Health and Well-being
Mental Health Awareness Week
According to the Mental Health Foundation: • 1 in 6 adults experiences a common mental health problem • Common mental health problems include stress, anxiety, depression, schizophrenia and bipolar • 1 in 5 adults have considered taking their own...
Take yourself from ‘distress’ to ‘de-stress’ during stress awareness month
Stress. n. “A state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances”. A definition that almost certainly resonates with many – particularly during this unprecedented period of dealing with the outbreak...
Talking about difference: profound disability
In our settings, we explore many differences with the children we support: we talk about the changing seasons, we explore different cultures and ethnicities, we celebrate festivals and we talk about growing up and growing old. Difference is a...
Children’s Mental Health Week
Children’s mental health has been the subject of a lot of news coverage in recent years, and there is increasing concern about children’s mental health which has been deteriorating according to statistics. In 2018, the NSPCC reported that over...
Blue monday
January 20th – argh! Christmas is over, you can’t get into your new jeans because you put on a half a stone; you’ve maxed out your credit card; it’s still 10 days till payday, and to top it all, it’s freezing and the trains are cancelled due to...
Cervical Cancer Prevention Week
Cervical cancer is not something that many people talk about, yet around 3,200 women (9 people per day) are diagnosed with the disease in the UK every year1. Whilst incidence rates have been falling since the early 1990s, in the last decade,...
Wellbeing of staff
Last year, we published an article on “How to improve the wellbeing of your staff”, focusing on ways that you could promote their physical, mental and emotional health. In Ofsted’s recently introduced Education Inspection Framework, the...
Yoga, meditation and mindfulness for toddlers
In a busy world, where time always seems to be ‘of the essence’, we are all straining to be effective parents, productive professionals, and happy to boot, it’s no wonder that sometimes our patience snaps and our tolerance wanes. But who then is...
How to deal with bereavement
The only thing we know that is certain about life, is death. We are all going to die, we just don’t know when. Different people and cultures have different attitudes towards death; some see it as a transition, some see it as a finite end, and...
Give us a smile: the importance of oral health and World Smile Day®
What does it cost to smile? Nothing! And yet a smile can set the world alight, right? On Friday 4th October, people across the globe will be trying to spread some good cheer, engage in an act of kindness and make each other smile to celebrate...
Dyslexia Awareness Week
Richard Branson is one of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs: his Virgin brand operates over 60 companies in 35 countries; he has written 8 books and has over 41 million followers on social networks, and his net worth in 2019 was reported at...
National Eye Health Week
What would you do if you lost your sight? How would it affect your lifestyle, your independence and income? And what impact would it have on your dependents, family and friends? Most of us don’t think about this often, but once a year, National...
Eczema – nutritional advice and lifestyle tips for your setting
Throughout your career as an early years professional, it is very likely that you will have at least one child in your care that suffers with eczema. It can be distressing for many children, and for some - in severe cases - painful. You and...
World Sepsis Day
Sepsis is a major health problem which negatively impacts the lives of many people across the globe. It affects between 27–30 million people each year, and of those, between 6 and 9 million people die as a result. But the most worrying statistic...
National Simplicity Day
When was the last time you stopped to smell the roses?Yesterday? Last week? Or so long ago you can’t really remember? Have you EVER stopped to smell the roses? Or is the thought of switching off from daily life, unplugging from the internet and...
7 tips for nystagmus success in the classroom
Having just released my book “Can I Tell You About Nystagmus?” I jumped at the chance of being able to raise the awareness around the condition, in support of Nystagmus Awareness Day, 20th June 2019. For those who don’t know, nystagmus is an...
Diabetes Week
What comes to mind when you think of diabetes? Older and more obese people? Insulin injections? Poor eyesight? A life without chocolate?All these things have been associated with diabetes in the past, and some still are today; but is this all...
Viral Meningitis Awareness Week
The first full week in May (6th – 12th) is Viral Meningitis Awareness Week. It’s run by the charity, Meningitis Now, as an annual event aimed at “stopping lives being lost through meningitis and to make sure that sufferers and survivors get...
The London Marathon and the importance of charity
How do you fancy running 26 miles around the streets of London, dressed as a giant chicken, in whatever the British weather has to throw at you? For thousands of people, that is what they will be doing on Sunday 28th April this year, as the...
Sensory Nature Adventures and Play with the Sensory Trust
written by Madeleine Amos For children with disabilities and their families, going out and being in nature can seem a daunting prospect. In response, Sensory Trust, a charity that creates accessible and engaging outdoor experiences, have...
Can you help treat SAD in children?
Summer is definitely behind us. Unfortunately, as the seasons change, so can some people’s emotional states. Sunshine gives us a dose of essential nutrients that we often struggle to receive from food alone, which helps healthy cell and bone...
How to improve the wellbeing of your staff
January is the time when our thoughts naturally turn from presents, snow and flying reindeer, to where we are in our life and what we want to achieve in the coming year. Many of us try to shake off the indulgences of the festive season and...
Dealing with children’s food allergies in your setting
The recent tragic death of teenager Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who died after suffering an allergic reaction to a baguette, highlights the dangers that people who suffer with severe allergies face on a daily basis. For some, everyday food choices...
Mental Well-being and Vulnerability Support
Mental Health is an issue which affects so many people but not everyone lets it show if they are struggling mentally or emotionally; or are in a situation where they feel vulnerable. If you feel that you would benefit from some confidential,...
8 ways to stay well this winter
It’s that time of year when there’s a noticeable chill in the air and the nights are starting to draw in. The change in seasons presents a challenge for our health, especially as cold and flu bugs start to circulate. Here, we’ve put together 8...
How to survive the return to work after the summer break
After 6 full weeks off to relax and recuperate, heading back to school can be a nerve- wracking time for many. From having lie-ins and lazy days, the transition back to full-time work can come as a bit of a shock. Here, we offer 5 tips to help...
Keeping children safe in the summer sun
Last month, Britain experienced a heatwave which saw temperatures soar to 34.5 °C in some parts of the country. The Met Office said that we experienced the hottest day in June for 40 years, and it was the first time the mercury hit 30°C or over...
How to do a successful social media detox
Have you thought about what your day-to-day life might be like if you weren’t tied to your phone, checking notifications, scanning through people’s profiles or simply posting about your every move? Whilst being a wonderful way to interact with...
Mindfulness
What is mindfulness? Well, it’s something that we all naturally possess, you just need to be able tap into it and the more you do, the easier it becomes. Being mindful is where you bring yourself into total awareness of what you’re experiencing...
7 amazing benefits of doing a social media detox
The sad reality of today’s society is that we spend a lot of our time browsing our social media feeds, even at times we shouldn’t – like over the family dinner table. When we should be providing the people we love with our undivided attention,...