Relocating across the country or around the world can be an exciting time for any family, but the ongoing success of that transition frequently depends on the support and welcome from the new community. At the International School of London our reputation is founded on the motivation of our students, the skills of our faculty and the support of our parent community. We have forty years of successful implementation of the International Baccalaureate, we inspire our students to develop their intellect, creativity and character by recognising that each and every one of them is unique. Here are some tips to help ease the transition:

- Think through the entire process

A good transition will require time and preparation, and your children will need to be involved through a good part of it. You can decide when to tell them, but don't keep it a secret from them. Kids may not understand what is happening, but they will sense that something is happening.

- Let your children be a part of the transition

Involve them in decisions, so they can begin with their mental transition. If possible, take them to visit their new home and school, so they can see what is waiting for them.

- Make sure the transition does not interrupt their favourite activities

Children need to know that their interests can relocate with them. Identify potential places where they can continue their favourite activity, be it ballet, swimming, or football.

- Research potential schools

For children, schools are much more than places to learn. They are the portals into their new life. Their new school will become the centre of their social world and help shape their identity. Your children's school can be instrumental in a successful transition, and identifying one which understands the importance of soft landings can make all the difference.

- Transition assistance

Transition and relocation programmes are essential, and some schools have mastered them, creating a space where parents and children quickly feel integrated within their new community.

- Start school on the same day as everyone else

If possible, let your children start school on the same day as everyone else. That's usually when new students enter the school, so your children will feel part of the normal rhythm of the school. If that's not possible, enquire about how the school will help your child adjust with the transition.

- Listen to your child

Some children are eager to meet new friends and begin exploring their new environment, whilst others need more time to feel comfortable. Listen to your children’s needs and concerns and let them set the pace.

Join us for a tour of the school or at the IB Diploma College Open Evening on Thursday 23rd November (6pm – 8pm)

mail@isllondon.org

0208 992 5823

www.isllondon.org – co-educational for ages 3-17 years

Main Campus - 139 Gunnersbury Avenue, London, W3 8LG

Diploma College - 15 Gunnersbury Avenue, London, W5 3XD

Blue Badge Guide and native Londoner Erica Moss has been leading bespoke tours for a mainly American clientele for nearly four years. Following a first career in journalism, Erica decided to undergo the rigorous training required to gain the London Blue Badge, considered the Gold Standard of tour guiding.

Since qualifying, Erica has created a repertoire of over 40 different tours. Each tour she gives is then refined for a particular client’s wishes and desires, with the aim of making it fun and interesting in a way they will always remember. One day she might be guiding three generations of the same family through medieval London, the Jewish East End or British rock and pop history, the next she could be leading a honeymooning couple on a chauffeur-driven foray to Windsor Castle, Oxford or Stonehenge.

As Erica tells us, “I think of myself as the London Genie: the client rubs the lamp and I am the genie that comes out of the bottle. I especially love it when clients share their own knowledge and experience or come up with new and interesting questions during a tour.” She considers it a genuine pleasure to spend time with Americans and share with them because “their openness and directness makes me more direct and open myself”.

What might clients expect on one of her tours? “Lots of walking, fun, views and sights that are not obvious-- off the beaten track stuff. I like to aim for the ‘Oh Wow’ factor. Why does she do it? “I really love sharing. London is a world city and my city; it’s brilliant and I like showing it off. It’s always personal. While a client is with me I’m their new best friend and I’m going to look after them”.

Current fees for a Blue Badge Guide start at around £158 per half day and £255 per full day.

Further information visit www.britainsbestguides.org/guides/erica-moss

Article by Judith Schrut.  Email Judith at judith0777@gmail.com

The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre

Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, HP16 0AL 

Nestled in the high street of the charming village of Great Missenden in Buckinghamshire, can be found a museum unlike many others. This museum has children at its heart, and seeks to inspire visitors to tell their own stories and become real-life authors themselves, through discovering the world of Roald Dahl.

The award-winning museum, aimed at 6 to 12 year olds and their families, is currently celebrating its 10th birthday. It is by no means large, but manages to pack a lot into its three galleries.The first of these is named ‘Boy Gallery’, in reference to Dahl’s autobiographical book of the same name. Stepping through the large chocolate doors, you will discover how Roald’s experiences at school inspired many of his stories. Among the photos, funny anecdotes, and letters from the archive, are interactive displays that will keep both adults and children amused through touch screen and hands-on activities.

Moving on to the second gallery; ‘Solo’, again a reference to Dahl’s book ‘Going Solo’ that describes his adventures as a pilot, there is lots to explore. Our party included 4 boys between the ages of 5 and 12, and all of them were clamouring to explore the cockpit of a World War Two Gladiator plane, a copy of the one Roald flew, before measuring themselves up against Dahl’s characters to find out if they were as tall as an Oompa Loompa or The Grand High Witch! But, the most fascinating exhibit for me was the‘Writing Hut’. The museum carefully and painstakingly removed the actual interior of Roald Dahl’s favourite place to write, namely the shed in his garden, and transported it piece by piece to the museum. It is full of curios and pictures and then there is Roald’s writing chair and lamp. It doesn’t take much to imagine the man himself sitting there at work. The gallery is also packed with interactive screens, displays and activities that invite you to discover facts about the stories, watch animations, and even test your spark factor on a ‘Sparkometer’!

The third gallery named ‘The Story Centre’ is a place for imaginations to run free.You could easily spend an hour or more in this gallery alone; there is so much to do. Technology is cleverly used to inspire creativity; through the ‘stop frame animation‘ activity that kept our group captivated for what seemed like hours, to the cinema area where a film plays of various well known children’s authors talking about how they get their ideas. There is also the chance to dress up as characters from Dahl’s stories, invent your own made up words, cut and stick your own character and sit in a replica of Roald Dahl’s writing chair.

The museum extends into an attractive courtyard area, where there is a café, shop, and areas for workshop and craft activities; namely Miss Honey’s Classroom and George’s Crafty Kitchen. The museum offers a comprehensive programme of special events for visitors at a small additional cost; anything from songs and storytelling, to cookery, circus skills and crafts - there is something to entertain almost everyone! For details of these special events check out the website at www.roalddahl.com/museum. On the day we visited, we had not booked a special event, but there was storytelling going on in Miss Honey’s Classroom (these sessions are free and run at weekends) which we joined in with. The children thoroughly enjoyed getting involved with tales from Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes, led by a very enthusiastic and energetic ‘storyteller’.

In spite of my 41 years, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the museum. I was, and still am a great fan of Dahl’s stories, having read them as a child myself and revisited them more recently with my own children. Many would argue that Dahl is the best children’s author of our time, and with so many of his stories being made into films and musicals, his popularity lives on. If you have enjoyed any of his stories, or if you have school-aged children, then a visit to the village he called home for 36 years, and the museum within it, will be time well spent!

Admission charges: £6.60 adults, £4.40 children aged 5-18. For further information visit: www.roalddahl.com/museum

Brush Up Your Shakespeare

By Judith Schrut - Email: judith0777@gmail.com

Shakespeare’s Globe is one of the world’s greatest open air theatres, a painstakingly faithful recreation of the original 16th century playhouse which stood a hop, skip and a bow away from the current Thameside location and where many of the Bard’s works were performed for the first time. The original Elizabethan Globe thrived until an unfortunate accident: a stage cannon misfired into the theatre’s thatched roof mid-performance. In less than one hour the entire theatre had burned to the ground.

The reconstructed Globe was founded by late expatriate American actor, activist and tireless fundraiser Sam Wanamaker. Since its debut in 1997, the Globe has been a success story beyond all expectations. Whether you’re a literary scholar or virgin ‘groundling’, a visit to the Globe Theatre during its annual April to October season is simply a must.

‘Justice and Mercy’is this season’s theme, and includes top-drawer productions of Merchant of Venice, As You Like It, Measure for Measure, King John and Richard II, with a number of shows touring the UK and abroad. Globe seats sell out fast, but 700 groundling tickets are available daily for an astonishing £5. This gets you a standing spot in front of the stage, we think the best and most authentic way to see a show.

For another unique summer theatrical delight, it’s a short trip north to Regents Park Open Air Theatre, splendidly set amidst the lush overgrowth of London’s most beautiful Royal Park. A showcase for award- winning theatre from May to late September for the past 83 years, it’s renowned as a place to see outstanding new talent likely to become tomorrow’s stars. Historically this has included Judi Dench, Vivien Leigh, Ralph Fiennes, Richard E. Grant, Sheridan Smith and many more. This summer’s programme boasts classic American musical Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Peter Pan, The Seagull and a critically acclaimed production of Lord of the Flies, prior to its major UK autumn tour. The theatre can be notoriously hard to find - only adding to its charms - so if you’re a first time visitor be sure to leave a little extra time for the search. You’ll know it’s worth it when you pass through the semi-hidden gates and enter a secret garden of delights complete with rambling picnic lawn, BBQs and the longest bar in London, twinkling with fairy lights.

Be forewarned that the Globe and the Open Air Theatre are verily open to the elements and whatever the weather the show will (almost always) go on. But come rain or shine - and yes, we’ve witnessed hail, lightning storms, sweltering heat and set-shaking winds - we promise your visit will be a magical experience.

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre season, April-October, with productions also touring UK & worldwide www.shakespearesglobe.com

Regents Park Open Air Theatre, May-September openairtheatre.com

There is no mistaking it. The crisper, cooler air hints at it, but the once vibrant green leaves transforming to the telltale hues of autumn give it away. Nostalgia begins to seep into every room of the house as parents prepare their offspring to fly solo from the safety of their protective nest. Expat parents have even more to think about when sending their children off to college, whether it be back to the home country or that of another host country. Our children are unique. They know it. They’ve most likely used that angle on their college admissions essays to point out the diversity they will undoubtedly bring to the campus of their choice. Their life experiences have been very different from most of the peers they will be surrounded by on their college campuses. The globally mobile life style of global nomads/third culture kids (TCKs), as we refer to them, brings with it a plethora of gifts, skills and benefits including a broad world view, languages, and cultural competencies. But, as with anything, there is a flip side to moving across cultures during those critical developmental years (birth to 18). There are unique challenges TCKs must face on top of the usual transition issues they share with their domestic peers when entering college. There are four major insights that can help TCKs as they transition out of the expatriate culture.

TCK IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT Dr. Barbara Schaetti, who has done extensive research on TCK identity development, explains that, particularly upon repatriation, TCKs “wake up to the fact that they are different from others.” She calls this an “encounter experience.” If they understand that it is their international experiences that make them different they can come to grips and be comfortable with their differences.

TRANSITION CYCLE Every first year college student is making the transition to a new life stage as an independent adult, but global nomads and foreign students have the cultural adjustment to make as well for even the home country culture can be foreign to TCKs in many respects. Understanding what takes place in each of the stages not only prepares them but helps them to appreciate that it is normal and temporary. Involvement Stage– this is life as the TCK knows it. She is involved in the community, has friends, roles, responsibilities, and feels a sense of belonging. Leaving Stage – begins the moment she is aware of an upcoming change. For the college-bound TCK this could be from the time she is making college visits to application time or to the decision time. There is a separating and distancing from roles, responsibilities and relationships. There are mixed emotions – sadness mixed with anticipation. Transition Stage – starts the moment TCKs arrive in their new environs. This stage is characterised by utter chaos. Everything is new and different. There are no routines or structures in place. Entering Stage – begins the moment the TCK either consciously or unconsciously decides she is going to settle in and become a part of this new place. Feelings of vulnerability, self-doubt, anxiety, and ambiguity may still be hanging on from the transition stage, but she is committed to sticking it out and making it work. Re-Involvement – when the TCK realises, usually after a long school break, that this new place feels more like home. She has relationships, roles, and responsibilities and feels affirmed once again.

GRIEF The high mobility lifestyle of a global nomad means there is a lot of separation and loss. When we lose people, things and places that are important to us we need to grieve over them. Allowing grief to run its course is considered ‘good grief.’ When TCKs can put a name on their loss, spend time with it, and mourn over it, they can come to closure and move forward. Being intentional with their good-byes helps confront the losses.

RELATIONSHIPS The most common complaint of TCKs at college is feeling like they don’t belong, don’t fit in, can’t connect with their peers. There are many reasons for these disconnects – having no point of reference for one another, lack of shared experiences, they build their relationships completely differently - but they need to find commonalities. They can be reminded that they are all going through the first year experience together.

THE GOOD NEWS Not every TCK is going to have a difficult time making the adjustment to college/university. In fact, because they are used to change they often tend to fare better than many of their domestic peers. But for those who are not prepared, it can be difficult to recover from the unexpected challenges. Advance preparation can significantly ease the adjustment process and allow these wonderfully gifted students to use their international experiences to make the most of the college years and beyond. *Suggested reading on TCK identity development can be found in Raising Global Nomads, by Robin Pascoe. The Global Nomad’s Guide to University Transition is a guide book to help students who have been living outside their “passport” countries understand what takes place in re-entry and/or transition and gives them the tools and strategies they need to not only survive but to thrive in the adjustment. This book addresses the common issues students face when they are making the double transition of not only adjusting to a new life stage but to a cultural change as well. Parents will appreciate the chapter dedicated to how they can come alongside their students, prepare them for the journey and support them throughout this major transition.

The Global Nomad’s Guide to University Transition by Tina L. Quick is available on Amazon.co.uk and on Amazon.com in paperback as well as Kindle format. Visit www.internationalfamilytransitions.com for more resources and information on TCKs and Transitions.