17th May
I recently wrote an article about birth marks called ‘stork bites’, which often appear on newborns but usually fade before they turn three. It got me wondering where the whole ‘storks carrying babies’ legend comes from. What’s the origin of storks carrying babies?
I mean… why not an owl, an eagle, an albatross?
Thank goodness for Google – my curiosity has been piqued. I thought I’d share.
As you can imagine, there are various tales of mythic origin that explain why the stork is the bringer of babies but the most common seems to be one of German ancestry. According to this folk tale, “the souls of unborn children live in watery areas such as marshes, wells, springs and ponds. Since storks visit such habitats frequently, they were believed to fetch babies’ souls and deliver them to their parents.
An alternate version of the storks carrying babies tale tells of storks finding human infants called “stork-children” dwelling in rocky caves called “Adeborsteine” or “stork-stones” and carrying them to expectant parents.”
Here’s another cool one – Polish in origin – “Frogs, lizards, snakes, and other similar animals became so numerous and caused so many problems that God put them all in a sack to get rid of them. He gave the sack to a human, with instructions to empty the sack into the sea. Curiosity overcame the weak human, who opened the sack to see what was inside.
All of the animals escaped and hid, so God changed the man into a stork to hunt them and clean up the mess (Knab, 1996).
16th May
My two-year old daughter is camera-obsessed – probably because her parents are! We are a photo taking family; for the sake of both art and memory. And my small child is following suit.
The obvious problem is that our cameras are not safe from the well-meaning-but-unavoidably-boisterous hands of a toddler. We have shown her how to use our point-and-shoot camera; and she is actually pretty savvy. The other day, under the gaze of my watchful eye, she was taking photos of herself (copying her mum no doubt) and they look awesome… in a surreal, artsy sort of way.
I’d love to get her a camera. One that she can use without me having to supervise!
Fisher Price offers a digital camera for preschoolers that is part of the brand’s ‘Kid Tough’ range – which is bang and bash friendly. The camera is aimed at children aged 3-7 and it’s tough enough to stand up to the ways kids play and the places they go. Check out the features:
• Two-eye viewing—easy for kids to look through.
• Stores over 2,000 pictures.
• 256 MB built-in memory.
• Sturdy, dual hand grips for steady shots.
• Big buttons—easy for little hands to use.
• Enhanced low light performance—no flash needed.
• 1.4” colour screen lets kids see pictures they’ve taken—instantly.
• 4X digital zoom.
This digital camera for preschoolers retails for around £25. After checking out a couple of reviews, it seems that most people are happy with the product – it could be ideal for preschoolers.
Written by: Andrea Zanin
15th May
Guess what ladies!? That horrid biological clock that ticks ever so loudly in the back of our minds, increasingly so with age, may hold no weight. It’s not yet entirely certain but research is promising.
In the latest breakthrough in fertility treatment, American scientists have used stem cells from human ovaries to produce lab-grown egg cells.
Women are born with a supply of egg cells that must last throughout life. But if these cells can be regenerated, then time is no issue. Our biological clocks will be rendered redundant.
Written by: Andrea Zanin
14th May
A stork bit my baby – not really! But it looks like one did.
Heard of a birth mark called a ‘stork bite’? What is a stork bite birth mark? It’s one that appears on the forehead, eyelids, nose, upper lip, and on the back of the neck or head – just like a stork picked your baby up by the head and dropped him/her on your doorstep… as the story goes.
Soon after my baby girl was born, I noticed a faint pink patch on her left eyelid and just above her nose on her forehead… and also on the back of her head. Strangely, she wasn’t born with the birth mark; it appeared maybe a week after she popped out (well… not quite ‘popped’). Her stork bite is a flat, irregularly-shaped pink patch on her face – it’s unobtrusive and quite sweet really.
Apparently, a stork bite affects a third of newborns, and is usually temporary (a friend’s baby had just about the same birth mark as my babs, which eventually faded).
The scientific name for a ‘stork bite’ is “nevus simplex”, and it is also called a ‘salmon patch’ or ‘angel’s kiss’. It’s caused by the stretching (dilation) of certain blood vessels.
Written by: Andrea Zanin
13th May
David the Dinosaur is the first book by Adam Black. It’s aimed at the 4 to 8 age group and will appeal to both boys and girls.
The book tells the story of David Dinosaur’s terrible dietary habits, which provide a fun and funny message about healthy eating, combined with a sense of adventure ready to entertain the imaginations of all little readers…and listeners. David’s tantalising addiction to bad food choices (namely eating young boys) is bound to get him in to trouble!
I love a kids’ book with a sense of humour – in fact; I think that books for children should have a contagious sense-of-humour and should also have the potential to garner the appreciation of an adult audience (much like Roald Dahl’s books). Read this excerpt from David the Dinosaur (to give you an idea):
David the Dinosaur didn’t like dogs,
He didn’t like cats or horses or frogs.
He didn’t like to tidy his box of toys,
But he really liked eating plump little boys.
Haha – I love it!
Written by: Andrea Zanin
Written by: Andrea Zanin