Nicky EllisLearning to read“Can you make the sounds in bus” my daughter sings as she tries to read, reciting the little song they taught her to use to break down the…Jan 5, 2019Jan 5, 2019
Nicky EllisWhy I’m going to lie and tell my daughter that Athena is a feminist iconOne of the things I find most difficult when talking to my children is when to let reality intrude and when to tell it like it ought to be.Mar 7, 20181Mar 7, 20181
Nicky EllisA week on LesvosPIKPA is the smallest of the refugee camps on Lesvos. It is an open camp, which means that the residents are free to come and go and…Feb 12, 2018Feb 12, 2018
Nicky EllisStarting school (or in under the Tree of Knowledge)This Autumn, as the leaves turned and the conkers came down, my oldest daughter started school. She had been excited for so long, but by…Oct 2, 2017Oct 2, 2017
Nicky EllisWhat’s in a name?My two-year-old has learnt a joke. She muddles up our names, on purpose, and then she laughs. “I’m mummy”, she says.Aug 5, 2017Aug 5, 2017
Nicky EllisTroubling details: Ferrante and the problem of authenticityThere is something of a furore about the identity of Elena Ferrante. If you are interested in the details, see this expose, and this…Jul 29, 2017Jul 29, 2017
Nicky EllisThe life and death of Barba AccaThis was supposed to be a story about Barba Acca.Apr 30, 2017Apr 30, 2017
Nicky EllisWho told my daughter that food would make her fat?“Will this make me fat?” asks my four-year-old, with alarming regularity. She started with a blank slate (Can I have another glass of…Mar 26, 2017Mar 26, 2017
Nicky Ellis‘Out and About’ or ‘I do hate mud’‘Out and About’ by Shirley Hughes tells the story of a child’s year, narrated in verse, but dominated by those distinctive Shirley Hughes…Mar 12, 2017Mar 12, 2017
Nicky EllisProfessors of playCambridge are recruiting a professor of play. It’s no wonder it was all over the news this morning. What a title. It’s up there with…Jan 18, 2017Jan 18, 2017
