What's On in East Herts 31/7/14 - Summer fun!

School’s out! Make the most of your days (and keep the kids amused) by checking out our calendar of events in and around Hertford, Ware, Hoddesdon and villages over the coming weeks (and beyond).

Every week we’ll bring you an update on local events and what to do with the kids in the East Herts area.

If you’d like to submit an event or activity for inclusion, email editorial@parentingdaily.co.uk…

Now until Sunday, August 31st: Summer Spectacular, Willows Farm Village, St Albans
http://www.willowsfarmvillage.com/

Now until Thursday, August 28th: Children holidays Tennis & Combo Activities Camps, Haileybury College
http://www.legendstennis.co.uk

Friday, August 1^st, 2.15pm: Toddler Tales, Ware Library

www.hertsdirect.org/libraries

Saturday, August 2^nd (until January 2015): WW1 Exhibition, commemorating the beginning of the ‘War to End all Wars’: Ware Museum

www.waremuseum.org.uk

Sunday, August 3rd 12.30pm-7.30pm: Rock at the Castle, Hertford Castle
http://www.hertford.gov.uk/events/rock-at-the-castle--9/

Saturday, August 3rd: Cotter Irish Dance Classes, Hornsmill Community Centre, Hertford
www.thecotterschoolofirishdancing.co.uk

August 1st, 5th, 8th, 26th and 29th, 10am, 11am and 12.30pm: Hartbeeps, Hertford Theatre
www.hertfordtheatre.com

Monday, August 4th 10.30am-12pm: Children's Craft Workshop Stitching - Cards, Kards & Krafts, Ware
http://www.kardsandkrafts.co.uk/

Monday, August 4th, 11.30am: Tiger Cheer, Hertford Theatre
www.hertfordtheatre.com

Tuesday, August 5th, 11am-3pm: Brass Rubbing, Ware Museum
www.waremuseum.org.uk

Tuesday, August 5th, 11.30am: Zumbini, Hertford Theatre
www.hertfordtheatre.com

Wednesday, August 6th: Yoga With Abi, Hornsmill Community Centre, Hertford
Follow @yogawithabi on Twitter for more details

Thursday August 7th, 10am -10.30am: Baby Rhyme Time, Hertford Theatre
www.hertfordtheatre.com

Thursday, August 7th 1pm & 3.30pm: Milkshake! Live, Civic Hall, Broxbourne
http://bit.ly/1rKyFh

Tuesday, August 12th, 11am-3pm: Sand Art, Ware Museum
www.waremuseum.org.uk

Thursday, August 14th, 1pm: Children's Pet Show, Civic Hall, Broxbourne
http://bit.ly/1qMJxPN

Tuesday, August 19th 12pm-3pm: Teddy Bears Picnic, Civic Hall, Broxbourne
http://bit.ly/1twTH7u

Tuesday, August 19th, 11am-3pm: Jewellery & Cards, Ware Museum
www.waremuseum.org.uk

Tuesday, August 26th, 11am-3pm: Lucky Dip, Ware Museum
www.waremuseum.org.uk

Sunday, October 26th: Tiny Toes Show - Baby & Toddler Exhibition, Orsett Hall, Essex
http://tinytoesshow.co.uk

Sunday, September 14th 12pm-6pm: Hertford Heritage Day, Hertford Castle
http://www.hertford.gov.uk/events/hertford-heritage-day-21/

If you’d like to submit an event or activity for inclusion, email editorial@parentingdaily.co.uk.

What's On in East Herts 24/7/14 - Summer fun!

School’s out! Make the most of your days (and keep the kids amused) by checking out our calendar of events in and around Hertford, Ware and Hoddesdon.

Every week we’ll bring you an update on local events and what to do with the kids in the East Herts area.

If you’d like to submit an event or activity for inclusion, email editorial@parentingdaily.co.uk…

Friday July 25^th: Run 4 MAMA Event – Wodson Park, Ware

http://www.lilyandme.co.uk/blog/2014/07/06/run-4-mama-event-wodson-park-ware-25th-july

Saturday July 26^th: Ready, Aim, Fire! Hertford Museum

http://www.hertfordmuseum.org/news.php

Saturday July 26th: Cotter Irish Dance Classes, Hornsmill Community Centre, Hertford

www.thecotterschoolofirishdancing.co.uk

Sunday July 27^th: Rock At The Priory

http://www.rockinthepriory.co.uk

Tuesday July 29^th, 11.30am: Zumbini, Hertford Theatre

www.hertfordtheatre.com

Wednesday July 30^th: Soft Play Session, Hertford Theatre

www.hertfordtheatre.com

Thursday July 31^st: Soft Play Session, Hertford Theatre

www.hertfordtheatre.com

Thursday July 31^st, 10.30am: Toddler Tales, Hertford Library

www.hertsdirect.org/libraries

Wednesday July 30^th: Peppa Pig is visiting Lee Valley Farms http://www.visitleevalley.org.uk/go/farms/

Wednesday July 30th: Yoga With Abi, Hornsmill Community Centre, Hertford

Follow @yogawithabi on Twitter for more details

Friday August 1^st, 2.15pm: Toddler Tales, Ware Library

www.hertsdirect.org/libraries

Saturday August 2^nd (until January 2015): WW1 Exhibition, commemorating the beginning of the ‘War to End all Wars’: Ware Museum

www.waremuseum.org.uk

If you’d like to submit an event or activity for inclusion, email editorial@parentingdaily.co.uk.

Sonisphere 2014: Good, clean heavy metal fun for the whole family?

Iron Maiden. Metallica. The Prodigy. Lounge Kittens. Carcass.

Not exactly cornerstones of a fun family weekend away, right? 

Well, actually it turns out maybe they are. You see, I was at Sonisphere this past weekend - a three-day heavy metal festival at Knebworth ("Hellooooooo Hertfordshire!") at which the above bands were among those performing.

Now, I’ve been going to heavy metal gigs since I was 14 years old (I’m now 37), but - and I’m somewhat ashamed to say it - this was the first time I’d actually attended a festival. You know, proper camping and stuff.

My expectation for the Sonisphere crowd was based on all the gigs I’ve been to - a demographic ranging from teenagers up to your seasoned rock vets, reflecting the age and the peak decades of the bands in the line-up.

What I wasn’t expecting was the sheer number of families and pre-pubescent kids (including a fair few buggies) that were also in attendance.

My initial reaction to this was ‘cool’. But two of the three mates I was with - all with kids of their own aged 3-10 years - didn’t agree. In fact, they remained firmly in the ‘I wouldn’t bring my kids here - it’s not right’ camp all weekend.

The third did in fact bring his own 10 year-old, but on a day ticket rather than for the whole weekend and, chatting to both him and his lad, the two of them had a bloody good time.

I also know people who take their kids to Glastonbury every year too - in fact, that seems quite a normal occurrence for that festival.

So who’s right in the case of the Sonisphere ‘yes’ and ‘no’ camps? Having pondered it myself over the weekend while at Knebworth I’m definitely in the ‘yes’ camp.

Having chatted to my more reticent mates, their objection seemed to be based on a) the crowd being too big for small kids, and b) the potential noise damage to their ears.

Certainly there were no worries in terms of the type of people at Sonisphere - us metallers are a good bunch and, while it can get a bit lively in ‘the pit’, you’ll never see much trouble at a gig. At least I certainly haven’t.

And in terms of crowd size, well, young kids go to big football matches of similar crowd sizes all the time and that’s not frowned upon.

As I say, we were camping and the facilities - at least those in the Rock Royalty camping area where we were - were first class. Though I admit the 'arena' toilets were best avoided, regardless of age.

Which leaves us with the noise thing. And it’s a valid point. I should know as I have (not necessarily noise-inflicted) tinnitus, which I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemies. Well, maybe a couple of them.

But there are precautions that you can - and most people did - take, namely specialist ear defenders and ear plugs. You wouldn’t put your child into a car without a seat belt/car seat. Same thing, really - it’s just basic, responsible parenting.

So I’m all for it. And I’d like to think when my boy’s old enough I can take him to Sonisphere as part of his rock appreciation lessons (we’ll start with Led Zep, maybe a bit of Sabbath and go from there).

And hats off to the Sonisphere organisers for assembling some of the heaviest bands on the planet (plus did we mention Lounge Kittens?), but still being able to put on a event that’s accessible for the whole family, particularly in the area our tent was in.

Metal is good for kids. And remember, if you're looking for a family-friendly festival check out Lollibop this August - more info in our article here.

Master of Muppets, anyone?

- Stuart

Parenting Daily World Cup Diary - Day Four: Anyone for rugby?

So after all that, Luis Suarez apologised.

Except it was an apology so contrived and full of cynicism that it wasn't worth the paper his lawyers wrote it on.

And without wishing to labour the point, it should serve as a cautionary tale to impressionable youngsters: If you go around biting people and generally being a bit despicable, you will get your comeuppance in the form of a £50m transfer to Barcelona FC and £250k a week in wages.

Oh.

So, the World Cup. I'll be honest, we're on the second of two 'rest' days and I've kind of lost interest.

I've no particular allegiance to the teams that are left, based on the fact that I can easily find reasons to dislike most of each nation's star players.

Mrs East Herts Dad is grateful for the respite though, given her intense hatred for both football and footballers. I'm starting to think she's got a point, so I've been wondering what other sports we could get the nipper involved with in a couple of year's time.

Let's start with the obvious options. Rugby could end up being his thing (if, indeed, he's into sports at all). One half of the family is Irish and likes its rugby - his mum likes Brian O'Driscoll really rather a lot. Maybe a little too much.

And then you've got cricket. I quite like cricket. Nice pace, requires a bit of brainpower. Like rugby, there's lots of good local clubs around.

Golf. I like golf too. I've even got clubs. Can't actually play for toffee though. Still, the idea of afternoons over the range or on the fairway with the boy are quite appealing.

Then you're into your track & field, tennis, swimming, martial arts, motorsport, squash, boxing, a car/kart etc.

Each has it's own pros & cons - and I supposed the biggest consideration for parents of sporting age kids is the cost. Club memberships aren't cheap and then for some of the above you need a lot of specialist equipment - clubs, pads, bats, helmets.

The thing with football that makes it so universal is that it's a simple game - all you need is a ball. Maybe a couple of jumpers for goalposts.

Which is why the Ruggerbugs demo caught my eye at the recent Teddy Bears' Picnic in Hertford.

It's for pre-school kids and isn't so much about playing rugby as using it as an excuse for a bit of social interaction and development of hand-eye coordination. What was particularly noticeable was how much both boys and girls enjoyed it.

It's something that comes up time and time again in relation to the development of football skills in this country, specifically that we put too much emphasis on competition/winning at a young age, when what we should be doing is focussing on technical ability. And having some fun.

We're sure Ruggerbugs isn't alone in it's more developmental approach to sports coaching. So if you run a kids club for football, rugby or any other sport in East Herts please get in touch as we'd love to hear from you - over the next weeks and months we'll be compiling a list of the best clubs and publishing it on our website.

Until then, let's see how the World Cup Quarter Finals pan out over the weekend.

Our money's on France to win the whole thing. Well, it would have been if we'd been bothered to go down the bookies three weeks ago when the odds of such a thing were A LOT longer.

Stuart

Parenting Daily World Cup Diary - Day Three: Luis Suarez bites again, won't somebody think of the children?!

So he's been at it again - Luis Suarez, that most despicable of footballers, last night 'bit' another player on the pitch for the third time in his career.

I'm not sure why I bothered to put the word bit in inverted commas - sure, it's been trial by TV replay from a bad camera angle, but repeated viewings leave little doubt that he did it.

The suits at FIFA are at time of writing deliberating over his punishment, which will surely see him expelled from the World Cup and given a lengthy ban from international football. And of course there's will be implications for his current club side and whoever he was going to join this summer (he's been agitating for a move - classy).

But what about his image and the impact such bitey madness has on impressionable youth?

Well, his image was already in the toilet - two counts of on-field biting and one of racism takes care of that. What's telling though is that the first biting offence didn't stop Liverpool signing him, the second biting/racism offence didn't stop Liverpool playing him, and the latest incident probably won't stop another big club buying him.

Clearly, football operates by a different moral code to the rest of us - if you're good enough at your job, that trumps any other considerations when it comes to your character/previous.

Then in the immediate aftermath of the incident we had the inevitable 'won't somebody thing of the children?!' commentary. Now, as I've mentioned in previous blogs, this might be my son's first World Cup, but he's only seven months old, so he's spared the pain of watching his team get beaten, or witnessing toothy on-field assaults.

But as I sat there watching Glenn Hoddle talk nonsense on the telly box, I tried putting my 'concerned parent' hat on and pondered whether, if The Boy was at a more impressionable age, would I be worried that he would go into school one day and 'do a Suarez' having seen the offence in full widescreen HD glory?

And my conclusion was that no, I wouldn't be worried. Why? Because Luis Suarez clearly has issues. Normal people just don't go out and about biting people, either on the football field or in the street (market town centres after 10 pints on a Friday night notwithstanding).

If there was a child at school that did carry out such repetitively bad biting behaviour, chances are he or she would require professional help in the same way Suarez does. Such behaviour is just not normal.

So nope, from a parenting standpoint it's not the biting in football that worries me - I'd actually be more concerned about on-field cheating - diving, fake injuries, bad tackles and the like. That's the stuff that school kids might copy as it comes under 'gamesmanship', not ultra violent physical assault.

And let's be clear - there's a big difference between what you'd call a 'nasty' challenge and making a conscious decision to bite an opponent.

So for all the handwringing at one individual's extreme - and extremely rare - behaviour, what we really should be doing is asking why nothing ever seems to be done about the kinds of on-field bad behaviour that ARE copied by - and even taught to - kids.

Over to you, FIFA and the The FA, but I'm not holding my breath.

Stuart

Welcome to Parenting Daily in East Herts

NOT just another mums site…

Welcome to Parenting Daily in East Herts! This site has been created by local parents to serve the community in Hertford, Ware, Hoddesdon and villages.

And no, we are not just another mums site.

Firstly, we are writing for both parents (hello dads!), plus grandparents and child care professionals. Secondly, this site is for the immediate local community in order to provide super relevant information to our readers.

We’ll provide you with a weekly run-down of what’s on in the area (the number one ‘search’ for parents, according to our research); we’ll highlight the best local daycare nurseries; we’ll review the local kids’ venues and attractions.

Hey, we’ll even give you the lowdown on the best child-friendly pubs in the area (I know, I know, selfless commitment to the cause of all parents in East Herts).

At the same time, this site pulls together news, advice and opinions from all the leading national and parenting media, plus blogs, into one place - meaning you can read the best of the web right here. No more clicking in and out of different websites; we’ve got everything you need in one place.

Finally, we’ll be speaking to local businesses and professionals to give you advice on everything from Style & Beauty to Food, to Education.

Please Bookmark this site. And if you’d like to register for our weekly newsletter, click on the link to the right and we’ll send you local weekly news, plus the best of the web, each week.

And please send us your feedback via editorial@parentingdaily.co.uk. We’re looking forward to hearing from you.

Lisa

Parenting Daily's World Cup Diary - Day One

So the World Cup started last night with an undeserved Brazil win over Croatia, set against a backdrop of FIFA corruption and rioting in Rio.

Which is good (really, it is!) because over the next four weeks I'm going write a few pieces on this here blog about my first World Cup as a dad, which as such is likely to be a bit of a different experience for me personally than the World Cups before it.

You see, until yesterday I don't think I've ever been less excited by an impending footie fest than I had been about this World Cup. And I usually get pretty excited about these things, being a football loving, season ticket holding kind of bloke.

I say 'football loving'. Truth is the last few years I've been increasingly disillusioned with the game.

Footballers are idiots for starters. Then the fact the sport is being ruined by a concentration of power, money and influence at the richest clubs. And all the while I'm also being fleeced by the club I support in terms of pricing for the aforementioned season ticket.

Plus, that team I support has been, well, a bit shit for quite a while (until a recent trophy got that monkey off our backs - yay!).

But look, us football fans aren't logical people - as Mrs East Herts Dad regularly points out, despite all my moaning I'm still happy to hand over my hard earned every year for the privilege of cheering the lads on.

And, in theory, an international football tournament in summertime can be a welcome distraction from the inevitable disappointment of the club football season [we'll cover the inevitable disappointment of international football itself in a later post - ed].

Which means I was struggling to work out why I wasn't in the mood for Brazil. Is it because, for once, there's literally no expectation that England will achieve anything? Nope. England haven't come with any expectation attached since Euro 96, for me at least. Too many disappointments.

Then it hit me. Time. I just haven't been able to indulge in the usual pre-World Cup ritual of pouring over the teams, stats, gossip, endless punditry, predictions and Panini sticker books (yep, as a grown adult I can still be found 'swapping' and 'needing' with friends and colleagues).

Work has been busy, for sure, but it's also The Boy, bless him. Guess what? Turns out when you have a six month old child, there just aren't the hours in the day (or evening) to waste on the above frivolities.

Gone are the times of World Cups and Euros past where I would WATCH EVERY GAME (or at least try to by sneaking out of work).

This time round I'm going to have to juggle the live matches on the tellybox with BabyTV's utterly delightful short animations during his evening feeds and pre-bed sleepy time. Not so much Thierry Henry as Hungry Henry. And there will certainly be less pub*.

But you know what? This is a good thing. Less pre-game build up on TV equals less Adrian Chiles.

And now that everything's underway in Brazil and with a couple of WC BBQs coming up over the weekend, I've belated joined in with the soccerball excitement.

So join me, dear readers, over the next month as the World Cup 2014 story unfolds alongside the nappy changes, feeding times and tantrums.

Life is good.

*This is very different to 'no pub'.

If you go down in the woods today…

… come and meet the Parenting Daily team!

The annual Teddy Bear’s Picnic at Hertford Castle is taking place on Sunday June 29th. And Parenting Daily East Herts will be there to meet you all - and to give away some fantastic prizes!

The Picnic will run from 12pm till 4pm in the Hertford Castle grounds. Children are invited to bring along their favourite teddy bears and enjoy an afternoon of entertainment, activities and more. Hertford Castle will also be open to the public all afternoon.

Parenting Daily East Herts is sponsoring the event and will have a stand in the Castle grounds, so make sure you pop by to say hello and enter our prize draw to win some great prizes for all the family!

What's on in East Herts...?

Every week we’ll bring you an update on local events and what to do with the kids in the East Herts area. If you’d like to submit an event or activity for inclusion, email editorial@parentingdaily.co.uk…

Events

June 8th: Community Sports Day & Rafting Race - Hertford Castle

http://gohertford.co.uk/events/e/community-sports-day-and-rafting-race/

June 9th (all week): Bike To School Week

http://www.sustrans.org.uk/our-services/who-we-work/teachers/bike-school-week

June 14th: The High Street Samba, Hoddesdon Town Centre

http://www.broxbourne.gov.uk/community_and_living/town_centre_events_2014/high_street_samba.aspx

June 22nd: Hertford Carnival/Community Day

http://www.hertfordcarnival.org.uk

June 22nd: Wildeshausen Blow Band Concert & Open Day - Hertford Castle

http://gohertford.co.uk/events/e/wildeshausen-blow-band-concert-and-open-day/

June 29th: Teddy Bear’s Picnic - Hertford Castle

http://gohertford.co.uk/events/e/teddy-bears-picnic/