Bayside Glen Eira Kids Autumn 2021

AUTUMN 2021

Beauty and strength in

BIRTH PHOTOGRAPHY Our favourite

PICNIC SPOTS The dilemma of

SLEEPOVERS

www.baysidegleneirakids.com.au

AUTUMN 2021 1

About Us

Keeping it local!

HELLO dear readers!

Well the start of 2021 has been a bit of a rollercoaster, hasn’t it?

It seems like we take one step forward and three steps back.

I hope you’re settling into work/ school life OK - despite a snap lockdown and a shaky start to 2021, let’s hope we just fly through the rest of the year.

In this edition of Bayside Glen Eira Kids, I’ve got a few nice reads for you.

I spoke to Insta-famous dad George Georgevski (aka ‘The Lunchbox Dad’) who’s back with a fabulous new book ‘Air Fryer Express’.

About five minutes into our chat I was convinced I need to buy an air fryer. Honestly, the recipes are mouthwatering and I am actually excited to cook again, which is shocking in itself!

On that note, I also reached out to nutrition consultant at That Sugar Movement, Angela Johnson, who has some great advice for how to slowly

wean our little sweet-tooths off the good stuff.

I don’t know about you, but after summer, my children were basically two waling vials of sugar. And I needed help!

Locally, we’ve tried to bring you some great stories.

I’ve got an incredible local mum who does ocean swims a few times a week while most of us are still sleeping - and she shares how she turned her life around to get healthy.

Have you spotted some vibrant, bright signal boxes around town? If you’re a Glen Eira native you would have!

It’s a fabulous public art project through council and local artists.

And please do check out the beautiful pics our wonderful photographer Rob Carew took around Bayside and Glen Eira - some nice picnic spots to check out this autumn!

an interesting topic - sleepovers. When do you let your kids have a sleepover at a friend’s house? And under what rules?

It’s a good read. He raised points I had not even considered.

And last but not least ex-NRL player and Amazing Race Australia host Beau Ryan shares his favourite places to holiday with kids in Australia. Beau has two kids of his own and says his favourite holidays have been in Australia with the kids (they have travelled to a lot of places) as they go back to basics - swimming, fishing, off-road and the kids are off the iPads.

We’re so glad to be connecting with you again!

Don’t forget to reach out to us through Facebook and Instagram. We always love your feedback, and more importantly, to hear from you!

Bayside Glen Eira Kids magazine is a Star News Group publication.

Bayside Glen Eira Kids will be published quarterly prior to each of the school holidays.

Bayside Glen Eira Kids Cnr Princes Hwy and Army Road, Pakenham, 3810 PO Box 9, Pakenham, Victoria 3810 Phone: 5945 0666 Fax: 5945 0777 Editorial Danielle Galvin danielle.galvin@starnewsgroup.com.au Phone: 5945 0666

Enjoy!

I also spoke to leading parenting expert Dr Justin Coulson and we tackled

Photography Rob Carew

CONTENTS

Advertising Clare Vane-Tempest clare.vane-tempest@starnewsgroup. com.au Phone: 0404 288 948

IT’S YOUR LIFE

HEALTH

BOOKS

Incredible story of mum’s new life

Weaning your child off sugar

Teaching girls how to love themselves

PAGE 3

PAGE 14

PAGE 22

Sleepovers - a modern dilemma

Bumps and Babies with Dr Bronwyn Hamilton

Children’s books

Published by Star News Group Pty Ltd ACN 005 848 108.

PAGE 3 TV host’s amazing family trips PAGE 4 Beauty and strength in birth PAGE 5 Top picnic spots

Breastmilk during Covid

KIDS CALENDAR

Cover

PAGE 15

What’s on this autumn

Teens and junk food

PAGE 23

The benefits of joining a club

PAGE 8

PAGE 16

Our favourite baby names

Paint your own pottery

PAGE 8

PAGE 17

REALITY BITES Mum’s fitness inspiration PAGES 18-19

PAGE 10

Nikki and her boys Mawson and Vann take in the sights at Sandringham Yacht Club.

Picture: Rob Carew

PAGE 15

ACTIVE KIDS

Artwork lighting up your street

Pty Ltd. All significant errors will be corrected as soon as possible.

PAGE 15

Steve Biddulph on the biology of boys

PAGE 9

All material is copyright to Star News Group

PAGE 22

PAGES 6-7

Lunchbox dad’s newest obsession

Publisher/Managing Director, Paul Thomas.

AUTUMN 2021

Beauty and strength in

BIRTH PHOTOGRAPHY Our favourite

PICNIC SPOTS The dilemma of

SLEEPOVERS

Mum opens up about name disappointment PAGE 10

EDUCATION The need to attract more male teachers

Creative cubby hacks PAGE 20

PARTY TIME Born to party

www.baysidegleneirakids.com.au

AUTUMN 2021 1

PAGE 21

PAGE 11 Kool Kidz looking ahead PAGE 11 Good nutrition starts young PAGE 12 Should schools take a step back in time?

PAGE 13 Xavier College’s unique approach PAGE 13

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It’s Your Life

Ainslee Smith with friend Josette Frost.

Picture: Rob Carew

Far from a raw deal

By Danielle Galvin

markets and her treats can be found at local grocers too.

IT’S hard to believe Ainslee Smith’s raw, nutritious delights are in fact, healthy to eat.

The Bayside mum, who created Rawsmith, and creates incredible, tasty raw treats, is actually a cake decorator by trade.

She’s a fascinating chat: she boxes, she is “addicted” to early morning ocean dips in Sandringham with a good friend, and she’s got a story to tell about turning her life and health around.

A few years back, holding a newborn, her GP issued a stark warning.

“He said ‘hop on the scales’. I was over 119 kilograms.

“My doctor said to me ‘you are going to be a burden to your children if you don’t sort out what you are doing with your weight’ and I went home crying.”

But what happened next is truly remarkable and inspiring for anyone who wants to make a huge adjustment to their lifestyle.

She quit sugar, no easy feat for a cake decorator. In a year, she dropped 43 kilos.

“I couldn’t go back to eating junk, so that’s how Rawsmith came about,” she explained.

“So I made snickers bars and cherry ripe bars, and all sort of things I would normally go to, but in a gluten free, sugar free, dairy free, vegan healthy version.”

Now she often frequents local farmers

“I’ve got a strong following of people who have one what I have done, and lost substantial amount of weight, and been such an inspiration to a lot of people.”

When her doctor warned her about her weight and the health implications, she knew it was time for change.

“It wasn’t that hard to do, once you put your mind to it, and you accept this is your situation and I’m just going to go with it.”

Her kids, aged 14 and 7, also came along for the ride.

“Your nutrition is really important, and your education of nutrition could feed you for the rest of your life.

“That was a really important thing we had to change within the house.”

She’s the fittest she’s ever been, strong and healthy in her body and mind, and she often gets asked how she did it.

Ainslee’s a determined, dedicated individual.

When good friend and fellow local mum, Josette Frost who runs Teeparty in Bayside, suggested a run a few times a week to the beach to swim in the ocean, she was horrified at first.

“This was March, April last year so middle of the pandemic,” she explained.

“We did it and I loved it and now I am completely addicted!”

Follow Ainslee on Instagram ainslee_ rawsmith or ainslee_cakesmith

Sleepovers - the modern day dilemma

By Danielle Galvin

“When you look at the risks - there’s obviously your child’s physical safety and sexual safety, the primary risks people are concerned about.

IN a post in a Facebook group with hundreds of thousands of everyday Australian mums, one mum posed a question to the group about sleepovers, and it elicited a very strong reaction.

She asked what age you should let your child have a sleepover, and how she could gently let down a parent at her child’s kindergarten who had suggested one.

It’s fair to say the reactions startled me.

The majority of mums were adamant - “late high school - if even then”.

So I put it to renowned parenting expert and author Dr Justin Coulson also a father of six - to hear his thoughts on sleepovers with friends.

Are people too scared to send their child to have sleepovers with friends these days?

If you take social media as gospel, the answer would be yes.

He explained when we hear of something alarming, our brains hold onto and fixate on it, so it’s hard to shake the feeling there’s a possibility of something catastrophic happening to our children at a sleepover.

It’s a natural phenomenon that as parents, we grapple with the worst www.baysidegleneirakids.com.au

“The other risk, depending on the age of the child, might be what movies the family decide are okay to watch, or how much sugary junky food they are going to put into your kid’s body.

It’s a tough call as a parent: when to let your child have sleepovers.

possible scenarios, and the idea of your child being abused is a horrific one.

“A lot of parents will say it’s not worth it because my kids are a deadest write-off the next day then I’ve got to deal with the ramifications.

“If there’s a kidnapping in the news, people think there are kidnappers everywhere.

“Another more serious one ... if there’s an older brother or sister, there may not be physical or sexual harm done but I can’t tell you how many stories I have heard of the big brother (coming in to the room) and telling them to look up a rude word on the iPad and next thing kids are looking up hard-core pornography.”

“What can happen - is that we hang on to that - and we think that that applies to everyone, everywhere and therefore we start to make those decisions (based on that information).

The other issues parents need to consider is who else may be in the home at the time, whether the parents will be drinking, who might be visiting that night, and many others.

“The probability of it happening is very, very, very low, but if it happens to your child, who cares about probability?”

Is there an age he deems appropriate to have a friend sleepover?

“This is a classic example of what we can all availability bias, impacting our decision making,” he said.

Dr Coulson said people are naturally impacted and affected by their own experiences, and similarly by people around them.

“There is no correct answer - it depends on the child, their characteristics their anxiety ... how well you know them, activities they have planned, what you’ve got planned the next day.

“It’s an impossible question to answer.”

Dr Coulson’s tips and hints before sending your child on a sleepover: ■ Make sure whenever there is a sleepover to give them a phone. I like the idea of setting up a secret code. A code to say to mum and dad go come and get you - maybe a word at the end of a text to let you know.

■ Teach them not to go into anyone else’s bedrooms - adult bedrooms/ siblings as well ■ Depending on the age, you might disclose why you are having this conversation. Older children definitely.

As a dad, Dr Coulson said he does allow his girls to go on sleepovers.

“We think it’s a delightful, fun way to spend a childhood. We think that it’s a sign of growing up its an indication we trust them.”

But, there are quite a few buts.

They want to know all of the details - who is there, what children will be there, and they want to get to know the family first.

In terms of the mum who was nervous to address the issue in the Facebook post, Dr Coulson said honesty is the best policy.

AUTUMN 2021 3

It’s Your Life

TV host’s amazing family trips AS the host of The Amazing Race Australia and a former rugby league player, Beau Ryan has travelled to some pretty awesome places around the world.

However, his favourite holidays have been in a motorhome with his wife and children.

He spoke to Kids Today editor Melissa Grant about hosting the latest series of the reality game show, travelling with kids and his favourite family-friendly placesto holiday in Australia.

The second series of The Amazing Race Australia has just gone to air. Due to Covid, the team raced around Australia. What were the highlights for you?

Meeting the cast was great. We’ve got such a diverse cast, not only from all over the country but from backgrounds all over the world and belief systems, which was fantastic. And then exploring Australia properly. I mean, we’ve all travelled in Australia but obviously not to the extent we did and just some of the places, you know in the outback and down in Tasmania just really blew me away. Tassie was fantastic and the middle of the country, Alice Springs, all around there, was just breathtaking. It’s hard to sell it in terms of what you see, you’ve just got to see there to believe it - the animals, the night sky, the landscapes, the weather - you have to be there.

Beau Ryan, pictured in Coober Peedy SA, says the Australian outback is spectacular.

What was it like filming? It must have been a lot of fun but hard being away from your family for that time?

Yeah, it was hard. It was tough, it was physically tough and mentally draining. But seeing it all come to life now and the reaction from Australia makes it worth it. I’m really happy with how the show turned out. I put everything I had into it physically and mentally, and it’s a wonderful show.

I understand you recently returned from a caravanning trip with your kids. How was that?

It was beautiful. It was probably my favourite holiday as a family, and we do go on a lot of holidays. We just went up the north coast of NSW, stayed in caravan parks - no phones, no iPads, went fishing, jumped off rocks, swam in the ocean, swam in rivers, stayed at caravan parks and we just loved it! It was our favourite trip. We liked Yamba.

We went all the way up the coast and we got to Yamba and we liked it.

kids to experience that. Port Douglas I hold close to my heart - that’s where I had my honeymoon but I’m a massive fan of Coolangatta. I’m a huge Coolangatta fan. The bottom end of the Goldy - I love it.

We have been unable to travel overseas due to Covid. Where are the best places to holiday in Australia with kids in tow?

Up in the Whitsundays and North Queensland - anywhere where it’s warm does make it easier for kids. We started in Cairns, so Cairns, Port Douglas, The Great Barrier Reef are amazing. Wildlife everywhere. The scenery is beautiful, as good as anywhere in the world and I’ve travelled a lot. The Great Barrier Reef is just breathtaking. So the safe option is always up there - where there is good weather, good food, the climate is warm enough. I really like Tasmania. I would like to get in a van and go around Tasmania. There is a lot of history there, which is boring for my kids (daughter Remi, 8, and son Jesse, 3), but good people, the food is great, the rainforests, Cradle Mountain and the dam - I really want to take my kids up there but maybe when they are a bit older. It’s quite breathtaking. I had a lot of wow moments in Tasmania and I want my

Not really. I went to Bali once when I was really young but I don’t really remember it. I went to Foster, I went once. Port Macquarie. We didn’t have a lot of money, we just went where we could drive up (from home in Wollongong) and our friends had a holiday house, we used to stay with them.

My kids have been everywhere. We took them to Asia, Thailand, Bali, America - we’ve been everywhere. But my favourite holidays have been in Australia with my kids and I honestly stand by that. I think because when you are at home, we go somewhere and we go back to basics. So we will go fishing, swimming, in the bush, go off-road. We do stuff where we get away. We don’t camp. My wife won’t camp and I won’t camp either. But we get in like a Winnebago or one of the motorhomes and go up the coast. I’ve got one of those Let’ s Go Motorhomes, one of the big campervans and that’s our base.

Then we just explore. Because I went to

4 AUTUMN 2021

Beau Ryan in Tasmania, a place he plans to explore when his children are a bit older.

Did you go on many holidays as a child?

Host of The Amazing Race Australia, Beau Ryan.

Port Macquarie and Foster (when I was a child) I want my kids to have the same experience. And the water is cleaner over here, it’s safer living standards, I don’t have to worry about problems overseas, the food’s great, the coffee’s great and it’s just good to get to small country towns and give back.

And we just love it!

care less. My son said the other day that he wants to play footy which is out of nowhere. I’m not really concerned about what he does, actually I wouldn’t mind getting him into surfing. I can’t surf, I wish I could. Because we are up in Cronulla, everyone is a surfer. I’d like him to do something in the water. He’s a good swimmer.

Travelling with young children can be a challenge. Do you have any tips to help entertain the kids?

But yeah, he went down to my mum and dad’s house at the weekend and found one of my old jerseys... my little Bulldogs jersey and put it on and now he wants to play footy.

I like to stay near the coast where there is plenty to do. We went out to see the saltwater yabbies with my son, went fishing, kayaking, swimming, we found waterholes. We just kept moving all day, so when we did get back to the van they were tired. We just had them outside and active. They forgot about phones, they got off their iPads. We stayed at a caravan park at Yamba, it was called The Blue Dolphin, and they had two water slides so we were out all day and when you come back you can just have them in the base and not worry about them. It was just good. We ate takeaway. We didn’t have to worry about anything.

You played NRL professionally. Has your daughter or son shown any interest in the sport?

My son (has), my daughter couldn’t

Also growing up in Cronulla there’s a big footy culture there, so I think inevitably he will go and play but I’m easy if he doesn’t want to.

Do you have any other trips planned this year with the family?

Not with the family. We will be going away again soon with The Amazing Race. Hopefully we get to Croatia and Lebanon. I want to go to Far North Queensland (with the family). I think they (the kids) are too young for Tasmania, but I do want to take my kids up to Cairns because you can get out to the reef and have a base in Cairns, and I really like Cairns. It’s warm. My kids are happier when it’s warm. www.baysidegleneirakids.com.au

It’s Your Life

Veronika Sanderson loves her job and sees it as a huge privilege.

Picture: Rob Carew

Capturing birth on camera

By Danielle Galvin IT’S hard for birth photographer Veronika Sanderson to not shed a few tears, when she documents a new life.

A mother of three herself, Veronika is often moved by what she witnesses in a birth suite or at home, and she always leaves “on a high”, buzzing from the birthing experience.

“It is a momentous experience, not only for the parents, but for everyone involved in the room,” she explained.

“And you are there with the person, you see the journey, you see the labour, you see the power, and the pain the mother is going through. And then at the end, it’s a new life.

“There’s always tears. The high lasts for me for at least a day.”

She’s also a newborn and family photographer.

Pictures: Veronika Sanderson

In recent years, birth photography has grown significantly in popularity.

There are more photographers on the scene than ever before, and more expectant parents inviting in a photographer to capture the intimate, incredible moment of welcoming their child earthside.

Veronika also works as a newborn and family photographer.

“When I started tapping into the birth photography, when I saw it I thought ‘oh my gosh this is something I want to be doing’.”

Veronika sees her role as capturing the “bird’s eye view” of the environment as the silent observer.

“Choosing a birth photographer is not an easy task. I meet the client and they need to be OK with me, and I need to be OK with them.

“You’re in that space with them, it’s a pretty intimate environment.

“I don’t want to disturb the energy and the environment of the room, my job is making sure I document as much in the room as possible.”

Each photographer has a different style. Veronika explained that she thinks of herself as a documentarist.

www.baysidegleneirakids.com.au

“You are in a haze once you’ve given birth, so imagine there is someone there who can document it for you,” she said.

“I don’t interfere with the mother or anyone.

“You are there to be the documentarist, you are there through the early stages to the labour, up until the end, and I usually stay up to 2 hours after the baby is earthside, so I can capture the skin on skin, clamping the cord.”

One of her favourite things to do is capture the details that the birthing mother may not remember: what they were drinking, the song playing in that moment, how the room is set up.

While some women might be hesitant at the thought of someone taking photos during labour, the nitty gritty or the intensity of the pain, Veronika aims to capture the different stages.

In some ways, she says, having a snapshot of the different phases can help the birthing mother later in her recovery, if something doesn’t go to plan.

“With the birth, I feel if you have trauma you can carry it on, sometimes

for weeks months with you.

“If I was with you for 10 hours, and say the trauma happens at the end, you don’t remember the 9 hours before that.

“So if I give you the gallery and you can look at you, look at what you’ve done to get here, that healing process is much quicker, because you see yourself as the goddess.

“You powered through, and in your brain it shifts from the trauma.”

She also tries to capture that first cry with a short video, and the conversations happening in the room in the minutes after the baby has been born.

One of her favourite things to do is watch the reaction of the new parents, when they see her photos for the first time.

It’s the dads who often have the biggest reaction.

“It’s the fathers who go ‘oh my gosh, thank you so much, I am so glad you were there’.

“It’s un-posed, it’s raw, and they see themselves holding the baby, because

no one is there to do this for them and they don’t have the time to take a picture of the mum.”

Within 24 hours Veronika aims to send the parents a picture of just the baby, and within a week or two the full gallery.

“And they say it brings back memories, and even I get emotional editing it.”

For Veronika, she sees it as a real honour and a privilege to be there to witness a child being born, and to play a role in capturing that moment.

She says it’s hard to describe how it feels.

“Every birth is beautiful, different and I wish for all mothers to have a good experience.

“I think to have it documented is something you can carry for the generations and you can show it to your daughters, to your children.”

To find out more about her work, visit https://www.veronikasandersonphoto. com/ or find Veronika on Instagram or Facebook

AUTUMN 2021 5

King George VI Memorial Reserve, East Boundary Road, Bentleigh East.

Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary - Beach Rd Port Phillip Bay, Beaumaris

Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary - Beach Rd Port Phillip Bay, Beaumaris.

6 AUTUMN 2021

Pictures: ROB CAREW

North Road Reserve, Brighton. www.baysidegleneirakids.com.au

King George VI Memorial Reserve, East Boundary Road, Bentleigh East.

It’s Your Life

Living local: Be a tourist in your own suburb!

PACK the picnic basket, there are so many beautiful locations close by to throw down a tartan rug and enjoy the scenery.

We headed out to a few spots to show off Bayside and Glen Eira this autumn as the weather cools down.

And while it may not be warm enough to take a dip in the water, there’s so much to love about where you live.

Caulfield Park Lake, 280 Balaclava Rd, Caulfield North.

4. Spot the feathery friends at Caulfield Park Lake this autumn and take in the surroundings. Such a nice local spot to visit, if you’re looking for a Sunday activity!

Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary - Beach Rd Port Phillip Bay, Beaumaris.

Joyce Park, Jasper Road, Ormond.

1. One of Bayside’s most famous spots is the Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary - perfect for rockpooling, spotting some birds and going for a stroll along the beach.

3. Sit under the trees or enjoy a short stroll around Joyce Park, Jasper Road, Ormond. This park has it all lots of picnic spots, a playground and more to explore.

2. North Road Reserve in Brighton’s a great waterfront pit stop. A fun park with a wooden ship to climb on overlooking the water, what’s not to lvoe!

North Road Reserve Reserve, Brighton Brighton.

5. The perfect look out spot at the Black Rock Gardens. Stroll down to the beach or capture the sunset/sunrise here.

Magic.

Black Rock Gardens, 298 Beach Rd, Black Rock.

6. King George VI Memorial Reserve in Bentleigh East is a small little park, popular with dog walkers. Worth a visit!

2. North Road Reserve in Brighton’s a great waterfront pit stop. A fun park with a wooden ship to climb on overlooking the water, what’s not to love!

King George VI Memorial Reserve, East Boundary Road, Bentleigh East. www.baysidegleneirakids.com.au

AUTUMN 2021 7

It’s Your Life

The biology of being a boy Boy or girl does it matter?

You have to discover the unique child you have got, writes Steve Biddulph CONGRATULATIONS they say to you.

It’s a girl! Or, it’s a boy! And straight away your ideas and images about their future start to take shape. You can’t help it, and nor should you, as it’s by dreaming that we mobilise ourselves for the great journey of raising a child.

But we have to keep an open mind.

Gender does not tell you everything about a child.

There are boys, for example, who are sensitive, quiet and gentle, and girls who are thick-skinned, boisterous and noisy. You have to wait and find out ‘what you have got’. But taken as a whole, gender still has some risk factors that will apply and are really worth knowing. After all, the whole secret of raising children is finding out their nature and working with that.

I often say that the world doesn’t need men who can wrestle buffaloes any more, so we need to raise our sons to be good communicators with open hearts. But, the world is still harsh and terribly sexist, so we have to raise our daughters with backbone and fire. By knowing what you start with, it makes working towards equality more likely to succeed.

The biggest biological difference between boys and girls is in rate of brain maturity. Even as a newborn, a baby girl has a more finished brain and that difference continues all through.

Most girls are ready at five for sit-down schooling, they are settled and patient, and their fingers work well, their words and language are coming along.

Meanwhile, most boys are simply not.

So we have to be wary of starting boys

in school too young.

Boys also go through very different stages, at very different times. In updating the Raising Boys book last year, we found that new hormone research explained the phenomena of the ‘full-on fours’ when many parents noticed their four-year-old sons becoming incredibly active and physical. In fact, it’s been one of my key themes over forty years that we must let all children feel okay about their need for movement, activity, and exercise. Mothers in many countries have told me that they felt enormous relief that their boys weren’t ‘bad’ for being lively. That just as with a big dog in your home or apartment, you need to run off all that energy. It’s actually helping them to grow their brain.

We need to raise our sons to be good communicators with open hearts.

We also found new research about the ‘emotional eights’ when early hormone changes, about four years before actual puberty, cause them to have more intense feelings. Explaining to our little boys that “it’s okay, sometimes feelings get big” and helping them know the warning signs, when to walk away and chill for a while, and to be able to talk to you when they are sad or afraid, or feel like punching out their best friend. I always remember a little boy who heard his best friend was moving to another school - he hit him!

We males have to be able to stay with our grief sometimes. I once heard a dad saying to his son, who was struggling on the edge of tears “you are a great kid, you have such an open heart”, and then nestling against him with a sideways hug. The boy turned towards him in a full embrace and let the tears come. It was so healing.

When I began in the 1970s, the theory of the time was - raise kids the same, without any gender messages, and they will turn out the same. And that is very worthwhile to pursue. We have to make absolutely sure that we don’t box children in by saying girls must, and boys must. At the same time, if we can learn all we can about the

biology of being a boy, and being a girl, then we can do equality better.

Next time I’ll write about the strengths, and vulnerabilities of being a girl, and how to make sure she is strong, equal, and comfortable in her own skin. So she can wrestle her own buffaloes!

www.stevebiddulph.com Steve Biddulph AM Author - 10 Things Girls Need Most, Raising Girls, Raising Boys.

Complete Secrets of Happy Children, and The New Manhood

Victoria’s most popular baby names revealed OLIVER and Charlotte are the most popular baby names in Victoria. There were 75,000 babies born in the state during 2020, according to the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.

BOYS

GIRLS

1. Oliver

1. Charlotte

Of those, 546 babies were named Oliver. Noah, William, Jack and Charlie rounded out the top 5 names for boys.

2. Noah

2. Amelia

3. William

3. Olivia

Victoria also welcomed 413 Charlottes in 2020 - just 11 more than Amelia, which was the second most popular baby name for girls and followed closely by Olivia, Mia and Isla.

4. Jack

4. Mia

5. Charlie

5. Isla

6. Thomas

6. Ava

7. Leo

7. Matilda

8. Henry

8. Chloe

9. Levi

9. Grace

10. Archie

10. Ella

There has been little movement in Victoria’s most popular names for both boys and girls in recent years, with Oliver, Jack, William, Olivia and Charlotte claiming a top five spot each year for the past decade.

Archie and Theodore appeared in the top 20 boys’ names for the first time.

8 AUTUMN 2021

The state’s most popular baby names for 2020 have been revealed.

Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes congratulated all of the parents who welcomed babies in 2020.

“Naming a child is often the first of many important decisions we make as parents - and it’s always fascinating to see which names are the most popular each year.”

www.baysidegleneirakids.com.au

It’s Your Life

George Georgievski is a best-selling author with his recipe books.

Lunchbox Dad’s secrets to success

By Danielle Galvin SCHOOL Lunchbox Dad, George Georgievski, was a little freaked out to hear he has something in the order of a quarter of a million followers across his social media accounts.

For your everyday Geelong dad (in his words) he sure does know how to make waves with his creative school lunchboxes, down to earth style, and seriously inspiring recipes.

It’s impossible not to see the appeal: he is a dad with a vision to make lunchboxes healthy and easy to put together.

It’s that simple.

His new recipe book is all about his new obsession, the Air Fryer, which follows his first book, Lunchbox Express.

In Air Fryer Express, he’s got tips and tricks to get the most out of your Air Fryer, as well as 60 recipes for parents on the go, keen for quick, easy, healthy and delicious meals.

If you don’t have an Air Fryer, prepare to be converted.

There are pizza scrolls, heavenly bread rolls, cheesy balls - and the dinner ideas and bar snacks are truly nothing short of inspiring for those of us who bemoan dinner time and making lunchboxes every day.

As for Air Fryers - he loves them.

“They are not expensive, I just think the world of them,” he said.

“They are so versatile, multifunctional, time saving, economical, I reckon they are the way to go.

“If you want to reheat something - it’s like a third of the time - you don’t have to preheat the oven. It is so quick and the fact you don’t need oil - or you use very little oil.”

It’s fair to say the success of Air Fryer

This is his second book, after Lunchbox Express.

Express has taken him by surprise.

It became the number one cookbook on Amazon based on pre-orders alone, and his first book was number two at the same time - with people buying his second book at the same time.

Georgievski’s not a chef, he says, and has a full-time day job.

His laidback approach helps him too, he is a straight talker, self-deprecating, engaging.

It all started on his Instagram account, when he got sick of seeing difficult recipes that many parents wouldn’t even bother with.

And he wanted to make it as easy as possible to well, to follow the rules “eat a few veggies, and three fruit”.

He wants others to see what he does and think that they can do it too.

There are 30 pages of lunchbox inspiration to inspire even the fussiest of kids.

“In the past, when we were kids, we didn’t have technology to occupy us, so we’d burn off the rubbish we ate ... now kids are so technology minded so we have to look after their intake of foods.”

On his Instagram account, you’ll find bento style lunchboxes, the ones he creates for his two girls each week, as well as cooking videos, instructions and more.

But his formula is simple: create wholesome, colourful, easy, delicious lunchboxes, and quickly. It’s not about how they look or spending hours baking.

He uses readily available ingredients, but he’ll put a spin on it.

There’s not a bland sandwich in

sight, there are mini croissants, baguettes, scrolls.

“My daughter made those scrolls (that you see in the recipe book) and we made them together, she’s eight. That’s how easy it is.”

The success of his books and the fact he’s got followers from all over the world still blows him away.

“My daughter’s calculated (them), she’s like ‘dad you’ve got nearly a quarter of a million (followers)’ and I’m like ‘don’t, that freaks me out’, so I don’t look at the numbers anymore! I look at the messages I get and try to respond to everybody, just food related questions.”

Air Fryer Express by George Georgievski, Published by Plum, RRP $26.99, Photography by Nikole Ramsay

The day-after toastie recipe HERE we get a sneak peek into one of the recipes in the book! We’ve all had that ‘day-after’ moment; the times when we’ve celebrated a little too hard and realised that we’re not that young anymore.

This little recipe has helped me in the past, so it’s time to share with you my saving grace.

Inspired by the Cubano sandwich, it is pure bliss and a fabulous pick-me-up.

I don’t care what anyone else says about the perfect toastie; for me, it’s all about the following ingredients.

So take a photo of this list and get to the supermarket (but don’t drive if you’re recovering from the night before).

YOU WILL NEED ■ 1 tablespoon butter ■ 2 x 2 cm thick slices of crusty Vienna bread www.baysidegleneirakids.com.au

■ 1 tablespoon American mustard ■ 2 slices of Swiss cheese ■ 4cm piece of chorizo sausage, finely sliced ■ 2 slices of cheddar ■ 2 slices of ham off the bone ■ ½ teaspoon smoked paprika ■ 2 dill pickles, finely sliced lengthways, plus extra to serve (optional) ■ Thin plain chips, to serve WHAT TO DO Butter both sides of the bread slices and let’s start stacking. Here’s how it works: Smear the mustard on one side of the bread slices, then top with one slice of Swiss cheese, half the chorizo, one slice of cheddar, one slice of ham and a dusting of smoked paprika.

Take a breath and get ready to keep

layering. Add one slice of Swiss cheese, the remaining chorizo, one slice of cheddar, one slice of ham and the pickle. Top with the other slice of bread and finish with a dusting of paprika.

You should now have a tower of deliciousness, so what we need to do is give it a little squash (I use a frying pan to push it down, but I guess your hands will work, too).

Line the base of your air fryer with baking paper and pop the toastie in.

Cook on 180°C for 5 minutes. The cheese and oil from the chorizo should be oozing out the sides, while the top of the toastie will be lovely and golden from the butter and paprika.

Cut the toastie on an angle because that’s how everyone does it these days, top with some extra dill pickle, if you like, and serve with a handful of chips.

AUTUMN 2021 9

It’s Your Life

Name sadness

By Nicole Williams LIKE many young children, I spent time daydreaming about what my life would be like as an adult - my career, the person I would marry and the names of our future children. As I got older, settled into a career and found someone to spend my life with, the idea of children became more than a daydream.

When my husband and I decided that children would hopefully be in our future (the distant future at that time), we discussed names and settled on a girl’s name very quickly. The names, both first and middle, had special meaning to our families and we fell in love with the combination.

We didn’t find out the gender for either of our two successful pregnancies and it was a long search before we settled on a boy’s name. Again, the names we selected had significance to our families but, personally, didn’t capture my heart in the same way.

Turns out we were destined to have two beautiful little boys whose names ended up being perfect for them. While I never experienced gender disappointment, I will admit to a little heartbreak at the realisation that our carefully selected, and much loved, girls name would never be a part of our family.

Nicole with her two boys.

Picture: Rob Carew

I have never thought ‘what if’ we’d had a girl and I am in love with our complete family of four (although I am outnumbered, even including the dog),

so it is a unique feeling to mourn the combination of a few letters. I had spent years, and two long pregnancies, imagining the reactions of our families when we called to tell them the name of our newborn, murmuring it to calm an unsettled baby in the middle of the night or calling out the name at the playground.

Since our youngest son was born in mid-2020, we have had many people ask us what we would have called a little girl. We’ve been happy to share the name when asked but I have also been open with my disappointment. Some people even suggested using the name for any future pets we might have. Not out of the question, but not quite how we imagined honouring our family members!

I am not sure if it is an uncommon feeling or if it just goes unspoken. We feel many things as new parents and much of what we truly experience was considered unmentionable for years before I became a mum. The taboos of parenthood are slowly being broken down and the real feelings - the adoration alongside the terror, the relentlessness alongside the joy - are finally being normalised.

Therefore I know, that while it may not be a common experience for many parents, my feelings of sadness and disappointment are valid. We will never have a little girl to bestow with a special name, but that combination of letters will always hold a special place in my heart.

Signal boxes brightening up your street

By Danielle Galvin

Local artist Fiona Wood said it was an amazing initiative.

IT might be hard to imagine how a council and some artful locals would be able to transform unsightly signal boxes which normally attract graffiti or just blend into the background.

Her particularly vibrant artwork can be seen on the corner of Glen Huntly and Truganine roads.

But the City of Glen Eira’s local artists rose to the challenge.

Forty four signal boxes across the municipality all got a makeover, and each has a unique story.

Mayor Margaret Esakoff said it was an idea from one of the council’s committees.

She helped mentor some of the younger artists involved last year at the start of the project, and her daughter and a friend even got involved in the first round.

“I think kids’ art is gorgeous, and I think people love the simplicity of kids’ art, and the thrill the kids get to have their art up on the signal boxes is huge.”

She said Glen Eira Council really got behind the initiative.

“It was the Arts Committee’s initiative to combat graffiti and was something that other councils had successfully implemented as part of their graffiti management program,” she said.

“When I’ve been out there and painting them, the amount of people that come up to you, and say ‘oh my god I love it!’ They say they are so happy the council is doing this.

“Artists of all ages have really enjoyed the opportunity to showcase their art to the broader community as well as chatting to locals whilst they’ve been creating their art.

“The feedback when you are out there and doing it is so, so positive, people just love that concept that their streets are getting prettied up.”

“Many residents have contacted Council to ask if their local signal box can be painted and we’ve been able to accommodate some of these requests.”

Download the app from the App Store or get it on Google Play by searching ‘Glen Eira Walking Tours.’

Locals are invited to download the council’s free self-guided walking app and do a tour to see the artwork.

You can also listen to the artist’s stories and hear about what living locally means to them. www.baysidegleneirakids.com.au

Artist Fiona Wood and Glen Eira Mayor Margaret Esakoff in front of Fiona’s signal box.

Picture: Rob Carew

AUTUMN 2021 3

Education

The need for more male teachers styles and teaching styles are so critical.

By Danielle Galvin

“Being exposed to as many different teaching styles you possibly can, as well as positive role models (is important).”

BACK in 2017, Macquarie University researchers tracked a worrying trajectory of a declining number of male teachers in Australian classrooms.

The study lead them to ask the question: Are male teachers headed for extinction?

He said partly there’s still a stigma still around men teaching, particularly in the junior years, but more needs to be done to build back respect for the teaching profession.

The research showed a steady decline in numbers in the past 50 years.

He hopes doing that will help attract more people to the profession.

Granted the research is now four years old, but the question remains: are there enough male teachers out there?

The divide is even more stark when it comes to early education.

In 2018, according to University of South Australia research, men accounted for between 2-3 per cent of the workforce.

Dr Matthew Zbaracki is Head of School of Education at the Australian Catholic University.

The former primary school teacher said the latest statistics, from 2019, estimated 18 per cent of teachers in primary schools were male. In secondary school, there was a huge jump to 39 per cent.

“That’s the big difference, it’s very obvious in primary schools,” he said.

“I think there are a couple of reasons.

“One; there could be a gender stereotype around who teaches in

Do we need to do more to attract male teachers?

primary school.

“I think there’s a lack of respect around the teaching profession in general which has an impact as well.”

While there’s no suggestion that any gender performs better in the classroom or gets different results, Dr Zbaracki said there’s a couple of reasons why it’s important.

“The reason why they are important is that children need to be able to have these experiences with teachers of both genders, and they need to have role models as well.

“Boys need to have role models that are men in the classroom instead of just females.

“I think it’s really important, learning

In Dr Zbaracki’s view, all educators bring different teaching styles to their environments, regardless of gender.

He said male and female teachers engage students in different ways.

“It’s important we don’t get complacent and be aware of this type of issue.

“Those statistics are pretty shocking, 18 per cent in primary schools, that’s shocking.”

Kool Kidz is looking ahead in 2021 WITH the start of 2021 in full swing, Kool Kidz Childcare Brighton is getting back to normal too, with plenty of exciting things happening.

playgrounds. Over Christmas, new natural tables and chairs were delivered to accommodate outdoor meal time.

They’ve welcomed back Hey Dee Ho to deliver their music and movement program and the centre is also introducing an exciting sports program delivered by a local company ‘Sports Buzz’.

There’s also big plans for some fun excursions for the children with planning underway to visit some local landmarks or interesting locations, such as the local fire station.

The Kool Kidz curriculum, internally referred to as the ‘Kool Beginnings Curriculum’ has recently undergone a transformation, including updating the existing learning blocks, as well as introducing an exciting new block ‘My Connections’ which focuses on connections within the community and promoting equity for all.

One of the rooms has now been repurposed as a common library where children of all ages can take a seat in a fantasy inspired area and read a book or listen to a story.

There’s also a continuing effort to introduce more natural elements and play experiences within the

A silver lining of the lockdown period was that staff really harnessed their own creativity.

Kool Kidz Childcare is located at Level 2, 233-239 Nepean Highway, Gardenvale. Visit https://www. koolkidzchildcare.com.au/brighton/ for more information or call 9596 6221.

There’s a lot of exciting things happening at the service this year.

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www.baysidegleneirakids.com.au

AUTUMN 2021 11

Education

Good nutrition starts young involving the children in the garden to water, tend to and care for the edible plants. “We believe giving children a great nutritional education at an early age is beneficial to their growth, development and positive relationship with food as they mature,” Ms Burns said.

HEALTHY food, every day! That’s the mantra at Niño Early Learning Adventures.

Leading nutritionist, Olympian and Niño Early Learning Adventures nutritional ambassador, Lauren Burns believes in creating healthy eating habits for life and nutritional education starts at a young age.

At Niño ELA, the children are empowered to self-serve, allowing them to have autonomy and serve themselves from meals placed in the centre of the table, which also fosters socialisation, sharing (passing utensils) and turn-taking.

“Together with the centre’s chefs, I have had the opportunity to create a wonderful, vibrant, seasonal wholefood menu for the children and continue to provide recipes and nutritional information for the Niño ELA families,” she explained.

One aspect to the Niño ELA approach that’s particularly different and special is welcoming parents to stay and enjoy some breakfast before rushing off.

“This allows for a slower pace at drop off, and for the transition of parents leaving their little ones to be a little smoother, or to sneak a bit more time to do a puzzle together or read a book,” Ms Burns said. “It really articulates the commitment Niño ELA has to being child centred and valuing the family and carers around the child.”

The menus are designed to be engaging for the children as well as delicious and nutritious. “All centres provide onsite chefs to prepare meals from scratch, and what they produce each day is truly inspiring,” she said.

In collaboration with Niño ELA’s chefs, Ms Burns develops seasonal menu plans to meet Australian nutritional guidelines, as well as incorporating cultural diversity and a variety of colours, flavours and textures.

“At the Niño ELA centres, we focus not just on the food itself, but on other aspects of the meal.” Mealtimes are a wonderfully social event, so children are encouraged to have conversations and talk to their friends, educators or the

Lauren Burns, Archer, Vincent and chef Michael Dickson.

Picture: ROB CAREW

chefs as they enjoy their meals and snacks. “The environment of having lots of children around can support trying new foods which is always positive.

Sometimes parents remark that what they eat at Niño ELA they would never try at home! We eat with our eyes as well as our mouths, so preparation and presentation are important.”

Involving children at meal times is just one way Niño ELA helps to foster a love of food and meal times, as well as

When it comes to trying new things, some children are more willing than others. “Exploring new foods is about regular exposure, trying something new, sensory exposure such as touching, feeling or smelling,” Ms Burns explained. “We talk about eating the rainbow, eating a variety of different colours. This is fun for the children and easy to capture their engagement and imagination but from a nutrition perspective, this ensures they are getting a variety of different phytochemicals.”

At Nino ELA, variety and diversity are an important aspect of having a diverse gut microbiome and healthy immune system - all very important lifelong skills for a positive development and respect of food and eating.

A kindergarten adventure like no other Taking registrations for 2022!

Guided by the Early Years Learning Framework of Australia, our unique kindergarten curriculum harnesses the theory of emergent learning and the science of positive psychology.

Discover how our Key Learning Environments will help shape your child’s love for learning and make sure their path to primary school is an exciting adventure!

To find out more about Niño ELA’s Kindergarten Program, including upcoming information evenings, contact your local Niño ELA centre today.

Niño ELA Malvern East 11-15 Chadstone Road 9086 4800

ninoela.com.au 12 AUTUMN 2021

Niño ELA Elsternwick 31 Nepean Hwy 9132 5045

12482910-DL13-21

www.baysidegleneirakids.com.au

Education

Should schools take a step back in time?

By Danielle Galvin DIGITAL technology is increasingly common in Australian classrooms, with many primary school students having iPads and apps and various online tools and resources.

But there’s an academic in regional Queensland who believes there’s a better way forward, although for some it might seem like a step backwards.

CQUniversity education academic Dr Ragnar Purje published a piece in Australia’s Education Review that explores the benefits of a return to chalk and slate - a decades old approach he says is second to none.

Dr Purje argued that writing on a screen or typewriting, simply cannot replace the complex skill of handwriting with chalk.

“Handwriting is so profoundly

important as the brain research shows that it is intricately linked to two areas of the brain,” he said.

requires desire, discipline, dedication, determination, perseverance and resilience.”

the moment they are born .. technology immersement stops brain development at the level that it needs to take place.”

“Handwriting and typewriting are not the same.

He explained that the connection is profound: teaching children to write is not just about the activity itself.

While chalk and slate are not widely or readily used in most Australian primary schools, Dr Purje recommends that parents encourage their children to practise writing with chalk in the preschool years.

“Handwriting needs to take place to advance oral language, that becomes written language, which then always hthe development of complex ideas.

“However if a child doesn’t know how to hold a pencil correctly, their writing skills won’t be as efficient.”

Dr Purje said using chalk encouraged a “tripod grip” with thumb and pointer finger, which helps shape neurological, neuromuscular, gross and fine motor skill pathways.

“The research dealing with handwriting and compositional narrative writing development is unambiguous; handwriting and narrative writing is not only complex, it

It also leads into constructing complex sentences and ideas, as well as reading and writing.

He is also concerned about the prevalence of digital technology and how it can discourage an active imagination.

“Children don’t need technology at prep or grade 1,” he said.

“I am not an advocate for saying we shouldn’t have technology, we need to embrace it for what it is “We have choices in how we use that technology.

“Children don’t need technology form

“When I was at school, we practised letter formation with chalk, then progressed to pencil then pen. This process is hard work, but the brain advances in its complexities by and through the process of effort, application and hard work,” he said.

Dr Purje, who completed his PhD with CQUni in 2016 under the supervision of Professor Ken Purnell, is the author of Responsibility Theory®, a book and neuro-education program guiding teachers in best-practice education methods for brain-friendly learning.

Xavier College’s unique style XAVIER College has a unique approach to education, seeking to develop not just students’ minds, but their hearts and hands.

A Jesuit school in Kew, Xavier approaches any issues that may arise using the cura personalis doctrine, the care of the individual, at the heart of its discernment process. When navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, this approach guided the Xavier community’s transition to online learning.

During a time of enormous global upheaval, Xavier wanted to send a clear message that it prioritised students’ learning, but also valued their wellbeing and connection to their beloved Xavier community.

Students and staff quickly adapted to online learning, allowing community and wellbeing to be fostered.

Over the course of three terms, Xavier experienced the full range of COVID-19 challenges, making it a priority to communicate with parents and students at every turn.

A Xavier education 12486536-SN13-21

can take you there.

BOOK A TOUR

xavier.vic.edu.au/our-tours

Building the Possible xavier.vic.edu.au

www.baysidegleneirakids.com.au

Staff and students saw each other during the good days and bad, witnessed pets in the backgrounds of screens and other family members also trying to learn or work.

They were able to learn about each other in a way that would not have happened without the pandemic.

When on campus at Xavier, a student’s House becomes their home

within the broader school community.

In transitioning to online learning, House tutors went the extra mile to proactively foster wellbeing, encouraging students to take care of themselves and their households throughout the lockdown period.

Whether through dance challenges, quizzes, guided meditations, prayer or encouraging helping around the home, students were encouraged to “look to the good” in their situation, to care for themselves and to care for those in their households and their mates online.

Xavier’s student leaders also played a significant role in maintaining the wellbeing of the student community. Student prefects led fortnightly voluntary examens (a style of meditative prayer) for students online. Student leaders also organised for senior students to “check in” individually with the younger students during lockdown, as well as making videos of support and encouragement for students at Xavier’s early years and middle school campuses.

Other student led initiatives driven by the school’s prefects and Student Voice Committee included undertaking the World’s Greatest Shave, which raised over $42000 for cancer research, the school’s celebration of Wear It Purple Day, celebrating inclusivity and diversity, and acknowledging R U Ok? Day, which culminated in families participating in a sleepout under the stars in their backyards.

The school’s music leaders, supported by the College’s music staff, also produced numerous online ensemble performances that were shared with the school community.

Perhaps one of Xavier’s greatest achievements was enabling its graduating Year 12s a proper send-off, with end-of-year Valete ceremonies and its renowned Red and Black Ball in February taking place, to the delight of students and their families, despite the challenging circumstances.

Head of Teaching and Learning, Ms Melinda Roberts, saw the silver lining of an otherwise difficult year: “One thing that emerged throughout the course of 2020 is that as a community we have learned the true value of companionship, conversation and accompaniment, hallmarks of a Jesuit school”.

As a learning community, the challenges of 2020 allowed Xavier to demonstrate its mission of cura personalis, to care for the individual.

It is perhaps this approach that motivated Xavier’s senior Boarding community to choose to remain on campus during Victoria’s lockdown period.

Xavier’s unique approach continues to draw substantial interest from families across Melbourne, Victoria, interstate and internationally.

Looking to the future, Ms Roberts is confident that, at Xavier College, “we will continue to accompany each other in any way we can”.

AUTUMN 2021 13

Health

Weaning your child off sugar

By Danielle Galvin LET’S talk about the sweet stuff: sugar.

Many of us eat way too much of it, including children.

In recent years, studies have shown how addictive it is. Over the summer months, many of us have watched as our children’s sugar intake increased, with way too many ice-creams, treats and sweets.

We asked for some advice from nutrition consultant at That Sugar Movement, Angela Johnson, about how to slowly wean your child off sugar or even start to reduce it slowly.

What advice do you have for parents who might be concerned about managing their child’s sugar intake around holidays?

After Christmas/the summer period I spoke to a few parents who were concerned that their child was consuming way too much sugar. First, try to keep things in perspective. The holiday season can involve multiple social events, extended periods away from home, and disruption of the usual weekly routine. Therefore, the consumption of homemade whole foods can decrease, while exposure to (and intake of) sweetened and industriallymade, ultra-processed stuff can increase. If your child or children consumed more sugary foods than usual over the summer holidays and Christmas period, know that this shift doesn’t need to be the new normal.

Starting today, you can take gradual steps to reduce the intake of added sugars and ultra-processed, packaged foods.

Each day, throughout and after the holiday period, aim to have at least one wholesome, homemade meal, and keep any snacks as fresh or minimally processed as possible. Lunches and snacks, whether at home or to have when out and about, are great opportunities to serve healthful whole foods, including vegetables, legumes, and sources of healthy fats and quality protein. It is helpful to prepare foods in advance for you or the kids grab and go as needed - think vegetable and egg muffins, portions of raw nuts and seeds, whole pieces of fresh fruit, plain yoghurt with berries, or pre-cut vegetables sticks with a favourite dip.

You may wish to explain to your children that the increase in sweet and ultra-processed foods over the holidays is temporary and now, as a family, we are having more of the foods that help us feel better, grow stronger, and have more energy.

Importantly, be sure to set a healthy, caring and kind example. You cannot expect your kids to eat healthier foods when you are consuming mountains of cake and cookies! At the same time, I recommend using neutral language with kids around food. Avoiding language around ‘diet’ or weight, or labelling sugar as a ‘poison’ or ‘bad’.

Similarly, try not to use words such as ‘treat’, especially if referring to ultraprocessed foods; instead such foods should be considered ‘once in a while’.

Keep in mind that our kids’ bodies are resilient. So long as you attempt to make real, whole foods the foundation of what your child eats, the once in a while cookie or cake or brief period of increased added sugar intake will not have long-lasting effects.

14 AUTUMN 2021

Angela Johnson, nutrition consultant at That Sugar Movement.

What are some signs your child might be sugar addicted?

Sweet-tasting foods are highly desirable.

Too much added sugar and sweeteners, and the ultra-processed foods they often come in, create a strong preference, habituation and desire for sweeter tastes, making subtler or bitter tastes less tolerable. While there is continued research into the area of food addiction, it is believed excessive consumption can impact the brain’s reward centre in a way that results in symptoms similar to addiction to other well-known addictive substances, such as intense cravings, shifts in mood, and energy highs and lows.

Angela Johnson has some tips for parents to wean kids off the sweet stuff.

I’ve read rewarding your child for good behaviour with a sweet treat is a bad idea - do you agree?

Here are other tips for helping your family reduce added sugar (and ultra-processed food) intake:

Using food as a reward (or punishment) is not ideal. It can set up a disordered relationship with food. Of course, you will feel there are times when tempting your child away from the playground with something tasty is the only way to get moving! Don’t be hard on yourself if you do. Try not to make a habit of it so your child won’t make the association between certain foods and behaviours, and if you offer something, choose a healthy whole food, such as a piece of their favourite fruit.

How do you wean your child off sugar, or work to lower their intake on a weekly/daily basis?

• Focus on real whole food: Make the foundation of the food you offer real, whole food. Think vegetables, fruit, unsweetened dairy, nuts, seeds, and eggs. For drinks, offer water. Infuse with slices of orange or lemon if you need to make it more enticing. Swap out sugary cereals, sweet spreads and snack bars for something more wholesome. Slowly reduce the amount of sugar or syrup in recipes by experimenting with swapping some of the added sugar for mashed or blended fruit and vegetables, such as banana, stewed apple or steamed pumpkin.

When reducing intake of added sugar and ultra-processed food, be gradual, patient and consistent. Adapt one meal or snack at a time, swapping something sugary or ultra-processed for a whole food option. Importantly, do not give up too soon! Research shows repeated exposure is helpful to acquire a taste for something new - up to 8-10 times.

• Have options available: Have prepared several options of tasty whole foods that include a source of fibre, healthy fat and/or quality protein. Kids can have the autonomy to choose from what is on offer, and enjoy a food that provides a source of sustained energy (and therefore, a reduced desire for sugar).

A really helpful guide for parents is this: The adult chooses what goes on a plate or into the lunchbox. The child chooses what and how much to eat. Try not to pressure the child into eating something they do not want, they will eat if they are hungry. Just be patient and consistent with the healthier foods you offer.

• Limit access: Keep sugary drinks, such as soft drinks and juices, and ultra-processed foods either out of the house or to a minimum.

It is recommended that children over two years limit intake to six teaspoons per day, and those under two shouldn’t have any added sugar at all. Remind yourself that every bite of healthier food makes a difference, so do not be hard on yourself - you are doing great!

• Crowd it out: Limit added sugar and ultra-processed food intake by crowding out meals with real, fresh food like fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and plain dairy. By enjoying mostly

Finally, if you have serious concerns that your child is not eating well or refusing to eat at all, please seek out advice from a qualified health professional.

homemade meals and snacks, over time eating habits and taste preferences will adjust also.

• Get them on board: Help your child understand why they will see a shift in the food they are served. For example, whole foods help bodies and brains grow strong and smart.

Get them involved in food preparation. Pair well known favourites with a new whole food or flavour. Trust that your child has an innate sense of what makes them feel better.

Above all, be gentle when weaning off a high sugar diet. The transition period toward a less-sweetened way of eating may feel tricky at first. Know that it needn’t be all or nothing. Your child does not have to abstain from sweet or packaged food altogether. A little is okay for most, just limit how much and how often. In fact, banning certain foods can make a child want them more!

www.baysidegleneirakids.com.au

Health

What is an induction of labour?

BUMPS AND

BABIES WITH DR BRONWYN HAMILTON

AN induction of labour is a process whereby we can bring labour on, even if your body is not thinking about it itself.

There are many indications for induction of labour and it is becoming more common due to increasing indications for having a baby earlier than the due date. There is also research supporting routine induction of labour in all women at 39 weeks if they prefer this as it may improve pregnancy outcomes and reduce caesarean section rates (from a study called the ‘ARRIVE’ study).

Reasons for being induced include but are not limited to: diabetes, high blood pressure/preeclampsia, big babies, growth restricted babies (small babies), certain ethnicities such as South East Asian ethnicity, low fluid level around the baby, other placental issues, being overdue, etc.

Methods to induce labour used in Australia include: 1. Breaking the waters (amniotomy) and starting a syntocinon infusion/drip (via a cannula placed in your hand/ arm). This will encourage you to get

into labour by making your uterus have contractions.

2. Having prostaglandin gel/pessary called Prostin or Cevidil. This mimics the natural hormones which set labour off and help the cervix to change and uterus start to contract.

3. Having a balloon catheter placed in the cervix. This is a long thin catheter with a small balloon filled with water that sits next to the baby’s head. The pressure of the balloon over time opens the cervix.

Usually if you are having your first

Poor sleep for teens eating badly

“Frequent consumption of soft drinks more than three times a day,

www.baysidegleneirakids.com.au

For more details on the ARRIVE study, visit: https://www.nejm.org/doi/ full/10.1056/NEJMoa1800566

Protective factors of breastmilk

It’s also hoped the findings will also help inform infant care and advice when it comes to breastfeeding during the pandemic.

“Overall, 7.5 per cent of adolescents reported stress-related sleep disturbance, which was more common among females than males.

“Males who ate fast foods on more than four days per week had 55 per cent higher odds of reporting sleep disturbance than those who only ate fast food once a week, while the odds were 49 per cent higher in females.

■ Cons: It is ‘intervention’ and some women prefer to go into labour naturally. Also, you will need to be continuously monitored (heart rate monitor on your belly) to check your baby is happy throughout the labour if induced.

The research team from the University of Western Australia will investigate how antibodies protect children from COVID-19 in the world’s largest, long-term human milk study.

The University of Queensland’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences researcher Associate Professor Asad Khan said a world first study examined unhealthy diets and stress-related sleep disturbances in students across 64 countries.

“Teens who drank more than three soft drinks per day had 55 per cent higher odds of reporting sleep disturbance than those who only drank one soft drink a day.

due to delivering before babies get too big, and before placentas start not to work properly.

IT’S hoped a new university study will be able to fill in the gaps of knowledge when it comes to COVID-19 and breastfeeding.

EATING unhealthily and drinking too much soft drink has been linked with poor sleep among teens across the world.

“Sleep disturbance increased with more frequent consumption of carbonated soft drinks, that often contain caffeine, and/or fast foods, that are traditionally energy-dense and nutrient-poor.

baby, you will need to have method 2 or 3 first followed by method 1 if not in labour from the balloon/prostaglandins.

If you are having your second or subsequent baby, the majority of the time we can just use method 1 as your cervix (the gateway to your uterus) is often a little open after having your first baby so we can usually just break your waters and start the drip.

Pros and cons of being induced include: ■ Pros: convenient, able to plan especially if having first baby. May improve mum and baby outcomes

Soft drink was one of the culprits culprits.

and fast foods more than four days per week, were significantly associated with sleep disturbance in all but low-income countries.”

Dr Khan said the findings were concerning because of the adverse impacts on teens.

“As stress-related sleep disturbance was more common among girls than boys, girls should be a priority target group for associated interventions that could target stress management and sleep quality.

“Creating school environments to limit access to carbonated soft drinks and fast foods, and introducing a sugar tax to lessen the sales of soft drinks may be beneficial.”

Lead researcher, Professor Valerie Verhasselt, Larssen-Rosenquist Chair in Human Lactology at UWA, said it was critical to understand whether breastmilk could protect infants from COVID-19 and how.

“While we are currently 99.99 per cent sure we can say that a child cannot get COVID-19 through breast milk, there is still much research to be done to reveal the capability of human milk to prevent COVID-19 infections,” Professor Verhasselt said.

The team will analyse 500 milk samples from 25 COVID-19 infected and 25 non-infected mothers collected at 10 time points from delivery.

It’s hoped the research team will be able to establish the protective properties of human milk against a COVID-19 infection. They will also work to address current gaps in knowledge, including how maternal COVID-19

The incredible protective power of breastmilk will be investigated in a new study.

infection influences the protective effect of breastmilk and how important maternal antibodies are to protect the child from infection.

Professor Verhasselt said it would help fill in the gaps of knowledge.

“We expect this knowledge will be critical to inform vaccination strategies, including the need to vaccinate lactating mothers for the best approach to prevent COVID-19 in children,” she said.

“It may also lead to the development of new therapeutics, such as milkderived antibodies, to prevent severe disease in at-risk populations.”

AUTUMN 2021 15

Active Kids

Getting your child involved in a local club Being part of a team makes us feel like we’re part of something bigger than ourselves.

WHEN TO JOIN A CLUB Your child is never too young to join a local club. These days, as Mr Lacey points out, there are sport-type programs for babies and toddlers.

By Melissa Grant THERE has never been a better time to sign-up your child to a local sports or recreation club.

He said it was important for a child’s physical activity to ramp-up once they reached primary school.

Covid-19 lockdowns left Victorian children inside their homes for months last year.

“Auskick, Cricket blasters, Hot Shots (tennis) all target that kind of age,” he said.

They missed out on physical activity, not to mention social connections.

We spoke to VicHealth Physical Activity and Sport Manager, Chris Lacey, about the benefits of getting children involved in a sport or local club.

HOW TO FIND A CLUB The best way is to ask a friend for a recommendation or simply get onto a search engine and type ‘sport near me’.

PHYSICAL BENEFITS Signing your child up for local sport is a great way to ensure they get enough physical activity.

Australian guidelines recommend that children aged 5-17 get at least an hour a day of ‘moderate to vigorous intensity’ physical activity.

It’s advised that kids aged 2-4 have at least 180 minutes a day of physical activity, including energetic play.

“It’s important for kids to remain physically healthy and sport is a great way to do that,” Mr Lacey said.

SOCIAL BENEFITS Sport and recreation gives children the chance to forge friendships and connections outside school.

Also, it often provides children with a new positive role model in their life.

Mr Lacey said while kids generally make a lot of mates at school, it is important for them to have other places where they can make friends.

There are the obvious local sporting clubs like AFL, basketball, netball, cricket and soccer.

But there are also clubs for gymnastics, dancing, swimming, diving, skateboarding, skating, hockey, sailing and even paddle boarding. The list goes on.

Sport gives children the chance to forge friendships and connections outside school.

“The social connection you get from being involved is important for kids’ mental and social development,” he said.

“Being part of a team makes us feel like we’re part of something bigger than ourselves, which is important.

“Having social connections can reduce the incidence of anxiety and depression.”

SKILLS FOR LIFE Children involved in their local sporting club or recreation group learn various skills that they will use throughout their life.

This includes leadership skills. In junior sport, for example, captaincy is often rotated so that each child can

learn what it’s like to lead a team.

They can also learn how to tackle challenges and that winning isn’t everything.

But what if your child says they hate sport?

“They learn that you don’t always win and that’s okay,” Mr Lacey said.

BENEFITS FOR PARENTS Children’s sport is good for parents too as it provides opportunities for social connection.

Mr Lacey said studies have shown that one in three Victorians are worried about their loss of social connection in the wake of Covid lockdowns.

More than half said they want to get involved in their community clubs, he said.

“It’s good to encourage kids to get involved in physical activity but not force them. If there’s something they don’t enjoy try to pivot them towards something else,” Mr Lacey said.

That could be something like dancing or swimming.

If sport is a no-go, then you can try music or arts clubs, or get them involved in the local Scouts or Girl Guides group.

“There’s no excuse really these days not to get involved because there’s something out there for everyone to enjoy,” Mr Lacey said.

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Active Kids

Paint your own pottery at Robert Gordon Pottery Workshop, Retail And Nancy Cafe ROBERT Gordon Pottery offers pottery painting workshops for all ages. You don’t need to be an artist - all you need to do is pick a pot and get painting!

Anyone can get creative at Robert Gordon. The pottery outlet hosts workshops for all ages.

If you’ve never painted pottery before, you needn’t worry. Friendly staff are on-hand to show you how. Once fired, you’ll be able to take home a unique piece of pottery that’s microwave, oven and dishwasher safe.

All you have to do is: ■ Choose your pot. Mugs, plates, bowls and many other shapes available.

There are even piggy banks!

■ Paint. Glazes, brushes and aprons are all provided.

■ Finished pieces are ready for collection in 14 days. Postage can be arranged upon request.

Robert Gordon is located at 114 Mulcahy Road Pakenham and is open 7 days 9am-5pm. Online bookings for the Paint Your Own Pottery and workshops are essential.

Phone 03 5941 3302. www.robertgordonaustralia.com

Kids can get creative at Robert Gordon.

PAINT YOUR OWN POTTERY

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Come and paint a pot at Australia’s favourite pottery.

114 MULCAHY ROAD PAKENHAM VIC 3181 CONTACT 03 5941 3302 ROBERTGORDONAUSTRALIA.COM www.baysidegleneirakids.com.au

AUTUMN 2021 17

Brea Kunstler exercises with her daughter Abby.

Reality Bites

Getting fit while busy with kids AFTER Covid-19 lockdowns, lives across Australia have changed.

Mums (and dads) are working longer hours, many of them at home, leaving many to question when they have time for exercise.

Life is busy. It always has been.

But blurring the lines between work hours and life hours has become an even more delicate balance since Covid.

If spending more time at home, away from loved ones and friends has taught us anything, it’s that life is short.

And we need to look after ourselves.

But with even less time in the day (whether that be true or perceived), how can we get our 30 mins a day of exercise in?

do this during lockdown or while physically distancing (eg. online pilates class in your lounge room).

Many people might have been doing these classes while watching the kids and making use of the time and opportunity they suddenly had.

We have also seen many people take up activities that can be done solo and without a gym membership (handy since they have been closed so often).

We have many more recreational runners than before (‘those people’ who throw on the activewear to get a quick jog in before the kids get up).

We need to take this idea into 2021 and beyond - make the most of the time and opportunities you have.

Mum Brea Kunstler is as busy as they come. She’s a physiotherapist and run coach and a research fellow at Monash University.

Are people finding it more difficult to find time to exercise?

Brea says the key is to make the most of the time you have, not to add more tasks to your ‘to do’ list.

However, I often encourage my clients to put their day on a page and see when they have at least 15 minutes to move.

Kids Today reporter Melissa Meehan sat down with her to discuss how we can find time to get moving.

Have you noticed a shift in peoples’ exercise habits since the pandemic?

We (researchers at BehaviourWorks Australia, Monash University) conducted a survey of over 1000 Australian adults early in the pandemic and noticed that physical activity levels weren’t hugely different to usual, we were still seeing the majority of adults not meeting the physical activity guidelines of 150-300 minutes of activities like walking, as well as two sessions of strength exercises, weekly (these recommendations differ by age).

However, when we looked a little closer, people seemed to be exercising in a different way. For example, people were doing more strength activities than usual during the early stages of the pandemic.

This could be because it was easy to 18 AUTUMN 2021

Time has often been reported as a barrier to exercise.

Often, we can find at least 15 minutes to ourselves and, if we can’t, we can look at where we can be active WHILE doing other things.

How can they go about changing that mindset?

We need to think about time versus priority.

Often, people say they don’t have time to exercise but they are able to find two hours a day to watch TV. So, TV watching is a higher priority than exercise in this instance.

You have the time, but you have prioritised something else. I get it! I have two suggestions for this: exercise while watching TV, or split the time.

Let’s say you have two hours to watch two episodes of your favourite show. Awesome!

Consider doing 3x12 push ups, squats and ab crunches in the ad breaks (or

Brea Kunstler says exercise can be fun.

just during the episode if there’s not breaks).

Pictures: Rob Carew

enjoy and getting some activity in too.

This will take about 10 minutes in total.

Buy some hand weights and exercise bands to make your home exercises that little more challenging.

Then, once they are out of the way, sit down and relax to enjoy your show.

Why is it so important to get that exercise in?

Enjoying time to yourself watching your favourite program is important too.

There are so many benefits of regular physical activity.

Alternatively, consider watching one episode, and using the other hour to go for a walk and listen to a podcast or audiobook.

It strengthens muscles, bones and vital organs like heart and lungs. This is important for kids to grow into healthy and strong adults, and for adults to maintain their health.

So, you are doing something you

www.baysidegleneirakids.com.au

Brea Kunstler.

Brea Kunstler exercises with her daughter Abby.

It improves balance and coordination. These skills are necessary for kids to safely participate in sport and for adults to avoid injury and falls as they age.

Maintaining a healthy weight, which is important in our increasingly obesogenic environment.

It maintains mental health by breaking up less enjoyable tasks like school work and facilitating socialising with friends (eg. online exercise challenges for teens and adults (eg. 55 squat challenge in March 2021) and family bonding (e.g. family walks after dinner).

Improve concentration during school and paid work. Enhanced sleep. It gives something fun to enjoy during a stressful time (stress and poor mental health was increasingly reported during the pandemic but these issues remain outside these times too).

You don’t even need to accumulate heaps of exercise to reap the benefits because something is literally better than nothing. We have seen people achieve significant health benefits by simply adding a short walk to their day (eg. walk to the shops instead of driving). Remember, your kids learn so much from you. If you are active, then they will see this as normal behaviour, and will be more inclined to do some exercise too.

that you can claim for yourself.

This can be 15 minutes when the baby is sleeping, or you could be lucky enough to get a couple of hours. After I had my daughter I claimed 5am-7am as my time.

I would feed my daughter (4.30am was a common feeding time) and then escape the house.

I would go into the garage to do an online exercise class, go to my 24hr gym and go on the treadmill or do another activity, or run outside (I felt safe enough to do this).

I was lucky enough to have my husband at home during that time so he could get up to her before he would wake for work at 7am, meaning I could leave the house.

However, if you would prefer to use this time to read a book or do something else, then find ways to exercise with bubs!

Mother and baby classes are available that are run by physios that can support you to get back into exercise safely and allow you to include your child (or you can try this virtual option).

I am a physio and provide online exercise programs to mums eager to get back into exercise but want to do so safely and in a place and time that suits them.

See one example above when I talk about time versus priority.

If you have toddlers, use your environment! Local parks are your friend, and so are online kid-focussed song and dance classes on days where you can’t get out.

With babies, treat your day like a 24 hour cycle. Find a space in that time

Do lunges as you walk around following your toddler around. Lunge as

What are your main tips on how to stay fit and healthy?

www.baysidegleneirakids.com.au

you reach down to take the rubbish out of their hand before they put it in their mouth! Climb the equipment with them.

Lift them up so they can touch the monkey bars.

Do a squat, push up or burpee in between each push on the swing.

Suddenly you are getting a good arm and leg workout while hanging out with your kids!

There are endless opportunities for activity in the park if you use your imagination.

If you have babies and toddlers, get the pram out and walk (or run, if you’re able).

Walk to the library or to the shops.

Walk to the park. Just walk instead of drive!

The kids get to see and hear the outdoors while you get to pound the pavement.

Think about taking a hilly route for a harder workout or even stocking the pram up with groceries to make it harder to push.

With tweens and teens, it’s important to respect that your kids are starting to crave independence and have autonomy in their decision making. So ask them what they want to do.

If you get a “nothing” then try setting an example by getting active yourself or making it more appealing by including things they enjoy.

If you sit on your iPad all day, then your kids see that and think that’s normal. If they see you on your iPad for an hour, then going for a quick walk around the block before dinner, then

Pictures: ROB CAREW

suddenly that becomes normal.

They might then appreciate an invite to this previously exclusive walk. Also, don’t demonise screens, use them!

There are so many fun online options for kids to use to get active.

Try a scavenger hunt and make sure there are prizes that the kids actually want (i.e. they choose the prizes, like a night off doing the dishes!). Or access free exercise classes offered via council that are appropriate for teens and adults.

It’s important that you seek professional support if you haven’t exercised in a while (lots of people post-pandemic!) or are new to it.

GET THE KIDS OFF THE COUCH What are some tips to get your kids off the couch, away from the TV and engaged in physical activity?

Listen to them, understand their interests, and get their interests involved in the activity (eg. they enjoy basketball, shoot hoops with them and make it a competition).

Yes, it’s important to establish healthy behaviours early as then kids learn that exercise is a normal behaviour. In saying that, they need role models to learn this behaviour. So their parents must be active too! This doesn’t mean that you need to be at the gym at 5am every morning. Going for a walk before dinner each night is a good example of integrating regular physical activity into your day AUTUMN 2021 19

Reality Bites

Creative cubby hacks and more!

By Danielle Galvin

Tanja is hopeful her ideas and hacks may inspire other parents.

EVERY family adapted and managed Melbourne’s two lockdowns differently.

“The best way to encourage other parents to get creative is to just think how can I make life magical for the kids? And just watch those ideas pour in. “There are so many tutorials on YouTube and inspiration on Pinterest and Instagram to give you ideas, then you just make it your own by using what you have laying around and getting the kids involved, whether it’s collecting any little treasures to create a fairy garden, to cutting up scrap fabrics to make a bunting!”

“What kept me motivated during isolation was finding fun ways to get the kids outside and away from those screens,” Tanja Mitrov said.

“We kept ourselves busy by finishing off those home projects like painting, or started new ones that were on the to-do list, like building a veggie garden with them.”

Tanja, who runs a business called Art Deco Collective, got seriously creative to keep her girls engaged.

■ Follow Tanja on Instagram, the. artdeco.collective

She wanted to share some of what they got up to, and she’s even grateful for the “crazy and unpredictable” year that 2020 was.

Tanja’s tips for transforming your cubby!

Little hacks to really create that charming look for your cubby is so easy!

Oh the power of paint is a huge one.

You can instantly give your cubby some personality just by painting the door a different colour.

From transforming their cubby multiple times to making a not so scary scarecrow, she set the bar high.

“Since we couldn’t visit cafes anymore, I thought why not bring the cafe to us?”Lemons were in season which could only mean one thing ... a lemonade stand! So that was the first transformation the cubby had. “I found a little online shop Olive Eve and Co that had cute lemonade printouts. “Then we just put the rest together by setting up their table and chairs outside, they had a go at squeezing lemons, and collected whatever we could find in the home from straws, to the drink dispenser, to making a menu using one of our Moodyboards.”

Similarly when October rolled around and trick or treating was off the table, Tanja transformed their cubby into a pink haunted house.

They painted pumpkins pink, had a pink balloon garland leftover from a birthday and she ordered some spider and bat balloons online.

“We made whimsical witches 20 AUTUMN 2021

1. Changing the window and door is a cheap and effective thing to do. We went from timber knobs to brass ones and even a little brass knocker and added a bell to really tie it all in.

2. If your cubby has windows, turn one side into the cafe window. My daughters love serving me coffees and burgers through it. broomsticks from dried up twigs in our backyard, painted a sign and turned the veggie garden into a Cinderella pumpkin patch.

“It was so much fun!”

The other big project was the veggie patch which needed a not-so-scary scarecrow. “The scarecrow was a great one to make because we were able to use left over dowel or garden stakes, baby clothes (size 1 or 2 is perfect) and a hat that didn’t fit anymore,” she said.

“The only supplies we needed to get

was the foam ball, burlap to cover the ball, wool for her hair, and raffia for stuffing. All from Spotlight!”

They also built a fairy garden with little trinkets, built a macrame swing to hang from a tree in the backyard, and made a treehouse platform using some old doors that were laying around in the shed. “We will eventually make it a bit more aesthetically pleasing, but the most fun of it was salvaging what we had laying around and getting creative. The girls loved it. And so did we.”

3. Add festoon lighting! It really creates the most magical feeling at dusk and they are not expensive to buy at all.

We ordered ours from Temple and Webster.

4. And make use of every corner of your garden, including the back of your cubby! We got a huge piece of marine ply from Bunnings, primed and covered it with blackboard paint, and attached it to the back of the cubby. It covers the whole back of the cubby, and would you believe that we still run out of room to draw on it? www.baysidegleneirakids.com.au

BORN TO PARTY

Born to party www.thepartyroomforkids.com.au.

Enquiries: 0419 664 438

LITTLE DEVIL’S CIRCUS FINDING an awesome birthday party venue for your child can be a challenge... Come to our Circus Studio, and have a party that your kids and their friends will talk about for years to come! Our parties are voted “BEST EVER!”

MELBOURNE’S PREMIER CHILDREN’S PARTY VENUE We simply love entertaining children!

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CENTRE 4 LIFE CENTRE 4 Life is a gorgeous studio and garden located in East Brighton and is the perfect venue for kids parties, family gatherings and all other special occasions. Our beautiful studio can accommodate 50 people inside and out.

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PERFECT PARTY VENUE Gorgeous studio and garden in East Brighton •

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All you need to do is book, we do the rest!

A children’s party venue with the “WOW” factor.

be transformed into any celebration theme or set up that you like. It has a kitchenette and a toilet with baby changing facilities. Our gorgeous garden has a trampoline, cubby house, fairy garden, basketball ring and a little sitting corner. The garden is also gated so your little ones can’t escape!

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THE Party Room For Kids is a sought after children’s birthday party venue.

Located in South Melbourne, it is the only venue in Victoria providing the complete birthday experience. You get the venue fully decorated and themed up for your chosen theme (select from 20+ themes), 2 entertainers, face painting, magic shows, many games, karaoke, cutlery and invitations all done for the fixed venue price. Then we prepare the food for kids and adults, design and make your cake, prepare

your lolly/party bags and provide photography services, for an extra fee. It is the one-stop venue where all your requirements A-Z are fully planned.

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Address: 351 Nepean Hwy, Brighton East VIC 3187 Web: www.centre4life.com.au • Email: centre4life351@gmail.com AUTUMN 2021 21

Books

Teaching girls how to love themselves

By Melissa Meehan Now that the glass ceiling is smashed, girls are told they can do anything they want - but the fear of embarrassment or judgement can often create a hurdle to success.

But if we can teach them to like themselves and have the confidence to achieve anything then the sky is the limit, according to a new book by Kasey Edwards and Dr Christopher Scanlon.

In a world full of parenting books that can often leave you feeling overwhelmed and guilty, Raising Girls Who Like Themselves tells girls their flawed is refreshingly different.

Not only does it work from seven basic ideas, but it clearly shows ways to introduce them into an already busy family life. And, authors Kasey and Chris, who share two daughters themselves, have proven it’s possible because they’ve done it all themselves.

“We were very aware of the issues ahead, some of the statistics for girls are really scary,” Kasey said.

“We were talking to a friend about it at a party and she said, we don’t have time to research and find all those things out, can’t you put it in a book?

Good advice ... authors Kasey Edwards and Dr Christopher Scanlon have girls of their own.

there, but by following their seven qualities and getting them right between toddlers to tweens your daughter’s life will be easier.

“And that’s how it started.”

Thanks to their ‘day jobs’ as researchers and journalists, the pair had the privilege of being able to call on leading parenting experts as well as those with a great knowledge of social and cultural issues.

“Mainstream advice at the moment doesn’t seem to be working. We all want to raise girls who thrive, but we still have horrific rates of anxiety, depression, eating disorders and self-harm,” Kasey said.

“Girls are drowning in anxiety and doubt. The prescription at the moment just isn’t working,” Chris added.

So what makes their book so different to the rest?

“Girls need to like themselves,” Kasey said. “We believe that if she knows who she is and genuinely likes who she is they will achieve every dream and want.”

Because she loves herself.

And you won’t feel guilty once you finish the book, because the steps are practical and easy to slot into already busy family life and all that comes with trying to be a good parent.

Raising Girls Who Like Themselves.

Chris said: “They’ll have the confidence to achieve and won’t be defined by failure. And from there they will have good physical and mental health because it’s natural to care for what you love.”

And by extension, she will expect the same from those around her.

Both Kasey and Chris agree there is so much parenting information out

Alarming statistics ■ More than 55 per cent of Australian girls aged eight and nine are dissatisfied with their body ■ A quarter of 14-15 year-old girls have had thoughts about self-harming in the previous 12 months ■ Fifty-one per cent of girls say that girls often feel pressured to take ‘sexy’ photos of themselves and share them ■ The third most common chronic illness for young females is eating disorders.

Children’s books...

Round and Round the Garden

How to Make a Friend in 6 Easy Steps

Illustrated by Matt Shanks

Dhana Fox & James Hart

Little ones will love this very cute Australian take on the classic nursery rhyme Round and Round the Garden. In this book, the kids are playing in the garden with magical Aussie creatures around them.

All Rosie the shark wants is a friend. So she reads a book about how to make one.

“Round and round the billabong like a kangaroo. One hop. Two Hops. Wiggle your nose too!”

There are so many cool animals featured in this beautifully illustrated book, including a lorikeet, crocodile, wild brumby and a big wombat.

Ready to forge a new friendship, she swims down to a shipwreck where there are a heap of sea creatures.

Then, she starts going through the six steps outlined in her book. Easy, right? Wrong!

Although each step is pretty straightforward, making friends is not as easy as Rosie thinks … because she’s a shark!

Lola Online #1: #TheSecretUpstairsFanClubParty Shannan & Tayla Steadman A fresh and funny fiction series for the YouTube generation.

Characters leap off the page in this book that explores friendship, managing online presence, sibling rivalry and country music loving felines!

Leading little lady Lola has her own YouTube channel, a little brother, and a lot to say as well as a cat that loves country music. When Lola’s crazy top fan hijacks her birthday party plans, drama ensues.

A fun, rhyming read in a special hardback edition for kids aged 2+.

A playful read that introduces the concept of making friends.

For kids aged 3+

Perfect for reluctant readers aged 7+

Scholastic Australia, RRP $15.99

Scholastic Australia, RRP $17.99

Scholastic Australia, RRP $15.99

22 AUTUMN 2021

Friday Barnes 9: No Escape

The Lake

R.A Spratt

A scary and suspenseful read from best-selling young adult author Natasha Preston.

Girl detective extraordinaire Friday Barnes returns with a new mystery that needs to be solved.

In this instalment, Friday has been released from prison but is a shell of her former self. She has sworn she won’t be solving mysteries again. But you guessed it ... you can’t keep her away from some muchneeded detective work.

Friday’s uncle wants her to fly to Italy to help him protect the Uffizi Galleries from thieves. So she goes, even though her ex-boyfriend/nemesis is living there.

Natasha Preston

The Lake is about a summer camp filled with dark secrets.

Esme and Kayla are excited to be returning to Camp Pine Lake as counsellors in training.

That’s despite the fact they once did something bad there when they were campers.

However, they have moved on and are both looking forward to a summer camp filled with sun and flirting. Until... they get a note.Their secret is about to resurface.

For kids aged 9-12 years

A thrilling read for kids aged 12+

Penguin, RRP $15.99

Penguin, RRP $18.99 www.baysidegleneirakids.com.au

Kids Calendar

What's on

this autumn

14-28 MARCH MOVIES AT FED SQUARE The big screen at Fed Square is lighting up this summer with a stack of free classic films.

14 March - The Goonies 4pm-6pm 20 March - Little Shop of Horrors 8pm10pm 21 March - The Karate Kid 4pm-6pm 27 March - Stand By Me 8pm-10pm 28 March - Labyrinth 4pm-6pm There’ll be comfy seating, shaded areas, environmentally-friendly recycled astroturf and in-square food and drink delivery.

27 MARCH BAYSIDE FARMERS’ MARKET Trey Bit Reserve, Sandringham The Bayside Farmers Market is held on the 4th Saturday of every month off Jetty Road near the Sandringham Yacht Club. With 60 plus stalls selling farm fresh seasonal produce and delicious artisan-made gourmet goodies direct from the very best in local quality growers and producers, this market also offers something for the younger members of the family as well.. ... and even the family dog is welcome too!

8am-1pm

27 MARCH, 24 APRRIL, 22 MAY

or family photo.

6 APRIL - 17 APRIL

Meet the Easter Bunny

THE JUNGLE BOOK,

BY THE SHAKESPEARE COMPANY

The Easter Bunny will visit Elsternwick Village and hand out free chocolates.

Pop down to the precinct to get a selfie or family photo.

An outdoor musical adventure. Tickets via Rippon Lea Estate.

2 MARCH-27 MAY

DAY 1: Wednesday, March 31 from 12pm - 3pm

TEEN WRITING BOOTCAMPS (VIRTUAL)

DAY 2: Thursday, April 1 from 12pm to 3pm

Teenaged budding writers are invited to attend the State Library of Victoria’s writing boot camps online, designed for budding writers of all backgrounds and skill levels!

SESSIONS UNTIL DECEMBER WORLD’S IMMERSIVE LEARNING LAB, MELBOURNE MUSEUM Worlds Immersive is a 5-minute cinematic journey from the origin of the universe, through the building blocks of nature, to explore the patterns and connections that bind us and the natural world together.

Using state of the art motion capture technology, all imagery is created without the use of CGI and is true to the natural world.

8 APRIL SOUNDS OF STONNINGTON Victoria Gardens, Prahran A selection of new pre-recorded arrangements of contemporary favourites commissioned by the City of Stonnington and performed by Stonnington Symphony featuring Artistic Director Roy Theaker as soloist and conductor.

Playing times: 11.00am, 1.00pm, 3.00pm, 5.00pm, 7.00pm

These creative crash courses will be hosted by accomplished and diverse authors throughout March, April and May. Choose from a range of topics to hone your skills, including fiction, personal voice, non-fiction, slam poetry, screen writing, and science writing.

There are six boot camps to choose from, each with four sessions.

All boot camps are open to teens aged 13 ato 18 years old from all around Australia.

They are free to attend, but require consent from a parent or guardian.

Contact 8664 7099 or inquiries@slv.vic. gov.au for more info.

23 MAY

BENTLEIGH FARMERS MARKET

BUMBLE BEE BABY AND CHILDREN’S MARKET

East Bentleigh Primary School, 8am12.30pm

14 Willis Street , Hampton. 9am-12pm, $2 entry.

You can find PAW PRINTZ at the Bentleigh Farmers Market every 4th Saturday of the month

With 40 - 60 stall holders you are sure to snap up some bargains on new, handmade and preloved baby and children’s goods for all ages!

31 MARCH-1 APRIL MEET THE EASTER BUNNY, ELSTERNWICK VILLAGE 12pm-3pm The Easter Bunny will visit Elsternwick Village and hand out free chocolates.

Pop down to the precinct to get a selfie www.baysidegleneirakids.com.au

Everything related to little ones is on hand: ranging from maternity to primary school aged products/services: clothing, books, toys, high chairs, prams, nursery items, activity sets ... the list is endless! And of course we have a coffee van on hand for all your caffeine needs!

AUTUMN 2021 23

A Xavier education can take you there.

BOOK A TOUR xavier.vic.edu.au/our-tours

Building the Possible 12485866-JW13-21

24 AUTUMN 2021

x a v i e r.v i c . e d u . a u www.baysidegleneirakids.com.au