Primary Times - the definitive what’s on and where to go family guide of activities and events for children of primary school age. Things to do with your kids during the school holidays including arts and craft activities, music and theatre for children, parties, competitions, days out, and family attractions along with term time drama schools, dance classes, after school clubs and sports activities. Things to do at a place near you!
Summer Childcare in Devon
Updated: 1/5/2015
Sorted for Summer
The impending six weeks of the school summer holiday can pose quite a challenge for many families who need to juggle childcare with work with time off. So at this time of year some forward planning for July and August won’t go amiss. It will pay to book that family trip or ensure your child is signed up on his or her favourite course or summer camp before being pipped to the post by other eager parents. Luckily, there are plenty of tempting options and we’ve taken a closer look at some of them here…
A good starting point is to decide where your child will be happiest. Worthy though it may sound, there is no point picking an adventure residential camp, if you think he or she will hate every minute of it. The results and effect could be totally counterproductive. So, consider the interests of your child. How is he or she likely to fit in with a group of other ‘unknown’ children? Rather than throwing a young one in at the deep end, a good way to encourage this social interaction is by selecting day camps, holiday play schemes or multi-activity courses to start with. This is where you simply drop your child off in the morning and collect at the end of the day. For working parents, this is a highly desirable option. Not only does it look after the childcare side of things; it also means their child will gain new skills, or will enjoy a mini adventure each day in the company of peers. Many adventure companies offer this type of package where children can gain recognised awards in sailing or kayaking, for example.
Book early
Due to the popularity of many forms of childcare, spaces fill up extremely quickly, so always book early to avoid any disappointment for your child. Also, it’s worth checking to see if your holiday club or play scheme is Ofsted registered as child carers. If they are, and you are working at the same time as your child attends the club, you may be able to get a proportion of the costs paid for by the Childcare element of Working Tax Credit. Go to www.hmrc.gov.uk/childcare/taxcredits to find out if you are eligible.
Fun packed adventures at Haven Banks
Exeter’s Haven Banks Outdoor Education Centre has a fantastic variety of outdoor and adventurous activities for young people this summer. During the holidays, there are exciting activity options in kayaking and white-water kayaking, canoeing and canoe camps, sailing on the River Exe and Exe Estuary, windsurfing, raft-building, rock-climbing, caving, mountain biking, archery and orienteering and much more. The centre also caters for groups, individuals, birthday parties and private groups.
As Haven Banks OEC is Ofsted Registered, parents can redeem their Childcare Vouchers and/or Working Tax Credits to obtain a discount on courses. Go to www.haven-banks.co.uk or call 01392 434668.
Go Wild! Children’s Holiday Club
Let your kids Go Wild this summer with Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust! At Occombe Farm they will be running a Wildlife is Wicked Adventure Trail over the school summer holidays. Children can take part in fun challenges to see if they can climb higher than a squirrel, jump further than a grasshopper or scramble through tunnels like a badger. Also, children will be able to get out and about with the Go Wild Children’s Holiday Club. Activities include den building, rockpooling and snorkelling, enabling youngsters to have a great time exploring the natural world on their doorstep! Go Wild! Club runs on 5-9, 12-16 and 19-23 August and is suitable for 8-12 year olds. As spaces are limited pre-booking is essential. It costs £96 per child, per week. Visit www.countryside-trust.org.uk or call 01803 520022 for more information.
Book your free taster session at Razzamataz now
If you’re 4 to 18 and want to get involved in performing arts in a funky, fresh and vibrant atmosphere, then Razzamataz is the place for you. Each week qualified teachers provide training in singing, dance and drama, and cover both musical theatre techniques as well as fast, funky and contemporary styles. They offer a safe and encouraging environment for your child to not only learn performance techniques, but also to develop confidence and social skills, boost health and fitness – and above all, have fun and make friends! Razzamataz offer lots of opportunities to put these new found skills to the test on stage with frequent performances– both local and in large scale productions - including performing in the West End on the stage of Her Majesty’s Theatre! Razzamataz offer free taster sessions to anyone interested although places are limited so do get in touch to book your taster session now! For details email Kat on Exeter@razzamataz.co.uk or Rhianne on taunton@razzamataz.co.uk or go to www.razzamataz.co.uk
Exeter Northcott Theatre announce Summer School
Exeter Northcott Theatre is delighted to announce that it will be holding a two week intensive Summer School with Devon Youth Theatre's Artistic Director Erin Walcon, from 12 – 24 August 2013. These two weeks will enable older children, aged between 13 and 18, to work with a skilled team at the Exeter Northcott Theatre to develop a professional piece of theatre culminating in two performances at the theatre on Saturday 24 August. For more information, visit www.exeternorthcott.co.uk/drama or call the Box Office on 01793 593593
Book Now for Escot Camp Wild!
If your child is aged between 7 and 12 then this summer could be the best ever! Escot Camp Wild is a residential summer camp, just for kids, full of fun, outdoor adventure, nature expeditions, campfires and friends. Staying in a yurt village in the grounds of Escot there is a choice of 1, 2 or 4 night stays or a day camp option for 6 – 12 year olds. Run by professional and highly motivated staff, children will enjoy an amazing range of activities that connect them to the natural world including feeding the otters and wild boar, fossil hunting, falconry, rock pooling, fire making, bush crafts, pond dipping, a seriously muddy swamp walk, river play and BBQ parties. For more information go to www.escotcampwild.co.uk, email campwild@escot-devon.co.uk or call 01404 822188.
WildWise’s Extraordinary School!
Extraordinary things are happening to our children! Devon-based organisation WildWise, continues to guide children deep into the Devonshire countryside to give them an experience they’ll never forget. There is a ‘Wilderness Club’ on a Saturday, an ‘Extraordinary School’ in the holidays, a summer camp called ‘The Wild Ones’ and on the syllabus for these lucky youngsters is a blend of bushcraft and fieldcraft i.e. observing wildlife at close quarters, making fires, building shelters, and making woodland crafts. Packed into this exciting programme are also night-walks, dawn-walks, wild food gathering, and, if that was not enough, the children are treated to some traditional storytelling around the campfire!
Chris Salisbury, WildWise’s director, is fascinated by children’s relationship to nature and spent 7 years with the Devon Wildlife Trust honing his skills as an outdoor educator, which included working with Ray Mears.
WildWise has been offering extraordinary outdoor events, camps and courses for all the family for 14 years in stunning Devon locations. The wider programme for all the family includes night-walks, canoe trips, wild food events, seashore edibles, overnight camping adventures, family camps, teenage events, to name but a few. For a brochure and more information call 01803 868269 or visit www.wildwise.co.uk
Stagecoach Summer Workshops - A week when stars will shine!
From the moment the students arrive at the Stagecoach summer workshop, they'll be caught up in the excitement of fun, hard work and creativity whilst making new friends. They will experience the process of casting, rehearsing and performing. Working with a professional team of directors, they will develop confidence and skills in several memorable and inspiring days. Students will be challenged to learn lines and song and dance routines, and will find a new invaluable confidence by mastering an acting role or singing with style. They will be an important part of a team and will discover how versatile they can be through their performance.
The workshops will be run by Caroline and James Rochfort who have had professional acting credits in leading roles in Eastenders, Lewis and Doctors as well as numerous West End Theatre roles including Les Miserables, Grease, The Mousetrap and Sweeney Todd. They bring vast experience to what promises to be an unforgettable week. For more details go to www.stagecoach.co.uk/exeter
World class choreographer visits Stagecoach Exmouth
A world class dance and film workshop was run by Kylie Minogue's choreographer Tim Noble, pictured here in the centre of the picture, who took time out of his busy schedule to visit Stagecoach Theatre Arts in Exmouth where 40 youngsters between the age of 6 to 16 years learnt camera techniques and how to perform in a professional music video. These skills will be used for Exmouth's exciting 5 day summer workshop from 27 - 31 August. Tim's choreographic career to date has included work on TV productions, world tours, West End musicals and music videos, working with international recording artists such as Girls Aloud, Justine Timberlake and Madonna.
Joy Clarkson, Principal of Stagecoach Exmouth said: “Tim's enthusiasm was infectious and our students really benefited from his expertise. Tim also ran a questions and answers session about the theatre and the film industry which gave an insight into the many aspects of the profession. There is exceptional talent in our school. The students thrive as they are taught by experienced teachers with professional backgrounds. We also run Early Stages for children from 4 - 6 years and 6 - 18 years during term-time.” For more information on Stagecoach Theatre Arts Exmouth’s workshops call 01392 876786 or go to www.stagecoach.co.uk/exmouth
