You are currently browsing the archives for September 2009.

Is Intelligence Genetic?

  • September 29, 2009 8:25 pm

One of the most commonly asked questions amongst parents is is intelligence related to nature or nurture? Research carried out over the last few decades, has convinced psychologists that genes play a large part in determining our intelligence levels. It is estimated that as much as 50% of the variation may inherited. A research team, lead by Robert Plomin at the Institute of Psychiatry in London found that a link existed between a specific gene and high intelligence.

Personally I think that the child’s environment plays a far bigger role in their intelligence than genetics purely because if you are willing to put in the time and the effort with the child then they can become very intelligent without necessarily having the gene that is supposed to be linked to intelligence. You can play with them and offer them opportunities to experience new things to give you some ideas see the articles Toys that could enhance your child’s development,Can you enhance your child’s development?,and finally just to prove that it doesn’t have to be expensive seeentertaining your child on a budget. Well I hope that this helps clarify the situation.

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Anti-depressant pregnancy risk

  • September 28, 2009 7:38 pm

Research has shown that in 20% of pregnant women suffer from depression of these 1% of these children have a small but important increased risk of heart defects. Although the overall risk is very low and women should speak to doctors before stopping their drugs. It is worth pointing out that if you have taken antidepressants a specialist scan is sometimes offered to check your baby’s heart and that there are other treatments that don’t require the use of drugs.

It is not all doom and gloom if your baby does have a heart defect as some spontaneously resolve without medical intervention. Speaking as a mother who took anti depressants during the first trimester I can assure you that this risk is very small so there is no need to launch into a major panic. As long as the professionals involved in your care are aware that you have/are taking the antidepressants, they will take this into consideration when deciding on the best plan of action.

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Baby Yoga

  • September 24, 2009 8:30 am

The word yoga means “union” in Sanskrit, the language used in ancient India where yoga originated from. What is usually referred to as “yoga” can be more accurately described by the Sanskrit word asana, which refers to the practice of physical postures or poses. Asana is only one small part of yoga; which can be divided into eight “limbs”, the majority of which are more concerned with mental and spiritual well being than physical activity.

We all know that as we age we lose flexibility, however there are a few stretches that you can do with your baby to help them maintain supple joints and also helps develop a wider range of movement.

1.Hand to Foot – With this excercise you take one of your baby’s hands and tickle the sole of the opposite foot with their fingers. Then repeat with the other hand and foot.

2.Scissors – With your baby lying on your lap, cross their arms at their chest then alternate with the opposite arm on top.

3.The Bicycle – Move your baby’s legs like they are pedaling a bike. This is great for promoting flexible hip and knee joints, it’s also great for relieving colic.

4Good morning, little feet – Cross your baby’s legs over her tummy, alternating so the other leg is on top. Then holding your baby’s ankle move their foot towards their mouth allow the knee to bend. This exercise is great for opening out the hip and maintaining hip and leg flexibility

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Getting your child into school

  • September 21, 2009 8:01 pm

For those of you who are wondering how to sort out which school you’re sending your child to here is a handy guide to help:

      Request prospectuses for several schools
      Select 3 from these and order them according to preference
      1 Year before your child is due to start school you will receive the paperwork to apply to your top 3 schools
      Your Local Authority then uses a criteria to decide who gets in to each school

The criteria used to determine who gets a place is:

  • Children who live within the catchment area
  • Children who have siblings at the school
  • Children who live out of the catchment area

Obviously this is a simplified version of the process but it pretty much covers the basics. My advice is to start looking before you receive the paperwork. My daughter is 2 and I have started looking into which school to send her to as there are a few schools which have nurseries attached to the school and so if I decide to send her to 1 of those it makes sense to send her to the nursery. However I must stress that even if your child attends the nursery/preschool that does not guarantee your child a place at the school.

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Teach our kids to cook

  • September 21, 2009 2:40 pm

According to a PCP poll 63% of parents want kitchens in state schools so children can be taught how to cook. Andy Powell said: “Parents quite rightly want the best learning environment for their children and that includes facilities that in the past have only been available in the country’s private schools. If designed and managed correctly, with a clear vision and with dedicated staff and sponsors, new-build academies offer an opportunity to give pupils the type of learning they need, using the right facilities.”

In the 2006 Budget, Gordon Brown set out a goal to raise state school spending per pupil from £5,000 a year to the independent sector average of £8,000. The Department for Children, Schools and Families said: “Schools in England have never had such massive, sustained investment in facilities – with an eight-fold real terms rise between 1997 and 2011. Around 4,000 schools and tens of thousands of classrooms have been newly built, rebuilt or largely refurbished thanks to our £36bn capital over the last 12 years. We are committed to rebuilding or refurbishing the entire secondary school estate and half of all primary schools – giving parents, teachers and pupils outstanding classroom, music and sports facilities.”

Personally I think that this is a great idea as children should enjoy cooking and if you introduce cooking from an early age it doesn’t seem quite so intimidating and you are then able to aquire a broader range of skills in the kitchen. It may also help to reduce obesity as children will be taught how to prepare healthy snacks and meals. It may also reduce the number of adults that rely on ready meals as they don’t know how to make simple meals such as bangers and mash.

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Familes miss out on free school meals

  • September 1, 2009 7:35 pm

Statistics suggest that approximately one fifth of low-income families don’t check to find out if they are eligible for free school meals. According to the School Food Trust, families are missing out on benefits worth approximately £700 per year. It is thought that many parents simply do not know that they can claim.

The number of families that qualify has increased since the increase in unemployment due to the recession The Trust urge any parent to check with their school or local council and start claiming what’s theirs. There appears to be some confusion with parents who work part time thinking that they don’t qualify. It has also been suggested that parents might not want their children to feel stigmatised by being identified as coming from a low-income family.

There are plans to overcome this by changing the system in order to make it impossible for the peers to tell who has what. It is worth stressing that there is no shame in accepting what it rightfully yours if you are entitled to it

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