Cluedo is 60 years old

Where would Britain be without arguably its favourite story format – the murder mystery? Gone would be the enigma Sherlock Holmes and his faithful sidekick Watson. Agatha Christie’s famous characters, Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, would never have graced the pages of tens of millions of books, and the various TV series and movies portraying clever detectives and their mind-boggling skills that always unearth the killer.

But it’s not just in books, novellas and screens. The murder mystery found itself in game format sixty years ago when a musician from Birmingham named Anthony E. Pratt was inspired and worked to create “Cluedo”, the atypical whodunnit board game. Iconic characters like Colonel Mustard, Miss Scarlett and Professor Plum now rank among the greatest villains in history, having taken part in millions of murders re-enacted in family homes over previous decades.

To celebrate the board game’s 60th anniversary, Barry Forshaw from the Crime Writer’s Association recounts the evolution of the murder mystery and gives some great tips on how to write your own.

Hasbro have recently released a new version called Cluedo, Discover the Secrets. There are few new rules and some of the characters’ names have changed.

For instance, Colonel Mustard has become Jack Mustard, “once the most sought after celebrity football player . . . now a sports pundit”.

Professor Plum is Victor Plum “a self-made video-game design billionaire that (sic) moved out of the dingy basement into a life of luxury”.

The lead pipe has become a baseball bat, the revolver is a pistol and a dumb-bell, trophy axe and poison have been added to the murder weapons. The basically bland appearance of the board of the original game is now lavishly illustrated but purists may be put out that the action no longer takes place in an Inspector Poirot-era mansion but a home straight out of Footballers’ Wives. Gone are the ballroom, the library, the billiard room and the conservatory. In come a theatre, spa, guesthouse and observatory.

For more information visit www.hasbro.co.uk

30% Discount on Photo Gifts and Games for Children this Summer

Let children create their own puzzle, game or cuddly friend. Kids will light up when they receive their game with their own photograph. Only for the month of July 2009 FotoInsight is offering these entertaining photo gifts at a 30% discount. Simply use voucher code ” SUMMER09 ” at http://fotoinsight.co.uk

Picture Pairs Games

Match the photos to make-up pairs. The game promotes the mental development, sorting, mental image rotation, matching and the development of memory skills. Encoding, of novel picture pairs activates the perirhinal cortex (a region of the brain) and is a real brain jogger for all ages. Creating a personal FotoInsight Picture Pairs game from digital camera images is as easy as ordering any other photo prints online.

Now £9.09

Photo Puzzle

Any family that has digital photos can create this unique jigsaw puzzle. A durable print on quality cardboard makes assembling a family photo puzzle an entertaining challenge.

Now £5.59
Teddy Bear

Cuddly quality teddy bear wearing a t-shirt with photo print.

Now £6.29
Baseball cap

Practical sun shield cap with photo print. Sun protection that children actually will want to wear.

Now £4.89

Shoulder bag

Attractive shoulder bag for young girls. The print area extends over the whole cover of 18 x 22 cm.

Now £10.49

More information at http://fotoinsight.co.uk

Role Play for Children - The Benefits

Babies and children learn the vast majority of what they know from watching adults and those people around them. Most children have an identifiable primary carer –the person to whom the child is most strongly attached, and who they watch and learn from at an amazing rate. The more closely attached a child is to a person, the more easily they will learn from him/her. Young children spend a lot of time at home whilst the primary carer is engaged in everyday activities such as shopping, cleaning, laundry, DIY, cooking etc. Children will learn from watching these activities being done, but they will learn so much more, and so much quicker if they are able to get involved as well.

However, this is not always possible (too dangerous) or practical (time/mess considerations). It is therefore important to help children understand adult behaviour and activities in a safe, age-appropriate way and role-play is one of the most powerful ways of achieving this. Role-play toys provide a wonderful opportunity for children to model their carer’s behaviour with props that are appropriate for children (safe, smaller, lighter, and sometimes with exaggerated or simplified features) of various ages and abilities.

There is a place for all types of toys, but in contrast to highly prescriptive products (those with rules or instructions), toys that act as props for a child’s own game help develop creativity and imagination. Toys that encourage role-play also develop communication and social skills if playing with friends or siblings. Children have to follow rules a lot so, when possible, it is wonderful for them to be able to create their own play. Even more benefit is gained if children are playing together or with an adult. Parents can learn a great deal about their child by getting down to their level and allowing their child to dictate the game.

It seems that parenting has become a real minefield. The more we understand, the more pressure there is to ‘do the right thing’ for your children. Food and health is an area of particular stress for parents today. The well-documented rise in child-hood obesity has been linked to a number of factors including sedentary lifestyles and fast food. On the other hand, anorexia is also a growing problem and seems to be affecting children at younger and younger ages. It is a minefield for parents trying to help their children grow into healthy teenagers and adults.

Children will copy their carer’s approach to cooking. Role-play with toy food, play kitchens and utensils will facilitate discussion about food and increase children’s understanding of the importance of a balanced diet. Even very young children can pretend to cut with play knives and prepare pieces of play food. By doing this they can explore their food and develop a healthy, balanced attitude towards nutrition.

The same is true of most adult activities. Children’s development is driven by the fact that young children always want to seem more grown up than they are. By enabling them to feel grown up by modelling everyday adult behaviours (cleaning, laundry, shopping, DIY, looking after the children etc) parents are validating their children and bonding with them. Role-play toys that encourage these activities are incredibly valuable and should not be overlooked in favour of the latest high-tech toys. Many of the life skills that children need to develop in order to live successfully as an independent adult are not taught at school so as well as bonding with their children, increasing imagination and communication skills, parents who facilitate role play are helping them to learn skills that will benefit them in later life.

Five Top Tips to encourage positive Role-Play

1. Make it relevant to an activity that you’re doing or have done recently.

2. Help your child if he/she is stuck for ideas at the start but then stand back and let them direct the play. Be willing to take directions about the role-play without trying to change them or suggest your own ideas.

3. Be enthusiastic about your child’s ideas and praise them for their imagination.

4. Ask open-ended questions to encourage the progression of play - (e.g. ‘what shall we do with this baking tray?’ rather than ’shall I put the baking tray in the oven?’).

5. Be creative with equipment - a saucepan doesn’t have to only be used as a saucepan, it can be a helmet or a drum or anything else that a child wants it to be.

All items featured in this piece, plus many more suitable for role-play, are available at www.whywoodworks.co.uk.

Win Kites with Pom-Bear in our Giveaway

Fly a kite with Pom-Bear

The first National Family Week will run from May 25-31st to celebrate family life. With a bank holiday marking the first day of National Family Week, there’s no better time to spend the day outdoors together.

Flying a kite is great fun and provides a no (or low cost) day out for the whole family.

Pom-Bear’s top tips for flying your kite:

1.     Check that your kite is put together correctly, or it may not fly

2.     Stand with your back to the wind

3.     Hold your kite up by the bridle point and let the line out. If there is sufficient wind, your kite will go right up. Let the kite fly away from you a little, then pull in on the line as the kite points up so it will climb. Repeat this until your kite gains sufficient height to find a good steady wind

4.     If there is a light wind, ask a family member to help by taking the kite downwind and holding it up until you signal to let go

5.     If the kite sinks tail first, there might not be enough wind. If it comes down headfirst or spins, there might be too much wind. Adding tails to your kite helps it remain stable in stronger winds and looks great!

This year Pom-Bear is learning how to fly a kite and we have 10 Pom-Bear kite sets worth over £10 to giveaway. Each set contains a Pom-Bear pocket kite plus a multipack of Pom-Bear teddy shaped potato snacks for your kids to enjoy as part of a balanced diet.  To enter all you need to do is sign up to our newsletter (see right-hand side) and you will be automatically entered into our free draw. All entries must be completed by 31 May 2009.

Visit www.pom-bear.co.uk for information about kite flying, and for your children to join the Pom-Bear club and play fun games. Pom-Bear is also giving away special edition kites every hour from May 18 - August 18 - see promotional packs for details.

Keeping Kids Entertained at Weddings with Activity Boxes

Children at wedding receptions can be a delight or a disaster, depending on how bored they get. Now children’s party specialist Les Enfants has created a Wedding Activity Box to keep kids entertained throughout the big day.

The pack - presented in a stylish white box to suit most wedding themes - contains a wedding activity book, stickers, coloured pencils, a card game, a board game with spinner and counters, and a keepsake box. It is suitable for children aged three to ten and costs £18 each, a cost effective alternative to providing childcare.

“Children at a wedding can be lovely, but long speeches and having to sit still can test the patience of even the most angelic child. Normally parents have to pack a few toys or crayons in their bag when going to a wedding with their children. Our packs take that hassle away as they’ll keep kids occupied for hours, letting their parents relax and enjoy themselves,” explains Katie Burnett, founder of Les Enfants.

For brides with a bigger budget, the company also offers Le Kids Club, a childcare service to look after younger guests, which works to Ofsted guidelines. Activities on offer include Le Cinema, Le Games Station, Le Jungle Gym, Le Arts & Crafts market, Le Village, Le Cosy Corner and Le Theatre.

“Grown up guests get to enjoy their child-free time and children get to have their own ‘big day’ but still be part of yours,” says Burnett.

For more information on Le Kids Club or to buy the Wedding activity packs, go to www.lesenfants.co.uk or call 020 8502 9988.

WiiFit to help kids stay healthy

In the run up to Christmas, record numbers of ‘WiiFit’ systems have been sold to parents; particularly mums, hoping to influence their child to exercise, according to sale and research stats by a leading entertainment retail site.

Tens of thousands of British children will be waking up on Christmas morning to the videogame their worried parents hope will inspire them to get fitter, according to research by Swoopo.co.uk.

Research of 1,253 people has found that nearly two thirds of British parents (61%) are worried about their children’s weight and fitness. 34% said they ‘actively try to encourage’ their child to exercise for health and fitness reasons.

When asked ‘Do you think video games encouraging your children to exercise are beneficial?’ 86% responded positively.

Mums were more worried about their children’s health than dads (67%-55%), which correlates with the sales stats that show females are buying more WiiFit copies than males.

Swoopo auctions tens of thousands of products per month and has over a million registered users worldwide.