edanna

What about flip out https://www.flipout.co.uk or zap space https://zapspace.co.uk ? Great cardio and lots of fun.

I would really strongly recommend Dainty Sue: http://www.daintysue.com She is lovely and does what my husband calls 'proper magic' as well as circus tricks and a great bit of disco if that's what you want. She's brilliant and non-threatening with little kids but can still enthrall older ones. We have booked her for years for both our kids' birthdays and all the children and adults have loved her show. She is genuinely one of the very best kids' entertainers I have seen (and I've been to a lot of kids' parties before everyone started dropping off).

I think you really have to go with your gut feeling - can you fit in another visit to the schools before the deadline? Bessemer was our first choice for my son who is now in year 5 and my daughter who is in year 3. It is a fantastic school and has a real sense of community. As you have said, the three different playgrounds for different age groups are great and mean that kids only spend playtimes with one other year group above or below them. The nature garden is a real asset too. The senior leadership team are really dedicated and my kids have been taught by the most amazing teachers. They also go on lots of great trips - generally to the Unicorn theatre once a term and to other interesting places. Re the size, it's never been a problem for me but then I only have experience of having kids at a 3-form entry school. I tend to think that having a wider range of kids to mix with is a good thing for friendship options and having 3 classes in a year means the school can switch around who's in which class to get the best mix of personality and ability and split up any troublesome combinations. It also means that kids can be taught for maths (and lower down the school for phonics too)in different ability groups with a different teacher for each group (rather than one teacher teaching the full ability range at once). I know this is not something all parents are keen on but in my experience it seems to help make sure children achieve the best they can. I'm sure there are also lots of plus points about going to a smaller school too. Good luck with your decision. And pm me if you have any questions.

jimlad48 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > The problem on DKH is that a couple of other CPZs > started up this year, which started in response to > parking pressure from other CPZs elsewhere. There > is real competition for space during the day, so > its not surprising the residents voted for it. Reading the documents it's not a clear cut case of the residents voting for it. 10 of the 24 roads voted against but they all got included. And on some roads the voting figures were for example 5 in favour vs 4 against when the vast majority of residents didn't vote. Under 50% of those who voted were in favour. I'm not against CPZs per se (and actually would really benefit from one on our road which is out of this zone). But it does seem to be being imposed on a lot of residents who are not in favour.

I'd recommend Bessemer without hesitation - it's a lovely school. If you search on here you will find earlier threads with more detail. But as KestonKid says, does it make sense to choose another school if you have a school you like on your doorstep? We live a good 20-25 minutes' walk from Bessemer and have committed to travel there for 10 years during both our kids' primary years. It's worth it for us but some days I do wish it were closer!

If you go to the Horniman book tickets asap for the butterfly house - they go v quickly.

There are food collection boxes in Sainsbury's - can't remember who they go to though.

Thanks birnehelene - looks interesting.

Hi, can anyone recommend any localish parenting classes that have helped you?

Vaccinating younger children against flu is a good idea because they are 'super spreaders' that can infect vulnerable people for whom flu could be extremely serious. My daughter has had the nasal spray for the past couple of years and it's been fine - much easier than a jab. So my conclusion is that it's good for her, good for us as a family and good for the wider community.

St Faith's hall has a massive garden.

I can really recommend http://www.thelittlediscocompany.co.uk - I think they only do birthday parties on weekdays.

Thanks for all the recommendations.

Good for them and good for you Sue for such a positive thread!

I've given money to this man. I feel stupid now but he was very convincing.

Thanks Cora - I did Mavis Beacon years ago. I have looked at 'yes I can touch type' - you only pay for what they attend so I might try that out.

My son's teacher has recommended he learns to touch type over the summer holidays. Can anyone recommend a local course, tutor or online training? Thanks!

I assume that if the item has already been sold then it's just lack of time. I always try to respond to people when selling stuff but until I was doing a demanding job, looking after 2 kids and trying to keep on top of everything at home I don't think I really knew what busy was. It is rude not to reply but maybe they forget or maybe it doesn't make it to the top of the list of a million things they have to do.

Ha, it may not be an original idea but it's still a good one. Nigello, there were plenty of people who couldn't get on a bus but point taken about leaving earlier. Katy Tonbridge Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Here's a thread from ten years ago suggesting a > shuttle bus to Denmark Hill. Plus ca change!! > > http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?5 > ,6561,6561#msg-6561

This morning I got on another extraordinarily packed bus at the Lordship Lane/North Cross Rd stop, which then didn't let anyone on further up the route until Denmark Hill. There was a 5 minute gap before the next bus by which time all those stops would be even fuller. I know this is nothing new but I've noticed on lots of morning buses that a v large proportion of the passengers get off at Denmark Hill. If there were a peak time station shuttle, this would really ease the pressure on the bus routes going all the way into town. Is there a precedent for the creation of such a service in London?

I agree that at 5 she is still pretty little and that it isn't uncommon to have some daytime wetting at this age. If you look on the Eric site they will tell you how much she should be drinking and how often - it's probably more than you think and drinking more does help with wetting as goldilocks said. You could also prompt her to go to the loo roughly every 2 hours - if your bladder is empty you're less likely to have an accident for obvious reasons. If you do a diary of how much she is drinking and how much she is weeing then that will give you a clearer picture and this will also be useful if you go to see a specialist. If she turns 6 with no improvement I would go back to the GP and ask to be referred to Dr Anne Wright, who is a bladder and bowel expert at St Thomas's and does a community clinic at Sunshine House in Peckham. The waiting list is several months. Dr Wright (or the wee wee doctor as she is known in our house) is fantastic. As everyone has said you're really doing the right thing by being pretty chilled about it all and it will get better in the end. Please do DM me if you would like to discuss more.

We've got two of these in the cot bed size https://www.hippychick.com/products/waterproof-mattress-protector-flat-tencel?v=204&gclid=CjwKEAiA3NTFBRDKheuO6IG43VQSJAA74F77rTrWh1eGsCDqniHWTuk59PWWFF082oXqMxtGelw2HhoCCD_w_wcB They are waterproof but don't feel plasticky so they can go on top of your usual sheets. In that size they cover a big area of a single mattress without being tucked in, so you can just whip one off and swap for the other one.

I'm interested in this too and in books that are good at explaining periods.

Dainty Sue is amazing - she has done parties for both my kids for years and had kids and adults rolling round with laughter. http://www.daintysue.com/mobile_site.html

There are some really nice dresses on notonthehighstreet.