This week Martha went to the toddler group Bethany Babes at the Bethany Baptist Church, Caldicot. This is a group we enjoy going to regularly and so it seems only right to make other people aware of it through our blog. The group has been run by Anita Dobbs for 16 years, which is an incredible amount of time to dedicate to little ones in the area. Anita retired from running the group before Easter and it will be taken over by Melissa Linforth, moving to Monday mornings at the same time, from 10am – 11:30. The group intends to provide a safe play environment for parents and grandparents to bring their young children. They spend time together playing, singing, reading stories, making craft and eating healthy snacks.
The group is really friendly and parents are welcomed when they arrive. There is a contribution for entry and then for parents there is the option of tea, coffee, bacon sandwiches and cake at a small additional cost. Children are registered on their first session and then their attendance is marked on the register each week so it is all very simple. They are given snacks and drinks free of charge.
To begin with the children have free play. There are lots of toys for them to play with as well as a slide, play kitchen, various trikes and a dressing up rail to name a few. For babies, there are bouncers and mats for them to lie on as well as baby toys to keeps them occupied. It is a great time for children to burn some energy, interact with other children and for parents to have a catch up with friends. It doesn’t take long to get to know people as the group is popular and parents tend to come regularly.
Once the children have had free play, they go into another room for their snack. There is a long table with little chairs for them to sit on and lots of snacks for parents to chose for them. This week Martha had some hot cross bun, ham, cheese, crips and a few mini chocolate biscuits. There is variety each week. For parents, the teas and coffees go down well and for those who opted for them, the bacon sandwiches do too. The cakes are delicious and whilst the little ones eat, the parents can catch up with each other and have a moment to themselves which as all of us know, is always appreciated.
After snack time there is more free play before song time. A big bag of instruments is brough out which the children make a run for as it doesn’t take long for them to learn the routine. Then a few songs are played which all the children enjoy dancing along to and Anita shows them the moves. It has to be said that the parents seem to have fun joining in with the songs too. Then at the end is the group’s favourite song, the wiggle song, which the children go mad for!
Once song time is finished, it is time to tidy up. The children help with this amazingly well before going home. The lovely thing about the group for me, is that Martha has a fun packed morning and is then ready for a nap before we get going again in the afternoon. It’s a great way to spend the morning and speaking to other parents, many get some jobs done in the village between school drop off and the toddler group starting, so it makes for a very positive and productive morning all round.
It is worth noting, that as well as the toddler group, the Baptist Church runs some other sessions which are good for parents and children. There is a coffee shop which opens every Tuesday from 11am – 3pm. The aim of the coffee shop is provide a friendly welcoming space to relax and recharge over a cuppa. They also run Kapow kids club which is on Fridays from 6pm – 7pm. This is obviously for older children but provides them with lots of fun including games and songs and there is a tuck shop which goes down a treat. There are also one off fun events for children, for example the upcoming Easter themed celebrations, so it is well worth keeping an eye out for what is coming up.
Back to the toddler group, we think it is great and well worth coming along to a session to see for yourselves. You will be pleased you did. If you want to find out more about the toddler group they have a dedicated facebook page https://www.facebook.com/bethanybabestoddlergroup and you can also email Melissa on kidz@bethanycaldicot.com.
