August Business Mums Blog Carnival

I am so excited to be hosting the Business Mums Blog Carnival - my first ever time of hosting a carnival. As my business is education based the submissions have been split into lessons... so prepare to go back to school! I hope that you will enjoy reading this post and the ones that have been submitted.

First of all - we all need inspirational teachers - those people who inspire us... Kate at Mum's The Word shares three very different examples of business success. Who has inspired you?

In lesson time:

Literacy - Helen from Business Plus Baby explains: What I've Learned About Writing Books and Antonia from Family Friendly Working wants you to write your story.

Numeracy - Alli (Motivating Mum) looks at the value of money in her post My husband my detractor and Becky at Baby Budgeting looks into buying a family friendly franchise.

ICT - a lesson from Joanne Dewberry about fan pages.

Music - Karen from Learning Made Fun tells us about the 1st musical mini.

Citizenship - MidwifeValerie explains how to campaign to save independent midwifery.

PSE - Heather (The Efficiency Coach) talks about self-confidence in her post the-dreaded-c-word-how-the-lack-of-it-can-sabotage-your-business-efforts/

For playtime, Sam and Helen from Mums the Boss ask How free should our children be? and Nomita at ebabeelikes reviews the Cachatou Maggy a bright and colouful shape sorter.

In assembly teachers share the best work - Antonia tells us about Family Vie where you can share the best work you find, also most schools have some sort of prize giving, star of the week - the world of business mums isn't without its awards - check out the post from TJ at Support4Women: Awards - Are they Worth it?

Not forgetting babies... Antonia and Karen at Kiddibase share their top ten baby activities.

If you read a post that you find interesting, amusing, informs or inspires you, then please leave a comment for the author – bloggers love comments (and please let me know if you think I have passed or failed!).

You can find the 2010 Blog Carnival schedule by clicking here.

Blog Carnival

At the end of August we are hosting the Business Mum Blog Carnival.

If you would like more traffic to your blog, links and comments and the chance to network online around the business mum community then this is for you. It’s free and will take you just a couple of minutes.

Here’s how it works. Each month, a different business mum blogger hosts the blog carnival, listing the best posts that month. If you’re a mumpreneur with a blog, you can submit your own favourite post of that month to the carnival.

We’re looking for posts that add value in some way, so maybe they inspire, inform or make us smile. It’s OK to talk a little about what you do (we’re all in business after all) but a post that’s just a sales pitch isn’t going to be much of a read and is less likely to be included.

Email posts to elaine (at) littlesheep-learning.co.uk by the end of Friday 20th August and the carnival will be posted on Monday 23rd August.

If you want to read July's for inspiration check it out at mumazing's blog.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

A little while back I answered a tweet on Twitter from @babysigningmum who was looking for some puppets - specifically Goldilocks and the Three Bears and I showed her these ones and promised to order them in as a special for her.

They arrived this week in a lovely big fabric drawstring bag (ideal for a story sack) and I have to say they are FABULOUS and look even better in real life. I am going to be ordering some more - so watch the website's new products page or contact me directly if you want a set!

Down's Syndrome Awareness Week 2010

This week (15th-21st March) is Down's Syndrome Awareness Week - I have blogged about it in previous years, but thought this week was worth mentioning again to raise awareness especially as 2010 marks the 40th anniversary of the Down's Syndrome Association which provides help and support for people Down's Syndrome and their families. They have lots of information available here.

Also Antonia Chitty has got a new book on Down’s Syndrome coming out in June and the publishers are making a special pre-publication offer to tie in with Down’s Syndrome Awareness Week. Instead of £8.99 the book is available for £5 from 15th to 21st March. Buy it here if you want to be one of the first to use this practical guide. Please note: post and packing is included, so £5 is all you pay, but you will only get the book on publication – at the start of June.

January Sale Now On!

The January Sale is now on at Littlesheep Learning.

Save up to 30% on a range of books, games and fine motor activities.

Our favourites items are Fine Motor Fishes (reduced from £15.50 to £10.50), the Going to School book (reduced from £2.50 to £1.50) and the Timestables Lotto game (reduced from £9.99 to £8). What are your favourites?

All items subject to stock availability and the sale will end on 31st January 2010!

If there are any other Mumpreneurs / WAHMs who want me to promote your sale - please do add the details in a comment!

Friendly Baby Competition

If you sign up to receive the Friendly Baby monthly newsletter before the end of December you can win two Usborne first experience books from Littlesheep Learning.




Friendly Baby is the simple choice for cloth nappies, and natural and eco baby products.

Featured on Family Friendly Working

I am pleased to say I have been profiled as the Mumpreneur behind Littlesheep Learning on Family Friendly Working - do go and take a look there are a lot of very inspirational Mumpreneur Profiles on there - Mums at all sorts of different stages of their business careers.

While Shepherds Watched

'While Shepherds Watched' sell Handmade Children’s Nativity Costumes and today they opened for the 2009 Nativity Play season.

Lucy, who started the business in 2006, says "I am so pleased to be able to offer tunics made from Fairtrade Organic Cotton for the first time this year. After working closely with Bishopston Trading I now have a 'limited edition' range of Fairtrade certified cotton tunics that are just perfect for Shepherds, Joseph, Mary, Inn Keepers - just about any traditional Nativity role! I team these with appropriate head dresses and head bands, and you have distinctive, unusual and beautiful costumes for your little star. The quality of these skilfully made outfits is unrivalled, which means the costume will last and last."

'While Shepherds Watched' has always aimed to be the best place to buy affordable, great looking, handmade Nativity Costumes. Let them take one of the worries of the festive season away, and leave you free to enjoy seeing your little star shine!

Get Children Cooking

Picnics can be much more than just soggy sandwiches and convenience foods, Children, Schools and Families Secretary Ed Balls said today as he joined a group of primary school children to prepare recipes from a new picnic cookbook for children and parents to use over the summer.

Endorsed by celebrity chef Phil Vickery, the cook book, 'Simple cooking - cold food that tastes great', is the second in the series of free Real Meals recipe books. The cook book features healthy meals and snacks such as rainbow salad, deli wraps, open cheese and onion pie and mighty muffins, which have been designed to help children and their families prepare fun, nutritious and well balanced food for when they are out and about this summer.

If you want to get cooking with your children check out the 'mum owned' PinkFairyCake and Mums who bake for your supplies!

What's On 4 Little Ones Awards

More than 14,000 votes have been counted and the results of the prestigious What’s On 4 Little Ones Awards 2009 have been revealed! The award programme, which is sponsored by pioneering children’s food company Organix and supported by Prima Baby & Pregnancy magazine, is now in its third year. It aims to celebrate the best pre-school activities across the UK, as voted for by parents, and to highlight the selfless work of all the volunteers who help run groups across the country.

2009 What’s On 4 Little Ones Award Winners
Best National Baby Development Activity
WINNER: Water Babies www.waterbabies.co.uk
RUNNER UPS: Baby Sensory www.babysensory.co.uk, Gymboree www.gymboree-uk.com, RhythmTime www.rhythmtime.net, Sing and Sign www.singandsign.co.uk

Best National Toddler Development Activity
WINNER: Sing and Sign www.singandsign.co.uk
RUNNER UPS: Gymboree www.gymboree-uk.com, Puddle Ducks Swimming www.puddleducks-swimming.co.uk, RhythmTime www.rhythmtime.net, Water Babies www.waterbabies.co.uk

Best National Pre-schooler Development Activity
WINNER: Gymboree www.gymboree-uk.com
RUNNER UPS: Jo Jingles www.jojingles.com, Music Bugs www.musicbugs.co.uk, RhythmTime www.rhythmtime.net, Water Babies www.waterbabies.co.uk

Organix Food Hero
WINNER: Kate Sanderson and Jackie Moon of Runner Beans in Birminghamwww.runnerbeansfun.co.uk
RUNNER UPS: Debbie and Andrew Keeble of Ellie & Roddy’s healthier children’ssausages www.debbieandandrews.co.uk, Steve Runaround in Dingwell, Ross-shire http://www.runaround.biz

Best New Activity
WINNER: Runner Beans in Birmingham www.runnerbeansfun.co.uk
RUNNER UPS: Dramabuds in South West London and Surrey www.dramabuds.co.uk, Talking Tots www.talkingtots.info, Tiddlers in Liphook, Hampshire www.tiddlers.me

Best Local Activity
WINNER: Runaround in Dingwell, Ross-shire www.runaround.biz
RUNNER UPS: ChatterboxBabies in Watford www.chatterboxbabies.com, Little Splashers in Coventry and Rugby www.littlesplashers.co.uk,

Most Outstanding Activity or Class Leader
Our judges were especially looking for an activity or class leader thatwent beyond the remit of their activity as well as being passionate aboutwhat they do and why they do it. Nominations from parents were particularly important evidence when judging this award.The standard was so high for this award the judges have awarded a highly commended as well as a winner

WINNER: Julie Maughan of TinyTalk in Cramlington www.tinytalk.co.uk
HIGHLY COMMENDED - Jo Tolley of Waterbabies in Dorset www.waterbabies.co.uk
RUNNER UPS: Sylvia Johnstone of Hulabaloo Kids in Middlesex www.hulabalookids.co.uk, Brain MacNair of Socatots in York and Ripon www.socatots.com, Lynne Maclaughan of Lindy Lou’s in Barton Le Clay, Bedfordshire http://www.lindylous.co.uk, Linda Sykes of TinyTalk in Grays, Essex www.tinytalk.co.uk

Most Outstanding Committee Led Pre-School
(nb This award is not associatedwith OFSTED assessment)
WINNER - Sherwood Community Centre Playgroup in Nottingham, wins £200 ofproducts from Mini IQ
RUNNER UPS: Bolton Under 5s Playgroup in Old Basing, Hampshire, Lover and Redlynch Pre-School in Redlynch, Wiltshire

Most Outstanding Baby and Toddler Group
WINNER - Brunton Babies in Tyne and Wear, wins £200 of products from MiniIQ
RUNNER UPS: Belhaven Toddler in Dunbar, East Lothian, Jacobs Well Toddler Group in Guildford

Do you agree with these results? Please comment on this post and tell us about your experiences and don't forget to visit What's on 4 Little Ones to find more even activities.

Blog Roll - Experimental Mum

Experimental Mum is a new blog from the person behind Sizzling Science and it is going to feature the home science experiments she carries out with her family. Check it out and get your children having fun experimenting with science.

Blog Roll - Totsy's Place

Totsy's Place is the blog from the founders of Talking Tots, Tracey and Lisa. It has all the news from Talking Tots plus other speech, language and communication news, ideas and product reviews.

We think it's definitely worth a read - let us know what you think.

Look Who's Talking - Talking Tots

We've been networking again (this time on Twitter) and we bumped into Lisa from Talking Tots who has provided us this article with an overview of the company and some ideas to get your children talking.

Somewhere around your child’s first birthday, they’ll amaze you with their first word. Chances are that word will soon be followed by a second and a third word – and before you know it, your little one will be chattering away so much you can hardly get a word in edgeways!

However, new research shows that almost half of all children arriving at primary school don’t have the communication skills they need to learn effectively. Common problems include children who can’t speak clearly and audibly, or children who struggle to listen to instructions or take part in group conversations.

The good news is that it’s possible to boost your child’s communication skills and social confidence through the right combination of encouragement, play and practice.

Talking Tots is a new pre-school activity group that helps children to communicate with confidence. The company was created by Tracey Park and Lisa Houghton, two experienced paediatric speech and language therapists, who saw an increasing number of children in their clinics with communication problems.

At Talking Tots, children take part in fun, interactive games and activities that build important communication skills such as telling stories, taking turns in a group and listening to instructions. The classes also help children to become more aware of sounds and words, which will help when your child learns to read.

Toddlers learn best through play, and so our classes are based on songs, rhymes and brightly-coloured props that the children find really engaging. The key is not to put pressure on children, and allow them to develop at their own pace.

There is a great deal you can do at home to encourage your child’s communication. From a very early age, Lisa recommends that parents should be amateur commentators. When you’re making dinner, tell your baby about all the delicious ingredients you’re preparing. If you’re walking to the park, make a point of naming all the shops and places as you pass them by. But don’t overdo it, says Lisa: “Leave space for your baby to respond, even before they can talk. They’ll gradually begin making noises in response to your questions and one day they’ll surprise you with an answer!”

Another great way to get your baby talking is to ask questions with options and don’t anticipate their needs. If your baby points to the fridge, don’t simply give them the milk. “Instead, say ‘Oh, I see you need a drink. Would you like milk or juice?’ which encourages them to talk to you,” says Lisa.

Of course, learning a whole new language is hard work, and most toddlers will make a few mistakes along the way. It might seem like a good idea to correct your child when he says “bik” for “biscuit” or “buddy” instead of “buggy” but try to hold back. Pointing out mistakes could dent your little one’s confidence and discourage him from trying out new words. “It’s better to be a good role model,” advises Lisa. “If your toddler asks for a ‘bik’, you can respond, ‘Oh, you want a biscuit’. That way he hears the correct word and eventually he’ll pick up the difference between his word and yours.”

Making language fun means your child will want to learn new words and try them out. A great way to do this is by sharing books with your little one. Very young children will appreciate animal stories, and you can both have fun making the appropriate noises! As your child gets older, rhyming stories with colourful pictures will encourage your child to join in with the story and guess what’s coming next.

Helping your child to develop confident communication may well give them a head start in the classroom, but the benefits can be life-long, says Lisa. “Communication is the bedrock of almost everything we do, from making new friends to learning new skills,” she says. “Giving our children good communication skills means you’re giving them the best start in life.”

Top Tips

• Chatter matters! From an early age, tell your baby what you’re doing, whether it’s changing his nappy or making his supper. But don’t forget to leave room for him to answer you, even if it’s just with a gurgle for now.
• Read as much as you can. Books and stories help build your child’s vocabulary and if Mum and Dad can join in with silly voices and sound effects, it will encourage your little one to try out new sounds too.
• Be descriptive. If your child points to a tree, talk about how big it is, what colour it is, what sound it’s making. Help your child to learn how to describe the world around them.
• Don’t correct children’s speech. Don’t tell your child when she gets something wrong, but don’t use baby talk yourself. Instead, use the correct words and gradually she will begin to copy you.
• Play games. Simple games such as “I spy” will help your child become aware of sounds, which will help him later on, when he learns to read.

Money, Money, Money (and January Sales!)

It's January and the news is full of doom and gloom in the retail markets - so thinking about money two things come to mind...

First that Littlesheep Learning has several products to help teach children about money! The Magnetic Money Chart, Money Snap, Pop to the Shops and Piggy in the Middle, all help children learn to start to learn the value of coins, money 'sums' and budgeting! All of these products and more are in our January Sale.

And secondly, that a lot of our Work at Home Mum (WAHM) business colleagues are also busy having winter / January Sales... here are some of them - take a look and grab a bargain today!

Funky Dory Party Bags - up to 50% off on themed partyware and fillers.

Friendly Baby - The simple choice for real nappies, and natural and eco baby products.

Perfectly Gorgeous - 20% off jewellery

Ethics Trading - Natural and sustainable solutions for garden, cleaning needs and you (we like this sale for novelty value you enter the code JanSale and the discount changes throughout the month!)

Bay-bee - beautiful, unique products for babies - a twins sale (having just found out that they are expecting twins) - enter the code 'twins' at checkout!

Ruby Iris - Simply Beautiful, Traditional Gifts for Children - closing down sale - enter the code CLOSING for 30% off.

PinkFairyCake - cooking with kids is fun!

Twinkle Twinkle - who are clearing all their clothing to focus on nappies!

Natural Nursery - Organic cotton clothes for babies and toddlers at reduced prices. Also, some treats for mummies and daddies too.



If you are a WAHM and have a sale feel free to comment on this post to promote it!

Creative Charlie

I've just discovered a great website that sells art and craft projects for children aged 3-6 so I thought I'd tell you all about them!

Creative Charlie art and craft projects are designed by Kerri Sellens, a mum of two and an artist with over 10 years experience of running art workshops for children in schools, galleries and museums. Each project contains everything you need to complete a variety of fun and stimulating artistic activities with your child. Easy to follow instruction sheets, along with all of the necessary art equipment, are included. All of the project contents are contain child-friendly and age-appropriate materials developed with the environment in mind so all of the paper and card used throughout is recycled and, where possible, contents and packaging are reusable rather than disposable. By using these materials, Creative Charlie provides an exciting way to introduce environmental issues to young children.

I think the Rainy Day Box is a great resource for all families and the Practical Pre-School Awards agree as it was announced the overall winner of the Toys and Games category in 2008.

Included in the box are:

25 sheets of recycled sugar paper,
5 sheets of recycled card and several sheets of wallpaper.
A sheet of star stickers
Activity sheets to make a mobile, make butterflies, make a pom-pom pet and make puppets.
3 paper doilies
3 paper plates
3 spoons
3 pegs
4 lolly pop sticks
A bag of pom poms
A bag of feathers
A bag of sparkles
A pot of glitter
Some scraps of material
A box of beeswax crayons, made without the use of chemical wax.
4 paints which are water based, biodegradable, and phalate free.
A pot of washable glue, which like the paint, is wheat, gluten and nut oil free (ensuring that children with these allergies can play safely).
A paint palette
A paint brush
A glue spreader
A pair of scissors - (and if you let them know when you order you can have a box with left handed scissors in)
A roll of tape
A recycled pencil
A window mount to present the finished art work
A stencil to practice writing letters and words

And

A kids apron made by a woman's cooperative in the Philippines from recycled juice packs is also included, which will protect your clothes and can continue to be used for future art and craft activities.

All of that for just £29.99 (plus P&P) - just think of the hours of fun and crafty makes you can do with all of that.

Along with the great creative product range, the website is also regularly updated with ideas for creative recycling, and lots of other inspiring things to do and places to go, plus there is a new blog which looks to be inspiring.

Twitter

I've just joined Twitter and is busy connecting with people especially other work at home mums (WAHM) - check out my page here and follow my updates.

Christmas Shopping Guide: Stocking Fillers

As Christmas is coming we thought that we would share our stocking filler ideas with you! You probably wouldn’t think of doing your Christmas shopping at Littlesheep Learning but we have lots of items that are under £5 which would be great for you to stuff your children's Christmas stockings with!

So check out our suggestions…

We have stationery supplies – our handwriting exercise books, Handhugger Pens (with black ink or blue), Triangular Pencils (jumbo and slim) or even our Triangular Writing Set make ideal stocking fillers for those learning to write and draw, plus see our range of left and right handed scissors for those who want to cut and create craft projects.

For children who like books the range of First Experiences Books are just the right size to pop in a stocking whilst the range of People who Help Us Puppets are gorgeous too and great for children who are beginning role play activities.

For the more mathematically minded – we have the fantastic Numberball - with two giant, tactile eight-sided dice as well as counters, number grids and timer, it is a fun and colourful way to help memorise the basic multiplication tables. There are many different ways to use Numberball; playing 4-in-a-row, using the timer, filling in the blank chart, or placing counters on the squares all of which help children remember the times tables – a great stocking filler for a Key Stage 2 child. Also, check out our numeracy snap games – money, time and fraction action fraction action.

Our other favourite fellow WAHM suppliers of stocking fillers are Knot Just Jigs, FunkyDoryParty Bags, Natural Nursery and Delicate Dreams - do go and have a look and see what they have to offer.

Look out for our other gift guides coming soon!

Special Educational Needs – A Parent’s Guide

I've just received information about this great book written by two fellow Work at Home Mums (WAHMs) to help parents who have children with special educational needs so I thought I would share it with you.

As many as one in five children may at some time need extra help with their education, but does this mean they have special educational needs?

Antonia Chitty and Victoria Dawson’s new book, Special Educational Needs - A Parent’s Guide, brings together the facts on special educational needs, looking in detail at the different types of additional needs and how parents and carers can cope with them in daily life.

Find out which professionals can help, how to get through the ‘system’ and gain support, how to handle behavioural difficulties at home and school, and how to get the best education for your child’s needs. The different types of SEN are explained and accompanied by handy checklists to help you look at a child’s behaviour and start the diagnosis process. Practical issues such as family life, sleep, education, housing and finance are also an integral part of the books.

Whether you are worried about your child’s development or work with children and want to know more about the area, this book contains all the facts about the world of special educational needs including the contact details for sources of help.

Discovering your child has special educational needs can leave many parents feeling unsure of where to go for help. This practical guide will spell out clearly how to deal with the problems special educational needs present.

Published by Need2Know – the imprint of People’s Publisher Forward Press that focuses on overcoming real life problems – Special Educational Needs- A Parent’s Guide is available now from the Need2Know website (www.need2knowbooks.co.uk) or by calling 01733 898103 or emailing sales@n2kbooks.com. Also available from Amazon and bookshops. Buy Special Educational Needs Now Price: £8.99.

Autumn Fair

We've just got back from an exciting day at the Autumn Fair at the NEC. We had fun meeting up and networking with other WAHMs (the people behind Delicate Dreams, Stork Gifts, Knot Just Jigs, Funky Dory Party Bags, Kiddymania and Perfect Presents - shout if I've left you out?) and have placed orders for some great new lines. Keep reading this blog to find out about the new products and ranges at Littlesheep Learning!

Case Study Requests

I have some friends who are writing a book about how to look after your relationship when your child has special needs and they are in need of people to complete questionnaires and be case-studies. Here is the full request if you feel that you can help them:

Antonia Chitty and Victoria Hill are looking for parents to help with their research for a book is about how to look after your relationship when your child has special needs.

If you have had a baby (without special needs) in the last few years, we have a short questionnaire to help us find out about the impact of having a baby on parent's relationships. Please email mail@antoniachitty.co.uk with BABY in the title.

If you have a baby or child WITH special needs, we want the book to be packed full of case studies of parents talking about their experiences, good and bad, and how parenting a child with special needs has impacted on their lives. If you don't mind sharing what you have been through, to help other parents, please email mail@antoniachitty.co.uk with SEN in the title.

Thank you very much for your help: we hope this book will be a really useful resource in a neglected area.

I hope that you can help!