Fun Drop-in Musical Sessions, Drop-in Drama and creative musical fun sessions and Sporty Tots Fitness sessions for Babies and Toddlers, and
pre-schoolers ranging from Birth to 6 years!

"Jacqu'in the Box" 10th ANNIVERSARY

So what is “Jacqu'in the Box”?
“Jacqu'in the Box” sessions last for 45 action packed minutes. Colourful props and puppets come out of my boxes each week to accompany all the action songs and rhymes and enhance the children’s perception of sound and rhythm. We then play a wide variety of percussion instruments and dance and sing along to a selection of carefully chosen tunes.
These sessions are very relaxed and are all about children having fun and expressing themselves in their own little ways. I am purely there to guide them and if they wish to get up and explore, dance, chat to me or wander around in their own little worlds then that is fine with me and I really do not want you as parents or carers to feel obliged to make them sit and pay rigid attention.
As the weeks go by they all take it in turns to join in, wander about, create mayhem, refuse to dance etc the list goes on.
It always amazes me that the child that everyone thinks pays the least attention has actually absorbed such a lot and whilst one week they may fiddle incessantly with an emergency exit, the next week they know all the actions to one of the songs from the previous week. All children are different and all unique, but each have the same basic instincts and behavioural patterns and from my experience I think that it is fair to say that each child will have its good days and its bad days and as time goes on the most angelic child will become the most infuriating monkey! So don't sit and quietly sweat when it is your child’s turn, for we are all parents and we all understand that at any time it could be our 'little treasure' who makes his presence felt. After all, to listen, to observe and react is what we are asking of them.

As long as they remain safe, and do not cause other children harm then wandering around the room is all part of their learning process and I certainly do not mind.
The children are, of course inadvertently learning a lot of new skills and growing in confidence. It is a great pleasure to meet and get to know your children. They are pure innocence and utter delight at the same time as being extremely fickle and hell bent on doing the opposite of what is required!
The very small "Jacqu'in the Box" recruits avidly watch and mimic the older children and their capacity to absorb their surroundings is amazing.
Also the older children benefit greatly from shared experiences with their younger brothers or sisters.
Often the new babies of the older children who already attend have been hearing the noise and the music from inside the womb and it is very rare occurrence that a small baby will cry at the sound of the instruments being played even though it can be quiet deafening!

Hopefully there is something to appeal to everyone!
Anyway, what I really wanted to convey is that these musical sessions are an opportunity for you and your children to have fun, make a noise, dance, feel the rhythm and generally relax together.
For all of us with busy, hectic schedules, working or juggling several children and other commitments, these classes are designed to be very flexible to suit everyone so you may come along to any of the classes on a drop-in basis and swap around according to your changing routines. There is no need to book and no termly fees and therefore you will not lose out if unable to come one week.
Obviously the size of the groups does vary and I can never be sure of exact numbers, however it is unusual to expect more than 30 children at once.
New recruits are always welcome and you may come along to any of the classes listed on the next page that suit you and may change from one venue to another according to your weekly plans.
During School holidays some of the sessions will still be taking place and older siblings who will join in constructively are welcome to join in too! As the sessions are run as drop-in classes it sometimes proves difficult to let people know if a session has to be cancelled for some reason. This is a rare occurrence but if you do wish to call in advance to check with Jacqui then please do feel very free to do so. It is no bother to take your calls! 01296 589335 or Jacqui’s mobile 07948371615

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My name is Jacqui Tomlin.
It’s hard to believe that “Jacqu’in the Box” will be 10 years ol this July!!
I started the fun drop-in musical sessions up when my own children were 4 years old, 2 years old and 5 months old!
George is now a whopping 14 year old who towers above me with size 9 feet, Robert is 11 and just starting secondary school and Henry, my little guinea pig for the classes back in 1999, is now 9!
I was first introduced to music classes for children when George was 18 months old and decided to put his name down for a group whereby the fees were paid for the whole term in advance and the classes ended for the school holidays. I found it quite hard to find the money in a big lump sum to pay for these classes, having given up my full time job as an Air-hostess with Britannia Airways. Also George was still not in a set routine. On some days he would sleep mid morning and some days mid afternoon. I certainly did not feel like interrupting any of his sleep periods as these afforded me the luxury of time to sit back and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee, or a chance to tidy up the mayhem in my house!
George attended these classes for one term only. Even though I could tell that he loved the music and the chance to play instruments, he was far too young to grasp the concept of sitting still and listening to the teacher and consequently I would sit and get agitated and embarrassed if George wanted to get up and wander about. I was quite an over protective mother at that time, as when George was just 17 months old I went in to labour at 36 weeks with his brother, but by some cruel act of nature the placenta detached whilst Harry was still inside and after he had been delivered by emergency caesarean he only survived for 48 minutes.Somehow this made George even more special than I already knew that he was and I was determined that any groups that I took him to would first and fore-mostly be a tremendous amount of fun. This is what “Jacqu'in theBox music” sessions are all about.