19-21 August

The Just So Festival in Staffordshire, is a small, weekend-long festival of creativity aimed at children, young people and their families.  The whole family is encouraged to paint, get messy, sing, play instruments and dance in the woods.  Everyone gets involved in the arts on their own territory, on their own terms, with the beetles and the leaves and the birds.  There’s lantern making, clay modelling, a tea dance, authors and storytellers.

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16 August

The Little Charley Bear Let’s Pretend Show, at Westfield Shopping Centre, Ariel Way allows little ones to join Little Charley Bear on his imaginative adventures in an action packed stage show. Children will get excited as they play guessing games with Charley and the presenter in Little Charley Bear’s bedroom, interacting and laughing as he mimes different scenarios. Is Charley driving a car? Or flying a plane? Or even, being a rock star?! But when Charley pretends to be a Spaceman it’s time to blast off for an amazing trip to the moon!

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1-5 August

Eddie Catz, Putney will be offering five fun days of acting excitement this August in their unique The Lion Loses his Roar workshop. During the workship little ones will have the chance to help Leo Lion find his roar to chase away grumpy Croc from Mikey Monkey and Squeaker the Mouse. The fun workshop will also include dancing, arts and crafts and dressing up, finishing off with the chance for little stars to show off their talent and hit the stage.

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27-29 August

A fair has been held on Hampstead Heath on most of the bank holidays since the late 19th century and this year is no exception! There are all the usual rides, as well as all that lovely fairground food that sugar-hungry kids (and most adults!) go mad for. If the crowds get too much, you can always take some time out to wander down to the fantastic playground at nearby Parliament Hill. Plus, if the weather is good, there is also a large outdoor paddling pool, plus with a bit of a breeze, it’s a great spot to watch the kites flying over the capital.

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8-11 September

Bestival, Isle of Wight. Winner of Best Major UK Festival award in 2010 and curated by BBC Radio 1 DJ Rob da Bank, offers a range of fun entertainment. A great family-friendly event, Bestival has a unique Breastival breastfeeding area and “Bigtopmania Kidszone”, with crafts, shows, talent contests, discos and an under 5s area, a bouncy castle, face painting, and special ‘Pop Stars, Rock Stars & Divas’ themed dressing up tents!
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6-14 August

Perfect for Thomas fans, the Day out with Thomas event gives you and your little ones the chance to see Thomas and his friends at Watercress Line, Arlesford.  During the event children will get to travel all day behind large steam engines such as ‘Henry’ and ‘Daisy’ the diesel railcar. There will also be a range of FREE activities with a bouncy castle slide and miniature railway, children’s entertainment and of course there will be plenty of fun filled rides for little ones behind Diesel’ 'Toad' and everyone's favourite ‘Thomas.'

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The largest football museum in London has just opened some exciting new state-of-the-art exhibits to sports fans! Last month Chelsea Football Club launched the spectacular new Chelsea Museum, an exciting must-see attraction for all football and sports fans. As the largest football museum in London, the 670sqm space combines the best mix of old and new by using state-of-the-art technology and innovation to offer visitors of all ages an  interactive experience.

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Celebrity favourite Dragons of Walton Street has teamed up with Belle & Boo to produce its timeless characters on a new bespoke furniture collection. Launched in 2007 by illustrator Mandy Sutcliffe, Belle & Boo is one of the nation’s favourites with Mandy’s lovingly crafted images featuring on a range of homespun products from cushions to coats. ‘It is a perfect fit for Dragons of Walton Street’ says owner Lucinda Croft, ‘Belle & Boo illustrations can be traditional, contemporary, funky… they will suit all styles, tastes and budgets.’

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Children's nutrition company, Benjoy, have just launched an innovative new snack for young children - strawberry and apple multigrain bites. These delicious little bites are made with a unique and nutritious mix of grains and are coated with real strawberry and apple juices, for extra goodness and flavour without the need for any added salt or sugar. Benjoy are offering free samples for the first 100 people to contact them through their website, so be quick, quick, quick!

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If you fancy giving your interiors a bit of a makeover then we've got the perfect solution. Because when you quote BABYLON08 at luxury childrens furniture retailer, Punkin Patch, you'll recieve a fantastic 15% discount on their entire collection.  Punkin Patch specialise in creating babies’ nurseries and children’s spaces that are not only fun and trendy for the kids, but also aesthetically pleasing for their parents.  Along with their beautiful furnishings, they also offer a free interior design service, great for when you're struggling for creative ideas!

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The sun is shining and to keep us looking sizzling this summer our Beauty Editor Jenni Baden Howard   h  as got some more great beauty tips. "For busy mums, applying strong summer nail colours can be a hassle. The cleverly tapered brush of the new Bourjois 10 Days Nail Enamel (£5.99) makes it quicker and easier to be precise. I love it in Ultra-Violet, a hot pink the colour of seaside rock!" For more beauty advice check out all of Jenni's Beauty Blogs on our site.

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Finding the right childcarer can seem to be a daunting task to many parents. For instance, where to find a qualified and/or experienced childcarer? How to vet potential candidates? What questions to ask during interviews? How to ensure that a childcarer is really suited to one’s childcare requirements? This is why the founders of Pearl Childcare Ltd.  set up a recruitment agency with a difference. Pearl Childcare is more than a recruitment agency, offering advice and selecting candidates to match family’s needs.

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