Did you know that this week (16th - 22 September 2013) is National Eye Health Week? There seem to be so many weeks like this these days where we're celebrating something or raising significance of something else and it's very easy for them to pass you by un-noticed, but this is one that I actually heard being talked about first thing Monday morning whilst getting breakfast for the kids and it is one that does affect all of us, no matter how old or young. So, back to Monday morning. As usual I had Radio 2 on and Chris Evans was doing his amazing job of trying to get the whole country ... read more
Archives for September 2013
Ladybird Tuesday: Light, Mirrors and Lenses
Time for a spot of science on this week's Ladybird Tuesday. We've covered Magnets, Bulbs and Batteries from the Junior Science series (621) before on here, but now it's the turn of Light, Mirrors and Lenses. This book covered everything from why we need some amount of light to be able to see, and how the human eye works right through to how light travels from stars so that we can see them here on earth. There are experiments for children to carry out including simply playing with shadows and making your own microscope using two convex mirrors and a ruler. This book ... read more
Review: Walkers Might Lights
I was a strange child when it came to food. I hated chips. Disliked crisps. Would only eat one particular chocolate bar and nothing else. For months my poor mother had to feed me a diet of cold mushroom soup and baked beans as I refused to eat anything else. I remember going for playdates at school friends' houses and getting upset as I didn't like the snacks that their mums offered us. I did say I was a strange one. When it comes to my kids I'm keen that they eat a varied diet. Yet fruit and veg is important and I'm keen that it's a balanced diet, but I also want them to ... read more
Lemon, Chilli and Courgette Naan Pizzas
My sister always swears by the recipes that you get in the freebie magazines that you find near the till in the big supermarkets. The ones produced by the supermarkets themselves. Now I have to admit that in many ways she's much more organised than me and will actually work through the magazines and clip out recipes that she wants to do. Then again she doesn't have two kids so has a bit more spare time then I do! When I was in Tesco the other week I saw the August - September edition of their Real Food magazine and thought it about time to give one of these magazines a go and I've ... read more
The story of the Tree Fu Tom underpants
Boys will be boys and girls will be girls How many times have you heard the above? Such common sayings yet have you ever thought about what meaning is behind them? I have a child of each gender and whilst I appreciate that my two children have differences they also have a huge number of similarities. I know that the physical and mental development of boys and girls can be different, but my own parenting experiences have also taught me that at no point does my daughter take into account her own gender when deciding what she likes and dislikes. For years toy retailers and manufacturers ... read more
Meet Ralph – my little Scotch friend…
Isn't he a cutie? Ralph is here to brighten up any desk, either at home, work or even at school and he's a Scotch Magic Tape dispenser making him super useful too! Little Miss C has recently developed a love for sticking things with tape and I've found that Scotch Magic Tape is by far the easiest for her to use when she's doing some crafting. It doesn't get all scrunched up in the way that other tape does and it also keeps its flat shape better, making it easier for little hands to deal with. Previously she was trying to get it out of one of the standard clear plastic ... read more
Review: Kiddy Charts
Months ago (yes - sorry Helen!) I was asked to review Kiddy Charts and jumped at the chance. At the time I was also attending the parenting course that I've written about before here and a whole section of the course was focused on reward charts of different forms and the pros and cons of using them with different children. It seemed the perfect background to give Kiddy Charts a good rigorous review. So, what exactly are Kiddy Charts? Via their very easy to use website you can create and personalise your own Reward and Chore Charts, Progress Charts, Care Charts (so that ... read more
Ladybird Tuesday: ‘How it Works’ The Camera
Some vintage Ladybird books really do show their age more than others and that's the case with The Camera. Photography has changed so much over the years due to advances in technology, although the basic physics behind it remain the same. 'How it Works' The Camera was first published in 1970 as part of series 654 and aims to take the reader through everything from what the basic components of a camera are (or were in 1970), the physics of light and lenses, how cameras focus, depth of field and how cameras use film to capture an image. What I find particularly interesting to ... read more
Underpants Wonderpants – Peter Bently and Deborah Melmon
I am always amazed at the way in which some children's books just completely capture a child's imagination as soon as they read them. They may not look that special to an adult as we initially flick through them, but our children just become obsessed with them instantly. That's exactly what happened with Underpants Wonderpants and Little Miss C. Is it an eagle? Is it a plane? No - it's Underpants Wonderpants to the rescue again! Underpants Wonderpants is, quite simply, a superhero dog who comes to the rescue of everyone from homeless mice to a planet under ... read more
A need to just run and jump
As my journey through motherhood continues I find that I'm constantly learning from my children and regularly surprised by what they are teaching me. Now I've got three years of parenting under my belt I realise that some of those earlier lessons are actually quite obvious, but possibly not when you're new on the job. One of those first lessons, which now seems so blindingly obvious, is a child's need to play. It's the way that they learn, work things out in their heads and express themselves. So many times in the past I've heard a frustrated Little Miss C complaining ... read more