Tots to teens: May bank holiday fun for all the family

From nautical-themed events to activities inspired by our Celtic roots

Just as the Celts celebrated Bealtaine, the people of Killeagh in east Cork will celebrate the May Day Sunday Festival.

Hook Lighthouse on Wexford’s Hook Peninsula is the place to be for nautical-themed fun this May Bank Holiday Weekend. Taking place from May 4 to 6, the Shine a Light Festival line-up offers a packed programme of events and activities with something for all the family.

The Irish Coast Guard Services will give talks and demonstrations about water safety. The local archery club, the Dunbrody Archers, will showcase its target-hitting skills. The lighthouse’s ‘residents’, Pirate Pat and his cutthroat crew, will provide swashbuckling entertainment for children.

There will also be treasure quests, art workshops, competitions, and events that focus on the heritage and history of the lighthouse.

www.hookheritage.ie

Wonderfully Weathery

Elayne Heaney’s son David used to be puzzled by the weather. Why was it sunny one moment and pelting rain the next? Heaney found herself making up stories to provide answers that he could understand, which eventually led to her publishing a series of children’s picture books called ‘Wonderfully Weathery Books’.

The latest in the series is Sally Sunshine and the Terrible Tantrum. In it, we get to meet Sally and explore her important role in our lives here on Earth. We also encounter an electrifying new character that Heaney introduces to show children that they do not need to be frightened of storms.

The ‘Wonderfully Weathery Books’ cost €10 each and available online.

wonderfullyweatherybooks.com

Teenage anxiety answers

The Anxious Generation is a New York Times bestseller that tries to explain why rates of teenage depression, anxiety, and self-harm are soaring.

Written by New York University professor of psychology Jonathan Haidt, it lays out the facts and argues that the problem may be explained by children playing less and engaging with screens more.

Haidt believes that children need play to mature into thriving adults. When play is replaced by screen time, he thinks it interferes with their social and neurological development, ultimately leading to declining levels of self-esteem in girls who are likely to be sucked into social media and attention fragmentation and addiction in boys who tend to engage more with games and pornography.

It’s not all doom and gloom though. Haidt outlines simple steps that parents, teachers, tech companies, and governments can follow to end this epidemic.

The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness is available from €21.

May Day Sunday

Just as the Celts celebrated Bealtaine, the people of Killeagh in east Cork will celebrate the May Day Sunday Festival.

It will run from May 3 to May 6 and feature activities inspired by our Celtic roots for both young and old.

These will include dawn chorus walks in the woods, morning yoga sessions, children’s art workshops, a fire flame show, storytelling sessions in which older and younger members of the community will be invited to share their stories of childhood, an art fair, Céilí dance lessons, picnics in the woods, live music, and more.

www.maysunday.ie

Advice on weaning

Weaning your baby and teaching them how to enjoy a wide variety of foods can be challenging. It can go on for years, involving stressful mealtimes and toddler tantrums.

Cathy Monaghan is a registered paediatric dietitian who aims to make this process easier. She wants mealtimes to be happy for you and your kids, and on her @weaning.ie Instagram account, she shares tips to help you achieve that.

There’s advice on dealing with fussy eaters, snack suggestions, and free guides on everything from how to involve your child in cooking to ways to increase their intake of fruit and vegetables.