Product Description

When Sue Palmer wrote Toxic Childhood, her ground-breaking book that showed how problems of diet, education, fitness and mental health problems were all inter-related, she created a national debate. Everyone from educationists and scientists to politicians, religious leaders and authors got involved in the debate. The problems seemed potentially overwhelming. Now, in this important successor volume, Sue Palmer provides an essential guide on how to bring up children in a way that avoids the problems of a toxic world. With practical, easy-to-follow advice she explains what children need, in terms of food, play, sleep and talk; what childcare and education will help most; how families can work together for the best, given the hectic pace of 21st century life; and how to turn the electronic village of TV, computers and mobile phones to our advantage. With so many pressures across so many parts of our lives today, this book is the one-stop solution to all our concerns about raising healthy, happy children in the modern world.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14811 in Books
• Published on: 2007-08-16
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

Review
'Offers a detox workout to change family life for the better.' (JUNIOR )

'As Sue Palmer eloquently pointed out, formal schooling should start later and we should legislate against advertising directed at children and foster exercise as an alternative to the obesity-inducing, passive consumption of television and computer games.' (Oliver James TES )

'an invaluable resource for all those working with children, with groups of parents in any situation and for community leaders. sue Palmer sees 'parent power' as the hope for childhood's future and this book could be one catalyst to activate that power' (HOME AND FAMILY )

About the Author
Sue Palmer is a writer, broadcaster and consultant on the education of young children. A former head teacher, she lectures widely around the world, and is an independent adviser to many organisations, including the BBC and the DfES.

Customer Reviews

Reality check on childhood
In this book Sue Palmer opens up a long denied but disturbing window on childhood in today's Britain. Her major point is that 21st century technology, very beneficial to adults, has created an immensely hostile environment for children.

Her three areas of concern are:

q increasingly aggressive marketing to children
q the effects of the visual media on children's brains
q the abuse of electronic communications

As a retired headteacher she uses her experience and extensive research (see her best seller `Toxic Childhood') together in a reality picture but, most importantly, suggests how change can be put into place.

This very accessible book gives its support for warm, authoritative parenting as well as revealing the `junk food jungle' that leads to toxic eating habits.

As Sue Palmer says at the beginning of the book, "parental love is the greatest force on the planet. When parents know what's good for their children and what does them harm, they will act."

practical advice for parents
The key idea that Sue Palmer puts forward in this book is that children need parents who are both warm and firm. Throughout the book she puts forward practical suggestions on how to achieve this balance. She too is warm and firm - encouraging, but not shying away from the extent of the problem, or the role parents need to play in transforming childhood.

World at war with innocence
I purchased this book last year after attending a seminar hosted by Sue Palmer in Belfast. Fantastic! Toxic Childhood awakened me to the changes all responsible people should embrace - to make our messy society more child friendly. Innocence needs preserving.
This title, her second book on this theme, gives everyone involved with the nurturing of young minds and bodies some fool proof steps to get rid of the modern day rubbish stealing the joy (and healthiness)from our children. A must for parents and teachers.