Helping your child learn to share your love of the written word is a satisfying task, and one that will help build bonds between you. But whilst hearing your child read her first word will make any parent brim with pride, should you be the one who

Did you hear the one about the stepmother who was so adored by her stepchildren that they cried when they had to go home? Or was beseeched by her stepchildren to read them just one more bedtime story, or to let them help her choose an outfit

-tweeting and a-trilling wreak havoc with Batty’s sensitive hearing. Finally, our downtrodden hero Batty flies sadly home, where there’s a surprise in store... “Without being too cheesy, it’s a tale of being happy in your own skin,” says Sarah. “In the end, Batty

trees in the UK.“We need every roadside, footpath, riverside, town path and street examined,” says Jill Butler, Conservation Policy Officer at the Woodlands Trust. “We’d love to hear about as many trees as possible.” Tree hunting is an ideal activity

.Parentese, the high-pitched slow musical style most parents use when talking with children, and which is found in all cultures, exaggerates the differences between individual phonemes in a language, making it easier for babies to hear the distinctions between say a “b

they learn best,” says Dr Judith A Hudson, an associate professor of psychology at Rutgers University and a child development expert. “Hearing something many times helps them remember information for increasing periods of time. Once your child has learned

for hearing damage to sensitive young eardrums. All of those pops and bangs associated with Guy Fawkes’ folly can actually cause lasting damage, say the British Tinnitus Association (BTA), who warn that a single bang from a firework in close proximity can

strides over to greet me. But rather than the clipped, middle-England vowels I was expecting, I am surprised to hear a soft lilting Yorkshire brogue, followed by a firm handshake and a profuse apology that the mix up in venue was entirely hers. “I can

. The little time it takes is much better than hearing a parent say nice photo shame about the gravy stain!Change the scenery – I personally cannot bear the cloudy, mottled grey background. For me it feels stuck in a time warp. I love natural light and natural

The relaxed ambiance at Carluccio's is perfect for families – and the food's not bad eitherORDINARILY I DON’T make a habit of earwigging other people’s conversations, but I was interested to hear the response to the two young guys asking