Category: School Days

1. 5 Reasons Why Education Quizzes are helping parents to learn too : Review

   Posted on 10:37pm Tuesday 21st Feb 2017

   Somehow is it half term again and last year we talked about Education Quizzes and how they can help your children keep their brains active over the holidays but what about us parents too?

   My mum keeps her brain active by doing countless word searches and sudoko puzzles but they are no contest for a child with a Year 7 maths problem. If I were to ask you what is the answer to 3 + 4 x 2 = ? If you do it on a calculator, the answer is 14 which may seem correct but is actually wrong! The correct answer is 11. Why? Because of BODMAS. BODMAS is just one of the things now taught in schools today that as parents, we might not be familiar with. (I wasn't and I got excellent GCSE maths grades too!)

   So as parents we always try and ensure that we are keeping up with our child's educational needs (although please don't ask me about algebra), so this is why Education Quizzes came up with the Parents 999 idea. The title comes from the fact that each article has 999 words and is also meant to be an emergency resource for parents who suddenly find that they have a problem to solve in relation to their school-age children!  

   

   So how does it help?

   1. It is a quick and easy way to brush up on your own educational skills

   2. It has an easy to use menu listing, so you can jump straight to the section you want.

   3. All the quizzes are free to play, so you can go over them as often as you like.

   4. There are a range of subjects to choose from, including cyber safety and bullying which can help parents to deal with new situations

   5. Children generally think they know it all ...... this helps us as parents to stay one step ahead, or at least try!!

    

   We have spent some time on the site and Education Quizzes asked for our honest opinions as to whether it really is a useful resource for parents. All of the statements noted above are true and for me personally the Parent Power sections relating to bullying and online safety were as important as the Subject Knowledge elements. I think it will be good for Education Quizzes to expand on these areas especially as some parents genuinely don't understand all the dangers that come with access to the internet. 

   I like the fact that the articles are no more than 999 words as many parents are short on time but I did find myself reading the article and not always taking the quiz afterwards. There is a "tally" of your score and you can go back and improve it next time. This part didn't really appeal to me but I can see how those of a competitive nature might want to review their own scores.

   At the moment there isn't a massive library of articles / quizzes in this section but Education Quizzes have said that they are adding a new one each week, so there will be regular new content available.

   The Education Quizzes website is a fantastic resource for children and with the parenting section now, it is a great support for parents too. Despite many parenting books claiming otherwise, being a parent doesn't come with a handbook but having free online resources like this one, helps make the educational parenting journey just a little bit easier.

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2. The 5 Reasons To Love School Uniform

   Posted on 11:51am Tuesday 14th Feb 2017

   I was standing at the school gates today with some of the other mums and we were chatting about the school uniform and how despite carefully looking after it since September, it is starting to look a little tired. Thankfully Easter is not too far away and we can bring out the summer uniform which is much lighter (and takes much less effort to get ready as it is non iron).

   

   My eldest daughter cannot wait to get out of her uniform immediately after school but after being asked to look at this by 4imprint, we found that there are reasons to love school uniform. Here are our Top 5 Reasons To Love School Uniform.

   1. Everyone is the same and it creates a feeling of equality. It doesn't matter who has the best trainers or clothing, in school everyone looks the same.

   2. Apparently wearing school uniform helps with attendance (who knew).

   3. Reduces the cost of buying clothing for school and having to replace it regularly with the latest trends.

   4. Own clothes days are then extra special

   5. Most uniform shops now offer "non-iron" options! (Time saving for mums and dads)

   

   Thankfully most UK schools have a school uniform policy but when our children leave school many of them will have jobs that require certain clothes and uniform. In addition you then have celebrites that wear printed t-shirts  to support their charitable causes, so uniforms never really leave us after we leave school.

   So whilst I do love my children wearing uniform, it doesn't define them as a person but a "non-iron" uniform certainly makes for a happier mum on a Sunday afternoon!

   Collaborative post.

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3. Little Tricks To Achieve The Big Results In Kids Slowing Down

   Posted on 9:17am Wednesday 1st Feb 2017

   Whether it is leaving for school on a morning or making a quick trip to the shops, kids slow the process down.  We love them but sometimes the smaller members of the household can turn a simple four item shop into an hour long ordeal.  Or you constantly find yourself running late on a morning and never have enough time.  It is one of the less ideal things about having kids but how can we parents deal with these little obstacles in a positive way?

   

   The morning routine

   Most parents will admit that the morning routine is probably the biggest source of frustration for them.  You find yourself moving around the house like a whirlwind, throwing together lunches, prompting the kids to eat their breakfast, getting yourself organised and there’s never enough time!

   To get control of that morning routine, one of the first things to do it take a harsh look at it.  Do you give yourself enough time for everything that needs to be done?  Do you need to slice 15 minutes off your sleep time to allow yourself more time to get organised? Also, look at jobs you can do the night before – preparing lunches might be one or packing the kids school bags with their PE kits and other essentials. 

   A ‘drop zone’ near the door is another popular idea – everything that needs to go out of the door with you and the kids is deposited here.  This can be bags, shoes, jackets, your handbag or anything else that you end up hunting around for on a morning.

   Going shopping

   As kids age, the process of going shopping with them changes but doesn’t always get easier!  As young kids, they want to investigate everything then they want you to buy everything and finally they hate going shopping and complain all the time. 

   At the first stage, you can involve them in the process while satisfying their curiosity.  Let them help you pick which of the apples to buy or select a bag of crisps that they want to eat later.  Make sure you leave more time for the trip than in pre-child days so you can satisfy their curiosity about what this is or why people buy that item.

   As they get older, give them tasks while shopping.  One idea is to put them in charge of the discount vouchers and coupons and make the whole process a bit of a treasure hunt – find the item in that picture so we can get it cheaper.  You can even send them off to buy things if they are confident enough and this makes them feel part of the process.

   Get them involved

   Let’s face it, while there are ways to ease the slow down that happens when you have kids, you never eliminate it entirely.  So why not embrace that everything will take a little longer?  Get the kids involved in whatever you are doing, whether it is shopping, cooking or even a spot of DIY. Here are 5 DIY jobs that you can do with your kids  

   Leave a little more time and spark their interest in what you are doing – you never know where it might lead.

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4. How to help a child with Asthma sleep easier : Acosy Bed Wedge Review

   Posted on 8:57pm Saturday 14th Jan 2017

   Asthma can be hard work at any time of the year for sufferers but come winter, it gets even more difficult.  The cold, dry air can be painful on the lungs and make doing the simplest task outside more arduous.  Aside from the cold, dry air the other big problem for asthma sufferers in winter is the high number of respiratory and sinus infections that hang around.  Nearly every child in school has a cold and half of the workplace, meaning avoiding those bugs can be hard work.  

   Night time is always worse and symptoms such as coughing can increase as the airways work less effectively at night and airflow may be more limited, so if like us, asthma symptoms are more affected at night time, here are some top tips for making life a little easier for you and your child.

   Banish the bed bugs

   Buying an anti allergy pillow can help an asthma sufferer as you may have heard them being "allergic to dust" when in fact, it's the droppings of house dust mites which cause the problems. These tiny creatures live in the dust that builds up around homes in carpets, soft toys, bedding, cushions and furnishings, for example. They're invisible to the naked eye and 90 per cent of people with asthma are sensitive to them.

   

   Make the bed "asthma friendly"

   The natural process your child’s body uses to control inflammation (including inflammation in their airways) tends to switch off while they’re asleep. Asthma UK recommend propping a child up in bed so whilst a DIY solution is okay to use in an "emergency", the Acosy Little Bed Mattress Elevation Wedge is a specially designed wedge of white 100% British “NURSERY GRADE” cot safe FOAM. The purpose of the wedge is to elevate the head end of your mattress allowing your baby or child to sleep comfortably in a gentle elevated position. By placing the Wedge either under or on top of the cot mattress may promote better airflow to the chest and upper respiratory tract, it slides comfortably underneath and is a quick fix solution. 

   

   The airways work less effectively at night and airflow may be more limited, so asthma symptoms may affect your child more if it’s not well managed but the elevation from the Little Bed Mattress Elevation Wedge can also help assist drainage from nasal and ear passages during periods of General Congestion.

   I have spent many evenings sat upright in bed with my daughter against me as so many previous hospital visits have told us that keeping her upright will help her airways but while she sleeps, I obviously don't. Wherease the Acosy Bed Wedge is, I am quite sure, considerably more comfortable than me and everyone gets a much better nights sleep. 

   If your child’s asthma is affecting their sleep, it’s likely they will feel tired and lacking in energy, unable to play or concentrate at school, so a solution that helps everyone to sleep has to be a good one. We have been using the Acosy Bed Wedge for a couple of months now and have noticed a significant difference in the quality of my daughters sleeping, when a cold spell hits it doesn't completely eradicate the coughing but it definitely helps. 

   A bed wedge doesn't just help a child with asthma sleep better, it gives us parents the peace of mind to get a restful nights sleep too!

    

   Note: We were sent an Acosy Bed Wedge for the purpose of this post but all thoughts and experiencese are our own. 

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