Child Magazine | Joburg September 2012

J O B U R G ’ S

b e s t

gu i d e

f or

p a r e n t s

playing favourites are you the flavour of the month?

spring

the truth about teeth

into action

16 things you

didn’t know

home at last

golf – keep your child on par co-ed vs single-sex schools

www.childmag.co.za

September 2012

free

26

health

ways to celebrate your heritage

education

saffas settle in

entertainment

Growing up in Pretoria, I looked forward to the arrival of spring with huge excitement.

Winters were cold and dry, and yet, come the 1st of September, blossoms would magically appear on the peach trees in our back garden and, more importantly to me, our local swimming pool would be declared officially open. My brother and I would beg to be taken to Hillcrest Swimming Pool where we would queue, patiently waiting for that thrilling moment when the gates would open and we would be allowed to walk through the foot sanitizer to finally dive into the cold, clear blue water. After a couple of lengths we would lie down on the hot cement to warm up, smiling at each other as we relished the feeling that summer had officially begun.

Fast forward a generation and I see that same smile on my daughter’s face as she rollerblades through our local park. After a wild and wet winter, spring is in the air and it’s wonderful to see so many families coming out to play. I love that our park can be reached by taxi, train or luxury 4x4 and I love that, unlike Hillcrest Swimming Pool back when I was 10, my daughter gets to play in a park that welcomes and celebrates children from all corners of our diverse city.

There is something about our park that makes me feel so proud to be South African.

It makes me stand a little taller and smile a little wider so, come the 24th, I know exactly where my family will be celebrating our heritage.

Wishing you a happy Heritage Day too.

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Hunter House P U B L I S H IN G

Publisher Lisa Mc Namara • lisa@childmag.co.za

Editorial Managing Editor Marina Zietsman • marina@childmag.co.za Features Editor Anél Lewis • features@childmag.co.za Resource Editor Simone Jeffery • joburg@childmag.co.za

monthly circulation Joburg’s Child magazineTM Cape Town’s Child magazineTM Durban’s Child magazineTM Pretoria’s Child magazineTM

52 45 40 40

355 321 205 261

to advertise Tel: 011 807 6449 • Fax: 011 234 4971 Email: jhbsales@childmag.co.za Website: childmag.co.za

Editorial Assistant Lucille Kemp • lucille@childmag.co.za Copy Editor Debbie Hathway

Art Designers Nikki-leigh Piper • nikki@childmag.co.za Alys Suter • studio2@childmag.co.za Mariette Barkhuizen • studio@childmag.co.za Mark Vincer • studio3@childmag.co.za

PUBLISHER’S PHOTOGRAPH: Brooke Fasani

Advertising Lisa Mc Namara • lisa@childmag.co.za

Client Relations Renee Bruning • renee@childmag.co.za

Subscriptions and Circulation Helen Xavier • subs@childmag.co.za

Accounts Nicolene Baldy • admin@childmag.co.za Tel: 021 465 6093 • Fax: 021 462 2680

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All our magazines are printed on recycled paper.

Free requested Apr 12 – Jun 12

Joburg’s Child magazineTM is published monthly by Hunter House Publishing, PO Box 12002, Mill Street, 8010. Office address: Unit 5, First Floor, Bentley Office Park, cnr Rivonia and Wessel Rd, Rivonia. Tel: 011 807 6449, fax: 011 234 4971, email: info@childmag.co.za. Annual subscriptions (for 11 issues) cost R165, including VAT and postage inside SA. Printed by Paarl Web. Copyright subsists in all work published in Joburg’s Child magazineTM. We welcome submissions but retain the unrestricted right to change any received copy. We are under no obligation to return unsolicited copy. The magazine, or part thereof, may not be reproduced or adapted without the prior written permission of the publisher. We take care to ensure our articles are accurate and balanced but cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage that may arise from reading them.

September 2012

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contents

september 2012

upfront 3

a note from lisa

6 over to you readers respond 9

reader’s blog Martin Newlands says he is ready to help raise grandchildren

37

dad’s blog spending time in nature is the best cure for a tired soul, says Marc de Chazal

28

features 20 the truth about favourites

aniella Renzon looks at why children D sometimes latch on to one parent more than the other

23 dream on allow your children to dream and you’ll encourage them to strive for bigger things, says Marc de Chazal

12 tooth wise

Lucille Kemp reveals a few things you might not have known about teeth

regulars 10 wins

26 the next big easy

health

olf teaches your child life g lessons, not just ball skills, says Marina Zietsman

28 co-ed or same-sex?

it is not an easy choice; Glynis Horning looks at what might work for your child

14 upfront with paul

too many parents allow their children to act like louts, says Paul Kerton 16 best for baby – dummy dilemma

Anél Lewis looks at the pros and cons

of giving your child a dummy 18 dealing with difference

34 no place like home Lucille Kemp finds out why so many South Africans return after living abroad

find out if your child is a visual,

auditory or kinaesthetic learner.

By Marina Zietsman 38 resource – celebrate your roots

S imone Jeffery has compiled a list of 26 reasons why you should be proudly South African

44 a good read

new books for the whole family

50 what’s on in september 66 finishing touch

23

Anél Lewis has developed the utmost respect for marathon runners

classified ads 59 family marketplace 63 let’s party

this month’s cover images are supplied by:

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September 2012

Joburg

Cape Town

Durban

Accessorize www.accessorize.co.za

shutterstock.com

shutterstock.com

Pretoria

Rochelle Haisley www.rochellehaisley.com

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September 2012

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letters

responses to “mean gene” article on ADHD (August 2012) ADHD and the gene One of the most frustrating aspects of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder for parents is the apparent subjectiveness of the diagnosis. Even though the criteria are fairly well documented in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV), and updated and refined in the soon to be published DSM-V, the possibility of a single “test” that would confirm the diagnosis would be great to alleviate anxiety about the diagnosis of the condition and the resultant therapy, management and risks.

The popular myth though is that ADHD is a single condition. This is certainly not the case. Symptoms and signs compatible with a diagnosis could be associated with or caused by a whole range of conditions, including brain injury, prematurity, maternal smoking in pregnancy, maternal deprivation – the list expands daily. It is a single phenotype for a whole range of causes, and it’s therefore most unlikely that a single test – blood test or otherwise – would be effective in diagnosing all persons with ADHD. Results from studies about families, adoption and particularly twins have made a strong case for the link of ADHD to a genetic cause. In fact, a genetic influence is thought to be part of the cause in up to 80 percent of persons diagnosed with ADHD. However, no single gene has been found to be consistently linked to ADHD. There is usually great excitement when such a link is shown to be significant, but later followup studies fail to find the same associations, probably because different groups of individuals with ADHD are studied.

Finding such a gene marker may have its down side: if one is found to have the gene it can be deduced that one has the diagnosis, but if the gene is not found

over to you popular choice Your magazine holds the record for most popular publication at our information centre. You should see the disappointed faces when we run out of an issue, usually within a week. The comments people enthusiastically make about the magazine are all good.

I even have people coming to the mall especially to pick up a copy of Child magazine. A regular fan just came to collect a copy and I asked her why she liked it.

She replied with, “Because it’s good”. As they say, “You must be doing something right.”

Charles van Rensburg, Mall of Rosebank

help our school I am desperate to save my son’s school, The Key School for Specialised Education in Parktown, because they saved me and my son when we had nowhere else to go. The Key School, a special needs school for autistic children, turned 39 this year and is well-known as one of the best of its kind in the country. The school is a registered NGO and relies partly on school fees and partly on donations.

The National Lottery has funded them for eight years but this year, without explanation, they stopped.

Despite our desperate attempts to collect donations from other sources, the school’s cash flow has been so negatively affected that they have had to make the decision to close.

Autism affects approximately one in 88 children, yet the government has only two schools which accommodate these children in Gauteng and each takes a maximum of 100 children. Other private facilities can cost up to R20 000 a month.

My son was diagnosed with high-functioning autism and rejected by several schools. The Key School embraced him and he thrived from day one. The quality of care and education is unbelievable, and has changed

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September 2012

would that imply that one does not have the diagnosis and will not be able to receive appropriate medical and other intervention? This raises several ethical dilemmas. It is never as simple as it may appear to be at first glance.

Although genetic studies offer great promise and there have been significant advances in technology, the translation of genetics research into clinical practice remains a challenge. We should not delay making diagnoses and applying the best interventions because we are waiting for further scientific discoveries. It would be grossly unfair to the population who has to deal with ADHD, and its challenges, on a daily basis.

Professor André Venter, Head of the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health at the University of the Free State concern about article heading I’m a regular reader of Child magazine and find many of the articles informative and useful. However, I am concerned about a heading for the article on ADD/ADHD entitled “mean gene”. I think the word “mean” is inappropriate and potentially offensive. At best, it’s ambiguous; at worst, it’s harmful. For those not in the know, it suggests ADD/ ADHD children are “mean”, which is not a trait of the condition.

Megan Shorey Childmag says Thank you for taking the time to share your sensitivity to our headline. It certainly wasn’t our intention to imply that ADHD children are mean, but rather that certain genes may be problematic because of their possible links to the condition.

Let us know what’s on your mind. Send your letters or comments to marina@childmag.co.za or PO Box 12002, Mill Street, 8010.

our lives. Yet now, with many tears, they have told us that they have no option but to close their doors. Thirty four other children and 15 of the most dedicated and inspiring teachers, assistants and therapists will be affected. We are desperate.

Nicola Killops

years ago. She has now been handed to our adopted daughter, Elaine, who thinks she is just adorable. We always had lots of comments wherever we went with Corolle. Apparently she had long, straight black hair but the children of the Swazi family decided to cut it off to make her look more like them.

Sherene Sampaio

magazine on the web Where I live, the moms fight over Child magazine, while the dads have given up on getting their own copies. But now they have proudly announced that they have access to the magazine on the internet. It is such a help for new parents and older parents, as well as for divorced dads who need to know how to feed, bath and put a child to sleep, and what to do with them when they’re awake.

Karin Meyer

more dolly discussions it’s up to us Referring to the letter by Ingrid Dekker, in the July issue of Child magazine: Having searched for non-blonde dolls for Santa Shoeboxes, I have found some solutions. According to the various retail stores I visited, they did stock these dolls but they didn’t sell as there was no demand. So the problem lies with society choosing the blonde, blue-eyed dolls. Luckily one of the larger toy stores now stocks black dolls and Barbie-type dolls, and some of the other retailers have a few as well. It is up to us as mothers to demand these dolls, as well as brunette and ginger-haired dolls, and to then buy them when the shops do stock them.

Erika Merensky much-loved doll We were very fortunate when a Swazi family gave a black doll, named Corolle, to my daughter, Danila, 13

left is right I read the letter in the August 2012 issue, where Anonymous mentions that she thinks left-handed children need more time for tasks. I don’t believe this should be the case at all. I have a left-handed son, aged eight, and I find that he copes just fine. I have never made it an issue that he is left-handed and don’t believe parents should. You can buy left-handed aids to make life easier, if needed. I suggest that maybe her child has weak muscles, which causes her hands to ache when she writes.

Ursula

don’t label children In response to a letter from Sandra (August 2012); my son is four years old. He is a natural leader and is built like a little tank. I know that he can get aggressive when he feels “hard done by”. However, I have never seen him hit or push another child without being provoked.

He was bullied at his previous school, but learnt to fight back and stand up for himself.

On his first day at his current school, I was called in because he had hit two older children. It turned out that he had acted in self-defence, but he was the only one of the three to be punished.

Our son’s teacher said it is because “everybody in the school knows his name, so when something happens, he is blamed”. So my son has been labelled a bully by the parents at the school, just because

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letters

all the children know his name? It is so unfair. He is a small boy trying to find his way in the world and already people are labelling him.

I agree that children should not bully others, but what parents teach with words and actions, sometimes can’t be undone. If the bullying starts with the parents, it sends the wrong message. Parents labelling children is a form of bullying that children pick up and act on.

Anonymous

Parents are too quick to blame the school for teachers bullying children and they do not allow their children to resolve their own social problems.

Sadly, divorced parents are the worst, especially some of the mothers who suffer from “poor me” syndrome where they blame everyone, including the teachers, for their problems.

Dian Rademan, principal of Edenglen Primary School

consider all your options work from home I’ve been a stay-at-home mom for almost eight years now. My youngest started preschool this year and I feel I now have some time to do something for myself while still being there for my family. Where can I find a job where I can work from home? I have data capturing and general typing skills. Being a full-time parent is very important to me and I would love to know how I can work and achieve this.

Naomi Fisher

don’t blame teachers Congratulations on an outstanding magazine. Our children, parents and teachers look forward to it each month.

The article on helicopter parenting (“harried no more”, August 2012) is most informative and I have highlighted it in our school newsletter.

Follow us on twitter.com/ChildMag and facebook.com/childmag.co.za

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September 2012

In response to Samantha Wilson’s letter “be prepared parents” (August 2012); I did a CPR course when my son was a baby. When he was 13 months old, he choked on a piece of cereal. I followed what I had been taught on the course and gave him the three prescribed hard thumb presses on his back, while he was upside down against my legs.

I repeated this, but with no success. My son stopped breathing, his eyes rolled back, he went limp and turned blue. I had been instructed that the Heimlich manoeuvre should never be performed on a child younger than 10. Fortunately, my friend took over and performed the Heimlich manoeuvre and, after two attempts, the piece of cereal came out. This saved my boy’s life. Parents shouldn’t just accept everything they are told. Ask questions and find out what all the options are.

Debby

bake that cake I could not decide what cake to make for my little one’s first birthday, but when I saw the recipe for the bulldozer cake (May 2012), I knew this was it, as Sean loves big trucks and dirt. We had such fun making it, and the whole family got involved. Thank you for the wonderful ideas and recipes in every issue and for the very informative articles.

Marié Atkins

We reserve the right to edit and shorten submitted letters. The opinions reflected here are those of our readers and are not necessarily held by Hunter House Publishing.

Post a comment online at childmag.co.za

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blog

dad got his groove back As a dad to older children, MARTIN NEWLANDS is impressed with what a natural he still is in the baby-rearing department.

ILLUSTRATION: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

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looked at Baby Liya and she held my gaze as if to say, “I hope you know what you’re doing, pal!” I hoped so too.

Liya’s mother had just walked out the door to go to work, leaving me and Liya facing-off in the lounge. I am a father of two, so I guess I should be qualified to take care of a six-month-old baby, but here’s the catch – my youngest child is 10 and the other is 14, so I’ve been out of the bottles-and-bum-cream brigade for some time.

I was, however, well prepared thanks to an Information and Equipment briefing – Shélagh, my wife’s niece, had left me the complete Liya Instruction Manual along with the comprehensive Liya Maintenance Kit Bag. Plus, we had kept a lot of our babies’ toys, so I had some ideas for keeping Liya entertained.

Turns out that little Miss Liya is a budding musician.

No sooner had I demonstrated to her the noise made by a toy piano, she was banging away on it like Elton John.

Liya’s gummy smile and laughing eyes as she assaulted

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the piano made me feel that perhaps this wasn’t going to be so difficult after all.

Of course the biggest fear for a rusty baby-minder, apart from hour-long, uninterrupted, colic-fuelled screaming, is a dirty nappy. However, I was quite confident in Liya’s ability to hold it in for the morning.

Unfortunately, she had other plans and with much trepidation I noticed the unforgettable warning signs of a Richter scale nappy event about to take place.

And a proper one it was too. A full clothing change was required and the pressure was on because Liya was unimpressed with lying down and was slowly leaving her happy place. It’s amazing how you forget the little things, like extricating tiny arms and legs from the sleeves of a baby-gro. To be honest, though, I was quite impressed with how everything came back to me and I soon had her all cleaned up and ready for the next challenge.

The next phase was Feed and Sleep – for Liya that is. Soon we were sitting comfortably in front of a

rugby game on the telly with Liya warm and cosy on my lap. She downed her bottle of milk and was soon beautifully, peacefully asleep. I’d heard that her Granny had only managed to get her to sleep for half an hour and Liya and I were determined to beat that record.

True to her champion status, she turned in a 45-minute performance and woke up full of the joys of life.

It was a delightful trip down memory lane for me and by the time her Granny came to pick her up, I didn’t want to let Liya go. Clearly taking care of a baby you love is not something you forget to do. No pressure offspring, but bring on the grandchildren!

Readers, this is your column – it’s a space to air your views, share a valuable parenting lesson, vent your frustrations or celebrate your joys. Send your writing to features@childmag.co.za

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wins

giveaways in september explore the kruger

PHOTOGRAPH: shutterSTOCK.COM

Part of the Shamwari Group, Jock Safari Lodge, in the southern area of the Kruger National Park, is steeped in history. It’s two unique luxury lodges are both ideal for a bush family getaway that lets you enjoy the elegance of authentic safaris of days gone by. The Kids on Safari programme offers educational entertainment for children. Contact: 041 509 3000, reservations@shamwarigroup.com or visit jocksafarilodge.com One reader stands a chance to win a two-night stay for two people sharing at Jock Safari Lodge, valued at R18 000. The prize is valid from 1 October 2012 to 31 March 2013, excluding long weekends, public and school holidays, and 15 December 2012 to 15 January 2013. Bookings are subject to availability. The prize includes five-star accommodation, game drives and meals, and excludes transport to and from the lodge and alcoholic beverages. Simply enter via childmag.co.za/wins-jhb and use the code “Jock JHB”. Your details will be made available to The Shamwari Group.

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September 2012

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find your style

veggie bites

Personal Styling Matters offers affordable styling services to women and men of all ages, shapes and sizes, for varying budgets and lifestyles. Personal stylist Liezl Smit shows you how to look and feel the best you can by choosing clothes to suit your specific needs. Contact: 072 716 9198, personalstylingmatters@gmail.com or visit personalstylingmatters.co.za Three readers stand a chance to each win a consultation and a body analysis and colour analysis, valued at R1 400.

Simply enter via childmag.co.za/ wins-jhb and use the code “Personal Styling JHB”. Your details will be made available to Personal Styling Matters.

Fry’s Vegetarian has a range of meat-free alternatives that are tasty, easy to prepare and contain no egg and dairy.

Their products, which are cholesterol-free, have no added MSG or preservatives. So whether you’re a vegetarian, a healthy eater or a supporter of Meat Free Mondays, you will enjoy Fry’s products. For more info, visit frysvegetarian.co.za One reader stands a chance to win six months’ worth of vouchers for Fry’s Vegetarian products, valued at R2 000.

Simply enter via childmag.co.za/ wins-jhb and use the code “Fry’s JHB”. Your details will be made available to Fry’s Vegetarian.

to enter simply visit childmag.co.za

or post your entry to PO Box 12002, Mill Street, 8010. Entries close 30 September 2012. Only one entry per reader.

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congratulations to our July winners Salome Campbell, Melissa Jane Cook, Vanessa Moodley, Emmaline Mark, Desiree Austin, Lynne Balmforth and Leigh-Ann Ritson who each win with Crocs; Mirela Slavtcheva who wins with Polly Potters; Gita Rattan and Alison Vorster who each win with Scrapbooking on the Move and Anita Matzdorff who wins with Wired Sound Studios.

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health

tooth wise LUCILLE KEMP speaks to the experts about dental hygiene and discovers some interesting facts about teeth that you may not have known.

y

Suck it up Many children love sports and fizzy drinks and flavoured milk, which contain huge amounts of sugar. Use straws when drinking these, as this directs the sugary drink away from the teeth.

ou know that your family should visit the dentist twice a year, but what else should you be doing to keep your family’s pearly whites healthy and cavity-free? Dr Janet Gritzman, president of the Paedodontic Society of South Africa and paediatric dentist, Dr Geoff Melman, shed some light on good oral hygiene practices.

Snack attack Instead of allowing children to snack on chocolate, have them nibble on a slice of cheese. Dairy, such as cheese and milk, are alkalinebased and counteract the acids that eat away at your teeth.

Twice a day keeps the dentist away Brushing your teeth, after you’ve flossed, should happen twice a day – after breakfast and just before your child goes to sleep, making sure that they don’t eat or drink anything before they climb into bed.

Safe from stinky breath Get your child into the habit of brushing their tongue, and make sure they get right to the back. Unfortunately, this is close to the gag reflex so take care and scrape gently so as not to damage the tongue.

Whether you buy them a tongue scraper or they use their toothbrush, the job is done if the tongue is a healthy pink.

How, not how long Brushing properly is more important than brushing for a certain length of time.

Brush all the surfaces of all your child’s teeth – top, front and behind. Gritzman points out that to avoid overbrushing, you should brush your child’s teeth for no longer than two minutes.

An added buffer Gritzman is a strong believer in tooth mousse, which is a toothpaste made from dairy products. A small amount should be rubbed onto the teeth with the finger, just before bedtime. It replenishes the minerals of the tooth structure and significantly reduces tooth decay.

Wash your mouth out Mouth wash with fluoride should preferably be used after breakfast and lunch, and before going to bed at night; half a cap full, swished around the mouth for 20 seconds. After this, do not eat, drink or rinse for at least 30 minutes. The teeth of children under six years old can be wiped with a piece of gauze dipped in fluoride mouth wash.

Start at birth Before your baby gets her first teeth, clean the inside of her mouth with a piece of wet gauze when it is bath time, to help keep the gums clean.

Apron strings, please Toddlers and young children don’t have the manual dexterity required to brush properly, so you need to brush for them until they are at least six years old. If your child is more independent than most, then be sure to supervise for as long as possible.

Little people love to be big people Along with bedtime, most children loathe that thing that comes before it: brushing their teeth. So make it something to look forward to by brushing your teeth together or letting them sit with you while you clean your own teeth. Also, make it fun by putting up a special star chart on the bathroom wall as an incentive.

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Be gone bacteria When children take antibiotics or other medicine, which is usually in the form of inviting, sugary syrup, make sure that they rinse out their mouths with water afterwards.

A first The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that children have their first dentist visit by their first birthday. Regular checkups from a young age can prevent paranoia of the dentist and help make visiting the dentist a lifelong habit.

Sweet relief For parents of sugar-hungry children, there is good news: Xylitol can be used as a sugar replacement as it has shown to significantly reverse early signs of tooth decay. Sticky, chewy and sucking foods are bad for the teeth, says Melman, as they spend a long time in the mouth where they are processed by bacteria. Xylitol has anti-bacterial properties as it is not processed by these bacteria, which are responsible for tooth decay. So, buy sweets and chewing gum with Xylitol, as well as Xylitol toothpastes and gels.

Lay a solid foundation Primary or milk teeth play a vital role in the growth and development of your child.

They are needed for speech and to bite food, they prevent tongue thrust or the reverse swallow, and even play a major psychological role in your child’s self esteem, says Melman.

The primary molars, needed for chewing food, act as a space maintainer to allow the permanent premolars to settle into the correct position. So, it is vitally important to brush and floss your child’s milk teeth twice a day to pave the way for their permanent teeth.

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the number of

the number of

milk teeth your

teeth an adult

child will have

should have

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PHOTOGRAPH: shutterSTOCK.COM

Sleep sweet Gritzman can’t stress enough how important it is that babies are not put to bed or left with a bottle of juice, or even milk, as this can cause baby bottle decay, also known as nursing caries. Plain water is the safest drink for your baby between feeds.

Brace yourself for the future The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that the initial orthodontic evaluation should occur at the first sign of any problems, or by no later than the age of seven.

Gritzman says that at this early age, orthodontic treatment may not be necessary, but vigilant examination can anticipate the most ideal time to begin treatment.

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upfront with paul

the last supper for social conduct PAUL KERTON gives vent to the total lack of manners he sees

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was having dinner with good friends and their children the other day and, I’m sorry to say, the children ate like pigs. We may as well have thrown the beautifully prepared food into a trough and let them fight over it on the floor. They snatched at the serving plates, gobbled the food with their mouths open while talking and playing with their cellphones and ate with their fingers, which they repeatedly wiped on their T-shirts.

Look, I’m no prude; I’ve killed, cooked and eaten food with my bare hands in the bush. Nibbling on a leg of chicken or the remnants of a lamb chop, fair enough, even in a restaurant; but mashed potato?

And salad? At the end of the meal they just ran from the table without an “excuse me” or a “thank you”, leaving messy plates, spilt drinks and knives and forks strewn all over the place.

I was mesmerised. Watching them I felt physically sick. I couldn’t say anything, obviously; they weren’t my children, but I

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Saskia, Paul and Sabina

promised never again to chastise my own children for not impeccably putting their knives and forks together. Overall, my two daughters do generally adhere to the rules and eat like grown-ups. But then, am I being a pompous ass? Who really cares about manners? Clearly a fast-diminishing few of us.

Later that evening, I informally challenged one of the boys and asked why he never put his knife and fork together after

a meal? “What is the point?”, fired back the boy. Well, as far as I am concerned, a) it is a universal signal that you have finished the meal and the plate is ready to be taken, b) it makes the plates easier to clear, given that 95 percent of children don’t clear their own plates and c) it signals respect for the host, which generally is the harassed parent who buys, prepares, cooks and serves the meal before clearing up afterwards.

Can you imagine if that parent cared so little about the child that they said, “Get your own dinner. I’m sick of cooking for you and allowing your fussiness: ‘I don’t like this, I like that. Can I have boiled not fried. I don’t like eggs anymore’.”

I didn’t, but I almost said to the boy: “When you want to go to the toilet, why do you go upstairs to the toilet, close the door, do what you have to do, pull the chain, put the seat down, wash your hands and come back? What is the point? Why don’t you just roll off the couch, pull your pants down, do what you have to do on the shag pile in front of the fireplace, pull your pants up and roll back onto the sofa? I mean, that way you wouldn’t miss a second of your precious SpongeBob SquarePants, would you?”

I’m sure Mom won’t mind clearing it up.

Well, not that sure actually. There is a limit to a modern parent’s capitulation. I hope.

You can now also follow Paul on Twitter: @fabdad1

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PHOTOGRAPH: MARIETTE BARKHUIZEN

in children and urges parents to not let them off the hook.

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best for baby

dummy dilemma The battle of the dummy is one that rages in many households, as parents have mixed views about their value. ANÉL LEWIS looks at the pros and cons.

UK psychologist and child development expert Penelope Leach says in her parenting book, Your Baby & Child (Dorling Kindersley), that you should not assume your baby needs a dummy.

But if your baby is unsettled and you find that a dummy does help, give it for just a few months and preferably only at bedtime. The dummy will also encourage your baby to self-soothe and is a convenient distraction if they are niggly. Various studies, including one by the American Academy of Pediatrics, suggest that sucking on a dummy may reduce the risk of cot death, or Sudden Infant Death syndrome, although this evidence is not conclusive. Many mothers view dummies as a more palatable alternative to thumb-sucking.

Dummies may be given to a premature baby to help develop a weak sucking reflex.

...and against

Linda Thompson, a Cape Town-based speech and language therapist, cautions that prolonged use of a dummy could hamper speech development. One of her patients, four-year-old Julia, struggled with imprecise speech. “Julia arrived with her mother, and the first thing I noticed was a huge dummy in her mouth. She tried to talk to me through the rubber of the dummy and I couldn’t understand what she was saying.” Thompson says prolonged sucking of dummies or digits, such as the thumb, for six hours or more a day, has been associated with the development of an anterior bite. This means that when your child bites down on her back teeth, there is a gap between the upper and lower front teeth. When the soft, malleable cells in a child’s top jaw are replaced with hard bone cells, from about the age of four, the top arch will conform to the shape of the object being sucked. An orthodontist can operate to close the gap when the child is older, but this procedure is invasive and costly, says Thompson. Prevention is better than cure.

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dummy do’s and don’ts

It may prove difficult to wean your child off the dummy.

Children should ideally not be using them after the age of one and definitely not after the age of four, when it could affect their speech and chewing, says Pretoriabased dentist, Dr Emil Jansen. Lactation experts advise that dummy-sucking may interfere with breast-feeding, and therefore encourage mothers to introduce them only once latching has been successfully established. Barbara Chambers, a Cape Town midwife, says one of the reasons dummies are not recommended is that they “dumb down” communication between the baby and their mother. With a dummy in the mouth, the baby cannot indicate that he is hungry. There are also possible links between dummy use and ear infections as well as snoring and sleep apnoea.

Make sure the base of the dummy has holes to prevent a rash from forming. Also, buy a dummy that is the right size for your baby’s face. Opt for dummies without bisphenol A (BPA), an organic compound linked to increased cancer risks. Thompson says there is no evidence that orthodontic dummies are more effective in preventing anterior open bites than conventional dummies. Jansen agrees, saying it is the intensity of the sucking, and not the type of dummy, that affects your child’s teeth. Make sure they are clean and sterilised. Avoid “rinsing” the dummy by putting it in your mouth, as you could pass on germs. Replace dummies that are torn or cracked. They should never be dipped in juice or sweet food, as this could damage your child’s teeth.

Children should ideally not be using them after the age of one and definitely not after the age of four, when it could affect their speech and chewing.

mothers’ dummy-ditching tips Candice Whitehead of Joburg weaned her son off his dummies by cutting down his supply to only three.

Eventually there was no dummy left to suck on.

Cape Town mother Susie Harris-Leblond decided to chuck the dummy before her son turned two. “We simply said that dummies were for babies and that he couldn’t have them any more. We kept it simple and worked on the theory that it takes three days to break a habit. He cried for a bit and then just accepted it.”

or not...

Anya Black of Cape Town was advised to tie the dummy to her child’s teddy bear, so that she would eventually find comfort in the bear, and ditch the dummy. Unfortunately, it hasn’t worked yet, and Lilli is still sucking on her dummy.

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illustration: shutterstock.com

for...

important to know

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September 2012

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dealing with difference

knowing how to learn MARINA ZIETSMAN looks at the differences between the visual, auditory and

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he Visual-Auditory-Kinaesthetic (VAK) learning styles model provides a simple way to explain and understand the way your child processes information.

While there is much criticism of this theory, the model is popular with many teachers and gives them a framework to identify the way in which their pupils learn. It allows them to make classes more varied and interesting by applying teaching techniques that will benefit the auditory, kinaesthetic and visual learner. It also gives the child a framework for how to approach certain tasks.

While one or two of these learning styles is normally dominant, children use all three modalities, in varying degrees, to process new information and experiences. Frank Coffield, a professor at London University’s Institute of Education, who reviewed 13 models of learning styles, said, “We do students a serious disservice by implying

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they have only one learning style, rather than a flexible repertoire from which to choose, depending on the context.”

There are numerous questionnaires online, such as on vark-learn.com and brainboxx.co.uk, where you can take an easy test to determine which type of learner you are.

in the classroom Shannon Douglas-Henry, an occupational therapist from Johannesburg, with a special interest in study skills, explains how a mainstream class set-up can sometimes be a disadvantage.

Visual learner: “These learners are at home in the classroom, because it is full of visual stimuli such as posters and charts, but this learner will experience difficulty if information is only presented verbally and not in visual form.” Douglas-Henry adds that the visual

learner may forget something that is not written down.

Auditory learner: These learners are both advantaged and disadvantaged in the classroom. “The auditory learner does not relate well to visual information and does not see the point in completing worksheet after worksheet, writing out spelling words and copying notes from the board,” says Douglas-Henry. These children are easily labelled “talkative”, because they would rather discuss something or do activities like singing. “Such a learner hates comprehension and would rather, for example, after hearing a story, answer questions verbally than write about it, which they’ll find tedious, and do half-heartedly.”

Kinaesthetic learner: “The preschool environment is perfect for this learner, because children are encouraged to learn

through experience, with a lot of movement and tactile learning such as sand play and counting blocks.” But it’s when the kinaesthetic learner gets to primary school, where they enter the 2D world of pencil and paper activities, worksheets, readers, charts and textbooks that they start falling short.

“We tell children to sit still and listen, we read stories, explain the work and ask them questions, which are all auditory skills,” says Douglas-Henry. “Although some teachers do bring kinaesthetic learning into the classroom, it is still mainly visual and auditory.” Because of this, the happy kinaesthetic learner can become very discouraged, as the information given to him does not make sense.

lend a hand Visual learners: They learn best with visual stimuli such as notes, pictures, charts and

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kinaesthetic learner in the classroom and offers handy study tips.

written information. It is important to provide visual stimuli with a verbal explanation, says Douglas-Henry. She offers these other study tips: highlight key words in different colours; make use of mind maps and flow charts to summarize notes; include multi-media when studying; use visual clues to remember keywords; use flashcards; test yourself in writing; organise the work logically and colour code different subjects and sections.

Auditory learners: It is vital to explain new information in the classroom. Provide opportunities for the learner to discuss or repeat information verbally and keep written information to a minimum. Also include music and movies wherever possible. Study tips for an auditory learner are: record key words and replay them; make use of rhymes, rap and songs to remember information; explain the work to someone else; include verbal brainstorming; use flashcards and say the words out loud; discuss important points with someone and let someone test the child verbally.

Kinaesthetic learners: Anna-Marie Markgraaff, a Cape Town-based psychometrist specialising in psychoeducational assessments of children with

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learning problems, says, “A child who gives preference to kinaesthetic or tactile learning may present as hyperactive, but would not necessarily have a learning problem.” Markgraaff suggests using such a child to assist with activities to help with their restlessness, such as cleaning the board, handing out books or taking messages. She adds: “For spelling, let the child write the words on the black board or build them on a mat, using cards. To aid with reading, ask the child to read to the class, if they are keen, or let them roleplay a story to aid with comprehension.”

With mathematics you can allow the child to use an abacus, if age-appropriate, to act out word sums. Douglas-Henry gives these study tips: do actions or hand symbols when learning new words; include examples – first show and then let the child do; make models out of clay to explain parts; use actual 3D objects where possible; use movement clues to remember key words; use flashcards; write notes on a large white board or poster to include movement; act out processes or events and have frequent stretch and study breaks.

which one is your child? the visual learner – to see is to understand • learns through seeing information presented in visual forms such as charts, graphs and pictures • is a reader and observer • enjoys visual stimulation • visualizes information in their minds (makes a “movie”) • pays close attention to the facial expressions and body language of others • is very aware of the aesthetics of their environment • is a good and independent learner • is a good organiser • prefers art to music • can switch off when having to listen to verbal instructions

auditory learner – to hear is to understand • is a good speaker and listener • works well in groups • appreciates music and singing • relates to verbal instructions • responds to lectures • is a good problem solver • has strong language skills the kinaesthetic learner – to do is to understand • is good at sport and physical activity • has good motor learning and memory skills • has high levels of energy, good handeye coordination and quick reactions • is good with hands-on tasks • memorises by movement or tactile (touch) information

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relationships

the truth about favourites It can be a secret fear that your child loves your partner more than you, but showing favouritism

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hen it does come, it hits hard and fast. “Go away! I don’t want you! I want Daddy!” Your once compliant little angel has managed, in one foul swoop, to humiliate you in public (think judgmental aunties and friends at birthday parties) and made you feel utterly rejected. Right? Not if you understand what’s really going on.

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Many parents will secretly be relieved to know that favouring one parent at certain stages of development is not only normal, but also a necessary part of psychological development.

When this happens, the trick is to contain your feelings of exclusion. “Don’t take it personally,” says educational psychologist Sheryl Cohen. “You’ll still develop a loving

relationship with your child. Remember love and favour are two different things.

Your child will always love and need you.

Sometimes children actually need to be able to push you away to know that you accept and love them no matter what. Each parent just fulfils different needs at different times.”

Initially, children form an attachment to their primary caregiver. Psychologist Sarah-Kate Engelbrecht explains that how you relate to your primary attachment figure sets the tone for how you relate to others later in life. A secure attachment means that Mom is there, available, and can meet the child’s needs, which gives the child confidence to be independent and explore their environment. During this time, she’s the preferred parent. This will

fluctuate when a child starts to look to Dad for identity formation, fun and exploration of the world. It also helps to buffer the intensity of the relationship with their mom and in gaining independence.

Part of same-sex identity formation begins with toilet training when children notice same-sex similarities. Later, favourites are swapped and you may find a boy sharing interests with their mother, while a girl will want the admiration of their dad.

it’s okay Tanya’s* children did exactly that. After forming a very close bond with their mom, Susy* found a way of connecting with Jeremy*, her father, by playing soccer together in the garden. She loved it so

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is not about love, says DANIELLA RENZON.

much she joined the school team. The enthralled dad signed up to coach her league team, which strengthened their bond. When Daniel was born, Susy drew much reassurance from her relationship with Jeremy. Soon Daniel couldn’t wait to be like his dad and play soccer too.

“Jeremy’s definitely the favourite and the boss,” says Tanya. “We joke about it. I don’t mind, I actually like it – I think it’s good for them – plus it gives me a break. They still come to me for emotional support.”

Cohen says their shared love of soccer is healthy because it came naturally and without pressure, while giving them common ground with their dad. Tanya’s secure sense of self has helped her children feel free to explore their own sense of self, in a guilt-free and supportive environment.

“When a mother isn’t secure in her own attachments she can project onto her child,” says Engelbrecht. “A child’s not there to affirm a parent. Asking that of your child can cause an unhealthy enmeshment and exacerbate separation anxiety.” If the primary attachment is an anxious one, the child will be clingy and too preoccupied with mom to explore her environment.

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Engelbrecht adds that wanting your child to like you can interfere with competent parenting. “Parents that are scared to play ‘bad cop’ become too permissive. While your child might favour you because you’re fun, they actually need boundaries, expectations, structures and discipline for healthy development.”

has to travel. Feelings of insecurity and possibly displacement, abandonment and anger can influence the child’s behaviour.

Divorce can also cause a “favouring” scenario. Cohen warns that favouring in a divorce situation can be a red herring and the important thing to ask is, “What’s the goal of my child’s behaviour?”

Don’t take it personally – you’ll still develop a loving relationship with your child. Remember love and favour are two different things.

She suggests that both parents share the fun and mundane sides of parenting. If a mom is at home in the week doing all the mundane stuff, dad should do bath and bedtime on the weekend and free mom up to do something fun with them.

Parental favouring becomes a problem when it really alienates one parent and causes dysfunction in the family dynamic; it can be very painful for the “ousted” parent.

Certain scenarios can exacerbate it – like when a sibling is born, if Mom suddenly goes back to a full-time job or if one parent

When Lukshana* got divorced her twins refused to stay at their father’s place. “Understand this behaviour before evaluating it,” says Cohen. “Divorced couples are quick to rubbish each other and this becomes their proof. First, get questions of bad behaviour from either parent out of the way; like, is dad’s behaviour upsetting the children? Are parents badmouthing each other ahead of listening to the children? Consider the possibility that the children aren’t actually commenting on dad at all. Maybe they’re expressing

difficulty at coping with all the changes happening in their world. Perhaps the familiarity and comfort of home helps them manage their own pain and stress from the change.” The twins’ rejection of their father stopped when he remarried and his bachelor pad turned into a home. Being older they had more things in common with him and wanted his involvement.

from the other side When a parent is ousted, the trick is to identify what the real issue is and not confuse it with actually being rejected.

Coming in as a step-parent can be tricky too. Like when Liz* met Matt*, his son Jake* was three. Liz says, “They were very close. Jake even slept in the bed with Matt. When I moved in, I quickly became the object of his anger. I tried hard to bond with, and parent Jake, but he constantly rejected me. The rejection was heightened during vulnerable moments like waking in the middle of the night. He’d kick me away, crying for his father, who was often away for work. Sometimes it was so bad I’d call the nanny to come and be with him. It was tough. Matt expected me to be this

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present and all-supportive mother to his child who didn’t love me.”

“I knew this was about Jake’s issues, but I was devastated so I spoke to teachers and therapists and read books. Matt began empathising with and supporting me more. I reassured Jake that I wasn’t taking Matt away from him, and that I wouldn’t leave. I even encouraged their closeness. I believed it was good for them: it gave Jake a sense of security and Matt more responsibility. Jake finally accepted me; the bonding just took longer, and we needed help.”

“Although Liz was hurt, she knew it wasn’t about her – just a little boy who was struggling,” says Cohen. “She also wasn’t ashamed to ask for help. Matt and Liz worked as a team, using their supportive network to manage a very difficult situation. Parents should do their best to work as a unified front and support each other during this period.”

Being the preferred parent can be a fickle experience based on a moment’s whim or on a particular stage or life event affecting the child – it seldom lasts a lifetime.

When it does happen, try to use it to gain insight into what your child is really trying to communicate through their behaviour. Ask yourself what the real issue is.

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i’m ousted, what should I do?

• F irstly, it’s not only your problem; it’s an issue for both parents to tackle together.

Speak to your partner about feeling alienated and hurt. Work it out together. If you can’t, seek professional help.

• If you’re the preferred parent, reinforce your alienated partner’s value and place as a parent. Be encouraging and supportive – it’s painful.

• Be a team – don’t allow fractions, “Mom and dad will take turns.” Be gentle but firm.

Acknowledge the experience of the child, “I know I do it differently, but that’s okay.”

• Don’t interfere when the “out” parent is trying. Help create opportunities for that parent to come in. When they do, give them a chance to work it out. Step back and show support and encouragement.

• Both parents should do fun and mundane stuff so no-one is only the good or bad cop.

• A child needs one-on-one time with each parent every week. Positive feelings should be associated with both parents.

• Different parenting styles are okay; just agree on basic ground rules, but don’t disagree in front of the children.

• The preferred parent can feel overwhelmed, drained and resentful. Find ways of getting a break too.

• It’s okay to comment on a child’s preference, “I can see you really enjoy spending time with Dad these days.” Don’t blame the child for your hurt feelings or force them to choose between parents. Reinforce that they can show a preference but that you still love them. The unconditional love is what they’re looking for.

• Discipline your child if they’re disrespectful when showing favourites. Boundaries must be set.

• Praise and encourage your child when she responds to the “out” parent’s effort.

Avoid scolding her if she goes back to the “in” parent.

• Watch what you need and what the child needs. Don’t ask your child to affirm you; that’s not his job. *Due to the sensitive nature of the subject all names have been changed.

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parenting

dream on When you encourage your child to dream, you give them something to strive for in life. By MARC DE CHAZAL

PHOTOGRAPHS: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

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he imagination has undoubtedly contributed to the incredible advancements and achievements made by the human race. The year I was born, America put a man on the moon. South Africans have also achieved great things – Christiaan Barnard performed the world’s first human heart transplant in 1967, Caster Semenya won the gold in the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, but few have literally reached for the stars and lived their dream the way Mark Shuttleworth has. In April 2002 he became the first African cosmonaut to travel to the International Space Station that orbit’s Earth.

“One of the things I hoped to do by fulfilling my own dream was to do it in a way that might reach out particularly to children and learners in Africa and show them that dreams

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can come true,” Mark said. He also stated in an interview with the BBC that he hoped his project would create an interest in science and technology among South African children at school level. Shuttleworth has used his out-ofthis-world experience to inspire others to also dream big and to “pursue it with everything you’ve got”.

This capacity to imagine “what could be” begins in childhood: we daydream, role play and discover the world around us from an early age. Researchers of childhood development believe that imaginative play and daydreaming are connected to creativity, healthy social interaction and good school performance. A study published by the Journal of Research in Personality found that even heavy patterns of daydreaming are not

necessarily related to disorders such as ADD. Daydreaming is normal, in other words, and serves as a vital informationprocessing function.

dream a little dream Having a dream also gives children something to strive for in life. Cape Town-based psychologist Boei Meiring counsels children referred to him for study therapy. Many of these children don’t know what they want to do with their lives and lack motivation, usually because their parents haven’t discussed the issue with them. After discussing certain possibilities and completing an interest questionnaire, Meiring will often see an unmotivated child become more positive and his school performance improve.

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Meiring advises parents to share their own childhood dreams with their children. “Discuss how they helped you get where you are today and also the mistakes you may have made along the way,” he says. “Listen to your child, and don’t criticise. Show interest and offer guidance without forcing her to make ‘your choice’ of career. In the end, she should feel that the final decision is hers.”

Greg Andrews, dad to Katie, seven, and Grace, four, is a life coach who helps people find direction and purpose in life. He says he wanted to be a naturalist like Gerald Durrell when he was a child. His parents allowed him to indulge his dream to a certain extent by buying him books about nature and animals, and sending him away on survival courses. “I liked the idea of studying animals, especially insects. I also liked the idea of travelling to strange jungles and loved adventure,” he says. Although Greg didn’t grow up to become a zoologist, he believes he has accomplished elements of that dream. “I was able to figure out what needs those dreams spoke to and for the most part I’ve found ways of meeting them without having to be an entomologist in the Amazon.”

Siviwe Minyi had three dreams as a child. They were conceptualized and thought through in Grade 6 when his teacher encouraged him to write them down and frame the piece of paper. Siviwe wanted to be a school teacher, a radio broadcaster and to write a novel. He became a school teacher in 1989 and taught for three years before furthering his studies. His childhood love for

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radio broadcasting wasn’t an easy dream to realise as it was difficult to get into radio during the days of apartheid, yet he was a founder member of Bush Radio and today teaches on the subject at the University of Cape Town. His dream of writing a novel is slowly unfolding, he says.

Siviwe’s 15-year-old daughter, Zukiswa, wants to become a professional singer and a psychologist. His son, 12-year-old Okuhle, wants to be a professional cricketer and a scientist. Siviwe and his wife, Desmeline, are saving for their children’s tertiary education. “In the meantime, I plan

The hard knocks of dream versus reality are best learnt when the dreams are small. my year around their various extramural activities, such as private cricket coaching for my son.” Their dreams have made family life truly interesting, he says, as the aspirant singer in the home is compelling them to listen to new styles of music and the budding cricket champ may one day travel away from home on tour for months at a time.

Greg’s children are younger and their dreams tend to change all the time. “Katie often wants to be a ballet dancer and her younger sister, Grace, generally wants to be whatever Katie wants to be,” he says. Greg thinks of dreams

as serendipitous, arising from some deep place within a person, and believes the most important thing is to keep the conversation going. “I let them feel that they can always speak their mind. My only plan is to listen as best I can and give my children as much opportunity as I can to explore.”

supporting the dreamer A common thread emerges when speaking to adults about childhood dreams: the importance of supportive parents.

Glynnis Green, who was a primary school teacher for 20 years and now works as a registered counsellor, rates support as her primary role in helping her children build on their dreams. “My sons, Jonathan, 16, and Gary, 15, have very different personalities and areas of interest so I try to listen to them and give them academic, financial and emotional support.” Jonathan’s enduring interest from a young age has been computers. He was able to build a computer from scratch by the age of 12. He is taking IT as an extra subject in high school and is dead set on a career in this field. Younger brother Gary says he may become a CA or something that will make him a lot of money someday. He has a knack for science, numbers and accountancy, and reportedly has great discipline saving his pocket money. “Gary is the one person in our house who always seems to have money,” jokes Glynnis.

When her children were younger, Glynnis tried to involve them in everything possible. “It was a disaster,” she says. “I ended up with exhausted, irritable children who

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didn’t want to participate in anything and I was miserable, shuttling them from pillar to post. I then negotiated one sport or cultural activity over and above school participation and it has been the best thing I did for them.”

living the dream Should we encourage our children to pursue a steady pay cheque rather than an uncertain career path? It’s something many parents grapple with. Siviwe knows that the music industry is notoriously fickle and by 35, a professional cricketer will need to consider career options off the field. He hopes his multitasking approach to making money and pursuing more than one interest will rub off on his children.

Greg is not convinced it’s the parents’ place to balance reality and possibly impractical dreams on behalf of their children. “If children are allowed to explore their dreams from an early age they learn realism,” he says.

“They learn about disappointment and failure as well as how success is hard won and sometimes unpleasantly complicated by unintended consequences. But the hard knocks of dream versus reality are best learnt when the dreams are small. However fanciful a young person’s dreams, there should be some investment from them so they experience both the importance and perhaps consequences of their own indulgence.”

Balancing a child’s need to earn her own way and follow her heart’s desire is worked out as a negotiation between

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Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore.

Dream. Discover.

Mark Twain the parents’ means and young ambition, according to Greg, but there should not be a compromise on the young person’s investment.

Meiring agrees. “The child must take responsibility for his career choice. I often find that when parents make the choice for a child, he is not sufficiently motivated and does not make a success of his studies. ‘I didn’t want to become a doctor – my father decided for me’ is a common refrain,” he says, and may lead to poor self-esteem and create feelings of inadequacy.

We need to keep in mind that choosing a career is a growing process, points out Meiring, and may take several years to take shape. “It’s so important that a child gets to know himself – what he is capable of and his shortcomings,” he says. “But even if a child’s dreams

don’t seem realistic to a parent, don’t shoot them down.

Discussing the demands of a career choice, and placing monetary value on what he does, will give a child the necessary guidance to either adapt his dream or motivate him to work harder at it.”

Things worth doing are rarely easy. Mark Shuttleworth lived his childhood dream by rocketing into outer space, but the trip cost $20 million (approximately R1,6 billion) and he spent 10 months training for it in Russia and Kazakhstan. Sure, he was able to afford his costly dream, but it wasn’t achieved without serious commitment.

Dreams with lasting value are never diminished by the need to earn our own way. What matters most, however, is not what our children dream, just that they do have dreams.

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spotlight

the next big easy Golf is not just about making money and winning big tournaments. It can also

t the tender age of 14 years and six months, Andy Zhang became the youngest golfer to ever play in the US Open. Nobody expected much of the Chinese-born amateur when he played at the Olympic Club in San Francisco earlier this year. After all, he made the line-up after another player withdrew due to injury, and he was set against the best players in the world, on one of the toughest golf stages on the globe. Even though it did not take the teenager long to realize just how challenging the US Open can be, his performance was more than commendable. First of all, he qualified because he was good enough. Second, after an abysmal start, he composed himself like a true pro, settled down, kept his score on a steady eight-over and didn’t end stone-cold last. There’s a lot to be learnt on the green.

nature of the game Golf not only requires physical skill, which involves and develops fundamental body movement, but it also hones a child’s hand-eye coordination, reasoning, planning, visualization, mental development and discipline. Lisa Mackenzie, a golf specialist at the South African Golf

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Institute at the River Club in Cape Town, says the discipline of the game as a whole involves rules, etiquette and the constant need and drive to improve. “This gives juniors a lifelong skill, which will assist them as they get older,” says Mackenzie. “These principles will come through in all areas of their day-to-day lives.” The rules of golf are there to instil a discipline among players to ensure the game is fair and just.

A child grows up a lot faster on a golf course. Golf teaches you how to behave.

– Jack Nicklaus Patrick O’Brien, a former Sunshine Tour winner who runs a golf academy in Midstream, Pretoria, confirms how dynamic golf is. “The most important thing that golf teaches children from a young age is to deal with the diversity of the game. Golf is probably the most difficult game to master and even the top professionals still learn new things about the game and themselves every day.”

O’Brien says the mental ability to focus and channel your

thoughts, by concentrating, as well as understanding how to control your body, comes together in the perfect golf shot. “That is what we first teach children: the discipline to control the mind and all its powers. We teach them to think positively, but also to accept the outcome, as we cannot always control the result the way we want to.”

Mackenzie adds that the etiquette aspect of the game teaches children basic manners as well as respect for their fellow players and their environment. “This enhances a child’s ‘gentlemanly conduct’,” says Mackenzie. Jack Nicklaus, the great American golfer and winner of 20 major championships, named Top Male Golfer of the 20th Century, and father of five and grandfather of 22, once casually remarked: “A child grows up a lot faster on a golf course.

Golf teaches you how to behave.”

it’s physical, too Someone once said that golf is a day spent in a round of strenuous idleness. That is not entirely true. O’Brien says golf is as demanding on the body as any other sport, and proper preparation is vital to prevent injuries. “Core strength and balance are of utmost importance to control the golf swing,

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a

teach your children life-enhancing skills, says MARINA ZIETSMAN.

and because of that, all types of developmental exercises are important when you learn to play golf.” Mackenzie says that fundamental movement skills are best developed between the age of five and 10. Activities such as running, jumping, hopping and skipping and exercises that improve stability, the ABCS – agility, balance, coordination and speed – and kinetic awareness, help with this.

“Core power is very important as this enhances balance and dynamic power,” says Mackenzie. Golf players should also be fit enough to walk long distances, so cardio fitness is necessary.

O’Brien adds: “Your mental fitness for golf needs to be at the highest level to compete in tournaments, and to achieve that your physical fitness needs to be at its highest level.”

Mentally, you need to be able to concentrate for long periods and plan well. And because of the high concentration levels required, players should follow a nutritious diet.

not everyone is a tiger At the end of 2011, Tiger Woods earned a whopping $64 million, or R521 million. Only $2 million was earned on the course, but it does explain why his runabout car is a Porche 2000 Carrera GT. However, the reality is that very few golfers can go professional. For example, only approximately three percent of South Africans make it onto the Sunshine Tour and even less play internationally.

“Every year on the South African men’s tour, about 200 to 300 players, both amateur and professional, compete at the

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Q school for 30 tour cards,” says Mackenzie. André Louw, the head teaching professional at the Graeme Francis Golf Academy in Centurion, says the reality is that the cost of travelling and playing professionally can be excessive if you don’t have a sponsor. “Children also have hectic schedules today,” he adds, “and just don’t have enough time to commit to practising and playing the game.”

Mackenzie reminds us of the 10-year rule: It takes 10 000 hours of training over 10 years for an able-bodied athlete to reach peak performance. Tiger Woods might have been the youngest US Junior Amateur Champion at age 15, but he started playing golf at the age of three. “The goal for every parent should be to give their child the opportunity to play the game, learn the basics and take it further according to their needs,” says Mackenzie. Golf can be enjoyed at any age and there are various other golf-related careers, including retail, green-keeping and marketing, that can be pursued. Ultimately, golf is not always about the important

trophy. It’s about the journey and what you learn along the way – from others and yourself.

you’re not alone “I have personally trained children as young as four and have seen how many new friends they make by taking part in practices and tournaments,” says Louw. “I have seen how their confidence grows. I have trained children that are hearing-impaired and children diagnosed with ADHD. The difference I’ve seen in these children after playing golf is phenomenal, because golf does not require you to be big, perfect or strong. Handicaps in golf make all participants equal in their own right.” Bobby Jones, one of the most successful amateur golfers ever to compete on a national and international level, sums it up like this: “Golf is the closest game to the game we call life. You get bad breaks from good shots; you get good breaks from bad shots – but you have to play the ball where it lies.”

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education

co-ed or same-sex?

It’s a hot debate for many parents, with strong

a

s an only child sent to girlsonly private schools I did well enough academically, but with few opportunities to mix with boys, I still vividly recall my awkwardness at my first socials around age 12. Boys were fascinating but foreign creatures and I was unsure how to relate.

This is still a major consideration raised by those advocating co-ed schools. “It’s critical to interact easily and naturally with the opposite gender,” says Nicky Whyte, principal of Greenside High, a respected

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co-ed school in Joburg. “Having either all girls or all boys is highly artificial; there’s no place like that in the real world.”

I put my two sons in a co-ed government primary school because of that, but also because of its reputation for providing an excellent progressive education. It helped my boys mix comfortably with girls, and produced results that secured both scholarships for secondary school.

Yet here’s the thing: both chose a boys-only school. It wasn’t just where their mates were going, they assured me; it had

magazine joburg

PHOTOGRAPHS: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

claims from both sides, writes GLYNIS HORNING.

a strong academic record and they felt they would do well there.

They have and that, of course, is the major consideration raised by those advocating single-sex education. “Our boys don’t have the distraction of the opposite sex at adolescence, and it’s easier to teach them because we can focus on their specific emotional and intellectual needs. Boys and girls are not wired the same,” says Trevor Kershaw, principal at Glenwood Boys High in Durban.

Glenwood is one of a handful of singlesex government schools in South Africa, and here, as in Britain, the US and Australia, most schools are co-educational, though singlesex schools are reportedly on the rise. They tend to be private or religious, and it may be this, Kershaw muses, that lends them cachet with some parents. “But the biggest draw card is academic excellence,” he says. “The top performing schools are single sex.”

measuring excellence In the most recent Sunday Times Top 100 Schools survey, 44 were all-girls and 19 allboys schools. And last year it was reported that in the Western Cape, the province with

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the second highest matric pass rate, five of the top 10 performing schools were girls’ schools, four were boys’ schools and just one co-educational. Yet in Gauteng, the province with the highest matric pass rate, only four of the 20 top schools were single-sex.

What does this tell us? Very little, says Professor Ruksana Osman, head of Wits

even elude educationists abroad. A recent publication of the American Psychological Association lamented “a dearth of quality studies”, and the fact that “it’s nearly impossible to compare apples to apples when it comes to single-sex versus co-education”. Most research on single-sex education has been with private schools,

The most critical criteria are committed, capable teachers, sound leadership, supportive parents, and children that take responsibility for their learning.

– Prof Ruksana Osman, Wits School of Education School of Education. “These results are not enough to determine whether single-sex schools are better than co-educational.

There’s been little research on the effects of single-sex and co-ed education in South Africa. We look to international studies, but it’s hard to draw comparisons, as often their samples are from areas with few economic, ethnic or other differences.”

Meaningful comparisons between same-sex and co-educational schools

and when state co-ed schools change to single-sex, they often make academic changes, so it’s difficult to attribute gains or losses to any specific measure.

“The choice is something parents and children must weigh up for themselves,” says Osman. “Sit with your child and ask them: given your individual temperament, needs and talents, what could you gain from a same-sex or co-ed school, and what could you lose? Look at the plus and

minus points, but also at interesting points such as opportunities to explore things in different ways.” For the main issues to discuss, read “contentions to consider”.

In the end it doesn’t matter whether you opt for a single-sex school or co-ed, Osman concludes, so long as it’s a good one.

“The most critical criteria are committed, capable teachers, sound leadership, supportive parents, and children that take responsibility for their learning.”

Which type of schooling did you choose for your child?

31% 69% prefer single-sex

prefer co-ed schooling

childmag.co.za asked you

September 2012

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education

contentions to consider

1

“Boys and girls are wired differently.”

The evidence: A 2007 neuro-imaging study by the US National Institute of Mental Health showed that areas of the brain develop in a different sequence and at a different rate in boys and girls; the part most associated with visual processing develops fastest in girls aged six to 10, and in boys after 14 years old. Other studies have shown that language areas in the brains of many boys aged five resemble those of girls aged three, and that boys of five are often developmentally unable to keep still and quiet.

Psychologist’s view: “Boys and girls are wired differently and need different methods of instruction,” says Cape Town educational psychologist Rene Daniels.

Same-sex schools can cater to different learning styles. One should however bear in mind that the brain grows and develops throughout a person’s life. Exposure to different things and opportunities can culminate in acquiring new and different skills, which may have been stereotyped to a specific sex. In any good educational environment, educators should expose learners to different teaching methodologies and learning styles so that the choice of how to learn becomes a personal one.”

2

“Girls do better at maths and science in all-girl schools; boys do better in languages and the arts in allboy schools.”

The evidence: According to a 2006 Cambridge University study, boys improved in English and foreign languages in singlesex classes, and girls improved in maths and physics. Boys felt freer to talk about aspects of certain set works without girls around, and girls felt less constrained to fit stereotypical expectations. This reinforced a US study that found boys at single-sex schools were twice as likely to pursue “non-macho” interests such as art, music and drama.

Psychologist’s view: “Stereotyping can have a self-fulfilling effect and reinforce certain beliefs in both sexes about their abilities in these two learning areas,” says Daniels. “If educators in co-ed schools

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have the same expectations, encourage participation and provide equal learning opportunities to both sexes, the same results can be obtained as in single-sex schools.

Educators need to cater to learners’ different personalities, coaching the more introverted of either sex to reveal their strengths, and teaching the more boisterous to allow each one the opportunity to share their talents.”

3

“Boys and girls mature emotionally at a different pace.”

The evidence: Girls mature faster than boys and tend to be more intelligent and more mature until puberty, when boys catch up and can overtake them. The ongoing UK National Child Development Study measured intelligence at ages seven and 11 (before puberty), and found girls slightly but “statistically significantly” more intelligent than boys. The gender difference reversed at 16, when the average IQ for girls is 99,2 and for boys 100,8.

Psychologist’s view: “That boys need to use force to stand up for themselves has much to do with the late acquisition of emotional intelligence,” says Daniels.

“Girls are socialised to be more empathic and passive. Co-ed as well as single-sex schools need to create opportunities for community service, perhaps reading with orphans at a shelter or visiting old age homes. Parents also play an integral role in developing emotional skills and aiding children’s maturity in the way they rear and interact with them.”

4

“Adolescent girls and boys (12 to 16) are less distracted, and study and behave better, in single-sex classes.”

The evidence: A study by the Australian Council for Educational Research showed that academically, students in singlesex classes scored 15 to 22 percentile ranks higher than those in co-ed. They were also better behaved, found learning more enjoyable and the curriculum more relevant. When UK educator Graham Able compared student performance in 30 single-sex and co-ed schools, he found the academic advantage of singlesex schooling even greater for boys, debunking the common notion that girls do better in single-sex schools, and magazine joburg

revealing that boys are “brought on” by the more studious girls in co-ed classes.

Psychologist’s view: “Research indicates that single-sex schools improve classroom behaviour and focus,” says Daniels. “Boys won’t have the need to impress or outsmart girls or show off, which causes distraction, and girls won’t have to downplay their strengths. In a co-ed environment, expectations create social pressures in both girls and boys to perform in a particular manner. If educators acknowledge strengths in both sexes at co-ed schools, have the same expectations from all learners, apply firm and consistent discipline and encourage a sound work ethic from both sexes, both can perform and focus equally well.”

5

“Co-ed schools are better preparation for adult relationships.”

The evidence: There has been little research to show that children from co-ed schools go on to have more stable or

fulfilling relationships. A 2002 study in the Journal of Biosocial Sciences found that attending a single-sex school did not affect boys or girls developing relationships during high school or university, and girls from single-sex schools were less likely to have unwanted pregnancies.

Psychologist’s view: “Co-ed schools represent a microcosm of society and allow more social interaction with the opposite sex and exposure to deal with social issues in mixed groups,” says Daniels.

“However, if single-sex schools arrange social or cultural events with an opposite single-sex school, enough opportunities can be generated. Parents need to create opportunities in their social circle to mix with their children’s cousins or family friends’ children of the opposite sex. Enrol them in drama, karate or dance groups or any other social clubs where both sexes participate and social interaction is enhanced. Such things are not the responsibility of schools alone.”

principals’ views co-ed schooling Nicky Whyte, principal, Greenside High: “In 25 years of teaching co-ed schools, I’ve never seen the progress of either sex affected by them being together. I think our classes and debates are more interesting and intense because of the different perspectives from both genders, and our pupils slot comfortably into tertiary education. Some parents worry about the safety of girls in a co-ed school, given the headlines about rape, but that depends completely on individual schools.” single-sex girls’ schooling Anthea Cereseto, principal, Parktown Girls’ High: “I’ve taught at girls’ schools for 30 years and co-ed for 10 and have seen children happy at both. I think our main advantage is the ability to develop confidence in girls, and I believe they are better prepared for tertiary education because they know how to focus on academic studies. Why should girls spend five years in a high school merely to learn to associate with boys and be the second-class citizens whose needs are generally subservient to boys’ needs?” single-sex boys’ schooling Andri Barnes, deputy head, Glenwood Boys’ High: “For boys who want to get on with learning, enjoy the relaxed camaraderie of other boys, and have classes and extramurals tailored to their strengths, I believe a single-sex school is the answer.

Boys can still socialise with girls through the likes of Rotary Interact and school plays where we partner with girls’ schools. I’ve taught co-ed and found girls were more confident and giggly, boys often showed off, and disciplining was more difficult. But there’s a place for both types of schools.”

pupils’ views Tim Botha, 18, Durban computer engineering student: “I was in a co-ed primary (Sarnia), then a boys’ high school for three years (Glenwood), and finished at another co-ed (Kloof High). I was fine with all three because all are good schools.

The fact that they were single-sex or co-ed made little difference except that Kloof High felt a bit more relaxed.”

Vicki Smith, 20, Cape Town PR intern: “I went to Rustenburg Girls’ School from Grade 2 to matric. After a co-ed pre-primary I couldn’t imagine not having boys around to climb trees with. But I had good teachers, and a dynamic and diverse environment with an array of extramurals, including cricket. I made amazing friends and in Grade 8 we met a group of guys from Rondebosch, our ‘brother’ school, at a camp, which grew wonderful friendships and the occasional relationship. I don’t think an all-girls school was detrimental to developing my social skills. I learnt lots from my girlfriends and was able to truly develop a good sense of self. I don’t think there’s a right or wrong option; it depends on the child.”

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advertorial

spotlight

no place like home

s

returned with a renewed appreciation for their country. By LUCILLE KEMP

outh Africans fly the nest for various reasons. Some go in search of a promising job opportunity, to earn foreign currency and give themselves a financial head start; others want to travel – about 10 years ago it seemed everyone was graduating from university and leaving on a two-year work visa to do some hard time in cold London town. For many, the reasons are emotional and so the circumstances under which they decide to leave are not ideal. South Africa’s sometimes unstable political climate, a lack of faith in our politicians and a growing fear and insecurity about crime, have prompted

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many a Saffa to jump on the brain-drain train to Australia, chanting that the country is going to the dogs.

Bruce Townsend, from Joburg, who relocated to Brisbane when his wife was offered a major IT contract, says on his return to the motherland, “I met people in Australia who have been away for many years and I’m pretty sure they will never return, which is fine.

There are others who spend a lot of time affirming their decision to leave. They feed off the bad press South Africa gets to convince themselves that they have made the right decision.”

Martine Schaffer, former chief executive officer of Homecoming Revolution, a non-profit organisation that helps expatriates return, says, “It’s the attitude you go with that counts: go because you are being pulled, not pushed; and don’t think that another country is going to be the answer to sorting out issues that exist in your environment – you take your stuff with you.” She goes on to say that if you stay, be aware that South Africa is not perfect and make an attempt to be part of the solution.

Anyone with a strong “for or against” stance on living in SA will be able to provide endless lists of statistics

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PHOTOGRAPHS AND ILLUSTRATIONS: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Many South Africans, having left home in search of a better life, have

and case studies to prove their point. However, for many, home is home and the pull back to their birthplace remains strong. Add to that the desire to give your children the childhood you experienced, as well as having them grow up near their grandparents, and the need takes a vice-like grip.

what’s not to love?

Often people who have been away from home for an extended period come full circle; finding that they are homesick for the things that initially made it difficult for them to adjust to life in a new country. There are the cultural differences: ever heard a South African complain that the English are miserable and never smile? There could be a language barrier, a new country naturally lacks familiarity, there is no family support and the weather in the northern hemisphere causes many sun-loving South Africans to become seasonally depressed, with many never quite getting used to the colder climate.

“What I missed most about SA were the people, the people, the people,” says Bruce. This country has its own special brand of culture, sense of humour and attitude – the English in all their politeness and mild manneredness can easily be affronted by how direct we can be, calling it rude. We, however, call it being down-to-earth, straightforward and to the point and we all get it here in SA. Then there’s our rainbow nation identity; unique and in that young, growing phase where amid the blackouts, crime rate and disillusionment, many are successfully tapping into the opportunities this country has to offer.

You also miss your proximity to nature – paradise is never far from your doorstep in SA, so being stuck in traffic is

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tempered by mountain views and for some weekday lunch hours can easily be spent at a beach café.

Then there’s the way of life; the near-holy ritual of the braai, and one of the biggest nuances between us and Australia, according to David J Smith of The Guardian.

The Australian barbie, he says, is actually outdoor stoving where, “with a turn of the valve, a push of the button, the Aussie is cooking his meat on a Liquefied Petroleum Gas stove that just happens to be outside. There is no wood, no charcoal, not even a lowly briquette”.

Don’t think that another country is going to be the answer to sorting out issues that exist in your environment – you take your stuff with you. missing the simple things Ask expats who have returned home what they missed the most and the answers are quite basic. Martine Kotze says, “Woolies food, biltong, the Spur, Table Mountain, our rainbow nation, the birthdays and weddings of our loved ones, African sunsets and the smell of rain on dry land.”

For Kirsten Dubberly, it was “family, good weather, the beach and genuine smiles on people’s faces”. Bruce, who has a renewed appreciation for home after being away,

says the negatives outweigh the positives only if you allow them to. “With the high crime rate, you need time to adjust back to the realisation that if you are careful, crime does not have to be a ruling factor in your life.” After returning, Martine tries to avoid negativity and enjoys every day in the country that her family can once again call home. Kirsten can’t wait to have that feeling of belonging again.

p is for planning If moving house is one of the most stressful things you’ll ever have to do; relocating countries will take years off your life if you’re caught unprepared. Ensuring that everything runs smoothly and perfectly in sync with the transition can become a logistical nightmare. Martine’s family, who were returning from Canada where the school term runs from September to June, needed to decide when to take the children out of school and enrol them in a South African school. There was also the challenge of small but vital things, such as getting a phone line and internet connection and opening bank accounts with no proof of address or utility accounts.

Concerns about uprooting yourself and your family, as well as the slow and uneasy process of settling in to a new life, can create emotional upheaval and anxiety about your future. Kirsten’s extended family is worried that, after being in London for seven years, she and her husband won’t be able to find work. But as she puts it, “If we don’t try we won’t know. It’s awful being so far away from close family when you have a baby and, after all, we are coming back with a lot more life experience and a lot more money than the £400 we rocked up with in London.”

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spotlight

Homecoming Revolution points out that the real planning begins when you decide you’re coming home and you’ve actually established the moving date. Kirsten had been homesick for years before she and her husband decided they were going to move back and, if left to her own devices, she would have packed up immediately after the decision was made.

Fortunately her husband was more sensible. He knew they had to achieve certain goals before they could return so he made the call to stay in London for another 12 months. Homecoming Revolution lays the procedure out clearly, providing different stages of planning – from what to think about with more than six months to go right up to what you should be doing a month before your departure date.

useful resources • H omecoming Revolution: visit homecomingrevolution.co.za • South Africa.info: visit southafrica.info • Why I’ll Never Live In Oz Again by Rick Crosier, Andrew Donaldson, Josef Talotta, John Wardell and Tim Richman (Two Dogs, 2008) • My Traitor’s Heart by Rian Malan (Atlantic Monthly Press, 2000) • Should I Stay Or Should I Go? by André Brink, Kevin Bloom, Jacob Dlamini, Kerry Rogers, Liz Butler, Gillian Tucker, Sarah Britten, Sarah Penny, James Carolin, Barry Levy, Anne Townsend, Ian MacDonald, Daniel Ford, Louie Cowan, Ted Botha and Jenni Baxter (Two Dogs, 2010)

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If you choose to stay, be aware that SA is not perfect and make an attempt to be part of the solution.

homecoming check list • S tart saving, especially to tide you over in the first few months while you’re looking for work, fitting out a household, buying a car and needing to cover relocation expenses.

• Start looking for schools back home. Put the children’s names on waiting lists. Also, you should try to time your return so that you create as little disruption as possible. Martine’s biggest challenge was finding a school when they arrived in May. Her son had to start Grade 0 the following year, but schools had already done their placements.

• Send money back home if you still have an account. As you get closer to your moving date, stop spending money on stuff that you will have to ship back. The fatter your wallet, the better.

• Invest in property. Often you can get a South African home loan while living and working abroad.

You could also start looking for temporary residence.

Martine’s family found a flat to stay in for the first couple of weeks, and then they went scouting for

a long-term rental. Staying with family may be an option for some, but most people prefer the privacy of their own space while they adjust.

• Organise valid documentation for all parties, including children and foreign spouses. Kirsten did a foreign birth registration through the SA Home Office in London for her UK-born son and she will eventually apply for an SA passport for him.

• Look at your lifestyle. Scout the different areas where you could potentially live. Find a good doctor and dentist, a church, restaurants, parks for the children and places to visit.

• Look at the cost of living. Kirsten and her husband, in preparing to make the move, are looking at the cost of living: school fees, grocery prices and buying a car, which has helped them figure out how much they should be earning per month.

• Arrange a container for your furniture.

Kirsten is shipping their home contents back so they have made financial provision to afford it.

Information courtesy of homecomingrevolution.co.za

magazine joburg

dad’s blog

space to move MARC DE CHAZAL shows how utterly uplifting being in nature is for you and your family.

a

good mate of mine recently moved to the city from his seaside home. It’s not nearly as bad as it sounds. After all, this is Cape Town we’re talking about. A true concrete jungle would be pushing it for someone who loves the outdoors as much as he does.

PHOTOGRAPH: GREG ANDREWS

All it takes is a few swings and a slide and possibly a jungle gym for a little adventure to be had.

His two young girls, aged seven and four, have benefited immensely from his love of nature and exploration. His Facebook page is peppered with photos of their latest escapades, the most recent being a walk beside a fast-flowing mountain stream. I thought they’d gone on a long hike somewhere when I saw

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the pics, but they’d only walked a few minutes from their apartment.

I realise that most of us are not nearly as fortunate as his family is to live within walking distance of a mountain stream, but if you live in suburbia or in a city without a mountain on its doorstep, there are generally parks within walking distance or a short drive away. All it takes is a few swings and a slide and possibly a jungle gym for a little adventure to be had. There’s something about being outdoors with the grass under your feet and the open sky above your head that curbs cabin fever in a child.

I’m sure the countless trips to the park I’ve made with my child have contributed to her enjoyment of being outdoors, not to mention given us lots of opportunities to bond. And all it costs is a bit of time.

Read more of Marc’s weekly parenting blogs on childmag.co.za/dad-blog Grace, Katie and Phoebe the pooch at the park

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resource

celebrate your roots Recognise your South African heritage this month by visiting landmarks of our country’s rich history. By SIMONE JEFFERY

cultural villages

Area Klipgat, North West Province For more info visit ndebelevillage.co.za

The Botshabelo Historical Village

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galleries Art Afrique

Art Afrique

The Mapoch Ndebele Village The legacy The village retains its traditional way of life with homesteads, mural paintings, initiation schools and ceremonies. The village is named after the late Ndebele King, Mabhoko.

To do You can arrange for Chris Buda to take you on guided walking and cycling tours where you learn more about the symbolism behind the geometric murals, arrange for beading lessons with the gogos and consult the local sangoma.

The legacy A private and corporate collection of diverse South African and African art was opened to the public in 2008.

To do Starting on level four of the Raphael Hotel, your informative guide takes you through the lift lobbies and corridors of the three Legacy Hotels, the Michelangelo, the Raphael and the Da Vinci, whose walls are lined with a rich collection of South African art. Starting with works from artists in the Cape and moving onto the Garden Route and beyond, you can travel around the country admiring the talents of over 50 local artists.

Area Sandton For more info visit artafrique.co.za

magazine joburg

PHOTOGRAPHs: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM / Selwyn Pekeur

The legacy The village was started by two young German missionaries, Alexander Merensky and Heinrich GrĂźtzner, as a place of refuge for Christians in the 1860s.

The church, which was erected in 1873, was for many years the largest church building in the then Transvaal. But in 1971, the old bell cracked during a service, which signalled to the people living there that their time at Botshabelo had to end.

They left a year later.

To do Families can arrange for guided tours through the historical village, with visits to the old missionary station, church and Fort Merensky. Horse riding, game walks and drives, and hiking and mountain biking can be arranged.

Area Middelburg For more info visit middelburgsa.co.za

Johannesburg Art Gallery The legacy The gallery has spent the past 102 years enriching the lives of the people of Joburg with its immense collection of historical and contemporary artworks, both by local and international artists.

To do One can contemplate the musings of Tracey Rose, Jackson Hlungwani and William Kentridge, alongside Pablo Picasso, James Rosenquist and Andy Warhol. See how South African art has evolved from the 19th century through to the present day; including the traditional Brenthurst Collection of African pieces and the Jacques collection of headrests. The gallery offers tours to groups of 10 people or more.

Area Joubert Park For more info visit joburgculture.co.za/ museums-galleries/jag

heritage trails The Blaauwbank Historic Gold Mine The legacy This was discovered by James Jennings, an Englishman who trekked for three months from Grahamstown to Magaliesburg, with his wife and 11 children.

magazine joburg

To do On a visit to the mine you can take a 45-minute mini mine tour to witness how early miners worked the gold-bearing ore using coco pans, picks, shovels, pit props and rope winches; or the extensive two-hour tour that also includes a lecture about the mining industry. They have the only permit in the country that allows you to take home any gold that you’ve panned.

Area Magaliesburg For more info visit wilparkgroup.co.za/ blaauwbank

Satyagraha House The legacy Gandhi developed his philosophy of passive resistance during the 21 years he lived affected by the country’s struggles. During that time he spent a year in the Satyagraha House, built by his good friend Hermann Kallenbach, and later moved to Kallenbach’s farm in the south-west of Joburg to create The Tolstoy communal farm that followed the principles of a kibbutz.

To do Satyagraha House is now a museum and guest house with exhibits throughout the house. A collection of old photos and correspondence between Gandhi and

Kallenbach, journals and the Mahatma’s most evocative quotes are on display. The house’s furniture and objects are antiques from India, found in Gujarat, Gandhi’s native region.

Area Orchards For more info visit satyagrahahouse.com

landscapes Johannesburg Botanical Gardens The legacy One of the biggest farms in Joburg in 1887 was Braamfontein, which

was owned by Louw Geldenhuys and his wife, Emmarentia. The farm was subdivided several times and, in 1902, landless Boers were set to work on constructing Emmarentia Dam using stone blocks taken from Melville Koppies for the dam’s wall.

To do Today, the Johannesburg Botanical Gardens that encompasses Emmarentia Dam is a popular weekend park that offers visitors trails around rose and succulent gardens, expanses to walk your dogs, and rolling lawns for picnics and games.

Area Emmarentia For more info visit jhbcityparks.com

Johannesburg Botanical Gardens

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resource

Origins Centre

Klipsriviersberg Nature Reserve The legacy The Sotho-speaking Tswana people settled in the reserve around 1400, finding its vast grasslands and temperate climate a veritable Garden of Eden, perfect for their farming activities. They lived and flourished there until, due to climate change and an increase in population, they migrated. They first left for the Lowveld in the 1500s and later, after returning for a short period, left for Botswana.

To do Visitors to this peaceful reserve can enjoy hikes, bird watching and horse trails.

Area Mondeor For more info visit knra.co.za

museums The Bernard Price Institute The legacy This small traditional museum of palaeontology was established in 1945 after thousands of fossils were being lost annually because of a lack of proper facilities to collect, preserve and study them.

To do Visitors can enjoy a guided tour of the exhibits at the James Kitching Gallery and then pop into the laboratory where newly discovered fossils are being cleaned and prepared by the scientists. Children can meet Fang and Fred, two life-size robotic reconstructions modelled on the near-complete skeletons discovered in the Karoo and Sahara.

Area University of the Witwatersrand For more info visit wits.ac.za/bpi/6569/ bpi.html

The Gold Reef City Theme Park The legacy Located on the site of an historic underground gold mine, the park offers insight into how early miners, working only by candlelight, would drill to prepare an area for explosives. Marvel at what was once the richest and deepest mine on the planet and which brought out a staggering 1,4 million kilograms of pure gold.

To do Visitors can grab a hard hat and a battery-powered lamp, and descend into the bowels of the earth to enjoy an interactive and guided underground mine tour, and then visit authentic mining houses, and see gold panning and pouring.

Area Ormonde For more info visit goldreefcity.co.za

rock art centres Origins Centre The legacy A technologically advanced centre that combines cutting-edge technology with the creative vision of some of South Africa’s foremost artists.

It takes you on an extraordinary voyage of discovery beginning with the origins of humankind in Africa, and then moving through the development of art, symbolism and technology on the continent. To do You can view the largest collection of San rock art in the world. Children will be intrigued by the touch screens on which a virtual game can be played, as well as the casts of famous hominids such as Mrs Ples and the Taung Child.

Area University of the Witwatersrand For more info visit origins.org.za

The Wildebeest Kuil Rock Art Centre

The Gold Reef City Theme Park

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The legacy They display artworks of the indigenous San and Khoi hunter-gatherers, which mainly consisted of herds of antelope, with eland being the largest and seen as possessing a spiritual power that the shamans harnessed when painting.

To do The !Xun and Khwe San people who occupy the land in Kimberley have set aside a servitude for rock art conservation, allowing the public to view the more than magazine joburg

400 engravings of Khoi-San rock art that are spread over the small sacred hill.

Informed rock art custodians take you on a short 800m walk up the hill, answering your questions along the way and shedding light on the engravings.

Area Kimberley For more info visit wildebeestkuil.itgo.com

theatre The Joburg Theatre The legacy The Joburg council built the theatre in 1962 and refurbished it generously in the late 80s and early 90s.

In 2009, the theatre morphed into what is now the more streetwise and accessible Joburg Theatre.

To do Theatre-goers are treated to numerous local and international acts throughout the year, enjoying everything from ballets and musicals to rock concerts and children’s pantomimes at the People’s Theatre. You can look forward to The Nutcracker being performed in September, Jack and the Beanstalk in November, and Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s Starlight Express, which is coming next year in July.

Area Braamfontein For more info visit joburgtheatre.com

The Victory Theatre The legacy The theatre was built in the 1920s and was known as The Grove Kinema. It hosted Italian, French and German film festivals under cameraman Italo Bernicchi’s stewardship from the late 1940s until the early 1990s, when it could no longer keep up with the prices being charged by competitors. One of his conditions was that the cinema must be kept as a theatre, and several months later Ipi Thombi took to the stage.

To do The theatre has been home to the cast and crew of Umoja for the past six years along with intermittent performances of opera, gospel and more. Umoja’s high spirited performance traces the development of traditional South African music and dance throughout the years.

Umoja is showing throughout September from Tuesday to Saturday.

Area Orange Grove For more info visit victorytheatre.co.za

Pinocchio at the The Joburg Theatre

The Market Theatre The legacy The theatre was founded

by Mannie Manim and the late Barney Simon in 1976 and has operated as a nonracial theatre since, keeping its doors open during the country’s apartheid regime. The theatre inherited its name from the Indian Fruit Market that had occupied the site for 60 years prior to the theatre’s opening.

To do The Market Theatre has evolved into a cultural complex for theatre, music, dance and the allied arts. The theatre is renowned for its anti-apartheid plays that have included Woza Albert, Asinamali and Bopha, to name a few. Delirium is showing in September, with The Miser, written by Moliere, and Miss Julie, starring Anna Pettersson, coming in October.

Area Newtown For more info visit markettheatre.co.za

tours of monuments, plaques and buildings Soweto Bicycle Tours The legacy With the discovery of gold and the sudden influx of migrant workers, Joburg was bursting at the seams.

Following a reported outbreak of bubonic plague, the African and Indian residents of Brickfields, now Newtown, were

The Victory Theatre

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moved to an “evacuation camp” at the Klipspruit municipal sewage farm. Further settlements were laid to form what is today known as the South-Western Township, or Soweto.

To do Leave the car behind and take an eco-friendly bicycle tour around the streets of this vibrant township with its rich past.

You can pay a visit to Nelson Mandela’s former home, the site of the 1976 student uprising and stop at the Hector Pieterson Memorial. They offer a pick-up from Joburg.

Area Soweto For more info visit sowetobicycletours.com

Main Street Walks The legacy Joburg has a population of 10 million people, although only 3,8 million

live in the CBD as a result of urban sprawl.

Of late, there has been a renewed interest in reviving the city centre, breathing life and money back into Newtown, Maboneng Precinct and surroundings.

To do Mainstreetwalks offers urban hiking around the inner city with informed guides who delve into the history of the city and take you to its best kept secrets. The inner city tour starts out with a trip on the BRT system and then to the Collector’s treasury, an eight-storey, second-hand bookstore.

Lose your breath with the panoramic views on the 50th floor of the Carlton Centre and finish off the day with a visit to a few of the attractions around Newtown.

Area Joburg CBD For more info visit mainstreetwalks.co.za

for fresh, locally grown flowers…

Multiflora Flower Market This flower market was established in 1944 and is open Monday to Saturday. You can bid on flowers at the early morning auction, buy bunches from the on-site florists and find a range of vases. 3 Marjorie St, City Deep. Contact: 011 613 4011, info@multiflora.co.za or visit multiflora.co.za

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UNESCO world heritage sites in South Africa Cape Floral Region, Western Cape A site made up of eight protected areas covering 553 000 ha, the Cape Floral Region is one of the richest areas for plants in the world. You can explore the many areas in and around Cape Town, including on the slopes and top of Table Mountain, at Cape Point, in the Kirstenbosch National Botanic Garden, and in the Silvermine Nature Reserve.

For more info visit southafrica.info

Cradle of Humankind, Sterkfontein Widely recognised as the place from which all of humankind originated, the visitors center for the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site, Maropeng, offers exhibitions and interactive displays that highlight humanity’s origins. Walks and guided tours with scientists are offered around the active digs at Swartkrans

and Coopers Cave, with stargazing events at night. For more info visit maropeng.co.za

iSimangaliso Wetland Park, St Lucia, KwaZulu-Natal The area comprises a variety of landforms, including coral reefs, long sandy beaches, coastal dunes, lake systems, swamps, and extensive reed and papyrus wetlands. You can go game- and bird-viewing on self-guided and guided walking trails or drives on the numerous trails and loop roads within the park. You can also go on a guided night drive in the Eastern Shores and uMkhuze as well as kayak, horse-ride, scuba-dive and snorkel. For more info visit isimangaliso.com

Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape, Northern Cape Situated in the North West deserts of South Africa, the area is communally owned and managed by the Nama people, who still practise their traditional

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nomadic lifestyle and migrate across the landscape and collect medicinal plants.

Visitors can see ancient engravings of the San, enjoy a donkey cart trip or take a guided tour. For more info visit richtersveld-conservancy.org

Robben Island, Table Bay Between the 17th and 20th centuries, Robben Island was used at various times as a prison, a hospital for socially unacceptable groups and a military base.

Its buildings, particularly those of the late 20th century, such as the maximum security prison for political prisoners such as Nelson Mandela, have witnessed the triumph of democracy and freedom over oppression. Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront is the departure point for a 3½-hour trip to Robben Island. For more info visit robben-island.org.za

The Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape, Northern Province An open, expansive savannah contains evidence of a flourishing Iron Age city that was ruled by an African king almost

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a thousand years ago. In 1933 a grave of unknown origin was discovered and said to have contained the largest archaeological gold collection in SubSaharan Africa, the remains of which now lie at the Mapungubwe Museum at the University of Pretoria. You can go on guided tours to the archaeological and cultural sites, self-guided trails, eco routes, San art sites, birding trips and night drives. For more info visit mapungubwe.com

Vredefort Dome, North West Province Around 2 023 million years ago a giant meteorite struck earth, leaving behind a crater nearly 300 kilometres wide. Called The Vredefort Dome, this is one of the world’s largest and most visible meteorite sites and provides a wealth of geological

information. The crater has eroded away over millions of years, but is still visible from the hills near Parys and Vredefort. Hiking in the area gives you a chance to see a variety of plant and bird life. Other activities nearby include horse riding, river rafting or visiting South Africa’s largest wild olive forest. For more info visit vredefortdome.org

uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park, Western KwaZulu-Natal For 4 000 years, the San people lived in these mountains, leaving behind one of the biggest and most diverse collections of rock art in Sub-Saharan Africa. uKhahlamba, the Zulu name meaning “barrier of spears”, aptly describes this mountain range that is characterised by rocky peaks and mountain streams.

There are numerous hikes, resorts and other activities for families to enjoy. For more info visit drakensbergtourism.com

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books

Lunchtime

By Rebecca Cobb

a good read food, ship friend & fun

for toddlers

(Published by Macmillan Children’s Books, R135) It’s lunchtime for one little girl, but she’s too busy and just not hungry. Her mom, however, will have none of that and she has to stay at the table until she’s finished her lunch. A visiting crocodile, bear and wolf, however, are starving (it’s just as well that children taste revolting), and they help the little girl finish her meal. But as evening approaches, our little heroine is ravenous. She has been playing all day, and dinnertime seems to stay away as her little stomach reminds her with “growls” and “roars”. Will she also offer the next meal to her new friends?

Oh no, George!

By Chris Haughton (Published by Walker Books, R167) It’s hard work being good all the time, and it’s especially difficult for a dog like George. Harris, his owner, is off to do some shopping.

“Will you be good, George?” he asks. George really wants to be, but chocolate cake is just so very delicious, and digging in soil is so much fun and he does love to chase Cat... What will George do now? Chris Haughton’s distinctive artwork perfectly accompanies the innocent charm of affable George, a dog trying to be good. Little ones from as young as four will enjoy this story, and older children will learn the importance of giving your dog his daily exercise.

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Small Bunny’s Blue Blanket

By Tatyana Feeney (Published by Oxford University Press, R173) In just a very few words and with the simplest of illustrations, the author speaks to toddlers everywhere who are attached to a special toy or object. Small Bunny loves his blue blanket. He does everything with it. It’s with him when he’s on the swings, in the sandpit, when he’s painting, and when he’s reading. But Mom has plans for the blue blanket. It needs a wash. Later, when a clean and unfamiliar blanket is brought down from the washing line and put into Small Bunny’s little paws, he is not happy. How will he get the blanket to just the way it was before? This time it’s Small Bunny who has plans.

Meeow and the Blue Table

By Sebastien Braun (Published by Boxer Books, R99) Meeow, the irresistibly clever cat created by bestselling author-illustrator Sebastien Braun, is ready to play, but it’s a rainy day and Meeow and his friends need to be extra imaginative. Like every child, Meeow loves to make things. So what will he do with a blue table, a red blanket, and lots of wooden blocks? He turns them into an amazing castle. Meeow’s friends are delighted, and young readers will be enchanted too. Meeow inspires his friends and soon Moo is a princess, Meeow is the king of the castle, Quack becomes a hunter, Baa rides a red dragon and Woof is a brave knight on a horse.

Meeow and his friends are very popular with children aged two to four years old.

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for preschoolers The Buttons Family – Going to the Doctor

By Vivian French and Sue Heap (Published by Walker Books, R70) This book is part of a series of six brilliant new first experiences books about the Buttons family, for children aged three and older. Cherry has a cold but she doesn’t want to go to the doctor. Her mom gently persuades her and when she gets there she finds it’s not scary at all. In fact, she has fun listening to her heartbeat on the stethoscope while her mom gets her medicine. The other books in the series deal with new shoes, staying overnight with Gran, the first day at playschool, the babysitter and going to the dentist.

The books include fun “I love the Buttons family” stickers.

The Animal Boogie

By Debbie Harter

dance and sing-along

(Published by Barefoot Books, R109) Down in the Indian jungle, the children and animals are learning about actions such as leaping, stomping, shaking and flapping while meeting different jungle creatures. The rhyming text makes the book perfect for reading out loud: “Down in the jungle where the trees grow high what do you see, flying in the sky?” The brightly coloured pictures also create a sense of “jungle” and fun and the steps for “The Animal Boogie” get children moving to the beat. The book comes with a CD that includes an animated video with audio sing-alongs sung by acclaimed children’s performer Fred Penner. The book is recommended for children between the ages of three and seven.

The Snail and the Whale – Magnet Book

By Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler (Published by Macmillan Children’s Books, R171) Children can explore the deep sea and the wide world in this great magnetic book. It contains over 80 Snail and the Whale magnets, a special mini edition of the bestselling story, plus play scenes and fun activities, including Mixed-up Beasts, Match the Shadows and a Snail and the Whale quiz. With a neat clasp and sturdy carry handle, children can take the fun with them wherever they go. This very popular tale about a snail that needs a lift around the world teaches children the importance of friendship and caring for the environment. Note: the magnets are small so should be used with supervision.

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Zig Zag Zebra

By Madeleine Deny Barroux (Published by Barefoot Books, R80) Children who are motivated to draw are preparing to learn to read and write at the same time. Encourage your children to paint, colour, copy, draw and doodle, and you will help them to develop their literacy skills along the way. Zig Zag Zebra offers the perfect way to develop creativity in children between the ages of three and seven. With all kinds of exercises, the book helps small children to master drawing skills, shape recognition, fingerprinting, line drawing, colour combining and composition.

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for early graders Star Fighters: Alien Attack and Deadly Mission

By Max Chase (Published by Bloomsbury Publishing, R70 each) It is the year 5012 and the Milky Way galaxy is under attack. After the Universal War, a war that almost brought about the destruction of every known universe, the planets in the Milky Way banded together to create the Intergalactic Force – an elite fighting team sworn to protect and defend the galaxy. Only the brightest and most promising students are accepted into the Intergalactic Force Academy, and only the very best cadets reach the highest of ranks and become star fighters. In Alien Attack, Peri, Diesel and Selene are caught between an intergalactic conflict, and in Deadly Mission, Peri and Diesel avenge an attack on earth. These fast-paced, action-packed books are recommended for children from the age of seven.

Spell Sisters – Sophie the Flame Sister and Lily the Forest Sister

By Amber Castle (Published by Simon & Schuster Children’s Books, R85 each) This is an exciting new series where girls seven years and older follow a young Guinevere of Camelot in her quest to save the magical island of Avalon from evil Morgana Le Fay. In the first adventure, Sophia the Flame Sister, Gwen and Flora search for Sophia who Morgana has imprisoned in an enchanted forest. In Lily the Forest Sister, Gwen and Flora are faced with a swarm of hornets and enchanted vines as they try to rescue Lily. Can they overcome Morgana’s magic and return both Sophia and Lily to Avalon?

Vulgar the Viking and the Rock Cake Raiders

By Odin Redbeard (Published by Nosy Crow, R79) The Vulgar the Viking series is perfect to get boys from the age of seven hooked on reading. In this edition, Vulgar decides to carry out his own Viking raid: a voyage across the fishpond to plunder the bakehouse. But as he and Knut sneak into the cellar to build their longship, Freya, who demands to join the crew, catches them.

Crammed into their makeshift vessel, along with Grunt the dog, the trio struggle across the pond and successfully make off with a haul of rock cakes. But when a squabble breaks out on the return journey, the trio end up in the pond, and Vulgar finds himself in very hot water.

Magic Toyshop – Treasure Island Trouble, The Rabbit Rescue and Ragbag Friends

By Jessie Little (Published by Faber and Faber, R57 each) The Magic Toyshop series of books is perfect for children between the ages of five and seven. Enter the world of the Hoozles – they are not ordinary toys and when they find a special friend in Willow, they come alive. In The Rabbit Rescue naughty Croc causes trouble and Smooches the rabbit needs Willow’s help.

Willow can’t wait to go to Smuggler’s Cove in Treasure Island Trouble, but Croc secretly makes his way there as well and is set on making life hard for Willow. In Ragbag Friends, Croc creates his own set of Hoozles from bits and bobs, and Willow feels responsible for finding loving homes for these raggedy toys.

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for preteens and teens The Secrets of Ordinary Farm

By Tad Williams and Deborah Beale (Published by Quercus, R99) Tyler and Lucinda have returned to a far-from-ordinary place for the summer. Instead of pigs and sheep, this farm is home to dragons, unicorns and flying monkeys. This summer, everything has changed – security fences are everywhere and Ordinary Farm is in no small danger. Shortly after Uncle Gideon declares that he wants to leave the farm to Tyler and Lucinda, he goes missing, and the children suspect the evil hand of the witch-housekeeper, Mrs Needle. But then Gideon just as mysteriously returns, weak and unwell.

Mrs Needle persuades him that the children are conspiring against him and, suddenly, horribly, the tables are turned. So begins an adventure to save the farm, involving a magnificent dragon, magic mirrors and a haunted mine.

Torn

By Amanda Hocking

Whisper

By Alyson Noël

(Published by Macmillan Children’s Books, R94) In the second book of the Trylle Trilogy for teens from the age of 12, Wendy leaves behind the mysterious country of her birth, and she is determined to fit back into normal life. But the world she’s left behind won’t let her go that easily. Kidnapped and imprisoned by her true family’s enemies, Wendy soon learns that the lines between good and evil aren’t as defined as she thought. With the help of the dangerously attractive Loki she escapes back to the safety of Förening, only to be confronted by a new threat. It’s time to make a choice – can she put aside her personal feelings for the sake of her country?

(Published by Macmillan Children’s Books, R85) This is the fourth book in the moving and uplifting Riley Bloom series, which explores one girl’s adventures in the afterlife.

Twelve-year-old Riley Bloom – ace Soul Catcher – faces her toughest challenge yet. She must travel to Ancient Rome and convince dead gladiator, Theocoles, to accept his fate and move on. Then she meets the charming Messalina, who gives Riley a dramatic makeover, transforming her into a beautiful teenager. Finally Riley experiences her first kiss. In a world this enchanting, will she ever want to leave?

The series is recommended for children from the age of nine to 12.

Oliver Stranger and the Journey to the Swamps

By Dianne Hofmeyr

an african tale

(Published by Tafelberg, R120) Oliver is a boy from Tooting, England, whose frog specialist father has gone missing in Botswana.

Lured away by the evil-minded Alecto, who pretends to be his aunt, Oliver makes friends with Zinzi, a girl who delights in caring for wild animals. The two of them are blindfolded, drugged and taken off into the Okovango Swamps by Alecto and her sidekick Molotse.

They have already captured Oliver’s father in their search for frogs, which are destined to be frozen, exported and eaten as sushi. It is up to Oliver and Zinzi to rescue his father and stop Alecto and Molotse’s terrible scheme. Oliver’s letters to his grandmother in Tooting with handwritten inserts and a few drawings liven up the text.

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books

for us Healthy Heart for Life

By Andrew Cate (Published by Struik Lifestyle, R160) More people than ever are living with heart disease and the number is on the rise.

But there is good news, heart disease can be managed, prevented and even reversed. Healthy Heart for Life will show you how. Designed by health and fitness expert Andrew Cate, this unique six-week programme contains achievable exercise tips, meal suggestions and proven advice to help you lower your blood pressure and cholesterol, and boost your health without medication. It includes a complete heart checkup to identify the lifestyle factors affecting your heart health, and through this book you can discover what foods can help fight heart disease. Learn strategies to help you live longer, lose weight and feel great.

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Love, Sex, Fleas, God: Confessions of a Stay-At-Home Dad

By Bruce Clark

A Small Fortune

By Rosie Dastgir (Published by Quercus, R195) Harris Anwar is a British Pakistani proud of his Eastern heritage. He is also proud to have installed his own central heating; proud of his swanky blue Citroën; even proud to have owned the same Hoover for over 20 years. The only thing rivalling his pride is his Muslim sense of responsibility and obligation. He longs to do well by those dearest to him, whether it’s his 19-year-old daughter, his cousin Nawaz and his family living on top of their burgeoning takeaway in Yorkshire, or his friends and family back in Pakistan. But there’s a problem: Harris’ best intentions always seem to breed the worst results. And so it’s no surprise that, when he decides to use his divorce settlement for selfless ends, this small fortune brings a huge cost of its own.

a dad’s story

(Published by Umuzi, R162) Bruce Clark, the world’s best dad, had a nightmare childhood that spewed him out onto the streets at age 16, uneducated and livid. Deep into adulthood he remained pretty much like that, until the love of a good woman grounded him. They got married and, at age 47, he became a father. Love, Sex, Fleas, God is Clark’s terrifically sad and funny account of parenthood seen through the eyes of one who knows about vulnerability; a father who would do anything to protect his children and rear them well and a man who feels a stab every day as his wife leaves for work. Clark’s story is What Women Want turned on its feet. This book makes you laugh and cry. It grips your heart and shows both the adult and child in you how frail and glorious a human life is.

Belinda

By Belinda Walton (Published by Crink, R175 excluding postage) This is the story of Belinda Walton’s courageous 10-year journey back to life, following a horrific car accident. Just eight weeks short of her wedding day, she was savagely cut down when a truck ran a red light, and nearly ended her life. While doctors expressed little hope that she would survive, and even less of any sort of long-term recovery, they weren’t counting on Belinda’s inner strength, and the defiant resolve of her determined parents. This is Belinda’s story, told through the pages of the diary entries she kept as she fought and struggled to overcome, and come to terms with, her disabilities. To order this inspirational read, email belindathebook@gmail.com

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for us

parenting books

Private – No. 1 Suspect

By James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Published by Random House, R215) Since former US Marine Jack Morgan started Private, it has become the world’s most effective investigation firm.

Private’s investigators are the smartest, the fastest, and the most technologically advanced in the world. When Jack’s former lover is found murdered in his bed, he is instantly the number one suspect. While Jack is under police investigation and fighting to clear his name, the mob strong-arms him into recovering $30 million in stolen pharmaceuticals for them. And the beautiful owner of a chain of luxury hotels persuades him to quietly investigate a string of murders at her high-class establishments.

With Jack and his team stretched to breaking point, one of his most trusted colleagues threatens to leave Private, and Jack realises he is facing his biggest challenge yet.

Fortytude

By Sarah Brokaw (Published by Hyperion Books, R144) In Fortytude, therapist Sarah Brokaw reveals the surprisingly accessible principles that can help women sail through their midlife years – more happily, more accomplished, and with grace and satisfaction. Brokaw shares stories, experiences, and insights of women from all walks of life. We meet a 41-year-old old nurse who takes on her weight and selfesteem issues after her sister’s death; we hear stories about women without children, stay-at-home moms, divorced moms, and stepmoms, as well as Brokaw’s personal fertility story.

From the varied lives of women who are embarking on or looking back on their forties, Brokaw extracts the values and lessons that will make the decade, and those that follow, fulfilling for all women.

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Brain Development Milestones and Learning

By Melodie de Jager

The Ultimate Baby & Toddler Q&A – Your 50 most common questions answered

By Netmums and Hollie Smith (Published by Headline Publishers, R207) There are so many vitally important questions for mothers of babies and toddlers, and the answers are here in The Ultimate Baby & Toddler Q&A. This is a comprehensive and accessible handbook from Netmums, the fastest-growing online parents’ organisation in the UK. It includes hundreds of top tips and suggestions from other mothers – real advice that works, from real moms who have experienced what you are going through. Some of the questions asked include: How do I pick him up? Is it okay to bring her into my bed? Is it okay to give him a dummy? When will she sleep through? When should I start weaning him? When will she start crawling? How do I make a start on solids? When will he start talking?

(Published by Mind Moves Institute, R240) The author invites her readers to an all-encompassing counselling session answering every possible question parents or parents-to-be might come up with. She addresses the reader at eye-level while sharing her extensive knowledge about a baby’s development. She enables her readers to grasp the perfect plan that underlies early childhood development and parenthood and recognise the wisdom of nature that hides in the natural unfolding of the reflexes. Having read the book, parents and parents-to-be will find themselves in a position to meet the challenge of parenthood with enriched knowledge not only about their baby, but also about their own parental abilities. Order the book on mindmoves.co.za

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calendar

what’s on in september

You can also access the calendar online at

childmag.co.za

Here’s your guide for what to do, where to go and who to see. Compiled by SIMONE JEFFERY

7 fri

special events

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FUN for children

55

only for parents

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bump, baby & tot in tow

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how to help

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SPECIAL EVENTS

FUN FOR CHILDREN

ONLY FOR PARENTS

bump, baby & tot in tow

how to help

Celebrate spring farm-style Enjoy a day out in the country on a working vegetable farm.

Buskaid: 15th Anniversary Concert A number of talented young Buskaid soloists take to the stage.

Active Mommies Get back into shape with your baby in tow.

National Cupcake Day Play your part in raising awareness and funds for children suffering with cancer.

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PHOTOGRAPHS: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

National Boat Show and Dive Expo If you’re into boats, scuba diving, fishing, and water sports, then this is for you.

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calendar

7 friday

SPECIAL EVENTS 1 saturday Albert’s Farm spring fair A fun community day spent enjoying one of our city’s hidden treasures. All sorts of family activities are available, from a kiteflying competition to a remote-controlled helicopter show. Time: 10am–3pm. Venue: Albert’s Farm, Eeufees Camp, De la Rey Rd, Northcliff. Cost: free entry. Contact Julie: 083 356 2514 or filmer@infodoor.com 10 Days in September This year’s Arts Alive International Festival brings an exciting array of artistic events across film, theatre, music, fine arts, dance, poetry and literature. Ends 10 September. Time: varies. Venue: varies. Cost: varies. Book through Computicket: 0861 915 8000 or visit computicket.co.za My City Rocks Joburg Day brings together a mixture of new-wave electronics, rock and sultry pop from South Africa’s top musicians. Time: from 11am. Venue: Riversands Farm, William Nicol Dr, Fourways. Cost: R220, children under 12 R85. Book through Computicket: 0861 915 8000 or visit computicket.com Recycling Week Drop off all your unwanted white goods, electronic waste and chemicals in the promotions court and view the wide range of eco-friendly products for your home. 30 August–4 September.

Time: 10am–5pm. Venue: Brightwater Commons, Republic Rd, Randburg. Cost: free entry. Contact: 011 789 5052 or visit brightwatercommons.co.za The Getaway Show The numerous exhibitors, demonstrations, Obikwa Photography Workshops and the exciting outdoor activity arena can help you prepare your next extraordinary holiday. 31 August–2 September. Time: 11am–7pm, Friday; 9am–7pm, Saturday; 9am–5pm, Sunday. Venue: Coca-Cola Dome, cnr Northumberland Rd and Olievenhout Ave, Northriding. Cost: adults R50, students and pensioners R30, children free. Contact: 021 530 3379 or visit show.getaway.co.za Tickey Afternoon The Grade 7s at Bryanston Primary School have organised a mini-fête filled with plenty of fun and games for all. The day teaches the young learners all about planning, compromise, cooperation and basic economic skills. For children 6–13 years old. Time: 12pm–4pm.

Venue: Bryanston Primary School, Hedding Field, cnr Grosvenor Rd and Mount St,

2 September – Cellar Rats Spring Wine Festival

Bryanston. Cost: free entry. Contact Tania: troman@bryanstonprimary.co.za or visit bryanstonprimary.co.za

2 sunday Cellar Rats Spring Wine Festival While you smell, taste and contemplate the 600 plus wines, your children can enjoy supervised entertainment such as a jumping castle, water slide, crab catching and more. Time: 11am–3pm. Venue: Old Mill, Magaliesberg. Cost: adults R99 from Computicket, R110 at the entrance; children R14,50 from Computicket, R10 at the entrance. Book through Computicket: 0861 915 8000 or visit computicket.com SA Chefs on the Rooftop A gastronomic feast complete with live demonstrations performed by the SA Chefs Association.

Time: 11:30am–3pm. Venue: B&B Markets Rooftop, Rosebank. Cost: free. Contact Deon: 011 442 4488, info@craft.co.za or visit craft.co.za

6 thursday Hobby-X Midrand Nurture your need to create and get inspired by the extensive range of crafts and hobbies on display. Ends 9 September. Time: 10am–5pm, Thursday– Friday; 9am–5pm, Saturday–Sunday. Venue: Gallagher Estate, Midrand. Cost: tbc. For more info: visit hobby-x.co.za SA Tattoo Filled with multi-cultural and multi-national Highland and Irish dancers, singers, drummers and pipe band performers. Ends 9 September.

Time: 8pm, Thursday; 8:30pm, Friday– Saturday; 2pm and 5pm, Saturday; 6pm, Sunday. Venue: Montecasino, cnr William Nicol Dr and Montecasino Boulevard, Fourways. Cost: R218–R398. Book through Computicket: 0861 915 8000 or visit computicket.com

1 September – Tickey Afternoon at Bryanston Primary School

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Casual Day Dress up in something wacky and creative or even super formal and raise money for worthy charities. Tickets are available from various outlets. Cost: R10 donation per sticker. For more info: visit casualday.co.za National Boat Show and Dive Expo The Art of Play children’s area provides hours of fun while you experience scuba diving in the “try dive” pool, learn a few braaiing secrets from the Weber Grillmasters and cheer on the contestants in the Wake Wars.

Ends 9 September. Time: 10am–6pm, Friday; 9am–6pm, Saturday; 9am–5pm, Sunday. Venue: Coca-Cola Dome, cnr Northumberland Rd and Olievenhout Ave, Northriding. Cost: adults R80, students and pensioners R50, children under 10 free. Contact: 0861 115 318 or visit webtickets.co.za

Ben 10: Omniverse premiere

15 sat

By entering the Ben10: Omniverse competition you stand a chance to win tickets to the premiere of Cartoon Network’s new Ben 10 series, featuring 10 new alien transformations.

Competition closes 7 September.

For children 6−11 years old.

Time: 2:30pm−4:30pm. Venue: Montecasino, cnr Witkoppen Rd and William Nicol Dr, Fourways.

Cost: free. The event is free, but you have to enter a competition via the website listed here in order to win tickets. For more info: visit cartoonnetworkafrica.com/ omniverse

8 saturday Picnic at Pug Rescue Bring your blankets and join Pug Rescue SA for a picnic. You are welcome to bring your socialised dogs on a leash. To order your basket, go to the picnic tab on the website. Time: 11:30am.

Venue: Pug Rescue SA area. Cost: R200 a basket (for two adults), children R60.

Contact Trixie: 074 581 4343, trixieso@ gmail.com or visit charitydogwalk.co.za

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Johnson’s Baby Sense Seminar Medical professionals look at your baby’s sleep, feeding, development and health, by equipping you with tools to help your baby sleep and feed better. This helps alleviate a mom’s anxiety, helping them cope with their baby’s needs. Receive goodie bags, an information booklet, win prizes and enjoy refreshments. For parents with children up to 18 months old. Time: 8am–5:30pm. Venue: Sandton Sun. Cost: R120 per workshops or R260 per session for the seminar. Contact: 021 461 4669, babysense@go4word.co.za or visit babysense.com

Family dolphin retreat A dolphin swim retreat for the whole family with a mix of drum circles, sound journeys, guided walks to the local village and fresh water lake, and swimming with wild dolphins. Ends 24 September. Venue: Ponta Malongane, Mozambique. Cost: R3 850. Contact Kate: 011 447 8121, 082 307 0424, info@ halogaia.com or visit halogaia.com Good Food and Wine Show The Chefs in Action Theatre is where the UK’s Heston Blumenthal is whipping up his signature dishes; while Dimo Simatos’ workshops lead you to discovering seven different flavours of chocolate. Children can keep busy by learning about food with Cbeebies.

Bookings for workshops recommended.

Ends 24 September. Time: 10am. Venue: Coca–Cola Dome, cnr Northumberland Rd and Olievenhout Ave, Northriding. Cost: adults R80, children R45. Book through Computicket: 0861 915 8000 or visit goodfoodandwineshow.co.za Soweto Festival A plethora of activities could have you playing table soccer, interacting with the graffiti wall artists, handling snakes and lizards, going oneon-one in the Nintendo gaming area, or biting your nails in the Redbull Extreme Zone and amusement park. Ends 24 September. Time: 10am–9pm. Venue: Johannesburg Expo Centre, cnr Nasrec Rd and Rand Show Rd. Cost: adults R30, children R10. Contact: 011 494 1920 or visit sowetofestivalexpo.co.za

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Photographic Safari Spend a couple of days learning from the talented and experienced Roger and Pat de la Harpe of Africa Imagery. Children can discover many interesting facts while on Jungle Drives.

Ends 19 September. Venue: Jaci’s Safari Lodge, Madikwe. Cost: tbc. Contact: 083 700 2071, jacisreservations@madikwe.com or visit madikwe.com

Breaking the sound barrier Along with flying and static displays there is a dedicated children’s “fly” park and youth development area where children can interact with high-tech simulators. Also 23 September. Time: 6am–5pm. Venue: Waterkloof Air Force Base, Centurion. Cost: adults R50, children R40. For more info: visit aadexpo.co.za

9 sunday Music in the Gardens Die Heuwels Fantasties, an Afrikaans electronic band from Cape Town, perform today. Time: 11am–6pm. Venue: Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden, at the end of Malcolm Rd, Poortview, Roodepoort. Cost: online R80, on the day R100, children under 13 free. Contact: 012 326 0560 or visit ticketbreak.co.za

14 friday National Recycling Day Clean up your neighbourhood and school by picking up litter and recycling. For more info: visit recyclingday-sa.co.za or cleanup-sa.co.za

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calendar Living among the stars An illustrated talk, filled with spectacular astro-photo images, about what the stars have to do with our origins on planet Earth. Booking essential. Time: 6pm. Venue: Maropeng Boutique Hotel, Sterkfontein. Cost: R295, includes a buffet dinner. Contact: 014 577 9000, childmag@maropeng.co.za or visit maropeng.co.za Magical Kidsland The MTN Festival has created a wonderland for children this weekend with face-painters, buskers, magicians and carnival rides. For children 2–12 years old. Ends 23 September. Time: 10am–4pm. Venue: Montecasino, cnr Witkoppen Rd and William Nicol Dr, Fourways. Cost: R30. Contact: 011 510 7000 or visit montecasino.co.za

and grasslands to a sparkling stream. Bring a light snack and juice. For children 6 years and older. Time: 8am. Venue: park opposite the entrance to Marks Park, Judith Rd, Emmarentia. Cost: adults R30, children R10. Contact: 011 482 4797 or visit mk.org.za

28 friday Village Festival Ngwenya Glass is hosting a day of puppet shows, clowns, magic, live music and a potjiekos

competition. In the evening, children can brave the ghost train ride with scary ghosts and witches. Ends 30 September.

Time: 1pm–8pm, Friday; 9am–8pm, Saturday; 9am–4:30pm, Sunday. Venue: Ngwenya Glass Village, off Beyers Naudé Dr and the R114, Muldersdrift. Contact Viv: 082 497 6054 The Green Expo Focussing on sustainability for the homeowner as well as the business person. Also 30 September.

Time: 10am–6pm. Venue: Sandton

23 sunday Heritage Day with Barry Hilton A day to feel proudly South African with friends and family. The entertainment includes live music, comedy with Barry Hilton and activities for children. Time: 12:30pm. Venue: D’oreale Grande Gardens of Vespasian, Emperor’s Palace. Cost: R60.

Book through Computicket: 0861 915 8000 or visit computicket.com

24 monday Heritage Day Hike A guided threehour hike across the Melville Koppies where you reach high rocky ridges with lovely views and traverse through forests

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Pick n Pay Taste of Joburg Prepare your palate for 14 of Joburg’s top restaurants that are serving up their tantalising signature dishes. Ends 30 September. Time: 6:30pm–10:30pm, Thursday–Saturday; 1pm–5pm, Saturday; 12pm–5pm, Sunday. Venue: Montecasino Outdoor Event Area, cnr William Nicol Dr and Montecasino Boulevard, Fourways. Cost: from R80; festival crowns R5 each. For more info: visit tasteofjoburg.com

Convention Centre, Sandton. Cost: adults R50, students and pensioners R30. For more info: visit thegreenexpo.co.za

29 saturday A Blooming Affair There are funfilled craft activities and yummy eats for the children at the Roedean Garden and Craft Market as well as a tea garden, champagne and salmon bar, and an array of craft stalls. At 11:30am and 2pm you can listen to a talk by Digby Ricci on “Utopias and Dystopias”. Time: 9am–4pm.

Venue: Princess of Wales Terrace, Parktown.

Cost: R20. Contact: 011 647 3200 or visit roedeanschool.co.za Chess Tournament Participants play at least four matches and the top eight players advance to the knockout stage. Prizes are awarded. For children 6–13 years old. Time: 10:30am–1pm. Venue: Killarney Mall, 60 Riviera Rd, Killarney. Cost: R50. Contact: 011 646 4657 or visit killarneymall.co.za Opti-Learn Carnival The morning offers stalls of knick-knacks, treats and games, manned by the learners from Grade 2–11. Time: 9am. Venue: NG Kerk Linden, 44 5th St, Linden. Cost: adults R10, children R5; games vary. Contact Marli: 011 782 1302 or visit opti-learn.co.za

30 monday Celebrating spring farm-style The chefs from The Forum Company have created a buffet of quiches, salads, cheese and

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Convention Centre, Sandton. Cost: R100.

Contact: 011 482 4459, info@artlogic. co.za or visit fnbjoburgartfair.co.za New fossil display A wide variety of paleontological gems are on display with the centrepiece of the collection being the 195-million-year-old clutch of dinosaur eggs, which is the oldest fossilised dinosaur eggs in the world.

Time: 9am–5pm, daily. Venue: Maropeng Visitor Centre, Cradle of Humankind, R400, Sterkfontein. Cost: adults R125, pensioners and students R85, children 4–14 years old R70, children under 4 free. Contact: 014 577 9000, childmag@maropeng.co.za or visit maropeng.co.za

classes, talks and workshops

Venue: Roosevelt Park, close to Cresta.

Cost: R200. Contact Jeanri: 083 408 8802, jeanri@cookingupastorm.co.za or visit cookingupastorm.co.za Kidz Take Over drama school Children are taught acting skills for stage over a period of three months. At the end of the training they star in their own production. For children 6–18 years old.

Starts 7 and 8 September. Time: Edenvale: 3:30pm–4:30pm; Bryanston: 11am–1pm.

Venue: 7 September: Universal Dance Centre, Stoneridge Shopping Centre, Edenvale; 8 September: Dance Zone, Bryanpark Shopping Centre, Bryanston.

Cost: teens R1 350; children R1 150.

Contact Shaye: 082 871 0034, shaye@kto. co.za or visit kto.co.za

DrumKidz morning workshop While your children drum to stories and songs you can enjoy a steaming cup of coffee. Booking essential. For children 3–10 years old. 15 September. Time: 3–5 year olds 10am–10:30am; 6–10 year olds 10:45am–11:30am. Venue: Jolly Java Party Venue, cnr 3rd Ave and 6th Rd, Bredell, Kempton Park. Cost: R45. Contact Nicole: 083 260 1846, nicole@drumkidz.co.za or visit drumkidz.co.za “Ek het dit self gemaak” Cooking classes for children who want to learn to cook in Afrikaans. Booking essential.

For children 6–12 years old. 21, 24 and 29 September. Time: 1pm–4pm, Friday and Monday; 9am–12pm, Saturday.

Kids Programme

24 September – Heritage Day Hike

desserts, using locally farmed ingredients.

Children can take part in tractor and pony rides, egg and spoon races and other activities. Time: 1pm. Venue: Rem Portion 17, Pine Valley Rd, Farm 534 (off Elandsdrift Rd), Nooitgedacht. Cost: adults R300, children R80. Contact Hazel: 087 310 3888 or underground@theforum.co.za

FUN FOR CHILDREN art, culture and science 20th Century Masters: The Human Figure A collaborative project between the French and South African governments showcasing works in which mainly

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French artists have depicted the human body over the last 100 years. It includes works by August Renoir, Pablo Picasso and Jan Fabre. Ends 15 September. Time: 8am–4:30pm, Monday–Friday; 9am–4pm, Saturday. Venue: Standard Bank Gallery, Frederick St (parking entrance in Harrison St). Cost: free. Contact: 011 631 4467 or visit standardbankarts.com or francesouthafrica.com FNB Joburg Art Fair The Fair brings together galleries from across South Africa and the world to showcase African contemporary art, books, coffee, good food and wine. 7–9 September. Time: 11am–9pm, Friday; 10am–9pm, Saturday; 10am–4pm, Sunday. Venue: Sandton

5, 7 and 26 September – Nestlé Healthy

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calendar Lil’ Chefs on Bryanston Moms and their young ones can enjoy a fun afternoon learning a few tasty spring recipes. For children 3–10 years old. Time: 3pm–4pm, Tuesday and Thursday. Venue: 279 Bryanston Dr, Bryanston. Cost: tbc. Contact Megan: 082 329 1618 or megan@bcwell.co.za Nestlé Healthy Kids Programme Children learn the importance of healthy eating, good nutrition and physical activity through fun theatre and workbook activities. Space is limited. For children 6–12 years old. 5, 7 and 26 September. Time: 10:30am–11am. Venue: Johannesburg Zoo, Jan Smuts Ave, Parkview. Cost: adults R58, children R36 (included in the zoo’s entrance fee). Contact: 011 514 6018, 082 671 5530, nhw.nestle@za.nestle.com or visit jhbzoo.org.za

family outings Exploring Confidence Reef Learn about the gold-mining characters involved in Joburg’s early mining history and the functioning of the stamp mill. For children 10 years and older. 30 September. Time: 2pm–4pm. Venue: Kloofendal Nature Reserve, Galena Ave, between Topaz Ave and Argent Ave, Roodepoort. Cost: adults R50, children under 12 R25. Contact: 079 693 5608 or visit kloofendalfriends.org.za Harties Cableway is back After being closed for seven years, the aerial cableway is open again. You can find a children’s play area at the top, as well as braai facilities and picnic spots. Operations are weather dependent.

Time: 9am–4pm. Venue: plot 3, Melodie, Agricultural Holdings, Hartbeespoort. Cost: adults R120, children R60. Contact: 072 241 2654, info@hartiescableway.co.za or visit hartiescableway.co.za

finding nature and outdoor play Bird spotting With a checklist in hand, you set off in the enclosed bird sanctuary at Delta Park to observe a staggering 239 species.

Booking essential. 15 September. Time:

15 September – Geology for novices

5:30am. Venue: meet at the main entrance of Delta Park, Blairgowrie, Randburg. Cost: members: adults R30, children R15; nonmembers: adults R60, children R30. Contact Karen: 011 958 5177, botsoc@sisulugarden. co.za or visit sanbi.org Cooper’s Cave picnic Explore a living museum where fossils are embedded in the rock and learn to make stone tools.

Bring your own torch, hat and sunscreen. 1 September. Time: 9am. Venue: Sterkfontein Caves, Cradle of Humankind. Cost: R350, includes a picnic lunch. Contact: 014 577 9000, childmag@maropeng.co.za or visit maropeng.co.za Douglasdale Dairy tours Take an educational tour of the factory to learn about the various dairy products and the process the milk goes through from beginning to end. Booking essential. For children 4 years and older. Time: 9am–12pm, Monday– Friday. Venue: Douglasdale Dairy, Waterloo Rd, Bryanston. Cost: free. Contact Carin: carin@douglasdale.co.za or dairytours@ douglasdale.co.za Geology for novices A presentation and walk through the Kloofendal Nature Reserve, learning how gold came to Kloofendal and Joburg, presented by

Pony Camp at Shepherd’s Fold Stables A wonderful opportunity for children to learn more about horses as they take part in outrides, games and the hands-on care of horses. No previous riding experience necessary. Children 3–5 years finish at 1pm. For children 3–18 years.

2 and 3 September. Time: 8am–5pm. Venue: 55 Sunset Dr, Elandsdrift, Muldersdrift. Cost: R230. Contact Belinda: 084 220 2657, belinda.milsom@gmail. com or visit shepherdsfoldstables.co.za

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geologist Toni Jamison. For children 12 years and older. 15 September. Time: 9am–11am. Venue: Kloofendal Nature Reserve, Galena Ave, between Topaz Ave and Argent Ave, Roodepoort. Cost: R50.

Contact Karin: 079 693 5608 or visit kloofendalfriends.org.za Random Harvest Indigenous Nursery Children can enjoy digging in the sandpit and patting the calves. The Waterlily Tea Garden offers freshly baked and cooked goodies.

Time: 8am–5pm, Monday–Saturday. Venue: plot 57 College Rd, Muldersdrift. Cost: varies. Contact: 082 553 0598, info@rhn. co.za or visit randomharvest.co.za Walk among the clivias There’s an extraordinary show of clivias in the garden at this time of the year. 15 September.

Time: 9am. Venue: Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden, at the end of Malcolm Rd, Poortview, Roodepoort. Cost: members: adults R30, children R15; non-members: adults R60, children R30. Contact: 011 958 5177, botsoc@sisulugarden.co.za or visit sanbi.org

holiday programmes Anyone for tennis? A fun tennis clinic with small classes to ensure individual attention. 3–7 September. Time: 3–6 year olds: 8:30am–9:30am, 6–16 year olds: 9:30am–1:30pm. Booking essential. Venue: Craighall Park Tennis Club, St Alban’s Rd, off Jan Smuts Ave, Craighall Park. Cost: mini tennis: R240 for five days, R80 per day; half-day clinic: R900 for five days, R200 per day. Contact Michele: 083 443 3391, michele@itatennis.co.za or visit itatennis.co.za A Wild Kids holiday A physical outdoors programme for children to use their own bodies and sensory systems within the natural environment. For children 3–6 years old. 3 and 7 September. Time: 9am–12pm, Monday and Friday. Venue: Field and Study Centre, Parkmore. Cost: R250, includes a healthy snack. Contact Troye: 083 457 4106, troyeterblanche@gmail.com or visit wild-kids.co.za Basic robotics and machines Children can enjoy an introduction to basic robotics and machines and spend the morning making Lego models come to life. Booking essential. For children 7–9 years old.

3 and 5 September. Time: 9am–12pm.

Venue: Engenius Toys, shop L23 (next to the cinema), Fourways Mall. Cost: R200.

Contact Dee-Ann: 011 465 5386, 074 141 4330 or visit engeniustoys.co.za Early simple machines Enjoy a morning building simple Duplo structures. Booking essential. For children 4–6 years old. 3–7 September. Time: 9am–12pm. Venue: Engenius Toys, shop L23 (next to the cinema), Fourways Mall. Cost: R150.

Contact Dee-Ann: 011 465 5386, 074 141 4330 or visit engeniustoys.co.za Fastrackids tackles reptiles Children learn all about the scaly, cold-blooded and forked tongue reptiles that inhabit the Earth in this week’s holiday programme. Booking essential. For children 18 months–7 years old. 3–7 September. Time: 9am–12:30pm.

Venue: Fastrackids Broadacres, ext 7 Cedar Rd, Shop 7, Broadacres Shopping Centre.

Cost: R650. Contact: 011 467 0230, magazine joburg

reception-fourways@fastrackids.com or visit fastrackids.com/fourways Holiday care at Kids@Play Qualified staff entertain children throughout the school holidays, getting them involved in fun activities and supervising as they play and climb on the jungle gyms. For children 2–8 years old. 3–7 September.

Time: 8:30am–4pm. Venue: Kids@Play, 193 Longleat Ave, Chartwell, Fourways.

Cost: from R100 per day (includes snacks and refreshments). Contact Katherine or Barry: 082 413 9843, 084 670 3546, kath. kidsatplay@gmail.com or visit kidsatplayza. weebly.com Key Players band workshop Children learn one or two songs and, once they feel confident enough, perform as part of a band. The workshop caters for beginners through to advanced musicians with each member contributing their skills to the overall performance. Bring your own instrument.

4–6 September. Time: 9am–4pm. Venue: Key Players Music, 4 Sandpiper Ave, Douglasdale. Cost: R150. Contact: 072 644 7828, eugene@keyplayersmusic.com or visit music-lessons.co.za Mechanical Mania In this course children learn to build different models, such as motorised cars, catapults and a working clock. Booking essential. For children 7–13 years old. 4, 6 and 7 September. Time: 9am–12pm. Venue: Engenius Toys, shop L23, Fourways Mall. Cost: R200. Contact Dee-Ann: 011 465 5386, 074 141 4330 or visit engeniustoys.co.za My World holiday programme Each day sees the children tackling different activities, from making their own musical instruments and taking part in a scavenger hunt to baking, creating crafts and dancing like a diva. For children 1–5 years old. 3–7 September. Time: 7am–5:30pm. Venue: My World, 78 Worcester Rd, Parkwood.

Cost: My World learners R1 000, outside learners R3 500. Contact Nicole: 011 640 1544, info@thisismyworld.co.za or visit thisismyworld.co.za

markets Baby Bargains Market You can find quality used baby and toddler goods for sale at affordable prices. 29 September.

Time: 9am–2pm. Venue: The Garden Nursery, 81 Pomona Rd, Kempton Park.

Cost: free entry. Contact René: 076 158 8448, rene@babybargainsmarket.co.za or visit babybargainsmarket.co.za Bokkie Park Craft Market Browse through the vast variety of items that are on sale and treat the children to sand art, face painting, ceramic painting, pony rides, camel rides and farmyard activities.

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Abseiling and caving adventure Dress up in an overall and a helmet, take a torch and abseil in through the roof of a wild cave where you will spend 1,5 hours on a guided tour.

No previous experience needed.

Booking essential. For children 8 years and older. Time: 11am–2pm, every Sunday. Venue: meet at EnGedi Lodge, plot 22, Protea Ridge Rd, Kromdraai, Krugersdorp.

Cost: adults R300, children R220.

Contact Sandy: 011 956 6197, 082 486 2464, info@wildcaves. co.za or visit wildcaves.co.za

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1 September. Time: 9am–2:30pm. Venue: Bunny Park Craft Market, Pretoria Rd, Rynfield, Benoni. Cost: free entry. Contact Janine: 011 896 3890, 083 294 1817 or visit craftsinthepark.blogspot.com Moonlight Market There’s an exciting array of market stalls and live entertainment. Children can have their faces painted or take turns on the jumping castle. 28 September. Time: 5pm–9pm.

Venue: Fountain Court, Stoneridge Mall, 1 Stoneridge Dr, cnr Hereford Rd and Modderfontein Rd, Greenstone Park, Edenvale. Cost: free entry. Contact: 011 452 5721 or visit stoneridge.co.za Walkerville Farmer’s Market The market is celebrating its second birthday with jumping castles, pony rides, live entertainment, colouring-in competitions and craft activities. 1 September. Time: 9am–3pm. Venue: 112 Main Rd (R82), Walkerville. Cost: free entry. Contact: 011 949 4266, info@wfmarket.co.za or visit wfmarket.co.za

on stage and screen ...And a great pair of warm socks Unity College presents a delightful production about a group of children who are off to a school camp accompanied by their offbeat, super enthusiastic, huge binocular-toting camp guide. Unfortunately their bus breaks down and in the process they learn lessons of gratitude for things great and small.

4 and 6 September. Time: 7pm–8:30pm.

Venue: Dainfern College, Broadacres Dr, Dainfern. Cost: adults R30, children R10.

Contact Michelle: 011 465 2422/3 Ben 10 Evolution Catch every Ben 10 episode ever made this month, including movies and game shows, as Cartoon Network builds up to the premiere of the new series, Ben 10: Omniverse. Time: 7pm, every day; 5:30pm, every Friday; on Cartoon Network, channel 301 on DStv. For more info: visit cartoonnetworkafrica.com Comic ventriloquist Paul Zerdin turned talking to himself into an entertaining talent involving four puppets, each with their own quirky personalities. No children under 3. 28 September. Time: 8:30pm. Venue: The Lyric Theatre, Gold Reef City, take the M1 South, Booysens exit. Cost: R100–R150. Book through Computicket: 0861 915 8000 or visit computicket.com I Goggas on Stage This South African musical follows a picnic ant as he travels through Joburg helping a beautiful British butterfly that has lost her way.

Along the way they bump into Conrad the Chameleon, Lola the ladybird and Boykie the bumblebee. 10 September– 13 October. Time: 9am and 11am, Monday–Friday; 10:30am and 2:30pm, Monday–Saturday during the holidays.

Venue: National Children’s Theatre, 3 Junction Ave, Parktown. Cost: adults R100, children R80. Contact: 011 484 1584, bookings@nctt.org.za or visit jyt.co.za

Imagine Back by popular demand, find yourself dumbfounded and baffled by the sleight of hand of magician and illusionist Ilan Smith. No children under 10. 4–13 September. Time: 8:15pm, Tuesday– Thursday; 8:30pm, Saturday; 5:30pm, Sunday. Venue: Joburg Theatre, cnr Simmonds St and Stiemens Rd. Cost: R160.

Book through the Joburg Theatre: 0861 670 670 or visit joburgtheatre.com

6–16 September – The Nutcracker

Peter Rabbit and Other Tales Children fall in love with this timeless tale that follows Peter Rabbit as he scampers through Mr McGregor’s garden, and other tales featuring characters such as Benjamin Bunny, Jemima Puddleduck and Johnny Town-Mouse. 3 September–7 October.

Time: 9am and 11am, Monday– Friday; 10:30am and 2:30pm, Saturday– Sunday. Venue: People’s Theatre, cnr Loveday St and Hoofd St, Joburg Theatre Complex, Braamfontein. Cost: non-members R99, members R65,

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accompanying a member R85. Contact: 011 403 1563, info@peoplestheatre.co.za or visit peoplestheatre.co.za Skin Sense Day Spa Fundraiser This evening’s performance of Moonshadows is in aid of Johannesburg Child Welfare.

The performance sees a five-piece cast pay tribute to folk, country and acoustic legends. Suitable for all ages. 20 September.

Time: 6:30pm. Venue: Rivonia Barnyard Theatre, cnr Witkoppen Rd and Rivonia Rd, entrance in Achter Rd, Rivonia Crossing.

Cost: R200. Contact Keryn (Skin Sense Day Spa): 011 807 6281, therapist@skinsense. co.za or visit skinsense.co.za The Nutcracker A classical ballet favourite set to Tchaikovsky’s incomparable score tells of a young girl, Clara, who receives a magical Nutcracker doll at a Christmas party. The doll comes to life, turns into a handsome prince, and takes her on a magical journey. For children 3 years and older. 6–16 September. Time: 7:30pm, Thursday–Saturday; 3pm, Saturday–Sunday; 11am, Sunday. Venue: Joburg Theatre, cnr Simmonds St and Stiemens Rd. Cost: R50–R320. Book through the Joburg Theatre: 0861 670 670 or visit joburgtheatre.com

a five-week period, they’re awarded a collector’s Gym badge from the United States. All ages. 8 and 22 September.

Time: Brightwater Commons: 12pm–4pm; Glenvista: 10am– 2pm, every Saturday.

Venue: Centre Court, Brightwater Commons, Randburg; Tradestation Games, Glenvista Shopping Centre. Cost: free.

Contact Bruce: 083 215 6500 or visit pokemon.com

sport and physical activities Off road-go-karting Take a spin around the dirt track on your own or get together with friends and family, make up teams and create your own mini race. Children under 10 can hop on board the tractortrailer ride. Go-karting for children 10

years and older. Time: 9am–5pm, daily.

Venue: Ngwenya Glass Village, off Beyers Naudé Dr and the R114, Muldersdrift.

Cost: from R95 for five laps, trailer ride R15. Contact Brian: 082 909 9486 or buggyparks@gmail.com The Ultimate Outdoor Adventure Working as a team, or individually, you can take part in mental and physical challenges to get you off the couch and learn useful life skills in the process. Booking essential.

For children 6 years and older. Time: 9am, 12pm and 3pm, Saturday and Sunday.

Venue: Pelindaba, Hartbeesport Dam (15 minutes from Fourways). Cost: adults R220, children R165. Contact Debbie: 082 895 2513, admin@surviveorrace.co.za or visit surviveorrace.co.za

playtime and story time Play Pokémon Purchase your cards from a toy store near you and start trading.

Leagues meet weekly to pit their skills against one another. After 32 games over

Off-road go-karting

only for parents classes, talks and workshops Feeling good for spring Dietician Ina Nortjé shares some of her secrets for keeping slim, eating a healthy diet and keeping her energy levels up. Booking essential. 1 September. Time: 10am. Venue: Ngwenya Glass Village, off Beyers Naudé Dr and the R114, Muldersdrift. Cost: R75, includes tea, cake and a contribution to a charity. Contact Athalie: 083 285 8383 Fitmommy An exercise programme for moms to get in shape and ready for the beach this summer. Starts 10 September.

Time: 4:30pm–5:30pm, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Venue: Norscot Manor Recreation Centre, 16B Penguin Dr, Norscot Manor, Fourways. Cost: from R560.

Contact Debbie: 082 895 2513, admin@ fitmommy.co.za or visit fitmommy.co.za Handwork pottery classes Students learn the basic techniques for creating ceramic objects. Bring your own apron.

Time: 9am−12pm, every Wednesday.

Venue: Seedpod Studio, 13 4th Ave, Parkhurst. Cost: R180. Contact: 011 447 0006 or parkhurst@seedpodstudio.co.za Investing in yourself Get a few tips and tricks on how to take time out for yourself during your busy day to help restore your wellbeing. For moms only.

Booking essential. 29 September. Time: 12:30pm–3pm. Venue: Green Genes,

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calendar Parent’s information evening The evening provides professional and topical information for parents with children 0–5 years old. Babysitting and supper is provided for your children during the talk.

Booking essential. For parents of children 0–5 years old.

3 September. Time: 5:45pm–7pm. Venue: 78 15 September – The next big thing at Caitlin’s Casting Worcester Rd, Parkwood.

Cost: My World parents 39 St Alban’s St, Craighall. Cost: R200. free; outside parents R50. Contact: 011 Contact Kamani: 071 646 5028, kamani@ 640 1544 or info@thisismyworld.co.za fabmomslifecoaching.co.za or visit Power of Purpose Teaching tools that fabmoms.wozaonline.co.za help you to be focused, and present, and Launch of the Greenside Boot Camp enjoy your parenting, even during the Fun, outdoor, high intensity training to get chaotic times. 1 and 8 September. Time: you fit and help you lose weight. Booking 9am–6pm. Venue: Parkhurst. Cost: R2 000, essential. Time: 5:30am and 8am Monday, includes workbook and audio material.

Wednesday and Friday; 6pm, Tuesday and Contact Mandy or Beth: 084 200 9700, Thursday; 7:30am, Saturday. Venue: Pirates 083 345 2538 or mandy.freedom44@ Club, 25 Grayside Rd, Greenside. Cost: gmail.com R650 (launch special). Contact Sasha: 083 Sensory intelligence in education 573 6568 or sashabode@gmail.com Dr Annemarie Lombard gives an informative Learning to sign Basic sign language workshop for parents, teachers and training in workshop one and two deal therapists of children who have sensory, with issues around food, animals, clothing, behavioural and attention issues. family and much more. Booking essential. 8 7 September. Time: 8:30am–4:30pm.

September. Time: 8:30am–3:30pm. Venue: Venue: Reformed Church, Kempton Park Sandton. Cost: R350–R700, excludes North. Cost: R850. Contact Estelle: 082 refreshments. Contact Monita: 082 218 710 1690 or 36913227@mylife.unisa.ac.za 7339, contact@tinyhandz.co.za or visit Sustainable gardening Learn how to tinyhandz.co.za create a beautiful garden in a cost-effective Montessori Teacher Training An way, with the help of nature, from landscape information session for those wishing to designer David Viljoen. Booking essential. register for the 2013 accredited training 1 September. Time: 9:30am. Venue: Garden programme; part-time and distance World, Beyers Naudé Dr, Muldersdrift. Cost: learning study options are available. tbc. Contact Magriet or Corné: 011 957 22 September. Time: 8:30am–10am.

2545, nursery@gardenworld.co.za or visit th Venue: Little Star Montessori, 57 15 St, gardenworld.co.za Parkhurst. Cost: free entry. Contact: 083 The importance of reading This 616 0887, info@montessorisa.co.za or visit workshop touches on the importance montessorisa.co.za of literacy and how you can instil and encourage this skill in your children. For parents and caregivers of children 0–6 Defending the Caveman years old. 22 September. Time: 10am.

Alan Committie offers comical Venue: Parkhurst Recreation Centre, insight into the minds of men Parkhurst. Cost: R100, includes tea and and women and explains how handouts. Contact Shannon: 074 102 today’s decisions and behaviour are 6200 or shannoneggers@vodamail.co.za still linked to the motivations of Training in Rave-O Training in our caveman predecessors. 1–16 reading intervention, which targets September. Time: 8pm, Wednesday– serious challenges, for small groups. The Saturday; 5pm, Saturday; 3pm, programme teaches every aspect of a Sunday. Venue: Pieter Toerien word, making connections between Theatre, Montecasino, cnr William sounds, word parts, multiple meanings, Nicol Dr and Montecasino grammar and spelling patterns. Booking Boulevard, Fourways. Cost: R75– essential. 10–12 September. Time: R150. Book through Computicket: visit computicket.com 8:30am–4pm. Venue: Bellavista School Hall, 35 Wingfield Ave, Birdhaven. Cost: R2 500. Contact: 011 788 5454 or secretary@bellavistaschool.co.za What is possible? A one-day workshop sat that teaches you how to pursue your dreams while still being a fantastic parent and raising children who don’t have limiting beliefs. Booking essential.

15 September. Time: 10am–4pm. Venue: Melrose Place Conference Centre. Cost: R950. Contact Mia: 083 451 4594, mia@ transformationalcoaching.co.za or visit transformationalcoaching.co.za

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on stage and screen Buskaid: 15th Anniversary Concert The programme, featuring a number of talented young Buskaid soloists, includes the world premiere of Karl Jenkins’ Soweto Suite for Strings, among others. No children under 6 years. 8 September. Time: 7:30pm.

Venue: Linder Auditorium, 27 St Andrew’s Rd, Parktown. Cost: R110–R160. Book through Computicket: 0861 915 8000 or visit Computicket.com Dance Umbrella 2 Contemporary dance lovers get a bonus this year with the launch of a second Dance Umbrella programme, which is presenting local works and international collaborations. 1–9 September.

Time: varies. Venue: varies. Cost: R60– R100. Book through Computicket: 0861 915 8000, 011 492 0709 (Dance Forum) or visit computicket.com Evolution tour Jonathan Butler is joined on stage by Ronnie Joyce and Lionel Peterson for an evening of legendary gospel music.

7–8 September. Time: 8pm. Venue: Montecasino, cnr William Nicol Dr and Montecasino Boulevard, Fourways. Cost: R195–R295. Book through Computicket: 0861 915 8000 or visit computicket.com Just for laughs A comedy fundraiser in aid of Jo’burg Child Welfare. No children under 16. 5 September. Time: 6pm.

Venue: TSG4Ways, Leaping Frog Shopping Centre, William Nicol Dr, Fourways.

Cost: R250, includes a three-course meal and the show. Contact Tracey: 083 564 6644, pr@jhbchildwelfare.org.za or visit jhbchildwelfare.org.za Kat and the Kings A multi-award winning musical created by David Kramer and the late Taliep Petersen. Set in Cape Town’s District Six in the 1950s, the story explores the journey of teenager Kat Diamond.

20 September–18 November. Time: 8pm, Wednesday–Saturday; 4pm, Saturday; 3pm, Sunday. Venue: Pieter Toerien Theatre, Montecasino, cnr William Nicol Dr and Montecasino Boulevard, Fourways. Cost: R100–R250. Book through Computicket: 0861 915 8000 or visit computicket.com Naked truth about childbirth Birth is a play that follows eight pregnant women, showing the audience the truth behind how low-risk women are giving birth today. 1 September. Time: 7pm. Venue: National School of the Arts, 17 Hoofd St, Braamfontein. Cost: R120. Contact Sally: 082 584 0666, sally@birthsupport.co.za or boldbirth.wix.com/southafrica National Ballet of Cuba A passionate and uniquely Cuban performance of extracts from classics such as Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker and Swan Lake. No children under 3. 30 August–2 September.

Time: 8pm. Venue: Montecasino, cnr William Nicol Dr and Montecasino Boulevard, Fourways. Cost: R80–R350. Book through Computicket: visit computicket.com Scatterlings of Africa Johnny Clegg’s high-energy performance includes dancing, visuals from the 30 years he has been performing, and the Soweto Gospel Choir. 15–16 September. Time: 8pm.

Venue: Teatro, Montecasino Boulevard, cnr William Nicol Dr and Witkoppen Rd. Cost: R237–R390. Book through Computicket: 0861 915 8000 or visit computicket.com magazine joburg

30 August–2 September – National Ballet of Cuba

Spring Opera Gala The Stonehage Charitable Trust hosts an evening with superstar tenor Israel Lozano from Spain, in aid of the Chevrah Kadisha. 9 September.

Time: 3:30pm. Venue: Linder Auditorium, 27 St Andrew’s Rd, Parktown. Cost: R180– R360. Book through Computicket: 0861 915 8000 or visit computicket.com Sunday Morning This comedy follows a successful photographer whose life gets turned upside down the day he finds out that his girlfriend is pregnant. Starring Jamie Cunningham. 4–15 September.

Time: 8:15pm, Tuesday–Saturday; 6pm, Saturday. Venue: Old Mutual Theatre on the Square, West St, Sandown. Cost: R60. Contact: 082 553 5901/3 or visit theatreonthesquare.co.za

out and about Cake alchemy evening An evening of pairing cake with alcoholic beverages to bring out the subtle flavours in both.

6 September. Time: 6pm–10pm. Venue: Annica’s, cnr Main Ave and Bond St, Ferndale, Randburg. Cost: from R265.

Contact: 011 884 9445, annicas@mweb. co.za or visit annicasdeli.co.za Choc Cows & Believe project MTB race An entirely “non-profit” mountain biking event with all proceeds going towards Choc, the Childhood Cancer Foundation South Africa. You can register beforehand or on the day. 22 September. Time: 8am. Venue: Northern Farms, Diepsloot Nature Reserve.

Cost: 25km R120; 55km R160. Contact: 073 879 2151, marc@garmin.co.za or visit myactive.co.za or believeproject.co.za Hoola party Celebrate the first day of spring with flavourful Mediterranean cuisine, hoola dancers and a fiery flame show. Bookings recommended.

1 September. Time: 7pm. Venue: TSG Fourways, Leaping Frog Shopping Centre, cnr William Nicol Dr and Mulbarton Rd. Cost: varies. Contact: 011 465 7270, info@ tsg4ways.co.za or visit tsg4ways.co.za Hope School golf day A fundraisder for the school. They provide education, therapy and accommodation to physically disabled learners and those with barriers to learning. 7 September. Time: 11am. Venue: Crown Mines Golf Club, Booysens Reserve Rd. Cost: R1 600 per four-ball, (includes lunch and dinner). Contact Ingrid or Jo: 011 646 6130, ingridvey@icon.co.za or visit hopeschool.co.za September 2012

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calendar Poplar Academy open day A day for parents of children from Grade 0–1 to meet the teachers and view the facilities.

15 September. Time: 8:30am–12pm.

Venue: 39 Whisken Ave, Crowthorne, Midrand. Cost: free. Contact: 082 655 0723, info@poplarprimary.co.za or visit poplaracademy.com Sunflower Fund’s Charity Ball Dress to impress and enjoy a night out on the town.

This evening’s theme is “Stories of Hope”.

Space is limited. 8 September. Time: 6pm.

Venue: The Hilton Sandton’s Ballroom, 138 Rivonia Rd, Sandton. Cost: R1 000 per person; R10 000 per table. Contact: 011 781 4200 or lauren@sunflowerfund.org.za Swartkrans walking tour Enjoy a privileged look at a working paleontological dig with scientist Morris Sutton and enjoy a light lunch afterwards. Booking essential. 15 September. Time: 9am. Venue: Sterkfontein Caves, Cradle of Humankind. Cost: R350.

Contact: 014 577 9000, childmag@ maropeng.co.za or visit maropeng.co.za The next big thing Does your child have what it takes to be on TV? Parents of children interested in acting can find out more about the exciting industry of television and film.

15 September. Time: 10am–11am. Venue: Hilton Hotel, cnr Maude St and Rivonia Rd, Sandton. Cost: free entry. Contact Addi: 082 559 6702, addi@netactive.co.za or visit caitlinscasting.co.za TOPS Soweto Wine Festival A festival of wine and food where you can take part in tutored wine classes, learn to pair food with wine and find out how to start a career in the wine and hospitality industry.

6–7 September. Time: 6pm–10pm, Thursday–Friday; 5pm–9pm, Saturday.

Venue: University of Johannesburg, Soweto Campus, Chris Hani Rd, Soweto. Cost: R120, three-day access R280. For more info: visit sowetowinefestival.co.za

bump, baby & Tot in tow

classes, talks and workshops Active Mommies Exercises are designed specifically to help you through pregnancy and to get your shape back after the birth of your baby. Time: Rosebank: 3pm, every Monday, 10:30am, every Wednesday; Lonehill: 9am, every Monday and Thursday.

Venue: Rosebank Union Church, Sandton; and The Village Church, Lonehill. Cost: R90

29 September – National Cupcake Day

per class, R380–R600 per month. Contact: 082 462 7519, info@activemommies.co.za or visit activemommies.co.za Antenatal classes Advice and tips on having a healthy pregnancy, information on delivery methods and options, and tips on how to look after a newborn.

Time: 6:30pm–8:30pm, every Tuesday.

Venue: Ladybird Corner, on the grounds of Linksfield Hospital. Cost: R1 100. Contact: 011 485 3057 or info@ladybirdcorner.co.za Breast-feeding workshop First-time moms can attend this workshop before the birth of their child to get a few helpful tips for when it’s time to start breast-feeding. 14 September. Time: 8:30am–12:30pm. Venue: Bright Start Right Start, 35 Northwold Dr, Saxonwold.

Cost: R350. Contact: 011 447 2202, info@brightstartrightstart.co.za or visit brightstartrightstart.co.za Fitbaby A postnatal exercise programme to help you burn your pregnancy fat. You are welcome to bring your baby. Starts 10 September. Time: 10:30am–11:30am, every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Venue: Norscot Manor Recreation Centre, 16B Penguin Dr, Norscot Manor, Fourways.

Cost: from R560. Contact Debbie: 082 895 2513, admin@fitmommy.co.za or visit fitmommy.co.za Great Expectations An informative talk for first-time moms to learn about health and wellness during pregnancy, common discomforts, birthing choices and your changing roles and responsibilities.

Booking essential. 1 September. Time: 8:30am–12:30pm. Venue: Bright Start

Hipp organic weaning to feeding workshop Learn ways to prepare healthy food for your little ones, from weaning to toddler meals, creating plates for picky eaters and practical menu options for busy moms. Each participant receives a hamper of baby food and a recipe book. 15 September. Time: 8am. Venue: Sandton Sun. Cost: R360. Contact: 021 461 4669 or visit babysense. co.za/seminars

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Right Start, 35 Northwold Dr, Saxonwold.

Cost: R790 per couple. Contact: 011 447 2202, info@brightstartrightstart.co.za or visit brightstartrightstart.co.za Moms and Tots workshops A toddler stimulation programme to enhance coordination and perception. For toddlers 1–3 years old. Time: 10am–11am, every Monday. Venue: Green Genes, 39 St Albans Ave, Craighall Park. Cost: tbc. Contact Laura: 082 603 3186 or laura@momsandtots.co.za Preparing for birth Learn about the signs that labour is imminent, more about the birthing process and how to bond with your baby during the first few days.

Booking essential. 29 September. Time: 8:30am–12:30pm. Venue: Bright Start Right Start, 35 Northwold Dr, Saxonwold.

Cost: R790 per couple. Contact: 011 447 2202, info@brightstartrightstart.co.za or visit brightstartrightstart.co.za

playtime and story time Children’s reading event Story time for little ones. Time: 2pm, Monday, Tuesday and Friday; 10:30am, Saturday. Venue: Reader’s Warehouse, Broadacres Shopping Centre. Cost: free. Contact Julia: 011 467 0390, broadacres@readerswarehouse.co.za or visit readerswarehouse.co.za Dibukids storytelling Expose your children to different languages at Dibuka where they can listen to stories told in Zulu, English and French. For children 3 years and older. 22 September. Time: 10:30am–1:30pm. Venue: Dibuka at Alliance Française, 17 Lower Park Dr, cnr Kerry Rd, Parkview. Cost: free. Contact: 011 646 1115, dibukids@alliance.org.za or visit alliance.org.za Wild-Kids developmental programme A weekly physical outdoors programme that helps to prepare your child for school through activities such as running, skipping, hopping, climbing trees and playing in mud.

For children 3–6 years old. Time: 4pm–5pm, every Tuesday and Thursday. Venue: Field and Study Centre, Louise Ave, Parkmore, Sandton. Cost: R75. Contact Troye: 083 457 4106, troyeterblanche@gmail.com or visit wild-kids.co.za

support groups CanSurvive Cancer Support Group On the second Saturday of each month have a cup of tea/coffee, a chat with others and listen to an interesting talk. 8 September.

Time: 9am. Venue: 18 Eton Rd, Parktown.

Cost: free. Contact: 083 640 4949 or cansurvive@icon.co.za Parenting through play A workshop and support group where parents bond with their children and learn to address various issues through play. For parents of children under 10 years. 1, 8 and 15 September. Time: 10am–12:30pm. Venue: The Family Life Centre, 1 Cardigan Rd, Parkwood. Cost: R1 600 per parent, R2 850 per couple. Contact Kirstan: 083 663 3639, kirstan@facp.co.za or visit familylife.co.za Single parent support group JeanMarie offers support and guidance for single parents. 15 September. Time: 10am–11am. Venue: Parkview Medical Suites, 63 Dundalk Ave, Parkview. Cost: R70. Contact Jean-Marie: 076 054 5510 or soloparenting@talc.co.za

how to help ADHASA Ribbon Challenge Schools can help create awareness by getting involved in seeing who can sell the most ribbons.

Ribbons cost R5 each, and schools only pay for the ribbons sold. Contact: info@adhasa. co.za or visit adhasa.co.za National Cupcake Day Take part in this event that aims to raise awareness and funds for children suffering with cancer.

You can assist by helping to bake cupcakes or by volunteering on the day at the participating malls. 29 September. Time: 8am. Venue: venues across Gauteng. Cost: R10 donation per cupcake. Contact Sandy: 073 208 6757, sandy@cupcakesofhope. org or visit cupcakesofhope.org PinkDrive Schools are invited to raise funds towards the PinkDrive by holding Civvies Days and cake sales. Should they raise R5 000, the PinkDrive team and Pink truck will come to their school and educate them all about breast cancer awareness.

For more info: visit facebook.com/#!/ PinkDriveSchools South Africa Medical and Education Foundation (SAME ) This NPO’s mission is to create equal health care for all.

You can assist by donating funds or by sponsoring equipment. Contact Kate: 011 234 6060, gauteng@samefoundation.org. za or visit samefoundation.org.za Santa Shoebox Project From 1 September you can register online to participate in this year’s initiative, bringing joy to children during the festive season.

The gift-wrapped Santa Shoeboxes need to be dropped off at central distribution points between 24 and 31 October. For more info: visit santashoebox.co.za

don’t miss out!

For a free listing, email your event to joburg@childmag.co.za or fax it to 011 234 4971. Information must be received by 31 August 2012 for the October issue, and must include all relevant details.

No guarantee can be given that it will be published. To post an event online, visit childmag.co.za

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it’s party time For more help planning your child’s party visit

childmag.co.za/resources/birthday-parties

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it’s party time

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finishing touch

between lycra and lace ANÉL LEWIS never strived for an Olympic gold medal, in any sport, but she’ll put on a good show to get fit.

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self into what I thought was a pair of Lycra shorts and survived the 60-minute class without passing out.

As I walked out of the studio, flushed with exertion and pride, a gym instructor tapped me on the shoulder saying, “Erm... you do know that you have a hole in your pants.”

It turns out, in the semi-dark, I had donned a pair of my husband’s old cycle pants, which he had discarded because they were torn. And there was not just one little hole, but a lattice of threads holding the pants together, giving new meaning to the term “broekie lace”.

Yes, I had spent an entire hour with my derrière in the air, exposing my undies to the hapless spinners behind me. And of course, in my eagerness to get back on the bike, so to speak, I had positioned myself right at the front of the class.

After that disastrous reintroduction to physical activity, it was with some

trepidation that I recently found myself at the starting line of a 5km race.

I am not a natural born runner. I really believe that if man was meant to run from Pietermaritzburg to Durban, economy airlines would not have been invented. But I’m tired of hearing friends wax lyrical about the joys of running, and I’ve been too embarrassed to venture back into that spinning class.

Within a few seconds of the start, I was ready to head home. “Has it been 1km yet?” I wailed, as we took the first corner. By the second kilometre mark, I was almost in tears. It was raining, I was being passed by 10-year-olds running in their coats and winter boots and I couldn’t feel my thighs. Then we caught up with a mother-and-son team. They were laughing as they struggled up the hills. When he faltered, I heard her setting him small goals.

“Just run to the end of this street and then we can walk.” When he succeeded, they high-fived each other. She was always

Erin, Anél and Conor

encouraging and although he looked tired, it was apparent that he was motivated to cross the finish line. Beaming, they held hands when they reached the end.

I realised then that it’s that kind of sportsmanship that I want to teach my children. So, with spring in the air, I’m going to lace up my tekkies and head outdoors with the family for some fun exercise. But first, I’m going to buy myself new cycling pants.

Anél Lewis is Child magazine’s features editor. She’s back at work after a wonderful, but busy, four months on maternity leave.

Follow her on Twitter: @LewisAnel

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PHOTOGRAPH: STEPHANIE VELDMAN

i

’ve never been the sporty type. I managed a bit of netball in junior school and I dragged myself out of bed for 6am swimming training in high school – but it was just for one term and I only did it because I wanted to lose weight for a school dance.

A brief flirtation with tennis came to an abrupt end when my mother packed away my racket over the December holidays, to keep it safe. Unfortunately, she forgot that she had stored it, and when the term resumed my racket was nowhere to be found. I still reckon I could have given Serena Williams a run for her money.

Anyway, it’s too late to reprise my tennis skills. But, after the birth of my second baby, I’ve decided it’s time to improve my fitness.

It started off well enough. I managed to get someone to watch the children so I could hit the gym for a spinning class, at some ungodly hour. I squeezed my flabby