TRAMPOLINING, jewellery making and penalty shoot-outs were all on the curriculum this week as Southampton celebrated Family Learning Week.

Hundreds of people, young and old, have taken up the opportunity to learn new skills, enjoy a hobby or just try out something new for the fun of it.

The Campaign for Learning is the charity behind the week of activities across the city and hopes it will have encouraged families to spend more time learning together.

At various venues across the city, including Redbridge Com-munity School, Woodlands Community School and South-ampton Central Library, parents, grandparents, carers and children have all become involved.

Regional manager, Rachel Johnstone, said: "The week gives parents and carers a chance to get a taste of family learning and find out about learning opportunities in their local community."

She hoped the week would help to underline the importance of the home in everyday learning.

"The week is all about giving families the confidence to try learning together as well as see the benefits it can bring.

"Many parents and carers might have their own negative experiences of school and not feel able to help their children with homework.

"But there are so many different ways in which children can be helped through day-to-day tasks around the house.

"For example, with cookery children can develop their mathematical skills by weighing ingredients together and also learn about healthy eating."

Miss Johnstone praised the benefits of spending a little extra time talking about different aspects of learning.

"It can bring families closer together. Nowadays people don't always spend quality time together, but by learning together parents and children can build upon their confidence."

Research carried out in the UK shows that parental involvement is vital if children are to get the best from their education.

Educationalist Professor Charles Desforges of Exeter University, who is backing Family Learning Week, said: "My review of the best objective evidence in the field shows unequivocally that parental interest in their children's education is a massive factor in shaping their achievement and adjustment."

Studies in the UK and Canada also reveal that children learn the most in their first ten years and spend only 15 per cent of their waking hours in school.

Family Learning Week is now bigger and better than ever before having grown over the years from a single Family Learning Day in 1998.

WAYS TO BETTER LEARNING AT HOME:

Be positive: Build confidence in your child so that they can be successful in learning. Learning through games can be a great positive way to learn.

Get the big picture: Giving your child real-life examples of a use for each skill helps improve motivation to learn.

Make a connection: Your child will find it easier to learn if you connect the new skill or subject to something they already know.

Use all the senses: Experiment and try to work out if your child has a preference for remembering things they see or hear, or if they learn best when allowed to move about and touch things.

Review the learning: As much as 70 per cent of what you learn in one day will be forgotten by the next - unless you go over it again.