Tag: planning

October half term

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The school summer holidays have nearly come to an and end and the October half term is nearly upon us.

The October half term is often the last chance that the family get to take a break together in the year before the preparations for Christmas begin and the weather takes a serious decline.  Autumn can be a beautiful time to have a short holiday in the UK and there are plenty of places offering deals for the October half term break as well as special events taking place.

Visiting the countryside

One of the best places to head in autumn is to the forest – with the wealth of colours on show, the forest is a spectacular scene.  Add to that the wildlife can be a little easier to spot after their breeding season is finished while seasonal plants such as mushrooms and berries appear, there is plenty to see.

One of the top places to get close to wildlife is to stay at one of the Centre Parcs resorts around the country.  There are five notable forest locations on offer from the chain – Whinfell Forest, Sherwood Forest, Elvenden Forest, Woburn Forest and Longleat Forest.

Whinfell Forest is within the Lake District area and sits on the side of the lake so can offer a range of water sports as well as wildlife spotting opportunities.  The centre is at the heart of a 400-acre woodland site while indoor features include a subtropical swimming pool with a daredevil ride called the Canyon Ride for the bravest.

Sherwood Forest is one of the most well-known forests in the country with its connections to the story of Robin Hood.  The Centre Parcs venue in the forest offers the chance to explore the famous woodland as well as enjoy a number of activities that are best in the woods such as quad biking or owl encounters.

Elvenden Forest is a 400-acre site in Suffolk, offering a great range of outdoor activities as well as the calming effect of the forest itself for walks.  There is even a unique experience called cable water skiing to try as well as kayaking, canoeing and even raft building.

Woburn Forest is just over an hour from London and is one of the newest sites, covering some 365 acres of woodland as well as lakes and beautiful views across the countryside.  There are aerial trekking routes, abseiling and climbing opportunities as well as the indoor facilities such as the subtropical swimming pool.

Longleat Forest is close to the famous Longleat Estate and its Safari Park so is a great place to use as a base to visit both.  The Wiltshire park allows the chance to see the century old Giant Redwoods as well as tour the forest with the land train or join in water activities on the lake.

Haven are another big name in the holiday business that offer a range of special deals for the October half term.  These include special deals for the whole family as well as touring and camping offers that are ideal for those who prefer something a little less formal for their breaks.

Bluestone are also offering a range of competitive deals for the October break that combine the chance to get up close to nature with the indoor facilities of the centre such as the climbing wall and the swimming pool.  Close by is an impressive outdoor activity centre with a challenging zip wire course some 60 feet in the air as well as tree top walks and the chance to watch the sun go down from a campfire among the trees.

Top 10 UK piers

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Blackpool Central Pier

There are three piers at Blackpool and the Central Pier is often called the ‘fun’ one.  It opened in 1868 and became famous in the 1940s for the open-air dancing competitions held there.  Today it is a great spot to visit with the kids due to the various fairground rides on offer, most notably the 108-foot big wheel, visible for miles around.

Clevedon Pier, Somerset

Clevedon Pier is the only remaining Grade I listed pier in the UK and was voted Pier of the Year in 2013 by the National Pier Society.  It is just eight miles from Weston-Super-Mare in the car and was opened in 1869.  The pier was built using discarded railway track from the famous Great Western Railway Track designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel.  Today it remains a landing place for steamers and is a popular tourist spot as well as for those who enjoy a spot of angling.

Brighton Marine Palace and Pier

The Brighton Pier is the only remaining intact pier in Brighton and was originally opened in 1899.  The pier offers a range of different rides and attractions to keep the kids occupied including traditional rides such as the dodgems and waltzer as well as a spooky Ghost Train.  Thrilling rides include one that throws passengers 38 metres into the air, not ideal after an ice cream!  There is also a famous fish and chip restaurant and three bars.

Southend Pier

The Southend Pier opened in 1830 but was replaced by a modern iron pier in 1889.  As well as its role as a tourist attraction, it even served the Royal Navy during World War II as a mustering point for convoys and for the navy to control the Thames estuary.  The pier was badly damaged by fire in 1976 and by the early 1980s, was facing closure.  Protests led to the Historic Buildings Committee doing the repair work needed and in recent times, more work has been done to bring it to modern standards.  The pier has a railway running its length operating every fifteen minutes and it is still used as a lifeboat station as well as having a brand-new cultural centre

Southport Pier, Merseyside

Southport Pier is the 2nd longest in the UK.  It has seen a great modernisation project in recent years that saw a shopping centre added to the traditional pier amusement.  There is also a tram service running the length of the pier and a café to enjoy the views.

Cromer Pier, Norfolk

Cromer Pier was first opened in 1822 but only lasted 24 years before it was destroyed in a storm then the wooden pier that replaced it was rammed by a coal boat in 1897.  The pier that stands today was opened in 1902 and is home to the Pavilion Theatre as well as a Lifeboat Station.

Llandudno Pier

Llandudno Pier is the longest pier in Wales and the 5th longest in the UK.  The pier has a theatre on it called the Pier Pavilion where musical performances have been held since the 1940s, when an admission fee was first charged and music was performed to compensate for this.  It is unusual for having two entrances, with the Grand Hotel standing between the two.

Ryde Pier, Isle of Wight

Ryde Pier is the oldest pier in the UK and started out as a working pier before pleasure piers were created.  An additional tramway pier was added in 1864 with first horse drawn trams then trains running the length.  Today it is a grade II listed building with many of the original buildings having been restored.

Grand Pier, Weston-Super-Mare

The Grand Pier dates back to the early 1900s and is over 1300 feet long.  It has been damaged by fire on two occasions, giving it the tag of the unluckiest pier in the UK with the 2008 fire completely destroying the pavilion.  It reopened after a £39 million rebuilding project in October 2010.

Gravesend Pier, Kent

Gravesend Pier was built in 1834 and saw a major restoration project in 2000 that saw it returned to its former glory.  It is the oldest intact cast iron pier in the world and is a grade II listed building.  It is currently being adapted for new use as a base for water taxis and a cross-river ferry service.

so why not visit one of these iconic structures next time you plan a family trip to a coastal town

Good homework websites

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Before looking at some of the best homework help sites, there are a few tips to remember about homework in general. The first one is to let the kids have something to eat before starting – this might just be a nutritional snack with their main meal scheduled for later, depending on the family schedule.  None of us work at our best when we are hungry.

Make sure there is a quiet place to do the homework away from distractions.  If there are pre-school kids in the house, try to keep them occupied elsewhere.  Ensure all the essentials are on hand such as pens, pencils and that there is a good workspace to use.

Set up a timetable for homework sessions so that kids know when to expect to be doing it. It might be after the evening meal for older kids or you might schedule different ‘slots’ for the different kids if they distract each other. TV is a no-no but some quiet music can help relax them.

Remember to keep in mind the current teaching techniques, rather than those you were taught when you were at school.  By telling them what you know, that can just confuse them and mean they aren’t learning what the school wants them to learn.

Best homework help sites;

BBC Bitesize

The BBC has been making high quality educational programs for generations and their education website, called Bitesize, is equally useful. There are two ways to search for help – by the subject or by the stage the kids are studying at. Once you go into the subject, there is a range of options such as KS1 Maths, 4th level Maths and even Higher Maths. By selecting the stage your child is studying, there is then a range of topics to help them, for example mathematical skills including problem solving and reasoning.

The website also has less formal content such as educational news, school newsletters and news around, a news program for kids. There are interactive games to help them with their studies and plenty of fun stuff to engage them.

BBC Cbeebies

The Cbeebies website works alongside the children’s channel and is filled with educational fun for kids. This includes homework help, interactive challenges and even stories.

Homework Elephant

Homework Elephant has some 5,000 resources available to assist kids in their various homework topics.  These are listed through the subjects they are covered by so are easy to search for a specific category.  They also offer an ‘Agony Elephant’ service where kids can ask questions to an expert on subjects including maths, English, biology and history.  Finally, there is a hints and tips section that covers how to do homework, learning tips and even helping kids cope with worries about their projects.

National Geographic Kids

National Geographic are another massive name in TV shows and their magazine so their Kids section is filled with useful resources of the highest quality.  Subjects covered includes animals, science and nature, history, places as well as games and entertainment resources.  So kids can learn about the countries of the world, the birds and animals that live there and there are fun areas to entertainment them as well as help with the homework.

Channel 4 Learning

Channel 4 Learning is aimed at seven to eleven year olds and covers three main subjects – science, history and geography.  There are plenty of interactive resources to entertain the kids as well as notes for teachers to help out.

Staggered summer holidays

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The long summer holiday was invented back in Victorian times. Back then, the children were needed during the summer to help with the parent’s work – most of them worked on the land in farming and keeping animals. During the summer, at the height of the work period, the children would be on holiday from their schooling and around to work on the farm, providing much needed free additional labour.

In modern times, this is rarely the case as only a tiny percentage of the country work in farming and an even smaller amount rely on their kids as farm labourers. Yet we still have a holiday length that came to us from the 19th century way of life.

Gone also are the days where parents went to work and left their kids to get on with it.  Understanding of the things that can go wrong and the dangers in the world mean we simply can’t image leaving a ten-year-old to their own devices all day.

So the question is simple – why do we still have the six weeks’ holidays and why can’t we stagger those weeks across the year?

Do kids benefit from the long break?

One idea touted about to convince us that the summer holiday is a good thing is that kids benefit from the long break. Their young minds can rest and recuperate before facing the challenges of the new school year, fresh and rested.

But this only works if the kids are physically and mentally exhausted from their school year in the first place, which is rare. Added to that is the boredom factor. Sure the kids might enjoy a rest for a few days, maybe a week for teenagers, then the boredom sets in. They are constantly hunting for something to do, something to entertain themselves or are requiring parents to provide this.

In fact, when you consider that England has the lowest rate of literacy and second lowest for numeracy in the developed world, perhaps our kids need more schooling not less. Perhaps that long rest is harming their abilities rather than enhancing them – after all, a skill unused often fades from the mind.

Parents view

Many parents view the six weeks’ holiday with a mixture of anticipation and dread. They love to spend time with their kids, go on holiday or take family day trips. But after a while, they have to return to work unless they are really lucky. Or they have to stagger their holidays between parents so they see little of their other half in order to have someone around at all times for the kids.

One poll, conducted by ITV, showed that over 73% of parents would prefer that schools staggered their holidays as this would make them more affordable. Not only would there be less time to find things for the kids to do, it would also help alleviate another major irritation for parents – the cost of vacations during the school holidays.

If you have ever tried to book a holiday in the last week of June rather than the last week of July, you will know the difference in cost we are talking about. It can range from hundreds to even thousands of pounds, all because everyone knows more people want to go on holiday when the kids are off school. This can often mean holidays are out of price range for families and puts an end to the annual vacation.

Changing ideas

There are already ideas and actions being taken around the country in an attempt to stagger holidays and to break up the six (or seven as it is this year in some parts) weeks holiday.  One example is a motion passed by Cardiff Council that allows schools to consider staggering the summer holiday.  It is going to be investigated by the Children and Young People committee with results to follow.

Schools in the Brighton and Hove City Council area will be having one less week at summer and one more week during the autumn break for the next school year, the council have announced.  In a move aimed at combatting the cost of summer holiday vacations, the schools will have more time off in autumn to allow parents to grab off-peak holidays without needing to remove kids from class.

Barnsley Council have been the first to announce a smaller summer holiday for the next year, reducing it to five weeks.  They too have announced that the extra week will be added to the autumn holiday.  There has been some resistance from teachers who say the longer break is needed for them to ‘recharge their batteries’ and it may affect the quality of teachers willing to work in the council area.

Staggering problems

The biggest concern for parents about staggering school holidays is when they face kids at different schools being on holiday at different times.  An example comes from the West Sussex and Surrey areas where kids can be in junior school in one area and in senior school in another.  As councils look to stagger and change duration of holidays, parents face their kids being off school at different times.  This makes scheduling holidays more difficult, especially when both parents work and need to organise their vacation time.

Generally, parents are in favour of the reduction of the summer holidays by a week or even two. While there are clearly issues for those who have kids in different school districts, the plan to reduce the summer holidays is one that many local councils are considering and even putting into place for the next year.

Trampoline treat!!

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There’s nothing new about trampolines, they have been a favourite pass time for kids going back generations.  But in recent times, there has been a boom in trampoline parks, organised centres with large numbers of trampolines and other features to add to the bouncing.  Parents are taking kids for a wide range of sessions and even for children’s parties but is it just fun or are there real benefits to trampolining?

Basic benefits

Some of the basic benefits of trampolining are great for adults as well as kids.  For starters, there’s the improvement to bones that comes from putting them under a little stress.  Exercise is good for us, we all know that, but some exercise can cause harm as well as good through overstressing joints or bones. Because trampolining is essentially a softer impact than running or some gym activities, it puts good stress on the bones to increase their strength – each impact is the equivalent of twice the force of gravity.

Jumping is fun and also a great way to burn off calories, which might sound like a very adult thing but does apply to children as well.  Child obesity is a big thing that many families are trying to deal with and getting rid of those calories is a great way to work on this.  Trampolining is fun and therefore is a subtle exercise – kids are so busy enjoying themselves that they don’t realise they are exercising!

Heart health is another area that seems very adult but it is never too early to start protecting your heart.  Getting the blood pumping makes the whole system more efficient and by starting a routine as a child, this can benefit you as you get older.

Other benefits

Kids have great natural balance but as you get older, this can often weaken and by the time we are adults, we can’t walk in a straight line without wobbling (even without a few glasses of wine!) but by starting to work on areas of balance as kids and maintaining these routines through as adults, then we have better coordination.

Hand eye coordination is something often mentioned in relation to computer games and using tablets or games consoles.  But playing games such as dodgeball or basketball on a trampoline park can also work on these skills.  The greater flexibility gained through bouncing and jumping can also reflect when sports are played on normal courts which in turn benefits overall confidence.

Kids also tend to have a lot of energy but this can run out quickly and then they are listless and tired.  Trampolining has been shown to help improve mental health and sharpness by increasing the flow of blood around the system.  This in turn increases concentration and makes for a better mood – great reasons for adults to join in too.

Social skills can be developed by visiting the trampoline park where there is little choice but to interact with the other kids there.  It has been proven to help children with autism to adapt to being around other kids and to gain a sense of being included, where their natural feeling is one of exclusion.

For all children, boosting their self-esteem by learning trampolining skills is a benefit and their new sense of fitness and balance can help them do better in other activities.  It also teaches them a sense of determination and persistence when they want to do a certain move or trick and must practise it repeatedly in order to master it.

Halloween decorating ideas

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Decorating for Halloween can be fun and gets you excited for the Halloween season, but thinking of new Halloween party decoration ideas is difficult. Here are a few helpful Halloween decorating tips and tricks to help get your creativity flowing. Your Halloween home décor can be sophisticated or downright spooky. No matter which way you decide to take your fall home décor, follow these easy tips for Halloween decorating that will make it easier.

Try out these Halloween decorating ideas:

Un-Decorate Before You Decorate: Take your normal picture frames off the walls and decorations off all the surfaces including tables, counters, and shelves. When you add Halloween decorations on top of your normal décor, the result looks cluttered and confused. Put all the focus on your Halloween decorations by making them the centre of attention. Fill empty spots that other picture frames left by hanging Halloween plates or spooky decorations.

Focus On One Colour Scheme: A classic orange and black colour scheme for your decorations always looks great. You could also try a creepy black and green colour scheme or go sophisticated with black and silver. Try not to mix more than three of these bold colours. This will keep your house looking put together and sophisticated.

Decorate With Pumpkins: Pumpkins can be used in many different ways for Halloween décor. For a more decadent look, try painting pumpkins, or using glue with glitter or buttons. Pumpkins can be used outside as a welcome sign outside after being painted, or inside as table or mantelpiece décor. Try painting a pumpkin with chalkboard paint and keeping a countdown to Halloween!

Use Candles: Candles are a great way to set a creepy mood for All Hollow’s Eve or the night of a Halloween party. White candles look spookiest and are easy to find. Mix and match different sizes and heights of candles and tea lights on a mantle or as the centrepiece on a table. Dim the lights and the candle glow will give all the rest of your decorations a scary flickering shadow!

Use these Halloween home decoration tips to spark your creativity and expand on your favourite Halloween decorations. Have a happy Halloween!

Teenager ideas for Halloween

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Halloween party games for teenagers are super to add to any teen party or even just a family party where teens will be present. Though teenagers can be easily bored, these Halloween games for teens will keep them entertained all night long! Games that require preparation are also fun to plan and think up! If you need a few ideas for Halloween party games for teens, take a look at the list below:

Bob for apples: That’s right—though this classic game may seem childish, it’s actually fun for people of all ages! Just set up a big barrel full of water and apples to challenge your teenagers to see if they can pick the apples up without using their hands!

Costume dance contest: This is a quick and easy way to get everyone on their feet. You can do contests such as the limbo or just award funny prizes for guests’ costumes. Make sure to have prizes on hand!

Murder mystery: This game requires a lot of thought and planning, but it is well worth it! It’s similar to a live action version of clue. For this game, you’ll have to create a story, character list and solution to a murder mystery. Just be sure not to tell any guests about it! Assign everyone at the party a “part” and hide clues around the house. Have them act out the story as they figure out who’s the murderer together!

Halloween night sweet hunt: Plant sweets around the outside of your home. Once it’s dark out, have guests go on a night-time sweet hunt. Give them bags for the sweets and flashlights and split them up into groups of 3-4. See how daring they’ll be on Halloween night!

Halloween Fear Factor: For this game, play a guessing game! Blindfold guests and have them put their hand into a bowl or jar filled with something horrible to the touch. Then have them guess what they just touched. Some ideas include Jelly, peanut butter and crushed biscuits. Award prizes for the people who have the most accurate guesses

Halloween trivia: Before the party, make up Halloween movie, TV show and history trivia cards. During the party, host a trivia session complete with prizes!

These Halloween games for teenagers parties are just a few ideas to get you started. These ideas are also Halloween party games for tweens too, so feel free to get as many people in the family involved as you can!

Top Zoos for the summer holidays

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The zoo has long been a favourite place to visit for both kids and adults and with over 60 to choose from spread around the country, there is always one within travelling distance.  But when you are wanting serious, full on animal exposure, then the big zoos offer the most critter for your cash and here are the top 7 zoo’s in the UK.

Chester Zoo

Chester Zoo comes consistently top of the rankings for UK zoos, for the most visited wildlife attraction and even the top attraction outside London in various polls and surveys.  The zoo is located in Upton, Chester and is one of the largest in the country cover 125 acres and being home to around 400 species.  Travelling around the zoo is easy with a public bridleway, called Flag Lane, bisecting the park as well as a monorail system with three stops around the park and even a circular boat rides on the Lazy River.

But it is the animals that are the real attraction and there plenty of them.  Over half the species at the zoo are currently on the IUCN red list for endangered and threatened species and around 130 of these are part of captive breeding programs to boost numbers.  There are 79 species of mammal and 150 bird species as well as reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates and fish.  The latest addition to the zoo is the Islands at Chester Zoo exhibit, adding 15 acres to the site and showcasing conservation programs from Madagascar to the Philippines.

Paignton Zoo

Paignton Zoo Environmental Park is in Paignton, Devon and is a combination of a zoo and a botanic garden that sees over half a million visitors every year.  There are over 2,000 animals in the zoo covering some 300 species and even 1600 species of plant.  The animals are divided up by the habitats they are native to such as the Desert House with real plants, free-flying birds and pancake tortoises.  The Tropical Forest House displays everything from Burmese pythons to poison dart frogs from the tropical rainforests while the Forest Animals area is home to lions, tigers, orang-utans, owls and doves.  The Wetlands Birds occupies the moats around the monkey islands and sees pelican’s storks as well as plenty of ducks and geese while for zebras, cheetahs, giraffes and elephants, head to the Savannah Animals area.

Dudley Zoo

Dudley Zoo is a 40-acre site within the grounds of Dudley Castle in the West Midlands.  It combines a zoo with a host of listed and important buildings associated with the castle.  There are over 900 animals at the zoo from 160 species and include some notable animals.  These include giraffes, tigers, lions and three snow leopards.  Many of the animals are from endangered species and are involved in captive breeding programs to help boost numbers.  As well as the large animals, there are plenty of cute, smaller ones for the kids to see including meerkats, lemur, wallabies, monkeys and even kangaroos.  A favourite attraction is the Monkey Tails where you can have a close up encounter with a number of monkey species.

Edinburgh Zoo

Edinburgh Zoo is an 82-acre site in the Scottish capital that was founded in 1913 by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.  The zoo sees over 600,000 visitors each year, has over 1000 animals within its walls covering over 170 species.  It was the first zoo in the world to both house and breed penguins and is currently the only one to house koalas and giant pandas.

The pandas, Yang Guang and Tian, are currently one of the biggest hits at the zoo, with a special enclosure having been built for their arrival from China.  Other important exhibits include the Brilliant Birds, a walk through aviary with a number of exotic species free flying within, including the only Andean cock of the rock in the UK.  The Budongo Trail is a new facility that is home to a troop of monkeys and features a viewing gallery and interactive displays to educate kids about these fascinating creatures.

London Zoo

London Zoo is the oldest scientific zoo in the world, opening in 1828 and welcoming the public from 1847.  There are over 19,000 animals in residence today, making it one of the largest in the country and over 800 species can be seen.  These include over 70 species of mammal and over 110 species of birds.

Notable sights include the into Africa themed area with African animals including giraffe, hippopotamus, zebras and wild dogs.  The Rainforest Life and Nightlife is a glimpse of the rainforest with sloths, marmosets and armadillos on show while the Gorilla Kingdom is home to five western lowland gorillas as well as smaller monkeys and birds.  There is also an aquarium within then zoo, opened in 1853 so the world’s first public aquarium.

Twycross Zoo

Twycross Zoo is near Norton Juxta Twycross in Leicestershire and is known for the largest collection of monkeys and apes in the Western World.  It sees over 500,000 visitors each year and has 900 animals covering over 150 species.  Most of these are endangered and the zoo operates a number of conservation programs.

The zoo is separated into eight different zones, each with a theme.  These include Elephant Creek, home to five elephants as well as the World of Small Monkeys, tortoises, foxes, and three types of owl.  The Kingdom of the Apes is the only zoo in the UK to have all four of the great ape species in one place while the Himalaya section houses the snow leopards.

Banham Zoo

Banham Zoo is found in the town of the same name in Norfolk and is home to over 2,000 animals.  It receives some 200,000 visitors each year and is voted as the Top Attraction in Norfolk.  It has humble origins, started out with a collection of pheasants and parrots when it opened in 1968.  Now there are over 100 species represented in the various enclosures.

Notable sights include the Province of the Snow Cat, the home of the breeding pair of snow leopards, who produced three cubs in 2010.  There is also a Giraffe House, a Bird Garden and a Lemur Enclosure, with two different species of lemur running around.

Spend less on your children’s party

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Gone are the days when a sandwich, bowl of jelly and a game of pass-the-parcel were enough for a jolly children’s party. Social media bragging and peer pressure have upped the ante.

Some parents admit to spending £800 on their little one’s birthday bash, with £300 being the average cost, according to a poll by Mums Show Live!

Extravagant parties include an entertainer for three hours at £435 (£145 an hour); catered food and drink for 30 at £3.95 a child (£118.50); hire of a hall at around £100; birthday cake £64.90 and party bags for everyone at £3.25 each add up to £97.50. Grand total: £815.90.

One mum recently moaned she had to do it three times over – goody bags at school for the 30 pupils in her daughter’s class, a children’s birthday party, and another for adult friends and family.

Here are simple ways to stop your party parting you from your money.

Invites

Email invitations or download them for free from websites.

  • A fun idea from is to write the details on an inflated balloon, let the air out and ask the nursery or school to hand them out after class.
  • Share the party with one of your children’s friends with a birthday around the same time and keep it short, say two hours rather than three. Keep numbers down by making it clear that guests’ brothers and sisters aren’t invited.
  • If you can’t face having it at home, or don’t have enough space, summer parties can be held in a local park or free outdoor play area with a picnic and energetic party games.
  • If you don’t want to take a risk with the weather, get a quote from a soft play centre or local hall. Avoid peak times – weekends, school holidays and half terms – when admission charges are higher. Babies often get in for free. Ask if you can bring your own food.

Entertainment

Professional children’s party entertainers are expensive. There are horror stories of the family pet savaging the magician’s rabbit and little ones being left in tears by grumpy clowns. Keep the stress and cost down by doing it yourself.

You can always organise traditional games such as blind man’s bluff, pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey and musical chairs.

Catering

Young ones typically don’t eat much, so don’t go overboard. Sandwiches, crisps and ice cream with a flake should be enough. Or ask family and friends to bring a dish and bake your own cake.

If you’re not a baker, and don’t know an enthusiastic amateur, buy plain fairy cakes and get the kids to decorate them.

Borrow a tablecloth and decorations from a friend. Or get a plain white paper cloth, scatter crayons and stickers on it and get the children to draw on it. Balloons are always popular, especially if you customise with glitter.

Party bags

These are a real bone of contention and thinking up what to put in them can be stressful. Even if you buy loads of plastic toys from a pound shop this can quickly add up.

One idea is to buy a set of books such as the Mr Men series and let the children choose one to take away. A book will last far longer than a tatty toy that will be broken by bedtime. Or do a lucky dip.

If you must have a going-home gift, decorate brown paper bags and buy seeds, multipacks of sweets and stickers to fill them and a slice of cake. Or fill a jar with sweets and tie a ribbon round it.

There are lots of ideas on the internet on how to throw a great party on the cheap. We are sure if you stretch your imagination it will be a real success!!

How to deal with Hayfever

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When the summer sun is high in the sky, we all feel better and have more energy.  That is, of course, unless you are one of those unfortunate people for whom summer means just one thing – hayfever.  For kids, it can be even worse as all they want to do is play outside and enjoy the warm weather but their own bodies work against them.  So what can be done to help children with hay fever during a children’s party?

Symptoms

Hayfever typically started when kids are around seven years old and is worst from this age until they are in their teens.  Others retain the sensitivity into their adult years.  The symptoms are familiar to all of us, whether as suffers ourselves or seeing someone who is – sore and itchy eyes and a runny nose, sometimes the eyes, as well as lots of sneezing.  Nose bleeds are a common symptom as the lining of the nose is scratched and rubbed.

Hayfever season can start as early as March and finish as late as October and the symptoms are easy to confuse with a virus – the main way to tell the different is the length of time involved.  Normally a virus will last a week or two but if symptoms continue longer than this, it is more likely that the child is suffering from hayfever.

Around two thirds of sufferers of hayfever also experience problems sleeping due to the condition.  Nicknamed ‘insneezia’ this is the symptoms normally experienced during the day breaking up sleep on a night as the allergens settle in the cooling air. This can range from itchy eyes and a blocked nose to waking up sneezing.

Diagnosing

Having the hayfever diagnosed by your doctor is an important step to dealing with the condition.  This is primarily in case the cause of the condition isn’t hayfever but an allergy to something else the child is encountering.

It is also important to find out whether the child has the seasonal or perennial type of the condition.  This is because there are some other nasty symptoms that can accompany the perennial version that need to be watched out for.  These include sinusitis, where the cavities within the skull fill with fluid and cause pain and infection.  Younger kids can also get glue ear from this that can result in temporary hearing loss.

Usually, diagnosis by a doctor will involve a few tests such as an examination of the nose to see what is causing the allergy and if hayfever is to blame.  On occasions, an in-depth examination may be needed.

Triggers

The most common trigger of hayfever is allergens from grass, trees and plants.  This seems to effect kids while at school, due to the proximity to school fields.  Some sufferers are affected by a certain type of pollen and have a ‘season’ during which they suffer.  Others can be sensitive to a range of allergens and therefore have the symptoms during the entire year.

People with an allergy to tree pollen such as birch trees tend to find their conditions are worst in the spring while those allergic to grass pollens are worst in the summer.  Others can be effected by moulds, which result in symptoms all year around.

Treatment

Treatment for hayfever is crucial for kids to be able to make the most of spring and summer and minimalize their suffering from the allergens. If left untreated, it can even lead to other serious conditions such as asthma and could lead to the child being afraid to go outside due to the discomfort they experience

Treatment starts with medication.  These include nasal steroid sprays and drops that treat the inflammation caused by the condition without absorbing very much of the drug into the system.  Eye drops are also an important part of treating kids with hayfever.  It is best to administered these when kids are lying down, adding a drop to each eye and letting the blink reflex do the rest.

Of the medication normally given, antihistamines are the most well-known and can be bought from shops and pharmacies without prescription.  Some can make users drowsy but most will state on the packaging if they are non-drowsy.  There is tablet form but also liquids or syrups for younger kids and a pharmacist can offer their advice if you are unsure which type is right for your child.

Advice for preventing symptoms

Over the years, hayfever sufferers have tried all sorts of ways to ease the symptoms of the condition and some have proven to be quite effective.  These include staying indoors until after noon where possible to reduce the exposure to the allergen and wearing sunglasses to help protect the eyes.  Many people avoid going outside when grass is being cut, particularly in their own garden and avoiding being outside on windy days or in the aftermath of a thunderstorm when there is a higher amount of allergens in the air.  When your kids come home, consider either bathing their eyes with a wet washer or even having a shower to clear away any pollen that may have adhered to them while travelling home.

Some families have planted low allergen plants in their gardens while others have found and removed any plants that their child is particularly sensitive to.  Keep the windows closed in their bedroom and when driving in the car and use re-circulating options on the air conditioning to stop the allergen getting into the car in the first place. Parents have also found that hanging clothes up to dry in the house stops pollen from collecting on them to then be worn or put on the bed of a hayfever sufferer.