Who is Sinterklaas and how do Belgians celebrate 6 December?

Who is Sinterklaas and how do Belgians celebrate 6 December?

 

Whilst in most countries children must wait until the last few days of the year to unwrap gifts below their Christmas tree, in Belgium, they are visited by a jovial old man dressed in red on 6 December every year. But only if they behave, that is.

 

On the evening of 5 December, children across Belgium will leave a shoe in the living room and the next morning (provided they have been good throughout the year) they will wake up to presents, as well as speculoos, chocolate Sint figures, chocolate coins, marzipan and tangerines.

 

To read more about this tradition: https://www.brusselstimes.com/.../who-is-sinterklaas-and...

Who are HIVE

 

Kooth

Children and young people with a parent Serving in the Armed Forces often face moving from place to place with their family, living overseas, attending several schools, leaving friends behind and making new ones. Being part of an Armed Forces family can also mean long periods of separation from the Serving parent when they are deployed or away training.

Kooth and the British Army Regional Command, on behalf of the Ministry of Defence, are working together to provide easy access to mental health and well-being support for children and young people aged from 11 to their 19th birthday. Kooth.com/mod is available for all children and young people with a Serving parent and children and young people who are living overseas with parents working for the MOD or British Government.

Dispelling HIVE Myths

 

GamCare: Changing your relationship with gambling

GamCare has designed these resources to assist anyone who has recognised that gambling may be an issue for them. If you have arrived at this realisation and have made the decision that you would like to change your relationship with gambling, the following workbook is designed to help you, working at your own pace.

Gambling problems can have many impacts for an individual, their family and their friends. If at any time you would like additional support from the GamCare team, you can contact us over the phone on Freephone 0808 8020 133

 

Launch of Army Official Health & Wellbeing Closed Facebook Group

A new Health and Wellbeing Facebook group has been launched for Regular and Reserve Army personnel only. The aim of this group is to provide access to information on relevant topics (including policy updates and useful articles) and will also act as a forum for peer-to-peer support.

Join the group by using the link below (forwarded to your personal device) or it can be found on Facebook through searching Army Health and Wellbeing. Once joined please share the group far and wide with your Army colleagues. They will be asked a series of questions to confirm that they are serving – please ensure that these are completed fully. 

Link 👉   www.facebook.com/groups/1061344861429921/

Kooth - health and well-being support for Service children

Need to talk? If you are a child with a parent serving in the British Armed Forces or working for the MOD or the British Government in the UK or overseas, you can find support anonymously for your mental health and wellbeing today. Available for children aged 11 until their 19th birthday.

You can find:

• Live chat with a friendly mental health practitioner
• Helpful articles
• Discussion boards
• Self-help tools

Sign up for free today at kooth.com/mod

Launch of Kooth - Online mental health and wellbeing support if you're aged 11-18

Kooth is now available for children (aged 11 until their 19th birthday) with a parent serving in the British Armed Forces or working for the MOD or the British Government in the UK or overseas.

The free, safe and anonymous mental wellbeing platform allows you to chat with a friendly mental health practitioner, find support from a helpful community or use a range of self-help tools.

Find out more at www.kooth.com/mod

Things to do; Dock 79; Tree climbing, water sking, indoor bouldering and huge water inflateables!

Only around 15 minutes from SHAPE, this Outdoor recreation area includes rope courses, water rides and bouldering, plus yoga classes and concerts.

We went as a family to do the tree rope course. The children loved it and we all had a good three and a half hours of climbing. The instructors were great, all spoke good english. 

We had a great afternoon and the children had a brilliant time and came back tired (bonus!)

Website;  http://dock79.be/

Costs; For the tree climbing that we did, it was 20 euro for adults and children over 10. 

Children 6-9 years it was 15 euro - but they need a paying adult to go one with them. 

So for a family of 5 it was 95 euro. Family of 4 would be around 75 euro.

Children under 6 are 10 euro. This is for the mini course. An adult must stay but no need to pay.

There are other activities and you can often combine two activities which can work out more cost effective. More detail can be found here; https://dock79.be/nos-packs/

 

You can book ahead or you can turn up. We went early and just turned up. 

 

Address: Rue de la Hamaide 79, 7333 Saint-Ghislain

 

Phone; 065 66 25 07 

 

Distance from SHAPE; 23 Minutes drive

 

Dogs; Are allowed on a leash

 

Food; It states no food to be brought in, but you can bring water and snacks and eat them somewhere outside. (We brought our own water as it was very hot and a few biscuits to keep us going!)  There are places to buy drinks and snacks/ ice creams and some food options.

Other prices; The inflatable swimming is 10 euro for one hour and 15 euro for two hours. Children must be over 6 and all must wear a life jacket

This is a nice place to hang out. There are bars and out door seating. We sat and had an ice cream after and watched the water skiers's trying to not fall off!

Things to do; Visit Gent and the Castle (Gravensteen)

Gent (sometimes spelt Ghent also) is a beautiful town and well worth a visit with it's charming buildings and warm atmosphere

Similar to Amsterdam and Bruges but smaller and less crowded. Lots of streets to wander round packed with stunning architecture. Lots of places to eat and drink in all price brackets. The castle which is well worth a visit and beautiful cathedrals. Lots of quirky and interesting shops and cafes.

It is walkable to everywhere so if your going with children it's not too bad walking wise. We parked here Sint-michiels parking which was really central to everything and not expensive. We were there for a day and it was around 10 euro.  

The castle known as Gravensteen is well worth a visit. For a family of 5 we paid 24 euros ( children under 13 are free and over 13 it is 2 euro)  For this you also get the audio tour with a phone like device. This was really funny and kept us and the children very entertained on our visit. You can book ahead but we got tickets on the day.

Website for the Castle;  https://historischehuizen.stad.gent/en/castle-counts

Prices for Castle;  https://historischehuizen.stad.gent/en/castle-counts/visit/practical-info

Distance from SHAPE; One hour 20mins by car

Toilets; Yes and in the car parking also (free) which was great when you arrive somewhere with three children needing a wee! we usually have to hunt around first when arriving somewhere to find some.

Dogs; On a lead. Not permitted in the castle. 

Food and Drinks - Lots of places to eat and drink - spoilt for choice! 

Buggy friendly - yes though probably not in the castle 

Kid friendly - yes a great day out for all the family

 

Escape the heat and come on in, the water’s lovely

Escape the heat and come on in, the water’s lovely

Explore a pick of lakes and waterways where you can fish, float, paddle and plunge to your heart’s content

https://www.thebulletin.be/escape-heat-and-come-waters...

 

Top 10 city destinations under 5 hours from Brussels by train

 

Top 10 city destinations under 5 hours from Brussels by train

 

2 hours to London, 4 hours to Lyon. With hundreds of delayed and cancelled flights in Belgium this summer, those could be your waiting times at the airport. But it is also how long it takes to travel to these European cities by train, which allows you to hop off right in the centre.

https://www.brusselstimes.com/.../top-10-city...

Summer water safety

As the warmer weather approaches and we enjoy more time outdoors, the risks to families around pools, rivers and beaches increases.

Please read these top tips from the RLSS to keep your family safe in the water.

Things to do; Provincie Domein Kessel Lo

 Provincie Domein Kessel Lo 

There is a fantastic park here and lots of places to walk and picnic. Two Amazing Play Area's will keep the children entertained. There are lots of walks also and a great place to explore. 

There is a cafe and food and drinks to buy or a great place to take a picnic. There are also toilets. Dogs are fine but need to be kept on a lead.

There is also a large outdoor swimming pool open in Summer Season. The pool you need to pay for and book ahead, the park is free of charge.

Map; CLICK HERE

Distance from SHAPE; One Hour and 5 minutes 

Website; https://www.vlaamsbrabant.be/nl/vrije-tijd-en-toerisme/provinciedomein-kessel-lo

 

Swimming Pool (open in Summer)

Ticket for the pool must be booked in advance. The slots are done in two 3 hours slots a day. 

For more information;  CLICK HERE

To book tickets; CLICK HERE 

To contact the park; 016 25 20 30

Map of the park; For a full map of the park; CLICK HERE 

There are lots of other Activities at this park including Mini Golf, Boating and Tennis. These can be booked on line at https://www.vlaamsbrabant.be/nl/vrije-tijd-en-toerisme/provinciedomein-kessel-lo

Things to do; Lac's Eau d' Heure

The Eau d'Heure lakes is a complex of five artificial lakes in Wallonia, forming the largest lake area in Belgium.

Beautiful nature, great for biking, walking and swimming. Many routes for mountain biking. You can also rent bikes, Jet ski's and boats.

The lakes are great for Wind surfing, paddle boarding and diving.  

There are also playgrounds for children.

This is a great day out, Hot sunny dates the popular places and beach area's can get busy. However the lakes are large and there are quieter spots elsewhere. There ism also accommodation to stay in nearby if you want to make a weekend of it, for example Landal.

Beaches at Lac d' Heure are now open from June 15 to September 15th 

Beach Swimming Area Plate Taille (11h-19h) 7days/7days:

- supervised swimming

- free access

- unauthorized picnic

 

Swimming area Falemprise beach (11am-19pm) 7days/7days:

- supervised swimming

- free access

- picnic is allowed

- Green flag (swimming is allowed)

- Red flag (swimming is not allowed)

 

Website;  https://www.lacsdeleaudheure.be/

 

Distance from SHAPE; 55 minutes by car 

Free Parking

 

Map;  CLICK HERE

Stay on track with walking routes in the countryside this summer

Flemish Brabant really comes into its own in the summer. The green belt surrounding Brussels is all fields, flowers and fresh-smelling forests. 

 

The good news is that it is now easier for us city folk to find a walk and not get lost. There are two options: A signposted walk or the node-to-node network. The first kind is mapped out for you, and you just find the start and follow the signs. 

 

The walk will always bring you back where you started.

 

For more information; https://www.thebulletin.be/stay-track-walking-routes-countryside-summer