Tooled Up Education

A Quick Guide to Nitrous Oxide (And Relevant Tooled Up Resources)

Nitrous oxide is the third most commonly used drug, according to NHS data, and laughing gas – as it is sometimes called – never seems far from the headlines. But the lighthearted nickname belies the harm this drug can cause. This quick guide, developed in conjunction with drugs education charity the DSM Foundation, covers the most important things that parents and carers need to know about nitrous oxide, as well as signposting to further sources of information.

Andrew Tate and Toxic Influencers: A Guide for Parents and Educators

Over the past few months it has been difficult to avoid social media influencer and misogynistic content creator, Andrew Tate. But, who is he? What should we know about him? He’s one of the most Googled men on earth, a champion kickboxer and an ‘entrepreneur’. He has a vast fan base among boys and men in countries all over the world and is a regular ‘talking point’ among young people. His views about women and girls have become notorious and he’s been banned from many mainstream social media platforms. Despite this, his appeal continues to flourish, with many users sharing his hateful content online.

In this webinar with expert, Dr Lisa Sugiura, we take a closer look at Andrew Tate, his methodologies, his appeal to some children and teens and what we can do to mitigate the risk that exposure to such material can bring.

Talking to Children About the Difference Between Secrets and Surprises

Whilst it might not sound that big an issue, there are crucial distinctions between the concepts of secrets and surprises. Nudging children to understand and recognise these differences is an important way to help keep them safe and maintain their wellbeing. Having open conversations about this at home (the exact opposite of secrecy) and being mindful of the language that we use ourselves is a good place to start.

Dr Christie Talks with Dr Emma Ross from The Well HQ: Talking More Openly About Female Bodies, Women’s Health and Helping Girls Thrive in Sport and Movement

Dr Emma Ross, former Head of Physiology at the English Institute of Sport and founder of The Well HQ, talks to us about her new book and all things related to women, girls and sport. We learn about the need to change the language often used to talk to girls about their bodies and give them the confidence to advocate for themselves, how to fuel girls’ bodies adequately to provide them with the energy they need, the importance of well-fitting, comfortable sports bras and kit, the importance of menstrual cycle tracking and how to keep girls up girls’ interest and enjoyment in sport. This wide ranging, practical interview is a must listen for anyone who supports women and girls and anyone who wants to know more about women’s health, fitness and movement.

Dr Christie Talks with Maggie Johnson: Understanding Selective Mutism (Part One)

Maggie Johnson is a speech and language therapist specialising in childhood communication disorders and selective mutism, and the associated impact on families, schools and young people. She talks to us about her fantastic new book, ‘The Selective Mutism Workbook for Parents and Professionals’, which includes numerous activities and strategies organised around the daily routines of school and family life. This interview is longer than most and is packed with information and tips, so for ease of listening, we’ve broken it into two parts. This is part one. Enjoy!

Dr Christie Talks with Maggie Johnson: Understanding Selective Mutism (Part Two)

Maggie Johnson is a speech and language therapist specialising in childhood communication disorders and selective mutism, and the associated impact on families, schools and young people. She talks to us about her fantastic new book, ‘The Selective Mutism
Workbook for Parents and Professionals’, which includes numerous activities and strategies organised around the daily routines of school and family life. This interview is longer than most and is packed with information and tips, so for ease of listening, we’ve broken it into two parts. This is part two. Enjoy!

An A-Z of Frequently Asked Parenting Questions and How Tooled Up Can Help

The Tooled Up library covers numerous different subjects relating to parenting and education. Our content ranges from articles and interviews about connecting with nature and children’s relationship with fire, to quizzes about clouds and James Bond. But there are some subjects that we are asked about very frequently. We want to make sure that you know exactly where to find the answers to all of these common questions. Hopefully this A-Z will help you to locate what you need in the library. Some of the topics on this list are relevant to children and young people of particular ages or developmental stages. Others are more universal. We could have included many more questions, but we wanted to give you a good snapshot of exactly what we can offer. Enjoy!

Researcher of the Month: Tanya Manchanda Discusses the Role of Friendship Interventions on the Mental Health Outcomes of Adolescents

Our Researcher of the Month, Tanya Manchanda, has recently published a review which assesses existing friendship interventions and their impacts on the mental health outcomes of adolescents aged 12–24 years. In this interview, Tanya considers what we know about these interventions, for both the teen who is trained and their friends and reveals that surprisingly few interventions which utilise authentic social groups have been studied, despite their potential for strong results. She talks us through some of the interventions that do exist and outlines key things that schools might like to consider when developing and implementing friendship interventions designed to improve teens’ mental health.