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Book Reviews |
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The
good childcare guide by Hilary Pereria
ISBN: 978-0-273-71263-3 £9.99 Publisher: Prentice Hall Life
The Good Childcare Guide is the only comprehensive source of information
which will help parents choose the right childcare - for their child and for
them. Written in an easily accessible, parent-to-parent style, the
book presents the sometimes-thorny issues surrounding childcare in a
straightforward way, making it simple to understand.
There is a myriad of reasons why parents choose to use childcare - from
needing to work (40% of mothers now return to work) to wanting some time to
themselves. Whatever the reason, choosing the right childcare is vital.
Parents will have plenty of questions and more factors to consider before
being able to make the right choice. Drawing on the latest research,
government policy and expert opinion The Good Childcare Guide is bursting
with the facts, information and advice parents need to make an informed
decision. It covers areas such as:
THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CHILDCARE:
With a detailed breakdown of the many different types of childcare from
Granny to Nanny, the book discusses the pros and cons of each type or care,
whether it is paid-for or voluntary.
HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT CHILDCARE FOR CHILD AND PARENT:
Using a fiendishly simple yet clever questionnaire parents can hone their
options to the choice that really suits everyone involved. Also included is
a list of questions to ask each type of carer and things to look out for
when visiting prospective childcare facilities.
WHY CHILDCARE CAN BE A GOOD THING FOR YOUR CHILD
The book includes a rundown of the latest research and expert opinion about
childcare. It shows that children who attend good quality childcare will be
happier, show greater maturity and be less likely to have behavioural
problems than those who don't.
All registered childcare must adhere to the government's early learning
frameworks, which give children the skills to boost to their cognitive and
social development, setting them up for a great start to their school life.
Childcare can also be a good thing for parent/child relationships - with
many parents reporting that the relationship with their children flourishes
when their child has opportunity to engage in activities with other children
in good quality care.
HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF CHILDCARE
There is plenty of practical advice on how to make the best of childcare
including issues like: how to introduce the child, how to leave, how to deal
with the separation, building rapport with the carer, giving and getting
feedback, and monitoring and encouraging the child's development at each
stage from 0 to 8.
THE LEGALITIES
There is also an invaluable chapter which gives advice on the legal
implications, regulatory and statutory issues of employing a nanny or an au
pair, and which includes a sample contract.
The book concludes with a chapter of frequently asked questions to put
parents? minds at ease on subjects such as how the separation will affect
the child, the strong bonds that can form with carers, money issues
(including advice on government benefits they may be eligible for), their
relationship with a carer and getting the right balance of time with their
child.
There is also a comprehensive directory of useful contacts such as
societies, government bodies and online communities.
Totz2teens says:
This is a really useful book which has some really easy systems of
helping with the horrendous task of choosing childcare. We are happy
to recommend this to everyone and hope that you find it as useful as we
think it is.
Totz2teens Member Rating: 4/5 |
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How to help your child read
and write by Dr Dominic Wyse
ISBN: 978-1-4058-4024-8 £12.99
Learning to read and write is an essential part of the development of
children yet as parents we may not know how we can best support our child.
Dr Dominic Wyse believes that by drawing on children's innate curiosity,
creating a positive environment and providing plenty of opportunities to
read and write all children can learn these skills naturally from their
early years.
- Understand the process by which we all learn to read
and write.
- discover how children in Dr Wyse's own research learned
to read and write before starting school.
- find a wealth of ideas for activities and good reads to
enjoy with your child.
- understanding phonics so you can use these and other
tactics to help your child develop their reading.
- draw on the basics of grammar and punctuation and
strategies for spelling to support your child's writing.
Totz2teens Says:
As a mother of children in the higher age group of this book I was
surprised that it still gave me some food for thought and ability to
encourage my children. The sections are split into reading and then
writing for each age category and from the areas that were relevant to me
they seemed thorough and interesting. The list of suggested reading
books was very interesting as it explains why this particular book is worthy
of a read for or who it would be best suited for. I read through other
parts of this book and thought that for a parent about to start enhancing
their Childs education from an early age this book would be a brilliant book
to have on the shelf. As each stage creeps up there is a new section
to read over and even to remind us of the different ways we can easily help
our children without feeling anxious. Reading this has encouraged me
to instigate a little more work at home to assist my children a little
further.
Totz2teens Member Rating: 4/5
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GET BY IN …
Publication Date 30 May 2007 Price £9.99 each
In 2005 we Brits took 66.4 million trips abroad. 80% of those were to Europe
(Spain was the most popular destination).
With over 80 years experience BBC Active produces market leading and highly
respected courses for language learners throughout the world.
Get By In… is a new series designed for travellers. It will help them
quickly get to grips with the basics of each language. The pack contains a
book, packed full of essential words, phrases and travel tips and an
accompanying 60-minute CD.
There are six languages covered by the series: Spanish, French, Italian,
German, Portuguese and Greek.
They aim to be the perfect travelling companion. The CD will give you a
grounding in the basics of conversation before you go and the book is a
handy guide to essential language while you are away. It is divided into
sections of common situations such as eating out, entertainment and getting
around, as well as a section to help you though any unexpected emergencies.
These packs are the one-stop resource for getting by with confidence abroad.
Get By in French - 978-1-4066-1259-2
German
- 978-1-4066-1262-2
Italian - 978-1-4066-1268-4
Spanish
- 978-1-4066-1274-5
Portuguese - 978-1-4066-1271-4
Greek - 978-1-4066-1265-3
Totz2teens says:
The handy pack comes with a CD and a phrase book which I think is pretty
useful. On trying the French CD it is apparent I am really very
rubbish at languages! Never mind I persist. Baring in mind I
have some knowledge of the language (not GCSE level or anything close)
The CD goes quite fast through things and some of the phrases could do with
being repeated it a bit as its hard to listen how to say something and also
get the accent and remember the words. I know that this is meant to be
repeated regularly so instil it into my brain so I am not overtly worried.
The CD does test you a bit which is useful as not only then are you speaking
but also understand which obviously is important.
Each Language has the same sections on the CD starting
with the bare necessities which means you reinforce the simple things before
getting into the harder stuff.
These are really useful CD's and great to help the family
learn the language of your holiday destination,
Totz2teens Rating: 4/5 |
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Phrase Books &
Dictionary
http://www.bbcactive.com
£4.99 each
Mandarin, Polish, Turkish, Russian, Arabic,
Japanese, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Greek
BBC Active language learning materials are smart, easy to use, practical and
fun. This summer they have added six new books to their Phrase Book series.
These are Mandarin, Polish, Turkish, Arabic, Japanese and Russian.
Colour coded for easy navigation, these compact little oracles enable
travellers to find the phrase they need quickly. Once they have found it
they are also given a pronunciation guide so they can sound like a local.
All situations are catered for including shopping, driving, accommodation,
sightseeing and emergencies. The food and drink section also includes a menu
reader, so you can be sure of what you have ordered.
Each section is divided in to what you may see, want to say or hear, so that
you can be prepared for a whole conversation, rather than saying a phrase
and being baffled by the response.
The back of the books include a two-way mini dictionary and a section on
basic grammar.
Totz2teens Member Review:
A great value pocket phrase book. Pensco che fosse fantastico (I
thought it was fantastic) - the italian book. The book is so
useful as it has a menu reader (thinking of stomach I know) which is
obviously an area that can panic you if in a foreign country. I can
see this book being a really useful addition to a holiday and if going away
I will certainly purchase one from this range without hesitation.
Totz2teens Member Review: 5/5
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Totz2teens Member Review:
On receiving the Mandarin Chinese Phrase Book I opened it with
trepidation. Not exactly a language I had considered learning but this
book is brilliant. I still dont claim to be able to say anything
useful but if I was in need of speaking this language this book would be
very helpful. The book is helpful in many ways. I think you
could attempt to converse or to point to the phrase you are saying. It
would also assist in reading signs and situations. Definately very
useful and I suspect the others in the range follow the same format which is
easy to follow.Totz2teens Member rating:
5/5
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Meals without Tears
by Dr Rana Conway
ISBN: 978-0-273-71268-8 £9.99
Raising children is incredibly rewarding but there are times when our family
lives become stressful and mealtimes turn into battlegrounds. Dr
Conway beleives that we can all enjoy happy family mealtimes and in this
step-by-step practical guide she shows how to banish teh stress......
Totz2teens Member Review:
Ohhhh. I hope this works. The front cover has a little
symbol - stress free parenting. Sounds right up my street. Can
it be done. Mealtimes are a big problem in this house. The
layout of this book is clear and concise. It doesnt make you feel
silly but goes through the things you probably actually know but just need
that gentle jog to get you back on track. For new parents that are
starting out on the solid meals I think this is great because every step is
covered. Any problem you may face is put into laymans terms and this
book encourages you to move on and take control of a situation. I was
pleased with the facts in the book too about vitamins and reading labels ect
as so much is confusing these days. I found this book pleasant and
helpful.
Totz2teens Rating: 4/5
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Ain't
Misbehavin' by Laverne Antrobus
ISBN: 978-0-273-71266-4 £9.99
Being a parent is a deeply fulfilling experience, yet sometimes in our
family lives we encounter problems that we struggle to overcome. none
more so than when our children's behaviour gets out of hand. Through
different techniques we will try to move through the barriers of behaviour.
Totz2teens Member Review: This book takes you from birth
upwards to about 12 in age. The book gets you to think about your own
upbringing and the way you are bringing up your children. It helps
reflect and evaluate situations and gives that reminder that so many of us
need to encourage us to handle a situation much better than perhaps we would
without these little hints. The book really pushes the fact that
actually its the way you handle a situation as to the outcome. If you
go into it irritable and sarcastic chances are thats what you will get back
from the child. This book is from the stress free parenting range
which I think I will definately seek out more from as they appear to be easy
to read in short doses and not preaching but giving sensible and
constructive ways of helping keep family life calmer.
Totz2teens rating: 5/5 - anything that reminds me of the right way
to do things is good in my mind!
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The Parents' book of checklists by Sally Coulthard
ISBN: 978-0-273-71279-4 £9.99
A life-saving list of what to expect, what to know,
what to do and what to say. In the Parents' Book of Checklists:
From Toddlers to Teenagers you'll find fast practical advice for
all those moments when you are unsure of what to do or say. This
second book in the series covers situations you're likely to
encounter bringing up of children from toddler age right through
to the teenage years. The wide ranging and salient advice covers a
whole host of circumstances and common parenting issues from
finding babysitters and dealing with bedwetting, to talking to
older children about smoking, drugs, sex and puberty. Designed to
be easy to dip into, you'll find over 90 checklists covering all
the essentials. Find out how to prepare for key family events,
like going on holiday or visiting relatives; learn how you can
help prevent children and teenagers from falling into some common
traps and also what you should look out for on general health
issues and subjects like food and disorders, behaviour, money,
love and sex. The Parents' Book of Checklists: From Toddlers to
Teenagers is the handbook for every parent.
Totz2teens Member Review:
I have found this book invaluable at helping me see through
many a situation. From affection to zits this book covers
them all. And very well too. I have turned to this
books in moments of dispair and thought how good it was at
refocusing my attentions and reminding me who is the grown up
amongst us. I would recommend this book as it is
a useful guide for quick advice. Ideal for those little
quick reads you sometimes want too.
Totz2teens Rating: 5/5
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How to help your child
succeed at school by Dr Dominic Wyse
ISBN: 978-0-273-71403-3 £12.99
A Childs time in education is like hopping stepping stones over a stream:
from nursery they hop to reception class, then primary school, secondary
school and possibly college and university. No two stones are the
same, yet Dr Dominic Wyse believes every parent can help their child make
the most of each stage of their education by:
- discovering the best approach to choosing the right
schools for your child
- understanding the key features of each educational
stage form the early years foundation level to applying for university
- taking the long view while ensuring your child prospers
at each stage of their learning
- understanding the benefits of creating the right
environment at home and learning how to put it into practise.
- finding out how best to help your child prepare for
exams.
With valuable advice about government requirements for
education and how they apply to your childs life, how to draw on ofsted
reports when looking at schools and how to help your child choose their
GCSE's, A Level's and studies beyond. Dr Wyse enables you to make the
best choices and support your child every step fo the way.
Totz2teens Member Review: A clear and
easy to understand guide on the educational steps your child will take.
From nursery right up to university. This guide is written in a way
that is going to help you prepare yourself and your child for their journey
along the way. The layout helps to understand the school system works,
how making the choices and what to expect at each stage. The book goes
through what is to be expected at home and also ways in which perhaps you
can guide your child's education too. By reading this book I felt that
I have been armed with some extremely valuable information and I am sure I
will refer to it on a regular basis.
Totz2teens Rating: 5/5
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They Started it! How to help your kids get
on by Sacha Baveystock
ISBN: 978-0-273-71264-0 £9.99
Many of us have a childhood memory of playing on a sibling or falling out
with them, and when we look back these events often seem funny. However when
we have children of our own, that sinking feeling of embarrassment as our
little angels fall into sibling warfare on a family day out is an altogether
humourless experience.
So how can you find ways of keeping the peace, while allowing the natural
differences between your children to flourish? In this entertaining, funny
and highly informative book, Sacha Baveystock puts power into your hands
with simple, smart tips that any parent can master quickly.
Drawing on the experiences of both parents and children, Sacha Baveystock
enables parents to understand what it means to be a sibling and how each
child’s experience is unique. Through her easy-to-follow tips and practical
advice she demonstrates how to make family life more manageable for
everyone.
Helpful features include:
* how a new baby can impact children and family life, and how to get new
sibling relationships off to the best start
* your child’s place in the family and how it can affect their view of the
world, their self confidence and their interaction with others
*exploring jealousy and the ’hard done by’ attitude
* dealing with fighting, arguments and squabbles firmly and fairly, and what
to do if things get out of hand
* promoting and maintaining peace when you’re not there to enforce it.
Totz2teens Review:
Why many of us are programmed to have more than one child I will
never know. We think about the fact that they will have someone to
play with and to learn to share ect ect. How wrong and right I was to
think this. The good side of a sibling is of course fabulous when its
all going well but when its going wrong life is exceedingly wearing and the
whole house is a noisy raucous place to be. I need a magic wand.
On reading this book I didnt really find the magic wand BUT it was an
interesting read and put things into perspective. I found myself
re-evaluating how I handle situations and thinking on how things were
discussed in the book. The style of the book is very clear and easy to
follow and understand. They started it! isnt written to be a
definitive instruction manual but it is an interesting read and it is always
good to hear how other people handle a situation and get a result.
There are some very useful strategies to work with and I have definately
found them useful and rewarding as the occasional calm approach to being a
parent can happen.
Totz2teens Rating: 4/5
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Best of
Friends by Hilary Pereira
ISBN: 9780273714309 £9.99
Although we may think that making friends as a child comes
naturally, for some children it can be a difficult, scary and worrying
prospect. Shyness, lack of confidence and, sometimes, just plain selfishness
can stand in the way of your child developing meaningful and lasting
friendships.
As parents and adults we know that making friends as
children can help develop a sense of self worth, educate us in dealing with
conflict and disagreements, and enable us to learn how to interact with our
peers and colleagues day-to-day. They can also offer a valuable source of
support, love, protection and influence outside the family unit.
In contrast, a failure to make friends can leave a child
feeling depressed, lacking in confidence and generally ‘left out’. Socially,
children develop more quickly if they have friends they can talk to and at
school, lessons and free time are more fun and productive if a child has
friends. So how, as a parent, can you help your child develop meaningful and
lasting friendships?
This new book sets out to help parents understand
friendship, why it’s important and how they can help their child make and
keep friends. It shows every parent how they can help their child, from the
first steps of encouraging them to share their toys right through to
building their confidence and helping them find and nurture the friendships
they’ll hopefully take into adulthood.
- Help your child build the skills they need to make
friends.
- Learn how you can build and augment your child’s
confidence and self-esteem.
- Help your child to develop and learn to depend on their
own sense of self-worth.
- Teach your child positive behaviour and how they can
influence, negotiate, share and defend.
- Learn about bullying; recognise the signs, how you can
prevent it and how it affects your child.
Totz2teens Member Review: This subject is of course somethiing
we all want our child to achieve. We often think back to our own
childhood and dont want our child/ren to experience the same troubles we
did. I found this book enjoyable and thought provoking. I think
alot of the basis of the book was that we should let our children go and
make friends themselves - which of course is right. However I know we
still continue to try and steer our children and friends along the right
path. The book takes us through different ways of helping our
childrens self esteem and their ability to make decisions with other people.
I felt this book gave an honest approach to childhood friendships and
thankfully addresses the fact that sometimes your own child may be at fault
in a childhood argument. Something I think alot of parents seem to
forget. This book was well worth reading and I found the way it was
written to be pleasant and easy to understand.
Totz2teens Member Rating: 4/5
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Silent Nights - How
to develop a peaceful sleeping routine by Dr
Pat Spungin
ISBN: 9780273714798 Price
£9.99
The idea of your child sleeping peacefully through the
night is wonderful. But unfortunately it can be a dream rather than reality.
For some parents, getting their child to go to bed at all can be stressful,
tiring and infuriating, while the prospect of them sleeping through the
night may seem impossible.
Into childhood the patterns and routines set when our
children are babies can come back to haunt parents. As children refuse to
sleep in their own beds, are unwilling to go to bed at a reasonable hour or
wake continuously, stress levels can build and it appears impossible to find
a satisfactory way forward. Continuous disturbed nights can have a far
reaching and disruptive effect on the whole family. Parents become irritable
and unable to concentrate during the day, social lives become nin-existent
and work goes out the window..
Failure to establish a good sleeping routine can also
render parents depressed, and feeling that their apparent lack of parenting
skills are failing their child, but there are things that can be done to
help solve sleep problems and establish a better sleeping pattern which is
more conducive to happy family life.
Fortunately, there are well-tested routes that we can each
take to help our child and ourselves enjoy peaceful nights. Here in this
practical and easy-to-access book that deals only with sleep issues, you’ll
find useful and pertinent advice and information on all aspects of sleep,
sleep routines and how to avoid and handle broken nights. Find out what is
‘normal’ for your child at their age to help you keep your particular
problems in perspective. Discover how to avoid some common traps that can,
often unwittingly, establish worrying or unhealthy sleeping habits. Find out
what works, what doesn’t and how you can introduce expert techniques to
overcome this most basic of parenting issues and establish new routines that
will be rewarding for both you and your child.
Silent Nights is certain to
become a lifeline for many thousands of parents.
Totz2teens Member Review: Currently Under Review
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Are you a single parent? Do you have a lot of demands to
juggle? If so, this handbook, packed full of practical advice about the
necessities and tips on how to make the most of your own and your family
life is for you
Becoming a single parent, whatever the reason, can be a
traumatic and disorientating experience. This new book, written specifically
for single parents, offers practical advice about handling lone parenthood,
whilst helping them make the most of their family lives and juggle the
numerous demands on their emotions and their time.
- Understand the best routes to secure a home for your
family, how to manage your money, your legal responsibilities and how to
negotiate effectively in defending yours and your child’s best interests.
- Find practical tips for childcare and co-ordinating
your working life with your family.
- Draw on tips to support your children’s emotional well
being and your own.
- Discover ways to make your day-to-day life run
smoothly.
- Take routes to maximise the fulfilment and pleasure you
and your children find in your lives.
Totz2teens Member Review: Currently Under Review
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Pearson Books
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