edanna

I don't have any experience of flexi or home schooling. But reception is mainly play anyway - less structured than what my kids were used to at nursery. Have you visited local primary schools and talked about what the children's days involve? It's certainly very different from when I was 5.

Sounds familiar! It probably is pushing boundaries. Have you noticed any trigger/pattern? With my daughter it tends to be at bedtime when she's really tired and gets a second wind. I think the best way is to find some way if you can of snapping her out of it. How does she react if you completely ignore her? Have you tried a chart for good behaviour where she can save up stickers for a special day out? I wish I could offer a simple answer but I'm sure it will pass in the end (that's what I'm hoping anyway!)

Yawn DVL.

First Steps and Mother Goose on Upland Rd are right opposite Goodrich. First Steps is lovely. I don't have any experience of MG.

My attitude to this as someone who was subjected to some fairly brutal investigations/therapies for bed wetting as a child is that the best thing is to wait it out. Some kids are just later than others at starting to produce whatever hormone it is that suppresses urine production at night. I don't believe that being dry at night is something that is learnt. Kids are more likely to be later becoming dry at night if one parent was and even more so if both parents were.

My 4 year old also really likes The Pencil and The Runaway Dinner.

My 4 year old loves the Claude books and The Enormous Crocodile and The Minpins (both Roald Dahl and no chapters but longer length than many picture books) and Flat Stanley (also no chapters). Tracey Corderoy has written some chapter books in the Hubble Bubble series featuring the same characters as the better known picture books - Pandora and her granny who is a witch - 'Pesky Pirate Prank' is good and includes 3 stories each split into chapters. Also 'Dixie O'Day In the Fast Lane' by Shirley Hughes and her daughter Clara Vulliamy. I think 'Ottoline and the Yellow Cat' by Chris Riddell looks brilliant but haven't read it yet. Lovereading4kids is good for inspiration for different age groups.

Bonaome, is that as the crow flies? In which case it may be a bit misleading when Charter measures by safest walking distance.

Thanks all.

Knowing the wide variety of knowledge and experience among familyroomers I'm hoping that someone will be able to advise me on how to choose a good counselling course. I'm interested in an introductory course needing no knowledge or experience of counselling and looking at what's on offer in London there are loads with widely differing fees, different focuses and accreditation from different bodies. How do I pick a good one that will give me a really good overview of various approaches and stand me in good stead if I want to proceed with further training to become a counsellor? Thanks in advance.

Wow that's amazing. Thanks for posting :)

Yes Discover is brilliant and also v near the Olympic park with its wonderful waterplay already mentioned.

I'm sure many people will walk to both the school and M&S but of course both will increase parking pressure. You only have to drive near Goodrich around 9am to see how many parents drive their kids to school. And as others have said before, an M&S will be inevitably be a destination for people coming by car, just as William Rose is. I'm not saying they shouldn't happen but I think it's naive to think everyone will arrive on foot or public transport.

Maybe it would be good for some of you who feel your children aren't welcome to get in touch with DPG. Maybe they could look at how the staff behave towards parents and children and maybe they could have a family afternoon where you won't get frowned at for having a small child with you.

Thanks all - it's really quick and easy to do. You just have to rub two cheek swabs around the inside of your cheek for a couple of minutes. I think the wide age range of people who can become donors is important to point out (even though it doesn't encompass AlanMedic) - I had assumed I was too old before I looked into it.

A friend of a friend's 22 month old boy, James, has recently been diagnosed with a horrific form of leukaemia called JMML. It can only be treated with a bone marrow transplant and so far, they have failed to find a match on the international registers. Here's his story: James is not alone. There are currently 1,800 people in the UK alone waiting for a match. While the search goes on, we're trying to help as much as we can by encouraging people to join the bone marrow registers. It's really easy - a simple cheek swab. And the process for actually donating stem cells is now much simpler and less painful than it used to be - most donors provide the cells through blood transfusions. Here's a great video on what's involved. We're working with Delete Blood Cancer so anyone between the ages of 17-55 who is in good health is eligible to join. You can come along and join the register Sunday the 27th of July 10:00 - 4:00 FEB Offices, 32 Paul Street, EC2A 4LF (Shoreditch) Please check in at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/join-the-bone-marrow-register-tickets-12340355335 to let us know you can make it. We need to make sure we have enough kits! It only take 10 minutes of your time to potentially save a life. If you can't make it London on the 27th then you can order a kit to be posted to your home: https://www.deletebloodcancer.org.uk/ Thank you

It depends on your buggy - if you look at the Lascal site it gives recommendations for different models.

Did they take a bright yellow suitcase? Sorry this seems such a weird question. PM me if they did.

MrsPR - the middle room you mention has recently been extended and now has French windows leading into the garden - this has made it a much bigger lighter space. The waiting list is long - the younger your child the longer the wait is likely to be. It's definitely worth giving them a call - this is the time of year when spaces will get freed up - now there's only one school intake a year there isn't a lot of movement except around Aug/Sep.

A well-equipped kitchen - so many places have rubbish blunt knives, one chopping board, a couple of battered saucepans.

I don't know of any that start before 8. If you need an earlier start you may need to look at a nanny/childminder who can drop off.

Susan, it's a lovely nursery - my son went there and my daughter is there at the moment. It's small, really well run and has a friendly atmosphere. We will miss being part of it when my daughter leaves to go to school soon. Have you been round - I think your gut feeling on visiting nurseries is really important. Do PM me if you want more info. You too newguy42.

Brilliant - thanks Pugwash.

Yes the car hire seats are very expensive and often very poor quality.

John Lewis do a good starter train set: http://m.johnlewis.com/mt/www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-wooden-train-set/p231202145#page_loaded