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…
Recently there have been reports of a few nurseries taking children to old peoples homes. The benefits of this experiment appear to be endless to both the children and the pensioners. Some children haven’t got grandparents who are still living or they may live a long distance from them, equally some elderly folk don’t…
As the weather was so good instead of my usual riding lesson in the indoor school at the Calvert trust, Exmoor, I went for a ride towards the lake at Wistlandpound. I was hoisted onto the saddle of Teddy, my usual horse. Kerri my instructor needed to tighten the girth on Teddy’s saddle, which meant…
One of the biggest insults you can give a child minder is to call him/her a babysitter. How many babysitters have a paediatric first aid certificate that is updated every 3 years, have full insurance and many qualifications often including an N.V.Q. level 3 in early years care and education? Babysitters are often teenage girls…
Ever since I can remember I have been horse mad. Each year on my birthday I would blow out my candles and wish for a horse, it never happened. Then every year I would enter the W.H. Smith win a pony competition. I never won. As I grew a little older I came up with…
Elizabeth has asked about this subject as she is new to child minding and therefore unsure how to approach these sensitive topics with the children in her care. When I was a child minder I borrowed toys from the toy library which was organised by the network coordinator there was a good supply of equipment…
This maybe too short notice for this year as National children’s day is 1st August, but might be worth thinking about for next year. Using National children’s day to promote your business must be a good thing, surely? When I was a child minder the National child minding association (N.C.M.A.) held a National child minding…
The Pilton green man festival this year was on Saturday 21 July ( it is always on a Saturday in July) The green man festival is a charity event which benefits the community of Pilton, Barnstaple, which is where I grew up and went to school. Pilton street, which is the high street of the…
When my children were attending pre-school , there used to be a system known as rota-mum. This was where the mums (or dads) of the children were asked to stay and help at a session once or twice a term . In my experience because this was optional and not essential, it was the ‘same…
The benefits of using the library can easily be forgotten now that we all use the internet to look things up rather than using a book for research and many people, myself included, use an e reader rather than the traditional paperback novel. The library has so much more to offer than just books though….
Since suffering a stroke just over 11 years ago, which has left me disabled. I have never been out alone, always going with my husband, sister or friends. I feel it is now time to ‘bite the bullet’, be brave and venture out alone. To do this I needed a bag that I can use…
A Family reunion is a major event that comes in every summer vacation, in which the members of the family comes altogether to celebrate. Having a family reunion takes time, commitment, and planning. The family reunion is perceived as a time for a vacation and family members want to enjoy a nice setting. Planning a…
Now that the long school summer break is fast approaching, plan ahead by gathering together some activities in case of bad weather (this amazing weather can’t last forever). ichild have a great make a unicorn craft and as unicorns seem to everywhere at the moment why not join in with this trend? The instructions are…
Now that summer is here at last (and we have had some pretty amazing weather so far) use this as an opportunity to get your children out into the garden as it is a great place for children to run around and get some fresh air and exercise. The addition of a few toys will…
Becoming parents can surely be one of the most pleasant and gratifying experiences of your life, however, that doesn’t mean it’s as simple as you see it. No matter how old your kids are, your job is never done. You always need to know how to make them feel treasured and admired while showing them…
I recently listened to a debate on a daytime television programme about this subject.One mother said that having only one child is great but another disagreed and said that she thought it was wrong and selfish. I decided to share my experiences and thoughts on the topic. I have 3 children plus a stepson and…
Peep into a house party packed with teenagers, what you will see is an entirely different version of High School Musical. Teenage boys and girls taking recreational drugs and alcohol is a common view these days. It is probably due to the glamorization of such addictions in our movies. The one who uses drugs is…
Last week a member of the Royal family was criticised because prince George was seen playing with a toy gun. My feelings on this are: For goodness sake he is a 4 year old child, let children behave like children. In my experience banning children from playing with guns is not the answer, whether you…
Fortunately my experience of children in hospital is limited. I was in hospital when I was 10. I had to have my appendix removed , complications resulted in me getting pneumonia and one of my lungs collapsed . The hospital that I was in was in Liverpool, my dad who is a massive Liverpool football…
Regular readers will be aware that I have been working with ichild for some time. So when I was sent some of their father’s day downloads, I thought that I would share them by writing this post:- Make a tie craft could be used to make a tie for dad, or for yourself, or even…
Child care “or also known as “daycare”, a type of service which involves supervision activity of a child or a group of children by persons who have no personal relation to the child’s family. This is a very important and responsible service particularly for the parents of a modern nuclear family when both the parents…
When my youngest son came home from school and told me that he (along with the rest of this class) were learning some basic sign language using makaton a child’s version of British sign language (B.S.L.) I was inspired to also learn some because I was working as a child minder at the time so…
When oxotots asked if I would review the 2 in 1 go potty , I once again asked family friend, Ann to assist with this . Ann who has 3 young children says the oxotot 2 in 1 go potty is the only toilet training item that parents/carers will need. It is light weight and…
When I was working as a registered child minder I always felt that I was in competition with nurseries and pre-schools as well as other child minders. To make my setting look more professional to parents I made a prospectus that I offered to post to when they rang to make enquiries into my business….
This week I watched a television programme where a celebrity needed to hire a nanny to help with the care of her baby, but she was concerned that he would love this nanny more than her. I came across a parent with similar worries when I was working as a registered child minder. This parent…
Walker books sent the following children’s books for me to review: WHERE IS LITTLE FISH The first thing that struct me about this delightful board book is the quality. It has flaps for children to lift when trying to find Little fish. I have come across lift the flap books before, usually the flaps are…
Most children have their first experience of being in water from a bath or maybe in the paddling pool on a rare warm summer’s day. If you do use a paddling pool take care once the children have finished playing in it- it is all to easy to forget that it is still there full…
Tiny tree have kindly sent these books for me to review. Dash the dolphin, Frank the flamingo and Esme the elephant are the latest 3 books in this instalment.All three are written by Kaley Owen and Graeme Holding has drawn the bright,fun illustrations, the books are written in rhyme which regular readers of my blog…
ichild have a variety of paperwork aimed at early years practitioners:- Child photo observation form is ideal for writing an observation and then adding a relevant photo ( don’t be tempted to stage a photo as ofsted will soon notice that) Child observation report consists of 2 pages covering all 7 of the early learning…