LEICS WINTER 18 DIGITAL 2

Primary Times Leicestershire
WHAT’S ON WHERE
Tips for toy safety
this Christmas
With the festive season upon us,
many children have already started
their letters to Father Christmas. But,
in the middle of all the unwrapping
and excitement, give a thought to
toy safety. Here are some top tips
from our public health (school)
nurses:
When you’re buying toys, make
sure you go to recognised outlets
as toy sales are governed by strict
regulations. At this time of year, lots
of novelty Christmas decorations
are on sale that look like toys, which
are not covered by the same rules.
Watch out for small parts and sharp
edges.
Supervise children closely when
they’re playing – while a toy may
be age appropriate for one child,
younger siblings could end up
choking on small parts or hurting
themselves.
Many toys need the small, round
‘button’ batteries to work. These
can be extremely dangerous if
swallowed or inserted into an ear.
If you think a child has swallowed
a button battery, follow this
advice from the Child Accident
PreventionTrust:
• Go straight to the Accident and
Emergency department at your
local hospital or dial 999 for an
ambulance
• Tell the doctor there that you
think your child has swallowed a
button battery
• If you have the battery packaging
or the product powered by the
battery, take it with you. This will
help the doctor identify the type
of battery and will make treatment
easier
• Don’t let your child eat or drink
anything
• Don’t make them sick
• Trust your instincts and act fast –
do not wait to see if any symptoms
develop
For more tips and advice, visit:
www.rospa.com/home-safety/
advice/product/toy-safety/
www.capt.org.uk/talking-abouttoys-and-accidents
WOW!
what’s on where
16 Nov – 7 Jan
Christmas Wheel of Light
Jubilee Square Leicester, LE1 3LY
www.visitleicester.info
Leicester's Wheel of Light returns to Jubilee
Square, bringing extra fun to the festive
season. Each ride lasts for approximately
8 to 10 minutes, in which you'll rise to
a dizzying 110 feet! The wheel offers
unparalleled views around Jubilee Square
and beyond, and you can even catch a
sneak peek of all the twirling skaters in the
nearby ice rink.
17 Nov – 24 Dec
Winter Wonderland
Twinlakes Park Melton Mowbray,
LE131SQ
www.twinlakespark.co.uk
Get your skates on and join us! Twinlakes
Winter Wonderland is the Twinlakes usual
theme Park fun with rides, attractions and
The
Reading
Shop
farm park with a special Christmassy twist!
See Santa in his magical grotto, travel
through the fairy tale forest, ride The Polar
Express train and meet the big man himself
in his cosy log cabin!
22 Nov – 6 Jan
Christmas in Leicester
various venus
www.visitleicester.info
It’s the most wonderful time of the year,
and this festive season has an extraordinary
line-up of fun for all the family in Leicester.
Jubilee Square will be home to a huge ice
rink, marvel at the city’s giant Christmas
tree next to the clock tower and enjoy all
the fun of the fair on Humberstone Gate
West. Fairy-tale lovers can head to Town
Hall Square for the Alice in Wonderland
themed tableau along with a traditional
nativity scene.
26 Nov – 29 Nov
Shakespeare Schools Foundation
Curve Leicester, LE1 1SB
www.curveonline.co.uk
Join us in November for an exhilarating
evening, featuring a series of unique
abridged Shakespeare productions by
local schools. See Shakespeare’s timeless
stories brought to life like never before,
and support young people from your
community as they take to the stage.
26 Nov – 24 Dec
Friezeland's Enchanted Grotto
Friezeland Farm Nuneaton, CV13 6PD
www.christmas-tree-farm.co.uk
12-5pm Take a wander through our magical
forest walk and meet Santa's friends
along the way. Our reindeers, gingerbread
family and other suprises will accompany
you & your family along the wintery path
whilst you make you way to meet Father
Christmas himself!
Santa’s Grotto at Gates
Gates Garden Centre Oakham, LE15 7QB
www.gatesgardencentre.co.uk
Stroll through the enchanted winter
wonderland before visiting Santa in his
grotto, where all good girls and boys will
be invited to meet the Elves in their
magical toyshop and choose a special
Christmas gift.
28 Nov – 29 Nov
How can more children
get closer to nature?
Enabling children to be closer
to nature, especially by learning
and exploring in wooded areas
and forests, was recognised as
a key action in the government’s
25-year Environment Plan,
published earlier this year. Yet
despite the well-proven benefits
of children spending regular time
outdoors—including health and
wellbeing, attitudes to learning, and
environmental awareness—there
is poor understanding about the
current level of outdoor activities
for young people across
England, particularly in
wooded areas and forests.
The Bringing Children Closer to
Nature survey aims to explore
barriers and opportunities to
activities in wooded areas and
forests, including the practice of
Forest School, and it will quantify
any issues preventing
development and growth.
Its three main aims are to:
1. Acquire basic information,
including the number and
distribution of schools and other
organisations who do forest
education activities including
Forest School, and the levels
of training and skills among
Coca Cola Christmas Truck Tour
practitioners;
2. Understand more about barriers
and opportunities to establishing
and sustaining forest education,
including Forest School, among
host organisations (e.g. schools,
early years nurseries) and
practitioners, and explore how
these could be overcome;
3. Explore potential interest among
woodland owners in providing
greater access to woodland sites to
support forest education, including
Forest School.
The survey was launched in
November 2018 and will remain
open until the end of the
year. Research outcomes will
summarised in a freely-accessible
report in early 2019. Those people
interested in taking the survey can
read more and follow a link to it
here: www.sylva.org.uk/survey
6
WINTER 2018 | www.primarytimes.co.uk/Leicestershire