Family Life

Happy nappies is the name of the game this week as the Devon Real Nappy Project joins in the celebrations for Real Nappy Week (15-21 April).

This national annual event is designed to raise awareness, promote the benefits and show parents how easy modern real nappies are to use. This year’s theme is Real Nappies…..Real Change! to inspire a new generation of parents to make the change and go real.

Real nappies –also called washable, reusable or cloth - are around £500 cheaper than disposables, up to 40% better for the environment and don’t contain chemicals or gels found in...

Families will be more than £3,000 a year worse off by 2015 as a result of tax credit cuts, says the South West TUC.

With many tax credit changes that could leave families thousands of pounds out of pocket taking effect from today, the South West TUC has updated its tax credit calculator to help parents find out how they will be affected by the government’s recent changes.

The tax credit calculator – available on the TUC touchstone blog – allows working parents currently in receipt of tax credits to add their household details, such as income level and number of children,...

Teachers in schools across the globe are turning to a new philosophy to help improve the behaviour and well-being of students. Mindfulness, a form of meditation, has been shown to help with a wide range of mental health conditions and improve well-being in adults. However, few trials have evaluated its effectiveness in children.

Professor Willem Kuyken from the Mood Disorders Centre at the University of Exeter is presenting new research findings from a feasibility trial which show how the mindfulness technique is also effective in improving well-being in young people. Speaking at...

A leading Devon charity is offering local children the chance to become the next Chris Packham or Kate Humble. This summer Devon Wildlife Trust is running two weeks of wildlife Discovery Days where kids will learn the skills that will help them become top nature sleuths.

Bookings are being taken now for Discovery Days which will take place at two of the Trust’s wonderful Devon venues. At Wembury Marine Centre, children aged 8 to 11 can book for a week of marine-focussed fun. The event takes place 8.30am-4pm between Monday 5 and Friday 9 August. While at Woodah Farm, near...