Learning made fun

Join In The Fun With 10 Year Anniversary Parties In Essex

OPEN to all so come join the fun at our Teddy Bears’ Picnic

Join in an extended Musical Minis session with Parachute, Play and Bubbles

Also a special appearance from Winnie the Pooh

Bring your rug and packed lunch. Oh and of course bring your Teddy.

Monday 1st August - RAYLEIGH METHODIST CHURCH at 11am – 1pm

Monday 8th August  - WRITTLE VILLAGE HALL / THE GREEN at 11am – 1pm

Friday 19th August  - HATFIELD PEVEREL VILLAGE HALL at 11am – 1pm

TICKETS £6.50 PER CHILD

Tea and cakes for Mum and Dad. Juice and biscuits for the kids.

TO BOOK TICKETS PLEASE CALL MICHELLE ON 01245 494414 or 07979 343256 or EMAIL [email protected]

(Spaces are limited and allocated on a first come, first served basis. Maximum 2 adults per child)

Some beautiful images from a Musical Minis mum!

WOW, we'd like to say a big thank you to Nikki Rutley who captured some gorgeous images at Musical Minis and displayed them on her blog.

They are from a few months ago now, but they still look great. Modest Nikki points out that they aren't up to what she calls her "usual standards" but are snapshots. As you can see from her main photography website, Nikki is a hugely talented photographer.

And, in her post about Musical Minis, Nikki, of Spalding, adds:

 
Whilst the faces change as members come and go, one thing remains the same, it is always the best hour of Noah's week! He loves it! And so do I - It's nice to get out of the house, doing something different, and catching up with the other mums and dads who are always really friendly.

Each week we sing different songs and have activities such as musical statues with balls (Noah can barely contain his excitement when he spots the bin liner full of balls! He spends all his time trying to get Janie's attention to get her to release them!) In the middle of the session all of the instruments come out and they are free to bang away on drums, play on xylophones, shake bells etc.

It didn't matter when I first started going that Noah was too young to actually play the instruments or sing the songs, he still loved all the colours and noise and attention, and was taking it all in. Now on a Thursday morning he might be sitting in his beloved little tikes car that I usually have to literally prize him out of, but I only have to say the words "Shall we go to Musical Minis?" and he's straight out to the front door like a lightening bolt!

I honestly can't recommend this class enough. Children of all ages can benefit, there is plenty to learn and heaps of fun to be had.

So what are you waiting for? Find your local class with the link below and go along - you'll see that I'm right!

Thanks Nikki, it's lovely to see such praise!

 

Where do nursery rhymes come from? Jack and Jill

 

 OH no...this is another one with a reportedly grisly history.

According to the Rhymes website:  

Jack and Jill referred to are said to be King Louis XVI - Jack -who was beheaded (lost his crown) followed by his Queen Marie Antoinette - Jill - (who came tumbling after.)

The words and lyrics to the Jack and Jill poem were made more acceptable as a story for children by providing a happy ending! The actual beheadings occurred in during the Reign of Terror in 1793.

But says, Wikipedia, there are several other possible explanations. These include:

• In Norse mythology, Hjúki and Bil, a brother and sister (respectively) who, according to the 13th-century Prose Edda book Gylfaginning written by Icelandic historian Snorri Sturluson, were taken up from the earth by the moon (personified as the god Máni) as they were fetching water from the well called Byrgir.
• Jack is Cardinal Wolsey and Gill is Bishop Tarbes who attempted to arrange the marriage of Mary Tudor to the French king. Their failure to negotiate this peace with France led to tax raises and thus a Jack and Jill protest song.
• In the 17th century, King Charles I tried to reform the taxes on liquid measures. He was blocked by Parliament, so subsequently ordered that the volume of a Jack (1/2 pint) be reduced, but the tax remained the same. This meant that he still received more tax, despite Parliament's veto. Hence "Jack fell down and broke his crown" (many pint glasses in the UK still have a line marking the 1/2 pint level with a crown above it) "and Jill came tumbling after". The reference to "Jill", (actually a "gill", or 1/4 pint) is an indication that the gill dropped in volume. 
• Jack and Jill were forms of currency referring to dollars and cents, respectively. The rising value of Jacks and Jill caused them to "go up a hill" until a plague caused a lack of water, causing a drop in the values of this currency (falling down and breaking his crown).

Phew - those are some very complicated stories for such a simple ditty. I wonder which one's true.

Previous posts: Where do nursery rhymes come from?

Five little monekys jumping on the bed - it's a mystery

Baa Baa Black Sheep

Humpty Dumpty

Ring O' Roses

London's Burning

 

 

Enjoy a party -- and the Hokey Cokey -- with us

...So it doesn't end up like this.

MUSICAL Minis parties are great fun and make a change for mums and dads searching for something a bit different.

You can see all the details on our website in the Parties section.

There's a choice of a one-hour or two-hour parties with varying activities.

One thing all our parties have in common is the Hokey Cokey.

Don't forget we have teamed up with Timto too to provide a birthday present service.

Government guidance on exercise for toddlers - what's your opinion?

THIS month Government health experts have issued advice to parents on exercise for children under five.

Chief Medical Officers for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have come together to issue the new guidance.   Apparently, babies and toddlers spend too long in buggies or car seats and should be allowed to move around for at least three hours a day.  The new guidance reflects  concern that children who do not exercise enough, can be linked to obesity and slower brain development.                                                                                                 Image from theloushe on Flickr

Dame Sally Davies, the Chief Medical Officer for England, said "For children who are not yet walking, there is considerable international evidence that letting children crawl, play or roll around on the floor is essential during early years. Play that allows under-fives to move about is critical and three hours a day is essential."

UK pre-school children currently spend between two and two-and-a-half hours a day being active, according to research. For babies the advice is to let children crawl and roll on a mat, encouraging them to reach out.

Merseyside franchisee celebrates ten years and still going strong

We are thrilled that Cathie Flynn, our Merseyside franchisee, has renewed her Musical Minis licence for another five years.

Cathie took the Merseyside franchise in 2001, renewing for the first time in 2006 and for the second time last week. Over the ten years Cathie has put a great deal of effort into her business and seen it flourish.

Before becoming a Musical Minis franchisee, Cathie worked in the finance sector.  She was also a teaching assistant and involved with a community art and drama project before heading up the  Merseyside franchise.

When Cathie took on the franchise her twin daughters were just three years old and she was looking for something to fit in around her family life. The idea of running her own business appealed to her and she particularly liked the idea of a franchise, as everything she needed to get her business up and running was included, as well as the on-going support.

Since starting her franchise ten years ago, Cathie’s business has grown from strength to strength and she now leads several sessions throughout a busy six day week.   Cathie also finds time to  fit in a few hours a week of admin including banking, preparation of wages, answering phone calls and paperwork.  Musical Minis still fits in around her family life - she is able to take her daughters to school, pick them up and is usually off in the school holidays.

Musical Minis Arrives In Gloucestershire

We are delighted to announce that Musical Minis is coming to Gloucestershire in September 2011.

Joanna Johnston is the latest to join our network of franchisees.

Joanna is married with three children, aged 12, 10 and 8. Jo is a qualified Early Years teacher whose hobby is singing so Musical Minis is a perfect combination for her.

Joanna is currently looking for more venues to operate from. Initially she plans to start classes in Cheltenham, Up Hatherley and Winchcombe. She is keen to set up classes throughout Gloucestershire and also intends to run sessions in Children's Centres, nurseries and do one-off parties.

If you would like more information on Gloucestershire Musical Minis please email [email protected] or phone Joanna on 01242 228232.

Hertford flexible business opportunity: Musical Minis franchise for sale

By Linda Williams

Hi, I’m Linda, the Musical Minis franchisee for Hertford.

Are you struggling to find a job that works around your family commitments?  Do your child care costs outweigh the part time salaries available? How do you manage your family during school holidays, school inset days and even school strike days?

Well here’s a great opportunity that can overcome all of these difficulties and give you a much improved income and great job satisfaction.

Harper Seven - Thank you!

THANKS to the Beckhams' baby daughter, Harper Seven, my faith in reporters has been restored - well some reporters.

As many of you may know my experience of appearing in the Daily Mail on Friday was ridiculous - with made up quotes and a totally different article written to what I had expected. You can read my response here.

Luckily the BBC news saved the weekend with my story on 'how to have a baby girl' quoted as a feature on the health pages on Saturday. The article by Helen Briggs titled 'Sugar and spice and all things nice' was popular remaining as one of the most read articles all Saturday - even more so than the phone hacking and space launch articles. Helen Briggs managed to sum up my blog post without having to fabricate my words and quoted my views correctly. The article was in relation to the Beckhams having a girl after 3 boys. My blog was a featured link and led to my blog hits soaring.

Don't believe everything you read: My experience of appearing in the Daily Mail

IN a week when the integrity of British Journalism has come under the microscope I shouldn't be surprised to find myself a victim of false tabloid misrepresentation.

Last week I was called out of the blue by a journalist, Diana Appleyard, who was writing a piece on long term relationships. I was told my details were on file as franchisor of Musical Minis and it had also been noted that I had been married to Rob for a long time.

Rob and I have been married for nearly 25 years and as I was led to believe this was to be a positive piece for Femail, in the Daily Mail, about why some relationships can stand the test of time I was happy to take part. I'm not linking to the piece because of my feelings about it, but I'm sure you can find it very easily if you have a look.