Yesterday (24 April), Sheffield City Council announced the shared launch of two new brilliant resources to support Sheffield children and young people (aged 0-24) and their families in lockdown.

Create Sheffield and 50 things to do before you’re 5 are available from today and completely free to use.

Create Sheffield’s new website hosts a series of fun, creative adventures for young people, children and their families, brought together by Create Sheffield and their partner arts and cultural organisations from across Sheffield. The launch comes at the end of the week which should have seen the start of the summer school term. The website’s activities have been transformed into #homeadventures to try in lockdown. Participants are encouraged to share what they get up to on each home adventure on social media, and to invent their own #homeadventures to share with others across in the city.

‘50 Things to Do before you’re 5’ is also launching a Sheffield-focused version of their website and app.  This fantastic resource particularly aimed at the under 5s has been funded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and special additional material has been put onto the website to help with its use for families in lockdown.

The app offers alternatives to the exciting visits available in Sheffield, with links to museum websites and ideas for home and garden. The 50 Things include activities that are based on research of how children learn. More importantly, they are low/no cost, accessible to every child aged 0 to 5 across the city and are great fun.

Families can get involved and share their adventures on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using #50ThingsSheffield #homeadventures

Go online at www.sheffield.50thingstodo.org and www.createsheffield.co.ukand start your adventures today.

Free e-Library during 'lockdown'

Have you exhausted all your literary content in the house? Sheffield's e-library can help.

Sheffield Libraries subscribes to a digital platform called RBdigital.

It is a simple to use app for your Phone, Tablet or Computer, and can give you access to a variety of library services. These include Magazines, ebooks, current magazines, audiobooks and comics.

With much thanks to the Carterknowle and Millhouses residents group...

"You really don't need to put a name to the bird to enjoy its song, but most people recognise some birds' songs and usually wish they could know what they've heard. Well, Mark Avery can help you a bit with that because in this time of lockdown he has been writing a series of blogs about bird song: what particular birds sound like and bits and pieces of science, literature and personal stories thrown in. There are 20 short blogs on bird song so far and they lead you through some of our commoner songsters, and tell you something about them. At this time of year, more and more bird species are arriving back with us from their wintering grounds in Africa and he will be writing about them over the next few weeks too.
 

Here are links to the first 20 published blog posts. See https://markavery.info/blog/

1. Introduction

2. Great Tits

3. Song Thrush

4. Songs and calls

5. Dunnock

6. Blackbird

7. More on Great Tits

8. Chiffchaff

9. Even more on Great Tits

10. Yet more on Great Tits

11. Robin

12. Great Tits again

13. Greenfinch

14. Chaffinch

15. Wren

16. Skylark

17. Blackcap

18. Sonagrams

19. Willow Warbler

20. Cuckoo

This series of blog posts is illustrated with Tim Melling's photographs and the sounds come from the xeno-canto website.

 New Writing Festival 2020

Tuesday 18th February - Saturday 22nd

Lantern Theatre celebrates new words, new faces and new voices

Tel: 0333 666 3366 to buy tickets or buy online at www.lanterntheatre.org.uk

Wednesday 12 February, 9.30 am

Friends of Brinkcliffe Edge Woods volunteers start their 2020 programme......

Dress warmly and meet at the top entrance to the Wood above the entrance to Chelsea Park

A Happy New Year to all Nether Edge Historians!
 

Wednesday 8 January 6-8 pm, in the Union pub

‘NETHER EDGE SHOPS AND THEIR HISTORY’

Short talk and discussion.

All welcome!