Taskhub Blog

Cut a half circle out of the centre of the plain paper plate. This will hold the leaves. Cut out a lot of leaves from construction paper. Draw the leaf veins if you wish. Glue the leaves all around the rim of the paper plate. In the lower centre of the wreath, write, "I am thankful for," and then let your child write or draw what they are thankful for. Put the child's name on the wreath (or let them sign it).

Hand and Foot Turkey Craft

Materials:

Brown, red, orange and yellow construction paper

Pencil

Scissors

Glue

Googly eyes (optional)

Let your child trace around the his/hers feet using the brown construction paper. These two pieces will be the turkey's body. Then let your kid trace around the his/hers hands using red, orange, and yellow construction paper. These 6 pieces will be the turkey's feathers. Glue the two footprints together to make the turkey's body. (The heels make the head area.) Cut out a round wattle and an orange beak. Glue the wattle, beak, and googly eyes (or paper eyes) to the turkey's head. Make two legs from paper and glue them to the back of the body (or use pipe cleaners and tape them to the back). Glue the handprint "feathers" to the back of the turkey. You can now decorate your house for Thanksgiving with these cute turkeys. Don't forget to put your kids' names and age on the back of the turkey.

Need help preparing for Thanksgiving or Christmas? Post your errands on the free Taskhub app and get your to-dos done.

Two Truths and a Lie Time Required: 15-30 minutes

Start out by having every team member secretly write down two truths about themselves and one lie on a small piece of paper – do not reveal to anyone what you wrote down. Once each person has completed this step, allow 10-15 minutes for open conversation – much like a cocktail party – where everyone quizzes each other on their three questions. The idea is to convince others that your lie is actually a truth, while on the other hand, you try to guess other people’s truths/lies by asking them questions. After the conversational period, gather in a circle and one by one repeat each one of your three statements and have the group vote on which one they think is the lie. This game helps to encourage better communication in the office, as well as it lets you get to know your coworkers better.

Coin Logo Time Required: 5-10 minutes

Begin by asking all participants to empty their pockets, purses, and wallets of any coins they may have and place them on the table in front of them. Instruct each person to create their own personal logo using the coins in front of them in just one minute. Other materials they may have on them, such as pens, notebooks, wallets, etc. can also be used in creation of the logo. Each participant can explain their logo and what it says about them. Not only does this activity promote self and mutual awareness, but it also enables participants to get to know each other on a more personal level.

Sneak a Peek Game

Time Required: 10 minutes

This problem solving activity requires little more than a couple of sets of children’s building blocks. The activity leader builds a small sculpture with some Jenga-style building blocks and hide it from the group. In small teams of four each group is given enough building blocks so that they can duplicate the sculpture. The instructor then places their sculpture in an area that is an equal distance from all the groups. One member from each team goes up at the same time to look at the sculpture for ten seconds and try to memorise it before returning to their team. Then they have twenty-five seconds to instruct their teams about how to build an exact replica of the instructor’s sculpture. The game should be continued in this pattern until one of the team’s successfully duplicates the original sculpture. This game will teach participants how to problem solve in a group and communicate effectively.

Share with the Taskhub community here more team-building activities you have tried. Team Taskhub would love to try them out!

Outsource your errands on the go

The app will allow you to outsource your errands quickly by posting a task, saying how much you are willing to pay and then waiting to find someone local who wants to earn some extra cash. 

Earn extra cash

The app also benefits people looking to make money. If you are a Task Doer, you can just browse the Tasks near you, bid on the ones that match your skillset and get paid once you've completed the task. 

You can download the Taskhub App for free here. We hope you enjoy using it!

Get your jackets, coats, duvets and jumpers dry-cleaned

Clear autumn leaves from your garden, drains and guttering

Find a cheaper energy tariff (if possible!)

Ensure your car is winter ready (anti-freeze, ice scraper, new battery)

Plan your budget for Christmas 

Install a draught excluder on your bedroom door

Insulate your home to the max

Plant bulbs now so they flower in spring

If you are too busy to get all this done, you can post your tasks on Taskhub and find someone local to do them for you.

Although Hochard was in the midst of a law degree and her partner, Rahul Ahuja, was an investment banker, the two of them decided to use their savings to create a web site designed specifically for people looking for local help. In their spare time, the London-based couple sketched out what they wanted the site to look like and commissioned an agency.

While the site was under development, Hochard read about Wayra – a new incubator programme being set up by Telefónica Digital. Hochard and Ahuja entered the selection process along with 1,000 or so other entrepreneurs. They developed a business plan, created a demo and pitched their idea to the Wayra assessors.  Although Hochard had to miss one of the interviews to do a law exam, the duo made it through to the last stage of the process.

Drawing on advice from the Wayra mentors – seasoned entrepreneurs and Telefónica staffers – Hochard and Ahuja gave a nerve-wracking filmed pitch to nine potential investors and answered their questions. They were invited to join the Wayra programme in June 2012. “We said: I guess it’s serious now,” Hochard recalls.

Employee number one

In exchange for equity, Wayra invested £40,000 in Taskhub and provided temporary office space, enabling the couple to hire their first employee – a web developer. “Then we felt legitimate,” says Hochard, who completed her law exams in August 2012. Ahuja quit his job in November 2012, one month after the Taskhub web site launched as a private-beta, accessible to only 100 specially-invited people.

As members of Wayra, the Taskhub team got to attend classes for start-ups and mingle with other entrepreneurs and Telefónica employees. Crucially, they were also introduced to Telefónica Ventures, which soon invested a six figure sum in Taskhub and secured the start-up a distribution agreement with mobile operator O2 UK. The investment enabled Hochard to start paying herself a salary - enough to cover the couple’s rent - from January 2013.  The deal also meant that Taskhub could move into Telefónica’s funky offices near Piccadilly Circus in the beating heart of London.

Going commercial

After a public beta in mid January, Taskhub went into full commercial mode two months later. People can sign up for free, enabling them to browse the tasks on offer and post a task for free. “Only at the end do we charge a 15% commission if the transaction actually happens,” says Hochard.  “The one thing we have changed is to get people to enter their payment card details when they post a task, so they are not going to write anything silly.”

With a community-minded ethos, Taskhub doesn’t charge charities and, for now, it doesn’t carry advertising. “The idea is to be clean,” says Hochard

Taskhub now employs two developers – one for the web site and one for the mobile app – a marketing specialist and an intern.  Although Taskhub has done little in the way of formal PR, Hochard contacted local newspapers and the local authority in east London where the couple live. Major newspapers, such as the Daily Telegraph, the London Evening Standard and London’s Metro, have also cited Taskhub as an example of the sharing economy.

Stephen Fry tweet

Taskhub also benefited from Hochard meeting comedian and actor Stephen Fry at a technology event to discuss how to work with charities. Hochard says Fry offered to tweet about Taskhub to his six million followers on Twitter.  “It was amazing, we were all stood at the office and watching the surge on traffic on Google Analytics,” recalls Hochard. “We were shouting in there.”

A former teacher, Hochard also hosts events, such as workshops for students on how to look for part-time jobs.  From time-to-time, Hochard even emails Taskhub users personally from her own email account to see if she can help.  She sometimes invites regular uses of the site into her office. This personal touch pays off – some users now help the Taskhub team monitor the site, flagging any posts that look weird or inappropriate. “Start-ups often focus too much on the product,” says Hochard. “Even if you have just twenty people on your platform, take care of them.”

Taskhub is a hyper-local business, so it is tricky to scale fast. “We prefer to go slowly here with communities in London and really establish ourselves,” says Hochard. “You need two sides to have a critical mass – the people asking for help and the people able to help. …You also need trust, so we reward regular users with badges and encourage people to leave feedback.”

Still, Taskhub’s growth is likely to accelerate when the mobile app is launched in the near future. Then it will begin to benefit from O2’s marketing and distribution networks.

Hochard attributes her new-found entrepreneurial flair partly to her experiences at law school. “Friends were getting work experience through contacts, but I wasn’t from this country, so I didn’t have the contacts.” recalls Hochard, a French national. “I decided I needed to change the way I do things and go connect with people. …I was able to get work experience at law firms by just going and talking to people at events.”

But Hochard does admit to moments of doubt over the past two years.  “We have to be patient about our life being a little bit different,” she says.  “It was a gamble for the two of us…..but we always wanted to do something that matters...something that makes you happy everyday.”

The Philippine Red Cross is already operating 1,200 evacuation centres. They’re linking up families who’ve been separated by the storm and helping loved ones find each other. The British Red Cross is sending additional resources, such as food and much-needed emergency supplies. You can donate online here.

Save The Children

Save The Children has set up a Typhoon Haiyan Children’s Relief Fund to support children and families in the Philippines, Laos, and Vietnam. One Save The Children aid worker reports that an estimated two in five victims are children. Note that 10% of all donations will be set aside for future disaster response and emergency preparations.

UNICEF

UNICEF has already sent supplies for over 3,000 families, including health kits and food, and is airlifting supplies for 10,000 more families. You can donate here to support their work.

Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity has sent disaster response staff to the Philippines, and plans to respond uncompromisingly to support families there. You can donate here and help them provide shelter.

World Food Programme

The UN’s World Food Programme has sent over 44 tons of high-energy biscuits to the hardest hit areas of the Philippines. You can donate online here.

Every donation, no matter how small, makes a difference.

I love buying food at Whole Foods so it was a real treat to have a budget to spend there.  Also, Whole Foods is right by my work and North London is easily accessible via nearby Piccadilly Circus station, so the Task was pretty easy going.

The Task did take me three hours to complete and carrying the food and wine on the Tube was a challenge. However, it was definitely worth the money and I got paid on the same day.

For anyone looking to make extra money I would recommend bidding on a Task on Taskhub. You'll meet nice people, help someone out and earn. It's free to sign up and bid on a Task so you've nothing to lose.

Partner organisations, the Tree Council, Trees for Cities and the London Wildlife Trust, are facilitating tree planting across London from November 23  to December 1. Volunteers can take part in guided tree walks and fruit tasting as they transform ‘green deserts’ into thriving green spaces.

Here are the locations where you can volunteer:

Manor House Gardens, Lewisham

The plan is to make this park more beautiful, a wildlife haven and become a foraging resource for the local community. Volunteers will be planting fruit-bearing hedges and orchard trees in Manor House Gardens from 11h on Saturday, November 30. Meet at the park café.

De Brome Playing Fields, Hounslow

The London Wildlife Trust are aiming to plant 500 native species in De Brome Playing Fields, Hounslow also on Saturday 30 November.

Northolt Recreation Ground, Ealing

Trees for Cities and Ealing Council will be planting 10,000 trees in sunny, open glades to create a lasting legacy for the local community and wildlife of Northolt Recreation Ground.  They need your help to get it all 10,000 planted across 4 weeks between Tuesday, November 26 and Thursday, December 19.

Planting trees is a really rewarding way to help out your community and be part of a lasting green legacy for London. Get volunteering and share your pictures tree planting with us here.

Outsource your errands on Taskhub and have more free time for volunteering.

I found the answer in the poem In Flanders Fields, one of the most popular and most quoted war poems.

This poem was written during the First World War by Canadian Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae after he performed a burial service and noted how poppies quickly grew around the graves of those soldiers who died at Ypres.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow       Between the crosses, row on row,    That mark our place; and in the sky    The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,    Loved and were loved, and now we lie          In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw    The torch; be yours to hold it high.    If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow          In Flanders fields.

Well done to all those who dedicated their free time to raise money for this worthy cause. At Taskhub, we encourage people to get involved with volunteering as much as they can. Please give generously here and wear your poppy with pride.

Pros

There's no denying that there are many pre-school educational apps that teach kids about colours and numbers, and let them draw and manipulate images by finger-swiping the screen. There are also apps for learning math, geography, history, reading, writing and hundreds of topics across year levels.

We all remember Sesame Street, the show that proved television could be educational, productive and fun. Mobile learning is simply the next step in technology, and who could deny its convenience? Whether your child is in the car or in the supermarket, on a plane or at home, mobile kids can enjoy an enhanced learning session.

Cons

Some parents feel prolonged smartphone use is rough on children’s eyes, and that staring at a screen discourages face-to-face interactions with their peers and family. Parents and teachers worry about over-stimulating a child who may want to spend hours on a smartphone rather than playing outside. Some people believe that spending too much time on a smartphone could jeopardise a child’s overall development. Teenage addiction to smartphones is also getting a lot of press. These are certainly valid concerns that deserve consideration. So, what’s the solution?

Taskhub tips on how to strike a balance:

Set daily limits for screen time and stick to them

Use your mobile device as a babysitter as rarely as possible

Choose credible apps that offer a legitimate educational value and teach and expand your child’s growing brain

Consider using parental controls to ensure your child is protected from some apps and can only access the good ones at appropriate times

Parents’ common sense tells them not to let their children spend hours staring at the screen, regardless of the learning potential. A well-balanced childhood involves plenty of exercise and play time with friends and family. But, we have to face it; smartphones and tablets are becoming an integral part of kids’ lives.

Enjoy more time with your kids by outsourcing your to-dos on Taskhub. 

The pictures - and the comments in particular - are hilarious. But the blog is a reminder that sometimes it pays to get someone else in who knows what they're doing.

We had a Task Requester outsource the taking of their property photos on Taskhub to avoid the pitfalls of bad estate agent photos. When you're selling or advertising a property it makes sense to get photos that show it at its best. 

Have you got a job that needs doing? Post it on Taskhub and find a local person who knows what they're doing. 

Plan a nice breakfast. Having a special breakfast with your favourite morning food will get you out of bed and give you something to look forward to. Sharing the brekkie with your partner or housemates will start your week with on a positive, sharing note.

Prepare your body. Going for a brisk walk or doing some stretches on Monday morning will wake you up and clear your head. It will also get your blood and endorphins pumping. Here are some easy yoga style stretches that you could try.

Get ready for the start of the week. Having things in order, such as, your work outfits, packed lunch, and getting enough sleep will reduce the strain and stress you feel on Sunday night and Monday morning. 

If you don't have time to prepare properly, you can reduce stress by outsourcing your errands and to-dos on Taskhub. 

Find the beauty in your Monday commute. This may sound silly as commutes are generally horrible, but there must be something beautiful you see on your walk to the station or out of the train window. Take a moment to appreciate it.  

Look forward to Monday evening. We don't want you to wish your life away, but planning your perfect night for Monday evening, whether you stay in or go out, will get you over the Monday morning hump.

Mondays are hard but hopefully these tips will help you get motivated for the week ahead. Try your best to love Mondays and remember, we are all in the same boat together. 

Give these tips a go next Monday and in the meantime sign up to Taskhub and post a task today.  

        The show inspired a generation of make do and mend DIY disciples who are happy to spend their weekends doing odd-jobs and home improvements. You only have to look at the number of DIY shops like B&Q and Homebase to see just how obsessed Britain is with home improvements.  

DIY isn't all entertainment and fun for some young homemakers for whom there is no option but DIY. New homes bought on a budget will often require essential refurbishment and repair. New homeowners would prefer to hire professionals, but can't afford so they end up doing it themselves or posting it on Taskhub.

Whether you're a DIY dunce or master, you can get a real buzz and feeling of achievement from getting creative at home. Getting your tools out at home is also a way of getting rid of stress after a long day at work, switching off and relaxing. DIY provides a transitional stage between work and play, giving you something productive to focus on. 

If you want to find an outlet for your DIY obsession, you can check out our latest DIY jobs here. 

The show lasted 45 minutes and was especially designed to fit in with people's midday break. St James Theatre is encouraging people to digest some theatre at lunchtime with a series of short drama performances. 

The Twelfth Night production was performed by Butterfly, a theatre company dedicated to re-imagining classics to fit in with your lunch break. 

Butterfly put on an excellent performance covering the whole Twelfth Night plot in just three quarters of an hour, which was hilarious and full of laughs. The relaxed lunch atmosphere at St James Theatre means you can take along your own lunch to munch through the show, or buy a £5 St James Theatre lunch bag.

Going to the theatre on my lunch break broke up my work day nicely and made the rest of the day fly by. It's also a great way to meet up with your friends on your lunch break.

How do you make the most of your lunch break? Join the Taskhub community and share with us here. 

The main fireworks display starts at 8pm and is sure to impress, but get there early to bag a good spot as it usually attracts a crowd of around 100,000. There's a funfair from 4pm for the kids.

Alexandra Palace

Ally Pally is hosting North London's biggest display this year. Head to Alexandra Palace’s for a family-friendly event on Saturday, November 2. 

The event boasts a huge range of attractions including an ice rink, German Bier festival, funfair, and a street food market.

Early bird tickets are still available - £4 for children and £6 for adults. Gates open at 2pm and the main display starts at 8pm.

Richmond

Richmond’s annual family fireworks display takes place on Sunday, November 3 at Richmond Athletic Ground from 4.30pm.

The firework display is Beatles themed plus there'll be lots of live music.

The main firework display starts at 7pm with the after party for 8pm.

Advance tickets are priced at £25 for a family ticket (two adults and up to four children), £10 for a Grandstand seat, £8 per adult and £5 for a child (5-15), under 5s are free.

Ealing Cricket Club

Ealing Cricket Club is a beautiful setting for a fireworks display on Saturday, November 2.

The main display will be accompanied by show-stopping music from stage and screen, like James Bond, Grease, Les Miserable, and Phantom of the Opera.

Admission is £6 per adult, £4 for children under 14. Tickets will be sold on the gates. Gates open at 6pm and the firework display starts at 7.30pm.

Forest Gate 

Wanstead Flats in Forest Gate, East London is the location of this free firework display.

Open to all on Sunday November 3rd, the Guy Fawkes Night firework display will be accompanied by a laser show and music that the kids will love.

There will also be food and drinks stands. 

There are plenty of Bonfire Night events going on around November 5th in both North and South London, so there's no excuse for not getting out and enjoying the fireworks with the kids. 

Want more quality family time? Sign up to Taskhub today.  

Very few shoppers have a clear idea of what may be hiding in even the healthiest looking products. Here is some salutary pointers Taskhub team found:

Food technologists have developed additives called enzyme-processing aids, which are added to dough before baking so your loaf stays “just-baked” for a week rather than going hard and crusty in a day. But because those enzyme-processing aids are destroyed during cooking, they don’t have to be added on the label.

Consumers are aware that they must watch for salt content in food and that it can be found listed on labels. However, salt levels can be very misleading as some manufacturers list only the sodium level (one gram sodium is equal to 2.5 grams of salt – half an adult daily allowance) so the salt level can be higher than you think. 

Fruit and veg aren't as nutrient-rich as we think. Vegetation grown in soil that lacks certain beneficial microbes don't nourish us properly. 

Neutral and friendly terms are often used to put consumers at ease. For instance, words ilke farmhouse, country fare, home-made or cottage are often used on our food packaging. However, the majority of what we eat is in fact processed in state-of-the-art factories, not little thatched cottages.

          If you really want to know exactly what it is you are eating, there is only one thing to do: Cook.

If you don't have time to prepare everything yourself, you can post it on Taskhub and find someone local to help you out.