Why We Loved Our Farm Camps Break

We spent a week at Farm Camps Den Brandenhorst in Gelderland during the meivakantie and to say that my boys were upset to be back home is an understatement. They flopped themselves down on the sofa in our front room and the eldest announced, "Wij willen hier niet zijn. Wij willen terug naar Farm Camps gaan."…

Stop the Overcrowding in Dutch Classrooms

Yesterday the LIA (Leraren in Actie) handed over a petition to the Dutch government with 45,000 signatures against the continued overcrowding in Dutch classrooms. It's an issue that has been on the teachers' agenda for a number of years, but there's no money to implement policies that would make a difference. At least that is what the…

5 Ways to Embrace a Dutch December

December in the Netherlands means ferrying the children to school in near-darkness and evenings that draw in early. The temperatures take a nosedive and there’s every chance that snow will form a blanket over this little land. But a Dutch December certainly doesn’t spell doom and gloom. Winter in the Netherlands can be a lot…

Explore Paleis Soestdijk

Whilst a new purpose is being considered for Soestdijk Palace, it is open to visitors. And it's well worth a visit. It used to be the working palace of Queen Juliana, the mother of Princess Beatrix, the grandmother of the current king of the Netherlands. From the smoke stained walls of Prince Claus's study to…

Saying Goodbye to My Consultatiebureau

“I started working here eight years ago and I can still remember the day you walked in for the very first time – a newborn baby in your arms. A brand new mother,” said the lady at the front desk of the consultatiebureau to me at the end of my last visit.I can’t even begin…

Little Steps to the Basisschool

If you are living in the Netherlands your child can start attending primary school at the age of four. All three of my children are now in various stages of primary school but for each one of them making the leap from peuterspeelzaal to the basisschool was a big one. So here's my story about…

Flying the Dutch Flag

Should you be in the Netherlands on King's Day you'll notice flags out in force in the Dutch streets, hanging from flag poles attached to the houses. We don't have a flag holder on our house, nor do we own a Dutch flag to hang even if we did... but I did stumble upon "general…