Family Life

How to Encourage Independence Safely at Every Age

Parenting is the only job where the ultimate aim is to be made redundant. You spend years holding a child close, only to spend the next decade slowly loosening your grip. The objective is to raise an adult who can stand on their own two feet, make sensible decisions, and function without you hovering over their shoulder. However, handing over the reins is rarely straightforward. It requires patience , nerve, and a scaffolded approach that respects the child’s current capabilities rather than just their age.

Start Small in the Early Years

Autonomy starts long before a child asks...

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Babies’ own genes influence when they are born

Large genetic study involving data from Exeter mothers and babies reveals new insights into pregnancy duration and the timing of delivery

When a woman is pregnant, when she delivers is important to the health of herself and her child. Preterm birth is a major cause of health problems and is the leading cause of death in children under the age of five years worldwide. Conversely, if a pregnancy goes far past the due date, the risk of birth complications and stillbirth increases. But what determines when a woman goes into labor?

Until now, researchers have considered timing...

Time travel to medieval Dartmoor during Heritage Open Days 2019

Dartmoor National Park is pleased to once again take part in England’s largest festival of history and culture and will be shedding a light on how people lived in the 14th Century.

From 13-22 September 2019 the Heritage Open Days festival returns to Dartmoor with a packed programme of medieval-themed activities. Every September places across the country throw open their doors to celebrate their heritage, community and history.

This is your chance to try out new experiences - and they're free!

Get involved

Join Dartmoor National Park for a rare opportunity...

Stagecoach South West are again sponsoring Sci-Fi Day in Paignton on Saturday 24 August.

Sci-Fi extravaganza returns for Torbay Children’s Week

All things Sci-Fi will be celebrated on Saturday 24 August, as Sci-fi day returns to Paignton Green.

The day will showcase an impressive range of cars and costumes from popular films including Transformers, Batman, Jurassic Park, Back to the Future, Disney Pixar’s Cars and many more.

Visitors can expect to come across Darth Vader, Star Wars Storm Troopers, Iron Man, RoboCop, Batman, Spiderman, Captain Jack Sparrow and chimps from Planet of the Apes, provided by look-alikes company UK Garrison.

There are plenty of exciting photo opportunities including an iron throne...

How to keep your dog healthy during summer

Summer is a really important season to focus on when it comes to your dog's health. Not only is the heat often too much for our furry friends, but there are other things like fleas and fitness to consider too. Aside from the obvious tips for keeping your dog safe in summer, the following tips are to help you ensure your dog is healthy and ha[[y during the warmer summer months.

Fighting Fleas

Fleas are small, fast-moving creatures that like to nestle into dogs hair and lay their eggs. They are often more active during the summer months, due to the warmer climate, so it’s...

Tom Hull Photography - children pictured are models

NSPCC reveals increasing fears over children in the SW being left home alone

NSPCC has urged parents to think carefully before leaving their children unsupervised during the school holidays, after seeing a 21 per cent rise in contacts about the issue last summer.

As schools in England and Wales break-up for summer the child protection charity has revealed specialist practitioners on its helpline received 5,737 calls and emails in 2018/19 from adults concerned about youngsters being left home alone.

Nearly a third of those calls and emails were between the summer months of July to September when children are away from school for at least six weeks...

Parents in the South West of England are awash wtih children's creativity

The average child will in the UK produce more than 2,000 arts and crafts pieces for their parents before they turn 12, according to a study*. And those items tell the story of their childhood through art.

Researchers found that parents in the South West of England face an uphill struggle to find space for the masses of drawings, greeting cards and ceramics produced by their little ones.

The overwhelming majority (83 per cent) will display all of their kid’s creations at one time or another, with the fridge being the most popular place to exhibit them.

Commissioned...

Pet owners face flea epidemic as hot and humid weather hits

As sweltering temperatures are expected to soar above 30°C (86F) this week, thousands of Devon homes can expect to be on alert as the hot and humid weather provides fleas with the ideal conditions needed to multiply.

Pets at Home is urging pet owners to regularly check their pets and homes for fleas, as the hot and humid weather conditions creates the perfect breeding ground for the parasites to thrive.

Dr. Karlien Heyrman, Head of Pets for Pets at Home, explained: “If left untreated, long term flea infestations can cause real suffering for pets - including dogs, cats and...

Children invited to join the library Space Chase at Devon Libraries

Libraries across Devon and Torbay are calling for children to sign up to the Space Chase mission to read six books this summer as part of the 2019 Summer Reading Challenge.

Anyone aged 4-11 is invited to take part in this out-of-this-world adventure by picking up a mission folder from their local library, choosing two books on each visit to the library throughout the summer and collecting stickers and rewards along the way as they rocket their way towards the finish line to claim a special medal.

Children will team up with futuristic family The Rockets for an exciting space...

South West England's young artists encouaged to represent their region

Is your child’s imagination constantly running away with them? Are they always drawing on any scrap of paper they can find? After receiving 1,000+ amazing entries and over 20,000 votes last year, the competition that gives budding young artists a chance to let their creativity shine is now open for 2019. This summer, the BIC® KIDS Young Artist Award is giving proud parents across the UK and Republic of Ireland the opportunity to see their child’s drawings graduate from the fridge door to billboards!

The BIC® KIDS Young Artist Award celebrates the creativity of 5 to 11-year old...

Spending Quality Time with Your Family During Summer Holidays

Out of the many holidays that happen during the year, summer is a favourite for many. It’s a time when you get six weeks with the kids before they head back to school and move onto bigger and better things. It’s also a period in which you have to think of activities you can do with your family so that everyone is happy and engaged. This isn’t an easy task, especially if you’ve got a million and one other things on your plate. Keep reading to see how you can spend quality time with your family and make sure it counts.

Invest in Quality Time

Just because it’s summer holiday...

Family Life

How to Encourage Independence Safely at Every Age

Babies’ own genes influence when they are born

Time travel to medieval Dartmoor during Heritage Open Days 2019

Sci-Fi extravaganza returns for Torbay Children’s Week

How to keep your dog healthy during summer

NSPCC reveals increasing fears over children in the SW being left home alone

Parents in the South West of England are awash wtih children's creativity

Pet owners face flea epidemic as hot and humid weather hits

Children invited to join the library Space Chase at Devon Libraries

South West England's young artists encouaged to represent their region

Spending Quality Time with Your Family During Summer Holidays

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