Books
The
Government has announced a £27 million scheme to give
children books. Some people have been mealy-mouthed about this
expenditure, saying that the money would have been spent on
other things like improving teaching methods. We back the Government.
It is depressing to go into houses where children are being
brought up and find no books whatsoever.
Over
the years, books have opened children’s eyes to new worlds,
and given them insights and interests for life. Whether the
Government’s handouts will be enough to stimulate interest
on the children’s part, and encourage parents to buy more
remains to be seen, but if the £27 million had not gone
on books, would the critics say that it would have been better
spent on another helicopter for the armed forces?
Gloom
and Doom?
If
you ask people whether crime is on the increase, they will always
tell you that it is, even if the figures give the opposite picture.
Things are always getting worse for some people. So here are
one or two encouraging statistics to use against doom-mongers.
*
Among young women aged under 18 the abortion rate fell from
18.2 per 1,000 women to 17.8. Among the under-16s, the rate
fell from 3.9 per 1,000 women to 3.7.
* Half of young people aged 11 – 15 are engaged in civic
activity.
* 12% of young people own stocks and shares. Did you know
that?
Moving
On
Last
month we announced the appointment of a new Chair for the National
Child Minding Association. This month, Gill Haynes OBE has announced
her retirement from the post of Chief Executive. Gill has been
in post for twelve years now, and believes that it is the right
time for the organisation to have a new Chief Executive. The
NCMA is moving to new offices, there are plans in hand to restructure
the governance systems and there will be the chance for the
new Chief Executive to build up a partnership with the new Chair,
Susanna Dawson.
Under
Gill’s leadership, the NCMA has expanded massively. It
is the only substantial professional body in the childcare field,
and it is unchallenged in its own field of child-minding. It
provides a wide range of first class services and has put childminding
on the map. Gill’s achievement has been tremendous. The
post she leaves is very different from that which she inherited.
It
is a cliché, but a true one in Gill’s case, that
she will be a hard act to follow. Her successor will inherit
a powerful and effective organisation, but one in which it will
be important to provide high quality professional services,
to have a political impact at national level on behalf of childminders
and child care generally, and yet it will be vital for the Association
to stay in touch with its members and truly reflect their views.
Quite a tall order.
Nursery
Management Today
NMT
is the only magazine produced specifically for the owners and
managers of day nurseries across the UK. Since its launch at
the start of 2002, NMT has rapidly gained the reputation of
being the voice of the private sector, speaking out on issues
that affect day nursery owners and managers.
Owned
by Hawker Publications and published six times a year, NMT covers
all aspects of the business of running a day nursery. This includes
an overview of news and issues affecting the sector, as well
as interviews with the major movers and shakers in the sector
and in the Government. There are also features on management
and workforce issues, finance, property, equipment, and Government
legislation and consultations. There is also a regular viewpoint
opinion slot, a view from the City column and a letters page
that gives readers the chance to speak out about issues affecting
them.
James
Tweed, Editor of NMT, says, "As the childcare sector grows
more and more competitive, the owners and managers of day nurseries
need all the help they can to keep one step ahead of what's
happening. NMT also aims to provide unrivalled opinion and insight
on the issues that matter to the sector."
NMT
is available by subscription only, with one year costing £65,
or £60 by Direct Debit. Contact the NMT Subscription Hotline
on 01371 810433.
Lessons
from Archaeology
You
might think that archaeology has few lessons for today’s
child care workers, and at one level you would be right. Throughout
history a lot of children have died young, but if you put all
the bones together from archaeological digs, the proportion
that come from children is very small, and if you consider all
the finds from excavations, the percentage that clearly relate
to children, such as toys, is minute. Speaking archaeologically,
children are virtually non-persons.
This
situation has been a matter of concern to some archaeologists.
The University of Kent hosted a conference on the subject and
Carenza Lewis of Time Team fame wrote an article in
Current Archaeology (Issue 198, pp. 302 – 304).
The reasons for the situation are unclear. Maybe children had
few possessions. Maybe their bones decayed more quickly than
adults’. Maybe their bodies were disposed of in different
ways from adults’. The answers given to date do not add
up to a convincing explanation.
Maybe Korczak (quoted in this month’s In Residence) was
right when he said, “The market value of the very young
is small”. Maybe children have been relatively unimportant
throughout history and prehistory before it. They did not warrant
fine tumuli full of grave goods or ship burials like the chieftains
and kings.
From
a child care perspective, it is good to see the debate about
the importance of children being warmed up in so many areas.
In this month’s report on the NCB summer reception, Al
Aynsley-Green, the new Children’s Commissioner for England,
called for a widespread debate about children and young people’s
place in the wider community. Keith White has written in previous
issues of Children Webmag about the need for a new paradigm
concerning children in the field of sociology, and of the need
for theology to reconsider children’s place, especially
in the light of Jesus’s words about children.
And
now archaeologists are concerned too, and they do have a message
for people working with children today. The powerlessness of
children is clearly well embedded in our culture, and we have
a major task ahead of us to change this inheritance significantly.
Beverley Hughes told the NCB that there is nothing more important
than meeting children’s needs. Let’s hope that we
can put children at the top of the agenda in the twenty-first
century, and perhaps give the archaeologists of 3005 something
to think about.
From
the Intray
We
get all sorts of things by email. By using Spamjab, all the
Viagra adverts and other shady material disappears into a big
electronic bin in the sky, but quite a range of gems get through
that have relevance for child care. So in case you are interested....
Manchester
Children Screened in Major Gallery
snapshot 212 – i wish for my world …
Children from schools across Manchester are featured in a
new exhibition in a major city centre gallery.
snapshot 212 - I wish for my world … , a unique exhibition
of the dreams and aspirations of Manchester children, gets
its first ever showing at Urbis – the Manchester venue
that explores urban culture and cities of today and tomorrow
- and will be shown on the ground floor project space from
August 2- 30. The centrepiece is a 20 minute slideshow of
child portraits alongside their wishes for a better world,
beautifully shot and composed by leading Manchester photographer
Paul Cliff. The complete artwork, which measures 25ft in diameter,
is made up of 3 walls covered with nearly 5,000 portraits
and wishes, and 3 screens running the show. The exhibition
will be launched on August 3rd by Manchester City midfielder
Claudio Reyna.
Goplay™ away from home!
Make
traveling more fun with Goplay™, the stylish range of
compact magnetic games to play on the move!
• Goplay™ games are priced £5.99 each.
• For a full list of stockists and further information
please visit www.fridgeplay.com.
From
the company that brought style and entertainment to the fridge
with Fridgeplay comes Goplay™, a range of chic compact
travel games. With 9 familiar games to choose from including
Hangman, Snakes & Ladders, Chess, Four-in-a-row, Solitaire,
Backgammon, Draughts, Ludo and Chinese Checkers the fun just
never ends!
Whether you are travelling with friends, family or alone,
Goplay™ will prove a cool travelling companion.
Each game is packaged in a lightweight, high-quality travel-sized
metal box and is available in a choice of fun, funky colours.
The playing pieces grip securely to the magnetic board giving
the family hours of entertainment on the move!
For further information contact:
Lynette at Image Wizard PR
Tel: 01732 455500 Email: lynette@imagewizard.co.uk
The
retail launch of KidsOK
- the mobile phone service that can discreetly locate your
child. Seven major high street retailers will stock the KidsOK
packs in stores bringing the service to parents across the
UK.
On sale now in over 500 stores across the UK
• Recommended by children’s charity Kidscape,
KidsOK provides safety, independence and peace of mind
• Maintains privacy & adheres to the security guidelines
as set out by the Home Office
• RRP £39.95 with £1.00 going to charity
INTERNET POSES GREATER DANGER TO KIDS
DURING SUMMERTIME
"Children are now equally at risk when playing indoors
as outdoors"
says internet safety expert
*
64% of children surveyed will use the internet unsupervised
during the school holidays
* 48% of children intend to use the internet more in the holidays
than during term time
* 59% of children will use chatrooms or Instant Messenger
to chat online during the holidays
* 36% of children have made new friends online, 46% of these
children would agree to meet up with them over the summer
- 4% would do so without their parents' knowledge
From
the Comet Press Office
FREE WEB SERVICE HELPS PARENTS FIND
BABY/TODDLER ACTIVITES AND GROUPS LOCALLY
Following
a successful regional trial, an incredible but simple resource
for parents seeking baby / toddler activities locally and
for activity providers has gone live nationally: busylittleones.co.uk.
The site was inspired by new mum, Claudia Nicoll, who had
her first baby boy in September 2004, she explained, "Following
the arrival of Toby, I became frustrated at how hard it was
to find local activities for us both to enjoy during my maternity
leave."
Husband
and site creator, Graham Nicoll, added, "The traditional
method for parents to find out about activities in their area
is often the poorly presented notice board, perhaps in a health
centre or church. For teachers running baby and toddler activities,
there is a significant cost in money and time making postings
on notice boards. Busylittleones.co.uk solves this by bringing
parents, teachers and, importantly, babies and toddlers together.
What's more, is that there is no cost involved!"
The
web site's simple design makes it easy for teachers to register
their activities, which are instantly live for parents see.
A comprehensive range of classes are now registered including,
antenatal, arts and crafts, baby massage, languages, parenting,
postnatal, soft play, yoga for children, twins and many more.
Parents should check the site for the latest list of classes.
Teacher, Michelle Morgan of Yoga Bugs commented, "This
is a lovely idea! My daughter is 18 months old and I know
I'll benefit from the site both as a mother and a teacher."
Registration
for parents is free and allows them to search the site by
using their postcode, choosing an activity of interest and
selecting a distance that they are prepared to travel - starting
from a one-mile radius of the postcode. Searching is quick
and gives full details of the class and access to reviews
by other parents who have posted comments. Free access also
allows parents to use and post comments in members forums.
There is also a growing resource of toddler related news and
helpful advice articles.
Graham
concluded, "This is a unique resource in the UK that
will support parents and provide babies and toddlers with
easy access to the early learning activities that can make
a huge difference to their development. It also gives teachers
and experts the place to bring their classes to the attention
of parents quickly and in way that is easy to update."
Teachers
and parents alike can visit www.busylittleones.co.uk for more
details and a current list of available activities.
RED
CROSS LAUNCHES LONDON BOMBINGS EDUCATION RESOURCE
The
British Red Cross has produced an education resource for schools
to help students think through some of the practical and emotional
issues raised by the London bomb attack.
The
resource is designed for use in assemblies or lessons. It
enables teachers to help pupils understand the human aspects
of the terror attacks, the priorities of the emergency services,
and how people might behave after a major incident. It also
provides students with practical steps that they could take
to prepare for emergencies.
Andrew
Lloyd, humanitarian education manager for the Red Cross, said:
"Young people may feel powerless in the face of events.
This pack is designed to show there are simple steps everyone,
including young people, can take to prepare for such an emergency."
Amongst
the practical information included is the best way to let
family members know you are safe, how to act in the event
of a terror attack and to always follow the advice of the
emergency services in the event of a major incident. It also
includes details of useful items, such as a torch, radio,
batteries, bottles of water, which the government recommend
households have ready.
Lloyd
added: "Incidents like the London bombings are rare events,
but there are things you can do to prepare and minimise their
impact on people around you."
The
education resource has been produced as part of Red Cross'
education programme which aims to help young people develop
as active humanitarian citizens. It provides relevant and
up-to-date guidance on a range of complex local and global
themes, leading to a greater understanding of humanitarian
issues, such as conflict and health. The programme has direct
relevance across a number of school subjects and links into
the citizenship, personal, social and health curricula.
The London blasts assembly kit is free and can be downloaded
from the Red Cross website at www.redcross.org.uk/lbak
Learning
Risk Assessment Early
A
little cameo from the seaside. We noticed a small boy on the
prom having a sulk, face screwed up with anger, refusing to
budge, with his arms folded. Eventually father and older brother,
who had been walking along, went back to him, and it became
apparent from the arm-waving that the little boy was wanting
to jump off the prom onto the sand two or three feet below.
Father
suggested a suitable spot and stood on the edge to jump with
him, whereupon the little boy went round behind him and gave
him a shove. Father survived the surprise landing, and offered
to hold the little boy’s hands, to help him jump down.
No. He wanted to jump on his own. But it looked a long way down.
He wanted father to stand to his left hand side. Then to his
right. Then he thought he would make a running jump, and started
three times, coming to a halt at the edge each time. It must
have looked a long way down.
After
about ten minutes of this, he sat on the edge of the prom and
considered slithering down. Finally, he accepted a hand from
father and took the little jump needed to reach the beach. Then
they climbed back up the little ladder onto the prom and all
went off for tea. Full marks to father for his patience. Next
time, the little boy will have a fuller idea of what he can
achieve.
Response
to Paedotrophia
Last
month we published an article about a long sixteenth century
poem concerning the upbringing of children, and in News
Views we suggested that child care advice should be offered
in poetry today. Here is the first response to our challenge.
A
Thora Pip Ode : Smacking
Never,
never, smack your child,
However bothersome or wild.
The little child will learn to fear
The ones whom he should hold most dear.
He will obey, but deep inside,
Fear and resentment will abide.
Do
not believe the ones who claim
That smacking never did them harm.
Just think what nicer folk they’d be
If they’d been treated properly.
We take what parents teach as sense
And learn by our experience.
Remember,
too, that when you’re old,
Confused and frail and feeling cold,
If you have taught your little mite
That hitting people is quite right,
He may, too tired and cross to care,
Thump you, despite your greying hair.
The
moral of this ode is clear:
It’s wrong to teach a child to fear.
It’s wrong for anyone who’s tall
To hit a child because he’s small.
If you are loving, firm and fair,
Your child will learn to love and care.
Social
Space
Are
we just getting old, or are people behaving differently? At
one time, people held doors open, looked to see where other
people were going, and side-stepped to avoid people coming the
other way. Now, people seem to barge along, bumping into each
other. In supermarkets, trolley rage is not unknown as people
crash in confined aisles.
It
might be thought that this problem is just one for the young,
who have not been brought up properly, unlike their elders.
But trolley crashing is at its worst in happy hour, when old
people are offered bargains, and they charge round getting their
moneysworth. Have they forgotten how to behave?
*
Look on the beach this summer, and see whether people space
themselves out to give others reasonable territory around
their towels and wind-breaks, or whether they crowd in, perhaps
creating discomfort to their neighbours.
* Watch the beach cricket in particular to see if fielders
unwittingly charge through other children’s sand castles
when chasing after the ball.
* Observe whether people queue properly, or whether they just
scramble to get in first, or whether there is a queue but
it disintegrates at the crucial moment.
* Watch the large man stand in front of the small boy watching
the Punch and Judy show.
* Look at the old photos of our grandparents, sitting on the
beach in their suits, ties and hats, or with trousers neatly
rolled up for a paddle.
Maybe
some things have changed for the better.
School
Notice
TOUGH
RUGBY : MATCH ON SCHOOL PLAYING FIELD AT 2.30
And
where will the game for gentle wimps be played?
