With lots of us in isolation and with schools and preschools shutting from Friday lots of our favourite classes and activities have unfortunately had to stop. But, with technology, we are seeing many of them starting to offer sessions from our homes.
Here are some of the classes locally and slightly further afield that I think you’ll love. This will be an ever-changing list so please pop back and support your favourite businesses.
Your favourite classes/sessions that are operating virtually
Storytime
As a Surrey-based children’s Author, Nicola J Rowley will be providing a little bit of respite to parents who are going to be doing a huge juggle.
She will be hosting two daily storytelling sessions.
The first, in the morning at 11am will be for 0-7 year olds.
The second, in the afternoon at 2pm will be for 7-11 year olds.
The sessions will run Monday-Friday from this coming Monday 23rd March.
Please spread the word and tell your friends to pop by onto my FB Author page @AuthorNicolaJRowley. Each session will be for no more than 30 minutes.
NB* As a caveat – Nicola will also still be working from home and entertaining a little person too – so if for any reason she is unavailable at these times – she’ll post an update so you know when the storytimes have been rescheduled to.
Sing and Sign @Home
Stuck at home with a baby? You might need something like Sing and Signs wonderful activities to help save your sanity. They will have a complete course of Sing and Sign lessons (both Stage One and Stage Two) to stream for families next term (starting 20th April).
This way your child won’t miss out on the joys of baby signing and you’ll have something fun and beneficial to do together in the possibly very restrictive weeks ahead!!! It also means that people who have been interested in baby signing but haven’t been able to attend classes before get the chance to experience Sing and Sign too!
Each online class will be available for you to enjoy (as many times as you like) for one week at home with the same format, themes and cumulative learning of signs as ‘live’ classes would have – all delivered to you by a variety of smiley happy Sing and Sign teachers from up and down the country. Any older siblings home from school or nursery can also join in the fun.
The cost for “Sing and Sign@Home” in the summer will be £40 (that’s just £4 per week as it’s a 10 week course) and you can book it online in the usual way (https://www.bookmyclass.co.uk/singandsign/?FID=305).
Please help spread the word by sharing this post to all your friends. If we work as a community for the community then we can keep busy and interactive in these difficult times🎶
https://www.bookmyclass.co.uk/singandsign/?FID=305
Birth Ed
Birth Ed is offering an Online hypnobirthing and Antenatal course for a fee of £40.
Eco tales
Eco Tales has a podcast for children which is based on their 26 EcoTales characters (basically eco-friendly Mr Men)! All the podcast stories and songs are free and they are releasing simple lesson plans that can be used at home to support the key messages. Just go to your usual podcast platform or it’s all on EcoTales.co.uk
Ceramics cafe Hersham
The ceramics cafe in Hersham is offering mobile bags. If anyone would like to book one please can you email the shop at: Hersham@ceramicscafe.com
They need to know your name and children’s names:
Address
Phone number
Item(s) you would like to paint
When you would like it for
Then we will be in touch! The cost is £5 delivery then £10 choice from the following items (subject to availability!)
Lucy Sparkles
Lucy is running interactive music / dance & drama classes online for more visit her instagram
Sow Grow Bloom
They are running an e-school at www.bloomed.org.uk.
Every year group will have a daily maths, English and topic based independent learning activity up, that is practical, creative and most importantly meeting a national curriculum objective for their year, so learning continues at home. Additional resources, games and videos to compliment the learning will be available.
They also have access to online tuition if children need support in an area.
Baby Steps
In 2006 Katherine founded Baby Steps offering Baby and Child First Aid, Weaning and Baby Massage courses in the comfort of parents’ homes and since moving from London last year at the beautiful Baby Steps Studio in the woods of Bramshott Chase.
Following the Covid-19 guidelines she has moved the service to online. Brilliantly via a virtual group video you still enjoy the courses with friends and family or just for you. You can have a chit chat with friends, enjoy a cuppa together from the comfort of home while getting the reassurance. confidence and peace of mind the courses give. Katherine is a Paediatric Nurse, Health Visitor, Certified Infant Massage Instructor and Mummy of two with 25 years in the Health Service.
Please do get in touch to see how the courses can help you www.baby-steps.co.uk
Happity App
Happity has upgraded systems over the weekend to launch Happity@Home so that their class providers (and others – they’ve waived membership fees for min of 3 months so all providers can get support) can continue their classes and support all those parents now isolated at home.
Happity@Home gives you the experience of your normal class, but from your living room. With live interaction between teacher and families, as well as between families too. This is so important to keep people connected.
They have one provider fully set up, which can be booked here: https://www.happity.co.uk/little-folk-nursery-rhymes, but expect many more over the next few days…
Head to www.happity.co.uk to register if you are a class provider, and sign up to the newsletter for more updates if you are a parent. Follow @HappityApp on instagram where we will share which new providers are available until we have our search function fully caught up with all the changes!
The Lightbox Woking
The Lightbox Woking will remain active behind closed doors, highlighting the benefits that art has on wellbeing. Do be on the look-out for fun arts and craft activities using bits and bobs lying around the house, on their digital channels and blog, over the coming weeks.
Twitter @TheLightbox
Facebook @TheLightboxWoking
Instagram @TheLightboxWoking
They have also shared a few resources with our followers, as of below:
- Enjoy a throwback to our Scottish Colourists exhibition with our Google 360 tour! Discover 40 works by the first British artists to get to grips with the radical new trends in painting that emerged in the 20th century. You can even explore the rest of the building. Check out our Upper Gallery too! ➡️ http://bit.ly/2m37yat
- Marianne, one of our wonderful volunteers, has put together a step by step guide on how you can enjoy some lovely reflective time drawing at home. You only need a few supplies and you’ll be good to go. ➡️ http://bit.ly/2QHtLqZ
- Last but not least, our blog is full of exciting articles and interviews about our past and current exhibitions, workshops and events. So, in-between a cuppa and listening to your favourite podcast or binging a new TV show, have a browse through some of our favourite topics on the blog. ➡️ http://bit.ly/2DT2HNZ
Busy Lizzy Elmbridge
Busylizzy Elmbridge are going online with their classes from Monday (23rd). This will be via live streaming on a closed Facebook group for members. Anyone interested can email elmbridge@busylizzy.co.uk for further information.
They will have a mixture of pregnancy fitness, postnatal fitness and baby and toddler classes. They will also offer boredom busting ideas to try at home and talks from their trusted friends and professionals. We will stream 2 (possibly more as we gain momentum) classes every day, 7 days a week. Membership is £20 per month with 1 month notice for cancellation. No joining fee or minimum commitment. A 14 day cooling off period will apply less £1 for each day a member.
Puddle Ducks South West London
Puddle Ducks might not be teaching lessons right now but they will still be providing support, advice and top tips to help keep you and your little ones happy and amused over the next few weeks. Follow their social media for more.
Fairy Sarah and Friends
Until the 16th April, Fairy Sarah is offering individual phone calls for little ones. Each one will be personalised to their situation be it a birthday, a get well soon wish or a big hello!
This is free but Sarah is suggesting a donation to Age UK, see her social media for more.
Herts mad science
Herts Mad Science run science classes for 4-11 year olds in schools in Hertfordshire & Bedfordshire in the UK! They are proposing a live stream science experiment every couple of days with a prep list of household items that the kiddos could collect and do online. Follow for more info.
Just breathe fitness
Just Breathe fitness offers online coaching, training mums and their children get involved in the workouts too. You can also download an app that includes a workout program to follow, the app helps to create workouts and track nutrition and take progress pics, measurements. The app is free to download on www.justbreathefitness.co.uk
Core Pilates
Core Pilates is now offering weekly at home post natal sessions sent straight to your inbox. Contact Katy at corepilateskp@gmail.com
Montessori Circle Time
Montessori Circle Time is running virtual sessions, follow their Instagram for more.
Captain Fantastic Kids
@captainfantastickids have launched FREE Live Toddler Groups, Online Parties and on Saturday we are hosting the world’s first Live 24 Hour Children’s Party!
All info can be found over on their Instagram profile.
Baby Sensory and Reading Fairies
Baby Sensory and Reading Fairies are launching online classes next week.
For Reading Fairy head to www.readingfairy.com/isleworth
For Baby Sensory it’s www.babysensory.com/teddington
ARTventurers
ARTventurers are sending out regular newsletters to subscribers, and regular posts on their FB page with fun arty activities to do with the kids trying to keep everybody happy with a little bit of colour and creativity!
Hartbeeps
Hartbeeps North Surrey will be launching daily sessions, things to do and play and an online community. Watch for details on their Instagram.
Jitterbugs
Jitterbugs is offering sessions on Mondays, Wednesdays & Friday mornings at 10am the same lesson plan per week. Each session is charged at £3. If you would like to follow please send Emma Jane a message and she’ll send you the link.
Monkey Music
Monkey Music will be running virtual classes, we will update with the full details asap
Sarah x
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