NHM Readers Recommend: Swimming crash courses 2018

In July 2018, a NHM Reader asked: “I was wondering if you know of any local crash swimming courses for children?” 

Thank you for all your responses, please be aware that listings may change over time but this should still be helpful as a basis for your own research. All opinions are the readers own and are not that of NHM.

NHM Readers Recommend: Swimming crash courses 2018

Joanna said, “The sports centre do crash courses.”

Sarah said, “Bluefins at Cranbourne.”

Becky said, “My daughter has just done a crash course at the Sports Centre and she really enjoyed it.”

Karen said, “I recommend the Sports centre too.”

Andrea said, “We go to Bluefins at Cranbourne.”

Amanda said, “Aquadrome and tadley pool both do intensive courses, so five days a week for one week at a time. They learn faster as there’s no gap to forget things. Highly recommend.”

Ruth said, “We did it for our eldest, age 7? over a half term and he hasn’t looked back – Joanne is brilliant.” (Sports centre)

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NHM Readers Recommend: After School Drama Clubs

I recently had the following question from an NHM Reader: “Looking to see if your lovely followers can help. Looking for an after school drama club for my 4 year old. Looking for Monday’s or not Stage coach as it’s far too expensive for us.TIA”

Many thanks to the NHM Community for your responses, listed below in no particular order:

NHM Readers recommend after school drama clubs

Karen said:

“My little one went to Perform in Bramley. I think it was on a Friday but I’m sure there are others around on different days. Great for building confidence and learning life skills. Not in anyway like stage coach. They do a termly performance but it’s really laid back and no pressure on the children to be perfectly forms performers.”

Rachael said:

The Spotlight Centre not sure of the time table now as this was a few years ago. The person who we did go to has his own business now and is based at QMC but this is LAMDA I think he takes children from 7. It is called In Yer Face Productions.

“I think there is a group at Sherfield Park too”

Kate said:

“Is drama tots only pre school?”

Katie said:

Merry go Round Storytelling offer fab Stage Craft classes – they are Andover based but I know travel, and are regularly in Longparish, Whitchurch etc. Worth looking into. Amanda is lovely”

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NHM Readers: “After school” activities for pre-schoolers

As part of “North Hants Mum Question Time”, I was asked by Andrea “Is there any “after school” activity available for pre-schoolers? As a mum who works school hours but has a 2 year old, I would love to do a class or something with both of them after 3pm, but all classes for under 5s seem to be during the day.”

My response, as well as those received from the community, are below in no particular order.

NHM Readers: “After school” activities for pre-schoolers

Louise NHM replied: “Oooh, great question Andrea! These might help:
Tuesday: Fun Tots (PM)
2pm – 4pm – 1 year to 7 years
Basingstoke Sports Centre
Thursday: Fun Tots again and Emboite Ballet (PM)
4.15pm – 4.45pm – from 3 years to 5 years
Sherfield Park Community Centre, Sunwood Drive, Sherfield on Loddon, RG27 0FP
http://www.northhantsmum.co.uk/activities/

Nikki said “Andrea, we don’t offer after school, but do offer Sunday classes for 0-5s to cater for parents who work in the week. www.facebook.com/dinkydiscobasingstoke www.dinkydisco.co.uk

Rebecca said “I don’t know if it would interest you Andrea but something that I take both of mine to is Messy Church – they can play games for a bit, then there’s about 45 mins of crafts, a short talk and song, then dinner. At Christ Church Chineham it’s on a Monday (once a month) from 3:45-5:45, but there are loads around Basingstoke on different days.”

Louise said “Messy Monsters Basingstoke offer various single Sunday events which is very popular for working families. Messy Monsters Basingstoke

Karen said “Wessex Kids Club officially we start at 3 years but if parents stay we take at 2. Friday nights at Wessex Christian Fellowship. Free play, story, songs & crafts 6.30-7.30pm”

Sarah said “UCD runs on a Tuesday at Cranbourne College and Thursday at Oakridge Hall for All 4.45 all ages welcome”

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NHM Readers Recommend after school football sessions for 5+ years

An NHM Reader recently asked “I’m looking for a football after school session if possible for 5 years +… starting in September. Would you be able to put a shout out for me? I know there was one done on pre-schoolers….”

Thank you to all those who replied. The responses are below and in no particular order.

NHM Readers Recommend after school football sessions for 5+ years

Sarah said “Hatch Warren Phoenix are after children in Year R and 1. Runs on Saturday mornings though very professional group and coaches are fabulous”

Evi said “Brighton Hill school power league, https://www.facebook.com/GolElite/ Thu 5-6”

Wendy said “There’s one at Everest on a Wed but the FA website doesn’t have the details. Give the community centre a call for info.”

For a Sat session, Lods Tods is training for 4 to year 1. 10 – 12 on Sherfield village green. £2 pay as you go.”

Candice said “These guys run during term time at Sherfield Park Community Centre on Mondays 5-6pm. They also run coaching workshops over the summer holidays (all 5 weeks here M-F 9am – 3pm or half days) so a great opportunity to maybe have a few trial sessions in advance of September Challenger Sports

Jo said “Tuesdays 6-7 at Richard Aldworth school with these guys…Pro-Skills Coaching Basingstoke

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NHM Readers: Football/dance classes for 2 year old

I recently asked the Friends of  my “Louise nhm Smith” profile on Facebook if anyone could help this NHM reader: “I am thinking of sending my two year old boy to football and/or dance classes. Does anyone have any recommendations?”

These were the responses I received. They are in no particular order. Thanks very much to Juliet for putting this post together!!! 

NHM Readers recommend football/dance classes for 2 year olds

Leighann said: Basingstoke Academy of Dance is fantastic.

Fiona said: Lisa Beaumont offers ballet classes

Anita said: Lisa Beaumont School of Ballet is amazing!!! Also, my son goes to Pro-Skills Coaching Basingstoke

Vicki said: Tiny Tykes is great for football.

Christine said: My 2.5 year old really enjoys the football classes at Basingstoke Sports Centre. It’s for 2-4 year olds and run by Achieve Sports on a Monday 10-10.45 x

Heidi said: My son has been going to little kickers football since 18 months. He loves it and it helps teach them so many skills including colours, counting, animals etc.

Jessica said: Little Kickers is great for football.

Claire said: Little Kickers definitely. My son went to one at Carnival Hall when he was 2, gained loads of confidence and discipline and he is still playing grass root Sunday football at the age of 13 for a team with two friends from there.

Wendy said: RugbyTots is also worth considering. Great for hand eye coordination

Katie said: Kids Kan Dance specialise in dance for toddlers and preschoolers.

Claire said: JLD school of dancing.

Zoe said: I can recommend Katie at Kids Kan Dance, my girls love her!

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NHM Readers Recommend Dance Classes for 4 and 8 year olds

An NHM Reader recently asked “Are there any children’s dance classes that take mixed age children? I am looking for a class for a 4 year old and an 8 year old. It seems many places only start from age 5 also, my 4 year old will be in school from September.”

Many thanks to the NHM community for the below responses, which are in no particular order.

NHM Readers Recommend Dance Classes for 4 and 8 year olds

Paul said “not sure about dance, but I know Basingstoke Wolverines Cheer Squad are looking for people if that’s any good?”

Wendy said “They should be able to attend together for Irish Dancing. Contact below for times (I believe Basingstoke is a Tues evening) http://www.boyleodowda.com/contact.html

Helena said “Petite school of dance (ballet, tap, Acro) are from preschool to senior school! Very friendly and relaxed but excellent dancing achieved!”

Paula said “JLD school of dancing are amazing – http://www.jldschoolofdancing.co.uk/ Main studio in Kingsclere, other classes are at Cranbourne school in Basingstoke Cranbourne Primary School

Carlie said “North Hampshire Academy of Dance is an excellent dance school, my son and daughter have been there for 10 years and have thrived there. Free trial classes and qualified teachers. Highly recommend.”

Charlene said “JG Dance Basingstoke. My daughter is 6 and has been attending for 2 years now and does several styles of dancing on Saturday mornings. Lovely teachers and all the parents are friendly”

Sarah said “Happy Feet Dance Academy

Julie said “The problem of them being together in most dance schools is that the exam structure is usually based at the beginning around ages – so your 8 year old could be waiting a long time for the 4 year old to be old enough/capable of doing the exams. If you wanted something informal and fun I think that Chandelle Stage School do a mixed modern/tap/ballet class in Winklebury that covers a broader age as they do IDTA dance awards rather than the formal RAD and ISTD ballet and tap etc.”

Julie said “For actual RAD and ISTD there is also Basingstoke Academy of Dancing at Houndmills”

Debbie said “www.lyndendance.co.uk

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Basingclog

Basingclog is not a dance school, but more of a club.

We’ve been dancing in the Basingstoke area for the last 25 years, and although we mostly have adult members, we do welcome young people from age 14.

During the autumn and winter months, we practice at Sherfield on Loddon village hall on Tuesdays, 8-9:30 pm, and in the spring and summer we dance out at area pubs and the occasional festival.

We welcome beginners and can teach people all they need to know about morris dancing. Our website is www.basingclog.org.uk

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Review 2017: Relax Kids

Kath from Relax Kids recently invited me to review one of her classes with Miss NHM.

I was one of the first people that Kath “practised” on a few years ago when she started out. I thought she was brilliant then so was very keen to see how she had developed and for Miss NHM to attend a class.

I saw that Kath was doing classes on a Sunday morning as a taster session to come along and find out what it’s all about before committing to a 5 week course, which was perfect for us. It wasn’t too early in the morning too, which was great. I asked my friend S whether she wanted to bring her son K along, and she decided that she wanted to check out the class too.

Kath sent me an email the week before the class detailing what would be happening for the hours class. It included things about what to wear for the session and a child protection policy that needed completing which is brilliant as it shows what a professional Kath is!

Kath follows a 7 step process in helping the children to relax. She was brilliant at explaining to the children what she was doing and the steps that they were taking.

A couple of people turned up late to the class which I always think is a bit rude but then remembered that some children find coming to classes very intimidating. Kath handled their lateness really well and explained things very clearly to everyone.

All of the exercises that Kath used were sooo clever! I love the “Smile to reach your stretch” moment. That was awesome to see Miss NHM stretch and expand.  I loved the “hedgehog” and seeing Miss NHM in this position made me quite emotional! The Angry thoughts exercise was fantastic and just such a lovely concept.

I also REALLY loved the books that Kath used and have purchased two for home already as they have such wonderful concepts in them.

All through the class children are doing breathing exercises but they don’t even know it!! I particularly loved the “breathing in happy thoughts, breathing out sad thoughts”. I also loved the relaxing music that Kath uses and really want to ask her where she got it from as I think we could do with a copy of this for home! lol .

Miss NHM is quite a confident little girl at the best of times and I was very interested to see how she responded to the class.  My favourite bit of the class was when the children were asked to write out what makes them happy. Miss NHM had written about 9 things within 2 minutes and I was uber proud that she knows what makes her happy and could express this.

I also felt quite privileged seeing all the children relax throughout the class, which was fascinating to watch. There was one little boy who really didn’t want to participate, but by the end of the class he was lying on the floor with the other children and you could see that he had got a lot out of the class even if he hadn’t been actively participating for most of it.

Tips

Book quickly because Kath’s classes sell out REALLY fast. They are very popular and she often has a waiting list!

Parents are allowed in the room. This must have been initially intimidating to Kath, having the parents watching, but she wasn’t bothered.

Rating out of 5

All of the little details were excellent, it’s very obvious that Kath is passionate about what she’s doing as such thought had been put into the whole class.

As you can see, I’m a HUGE fan of Kath’s work. Miss NHM got so much out of just that one class and talked about it for weeks later. I’m very keen to enrol her in a class when she starts Y2 next year!

Definitely 5 out of 5!!

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Holiday Clubs in North Hampshire

Thank you very much to Shona for putting this post together!

Holiday Clubs in North Hampshire

Koosa Kids – from 4 years to 13 years

Koosa Kids offers holiday activities in various place. Locally there is Alton, Tadley and Fleet. There are over 350 activities including; drama, water play, cricket, football and Go Karts. Children are grouped by age and will be allocated a Coach and Assistant Coach. There are Paediatric First Aiders around at all times. Koosa kids accept childcare vouchers. If you book 2 children a 3rd goes free.

Prices: Days start from £19.75 per day and you get an 8% discount if you book a whole week.

Session times: Open from 8.15am to 6pm daily.

Koosa Kids

TGZ Holiday Club – from 4 years to 12 years

Based at Farnborough Grange Nursery and Community Infant School this holiday club includes a wide range of activities such as arts, sports and games.

Price: £10 per session (8.30am – 12.30pm or 1.30pm to 5.30pm), £15 per short day (10am-4pm) or £20 per longer day (8.30am – 5.30pm)

To book please email: Claire Dixon

Premier Performing Arts Creative Holiday Camps – 5 years to 16 years

This club is at the Vyne School. It gives children the opportunity to be creative, perform and make new friends. All staff are DBS checked and experienced performing arts coaches. The fun filled workshops are themed and enable children to have an unforgettable dance and drama experience. At the end of the workshop, come and see how they have developed! Week 1: Meet the BFG, Week 2: The Lion King Week 3: Olympic Super Hero Training Camp, Week 4: Introducing… the Pop Icons!

Prices: £20 per day (special 15% discount if booked by 2 weeks in advance. To become a Premier member (FREE) go to the book online link below and you then can get sibling discounts and other discounts.

Session times: Sessions are 9am to 3.30pm but can book extended time (8.30am-5pm) for only £5 which includes a healthy snack.

For more information call 01953499040.

Book online

To book with Childcare Vouchers email using this link requesting the form.

Premier Sport ‘Inspire to Engage’ Holiday Sports Camp – From 4 years to 13 years

This club is at the Vyne School. It gives children the opportunity to experience a varied range of sports in a safe and enriching environment. All staff are DBS checked. The days are designed to have a healthy sporting experience with other children their age.There will be lots of games and activities including fencing, archery, lacrosse, dodgeball, football, tennis and many more. There are 4-5 different sports per day

Prices: (£17 if booked more than 2 weeks in advance). 9am – 12.30pm is £12 per day (£10.20 if booked more than 2 weeks in advance) and 8.30am – 5pm is £25 per day (£21.25 if booked more than 2 weeks in advance). To become a Premier member (FREE) go to the book online link below and you then can get sibling discounts and other discounts.

For more information call 01953499040.

Book online

SCL – Club Energy & Soccer Schools – 4 years to 12 years

SCL has been running holiday activities for more than 10 years and have been awarded ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted for their holiday activities at Easter. They run across Surrey, Hampshire, Berkshire and the London Boroughs. For 4-5 year olds, their days will be like they are at nursery; activities will be set out to cover the EYFS 7 areas of learning with a key worker for each child. Within Club energy these are the plans: For 6-8 year olds there is an activity programme where children can improve their social skills, team building and individuality. For 9-12 year olds there will be a wide range of activities to challenge and motivate them. There is also the Soccer Schools which provide: 4-5 year olds with an introduction to football through fun and imaginative games and practices. 6-8 year olds with a focus on player development through enjoyable drills and sessions. 9-12 year olds with skill specific drills and tactical awareness.

Prices: Standard day (9.45am – 4pm) £22 per day or £88 per week. Extended day (8.,30am – 5.30pm) £25 per day or £100 per week. There is a 25% sibling discount and they also accept childcare

vouchers.

For more information call 03456445747

SCL – Education through sport

Fun House – 4 years to 14 years

Fun House runs a Holiday Club from their location at Daneshill Industrial Estate. They were awarded a ‘Good’ from Ofsted. They provide a well planned and organised play environment which allows children to explore, experiment and make decisions for themselves.

Prices: Long days are charged at £25 per child per day or £105 per week. Short days are charged at £19.50 per child per day. There is a £3.50 per child per day charge for lunch. They do accept childcare vouchers.

Sessions: A full day is from 8am – 6pm. A short day is 9am – 3.30pm

Fun House

Cornerstone Holiday Club – 6 years to 11 years

Cornerstone offer a Holiday Club during school holidays which is held in a private contained room at Playdays Play Centre. For more information send an email. You can also have a look at their facebook page.

For more information call 01256818118

Spotlight Centre – 5 years to 16 years

Spotlight is a charity working with over 600 children every week during term time providing fun activities. They run a holiday club where all staff are DBS checked which includes art and crafts, games, sports, dance and drama plus much more.

For more information call 01256325420

Spotlight Centre

ISIS Holiday Club

ISIS run an after school club during term time and offer a Holiday Club during all the holidays. They have a big outdoor space and a park very close by which they use for outdoor games. Indoors they provide arts and crafts, games, computers, a reading area and a quiet area. There is also a place for children to complete their homework.

Prices: £25 per full day which includes all activities, mid morning and afternoon snacks. £3.50 per hour for a minimum of 5 hours.

For more information call 07516828567 or 07516209578

ISIS Afterschool and Holiday Club

Willowdene Funky Monkey Holiday Club – Pre-school children

Funky Monkey is the pre-school holiday club. Children have access to a broad range of activities and resources including games, craft, cooking, reading, construction and role play plus many more. There are also opportunities for outings to the park and on nature walks.

Prices: £5.90 per hour for 2 year olds and £5.60 per hour for children aged 3+. Breakfast served between 7.30am and 8.30am for a charge of £1. Lunch served between 11.30am and 12.30pm for £2.50. Tea is served between 4pm and 5pm for £2.50.

Sessions: from 7.30am to 6pm.

Funky Monkey Holiday Club

Willowdene Club Holiday Club – Reception age +

Willowdene Club Holiday Club offers children a wide range of activities including free areas for reading, writing, role play and computing as well as activities such as arts and crafts, cookery and games.

Prices: £2.70 per hour for school aged children. Breakfast served between 7.30am and 8.15am for a charge of £1. Lunch served between 11.30am and 12.30pm for £2.50. Tea is served between 4pm and 5pm for £2.50.

Sessions: from 7.30am to 6pm.

Willowdene Club Holiday Club

Tetra Brazil – from 5 years to 15 years

Tetra Brazil works from Sherfield Park Community Centre during the summer holidays. They provide players with an authentic Brazilian based coaching for football based on techniques and tactics used by some of the world’s best players. Tetra Brazil has 5 phases (age groups) however for holiday clubs they only operate phases 2 -4. Phase 2 (5-7 year olds) focus on ball familiarity and developing a passion for the game. Phase 3 (8-11 year olds) focus on technical proficiency in a competitive environment. Phase 4 (12 – 15 year olds) learn team tactics, performing under pressure and understanding good match preparation.

Prices: Half days cost £7.50 per session and full days cost £15 per day. For Monday – Friday half days £30 and Monday – Friday full days £60.

Session times: Half day is 9am – 12pm and a full day is 9am – 3pm. You can also book a full week of half days or full days

For more information please call 03302233613

Tetra Brazil

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Willowdene Holiday Club 2012

Willowdene Holiday Club for children aged 5 -12 yrs

For school aged children Holiday Clubs are now held at Christ Church (opposite Willowdene) meaning we have more space and better age related activities for the school aged child. We are open every school holiday and Four Lanes Inset days catering for children aged 5-12 yrs **

(** Reception aged children will be given the choice either to attend the Holiday Club at the Nursery, or at Christ Church).

Activities are planned and prepared according to the children’s interests and each day is different. We introduce play that challenges the children’s imaginations e.g. den making, and with the woods around us we are able to go on Nature walks, bug hunts and picnics. We also take the children to the Library and local parks.

Some activities the children have enjoyed this summer include
• Fashion designing with a variety of materials
• Picking blackberries and making them into delicious pies
• Test Lab Tuesday – scientific experiments with Tizzy the test lab technician
• Walking to the shopping centre to buy the ingredients to make our own lunches.

Holiday Care also available for Nursery aged children at Willowdene Nursery School.

Ring 01256324191 or email willowdene@btconnect.com for further details! www.willowdenenursery.org.uk

Are there any other Holiday Clubs that you know about in the area?