Nobody puts Baby in the corner!

If you have more than one child, do you feel that your youngest gets neglected? This is my third and youngest child who is 15 months old. He has climbed up onto a pile of boxes (yet to be unpacked from our move 3+ months ago!) and he is reading a copy of 'English Grammar' to himself, since Mummy isn't doing enough to teach him how to speak.

My first child had plenty of attention and encouragement to sit and read books together, to make different sounds and to practice speaking. My youngest gets to follow his sister and brother around and learn by playing with them and them chatting to him. His brother always calls him 'Baby' and I'm hoping he won't be stuck with it for too long!

He does have a fun life with plenty of outings and loads of great games with his siblings. But, he doesn't get that same focused attention on his development. At home he follows me around and helps with the laundry and the dishwasher, or plays with toys whilst I work. He gets loads of cuddles, but maybe it is time to bring out the 'Baby Einstein' kit and get him started on some serious work :-)

Fun Ways to Get Children Interested in Their Education

This is my first guest blog, sponsored by Pencilstreet.org an educational resource site:

Fun Ways to Get Children Interested in Their Education

As any parent or teacher knows, there are some kids who just don’t seem to be interested in their education. Whether it is due to pressure from peers or simply through the lack of understanding when it comes to a particular topic, it can be a challenge to get certain kids on board. Of course, it is your responsibility to make sure that they do just that.

So if you are wondering about what methods there are to make this happen, why don’t you consider a few of the points below? They are sure-fire ways to get more children interested and involved when it comes to their education. All you need to do is put yourself in their shoes and see whether a normal day in the classroom or one of these options sounds more exciting...

Field trips

Think about all the wonderful places that you can take your kids to discover something exciting, often with the assistance of a knowledgeable expert. There are caves to learn about the different types of rocks, water springs to learn about the water cycle, and old settlements to appreciate the history of the country. Some teachers or parents might even want to consider a trip to the cinema if there is a film that will aid education on a particular topic.

Going outside

Whether at home or school, a simple trip outside often does the trick. Get some pavement chalk and get kids to draw the planets of the solar system, or even just improve counting by seeing who can jump on the skipping rope for the longest. It is these little things that can make a big difference in the basic skills that kids need to progress as they get older.

Role play

Inside you can always get kids to do a bit of role play; something that many of them are keen to do when they are young anyway. Instead of them choosing to dress up as One Direction or the latest girl band, get them to pretend to be characters from a book, or historical figures that they are learning about. A script can be helpful if you also want to improve English skills at the same time.

Games

Whether it is inside or outside, playing games can be helpful when it comes to further a child’s education. This could be in the form of quizzes where prizes are up for grabs, or physical activities. What you choose will be dependent on the ages of the children, as well as what subject you are trying to get them interested in. For example, a game such as ‘higher or lower’ played with cards can be a fun way to get kids to understand chance, probability and numeracy.

Special days

Check the Pencil Street website for some ideas when it comes to special days that you can mark. These include Remembrance Day and Black History Month, and should give you some suggestions about what you can do with the kids.

Eating healthy food

Thanks to all of you who gave suggestions for getting the kids to eat more fruit and veg (see earlier post Fruit and veg). We have been blending all the veg up into a pasta sauce which has been going down well, and making sure there are plenty of servings of boiled apple which all 3 love. Grapes and raisins are still popular and bananas are a favourite with 2 of the 3.

Here they are enjoying a bit of pizza at our lovely friend's birthday party.

Let me know your hints, tips and recipes for getting children to eat fruit and vegetables. My children are mostly vegetarian so any veggie recipes would be very welcome :-)

Freezing cold fun!



This is what we did at the weekend. Today is the end of the holidays and we're back to school and work. Is summer on its way yet?

Back to school!

So, the holidays are over and it is back to school time. I found this photo from last term which reminded me just how grown-up my little girl can be, and just how sweet my children can be! My little 5 year old school girl is reading one of her school story books to her 2 year old brother. Naturally he is wedged behind the sofa, but he is engrossed in the story, and she is able to read it to him!

Let's hope we'll be celebrating more academic and social achievements this term :-)

Fruit and veg

HOW do you get children to eat 5 portions of fruit and veg every day? This question troubles me frequently and I'd be glad of your advice.

At the moment my baby is absolutely fine, as the others were at his age. He loves fruit and veg and will chow it all down with glee. My 5 year old (pictured here) can understand the rationale that she has to eat a certain amount and so can be controlled through reward and punishment. I have tried to make the experience pleasant for her, but realistically we operate on bribery and threats. It is working though, so I'll leave it alone for now.

My 2 year old is the real worry. He seems to be slipping through the net and now barely goes near any form of fruit or vegetables. He doesn't seem to grasp the idea of reward and punishment and is fairly prone to throwing a bowl of fruit onto the floor.  I am now at the point of having to be super-strict (in my opinion... maybe this is just normal!!) and not giving him other kinds of food until he has eaten what he should. I haven't withheld any meals yet (where he would just eat carbs and protein) but I am offering only fruit as snacks. I am telling him to stay at the table and finish his food, but so far with not a huge amount of success.

My main successes have been boiled apple which all 3 children will eat endlessly, and smoothie drinks which come in and out of vogue with my eldest 2.

Let me know if you have found a way to get fruit and veg into your little ones!

What is the optimum number of children?

This is a common question amongst parents. No matter how many children you have people (yes me included) always ask "would you have any more?"

At the moment I answer with a definite 'no' and the obligatory eye-roll, but deep down have I really ruled out having just one more?

My three children are aged 5 years, 2 yrs 8 months and 1 yr 2 months. At the moment the youngest two are both in nappies, both still use a bottle (at least at bed-time) and both need me to dress them. All 3 of them still need to be watched most of the time so maybe the gap you have makes a difference.

People have asked what it is like to have three children, and my usual answer is that there was chaos with 2, so another 1 doesn't make too much difference. There are a few logistical issues sure. Walking down the street is one, cuddling them all at once is another, but as my 2 year old says "all aboard!". I spend a ridiculous amount of time doing laundry, and a considerable amount of my day is focused on meeting their basic needs.

Finances are definitely a concern and we had to buy a larger car when we had the third child. Good parenting is of course top of everyone's list of worries. I think this an ongoing challenge, but I comfort myself with the thought that I am constantly worried about whether a different child is getting enough attention, so each of them must be getting attention at some point! My eldest now gets some special time with me after her brothers have gone to bed and we spend quality time reading together. My youngest has some time when the other two are at school and pre-school, and my middle one gets attention when his brother is asleep. They all three love playing together so we're often able to play with all three together.

The best thing about having three children is the love they have for each other. They are very cute together, and definitely feel as though they belong together and want to play.

Some people are concerned about over-population and see having more than 2 children as selfish. They could be right, but I personally feel that if I can raise good citizens who can contribute to a better society then I'll have done my job. Time will tell how I get on with that one! For the time being though our eco credentials are that we are (mostly) using cloth nappies and the kids are vegetarian.

I regularly count my blessings that I've been given these three precious children, and my heart's desire is to be a worthy mother.

Let me know your optimum number! x