Category: blog

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Tonie Boxes

Posted on by chickenandfrog

We are delighted to let you know that we stock Tonies.

In a nutshell, the Toniebox is like an audio book in a tough, child-friendly cube. The starter set includes a Creative Tonie, which enables you to upload your own content. You can share the app with family and friends, anywhere across the globe, so that they can record a message, story or song for your child. This can be updated over and over, growing with your child.

There are also pre-recorded Tonies, ranging across genres and ages, including The Gruffalo, Favourite Tales, The Age of Dinosaurs and many more.

If you would like to know more, or see one in action, pop in!

Posted in blog, events

Summer!

Posted on by chickenandfrog

In a week’s time, the summer holidays will have begun for all of our local schools. With six weeks to fill, the school break can be rather daunting for parents and children. But we are here to help, with a whole range of activities.

The Get into Arts Festival is a real celebration of the arts for children and adults of all ages. Tickets are available via the Brentwood Theatre website or their box office (01277 563678).

There’s dance, music, drama, illustration, writing and more, so take your pick!

As well as the festival, we are providing a programme of events at Chicken and Frog. Our regular Creative Writing Club, Handwriting & Fine Motor Skills, Rhythm & Rhyme (Thursdays only in the summer), continue to run throughout the break. All of these sessions are drop-in.

Some sessions have an educational focus and we ask that you book and pay for these in advance:

Our Summer Club is relaxed and great fun, with a range of activities to choose from each Friday. Again, we ask that these are booked and paid for in advance, to ensure that we have all of the resources in place.

Sensory Story Time is on the 3rd August. This month we will be reading the beautiful Handa’s Surprise. Please book your place for this free event, as spaces are limited.

Harry Potter and the Lego Challenge are already fully booked, sorry. Look out for more of the same in the next school break. We have two drop-in sessions planned, suitable for all ages:

The Cafe Corner remains open for light refreshments. Plus, all of the beautiful books, including some super activity books for long journeys, if you are lucky enough to be going away this summer.

The ‘Giraffe’s Can’t Dance’ Party is sure to be lots of fun too – please book up in advance for this, as spaces are limited.

Teen Book Club and Adults’ Book Club are both scheduled to meet up. Remember to pick up your copy of the book, so that you have plenty of time to read it.

Wow, that’s a lot. If you have any questions, you can call us on 01277 230068 or contact us via the form below.

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Once Upon a Time…

Posted on by chickenandfrog

We are almost ready to launch our sensory story-times. The first session will take place on Saturday 6th July, at 11:00am.

The sessions are specifically designed for children with additional sensory needs. The room will be transformed into a wonderful sensory-friendly space, so that you and your child will feel relaxed and happy. We are not going to designate an age for the sessions, as you know your child better than anyone.

Here’s the story focus for the first three months:

Each session will start with a story, followed by songs and a chance to play with the beautiful sensory toys we have bought.

Spaces are limited, so if you would like to attend, we do ask that you complete this SensoryStoryRegistrationForm as soon as possible.

Story sacks, with idea cards, will be available to borrow, for a £25 refundable deposit. Currently, we have:

  • Room on the Broom
  • We’re Going a Bear Hunt
  • Dear Zoo
  • Handa’s Surprise
  • Old MacDonald
  • The Three Little Pigs
  • Little Red Riding Hood
  • Giraffes Can’t Dance
  • The Very Hungry Caterpillar

If you have any questions at all, please do get in touch.

 

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Grandpa’s Noises

Posted on by chickenandfrog

Grandpa’s Noises, Gareth St John Thomas & Colin Rowe

 

Grandpa’s Noises delivers in so many ways. From the fun illustrations, to the all-too-true issues surrounding Grandpa and his various sounds. Grandpa’s Noises is not only a fun story but acts as a guidebook of a favourite family member.

This joy of a book is the perfect story to share with Grandpas everywhere. The use of bold text which highlights Grandpa’s various sounds, adds an extra dimension to the story, as I am sure little ones will soon mimic them, making the reading experience interactive and great fun.

Published by: EK Books

 

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Teen Book Club

Posted on by chickenandfrog

We are launching the Teen Book Club, on Saturday 29th June at 3:00pm.
 
Each month you will vote from a hand-selected three titles and that will be the following month’s book. However, as this will be our first meeting, Natasha has chosen the book for the coming month, so that it is ready and waiting for you to collect.
 
For our first meeting, feel free to bring along a favourite book or two to talk about.
Natasha has selected William Sutcliffe’s ‘The Gifted, the talented and Me’.
Here’s a little about the book:
Fifteen-year-old Sam is not a famous vlogger, he’s never gone viral, and he doesn’t want to be the Next Big Thing. In fact he’s ordinary and proud of it.
None of which was a problem until Dad got rich and Mum made the whole family move to London. Now Sam’s off to the North London Academy for the Gifted and Talented, where everyone’s busy planning Hollywood domination or starting alt-metal psychedelica crossover bands.
A brilliantly funny look at fitting in, falling out and staying true to your own averageness.
 
PLEASE BOOK YOUR PLACE SO THAT WE CAN ORDER IN ENOUGH COPIES OF THE BOOK.
 
The group just costs the RRP of the book.
 
info@chickenandfrog.co.uk
01277 230068
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Sensory Story-time

Posted on by chickenandfrog

Today, the Bookseller’s Association has announced the successful applicants for their latest tranche of the Diversity and Inclusiveness Grant launched in 2018.

After months of anxiously awaiting to hear if we were successful, we have found out that we were! So now we can tell you all about our plans, including the catalyst behind it.

As you may know, Mrs Claus visits us once a year, to give out free gifts to children who are in town for the Brentwood Light Up. It’s a really special time and one that we absolutely love. However, for children with sensory needs, the experience can be rather overwhelming, which is why we provided a sensory friendly grotto for children in 2018. Because the event was very well received, it will become a permanent fixture in our annual calendar.

The grotto got us thinking about what else we could do to support families with sensory needs. We wanted to provide a regular story-time session, with a resource lending library available. But, to get it right, in terms of adapting our space, creating the perfect loan resources and ensuring that the storyteller has the perfect books, songs etc. takes money…enter the brilliant BA Diversity and Inclusiveness Grant.

Ta da!

Here’s a quick run down of our plans:

  • The sessions will run once a month in the first instance.
  • Places will be booked in advance, so that the space doesn’t become over crowded.
  • Families can borrow story bags (for a refundable deposit).
  • A social story will be emailed to families, introducing the space and storyteller.
  • A schedule of focus stories will be made available, so that families can pick and choose sessions to suit their child/ren.

As soon as we are ready to rock and roll, we’ll let you know. You may need to give us a month or so, to gather resources – we are super excited and hope that you are too.

In the meantime, if you have any questions at all, let us know.

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Baron Munchausen

Posted on by chickenandfrog

We are super excited that this brilliant show is coming to Brentwood.

This BBC-Featured show promises swords, duels, elephants, castles built of cheese and all of it completely and irrefutably true! Discover how the Baron invented Morris dancing, how his actions saved the Isle of Skye from sinking beneath the waves, why every fourth child in Bruges is named after him and other fantastically delightful stories.

This exciting new concept show features award-winning comedians and improvisers who are challenged by one another to invent outrageously exaggerated swashbuckling stories based on the The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.

You can pay whatever you feel on the day, but tickets must be booked in advance, as space is limited. Call, pop in or message us!

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Creative Writing Club

Posted on by chickenandfrog

Creative Writing Club is having a mini-makeover. It will remain as bright and beautiful as before, but with a little nip and tuck.

As of 4th May, the format will change slightly. For the first 15-20 minutes, children will be invited* to take part in a group activity, with Natasha leading the way. Each week will have a theme – sometimes this will be linked to a specific day or event, others may appear more random!

For the rest of the session, the group may choose to continue with the suggested theme, or go off on a tangent.

We will trial the new format for three months, to give it  a fair chance. Hopefully the children (and parents) will welcome the change.

The sessions will continue to be a drop-in, with no need to book. We suggest age 6+. Parents do not stay, although you are welcome to chill out in the cafe corner. Juice and biscuits will still be provided and drawing will, as always, be highly encouraged.

*If any child wishes to do their own thing from the beginning, that’s absolutely fine.

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4th May: Star Wars Day – space will be our setting.

11th May: Link to Book Club (The Closest thing to Flying) – imagine finding someone’s diary.

18th May: Author, Lexi Rees will be joining us.

25th May: Maps – we will draw maps to kick start our stories.

1st June: Family Trees – create a family tree, which links characters together.

8th June: Alice Day! We will be creating topsy-turvy, nonsense poems.

15th June: Dads feature in so many wonderful tales. Who is your favourite?

22nd June: Surprise!

29th June: Knock-knock…International Joke Day is on the 1st July. What makes something funny?

6th July: Pick a prompt – it’s a lucky dip with a difference.

13th July: Story cubes for zany mini tales.

20th July: It’s the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. We are astronauts.

27th July: J.K.Rowling’s birthday is on the 31st – create your own magical creature or a new cohort of children for Hogwarts.