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Dear Daisy, It is your first day at school...

How important is colour in a child’s early life?*


Learning starts from the moment we’re born. But stimulating a child’s mind and helping them develop their awareness are crucial to ensuring that they absorb as much as possible in the early years.

So, what part does learning about colour play in benefiting your child’s development and how can you help them along the way?

Colour and children’s learning


Colour and children’s learning 

A baby is born with monochrome vision. Until around eight months when their colour vision is fully developed, an infant is unable to distinguish the difference between colours. However, by ages three or four, a child can recognise basic shades — and frequent exposure can help strengthen this skill.

The advantages of learning about colours

From around eight months, it’s a good idea to start surrounding a baby with multiple colours to help them recognise and differentiate between various shades. This can help them make colour connections early on in life and experts have said that showing patterns to a baby is important, as it provides visual and cognitive stimulation.

While distinguishing between basic colours is important, it’s also beneficial to expose young children to different shades (e.g. navy and sky blue). Learning these allows children to recognise significant visual hues — such as red as a code for danger. It is useful outside of the curriculum too — for example; knowing the difference between a red and a blue coloured tap.

Once a child can identify different colours, they then should learn how to describe and write it — which improves their speaking and writing skills. Describing an object without saying its colour is difficult!

Aside from education, studies have suggested that colour can affect emotional well being, productivity and behaviour. Some experts claim that:
Blue: encourages creativity and relaxation — but if overused, it can bring the mood down.
Orange: promotes critical thinking and memory retention.
Yellow: boosts mood and excites a child (because of its vibrant appearance).

Considering the right colour for a classroom can also help the teacher, as it can create the ideal atmosphere for controlling a class and raising mood and productivity. Research has shown that colours are more memorable than monochrome too — a bright and colourful classroom makes new learning experiences stick in the mind.

Ways you can help teach kids about colours 

Playground canopies and parasols make excellent props for a fun, visual lesson in colour without the children even realising. Place them over areas of a playground where they’ll catch the sun to create different colourful patterns for the children to enjoy. Pupils can trace shadows of the patterns on the floor with chalk and learn how they move with the sun throughout the day.
If you’re teaching very young children, sensory development is the foundation for all other learning, and you can encourage this with colourful toys and play mats. Research has also highlighted the importance of messy play — where children can take part in unstructured play and get their hands dirty! Let them play with brightly coloured foodstuff, such as jelly, and develop their fine motor skills, too.

These easy and effective lessons will work to boost colour development and help improve the learning of other areas.

Sources
https://www.houzz.com.au/ideabooks/45115534/list/the-importance-of-colour-during-your-childs-early-years
http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/baby/education-play/how-colour-can-affect-your-babys-development-20160725-gqdk1c
https://www.color-meanings.com/color-psychology-child-behavior-and-learning-through-colors/
http://www.infiniteplaygrounds.co.uk/colourful-classrooms/ 


*PR Collaboration

Magic Unicorns Supa Bag | Cosatto Changing Bag Review*


Changing bags are something I had never even noticed before having Daisy, never mind thought about. When I was expecting Daisy I bought an oil cloth bag (think Cath Kidston style but cheaper) with a pretty floral print, it was on trend back then and it suited me. It didn't have any useful pockets though or dividers so rooting around finding things was a bit troublesome and frustrating but I could wipe it clean and well, it was cheap. It didn't last too long but it did me that first year pretty much.

Magic Unicorns Supa Bag | Cosatto Changing Bag Review*

With Alex I decided on a nice rucksack, a leather one. It was actually just a handbag I picked up off ASOS. Again it did me the job just fine but once again it wasn't designed to carry about all paraphernalia that comes with a baby AND a toddler! But it did mean I had my hands free.

I had never really come across these beautiful bags by Cosatto before. I knew of their gorgeous, bright pushchairs and travel systems and although I didn't personally have one I always admired the prints and part of me wished I had been more daring and just gone for it. When I bought Daisy's next stage car seat I had to have the flamingo print, because well, why wouldn't I?

When I was upgrading Alex from his crib and looking at Cotbeds for sale from Kiddies Kingdom  I noticed they were for sale there too. You can pick up various designs from online fairly easily.

Cath Kidston bag review

The bag has some useful pockets inside which you could store dummies and things in easily, or your car keys maybe! That is what I have used mine for, that and my lip balm, the two things I was forever losing at the bottom of my huge changing bag that felt like Mary Poppins' bag! This design is the Supa change bag in Magic Unicorns. The bag itself also comes with a fold-able changing mat inside it which is so handy!

Cosatto unicorn

Hayley x



*PR Collaboration. Samples provided but all my own opinions

2018 Travel Bucket List*


If you read this blog regularly then It will come as no surprise to you that as a family we love to travel and get out and about. It is what we choose to spend our money on and how we spend quality time together.  It doesn't have to be abroad to anywhere fancy, to me travel could be to a local beach for the weekend for camping. It can be simply getting away from the norm, the daily grinds of routine and home life.

2018 Travel Bucket List*


So for this coming new year we are aiming to get away at least every 3 months,  Obviously in the summer we will be doing our camping trips again so we should be going more often then but in these chilly months I'm not so sure. We tend to have a holiday (or 2) to somewhere further afield, I have been busy scouring the internet for ideas and websites such as Destination2.co.uk destinations page for some more inspiration. If money really was no option then I would be heading straight back to the Caribbean, I haven't been since having the children and would love to take them one day.

I obviously have several other locations that would be right at the TOP of my list:


  • Lapland - Need I say more?
  • See the northern lights - again I don't think I need to allberate
  • An  American Road trip - One I would save for when the children have grown up a bit (or maybe left home!!!)


We already have a city break planned for Berlin straight after Christmas and a big family holiday for a wedding later in the year to Skiathos. It is always nice to have things booked in advance so you have dates to work towards, something to look forward to.

2017 was a great year for travel for us with quite a few trips ticked off. Not as many camping trips as we would have liked but we can blame the glorious, British weather for that.

Lake garda with kids


We have lots of exciting ideas and plans we want to look into so watch this space! I am actually really intrigued by ski holidays, having never been on a snowy holiday before I'm really excited to look into it, possibly next year/ start of 2019.

Hayley x

*PR Collaboration

I couldn't have done it alone... #Thankyoumidwife


Both of my labours were amazing. Intense. Terrifying. But Magical. Something about birth just makes me think it is magic, what us women go through to get our babies in to the world safely is nothing short of a miracle. I read recently on a forum and with the research that Pampers are sharing that 1 out of 3 midwives feel under appreciated. That is at least one third of midwives. Which really saddens me.

I couldn't have done it alone... #Thankyoumidwife


With Daisy's labour it was a long process, a home birth that went on so long that ended up in consultant care with intervention after intervention. The process was long and painful, after a few moments of craziness where I fell unconscious and Daisy's heartbeat dropped we had consultants in and out, a midwife sat next to me at all times and always the threat of theatre which kept cropping back up! But they never left me. And then when it came to the actual delivery, it was all hands on deck. A full room of people there to look after me and my baby. And after a slightly traumatic hour or so we had our baby and felt safe. The reactions those incredible people made no doubt saved my daughter, they deliver her safe and well. As was I. A little sore, but safe.

With Alex his labour was crazy for different reasons. It was fast, I was expecting another 36 hour labour. Instead I was given probably less than 2 hours, I can't be sure, it whizzed by too fast! He pretty much helped himself out in to the world, he wasn't waiting for anyone. The midwife and the assistant in that day were just perfect. They knew how to treat me, look after me and reassure me throughout it and afterwards. When you're feeling so vulnerable after, after losing ALLLLLLL the dignity and having what feels like your whole body put back together that feeling of being cared for is priceless. And I will never forget those midwives and ladies who helped me during those labours.

Pampers is asking everyone to thank their midwives using the hashtag #ThankYouMidwife  and tagging @PampersUKIre on Facebook, @Pampers_UK on twitter and @pampersworld on Instagram. Every time a personal thank you is shared towards a specific midwife and/or hospital using the hashtag and tagging the brand across the relevant social media platform, Pampers will donate £1 to the Benevolent Fund of the Royal College of Midwives. Up to a maximum of £25,000 to the Royal College of Midwives.

So please join in and share your #ThankYouMidwife story and don’t forget to tag Pampers on Facebook (@PampersUKIRE) or on Twitter (@Pampers_UK), and #Pampers so we can get as much money as possible donated to the Royal College of Midwives Trust. Together maybe we can start to make them feel appreciated!