Topical Resources
Tooled Up Events
- December 5, 2023
- 19:30
- GMT
- December 5, 2023
- 12:30
- GMT
- December 6, 2023
- 19:00
- GMT
- December 7, 2023
- 19:00
- GMT
- Parent Webinar
- Dr Kathy Weston
- December 10, 2023
- 19:00
- GMT
- December 13, 2023
- 17:00
- GMT
- January 15, 2024
- 19:00
- GMT
- January 23, 2024
- 19:00
- GMT
- January 24, 2024
- 16:15
- GMT
- Parent Webinar
- Dr Meinou Simmons
- January 26, 2024
- 12:00
- GMT
- Staff Only
- Dr Kathy Weston with Dr Susie Nyman, Julia Clouter, Martin Bailey, and Julia Martin
- January 31, 2024
- 12:30
- GMT
- Parent Webinar
- Dr Sophie Nesbitt, Dr Lucia Giombini, Dr Amita Jassi, Dr Helen Ringrow, Dr Karri Gillespie-Smith, and Inner Wings
- April 26, 2024
- 09:30
- BST
- Parent Webinar
- Dr Kathy Weston and guests
- May 17, 2024
- 09:30
- BST
The home of evidence-based resources on all aspects of parenting, education and family life
Organisation that are part of our Tooled Up Education community can provide their parents and teachers with access to Dr Weston’s exclusive resources, covering areas such as aspiration, resilience, mental health and behaviour.
As a member of the Tooled Up community you will have access to a whole host of evidence-based resources, which will enable you to support your children or students in a way that makes their lives and educational journeys both easier and more enjoyable.
Check if you belong to a Tooled Up Organisation
Dr Weston's Wednesday Wisdom
In an ever increasingly busy and demanding world, Wednesday Wisdom provides a reflective 2 minute read every week that readers constantly tell us they look forward to. Full of topical and relatable experiences that help provide reflection, motivation and support in achieving a balanced family life.
Over the years, thousands of people have benefitted from, and continue to enjoy, the parenting and educational talks from Dr Kathy Weston at Tooled Up Education and have subscribed to Wednesday Wisdom. Join now for free to get your own weekly digest of motivating, interesting, and thoughtful parenting advice from Dr Weston herself.
“I just wanted to say how grateful I am to read your Wednesday Wisdom email. Perfect size for the time I have to engage and reflect and think about the topics you touch on. It helps me to evaluate my parenting and take a step back to look at scenarios that play out.”
Parent – October 2020
Family games
If, like me, you have ever witnessed your children engaged in ‘rough and tumble’ play with siblings, cousins, friends or relatives, it can feel alarming. In our house, after about five minutes, it used to lead to tears and accusations that ‘he hit me too hard’; one parent would then intercede with sage advice on when to stop! ‘Roughhousing’ sounds and looks chaotic and can engender feelings of alarm in onlookers.
Parenting Question of the Month
Hello, as a family, we are thinking of getting our child, aged 11, a smartphone. What are some of the things we need to consider before we do?
Researcher of the Month
Gemma Goldenberg, PhD researcher at the University of East London.
Research Interests
Gemma’s research focuses on the impact of indoor and outdoor learning environments and how they affect young children’s stress, attention and self regulation.
There is now a significant body of research which indicates that nature is linked to physical, cognitive and emotional benefits for children. Our Researcher of the Month, PhD student Gemma Goldenberg, hypothesises that if exposure to nature can improve cognition, physical health, social behaviour and wellbeing, then spending more of the school day learning outside in natural settings could have a significant positive impact on pupils’ attainment and mental health. Her exciting study is designed to help schools develop effective learning environments and interventions, and a research informed approach to outdoor learning.
In order to assess the impact of outdoor learning, Gemma visited six reception classes in Newham, London, working with 75 children. Each class took part in eight indoor and eight outdoor sessions. During these sessions, Gemma analysed each child’s physiological stress, social behaviour, attention and learning performance.
She discovered that children’s heart rates were lower in the outdoor settings and that outdoor sessions were quieter than indoor sessions. Indoors, there was a statistically significant relationship between noise during carpet time and physiological stress levels – as noise levels increased, so did children’s heart rates. This was not replicated outdoors. Being outdoors, she suggests, ‘provides some sort of buffering effect against stress/noise’.
Gemma has numerous suggestions for educators about outdoor learning. To find out more about the implications of her research, read our full Researcher of the Month article. Tooled Up subscribers can also tune in to our recent podcast interview with Gemma and read the accompanying notes.
Tooled Up News
Tooled Up Education – 2024 BETT Awards Finalist
We are delighted to announce the exciting news that Tooled Up Education has been shortlisted as a finalist for the 2024 BETT Innovation Award.
Tooled Up Education Joins Forces with ISEB to Champion Pupil Wellbeing in Admissions Tests and Exams
We are really excited to launch the Parent Power Toolkit, a new set of resources that we’ve produced for The Independent Schools Examination Board (ISEB), which are all designed to empower parents to support their children’s mental health and wellbeing throughout their admissions test journeys and equip families with the tools needed to help children navigate change.
Testimonials
Have a Question?
If you are interested in learning more about Tooled Up Education, have a technical question, press enquiry or any other query, please follow the link below or get in touch with Dr Weston’s team on email: office@tooledupeducation.com
