Bayside MamaMag March 2016

BAYSIDE

mamamag March 2016

WIN A family pass to the cadbury easter egg hunt Hanging with Hi-5 Preparing for VCE Tutoring benefits Playdate perfection Bully busting

free Local fun for the Bayside mum

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cool for school And just like that, both my kids are at school! It still seems like yesterday I brought my baby girl home from hospital, then this month I left her for her first day of prep. It’s been 3 weeks already as I write this and I still get a little burst of joy every morning as she appears downstairs in her cute blue school dress.

She is so proud of herself, but mummy even prouder!

Everybody says she is a mini me. I guess I better start plaiting her hair then. Yes that’s me in prep, see I’m a Bayside girl from way back in my old school St Leonard’s College uniform!

It’s been a somewhat crazy month at MamaMag. I lost a week in the office by doing the delivery of our new Outer West region of our Westside mag. It was super fun exploring our new territory and checking out lots of places our Westside mums have been telling me about. This month we are launching the new Northside MamaMag which I am super excited about. I’ve got a fabulous born and bred Northside mama, Danielle, in charge over there and I can’t wait to bring the mag to a new set of mamas to enjoy. But of course my heart will always be in Bayside. How can it not? My daily walks through Landcox Park remind me of my own childhood playing there, fishing for yabbies and rolling down the hill. Every time I drive around Bayside I can’t help but smile to myself and thank my lucky stars I got the opportunity to come back home and rebuild my life post divorce. #happierthanever Despite the busy-ness, there has also been some excitement this month. My favourite fun run around Melbourne Zoo is always a February highlight, running past giraffes and monkeys! February also saw the 215000th copy of MamaMag printed since we began bringing the fun to Melbourne mamas 17 months ago.

And now it’s March… and Easter… and almost school holidays again, eeekkkk. I have a feeling I’m going to blink and this year will almost be over. But it’s going to be a brilliant year, I can’t wait to enjoy it all. xxx

@localmamamag

WIN

Be prepared 6 Preparing primary kids for VCE success Hanging with Hi-5 We meet the new look cast

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The positive benefits of tutoring How it can help your child

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The many faces of bullying Some tips to consider

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Rise of the mumpreneur Mums starting their own businesses

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Lovely locals Main Street Mordialloc

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Musical intelligence Why it makes sound sense

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Mama of the month Sarah from Little Rockers Radio

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Dear mamas in the school yard A school mum’s letter

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How drama saves the world!

28 Belinda’s journey - school and beyond Keys to a successful playdate Top 10 tips and more

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Parklife 34 The colourful Packer Park Carnegie Mama can cook Treats from SoNaughtyButNice

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Best foot forward Foot development in younger years

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No choking matter 40 Child Revive explain choking hazards Art play for conversation Get creative and talk with the kids

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Colour & win WIN tickets to Ice Age Live!

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MamaMag March 2016

1 of 2 family passes to 2016 Cadbury Easter Egg Hunt at Werribee Park on Good Friday!

SO EV OU LD EN T T

Contents

Visit our Facebook page to enter

www.facebook.com/localmamamag Entries open to Victorian residents only. Competition starts March 1st 12.01am and closes March 21st 2016 at 11.59pm.

Each prize is 4 tickets to the hunt on friday March 25 2015 at Werribee Park. All participants in the Hunt must be between the ages of 3-12 years. Visit mamamag.com.au full terms and conditions.

MamaMag is published monthly for the mums of the Bayside area by Grizzle Design Pty Ltd. ABN: 26 042 138 550. PO Box 8018 Brighton East VIC 3187 Phone: 1300 771 446 Email: info@mamamag.com.au www.mamamag.com.au

10,000 copies monthly in the Bayside area: Bayside, Glen Eira, Kingston and Port Phillip.

Editor in Chief: Sarah Cavalier Assistant Editor: Kirsty Chick Design & layout: Grizzle Design Sales & Marketing Manager: Charlotte Whelpton Bayside ad sales: Daniela Simonetta Distribution: Lara Schendzielorz Like to contribute an article submission or products for Facebook giveaways? submissions@mamamag.com.au For advertising enquiries: download our media kit from www.mamamag.com.au or email info@mamamag.com.au The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the publishing staff. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited without permission of the publishers.

Health related articles are designed to be informative and educational. They are not intended to provide specific medical advice or replace one-on-one advice from your health practitioner.

Be prepareD How to prepare your child for a VCE success from primary school.

It’s a new school year and once you have sorted out the uniform and perhaps the books list, your thoughts may turn to how to help your child have a successful academic year.

Here are some tips and hints that may help you and your child: • Achievement in VCE is dependent on intellect but also on maturity and resilience.

Being academically talented is not enough to do well. Students need to be reasonably mature to manage the stress of VCE and to have the discipline, focus and organisational skills required. Therefore, I would consider very seriously, any advice from your school or a professional whom you trust, that your child should repeat Year 11 or take 3 years to complete VCE. Sometimes that extra year taken to mature emotionally and intellectually can be very helpful. For the same reason, if there is talk about your child repeating a year or even having an extra year in Kinder, this could be the key to setting your child up for an easier journey through school. Obviously, each student is unique, but extra time for your child to develop may be the best gift he or she can be given.

• If you are concerned about your child’s speech, learning, social skills, movement or emotional state, trust your gut. As the parent or carer, you know your child best.

Ask questions of your child’s teacher and consider having your child assessed by a relevant allied health professional. You can start this process by seeing your general practitioner who will guide you about which type of professional you need to see.

You GP may also be able to provide you with a care plan so that most or all of your appointments are paid for by Medicare.

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Asking friends who are well networked for names of good speech or occupational therapists, for example, can also be helpful.

Above all, trust your gut, keep asking questions until you feel satisfied that your child is receiving the help he or she requires.

• Expose your child to the world beyond his or her own life and city. Talk to your child about discoveries, inventions and appropriate news events. The ABC3 news for kids can often start an interesting conversation. Weave in where we live, how government works, how tax works.

• Ask them questions. How do you think that works? Where does the rain come from? Why do we recycle? Is this made of plastic or glass? Encourage them to think, wonder and ask. Two books that really support this and which my girls love are Manfish and On a Beam of Light. Point out and explain scientific ideas in action, such as condensation or magnets. If you do not know how these work, look it up with your kids (or look it up before and explain to them). There are lots of science sites just for kids. Peep and The Big Wide World, Science Toy Maker, and Ology are fun and explanatory.

• Use a varied and descriptive vocabulary around and with them. Explain what a new word means (even if you have to look it up yourself).

• Teach them to observe nature closely. Watch the snails and how they move in the garden.

Notice how plants, trees and flowers grow and change. Try and use and find vocabulary to describe the changes. You can also bring out the science questions here.

• The obvious one; keep them reading!

As long they are interested it does not matter what they read. Ask at libraries and bookshops that may interest your child. Fiction, non-fiction, graphic novels, e-books, sophisticated picture books are some examples. Google books on topics your child is interested in. Take them to author discussions about books at libraries or reading festivals. The Children’s Book Council runs Book Week in October each year which starts off with a huge fun free book festival. Tell them summaries of some of the books you read as a child. Look up bios of authors of books that they like.

• Have you ever wondered how as parents we go the extra mile to foster a love of reading and instil sportsmanship by repeatedly practicing multiple sports with our child, but expect that maths will be learnt entirely through osmosis? If there is only one thing you can do at home to teach maths, it should be an attitude that maths is fun! If you have time for more, ask them to guess.

Guess the time, the distance, the cost, the quantity, the direction etc. Monopoly is handy and chess is even better. Learning to take numbers head on will enable a strong and successful engagement with maths (contributed by Ritika Walia).

• Get them to make their own books or help you tell a story. It can be as simple as you saying one sentence and then each taking a turn to add one more line.

• Teach your child that mistakes are fine and that is ok to make mistakes. Try to model that trying with something that can be hard, and then succeeding can be a really good feeling.

• Give them some responsibility at home, appropriate to their age. This will hopefully develop discipline and a sense of achievement.

• Celebrate their learning, their questions and their ideas!

Marissa Pinkas (together with educator Judith Field) has created Speech Matters, a practical resource for teachers in which all aspects of public speaking are explicitly explained and illustrated. The teaching of oral skills is broken down into logical and clear chapters, making it very easy to teach important aspects of planning, writing and presenting speeches. To order call 0419 09 9839.

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hanging with The Hi-5 team are in their 18th year of entertaining our little ones. They’ve won ARIAs and Logies, and most importantly the hearts and minds of our children (and parents as well!). They have probably saved you once or twice and provided a living room of happy feet and smiling faces. You’re likely to have had one of their catchy tunes stuck in your head (so many animals right now!). The quintet may have evolved and changed over the years, yet the delivery of high energy and charisma has remained constant – it’s a magic formula that has endured almost two decades.

In 2016, the Hi-5 gang welcomes two new members into the fold, Lachlan and Gabriel.

Ahead of their performance at The Essential Baby and Toddler show, we chatted to Tanika, Lachlan, Gabriel and Dayen about the group’s new dynamics and what life is like as rock stars to the young.

What can audiences expect from Hi-5 in 2016?

Tanika: We are going to be spending a bit more time in Australia reconnecting with our Aussie fans which we are very excited about. We also have two new members, Lachie and Gabe who are really keen to meet you all!

Lachlan: Audiences can expect lots of fun and laughter like always from Hi-5 this year, but because there are two new cast members, Gabe and myself, they can certainly expect some new excitement and energy!

Gabriel: Audiences can expect a Hi-5 team with a new fresh energy. Obviously with two new members the team has a completely different energy whilst still providing the same quality of entertainment that Hi-5 has prided itself on since its conception.

Dayen: We have two brand new members this year, and we are so excited to have them on board! We can’t wait for everyone to meet Lachie and Gabe.

What is the magic that makes Hi-5 so popular?

Tanika: Hi-5 makes learning fun. Through song and dance, colour and games; kids are able to reach their fullest potential by being confident and comfortable with who they are. All the

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members of Hi-5 (past and present) are just big kids who want to want to have a good time.

Lachlan: There are so many magical things about Hi-5 but I think the most magical is our special way of making learning so much fun through music and dance.

Gabriel: I think it’s the honest performances of all the cast members past and present and the wonderful direction of the creative team.

There is a huge amount of importance on interacting with the kids as if we were their older brothers and/or sisters, allowing for performances that are kind and generous and never condescending.

Dayen: Hi-5’s Magic is a combination of music, dancing and colour. I believe that Hi-5 is loved by children all around the world because the songs and dance moves are catchy and easy to follow plus they don’t even realise they are learning while they are having fun!

You’ll be at The Essential Baby and Toddler show, what do you love most about Melbourne?

Tanika: I absolutely adore Melbourne. The culture and the people make Melbourne such a special place. The city is filled with so much art and plenty of hidden spots where the locals go to hang out.

Lachlan: Melbourne is fantastic for shopping which I really love and I am a massive AFL fan!

Gabriel: I personally am a Melbournian, born and bred so it’s very exciting to be performing so close to home.

Dayen: We are so excited that we will be at the essential baby and toddler show! Aside from all the really cute babies that will be there, our fans in Melbourne are particularly very welcoming.

A huge welcome to Lachie and Gabe to the Hi-5 group! What were your backgrounds before joining Hi-5?

Lachlan: I have been incredibly lucky to have joined Hi-5 immediately after finishing high school! In fact, I received the call to say I was in the group the morning after my last HSC exam.

I have however been working towards a career in entertainment for a very long time. I began dance training at four years of age and took up acting and singing not long after that. For the last few years, while still at school I have been teaching dance, performing in corporate gigs, performing in pantomimes and cabaret club shows, filming a few TV commercials and doing a bit of modelling.

Gabriel: I didn’t know I wanted to be performer until later in life so once I finished high school I ended up going to the University of Melbourne studying a Bachelor of Arts before changing after a year to the Victorian College of the Arts where I completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre in 2014. From here I was very fortunate to be cast as Neil Kellerman in GFO’s Dirty Dancing that ended up touring Australia for a total of 330 shows. Whilst touring I auditioned for Hi-5 and well here I am now.

Is it hard to transition new members into the group?

Do the kids take a while to accept the new dynamics?

Tanika: It’s actually quite a fun and interesting experience. Every kid reacts differently but the most beautiful thing about Hi-5 is that we are all one big family and I think the kids know that, which makes cast changes easier for the kids to accept.

Lachlan: I can only speak from my experience and I have to say that everyone at Hi-5 has welcomed me so lovingly that I feel like they have been in my life forever! Although I’m sure the kids will miss Stevie, they too have been really accepting of me and I’m going to do my best to give them an awesome time.

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How does one even become part of one of the most successful groups in Australia? Was it a big casting process?

Lachlan: I still have to pinch myself sometimes to believe that being a part of Hi-5 is real!

Since I was a very little boy I have only ever wanted to perform, so auditioning is just a part of my everyday life. So when my agent asked me to submit a video audition for a part in Hi-5, I filmed it and sent it off without thinking too much about it. You can never get your hopes up too high or the disappointment would be crippling. So when I got a call to say that I was on the short list and had to attend an audition I was pretty excited! The audition fell right in the middle of the HSC exams too, but luck was on my side and they were days when I didn’t have exams. The luck seemed to continue as I stayed in the mix as the elimination process went on!

What’s a typical day in the life of a HI-5 cast member?

Tanika: We eat a BIG breaky together, spend a lot of time in vans and aeroplanes, we sing and dance almost every day and we laugh so much that it hurts.

Lachlan: The best thing about Hi-5 is that no day is ever the same. Most days I start by reading through emails! Some days it will be a singing session or a dance choreography session, script readings or costume fittings.

Other days we have radio or newspaper interviews, photoshoots, and the best days of all are when we have a show!

What have been some of the funniest things kids have said to you?

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very intensely “You’re a monkey” like I have absolutely no idea!

Dayen: ‘Why are you so sweaty?’

What’s the best part of working with children?

Tanika: I love how honest and awesome they are. Their carefree approach to life is a quality that every adult can learn from.

Lachlan: The best part of working with children is their positive energy. Kids just want to learn and have fun!

Gabriel: Their energy! They are such a joy to be around and make our lives that much better for their love of the show.

Dayen: Their honesty. As adults we build walls, filters and we can tend to get lost within what society shapes us to be. But children are so pure and they are on a journey discovering who they are which is so special to watch.

What would you like children to take away with them after watching you perform?

Tanika: Be yourself, love one another and never stop having fun.

Lachlan: I really want them to leave with their imaginations and creativity inspired, with a greater love for music and dance and to feel energetic and positive about our world.

Gabriel: To be themselves. I hope the kids take from the show the fact that there is nothing funnier than just letting go as they dance and sing away.

Tanika: One time a little four year old boy asked me out on a date after a show to get milkshakes, so I went with him. He made his mum walk behind us and sit at another table.

Dayen: I hope that the kids can go home having learnt something new! When children come to a show, they don’t realise they are learning so much because they are having fun.

They learn about beat, rhythm, memorising dance moves, expanding their vocabulary, coordination and the list goes on.

Lachlan: I struggle containing my laughter before we sing “So Many Animals” and we put on face masks and ask the kids what animals we are. While hopping around scratching myself there is always a kid that screams

Hi-5 will be performing live daily at the Essential Baby & Toddler Show (1-3 April, Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton). Free tickets are available until 5pm March 31, register online now at www.babyandtoddlershow.com.au

What can audiences expect from Hi-5 in 2016?

Tanika: We are going to be spending a bit more time in Australia reconnecting with our Aussie fans which we are very excited about. We also have two new members, Lachie and Gabe who are really keen to meet you all!

Open every day of the school holidays!

Tanika: Hi-5 makes learning fun. Through song and dance, colour and games; kids are able to reach their fullest potential by being confident and comfortable with who they are. All the members of Hi-5 (past and present) are just big kids who want to want to have a good time.

Lachlan: There are so many magical things about Hi-5 but I think the most magical is our special way of making learning so much fun through music and dance.

Lachlan: Audiences can expect lots of fun and laughter like always from Hi-5 this year, but because there are two new cast members, Gabe and myself, they can certainly expect some new excitement and energy!

Gabriel: Audiences can expect a Hi-5 team with a new fresh energy. Obviously with two new members the team has a completely different energy whilst still providing the same quality of entertainment that Hi-5 has prided itself on since its conception.

Dayen: We have two brand new members this year, and we are so excited to have them on board! We can’t wait for everyone to meet Lachie and Gabe.

We are so excited that you will be performing at The Essential Baby and Toddler show, what do you love most about Melbourne?

Tanika: I absolutely adore Melbourne. The culture and the people make Melbourne such a special place. The city is filled with so much art and plenty of hidden spots where the locals go to hang out.

Gabriel: I think it’s the honest performances of all the cast members past and present and the wonderful direction of the creative team.

There is a huge amount of importance on interacting with the kids as if we were their older brothers and/or sisters, allowing for performances that are kind and generous and never condescending.

Dayen: Hi-5’s Magic is a combination of music, dancing and colour. I believe that Hi-5 is loved by children all around the world because the songs and dance moves are catchy and easy to follow plus they don’t even realise they are learning while they are having fun!

A huge welcome to Lachie and Gabe to the Hi-5 group! What were your backgrounds before joining Hi-5?

essential baby and toddler show! Aside from all the really cute babies that will be there, our fans in Melbourne are particularly very welcoming.

Lachlan: I have been incredibly lucky to have joined Hi-5 immediately after finishing high school! In fact, I received the call to say I was in the group the morning after my last HSC exam.

I have however been working towards a career in entertainment for a very long time. I began dance training at four years of age and took up plus we have a special under 5s section acting and singing not long after that. For the last few years, while still at school I have been teaching dance, performing in corporate gigs, performing in pantomimes and cabaret club shows, filming a few TV commercials and doing a bit of modelling.

What is the magic that makes Hi-5 so popular?

Gabriel: I didn’t know I wanted to be performer

Lachlan: Melbourne is fantastic for shopping Casual play any time with family & friends which I really love and I am a massive AFL fan!

4 years and under $9, 5 years and over $15

Gabriel: I personally am a Melbournian, born We and encourage whole tofamily to join bred so it’s the very exciting be performing so close to home.

in,

Dayen: We are so excited that wepackages will be at the Birthday party - 1.5hrs for 12 kids

BYO food: $195 (additional kids $15 each) Catered: $275 (additional kids $22 each)

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Saturdays year round: 10am – 6pm Sundays and School Holiday weekdays: 10am – 4pm

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The positive benefits of tutoring

By Linda Sacco - M. Teaching (Primary).

Linda is a tutor at Kip McGrath Education Centres. www.kipmcgrath.com.au

Does your child dread maths at school?

Are they falling behind in reading?

Do you wonder if your child is really achieving their potential at school?

Tutoring is beneficial to every child whether they are struggling, considered average or are ahead of their peers.

Tutoring ABCs Children as young as pre-school can enrol into tutoring, but in most cases, children commence tutoring sometime in primary school. Tutoring is available for literary (reading, writing, grammar, spelling) and numeracy, or both could be tackled in one session. If a child is experiencing significant problems with both, most parents opt for two separate tutoring sessions per week to allow the child to concentrate uninterrupted, on either literacy or numeracy in a single session.

Tutoring sessions usually run 60-80 minutes, any more and a child becomes too tired or unfocussed, any less and the lesson may have a limited impact on the child, without the time needed to fully grasp and commit new knowledge to memory. Choose the best time for your child to have a tutoring session. If your child is having a tutoring session after school, make that the only after-school activity that weeknight. Avoid scheduling tutoring after piano lessons and sports practise. Children learn more when they are as focussed and alert as possible. Many tutors also run sessions on weekends.

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What makes a tutoring session successful?

Tutoring sessions are first and foremost about the individual child. A good tutor will do an assessment to determine a child’s current level in literary and numeracy. This is usually done through a short test given to the child, by looking at recent school reports and listening to parents’ observations of their own child.

A lesson plan should be discussed with the parent. This will acknowledge the child’s areas of weakness that need to be concentrated on, as well as highlighting their strengths in other areas of literary and numeracy. Parents may also wish for their child to work on the areas they are performing well in, because this will sharpen their child’s overall ability in school.

Tutoring works best when children are individually tutored or in a small group of 3-5 children. In a small group, siblings can usually be tutored together. In a quiet, studious tutoring environment, most children have the ability to concentrate on their work without distracting other children, and this is another skill they pick up in tutoring.

What to look for in a tutor Tutoring is most beneficial when run by a qualified educator (Victorian Institute of Teaching registered teacher or university student-teacher with a Working with Children Check). These educators are police checked and deemed trustworthy to be around children.

They are professionals with a network of other educators to collaborate with, a wide variety of resources, expert knowledge and best of all, a passion for education.

Every child benefits from tutoring Struggling at school, even with just one subject, can lead to a drop in a student’s self-esteem.

Children need to feel confident and learn to persevere when work gets challenging. The first big milestone for any student starting school is to learn to read. Children who are struggling with their reading in the first few critical years of school are uncomfortable reading out loud and less likely to seek help from a teacher, who will already be juggling the demands of other children in the classroom. Parents will notice they do not even want to try to read their take-home book anymore. Tutoring provides a safe environment where a tutor can build up the confidence of the child by giving them the chance to read at their own pace. By providing children with plenty of praise and the right reading strategies the benefits of tutoring a child struggling with reading are paramount.

Children in the middle years of primary school can unfortunately start to develop a phobia of numeracy. This is when the curriculum starts to widen to include a larger amount of topics, and Grade 3 NAPLAN results are looming. Many frustrated parents try to explain numeracy to their children but both child and parent often give up when a child “doesn’t get it.” Numeracy tutoring at this age allows the child not only to focus on trouble areas in maths, but to build connections between mathematical topics, making them more fluent in maths overall.

Tutoring also makes a difference to senior primary school students by getting them ready for the demands of high school courses and homework. Parents who want their child considered for selective high school programs have found tutoring the essential ingredient to successful admission. Tutoring fosters essential study skills needed for the student to organise productive study sessions at home, by teaching them to be organised, self-motivated and goal-driven.

The benefits of tutoring are for parents as well as children. It is far more difficult to schedule an appointment with a classroom teacher than a tutor. A tutor should be able to give you a quick update on the child’s progress each and every week. A tutor will be a valued supporter in your child’s life as they travel the road to success.

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The many faces of bullying There has been bullying in schools from day dot. Despite decade’s worth of research and the attention placed on it in schools today, bullying still continues to be a real issue. Primary school kids are more educated than ever on what bullying is, but sometimes kids (and their parents and teachers) can still find themselves stuck in knowing how to deal with it. As a result, children’s wellbeing can be significantly compromised.

If your child reports they witnessed bullying happen….

Below are some tips to consider if you find your child caught up in the tangled web of bullying.

• Encourage your child to report any incidences to the teachers at school.

If your child reports they are being bullied….

Bullying is a complex issue and unfortunately there is no quick fix. Working together with the school, and understanding your child’s needs will help lead to a resolution. If you are finding your child is going through a challenging time in regards to bullying, contact one of our psychologists who can give you and your child strategies to work through these challenging times.

• Be supportive. Give your child the time to express themselves and listen to their story.

• Build a positive relationship with your child’s teacher and be in regular contact with him or her. Be mindful that your child may not have told their teacher about bullying incidents.

• Promote positive problem solving behaviours to keep them safe.

• Promote self-soothing/relaxation strategies to cope with the stress.

• Encourage your child to widen their friendship network.

If your child has been involved in bullying incidences….

• Question and explore what is triggering this behaviour. Is this behaviour out of character?

Has your child recently gone through a stressful time? Have there been changes at home? Has your child developed ageappropriate social skills?

• Help develop your child’s empathy skills.

Some ways of developing these might be through reflecting on past experiences or analysing character’s behaviours and feelings in books and movies.

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• Be supportive and listen to their story. Be mindful that your child may be negatively affected by witnessing the bullying. For example, they may have felt a sense of helplessness towards the victim, or possibly felt sadness by seeing someone get hurt.

• Encourage positive helping behaviours.

By Emma Trifiletti, Psychologist, Sensational Kids Ormond. www.sensationalkids.com.au

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the rise of the mumpreneur Despite significant advances by the corporate sector in the provision of better maternity leave benefits and flexible work options, research has shown that upwards of 45% of mothers still do not return to work after maternity leave.

So what is happening to all of these mothers? Are they opting out of the paid workforce altogether, instead choosing or effectively being made to pursue the important work of childrearing instead of continuing to forge successful careers?

Although this may be the case for some, it certainly is not for all. Instead, many mothers are choosing to start their own business postchildbirth, so earning themselves the name ‘mumpreneurs.’ So, why exactly are so many women choosing this path, and more importantly, what support is available to those who do?

Why are so many women choosing to start their own business?

Research conducted by Working Mother’s Connect shows that up to 70% of women consider starting their own business after the birth of their first child. Reasons cited for this include the perceived inability to juggle work and home life, a problem that disproportionately affects women, despite the fact that men now contribute more in the home than ever, and changing priorities, accompanied by a decrease in the perceived importance of their career. Unfortunately, research also shows that discrimination experienced during pregnancy can also act as a significant deterrent for women who may have otherwise wanted to return to work after maternity leave.

Of course, a dwindling desire to return to work is not solely to blame for the low post-maternity leave return rate. Even though the many organisations have recognised that providing maternity benefits and flexible work options is 18

essential to attracting and retaining top talent, many still fail to translate these options into successful careers, with part-time work in some organisations being akin to career suicide although this doesn’t have to be the case.

Even if women can successfully navigate work flexibility, research shows that they may be penalised from a promotion perspective simply due to their status as mothers.

The compounding effect of all of these factors motivates many women to want more control, flexibility, and work satisfaction. Therefore, many seek to start their own business – a pursuit that, in theory, fulfills these requirements.

But what kind of support is available for budding mumpreneurs?

For a budding mumpreneur, having your own business certainly sounds like a dream come true. And if successful, it definitely can be. However, given that over 50% of small businesses fail within three years of their inception, comprehensive support for mumpreneurs is critical to ensure that their businesses succeed.

But how do mumpreneurs access this type of support? Research shows that creating and maintaining strong business networks can be the difference between success and failure, especially for female entrepreneurs. For this exact reason, Working Mothers Connect has created Mumpreneur’s Connect, an innovative online platform that helps mums grow their businesses through utilising each other’s services, sharing projects, and leveraging referrals.

Succeeding as a mumpreneur is never easy – but it is definitely possible, and with the right support, and networks, success is far more likely.

By Natasha Gallardo, Founder & CEO, Working Mothers Connect

Are you a Mumpreneur wanting to grow your business or are you a mum thinking of starting a business and not sure where to go for support?

Mumpreneurs Connect is a digital networking platform designed specifically for the modern Mumpreneur. It aims to connect Mumpreneurs with each other, but it also offers much more than that – it provides a gateway to a wealth of business intelligence, gives Mumpreneurs the upper hand when securing each other’s business, and provides an accessible, convenient forum to discuss and resolve issues unique to Mumpreneurs.

Join Mumpreneurs Connect today for our special introductory price of $99 for 12 months and you’ll receive these incredible benefits: The opportunity to profile your business and list your services Access to a member’s directory where you’ll be able to view and connect with other Mumpreneurs Access to our exclusive ‘Project Board’ where can view projects currently listed by other Mumpreneurs, and provide a quote to offer your services Access to our online networking space, where you’ll be able to discuss the challenges of being a Mumpreneur, and gain access to a wealth of advice and support.

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To find out more visit www.workingmothersconnect.com.au/mumpreneurs

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1. Lovely Lunch: Seed café – Very friendly in here and a great spot for lunch after a big play session at the local playground or a stroll along the beach, which are just across the road. All day breaky menu, which we always love.

Nice sunny courtyard out back. Great mama lunch spot. 9 Centreway. www.seedcafe.com.au 2. Wine Bar: Mordialloc Cellar Door – We absolutely love the concept here – you can BYO food (from local traders) and enjoy it with a glass of wine or ale. Staff here are friendly and happy to assist with your beverage selection.

Pick your favourite lunch from outside and wash it down with a great drop.

They also do cheese platters (our weakness!) and coffee. This is a great people watcher spot, if you grab a stool and sit at the open window out front.

In winter there is an open fire to add to the overall charm of this local gem.

622 Main Street. www.mordycellardoor.com.au

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3. Coffee buzz: Main Street Café – THE place for coffee. Main Street Eatery has a great vibe and is family friendly. The kids’ menu includes your regular fair, pikelets (with banana + nutella YUM!), ham & cheese toastie, eggs on toast for not much than a fiver. An early dinner with the kids also offers great value with mini cheeseburgers, mini fish + chips and homemade lasagna sure to hit the spot. Or grab a $10 pizza on Tuesdays. 503-505 Main Street. www.mainstreet3195.com/

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4. Date night: Side Street – Just next door to Main Street, and owned by the same people, is the very trendy Side Street. Nice and relaxed atmosphere, live music on Sunday arvos and open mic sessions on Thursday nights.

Tapas menu and good for cocktails. We love a yummy antipasto with vino.

Great local place to unwind. There’s a courtyard out back.

503-505 Main Street. www.mainstreet3195.com/sidestreet 5. Family dinner: Tommy Ruff Fish Bar – Not your average corner store fish and chip offering. Tommy Ruff is a seafood delight. Tommy Ruff offers many unique and exciting dishes such as beer-battered fish tacos with Mexican salsa (yum!), panko crumbed fillets in a bun and crab claw burger with soft shell crab, slaw, coriander and special sauce. If you’re not feeling like something fried, the selection of grilled fish can be ordered with a choice of toppings and accompanied by some delicious fresh salads.

574A Main Street. www.tommyruff.com.au 20

5.

Shelford Early Learning Centre …

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Co-educational Toddlers group and full-time 3 and 4 year old programs Child Care Benefit and Child Care Rebate available Experienced staff Specialist programs Library, Sport, Music, Jolly Phonics, Feuerstein Extended Hours from 7.30am - 6pm School holiday program Official Rating Exceeding the National Quality Standard

For further information or to register for a tour please contact Marie De Sousa on 9524 7413 Shelford Girls’ Grammar 3 Hood Crescent, Caulfield.

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Developing musical intelligence makes more than sound sense Would you be surprised to know that there is an activity that can vastly improve your child’s cognitive capacity? That could develop mastery of languages, help to create memory systems, positively affect emotional state and help with complex problem solving, as well as provide the potential for a healthier brain as it ages?

And what if that activity was found by scientists to be beneficial at any time of life but most beneficial before the age of seven?

Dr Anita Collins, from Melbourne University, in her inspirational TED talk, confirms that, remarkably, scientists have found that activity to be music! Researcher Dr Shiela Woodward has established that children have musical memory and the ability to hear us speaking from as early as 22 weeks in-utero. Dr Anita Collins worked with neuroscientists using MRI scans to show that when we speak, the left side of the brain

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lights up and when we do mathematics, the right side is stimulated.

Amazingly, when we listen to music, the whole brain lights up. When we make music the images show fireworks—literally a party in the brain! Music is the one activity that stimulates the whole brain.

Testing shows that babies as young as one to three days old begin processing language through their musical pathways.

Babies music processing networks to understand and recognise their mother’s voice. Scientists found that music education works three parts of the brain at once; the motor, visual and auditory cortices. This is the equivalent of a full brain workout, allowing messages to travel far more quickly along more pathways. The study found that musicians have much higher executive function than the general population.

Dr Collins has further determined that because the entire brain is stimulated, creating new connections and pathways across the brain, making music has a profound impact upon intelligence. She and her team have found that IQ levels can be raised by up to 17 points through exposure to quality, interactive music experiences. With 100 being an average IQ, and 130 required for Mensa entry, 17 IQ points can make a significant difference to a child’s prospects in life.

Knowing all this, should we not ensure that every child has access to a quality music education?

Scientific research shows that students involved in good music programs actually do better overall on standardised tests than students who do not have exposure to music education.

More than 2000 years ago Plato said, “I would teach children music, physics, and philosophy; but most importantly music, for the patterns in music and all the arts are the keys to learning.” Dr Collins rightly asks why we are not expanding educational music programs!

Those who perform best at music are those who have well-developed musical intelligence.

This is developed through singing and moving.

Dr. John Feierabend‘s research confirms that learning an instrument does not develop musical intelligence, rather quality singing, dance and movement does. We then use this intelligence to play our instruments. Those who can sing tunefully, keep a beat and have artful

experiences will connect much better with their instruments and with the music that they play.

Drs. Gordon and Bolton have discovered that singing wordless tunes to babies from birth engages the right side of their brains.

As they focus and copy our sounds they begin using the whole brain. By responding to baby utterances with musical sounds we stimulate the growth of musical intelligence. Through highly interactive programs where children are engaged in creating musical sounds and adults model for children, evoking musical responses from them, children develop a good listening ear and auditory memory. This stands them in good stead for all their future learning.

Of course learning music has so many intrinsically good musical outcomes as well, and ideally we want our children to just love music and learn music because music is so wonderful, but it is so exciting to discover scientific evidence supporting its many positive effects.

This leaves me with one final question.

Have you enrolled your child into a music program yet?!

By Anna Mlynek-Kalman. Anna is Director of Music Works Magic in Elsternwick. She is currently enrolled in the PhD. program at Monash University. Anna as tutored aural musicianship at Melbourne University for the past 5 years.

She consults in schools, runs training courses specifically for adults wishing to gain confidence when working with babies-8yr olds, as well as running sessions for this age group. www.musicworksmagic.com

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MAMA of the month This month we met Sarah Morrissey, Bentleigh East mum of two (Jackson, 9 and Grace, 7), and the clever mama behind Little Rockers Radio. Sarah’s radio station is more than just children’s music. It aims to entertain and educate kids as well as support families and communities.

Where did the idea for Little Rockers Radio come from?

The idea came quite a few years ago when I was driving along with my two children. I was flicking through the stations trying to find something suitable for them, as I was sick of listening to the same old CDs, and couldn’t find anything! I went home that night and told my husband I was going to start a radio station.

He loved the idea, possibly secretly thought I was nuts, but here we are.

Tell us a bit about LRR and what we can expect from tuning in?

Little Rockers Radio is a 24/7 online radio station that’s completely dedicated to kids from birth up to prep age. When mums switch us on they can trust the content will be perfect for little ones! There’s songs, nursery rhymes,

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story time, yoga (yes yoga on radio) and more throughout the day and lullabies to soothe right through the night - all with no ads.

How did the business evolve from an idea to a successful station with loyal listeners?

It took time… lots of it! I don’t have a background in radio, music or IT so had absolutely no idea what to do. I had some CDs and an idea, that’s about it. It took a year of ‘Google University’ and reaching out to people for help. When I look back now at how I launched it seems pretty insane, so archaic.

I had to schedule each and every 1-3 minute song for the full 12-hours. It took FOREVER! Thank goodness I now know better and can playlist a whole month of 24 hour daily content in a matter of minutes!

I did have a background in marketing so I knew from the start exactly what I wanted Little Rockers Radio to look and feel like. I knew my core values and what I wanted to stand for which is no general ads and pure content for children, good quality content that helps to educate children and learn the skills to grow into happy and healthy grown-ups!

The loyal listeners grew as the trust in our quality content grew! In 2015 we ended the year with a ‘tribe of little listeners’ hitting over 110,000 monthly listener sessions.

I also wanted to align with charity, mainly SIDS & Kids after losing my nephew to SIDS at 16-months of age. We launched the Little Rockers RED NOSE Disco in 2015 (a disco run in child care centres on Red Nose Day) and had over 20,000 children take part nationally. We will be running it again this year in June.

I now also work with PANDA (Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia). With a growing audience of mums it’s important for them to know that it’s OK to reach out for help.

What has surprised you on the business journey?

So many things… The amount of amazing musicians out there making great music for children has really surprised me. We have such great talent right here on our doorstep!

I have met so many amazing mums in business too and it’s great to have that extra layer of support. To be able to talk to people who know the ‘juggling’ act of raising children, working part-time and starting up your own business is invaluable.

Any advice for mums who have an idea but are yet to take the next step?

Have faith and courage in yourself. Don’t let the opinions of others sway you. If you are genuine and passionate then I believe you are generally on the right path. Do your research, then take the step. The first step is the most difficult as you are putting yourself ‘out there’ but it gets easier after that.

What do you love most about what you do?

I love to dream! My husband, Luke and I are constantly talking about how we can take Little Rockers to such great lengths and really help children and families throughout the world.

I also LOVE hearing from mums about how Little Rockers Radio has helped them in their lives in some small way.

I have received thousands of messages and I get such a buzz from it every time.

What can we expect next from LRR? Any exciting plans this year that you can share?

I have just launched music from around the world, a 10-minute daily program at 3pm of children’s music in Italian, Mandarin, Spanish, French and German.

There’s some really exciting stuff happening this year and I am tempted to tell all, but I have learnt to wait... so I guess you will just have to watch this space!

Here at MamaMag we love everything local, tell us about how you also connect with and support your local community?

We have supported a lot of community events and fundraisers through prizes and giveaways and I’m really keen on building up to a point where we can help more.

It’s not launched yet however there is a program coming soon that aims to give back to the local community – specifically child care centres and kindergartens.

Has there been a favourite interview you’ve done? Any funny stories that you can share?

I interviewed Cameron Williams (Channel 9 presenter) after he launched his first children’s book. That was fun. I have always thought he was a bit of a spunk (can I say that?) so it was nice to chat to him!

Interviewing people was not something I thought I would be doing so it’s been a learning curve however I have now also interviewed Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Shelley Craft, Justine Clarke, Jimmy Rees (aka Giggle), Pat Davern (from Grinspoon) and more. We met The Wiggles backstage at their Melbourne show too. I took the kids along and that was pretty cool!

And finally, how can we tune in?

Visit www.littlerockersradio.com.au 25

Dear mamas in the school yard

I want to write you this letter in the hope that it may help you to underst and. I am writing it on behalf of the mother of the child who has a behaviour issue. The one whose child may be in your child’s classroom. The one whose child may at times be disruptive and need lots of attention from the teacher. The one that no doubt the whole year level will alre ady know about!

Did you know that this mother has probably crie d an ocean of tears for her child? She has probably been through more tha n you or I could ever imagine. Maybe her chi ld has a formal diagnosis like autism or ADHD, but that really shouldn’t matter anyway. Maybe she is still grieving for the fact that her child will face so many more challenges in their life tha n yours. She is still a mother, like you and I, wh o just always wants the very best for her child.

Did you know that she hears your whispers and feels your disapproving looks? She knows all too well that you do not wa nt your child to interact with hers in any way bec ause of their behaviour.

Did you know that she holds her child tightly as they sob because they have yet again not been invited to a party that you are hosting? Later that night when they are fast asleep, she also cries with sadness for her chi ld and a pain in her hea rt that she cannot make go away.

Did you now that most day s she holds her phone close and is filled with anx iety as she expects the school to call and say tha t there has been yet another incident at school with her child? She can’t relax and enjoy the time to herself.

You probably couldn’t kno w that by now she has very few friends in her life anymore. Having a child with such high nee ds has meant many appointments, social skil ls groups and therapies.

It has also meant she is left exhausted and wiped out each and eve ry day, and barely has enough energy for her husband, let alone even

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attempting to reach out to one of her few friends left who understand.

And if you took the tim e to actually get to kno w her she might share wit h you that even memb ers of her own family make her feel like it is her fau lt.

That she is a bad parent and responsible for her child’s behaviour. Most events or outings that she attempts end in disaster . People have stopped inviting them now.

It will probably break you r heart to hear that she has had to seek the rapy and medication to cope with the stresses of her daily life. And in her darkest hours she has con templated leaving this world behind.

I want to also let you kno w that your child cannot catch a behavio ural issue from being associated with this fam ily. They do not have a contagious disease.

What you and your chi ld can learn by being friends with them is a ver y valuable lesson in life.

You can teach your chi ld how to have empathy and compassion for oth er individuals who have challenges. You can tea ch your child to lead the way in showing kindne ss and acceptance to the children who need it mo st. You can do this by leading by example.

That lovely mother nee ds more than anyone else in your life—a friend.

Someone to listen to her and shows suppor t, without judgment.

Even just a simple smile or hello could lift her spirits immensely. We tea ch our students that ‘excluding’ is a form of bul lying, yet other parents seem to do this to each other all of the time.

Yes there may be times when you are together that issues may arise, but you can handle that.

You are after all, a mothe r—and together women are a force to be reckon ed with!

Love Chrissie xx

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how drama saves the world!

My mother will tell you that I always liked school. If I didn’t want to go, she knew I was either sick, bullied, or had a math test. Mum’s a teacher (especially skilled in drama and comprehension) and it’s thanks to her that I enjoyed school despite my tonsils, meanies a nd maths.

Mum knew me and that I worried. She knew that despite my clever accountant dad and his best efforts to explain long division, I struggled with math. She knew that words muddled themselves up and that reading (without pictures) was difficult. She also knew that drama was an important part of children’s learning and development. So, I went to drama class.

Learning to count to 100 was nerve-racking.

The teacher who taught it was probably the scariest person on planet earth. Tears were shed. Then a stroke of genius hit, and Mum brought out the counting mat. This calico square had numbers 1 to 100 on it, set out with 1-10 across the top and so on. A pattern emerged! I saw the numbers down each column line up and repeat on each row with a new leader. I sat on the mat with Mum’s stories and songs and learned to count to 100. This mat was magic. And so was my Mum. As I grew older, the gap between me and the rest of the class lessened. My teachers labelled me a ‘good reader’. Even maths improved!

Although it’s never been my favourite, I was never the bottom of the class.

The largest contributor to this improvement was drama. My parents were heavily involved in theatre and I lived for it. As I thrived acting out a scene pretending to be a camel, so did my reading, general knowledge, communication, mathematics, problem solving and social skills.

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There are countless studies on the benefits of drama for learning. This one* explores how time spent and enjoyed in arts, increases ability to learn other things. Science!

Drama was a saviour in high-school. Bullies get meaner, subjects get harder. But drama gave me the confidence to try anything. Because I excelled in that subject, it felt possible to try everything. Everybody can succeed in drama— at their own level—there is never any failure.

In drama, ‘weird’, quiet Belinda was no longer silenced. There was no need to hide. We could let go of high-school and just be people. And drama’s non-competitive nature meant we were all equal.

For an hour, I got to let go of my worries and be someone else. I even got the chance to act the bully, discovering how that feels and what might make someone behave that way.

To play a character, you must identify with them. Drama teaches you to feel what others feel. I grew more empathetic. Imagine if the people who send asylum seekers into abuse on Nauru and Manus were in drama class right now, putting themselves in another’s place.

Weekly drama classes should be compulsory for politicians.

I still believe drama equipped me to survive high school.

When the time came to pick another course of study, I couldn’t think of anything else I needed to do. Because of drama I felt I was capable of anything. I wanted to save the world. Maybe a teacher? Or an early child carer? Or a shop owner? Or a computer tech? *http://www.dana.org/Cerebrum/2009/How_Arts_ Training_Improves_Attention_and_Cognition/

Thankfully, I left saving the world until later, and stuck with performing arts. I moved to Melbourne and met a kindred spirit in Jennifer Piper. We started wit incorporated, and spend our days (and nights) making theatre.

Several of Mum’s drama students are still in theatre, 40 years later. But drama has benefits beyond a career in the arts. While I was travelling towards theatre, my classmates were following other paths. Mum remembers someone who struggled to form sentences when she first arrived, who later worked in public relations in Auckland and then advertising in Spain. Other students are now film techs, marine biologists and primary teachers. We don’t learn communication and confidence from any subject the way we do from drama. And we need to communicate, no matter our occupation.

My love for children’s drama survived adulthood and I continue to introduce children from diverse backgrounds to the joy of drama.

It might not sound much like saving the world, but when I look through the eyes of my students (and think about how it looked to my own 5-year-old self), creating drama’s safe, collaborative, artistic, explorative, inspiring environment for kids almost feels like saving the world. Because drama saved me.

Because of drama I am an actor, salesperson, playwright, teacher, director, production manager and entrepreneur. Did I ever expect to balance budgets and write business proposals?

No! But I can. Thanks to drama. And Mum.

By Belinda Campell. Belinda has a Bachelor of Performing Arts from NASDA (NZ). She’s the Artistic Director of wit incorporated theatre company and runs the children’s drama program, Wit Kids. www.witinc.com.au/wit-kids

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THE KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL PLAYDATE… Any parent who has tackled a holiday or after-school playdate for their child will know just how tiring and challenging playdates can be! Playdates bring multiple emotions, ideas, and opinions into play. This can lead to conflict between strong personalities, cause our sensitive child to retreat, or send our ‘busy’ kids into their most ‘busy’ state!

Despite these challenges, playdates are known to be a highly valuable opportunity for social skills development (Greenspan & Wieder, Engaging Autism) and, with a few helpful tips in place, can become successful and rewarding experiences for us and our children.

Initiating the playdate Consider who would make the best playdate partner for your child. You may find your child has connected well with a child at school, kinder, or another activity and would like to play with them more. Or, you may find that

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you have connected well with a parent from school, kinder or another activity, and you feel comfortable initiating a playdate with them.

Try asking the child’s parent face to face how they would feel about arranging a playdate some time. Exchange numbers so you can arrange the playdate when you have your calendars in

front of you. Or try sending a note in your child’s school bag for them to pass on to the other child.

The note might say something like, “We’d like to have Johnny over for a playdate! How would Tuesday afternoon work for you?” Be sure to include your contact details.

Nine out of ten times, other parents will also see the value of a playdate for their child, and will jump at the invitation!

Setting up for the playdate As you already know, children can be unpredictable! – It is impossible to entirely predict how an interaction between two kiddos might go. However, there are some things we can do to set our playdate up for success.

1. Keep the playdates short to start with – aim for 45-60mins.

2. Host the playdates at your place – at least initially. This can help your child feel most confident and comfortable as they learn about playdates.

3. Consider your child’s interests – can they be turned into a shared activity? Or not? Your child’s interest in building or construction may be more helpful in achieving shared play than their favourite computer game, for example.

4. Consider the other child’s interests – ask the child’s parents what these are; can their interests be incorporated into shared play somehow?

5. Avoid or modify the use of electronic toys or activities – electronic or screen-based activities (eg TV, iPad, computer games, noise making toys) can be too overloading or consuming from a sensory perspective.

They may derail engagement and shared play, particularly for young children. For older children (mid primary school and older), interactive software that involves movement (eg PlayStation Eye Toy, Dance Mat, Wii Sports) is much more conducive to shared play than sit-down screen activities.

6. Use simple, sensory-motor games to foster shared enjoyment – games or activities that get their bodies moving in purposeful ways. If indoors, use cushions and blankets to build a lounge room cubby house; make a pillow or soft toy ‘road’ to travel along between rooms; build a block ‘city’; or try a treasure hunt. If outdoors, blow giant bubbles; play trampoline games; play simple ball games like catch or tunnel ball; make chalk art on the pavement; play hopscotch; or try an outdoor obstacle course. The Learn Play Imagine and Hands On As We Grow websites have some great ideas.

7. Pack away most of the small toys as well as ‘special’ toys that your child may not want to share – this helps keep the environment less visually-distracting, and reduces the likelihood of fights.

8. Keep up regular playdates with the same peer over a period of time if possible.

This allows the children to develop shared history, which can foster confidence and playdate success.

9. Make friends with other parents who have a positive, accepting attitude to kids with developmental differences, and who share your values. Discuss with the parents your need to facilitate the play in order for your child to play successfully, and discuss with the parents whether you need them to be present at the playdate too.

10. Develop relationships between your families – suggest outings together, to the zoo, beach, aquarium, swimming pool, or nearby park or playground, or go on a train/bus/ bike ride together.

In the meantime, you can continue to build your child’s playdate skills with the help of your occupational therapist, speech therapist or psychologist, or by involving your child in a social skills group program.

By Alyssa Mann, Speech Pathologist, Sensational Kids Ormond. www.sensationalkids.com.au

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Parklife

MamaMag park of the month!

Packer Park, Leila Road, Carnegie If you love a colourful playground, you’ll love Packer Park. The playground is an enormous maze of conjoined play equipment, a vast expanse of colourful ramps joined by walkways, chain bridges and various ladders. Scattered amongst the structure are climbing mats, fireman’s pole, cubbies, tunnels, mirrors, variety of games, tunnel slide, steps, scrambling walls, disks on hanging poles and a curved slide.

Four springers, plenty of colourful tables and mushroom seats, family size see-saw, swings and

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a huge rope structure for the kids to climb.

There is even a large wooden snake which makes sounds as you wall along it.

The park features BBQs, tables under shelter, water tap, rubbish bins and toilets. There is also a basketball ring, tennis wall and off leash dog areas. The wetland is a popular spot to admire the bird life and look for frogs although it was dry on our visit, while the velodrome provides plenty of fun and exercise for the cycling enthusiast.

Firbank Grammar - Sandringham House

Sunday 20 March

Community Fair

11am-4pm

45 Royal Avenue, Sandringham Free Entry • Live Music • Art Exhibits • Gourmet Food • Market • Show Bags Animal Farm • Silent Auction • Amazing Rides & Loads More Fun! Buy your $32 unlimited ride pass now - save $8!

www.trybooking.com/KLGC Individual ride tickets also available on the day

CO-EDUCATIONAL JUNIOR SCHOOL ELC - YEAR 6

Tap into your child’s potential by encouraging their Curiosity and Creativity at a Bricks 4 Kidz Workshop. Whether it’s a robotic or Motorised Technic Build, our FUN models come alive with plans designed just for us by architects and engineers, so you won't find them in the stores! Self-Esteem and Fine-Motor skills are improved while reinforcing S.T.E.M based principles. Guaranteed to leave them wanting more!

HOLIDAY WORKSHOPS ARE NOW ENROLLING! AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS • SCHOOL INCURSIONS • BIRTHDAY PARTIES BAYSIDE & PORT PHILLIP Mitchell 0418 170 190 www.bricks4kidzaustralia.com.au/BPP GLEN EIRA & STONNINGTON Julie 0411 369 444 www.bricks4kidzaustralia.com.au/ges

THEMES INCLUDE:

LEGO® is a registered trademark of the LEGO® Group of companies which does not sponsor, authorise or endorse these programs.

Creative Learning Corporation common shares are listed on OTCBB under the ticker symbol CLCN. © 2013 Bricks 4 Kidz.

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mama can Cook!

Chicken and tomato rice paper rolls Ingredients:

Method:

1 packet rice paper sheets

Soak a piece of rice paper in water to soften slightly.

Cooked shredded chicken

Then simply lay out the sheet of rice paper, placing chicken in the centre topped with a drizzle of mayonnaise. Followed by a layer of cheese, lettuce and tomato.

Cheese Shredded lettuce Tomato slices Mayonnaise

Filling your child’s lunchbox doesn’t get any easier than this!

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Roll it up firmly and repeat with the next piece.

Keep refrigerated and airtight.

A perfect alternative to a sandwich!

Chia pudding pots Ingredients:

Method:

400ml can organic coconut cream

Combine all ingredients into a blender and mix until the chia mixture thickens.

400ml water 2/3 cup chia seeds 1 1/2 tbsp date paste Fruits of your choice

Pour into a large container and refrigerate for an hour to set.

To assemble, spoon the chia pudding into individual pots or lunch box containers, then top it of with some of their favourite fruits and mint.

SoNaughtyButNice is an online platform jam packed full of delicious dessert recipes built on the foundation of education about the benefits of each ingredient. Read more about its founders Tom and Sarah at www.sonaughtybutnice.com

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Sunday 20th March

Parkdale Primary 305 – 311 Nepean Hwy, Parkdale

Great Family Fun!

Lucky Jars Lolly Hunt Book Stall

Cake Stall

Fabulous Rides UNLIMITED RIDE ARMBANDS AVAILABLE

OUR FABULOUS INDOOR CRAFT MARKET RETURNS

NEW

Art & Craft Activities for Kids 0-100yrs

Silent Auction Bigger and Better Than Ever!

For more info contact Lisa Warner 0407 512 969 or Leanne Palazzolo 0412 931 983 38

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best foot forward Throughout their younger years a child’s foot development will move through a number of key developmental stages. For healthy feet, each stage has different requirements that need to be met when fitting shoes for the growing child.

Crawling

School

A crawling baby’s foot is full of soft pliable bones that behave very similar to cartilage and very prone to being bent out of shape, due to the large spaces between the young bones.

The layer of subcutaneous fat around these bones also make it very difficult to see if this is occurring. So it is very important that if they need shoes at this stage they are fitted by a specialist fitter.

By school age, children are very competent on their feet and have a lovely fluidity of movement. The bones in their feet are continuing to harden, puppy fat will diminish and the development of the arch should start to become apparent. Growth rate will slow to one size per year and as they become increasingly active with school and play. So shoes need to light weight, flexible and able to withstand whatever activity a child is engaged in.

Walking Once the child begins to cruise and walk, the bones in the foot continue to ossify (harden).

At this stage around 25 bones have formed, however, there are still large gaps between them filled with softer tissue. Around the instep there is a fatty pad where the arch will slowly start to form over the following years and the foot will grow and change very quickly. The foot needs space to develop naturally at this point otherwise there is a very real chance of misalignment of these bones occurring as they continue to ossify.

Toddlers Toddlers and kinder age children are staring to lose the fat around their feet and their feet will start to take on an adult like shape, with arches that are still developing. Their hips joints begin to rotate and their feet and knees will now begin to naturally point forward. They will have a lovely full range of motion through knees and ankles and balance will be better as their gait develops. At this stage the child may grow two sizes in a year.

Good foot health should be a priority for all ages especially in children. Poor foot health in a developing child’s feet can and should be avoided by insuring that shoes fitted for the child are suitable for their stage of development, not ill fitting and don’t restrict the child’s range of motion through the ankle, foot or both. Another priority when fitting children is not to inhibit their body’s interaction with the ground. The foot has an abundance of sensory nerves, which provide signals to the brain. This is known as proprioception. These signals allow us to feel where we are, even with our eyes closed. Shoes that have light weight, flexible, yet protective soles will guard against the signals that travel from the feet to the brain being obstructed, so that the child can develop optimal movement patterns.

By Sole Mechanics Hampton. www.solemechanics.com.au

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no choking matter Even for the most experienced paediatric nurse the sight of seeing your own child choke creates a state of automatic panic. Child Revive instructor Leanne recently had to manage this potentially life threatening emergency at home with her fourth child, Alexander.

Being a paediatric nurse for over 12 years Leanne has had to deal with many stressful situations involving sick children at work but seeing her own child suddenly choke had her in an unusual state of anxiety. However, like she teaches her hundreds of parents who attend her paediatric first aid courses each year, she had to do more than just stand there and panic.

In 2014 the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare released a statistics that showed in one year infants aged less than 12 months had more admissions to hospital for foreign bodies in their airway (commonly called choking) than for children aged 1-4 collectively. In this age group almost 6% of all injury related hospital admissions were due to choking. Of course, these statistics don’t include the many other occasions where choking has been successfully resolved at home and didn’t require review at hospital, like it was for Child Revive instructor Leanne and her 10 month old child, Alexander.

Leanne reports that “he was just sitting there playing happily on the floor next to me whilst I was getting dinner ready and I looked over at him and thought how strange as he was not making any sound but his face was bright red with tears streaming down. His eyes were bulging and he had a look of absolute panic on his face”.

For most parents it is not an immediate realisation because unlike adults young children cannot motion that they are choking. Leanne said “it did take me a few moments to process what I was seeing and the reason why but as soon as I realised I knew what to do”. She reports immediately picking him up and placing him face down over her leg and giving him a firm 40

back slap. Fortunately, this initial back slap was successful and out came a piece of craft material that had fallen off her eldest child’s school project.

When a child initially chokes it can present in two ways; as either a partial obstruction or complete obstruction of the airway. The best way to identify between the two is to observe if the child is coughing effectively because in order to cough there must be movement of air in and out of the lungs. Therefore, if the child is coughing the obstruction will only be partially blocking the airway. A partial airway obstruction is common amongst all children and usually self-resolves with their cough. All parents might need to do to assist is reposition the child upright or lean them forward. A child’s own cough is more effective at removing an obstruction than any manoeuvre performed on them by the parent. However, if the child is not coughing effectively then the parent must take action to remove the obstruction which is best done by forcing the movement of air out of the lungs with either the back slap technique or chest thrust technique. It is recommended to complete five of each technique continuously until the child begins to cry indicating they are breathing and have a clear airway or the ambulance arrives. Leanne urges parents to call Triple 000 for an ambulance if the initial five back slaps are not effective.

In her parent first aid courses Leanne has had parents suggest a range of inappropriate techniques they thought they could use if they found their child choking like her son Alexander was. These include the Heimleich manoeuvre which can cause significant injury to internal organs, using an object like a pen to sweep it out which can easily cut the roof of the mouth and cause a lot of bleeding and the most common suggestion of using a finger to grab it out. Leanne reports that “my automatic reaction was to put my finger in his mouth and grab whatever was in there however I know how dangerous this can be in a child who is alert”. Children who are choking and are still

responding are not calmly sitting there and having the sensation of a finger enter their airway can easily result in the obstruction being pushed further and unable to be easily cleared by parents or paramedics. Such a situation could result in the child becoming unresponsive and needing resuscitation.

There are many ways that parents can minimise the risk of choking in their child including supervising them and having them seated when eating, minimising exposure to high risk foods by cutting smaller pieces and/ or cooking food so it is soft and providing them with toys that are recommended for their age. The ideal would be to remove all risk of choking for children however, knowing that this is impossible Leanne urges all parents to “learn and practice the techniques that are recommended by the Australian Resuscitation Council for managing a child who is choking�.

She assures parents that if their own child chokes they will still feel panicked like she certainly was but having that knowledge will empower them and give them the confidence to immediately take action and effectively help their child in this emergency situation.

Almost 6% of all injury related hospital admissions for infants aged less than 12 months were due to choking.

Leanne and her colleagues from Child Revive First Aid will be conducting a free daily presentation on the choking child at The Baby and Toddler Show in Melbourne from 1-3 April. There they will also be conducting 90 minute Parent First Aid courses which will include training in CPR, choking, fever and seizure management for parents of infants and young children.

Bookings are essential for the Parent First Aid courses and cost $39 per person.

Go to http://www.babyandtoddlershow. com.au/melbourne/melbourne-showfeatures/child-revive-first-aid-courses/ for more information and bookings.

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EJM Photography Newborn and Maternity Port Melbourne location

0405 714 219

ejmphotography.com.au

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Art play for conversation Being creative with your child means so much more than you think. Next time you set up the craft table for your child to get messy, I encourage you to get messy too! The beautiful conversation that occurs during the creative process is so powerful and reflective not only for your child, but for you too. This type of conversation helps to develop your child’s language and questioning.

Here are some ideas to get your conversation started.

Collage

Go outside and collect little treasures outside with your child. Let them bring in the leaves, stones, flowers, sticks, stems, tanbark and create a collage on a blank surface. While you are making this with your child, ask them where they think each treasure came from and why they believe this to be true. Scatter the pieces on the surface and use them to tell a story.

Make each treasure a different character. Take photos of your collaborative piece and print it out on A3 in black and white (20 cents at Officeworks), frame it and talk about it again!

Draw

Talk about your child’s week at school/ childcare/kinder/at home with you and about your week and what you did. On a large piece of paper, draw all the things that you have both done throughout the week. What was your favourite moment? What was your least favourite moment? Why? What would you do the same next week? What would you do differently next week? Why? Draw what you would both like next week to look like.

Paint

Walk around your home and look out each window with your child and talk about what you can see when you look up, down, left, right and across. Get some watercolour pencils and after each window, draw what each of you can see on separate pieces of paper. Keep adding to the same piece of paper as you move to each window in your home. You will most likely end up with a lovely landscape of random things.

Bring your drawing to life by painting over your watercoloured image with a brush and water. What is the same about your drawings and what is different? Why? This is a great conversation starter to explain how everyone sees things differently.

Next time your child asks you to get out the craft box, stick around with them for a minute and chat about what they are doing, join in, have fun and revel in the creative process. Who knows, you might enjoy it more than they do!

By Francesca Sferlazza from See Make Play, 127 Greville Street, Prahran w: www.seemakeplay.com.au i: @seemakeplay

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WIN

Colour & win!

A family pass to: Ice Age Live! A Mammoth Adventure combines exceptional ice skating, aerial arts, puppetry and film; it will be the coolest event since the actual Ice Age! Catch all the action at Hisense Arena 8th April – 10th April 2016.

See www.mamamag.com.au for terms and conditions

Post your entry by March 31st to: MamaMag, PO Box 8018 North Road LPO, Brighton East 3187

IceAgeLive.com TM Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved.

Full Name: Address:

Age: Postcode: 45

KIDS FUN FARM!

A unique program offering children the freedom to explore, inspire and create through art and messy play

Over 60 acres of adventure FUN for kids!

age m o n s 20 t 8 y e h s to ars

Petting Barn Tractor Rides Mini Golf Adventure Playground Jumping Pillow

Easter egg hunts Easter Fri, Sat & Sun - $5 per child Open Wednesday to Sunday 10am - 4pm PLUS 7 days over the school holidays 233 Mornington-Tyabb Road, Moorooduc Enter via Stumpy Gully Road

www.messmatters.com.au info@messmatters.com.au 0425 808 219 Factory 4, 3 Exley Drive, Moorabbin

www.thebiggoose.com.au

Want to have Fun

Customised

with your Toddler?!

Come along to Kids Jam! Fun & Flexible Music & Movement Classes

Cake Toppers, Bedroom & Nursery Signs

for your special little one!

BIRTHDAYS

SPECIAL EVENTS THEMED PARTIES

Great Prices!

Fast turn around available

Pay-as-you-go classes, no commitment, no up front payments

Mention MAMAMAG to receive 10% OFF

< K N

* KIDSJAM.COM.AU FACEBOOK.COM/ KIDSJAM or call Allie on

0477 051 921 * Free class South Yarra location onlyÂ

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Tyre Maze Pony Rides and much more.

Order yours today!

Juan:

by local designer

0430 211 273

- juanlizcanodesign@gmail.com www.juanlizcanodesign.com

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BENTLEIGH Everything for baby and kids!

New and second hand items available Every 3rd Saturday of the month!

Next market: 19th March 9am - 12.30pm St Johns Church Hall, Corner of Tucker and Centre Road, Bentleigh Coffee Truck and Sausage Sizzle Future market dates: 16/4, 21/5, 18/6, 16/7, 20/8, 17/9, 15/10, 19/11

Stalls $25 each. www.trybooking.com/JUJE For more info call 9557 2226 or bentleighanglican@bigpond.com

Time Poor?

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Fresh Food Deals is a catalogue of all fresh produce available in your area to help you plan and prepare for what you need AT ANY TIME! Want to save time, money, and get the best quality for your family?

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www.wildaction.com.au

PH 0419 385 245

LI VE Di AN re I Yo ct MA u! To LS

THE PERFECT WAY TO CELEBRATE YOUR NEXT CHILDREN'S BIRTHDAY PARTY!