Learning made fun

Spring Fun

THERE is now a new activity download on the Musical Minis web site. It's our Spring themed download with songs, gardening and colouring activities to do.

Click on this link and enter your details to instantly receive the pack.

We would love to see photos of the finished activities in the pack. Please email them to us at enquiries@musicalminis.co.uk

Let us know how you get on with this download and any ideas which you may have for future ones. Are there any specific activities you particularly enjoy doing with your children? As well as being educational we primarily really want both children and adults to have fun

Friday 13th - Just Another Day?

Guest Post by Emily Sherr

I’m really interested in finding out the origins of words, phrases and other parts of our language that we take for granted. My mum therefore knew I was the perfect person to write her a blog on Friday the 13th. I know there is much controversy regarding the origin and superstition around this dreaded day so I was keen to delve deeper. There are a number of possible reasons which I have found.

One explanation is that it encompasses two things which are both regarded as unlucky; Friday and the number 13. When these things coincide, it is no wonder Friday 13th is seen as a doubly bad day! One reason 13 is evidently unlucky is because 12 was seen as the pinnacle of completeness - the number of months, the hours on a clock and so forth. Consequently 13 was seen as over complete; I’m slightly unconvinced by this argument. 13 seems more likely to be deemed unlucky due to the fact that there were 13 people at the Last Supper. This correlates with the Hindu belief that if you gather 13 people together, let’s say for a meal, one of them will die within the year. The negative connotations of Friday may also have Christian origins with it being the day that Jesus was crucified. The Bible also recounts many misfortunes which took place on a Friday - this was when Eve ate the apple, when Noah’s flood began and when the Temple of Solomon was destroyed. Friday was also the hanging or execution day in various parts on the world, including Britain. Despite this somewhat flimsy evidence, throughout history Friday 13th has been viewed negatively and is seen as a day to avoid taking risks or starting a new adventure.

Hamilton Island - Queensland Paradise

Landing at Hamilton Island we got a real flavour of what was to come. The luggage arrives not on a conveyor belt but piled on a series of trolleys. The hotels are there to greet the guests and to take them and the luggage on the very short journey to their hotel. Everything is handled with super efficiency. What is most noticeable is the preferred means of transport - the golf buggy.

Our room was on the 13th floor of the Reef View Hotel. The view from the bedroom was amazing, looking across the beach towards Whitsunday Island (famous for its Whitehaven Beach). The bed is sited so that you can look through the massive patio window onto this view. The one warning is not to leave the balcony doors open as the native cockatoos like looking for food in unoccupied rooms.

We spent three nights on Hamilton Island and absolutely loved it. Hamilton Island is a resort but it was so different from our previous resort experience at Ayers Rock as to be incomparable. The whole area is geared to tourists and in addition to the golf buggies there are free island buses and numerous walks round the island. The marina (where most of the restaurants were located) was a 10 minute walk. The restaurants we tried were of a very good quality without being over priced. Indeed, given there is a captive audience, the prices of most things were cheaper than we had got used to elsewhere in Australia. At capacity there are 8,000 tourists and 2,000 staff. We were there at the height of the season and it certainly didn't feel crowded. Indeed we took one walk along the beach and didn't see another person.

The highlights for us were the Great Barrier Reef, the views from Peak Point and cocktails at One Tree Hill at sunset. The trip out to the Great Barrier Reef was really well organised. There was the chance to snorkel, scuba dive and go into a semi-submersible as well as looking at the reef and fish from an underwater viewing chamber. Rob went snorkelling with a marine biologist for a reasonable additional cost and was shown things he might otherwise have missed. I am not a great fan of water so stuck to the semi-submersible, which I went out in twice.

The airport was good fun at departure. The security was excellent. I was selected to undergo an explosives check with the security man sharing his family history on both sides. His mother's family arrived with the first or second fleet (i.e. convicts), whilst his father's family was descended from William Pitt (the prime minister). Not often you hear a story like that. We boarded a small plane to take us on to our final Australian stopping point, Port Douglas.

Happy Easter

Everyone at Musical Minis would like to wish you all a great Easter.

If you haven't already done so click here and enter your details to download our free Easter activity pack for lots of ideas to do with your children, whatever the weather.

Have fun!

Easter Fun With Musical Minis In Gloucestershire

Join Gloucestershire Musical Minis for an action-packed Easter party.

Tuesday 10th April 10.15 to 11.45am at Christ Church Parish Centre, Malvern Road, Cheltenham, GL50 2JH

Easter/Spring Arts and Crafts
Action Songs
Parachute and Bubble Machine
Story and Rhymes
Drink and Easter biscuit
Easter egg for every child to take home

£6 per child Adults free (discounts available for siblings)

Contact Jo on 01242 228232 or joanna@musicalminis.co.uk 

Please book and pay in advance – places not available on the day

Musical Minis Top 10 Names For 2011

Following on with our tradition of analysing names for the children attending Musical Minis classes, the list below is for the children who attended during 2011. It isn't necessarily children who were born in 2011. It doesn't include children who attend Children's Centre sessions or nursery sessions. The numbers in brackets following the name are the position for the name last year in 2010.

Top 10 Boys Names:-
=1. James (1)
=1. Oliver (3)
=3 Daniel (6)
=3 Harry(6)
=3 William (8)
6 Jack (2)
7 Thomas (4)
=8 Joshua (4)
=8 George (10)
=8 Benjamin

The only name to have dropped out of the top 10 boys names is Henry and this has been replaced with Benjamin. James remains as the most popular name with Oliver, Daniel, Harry, William and George becoming more popular whilst Jack, Thomas and Joshua have became less popular.

Top 10 Girls Names:-
1 Emily (1)
2 Olivia (2)
3 Sophie (2)
4 Ava
=5 Lucy (2)
=5 Jessica (7)
7 Holly
8 Chloe
=9 Ruby (5)
=9 Charlotte (9)

There have been more changes in the girls names. Emily remains as the most popular girls name with Olivia remaining in 2nd place. New entrants are Ava, Holly and Chloe whilst Amelia, Grace, Hannah, Isla, Katie and Phoebe have dropped out. Last year there were a number of names tying for places so the top 10 had more than 10 names. Jessica is the only name in the top 10 to have become more popular whilst Sophie, Lucy and Ruby have became less popular.

From the popular names to the unusual names, from Aaran to Zora (in our A - Z for 2011), there is a huge variety of names. It was interesting to see how names differ across the UK. In Scotland the most popular names were Finlay for a boy and Ava for a girl. In Wales the most popular names were Charlie for a boy and Chloe for a girl. In the North, James was most popular for a boy and Emily for a girl. In the South, Oliver was the most popular boys name and Emily the most popular girls name.

Names are obviously a personal choice by the parents. What one person loves another might not. If you would like to know how popular your child's name is or fancy finding a unique name for your baby, just let me know.

It's my 18 year old daughter, Emily, who has analysed the list of names and she is eagerly awaiting the end of the year so she can find out if her name is the top girls name for the 3rd year in a row!

Musical Minis is up for three awards!

The What’s On 4 Little Ones Awards recognise the best activities for children from throughout the UK as nominated and voted for by parents, so Musical Minis is delighted, for the third year in a row, to have received a triple nomination in the 2012 awards

I'M so delighted to have been included in this awards scheme as I'm so proud of all the team at Musical Minis.

I hope you can consider voting and taking us forward to a further round.

The What’s On 4 Little Ones Awards recognise the best activities for children from throughout the UK as nominated and voted for by parents, so Musical Minis is delighted to have received not one, but three nominations in this year's awards.

Musical Minis has been proudly nominated for the following categories:

• Best National Baby & Toddler Development Activity (newborn to 2 years)
• Best National Pre-schooler Development Activity (2 to 5 years)
• Jo Weaving our South Wales franchisee has been nominated for Most Outstanding Activity Leader for the Under 5s (West and Wales)

From now until the 6th May 2011, you can log onto http://www.whatson4littleones.co.uk/awards-voting-2012.asp to vote for Musical Minis.You can only vote once but in as many categories as you would like. If you submit your vote you will also be entered into a competition to win two tickets to the awards and a luxury spa treatment on the day. Thank you so much if you do! I've got my fingers crossed for some good support and will watch this space.

To vote click here.

“A Great Experience For Someone Else’s Daughter”

Guest post by Emily Sherr, my 18 year old daughter, who is at Durham University studying Education with History,

This Summer I have been provided with the opportunity to partake in a once in a life time experience of teaching for 6 weeks in a Nepalese charity school in Kathmandu called HVP-Central. I have never done anything like this before but the opportunity seemed ideal as I have a great interest in education and want to work with children in the future. I started Durham University this October, and I was adamant that I was going to make the most of it and not let what ifs or fears hold me back. Therefore I knew that when this opportunity arose, I shouldn't let it pass.

The title of this blog post, “a great experience for someone else’s daughter”, is a phrase I’ve heard an awful lot recently and the catchphrase my mum has coined. As you can guess, my mum is slightly, let's say, apprehensive, about me going. She liked the idea in theory, as did I; a chance to see a different country and culture, an amazing way to spend my summer, meeting new friends and learning new things, an incredible boost for my CV and doing something I really enjoy. My parents were therefore fully supportive of my application and the concept. When it became more of a reality, I got an interview and then got accepted, their opinions changed slightly. They still recognised the benefits of the trip but worry certainly set in. The positives soon became negatives; I was going somewhere I’d never been before with a different culture and way of life, teaching 40 children in a traditional classroom, going to a charity school where the amenities aren’t up to the standard of our western expectations - the theory became more appealing than the reality. To be honest, it did to me as well, this is something completely different and way out of my comfort zone. Yet, I know this is something I need to do and I also know it will be absolutely incredible. I wasn’t going to let my parents’ fears stop me.

Free Easter Activity Download

DOWNLOAD the Musical Minis Easter activity pack from the Musical Minis web site.

It's an Easter themed download with Easter songs, Easter hat ideas, Easter cooking suggestions and an Easter colouring picture with hidden eggs to find. Loads of fun for both children and adults!

Click on this link and enter your details to instantly receive the pack.

We would love to see photos of the finished activities in the pack. Please email them to us at enquiries@musicalminis.co.uk 

As well as being educational we primarily really want both children and adults to have fun

As Franchisor Am I Right To Turn Away Prospective Franchisees I Don't Think Will Be Successful?

I feel as franchisor of Musical Minis I have a duty to be honest with prospective franchisees and make sure they are realistic about the business they are hoping to buy into.

Prospective Musical Minis franchisees need to be aware that it is not only the classes they need to learn how to run but they also need to run a business. Some people just can't cope with being self employed and are much better as employees. Others can be mentored and although running a business is difficult for them, with guidance they will be fine after a while.

After 15 years of franchising I do think I can ascertain fairly early on when meeting a prospective franchisee if I feel they can run a Musical Minis franchise successfully. I also take note of comments existing franchisees say when a prospective franchisee visits them - they are keen to expand the network but only with suitable people.

I was sad to learn today that a prospective franchise I had declined, who was then accepted by another pre school music franchise, now has her franchise up for sale. It is hard to know who to blame, the franchisor or the franchisee. I knew the franchisee would seek another franchise to join and I knew another franchisor would accept her money!

Before I accept a new franchisee I insist they visit an existing class to make sure Musical Minis is the right franchise for them. Alarm bells always ring if:

• the prospective franchisee isn't interested in the programme,
• thinks it's very simple and easy to run so isn't at all concerned,
• think they've understood everything so don't need to stay for the complete class.

After the application form has been completed I can get a better feel for the franchisees' suitability. References often will give a glowing report, they have been chosen by the applicant so will act on their behalf. It is important to read between the lines and raise any doubts I have with the referees and hear their replies.

I have telephone conversations with applicants and during these can raise any concerns I have. Often the prospective franchisee will agree with me and we can discuss how I can mentor them and help them with the parts of the business that could be problematic for them. If we work together and they're prepared to accept help and guidance the success of their franchise will increase. Sometimes it's very clear that the applicant feels everything is fine but really doesn't understand the business side at all.  I have had one applicant who signed a draft contract and returned it with a cheque. It would have been really easy to pay in the cheque but I knew the applicant had no business sense and had no understanding of what she had done. It would have felt unethical to take the money when I didn't think the business could succeed as the prospective franchisee was too naive. I thought other franchisors would sign her up - unfortunately this was the case.

I am really keen to ascertain that an applicant really does understand what they are committing to in respect of the business before the Contract is drawn up. I feel it's unfair to take someones money if the business side of the franchise is something they are not suited to.

If you feel a Musical Minis franchise may be suitable for you please click here and enter your details to download an information pack. I'm happy to talk the franchise over with enquirers and rest assured I will tell you honestly where I feel your strengths and weaknesses lie. If I don't feel the franchise is right for you I will let you know. If both I and you feel it is suitable there are just 5 easy steps to become a Musical Minis franchisee.