TOP 30 PARENTING CHALLENGES

Being able to afford everything for your child, a lack of sleep and getting children to eat what you put in front of them have been named among the top challenges faced by parents, a study has revealed.

  

Researchers found nine in ten parents feel they face a series of challenges to bring up their children every day with having enough money at the top of the list.

  

Dealing with tantrums, encouraging children to work hard at school and do their homework and even getting them up in the mornings also rank highly.

  

Other hectic events mums and dads face include coping when a child is ill, giving your child what they want without spoiling them and going shopping with the kids in tow.

  

A spokeswoman for RESCUE REMEDY, which commissioned the research said: ‘’Everyone faces some challenges in their day-to-day lives, but for parents, these can be more difficult than most.

  

‘’As well as looking after yourself and making sure your day goes to plan, you also have to worry about everything your children do, or perhaps don’t do.

  

‘’Everything from getting them out of bed and to school on time, right though to making sure they eat the right foods and go to sleep at a decent time and without too much drama can make the average day frantic enough.

  

‘’But throw in the challenges which are always there, like money worries or whether you are doing the right thing in the way you bring up your children can mean many parents are often strained or tense.

  

‘’Being a parent is a demanding role, but it’s important all mums and dads get a chance to step back and relax at some point in their day.’’

  

The study of 2,000 parents found having enough money to afford everything that their child asks for is the biggest challenge faced on a daily basis, followed by dealing with a lack of sleep, having patience and encouraging their children to eat their meals.

  

Dealing with an ill child came fifth in the poll.

  

Keeping on top of the chores, encouraging children to do their homework and work hard at school, dealing with tantrums and getting children out of bed completed the top ten.

  

Other challenges on the list include coping with sibling rivalry, knowing how to answer all of their probing questions and toilet training.

  

Childcare features heavily among the list, with finding and juggling childcare as well as trying to work around an ill child in the top 20.

  

Other trials faced by parents include managing the school run, getting small children to sleep through the night and dealing with other competitive parents.

  

Researchers also found 83 per cent of parents feel they experience something challenging about being a parent every single day.

  

And eight in ten admit being a parent is more challenging than they thought it would be, with another 81 per cent believing it’s only going to get more difficult as their children get older.

  

But while one in twenty say the newborn and baby stage was the most challenging for them as a parent, a staggering 66 per cent say it’s the teenage years which they found most trying.

  

As a result of the daily trials and tribulations parents face, 87 per cent have days where they feel there aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything they need done.

  

And almost nine in ten have days where they feel under pressure or strained as they try to juggle everything in their lives.

  

Despite 88 per cent wishing they had more time to relax a little, the average mum and dad gets just five-and-a-half hours a week – less than an hour a day – to unwind.

  

One in twenty even claims they feel they never get time to truly relax.

  

A spokeswoman for RESCUE REMEDY added: “The research revealed an alarming nine out of ten parents face a series of challenges bringing up their child every day.

  

“Parents have so many roles and responsibilities to juggle and need to feel that they can accomplish all of these, without the underlying feeling that these can at times be too much to handle.

  

“RESCUE is trying to encourage parents to stop and take a moment out of their busy day with RESCUE REMEDY by their side.

  

“It is a combination of five Bach™ Original Flower Essences specially blended to provide support in times of emotional demand.

  

“The flower essences are Star of Bethlehem, Clematis, Impatiens, Rock Rose and Cherry Plum and it can be used anytime, anywhere and is suitable for all the family.”

  

Top 30 parenting challenges

1.     Being able to afford everything your child needs or wants

2.     Dealing with a lack of sleep

3.     Having patience

4.     Encouraging your child to eat their meals

5.     Dealing with an ill child

6.     Keeping on top of the household chores

7.     Encouraging your children to do all their homework

8.     Encouraging your child to work hard at school

9.     Tantrums

10.  Getting children up in the mornings

11.  Giving your child what they want without spoiling them

12.  Worries about whether you are doing the right thing

13.  Getting your child to eat fruit/veg

14.  Going shopping with children in tow

15.  Getting your child to clean their teeth properly, twice a day

16.  Getting time off work when your children are ill

17.  Encouraging your child to stay in bed at night

18.  Sibling rivalry

19.  Knowing the answer to all of your children’s questions

20.  Finding/juggling childcare

21.  Getting your child dressed in the morning

22.  Getting your baby/child to sleep at night

23.  Getting to work on time after the school run

24.  Getting your children to school on time

25.  Stopping your children from swearing or using bad language

26.  Getting your baby/child to sleep through the night

27.  Toilet training

28.  Tackling bullying

29.  Other competitive parent  

30.  Trying to keep your children from spending too much time in front of a computer/TV screens

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The Digital Hub:  DigiHub

KidAround has a new publisher!

There are exciting developments to report here at KidAround.

With immediate effect KidAround Magazine will be published by Trew Publishing Ltd, which is owned by Anna Hurley.  Anna has worked for KidAround as the Production Manager for 3 years and knows the business very well. She is already cracking on with the summer issue, which will be her first in charge.

New Publisher, Anna, has the following words for all our customers old and new:

“I want to express how excited and happy I am to be taking over the publication of KidAround magazine.

Please be assured that I will not be making any changes to the high quality or large distribution – you will still enjoy everything KidAround magazine has offered over the past 14 years.

Tracy has done a fantastic job building KidAround into the established name it is today and it is an honour to have the opportunity to continue to publish this magazine going forward. Being a mum myself, I know KidAround is every parent/grandparent/carers essential magazine.

I am very much looking forward to working with you all. Please do call  or email me if you have any queries”.

Outgoing Publisher, Tracy, would like to say the following:

“As you will be aware, I have published KidAround for the past 14 years and worked with many of you for much of that time. I have now decided to move on and, luckily, Anna has stepped in and is taking over the brand and goodwill of KidAround from now onwards.

It has been a great pleasure and a privilege to work with you over the years. I am immensely proud of KidAround magazine and everything it has achieved and absolutely delighted that, thanks to Anna, it will be able to continue. The magazine could not be in better hands and I know Anna will do a terrific job and you will love working with her.

I will be working alongside Anna in a handover role for a while and then hope our paths may cross again in my new role at Piccolo Media – dealing with communications for small businesses.”

We are both really pleased and excited about these changes and look forward to working with our advertisers, stockists, editorial contributors and readers long into the future.

Posted by Tracy Thomas and Anna Hurley

WIN! Contented Calf Breastfeeding Recipe Books

The Contented Calf Cookbook: Nourishing Recipes for Breastfeeding Mums is a unique book of delicious meals especially devised to help breastfeeding mums boost their milk supply. First published in 2011, It provides an easy way of introducing lactogenic ingredients into the postpartum diet, but over half of the main meals are designed to be made in the final weeks and months of pregnancy and frozen, so new parents will have a freezer full of tasty, nourishing ‘ready meals’ for the first few weeks of parenthood.

The Contented Calf Cookbook is the inspiration of mother of two, Elena Cimelli.  Drawing upon her experiences of parenthood and breastfeeding with her first born, Elena was led to consider the importance of lactogenic ingredients.  With the support of food writer Jassy Davis, The Contented Calf Cookbook started to take form.  Together they began developing a range of recipes incorporating lactogenic foods.  Armed with first-hand experience of just how time consuming a new baby can be, the aim was to provide new mums with quick, simple, tasty and nutritious meal options that would help support nursing mums milk supply.

The Contented Calf Cookbook aims to support nursing mothers through a range of nourishing and convenient recipes that help promote milk production with the aid of lactogenic¹ rich ingredients.  Many of the recipes can also be easily prepared in advance and stored in the freezer – ideal for time-poor parents!

Now it’s easier than ever to cook-up an array of deliciously nutritious dishes for nursing mothers, with the arrival of a NEW digital cookbook and NEW ‘Sneak Peek’ sample recipe booklet from the multi-award-winning Contented Calf, making healthy, breast-milk promoting cooking, even more accessible than before!

Breastfeeding can be demanding on energy levels; on average a mother will burn between 300-500 calories a day to produce milk. Eating sufficient calories and getting an abundant supply of nutrients is helpful in itself for lactation.  The lactogenic¹ ingredients incorporated into The Contented Calf Cookbook recipes help to support the chemistry of lactation whilst ensuring the correct nutritional balance to satisfy both mother and baby’s needs.

The new A6 ‘Sneak Peek Recipe Booklet’ serves-up a tantalising selection of seven simple lactogenic¹ rich recipes, taken from the full edition of The Contented Calf Cookbook.

As of February, customers of the Contented Calf website will also be able to purchase Earth Mama Angel Baby® Milkmaid Tea, blended with 100% Organic traditional herbal galactagogues² and minerals, traditionally used to help support healthy breast milk production.

¹Lactogenic and ²Galactagogues are terms applied to foods & herbs that help stimulate lactation by helping to increase the levels of prolactin in the bloodstream. Lactogenic foods contain agents that interact with and support the chemistry of lactation. Lactogenic agents include tryptophan, natural plant sedatives, polysaccharides, fatty acids, saponins and plant sterols, among others.

For more information and to purchase the cookbook; Sneak Peek sample recipe book; Milkmaid Tea and the digital e-book, please visit  www.contentedcalf.com

 

We have two copies of the full paperback edition of  The Contented Calf Cookbook (RRP £14.99) to give away. To enter, simply email your name, address and daytime contact number to info@contentedcalf.com (please see the Contented Calf privacy policy: http://www.contentedcalf.com/privacy-policy/) by the closing date of Friday 14^th March.

Posted by Tracy Thomas

Spring 2014 Issue Out Now!

We are delighted with the new Spring issue of KidAround, which is out today.

As ever, it’s packed with loads of listings and information – where to go, who to call, what to do as a parent where YOU live.

Over 120,000 copies of the two editions of this issue will be distributed across Essex over the next week so you should get one home from school or nursery soon.

If you can’t wait that long, you can read KidAround online at:

North Essex: http://issuu.com/kidaround-magazine/docs/north_essex_spring_2014

South Essex:  http://issuu.com/kidaround-magazine/docs/south_essex_spring_14_

Please don’t forget to visit our website http://www.kidaround.biz for updated listings, new competitions and more!

Enjoy!

Posted by Tracy Thomas

Win, Mummy & Me Books!

Parents know the value of spending ‘quality time’ with their children, and these two new titles from DK will provide perfect inspiration for activities to do together. They have been cleverly designed to encourage children to learn while they create – exploring materials, techniques and fun facts along the way.

Mummy & Me Cook

Mummy & Me: Cook is much more than a conventional recipe book. It’s a great introduction to cooking and learning about food with its blend of over 20 recipes and fun activities as well as fabulous food facts about everyday ingredients. Whip up yummy breakfast pancakes, scrummy smoothies, and delicious chocolate brownies together. Get to know staple ingredients like eggs, flour, and chocolate and find out what’s inside an egg, where vegetables grow, how flour is made, and other foodie facts. The book is full of fun activities, such as experiencing food with all five senses, designing dishes, and performing kitchen experiments. Plus, using measurements and amounts associated with cooking and following the clear step-by-step instructions is a great way for children to learn while having fun!

Mummy & Me Craft

Introduce your child to the wonderful world of crafting with the colourful and inspiring Mummy & Me Craft. Full of 20 fun craft projects from felt creatures and paper jewellery, to origami and paint projects. Packed with exciting things to make and do, like animal masks, pom-pom creatures, wooden spoon puppets, and monster pencil toppers. Plus, little ones can learn about the materials they’re working with in fun fact sections that tell you what they are and where they come from. Painting, drawing, cutting and pasting, and using a range of crafting materials like scissors and glue sticks help children develop hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. They’ll also love the rewarding and accomplished feeling of completing and showing off their projects.

We have 2 sets of these books, up for grabs. To enter email comps@kidaround.biz with the subject Mummy & Me Books, along with your full name, address and daytime contact number.

For more children’s books and activity inspiration visit dk.com

Posted by Lauren Oliver

Bringing Skills to Life- John Lewis

John Lewis launches practical skills programme

John Lewis- Bringing Skills to Life

Nearly three- quarters of parents (73%) of children aged 16 and under can sew on a button without help and advice, but just 15% have taught their children how to do the same

4 in 5 parents can lay a table, yet less than half (48%) of respondents have passed this skill on to their offspring

82% of parents are able to follow a recipe but only a third (35%) shared this skill with their children

John Lewis has recently launched Bringing Skills to Life, a new practical skills programme for primary school-aged children, to support the development of skills gaps identified in their research.

The majority of parents surveyed felt it important for children to learn creative and practical skills. Topping the poll was cooking, 80% of parents of children 16 and under cited it as the most important developmental area for children, with almost 1 in 4 parents (22%) regretting not being better at it themselves.  The research was uncovered in a survey of 1,045  parents of children aged 16 or younger conducted on behalf of John Lewis by YouGov.

Seeking to support children’s development of practical, creative and literacy skills through its Bringing Skills to Life programme, John Lewis developed the curriculum-linked programme with educational experts.  The programme has also received backing from the National Literacy Trust, the Design Museum and Wayne Hemingway MBE.

The programme has been successfully trialled with eight schools nationwide, including Prospect Vale Primary School in Cheadle. Commenting, Jan Novacki, Y3 teacher at Prospect Vale Primary, said: “The lesson immediately engaged the pupils; they were really enthusiastic about learning new practical skills. They gained confidence and felt that they had really achieved something.

“The programme is a lovely means of helping children to embrace their imagination and develop new skills that they can use in their everyday lives now and in the future. It’s a useful curriculum-linked tool for teachers too.”

Julie Noble, Director at Hopscotch, remarked:“We’re very excited to have worked with John Lewis to prepare these resources for schools.  With John Lewis, we hope to help foster teachers and parents’ enthusiasm for design, cooking and literacy, and to ensure children are inspired and engaged with these subjects.”

Teachers who register at johnlewis.com/skillsforlife can access lesson plans and activity cards covering Design & Make, Cook & Share and Storytelling.

Website: http://www.bringingskillstolife.co.uk/ 

Posted by Lauren Oliver

Financial Planning Week Survey Findings

FINANCIAL PLANNING IS FOR LIFE – NOT JUST FOR CHRISTMAS: SURVEY FINDS PEOPLE MAKING FINANCIAL PLANS FOR CHRISTMAS BUT FAILING TO MAKE COMPREHENSIVE PLANS FOR THEIR FUTURE

Financial Planning Week is taking place this week, and is the national campaign organised each year by the Institute of Financial Planning (IFP), its members and supporters to raise awareness amongst the general public of the importance of Financial Planning. Through the website http://www.financialplanningweek.org.uk the public have access to tips, tools and guidance on how to improve their financial “fitness”. They also have opportunities to get answers to their financial questions via the “Ask a Planner” service or to attend one of the free Financial Planning surgeries taking place around the UK.

The survey, which was conducted by YouGov for Financial Planning Week in association with Liontrust questioned over 2,000 people aged 18 or over across Britain. It discovered that:

• Thinking ahead to spending plans for Christmas this year, 38% of Brits have already worked out what they will be spending and they will definitely stick to it and a further 18% are confident they can afford to spend what they like this Christmas. However, 20% say they have a vague budget in mind but they probably won’t stick to it. 9% have no idea what the cost of Christmas will be for them but said they will worry about it afterwards.
• The survey showed an increase in the amount of time people now spend worrying about money, with 82% of respondents indicating that they worry about money some, most or all of the time, compared to 80%* in 2012 and just 60% in 2011*. 38% say they worry about money most or all of the time compared to 32% in 2012*. Only 2% of people say that they never worry about money.
• Looking at the bigger picture, just 4% have a comprehensive financial plan in place with goals identified and prioritised with costs and a schedule of how and when they can achieve them financially. Only 11% say they are likely to make a comprehensive financial plan in 2014.

With rises in the cost of living outpacing the increases in many people’s income at present, it is clear that times are still tough, despite the recent reports from the Bank of England that the recovery has finally taken hold. 56% of respondents said inflation and rises in the costs of living was a fear for them.
Many households are therefore struggling to make ends meet. Almost two thirds (63%) of respondents say they are struggling to keep up with bills and credit commitments, including 20% who say it’s a constant struggle. 5% report that they are falling behind with some of their bills and credit commitments and 3% are reporting real financial problems having fallen behind with many bills and commitments.

The survey findings also showed that only 14% usually seek help or advice from a professional adviser when making Financial Planning decisions. 55% usually make their own Financial Planning decisions whilst 16% usually speak to friends, family or colleagues. This could mean they lack the direction and action that is so important.

Thinking ahead to 2014, when asked which changes they would be likely to make when it comes to managing their money, 37% plan to reduce their monthly spending, 27% intending to reduce debt, 25% are planning to save more each month and 21% will be seeking better returns on their savings/investments.
Just 4% are planning to increase their contributions into pension plans.

Consumers are clearly thinking along the right lines when it comes getting to grips with their finances in many of these key areas around budgeting. In stark contrast however, the majority could be failing to plan effectively for their future by not having a comprehensive financial plan in place.

Steve Gazzard CFPCM, CEO of Institute of Financial Planning comments: “Whilst we welcome some of these findings which show that people are planning their finances for a specific event like Christmas, and making basic changes such as paying off debts and increasing savings, it’s worrying to see that many are failing to plan when it comes to the bigger picture.

“If they are to avoid serious problems ahead, it’s essential that people take responsibility for their financial future now. Unless we can encourage people to identify what they want from life and put a comprehensive financial plan in place, it’s unlikely they’ll have the context to make the right financial decisions to help them achieve their goals.

“Financial Planning isn’t just for the wealthy it’s for everybody. Whilst getting qualified professional Financial Planning advice is the most effective route to take, unfortunately this isn’t always possible. The good news is that through this campaign, we’re highlighting simple steps people can take to manage any debt, build savings and protect their families on the journey. As a result, we aim to help them improve their current financial situation and also seeing for themselves the benefits of long term Financial Planning and the peace of mind that it brings.”

Rebecca Taylor FIFP, CFPCM, Managing Director of Dunham Financial Services and President of IFP comments: “I regularly see new clients who have previously made financial decisions with no clear idea on how those decisions will impact their future. With a little time and effort, most people can put a basic financial plan together, especially if they have some guidelines to get them on the right track. Financial Planning Week offers such opportunities for those who do not usually have access to a professional Financial Planner. The opportunity to meet with a Financial Planner, free of charge and on a no strings attached basis, is something I would encourage everyone to make the most of so they can put their own financial plan in place before it’s too late.”

Below are further findings from the survey which reveal where adults in Britain stand when it comes to their current finances, their plans for 2014 and the way they make Financial Planning decisions.

When it comes to their existing finances:
• 44% have savings for emergencies and other goals
• Only 26% have an up-to-date Will
• Whilst 25% have life insurance to protect their dependants in case of premature death, only 6% have an income protection policy in place, indicating that a large number of people risk financial disaster if accident or illness were to prevent them from working long term
• 14% have savings for retirement but not sure it’s enough to provide the income they will need in retirement
• 11% are confident they have enough savings to provide them with the income they’ll need in retirement
• 9% have savings for retirement but know it’s definitely not enough to provide the income they’ll need in retirement

When asked which changes they would be likely to make in 2014 when it comes to managing their money:
• Only 6% intend to make sure their family is protected against unforeseen events such as long term illness or premature death

How do people make decisions when planning their finances?
• 55% usually make their own Financial Planning decisions
• 16% usually speak to friends, family or colleagues when making Financial Planning decisions
• 14% usually seek help or advice from a professional advisor when making Financial Planning decisions
• Only 14 % admit to not proactively planning their finances, although half of those (7%) would like to do so

You can find out more at  www.financialplanningweek.org.uk

Follow Financial Planning Week on Twitter – use the hashtag #FPWUK http://www.twitter.com#fpwUK

Celebrities Join Forces to Raise Awareness of Benefits of Reading With Children

1.5 million free books given to reception-aged children as part of Booktime
This year sees Booktime gift its 10 millionth book to a child to encourage a lifelong love of reading

Leading personalities including Mount Pleasant actress and Loose Women presenter Sally Lindsay, comedian Lenny Henry, TV presenters Holly Willoughby, Piers Morgan, Matthew Wright and ITN’s Julie Etchingham, along with Malorie Blackman, Waterstone’s Children’s Laureate, have joined forces to lend their support to an initiative that encourages parents and carers to spend time reading for pleasure with their children.  

Booktime (http://www.booktime.org.uk) – now in its eighth year – aims to inspire a lifelong love of reading.  It will give two free books to 765,000 reception-aged children in England and Wales in the 2013-2014 year of school. This year’s books for children in England are Charlie and Lola’s But Excuse Me That is My Book, published by Puffin, an imprint of Penguin Children’s, and Tom’s Mad Mop, from the Bug Club series by Pearson UK, part of Pearson’s education business. Four to five-year-olds in Wales will receive Charlie and Lola’s But Excuse Me That is My Book as well as a Welsh language title.  In addition, every primary school and library can also access free guidance and activity sheets on the Booktime website, with extra resources for libraries and parents also available.

It is widely recognised that one of the most important things a parent can do to help their children learn is to read with them and inspire a love of reading and books. But, recent research has revealed that up to one third of children are not read bedtime stories, and only 13% of parents read to their children every night.

The books, picked by an independent panel of experts because they are brilliant to read aloud to children and have wonderful illustrations, make it a joy for readers of all levels.

But Excuse Me That is My Book stars the hugely popular Charlie and Lola characters created by Lauren Child which inspired the Tiger Aspect produced TV series. Children will join Charlie, Lola and their friends on a trip to the library to look at all the different types of books that Lola might like to read. It is a warm and funny story about family, friends and the importance of trying new things, in a refreshed edition published especially for Booktime. But Excuse Me That is My Book is intended to inspire children through Booktime to seek out lots of new books and stories to enjoy.  In England, Booktime packs will also contain a book for children to support them on their reading journey, from Pearson UK. Tom’s Mad Mop, written by Celia Warren and illustrated by Bill Ledger, is a bright and familiar story about playing with friends, which parents and teachers can use to help children in their own reading.

Actress and Loose Women presenter Sally Lindsay is mum to three-year-old twins Louie and Vic. She says: “I love nothing more than snuggling up on the sofa or sitting with my two sons at bedtime and reading with them.  It gives them uninterrupted ‘mummy time’ and a chance for us to go on some amazing adventures as soon as we open a book. “As a mum of twins, I know all too well that it is tough trying to juggle work, household chores and demands from others, but there’s no better feeling than giving your child a love of reading, which has to be one of the best starts you can give them in life.”

This year marks a very special milestone for the Booktime initiative with its 10 millionth book being gifted to a child this term.
Peter Hughes, head of corporate responsibility at Pearson, the world’s leading learning company, said: “The more we read, the more we know and as we learn, so we progress and grow.  So what better gift to give our children starting school, than 10 million chances to start to read, learn and grow?”

Viv Bird, Chief Executive of Booktrust, added: “At Booktrust we know that just one book can make all the difference to a child’s life – just think how much of a difference ten million books have made! Thanks to our strong partnership with Pearson through Booktime, we are extremely proud that so many books have given pleasure to so many children.”

Given digital technology is becoming more dominant in the family home, this year, for the first time, children, together with their parents and carers, can log onto the Booktime website www.booktime.org.uk for free e-books to read online from Pearson.  They will also be able to listen to the books being read aloud as well as access free games and activities.

And the reading continues….

To further encourage reading for pleasure among older primary school children at a time when their interest in books can lapse, Pearson, the Pearson Foundation and Booktrust can announce that schools can now sign up to take part in Read for My School www.readformyschool.co.uk this academic year.  The free national schools’ reading competition sees over 100,000 books donated to schools and children who are challenged to read as many of the books as they can in two months from a unique online library and list of recommended reads.  Schools and pupils will be awarded prizes for ‘Most Books Read’ and for a written piece around the power of reading.  Parents should check with their school that they have signed up.

For further information on the Booktime programme please contact:
Maria Boyle on maria@mbcomms.co.uk or 020 8876 8444
Rosi Crawley on rosi.crawley@booktrust.org.uk or 020 8875 4827

Posted by Amy Moylan

Williams & Griffin Christmas Animated Window Unveiling In Association With The Robin Cancer Trust – Note A Change Of Day – Sunday 17th November

It’s the first Christmas event in Colchester town centre – don’t miss it! Be outside the front of Williams & Griffin Department store, High Street, Colchester at 12 noon on Sunday 17^th November for the annual Christmas animated window unveiling, light (and snow!) switch on!

Watch Father Christmas travel down the High Street and arrive at the store in festive style at 12noon prompt. Join in the countdown with Father Christmas and help him tear off the paper to unwrap this years Christmas Animated Window, the theme of which will be kept top secret until the day!

This year the event is held in association with the Robin Cancer Trust, a local charity raising awareness for germ cell cancer, which includes testicular and ovarian cancer, in 16-35 year olds. Come and show your support for them on the day.  Plus we will have fun and music throughout the morning leading up to the window unveil with Heart FM. And we’ll make it snow too. . . .

After the unveiling, Father Christmas will see children in his grotto, located in the new Christmas Emporium, accessible from the Ground floor of the existing store or the High Street. This year the grotto is animated so you will see Father Christmas and all his animated animals. The cost is £5 per child which includes a present and photograph.

Sally Thomas, Marketing Manager for the store commented “Please do come along and enjoy the excitement of the day and watch the unveiling, it is something that children, and adults will remember for years to come. After the unveiling Father Christmas will be in the animated grotto in our new Christmas Emporium and every weekend until Christmas. . . .”

Toby Freeman of the Robin Cancer Trust commented “It’s a privilege to be part of such an important date in Colchester’s calendar. It’s not Christmas until the W&G window unveiling and the first snow falls in the town centre! It’ll be a great day raising awareness for germ cell cancer, spent with the local community.’

For more information on the Robin Cancer Trust visit www.therobincancertrust.org

Posted by Amy Moylan

Make a New Year’s Resolution That Sticks – Swap Screen Time For Wild Time

With the New Year fast approaching, why not make just one resolution that could leave the whole family happier and healthier – with the added bonus of being free.

The newly formed Wild Network movement, made up of more than 150 organisations and thousands of people, is encouraging the nation’s parents, guardians and grandparents to swap a bit of screen time for wild time, if only for 10 minutes a day.

And with all of the pressures of everyday life, the new free Wild Time app makes it a whole lot easy to get out and have a Wild Time right on the doorstep – with screen time helping families to get more wild time into their lives.

The app is packed with simple and fun crowdsourced ideas, whether you have 10 minutes or half a day to spare. Download the app at www.projectwildthing.com.

If there’s only 10 minutes to spare, maybe just walk out the door with a friend and ‘Tree Hug’ – close your eyes and feel the bark of different trees. In 20 minutes you could host a ‘Bird Dinner Party’ – put out some winter food for the birds and see which feathered friends turn up. And if you’ve got an hour or so, why not create a mud castle or go fly a kite.

One family has already taken Wild Time to heart, and even made a documentary about their hands-on experiences. Project Wild Thing is a thought-provoking and often humorous documentary film that goes on general release in cinemas across the country from Friday 25th October.

David and Katie Bond managed to drag themselves and their two children, 5-year-old telly-loving Ivy and 3-year-old Albie, away from their screens and out into the wilds of London.

Appointing himself the Marketing Director of Nature, David gave himself just two months to implement his nature marketing campaign and get children, including his own, outside and reconnected with nature.

His first project was to work out how his daughter Ivy spent her time – 32% in school, 15% watching TV, 15% playing indoors, 12% on the computer, 10% eating, 5% in the car, 4% in the bathroom, and only 4% playing outdoors.

David Bond said: “Across the western world children spend less and less time outdoors. And the generational shift to an indoor existence has been strongly linked to a sharp decline in children’s wellbeing.”

“Making the film made me realise that if you can show kids and their families how easy it is to get into nature and playing outdoors then it can easily become part of their everyday lives.”

Here are David and Katie Bond’s 10 top tips for how you can go about swapping your family’s screen time for Wild Time…

• Everyone’s got stuff to do, so start by trying bite-size 10-minute chunks of Wild Time – it’s amazing what you can do in a short space of time.
• The really hard bit ­– get tough on yourselves and your family.
• Ban the gadgets! Lock away all your mobiles, laptops, games and whatever. They are not coming with you – it’s only for a while.
• Put on some comfy clothes and maybe wellies – nothing too smart.
• It’s all about the adventure not what you’re wearing.
• Maybe take along a bag to collect wild treasures and a notebook/diary to write or draw in.
• Make sure everyone sticks to the rules – including you! No sneaking off to text behind a tree.
• Keep it local – go into the garden, park, street – you can always explore further later.
• Just look around you – see, touch, listen to and smell nature.
• Get through the “I’m bored!” moment – maybe plant a few ideas and then just free-fall. It’s all about children feeding their own imaginations and creating their own wild fun.
• Shift the balance towards free play and away from adult-supervised play.
• It doesn’t have to feel like a mega adventure – with loads of planning and equipment. Keep it simple. Take small steps.

Research has shown that letting children go out to play is one of the best things that parents can do for their children’s health: outdoor play uses more calories than clubs and tuition.

Eighteen months ago, the National Trust published its Natural Childhood report presenting compelling evidence that in just one generation kids have been losing touch with nature and the outdoors.

In the Project Wild Thing film Chris Rose, scientist and campaigner, said: “Whether or not children understand or engage with nature really determines what the next generation is going to do about a lot of the big problems that face our environment and the planet, but also what sort of quality of life the next generation has.”

Posted by Amy Moylan