Let the Children Play

By Wendy Dartnell, AD Landscapes Ltd

There is nothing better than fresh air and natural outdoor play to wear your little ones out!

Don’t we all remember the days when we were safe to run around outside climbing trees, without a worry?  Maybe times have changed, but why not bring the “Good Old Days” back in a safe environment, namely your garden with a hand crafted Timber Playhouse for your children to enjoy.

I remember as a child the joy of having my own “Den” – sometimes sneaking the odd table cloth and plastic picnic bits out of the house to have a mid morning snack and adventure with my friends. Every child dreams of the day that they own their own house (especially girls).  Dressing their Play Houses, inviting their friend in for “tea” – gingham curtains drown for the ultimate in “girly privacy”.

But Play Houses aren’t all about the girly thing, what boy doesn’t want to climb the ladder, leading to his secret hide away to indulge in his treasures found in the depths of the greenery below? AKA you’re back garden. Why not add a timber Fort to the adventure that leads to the ultimate Ariel Runway?! Set only for the courageous.

Providing children with a safe Play Area, not only benefits them but you too as parents! 

While they happily play in the safety of the leafy comforts of your garden, you can sit back and relax knowing you don’t have to get behind the wheel, pay entry to an event (and even more for parking.) You can maybe treat yourself to a glass of chilled wine at the weekend – so everyone’s a winner. Even get some friends over to share the day. 

With the summer barmy evenings ahead of us, BBQ’s are going to be on the menu, while you occasionally turn the meat and vegetables on the BBQ let your little ones and their friends run around the garden, climbing around their Play House – working up an appetite.  Once the food is cooked why not set them up to eat “al Fresco” in their “Den” – a real treat from the norm.  You can then sit back and chat to your friends, knowing that the children are happy and content, whilst you enjoy your food and another glass of some chilled, watching the sun set.  Then taking the children up to bed, knowing that they will be dreaming of the adventures of the evening.  The perfect evening!

The summer months really are an excellent time to put the television to bed for a while – getting the children outside from Breakfast till Supper time is the best mental and physical simulation that they can get.  Why not serve Breakfast during the Summer Holidays in their “Den” as a treat.  Leaving you to set nearby and drink your morning brew.   Once they are finished you can all set about harvesting your Organic Vegetable produce that you planted earlier in the season around the base of your Play House, ready for supper.

Then there’s the “Sleep Over” with camping becoming all the more popular during these trying recession times why not go even easier? Set up the sleeping bags and let your children invite a few friends over to have a “Sleep Over” in their Play House so why bother with the weekend away?! And whilst they are snuggled up tight why not invite their parents to stay for supper and drinks? Any excuse for a social event.

A D Landscapes Ltd are a professional Sevenoaks based company that specialise in tailor-made Children’s Playhouses, Forts, Tree Houses with Draw Bridge and many other magical natural timber structures.  Established in 2001, Director Antony Dartnell trained for 7 years before establishing his company.

“It’s my passion” explains Antony. “There is nothing more satisfying for a Designer and parent to design and construct a Playhouse to suit my clients needs” “The look on their children’s faces as they explore the completed project is worth all the meticulous work that goes into each project.

“There is so much pressure for children to perform educationally, I think that sometimes we can forget that active play, with loads of imagination both relaxes the brain whilst stimulates the want to learn”.  Antony adds.

Aren’t we all sometimes stuck for that special presents for our little ones, with a Tailor Made structure, how could that not put a smile on their face, Especially when they see its been customised with their name and inscription above the door for prosperity.

And there’s more, each structure is Tailor Made to stimulate your little ones whilst complimenting your garden, with a unique feature enhancing the existing tranquility of your garden, there is no need for the overpowering equipment that children’s toys can sometimes bring to your garden. Don’t worry if you don’t have a massive garden each Play Area is designed, constructed and personalised to your own specification to sit, within your existing garden whilst set in proportion for all your needs.  

 

All kinds of parties for all kinds of kids

by Karen Bryant

There is a huge amount of choice when it comes to children's parties but one thing that becomes clear is that it isn't the amount of money spent that is important. I have seen some fantastic, extremely expensive parties which the children involved will never forget and some very 'cost-effective' parties which have been equally memorable for all the right reasons!

Children are unpredictable creatures at the best of times, and party time can bring out the best and worst in them. It doesn't really matter if he forgets to say "thank you" for a present in all the excitement, or gets over tired at the end of the day and has a meltdown. The most important thing to keep in mind is that this is your child's special day so as long as he is happy, and the party goers have a good time, not a lot else is worth worrying about.

We often hear about peer pressure and it's affect on children, but I think us adults can be guilty of giving into it at certain times. If you want your child to enjoy himself on his birthday, make sure you are doing what they want (as far as you can) rather than what you think is the 'right' thing to do. Talk to your child about how they would like to celebrate their birthday. If they would prefer to have a day trip to a theme park, or go to the cinema with just one special friend, then don't insist they have a big party, just because all their friends have. Most people will understand and will probably be secretly envious that you have got out of organising a big party!

There are so many ways of celebrating your child's birthday that you really should be able to find one that suits your budget and that will make your child's day. As the weather gets warmer you have more options as you can have the party outdoors, but always ensure that you have an alternative ready in case you are forced inside. The earlier you plan and book things, the more likely you are to be able to get what you want. The best entertainers and party venues will be booked up months in advance, so as soon as you have worked out the date of the party book your entertainment and venue first. Most of the other items such as party bags, food and drink can be left to nearer the time.

Unless you feel completely confident in running the party yourself it is best to call in the professionals! You do generally need a focal point to a children's party, otherwise children will be running around your house and this often ends up with tears at some point and arguments when they can't agree what to do. My daughter once went to a party where the party girl had asked if she could organise what they did. When I went to pick her up, the girls were just sitting around and apparently hadn't really done anything because they couldn't agree on what to do!

If you have the party at home, there are many entertainment options such as magicians, make-over parties, science parties, music parties or you could even have a mini zoo. Take a look through this magazine for ideas that you may not have even thought off. When you book an entertainer, make sure you confirm the following:

• Date, venue and timing (ring the day before as well, to double-check).

• Price and what is included, for example invitations, party bags.

• Do they stay to help with the tea?

• What do you need to provide?

• How many children can you invite? This will also be dictated by the venue.

If you are not having the party at home, there are even more options such as go-karting, ceramics or jewellery making parties, cinema, theatre or farm trips, and soft play centres. The type of party will be dictated by your budget and the number of people you want to invite. Your three-year-old will probably be able to invite his whole nursery class to a party at the local play centre, and you are likely to have a relatively stress-free party whilst the children race around. However, your ten-year-old may need to limit the number of friends he invites to a go-karting party.

Whatever kind of party you decide, there are some things that you will nearly always need to organise. Take a look at our checklist to make sure you haven't forgotten anything.

• Entertainment and venue

• Invitations

• Food and drink

• Plates and cups

• Birthday cake

• Candles and matches

• Party bags

• Contact details of parents

• Camera

There are parties for all sorts of children and all sorts of budgets. It's important to chat to your child about what they would like as you may get some surprising answers. Most children just want to feel special on their birthday and to have a fun time with their family and friends. There are plenty of ways you can do this, whether you have a small or big budget, and whether you have thirty children or just their best friend.

Signing with your baby

Whilst speech and language therapists have for years used signs with language delayed children to encourage speech, many parents ask what the benefits are of signing with preverbal infants who are likely to speak soon.  Why is it worth the effort of learning signs, and how do they go about it?

What is “baby signing”?  Babies use all kinds of signs and gestures as a natural part of learning to talk.  Encouraging your baby with extra signs like milk, more, change nappy or tired will help your baby communicate!

Anyone who has seen a signing baby in action quickly realises that it allows babies to express thoughts and needs they would otherwise be unable to communicate, because their spoken language is simply not yet developed enough.  As baby grows into a toddler, the second year of life can be one of great frustration for infants and their carers and one of the major causes of tantrums is the toddler’s inability to communicate.

Signing provides a window into the infant’s mind and personality, as they communicate outside of the here and now.  This enhances carer-child bonding and facilitates closer relationships, reducing frustration all round.

As babies begin their verbal communication, it is common for the same sound to be applied for several meanings.  For example, “ba” could mean bath, ball or even sheep!  When the baby can sign alongside the speech sound it allows the carer to recognise what baby is trying to communicate.  As infants are often over two before they can construct more complex sentences, many parents observe babies mixing sign and speech to create more complicated requests or observations as skills develop.

Research also demonstrates that signing babies have an increased IQ, tend to be more interested in books (using signing alongside looking at books allows an infant to become an active participant in the story telling), benefit from larger vocabularies and engage in more sophisticated play than non-signing babies.

A common misconception is that signing with your baby will inhibit his or her natural instinct to talk, but signing is not a replacement for talking with your baby; in fact it encourages you to talk more!  Extensive research has shown that children become better communicators when their early attempts at communication are understood and they are responded to, not when they are frustrated.  Babies love the sound of their own voice, and when they start to sign they will also make attempt at words.  Signing also allows your baby to understand you better.  You can be very clear about things like No or finished.  It takes the guesswork out of sharing your ideas which reduces everyone’s frustration.  Signing with your baby also helps establish good eye contact, and it encourages you to slow down your speech and highlight the important part of a sentence.  As your toddler starts to use simple two or three word sentences you can use signs to help explore new concepts, such as colours, emotions and even phonics, with them.  This will help them to understand and remember these more sophisticated concepts.

Some simple guidelines to follow when signing with your baby:

Always SAY the word – never sign in silence

Keep it simple – one sign per sentence

Accept your baby’s attempt at signs, even approximate imitations of your signs but...

Be consistent in how you show a sign (don’t change to match their attempt)

There are many ways you can get signing with your baby.  It’s perfectly possible to make up your own gestures or signs.  The sign you use isn’t really important, as long as you use the same sign consistently so that you and your baby know what it means.  For many people though it is quite difficult to think up and remember a whole range of signs and they find it easier (and more fun!) to follow an existing programme, either by attending classes or using a DVD or book at home.

http://www.singandsign.co.uk/

Working together

An interview with Ruth Hart Head of Infants at Greenacre School

 We all know how vitally important it is for parents and school to work together. Ruth Hart, Head of Infants at Greenacre School for Girls in Banstead, tells us about the Home Learning Project for Nursery and Reception children, a new initiative that has recently been launched by Surrey Early Years’ and Childcare Service. Greenacre is one of only two schools in the area currently piloting the scheme.

The scheme was introduced at Greenacre in the autumn term and its aim is for the school to support parents to ensure that the time they spend with them, is educational and fun. It helps parents involve their children in home learning activities that stretch a child’s mind.

The programme is designed to help all parents, but is especially supportive of working parents with young children. It covers some of the routines that parents regularly experience with their children and helps them to ensure these times are a positive influence for learning, development and achievement through warm, loving, activities such as play, talking and reading. Learning through play is very important for young children - and, according to Mrs Hart, learning is more effective and meaningful when children are participating in

practical activities.

She comments: “As a school, the scheme helps us to cement the partnership that we have with parents. We support them to enhance their children’s achievements in their daily routine

and get them involved in their learning.”

This is undertaken through a series of workshops that show how everyday activities can promote learning. Teachers are given a framework by the Surrey Early Years’ and Childcare Service, with suggested subjects and activities. These involve routine activities such as shopping, meal times, bed time, bath time, quality time and out and about.

During Greenacres’s first meeting, a consultant from the Surrey Early Years’ and Childcare Service, together with the Nursery and Reception teachers, introduced parents to the background of the scheme and how it ties in with the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum. Six meetings are planned in total throughout the

school year.

At the beginning of each meeting, teachers give a short presentation around the subject and then parents discuss the topic and any specific concerns. Parents then carry out an activity which they can do with their child at home. The first meeting revolved around food shopping. Every parent knows how stressful a shopping trip to the supermarket can be with a small child in tow. The teachers set up a shopping activity with parents, which they could repeat with their children at home. The simple and fun task demonstrated how to involve their children in planning a shopping trip and make shopping activities into a valuable and fun learning experience for their daughters.

The next meeting has already been planned - it will tackle mealtimes. The meetings are enjoyable and social occasions, where parents can chat with each other and teachers about the everyday problems they encounter with their children.

Mrs Hart comments, “We also discussed how important it is for parents to let us know when their child learns something new at home, for example if they rode their bike independently for the first time. We like to know their achievements outside school so that we can add this to their learning journals and celebrate their successes.”

The benefits to the parents, school and most importantly, the children, are manifold. It helps to provide the children and parents with a much more positive experience in every day routines which can sometimes be quite tricky at home. The activities help to make tasks fun for both children and their parents.

Mrs Hart gives an example: “Mealtimes can be a battleground or a big game to young children, which parents can sometimes find very stressful, particularly when the child doesn’t cooperate. The activities help them to remove the stress out of the situation and make it much more enjoyable.”

The project also has a very positive impact on speaking and listening skills as it can provide opportunities to extend their vocabulary and engage the children’s interest. It helps build on the school-parent partnership and teachers sharing good Early Years practice with parents can be of a real benefit to both.

Parents find the social atmosphere of the meetings extremely helpful. It gives them an opportunity to share similar problems with each other, so that they don’t feel that they are alone in their experiences.

The scheme so far has been very successful at Greenacre, with a high percentage of parents attending and participating. Mrs Hart added: “We are hopeful that the scheme will be ongoing at Greenacre and that other schools, nurseries and playgroups in the area will take it up.”

She concluded: “It was an extremely positive experience for both the parents and teachers. We tried to make it a useful session for our parents. Every parent enjoyed participating and said that they would be trying out the activities at home with their children.”

For more information on Greenacre School for girls aged 3 to 18 years visit www.greenacre.surrey.sch.uk, email admin@greenacre.surrey.sch.uk or phone 01737 352114.

What to look for in an au pair - by Zoe Beauvoisin, Au Pairs By Pebbles

Whether you decide to use an agency or an on-line site to recruit your au pair, you need to consider an applicant carefully before inviting them to join your family. A good agency will already have run a first selection before sending you any applicants, which will save you a lot of time compared to using the on-line sites. You will still need to take the time to study each potential au pair - remember, you are the best placed to know what type of person will suit your family.

There are three key areas you should use to evaluate your au pair: Profile, childcare experience and personality.

Profile - what skills do you need?

Your first step before reviewing applications, should be to think about what kind of help you need - is a confident driver essential (check the minimum age on your insurance policy), is cooking an integral part of the position? (Just reheating or preparing meals from scratch?) Will the au pair be helping with homework? (Check their education and English level). Do you need them to help out with pets? (Check they’re not afraid of/allergic to animals). When do you need someone to start and for how long? (Build in time to train and settle them in.) Once you have established the basic criteria, you are ready to make a first selection.

Type of childcare experience
Next, look at their childcare experience both within and outside the family. An eldest child is likely to be responsible and used to looking after siblings.

What type of experience have they had? Have they babysat when children are asleep or have they really had to amuse and supervise the children? Have they entertained lots of youngsters by working in holiday camps? What age group have they worked with? Discuss how you discipline your children.

Try to find an au pair with common interests to your children. A sporty male au pair would suit energetic boys, or a musical au pair could help with piano practice. Someone creative would have good ideas for arty children. A French au pair could help your children learn the language. Perhaps you need someone with a strong character to be firm with your children - but you need to get on with them as well!

Personality - will the au pair fit into your family?
So now you’ve established that they have the right skills and relevant experience, will they actually become a real member of your family?  Think about your family lifestyle - do you love cooking and eating together around the table, or do you prefer a quick dinner relaxing in front of the TV. Do you like sports or prefer museums and the theatre? Are you animal lovers? Do you want your au pair to take part in all family activities or would you prefer an independent person? Try to find out more about their background, their education and very importantly their reason for becoming an au pair.

If you decide to use an agency, choose one that really knows their candidates well and who spends time working with you to find your ideal au pair who not only has the right profile and experience but who will fit in easily and quickly become a real member of the family.

Essential qualities

·      Genuinely like children

·      Motiviated

·      Flexible

·      Open minded

·      Willing to learn

·      Independent

Selection tips

·      Ask all candidates the same questions

·      Interview the candidates using Skype and webcam

·      Ask open ended questions

·      Send important information/questions by email as it’s easier to understand

·      Make an offer in writing stating hours and pay

·      Exchange lots of photos

Au Pairs by Pebbles specialise in French au pairs and home help. For further information visit www.aupairsbypebbles.com or call 020 7158 0328