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!
Home Sweet Garden Primary Times Children's Choice Awards Review
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This is a charming colourful show about kids enjoying the simple pleasures of playing in their garden and watching nature. But, there is a serious message here too – the paving over of front gardens across the city leaves nowhere for wildlife to go. My children (twins, aged 6 ½) got this message but it was told with sensitivity and they loved it because they could get involved. Right at the beginning, Rose turned and gave me a big grin when the tickly ladybird climbed over her hand. Lottie got busy (luckily, after having been invited) with chalking animals on the path. And, they both enjoyed planting the flowers at the end and cuddling the cute hedgehog puppets. The show was informative too, being peppered with guidance on how to interact with nature – from the mother’s message to the young’uns ‘don’t touch the bees’ to understanding that it is OK to feed a hedgehog dog or cat food (as long as it doesn’t include fish) – so dispelling the common myth that soggy white bread in milk is the right thing to offer hedgehogs. The children in the show Will and Poppy enjoyed the simple pleasures of the garden – singing incy wincy spider, having snail races and picking flowers for Mum. But, when Dad comes home frustrated with not being able to park near the house, Mum reluctantly agrees to pave over the front garden. This leads to a sad game for Will and Poppy playing with their toys which cannot find any flowers and the snail being drowned as the rain wouldn’t run away. This message was clear to Lottie – ‘it is good for people to know about nature – or eventually everyone will want a parking space in front of their house’. Rose agreed that the Dad in the show was ‘just thinking of himself’ and that children and the birds and butterflies preferred a garden too! Luckily, at the end Mum and Dad see sense and re-plant their front garden. And, all the children get to join in. And, interestingly, as this show is set in the Botanical Gardens in Edinburgh, my two spotted a patch of wild grass seeds in a lawn outside the hothouses showing how diversity is better than a uniform lawn and Rose turned to me and said: ‘this is just like our garden where the bees like to visit the clover’. A very enjoyable and concise show (40 minutes) about the pleasures of nature – with an important message that we need to look after it. We would recommend it to children 7 and under, who are curious about the world - and if you are looking for a little meaning with your entertainment. Child's QuoteLottie (6 1/2) said 'we enjoyed this show as it was colourful and we could get involved'. Reviewed 4/08/2017 |