Of course, it is also important that young ones are very carefully supervised around swimming pools, which is another reason why it is a good idea for parents to join in too and not just leave them to it. If kids behave themselves then there is no reason to think that swimming pools can be dangerous, but as all parents know, children cannot always be trusted to do what they are told.

Parents not only have a responsibility to watch their children around the swimming pool but to teach them the right way to behave around any water. Many swimming pools have posters forbidding people from diving in the shallow end, running around the edge of the pool and other activities which could easily end in disaster; parents should highlight these unacceptable behaviours to their own children to make sure that they and others are kept safe.

Siblings will often fight with each other. On dry land, this is an annoyance but near a swimming pool this could end up being dangerous. Pushing and fighting could see a child who cannot swim fall into the deep end or hit their head as they tumble; make sure your children understand exactly why that kind of behaviour will not be tolerated when you go to your local pool.

Teaching a child to swim is one of the most important skills you can give to your kids, but even when young ones have moved beyond needing armbands they will still need close supervision until they are confident swimmers. It can be difficult to keep a close eye on your youngest while your older children are clamouring for your attention to, but make sure you do not take your eyes off them for a second.

There are practical things to teach your children about safety in swimming pools too. As well as basics like not running around the edge, make sure that they always shower before going into the water and keep an eye for little fingers and toes wandering into the drains at the edge. Kids are always attracted by intriguing holes, but they can easily get trapped or hurt if they play with these drains.

Swimming should always be fun otherwise children will soon get tired of going and go back to playing their computer games. However, your family’s safety is much more important than doing what the kid want so that they have a good time.If your children really enjoy their swimming sessions but you are having trouble keeping them under control, you could always try threatening to stop their pool visits to see if that makes them behave.

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New Year resolutions social media and Channel 4

We all enter a new year armed with various resolutions; get a better job, eat healthier, give up smoking etc, but in reality sticking to these can be an absolute nightmare. In a recent poll held for Channel 4, it was revealed that 95% of us make a new years resolution, and whilst saving money and getting fit are the most popular, over 50% abandon their resolution after only a month.

More than 50% of those surveyed said that sharing a resolution with other was motivating, so those 95% who made one should be interested in the new Channel 4 initiative that uses the power of both peer support and social media to help people to achieve their resolutions.

New Year Revolution http://revolution.channel4.com/ is a 31-day challenge that features fun and provocative daily missions from Channel 4’s new TV presenters including and the trainers at Fat Fighters. The public can choose from 3 New Year revolutions: ‘get fit’, ‘save money’ and ‘try something new’, then every day for the 31 days of January a specific mission is set by the relevant TV presenter, e.g. Mrs Moneypenny from Supercrimpers if you choose the ‘save money’ revolution.

The public will be able to follow their progress as each daily mission completed will end up on a personalised online ‘Wall of Achievement’. There is potential for internet stardom too as some users will be featured on the New Year Revolution homepage if they are the first to complete a revolution or upload great content.

The challenge is fully integrated into Twitter and Facebook which allows your social networks to see what you’re up to and offer encouragement. Users will be encouraged with videos clips from each presenter and will be able to tweet and post a message on Facebook about their completed mission, as well as uploading clips to YouTube.

Celebrity New Year Resolutions

Kourtney Kardashian

“To push the limits a little more when it comes to fashion design.” Her personal — and perhaps more challenging — goal: “Be nicer to Scott!”

Rizzle Kicks

“Stop being a prick”

Kelly Osbourne

“Every year I’ve had a New Year’s resolution, I haven’t stuck to it. I’d say, ‘I’m not going to eat this’ — or ‘I’m going I’m going to be vegetarian.’ Then it was vegan, and that made me sick! For me it’s about staying positive and focusing on the now and not the past. You can’t change what happened — I try to take a lesson learned and turn it into a positive.”

Natasha Bedingfield

“I’m very excited because I’m hopefully going to get my driver’s license — that’s been a resolution every year! So finally this is the year, and for my birthday I’m getting a car!”

Jessica Biel

The New Year’s Eve star admits, “I’d like to learn another language. But I say that every year — I’ve said that for about 12 years now!”

Delta Goodrem

“I am really looking forward to the next year. [I want] good health and happiness, and enjoy playing music and being around my friends.”

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People clear out the clutter for charity this festive season

Hair dryers, DIY equipment, foot spas and electric kettles; perfect Christmas gifts or complete turkeys. Fortunately for us, this Christmas all who visit www.preloved.co.uk can quickly turn their unwanted presents into raising money for Action for Children, the leading children’s charity. All this can be done in comfort in their own home too, so they won’t miss a second of Downton Abbey or Coronation Street.

www.preloved.co.uk is the biggest independent website selling second hand goods in the UK, and they have teamed up with Action for Children to encourage us to clear out our  unwanted clutter this festive season and help to raise the vital funds needed to support some of the most neglected and vulnerable young people and children.

A new charitable campaign, ‘Clear out the Clutter and take Action for Children’, will see Preloved donate £1 to Action for Children for every person who places a FREE advert on the website at http://www.preloved.co.uk/actionforchildren. The campaign will start on Boxing Day and run for an entire month until 31^st January.

With the website attracting millions of visitors each month as one of the UK’s most popular classified advertising sites, it is hoped that ‘Clear out the Clutter and take Action for Children’ can generate thousands of pounds for Action for Children.

Ian Buzer, Managing Director of Preloved, said, “This is a win-win campaign for anyone who wants to get rid of a Christmas present that might not be to their taste, or start the New Year with a good clear out and turn their clutter into cash. For every new or existing member who takes out a FREE advert on our site it will trigger a £1 donation to Action for Children, so this is a great way to advertise unwanted items for absolutely nothing, make some extra money and raise funds for such an important UK charity.”

Emilia Carman, Head of High Value Fundraising at Action for Children, said, “This campaign is perfect for Action for Children; encouraging people to recycle is good for the environment and something we are happy to promote, and by getting a donation for every person who creates an advert, it will enable us to continue our aim of being there for the most disadvantaged, vulnerable and neglected children and young people in the UK for as long as it takes.”

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There are plenty of shows for adults to enjoy in the West End, with a wide range of plays on offer, but what about the kids? What shows can the children enjoy so that they can witness the magic of the West End from an early age? With Christmas around the corner it’s time to look at the range of children’s shows that are lined up for the season, which prove that the West End has something for all the family.

It wouldn’t be Christmas without The Gruffalo and the show is set to returns to the capital once again this year, giving theatre tickets-holders a chance to witness Mouse as he concocts the story of the Gruffalo and then finds himself face to face with his ‘creation’. This year there’s also The Sooty Christmas Show at the Garrick Theatre, in addition to Santa Claus and the Christmas Adventure and the usual classics like The Snowman at the Peacock Theatre.

So make sure you pick up box office tickets for the wide range of children’s shows that stand-out in the West End this Christmas.

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Dubit Research , the specialists in youth media have studied the popularity of those toys which are based on the online virtual worlds, and as well as looking at Mind Candy’s Moshi Monsters and Disney’s Club Penguin, they studied Poptropica, Webkinz and Build-a-Bearville.

The study involved 500 children, and a staggering 55% of them were found to own a toy from at least one of the online games. Disney’s Club Penguin proved to be the most popular, with 32% of the kids owning a branded toy from this online world. Club Penguin first launched in 2005 and now has 150m members that are registered globally, and has also spawned a range of video games and books.

Each of the toys sold are connected to their virtual world courtesy of a code they are packaged with which allows different items to be unlocked in the respective virtual world.

Moshi Monsters, whose plush toys and Mini Moshling Treehouse are expected to be among the most popular toys for Christmas this year, was a close second. The study showed that even before Christmas a quarter of UK children already own a Moshi Monster or a Moshling (a Moshi pet). Since launching in 2008 Moshi Monsters has gone on to accumulate 50m registered users, with one in three British children believed to be a member. Even with the publishing industry struggling The Moshi Magazine, launched in February, has accumulated the largest circulation of any UK children’s magazine.

As a comparison with toys related to kid’s TV shows, the research shows that just as many children own Club Penguin toys as they do toys based on Dr Who. Furthermore, Moshi Monster toys are more popular (25%) than toys based on the cartoon Ben 10 (20%), and only marginally less than popular than Spongebob Square Pants (29 per cent).*

Interestingly, toys from virtual worlds are gender-neutral, with equal popularity across boys and girls.

73 per cent of the children questioned had played at least one of these online games, with half having played Club Penguin and 47 per cent stating that they’d played Moshi Monsters.

Dubit’s head of research, Peter Robinson, commented: “Children are spending more time playing in virtual worlds and now those worlds are becoming part of their offline playtime.

“Today’s kids are platform agnostic and don’t care where their favourite stories and characters come from. It used to be the case that books or TV shows launched characters and toys, but now online entertainment is proving just as important.”

*Research into children’s TV shows was carried out in October for Toy News.

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The Meccano Creative Challenge will be an integral part of qualifying for the Beaver and Cub creativity badge. Beavers and Cubs will have to complete several creative challenges exclusively using Meccano, and these will include creating models that are personalised, unique and individual.

Beavers and Cubs are also eligible to enter the Building Britain with Meccano challenge which is a nationwide event. This will involve both designing and building an iconic local British landmark such as Blackpool Tower or the Angel of the North.

All those who participate will be invited to attend the Beaver/Cub fun day which is to be held in June 2012 at Gilwell Park and their models will be placed in position on a ginat map of the whole of the British Isles. A star prize will be awarded to the pack or colony whose model is deemed to be the best by the Judge Sue Barrett, who is the country manager for Meccano Uk Ltd.

Sue Barratt, Country Manager, Meccano Toys (UK) Ltd, says: “The Scout Association is a perfect fit for Meccano. Our brands are valued and trusted so the fit is excellent. Our mission is to promote traditional play that encourages children to stretch their imagination. The other beauty of Meccano is the collaborative qualities that it brings. Parents can join in with their children, in the same way that leaders and peers can work together to make ever more creative constructions.

“To celebrate our partnership with The Scout Association, we are launching the ‘Building Britain with Meccano’ competition for Beaver and Cub groups across the country. When groups register to attend the Beaver/Cub Fun Day at Gilwell Park in June 2012, they will be invited to take part. Entry is on a first come first served basis. Each successful entrant will receive a supply of Meccano from which they will construct their model of a local landmark.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity to work towards a badge and to enter a competition which could see them winning piles of Meccano prizes.”

Simon Carter, Assistant Director, the Scout Association said “The Meccano partnership is a great fit with Scouting. The Scout Movement encourages young boys and girls to be creative in all that they do. Meccano provides the perfect tool to harness the creative thoughts and ideas contained within every Cub Scout.”

See Meccano at www.meccanouk.co.uk join www.facebook.com/MeccanoToys or follow us at www.twitter.com/meccano_uk

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Educational Learning Limited new games offer family fun with bite

Basildon in Essex is the home of the new company named Educational Learning Limited, who are taking great pleasure in launching two card games that are both educational and exciting. The names of these games are ‘Wildcat’ and ‘Dinohistoria’.

These games are both fun and entertaining as are also educational as they help with literacy, numeracy, memory recall, colour recognition, as well as helping to develop interpersonal and social skills. Wildcat also supports those key skills of exploring and observing, while Dinohistoria also shows a geological timescale.

These games are great fun for both children and adults to play, and whatever the age the players will find them both entertaining and interesting. The Anglia Ruskin University has evaluated Wildcat by getting children to play it and the excellent feedback states that it has the potential of underpinning the school curriculum and will work well in primary schools where it was tested.

They then evaluated Dinohistoria whose feedback is just as good, they said that although it was a different game in the way that it played and the information it gave, it still gave similar benefits to Wildcat. Top Toys have also evaluated them and given them a ‘recommended’ award. They stated that both girls and boys enjoyed the games, particularly when it came to comparing facts.

Family and friends will ‘roar’ with success, learning details about animals, past and present as well as have fun while playing these entertaining educational games.

Wildcat (4 suits) has 3 levels of play, using actual licensed photographs and has facts about the cats from around the world.

Dinohistoria (5 suits) has 56 vivid illustrations licensed by the Picture Library of the Natural History Museum, London, (including over 30 dinosaurs, many of them familiar) covering the period from 4.6 billion years to 10,000 years ago, with details about them too.

Additional games can be played from Age 5+, Pairs, Snap, King of the Jungle, The Big Cat game and Roar of the Dinosaurs, as listed on the company’s website, www.educationallearning.co.uk , whilst the actual games are for Ages 7+.

Adults enjoy the games too and play them with children which will also enhance enjoyment and learning.

Jeffrey Goodwin Director says  “All of my life I have enjoyed playing and designing games which always had a competitive and/or educational value.  In 2006 after major heart surgery I decided to bring out games to a high quality specification with the following benefits: Fun and entertaining; High quality pictures; No-one knocked out of games; Good educational value which the whole family would enjoy. I formed Educational learning Limited and have further games in pipeline, including board games and those to help with languages.”

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There are two names synonymous with the sport of swimming; Michael Phelps and Speedo. Now they have joined forces for a great new campaign from the world famous swimwear manufacturer to get everyone to tell the story of their own unforgettable swim.

All swimmers have one, the unforgettable swim where everything goes perfectly and you come out of the water feeling on top of the world. It could be absolutely anything; you first unassisted length during swimming lessons, a marathon swim for charity or a competitive swim which sees you leave the water as champion.

Speedo has released a video featuring the Baltimore Bullet and winner of 9 Olympic Gold medals, Michael Phelps. He describes, in his own words, how when he was a kid of 7 he was frightened to put his face in the water, and how, when he got past that, he became a world record breaker at 15 and went on to become the phenomenal swimmer that he is known as today.

Speedo wants to know all about your own unforgettable swim, and the link beneath the video will take you straight to the website where you can tell the world about your own special moment and also read everyone else’s. You can choose to upload a video if you want, or just tell your story alongside a photo of yourself.

They are called unforgettable swims for a reason, they can instantly be recalled and create a memory that stays with you forever. So don’t keep your story to yourself, tell Speedo, and everyone else, about your own unforgettable swim.

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Halloween will include Apple Bobbing for Britain!

This years Halloween could give a much needed boost to both children’s health and to the British economy. That old adage of an apple a day keeping the doctor away has an element of truth buried in that hackneyed expression, The British grown Rubens Apple are particularly gaining prominence for their dietary and nutritional benefits for both adults and children, as well as being a great healthy snack when your on the move.

Advances in apple growing techniques combined with bumper crops have really put the British apple back on the map, and by offering the trick or treaters that come to your door a Rubens apple you will be helping them to eat a healthy diet, instead of encouraging them to gorge themselves on the pile of sweets they normally collect.

The health and nutritional benefits of apples include acting as a preventative medicine for our bodies, making it even more important that these great British fruits become part of our staple diets.

Health Benefits Include:

• Cholesterol levels can be reduced by up to 16% by eating 2 apples a day. Pectin in Apples is associated with lowering LDL (Low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol.
• One apple a day provides the same amount of fibre as a bowl of bran cereal
• High levels of antioxidants found in apples can be beneficial to lowering levels of lung cancer and other cancers.
• Apples included in a daily diet can also build a good defence against osteoporosis through trace elements of boron
• Apples have also been shown to have beneficial effects against diabetes and help in promoting weight loss through their fat burning qualities

The apple’s association with Halloween also goes back into history with apple bobbing being one of the customary party games dating back to at least the 18^th century. And this year bobbing for British apples can be a fun a nutritional game which also benefits the economy.

This year more British apples will be vying with imported varieties for prominence with a new British grown apple variety, the Rubens, (voted Britain’s tastiest apple for two years running) taking part in the spooky festivities. The Rubens apple will join other British favourites as part of the festive fun ensuring that children could receive a tasty treat and not be tricked into cheap low nutritional value sweets.

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Blackpool Zoo gets into the Halloween mood

Halloween is being fully embraced this year by Blackpool Zoo and there are many ghostly activities that are going on. Half term will be filled with fun activities for children which include pumpkin carving, which will be happening at the Children’s Farm every morning.

Once they have carved their pumpkin out they are able to fill it with treats for the animals at the zoo, they will then be able to go around the various enclosures and offer the animals treats.

Pumpkin hunts are also going on everyday and children will have to go around all the animal enclosures to discover all of the pumpkins. In addition to these special Halloween activities there will also be all the usual events going on, this includes being able to learn about the animals as well as feed them. Children will also be able to interact with the animals in the Children’s Farm.

The marketing coordinator for the zoo is Jude Rothwell and she has said, “The events being run by the zoo this half term ensure that children will have an enjoyable day out. At Blackpool Zoo there is something for the whole family to enjoy.” For those who want to find out more about the activities that are taking place during the half term week then they can visit: www.blackpoolzoo.org.uk. Booking online will also entitle you to a ten percent discount.

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