Back to school

Going back to school can be a worrying time for children as they face the challenges of the year ahead. This page offers advice on how to make the return to school a whole lot easier for both parents and children.

A great deal is expected of our children today. Changing school or moving up a class can be upsetting, particularly for a sensitive child.  If your child is at all anxious about returning to school, Avena sativa may help to calm nerves. In fact, some parents might benefit from taking this gentle herb too should they find themselves under stress at this time. If your child suffers from shyness or is lacking in self confidence, a gentle flower essence such as Emergency essence is one to try.

Head lice are all-to-common undesired school friends. Despite contrary belief, head lice are not only attracted to dirty hair. You are actually more likely to find them in clean hair. The best way to deal with them is to make sure you check your child’s head regularly. If your child does catch them, Riddance Herbal Headlice Removal Kit, consisting of a neem based hair lotion and a head lice detection comb, is a safe and gentle alternative to using chemical head lice treatments. The kit should be used every day for 4 days and repeated after 7 days. The beauty of this product is that it kills both the lice and the eggs.

The return to school often sees children being laid low by some bug or other, despite having been healthy all summer long. Giving children over 12 years of age an extract from the herb Echinacea can help strengthen their immune system and help ward off any unwanted bugs. Encourage children to wash hands regularly to keep germs at bay.

If you are giving your child packed lunches, try to make them as healthy as possible. Replace white bread, rice and pasta with wholemeal bread, brown rice and wholewheat pasta. A small amount of dried fruit such as apricots, dates or raisins makes a change from chocolate.

Try experimenting with sprouted seeds such as those from the BioSnacky range.  Easy to grow, they make a healthy, crunchy addition to any salad and what’s more, it’s something children can grow themselves using the accompanying germinator jar or three tier sprouter.

Try seasoning packed lunches with Herbamare Herb Seasoning Salt as a healthy alternative to your usual salt.  Free from artificial flavours and preservatives it is available in both original and spicy flavours.