Toddlers who are better at concentrating, taking directions and persisting with a game even after hitting difficulties have a 50 per cent greater chance of getting a degree when older, a two-decade long experiment found. The study tracked 430 kids from pre-school to 21-years-old, monitoring academic and social development, behavioural skills and behaviour at home [...]
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Archive | August 7th, 2012
Teaching toddlers to pay attention is the key to academic success – Telegraph
Posted on 07 August 2012.
‘Best ever’ Scottish exam results – Telegraph
Posted on 07 August 2012.
More exams were taken than last year, and the pass rate has increased slightly from 75.2 per cent to 76.9 per cent. Ask your questions about University Clearing to Ucas and Student Finance experts on our live Clearing webchat – click here Small increases were also recorded in the pass rates for Advanced Highers and [...]
London 2012 Olympics: Lord Harris of Peckham ‘thrilled’ his horse wins and hopes gold medal inspires children – Other Events – Olympics – Evening Standard
Posted on 07 August 2012.
The philanthropist businessman who owns the showjumping horse ridden by Scott Brash for Team GB said he was thrilled after it won. Carpetright boss Lord Harris of Peckham, who funds a chain of London state schools, said he hoped the team’s win would inspire children. He bought Hello Sanctos last year in a bid to [...]
Posted in Active Kids, Sport and FitnessComments Off
Parenting a child with anxiety…from a dad who’s been there
Posted on 07 August 2012.
Shaun Groves’s post at Simple Mom about parenting a child with anxiety reflects my experience. His counterintuitive advice not to push was the only thing that started us down the slow road to improvement. I can now say — with amazement — that my son’s crippling anxiety is a thing of the past. (In our case [...]
Poodle power: dogs creatively groomed to look like pandas, parrots and Muppets – Telegraph
Posted on 07 August 2012.
Poodle power: dogs creatively groomed to look like pandas, parrots and Muppets An Airedale terrier with characters from The Muppets, including Kermit, Gonzo and Animal, is seen at a creative grooming dog show in the United States… via Poodle power: dogs creatively groomed to look like pandas, parrots and Muppets – Telegraph.
Posted in Pets and Children, Random articlesComments Off
Child adoptions in England and Wales: how many are adopted, how old and were they born inside marriage? | News | guardian.co.uk
Posted on 07 August 2012.
The number of adoptions in England and Wales is up – but how are they changing? According to the latest figures, published today by the Office for National Statistics, the number of adoptions in England and Wales in 2011 was 4,734, an increase of 6% since 2010 when there were 4,481 adoptions. It’s the first [...]
Posted in Adopting and Fostering, FamilyComments Off
Villagers claim they have been cheated out of valuable farming land by Madonna’s failed Malawi girls school project | Mail Online
Posted on 07 August 2012.
Villagers in Malawi are claiming a failed multi-million dollar girls school project financially backed by pop star Madonna has cheated them out of valuable farmland. More than 200 families in Chinkhota allege they were forced to sell their combined 117 acres of land to government officials to make way for the Material Girl’s state-of-the-art academy. [...]
Posted in At School, Learning, Media and Celebrity, World NewsComments Off
Caretaker Nigel French, 51, who drilled holes above shower cubicle to spy on naked schoolgirls is jailed | Mail Online
Posted on 07 August 2012.
A school caretaker who drilled holes above a changing room to spy on naked girls showering was jailed for six months today. Nigel French, 51, secretly watched the girls through a peephole after their swimming lessons at a South Wales secondary school. The married father of two, who claimed he was looking for bats in [...]
Posted in At School, Swimming and Watersports, TeenagersComments Off
Baby with less than 5% chance of survival has life-saving surgery after parents find pioneering procedure online | Mail Online
Posted on 07 August 2012.
A baby given less than five per cent chance of surviving birth is now fighting fit, after his parents found out about a life-saving procedure on the internet. Doctors warned Lucy Hay, 37, and her partner Stuart, 41, to expect the worst in April 2011 when they discovered their unborn baby was suffering from a [...]
Posted in Babies, Childhood illnesses, Health, Pregnancy and ChildbirthComments Off
BBC News – Why stillbirth remains a mystery
Posted on 07 August 2012.
The fourth child of Gary Barlow and his wife Dawn has been delivered stillborn. The couple have said they are “devastated” after the birth of Poppy on Saturday. But the Barlows are far from alone in suffering such a tragic experience. Stillbirth rates in the UK are higher than almost every other high-income country. There [...]
Posted in Media and Celebrity, Miscarriage and stillbirth, PregnancyComments Off
Children killed as landslide buries shanties – World – News – Evening Standard
Posted on 07 August 2012.
Torrential rains triggered a landslide in Manila that killed eight people when it hit a row of shanties. Troops and police dug frantically to save those buried in the mud. The bodies of all the victims, including four children, were recovered. TV footage showed rescuers dangling on ropes to bring residents to safety from flooded [...]
Posted in Death and Bereavement, Kids, World NewsComments Off
London 2012 Olympics: Train cleaner goes the extra mile by searching through bins for mother and son’s lost Games tickets – Olympic News – Olympics – Evening Standard
Posted on 07 August 2012.
If there were any doubts that Londoners were succumbing to the Olympic effect than surely this should silence them. For a train cleaner has gone the extra mile to help find lost Olympic tickets. A mother and son found they had mislaid their precious tickets as they were approaching the Olympic Park in Stratford, east [...]
Posted in Random articles, Sport and FitnessComments Off
Girls can learn from athletes, not Louise Mensch – Comment – Evening Standard
Posted on 07 August 2012.
After the celebrations of the limitless possibilities for women evoked by the Olympics, the resignation of Louise Mensch as an MP seems a bit of a downer. Perhaps women can reach the top — so long as they are under the age of 25. When Rebecca Adlington said she felt professionally old at 23, maybe [...]
Posted in Family, Just Mums, Working MumsComments Off
Depressed? Always tired? It could all be down to a childhood bump on your head | Mail Online
Posted on 07 August 2012.
When Christopher Lane killed himself four years ago, his family’s grief and shock was suffused with utter bewilderment. The good-looking and bright 31-year-old seemed to have everything to live for. The break-up of Chris’s relationship with his girlfriend five years before had hit him hard, but he had a loving family, a good job as [...]
Posted in Health, Random articlesComments Off
O.M.G it’s so old! Phrase loved by today’s teenagers was first used 100 years ago in a letter to Winston Churchill (who thought it was LOL!) | Mail Online
Posted on 07 August 2012.
It’s one of the most common phrases of the modern technological age coined by celebrities like Paris Hilton and used by teenage girls across Britain and America. However, it seems O.M.G. is actually very ‘last century’. It has emerged that the British admiral John Arbuthnot Fisher first penned the acronym in a letter to Winston [...]
Posted in Kids, Teenagers, Tweens and TeensComments Off
The intelligent textbook that helps students learn – tech – 07 August 2012 – New Scientist
Posted on 07 August 2012.
Want to know more about your subject? Type in your own question and artificially intelligent software will construct a new page to answer your query SITTING down with the Inquire system is, at first, a lot like trying to cosy up to an intimidatingly dense biology textbook. Sure, its presentation on the iPad is slick, [...]
Posted in Internet and Technology, Learning, University and Gap yearComments Off
Doubts over Gary Barlow Olympics closing show after baby daughter tragedy – UK – News – Evening Standard
Posted on 07 August 2012.
Gary Barlow is deciding whether to go ahead with his performance at the Olympics closing ceremony after his baby daughter was delivered stillborn. The Take That star was rumoured to be taking part in the spectacle at the Olympic stadium on Sunday and is expected to make a decision by the end of the week. [...]
Posted in Festivals and Celebrations, Media and Celebrity, Miscarriage and stillbirthComments Off
Two toddlers in pushchairs die after car crash – Telegraph
Posted on 07 August 2012.
Two toddlers have died after a collision in which a car is thought to have crashed into their pushchairs. The one-year-old boy and two-year-old girl were taken to hospital with serious injuries after the incident yesterday morning. The boy died yesterday afternoon and the girl died during the night. Two men, aged 28 and 29, [...]
Posted in Death and Bereavement, Parents, ToddlersComments Off
London 2012 Olympics: My discus-throwing boy Lawrence Okoye could still be a lawyer, says his mum – Athletics – Olympics – Evening Standard
Posted on 07 August 2012.
The mother of a London discus thrower aiming for a medal tonight said she still doesn’t know if he will choose sport over a career as a lawyer. Lawrence Okoye, 20, earned himself a place in the final in dramatic style, roaring with joy as he made the qualifying distance only with his last throw. [...]
Posted in Active Kids, Learning, Sport and Fitness, University and Gap yearComments Off
Don’t let last year’s riots cloud your judgment of young people, says owner of torched department store | Mail Online
Posted on 07 August 2012.
The owner of a family-run department store destroyed by fire during the London riots says he does not want last year’s violence to tarnish the image of young people. Trevor Reeves was speaking as he unveiled more than 4,000 pictures of teenagers holding positive statements which have been placed on one of his other stores. [...]
Posted in Random articles, TeenagersComments Off
London schools now top of the class for GCSE results despite high poverty and largest number of non-native English speakers | Mail Online
Posted on 07 August 2012.
London’s comprehensive schools have become among the best in the country, according to a new analysis of pupils’ examination results. Schools in the capital have completed a startling turnaround, with children from some of the city’s poorest areas now outperforming others in some of the country’s most affluent boroughs, a survey shows. According to the [...]
Father who jumped from car to help direct traffic around crash site left devastated after being told his own son was critically injured in one of the burning vehicles | Mail Online
Posted on 07 August 2012.
A father who jumped from his car to direct traffic around the scene of a horrific accident was left devastated after being told that his own son was critically injured in one of the blazing vehicles. Glen Davis was helping to usher traffic past the accident site when his partner rushed to tell him that [...]
Posted in Family, Family matters, Health, TeenagersComments Off
Young graduates in Japan forced to remove tattoos to find work after body-art ban | Mail Online
Posted on 07 August 2012.
Young graduates in Japan’s second-largest city are getting their tattoos removed so they can get work after the body-art was banned. The mayor of Osaka, Toru Hashimoto, banned local government employees from having tattoos and even imposed forced body inspections to enforce the new law. Job prospects for young people in Japan is already difficult [...]
Posted in Graduates, University and Gap yearComments Off
Cambridge students warned they could be attacked if they wear academic gowns – Telegraph
Posted on 07 August 2012.
Students at Cambridge University are being warned not to wear academic gowns or dinner party dress if they go drinking in the city in case they get beaten up by locals. The advice to ‘ditch the gown and the tux’ is contained in a university video which encourages new students, known as ‘freshers’, to drink [...]
Posted in Learning, University and Gap yearComments Off
Olympic legacy: 21 school fields sold off in two years – Telegraph
Posted on 07 August 2012.
Despite a promise to safeguard playing fields from development, Education Secretary Michael Gove has approved the sale of 21 since the Coalition was formed. The figures, released by the Department of Education, were announced in the middle of what could be Britain’s most successful Olympic Games, featuring athletes who first tried their sports while at [...]
Posted in Active Kids, At School, Learning, Sport and FitnessComments Off
Pregnant teenager vanishes after going to tell the father of her child that she was having a baby girl | Mail Online
Posted on 07 August 2012.
A pregnant 17-year-old has gone missing after going to tell the father of her child she met on Facebook that she was having a girl. Morgan Martin, of St Petersburg, Florida, stepped outside her house on July 25 to give the father the results of an ultrasound. The scan had revealed she was expecting a [...]
Boy, 4, left in agony after nurse leaves broken needle in his leg | Mail Online
Posted on 07 August 2012.
A father is suing the NHS after a nurse left a broken needle in his four-year-old son’s leg. Eesa Shafiq was in agony after the 2cm-long sliver of metal was left in his left thigh after a routine jab to prevent against childhood diseases. Hours later the boy’s leg became stiff and he could hardly [...]
Posted in Health, Kids, VaccinationsComments Off
Gary Barlow mourns stillborn baby | Culture | guardian.co.uk
Posted on 07 August 2012.
Gary Barlow, the singer-songwriter, and his wife are in mourning after their baby daughter Poppy was delivered stillborn at a London hospital. Barlow’s wife, Dawn, was eight months pregnant and the former Take That member had tweeted on 5 July that Poppy was due to be born in seven weeks’ time. A statement issued through [...]
Posted in Death and Bereavement, Media and Celebrity, Miscarriage and stillbirth, ParentsComments Off
The girl who became three boys: I had no idea my boyfriend was a girl | Mail Online
Posted on 07 August 2012.
A schoolgirl victim of 20-year-old boyfriend impostor Gemma Barker has spoken for the first time about her ordeal. In March this year Barker was jailed for two-and-a-half years after she dressed as a boy to deceive a string a teenage girls into going on dates with her. The victims, aged 15 and 16, believed they [...]
Posted in Growing up, TeenagersComments Off
Gabby Douglas hair: Mother of Olympic star attacks critics who waged war on her daughter | Mail Online
Posted on 07 August 2012.
The mother of women’s gymnastics all-around champion Gabrielle Douglas has attacked critics of her daughter’s hair. Natalie Hawkins, the 16-year-old Flying Squirrel’s proud mother, asked those who have labelled her hair messy: ‘Are you trying to ruin her self confidence?’ She told Fashionista.com: ‘How ignorant is it of people to comment on her hair and [...]
Posted in Active Kids, Media and Celebrity, Sport and Fitness, TeenagersComments Off
C-section Infection Dangers – Risk of Cesarean Birth – Parenting.com
Posted on 07 August 2012.
According to The London Evening Standard, approximately 1 in 10 women who undergo a caesarean section will suffer from a related infection. Findings from the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology revealed that infection was more common in women who were either overweight (1.6 times more likely), or obese (between 2.4 and 3.7 times more [...]
Posted in Caesarean section, PregnancyComments Off
Emma Stones death: Disabled girl was left in NHS hospital until rigor mortis set in died after catalogue of failings | Mail Online
Posted on 07 August 2012.
A coroner last night condemned a hospital after hearing a girl may have died in her bed and then been left by staff for so long she developed rigor mortis. John Pollard said it was ‘simply not acceptable’ that Mike Stones, 59, should find his 12-year-old daughter Emma stiff and cold to the touch – [...]
Posted in Death and Bereavement, ParentsComments Off
Schools revive ‘touchy-feely’ approach | Education | The Guardian
Posted on 07 August 2012.
The pupils file in quietly class by class, the school hall lit from the front with five candles on a table. Soft music plays in the background and images of the pupils taken at various times of the year appear as a slideshow. It is the last assembly of the academic year at Tower Hill [...]
Posted in At School, Kids, Learning, Primary SchoolsComments Off
Oh baby, your beauty regime’s ridiculous! | Mail Online
Posted on 07 August 2012.
Browsing in John Lewis, I was flabbergasted to find a bottle of shampoo costing £15.50 — for babies. But this product, from the Original Little Sprout range (devotees include Cindy Crawford and Brooke Shields), is just one of a burgeoning number of luxury baby beauty products. Trend forecaster Euromonitor predicts this market will expand until [...]
Posted in Babies, Eczema and skin problems, HealthComments Off
Earl Spencer names his new daughter Charlotte Diana after his beloved sister – UK – News – Evening Standard
Posted on 07 August 2012.
Earl Spencer has named his baby daughter Lady Charlotte Diana Spencer in honour of his beloved sister, the late Princess Diana. The 48-year-old earl became a father for the seventh time last Monday when his wife Karen gave birth to their first child together. Speaking about naming the baby, he said: “She’s adorable – another [...]
Posted in Media and Celebrity, Time OutComments Off
US schools adopting longer days for academic success – Telegraph
Posted on 07 August 2012.
More than 1,000 schools across the country have extended the calendar by adding at least 10 days to the year or by lengthening each school day by half an hour, research has found. The average school year in the US, as in Britain, is 180 days. This is much lower than countries such as Japan [...]
Posted in At School, Learning, World NewsComments Off
Badly Drawn Boy: Blasted for foul-mouthed rants at horrified fans – including children – before moaning about being ‘bored’ | Mail Online
Posted on 07 August 2012.
Badly Drawn Boy launched an abusive attack on his fans at a family concert in Northampton yesterday – forcing hundreds to leave in protest. The indie-rock singer and songwriter, aka Damon Gough, 42, repeatedly swore at the crowd – which included dozens of young children – before moaning about being ‘bored’. At one point he [...]
Posted in Festivals and Celebrations, Time OutComments Off
The UK private school that produced seven Olympians | Education | guardian.co.uk
Posted on 07 August 2012.
Britain’s Olympic stars are drawn from diverse backgrounds and plenty of Team GB’s medal-winners have been inspired by teachers at state schools. But amid the medal haul one private school stands out for its eye-catching contribution – Millfield in Somerset has taught seven of the competitors and ex-pupils have won two gold medals. Helen Glover, [...]
Posted in Active Kids, At School, Independent Schools, Learning, Sport and FitnessComments Off
BBC News – Andy Murray hug boy Henry Caplan, 11, ‘overwhelmed’
Posted on 07 August 2012.
The young boy who stole a hug from Andy Murray moments after his Olympic victory has described being “overwhelmed with emotion” at his victory. Eleven-year-old Henry Caplan was sitting with his father Elliot, who lives near Chelmsford, when Murray won. Describing the moment, Henry said: “As soon as Andy Murray won I was crying with [...]
Posted in Active Kids, Kids, Media and Celebrity, Tennis and Racquet sportsComments Off
School playing fields: 21 sell-offs have been approved by coalition | Education | The Guardian
Posted on 07 August 2012.
The education secretary, Michael Gove, has approved of the disposal of more than 20 school playing fields since the coalition came to power two years ago, despite a pledge to protect sports pitches from development. Figures released by the Department for Education show that the sale of school sports fields continues even though ministers declared [...]
Posted in Active Kids, At School, Learning, Sport and FitnessComments Off
State schools ‘letting down’ Olympians of the future – Telegraph
Posted on 07 August 2012.
Without a significant improvement, the “once in a lifetime opportunity” presented by the London Olympics would be missed, said the chairman of the Games organising committee. Lord Coe, a Conservative peer and former Olympic athlete himself, spoke after Jeremy Hunt, the Culture Secretary, admitted that sports provision in schools was “patchy”. Amid the celebration of [...]
Posted in Active Kids, At School, Learning, Sport and FitnessComments Off
Fainting may run in families: study – Telegraph
Posted on 07 August 2012.
American researchers studied identical and non-identical sets of twins and found fainting has a strong genetic component. Fainting happens when someone momentarily loses consciousness, normally in response to emotional distress. Some people seem to faint fairly often while others are rarely or never affected. Research published in the journal Neurology suggested that whether a person [...]
Posted in Family, Family Health, Family matters, HealthComments Off
Three-year-old Malaysian girl killed in suspected exorcism ritual – Asia – World – The Independent
Posted on 07 August 2012.
A three-year-old girl was killed in a suspected exorcism ritual by family members who believed she was possessed by evil spirits, Malaysian police said today. Officers raided a house in northern Penang state after receiving a distress call from a family member. They found a group of eight people lying on top of the girl [...]
Posted in Death and Bereavement, Kids, World NewsComments Off
Tiger mums, it’s best to underparent – Telegraph
Posted on 07 August 2012.
The moment Cath Prisk realised something was badly wrong with modern parenting was during a visit to her local shoe shop. Prisk, the director of the charity Play England, which campaigns for children to have access to play space, looked up from trying on a pair of flats to see a woman opposite carrying her [...]
Posted in Family, Green Parenting, Just Mums, ParentsComments Off
Grandmother, 73, waterboarded in £7m by thieves to make her open safe – Telegraph
Posted on 07 August 2012.
Francoise Jansen, 73, was subjected to the torture in which a towel was held over her head to simulate drowning. She also had boiling water poured down her back after the men burst into her living room as she watched the Olympics. They had ransacked the property searching for jewellery and tied her up at [...]
Posted in Grandparents, Random articlesComments Off
Missing girl Tia Sharp: Fifty-five more sightings but still no clues about where the schoolgirl has gone – Crime – News – Evening Standard
Posted on 07 August 2012.
Detectives leading the hunt for missing schoolgirl Tia Sharp say they have received 55 new sightings. Although none have been confirmed officers have been scouring CCTV footage to find clues as to where she may be. The news was released at a press conference last night in which her uncle made a heartfelt plea for [...]
BBC News – Baby boy dies after Leicester crash
Posted on 07 August 2012.
A one-year-old boy has died and a two-year-old girl is in a critical condition after two cars collided in Leicester. Police said the children were in pushchairs at the junction of Narborough Road and Braunstone Gate when the BMW and Mini Cooper collided at about 09:50 BST. Two men pushing the pushchairs suffered minor injuries. [...]
Posted in Death and Bereavement, ParentsComments Off
