As you may know, Musical Minis recently launched a Nursery Rhymes Puzzle App as part of our 25 Year Celebrations and to demonstrate that despite the age of Musical Minis, we are keeping up to date with the advances in society. We have started rolling out a change in our membership packs which now gives every new member the App for free, as a gift, to replace a Book Bag. This was not an easy decision to make as we know that not everyone agrees with giving apps to small children and there is some evidence to suggest that over... Continue reading

I was asked by Dettol to help with their campaign to donate baby blankets to help less fortunate babies. The Dettol Baby Blanket campaign video explains it all . Rachel Stevens is supporting the campaign and is calling out to mums, dads and parents to donate a blanket to the Dettol Baby Blanket Donation charity campaign to help babies in need. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the dangers of bacteria on baby blankets whilst highlighting the shortage of baby blankets available to infants born to families in need. Once collected the baby blankets will be hygienically washed with... Continue reading

Following our tradition of tallying the names of children attending Musical Minis classes, the list below shows the most popular names for children attending in 2014. It isn't necessarily children who were born in 2014. Furthermore, it doesn't include children who attend Children's Centre sessions or nursery sessions. The numbers in brackets shows the name's position in 2013. Top 10 Boys Names:- 1 Jack (5) 2 Henry (=3) 3 Charlie (=3) =4 Harry (1) =4 Thomas (=8) =6 Oliver (2) =6 Ethan (=6) 8 George (=8) 9 Jacob (9) 10 William (10) The only name that has dropped out of... Continue reading

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10 Things You Might Not Know about ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ 1. The lyrics for ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ come from a poem called ‘The Star’ written by Jane Taylor in 1806. 2. The phrase ‘like a diamond in the sky’ is probably one of the first similes that children hear and also provides a basic introduction to mathematical shapes. 3. ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ is sung to the tune of ‘Ah! Vous dirais-je Maman’ which was arrange by Mozart in his 12 Variations in 1781 when he was only 25 years old. 4. The actions used in ‘Twinkle Twinkle... Continue reading

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Jacquie Sedman, our Durham franchisee, after 10 fantastic years has decided to sell her franchise. Jacquie has left behind a great legacy in Durham and we are delighted that Louise Emerson will be continuing to bring lots of fun to the children of Durham in the future. This is what Louise has to say…. Hi, I’m Louise and I’m very excited to be the new owner of Musical Minis Durham. I have taken my three daughters (in the photo with Louise) to Musical Minis for the last five years and we have all thoroughly enjoyed the sessions. When I heard... Continue reading

Musical Minis has always attempted to keep up with the times and to celebrate our 25 years we have developed a children’s app. The Musical Minis Nursery Rhymes Puzzles App is available through both the Apple Store and Google Play. The app combines three simple puzzles on three levels to encourage fine motor skills, with the child rewarded for success by seeing and hearing the relevant nursery rhyme. The app now forms part of the Musical Minis membership pack, to replace the book bag, so new members are receiving it for free. If you wish to buy the App it... Continue reading

To celebrate 25 years of Musical Minis we have launched a campaign to find the Nation’s Favourite Nursery Rhyme. Just click here to go to the voting page and we will donate 25p to Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital when you vote. Continue reading

When I was a child my Grandma bought me a Paddington Bear which I loved. He wasn't very cuddly as he wore a duffle coat and wellington boots but I still liked him! I loved reading the Paddington books so was interested when I received a press release about the Paddington film. To publicise the film, which opens on November 28th 2014, there is a Paddington trail where 50 Paddington statues can be seen around London. Actor Hugh Bonneville, who stars in the forthcoming Paddington film, is amongst the designers and comments: “Paddington is an explorer - this trail is... Continue reading

A local mum from Wokingham is launching a brand new business…Musical Minis Berkshire. Rather than return to her previous role of Marketing Manager for England Hockey after the birth of her now 10-month-old son Ethan, Sara has chosen instead to run her own business offering developmental music classes for children aged between 0-5, encouraging participation in traditional nursery rhymes and songs with actions, puppets and a variety of musical instruments. A recent Oxford University study has proven that children who sing nursery rhymes with their parents are much happier than those who don’t take part in any musical activities and,... Continue reading

This year 2014 is the 25th anniversary of the launch of Musical Minis. When Musical Minis began in Autumn 1989, I set it up as a group where my 1 year old son, Matthew, could enjoy attending along with some of his friends. He loved music and whilst I could appreciate how music could enhance language, social and cognitive development, I didn't want him at such a young age to actually be taught music. I felt music should be fun and not something imposed on children. Since Musical Minis was established I have had 2 more children but Musical Minis... Continue reading

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to run your own Musical Minis franchise? To have a flexible, profitable business that you could fit in around your family? Watch the video to hear from Oxfordshire franchisee Leena Thakker, who made back her investment within the her first year of trading and Karen Sherr the founder and Director of Musical Minis. If you would like more information contact us enquiries@musicalminis.co.uk Continue reading

South Wales Musical Minis are holding special Summer classes this year - come and join in the fun! These classes need to be both pre-booked and pre-paid and are being held at:- All Saints Church Hall, Barry Monday 21st and 28th July Monday 4th and 11th August 10.30 – 11.15am Once Upon a Playtime, Bridgend Tuesday 22nd and 29th July Tuesday 5th and 12th August 10-30 – 11.15am (These sessions include free stay and play in the activity centre.) To book a place or to find out more details please email jo@musicalminis.co.uk or phone 01446 733788 Continue reading

A while ago I wrote a blog post about 'Including Visually Impaired Children Into Pre-School Activity Groups' based in part on my own experiences with my daughter, Emily. At Musical Minis our programme is all inclusive and children of all abilities and cultures can join in. Over the years we have had a number of children attend who do have problems with their eyesight. Below is a summary of one Mums experiences at Musical Minis with her son, Ethan (photo opposite). Ethan is now 3 years old and started attending Musical Minis shortly after his 1st birthday. Guest post by... Continue reading

Come and help celebrate a momentous occasion as Musical Minis Oxfordshire celebrates its 5th Anniversary of running Musical Minis classes in the area. There will be plenty of singing, dancing, bubbles, parachutes, stories and instrumental time, as well as special guest appearances from Peppa Pig, Fireman Sam and Iggle Piggle! All parties will run 10:00 am to 12:00 pm on: Tuesday 5 August – BICESTER Wednesday 6th August - WOODSTOCK Thursday 7th August – CALVERT GREEN (BUCKS) Friday 8th August – ADDERBURY, (NR BANBURY) Cost is £7.00 per child which must be pre-booked and pre-paid. Older siblings welcome and please... Continue reading

I was lucky enough to be sent some Flavour Pots and Perfect Shakes from Schwartz to review. Schwartz had extended its innovative Flavour Shots range with three new varieties and were looking for bloggers to review them. I had previously reviewed Schwartz 2in1 range however I did prefer these Flavour Pots. The three new Flavour Pots I was sent to try were: Spanish Paella, Italian Creamy Herb Tagliatelle and Indian Spicy Jalfrezi Curry. The Flavour Pots are delicious pots packed full of herbs, spices and seasonings infused in oil to create the perfect base. The recipes were really easy to... Continue reading

Guest post by Jo Weaving, the South Wales Musical Minis franchisee. We’ve used the Eurostar twice. On both occasions we travelled from Ashford International to Disneyland Paris. On our first trip our children, both boys, were 4 and 9. On our second trip our boys were 6 and 11. Upon arrival at Ashford you enter the station via the main concourse and take the escalator, or the lift to the security area. This is pretty much the same as an airport. You go through the x ray machines and then through passport control and through to the departure lounge. We... Continue reading

As founder of UK-based children’s music and singing franchise Musical Minis I have welcomed a report that says children who take part in activities such as singing nursery rhymes, are likely to be happier, with better developed social, motor and speech skills, than their TV watching counterparts. The report entitled ‘Happiness and Development in Very Young Children’ by Oxford University and the Open University, states that toddlers who spend a lot of time watching TV or looking at picture books are less likely to be happy than those who take part in activities. Television was actually found to have a... Continue reading

Are you wondering what to do in the Easter Holidays? Join Musical Minis for an Easter Party in West Yorkshire for just £6 per child and £2 for an additional sibling. (Booking and payment required in advance). **Tuesday 8th April 10 am. – Colton **Wednesday 9th April 10.30 am.– Micklesfield **Thursday 10th April 10 am. – Garforth Thursday 10th April 1.30 pm. – Mothercare My Space Friday 11th April – 10.30 am. - Seacroft Little Bees Saturday 12th April 10.30 am. - Mothercare My Space ** £6 per family/childminder subsidised by Children’s Centre. Includes: A visit from the Easter Bunny... Continue reading

I'm outraged by British Airways inflight customer service. Rob, my husband and I recently went to New York with our 3 Grown up kids. Rob and I were travelling premium economy whilst our kids were going economy. Rob's screen wasn't working so he couldn't watch a film. Actually our steward was lovely and after a few attempts to reset it said he would call the chief steward over to discuss options. The chief steward had a problem talking to both Rob and I and would just talk to Rob. I found him quite rude and dismissive, I'm unsure if it... Continue reading

I was delighted to be interviewed by More than Mummies for the series they have on mums running a variety of businesses, they hope these interviews will inspire you as well as answer some questions you may have about what it’s like to be a mum in business. http://www.morethanmummies.com/2014/03/an-interview-with-karen-sherr-musical-minis Continue reading

Guest blog by Jo Weaving, the South Wales Musical Minis franchisee. I’m not Welsh but I have lived in Wales for over half my life. Until I had my children I didn’t realise that the Welsh language is taught from pre school level upwards and I didn’t realise quite how much effort is put into celebrating St David’s Day. Schools hold their own Eisteddfods which include poetry, music, creative writing and art. My own children have always gone to school dressed up on St David’s Day - our costumes have ranged from rugby players to leeks and miners. Playschools, nurseries... Continue reading

At the end of October Rob and I travelled to India. The sole purpose of this trip was to see the Taj Mahal, which is in Agra but in addition we visited Delhi and Jaipur too. Driving into Delhi from the airport we found familiarity in travelling on the left hand side of the road with three lanes clearly marked. However, the cars were five abreast, some cars were heading towards us on our side of the road and every driver had their hand firmly planted on the horn. We were shocked by the sheer number of cars, motorbikes, tuk... Continue reading

Oxford Musical Minis will be hosting a series of events for pre-schoolers (birth – 5 years) during the Easter holidays. Come and join in with the fun at one of 5 locations: Monday 7 April 2014, 10am–12.00pm CALVERT Monday 7 April 2014, 2.30pm–4.30pm BICESTER Tuesday 8 April 2014, 10.00am–12.00pm ARNCOTT Wednesday 9 April 2014, 10am–12.00pm 12.00pm WOODSTOCK Friday 11 April 2014, 10am–12.00pm ADDERBURY Music, dancing, Easter parade, bubbles, parachute fun and an Easter story! A prize for the best decorated Easter bonnet/mask as well as an EASTER EGG HUNT where each child will receive a full size EASTER EGG! Places... Continue reading