IN THIS ISSUE Pull Out and Keep Places to Visit in 2020 Competitions Holiday Camp Directory What’s On Easter Family Fun Issue 11 Mar/Apr 2020 familiesonline.co.uk Hello readers FAMILY News I don’t know about you, but I am full of the joys of spring! There’s nothing better than seeing the nights get lighter and the weather get warmer (if only a little!). One of my favourite sights whilst out walking our dog Lottie, has got to be the emerging daffodils of the season. And let’s not forget that we also have Join the Fight Against Plastic with Easter to look forward to, that time when my husband and I are forced to help our boys out eating their chocolate Easter eggs the Great British Spring Clean as it would be totally unhealthy for them to consume ALL of Welcomethem…of course! This issue includes a brand-new feature – a double page pull- out and keep map for the region with our top attractions for families to visit in 2020. So, pull it out, mark off which ones you want to go to and pin it to the family notice board for easy future reference! As visiting attractions can get expensive, we’ve also included some of our favourite parks and playgrounds to visit in the region. Just look for the tree icon to find them on the map. Wishing you and your family a happy Easter and plenty of #familyfun springtime adventures. Editor, Families Newcastle Gateshead Magazine Get in touch 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 E – [email protected] Spring Clean from 20 March to 13 April. T – 07794909820 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 @FamiliesNGMag and about, cleaning up the environment on their doorstep. @FamiliesNGMag 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. @familiesngmag 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 what’s on? Where is Families Newcastle Gateshead? Families Newcastle Gateshead is distributed bi-monthly Circlulation: 17,000 throughout Newcastle & Deadline: Deadline for May/Jun 20 is early Apr 20 Gateshead. You can collect a Designed by: Anna Lawton FREE copy from the scores of Printed by: William Gibbons www.williamgibbons.co.uk outlets: schools, nurseries, play groups, clubs & classes, sports Families Newcastle Gateshead is part of Families Print Ltd, a franchise company. All franchised centres, libraries, family doctors magazines in the group are independently owned and operated under licence. Families is a registered & baby clinics and children’s trademark of LCMB Ltd, Remenham House, Regatta Place, Marlow Road, Bourne End, Bucks SL8 shops. If you would like to stock 5TD. The contents of Families Newcastle Gateshead are fully protected by copyright and none of copies please let us know. For the editorial or photographic matter may be reproduced in any form without prior consent of Families families from birth to twelve. Newcastle Gateshead. Every care is taken in the preparation of this magazine, but the franchise Read by over 34,000 local company, Families Print Ltd and Lifecycle Marketing cannot be held responsible for the claims of families 6 times a year. advertisers nor for the accuracy of the contents, or any consequence thereof. 2 Families Newcastle Gateshead familiesonline.co.uk Participate in British Over Half of Parents Having Fewer Toys Science Week Feel Lonely May Be Better 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, with nearly 37% of parents aged 18 to 24 often feeling a lack of companionship, compared to 21% of parents aged 25 to 34. 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 British Science Week is a 10 day celebration of science, study suggests. technology, engineering and maths which takes place from 6 to 15 March. Researchers at the University of Toledo in Ohio, US, recruited 36 toddlers and invited them to play in a room for The annual festival features fascinating, entertaining and half an hour, with either four toys, or sixteen toys. engaging events and activities across the UK, designed to Loneliness is most prevalent around the birth of a baby, appeal to families with children of all ages. They found that youngsters were far more creative when particularly if parents are unable to get out of the house they had fewer toys to play with. They also played with Your child can also enter the annual poster competition easily and when the children are older but haven’t yet each for twice as long, thinking up more uses for each toy and/or download a series of FREE activity packs at www. started school. and lengthening and expanding their games. britishscienceweek.org, filled with resources and ideas to Focus groups conducted by Coram Family and Childcare try out at home or school. The good news is these activities The authors of the study conclude that parents, schools revealed that parents felt the best way to combat loneliness and nurseries should pack away most of their toys and just don’t require parents to have a science background or buy and isolation is to meet other parents by participating in any expensive equipment. rotate a small number regularly, to encourage children to activities that their child will enjoy. become more creative and improve their attention spans. To find your local event or activity, visit www.sciencelive. More info: www.familyandchildcaretrust.org net More info: www.sciencedirect.com Kids’ Corner PICTURE CROSSWORD ANAGRAM Can you solve the picture clues and put them Can you unscramble the letters to in the crossword? 1 spell out the names of fi ve popular 3 book characters? 2 1. diatmla 1 3 4 2 2. pethorratyr 4 3. kteracyrebae 5 6 7 5 4. fgeelfryegh 8 5. lgpicnpskipgtooin 6 7 9 9 When you’re done, unscramble the circled letters to spell a special message! 4. Greg He ey 5. Pippi Longstocking. Message is: Happy Reading Happy is: Message Longstocking. Pippi 5. ey He Greg 4. [email protected] The answers are: 1. Matilda 2. Harry Potter 3. Tracey Beaker Beaker Tracey 3. Potter Harry 2. Matilda 1. are: answers The familiesonline.co.uk Families Newcastle Gateshead 3 uring the first three years of life, a baby’s brain is developing rapidly which is why this period contains so many critical milestones for their speech development. Interestingly, much of your baby’s speech development Early Years: Ddepends on your “baby talk” skills as well as those of your baby! The first “baby talk” is non-verbal and happens soon after birth. Babies grimace, cry, and squirm to express a range of emotions and physical needs, from fear to When hunger to frustration. It is important to listen to your baby’s different cries, work out what they mean and respond accordingly. At the age of 3 months, you’ll notice your baby listening to your voice, watching should my your face as you talk, and turning towards other voices, sounds and music. Before babies start talking, they are gathering information. That information eventually becomes the foundation of the first baby talk. And the best way for parents to help their babies make it to those first words – and thrive with child start language development in the months after – is to talk to them. At around 6 months of age, you’ll hear your baby begin to babble and coo, as they play around with different sounds. This “baby talk” is a happy, gentle, talking? repetitive, sing-song vocalisation sounds similar the world over, despite the language of a baby’s parents. By Andrew Campbell After 9 months of age, babies can say and understand a few basic words like “no” and “bye-bye.” They also may begin to use a wider range of consonant sounds and tones as they try out sounds and find their own voice. Babies may also be able to point to people, objects, and body parts you name for them. They repeat words or sounds they hear you say, like the last word in a sentence, but they often leave off endings or beginnings of words. For example, they may say “daw” for “dog” or “noo-noo’s” for “noodles.” Most babies say their first words sometime around their first birthday - possibly “mama” and “dada.” Now, importantly, they know what they are saying. They should also respond to -- or at least understand, if not obey - short, one-step requests like: “Please put that down.” Over the next six months, your baby will start to use language in a more recognisable way and you may start to hear them talking. You might find that initially only you and a few of your baby’s favourite people can make out what they’re saying though! By the age of 2 years, babies can string together short phrases of two to four words, such as “Mummy bye-bye” or “me milk.” They’re learning that words mean more than objects like “cup” - they also mean abstract ideas like “mine.” Over the course of the next year, your baby’s vocabulary expands rapidly, and “make-believe” play spurs an understanding of symbolic and abstract language like “now,” feelings like “sad,” and spatial concepts like “in.” Ideas to Encourage Talking The more words children hear, the more they learn.