Officrèche Blog

Puppets, balloons and three baby discos, there is so much aimed at the under fives during this year’s Brighton Fringe. After taking her daughter to Fringe shows before she was two-years-old, mum and Officréche blogger Sarah Booker Lewis seeks out the best this year has to offer. Most shows are shorter than an hour keeping […]

Spring is here and lambs are appearing in farmers’ fields with their mothers. Many farms in Sussex open their doors to families so children can learn about rural life, writes Sarah Booker Lewis. It is a chance for our youngsters to get up close to farm animals and learn about country life. Coombes Farm in […]

The following was written by Max St John, founder of The Needs Work and an Officrèche parent. As a parent, life seems to become all about managing difficulty. From terse conversations with your partner after a crap nights’ sleep or negotiating with small children on simply getting their f**king clothes on to crashing through your day […]

There’s always something on in Brighton and Hove, and September brings a month of events with the annual Digital Festival. You may think it’s for the adults and older children, but Sarah Booker Lewis found four family friendly events for smaller folk. Hello Lamp Post It is a little embarrassing that my three-year-old holds up […]

Pirate fancy dress and treasure hunt is just one fun event happening this weekend. Image by Juhan Sonin licenced by Creative Commons     It’s the last bank holiday weekend of the year, apart from Christmas (let’s not think about that one too much but cards are in the shops). As a freelancer I try […]

Let’s be honest, Brighton beach isn’t great for children, writes Sarah Booker Lewis. We may take our little people for a jaunt along the pier, but between the Palace Pier and i360 the prolific number of bars is not inviting to  toddler. Sand is lacking, even at low tide. There is a patch of sand […]

What a bright and loud series of thunderstorms we’ve experienced during the last couple of weeks, writes Sarah Booker Lewis. My husband and I have taken it as a learning opportunity for our curious almost three-year-old, so she doesn’t feel fearful about loud noises, flashes and bangs. When a storm hits, looking out for flashes […]

Trains are an adventure. A big train takes children to new and exciting places, but miniature railways are a whole world of fun, writes Sarah Booker Lewis. This is why grown men have miniature locomotives and let families ride on them. Toddlers and preschoolers often enjoy playing with toy trains and miniature railways are a […]