Learning made fun

The Most Magical Time Of The Year In Lapland!

Guest blog by Leena Thakker, the Musical Minis Buckinghamshire, South Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire franchisee.

As a child I had always wanted to go to Lapland but it remained a pipe dream. But then becoming a parent, that burning desire grew stronger and stronger and I was determined to make that pipe dream a reality.

After a fabulous summer holiday in Cape Verde in 2016, I announced to my husband that I really wanted us to take the girls on a surprise trip to Lapland over Christmas. Having had our usual one holiday per year, my husband said that it would be unaffordable for us to have a second big holiday in the same year.

So as a person who likes a challenge (and never listens to anyone – a law unto myself as my husband always says!) I decided to put as much money as I could from my earnings as a Musical Minis Franchisee for Oxfordshire and more recently for Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire, to get to that enchanting, magical country for Christmas 2016.

I finally convinced my husband in November that I had saved enough money to do this once in a lifetime trip and so mid-November, having finally convinced him our search began. We had left it a bit late to book which meant we did not have that many choices of hotels but in some respects it made it easier. In fact, I had read that all hotels and cabins are much and much the same in Finland whether you go for a 3 star or a 5 star - the main difference is of course the price!

We spoke to friends who had been to Lapland with regards to accommodation. I really wanted the idyllic setting in the middle of the forest in a log cabin with a real fire. Friends, who had previously visited Lapland, recommended that a hotel was a better and more practical choice. We would then be in the one place without having to take off and put layers on every mealtime. So we thankfully did find a really lovely hotel and even had the luxury of a sauna in our room. Then the decision of half board or full board? We had read a lot of reviews and decided to book half board as we thought during the day we would be out on excursions. This was definitely a good choice as a lot of people had paid more for full board but never had lunch at the hotel. In fact, a lot of excursions included lunch.

So then having read reviews on Tripadvisor we booked our 4 day stay over Christmas in a 4 star hotel through Thomson. The accommodation was pretty basic at the Forest Heights but comfortable and as we had no intentions of spending too much time at the hotel, the facilities were sufficient to meet our needs.

So on the 21st December we left for Birmingham airport, our girls totally unaware that we were going to Lapland the following day. We booked in at the Ibis hotel as we could leave our car there at no extra cost which was fantastic. Totally oblivious and thinking we were off to Switzerland where my husband works, we arrived at the airport for the ‘night before check-in’ and that is when we broke it to the girls that, as they had been so good for the year, they had a special invitation from Santa to visit him in his hometown and we would be boarding the Santa flight at 5.30am the next day to set off on a magical adventure! As you can imagine the girls were ecstatic and with all the excitement we hardly got any sleep before the alarm went off at 3.00am! The Ibis even served breakfast at such an ungodly hour so a quick bite to eat and we left for the airport. The magical journey really started on the plane with Christmas carols and a big bump as Rudolph and the other reindeer landed on the plane! The atmosphere was really jovial with so many children from babies and toddlers through to teenagers all in Christmas jumpers and hats ready for a truly white, enchanting Christmas.

The journey took just under 3 hours and went quickly. When we arrived at Rovaniemi we were greeted by cheeky elves and big mascots, who were jumping on and off the luggage conveyor belt.

We then had a short ride on a coach to our hotel. We decided to pick a hotel in Rovaniemi as most of the excursions took place there and that is where Santa Village and Santa Park was so we did not want to spend vast amounts of time traveling to the different places. But before we arrived at the hotel we had to make a trip to a big warehouse where we would receive all our snow kit. Each coach had a dedicated elf and ours was called Jolly Holly and she was absolutely amazing. She explained that the warehouse is like a human conveyor belt and we walk around and the people working there can work out our size by just looking at us. And so we walked around with a big plastic bag and each worker dropped a snowsuit, gloves, thick socks, scarves and snow boots so that we could kit ourselves out for the freezing weather conditions. It was so well organised and their guesstimates were so correct! And this was all included in the price!

Upon arrival at the hotel there was quite a bit of waiting around which was frustrating as we wanted to get to our rooms and just get outside! Finally we were able to get into all our snow gear and explore the area. We had a meeting with our Thomson rep who explained the itinerary for the next 4 days and it was up to us if we wanted to book more excursions, as we would have a taster of the some of the excursions.

The most striking thing we noticed was the few hours of daylight! It was so strange as the sun would not rise before 11.30am and would set by 2.00pm so by about 3pm it would be pitch black!

The following day our excursions started very early. So with a warm hearty breakfast we went to a farm where we had taster sessions of husky rides, reindeer rides and snow mobiles. And when I say tasters they literally were a few minutes of each. Of course all tour operators want people to spend more money and book the full excursions. One tip, book the excursions early as we found out a lot of people had already booked theirs back home and so when we had our meeting with the Tour Rep a lot of places had already gone – something we were unaware of. So we actually booked on the first day even before we had our tasters as we just didn’t want to miss out.

Our next few days we had excursions booked from day to evening. We did an elf adventure in the evening where we met Mrs Claus and the children could have some time to create Christmas key rings, we went snow tubing, quad biking and much more! Warm berry juice and gingerbread biscuits were in abundance on every excursion we went on. Christmas Eve we went on a 3 hour snow mobile through the forest in snowy conditions – it was stunning.

We spent some time in Santa’s village and Santa Park where we attended and graduated from Elf school, saw an Elf Show, visited the ice kingdom and saw Santa’s mammoth post office with all the letters from children around the world!

And then the main day arrived – Christmas day!

After the girls opened their presents we spent some time sledging in the morning and taking photographs of the unspoilt scenery, followed by going to a reindeer and husky dogs farm where we had a couple of hours on each rides through the forest and the snow. The scenery was breathtaking – a truly winter wonderland!

In the evening we were taken to a remote log cabin in the middle of yet another forest where Father Christmas lives, where we had a lovely Gala dinner with Turkey and all the trimmings – so lovely to be served and not have to make it myself or clear up the mess afterwards!

And if that was not enough, just before the big firework display to welcome Father Christmas arriving on his sleigh, we saw the wonderful Northern Lights! And they truly were magical. We were really fortunate as we had already seen them a couple of nights before but the ones on Christmas day were really powerful with beautiful colours of pinks and greens! A lot of the locals said they had not seen such vibrant colours for 5-6 years so we were very fortunate to have experienced them.

And whilst admiring the Northern Lights and the firework display, we then saw Santa arriving with his elf and Rudolph through the snow! A private meeting for each family with Santa absolutely made the whole trip so wonderful and believable whatever age!

I would so highly recommend this once in a lifetime adventure. As exhausting as those 4 days were, we will cherish the memories of this amazing trip forever! Christmas 2016 was an unbelievable and unforgettable experience for us and our girls! And I now have to start saving again before the next big adventure! 

How to teach your toddler to share

As a psychologist, former play specialist at Great Ormond Street Hospital and founder of Musical Minis, I am often asked for my views on various subjects. Recently I was asked to share my suggestions on how to teach children to share for an article for Mother and Baby Magazine . Various extracts from the article can be seen here.

As a Mum you already have an amazing array of skills to help navigate your child through the day-to-day challenges of being a toddler. One skill in particular is negotiation and it starts to come in handy as you find yourself refereeing feisty toddlers, tussling over trucks! You can help your toddler discover the joys of taking turns.

Sharing is a hot topic with mums. It’s absolutely natural for you to want your child to be able to share nicely, but it’s also natural that they simply don’t understand that they should. Sharing requires an understanding of other people’s feelings and babies and toddlers don’t have this just yet.

Psychologist and former play specialist at Great Ormond Street hospital Karen Sherr explains: “The first thing I advise is not to expect your child to share. Babies and toddlers have a strong sense of self. This doesn’t mean they are aware of themselves as individuals, rather that they are naturally self-centred and don’t realise they are separate from everyone and everything else. This means that they have no idea how their actions affect others.’

So start this journey from a place where you don’t expect your child to share. ‘Parents can be disappointed and embarrassed when their child doesn’t naturally share. But there is absolutely no reason why they should: they are simply not designed to,’ says Karen. ‘Not sharing is not a reflection of their personality, it doesn’t mean they are unkind or mean, but only that they don’t know what it is to share.’

“This is all part and parcel of their development and because sharing requires empathy it is something that is very difficult for them to understand. “This will only begin to happen tentatively between the age of two and three and won’t be fully understood until around five. You can encourage your child to learn to share and you can lead by example. The main thing is to show your child that sharing can be fun!”

“Right from the beginning we can subtly encourage the idea of sharing - or waiting for ‘our turn’ by copying and repeating sounds as baby begins to coo and talk,” says Karen. “If you repeat sounds back to your baby, they will enjoy waiting for you to speak. “Whilst this is encouraging speech, on another level you are laying the foundations for taking turns and beginning to show them that if your child does an action there might then be a small waiting period while the other person has their turn.”

Learn through baby groups. Playgroups, music classes and other gatherings are great places to help teach your toddler about sharing. “Exposing your little one to an array of toys and items that don’t belong to them is really helpful in showing your child how to share,” explains Karen.

“In a music class for example there will be instruments that are physically shared out so your child will see sharing in action. Two babies might be given one drum to bang - so they begin to understand that some things are more fun with two people. The children will also swap instruments and take turns with different ones then return them at the end. This all encourages play around sharing and helpfully gives you examples to refer back to at home. For example, you can say ‘Why don’t you swap toys now just like we do at music class?’.

A busy playgroup will almost certainly present you and your toddler with a sharing conundrum at some point. But, giving your child the opportunity to learn through play is good for them.

"You might unwittingly be giving your little one very mixed messages about sharing when it comes to food. Your child may find this very confusing. "For example, your child may offer you a bite of something they are eating and you pretend to take one. But then if your child offers food to another child, and they do take the food, your child could well be distraught when this happens. The child wasn’t expecting that and so won’t be sharing again!" says Karen.

“Later at the dinner table your child offers their mash potato to everyone and you get cross - but earlier you suggested they share their lunch, so your child thinks this makes you happy and doesn’t understand why dinner shouldn’t be shared too."

When you look at it in these terms, it’s easy to understand why your child might be confused. But there’s an easy answer: introduce a ‘sharing snack’ and call it that. "It helps if your child has this snack at roughly the same time every day," says Karen. "For example, if you always take a snack to give  after nursery, then this can be a 'sharing snack'. And if your child does share food with you, take that bite! Otherwise, the child might be shocked when someone else does."

Babies and toddlers love to smile and clap and this can always be used to help encourage the type of behaviour you'd like to see. “If you see your child taking turns nicely then be sure to tell them, clap and say ‘well done, lovely sharing’. Make a fuss, as your child will enjoy this and be encouraged to repeat the behaviour. “Also, try to use positive action talk such as ‘do this’ instead of ‘don’t do this’ and avoid saying ‘no’ too much, instead say ‘let’s try this.’” Says Karen.

If your toddler has friends coming over, get them used to the idea of sharing beforehand, perhaps even looking forward to the idea. “Before friends arrive or vice versa, chat to your child about how much fun it will be to have someone to play with,” recommends Karen. “Ask them which toys they would like to show to their friend and talk about how much their friend will enjoy playing with that toy too."

“Take time to sit together and make a pile of toys that your child is happy to share and ask them if there is anything that is very special and they would rather not share, then put this away until later, explaining that the friend might feel sad if they see it and cannot use it."

“If your baby is too young, just make sure you have lots of toys out so that sharing issues are easily solved by distracting with a different toy."

"If you are going to visit a friend, then take a couple of your child’s toys with you," recommends Karen. "And when you have friends visiting you, ask them to bring a few toys too. Explain to your child that the friend is bringing items to share as well, and this will help them feel that it is not just them who is expected to share. Doing this also makes sharing the actual activity, rather than the consequence of having somebody over to play. And this brings the opportunity to discuss what the friend might be bringing and how it is fun to be able to play with each other’s belongings."

“Share activities throughout the day, helping your child to understand that it is nice when you take turns to do something with someone else,” says Karen. “For example, if you are using a teatowel, let your child have a go. If you are hoovering, give them a turn. “There are plenty of tasks you can share. Use play too, by taking it in turns to sing a song, or do a hop as you walk along, or to talk on the telephone.”

“It’s perfectly OK for your child to have a toy that they don’t have to share,” says Karen. “You have special items that mean something to you that you wouldn’t like to pass around so why should your child have to do that? If your child has a favourite doll or soft toy it is quite understandable for them to become upset when another child takes it away. Don’t feel bad for saying ‘that’s a very special toy that is just for my child’. If you know this is an issue, have some similar soft toys at hand to swap it with.”

To read the full article, visit the Musical Minis website.

Musical Minis Top 10 Names In 2016

Following our tradition of tallying the names of children attending Musical Minis classes, the list below shows the most popular names for children attending in 2016. It isn't necessarily children who were born in 2016. Furthermore, it doesn't include children who attend Children's Centre sessions or nursery 0r school sessions.

The numbers in brackets shows the name's position in 2015.

Top 10 Boys Names:-

1 Jack (=4)
=2 Henry (1)
=2 George (6)
4 Harry (7)
5 Oliver (=4)
6 William
7 Alexander (=8)
=8 James (=8)
=8 Charlie (2)
10 Thomas (3)

The only name t0 have dropped out of the top 10 boys names this year is Jacob. It has been replaced by William, which had been in the top 10 every year since we started name tables 7 years ago, apart from 2015. Jack, George, Harry, Alexander and William have become more popular over the year and moved up the top 10; whilst Henry, Oliver, Charlie and Thomas have become less popular and moved down the list.

Top 10 Girls Names:-

1 Evie (=8)
2 Isla (1)
3 Lily (=4)
4 Sophia (=4)
=5 Emily (2)
=5 Grace
=6 Ava
=6 Alice
=6 Amelia
=6 Olivia (3)

There have been 4 new entries in the top 10 girls names this year - Grace, Ava, Alice and Amelia. Imogen, Isabelle, Florence and Phoebe have dropped out of the top 10. Evie and Lily have gained popularity over the year and moved up the top 10 whilst Isla, Emily and Olivia have moved down it.

The names are counted according to the spelling and it is noted that there are various spellings of the same name, particularly with girls names. For example, Emily, Emily-Jane, Emmie, Emmy and Emilia are counted as 5 separate names despite being very similar.

From the popular names to the unusual names, from Aaron to Zoe (in our A - Z for 2016), there is a huge variety of names. This year we have noticed many more unique names that only one Musical Minis member has across the whole UK.

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.

Emily is the only girls name which has appeared in the top 10 for all 7 years since we started analysing the names. Girls names seem to be much more varied and move in and out of popularity. Boys names seem to be more static in the list. In the last 7 years, Oliver, Harry, George, Jack and Thomas have all appeared in the top 10 every year.We have noticed a rise in 2016 in less traditional boys names, although they still have to make it into the top 10. Names like Hugo and Oscar are definitely rising in popularity.

Despite the birth of Princess Charlotte the name Charlotte still hasn't made it into the top 10 in 2016.  Prince George, may have had an impact in 2016 to the name George as it moved up to the 2nd most popular boys name. Maybe royal names have a greater influence on boys than girls names.

Once again it is my 23 year old daughter, Emily, who has created the list of names. Her name has been in the top 10 girls names for the 7th year in a row. She is still happy being called Emily, despite the name place drop from 2nd place to equal 5th place, so parents of Emilys we have chosen well!

Happy 80th Birthday Terry - South Wales Musical Minis Brilliant Helper

Guest Blog by Jo Weaving, the Musical Minis South Wales franchisee.

I met Terry, for the first time, over 20 years ago.

Back in 2007, when I was looking for volunteers to help in Musical Minis, Terry seemed an obvious choice. So, in September of that year, Terry joined the Musical Minis South Wales team.

Terry is a mum to 4 grown up boys, grandmother of 6 and great-grandmother of 5. She helps in the Tuesday afternoon, Pontyclun class, although she has covered sessions in all venues across the area as well as parties & nurseries. Terry loves helping children to learn and thoroughly enjoys watching them develop and progress as they attend our Musical Minis classes. Combine this with a love of music and she’s perfect to assist in our classes.

Terry displays so much enthusiasm in Musical Minis and takes her duties very seriously. She loves chatting to the parents and getting to know the children. She sings her heart out, shakes the parachute, catches the bubbles, shakes the maracas, bangs the drums, blows the whistles and leads the nursery rhyme section of our classes to absolute perfection. Her favourite, however, is the hokey cokey, although the Owl story comes a very close second.

Back in November (2016), Terry celebrated her 80th birthday, and we celebrated with her in Musical Minis. She had no idea! In the weeks leading up to her birthday I’d managed to get everyone in the Pontyclun class to sign a card and during the closest Tuesday to the big day we celebrated with cake (that I’d managed to sneak in and hide) and a rendition of Happy Birthday. Her face, when the nursery rhymes came to an early end, so that we could celebrate with her, was a picture. The South Wales team also gave her a card and arranged for some flowers to be sent.

For an 80 year old, Terry is marvellous. She lives independently, drives, attends various clubs and classes and travels around the country to visit friends and family. She helps with looking after her grandchildren, often taking them out on walks to the parks and beaches or to the local library for craft workshops. She frequently says that Musical Minis is the highlight of her week and missed it terribly during the school holidays.

Everyone at Musical Minis loves Terry and she is a real asset to the Musical Minis South Wales team.

 As well as in Pontyclun, South Wales Musical Minis runs classes in Barry, Barry Island and Bridgend. For details email [email protected] or visit the South Wales Musical Minis website.

We are delighted that whatever age people are they can all enjoy Musical Minis!