This seems to have filtered down to the next generations as reports show that many young girls are still refusing to participate fully in sports lessons.

A recent survey of 1,500 girls showed that only 12% reached the standard level of fitness by the age of 14. This is an alarming figure especially with the increase in the obesity epidemic sweeping the nation and the constant cutting to NHS budgets to deal with these health problems.

Many young people interviewed have stated that they find the sports offered overly competitive and un-feminine. So what can be done to avert this crisis in our youth?

It is easy to blame the teachers and say they should make the lessons more interesting. However they have a curriculum to adhere to and like many are restrained due to performance targets and league tables.

PE lessons should be allowed to work separate from the curriculum and be seen more as fitness classes. If this happened there could be much more variety offered and encourage girls to participate for their own benefit.

Would it be so wrong to ask the youth what they would participate in and then try and adapt the current offerings? Or is this just too easy…

How many times have you smiled and laughed at your little one humming and bopping along to a tune?

There are many positive affects on child growth and development. Research shows that music has an incredible influence on the brain and there are lots of benefits for children.

Why is Music Effective for Assisting Language Development?

Music has structure and rules (as does language)

Music ensures that the words are sequenced in a predictable order

Music offers a fun opportunity to learn new words and concepts through repetition (an important factor when helping to improve a child’s language skills)

Music encourages turn-taking behaviours (just like in conversation)

Music has rhythm (enabling actions to be combined with words to reinforce word meanings

Music has rhyme (encouraging children to become aware of words and their sounds, which also assists with developing their literary skills)

Music assists children to remember new words (particularly once the child has learnt the tune)

Music helps attention and listening skills

Music and movement assists physical development and coordination skills

Music motivates children to socialise, assisting emotional development

Musical involvement is known to enhance self-esteem and confidence

Speaking is a complex skill. Before children master this skill and utter their first understandable words they need to have developed a wide range of sounds. This comes from hearing and distinguishing different sounds as well as developing muscles in their jaw, mouth and tongue to be able to recreate and control those sounds.

Nursery Rhymes are a great way to encourage early language development. ‘Old McDonald’ is particularly useful as it uses the simple sounds and encourages children to mimic them.

Singing is beneficial as it is generally slower than normal speech and breaks down sentences and words into smaller segments to the beat. It also puts emphasis on different sounds. This helps children familiarise themselves with the structure of words and speech, improving their own language.

Who Can Benefit?

All children benefit from using music to aid language development. Nursery rhymes, singing and dancing are an essential part of childhood learning.

For children who have difficulty communicating, whether due to a language delay, a language disorder, a syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy, brain injury, trauma or bereavement, the benefits of music can be profound.

Chick Pea Curry

Chick peas are a very nutritious and cheap food – having dried ones in the cupboard ensures a cheap meal anytime (after soaking overnight).

Ingredients:

1 – 2 Tablespoons of light vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or crushed

1 apple, peeled and finely chopped (this is a very good way of using up an apple that has gone wrinkly but is not rotten)

1 green pepper, finely chopped (optional)

2 – 3 teaspoons of curry powder

1-2 tins of cooked chick peas (or soak dried ones overnight and cooked – cheaper)

1 can of tomatoes

handful of raisins (optional)

2 tablespoons of desiccated coconut (optional)

some frozen peas (a cupful or more if you really like them)

salt

Method:

Fry the onion, garlic and apple in the olive oil for a few minutes.

Add the curry powder and stir for a minute or two.

Add the tomatoes (chop them if needed) and green pepper. If you like really sweet tasting curry, then add the raisins and coconut. Cook for about 15 minutes at simmering level and then add your chick peas and cook for a further 10 minutes.

Shortly before the end of cooking time put some frozen peas in. Add salt to taste. We like this best with white basmati rice (you should get a whole kilo for unde £1 in the cheap supermarkets or value ranges) and lots of little toppings.

A very frugal variation of this is to make potato and pea curry by replacing the chick peas with value tinned potatoes.

It has been revealed in the medical journal The Lancet that Britain now has the third highest proportion of sexually active teens.

So what is the best way to handle this? Do we hark back to the bygone days and shy away from the topic or do we deal with the issue in a more positive way?

Many people think that to inform is to encourage and if teenagers are given to much information they will be more interested in “doing the deed.”

With STIs on the increase and teenage pregnancy rife they are doing it anyway and surely more open discussion about sex and how to practice it safely is a much better way to deal with it.

As parents you have to decide if you’d rather your child learn about sex from peers or from you.

Everything from music videos, magazines and films have pushed society to become more sexualised and this includes the developing generations.

You can pretty much guarantee that if your child is above the age of 10 that they have either shown an interest in learning about sex or have heard about it from a friend. The best way to prepare your child for sex, is to talk about it at an early age.

Make sure you child learns not only the biological explanation of sex but the social and moral implications of having sex. There is a lot of information out there on STIs and much more, have a look at the links at the bottom of this article that may be of use. Providing your teen with some useful websites will show how switched on you are and may open the channels for you to talk more openly.

Encourage your child to practice safe sex if they have sex, not only for the prevention of sexually transmitted infections but to reduce the risk of pregnancy as well.

Some parents believe that abstinence is the only answer but if you push abstinence onto a teenager that’s the best way to drive them into have sex at a young age. Teenagers are instinctively rebellious. Instead explain to them what happens when a teenager becomes pregnant. Sometimes morality isn’t the best deterrent, explaining the realistic results of their actions is more effective.

Sex education is given at school but the real responsibility lies at home so don’t leave it too late!

Tell us what you think. Have you had the talk yet or are you planning it?

Information for parents:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/parents/yourchildshealthandsafety/worriedabout/dg_10015927

http://www.scarleteen.com/for_parents

Helpful websites for teens:

http://www.brook.org.uk/

http://www.scarleteen.com/

At Likebees we think this is a fantastic idea, even in tough times we can find ways to keep giving.

This is a unique idea in conjunction with Oxfam to help fund much needed aid to those in poverty.

M&S have worked with Oxfam for four years and have seen over 10 million items donated, worth an estimated £8 million to the charity.

According to a study by Oxfam one billion items of clothing are binned by us each year and sent to landfill sites.

How many times have you sorted old garments for the charity shop and thought “These aren’t good enough” or been embarrassed at what you are giving in? Well don’t worry because this is not about simply reselling old items.

What they don’t sell will be recycled – high quality material could be made into new fabric, low quality will be used for things like loft insulation or car seat filling. So don’t worry about the state of the garment you have. Bras are often something that we wouldn’t dream of handing in but they are of great demand in Africa, so get it all gathered and get shopping!

Items don’t have to be from M&S so, next time you pop in store to buy something new, drop an old item of clothing into one of the Shwop Drops.

Don’t forget, whenever you complete a shwop, you can text or scan to enter a weekly prize draw to win a £100 M&S giftcard.

So come on everyone, get shwopping!

For more information click on the link below

http://plana.marksandspencer.com/about/partnerships/oxfam/shwopping

The MonkiSee Reading Programme is a reading kit for babies that is a proven favourite. The contents have been selected to meaningfully engage, entertain, and educate little minds.

With music and poetry, along with puppets and real world images the programme is designed to increase vocabulary and teach little ones to read.

The MonkiSee Reading Programme contains Books, DVD’s and Flash cards.Flash Cards are a wonderful way to teach babies from 3 months old to 5 years old, how to read using the whole-word method. This is a proven method in developing the understanding of language in young learners.

It requires no effort for the developing baby to learn to read, just lots of fun stimulation which these reading kits provide.
Remember to be in with a chance to win like the monkisee facebook page, go to the blog about the giveaway and comment – “Thanks to Likebees.com I’m entering the competition giveaway.”

Go to www.monkisee.co.uk for information and product reviews.

If you are unsure of what is happening and you don’t feel comfortable speaking to anyone about it have a look at the web link below. There is plenty of useful information and tips for parents who may be dealing with mental health conditions in their children.

Childhood and teenage years are when mental health is developed and patterns are set for the future. So a child with good mental health is much more likely to have good mental health as an adult, and to be able to take on adult responsibilities and fulfill their potential.

Often demonised by society, thousands of children and young people are isolated, unhappy, have eating disorders and self harm, some even commit suicide. Many are likely to become victims of crime, grow up in dysfunctional families, or left to cope with illness, drugs and/or alcohol issues – not necessarily their own.

There is still a huge stigma around mental health which means children and young people are not getting the support they need. Disruptive, difficult, withdrawn and disturbed kids need to be supported and not just ignored or told off.

Saturday’s singer Frankie Sandford has recently spoken out about her battle with depression that developed in her teenage years. It is encouraging for someone who is looked up to by so many young girls to open up about a condition that attracts a lot of negativity. Hopefully this will encourage more young people to come out and talk about how they are feeling so that help can be put in place to make life happier and more manageable for them and those that love them.

Fact File:

Three children in every classroom has a diagnosable mental health disorder (and that’s just the ones that have been diagnosed)

One in five young adults show signs of having an eating disorder.

One in 12 deliberately harm themselves (and 25,000 of them are hospitalised each year because of this)

Nearly 80,000 children and young people suffer from severe depression.

Two young people kill themselves every day.

Weblink for those looking for some more information and advice.

http://www.youngminds.org.uk/for_parents

Although the tourism industry like any other is trying to make money, many of you will agree the jump in price at term time is far too much and bordering on the ridiculous! In many cases there is an increase of a whopping 62%.

This is one of the reasons many people resort to taking their children out of school during term time.

With the threat of more job losses on a daily basis and the general cost of living rising at an alarming rate, people are under more pressure than ever. Holidays can be the only thing to look forward to.

Getting away from the humdrum for a week or two does everybody the world of good. Families benefit greatly from a holiday together from increased bonding time to just getting to spend quality time with each other.

Research have shown that when families take holidays together, they are more likely to eat together and are less likely to argue. The television or computer is not the main focus because they are involved in doing things together. Kids even report that their parents seem to act differently while on holiday.

On the other hand taking your child out of school during term time can have a detrimental effect on their educational and social development, especially at certain times of the year. Taking the first two weeks out of school means that the child will miss out on important information and the introduction to routine, work and the forming of new friends and groups to work in. This can lead to effects on forming relationships in the future and have the child feeling left out or behind.

Taking the last two weeks out of school will mean the child will miss out on the rewards and celebrations. They will not be able to go through the final stages of the year which all help form our notions of closure in situations we go through in life. This is of particular importance if it is the final year of primary or secondary school.

Another factor that should be considered is what is the child being taught about the importance of not only their education but of routine, structure and following instructions and respecting authority?

Education minister Michael Gove is taking the powers from Headteachers to authorise time off during term time but will this mean that holidays will not be taken?

What do you think about holidays in term time? Do you take them?

Let us know what you think by leaving a comment, we love to hear what you have to say.

Around 160,000 children aged 11-15 start smoking every year in the UK. A figure that is astounding in this day and age where information about the dangers of smoking is all around us.

Cancer Research UK have done extensive studies and have found that most people that smoke light up their first before the age of 19.

Recently new legislation has thankfully been brought in to ban the display of tobacco products in supermarkets and by 2015 this will apply to all small stores as well.

Will it really be out of sight, out of mind? Is this enough to combat the rise in child smokers?

Many believe that plain packaging would be another deterrent but the gruesome pictures highlighting the future health of smokers did little to prevent the spark of the lighter and the pull on the cigarette.

As parents of teenagers will no doubt agree, anything that shouldn’t be done appeals more to the young mind. Telling someone they can’t or shouldn’t do something only increases the desire to do it.

Many adults are hooked on the dreaded nicotine sticks but bearing in mind that children that have parents that are smokers will be more likely to take up the habit themselves, make sure they don’t catch sight of you. Better still try and kick the habit, they will see it as acceptable if you do it.

They don’t have to be smoking to be harmed, just being near cigarette smoke is also dangerous for children. Passive smoking is extremely harmful to children of all ages. Many parents who smoke at the back door are still exposing their child to the smoke as it travels back into the house. The only way to protect your child from the serious damage of passive smoking is to not smoke anywhere near them. Or better still protect yourself from the harmful effects of smoking by quitting.

For information on how to quit smoking click on the link below:

http://smokefree.nhs.uk/?&gclid=CKr7p-aDr68CFc4LtAodcEtSpA

FACT FILE:

1. By 15 years old, one in four children in the UK are regular smokers.

2. Smoking kills six times more people in the UK than road traffic incidents, poisoning, overdose, murder, manslaughter, suicide and HIV combined.

3. Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 chemical compounds, over 50 of which are known carcinogens.

4. If current trends continue, 250 million children alive today will die from tobacco- related disease.

5. Cancer Research UK states that smoking causes up to 90% of all lung cancer cases.

6. Exposure to tobacco smoke during infancy is a cause of cot death.

Information on young people smoking and the harmful effects click on the link below

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/YoungPeople/HealthAndRelationships/ConcernedAbout/DG_10030631

St George was a Roman soldier who protested against the Romans’ torture of Christians and died for his beliefs.

The popularity of St George in England stems from the time of the early Crusades when it is said that the Normans saw him in a vision and were victorious.

Quick Facts about St George: 

Born in Turkey (in Cappadocia)

Lived in 3rd century

His parents were Christian

Became a Roman soldier

Protestedagainst Rome’s persecution of Christians

Imprisoned and tortured, but stayed true to his faith

Beheaded at Lydda in Palestine

The stuff of legend                                                                                                              The most famous legend of Saint George is of him slaying a dragon. In the Middle Ages the dragon was commonly used to represent the Devil. The slaying of the dragon by St George was first credited to him in the twelfth century, long after his death. It is therefore likely that the many stories connected with St George’s name are fictitious.

How does England celebrate St George’s Day?                                                 

By tradition, 23 April is the day for a red rose in the button hole, the national flower.

St George is patron saint not only of England but of many other countries.      He is also patron saint of scouts, soldiers, archers, cavalry and chivalry, farmers and field workers, riders and saddlers.

Happy St George’s Day!