Happy St David’s day
When I was a child, my favourite days of the year, in order, were:
1) Christmas Day
2) My birthday
3) St David’s Day
The first two are obvious of course – they involve presents! But the third, St David’s day, might surprise you.
For those who don’t know, St David’s Day is is the feast day of the patron saint of Wales and every year on March 1st, we celebrate. I think one of the reasons the day even now gives me a shiver of pleasure is that, as a Welsh child, it was a half-day at school. The afternoon was spent visiting older relatives to show them what we looked like in our Welsh costume followed by singing a song for them. Read more »
Thank you mummy
Before I had my own children, I had very clear ideas about the way in which I was going to bring them up. Having taught so many and seen so many parents ‘parent’, I thought I knew it all. Hmmm…
The reality, of course, has been very different. There are so many things that I thought I’d do or do better. But life just gets in the way, doesn’t it?
The one basic rule I have kept, however, is that my children absolutely must say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’. Almost as they started learning words, I have prompted, encouraged and insisted that they respond politely to adults and children alike. Yes, I am a soft touch in other areas (chocolate, bed-times etc. etc.) but I have been super strict with this and now, I am proud to say, I think they are pretty good at it. They say “please” and “thank you” every time without thinking and people often comment on this – which pleases me no end. And I don’t think I’m alone. Did anyone else see that interview where David Beckham said that his kids had impeccable manners? It struck me as such a good reflection on him and his wife that, despite their wealth and fame, they still attached importance to getting the basics right. Read more »
Sing, Sing, Sing
It’s probably no surprise to you that I’m a big believer in the power of song. So I was really pleased to read this Guardian article that a friend forwarded to me this week; http://bit.ly/moqAbc.
It’s about a new book written by Sally Goddard Blythe, a consultant in near-developmental education and director of the Institute for Neuro-Physiological Psychology. Sally claims that ‘signature’ melodies and inflections of traditional rhymes prepare children’s brains for language.
While I was delighted to hear this (it is, after all, what Mini Ps and Perform is all about), I couldn’t help wonder if it’s really news. Read more »
Happy St David’s Day!
1st March is St David’s Day and I’m Welsh, so it’s obviously an important day for me!
And here are my little lovelies appropriately dressed for the occasion – getting them to sit still for 2 seconds to get that picture was a challenge!
On St David’s day when I was growing up, we all had a half day at school, which was amazing. So for me March the 1st has always been a fun day and is still even now.
Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant (St David’s Day) is the feast day of the patron saint of Wales, and 1st March was chosen as that was the day of his death in 589. Unfortunately, little is known about him for certain. What little information we have is based on an account of his life written by Rhigyfarch.
