May 13, 2013
by Annie
0 comments

Kids days out – enjoying the bluebells

kids in bluebellsIf you live in the UK you’ll be all to aware of the changeable weather we’ve been having recently. I seems that there’s an unspoken rule that any given Bank Holiday must be accompanied with a scattering of showers. But if there’s one good thing that comes from rain it’s happy, healthy flora and fauna and at this time of the year that means one thing – bluebells!

Luckily for us living in the New Forest means that we’re spoilt for choice when it comes to great places to spot beautiful blankets of woodland bluebells. Fordingbridge, Lyndhurst and the charmingly names Pepperbox Hill at WhiteParish are home to three great sites for bluebell spotters to enjoy and recently I visited the latter with Scamp and Ozzy for an afternoon’s bluebell spotting. Continue Reading →

SAMSUNG CSC

March 28, 2013
by Annie
0 comments

Summer Holiday Panic Stations

Today we have a commissioned guest post (see our disclosure policy for more details):

This week, I had a conversation with myself in the kitchen. It was triggered by a vague absorption of the family calendar. Gazing at illegible hasty handwriting scrawled across countless days I attempted to decipher which year I was in, what planet I was on, when I next needed to deflea the dog. You know, the weekly check in that allows the mind to maintain some semblance of control.

The auto-conversation went a bit like this:

“Woah. Hang on. That can’t be right. The calendar says it’s Easter in a week or so. What? We’re not in March. We are in March? No way. No. Way. Its Easter next week…? Why didn’t anybody tell me? But wait- that means I should have already started thinking about the summer holidays…and childcare…”

If, like me, you’ve completely lost yourself inside life’s swirling vortex, it may be difficult to get a handle on your family’s precious time. Realistically, with work, swimming lessons, karate tournaments and colouring-in competitions, I haven’t had the time to plan ahead. Who does? Mums’ that are better organised than me, I suppose. Continue Reading →

classroom

March 4, 2013
by Annie
0 comments

Preserving the Arts in the Classroom

Today we have a commissioned  post (see our disclosure policy for more details):

It could be the key to making your students happier, healthier, more confident and fulfilled; helping them achieve better academic results and improving their future career prospects; and maybe even making them more open-minded and well-rounded individuals.

Sound too good to be true? Well what does art do for you?

Whether you’re an artist, an appreciator, a sceptic or a cynic, it’s hard to ignore the studies that show preserving the arts in the classroom leads to a host of positive outcomes. From the obvious (boosting creativity, providing an alternative to students who struggle academically) to claims that seem more tenuous (improving problem-solving, facilitating ‘community cohesion’) it’s hard to see a downside to sustaining the arts. So what gives? Continue Reading →