Latest news with #playgrounds
CTV News
3 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
City motion to ban encampments where children play put forward
A Winnipeg city councillor is hoping to ban homeless encampments near where children play, such as playgrounds or water parks. CTV's Jeff Keele explains.
BBC News
09-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
New rule set to ban dogs from Broadland play areas in Norfolk
Dogs are set to be banned from playgrounds in parts of Norfolk over hygiene and safety in Broadland are expected to change existing rules on dog fouling by restricting access to play this year, the authority ran a public consultation on an existing public spaces protection order (PSPO) which meant people could be fined for not picking up pet mess.A report advises councillors that banning dogs from enclosed play areas "will protect the health and well-being of our residents and the quality and cleanliness of the district's public spaces". It said that, in its consultation, 13 town and parish councils backed the idea of continuing the order, with Aylsham Town Council warning there had been issues in play report explained there had been "a number of incidents where such spaces are being used to exercise dogs" and dogs had said that, even if cleaned up, the mess could leave bacteria behind, creating health show there were just 103 reports to the council about dog mess between 2022 and 2024, but the report put the low number down to the provision of waste bins, signage and the threat of councils in Norfolk – including Great Yarmouth and North Norfolk, have similar restrictions for playing fields and play councillors are expected to vote in favour of the protection order on Thursday. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
30 Hobbies for Moms That Work With Your Life
If you're like most of us moms, you're trying to fit way more than 24 hours into every day (and have room to sleep a little too). Caring for everyone else can be pretty time-consuming, but there are actually lots of fun hobbies for moms who don't have a lot of free time. Whether you're a single mom, a stay-at-home mom, a working mom, or a combo of these, we've got your next hobby idea right here. You know those hours you spend at the playground or park? There are rocks there, and in fact, landscape rock can be a great place to find agates and other cool specimens. If you get really into rockhounding, you can look for rocks while your kids play at the beach or explore a creek. Who doesn't want to be the mom who can do magic tricks (we all know that just keeping small humans clean, fed, and alive is basically magic already)? Get a few simple books on magic from your local library and study up. This is a great hobby to pick up and put down, and you've got a built-in audience in the form of your kids. It's nice to have a quiet hobby for naptimes or after kids are in bed, and it's even better if you can put it aside easily. Genealogy is basically like a giant puzzle to solve. How many generations can you go back? How much do you know about your family history? Join a service like Ancestry or do it on your own. Not sure what you might like to do as a hobby? Think about what excited you before you had kids. There's probably a variation that will be easy to do in small bursts of time. Your kids have sippy cups and juice boxes, so why shouldn't you? We love winemaking as a mom hobby because it's happening in the background while you're going through your day-to-day routine. You get winemaking supplies and set everything up, and then, you just let time do its thing. You can start with a wine kit (or dry wine kit) too if you want to make things even easier on yourself. Related: We all have a camera at our fingertips these days, so you don't have to invest in a ton of expensive equipment or be a pro photographer to take pictures. The key is consistency. Set a goal to take one photo every day. It doesn't matter what it is (your lunch, your little one's scraped knee, the flower you saw on your walk, anything goes). At the end of the year, you'll have a photo journal of your life. From herbs like mint to edible mushrooms, nature is full of tasty foods to augment your supermarket staples. Grab a book and get to know what you're seeing. There are lots of edible berries too. Make sure you supervise littles and talk about what you're doing so they don't go eating everything they encounter, though. Sure, a ballroom class would be fun, but finding a sitter is a pain. You've got YouTube, though. Learn any kind of dance you want and practice during naptime or in the evening. It's even great exercise (and no one has to know you're doing it if you're self-conscious). Related: Geocaching is basically a giant treasure hunt. You use GPS coordinates to find little hidden stashes of notes, small trinkets, and other little things. It's really cool as a hobby for stay-at-home moms or moms with flexible schedules because you can go out looking for caches when the trails aren't too busy and get the kids out at the same time. You can use a geocaching app to help. Doing your nails is about a lot more than putting on some polish these days. You can create funky designs with special nail art brushes and pens, practice different painting techniques, and more. This is a perfect hobby for busy moms because it doesn't take that long to do, but you get to enjoy it for days or even weeks. Related: Who says bird watching is only for grandpas? When you're rocking your kids, making dinner, driving to work, or walking to the park, there are birds. Pick up a field guide for your area so you can identify what you see and keep a log. This can actually be a really fun hobby to share with kids too. If you don't have a huge hobby budget but want to try something fun, we love upcycling. You can hit up the thrift stores or flea markets or shop your own house for some fun things to use in new ways. What's great about this as a mom hobby is that it's easy to pick up and put down. You don't have to do a project all at once, and you can even take older kids thrifting with you (a toddler in a thrift store is like a bull in a china shop, though). From your best friend to your grandma, the people in your life will love getting a real letter or two. A text or a phone call is always nice, but you can hold a real letter in your hand and reread it anytime. Writing letters is easy to do while kids are playing, and if you get interrupted, you can put it away until you have a little more time. An added bonus of letter-writing is that you get to have a record of your days with your kids. I wrote my grandma twice a week in the last few years of her life, and when she died, I discovered a whole box of my letters that she had saved. They're all about my kids when they were little babies. Related: We've got even more ideas for hobbies for single moms, stay-at-home moms, working moms, and any other kind of mom. Try one of these: Joining a book club (or starting your own) Canning jams and jellies Coloring in adult coloring books Growing a garden Arranging flowers Making soap Biking Drawing Practicing martial arts Hiking Cross stitch Scrapbooking Stand-up comedy Journaling Sewing and quilting Writing fan fiction Collecting shells Decorating cakes Related: Making time for yourself can be as easy as finding the right hobby for busy moms. You do things for other people all day long, and doing something just for yourself, something you really love, is important. Try lots of different hobbies to find the perfect one (or ones) for you.
The Independent
11-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Radical measures suggested to reduce children's screen time
A new report from the Raising the Nation Play Commission inquiry urges the UK government to prioritise creating child-friendly, playful neighbourhoods to reduce children's screen time. The report says that playground closures, busier roads, and shorter school breaks have limited children's play opportunities, leading to sedentary lifestyles and deteriorating well-being. The commission calls for a National Play Strategy for England, backed by a £125 million annual investment and led by a 'minister for play', to promote outdoor activities and regulate digital device usage. The inquiry recommends raising the digital age of consent to 16, banning smartphones in schools, and a national ban on "No Ball Games" signs. A poll commissioned by the inquiry reveals that 55 per cent of parents believe their children play outside less than they did, and 76 per cent feel society is less accepting of children playing outdoors.
BBC News
11-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Are there enough places for you to play outdoors?
Experts are calling on the government to increase the opportunities for children to play outside in England. Outdoor play in England has declined by 50% according to Raising the Nation Play say it's because of playground closures, busier roads, shortened school break times and the use of smartphones. The commission was a year-long independent inquiry which looked into the wellbeing of children in England. The government says it is working with experts to improve access to activities outside of you think there are enough places to play outside? What would you like to see more of to get children playing outside? Let us know in the comments below. What is the report calling for? The report is asking the government to improve access to activities outside of school. Their recommendations to the government include: A national ban on "no ball games" signs Updating planning policy so developers have to get views from kids on any new developments like new parksProtecting play at break time and lunch time at school and banning teachers being able to take play time away as a punishmentOpening up school playgrounds to the whole community outside of school hoursRaise the digital age of consent to 16 and ban phones in schools According to the report, there are more than 7,000 signs in London stopping more than half a million children from playing freely. It's already a legal requirement for local authorities to make sure there are enough opportunities for children to play in Scotland and the Northern Ireland Executive has also put a focus on play in their Children's and Young People's Strategy 2020-2023. This explored children's opportunities to play in Northern children in England don't have the legal right to of the commission, Paul Lindley, says in England "we've made it incredibly hard for children to play"."We need to give our children back the time, space, opportunity, freedom - and the right - to play again." What has the government said? A government spokesperson said its Plan for Change was "setting young people up to achieve and thrive – both inside and outside the classroom", and that it is investing in grassroots sports facilities and in a programme to help turn "grey school spaces green".They added: "We recognise the vital importance of play and access to nature as part of children's development and wellbeing as we strive to create the healthiest and happiest generation of children ever."Schools already have the power to completely ban phones in the classroom and the overwhelming majority - 99.8% of primary schools and 90% of secondary schools - limit or restrict use."And from July, new rules under the Online Safety Act will require social media platforms to protect children in the UK from seeing harmful content online."
