Chelmsford Summer Holidays Activities for the Under 5's

I've had some fantastic feedback from the 101 Things to Do in Chelmsford This Summer with Children but I know that there are lots of you (me included!) with children under the age of 5. With normal classes and toddler groups not running through the school holidays and hordes of school age children invading all the normally quiet parks and soft-play centres it can be difficult to know how to cope with the long 6 weeks of summer and our children aren't even in school yet!

So to help you here is 'Chelmsford Summer Holiday Activities for the Under 5's'! Not all of these activities are exclusievely for the under 5's  and it goes without saying that wherever you go it will be busy. But allow extra time, take a picnic to avoid queues at food outlets (and a rug to avoid frustration at the lack of picnic tables!) and just enjoy the sun. September will be here before you know it...

1. Natural Foundations are running a play cafe on various days over the summer. Natural play including games for all ages to play in the beautiful gardens with water play, mud kitchen, storytelling, along with lots of fun! (See our review of their regular sessions here).

2. Jester's Holiday Club in Bicnarce. Children from ages 3 and above are welcome and I've heard excellent reports. 

3. Inflatable Fun at Hylands House 3rd-6th August. Under 3's will be given discounted entry.

4. Thorndon Country Park with Gruffalo Trail. If it is busy there is plenty of space here to get away from the crowds. 

5. Promenade Park in Maldon. Avoid the pirate ship play area and head to the play area to the left of the sand-pit. This area is just for the under 5's. The sand pit is great but remember to take your own bucket and spade! The splash here is also fantastic and they do limit numbers so it's a great way to cool down on a really hot day. 

6. Frinton Beach. With no amusements and pier this tends to be a quieter beach than nearby Walton and Clacton. 

7. Oaklands Park has it's own dedicated under 5's area so is an excellent choice for a sunny day. 

8. The Essex Libraries Summer Reading Challenge is something that all age groups can take part in. My 20 month old already has her first sticker! 

9. Kids and Koffee is a soft play centre aimed at ages 8 and under.

10. Pickles Playhouse is a little further afield but worth a visit as it for ages 5 and under only. 

11. Lathcoats Farm is great place to while away an hour or two. With animals to visit and a newly built natural play area, your under 5's will be entertained while you enjoy a coffee (and a piece of cake) from the Beeshed Cafe. 

12. Play in the Park Held at various parks in Chelmsford on various dates, some welcome under 5's as well as older children; check the website for full details. Free!

13.  Wild Wednesdays at Danbury Country Park. Free outdoor fun and games for all ages. 

14. Tropical Wings is a great place to visit with the under 5's. Small enough to see it all in one day but big enough to have a wide variety of animals and birds. Also one of the cheaper 'day out' places in Chelmsford. 

15. Chelmsford City Council Activity Courses. Some of these courses are available from ages 1 and up. Art and crafts, gymnastics and swimming are among them and they are run at 4 different centres across Chelmsford. 

Please do leave a comment below if you know of anything else going on that I've missed out. 

Enjoy the summer and I'll be writing a post for the beginning of September with a round up of pre-school classes and groups. If you have something you would like to include do let me know!

Essex Libraries Summer Reading Challenge

Essex Libraries have just launched their Summer Reading Challenge. They have been running these challenges for many years and I have memories of going to Chelmsford Library to prove I had read my 6 books and collect my certificate at the end of the summer!

This years challenge is called 'Mythical Maze' and to complete the challenge, and meet some new mythical creatures along the way, you need to read six books over the six weeks of the summer holidays. There are stickers to collect as you read each book and when you have completed the challenge, you are awarded with a medal. Even if you don't quite manage to read all six books, everyone is given a certificate to show they have taken part. Also, for the first time this year, under 3's are also being encouraged to take part and will be given special stickers.  

Another first this year is the development of an app that brings the mythical creatures to life. The downloaded app will allow you to scan pictures of the creatures in the library and find out more about them. The app also features stories and games involving the creatures.

Mythical Maze will be running from Saturday 19 July to Wednesday 3 September. Medals can be collected until 6 September. Some libraries will be starting the challenge earlier and mobile libraries from early July. 

Find out more about the challenge here.

Find your local library here.

Danbury Mission Toddler Group

For a lot of parents, the prospect of a toddler group can fill them The Fear. A hall full of under fives running rampage whilst parents struggle (or in the worst cases don't bother!) to control their over excited children - no-one's idea of a fun morning! 

Like many parents, I've been to a a number of different toddler groups, couldn't find one that was the right 'fit' and almost gave up on them. That was until I found the toddler group at Danbury Mission Church. The group is run by members of the Church on four days of the week and everyone is welcome regardless of their own personal religious beliefs. 

I started going to the toddler group on my own on a Tuesday morning and I could not have been made to feel more welcome by Jane, Janis and Lisa. They regularly man the slide so parents can actually sit and enjoy their coffee! There are plenty of toys, including an area just for babies and there is a different craft activity every week. Story time is also held every session - the children all know this is the time that they get a biscuit (or two!) and so as soon as the mat comes out they all run to sit down. The session before Christmas is also fantastic with lunch instead of story time and then a visit from Santa himself. The reaction of the children last year brought a tear to my eye!

I love this toddler group and am changing the days my son goes to nursery as he misses going now he is doing a second day. Every time we walk past the Church he asks if we are going to toddler group! 

So if you are thinking of quitting your toddler group - keep trying! You will find one that is the right for you and your children. 

If you are interested in joining the Danbury Mission toddler group so contact them first. They have waiting lists for some days but groups tend to see a lot of change in September as children start school. 

What The Ladybird Heard at the Civic Theatre

What the Ladybird Heard is a show aimed at children aged 2+ and it has been touring the country. Last week it was shown at the Civic Theatre and, because he loves the book, I took T along for his second trip to the theatre. 

It is always difficult to know what to expect from a theatre adaption of a childrens' book. These books take 10 minutes maximum to read at bedtime, and that is when T is at his 'What's that?' best. (To think that I was worried about his lack of speech a year ago!). How are they going to to fill a 50 minute show? We'd been to see Peppa Pig earlier in the year and that had been really good but a friend had recently been to see an adaption of another one of Julia Donaldson's books and had been really unimpressed. 

I needn't have worried! 'What the Ladybird Heard' is a really charming play which engages the audience from the very beginning of the play. Even before the lights had gone down the actors worked their way through the audience asking if anyone had seen Lanky Len.  This engagement continues throughout the whole play with the audience being encouraged to sing, remind the actors of all the animals in the story and, most importantly, finding the ladybird. 

The way that the animals were portrayed on stage was very clever. I had assumed puppets or costumes but they were actually made from stage props and it was really lovely to see the children get excited as the different animals came together and they realised which animals they were. The set was very true to Lydia Monk's illustrations and there were some lovely touches, with flowers growing around the door of the house and from the flower pots. 

After finding a 'new' actor to play Lanky Len, making the animals and lots of songs, the story itself only took up 10 minutes of the total running time. However the story was told in the same way as it was in the book. Fidgety children were then back and engaged with the story that they could follow as they do at home. 

It has been a while since I'd been to the Civic Theatre and on booking the tickets worried that I might have been too far from the stage for T to see everything that was going on. The Civic Theatre however has a very intimate feel about it and we would have been able to see the action from any of the seats. There were also plenty of booster seats available for children. 'Hugless Dougless', another well read book in this house, is on in October at the Civic Theatre and we will be going to see that too!

If your children (or you!) like 'What The Ladybird Heard' I would definitely recommend this play. It is the perfect length  for children and the actors work hard to keep them engaged throughout. 

'What The Ladybird Heard is' currently touring the country and will be in Southend in September. 

Top 10 Indoor Activities In Chelmsford

After all the rain we had at the beginning of the week I started thinking about 'raining day contingency plans' and thought that you might all appreciate a list of the Top 10 Indoor Activities in Chelmsford! 

 Riverside Ice and Leisure

Mace Playce (Soft Play for 0-12's)  

Kids and Koffee  (Soft play for 0-8's)

Chelmsford Library (Free!)

Ten Pin Bowling

Chelmsford Museum (Free!)  

Cinema

Museum of Power

Hazle's Pottery Barn   

Essex Police Musuem (Only open Saturday's but has an activity running every week)

Please do let us know if you think of our top indoor activities and whether you think we've missed anything! Or add a review to our site to let other parents know what you think of them.