Learning made fun

Toy Fair 2013 - A 'Toy' That Bothers Me!

Yesterday I went to the 60th Toy Fair at Olympia. I've been every year for the last 20 years to meet my suppliers and see what is new in the puppets and instrument market for Musical Minis. Whilst it is always lovely to see the companies we buy from and have a little chat, for the last few years there has been little to be excited over. Unfortunately, this year was the same!

Looking at the toys as a whole, there was nothing that inspired me or I felt may become a new craze. I walked around the 'New Toy' section and just saw games my children played with that had been revamped and redesigned.

There was one 'toy' there that was there last year too and as far as I'm aware I don't think it has taken off. It bothered me last year and again this year so I thought I'd see what you think. It is called Magic Choc and comprises of milk, white and dark Belgian chocolate. The idea is to mold the chocolate into various shapes which you then can eat. The chocolate doesn't need heating and can be squished into the shape of animals, birds, monsters or whatever you fancy making. What do you think?

Musical Minis Top 10 Names in 2012

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 2012. It isn't necessarily children who were born in 2012. Furthermore, 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 2011.
Top 10 Boys Names:-
1 Oliver (1)
=2 Harry (2)
=2 Jack (6)
=4 Charlie
=4 Thomas (7)
=6 James (=1)
=6 George (=8)
8 Ethan
=9 Daniel (=3)
=9 William (=3)

The names to have dropped out of the top 10 boys names are Benjamin and Joshua. These have been replaced with Charlie and Ethan. Oliver remains as the most popular name with Jack and Thomas becoming more popular and moving up the top 10, whilst  James, George, Daniel and William have became less popular.

Top 10 Girls Names:-
1 Emily (1)
=2 Olivia (2)
=2 Sophie (3)
4 Jessica (5)
5 Charlotte (9)
=6 Lucy (6)
=6 Lily
=6 Isabella
=6 Isabelle
10 Matilda

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 Lily, Isabella, Isabelle and Matilda whilst Ava, Ruby, Holly and Chloe have dropped out. Sophie, Jessica and Charlotte are the names in both the 2011 and 2012 top 10 that have become more popular since 2011.

From the popular names to the unusual names, from Aaron to Zoe (in our A - Z for 2012), 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 Ollie for a boy and Lucy for a girl. In Wales the most popular names were Charlie for a boy and Ffion for a girl. In the North, Oliver was most popular for a boy and Sophie for a girl. In the South, George 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.

Once again it is my 19 year old daughter, Emily, who has analysed the list of names. Her name has been the top girls name for the 3rd year in a row. She is still happy being called Emily, so parents of Emily's we have chosen well!

New Classes In South Wales

Musical Minis South Wales is very excited to announce that they have 4 new classes opening after half term. Places can be booked from immediate effect by emailing [email protected]

The new classes are:
Mondays - in Barry - 11.00 - 11.45am,
Tuesdays - in Bridgend - 10.30 - 11.15am
Wednesdays - in Penarth - 9.45 - 10.30am & 10.45 - 11.30am

These are in addition to the classes already run in Barry, Pontyclun and Sully.

Classes are also run in Nurseries and Children's Centres in the area.

We're looking forward to meeting lots of new Musical Minis very soon. Please spread the word. Thank you.

http://www.facebook.com/musicalminissouthwales

Musical Minis Wishes You All A Happy 2013