Bayside Glen Eira Kids Spring 2021

SPRING 2021

Get cooking with Meet Bayside’s

NOT SO PERFECT MUM Mealtime with

SAM WOOD

KIDS IN THE KITCHEN

About Us

Spring a season of hope HELLO and welcome to the spring edition of Bayside Glen Eira Kids Today.

It’s a time that we can hopefully dust off the cobwebs of being cooped up inside all winter, in front of a computer screen of zoom meetings and remote learning.

Lockdown is hard. It’s no secret.

As Victorians we’ve come to accept it as a way of life during this pandemic.

So when news broke of tougher restrictions I think many of us dug our heels in and were ready to cop it on the chin.

And then they announced playgrounds, and now kinder and childcare, were closed.

In a world where most kid’s activities have been cancelled or at the very best continued remotely – the playground felt like the one true escape from the

four walls of home.

So I’m sure, like me, you are looking forward to the sunshine and freedom that spring brings.

We’ve spoken to Brighton Instagrammer Anna Du Rieu, better known as the Not So Perfect Mum, about all things motherhood, including juggling work with three kids.

How many children do you have? Do you have two kids who are so different you sometimes wonder how it is possible that they share the same gene pool? The reason for these stark differences is birth order, according to leading parenting and education writer Michael Grose. The author of the recently updated version of best-selling book Why First-borns Rule the World and Laterborns Want to Change It offers some interesting insights into how birth order can affect one’s personality and disposition.

You may be familiar with lifestyle and motherhood blogger Olivia White.

She has more than 150,000 followers on social media, with many drawn to the authentic, and sometimes hilarious, ways she shares the raw and sometimes unglamorous realities of parenting.

Renowned psychologist Steve Biddulph is back with an interesting piece on parents’ innate ability to teach their kids inner-peace and we also welcome paediatric nutritionist Lucy Stewart with her Kids in the Kitchen column.

We hope you enjoy this edition as much as we have enjoyed putting it together!

Take care,

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 Melissa Meehan melissa.meehan@starnewsgroup.com. au

CONTENTS

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

IT’S YOUR LIFE

HEALTH

BOOKS

She’s not perfect, but she’s real

Parenting when sick

A wild way to read

PAGES 4-5

PAGE 16

PAGE 21

Deciphering your child’s dreams

Children’s books

Published by Star News Group Pty Ltd

PAGE 6

Researchers probe role of genetics in SIDS

PAGE 21

ACN 005 848 108.

How to detect potential deafness in kids

PAGE 16

PAGE 6

REALITY BITES

Dinner time with Sam Wood PAGE 7 Advice on teens, tattoos and piercings

ENTERTAINMENT

All material is copyright to Star News Group

A political show for kids

as soon as possible.

Freedom in planning with kids

PAGE 22

PAGE 17

KIDS CALENDAR

PAGE 7

Mates making educational videos for kids

Inside Olivia’s House of White

PAGE 17

PAGE 8

Goodbye is the hardest word

Seize the clay!

PAGE 18

Publisher/Managing Director, Paul Thomas.

Pty Ltd. All significant errors will be corrected

SPRING 2021

What’s on this spring PAGE 22 Get cooking with Meet Bayside’s

PAGE 9

Aria’s special reason to read

NOT SO PERFECT MUM

New child safety push

PAGE 19

PAGE 9

Mealtime with

Kids in the dark on social media

Benjy sends socks to storm battered Dandenong Ranges

PAGE 10

PAGE 19

Steve Biddulph on teaching inner-peace

RECIPES

PAGE 11 Pandemic having huge impact on our youth

KIDS IN THE KITCHEN

SAM WOOD

Kids in the Kitchen PAGE 20

PAGE 11

EDUCATION

Cover Bayside’s Not So Perfect Mum Anna Du Rieu with children Reuben, Rachel and Dominic. Anna’s story is featured on pages 4-5.

Picture: Rob Carew

Giving children the best start PAGE 12 The ins and outs of childcare PAGE 13 Passionate about children PAGE 13 The benefits of learning outside PAGE 14 A Covid-19 revamp for Kool Kidz PAGE 14 Nurturing early learning PAGE 15

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It’s Your Life

The new look Thomas Street Reserve is something special, and just one of many playgrounds in Bayside getting an update.

Playgrounds on the up and up

By Melissa Meehan FROM Brighton to Beaumaris, playgrounds in Bayside are getting a makeover.

It’s all a part of a 10-year plan to upgrade 61 playgrounds in the area.

Since 2015, Bayside City Council has upgraded 22 of them, and there are many more on the agenda.

The most recent, Thomas Street Reserve.

The centrepiece of the playground is a timber castle.

The castle theme carries forward the tradition of the original timber fort built on the site by the local community over 30 years ago.

The idea to upgrade the playgrounds came up after the council received more than 70 complaints each year about the condition of playgrounds in Bayside.

So you’d think the plan would have many residents, both young and old, happy for some time.

Other playgrounds already upgraded include: ■ Highland Avenue Reserve, Highett ■ Lyle Anderson Reserve, Highett

■ Basterfield Park North, Hampton East ■ Gypsy Village Park, Hampton ■ Brighton Beach Oval, Brighton ■ William Street Reserve, Brighton

■ Elsternwick Park South (large), Brighton

■ Dendy Park North, Brighton East

■ Cheltenham Recreation Reserve, Cheltenham

■ Glen Edward Rice Reserve, Brighton

■ Donald McDonald Reserve, Beaumaris

■ Sue Kirkpatrick Park, Beaumaris ■ Boss James Reserve, Hampton

■ Tibrockney Street Reserve, Highett

■ NG Wishart Reserve, Hampton East

■ Illaroo Reserve, Beaumaris

Others on the list for a revamp include: ■ Hampton Recreation, Hampton

■ Simpson Reserve, Hampton

■ Hampton High Reserve, Hampton

■ Hurlingham Park, Brighton East

■ Little Brighton Reserve, Brighton East

■ Pennydale Park, Cheltenham

■ Basterfield Park South, Hampton East

■ Chisholm Reserve, Sandringham

■ Whyte Street Reserve, Brighton

■ Curly Rourke Reserve, Hampton East

■ Alexander Park, Hampton

■ Train Street Playground, Highett

■ Castlefield Reserve, Hampton

■ Peterson Reserve, Highett

■ Hanby Street Reserve, Brighton

■ 32 Lucas Street Reserve, Brighton East

■ Beach Park - Black Rock Gardens, Black Rock

www.BaysideGlenEiraKids.com.au

■ F.E. Tricks Reserve, Black Rock

SPRING 2021 3

It’s Your Life

‘The not so perfect mum’ Anna with children Rachel, 18 months, Dominic, 5, and Reuben, 3.

Pictures: Rob Carew

She’s not perfect, but she’s real

By Melissa Meehan ANNA Du Rieu is not your average influencer.

The Brighton East mum of three actually tells it how it is and gives a warts and all view into the world of parenting.

“I run a blog, obviously, that is an honest parenting blog, and it shows my everyday life,” she told Kids Today.

“It’s none of these organised messfree, clean floors kind of gig, it’s the mayhem of every day, which I think is why I have such a following, because it is so brutally honest.”

The self-proclaimed “hot mess” uses her aptly named Instagram page @ thenotsoperfectmum, to share her experiences with her almost 60,000 followers.

She’s got followers from all around Australia, but the majority are from Victoria.

Anna is a typical modern-age stay at home mum, she works from home and looks after her three kids, Dominic, 5, Reuben, 3, and eight-month-old Rachel.

She runs a business creating sensory kits for kids, which she started two years ago after posting some of the activities she was doing with her own kids online.

“Everyone used to ask what I was doing, where I saw stuff from, and then a few people were asking me to make them for them and I said, ‘absolutely I can make them for you’,” she said.

“And I realised there was a business there - there was nothing similar on the market at that time here or overseas.”

She and her husband Joseph even joked that she might get 10 orders a month and she could just buy a little

4 SPRING 2021

Parents Anna and Joseph with children Dominic, 5, Rachel, 18 months and Reuben, 3.

extra when she made stuff for her own kids.

They assumed it would be a hobby.

She set up the website and shared the post on her Instagram.

“It went nuts, like actually gangbusters from the moment we launched. Within 15 minutes of me launching the post on Instagram I had 17 subscription models already purchased,” she said.

“It was hilarious. We couldn’t believe it.”

And it hasn’t stopped since.

It’s a lot of work, especially juggling three kids.

and needed something to stimulate the kids.”

And, thanks to Covid-19 (and Anna’s propensity to be a bit of a control freak) she no longer can rely on staff.

While she worked in real estate before having kids, Anna has no real teaching background but was able to bounce her ideas off her best friend (who is a teacher) as well as pick the brains of family members.

On the flip side, Covid-19 resulting in a huge increase in sales.

“Every time Australia got locked down, it was just madness. I can’t remember the exact figures, Joseph said it was something like four or five times what I would usually get in a month in a day,” she said.

“People were locked in their houses

“My step mum was a teacher, my mum, my mother-in-law, and my Auntie, are both heavily involved in child education,” she said.

“My grandmother and my Nana actually brought in the Montessori School in South Australia.

www.BaysideGlenEiraKids.com.au

Anna at home in the kitchen with her three kids.

“And the Montessori school logo that’s my brother’s hands.”

She plans to go back and do some further study as her passion grows.

But it hasn’t been an easy ride.

“I was working until like three or 4am in the morning and then the kids would wake up at six,” she said.

“Joseph would ask what time I came to bed and I wouldn’t have.”

But she has worked at finding a better balance.

“So I commented, I really like following this account but I don’t think its fair to say that someone is a crap mum because they want their kids to sleep - sleep deprivation is actually a form of torture.

“I thought I was super chill, very measured - but she and her minions came after me and I thought this isn’t fair.”

So Anna started her own Instagram page solely to balance the negative and fake things out there.

“It was really overwhelming but it was also, for me, having been a mum and going from a pretty corporate position where I was organising people’s lives. I was used to always been busy so I kind of missed that, and really stimulated me and I actually found that I became a better mum because I had a distraction from cleaning nappies and doing the dishwasher,” she said.

And that’s where the name @ thenotsoperfect mum came from.

“I had my own thing and I could work from home and it just worked. It’s definitely not for everyone because it’s, it’s a lot like you don’t sleep and your house is always full of stock.”

“I try not to let that stuff impact what I’m sharing but say for example, you know, like I’m really careful about not sharing any of the kids in like a private environment so like I would never show them with no clothes on, or if it’s an intimate moment like they’re having a breakdown or something like that,” she said.

And that’s all part of her charm.

Anna’s followers can resonate with the fact that her house isn’t always clean, that she’s exhausted and trying to balance a billion things - just like most other mums.

It’s quite the departure from your more well-known mummy bloggers - and it’s on purpose.

“If you’re a first time mum, it’s quite isolating actually seeing all these people like absolutely killing it and having babies and sleep, and all that stuff,” she said.

“I actually started my account, because Dominic was the worst sleeper.

“He used to not sleep longer than 40 minutes for the first hour. I think it was like 10 months of his life. It was horrible.”

She took him to sleep school and found it traumatic.

“I read a post by quite a well-known media person who had pretty much said that if you went to sleep school you were a s#!@ mum,” Anna said. www.BaysideGlenEiraKids.com.au

She started with a small following, but it soon grew into something much bigger.

At the start she shared everything, but as it grew she became more mindful of her influence and other people’s headspace.

“I need to respect my children’s boundaries and their life, and I would hate for them to turn around when they’re 15 and be like, why the hell did you show that.”

It also opens her up to others providing commentary on her life.

Some accuse her of favouring her youngest, Rachel, although as the boys get older Anna is making a conscious effort not to have the camera constantly in their faces.

“Next year when Dom goes to school, he’ll go off the blog, even more because I need to respect that I don’t want people knowing where he goes to school,” she said.

“I try not to let those comments change my content because if what I’m posting isn’t authentic then people pick up on it straight away.

“It’s my life and it can be messy.”

Anna with baby Rachel and some sensory learning boxes.

SPRING 2021 5

It’s Your Life

Deciphering your child’s dreams

By Melissa Meehan

subconscious mind creates these images.

THE saying goes, if you have big dreams you will grow into them.

“For them, it’s anxiety and so monsters, whatever monster they come up with is their anxiety, or their fear or something,” she said.

But what is a dream without understanding what it is all about?

Best-selling author of Dreams, Rose Inserra helps to unlock the mysteries of your dreams and the messages they hold for adults and children alike.

The mother and grandmother says for many children nightmares can start from the time they turn three.

“Because before three, they can’t really separate themselves from anything, but as they grow up they can, and they understand who they are and they start to have dreams or nightmares,” she said.

“At around seven, the nightmares tend to sort of phase away, they’re not as prevalent as they are.”

These bad dreams or nightmares can be triggered by stress of starting a new school, a new place to live, debt, death of a pet or parent, grandparent or even having a new sibling.

Monsters are a common theme that young children tend to dream about, according to Rose, who says the

“So that’s, that’s your first major dream that they have.”

Another popular dream is flying.

Rose says fantasy dreams are really good for children to experience. It shows that they have a happy and healthy imagination, and that they are able to overcome new experiences.

Some older kids have dreams of chaos and disorder when there’s instability in their lives.

And that’s telling us they need support or grounding, which is why they feel like they’re going to fall into an Alice in Wonderland sort of thing.

“So if your child keeps having those dreams, they need you to give them more support and make them feel more comfortable,” she said.

No matter the dream, Rose says it’s important to have discussions with your child about what they are dreaming about – so that you can gain an insight into how they are feeling.

Rose Inserra is the author of the recent book Dreams by Rockpool Publishing.

“We need to say to them, okay, tell me a little bit more about your dream,” she said.

“Tell me what happened. How did you feel about that, and who was in your dream.

“And talk to them, say, how we get this right, let’s change the ending to that dream.”

Rose says you can use the same trick with nightmares, especially if they are recurring.

“The next time the kids or any of us go to bed, change the ending,” she said.

“So you change the ending up, so you know last time the tiger was chasing you, what if the tiger wants to go and have a drink at that light behind you, he wasn’t coming for you.

“It makes a difference.”

Rose Inserra is the author of the recent book Dreams by Rockpool Publishing. Drawing on her experience as an author and researcher, she has written over 60 children’s books and her books are published and marketed internationally. Rose is a member of the International Association for the Study of Dream.

How to detect potential deafness in kids

By Carole Levy

“In children older than three, warning signs can include having iPad and TV volume too high, asking often for words to be repeated, and not responding to being called.

BACK in the day, mums and their newborns remained in hospital for at least a week but nowadays it’s more like two days and they’re sent home. While lots of new mums are dying to take their bubs home, it can mean that the baby’s hearing screening doesn’t happen.

“By school age, it may be a teacher who first detects problems, with students unable to hear from the back of the classroom, or certain behavioural issues arise or schoolwork is in decline.”

The neo-natal hearing screen is generally done in the first days, when electrodes are placed on the baby’s forehead, shoulders and neck and sounds are played through speakers.

The technique measures auditory nerve activity and is known as Auditory Brainstem Response (AABR).

If the baby ‘fails’ the AABR test, another screening will be carried out within the next two weeks to confirm results.

Temporary deafness can be caused by a build-up of wax in the ear or an infection, which can be attended to by a GP. Sometimes, grommets are recommended to drain fluid from the ears; this is a job for an ear, nose and throat specialist. unexpected noises don’t cause a startled response, or they may appear generally less alert,” Marina says.

Experienced audiologist from Active Audiology, Marina Opacak, explains what parents should look for in detecting potential deafness in babies and children up to school age.

“After six months, a baby with possible hearing issues won’t turn to a sound source. At 12 months, they won’t be saying “mumma” or “dadda” - a speech delay can be another sign in babies and toddlers.”

“The main thing to notice in a baby up to six months old is that loud or

Most parents will be questioning their child’s hearing ability well before the

6 SPRING 2021

three-year-old mark. At this age, children can be examined via Play Audiometry at an audiology clinic.

Headphones will be placed on the child, with various noises played through the speakers that correspond to the game being played and elicit a response.”

Marina notes that hearing loss, which may be temporary or permanent, can develop after an initial neo-natal screening.

Babies and children with permanent deafness will be referred to Hearing Australia, with a hearing aid or other amplification system potentially fitted, and supports put in place.

Marina concludes with: “It’s important to diagnose hearing loss as early as possible since it can have a big impact on a child’s development, especially in the areas of language, communication and thinking.” www.BaysideGlenEiraKids.com.au

It’s Your Life

Family dinner time with Sam Wood

Sam Wood loves whipping up nutritious family-friendly meals.

SAM WOOD is a dad and one of Australia’s top health and fitness experts. He’s founder of online training, nutrition and mindfulness platform 28 by Sam Wood and resides in Melbourne with his partner Snezana, whom he met on The Bachelor, and children Charlie, 2, Willow, 3 and Eve, 16. Here, Sam talks about the art of cooking nutritious dinners the whole family will enjoy.

The whole dinner routine can be a struggle in many households. In your household, who decides what’s for dinner and who cooks it?

Like in many households, the kids are asked first about what’s for dinner and parents second, but Snez and I will cook Mondays to Thursdays and usually treat the family to a takeaway on the Friday. We love cooking outdoors, so over the weekend we try to get the BBQ going or have little picnics in the garden.

With three children at different ages and taking into account your own meal

preferences, how do you decide what to cook for dinner?

We have a really good weekly dinner time routine down, which helps the kids know what to expect when it comes to dinner. Every single dinner will include protein, good fats and good carbs.

When the kids’ food is a bit too plain for our liking, we like to add different spices to mix the flavour up. For us, it’s all about eating real food, lots of vegetables and making sure it tastes great. We have lots of our favourite 28 meals on rotation.

What are your family’s favourite

weeknight dinners that are quick and nutritious?

Our favourite, fuss-free weeknight dinner has to be my Tofu or Chicken Satay Skewers, made with Mayver’s Peanut Butter (Sam is a Mayver’s ambassador). It’s delicious, nutritious and fun for the kids, to both cook and eat! Other crowd pleasers include my butter chicken from the 28 program, which is another big hit with the family.

at the supermarket and let them choose a new food, like fruit, vegetables and nuts, that they’ve never tried before. In the kitchen, let them take the reins on age-appropriate tasks such as cracking the eggs, stirring the ingredients or chopping the vegetables. Once you give them a sous chef title, they’re more likely to become invested in the process of cooking and so the colour, texture and taste of more nutritious foods becomes an easier sell.

What are your tips for getting your children to try new foods?

If your child is a fussy eater, get them involved in preparing their meals. Start

Sam often shares family-friendly recipe ideas on his Instagram account.

You can find him by searching Sam James Wood.

Advice for parents on teens, tattoos and piercings BEING a teenager is hard.

respect their opinion.

You’re not really a child, but you aren’t yet an adult.

But it’s also important to share your thoughts too, in a calm matter.

But you are trying to find your place in the world. Set yourself apart from others and make your mark.

The parenting website says, for example you could say, ‘I don’t like the idea of you getting a tattoo at 16 because you might decide you don’t like it in five years time. And then it’ll be difficult and cost you a lot of money to get rid of it’.

So what do you do when your teen wants piercings or a tattoo?

Raisingchildren.net.au suggests talking to your child first.

Find out the reasons why they want the piercing or tattoo. Do they want to make a fashion statement? Are they copying their friends?

Listen to their point of view, ask them why it’s important to them and try to www.BaysideGlenEiraKids.com.au

Teenagers may want a tattoo to make a fashion statement.

But you can get a piercing under the age of 16 if you have permission from a parent or guardian.

And if all else fails – look for a compromise.

Youth Law Australia says you need to be 18 to get a tattoo or body mark in Victoria.

If your child wants a very visible or very large tattoo or body-piercing that you don’t want them to get, you might compromise on its size or location.

It’s against the law for someone to tattoo you or make a body mark on you even if you have your parent’s permission.

Another option might be delaying the tattoo or body-piercing until your child is older. For example, you might offer to pay for it for your child’s 18th

birthday, if they still want one.

Government website Youth Central states when you do finally turn 18 and can be legally tattooed it’s important to do the following: 1. Do your research 2. Don’t follow the trends 3. Consider the long-term 4. Find a reputable tattoo shop 5. Respect your tattoo artist 6. Take care of your new tattoo SPRING 2021 7

It’s Your Life

Inside Olivia’s House of White Motherhood and lifestyle blogger OLIVIA WHITE is honest, daring and ambitious. She’s experienced and achieved incredible things since starting her popular blog House of White. The Victorian mother-of-two has amassed more than 150,000 followers on Instagram where she shares the raw and sometimes unglamorous realities of parenting. Here, Kids Today editor MELISSA GRANT speaks to the digital creator about birthing, her journey on social media and what she’s learned about motherhood.

Olivia White with her daughters Annabelle and Theodora.

First things first, how did House of White start?

I started it not long after I had Annabelle. My background was in PR (public relations). I had previously worked for Racing Victoria - I ran their fashion blog for fashions on the field and stuff like that. And I’ve always been a keen photographer. So I sort of decided I would start something while I was on maternity leave, with no real intention of it being anything. It was a blog before it was an Instagram. It naturally progressed and grew from there.

You have two beautiful girls, Annabelle (7) and Theodora (5). Tell us about their births.

They were two very different birth experiences. Annabelle was an emergency cesarean. I went in to be induced on her due date because I was starting to get what’s called PUPPPS my skin started to get really hot and itchy. I was in the public system - the care that they had at the time was pro-natural birth. I went in on a Friday night to be induced. I had the gel. I started getting contractions but nothing too much. They applied the gel again on Saturday morning. And again on Saturday evening. So the whole time I was labouring. On Sunday morning it still hadn’t really progressed, so they decided to break my waters and put me on the drip. They usually say that when you have the drip it will be a maximum of a few hours. But at 10 o’clock that night I was still on the drip.

I had an epidural, thankfully because they were really intense contractions.

In the space of about 12 hours of being on the drip, I had only progressed to like 4cm. So then they made the decision to do a cesarean. In the space of about 10 minutes from them deciding they were going to do that to actually getting wheeled down there, her heart rate dropped. They didn’t even have time to give me a spinal (block) - they just topped up the epidural. It was all a blur because I had been in labour for three days. It would have been maybe five minutes before midnight that I had her. She was so high and so stuck that I remember the anesthetist coming over the top of me and having to actually push down to get her out. She had already started 8 SPRING 2021

screaming before they got her out.

After that it was all such a blur … I was so exhausted. They took her to the special care nursery because I couldn’t stay awake. I pretty much lost consciousness. Then the next day I was demanding to leave - I didn’t want to be in a hospital anymore. Overall that experience definitely wasn’t what I expected. I think because they allowed me to go for so long, it was a really long recovery as well which sucked because I felt I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t hold her. I couldn’t have those moments because I was so exhausted emotionally, physically.

But then when I had Ted (Theodora), I put my foot down - I wasn’t prepared to go through that again. I elected to have a planned cesarean. I pretty much went in at 8 o’clock and had a baby by 8.15. It was a much better experience, it was much better for my recovery. It was much better for my mental health.

After you had Teddy, you posted a picture of your raw c-section scar. Why did you think it was important to post that picture?

It was probably about a year later that I posted it. It was a photo I took to send to a girlfriend. Most of my friends don’t have kids and the girlfriend who I sent it to didn’t. I sent it to show her that it (c-section) isn’t the easy way out. Even when it is a planned cesarean you still can’t get up and walk for at least 12 hours or until the next day. You’ve basically had layers and layers of flesh, muscle and organs moved out of the way. I think because I elected to have the caesar that second time, I did cop a bit of judgment. And subsequently having a profile on social media you always get those questions - do you regret not trying to have a vaginal birth? How do you feel that you’ve never birthed a baby properly, was something that was said to me. I was like, well there’s not really a proper way. It was a way to connect with those people who have experienced the same thing. It’s not necessarily easier.

You share some incredibly raw moments of your life. How important is it to be honest on Instagram, a medium

Pictures: Sarah Harris Photography

where it’s easy to fake perfection?

I definitely think that in the space that I’m in, and obviously having respect for the audience that I have, which is largely women and mums, is that we already have so many pressures that we put on ourselves, that society puts on us, expectations and all that stuff. It is an effort to fake perfection, to act like everything is fine when it’s not. I’ve always shown the raw side of life, even sharing my recent surgery, including the actual procedure. And I wanted to give a real-time experience to my audience, and not just the highlight reel.

You have done some pretty cool posts and you’ve had some good partnerships over time. You’ve done posts on Disney, 6ft6 Wine and Woolworths - it must be a lot of fun doing that?

I count my blessings everyday that I have been able to turn something that was essentially a hobby and a means to help me with my own mental health into a full-time job that allows me to be at home with my kids, provide income for my family and, on top of that - the cherry on the cake - is that we have these amazing opportunities that are real once in a lifetime sorts of things that a lot of people wouldn’t get the opportunity to do. I grew up with a single mum and even though we didn’t have much money, I never knew or felt like that because we had such a rich life growing up, rich full of experience. We travelled - it wasn’t always international, it could have been just a couple of kilometres down the road, but I feel my mum did whatever she could to create opportunity and experience.

And I feel that’s exactly what I’m doing now for my own children.

Your husband Jeremy is featured in quite a few of your posts. How did you meet?

We’ve been together for 16 years, nearly 17 years now. We actually met when I was underage and had a fake ID, getting into a nightclub at 3 o’clock in the morning on King Street. It’s definitely one to tell the grandkids! I definitely did not tell my mum that for like 10 years!

Motherhood is a fun and challenging journey. What have you learned so far?

As time goes on, when you are in the thick of it with babies and newborns and

Olivia with her girls Annabelle and Theodora.

all of that haze that comes with it, people say to you ‘enjoy these moments, they go past before you know it in a blink of an eye, don’t wish it away’. I’m like ‘please shut up!’ But now I am that mum.

Now Annabelle and Teddy are in school I’m the one telling everyone ‘it goes past so quickly, in the blink of an eye they’re not babies anymore’. The one thing I’ve learnt is that no one knows - nobody has all the answers. You can buy all the books, read all the blogs, and follow all the people on Instagram, but there will never be two alike journeys. So while I think it’s fantastic that more people are becoming more honest and sharing online, and showing the realities of real motherhood, you still have to take everything with a grain of salt and understand that no one else that no one else’s experiences or journeys are going to be collectively the same as yours. You just need to be a lot easier on yourself and have that understanding that what’s happening to you isn’t the same thing that’s happening to someone else, or how you feel or react to something isn’t going to be the same as someone else does. Just as all children are different, we learn differently, grow differently.

That’s the understanding that I finally came to one day - the switch kind of flicked for me.

Check out Olivia on Instagram @ houseofwhite_ and online at https:// houseofwhite.com.au www.BaysideGlenEiraKids.com.au

It’s Your Life

New child safety push

Seize the clay!

Ash and Matt never thought it would be them. Never thought they would lose their son Hunter just after he reached his 2nd birthday. Never thought they would be picking out an outfit for their little boy to wear, one last time. But it has now been 12 months since Hunter drowned in a dam. Twelve months since the day they had to say goodbye.

ARE you or your child interested in learning the art of pottery?

Robert Gordon Pottery can help you seize the clay!

Anyone can get creative at Robert Gordon, with workshops for all ages.

If you’ve never worked with ceramics before you needn’t worry. Friendly staff are on-hand to show you how.

“It’s hard to come to terms that our son Hunter isn’t here with us. My heart breaks more every day waking up without him. It’s hard to even contemplate ever celebrating anything without him,” explained Ash.

Robert Gordon offers workshops in wheel throwing, hand building and paint your own pottery.

The paint your own pottery workshop is popular with families. All you have to do is choose your pot, decorate with paint and collect your masterpiece 14 days later.

If you’re after something more extensive, you should check out Robert Gordon’s six-week pottery course. The course covers hand building, wheel throwing, moulding, sculpture and painting in a friendly atmosphere.

The workshops take place in a new studio space at Robert Gordon Pottery factory outlet.

Located in the heart of Pakenham, the outlet is a great place to visit with the family.

They have a large selection of homewares, baskets and textiles. There’s also the Nancy Eatery, which serves up

EVERY year there are many stories of serious unintentional childhood injuries and deaths in the news. When we read these, we all hope that it won’t happen to us, to our friends or to our families.

Sadly, Ash and Matt aren’t alone. In 2020, 32 Victorian families lost their little one due to an unintentional injury - that’s almost one child every 11 days.

Kids can learn how to paint their own pottery at Robert Gordon Pottery.

relaxed, homestyle meals with beautiful coffee.

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

In response to the significant increase in injury related deaths, Kidsafe Victoria have launched a new community awareness campaign ‘Nothing is Everything’. The campaign highlights the world which Kidsafe is trying to create – a world where nothing bad happens to kids - by providing a reminder of the little things that we can all do to help reduce the risk of unintentional injuries.

As part of the campaign, Kidsafe Victoria have developed an injury prevention kit for parents and carers, providing links to a range of free

Hunter’s parents Matt and Ash (centre) with Kidsafe Victoria CEO Melanie Courtney (left) and Kidsafe Victoria president Erica Edmands (right). Ash and Matt were among the 32 Victorian families who lost their little one due to an unintentional injury in 2020.

resources and practical advice. They are encouraging all families to download and utilise resources such as their home and farm safety checklists, to help ensure that ‘nothing happens’.

Because when nothing happens, children aren’t admitted to hospital due to serious injury. When nothing happens, children don’t have to live with the lasting impacts from preventable injuries. When nothing happens, parents don’t have to deal with a lifetime of loss.

When it comes to our children, when nothing happens, there’s everything to celebrate. And that’s down to all of us.

To find out more about the ‘Nothing is Everything’ campaign or access the campaign resources, please visit www.kidsafevic.com.au/about/ nothing-is-everything/

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SPRING 2021 9

It’s Your Life

Kids in the dark on social media

By Melissa Grant DOES your child know what they’ve signed up for on social media, gaming and messaging services?

Chances are they are probably clueless, with a new report finding popular sites like Tik Tok and Snapchat have such confusing terms of use that you need a university degree to understand them.

This means the majority of teens don’t know how their data will be collected and stored.

The Reset Australia report found the terms and conditions of nine of 10 surveyed apps would take, on average, one hour and 46 minutes to read. That’s despite children as young as 13 being allowed to use them.

“Tik Tok’s terms and conditions run the length of two novels, or about six hours of reading at a university level. If all two billion people who use TikTok read the full terms and conditions, it would take 1.24 million years of effort,” Reset Australia’s Children’s Data Policy Director Farthing said.

Working with YouGov, the data protection lobby group polled 400 teens aged 16 and 17. They found only seven per cent of the teens surveyed were

confident they understood the terms and conditions they had accepted, and only four per cent read them all the time.

Reasons for not reading the terms and conditions included that they were too long, there were too many documents, they were presented in ways difficult to read and that you’ve got no choice anyway so why bother.

“These apps are designed to be easy for young people to use, but when it comes to disclosing how data will be collected and stored, suddenly they become very difficult to understand,” Dr Farthing said.

Facebook and Instagram recently moved to restrict advertising targeted at underage users, after Reset Australia revealed underage users were being profiled on age-inappropriate interests such as smoking and alcohol, and then selling access to the profiles to advertisers for direct, targeted advertising.

“We’ll only allow advertisers to target ads to people under 18 (or older in certain countries) based on their age, gender and location. This means that previously available targeting options, like those based on interests or on their activity on other apps and websites, will

They rock!

WE Rock the Spectrum Kids Gym is a carefully thought out sensory play space that caters to the needs of all abilities and all neuro-types. It provides a sensory-friendly, fun environment which encourages learning and exploration for kids with Autism, special needs and neurotypical development.

However, Reset Australia is concerned the social media giant could keep the profiling for its own purposes and says this underscores the need for oversight about how platforms collect and use young people’s data.

They want to see a federal regulatory code governing how children and young people’s data is collected and used.

A spokesperson from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) said a review of the Privacy Act by the Attorney-General’s Department offered an opportunity to address concerns about children’s personal data.

“We believe some high-risk activities

developmental growth of children with special needs while at the same time benefitting all children.

Our mission is to provide all children no matter their development or ability level, a place to build friendships, keep active, use their energy and build their confidence and independence in a productive and safe environment.

Some of our features include our Sensory Play Gym, Calming Room, Therapy Swings, Arts & Crafts Area, Zip Line, Sensory Corner, Climbing Apparatus, Trampoline and much more.

Our facility offers a variety of options for you, whether as a parent, carer,

should be considered for prohibition, such as profiling, tracking or behaviour monitoring of children, or direct advertising targeted at children,” the spokesperson said.

The federal government is also drafting legislation to enable the ‘Online Privacy Code’, which will apply to social media and other online platforms.

The code is expected to have specific rules to protect the personal information of children and vulnerable groups.

The OAIC encourages parents to help educate children about making good decisions online and limiting privacy risks. The commissioner suggests parents talk to their children about their digital footprint, developing good password practices, safe and smart device use, tailoring and regularly review privacy settings and being aware of online advertising.

school, kindergarten, community or sport group, allied health service, or as a member of the special needs community.

Our services include regular weekend drop-off programs, holiday programs, special events, private facility hire, open play sessions, toddler sessions, respite care and more. We have been very fortunate to continue operating through Lockdown in Victoria as we are deemed an essential service and we are NDIS Registered Providers.

Our motto resonates with many parents and children that walk through the door, “Finally a place where you never have to say I’m sorry”.

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A gym is fitted with specially designed occupational therapy equipment .

Our gym is fitted with specially designed occupational therapy equipment aimed at optimising the

no longer be available to advertisers.

These changes will be global and apply to Instagram, Facebook and Messenger,” a Facebook statement said.

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www.BaysideGlenEiraKids.com.au

It’s Your Life

Teaching inner-peace comes naturally THERE is a wild creature in you that knows how to parent, writes STEVE BIDDULPH A MUM is sitting, holding her baby. She is peaceful, and the baby is gazing up at her and making little noises of pleasure. Their eyes are gazing happily at each other.

Then the mum frowns. Instantly, the baby’s face crumples and they start to whimper.

If mum doesn’t smile again quickly it will turn into full on distressed crying.

This could be anywhere in the world, but it’s actually happening in a psychology laboratory and the baby has tiny wires attached to its head don’t worry, they are only sensors taped on, like one of those meditation apps.

But what the neuroscientists are noticing from behind their one-way mirrors will knock their socks off, and echo around the world of child development research.

What they could see on their computer screens was that the baby’s brain reacted to the mother’s change of expression in a less than a hundredth of a second. It’s as if the two human beings, parent and child, were really one creature, utterly attuned.

This is the way that we now understand how the brains of small children are shaped for good mental health - not that mum never frowns, but that by that loving interaction, children getting distressed by the natural events of life many times a day, and mum or dad being close at hand and soothing them. They learn that comfort is possible

and they can ‘down regulate’ their emotions by sharing them.

is what helps children grow their mental health.

Mum is cool with it! It’s also been discovered in the adult world too that post traumatic stress after terrible events is much worse if there is nobody nearby who is caring and understanding. Being able to cry, shudder and shake, and tell our story until our brain knows it is just a story now, something that happened, in the past and not still hanging around. It was terrible, but it is over.

So we have to learn that skill and the way to do it is surprising. We have to tune in to our own body first, before we can tune in to our child. It’s as if we have a wild creature, a panther, a brown bear (or in my case probably a twitchy nervous hamster) down inside our body. If we tune into the sensations down in our body, especially the middle of our torso, literally our gut feelings, we will instantly know if we are calm or in turmoil, and begin automatically to settle down. Then and only then, can we really be with our child fully. Let me just say that again - to be with our children, we first have to be with ourselves. It takes just a few seconds, a couple of breaths, a dropping of the shoulders, and perhaps some letting go

Babies and children do not care if they live in a mansion or a tin shed. But they are acutely aware of the emotions of the people around them.

And if those are seriously and long-term stressed, then it’s very hard for children to relax, learn and grow.

Mum or dad being absolutely present

of the headlong rush that our life so easily becomes. And a step into the quiet fountain of sweetness that is the ‘now’. That’s where your child is, waiting for you to show up!

Your mind settles, and then it can settle theirs. And this really matters.

Long after you are gone, when they are living their lives far in the future, they will think of you and smile. You taught them what peace feels like.

Steve Biddulph’s new book is Fully Human – a new way of using your mind, published by Pan Macmillan. www.stevebiddulph.com Steve Biddulph AM Author – 10 Things Girls Need Most, Raising Girls, Raising Boys.

Complete Secrets of Happy Children, The New Manhood and Fully Human

Pandemic having huge impact on our youth YOUNG Australians have been more affected by the Covid-19 pandemic than any other age group, early evidence suggests.

A new report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) found, that compared to older age groups, young people experienced higher rates of psychological distress, job loss, and educational disruption during the pandemic. www.BaysideGlenEiraKids.com.au

The report, Australia’s youth, brings together data about young people (aged 12–24) and their experiences of school and higher education, mental health and wellbeing, employment, living circumstances, and personal relationships.

“Adolescence and young adulthood is a critical period in a person’s life.

Young people often experience rapid

physical, social and emotional changes in a time where they are transitioning from dependence to independence,” institute spokesperson Sally Mills says.

“This is a time when young people are finishing school, pursuing further training and education, entering the workforce, moving out of the family home, and forming relationships.”

And while data suggests that some

outcomes for young people have returned to pre-Covid-19 levels, Ms Mills said this is not always the case.

“For example, in April 2021 the average level of psychological distress among young people was below what it was in April 2020, but still higher than in February 2017,” she said.

“Ongoing monitoring is needed to fully understand the longer term impact of the pandemic.”

SPRING 2021 11

Education

Giving children the best start THE early years are critical to a child’s development and through Niño Early Learning Adventures’ unique, educational and inspirational experiences every child is provided with the best start in life.

teachers, take place in a long-day care setting. Complementing the programs are specialist classes, including physical education, Spanish language, yoga and music.

An Infant Specialist Program at the centres, led by an in-house infant specialised practitioner, sees educators and families learn the skills required to enhance the sleep and the settling of children. Niño ELA also use a primary caregiving model in their nurseries, allowing each child to develop a nurturing relationship with a primary educator so they can develop a sense of trust, security and safety.

Niño Early Learning Adventures’ carefully curated holistic curriculum brings together flexible indoor and outdoor learning environments, nutritional education and ageappropriate enhancement programs, making its early learning pathway offerings unique.

Underpinned by the Positive Education Framework, the curriculum gives every child the opportunity to have meaningful learning experiences that incorporate their emerging interests to help them reach their full potential.

“The focus across our centres is to help children to develop skills that strengthen their relationships, build positive emotions, enhance resilience, promote mindfulness and enjoy a healthy lifestyle,” said company manager Melinda Ackerman.

Working together with families, educators create individual learning programs that consider interests, physical, personal, social and emotional wellbeing as well as cognitive aspects of learning.

“Our mantra at Niño ELA is ‘fresh, healthy food, every day’,” said Melinda.

Every child at Niño Early Learning Adventures is provided with the best start to their education.

family involvement. Through a continual awareness of your child’s needs, abilities and talents, our approach is to see children graduate from their Niño ELA experience as confident, robust and adventurous individuals,” said Melinda.

Niño Early Learning Adventures’

programs are specially designed for each developmental stage of learning.

The ‘Small Steps, Big Footprints’ program carefully nurtures children as they make the transition between infancy and toddlerhood.

The 3 and 4 year old kindergarten programs, led by Bachelor Qualified

A seasonal nutritionally balanced menu is developed by nutritional ambassador, Dr Lauren Burns and cooked onsite daily by chefs. The children are empowered to self-serve, allowing them to have autonomy and serve themselves, fostering socialisation, sharing and turn-taking.

Niño Early Learning Adventures has centres across Melbourne to cater for the growing communities. Enrolments are now taking place. For more information, visit ninoela.com.au

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“At Niño ELA, we value and welcome

It goes without saying that nutrition is important.

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Education

The ins and outs of childcare

By Melissa Grant MANY Australian families use child care.

Child care provides opportunities for children’s development and social engagement, while allowing parents to engage in paid work.

It encourages play, can help children socialise with others their own age, foster independence and ease the transition into full-time school.

Child care options in Australia include centre-based care, home-based care and family day care.

In 2017 there were around three in five children aged 0-4 (59 per cent or 925,000 children) attending some form of child care, according to Australia’s Children Report 2020.

It was estimated that 72 per cent of kids aged two were in child care.

Home-based care is when a relative, usually a grandparent, a friend, babysitter or nanny cares for your child at your family home.

Family day care is care provided by an approved carer in their home.

Centre-based care includes long day care, kindergartens/preschools and occasional care. In Victoria, kindergarten programs are offered at child care centres and standalone kindergarten centres.

Child care provides opportunities for children to engage with other children the same age.

What type of child care you choose will depend on how many hours of care you require each week, your family values, the cost and what you want your child to experience.

Long day care at child care centres, for example, typically suit parents who work weekdays, want structure and are happy for their child to play and socialise with lots of other kids.

If you are after long-day care, or think you may use it, it pays to put your child’s name down on waiting lists to

ensure you can get the days you are after, and to apply for the Child Care Subsidy as soon as possible.

While the number of children in child care dropped last year as Covid hit, attendance rates are pretty much back to normal.

“Many parents initially withdrew their children from childcare in response to a range of factors, including parental job losses, increased rates of working at home, and financial and health concerns,” lead researcher Dr Jennifer Baxter said.

In fact, the number of parents using child care services has mostly returned to pre Covid-19 rates despite parents having better access to working from home arrangements, according to a Family Studies (AIFS) report.

“Parents deciding to return to using formal child care reflects the important role that child care services have in contributing to children’s wellbeing and development and supporting parents’ employment.”

Passionate about children LEAVES Early Learning Centre at Murrumbeena has welcomed a new Service Manager.

Brooke Garwood proudly began the role in August, returning from maternity leave with her six-month-old baby Austin who commenced in the centre’s nursery room.

Brooke’s passion for childcare began from a very young age. She has 18 years’ experience through various roles including Room Leader, Centre Manager, Advisory Consultant, and involvement in various shared projects with external providers.

“Leaves Early Learning Centre is an excellent service provider and I look forward to making a valuable contribution to the centre, staff, families and children,” Brooke said.

“My role as a facilitator and lead educator is to nurture, grow and support your child’s development in a fun and safe learning environment, which is further advanced with the fantastic purpose-built indoor and outdoor environments, excellent team and a growing community of wonderful children.

“In my opinion, children are confident and capable learners and

enthusiastic creators. By following the Reggio Emilia child-led, play-based approach to education, our experienced team will encourage children to thrive with endless opportunities for imagination and learning.

“I am thrilled to become part of the Leaves family and warmly invite you to discover a child-led, play-based approach to childcare. I would love to show you around our fantastic centre and facilities.”

Leaves Early Learning Centre is located at 20-21 Crosbie Road, Murrumbeena. For more information call 1300 441 441.

Leaves Early Learning Centre Murrumbeena’s new Service Manager Brooke Garwood says children are confident and capable learners.

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SPRING 2021 13

Education

The benefits of learning outside

Taking the books outside can improve learning.

By Melissa Meehan

They looked at 20 studies of nature across the globe over the past 18 years.

WE all remember heading outside for story time in a blistering hot summer in the halcyon days of yesteryear.

“The evidence suggests that taking the classroom outdoors could be a great way to include more incidental physical activities into a child’s day,” Ms Miller says.

But did the teachers back then know taking the classroom outdoors could improve learning, engagement in class and social skills?

A study by the University of South Australia found growing evidence that nature based learning may just do that.

In a paper published in Environmental Education Research, UniSA PhD candidate Nicole Miller and her colleagues found that taking the classroom outdoors may improve physical activity, learning, mental health and wellbeing, engagement in class and social skills.

The link between learning in nature and lower obesity rates is not new, but more significant than ever, given that only 19 per cent of Australian children are meeting the World Health Organization’s recommended levels of 60 minutes of moderate exercise a day.

“Globally, the figures are even worse, with a recent study of 12 countries showing that just 4.8 per cent of children aged between 5-19 years are doing moderate to vigorous exercise for an hour each day.”

WHO estimates that at least 340

million children and teenagers are overweight or obese, including 24 per cent of Australian children (ABS statistics), increasing their risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease later in life.

Nature-based learning can range from holding normal classes outdoors, to more strenuous activities such as constructing shelters, and group games.

Apart from the physical benefits, the evidence suggests that nature-based learning is more enjoyable and handson than in a traditional classroom, so children may be more likely to retain more knowledge and stay focused throughout the lesson.

Learning about the environment while in nature is an obvious benefit, but the researchers also referenced studies showing the mental health benefits in adults who had spent

significant time in nature in their childhood.

“Previous research has found links that suggest adults with a low exposure to nature in childhood had significantly poorer mental health and a greater risk of psychiatric disorders,” Miller says.

A 2017 study of 48 children in Germany found that children’s stress levels significantly improved after nature-based learning in the forest.

Also, a 2018 US study reported that learning outcomes improved students’ focus and behaviour.

“While the evidence is growing, more research is needed because it is still unclear which elements of nature-based learning, such as type, duration, frequency, and location, provide the most benefits,” Miller says.

A Covid-19 revamp for Kool Kidz IF you are looking for a caring, high quality childcare – look no further than Kool Kidz Childcare, Brighton.

been turned into an artificial tree, giving the room a much more natural feel.

While lockdowns over the past 18 months have meant the usual extracurricular activities and incursions have been placed on hold, the centre has focused on redesigning their rooms.

The team at Kool Kidz Brighton have made many trips to resource rescue in order to repurpose recycled materials; furthering their efforts towards sustainable learning.

All rooms in the centre now have a fresh look and lots of different activities for the children to engage with, the rooms layouts have all changed and new resources have been injected to provide a fresh and innovative environment.

And their looking forward welcoming back extra-curricular activities after the lockdown has run its course.

The multipurpose “earth room” has also had a revamp – including a huge pillar in the middle of the room that has

Visit https://www.koolkidzchildcare. com.au/brighton/ for more information or call 9596 6221.

Kool Kidz Childcare is located at Level 2, 233–239 Nepean Highway, Gardenvale.

While lockdowns over the past 18 months have meant the usual extra-curricular activities and incursions have been placed on hold, the centre has focused on redesigning their rooms.

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Education

Nurturing early learning BRIGHTON ELC and Brighton Beach ELC are a boutique privately owned childcare and early learning centre located at 247 New Street Brighton.

Housed in a beautiful Victorian home, Brighton ELC was first opened in 2001 and caters for 64 children aged from 5 months to 6 years of age.

Brighton ELC and Brighton Beach ELC are highly regarded in the local

community for fostering meaningful long-term relationships with families due to their extremely low staff turnover and for providing a warm nurturing environment for your child’s preschool years.

Their reputation is also based on the high quality of planned child centred programs that are responsive to the needs and interests of all children and

which are in line with current best practice in Early Childhood Education.

a stimulating, safe and nurturing environment.

Their programs have been proven to successfully prepare children for school entry and they liaise with your chosen primary school to ensure that your child meets or exceeds the school’s prerequisites for entry.

As part of the centre philosophy, providing an environment which is accepting of all families and children is of the utmost importance.

They aim to provide the highest level of care and education for all children in

All families are welcome and they pride themselves on the ability to recognise and celebrate the differences in our cultures, religions, and beliefs.

Are you still looking for a Quality Childcare and Education place?

Brighton ELC & Brighton Beach ELC are the places for your little one.

At Brighton ELC & Brighton Beach ELC children learn through nature and play.

Children aged 5 months to 6 years old N Boutique style family owned services N High quality child-centred program N Healthy meals N Join us on: Brighton ELC 03 9592 1373 Brighton Beach ELC 03 9521 1251

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SPRING 2021 15

Health

Trying to parent while you’re sick can be an absolute nightmare.

Tips for parenting when sick

By Melissa Grant

Here are Edwina’s top tips to help you survive parenting while sick:

THERE’S nothing fun about being sick.

But feeling under the weather when you are a parent is the stuff nightmares are made of, especially if the kids are at home all day.

Do Less: Practice the same compassion for yourself as you would for others. There is no shame in slowing down and resting.

All you want to do is crawl back into bed. Meanwhile, all your kids want to do is run around, make a lot of mess and eat snacks.

Ask for help: Although it isn’t always possible, asking for help from a loved one or a childminder is a great way to ensure you have enough time to rest.

Sadly you can’t take a sick day (wouldn’t that be amazing). So how are you going to survive until you are feeling better?

Self-care: Whether it’s finding time for a bath or getting outside for some Vitamin D, making time for yourself and listening to what your body needs is really important.

There are things you can do to help ease the load even if you can’t get a babysitter, according to midwife and Philips Avent ambassador Edwina Sharrock.

Easy meals: Whether it’s ordering groceries to be delivered, getting takeaway or having eggs on toast for dinner, as long as the kids are fed and happy, that’s all that matters.

“Unfortunately, calling in sick isn’t an option when you are a parent,” she said.

Cancel plans: From after school swimming lessons to gymnastics, we’re always running around after our kids however prioritising your health is far more important. Cancelling plans every once in a while so that you can properly rest won’t harm your child’s development.

“We often pressure ourselves to constantly be on the go and to be the best version of ourselves for our kids.

“But, it’s important to take care of ourselves.”

Movie day: Everyone has different rules on screen time, however popping on a movie so you can relax on the couch when you’re sick is nothing to feel guilty about.

and organise for someone to look after your children.”

Telehealth: Getting out of the house to go to the doctor can be tough when you have kids to care for. Fortunately, there is a variety of medical services now easily available online through Telehealth.

“Your baby won’t catch most common illnesses like colds, flu, stomach bugs, fever and mastitis through breastmilk. In fact, it contains protective antibodies,” she said.

The last thing you want to do while you are feeling like death warmed up is to pass on your illness to your children or partner.

Edwina says the best way to prevent your illness spreading is to practice good hygiene by regularly washing your hands and coughing/sneezing into tissues or on your elbow. It’s also a good idea to educate your kids.

“Teaching your children good hygiene practices and explaining why they are important is an essential part of keeping your whole family healthy and well,” Edwina said.

“If you are really unwell, quarantine yourself in a separate room of the house

If you’re breastfeeding, Edwina said it is generally safe to keep doing so when you’re sick.

However, she said that breastfeeding while sick can be tiring so it is a good idea to get extra help to allow time to rest after feeding. It’s also important to stay hydrated.

“Even if you can’t stomach much food, your body will continue to supply milk if you are keeping up your fluids.”

Edwina also recommended using a breast pump so you can express in advance and let someone else take the night feeding shift.

“Even if you’re really unwell and cannot manage to breastfeed your baby, your body will still be producing milk so breast pumping is a great way to manage your milk supply in the meantime,” she added.

Researchers probe role of genetics in SIDS GENETICS could hold the key to preventing Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

Researchers are investigating the role of genetics in the devastating condition, which claims the lives of around 100 babies in Australia each year.

A state-of-the-art ‘genetic biobank’ has been developed by researchers at the University of South Australia.

The biobank comprises DNA from 25 babies who have died from SIDS in South Australia.

SIDS is the sudden, unexpected, and unexplained death of an apparently well baby, despite clinical 16 SPRING 2021

investigations, including autopsy.

The genetic biobank is the only of its kind in the southern hemisphere and one of only a few that exist in the world.

It was supported by funding from River’s Gift, an organisation established

by Geelong couple Karl Waddell and Alex Hamilton following the death of their 4-month-old baby, River, to SIDS in 2011.

River’s Gift evolved from a pledge to Stamp Out SIDS and ensure that no other parent would endure the pain and suffering of the unexpected and unexplained loss of their child.

Molecular biologist and Head of

genetics at the Australian Centre for Precision Health, UniSA’s Professor Leanne Dibbens, says the biobank will provide unprecedented opportunities to examine genetic factors that have contributed to SIDS. “Within Australia and internationally, research into SIDS is not as active as it once was,” Prof Dibbens says.

“This is mainly due to successful education campaigns such as ‘safe sleeping’ of infants, which has significantly reduced the incidence of SIDS. Yet, every year in Australia, about 100 babies still die from SIDS and we don’t know why.”

Prof Dibbens said the genetic biobank

would allow researchers to analyse DNA from SIDS babies to look for genetic causes of the condition.

“By finding these, we will be able to test babies at birth to identify those who are at risk, with these babies being closely monitored in their first year of life,” she explained.

The groundbreaking research will also help identify mechanisms involved in causing death from SIDS so that future work can stop SIDS from occurring.

“Every baby’s life is precious. This research will help protect all babies and families from suffering the heartache of SIDS,” Prof Dibbens said. www.BaysideGlenEiraKids.com.au

in the workforce – but I wasn’t bringing that home,” she said.

Reality Bites

“And I worked out that work things ran so much smoother and my work life would have been so much less stressful when I was really organised with it, home life is the same.”

And that mindset is applicable to doing the washing, vacuuming.

Stepping out of the chaos and having a plan made life with kids much easier.

But just because you have a plan doesn’t mean your life revolves around it, according to Nicole.

“People automatically associate plan with being quite restrictive and very prescribed and that you’re quite confined,” she said.

Getting your kids involved in planning is all it takes for them to take ownership, Nicole says.

“I actually found it gave me more freedom.”

Freedom in planning with kids

By Melissa Meehan

easy choice for me to blog about it,” she told Kids Today.

WITH five kids, mum Nicole Avery has to be organised.

“I probably was a more traditional mummy blogger at first – but sharing photos of the kids wasn’t my thing. I’m pretty private, so what I wanted to do was answer the questions that people asked of me in real life.

Her kids range from 12 to 22-yearsold – her youngest started high school this year and her eldest began his first post-graduate job.

Planning was not always something she’d been good at or focused on, she still doesn’t claim to be an expert.

She’s just had a lot of practice.

She’s been working online, working with Planning with Kids since 2008.

“I had four kids at the time and kind of wanted to go back into the workforce in some way and it was about my own life. So it was a really

“How are you so organised?”

She always had menu plans and that kind of thing so thought she would share what she knew.

Because, she figured, it could help other parents.

“One of the things when you’ve had a few kids that you get better at, is self practice,” she said.

“I’m pretty process orientated, but wasn’t always natural that way, but I

did get to the point with my second child, where I worked out okay, I am going to step out of the workforce and I’m going to be at home full-time now,” she said.

“I can’t just be in this chaos thinking about what we’re having for dinner every night, you know like a baby crying on the hip and a toddler hanging off my legs.

“I was floundering a bit and it felt harder than it should be.”

And that’s where it started.

Nicole worked out if she could plan out five or six meals a week that would make meal time easier.

And it did.

“That was sort of like that clicking moment where I had all the skills I used

If she had already prepared the meals for the week and was out late one night - she knew she could change up the meal plan.

And if it was too late, she could swap in takeaway night and cook that meal on Friday.

For Nicole, planning actually ended up giving her more freedom.

She also found that the more she had organised, the more she could delegate.

“I was able to say to my husband, here is the shopping list, could you please go and shop for it – the fact it was in an actual list form and not in my brain meant I could get some extra help,” she said.

“I found my life became easier and easier, and I became happier.”

It was the same for after school activities and sports.

When Nicole took it out of her brain and put it into a shared online calendar that her husband could see it made life much simpler.

These are just some of the tips you can read about in Nicole’s book Planning with Kids, or learn in her online course.

Find out more at www. planningwithkids.com

Mates making educational videos for kids

By Melissa Grant

At this point, Anthony interjects.

“I said ‘they are terrible… wrong camera angle, shaky footage, you’re filming your feet again, the lighting is wrong’.

FINDING Australian-made videos for kids on YouTube can be pretty difficult.

Father-of-two Rob Hobson was growing tired of his son watching clips of one particular American children’s entertainer when he and mate Anthony Carroll started making their own YouTube educational series for kids.

“So I came in and was like, ‘right we can dress these, make them a little better’. And I was thinking maybe I can hijack the videos and we can make them for my niece and nephew as well.

“It was roughly around the same time that lockdown was starting to happen… and then it evolved into putting on funny hats and Rob put on a jacket and we started making characters from it.”

The series, Captain Bobbo Educational Adventures for Kids, is distinctly Australian with backgrounds of beaches and appearances from native animals.

Rob is Captain Bobbo, a fun-loving captain who goes on educational adventures throughout Bobbo Land (Western Australia) with his pirate friend Captain Crabclaw, played by Anthony.

The pair have created entertaining videos covering fire safety, colours, counting, phonetics, excavators and bicycles.

Filming is a fun outlet for the pair, who actually work as fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) miners in the Pilbara.

They originally created Captain Bobbo as a way to connect FIFO workers to their families during last year’s Covid lockdowns.

Rob said it all started when he bought one of Anthony’s video cameras. www.BaysideGlenEiraKids.com.au

However, their videos weren’t exactly an instant hit.

Rob Hobson and Anthony Carroll are the brains behind Captain Bobbo, a YouTube series for kids.

Anthony said his nephew and niece, who live near Beaumaris, weren’t huge fans to begin with.

“He (Anthony) would come to work with these amazing travel videos - they had waterfalls, tropical islands and that sort of stuff,” he said.

“I remember the first time I showed my niece and the first intro of the episode - she started profusely crying and told me to turn it off,” he said.

“I would think his videos are amazing but I could do so much better because my life is way cooler - I go to these awesome places, I go skateboarding, surfboarding.

“It was constructive criticism in the form of tears so we went back to the drawing board and started to put some more animations in and make it a bit more fun.”

“I was really proud of the videos I was making. I showed Anthony and said ‘look what I’ve done’.

The pair initially put Captain Bobbo on YouTube as it was the easiest way for their families to view the videos.

At the time Rob was working away from his kids for extended periods, while Anthony - who spent his childhood in Sassafras, Pakenham, Caulfield and Sandringham - was locked out of Melbourne and unable to visit his niece and nephew.

When the Captain Bobbo videos were made available publicly at the start of this year, parents started sending in videos of their kids requesting challenges.

In a little over six months, the pair had clocked up more than 23,000 views on YouTube.

The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

“So many parents and grandparents have said they don’t have to watch a certain American kids YouTube show!”

Rob said.

Anthony added: “There is a lack of Australian YouTube videos for kids.

Some families say their kids are speaking with an American tone or using Americanised language.”

Rob said his sons had been “semiencouraging”, particularly his five-yearold.

“He pretends not to enjoy them, but he does ask to watch them!

“He thinks it’s normal - he asked me if all dads make videos for their kids!”

SPRING 2021 17

Reality Bites

Katrina with her kids Eva and Billie.

Picture: Rob Carew

Goodbye is the hardest word

By Melissa Meehan NO parent should have to say goodbye to their child.

But Katrina Jenkinson has had to say goodbye four times.

She’s lucky enough to have two healthy daughters, Ava and Billie.

baby,” Katrina said.

“It wasn’t worth living for us if we didn’t have one.”

Katrina said she just needed to be pregnant. It was the only thing that helped her survive.

She became pregnant 12 weeks later.

But that doesn’t take away the sadness of her losses.

“I think I just existed for nine months - I just sat there and waited, and waited,” she said.

The 35-year-old Melbourne mum her husband, Brad, started trying for a baby as soon as they got married.

“We had genetic testing done, so we knew we were all clear – but it was a long pregnancy.”

They were excited to find out they were expecting their first in 2014.

And so, by miracle, Eva was born on the night before what would have been Hamish’s first birthday.

“The 12 week scan was perfect, but the 20 week scan showed an obstruction in the bowel of the baby,” Katrina told Kids Today.

“They did a heap of testing and said he’d be transferred to the Royal Children’s Hospital when he was born and have surgery to remove it and he’d be home with us four weeks later.”

Hamish was delivered at 37 weeks.

He was transferred straight to hospital as planned when he was six days old, they did his surgery as planned, but after six weeks nothing had changed.

“He wasn’t getting any better,” Katrina said.

“So they did another surgery to find out what was going on.

“But the surgeon came out half way during his operation and said there was absolutely nothing he could do because his obstructions were there again and assumed it was genetic.”

Hamish passed away the next day.

He was just six weeks old.

His death destroyed both Katrina and Brad.

Their eldest son had suffered from a really rare genetic condition called TTC7.

It causes bowel obstructions.

“After we had his funeral, all we could think about was having another 18 SPRING 2021

She’s now five years old, healthy and not a carrier of the genetic condition that claimed the life of her brother.

That condition is so rare that there are only two other families in Australia with it. Years went by and while so grateful for having Ava in their lives, Katrina and Brad decided to try for their third baby in 2018.

They were over the moon to find out they were pregnant with twins.

But genetic testing found that one of the twins was found to have the condition.

The decision was made to end Sadie’s life at 16 weeks to save the life of their daughter Billie, who is now two.

“I’ve always tried to prepare myself and think of ways to get through especially waiting for these results, but at the time when you’re told, you just get destroyed, absolutely distraught and it’s just so hard to get through,” Katrina said.

“But at that time I was lucky enough to have one healthy twin to focus on, but there was a big risk of losing her as well so it was a very stressful time and there’s just nothing you can do to get through it really you just have to actually just push on.”

Katrina carried Sadie and Billie before giving birth to both of them at 35 weeks.

“I think the processing came later on, which I thought would happen at the time but so much is happening,” Katrina said.

“When you deliver a baby and there’s so much excitement, so much joy from yourself and your family.

“And I think it came, you know, a few days later. That’s when it really hit me that I lost her because there was so much to do with that, you know, signing paperwork for her and all these things realising you’ve just got the one.”

Obviously so grateful to have Billie, Katrina said it was a really hard time.

“I cried. I felt so much pain throughout my body all of the times that I received bad news or a loss, it was just really hard to pick myself up out of that dark place,” she said.

“But you’ve got this baby that is relying on you. They are the ones to keep you going.”

The plan was always to have three living children.

So Katrina and Brad tried for another.

They became pregnant during the 2020 lockdown but kept the news to themselves.

The scans were perfect, so perfect in fact that the head of obstetrics made a special visit to tell Katrina how perfect her baby was looking.

“We did the testing, and I think that was probably the rudest shock I’ve ever received in my life and she was actually affected by the gene,” she said.

“So, last year in lockdown, you know, all by myself, no partner allowed in the hospital, basically, I had to go and have Stella at 16 weeks.”

The pandemic made the situation so much worse. She couldn’t have Brad’s support in hospital and couldn’t even go and have coffee with a friend to debrief afterwards.

“That was probably the worst I was last year I think in June, it was the lowest I’ve ever felt,” she said.

“And probably because of the lockdown to I guess it was just a big shock.”

Katrina then started to work on herself.

She knew she needed to get into a positive mindset if they were to try again. They tried again and she became pregnant in December 2020.

And in February this year they got the news that the baby was affected with the condition again.

And she had to have Quinn at 16 weeks.

“It was still overwhelming, but I think that I had worked on myself so much, I had come a long way because I used to think this was happening for a reason,” she said.

“That I had done something wrong, so I was being punished. But now I know that it is not true. And these things just happen.

“So I think I was able to handle it a little better.”

Katrina and her family remember Hamish, Sadie, Stella and Quinn on a daily basis.

“We celebrate their birthdays, especially Hamish, because he was here and he lived and we have all of his stuff still,’ she said.

“And we love to take part in Run for the Kids and the Good Friday Appeal.

“We love raising money, because we feel something good is coming out of our heartache.”

They also have a garden at home that’s dedicated to the children who aren’t here.

There’s a plaque with their names and it’s a spot they can go to think about them.

“It has been such a rollercoaster, I feel like I have literally cried for six years,” she said.

“I’m hoping for some light at the end of this tunnel.” www.BaysideGlenEiraKids.com.au

Reality Bites

Aria and mum Tanya enjoy getting involved in the MS Readathon.

Tanya’s symptoms were severe and included visual disturbances, hand tremors, nerve pain in her feet, vertigo, nausea, memory loss, seizures and migraines.

Aria Scriven enjoys reading for the MS Readathon, a cause close to her heart.

Pictures: Rob Carew

Aria’s special reason to read

By Melissa Grant READING is important for children, but in recent times it has taken on a whole new significance for Bentleigh East girl Aria Scriven.

Throughout the month of August, the nine-year-old spends a lot of her spare time reading as many books as possible for the MS Readathon, a cause close to her heart.

The annual fundraiser helps Aussies like her mum, Tanya Russo, who suffer from Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

Aria first took part last year, not long after learning her mother had the condition.

She read 35 books and raised an incredible $3200, earning herself a spot in the MS Readathon Hall of Fame.

This year she is on track to raise a

similar amount for the fundraiser, which helps fund vital support services like MS Family Camps and Family Fun Days.

When asked what taking part in the MS Readathon meant to her, Aria said: “I found out my Mummy had it (MS) and I wanted to help other kids with families who have mummies and daddies with MS.” Tanya was diagnosed in 2016, but initially decided not to tell Aria or her 10-year-old brother Coen.

“I hadn’t let on that mummy was sick and I was managing my symptoms,” Tanya explained.

“But in 2019 I had a really bad relapse and I couldn’t hide my symptoms.”

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a condition of the central nervous system, interfering with nerve impulses within the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves.

It was around this time that Tanya was accepted into a stem cell transplant trial.

“I had to sit down and make Aria and her brother understand that (MS) is what mummy has,” Tanya explained.

“That’s when they realised what MS was and that’s when it really hit home to her (Aria).”

One day, Tanya was scrolling through her Facebook when a post about the MS Readathon popped up on her feed - and Aria saw it.

When Tanya explained what the MS Readathon was about, Aria was keen to take part.

The 2020 MS Readathon couldn’t have come at a better time for Tanya and Aria. Melbourne was in lockdown and Tanya had just had her stem cell treatment.

“I was recovering during the lockdown so I couldn’t do much anyway,” Tanya said.

Tanya often reads with Aria before bedtime, and sometimes the pair put their Oodies on during the day and sit on the couch with a pile of books.

Aria loves to read books about unicorns and graphic novels. Last year, her favourite book was Grumpycorn, a fun read about a unicorn who wants to write the best story in the world but has no idea what to write. This year, Aria is a huge fan of Wolf Girl by Anh Do. Aria has got her school friends Isla, Mia and Lotte to join her in this year’s MS Readathon. The girls have created their own team ‘Bentleigh East Bookworms’, which is near the top of the ‘classes’ section on the fundraising leader board.

More kids are getting involved in the MS Readathon, with the fundraiser having somewhat of a resurgence since last year’s Covid lockdowns.

Sign-up numbers for the 2020 fundraiser totalled 13,969, nearly triple the amount in 2019 (4822).

Participation rates in the event have been strong again this year.

Tanya said it was good to see.

After her relapse, Tanya was told her MS was aggressive and another relapse would leave her with permanent damage including blindness.

“Since we’ve been doing it and posting about it on my Facebook, so many people have said ‘oh my goodness, the MS readathon - I used to do that as a child,” she said.

However, Tanya says the majority of her symptoms have “calmed down” since her stem cell treatment.

“People are getting back on board because it’s bringing back childhood memories for them.”

“I’m able to enjoy being a mum again and can go for walks, bike rides, make school lunches and do all the things my kids deserve from me,” she said.

For more information, visit www. msreadathon.org.au To support Aria’s fundraising efforts, visit https://www.msreadathon.org.au/ fundraisers/AriaScriven111025/2021

Benjy sends socks to storm battered Dandenong Ranges

By Taylah Eastwell BENJY Orwin can’t recall ever visiting the Dandenong Ranges, but when he heard about people suffering after the storm, he immediately wanted to help.

Over 800 pairs of socks have made their way from Caulfield to the hills through 11-year-old Benjy’s charity, Socks4Support.

“They really needed them.

Everything is really wet and their shoes and socks are getting soaked,” Benjy said.

“It’s been really hard for them to keep warm,” he said.

While he typically donates to charities, Benjy was overwhelmed by the thought of people freezing in the www.BaysideGlenEiraKids.com.au

Dandenongs following the wild storm on Wednesday 9 June.

“David Southwick (Caulfield MP) told me about the situation in the Dandenongs and when I found out I really wanted to help. Socks would really help them,” he said.

The Star Mail understands Mr Southwick has been tasked with delivering the socks to affected Ranges communities.

Benjy started Socks4Support around three and a half years ago, having donated socks to numerous charities, organisations and more recently those in hotel quarantine.

“I was walking home in the cold at night, it was very cold, and I just thought about people that didn’t have

clothes to keep them warm. I wanted to do something to help them and wanted to come up with a thing I could collect,” he said.

“I came up with socks because that’s something that’s really important but not many people really think of them as important, and not many people think to donate them,” he said.

With the help of his school, Benjy created his charity and placed donation boxes at Coles and Woolworths shopping centres around Caulfield, where generous human beings donate all kinds of socks.

During his short period as a not-forprofit entrepreneur, Benjy has been lucky enough to get a guided tour of a sock manufacturing company, where

Benjy Orwin, 11, collects socks to donate to those in need through his charity Socks4Support.

he was shown how socks are made and received a generous donation towards his collection.

“I want to get socks to as many people as possible,” Benjy said.

SPRING 2021 19

Recipes

Creating a love of cooking

By Melissa Grant

snacks for kids, Well Fed Kitchen.

TEACHING your children to cook can serve up many benefits.

In her practice, she gives parents advice on a range of food-related issues, including fussy eating, reflux, constipation, eczema, allergies, and mood and behavioural issues.

It gets them tasting different foods, teaches them how to follow directions and even helps with their maths.

Most importantly, it helps set them up for a healthy future and positive life-long relationship with food.

That’s why we’re excited to welcome paediatric nutritionist Lucy Stewart as our new expert contributor.

Each edition, Lucy’s Kids in the Kitchen column will bring you a simple and nutritious recipe that you can cook in the kitchen with your children.

“It will be nourishing for them, they can help make it in the kitchen and we will always try to squeeze in extra veggies where we can,” Lucy said.

Lucy lives with her husband Matt and son Otis, 5. She also shares her time with step-daughters Faith, 15, and Daisy, 12.

This edition, Lucy shares a kidfriendly recipe for pumpkin maple bread. We hope you enjoy cooking it!

“It made me realise how critical it was to set up our children for life by eating the right food.

Pumpkin contains vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that help keep the immune system strong, and the eyes, heart and skin healthy. Pumpkin seeds are also a rich source of zinc that’s essential for growth, wound healing, immune function and perception of

taste (low zinc can contribute to fussy eating).

It’s an easy recipe to make with the kids - just a bit of whisking, sifting and stirring, pop it in the oven and, in about an hour, you’ll have a house smelling of fragrant spices and a delicious bread to enjoy for afternoon tea. There are options in the recipe to make it gluten and dairy free too, if you wish.

She advises parents to get their children involved in cooking family meals by writing shopping lists, going to the supermarket, washing and chopping vegetables and helping in the kitchen.

Lucy currently works as a clinical nutritionist, as a recipe developer and has just launched a range of nourishing

“When I was pregnant with my son I was learning about the importance of the first 1000 days of life.

IF your kids love banana bread, they’ll love this spiced pumpkin and maple bread.

One of the greatest things you can teach your children, Lucy says, is the ability to cook so they don’t rely on convenience and takeaway foods when they are older.

“I knew that was the direction I wanted to take my practice in - babies and kids nutrition.”

“I came from a 15-year career in TV PR (public relations). I’ve always loved food, I’ve always cooked,” she explained.

Spiced pumpkin and maple bread

“It affects our kids’ sleep, their learning and their behaviour, it affects everything,” she said.

“Kids who have invested their time in something are much more likely to try and eat it. It will be messy, yes, but you will be surprised that a child who is happy to chop up the capsicum will eat it at the table.

“You also need to set a good example - you can’t expect your child to eat well if you don’t.”

Another important thing is to cook easy recipes.

“I love cooking really simple food,” she said.

“When you have kids, dinner at the end of the day has to be quick, it has to be easy. It has to be really simple, nourishing food that the whole family is going to eat.”

Her career in nutrition began in 2015 when she was pregnant with Otis.

Our new expert contributor Lucy Stewart.

Diet, she says, has a huge impact on our children’s health and wellbeing, both now and in the future.

Directions ■ Preheat oven at 165C and line and grease a loaf tin

i th in the kitchen with Lucy Stewart

Makes: 1 loaf Prep time: 15-minutes Cook time: 1 hour Ingredients ■ 1 cup mashed pumpkin ■ 2 free range eggs, at room temperature ■ 1 ¾ cups gluten free or wholemeal flour ■ 1/3 cup pure maple syrup ■ 1/3 cup coconut oil or butter, melted ■ ¼ plant-based mylk or milk of choice ■ 1 tsp ground cinnamon ■ ½ tsp ground ginger ■ ¼ tsp ground nutmeg ■ ¼ tsp ground cloves

■ In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut oil and pure maple syrup ■ Add the eggs and whisk until combined ■ Add mashed pumpkin, mylk, spices, baking soda, vanilla and salt, and whisk to combine ■ Sift in the flour, and using a wooden spoon, mix until just combined ■ Gently fold in chopped dates ■ Pour the batter into your greased loaf tin and sprinkle pumpkin seeds over the top ■ Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean ■ Allow the bread cool in the loaf tin for 10 minutes, then gently transfer to rack to cool for 20 minutes before slicing ■ Enjoy warm, with butter and a drizzle of honey. Individual slices can be stored in the freezer and reheated in the toaster

■ 1 tsp baking soda ■ 1 tsp pure vanilla extract ■ ½ tsp sea salt Lucy Stewart and her son Otis cooking the spiced pumpkin and maple bread together.

Picture: Studio 74 Photography 20 SPRING 2021

■ 6 pitted Medjool dates, chopped ■ ¼ cup pumpkin seeds, to decorate

Lucy Stewart is a mum who is nutritionist specialising in babies and kids health, and a recipe developer.

You can find more of her recipes at https://lucystewartnutrition.com www.BaysideGlenEiraKids.com.au

Books

A wild way to read

By Melissa Grant IF your child is obsessed with animals, then the new interactive book by Australian zoologist and TV presenter Chris Humfrey is a must-have.

Dubbed as Australia’s own Doctor Dolittle, Chris is a leading expert on native creatures big and small.

His book, Awesome Australian Animals, offers amazing insights into a number of species through quirky facts (such as koalas poop 200 times a day) and QR codes linking to fun educational videos.

Small children will love the wealth of exciting and funny photos, primary school kids can read at their own pace, and older children can dive into deeper levels of intriguing detail.

Profiled animals include the koala, lace monitor, giant burrowing cockroach, saltwater crocodile, shingleback and jungle carpet python.

Awesome Australian Animals is the latest venture from the lifelong conservationist and animal welfare crusader.

Chris has an animal sanctuary, Wild Action Zoo, in the Macedon Ranges, which houses many rare native species including penguins, tiger quolls, snakes and even blue-ringed octopus.

He lives in a house designed for people and animals, which he describes as “unusual”.

blue-tongued lizard to give birth. I watched the whole process, it was awesome!”

“Currently, I have two joey kangaroos sleeping on my couch, two parrots walking over my laptop, 55 critically endangered mountain pygmy possums in my laundry/wine cellar, two black-headed pythons on the lounge room floor, two sheep sitting on the back veranda, two possums in the garage, an Eastern quoll and a koala and an owl in the garage. It’s bedlam!” he said.

Amazingly, Chris still has some animal friends from his childhood, including Freddo the green tree frog which he found sticking to a urinal at a public toilet block.

Chris’s passion for animals big and small stems from his childhood. He grew up in the foothills of Mount Dandenong, with his family’s backyard bordering onto the bush.

“I spent most of my youth jumping the backyard fence and exploring and interacting with local wildlife,” he said.

“I would spend the day chasing lizards, snakes, and frogs and only came home for dinner. I had hundreds of pets with which I lovingly shared my life.

“My mum helped me rescue and rehabilitate possums and injured birds and my dad built me a purpose-built insulated reptile house.

“I vividly remember sleeping outside in the reptile shed, waiting for my

Chris is “super pumped” about his new book, which took him almost a year to put together. He had to write the text, film the clips and take the photos.

Chris Humfrey loves all creatures big and small.

Chris believes kids are the key to saving Australia’s precious wildlife and, through his book, aims to empower a young army of animal allies.

“We must teach children the importance of protecting all creatures, not just their favourites,” he said.

“I hope that my enthusiasm and passion for all things wild is contagious, and rubs off on the reader.”

Chris Humfrey’s Awesome Australian Animals, Reed New Holland, an imprint of New Holland Publishers, RRP $19.99, available from all good book retailers or online, www.newhollandpublishers.com

Children’s books...

Chatterpuss

Backyard Birdies

Josh Pyke, illustrated by Daron Parton

Andy Geppert

THIS fun picture book from singer songwriter Josh Pyke is about a cat who just loves to chat. The problem is her friend Glen the Hen just wants some peace and quiet. Chatterpuss’s incessant chatter is a problem in class and during games of hide and seek. One day Glen cracks it - but just as he begins to enjoy some quiet time a bully emerges and he discovers that having a loud friend can be helpful!

With rhyming text and colourful illustrations, this book is great for kids aged 3+ Scholastic Australia, RRP $17.99

THIS new title is somewhat of a factual introduction to Australia’s most common backyard birds for kids who are ‘birdie’ obsessed.

The book even features the giant inflatable swan commonly found in backyard pools!

Also kookaburras don’t actually laugh at everyone’s jokes. And why are common pigeons common?

The book was born after the author found himself attaching personalities to each bird he and his young daughter saw in their backyard.

An entertaining read full of personality and humour plus a host of bright and bold illustrations.

Hachette Australia, RRP $19.99

www.BaysideGlenEiraKids.com.au

Meet Ella Spotty Puppy Rebecca McRitchie and Danielle McDonald ELLA from the best-selling Ella and Olivia franchise has her own series! Meet Ella is a series of books based on Ella during her first years at school. The first instalment, Spotty Puppy, is a cute read about six-year-old Ella trying to reunite a lost pup with its owner even though she really wants to keep him. The second instalment, New Teacher, has also been released.

With simple vocabulary and a large to read font, the series is perfect for kids aged 5+.

Scholastic Australia, RRP $7.99

Skin Deep

Bella the Brave

Hayley Lawrence A compelling novel that follows the journey of a young girl named Scarlett who is badly burnt in an accident, and must come to terms with her new appearance and physical limitations.

Scarlett is desperate to escape the modern world for the desolate and isolated Matilda Mountain. However, in the wilderness she ends up finding unexpected friends who challenge her ideas about perfection and her place in the world.

This insightful book gently explores relevant themes for tweens and teens including trauma, beauty, self-worth, family and friendship.

Rebel Wilson Illustrated by Annabel Tempest Aussie movie star Rebel Wilson is releasing a picture book series to inspire young kids.

Bella the Brave stems from Rebel’s journey from shy girl in Sydney’s western suburbs to international movie star.

Bella is a girl who has much to say but is too shy. But when Bella’s mum brings her to the local choir it may just be her time to shine.

Rebel says the stories in her series are picked from personal experiences where she learned valuable life lessons.

For kids aged 11+.

Bella the Brave is due for release on October 27.

Scholastic Australia, RRP

Hachette Australia, RRP $19.99

$15.99 SPRING 2021 21

Entertainment

A political show for kids A POLITICAL comedy-drama for kids is coming to free-to-air TV. Production has begun on The PM’s Daughter, a 10-episode series that will be filmed in Canberra and Sydney and broadcast on ABC ME next year.

The series follows young activist Cat Parkes Perez whose relatively ordinary teen life is turned upside down when her mum unexpectedly becomes prime minister.

As major disruptions begin to occur at Canberra landmarks – all seemingly designed to directly sabotage the PM -

Cat and her new friends, Sadie and Ollie, set out to track down and unmask a rogue faction within a youth action group called ACTION UPRISING. The clues will take them across the capital and lead them to investigate even their own schoolmates.

Libbie Doherty, Head of ABC Children’s Production said the show has it all.

“This series has the lot! Political intrigue, full on teens, great fashion and oh yes, life in ‘The Lodge’ as imagined by a stellar team of Australian

The cast of The PM’s Daughter: Natalie English (who plays Sadie), Nya Cofie, Cassandra Helmot (Cat), Jaga Yap (Ollie), Amelia James Power (Georgina).

creatives,” she said.

“We’ve had a lot of fun developing the series and are delighted to be launching the careers of this super cool cast.”

The PM’s Daughter boasts an exciting new cast of young talent, including Cassandra Helmot as Cat, Natalie English as Sadie, Jaga Yap (Babyteeth) as Ollie, and Claire Fearon as Prime Minister Isabel Perez.

Sally Caplan, Head of Content at

Screen Australia said the show was original and inspiring.

“This is an intriguing and thoroughly original concept from creators Tristram Baumber (The Unlisted, Born to Spy) and Matthew Allred, and in the capable hands of the standout creative team behind the series we expect The PM’s Daughter will engage and inspire children around Australia when it heads to ABC ME.”

Kids Calendar

What's on this spring

23 OCTOBER CHILDREN’S FESTIVAL As part of National Children’s Week celebrations, Cheltenham Community centre will hold a free Children’s Festival with lots of entertainment and activities for the whole family including rides, Charlie Silly Pants concert, art and craft activities, yoga, jumping castle, fire engine ride, face painting, entertainers and and open day for our childcare program and playgroups.

10am-1pm.

11-26 SEPTEMBER VICTORIA NATURE FESTIVAL The Nature Festival returns for its second year.

Featuring more than 80 events and experiences, the festival is full of creative ways to connect with nature.

You can get out and explore the wonders of Victoria’s nature or you can connect from your own home with live-streamed events and immersive videos. Go on a bush walk, learn from Traditional Owners about Caring for Country and join exciting panel events.

Each event and experience will comply with Covid Safe settings. All events will be hosted on the Victoria Together platform.

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Details: http://www.chelt.com.au/

UNTIL 17 OCTOBER DISNEY - THE ART OF ANIMATION Discover the creativity and innovation of almost 100 years of Disney Animation in ACMI’s latest Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibition This exhibition contains original sketches and rare artworks from 1928 to the present day. See over 500 artworks from your favourite animations, and step inside a scene from the Disney classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

ALL SPRING 24 OCTOBER WALK FOR PREMS Enjoy a great family day out at Melbourne’s flagship Walk for Prems event at Albert Park Lake.

There will be a free live children’s entertainment show before the walk around the lake, plus a variety of food vans on site.

If Covid-19 restrictions are enforced, then the walk will become a virtual walk.

SHRINE KIDS The Shrine of Remembrance is offering a free self-guided program for families with primary school-aged children.

There are four different activity cards that provide a starting point for fresh perspectives of the Shrine. Kids are asked to consider and conjure their creative responses to a range of questions related to different aspects of the Shrine.

Bookings not required. All children must be accompanied by an adult. www.BaysideGlenEiraKids.com.au

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*Store trading hours are subject to change, please refer to psw.com.au for all store trading hours, holiday trading and public holiday information, or call the customer service team on (03) 9768 0333.

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www.BaysideGlenEiraKids.com.au

SPRING 2021 23

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24 SPRING 2021

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