Well – it’s day 5 of being snowed in here in the Devon hills. It’s snowing again today and looking unlikely the village school will be open again tomorrow (it was closed Thursday & Friday last week). Even if it does manage to open, Devon council is not running the school buses and there’s no way we can get out of here as the little country lanes are extremely icy and snowy. We only have a little car (see my blog There’s Snow way we’re getting a 4×4) so we’re here for the forseeable future unless the council decide to come and grit/clear the lanes?

This is my four year old, Aleck, above making bread as we’ve run out of fresh – and it keeps him busy and entertained (and tastes delicious too!). We would love to hear your ideas on activities to do with a four year old boy and an eight year old girl.

With Tasha (our eight year old) I’d love to hear of any ideas which will help her literacy, numeracy etc. She had some workbooks but has used them all up. Any good websites out there we could use – get her brain defrosted a bit. We can go out and play in the snow in short bursts but when it’s not sunny (like today) it’s very very cold out there.

Please add your comments below, thanks ever so much.

The issue of domestic violence is to be added to the school timetable in England. But head teachers say schools are being asked to solve all of society’s problems – says the BBC report on Wednesday 25th November 2009. See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8378341.stm

Many campaigners say it is vital schools are used to help tackle this problem and others which can blight people’s lives. Domestic violence is being added to the long list of topics currently taught under what is known as PSHE (Personal, Social health and economic education). It will sit alongside drug awareness, bullying, sex education, healthy living, personal finance, body image and careers advice as topics to be covered. PSHE is currently not compulsory, but if legislation goes through, it will be from 2011.

I’m someone who experienced domestic violence at home for most of my childhood and bullying at school between the ages of 13 and 16. I’m also a former teacher of PSHE to 16 – 19 year olds in F.E. (Further Education). Anything which raises awareness has to be a good thing. Bullying and violence will continue as long as it’s not talked about. This includes staff being aware too, as I’m sure some of my teachers knew I was being bullied at school and at home and never did anything about it, or ever checked to see if I was ok ! Consider the children who are in this situation, they may have been conditioned by their abuser to think their life is normal. Hearing in a PSHE lesson that this is not acceptable may change someone’s life.

If you are reading this and need help, see http://www.womensaid.org.uk

Love this new campaign from The British Humanist Association. Personally I am not decided on whether there is a God or not. Sometimes I feel there is, sometimes I really wonder. Whatever YOU believe, this innovative campaign is urging everyone to stop labelling their children as the same as themselves. Give your children the freedom to choose their OWN beliefs.

In the last two weeks of November 2009 billboards at four locations in the UK will display some of the labels routinely applied to children that imply beliefs, such as ‘Catholic’, ‘Protestant’, ‘Muslim’, ‘Hindu’ or ‘Sikh’, together with labels that people would never apply to young children such as ‘Marxist’, ‘Anarchist’, ‘Socialist’, ‘Libertarian’ or ‘Humanist’. In front of the shadowy labels are happy children, with the slogan, “Please don’t label me. Let me grow up and choose for myself”

The billboards are being unveiled to coincide with Universal Children’s Day,  20 November, which is the United Nations ‘day of worldwide fraternity and understanding between children’. Labelling children as if they innately “belong” to a particular religion, while ascribing incompatible beliefs to infants who “belong” to other religions, can only serve as an obstacle to understanding between children around the world.

Read more about it all here http://www.humanism.org.uk/billboards

You can add the banners to your own blogs and sites too – I’ll be adding them to my sites www.tishtashtoys.com and www.partyplantogether.co.uk

Parents are discovering the iPhone is a terrific platform for preschoolers because of its simple touch interface and its play anytime, anywhere convenience. But it’s hard to find high-quality, age-appropriate apps that are engaging and rewarding. With this in mind, Zinc Roe created Tickle Tap Apps, a new app series developed by child gaming experts, vetted by educational researchers and tested by kids.

Tickle Tap Apps are designed to help children ages three to five practice key skills and learn about sounds, numbers, colors, patterns and shapes. These apps help children improve concentration and motor skills via simple tap and touch controls. This tactile element is what gives the iPhone an educational advantage over TV.

“Developmental research shows the iPhone is an excellent platform for preschool learning,” says Jason Krogh, zinc Roe’s founder and director. “Children need easy-to-use apps that take advantage of the unique features of the iPhone. Tickle Tap Apps address the need for simple, attractive and entertaining educational apps for this age range.”

Tickle Tap Apps feature four adorable characters – Jinja the cat, Harvey the dog, Robin the bird and Fins the fish – for humor and encouragement. The games, including the first three apps in the series below, inspire preschoolers to learn and laugh at the same time!

Sound Shaker is a delightful and hilarious sound-making game. Children create and play with chime, whistle, drum, barnyard animal and mystery sounds simply by tapping and tilting. Robin the bird makes a special guest appearance.

Count Caddy makes counting rewarding. Children count by ones with Jinja the cat and quickly progress to counting by twos with Robin the bird and counting by threes with Harvey the dog.

Sort Slider is a mesmerizing shape matching game. Children tilt the device to match objects with silhouettes while Harvey the dog pops up for plenty of encouragement.

Pricing and Availability:

Tickle Tap Apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch retail for $1.99 each on the iTunes App Store. Visit the Tickle Tap Apps website to view video demonstrations of the apps, download screenshots and access additional resources.

How many times as a mum have you said “Go play!” while you get on with making tea or doing the washing? If like me..........quite a lot!

Things change when you have a child that has a big issue with change, even the smallest detail like, changing the bed, to not having the dinner made and ready at the right time can cause problems. It’s a form of obsessive compulsive disorder I am told.

For the last year or so, we have developed a particular routine with our daughter Melissa. In the process we have sourced play items to mimic what mum does in an effort to try and explain how change can be a good thing. As Melissa gets older she wants to copy different things. I have searched high and low for good quality kids play “food” items to help her to understand meal times and nutrition.

This in turn gives her a better understanding of how long things take to prepare and cook a meal. She has a small kitchen and toy pans along with mini plates and cutlery and all the cooking utensils that I have so she can play cooking as I cook.

This type of play also teaches her about health and nutrition, when we make pizza, for example, she can choose her toppings and because of the effects of OCD the topping has to be placed in symmetrical positions. This is great as the play pizza, below, has removable toppings, so can be positioned by herself.

As my daughter learns about the time it takes to prepare and cook a meal, she can then gain a better understanding and help to dispel some of the frustration caused by OCD. Serving up the food she has “prepared” can also be fun and enjoys setting her table and serving her cooked vegetables up.

Any form of role play to get a child used to a routine is best but when the child has OCD this can be essential. As too is the quality of the products you buy for this purpose. You can spend thousands over the years on products that you have to keep replacing.

The products you purchase from Tish Tash Toys are designed to last a life time and they are made from the finest replenishable rubberwood from sustainable forests. So you can be reassured that the eco system will not be affected. So to see the full range of toys visit www.tishtashtoys.com

Article by Carolyn Garnham - Mum to two little girls in Sherbourne-in Elmet, North Yorkshire. Carolyn is a representative for direct sales company Tish Tash Toys Please click here if you would like more information on our wonderful working from homejob opportunity.

If you would like to find out more about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in Children, here are some (hopefully!) useful links:

http://ocdtodayuk.org/ocd_in_children.html

http://psychology.iop.kcl.ac.uk/ocdkids/

http://www.kidsbehaviour.co.uk/ObsessiveCompulsiveDisorderOCD.html

By Donna Pamenter, Representing Tish Tash Toys in Shenfield, Brentwood, Essex. See www.tishtashtoys.com

Need ideas on where to take the children over the Christmas holidays?

Try your local museum or make a day of it and travel by train into town. Kids absolutely love the train journeys. You may be surprised by what your local museums' have to offer you and your young family!

If you are able to get into London with the children, go and check out The V&A Museum of Childhood. Free admission, easy to get to by tube or bus.  It won the Kids Love London Award 2004 for the favourite children's attraction, as nominated by London schoolchildren and voted for by the public. Read more about Kids Love London:

www.kidslovelondon.com

The V&A Museum of Childhood based close to Bethnal Green tube station has touring exhibitions - the current one starting in Cornwall in January, named Space Age: Exploration, Design and Popular Culture.

Space Age can be seen at the following venues:

Royal Cornwall Museum, Truro
24 January - 19 April 2009
City Museum and Art Gallery, Plymouth
9 May - 26 July 2009
Bradford One Gallery, Bradford
15 August - 1 November 2009
Stockwood Discovery Centre, Luton
21 November 2009 - 7 February 2010
South Shields Museum, Newcastle upon Tyne
27 February - 16 May 2010
New Walk Museum, Leicester
6 June - 29 August 2010

Details of the exhibition

This major exhibition explores people's fascination with space. It shows how this fascination has influenced popular culture, from literature and comics to film, design and merchandising, including toys. Real space objects are displayed together with classic space-inspired designs and childhood objects. The relationship between reality and fantasy is a fascinating one which is examined within the exhibition. The reality of how space exploration has developed and how space fantasy and science fiction worlds have been created in people's imaginations is revealed.

 

This will be a cosmic day out for boys and girls of all ages, and if your little ones are into space age toys, don't miss our wonderfully designed Pintoy Spaceship with Launching Pad. Maybe, in many years to come this current day toy with it's wheeled launch pad will be in a toy museum (a floating museum, reached by teleporter thats beams you up, of course).

 

There are some great kids' pages on the Toy Museum website, with lots of ideas and things to make & do. To tie in with the space theme, the design your own space bedroom page may be popular with the boys in your family. The V&A Museum of Childhood aims to encourage everyone to explore the themes of childhood past and present. It houses the UK's national collection of childhood-related objects, one of the finest in the world, dating back to the 16th century, for example the yo-yo is believed to have originated in ancient China. The galleries are designed to show the collections in an accessible way to both adults and children of all ages.

Most local museums have a programme of exhibitions, daily activities during holidays and seasonal events. Check via your local council website or google 'What's On'.  Don't think its just for school age children, I took my four year old son and a friend to our local museum, Oaklands Park in Chelmsford and they had a great time. They loved the interactive exhibitions, which included Red Indian dressing up outfits, a wigwam and drums. The permanent living beehive and the noise activated cave man are never overlooked by my children. There's also a children playground and parkland to run off steam. Great on the pocket too!