Emergent Literacy and Beyond - Online Course

Literacy is one of the most important skills humans can learn. According to the National Literacy Trust, 'Lacking vital literacy skills holds a person back at every stage of their life.' Without the ability to read and write, children will struggle at school and in the work place. As parents, they will struggle to facilitate their own children's learning. The National Literacy Trust has carried out a lot of research into literacy and a person's ability to read and write has been shown to affect life outcomes and even life expectancy! The National Literacy Trust found that life expectancy can be shortened by 26 years for those living in areas with poorest literacy skills. So, having good literacy skills is highly important for learning throughout life and improving life chances.

Raising Talkers: How to Help Your Child to Talk - Online Course

Did you know that a child's vocabulary at age five is the strongest predictor of future academic success? Or that late talkers never really catch up completely with their peers? Early language skills are so important. They affect a child's ability to think, learn and be. Early language skills affect literacy ability and later academic achievements as well as a child's future prospects. The quality and quantity of language a child hears in their environment is the strongest predictor of their communication skills. Parents and carers have a huge impact on their child's ability to acquire language so it is important that they know the best way to achieve this.

The Big Garden Birdwatch

My children love watching birds. There is something so satisfying about being able to name a bird you spot out on a walk or in your garden. I didn't know much about birds when I was growing up so I wasn't very good at identifying them at first, but I'm getting increasingly better as time goes on. There is nothing better than seeing the excitement on your child's face as they spot a bird in the garden and call you to come and take a look. Birdwatching is something both adults and children can enjoy together so it's great fun for the whole family!

10 Ways to Raise Environmentally Conscious kids

A new year always gets people thinking about goals and resolutions. One thing that I hope to improve on this year is being more eco-friendly. I feel like I was doing well pre-Covid and then the pandemic came along and I started to question things. There seemed to be little point in trying to be plastic free when millions of single-use plastics were being used every single day in the form of Covid tests and face masks. It made it all seem like an impossible task to me. On the other hand, perhaps this just means we need to be more environmentally conscious than ever.  Afterall, no matter what others do, we can still do our bit for the planet and one of the most important things we can do is encourage our children to be environmentally conscious too.

Prioritising Children: Time Management Tips For Busy Mums

Time management is a common issue for busy mums. There always seems to be something to do whether it be running around after the children, cooking the dinner or ironing your husband's shirts. There is so much to do that sometimes it can become overwhelming. More tasks creep onto the never-ending pile of jobs and you wonder how any of them will ever get done. Do you sit there at the end of the day thinking about where the day has gone? It went by a in a flash and you have not got half the things done that you wanted to.

How Your Presence Boosts Early Language Skills

Language is arguably the most important skill your child must acquire. Language is the basis of everything. It is not only our means of communicating with others, but also, it is due to language that we are able to think, learn and remember. Without it we would not be the intelligent beings we are, for language and intelligence go hand in hand. 

How to Use Narration in Your Homeschool

We narrate all the time. When you tell someone something that happened to you yesterday; that's narration. When you talk about something you saw at the park; that's narration. When you tell a story your father used to tell you when you were a child; that's narration. We do it as part of our everyday conversations, without even thinking about it. So, why not use this skill for learning as well?