Blog : Little Lilypad Co

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The Little Lilypad is a lifestyle blog mostly written by a mum to two beautiful, cheeky and entertaining daughters. It is sometimes written by the Man on the Pad or by one of our baby bloggers. Occasionally we accept guest posts too. There is frequently talk of sustainable living, saving money, lifestyle and travel. It is hopefully helpful, sometimes funny and always honest.
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Category: School Days

  1. What is the best technology gadget for my child's homework?

    Posted on

    Trying to get my daughter to do her homework is a little bit like pulling teeth but in this high-tech age, children have a completely different experience of learning and education from when we we young. Gone are the endless nights of scribbling, crossing out and rewriting, and hours of spent researching in the library. These days, with the birth of laptops and tablets, homework is a completely different animal. At the click of a button any question can be answered. With websites designed specifically for children, they can read and interact almost independently. Sites like Advent gives some good advice on how computers can help children with their homework. 

    Homework

    It seems like it was only a few years ago, you had to actually visit a shop to purchase a computer; these days, with so many review sites to rely on, we have become more confident in our knowledge. When it comes to purchasing technology, sites like www.ebay.co.uk give such a wide selection both in terms of budget and specification, we need never be bothered by those pesky sales people again!

    In fact I have just ordered the girls some new dvd players from eBay this afternoon, without moving from my computer  (I really do love the internet). The problem for me is that I get lost on there and go clicking through looking for all sorts of other ideas and deals (maybe this is where my daughter gets her "easily distracted" temperament from). In all seriousness though, there are so many different devices to choose from, I am never entirely sure which one is best for the girls.

    Tablets

    Tablets are great for portable working, they are easy and fun to use. They are internet-enabled and work in a similar way to smartphones. Educational apps can be purchased and parental controls can be set – more easily on some than others. They are excellent for reading and researching and you can purchase apps and audio books that read aloud. These are brilliant for children who are dyslexic or for younger age groups. However, although you can download Word, it would be reasonably difficult to type up a project on a tablet and it's memory and storage space is limited. They are also easy to break or scratch so protective casing is an absolute must ..... especially if you have a boistrous 2 year old around. (says the voice of experience).

    Desktop

    If, like me, you would like your child fixed in one place, then a desktop computer is the best option. They have huge storage/memory capacity and by the fact that they can't be moved means they are very hard to break. A desktop PC is a good idea if you want a computer to be shared by other members of the family. For me, it also gives me the ability to check what she is doing, I know that sounds a little "Big Brother" but eith so many "pop ups" and cyber bullying, keeping her safe online is as important as road safety these days.

    Laptops

    Laptops bridge the gap between the tablet and desktop, having the best of both worlds. Portable yet sturdy, they have a better amount of storage (around 500GB compared with 64GB on the larger tablets). The keypads are as good as a desktop so typing up work is a doddle, and the mouse track pads definitely make it easier to edit photographs. There are so many to consider though, so to get an idea of the laptop(s) that may suit you, consider by reading the Which guide. Mini-laptops are also available, which can be particularly useful if your child needs to take it to school or off to a friend’s house to study. 

    Each device has it pros and cons according to who is using it and of course what it is going to be used for. What’s best for one family may not suit another.  Tablets are generally the cheapest option; however, for longevity, you may find the laptop the best investment.

    Typically every member of our family wants something different but if we get this right, the girls will have absolutely no reason not to do their homework! *looks hopeful*

    What do you prefer?

  2. Learn to read in 5 weeks for FREE with Reading Eggs

    Posted on

    For as long as I can remember, I have read stories with my girls, (I am not sure whether this is linked to my eldest being the biggest story teller around) but reading is a big part of our every day routine. My youngest daughter is at the stage of loving stories that rhyme while my eldest loves stories that she can read by herself. So when we were introduced to the Reading Eggs Great Literacy Challenge, we were a little intrigued as to what it was all about.

    We found that your child can join thousands of children across the UK taking part in the Reading Eggs Great Literacy Challenge – which is a nationwide effort to inspire children to read! This FREE event will give your child 5 weeks FREE access to Reading Eggs – the online reading programme that teaches children aged 3-13 the literacy skills needed for lifetime reading success.

     Reading Eggs Little Lily Pad

    We have supported Tommy's and raised money through the Water Babies splashathon, so are thrilled to be able to continue this support through Reading Eggs.

    We also love that there are games, songs, golden eggs and other rewards which, along with feeling proud of their reading, can motivate children to keep exploring and learning. We were also interested to find that over 90% of parents found a noticeable improvement in their childrens reading after using Reading Eggs. So we are delighted to be able to share a FREE trial for Lilypad readers!

    Click here to sign up for your free trial and see for yourself how your child’s reading improves by using Reading Eggs!

    Happy Reading!!

    Sponsored post

  3. Ranty Friday : School Uniform

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    This week's Ranty Friday post is based on proposed action by the government. I am not getting all political (its not really my style) and in fact I am in support of the proposals by the Lib Dem's that schools in England need to take action to cut the cost of uniforms for parents. It is ludicrous that some schools still insist on uniforms being bought from one single outlet, giving parents on different household incomes no option but to shop there. You can see the article from the BBC here.

    I totally understand that schools want their children to be smart and a good representative of that establishment but surely that can be done by wearing a branded jumper or a supermarket one? Isn't the behaviour and appearance of the children the responsibility of the parents, rather than the clothes on their backs?

    I was looking at the uniforms from our schools "single use supplier" and they have a variety of uniforms available but one thing that did strike me with other schools was that you had the option to buy a sew on emblem, meaning that you didn't necessarily have to buy the branded clothing but you could buy elsewhere and just sew on the logo. (hopefully in the right place and not at all wonky)

     

    Brands v Supermarket

    There will always be those that are for and against this move. I like my children having a uniform and I wouldn't support any decision to get rid of it completely but I do think that there are lots of families that want their children to go to the best schools but being forced to shop in one specific place just simply isn't right!

    For the sake of parents pockets,

    For the right to have a choice,

    For those children that regularly lose uniform,

    I support these changes, do you?

    MummyBarrow

  4. Back to School ..... extra essentials

    Posted on

    It seems ages ago since the children all went back to school, even though it is only a couple of weeks and typically in our house, we are already chasing missing cardigans! For some reason, my daughter and her friends have an inane ability to lose parts of their school uniform and at first I thought it was just my child but apparently it is a common complaint from all the parents. On one sports day last year, another child apparently went home with my daughter school polo shirt, never to be found again and she came home in her PE top.

    I don't deny that I can occasionally misplace items but my daughter lost a grand total of 4 cardigans in one term last year, this is not only frustrating but expensive too, especially when you buy the school branded clothing. So this year, we have been a little more savvy. We have bought a small number of school branded items but we have mixed this with the supermarket brands too. Asda have a great range of affordable and great quality school uniform, which washes really well and is easy on the purse strings!

    Back to School Essentials


    This year, in an act of rebellion, I bought a "Hello Kitty" PE bag from Asda this summer, rather than the standard issue ..... again mainly so that there was no chance of mixing it up with anyone else's

    Some schools want all of their children in the same uniform, not a mixture of different styles (this is a whole other blog post tomorrow) but when they are smart and hard wearing, I really don't see what the issue is. The range from Asda gives us an affordable option when parents need them and who can argue with that?

     

    Disclaimer : We were sent a couple of items of school wear from the Asda back to school range but the views are honest and true.