Family News and Views

Participate with your Children in this year's British Science Week

British Science Week is a 10 day celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths which takes place from 6 to 15 March. The annual festival features fascinating, entertaining and engaging events and activities across the UK, designed to appeal to families with children of all ages. Your child can also enter the annual poster competition and/or download a series of FREE activity packs at www. britishscienceweek.org, filled with resources and ideas to try out at home or school. The good news is these activities don’t require parents to have a science background or buy any expensive equipment. To find your local event or activity, visit www.sciencelive.net

PUT YOUR BUSINESS IN FRONT OF MORE THAN 35,000 SUSSEX PARENTS

Families Sussex magazine is the perfect publication to reach parents in your target market, right across West Sussex and Brighton & Hove. Families Sussex is distributed six times a year to selected nurseries, primary, infant and junior schools, libraries, leisure centres and other familyfocused venues right across our area. With value packages from just £36 per issue, to 25% discounts available off series bookings with FREE editorial, we have the perfect package for every business and every budget. For more details about print and digital advertising and editorial opportunities, please get in touch with Amanda Biggs today by sending an email to: advertising@familiessussex.co.uk.

Having Fewer Toys May Be Better! You’ve probably suspected it – well, it may now have been confirmed! Children who have too many toys are more easily distracted, and do not enjoy quality playtime, a new study suggests. Researchers at the University of Toledo in Ohio, US, recruited 36 toddlers and invited them to play in a room for half an hour, with either four toys, or sixteen toys. They found that youngsters were far more creative when they had fewer toys to play with. They also played with each for twice as long, thinking up more uses for each toy and lengthening and expanding their games. The authors of the study conclude that parents, schools and nurseries should pack away most of their toys and just rotate a small number regularly, to encourage children to become more creative and improve their attention spans. More info at: www.sciencedirect.com

New eBooks Encourage Children to Eat Vegetables Parents of fussy eaters can now access new FREE resources courtesy of the ‘See & Eat’ project, an initiative supported by the British Nutrition Foundation, to support parents in persuading their children to eat more vegetables. Resources include 24 new eBooks that can be downloaded from the ‘See & Eat’ website. These have been developed based on past research which has shown that showing hard-copy picture books about vegetables to children helps to familiarise them with new food and ultimately, helps them to eat a wider variety. The ‘See & Eat’ eBooks each tell the farm to fork journey of a different vegetable and can be personalised with pictures, videos and text.

Join the Fight Against Plastic with the Great British Spring Clean

Wherever you live, you and your family can make a difference to your local environment by sparing just a few hours to take part in the Great British Spring Clean from 20 March to 13 April. Run by charity Keep Britain Tidy, this initiative is the country’s biggest mass-action environmental campaign and aims to get 600,000 #LitterHeroes out and about, cleaning up the environment on their doorstep. It’s easy for families to get involved. Simply pledge to take part and either organise a litter-pick in your community or join an organised event. To find out more, join a local event, register to take part and access resources including a how-to guide, visit www.keepbritaintidy.org/GBSpringClean

Perform classes are a bit like a pasta sauce that’s filled with hidden vegetables: kids think it’s really tasty and don’t realise that it’s full of healthy nutrition. I see our classes like this - invisible goodness wrapped up in an hour of games, role-play, dance routines and songs. The children think they’re enjoying an hour of fun but they’re also being equipped with essential confidence-building social skills. We all want our children to be happy, feel confident enough to try new things and interact well with others. Taking part in regular drama activities encourages confident and fluent speaking, boosts reading and writing abilities and enhances coordination and spatial awareness. Rescuing a mermaid from a pirate ship might seem like just imaginative improvisation for 6 year olds, but it's teaching problem-solving and teamwork too. Early drama, dance and singing lessons changed my life and helped shape my vision for Perform - to deliver classes with a specific focus on developing a child’s confidence and social skills - not to create just another drama school.

Try a FREE no-obligation drama class in Hove, Rottingdean, Worthing, Haywards Heath or Horsham. Visit www.perform. org.uk/try to book. Also quote SC300420 for a introductory £40 discount when you book a session.

Discover our National Parks

Saturday 4 April marks the start of Discover National Parks Fortnight, a celebration event aimed at inspiring people of all ages to explore outside and learn more about these special places. There are fifteeen National Parks in the UK, spanning the length and breadth of the country. Ten in England, three in Wales and two in Scotland. National Parks protect almost 10% of England, 20% of Wales and 8% of Scotland. The UK-wide celebration includes a wide range of events and activities running throughout the Easter holidays, including guided walks, geocaching and wildlife experiences at every park. These events offer families a great opportunity to explore, learn, relax and unwind. To find about more visit: www.nationalparks.uk/discover

Over Half of Parents Feel Lonely New research has found that over half (56%) of parents with children under the age of 5 years experience loneliness at least some of the time. The study by the charity, Coram Family and Childcare, reveals that the issue affects significantly more women than men, with twice as many mothers than fathers saying they often feel left out, as well as younger parents.

The study suggests nearly 37% of parents aged 18 to 24 often feeling a lack of companionship, compared to 21% of parents aged 25 to 34. Loneliness is most prevalent around the birth of a baby, particularly if parents are unable to get out of the house easily and when the children are older but haven’t yet started school. Focus groups conducted by Coram Family and Childcare revealed that parents felt the best way to combat loneliness and isolation is to meet other parents by participating in activities that their child will enjoy. Find out more information at www.familyandchildcaretrust.org