Learning made fun

Why The Whistling Session At Musical Minis Is So Important

Every week at Musical Minis we have a blowing song as part of our instrumental session.

Blowing whistles is a skill that children take a great delight in learning and so introduce a whole new form of instrument. What begins as an accidental noise soon develops into a controlled sound. With the whistle the child learns to improve control of his/her breathing. To control breath is a skill that singing and blowing will encourage. It helps us to turn words into phrases and sentences.

Breath control is an important tool in controlling stammering and stuttering. A number of children develop this, especially when they're anxious. The skills they learn when blowing a whistle, in directing their breathing to produce a sound, can help overcome these issues.

Being able to control breathing has also been shown to benefit children and adults when they're anxious, frustrated, excited or overwhelmed. By concentrating on their breathing the situation becomes more in their control and the child or adult becomes more confident, therefore enabling them to cope.

Although it can be noisy, with a full class of Musical Minis blowing a whistle, it does have important developmental benefits for the children.

We use whistles that are sterilised after each use. Clean sterilised whistles are given out from one box and after the blowing song the used whistles are collected in another 'dirty' whistle box. Whistles are the only instrument that children do not share as it is important that germs are not passed around.

To find out about Musical Minis in your area click here.

Combating Children’s Fear of the Dentist

We have been asked to share the information below - although this is not in any way an endorsement by Musical Minis. It has been created by Dental Elite and used in the NHS. It has been approved by the paediatric anaesthetic associates.

Childrens fear of dentist

Children and adults can be scared of the dentist, a fear known as odontophobia. However, if you can reassure children early on it is likely they will grow up with a sense of confidence around going to the dentist and thus live a much healthier life.

A fear of the dentist can be caused by several factors. Maybe the child has heard stories from adults or children about experiencing pain at the dentist; perhaps they have sensed anxiety in their parent when an appointment is due; or more likely they just feel a sense of unease at the unknown.

Let’s look at how we can reassure children about a trip to the dentist so they can grow up welcoming appointments, rather than dreading them.

Explain the Process

First, it is important to explain in simple terms exactly what the role of a dentist is and why it is so important to get your teeth checked regularly. You can explain to the child they will need to see the dentist every six months and what will happen during these appointments, so that nothing deems too daunting. However, it’s also important that while you lay out the facts you don’t go into too much detail. Sometimes over-talking around the issue can cause it to be a bigger deal than the child might have thought it otherwise.

Work With Your Dentist

Ask your dentist if they can briefly explain some of the different items around their surgery, such as the x-ray machine. Children will usually enjoy a little ride in the dentist’s chair too as it is something new.

It’s also important that while you are a presence in the room during your child’s appointment you also stand back and let a bond form between the child and the dentist. Sometimes children will be more willing to do what is asked of them by the dentist than by their parent; and it gives the child a sense of autonomy.

Reward Your Child

You could also reward your child with something extra nice on the day of their first appointment, so they connect the visit to the dentist with something positive. Maybe they get to choose a reading book or small toy as a reward; or you go to the playground immediately after the appointment. This might also take their mind off the check-up as they will look forward to what happens later that day.

Good dental hygiene and getting a regular check-up at the dentist is not only important for lifelong dental health, but it also helps prevent a range of other health issues. If your child needs any orthodontic procedures carried out, such as braces fitted, it’s also important to catch this as early as possible in their development. More importantly a fear of something can have a lifelong negative impact on children and adults alike, so the more you can do to alleviate odontophobia early on, the more positive experience the child will have with their dental health as they grow up.

Wasps - How To Avoid Being Stung And What To Do If You Are.

As a Mum I know that I'm not alone in worrying about the threat of wasp stings in the Summer. In this post I will share some tips on how to avoid wasp stings and what to do if you are stung.

As well as being unpleasant, in some people stings can cause severe reactions and over 300,000 people in the UK suffer allergic reactions to them. Would you know how to treat anaphylactic shock if a child or an adult with you experienced it?

The following may help parents to minimise wasp threats:
• Encourage your child to stay calm in the presence of wasps. The best advice is to move away slowly; waving arms or swatting wasps will increase their tendency to sting
• Wasps are attracted to bright colours. If you’re planning to spend time outdoors pastel shades will help prevent your child being targeted
• Don’t walk barefoot outside and look out for wasps before sitting down
• Wasps will make a beeline for sweet drinks and foods. Encourage children to use lids and wrap food as soon as you’ve finished eating
• Ensure children wipe their faces and hands after eating sweet things like lollies and ice-creams to minimize further temptation for wasps

If you are stung, unless you have a known allergic response to a sting, simple first aid is all that is required
•Wash and clean the sting as soon as possible, handy wipes are excellent for this
•Apply ice to the sting to cool it down and take the redness out of it
•Taking a pain killer can help with the discomfort
•If you have allergic reactions then use an antihistamine and seek medical advice immediately
•Some people say to use vinegar on wasp stings but this is not proven scientifically.

Anaphylactic reactions can range in intensity, from minor to severe. Due to this, it is advisable for parents who think their child may be suffering an anaphylactic shock to call 999 immediately and seek professional medical help. The Anaphylaxis Campaign advises the following steps:
• Call 999 immediately to seek medical help
• Keep the patient calm
• Lay the patient down, with their feet raised to increase the blood flow to the heart
• If there is a sign the patient will be sick, turn them onto their side into the recovery position until the ambulance arrives

Dr Shuaib Nasser, Consultant in Allergy, Addenbrookes NHS Trust Hospital, Cambridge and member of The Anaphylaxis Campaign Clinical and Scientific Advisory Panel comments, “While just 0.5% of the population suffers an acute allergic reaction to wasp stings, we always advise simple precautions to minimize any risks. If you or your children suffer a severe allergic reaction after a bee or wasp sting it is important to seek medical help immediately and then ask your GP to refer you to an Allergy Specialist.”

UKWaspWatch map tracks sightings of wasps to create a picture of wasp hotspots across the country. 20p will be donated to the Anaphylaxis charity every time a person logs a wasp or wasps’ nest sighting onto UKWaspWatch throughout the summer.

I would be interested to know of any tips you have for avoiding wasps or for treating wasp stings.

Photo by Flickr Sean Tiernan