PakMag Mackay & Whitsundays - Issue 77

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77

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Mental Wellbeing • Supporting Children Through the Pandemic Huge Prizes • Coronavirus: Facts Vs Fear • Different Learning Styles

Welcome 4

Check It Out

7

The Thing Is

8

Facing Fear

11

Supporting Children

Through the Pandemic

Wowzers, what an interesting start to 2020.

15 Coronavirus - Facts Vs Fear 18 1300Smiles Dentists Snapped 21 All Things Health 22 Tweens and Teens:

The Importance of

Mental Health

25 The PakMag Experts 27 What’s On at Your Place 29 MiniMag 33 PakMag Dollars 36 Bump, Bub and Beyond

Every local business needs you right now. Every dollar you spend, and every piece of marketing you can share will make a difference. Buy from businesses that you know by name, or that you know are local.

Check on friends who own a business, see how they are. Talk about their business to others, ask them if you can help in any way, and support them when they re-open if they have been closed. Many of these businesses sponsor our kid’s schools, give prizes to our raffles, employ locals and even make this free resource PakMag possible. Every bit of support we can offer them in return counts.

We are all now staying local, and holidaying at home over Easter. We have lots of ideas in this edition, and stay tuned to our socials for more. Stay safe, keep those hands washed and let’s take care of each other.

Thanks so much to these Mackay businesses that care so much about our community for supporting this edition so that we could bring it to you.

38 Routine with Rewards 41 The PakMag Experts

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

42 Getting into Gardening 45 The PakMag Experts 46 Family Farmhouse 49 Local Produce Recipes 51 Tweens and Teens 52 Why Your Teen Needs a

During these challenging times it’s important to remember that we are all in this together and as a community we need to support one another. Check in with the vulnerable and elderly in our community. Make sure they have the essentials they need during this time and know they have someone who cares about them and their wellbeing. In the same spirit; please support local.

Sex Fairy Godparent

54 STEAM: Videography and Photography 57 The Different Learning Styles

PakMag Founder and Editor-in-Chief Bree James

Bree Bree James PakMag Founder and Editor-in-Chief Contact Us: p 4053 3331 e admin@m2f.com.au a PO Box 7433 Cairns Qld 4870 www.pakmag.com.au www.marketingtofamilies.com.au

Creative Team Leader Clare Winter Graphic Designer Sara Williams

Digital Team Leader Lawrence Fox Content & Marketing Team Leader Bec Dent Marketing and Events Coordinator Alyssa Marino

TO WIN A MAJOR PRIZE,

Videographer & Podcast Producer Monique Saggers

Client Support Blair King

Content Creators Kalisha Fitsch Jenna Galley

Marketing Assistant Emily Bremner

Accounts Trent Stievano

find this hidden Easter egg in the online versions of this edition (Cairns, Townsville and Mackay) and tell us the page numbers it's on at www.pakmag.com.au/win for your chance to win!

Our North Queensland Channels PakMag Mackay Parents of North Queensland pakmag_nq Parents and Kids of

North Queensland Our Global Parenting Channels PakMag Online pakmag_online PakMag The Give It A Go Group

For Parents The PakMag Parents Podcast PakMag TV

Disclaimer: No part of this magazine, including the advertisements within it may be reproduced, in part or in whole without the expressed permission of the editor. Whilst the greatest of care is taken to ensure that the information in the magazine is correct at the time of going to press, readers are advised to check details before visiting. The publishers cannot accept responsibility for errors, inaccuracies or omissions.

The ideas expressed within PakMag are not necessarily the views of the publishers, but those of individual writers.

We have done our best to ensure all events and information was correct at the time of going to print. Please check with individual businesses and authorities during these uncertain times.

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 | Issue 77 3

Entertainment

Check it Out Check out these child-friendly (and parent-friendly) apps that’ll keep them engaged and entertained whilst learning.

Lightbot: Code Hour Ages: 8+ Cost: free Get it for: iOS or Android

Skyview Ages: 3+ Cost: free Get it for: iOS or Android SkyView app is a free augmented reality (AR) app for both iOS and Android devices, that uses your smartphone's camera to uncover different stars, constellations, planets, star clusters and other celestial bodies in the night sky. They point the device in any direction and see what planets, constellations, and even satellites are in the sky above them whether they are inside or outside it doesn’t matter.

When they see something on the screen, they can tap on it, and then read a bunch of facts about it. Kids can learn about astronomy and tonnes of sky-related factoids; from astronauts and their missions to distances of stars from Earth.

They can build their research skills by tracking and recording the trajectory of their favourite planet.

SkyView Universe is well-suited to give kids who are already interested in astronomy the information they seek and also to inspire kids who may not have wondered about the sky to be more curious.

SkyView Universe gives loads of science information with some cool features, but the amount and depth of exploration is up to the kids.

Lightbot: Code Hour introduces kids of all ages to the basic concepts of coding and the logic that computer programmers use to write code, all without having to actually code!

Instead, the app has kids get Lightbot through different pathways by using functions commonly found in code. This app is a great way to get your kid interested in coding and computer programming, without overwhelming them.

Spelling Stage Ages: 4+ Cost: free Get it for: iOS

GoNoodle Ages: 4-10 Cost: free Get it for: iOS or Android Make screen time active with 300+ dance videos, yoga exercises, and mindfulness activities for kids! Everything is designed especially for kids (age 4-10).

The GoNoodle App only includes content approved

by GoNoodle’s team of child development experts and there are no in-app purchases. You can trust your kids are safe with GoNoodle.

Kids may usually find spelling words difficult.

This is one of the greatest spelling apps created for educational and family entertainment, perfect for users over the age of 4.

Whether you’re the next spelling bee champion or just learning the alphabet, this spelling game can help you become the ultimate speller of all time!

Duolingo Ages: 10+ Cost: free, optional ad-free Duolingo Get it for: iOS or Android Learn a language. Duolingo is a great app to learn a different language.

Japanese, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Chinese, Korean, Hindi, or Indonesian to name a few. Practice through audio, word identification, and oral exercises for over 30 languages. It's a great way for your family to learn a new language together.

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Proudly brought to you by:

Quick Maths Jr. Ages: 7-11 Cost: free Get it for: iOS or Android Quick Math Jr. is an award-winning app that covers the essential foundations of mathematics, including counting, addition and subtraction, place value, writing numbers and much more! From the creators of the award-winning Quick Math series, Quick Math Jr. is a fun way to develop mathematics skills and confidence.

Kaspersky Safe Kids Ages: 7-11 Cost: free or premium is $19.95 Get it for: iOS, Android, Mac, PC. Is an online wonder tool for parents to be able to safeguard and monitor their children online. It allows you to block access to adult websites and content, block harmful YouTube search requests on topics like drugs and alcohol and helps you manage access to games and inappropriate apps and websites. It even lets you manage their screen time by device, so it shuts down after their time limit has been reached. You can add the app on multiple devices, and your phone can manage at the click of a button to see what they are up to online, or cut short their internet time.

The app also uses a GPS tracker so you can locate your child’s whereabouts on a real-time online map, and if you like, you can also define a safe area for them to stay in and the app alerts you instantly if they step beyond it. If that’s not enough, it also tells you when they’re running low on battery so you can warn them to plug in.

For more info head to www.pakmag.com.au/thingswelove

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The Thing Is

The Thing Is with Bree James I always try and look for the positives in life.

Some call me the ‘Queen of Denial’ because my whole world can be falling apart and yet I still soldier on. It’s quite interesting to have the whole world in turmoil together, and for a change, it has been a bit of a challenge for me to look for the positives. That said, there is some comfort in knowing we are all in the same boat, so that’s the first positive I found when I started to look for one.

I’ve always been in charge of my destiny, so to have something out of my control that could massively impact people I love, our way of life, and my ability to do what I love, has really knocked the wind out of me.

The thing is, as much as we think we live in a free country, the past few weeks have shown us that this can change overnight. If you needed a wake-up call about life, we are all getting one at the same time, whether we like it or not.

The first wake-up call is that our health is the most important thing in our life. If you have been neglecting your health, I hope the threat of this virus means you make a commitment to look after yourself more.

You only get one body, one heart, one mind and one spirit - you have to look after them.

The second wake-up call is that it doesn’t matter how hard you work, your way of earning a dollar can change in an instant. I have been through so many tough times in business over the decades, and one thing I know for sure is that tough times don’t last, tough people do.

I don’t know anyone who isn’t a little worried about how we are going to get through this situation, but what I do know is, we will.

The third wake-up call is that connection is so important. The past few weeks I have been so busy trying to keep up with my work, but I have still stopped to call and check in on people I care about, or had a quick catch up over a coffee, to really see how people are going. I am sad I can no longer meet people in person, but I’m adapting and doing this on video calls.

I have seen and connected with more people in the past four weeks than I have done in a long time. Times like this bring us closer together.

I am sure there are a lot more wake up calls to come.

I think for a long time we have lived such a privileged life. Tough times build resilience. Our ancestors went through way worse and have constantly told us how lucky we are. I hope many of us realise now how right they were.

In a world currently filled with so much uncertainty, the best thing we can do is focus on the positives and focus on what we can control. Look after our health, be smart with where we spend our dollars, use our stimulus money locally (that’s what the money was given to us for), and support one another.

For every negative, find three positives.

In the end if we have our health and are surrounded by people we love, there is a lot to be thankful for.

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

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Feature

Facing Fear STORY Bree James Fear is a human emotion that is triggered by a perceived threat.

It is a survival mechanism that signals our body to respond to danger in fight or flight mode. The term 'fight-or-flight' represents the choices that our ancient ancestors had when faced with danger in their environment. They could either fight or flee.

In either case, the physiological and psychological response to stress and fear prepared their body to react to the danger.

Fear is an essential part in keeping us safe.

However, in today’s modern world, as much as we aren’t fearful of getting eaten by a lion like our ancestors were, we are subjected to so much more fear through media, negative thinking, and stresses that our ancestors didn’t have to worry about.

So How Does Fear Work?

Fear prepares us to react to danger. Our brains can’t distinguish the difference between imagination or reality. So, every time you have a thought, it releases the same neurochemicals regardless of whether you are thinking about the past, the present, or the future.

Therefore, in reality, you don’t need to be actually experiencing fear physically, you just need to be thinking about fear and your body can still have the same physical response.

Think about something that really scares you now and watch your heart race that little bit more. Yep, it’s that simple.

Once we sense a potential danger, our body releases hormones that:

Fear also interrupts processes in our brains that allow us to regulate emotions, read non-verbal cues and much more. This impacts our thinking and decisionmaking in negative ways, leaving us susceptible to intense emotions and impulsive reactions. All of these effects can leave us unable to act appropriately.

It goes without saying that fear impacts our mental health. Other consequences of long-term fear include fatigue, clinical depression, and PSTD. So how can we settle our brains when it goes into fear, and move our bodies out of this state? We need to calm our amygdala down first. There are things you can do to speed up that process and get control of your emotional state.

Things You Can Try • Name your emotions as you experience them.

This helps to engage the thinking part of your brain and triggers mindfulness.

• Take deep breaths from your abdomen. Breathing deeply will help to bring oxygen to the brain and slow you down.

• Slow or shut down functions not needed for survival (such as our digestive system).

• Draw on mindfulness. Look around you and notice things in the environment. This will help you to move out of your head and back into the situation.

• Sharpen functions that might help us survive (such as eyesight). Our heart rate increases, and blood flows to muscles so we can run faster.

• Take a timeout. If you are truly feeling out of control, excuse yourself from the situation you are in to get a hold of your emotions.

Our body also increases the flow of hormones to an area of the brain known as the amygdala to help us focus on the presenting danger and stores this fear in our memory to learn from in the future.

• See your doctor.

This is great for when we are really in danger, but what if we aren’t? How is this state of fear impacting our health? Uncertainty drives fear and worry, and living in this state of mind can seriously impact our health.

Fear weakens our immune system and can cause gastrointestinal problems such as ulcers and IBS, decreased fertility, and cardiovascular damage. It can also lead to accelerated aging and premature death.

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• See a councillor or therapist.

• Try EFT (emotional freedom technique).

• Ask your pharmacist about herbs or medications that can calm you.

• Learn meditation.

• Try yoga.

• Go for a walk.

• Exercise.

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Parenting

Supporting Children Through the Coronavirus Pandemic: What Parents Can Do STORY Dr Rosina McAlpine, CEO Win Win Parenting.

It’s scary! We’re experiencing a pandemic.

Supermarket shelves are empty. Families are fighting over toilet paper. Events are being cancelled. Days off work and school. Rising fear due to loss of income and increased financial stress. Self-isolation and going a little stir-crazy. Endless cycles of bad news with reports highlighting the exponential rate the virus is spreading and the increasing number of deaths world-wide.

The whole situation is inciting more and more fear as the days go by.

Right now, there’s no end in sight. Adults and children are confused, anxious and worried about the future.

As a parent, you might be “just coping” yourself but what about the children?

Are your children acting out? Seeming a little more anxious or stressed? As a parent you want to do everything you can to help your children be safe and feel safe – but perhaps you’re unsure how to help.

Here are seven practical strategies to alleviate your children’s fear and stress levels and to help them develop the resilience they need to get through these challenging times.

1. Are You OK? Children look to their parents for how to respond to a situation. If you’re not coping with the current situation, if you seem anxious and fearful this will increase their concerns. Being aware of your emotions and finding ways to calm yourself will help you to “be there” for your children. The calmer and more in control you are, the easier it will be to help them through their anxieties, fears and tears. If you can’t quite manage on your own – talk to a member of the family, a trusted friend or seek help from a professional.

Remember the flight safety instructions on an aeroplane; put on your oxygen mask first before you help your children. The same applies here.

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Parenting

2. Make Time to Talk The unknown is very scary. Your children will feel safer if they understand what is going on rather than fear the worst by being kept in the dark. Make time to explain the situation using age-appropriate language.

Sharing is not to scare your children but to reassure them and to help them understand what they’re hearing in the media and seeing all around them. Take opportunities to listen to your children so they can ask questions and express their concerns. Explain that many steps are being taken to keep people safe to allay their fears and reassure them.

3. Be Practical Help your child feel more in control by explaining that we can all take steps to help the situation. Children will feel more confident if they can do something practical to make a difference. Teach the benefits of regular hand washing, the importance of not sharing drinks or food with anyone and why you’re not going out into public spaces unnecessarily – just until things settle down.

Explain that things will go back to normal in time – this too shall pass!

4. Teach Soothing and Calming Techniques If your child is showing signs of anxiety or stress; support your children to cope by teaching them selfcalming techniques. Help your children learn to focus on their breathing, to follow their breath on the inhale and the exhale, and if they can, to take slow deep breaths into their belly. Explain that if they feel worried that slowing and deepening their breathing will help them to feel better. Teach children to say reassuring words to themselves like “I’m fine, everything will be fine.”

And encourage children to ask for help from an adult if they’re not managing on their own.

5. Limit Media Access Widespread media coverage can insight fear in young children to teenagers. For children less than 8 years old, where possible, limit their exposure to the media by turning off the radio or television news reports as

these can be particularly upsetting. Also watch the conversations you have in person or on the phone on the topic in front of your children. For older children who are more aware of what is going on and can’t avoid the media – explain that news reports focus on the most “sensational” aspects and use repetitive emotive words, stirring images and videos to shock and capture audiences’ attention. Discuss how there are many positive things happening that are just not making the news.

6. Focus on the Positive Even when times are tough, make time to relax together as a family and have fun! Isolation can provide time to reconnect with the children by playing games together, talking or watching a movie with some popcorn. Make an extra effort to talk about all the good things in your life – maybe even write them in a gratitude journal. Laughter and positive emotions are healing, so tell funny stories or watch amusing YouTube videos to lighten the mood and for a laugh. Sharing the many good things in your life and in the world can help tip the balance from negative to positive.

7. Build Resilience When we go through life’s challenges successfully, it builds resilience. Everyone experiences hardship from time to time and using these challenges as an opportunity to teach and nurture your child’s resilience can provide them with skills for life success.

As a parent there are many things you can do to help your children to get through these confusing times.

Being a good role model, teaching calming techniques and focussing on the positive aspects of life, all support your child’s resilience. However, the single most common factor for children to develop resilience is at least one stable and committed relationship with a supportive parent, caregiver or other adult. So, to support your child’s wellbeing, take care of yourself emotionally and physically and get the help you need so you can take care of them. Staying calm, being practical and remaining hopeful as a family will help us all get through these tough times together.

Dr Rosina McAlpine is the CEO and creator of the Win Win Parenting program. Win Win Parenting practical and fun programs are delivered across a variety of organisations including early learning, school, corporate and government organisations in Australia, New Zealand and The United States. Dr Rosina is an internationally recognised awardwinning researcher and educator. www.winwinparenting.com

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COVID-19

Coronavirus - Facts Vs Fear STORY Bree James The entire world is feeling the impact from the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) right now. More viral than the actual disease itself is the spread of fear, which is impacting the world more than the virus.

As I write this, borders are being shut down, schools and even whole countries are going into quarantine.

Travel plans and large events are being cancelled, you can’t buy toilet paper or hand sanitiser and many pantry items are now being limited. The global economy is taking a serious dive.

Fear of job loss, lack of basic daily items to buy, the worry about the economy collapsing, and fear for our loved ones catching this flu, is all very real.

It’s surreal for many of us, and it takes a lot of strength to not follow the herd and start panic buying.

As parents, the unstoppable urge to look after those we love is so strong, it’s very hard not to go into ‘protect mode’ and do everything we can to look after our family (which includes buying as much food, toilet paper, and medicines as we possibly can)…

When times are uncertain, people will do things to bring certainty; thus, the panic buying.

People who are fearful are much easier to control.

Think about our parenting, if we see our child is about to do something stupid, we put fear there to stop them and get them to do what we want instead.

Fear can stand for “forget everything and run” or “face everything and rise”.

We need more people doing the latter.

Health authorities have told us that each of us will be exposed to Novel Coronavirus some stage in the future and that the focus is on slowing it down. It is our current lack of exposure to this virus and lack of immunity that makes this more serious than the average flu which is why slowing it down is important. Our health services are second to none and as long as they aren’t inundated all at once, we will be ok. Eight out ten of us will only experience mild symptoms. But in order to slow the spread we are being told to stay at home if we feel sick, wash our hands well and often, sneeze and cough into our elbow and refrain from touching others.

The most vulnerable are our elderly and those with pre-existing conditions like diabetes, cancer, organ recipients, asthmatics, etc. We need to do what we can to protect them and ensure the health services in our community have capacity to support them when the time comes.

Being a respiratory virus, it’s transmitted through respiratory droplets.

Person-to-person contact is thought to be the main method of transmission. Imagine sitting next to someone with a COVID-19 infection on the bus or in a meeting room. Suddenly, this person sneezes or coughs.

If they don’t cover their mouth and nose, they could potentially spray you with respiratory droplets from their nose or mouth. The droplets that land on you will likely contain the virus. Or perhaps you meet someone who contracted the virus, and they touched their mouth or nose with their hand. When that person shakes your hand, they transfer some of the virus to your hand.

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COVID-19

If you then touch your mouth or nose without washing your hands first, you may accidentally give that virus an entry point into your own body.

We don’t know exactly how long the virus can live on surfaces for, it is speculated up to 48 hours.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a person with COVID-19 is most contagious when they’re showing symptoms.

That is why it’s so important that if you feel unwell, you stay home.

The response from our government is part of a plan to slow the virus down and protect the 20% of people who will not do so well if they get it. They need the virus to spread slowly instead of quickly, so that our health care system can cope and adequately care for the influx of people seriously ill from this virus.

These are the people we are protecting. The majority of us will be ok.

We all have someone in our life that suffers from a compromised immune system, so picture their face before you go out when you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms and stay at home.

The only way we can control the fast spread of this virus is if unwell people stay home until the vaccination is readily available for those 20% of people with a compromised immune system can be protected.

And it won’t be ready for some time yet.

• All international travel is banned. Domestic travel is to be avoided.

• If you are returning from overseas travel; the government requires you to self-isolate for 14 days.

• If you have symptoms; always contact your own GP first or 13HEALTH. Ring them, talk to them and ask the best way for you to be assessed.

• Washing your hands with soap and water is best.

Always wash your hands before eating or touching your face. Put a stamp on your child’s hand to see how well they wash their hands, or get them to sing happy birthday twice as a timer for how long to wash their hands for with soap. You can even rub raw onion on your hands after you have cleaned them as a deterrent.

• Cover your cough or sneeze with the inside of your elbow.

• Social distancing of 1.5 metres is recommended for anyone in public service roles. Avoid hand shaking and opt for waving.

• Do not over purchase essential items including medications. Think of others.

• Follow www.health.gov.au for the most up to date and official information on the virus – think twice before sharing information that is not from an official health source.

Other Handy Tips

You will not forgive yourself if you soldier on with what you think is a cold, and then find out it was COVID-19.

• Have enough essentials to last you two weeks on standby.

If you are sick, it’s simple - stay home. If you are wellyou and your family should also stay at home too, the more of us self-isolating the better.

• It’s a great time to plant some herbs and vegetables so you can be a little self-sufficient.

COVID-19 Facts

• Buy Vitamin C, Panadol, Zinc and immune boosting supplements

Self -isolate those who have had more than 15 minutes in close contact, or more than 2 hours in the same closed room as someone confirmed with the virus.

It can take up to 14 days before you start getting sick if you have been exposed.

To keep up to date with the facts and tips around protecting yourself from COVID-19 visit www.health.gov.au

Rules to Implement • All Australians are required to stay home unless it’s absolutely necessary to go outside.

• If you are sick, stay at home and away from others.

• You are permitted to go outside for the essentials, such as: shopping for food, exercising – outdoors avoiding contact with other people, going out for medical needs, providing care or support to another individual in a place other than your home and going to work if you cannot work from home. Australians are strongly encouraged to work from home where they can.

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• Freeze some ready-made meals

• Talk to your family about hygiene habits. Wash hands as soon as you come home, change clothes or better- shower before you touch things.

• Get a list of jobs you’d like done and have the items ready so you can do them in isolation.

• Support local businesses. Look at all of our advertisers, please support them and other local businesses during this tough time. Your money is very important to these people, the big corporations can take the hit.

• Contact the elderly and those with immune issues to see if they need help.

• Spread positivity, we all need it now. Avoid fear talk, and focus on what you can control.

For the latest advice,information and resources head to www.health.gov.au, you can also call the National Coronavirus Help Line on 1800 020 080. It operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you require translating or interpreting services, call 131 450.

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1. Megan and Jack - Aqua Mach, Wakehouse Cable Park 2. Nicci and Archi - Principal's Preschool at Cannonvale State School 3. Sally and Lucy - Conway Beach Story Time 4. Samantha and Jasmin - Bluewater Lagoon 5. Rosie, Anna and Grace - Conway Beach Story Time

18 Issue 77 | www.pakmag.com.au Please note: these photos were taken before social isolation came into effect. We look forward to seeing your smiling faces again once this situation passes.

Snapped

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Photography thanks to: Remember This Photography p 0409 956 373 e rememberthisphoto@live.com.au Remember This Photography www.rememberthisphotography.com.au

6. Tim, Sacha, Cooper, Jackson and Rowdy - Airlie Beach Foreshore 7. Stacey, Hayley and Rob - Airlie Beach Foreshore 8. Andrew, Tracie, Ruby and Isaac - Bluewater Lagoon 9. Julie and Gabriel - Principal's Preschool at Cannonvale State School

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Health

All Things Health Mental Wellbeing In Times Of Crisis Your mental health is just as important as your physical health, so it’s important not to neglect it during the developing Coronavirus pandemic.

During times of crisis, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the endless stream of information and news headlines. Finding balance while staying informed during these times is essential.

Here are a few tips to help you:

Read Trustworthy News Sources

Giving Your Immunity a Boost Did you know one of the best ways to keep healthy is to boost your immunity?

There are many foods that can help, but a simple way is to take vitamins.

Here are four vitamins that help boost your immunity.

Remember anyone can publish anything online, but it doesn’t necessarily make it true. Seek information from authorised and reputable sources during health emergencies eg. The World Health Organisation (who.int) and the Australian Government Department of Health (health.gov.au).

Set news limits Because news is everywhere, it’s hard to switch off. If you feel yourself becoming preoccupied by it, you could set reasonable limits by: • Starting your day by reading a book or going for a walk instead of checking the news or your social media news feed.

• Try to avoid checking the news before going to bed • Limiting how many times and how much time you spend checking the news each day • This is a big one…BUT consider deleting your social media apps, turning off notifications or you can download an app that helps you limit social media use (if you’re having trouble setting your own limits) Don’t forget to read good news stories too; there’s still a lot of good happening in the World, reading positive news can help give us a sense of balance.

Do Activities you Love and that Help Support Your Mental Wellbeing Be kind to yourself, accept your feelings, connect with others, don’t forget to laugh often to release those ‘feel-good’ hormones and improve optimism. Remember a healthy lifestyle supports mental health too; so eat well, keep active and get enough sleep.

Try to keep perspective; remember we have more knowledge and better technology than any point in history to handle this crisis.

Focus on what is within your control and what you can do.

Seek help; most people will feel some distress during a crisis – this is normal, and usually resolves naturally within a matter of days or weeks.

If you’ve taken steps to support your mental wellbeing, but are still experiencing feelings of stress, worry or just ‘not like your normal self’, it’s important to talk to someone like a family member, friend, colleague or see your GP or a mental health professional.

Zinc is a mineral that's important to the body in many ways. Zinc keeps the immune system strong, helps heal wounds, and supports normal growth. Zinc is often depleted due to stress, so it’s an important thing to take on a regular basis.

Vitamin C is an essential vitamin, meaning your body can’t produce it.

It has many roles and is a powerful antioxidant that can strengthen your body’s natural defences and is one of the biggest immune system boosters of all.

Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that helps the body fight off infection.

And lastly Vitamin B6 is vital to supporting biochemical reactions in the immune system.

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

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All Things Tweens and Teens

The Importance of Mental Health STORY Kalisha Fitsch Mental health is one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century. With half of all mental health conditions in adulthood emerging by the age of 14, it is more important than ever to start a conversation about them. Unfortunately, while this is so important, there is still a stigma around these issues. So, let’s talk about it.

What Mental Health Issues Affect Teens?

While there are a number of different mental health issues, some common ones include: Anxiety disorders – Excessive worrying about or overthinking everyday matters, feeling extremely self-conscious and phobias. People with anxiety disorders may also experience panic attacks.

Depression – Persistent feelings of sadness, anxiety and/or emptiness, usually accompanied by a loss of interest in activities they once enjoyed.

Eating disorders – Categorised by disordered eating symptoms leading to a distorted body image, intense fear of gaining weight, restricting food intake and over-exercising.

What Causes Mental Illness?

Mental health is multilayered, and determined by a variety of factors. Here are just a few: School or work stress – Being under a lot of pressure at school or work can cause teens to become overwhelmed. They may also struggle figuring out their career path or if they are being bullied.

Relationships – Problems within a relationship can make teens feel confused, hurt and upset – more so when the relationship turns emotionally or physically abusive.

Health – Dealing with ongoing health issues, such as a chronic illness or a disability, can take a toll on their happiness and may cause worries about their future.

22 Issue 77 | www.pakmag.com.au

Social media – While social media offers many upsides, popular trends and viral posts can give an unrealistic expectation of what their life, body or career should be like. Think about those Instagram models with thousands of followers and seemingly ‘perfect’ lives.

Other factors include substance abuse, social issues, trauma, losing someone close to them and more.

Genetics may be at play too.

Signs that Something May Be Off Many young people feel down sometimes. It’s perfectly normal, especially with all those hormones at play; but sometimes, there may be something bigger happening.

Signs include changes in sleep or energy level, changes in appetite, an out-of-character irritability, lack of interest in fun activities or making self-deprecating comments. If your teen is telling you about their ongoing worries, shutting themselves off or simply not acting like themselves, it’s a good sign that it’s time to seek help.

How You Can Help You can help your teen tackle their worries by letting them know they can always talk to you, making arrangements with their school to put less stress on them and seeing a health professional. Don’t be too quick to take their phone away, as many teens chat with their friends as a coping mechanism – but encourage them to disconnect every once in a while.

75 per cent of people who receive treatment experience notable improvements. Understand that there is help out there for your child, and remind them that they are never alone in their struggles, and that they are always loved.

Helpful Resources • www.headspace.org.au

• www.mindblank.org.au

• www.beyondblue.org.au

• www.ruok.org.au

Expert Advice

The PakMag Experts Jolon Thompson

Robyn Faa

Gasworks Guardian Pharmacy

Mackay Regional Real Estate

Dear Jolon,

Dear Robyn,

With the Coronavirus (Covid-19) causing so much uncertainty, I’m wondering if I should be stocking up on any of my medications?

Hello Robyn, It’s pretty crazy times in the world right now, what does it mean for the world of real estate?

Please don’t stockpile medicine – as you can imagine, when everyone starts stockpiling medicines, this puts a huge strain on the supply chain. The pharmacies initially faced some mild medicine shortages, but this was only as an effect of panic buying and stockpiling medicines, NOT because Australia is running out of supplies.

Still, there is no need to worry. Since stock has been replenished, we need to work together as a community to ensure everyone is getting an appropriate amount of medicine, which is about one month’s worth at all times.

We ask at this time that you’re thinking of others as well as yourself and not buying more medication than what is needed.

To enforce this, we will be restricting dispensing of prescription medicines to just one month’s worth of supply and also limited some over-the-counter medicines. Please remember this order has come from Australia’s deputy chief medical officer and to treat our staff with respect at all times.

Medicine sponsors (pharmaceutical companies) are not expecting widespread national level medicine shortages, but if people are excessively buying medicine, this could very well cause more interruptions in the supply chain, causing mild, short term shortages.

It’s important to remember at all times that pharmacies are an essential service. Even with more severe social distancing measure being put in place, or temporarily shutting down more businesses, we will undoubtedly stay open. We will continue to stay open and be here for you and your family.

The more medicine that our community has access to, the healthier we can keep each other.

So don’t stockpile medicine, keep one month’s worth of medicine on hand at all times, keep you & your family safe, think of others and be kind to your healthcare workers. p 4957 5522 a Shop 7/137 Shakespeare St, Mackay

COVID-19 has certainly made life interesting for all of us. From a real estate point of view for your safety, open homes & onsite auctions have been cancelled. Private Inspections are available however it is recommended you wear a mask and gloves, and don’t bring children if you can. We do our best to ensure the property is sanitized but encourage visitors not to touch surfaces. Both buyers & sellers will be asked the same series of questions to ensure all round safety: are you showing any signs; have you been in touch with a COVID-19 patient; have you travelled overseas recently.

Professional photography showcases a property well, however many agents are now offering virtual tours online. I know that I often FaceTime buyers so that they can view from afar, but also ask specific questions & customize the inspection to their own specific needs.

The age of technology has allowed us to send contracts via email to be signed & scanned, all without human transaction & to keep a safe distance.

I have had many astute buyers right now snapping up properties that need renovating as they are wanting to do the work now, in the downtime. So, if you fancy yourself as a bit of a renovator, this is a great opportunity to get yourself on the front-foot when the market resumes.

No one can tell us when this pandemic will pass, but it will pass! Hopefully, in 12 months, we will be looking back at this experience with greater wisdom. Now is a great time to pause, re-evaluate your goals & plan for the future.

The hope is that Mackay, being a mining town, will be in a good position to recover much faster than many other North Queensland cities. So, ensure you speak to your agent who can provide you with the latest information and if there are any changes in relation to COVID-19 and real estate.

P 0419 623 263 www.mrre.com.au

www.pakmag.com.au | Issue 77 25

What's On • at Your Place

With Star’s Rob Kidd

With changes to schooling, events and activities we came up with a list of activities and resources to learn, connect and have fun at home!

WAYS TO GET ACTIVE INDOORS/YOUR OWN BACKYARD Try GoNoodle www.gonoodle.com it’s a great online resource with movement and mindfulness videos created by child development experts.

Enjoy Free at-home kids yoga lesson plans with www.littletwistersyoga.com Harness the power of YouTube by learning new skills through tutorials. For example: You could try learning specific stances and basic positions for karate, Taekwondo or another martial art (supervision required.)

Create an obstacle course.

You can gather up old toys and things you find in storage or your garage and get creative.

There’s lots of ideas online too if you’d like some suggestions.

Create a fun age-appropriate ‘circuit workout’ for the family Try online workout videos or maybe you’ve got some DVD’s you can try together.

You could even design your own exercise class and take turns teaching them. Don’t forget to create a music playlist of your favourite tunes.

Set up a tent in your backyard and go camping.

Sneaky Cleaning; have a competition to see who can pick up the most dishes/clothes/ socks/Legos/etc laying around the house (and putting them

back where they belong). The winner gets to pick the next board game or activity you play.

Dance. Pick a favourite song.

Choreograph a dance routine to it. You could also try having a disco in the dark. Cover all the windows, turn off the lights, turn up the music and literally dance like no one is watchingcause they can’t see you!

Have a Nerf battle.

FUN THINGS TO DO AS A FAMILY Board games to bust the boredom! If the kids don’t know the joy of ‘Passing Go’ and collecting $200, now’s the time to introduce them.

Bust out the paint, glue sticks and the pipe cleaners - it’s craft time! There is limitless online resources to give you ideas; but one of our favourites is: www.allkidsnetwork.com for crafts, activities, mazes, dot to dots and more.

Learn the Japanese art of paper folding: Origami.

Have a toddler? Keep them busy with these indoor activities www.busytoddler.com Storytime done differently – check out Storytime from Space- hear real Astronauts read books in orbit at www.storytimefromspace.com or head to www.storylineonline. net to hear kids’ books read by famous people.

Use that pile of unmatched socks next to the drier to create Puppets! You can also use paper bags or stuffed animals with their stuffing pulled out.

Great ideas and resources on how to create your own puppet show can be found at www.micheleepuppets.org Do your kids love comics?

Why not help them create their own comic book. Check out www.comiclife.com Hit the Kitchen; bake a cake, cupcakes and cookies. Try your hand at making pickles and jam (yum). Get competitive: have an untimed Iron Chef/ Masterchef style contest with the whole family. Choose an ingredient, and everyone makes a different dish (and dinner).

Card Games; play games you know and learn new games.

If you haven’t heard of ‘spoons’ it’s awesome. Once you’ve mastered the standard version of ‘Spoons’ try ‘Ultimate Spoons’ you place the spoon across the room, or at the end of an obstacle course.

You can also try building a house of cards.

Get old school with salt dough.

Recipes to make your own are easily found online.

LEGO !!! Search ’30-day LEGO® Challenge’ online there are tonnes to choose from. You can also play a modified version of Pictionary with LEGO®. Make a list of animals and objects, write them ®

on individual pieces of paper, place them in an empty box and draw out one when it’s |your teams turn. Set a 5-minute time limit per creation, see if your partner can guess it before time runs out. 1 point scored per correct guess.

Upcycled Art; find broken toys or things that need to be thrown away around the house. Get out the sticky tape and glue and challenge the kids to create a sculpture.

(This is a fun way to spring clean).

Word Scrambles; pick a sentence from a book.

See how many words the kids can make from the letters in the sentence.

Create a secret code. Once you’ve got the symbol key, write a letter to someone in code and get them to decipher the message.

Have a backyard pool? Why not have a paper boat race?

Try making your own musical instruments (there are hundreds of ideas online), then make your own band and create some songs.

Read books. Have a prize for the family member who reads the most books during a set amount of time.

Did you know your local library has online resources like e-books, audiobooks and online magazines too?

www.pakmag.com.au | Issue 77 27

What's On • at Your Place Love to act? Why not put on a family play? You could stream it to family and friends. Or you could create a home movie with your smartphone video.

Get creative: Learn to sew or knit or try making jewellery.

Order a kit online or use materials from around the house.

You’re probably thinking about all the adventures you’d like to be having, so why not use this time to plan your next family holiday?

Start a home garden (indoor or outdoor)

Watch a favourite movie or cartoon on mute and make up your own dialogue.

Put that pen to paper; everyone loves to receive a handwritten card or note. Take the time to write a letter to your grandparents or other relatives or friends. You could even make and send a Thank You card to a Community Hero.

The classics: puzzles and wordfinds. You can even create your own or play online at www.jigsawexplorer.com Play dress-ups.

Play traditional Hide and Seek or change it up with Hide and Seek with objects: One person hides the object in the house, and everyone else tries to find it.

Try fostering an animal from your local shelter. Animals are a great way to reduce stress and maybe you’ve been thinking about getting a furry family member for a while and this is a good opportunity for your children to learn responsibility for a new pet.

28 Issue 77 | www.pakmag.com.au

THINGS TO LEARN ONLINE The World Wide Web gives a window to the outside world when we need to stay inside.

Here’s some of the best resources we have found to help you keep exploring and learning; ABC Education brings you thousands of free, curriculum-linked resources for Primary and Secondary students and teachers www.education.abc.net.au you could also try www.scholastic.com/learnathome or the www.khanacademy.com Everyone loves Dr Seuss. Read, play games, and hang out in www.seusville.com Learn a language with Duolingo www.duolingo.com. You could then watch your favourite movie or cartoon in the language you’ve been learning.

(Most DVDs have other language options.)

Get musical; lessons and exercises for all abilities at www.musictheory.net and www.sightreadingfactory.com

Don’t have an instrument?

Play online with a virtual guitar, piano, drums and more at www.virtualmusicalinstruments.com Space science for kids www.nasa.gov/kidsclub Learn to code with www.codeacademy.com or, www.kodable.com or even Star Wars www.code.org/starwars Improve your typing skills while competing in fast-paced races with people from around the world. www.nitrotype.com Take a trip to a museum: Head to London and explore Egyptian mummies at the British Museum www.britishmuseum. withgoogle.com Love art? Head to the world famous Metropolitan Museum of Art with Metkids www.metmuseum.org/art or the Louvre in Paris, France where the Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci calls home www.louvre.fr/en/visites-en-ligne

With Star’s Scotty

The San Diego Zoo has a website just for kids with amazing videos, activities, and games. Enjoy the tour! www.kids.sandiegozoo.org Melbourne Zoo are bringing the Zoo to you at www.zoo.org.au/animal-house You have a live stream into the animal’s homes and lives at Melbourne Zoo or Werribee Open Range Zoo. With Snow Leopard, Penguin, Giraffe, Lion and Zebra Cam you can keep the kids entertained for hours.

Tour Yellowstone National Park www.nps.gov/yell Travel along the Great Wall of China www.thechinaguide.com/ destination/great-wall-of-china Explore the surface of Mars with the Curiosity Rover. www.accessmars.withgoogle.com Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?

You loved playing it as a child; introduce your kids to the fun www.carmensandiego.com

TRAVEL THE WORLD (AND BEYOND) ONLINE Explore the arts, history and foreign places with Google Arts & Culture.

Explore geography and animals with National Geographic www.kids.nationalgeographic.com and watch animals (in real time) with www.earthcam.com

Have an Idea you’d like to share? Let’s create an ‘ideas collective’- if you have a fun activity that’ll benefit other parents, hit us up on our socials or email your ideas to admin@pakmag.com.au if you do one of these activities, snap a pic and use the hashtag #pakmagshare so we can see you having fun.

Read all about our PakMag Dollars on P.38!

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Bump, Bub and Beyond

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

Survive and Enjoy Your Baby Book $29.95 - www.belindajoyce.com This book covers all the essential areas you are desperately trying to find answers for as new parents.

If you're googling it, it's probably in here! Belinda is an author, midwife, maternal & child health nurse and mother of four. She is all too familiar with the challenges and joys of parenting a baby. This book provides safe, evidence-based & non-judgmental advice and suggestions, with the aim of helping you find your own path to parenthood.

Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Bottles 260ml Four Pack $29.95 - www.chemistwarehouse.com.au Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature's award-winning range of BPA-free bottles make switching between breast and bottle feeding easier than ever before.

Tommee Tippee have designed the unique, easylatch-on teat shape with breastfeeding experts to mimic the natural flex, stretch and movement of a mum’s breast. Together with the bottle’s supersensitive valve, this encourages your baby’s intuitive feeding action for comfortable, relaxed feeding.

36 Issue 77 | www.pakmag.com.au

Ice Ice Booby $49.95 - www.iceicebooby.com.au Their remedial ice and heat packs have been designed specifically for women by an Australian Midwife.

They provide affordable and reusable heat/ice for women to use during pregnancy and in the postpartum period, which can help ease general aches and pains associated with child birth and breastfeeding, help reduce time spent feeding and expressing and relieve blocked ducts.

Bump, Bub and Beyond

All About Fine Motor Skills Fine motor skills involve the use of the smaller muscles in the hands to grasp, hold and pinch. These skills are vital to carry out everyday tasks, as well as playing and learning. Developing these skills will not only improve the quality of the task outcome, but it will also help them complete it quicker.

passive activities that don’t require fine motor skills, such as watching TV or using an iPad.

Fine motor skills are needed for a number of things in life, including academic skills such as writing, drawing, colouring in and using scissors, playing with LEGO®, puzzles, or dressing up dolls and self-care activities such as tying shoelaces, zipping up jackets, brushing the teeth and hair and using cutlery to eat.

Without the ability to complete the above tasks, a child’s self esteem can suffer and they can fall behind.

Your child may have difficulties with their fine motor skills if you notice them being disinterested in the skills listed above, waiting for parents to brush their teeth or dress them rather than trying themselves or preferring

Helpful Tip As soon as you become a parent, your focus shifts to taking care of your new bundle of joy.

Each minute of your waking hours are consumed by taking care of them, playing with them and thinking about them. As difficult as it may be, self-care becomes especially important.

Try taking a quick five-minute meditation break here and there, going for a walk in nature, listening to your favourite music, joining a book club or seeing if somebody else can take your little one for a few hours so you can go shopping or catch up with friends.

You can encourage and help your child to develop their fine motor skills by offering toys that can be stacked or have interconnectable parts, offering creative materials and encouraging tactile play with materials like slime or play dough. Continue to cheer them on them while they learn. If your child continues to struggle or seems disinterested in advancing their fine motor skills, take them to the GP.

Did You Know?

Immediately after your baby’s birth, you’ll probably still look around 20 weeks pregnant. It’ll be two weeks until your uterus is small enough to fit back into your pelvis, and six weeks before it is back to its pre-pregnancy size. It’s basically shrinking from the size of a watermelon to a pear.

www.pakmag.com.au | Issue 77 37

Routine With Rewards Teaching your children how to earn and spend money in your home based store

We are here for you

When 2020 rolled around, none of us expected to be where we are now- sitting in our loungerooms trying to work from home as well as juggling home schooling and keeping the kids entertained. You may already have a routine and strategy in place, but we’ve come up with something fun to maintain routine and your sanity.

Developing and keeping a daily routine can help us to feel more in control of everything, a feeling we desperately need right now. Routine aids our mental health, will help cope with the change we are facing, whilst forming and maintaining healthy habits and reducing those stress levels. Anything we can do to reduce those in this stressful time is incredibly important!

Presenting kids with a routine or traditional list of chores may be met with resistance, so what we’ve created is a menu of ‘tasks/ activites’; just like you are working at home, your kids can too- and they earn 'money' for the tasks they complete.

They can then redeem the ‘money’ for rewards in the ‘store’ you set up at home. You can put this in a pantry or cupboard and be as creative as you like designing your store. Remember we all love to window shop.

Kids will then busy themselves with the tasks to earn enough money to spend on the treats or reward activities available in the store. Sit down together and discuss the treats that are going in the store, the activities and tasks to be completed and a fair price structure. It’s really important to involve them in this process, so they take ownership and ‘buy-in’to the concept.

Create a clear pricelist for items, and a clear list of tasks and their values.

You may also want to create a daily schedule and at the start of the day, have a discussion on what tasks your child will complete that day and what their ‘end of day wages’ will be if they complete all their tasks. This helps them set a goal to focus on.

We have provided some PakMag Dollars for you to use as wages. Simply cut the notes out (keep them in a safe place, aka the bank of Mum) and give to your child, who can then ‘buy items from the store’. If you need more, you can download another copy from www.pakmag. com.au or you could use Monopoly money.

You can decide if your child gets paid after every task, or at the end of the day. You also need to set opening hours of the shop, to limit purchases after hours (you don’t want to spoil that dinner). Items available for purchase can include their favourite snacks like chocolates, popcorn, chips and cupcakes, it could also include other physical items like colouring pens/books, a board game etc - the options are endless. You can also include premium items like TV and device time, computer/ console time or baking time with Mum or Dad. You may have a limit of how many times they can earn ‘money’ for a task in a day, as some activities are more fun than others (like play over learning). You can also put higher value on the tasks that are harder to get the kids motivated for (like chores).

Here is a sample list of activities and the benefits to including those activities in your own task list you create at home. We have also included an example of what value you could give to those tasks. Again, the tasks and their value is completely up to you and your children to decide on together. Please note: if you are using this scale, we recommend treats like chocolate bars etc to be valued at $40- $50 PakMag dollars or higher (to ensure there is a fair exchange of reward to the ‘work’ undertaken). Consider what the task is worth when setting the reward.

You will find a sheet of PakMag dollars on pages 33 and 34 which you can cut out. You can also print more at www.pakmag.com.au Task / Activity

Value (PakMag money earned)

Going to sleep at bedtime (on time and without complaint)

$5

Getting Showered and Dressed for bed wash your face/ hands brush your teeth (morning and night)

$5 $1 each time (keep a tally) $5 each time ($10 a day)

30 minutes of physical activity

$15

Reaching out to Others (Stay connected through Skype, phone calls, facetime, virtual playdates etc)

$10

Do something nice for another family member

$20

30 minutes of play Play is a great opportunity for children to communicate how they are feeling.

You may see therapeutic themes, like ‘playing doctor’. Children use play to process their world and problem solve, and with everything they are seeing and experiencing right now, they need play more than ever.

$15

Read books (30 min)

$15

Chores – Clean Room Clean Bathroom Sweep Laundry Mop Dishes Dust Misc. Chores set by Mum/ Dad (eg picking up dog poo in the yard)

$15 $10 $5 $10 $10 $5 $5 $5 each

Learn something (30 minutes)

$20

Help Others - Helping others gives us a sense of purpose and satisfaction.

$20

Long Term Project – eg. Jigsaw puzzle, painting a picture, reading the Harry Potter Series, learning an instrument

$20 (every half hour you participate)

Repetitive Movement Activity – Knitting, colouring in, painting, clay sculpting, jump roping, running, drumming, skating, hopping. Repetitive movement especially left-right movement (hopping, running, drumming, skating) can be effective at self-soothing and self-regulation during moments of distress.

$10 (for every 15 min)

Get Creative – with sculpture, drawing, dancing, music, drama and singing.

A great tool for releasing feelings.

$20 (for every 30 mins)

Laugh - tell a funny joke Counterbalance the heaviness of this situation with laughter- it is the best medicine after all.

$2 per joke

Write down 5 things you’re grateful for today.

There is a strong relationship between gratitude and happiness. It helps you feel more positive emotions, focus on the good experiences, people and things in your life, improves your health and helps you deal with adversity.

$25

Happy ‘shopping’. We are thinking of you and your family at this challenging time. Be safe, be well and remember we’re all in this together and we’ll get through this together too.

www.canelandcentral.com.au

Caneland Central

caneland.central

Expert Advice

The PakMag Experts Clint Khare

Gavan Porter

Harvey Norman Bedding

Porters Mitre 10

Dear Clint,

Porters would like to reassure our community that we are committed to supporting our region through these challenging times, as we have done since 1883.

My son gets really bad allergies, what kind of bedding can help with that?

Whether it’s your partner, your child or even yourself, most households will either be affected or know someone who could be affected from an allergy or an asthma related condition.

It’s estimated that one in three Australians have allergies.

That’s why it’s important to make sure you’re looking after your bedding.

We are working with suppliers to ensure availability of essential items including hand sanitiser and disinfectant. Porters also stock cleaning supplies, laundry powder, toilet paper and more.

One of the common causes of allergic reactions are dust mites that like to thrive in bedding. If one of your family members has allergies, I would recommend investing in a hypoallergic mattress. These tiny bugs live in pillows and mattresses, so purchasing sheets and pillow protectors can also help with allergies and asthma. Cotton, bamboo, linen and silk are all good choices when selecting allergy and asthma friendly linen.

It’s recommended that you wash your sheets and pillow cases in hot water weekly to get rid of dust mites and any allergens they produce.

A new lick of paint on interior walls can make a big impact to the overall look and feel of your space. Other quick, easy and cost-effective projects to tackle whilst staying safe at home include:

Turning bedrooms into allergen-free zones can make a real difference in your family’s health and significantly helps you all sleep more soundly at night. If you have carpet in the bedroom, be sure to vacuum twice a week.

Another way to protect children from dust mites would be to make sure that they don’t sleep with stuffed animals as this can cause allergies.

If that is not a possibility, there are allergy-friendly toys available to cuddle at night and ways to keep them clean. As always, read the label on the toy for washing instructions first, as some toys don’t do well in the washing machine.

If you’re looking for a new bed or bedding to suit your health needs but overwhelmed by the choices or are struggling to find a bed perfect for you, drop by and see us at Harvey Norman, we would love to help you out. a Cnr Heaths Rd & Bruce Hwy, Mackay p 4951 8800

With the extra hours at home, we suggest you make the most of it. Our team are offering FREE home delivery services; it’s a perfect excuse to get those house jobs done!

• Creating a veggie garden! Turn to page 42 to see our in-house garden expert Wendy’s ideas on the best veggies and herbs to plant for our region.

• Restoring and oiling your timber deck and outdoor furniture – these are great projects to tick off before the summer heat.

• Hanging picture frames and creating a memory wall!

This will boost your spirit too and you can get the kids involved in selecting special photo memories.

From simple refreshes to DIY projects – Porters has the range to help you get it done and our FREE contact-less delivery service can help you to get the products you need in a safe way.

Porters can also help with dinner. Give our Charlies Cafe team a call and we can deliver fresh meals straight to your front door!

As a locally owned business, employing hundreds of local staff; we sincerely appreciate your continued support.

We are encouraged by the strength and resilience demonstrated by our community in recent weeks. If there is anything, we can help you with, please give our friendly team a call.

For more information and updates, please visit our website or our Facebook and Instagram channels.

Porters www.porterscando.com.au

www.pakmag.com.au | Issue 77 41

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Get into Gardening With Wendy from Porters Mitre 10 With the topsy-turvy world we now live in, there is no better time to enjoy gardening with your family. With so many benefits, including overall mental wellbeing, gardening will teach your children the importance of self-sustainability. Nothing beats growing your own vegetables and herbs!

With Mackay’s tropical environment, it is vital to understand the seasons, and how they can impact plants and growth. The humidity adds additional challenges as it brings an increased risk of pests and disease. There are many eco-friendly sprays available to protect your plants without harming the environment.

We recommend using Nature’s Way and Success Econeem both available from Porters Mitre 10.

When the weather begins to cool, consider planting vegetables. Place them in all day sun to maximise results. Lettuce, shallots, spinach, snow peas and onions grow best in our region during the cooler months. Herbs are the perfect alternative if you have limited space.

Herbs will happily grow in a container on the balcony or by the windowsill. They are easy to grow, great to pick

and add additional taste when cooking. Sage, parsley, thyme, mint and basil are great for our region.

Worm farms are fantastic for children to get involved in and are great for the health of your garden. Worms carry nutrients that keep your soil healthy and in the best shape. When you require more potting mix, we recommend using soil and worms from the worm farm combined with some blood and bone to add extra nutrients to the soil. Products such as Blood and Bone and Organically Four in One are the best options, both available from Porters Mitre 10.

Gardening is an important activity for children as it teaches them new skills and allows them to develop an understanding of plants, the weather and how the environment can impact growth. Children enjoy being outdoors and love digging in the soil, getting dirty, creating things and watching plants grow. The friendly team at Porters Mitre 10 are here to help you every step of the way. We are currently offering FREE home delivery for retail orders over $100 – give us a call and we can help you get your winter garden started!

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1. Kitchen Herbs - $16.95 ea 2. Nature’s Way – 200ml – RRP $19.50 3. Eco-Neem – 100ml - $21.95 4. Vertical Planter Garden - $69.00 5. Children’s Gardening Gloves - $7.21 6. Trovel - $8.46 7. Searles 5-in-1 – 30 Litres - $13.90 8. Blood & Bone Fertiliser – 5kg - $10.95 9. Raised Garden Bed 1000 x 300 - $35.00 - www.porterscando.com.au

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www.pakmag.com.au | Issue 77 43

Expert Advice

The PakMag Experts Katrina Peters

Adam Patuwairua

Statewide Family Law

Harvey Norman Computers Mackay

Dear Katrina,

Dear Adam,

How can separated parents’ behaviour affect the children?

How can I find the right device for my child?

When separating, parents can often lose focus of their children’s best interest. In a recent decision, a Judge of the Federal Circuit Court had to consider matters of the mother relocating with the children (thus reducing the father’s time with them) and what was in the children’s best interest.

One paragraph of his Judgement particularly strikes a chord: “…Of course, people’s lives after separation move on, but they should not be at the expense of the children of the relationship. All too often this Court sees parents who take the view that they have the right to get on with their own lives and move as they please, rather than thinking about how the little ones whose whole world has fallen apart might be coping with the war zone that they are in the middle of. There is seldom a ceasefire. The children walk in no-man’s land for many years, navigating between hidden mines and barbed wire of their parents’ entrenched positions and conflict.”

His Honour’s analogy is particularly poignant and describes, in accurate detail, the toll that the behaviour of warring parents can have on the children of the relationship.

Often, when dealing with parents following separation, the adult issues are at the forefront of the parents’ mind and it’s difficult to overcome the feelings of bitterness, resentment and entitlement which often comes with acrimonious separations.

If we step back and think about the effect such behaviour is having on the children, then it’s more likely that parents will be able to see “the forest for the trees”, that is, focusing on what is in the children’s best interest and arrangements that as an adult, each parent can live with. a 34 Wood St, Mackay www.swc.net.au

We are becoming more and more reliant on technology in everyday life. Education has changed dramatically thanks to the latest innovations in technology.

With parents starting to home school their children, it’s important that they have access to the very best learning tools to continue working from home. Here at Harvey Norman, we stock a range of options including iPads, 2-in-1’s, tablets, laptops and other affordable options.

When choosing the right device for your child it can be a little daunting however our friendly aim to make this process as easy as possible.

When selecting a device, it’s important to take into consideration your child’s passions, hobbies and interests, the right device can help encourage their passions and help to develop their skills.

Consider the value for money - let’s face it devices aren’t the cheapest things, it’s important to get the right balance of performance and price. If possible, go for a device that can grow with your child and be easily updated when required.

Battery life – it’s important to choose a device that will last for a long period of time. Devices that last eight hours or longer are a good starting point.

Screen size – it’s all about finding a balance for the screen size to be small enough for portability however big enough for your child to work efficiently.

It’s important to embrace technology as a key learning tool for children.

Come into Harvey Norman and our friendly team would love to help you find the perfect device for your child even if you’re unsure of what you’re wanting. We are also able to offer you care advice for your devices to ensure it will last you years to come. a Cnr Heaths Rd and Bruce Highway, Mackay www.harveynorman.com.au

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Home

Family Farmhouse PakMag's Tip: These days farmhouse styles tend to imitate the simpler, old fashioned homes, while still looking modern and beautifully upkept. Antique furnishing and decorations are perfect for sticking to the true farmhouse roots; try placing items like antique vases, lamps and mirrors around as decoration for that final touch.

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www.homestolove.com.au

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Farmhouse-styled homes always have one thing in common: a feeling of warmth and welcome. Or, they evoke nostalgia for some quiet, simple life that you either lived before or wish you had. In this modern day of using interior design to make your home as minimalistic and sleek as you can, the farmhouse style manages to keep those minimalistic aspects while still holding the look of a well-loved, full home.

The Basics Wooden furnishing, kitchenware and more has always been simple yet elegant in its own way. It feels comfortable and easy, and should be used along with touches of wooden décor to create the more personalised, crafty feel. The farmhouse style is about practicality, and how things can actually be used instead of never touched – so you can ditch the fine china!

Simplicity and Balance are Key Try incorporating this look into the home along with some more neutral aspects, otherwise you may begin to lose the comfier elements of the design.

A mix of light and dark colours as a colour scheme is important for allowing the home to stay open and bright, as heavier and darker furniture can make even big spaces seem smaller. Oversized, thick rugs and blankets are a key element to the warming, inviting feeling of the house. Who doesn’t love wrapping themselves up in a comfy blanket on the couch every now and then?

Artwork and Design When you try placing colourful, abstract art pieces amongst this, the style can often become too confusing.

Try sticking to paintings and photos of plants or scenery.

Earth tones throughout the house are a must as they build on top of the overall woodsy and informal look really well.

Aspects of Outdoors Add to the look of the hand-built-family-farmhouse by using gentle plant life as décor. When thinking of a true farmhouse, we don’t just think of the house but also the location. A bit of greenery can serve of as a reminder of this and can bring the interior design to life.

1. Eucalyptus Framed Prints 64 x 79cm - $149.00ea www.freedom.com.au 2. Roca 2 Tier Basket - $25.00 www.freedom.com.au 3. Lightly Copper Infinity Bowl - $92.00 www.korufurnitureandhomewares.com.au 4. Zakkia Concrete Data Horse - $41.00 - www.korufurnitureandhomewares.com.au 5. Decorative Dry Branch - $14.95 - www.freedom.com.au 6. Amalfi Alston Jug - $69.95 - www.korufurnitureandhomewares.com.au 7. Rustic Dinner Plate - $18.00 / Rustic Side Plate - $14.00 / Rustic Bowl - $16.00 / Rustic Mug - $9.00 - www.freedom.com.au 8. Sawn Dining Table - $799.00 / Sawn Dining Bench - $299.00 - www.freedom.com.au

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Advertiser Feature

Local Produce Recipes

Cranberry Quark and Fetta Cheese Balls Tasty Butter Chicken RECIPE Glen Clark, Gasworks Guardian Pharmacy Ingredients 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp butter 1 onion, diced 1 tsp ginger, minced 3 cloves garlic, minced 3 chicken breasts, cut into chunks ½ cup Greek yoghurt

1 400g BPA-free can tomato puree 1 tsp garam masala 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp cumin ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Method Place the yoghurt, garlic, ginger, garam masala, turmeric, cumin and paprika into a bowl. Stir in the chicken until evenly coated, and refrigerate for an hour.

In a saucepan, heat the butter and oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until softened. Add the chicken mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken begins to brown.

Add the tomato puree, cover and bring to the boil, reduce heat to low and let it simmer until thickened, stirring occasionally.

When the mixture has thickened, it’s ready to eat. Serve with hot Basmati rice and fresh corriander.

Tip: Protect the health of your whole family and only use BPAfree cans. p 4957 5522 a Shop 7/137 Shakespeare St, Mackay

RECIPE Tracie Frater, Mungalli Creek Dairy Makes 20 balls These cheese balls are loaded with taste, and make for a great appetiser.

Ingredients 1 cup Mungalli Creek Dairy Fetta 1 cup Mungalli Creek Dairy Quark 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts ½ cup chopped dried cranberries ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley Pepper, to taste Method Add the fetta and quark to a bowl, and combine with a fork. Grate some pepper over the mixture to taste, and mix in.

Using a spoon, scoop out the mixture and form into little balls. Make them smaller than the size of a round cracker if you intend to serve them on crackers.

Place the nuts, dried cranberries and parsley a bowl and stir to combine. Roll the balls through each bowl to coat them with nuts, cranberries and fresh parsley.

Transfer them over to a platter and place in the fridge until serving time.

Tracie's Tip: These are deliciously versatile; try rolling them through sesame seeds, green onions or lemon zest.

You can even add chopped red capsicum alongside fresh green herbs for a festive colour.

The sky is the limit!

Mungalli Creek Dairy www.mungallicreekdairy.com.au

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All Things Tweens and Teens

All Things Tweens & Teens Explaining Menstruation The first period can be very scary if your teen doesn’t know what it is upon its first arrival. There is a lot to learn about periods, and it’s a good idea to have this chat sooner rather than later – seeing as most girls get their period between the ages of 10 and 15.

Explain what a period is and why it happens.

It generally happens on a monthly basis, but in the first two to three years after the first period, they can be fairly irregular.

Periods usually last around five days and can come with cramps and discomfort.

Explain how to use pads, tampons, a cup or period panties (whichever they prefer), and give them pain killers or a heat pack if they are experiencing pain.

Modibodi are offering PakMag readers 15% off their modern, protective, leak-proof apparel, underwear and swimwear for periods and incontinence. Head to www.modibodi.com and use code PAKMAG11

The Importance of Consent When your teen starts to show interest in relationships, talking to them about consent is not just important but necessary.

It may not seem it, but there are many vital reasons as to why it’s so important.

Bring up the topic in a casual setting, such as when you are cooking dinner or driving together. Explain to your teen that they don’t have to do anything they don’t want to do in a relationship setting, whether that be kissing or being intimate, if they don’t feel comfortable doing so. Everyone has a choice in whether or not they’d like to engage, and they have every right to say no.

Reiterate with your teen that consent is a two-way street, and it may not always be in the form of saying “no”. Tell them to pay attention to non-verbal signs as well, such as when their partner backs off, tenses up or is too intoxicated to give consent.

Be open and ready to answer questions.

For Foxes’ Sake by Row Murray Everyone needs a sex fairy godmother – that person you can ask all the embarrassing questions. For Foxes’ Sake provides practical advice and guidance on topics as diverse as consent, body confidence and sexuality for secondary school-aged girls. It’s warm, honest, funny and accurate. Row understands what girls of today are facing and aims to arm them with self-confidence, digital smarts and self-respect. Available for sale on Amazon or www.booktopia.com.au WIN a copy of For Foxes' Sake by Row Murray worth $19.95!

Visit www.pakmag.com.au/win for your chance to win! *Please note that this book covers very diverse topics that may not be suitable for younger readers.

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All Things Tweens and Teens

Why Your Teen Needs a Sex Fairy Godparent STORY Row Murray Everyone who’s read a fairy tale knows the role fairy godmothers play in these stories. From Cinderella to Snow White, they swoop in with gifts, wisdom and charms, designed to ease the path into adulthood and new adventures.

If these parents also choose a ‘sex fairy godparent’ or three for their teenager, such as an aunt, older cousin, family friend or even a trusted teacher, this does some amazing things, like:

Outside of famed fantasy tales, godparents still exist, and in most parts of the modern world they are more pragmatically viewed as people chosen by a child’s parents to play a slightly more impartial, yet positive, role in their life.

• Giving the teen a safe outlet for questions or conversations that they’re not comfortable having with their parents

Godparents take an interest in the child’s upbringing, support their personal development, mentor them, and in some cases even claim legal guardianship if anything should happen to the child’s parents.

And, no matter how open a family may be, there are some conversations that will never happen between parents and their children.

Discussions about sex, body developments, contraception, bullying, and self-esteem are challenging chats, no matter how good the relationship is.

Teenagers are developing and asserting their privacy.

This is totally normal, and should be encouraged, as these are the times when they truly start to learn who they are. It can certainly be a challenge to insert ‘the sex talk’ into that mix.

• Lightening the educational load for parents

• Removing any over-reliance on schools and teachers.

• Opening up the lines of communication.

• Respecting the teen’s privacy as they start to navigate their bodily and sexual health.

• Teaches appropriate boundaries and communication skills.

• Ensures if a parent needs to intervene, that trusted friend or relative knows when to hand it over.

When teens have questions about sex and their bodies, data tells us that teens speak to their friends first, look it up on the internet second (hello there, PornHub), and about fifth down the list are their parents.

Ideally, a sex fairy godparent can take more of a friendship role, while giving parents a greater share of voice when their teens have questions, and can slow down the interest in asking Dr Google.

Sex education conversations need to be had around biology, consent, savvy social media use, safe sex, sexuality and so much more. So, who does it? And how does a sex fairy godmother fit in?

There is a powerful need for accurate sex education today. STI (sexually transmitted infection) rates among teens are currently very high, and there is a raft of very inaccurate sex information online.

The parents of every teen (or soon-to-be-teen) should be encouraging open, frank discussions around sex education (pro-tip: lots of smaller talks are much more effective than one big chat about ‘the birds and the bees’).

Parents need to step up any way they can in today’s online environment, and a sex fairy godparent can play a powerful, safe role.

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STEAM

Getting Creative with Videography and Photography Encouraging your kids to play and practice with photography and videography is not only fun, but very beneficial.

Because technology is everywhere, photography and videography are extremely common tools for advertising, explaining and teaching.

This makes learning all about them and giving it a go, good for creativity and a great way to gather skills for future careers. Digital storytelling and photography are part of a trillion-dollar entertainment business, and the best part? It’s so much easier and more accessible than it has been in the past, with even our phones able to take high quality photos and videos.

There are some great child-friendly cameras on the market that encourage independent and creative play and hand eye coordination; skills, that are important in everyday life. You never know, your child might discover that they have a true passion for photography and videography and you could help begin that creative journey for them.

Getting Your Child Interested Cameras that are affordable, of good quality and have a variety of functions (yet aren’t too advanced), are a great place to start. Multiple kids’ cameras have basic

functions like flash, zoom, effects and even games.

There are plenty of these out there aimed at children 3 years and up – so you don’t have to wait until they are a bit older or worry about your expensive smartphone getting lost or damaged or what you will do without it, whilst they are using it to learn.

GoPros are very popular because they can withstand a lot without being damaged.

They’re waterproof, allowing kids to film and photograph their beach trips without water being a worry. Great cameras for kids are ones where the exterior is not sleek and easy to lose grip of, so they are less likely to be dropped. You would also want one that is tough all-round and helps prevent scratching of the lens. These allow parents to not feel as though they need to watch their kids constantly to make sure they are being careful.

A Step Up For older kids and teens, a great option are cameras that are professional, yet made for first time users and people who are still learning what they are capable of. This helps encourage them to be careful with the more fragile equipment they are using and get a basic understanding of all the different functions, such as ISO, shutter speed, and filming stability.

Resources to Inspire and Educate Smart Phone Movie Maker Book

LEGO® Make Your Own Movie Book

by Bryan Michael Stoller

by Pat Murphy

This is the complete beginners guide to making movies with your smartphone. It provides expert advice on aspects of film making, from planning the storyline to casting, filming and editing. The box itself turns into a film projector with a lens slot for your smartphone so that you can watch your masterpiece on a larger screen!

PakMag YouTube Stars Online Course www.pakmag.com.au/yts This online course will teach you everything you need to know to become a Youtube Star from standing infront of the camera to finding the best shot. Once you complete the course you will be awarded an honouree PakMag YouTube Star, making you a go to reporter for PakMag. You can film product and location reviews and vlog style content!

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Use stop-motion animation to make your own movie and bring your LEGO minifigures to life.

You can use phones, tablets and computers to make your movie, by following this beginners guide to stop-motion. There are six included background settings for you to use too, and when ready you can learn more advanced skills such as lighting, angles and sound effects.

Animation Studio Book

by Helen Piercy Your one-stop guide to every aspect of stopmotion movie making.

This book is packed with inspirational tips and ideas, and if you want to be an aspiring director of animations then look no further! Plus, it is housed in an interactive and reversible mini film set, containing everything you could need.

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1. Vtech Kidizoom Duo in Pink or Blue - $98.00ea 2. GoPro HERO7 Silver 4K Action Video Camera - $298.00 3. Canon EOS 1500D DSLR Camera with 18-55mm Lens Kit - $598.00 www.harveynorman.com.au

Education

The Different Learning Styles STORY Jenna Galley Everyone learns differently. Some of us like to be shown what to do, some of us like to read instructions or diagrams, some of us prefer to watch and learn.

Children are no different.

While every child processes information at their own pace and in their own way, experts have identified seven main learning styles.

Your child may fit into one category perfectly or may be a combination of more than one. Knowing which learning style best works for your child allows you to help them process new information in a way that is engaging, exciting, and beneficial to them.

The Different Learning Styles Visual or Spatial Learners • Like to map out, draw or write out their thoughts in order to really process what they are thinking • Tend to have a good spatial sense and sense of direction • Can easily visualise objects, plans and outcomes • Enjoy visual art like colouring, drawing, doodling and painting • May benefit more from watching a tutorial or even seeing a movie clip rather than reading instructions or listening to the literature being read aloud

Aural or Auditory Learners • Respond best to sound, have a good sense of pitch or rhythm and often excel in musical programs • May benefit from learning through oral presentations and reading aloud • Tend to focus better with music playing in the background • Can often remember lyrics • Use songs to help memorise and categorise information. For example, your child may make up a rap to help them remember key information for a test.

Verbal or Linguistic Learners • Are the ‘wordsmiths’ – Verbal learners find it easy to express themselves on paper, have a way with words and often breeze through written assignments.

• Excel in things like public speaking, journalism and debate – anything that involves either written or spoken word • Enjoy reading, writing, poetry and languages • Process information by writing it down through things like cue cards or through the popular Look Cover Say Write Check strategy used in many primary schools • Can also process information by reading the content aloud.

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Education

Physical or Kinaesthetic Learners • Enjoy a hands-on approach to learning • Respond well to doing something for themselves rather than simply watching

strategies he enjoys the best, whether this is using graphs or diagrams, playing a memory game using sight words or maths equations or making up a song to remember the capital cities.

• Learn best by going through the motions of what they are learning and by ‘getting their hands dirty’ • Often learn through messy play, role playing, model building and physical movement • Benefit from taking plenty of physical breaks or going for a walk to try and wrap their head around a concept Logical or Mathematical Learners • Focus on the reason behind the content or skill • Often classify or group information together to help them understand it • Respond well to agendas, lists, how-to and procedure-based learning tools • Need to see the bigger picture, along with the logic and reasoning, to fully understand the concept Social or Interpersonal Learners • Work well in groups and teams • Prefer to bounce ideas and concepts off other people in order to fully understand them • Benefit from group assignments, reading circles, math rotations and other group work in class Solitary or intrapersonal learners • Learn best through independent work • Spend a lot of time on self-analysis • Prefer a quiet, solitary place to study and process information • Benefit from writing thoughts and ideas down in a journal or diary to help them process information

Supporting Your Child’s Learning Style Regardless of how quickly your child is learning or what process they take to get there, the most important thing is that we are supporting them in the best way we know how. Here are six ways to do so: Try different strategies to see which ones your child responds best to. Ask your child which learning

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Give them the tools they need. This may be an organiser for logical learners, colourful pens and cue cards for visual learners or an audio book for aural learners.

Physical learners may benefit from a fidget tool or even a timer so they know when they can take a break and let off some steam.

Organise a special study space at home. For solitary learners, make sure this space is quiet, calm and away from other siblings. For social learners, consider doing homework together as a family so you can spit ball ideas off each other.

Make learning fun. For aural learners you may want to include headphones so they can listen to music.

For visual or verbal learners, you may want to provide plenty of extra notebooks and paper so they have lots of space to map out their thoughts.

Use family time to cater to your little learner’s style.

For example, suggest doing a group project as a team to engage your social learner or set up a friendly family debate or public speaking contest for your verbal learner.

Think outside the book. Look for ways to explain concepts other than through the traditional reading and note-taking which may not always work for your little learner. Audio books, YouTube tutorials, podcasts, diagrams, even heading outside with them and discussing the concept while walking may be beneficial.

Remember, there is no wrong way to learn, even if it’s different to what you were taught or how you retain information. Take advantage of the various tools we have to accommodate the different learning styles, ask your child’s teacher for additional ideas on helping your child with homework and learning at home and always keep an open mind. Your little learner may surprise you!