Learning - The Green Parent

Quality not Quantity

Whilst helping to clear up after a school jumble sale I was dismayed to see the amount of toys that were left over. A quick sweep revealed two play kitchens, a couple of Barbies and a dozen Action Men. I made a guess that no-one bought these toys because they already had at least one of them at home. Thinking of my children’s bulging toybox I could understand why. Those leftovers would, eventually, join the 44 million toys that are thrown away each year in this country. So it’s a valid question to ask: ‘Do our children have too many toys’? Kathryn Houldcroft investigates

Playing with the elements

We explore the woodland setting of an inspirational playscheme in Somerset

The importance of play

Play is described as the work of childhood so how can we encourage this natural exploration in our children? As parents, we ignore the importance of play at our peril. Neuroscientists have discovered that part of the brain is hardwired for play. Creative activity stimulates the frontal lobes of the brain so it is vital that we allow time and space for our children to play.

6 Wild Days Out for your Family

Our pick of the best places in the UK for discovery and adventure

How to Get Started in Home Education

Where do you start? What do you do? Ross Mountney explains how to get started on the home educating journey. The thought of home education can seem a daunting prospect to most people. But like most things, once the first steps are taken you realise it’s different to what you expected. A bit like the thought of being a parent when you’re first pregnant; you can’t imagine what it’ll be like and how you’ll cope, but you do in the end. And it’s exactly the same with home education as it is with parenting; you grow into it, everything is achievable in small steps. And the first step you need to take is often the hardest; the decision!

Green Parent Festival Awards: Best Family Festival 2016

WHIRL-Y- FAYRE has won the Best Family Festival Award 2016, as voted by our readers. We received over one thousand votes to our Green Parent Festival Awards 2016 and Whirl-y-fayre won the award for its sense of community and connection (and the children's magical fairyland!).

ADHD What’s the Alternative?

Fiona McNeill offers an alternative approach for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Special Offer

5% discount at the GuestHouse Hotel

Child friendly hotel 500m from Efteling theme park

View this offer

Free Range Children

Luminara King helps her children develop a life long passion for learning and exploring the world through unschooling

Cycling 16,500 Miles with a Child

New parents often promise themselves that having a child won't change their lives. Sean Tomlinson and Ingrid Hobba lived up to the promise

8 of Britain’s Best Hidden Beaches

Britain has some of the most amazing coastline in the world, and it is more accessible than ever before, yet many of its beaches remain hidden. These little slices of peace and paradise welcome the intrepid adventurer and those in the know. So why not set out to discover our shell-white sands and blue lagoons, hidden smugglers’ coves and dunes as far as the eye can see. Find a campsite on the beach and cook up supper on the sands for a really wild and back-to-nature experience. Daniel Start leads us on a journey round some of Britain’s most beautiful hidden beaches, describing the best places to swim, walk and explore.

10 Best Educational Travel Experiences

There is no better classroom than the beautiful world we live in. And there's no better way to learn than getting out and about and seeing it all first-hand. Nichola West heads for the great outdoors to compile the ten best experiences from around Europe that will have your children learning and loving the world around them