Five Minute Mum

 I've been doing Grandma Duties this week. On Monday I looked after baby Jess whilst Liz collected Rosie from school [they cycle together] I set up a simple afterschool activity on the kitchen table using Ro's vast collection of tiny plastic animals, some Duplo, and some Kinetic Sand

Rosie worked out what to do and happily found all the cars and dogs and put them in their allocated places. And didn't really notice she was getting extra practice at reading and counting 

I made this game up myself. But if you need inspiration for activities with young children, Liz recommends this one. Daisy Upton is a mum of two and former classroom assistant. Her principle is that even a five minutes activity spent with small children will give them joy [and a few moments of  peace for their busy carers] 

This book is teeming with great ideas and simple activities - and most just need simple stuff already in the toybox or the kitchen. Daisy is a great encourager, assuaging the unnecessary guilt which some young Mums feel [she says - remember this is NOT a competition, you ARE NOT a teacher]

Daisy's  second book is aimed at children who are at school - with clear explanations of phonics terminology for confused parents, so they can have a clear idea about the projects involving words and reading. 

I am aware that doing such activities with children has been a huge part of my life - but never think that because you aren't a "professional" you can't make a significant difference to the way the children around you learn and grow. 

I know Liz and Ro have really enjoyed trying out the ideas in this book - and I'm happy to endorse Liz's recommendation - a good present for parents, grandparents, and anyone else who has to keep the children occupied sometimes!

Three days in London is always fun - on Tuesday I pushed the buggy to school in the afternoon, and found one area cordoned off, as they were filming the new 6-part TV series "Trigger Point" starring Vicky McClure [Line of Duty etc] I didn't see VC herself - but many of the cast were inside The Ship pub, having their make-up done, and there were loads of "police cars" getting ready for "an incident" to be filmed. This looks like it should be worth watching