Nursery children are being invited on a healthy food adventure with the launch of Taste for Life, a new pre-school education programme, supported by Organix and launched in nurseries in July 2010 across the UK. The Taste For Life programme forms part of a wider campaign (Better Nursery Food Now) led by Organix and the Soil Association calling for genuine nutritional standards in nurseries.
Close2Nature initiative (run by GreenKiddie) is now proudly partnering with the Taste for Life programme. “This is a new fun and interactive way of introducing and presenting fruit and vegetables to children, in a completely different context to that of mealtimes, helping them to explore and enjoy good food from a young age and develop healthier eating habits for life”, explains the educational website of the initiative.
Please have a look at the top tips for parents and nursery practitioners from Taste for Life here. You can also download some interactive fruit & vegetable activities, as well as a fun Reward Chart.
Close2Nature is a national campaign run by GreenKiddie which promotes better children’s health and well-being at nurseries. It aims to provide easy-to-use tips and advice for daycare providers and help them adopt our eco-friendly strategy for their premises in order to help with improving children’s health. Close2Nature campaign is also in partnership with Change4Life initiative by the Department of Health.
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July 27, 2010
Clingy toddler at home, no sleep, too much to do… if you are a busy mum like me who sometimes is feeling stressed out can get an instant natural pick me up from a new product that fits conveniently into a handbag or pocket.
The MamaBabybliss Bliss Stick Uplifting Oil is simply dabbed onto pressure points whenever a woman needs a lift. The all-natural ingredients include:
- Lime Oil: lifts depression and energizes a tired mind, while easing breathing and assisting digestion.
- Bergamot: for depression, feeling fed-up, respiratory problems, colds and flu, PMS and SAD.
- Geranium: helps relieve stress, mild depression, PMS, anxiety and tension, menopausal problems and for general energizing.
“All mums need a little lift every now and then, whether they’re an exhausted new mum getting by with very little sleep while coming to terms with her new, often overwhelming role as mother, or an experienced mum of three rushing between work and after school activities,” explains Justina Perry, founder of MamaBabyBliss. “We’ve created the Uplifting Bliss Stick to help mums take a short breather, giving her the energy she needs before carrying on with her busy day.”
The Bliss Stick Uplifting Oil is available from www.mamababybliss.com and costs £5. The product is part of the MamaBabyBliss range of natural pampering products for pregnancy, babies and mothers, all of which are made with natural active ingredients that are ethically sourced and are entirely free of chemicals found in similar products.
The company also has new website featuring a range of videos including relaxation techniques, massage and yoga. See them at www.mamababybliss.com
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July 24, 2010
Through play, children learn the skills and knowledge needed for life; imaginative play encourages the toddler to use their mind and creative potential. Children can be taught to have the skills and knowledge to deal with life’s challenges and to solve problems creatively through being encouraged to be active in play that involves creativity, learning, investigation and discovery. There’s a saying “Give a person a fish and they eat for a day. Teach a person to fish and they eat for a lifetime.”
Imaginative Play
Play that is imaginative and creative will help the toddler to use their mind to find solutions to problems. One of the most important parts of imaginative play is for the child to pretend to be someone else or in different situations.
This type of play helps promote a toddler’s learning through using role play to develop their imagination. They will also be developing their emotional and social skills, sharing skills, manipulative skills, language and communication skills through this type of play. Not only this but it helps a child build on his or her self confidence and feelings of security.
Kids Play and Imagination
Through imaginative play, a child might run around, pretending he or she is a horse or a dog, an aeroplane or a train. At 3-4 years, they often do this on their own. At other times, an adult could encourage imaginative play so the child might explore new situations and fantasy worlds. This will help the child to explore their feelings and the world around them in a safe, supervised environment.
Children at this age are at Piaget’s preoperational stage. During the years from 2 to 6 Piaget saw the evidence of symbol use in many aspects of child’s behaviour. Children this age beginning to pretend in their play for example at age 2 or 3 or 4 a broom may become a horse, or a block may become a train.
Imaginative play, through building towers out of bocks, talking to and feeding their dolls, making tea with the tea set and dressing in grown-up clothes is important and should never be classed as trivial… Neither should soft toys or dolls be rejected as inappropriate for any age of either sex.
Examples of Imaginative Play Activities
Ask the children to make a pirate ship out of large cardboard boxes. They might make telescopes or binoculars out of kitchen tubes and a flag for their boat out of newspaper. Hats could be made and painted for them to wear while they’re at sea in their imaginary boat. How does this kind of play help in a child’s learning? As the children play with each other, they will be using their communication and language skills.
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July 24, 2010
Sarah Heenan, natural beauty therapist and founder of online organic beauty boutique, www.lucyrose.biz, takes a look at the issues around skin sensitivities.
The last decade has seen a dramatic rise in sensitised skin and allergic reactions. This is mainly due to pollution, environmental factors and altered immunity. Most skin responses to cosmetics are a result of skin sensitisation. This happens when the ingredients penetrate the skin too quickly and the skin’s natural barrier function is impaired. Once the product is removed from the skin the reaction will subside.
In most instances of skin allergy, the skin can become itchy, inflamed, red and sore. Many main stream products made with harsh chemical ingredients and synthetic compounds will exaggerate these symptoms, so it is good to search for products with organic and natural ingredients which will help the skin function correctly and not just provide a short term fix.
Quite often you can be happily using a high street product and then, out of the blue, will start to have skin sensitivity. This could be down to a change in ingredients in the product or it could be a result of the body reacting to a combination of products being used.
Three Reasons to go Natural
- We find one of the biggest reasons people turn to organic and natural products is because they have sensitive skin and are finding high street products over-fragranced and too harsh. With organic and natural products there are no harsh chemicals, no artificial fragrances, quite simply the ingredients are all chosen to be effective, gentle and help the skin work naturally.
- Organic and natural brands are very transparent in their communications and include a comprehensive list of ingredients on the product, so that you can see clearly what it is made of. If you do have allergies to a certain ingredient, it is very easy to check this.
- It is also the case that an individual can be allergic to a completely organic ingredient (for example, people can be sensitive to some of the Essential Oils) so it is important to be able to see at a glance what is in the product you are using.
The Ingredients Minefield
Where there is sensitivity to Essential Oils it is important, when checking ingredients, to check out the source, especially with fragrances. For example, Limonene is the term used for the synthetic fragrance, Lemon, but is also the name for Lemon Essential Oil. In order to differentiate, there is usually an asterisk or a comment next to the ingredient, stating ‘from natural essential oils’.
However, there are now many ranges which are free from fragrances and herbal flower extracts. These include the Lavera Neutral and Green People’s Organic Base No Scent collection.
Everybody is Different
It is also important to remember that each of us are individual and hence our skin requirements are also very specific. Just because the product is natural and organic and has worked for someone else, doesn’t mean it will work for you, so it is important to try and test the product first and find the best product for you. At Lucy Rose you can receive one-to-one advice either over the ‘phone or via email, and just to be on the safe side, there is a free sample service so that you can try first.
Be Prepared for a Skin Detox
A few people find that when switching to more natural ingredients they experience a detox period of maybe a week, where the body adjusts and the skin may feel uncomfortable or may ‘break out’. This usually lasts no longer than a week and once the skin has adjusted it will feel better than ever.
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July 22, 2010
I have a confession to make. For the last couple of years I’ve been having an affair. Yes, that’s right, a love affair. Don’t blame me – you would, too. I felt in love with Green People – they are green, but they don’t come from Mars! Green People only do and sell the best natural and organic skincare products ever!
My new discovery is their SPF cosmetics range – ideal for the surprisingly hot UK summer this year! For the last month I’ve been testing three of their products with SPF 15, giving me additional sun care natural protection. My daily skincare routine now starts with applying the Day Solution SPF15 – a daily moisturiser with UVA & UVB protection with 85.10% organic ingredients. This gentle skin defence cream, rich in essential fatty acids, is formulated using UV Filters derived from Edelweiss extract, Titanium Dioxide and Cinnamon to achieve a sun protector factor of 15, protecting from both UVA and UVB rays.
Containing Aloe Vera, green tea, rosemary and chamomile extracts, as well as hemp, rose geranium and jojoba oil, this moisturiser nourishes the skin and prevents from premature ageing. It’s suitable for all skin types, especially sensitive like mine. I love the pump bottle, too, as it’s far more hygienic and comfortable to use. After just a few appliances my skin is left moisturised and re-balanced all day long.
I then move to applying the Green People No Scent Soft Lips SPF8, which is designed to protect and soften dry, chapped lips. I find it ideal for the hot summer weather, when the delicate skin of my lips needs some extra care to keep them soft and appealing. It’s a great nourishing lip balm with UV protection and 70% organic ingredients. My lips get natural sheen from berry wax and fairly traded Cupuaca butter. This mild no-scent formulation (no essential oils) is just perfect for dry, sore and chapped lips and looks fab over my lipstick for a subtle gloss effect! The Green People No Scent Soft Lips balm contains an SPF to provide effective UV protection from the suns harsh rays, while 100% pure plant oils offer long-lasting hydration for soft, supple lips skin.
What I find most exciting is adding some extra sun protection via my powder. The Green People’s Pressed Mineral Powder SPF15 is a 3-in-1 foundation, powder and SPF15 Sun Protection – effective and cost-saving, love it! Mine is honey-tinted, but it’s also available in Caramel or Maple. The 3-in-1 foundation, powder and sunscreen SPF15 gave my skin a natural complexion with a matte finish and no tide mark! Minerals reflect the light to minimise fine lines and wrinkles (I’m just over 30 now, so this is important for me).
Traditional makeup is made with a lot of unnatural, chemical ingredients, which resulted in skin problems. Green People’s Pressed Mineral Powder is 100% natural and gentle to the skin and don’t clog pores, allowing the skin to breathe. The added jojoba and sunflower oil beautifies the skin even more, making this powder my best friend from now on.
A little tip on how to apply it: Swirl, Buff, Tap! Swirl brush head twice around outer edge of the powder, buffing up the minerals, and tap off any excess powder. Apply in downward strokes moving inwards (the way your hairs go) starting with the left cheek, reapply powder and move to the right cheek, reapply, add to T-zone, reapply and cover under the nose and chin. As your skin tone changes between winter and summer, try blending Caramel or Maple with Honey for the perfect match!
Of course, if you expect to be in the sun for any length of time, it is still advised that you apply a traditional sunscreen product for maximum protection. Green People have a great range of sunscreens for both mums who love their skin and the give it the best possible (natural and toxic-free) care, but also for babies and children! Have a look at their full sunscreen products range here. There is free post during July!
See, I am sure you will now understand and won’t blame me for having an affair. My husband won’t even notice, as everything looks so natural on the skin, only making it look more healthy and beautiful!
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July 13, 2010
New research, commissioned by Weetabix, shows that despite an encouraging 80% of British schoolchildren eating breakfast before leaving home, family breakfasts are more a battle than a ball for today’s stressed-out parents. It’s even worse, I’d say, for busy mums, who often skip their breakfast and rely on the cuppa tea or coffee to do the trick for them. Well, it won’t. I speak from experience. While my little one’s favorite breakfast is Weetabix Original, I’ve been struggling to find a nice & easy to prep breakfast for myself. I’ve been trying different breakfast options but they either take time for prepping (which I don’t have), or are not tasty enough. I need something quick to prepare, to be healthy and still to give me a moment to indulge myself (come on, I deserve it!)
As of today, 12th July, a new tasty and nutritious breakfast from Weetabix is available at Sainsbury’s: Chocolate Weetabix! During my manic mornings all I need to do is to poor some organic milk and soak a couple of the Chocolate Weetabix biscuits in it for a perfectly balanced and tasty breakfast – the fuel that I’ll need to keep up with my busy day while juggling between my marketing career and my lovely child!
Chocolate Weetabix is high in fibre and low in salt, fortified with vitamins and iron and free from artificial colours. No guilt about the “mmm, so tasty and nicely melting” chocolate chips as part of my breakfast because the new cereal with all the goodness of wholegrain in Weetabix contains only half the sugar of the average chocolate flavoured breakfast cereal! Just what I need in the morning, and you know what – sometimes as an afternoon snack as well. It’s so tasty and indulgent, still healthy, I can’t get enough of it!
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July 12, 2010
I always use the best organic skincare for my little daughter. After having some bad experience with “traditional” baby skincare products, I realise only the purest natural ingredients are good for her sensitive skin, free from any parabens, artificial colours, fragrances and other skin irritating chemicals.
I read somewhere that over 70% of what we apply on our skin gets absorbed. So what about my skin then? It needs the same gentle natural care as my little one’s skin. Having combination skin, the Geranium and Thistle Moisturiser from Pai seemed the best choice for me. The cream comes in a glass bottle with a soft-pump dispenser, which makes it more hygienic to use, while the glass bottle helps you see how much you’ve got left.
I am quite sceptical about all new products I try on my face, because, despite what the product advert promises, I usually end-up with irritated skin. I did a patch-test for 24 hours and it was fine, so applied evenly on my face in the next morning massaging gently face and neck. The first thing I noticed was the very light consistency, which wasn’t too rich and my skin was left smooth and refreshed, not greasy. The consistency was very silky and the geranium scent was lovely – I personally find it very uplifting.
The main active ingredients in this light organic Pai Moisturiser are Geranium and Thistle. While Geranium has a cooling and calming effect on the skin, Thistle oil is packed with skin-friendly omega 6 amino acids and is excellent at clearing my skin and reducing pores. This makes ideal for balancing combination complexions, especially during the hot summer weather.
There are other natural and organic ingredients (the moisturiser is 73% organic) to beautify combination and sensitive skin, such as jojoba and borage oil, natural vitamin E, manuka, juniper and lavender oil, and basil extract. It’s not only free from chemicals, but also re-balances, evens out my skin tone and protects it from the daily exposure to air pollution. It absorbs quickly leaving a beautiful matt finish, which makes it perfect for applying under my natural/ mineral make-up.
Overall, this is a very nice product, well presented and pleasant to use. For me, it’s ideally suited as a day cream, especially under make-up. I do recommend it for everyone with combination and/ or sensitive skin who love the way they look and take the best care of their skin.
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July 10, 2010
Weaning from the bottle is one of the significant developmental milestones that your baby or toddler will go through. It is important for the child, because it shows the first signs if independence. Imagine his joy that he is now drinking like mommy and daddy, and soon will be able to do many more things for himself.
Generally, a baby will be ready to make the transition from the bottle to cup sometime between the ages of 9 months and 18 months. There are two main things that should happen for your baby or toddler to be weaned from the bottle. The first is that your baby’s sucking needs has to slow down or stop. The second is that he has to be able to control his hands and mouth well enough to drink from the cup.
To help the transition from the bottle to a cup, there are some things that you can do early on. During those first few months of your baby’s life, you should only use the bottle when it is time for your baby to eat. Don’t give your baby a bottle in bed. If you give your baby a bottle in bed, she will begin to associate the bottle with comfort and security, not just with food. This is perhaps the most important thing that you can do to make the process of weaning your toddler from the bottle a successful and easy transition.
What other techniques you’ve tried and they work when it comes to making the transition from bottle to cup? When it’s a good time to start? Please share your tips or personal experience with your kids below for your chance to WIN a lovely Twist N’Pop Straw Cup from BornFree®.
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June 30, 2010
100g summer sunshine
200g smiles on my kid’s face
2 tbsp Sunday chaos extract
50g adventure spirit
125g self-raising good mood
10 drops of fun
a handful of crayons
a pinch of travel wind
a pinch of “have-a-great-day” spell
secret ingredient
- Preheat your family “get-together on Sunday” mood to max (mark 6).
- Place the Sunday chaos on the bottom, draw the curtains and spread the summer sunshine evenly
- In a happy family car add the /secret ingredient/, tight well to the back seat, mix with a handful of crayons and 10 drops of fun, then whisk it, shake it, beat it… until stiff.
- Add the self-raising mood and the adventure spirit, a little at a time, whisking to incorporate, and then beat in the pinch of travel wind until well combined.
- Spoon into your day and bake for a few hours – until golden on top and overflowing with happiness. Sprinkle with the “have-a-great-day” spell and enjoy!
Have you guessed what the secret ingredient is? – Please share your suggestions below and stay tuned – something very exciting will follow soon!
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June 27, 2010
To celebrate the Child Safety Week 21st- 27th June GreenKiddie has teamed up with Graco Baby to hold a #kidstravelsafe Twitter party on Sunday, 27th June between 9pm – 10pm!
We’ll be tweeting about our challenges when travelling with kids, how to make the travel even more exciting for the children, so it can be enjoyable and less stressful for the parents. Most importantly, let’s talk about how to make our trips safe for the kids and the whole family!
Join us to share your travel stories, to get some great road safety tips, or just to have fun, chat to other parents and WIN great prizes from Graco!
How to join our #kidstravelsafe party?
- Log-in to your Twitter account (or create one if you don’t have an account yet)
- Type#kidstravelsafe in the “Search” field on “Home” tab. Click on “Save this search” so it’s easy for you to find it
- Click on your #kidstravelsafe saved search on 27th June, Sunday, at 9pm GMT and join the party!
- Follow us on Twitter: @greenkiddie and @GracoBaby_UK
When I ask a question, tweet the answer to me and make sure you always include the hash-tag #kidstravelsafe.
We’ll be giving away three beautiful and comfy Graco changing bags. The Graco Sporty Bag comes complete with changing mat and messy bag. It features – handy pockets, includes plastic changing mat, nappy wipes box and leak proof bag, insulated pockets and is machine washable.
Don’t miss it and tell your friends to join in, too!Let’s prove we care about our kids’ safety!
Child Safety Week is the Child Accident Prevention Trust’s flagship community education campaign. It aims to raise awareness of the number of accidents that seriously injure or kill children and how to prevent them.
Get Ready for the Road Ahead with Graco! Make your smart car-seat selection and learn how to make your trip better for the whole family!
Child Safety Week is the Child Accident Prevention Trust’s flagship community education campaign. It aims to raise awareness of the number of accidents that seriously injure or kill children and how to prevent them.
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June 19, 2010
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