This week it’s all runny noses in my #allergies story. You can hear about Shaniqua’s #hayfever with #DrRanj at
https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/radio/tennis-twins-and-tissues
Why doesn’t her twin sister get it?
And what’s the top tennis tip?
Is there a top tennis tip? You’ll have to listen to find out. Carefully or you’ll miss it.
You missed it didn’t you.
Never mind. The story isn’t aimed at you reading this – I suspect you are much older than six. All of these allergy podcasts are written to help younger children. Alongside the stories, children talk about their own allergies and Dr Ranj Singh gives helpful advice. I hope that your little ones find them useful and of course enjoyable.
I’m so glad to have written the stories for this fantastic series helping kids across the UK who have allergies, while making others aware of how they can help. https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/radio
Starting from 10th Jan with a new show every Wednesday until 7th February , this cracking series about allergies is not to be sniffed at.
I’ll stop right there with the puns because allergies are only funny until you have one yourself. Then it can be tiresome, disruptive, frightening, especially when you’re not yet even six. To be the odd one out, with special food, special gloves, special medicine, when you’re feeling poorly, doesn’t feel very special at all.
This series of five audio downloads explores different chronic conditions that some children may suffer: asthma, allergies to pet dander, nuts, dairy, pollen… what’s it like to suddenly react badly to something? What’s it like when it happens to your friend? What’s it like to have to guard what you eat or drink or touch? What’s it like to not be able to eat your own birthday cake?
When you put it like that, it’s all a bit grim.
So I didn’t put it like that.
After all, these stories are for CBeebies and CBeebies is never grim. So expect fun stories with nutty detectives, cub scouts, tennis aces, guinea pigs and pigeons, all read beautifully by the wonderfully reassuring Dr Ranj.
Of course the stories answer all of those questions above: I based them on patient testimony and the expertise of a specialist nurse. You can hear some of the children talking about their conditions in each episode as well. My lovely producers were pleased with the result. I hope that you and your little ones will be too.
I wish you a Christmas full of joy, love and hope,
With laughter and peace, but no time to mope.
I hope you feel loved and can share that with others,
Like strangers and friends, aunties and brothers.
But the wish I wish most while I have this one chance,
I hope you don’t get pine cones in your pants.
I’m saying nothing about needles.
A Warning to Little Shrews
Winston the cat
Is big, black and fat.
But his mew is so cute,
You’d never guess he’s a brute
Who likes to kill rats
And other tom cats.
He curls on the chair
With a warm sleepy stare.
But when you think he’s at rest,
He’s at his cruel, vicious best.
So little shrew beware:
Winston knows that you’re there.
He’s watching you peep
And feel safe and then creep
To the fridg- Bam! goes his paw
As he strikes with his claw
And sinks his teeth deep
And eats even your squeap!
Please note: ‘Squeap’ is the sound a shrew makes as it disappears in one big gollop into a big black fat cat. There’s no time for squealing and or squeaking – the k gets swallowed. Trust me.
We went to the theatre yesterday, my auntie Jayne and me. I was a bit scared because Mummy had said it’s like the pictures but they’re alive and that sounded weird. So we took Oma because she knows what to do.
We had to wait while Auntie Jayne got the tickets and that was boring but then this boy came up to me with his mum and she said she liked my school hoodie and that the boy was starting at my school in September. So I’ll be in the next class up and she said that would be nice for him and Oma said so too and so did Auntie Jayne so I suppose it will but I just thought I’ll be bigger than him. And that will be nice.
And then we went in through these big doors and there were two girls with books all about Grandpa In My Pocket because that’s what we had come to see and Oma bought two and the room was dark and I had to find the letter E on the seats and some numbers. It was very big and dark except for the front which was all bright and looked like a seaside with beach huts and Oma said it was The Stage.
Then all the lights went out and some people came onto The Stage and they danced and looked very happy. They didn’t look like Jason Mason or Grandpa much but they said they were going to pretend and I like pretending and they had a great big dressing up box and then they did look like Jason Mason and the man looked like Grandpa and then he did the shrinking thing!
I could see the other man moving Grandpa’s legs but then he just disappeared and all I saw was Grandpa running across The Stage and hiding and it was fun and then the Bank Manager got to be a pirate afterall and they all sang songs.
We had ice creams in tubs at half time. Mine was chocolate and Auntie Jayne had blueberry and Oma had mini chedders. That is not an ice cream. And Oma bought me some planes to build but I didn’t have time to build them because then they were all on the island and there were some big birds and Grandpa had to go back to get help with a message that Mr Liker Biker found so he rowed in his boat all the way round our seats to get to the island and rescued everyone and they found all the things that had been lost.
My best bits were the pirate and when they all ran round the seats and I liked Grandpa flying in his plane. It was very funny and we all sang along and clapped when everyone danced. Even Oma. But Auntie Jayne sings too loudly.
When we got home, Auntie Jayne said it was very well written and a great show for children and their grown ups. Mummy said I had to say thank you to Auntie Jayne and give her a kiss but I didn’t want to because her chin is spiky. But I was glad she took me because I loved it. I told Oma that even before we had our ice creams. I did say thank you because I did like the theatre and I like Grandpa In My Pocket. I like it on telly but I loved it on The Stage because it wasn’t just on The Stage but all around me and it made me laugh a lot and Grandpa was really clever.
Grandpa In My Pocket is at Nottingham Playhouse until 11 August 2012. Auntie Jayne says take some children and have some fun. She thinks it would be a great trip for Beavers or Rainbows and much more fun than sitting in the rain.