Keeping-Kids-Happy

Having a blast at Butlins - The launch of the Ocean Hotel in Bognor Regis

2009-08-20T19:26:38+02:00

We were delighted to be invited to the launch of the Ocean Hotel at Butlins, Bognor Regis.

The day begin with the special train for press and bloggers from London, Victoria. The journey took almost two hours but went quickly as the boys enjoyed watching the magician and chatting to red-coats Shane and Ronnie, whilst we were treated to champagne and canapies.

Butlins and holiday camps have long been considered traditional British holidays for the masses, and in recent years they have lost their lustre compared to overseas jaunts and quaint cottage by the sea. So, to be honest, I really wasn't expecting the shiny and stylish Ocean Spa Hotel. With a £20M pricetag, it definitely looked fantastic and had a fun yet stylish atmosphere. Indeed, it seems this investment is already paying off for Butlins as the hotel is heavily booked for the rest of the summer.

Front view of the Ocean Spa Hotel

The hotel is shiny, stylish and contemporary, yet designed with families and children in mind. There are lots of little extras that make everyone’s stay more memorable: the moving fish on the reception floor, the bright colour scheme and art work, and the unforgettable disco lifts.

Indeed, the lifts were an instant hit with us. The doors close, coloured lights and cheesy 70s and 80s music has us dancing up to the 4^th floor every time. The boys giggled every time the door opened.

Our room also simple yet very stylish. The boys loved the fact that they had their own ‘den’ with a DVD player, coloured lights and special storage boxes under the bed for their treasures.

Main adult bedroom

Kids 'den' bedroom

The ambience of the rooms was fresh and relaxing. The bathroom had coloured lights so you could have you're very own 'mini spa', although it has to be said it was a little small for getting the children ready in the mornings.

The day of the launch continued with the official opening by the MD of Butlins and the Mayor of Bognor Regis, a fantastic buffet lunch, a weird and wonderful show in the gardens, and tours of the hotel.

Butlins MD and Mayor of Bognor Regis cut the ribbon

Redcoat Shane entertains the children

A colourful show marked the launch of the Ocean Hotel

We had a lovely time on our , the staff were all fun and friendly and the hotel was much better than our expectations. What more could we ask for :)

Check out the Butlins Website for more details on the Ocean Hotel.

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Witch and Chips for my Tea

2006-11-01T12:26:13+01:00

With everything Halloween in mind, the favourite book in our house is the wonderful 'Room on the Broom' by Julia Donaldson and Alex Scheffler.

"The witch had a cat and a very tall hat...."

Written in rhyming style and with lots of repetition, this is a book that young children will quickly remember and join in. Infact my two boys know if off by heart and Jacob can recite it almost word perfect whilst Mikey often gets the book and 'reads' it to himself.

It is also great to read aloud. One of the best lines, which is repeated throughout is "the witch tapped the broomstick and WHOOSH they were gone" and you can always add voices for the different animals that the kind witch meets....

"I am a frog, as clean as can be, is there room on the broom for a frog like me...."

After a problem with overcrowding on the broom the witch flies into trouble and meets up with a scary dragon..

"I am a dragon as mean as can be, and I'm planning to have witch and chips for my tea..."

But, no need to worry as with a little help from her friends the witch is OK and she decides to built a "Truly Magnificent Broom"

As you can see from these photos, the illustrations by Alex Scheffler are great and reflect childrens own imaginations of witches and dragons.

So, having read a lot of childrens books over the years, I would definitely recommend this as one of the best for ages from 2 all the way up to about 8. The only problem with it is that you will be reading it again and again and again and again!

**********

For more details about Julia Donaldson and Alex Scheffler go to:

http://www.juliadonaldson.co.uk

http://www.gruffalo.com

Or to order ‘Room on the Broom’ from Amazon go to:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Room-Broom-Julia-Donaldson/dp/0333903382

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Starting Big School ....

2006-09-02T12:48:29+02:00

Amazingly the big day is almost here. My oldest son Jacob, all of four and three-quarter years of age, is starting big school next week.

To me it is simply unbelievable that it has come around so quickly. In fact the momentous and somewhat traumatic occasion of his birth still seems like only yesterday….

Nevertheless, he is very excited about everything, from going to the shoe shop to get ‘school shoes’ and constantly reminding me that he still needs some grey socks, and working up to a fever pitch of excitement when he talks about all his little friends who are in his class and his new teacher – Mrs Ding Dong Bells (she is actually called Mrs Burles but somewhere between his taster session and the summer holidays her name has changed..)

Anyway, here are some helpful hints and suggestions I came across. They come from experienced reception class teachers and are to help the little ones settle in to school life and calm anxious parents:

“ Many parents like a list of suggestions to help their child starting full-time school, for the first time. None are vital, and because every child is different, some children will find them easy, whilst others will not be ready to do them just yet. Even if your child can only do some of these things, it is a big help:

* blow nose efficiently and be used to having a hanky in pocket.

* get undressed for PE (send your child in easy clothes for PE days)and then dressed again afterwards (practise with those buttons and zips!)

* have a go at putting on shoes and fastening Velcro / doing up laces

* put on and take off outdoor clothes, and then hang them up on the peg

* use a knife and fork reasonably well in the correct hands

* go to toilet unaided, and know how to use it properly (but accidents do happen, so don't worry; and again practise undoing those buttons and zips)

* wash own hands and dry them unaided

* tidy away toys or equipment that he or she has been using

* sit still and listen at least for a short time - e.g. for a story

* follow an adult's simple instructions "

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Flying Frisbees

2006-08-29T18:24:15+02:00

Frisbees are one of the world's best-selling toys but they started life as simple pie dishes!

The Frisbie Baking Company (1871-1958) of Bridgeport, Connecticut, made pies that were sold to many New England colleges. Hungry college students soon discovered that the empty pie tins could be tossed and caught, They could make the round metal dishes spin and soar further than they could throw a ball - all it took was the right technique and a flick of the wrist - providing endless hours of games and sport.

The words 'Frisbie's Pies' were embossed in all the original pie tins and from these words 'Frisbie' was coined the common name for the toy.

In 1948, a Los Angeles building inspector named Walter Frederick Morrison and his partner Warren Franscioni invented a plastic version of the Frisbie that could fly further and with better accuracy than a tin pie plate.

Sales soared for the toy, due to the clever marketing of Frisbee playing as a new sport. In 1964, the first professional model went on sale.

The Frisbee world championships were first held in Sweden in 1983 and the farthest a Frisbee has been thrown is 250 metres.

*******

Just came across this history of the humble frisbee and it has inspired me to take a couple along when we next go to the park....if it ever stops raining.....

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Walk to School Week

2006-05-24T16:11:36+02:00

Putting their best foot forward......

Walk to School is a campaign asking parents, pupils and teachers to incorporate regular physical activity into their daily lives by walking to and from school whenever possible.

Each year, there are two national Walk to School weeks in the UK. In 2006 they are:
Monday 22nd - Friday 26th May
Monday 2nd - Friday 6th October

October is also International Walk to School Month - giving children, parents, school teachers and community leaders an opportunity to be part of a global event as they celebrate the many benefits of walking. Last year, more than 3 million walkers from around the world walked to school together for various reasons – all hoping to create communities that are safe places to walk.

These events encourage schools come together to promote the importance of walking.

For more details on this campaign see http://www.walktoschool.org.uk/

*********

Although I think this is a great campaign, it does seem a sad sign of the times that it is needed at all.

Surely most children live within walking distance of their school? and the benefits of walking to both children and parents are seemingly obvious.

However, you only need look the traffic congestion around any local school, both in the morning and at pick-up time, to realise that the car is definitely king. We are all forced to rush everywhere and driving is seen as the solution - despite the fact that with traffic jams it is often actually quicker to walk.

Due to the fact that we don't own a car, I always walk my little boy to school (a journey which takes about 20 minutes).

I can't say that it is always pleasant or peaceful - especially not in the terrential rain we have had this week!

Wee are usually running late and have to negotiate a couple of major road junctions along the way.

However, I do think that he is learning much more awareness of his surroundings and it is a great time for us to be together and discuss what he is doing / has done that day.

Infact I completely agree with the walk to school campaign when they say that:

"By encouraging parents to walk to school with their children from a young age it helps the children to develop the necessary skills to make their own journeys in the future and lets them learn many skills from experience:
* Road safety and personal safety skills
* Meeting and greeting people
* Time and distance relationship - management skills
* The feeling of the weather
* Exploration - what's around the corner? "

So all you car addicts out there - Why not join in and walk tomorrow or Friday? You never know you might even enjoy it - but don't forget your raincoat and wellies!

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Einstein's Birthday

2006-03-14T18:36:06+01:00

14th March is Einstein's birthday.

To celebrate this fact and to publicise national science week in the UK, I have found some great experiments that kids can do at home.
So gather up your budding professors and get ready for cries of Eureka!

THE SOAP-PROPELLED BOAT – or how to brighten up bath-time

What you’ll need:
• Card
• Scissors
• A baking dish full of water (or you can do it in the bath at home)
• Liquid detergent

What to do:
• Cut out a boat shape from the card. (Make it about 6cm long and 4cm wide)
• Make a notch at the back of the boat.
• Place the boat gently on the water in the dish.
• Pour a little detergent into the notch in the end of the boat.

Your boat should zip across the water…

What's happening?
Water molecules are strongly attracted to each other and stick close together, especially on the surface. This creates a strong but flexible "skin" on the water's surface that we call surface tension. Adding soap disrupts the arrangement of the water molecules and breaks the skin, making the boat go forward.

Custard Gone Crazy

What you’ll need:
• Custard powder (NB not instant custard) / cornflour
• Water
• Bowl
• Spoon
• Eggcup / spoon

What to do:
• Mix 8 eggcups of custard powder or cornflour with 4 eggcups of water, making sure to stir in the water slowly so you don’t get any lumps. (Don’t cook it!)

The result is a strange yellow substance that will either act like a solid - if you punch it quickly, or roll it into a ball OR will act like liquid, if you touch it gently.

If you increase the amounts of custard and powder, you could in theory fill a bathtub with the mixture, and run across the top without falling in. (You’d have to be very quick though!)

What's happening?
The custard powder and water mixture is a mixture of solid particles suspended in a liquid, called a "colloid". When you stir the mix slowly, the custard powder particles can move around in the water quite freely, and so it acts as a liquid. When you stir the mix faster or hold it in your hand tightly, the solid particles rub against each other causing friction. This makes them stick together and act like a solid.

Volcano!

What you’ll need:
• Vinegar
• Baking powder
• Washing up liquid
• Food colouring
• Small plastic bottle
• Balloon
• Plate/tray
• Clay (optional)
• Tablespoon

What to do:
• Put 1 tablespoon of baking powder in the plastic bottle. If you have time make a volcano shape with the clay around the bottle.
• Add a small amount of washing up liquid, and a few drops of food colouring.
• Make sure that the volcano is on the tray / plate.
• Add vinegar and stand well back…

Variation 1: Place a balloon over the end of the bottle and collect the gas – it is heavier than air.

Variation 2: Put a bung in the bottle and watch it fly out.

What's happening?
This experiment demonstrates a classic acid base reaction. Carbon dioxide is given off when the vinegar reacts with the baking powder.

Notes:

National Science Week, UK runs from 10th-19th March 2006. For further information see:
http://www.the-ba.net/the-ba/Events/NationalScienceWeek/

Experiments taken from http://www.planet-science.com/home.html

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Words of Wisdom

2006-02-20T16:18:39+01:00

"Fifty years from now
It will not matter what kind of car you drove,
what kind of house you lived in,
how much you had in your bank account,
or what your clothes looked like.

But the world may be a better place because you were important in the life of a child"

I came across these words of wisdom whilst looking at articles on the babyandkids.co.uk website
(http://www.babyandkids.co.uk/features/Positive.asp)

With the hectic lifestyles and commercial pressures that most parents have to deal with today, these gems of truth are often overlooked.

I wonder what society would be like if we collectively decided to forego unnecessary commercialism and concentrate on the happiness, well-being and development of our children?

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The Art of Storytelling

2006-01-26T16:47:10+01:00

All parents tell stories to their children. Ever since humans first learned to speak, storytelling has been a powerful way of communicating. It can be used to entertain, teach, heal, and to transmit traditions from one generation to the next.

Parents make great storytellers as they have strong bonds with the listener, and they know their child's needs better than anyone else.

Whether the stories are folk tales, memories of family occasions, or fantasies invented on the spot, they convey a sense of security and knowledge to the child.

Infact stories are the most effective teaching tool ever used. Oral storytelling pre-dates the written word and all of the world's great civilisations and religions used tales and parables to preserve and transmit beliefs and values.

The power of storytelling can be profound. If a child is crying, you put your arms around the child and talk. The sound of your voice is soothing. When you tell the child a story, the extra power of imagination takes them to magical worlds.

Still, many new parents lack confidence in their storytelling abilities. They usually start reading favourite books to their children, but feel uncomfortable reading aloud. Why? There is no-one to judge, and your child will love the time together.

Loose your inhibitions about talking out loud. Play with the rhythm of the words and the sound of your voice. Re-discover the fun of the story and see it reflected in your children’s eyes.

Once your playfulness has reappeared, you will gain more confidence in both reading and making up stories. It becomes fun to invent allegories on the spot, building on everyday experiences.

Many great family stories and traditions being with “ When I was a child, I used to ………..” This story is extra special as it gives you children a glimpse of your own childhood, creating a sense of connection and identity.

Storytelling takes the ordinary stuff of life and turns it into a gift for your child.

Top Tips for successful storytelling

* Choose stories that you like to tell. Select tales with a clear, simple, straightforward plot and a limited cast of characters. Traditional fairy stories and legends are a good starting point.

* Don’t worry about memorising word for word. Just learn it and then tell it to yourself in your own words. When you're comfortable with the story, tell it to someone else.

* There is no one right way to tell a story. It is the willingness to share it with someone else that is important.

* Remember the power of silence. It is as much a part of the story as the words. It adds depth and excitement, and gives the both you and the listener a chance to picture what is happening.

Notes:
National Storytelling Week UK runs from 28th January - 4th February 2006. For more details go to http://www.sfs.org.uk/

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Pirate Party - Full Report !!

2006-01-13T16:44:38+01:00

At the beginning of December our eldest son, Jacob, was four.

Now if you are a preschooler your fourth birthday is a momentous occasion, with daily reminders (am I four today?) for many weeks and a state of volcanic excitement slowly building to explosion pitch.

So, being indulgent parents, we agreed to have a party. This was especially as Jacob now has lots of little friends from preschool, and a party seemed a good way to get to know them, and their parents, a little bit better.

Under the somewhat contrasting influences of Captain Feathersword (from the Wiggles) and Captain Hook (from Peter Pan) the decision was made to hold a pirate party in the local community centre.

Party invites shaped like treasure maps were sent out asking all the little shipmates to come along dressed appropriately, and the preparations began…

Now, despite all my best intentions, I’ve never been particularly organised, my life is usually full of looming deadlines and last minute shopping trips. But this time, I did try to get most things planned in advance - although the day before the party I was still waiting for several items I had bought off Ebay to arrive…

It was easy to find all sorts of pirate party supplies, from plates and cups to skull & crossbones bunting and black balloons on Ebay and other party websites.

The prospect of entertaining thirty children for a couple of hours was definitely quite daunting. So the next thing was to work out what they would actually do. The hall we hired was quite large and so we were able to take along a couple of boxes of toys and some little bikes and walker/trolley thingies for them to charge around with. However, we also needed several party games to keep them amused.

After a bit of Internet research and asking around, I realised that we could put a new twist on traditional party games and easily adapt them to a pirate party.

The first of these, and the one that took the most preparing was Musical Islands. This is a variation of the musical chairs theme just using islands. The children pretend to row a boat or swim as the music plays and then when it stops you shout “Shipwreck” and they all have to get on an island.

What took up the time was actually making the islands. Basically, we just cut up cardboard boxes and painted islands on them, as you can see below the boys enjoyed helping out, although they quickly got bored and it was left to the adults (me, Kev and nanny Jean) to paint islands every evening for about a week!

Still, it was well worth the effort, as the game went down a storm at the party and the kids all really enjoyed it, although it has to be said that most of them didn’t really play by the rules and we did get quite a bit of island sharing and island hogging.

Another game that went down well was that old favourite, Treasure Hunt. We made a couple of hundred silver coins out of card and silver foil which were then hidden around the room. The coins were in fairly visible places and the kids had to collect ten coins each. Then they had to find me (dressed appropriately as the Pirate Captain) and exchange their booty for one special chocolate coin out of my treasure box. They all loved looking for the coins and screamed and giggled when I went up to them rattling my box of chocolate treasure.

After all that running around all our little shipmates were hungry and so a feast fit for a hundred pirates was served up including the usual party grub of sandwiches, rolls, crisps, currants.

Once the food was eaten, the pirates and princesses were ready for more fun. Lots of running around and chasing each other ensued and all the toys and balloons we took along kept them well and truly amused. Indeed, it had not occurred to me until then that the long thin shaped balloons that we had spent ages blowing up were ideal to use for pirate swashbuckling and sword fighting!

The time went really quickly and I think the mixture of organised games, food and time to themselves to run around and imagine their own games worked really well. I did have a few more games planned but we run out of time, which in itself is a sign that the kids all enjoyed themselves.

So having survived the experience of our first big kids party, I can’t wait until the next one!

Top tips for party success (not in any order!)
1. Organise as much as you can in advance, but on the day be relaxed and go with the flow of what the kids want to do. It’s their party and the aim is for them to enjoy themselves whatever they are doing.

2. When ordering things from the Internet leave plenty of leeway for delivery times.

3. Always plan for a few more children than you have actually invited. Quite often little siblings come along and it is great to be able to include them as well.

4. Get involved at the kids’ level. If it is a fancy dress party then get a costume as well. Kids love adults to be interested and join in with what they are doing. Although, a word of warning, you need to tread carefully as they get older and find the line between being a cool parent and an embarrassment!

5. Get plenty of adult help on the day. It is an impossible task to be the host, organise games, sort out the food, put up the decoration etc. all at once. So get other family members along to help and give them specific jobs. This will not only ease the pressure on you, but your birthday boy/girl will be delighted that other relatives made an effort on their special day.

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Pirate Party

2006-01-03T14:58:05+01:00

Shiver me timbers - Pirate Birthday Cake!

Jakey and Mikey, my two little pirates

Hungry Pirates!

Two Fairy princesses

Pirate Zak

Blowing out four candles

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Who is Father Christmas?

2005-12-16T15:21:46+01:00

Over the last couple of weeks I have read a number of claims that our traditional Christmas is under threat from the PC brigade. One story even said that teachers are being told by our government to protect children from 'Scary Santas'

In truth, the article about 'scary santa' which provoked the outcry was only advising teachers on what to do if some children were particularly bewildered or anxious about Christmas outings, changes in routine or meeting a strange old man with a beard - all
completely reasonable reactions if you think about it logically.

Infact, as many parents already know, a lot of very young children are scared of Father Christmas - and why not? To ask a small child to go up to and sit on the knee of a strange old man is not something we would even consider at any other time of the year.

Nevertheless, Father Christmas or Santa Claus has become the human face of the festive season. The image of an old man with long white beard, red coat, and sack of toys is everywhere.

He is seen as a jolly, friendly soul who lives in the North Pole making toys and then, with the help of flying reindeer, a large sleigh and a lot of magic, he brings presents to all children on the night before Christmas (or in some countries on St Nicholas Day - 6th December)

Most children up to the about 8 years old really believe this is true, and it does bring a magical side to the stress and increasing commercialism of the whole season.

The idea of bringing gifts at Christmas time can be traced back to the nativity story and indeed before, with the Roman celebration of Saturnalia.

Father Christmas himself was originally part of an old English midwinter festival, and he was then dressed in green, a sign of the returning spring. The man we dipict today is also based on Santa Claus who became known in England during the 1870's. His name comes from the Dutch name for St. Nicholas which is Sinter Klaas.

St. Nicholas was a 4th Century Christian saint from the area of Myra (modern day Turkey). He was a very shy man and wanted to give money to poor people without them knowing about it. One day he climbed onto the roof of a house and dropped a purse of money down the chimney, apparently it landed in a stocking which had been put to dry by the fire. This may explain the belief that Father Christmas comes down the chimney and places gifts in children's stockings.

Alongside the stories of St Nicholas, we get a lot of today's Father Christmas traditions from American ideas from the 19th Century. One particular poem, written by Clement Clarke Moore in 1822, describes more or less exactly what many of us imagine as Father Christmas.

The poem is often called 'The Night Before Christmas', but it was originally titled 'A Visit from St Nicholas':

" He was dressed all in fur from his head to his foot, and his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back, and he looked like a pedlar just opening his sack.
His eyes how they twinkled! his dimples how merry! His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry;
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow, and the beard on his chin was as white as the snow.
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth, and the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face, and a little round belly that shook when he laughed like a bowl full of jelly.
He was chubby and plump,--a right jolly old elf-- And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself. "

This all shows that the tradition of Father Christmas is a strong and historic one which had adapted to suit different people and times throughout recent centuries.

So, as long as we remember to treat our children with respect and act accordingly if they are scared, then I am sure that Father Christmas will become become a much loved figure who will enchant them for many years to come.

Notes:

These photographs of Father Christmas come from: http://www.christmas-graphics-plus.com/free/santa-clipart.html

Some of the facts and the extract from the 'A visit from St Nicholas' come from: http: www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/Xmas/ -

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TOYS, TOYS and MORE TOYS

2005-10-24T16:06:36+02:00

Shock News – Fabric Tiles are the toy of the year!

Hamley’s, the famous London toystop held it’s annual prize yesterday and the prize for Overall Best Toy went to creAtiles, a low-tech creative play set made by a small London firm.

It is based on the simple idea of different sized tiles which fit together to let the little ones use their imagination to construct and create architectural masterpieces.

I think this is a great result as in my limited experience it is precisely these simple, old fashioned toys that become perennial favourites as they are played with in ever more imaginative ways.

The truth value of such toys became obvious to me last March when it was my youngest son Michael’s first birthday. We really couldn’t decide what present to get him, especially as his brother, Jacob, is only two years older and so their bedroom, and indeed the rest of the house were already full to the brim with baby and toddler toys.

Lots of shiny, primary coloured plastic and different shaped things that light-up, play music, move long the floor etc. etc. etc. In fact, our house could bring a whole new way of thinking to interior design based around ‘An Explosion in a Toyshop’.

Anyway, to cut a long story short I was looking in the charity shop and I came across an old-fashioned hoop toy – the one with a stick and several different coloured hoops of different sizes. It only cost 50p and so I got it and wrapped it up alongside his other presents.

On his birthday he absolutely loved it. He slowly realised that he could put the rings on and that it dawned on him that he had to put them on in order of size. It was great to see him work it out and he was extremely pleased with himself.

It is now a perennial favourite. He can easily put the rings on in order now but he often plays with them in different ways, at the moment he loves to try and roll them across the room and he loves cooking them in a large pan.

Don’t get me wrong, I am all for some technology in our kids lives. My older son, now almost four, has just discovered the joys of the computer and he has a couple of games featuring his favourite characters – Thomas the Tank Engine and Bob the Builder – which are not only great fun, but help him to learn mouse skills and understand computers which is essential.

All I am saying is that in the hectic run up to Christmas, maybe we should all think about adding good old fashioned toys to the current hi-tech favourites.

Many people think that today’s children are too sophisticated for the toys they remember from their own childhood. But, just cast your mind back to all the fun you had, why not give today's children the time and imagination to create their own magical worlds too.

Notes:

For more information about creAtiles go to: http://www.fiestacrafts.co.uk/hamleys.php

For more information about the winners of the Hamley’s Toy of the Year Awards go to: http://www.hamleys.com/pcat/hamleysprize

Finally, please do let me know if you agree and tell me your thoughts about what you and your children have found to be long-lasting favourite toys?

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One September Morning...

2005-09-09T14:23:32+02:00

The first day at school is an exciting and nerve-wracking time for all children, not to mention their parents.

The day marks an exciting transition in the child’s life and, with a little thought, parents can ensure that it is also a happy time and that school is seen as a positive and fun place to be…

Some of the best advice for parents includes:
• Be enthusiastic about school. If you are excited and confident, your child will be, too.
• Prepare yourself. Take note of how your child reacts to separation. If possible, visit the new setting with your child. Introduce your child to the new teacher or early childhood professional in advance.
• Try to arrange for your child to play with another child going to the same school, preferably one-on-one, this means they will see a familiar face in the crowd.
• Get your child involved in the preparation for school - packing lunch or laying out clothes. Also, begin an earlier bedtime a few weeks before.
• Put aside extra time, particularly on the first day, for chatting and commuting together. But remember not to prolong the good-bye. If your child cries or clings, staying will only make it harder.
• Always say good-bye to your child. Be firm, but friendly about separating. Never ridicule a child for crying. Instead, make supportive statements like, "it's hard to say good-bye, but you can tell me all about school when I come to pick you up."
• At the end of the work day, put aside your concerns and focus on being a parent.

Above all, remember that school should be a safe and happy environment where you child can grow and learn.

However, the most important element of all children's happiness is the love, support and encouragement of their parents.

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Making Butterflies

2005-08-24T12:34:10+02:00

So, what happened to all those long sunny summer days? The autumnal weather seems to be upon us already.

Aargh, I hear the sound of harassed parents, and there are still a couple of weeks left of the school summer holidays. What to do with the little ones when you are stuck inside on another rainy afternoon?

Well, no fear, an easy art project that will entertain them for an afternoon is to make butterflies.

They are very simple to do:

1. Pre-cut shapes of butterflies on A4 coloured paper.

2. Get the kids to paint one side of the wing of the butterfly (poster paints are best for this, applied quite thickly).

3. Then fold the butterfly in half and press down from the centre to the tip of the wings. The symmetrical pattern that the children have painted on one side of the wing will magically appear on the opposite side.

Most kids from around three to seven or eight love this idea of symmetry and how it appears on both sides.

Of course, as with any art work it can get pretty messy. Still it is worthwhile to see the looks of delight when the paper is unfolded and a butterfly is revealed.

Young children have an endless curiosity about the creatures that they see around them, so it is great to make butterflies around this time of year as, hopefully, there should be lots of them fluttering around in the garden or park.

To continue the theme of butterflies you could also try reading the classic children’s story ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ by Eric Carle, which always seems to delight.

Of course, you can experiment with this idea and make other animals or shapes. In fact, my son, aged three, decided to just use different blobs of paint, fold them over and then guess what animal he created. This approach was somewhat hit and miss, depended on the amount of paint put on the paper and the pressure of the folding.

Nevertheless, as you can see below, he created a very impressive new species….. a creature that is a cross between an screeching owl and a grumpy bat……..

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Thomas the Tank Engine – Still steaming after 60 Years!!

2005-06-20T10:41:41+02:00

This year marks the 60th anniversary of Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends.

Every year lots of little people are enchanted with the adventures of these cheeky engines, indeed the happy faces of Thomas and the gang have played a part in many little boy’s (and some little girl’s) dreams.

I’d go as far as saying that the continued popularity of train sets and the affection we all seem to have for trains, despite the dismal record of the real variety, is down to the little blue engine with the big heart.

Whether it is through the TV series, fond memories of a wooden train set or reading the original books, children and adults the world over have fallen under Thomas’s spell.

Anglican clergyman Rev. Wilbert Awdry thought up the original stories. Fascinated with the steam trains he had seen during his own childhood, he imagined they had names and personalities – naughty Thomas, cheeky Percy, moody James, and boastful Gordon. Years later he created stories about their daily adventures to amuse his own son Christopher when he was ill with the measles.

Christopher and the rest of the family loved the stories and, after much persuasion from his wife, the Rev. wrote them down and sent them to a publishing house. The first book in the series ‘The Three Railway Engines’ was published in 1945.

Today, Thomas is a multi-million pound industry with DVD’s, books, films, characters, lunch boxes, towels etc. etc. etc, apparently there is even a Thomas theme park in Japan!

So what is the reason for Thomas’s enduring popularity? Children are fascinated by trains, especially old-fashioned steam trains, combine this with the childlike traits of the characters and you have a group of well loved friends that pre-school children can easily understand.

I have found that Thomas and his friends are great way to teach numbers and colours.

All kids have a great memory when it comes to something they enjoy, and my little one just loves being able to tell me the colours and numbers of all the different trains, and then he very quickly connected that to everyday things saying “that car is green like Percy”.

It has also been shown that the friendly faces of the trains and the bright colours help many children with learning difficulties to understand simple stories and ideas.

So hopefully, Thomas and the gang will be around for another sixty years to delight and educate many more little people.

Notes:
1. Many railways around the country hold ’Thomas’s Day Out’ events which are always great fun for the little ones. Local press usually have the details.

2. For more information about Thomas visit:
http//www.hitentertainment.com/thomasandfriends – Hit Entertainment site
http//www.cawdry.co.uk – The Awdry family's
official site
http//www.iglobal.com/Drew – A fan's personal
site with lots of links

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Helping your child succeed

2005-04-26T14:54:33+02:00

Hello again, well to get started here's a short piece about helping children to succeed at school. Hope readers find it interesting and look forward to receiving comments.....

"As parents, we all want our children to do well at school but are often intimidated by the education system. Often parents can do a lot more then they realise. Always remember that the parent is the first and most powerful teacher of all.

Parental support is crucial to success. With a little extra effort we are able to enrich a child’s learning experience. There are countless fun activities that compliment what they learn at school. Remember the foundation of learning should be in the home.

You can make a difference. It could be as simple as asking your child to help with the weekly shopping, design a card for a friend or read a leaflet for you. Remember a trip out, be it to a museum or the local park, brings new experiences and ideas.

Try to understand how your child learns. How they intake, retain, recall and apply information. There are different techniques that are suited to different people.

An example is the re-capping method. When your child reads something, after three minutes they have forgotten 50%. However if they re-read it again the next day, after a week, one month and three months, then they will retain 90% of the information.

Have lots of books in your home, they will open your child’s mind to new ideas.
Music also harmonises the brain. Try to listen to different types together: pop, jazz, traditional, or classical. Maybe have an occasional sing-song and see if your child can remember the lyrics.

Our children live in a different world to the one we grew up in, and they must be able to succeed in their environment. Education is a tool of empowerment.

Nowadays it is important to monitor your child’s use of computers and other multi-media, but remember it can also be a powerful learning tool. Again if you work together to find information on the internet or even play games, then the experience is enriched.

As your child grows encourage age-relevant skills and knowledge, and ensure they know that you are supporting them.
An important lesson for your children is financial literacy. Teach them how to budget and explain about targeted advertising and other temptations.

Your child needs to know about self-esteem, self-image and self-knowledge – how you feel about yourself, how you see yourself, what you know about yourself.
These things shape us all. We need to enhance how our children feel about themselves, to erase any self-doubt.

If you keep telling a child they are foolish and stupid they will believe that.
If you keep telling them that he or she is a genius they will believe that too.

The effects of high self-esteem are very important for a child. They are much healthier and are more motivated to learn.

Children spend many hours outside of the home - in schools or out with friends.
Help them understand how their friends affect them. Peer relationship can be negative or extremely positive. Mixing with the right crowd can help a child succeed.

Teach your child to communicate effectively, both verbally and with body language. Simple techniques such as taking a deep breathe and waiting, instead of interrupting or arguing can diffuse many conflict situations.

As parents we must not undermine our children. We must not narrow their scope of opportunities. Young people need to be open to all possibilities.

Look at your child’s life through their eyes. We need to understand their world to understand who they are."

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Keeing-Kids-Happy Introduction

2005-04-25T16:14:58+02:00

Hello, my name is Jo Wildman.
I have decided to write this blog to share tips, ideas and information on how to keep kids happy.

I am a mother of two little boys, aged 3½ and 1. They are quite a handful, but I find that it is usually basic ideas and simple toys that keep them happy and me sane.
I am by no means a perfect parent, I just think it is important to share ideas that seem to work.

I am also a freelance writer and photographer.
Over the years I have written articles on all sorts of interesting subjects and I have worked for different children’s charities, government departments and other organisation. I often come across great resources, information, advice and suggestions.

Although I am a writer, this is my first Blog.
So, I’m not really sure what direction it is going to take. I just decided to start out and see what happens. I will try to post various different tips/ideas/suggestion on various different aspects of looking after kids, maybe about baby care/reading and stories/games for toddlers/being happy at school/eating the right food etc. etc.

My hope it that readers will find this useful and that it will be interactive with lots of messages.
I will try to post something new at least once a week.

Finally, I must add a note of caution.
Anything published here is only a suggestion.
I will ensure that I always name the sources where relevant and readers must ensure that they always act responsibly. You know what is best for your children and always ask a professional (Teacher, Health Visitor, Doctor etc.) if you have any worries, it is better to be safe than sorry.

Anyway, that’s it for the introduction.

Cheers

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