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.
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
11th May
Sometimes, it’s easy to forget how young our children really are. With kids growing up with computers and mobile phones – things that were new to us just a few years ago – and seeming to take to them like ducks to water while we still struggle to set the Sky+, it can occasionally seem like we are the children and they are the adults!
Even the youngest children seem so grown up at times – my 4-year-old daughter diligently brought me a glass of water every 12 hours while I was ill in bed recently, and each time, she asked me how I was feeling and told me I was a good girl for drinking up the last one she brought!
And yet, I am regularly reminded of just how young she still really is, when I go into her room put her to bed only to find her hidden under the duvet, feet and hair sticking out, giggling audibly before she eventually tells me where she is as I dutifully pretend to look in all the wrong places.
Written by: Claire Smart
10th May
It’s been a while since Christmas, and you might be noticing that all those new toys that were so exciting at the time are starting to lose their shine a little by now, so here are a few tips to ring the changes on kids boredom without having to go out and spend any more money:
* Hold a toy swap: get together with friends who have children of a similar age or even older, and swap any toys that the children have grown bored with or grown out of. If you keep a log of who owns what, you can swap back again in a few weeks, when they’ve had time to forget about them, and they will feel like new again!
* Shop your cupboards: see what old, pre-Christmas toys you have lurking in the back of the toy cupboard that have been forgotten about since the influx of Christmas presents. Even if they were disinterested in them a few months ago, they will probably find them new and exciting again now. Make sure you have batteries in stock first though – there’s nothing worse than getting the kids all fired up about a long-forgotten favourite, only to find it doesn’t work!
* When is a toy not a toy? When it’s a kitchen implement! Get the pots and pans out, give them each a wooden spoon and put in your ear plugs! Or get all the cushions and blankets on the floor and make a den, or just collect random things from around the house in a basket and challenge them to make a game from them – it’s amazing what their imaginations will come up with given chance!
Written by: Claire Smart
19th Apr
Looking for toys with a difference? If so, P’kolino is definitely a brand to check out – the American-based toy company recently made its UK debut at the London Toy Fair, on the shelves of exclusive UK distributor Gander Kids.
The P’kolino range features a variety of retro-inspired wooden toys (rattles, tops, stackers and nesting birds), as well as award winning wooden puzzles and eco-friendly Arts and Crafts.
The Arts and Crafts range includes crayons and pencils which are coloured with food dye and angular-shaped so they won’t roll away; a stylish wall mounted Safari elephant easel, which releases the valuable floor space taken up by traditional easels; and Silly Soft modular toddler seating that’s part furniture, part toy.
Written by: Andrea Zanin
Written by: Andrea Zanin