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What’s On Where <strong>for</strong> families and schools<br />
www.primarytimes.net<br />
Cardiff<br />
& The Vale<br />
Parenting • Education • Days Out • News & Reviews<br />
may half term issue<br />
16 may – 3 july <strong>2016</strong>
Dear Reader<br />
Welcome to our <strong>May</strong> half term issue!<br />
With the weather hotting up and <strong>May</strong> half term looming we are<br />
delighted to offer you lots of wonderful activities and events to keep<br />
your children busy over the coming weeks and during the holiday<br />
week. Many of our WOW listings are either free or very low cost.<br />
<strong>May</strong> half term can be a bit tricky when it comes to keeping the<br />
children busy – particularly <strong>for</strong> working parents who prefer not to<br />
take extended time off so close to the long summer holidays. We<br />
have lots of ‘funtastic’ suggestions that will be a big hit with your<br />
kids, from holiday activity camps to fun days out, and even a free<br />
screening of Inside Out!<br />
Our regular Box Office feature offers lots of family favourites to<br />
choose from – a trip to the theatre is always a joyous adventure!<br />
Plus competitions in this issue include family tickets to The Hunting<br />
of the Snark, to see Diwrnod Hyfryd Sali Mali, <strong>for</strong> Joust! and five free<br />
days at a Sports Summer Camp!<br />
We hope you enjoy this issue and if you have any news to celebrate,<br />
children to praise or school events to include in our Summer issue,<br />
please email marion@schoolspublishing.co.uk by 10th June.<br />
Best wishes,<br />
Marion, Sam, Carol & Alison<br />
Contents<br />
inside this issue...<br />
Calling all<br />
families<br />
and teachers!<br />
Remember to send in<br />
your news <strong>for</strong> our news<br />
pages – we would love<br />
to hear from you!<br />
Don’t <strong>for</strong>get<br />
to visit us<br />
online at<br />
www.primarytimes.net<br />
/cardiff<br />
Primary Times<br />
Club-Cardiff<br />
6 WOW<br />
22 Pinboard<br />
24 Film Previews<br />
26 Competitions<br />
30 Top Tips<br />
32 Box Office<br />
34 There’s a Louse<br />
Loose in the House!<br />
contents<br />
The Primary Times Team<br />
Editor:<br />
Marion McAdam<br />
marion@schoolspublishing.co.uk<br />
Sales:<br />
Sam Jackson<br />
ptcardiff@schoolspublishing.co.uk<br />
Tel: 01275 331382<br />
Production:<br />
Carol George<br />
production@schoolspublishing.co.uk<br />
Design:<br />
Alison Spiers Davis<br />
Primary Times Cardiff & The Vale,<br />
Schools Publishing Limited,<br />
St James’s House, 118 Greys Road,<br />
Henley on Thames, Oxon, RG9 1QW.<br />
Tel: 01491 411848<br />
Fax: 01491 411416<br />
www.primarytimes.net/cardiff<br />
...the UK’s biggest,<br />
free ‘what’s on’<br />
magazine <strong>for</strong> parents!<br />
Primary Times in Cardiff<br />
& The Vale distributes<br />
more than 50,000 copies<br />
six times a year, and is part<br />
of a national network<br />
distributing more than 2.7<br />
million copies in 61 regions<br />
across the UK and Ireland.<br />
Primary Times is independently published and distributed free through national primary schools in Cardiff and The<br />
Vale. It aims to in<strong>for</strong>m families and children about current educational issues, <strong>for</strong>thcoming events, courses, attractions<br />
and to give teachers, pupils and parents the opportunity to participate in the magazine by adding to its contents or by<br />
joining in the competitions. It is NOT our intention to publish any racist, sexist or politically based material whatsoever.<br />
We also undertake not to carry any advertising which we would consider to be offensive to young families or harmful<br />
to the best interests of young children. Primary Times would like to thank all the schools in Cardiff and The Vale <strong>for</strong><br />
their assistance in distributing the magazine and <strong>for</strong> their contributions to its contents. We would also like to thank all<br />
the advertisers who have supported this publication and there<strong>for</strong>e made it possible. Please support their endeavours<br />
when and where you can. The copyright on all written material, logos and advertising artwork produced by our studio<br />
remains with Primary Times or with the relevant contributor. Primary Times is currently publishing over two million<br />
copies per issue under franchise licences throughout Britain.<br />
www.primarytimes.net/cardiff | may half term <strong>2016</strong> Primary Times 3
4<br />
Primary Times may half term <strong>2016</strong> | www.primarytimes.net/cardiff
www.primarytimes.net/cardiff | may half term <strong>2016</strong> Primary Times 5
what’s on where<br />
WOW!<br />
What’s on Where...<br />
Ongoing events<br />
National Museum Cardiff<br />
CF10 3NP<br />
Tel: 0300 111 2333<br />
www.museumwales.ac.uk<br />
Until 31st December:<br />
Exhibition:<br />
A New Welsh Dinosaur<br />
Free display. The first Jurassic meat-eating<br />
dinosaur discovered in Wales is on display in<br />
the Main Hall.<br />
Until 30th October:<br />
Exhibition: Treasures:<br />
Adventures in Archaeology<br />
Discover treasures from around the world in<br />
this new exhibition, including activities <strong>for</strong><br />
children. £7 adults, £5 concessions, free to<br />
16s + under. Tickets from<br />
www.ticketlineUK.com<br />
Weekends during term time:<br />
Clore Explorers<br />
2pm. Find out more about objects from<br />
the museum’s collections. Session themes<br />
vary but each workshop will involve an<br />
opportunity to learn and discover plus a craft<br />
activity. Free.<br />
Every Friday<br />
Toddler Time<br />
1.30–4pm. Find special boxes of toys, games<br />
and books hidden in different galleries to<br />
help parents and children aged 1–4 years<br />
explore the Museum through play. There will<br />
also be play activities in the Clore Discovery<br />
Centre each week. At 3pm enjoy a story or<br />
song in a new part of the museum each<br />
week. Free.<br />
18th June – January 2017<br />
Exhibition: Wriggle!<br />
Free. Explore the wonderful world of<br />
worms from fossils to fantasy, from food to<br />
spectacular beauty and the scary ones too!<br />
See life from a worm’s point of view or find<br />
out what museum scientists do to extend<br />
our knowledge of these fascinating animals.<br />
We check listings carefully but details<br />
and prices may be subject to change.<br />
Please always check with the venue.<br />
Lido Ponty<br />
Ynysangharad War Memorial Park,<br />
Pontypridd, CF37 4PE<br />
Tel: 01443 490490<br />
www.lidoponty.com<br />
From 28th <strong>May</strong><br />
Lido Ponty open<br />
<strong>for</strong> summer season<br />
Lido Ponty, a Grade II listed lido, has been<br />
restored to its <strong>for</strong>mer glory and updated<br />
<strong>for</strong> the 21st Century visitor. It has three<br />
heated swimming pools, offering great<br />
opportunities <strong>for</strong> families, dedicated<br />
swimmers and social swimmers of all ages<br />
and abilities. Lido Ponty features include<br />
external and internal showers, heated<br />
changing facilities and a state-of-the-art<br />
Visitors’ Centre which tells the amazing<br />
story of The National Lido of Wales. Open<br />
7.30am–7.15pm.<br />
23rd June – 3rd July<br />
Hijinx Unity Festival<br />
Various venues around Cardiff.<br />
The Festival will take place in a range of<br />
venues in Cardiff, with two major hubs of<br />
activity: Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff<br />
Bay and on The Hayes in Cardiff City Centre.<br />
Hijinx created the Hijinx Unity Festival in<br />
2008 to give a high profile plat<strong>for</strong>m to<br />
stunning work made by disabled and nondisabled<br />
artists working together as equals.<br />
The festival is vital in changing perceptions<br />
of disability, by presenting a varied<br />
programme of inclusive and disability arts<br />
which can be appreciated by all audiences<br />
simply because it is fantastic entertainment<br />
of the highest quality. The festival features<br />
theatre, dance, music and comedy and<br />
contains something <strong>for</strong> all ages.<br />
www.hijinx.org.uk<br />
Hay Festival<br />
Hay Festival Site, Dairy Meadows,<br />
Brecon Road, Hay-on-Wye, HR3 5PJ<br />
Box Office: 01497 822 629<br />
www.hayfestival.com<br />
26th <strong>May</strong> – 5th June<br />
Haydays @ Hay Festival<br />
Haydays is the newly named children’s<br />
programme <strong>for</strong> the Hay Festival. There<br />
will be story-telling and discussions with<br />
the biggest names in children’s fiction,<br />
including Julia Donaldson, Jacqueline<br />
Wilson, Malorie Blackman, Andy Stanton,<br />
Nick Sharratt, Francesca Simon and Chris<br />
Riddell, the current Children’s Laureate.<br />
Variety is at the heart of the programme and<br />
HAYDAYS will take audiences far and wide,<br />
from the hedgerow world of Beatrix Potter<br />
to reflections on the 100th anniversary<br />
of the battle of the Somme with Michael<br />
Morpurgo. This year, William Shakespeare’s<br />
400th anniversary will be commemorated,<br />
from comic-strips to stage per<strong>for</strong>mance. It is<br />
also the 100th birthday of Roald Dahl and a<br />
chance <strong>for</strong> Dahl fans to grab the frobscottle<br />
and party at the Dirty Beasts celebratory<br />
concert. There will be free Dahl-themed<br />
Dream Jar workshops in the Make and<br />
Take tent, discussions over Dahl’s Most<br />
Villainous Villains with Lindsey Russell of<br />
Blue Peter and Word Wizards will explore<br />
the biffsquiggling world of Dahl’s dictionary.<br />
Learn Dragonese with Cressida Cowell,<br />
author of the How to Train Your Dragon<br />
series, and make models with Aardman<br />
Animations, the wacky creators of Wallace<br />
and Gromit.<br />
Aberglasney Gardens<br />
Llangathen, Carmarthenshire, SA32 8QH<br />
Tel: 01558 668998<br />
www.aberglasney.org<br />
20th <strong>May</strong> – 2nd June<br />
Summer Gathering<br />
Exhibition of arts, crafts and gifts. An<br />
imaginative and diverse range of handmade<br />
delights, made by some of the best local<br />
artisans.<br />
17th – 30th June<br />
Pembrokeshire Craft Makers<br />
Pembrokeshire Craft Makers has been<br />
established <strong>for</strong> over thirty years in West<br />
Wales and its members always produce<br />
work of quality and originality.<br />
taff trail<br />
Winding House<br />
New Tredegar, NP24 6EG<br />
Tel: 01443 822666<br />
www.windinghouse.co.uk<br />
27th <strong>May</strong> – 3rd July:<br />
NEW Exhibition: The Somme &<br />
Mametz Wood Remembered<br />
Mon–Fri: 10am–5pm; Sat–Sun:<br />
11am–4pm. Admission free. An exhibition to<br />
commemorate the 100th anniversary of the<br />
Battle of the Somme and the involvement of<br />
Welsh soldiers at Mametz Wood.<br />
Tredegar House<br />
Newport, NP10 8YW<br />
Tel: 01633 815880<br />
www.nationaltrust.org<br />
Until 30th October<br />
Family Trails<br />
11am–4pm. Normal admission charges<br />
apply/no booking required. Can you<br />
complete the trail challenges? Explore<br />
the gardens answering questions and<br />
completing activities, with different trails<br />
through the holidays can you do them all?<br />
Until 30th October<br />
Introductory Talks<br />
11am–4pm. Normal admission applies, no<br />
booking required. Who were the Morgans<br />
and what makes Tredegar House such a<br />
special place? Enjoy an introductory tour<br />
be<strong>for</strong>e you head off to discover the rest of<br />
the story at your own pace.<br />
Tuesdays & Thursdays<br />
Behind the Scenes Tour<br />
12–3pm. Ever wondered what’s hidden<br />
inside the rooms not open to the public?<br />
Normal admission charges apply. No prebooking.<br />
Tickets available at the front door<br />
on a first come, first served basis, max 15<br />
per tour.<br />
Sundays & Thursdays<br />
throughout the summer<br />
Cooking in the<br />
Great Kitchen<br />
12–3pm. Normal admission applies – no<br />
booking required. See the kitchens come to<br />
life, help the cooks make delicious seasonal<br />
recipes and maybe even be treated to a<br />
taste. Changing seasonal recipes over the<br />
course of the season.<br />
Continued on page 8<br />
6<br />
Primary Times may half term <strong>2016</strong> | www.primarytimes.net/cardiff
The South Wales Dog & Family Fun Day<br />
Bank Holiday Monday 30th <strong>May</strong> at Fonmon Castle Showground<br />
The South Wales Dog and Family Fun Day is now in its fifth year and is all about dogs<br />
having fun with their families. We are proud to be the largest fun dog and family day out<br />
in Wales. Our shows are good value, fun filled days out <strong>for</strong> the whole family to enjoy with<br />
or without a dog – we like to see wagging tails and a smile count that’s sky high!<br />
Expect a mixture of canine and family entertainment, numerous jaw-dropping<br />
displays and activities, living history encampments, funfair, donkey rides, go-carts,<br />
petting farm and lots of children’s favourite mascots and super hero characters and so<br />
much more. Would your child like to enter our free fancy dress competition? Keeping<br />
visitors entertained is never an issue due to the abundance of things to see and do.<br />
It is a fabulous fun day out <strong>for</strong> the whole family!<br />
Meet ‘Rex’ the T Rex Dinosaur! Should you stay and watch or should you run? Luckily Rex<br />
is only a baby T-rex and we have been assured he will be fed be<strong>for</strong>e the show so he shouldn’t<br />
feel the need to snack on any children! For those visitors who love to shop there shall be a<br />
variety of pet and non-pet related stalls selling everything you could want to treat yourself<br />
and you four-legged friend. Bring a picnic or sample some of the lovely food available in the<br />
artisan food court and bars. With so many paws in the park it’s a fantastic opportunity <strong>for</strong><br />
dogs and their families to make new friends you would be barking mad to miss it!<br />
www.dogshow.wales Facebook: South Wales Dog and Family Fun Day<br />
Twitter: @SouthWalesDogCh<br />
what’s on where<br />
www.primarytimes.net/cardiff | may half term <strong>2016</strong> Primary Times 7
8what’s on where<br />
techniquest<br />
Aberdulais Tinworks<br />
& Waterfall<br />
SA10 8EU<br />
Tel: 01639 636674<br />
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/aberdulais<br />
Every weekend<br />
until 27th June<br />
Behind the Scenes<br />
11:30am & 2:30pm. Find out what goes on<br />
to help keep Aberdulais special. Learn about<br />
the hydro and waterwheel, or delve into the<br />
past and learn how archaeologists interpret<br />
the remains of Aberdulais.<br />
Monday: Hydro and Waterwheel<br />
Tuesday – Conservation in Action<br />
Wednesday: Guided Tour<br />
Thursday: “Throwback Thursdays”<br />
Friday: Archaeology<br />
Free event. Normal admission charges apply.<br />
WWT Llanelli Wetland Centre<br />
SA14 9SH<br />
Tel:01554 741087<br />
www.wwt.org.uk<br />
Every Monday<br />
Monday Munchkins<br />
Activities <strong>for</strong> toddlers every Monday in term<br />
time 11am–12pm.<br />
Weekends in <strong>May</strong><br />
All day: self-guided den building;<br />
11am–12pm Minibeast hunt and mini pond<br />
dipping; 1pm Flamingo talk; (1pm–2pm<br />
Flamingo watch with telescope); 2.30pm<br />
Pond dipping; Craft workshops (times vary).<br />
Weekends in June<br />
11am–12pm Minibeast hunt and mini pond<br />
dipping; 1pm Flamingo talk;(1pm–2pm<br />
Flamingo watch with telescope); 2.30pm<br />
Pond dipping; craft workshops (times vary).<br />
Weekends in July:<br />
11am–12pm Minibeast hunt and mini pond<br />
dipping; 1pm Outdoor duckery talk; 2.30pm<br />
Pond dipping; craft workshops (times vary).<br />
Tuesday 17th <strong>May</strong><br />
Primary Open Morning<br />
Cathedral School, Llandaff, CF5 2YH.<br />
9.30–11am. Nursery–Year 6.<br />
All warmly welcome.<br />
Tel: 029 2083 8504<br />
www.cathedral-school.co.uk<br />
Wednesday 18th <strong>May</strong><br />
Preston & District Vintage Car<br />
Club at Millennium Square<br />
National Botanic Garden of Wales,<br />
Llanarthne, Carmarthenshire, SA32 8HG.<br />
Welly Wednesday<br />
11am. An hour of fun, outdoor activities,<br />
storytelling and exploring <strong>for</strong> pre-schoolers.<br />
Tel: 01558 667146<br />
www.botanicgarden.wales<br />
Friday 20th <strong>May</strong><br />
Toddler Event<br />
Parc Play, Unit 5, Curran Embankment,<br />
Grangetown, Cardiff, CF10 5DX.<br />
10.30am–2.30pm. Owl Sanctuary.<br />
Tel: 029 2034 5696<br />
(Out of hours: 077 380 77 810)<br />
www.parcplay.com<br />
Carry On Screaming Screening:<br />
The Man Who Knew Infinity (12A)<br />
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, CF5 1QE. Every<br />
Friday at 11am, Carry on Screaming allows<br />
parents or carers to see a film without<br />
having to worry about their baby causing a<br />
disturbance.<br />
Tel: 029 2030 4400<br />
www.chapter.org<br />
Toddler Time<br />
Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay, CF10<br />
5AL. 11am–3pm. Glanfa. Free. Take your<br />
tot along to sing, dance, play and create<br />
at the Centre with a special programme of<br />
activities <strong>for</strong> you and your little one.<br />
Tel: 029 2063 6464<br />
www.wmc.org.uk<br />
Primary Times may half term <strong>2016</strong> | www.primarytimes.net/cardiff<br />
Saturday 21st <strong>May</strong><br />
Gung-Ho!<br />
Bute Park, Cardiff ,CF10 3ER. BBC Children<br />
in Need is inviting fun-seekers to take part<br />
in Gung-Ho!, a 5K giant inflatable obstacle<br />
course. Participants are challenged to run,<br />
walk or giggle their way through the crazy<br />
inflatables <strong>for</strong> the charity as part of Team<br />
Pudsey. Those that pledge sponsorship will<br />
receive a discounted ticket <strong>for</strong> £30 via www.<br />
bbc.co.uk/Pudsey, as well as a free t-shirt,<br />
training support and goodies on the day. A<br />
race like no other, the 5K Gung-Ho! course<br />
is made up of 10 giant inflatable obstacles<br />
that participants have to run, crawl and<br />
climb over to complete the challenge. These<br />
include gigantic ball pits, super-sized slides<br />
and a 5,000 square foot inflatable moon<br />
walk. The course is unique and runners don’t<br />
have to be an athlete to take part!<br />
bbc.co.uk/pudsey.<br />
St David’s Choir & Alzheimer’s<br />
Society Choir<br />
Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay, CF10<br />
5AL. 1pm. Glanfa. Free. Join St David’s and<br />
Alzheimer’s Society Choir <strong>for</strong> an afternoon<br />
concert of popular songs.<br />
Tel: 029 2063 6464<br />
www.wmc.org.uk<br />
Family Film: Inside Out (U)<br />
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, CF5 1QE. 11am.<br />
After young Riley is uprooted from her<br />
Midwest life and moved to San Francisco,<br />
her emotions – Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and<br />
Sadness – conflict on how best to navigate<br />
a new city, house, and school. Audio<br />
description and soft subtitles available,<br />
ask <strong>for</strong> details.<br />
Family Film: Up (U)<br />
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, CF5 1QE. 3pm.<br />
As his house is threatened with demolition,<br />
78 year old Carl Fredricksen travels to<br />
Paradise Falls equipped with balloons,<br />
inadvertently taking a young stowaway<br />
Russell. Tickets in advance: adults £4,<br />
children £3. On day: adults £4.50,<br />
children £3.50.<br />
Tel: 029 2030 4400<br />
www.chapter.org<br />
Natural History Open Day<br />
National Museum Cardiff, CF10 3NP.<br />
10am–4pm. Celebrate International Day of<br />
Biodiversity with Museum scientists. Free.<br />
Tel: 0300 111 2333<br />
www.museumwales.ac.uk<br />
Saturday 21st & Sunday 22nd <strong>May</strong><br />
Wristband Weekends<br />
Rhondda Heritage Park, Lewis Merthyr<br />
Colliery, Trehafod, CF37 2NP. ‘Fundays Wales’<br />
provides fun-filled weekends suitable <strong>for</strong><br />
children 12 years old and younger offering<br />
inflatable fun, children’s rides, Energy Play<br />
Zone and games. Sessions at 11am–2pm<br />
& 2.30–5.30pm. £5.99 per wristband<br />
(available half an hour be<strong>for</strong>e each session).<br />
Tel: 01443 682036<br />
tourism.rctcbc.gov.uk/<br />
Generation Game<br />
Techniquest, Cardiff Bay, CF10 5BW. Using<br />
pop bottles, balloons, dominoes, water and<br />
even the energy from breakfast, can you<br />
generate enough electricity to run the show?<br />
Tel: 029 2047 5475<br />
www.techniquest.org<br />
Sunday 22nd <strong>May</strong><br />
Family Film:<br />
Inside Out (U)<br />
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, CF5 1QE. 11am.<br />
After young Riley is uprooted from her<br />
Midwest life and moved to San Francisco,<br />
her emotions – Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and<br />
Sadness – conflict on how best to navigate<br />
a new city, house, and school. Audio<br />
description and soft subtitles available,<br />
please ask <strong>for</strong> details.<br />
Family Film: Up (U)<br />
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, CF5 1QE. 3pm.<br />
As his house is threatened with demolition,<br />
78 year old Carl Fredricksen travels to<br />
Paradise Falls equipped with balloons,<br />
inadvertently taking a young stowaway<br />
Russell. Tickets in advance: adults £4,<br />
children £3. On day: adults £4.50,<br />
children £3.50.<br />
Tel: 029 2030 4400<br />
www.chapter.org<br />
MG Car Club & Male Voice Choir<br />
National Botanic Garden of Wales,<br />
Llanarthne, Carmarthenshire SA32 8HG.<br />
North Leicester MG Car Club at Millennium<br />
Square and Steeton Male Voice Choir in the<br />
Great Glasshouse.<br />
Tel: 01558 667146<br />
www.botanicgarden.wales<br />
Wednesday 25th <strong>May</strong><br />
Welly Wednesday<br />
National Botanic Garden of Wales,<br />
Llanarthne, Carmarthenshire, SA32 8HG.<br />
11am. An hour of fun, outdoor activities,<br />
storytelling and exploring <strong>for</strong> pre-schoolers.<br />
Tel: 01558 667146<br />
www.botanicgarden.wales<br />
Meet the Gardeners<br />
Tredegar House, Newport, NP10 8YW.<br />
1–2pm. Normal admission applies – no<br />
booking required. Hear how the gardeners<br />
look after the <strong>for</strong>mal gardens day to day.<br />
Tel: 01633 815880<br />
www.nationaltrust.org<br />
Thursday 26th <strong>May</strong><br />
Doggy Day<br />
National Botanic Garden of Wales,<br />
Llanarthne, Carmarthenshire, SA32 8HG.<br />
Take your pooch <strong>for</strong> a walk around the<br />
Garden.<br />
Tel: 01558 667146<br />
www.botanicgarden.wales<br />
Friday 27th <strong>May</strong><br />
Toddler Event<br />
Parc Play, Unit 5, Curran Embankment,<br />
Grangetown, Cardiff, CF10 5DX.<br />
10.30am–2.30pm. Magic Stu.<br />
Tel: 029 2034 5696<br />
(Out of hours: 077 380 77 810)<br />
www.parcplay.com<br />
Carry On Screaming Screening:<br />
Florence Foster Jenkins (PG)<br />
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, CF5 1QE.<br />
Every Friday at 11am, Carry on Screaming<br />
allows parents or carers to see a film without<br />
having to worry about their baby causing<br />
a disturbance.<br />
Tel: 029 2030 4400<br />
www.chapter.org<br />
Continued on page 10<br />
photo: nick treharne
www.primarytimes.net/cardiff | may half term <strong>2016</strong> Primary Times 9<br />
what’s on where
what’s on where<br />
Sgwd yr Eira waterfall<br />
Saturday 28 <strong>May</strong><br />
Family Fun Day<br />
St Peter’s Rugby Club, Minister Road, Roath,<br />
CF23 5AS. In aid of Noah’s Ark Children’s<br />
Hospital. Charity football match, disco,<br />
bouncy castle, bbq, face painting, auction,<br />
stalls and more. From 12pm onwards.<br />
Family Saturdays:<br />
Pop Art<br />
Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay,<br />
CF10 5AL. 11am–4pm. Glanfa. Get artistic<br />
with bold colours and take your creation<br />
home with you. Free.<br />
Tel: 029 2063 6464<br />
www.wmc.org.uk<br />
Winding Engine Running<br />
Winding House, New Tredegar, NP24 6EG.<br />
See the original historic Victorian winding<br />
engine in action. Admission free. 12pm.<br />
Tel: 01443 822666<br />
www.windinghouse.co.uk<br />
‘50 Things’ launch day<br />
Tredegar House, Newport, NP10 8YW.<br />
11am–4pm. Normal admission applies – no<br />
booking required. Pick up a scrapbook and<br />
meet in the park to see how many of the 50<br />
things you can tick off your list! Have you<br />
ever made a mud pie? Rolled down a big hill?<br />
Cooked on a camp fire? Grab your wellies and<br />
take your pond dipping net - <strong>for</strong> the launch<br />
the ultimate children’s bucket list.<br />
Tel: 01633 815880<br />
www.nationaltrust.org<br />
Spring Walk<br />
Plymouth Great Wood, St Fagans, CF5.<br />
10.30am–12.30pm. Join the Rangers on<br />
a circular walk around this Ancient semi<br />
natural woodland. Learn about the history<br />
of the battle of St Fagans and see the wide<br />
variety of flora and fauna that this woodland<br />
has to offer. Meet at the Plymouth Arms car<br />
park St Fagans. Free.<br />
Tel: 029 2233 0235<br />
www.cardiff.gov.uk/parks<br />
Aberdare Festival<br />
Aberdare Park, CF44 8LU. Free event with<br />
something <strong>for</strong> all the family. 11am–5pm.<br />
Tel: 01443 424123<br />
events@rctcbc.gov.uk<br />
Family Film:<br />
Batman vs Superman (12A)<br />
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, CF5 1QE. 11am.<br />
Fearing the actions of Superman are left<br />
unchecked, Batman takes on the man of<br />
steel. With Batman and Superman fighting<br />
each other, a new threat, Doomsday, is<br />
created by Lex Luthor. It’s up to Superman<br />
and Batman to set aside their differences<br />
along with Wonder Woman to stop Lex<br />
Luthor and Doomsday from destroying<br />
Metropolis. Audio description and soft<br />
subtitles available, please ask <strong>for</strong> details.<br />
Family Film: Zootropolis (PG)<br />
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, CF5 1QE. 3pm.<br />
In a city run by animals, a fugitive con artist<br />
fox and a rookie bunny cop must work<br />
together to uncover a conspiracy. Audio<br />
description and soft subtitles available,<br />
please ask <strong>for</strong> details. Tickets in advance:<br />
adults £4, children £3. On day: adults £4.50,<br />
children £3.50.<br />
Tel: 029 2030 4400<br />
www.chapter.org<br />
Bird Box Building<br />
Cwmcarn Forest Visitor Centre, NP11 7FA.<br />
Build your own bird box to create a lovely<br />
home <strong>for</strong> your garden birds. Booking<br />
required. Ages 5+. £5 per child.<br />
Tel: 01495 272001<br />
www.cwmcarn<strong>for</strong>est.co.uk<br />
Saturday 28 & Sunday 29 <strong>May</strong><br />
The Battle<br />
St Fagans National History Museum, CF5<br />
6XB. 6–9pm. Adults £10; children £5 (under<br />
16). The village of St Fagans with its popular<br />
museum, quaint houses, thatched roofs<br />
and village pub is a serene and beautiful<br />
spot, but the village was once witness to the<br />
largest skirmish ever to take place on Welsh<br />
soil. Experience the clash of swords, the<br />
shouts of men and the smell of gun smoke<br />
at “The Battle”, a large scale re-enactment<br />
event in collaboration with the English Civil<br />
War Society. Suitable age 6+.<br />
Booking via ticketlineuk.com<br />
Tel: 029 2023 0130<br />
www.museumwales.ac.uk<br />
Saturday 28 – Monday 30 <strong>May</strong><br />
Dress Up St Fagans<br />
St Fagans National History Museum, CF5<br />
6XB. 11am–4pm. Free. See St Fagans<br />
brought to life and travel through time as<br />
you drop in to your favourite buildings to<br />
check if there’s anyone home. If dressing up’s<br />
your thing then go along in costume?<br />
Tel 029 2057 3500<br />
www.museumwales.ac.uk<br />
50 things to do<br />
be<strong>for</strong>e you’re 11¾<br />
Aberdulais Tinworks and Waterfall, SA10<br />
8EU. 11am–4pm. Pick up a scrapbook and<br />
take part in the various 50 things activities<br />
such as playing Pooh sticks, making daisy<br />
chains, bird watching and bug hunting. Free<br />
event - normal admission charges apply.<br />
Tel: 01639 636674<br />
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/aberdulais<br />
Whitsun Bank Holiday<br />
National Botanic Garden of Wales,<br />
Llanarthne, Carmarthenshire, SA32 8HG.<br />
Fiddlebox, Jugglestruck, Carmarthen<br />
Modellers, Wood Carvers, Dolls House<br />
display, Dinefwr Photographic Club, Water<br />
Zorbing and more!<br />
Tel: 01558 667146<br />
www.botanicgarden.wales<br />
Saturday 28 – Tuesday 31 <strong>May</strong><br />
Morse Code Beady Bracelets<br />
National Waterfront Museum, Swansea,<br />
SA1 3RD. 12.30–3.30pm. Create a secret code<br />
message hidden in a cool bead bracelet.<br />
Tel: 029 2057 3600<br />
www.museumwales.ac.uk<br />
Saturday 28 <strong>May</strong> – Sunday 5 June<br />
St Fagans Makers Market<br />
St Fagans National History Museum,<br />
CF5 6XB. 10am–4pm. A chance to meet the<br />
makers and find out more about their crafts<br />
as they run free drop-in workshops and<br />
demonstrations throughout the weekend.<br />
Tel 029 2057 3500<br />
www.museumwales.ac.uk<br />
Fire & Ice Show<br />
Techniquest, Cardiff Bay, CF10 5BW.<br />
In this show discover what happens when<br />
things get really hot and when things get<br />
really cold.<br />
Tel: 029 2047 5475<br />
www.techniquest.org<br />
<strong>May</strong> Half Term Fun<br />
Tredegar House, Newport, NP10 8YW.<br />
11am–4pm. Normal admission charges<br />
apply. No booking required. Half term family<br />
fun – take on the tricky trail. Show off<br />
your creative side and make some crafts to<br />
take home and join in with the many daily<br />
activities - all tied into the adventure theme<br />
in honour of Pirate Day on 30 <strong>May</strong>. Plenty of<br />
activities indoors and out!<br />
Tel: 01633 815880<br />
www.nationaltrust.org<br />
Downy Duckling Week<br />
WWT Llanelli Wetland Centre, SA14 9SH.<br />
Duckery tours leave at 12pm, 2pm and 3pm.<br />
All day: self-guided den building; craft<br />
workshops (times vary). 11am–11.45am<br />
Minibeast hunting and mini pond dipping.<br />
Tel:01554 741087<br />
www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/<br />
llanelli<br />
Sunday 29 <strong>May</strong><br />
Botanical Walk<br />
Cefn Onn, Lisvane, CF14 0EP. 2–4pm. Guided<br />
walk led by Peter Kent, reveals nearly 80 of<br />
the park’s fascinating botanical specimens.<br />
Meet at Cefn Onn Car Park. Free.<br />
Tel: 029 2233 0235<br />
www.cardiff.gov.uk/parks<br />
Family Film:<br />
Batman vs Superman (12A)<br />
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, CF5 1QE. 11am.<br />
Fearing the actions of Superman are left<br />
unchecked, Batman takes on the man of<br />
steel. With Batman and Superman fighting<br />
each other, a new threat, Doomsday, is<br />
created by Lex Luthor. It’s up to Superman<br />
and Batman to set aside their differences<br />
along with Wonder Woman to stop Lex<br />
Luthor and Doomsday from destroying<br />
Metropolis. Audio description and soft<br />
subtitles available, please ask <strong>for</strong> details.<br />
Family Film:<br />
Zootropolis (PG)<br />
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, CF5 1QE. 11am.<br />
In a city run by animals, a fugitive con artist<br />
fox and a rookie bunny cop must work<br />
together to uncover a conspiracy. Audio<br />
description and soft subtitles available,<br />
please ask <strong>for</strong> details. Tickets in advance:<br />
adults £4, children £3. On day: adults £4.50,<br />
children £3.50.<br />
Tel: 029 2030 4400<br />
www.chapter.org<br />
Sunday 29<br />
& Monday 30 <strong>May</strong><br />
Miniature Railways<br />
& Tramways<br />
Cardiff Model Engineering Society, King<br />
George V Drive East, Cardiff, CF14 4AW.<br />
Miniature train rides, steam diesel & electric<br />
plus tram rides. Model railway layouts,<br />
refreshments. Open 1–5pm. No advanced<br />
tickets are available or required.<br />
www.cardiffmes.com<br />
Cowbridge Food<br />
& Drink Festival<br />
Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan CF71.<br />
9.30am–5pm. Food lovers and families alike<br />
will experience a new, more open festival<br />
with a mixture of marquees and traditional<br />
stalls. Children under 12 go free of charge<br />
and can enjoy plenty of child-friendly<br />
activities including crafts, birds of prey and<br />
lots of food-themed fun. And to help combat<br />
the crowds, if parents wish to leave their<br />
buggies somewhere safe, there will be a<br />
“buggy park” operating in the Vale Forge<br />
Food Court site. Early bird pre-booking<br />
available online. On the day: £5 per day or £8<br />
<strong>for</strong> weekend tickets.<br />
www.cowbridgefoodanddrink.org<br />
Bank Holiday Fun<br />
Caerphilly Castle, Caerphilly, CF83 1JD.<br />
10am–5pm. Adult £6; family £16.20. Step<br />
back in time, meet medieval characters and<br />
watch as the history of this medieval castle<br />
comes alive with the sights, sounds and<br />
smells of the period.<br />
Tel: 029 2088 3143<br />
www.cadw.gov.wales Continued on page 14<br />
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14<br />
Monday 30 <strong>May</strong><br />
Pirate Day<br />
Tredegar House, Newport, NP10 8YW.<br />
11am–4pm. Normal admission applies – no<br />
booking required. Calling all swashbucklers,<br />
go in your best buccaneer costume <strong>for</strong> a full<br />
day of fun and sea shanties. Captain Henry<br />
Morgan is back and is after a batch of new<br />
recruits to set sail on his next adventurous<br />
voyage! Find out your new identity at the<br />
pirate naming station and spend the day<br />
testing out your sea legs with themed<br />
activities, games and surprises!<br />
Tel: 01633 815880<br />
www.nationaltrust.org<br />
Spring Bank Holiday<br />
Winding House, New Tredegar, NP24 6EG.<br />
10am–5pm. Admission free. Family fun with<br />
plenty to see, do and explore!<br />
Tel: 01443 822666<br />
www.windinghouse.co.uk<br />
Bank Holiday Vintage<br />
Extravaganza<br />
Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay, CF10<br />
5AL. 12pm–9pm. Around the Centre. Retro<br />
stalls, live bands, film showings, vintage<br />
cars, DJs and dancers, this free event will<br />
take you back to days gone by.<br />
Tel: 029 2063 6464<br />
www.wmc.org.uk<br />
Family Film:<br />
Batman vs Superman (12A)<br />
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, CF5 1QE.<br />
1.30pm. Fearing the actions of Superman are<br />
left unchecked, Batman takes on the man of<br />
steel. With Batman and Superman fighting<br />
each other, a new threat, Doomsday, is<br />
created by Lex Luthor. It’s up to Superman<br />
and Batman to set aside their differences<br />
along with Wonder Woman to stop Lex<br />
Luthor and Doomsday from destroying<br />
Metropolis. Audio description and soft<br />
subtitles available, please ask <strong>for</strong> details.<br />
Family Film: Zootropolis (PG)<br />
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, CF5 1QE. 11am.<br />
In a city run by animals, a fugitive con artist<br />
fox and a rookie bunny cop must work<br />
together to uncover a conspiracy. Audio<br />
description and soft subtitles available,<br />
please ask <strong>for</strong> details. Tickets in advance:<br />
adults £4, children £3. On day: adults £4.50,<br />
children £3.50.<br />
Tel: 029 2030 4400<br />
www.chapter.org<br />
South Wales Dog<br />
& Family Fun Day<br />
Fonmon Castle, Nr Cardiff Airport, CF62<br />
3ZN. 9am–5pm. Fun dog show, artisan<br />
food court, fun fair, trade and charity stalls,<br />
falconry, mini farm, Viking combat, donkey<br />
rides and more. Adults £10; children £5.<br />
Family ticket (2+2) £20.<br />
www.dogshow.wales<br />
Croquet Taster Day<br />
Dyffryn Gardens, Nr St Nicholas, CF5 6SU.<br />
Join the Dyffryn Croquet Club to have a go at<br />
croquet. Normal admission charges apply,<br />
no booking required. Turn up any time from<br />
11am–5pm to learn this simple-looking but<br />
not-so-simple-playing game. The members<br />
of the club will be on hand to show you some<br />
tips and techniques. Equipment is provided.<br />
Tel: 029 2059 3328<br />
www.nationaltrust.org<br />
Monday 30 <strong>May</strong> – Friday 3 June<br />
A Wild Whitsun:<br />
The Coity Tip<br />
Big Pit National Coal Museum, NP4 9XP.<br />
12–4pm. Explore the Coity Tip with a week<br />
full of activities <strong>for</strong> children of all ages.<br />
Small charge may apply <strong>for</strong> some activities.<br />
Booking essential.<br />
Tel: 029 2057 3650<br />
www.museumwales.ac.uk/bigpit<br />
Museum Trail<br />
Pontypridd Museum, Bridge Street,<br />
Pontypridd, CF37 4PE.<br />
Tel: 01443 490748<br />
http://wp.pontypriddmuseum.org.uk<br />
Adventure Week<br />
Roman Legionary Museum, Caerleon, NP18<br />
1AE. Workshops at 11am, 12pm, 2pm &<br />
3pm. £2 per person. Bookable. Get back to<br />
basics learning some survival skills, such as<br />
lighting fires, making a den or using a bow<br />
drill. Warning: may contain lots of mud and<br />
dirt – be prepared!<br />
Tel: 0300 111 2333<br />
www.museumwales.ac.uk<br />
Tuesday 31 <strong>May</strong><br />
A Dinosaur Encounter<br />
Cardiff Castle, CF10 3RB. Are you ready to<br />
meet the dinosaurs and their ancestors?<br />
Take a close look at the dinosaur models,<br />
their bones and eggs and see the animals<br />
that were living at that time but are<br />
still alive today, including cockroaches,<br />
scorpions, lizards and snakes. Tickets: £4 per<br />
person in addition to normal admission or a<br />
valid Castle Key. Limited availability – please<br />
book in advance.<br />
Art & Craft Day<br />
Cardiff Castle, CF10 3RB. Drop in sessions<br />
10.30am–3.30pm. Children must be<br />
accompanied by an adult. £1 per person<br />
(including adults) in addition to normal<br />
admission or valid Castle Key. Subject to<br />
availability.<br />
Tel: 029 2087 8100<br />
www.cardiffcastle.com<br />
Family Film:<br />
Batman vs Superman (12A)<br />
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, CF5 1QE.<br />
2.30pm. Fearing the actions of Superman<br />
are left unchecked, Batman takes on the<br />
man of steel. With Batman and Superman<br />
fighting each other, a new threat,<br />
Doomsday, is created by Lex Luthor. It’s up<br />
to Superman and Batman to set aside their<br />
differences along with Wonder Woman<br />
to stop Lex Luthor and Doomsday from<br />
destroying Metropolis. Audio description<br />
and soft subtitles available, please ask<br />
<strong>for</strong> details. Tickets in advance: adults £4,<br />
children £3.<br />
Family Film:<br />
Zootropolis (PG)<br />
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, CF5 1QE. 11am.<br />
In a city run by animals, a fugitive con artist<br />
fox and a rookie bunny cop must work<br />
together to uncover a conspiracy. Audio<br />
description and soft subtitles available,<br />
please ask <strong>for</strong> details. Tickets in advance:<br />
adults £4, children £3. On day: adults £4.50,<br />
children £3.50.<br />
Tel: 029 2030 4400<br />
www.chapter.org<br />
Primary Times may half term <strong>2016</strong> | www.primarytimes.net/cardiff<br />
Birds Seed Cookies<br />
Cwmcarn Forest Visitor Centre, NP11 7FA.<br />
10am–12.45pm. Make your own tasty bird<br />
treats to hang in your garden. Ages 3+.<br />
£2.50 per child. Booking advisable.<br />
Tel: 01495 272001<br />
www.cwmcarn<strong>for</strong>est.co.uk<br />
Explore Your Archives Family<br />
Open Day: Find, Hold & Keep<br />
National Museum Cardiff, CF10 3NP.<br />
10am–4pm. Join Museum staff and discover<br />
their secrets <strong>for</strong> preserving stories of<br />
discovery and adventure! Free.<br />
Tel: 0300 111 2333<br />
www.museumwales.ac.uk<br />
Bat Walks<br />
St Fagans National History Museum, CF5<br />
6XB. 9pm. £5. Join an exciting after-dark<br />
journey around the Museum to find bats.<br />
Wear sensible clothing and take a torch (plus<br />
a flask if you like) Walk starts at the main<br />
entrance, duration: 1½ hrs. Suitable age 8+.<br />
Book via ticketline or call.<br />
ticketlineuk.com<br />
Tel: 029 2023 0130<br />
Washday Play: interactive<br />
sessions <strong>for</strong> families.<br />
St Fagans National History Museum,<br />
CF5 6XB. 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm.<br />
£2.50 per child. It’s washday at St Fagans<br />
and Beti Bwt needs your help in the laundry.<br />
Join the sudsy fun and find out what life<br />
was like be<strong>for</strong>e washing machines were<br />
invented. An interactive session aimed<br />
at families with children aged 3–11. All<br />
children must be accompanied by an adult<br />
(max 2 children per adult please). Book via<br />
ticketline or call.<br />
ticketlineuk.com<br />
Tel: 029 2023 0130<br />
www.museumwales.ac.uk<br />
Tuesday 31 <strong>May</strong> – Thursday 2 June<br />
Printmaking Workshops<br />
National Museum Cardiff, CF10 3NP. 11am,<br />
1pm, 3pm. Be inspired by the work of First<br />
World War artists. Free.<br />
Tel: 0300 111 2333<br />
www.museumwales.ac.uk<br />
Tuesday 31 <strong>May</strong> – Saturday 4 June<br />
<strong>May</strong> Half Term Activities<br />
Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay,<br />
CF10 5AL. Free. What does sound look like?<br />
How would we draw music? Get inspired by<br />
the sound and feel of music as you draw in a<br />
technicolour of neon hues. During the week<br />
creatively respond to a playlist of different<br />
genres and styles of music to create a huge<br />
art piece like no other!<br />
Tel: 029 2063 6464<br />
www.wmc.org.uk<br />
Wednesday 1 June<br />
Creepy Crawlies & Ugly Bug Ball<br />
Llancaiach Fawr Manor, CF46 6ER.<br />
11am–4pm. A day of fun, creature crafts,<br />
animals and Ugly Bug Ball. Activity only<br />
tickets £5 per adult, first adult free of charge<br />
additional adults £1 each.<br />
Tel: 01443 412248<br />
www.llancaiachfawr.co.uk<br />
Half Term Family Craft Day<br />
Cardiff Story Museum, The Hayes, CF10 1BH.<br />
10am–3pm. £1 per child.<br />
Tel: 029 2034 6214<br />
www.cardiffmuseum.com<br />
Family Film:<br />
Batman vs Superman (12A)<br />
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, CF5 1QE. 3pm.<br />
Fearing the actions of Superman are left<br />
unchecked, Batman takes on the man of<br />
steel. With Batman and Superman fighting<br />
each other, a new threat, Doomsday, is<br />
created by Lex Luthor. It’s up to Superman<br />
and Batman to set aside their differences<br />
along with Wonder Woman to stop Lex<br />
Luthor and Doomsday from destroying<br />
Metropolis. Audio description and soft<br />
subtitles available, please ask <strong>for</strong> details.<br />
Family Film:<br />
Zootropolis (PG)<br />
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, CF5 1QE. 11am.<br />
In a city run by animals, a fugitive con artist<br />
fox and a rookie bunny cop must work<br />
together to uncover a conspiracy. Audio<br />
description and soft subtitles available,<br />
please ask <strong>for</strong> details. Tickets in advance:<br />
adults £4, children £3. On day: adults £4.50,<br />
children £3.50.<br />
Tel: 029 2030 4400<br />
www.chapter.org<br />
Mission Rocket!<br />
Cwmcarn Forest Visitor Centre, NP11 7FA.<br />
Join the Dark Skies Wales team and release<br />
your inner Spaceman with this unique<br />
workshop and build your own rocket! After<br />
you have built and decorated your rocket<br />
you can send it to the skies from launch<br />
pad! Places limited, book early to avoid<br />
disappointment! £8.50 per child.<br />
Tel: 01495 272001<br />
www.cwmcarn<strong>for</strong>est.co.uk<br />
Toddler Time Monthly Movies<br />
National Waterfront Museum, Swansea, SA1<br />
3RD. 10.30am. Enjoy a free movie screening<br />
exclusively <strong>for</strong> preschool children and their<br />
parents or carers – plus a half price hot drink<br />
from the cafe.<br />
Tel: 029 2057 3600<br />
www.museumwales.ac.uk<br />
Craft Activities<br />
Pontypridd Museum, Bridge Street,<br />
Pontypridd, CF37 4PE. 11am–3pm. Free.<br />
Tel: 01443 490748<br />
http://wp.pontypriddmuseum.org.uk/<br />
whats-on/<br />
Freeman’s Fun Day<br />
Ynysangharad Park, Pontypridd, CF37 4PE.<br />
Freeman’s Fun Day with rides at. Charges<br />
apply to use the rides.<br />
Tel: 01443 490490<br />
Wednesday 1 – Sunday 5 June<br />
Three Cool Things to Make<br />
with a Penny<br />
National Waterfront Museum, Swansea,<br />
SA1 3RD. 12.30–3.30pm. Raid the Museum’s<br />
piggy bank and use real pennies to make<br />
three cool crafts.<br />
Tel: 029 2057 3600<br />
www.museumwales.ac.uk<br />
Continued on page 16
www.primarytimes.net/cardiff | may half term <strong>2016</strong> Primary Times 15<br />
what’s on where
what’s on where<br />
Saturday 4 June<br />
Family Film: Zootropolis (PG)<br />
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, CF5 1QE. 11am &<br />
3pm. In a city run by animals, a fugitive con<br />
artist fox and a rookie bunny cop must work<br />
together to uncover a conspiracy. Audio<br />
description and soft subtitles available,<br />
please ask <strong>for</strong> details. Tickets in advance:<br />
adults £4, children £3. On day: adults £4.50,<br />
children £3.50.<br />
Tel: 029 2030 4400<br />
www.chapter.org<br />
16<br />
rhonda heritage park sunrise<br />
Thursday 2 June<br />
Family Film: Batman vs<br />
Superman (12A)<br />
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, CF5 1QE. 3pm.<br />
Fearing the actions of Superman are left<br />
unchecked, Batman takes on the man of<br />
steel. With Batman and Superman fighting<br />
each other, a new threat, Doomsday, is<br />
created by Lex Luthor. It’s up to Superman<br />
and Batman to set aside their differences<br />
along with Wonder Woman to stop Lex<br />
Luthor and Doomsday from destroying<br />
Metropolis. Audio description and soft<br />
subtitles available, please ask <strong>for</strong> details.<br />
Family Film: Zootropolis (PG)<br />
11am. In a city run by animals, a fugitive con<br />
artist fox and a rookie bunny cop must work<br />
together to uncover a conspiracy. Audio<br />
description and soft subtitles available,<br />
please ask <strong>for</strong> details. Tickets in advance:<br />
adults £4, children £3. On day: adults £4.50,<br />
children £3.50.<br />
Tel: 029 2030 4400<br />
www.chapter.org<br />
‘Upcycled’ Herby Face Planters<br />
Cwmcarn Forest Visitor Centre, NP11 7FA.<br />
10am–2.15pm. Create your own unique<br />
family of decorated planters using re-cycled<br />
pop bottles and fill with herby seeds!<br />
Booking advisable. Ages 3+. £2.50 per child.<br />
Tel: 01495 272001<br />
www.cwmcarn<strong>for</strong>est.co.uk<br />
Bat Walks<br />
St Fagans National History Museum,<br />
CF5 6XB. 9pm. £5. Join an exciting after-dark<br />
journey around the Museum to find bats.<br />
Wear sensible clothing and take a torch (plus<br />
a flask if you like) Walk starts at the main<br />
entrance, duration: 1½ hrs. Suitable age 8+.<br />
Book via ticketline or call.<br />
ticketlineuk.com<br />
Tel: 029 2023 0130<br />
Washday Play: interactive<br />
sessions <strong>for</strong> families<br />
St Fagans National History Museum,<br />
CF5 6XB. 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm.<br />
£2.50 per child. It’s washday at St Fagans<br />
and Beti Bwt needs your help in the laundry.<br />
Join the sudsy fun and find out what life<br />
was like be<strong>for</strong>e washing machines were<br />
invented. An interactive session aimed<br />
at families with children aged 3–11. All<br />
children must be accompanied by an adult<br />
(max 2 children per adult please). Book via<br />
ticketline or call.<br />
ticketlineuk.com<br />
Tel: 029 2023 0130<br />
www.museumwales.ac.uk<br />
Ninja Turtle Tribute Day<br />
The Red Dragon Centre, Cardiff Bay, CF10<br />
4JY. 12–4pm. Celebrate the release of the<br />
new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of<br />
the Shadows movie. Mini-ninjas can make<br />
their own turtle mask at the free craft work<br />
shop, meet Red Dragon’s tribute to Raphael,<br />
and collect a free balloon (whilst stocks last).<br />
Usual parking rules apply (free <strong>for</strong> Centre<br />
customers with minimum spend). Full<br />
details online.<br />
www.thereddragoncentre.co.uk<br />
Thursday 2 & Friday 3 June<br />
Make Your Own Survival<br />
Bracelet & Kumihimo Braided<br />
Accessories<br />
Llancaiach Fawr Manor, CF46 6ER. 2–4pm .<br />
For children age 10+. £10 per child including<br />
tuition and materials.<br />
Tel: 01443 412248<br />
www.llancaiachfawr.co.uk<br />
Friday 3 June<br />
Carry on Screaming Screening:<br />
Phone <strong>for</strong> Film Details<br />
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, CF5 1QE.<br />
Every Friday at 11am, Carry on Screaming<br />
allows parents or carers to see a film without<br />
having to worry about their baby causing<br />
a disturbance. Check out the calendar<br />
<strong>for</strong> details of these special screenings,<br />
exclusively <strong>for</strong> people with babies under<br />
one year old.<br />
Family Film:<br />
Zootropolis (PG)<br />
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, CF5 1QE.<br />
2.30pm. In a city run by animals, a fugitive<br />
con artist fox and a rookie bunny cop must<br />
work together to uncover a conspiracy.<br />
Audio description and soft subtitles<br />
available, please ask <strong>for</strong> details.<br />
Tickets in advance: adults £4, children £3.<br />
On day: adults £4.50, children £3.50.<br />
Tel: 029 2030 4400<br />
www.chapter.org<br />
Primary Times may half term <strong>2016</strong> | www.primarytimes.net/cardiff<br />
Music in the Pool Garden<br />
Aberglasney Gardens, Llangathen,<br />
Carmarthenshire, SA32 8QH. ‘Friday Night<br />
is Music Night!’ The first Friday of every<br />
month throughout the summer enjoy live<br />
music in the Pool Garden. Take a picnic or<br />
book a table on the terrace and Maryellen’s<br />
Tearooms will take care of your supper.<br />
Tickets are available on the gate £10 each<br />
or £8 <strong>for</strong> Aberglasney Members. Gates open<br />
6.30pm with music from 7pm.<br />
Tel: 01558 668998<br />
www.aberglasney.org<br />
Summer of Stories<br />
Castell Coch, Tongwynlais, Cardiff, CF15 7JS.<br />
11am–4pm. Adult £6; family £16.20. Wales<br />
is renowned worldwide <strong>for</strong> its literature and<br />
poetry. Discover more as part of the Summer<br />
of Stories. Experience the best of Welsh<br />
tale spinning and listen to stories based on<br />
historical characters, legends and myths<br />
from across Wales.<br />
Tel: 029 2081 0101<br />
www.cadw.gov.wales<br />
Welsh Wrestling Live!<br />
Memo Arts Centre, Barry, CF62 8NA. 7.30pm.<br />
An evening of glitz, glamour and bodyslam<br />
mayhem as the American Wrestling<br />
roadshow invades <strong>for</strong> one night only! See<br />
the over the top stars of the wrestling world<br />
collide in a night of super slamming action at<br />
this fun, crazy, family entertainment show.<br />
Witness the thrills and spills of live American<br />
Wrestling. Adults £10; under 16 £8; group<br />
(4) £30.<br />
Box Office: 01446 738622<br />
www.memoartscentre.co.uk<br />
Sing at the Museum:<br />
Songs from the Trenches<br />
National Museum Cardiff, CF10 3NP. 2.30pm.<br />
Help fill the Main Hall with the sound of<br />
songs of the First World War. Singers of all<br />
ages and abilities welcome! Free.<br />
Tel: 0300 111 2333<br />
www.museumwales.ac.uk<br />
Little Mice Club: Transport<br />
National Waterfront Museum, Swansea,<br />
SA1 3RD. 10.30am–12pm. Drop in with your<br />
little ones to enjoy bilingual play, song and<br />
crafts and meet Morys the Museum Mouse.<br />
Tel: 029 2057 3600<br />
www.museumwales.ac.uk<br />
Monks Walk with Cream Tea<br />
Cwmcarn Forest Visitor Centre, NP11 7FA.<br />
10.30am. Stunning 4 mile walk with a cream<br />
tea on return. Ages 8 +. Dogs welcome.<br />
Adults £5; children £3. Booking advisable.<br />
Tel: 01495 272001<br />
www.cwmcarn<strong>for</strong>est.co.uk<br />
Summer Wildlife Festival<br />
Forest Farm, Whitchurch, CF14 7JJ.<br />
10am–4pm. A day of wildlife activities from<br />
pond dipping and bug hunting to worm<br />
charming and bird spotting. Meet at Forest<br />
Farm, Forest Farm Road, Whitchurch. Free<br />
activities and free parking available on site.<br />
Tel: 029 2233 0235<br />
www.cardiff.gov.uk/parks<br />
Dewch i Ganu – Come to Sing!<br />
National Waterfront Museum, Swansea SA1<br />
3RD. 11am. Join musician Delyth Jenkins<br />
and learn Welsh through song in a fun and<br />
in<strong>for</strong>mal way – includes a free cup of tea.<br />
Tel: 029 2057 3600<br />
www.museumwales.ac.uk<br />
Meet the Beekeepers<br />
St Fagans National History Museum,<br />
CF5 6XB. 11am–1pm & 2–4pm. Free. A<br />
chance to meet the Museum’s beekeepers.<br />
Learn more about the secrets of life in the<br />
hive and why bees sometimes like to swarm<br />
at this time of year.<br />
Tel 029 2057 3500<br />
www.museumwales.ac.uk<br />
Sunday 5 June<br />
Family Film: Zootropolis (PG)<br />
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, CF5 1QE. 11am &<br />
3pm. In a city run by animals, a fugitive con<br />
artist fox and a rookie bunny cop must work<br />
together to uncover a conspiracy. Audio<br />
description and soft subtitles available,<br />
please ask <strong>for</strong> details. Tickets in advance:<br />
adults £4, children £3. On day: adults £4.50,<br />
children £3.50.<br />
Tel: 029 2030 4400<br />
www.chapter.org<br />
Doggy Day<br />
National Botanic Garden of Wales,<br />
Llanarthne, Carmarthenshire, SA32 8HG.<br />
Take your pooch <strong>for</strong> a walk.<br />
www.botanicgarden.wales<br />
Open Farm Sunday<br />
Slade Farm, Nr Llantwit Major, CF32 0RP.<br />
11am–4pm. Free entry (some activities incur<br />
a charge). Meet the animals, tractor and<br />
trailer rides, static machinery display, hosted<br />
farm tour, piglet racing, willow weaving,<br />
Bee keeping & more. Hot food available. All<br />
proceeds to charity.<br />
Tel: 01656 880048<br />
www.sladefarmorganics.com<br />
Continued on page 18
www.primarytimes.net/cardiff | may half term <strong>2016</strong> Primary Times 17<br />
what’s on where
what’s on where<br />
18<br />
dare valley country park café<br />
Wednesday 8 June<br />
Be a Senior <strong>for</strong> a Day<br />
Cathedral School, Llandaff, CF5 2YH.<br />
Experience a day in the School’s Senior<br />
section – limited places <strong>for</strong> current<br />
Year 5 pupils.<br />
Tel: 029 2083 8504<br />
www.cathedral-school.co.uk<br />
Meet the Gardeners<br />
Tredegar House, Newport, NP10 8YW.<br />
1–2pm. Normal admission applies – no<br />
booking required.Hear how the gardeners<br />
look after the <strong>for</strong>mal gardens day to day.<br />
Tel: 01633 815880<br />
www.nationaltrust.org<br />
Friday 10 June<br />
Dinky Dragons<br />
Cardiff Story Museum, The Hayes, CF10 1BH.<br />
Monthly baby & toddler day. Rhyme Time,<br />
Story Time and Messy Play. 10am–3pm.<br />
Free entry.<br />
Tel: 029 2034 6214<br />
www.cardiffmuseum.com<br />
Carry on Screaming Screening:<br />
Phone <strong>for</strong> Film Details.<br />
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, CF5 1QE. Every<br />
Friday at 11am, Carry on Screaming allows<br />
parents or carers to see a film without<br />
having to worry about their baby causing<br />
a disturbance. Check out the calendar<br />
<strong>for</strong> details of these special screenings,<br />
exclusively <strong>for</strong> people with babies under one<br />
year old.<br />
Tel: 029 2030 4400<br />
www.chapter.org<br />
National Moth Night<br />
Cwmcarn Forest Visitor Centre, NP11 7FA.<br />
Take part in the National count of these<br />
crazy little creatures and see how wonderful<br />
moths really are! Starts 9.30pm – late.<br />
£2.50 per adult £1.50 per child (tea/coffee<br />
included).<br />
Tel: 01495 272001<br />
www.cwmcarn<strong>for</strong>est.co.uk<br />
Saturday 11 June<br />
Family Film:<br />
Phone <strong>for</strong> Film Details<br />
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, CF5 1QE. Tickets<br />
in advance: adults £4, children £3. On day:<br />
adults £4.50, children £3.50.<br />
Tel: 029 2030 4400<br />
www.chapter.org<br />
Yaberdaberdare<br />
Aberdare Town Centre. Something <strong>for</strong> all the<br />
family from 10am–4pm.<br />
Tel: 01443 424123<br />
events@rctcbc.gov.uk<br />
National Moth Count Breakfast<br />
Cwmcarn Forest Visitor Centre, NP11 7FA.<br />
Enjoy breakfast and take a look at what<br />
was caught in the moth box last night!<br />
Adults £6; children £4.50 – includes bacon/<br />
sausage/veggie bap and hot drink.<br />
Suitable <strong>for</strong> all ages.<br />
Tel: 01495 272001<br />
www.cwmcarn<strong>for</strong>est.co.uk<br />
Saturday 11 June – Sunday 12 June<br />
Second Hand Book Fair<br />
Dyffryn Gardens, Nr St Nicholas, CF5 6SU.<br />
10.30am–4.30pm. Normal admission<br />
charges apply/no booking required.<br />
Rummage through hundreds of quality<br />
second hand books, have a go at some<br />
crafts, enjoy some storytelling as well as<br />
enjoying the grounds.<br />
Tel: 029 2059 3328<br />
www.nationaltrust.org<br />
Natural Living Expo<br />
National Botanic Garden of Wales,<br />
Llanarthne, Carmarthenshire, SA32 8HG.<br />
This expo is all about a natural and holistic<br />
way of life, with more than 60 exhibitor<br />
stands, taster sessions, free talks and<br />
workshops, free demonstrations and<br />
vegetarian food.<br />
Tel: 01558 667146<br />
www.botanicgarden.wales<br />
Colourful Chemistry<br />
Explore a world of colour. How do colour<br />
changes occur in chemical reactions? What<br />
are the uses of these colour changes? How<br />
can chemistry provide us with colour, energy<br />
and light?<br />
Tel: 029 2047 5475<br />
www.techniquest.org<br />
Sunday 12 June<br />
Pond Watch<br />
Heath Park, Cardiff, CF14 4UJ. 2–4pm.<br />
Have a go at pond dipping in Heath Park.<br />
Use nets to examine the wide range of<br />
aquatic life that lives in the main pond.<br />
Favourites are the newts and the legendary<br />
leeches! All children must be accompanied<br />
by an adult. Meet at Heath Park main pond.<br />
Free. Wheelchair Accessible.<br />
Tel: 029 2233 0235<br />
www.cardiff.gov.uk/parks<br />
Ponty’s Big Run <strong>for</strong> Fun<br />
Ynysangharad War Memorial Park,<br />
Pontypridd, CF37 4PE. Registration at tennis<br />
courts. Run, walk or jog to raise money <strong>for</strong><br />
Velindre Cancer Centre. For an application<br />
<strong>for</strong>m or further info visit <strong>web</strong>site.<br />
http://pontypriddtowncouncil.gov.uk/<br />
pontys-big-run-<strong>for</strong>-fun-2/<br />
Tel: 01443 490740<br />
Thursday 16 June<br />
An Evening with Aberglasney<br />
Head Gardner, Joseph Atkin<br />
Aberglasney Gardens, Llangathen,<br />
Carmarthenshire, SA32 8QH. Join Joseph<br />
<strong>for</strong> a special evening tour of the gardens<br />
followed by supper and an after dinner talk<br />
on the terrace. Booking essential.<br />
Tel: 01558 668998<br />
www.aberglasney.org<br />
Primary Times may half term <strong>2016</strong> | www.primarytimes.net/cardiff<br />
Friday 17 June<br />
Carry on Screaming Screening:<br />
Phone <strong>for</strong> Film Details.<br />
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, CF5 1QE. Every<br />
Friday at 11am, Carry on Screaming allows<br />
parents or carers to see a film without<br />
having to worry about their baby causing<br />
a disturbance. Check out the calendar <strong>for</strong><br />
details of these special screenings, <strong>for</strong><br />
people with babies under one year old.<br />
Tel: 029 2030 4400<br />
www.chapter.org<br />
Toddler Time<br />
Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay, CF10<br />
5AL. 11am–3pm. Glanfa. Free. Take your<br />
tot along to sing, dance, play and create<br />
at the Centre with a special programme of<br />
activities <strong>for</strong> you and your little one.<br />
Tel: 029 2063 6464<br />
www.wmc.org.uk<br />
Saturday 18 June<br />
Wenallt Walk<br />
Deri Arms Public House, Wenallt Road,<br />
Rhiwbina, CF14 6UH. 10am–1pm. Join the<br />
Wardens on a brisk 4k walk up the Wenallt<br />
and surrounding area whilst looking at some<br />
local natural history. Meet at the Deri Arms<br />
Public House, Wenallt Road, Rhiwbina. Free.<br />
Distance 4km.<br />
Tel: 029 2233 0235<br />
www.cardiff.gov.uk/parks<br />
Family Film:<br />
Phone <strong>for</strong> Film Details<br />
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, CF5 1QE. Tickets<br />
in advance: adults £4, children £3.<br />
On day: adults £4.50, children £3.50.<br />
Tel: 029 2030 4400<br />
www.chapter.org<br />
Monthly Nature Ramble<br />
Forest Farm, Whitchurch, CF14 7JJ. 10am–<br />
12 noon. Guided walk to identify birds and<br />
wildlife, which vary from month to month.<br />
Take binoculars if you have them. Meet at<br />
the warden Centre Forest Farm. Free.<br />
Tel: 029 2233 0235<br />
www.cardiff.gov.uk/parks<br />
Thrifty Kids:<br />
Cool Book Creations<br />
National Waterfront Museum, Swansea,<br />
SA1 3RD. 10.30am–12.30pm. Create cool<br />
sculptures including a hedgehog or snail by<br />
folding pages of old books in patterns.<br />
Tel: 029 2057 3600<br />
www.museumwales.ac.uk<br />
Try Gamelan Workshop<br />
St David’s Hall, Cardiff, CF10 1AH. The whole<br />
family can enjoy these beautiful Javanese<br />
percussion instruments and learn to play<br />
a traditional piece. 2 hour session which is<br />
fun and non-stop hands on entertainment.<br />
No previous musical experience required.<br />
Suitable <strong>for</strong> age 7+. Under 11s must be<br />
accompanied by an adult.<br />
Tel: 029 2087 8444<br />
www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk<br />
Saturday 18 & Sunday 19 June<br />
Joust!<br />
Cardiff Castle, CF10 3RB. 10am–5pm. All the<br />
pomp and pageantry of a medieval joust<br />
complete with fanfares, parades, galloping<br />
horses, stunts, falls and fights. ‘The Knights<br />
of Royal England’ put on a spectacular show,<br />
plus storytelling, a dragon parade and<br />
combat displays throughout the day. Be part<br />
of the spectacle and go in costume. Early<br />
bird tickets available if booked by 13th June.<br />
After 13th June – Adults £15.50; seniors £13;<br />
children: £10; under 5s: free. Family savings<br />
available. Small charge <strong>for</strong> additional<br />
activities. Book online.<br />
Tel: 029 2087 8100<br />
www.cardiffcastle.com<br />
Colourful Chemistry<br />
Techniquest, Cardiff Bay, CF10 5BW. Explore<br />
a world of colour. How do colour changes<br />
occur in chemical reactions? What are the<br />
uses of these colour changes? How can<br />
chemistry provide us with colour, energy<br />
and light?<br />
Tel: 029 2047 5475<br />
www.techniquest.org<br />
Sunday 19 June<br />
Caerphilly 10k<br />
Caerphilly Town Centre, CF83. 10am.<br />
Sign up online or call <strong>for</strong> details.<br />
www.caerphilly.gov.uk/10k<br />
Tel: 029 2088 0011.<br />
Muskets & <strong>May</strong>hem<br />
Llancaiach Fawr Manor, CF46 6ER. Fathers<br />
Day. 10am–5pm (During normal Manor<br />
tour.) Weapons, warfare and pike drill.<br />
Fathers admitted free of charge when<br />
accompanied by their children.<br />
Tel: 01443 412248<br />
www.llancaiachfawr.co.uk<br />
Father’s Day Artisan<br />
Food & Drink Festival<br />
in the Cloister Garden<br />
Aberglasney Gardens, Llangathen,<br />
Carmarthenshire, SA32 8QH. Aberglasney<br />
becomes a foodie’s heaven as the Cloister<br />
Garden is taken over by an open market<br />
featuring the very best Welsh food<br />
producers. Sample their produce and fill<br />
your baskets with passionately crafted food.<br />
Plus live Folk Music and a display of Alvis<br />
Vintage Cars.<br />
Tel: 01558 668998<br />
www.aberglasney.org<br />
Dads go FREE <strong>for</strong> Father’s Day<br />
National Botanic Garden of Wales,<br />
Llanarthne, Carmarthenshire, SA32 8HG.<br />
Plus Fiddlebox, Jugglestruck, Woodturning<br />
and a visit from the VW Beetle Cabriolet<br />
Club.<br />
Tel: 01558 667146<br />
www.botanicgarden.wales<br />
Make a Superhero Mask<br />
National Waterfront Museum, Swansea,<br />
SA1 3RD. 12.30–3.30pm. Make a superhero<br />
mask in celebration of dads all over the land.<br />
Science Show: Who wants to be<br />
a Superhero?<br />
National Waterfront Museum, Swansea,<br />
SA1 3RD. 1pm & 3pm. Is it a bird? Is it a<br />
plane? No it is Superhero Science! This show<br />
will look at how scientists have gone from<br />
zero to hero and are doing awesome feats<br />
in areas such as gravity, <strong>for</strong>ces, energy, light<br />
and space. Superhero costumes optional!<br />
Tel: 029 2057 3600<br />
www.museumwales.ac.uk<br />
Continued on page 28
what’s on where<br />
20<br />
Primary Times may half term <strong>2016</strong> | www.primarytimes.net/cardiff
www.primarytimes.net/cardiff | may half term <strong>2016</strong> Primary Times 21<br />
what’s on where
pinboard<br />
Pinboard<br />
This Summer, Sports Xtra have teamed<br />
up with Sony Pictures to bring you<br />
Hotel Transylvania 2 Xperience!<br />
These unique Holiday Camp Weeks (individual days are<br />
also available) use the film’s storyline to inspire a range of<br />
structured activities that are active, educational but most of<br />
all great fun! Come and hang out with Drac, Mavis, Johnny,<br />
Frankenstein and little Dennis!<br />
You can join the team <strong>for</strong> Hotel Transylvania 2 Xperience<br />
days this summer and early booking prices are just £15 per<br />
day if booked be<strong>for</strong>e June 19th (see advertisement). If this<br />
is not your thing then you may want to try one of other<br />
Xperiences such as Spy, Sport, Futsal, Dance or Adventure.<br />
For more in<strong>for</strong>mation visit www.sports-xtra.com<br />
or call 08453 716 121<br />
NoFit State’s Summer School<br />
NoFit State’s popular youth summer school is back in <strong>2016</strong>, with weeklong<br />
courses <strong>for</strong> a number of age groups taking place at our two Cardiff<br />
locations in July and August. A fun and alternative way <strong>for</strong> youngsters<br />
to build confidence and improve fitness, balance, and coordination,<br />
giving them the freedom to explore their creativity in a secure and<br />
non-competitive environment!<br />
Classes are great value too! Discount prices <strong>for</strong> groups and siblings<br />
start at just £50 per child <strong>for</strong> the week and children over the age of 11<br />
get 5 full days <strong>for</strong> just £150.<br />
For more in<strong>for</strong>mation on dates, times and prices, or to book go to:<br />
nofitstate.org/community or call 02920 221 330<br />
IntroTeach are one of Wales’<br />
fastest growing teaching<br />
supply agencies working<br />
across Cardiff, The Vale and<br />
the whole of South Wales.<br />
We place Teachers, Learning<br />
Support Assistants, Cover<br />
Supervisors, Sports Coaches<br />
and Exam Invigilators in<br />
Primary and Secondary<br />
Schools on a long and short<br />
term basis.<br />
IntroTeach are a teacher run agency, we understand the needs of our teachers<br />
and schools and we offer a wide range of training opportunities to support our<br />
staff’s professional development. IntroTeach are recruiting now <strong>for</strong> work in the<br />
Summer Term and <strong>for</strong> September.<br />
For more in<strong>for</strong>mation visit: www.introteach.co.uk<br />
Call Yvonne or Jessica on 01269 400500 or 01792 687878<br />
Email info@introteach.co.uk<br />
“Being a parent, I understand first-hand how busy life can be. The bigger tasks<br />
often get left on the backburner as the day-to-day demands of family life take<br />
precedent, so that call to the local estate agent is definitely last on your list!<br />
“However, knowing the value of your home – whether it’s <strong>for</strong> re-mortgaging<br />
or to consider a move – helps you make a more in<strong>for</strong>med decision about your<br />
family’s future. That’s why, whatever your reason <strong>for</strong> needing one, we offer free<br />
home valuations.<br />
“Our service accommodates the needs of increasingly-busy family lives and let’s<br />
you carry on with yours as normal. Our open-house viewing appointments take<br />
the worry out of keeping your home ‘viewing-perfect’ day-after-day; you pick<br />
a day and time and we arrange <strong>for</strong> potential buyers to attend in a back-to-back<br />
fashion – always accompanied by one of our team. We then let you know their<br />
feedback and discuss any offers with you within 24 hours.“<br />
Amanda Trinder, Sales Manager<br />
Call us on 02920 454555 <strong>for</strong> your free home valuation.<br />
“A happy child is<br />
a motivated child”<br />
St Clare’s is a non-selective<br />
independent day school <strong>for</strong> boys<br />
and girls aged 2½ to 18 years.<br />
Established in 1938, the school<br />
stands in its own magnificent<br />
grounds, in the picturesque village<br />
of Newton, near Porthcawl. We’d love to show you around our<br />
beautiful grounds and introduce you to our excellent teaching staff.<br />
Our next Open Morning is on Friday 27th <strong>May</strong>. To book a place or<br />
<strong>for</strong> an in<strong>for</strong>mal chat, please ring Holly Fowlkes, our Marketing and<br />
Admissions Officer on 01656 789966<br />
or email holly.fowlkes@stclares-school.co.uk<br />
Like St Clare’s School, Porthcawl<br />
Follow @StClares_School<br />
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pinboard<br />
Shelley Norton Stage School, based at The Talent<br />
Shack on Penarth Road in Cardiff is full of classes to<br />
help boost confidence, build skills and make friends.<br />
Saturdays is Mini Musical Theatre <strong>for</strong> 3–4s/5–6s and Musical<br />
Theatre School <strong>for</strong> 7–11s/12–18s. Then its Youth Theatre on Sundays<br />
<strong>for</strong> 7–14s <strong>for</strong> those that don’t want to sing and dance but love drama.<br />
Acting Technique after school on Thursdays <strong>for</strong> 9–15s builds the<br />
skills needed to audition and work as an actor so perfect <strong>for</strong> anyone<br />
wanting to join our agency, Shelley Norton Management. We represent<br />
children and adults <strong>for</strong> professional work in TV, film and theatre.<br />
Our adult classes on Thursday nights have just started, perfect <strong>for</strong><br />
anyone wanting to learn new skills or brush up on old ones! 5pm<br />
Singing, 6pm Acting and 7.30pm Tap, only £7 a class. We are running<br />
week long workshops <strong>for</strong> children throughout August as well as<br />
Disney Saturdays. See <strong>web</strong>site <strong>for</strong> details. So whether you or your<br />
child want to get fit, build confidence, meet new people or just per<strong>for</strong>m<br />
because you love it The Talent Shack is the place to be!<br />
www.shelleynorton.co.uk<br />
shelley@shelleynorton.co.uk 02920 233622<br />
Summer’s calling… and here’s<br />
the perfect way to get trampo-lean!<br />
If the thought of bearing all in a bikini or showing off in your Speedos this<br />
Summer fills you with dread, then Go Air, Wales’ largest trampoline park, has the<br />
perfect way to whittle the waistline!<br />
Says Adanne Hutchinson, Fitness Team Leader at Go Air Cardiff “We run a<br />
packed weekday timetable of rebound exercise classes, so there’s a time to suit<br />
everyone. Training on trampolines is not just classic cardio – it’s also a winner<br />
<strong>for</strong> core strength, balance and co-ordination... plus it burns up to a mighty<br />
1,000 calories an hour!”<br />
But it’s not all about the grown ups! Says General Manager, Karl Burns “Getting<br />
kids active is something we are passionate about, and we are <strong>for</strong>tunate in that<br />
we can provide an environment where fun and fitness go hand in hand. Our<br />
open jumping is great way to burn off energy, but <strong>for</strong> more structured exercise,<br />
we also offer an array of activities including trampoline proficiency lessons,<br />
parkour practice and recreational dodgeball classes, all of which are suitable<br />
<strong>for</strong> age 6 upwards.<br />
Check out the latest timetables <strong>for</strong> all ages and book online at<br />
www.goairtrampolineparks.co.uk<br />
Calling all teachers...<br />
• Do you love working with children yet crave a change?<br />
• Would you like to say goodbye to the bureaucracy, the<br />
politics and the paper-work and just teach the kids?<br />
• Have you thought about becoming your own boss?<br />
Would you like to run your own<br />
Inspire Tuition Centre?<br />
At Inspire Tuition we tailor activities to each individual<br />
child. We incorporate a variety of resources: paper and pen,<br />
computer and hands on games to motivate and support our<br />
youngsters. This results in lots of wonderful ‘light-bulb’<br />
moments - we literally get children high-fiving us because<br />
they are so proud of themselves. We make a massive<br />
difference to the children who enrol.<br />
Call 029 2075 5544 or email kerry@tuitioncardiff.com<br />
to find out more.<br />
Glamorgan Cricket<br />
Kids Summer Camps<br />
Come and enjoy the fantastic Glamorgan Cricket Summer<br />
Camps at the Home of Welsh Cricket in the SSE Swalec<br />
Stadium. Five weeks of camps, running three days a week.<br />
Children from the age of six to 12 years old are welcome to<br />
come along and improve their Cricket through skills and<br />
drills, games and nets each day of the camp. All coaching<br />
is provided by ECB qualified coaches who are looking to<br />
nurture young talent in Cricket.<br />
Email Ed Smart now to avoid missing out on the fun<br />
at Glamorgan Crickets Summer Camps:<br />
ed.smart@glamorgancricket.co.uk<br />
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film guide<br />
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www.primarytimes.net/cardiff | may half term <strong>2016</strong> Primary Times 25
competitions<br />
win!<br />
WIN!<br />
A Family Ticket<br />
<strong>for</strong> The Hunting<br />
of the Snark at<br />
Sherman Theatre!<br />
Enter into the imaginative world<br />
of Lewis Carroll (author of Alice in<br />
Wonderland) in this adaptation of<br />
his beloved classic poem, The Hunting of the Snark. A musical<br />
comedy adventure featuring puppetry, lashings of silliness and an<br />
original soundtrack that will delight, excite and entertain in this<br />
new summer family production by the Sherman. Join the riotous<br />
ragtag band of bold adventurers including the Banker, the Boy, the<br />
Butcher, the Baker, Mr Bellman, the Bandersnatch, the Boojum and<br />
the knitting Beaver, as they set off on an epic quest to catch the<br />
elusive Snark.<br />
Box office: 02920 646900<br />
T&Cs: Family ticket includes up to four tickets.<br />
Available <strong>for</strong> any show across the run, subject<br />
to availability. All tickets must be booked in<br />
advance through the Sherman’s Box Office.<br />
To enter these fantastic competitions *<br />
and more please go to...<br />
www.primarytimes.net/cardiff/competitions<br />
or Facebook at Primary Times Club-Cardiff<br />
*Closing dates may vary<br />
WIN!<br />
A Family Ticket <strong>for</strong> Four<br />
to See Diwrnod Hyfryd Sali Mali<br />
at Wales Millennium Centre<br />
Friday 17 June at 10.30am<br />
Sali Mali has gone <strong>for</strong> a stroll<br />
and can’t be found anywhere.<br />
Where has she got to? This<br />
Welsh language stage play<br />
<strong>for</strong> 3 to 7 year olds and their<br />
families is based on Mary<br />
Vaughan Jones’s classic,<br />
timeless characters. With<br />
music, songs and endless fun,<br />
this new production in Cwmni Theatr Arad Goch’s unique style<br />
will take you on a special journey to Sali Mali’s world of magic<br />
and adventure.<br />
In collaboration with<br />
Gomer Press.<br />
Ticket Office: 029 2063 6464<br />
www.wmc.org.uk<br />
WIN! One of Two Family Tickets<br />
<strong>for</strong> Joust at Cardiff Castle<br />
on Saturday 18 June or Sunday 19 June<br />
A rip-roaring medieval adventure – Joust! at Cardiff Castle<br />
Grab your chance to win a family ticket (<strong>for</strong> 2 adults and 2 children)<br />
be a princess or a knight <strong>for</strong> the day within the magical setting<br />
of Cardiff Castle on 18 or 19 June at the magnificent Joust<br />
event. All the pomp and pageantry of a medieval joust complete<br />
with fanfares, parades, galloping horses, stunts, falls and fights.<br />
Throughout the day the action continues with combat displays,<br />
a dragon procession, junior jousting and juggling skills, a medieval<br />
encampment to explore and hands- on activities. Be part of<br />
the children’s parade, meet the dragon and join in an audience<br />
participation version of the Battle of Agincourt!<br />
www.cardiffcastle.com<br />
WIN!<br />
Five Free Days at<br />
Sports Xtra Summer Camp!<br />
To celebrate Sports Xtra’s partnership with Sony Pictures’ Hotel<br />
Transylvania 2, we are giving away five free days to our holiday<br />
camp programme this summer! Your child will get the chance to<br />
have great fun, make friends and take part in a range of activities –<br />
including our NEW Hotel Transylvania Xperience. We are also giving<br />
away two runner up prizes of three free days each.<br />
Camps are running every week of the summer holidays and are <strong>for</strong><br />
children aged 5-12.<br />
Sports Xtra, Cardiff Central Sport & Community Centre,<br />
Beignon Close. Cardiff, CF24 5HF<br />
Tel: 08453 716 121<br />
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what’s on where<br />
Monday 20 June<br />
Inside Out Screening<br />
& Brain Games<br />
Cardiff University, Hadyn Ellis Building,<br />
Maindy Road, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ. From<br />
10am. Free screening of Disney Pixar’s Inside<br />
Out followed by a chance to learn more<br />
about how the brain really works through<br />
interactive Brain Games. Call <strong>for</strong> info.<br />
Tel: 02920 688322<br />
mrc-insideout.eventbrite.co.uk<br />
Tuesday 21 June<br />
Toy & Train Fair<br />
Llancaiach Fawr Manor, CF46 6ER. 6.30pm–<br />
9pm. High quality new and pre-loved<br />
Hornby, Scalectrix, Airfix and other well<br />
known models and toys to buy or admire.<br />
Adults £1.50 children under 16 free.<br />
Tel: 01443 412248<br />
www.llancaiachfawr.co.uk<br />
Solstice Walk<br />
Cwmcarn Forest Visitor Centre, NP11 7FA.<br />
Celebrate the Summer Solstice with this<br />
strenuous walk up to Twmbarlwm and gaze<br />
as the sunsets across the valleys! Enjoy 360<br />
degree panorama of the countryside. Age<br />
10+. Adults £3.50; children £2.50.<br />
Tel: 01495 272001<br />
www.cwmcarn<strong>for</strong>est.co.uk<br />
Friday 24 June<br />
Carry on Screaming Screening:<br />
Phone <strong>for</strong> Film Details.<br />
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, CF5 1QE. Every<br />
Friday at 11am, Carry on Screaming allows<br />
parents or carers to see a film without<br />
having to worry about their baby causing<br />
a disturbance. Check out the calendar <strong>for</strong><br />
details of these special screenings, <strong>for</strong><br />
people with babies under one year old.<br />
Tel: 029 2030 4400<br />
www.chapter.org<br />
Late night Fridays<br />
Dyffryn Gardens, Nr St Nicholas, CF5 6SU.<br />
Open until 8pm. Normal admission charges<br />
apply, no booking required. Soak up the<br />
summer sun after work in the gardens. Take<br />
a bottle of bubbly and enjoy your picnic<br />
dinner al fresco in the gardens with musical<br />
per<strong>for</strong>mances to enhance the evening.<br />
Tel: 029 2059 3328<br />
www.nationaltrust.org<br />
Doggy Day<br />
National Botanic Garden of Wales,<br />
Llanarthne, Carmarthenshire, SA32 8HG.<br />
Take your pooch <strong>for</strong> a walk in the Garden.<br />
Tel: 01558 667146<br />
www.botanicgarden.wales<br />
Friday 24 – Sunday 26 June<br />
Extreme Sailing Series<br />
Cardiff Bay, CF10 5AN. Free event. The<br />
adrenaline fuelled Extreme Sailing Series<br />
returns to Cardiff. Watch elite level sailing<br />
teams battle it out in the Bay, including the<br />
British team, Land Rover BAR Academy.<br />
www.extremesailingseries.com<br />
Saturday 25 June<br />
Winding Engine Running<br />
Winding House, New Tredegar, NP24 6EG.<br />
See the original historic Victorian winding<br />
engine in action. Admission free. 12pm.<br />
Tel: 01443 822666<br />
www.windinghouse.co.uk<br />
Family Film:<br />
Phone <strong>for</strong> Film Details<br />
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, CF5 1QE.<br />
Tickets in advance: adults £4, children £3.<br />
On day: adults £4.50, children £3.50.<br />
Tel: 029 2030 4400<br />
www.chapter.org<br />
Saturday 25 & Sunday 26 June<br />
Colourful Chemistry<br />
Techniquest, Cardiff Bay, CF10 5BW. Explore<br />
a world of colour. How do colour changes<br />
occur in chemical reactions? What are the<br />
uses of these changes? How can chemistry<br />
provide us with colour, energy and light?<br />
Tel: 029 2047 5475<br />
www.techniquest.org<br />
Dinefwr Food Festival<br />
Dinefwr Park and Castle, SA19 6RT.<br />
10am–6pm. Normal admission charges<br />
apply, no booking required. Newton House<br />
and courtyard will fill with local produce<br />
stalls, foodie exhibitions and entertainment.<br />
Tel: 01558 824512/823902<br />
www.nationaltrust.org<br />
Sunday 26 June<br />
Miniature Railways & Tramways.<br />
Cardiff Model Engineering Society, King<br />
George V Drive East, Cardiff, CF14 4AW.<br />
Miniature train rides, steam diesel & electric<br />
plus tram rides. Model railway layouts,<br />
refreshments. Open 1–5pm. No advanced<br />
tickets are available or required.<br />
www.cardiffmes.com<br />
NGS Open Gardens<br />
Heronsbridge School, Ewenny Road,<br />
Bridgend, CF31 3HT. Admission £3, children<br />
free. Home-made teas. RHS Cardiff silver<br />
medal winners <strong>2016</strong> <strong>for</strong> the Physicians<br />
of Myddfai garden – 3 acres of gardens<br />
with different areas – a grass maze, bee<br />
garden, kitchen garden, herb garden,<br />
heritage orchard, <strong>for</strong>mal rose garden, and<br />
new <strong>for</strong> this year an inter school scarecrow<br />
competition! Everywhere is child and<br />
wheelchair friendly as almost all the gardens<br />
are purpose built <strong>for</strong> the disabled. Plenty<br />
of play spaces <strong>for</strong> children. Free gardening<br />
advice. Home grown plants <strong>for</strong> sale.<br />
Playground with swings. Beehives, chickens,<br />
wild areas, willow tunnel to play in.<br />
Tel: 01446 710423<br />
broadclose1@btinternet.com<br />
www.ngs.org.uk<br />
Wildflower Day<br />
National Botanic Garden of Wales,<br />
Llanarthne, Carmarthenshire, SA32 8HG.<br />
Discover and enjoy the wildflower-rich hay<br />
meadows, pastures, lawns and displays<br />
with the help of plant, bee and butterfly<br />
enthusiasts, artists and craft makers. Expert<br />
walk and talks.<br />
Tel: 01558 667146<br />
www.botanicgarden.wales<br />
Seaside Rangers Kids Club<br />
Ogmore-by-Sea Beach, CF32 0PD. 10.30am–<br />
12.30pm. Marine Wildlife club <strong>for</strong> children<br />
(and their grown ups!) Meet in Rivermouth<br />
car park. £5 (on the day).<br />
www.seasiderangers.wix.com/joinus<br />
Babies Remembrance Service<br />
Wenallt Chapel, Thornhill Crematorium,<br />
CF14 9UA. 11.30am–1pm. Memorial service<br />
supported by Sands allows those who have<br />
lost a baby to come together to remember<br />
them. After the service there will be an<br />
opportunity to place a memory pebble in<br />
the Memory Bowl within the Ilex Garden.<br />
Refreshments to follow. Meet at the Wenallt<br />
Chapel, Thornhill Crematorium.<br />
Tel: 029 2233 0235<br />
www.cardiff.gov.uk/parks<br />
Friday 1 July<br />
Carry on Screaming Screening:<br />
Phone <strong>for</strong> Film Details<br />
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, CF5 1QE.<br />
Every Friday at 11am, Carry on Screaming<br />
allows parents or carers to see a film<br />
without worrying about their baby causing<br />
a disturbance. Check out the calendar <strong>for</strong><br />
details of these screenings, exclusively <strong>for</strong><br />
people with babies under one year old.<br />
Tel: 029 2030 4400<br />
www.chapter.org<br />
Late night Fridays<br />
Dyffryn Gardens, Nr St Nicholas, CF5 6SU.<br />
Open until 8pm. Normal admission charges<br />
apply, no booking required. Enjoy staying<br />
late at Dyffryn, soak up the sun after work<br />
in the gardens. Take a picnic and enjoy your<br />
dinner al fresco in the gardens with musical<br />
per<strong>for</strong>mances to enhance the evening.<br />
Tel: 029 2059 3328<br />
www.nationaltrust.org<br />
Friday 1 – Sunday 3 July<br />
Beyond the Border<br />
Storytelling Festival<br />
St Donats Castle, Nr Llantwit Major,<br />
CF61 1WF. A feast of storytelling, poetry,<br />
music, singing, theatre, circus, puppets and<br />
films <strong>for</strong> all ages, and much much more!<br />
World food stalls; craft market; workshops<br />
<strong>for</strong> all ages; food stalls; Kidzone – dedicated<br />
area <strong>for</strong> per<strong>for</strong>mances and activities <strong>for</strong><br />
young people and their families and lots<br />
more. Tickets: Weekend tickets: Adult £120;<br />
children £60; family £285. Children under<br />
5 free. Day tickets: Adult £40; children<br />
£20; Family £70. Evening only tickets also<br />
available. Go online <strong>for</strong> more details on the<br />
programme and how to book.<br />
www.beyondtheborder.com<br />
Tel: 0800 411 8881<br />
Saturday 2 July<br />
Dewch i Ganu – Come to Sing!<br />
National Waterfront Museum, Swansea,<br />
SA1 3RD. 11am. Join musician Delyth Jenkins<br />
and learn Welsh through song in a fun and<br />
in<strong>for</strong>mal way – includes a free cup of tea.<br />
Free – Families.<br />
Tel: 029 2057 3600<br />
www.museumwales.ac.uk<br />
Meadows Family Workshop<br />
National Museum Cardiff CF10 3NP.<br />
Celebrate National Meadows Day with the<br />
Museum’s Botany section <strong>for</strong> this plantthemed<br />
workshop. Make your way around<br />
our flower-laden tables and learn how to put<br />
a name to each plant. Plus meadow plant<br />
colouring activities <strong>for</strong> budding artists. Free.<br />
Tel: 0300 111 2333<br />
www.museumwales.ac.uk<br />
Nant Fawr Fun Day<br />
Nant Fawr, Llanishen, Cardiff, CF14 0SE.<br />
11am–3pm. Get close with the creatures<br />
that live within the Nant Fawr stream<br />
and meadows, using microscopes and<br />
magnifying glasses. There will also be<br />
wildlife trails and other fun activities.<br />
Please take a picnic. All Children must be<br />
accompanied by an adult. Meet at Llanishen<br />
Reservoir Car Park off of Rhydypenau Road.<br />
Free. Wheelchair access.<br />
Tel: 029 2233 0235<br />
www.cardiff.gov.uk/parks<br />
Family Film:<br />
Phone <strong>for</strong> Film Details<br />
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, CF5 1QE.<br />
Tickets in advance: adults £4, children £3.<br />
On day: adults £4.50, children £3.50.<br />
Tel: 029 2030 4400<br />
www.chapter.org<br />
Saturday 2 – Sunday 3 July<br />
Hijinx Unity Festival:<br />
The weekend on The Hayes<br />
The Hayes, Cardiff City Centre, CF10 1BH.<br />
11am onwards. Hijinx Unity Festival<br />
presents a weekend of dazzling dance,<br />
sky-high circus, puppetry and theatre all<br />
<strong>for</strong> FREE in Cardiff City Centre. There will<br />
be per<strong>for</strong>mances taking place all over the<br />
Hayes and be sure not to miss the picnic area<br />
outside the front of Tabernacl with activities<br />
<strong>for</strong> children.<br />
www.hijinx.org.uk<br />
Blackwood Beach Party<br />
Blackwood High Street, NP12 1AF.<br />
See the High Street trans<strong>for</strong>med into<br />
a Beach Party with a twist! Saturday<br />
9am–5pm; Sunday 10am–4pm.<br />
Tel: 029 2088 0011<br />
www.caerphilly.gov.uk/events<br />
Harp Weekend<br />
National Botanic Garden of Wales,<br />
Llanarthne, Carmarthenshire, SA32 8HG.<br />
Harps <strong>for</strong> all ages, all weekend. There will be<br />
a chance <strong>for</strong> people of all ages to have a go at<br />
playing the harp, as well as demonstrations,<br />
lectures and plenty of listening pleasure.<br />
Tel: 01558 667146<br />
www.botanicgarden.wales<br />
Colourful Chemistry<br />
Techniquest, Cardiff Bay, CF10 5BW.<br />
Weekends and Bank Holidays: Explore a<br />
world of colour at Techniquest. How do<br />
colour changes occur in chemical reactions?<br />
What are the uses of these colour changes?<br />
How can chemistry provide us with colour,<br />
energy and light?<br />
Tel: 029 2047 5475<br />
www.techniquest.org<br />
Sunday 3 July<br />
Gilbern Rally<br />
National Waterfront Museum, Swansea,<br />
SA1 3RD. 11am–4pm The largest gathering<br />
of Gilbern cars – the only cars ever to be<br />
designed and built in Wales. Free – Families.<br />
Tel: 029 2057 3600<br />
www.museumwales.ac.uk<br />
Caerphilly Motoring Festival<br />
Llancaiach Fawr Manor, CF46 6ER.<br />
10am–4pm. Classic and vintage vehicles,<br />
stall and crafts. Adults £2; children £1.<br />
Tel: 01443 412248<br />
www.llancaiachfawr.co.uk<br />
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top tips<br />
Top Tips<br />
Jousting at Cardiff Castle<br />
A rip-roaring medieval adventure!<br />
A fabulous adventure awaits on the weekend of 18–19 June at the Joust! at Cardiff<br />
Castle as the sensational Knights of Royal England return <strong>for</strong> a breath-taking display<br />
of the noble art of jousting. All the pomp and pageantry of a medieval joust complete<br />
with fanfares, parades, galloping horses, stunts, falls and fights. Throughout the day<br />
the action continues with combat displays, a dragon procession, junior jousting and<br />
juggling skills, a medieval encampment to explore and hands-on activities. Your chance<br />
too to come in costume as a princess or a knight, be part of the children’s parade, meet<br />
the dragon and join in an audience participation version of the Battle of Agincourt! All<br />
within the magical setting of Cardiff Castle.<br />
Children under 5 go free. Early bird £££s saving ticket offer available until Mon 13 June.<br />
Book online www.cardiffcastle.com or call 02920 878100<br />
Noah’s Ark<br />
If you go down to Noah’s Ark this season, you’re in <strong>for</strong> a big surprise... We’re bear-ly<br />
able to contain our excitement as we enjoy the recent arrival of Spectacled Bears!<br />
Come and visit our Andean Adventure, the largest habitat <strong>for</strong> these bears in the UK,<br />
an impressive 2 acre landscaped playground <strong>for</strong> Tupa and Sonco our bear brothers.<br />
Bears join host of impressive animals including our African elephants, white rhinos,<br />
giraffe family, big cats and primates – plan your perfect family day out in the South<br />
West today – fun all day in all weather! We look <strong>for</strong>ward to welcoming you!<br />
www.noahsarkzoofarm.co.uk<br />
Cardiff International Pool<br />
More than just a pool!<br />
We at Parkwood Leisure and Parkwood Outdoors at Cardiff International Pool cater<br />
<strong>for</strong> everyone. Whether you want to bring your family and use our fantastic fun pool or<br />
if you want to relax in our spa or the great outdoors, we have it. During school holidays<br />
we offer fun days out <strong>for</strong> the kids at Cardiff International Pool to take part in swimming,<br />
ice skating and fun and games; or go further afield to our outdoor sites in Dolygaer and<br />
Roath Park Lake <strong>for</strong> the more adventurous activities. We also have our Expressions gym<br />
and group exercise classes <strong>for</strong> everyone who wants to improve their fitness. Come and<br />
see us at Cardiff International Pool.<br />
www.leisurecentre.com<br />
02920 729090<br />
A Summer Filled with Science!<br />
There’s a whole world of Science discovery waiting to be explored at Mad Science<br />
Summer Camp! Take the stress out of planning your summer activities by<br />
booking your child’s place on one of our many courses. With great venue locations<br />
available Allensbank, Llandaff, Creigiau and Newport – our camps have never<br />
been so accessible!<br />
Each day at camp will provide a totally immersive experience <strong>for</strong> children aged<br />
5–11 to get stuck in with our unique, interactive experiments. Our exciting<br />
programme introduces different topics and themes daily so that no two days<br />
are the same. For working parents, we also offer an Extended Wraparound Care<br />
option at all of our camp locations, allowing <strong>for</strong> early drop off and late pick ups <strong>for</strong><br />
a small additional fee.<br />
Mad Science Summer Camps are guaranteed to excite and engage your little ones,<br />
they have so much fun they <strong>for</strong>get their learning! They’ll build catapults and mind<br />
boggling geo-domes, cast dinosaur teeth and dig <strong>for</strong> ancient bones. We give them<br />
full access to our crazy chemistry lab as they create reactive concoctions and ooey<br />
gooey slime with our certified Mad Scientists. They’re sure to have a blast! Inspire<br />
them with Science this Summer at Mad Science Summer Camp!<br />
www.madsciencesouthwales.co.uk<br />
01792 348205<br />
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Primary Times may half term <strong>2016</strong> | www.primarytimes.net/cardiff
Love Your Clothes<br />
by Knowing Your<br />
Care Labels<br />
#InsideOut<br />
Discovering your clothes have shrunk in the wash<br />
is something we can all relate to. According to<br />
the Love Your Clothes campaign, 31% of us are<br />
no longer wearing clothes from our wardrobes<br />
because we’ve washed, dried or ironed them<br />
incorrectly. In fact, 39 million items of clothes<br />
have not been worn in the past year because<br />
we’ve not followed the care label.<br />
Only 9% of UK adults can identify more than half of the 25 common care symbols that regularly appear on the labels<br />
in our clothes. To help people get to know their labels, Love Your Clothes has teamed up with leading fabric care brand<br />
Ariel. Test what you know by visiting www.loveyourclothes.org.uk/care-labels and taking their quick three minute<br />
challenge. You can also download a FREE arty care labels guide poster to frame and hang in your laundry room.<br />
While the symbols on care labels might look like secret coding, they’re actually the key to making our clothes last<br />
longer. Following them prevents clothes from being thrown away and potentially heading to landfill. Love Your Clothes<br />
encourages us all to change the way we buy, care <strong>for</strong> and dispose of our clothing to help reduce the impact of clothing on<br />
the environment.<br />
Visit www.loveyourclothes.org.uk <strong>for</strong> tips and advice on how to get the best out of your clothes.<br />
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang<br />
The most Fantasmagorical musical ever lands at Wales Millennium<br />
Centre this summer, starring Lee Mead (Casualty, Joseph and The Amazing<br />
Technicolour Dreamcoat) as Caractacus Potts, Claire Sweeney (Tell Me on a<br />
Sunday, Hairspray) as Baroness Bomburst, Shaun Williamson (EastEnders,<br />
Extras) as Lord Scrumptious/Baron Bomburst and with Carrie Hope Fletcher<br />
(Les Miserables) as Truly Scrumptious.<br />
One of the world’s favourite musicals, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang will<br />
have audiences of all ages flying high with its mixture of madness, intrigue<br />
and exuberance. Can the loveable but whacky inventor, Potts, along<br />
with his two children and the gorgeous Truly Scrumptious outwit the<br />
bombastic Baron Bomburst? What happens when the children are caught<br />
and imprisoned by the evil Childcatcher? Will it all end happily-ever-after?<br />
Well, of course it will!<br />
This fun-filled production promises favourite songs including Chitty Chitty Bang<br />
Bang and Hushabye Mountain, magic galore and of course, Chitty herself!<br />
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang runs from 3–21 August at Wales Millennium<br />
Centre in Cardiff. Tickets are available from wmc.org.uk or by calling the<br />
Centre’s Ticket Office on 02920 636464<br />
Beyond the Border<br />
Wales International Storytelling<br />
Festival <strong>2016</strong><br />
Beyond the Border is a wonderful and vibrant<br />
three-day festival of stories and music from Wales<br />
and across the world. Our home is the stunning<br />
medieval castle of St Donats, overlooking the<br />
beautiful Glamorganshire coast.<br />
Themes <strong>for</strong> <strong>2016</strong> include: epic storytelling from<br />
India, blacksmith stories from around the world,<br />
Celtic myth from Wales and Ireland. Plus tales of<br />
trans<strong>for</strong>mation <strong>for</strong> adults, fairy tales <strong>for</strong> children,<br />
wonder tales <strong>for</strong> all...<br />
Our <strong>2016</strong> festival will offer more stories, more<br />
experiences and more fun than ever be<strong>for</strong>e, whilst<br />
maintaining its famously chilled and joyous<br />
atmosphere. Join us <strong>for</strong> a feast of storytelling,<br />
poetry, music, singing, theatre, circus, puppets<br />
and films <strong>for</strong> all ages, and much much more<br />
including:<br />
World Food Stalls, Real Ale Bar, Bigger Craft<br />
market, Workshops <strong>for</strong> all ages, Street Theatre,<br />
Story Walks, Open Mic Stages, Kidzone –<br />
dedicated area <strong>for</strong> per<strong>for</strong>mances and activities <strong>for</strong><br />
young people and their families, Glamping site,<br />
Full-time festival shuttle around the site.<br />
“Three days immersed in tales, so many<br />
of which... offered a real education.”<br />
The Times<br />
For tickets and more details of the programme,<br />
plus in<strong>for</strong>mation on access, travel and<br />
accommodation please visit<br />
www.beyondtheborder.com/festival<br />
top tips<br />
Family Foodie Favourite Returns to Cowbridge<br />
Cowbridge Food and Drink Festival, which has become a firm family favourite on the region’s<br />
foodie calendar, returns to the Vale of Glamorgan market town <strong>for</strong> the twelfth year this <strong>May</strong>. The<br />
delicious event is gearing up <strong>for</strong> another fantastic year and will be held over the Bank Holiday<br />
weekend from <strong>May</strong> 29th to <strong>May</strong> 30th, 9.30am to 5pm.<br />
Since it was founded in 2004, Cowbridge Food and Drink Festival has gone from strength to strength;<br />
from a one day event with 40 exhibitors and 4,000 visitors in October to a whole weekend with 80<br />
exhibitors and more than 15,000 visitors over the Whitsun weekend. This year will be no exception as<br />
food lovers and families alike will experience a new, more open festival with a mixture of marquees<br />
and traditional stalls. And there is also the addition of The Fringe site at Old Hall Gardens where there<br />
will be the new Skills Marquee with sessions including samosa folding!<br />
Younger visitors – who get in <strong>for</strong> free with a wristband – will enjoy the sweet supplies at the festival<br />
including Cowpots ice cream and the Flapjack Fairy. All this while being kept entertained with plenty<br />
of child-friendly activities including crafts, birds of prey and lots of food-themed fun and great local<br />
musicians adding to the festival atmosphere.<br />
Discounted pre-booked tickets are available to order on the <strong>web</strong>site.<br />
On the day, tickets are £5 per day or £8 <strong>for</strong> the weekend.<br />
www.cowbridgefoodanddrink.org<br />
www.primarytimes.net/cardiff | may half term <strong>2016</strong> Primary Times 31
ox office<br />
Cardiff Castle<br />
Open Air Theatre<br />
CF10 3RB<br />
Tel: 029 2087 8100<br />
www.cardiffcastle.com<br />
20 & 21 July<br />
Open Air Theatre:<br />
Much Ado<br />
About Nothing<br />
Join The Lord Chamberlain’s Men <strong>for</strong><br />
Shakespeare’s sparkling, battle-of-thesexes<br />
comedy. Take a chair and a picnic<br />
and enjoy watching this funny, moving<br />
and fast-paced production per<strong>for</strong>med<br />
in the open air, by an all-male cast with<br />
Elizabethan costume, music and dance.<br />
Early Bird Tickets: (must be booked by<br />
Friday 15 July) adults: £13; children £9.<br />
After 15 July: adults: £16; children £11.<br />
Per<strong>for</strong>mance: Gates open at 6.30pm.<br />
office<br />
Your family theatre guide...<br />
Everyman<br />
Open Air Theatre<br />
Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, CF11 9HW<br />
Box Office: 0333 666 3366<br />
www.everyymanfestival.co.uk<br />
23 June – 2 July<br />
Into the Woods,<br />
Stephen Sondheim<br />
A Baker and his wife dream of a child, a girl<br />
in a red cape captivates a tall, furry, stranger,<br />
a young lad climbs a beanstalk and a girl<br />
with golden slippers runs from a Prince.<br />
Each has a different path to take but are they<br />
certain it’s the right direction? As we journey<br />
with them we share their realisation that<br />
living ‘happily ever after’ is not without its<br />
trials and tragedies.<br />
Tickets: £13–£17. Under 18s £2 reduction –<br />
evenings only.<br />
Per<strong>for</strong>mance: Evening 8pm.<br />
Matinées Saturdays 3pm.<br />
7–16 July<br />
’Allo ’Allo!<br />
Listen very carefully, we shall say this only<br />
once... René’s Café has gone alfresco! Stolen<br />
paintings, hidden airmen and suspicious<br />
sausages are all on the menu and everything<br />
is served with plenty of sauce! It’s business<br />
as usual <strong>for</strong> René Artois as he tries to satisfy<br />
the demands of the German Army, the<br />
French Resistance, his wife and both his<br />
waitresses! Tickets: £13–£17.<br />
Under 18s £2 reduction – evenings only.<br />
Per<strong>for</strong>mance: Evening 8pm. Matinees<br />
Saturdays 3pm.<br />
21–30 July<br />
Romeo & Juliet<br />
In modern Verona, violence erupts between<br />
the Montagues and Capulets with tragic<br />
consequences. Swept away in their first<br />
love, teenagers Romeo and Juliet irresistibly<br />
drawn to each other, fall in love and marry<br />
in secret as their families’ long standing<br />
feud comes to a head. Defying the hatred<br />
and violence surrounding them, they dare to<br />
believe they can, and must, be together.<br />
Tickets: £13–£17.<br />
Under 18s £2 reduction – evenings only.<br />
Per<strong>for</strong>mance: Evening 8pm.<br />
Matinées Saturdays 3pm.<br />
23–30 July<br />
Disney’s Peter Pan Jr,<br />
JM Barrie<br />
Wendy Darling loves to tell bedtime stories<br />
to her brothers Michael and John. But<br />
one night, Peter Pan appears and whisks<br />
them away to Neverland to do battle with<br />
the infamous pirate, Captain Hook! Filled<br />
with adventure, music and a beloved hero,<br />
Disney’s Peter Pan Jr. is a magical story <strong>for</strong><br />
all the family.<br />
Tickets: £13–£17.<br />
Under 18s £2 reduction – evenings only.<br />
Per<strong>for</strong>mance: Evening 8pm.<br />
Matinées Saturdays 3pm.<br />
Grand Pavilion<br />
Porthcawl, CF36 3YW<br />
Box Office: 01656 815995<br />
www.grandpavilion.co.uk<br />
5 June<br />
Tom Thumb<br />
DNA Puppetry & Visual Theatre. The<br />
makers of ‘Chicken Licken’ bring the story<br />
of the tiny hero Tom Thumb to life in an<br />
exciting adventure. Follow Tom’s magical<br />
journey from the wizard Merlin and the<br />
Fairy Queen to his quest from King Arthur<br />
to defeat a fearsome dragon! Suitable<br />
<strong>for</strong> children aged 4–9 and their families.<br />
Duration: 50 minutes;<br />
Tickets: £7.50<br />
Per<strong>for</strong>mance: 2pm.<br />
New Theatre<br />
Cardiff, CF10 3LN<br />
Box Office: 029 2087 8889<br />
www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk<br />
1–5 June<br />
Orbit Theatre: Cinderella<br />
Cardiff’s amateur company Orbit Theatre.<br />
Cinderella, with wicked stepmother and two<br />
jealous stepsisters who keep her enslaved<br />
and in rags, stands no change of attending<br />
the royal ball. When her fairy godmother<br />
32<br />
Primary Times may half term <strong>2016</strong> | www.primarytimes.net/cardiff
appears and magically trans<strong>for</strong>ms her reality<br />
into a dream come true, Cinderella enchants<br />
Prince Charming at the ball, but must face<br />
the wrath of her stepmother and stepsisters<br />
when the spell wears off at midnight.<br />
Sing along with modern day hits Happy<br />
Working Song, That’s How you Know and a<br />
host of traditional favourites in this unique<br />
telling of the magical fairytale, guaranteed<br />
to break even the hardest of hearts.<br />
Cinderella is an enchanting musical that all<br />
the family will love.<br />
Tickets: £10–£22.<br />
Per<strong>for</strong>mance: Wednesday–Saturday<br />
Evenings 7pm; Wednesday, Thursday &<br />
Saturday Matinées 2.30pm; Sunday 2pm.<br />
22–24 July<br />
The Gruffalo’s Child<br />
One wild and windy night the Gruffalo’s<br />
child ignores her father’s warning and<br />
tiptoes out into the snow. After all, the<br />
Big Bad Mouse doesn’t really exist... does<br />
he? All adults must be accompanied by a<br />
responsible child! Recommended <strong>for</strong> ages<br />
3+. Running time (approx): 55min.<br />
Tickets: £8.50–£12.50.<br />
Per<strong>for</strong>mance: Friday 2pm & 4.30pm;<br />
Saturday & Sunday 11am & 2pm.<br />
Sherman Theatre Cymru<br />
CF24 4YE<br />
Box Office: 029 2064 6900<br />
www.shermancymru.co.uk<br />
19–30 July<br />
The Hunting of the Snark<br />
Enter into the imaginative world of Lewis<br />
Carroll (author of Alice in Wonderland)<br />
in this adaptation of his beloved classic<br />
poem, The Hunting of the Snark. A musical<br />
comedy adventure featuring puppetry,<br />
lashings of silliness and an original<br />
soundtrack. Join the riotous ragtag band of<br />
bold adventurers including the Banker, the<br />
Boy, the Butcher, the Baker, Mr Bellman,<br />
the Bandersnatch, the Boojum and the<br />
knitting Beaver, as they set off on an epic<br />
quest to catch the elusive Snark.<br />
Tickets: From £9.<br />
Per<strong>for</strong>mance: Times vary.<br />
St David’s Hall Cardiff<br />
CF10 1AH<br />
Box Office: 029 2087 8444<br />
www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk<br />
16–23 July<br />
Bert’s Magical Musical Kitchen<br />
Bert is having a party <strong>for</strong> his friend Daphne’s<br />
birthday. There’s lots to do; he has to make<br />
some food, invite the guests and plan party<br />
games. Luckily Cherry is there to help and his<br />
musician friends will bring their music. What<br />
could go wrong!<br />
Bert’s Magical Musical Kitchen is an<br />
accessible, interactive concert <strong>for</strong> the under<br />
5s. An opportunity <strong>for</strong> children and the<br />
adults with them to enjoy live music. The<br />
per<strong>for</strong>mance is not only lots of fun but is<br />
also educational, teaches listening skills,<br />
music, problem solving and team working,<br />
in addition to introducing orchestral<br />
instruments to early year’s children.<br />
See Bert make a cake live on stage and<br />
whilst the butter, sugar, eggs & flour are<br />
mixed to make a delicious cake the musical<br />
ingredients combine to <strong>for</strong>m a beautiful<br />
and inventive score. Whilst waiting <strong>for</strong> the<br />
cake to bake Bert and his friend Cherry sing<br />
silly songs, make magic, music and mayhem<br />
and get ready <strong>for</strong> a special birthday party<br />
with the <strong>May</strong>or. An opportunity <strong>for</strong> young<br />
children to experience music interactively,<br />
with professional musicians in a creative<br />
and fun environment.<br />
Tickets: £7.50. Adults and Children must<br />
have ticket (under 1 years go free).<br />
Per<strong>for</strong>mance: 10.30am.<br />
The Coliseum<br />
Aberdare, CF44 8NG<br />
Box Office: 08000 147 111<br />
www.rct-arts.co.uk<br />
31 <strong>May</strong><br />
The King of the Sky<br />
Written by Nicola Davies and produced by<br />
Pontardawe Arts Centre. A magical tale<br />
with music <strong>for</strong> anyone aged 6+. A story of<br />
displacement and belonging.<br />
Tickets: £8. Family (4) £25.<br />
Per<strong>for</strong>mance: 2pm.<br />
The Park & Dare Theatre<br />
Station Road, Treorchy, CF42 6NL<br />
Tel: 01443 775654 or 08000 147 111<br />
http://parkdare.rct-arts.org/en/<br />
2 June<br />
Pongo’s Party<br />
Featuring the voice of children’s TV favourite<br />
Justin Fletcher as Pongo the Pig! Today is<br />
the day that Pongo the Pig has been waiting<br />
<strong>for</strong> - that’s right, it’s his birthday! He’s been<br />
dropping hints to his friends all year, so is<br />
looking <strong>for</strong>ward to a fantastic party... but<br />
the trouble is, nobody seems to remember!<br />
Molly-Moo the Cow is making a mess<br />
baking, Sheena the Sheep is rehearsing with<br />
her band, and Marty MacDonald is in the<br />
middle of decorating - whatever can they be<br />
up to? And as if that wasn’t bad enough, it<br />
looks as though someone is taking Pongo’s<br />
birthday presents too – whoever can it be?<br />
Go dressed in your best party clothes and<br />
help make Pongo’s Party a day to remember,<br />
by joining in a show full of fun, songs and<br />
laughter – join a huge children’s band and<br />
take part in the town’s biggest ever game of<br />
pass the parcel! With a colourful farmyard<br />
and host of loveable puppet characters,<br />
Pongo’s Party is a family show particularly<br />
suitable <strong>for</strong> 2–7 year olds, from the team<br />
who brought you the hit show Marty<br />
MacDonald’s Farm! Makaton signing used<br />
with singing so everyone can join in!<br />
www.makaton.org<br />
Tickets: £10. Family (4) £35.<br />
Per<strong>for</strong>mance: 2pm.<br />
2 July<br />
Tutti Frutti present Wild!<br />
For every misunderstood child, their<br />
teachers and families. Writers Guild award<br />
winning writer Evan Placey has teamed up<br />
with tutti frutti and CANDAL at Nottingham<br />
University to create a fantastic new play<br />
with one actor and one live musician that<br />
unravels the story of a wayward, fragile and<br />
misunderstood boy who lives on his wits and<br />
untamed imagination.<br />
Funded by the Wellcome Trust this<br />
remarkable new play is in<strong>for</strong>med by<br />
intensive research into the condition of<br />
ADHD in children. Ideal <strong>for</strong> ages 8+.<br />
Tickets: £8. Family ticket £25.<br />
Per<strong>for</strong>mance: 2pm.<br />
Wales Millennium<br />
Centre<br />
Cardiff Bay, CF10 5AL<br />
Box Office: 029 2063 6464<br />
www.wmc.org.uk<br />
4–12 June<br />
The Last Mermaid<br />
Set to be a hit with adults and children alike,<br />
this exclusive commission <strong>for</strong> Festival of<br />
Voice celebrates movement, music, light<br />
and, of course, the voice.<br />
Age Guidance: 8+ (no under 2s).<br />
Tickets: £9–£20<br />
Per<strong>for</strong>mance: Times vary.<br />
17 & 18 June<br />
Diwrnod Hyfryd<br />
Sali Mali<br />
Welsh language stage play <strong>for</strong> 3–7<br />
year olds and their families based on<br />
Mary Vaughan Jones’s classic, timeless<br />
characters. Please note there are no English<br />
subtitles. With music, songs and endless<br />
fun, this new production in Cwmni Theatr<br />
Arad Goch’s unique style will take you on a<br />
special journey to Sali Mali’s world of magic<br />
and adventure.<br />
Tickets: £7.<br />
Per<strong>for</strong>mance: Times vary.<br />
14 June – 16 July<br />
Billy Elliot<br />
Donald Gordon Theatre. Features a<br />
timeless score by Elton John, sensational<br />
dance and a powerful story that has<br />
captivated millions around the world, Billy<br />
Elliot the Musical is a funny, uplifting and<br />
spectacular theatrical experience. Age<br />
guidance: 8+ (No admission to under 2s).<br />
Contains strong language.<br />
Call Ticket Office <strong>for</strong> more in<strong>for</strong>mation.<br />
Tickets: Mon–Thurs Matinée<br />
£18.50–£52.50;<br />
Thurs Eve – Saturday<br />
£22.50–£55.50.<br />
Per<strong>for</strong>mance: Times vary.<br />
3–21 August<br />
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang<br />
The most Fantasmagorical musical ever<br />
lands at Wales Millennium Centre this<br />
summer, starring Lee Mead (Casualty,<br />
Joseph and The Amazing Technicolour<br />
Dreamcoat) as Caractacus Potts, Claire<br />
Sweeney (Tell Me on A Sunday, Hairspray)<br />
as Baroness Bomburst, Shaun Williamson<br />
(EastEnders, Extras) as Lord Scrumptious/<br />
Baron Bomburst and with Carrie Hope<br />
Fletcher (Les Miserables) as Truly<br />
Scrumptious.<br />
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang will have<br />
audiences of all ages flying high with<br />
its mixture of madness, intrigue and<br />
exuberance. Can the loveable but whacky<br />
inventor, Potts, along with his two children<br />
and the gorgeous Truly Scrumptious outwit<br />
the bombastic Baron Bomburst? What<br />
happens when the children are caught and<br />
imprisoned by the evil Childcatcher? Will it<br />
all end happily-ever-after? Well, of course<br />
it will! This fun-filled production promises<br />
favourite songs including Chitty Chitty Bang<br />
Bang and Hushabye Mountain, magic galore<br />
and of course, Chitty herself!<br />
Age guidance: 5+ (No under 2s)<br />
Tickets: £16.50–£43.50;<br />
Premium Seats £49.50–£53.50.<br />
Per<strong>for</strong>mance: Times vary.<br />
box office<br />
www.primarytimes.net/cardiff | may half term <strong>2016</strong> Primary Times 33
there’s a<br />
louse loose<br />
about the<br />
house!<br />
Iwill never, ever, <strong>for</strong>get the toe-curling<br />
embarrassment when my small son<br />
announced, loudly, to the hairdresser,<br />
“The last time I came here I couldn’t get my<br />
hair cut because there were eggs in it”. Eggs,<br />
better known as nits. The hairdresser was<br />
extremely reassuring and said that she was<br />
no stranger to nit-infested heads and I had no<br />
reason to be ashamed. But I was.<br />
I never had nits when I was a child and<br />
don’t really remember anyone else having<br />
them. In those days there was still a huge<br />
stigma attached to head lice. They were<br />
something that afflicted dirty people – lousy<br />
people. Since then head lice infestations have<br />
increased significantly and everyone and<br />
their mother says that head lice love clean<br />
heads. In reality, head lice do not care if your<br />
head is clean or dirty – head lice like heads.<br />
All that matters to the average head louse is a<br />
good blood supply as they are essentially tiny<br />
insect vampires who live by drinking blood.<br />
Head lice are small wingless creatures –<br />
there<strong>for</strong>e they don’t fly from head to head.<br />
Nor do they jump, they walk. Females lay<br />
3 to 4 eggs daily and these are attached<br />
(glued on, if you like) to the hair at the base<br />
of the shaft. The word ‘nit’ officially refers<br />
to the empty egg, but generally these days<br />
most of us refer to lice or any sort of lice<br />
infestation as ‘nits.’<br />
Children aged 4 to 14 are the most<br />
frequently infected group. My son went<br />
to pre-school and despite several notices<br />
about ‘nits’ he never picked them up. But,<br />
in his Reception Year at Primary school,<br />
he more than made up <strong>for</strong> it. For the first<br />
term I was engaged in a permanent state of<br />
warfare against head lice. Nits, while they<br />
may be uncom<strong>for</strong>table, and more than a<br />
bit disgusting, are not dangerous. They are,<br />
however, highly contagious. If a child gets<br />
infected the chances are extremely high<br />
that everyone who they have close contact<br />
with will succumb too. Everyone will need to<br />
be treated.<br />
Treatment can be problematic, because<br />
like any good parasite, lice are survivors.<br />
It’s no wonder British people spend<br />
approximately £30 million per annum on<br />
lice treatments. The problem with lice is that<br />
no matter how assiduously you treat them<br />
with chemicals your ef<strong>for</strong>ts will end in failure<br />
unless you remove every single last egg.<br />
Many products claim that they kill<br />
eggs as well as live lice. They may do, but,<br />
head lice rapidly develop immunity to<br />
various chemicals. The best way to find an<br />
effective product is to ask other parents and<br />
teachers. The only sure way to rid yourself<br />
of a nit infestation is to take a two-pronged<br />
approach. Use the louse-killing products on<br />
everybody in the home at the same time.<br />
Then nit-comb.<br />
There are plenty of different nit-combs<br />
available to buy at various prices – again,<br />
ask <strong>for</strong> recommendations. If your nit-comb<br />
isn’t up to the job you are wasting your<br />
time. Be<strong>for</strong>e combing through your child’s<br />
hair liberally apply conditioner to your<br />
child’s head and work through until the<br />
hair is coated. The conditioner has several<br />
purposes – it makes it easier to manage the<br />
hair and divide it into sections. If you’ve used<br />
a chemical product on your child to kill the<br />
lice, it will help recondition hair. Conditioner<br />
eases the path of the tight nit comb through<br />
the hair, making the process easier and less<br />
painful <strong>for</strong> both you and your child.<br />
Finally, and in my opinion, the best part,<br />
the nits show up better against the white<br />
gloop. When nit combing it’s important to<br />
start at the base of the shaft, as close to the<br />
skull as you can, because this is where the<br />
eggs are laid. I quite enjoyed nit combing as<br />
I got a great sense of satisfaction watching<br />
the black specks pile up on the paper towels<br />
I had <strong>for</strong> wiping the comb between use. But<br />
then again, I had one small male child with<br />
short hair. I don’t know how soothing I’d have<br />
found the exercise if I’d had more than one<br />
child with medium to long hair.<br />
If you have school aged children the<br />
best way to stay on top of lice infestations<br />
is to keep vigilant. Most kids with lice will<br />
scratch. (Most people only have to hear the<br />
word ‘lice’ and they begin to itch. I bet you<br />
are itchy right now.) However, not everyone<br />
who has lice will feel itchy, so it’s a good idea<br />
to regularly check your child’s head <strong>for</strong> those<br />
tell-tale black dots. Especially be<strong>for</strong>e a trip to<br />
the hairdresser!<br />
treat yourself<br />
When we went through our ‘nit<br />
term’ I had to treat my own hair<br />
as frequently as I did my son’s.<br />
This was a problem <strong>for</strong> me as I<br />
have dyed hair and despite all<br />
the reassurances on the pack I<br />
was sure the treatment wasn’t<br />
doing my ‘do’ many favours.<br />
Then I came across a nonchemical<br />
treatment – olive oil!<br />
Cover the scalp and hair with<br />
olive oil. Massage to ensure<br />
every hair is covered. Place<br />
under a shower cap and leave it<br />
in overnight. The theory is that<br />
the oil smothers any lice who<br />
are using your head as a home.<br />
This worked <strong>for</strong> me, but be<br />
warned. You can’t go anywhere<br />
in a hurry the next day as it<br />
takes hours to get all traces of<br />
the oil from your head.<br />
are you a lousy<br />
nit-picker?<br />
Lice have been with us since the<br />
dawn of time. The word ‘lousy’<br />
which originally meant ‘louseinfested’<br />
now also means awful,<br />
terrible or appalling. People<br />
feel lousy if they’re sick, films<br />
are lousy if they’re no good and<br />
food is often lousy. Nit pick is a<br />
relatively recent addition to the<br />
English language and means to<br />
be overly critical or excessively<br />
pedantic.<br />
Article by Anne Marie Scanlon<br />
<strong>for</strong> Primary Times.<br />
34<br />
Primary Times may half term <strong>2016</strong> | www.primarytimes.net/cardiff
www.primarytimes.net/cardiff | may half term <strong>2016</strong> Primary Times 35
Foster Care<br />
Fortnight<br />
Every night, 64,000 children across<br />
the UK go to sleep in the safety<br />
and security of the loving home<br />
of a family who have made the<br />
commitment to foster.<br />
Foster Care Fortnight (16 <strong>May</strong> to 29<br />
<strong>May</strong>) is a celebration of foster care.<br />
Across the UK, the work of foster carers<br />
will be showcased so that everyone<br />
can see the commitment, passion, and<br />
dedication of foster carers, who care <strong>for</strong><br />
fostered children and young people in<br />
their own homes.<br />
The pressure to recruit new foster<br />
carers is ongoing. Just as there is<br />
diversity in fostered children, foster<br />
carers need to come from a variety of<br />
backgrounds and have different life<br />
experiences, skills and qualities to help<br />
meet the needs of each individual child<br />
and young person in foster care. At<br />
present the greatest need is to recruit<br />
foster carers <strong>for</strong> teenagers, sibling<br />
groups, and disabled children.<br />
Without more foster families coming<br />
<strong>for</strong>ward during <strong>2016</strong> some children<br />
will find themselves living a long way<br />
from family, school and friends, being<br />
split up from brothers and sisters, or<br />
being placed with a foster carer who<br />
does not have the right skills and<br />
experience to best meet their specific<br />
needs. There is then a significant risk<br />
that a child’s placement will breakdown,<br />
further disrupting an already traumatic<br />
childhood.<br />
To find out more about<br />
Foster Care Fortnight visit<br />
thefosteringnetwork.org.uk/fcf<br />
36<br />
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www.primarytimes.net/cardiff | may half term <strong>2016</strong> Primary Times 37<br />
education
education<br />
How to Boost Pupils’ Health & Wellbeing<br />
Evolve’s Health Mentors are already changing children’s lives<br />
in 23 primary schools in Wales and several comprehensives.<br />
As our figures show, our Project HE:RO, pre-transition camps and XLR8 transition camps are<br />
improving not only the academic achievements of children, but their health and wellbeing<br />
too, so they are able to learn and thrive. Our programmes develop ambitious, capable,<br />
healthy and confident individuals, ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of<br />
society in Wales.<br />
Evolve works closely with schools to deliver programmes that bring together<br />
mentoring, physical activity and classroom coaching. We believe that supporting<br />
pupil health, wellbeing and personal development is needed now more than ever.<br />
Our approach is to deliver positive attitudes and tailored interventions to suit each<br />
child and school we work with. We promote reading, writing and numeracy alongside<br />
emotional and physical fitness.<br />
But don’t just take our word <strong>for</strong> this. One headteacher reports: “All FSM children<br />
that were recipients of the Project HE:RO interventions achieved the Welsh Assembly<br />
Government’s expected Level 4 in English and Mathematics at the end of Key Stage 2;<br />
this would have been very difficult to achieve without Project HE:RO.” Evolve’s nine Welshbased<br />
Health Mentors act as positive role models and mentors in Llanelli, Neath Port<br />
Talbot, Bridgend, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Cardiff, Caerphilly and Newport local authorities.<br />
38<br />
Primary Times may half term <strong>2016</strong> | www.primarytimes.net/cardiff
Cardiff Wildlife Detectives...<br />
The most exciting wildlife club in Cardiff!<br />
Come and<br />
splash around<br />
in your wellies,<br />
get together<br />
<strong>for</strong> some pond<br />
dipping or get<br />
muddy on a<br />
mini-beast hunt<br />
– there’s fun<br />
<strong>for</strong> the whole<br />
family.<br />
photos courtesy of RSPB<br />
Cardiff Wildlife Detectives is Cardiff’s<br />
most exciting wildlife club <strong>for</strong> children<br />
and a great opportunity <strong>for</strong> you and your<br />
family to explore the amazing wildlife<br />
that lives on your doorstep. Run by RSPB<br />
Cymru and the City of Cardiff Council’s<br />
Community Rangers, we’re a passionate<br />
team keen to help you discover and<br />
enjoy the incredible wildlife that lives in<br />
our city. We meet on the third Sunday of<br />
every month at Forest Farm in Cardiff,<br />
with occasional trips to other parks in<br />
and around the city to find the amazing<br />
creatures and critters that live there.<br />
We have an exciting programme of<br />
outdoor activities lined up <strong>for</strong> <strong>2016</strong>, all<br />
you need to do is bring some appropriate<br />
clothing <strong>for</strong> the weather, some excited<br />
children (and adults!) and an enthusiasm<br />
<strong>for</strong> adventure!<br />
To cover the cost of resources there is a<br />
small charge of £1 per child, payable on<br />
the day, and adults get to enjoy the fun <strong>for</strong><br />
free. Alternatively you’re welcome to book<br />
a year’s membership of 12 sessions which<br />
is £7.50 per child.<br />
Please contact us <strong>for</strong> more in<strong>for</strong>mation.<br />
Email: cymru@rspb.org.uk<br />
Tel: 02920 353000<br />
www.primarytimes.net/cardiff | may half term <strong>2016</strong> Primary Times 39
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