One of last year's big projects was finishing the Certificate for Music Educators in Early Childhood (CME:EC) accredited by Trinity College London. I was grateful to the Youth Music funded Sounds of Play for funding which made it possible for me to do the course, and wrote to them to describe what I learned. Trinity College published these reflections as a blog which you can read here and I'm also sharing it with you below. "Articulating the potential benefits of the Trinity Certificate for Music Educators (CME) programme to prospective learners can sometimes be a little tricky. Yes, we can t ..read more

When we centre the voices of women and children, we contribute to breaking down patriarchal norms.* Here's how we go about this at B'Opera: ‍♀️ MotherVoice creative sessions online to give those who mother a space to breathe, connect, step away from constant demands and create ‍♀️ Relaxed shows, concerts and workshops where you understand that you can feed, move around, not worry about any noise your little one makes, and step away from the traditional idea that parenting has to look a certain way Offering a range of sessions from weekend morning concerts to weekday morning workshops to eveni ..read more

We groan and grumble when our little ones discover the word “no”. I mean, in our carefully ordered lives where we like to have a little (let’s be honest, for some of us a lot, of control), it’s inconvenient when some tiny dictator decides to do a runner in M&S turning our shopping trip into a full on 25 minute manhunt through racks of sensible clothes while we experience the kind of indescribable heart-stopping panic that shaves years off our lives. Saying “no” is a normal and necessary developmental milestone where a child recognises themselves as separate from their carers, as someone w ..read more

Zoë Challenor - Director, B’Opera What struck me most about B’Opera’s first sharing of Hello Bird, Hello Fish! was that the audience experienced it as the opening of a conversation. And they used the feedback and food session that followed, to reply. There was no preamble, no need for the carefully crafted prompt questions we’d placed on the tables between samosas and carrot sticks. Just straight in with their own stories of exclusion, of being judged for the colour of their skin or their religion, a memory of a song sung by a mother and the emotions it stirs up. A desire for these children t ..read more

Coming to England at Birmingham Rep Theatre I’ve had two lightbulb experiences recently, both a result of engaging with the arts. The first was during Coming to England at Birmingham Rep Theatre last week, the story of Floella Benjamin’s journey from Trinidad to England, and the prejudice she and her family encountered. Of course there was more to her life and to the story than prejudice, but slurs, insults, being chased out of church, and people reporting her family to the police because of the colour of their skin, were a significant part of the play. Young Floella has an aha moment as she ..read more

Photo by Simran Sood on Unsplash What images pop up for you when you think of the word "Mother"? If you fancy making an experiment of it, give yourself 60 seconds to make a note. I'd love it if you'd share them with me. Many of us will find idealised notions of motherhood surfacing - nurturing, giving, unlimited patience, self-sacrifice, being superwoman, perfect endless love, self-denial,... And while we probably all have flashes of some of these, what a handicap of a lie we have all been sold. That on some level motherhood involves trying to be perfect and denying the self. Talk about setti ..read more

Imagine Imagine a world where you're free to be you Instead of being labelled pink or blue Imagine a world that's a little more true Where humans are human whatever their hue Imagine a world where bullies are opposed Before people die and borders close Imagine a world where little kids Aren't put in boxes with well-fitting lids Imagine a world where women can flourish Free to do more than care and nourish Imagine a world that fits everyone's needs Not just the sex that traditionally leads Imagine the look on everyone's faces When women start to occupy spaces Radiating for all they're worth Th ..read more

Read on for our selection of Christmas gift ideas from small businesses, many of them local, mum-run, and ethical. We're aiming to help you to look after the planet, support people who need it, and get unique, special presents wrapped up, all in one go! For little ones You'll love small batch and custom kid’s clothing business @bab_kidswear with gift cards to purchase online from £20. Everything is made by B’Opera mum Sarah, in her home studio in south Birmingham, using 100% natural textiles, minimal waste cutting methods, and careful scrap repurposing to create timeless, stylish, gender-free ..read more

We believe that, like us, you want to leave a planet worth living on for our babies and toddlers. So do you really want to give them more single use plastic this Christmas? According to Wildlife and Countryside, around 114,000 tonnes of plastic packaging will be thrown away and not recycled in the UK this Christmas. One of Britain’s top waste and recycling companies estimates that there are 16.5 million advent calendars containing single-use plastics out there this year, which will be impossible to recycle and will end up either burned or dumped in landfill. 16 and a half million advent calen ..read more

Emergency hospital visits and getting flooded was not what I planned for a half term holiday. They say life is what happens when you’ve made other plans, so I feel confident to say I’ve been really living this week. Yay. If you’ve been reading the blog for any length of time, you’ll know that I’ve talked a lot about what a misnomer the word “holiday” is when you have young children. “Looking after your children in a different location” would be more accurate. “Looking after your children in a different location without any of your usual support networks, while they sleep even less than usual ..read more