Day 19 : Fairtrade - Use your Brain, not just your eyes

Day 19 : Monday 29th February 2016

Fairtrade - Use your Brain, not just your eyes

Hi everyone, today is the start of Fairtrade Fortnight, so we are going to stick with the Fairtrade topic we began talking about last night.

On the video we showed you some Fairtrade items that were basically food, but Fairtrade is about much more than just Bananas, Chocolate and Coffee. There are lots of things which come from the

Third World like clothes, gifts, flowers and just about anything you can think of. 

While it's good to be looking for the Fairtrade symbol wherever you can, lots of things aren't covered by Fairtrade schemes but you should still be looking at ways that you can buy things where people have been treated fairly and ethically.

Clothes are an obvious place to start because we all use them . A lot of clothes companies don't treat their workers well, and they might even use children to make their clothes. It is somtimes hard to tell but if you are buying a top for less than the price of a couple of pints of milk, that's probably a good indication that it isn't a fair trade.

That doesn't mean that if something is expensive, the company will be treating their workers well, but you can do some research into the sorts of policies companies have and decide which shops and companies you are happy to buy from. If you make those decisions before you go shopping, it is a good way to avoid getting sucked into buying cheap things just because you think they are a good deal.

Some companies seem to use Fairtrade in a bit of an unfair way too. They might get one or two of their products to get the Fairtrade symbol but then not treat workers fairly in lots of other parts of their companies. I am not going to say who those companies are but you can so some research for yourself, because they do exist. 

It's a bit like the school bully sucking up to the teacher and getting lots of praise for being good but then behind their back, they are really mean and nasty to everyone and treat people really badly. 

My main message tonight is that Fair Trade is a really good thing and a really good place to start when you go shopping. But you have to use your brain too and think about what you are buying, so that you can see the bigger picture.

If we all do what we can to shop ethically, we will make the world a better place.

Thanks for visiting the blog today - bye......Amelie ; ) 

(Erin is asleep...but we think she's dreaming of eating Fairtrade disc shaped chocolate, covered in delicious crispy multi-coloured shells....)

http://fortnight.fairtrade.org.uk/learn-more/#breakfast-map

http://www.ethicalconsumer.org/

Day 18: Fairtrade Sunday

Day 18 : February 28th 2016

Fairtade Sunday

Hello Everyone. We're just back from shopping and Mum let us buy some chocolate from the supermarket......but we had to make sure it was Fairtrade first!

Fairtrade is something which is really important to us and we're going to talk about it a bit more on the blog over the weeks ahead.

Basically, when you buy something which is Fairtrade, you are making sure that the people who made the things you are buying, were treated fairly and paid a fair price for the work they did.

Lots of things you buy which are fairtrade come from countries where they don't have laws to protect workers. In this country there is a minimum wage and lots of rules about working conditions but in other countries it isn't always like that, so it's easy for companies to treat workers badly so they can make more money.

If we all work together to buy Fairtrade whenever we can, we will show companies that people care about how workers in other counties are treated and they will have to act to protect their workers.

We particularly want to talk about Chocolate because it's coming up to Mothers' Day and maybe you are thinking about buying her some chocolates as a present. Our mum already has too much chocolate (!) but if we were buying some for her we know she'd appreciate knowing that people didn't suffer for her to have treat and your mum probably would too.

There are lots of other Fairtrade things you can buy but if we all start somewhere, it will help to make the world a better place.

We're off to eat OUR chocolate.....bye.....Amelie and Erin xxxxx

Day 16: Celebrate Libraries

Day 16 : February 26th 2016

Celebrate Libraries 

It's a late blog and I've just finished putting the girls to bed after a few fairytales on National: Tell a Fairytale Day.

They wanted to talk about their love of books and their love of libraries in particular. Libraries are always coming under pressure when it comes to cuts in local government and the girls (particularly Amelie!) are genuinely shocked when they hear that some people don't see the value in libraries.

For them, they have been a place of wonderful discoveries, of excitement and adventure, where they entered new worlds and took them home too. Since they were babies they have raided them, attended events, heard stories, gone on treasure hunts, sang songs and met authors. For children, Libraries are a place of fun.

Hand on heart, I can honestly say that without those experiences, I don't think the girls would love books so much or be such talented readers (and writers!). Having somewhere inviting, where you can grow your mind and explore from the earliest age, surely fosters a love of books which may last a lifetime.

At the moment we couldn't do without the book ordering service because Amelie finishes box sets within days of receiving them and we would never be able to afford to feed her appetite (neither would the rainforests!) When she goes on a raid, she discovers new authors and won't stop until she has read everything. She's a little mad but it's inspiring, and of course, she wants to be an author.

Erin is enjoying the huge selection of early reader titles which means that learning to read is not monotonous and boring. Having a choice over what to read and discovering these new worlds for the first time, makes reading more exciting, and surely that's a buzz we want to encourage.

The girls' message is simply to support your local library, just by using it more and letting local

government know that you value that service if cuts come up in your area.

An educated world is surely one of the most important things we need to make the world a better place. Without Libraries, that task becomes much harder. We need to celebrate them more.

On behalf of the girls....have a great weekend!

http://www.voicesforthelibrary.org.uk/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

p.s. Since the girls are in bed and not able to tell me what to write...here is a wee story from Amelie, my very favourite author ever.

The Centipede with No Legs

Callum was a centipede, but you wouldn’t have thought that if ever you’d met. ‘For what is a centipede with no legs?’ the other centipedes would ask him. ‘You are no better than those common, good-for-nothing earthworms!’

Callum took this very seriously and continued to listen to the constant taunting of the other centipedes with great sorrow pulsing through his miserable, legless body. One day he got so depressed that he found he couldn’t take it anymore and decided to visit Earth Worm Town to see if he would be happier there. It was, like he expected, covered in unpleasant grumpy earthworms. They had shouted at him, “You don’t belonghere” and “Go back home”. Callum felt desperately disappointed and distraught that no one would accept him for who he was. He simply wanted to find a friend.

A fly who was passing by saw the sadness welling in Callum’s eyes and went to comfort him. He told Callum about someone who could help him and suddenly the bitterness inside his heart melted into hope.

At once he set off to see Wise Old Worm (the only earthworm ever known of without a temper). He spoke kindly to Callum and said, “You are neither a centipede, nor an earthworm, but a mix. You see your mother was a centipede and your father was an earthworm, they fell in love and then they had you. You are one of a kind. You are the special chosen one we have been waiting for.”

The wise old worm told everyone the good news and soon Callum became King. The centipedes and the earthworms bowed down and reunited with each other.

They learned not to judge others by what they looked like and felt disappointed in themselves for

how they had treated Callum. From then on, they were always friendly and thought twice before saying nasty things to others. Everyone lived much happier lives, especially Callum, who was a tremendously kind king. He ruled the kingdom with understanding and fairness, made of lots of friends and was loved by all.

Copyright - Amelie Purdon 2016

Day 14: Fight Against Cancer :(

Day 14: 24th February 2016

Fight against Cancer

Hello everyone....We've been asking our Mum over the past week if we could do a blog about helping people with cancer, so tonight we finally got enough time to sit down and think about what we wanted to say.

It's something that makes us pretty sad because we have lost friends and family to cancer but we also know quite a few people who have survived and are still fighting against cancer and we want to help.

Over the past few years we have been taking part in Race for Life to raise money for Cancer Research and there are lots of other ways you can raise money to help them and other cancer charities too. It's good to do something with other people and it makes us feel that we are joining with other people to help and it will make a difference.

There are lots of cancer charities like Macmillan Cancer Support who provide nurses for people with cancer, which can be very expensive to fund. Lots of people run Coffee Mornings and hold events - I made some loom bands to sell in the summer - so there are lots of ways to help a charity that you want to support.

Cancer is an illness which can affect anyone and unfortunately scientists don't really know all the reasons people get cancer. It seems like a lot of the time it is just really bad luck and it makes us especially sad that we know children at school who have had cancer since they were very small. There are some things we know that don't help though, like smoking and eating lots of meat but charities like Cancer Research do research into other things that might cause cancer and raise awareness of symptoms, so that people know what to look for and what to avoid.

One of the most important things though is paying for scientists and equiptment to help find cures for all the different cancers there are. Lots of progress has been made and new medicines have meant more people survive cancer than ever before.

One cancer I want to talk about though is Pancreatic Cancer because it doesn't get as much attention as a lot of other cancers. There has also been very very little improvement in the treatment for Pancreatic cancer and because it is so hard to detect, often people don't live long once they find out they have it. This is really sad and we have lost members of our family to Pancreatic Cancer, so it is especially important to us to raise awareness.

We will put some links underneath to the charities we have mentioned and we hope we have helped raise awareness of how you can help in the fight against cancer.

Thanks for checking in - Love Amelie (and Erin xxx)

Cancer Research

Macmillan Cancer Support

Pancreatic Cancer UK

 

Day 13 - Whaur's the Birds

Day 13 - 23rd February 2016

Whaur's the Birds?

Hello there. It's been a lovely sunny day here in Scotland but very cold and when we woke up this morning, the ground was frozen. Before we went to school, we put out some more seed for the birds as it can be really hard for them when the ground is so frozen solid.

We like to encourage the birds to come to our garden and have lots of different feeders to help different types of birds. Here are some tips:

• If it's really cold, break the ice on any water sources you have around the garden. If you don't have any, an old lid or plant dish will do. You can add a rubber duck or ball to these to help stop th ice freezing in the first place (but that doesn't work so well when it's -9 ;0
• Birds love peanuts but make sure they are in a peanut feeder because small birds can choke on whole nuts. just live babies!
• Mealworms, Hearts and Nyjer seeds are great treats and attract really colourful birds like Goldfinches and Blue Tits.
• Throw out your apple cores on the grass - the birds love them.
• As well as feeders, leave some little piles on top of fence posts - the birds love this - especially shy ones, like the wrens
• We have made some home made bird boxes and feeders - it's fun and easy and you can get lots of ideas on the internet.

Why not visit the RSPB website to get some ideas and find out about the birds that visit your garden.

It's passed for this year, but every January you can take part in a survey about the birds which visit your garden but there are lots of other ways to get involved too.

Birds are a very important part of our environment and many need to be protected because their habitat is under threat. The more we can do to help them, the better it will be for everyone.

We hope you enjoy the birds visiting your garden too,

Thanks for visiting - Aelie and Erin xxx

(Erin's favourite bird is a Blue Tit......Mine is a Goldfinch....or a Bittern....or a Heron....I can't decide!!!)

Day 11 - Helping Refugees - Part 2

Day 11: 21st February 2016

Helping Refugees - Part 2

Hello there - so yesterday we were talking about refugees. Lots of refugees are fleeing war in Syria and other parts of the world because it is too dangerous to stay in their home country. We have been looking at videos of refugees coming to Europe and what happens in the camps when they get here. We have also been reading about some of the things that people are doing to try to help them and some of the things that people in parliament are saying.

It seems that lots of people don't want to help them, which is very sad. There are people saying that they are all bad people and we shouldn't help them. We have been working on not stereotyping people at school and I don't think it is fair to start saying all the people who are refugees are bad. There are selfish people everywhere and criminals in every country. There will be some refugees who are not very nice people but there are lots of not very nice people who were born in this country and it doesn't have anything to do with where they are from. If people start calling people bad based on where they have come from, they are being racist.

I saw on the videos that there were plenty of children who need help. There are families who are getting spilt up and life is very hard for them. The politicians in power don't seem to be doing enough to help these people. I listened a bit to what was being said in parliament. I don't understand everything but I didn't like the way the Prime Mininster was talking about these people, as if they hadn't suffered and been through a lot to come from a war.

I do understand that it would be very difficult to have all the refugees come to this country. But it doesn't seem that the leaders are working quickly enough to help families. They need to come up with a way that the refugees can go to each of the countries in a way that is fair but they also have to make sure that families and children are not split up and looked after properly.

We're putting some links underneath the blog where you can donate money or find out more information about the things you can send.

You can also look for local groups in your area who help refugees.

Like my sister mentioned in the video (GO ERIN!!!!) there are petitions and letters you can sign which will tell the politicans that they need to do more.

Thanks for reading our blog. I've learned a lot about refugees this weekend from reading and watching videos. I think if more people found out about what was going on they might not be so angry at refugees and want to help too.

Love Amelie and Erin ;)

Info (Scottish Links at top since we are in Scotland)

Scottish Refugee Council

Scotland-Supporting-Refugees Facebook page

http://www.helprefugees.org.uk/

Refugees Welcome

Sign the Open Letter to David Cameron

(or here...)

Donate  

Save the Children

OXFAM Appeal

UNICEF APPEAL

There are lots of other organisations too. These are just a few and you can search online to find local groups who are working in your area.

Day 10 : Helping Refugees

Day 10: 20th February 2016

Helping Refugees

This was a difficult blog for the girls because there is so much they'd like to say about the refugee crisis, they got rather tongue tied trying to put it together. The fact that they tried to explain a complicated issue in their own way is really commendable though. They want to help and we're very proud of them for that.

This afternoon Amelie was explaining things to us in her own way, she still gets a little bit flustered and worried on camera but she always says to us "I'm just not a news reporter!" We are very proud of you for keeping on trying Amelie because we know it is hard for you when you are bursting to say so much and don't know how to make it all fit in. You and your sister are doing a great job. Here is a wee summary of some of the things she was saying.....

The thing I don't understand is why people feel so angry at the refugees for trying to come to their countries. It is just our luck that we were born here, in a safe country. We didn't do anything to deserve having all these advantages, but lots of people don't seem to want to help other people who aren't as lucky as them.

They aren't coming to Europe because they want to steal our things, they are coming because it is life and death. They will die if they stay in Syria or they might be forced to change their religion and lots of people tried to stay but they were starving. I think it would take a lot of courage to have to leave everything behind. They are risking dying in the oceans to come here and they must be terrified.

When they come to Europe, they have nothing and from what I've seen in videos, it doesn't look like they have a lot of help to start a new life. Some places put up fences to stop them getting in and in other places the camps look really dirty and crowded. I wouldn't want to be a child growing up like that.

We want to help these people because they have nothing. They need our help and I hope if we all work together we will make a difference to their lives and show that the world can be a better place.

Come back to part 2 of the blog tomorrow, to find out about some things we can do to help.

Thanks for listening / reading - Amelie and Erin xxxx

Day 8 - Think twice and stay safe online

Day 8 - 18th February 2016

Internet Safety - Think Twice and Stay Safe Online

Hi! It's Amelie here and today I chose the topic of Internet safety for the blog because I really want the Internet to be a place where people feel safe. Me and my sister are too little to use the Internet by ourselves, so our mum helps us with this blog and always looks at comments before we see them, in case anyone said anything nasty.

We really love reading your comments, so thank you for your support so far. We would like to ask everyone to think twice about the things they might say to someone online, because it's really easy to forget you are talking to real people who have real feelings and might get very upset.

You can't see someone else getting upset if you are unkind to them online and you don't have to worry about them hitting you in the playground or shouting at you because you aren't with them. That makes it really easy to forget that it hurts if you say unkind things but also everyone else in the world might see that and then they might gang up on that person too, which is pretty horrible.

There is a difference between not liking something or not agreeing with someone - and having to put a nasty comment because you are against them. You just have to imagine that you really are face to face with that person and then it will be easier to think twice about whether you should say something.

Hopefully if we all do that, the Internet will be a nicer, kinder place for everyone and safer for me and my sister when we grow up and start using it properly.

Thanks for reading our blog - Amelie and Erin xxxx

Day 7 : We're talking Rubbish

Day 7 : February 17th 2016

We're talking Rubbish

For once even we think we are talking rubbish! But the thing is, when we were on our way home tonight, there was an absolutely disgusting smell coming from the rubbish tip. It's awful and partly it's because we are sending too much of our rubbish to the tip instead of recycling it.

In the video I've tried to talk about all the ways you can recycle normal things around the house. I hope you find it helpful. Hopefully we'll do another blog soon about how you can reduce waste and reuse some things too.

It's really important to stop wasting all the natural resources we have, save energy and recycle as much as we can. We hope if we can work together, we can do our bit to save the planet.

Thanks for reading our blog and thanks to everyone who has sent lovely messages. We really appreciate it.

Bye for Now - Amelie and Erin xxxx

Day 6 - End the Cage Age!!!

Day 6 - February 16th 2016

End the Cage Age

Well, today Amelie was off gallivanting, so it was Erin's turn to give you a very special message. This might not be the last petition that the girls want to bring up on the blog but here's a wee explanation from Erin (who is 6).

"I want to talk about a Petition. A Petition is when lots of people who want to change something put their names on a big list. If you tell other people about the petition and they agree with you, they can put their name on the petition too. It might even change the law if you get enough people.

The petition I want to talk about is to do with Bunnies because lots of animals are kept in cages and that isn't nice. It isn't good for the animals, especially rabbits and they are not happy. I want bunnies to be happy because they are very special to me.

I love my special bunny called Bernadette. There is a real bunny who is called Bernadette too, she lives on a farm near where I live and I would be really really angry if anyone put her in a cage.

I don't want any bunnies to live in cages, so mummy is going to sign the petition and if you agree with me, maybe you could sign it too."

Thanks for reading our blog today. Love,  Erin (& Amelie!)


Sign the Petition here

Day 5 - If it's not Dirty, wash at....wait...why are you washing it???

Day 5 - February 15th 2016

If it's not Dirty, wash at....wait...why are you washing it???

Today's blog is just a really simple suggestion as we are still trying to find ways of saving energy. We really enjoyed finding out how much energy you can save when you switch things off but what about when you have to have things on, like the washing machine.

There is a really catchy slogan "If it's not dirty, wash at 30" which is a really good idea because if you don't use as much heat, it will save energy and that will help the planet and you'll save money too.

But if something really isn't dirty, it doesn't seem like a good idea to wash it at all. Why not wait, fold it up and put it back in the cupboard to wear again soon. Then when it is dirty, you can put it in the wash and only put your washing machine on when you can fill it up.

It's just one more little thing but if we all do little things together, it could make a big difference.

Thanks for visiting our blog again.....Amelie and Erin xxxxx

****editors note.....Erin holds the world record for needing to have an outfit washed a matter of nano seconds after putting it on....aprons at breakfast...it's the only way.....

Valentine's Day - It's all about LOVE

Day 4 - Valentine's Day

It's all about LOVE

Hello everyone - today is Valentine's Day - Bleughhhh...................

Valentine's Day is all about ' Romantic Love'..........bleughhhh............Disgusting!!!!! Except that we get to eat all the chocolates that Daddy bought for Mum!!!! Yay!!!

But we are doing this blog for Lent, which is about thinking about the lessons Jesus taught us. That's quite a hard thing to do when you are little but it's easy to understand what Jesus meant when he told us to love one another.

You don't need to believe in Jesus to agree that being loving to one another is not a bad idea.

Me and my sister fight all the time....I sometimes say that we are 'Mortal Enemies!!!' Ha Ha Ha. But we always make up, say sorry and try to help each other. Sometimes it is hard to get on with people and we all want our own way. But if we try very hard to compromise and love each other like Jesus said, that is probably the most important thing we can do to make the world a better place.

It isn't easy when you really want your own way but Mum says compromise takes lots and lots of practise.

Basically our blog message today is - be kind and loving to each other.


It might not solve all the world's problems but it's a good place to start.

Thanks for reading......Amelie (and my mortal enemy Erin) xxxxxxx

Switch It Off - Save the Planet - Day 3 Blog

Day 3 - February 13th 2016

Switch It Off - Save the Planet

Hello again - we really hope you are enjoying reading our blog and watching our videos - we are getting better at making them we think!!!!

Today on our Blog we are going to talk about why you should Switch It off.

By switching off we mean turning off lights and anything else which runs on electricity.  We want to do this because by using electricty we are using coal and other fuels which are harmful to the planet. One day we will run out of fossils fuels too and if we don't learn how to reduce how much energy we are using, we will be all be in really big trouble.

Fossil Fuels are bad for our planet because they make global warming worse.

Global warming means that the planet is getting hotter because of all the harmful gases getting trapped in the atmosphere. If the planet gets warmer that means that ice will melt and some creatures will reach extinction like polar bears because their habitat will be destroyed.

Also because the ice will melt, the sea will rise and could even drown whole countries like Kiribati and the Maldives.

Global warming also affects the weather which could bring floods and droughts. This will mean there is not enough water for plants and animals to live. It will cause people to starve and make some place impossible to live in.

These are just a few reasons why we have to do all we can to stop climate change.

If everybody works together and switches things off when they don't need them, it will help to make the world a better place. It's really simple and will also help save you money too.

Thank you for reading our blog......Amelie and Erin xxxx

We also have a wee challenge for our teachers.....what will they say???? If you have a prediction, tell us in the comments underneath!!!!

Update......and here's the answer.....