Category: Uncategorized
This book has a bright, vibrant front cover which entices readers to want to look inside. The book is a first for the author who has dedicated it to her son who sadly passed away. .Beaford goes on a walk because he wants to find something that he is good at. After a few mishaps…
The first thing that struck me when I received this book was the bright, colourful front cover. Luna loves her nursery and is especially fond of a particular toy tiger, so she borrows him from nursery over the bank holiday weekend. Luna and tiger visit lots of different places with her family and have some…
As soon as I came across Scotchbooks on Facebook I knew that they would be a good fit to my blog theme. I was sent 3 books:- SCOTCH THE SCARE-GO; Scotch appears to be an average run-of-the-mill scarecrow at first glance .But he is so much more than that when he becomes a scare- go…
W e all know that parents ( and non-parents) cope better after having a good nights sleep. The key to getting a sucessful bedtime for children is to have a ROUTINE; When my children were young our bedtime routine was to have a warm bath, with some bubbles and a few toys to make it…
This hardback children’s picture book is a modern take on traditional fairy tales; princess Tilly doesn’t need rescuing by a handsome prince, she can rescue herself.! The book is full of wonderful illustrations drawn by Jenny Lovlie. What I like most about this book is that it challenges stereotyping and some of the princesses are…
When I was a registered child minder, I liked to take the children out as much as possible. I would tell parents about this and explain about payment ( I added this to my contracts also). at the first interview Outings to toddler groups, family workshops and the child minders drop-in were relatively cheap, but…
When I was working as a registered child minder I was always trying to think up ways of helping the children to learn through play. One of the most successful things that I thought of was to set up an early years hair dressing salon: I started planning this by asking the children’s parents to…
Readers will know that I have recently started a new hobby; glass painting while sitting in my wheelchair. My mum was delighted with the coaster that I gave her for a big birthday last year. So I decided to have a go at making her something for mother’s day too: First of all the glass…
I have heard of several child minders who are concerned that their own children are jealous of the ones they are looking after. . I always knew that my own children, especially my youngest benefited from me being a child minder more here, But on a rare occasion one of them did make a negative…
This is a small selection of crafts available from ichild:- 3D EASTER CARD: This craft is suitable for older children with a flare for arts and crats as it requires some skill. FOLDING FOX CARD: This is a little simpler than the previous card, as it just needs a few neat folds. PAPER PLATE CHICK:…
This is a subject that I have experience of:- We are a blended family read more herehttps://thenextbestthingtomummy.com/?s=blended+families. I and my husband both have children from a previous marriage; our boys never called the step parent mum or dad as they all had an absent parent who they saw regularly. If a stranger who wasn’t aware…
I have been asked on more than one occasion what is the correct age to move a baby from a cot into a bed. As all children are individuals, I would say that there is no set age. This is how I made the transition with my own children:- My boys were moved when I…
To help fill my time during the current lock down, I have been writing posts relating to the virus. Explaining it to children here Activities for the virus here. I have also been busy writing an e book to help parents entertain their children during this difficult time. Buy it here I have been promoting…
Once again this is a topic that was brought up on a daytime television program. A working mother said that as well as working full time, her husband still expected her to do everything concerning the children in the evenings and weekends. Another woman said that when she came home from work, her husband told…
Schools around the country have been seeing boys falling behind girls by the age of 7. The gap is widest in English; reading and writing , but also presents a significant difference in maths and science. In my experience as both a parent and a registered child minder girls tend to have a longer concentration…
My husband would say that I am the most qualified person on the planet to help and encourage children to talk; as in spite of suffering a massive stroke and an unrelated brain tumour, I am still able to talk extremely well!( he is disappointed about this). I believe that you should talk to your…
Austin Macauley got in touch to ask for this review. Sally Lewer Ahern , the author, has written the book from the heart. It is full of love for her adopted son Carlos. Sally tells the heartwarming story of how she became a mother to Carlos. She has included some hints and tips in her…
This was the topic brought up on a daytime television programme just before Christmas. I have never been a smoker, but must point out that I am NOT having a go at anyone who does. I am not against smoking; it is a personal choice: I am against smoking in front of children, though. As…
Busy parents will find it helpful if their children go to sleep early on Christmas eve. giving them time to prepare for the following big day. When I was a girl, my mother always told my sisters and I that if we went to bed early on Christmas eve Christmas day would come quicker, I…
Best learning sent this great children’s toy for review. Stack and learn is different from the average stacking ring toy, as it consists of a tower and 5 coloured rings, which are brightly coloured in red, orange, yellow, green and purple. Each ring has 3 different images (which link to the different modes available; number,…
When I was a registered child minder I was always on the lookout for activities for the children; Christmas was my favourite time for providing crafts for them to do:- There are some new downloads available from ichild: The star gives children a chance to practice their cutting skills. It is beautiful as it is…
Thankfully, I have only had experience of this a couple of times. Once a new parent didn’t come to collect her child at the contracted time. I had another child due to arrive soon, which would mean that I was over the number of children that I was registered to have. I tried phoning her…
One of my favourite times of year is Christmas and the school nativity play was something that myself and my husband looked forward to. My youngest son attended a small village school where almost everyone felt like family. One year we took along an 18 month old child who I was child minding, she sat…
Elizabeth, who is new to child minding, has asked for some ideas for teaching children about size. I have always had a height chart on my kitchen wall, it was a family tradition to measure my children the day before a birthday and see how much they grew that year. I remember once when my…
“You must share your toys!” is something that I often hear parents tell their children. But how does a child learn to share? The key is to encourage children to share from as early an age as possible; by sharing with siblings, having children over for play dates, or taking children along to groups such…
Anyone who knows me or is a reader of my blog will know that I am passionate about children’s literature. When I was a girl I loved to read Enid Blyton: especially The Famous Five books and when I spent some time in hospital, aged 10. having my appendix removed these books helped me get…
It has been reported recently that parents have been paying an average of £7.70 in extra pocket money in an attempt to stop their children having too much screen time. Addicted to screens here After some research I discovered that friends give their children the following amounts of pocket money:- Megan, 9, is given £2…
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….
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…
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…
Manning’s pit is a local beauty spot. named after Benjamin Manning, a cattle trader and former butcher. I have a long relationship with this wonderful, tranquil place, I spent many happy hours playing here as a child and walked my German Shepherd dogs many, many times as an adult. One day, during the school holidays…
Regular readers, will know how I love to get children out and about whenever possible.One outing, that comes to mind, was when I took my youngest son. then aged 12, a child minded child, age 8 and went, with another child minder and her son, 12 on an afternoon walk to Heddon’s mouth, via the…
Sarah Knight has suggested that I write about how to survive Christmas with children, thanks, Sarah. The first thing that comes to mind is how wonderful Christmas is when spent with children. My best Christmases. were when my children were still believers in Santa, there is something magical about that! I recall, one year, my…
I was invited to go into “The voice”, Barnstaple, a local radio station in North Devon to chat about my blog. I have been on the radio several times before; when I was campaigning to upgrade my local park (read more about this in my post titled power to the people-battle to upgrade Rock park)…
Before I suffered a massive stroke 10 years ago I used to ride every weekend. I was extremely fortunate in that I had a friend called Sue Barker, who owned 2 thoroughbred ex racehorses, she had obtained them when they failed to make the grade in the world of horse racing. I rode an amazing…
Samantha has asked me for some tips to make food shopping with her children a bit easier. Food shopping at the supermarket can be quite stressful if you have young children with you. When my 2 sons had to accompany me every week to the supermarket, my youngest who was almost 2 years old would…
Road safety should be a concern for parents. Your child is never too young to start learning how to cross the road safely. Always set a good example, even when they are in a buggy ; they will observe how you cross the street. When I was childminding we always used the pelican crossing when crossing the busy…
I am the first to admit that I don’t like the dentist at all. In fact I always say I would rather have a baby, than go to the dentist (and I really would) At least when you go into hospital to give birth you come out with something amazing, when you go to…