A friend recently received a letter from school informing her that her daughter would be having a lesson explaining growing up and changing bodies, so she suggested that I should write about this topic. I remember my mum ( who like most people of her generation found it difficult to talk about this subject) giving…
Kitty Irvine got in touch to ask if I would review her book. The front cover is glossy and shows the characters who appear in the book. The story is all about the magical land of Willowwood snug. It follows twins; Tippy and Tilly who are excited about being big enough to start going to…
The endless days of summer—sitting by the pool, soaking up the sun, catching up with friends and family. The cook outs, summer trips and summertime projects. There are many activities to fill the longer days of summer, but what do you do when you get to the midpoint of summer vacation and the kids start…
New child minders and other early years practitioners are sometimes confused by early years jargon; hopefully this will explain:- OPEN ENDED QUESTIONS: These are questions that make children think about their answers, for example; when playing with children instead of asking questions that can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no” ask a…
The Second Baby’s on Its Way – What’s the Firstborn Going to Say? You’ve made up your mind and realised that it’s the right time to get the second baby. Now you need to prepare yourself and the rest of your family for the arrival of this new little being. You and your partner…
I have always been horse mad and wanted my own horse for as long as I can remember; I used to say that I wanted to marry a rich farmer, as a way of getting my own equine. Sadly that never happened, however, I spent many happy hours riding various horses belonging to others (…
It has recently been mentioned that maybe parents should be banned from school sports day; this is because some parents have behaved badly and embarrassed their children. Some parents are annoyed when their children don’t win.One parent even went so far as to take along her own sports day medal to give to her (and…
I am a stroke survivor and have recently gained the courage to go out alone using my electric wheelchair ( rather than with a friend or relative). To help fill my time I contacted a local primary school to see if I could be a reading volunteer, as I used to be a child minder …
Katie, a child minder has requested today’s post. I am a fan of getting children out and about whenever possible; so forest schools are right up my street. I often took the children in my care to the woods when I was a registered child minder- read about it here …
A book has recently been published in which it states that a baby should be left to cry and that there is no evidence that this will harm a child. This got me thinking:- I believe that a baby cries for a reason and therefore should not be left to ‘cry it out’. I also…
As we are approaching the end of another school year and most schools will be hosting a parents evening; I decided to share my thoughts and experiences;:- A recent episode of a daytime television programme shared that a father fell asleep during a parents evening and a child asked her dad not to tell his…
http://www.facebook.com/michelleningbooks/This fantastic children’s book is written and illustrated by Michelle Ning Lo. The front cover is really bright and colourful making it appealing straight away. Inside is an animal alphabet; not only is the text written in rhyme (making it even more fun and easier for any early readers to predict the next word-giving them…
Dear parents-to-be What I wish I had known as a first time parent! This is such an exciting time but I, like so many others had not prepared myself to teach my baby to sleep when she arrived and I quickly found myself being woken every hour of the night – I spent…
Mrs Wordsmith sent volumes 1 and 2 of these children’s sticker books, which also help with children learning to read. Each of the books has 10 pages of bright, colourful round stickers; which as a former early years practitioner, I know will appeal to children. The books have a space for each sticker with…
When I first applied to become a registered child minder, many years ago now, we were all advised, at a compulsory foundation course ( designed as an introduction to child minding)not to child mind for friends or neighbours, I wasn’t sure, then, why this was so and when I received my child minders certificate, I…
Tiny tree books sent this lovely book, which explores a child’s imagination; it is full of diversity. The book also challenges gender stereo-types; as Millie, the girl in the story pretends to be a fire fighter just like her dad . This wonderful daddy/daughter story is written by Ryan Crawford and Kayla Coombs. …
Best learning sent this great educational toy. The whack and learn mole will teach children the alphabet, numbers 1-12 and colours while also developing hand-to-eye co-ordination and dexterity; all whilst having fun. When a child age 6 months upwards whacks the mole on the head he can start playing and learning. There are different modes:-…
I recently watched a program on television were a pregnant woman was concerned that she wouldn’t be able to love this baby as much as her first and would she have enough love to go around? In my experience you absolutely will love every child as much, as all babies are individuals with different personalities …
Forelock books sent the following:- THE HORSE WITH BIG HAIR: This colourful children’s picture book is written by Sally Burrell, it tells the tale of Buckle, a horse with a messy mane and tail. The other horses and children laugh at him because of this, but Buckle doesn’t mind because his owner loves him just…
When I was working as a resisted child minder, like most other child minders I looked after a variety of children of different ages, stages of development and some with special needs (often all at once). My favourite activities which can be enjoyed by everyone, with maybe a few adjustments to suit special needs are:-…
Tiny tree children’s books sent the following:- BINX LOST IN FRANCE This is the second Binx book that I have reviewed, Binx the Jinx was equally as good as this one. The story is written in rhyming text- my favourite.and is printed clearly enough for early readers to attempt reading for themselves. It is…
I heard on the radio that Romeo Beckham feels that he is letting his dad down because he isn’t very good at football. This got me thinking; should we expect our children to follow in our footsteps and if so are we putting too much pressure on them? Regular readers will be aware that I …
When I was sent this hardback children’s book to review, I could tell straight away that I was going to love everything about it. The front cover gives a wonderful clue as to what is inside. The book is written in a sensitive way that children will be able to understand; from explaining about the…
When I was a registered child minder I would often sing with the children in my care; I will admit to being the world’s worst singer, but the children seemed to like it, recently a parent whose son I used to look after when he was 4 ( he is in his 30’s now) told…
This wonderful hardback children’s picture book is perfect for me to review, as I have a granddaughter , called Katlyn, she spells it a little differently (without the e) most people in England spell it Caitlin. The book is written by Kerri.T. Collins and the beautiful illustrations are drawn by Marcia Adams Ho . The…
I can clearly remember driving in my car in the 1990’s on the way to collect my children from school, the news reporter on the radio said that by the year 2010 more school age children would have mobile phones than wrist watches; what a load of rubbish I thought to myself, why would school…
Most parents have a busy schedule—making lunches, attending school events, trying to juggle work and a social life. Where does the time go? More often than not, it’s spent playing catch up. Maybe you missed an appointment or forgot to do a few things around the house. To help you get back on track, and…
In the hope of inspiring other disabled people to become more independent I am sharing my experience of travelling on the bus on my electric wheelchair. I survived a massive stroke just over 12 years ago and now feel that I need to start getting some independence back. I have been into town a few…
Best learning materials sent this lovely book, which helps to develop logical thinking, creative and imaginative skills, a love of music and helps with children’s concentration. Open the bright front cover to find a book of 10 favourite , well known children’s songs; such as row, row, row your boat, twinkle, twinkle little star ,…
Another fun post inspired by the innocent things that children say. When my middle son was due to start school, he was very excited.He went with me to meet his teacher. When we returned home and his dad asked what the teacher was like, he told him, “She has hair here and hair here,” while…
Austin Macauley publishers kindly sent the following children’s books for review: THE DUCK TRAIL Is written by Steven G. Matthews. It tells the tale of Drake the duck who doesn’t listen to his mother and gets into an unfortunate situation. The text is written in a poetic nature and the illustrations are bright and colourful…
When I was working as a registered child minder I looked after a little girl who wore calipers on her legs to walk, she could only wear them for short periods as otherwise they made her skin sore. Her mother asked me to put them on and remove them throughout her time with me. …
This colourful, hardback children’s interactive book is fantastic. The inside cover explains clearly how to use the book, which even arrived with the batteries included! The book features 12 different animals; from a camel to a tiger . Every page has colourful illustrations and some text explaining about each animal. The unique thing about the…
Are your children out of control, rude, or displaying behaviorsand values that do not support the goals you have for your family? Often these behaviors are mimics of observed behavior. It’s a tough pill to swallow to think that the poor behaviors demonstrated by your children are sometimes a direct reflection of your own behavior….
First I must point out that I am bias towards registered child minders because I was one for many years. Child minders are quite different from other providers, such as nannies, nurseries and pre-schools. To start child minders work in their own homes; offering a home-from-home to the children in their care. This in my…
I have always been a believer of getting out and about whenever possible, especially with children. When I was growing up, my family often went for a countryside walk at the weekends. My sisters and I were all horse mad so when we went for a walk we would find a stick each and then…
Deciding on the right name for a child can be difficult. Some parents decide on a family name. or name a baby after a sporting hero or even a pop star. When I was pregnant with my first child we chose names for both sexes: a boy would be Leigh Stephen: Leigh ( my husband…
Regular readers will know that I am a fan of ichild: this is a selection of their activities for Easter and spring:- INTO THE WOODS: Is a printout of a woodland scene, then another download produces woodland characters for children to cut out and stick onto their woodland picture. THE BLUEBELL; Not only introduces a…
Tiny tree publishing sent the latest instalment of the animal alphabet books. All of the books are written by Kaley Owen and the wonderful illustrations are by Graeme Harding. The books have rhyming text; my absolute favourite for children’s literature. GINA THE GIRAFFE: Gina is very forgetful and the other animals make fun of her…
Bullying is horrible and there is no excuse for it in my opinion. Thankfully I have never been bullied and neither have any of my children. A friend once told me that she was picked on at school by another girl ( it was over a boy which my friend said she didn’t even like…
Being a parent is a full-time job. For lots of people, this job comes in addition to a demanding career. With that being a said, maintaining a household can easily start to get overwhelming as parents’ schedules continue to get busier and busier. The key to keeping things running smoothly while also keeping your…
When I agreed to review this publication I was expecting a thin magazine to drop through my letterbox, I was pleasantly surprised when a proper book came. The zine was started by Emma 4 weeks after having her daughter, Isabella. Emma self publishes the zine which is all about motherhood, self care and well…
When I was working as a registered child minder I was told at several training courses that I should work in partnership with parents. This is great in theory but some parents work in partnership more than others. One parent had the idea that because she was paying me to care for her child, I…
Looksee checklist got in touch asking me to review their pocket edition as they thought it was a good fit for my blog theme. Basically the handy spiral bound wipe clean book contains 13 checklists to monitor children’s (age 0-6) development and help them to grow. There are clear instructions on how to use the…
Celebrate St. P Patrick’s day with this challenging crossword puzzle. This year St. Patrick’s day is on Sunday 17th March. Education.com asked me to write about this download, as I have previously written successful posts for them. The crossword puzzle is suitable for children aged 7-8 years (roughly year 3 of school). To download these…
Usually I tell parents to try to ignore unwanted bad behaviour in children, but biting is a different matter that can’t be ignored. I would suggest going down to the children’s level, looking them in the eye and say in a firm voice, “No, that hurts.” Also remember to reward children when they are playing…
Dawn has suggested this weeks post. When I was a girl, I didn’t have an imaginary friend. I had an imaginary German shepherd dog . I always wanted to have a dog and got my love of this particular breed from my dad, who never managed to own one as we eventually had a Labrador…
After watching a programme on the television where children were asked what they wanted to be when they grow up,I decided to share what myself and others inspired to be as adults when we were children: My cousin always wanted to be a dance teacher, she now teaches dance part time as a way of…
Is watching television good for children, or something not to be encouraged? These are my thoughts and experiences:- In my opinion children watching television can be good providing an adult monitors what they are watching. There are some quality educational programmes aimed at children. When I was working as a registered child minder I…
Taste ‘n’tell is a series of 10 books designed to help children who are fussy eaters to eat more fruit and vegetables The unique thing about the taste’n’tell books is that each book has a clever plastic pot with a lid to put samples of the food for children to try. Book 1- discovering…
In my experience as both a parent and a registered child minder from time to time children will swear, cuss and use unpleasant language. The best way to manage this is to ignore it. if children don’t get a response the chances are they won’t repeat this behaviour. I recall my youngest coming in…
Homework, whether you agree with it or not (I have heard of parents who believe that because children are at school all day they shouldn’t have to have homework too) is a part of the school years. My youngest son was so excited when his speech therapist gave him some sounds to practice at home,…
I was a registered child minder for 14 years and I can honestly say that I loved every single moment of it. I only gave up because ill health forced me to. Being a child minder has lots of advantages: I started this particular career because it meant that I was able to earn some…
This fantastic children’s picture book is written by Anna Crichton and illustrated by Siobhan Barlow. The book is inspired by Anna’s own dog, Zara. The story is written from the prospective of the dog and cleverly explains how the dog feels when she is crowded by children in the playground. It also explains how to…
Another fun post today. When I was a child I remember my slightly older cousin telling me that she had stayed up to “see in the new year.” The first time that I saw in the new year, I was so disappointed as I didn’t see anything! I presumed that because my cousin had stayed…
Most of the tantrums that a 2 year old has can be dealt with quite simply: Basically don’t give in to bad behaviour. Unwanted behaviour is often a form of attention seeking, ignore unwanted behaviour wherever possible and reward the good, wanted behaviour. A reward can be as simple as verbal praise, don’t get into…
A light earthed post for today! From time to time children like to make things up or exaggerate things to make them sound more exciting. This is not the same as telling lies, just having a healthy imagination. Some examples of children’s tales that I have heard are:- When I was working as a child…
I would recommend talking to your baby as often as you can from the moment he is born; talk about anything and everything, sing to him, teach him nursery rhymes and read him books. a child is never too young to listen to a story or share a picture book, in my opinion. Experts say…
As a child minder I was always looking for ways of entertaining the children that would be fun and educational at the same time. Sometimes, these activities meant that the children in my care would get a bit messy. One of these children would always arrive looking like she was wearing her ‘Sunday best’ and…
What is a story sack? I hear you ask . A story sack is a bag of items which relate to a children’s story book, often the contents are hand made ( the ones which I used were made by members of the W.I. women’s institute). I borrowed several story sacks from the library; these…
My son, Leigh and his family went on a pre-Christmas break to Finlake holiday resort. Finlake is in Newton Abbot on the edge of Dartmoor situated in 130 acres of stunning Devon shire countryside and not far from the sea. On arrival Leigh said that the park looked neat and tidy, with some seasonal decorations…
When Best learning materials corp asked if I was interested in reviewing one of their products, I chose my spin and learn steering wheel because this appealed to my expertise as a former child minder. On opening the box I immediately saw a quality toy which would provide hours of fun and learning. The wheel…
When my son was around 18 months I took him to a toddler group session, one December Santa came for a visit all the parents sat waiting with their children on their laps, we kept telling them, “Santa will be here soon.” expecting our children to be as excited as we all were. As Santa…
In my opinion the best pets for children are:- RABBITS; I have kept a rabbit,or two for most of my life; from regular size rabbits in childhood, to 2 giants as an adult. If you decide to get a rabbit as a pet for children please don’t let him live at the bottom of…
This is just a selection of the children’s Christmas crafts which can be downloaded from ichild; FATHER CHRISTMAS PAPER CHAIN: A simple take on the tradition paper chains. The Santa’s can be coloured by children using pens, paints and even cotton wool for beards and hats and then hang them up as a…
Snow in the garden is written and illustrated by the wonderfully talented Shirley Hughes. Shirley Hughes has always been one of my favourite children’s authors, I read her books to my own sons and to the children that I used to child mind. Snow in the garden is her latest publication, it is a hardback…
This children’s book is written by Tanya Preminger and the illustrations are by Elettra Cudignotto. It tells the story of an 8 year old boy who lives for football, especially Lionel Messi, his favourite player. When he struggles with school work and self confidence , his belief in the sport helps him to work things…
This subject was a recent discussion on a daytime television programme; it got me thinking: Teachers get paid for the amazing work that they do, so do they really need to be given presents at Christmas too? I don’t remember giving presents to my teachers when I was a child, I don’t think it was…
As the weather was chilly, but bright and beautiful for mid November I went to visit a friend’s horse. Once I was wrapped up warmly I gave Luke the apple I had brought from home, he happily munched it cleverly spitting out the core. I then gave him a few carrots. Being close to Luke,…
I am not going off of my theme of parenting tips and advice as stroke can happen to anyone, of any age; even children and babies. When I was a child , my uncle suffered a stroke in his forties. I thought that this was unusual as stroke only happens to old people, doesn’t it?…
Creative steps is a fantastic publication full of fun craft and activity ideas that encourage children to learn through play. In the 4 issues that I was sent there are no fewer than 250 ideas! Each magazine is glossy with a bright, colourful front cover. Magazines which are typical in this genre usually only cater…
A schema is a thought or pattern of behaviours which allow children to explore and express developing ideas. I had never heard of a schema until I attended a workshop when I was a child minder which explained about schema. Looking back my eldest showed signs of being a schema; he like to line up…
This is following on from last weeks post on gross motor skills. Fine motor skills develop the muscles in fingers, thumbs and hands which enable children to hold a pen or pencil to write and draw, as well as mastering skills like doing up buttons, zips and tying shoe laces and holding cutlery to cut…
Walker books sent this beautiful hardback children’s picture book. Little (and some not so little boys) everywhere will love this book. Inside the front cover is a diagram of the little digger pointing out the different parts. Little digger feels left out when a bigger digger arrives on the building site, until big digger gets…
Children need to learn and develop gross motor skills to simply lead ‘a normal life’. Gross motor skills are the skills that children need to walk, run, climb, swim jump, kick, throw and catch a ball and to be able to play sports and even take part in a school sports day. Most children have…
ichild have sent a selection of activities suitable for celebrating bonfire night:- The gunpowder, treason and plot: This is an account of why we celebrate bonfire night, there are questions on the front page for parents/practitioners to ask the children once the story has been shared, which is explained quite simply. Big, bigger and biggest…
Bangon books got in touch to ask if I would like to review one of their personalised children’s adventure books. As I am passionate about children’s literature after years of working as a registered child minder I agreed. I chose unicorn Oo (as a Christmas present for my granddaughter, Katlyn) who is 9….
This time when I went for my riding lesson at the Calvert trust, Exmoor, Kerri, my usual instructor was on holiday. I was introduced to Carolyn instead. As usual I rode Teddy a 21 year old piebald (black and white) gelding. After being hoisted onto the saddle, without having the small panic which I had…
The first time that I heard of a man suffering with post natal depression (P.N.D.)was when a father of multiples admitted to it on a television programme that I was watching. It may seem strange to think that a new father can get post natal depression as it is usually associated with woman who have…
When my sons were growing up they sometimes had a sleepover,often to celebrate a birthday. Once the guests had arrived we would drive them to McDonald’s and trust them to stay there until they had finished eating (they were sensible teenagers). When they were ready to come home my son would ring or text and…
As many people seem to be in favour of smacking children as those who are against it. I would be lying if I said that I had never given my children a smack when they were growing up and I was smacked as a child by my parents. It most likely didn’t do me any…
My 6 year old granddaughter, Sophia loves unicorns so much that she asked if instead of having presents for her last birthday, could she have her hair coloured rainbow colours so she could be a unicorn. When “In The Book” asked if I was interested in reviewing one of their personalised children’s books and I…
It was my youngest granddaughter’s turn to take Buddy bear home from school for the weekend. The idea behind Buddy bear is that every child in the class gets a turn to have the bear spend time with them at home, parents are asked to document what Buddy has done and to take a few…
Most of my readers will be aware that I am a disabled stroke survivor. It is also common knowledge that I have been planning on going out alone in my electric wheelchair. A friend suggested that I contact driving miss. Daisy, Barnstaple to see if they could help with this,(It is actually run by someone…
Helping or encouraging your child to learn her colours, should be both fun and light hearted. My eldest son, learnt his colours from playing with his toy cars, he would ask me, “What colour is this one, mummy?” He learnt very quickly and I remember when we were in the library and he referred to…
As a former early years practitioner I know that children learn a great deal through play, I don’t really agree with the idea of having a curriculum for children under the age of 3; I don’t think it is necessary. When I was a child minder all my under 5’s learnt to tell the time…
It may seem a little strange that a blogger who predominantly writes posts about parenting/child minding tips and advice to write a jewellery review! But with Christmas on the horizon and everyone, including myself looking for presents that are a little different, it seems like a great idea. Each item of jewellery made by Sappho…
Once again ichild have come up with some wonderful activities for children; this is just a selection of some of the ones for autumn:- ADD THE AUTUMN LEAVES is quite a straightforward activity suitable for children who are learning to count, it would also help with learning number recognition (I have written an earlier post…
If a new baby is on the way and you’re about to move home, you have undoubtedly received a barrage of advice about how to childproof your home. The truth is that accidental injuries are considered a major health problem throughout the UK, with over two million children under the age of 15 experiencing accidents…
Being a step parent to my second husbands son is one of the hardest things I have done, but it has also been very rewarding. I already had 2 sons when we moved in with my now husband and his 8 year old son. We had another son together a few years later…
When I heard that babyled spreads were looking for a blogger to review their products and it was agreed that I should do it .I contacted a friend, whose daughter I used to child mind, for help. Sarah is following baby led weaning with her son, Cove, who is 9 months old. Baby led weaning…
This seems like an appropriate post for this week as most of the schools have just gone back after the long summer break. Many children and parents do not like a school uniform, but my feelings are if everyone is dressed the same, surly that reduces the risk of bullying? Children that can’t afford…
Debbie got in touch to ask if I would review her strength cards , after the success of my earlier review of my mood stars (for a friend of Debbie). She sent me a box of 24 cards and a cute session bag to keep them in. . The cards are:- playful, graceful and socible;…
When I was working as a registered child minder I was a member of the local child minding network meaning that I had to have some additional policies above that of an average child minder. I am convinced that this contributed to me being able to get an outstanding grade at my inspection. These were:…
Walker books sent this delightful children’s picture book. A first book of the sea is written by Nicola Davies. It is a hardback book full of heartwarming poems about the sea; from blue whales to plankton, there is something for everyone, I love this book because children will be delighted as they recall holidays…
When I married my second husband I had 2 sons from my first marriage who had their dads surname, it never occurred to me to change their names, they wouldn’t have wanted to; they loved their dad, even though I no longer did, plus I thought that they had enough changes going on without adding…
Kat has suggested the topic of today’s post, thanks Kat. Co-parenting is a legal term were by two parents who are separated or divorced parent a child together (often in separate homes). Usually the child will be resident with one parent ,often the mother (although I do know of a few fathers who had custody…
I often get inspiration for blog topics from social media so when I read a few weeks ago that Bridget Nelson gave birth to a baby aged 54 and last year Janet Jackson had her first baby at 50, also a woman in China who is pregnant aged 67. There was also a woman on…
When Wendy got in touch to ask if I would review this product I agreed instantly as it looked like a great resource for early years settings and as I was a child minder for many years, I know about such things. My mood stars were invented by Wendy White a former registered child minder…