BLOG ARCHIVES

  • TOP TIPS ON TENNIS, TWINS AND #TISSUES ON #CBEEBIES RADIO

    AUTHOR: // CATEGORY: Books, Children's Health, Children's stories, Education, Parenting, Screenwriting, Writing for Children

    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.

  • JAYNE’S COLOURFUL STORIES AND POEMS ON CBEEBIES RADIO!

    AUTHOR: // CATEGORY: Children's Poetry, Children's stories, Children's TV, Education, Screenwriting

    Had to abandon several plans this summer because those lovely people at CBeebies Radio asked me to to write some stories and poems for them sharpish. Hopefully my friends, real and imaginary, didn’t feel too neglected and they, especially if they’re under six years old, will enjoy the results. You can hear them from today on the BBC iplayer radio app, just look for the Cbeebies bug! Then from next Monday 6th November you can download my story The Paintpots from the CBeebies website

    The following Monday your little ones will be able to hear all about a quite magnificent Sock Drawer!

    And in between listen out for poems about the sounds of colours – how do they sound to you?

    Developing and writing these was a blast and an education. Here are some of the key things I learnt during this project:
    – Yellow is an existential colour
    – D.H. Lawrence has a lot to answer for
    – Snail snot should never be underestimated

    None of these conclusions found their way into the CBeebies material, you’ll no doubt be happy to learn. Instead, your preschoolers will enjoy discovering, for example that:
    The colour yellow is a primary colour
    But it’s a great mixer and go between.
    If blue gets all flustered, yellow really cuts the mustard,
    Shouting, “Bananas in custard!
    Hey look: we’ve made green!”

  • SHAMELESS SELF PUBLICITY, TODAY “IT’S A BING THING”

    AUTHOR: // CATEGORY: Animation, Books, Children's Media Campaign, Children's stories, Children's TV, Education, The Children's Media Foundation

    Today, Friday 28th November, and Monday 1st December, I have episodes of “Bing” screening on CBeebies.  Today’s episode is called “Jingly Shoes” and goes out at 9.10am and 1.10pm.  If, like me you were doing something this morning and missed it, it will also be on BBC i-player.

    “Looking After Flop”, goes out at 9.10am on Monday and then repeated at 1.10pm (and then also on BBC i-player.

    I loved writing for these delightful characters; each one is full of raw emotion, wonder and real love, reflecting the lives of the very special people this show is aimed at, three to six year olds and their carers.  I hope you and more importantly, any little ones you know, enjoy watching them.  I’d love to hear what you think.

  • GRANDPA IN MY POCKET: THE STAGE SHOW

    AUTHOR: // CATEGORY: Children's Theatre, Children's TV

    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.