LittleLegends.biz

I usually try to steer clear of politics on this blog, but this seemed worthwhile. On 3rd April, the Government opened up its new strategy for play for public consultation

“We propose to make public space more child-friendly through a variety of actions including placing a stronger focus on spaces for play in the planning system; training for people who design and manage public space; supporting local community ownership of space suitable for play; and supporting more positive relationships between adults and children in public space. “

All sounds good. But then Kevin spotted a possible hiccup. He’s done a quick schematic of the decisions he goes through as a parent:.

At the bottom I scribbled ‘Too much traffic?’ and a subsidiary question, too seldom raised: ‘Too many cars?’ … ‘Wait for policy to confront car lobby’

It’s an interesting point. How can we make places safer for kids if the numbers of cars on the roads are increasing? Kevin’s follow-up piece in The Guardian is worth a read, I think.

Great post here from Sarah:

the Moses basket has once again become a symbol. A symbol, this time, of how much better motherhood is second time around. A symbol of the fact that, this time, I’ve found my way to being the relaxed, laid-back getting-on-with-life mother that I meant to be when Jamie was a baby but somehow lost sight of in the anxious scrabble to Get Motherhood Right. A symbol of the fact that I’ve finally got it the only ‘right’ that counts – right for me and for us, not bothering too much about what The Books say but doing what works for this family.

Worth reading.

This post from Xin Lu has some interesting ways to make drinking water a little more fun.

Citrus – My husband’s family members often freeze a small citrus fruit called kalamansi in ice cube trays and then put the ice cubes in water for flavor. The same can be done with other citrus fruits and the water produced would be infused with vitamin C.

Although I’m not sure number 6 is a goer for children, they might be fun ways to encourage some healthier drinks over the summer.

That said, over at NPR, there’s a surprising post about the benefits of drinking water

Is bottled water better for you than tap? Or should you choose vitamin-enriched water over sparkling? Experts say, skip it all. None of these products are likely to make you any healthier.

Even if it doesn’t make you healthier, it’s got to be better than supersugaring your fluids. {now there’s a sentence I never thought I’d write ]

Is it me or does the walrus give up at the end?

Thanks Terry for this. I very much enjoyed John Stein‘s “neuroscience” approach in his podcast. Even if a teeny part of me was thinking bah humbug, in my day we read things like this ;

This is worth a look.

Ladybird prints contains over 4000 images from the Ladybird Books, now available to browse and buy as prints and canvases.

If nothing else, it helped reassure me I do have a memory, and it’s full up of old Ladybird images …

I like this [from frostfire]. Makes me think that childhood isn’t dead, just changing