Family Life

Boost Independent Learning in Toddlers with SmartHappyKids Montessori Busy Boards

If you recently had a baby or are choosing a gift for your loved ones, you probably know what Montessori busy boards for toddlers are. These cool, modern, and the best reliable educational toys can perform many tasks simultaneously.

Full story

South West kids’ teams want to bring back oranges at half-time

Children’s teams in the South West are being called on to sign up to a scheme to bring back half-time oranges to kids’ football.

The Half Time Jaffa project is calling for children’s teams around the country to sign a pledge to replace chocolate, crisps, sweets and biscuits during the half-time break with a healthier choice of snack.

Teams sign up to the scheme free at www....

Tags:

children's football

healthy eating

oranges

The search begins for the fittest dog in the South West

Dog owners across Plymouth, the time has come to celebrate your happy healthy hound and enter this year’s search for the Lean & Tasty Fittest Dog in the South West.

Butcher’s Pet Care is calling for entries from Plymouth in its first competition to find fit dogs from across the South West.

The regional winner will be entered into a national final and be in with the chance...

Tags:

fittest dog in the south west

History on tour this half-term with pop-up museums

Visitors to Derriford Hospital and the Civic Centre will be asked to pop-in and take a break from the norm at a travelling pop-up museum this half-term, where they can discover more about Plymouth’s fantastic local history and culture.

The ‘love our past’ pop-up museum will feature intriguing objects from the Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery, fascinating documents from the Plymouth...

Tags:

Family fun at Buckland Abbey, Garden and Estate this half-term

Join Buckland Abbey, Garden and Estate for a week of half-term fun from 15 to 23 February, when the property is putting on a week of bird feeding and craft activities for the whole family.

On Saturday 15 February, the Abbey will celebrate the day that Sir Francis Drake reached Lima in Peru by giving visitors the opportunity get crafty with potato printing and designing Ojo De Dios (Eye...

Tags:

buckland abbey half term

Hedge your bets for outdoor fun this half term

City dwellers can get a taste of life in the country this half-term without leaving Plymouth!

Events are being organised for the young and young- at-heart to get mucky this half -term by Plymouth City Council’s Stepping Stone to Nature team.

The programme is designed to get families out and about, enjoy the fresh air as well as get closer to nature and have some fun in the...

Tags:

7 reasons why you're still single

1) Like the mountain, the peak of it is difficult to reach. Remember that they are also people not demigods. If you want to find him/her, don’t look in the sky, try to search on land.

2) You think that true love waits and destiny itself will find the way for the two of you to meet and to be together. It MIGHT be possible but PROBABLY not. If you want to see him/her, go out and explore...

Tags:

facts

Single

Plymouth

Debt Awareness Week launches with new survey findings

A new survey, commissioned by StepChange Debt Charity, reveals that many people are underestimating the seriousness of their debt problems.

Although 15 million people in Britain are showing some sign of problem debt, over a quarter of these remain unconcerned.

The survey, conducted for the charity by YouGov, asked participants questions about the kinds of debt issues they...

Tags:

Museum’s under-fives music programme to feature leading folk duo

Two of the finest folk music performers and song leaders in the South West will lead an interactive event for the under-fives at the City Museum and Art Gallery on Friday 31 January.

‘Nice Warm Socks and Other Songs’ will be led by Paul Wilson and Sarah Owen from Devon-based educational charity Wren Music. Their performance will feature songs from a range of projects they have been...

Tags:

Plymouth praised for adoption scorecard results

Plymouth has been praised for being one of only 36 councils across the country to meet tough new government standards for adoption by continuing to reduce the amount of time children wait for new families.

This year’s national adoption scorecards from the Department for Education, which compare the performance of council adoption services across the country, show steady year-on-year...

Tags:

Increased mental health issues for South West's young jobless

Almost one in five young people from the South West (18 per cent) have experienced mental health issues as a direct result of unemployment, warns a new report.

The region has seen a 246 per cent increase in the number of young people claiming benefits for more than six months since the beginning of the recession.

Nationally, the report found that young people who are long-term...

Tags: