Tots to Teens: Clothing and food options to suit all

Each item of clothing — leggings, sweaters, hoodies, T-shirts, and romper suits — comes with a sensory profile. Before buying, you can find out how the garment fits, whether the fabric is lightweight or heavyweight, the type of material used and how it feels against the skin. You can check if there are tags, buttons or zips to ensure your child will be comfortable in these clothes.

• Our favourite is this rainbow jumper, which can be customised with a child’s name. It’s available from sullyandjuno.ie from €32.

Nature questions answered

If your kids enjoy learning new facts about plants and animals, they will surely be riveted by a new book by biologist, radio and TV presenter and wildlife enthusiast Éanna Ní Lamhna. With illustrations by the award-winning Brian Fitzgerald Wonders of the Wild will inspire them to open their eyes to the amazing plants and animals that live in the natural world that surrounds us.

If you or your children have ever asked why rabbits eat their poo, why frogs don’t drown when they hibernate at the bottom of the pond for months, or why some sea life glows in the dark, this is the book for you.

• It’s for sale in all bookshops and online from €19.99.

Stem exhibition

STEM South West is back for its fifth year, taking over Cork City Hall from 4pm to 8pm on Wednesday, November 22. The annual expo brings together Ireland’s leading technological, pharmaceutical, and engineering companies to stage an exhibition to inspire young minds and inform them of the possibilities a career in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) offers.

The organisers want to show that STEM subjects are the bedrock of many careers in areas as diverse as health, climate change, housing, computing, and energy. This is why they have organised this free event and invite secondary school students, their parents and teachers to attend.

STEM South West will feature a host of technology demonstrations showing Stem products and systems in action as well as career talks, expert panels, question and answer sessions, fun competitions and spot prizes. Professionals who work in STEM will also be on hand throughout the evening to provide insight into its many opportunities.

• Tickets need to be booked in advance through eventbrite.ie
• Further information is available from stemsouthwest.ie

Time-saving cooking

Lou Robbie of @littleloucooks on Instagram and TikTok wants to take the stress out of preparing kids’ lunchboxes.

The professionally trained cook is a strong advocate of homemade food and, over the years, has built up a repertoire of homemade snacks that are perfect for school lunches. On her social media channels, where she has more than 50,000 followers, she demonstrates how to make these recipes and encourages parents to batch cook and freeze snacks so they can be defrosted overnight and popped into lunchboxes in the morning.

Her most popular snacks include mini scones, muffins, nut-free energy bars and easy oat bars. All with the approval of her two primary school-aged kids. By following her tips, we could save time on busy mornings.