Schooling

Do primary schools need more male teachers?

A comment from a Mum at the school gates the other day got me thinking about the disparity between the number of male and female teachers in UK primary schools. She mentioned how nice it was that they had a male football coach for an after school club and how it was good for her boy who didn’t have a constant male role model at home, as many children don’t. All the teachers and staff at my…
Read more
Parenting Skills

Why is quality family time important?

With today’s busy lifestyles, many parents want to spend more “quality” time with their children. But what is quality time? “Quality time” is time spent doing an activity that is meaningful to the parent and child. It is time when family members really get to know each other. Quality time is spent focusing attention on the other person and sharing thoughts and…
Read more
Fitness & Health

Yawning not contagious for autistic children

I am always fascinated by nuggets of scientific research that I read in the Science news digest newsletters from the British Science Association. This one was published on the 1st October 2013. It’s about yawning…. Yawning is often contagious, but children with autism might miss facial cues that signal a yawn, according to a new study. While many people can’t help but yawn when…
Read more
Travel with kids

Bournemouth London

For many, London is synonymous with tourists, stress and overcrowded tube trains; however, for the millions living in the capital, it is so much more. All you need is a bit of local knowledge to fully experience all the wonderful cultural, culinary and historical sites the city has to offer. So why not, on your next free weekend, take the opportunity to go on a short city break to somewhere…
Read more
Fitness & Health

‘BIG HEALTH PLEDGE’ CAMPAIGN TO RAISE AWARENESS AROUND LONDON AND THE UK’S FIVE BIG KILLERS

BMI Healthcare has launched a new national campaign, ‘BIG HEALTH PLEDGE’, to raise awareness around the UK and London’s top five preventable killers by encouraging local residents to make a pledge to improve their health. The Big Health Pledge is a nationwide campaign being supported by 16 BMI Healthcare hospitals in London with the aim of encouraging people across London and the UK to look…
Read more
Baby & Toddlers

New Map App fills the gap for London parents on the go

Gobaby is first app for pram-friendly Tube stops and baby changing spots. Gobaby App launched on 22 July 2013, amidst public excitement about “Baby Cambridge” and the start of summer holidays, as the first app to provide baby changing spots and pram accessible London Underground stops for new parents on the go. Gobaby developer Jen Corlew created the app after feeling overwhelmed while…
Read more
Recipes

Snack recipe: Lady Claire MacDonald’s Hardboiled egg and Marmite

A perfect oatcake snack recipe idea for any time of day. Enjoy at breakfast when the eggs can be hardboiled, shelled and chopped, combined with the Marmite and cream cheese. Indeed, it works just as well for lunch, as an after-school snack, or for supper as a flavoursome dish to keep you naturally energised throughout the day due to the high levels of protein and oats. The world is divided into…
Read more
Baby & Toddlers

Midday nap improves the memories of pre-school children

The Science news digest on 24/09/13 reports this story which I believe we as mums know about but now it is scientifically proven that a nap during the day can help young children retain information they have learnt in the morning according to a study published in PNAS last month. The study involved 40 children aged three to almost five years old all of who attended pre-school classes, reported…
Read more
Fitness & Health

GLITZY CIGARETTE PACKS ENTICE KIDS TO START DEADLY ADDICTION

A CANCER RESEARCH UK study reveals for the first time that glitzy and glamorous cigarette packaging makes children susceptible to smoking – tempting them in to a habit that kills half of all long term users. The research is published in the journal BMJ Open. The results are further proof that the UK government’s decision not to protect children from the tobacco industry’s marketing…
Read more
Baby & Toddlers

SECOND BABIES’ MILESTONES IGNORED BY BUSY PARENTS

It seems quite obvious that second babies receive less attention by parents but here is a piece of research that actually confirms it. Mums in the UK admit to overlooking their second-born children when it comes to taking photographs, with almost two thirds of them admitting they forget to take images of their new addition on its own – instead plumping for ones including their elder siblings.
Read more