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GUT ISSUES GETTING YOU DOWN? Mental Health Benefits of Exercise
SCIENCE EXPERIMENT: DISSOLVING INK
Innovative Learning through Streetlight Schools Issue 20 | Johannesburg - East Rand | April 2019
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Editor’s Life |
From the Editor’s Desk... What an exciting issue we have in store for you this month! With the April issue, you will have noticed that we have changed the look of the magazine and we really hope that you enjoy our NEW advertorial features that we have introduced. Grab a cuppa, sit down and enjoy a few minutes to yourself, with ‘Life’s Little Toolbox’ in your hands! We’d love to hear your feedback, please email any comments or feedback to me at editor@mumsmail.com. Depending on which school you attend, you will either have just come back from the school holidays or you will shortly be finishing for the term! Our schools have just broken up and so I’m looking forward to a few days away with the family. We’re going to head up to Cape Vidal and Kosi Bay for a bit of relaxation and I can’t wait! April also brings us the Easter weekend, which means we all hopefully get to spend extra time with our loved ones, to relax, recuperate and revive our souls. My family and I are planning on a camping trip to the Drakensberg for the Easter weekend, and we will also be visiting the Splashy Fen Festival while we’re there – it was so much fun last year, I just hope it stays nice and dry – but apparently it’s not called ‘Splashy’ for nothing! On a final note, our lovely Melinda from the JHB branch has moved on to another career, doing what she absolutely adores in the cosmetics industry. Many of you may know Melinda from delivering the magazines to the schools, etc. or liaising with her for advertising. We will miss Melinda lots but wish her all the best for her future – she is already being sent on glamourous business trips to Europe (I’m not envious, honestly!). My team in Durban will be looking after you for the time being, so rest assured you are still in very safe hands. Wishing all our lovely readers and fabulous advertisers a wonderful and very Happy Easter!
Victoria xxx
CONTENTS
Everyday Life 3 4 5 6
Hello from the Editor! Meet the Cover Star WIN with the Kandasamys and AMC Cookware The Importance of Occupational Therapy for Children
Healthy Life & Beautiful Life 8 The Mental Health Benefits of Exercise 10 - 11 Gut Issues Getting You Down?
Kids’ Life 12 14 15
Innovative Learning through Streetlight Schools Science Experiment: Dissolving Ink Make a Bee Hotel
The Mum’s Mail Team
Editor: Victoria Arthur • editor@mumsmail.com Sub-Editor: Sarah Mackintosh • sarah@mumsmail.com Enquiries: Natalie Wilcox • 031 - 573 1731 (ext 1) Accounts: Daniella Geldenhuys • daniella@mumsmail.com Advertising Sales: Bev Delew • bev@mumsmail.com | Anisha Singh • anisha@mumsmail.com
Designer: Wendy Offer • Cover Photographer: Shoot the Moon, shootthemoonza@gmail.com, 078 099 4372
DISCLAIMER: Neither the Publisher, Printer or Editor can be held responsible for damages or consequences of any omissions or errors, as every care is taken to ensure the accuracy of the information in Mum’s Mail. We do not guarantee the performance or quality of service of any of the advertisers in this magazine. No part of Mum’s Mail magazine may be reproduced without the written consent of the Editor.
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| Everyday Life
Meet the Cover Star Our gorgeous cover star this month is Neo Matsimela. His parents are Welheminah and Nick and they live in Pretoria.
crèche as well. He enjoys riding his bike, playing with toy cars and also loves to play soccer.
Welheminah says that spending family time together is very important to them, since during the week they are busy with work and other commitments their time together is limited. But on weekends they make sure that they spend time together watching the TV programmes that the kids love or going out. They love taking the kids out to Although he’s only two, Neo is a kids’ entertainment places and very wise and flexible young boy the movies. “On Sundays we who loves attention. He likes to dedicate the day to serve our be independent, especially at Lord by going to church,” says meal times - he always prefers Welheminah. to feed himself. He enjoys playing with other kids at the “What we love most about Welheminah works at a preschool as a child minder and Nick is a machine operator at a warehouse. Neo is two years old, and he has three siblings two sisters and one brother. His eldest sister is Mohomotsi (11), his second sister is Lethabo (9) and his brother is Thato (5).
being parents is loving them unconditionally. Parenthood gives new meaning to life, to know that there are souls that you brought into this world that need care and love, that transform you. You begin to strive to do better in order to see them happy all the time.” “Love your children unconditionally and always make time for them, regardless of how busy their schedules are. Bonding with your kids is the best thing ever; I say time is everything,” concludes Welheminah. Written by Sarah Mackintosh
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Everyday Life |
WIN with the Kandasamys
and AMC Cookware
Celebrate the release of Kandasamys: The Wedding this April and stand a chance to WIN! Kandasamys: The Wedding, one of South Africa’s most awaited films for 2019 is set to hit the big screen soon! The sequel to the highly successful ‘Keeping up with the Kandasamys’ will release nationwide on Thursday 18 April, just in time for the Easter Weekend.
entertained with their hilarious antics as they try to subtly push their agendas in the week leading up to Jodi (Mishqah Parthiephal) and Prishen’s (Madhushan Singh) big day. Will the interfering mums win out in the end or will the young love birds have “their” special day?
Kandasamys: The Wedding is South Africa’s very own big fat Indian Wedding and everyone’s invited! And because ‘Kandasamys don’t do small’ audiences are in store for a special feast for the senses with exceptionally high production value, breath-taking cinematography, witty humour and sterling performances from a talented cast. It’s packed with colour, character and comedy!
The sequel will feature national treasures like Dawn Thandeka King and Masoja Msizi from Uzalo, SA’s most watched soapie. The Cell C Sharks also play a cameo role drawing an even wider audience.
Jennifer Kandasamy (Jailoshini Naidoo) and Shanthi Naidoo (Maeshni Naicker) will keep fans
Producer Suda Sing said, “Kandasamys is a proudly KZN and a proudly South African brand. It has had an amazing cross over audience both in cinemas and with the M-Net run of the film. This is important in the context of nation-building and entertainment has that
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phenomenal power to bridge the gaps. This is not only an Indian South African story that celebrates a colourful and rich sub-culture; it is a KZN and SA story.” Follow the conversation on social media: @ kandasamysmovie. #KandasamysMovie #KandasamysTheWedding #KTW Contact AMC Consultant VJ Moodley (Consultant Code: A7150MOO) on 084 694 5223 to find out how stay at home mums can earn some extra cash on the side.
WIN WIN WIN Mum’s Mail has AMC Cookware to the value of R6000 to give away. Visit www.mumsmail.com to enter.
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| Everyday Life
The Importance of
Occupational Therapy for Children
Autism Awareness Day is on 2 April and we would like to give you some insight into Occupational Therapy. The early stages of your child’s life are crucial to their future. In their early development physical, cognitive and social skill sets begin to form. Not every child is successful in making it past these developmental milestones. Some do not mature as they should and have delayed or restricted advancements. Occupational Therapists study human development and a person’s interactions with the environment through daily activities. They are experts in the social, emotional, and physiological effects of illness and injury. This knowledge helps them promote skills for independent living in people with
autism and other developmental sooner a child starts OT, the disorders. more effective it will be. Some children learn to concentrate All therapy is unique to each better and complete their child, with the end goals of schoolwork with more success. improving social interaction, Others have increased selfbehaviour and performance in confidence as they learn to do the classroom. These goals will more tasks on their own. At the enable your child to become end of the day we all want our more independent and enhance children to grow up and live a life their participation in activities. as fulfilled as possible, and OT can assist in helping your child Occupational therapists use a achieve that. number of activities, such as sensory techniques, gross and Remember to wear blue on fine motor games and activities 2nd April in support of Autism as well as visual perceptual Awareness. activities, to help children develop. There are many Written by Kate Rowland benefits of OT for children. The (Occupational Therapist)
What Is Autism Spectrum Disorder? Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism are both general terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development.
ASD is a developmental disability and people with ASD may communicate, interact, behave, and learn in ways that are different from most other people.The learning, thinking, and problem-solving abilities of people with ASD can range from gifted to severely impaired. Some people with ASD need high support (a lot of help and intensive intervention)
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while others need low support (less help and less intensive intervention).
ASD is chararacterised, in varying degrees, by: • difficulties in social interaction • verbal and nonverbal communication • repetitive behaviours • differences in sensory perception
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ASD is usually diagnosed by the time a child is three years old and autism is diagnosed four times as often in boys than in girls. Children who are diagnosed with ASD need early intervention as soon as possible. For more information visit Autism South Africa on www.aut2know.co.za
Everyday Life |
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| Healthy Life
The Mental Health
Benefits of Exercise
The mental health benefits of becoming more physically active are becoming more and more prevalent. In this article, Kieran Alger explores the mental health benefits of exercise.
Hayley Jarvis, programme manager for sport at the mental health charity Mind. “Being active is one of the best things you can do to help yourself bounce back in times of adversity. Getting out of your head and into your body can actually improve your ability to think clearly and break up exercise your racing thoughts.”
But when we feel down, everything can feel overwhelming. Time to crawl into a hole? In fact, the more stressed out you feel, the more you need to look after yourself – and a workout can be the happiest medicine. Research has shown that exercise is
How do you feel after a workout? Even when you’re purple faced and desperate for a lie-down, you feel pretty pleased with yourself for giving it a go, right? Once the initial “A prescription of breathlessness subsides can help you have a healthy Find your moodafter a workout, it’s common mind,” boosting workout to feel like you have more If the thought of hauling yourself energy and those troublesome clinically proven to stimulate problems might not seem quite serotonin, your natural feel-good out of bed to jump around feels as impossible as climbing so big as before. While they neurotransmitter. Everest, start slow. You can might seem intangible these benefits are as real as – and Does exercise help anxiety? always stop if you’re not feeling it, but all it takes is a few minutes arguably more important than – “Running gives me the the results you see around your headspace to focus on what I’m of low-intensity exercise – even just walking – to trigger waistline. feeling when my anxiety gets really bad,” says Cardiff student the release of pain-relieving “A prescription of exercise can Seren Pritchard-Bland, 21, who endorphins. Every stretch releases tension and every help you have a healthy mind,” ran the London Marathon for says GP Dr Paul Stillman, the mental health charity Heads movement makes oxygen flow a little faster. from Media Medics. “Exercise Together. “I get panic attacks stimulates positive endorphins, when I’m stressed out, but I find Ultimately, the key is to find a clears your head and lifts your simply getting out of the house workout you enjoy, because mood. I think we’ll see more with my trainers on makes me and more people prescribed feel like I’ve achieved something then you’ll want to keep doing it. exercise as a mood-booster.” positive. Running is therapeutic After exercise, take a moment to notice how your mood has lifted. – it’s so much healthier than The bright, calm satisfaction you Can exercise help you being alone at home with get after your workout will keep handle stress? thoughts spinning around my you coming back for more. You’ll Sure thing. A team of head.” get hooked on the feel-good neurologists at Stanford Medical benefits of exercise, not just the School, US, studied brain scans Why is exercise such a physical results. and found regular exercisers mood-booster? have more grey matter in the “Exercise is fantastic for Source: Joe Wicks, prefrontal cortex, which governs releasing tension, reducing www.thebodycoach.com. stress-management. stress and giving joy,” says www.mumsmail.com
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| Healthy Life
Gut Issues
Getting You Down?
Nearly everyone experiences some sort of Gastro-intestinal (GI) discomfort at some point or another.
It can manifest as abdominal pain and cramps, bloated belly and flatulence, chronic constipation, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), heartburn, acid reflux and nausea.
• A stressful or demanding lifestyle.
• A genetic predisposition making you susceptible to gut issues.
is one reason. There are also many physical reasons why women may be prone to more tummy troubles than men:
• Women secrete less stomach acid and experience slower gastric emptying that can result in bloating.
What’s worse is, a full third of • Undiagnosed food those who suffer say they can’t sensitivities, intolerances or find an effective solution that allergies. • Women tend to use more eases their symptoms. There’s NSAIDs throughout their lifetime no question that GI discomfort • A diet that’s excessive in which can irritate the stomach and digestive issues can affect fructose and other sugars, all your quality of life. PROGAST linked to loose stools, flatulence lining. Gastro-intestinal Support and tummy noise. • Women have slower Drops contains 10 emptying from the botanical extracts “GI issues affect both men and large intestine that that has shown in women, but for various reasons, can cause occasional clinical trials to help with GI distress. If women suffer more than men.” issues with regularity, and it tends to worsen you are one of the 33 with age. percent who haven’t yet found a product that works well for • Inflammation in your stomach • Women have slower you, PROGAST may be your from taking over the counter or gallbladder emptying that can solution. prescription non-steroidal antilead to occasional discomfort. inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). What’s Causing Gut • Women’s enzyme systems in Discomfort? • An issue with your gut-brain their livers and small intestines cross talk. differ from men’s and can affect There are many reasons for gut how their bodies break down discomfort, but what if you’re GI issues affect both men and getting enough probiotics and women, but for various reasons, medication. eating healthily, yet you’re still women suffer more than men. Women’s bodies also tend to experiencing belly bloat and be more sensitive to irritants, discomfort, gas, or occasional Why Women Are Up to such as gas, in their GI tracts constipation or loose stools? 6 Times More Likely to which can trigger messages Experience Gastroto the brain and in turn, a It may surprise you to learn intestinal Distress stressful response back to the that even those with a healthy gut, further impacting bowel gut microbiome can suffer Women are two to six times function. from time to time with digestive more likely to experience GI discomfort! There are many issues than men. Unresolved reasons why: stress due to a stressful lifestyle Probiotics can help to boost www.mumsmail.com
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| Kids’ Life
Innovative Learning through
Streetlight Schools Streetlight Schools aims to showcase a vision for how we can empower and holistically develop ALL children in South Africa, especially those from underserved communities. That’s why they launched a primary school in Jeppestown where learners - despite coming from single-parent homes, hijacked buildings, and a community marred by xenophobia, riots and crime – are creating aspirational, fun, beautiful, creative, thoughtful and sophisticated work.
learners in Grades R to Grade 1. In 2019 they now have 260 learners spanning Grades R to 4, and will continue to add a grade per year until 2022, when they will have a full primary school of 500 learners from Grades R to 7. The majority of learners come from the Jeppe community, and learners are charged a modest 20% of the They enable learners to reclaim R 22 000 required fee per joyful childhoods and develop learner (this covers school fees, deep self-confidence, life-long aftercare, stationery, nutrition, curiosity and be inspired and extracurricular and uniforms). empowered with the skillsets The school has never turned and mindsets to imagine and away a child simply because attain any future. their family cannot afford to pay, furthermore they offer care Streetlight Schools was founded grocery packages to learners in 2013 by Melanie Smuts, who and families. was inspired by the story of Judy, a young school girl who Jeppestown, Johannesburg, came from a home where her where the school is based, is mother couldn’t afford to pay one of the most unpredictable electricity, so she used the areas in terms of safety for family streetlight near her house to environments. The children study and do her homework at at Jeppe Park Primary now night. Today, Judy is a graduate have an in-house school social of Columbia University and a worker that does house visits Mandela Rhodes Scholar. She to learners and their families to recently bought her mother a make sure a safe haven is being new home. But it all started created within the Jeppestown under that streetlight. At environment. Streetlight Schools, they want to be that point of light for learners. The school has a staff of 60, who all reside in Jeppestown In 2016 Streetlight Schools and close to Johannesburg launched its flagship school, CBD. Further employment Jeppe Park Primary, with 70 has been created for the www.mumsmail.com
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construction and expansion of the school, which is an ecofriendly building. For more information, visit www.streetlightschools. org.
Kids’ Life |
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| Kids’ Life
Science Experiment
Dissolving Ink Can you make permanent ink dissolve?
A solvent can break the bond of a permanent marker, freeing the ink to spread and burst. Supplies needed: • Spray bottle • 70% rubbing alcohol • Aluminium foil or cardboard to line the inside of the shirt • White T-shirt • Coloured permanent markers
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The Experiment: Fill the spray bottle with rubbing alcohol. Cut your foil and put it inside the shirt to keep your marker from bleeding through. Colour your shirt with the markers and spray the shirt with alcohol. The outcome: Watch as the colours morph into a colourful explosion!
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Why it worked: The alcohol acts as a solvent and dissolves the ink as it saturates the shirt causing the ink to spread.
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TIP: After your shirt is dry, wash it alone so the colours don’t bleed onto the rest of your laundry. Variations: If you don’t have an old shirt to spare, this same technique can be used on paper towels or coffee filters. Did you know? Way back in the 12th century BC, the Chinese used ink from squids to write and draw with. Source: The 101 Coolest Science Experiments by Rachel Miller, Holly Homer & Jamie Harrington. www.mumsmail.com
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Kids’ Life |
Make a Bee Hotel
Making a bee hotel is a wonderful way to keep children busy in the garden, and this is a fun way to help them do it, while explaining the importance of having bees in the garden. temporary fix, or screw in some hinges.
What you will need: • 7 pieces of marine plywood (to make a box 15cm in depth, 20x30cm width and height), drilled together, or pinned together with panel pins • Small logs • Offcuts of wood • Bamboo canes (try get bamboo cane fencing from garden centre, and pull it apart) • Some clay and paint to make a bee (optional) • Duct tape for the roof • Hinges and screws • Sign for bee hotel/rates
Creating hotel “rooms” for the bees Cut pieces of wood and bamboo to the same depth as the box. Drill holes of different depths and thicknesses into the logs and wood pieces (anything between 2mm and 10mm drill bit will work). Ensure the holes are smooth and clean - remove any sharp pieces left behind and sand it down lightly. Fill the How to build a bee hotel for your friendly box with the wood and bamboo pieces that have been drilled garden pollinators and cut to size - make sure Building the box they’re evenly distributed, well Using the panel pins, secure the compacted and secure. panels together to form a box shape. Remember to leave two Location, location, location! panels for the roof. Place the hotel in a sunny spot in the garden, on a southern-facing Making the roof wall, 1m above the ground. Angle the pieces of wood for the Solitary bees love having a roof, in an A-frame shape and variety of flowers to choose from, use the duct tape to keep the so plant lots near the area. two pieces together. Secure the A-frame shaped roof to the box Source: with some more duct tape for a www.lifeisagarden.co.za
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