INDEX parenting corner
Sophie Astin on school first-timers, a new hospital and children’s favourite characters, coming soon to Tunbridge Wells
Hello Peppa and Karen!
Fresh start September sees the final phase of the
transition from two hospitals in Tunbridge Wells to one. Women and Children’s services have been operating from the new Tunbridge Wells Hospital at Pembury since January but, on 21 September, the Kent & Sussex will close its doors for the last time and relocate all services to Pembury. Maidstone’s maternity unit will also be moved to the new £230million site. Tunbridge Wells is the first NHS hospital where all main wards are comprised entirely of single en-suite bedrooms – an example of the sort of standard you can expect is shown below.
Spa Valley Railway will be welcoming Peppa Pig and baby brother George on 10 Sep, with the nation’s favourite porcine pal waiting at Groombridge to meet all her friends arriving on the steam train from Tunbridge Wells West Station. See www.spa
valleyrailway.co.uk – adult tickets cost £9, children’s tickets cost: £4.50. Meanwhile, if you fancy a trip to the theatre, How The Koala Learnt To Hug is a charming tale about the magic of family and, of course, the
A new era
THE NEW SCHOOL TERM begins soon, and Caroline Knight has lots of advice on our Education page for a seamless start at school for primary school-age children. Meanwhile, here are Sophie Astin’s five essential top tips:
1 Break in new school shoes by wearing them around the house for a week or so before term begins. 2 Choose packed-lunch items at the supermarket with your child so you can be sure their lunchbox will contain healthy food they actually enjoy eating. 3 Nametapes – if it’s worth keeping, it’s worth labelling! Head teachers will recite
Good advice
www.mumsnet.com, the online advice and support
emporium for mothers across the UK, was launched 11 years ago, and the website now receives almost four million hits every month. Later this autumn, Mumsnet is expanding further by launching a jobs club to help talented women, often returning to work after a career break, manage the process and find new opportunities. Founder Justine Roberts has also just launched Gransnet, covering topics such as What Type of Gran are You? (Old- fashioned, hands-on, or – God forbid – the Granny from Hell?) plus advice from top tips for first timers to everything you’ll need for a trip to the park, as well as book reviews and competitions. To check out what’s on offer, see
www.gransnet.com.
www.indexmagazine.co.uk
importance of a nice warm hug! Steven Lee runs The People’s Theatre Company and is author of children’s favourites, The Witch’s Bogey and Bink And The Hairy Fairy. Join Steven and a host of wild characters including Natascha The Witch, Karen the Koala and the Reggae Beavers at the Assembly Hall in Tunbridge Wells, for some great stories, sing-along songs, superb games and first class hugging. All you need are your ears (and your arms!). Tickets are priced at £9 for adults, £7 for children. Call the box office on 01892 530613, or see
www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk
this mantra to you over and over again. Iron-on nametapes are great value and easy to apply. For items such as bags, pencil cases, lunchboxes and plimsolls, buy a decent permanent marker pen and write it by hand. 4 Bedtime routine: if this has slipped over the long lazy summer nights, it’s worth getting it back on track before school starts. Nothing worse than having to wake sleepy kids on a school day! 5 Don’t pressure them into play dates and after school clubs straight away: there’s plenty of time to be sociable further down the line. Four- and five-year- olds will be exhausted during the first term at school – some may even fall asleep in the classroom during the afternoon – so go easy on them.
New for crafters Advertorial
IF YOU’RE LOOKING for a new creative activity to try with kids, Decopatch is worth exploring. It’s a very thin, strong and flexible paper that’s especially easy to use and that can be applied to virtually any surface. Use it to decorate anything and everything from photo frames and chairs to cupboards, plates and
candles...the list goes on! Just tear a little piece off the Decopatch paper and brush glue on the object you want to cover, stick on the piece of torn Decopatch paper and brush again with gloss glue. Decopatch is excellent for children’s parties, suitable for those aged five and above, and it’s available as an activity at Slap ‘n’ Dash in Hawkhurst. For more information, contact
samantha@slapndash.com, tel 01580 755674. Slap ‘n’ Dash, The Barn, Hawkhurst Fish Farm, Hastings Road, Hawkhurst, Kent TN18 4RT
www.slapndash.com
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The INDEX magazine august 2011
Kids’
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