Let Me Play With The Box Tube Toys! A fantastic concept by By Oscar Diaz

It's often said that if you give children a new toy, they will often start to play with the packaging!

Well, what if the packaging is actually a part of the toy?

The last edition of New York International Gift Fair in February 2012 saw London designer Oscar Diaz presenting Tube Toys, a series of vehicles to assemble were the packaging is also a part of the product.

Each Tube Toys comes with components such as stickers and wheels inside the cardboard tube that becomes the body of the car, fire engine, train or tractor, with pre-cut slots for easy assembly.

All components are recycled or recyclable and only the paper strip round the outside is discarded. In reducing considerably the amount of material discarded after buying it, Tube Toys is definitely an eco friendly toy.

The full range is available at eco concept store www.e-side.co.uk - Available until the end of February

Retail Price £10.50 each tube.

Own A Colour Charity Initiative Raises Over £85,000 In First Six Weeks

Thousands of people from across the globe have been united by colour in an effort to raise crucial funds for UNICEF, the world’s leading children’s organisation. So far the Own A Colourwebsite, which offers the chance for everyone to buy their own personal colour for a minimum donation of at least £1 per colour, has generated £85,964.

A number of high profiles celebrities have bought colours to support UNICEF as well as spreading the word on Twitter. UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Sir Roger Moore named a shade of blue ‘Swedish Blue’ after his wife’s homeland and the colour of the Swedish flag. UNICEF UK Ambassador Jemima Khan also opted for a shade of blue which she named ‘CFC Blue’ for her son, who’s a big fan of Chelsea Football Club, and renowned entrepreneur and fellow UNICEF UK Ambassador Duncan Bannatyne stayed true to his Scottish roots with ‘Scottish Saltire Blue’.

The global Own A Colour fundraising initiative, which is being powered by Dulux, has also received considerable support on Twitter. An estimated 10,000 people from all over the world have been tweeting about Own A Colour, including influential tweeter and actor Stephen Fry as well as ex-prime minister’s wife and charity campaigner Sarah Brown, who has in excess of 1.6 million followers.

In total 12,213 colours from the world’s biggest ever colour palette have been sold so far, bought by people spanning 84 countries and reaching as far as Argentina, China, Indonesia and New Zealand. Globally, the most popular colour is pink, which has made up 11 % of all colour purchases.

Michael Newsome, Director of Fundraising at UNICEF UK said, “We are delighted with the amount of money raised so far. Each and every colour purchased will help UNICEF to transform a child’s life. There are still 16,765,003 colours left and with Christmas approaching, I urge you to get onto www.ownacolour.com and show your support.”

Matt Pullen, Marketing Director Dulux UK said, “Own A Colour has really captured people’s imaginations and united people across the globe with colour and with the mission of transforming children’s lives. We hope this success will continue especially with Christmas around the corner… what better gift than buying a friend or loved one a colour which will ultimately help a child’s life?”

Visit www.ownacolour.com for more information and to purchase your own colour for a £1 and help transform a child’s life.

Little Terra Backs Vaude and Bush Baby Child Carriers

A good child carrier provides young people with a comfortable ride and a bird’s eye view – and the user with a comfortable way of carrying their precious load.

Both the Bush Baby and Vaude Baby Carrier ranges are stocked by the children’s retailer Little Terra.

Carolyn Budding, who is the managing director of Little Terra, has hand-picked both premium brands due to the wide range of models they offer, providing a choice of options for buyers and an advanced level of adjustment to make both child and carrier comfortable.

With years of experience transporting children in these types of carriers, Carolyn, as with every item stocked by Little Terra, has used her own experience as both a specialist buyer and a mother of two to ensure products are more than capable of meeting the demands of modern families.

Carolyn said: “Child carriers are suitable for children from around six months of age and offer a more versatile means of getting around, where pushchairs could struggle to handle the terrain, or are difficult to manoevre such as around busy city centres.”

Little Terra has produced a free downloadable guide to help parents make an informed choice when selecting a back carrier.

Available online at http://www.littleterra.co.uk/Advice_and_FAQ/Child_Back_Carri... the guide is packed with information, including fitting, frame construction, weight considerations and accessories.

http://www.littleterra.co.uk

Martial arts governing body blasts child cage fighting and demands ban

Questions raised over insurance cover for child cage fights

The National Association of Karate and Martial Art Schools (NAKMAS) has called for a ban on child cage fighting, involving children as young as five, warning that it carries high physical, mental and emotional risks.

NAKMAS has questioned whether any insurance provider in the UK covers the practice.

NAKMAS has criticised child cage fighting after a recent news report showed young children, estimated to be eight years of age, taking part in the practice in front of an adult audience. Neither child was wearing any protective clothing during the fight.

Joe Ellis, chair of NAKMAS, says:  “Cage fighting for children is a time bomb waiting to happen. Cage fighting is far too risky for children, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. We have evidence that young children are also involved in full contact karate and the risks involved in this practice are identical to that of cage fighting.

"The fact that some adults find it entertaining to watch children beat each other up is disturbing. The practice needs banning in the UK and the organisers brought to their senses.

“Children are not developed emotionally or physically for cage or full contact karate and NAKMAS will be writing to all local authorities asking them to consider banning the practise on local authority owned premises.

“Whilst NAKMAS is heavily involved in equality for all at national, regional and local level, and does not want any age group to be restricted from learning a combat or martial arts sport, cage fighting is too high risk for children.”

No protection

NAKMAS is also urging premises owners to refuse access to such activities and points out that there are unlikely to be insurance providers in the UK providing cage fighting insurance for children.

Joe Ellis says: “Combat tournaments of any kind require risk assessments to be carried out and insurance in place to protect participants and the organisers. In the event of any legal action brought against the organiser of the event, it is also likely that the facility providers, would be litigated against in the event of negligence or injury claim arising.

“NAKMAS provides welfare, child protection procedures, health and safety policies, equality and disability policies to all affiliate clubs as well as extensive insurance and legal protection for its members. I would like to see proof that the organisers of these so-called cage fighters have adequate policies and procedures in place for provide this type of protection.”

To find out more about NAKMAS visit www.nakmas.org.uk

Recent Survey Shows Young Children Have Access To Parents Phones, Extra Care Must Be Taken Says Firstnumber

A survey undertaken by Nielsen has found that in the US almost a third of apps on parents phones have been downloaded by their children. The survey also confirmed although many people consider their phones to be private, 13% of the US app downloaders surveyed by Nielsen stated their spouse and/or partner had downloaded apps on their phone, while 6% said friends were responsible for some of their downloads. 8% of all respondents identified that their children has installed apps on their phone.

From the data provided through the survey, it was discovered that the youngest child downloading apps was nine years old. It was also discovered on average that 30% of all apps installed on the respondents phones were installed by their children.

Cheap call providers Firstnumber advises parents to take extreme care when handing phones to children. This is of particular importance when full access to the internet and applications can be accessed at the click of a button.

Smartphones and apps that adorn user friendly and intuitive interfaces have created large appeal amongst the younger generation, and are very simple to use. As a result, younger children are accessing app stores and downloading games and other applications with greater ease and frequency.

The spokesperson from cheap international calls provider Firstnumber elaborates:  “If parents can lay the right foundations and ensure that the appropriate parental security settings have been put in place prior to their child's usage of a smartphone, this gives some guarantee towards the safe experience of the device by youngsters. Secondly, by making sure that any app account login details are kept out of the control of children, this will enable full control for parents over spending levels and the kind of apps which are being downloaded.”


FACTFILE:
Firstnumber.co.uk is an online phone directory offering direct dial access codes that reduce the cost of making international calls from a UK landline.

Romans, Spies and Ballerinas Make Up Children’s Fantasy School Uniform

Playmobil research reveals traditional school wear is due for a shake up.

With only a matter of weeks until the start of a new school term, UK children are crying out for an opportunity to give the traditional school uniform a makeover of a lifetime. Given the choice, children would wave goodbye to the standard white shirt, smart trousers and sensible shoes in favour of a unique combination of their favourite costumes.

According to research by toy experts Playmobil, the fantasy school uniform for boys is a Roman soldier’s helmet on their head, a secret agent’s suit accessorised with sunglasses and high tech gizmos, finished off with a pair of trainers!

Girls take a daintier approach opting for a ballerina’s tutu, crowned with a princess tiara and, like the boys, a pair of trainers to complete the look.

Although unconventional, and certainly defying the dress codes of most schools, the designs undoubtedly earn top marks for originality.

The survey of over 600 children aged 5-11 was commissioned to mark the launch of Playmobil Fi?ures, a brand new range of interchangeable pocket money toys. Unlike current Playmobil characters, Fi?ures come unassembled meaning children can put them together, take them apart or mix and match body parts and accessories to create a brand new character, dressed in attire of their own design.

Commenting on the research, Jamie Dickinson, Marketing Manager for Playmobil said: “The fantasy school uniform is another great example of the limitless imagination of young children. We are strong believers that creative and imaginative play has a positive impact on a child’s development, and what’s more creative than giving children the opportunity to invent their own characters and stories.”

“It’s interesting to see the dream outfits take inspiration from popular toys and dressing up costumes. Although school children may not be able to exercise their creative flair with their uniforms just yet, they can design weird and wacky creations to their hearts content during play.”

Playmobil Fi?ures will consist of a series of 24 individually packaged figures, 12 themes for girls and 12 themes for boys, with each figure priced at just £1.99. The contents of the bag will be a mystery which is why the ‘g’ in figures is replaced with a ‘?’. Packaging for male and female characters differ in colour and children looking to collect the full set can swap characters with their friends or siblings.

Boys and girls will also be able to play with and collect individual characters without parents having to buy a whole playset and, as all Playmobil characters are built to identical dimensions, children can use their Fi?gures in existing ranges.

Playmobil Fi?ures are available from: John Lewis, Toys R Us and all good toystores.
 
Characters in Boys Series
Blue Knight
American Footballer
Boxer
Mummy
Masked Ranger
Pizza Chef
Rock Star Guitarist
American Campaigner
Grim Reaper
Sportsman
Dragon Knight
Executioner

Characters in Girls series
Gemstone Princess
Fairy
Queen
Rock Star Singer
Skier
Female Outlaw
Teenage Girl
Witch
Equestrian Woman
Mother with Baby
Mermaid
Damsel

FCA promotes local fostering needs through new website service

Foster Care Associates (FCA), reportedly the UK's largest Independent Fostering Agency, has added a new geographically targeted section to its website to provide locally-based fostering information and placement needs to its visitors.

Under the heading 'Your local FCA', the website now offers readers information about FCA and fostering in their local area, divided between the agency's 14 operating regions.

Visitors can now access regional FCA news, information about forthcoming fostering events in their community and learn more about their local fostering team through FCA staff profiles. There is also a range of local FCA foster carer stories to give a better insight into becoming a foster carer as well as information about the specific placement needs in line with Local Authority referrals. Directions and contact information for the company's regional and local FCA offices complete the individual sections, which are presented via a tabbed format.

With over 80 local offices spread throughout the UK, the new website feature adds better scope for FCA to communicate its range of locally based support services to potential and existing foster carers. It also complements the wealth of existing information about becoming a foster carer and wider fostering information through a total of over 500 unique pages.

Marie-Louise Allred, Marketing Manager for FCA, commented: "People who enquire about fostering tell us how important knowing about our local infrastructure and support services is to them. The new website section presents this information in a simple and easy to access format so that prospective carers can learn about the staff, carers, young people, events and offices in their local area.

"Fostering can be an isolating role so knowing what an agency has to offer in your local area is vital in the decision making process. Over the next few months we will be adding even more local information to these sections so that prospective carers really understand what FCA has to offer in their community."

The provision of a locally based service is central to the agency's unique Team Parenting approach to foster care, which is based upon the principle of delivering a holistic range of therapeutic support services to the foster carer and to the child. Team Parenting is proven to achieve positive outcomes for looked after children and young people across the UK.

The new website functionality is part of a wider phased redevelopment of the FCA website, which includes a new Home page and a forthcoming new Media Centre.

FACTFILE:
Foster Care Associates (FCA), part of the Core Assets Group Ltd, is the UK's leading Independent Fostering Agency, with offices operating throughout England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Working in partnership with Local Authorities and Health Trusts throughout the UK, FCA aims to provide 'quality care in a family setting' for over 2600 foster children who are looked after by the agency's 2200 foster families.

www.thefca.co.uk

Little Terra Develops Online Guide To Child Back Carriers

Child back carriers are enjoying a growth in popularity, as parents enjoy the freedom and convenience of taking their youngster about the town or country without the limitations of a pushchair. But, choosing the right type of carrier can be a challenge, with so much choice and variety in the marketplace.

Now Little Terra has produced a free downloadable guide to help you make an informed choice when selecting a children’s back carrier.

Available online at www.littleterra.co.uk/choosingchildcarriers the guide is packed full of information including fitting, frame construction, weight considerations and accessories.

Carolyn Budding, the managing director of Little Terra, said: “Child back carriers are invaluable pieces of gear when spending time outdoors with a youngster.

“They enable people to navigate across places that might be more difficult to access in a pushchair, such as over stiles during countryside walks, and children enjoy the elevated position and close contact to the carrier they offer.

“We recommend that carriers are generally suitable for children from six months who can sit unaided. However, coupled with the age factor, there are a number of areas to consider when purchasing this type of equipment and we hope this guide helps signpost people to make the right choice.”

www.littleterra.co.uk

How much time do you have with your kids?

Monday, 15 August 2011 As parenting guidelines released last week advised parents of a “five-a-day” approach to bringing up their children, research from Bosch Power Tools shows that 45% of parents in fact have under five hours to play and bond with their children per week.

The research also highlighted that only 31% of UK parents take part in educational play and life-skill development such as cooking, sewing or DIY. This is despite 93% of parents deeming it important to pass life skills down to the next generation and 90% admitting it could cause problems later on in their child’s adult life.

Children are also concerned with 50% of kids aged between seven and sixteen stating they would relish more time with their parents to help them learn new things.

63% were eager to develop prowess in the kitchen and 52% also wanted to learn more about DIY and how to fix things in the home without calling for a builder.

In light of this, Bosch Power Tools is launching a campaign to encourage families to “build and bond” by building a tree house together in the back garden this summer.

Sue Palmer, specialist in child development and author of Toxic Childhood, comments “When parents take the time to involve their children in 'everyday' activities like cooking, DIY and mending clothes, they’re not just handing on important lifeskills that will stand the kids in good stead in the future, they’re also showing them value and love. This sort of ‘family time’ is vital to a child’s feelings of self-worth. It used to happen naturally in most families, but modern lifestyles make it more difficult.”

Bosch Power Tools DIY Expert Chris Tidy comments, "It's really important for parents to take the time to teach kids these practical skills because otherwise, it's really going to cost them in the future. Once they leave home they could incur huge expenses when they are unable to rely on their parents. These skills will prove extremely cost effective as young adults in various elements of their life, such as simple DIY tasks, cooking for themselves, decorating their house and customising their clothes."

Of the tiny but questionable 7% of UK parents who didn’t want to pass on skills, 64%, stated they didn’t have time and worryingly, 33% claimed they didn’t have any.

For more information about Bosch Power Tools “Build and Bond” campaign, visit www.bosch-do-it.co.uk

Family Investments Unveil Details of First Ever Junior ISA as Government Confirms Final Product Regulations

Family Investments, the UK’s award winning Child Trust Fund provider, has confirmed its commitment to the new Junior ISA by becoming the first company ever to outline the details of its Junior ISA account for children.

The announcement follows confirmation of product regulation by the Treasury which paves the way for providers to offer the Junior ISA from November 1. Family Investments will ensure its account is open for business from day one.

The Family Investments Junior ISA will be an investment based Junior ISA with monthly premiums from just £10. The low monthly premium makes the product affordable for many parents and offers access to stock market growth over the long-term.

John Reeve, Chief Executive of Family Investments said: “Children’s savings are a long-term financial commitment and to help growth potential it is important to invest in the stock market which historically offers greater returns than cash.

“Having conducted research amongst parents we know that the majority want to generate a reasonable return with 74% of the parents we surveyed saying that they wanted their kid’s savings to outperform a cash savings account. As a result we are offering an investment Junior ISA instead of a cash account to provide the greatest potential for growth.

“We welcome the government’s announcement that the annual contribution limit for the Junior ISA will be higher than expected at £3,600, and the limit for Child Trust Funds will also increase from £1,200 to £3,600 per year from November 1st 2011. However, we do understand that many parents have modest means and may not be able to take advantage of these higher limits, that’s why we’ve designed our Junior ISA to enable customers to invest a low monthly amount starting at just £10.

“Combining the low premium with an investment in the stockmarket will help ensure that children born today have the best possible chance of entering adulthood with a financial asset to meet unprecedented costs such as new university tuition fees and deposits for a first home.”

As many parents thinking about investing for their child’s future want to do so ethically, Family Investments will also offer an ethical Junior ISA option. Both products will allow parents to manage the account online.

Junior ISAs will be available to anyone aged under eighteen who has missed out on the Child Trust Fund. The proceeds of every Junior ISA will be held in the child’s name and will automatically roll over into an adult investment ISA when the child is 18.

Family Investments is a mutual with over 35 years experience of managing money on behalf of families and is the UK’s largest CTF provider managing 1.2 million accounts. The Junior ISA will fill the gap left by the CTF and will be particularly welcomed by the parents of 700,000 children born between January and November who have just missed out on the CTF.

Parents who would like to pre-register their interest in a Junior ISA in order to take out the product from November 1st can do so here – www.familyinvestments.co.uk

FACTFILE:
Family Investments’ Junior ISA - key product features:

• An investment Junior ISA invested in a balanced fund

• Low monthly premiums starting at just £10

• Parents can manage their Junior ISA account online which allows them to download a statement, manage contributions and check investment performance.

• Family Investments Child Trust Fund customers, who also open a Junior ISA account for another child, can manage both accounts online with the same login.

• An ethical version will also be available

Junior ISA features as announced today by the UK Government, which will also be available from the Family Investments Junior ISA account:

• Annual tax efficient allowance of £3,600

• Account must be opened by a parent or legal guardian

• Any member of the family, including grandparents, can make a contribution

• Proceeds will roll into an adult ISA when the child turns eighteen

• Annual contribution limit for the Child Trust Fund has raised from £1,200 to £3,600 in line with the Junior ISA

Dr Carol Cooper joins Huggies®

Huggies are pleased to announce that Dr Carol Cooper, an expert in parenting, has joined team Huggies®. Dr Carol will be working with Huggies® to help parents further understand the importance of cuddling and the actual cuddle hormone, Oxytocin.

Dr Carol Cooper regularly appears on TV and radio, giving expert medical insight and advice on a broad spectrum of health matters. Dr Carol's special interests and also the reason Huggies® were so keen to work with her - are child and family medicine, twins, higher multiple births and nurturing.

As well as being a frequent and popular broadcaster, Dr Carol Cooper is a prolific writer of many health and parenting books. She is a practicing family doctor and mother of three sons, including twins – so she knows what’s she’s talking about!

Art for your child's sake?

Online affordable art gallery, Art Under a Monkey, announces the launch of its new range of contemporary, original art especially suited to children’s rooms and nurseries. The unique collection encompasses styles and subjects from pastel-coloured nostalgic sweets to renditions of old-fashioned teddy bears and other childhood classics.

Art Under a Monkey’s aim is to provide quality, original art at genuinely affordable prices. The company caps its prices at under £500 - with the majority of artwork on offer for much less. Adopting the London slang for £500 - a ‘monkey’ - Art Under a Monkey focuses on providing highly affordable contemporary art with no compromise on quality.

The online gallery has strong environmental and ethical policies and has set up associations with charitable organisations including Kids Company, a charity which provides practical, emotional and educational support to vulnerable children and young people, to which the gallery donates a percentage of each children’s artwork sold. The company also guarantees to ship in environmentally sustainable packaging and offers gift vouchers and a no-quibble money-back guarantee.

Readers of That's Parenting can receive a complimentary £35 gift voucher which can be used against any artwork purchase from the Art Under a Monkey website. Vouchers are valid for a year. To receive your free gift voucher please contact info@artunderamonkey.co.uk and a no obligation, complimentary voucher will be sent by first class post. Call 0870 626 5091 for details.