011
11.00-11.45am
Cadogan Hall, London

Go wizz, pop and bang with Southbank Sinfonia

Southbank Sinfonia present their next Saturday Spectacular concert, Fizzing Fireworks!

We would love your children to take part in the pre-concert party and workshop, and also invite them to perform onstage in Mozart’s Toy Symphony during the concert on Saturday 8^th October at Cadogan Hall.

For the older children who are learning an instrument, we would like to send out music for their instruments in advance. If you would like your child to participate, please reply by Friday 2^nd September with your child’s name, age, instrument, experience and address. This section is best suited to children studying at Grade 1 level or above.

For the younger children aged 5 and above, there will be a percussion workshop with music we will learn on the day. Please also reply with your child’s name and age so we can get an idea of numbers.

The morning’s activities will run as follows:

09.55am – All families to meet at the Cadogan Hall stage door to be escorted backstage. Don’t forget to wear your Family Friends VIP passes! Collect these from your piano teacher.

10.00am – Family Friends party and workshop. Younger children learning percussion and older instrumentalists will split up for some of this session.

10.30am – All children rehearse Mozart’s Toy Symphony onstage.

10.45am – Rehearsal ends, and craft activities begin in the foyer.

11.30am – Fizzing Fireworks concert!

Doors open at 10.15am for fun craft activities and to meet the players!

Tickets
£8 adult, £6 children, £22 for family of four. An additional fee of £10 is due for membership of the Southbank Sinfonia Friends & Family Scheme which gives you the opportunity to perform on stage up to 3 times a year! (usually £60 per family).

The next school trip to perform on stage with The Southbank Sinfonia is on Saturday 8th of October, 2011. You can see lots of pictures and videos from the last school trip here.

Piano students aged 5 and over are invited to play percussion on stage with the orchestra. Pianists that are Grade 1 and above will have the chance to play the (very expensive) grand piano!

If you would like to attend this event, please email me for more information on booking tickets.

Now registering for Summer Piano Lessons & Workshops in East Dulwich

2011-06-15T01:58:00.001-07:00

The SE22 Piano School are now accepting students for Summer Piano Lessons and Workshops. Full details can be found here.

We also have spaces for beginners starting in September 2011. Our current vacancies are listed on our web site. Email Lorraine for more information. We accept children from the age of three.

Please see here for full details.

Sparkle & Spin sample sale

2010-11-19T06:44:00.000-08:00

The next Sparkle & Spin sample sale is going to be at the shop (14 Melbourne Grove) Friday 3rd Dec 10-6pm and Sat 4th Dec 1pm - 6pm. Come along and grab some bargains!

October half-term events in East Dulwich

2010-09-21T02:49:00.000-07:00

Here's a few of the events happening in the Dulwich area over the October half-term (23 - 31 October)

1) Get Dan 'n Dance
Dannii writes this message:
Hiya, my name is Danni Reid I am the founder of "get dan 'n dance" Dance Company. If your child is interested in Dance and would like to come and have fun learning funky & fresh dance moves, come along to our half term workshops.

"Street Dance Workshop", will be held Monday 18th October, Tuesday 19th October & Wednesday 20th October.

Ages 4-7 years start 10:00am-12:00pm and ages 9-11 years start 12:30pm-3:30pm.

"Dance Star V Pop Star" will last 4 days starting from Monday 25th October to Thursday 28th October. As well as learing cool new routines your child will also learn the words to their favourite songs. In addition they will be given the opportunity to design & customise their own unique show costume.

Classes for ages 6-11 years start 10:30am-3:30pm.

All classes will be held at Rosemead School, 70 Thurlow Park Road, SE21 8HZ. For a booking contact myself Danni on either my mobile 07904424504 or e-mail danni@getdan-n-dance.co.uk.

2) Half term Camp at Dulwich College
25th - 29th October 2010
Holiday Drop Off is perfect for both perfecting existing sporting interests as well as being a great environment to learn new sports. Our team will focus on encouraging children to enjoy activities while also helping them to focus on the task in hand.

Dulwich College is a great secure location boasting great facilities which shelters a very modern 25m swimming pool, trampolines and several large areas in which to run around and get fit.. Safety is of utmost importance and our team have years of experience teaching children in sport.

Throughout the day:

The day will be split into several sessions and each of these sessions will have several sports to choose from. We encourage children to choose different sports throughout the day but also promote excelling in a particular favourites. We will have short breaks between each session and these breaks will allow the children to unwind and prepare for their next chosen activity. Lunch will be between 12-1 and will also provide a place for arts and crafts.

For any more information please don't hesitate to contact us using our contact by emailing at info@saturdaydropoff.com

Holiday Drop-off Prices

	Time	Online Price	Extended Hours: 8am-5pm
Whole Day	9AM - 4PM	£30	Addional £5 p/d
Monday - Friday	9AM - 4PM	£130	Additional £20 p/w

http://www.saturdaydropoff.com

3) Youngstars Half-term camp in Brockwell Park

After successfully running the Brockwell Park camp for 4 weeks over summer, we are delighted to have secured the Lido as a venue to run our Half Term camp. Due to the nature of being inside, places are limited to a maximum of 14 so please book early to guarantee your child a spot.

The next camp is running over the half term holiday from Monday 25th – Friday 29th October and will follow the same formula as all our other sessions and camps; fun energetic games, whilst being introduced to aspects of many sports, encouraging team work and support for each other in a non competitive environment. This camp has been carefully structured to tailor for ages 3 - 7yrs.

Location: Brockwell Lido, Dulwich Rd, SE24 0PA‎
Dates: Monday 25th – Friday 29th October
Times: 9.30am - 12.30pm
Ages: 3 to 7 years
Cost: £15 p/day, £60 p/wk , Member and Sibling discounts apply.

To enrol your child onto this camp simply fill out the following form and email back to info@young-stars.co.uk, alternatively you can call 0845 222 1313 / 07920 426 499.

http://www.young-stars.co.uk

4) Diddi Dance

All of Diddi Dance's classes are running throughout the half-term week.

5) Crafty Cook Halloween Cookery Classes, ages 2.5+

A one-off special of the popular weekly pre-school cookery classes currently running at The Honor Oak Pub in Forest Hill

These sessions will have a fun-packed Halloween theme with a yummy themed recipe to make and a recipe card to take away after.

10.30am and 11.45am on Tuesday 26th October

Price £6.50 or sibling discount of 2 for £10.00

Quick booking is a must as places are limited, please contact Hannah 07811 108523 hannah@craftycooks.co.uk

Please see the website for more details of the weekly classes. www.craftycooks.co.uk

Sparkle & Spin, Melbourne Grove

2010-08-20T03:46:00.000-07:00

Have you heard of Sparkle & Spin's fantastic shop on Melbourne Grove? I am coveting this beautiful Louie Louis Heart dress for my daughter. They do really gorgeous clothing for kids from Danish labels Ej Sikke Lej, Katvig, Molo and Freoli.

They have a sample sale coming up soon in September - oh I do love a sample sale! Molo is my favourite brand for their funky prints, I'll be keeping an eye out for some pieces I can stash away for next Summer.

I also discovered today that they have a blog with lots of ideas of things to do with the kids - particularly handy in the long summer months!

http://www.wesparkleandspin.blogspot.com/

Summer show time!

2010-08-17T05:35:00.001-07:00

We're checking out these kids' shows this week:

The GoGoGo Show and In The Night Garden Live.

THE GOGOGO Show

This is an all-new family pop musical featuring Holly, Steve, Kirsten, Carl and Gemma, five fantastic new stars making their debut on the West End stage.

There are brand new pop songs, catchy, easy-to-learn dance moves, magic and loads and loads of laughs.

It runs from August 17th - August 28th at The Leicester Square Theatre. Tickets £15 inc. booking fee.

In The Night Garden Live

Come and join in the fun of the world’s first ever In the Night Garden live show - an amazing musical theatre experience for all the family. Igglepiggle, Upsy Daisy and Makka Pakka are all beautifully brought to life before your eyes using full size costumes, enchanting music, magical puppets and breathtaking projections.

In The Night Garden Live is a sensational new stage production especially created in a purpose-built show dome, entirely protected from the elements with plenty of loos, baby changing facilities and buggy parking. It’s a must to delight children and families this summer.

The show runs from August 14th to September 4th. Tickets cost from £10.

Baby-free Wednesday!

2010-06-16T01:39:00.000-07:00

Today I am looking forward to giving an Emmanuelle a cello lesson, followed by a rehearsal with opera singer, Adwoa Dickson, followed by a quick trip to my acupuncturist Giles Davies, then a visit to Mrs Tinks' to pick up some home-cooked ready-meals to review for our blog. Followed by more piano teaching in the afternoon, then lots of cuddles with Bombi when she gets home tonight. What are you up to?!

Things we are loving this week!

2010-06-14T03:20:00.001-07:00

Here's the weekly round-up of things have been up to and investigating:

Twickenham, TwistnPop cup, Monkey Bars, new parenting books, Suzuki music groups and Eton Mess!

We've been enjoying using our BabyBornFree TwistnPop cup - totally leakproof, looks really funky and has a brilliant pop-up straw for slurping on the go. Here's a full review of it.

It is BPA-free like all their products and costs £5.99.

We had originally planned to go to the Thai Festival on Ealing Common on the Saturday, but it was a fiver entry which just got you into the show so you could spend your hard-earned pennies on Thai grub. I didn't really see the point of that as there were 4 of us that would have had to pay, so we headed off to South-West London instead...

We had a gorgeous day in Twickenham on a sunny Saturday. We went to the beautiful York House Gardens - a spectacular secret garden with a stunning fountain and lots of naked marble nymphs. We also walked along Eel Pie Island, played in the playground at Orleans House and marvelled at the architecture of the 300-year old houses on the cobbled streets.

Here's the statues in York House Gardens. One of the most sublime experiences in Twickenham is to visit the hidden York House Gardens statues which are tucked away around the back of the late 17th century mansion, York House.

Bombi had fun on the Monkey Bars - she's so strong! Here she is with Uncle Davey doing her strong-toddler act. We also bumped into a couple we met on holiday in Italy in Umbria - what are the chances of that? Small world!

I popped into the library today and browsed the new book section. Since becoming a mum, I have had a thirst for books about parenting. I wonder if I should just spend more time parenting instead of reading books, but heck, here's what I've picked up today. I'll post a review up soon!

The Aargh to Zzzzz of Parenting - An Alternative Guide.

Last Child in the Woods - Saving our children from Nature-Deficit Disorder

Here's Bombi with Granddad on the swings in a little park in West Acton. We spent a lovely weekend with the grandparents - lots of yummy Sri Lankan food for me and free babysitting - yippee!

Bombi has developed the irrational toddler obsession with the swing and throws a full-blown tantrum once we have to leave the park. Oh the fun begins, and not even 2 yet!

Bombi's been trying out the cello, she seems to like it. I'm thinking of signing her up for a Suzuki Group in September 2011 when she'll be 3. I thought about teaching her the piano, but as it's my main instrument, she might be a bit resistant to it, so I'll start her off on something else, then let her decide if she wants to learn the piano.

Eton Mess - my favourite pudding and so easy to make! I found some blackberries in the freezer that Niki gave us which tasted delicious. I just bought some strawberries earlier, so will do another batch tonight for pud!

Group photoshoot for local families

2010-06-11T06:10:00.000-07:00

22nd July, 10am. This sessions is now fully booked, but it you would like to take part in another, please leave a comment here.

A local photographer, Lorenzo Ali, has done lots of pics of East Dulwich babies and is usually in the region of £300 for a portrait shoot. I was talking to him about doing a group photo session with all the babes/toddlers/kids together and he suggested the following:

Cost per child: £25 to be pre-paid by June 14th.

Photos would be in an outdoors setting such as the park during a fancy-dress picnic or similar event.

He would cover: natural, reportage-style photos of the babies in a group, individual portraits and pictures of the mums and babies. Obviously how many photos he gets of each child and mother depend on the mood of the baby, but I would imagine you would get about 10 photos of your child, including the group shot. We will limit the size of the group to about 10 babies, but if there's enough interest, we could do two sessions. Older children and dads are, of course, welcome to come along too.

He will provide the hi-res images on CD to each parent. I will also make these up into a Photobook, so can order extra copies for whoever wants one. That cost is about £25 - £30 but that's entirely optional whether you want this or not. You can see the book first before buying it.

Here is his web site to have a look at his photos:
http://lorenzophotography.co.uk/kids.php

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Including Last Distance Offered & Sibling Intake

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Including Last Distance Offered & Sibling Intake