North side of Nottingham

Minecraft (MCPE) meetup, Sherwood, Wednesday once a month

MCPE = Minecraft Pocket Edition, a particular version of the Minecraft software, used on tablets & similar devices. Bring your own device to play, or come and watch and chat. Technical & game-learning help available, both on the day and beforehand to set up.

Date: Wednesdays 8 November & 6 December 2017 – and likely to continue once a month after that too.

Time: 3pm to 5pm.

Age range: “Teens-ish”. Primarily 12 to 17, not minding if a few 11-year-olds or 18+ wanted to join in too.

Area: Sherwood, about 3 miles north of Nottingham City Centre, on Purple Line (or Lime Line) buses.

Venue: Get in touch to be told the address.

Price: 50p for drinks & snacks.

Booking, or enquiries: Email minecraft at non-school-nottingham dot org dot uk.

Minecraft is a “virtual environment” where you can build things and travel around. Within the environment, you can do lots of different things – explore, play games with friends, build virtual electronics and mechanics, etc. A lot of home ed young people already play it.

There are various versions of the software, and at this group we will be using Minecraft Pocket Edition, version 1.1.x (where the x represents any number 1 to 9).

This version will run on

iOS

Ubuntu phones & tablets

Android, e.g.

Amazon phones & tablets

NVIDIA devices

Samsung phones & tablets

Sony phones & tablets

(and whichever other phones, tablets etc are running Android).

It won’t run on PCs, Windows devices, or consoles such as the Xbox, PlayStation or Wii.

If you’re not sure what version you’ve got, or whether your device can run the software, or how to install it – get in touch!

The technical side of the group, and the server admin, will be run by one of the home ed teens, who had the idea for this group in the first place.

Before the day, he will check in with each participant to see what kind of games or challenges they’d like to do in the Minecraft session, and give support if anyone needs help with the software.

On the day, we will gather in person, play Minecraft and chat.

Depending on what people want to do, the in-game activities could include creating, exploring, survival, building with Redstone (virtual electronics/mechanics), trolling, using command blocks, customising your character, parkour, “player versus player” etc. If you don’t know yet what these are, don’t worry! There will be plenty of help to learn your way around the game.

We will put people into small groups depending on favourite activities and level of experience. E.g. a new person who just wanted to build something could be put with other new people who just wanted to build something.

If it turned out there were so many interested people that it wouldn’t be feasible for everyone to come on the same day, we may divide the group onto different days as well as different instances of the game.

As a bonus optional extra: there’s a way to play from home on days when you couldn’t make it to the group, joining in with friends you made at the group. And you can do that on other days as well, not just the group meetup day.

The game is virtual but the friends are real!

A Minecraft Guide For People Who Don’t Get Minecraft

The Educational Benefits of Minecraft

Travel: Purple Line buses go fairly near, and there is parking outside.

Physical access: limited for this, sorry. The venue is a house. The meetup will take place on the ground floor. There’s a doorstep at the entrance of about 5cm. The only toilet is upstairs. If this access wouldn’t work for you, but you’d like to be involved, please email info at non-school-nottingham dot org dot uk and/or the meetup organisers.

Minecraft (MCPE) meetup, Sherwood, Wednesday 11 October

Date: Wednesday 11 October 2017 – and probably other dates in the future, not necessarily Wednesdays, depending on what people want & how the first one goes.

Time: 3pm to 5pm.

Age range: “Teens-ish”. Primarily 12 to 17, not minding if a few 11-year-olds or 18+ wanted to join in too.

Area: Sherwood, about 3 miles north of Nottingham City Centre, on Purple Line (or Lime Line) buses.

Venue: Get in touch to be told the address.

Price: 50p for drinks & snacks.

Booking, or enquiries: Email minecraft at non-school-nottingham dot org dot uk.

Minecraft is a “virtual environment” where you can build things and travel around. Within the environment, you can do lots of different things – explore, play games with friends, build virtual electronics and mechanics, etc. A lot of home ed young people already play it.

There are various versions of the software, and at this group we will be using Minecraft Pocket Edition, version 1.1.x (where the x represents any number 1 to 9).

This version will run on

iOS

Ubuntu phones & tablets

Android, e.g.

Amazon phones & tablets

NVIDIA devices

Samsung phones & tablets

Sony phones & tablets

(and whichever other phones, tablets etc are running Android).

It won’t run on PCs, Windows devices, or consoles such as the Xbox, PlayStation or Wii.

If you’re not sure what version you’ve got, or whether your device can run the software, or how to install it – get in touch!

The technical side of the group, and the server admin, will be run by one of the home ed teens, who had the idea for this group in the first place.

Before the day, he will check in with each participant to see what kind of games or challenges they’d like to do in the Minecraft session, and give support if anyone needs help with the software.

On the day, we will gather in person, play Minecraft and chat.

Depending on what people want to do, the in-game activities could include creating, exploring, survival, building with Redstone (virtual electronics/mechanics), trolling, using command blocks, customising your character, parkour, “player versus player” etc. If you don’t know yet what these are, don’t worry! There will be plenty of help to learn your way around the game.

We will put people into small groups depending on favourite activities and level of experience. E.g. a new person who just wanted to build something could be put with other new people who just wanted to build something.

If it turned out there were so many interested people that it wouldn’t be feasible for everyone to come on the same day, we may divide the group onto different days as well as different instances of the game.

As a bonus optional extra: there’s a way to play from home on days when you couldn’t make it to the group, joining in with friends you made at the group. And you can do that on other days as well, not just the group meetup day.

The game is virtual but the friends are real!

A Minecraft Guide For People Who Don’t Get Minecraft

The Educational Benefits of Minecraft

Travel: Purple Line buses go fairly near, and there is parking outside.

“Smile” drama/music show in libraries, Nottingham/Notts, October

“A delightful musical adventure for children aged 3 – 5 and their families”

Date: Various dates from 9 to 20 October 2017.

Day & date in Oct	Which library
Monday 9	Beeston (sold out)
Tuesday 10	Nottingham Central
Wednesday 11	Dales, Sneinton
Thursday 12	Bulwell
Friday 13	Worksop
Monday 16	Mansfield Central
Tuesday 17	Hyson Green
Wednesday 18	Wollaton
Thursday 19	Sutton-in-Ashfield
Friday 20	Arnold

Time: 10.30 to approx 11.10 (running time 40 minutes).

Age range: Aimed at ages 3 to 5.

Price: £2 per child; accompanying adults free.

Bookings: List of dates, libraries and how to book for each one.

Details: Not specifically a home ed thing – open to anyone.

“Augustus the tiger was sad. He had lost his smile.”

Based on the book Augustus and His Smile written and illustrated by Catherine Rayner and published by Little Tiger Press, www.littletiger.co.uk

Find the book in the library system

Access, parking, maps etc: Most library listing pages have some access & travel info. List of Nottingham City libraries, inc Central, Bulwell, Dales (Sneinton), Hyson Green & Wollaton. List of Nottingham County libraries, inc Arnold, Beeston, Mansfield, Worksop and Sutton-in-Ashfield.

STEAM – Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Maths – Sherwood, Mondays

Days: Mondays in school term-time, re-starting September 2017.

Age range: 5 to 11.

Time: 50 minute classes.

	Age	Time
Group 1	5 & 6	12 noon – 12.50pm
Group 2	7 & 8	1pm – 1.50pm
Group 3	9 to 11	2pm – 2.50pm

Venue: Pirate’s Play Centre, 41 Rowley Drive, Sherwood, Nottingham, NG5 1GD.

Area: western side of Sherwood, towards Basford, about 2 miles north of the city centre. Brown Line buses go nearby.

Price & booking: £5 per class includes a 50 minute class and 1 hour of soft play. This is payable to me (Bekky) as a block of classes in advance.

Typically there are 6 classes per block, though it may vary slightly in order to coincide with term-time.

If places are full, I can put your child’s name on a waiting list, and contact you if a place becomes available for the next block.

At the moment, I am unable to offer any one-off trials.

Enquiries: To make the email address, put “bekky_robinson” in front of “yahoo.com” with the “@” sign in between.

What happens:

An hour of hands-on experiments and mathematical discovery, crafts and art, enabling children to develop mathematical and scientific thinking skills, and learn more about how the world works.

It takes place at the Pirates Play Centre in Sherwood, and the owners have very kindly agreed to let those attending the class have a free play before or after the class.

Students practice learning in groups, pairs and individually; they practice their fine-motor-skills through craft work; develop design and creative skills by producing art work and inventions; and learn to use critical and analytical thinking skills to solve problems.

The classes are non-national-curriculum, which gives a wider basis of topics, and prevents us being hemmed in to cover a syllabus.

Each lesson is a self-contained unit and requires no previous knowledge of the subject.

Examples of topics of previous classes include: Dinosaurs; Patterns and Bubbles; Energy; Changes of State; Floating and Sinking; Music and Sound; Space; Ciphers and Codes.

Map showing Pirate’s Play Centre:

Bigger map showing Pirate’s Play Centre

Pirate’s Play Centre web site – the page with maps on.

Nearest bus stop coming from the north: “Leonard Avenue“.

Nearest bus stop coming from the south: “Perry Road” – but there’s not much in it. Leonard Avenue is nearly as close.

Both are on the Brown Line along Hucknall Road. There are frequent buses throughout the day; the 15, 16, 16C or 17 all go there. In town, these buses go from stops T1 and T2 on Milton Road just north of Trinity Square, opposite the Victoria Centre.

Alternatively, if you’re coming from out of town along the Yellow Line along Nottingham Road, your nearest bus stop is called “Haydn Road”. Or if you’re coming from out of town along the Purple or Lime lines, your nearest stop would be a different one called “Haydn Road”. Compared to getting a Brown Line bus, these options mean a bit more walking.

Cars & parking: Note that vehicle access is only along Kelham Drive.

There is parking at Pirate’s, which should be ample during the day when it’ll be mostly us using the venue.

Art: Nottingham city centre on Tuesdays, Bingham on Wednesdays

These groups are run by Sam of Altered Art, for home edders 8+. Optionally, this can be part of working towards Arts Award qualifications (in which case you’d also do other things, e.g. going to some kind of arts event and reflecting on it). Or you can just explore creativity in different ways.

Bingham on Wednesdays

Date: Wednesday afternoons, potentially all year round.

Time: Two groups, each one hour. 2pm to 3pm, and 4pm to 5pm.

Venue: Folks and Fables café, 37 Long Acre, Bingham, Nottinghamshire, NG13 8AF.

Area: Bingham is about 9 miles east of Nottingham, via the A52, or 15 mins by train.

Price: £5 per young person per week, payable in 5 week blocks after an initial trial session, if required.

Physical access: The room where the art happens is up a flight of stairs. The main café area is downstairs, and parents are welcome to stay there.

Nottingham on Tuesdays

New group, starting soon. (The Bingham groups have been running a while.)

Date: Tuesdays, middle of the day, potentially all year round.

Time: 11am to 1pm.

Venue: The Dice Cup Café, 68-70 Mansfield Rd, Nottingham, NG1 3GY.

Area: North side of Nottingham city centre, next to Victoria Bus Station and just slightly north of the Victoria shopping centre.

Price: £8 per young person per week (2 hours), payable in 5 week blocks after an initial trial session, if required.

Physical access: The Dice Cup has flat access. There is a toilet with flat access and a wide door, but without extra bars to help with transfer from a wheelchair.

Information which applies to both venues

Booking or enquiries: contact samalteredart at gmail dot com. Not everyone has to start their five-week block on the same week, so you can potentially start any time if there’s space.

Age range: 8+

For Bronze Arts Award it’s ideally 10 years plus but in my current group in Bingham I’m currently teaching 8 – 14 year olds. I’m happy to discuss with parents their young person’s individual needs. I am qualified to teach from 4-25 years old under the Arts Award scheme and have taught Primary age within schools and adults in the community.

More about the activities:

I teach creative arts. Not drawing and painting as such but experimenting with different mediums and using different techniques. I vary my classes depending on where the young people’s interest lies. I use a lot of recycling and eco friendly products. My group in Bingham have created handmade books using a variety of techniques, some scrap doll/creature/monster/robots and we are now working on a set of Artist Trading Cards to swap with each other! I provide lots of exciting and stimulating materials. I show the young people the techniques needed to complete a project but I encourage a lot of exploration and personal development. There is no “getting it wrong” with my classes and I aim to boost self esteem and self-directed creativity.

I enjoy teaching art to home schooled young people for a number of reasons, including smaller group sizes allow my attention to be more concentrated on each young person, there’s no need for a fixed “learning outcome” and the development of the art projects flow more organically to where a young person’s interest lies rather than, in my experience, where a school wants them to be taught. There are more details about my education background and arts experience on my WordPress site.

Access:

I am happy to accommodate any young person or parent with autism or any learning disability, the location is quite calming and I have a lot of experience with young people who are on the autistic spectrum.

Altered Art website

Altered Art on Facebook

Travel info for Bingham

Map showing Folks and Fables:

Larger version of map showing Folks and Fables

Train: Bingham railway station is about 470 yards’ walk.

Bus:

The bus from Nottingham to Bingham is the Rushcliffe Mainline, run by Trent Barton buses, available to pick up on Friar Lane or Broadmarsh bus station.

Rushcliffe Mainline timetable at Trent Barton

Parking:

There is a free car park 5 minutes walk away and often some onstreet parking in front of the café.

Travel info for Nottingham

Map showing the Dice Cup:

Bigger version of map showing the Dice Cup

Nearest tram stop: “Nottingham Trent University”, about 800 yards’ walk. All trams through the city centre stop here. Tram information.

Nearest bus stops: “Victoria Bus Station” (where many of the Trent Barton buses terminate), “York House” and “Victoria Centre”. Many of the Nottingham City Transport buses come to one or other of these stops; the ones which don’t, mostly have stops on or near the Old Market Square, about 700 yards away.

Nottingham railway station and Broadmarsh bus station are less than a mile away.

Parking: at the Victoria Centre car park (click link for prices).

Drumming, free taster session, Sherwood, Friday 12 August

Date: Friday 12 August 2016.

Time: 11.30am for up to an hour.

Venue: Pirate’s Play Centre, 41 Rowley Drive, Sherwood, Nottingham, NG5 1GD.

Area: off the Hucknall Road about 2 miles north of the city centre, on the western side of Sherwood, towards Basford. Brown Line buses go nearby.

Age range: All welcome at taster. In future, possibility of multiple groups for different age ranges.

Price: This taster is FREE. Please email to book, as places are limited.

Price for the possible future sessions is not yet set, but could be about £6 per person.

Bookings and enquiries: Katy is the parent who’s putting this together. To make the email address, put “Katywwebb” in front of “hotmail.com” with the “at” sign in between. Please do still put your name down if you’re interested in later sessions but can’t get to the taster, so that Katy can assess the level of interest.

I am a home ed mum with 2 boys. We did a workshop with “beatfeet” African drumming which was amazing so I’m now trying to organise weekly classes.

Taster is free, but email to book a place, as space is limited.

From September a weekly advanced booking system will be in place, amount tbc, around £6pp.

I’m hoping to get enough interest to split into age groups of around 4-7, 8-11 and 11+.

BeatFeet homepage – this is who’ll be running the drumming session(s).

OpenStreetMap showing Pirate’s Play Centre.

Pirate’s Play Centre web site – the page with maps on.

Nearest bus stop coming from the north: “Leonard Avenue“.

Nearest bus stop coming from the south: “Perry Road” – but there’s not much in it. Leonard Avenue is nearly as close.

On the map, it looks as though if you’re walking up from the west (e.g. from a yellow line bus), you might be able to turn down some kind of footpath just before the Free School, to take a shortcut to Pirate’s. However, it has gates, so if they’re locked, maybe not. Updates welcome if you’ve been there!

Cars & parking: Note that vehicle access is only along Kelham Drive. There is usually plenty of parking at Pirate’s.

Teens’ climbing group, Nottingham Climbing Centre, one Thursday a month

Date: One Thursday afternoon a month, excepting August – same day as the younger children’s climbing groups, but organised by a different person. Hoping to restart in September 2016, subject to numbers.

Time: Two hour session. Or if you only want an hour, it might be possible to share a place and split the cost.

Age range: Roughly 12-plus, mainly 12 to 16, but flexible depending on young person’s climbing experience & size. Typically there’s a group of 6 to 8 people (minimum 6 for it to run), mix of ages/abilities.

Price: £12 for 2 hours (home ed rate), including harness hire, paid in advance in a block of 3 or block of 4. No refunds if you miss one, because the instructor still has to be paid anyway, but you can get your money back if someone else takes your place that week. If you just want to try it, or you want to join the group and there aren’t currently places, you can be on the waiting list, and dip in when someone can’t make it.

Booking, enquiries, or to express interest: Email teensclimbing at non-school-nottingham dot org dot uk.

Optional qualification: You can work towards the NICAS, “National Indoor Climbing Award Scheme“.

As they learn specific skills, these are noted by the instructor in a logbook (that costs £5 at levels 1 & 2). It is entirely optional, but there is nothing extra or different to do in the sessions, & they can progress at their own pace.

Venue: For all venue and travel info, please see the page about the younger home ed climbing groups.

Free tap dance workshop with live music, Wednesday 10 August, New Art Exchange

Date: Wednesday 10 August 2016.

Time: 6.30pm to 7.30pm.

Venue: New Art Exchange, 39-41 Gregory Boulevard, Nottingham, NG7 6BE.

Area: Forest Fields / Hyson Green. It’s just round the corner from the Forest tram stop / Forest park & ride / Goose Fair site. By tram, 10 mins north of city centre.

Age range: All ages and standards, including beginners, including adults. Tap shoes available to borrow, from child size 10 to adult size 13. Smaller children can wear their own shoes – ideally with a hard sole.

Price: FREE! because it ties in with the Dissonance exhibition, with Beverley Bennett’s art, which is currently on at the NAE.

Booking: via event info page at the NAE site, or by ringing NAE reception on 0115 924 8630… or just by going there before the day and talking to the reception people. Places limited.

This isn’t a non-schoolers’ event as such – it’s open to anyone – but Jess and Stickman are the same people who did some workshops for us earlier in the year. They’re great at the kind of relaxed, flexible leadership style which home ed families tend to like 🙂

Later that same evening, 8pm-9pm, they’ll be playing at NAE in their trio “Untold Rhythm”, a combination of tap dance, spoken word and melody. This performance is not really aimed at children, but children who are old enough to sit still and listen for an hour are very welcome. Again, free and please book tickets in advance, same link & phone number.

This workshop ties in with the “Dissonance” exhibition, where Nottingham-based artists (dance, spoken word etc) take inspiration from Beverley Bennett’s beautiful abstract drawings.

As part of the exhibition, artist Chiara Dellerba created the “tangram floor” and Jessica Murray of Untold Rhythm improvised dances upon it, at three different locations around Hyson Green. A video of the dance expedition forms part of the exhibition, along with a spoken word video from Dave “Stickman” Higgins of Untold Rhythm.

At this workshop, Jess will introduce you to some tap dance moves, Stickman will provide live music, and the tangram floor will be out for everyone to explore its various subtly different sounds!

To get the most out of the workshop, you might like to visit the exhibition first. But if you don’t, that’s fine too – the workshop will still make sense without the rest of the exhibition.

Parents may like to note that as part of a parallel exhibition, there’s currently a lovely “children’s art” room at the NAE, with paper, pens, stickers, dressing-up clothes, electronic screens with a drawing app, etc. Access to the children’s art room is free and no need to book.

Aimed at: everyone who enjoys exploring dance, of any age or standard! Children must be accompanied by an adult.

(Tap shoes will be available to borrow, from child size 10 up to adult size 13. Children with smaller feet can wear any shoes of their own, ideally with a hard sole.)

Map showing New Art Exchange.

Nearest tram stop: “The Forest“. All trams going north out of the city pass through this stop. Tram information.

Nearest bus stops: Coming from town, the tram is more convenient than any of the buses. However, if you want buses anyway…

The L14 runs every half hour to “Hyson Green Asda” stop.

Turquoise Line buses (77 78 79) head west from town to “Player Street” bus stop. From there, you can cross the road, walk down Oldknow Street (with Bridlington Street playground on your left), turn left into Birkin Avenue, turn right onto Gregory Boulevard, for a total of about 600 yards’ walk.

Yellow, Brown, Purple and Lime line buses head north out of town and stop by the Forest, at stops named “Forest Recreation Ground” or “ncn Clarendon College“. From there, you can walk west along Gregory Boulevard or across the Forest, around half a mile.

Parking: There is usually parking at the Park and Ride site at that time of day.

Access: The New Art Exchange has flat access, proper wheelchair-accessible toilets, and lifts to all floors. The only inaccessible space is the actual staircase; this sometimes has artwork on display, but isn’t the location of the Dissonance exhibition. There are two “Blue Badge” spaces next to the building. For more info, see the New Art Exchange access statement (PDF), or contact info@nae.org.uk or 0115 924 8630.

Acting Up home-grown drama club, age 4 to 8, Cinderhill/Aspley, one Tuesday a month

Date: One Tuesday morning a month, usually the first or second Tuesday in the month.

Currently booked for 2016:

7 June
5 July
9 August
6 September
4 October
8 November

Time: 10.30am to 11.30am approx, and we have to leave the premises by 12pm.

Venue: Bells Lane Community Centre, 194 Amesbury Circus, Nottingham NG8 6DD. The community centre is on the inner round bit of the “Circus”, just by the junction with Dulverton Vale.

Area: Cinderhill/Aspley, on 79 and 35 bus lines, about three miles north-west of Nottingham City Centre. Broxtowe Country Park is less than half a mile away “as the crow flies”.

Age range: 4 to 8.

Price: £3.50 individual child or £5 per family.

Booking: Holly says “Please let me know if you’re thinking of coming so I can be on the look out for new faces, and also it helps me to plan accordingly, but there’s no need to book!”

Email: actingup at non-school-nottingham dot org dot uk.

There is a 30 minute slot then a 15 minute break followed by a 20 minute slot.

We start with a welcome song and then I guide participants through the activities.

I aim to include games, songs, movement, rhyme and other exercises to encourage creativity, communication, confidence and, of course, fun (sorry it doesn’t begin with C)!

The sessions are quite flexible and I adapt to the mood/ interests of the participants as much as possible.

Access info:

Disabled access, including parking, ramps and toilets.

I think there are many elements of the session that would be accessible however best to contact me before hand to discuss particular needs.

Map showing Bells Lane Community Centre:

Bigger map showing Bells Lane Community Centre

Nearest bus stop: “Dulverton Vale“, on the 35 route, Orange Line and 79 route, Turquoise Line. Important: there are actually two bus stops on the 79 route both called Dulverton Vale! The one you want is in between stops called “Eltham Drive” and “Walbrook Close/Bells Lane“.

This stop is only about 150 yards from the venue.

Nearest tram stop is Phoenix Park, just over half a mile away – but the buses go much closer.

Parking: There is a small car park, and off road parking too.

Maths & Science age 4 to 8, free taster session, Sherwood, Monday 6 June

Availability: this taster session is now full, but you can ask to go on the waiting list or find out about future classes!

Date: Monday 6 June 2016.

Time: 2pm to 3pm.

Venue: Pirate’s Play Centre, 41 Rowley Drive, Sherwood, Nottingham, NG5 1GD.
to the front.
Area: off the Hucknall Road about 2 miles north of the city centre, on the western side of Sherwood, towards Basford. Brown Line buses go nearby.

Age range: 4 to 8.

Price: This taster is FREE. Future class price to be confirmed, probably about £4 per session. It includes a free go on the soft play area as well, either before or after the class.

Enquiries: Bekky is the organiser.

Email: bekky_robinson at yahoo dot com.

An hour of hands-on experiments and mathematical discovery aimed at young children, to develop mathematical and scientific thinking skills, and learn more about how the world works.

This is a taster session with the intention of a four week block of classes to follow if there is enough interest.

The taster session will be on the theme of Floating and Sinking with hands on experiments, group work and learning through directed play and fun!

It will take place at the Pirates Play Centre in Sherwood, and the owners have very kindly agreed to let those attending the class have a free play before or after the class.

If a child with autism or a learning disability wishes to attend, then if they let me know in advance I can adjust those parts of the class to make it more suitable to their needs.

Map showing Pirate’s Play Centre:

Bigger map showing Pirate’s Play Centre

Pirate’s Play Centre web site – the page with maps on.

Nearest bus stop coming from the north: “Leonard Avenue“.

Nearest bus stop coming from the south: “Perry Road” – but there’s not much in it. Leonard Avenue is nearly as close.

Cars & parking: Note that vehicle access is only along Kelham Drive.

There is parking at Pirates which should be ample during the day when it’ll be mostly us using the venue.