Yarra Ranges Kids Today Spring 2021

SPRING 2021

Help for youth at

HEADSPACE LILYDALE The importance of

BIRTH ORDER Deciphering your

CHILD’S DREAMS Get cooking with

KIDS IN THE KITCHEN

www.YarraRangesKids.com.au

SPRING 2021 1

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2 SPRING 2021

www.YarraRangesKids.com.au

About Us

Warm spring welcome HELLO and welcome to the spring edition of Yarra Ranges Kids Today.

forward to the sunshine and freedom that spring brings.

order can affect one’s personality and disposition.

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.

We sat down with some local mums who have shared their experiences of motherhood - whether it be the tough journey to carry a child or moving across the world to start a family.

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.

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 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

We also talk to 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

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!

Andy Jukes andy.jukes@ starnewsgroup.com.au 5945 0643

RECIPES

Goodbye is the hardest word

Steps to good communication

Kids in the Kitchen

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Exceedingly good for kids

BOOKS

PAGE 7 Advice on teens, piercings and tattoos

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Published by Mail News Group Pty Ltd ACN 99 006 310 498. Publisher/Managing Director, Paul Thomas. All material is copyright to Mail News Group Pty Ltd. All significant errors will be corrected as soon as possible.

Cover Alisha at Cement Creek Redwood Forest.

Picture: Rob Carew

A wild way to read

New plan to make kids cyber smart PAGE 17

PAGE 28 Children’s books

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What kids are reading

How to plan with kids

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PAGE 8

Covid considered in VCE scores

KIDS CALENDAR

Mates make fun educational videos for kids

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What’s on this spring

Achievement starts with care

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TELEVISION

PAGE 8 Deciphering your child’s dreams PAGE 9

244 Maroondah Highway, Healesville, Vic 3777 Phone: 5957 3700 Fax: 5957 3777

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EDUCATION

Family dinner time with Sam Wood

Yarra Ranges Kids

Melissa Meehan melissa.meehan@ starnewsgroup.com.au 945 0666

IT’S YOUR LIFE PAGE 6

Yarra Ranges Kids will be published quarterly prior to each of the school holidays.

Editorial

CONTENTS Mum is the boss of bargains

Yarra Ranges Kids magazine is a Mail News Group publication.

Steiner grows healthy kids

PAGE 28 SPRING 2021

Help for youth at

Political drama series for kids

HEADSPACE LILYDALE

PAGE 30

The importance of

BMX pump track for Coldstream

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PAGE 9

The benefits of learning outside

Headspace Lilydale now open

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PAGE 10

Why a small school is a great choice

CHILD’S DREAMS

Why birth order matters

PAGE 21

Get cooking with

PAGE 11

Consent in the curriculum

Kids in the dark on social media PAGE 12 Fostering teenagers PAGE 12 Nothing is everything in Kidsafe campaign PAGE 13

Deciphering your

KIDS IN THE KITCHEN

PAGE 21 Cire’s encounter with the 100 languages of children

SPRING 2021 1

REALITY BITES The not so perfect mum

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Steve Biddulph on teaching inner peace

From Italy with love

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Pandemic having huge impact on youth PAGE 14

Benjy sends socks to the storm battered Ranges

Sieze the clay!

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More women giving birth later in life

Inside Olivia’s House of White

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yarrarangeskids.com.au

www.YarraRangesKids.com.au

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Holiday fun

PAGE 15

BIRTH ORDER

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instagram.com/yarraranges_kids

Reality Bites

Katrina with her kids Eva and Billie.

Pictures: 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.

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

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

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

“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.

Healthy and happy... Eva and Billie with their dog Monty.

could think about was having another 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.

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

His death destroyed both Katrina and Brad.

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

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

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

It causes bowel obstructions.

“After we had his funeral, all we 4 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.

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.

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

“I’ve always tried to prepare myself and think of ways to get through especially waiting for these results, but

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

Eva and Billie in their cubby house.

Eva and Billie playing blocks at their family’s Mount Evelyn home.

“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.

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 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.

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

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

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.” www.YarraRangesKids.com.au

Eva is now five years old.

“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.”

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SPRING 2021 5

It’s Your Life

Amanda’s Instagram page, Bargain Boss, has over 14,000 followers.

Pictures: Stewart Chambers

Levi and Alyssa with their pooch Eva.

Mum is the boss of bargains

By Melissa Grant

Amanda would often go into work on a Monday and show off the bargains she had purchased over the weekend.

MOST mums love a bargain.

“They (colleagues) would always be amazed at how far I had gone for a bargain,” the former Consumer Affairs Victoria employee said.

Perhaps none more so than Melbourne mother-of-two Amanda, the creator of popular Instagram page Bargain Boss.

Over the years, Amanda’s friends told her she should share her money saving tips with the world.

The page has amassed more than 14,000 followers in a little over two years.

At the time, she had the idea starting a social media page but didn’t think it would get off the ground.

With money saving tips, side hustle ideas and bargain finds, there is plenty of useful and inspiring information for anyone looking to save some cash.

It was actually a trip to Fountain Gate with her son that prompted Amanda to get cracking on her own page.

Amanda’s love of Disney is peppered through the content, and there are also appearances from her two children Alyssa, 8, and Levi, 5 as well as their dog Eva, and their two recently adopted kittens.

“Krispy Kreme were celebrating National Doughnut Day by giving away free doughnuts… I took a picture of Levi eating his doughnut and I thought this is starting today.”

Bargain hunting has long been a passion for Amanda. Saving money has always been a priority and, at times, a necessity for her family.

Amanda and her husband, Steve, bought their first home in their early 20s after scrimping together a deposit, which involved a challenge to spend just $10 on work lunches for the week.

Shortly after buying their first home, Steve tore his ACL at soccer and was unable to work.

BARGAIN BOSS TIPS SIDE HUSTLES Amanda says it’s not that hard to bring in a few hundred dollars extra each month from side hustles. “Even something simple like selling your kids’ old clothes can make a lot of money if done correctly,” she said. Amanda has already reached her goal of making $10,000 through side hustles this year.

LOYALTY PROGRAMS Amanda says a lot of money can be saved using loyalty programs and is amazed by how many people don’t have a Woolworths Rewards and Flybuys cards.

Recently, she cashed in $270 worth of Flybuys points which she used at Kmart to buy items for her kittens. The keys, she said, are to boost all the offers sent to you and not remain loyal to a specific grocery store. “Shop at whoever has the best sales and loyalty offers for that week.”

6 SPRING 2021

Afterwards, she went to Coles and took photos of their marked down bulk buys products.

Amanda with some of her bargain buys.

Amanda said they were unable to access any Centrelink payments.

“We needed to come up with ways to save,” she explained.

“That’s where my love of bargains kind of kicked in.”

PANTRY CHALLENGE Once every few months, Amanda tries to use everything possible in her pantry and just shop for essentials that week. The money she would usually spend on groceries is put aside.

SUPERMARKET MARKDOWNS Amanda says shopping around 6.30pm-7pm at Woolworths and Coles will get you the “best markdowns”. She often buys meat marked down to 50 per cent or less, and puts it in the spare freezer as soon as she gets home.

It also pays to know what stores do what markdowns.

“I know one store where I can get marked down bread. One store does cheese - that’s where I go if I feel like a cheese platter.”

Recently she bought a $35 bunch of flowers marked down to $2.50 and packs of bagels for 10 cents from Coles.

When she got home, she put Levi down for a nap, made a logo and created an Instagram account.

“I shared it on Facebook - some family and friends followed. I hit 100 followers, and I celebrated that milestone with a glass of bubbly. I never thought it would take off the way it has.”

GROCERY GUARANTEES Amanda says Woolworths, Coles and Aldi will refund the purchase price on their own branded items that customers aren’t happy with (the guarantee doesn’t apply to other brands). “Stores ask for the item, or what’s left of it, to be returned or in some cases the packaging will do, for example if it’s been cooked.” She says Woolworths has a Fresh or Free guarantee where they will replace ‘fresh food’ you’re not happy with.

SCANNING POLICIES Familiarise yourself with scanning policies at your supermarket and check your receipts.

“Basically, if an item scans higher than the advertised or shelf price you can get that item free, but there are some exclusions and terms and conditions,” Amanda said. Scanning policies are for specific supermarkets, not all stores, she added.

The Bargain Boss Instagram account has been going for just over two years.

Amanda spends endless hours creating content and responding to comments and messages.

“I enjoy chatting to people. When people send me a message I always reply. I’m often up until midnight just making sure I’ve responded. The content takes time as I want it to be perfect.”

She has also enjoyed some collaborations with businesses - but has turned some down.

“My biggest thing about my page is keeping it as authentic as possible. It takes a lot of work to build a following and trust and it can be taken away very easily.”

She said the best thing has been the connections made through her page.

“I’ve made some really amazing friendships through it,” she said.

She also enjoys hearing about the way her followers have saved money, although some admit to spending on things they shouldn’t have.

“It is a bargain page but it’s only a bargain if it’s something you are going to use!”

You can follow Amanda on Instagram at @bargain.boss

USE GOOGLE When you are out shopping, grab your phone and Google what you intend to purchase.

Many stores are happy to price match. “It’s saved me hundreds of dollars,” Amanda said.

PHONE AROUND If you have your eye on a certain item, it pays to phone around places that stock it. Amanda says she will often call electronics stores multiple times to make sure she gets the best price.

UTILISE COMMUNITY INITIATIVES Join your neighbourhood page on Facebook and look out for community gardens.

Amanda uses the community garden in her estate for herbs. People are often willing to swap items on neighbourhood Facebook pages, she added. www.YarraRangesKids.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.YarraRangesKids.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

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

It’s Your Life

“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.

“I actually found it gave me more freedom.”

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

How to plan 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 make fun 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.

8 SPRING 2021

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!” www.YarraRangesKids.com.au

It’s Your Life

Deciphering your child’s dreams

By Melissa Meehan

according to Rose, who says the 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 Toolangi 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,

“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.

BMX pump track for Coldstream

By Jed Lanyon COLDSTREAM will soon be the site of a BMX pump track as the old Coldstream Station is set for an upgrade.

The station, which is now the site of the new Yarra Valley Trail, will have a pit stop that will feature a pump track and an informal network of trails, allowing for additional car parking spaces, public toilets and footpaths connecting the station to Coldstream businesses.

Yarra Ranges Council unanimously approved to put the master plan out for community consultation at their 22 June meeting.

Mayor Fiona McAllister said she was “very happy” to move the item through council after successfully receiving a $539,680 grant through the State Government’s growing suburbs fund.

The Coldstream Station site. www.YarraRangesKids.com.au

Picture: Stewart Chambers

“When I was elected to council many years ago now, the focus on Coldstream

was something that was really important to me and the revitalisation of Coldstream and working with the incredible community that live there has seen a lot of things achieved,” she said.

“It won’t just be for those using the trail, and there will be many tens of thousands of those, but for the hundreds of children who live in Coldstream and their families.”

Deputy Mayor and Chandler Ward Councillor David Eastham also voiced his approval at seeing the project go ahead.

“I think this is absolutely great to see for the Coldstream community as something that they will be able to hang their hat on and something that we know the community will activate, use and come together to have that social cohesion,” said Cr Eastham.

The draft master plan also includes shelter, secondary trails, station platform, lawn and tree areas to further activate the site.

SPRING 2021 9

It’s Your Life

Leah, Amy, Jelanne, and front, Payam, Lara and Caity outside Headspace Lilydale.

Headspace Lilydale now open

By Melissa Meehan A LOSS of appetite, a general lack of interest in activities they previously loved… these are all signs that your teen may be struggling and need some extra help.

That’s where Headspace Lilydale steps in.

Headspace Lilydale provides early

intervention mental health services to young people aged 12 to 25, and their families.

Community Engagement Coordinator Caity Cox says it’s a “super welcoming environment” where young people can access confidential and free mental health support, health advice and general information.

“Our model understands that

adolescence and early, early adulthood is a crucial time in a young person’s life, as research highlights that 75 per cent of mental health disorders begin before the age of 25,” Caity said.

“So we provide a holistic approach, supporting young people early in life through four core areas - so that would be mental health, physical and sexual health work and study support, and alcohol and other drugs.”

Tips for maintaining a healthy headspace: ■ Get into life, do things that you enjoy

There are a few ways you can get in touch with Headspace Lilydale ■ A young person or parent can contact the office directly

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■ Learning skills that help during tough times (try journaling or things like that) ■ Create connections

■ Book an appointment

■ Eat well

■ Or drop into the centre

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Parents are also welcome to contact Headspace Lilydale to have a chat with an intake worker about how their child is behaving and whether it would be a good idea to bring them in.

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Caity says some trigger points that parents can look out for include changes in behaviour and changes in eating and sleeping habits.

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“Generally when a young person is struggling with their mental health, they may sort of, isolate themselves, either

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“We are in voluntary service so we can’t make people engage with us so the young person have to like watch engage in the service.”

It’s well known that mental health has previously had a stigma attached, but Caity’s role is to get out there in the community and let kids and parents alike know that it’s OK to ask for help.

There’s a bunch of different support workers, counsellors and psychologists available through Headspace Lilydale as well as youth friendly doctors who can provide help, for free.

MOVEMENT IS THE KEY TO LEARNING

from their friends or their families spend more time in the room, those sorts of things,” she said.

■ Stay active ■ Sweet dreams (sleep is so important) ■ Cut back on drugs and alcohol (these can have a bad affect on mental health) Headspace Lilydale is located at 216 Main Street, Lilydale and is open Monday - Thursday 10:30am-5pm. In person, phone and telehealth services are available. www.headspace.org.au/headspacecentres/Lilydale/

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It’s Your Life

Why birth order matters

By Melissa Grant

just two children.

PARENTS often struggle to work out why their children are completely different.

Grose said the Prince Harry Effect is stronger when both children are the same gender.

He described Harry and older brother William as the ‘poster kids’ for the first-born and later-born positions.

They may have one child who is outgoing and playful, and another who is uptight and anxious. This is despite the children belonging to the same gene pool and being raised in the same environment.

The reason for these stark differences is birth order, according to leading parenting and education writer Michael Grose.

He believes that in this era of small, planned families that birth order is more relevant than ever.

To better understand the power of birth order, Grose has written a timely update to his bestselling book titled Why First-borns Rule the World and Laterborns Want to Change it.

The size of families has changed since the original book was published in 2003.

Twenty years ago, the mean number of children in a family was three. That number is now two.

“Nothing has changed about birth order but the context has changed,” Grose explained.

“Around 60 per cent of families with kids under 15 are two kid families.”

The biggest impact of shrinking families has been the disappearance of the middle child. Traditionally there have been three birth order positions.

When Grose wrote the first edition the second child was often the middle child, but now they are often the youngest.

“There’s a fair bit of cynicism.

However, my point is that birth order is not just a neat set of numbers, it’s more a pattern,” Grose told Kids Today.

“Once you start to understand the rules, it starts to make sense in a family.

www.YarraRangesKids.com.au

“William is your typical first-born.

First-borns are the family conservatives... they are the rule makers and the rule followers.

Prince William is your typical first-born, according to birth order expert Michael Grose.

Prince Harry is a second child who is also the youngest at a time when families tend to consist of just two children.

I like to call it a family constellation.

studies on birth order on a range of families, and each member’s likely personality and disposition.

“It’s often something parents don’t take enough notice of.

“It explains why kids often fight, why they compete and why two children with the same parents, same gene pool, two years apart - why they can be chalk and cheese.

“It’s about finding their niche.”

First-borns tend to be goal-setters, high achievers, perfectionists, responsible, rule keepers, determined, conscientious and detail people.

Second and middle children tend to be flexible, diplomatic, peacemakers, free spirits, generous, open-minded, sociable and competitive.

Youngest children are often risk takers, persistent, outgoing, charmers, ideas people, creative and challengers of authority.

There are variables that can impact birth order position within a family, including age gaps between children, genders and cultural expectations.

In some families, children may ‘leapfrog’ an older sibling to climb up the birth order chain.

In his book, Grose analyses the latest

The updated edition features new information including the demise of the middle child, the Prince Harry effect and the problem with first-borns.

THE DEMISE OF THE MIDDLE CHILD With most families consisting of two children, the amount of middle children has declined.

This has impacted the birth order positions.

Traditionally there have been three birth order positions - the first-born, middle child and youngest child. The second-born child was often the middle child.

However, now the second-born child is often the youngest.

Grose writes that later-borns have a tendency to borrow personality traits from the second, middle and youngest positions.

THE PRINCE HARRY EFFECT Prince Harry is a prime example of a modern birth order position. He’s a second child who is also the youngest at a time when families tend to consist of

“Then you have the second one. The second kids will be what the first one isn’t. You can’t have two responsible kids in the family, you can’t have two academic stars.”

He adds that younger kids don’t follow the rules in the family.

“Harry has broken all the rules, gotten married outside the typical family sphere,” he said.

THE PROBLEM WITH FIRST BORNS Every family, regardless of size, has a first-born.

So given that family sizes are shrinking, there are many more first-borns than middle and youngest children.

Grose said this has implications.

For example, there are more perfectionist kids in classrooms than ever before. There are also more anxious children as first-borns live with greater anxiety-inducing parental pressure and have a propensity for perfectionism.

There are also more only children who, Grose says, tend to have first-born characteristics that are exaggerated because they’ve never been ‘dethroned’ by a younger sibling.

Why First-borns Rule the World and Later-borns Want to Change It, Michael Grose, Penguin Life, RRP $34.99

SPRING 2021 11

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 no longer be available to advertisers.

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

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 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.

Fostering teenagers A E M R O BEC ER CARE FOST

It’s a great fit for Laura’s young family “My husband Jake and I have two kids of our own, aged four and one, and we’ve been foster carers for around six years now. The way we learned about parenting was a bit backwards – first we were really experienced with teenagers, and now we’re learning about younger kids – but it has been an overwhelmingly positive experience for our whole family.

“In the last six years we’ve cared for around 15 young people. Some for only two nights and some up to a year. I think foster care is great because it gives the kids a chance of experiencing a consistent home environment with consistent parent figures. I feel like it creates a genuine family environment for them to grow up in.

Even teenagers need care...

Help them achieve the brighter futures they deserve.

Find out how you can become a Foster Carer by registering for an online information session. You’ll learn all about the different types of foster care and what becoming a carer involves. It doesn’t matter if you are working or at home, in a relationship or single or whether you have kids. Everyone can make a difference.

Information Sessions: 7.30 – 8.30pm Monday 13 September Wednesday 6 October Thursday 18 November To Register: 1300 889 335 | www.anglicarevic.org.au/fostering 12507486-HC38-21

12 SPRING 2021

“The overall experience of foster caring for us has been amazing, it brings a lot to our life. Of course we have some challenging times, we have tears here and there, but we resolve things and the young people know that they are safe and loved in our family. I think that’s really good for our children to see too, that we resolve things as a family.

“We’ve had a lot of highlights over the years, watching the interactions between our own children and the young people that have come to stay.

I remember when one of the 16-yearold boys we had to stay would lift one of my little ones onto his hip and introduce them to his friends as his brother or sister – that is a massive thing for a 16 or 17 year old to do I think.

Fostering teenagers - It’s a great fit for Laura’s young family.

“For people considering fostering teenagers, I say go for it. There is often the misconception that teenagers, particularly boys can be aggressive or physical, but we haven’t ever experienced that – if fact we get the opposite, we have these amazing moments where we get to see a bit of their personalities, they are lovely kids and they become our family when they’ve been with us so long.”

Anglicare Victoria’s foster carers receive 24-hour on-call support, ongoing training and are reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses related to care.

If you would like to become a foster carer with Anglicare Victoria, call 1300 889 335 or register for a local information session by visiting www. anglicarevic.org.au/fostering www.YarraRangesKids.com.au

It’s Your Life

Nothing is everything in Kidsafe campaign 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.

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.

“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. 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.

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 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. Together, we can keep kids safe.

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/

Holiday fun WHILE 2021 continues to be a challenge for families, finding ways to entertain the children on a budget can be hard.

Luckily, the team at Lilydale Marketplace are running free school holiday activities in their centre this September.

Spring is the season of new beginnings. Fresh flowers bloom, farmers and gardeners plant their seeds and temperatures slowly rise.

With a delightful springtime theme, the children can participate in activities such as creating critter keyrings, bug puppets, spring nesting birds and more.

Shake off the winter blues and try these fun spring activities being run on five days over the school holidays from 11am to 2pm.

As with everything these days, the activities will be run in a CovidSafe manner, with check in and number limits. Should we go into another lockdown, fingers crossed this won’t happen, the Centre will be running an online competition with activities and giveaways to keep the kids entertained.

Where: 33 Hutchinson St, Lilydale.

Friday 24 Sep ■ Magic Scratch Bee ■ Ornament Making Tuesday 28 Sep ■ Bug Puppet Creation Workshop Thursday 30 Sep ■ Critter Keyring Making

Monday 20 Sep ■ Garden Bug Critter Creations Workshop

While at Lilydale Marketplace the kids might want to check out the toys in BigW but we highly recommend that parents take a break and enjoy a coffee and one of the many cafes.

Wednesday 22 Sep ■ Spring Nesting Birds Workshop

Visit www.lilydalemarketplace.com. au to find out more

All activities will be CovidSafe and run according to Government Guidelines.

Should events be cancelled due to Government restrictions, alternative activities and prizes will be available on our website.

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www.YarraRangesKids.com.au

SPRING 2021 13

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.

14 SPRING 2021

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.” www.YarraRangesKids.com.au

It’s Your Life

Seize the clay!

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

The statistics are included in the Older mothers in Australia 2019 report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

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.

The report shows that the number of babies born to older mothers is increasing. In 2019, there were more than 76,000 babies born to mothers aged 35 or over, compared to almost 69,000 in 2009 and 42,000 births in 1999.

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.

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.

“The average age of all women giving birth in Australia has been rising, including for first-time mothers.

The average maternal age has increased from 27.1 years in 1979 to 30.8 years in 2019 for all mothers,” said AIHW spokesperson Ms. Bernice Cropper.

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

Since 1999 the rate of women aged 40-44 giving birth has almost doubled, with 15.5 mothers per 1000 in 2019 compared with 8.4 mothers per 1000 women in 1999.

The rate almost quadrupled among women aged 45-49, with 1.1 mothers per 1000 women in 2019 compared with 0.3 mothers in 1999.

Ms Cropper says there can be advantages to giving birth later in the life and the majority of older

mothers will have uncomplicated pregnancies and healthy babies.

“However, women who give birth later in life are more at risk of complications, such as gestational diabetes during pregnancy and birth,” she said.

“Other complications include increased risk of gestational hypertension, pre-term birth and low birthweight babies. This is particularly seen for women giving birth for the first-time.”

Older mothers were less likely than younger mothers to smoke, and the majority received antenatal care in the first trimester of pregnancy. They were are also more likely to live in major cities and less likely to live in low socioeconomic areas.

12508748-CG38-21

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

ONE quarter of women who give birth in Australia are aged 35 or older, new research reveals.

And around 29 per cent of these women in this age bracket are giving birth for the first time.

Robert Gordon Pottery can help you seize the clay!

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.

More women giving birth later in life

www.YarraRangesKids.com.au

SPRING 2021 15

Education

Steps to good communication THE first contact with your child’s teacher can be the most important, according to the Child Development Institute.

2. Plan: Write down questions, clarify them and prioritise importance.

Succinct information will assist the teacher to give clear responses.

And during the first week can be the optimum time to build a rapport.

3. Always restate your purpose for the conference right at the start – stay on topic.

In the first week, it’s likely the teacher knows little about your child and you’re in a position to provide helpful information. Don’t feel you’re intruding or asking for special treatment – you’re just showing a concern your child gets a good education.

After six weeks or so, even if you feel your child is doing well, you might like to set up a conference, which should always be at a time to suit the teacher.

Questions can include: ■ Is my child able to get along with others?

■ Can my child participate well in group activities?

■ What can I do to encourage or help my child learn to read?

Effective communication with a teacher will reap many benefits. If you want to discuss a problem or concern, here are some guidelines to get good outcomes: 1. Identify the reason for the conference in initial contact to alleviate any imagined fears on the teacher’s part and so they can have relevant information to hand.

4. Show a positive attitude. Be aware of tone of voice, facial expressions and body language.

5. Remain open, even if the teacher tells you something negative about your child’s behaviour or attitude.

Antagonism can kill a conference stone dead.

6. Be sure discussions are led with the sole aim of increasing your child’s growth.

7. If your child has difficulties, make sure the teacher doesn’t just point out the problem without providing ideas for eliminating or reducing it.

8. Clarify and summarise as you go, so you both know what’s been meant and can agree about any conclusions.

9. Make sure you alert the teacher to any educational jargon you don’t understand and seek clarification.

10. Try to keep the time to 30 minutes or less.

Effective communication with a teacher will reap many benefits for your child.

°ø Ñŗø ĩøÑñøŗŜ ĕı êĺƅŜǨ øñūëÑťĕĺı kūŗ êŗĺÑñ Ñıñ ĕııĺžÑťĕžø ëūŗŗĕëūĩūİ Ñıñ ëĺǞëūŗŗĕëūĩūİ ëÑťøŗ ċĺŗ ťđø ıøøñŜ ĺċ Ñĩĩ ĺūŗ ŜťūñøıťŜ ÑëÑñøİĕëÑĩĩƅLj ŔđƅŜĕëÑĩĩƅ Ñıñ øİĺťĕĺıÑĩĩƅǍ ĺƅŜ ŔÑŗťĕëĕŔÑťø ĕı Ñı øƄťøıŜĕžø ŜŔĺŗť Ñıñ ĺūťñĺĺŗ øñūëÑťĕĺı ŔŗĺČŗÑİŜ Ñıñ ċĺŜťøŗ ŔÑŗťıøŗŜđĕŔŜ ſĕťđ ĩĺëÑĩ ŜŔĺŗťĕıČ ČŗĺūŔŜ Ñıñ ĺŗČÑıĕŜÑťĕĺıŜǍ A new and exciting Science, STEM, Digital Technology and Year 7 Learning Space is due to open in 2022, in addition to a new Arts and Senior School Precinct.

5 Brenock Park Drive, Ferntree Gully VIC 3156 p (03) 9756 3112 eǭ enrolments@stjosephs.com.au

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16 SPRING 2021

www.YarraRangesKids.com.au

Education

New plan to make kids cyber smart

Exceedingly good for kids POOH Bear’s House is a family owned and operated ECEC Service with an Exceeding rating. The long serving team of staff are passionate and dedicated in providing high quality care to families in a homely and natural environment.

By B yM Melissa eli lissa G Grant rant STUDENTS will be taught about grooming by sexual predators, sexting and fake news as part of e-Safety lessons.

Inspiring and welcoming play spaces both indoors and out, ensure children are free to explore, play and investigate in fun, challenging and engaging environments.

The e-Safety Commissioner has launched national online safety education framework for Australian schools and teachers to help make kids cyber-smart.

They run weekly bush Kinder programs in both the funded kindergarten rooms as their focus is for the children to respect and appreciate the land we are on.

The framework gives primary and secondary teachers guidance on students’ rights and responsibilities in the digital age, resilience building, current and emerging risks and help-seeking.

Incursion and excursion programs throughout the year compliment the child-led emergent curriculum.

According to the framework, online safety education should address the range online harms kids may be vulnerable to.

Pooh Bear’s House connects with families to nurture meaningful relationships with children.

They strive to help little people learn and grow to enjoy a rewarding and fulfilling life.

Helping little people learn and grow to enjoy a rewarding and fulfilling life.

This includes exposure to pornography, exposure to inappropriate content such as violence and animal cruelty, receiving or

sharing shari h ing g unwanted unwantted d contact con ontta tactt or or content, cont nten tentt, sexting, contact with strangers, online child sex abuse including grooming by predators, cyberbullying, hate speech, exposure to fake news and political radicalisation. eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said the framework has been designed to guide and assist educators to help young people deal with growing and ever-changing risks associated with being online and lead to meaningful behavioural change.

“Now, more than ever, we need to ensure that young Australians are consistently being armed with the resilience and critical reasoning skills they need to discern online fact from fiction, to effectively respond to abuse and unwanted contact and to ultimately, manage online conflict,” she said.

For more information, visit https:// www.esafety.gov.au/educators/ best-practice-framework

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čČč D ÚËËÄ ª ,­¥ªõ ûĤ ÚËû ËÄ EËÚåª r/ Ĥ čċčĐ ĸĊčĹ ēđČď ĊĎĊč ×Ë˪ı ÚÞıªËéÞ Ž ­¥×ËÄ Ī Ëà 12510426-BL38-21

www.YarraRangesKids.com.au

SPRING 2021 17

For boys and girls in Kindergarten to Year 2, Australian author Aaron Blabey’s Pig the Pug was the favourite overall, trumping the previous winner The Very Hungry Caterpillar which dropped down to number five.

Education

For boys and girls in Year 3, Anh Do’s WeirdDo 2: Even Weirder! was the most read title, while Roald Dahl classic The Twits was again the most popular book for Year 4 students.

Jeff Kinney’s The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series dominated the list for Year 5 students, taking the top 13 spots overall and for boys.

For Year 5 girls, Raina Telgemeier’s Guts, Smile and Sisters were popular, coming in first, second and fourth respectively.

It was a similar story for Year 6 students, with Guts also the most popular book for girls and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Wrecking Ball most popular with boys.

A new report has revealed the reading habits of students in kindergarten to Year 12.

Report reveals what our kids are reading CHILDREN love reading about pugs,

in Australia and New Zealand.

wizards and wimpy kids.

Overall, the most popular books were

A new report has revealed the book titles and authors most read by students

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

Healesville

LEARNING disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic will be considered when calculating students’ VCE scores this year.

St. Brigid’s Catholic Primary School

The state government has announced it will again use the ‘Consideration of Educational Disadvantage’ (CED) process in light of continued disruptions to schooling throughout the year.

Quality education enriched by the values and traditions of the Catholic faith.

Coronavirus restrictions forced Victorian students to remote learning at various times, impacting important school milestones.

Student-centred personalised curriculums that value diversity.

Education Minister James Merlino said the CED process will ensure every student is fairly assessed.

Strong literacy and numeracy focus.

“Victorian students have done an amazing job adapting to another year of disruptions to their learning – and we’re making sure every student is assessed individually and fairly in their final years of school,” he said.

12509692-AV38-21

Specialist classes in Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Physical Education, STEM and Indonesian.

18 SPRING 2021

The study included 57,000 students from 365 schools across Australia and New Zealand, including those from primary, secondary, government and non-government schools. Researchers mined data from Accelerated Reader and myON to determine the reading habits and preferences of kindergarten to Year 12 students across the region.

By Melissa Grant

A Christ centred community based on the values of kindness, respect, responsibility and safety.

1 – 3 High Street, Healesville 3777 Telephone: 5962 4200 Email: principal@sbhealesville.catholic.edu.au Web Address: www.sbhealesville.catholic.edu.au

Wonder by R.J Palacio was the most popular book for Year 7 students and girls, while the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series continued to be popular for boys up until Year 10.

Covid considered in VCE scores

St Brigid’s Primary School

For more information, or to arrange a personal school tour please contact our Acting Principal, Julie Cooke.

The ‘What Kids Are Reading Report’ from assessment and practice provider Renaissance Learning also reveals the most popular books for students in different year levels.

For high school students, The Hunger Games dominated the list of most read titles. The title claimed the third position for Year 7 girls, second overall for Year 8 students, first overall and for boys and girls in Year 9, and first overall for Year 10, 11 and 12 students.

“We want to make sure every student knows that no matter how much they’re impacted by the pandemic, we’re supporting them to succeed in VCE and VCAL.” The CED process will be used to finalise VCE results for each and every student completing one or more VCE or scored VCE VET Unit 3-4 sequence in 2021.

Consistent with the approach in 2020, the process considers a range of data alongside exam results to

Disruptions to learning caused by Covid-19 will be considered when scores are calculated for VCE students.

calculate final VCE results. This includes the General Achievement Test (GAT), comparisons of performance across all assessments and schools and other learning data.

The process will also include assessments of the individual impact of coronavirus on each student including school closures, direct impacts on students’ health, ongoing issues with remote learning and mental health challenges.

All Year 12 VCAL students will also have access to individual consideration – with schools required to apply special consideration for all students who have been subject to significant disruptions. www.YarraRangesKids.com.au

Education

Achievement starts with care

THERE has been a fundamental shift in recent years in the view of children and child-rearing, and this shift has transformed our schools, our neighbourhoods and our relationships to one another.

SINCE 1877, Tintern Grammar has been a leader in the fields of teaching, learning and the care of students.

Their co-educational campus caters for students from ELC to Years 12, set on 40 acres of beautiful tree-lined grounds, with magnificent sporting fields, state-of-the-art facilities and a working farm.

Tintern encompasses the Parallel Learning Model, which sees students educated in both co-educational and single-gender settings according to their age and stage. Younger students learn in separate gender classes at an age when gender tends to play a greater role in influencing learning styles.

Students are introduced into coeducational classes when social development is an important part of their growth and maturation, as they prepare for future study and work pathways. Providing both singlegender and mixed classes on a co-educational campus gives families the perfect balance between academic and social development.

Tintern is proudly an open entry school which caters to the needs of all students. In particular, Tintern is able to support academic needs of highly able students through their Horizon Program.

It aims to enrich, extend and enhance the learning of highly able students who possess special talents and

Steiner grows healthy kids In addition to this, current global events have further impacted children’s mental and emotional health, exacerbating what was already a rapidly deteriorating situation.

Tintern is a place of opportunity.

interests in a particular area of the curriculum, enabling students to excel in their areas of passion. The results are consistently the best in the region and reflect the hard work and persistence of students and the excellent teaching support provided.

Tintern are now accepting applications for Academic Achievement, Future Voices (General Excellence), Social Justice, Music and Performing Arts and Alumni (Sylvia Walton AO and Mike Blood) Scholarships for entry into 2023.

To find out more and to apply, visit www.tintern.vic.edu.au

Steiner education helps to bring about a healthy development of the growing human being, through close observation and a knowledge of the nature of the therapeutic forces embedded in their educational approach.

As no one child is exactly like another, and each has their own individual physiological, intellectual and emotional traits, the teacher must learn to closely study each child with loving care. By working with the children through a strong foundation of rhythm, lessons are permeated with living imagery and learning becomes more mobile, vital and full of an imaginative quality.

Steiner education is unique in the extent and depth to which the curriculum is carefully structured to ensure a thorough and healthy developmental basis for learning. This

A focus on the future

thoughtful weaving together of physical, intellectual and social elements of their teaching ensures that each student has a well-rounded experience within a truly holistic education.

Steiner schools have developed the view that education is indeed an art in and of itself. Little Yarra has a growing reputation as one of the most established and successful Steiner schools in Australia, and they are tremendously honoured to be part of an educational system designed specifically around catering to children’s physical and socio emotional development as well as their academic needs.

The school is proud to deliver an education that is more relevant than ever for the challenges facing the world today.

A Place to Breathe

Little Yarra Steiner School & Kindergarten 205 Little Yarra Rd, Yarra Junction, 3797 ph: 5967 1953

www.lyss.vic.edu.au 12509062-CG38-21

www.YarraRangesKids.com.au

SPRING 2021 19

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.

OPEN NOW for 2022 ENROLMENTS

Offering full time and part time care and education for children from 0-6 years. We have an integrated 4 year old kindergarten program focusing on school readiness.

Our highly trained and qualified educators empower our children to develop enquiring minds and experiment in a trusting setting.

Proudly, all our centres have been assessed as ‘Exceeding’ the National Quality Standards Croydon 12-50 Norton Road Croydon T: 9725 4189 E: croydon@swincc.vic.edu.au

View Street 22-24 View Street Croydon T: 9723 2470 E: view@swincc.vic.edu.au

OUR PROMISES TO YOU Ź Safety and Security Ź Highest Level of Care Ź Successful and Capable Learning Ź Quality Educators Ź Equality, Inclusion and Diversity Ź Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures Valued Ź Parents and Families Are Respected Wantirna 369 Stud Road Wantirna T: 9887 1564 E: wantirna@swincc.vic.edu.au

Lilydale 435-437 Maroondah Highway Lilydale T: 9070 1159 E: lilydale@swincc.vic.edu.au

12498081-CG25-21

With Reggio Emilia inspired learning environments we offer a diverse range of indigenous cultural influences and many community programs for children and families.

www.swinburnechildrenscentre.com.au 20 SPRING 2021

www.YarraRangesKids.com.au

Education

Small schools are great Teaching students about consent has been on the agenda this year.

VILLAGE thinks of its small student population as an extended family and this flows through to the parents who enjoy being part of a small like-minded community. In normal times (sans Covid!) children and parents gather to talk and play after school, arranging play dates and sharing child minding or lifts to and from school.

The small school has a direct effect on the behaviour and the learning of each child. They are part of a community where everybody knows their name.

When they take some of their class work to share at the whole school meeting, the Year 6 chairperson will address them as an individual, people will comment on or ask questions about their work and they will be given the space to explain how they made their model, or to read part of their story. With a small school there’s time to hear from everybody.

A small school needs less school rules as many rules are born out of the need to manage large groups of people. The children are often the instigators of the rules, particularly as they relate to cubby building, and the Year 6 group keep the Cubby Rules Law Book and refer to or amend it as needs be at whole school meetings.

TEACHING students about consent is now mandatory in Victorian government schools.

you? In a small school you see much more vertical play across the grade levels. The big friend/little friend program also means you might spot a Year 6 boy playing in the sandpit with his little friend, or helping him transport a bucket of water to the mud pit. And then there’s the cry that sometimes arises out of nowhere: “Whole School Tiggy! Whole School Tiggy” and suddenly there is a rush to the meeting place to discover who is it and the game begins.

Sometimes it’s Capture the Flag, or else it’s a game of soccer, but it’s always the same, everyone is invited to join in.

The government has already invested $82 million into its Respectful Relationships framework, which is a whole school approach to support schools to ‘embed respect and gender equality’ everywhere in schools: classrooms, the staff room, and in the playground.

All Victorian government schools are now part of the Respectful Relationships initiative.

Acting Premier James Merlino said the teaching of consent is mandatory in all government schools in an age-appropriate way.

“There are no excuses for any school not rolling out a program like this,” he said.

“It is proven to make a real difference and is a recommendation of the Royal Commission into Family Violence.

“I want to see every single school across the country implement this program. Students have been clear they need a greater focus on the issue of consent and that is exactly what we will deliver.”

In April, the federal government released a new campaign around consent for teens, which was widely panned as “confusing” and bizarre.

More than 350 videos, digital stories, podcasts and other materials are available free to teachers, students and families through The Good Society website, as part of the Respect Matters program.

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Are all your friends the same age as

Consent mandatory in government schools

www.YarraRangesKids.com.au

SPRING 2021 21

Education

Cire’s encounter with the 100 languages of children

By Diletta Lanciana, Executive Manager Cire Family and Children’s Services

Children’s Services is committed to adopting across its multiple sites in the Yarra Ranges and sharing with all those within its reach.

DID you know that children have many languages – potentially 100?

Cire is set to become a leader in Reggio Emilia in the region with an ambitious year-long project to train all its educators in the approach. Cire is privileged to have received the necessary funding through the Frank Leyden Tot-Ed Trust and Norman H Johns Trust. The project will create the opportunity to build capacity and establish a community of practice to truly embed Reggio Emilia into Cire’s children’s services

That’s what is estimated by the Reggio Emilia Approach to early years education. Reggio Emilia believes children, as human beings, possess 100 languages: a hundred ways of thinking, expressing, understanding, and encountering otherness through a way of thinking that weaves together and does not separate the various dimensions of experience. The reference to 100 languages is a metaphor for the extraordinary potential of children, their knowledge-building and creative processes, the myriad forms with which life is manifested and knowledge is constructed.

The world-renowned Reggio Emilia Approach is innovative and inspiring and one that Cire Family and 22 SPRING 2021

Developed in a northern Italy town of the same name, Reggio Emilia was founded by Loris Malaguzzi. Its underlying philosophy is embedded in the fabric of local government, communities and people in Italy and while it can’t be replicated in its exact form, Cire seeks to be Reggio-inspired and adopt its core values, beliefs and principles.

Reggio Emilia values children as strong, capable, curious and resilient individuals with a desire for knowledge.

Reggio Emilia values children as strong, capable, curious and resilient individuals with a desire for knowledge. It emphasises respect, responsibility, and community involvement. A philosophy that resonates strongly Cire Services Inc. one of the largest not-for-profits in the Yarra Ranges which serves the region and beyond through Cire Family and Children’s Services, Cire Community School for at-risk youth, Cire Community Hubs and Cire Training.

The approach views the child as central and active collaborators in their own learning. Children use many ways to communicate their thoughts and feelings and Reggio Emilia encourages them to explore all these ways of communicating through speech, art and play. Loris Malaguzzi’s well-known poem, The 100 Languages of Children, is a metaphor for this and the endless potential of children. It highlights the infinite ways and mediums that children can express themselves, their ideas, feelings, discoveries, thoughts, theories, understanding and knowledge. Through painting, sculpture, music, science, dancing, laughing, crying, movement, role play, construction, storytelling, and many others, children are able to communicate and give a voice to their

thoughts and ideas.

The approach is one of encouragement, exploration and problem solving. Children are encouraged to be researchers where their thinking and problem-solving skills are provoked and ignited. Project work is at the forefront giving children the opportunity to actively participate and question things. There is a strong emphasis on the social development of children as part of the community, and the relationships they have with teachers, family and other children.

Similarly, Cire Children’s Services is always looking for ways to connect and engage with local communities.

Cire Children’s Services is keen to share Reggio Emilia with our children, families and the community. Our upcoming centre Open Days in September will include an art exhibition to showcase the extraordinary capabilities of our young learners and our encounter with The 100 Languages of Children.

Looking further ahead, a Reggio Emilia expert consultant is about to commence training Cire’s educators. We welcome families and the community to come on the journey with us as we embark on the first stage of the highly regarded approach to early childhood education. www.YarraRangesKids.com.au

BOO TODAK Y!

Week 1

Woori Yallock

Badger Creek

Mon 20th Sept

Karaoke and Talent Show ; - v|-u =ou |_; 7- -m7 v_o o@ o u vbm]bm] vhbѴѴv ou vr;1b-Ѵ |-Ѵ;m| bm o u h-u-oh; -m7 |-Ѵ;m| v_o ĺ (VC)

Yarra Glen Adventure Park Go on an adventure to the Yarra Glen Adventure Park and enjoy a picnic lunch. (EX)

Tue 21st

Scavenger Hunt 7- = ѴѴ o= -1ঞ bঞ ;v -m7 ]-l;v b|_ - v1- ;m];u _ m| |_-| bv v u; |o |;v| o u ruo0Ѵ;l voѴ bm] vhbѴѴvĺ. (VC)

Scavenger Hunt 7- = ѴѴ o= -1ঞ bঞ ;v -m7 ]-l;v b|_ - v1- ;m];u _ m| |_-| bv v u; |o |;v| o u ruo0Ѵ;l voѴ bm] vhbѴѴvĺ Ő( ő

Wed 22nd

Movies at Croydon Cinemas $-h; - |ubr |o ;mfo - lo b; -| uo 7om 1bm;l-v Őlo b; |o 0; 1omC ul;7őĺ Ő *ő

Karaoke and Talent Show ; - v|-u =ou |_; 7- -m7 v_o o@ o u vbm]bm] vhbѴѴv ou vr;1b-Ѵ |-Ѵ;m| bm o u h-u-oh; -m7 |-Ѵ;m| v_o ĺ (VC)

Thu 23rd

Footy Day ol; 7u;vv;7 bm o u |;-l 1oѴo uvķ r-uঞ 1br-|; bm - ]-l; o= =oo|0-ѴѴ -m7 v_o o@ o u 0-ѴѴ vhbѴѴvĺ Ő( ő

Footy Day ol; 7u;vv;7 bm o u |;-l 1oѴo uvķ r-uঞ 1br-|; bm - ]-l; o= =oo|0-ѴѴ -m7 v_o o@ o u 0-ѴѴ vhbѴѴvĺ Ő( ő

Fri 24th

Week 2

PUBLIC HOLIDAY

PUBLIC HOLIDAY

o ruo]u-l u mmbm] |o7-

o ruo]u-l u mmbm] |o7-

Woori Yallock

Badger Creek

Mon 27th

Melbourne Zoo m|;um-ঞ om-Ѵ oohbm] - ol; ; rѴou; |_; -mbl-Ѵv o= |_; ouѴ7 -| ;Ѵ0o um; ;| bm|o |_; hb|1_;m |o 1u;-|; vol; ll |u;-| =ou ,ooĺ )b|_ -1ঞ bঞ ;v om |_; 7- -m7 l-m -mbl-Ѵv |o v;;ķ bm|;um-ঞ om-Ѵ 1oohbm] 7- ĺ o m;;7 |o 0ubm] Ѵ m1_ |o7- b| bv v u; |o 0; - 7- = ѴѴ o= = mĺ (EX) Ŋ ; bѴѴ 0; l-hbm] b| |o];|_;uĺ Ő ő

Tue 28th

Bingo and Trivia Day $;v| o u hmo Ѵ;7]; 0 1olr;ঞ m] -]-bmv| o u =ub;m7v -| -7];u u;;h (-1-ঞ om -u; b- ,oolĺ Ő( ő

Wed 29th

m|;um-ঞ om-Ѵ oohbm] - Melbourne Zoo ;| bm|o |_; hb|1_;m |o 1u;-|; vol; ll |u;-| =ou ol; ; rѴou; |_; -mbl-Ѵv o= |_; ouѴ7 -| ;Ѵ0o um; bm|;um-ঞ om-Ѵ 1oohbm] 7- ĺ o m;;7 |o 0ubm] Ѵ m1_ |o7- ,ooĺ )b|_ -1ঞ bঞ ;v om |_; 7- -m7 l-m -mbl-Ѵv |o v;;ķ Ŋ ; bѴѴ 0; l-hbm] b| |o];|_;uĺ Ő ő b| bv v u; |o 0; - 7- = ѴѴ o= = mĺ (EX)

Bingo and Trivia Day $;v| o u hmo Ѵ;7]; 0 1olr;ঞ m] -]-bmv| o u =ub;m7v -| )ooub +-ѴѴo1h (-1-ঞ om -u; b- ,oolĺ Ő( ő

Thu 30th

Yarra Glen Adventure Park Go on an adventure to the Yarra Glen Adventure Park and enjoy a picnic lunch. (EX)

!;1 1Ѵ;7 u-[ - ;| 1u;-ঞ ; vbm] - -ub;| o= u;1 1Ѵ;7 l-|;ub-Ѵv |o 1u;-|; o u ;u o m l-v|;u rb;1;ĺ Ő( ő

Fri 1st Oct

!;1 1Ѵ;7 u-[ - ;| 1u;-ঞ ; vbm] - -ub;| o= u;1 1Ѵ;7 l-|;ub-Ѵv |o 1u;-|; o u ;u o m l-v|;u rb;1;ĺ Ő( ő

Movies at Croydon Cinemas $-h; - |ubr |o ;mfo - lo b; -| uo 7om 1bm;l-v Őlo b; |o 0; 1omC ul;7őĺ Ő *ő

12506482-NG38-21

www.YarraRangesKids.com.au

SPRING 2021 23

Reality Bites

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

Pictures: Rob Carew

Anna with baby Rachel and some sensory learning boxes.

The not so perfect mum

By Melissa Meehan

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

ANNA Du Rieu is not your average influencer.

The Melbourne 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 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.

24 SPRING 2021

And it hasn’t stopped since.

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

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 and needed something to stimulate the kids.”

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.

“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.

“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.

“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

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

doing the dishwasher,” she said.

“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.”

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.

page solely to balance the negative and fake things out there.

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

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 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.

“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.”

“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.”

She took him to sleep school and found it traumatic.

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

“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.

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.

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

“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

“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.” www.YarraRangesKids.com.au

Reality Bites

From Italy with love

By Melissa Meehan

spent weeks on YouTube to try and learn more about Australia.

A summer fling turned into life and babies on the other side of the globe for Adriana Saraga.

“It was scary at first, but it’s great,” she said.

Adriana from Andezeno in north west Italy, met her now partner Peter when he visited her small village to attend a friend’s wedding.

The groom was Adriana’s cousin.

She was one of few people who spoke English, albeit self-taught from watching Disney movies.

They fell in love, she moved to Australia and now the Croydon couple have two young children together.

“It was supposed to be a summer adventure kind of thing,” she laughs.

“Before we knew we were in a little bit of trouble because we fell in love straight away.”

But after a long chat with her mum, Adriana knew it was meant to be.

“He’s an amazing person. It’s been really hard with Covid-19 not seeing my family and he’s been so understanding.”

Her mum was lucky enough to visit and offer support after the birth of their first child, Ava – who is now two.

But she couldn’t bear to be there for the actual birth.

“She thought she couldn’t handle seeing me in pain, but it was great to have her here,” Adriana said.

Sadly, due to Covid-19 and border restrictions Adriana hasn’t been able to see her family but keeps in touch regularly.

Adriana, who has recently been granted her permanent visa, says Australia is where she plans to raise the kids.

So she made the almost 15,000km journey knowing no one but Peter.

“For us, we plan to stay here – there are more opportunities for the whole family here,” she said.

In the month before she left, she

“As much as I love my family and

Adriana Saraga and Peter O’Brien with children Ava (2 years) and Joey (9 Months).

Picture: Rob Carew

my country, this is the place for us.”

he doesn’t understand Italian.

There are some very big and some other subtle differences about growing up in Italy compared to Australia.

“There are a few words she can swap easily between Italian and English. She knows she needs to speak Italian when on phone with Nonna and when she talks to my brother,” she said.

For instance, Adriana grew up surrounded by a huge family by Australian standards.

She was the eldest of more than 20 cousins, so had a lot of practice babysitting.

In her village, made up of only 2000 people, everyone knew each other.

Ava and Joey, who is nine-monthsold, will learn to speak Italian too.

Adriana already speaks to Ava in Italian when they are alone, but in English when Peter is around because

“And the way she says words in Italian - there’s a little bit of an accent, which is the cutest thing.”

For now, while the borders are closed, she’ll have to rely on video calls and her small Australian village, made up of friends from her mother’s group, organised by her local council.

“They have been fantastic, we still catch up now and it’s been such a great support for me. Some really great girls and friendships.”

Benjy sends socks to the storm battered 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 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 Orwin, 11, collects socks to donate to those in need through his charity Socks4Support. www.YarraRangesKids.com.au

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 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 25

Reality Bites

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 26 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.YarraRangesKids.com.au

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 www.YarraRangesKids.com.au

■ 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 SPRING 2021 27

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,

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

For kids aged 11+.

Scholastic Australia, RRP $15.99

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.

Bella the Brave is due for release on October 27.

Hachette Australia, RRP $19.99

RRP $19.99 28 SPRING 2021

www.YarraRangesKids.com.au

Kids Calendar

What's on this spring

These fun spring activities being run on five days over the school holidays from 11am to 2pm.

In the event of a lockdown, the centre will be running an online competition with activities and giveaways.

Lilydale Marketplace, 33 Hutchinson St, Lilydale. For more info, check out page 13 or visit www. lilydalemarketplace.com.au

29 SEPTEMBER DJIRRI DJIRRI DANCE WORKSHOP

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.

More info: https://www.together.vic. gov.au/victoria-nature-festival

SPRING SCHOOL HOLIDAYS FREE FUN FOR KIDS The team at Lilydale Marketplace are running free school holiday activities in their centre. Children can participate in activities such as creating critter keyrings, bug puppets, spring nesting birds and more. www.YarraRangesKids.com.au

Join the Djirri Djirri Dancers for a workshop. Kids will learn traditional Wurundjeri dances and how to sing in the Woiwurrung language.

The Djirri Djirri Dancers are the only Wurundjeri female dance group and have performed at Tanderrum, the opening of the Melbourne International Arts Festival. Suitable for ages 6+.

Children under the age of 9 need to be accompanied for the whole workshop by a parent or guardian. Tickets $12.

Adults do not need to pay for a ticket.

11am-11.30am, The Memo, Healesville Bookings: https://www.yarraranges. vic.gov.au/

UNTIL 17 OCTOBER

24 OCTOBER

DISNEY - THE ART OF ANIMATION

WALK FOR PREMS

Discover the creativity and innovation of almost 100 years of Disney Animation in ACMI’s latest Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibition

Enjoy a great family day out at Melbourne’s flagship Walk for Prems event at Albert Park Lake.

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.

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.

8.30am-1.30pm, Albert Park Lake

ACMI, Swanston Street and Flinders Street, Melbourne

For tickets and more info, visit https://www.walkforprems.org.au/ events/5/walk-together-melbourne-

For more info or tickets, visit https:// www.acmi.net.au/

ALL SPRING

Tickets $17-$26.

1 OCTOBER SHRINE KIDS LEARN TO SEW, KNIT, CROCHET A hands-on workshop suitable for beginners. Once you’ve mastered the basics you can choose to cut and sew a finger puppet, knit a bookmark, crossstitch a picture or weave a placemat.

Children under the age of 9 need to be accompanied for the whole workshop by a parent/ guardian.

Tickets $6. Adults do not need to pay for a ticket.

10am-12pm, Yarra Ranges Regional Museum

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.

Shrine of Remembrance, Birdwood Ave, Melbourne

Bookings: https://www.yarraranges. vic.gov.au/

POTTERY WORKSHOPS

22-24 OCTOBER

There are workshops in wheel throwing, hand building and paint your own pottery.

THE RIVER FOLK FESTIVAL The River Folk Festival is 3 days of live music, arts and culture held across multiple venues in Warburton.

The event will feature local, regional, and national performers, artisan markets and local food vendors, as well as providing engaging workshop opportunities, youth mentorship performances, and children’s events.

More info: https://www. theriverfolkfestival.com/

Robert Gordon has pottery workshops for all ages.

There is also a six-week pottery course, which 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 at 114 Mulcahy Road Pakenham.

Online bookings for the popular Paint Your Own Pottery and workshops are essential. Phone 03 5941 3302 or visit www.robertgordonaustralia.com SPRING 2021 29

TELEVISION

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

Political drama series for kids 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.

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.

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

As major disruptions begin to occur at Canberra landmarks – all seemingly

oh yes, life in ‘The Lodge’ as imagined by a stellar team of Australian creatives,” she said.

Sally Caplan, Head of Content at Screen Australia said the show was original and inspiring.

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

“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.”

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.

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