PakMag Cairns - February 2022 Issue 176

Parents and Kids Magazine

6FEELINGS

ISSUE: Feb 2022

176

CAIRNS

MINDFULNESS Tips for Calming Big

FREE

Where Focus Goes Energy Flows Inspiring Women in Science The Power of Sound and Voice

How to Tackle Tricky Topics with Children What’s in My Food?

Understanding Food Labels

3 Key Elements for a True Connection More than

Top 5 Benefits of Self-Care

WIN Prizes for the Whole Family

100

Family-Friendly

EVENTS

5

The Thing Is

6

Check it Out

8

Where Focus Goes Energy Flows

Hello and welcome to our very special edition of PakMag, created to inspire you to embrace more self-care.

10 Inspiring Women in Science 13 Deeply Connecting with

Your Family

Like they say on a flight (if you even remember what one of those is!) you first have to put your own mask on before trying to help others. Being a parent, it’s so easy to put everyone else first, and your own needs last.

25 Self-Care Isn’t Selfish

Next thing you know you are a robot on Groundhog Day, cooking, cleaning, working, and having memories of the times you used to do the things you love. You are a shell of who you used to be and that’s no good for you, or those who love you. If this is you right now, it’s time to put yourself first.

You will be a better human for it, so there should be no guilty feelings around doing so. Give yourself permission to love and care for yourself more than you do for everyone else. And guess what - the benefits to everyone in your world will be amazing too.

27 Mindfulness Tips for

Calming Big Feelings

With the school holidays extending, and Covid making its way through FNQ, I feel the strain so many parents are going through trying to juggle it all.

17 The Power of Sound

and Voice 21 New Cairns College Offering

Modern Subjects 23 The Sandwich Bag Dad Story

30 Bump, Bub and Beyond 32 Parent’s Puzzle 33 Mini Mag 37 Adult Colouring 39 The Benefits of Busy Boards 41 All Things Health 45 Know What’s in Your Food 49 Green Goodness Recipes 51 St Therese’s School

Understands the Importance

of Student-Led Learning 53 The Generation of Inattention 54 All Things Tweens & Teens 57 Tricky Conversations with

Our Kids

One small change can make a huge difference, so whether it’s going for a 30-minute walk instead of wasting 30 minutes on social media, or lying in bed reading a book instead of jumping up to clean, or putting the kids to bed a little early and having a special dinner at home, self-care is best when it’s a lot of little things done often. It doesn’t have to be big like a holiday or day spa, it can be a night away or doing your own nails!

If you’ve been looking for a kick up the backside to get you started, take this as your cue. You have full permission to do more self-care. You got this.

Until next time, happy parenting, and don’t forget to tell everyone, you read it in PakMag.

Bree

61 What’s On

Contact Us: p 4053 3331 e admin@m2f.com.au a PO Box 7433 Cairns Qld 4870 www.pakcairns.com.au • www.pakmag.com.au • www.m2f.com.au

PakMag Founder and Editor-in-Chief Bree James

Sales and Business Development Tracy Couper

59 Daddy Diary

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PakMag would like to acknowledge the First Nations people of the Yirrganydji, Djabugay, Buluwai, Yidinji, Gunggandji, Muluridji, Kuku Yalanji, Jirrbal, Wanyurr Majay, Ngadjon-ji (Choorechillum), Mamu, Djiru and Gulngay clans of Far North Queensland; the first storytellers and Traditional Custodians of all the lands on which we work, live and enjoy. We pay our respects to their Elders, past, present and emerging.

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We encourage recycling. Please keep this issue for future reference, pass onto your friends and family, use for craft projects or place into the recycling bin.

families www.pakmag.com.au | February 2022 3

The Thing Is

The Thing Is with Bree James Perception versus reality has always given me some really good belly laughs. Often when I speak with people, they have this perception that my life is very glamorous, that I have a million friends and a huge social life.

As I write this, I am laying on the floor next to my child at the hospital while he sleeps. I am wearing the same clothes that I’ve had on since nearly 24 hours prior.

I smell bad, I look bad, and my other child is home recovering from gastro; where I spent the night prior to this one cleaning pools of bodily fluids, and binning underwear holding my breath so that I didn’t add to the artwork on my floor.

Sure, my life is reasonably together, but a huge social life and friends? Well, let’s just say my friends circle is very small, most of which are in another city or state, I haven’t been invited out for a very long time, and I spend a lot of time with my family or alone. I think people’s perception is that I am too busy, so they don’t invite me, when in reality this is not true at all.

The thing is, we never truly know what someone else has going on in their world, and our perception is unlikely to be the reality. Just because your friend Nicole is constantly posting photos out with friends having a good time, doesn’t mean that she isn’t having her fair share of tough times too. Maybe, because of those tough times (now or in the past), she realises the importance of celebrating every day, and enjoying life as much as possible; her posts on social media - a journal to share with those keen to observe or ignore.

Many of us, myself included, use social media to share the most positive moments happening in our lives, and silently deal with the tough times. It’s easy for people to think that your life is perfect if you only share the good stuff.

Sure, I often feel twangs of sadness and jealousy when I see I missed out on being invited to something, or I am working away and it seems everyone else is off

enjoying life. We are all human and these feelings are normal. Where we come unstuck though; is when we fall into self-pity thinking we have no friends, and we start comparing our lives to others. Comparison really is the thief of joy, and when we have these negative thoughts, we need to ask ourselves: Is this my perception or is this reality? Or more simply “is this really true?”. Whenever we think something negative, these four words- “is this really true?” is a great question to ask ourselves.

What you see as real is only defined by your belief structure. Your version of what is real - is determined by your perception of it.

Life perception is that happiness leads to gratitude, whereas life reality is that gratitude leads to happiness.

Life perception is that success is about achievement, whereas life reality is that success is about self-growth.

Life perception is that the quality of relationships is measured by their length, whereas life reality is that the quality of relationships is measured by their depth.

Life perception is that how people treat you is a reflection of you, whereas life reality is that how people treat you is a reflection of them.

Life perception is that eventually, we “find” ourselves, whereas life reality is that over time, we create ourselves.

Just like the perception that once our children are toilet trained our days of cleaning up poop is over; however, as parents find out, the reality is that crap happens, and we never know when it’s going to hit.

Bree www.breejames.com www.myvisionbook.com.au

www.pakmag.com.au | February 2022 5

Entertainment

Check it Out Chinese New Year When: 1 - 13 February / G - All Ages Where: Cairns More info: www.cadcai.org.au/events Chinese New Year Celebrations kick off in February to celebrate the year of the Tiger - king of all beasts. The last time we had a year of the Tiger was in 2010 and it was Gold, however this time around we are living in the year of the Water Tiger, a symbol of learning ability, self-esteem, strength, and bravery - we’re taking that as a good omen for the year to come. From exhibitions to fireworks, make sure you don’t miss out on all the family fun!

Lion Tales: 1 - 12 February / The Court House / 10.00am - 4.00pm / FREE / G - This exhibition consists of newly restored and artisttreated Chinese lions, plus selected items from CADCAI’s Cairns Lit Sung Goong Temple collection.

Lions Blessings: 1 February / Participating businesses at Cairns Dining Precinct / 6.30pm / G Lantern Festival and Fireworks: 12 February / Esplanade Lagoon / 5.30pm - 7.30pm / G Year of the Tiger Yum Cha: 13 February / Golden Boat Restaurant / 11.30am / see website for menu and booking details.

Active Living 2022 When: Year round excluding public holidays / FREE / G - All Ages Where: Various locations around Cairns More info: www.cairns.qld.gov.au Cairns Active Living Program With the new year comes a new Active Living timetable. You may have tried bouldering, Qigong, Zumba, or beach volleyball in the past, well this year there are new additions like Resistance Training, Vera Flow, and Power Pilates. Suitable for all ages, the Active Living program provides plenty of opportunities for yourself and the whole family to get active without the cost.

Check out the diverse schedule and give it a go. For class options, timetables, and locations, check online and stay up to date on their facebook page.

The Veronicas Summer Sounds When: From 4 February / 7.30pm / $70.00 $80.50 / PG Where: Cairns Performing Arts centre More info: www.cairns.qld.gov.au/CPAC Cairns Summer Sounds is back and will bring us a month-long series of events featuring high profile music artists. Kicking the month off is Ocean Alley on 4 and 5 February, followed by Vera Blue on 11 February, and RocKwiz LIVE! on 25 and 26 February.

Book your tickets early to experience the unforgettable Cairns Summer Sounds.

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When: 19 February / 5.00pm / $63.00 - $83.00 Where: Cairns Convention Centre More info: www.cairnsconvention.com.au Australia's iconic alt-pop duo The Veronicas are back and hitting the road.

Arriving in Cairns for a one off show in February, it’ll be a spectacle supported by an all female squad including Hope D, Yorke, and We The Wild Ones.

Cairns Art Gallery Exhibitions and Classes When: February - March Where: Cairns Art Gallery More info: www.cairnsartgallery.com.au The Cairns Art Gallery continues to have a diverse range of exhibitions available to the public. Make sure to not miss out on the William T Cooper exhibit that will be leaving the gallery this month. And if you’ve got a little one that’s not able to get back to school, check out their painting classes and get that creativity flowing.

William T Cooper: Botanical Art of the Tropical Rainforest: Runs until 13 February / 9.00am - 5.00pm / FREE / G Peter Thompson – Ceramics and the Source of Self Exhibition: Runs until 6 March / 9.00am - 5.00pm / FREE / G Amanda Emmett New Works: Runs until 13 March / 9.00am - 5.00pm / FREE / G FNQ Contemporaries 2022: Runs until 6 March / 9.00am - 5.00pm / FREE / G Level 1-2 Bridging Class - Drawing and Painting with Keelie Nicholls: Runs weekly until 14 February / 3.30pm - 5.30pm / $105.00 $125.00 / Ages 6 - 9 Level 3: Watercolour Painting with Jim Rea: Runs weekly until 17 February / 3.30pm - 5.00pm / $105.00 $125.00 / Ages 11 - 14

Sooshi Mango - Off The Boat When: 17 February / 7.30pm / $60.00 - $167.00 / Recommended for ages 12 + Where: Cairns Convention Centre More info: www.cairnsconvention.com.au Sooshi Mango are back in Cairns with a brand-new live comedy show. Made up of Melbourne trio brothers Joe and Carlo Salanitri and their close friend Andrew Manfre - the boys are set to bring the house down with an all new two hour show. Full of skits and hilarious musical numbers, this is a show not to be missed!

Feature

Where Focus Goes - Energy Flows STORY Bree James Don’t you love that feeling of being in total flow with your life? You feel energised, positive, and calm - totally in love with the life you are living. However, many of us don’t stay in this ‘state of being’ for very long.

We each face a lifetime of challenges and transitions, and there is always another problem to be solved, or an issue weighing us down.

As the old saying goes; “what you focus on grows”.

For instance, if we focus our minds on all of the negative behaviours of our children, that’s what we will see and experience. If we focus on their positive behaviours and praise them, that is what we will nurture and experience - what we focus on grows.

Did you know that your brain is conditioned to look for the negative? Have you ever found yourself dwelling on an insult or argument, or fixating on your mistakes or poor judgement? Have you noticed that criticisms often have a greater impact than compliments, and bad news frequently draws more attention than good?

As Humans, We Tend to: • Remember traumatic experiences better than positive ones.

• Recall insults better than praise.

• React more strongly to negative than positive stimuli.

• Think about negative things more frequently than positive ones.

• Respond more strongly to negative events than to equally positive ones.

The reason for this is that negative events have a greater impact on our brains than positive ones.

Psychologists refer to this as “the negative bias”, and it can have a powerful effect on your behaviour, your decisions and even your relationships.

We have around 12,000 - 60,000 thoughts every single day. Shockingly, 80 percent of our daily thoughts are negative! That’s a lot of negative thoughts. What’s funny, yet not funny at all, is that 98 percent of the negative thoughts we had yesterday are the same ones we will be thinking about today. Negative thinking will never

8 February 2022 | www.pakmag.com.au

make your life positive, so how do we focus our energy and attention on the things that make our energy and life flow better?

First and foremost, we need to get a clear vision of what we really seek in our lives. When we have this vision, it’s much easier to devote your energy, time and focus to achieving it. Sometimes we focus so much on what we don’t want – that it’s what we keep getting served. Our focus acts as both a magnifying glass and a magnet. In other words, whatever we put our attention on, expands in our life. Whatever we talk about, we see more of. Whatever we think about, we experience more of. How does it all work?

Our brains are trained to look for what we are thinking about. Have you noticed when you decide to buy a new car, suddenly you see that car everywhere? Our focus acts as reinforcement and our brains are very clever at filtering the information we don’t need and delivering what it’s been asked to focus on.

If you want more flow, peace of mind, clarity, and joy in your life, it’s time to have a look at where you focus your mind.

• If you want to achieve or do something it starts with a decision and focus (like our goal weight).

• If you want to be more, we decide and focus on improving ourselves (like learning to be more positive).

• If you want to have more, we decide and focus on making that happen (like wanting to buy our first house).

What You Focus on Grows It takes practice to notice and retrain ourselves to stop our negative self-talk. Being aware of our own tendency towards negativity and consciously elevating happier thoughts is one of the best ways to combat negative thinking.

We are the creators of our own life. It is our choice as to what we focus on every day - because where our focus goes, energy flows.

7 Tips To Help You Focus Your Energy 1. Savour positive moments - when you experience one, stop and take a few moments to really feel it.

2. Practice daily gratitude - gratitude turns what we have into ‘enough’. What we appreciate, appreciates.

3. Meditation - meditation allows you to quiet your mind and take control of your thoughts.

4. Journal - journaling reminds us of our goals and learnings in life.

5. My Vision Book - is a system to help you clarify your thoughts, goals, and desires so you can focus on achieving them www.myvisionbook.com.au

6. Sound Therapy - music expands our cognitive range, helps us increase energy and focus and can lead to impressive insights and breakthroughs.

7. Exercise - it’s proven; people have ground-breaking ideas while they’re exercising.

www.pakmag.com.au | February 2022 9

STEAM

Meet Three Inspiring Local Women In Science To celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science on February 11, we chatted to four women working in science in North Queensland. We find out what drives and inspires them in their research, as well as what it takes to have a career in STEM. So, if you’ve got a young one eager to learn and explore the world we live in, show them that’s possible!

Dr Abbi Scott – Marine Biologist

Rachael Walshe - Human Geographer, PhD Candidate

Harriet Spark Grumpy Turtle Creative

What is your job?

I’m a marine biologist working on the Great Barrier Reef, in my role as a researcher at James Cook University, I work on monitoring and research in seagrass meadows and coral reefs.

How did you get here?

I studied marine biology at university, after this I worked on some citizen science and seagrass monitoring projects in England before deciding to do a PhD researching seagrass ecosystems. Since finishing my PhD I’ve continued researching and working on other seagrass and coral projects with the JCU TropWATER team.

What advice do you have for girls wanting to work in science?

Find what you are passionate about and go for it!

There are so many inspiring women in science who you can follow on social media. Follow scientists in your field of interest, get informed and get as much experience as you can.

What inspires you?

Having the opportunity to find out more about our marine environment and doing research that can help to protect the environment for future generations.

What made you get into science?

I’ve always loved the ocean and started scuba diving when I was 14, from that point on I knew I wanted to work to help conserve the marine environment.

You can follow Abbi on Instagram @abbi.scott.science and Twitter @abbilscott

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What is your job?

My field is human geography, so I explore people in relation to the environment. I research how our society influences our food resilience, education, sense of place, and well-being. I often work with schools, learning about the effects gardens at schools and in communities have on us.

How did you get here?

I grew up in a super rural town in the middle of nowhere. We had to be self-sufficient -food production is deeply ingrained and a way of life for me. I studied sustainability and agriculture in undergraduate studies and began to focus on the role urban agriculture could play.

What advice do you have for girls wanting to work in science?

Be bold and ask questions. There’s no way I would be doing what I am if I hadn’t developed the confidence to always take up space and ask a question.

What inspires you?

The basic need for food for us all to live. No one deserves to be hungry, and I believe everyone should have the skills to own our food production.

What made you get into science?

It gives me a sense of purpose. I don’t really feel like sitting by and watching the world suffer when there’s something meaningful that I could do ... gardening, thinking, and researching gives me a sense of purpose.

Dr Lizzy Joyce – Evolutionary Plant Biologist

What is your job?

I’m a botanist, and love everything to do with plants, but am most interested in plant evolution in northern Australia and Southeast Asia, and taxonomy - the science of discovering and naming new species. I’ve recently moved to Munich, Germany to continue my research at Ludwig Maximillian University.

How did you get here?

I’m a very curious person and have always loved the natural world and was drawn to botany and zoology so studied a Bachelor of Science at the University of Western Australia.

Having a career in research has taken a lot of hard work, resilience, persistence, and collaboration with clever, good people.

What advice do you have for girls wanting to work in science?

Don’t be intimidated. Absolutely awesome scientists of all genders do incredible work! There are some unique challenges faced by women in science, so do what any good scientist does and educate yourself. Let your curiosity and passion drive you, work with respect, humility and integrity and you can have the most fascinating and fulfilling career, no matter your gender.

What inspires you?

Every day I’m inspired by the natural world – how can you not be when living in Cairns!? There is always something to be discovered and learned. I am motivated by that desire to understand the world around me and how it came to be the way it is today.

What made you get into science?

My grandfather, who was a brilliant man and prize-winning carnivorous plant collector, and my mum, a kooky geologist that brought me up with that appreciation and fascination for the natural world.

You can follow Lizzy on Twitter @e_m_joyce

For anyone curious and eager to learn more about STEM, check out these great resources! www.scienceandtechnologyaustralia.org.au www.stemwomen.org.au www.thegist.edu.au

Parenting

Deeply Connecting with Your Family STORY Dr Justin Coulson, Parenting Expert and founder of Happy Families Take a moment to reflect on a recent positive experience you have had with one of your children; one where you felt truly connected. Perhaps it was an instant of joy as they made a new discovery.

Maybe it was a flash of laughter as their joke landed perfectly on your funny bone. Or it could have been a tearful or heartfelt embrace, a moment of deep reflection, or a twinkling of peace as you simply sat together and felt… safe.

Brené Brown says connection is “the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard and valued.”

It feels good to belong. To know that you matter.

To feel worthy.

But connection is an impermanent state.

That beautiful energy between you and your child ebbs and flows. You’ll note that I described an “instant”, a “flash”, a “moment”, and a “twinkling” to describe how true connection occurs. That’s because connection requires intention. Each interaction requires us to re-connect with our children and partners to maintain the experience of being connected. And this explains why parenting – and relationships generally – can be so hard. The obstacles to maintaining connection are endless, but the effort and attention you give in order to maintain and nurture that connection pays huge dividends for your relationships.

Connection is Not a Luxury Item – We Need It! Whether labelled as relatedness, responsiveness, warmth, or nurture - research evidence points to the connection between parent and child as a necessity for our children. It’s not a luxury item. It’s a must-have.

Researchers have found children are more curious, more competent, more resourceful, and more likely to initiate behaviour (rather than waiting to be told) when parents are responsive and empathic. Kids are better at regulating emotions, solving problems, and are more resilient when parents are connected with them. And they act out less.

The old-school parenting trope that when our children are behaving in a challenging way, “they’re just doing it for attention” is comprehensively rejected by today’s best science.

We now know that children are seeking attention because they need it to be healthy and happy.

In fact, it may be less about “attention” and more about “connection”. If your child is seeking attention, give it to them! Seriously. The research shows it matters more than we can possibly know. It’s less that you’re dealing with a challenging child, and more that you’re helping your child deal with a challenge. This re-frame is important.

Dr John Gottman calls our children’s choice to reach out to us a “bid for connection”. When we respond to those bids with warmth, acceptance, and engagement, we build life into our relationship with our child.

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Parenting

Key Elements for True Connection If connection is so important, but also so transient, how can we create and maintain connections?

Intention – On a typical morning, in any typical home, the juggle is real. Our parenting responsibilities compete with our personal to-do list, we search for our child’s missing sports uniform or library book, we check our social media feeds and news headlines, all while the clock is ticking in the background, counting down to that moment we scream, “we’re late… hurry up and get in the car!” We operate on auto-parent. If LOVE is spelled T-I-M-E, what does HURRY UP spell? And are we thinking about this as we interact with our kids?

Our reactions are, at best, a response to unexpected and unforeseen difficulties and at worst, the equivalent of an emotional bomb blast because we aren’t intentional and mindful of what needs to happen to make the morning function well.

Mindfulness, according to Ellen Langer, a Harvard psychologist and researcher, is an active state of mind, characterised by being: • in the present, rather than 20 minutes in the future • sensitive to context and perspective, rather than screaming that “I don’t care what your sister said to you! You should know better!”

• rule and routine guided, rather than governed by how it “ought to be” • engaged in the moment-to-moment interactions of the family Unless we are intentionally and mindfully watching for them – we will miss those instances, flashes, moments, and twinklings of connection.

Involvement - When I’m researching for an article or typing out a book chapter, my attention is on my laptop, my books, and my thoughts. My seven-year-old’s best efforts to connect are ineffective when I fail to be involved in her bids for connection. Connection doesn’t exist – until I turn away from what I’m focused on and involve myself in her conversation, her play, her world.

Autonomy Support - Studies show that for us to help children live life fully, we must allow them to make choices. Some of the best connection occurs when we give up our desire for control of our children. For them to make those choices in healthy, safe, wise ways - they need our connection, but not our control. In fact, control may be a reliable disruptor of relationships.

Relinquishing control in a connected way means we: • consider our child’s perspective (which usually requires connecting through curiosity and questions) • provide meaningful and helpful choices (where they are not developmentally capable of developing solutions on their own)

• encouraging and supporting our child’s initiative and voice • minimising our controlling language • offering meaningful reasons for our behavioural requests.

Ideas for Connection To build stronger connections, consider these ideas:

1. Do what’s important but unspectacular over and over again.

We often get caught up in planning the perfect party, the heavenly holiday, or the exciting event so we can all connect and make memories. This can be a useful strategy, but a focus on consistent small episodes of responsiveness and connection will do more for happiness, wellbeing, and growth.

2. Review the way you use your time and set time aside for connection.

The time that people with lousy relationships spend on Netflix, social media, excessive work, or with other distracted pursuits, people with extraordinary relationships leverage into opportunities to be present, mindful, and connected.

Build your catalogue of connection experiences, not your catalogue of movies to watch on your streaming service.

Set aside time to spend together, and consider the quality of the activities and interaction during this time.

Also consider establishing positive routines and rituals in your home like family dinners gathered around the table, with an opportunity to discuss each other’s days, or family game nights to increase the opportunities to reconnect daily.

3. Allow your worlds to cross-over.

Our children are desperate to enter our world and connect with us. Even more, they crave the opportunity to bring us into their world and share their experience of life with us. Let your children know that you are interested in what they’re interested in, and pay attention to their lives. Seek ways to communicate; learning their communication style, trying to speak their ‘language’ or at least understanding it and listening will help bridge any gaps.

The True Meaning of Connection Strangely, while we study connection, calling it by so many names, the one thing I’ve not seen it called in science is the one thing we most need to call it: love.

It is love – or loving connection – that draws us to others because it is the truest way we can feel seen, heard, and valued. If every interaction comes from a place of love, positive connection will follow.

Dr Justin Coulson is the co-host and parenting expert on Channel 9's "Parental Guidance", the founder of www.happyfamilies.com.au, and one of Australia’s most trusted parenting experts. Dr Coulson has a PhD in Psychology, is a best-selling author of six books and father to six daughters. Justin writes and speaks about parenting and family – because nothing matters more.

14 February 2022 | www.pakmag.com.au

Education

The Power of Sound and Voice STORY Bree James Music and sound have been ingrained in all cultures throughout human history. This is why sound therapy can be so powerful. A sound therapist uses their voice, and musical instruments like gongs, tuning forks, and singing bowls, to direct sound waves to your body’s energy field. These vibrations interact with your own subtle vibrations to restore balance on a physical, psychological and energetic level.

I interviewed Allison Davies on the PakMag Podcast to find out more on the Power of Sound and Voice.

She is a highly qualified Sound Therapist who holds a Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Teaching and a Master of Music Therapy.

What effect do thoughts, words, and music have on our bodies?

“There are so many different and complex ways that our thoughts, words, sound and voice impact our body.

Using our voice out loud can be a really incredible way of supporting ourselves to feel safe and coming out of survival mode. Survival mode underpins anxiety, fear, and a lot of what we struggle with in our modern Western world.

When we sing, we are also breathing. When we sing out, we literally cannot breathe in as we're singing out.

So, by default you are using your voice in a way that is controlled breathing. Controlled breathing relaxes our nervous systems and tells us that we’re safe. Making music, listening to music or even thinking about music leads to this whole brain response where there's just so

many different parts of the brain active, more than any other activity you can do. The power of sound and voice is incredibly important for our brains, bodies, energy and wellbeing.”

How can we harness the power of sound to take care of our brains and wellbeing?

“There is no tool more powerful for healing than the human voice - your body is an instrument.

We are two thirds liquid in terms of our body so when you look at what happens to sound waves and vibrations with water it’s no wonder music and sound impacts our body in such a positive way and improves our brain function and wellbeing”.

Music as therapy may be a foreign concept to some, but from your experience – how life-changing has it been with those you have worked with? Can you explain how it helps people of all ages self-regulate?

“Sound therapy is a healing technique that employs the vibrations of the human voice to go beyond relaxation and foster healing. Some sound therapists use external instruments, such as tuning forks or singing bowls.

However, there is no tool more powerful for healing than the human voice. Music therapy is the use of music to attain and maintain health and wellbeing. Music can be used for physical outcomes but you can also use it to improve sleep quality, it's such a holistic and noninvasive way of working with someone. Music therapy is a very powerful allied health avenue”.

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Education

As a person with autism, how has music helped you?

“Music saved my life. I didn’t realise I was autistic until I was in my 30s. As a child, I used to count in my head constantly in three’s. It was just constantly like “123, 123, 123”. I lived this constant, very highly stimulated and dysregulated life where I couldn't stop or relax. Music helped stop these feelings, when I would hear music, I wouldn't be counting.”

saw this video, hundreds of people emailed me to say I love this song but I could never sing it to my children because I don't want them to learn to sing badly. The shame of this social construct of this idea of someone not being musical runs deep. The shame and suppression of our voices, especially with women being shushed and not allowed to speak, adds all of these layers of trauma connected to our voice which makes it very difficult for some of us to express ourselves musically”.

What tips do you have for people interested in harnessing the power of sound?

“Even humming is musical and using sound has been proven to be really amazing for your body. Two generations ago our grandparents used to hum and whistle all the time - music can be so simple. Because of the relationship between music and our brain, I think of our brain as a musical organ. We're all musical beings, and a lot of people have a very difficult relationship with their sense of musicality. Some may feel like they can't sing in tune or they're not good enough. There are all these factors when we're considering the type of people we call musical, and they're not really a reflection of musicality. Humans are musical and we just need to step into creating a relationship with our voice and feeling confident to use it out loud. We are musical it's inherent to us. My hope is that if people start expressing themselves musically, it will really improve our anxiety levels and mental wellbeing”.

Have you got any ideas of things we can try to increase our use of sound and voice in our lives?

“I want to acknowledge that it can be hard to use your voice. When you are someone who's always had self-limiting beliefs around your sense of music, your musicality. So, when I sang ‘every little cell’ and people

WATCH THE VIDEO IN OUR ONLINE MAG Here are some simple things you can try:

1. Humm 2. Sing out loud 3. Sing in your head 4. Dance 5. Whistle 6. Melodic Mantras sing “I am strong” 7. Repetition 8. Rhymes 9. Read out loud 10. Play an instrument 11. Listen to music

Some of the Benefits of Sound Therapy Include: • Relaxation and lower stress levels • More balanced moods • Lower blood pressure • Lower cholesterol • Improved sleep • Heightened awareness, clarity and balance • Reduced chronic pain • Emotional and social development • Improved cognitive and motor functioning • Improved psychological and psychiatric health • A stronger immune system • Improved creativity

Allison Davies creates online resources for parents, educators, and support staff, and works with schools to deliver professional development around the topics of childhood brain development and the use of music as a regulatory tool. Allison holds a Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Teaching, a Master of Music Therapy, and Neurologic Music Therapy training. As an autistic person with attention, sensory processing and executive functioning difficulties, she works within a neurodiversity framework promoting acceptance and regulation over assimilation and intervention. www.allisondavies.com.au

For more on this topic with Allison, tune into Episode 122 of the PakMag Parents Podcast at www.pakmag.com.au

If you are interested in attending a Sound Bath, Bree hosts them every month online or in person. Head to www.myvisionbook.com.au/energyclub to find out more.

18 February 2022 | www.pakmag.com.au

Advertorial

Newman Catholic College Principal Lauretta Graham with Year 7 students at the orientation day held at JCU in November.

New Cairns College Offering Modern Subjects Cairns’ newest secondary college is offering its students a revolutionary range of modern study options, including game development, robotics, marine sciences, personal finance and orienteering.

Newman Catholic College, co-located with James Cook University in Smithfield, has opened to its first cohort of Year 7 students and they are already sinking their teeth into the cutting-edge subjects on offer.

Principal Lauretta Graham said the College was purpose-built to support and nurture innovative thinkers.

“A key element of our mission is to always remain relevant, contemporary, adaptable, and agile enough to respond to future change,” she said.

“Our new, technology-rich environments deliver a greater impact than the more traditional spaces, and our carefully-selected teachers are comfortable using digital resources to enhance teaching and learning.

“Technology will be deeply integrated into classroom practices and across the curriculum.”

From Term 1, students can choose elective subjects such as Dance, Drama, Instrumental Music, Visual Arts, Photography, Engineering, Game Development, Food Technology, 3D Design, Outdoor Education: Orienteering, Italian or Japanese.

From Term 2 and beyond, students can also choose to study Personal Finance, Robotics, Performing Arts,

Marine Science – Extension, Health and Sport Science, and Outdoor Education: Active Learning.

Some rules will be in place to ensure students are exposed to a variety of learning material.

“Although students in Year 7 would traditionally not have the opportunity to select subjects, creating subjects that integrate multiple learning areas allow us to provide students with choice while they experience a broad range of subject areas,” Dr Graham said.

She said it had been a “mighty job” bringing Newman Catholic College to life and thanked all the workers, contractors and managers who worked around the clock to make it happen.

“Standing on the site a year ago, we would never have imagined what could be achieved in such a short time, especially through the challenges of a long wet season and the many impacts of COVID 19,” Dr Graham said.

“Our aim over the next five years is to further explore opportunities for working in partnership with JCU, other schools, industry and government to continue providing the best for each individual student.”

Newman Catholic College is the first Catholic school in Australia to be co-located with a university.

It will add a new year level every year to be a full Year 7-12 secondary college in 2027.

www.pakmag.com.au | February 2022 21

Feature

The Sandwich Bag Dad Story By day, Dave Blumenthal is a (mostly) normal guy, working in finance and doing his best to survive the trials and tribulations of parenthood. By night, Dave is a cartoon artist. Drawing under the moniker ‘Sandwich Bag Dad’, Dave combines his love of art with his passion for wordplay and dad jokes.

Over the ensuing four years, Dave’s daily lunch bag workload doubled and then tripled as Sharni’s younger sisters, Tia and Milly, started school and began to demand their own customised sandwich bag art. All the while, Dave continued to post his designs to social media, gradually building a growing band of loyal followers.

The Sandwich Bag Dad story began in 2012. Dave’s eldest daughter Sharni had started school just weeks after the birth of her baby sister. To make Sharni feel special and loved, Dave’s wife started carving little love hearts and other shapes into Sharni’s school sandwiches.

In 2019, Sharni convinced Dave to go green (or ‘brown’, to be precise) by swapping plastic sandwich bags for more environmentally friendly paper ones. “I was really happy to make the switch,” Dave chuckles. “Not only was I doing my bit for the planet, but this was clearly a sign from my daughters that it was perfectly okay to recycle my dad jokes!”

After a few days, Dave took over the sandwich-carving duties, and from there things quickly escalated. The daily sandwich cut-outs became more and more intricate, and Dave was soon fielding ‘carving’ requests from Sharni’s friends and teachers.

One day, as Dave was about to slice up a new sandwich masterpiece, he spied a marker pen on the kitchen benchtop and was struck by an idea. Instead of cutting shapes into the actual bread, why not draw his designs onto the actual sandwich bag itself? And the rest, as they say, is Sandwich Bag history.

From that point on, drawing on Sharni’s lunch bags became a daily ritual. Over the next few years, Dave’s artwork steadily gained popularity, not only amongst Sharni’s classmates, but in the school staffroom as well.

The bag drawings even became a regular discussion topic at parent-teacher interviews: “Sharni is doing great, but can we talk more about your sandwich bag drawings?”

In 2016, after much prodding from Sharni’s teachers, Dave finally joined the world of social media. He established his ‘Sandwich Bag Dad’ identity on Instagram and Facebook and began to share his work online.

In 2020, Dave’s quirky ritual went global. His drawings were featured in numerous newspapers, global entertainment websites and radio talk shows. His lunch bags even had their very own exhibition at Australia's National Cartoon Gallery.

To this day, Dave creates daily lunch bag drawings for all three of his daughters. He usually draws them at night, with each taking around 10 to 30 minutes to complete, depending on their complexity. Once finished, Dave duly photographs his work for social media posterity and then places the bags in a pile. The next morning, the Sandwich Bag Kids raid the stockpile to select their bags, toss their sandwiches inside and head off to school. While very occasionally one of Dave’s lunch bags will be hung up on the classroom wall, the vast majority end up crumpled and tossed in the recycling bin. Dave doesn’t mind, though. He knows the bags have served their purpose: bringing a smile, an eye roll… and a sandwich to school lunchtime.

WIN a Copy of The Cartoon Chronicles of Sandwich Bag Dad What started out as a quirky ritual has now evolved into a collection of thousands of sandwich bag cartoons, a social media following spanning the globe and an exhibition at Australia’s National Cartoon Gallery. The Cartoon Chronicles of Sandwich Bag Dad is a collection of Dave’s most popular and endearing lunch bag drawings. Witty, pun-filled and 100 percent ‘dad-jokey’.

The accompanying sandwiches are, however, sold separately! $34.95 www.sandwichbagdad.com/book Visit www.pakmag.com.au/win for your chance to win!

www.pakmag.com.au | February 2022 23

Self-Care

Self-Care Isn’t Selfish It’s Essential STORY Lien Pham, Founder and CEO of SelfAmour I came from a culture where women are expected to take care of everyone but themselves. The more you sacrifice, the better of a mother you are. A culture that guilt-trips you for being away from your children and family for having alone time. It’s simply ridiculous.

I now see why my mother sometimes crumbled and took it out on my brother and I. I also now know that self-care is not selfish. It’s essential for a long and happy life.

Let’s clear the misconception about self-care from the get-go. It’s not about self-indulgence, or bubble baths and expensive facials. Self-care is anything you do to take care of yourself so you can stay physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy. It can cost nothing and be something as simple as a morning ritual watching the sunrise.

Some Types of Self-Care Include Emotional self-care Saying positive affirmations, saying “no” to things that cause unnecessary stress, giving yourself permission to take a pause or walking your dog.

Physical self-care Prioritising sleep, working out, choosing healthy wholesome foods over highly processed ones or taking care of your skin.

Spiritual self-care Participating in meditation, keeping a gratitude journal or visiting spiritual spaces that you identify with.

Self-care is different for everyone. However, whatever it means for you, the act of self-care should promote inner and outer wellness for you.

Practicing Regular Self-Care has a Multitude of Benefits 1. Self-care can improve your physical health and immune system Can self-care help prevent disease? Hell yes! The more you engage in activities that promote good health, nutrition, and an active lifestyle, the more likely you are to keep illness at bay and strengthen your immune system.

2. Self-care can reduce stress Stress can be destructive on your mental, gut, and heart health. Set up a self-care plan for you to apply whenever you feel overwhelmed.

3. Self-care can increase productivity It seems counterintuitive - how can spending time away from work help increase productivity? Slowing down means you’ll focus more on what’s truly important and be more resourceful with your time. It increases efficiency and allows you to get more done.

4. Self-care can boost self-esteem Taking time to relax and look after yourself can have a positive impact on the way you see yourself. Taking care of and treating yourself with compassion is an essential step in your journey to complete self-love.

5. Self-care can enhance personal relationships When your cup is empty, how can you be pleasant and helpful to others? When you repeatedly place others’ wellbeing before your own, it’s natural to develop some resentment. It can be subtle at first, but sooner or later those feelings will start to rear their ugly head.

The happier and more content you are with yourself, the more you have to offer others.

Lien Pham is the founder of SelfAmour - an Aussie self-care brand. She is on mission to facilitate women on their journeys to a destination of complete self-love through the power of self-care. Lien is a former accountant, turned entrepreneur who spent her life working in corporate before taking the leap to follow her heart and get on her own journey. Born and raised in Vietnam, she now calls Australia her home.

WIN a $40 voucher to use sitewide at www.selfamour.com.

Visit www.pakmag.com.au/win for your chance to win!

www.pakmag.com.au | February 2022 25

Bump, Bub and Beyond

Mindfulness Tips for Calming Big Feelings STORY Dr. Rosemarie Truglio, Senior Vice President of Curriculum and Content at Sesame Workshop With today’s unprecedented uncertainty, children may be experiencing a range of big emotions like sadness, anger, frustration, disappointment, and nervousness. It’s okay to have big feelings and children may experience more than one emotion at a time. What’s important is developing the skills and using self-regulation strategies to help them manage these emotions.

As adults, we can sometimes get overwhelmed by our emotions, so imagine how difficult it is for young children who may not yet have the words to understand, express, or an ability to calm their emotions. To help children manage their emotions, it is important to recognise, validate, and label how they are feeling and provide a range of strategies to help them calm down their big feelings. The ability to understand and label the emotion, be more reflective, and behave in a more purposeful way during emotional moments are important resiliency skills.

One great tool to build resiliency and help young children manage their emotions is mindfulness.

Mindfulness is being in the present with what is happening around us, what’s happening inside us, what we are doing, and how we are feeling. As children become more skilled at thinking calmly, they are more likely to understand the perspectives of others, be more empathetic to another’s feelings, and think flexibly about a situation.

Simple mindfulness practices such as taking slow deep breaths, shifting your attention to another activity, or repeating affirmation self-talk phrases can help kids to focus their attention to what is happening around and inside of them.

Belly breathing is a wonderful physical strategy to re-centre and calm down, and is a quick way for a child to regulate any overwhelming feelings.

Watch: Sesame Street Monster Meditation #5: Belly Buddy Breathing with Rosita and Headspace on YouTube

WATCH THE VIDEO IN OUR ONLINE MAG

Goodnight Body To help your child transition to sleep, start with a few belly breaths as they are lying down in bed. Then have your child do an exercise called ‘Goodnight Body.’ Model for them how they can say goodnight to each of their body parts, starting with their feet, moving to their legs, and moving all the way up to their eyes and head.

Ask them to wiggle each part of their body as they say goodnight and then relax. Have them finish with another deep belly breath before it’s lights out.

Watch: Sesame Street Monster Meditation #2: Goodnight Body with Elmo and Headspace on YouTube.

Here are some simple mindfulness techniques that parents and caregivers can model and teach their young children:

Belly Breathing Belly breathing can be done while your child is standing, sitting, or lying down. If lying down, have your child place their favourite toy on their belly, and as they slowly breathe in through their nose and out through their mouth, they can watch the toy move up and down.

Or just have them place their hands on their belly.

WATCH THE VIDEO IN OUR ONLINE MAG

www.pakmag.com.au | February 2022 27

Bump, Bub and Beyond

Play I-Sense If your child is growing impatient or anxious (just as Cookie Monster grows impatient waiting for his cookies to bake), shift their focus by playing a game of I-Sense, similar to I-Spy, but using all of their senses. Ask them to spy something first with their sense of smell, then touch, then with their eyes, their sense of hearing, and then taste. By focusing on each of their senses, they’ll shift focus from their feelings of worry or impatience.

Watch: Sesame Street Monster Meditation #1: I-Sense with Cookie Monster and Headspace on YouTube.

clear jar that closes tightly, warm water, glitter glue, and glitter.

1. Pour warm water into the jar until its three- quarters full.

2. For every cup of water used, add one or two drops of glitter glue to the jar.

3. Fill the bottom half-inch of the jar with glitter.

4. Secure the lid on the jar. For extra protection, you can put regular glue on the inside of the lid before closing.

Allow the glitter to dry.

5. Your glitter jar is now ready to shake whenever your child needs to calm down.

Self-Talk If your child is feeling scared or worried, self-talk is a terrific tool to help calm them down. Statements like ‘Today is going to be a great day!’; ‘I can do it’; ‘I am proud’; and ’I am special’ can be used to turn negative thoughts into positive ones, and build your child’s self-confidence.

The Power of ‘Yet’ WATCH THE VIDEO IN OUR ONLINE MAG

Make A Glitter Jar When a child is having a big feeling, a glitter jar can be used as a calming strategy to help regulate an emotion.

The glitter inside the jar symbolises the feelings swirling around inside. Have your child take deep belly breaths as they watch the glitter slowly fall and settle down – and they calm down too. Once they can see through the jar, you can talk about their emotion and what you can do next now that they are in a calmer state.

Making a glitter jar is a simple and fun activity you can do with your child and all you’ll need is a

The power of yet is another great way to encourage perseverance and manage frustration. Your child may not be able to do something now but will with practice and hard work. Have your child add the word ‘yet’ to statements and positive self-talk as a reminder to keep striving to reach their goals. For example, ‘I can’t do this yet’, ‘I don’t understand this yet,’ or ‘I’m not good at this yet.’

Model and practice these simple mindfulness tools to help your children understand their emotions, and cope with their feelings by regulating those big emotions.

Giving your child a toolbox of strategies will help them as they grow smarter, stronger, and kinder and navigate the world around them.

Dr Rosemarie Truglio Ph.D. has been a vital presence at Sesame Workshop for more than two decades. She is the Senior Vice President of Curriculum and Content at Sesame Workshop, overseeing content development across media platforms and product distribution and is a authority on child development.

Dr Truglio is author of “Ready for School! A parent’s guide to playful learning for children ages two to five.”

Sesame Workshop, the non-profit educational organisation behind Sesame Street, has joined forces with Headspace to create “Monster Meditations,” six animated shorts to help children learn the fundamentals of mindfulness, meditation and social and emotional learning. Monster Meditations can be found on YouTube and YouTube Kids.

Learn more about the magic of Sesame Street and all of the good they are trying to bring to the world including their Caring for Each Other initiative by tuning into episode 115 of the PakMag Parents Podcast with Dr Truglio joining Bree.

28 February 2022 | www.pakmag.com.au

Bump, Bub and Beyond

Bump, Bub and Beyond Featured products, reviews and prizes. Visit www.pakmag.com.au/win for your chance to win!

Little BIG Chats Book Series www.e2epublishing.info The Little BIG Chats children’s book series has been written to assist parents, caregivers and educators to have open and ageappropriate conversations with early learners around crucial, and yet at times, ‘tough’ topics. And what better way than using children’s picture books! Suitable for ages 2 to 6. There are 12 books in the Little BIG Chats series: Empathy, I Always Try, Feelings, Everyone is Equal, Around the World, Mindfulness, Families, Consent, My Safety Network, My Early Warning Signs, Private Parts are Private, and Secrets and Surprises.

WIN the Little BIG Chats series valued at $69.95.

Tummy Time with Tumzee

Naked Life Non-Alcoholic Spirits

www.tumzee.com

www.nakedspirits.com.au

Tumzee allows for babies to be positioned on their tummies on a 15-degree incline, letting them engage with toys, games, or books and easing the frustration that many babies feel during tummy time. Tumzee is designed for babies who are old enough to hold their head up on their own. Tumzee is built with a unique T-shaped support to prevent baby from sliding down the incline, plus raised sides to prevent baby from rolling off the side. These features provide a secure environment for your child, allowing them to play and develop in safety.

Naked Life Non-Alcoholic Spirits is Australia’s largest range of ready-to-drink cocktails and mixed drinks free from alcohol, sugar and low in calories. Crafted with distilled botanicals, they are unmistakable in taste.

So as a mum (to be) you don’t need to miss out on any celebrations when you are pregnant, breastfeeding or looking to reduce. Redefine your moments!

WIN a Tumzee and Comfort Pad worth $45.98 USD.

30 February 2022 | www.pakmag.com.au

WIN a $100 sample pack of their full range of nonalcoholic cocktails and mixed cocktails including 2 glasses.

Bump, Bub and Beyond

Don’t Miss the Moment: Baby Moments to Capture “They grow up so fast” – we’ve all heard it and we’ve likely all said it!

The first 48 hours is a whirlwind love-bubble and it really goes without saying – getting a good quality photo of your newborn in those first few days is essential. It’ll be the pic you’ll frame and hang on the wall in your home and share on their 18th birthday.

Similarly, capturing their newborn stats is also a good idea, as well as the monthly growth photos. Using something like a big teddy in each photo will help you gauge how much they’ve grown. We’ve even seen a pizza box used for reference. You’ll also want to capture those tiny feet and hands, including the token pic of their little hand wrapped around your finger. Besides pictures, creating footprints and handprints using plaster moulds are a great idea too. As is getting special jewellery made with their fingerprint.

Other great moments in that first year include, their post-milk bliss, their sleep smile, learning to clap, early smiles, first chuckles and laughs – is there anything more blissful than a baby’s laugh?

Did You Know?

The age of technology and smartphones have made capturing moments a lot easier. However, for those newbie and soon-to-be-parents we thought we’d share a list of the moments you won’t want to miss, because these will be the times that you’ll look back on for years to come. Plus, they’re perfect to bring out for those big birthdays!

Babies are born with an innate reflex known as Bradycardic Response. It allows them to naturally adapt when submerged in water. A baby’s heart rate will slow down, and they will instinctively hold their breath.

They can also, unlike us grownups, simultaneously breath and swallow, but they grow out of this after a few months once the womb becomes a distant memory.

We all know how magical those ‘first moments’ are. Although you can’t always plan for them, there are some that you can be prepared for The first skin-to-skin contact, the first feed, the first bath, first steps, first tooth, first taste of new foods, and of course the first Christmas and birthday!

www.pakmag.com.au | February 2022 31

Puzzle

Parent's Puzzle: Criss-Cross Fill in the blanks with the words. To help you get started, two letters are already in place.

4 Letter Words ROOT TREE 5 Letter Words BASIC CHALK CLASS CYCLE EAGLE EIGHT FABLE FENCE KNISH MAORI PLAID PLANE SCRIP SUGAR 6 Letter Words CLOSED SISTER 7 Letter Words ALMANAC ALRIGHT ANTHILL BRIOCHE CEILING CERAMIC COCONUT CONCERT

WIN a vivo Y33s Smartphone $299.00 - www.vivo.com/au - The vivo Y33s is the perfect smartphone for parents and teenagers! Designed with a slender frame, the 5000mAh large battery is elegantly engineered to fit snugly in its ultra thin body.

The 50MP AI triple main rear camera redefines high definition photography. Capture life’s greatest moments effortlessly with pristine clarity whether you zoom or crop. Equipped with 128GB of storage, never worry about deleting photos or apps again - plus you can power up in a flash with 18W fast charge!

Visit www.pakmag.com.au/win for your chance to win! Competition closes 28/02/2022.

No need to submit answers to enter.

32 February 2022 | www.pakmag.com.au

CRICKET DIALECT FREEBIE PARAPET PICTURE PIPETTE SNORKEL TEXTILE THYMINE TURTLES TYPESET VOYAGER 8 Letter Words CALVADOS COMEDIAN EQUATION PARALLEL 9 Letter Words COLUMNIST HIBERNATE PLAYMAKER RAIN CLOUD STATEMENT STRONTIUM 10 Letter Words INSTRUCTOR VOCABULARY 11 Letter Words CELEBRATION DESTINATION

Pull-out kids activity mag! Colour in cover

Use the grid to copy the picture then colour it in!

Find the 10 objects in the picture

WIN a Wahu Hole in Won $24.95 - www.wahu.com.au - Round up your mates for an ultimate game of Wahu Hole in Won! This inflatable game set includes 1 Hole in Won game board plus 4 sandbags. The waterproof PVC base floats and moves in the water for an added challenge. The Wahu Hole in Won can also be filled with water in its’ base to play on land too! Ideal for up to 4 Players. Age: 6+ Players: 2+. Available from all leading retailers.

Visit www.pakmag.com.au/win for your chance to win! Competition closes 28/02/2022.

No need to submit activities to enter.

Find the

Find the 10 hidden objects in the picture

WIN a Wahu Pool Pets Croc Racer $19.99 - www.wahu.com.au - Kids will love these awesome new inflatable pool racers in bright funky Wahu colours. Perfect for racing up and down the pool against your mates or try and balance on them, the possibilities are endless. Wahu Pool Pets will be a hit all summer long! Age: 6+. Available from all leading retailers.

Visit www.pakmag.com.au/win for your chance to win! Competition closes 28/02/2022.

No need to submit activities to enter.

Let the Winter Games Begin!

Just like Summer Olympics, the Winter Olympics take place every four years. From February 4 to February 20, 95 countries will compete in the XXIV Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. XXIV is 24 in Roman numerals – which means it’s the 24th time they have taken place. But it’s the first time a host city has held both the Summer and Winter Olympics!

The motto for the games is “Joyful Rendezvous upon Pure Ice and Snow”, you can find out more about the games at www.olympics.com/en/ beijing-2022. From March 4 – 13 the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games will take place, find out more at www.paralympic.org/beijing-2022

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Escape the heat and have a cool time with family and friends at Cairns’ very own ice skating rink. Test your abilities or simply have a fun time sliding and gliding around on the ice. Beginner skate sessions are available Sunday mornings. It’s a perfect way to give a winter sport a go. You can also try Tobogganing for only $5.00 for four whole slides!

Sessions run Wednesday - Sunday, as well as a Disco Skate Session every Friday night 7.00pm - 9.00pm. Check their website for session times. Cost (includes skate hire): From $16.00 - $65.00 (Family Pass: 2 Adults + 2 Children). www.cairnsiceskatingrink.com.au cairnsiceskatingrink Head to www.pakmag.com.au/WIN and enter for your chance to WIN a family pass to a skate session of your choice at Cairns Ice Skating Rink.

Competition closes 28/02/2022. No need to submit activities to enter.

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WIN a Family Pass to a Skate Session of your Choice at Cairns Ice Skating Rink!

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Adult Colouring

WIN a Joode Socks Gift Box valued at $79.99 Joode is a new Australian sock brand, with quirky, colourful, ethically-made socks, which are designed in Australia.

With cute patterns and a beautiful colour palette, Joode socks are all about happy feet.

They look good, feel beautifully comfortable, and raise money for Chronic UTI Australia, funding essential research into helping chronic UTI sufferers like Joode’s founder, Sarah Wilmott.

Made from a combination of 86 percent premium combed cotton, 12 percent polyamide and 2 percent elastane, they’re an absolute treat for your feet. www.joode.co Visit www.pakmag.com.au/win for your chance to win! Competition closes 28/02/2022.

No need to submit colouring to enter.

www.pakmag.com.au | February 2022 37

Bump, Bub and Beyond

The Benefits of Busy Boards

somethingturquoise.com

BusyboardHappyHome

SmartWoodenToys

@dhedheta

millionayres.com

Busy boards provide endless sensory stimulation and entertainment for both babies and toddlers. Aimed at promoting the development of sensory and fine motor skills, busy boards are suitable for babies from 6 months through to preschool.

By allowing babies and toddlers to explore regular household items, they become familiarised with them, all while creating connections to master their fine motor skills. The development of fine motor skills is critical for daily tasks such as getting dressed, using cutlery, and brushing teeth. Without fine motor skills, completing daily tasks could become difficult and could delay progress.

So, whether you’ve purchased one or chosen to create your own, a busy board is a great way to promote learning with play, be proactive in your child’s development, and promote additional skills such as counting, recognition, hand-eye coordination, and problem solving.

Make Your Own Busy Board

and everything that’s safe and keeps your little one engaged can be added to the busy board.

As their skills develop you can create new ones to suit their interests. They also make for great distractions on long car journeys and flights, so keep this is mind when deciding on size and items.

Other ways to promote the development of fine motor skills through sensory learning and play include: Slime: Make your own or purchase some ready-made slime. Check out our slime recipes at www.pakmag.com. au – perfect for messy play!

Playdough: A little less messy but still great fun for kids and adults. Get creative and get baking, use cookie cutters to create different shapes.

Musical Toys: Make your own instruments using household items like pots and rice. Anything that makes noise will be new and exciting.

If you’ve chosen to create a busy board, it’s important to be mindful of any loose parts that could become choking hazards, and any possibly toxic materials used during assembly.

Cooking: Once they’re a little older, experiment with tastes and textures. Check out our recipes at www. pakmag.com.au, the Chinese Greens Stir-Fry is perfect for this. It’s full of aromatics and bound to get those noses going.

To stick onto a clean wooden or plastic piece of board, accumulate all the things that you think little hands would find interesting. Be it fabric such as denim and velcro, to mirrors, bells, wheels, and whistles, anything

Explore: Your surroundings will have a significant impact on what your child feels comfortable engaging with so, visit gardens, smell flowers, pick up rocks, play in the sand, pat the cat - Get them exploring their world.

www.pakmag.com.au | February 2022 39

Health

All Things Health The Benefits of Meditation

Jana Gorski

After the past two years, people are turning to meditation to help ground themselves and relax. Meditation is used to encourage a heightened state of awareness and focused attention, through the use of techniques such as mindfulness, to achieve a stable state with psychological and physiological advantages.

Naturopath - Calanna Whole Health Pharmacy

Meditation allows for better focus and concentration as well as lower levels of stress and anxiety. Sleep meditation increases the natural melatonin levels to help with a most restful sleep and reduces cortisol levels, which is the hormone associated with stress. It allows the body’s heart rate to lower, increasing the ability and quality of a night’s sleep; as you rest your mind simultaneously with the body. Meditation doesn’t come easily, it takes practice and patience with yourself, but the more you do it, the more comfortable you get.

To help you with sleep and relaxation, Morphée is a nondigital, effective and portable device with 210 combinations of guided sessions carried out by a team of relaxation experts to suit everyone. My Little Morphée is for your little ones and has over 190 meditative journeys including visualisation, breathing and relaxation exercises to prepare children before bedtime, or even during the day to wind down.

Morphée is available for purchase from JB HIFI, Amazon AU, Temple & Webster, and Officeworks. $149.00 - www.morphee.co

Dear Jana, How will a Food Detective Test help me?

Fatigue, bloating, irregular bowel habits, tummy pain, aches, pains, brain fog and headaches are common complaints that can have a variety of causes. Sometimes, it’s a food intolerance. While the gold standard for food intolerance testing is the elimination diet which can take many weeks, the Food Detective Test gives you results for and IgG immune reaction to 48 foods in 40 mins. Removing foods from your diet may resolve your symptoms but risk inadequate intake of essential nutrients. After identifying your food triggers, your Naturopath can advise you on how to maintain a diet for optimal health.

Calanna Whole Health Pharmacy www.calannapharmacy.com.au

Visit www.pakmag.com.au/ win for your chance to win!

IgG Food Detective Test Is your gut not what it should be? Are you struggling with fatigue or frequent headaches? Your symptoms may be triggered by an intolerance to certain foods and the IgG Food Detective Test may help you identify which ones.

Food Detective is designed to identify IgG antibodies produced in response to a range of foods, including meats, nuts, fruits, vegetables, grains, and more. Unlike a standard elimination diet which is restrictive and can take weeks, the results from Food Detective are available within an hour.

Book online for a test with one of our Naturopaths today www.calannapharmacy.com.au/naturopathy

Consult your local health practitioner, doctor or pharmacist for advice on these topics first to ensure the best health outcomes.

www.pakmag.com.au | February 2022 41

Health

All Things Health Dr Bobby Griffin

Dr Helen Green Gynaecological Oncologist, Birds of Paradise

Sunbird Orthodontics

Dear Dr Helen, February is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. How do we screen for Ovarian Cancer?

Dear Dr Bobby, Do braces hurt?

I see hundreds of kids every year for braces and aligners, and one myth that I can bust immediately is that it hurts to put braces on. This is a painless procedure and it requires no anaesthetic at all. 4 - 6 hours after the braces are placed, some people experience mild pain, easily controlled with Panadol if required. Normally braces are adjusted (tightened) every 8 weeks.

These adjustments are usually minor, and cause very little to no discomfort at all. Taking braces off is usually completely painless, and most kids are simply delighted to get their braces off and see their beautiful new smile!

When treatment is done by a Specialist Orthodontist, you can be confident that your treatment will be done as quickly and as painlessly as possible.

Unfortunately, there is no early detection test for ovarian cancer, so women need to know their bodies and be aware of the symptoms.

Common symptoms include increased abdominal size, persistent abdominal bloating, abdominal or pelvic pain, or sudden onset of irritable bowel symptoms in a menopausal woman.

If you have these symptoms, see your GP who will arrange further investigations and refer you to a gynaecologist for review if needed.

Visiting gynaecology oncologist Dr Helen Green comes to Cairns monthly and offers telehealth.

4038 1036

4041 5081

www.sunbirdorthodontics.com.au

www.birdsofparadise.clinic

World Cancer Day World Cancer Day is a global uniting initiative that takes place on 4 February each year; raising worldwide awareness, improving education and helping inspire individuals, groups and governments to take action.

This year’s theme; “Close the Care Gap,” is all about understanding and recognising the inequities in cancer care around the globe. Because, although we live in a time of advancements in cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment - many hit barriers when seeking cancer care. Factors such as income, education, geographical location and discrimination based on ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability and lifestyle - can negatively impact access to equal care, and is costing lives.

Our time to act is now - we all have a role to play in reducing the global impact of cancer and closing the cancer care gap as we work towards a cancer-free world. Find out more at www.worldcancerday.org

42 February 2022 | www.pakmag.com.au

Consult your local health practitioner, doctor or pharmacist for advice on these topics first to ensure the best health outcomes.

Health

Why You Need to Read Labels and Know What’s in Your Food STORY Luke Hines, Author, Functional Nutritionist, and Personal Trainer When you’re setting out to make positive changes to your diet and lifestyle, there’s a few things you can do that can be really helpful. The first thing is to clear out any unhelpful snacks or ingredients from your pantry, so you’re not tempted to slip back into old habits.

Instead replace them with nutrient dense healthy ingredients that support your health journey and allow you to thrive. Anyone who has done this before knows it can be quite daunting, knowing what to keep, what to avoid, and what we should be looking for can be overwhelming. With all the catchy buzzwords on packaging it can be difficult to decipher what some of them really mean, and what the nutritional panel is truly trying to tell us.

So How do We Make Sense of it?

The first thing we want to be mindful of is to not be tricked into thinking something is healthy when it’s not.

Some brands will go to great lengths to appear as a cleaner option, when in fact it’s not much healthier than

their counterparts. Green or brown packaging, words like ‘fresh’, ‘real’ or ‘wholesome’ don’t mean much at all, you need to be looking at the numbers - and they’re found on the back.

So, when we are looking at the nutritional panel, there are a few things to take note of. The first is serving size. At a glance a block of chocolate or a packet of cookies doesn’t appear too bad, but once you notice that it’s only for a single (not to mention small) serving, you’ll realise just how quickly it can add up. The same thing goes for crisps and chips.

Often the packet, which appears to be a single serve that we eat in one sitting, is in fact comprised of 4 or 6 serves, so you can see how easily and quickly calorie intake creeps up on us.

www.pakmag.com.au | February 2022 45

Health

Secondly, the three key things to look at are protein, carbs, and fat. As a rule, I like to keep my ingredients and snacks higher in protein, moderate in carbs, low in added sugars, and discretionary when it comes to fats. Because not all fats are created equal. Olive oil, avocados, and nuts are high fat but great for your health, whereas I’ll avoid foods with added hydrogenated fats like sunflower oil and canola oil.

And thirdly, the best rule of thumb is to stick to foods that don’t need a packet. That means fresh fruit and vegetables, and well sourced ethical and sustainable proteins from animal and plant sources. Mother nature knows best when it comes to well-balanced nutrition, so real food doesn’t need nutritional labels or fancy buzz words. Realistically in 2022 we are all going to need packaged foods in some way or another, so steer clear of added fillers, numbers, artificial colours or flavours, or words you can’t pronounce.

In my book ‘Guilt-free Snacks’ I offer people healthy alternatives to their favourite snacks, take-aways, and fast food! The way I achieve this is by subbing out the original ingredients for healthier versions. Instead of high sugar low-nutrient chocolate, I show people how to make chocolate from scratch. Instead of high refined high carb pizza bases, I show you how to make low-carb keto versions in no time at all. And I think my favourite recipe showcases my favourite simple switch out, its swapping standard corn chips for easy to make pumpkin versions in my no-fuss nachos.

The exciting part of each and every day is when we wake up, we have the chance to make positive decisions about how we fuel our body, being mindful of what we put into it, and how in turn that makes us perform and feel. Food has a profound effect on us, from the inside out, and if you can navigate your ingredient choices a little wiser, you are well on your way to living your happiest and healthiest life.

Luke is the bestselling author of 13 cookbooks, the Host of Channel 7’s The House of Wellness, and a qualified functional nutritionist and personal trainer. Since his stint as a finalist on My Kitchen Rules he has established himself as one of the most popular health and wellness personalities in Australia. Luke’s experience and credits include working alongside Angelina Jolie as her food and training consultant, being a trainer on Australia’s Next Top Model, hosting Channel 7’s Live Well and The Food Network’s The Good Cooks, and regularly appearing on Sunrise, The Today Show, and Studio 10. www.lukehines10.com

WIN a copy of Guilt-free Snacks by Luke Hines Looking to up your healthy snack game? Look no further! Snacks are where many of us fall down when it comes to healthy eating. We are often too busy, too tired or just too plain uninspired to have an array of healthy options at the ready. Luke Hines comes to the rescue with Guilt-free Snacks, a delicious collection of 60 sweet and savoury snacks and simple ideas for eating well. www.panmacmillan.com.au

WIN a Wholesome Market Membership and $80.00 Voucher Want to start saving money on your grocery bill? Wholesome Market is offering a lucky reader the chance to win a 1-year membership and $80.00 shopping credit ($140.00 value) to shop online with them. The membership will allow you to enjoy 15 - 50 percent off all items that they stock. www.wholesomemarket.com.au Visit www.pakmag.com.au/win for your chance to win!

46 February 2022 | www.pakmag.com.au

Food

Green Goodness Recipes

Green Pea Soup Ingredients • • • • • •

1 Tbsp butter 1 Tbsp olive oil 3 cloves garlic 1 leek, sliced 1 large potato 2 cups frozen peas

• • • • •

1.5 L vegetable stock Fresh parsley and basil 1 Tbsp lemon juice Greek yogurt or cream Salt and pepper to taste

Method Start with preparing the vegetables, peel and dice the garlic cloves, and potato. Slice the leek.

Next, put oil and butter in a large pot on medium-high heat. Sauté the garlic and leek until translucent, then add the potato and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Stir every now and then. Add the vegetable stock, peas and roughly chopped fresh herbs.

Bring ingredients to the boil, then reduce temperature to low, allowing ingredients to simmer for approximately 15 minutes, or until the potato is cooked.

Once ready, remove a handful of peas and set aside to garnish your soup with after you blend the mix.

Add lemon juice to your soup and transfer the soup mix to a blender. Don’t overpack the blender, you may need to halve the mix and blend twice.

To serve, drizzle with Greek yogurt or cream and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Decorate with blanched whole peas and fresh herbs, and finally some fresh crispy bread.

Tip: if you don’t have a leek, substitute with an onion.

Matcha Smoothie Bowl Makes 2 servings Smoothie Ingredients

Topping Suggestions

• • • • • • • • • •

• • • • • • • • •

1 ½ frozen bananas ½ cup frozen avocado ½ cup frozen cucumber 1 handful spinach ½ cup of almond milk ½ tsp spirulina 1 tsp matcha powder ½ tsp maca powder ½ tsp cinnamon Fresh mint (about 10 leaves)

Sliced kiwifruit Muesli Blueberries Chia seeds Pumpkin seeds Mint Flaxseeds Coconut Lime

Method Prep your frozen ingredients the night before. You will need to cut the cucumber, avocado and banana into blendable cubes.

Place all smoothie ingredients into a blender, and combine until smooth. Make sure to not add too much almond milk to keep a thick smoothie consistency, you want to be able to eat it with a spoon, not straw.

Split mix into two bowls and top with an assortment of your favourite fruits, seeds, and nuts. We love the freshness of lime and mint with the bowl as well.

You can also make tropical smoothie bowls by adding frozen mango to the mix.

www.pakmag.com.au | February 2022 49

Advertorial

St Therese’s School Understands the Importance of Student-Led Learning Schools may look similar, but education has changed a lot from when parents attended. At St Therese’s School, Bentley Park, we know it’s all about helping children be the best version of themselves, and this is facilitated through child-inspired wonder and curiosity.

St Therese’s School is a Reggio Emilia inspired school with educational principles that value the student as a strong, capable, and resilient learner, which encourages them to become the best version of themselves in a safe and supportive school environment.

“School today is very personalised as compared to our schooling being ‘one shoe fits all’ learning.” said St Therese’s Principal David Adams-Jones.

Reggio Emilia values the parents of a child as their first and most important teacher, and in a school setting their class teacher and the environment the second and third most important factors for student success.

St Therese’s School is known within the community as a place where students have a voice, feel safe, and parents feel included in their children’s education.

“Our talented and creative staff understand that their most important calling as educators is to provide students with opportunities to explore and discover the awe and wonder of their immediate world through an engaging curriculum and integrated learning environments, both inside and outside the classroom.

This ignites and fuels students’ passion, interests, thought processes, and observations, that in turn challenges us as adults.”

In recent years, Mr Adams-Jones has facilitated staff from St Therese’s to journey to Italy to gain insight into the early childhood philosophy of Reggio Emilia. Since its inception post-World War 2, Reggio Emilia guiding principles have become an international movement spanning 34 countries and inspiring 75,000 children and their families.

“We know that choosing a school for your child is one of the most important decisions you make as parents. I invite parents to walk around St Therese’s and discover the family vibe of the school while I share with you the school principles to see if they align with your family.” said Mr Adams-Jones. Part of his passion is to help parents understand what they are looking for in a primary school and share the St Therese’s philosophy.

If you’re interested in booking a personal tour of St Therese’s School, you can book on online at stthereses.qld.edu.au

www.pakmag.com.au | February 2022 51

Health

The Generation of Inattention STORY Dr Mark Williams Attention is our brain’s filter. The world is a complicated place and our brain can only process a limited amount of stuff at any one time. Attention is our way of focusing on what is important or relevant – what we want to see, feel, hear or think about.

And it blocks out everything else so that we are not interrupted. Right now, you are hopefully attending to what you are reading. You don’t notice the noises around you or the feeling of the chair on your back and bum. But now I’ve mentioned it… you can. I directed your attention to things that you were previously filtering out.

It’s True – Our Attention Spans are Shrinking Yes, there is a lot of evidence that our attention spans are shrinking. This comes from a range of research including how much time we spend on websites, reading articles, and how long we can attend to a task without getting distracted. Why is this happening? Well, all our abilities need to be trained and exercised. When it comes to our brain, ‘use it or lose it’ is essential. And in today’s fast-paced and overly stimulated world, we no longer spend much time focusing on just one task.

We are trying (and failing) to multitask – and then there are the devices like smartphones and laptops that are constantly distracting us with notifications.

What Effect Does this Have on Individuals, Families, and Society?

The big problem with this decrease in attention span is that we no longer focus on a single task. To learn; we need to focus and attend to the one thing. If our attention is constantly flicking from one task to another, then learning and understanding are negatively affected. This means we aren’t taking time to connect

with family and friends, we no longer take the time to understand what someone is saying or how they are feeling. From a societal point of view, this means we are not spending the time needed to understand important issues or appreciate different viewpoints.

Who’s Most Affected?

Unfortunately, everyone is affected by this, but children and teens tend to be more susceptible. The frontal lobes of our brain are involved in controlling our attention – and these areas are not fully functional until about 25 years of age! Anyone under the age of 25 is likely to be more affected by the constant barrage of distraction.

Also, the early years are when we learn and develop this crucial ability of attention. If you never get the chance to hone this important skill, then later in life this ability will be compromised.

What Can We Do About It? It comes down to ‘use it or lose it’! Slow down and concentrate on one task at a time. Devices are extremely good at capturing your attention so spending time away from your phone is important. The way they capture our attention is via the notifications turning them off can make a big difference. Also, doing something that slows you down like reading a book (paper version) is a great way to exercise your attention.

Meditation can also help (although again, away from a device is better). And please, limit gaming. Video games and apps are designed to capture your attention and drive you to crave fast-paced, overstimulated situations that affect your attention.

While attention is negatively affected by our current environment, we can improve our attention with some very simple changes.

Dr Mark Williams is a Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at Macquarie University with more than 20 years’ experience in research and teaching, and 70+ publications. Mark has studied how we interact with each other, how we learn and how we think. In addition to his teaching and research work at Macquarie University, Mark now runs programs for schools, parents, businesses and individuals to address the many problems that technologies (like smartphones) are creating. Find out more at www.drmarkwilliams.com

Learn more about the effect smartphones are having on us by tuning into Episode 119 of the PakMag Parents Podcast with Dr Mark Williams joining Bree.

www.pakmag.com.au | February 2022 53

All Things Tweens and Teens

All Things Tweens & Teens How To Limit Teen Screen Time

Good Tech For Teens

Make Screen Time A Privilege: Having access to technology has greatly benefited our lives, but it does need to be recognised as a privilege. Many people don’t have immediate access to information and people 24/7. Share that there are monetary costs associated with device use, and that not everyone can afford access.

Tech is unavoidable, and it does have some great benefits. Check out these apps that will help your teen use their screen time more productively.

Discourage Multitasking: Promote focus and attention on single tasks at any one time. This will provide a mental break and minimise any device dependence they may have, all while promoting active participation in real life.

Establish Rules And Boundaries: Having clear rules and guidelines around screen time and use is paramount. Establishing boundaries will allow you to clarify what is appropriate for sharing online, as well as receiving. The more open you are about the possibilities of the internet, the more likely your child will feel comfortable to come to you if something goes amiss.

Role Model Healthy Behaviour: Do as you say. It’s understandable to have different rules for adults, but if you’ve established a ‘no phones at dinner’ rule – that applies to you too.

News-O-Matic: Child friendly global news so your child can learn about the latest advances in science, fun facts, and inspirational stories about other talented kids.

Duolingo: Get your teen learning a new language through interactive games.

It only takes an hour or two a day, and you can join in too.

Smiling Minds: Is a non-profit organisation led by psychologists and educators in Australia. It’s designed specifically for adolescents and includes meditation exercises aimed at promoting mindfulness and mental health.

Encourage Physical Activity: As many apps induce a rush in happy hormones, its natural to develop a reliance on them. Instead promote the benefits of exercise and movement which too causes a release of feel-good hormones while establishing positive lifelong habits.

Screen-Free Family Time: Whether it’s mealtime, family meetings, outings, or just full screen-free days, having a dedicated period sans devices are beneficial for the whole family.

WIN a GoCube Edge Smart Rubik's Cube $129.00 - www.jbhifi.com.au GoCube is a smart app-enabled Rubik’s cube that connects to your phone/tablet and tracks your moves in real-time. Finally, everyone CAN do the cube! Learn together how to solve it in a fun and interactive way, play games, and battle online with other cubers around the world. GoCube is the perfect STEM toy, it is educational and fun and adds tons of value to screen time! GoCube is the perfect gift and an amazing brain-teaser gadget for all ages and capabilities.

54 February 2022 | www.pakmag.com.au

Parenting

How to Have Those Tricky Conversations with Our Kids STORY Jayneen Sanders, award winning Author, Educator, and Advocate Teaching kids ‘tricky topics’ can be easy if you have the right tools. And the right tool is often a children’s book!

Kids are visual learners, so a story book is ideal to broach tricky topics and help encourage ongoing and open conversations. Whenever I have been teaching (or parenting for that matter) and I want to unpack and discuss a difficult topic, such as bullying, kids touching each other or crossing body boundaries, I always wish I had the ‘perfect’ book with me, complete with engaging illustrations and simple language that kids can understand.

I remember teaching a class of 8 and 9-year-olds and being told by the girls in the class that they didn’t want to go to camp because the boys would tease them and spy on them, and maybe even look at them in the toilets.

I wished I had a book on respecting body boundaries and consent, it was in that moment that I decided to write, ‘Let’s Talk About Body Boundaries, Consent And Respect’. Children’s books are the perfect medium to unpack difficult topics. All my books have Discussion Questions for parents, teachers, and carers to help them scaffold the learning.

All parents worry about tackling difficult topics.

My advice is to do your homework. Find books and resources that help explain the topic before you broach it, so you feel more confident about the upcoming conversation. If you are worried about discussing a certain topic, your kids will be too. So, relax. You’ve got this! Tricky conversations don’t need to be so tricky if we begin talking about consent and body boundaries from a very early age.

As soon as your child is born, talk to them about what you are doing with their body, e.g. ‘I am just putting your socks on now so your feet will be warm.’ Call genitals by their correct names from day one, so this is no big deal when later in their lives you talk about puberty and sex. It’s also important in case they are ever touched inappropriately. Topics I suggest you cover are body safety, consent, body boundaries, respect, diversity, gender equality, racial equality, empathy, talking about feelings, and diversity in families.

Top Tips for Having Little Big Chats with Your Kids • Start early • Have ongoing conversations and revisit topics regularly • Answer questions honestly • Let your child know they can ask you anything • Express that you don’t have all the answers, but you will find out more • Encourage curiosity • Develop your child’s vocabulary around feelings, and encourage them to verbalise theirs • Ensure family and adults respect your child’s body boundary and agency • Listen with empathy and patience to questions and concerns For more helpful information, books (including the Little BIG Chats book series) and resources visit www.e2epublishing.info

Jayneen Sanders is an experienced author, publisher, primary school teacher, mother of three, and an active advocate for body safety, gender equality, and respectful relationship education being taught both in homes and in schools. She is also lead author of Engage Literacy published by Capstone and has published over 130 stories for children. Jayneen feels passionately that we can do so much more to keep our children safe by teaching them age appropriate and empowering prevention education.

Follow her on Instagram: @jayneensandersauthor

Check out page 30 for details on how to WIN the Little BIG Chats book series valued at $69.95.!

www.pakmag.com.au | February 2022 57

Daddy Diary

Daddy Diary I hate to admit it but my mother was right all along… veggies are good for you, looking directly into the sun is bad for you, and watching your children grow up does happen far too quickly. It’s that last one that has got me all emo lately. How is my baby boy nearly three and my baby girl now in Grade 3! Where did the years go?

The start of the school term hit me like a ton of bricks.

Matilda (our little “Miss 7”) isn’t even one of the little kids at school anymore. You know that awkward time when their backpack is bigger than their actual back, and the uniform always seems kinda baggy. Those days seem so long ago. That cute, pudgy little preppy has been replaced with a cool and confident young lady.

I’m just not ready. At the end of last year my seven going on 17-year-old was all made up (red lipstick and all) for her end of year dance concert. This image actually brought on tears. STOP GROWING.

But it’s not just Matilda that has me feeling like a senior citizen. Charlie, our “Mr 2”, is equally responsible. Mate you are supposed to be my baby boy. What happened?

It honestly feels like yesterday that we piled your heavily pregnant mother into the car to welcome you into the world. Now you’re screaming towards birthday number three and absolutely ruling the roost. It’s Charlie’s way or the highway at the Clifton residence. The Boss Baby movies could have been your biopic. Our big, bold, bossy boy.

I once heard parenthood described as the longest breakup a person will ever endure. With each year that passes, our children become just that little less reliant on us… and eventually they will fly the coop. But we parents need to rest assured - they will always be our kids, and I believe they will ALWAYS need us. It’s just what they need from us that changes.

In the meantime, if Matilda and Charlie could cool their jets a little we might be able to stop my hairs from greying at rapid speed. Your mother and I love you both to the moon and back.

Cliffo Hit 103.5

www.pakmag.com.au | February 2022 59

What’s On TUESDAY 1 FEBRUARY Chinese New Year Keep up to date on events to celebrate the Year of the Water Tiger www.chinesenewyear.com.au Chinese New Year Day Lions Blessings Participating businesses at Cairns Dining Precinct 6.30pm / G www.cadcai.org.au Chinese New Year Lion Tales Runs until 12 February The Court House 10.00am - 4.00pm / FREE / G www.cadcai.org.au Lion Dancers Also runs 12 February Night Markets FREE / G www.nightmarkets.com.au Peter Thompson – Ceramics and the Source of Self Exhibition Runs until 6 March Cairns Art Gallery 9.00am - 5.00pm / FREE / G www.cairnsartgallery.com.au William T Cooper: Botanical Art of the Tropical Rainforest Runs until 13 February Cairns Art Gallery 9.00am - 5.00pm / FREE / G www.cairnsartgallery.com.au Amanda Emmett New Works Runs until 13 March

With HIT 103.5’s Cliffo & Gabi

Cairns Art Gallery 9.00am - 5.00pm / FREE / G www.cairnsartgallery.com.au FNQ Contemporaries 2022 Runs until 6 March Cairns Art Gallery 9.00am - 5.00pm / FREE / G www.cairnsartgallery.com.au Amanda Mcgahan Pooch and Hooch Artist Exhibition Runs until 28 March Crystalbrook Bailey Lobby 8.00am - 5.00pm / FREE / G www.crystalbrookcollection. com Safa Takla: Endangered to Extinct Runs until 20 March Tanks Art Centre 9.00am - 4.30pm / FREE / G www.tanksartscentre.com Power Pilates Runs weekly excluding public holidays Vasey Esplanade 9.00am / FREE / G Cairns Active Living Program Qigong for Body, Mind & Spirit Runs weekly excluding public holidays Zhangiang Friendship Garden 4.30pm / FREE / G Cairns Active Living Program Beach Volleyball Runs weekly excluding public holidays Esplanade Volleyball Courts 5.30pm / FREE / G Cairns Active Living Program

Please check with individual businesses before visiting during these uncertain times.

Zumba Runs weekly excluding public holidays Fogarty Park 5.30pm / FREE / G Cairns Active Living Program

Book Signing with Steve Hawe Spencer and Murphy Booksellers, Yungaburra 11.00am / FREE / G Spencer & Murphy Booksellers

Vicki Soar Residency Female Empowerment Runs until 6 March Tanks Art Centre www.tanksartscentre.com

Covid-19 Vaccination Clinic Ongoing Cairns Convention Centre 8.00am - 3.00pm / FREE / 5 + www.cairns-hinterland.health. qld.gov.au

Afternoon Storytime Runs weekly excluding public holidays Stratford Library 4.00pm - 4.30pm / FREE / Ages 3 - 5 www.cairns.qld.gov.au/library Hip Hop Afro Dance Runs weekly excluding public holidays Harald Falge Park 2.30pm - 3.30pm / FREE / G www.cairnssaferstreets.com.au Morning Storytime Runs weekly excluding public holidays Stratford Library 10.00am - 10.30am / FREE / Ages 3 - 5 www.cairns.qld.gov.au/library Baby Rhyme Time Runs weekly excluding public holidays Earlville Library 10.00am - 10.30am / FREE / Ages 0 - 2 www.cairns.qld.gov.au/library

WEDNESDAY 2 FEBRUARY Aqua Zumba Runs weekly excluding public holidays Esplanade Lagoon 5.30pm / FREE / G Cairns Active Living Program Bouldering Runs weekly excluding public holidays Esplanade Bouldering Park 5.00pm / FREE / G Cairns Active Living Program Resistance Training Runs weekly excluding public holidays Harald Falge Park 7.30am / FREE / G Cairns Active Living Program Vera Flow Runs weekly excluding public holidays Ravizza Park 5.00pm / FREE / G Cairns Active Living Program

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What’s On WEDNESDAY 2 FEBRUARY Fitness For All Runs weekly excluding public holidays Harald Falge Park 5.00pm / FREE / G Cairns Active Living Program Morning Storytime Runs weekly excluding public holidays City Library 10.00am - 10.30am / FREE / Ages 3 - 5 www.cairns.qld.gov.au/library Baby Rhyme Time Runs weekly excluding public holidays Manunda Library 10.00am - 10.30am / FREE / Ages 0 - 2 www.cairns.qld.gov.au/library Family History Workshop Runs weekly excluding public holidays Smithfield Library 9.30am - 12.00pm / FREE / G www.cairns.qld.gov.au/library Cannes in Cairns Conference Presented

by Pinterest Runs until 4 February Cairns Convention Centre 9.00am - 5.00pm / $999.00 cannesincairns.com.au Skate Session Runs weekly excluding public holidays Todd Park/Edmonton Skate Park 4.00pm - 5.00pm / FREE / G Cairns Active Living Program Multi Sports @ Manoora Runs weekly excluding public holidays 118 Murray St, Manoora

3.30pm - 4.30pm / FREE / G www.cairnssaferstreets.com.au Karate Kids @ Cairns West Runs weekly excluding public holidays Cairns West State School 2.45pm - 3.45pm / FREE / G www.cairnssaferstreets.com.au Hockey Fun Zone @ Balaclava Runs weekly excluding public holidays Balaclava State School 2.45pm - 3.45pm / FREE / G www.cairnssaferstreets.com.au Skateboarding @ Shang Park Runs weekly excluding public holidays Shang Park 5.00pm - 6.00pm / FREE / G www.cairnssaferstreets.com.au Tai Chi for Arthritis and Falls Prevention Spanish Club Mareeba 9.00am - 10.00am / $15.00 Spanish Club Mareeba Ballroom Dancing Merrilands Hall, Atherton 6.30pm - 9.00pm / $5.00 P: 0487 947 513 Scottish Country Dancing St Joseph Church Hall, Atherton 5.30pm - 7.00pm / $5.00 P: 0417 007 432 THURSDAY 3 FEBRUARY Zumba Runs weekly excluding public holidays Coastwatcher Park 5.30pm / FREE / G Cairns Active Living Program Pilates Runs weekly excluding

62 February 2022 | www.pakmag.com.au

public holidays Fogarty Park 6.30am / FREE / G Cairns Active Living Program FRIDAY 4 FEBRUARY Summer Sounds Ocean Alley Also runs 5 February CPAC 7.30pm / $80.00 / PG www.cairns.qld.gov.au/CPAC Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Runs until 20 February www.olympics.com Dance Studio Runs weekly excluding public holidays Vasey Esplanade 9.00am / FREE / G Cairns Active Living Program The Blink 182 & Green Day Experience The Edge Hill Tavern 8.00pm / $30.00 / 18 + www.edgehilltavern.com.au Zumba Runs weekly excluding public holidays Ravizza Park 5.30pm / FREE / G Cairns Active Living Program CBIS Insurance Brokers Race Day Cannon Park Racecourse 12.00pm - 6.00pm / under 15 FREE, $10.00 / G www.cairnsjockeyclub.com.au Taggin’ in the Park Runs weekly excluding public holidays Shang Park 5.00pm - 6.00pm / FREE / G www.cairnssaferstreets.com.au

Boxing Fitness @ Manoora Runs weekly excluding public holidays Murray St Park 4.00pm - 5.00pm / FREE / G www.cairnssaferstreets.com.au Karl S. Williams with Tessa Devine Tanks Art Centre 7.30pm / $20.00 - $25.00 / PG www.tanksartscentre.com SATURDAY 5 FEBRUARY The Wiggles Fruit Salad TV Big Show Tour Cairns Convention Centre 10.00am and 1.00pm / $39.90 $42.00 / G www.thewiggles.com Military Tropik Fitness Runs weekly excluding public holidays Harald Falge Park 6.30am / FREE / G Cairns Active Living Program Sahaja Meditation Runs weekly excluding public holidays Western Events Lawn, Esplanade 7.30am / FREE / G Cairns Active Living Program Aqua Aerobics Runs weekly excluding public holidays Esplanade Lagoon 9.00am / FREE / G Cairns Active Living Program OZ-toberfest German Club Cairns 4.00pm - 11.30pm / FREE / G German Club Cairns

Please check with individual businesses before visiting during these uncertain times.

Edor @ Shang Park Runs weekly excluding public holidays Shang Park 5.00pm - 6.00pm / FREE / G www.cairnssaferstreets.com.au

Seniors Fitness Runs weekly excluding public holidays Fogarty Park 9.30am / FREE / G Cairns Active Living Program

SUNDAY 6 FEBRUARY

Zumba Runs weekly excluding public holidays Loridan Drive Park 5.00pm / FREE / G Cairns Active Living Program

Isaac Butterfield The New Normal Gilligan’s 7.30pm / $60.00 / 18 + gilligans.com.au Talk Read Play and Sing Runs weekly excluding public holidays City Library 9.30am - 11.30am / FREE / Ages 0 - 5 www.cairns.qld.gov.au/library MONDAY 7 FEBRUARY First day of school term 1 Laughing Heart Stand Up Comedy Runs weekly Paramour Cabaret Theatre 7.00pm - 9.00pm / $8.00 / MA 15 + Laughing Heart Comedy Yoga with Smile Yoga Runs weekly Stan Moses Hall 5.30pm - 6.30pm / $15.00 / G www.smileyoga.com.au Level 1-2 Bridging Class: Drawing and Painting with Keelie Nicholls Runs weekly until 14 February Cairns Art Gallery 3.30pm - 5.30pm / $105.00 $125.00 / Ages 6 - 9 www.cairnsartgallery.com.au

Power Pilates Runs weekly excluding public holidays Norman Park, Gordonvale 5.30pm / FREE / G Cairns Active Living Program Bouldering Runs weekly excluding public holidays Boulder Park, Esplanade 5.00pm / FREE / G Cairns Active Living Program Games in the Park Runs weekly excluding public holidays Murray St Park 4.00pm / FREE / G Cairns Active Living Program Afternoon Storytime Runs weekly excluding public holidays Manunda Library 4.00pm - 4.30pm / FREE / Ages 3-5 www.cairns.qld.gov.au/library Street Soccer Runs weekly excluding public holidays Harald Falge Park Check online for times / FREE / G www.cairnssaferstreets.com.au

Basketball Runs weekly excluding public holidays Shang Park Check online for times / FREE /G www.cairnssaferstreets.com.au

Tanks Art Centre 9.00am - 4.30pm weekdays, 10:00am - 2.00pm weekends / FREE / G www.tanksartscentre.com

Morning Storytime Runs weekly excluding public holidays Manunda Library 10.00am - 10.30am / FREE / Ages 3 - 5 www.cairns.qld.gov.au/library

Summer Sounds Vera Blue CPAC 7.30pm / $70.00 / PG www.cairns.qld.gov.au/CPAC

Baby Rhyme Time Runs weekly excluding public holidays Earlville Library 10.00am - 10.30am / FREE / Ages 0 - 2 www.cairns.qld.gov.au/library TUESDAY 8 FEBRUARY

FRIDAY 11 FEBRUARY

Radiance 2022 – Its All About You Workshops Exploring issues such as imposter syndrome, financial literacy, and more.

Shangri-La The Marina 8.30am - 5.00pm / $150.00 $175.00 www.thesocialeffect.com.au Schlager Love Parade German Club Cairns 5.00pm - 11.30pm / FREE / G German Club Cairns

Safer Internet Day www.esafety.gov.au/sid THURSDAY 10 FEBRUARY

SATURDAY 12 FEBRUARY

Frenchy - Ruthless Returns Comedy Tour Gilligan’s 7.30pm / $47.50 / 18 + www.frenchycomedy.com Level 3: Watercolour Painting with Jim Rea Runs weekly until 17 February Cairns Art Gallery 3.30pm - 5.00pm / $105.00 $125.00 / Ages 11 - 14 www.cairnsartgallery.com.au Allan Kue - Evolution Evolution is an exploration of identity and the transformation from teenagerhood to adulthood. Runs until 20 March

Chinese New Year Lantern Festival and Fireworks Esplanade Lagoon - Western Events Lawn 5.30pm - 7.30pm / G www.cadcai.org.au SUNDAY 13 FEBRUARY Year of the Tiger Yum Cha Golden Boat Restaurant, Lake Street 11.30am / see website for menu and booking details www.cadcai.org.au

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What’s On SUNDAY 13 FEBRUARY Galentine’s Day Paint & Sip Included are all the tools to create your sensational painting, one glass of wine to spark creativity, and another to sip and admire your work.

Crystalbrook Bailey 3.00pm - 7.00pm / $79.00 www.crystalbrookcollection.com MONDAY 14 FEBRUARY Morning Melodies Andrew Sisters Tribute CPAC 9.00am / $20.00 / G www.cairnsperforming artscentre.com.au TUESDAY 15 FEBRUARY Gongs and Tibetan Singing Bowl Meditation Yorkeys Knob Community Centre 7.00pm / $15.00 / G Sound Angel THURSDAY 17 FEBRUARY Sooshi Mango - Off The Boat Cairns Convention Centre 7.30pm / $60.00 - $167.00 / Recommended for ages 12 + www.cairnsconvention.com.au

FREE entry / G www.cairnshockey.com.au

With Triple M’s Elliott

9.00am - 2.00pm / FREE / G www.thepiercairns.com.au

Schnitzel Spectacular Evening of food and fun dedicated to the humble schnitzel.

German Club Cairns 5.00pm - 11.30pm / FREE entry / Family friendly German Club Cairns

FNQ Brew Club An opportunity for beginners and like minded all grain and extract home brewers to get together, kettle a brew, learn and discuss brulosophy whilst enjoying a beer with the head Cairns Caravan Repairs Race Day brewer from Coral Sea. Every third Sunday of the month.

Cannon Park Racecourse Coral Sea Brewing Co Tap Room 12.00pm - 6.00pm / Under 15 1.00pm - 4.00pm / M FREE, $10.00 / G www.thecraftybrewer.com.au www.cairnsjockeyclub.com.au SATURDAY 19 FEBRUARY

FRIDAY 25 FEBRUARY

The Veronicas Cairns Convention Centre 5.00pm / $63.00 - $83.00 www.cairnsconvention.com.au

Summer Sounds RocKwiz LIVE! Also runs 26 February CPAC 6.30pm / $80.50 / PG www.cairns.qld.gov.au/CPAC

Re-awakening Bak Ti: Chinese Settlers in the Lower Herbert District Runs until 30 May Cairns Museum Stay tuned for more info www.cadcai.org.au SUNDAY 20 FEBRUARY

FRIDAY 18 FEBRUARY

AFL Cairns Juniors Sign-On Day At your local club Check online for registration times www.aflcairns.com.au

Cairns Hockey Big Sign On Cairns Hockey Grounds 4.30pm - 6.30pm /

The Pier Markets Every third Sunday of the month.

The Pier

Please check with individual businesses before visiting during these uncertain times.

Shag Rock Tanks Arts Centre 6.30pm / $20.00 - $25.00 / 18 + www.tanksartscentre.com Karneval in Kairns German Club Cairns 5.00pm - 11.00pm / FREE / Family friendly German Club Cairns SATURDAY 26 FEBRUARY Hockey Dad Tanks Arts Centre 6.30pm / $45.50 / 18 + www.tanksartscentre.com

FLAME 2022 - International Women’s Day Exhibition FLAME is the exhibition outcome of a mentorship program to give young women experience in the professional arts industry.

Runs until 20 March Tanks Arts Centre 9.00am - 4.30pm weekdays, 10.00am - 2.00pm weekends / FREE / G www.tanksartscentre.com Vicki Soar Female Expowerment Exhibition Launch Runs until 20 March Tanks Arts Centre 6.00pm / FREE / G www.tanksartscentre.com Festival of Rugby League 2022 A “whole of game” event for senior and junior clubs, Referees, Northern Pride, QRL & NRL. Jones Park 9.00am - 12.00pm / FREE / G FNQ Rugby League SUNDAY 27 FEBRUARY Drumming Circle Rhythms of Life FNQ Oriental Healing Centre 4.00pm - 6.00pm / $31.20 / G Sound Angel

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What’s On SATURDAY 5 MARCH Dead Puppet Society The Wider Earth CPAC 2.00pm and 7.00pm / $23.00 $44.00 / 12 + www.cairns.qld.gov.au/CPAC TUESDAY 8 MARCH Cairns Council International Women’s Day Save The Date

Check online for ticket releases www.cairns.qld.gov.au WEDNESDAY 9 MARCH

Save The Date 11.00am - 2.00pm www.cbwc.org.au

Giselle CPAC 7.00pm / $45.00 - $59.00 / PG www.cairns.qld.gov.au/CPAC

The Celebration of Swing CPAC 7.30pm / $55.00 - $85.00 / PG www.cairns.qld.gov.au/CPAC

FRIDAY 11 MARCH

TUESDAY 22 MARCH

CBWC International Women’s Day

Prep Open Day Freshwater Christian College

Register online www.fcc.qld.edu.au/open-days Year 7 Information Evening Peace Lutheran College 5.30pm / Register online www.plc.qld.edu.au

Regular Markets Rusty's Markets Date: Every Friday and Saturday Time: 5.00am - 6.00pm Date: Every Sunday Time: 5.00am - 3.00pm Location: 57 - 89 Grafton St, City

The Market Place Date: 3rd Sunday of the month Time: 9.00am - 2.00pm Location: The Pier Cairns

Gordonvale Cottage Markets Date: 1st Saturday of the month February to December Time: 7.00am - 12 noon Location: Norman Park, Gordonvale

Malanda Markets Date: 3rd Saturday of the month Time: 7.00am - 12.30pm Location: Malanda Showgrounds

Mossman Community Markets Date: Every Saturday Time: 7.00am - 1.00pm

Location: 3 - 5 Foxton Ave, Mossman

Holloways Beach Markets Date: 2nd Sunday of the month Time: 8.00am - 1.00pm Location: Holloways Beachfront

Mount Sheridan Plaza Markets Date: 2nd Sunday of the month Time: 9.00am - 3.00pm Location: Mount Sheridan Plaza

The Ravenshoe Lions Archer Creek Markets Date: 2nd Sunday of the month Time: 7.00am - 12 noon Location: Archers Creek Rest Area, Kennedy Highway

Atherton Lions Club Indoor Markets Date: 2nd Sunday of the Month Time: 7.00am - 12 noon Location: Merriland Hall (Robert St)

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Yungaburra Markets

Location: Wondecla Showgrounds

Date: 4th Saturday of the month Time: 7.30am - 12.30pm Location: Bruce Jones Market Grounds

Night Markets

Kuranda Original Rainforest Markets

Port Douglas Markets

Date: Open every day excluding Tuesday and Wednesday Time: 9.30am - 3.00pm Location: 7/13 Therwine St

Kuranda Heritage Markets Date: Open Thursday to Sunday Time: 10.00am - 3.00pm Location: 2 Rob Veivers Dr

Date: Open every day Time: 4.30pm - 10.30pm Location: 71 - 75 The Esplanade Date: Every Sunday Time: 7.30am - 1.30pm Location: Market Park

Woree Markets Date: 3rd Sunday of every month Time: 8.00am – 1.00pm Location: Cannon Park Racecourse Car Park

Mareeba Markets

Date: 1st Sunday of the month Time: 7.30am - 12 noon Location: Morrow Park Racecourse

Date: Every 2nd and 5th Saturday of the month Time: 7.30am – 12.30pm Location: Mareeba Centenary Park, Byrnes St

Herberton Markets

Tumoulin Country Markets

Date: 3rd Sunday of the month Time: 7.00am - 12 noon

Date: 4th Sunday of the month Time: 8.00am – 12.00pm Location: Tumoulin Railway Station, Tumoulin Rd

Tolga Markets

Please check with individual businesses before visiting during these uncertain times.