A recent report by Ipsos MORI for UNICEF UK has highlighted that children in the UK are being drawn into a materialistic culture because they don’t spend enough time with their families.

According to a recent research, although parents in the UK are committed to their children, they don’t have enough time to spend with them due to long working hours. To make up for this, they end up treating them to new clothes and toys, which the charity claims affects their relationship with material items.

For online retailer Boys&Girls, treating your children to new clothes could be turned into a more meaningful experience. Instead of buying into labels, try buying fair trade clothing. This will give you the opportunity to teach your kids about where their clothes come from and how they are produced, giving them a greater understanding of the world they live in. This will help them be kinder to their peers, and could also positively affect their buying choices in the future.

Buying organic children clothes will also give you the chance to make your children aware of serious issues whilst treating them. You could explain the impact of chemicals on the environment but also on the workers who make their clothes, or teach them about ecosystems and global warming too.

And to make more free time for your little ones, why not try online shopping rather than dragging them round the shops? You can fit it in after they’ve gone to bed, and to make it even easier, most retailers can deliver to the address of your choice, like an office, so you don’t have to be at home to receive them.

If you would like to treat your children to organic and fairly traded cool children clothes, visit Boys&Girls online today.

Boys&Girls is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Early morning. Saturday morning. Birds are singing outside the window.

Oh no! Birds are singing outside the window. Sure enough, after a few trial warbles, they break into a song just loud enough to wake up the smallest member of our family. She wakes up her older brother. He sits up, jumps out of bed and trills “Breakfast time!” at the top of his cheery voice. The day begins.

Once upon a time… well actually it was probably only a few weeks ago, but it feels like longer… getting dressed in the morning used to be a simple affair. I would lovingly lay out two adorable outfits after the children were asleep in the evening. In winter time, I’d lay all the clothes over the radiator, so that they’d be toasty warm to put on in the morning. In summer time, I’d lay all the clothes out on the toy chest in front of the window.

Jumper, trousers, top, vest, socks and pants for my boy. Skirt, cardigan, t-shirt, vest, tights and pants for my girl (she’s always been a fan of skirts rather than dresses for some reason). There was a pleasing sense of neatness in laying out the clothes in the order that they’d need to be put on. All the clothes matched, in colour, style and pattern.

I should have known that when you have children, order never lasts.

Well, not in our household anyway. Silly to generalise. Perhaps there are households out there where the children all talk like an Enid Blyton book and wear pinafores. Ours isn’t one of them.

OCD clothes organising tendencies aside, I’m too much of a softy to enforce any real order or control. As long as there are pleases and thank yous in all the right places, I’m contented that the children are turning out alright.

Several weeks ago, my youngest announced that she would like to choose her own clothes.

I sighed. I mentally braced myself and said a silent farewell to the sweet matching outfits. The moment had arrived. I’d escaped it longer than some of my mummy friends.

That first morning, the result was a fashion statement worthy of Vivienne Westwood. Spotty tights, stripey skirt, flowery top (worn back to front). It looked like an explosion in a sweetie factory.

Mental note to self: buy children’s clothes in only two colours.

I keep telling myself that I’m fine with it. I’m going to embrace it as a sign that she’s moving happily and healthily towards independence. But seriously, purple and orange? Purple tights, okay, but how did she even come to own an orange T-shirt? I don’t remember buying that.

In the last couple of weeks, the rebellion has spread. My oldest is an amenable sort of chap. Much more inclined to go with the flow than his fiery younger sister. However he’s spotted the way the wind is blowing and decided to make his own little stand.

He doesn’t want to choose all his own clothes. He’s still happy to find his clothes laid out for him in the morning. But he’ll only wear one top.

It’s his favourite top. It’s a lovely green, organic cotton long sleeved T-shirt that I bought him to celebrate the amount of gardening he’s been doing with me.

Get off my allotment! I found the print on the front of the T-shirt very funny. My boy doesn’t really get the joke, but he loves the colour and he knows that the T-shirt has something to do with his gardening skills.  Unfortunately, he’s now decided that he doesn’t want to wear anything else.

He wants to wear his favourite organic T-shirt all the time. Even when it’s dirty. Even when it doesn’t match his trousers. Even when we’re not actually going out in the garden, we’re going to a family wedding.

Thinking about it now, I suspect that there are grown men with a similar approach to clothes. In fact I’m certain of it. I lived with one or two of them when I was at university.

Still… It’s too early to worry. I’m holding my patience and hoping it’s just a phase.

For all your organic children’s clothing needs go to www.damtam.com

Dam Tam is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Spring is almost upon us … the sun has started shine and the nights are staying lighter for longer! Now couldn’t be a better time to treat your little one to some gorgeous and soft colourful organic baby clothes! Let your baby be cool and comfortable this season in our soft, breathable and chemical free baby clothes.

Green Nippers specialise in organic, ethical and eczema friendly baby boys clothes and baby girls clothes. Our baby clothes are kind to babies suffering with eczema as there are no chemicals or pesticides to irritate the delicate babies skin. We wanted to make life easier for busy parents so therefore we designed a range of fashionable all-in-one baby grows that have been designed as little outfits for your baby.

When designing the collection of baby grows we aimed to create a product that looked smarter than an ordinary baby grow but most importantly practical and comfortable. Our baby grows have been designed specifically for babies to sleep, eat and play in, whether out and about or just lounging at home. Such an occasion could be an evening meal, if parents were to take their baby out with them their baby could wear a fashionable Green Nippers baby grow and parents would not have the worry that their baby is underdressed. Subsequently if baby fell asleep they could happily put them to bed in the baby grow without having to disturb them changing them into sleepwear.

Our most popular girls baby grow this season has been ‘Polly Pintuck’, and our best selling boys baby grow has been ‘Ollie’!

Treat your little one today and save 15% off too. Enter the code: ETHICAL15 in the discount code box at the checkout: www.greennippers.co.uk

*Save 15% from now until 30^th April 2011*

Green Nippers is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

You’ll probably know by now that organic cotton can help babies and children with eczema or sensitive skin because it doesn’t contain the finishing chemicals or pesticide residues that are found in conventional cotton. Organic cotton has a longer smoother fibre because it is grown naturally without the chemicals needed to boost production, this results in a silky smooth, ultra soft feel which can reduce irritation.
 
There is a lot of anecdotal evidence to say that younsters with sensitive skin or eczema do much better wearing organic cotton clothing. Wearing organic cotton next to babies sensitive skin reduces the risk of irritation and reduces the risk of absorbing chemicals through the skin so if you treat your children to one organic cotton item then it’s wise for it to be something worn next to their skin.

Children are more susceptable to skin irritation at night due to the fluctuations in temperature so treating your child to organic pyjamas can be hugely beneficial.

Globalkids is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Whether the advert has an educational link seems immaterial. Many advertisers are merely seizing the seasonal opportunity to promote their wares. The positive elements to many that soon kids will off the streets is countered by an opposite force – increased traffic as we choose to use cars to ferry kids to school. Shops heralded the process with essential teaching and schooling resources being paraded alongside uniforms, stationery, and  the of course the ubiquitous Oxford set of maths instruments supplied in the same tin box 40 years after its introduction!

The Back to School slogan hovers over the idyllic existence of a school child on the long summer break.  Returning to school means enforced routines, falling light levels as autumn approaches, odd smells from damp children, the appearance of the magic sawdust bucket for the odd vomiting child and the exchange of a cricket and athletics markings for football and rugby posts.

No I didn’t relish school days. Coupled with attending boarding school for a large chunk of my schooling added a further downer.  But I’m not alone.  Clinical psychologists explain that many children feel apprehensive when returning school – especially if it involves a move up to a new secondary school.  Adverse reaction to the new larger environment, the physical scale of the new school in class size, and numbers of teachers can be frightening. Children  move from the comfort zone of their old school where they were top dog with years of experience. The obvious outward signs are children who become anxious and find it difficult to fall asleep, feel sick, cry easily and have gone off their food.  These are clear signs of anxiety triggered by the unknown.  We also suffer from the syndrome as adults in a new environment so it is not age related. They say the condition is the reason why so many adults remain in jobs they dislike.  The thought of changing job or career is beset with the unknown.  We opt to stay put.  Maybe the emotion stirred by seeing our children in some distress activates latent emotions and concerns in adults.  But there is light at the end of the tunnel.

The clingy child whose life is devastated by attendance at the new school slowly adapts to the new environment.  Day by day the angst dissipates.  By day seven things are inevitably easing.  By day fourteen they start to feel comfortable.  The trick is to reassure the child that their feelings and concerns are very natural and that most children feel concerned at the start of term and especially at a new school.  Giving comparisons to their feelings become positive in their previous class, year and school helps to reassure that the anxiety will ease.  Self awareness of the symptoms and comparison with past experience will help to reassure.

Not every child can be expected to favourably respond, but the majority do.  As parents, seeing the situation and concerns through the eyes of a child can help quell the fears of this unknown territory, especially relevant in the move to secondary school.

And once we have consoled our children, perhaps it’s time to look in the mirror and reconsider that move we need to take to reorientate our job and career. A staggering 80 per cent of adults are in jobs they dislike, But a move and that new challenge is as just as daunting as that experienced by the child and the new school. Time to reflect on applying the guidance given to your child and allay your own fears and make that move to enhance your opportunities. You know the one -  you have always put off because of your concerns over a move to a new company with a new environment, new people and the feeling of being new and isolated. We have a lot to learn from children!

Alistair Owens http://www.keen2learn.co.uk

Keen 2 Learn is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Mimimyne, the eco online store to help children grow up green, has been made a Finalist in the Make Your Mark in the Markets Awards run by Enterprise UK. The judging ceremony is on on Wednesday 11th August in London (at Old Spitalfields Market) and Mimimyne has been selected as one of the top 14 businesses who traded at local markets (out of 197 competition entrants). This means Mimimyne is a Finalist and will be given an award on the day for Highly Commended, Runner up or Winner.

Tabitha Potts, the Director of Mimimyne, won 10 days free trading at her local market, Old Spitalfields Market, as part of the competition. She sold her organic baby and childrens clothes and eco friendly toys directly to the public and got to try out new products and display ideas. “This competition is a fantastic opportunity for me and the business, and could help propel it to the next level,” she said.

Mimimyne (Me Me Mine Ltd) is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Ethical Party Bags have recently launched a new range of Fair Trade craft kits for children under their Truly Ethical brand.

Branded as ‘craft kits that make a difference’, the kits consist of: finger puppets, magnets, hanging room decorations, pictures and a bracelet and bag charm.  On each kit there is information on the source of all the materials and ‘what makes this kit ethical’.  For example recycled, Fair Trade beads from Uganda, handmade, Fair Trade tissue paper from Nepal.  Therefore, by purchasing the craft kit, customers can clearly see that they are helping people less fortunate.
 
“We want to help children to understand what Fair Trade and being green’s all about,” says Anna Smith, owner of Truly Ethical.  “Children love to ‘make and do’ and our kits will provide hours of entertainment, whilst teaching them about the world they live in”.
 
“We decided to launch Truly Ethical as a separate arm of our business www.ethicalpartybags.com.  Our customers were asking us for ideas for other ethical gifts and environmentally friendly things to keep the children happy.  We’ve spent a lot of time researching the market, and believe we’re offering something that’s really unique.  Most of the other craft kits on the market aren’t ethical and we found they didn’t offer value for money.  Our links with ethical suppliers all over the world means we can sell our kits at great prices whilst still helping disadvantaged people.”
 
As a company Truly Ethical wants to encourage children (and their parents!) to interact and find out more about ethical living.  There’s a special gallery on their website featuring photographs of completed products, which have been sent in by customers.  As the range develops the website will become more interactive, with more products, newsletters and a blog, where everyone can find out more about the importance of Fair Trade and green living.

Ethical Party Bags is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

A gap has been filled in the keen2learn portfolio with award winning educational games concerning personal, social and health education (PSHE). Users have been ”shocked” at the effectiveness of the games that cover a vital subject area in the National Curriculum.

“The keen2learn product team have been scouring the market but finding teaching resources in the form of educational games proved difficult until we came across Egar” said Alistair Owens managing director at keen2learn, he added “These award winning PSHE games Choice discussion cards are ideal for teachers, youth counsellors and parents”

Although Egar was started just a year ago it encompasses 25 years experience of the founder, Sue Scott-Horne, in teaching PSHE to schools and youth counselling groups. This experience was used to develop a expanding range of PSHE discussion cards. These present the subject area as educational games to entice children to open up and talk about key areas and develop their understanding. The games come with instructional cards for the teacher, youth leader or parent.

The products adopted by keen2learn include Health, covering topics such as addictions, alcohol, bereavement, hygiene Personal development and Crime prevention

The 50 card sets cover everything from hoodies to love, anger to hygiene. Each set contains seven large instruction cards and a smaller set of answers cards with different words on them related to the subject under discussion. For example “addiction”, one card might be “alcohol”, another “drugs” and another “consequence”. These cards aren’t simply a discussion tool but can actually help change young people’s mindsets and attitudes through the learning thread that runs throughout. This in turn gives young people the chance to make better informed choices about the decisions in their lives. They also tie in with Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) as well as the governments “Every Child Matters” programme for a national framework to support the “joining up” of children’s services in education, culture, health, social care, and justice; ….

The range, launched last year, has already won several awards and received avid praise from users who have been “shocked” at the remarkable progress made in children’s understanding of these sometimes difficult areas. “Keen2learn believes these breakthrough games set a fun and interesting way to help many children understand the complex issues in society” said Alistair Owens.

Keen 2 Learn is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

This year Fairwind are expanding their incredibly popular ranges of
children’s woollen winter clothes. The hand-knitted ranges will now
include ponchos, cardigans, jumpers, hats, scarves and mittens. All
will be available from the end of September online at wwww.fairwindonline.com and in their shop in Crouch End, North London.

There are two main ranges, both fairly traded:

1.Hand-knitted jumpers, cardigans, ponchos, hats, scarves and mittens
from Peru. These clothes are hand-knitted by women in the shanty towns
of Lima and in remote areas of Peru; in both cases traditional skills
combined with contemporary, western styling are used to generate much
needed income for some of the poorest people in South America. The
clothes are beautifully made and, being hand-knitted (no knitting
machines!), each piece is unique with its own character. These Peruvian
clothes are made from cotton or 50% alpaca/50% acrylic.

Other Peruvian items include Andes poncho, Andes jumper (2-3 years and
3-4 years), Pompom poncho (3-5 years) and Razas beanie, scarf and
mittens (2-5 years) – all suitable for boys or girls.

2.Hand-knitted woollen jumpers, hats, scarves and mittens from Nepal.
Production is mainly village based, with knitters supplementing their
incomes from farming and fitting in production around their own family
and work commitments. A percentage of the proceeds go to net4kids, an
international children’s charity, and to support 40 children at the
Nepal Matri Griha School in Kathmandu. This clothing is chunky, warm
and well designed as well as being incredibly well made.

Andes Chullo, Scarf and Mittens from £9.50
Hand-made from 50% alpaca/50% acrylic these accessories are ideal for
boys or girls. They are made in Peru and there are matching ponchos and
jumpers too (see images on Press Loft or request from Fairwind). There
are 2 sizes available: 2-3 years and 3-4 years.

Cotton Kitty Cardigan £22
Suitable for children aged around 12 months, this gorgeous, slate blue
and cream cotton cardigan is perfect for layering all year round. It
has been hand-embroidered with a cat and a moon on the front, and a
star on each sleeve, and features 3 hand-crocheted buttons. There is a
matching hat available too. Also available are pink and red cotton
flower cardigans with matching hats – please contact Fairwind for
images.

Scafell Hoody £35
This is a warm, practical children’s jumper made in Nepal. This woollen
hoody has been hand-knitted with a special stitch to make it extra
chunky. It has a full length zip and is lined with lovely warm fleece.
It is available in four sizes (3-4 years up to 8-9 years) and in three
colours; red, grey and navy. The hoody has a star logo on the back and
the front. Also available is a matching trapper hat and scarf – please
contact Fairwind for images.

Other Nepalese items include Daisy hoody, scarf and chullo for girls,
Boardrider bodywarmers and chullos for boys and girls (please see Press
Loft or contact a Fairwind for images, including cut outs).

COMPANY/STOCKIST INFORMATION

Fairwind

W: www.fairwindonline.com

T: 020 8374 6254

Five million regular cyclists may be putting themselves and others at risk because they do not have basic third party cover, according to research by cycle insurance provider ilovemybike.co.uk

Director at ilovemybike.co.uk, Andrew Davis said: “It’s risky for a cyclist to assume that their household insurance policy will cover road traffic collisions, as many do not.”

“Third party insurance is compulsory for motorists, but we know of only two per cent of regular cyclists who have insurance that would pay out if they caused damage to a person or property.