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Tomorrow is World Wetlands Day and it marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971. There are lots of events around the UK to raise awareness about the values and benefits of Wetlands and many are aimed at children:

London Wetland Centre
Children under 16 will be allowed free admission and there are various tours as well as:
10.30 – 11.30am Paper making and turtle making
12.00 – 12.30pm Pond dipping – showcasing a healthy pond makes a happy garden
1.30 – 2.00pm Healthy Wetlands Healthy People games and activities
2.30 – 3.00pm Dr Quack’s medicinal plant trail – find out the historical medicinal uses of wetland plants
3.30 – 4.30pm Paper making and turtle making

WWT Caerlaverock Wetland Centre, Dumfries and Galloway
To celebrate World Wetlands Day, WWT Caerlaverock will be free to all children. This year’s theme will be ‘Healthy Wetlands-Healthy People’. Share in the global celebration of wetland ecosystems by visiting this outstanding example. Special guided walks and talks throughout the day.

Other Wetland Centres also worth visiting are:

Minsmere, Suffolk

Cley Marshes, Norfolk

Shapwick & Meare Heaths, Somerset

It hasn’t been particularly easy finding British parents who blog. Last May, Vicky

“was beginning to wonder where all the UK parent blog activity is.”

And that’s a shame, because reading what others have to say is at least half the fun. [British Parent Bloggers is doing sterling work to rectify this, of course!]

Anyway, I thought one things that could make the process easier is for us to share our subscriptions in a way that others can easily access. And here it is: our OPML file

An OPML file is just a list of blogs and news feeds that you can import into your news reader in one fell swoop rather than having to subscribe to them all individually.

If you want to have a look:

1. Save the file
2. Open up your news reader (see here for more)
3. Import the file
4. Update your news feed and you should have everyone’s latest posts to read.

Lastly, but definitely not least, thanks to David for sharing the technical tip.

I was at the Baby Show in Earls Court, London today handing out business cards to help spread the word about Little Legends. All the people I met were really interested in what we are doing here and I made some great contacts with other working parents.

If you met me today, or just have one of the cards, and are wondering how you go about obtaining free promotion for your child-related business, here is a quick summary:

1. Sign up to Little Legends and log in
2. Go to your user page
3. Add a link to your website and a bit about yourself and your business (and don’t forget your postcode!)
4. On the top right hand corner of your user page you will see “Add a Place”
5. Click on this and add the details of your business
6. Remember to add a photo as well as a general description in the notes
7. The best way to be found is by including your postcode – so feel free to add a separate entry for each class
8. You can then help others find your entry by going to your listing and clicking on “Bookmark this Page”. Then you add relevant tags, such as Baby Massage Classes Raynes_Park

If you get stuck then just give us a shout and we can help you

Also, a good way to create more interest in your area is to add a few comments or places you know about.

We are working on other ways for you to promote your businesses, so watch this space!

If you are feeling short of cash but still want a day out with the kids you might want to consider one of these free attractions:

1. Tate Modern , London
This famous Art Gallery has a huge hall and a variety of exhibitions so it is perfect for kids of all ages.

2. Sea Watch Centre, Suffolk
At this National Trust centre the kids can use high-powered telescopes to look for sea birds, porpoises, seals and if you are lucky, dolphins.

3. People’s Story, Edinburgh
Here you can find out all about the history and lives of the inhabitants of the Scottish capital from the eighteenth century to the present day.

3. Museum of Science & Industry, Manchester
This museum tells the story of the world’s first industrial city.

4. Blaise Castle Estate, Bristol
A small gothic castle dating from 1766 with large grounds and play areas for the kids.

5. World Museum, Liverpool
An interactive museum with treasures from around the globe. Each of the five floors has a different theme.

6. Monkwearmouth Station Museum, Sunderland
A Victorian Station with large collection of railway and second world war memorabilia. There is a dedicated Children’s Gallery with toys, books and dressing up clothes.

7. National Roman Legion Museum, Cardiff
Let your kids learn about the formidable force of the Romans. At weekends they are even allowed to try on replica armour.

8. Ecopark, Birmingham
Visit these lovely gardens and watch demonstrations about what you can do to become a bit greener.

9. Cheshire Farm Ice Cream, Cheshire
Watch cows being milked, let your kids run around the playbarn and be tempted by the delicious ice-creams.

10. St James City Farm, Gloucestershire
A city centre farm where children and adults can experience the sights, sounds and smells of the countryside.

Do let us know more of your favourite free places

Seeing as there are a growing number of British parent bloggers I thought it would be a good idea to start a Carnival just for us

For those of you who don’t know what a blog carnival is, it is a type of blog event, dedicated to a specific topic. The host asks readers to submit relevant articles and then publishes links to them on a regular basis.

If you want to join in, all you have to do is send in a link to your best post about life as a parent in the UK. All links must be sent to me using this form. Only one submission per blog will be accepted.

The deadline for the first Carnival is Tuesday 4th September at midnight GMT and the entries will be published on the next day.

Please help spread the word about the Carnival.

PS Please note that I will not publish anything that I consider to be spam / adult / blatant promotion of a commercial site etc

According to a recent survey published by Mother & Baby Magazine, families who holiday in Britain feel they are treated as a nuisance and that the UK desitinations are too expensive.

Three quarters of parents say most hotels in Britain ‘don’t cater for families with young children’ (76%) and say their seaside break was a ‘rip-off (76%).

Seventy per cent of parents say ‘a week in a hotel abroad’ is ‘cheaper’ than ‘a week in a hotel in Britain’ (70%) – and with the average family hotel room in Britain costing a whopping £120 a night it’s not surprising.

Only 42% of parents with a baby or young children say they received a warm welcome at their British holiday hotel

Parents voted Blackpool as the worst place to spend a family holiday, followed by Hastings and Bognor Regis.

The best place to spend a holiday was Center Parcs.

Well, this means that the service that Little Legends is a much needed tool for families. To date just under 1000 childfriendly hotels across the UK have been included in the listings and now other places such as good beaches and B&Bs are being added too.

Do let us know your favourite British holiday destinations and we will add them for you

I have just realised that I haven’t included Hsien-Hsien Lei’s blog on the blogroll. She used to post over at the well known blog about toys called Play Library but has a personal blog called Cotton-Pickin’ Days – Toys, Tantrums and Laughter with a Scientist. Hsien-Hsien Lei is an American expat living in the UK but she has an honorary status here as she has been a great help to Little Legends in the past

Don’t miss her great post entitled Top 10 Things my Four Year old Has Learned from Nintendo Wii

… thanks to the new British Parent Bloggers ring, I have discovered more parents in the UK who blog and they have been added to the blogroll. The newcomers are in no particular order:

Wednesday’s Child
I wanted to be a homedad; I got one fifth of my wish. Here is the consequence…

Jo Beaufoix
A laid back blog by 30-something mum and would-be writer, Jo Beaufoix, who tries to look at the world through rose-tinted glasses but often finds they’re covered in something sticky.

21st Century Mummy
Family life in the 21st century brings many challenges and opportunities, which if you think about too deeply could drive you bonkers. This blog offers one woman’s perspective on life from the edge of a beautiful market town in Suffolk.

Man about the House
My life, my wife, my food, my brood, the universe and everything!

T Bird Anni Rides Again
A mum a dad and a girl all muddling through life love and learning together!

Tales from the Naughty Step
Random musings of my everyday life as a working mum of two.

Ingenious Rose
A lighthearted blog about life as the single working parent of a 3 year old daughter with the odd bits of news, celebrity and books thrown into the mix!

My eBabyA blog where readers can submit their own articles on their personal experiences of all pregnancy, birth and parenting related issues.

Slackers Guide to Parenting
A guide to parenting the slack way.

Erica, of Little Mummy fame, has recently contacted me to tell me that she is setting up a new blog ring for british parent bloggers.

The aim of the ring is:

to find other british based bloggers, for us to find more like minded people and increase our community

If you are interested then read her blog post here.

The criteria for joining are:

a) Blogging regularly on a topic that relates to parenting (others will be accepted on a case by case basis, ie splogs and spammers need not apply)

b) A Parent

c) Living in Britain

d) You must display the blog ring HTML on your site

NB This blog ring is not open to shops and splogs!

Life has been pretty busy here at Little Legends recently. I have managed to connect with several other UK Mums who are busy running their own businesses and as a result I have found some more UK Parent blogs:

Chelltune – a great place to find out about Sign Language for Babies and Children:

Signing comes naturally to babies and children. From a young age they will use gestures to wave bye bye or put their arms out to indicate that they want picked up. As parents or carers we can build on these skills by teaching our babies some basic signs for the things that are important to them. For younger babies you might want to teach them the sign for milk. For a child who is potty training the sign for toilet could be useful if they aren’t yet able to make a verbal request to go to the toilet. Early communication will mean that your child is less likely to become frustrated.

Baby Banana - One Mum shares her experiences of Baby Led Weaning

Doula Mama - Talks about being a Doula. The blog explains:

The word doula comes from the Greek language, and refers to a woman who personally serves another woman. Today it means an experienced mother who supports a pregnant woman (and/or partner) emotionally and physically before, during and after birth. A doula believes in ‘mothering the mother’ helping the expectant woman acheive the best from one of natures most amazing gifts, new life.