OKS Spotlight: Adventure Babies

What’s your name and where do you come from?

My name is Joanne Mallaber and I was born in Stockport and apart from 3.5yrs in London I’ve been pretty much bred up North.

I answer to Jo, Mum, Mama and consecutive shouts of Mum at loud volume from my two children Reuben and Imogen. I run South Manchester Adventure Babies classes which centre on the importance of storytelling and adventure play.

Find Jo on Twitter at @Adv_babiesSMCR

What are you going to be doing at the Social?

As my second collaboration with Our Kids Social I am going to be taking the littlest party goers on a literary adventure. They’ll be songs, spells and sparkles!

If you have been to a Social before, what did you enjoy the most? If not – what are you looking forward to the most?

I love the fact that there are so many different things to do all underneath one roof for families. It’s great if like me, you have two children of different ages wanting to be entertained in different ways. Little ones can dip in and out of so many activities.

Parents can relax and join in the fun that they might not always get to see if they are working during the week. It’s also a lovely way of carrying on the fun of toddler classes that happen during the week with a child who has just started school, like my Reuben.

At this time of year when the nights are drawing in and the weather is unpredictable it’s great to be able to plan to go to an event that will definitely go ahead come rain or shine!!

What are your top tips for keeping the family entertained in the North West?

The great outdoors, puddlesuits and wellies!! There are so many walks, parks, hills, canals and beaches to walk down and explore with your little ones.

My little ones love mud, mess and open spaces. Afternoons at Dunham Massey, The Crocky Trail and Formby Beach have all been big hits with Reuben and Imogen.

Have you been to any great festivals and are there are you want to go to?

We did our first family festival this Summer at Just So. Myself and my husband haven’t done any festivals before and we had only recently taken both children camping before Just So so it felt like a baptism of fire when we arrived.

However, once we had sorted the logistics of getting the contents of a packed car and two children from the car park to the campsite we quickly embraced festival life and enjoyed every minute of it. Loved the spontaneity of it all.

Where is your favourite place for a knees up without the nippers?

We moved to Flixton at the beginning of this year so we are slowly discovering our new stomping ground of Flixton and Urmston.

So far we’ve enjoyed drinks at the Prairie Schooner Taphouse, The Barking Dog and The Surgery restaurant. All of the establishments have opened in the last 3 years.

What was the first album / single you can remember buying? How old were you and what format did you buy it in?

I can’t remember what my first purchase was but I do remember receiving Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford singing “The Phantom of the Opera” on a 7 inch for my birthday one year. I think I was 6 at the time. Oh I wish this was a cooler gift!

The next record I was mad for a couple of years later was The Bangles Eternal Flame. I then went down the Kylie and Jason route of music for a few years. Child of the 80’s.

What would be your band T-shirt if choice?
The only band T-shirt I’ve ever owned is my James T-shirt from when I saw them at Hammersmith Apollo 6/7 years ago.