Decluttering experts are often telling us to eradicate unused items from our homes. This includes large gadgets, particularly in the kitchen, which take up space on worktops or in cupboards and go virtually unused from one month (or even year) to the next. Worse, it can be tempting to buy […]

Reveal, Reinstate, Repurpose: The three Rs of forgotten, unloved gadgets

The popular mobile app which runs alongside CBeebies – Playtime Island – has just had a makeover, and now includes new games from their favourite characters. It’s live now on the Apple App Store and Google Play, and from next week on the Amazon Appstore. It includes three fun new […]

CBeebies Playtime Island app updated with new games and characters

Young kids, even toddlers, using mobile phone and tablet apps is considered by many to be fairly normal in today’s society. Developing apps for kids is becoming big business, and is definitely (if you’ll pardon the pun) a growth industry. Apps are often tied in with popular TV shows and […]

Keeping kids safe on mobile apps

The Honourable Kirstie (with an ie) Mary Allsopp, who was born into near-aristocracy and has been racing to the bottom ever since by trying to sound posh and knowing on property programmes and tat-to-decor ‘craft’ shows, has embroiled herself in a Twitter row about washing machines. Unaccustomed to the general […]

Tory property toff Kirstie Allsopp dishonours herself as she washes ...

Last week the BBC announced it will be pushing an additional £34m over the next three years into children’s programmes, content and related services. The Corporation is hailing it as the biggest investment in children’s TV in a generation. While the majority of the budget will continue to be spent […]

BBC to pump extra £34m into next 3 years of ...

OK, I apologise in advance for that rather grandiose title. However, a recent research piece from the BBC Terrific Scientific Sleep Investigation—in partnership with the University of Oxford—suggests 9-11 year-old children have the best reactions in the afternoon. Thousands of British school children aged 9-11 took part in the experiment, […]

Kids’ sleep investigation could alter primary teaching methods

I think I may have reached my complaints quota for the year – or possibly even the entire duration of primary school education. By nature, I am not a public complainer. I’m a British introvert and don’t like uncomfortable situations, atmospheres or rocking boats. Despite this, over the past decade […]

Return to being British, gently seething while not complaining

I don’t know if times have changed since I was at school in the 1970s and ’80s, or if my memory has simply failed, but I don’t recall a culture of gift-giving to teachers in the summer, as each academic year drew to a close. Nowadays it seems to be […]

Should I get my child’s teacher a gift?

The countdown is on to the summer holidays. 46 Days of Summer 21 July – 4 September 2017 I am determined this year is going to be a good one. The main concepts: No ‘going away’ holiday due to work commitments and finances, but build in regular trips and events. […]

Summer Holiday 2017 live blog

For most parents in Britain, this is about the time when they start panicking about the impending 6+ week school summer holiday about to descend on them. (Parents in Scotland get this joy about a month earlier and – at time of writing – are already in the middle of […]

How am I going to survive the summer holidays? Help!

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You’re a good parent and you’re keen to learn about the latest and greatest mobile apps, software, Internet services and online communication tools so you can keep your kids safe and secure without being seen as over-protective or overbearing. Yet you keep reading things in the mainstream media about phone […]

Snapchat: What it is and how to keep your kids ...