Uni Essentials Packing Checklist: Everything You Need to Take to University

 

So your little darling is off to uni! It seems like only yesterday it was me lugging a giant desktop tower and a questionable duvet to halls. Now it's your turn to navigate the treacherous waters of packing lists and student accommodation. Fear not, I’ve compiled the ultimate guide to ensure they’ve got everything they need (and maybe a few things they don’t!). Let's dive into the essential checklist to make sure they're prepared for university life.

Back to School Tips: How to Transition Your Child into the School Routine

It’s that time of year again guys (fellow dishevelled parents) - the one that started with week 1 promises of keeping to the usual ‘routine’, planning healthy snack boxes, making sure you keep up with the reading, timetables and minimal screen time. Fast-forward six weeks and you’re picking crisp packets off the sofa while your child is still in PJs at 11am, having gone to bed at… well, let’s not talk about that.

 Disclosure: Paid Partnership

Yes, it’s the end of the summer holidays and you’ve got a miracle to perform in transitioning your child back into the school routine and back into their school uniform. Let’s get started shall we?

How to add Culture and Diversity to your home and learning environment

 How can we make sure that  we are including or adding culture and diversity into our everyday learning environments? 
It is so important that we give children the tools, exposure and understanding of differences and similarities, between themselves and others, from an early age. We want to create an environment where certain differences are viewed by children as usual, every day life. Where all children can readily access resources that are made with diversity in mind, so that children grow to learn that we are all different, and we are all the same.

Today, I have Lauren, an Early Childhood Educator with a wealth of training and experience within culture and diversity, explaining a little about how we can add culture and diversity into our learning environments both at home and in a setting...

Love is Love - An LGBTQ engagement poem

Poem - Love is: For James and Stuart on your Engagement x

I wrote this poem, Love is Love,  a few years ago now, and it has been sat in my notes, waiting for today - the day when James (my wonderfully supportive and caring big Brother in Law) finally became engaged to Stuart (the man who secretly filled my biscuit tin with chocolate biscuits and my freezer with ice cream at the end of his visit - if that doesn't tell you what a lovely person he is, I don't know what will). There aren't many things in life which can fill your heart with joy and settle your soul like the moment you realise that someone you care about has found someone who really cares about them... and like all moments of high emotion, words tumbled through my mind in rhyme form, waiting to be written... So here it is...Love is Love - A poem...

Alternative Careers for Teachers: Top Jobs for Former Educators

Alternative Careers for Teachers

As the landscape of the education sector evolves (again), many educators find themselves contemplating a career change. If this is you, and you'd like to learn more about the type of roles others are stepping into after leaving teaching, then read on.

The decision to leave a teaching job is often fueled by various factors, including burnout, limited career progression, and the pursuit of new opportunities. For early years specialist teachers, it can often be because the school has chosen to formalise learning too soon, which doesn't align with their values and beliefs around the merits and importance of play based learning. Lack of support, both in terms of staff ratios and also finances for resources, can have a huge impact on the physical and mental health of teachers who simply want to do their best for the pupils but are unable to do so due to issues outside of their control. The ever increasing cost of living means that many teachers can no longer afford to pay for resources out of their own pockets (as so many do) which makes teaching experiences limited and difficult. Many teachers, after starting a family, come to realise that the profession is not 'family friendly' in terms of hours, and the salaries of teachers simply don't cover the cost of childcare needed to undertake the role fully. This article explores alternative careers for teachers, highlighting the motivations behind their career transitions and the valuable skills they bring to new roles. It also includes a list of positions that real-life former teachers have moved into. 

'The Rainbow Fish' Activities

Using props and activities to bring a story to life can not only help to instill a love of reading and excitement around a book, but it also helps little minds to understand and follow a storyline better.  This blog post provides some ideas and resources for learning all about Marcus Pfister's 'The Rainbow Fish' story through play, including digital downloads.

  In the year when we saw Niall from Love Island 2018 talk about his ‘rainbow fish’ and seemingly describe a completely different moral to the story, here are a few activities that should hopefully help your little ones pick out the right message and also retain the plot of the book!

What is EYFS?

What is the EYFS? If you have children, or work alongside children, then the chances are you have seen the letters ‘EYFS’ quite a few times already – perhaps in reference to EYFS play, EYFS activities or even EYFS outcomes…but what is EYFS??

To give its most literal meaning, EYFS stands for the Early Years Foundation Stage – the period of time from birth to 5 years old. During this time, there are certain developmental milestones that children are expected to achieve. All adults who work with children in England are expected to follow these standards for learning, development and care, so that by the end of the EYFS children are meeting their ‘Early Learning Goals’ (ELGs) and are therefore ‘school ready’.

Kegel8 Ultra Pelvic Toner and Biofeedback Trainer review

If there is one thing that unites most Mothers across the country it’s this: Pelvic floor problems.

That’s not to say that everyone who has carried a baby and / or given birth will struggle, but for the majority of post-partum females there will be a change in the pelvic floor muscle compared to pre-pregnancy which can sometimes have life-long implications. This can range from minor inconveniences such as a difference in strength/tone which can cause back ache, to more life changing issues such as prolapse, incontinence or an inability to use internal menstrual products effectively.

There is no doubt that pregnancy changes the female body forever, but the lack of routine aftercare for new mothers in the UK is in stark contrast to other countries who put women’s health more at the forefront.
 

Kegel8 aims to change this, by providing women with access to technology such as their Kegel8 Ultra 20 V2 Electronic Pelvic Toner and Kegel8 Biofeedback Pelvic Trainer. I have been testing these two devices for the last few months in order to provide an honest review on their efficacy and usability. Read on to find out my thoughts.

How to set up a purposeful Learning Environment for Babies and Toddlers

Are you wondering how to build a purposeful Learning Environment for Babies and Toddlers?

 
 

Just like us, babies and toddlers are affected by their setting and  environments, even if they cannot yet tell us how they are feeling. It is part of our role to make sure learning spaces make little ones feel welcome, secure and happy to learn.

When Arthur was still 2 yrs old - I spent almost my entire Christmas Eve sat on his bedroom floor trying to help him get to sleep as he was afraid of Father Xmas visiting our house!! I had a bit of time to kill, so I wrote this poem... I'm hoping that we don't have a repeat of  it this year, but I am absolutely certain I wont be the only one if so....

Christmas Eve Poem for Parents

'Twas the night before Xmas and all through the house, 

not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse....

10 Questions to ask when choosing a Primary School

Are you currently looking around Primary Schools for next September ready for your child to start in Reception class, or, Foundation stage 2? Are you wondering what questions you should ask when choosing a new school? What things you should be looking for when looking around a new school or classroom?

 I found it really hard to approach this task with my 'parent hat' on, rather than my 'Teacher hat'. As many of you will know, I am a Primary School Teacher who specialised in the Early Years (EYFS) and I am extremely passionate about active, free-flow, play based learning. 

I have compiled a list of questions to ask when trying to choose a primary school below, some of which I asked when looking around the schools...some that I wish I had asked! Anyway, here is the benefit of my hindsight, carefully set out for you to use when researching schools for yourself... and once you've chosen, you can pop back and read my post all about school readiness and how to help our children prepare for Reception class. 

Post Natal Depression - What you need to know about PND

The thing with PND (post - natal depression, post-partum depression or post pregnancy depression) is that it gets to you even when you think it shouldn’t. You can almost feel it creeping up on you, like an unwanted period when you’re trying to conceive, and yet you stay in utter denial that this is actually happening because...well, why should it?

 

Why should you feel depressed when you have absolutely no reason to be? Why should you feel depressed when you’ve got everything you ever wanted and you’re supposed to be so utterly, deliriously happy with life?

THAT’S the thing. PND doesn’t discriminate.

How to spot a rat infestation when viewing a house

We were caught out by a hidden rat infestation in our house which we only discovered after we had moved in. Since then, we have become experts at checking for, and also noticing signs of a rodent infestation in order to make sure we don't suffer any further rat damage and to ensure that the measures we have put in place to get rid of rats have been successful.

 

I often think back to the information that would have been helpful to us when we were viewing this house, and so if YOU are currently looking to buy a house or you have suspicions that you may be dealing with a rodent issue - here are some things to look out for...

How to get rid of a rat infestation

Have you recently discovered a rat infestation, or are worried that you may have an infestation? (Read here for how to spot a rat infestation)

  

Perhaps you would like to be ready and armed in case a rat infestation occurs?

After unknowingly buying a rat infested house, and spending a fortune on repairs due to rat damage - here are some of the tools and resources we would recommend trying to deter or get rid of rats...

How to set up effective classroom rules

Effective classroom rules will vary depending on the ages of the children involved. What works for a 15 year old will not always be appropriate for a 5 year old.

 


With this in mind, I am going to tell you a little bit about how I set up effective rules within my Reception class that were conducive to effective teaching and a calm classroom.