Parent Advice Feed
Foster Care Fortnight
There are many things that have been disrupted recently; travel, schooling and shopping to name a few. But some things have persisted through the pandemic and one of those is the need for children of all ages to be protected from harm. Every 20...
DIY your sensory corner
Recently, we’ve looked at sensory rooms; whether they are worth investing in, what works and what doesn’t, and exploring the options you have for enhancing the sensory experiences you can offer. In this article, we give you some advice on how to...
National Children’s Gardening Week
With everything that’s going on in the world at the moment, it can be difficult to stand back and get a good perspective on life sometimes. Lots of us are stuck inside, staring at the four walls of our houses and flats and it can be a struggle...
World day for Cultural Diversity
The United Nations (UN) was formed in 1945 after the second world war as a political avenue for solving differences to avoid future conflicts. A year later, UNESCO - the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation – was set...
International Mother Earth Day April 22nd
There’s a famous quote that has been attributed to US Native Americans, which has been modernised and translated as: “When the last tree has been cut down, the last fish caught, the last river poisoned, only then will we realise that one cannot...
The Big Pedal
It’s that time of year again: when the clouds part (hopefully) and the spring bulbs are in full bloom, so it must be time for the annual push to encourage people to be fitter, get out and tell them to get on their bike!Each year, Sustrans, a...
The benefits of animals for children’s development
There’s no doubt that the UK is a nation of animal lovers! You only have to look around at the number of us who co-habit with pets of every shape and size, the predominance of pet shops, and the amount we spend on our pets each year, which...
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...
Electronic devices & online safety in the early years
Back in 2010, when iPads and other comparable tablets first appeared, their potential to change the way children were educated was revolutionary.What made them so attractive was that they had three noticeable features which had the potential to...
National Careers Week
The first week in March, or the 2–7th March to be precise, is National Careers Week, when educational institutions, employers and careers advisers across the country will be shining the spotlight on the many-faceted nature of our working lives,...
British Science Week
When you think about science lessons, what do you think of? Crusty old chemistry labs, blue-flamed Bunsen burners and impossible physics equations? Or green-powered racing cars, destructive robot wars and space exploration? If you answered the...
Mother’s Day – where did it all begin?
Mother’s Day (also known as Mothering Sunday) is a celebration honouring the mother of the family, as well as motherhood as a whole. It’s an annual event when members of the family show their gratitude and love for their mothers, as well as the...
Time for a Cuppa 1st–8th March
We all love a cup of tea and a chat. But talk to anyone these days about life after 65, and you will probably discover that we are all slowly coming to terms with the fact that as we live longer, we might not all necessarily be living better....
National Old Stuff Day
Have you ever heard the expression: “Out with the old and in with the new? Or how about; “Old ways won’t open new doors”? If you have, and appreciate their aims, then National Old Stuff Day on March 2nd will be right up your street! Contrary to...
Family Safety Week 29th February – 4th March
29th February is a special day because it only happens every 4 years. Due to the orbit of the earth around the sun, (which actually takes 365.25 days and not 365 days exactly), every 4 years we have to add another day to our calendar, hence 29th...
How to deal with rude people
Don’t you just hate rude people? You know the ones – always pushing in front in the queue or talking over you; and they never listen to anyone but themselves. And boy, do they think they’re right all the time. Going on and on about how terrible...
LGBT History Month
Winston Churchill famously said: “History is written by the victors” and some historians have proved him right by writing somewhat biased accounts about people in power, sometimes ignoring various social sectors and marginalising whole...
Book review of “What’s My Child Thinking” by Tanith Carey
The tag line for this book is “Practical child psychology for modern parents” and it is written by Tanith Carey with input from Dr Angharad Rudkin, a clinical psychologist. It’s aimed at the parents of children aged 2–7. After an initial chapter...
National Storytelling Week
“Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin.” Most of us have heard this phrase and understand that it refers to starting storytime, even if we are too young to remember the original children’s BBC radio programme “Listen with mother” that it...
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...
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...
Reducing single-use plastic in your setting
We hear on the news and via social media (sadly, pretty much on a daily basis) about the growing decline of our planet. We learn that we must strive to be more sustainable: increase our recycling, decrease our carbon footprint and reduce our...
Young Carers Awareness Day
Have you ever thought about what would happen if you or another adult member of your family became seriously ill, had mental health issues that affected their day-to-day life, or developed a disability that affected their sight, hearing or...
Ethical and sustainable Christmas ideas
Christmas - time for feasting, celebrations, meeting up with family, and remembering what the true meaning is – love, peace and goodwill to all. And then there’s presents, trees, stockings, turkey, stuffing, mince pies, wrapping paper,...
What to do with Christmas leftovers
Once upon a time, if you didn’t buy enough milk before Christmas, and then ran out on December 25th, you’d have to endure Christmas pudding without custard, no eggnog, and black coffee for 3 days until the shops opened again on the 28th!...
Christmas celebrations and traditions
Christmas is coming and families around the world are getting ready to celebrate the Christian festival marking the birth of Jesus, approximately 2,000 years ago. Over the centuries, different Christmas traditions have developed in response to...
Winter activities
It’s winter! The days are drawing in; it takes 15 minutes to scrape a heavy coating of ice off your windscreen in the morning; and you start to wonder if you’ll ever see the sun again! But don’t despair! And don’t let the winter blues get you...
12 tips to get your kids to sleep
At one time or another, most parents experience difficulty getting their children to sleep. Children often resist sleep for a variety of reasons, such as fear, stress, curiosity, and separation anxiety. However, when they don’t get a full...
Road Safety Week
Last month, the tragic death of teenager, Harry Dunn, made headlines because of the involvement of the wife of a US diplomat in the incident. Whilst this fact alone elevated the story to one of national interest, the startling statistics are,...
Tips for teaching phonics
The early years foundation stage (EYFS) sets standards for the learning, development and care of all children from birth to 5 years old to try to give them the best start in life. All English schools and Ofsted-registered early years providers...