Computer Games and children

If ever there was an issue that polarised parents opinions it’s Computer Games.  Some of the questions that swirl around parents minds include;

• Should I, shouldn’t I
• What age should I allow it?
• How much time should they spend on it?
• Do violent computer games spill over into real life?

I can’t pretend to have the answers to these questions I think you need to treat every child and family on an individual basis.  But, based on my experience it might be worth laying down some ground rules.
Here are some rules that I think might be worth considering.

1. Never, never give a child a computer games that is beyond there age group. Do you really want a 10 year old playing something that is certified 18?
2. Take an interest in the games.  Computer games are not child care!  Talk to your child about the games, what’s involved.  If there is a shoot em’up talk it through.
3. Lay down firm rules and stick to them. Sticking to the rules is the difficult part.  It is important not acquiesce as soon you child starts crying when they have to stop.
4. Set a time limit.  Speaking to lots of friends I have found that letting your child spend hours in front of the TV will affect their mood.   Watch carefully.  Keep to the time limit.
5. Handing out treats or punishment.  Take great care not to place to great a emphasis on computer games for good or bad behaviour.   Giving it to them as a treat might build it up in their mind more than it really deserves.

The defence of the parent

I’ve heard numerous excuses over the years from parents justifying themselves for giving the child the games.  They range from;

• It’s good downtime for the child, after all they work so hard…
• It helps build their hand to eye co-ordination.  Oh dear, really?
• It keeps them quiet for a few hours.  Well at least they are honest!

Understanding your child and set clear boundaries in terms of content and time will help in keep a content family.  Their will be arguments along then way and it’s important to stick to your guns.

I shall leave you with this parting story from a friend.  They bought the ever popular Wii console for the family one Christmas with plenty of age sensitive games.  My friend noticed that the mood of the family changed over the next few days and her children were constantly arguing and requesting more and more game-time.  So what was once a contented family with few arguments had now morphed into something rather different.

The Wii didn’t last beyond christmas and was promptly sold on ebay.

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Birthday party season makes for a busy 5 months

Do you have a birthday season in your life?  I do.  It starts around April and goes all the way through to August.

Confused? Let me explain.  A birthday season, is a period of time when I have back to back children’s parties.  And it’s like a juggernaut that moves slowly but inexorably to it’s end goal.  If you get in its way with an a double booked appointment you will inevitably have to acquiesce.

The children’s party has an almost Sanctum Santorum reverence  in the hearts and minds of Middle England’s mothers – little Timmy must have his special day.

These days you can take the Children’s Party to unparalleled heights in terms of money spent and there are an army of children’s party organisers, entertainers and caterers that will happily relieve you of your hard earned cash.

Take for example the American parents who parted with $38,000 for a kids sleepover in a FAO Schwartz (An American toy store).

But it doesn’t need to be all about the money.  There was an interesting article in the FT (of all places) which discuss how middle-class parents are shying away from elaborate expensive children’s parties to a more moderated, budget children’s party of yester-year.  I suppose everyone is cutting back why not the upwardly mobile.

An idea for an economy children’s party.

I think, homemade Birthday cakes are a terrific idea.  Cake moulds can be found almost everywhere and they come in all sorts of amazing shapes.  However, there was one in particular that caught my eye.  An interactive Angry birds birthday cake.

Whatever you are planning for your child this year, if you are out and about.  Remember some Children’s ID bracelets.  They are easy to fix on a and if, perish the thought, you are separated from a child within your group.  They will have your contact number attached to them so you can be quickly found.

Also, if you need to stock up on Birthday Stickers just visit the website or call us on 01264 350788.

Have a good year.

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Back to School 2012

So it is the end of the first week and the children are back to school after, what seemed like a prolonged Christmas break has really been a bit of a struggle.  Does anyone else feel the same?

There are a lot of things conspiring against parents.  Firstly a 3 week break is quite long.  So, my children have had plenty of opportunities to get up late, relax and have lots of play.  Or in other words they will have forgotten about their usual school routines.

That’s all fair enough as they have, probably, worked very hard at school all year and this is their opportunity to relax.

School Homework over the holidays

Do you or don’t you?  This is quite a polar issue for parents.  Of all the parents I have spoken you can basically split them into two camps.  Yes, they continue to do homework over the Christmas break, or they absolutely refuse to.

Some parents strongly feel that their nearest and dearest needs the time fof to recuperate and take a break from the stresses and strains or school life.  Have you any thoughts on the matter?

A short week at school

I think, as parents, we sometimes forget how tiring it can be for children at school.  They are going through a constant pattern of change, they are learning new stuff playing lots and growing.  All of this really does tire them all out.  So it’s hardly surprising that they come home slightly wired and exhausted.

I was talking to the classroom assistant this morning and she mentioned that despite having lots of rest over Christmas the first week back can be very tiring.  Because it’s about gearing up the bodies and little brains to work again.

Getting the parents ready for school

This heading might sound ridiculous to those who are not indoctrinate into the school run.  But as a parent you really need to be ready the night before, or sometimes a few weeks before your child goes back to school.

For a stress free school run you need to be prepared. And it is so important that your child can be looking forward to school rather than anxious about the morning’s madness.  Here something I wrote a few months ago about how to prepare for the first day at primary school.  It basically covers off all the major points like;

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School inset days

I’m a big fan of teachers. I think, in the main, they do a great job under sometimes difficult circumstances.  Keeping the children engaged throughout the school day takes hard work and a kind of patience that the average parents simply does not have – or should I say, I don’t have.

Notwithstanding, there is one thing that drives me to distracting. It is the school inset day.

There is nothing quite like a school inset day to throw working parents into a panic. And worse still the school inset day that hasn’t quite made it into your calendar.

The trick in surviving this impromotpu day off is to keep everyone engaged happy and busy. This will allow the busy parents to check emails, return phone calls and deal with the usual work commitments.

Creative Crafts

My kids love all things craft – even my little boy. An opportunity to glue, paint, stick, scrunch, flatten, fold, loop, sew or colour-in really keeps the children engaged.

The trick is to have the materials to hand. So I keep a oversized plastic box full with bit’s & pieces of cloth and glue and brushes.

Activity #1 This first activity can be either hit or miss. I throw the contents of the box on the floor and let them choose the materials and let their creative juice run wild. I try and not control matters too much, for e it’s all about them designing or creating something out of nothing. Don’t forget to reward your child. Here are some free reward charts on the Super Nanny website.

Activity #2 I’m a big fan of colouring in. You’ll be surprised by how much is on the web. Think of any Cartoon character and you will be able to find a colouring-in poster,simply type. “[character] colouring in” into Google and click on “images”. Hey presto, Instant child entertainment.

Activity #3 My daughter just loves baking.  She loves, mixing all the ingredient; sticky fingers; being all gooy and licking the bowl. I’m not saying that boys don’t love it. I just think my daughter likes it just a bit more. As you would expect the BBC has lots of receipts for Baking with Children. Gingerbread men biscuits always wins the day in our house.

Activity #4 Getting outdoors is a must. If you need to juggle work and the children might be cooped up indoors for most of the day, I always try and get them out early. Swimming Pools always open early, Bike rides can start as early as you like and playgrounds can be visited at first light. If you do this your little one will burn off lots of energy and will be more content to stay in and be more manageable.

Activity #5 Our Scratch Maps have come into their own recently. I have used them to help improve the children’s geography. Whilst I cook dinners I will shout out….”Can you find Paris…Germany…America…Australia. And so on it goes.

Activity #6 Board games. These are another firm favourite. You can easily pass away 30 mins on a good board game.

Activity #7 More children.  I appreciate at first sight that this does’t seem like a wise idea.  But with the right children you can find that they will entertain themselves.  There is a word of warning here.  It is very easy for this method to fail miserably and end of in bedlam.  But if you get the right children round and the right activities the can amuse themselves for hours.

I hope this helps you get through the day.  Let me know what happens.

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Christmas Survival guide

So the children have now broken up for Christmas and they are in full wind down and playing mode. Homework bags are now packed away for the next two weeks they are on count down to the big day.

Despite the children being off, many parents need to juggle entertaining the children with work commitments and as a working parent you know you have a lot to get through over the next 3 weeks…is it really three weeks? – it sounds worse when you say it out loud.

If there was an ideal way to spend Christmas, you would might spend it by yourself or with a loved one, or hire in all sorts of help.  Like Jamie in the Kitchen for the big day.  Stephen Fry for erudite conversation over the Christmas table.  Maybe  Paul Burrell to help serve Jamie’s wonderful Christmas dinner.  And finally Kim and Aggie to clean up afterwards.

But…we are not in this privileged position, so we will have to plan and get through the pre-Christmas wrapping and gift selection, accommodation and catering arrangements, party arrangements both at home and friends and the thorny issues of television scheduling for the kids.  So here are some thoughts;

Presents: The trick here is no bad surprises.  Not an easy one to get right.  But if you are confident enough to know your own children that’s all well and good.  But otherwise ask for barcode, make, model, colour, size and web address.

Other people’s presents: One hour per gift max.

Unwanted gifts: In a word.  EBAY

Child-minder. No criminal record is preferable.

The food. Okay, so we would like the children to try something new and persuade them that brussell sprouts are actually tasty and good for you.

Television.  Acquiesce.  There’s usually nothing much on over the festive period so try as you might, give up straight away.  Give the control over to the children.

Video Games.  Some of the older children will no doubt be give video games as a replacement for their parents love and attention [sorry for the sarcasm].  Some parents actually get games where the whole family can get involved.  Either way try and limit the amount of exposure to the demon in the corner.

School. I know a few parents who use this spare time to consolidate and catch up with homework.  By all means it’s an excellent idea, but try and give the children a break.

Travel.  Yep there is no denying that as a Nation, over the festive period we all jump into our cars and set off around the country to visit family and friends.  All I can say is try and not return home after a stressful number of days away on night before the children return to school.

Most families know that there is a certain amount of chaos that comes into your life around Christmas.  Whatever you are doing this Christmas, all of us at Simply Stuck wish you a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

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Top 11 resources for Christmas Crafts

Children and craft go hand in hand. But it’s the sort of thing that only really takes place in the presence of kids.

I remember, years ago now, spending lots of time creating Christmas paper chains, crumpled up tissue snow-men, Christmas cards and paper baubles.

There was been a 30 year gap and with the introduction of my two little ones, I am now back into full craft mode.

So as part of our Surviving Christmas Guide, we have come up with a list of useful Craft websites to get the kids involved with and to brighten up your home.

Christmas Craft for kids

If you are like me you probably can’t remember the craftie thing you got up to as a child. So I have complied a list of some useful resources to inspire you, get your creative juices flowing and help you get through the festive break emotionally unscarred.

Christmas Colouring-in

Colouring in is always a firm favourite of mine. I think most children enjoy getting the colouring pens out. He is a simple selection from Google’s image search. Google is a great resource. Don’t be afraid of searching for your own preferences. If your child want to colour in Santa then simply type in Santa Colouring in and click on images.

Find Website: Christmas Colouring in

Cotton Wool Snowman

This one needs some things out of the craft box and recycling bin.  Lots of fun and at the end they can sit in the window.

Find Website: Cotton wool snowman

If you have a young child around 2 years of age this might suit you.
Paper Mache Santa

Create your own Nativity Scene

This nativity scene is a really lovely way of getting across the Christmas message.  Your child can stick and re-arrange the various elements of the nativity scene.  Ideal for re-enforcing the nativity story, just before the school play.

Find Website: Nativity Scene

Got any ice lolly sticks

I love this ‘Ice Lolly’ Santa.  We made it last year and it was positioned pride of place in the middle of the tree.  Great fun and very straight forward.

Find Website: Ice lolly stick Santa

Snowman Sock

I love this one for being really simply and straight-forward.

Find Website: Sock Snowman

Pro Craft – Expert Challenge

If you are feeling adventurous the you could consider this Papier Mache helper.  When I saw this stop motion video of

The video is called Santa’s little helper.  But it’s a dragon.

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Christmas stickers for a window

Christmas planning is in full flow in the ‘Simply’ Household.

• Cards – check
• Wrapping paper – check
• Christmas decorations – check

….you get the idea.

I don’t know if you have noticed, but over the past few years there has been a move towards ‘full-on’ decoration of the home. From Blackpool illumination styled outside lighting to very classy looking wreaths and garlands for staircases.

All can be bought and adorned in the home to help create a homely winter wonderland.

Christmas window stickers

One ‘canvas’ available to you is the window. Suitable for inward and outward viewing, this medium can help you add some finishing touches to your home decorations.

For your window

Snowflake window clings. I’ve spoken about these before and they are super at creating a wintery feeling viewable inside and out.

We also have a range of Christmas sticker banners for the kids. There are numerous messages available. These include;

Santa Stop here stickers – [name] belives. Or

Please leave present for [name] here.

We also have arrange of Large Christmas Greetings Stickers with a tree motif.  They are available in A4 or A3 sizes so you can make an impact.

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Christmas Banners for your presents

Our Christmas Banner Stickers cost £8.00

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Smoking in cars harms children

That is the claim from the British Medical Association. A recent study in Ireland showed that secondary smoke, despite a window being open was still harmful for a child.

Smoking is such an emotive subject. It polarises the views of both Camp and those view are aired almost vociferously. Just read the 600 and rising, views on the BBC website.

On one side the smokers feel that their civil rights are being infringed and that as a responsible adult they should be free to conduct their business how they choose.

On the other campaign groups like ASH are keen to eliminate the harm caused by tobacco.
Before writing such an article I suppose it’s important for me to declare my position. I am no
t a smoker and don’t much like the smell and affects on others.

It’s very interesting to read the view on the BBC website. No one doubts the validity of the medical claim the main argument is one of “just leave us alone”.

But if the secondary smoke affects those, people is close proximately, which happen to include your children. Wouldn’t you want processes in place to stop this harm taking place?

Think of the children.

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Nativity Stickers for children

Despite it being November I know that my children have been practising their roles in the Nativity play this year. Already the songs are being rehearsed key roles are being handed out and performances are being honed for the big day.

On the run up to Christmas regular readers will know that I am super keen on preparing the home and turning it into a Wonderland that get all the family into festive cheer.

Nativity Games

Part of the warm up routine is to get the children’s activities out.

These nativity stickers really do help Our kids will build there own nativity scene. As each year progress the scene turns from a picture of chaos to something a little more tranquil and serene.

The pack includes; Mary, Joseph, baby jesus, 3 kings, 3 shepherds, 1 camel, 3 angels, 2 sheep, 1 stable.

These are removable and can be repositioned.

Stable approx 28cm high
average figure height 16cm

The Nativity Stickers costs – £25.54

Peelable Nativity Scene Sticke

Nativity Scene Stickers

For our complete range of Christmas Stickers follow the link.

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