Nursery World - Media watch (99)

Chancellor Gordon Brown opened his heart to The Mirror last week and revealed that becoming a family man has transformed his life. Mr Brown said, 'I now know, in practice, the importance of childcare. When you are the father of a very young child, you see the difference having nursery education and books and childcare can make.' The Scotsman reported that babies born in just 30 years' time will have an average life expectancy of 150. The forecast made by the Government Actuary's Department sees the UK's population rising to 90 million by 2074.

The Scotsman reported that babies born in just 30 years' time will have an average life expectancy of 150. The forecast made by the Government Actuary's Department sees the UK's population rising to 90 million by 2074.

Seventeen-month-old Joshua Collins became the star of ITV News last week when he ran away from his mother to take an impromptu tour of the studio. The Daily Express said newsreader Katie Derham calmly placed him on her lap before continuing to host the lunchtime programme.

The Sun attacked over-zealousness after a teacher banned a six-year-old girl from wearing a Barbie watch to school because the metal winder could scratch other pupils if she put her hand up in class. Meanwhile, The Guardian revealed that Barbie's long-term boyfriend, Ken, has had a makeover. The doll looks 'rougher' with ripped jeans, motorcycle jacket and untidy hair.

A company in Finland is keen to install play equipment in UK playgrounds for parents and grandparents to improve adult fitness, said the Daily Mail, but fears the 'famous British reserve' may be hard to overcome.