Helping your kids get the most out of Play : Persil’s Free Play Initiative offers hints and tips

Childhood as we know it is over reveals Persil’s global study entitled ‘Giving Children the Right to be Children’. 85% of UK mums are concerned that children are growing up too quickly in our country and therefore children are being deprived of childhood (64%) due to lack of play. Modern living is having an impact on children being able to enjoy the simple childhood pleasures as experienced by previous generations….

But while times have changed, Persil’s research uncovers 71% of mums worry that kids won’t form good relationships without social play so it is not only enjoyment from these activities but also the development of our further generation that will be effected unless priorities change.

By play, Persil means ‘free play’, so not video games or organised fun, but more unstructured play, stuff like climbing trees, building dens, playing pretend games/role playing, using their imagination and exploring….. play without parents telling and showing children how to do things.

This summer, as part of the Every Child Has The Right campaign, Persil is launching its Free Play Initiative 2008, a nationwide scheme aimed at helping parents find inspirational ways for their children to express themselves through imaginative, unstructured play. This culminates in the support of Playday, the national annual celebration of children’s right to play, on 6 August 2008.

Did you know?

Free play helps the following areas of children’s development:

Boosts their imagination and creativity
Improves language and expression
Helps them stay active and prevents obesity
Reduces stress
Helps raise self-confidence
Increases emotional development and social skills for later on in life
As a guideline it’s recommended that parents should try to make one hour a day of active, ideally outdoor play for all children. They need little structure or encouragement because children are naturally active. They just need the time, permission and the right space.

To help your kids get the most out of their play time, Persil’s Free Play Initiative focuses on five areas within play that can help a child’s development - Play, Explore, Create, Imagine and Experiment.

Here are some free play ideas for your child to experiment with under the five areas:

Play

Create your own circus! Invent tricks, paint your face, make outfits and come up with dance moves… Then why not draw a picture of your circus.

Ask Mum to give you four things (maybe a duvet, a wooden pole or garden canes, a rope, or a cushion), then see if you can build a den out of them to play in.

Try making your own musical instruments from things you find outdoors - put pebbles in a jar and make a shaker… tape two branches together and use flower pots as drums! Then get your friends together and form a band!

The Benefits: it keeps children fit and healthy, encourages creativity, helps with their physical development and raises self-confidence.

Explore

· Spin a globe and then pick a country and let your children spend the day learning about it. Help them look on the internet and find out five facts – you could even cook a national dish.

Explore in the garden or at your local park for interesting objects like flowers, leaves animal tracks, insects and bugs. Write down what you find and what you think they are and try and find five different types of leaves and flowers and then stick them down on a piece of paper.

Pretend that you’ve been shipwrecked in the garden and you need to build a shelter for protection. Look around you and see what you could use to build your home.

The Benefits: When children use their imagination, it stimulates their minds and inspires curiosity. Plus, doing things in groups helps form good relationships through social play.

Create

Make a time capsule using an old container with a tight lid. Collect things to put into it that describe your family. Ask everyone to contribute something (a recent photo, a drawing, a favourite magazine). Hide your capsule or bury it where no one will find it for a long time.

Make your own mask using paper, cardboard and string. Ask your Mum to cut two holes for eyes and decorate

Do some model making with old cereal boxes, Smartie tubes, toilet rolls – anything you can find. Then make up games with what you’ve made.

The Benefits: Creating encourages self-expression and helps to develop a child’s imagination. It’s good for intellectual development and, best of all, you can really get dirty and not get in (so much) trouble!

Imagine

Imagine that you are having The Queen over for tea. Bake cakes and cookies (get Mum to show you how) and invite your friends over to join you. What goodies do you think The Queen would enjoy?!

Act out a play of your favourite story with your friends or make up a story of your own. Write your play down. Here’s how it starts: “Once upon a time, there was a giant banana that grew so big, he began to…”

Why don’t you draw a picture – maybe of you dressed as a pirate, spaceman or superhero?

The Benefits: When children use their imagination, it stimulates their mind and inspires curiosity. Plus, doing things in groups helps form good relationships through social play.

Experiment

Why don’t you draw with crayons on a piece of paper and come up with some wild and wacky inventions – like a bedroom tidying machine?!

Gather together a collection of small things. Take each of your shapes and try
drawing around them on the same piece of paper with coloured pencils. With all

the shapes drawn colour each one in and see what new shapes you can make.

Why not do some cooking or baking with Mum? Experiment with different flavours
to create something yummy.

The Benefits: Experimenting is great because it teaches children how things work. It helps develop problem-solving skills and physical and emotional growth. And it’s fun too!

To find out more about the Persil Free Play initiative 2008, Playday 2008 on 6th August, build a scrapbook to document your summer holiday of free play or to find out loads more fun play ideas, visit Persil.com

For more key findings and a summary of qualitative research conducted by the Persil Mumsnet Panel please log on to media site www.persil.com/medialibrary

Persil Free Play Initiative

As part of the Every Child Has The Right campaign, Persil is launching the Persil Free Play Initiative 2008 this summer to help encourage parents understand the importance of play in childhood by providing inspirational play ideas. The Persil Free Play Initiative 2008 culminates in the support of Playday on the 6th August. To find out more about the Persil Free Play initiative 2008, build a scrapbook to document your summer holiday of free play or to find out loads more fun play ideas, visit www.persil.com

What is free play?

• Free Play does not mean UNSUPERVISED

• In the process of free play, children develop their mental, emotional and social skills

• Free play is both INDOOR and OUTDOOR play

What is Playday?

Playday is the annual celebration of children’s play, coordinated by Play England, based at the National Children’s Bureau, working in partnership with PlayBoard Northern Ireland, Play Scotland and Play Wales. Now in its 21st year, the national campaign involves thousands of children and young people getting out to play at locally organised events. Playday events range from small-scale neighbourhood get-togethers to large-scale public events organised by local authorities and national organisations. Persil is a proud supporter of this year’s Playday, taking place nationwide on 6 August 2008. For more information about Playday events and this year’s Give us a go! theme, visit www.playday.org.uk.

What better way to indulge your inner geek than to wear a t-shirt that combines both cool slogans with the most addictive game ever! These fantastic ‘Band Geek Hero’ T-Shirts are available in a range of different slogans and colours and are perfect for injecting a bit of fun into your Summer wardrobe.

You can get your hands on them by clicking here be sure to let us know which ones are your favourites!

Via [CatwalkQueen]

Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging is a coming of age story - a very British take on American high school movies like Clueless and Mean Girls. The film follows the eccentric and irresistible Georgia Nicolson as she overcomes the trauma of being a teenager and moves up the “snogging scale”. Misunderstood by her ancient parents, but buoyed up by the love of her cat Angus and her best friends - “The Ace Gang” - Georgia struggles through life seeking out her two main desires: 1. To get a gorgeous sex-god as her boyfriend and 2. To throw the greatest 15th birthday party ever.

Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (12A) is at cinemas everywhere from July 25.To find out more about this fabulous film and get cool downloads visit www.angusthongsmovie.co.uk.

Also, read Georgia’s Fabby Diaries before you see the film! Join the Ace Gang NOW at www.georgia-nicolson.co.uk

Formed especially for a part in the film, Stiff Dylans have quickly become a musical force in their own right. The four-piece have spent much of the past few months writing, rehearsing and recording new material that looks set to put them rightfully into their own spotlight. The first you will hear from them is Ultraviolet - the lead off track from the soundtrack to ‘Angus…’, an addictive three minute pop punk blitzkrieg released on 20 July on download, and 21 July on CD. The soundtrack also features their cover of the Buzzcocks ‘Ever Fallen In Love’ and is released on 21 July download & CD.

The band will be recording and releasing new material later this year and can be seen performing at a series of special events and festivals throughout the summer.

To find out more or to become a friend of the Stiff Dylans, go to www.Myspace.com/stiffdylansmusic. Plus play this cool Stiff Dylans game here http://www.snogthestiffdylans.com.

Your marvi prize includes a copy of Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging plus It’s OK, I’m Wearing Really Big Knickers, and Top Gossip books published by HarperCollins. You will also win a copy of Bliss magazine, key chain and perfectly kissable lip gloss!

We have four sets to give away so for your chance to win these fab prizes, simply answer the following question and email the answer to us using the form provided below along with your girlie gossip username:

What is the name of the fab Stiff Dylans single from the film Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging?

1) Ultralight
2) Ultraviolet
3) Ultrapurple

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Don’t let that be your future. Do something worthwhile – teacher, police officer, nurse. Or do something of no real value that will win you of millions of fans, like being an actor! But how do you know which job is for you?

Visit the Insiders and find out the stuff that your careers teacher won’t tell you. Six whistle blowers who’ve been there, seen it and done it, and are ready to tell all about their chosen careers. The Insiders brings you an upfront, funny and honest account of the world of work.

The story begins from Monday July 14th at 6pm exclusively on MySpace.

To find out more about The Insiders and meet the cast, check out the official MySpace page and add us as a friend now! www.myspace.com/insiderjob

To watch the trailer please click the following link

http://88.208.206.174/videos/Insiders/trailer_main_hi.wmv

http://88.208.206.174/videos/Insiders/trailer_main_med.wmv

To celebrate the launch of The Insiders we are giving away a fab iPod shuffle!

You must be logged in to enter.

To be in with a chance of winning simply use the contact form below and provide us with your name, girlie gossip username and email address and we’ll choose a winner at random from all entries provided. Don’t forget to read the rules oulined below.

Rules
1. Entry to the competitions is restricted to one entry per person please.
2. Multiple entries will be disqualified.
3. Excessive multiple entries from the same email account pertaining to be representative of friends and family will also be disqualified at the judges discretion.
4. No automated entries or third party are permitted!
5. Competitions are open to UK residents only unless otherwise stated
6. Prizes can only be sent to a valid UK address unless otherwise stated
7. Winners will be chosen at random, by computer, from all correct and valid entries to the competition
8. Winners will be contacted via email.
9. We are compliant with the data protection act. Our policy is such that we will not pass on your details to any third party without your prior consent.
10. The Judges decision is final and no correspondance will be entered in to.

So, you can’t go anywhere online right now without hearing something about the new 3G iphone. Demand is so high right now that sadly only a small handful of people who want an iphone can actually manage to get their hands on one! With devoted iphone addicts queuing up outside stores hours before opening only to be told “Sorry we’ve run out of stock” or that there were no more 16GB models left it makes me wonder how may of you will be desperately trying to get hold of the hottest gadget on the planet in the coming weeks, and how many of you will just be waiting until demand has died down a little?

Is having the iPhone NOW right this minute, and being one of the first to get your hands on one important to you? Are you breaking out into a cold sweat just thinking about holding the 3G iPhone in your grubby little paws, or like me are you thinking that maybe it’s just best to hold fire until the madness dies down a little?

Admittedly, I’d love the new iPhone right now, but I’m not going to resort to drastic measures to get one! Some of the new features look absolutely amazing but the thing that I’m still pondering over is can it really live up to my beloved Blackberry Curve?

Here’s a video link to one of my favourite iphone reviews so far by the girls over at Shiny Shiny, check it out then make sure you pop back and leave a comment letting us know your thoughts on this iPhone mania!

It seems that Angelina Jolie has finally given birth to twins in the last couple of days. Husband Brad Pitt was present at the Caesarean birth to twins weighing in at around 5lbs each. The healthy little girl and boy are named Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline both said to be named after Brad and Angelina’s relatives.

The first photo of the babies has already been sold to a US paper for 5.5 million, all of which will go to charity. I must admit, if there’s one thing about Brad and Angelina I admire it’s their tireless efforts for charities around the world. The amount of money they have both donated must have done some serious good.

I wonder how many more children the couple plan on having. Enough for a football team maybe? Or perhaps they are going for world domination …. Just a thought!

Fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and How I Met Your Mother rejoice, no they aren’t resurrecting BTVS or doing some weird crossover episode between both of these amazing shows, oh no instead GG readers I bring news of something much, much more awesome.

Joss Whedon is preparing to do something never before attempted on the World Wide Web, what is this amazing thing I hear you ask? Well, it goes by the rather bizarre yet intriguing title of “Dr Horrible’s sing a long Blog” and it is going to take the internet by storm! (Probably) ….

From what we can gather, the concept is that there will be a 3 part internet movie, screened on separate days starring some amazingly talented individuals, most of whom Joss has worked with on past TV series or movies including Nathan Fillion (Buffy, Firefly etc) Neil Patrick Harris (Swarley!!) and a whole host of other familiar faces. I don’t know about you guys but that alone tells me everything I need to know to be certain that this is a must watch internet event!

For those who still need a bit more convincing or can’t wait top find out further details, here’s a letter from Joss Whedon as posted on the official website:

Dear Friends,

At last the time has come to reveal to you our Master Plan. BEWARE! Those with weak hearts should log off lest they be terrified by the twisted genius of our schemes! Also pregnant women and the elderly should consider reading only certain sentences. Do not mix with other blogs. Do not operate heavy machinery while reading this blog. You must be this tall to read. ‘Kay?

It is time for us to change the face of Show Business as we know it. You know the old adage, “It’s Show Business – not Show Friends”? Well now it’s Show Friends. We did that. To Show Business. To show Show Business we mean business. (Also, there are now other businesses like it.)

ONE WEEK ONLY! AN INTERNET MINISERIES EVENT!

“Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” will be streamed, LIVE (that part’s not true), FREE (sadly, that part is) right on Drhorrible.com, in mid-July. Specifically:

ACT ONE (Wheee!) will go up Tuesday July 15th.

ACT TWO (OMG!) will go up Thursday July 17th.

ACT THREE (Denouement!) will go up Saturday July 19th.

All acts will stay up until midnight Sunday July 20th. Then they will vanish into the night, like a phantom (but not THE Phantom – that’s still playing. Like, everywhere.)

And now to answers a few Frequently (soon to be) Asked Questions:

1) Why, Joss? Why? Why now, why free, why us?

Once upon a time, all the writers in the forest got very mad with the Forest Kings and declared a work-stoppage. The forest creatures were all sad; the mushrooms did not dance, the elderberries gave no juice for the festival wines, and the Teamsters were kinda pissed. (They were very polite about it, though.) During this work-stoppage, many writers tried to form partnerships for outside funding to create new work that circumvented the Forest King system.

Frustrated with the lack of movement on that front, I finally decided to do something very ambitious, very exciting, very mid-life-crisisy. Aided only by everyone I had worked with, was related to or had ever met, I single-handedly created this unique little epic. A supervillain musical, of which, as we all know, there are far too few.

The idea was to make it on the fly, on the cheap – but to make it. To turn out a really thrilling, professionalish piece of entertainment specifically for the internet. To show how much could be done with very little. To show the world there is another way. To give the public (and in particular you guys) something for all your support and patience. And to make a lot of silly jokes. Actually, that sentence probably should have come first.

2) What happens when it goes away? Does it go to a happy farm for always like Fluffy did when mommy was crying and the neighbor kept washing his fender?

No, Dr horrible will live on. We intend to make it available for download soon after it’s published. This would be for a nominal fee, which we’re hoping people will embrace instead of getting all piratey. We have big dreams, people, and one of them is paying our crew.

And somewhat later, we will put the complete short epic out on DVD – with the finest and bravest extras in all the land. We’ll go into greater detail about that at Comiccon, but we’re changing the face of Show Friendliness a second time with that crazy DVD.

3) Joss, you are so kind, and generous, and your forehead is like, huge, like SCARY, like I think I can see Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint hanging off it… what can WE do to help this musical extravanganza?

What you always do, peeps! What you’re already doing. Spread the word. Rock some banners, widgets, diggs… let people know who wouldn’t ordinarily know. It wouldn’t hurt if this really was an event. Good for the business, good for the community – communitIES: Hollywood, internet, artists around the world, comic-book fans, musical fans (and even the rather vocal community of people who hate both but will still dig on this). Proving we can turn Dr Horrible into a viable economic proposition as well as an awesome goof will only inspire more people to lay themselves out in the same way. It’s time for the dissemination of the artistic process. Create more for less. You are the ones that can make that happen.

Wow. I had no idea how important you guys were. I’m a little afraid of you.

4) Joss, do you ever answer a question simply or coherently?

Shledzguohn?

There’ll be more questions, and more long, long answers, but for now I’m just excited that we’re actually making this happen. We (and a lot of other people — gushing to commence soon) worked very hard on the show and we hope/think you guys will be pleased.

Until July 15th , I remain, yours truly, -j, of the firm j, j, m & z.

Head over to http://drhorrible.com/ for full info and a preview trailer!

Michelle Heaton is obviously not letting the recent marriage break-up with Andy Scott-Lee get on top of her too much judging by these pictures from new LIVING show Ibiza, staring Thursday 10th at 10pm, showing her letting her hair down in the White isle.

She turned up at the opening of Ibiza’s new Linekers Bar, that the show was filming, and clearly wanted to put it everything that’s happened with Andy behind her and just party, she was more than enjoying the booze - scrapping shot glasses after a few rounds and opting to take it in turns to pour lethal sprits down her and her friend’s throats. She also got plenty of attention of the blokes.

Hmmmm classy….

Ibiza airs on LIVING on Thursdays at 10pm. Visit www.livingtv.co.uk/ibiza for behind the scenes gossip and news from the show.

Honey Monster fans rejoice; the furry fella is back and with his very own Limited Edition T-shirt As Seen on Justin Lee Collins and in Heat Magazine!

Honey Monster has teamed up with the Variety Club Children’s Charity and the must-have celebrity T-shirt brand, Famous Forever, to create a unique T-shirt, available for a limited period only.

As one of the UK’s most-loved retro characters, the Honey Monster is making a comeback after 5 years away from the limelight. Renowned for his catchphrase, ‘Tell them about the honey, mummy,’ the 80’s icon is teaming up with vintage T-shirt gurus, Famous Forever, to create what is set to be the hottest tee of the summer.

Available in designs for both men and women, the T-shirt will be sold exclusively online at www.truffleshuffle.co.uk and in selected TopShop stores.

What’s more, £2 from the sale of every Honey Monster T-shirt will go directly to the Variety Club Children’s Charity, helping disadvantaged kids up and down the country. Be sure to snap one up quickly, as only a limited number will be available.

Feed The Fun – www.honeymonster.co.uk

National Lampoon presents CATTLE CALL: a down and dirty casting-couch comedy crammed with girls, gags and gaffes set for a DVD retail release on 14 July courtesy of Momentum Pictures. It revolves around the frustrations of a man (Thomas Ian Nicholas – American Pie) who goes to unusual – but laugh-out-loud lengths - to find a woman worth having!
Packed with pin-up perfect women who take their fate lying down - and loaded with laughs - this is an hilarious, raunchy teen comedy, ideal for the lads. The film also features stars from American Pie, Balls of Fire, Reno 911: Miami and Baywatch.
Here’s how the story goes: Ritchie Ray seems to have it all – he’s a wealthy successful businessman, president of internet dating service PerfectForMe.com, no less. But while Ritchie’s professional life is all about creating the perfect match, in his personal life he ironically suffers from continual ‘unsuccessful dating exhaustion’.
So with his best friend, Ritchie decides to start a fake casting agency and makes a desperate attempt (well, many attempts) to find the perfect woman.
However with a trail of stalkers, strippers and nymphomaniacs, the path to true perfection is far from easy…

We have 3 copies of this great DVD up for grabs to lucky Girlie Gossip members! All you have to do, to be in with a chance of winning is post your favourite joke (Keep it CLEAN please folks) by clicking the reply button below! We will then choose 3 winners based on our favourites! One joke per person please and remember, keep it clean or you may be disqualified!

Ends August 3rd!

Rules
1. Entry to the competitions is restricted to one entry per person please.
2. Multiple entries will be disqualified.
3. Excessive multiple entries from the same email account pertaining to be representative of friends and family will also be disqualified at the judges discretion.
4. No automated entries or third party are permitted!
5. Competitions are open to UK residents only unless otherwise stated
6. Prizes can only be sent to a valid UK address unless otherwise stated
7. Winners will be chosen at random, by computer, from all correct and valid entries to the competition
8. Winners will be contacted via email.
9. We are compliant with the data protection act. Our policy is such that we will not pass on your details to any third party without your prior consent.
10. The Judges decision is final and no correspondance will be entered in to.
11. By entering this competition you are confirming that you are over 15 years of age.