Getting the two bank holidays of Good Friday and Easter Monday means that families have the chance of a long weekend together, with time to enjoy all the usual activities that the holiday brings. Easter Eggs and all of the events that stem from them, Easter cards and gifts, special meals out and religious celebrations are all part of this annual season.

However, what do the kids know about Easter? We could ask the same question about Christmas, Ramadan and all the other days and events of the year that we celebrate. Do we just leave them to enjoy the presents and eggs without knowing why or should we broaden their knowledge with the background?

The word Easter is commonly believed to be an Anglo-Saxon word, so maybe dating back as far as the 5^th century. The Anglo-Saxon word for April was “Eostre-monath” (the month of openings). Christians celebrated the resurrection of Christ long before the word “Easter” was used, and the word they used for the celebration was “Pascha”, which is derived from and linked to the Jewish festival of Passover. Because Pascha was most often celebrated in Eostremonath, the English Christians began calling it “Easter”. According to the Venerable Bede, the month was also named after the Anglo-Saxon goddess Esostre. Rituals related to the goddess Eostre focus on new beginnings, symbolized by the Easter egg, and fertility, which is symbolized by the hare (or Easter bunny).

So we have the meeting point of religious and secular Easter traditions. Easter is the oldest and the most important Christian Festival, the celebration of the death and coming to life again of Jesus Christ. For Christians, the dawn of Easter Sunday with its message of new life is the high point of the Christian year and eggs represent the new beginning of life. The first eggs given at Easter were bird’s eggs. These eggs were painted in bright colours to give them further meaning as a gift. We still paint bird eggs today but usually only chicken eggs.

An Anglo-Saxon legend tells how the Saxon goddess Eostre found a wounded bird and transformed it into a hare, so that it could survive the winter. The hare found it could lay eggs, so it decorated these each spring and left them as offering to the goddess.  A tradition that has been translated through the centuries to enable the cuddlier Easter Bunny to take its role in the celebrations.

Decorating and colouring eggs for Easter was a common custom in England in the middle ages. Eggs were brightly coloured to mimic the new, fresh colours of spring. The practice of decorating eggs was made even more famous by King Edward I of England who ordered 450 eggs to be gold-leafed and coloured for Easter gifts in 1290.

Other egg traditions are Egg Rolling where Hard-boiled eggs are rolled down a hill. Customs differ from place to place. The winner’s egg may be the one that rolls the farthest, survives the most rolls, or is rolled between two pegs. This may have started as a Christian belief that it represented the rolling of the stone from the tomb of Jesus.

Another activity that takes place on Easter Day is the playing of a game with the eggs known as “jarping”, It’s a bit like playing conkers, with players tapping their opponents’ eggs until one breaks. The winner goes through to the next round, and so on until there is only one egg left unbroken. A good hit by a jarper is called a “dunch”. The game is popular in County Durham, where it is played on Easter Sunday.

We usually eat special foods at Easter, although many are sold all year round. Hot Cross Buns are perhaps the most well known and traditionally were eaten over the Easter Weekend. The cross being symbolic of the cross on which Jesus was crucified. Boiled eggs for breakfast feature heavily at Easter and roast lamb for lunch on Easter Sunday is linked to the Jewish Passover feast. Simnel cake is another traditional food with religious links. The cake is a fruitcake decorated with marzipan, having 11 marzipan balls on top that symbolize the 12 apostles minus Judas.

Easter cards were first sent in Victorian England after a printer added a greeting to a drawing of a rabbit. They proved so popular that they became a stock item for all greeting card retailers.

So this Easter, if the kids are at a lose end, why not get them to delve into the history of Easter. There are plenty of web sites to check out and you could even set them a quiz or get them to locate Easter events in your area being run by local youth groups, museums and churches.

Young imaginations are set to run wild as World Book Day returns on March 7^th 2013, with an exciting line up of eight new books from some of the nation’s bestselling children’s authors and illustrators.

Kids across the country will get their groove on with Giraffes Can’t Dance: Colouring and Puzzle Fun from Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees; teach mums and dads a thing or two using Francesca Simon’s Horrid Henry’s Guide to Perfect Parents; or uncover what makes things tick with the Weird World of Wonders: Funny Inventions by TV’s Tony Robinson.

Families can share the world of Shirley Hughes’ much-loved character Alfie together as he returns in his latest story Alfie’s Shop, while young teens will be swept up in the romance and friendships of Cathy Cassidy’s latest edition to the popular Chocolate Box Girls series, Bittersweet. Liz Pichoninvites readers to have the Best Book Day Ever! (so far) with the newest Tom Gates novel, a brilliant blend of stories and doodles; meanwhile those with a nose for adventure can follow the code-cracking exploits of schoolgirl Ruby Redfort in an original mystery by Lauren Child or enjoy the thrill of the chase alongside Anthony Horowitz’s Diamond Brothers in their latest showdown, Two of Diamonds.

Youngsters can pick up one of the fantastic new titles completely free using a special £1 World Book Day Book Token handed out in schools next March. All eight will be available in participating bookshops across the UK from the end of February/beginning March as part of World Book Day’s celebration of reading for children.

And this year an extra-special surprise is in store for children who download the World Book Day ‘Books Alive’ app, as they can watch their £1 Book Tokens and £1 books come to life for the first time through augmented reality technology by scanning them with a smartphone.

World Book Day director Kirsten Grant says, “We’re absolutely delighted to have another brilliant range of top children’s writing talent sharing new stories especially for World Book Day 2013. This year’s line-up of £1 books gives readers of all ages a chance to join favourite characters – both classic and contemporary – on their latest adventures and be transported to a host of exciting worlds.”

Francesca Simon, author of the mega-selling Horrid Henry series adds, “I am thrilled to be part of the World Book Day £1 book selection.  It’s the most wonderful gift that every child in the UK can go into a bookshop with their token and choose from so many great titles.  Many children have never been to a bookshop, somehow feeling it’s not a place for them, and what the special £1 Book Tokens do is give every child the right to enter one with the certain knowledge that they will be welcome.”

To mark the big day itself, 2013 will see the return of The Biggest Book Show on Earth –  the UK’s original live-streamed literary festival for children – which last year saw half a million children from 78 countries worldwide tuning in to watch performances by their favourite writers and illustrators.

Special activity for older readers will include a new online initiative and access to digital content from popular teen writers, while an exciting array of events will also be taking place to mark the day in schools, libraries and bookshops across the country – from sponsored dress-ups and competitions to appearances and readings by top authors.

Children in the Republic of Ireland have the additional option of exchanging their £1 Book Token for a specially-written World Book Day title by popular Irish writer Judi Curtin. Ask Eva is the latest in her bestselling Eva Gordon series of heart-warming stories.

Visit www.worldbookday.com for more information, the latest news and to subscribe to the free monthly World Book Day e-newsletter.

The world of gardening is one of the best things that kids can get involved with on a number of different levels. It’s a pastime that children and parents can do together, it teaches them more about biology than any text book can and leaves them itching with suspense as they wait for the seeds to germinate. It’s also mainly an outdoor experience so it gets them off the couch and away from the TV and Xbox, which can only be a good thing. There’s no need to have a massive garden or allotment to grow just about any flower or vegetable you want as tubs and even window boxes will produce a good display. So if your children think that flowers and vegetables come from the supermarket, maybe it’s time to let them in on the secret.

The first step is deciding what to grow and where to grow it. If you have no outdoor space at all don’t give up. There are a number of things that just love to grow indoor on window sills from the good old standard of Cress, which germinates and grows at such a pace that children will be enthralled to check on daily progress, to varieties of Lettuce and salad leaf mix.

Containers of all sorts and sizes are the next step up. Again you don’t need to spend a fortune to grow potatoes in old compost bags or flowers in tubs that were designed for something totally different. As long as they have drainage holes in the bottom and some coarse material such as gravel or pieces of old broken pot to make sure water doesn’t congregate, they should be useable.

Cutting holes in the sides of a compost bag is ideal for growing strawberries by rooting the plants through the holes into compost and, of course, they produce the following years plants so once in you never need to buy any more.

Getting children interested at this stage can be really easy and there are lots of things parents can do to maintain that interest. Letting them lead the process by asking them what to do next or where the best spot will be to plant or even just reading the instructions out. Teaching them what plants require can be done with simple experiments such as growing three small tubs of Cress indoors in different conditions – one with light and water, one with water but in a dark space and one in the light but without water.

Another good way is to wet some kitchen roll and place in a pint glass. Put a bean seed down the side near to the glass so it can be seen and then keep the water damp. Kids will be able to see the bean send out roots and realise what happens under the soil for other plants.

Getting hold of seeds need not be expensive either as you can ask around other gardening members of the family to see if they can let you have some spare packets. Buying from online suppliers is usually another good source but beware of buying through such outlets as Ebay as there may be no guarantee that what you get is what you thought you were getting.

Recognised suppliers may charge a little extra but you need to take into account postage costs. Local garden centres have varied supplies of most plant seeds. So with seeds coming up it’s onto the next step. If they’ve sown into trays or margarine pots then they may need to thin out some of the plants and at some point may have to transplant into something a little larger or just outside into the garden.

Later in Spring you can often find plants for sale at boot sales, garden parties and church fetes to name but a few so it’s a good idea to have a look around as prices at these events are usually much lower and someone else has done some of the hard work in getting them up and running.

If you have an area in the garden that can be used, then children just love getting their hands dirty so now’s a great time to let them loose with small trowels and forks to prepare an area for sowing / planting before opening those seed packets. This also helps with motor skills in handling the tools.

Let them know that planting vegetables should mean that they will get to eat the fruits of their labour but if it’s flowers they want to grow, it will help the environment to plant those that attract insects such as bees and butterflies to help with pollination. You can also teach them about the differences in good insects and bad insects e.g. ladybirds are good because they eat greenfly whereas whitefly attacks a number of plants.

Aromatic flowers are always a bonus in keeping kid’s interest in gardening at a later stage and plants that have a variety of textures that can be touched and experienced. Don’t forget to let them make labels to remind them what plants have been sown where. Lollipop sticks are good for this.

With plants outside and their own little garden bed, watering and weeding can come into play. Using a spray instead of a watering can is a good tip as it saves seedlings from being drowned but makes sure they get enough water.

Don’t forget that Grandads and Grandmas are a great source of inspiration and knowledge as they may well have been producing their own flowers and veg for a great many years. Always a source of information, they will more than likely want to get hands dirty themselves and can be a great help if you don’t feel like getting out there.

So see if you can get the kids going on gardening and you just never know which one of them will turn into the next Monty Don or Carol Klein and you just might enjoy some good fresh home grown veg in with your Sunday lunch later in the year!

Plants that children will love to grow.

Flowers

Primrose, Pansy, Viola, Lamb’s Ears, Lavender, Forget-Me-Not, Sweet Pea, Nasturtium, Sunflower

Vegetables

Cress, Lettuce (Cut and Come Again variety), Mustard, Bean Sprouts, Radishes, Tomatoes, Potatoes

Following the government announcement to increase the number of children to each member of nursery staff National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) says whilst it is supportive of increased levels of qualifications in the sector, changes to staff to child ratios are a radical step and should be approached with caution by the government.

Purnima Tanuku OBE, NDNA Chief Executive said: “Quality of childcare and early education must not be sacrificed. We welcome the commitment made by government in More Great Childcare to build on and drive up quality in early years, but changes to the number of children individual nursery workers can look after should only be considered if backed by strong evidence from the UK. Many parents do not want an increase in the number of children nursery staff are allowed look after; they are worried it will have a negative impact on the individual attention and care their child receives.

“We are particularly concerned about suggestions to increase the number of children under three that nursery staff can look after, due to the degree of personal attention needed by very young children. Strong adult:child interactions are vital for good child development. Staff with higher qualifications will still find it difficult to give larger groups of under threes the level of practical care they need. It is particularly important that the government’s investment in free places for disadvantaged two year olds is delivered in high-quality provision.”

The charity believes it is unlikely that changes to the number of children that nursery staff can look after will reduce fees for parents.

Purnima Tanuku OBE continued: “Proposals to allow staff with higher qualifications to look after more children will put pressure on childcare fees. Pay makes up around 70% of nursery fees and better qualified staff cost more to employ, so it seems likely savings made by employing fewer staff would be eclipsed by higher wages.Resolving the funding difficulties in early years that push up the cost of childcare is critical and we look forward to government proposals for funding reform.”

International comparisons have been used to justify changes to ratios but this does not account for differences in practice, says NDNA. The UK was recently ranked third in the world for quality of childcare in a report by the Economist Intelligence Unit; France was ninth.

Purnima Taunku OBE said: “The early years curriculum in England encourages free-flow play and for children to make their own choices about the activities they take part in. In France, where staffing levels are lower, children tend to do more group-led activity.

“At the moment there is an option that nurseries can operate a 1:13 ratio for over threes, if a person with a Level Six (degree level) qualification is working directly with the children. However few nurseries take up this option, largely because it is not practical for one person to meet the needs of 13 children doing the type of activities most nurseries offer.”

NDNA is supportive of increases in qualification levels in the nursery sector, but says nurseries need the right government support to help their staff achieve higher level qualifications.

Purnima Tanuku OBE said: “A more highly qualified workforce has been shown to offer better outcomes for children. However, nurseries need the right support to invest in staff qualifications; our recent business performance survey showed that fewer than 50% of nurseries expect to make a surplus this year and that 76% of nurseries have seen training offered by their local authority reduced or significantly reduced due to spending cuts.”

Press release by the Natioanl Day Nursery Association January 29^th 2013.

From fitness enthusiasts to fun-seekers, the RBC Race for the Kids is the fundraising event for all to enjoy. The fun 5km race takes place in London’s beautiful Battersea Park on Sunday 9 June and will raise vital funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.

Ideal for families, friends and colleagues, the race is suitable for all ages and abilities and participants can run, walk or jog individually or in teams. Everyone can get involved, from kids to grandparents, and fundraisers are invited to make a day of it with post-race activities and entertainment for all.

The unique event, supported by RBC for the fourth year running, is the charity’s flagship mass participation event and aims to raise essential funds for the redevelopment of the hospital. The new facilities will enable the hospital to treat more children and give researchers and clinical staff the resources they need to develop new treatments.

The RBC Race for the Kids website has plenty of fundraising tips, plus training advice for those looking for a more challenging experience.

Heather Gillespie from Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity says: “We’re thrilled to be once again holding the RBC Race for the Kids. The money raised will help us make a real difference for patients and families from across the UK, supporting the much needed redevelopment of the hospital.”

“The RBC Race for the Kids is a fantastic family fun run, with people of all ages and abilities getting involved. Sign up now and join in the fun!”

To register for the race and for some great fundraising tips please visit www.raceforthekids.co.uk or contact the team on 020 7239 3164.

More and more parents are choosing to supplement their children’s schooling with extra tuition and this is only expected to increase in 2013.

However, extra tuition doesn’t need to cost a fortune.  While one-to-one tuition can be perceived as the most expensive choice, there are more affordable options available in the form of group, classroom-based tuition.

Explore Learning, for example, has seen a 25% increase in children attending their 76 centres year-on-year and are soon to hit the 20,000 children attendance mark.

This is set to be even more affordable as they offer parents two weeks free tuition when they join anytime in February*. 

Standard membership for two sessions a week in English and maths costs between £98 and £109 per month (depending on location).  Many families can receive discounts if they are eligible for Childcare Vouchers, Working Tax Credit or Income Support – or have more than one child attending.

Each session is tailored to a child’s needs and Explore tutors work with children in a very low ratio (the maximum ratio is 1:6), ensuring the right balance between individual support and independent learning.

One parent who has been overwhelmed by the positive impact that extra tuition has had on her child is Alex Ryan from South Buckinghamshire.  Her eight year old daughter, Isabelle, was finding things harder to learn at school.  She was provided with an individual education plan by her school and was encouraged to support her development with extra help at home.

Alex says: “Isabelle’s special needs meant that we all had to work a bit harder at home.  We did our best but it led to a few frustrations as she was finding it very difficult to study.  I just wanted to help her but didn’t know how, so when I heard about Explore Learning through a couple of her friends’ parents, it sounded like a good option.

“We went along to the centre in High Wycombe and I was really impressed with the high tech facilities they have and the enthusiasm of the tutors.  Luckily Isabelle had a few friends there already so she easily settled in fast and I saw a difference in her within weeks.”

Alex now takes Isabelle twice a week – once after school and once on a Sunday morning.  The sessions last an hour and a quarter and as the centres are centrally located, she uses the time to do a food shop or run a few errands in town.

One of the best things about Explore Learning, Alex believes are the tutors.  She says: “Isabelle absolutely loves going mainly because the tutors are so good.  They’re really patient and they build up such a relationship with her that she can’t wait to see them, tell them all about her weekend or whatever she’s been up to – they’ve really become like an extended part of the family.”

Isabelle’s English and maths have improved significantly over the past 12 months since she has been going to Explore Learning and she is now doing much better at school. Alex is always aware of her progress as she has regular reviews with the tutors every six weeks when they sit down and talk through how she’s doing.

Alex says: “I remember what she was like when she first started at Explore – she was falling behind, lacking in confidence and really didn’t like participating in group discussions.  Now, she’s so enthusiastic, enjoys speaking up in class and, most importantly, is much happier.”

Carey Ann Dodah, Head of Curriculum Development at Explore Learning says: “The key thing about Explore Learning is that we encourage children to have fun while learning.  Parents want to give their children the best education possible and by supplementing their schoolwork with extra tuition they can do so without breaking the bank.”

Throughout February, Explore Learning are offering parents two weeks free tuition when you join*.  To find out where your nearest centre is visit www.explorelearning.co.uk.

With the recent wet summers that we have experienced, it is quite easy to push the sunshine to the back of our minds, if not right out of them. However, whether we can see that bright yellow ball in the sky or not, we are all the recipient of its effects. Radiation from the sun comes in three forms; light (visible radiation), heat (infrared radiation) and ultra violet. All forms are received by everyone in varying doses.

The majority of UV radiation is not soaked up by the ozone layer  but for a long time it was thought that UVA could not cause any lasting damage. However, recent studies strongly suggest that it may enhance the development of skin cancer. UVB is responsible for delayed tanning and burning; in addition to these short-term effects it enhances skin ageing and significantly promotes the development of skin cancer.

Equatorsun are one of the leading companies in the provision of protective clothing in the fight against the sun’s harmful UV rays.

Each year the TV campaigns warn us not to suffer long exposure to the sun, whether on our holidays or as part of our daily routines. It is good advice as UVR can damage DNA in cells found on the skin surface and this can cause burning and a risk of developing other medical problems over time. The advice seems to boil down to two areas – either don’t go out in the sun for long periods or if you do, use creams and protective clothing to minimise the chances of any harm being done.

Whilst you might not be totally sure of sun creams, you can be sure of the protection from Equatorsun’s line of clothing and hats. Equatorsun offer the chance to buy excellent quality and well designed UV protective clothing at affordable prices including leisure and swimwear. The clothing covers all ages from babies to adults and offers a wide selection.

One of the first countries that springs to mind for constant sunshine, and hence a high risk of skin damage, is Australia and Equatorsun uses products from companies based there. Stingray clothing has the equivalent rating of factor 50+ and blocks out 97.5% of harmful UV rays whilst Zoggs swim goggles meet and exceed the highest standards worldwide and are recommended by the Cancer Council of Australia for their protective powers. With that recommendation, they obviously know what they’re doing.

Skin cancer is a major problem not just in countries such as Australia that have many more hours of sunshine than we do, but all around the world. Each year in Britain there are over 69000 new cases of reported and over 2000 deaths which is more than in Australia.

Equatorsun want to do their bit to prevent this happening to you. To find out more about their products and advice for protection against UV radiation, you can find them on the internet at www.equatorsun.com

or call 01932 230907 or email info@equatorsun.com

For more information on the harmful effects of UV radiation you can go to the following web sites

Cancer Research UK (Sunsmart) http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/healthyliving/sunsmart/skincancer/?a=5441

Melanoma Foundation UK

http://www.melanomafoundation.org.uk/

Medikidz

http://www.medikidz.com/

There is a growing picture of our young children being brought up on a diet of fast food and video games but what many people don’t realise is that there is a vast and thriving outdoor pursuit that includes children of all ages – camping and caravanning.  With 1.2 million campers in the UK, over half a million caravanners and approximately 120,000 motorhomers the outdoor holiday has never been so popular, The Caravan Club has over 800,000 members and the Camping and Caravan Club over 300,000. Numbers aren’t the be-all and end-all of it though, as most will be using their tent, caravan or motorhome several times a year, in fact, some use them nearly every weekend as well as for longer holidays.

Modern camping effectively began in the early 1900’s under the guiding hand of Thomas Holding and later with patronage from Captain Robert Scott and Sir Robert Baden-Powell. Many associations and clubs began to form to promote the idea of cycling with lightweight camping gear and later the use of the motorcar. Numbers rose and fell depending upon the decade as international conflicts had marked effects. Overall the popularity of camping, and caravanning as cars became more available, steadily grew to what it is today.

From those early ventures for adults only the modern camping era offers our kids a whole host of entertainment, fun and fresh air and doesn’t always mean that Mums and Dads have to be supervising all of the time.

Sites offer a range of facilities from one extreme to the other. Many commercial camps have clubhouses with games rooms, swimming pools, TV rooms and offer that “home from home” ambience.

At the other end of the scale, certificated sites (CS’) of the Camping and Caravan Club and certificated locations (CL’s) of the Caravan Club offer virtually nothing but the good old outdoors as entertainment and there is everything inbetween, so check carefully when doing your initial planning. Joining either of these clubs gives a host of advantages with site books and discounts as well as members only sites in wonderful locations, to take advantage of.

So what does a camping / caravanning experience offer for Mums, Dads and, crucially, kids? Well firstly there’s the open space. Most sites have dedicated play areas that can offer swings, slides etc or a good old expanse of grass to kick a football around or put up badminton net. In no time at all, your children have suddenly made another set of friends and at least you don’t need to always join in to keep an eye on them.

Bonding with your kids is important and this type of break is all about that. Having fun as a family can mean board games when the weather is bad or hiking when it’s good. Geo-cashing is a modern take on the family favourite of treasure hunting with the use of a GPS system to lead you to sites from clues. Each find lets the kids see what’s in the treasure trove and usually swap something so they need to carry a few small items to put in to the boxes.

Camping under canvas in itself, can be an exciting time for the kids and usually means late nights and sometimes very early mornings but it can still be cold in a tent.

Caravans have a few added home comforts with easier cooking facilities, gas fire and even TV and DVD. They offer the best of both worlds, as it’s easy to leave the caravan on site and go off exploring with the car whilst still having the ability to use on-site amenities and sample the fresh air and exercise.

The Camping and Caravan Club divides itself into many sections to cover members’ interests. They also have a Youth section at both national and local levels.

There are many District Associations (DA’s) who hold weekend rallies every weekend, and as part of the section, will keep the kids interested by teaching them the skills of camping. This usually means that they have to have their own ‘pup’ tents but are supervised by qualified instructors and can learn the art of camping for themselves, from putting up their tent, map reading and first aid to cooking on a stove with tests and certificates available. A good grounding in camping but within reach of Mum and Dad when needed.

There are national and international youth rallies that offer sports, pony trekking and a host of other activities so that kids get to mature and develop without always being with their parents.

Of course the Scout and Guide movements are always excellent alternatives organisations that offer camping as a core activity, which we have explored in a different article.

Many companies now produce specialist equipment for the younger camper. From clothing ranges and baby carriers to sleeping bags and chairs there will be something to suit children of all ages.

For the 0 – 5 yrs group these tend to concentrate on waterproofs, fleeces, hats, gloves and boots with activity clothing ranges added for the 5 – 14 yrs who might be into cycling, walking/hiking, climbing or requiring that protective helmet as well as the padding and waterproofs. Their own tents can be essential to give that feeling of independence and the range is enormous and to suit most budgets. Battery lanterns or head-lamps are good ideas that help in allowing that first taste of “freedom”.

If you’re looking for a relatively low cost, healthy holiday that will keep the kids happy, look no further. There are thousands of sites to choose from, both home and abroad, and a multitude of facilities available on site so all you need is an initial outlay if you don’t already own a tent or caravan and some good planning to select the right site (the internet is a God-send here), and off you go for many happy days and weeks of holidaying with the whole family.