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EDS UPIssue 2 2008 £2 www.edsup.co.uk NEWS A heads up on the latest news, research and media reaction DEBATE Encouraging children in sport – where to draw the line? Nutrition – the key ingredients for young children? INFORM Instilling a love of reading in children Cyberbullying and how to deal with it CELEBRATE The fun art of telling stories The magic of African adventures A heads up on cutting edge issues affecting you and your children The feedback from our first issue has been beyond our wildest dreams! How so many of you have found the time in your busy lives to write and thank us continues to make it all worthwhile. It has been great to get such positive feedback and the response has shown me that what I set out to achieve has really been appreciated. The Daily News Update on EDITOR’S the website has been a huge success and good news too that there has been a growing number of requests for copies to be delivered straight to your door through our subscription service. But we are not going to rest on our laurels. We are determined to stay true to our founding principles to give you a balanced, fair view of issues that really do affect you LETTER... and your children. That’s our promise. Summer is coming – let’s hope it’s a good one! CONTENTS EDS UP PUBLISHING 10a Putney High Street HEADS UP 4–6 CREAT ED 24–25 London SW15 1SL CURRENT RESEARCH, MEDIA EXPLORING THE SENSES: Tel: 020 8789 3483 Fax: 020 8789 3483 REACTION, SENSIBLE SUMMARIES ARE WE NEARLY THERE YET? Email: [email protected] Oliver Nicholas reviews audio books for long holiday Web: www.edsup.co.uk car journeys EDITORIAL UPSHOT 8–10 Plus: Brilliant ideas for summer Editor and Publisher: Hannah Watkins DEBATE: ROOTS TO GROW AND Editorial Board: WINGS TO FLY EMPOWER ED 26 Prof Amanda Kirby We look at how important it is to encourage children Dr Dilly Murphy to play sport QUESTION AND ANSWER TIME Jill Mitchell Zoe Sinclair on answering kids’ tricky questions Diana Watkins and absent dads Deirdre Renwick Roger Beckett FEATUR ED 12–14 DESIGN FEATURE: FUEL CRISIS Concept: CLUED UP 27 Tamsin Loxley and Getting the balance of diet right for young children. Gail Bryson at Bryson Loxley What are the key ingredients? A CHILD’S POINT OF VIEW: [email protected] THE WORLD I WANT [email protected] This issue, Georgina Brown tells us what sort of world Production Designers: she would like to see Kirsty Boswell IN THE LOOP 16–17 [email protected] INFORM: PASSIONATE Liz Hanson [email protected] ABOUT READING? THE ROAD LESS Web site design: Inspiring children to have a love of books is the greatest Lotte Pitcher gift a parent can pass on TRAVELLED 28–30 paminternet.co.uk ALTERNATIVE LIVES: AFRICA! AFRICA! Families and tutors discuss the magic of Africa and what COMMERCIAL it can teach children To advertise please call sales PHYS ED 19–22 on 020 8789 3483 or email: [email protected] THE BODY AND BRAIN: PRINTING CYBERBULLYING LIGHTEN UP 33–35 What can we do to avoid or respond to cyberbullying Eds Up is printed by Pensord while promoting the safe use of modern technology CELEBRATION: WATCH OUT FOR Press, Gwent, NP12 2YA on 9lives Offset 120 g/m2 Plus: Roz Hanby on quick assessment of childhood THE WIGGLY WOOS paper from 100% recycled sickness; and Kristina Stephenson, writer and illustrator, talks about fibre by PaperCo Claire Strickland on the benefits of baby massage her book and the art of story-telling P.3 CURRENT RESEARCH MEDIA REACTION SENSIBLE SUMMARIES EARLY YEARS DEBATE CONTINUES . Curriculum for under-fives under continued scrutiny The Early Years Foundation Stage continues to invite “to design our curriculum according to the needs of our Campaigners against the framework will be delighted. comment, both positive and negative. The government says children and what we believe is right and proper in reports Alexandra Frean in The Times. Many feel that the curriculum for under-fives is flexible and play-based and constituting a good education.” without these concessions there would have been the will bring a good standard of professional development to all danger of producing “a tick box culture that relies too providers of care and education for this age group. This is heavily on formal learning and not enough play.” backed up by a collection of 69 learning goals that they Developmental milestones for some For countless other nurseries and pre-schools, government believe will give all children an excellent start in life. spell the end of childhood guidance in the delivery and monitoring of the under-fives It has not been as cut and dried as this implies. Beverly Hughes, the Children’s Minister, recently allayed curriculum will prove to be an aid to good practice and, Developmental milestones for some spell the end of these fears after discussions with a number of experts as such, a welcome support childhood. Sue Palmer, author of Toxic Childhood and including David Hanson CEO of IAPS and members of the former head teacher, is reported in The Telegraph as saying: Steiner School lobby. New changes announced very “Toddlers are still working at a very emotional level. They recently in the House of Commons will see the EYFS New changes announced very recently should be told stories and allowed to sing and play.” “watered down”. in the House of Commons will see the Michael Spinney, Chairman of the Independent Association The government has always insisted that the goals were EYFS ‘watered down’ of Prep Schools (IAPS) talking on Radio 4, expressed the aspirations not targets but are now seeming to allow child fear that any curriculum imposed by the government on care providers to apply for exemptions from elements which independent schools “struck at the very root of our they view as being in conflict with their principles about independence.” He reserved the independent school right children’s learning and development. COT DEATH BACTERIA LINK PROBED Researchers have highlighted two common bugs that may play a role in unexplained cot deaths A recent study, published in the Lancet medical journal, “This research does reinforce the need and the presence of bacteria due to an unrelated factor potentially goes a step closer to understanding what which increased the risk of cot death such as children’s causes cot deaths with the research finding that many for parents to follow existing advice on exposure to smoking: “So this research does reinforce the babies who died suddenly were carrying potentially minimising the risk of cot death” need for parents to follow existing advice on minimising the harmful bacteria. risk of cot death.” The Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths explained Cot death is often used to describe a sudden and how the research was carried out: the researchers The NHS also advises that the findings should not alter unexpected infant death that is initially unexplained – categorised the cases as either unexplained; explained current recommendations i.e. to avoid smoking around the ‘sudden unexpected death in infancy’ (SUDI). Cot deaths with evidence of bacterial infection likely to cause death; baby, to put the baby to sleep on its back, and to keep the that remain unexplained after a thorough post mortem are or explained by non-infective causes such as heart defects. baby at a comfortable temperature with its head uncovered. usually registered as sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). “The bacteria in the unexplained cases were in almost the The rate of cot deaths has fallen by almost 75% since the Researchers looking into the recent connection made with same concentrations as in cases where the cause of death Reduce the Risk Campaign highlighting recommendations bacteria, caution that: “The link is merely an association. was determined as infection”, reported Rebecca Smith in to minimise the risk was launched in 1991. In 2005, there They cannot be sure that infections found during autopsy The Telegraph. The bugs included Staphylococcus aureus were 300 unexplained infant deaths in the UK. were what caused the deaths,” reports The Guardian. and Escherichia coli which can cause serious damage without showing any outward signs. The team from Great Ormond Street Hospital and the Useful links: Institute of Child Health undertook a review of post mortem Professor Nigel Klein, one of the research authors, believes Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths www.fsid.org.uk records of 500 babies at Great Ormond Street Hospital who that there could be three potential explanations for the and helpline 020 7233 209 had died unexpectedly between 1996 and 2005. result: coincidence, a role for bacteria causing the death, Child Bereavement Charity www.childbereavement.org.uk P.4 BREAST IS BEST IN BRIEF Multilingual babies HEADS UP Babies who hear foreign BUT WE ARE STILL NOT SURE WHY! speech in their first 9 months find it easier to Studies say: “Breast-fed children are brainier” and “Breast-feeding protects girl babies” learn languages at school, reports The Telegraph. New research into breast-feeding has hit the headlines in chest infections. In this study, the babies were premature Psychologists from Bristol “If breast milk two different studies to come out in the last few months. and from a low socio-economic group, but the results University found that a can trigger a “Breast-fed children are brainier” was the first to attract seemed to show that girls fared better. Dr Polack from the baby’s brain goes through media attention after 14,000 children in Belarus were John Hopkins Children’s Centre in Baltimore reports that a period of “programming” protective monitored over six and a half years.