Education - Parenting Hub

leading expert advice from Impaq

Advice from the experts

Is Home Education Right For You?

Perhaps you live on a remote farm or your child is not receiving the individual attention he deserves in a crowded classroom. Maybe you don’t agree with the ideological, cultural or religious point of view of the schools in your area, or perhaps you’ve simply had enough of the daily school run… Whatever the reason, if you have considered educating your child at home, you are not alone. In fact, an increasing number of parents are taking on the role of “teacher”. According to the Homeschooling Curriculum Guide, the home education market is growing at a rate of 20% per year! Five reasons parents choose home education: Investing time in your child’s emotional, social, physical and intellectual development: If you choose home education, you take complete responsibility for your child’s education and development. You will be there every step of the way on their journey to adulthood. Flexibility to accommodate your child and your family’s specific needs: Home education allows you more freedom to accommodate a wide range of needs or to simply deal with life as it happens. Perhaps you have to travel frequently for sport or performance commitments, live far from school or suffer a tragedy in the family. It also helps a child who has trouble dealing with peer pressure, is struggling with language barriers or who cannot fit into a rigid school system. Control over the quality and content of your child’s curriculum: A key feature of home education is that children can progress at their own pace, in their own time. It also offers you the opportunity to make decisions about the content of your child’s curriculum. Research the various curriculum providers and choose the one that best suits your circumstances, expectations, norms and values. A good curriculum provider will offer you the necessary material and assistance to guide your child from Grade R to Grade 12. Creating a safe environment for your child to thrive: To be educated in the safe and familiar environment of the home is a wonderful experience for children. No more negative peer pressure, bullying or compromise on religious or moral beliefs. In addition, children who are educated at home work individually, measuring themselves against their own performance and not a class average. As such, these children learn to identify their own strengths and weaknesses, they always have to take responsibility for their performance, and they quickly learn that the outcome of their work equals their input. Have fun! It is such a privilege to spend the day with your child, to be a part of their learning process and see the awe on their faces as they discover more about the world. Enjoy this time that you have together and have fun in your lessons. The opportunity to explore your child’s interests and strengths is a fascinating journey – treasure it. What about children with special needs? Home education is a viable option for successfully teaching children with special needs, and parents choose this option for a number of reasons. They may be frustrated that schools are unable to provide the services their child needs, they may be discouraged by the way their child is treated by classmates, and in some instances teachers, or they may simply want to create a more ideal learning environment. Whatever the motivation, the benefits of educating children with special needs at home are varied and include: Guaranteed one-to-one instruction. Effective control over the environment to minimise distractions. Tailored instruction based on a child’s unique learning needs. Flexibility to adjust the daily schedule. More pertinent and productive learning. Greater opportunity for teaching real-world skills. Opportunity to tend to a child’s sensory needs. What does the law say? According to Section 51 of the South African Schools Act (Act 84 of 1996), home education is a legally recognised alternative to education at registered public and/or private schools. Parents of children in Grade 1 to Grade 9 (ages 7 to 15) have to apply to the head of the Provincial Department of Basic Education to register for home education. Grade 10 to Grade 12 learners, or learners older than 15 years, are not required to register. About Impak Impak was established in 2002 as a curriculum provider to home education learners. We have, however, experienced remarkable growth over the past 14 years and in 2014 we expanded our offering to include a broad range of educational products and services for schools and tutors. We currently serve approximately 10 000 learners and more than 400 schools and tutors across South Africa. We offer a CAPS (National Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement) aligned curriculum for Grade R to Grade 12 that is designed to ensure holistic learner development. In addition, we provide parents with all the products and services they need to successfully educate their children at home or with an Impak tutor. This includes step-by-step guidance in every subject, as well as online subject forums and other subject support services. We believe that a sound, comprehensive curriculum is more than a general guide of ideas and activities; it is a resource designed to meet each learner’s needs and to assure learning and development in all areas, including social, emotional and physical development, language and literacy skills, and creative expression. For more information, visit www.impak.co.za

February 23, 2016

Let them go… Let them go…

School started last month and yet your little ones are still clawing to you like you are delivering them to a place of intense torment and misery! The teachers have to pry your child off you and you have just discovered that they have superhuman strength. They hold so tight on to you, with those tiny arms and legs, that breaking free of their grip leaves you sweatier than a cardio gym session! Once you finally break free, and reorganise your clothes, you head to your car walking the walk of the guilty, of the unsure, of the broken-hearted and anxious parent. You second guess your decision to leave them. Every single day. And some days you cry yourself to work/home – the entire drive. When is this going to get better???! I’ve had a few parents call me over the past weeks to ask if they are doing the right thing? Are they causing more harm than good leaving them? Should they say goodbye or just sneak away? Does this aggravate separation anxiety? And my answer is this little scenario… Imagine you need to have an operation. Your mom is the one who will be taking you on the day and you are very nervous about it. Unfortunately, the day looms and there is no backing out. Your mom arrives and takes you to the hospital. You meet the doctor and it’s time for your mom to go. Which way would you prefer she said goodbye… OK my love. (HAND SQUEEZE) The doctor is here so I am going to leave you. (STILL HOLDING HAND) I am sure he’s a great doctor and it will be over before you know it! (TIGHT HUG) It won’t be too bad, you will see, and I will be back before you even realise. (HAND PAT) Good luck my love! Mommy loves you so much! I will be thinking of you the whole time. (BIG TIGHT HUG AND A WORRIED GOODBYE LOOK) Bye…. (SOFT TEARY VOICE) or…. Look darling! The doctor is here. He is so efficient – imagine how great he’s going to be in the op! I am going to go and leave you to it. I know you are in great hands and you are going to be absolutely fine. I will be back to collect you when it’s over. I love you. Bye darling. (HUG and KISS) Which one instils more confidence in you? Which one stills your concerns over the op? Just let them go. Say a very upbeat, positive goodbye that reassures them and makes them feel that if you are so happy to leave them and so confident about the goodbye, they must be in a safe place and they are sure to have a fun day. Prolonging the goodbye, giving in to the tears only makes them feel that you are also not sure about leaving them and equally worried, and if you are going to hurry back as soon as possible, it must be a terrible place to be. So… when the teachers tell you to just say a goodbye and go, trust them. And the answer to “When is this going to get better?” is, as soon as you can confidently leave them. They will pick up on your confidence and soon feel it themselves. You can do this!

February 18, 2016

Handy Tech Tips For The Back To School Run

Faryal Sacoor, Merchandising Buying Manager at Incredible Connection The back to school season is officially in full swing and many parents are still scratching their heads trying to find the best technology to help with their children’s education and learning. To help relieve you of any potential headaches, here’s a list of pointers. Many schools throughout the country are jumping on the digital age bandwagon and are now starting to embrace tablets and their associated benefits. But for some, it is still quite unnerving to say goodbye to traditional handbooks and embrace everything in electronic format. Without sounding too Borg-like, resistance seems to be futile. In fact, today’s learners are embracing a medium they have grown comfortable with given the growth of digital music and video, games, apps, and instant messaging. It’s often hard to believe that the younger generation are comfortable with tablets – even from as young as 2 – 3 years of age. A great example of this is the ClickTab Kids. This 7” 3G enabled tablet caters specifically for children between the ages of 3 and 10 years. The tablet comes pre-loaded with over 25 Apps and age appropriate Games for children with access to an App store with hundreds more. And for those inevitable drops and falls, the unit also comes fitted with a durable silicone rubber sleeve built to absorb the potential falls. Most importantly, is the built in parental controls that allow parents to limit the time that children can spend on the tablets, the time of day that play is allowed and even WhatsApp and games they can access. Parents can even set up profiles for different children of different ages and manage each child’s profile separately. For those with older kids, there is another tablet option with features such as voice calling, dual sim, FM radio and 3G embedded – and of course a front and rear camera to cater for the “selfie” generation, just to name a few. And in addition to a tablet, instead of relying on fingers that can very easily get dirty, consider buying a stylus. It helps with the transition from pen and paper to the screen and also enables really fine work for creative types who love drawing on their tablets. This makes a great birthday gift as well because it is so cost-effective and comes in a number of colours and styles. But tablets aside, there are also other gadgets on the market that can benefit children and do not necessarily cost an arm and a leg E-reader – there is something to be said for reading on a display that is designed to be as natural to the printed paper as possible. Factor in amazing storage and incredible battery life that potentially spans weeks and you have a more than functional device for the avid bookworm. What’s more – there are so many versions and options available that will not only meet your requirements and budget but one that the whole family can enjoy. Fitness Band – Another great gadget to consider is a fitness band like the Fitbit for example. With the rising trend of childhood obesity in South Africa, being active is vital to children growing up and this handy little device is a great way to motivate you and keep track of fitness goals which can then be incorporated where relevant across the family – ensuring that you have fun and exercise with your kids. There are a variety of fitness bands available on the market today are really great for basic use and most of them work very well in practise. In the end, your buying decision needs to be based around comfort and aesthetics. Of course, parents also should never lose sight of safety and security. This means for whatever technology you choose an anti-virus or internet security programme is a must. Most feature parental controls to help with internet monitoring as well as time restrictions when it comes to surfing the internet or playing games. Fortunately, many of the more well-known solutions come with multiple licenses so parents can install them on a tablet, laptop, and smartphone without any hassles. And of course you don’t want the hassle if something goes wrong with your products – so make sure you check warranties and return policies. Go for a technology outlet that offers a no-nonsense warranty 1 year swop out and even better, if they have a rental options or trade in options available, where you can bring in your old tech and get a great deal on new models then even better! Technology is a great aid for children and parents alike. While it might be intimidating at times, using the internet for research or asking staff at a retail outlet for advice and assistance should make the transition that much easier to ensure you get a fun and educational device for your kids, but one that is also safe and provides peace of mind for mom and dad.

February 12, 2016

Headaches – A Leading Cause Of Absenteeism

In a developing economy such as South Africa a healthy work force is vital for future growth. It is therefore not only necessary, but vital to identify causes of absenteeism amongst working-age adults. A recent study found that not only are migraine and tension-type headaches among the most common causes of lost work time, but the prevalence is around the age of 40 – a time when individuals are at the peak of their work abilities. The study was published in Occupational Neurology and examined the substantial impact of headaches on individual work productivity. Furthermore, it found that it also places a burden on the employers and society in terms of medical costs. The research also indicates a difference in demographics which is also reflected in absenteeism: Approximately 18% of females and 6% of males in the general population suffer from migraines. Dr. Elliot Shevel, a South African migraine surgery pioneer and the medical director of The Headache Clinic, says chronic daily headaches (which mean 15 or more headache days per month) are a leading cause for absenteeism and it represents a widely accepted stage of pain progression that occurs in 2-4% of the population. “Treatment of headaches can be acute or preventive. The goals of acute treatment are timely alleviation of pain and associated symptoms without reoccurrence and restoring the ability to function. This also minimizes the use of back-up and rescue medications, and is thus providing the best cost-effective management which will in turn lead to better individual productivity,” he says. “Migraine preventative medications are used to decrease future attack frequency, severity and duration, improving the response to acute treatment, and improving the overall function of the patient.” The current study suggest using preventative medications in instances where patients are reporting migraines either 3-6 or more days per month, especially when these are working days. The burden from letting headaches go untreated also results in societal costs from underemployment and unemployment among those of working age who suffer. Shevel recommends sufferers should seek professional help when headaches or migraines start to interfere with their functioning at work. “We have a multidisciplinary team who can apply both acute and preventative treatment.” Contact us on 0861 678 911 or visit our website at www.theheadacheclinic.net to find out more.

February 5, 2016

Meal planning for the child with ADHD

Ask ten nutrition experts what you should eat and you will get ten, often-conflicting diet plans. Add Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) to the mix and you will be even more confused. Firstly ADHD is not caused by diet. There have been numerous studies over the years to support this statement. Does diet affect ADHD children? Of course, Diet, as in “what we eat”, affects each one of us whether we have ADHD or not. If you feel unsteady on a stairway, you grab the banister to steady yourself. Likewise, if your child’s (or your) brain chemistry is off kilter with ADHD, favouring healthy foods engenders equilibrium. By providing a healthy diet and environment is the most pleasurable – and the least invasive – way to care for your loved ones and yourself. The information given in this article need not be exclusively for the use of the ADHD child but all members of the family will benefit from making this subtle yet effective change to their daily eating schedule. The diet for the ADHD child is the bedrock on which you need to build all other therapies. It is no use adding a handful of supplements to your child’s diet if their actual daily intake is not even meeting the basic recommended dietary intakes (RDI’s) for their age. Supplements added to a balanced healthy diet will be much more effective if taken with good food than as an isolated tablet. The ADHD child’s response to therapies like Occupational therapy, physiotherapy etc. will be much better if the child has the necessary energy resources to draw from during a therapy session. If your child requires medication to treat her ADHD symptoms then starting off with a sound, healthy dietary platform will only enhance the effectiveness of the medication. Likewise attentiveness, concentration and participation in class is a lot more probable if your child has eaten a healthy, well balanced breakfast and this is true for all children, not just children with ADHD. Allergies have also been studied extensively with their link to ADHD so let’s just briefly unpack this before we go into the details of some healthy diet tips. Children and adults, who have allergies, be they to foods, additives or the environment are not generally happy people while their allergies are aggravating them. A child who has rhinitis (runny nose) and is constantly sniffing and coughing due to the aggravation of a post nasal drip will struggle to sit still and focus on what the teacher is saying or the work he should be doing. The distinction needs to be made between ‘food allergies causing ADHD versus the symptoms of the allergy exacerbating the symptoms of ADHD. If you suspect your child has allergic tendencies to certain foods then you must get that seen to by taking your child to a specialist or undertaking an elimination diet under the advice of a trained professional. Having said all of this, changing diet is a process and not like taking a pill. It takes time, commitment and patience and more importantly ‘buy-in’ from the family members. When changing eating habits, it is important to involve the family members and give explanations. Children respond well when they understand. Children are also extremely trusting and if the change can make sense they will generally give it a good try. When making changes to the diet it is important to observe the context of the whole change process. For example if you cut out all chicken from your child’s diet, it may not be the lack of chicken that is causing irritability and discontent. It might be that you took away all her favourite meals in one shot and she’s a little upset about it. Looking at the whole picture is a good idea and moderation is always good. Wanting your child to eat well is one thing. Getting him to do so is another. As already mentioned the best way to get your child to eat well is to eat well yourself. That is having good food at hand and minimizing the less healthful choices. Letting your child help prepare food magically whets her appetite. Creating something yummy is empowering no matter what your age. Daily foods to include: Good Starches If you take in a lot of sugary treats such as sweets, fizzy and sugary cool drinks, cakes and biscuits it will cause your blood sugar levels to rise and fall due to the insulin (hormone to break down sugar) levels that will rise and fall. This constant up and down will result in mood changes and irritability. When children get a blood sugar drop, unlike us, they will try and feel better by getting busier and will do what ever it takes to stay alert which often results in over compensation. Offer low glycaemic carbohydrate foods as often as possible, like seed bread, rice, pasta, provitas etc. Foods are well labelled with Low Glycaemic Index labels and these should be foods of choice for your ADHD child. Limit fruit juices to 1 glass diluted fruit juice per day. Eat whole fruits instead. Aim to include 2 – 3 fruits per day. Offer water for thirst. Iced rooibos tea mixed with a little pure fruit juice is also a refreshing option. Remember however that it is the glycaemic (sugar) load of the whole meal that is important so including a protein with the carbohydrate will be an advantage to stabilizing blood sugar levels. This also helps when you offer starches that are a little higher on the glycaemic index, like a white hot dog roll or a tortilla. Good proteins Have a serving of protein rich food at every meal and snack, including breakfast. Sources of protein include eggs, fish, meat, cheese and soybeans, nuts, peanut butter. Eat snacks like cheese sticks and biltong slices. Good veggies For the good of your health, use a wide variety of vegetables and prepare them in diverse ways. Aim daily to include 3

February 4, 2016

Learning Using Everyday Items From Around Your Home

This article is to give you some fun ideas on how to stimulate your child’s development at home using everyday things from around the home. To touch briefly on the biology of learning, which in a nutshell is all about the brain. A child learns the most up to the age of 3 years. This is because when children are born, their brains are around 25% of the adult size, however by 1 year your child’s brain has shot up to about 66% of it’s eventual size and by the age of 3 years, your child’s brain is nearly 90% of it’s eventual size. The brain & the nerves in the spinal cord work together as a network sending messages backwards & forwards to every part of the body. Each person is born with a certain number of brain cells (in the region of 100 billion), which is the potential of the brain. What makes the difference is the number of connections between these brain cells that activates this potential of our brains. Stimulating the brain helps to connect more of the brain cells, so that we use as much of our brain’s potential as possible. This is where some of the debate around the influence of genetics and experiences that we provide for our children come into play – which is more important? Science shows us that before birth, babies’ brains develop in a predictable genetic way. But recent scientific studies show that the brain is “moulded” by experience. Some of the early connections between the brain’s neurons depend on stimulating the senses (e.g.. sight, sound, smell, taste & touch). In this way, these early learning experiences can affect the ability of the central nervous system to learn & store information. Different types of learners: Visual Learners: Like to look at different things e.g. pictures & models Will close their eyes to visualize Prefers quite environments Remembers faces better than names Auditory Learners: Are talkative & like the sound of their own voices Listens to others Can work in noisy environments Remembers names better than faces Kinesthetic Learners: Prefer to move around Very active, fidgets & can’t concentrate for long Prefers to actively participate in order to learn Find it difficult to repeat what is heard Your child will also fall into one of these types of learners, but it’s so important to add the other half of the equation before you can really gauge which type your child falls into. The other important part of the puzzle is: what is developmentally appropriate for his / her age. For example: If we look at attention span, we need to remember that it is developmentally appropriate for babies to concentrate 1 minute per year of their age. So what might feel like a short attention span for us adults, could actually be longer than is developmentally appropriate & therefore doesn’t necessarily mean that your baby is a kinesthetic learner. Everyday items for educational play: From your Kitchen: From about the 6 month sitting stage, containers are a huge hit! For example, plastic Tupperware containers or even packaging that you would throw away. Things like empty plastic milk bottles make super rattles, empty Coke bottles for encouraging crawling (loco motor skills) & empty margarine tubs make great stacking tubs. Also, an empty pot with a wooden spoon makes a lovely drum sound & starts to teach concepts like cause & effect. Experimenting with different types of food is a wonderful way to introduce different textures as well as to stimulate the control of the small muscles (fine motor) of the hand. Things to look out for: Food allergies that your child may have Safety of the object e.g.. size of the object & possibility of chocking hazard From your Bedroom: Different textures of clothing eg. Cotton, satin, velvet, corduroy, wool, chiffon which stimulates the sensation of touch. Making home made mobiles using a clothing hanger & tying different interesting objects to hang from it. This is to help with visually tracking objects. Using any soft light clean clothing to play peek a boo games, which start with the journey of mastering object permanence. Things to look out for: Safety of the object e.g.. that possible chocking hazards such as buttons are very secure on the item of clothing. Any loose cords or ties are supervised to prevent the risk of strangulation. From your Bathroom: Toiletry items that are non toxic for example, baby aqueous cream, petroleum jelly, shaving cream which all provide wonder messy tactile stimulation. Mirrors can be a wonderful source of entertainment & fun! Mirrors can be used in so many different ways for example: smearing safe toiletries on them (sensory experience), playing peek a boo with behind them (stimulating the concept of object permanence). Body brushes, loofahs & exfoliating mesh sponges are also fantastic sources of different textures which stimulate the sensation of touch. Things to look out for: That the toiletry items are non toxic & that the child is supervised so that he / she doesn’t put toiletries in their mouths. Always supervise the child around water to prevent any drowning which can happen in just a few centimetres of water. Everyday things you hope they won’t play with, but they probably will: Land line & cell phones – I’ve had mine washed in the dogs water bowl, but the favorite place for a lot of young children is to throw them in the toilet! Remotes for the TV, DVD machine & CD player – a fantastic toy from a baby’s point of view because it responds with lights & noises when they push the buttons. It does also teach them cause & effect, but there are many other objects that we would prefer them to play with that will teach them the same thing.. Appliances such as buttons & dials on the oven, stove, dishwasher & washing machines – again young babies love these machines responding to them, but they pose dangerous risks such as fire. Children really do learn through play!

January 14, 2016

When Do You Know Your Child Is Ready For Chapter Books?

We often think that pushing our kids to read chapter books and away from picture books is a sign that they are more advanced readers. Being the first to learn to read in the class may look impressive but you run the risk that that same pressure will in fact diminish a child’s independent love of reading and hold her back from achieving later on. Do not think that just because chapter books have more text, full paragraphs and fewer pictures, they are therefore more complex than picture books. Children learn certain critical comprehension skills from picture books that cannot be taught through chapter books, such as: interpreting pictures based on the information given in the text; understanding that there is more to a story than what the words convey; and visualizing a story in their own mind. Furthermore a well-chosen picture book is rich in language and vocabulary which promotes better reading comprehension. As your young child starts becoming a reader do not be tempted to throw away all the picture books on the shelf. In the transition phase the parent should alternate reading chapter books and picture books to their child. In our house my 7 year old daughter practises her aloud reading as she reads her reader from school and any other picture book she wants. At the same time I read to her at night. At the moment I am busy reading “James and the Giant Peach” by Roald Dahl to her. However, some nights she wants me to read one of her favourite picture books and I do that without question. I know she is still developing vital reading skills from the picture book. Parent tip: Simply spend time enjoying (all kinds of) books with your children

November 17, 2015

Avoid the January financial slump – get into gear for the school run!

By 1Life In between convincing your child to do their homework and fetching them on time for their extra mural activity, the cost of schooling and education may not be at the top of every parent’s mind – however, the cost of schooling can often be trying on the monthly budgets as you battle everything from text books to school clothes for children that seem to grow faster every year. Did you know that according to Stats SA the cost of education in South Africa rose by 9.3%* in March 2015 compared to March last year. Added to that, the rand/dollar exchange rate contributed to a rising costs in school textbooks and materials, resulting in South African families having to make more room in their already-tight budgets to afford the rising education costs. In light of these rising costs, 1Life provides helpful tips and advice to parents in preparation for the financial commitments ahead for 2016 and encourages parents not to wait for January, but to rather start now and avoid the post festive season rush. Use these simple, yet effective, tips to make the 2016 school run, your best yet: Start looking around for what your child needs Use the last few months of the year to start looking around for school supplies that your child may need going into the new school year. Compare prices, opt for the more affordable options and include these into your monthly budget planning – even buy some of it now, to avoid having to fork out too much later, and all at once. Start with stationery supplies such as pens, pencils, erasers, rulers, a pencil case or three – if you buy these now, you’ll save money before the beginning of the year rush and price increases. Only buy brand new, if you need to While you may want your child to have brand new school supplies going into their new grade, do they really need a brand new school jersey or can they use the one from the previous year? Always ask yourself these questions before purchasing school items: does it need to be brand new or can one from the school second hand shop do just fine? You can also speak to parents of children in higher grades than yours to see if they are prepared to hand their old clothes down, particularly for expensive items such as jerseys, blazers, dri-macs etc. This will free up some extra cash within your budget for other necessities. If your child has expressed an interest in a certain sport, avoid buying all the top line equipment, rather go second hand or less expensive initially so that if he or she loses interest, you won’t be too badly out of pocket. Try not to overspend during the festive season Although it may be easy to get carried away during the festive season, getting lured into your favourite shops to buy at your heart’s desire and spoil your loved ones – remember that your child’s education should remain a priority. Spend within your means and always make provision for extra things that pop up during the school year – school trips, cake and candy sales, Valentine’s Day celebrations, civvies days etc. It is also a good idea to put any additional money such as bonuses, or even part of your December salary away before the festive season gets into full swing – to make sure you have the money you need when the school run starts. Become money savvy this year, to help you for next year Why not register for a money management and education course which will provide practical guidance on how to best manage your money. In fact, this can be done easily and for free through 1Life’s Truth About Money initiative. Here, you can learn about sound money management through a free 8-hour online financial education course. You are also able to take advantage of debt management should you currently feel overwhelmed by your existing debt as well as plan for your family’s future with will and estate planning. In fact, 1Life are giving away 10 Truth About Money online courses (each course valued at R1 500) to 10 lucky readers who would like to get their finances on track, not just for the January school run but for the rest of their lives. To stand a chance of winning this life-changing financial literacy course simply answer the below question: Which long term insurance company started the Truth About Money initiative? We encourage parents to develop good money management habits and pass these onto your children from a young age to help them develop a good perception of managing money, as early as possible for a stable and promising financial future. Planning for the new school year ahead can be both expensive and stressful for parents – but it doesn’t have to be. Start putting effective financial measures in place as early as possible, both for the school run and the rest of the year, giving yourself the peace of mind that your child’s school needs are covered! *http://www.bdlive.co.za/national/education/2015/04/28/cost-of-education-rises-double-that-of-inflation

November 12, 2015

Life After Matric – How To Decide

This month, hundreds of thousands of young South African are sitting the most important exams of their schooling years. But the pressures at this time are a lot more than the stresses of studying and the anxieties about how they are going to perform. It is also a time of facing incredible uncertainties about the huge life-changes that are looming up ahead and the big decisions that need to be made about their lives after matric. We put Samantha Pretorius, Counselling Psychologist and Head of Programme at SACAP (the South African College of Applied Psychology) on the couch to answer burning questions from South African matriculants and parents about how best to make these all-important decisions: How can a parent support their matriculant to make a career decision that might not be what the parent imagined? Parents need to be as open-minded as possible so that they can acknowledge and support the individuality of their child. You can’t assume that your career path would be good for your child; or that it wouldn’t just because you did not enjoy it. Conflict with someone as influential as a parent about what to do after matric, can prevent your child from getting on a path to success that is right for them. If you have high hopes for a doctor or a lawyer in the family, and your child is passionate about graphic design, pushing your agenda can have a seriously negative impact. You have to remember that the impact of your perspective is huge. Children care what their parents think of them throughout their lives, whether they admit it or not. It is a great time to let go of the authoritarian role and instead become a fellow explorer and collaborator. Showing an interest helps so much, as does practical support such as taking them to open days at potential higher educational institutions. Parents can help with the research of different careers fields and types of jobs. They can activate their networks to find work shadow opportunities and help find bursary options. What they need to avoid at this sensitive stage is getting into power struggles. It is not helpful to be saying: ‘I’m paying for this, so you will…’ Keeping your focus on your unique child’s life satisfaction and future happiness will be a reliable guide for you as to what to do and say. It is also very important to realise that your child is part of the fast-moving, quickest-changing generation known in history. Career expectations, opportunities and trajectories have fundamentally changed over the last few decades. The goal of 3-decade long career with one company, in one industry has been completely overturned. The rate of tech-driven change is so fast that there will even be a host of different careers available straight after your child has graduated from post-school studies. The wise choice at this time is to be open-minded and collaborative. What’s the best way to make a decision that will affect the rest of my life? It is incredibly daunting for a 17 or 18 year old to think that they are making a decision that will affect the rest of their life. It helps to settle the fears by going through the process of making a holistic decision that takes into account everything that you know about yourself. To begin that process you need to gather all the information you can about yourself; consider, reflect on and know your skills, values, passions, talents and abilities really well. During this information-gathering phase it also helps to consult with people you trust and have your best interests at heart. Those might be your parents, teachers, other family members or select peers. Find out from them what they perceive about your skills, values, passions, talents and abilities and consider their feedback. You can then start to identify career fields that you are aligned to. Make sure you have an understanding of the different kinds of career opportunities that may be available to you in those fields once you have graduated from further studies. If you struggle to find the resources to go through this process alone you can go through a career counselling process with a psychologist who will collaborate with you and help you through this process. This could include psychometric testing which can be a reassuring confirmation of what you already know or provide new insights that you have not considered before. What if I make the wrong choice? It may seem right now that your life itself hangs in the balance with the answer to the question: ‘What will you do after matric?’ It is important to remember that while it is possible that you may not make the so-called ‘perfect’ choice initially, even a ‘wrong’ decision results in invaluable learning. For instance, if you now choose a particular degree and after your first year of study you are sure it is not for you, you have still gained a great year of new knowledge, skills and experience through the one year of training you have undergone. You will have still grown as a person. You need to try and see this not as a ‘waste’ of your time or of finances. More often than not, our greatest learning and most vigorous personal growth come from our ‘mistakes’. It helps to take the heat off your decision-making process to take on the perspective that a ‘wrong’ choice at this stage can be rectified in time, and you still would have gained many other skills from your experience, such as study skills, self-management skills, perhaps leadership and time management skills. There’s no doubt you would have improved your self-knowledge. This helps you to take on a more positive approach where you are willing to explore and open to changing course when you realise you need something different. What if I don’t know what I want to do after Matric? Should I be taking a gap year? What is the advantage of taking one? Gap

November 9, 2015

Exam Headaches

A recent study conducted at the University of Parakou found that the main triggering factors for headaches and migraines in students were sleeplessness and mental fatigue. Researchers collected the height and weight of each student, to study the factors associated with migraines. Researchers found that of 1200 students that returned their questionnaires, who were 842 males and 358 females, 171 fulfilled migraine criteria. The overall prevalence of migraines was 14.2% in each student. The main associated factors in the study were the sex of the student and family history of headaches. According to Dr Elliot Shevel the Chairman of the South African division of the International Headache Society; headaches have become an ordinary occurrence for students around exam times and many of them feel helpless when dealing with this problem. Exam stress often brings on headaches and migraines and pupils become overwhelmed by the immense pressure of performing at their best and their state of health often gets neglected. Dr. Shevel the Chairman of the South African division of the International Headache Society has the following advice for students: Dietary headache is a common affliction for students. These are usually triggered by foods that assist with energy such as caffeine and chocolate. Take note of which foods trigger headaches for you by keeping a diary and avoid these foods. A Dietary Trigger Diary is available at free of charge to assist you. Remember that skipping meals is a surefire trigger for headaches. Eat in moderation and enjoy your meals. Be aware of your posture when studying as this can result in a tension headache. Use a good chair that supports your back and that gives the ideal posture. Visit http://www.theheadacheclinic.net/ to get a free copy of the Ideal Computer Posture. Learn some easy stretching exercises to stretch the muscles of your head, face, neck and jaw. Stretching should be gentle and soothing, not agonizingly painful. Stretch your neck and jaw muscles carefully and you will get results! A free demonstration by our physio therapist Uru Chiba is available at this link http://www.theheadacheclinic.net/#!free-assistace/c17qc Beware of Medication Overuse Headache. Medication is only appropriate for someone who suffers a few times a month. According to the International Headache Society, if you are taking headache medication more than twice a week you are at risk of developing Medication Overuse Headache. This means that the drugs you are taking will cause the headache or migraine to become more severe and more frequent over time. This leads to a downward spiral into constant medication use and constant pain. The more medication you take, the more pain you are in, the more medication you need, and the cycle continues. It is important that you keep your stress levels to a minimum. Plan ahead to guarantee that you have enough time to study and that you get sufficient rest each night. One should also take regular breaks to ensure that you don’t get overworked. “If the problem persists, it is imperative that you get an accurate diagnosis” added Dr Shevel. There are a number of treatment options that can be investigated. The longer the headache persists, the more damage will be done. Dr. Shevel suggests getting to the bottom of the problem and resolving the pain permanently. For further details on the study please contact Nadia Ismail on 0861 678 911

November 5, 2015

Your Child’s Development – Making it Fun!

“Just as my maternity leave was coming to an end, I was asked by Parenting Hub to review the Skidz Activity Box for 0 – 6 Months.” Our Parenting Hub reader to whom we gave the Skidz Activity Box was preparing to go back to work after being at home for the last four months with her beautiful little boy. Because her baby boy is going to be at home in the care of his Nanny, she told us that she had been trying to find ways to keep him stimulated whilst she was away at work and so the Skidz Activity Box came at just the right time. “What I particularly liked about the Skidz Activity Box is the fact that it comes with manual loaded with information so relevant to my baby boy who is now four months old.” The manual not only gives you a list of activities that you can do from birth to six months but includes detailed instructions on how to do everything as well. These include various physical exercises that you can do with your baby, what will be achieved through these exercises, how to do them and when is best to do them. “The manual is also broken up into a weekly curriculum for 0 to 3 months and 3 to 6 months outlining exactly what you can be doing with your baby every day. What I found so helpful with this weekly curriculum was that I was able to give it to my baby’s Nanny who can follow each activity on a daily basis.” If you don’t want to follow the detailed curriculum, you can set one up that works best for you and your baby and the manual includes a section to guide you as to how to do this – brilliant! The box includes everything that you need to work with to follow the curriculum. Stimulating fabrics, toys, textures, colours and sounds. Everything that you need is included in the box. From our Mom, a big high five to Chantelle du Toit who put together this programme. She told us that she would recommend this product to all moms of little children. “Especially where you have to return to work and you’re not going to put your baby in crèche.” Skidz Activity boxes can be obtained through the Skidz website www.skidz.co.za

October 15, 2015

Tech Solutions Can’t Solve Learning Problems

As technology becomes an ever increasing element of our daily lives, educational specialists will gather to discuss how best to incorporate it in schools. However, technology cannot solve learning problems, caution Edublox. On Friday 28 August 2015 teachers and education specialists will gather with IT personnel at the Technology in Education Conference in Johannesburg to explore technology in the education sector and discuss ways to improve outcomes in the classroom, particularly for Mathematics and Science. Edublox Educational Practitioner, Louna Spies will discuss the relationship between technology and cognitive skills in Maths education. “There’s no doubt that technology is a valuable tool for learning and there are many associated educational benefits, but teachers and parents should be careful to introduce technology as a learning tool at the right time and place according to a child’s needs and ability,” says Susan du Plessis, Director of Educational Programmes at Edublox. Calculators, considered to be the most basic technology used in classrooms for many years, are not included in Grade 1 or Grade 2 school stationary lists. This, says du Plessis, is because children first need a foundational understanding of numbers, counting, addition and subtraction before technology can be used as a ‘short-cut.’ “Parents and teachers should note that technology cannot replace educational support for children with learning problems,” says du Plessis. Computer programs designed to improve eye movement are now widely used as an intervention tool for reading difficulties. While eye movements are important for reading, Paarl-based optometrist Lizelle Loock warns that improving eye movements will not solve a reading problem. “Vocabulary, letter sounds and knowledge of spelling rules must first be established before reading can improve; only after these elements have been dealt with can we introduce computer reading programs to increase reading speed,” says Loock. Du Plessis adds that cognitive skills such as focused attention, visual and auditory processing, memory and logical thinking also need to be developed before effective reading can take place. Computer-based reading assessments can give parents a false sense of security regarding their child’s reading ability, says du Plessis who has noted that attention and memory have been negatively affected by technology. “Children do not have the memory capability they used to have and technology plays a role in this. Given the ease with which information can be found these days, knowing where to look is becoming more important for children than actually memorising something.” Studies have found that reading from a book is more beneficial for long-term memory and comprehension than reading off a screen.* “Parts of the brain are developed through handwriting practice, something that touch-screen technology cannot provide. “There is value in writing by hand,” says du Plessis, “it helps fire up our brains to generate more ideas than typing does and it assists with conceptual understanding.” A $10 million dollar study** involving 15 computer-based reading and Maths programs, 9424 learners and 439 teachers at 132 schools in the United States found no difference in academic achievement between students who used the technology in their classrooms and youngsters who used other methods. Tips for parents Do not rely on a computer program to assess your child’s reading ability, speed and comprehension. Look for scientific reading assessments conducted by a qualified specialist. Ensure your child reads aloud to you regularly from a book they select for themselves. Ask them questions to gauge their level of understanding of what they have just read. Monitor the time your child spends looking at a screen for educational or recreational purposes, whether it is a TV, computer, iPad or cell phone. School can be very boring for a child who is exposed to technology all the time. Light from screens in the evening suppresses melatonin levels, a hormone that helps control your sleep and wake cycles. Let your child read an actual, printed book before bedtime. When your child is a good reader, use computer technology to broaden their horizons and teach them to speed read. Edublox are leading specialists in cognitive development with 22 reading and learning clinics across Southern Africa. Edublox offers multi-sensory cognitive training, aimed at developing and automatising the foundational skills of reading, spelling and mathematics. For more information about Edublox visit www.edublox.co.za. *http://mic.com/articles/99408/science-has-great-news-for-people-who-read-actual-books ** http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20094041/pdf/20094042.pdf

September 17, 2015

Bully Proof Vests

The chances of your child being bullied or the bully at some point in their 13 years of formal schooling is quite high. The question for me is not necessarily how to stop them from being bullied (as much as we would all love to live in some utopian bully-free society), but how to increase their resilience so that if this does happen it isn’t detrimental to their sense of self or their enjoyment of school. Here are a couple of quick tips that can help… Everyone has all traits. Labelling someone as a bully or labelling yourself as a victim just exacerbates the problem. When we understand others, and can see ourselves in them, we have a much greater chance of tolerance and problem solving. While this is essential information for parents and teachers in solving the bullying in their environment, it can help the kids too to see more similarities than differences and to start to understand why someone bullies and what might be going on in their lives that has created this problem. If a child knows that the so called “bully” is being bullied themselves (perhaps by another child or a parent figure), or is having problems at home, this can help them to see it as the problem of the bully and not because there is something inherently wrong with them (and therefore labelling themselves as a victim or as flawed in some way). We need to model for and teach our children healthy self-talk. Correct your child (and yourself) when you catch them saying negative things about themselves. A simple exercise for this is to write positive self-affirming messages on your mirrors. Most people learn early on to look at themselves in the mirror and criticise. Turning this around can go a long way towards helping kids to develop a strong sense of self-worth. If you want children to learn to say “no” to peer pressure and in difficult situations you need to give them the opportunity to do this at home. So few parents respect the “no” of their children and then wonder why kids don’t respect their “no’s” or buckle under the pressure of their peers. So the next time your child says “no” to sharing their sweets with you, let their no mean no! Make sure your child’s needs are being met, particularly in times of change such as starting a new school. If their needs for certainty, significance, love, growth, variety or contribution are not being fulfilled in positive ways, they may unconsciously look to fulfil these in negative ways, which can include attracting bullies into their lives. Speak to your children often about how they are feeling, what their concerns are, and please take them seriously when they are feeling unhappy in a new situation and help them to find way to alleviate this distress. Make sure that your children are parent-oriented and not peer-oriented. One of the greatest determinants for whether a child will become a bully or become a victim of a bully is related to their level of parent vs peer-orientation. Are your children looking to you to decide what is right or wrong, where to go, what to do and how to behave or are they looking to their friends for this guidance? If a child is peer-oriented they are at a much greater risk for bullying and you are also less likely to find out about it. Peer-oriented kids try desperately to fit in and be liked and are therefore vulnerable to peer pressure. This does not only apply to teenagers, as even pre-school children can be peer-oriented. Children are more likely to be peer-oriented if they spend long hours at school and/or at play dates or extra murals where they are not properly supervised or where they do not have a good connection with the adult/s in charge. This does not mean that aftercare is out, but that you need to make a concerted effort to connect with your children deeply in the time that you do have with them – find things in common, speak to them with respect, be present for them on the weekends, etc. The more your children feel connected to you, the more resilient they are to bullying. The world is not perfect, and our playgrounds are unfortunately rife with bullying. There is simply no way we can guarantee our children a bully-free schooling experience. But, by being involved in our children’s lives, being open to honest, non-judgemental communication and by helping them to fulfil their needs and develop a healthy sense of self we can at least give them bully-proof vests!

September 10, 2015

Emotional Pain Of Bullying

Bullying takes root in children, who many times have been the victims of intimidation themselves. To soothe their own injured spirits, they appear to have the need to wound another person. It might have to do with gaining back some semblance of power into their lives. It might also stem from their desire to overcome their own fears, derived from victimisation. I am aware that when a child is intimidated by a parent, or a person they love, they are helpless to stop it or control it. Some children fear for their safety every day. They get back their control, by victimising another person. Most bullies, likely have been mistreated. The extent of their torment, might be measured in the amount of bullying they are guilty of. Actually bullies do not feel superior or impressive. They are angry and full of distrust and rage. They seek revenge because they live in fear. Their answer is to attack before you are hurt. Bullies simply do not comply with the rules, and in the process create hardships and troubles. We need to take a look at the way we interact with our children. Do we intimidate verbally, strike, or become aggressive with our child? Do we threaten, hurt, or torment the pets in our household? Once we correct it in ourselves it will be easier to amend it in our children. Watching or encouraging our child to aggressively interact with other children, promotes an acceptance of this behaviour. Infringing on the space or items of others, must be acted upon, through adult intervention. Those moments we observe our child take another child’s turn, or grab another child’s item, while we smile without interfering, we have condoned the actions. It really is demoralising for other kids, to be pushed aside or shoved out-of-the-way due to a gentler nature, or younger aged child. Might does not make it right. Stepping in to correct it a bit late, is also possibly giving a blessing to the actions. It is lame to always correct our child with the words, say you are sorry. If we make no effort to retrieve the toy from our child, we have made no point of instruction. Kids are capable of such kindness, but perhaps they believe parents expect them to behave aggressively. The parents may not strike their kids, but they expect roughness on the playing field, and in life in general. There are times to be aggressive, but there are more times we need to display an empathetic quality to our natures. Bullying in children is cutting a line, taking someone’s seat on the bus, threatening, hitting, and being aggressive verbally or physically. Bullying is also intimidation in the form of asking for part of another child’s snack at school, asking for snack money, or threatening another to refrain from telling on them. Bullying can also be deciding who will be in the club, who will be ignored, who will not get to hold a treasured item, or touch or handle a treasured toy. It can be when a child receives their paper last every time a certain child is the paper passer. Bullying can be the snarling looks one child gives to another child behind an adult back. It might be a refused request to join a game. It’s also when one is made to feel inferior. Bullying is making others do things or say things they likely do not want to say or do. When one student deliberately crashes into another student, but then states it was an accident, red flags should go up. It can be sitting on a swing so another child can’t use it. Children refrain from complaining because they fear the retaliation from a bully. Harassing is one child stepping on someone’s toes accidentally on purpose. Parents uphold a child’s persecuting of others when it is not dealt with at home, after a notification of such an incident. Home environments that encourage bullying, prevent it from being eradicated. Unless more consideration is given to these matters by parents, bullying will most likely increase. Parents must use the easiest answer of all, which is simply teaching children to stop terrorising and harassing others. By promoting kindness and respect, bullying will be wiped out. Simply following the rules teaches children how one engages respectfully with others. It is important in the scheme of life, to be aware of tolerating others. We are all required to refrain from illicit actions conducted on another person. The sooner we learn to relate to others, the quicker we have harmony. We perhaps should ask ourselves how it would feel to be in the other person’s shoes. Would we enjoy climbing aboard a bus, to be confronted with intimidation? Do we browbeat our own children, causing them to frighten others? If we do nothing to stop bullying as conscientious adults, then we have become enablers. We will continue to have and endure the difficulties we are creating. By refusing or ignoring to remedy the taunting, places an infringement on the freedom of others. In essence, kids must be saved from the tormenters they encounter in their lives. People form friendships which are wonderful. These friendships become less wonderful when they become a clique to the point of excluding others. When a chance arises, oppression will occur again. Harassment of others, perhaps stems from the degree of their own oppression. Teenagers face even more bullying with the improvement of technology. They may have no relief from these encounters with bullies. The saddest part is they will complain less because they are ashamed, demoralised and believe they are old enough to deal with it themselves. Parents may not even be aware of the extent of their child’s torments. It’s possible that adults may have started the epidemic by physically punishing their own children. Question our motives. Think about the bullying damage we do. We can’t take it back, any more than we can collect all of the feathers we dumped, from

August 20, 2015

Rethinking The Way We Plan Our Children’s Diaries

As schools reopen for the second half of the academic year, parents will once again be forced to make decisions about what extramural activities their children will take in Term 3. Be it horse riding, piano, rugby, tennis, gymnastics, squash or choir – their carefree winter holidays will soon become a distant memory. “It’s time to rethink the way we plan our children’s diaries,” says Edublox Director of Educational programmes, Susan du Plessis. “Too many children are busy going from one afternoon activity to the next, every day. They hardly have enough time to enjoy unstructured play or complete their homework, let alone succeed academically.” Parents take great pride in their children’s busy schedules without considering the effects, says du Plessis. “They sign their children up for private coaching sessions while ignoring the average school results on their children’s report cards. The likelihood of one’s child representing South Africa at the Olympics, for example, is very small, while educational success is an absolute requirement for their future.” Without excellent school results, a child’s employment opportunities are severely limited. Of 100 learners who start school, only 50 will make it to Grade 12, 40 will pass, and only 12 will qualify for university.* Of those entering university only 15 percent will get a degree or diploma.** “One cannot emphasize enough the importance of academic success for a child’s future prospects,” says du Plessis. Du Plessis said some parents also fill their children’s diaries excessively because they feel guilty that their child is not excelling in the classroom and their afternoon activities are a pleasant distraction. “There is a very long list of nice to have activities but if a child’s academic performance is of concern, this needs to be resolved first. If one doesn’t address foundational educational problems early on they only become more pronounced the longer they are ignored.” The cost of postponing learning support intervention is both financial and emotional if a child must repeat a grade. While sporting activities are recommended for physical wellbeing, du Plessis said that a balance is required. “When planning after-school activities, parents need to act in the best interests of their child, even if this means temporarily withdrawing their child from compulsory school sport activities in favour of educational intervention support.” “A coach is naturally interested in winning the next match and a teacher’s main concern is to ensure that a child passes the grade at the end of the year. Parents however have the responsibility to consider the long-term future for their child and that is to help them have as many future career choices as possible with excellent school results.” Educational intervention programmes that help children improve academically need not be life-long. “Most children need only 240 hours, or ten 24-hour days to resolve their learning problems. If this time is split over an 18-month or two-year period, it is manageable but it requires a careful look from parents at priorities and what is important and urgent,” said du Plessis. She added that as little as 100 hours of extra educational support could also transform an average student from passing comfortably to scoring well above 80%. Five practical steps for parents who want to prioritise their child’s academic success Review your child’s after-school schedule and prioritise what is urgent and important above what is a ‘nice to have.’ Ensure your child has enough time for free play outdoors. Seek a successful learning intervention programme based on substantial proof of improved school results. Include your child in the process. Explain why an academic intervention programme will help them in the long term. Inform everyone including the class teacher, grandparents and sports coach exactly how you are prioritising your child’s academic success and ask them to support you. This is very important, especially if parents have divorced, that both agree to support this process. Reward and recognise your child’s efforts to improve academically.

August 11, 2015

How Parents Can Support Early Childhood Education

Research shows children who have parents who are actively engaged in their educational lives, do better. This is especially true when talking about early childhood education. Yet many parents have no idea of how to get involved. As a parent development specialist and a person well versed in Early childhood , I think there are 3 ways parents with a young child should be involved with their child’s education. Be willing to learn about and understand the difference in the way young children and older children learn. Ask about ways you can help and support children’s learning at home and do them. Make time to volunteer in the centre in the ways they need you to be involved. ~Be willing to learn about the difference in how younger and older children learn Young children learn by actively observing and then acting out what they see. Young children from age six months to five years watch, listen, and learn. Children are natural observers. However, children really begin to learn as they act out their observations. We in early childhood call this acting out play. Many parents not understanding the difference between acting out observations and play for enjoyment tend to see early education as “just playing”. The truth is your child is learning through acting out a variety of situations they have observed over their young years. Early educators use observations, knowledge of child development, and open ended questions to help children link their observations with the skills they need to prepare for life and school. Older children who can think, talk, read, and interact with others use those skills to learn and play becomes a chance to unwind. Play no longer is the primary tool for learning. Older children have developed other skills they use for learning. ~ Ask about ways you can support your child’s learning at home and do them Early childhood learning involves discovery, pre-skills, and learning from the world. Teachers use the classroom setting to help children learn and grow. Parents can also do activities with their young children which can promote discovery, curiosity, and observation. Making cookies, jelly, and cakes can help children to observe changes which are made by adding cold or heat. Asking open ended questions can help children make the observations. Example: when we put the jelly in the refrigerator we could pour it like water now we can’t. Why do you think that happened? Your child’s teacher will have more suggestions for you. Remember when you do them with your children you are supporting their growth and development. ~Make time to volunteer at your child’s centre in the way they need you to be involved Every child care centre needs volunteers for things to run smoothly. Sometimes they need someone to help kids into jackets to go outside. Or they may need you to help serve lunch or snack. Sometimes you could be asked to help to decide on a committee which effects the whole centre. For instance, you may sit on a playground committee deciding to resurface the ground. Please give your full attention no matter the task and you will not only be appreciated. You will become a part on the centres’ community. This is ultimately your goal. Parents are a vital part of whole education process. Using these three suggestions as your starting point will help you to begin engaging in your child’ educational growth.

July 21, 2015

Learning Through Play

Research shows that children who actively engage in imaginative play and other sorts of play such as creative activities, are usually happier and more co-operative than those who don’t. They are much more willing to share and take turns and particularly more creative in their activities. They demonstrate a larger vocabulary than children who engage less in these childish activities. Through play, children build a solid foundation for future learning and open themselves to a world of learning opportunities. Early childhood development practitioners all agree that play for young children is essential. It is vitally fundamental to a child’s social, emotional, physical and intellectual development. Through healthy play activities, young children are better prepared to enter school and generally grow into secure and self-confident teens and adults. Interestingly through happy play, children begin a love of learning and prepare for life itself and for every parent, this is so important. Through activities such as cutting and drawing, they develop the muscles in their hands and fingers preparing them for future skills such as writing. When sharing materials used for creative activities, children learn to be cooperative with one another which is vital for their future social interaction on a higher level and forms the basis for positive self-esteem. And this is where the Mysmartkid programme succeeds in bringing this all together. The team at Mysmartkid understand the importance of early childhood development and how challenging it can be for parents and caregivers to ensure that their children are reaching those essential developmental milestones. This is the very reason why they created this unique programme which provides members with the guidance, expert advice and tools necessary to helping your children progress and thrive. The Mysmarkid play and learn programme is tailored to your child’s age and six key developmental areas and helps your child to reach those important milestones. The Smartbox is filled with toys, activities and expert advice and is delivered to your child every two months. You will also receive two free useful welcome gifts when you join and have immediate access to exclusive resources and member discounts. Mysmartkid will be with you every step of the way and in addition to your bi-monthly Smartbox which features carefully selected and age-appropriate books, puzzles and toys, Mysmartkid provides you with a wide supplementary range of innovative and educational games, toys and products as well – easily purchased from the Mysmartkid online store. The benefit of belonging to the Mysmarkid programme is that members have access to early childhood development practitioners such as an educational psychologist and speech and language therapist to name only a few. Playing and learning is the foundation of the Mysmartkid programme. The team are of the firm belief that teaching children through play is how they can help you give your children the best possible advantage. Through the programme they can help parents to develop those necessary key skills, build relationships and expertly navigate through what is your child’s most vital developmental phase. Mysmartkid also offers members access to the Mysmartkid blog which allows you to clearly seek out articles pertaining to the six development areas : Wellbeing Identity Concepts Creativity Communication My World This well-presented and well-written blog allows you to search for articles broken down into age groups within the six development areas, making it so much easier for you to find exactly what you’re looking for. The most popular articles are highlighted within the blog and so parents can easily see what other parents are reading. This can be a great help to parents to know that other parents are experiencing the same difficulties as them. Mysmartkid has taken pains to ensure that they cater for the needs of young children and their early childhood development. However, through the Mysmarkid programme the team has recognised the necessity to educate parents in terms of their child’s development and so at no time do parents feel like they are out of their depth with no access to those in the know. They are provided with reading material and instructions within the Smartbox to give them all the relevant tools to work with their children in providing them with the means to play, learn and grow. The programme is sound, well researched and established and as such, you can depend on Mysmartkid to be there to support parents and their little ones on this important journey.

July 8, 2015

Mysmartkid Smartbox – Learning Through Play

What an amazing product the Smartbox from Mysmartkid has proved to be! Our first Smartbox was received with great excitement and did not disappoint. Mysmartkid have a programme that has been developed by experts in the field of early childhood development and it is evident in the choice of educational toys, puzzles and activities that are included in the Smartbox. Each toy has been carefully selected to incorporate the six development areas whilst being age-appropriate. Parents are encouraged to play with their children and to guide them through each activity included in the Smartbox, but our experience with the Smartbox has proved that because they are age-appropriate, your little one will have no difficulty in accomplishing each game, puzzle and activity on their own. This not only demonstrates to you, the parent, that your little one can work independently, it goes a long way to increasing your child’s sense of well-being and self-confidence. And so in our first Smartbox, we received a number of really interesting toys and activities for Emily to enjoy. Her first choice was to create little insects from the Shrink Insect box. She was required to colour them in herself with the coloured pencils supplied as well as cut them out once she had completed colouring them in. Punching holes proved a little challenging, but she managed to do that too and together we prepared her shrink insects for the oven. Eagerly she awaited them coming out the oven to see if they had really shrunk and to complete them by creating legs with the beautiful brightly coloured pipe-cleaners also provided in the Smartbox. Through this activity, she had made toys for herself to play with and her sense of accomplishment was visibly evident. Emily’s next choice of activity from the Smartbox was to plant the seeds that were all neatly packed together with the very necessary soil, nutrients, tools and seed trays. Making up the soil was great fun for her and she enjoyed plunging her hands into the wet soil and mixing in all the relevant ingredients and then dividing it into the seed trays. Preparing each seed tray and dropping the seeds into each compartment was made easy for Emily with the scoop provided in the Smartbox and all the seeds were clearly marked so that she knew what she was planting. Also included in the Smartbox from Mysmartkid was a progress sheet which she is still working on with her mom, to document the growth of her little plants which are looking really great and probably can be planted into the garden as soon as Spring arrives! Then on a quiet afternoon in her school holidays, Emily decided it was time to play with the last toy in her box which is called Elastica. This is such an educational toy with a great element of fun and involves having to create images with different coloured elastics that are applied to a pin board. Included in the Smartbox are a number of cards with the images and instructions on how to achieve them. There is also a book that you can work with your little one and focuses on achieving solving maths problems. This particular product can be used in the classroom as well as by occupational therapists to help with fine motor coordination and problem-solving skills. Whilst we await the delivery of our next Smartbox for Emily, we have chosen a few toys off the Mysmartkid website to supplement Emily’s participation in the Mysmartkid early childhood development programme. We would highly recommend that all parents with young children become members of Mysmartkid. The benefits of early learning for young children through play, are supported by the team of experts at Mysmartkid who have developed the programme. It is evident from what Emily has already achieved from just one Smartbox of toys, that the selection for the Smartbox has been done by experts. With everything that we as families are faced with today, the pressures on ourselves as parents as well as on our children to perform, the Smartbox offers our children an outlet to play, learn, develop and grow and that’s what all parents are looking for.

July 2, 2015

Mysmartkid – Early Childhood Development Experts

“What I love about the Mysmartkid concept is that it provides parents with knowledge, skills and activities which facilitate their children’s development in so many areas. This is done in a simple, accessible and really enjoyable way which provides the foundation for lifelong learning.” Says Catherine Barry, Speech and Language Therapist and member of the excellent panel of experts at Mysmartkid. Playing is important to children. It is the way they practice growing up. Toys are the tools that children use in play and so providing them with educational toys that they can derive pleasure from and at the same time enhance their development, is the answer to any parents’ dream. All parents want to see their children succeed in life and no-one understands this better than the team at Mysmartkid who have developed an exciting early childhood development programme that will suit all budgets. For just a minimal outlay every two months, the Smartbox from Mysmartkid will be delivered to your door. Not only is the Smartbox filled with really cool toys for your child to enjoy, but the team have expertly and skilfully selected toys that are age appropriate and focus on all areas of early childhood development. This means that all the necessary skills that your child needs to learn and develop prior to starting school receive attention and you can be assured that they will benefit from playing with these excellent toys. At Mysmartkid, the leading childcare experts are there to guide parents in all aspects of early childhood development. They will give you all the advice you need on how to help your little one reach their developmental milestones – every playful step of the way. Mysmartkid has a philosophy that says they believe that a child’s early years are the building blocks for their future success and that your child’s early years are the windows of opportunity for their future success. By educating parents and caregivers to help their child reach their full potential, the Mysmartkid programme allows for parents and caregivers to interact with their child through play. The most fulfilling way for a child to learn is through play and through the Mysmartkid programme your little one will become a rounded, happy, confident and connected child. Children all learn in different ways and there are various parenting philosophies for each method. However, certain basic learning principles apply to all children, at each age and phase. Involving your little one through all their senses and making sure that your timing is right is just one step in the right direction in terms of creating a fun and unpressurised environment for your child to blossom and grow. When you become a member of Mysmartkid, you will receive the Smartbox every two months, which comes with a variety of age-appropriate and very easy-to-use educational toys. Included in the Smartbox is a full-colour newsletter, which has advice and information that parents can use to help their child reach those all-important developmental milestones. The contents of the Smartbox are fun. They have all been developed in such a way as to encourage parents to interact with their child as well as encourage children to think for themselves and solve problems for themselves. Parents will be surprised to find just how much fun their little ones will have playing with the toys from the Smartbox. The panel of experts at Mysmartkid have selected age-appropriate toys for the Smartbox, for all age groups. They have identified six main areas of development that you as a parent should be focusing on with your child and the toys that have been selected will aid in doing just that. In each Smartbox you will also find a milestone development guide, which is very helpful for parents to identify where their little one may be having problems and therefore pay more attention to those areas. Over and above the toys from the Smartbox, parents are able to purchase many more excellent toys from the Mysmartkid website. Included on the website is an excellent blog which offers articles that will educate parents and give them great tips and ideas on what they can be doing with their child to stimulate them and help with their early childhood development. When joining the Mysmartkid programme, participants will receive two free gifts which is a beautiful Mysmartkid kiddie’s backpack and an exclusive handbook on Early Childhood Development. Parents will find that this is just the beginning of a long and rewarding relationship with Mysmartkid where they can watch their little one develop into a beautiful well-rounded balanced young person!

June 22, 2015

How To Role-Model Healthy Technology Use For Your Children

When I provide my talks to school children on cyber sense, they often nod in agreement when I mention that they aren’t the only ones who need to learn to find a healthy balance in their lives between social interaction, activity and technology. Adults are just as bad as children when it comes to overusing the technology we have at our disposal. The disturbing part is that is that we’re meant to be role models to our kids. The days of ‘do as I say, not as I do’ are over. Whether we like it or not, kids are pretty informed these days about their rights and they’re strongly influenced by outside forces. It’s far easier to set boundaries for children when they can see that we’re setting them for ourselves. Technology has a way of insidiously creeping into our lives and then spreading its tentacles until it has taken us over completely, reducing our real-time interactions with others. For many of us, life has become so busy that if we don’t fill every moment, we feel guilty. When (and why) did it become a requirement to be available every minute of the day? It fascinates me that the more independent and ‘free’ we have become, the more bogged down we actually are. Few of us take the time to ‘stop and smell the roses’ – as in relax, breathe, do yoga, dance, exercise, play, read, be still. Instead, we tend to go back to our crutch, technology, to get off the endless treadmill. Many of us are so addicted to our gadgets and unused to spending time with our own thoughts or conversing with others that we feel lost without a cell phone or other gadget in our hands. We’re losing our ability to think creatively (just ask Google!) and do things with our hands – play a musical instrument, paint, build, create. The real point I’m trying to make is that our children are losing out. Aside from learning unhealthy habits, many feel neglected and sad that their parents spend more time on their devices than with them. The message they’re getting is that work (and social media) is more important than making time for them. Here are a few ideas for being a better technology role model: Walk the talk – When kids are around, set an example by using media the way you’d like them to use it. Eat together at the dinner table where you can catch up on each other’s day. Put all cell phones on silent or off in a basket nearby. Only keep the phone on if you’re expecting an urgent call, but try to keep that time together sacrosanct. Turn the TV off if no-one is watching it – record or PVR shows to watch later. Remove or switch off all distractions during important family time. Just like you’d want your child to turn their devices off when they’re studying, doing their homework or at a social interaction, you should do the same. Note: If you’re really desperate about your child’s over usage, look into new apps like ‘DinnerTime Parental Control’ which enables parents to restrict when children can use their smartphones and tablets. ‘DinnerTime Plus’ lets parents manage the apps their children use, see what they are watching in real-time plus you can purchase reports on how much time they are spending on certain apps. With ‘Screen-Time’ parents can push a button on their android phones to block usage on their children’s devices and they can also set daily time limits for particular apps. ‘MyMobileWatchdog’ is an app that allows parents to keep a check on what their children are up to on their phones (not advisable unless you have reason to worry). Set boundaries – It’s a good idea to start setting time limits on the use of devices when your children are young. You can discuss these with them and if necessary, gradually increase these limits when they get older. Work out how much time they can spend on their i-pads, playing video games, watching TV and using their cell phones. There are health implications to all the electro-magnetic rays we are all being exposed to and some scientists believe that children are especially vulnerable, as their brains are still developing. It’s really important that we set boundaries for ourselves too by separating work time from family time – this will set a good example to our children, improve relationships and help them create healthy habits later on. Use media together – Whenever you can, watch, play with and listen to your children. Ask their opinion of movies, TV shows, ads, social media. Share your values, and help kids relate what they learn in the media to events and other activities in which they’re involved. Share posts from your FaceBook and Instagram accounts with your older children. Ask if you can be their friend on social media sites so you can keep a benevolent, watchful eye over them like a helpful guardian – don’t embarrass them by being too involved! Set a good example of cell phone etiquette – Put your phone on silent when you’re with your child, a friend, or anyone else – unless you’re expecting an important call. In that case, if it rings, answer it and explain you’re busy but will phone them back when you’re free. It isn’t good manners to chat away loudly on your cell phone while everyone has to sit around listening to you. Usually it isn’t anything that can’t wait. If it is something you absolutely have to deal with right there and then, excuse yourself and explain why you have to take the call. Turn phones off or on silent while at movies, at weddings, funerals, school meetings, etc. Unless you have hands free, don’t talk on your phone while driving. Aside from setting a bad example, you are endangering your life, your passengers, and others on the road. More and more accidents are being caused by drivers

June 18, 2015

When should a child be referred to an occupational therapist?

Following is a few easy questions that could help you to determine if a child should be referred to an O.T. What is fine eye-hand coordination? This is the ability to use eyes and hands together to perform a task. We all use this skill every day in all different kinds of situation: tying shoe-laces, writing, cutting, dressing, the list is endless. How will I know if a child has a problem? Drawing shows poor orientation on the page and the child is unable to stay within the lines when colouring/writing. Your child will struggle with activities that kids the same age finds easy e.g. buttoning small buttons when dressing, picking up small objects Your child will rather get involved in gross motor activities e.g. swinging than doing colouring, pegboard tasks, etc. Threading activities will be difficult or avoided Child will find it difficult to cut neatly on a line Handwriting won’t be neat. Muscle tone Muscle tone refers to the natural stress in the muscle when at rest. It is not the same as muscle strength. A child with a natural lower tone in his muscle will use his muscles with more effort than a child with a natural higher muscle tone. How will I know if a child has a problem? Tires easily / or moves around the whole time to maintain muscle tone Appear clumsy / uncoordinated Child will over emphasize movement / use exaggerated movement patterns Lean on to objects Find it difficult to maintain one position for a long time Slouch in chair Use broad base of support when sitting Drool Fidgety – uses this to build up tone when sitting for long periods of time Usually doesn’t part-take in endurance sport What are visual perceptual skills? These skills are necessary to interpret seen information in the brain. These skills are the building blocks for reading, writing and maths. How will I know if a child has a problem? Kids who struggle with foreground-background will ‘steals’ words/letters from other sentences/words and add it to the word/sentence they are busy reading. They also find it difficult to find specific words/numbers on a page. Kids with a limitation in position in space and/or spatial-relationships will confuse p/b/d, switching of words in a sentence or switching of syllables. Kids with a limitation in form-constancy will struggle to read different types of fonts/hand writing and to copy writing from the black board. Kids with closure impairment will confuse letters with each another when different fonts of writing are used e.g. a/d; u/a; c/e. Kids with impairment in discrimination will for example struggle to find words/numbers that is the same. Kids that struggle with analysis and synthesis finds it difficult to read words that they have to spell Kids with a limitation in memory will for example struggle to copy work from the black board Kids that struggle with consecutive memory will for example find it problematic to copy words/sentences/numbers correctly from the black board. What is bilateral integration? That is the ability of both sides of the body to work together to perform a task. How will I know if a child has a problem? Appears to be uncoordinated when doing tasks Difficulty in performing gross motor tasks e.g. skipping, galloping, jumping-jacks, etc. Prefers not to cross the imaginary midline of the body Not choosing a dominant hand to write/draw/colour (after age 5) Swapping hands when doing tasks What is dyspraxia? Praxis (a.k.a motor planning) is the ability of the brain to conceive, organize, and carry out a sequence of tasks/actions. Praxis is the ability to self-organize. Praxis includes motor planning, cognitive events and communication. The child may present with the following: Appear clumsy Poor balance Difficulty with riding a bike Poor handwriting Difficulty with remembering instructions and copying from the blackboard May have difficulty with speech and the ability to express themselves Bumping into objects Late establishment of laterality (right- or left-handedness) Poor sense of direction Difficulty in learning new motor skills (crawling, using utensils and tools, catching a ball, penmanship) Difficulty in completing tasks with multiple steps (playing board games, sports, solving puzzles and learning math skills) Difficulty in doing tasks in the proper sequence (dressing, or following directions with multiple steps, putting together words and sentences in the right order) Difficulty copying designs, imitating sounds, whistling, imitating movements Difficulty in adjusting to new situations or new routines Difficulty in judging distance in activities (riding bicycles, placing objects) or with others (standing too close or too far away) Present with delayed skills – remaining in the early stages of skill acquisition Poor at holding a pencil Forgetful and disorganized Have a poor attention span Need to go right back and begin again at the very beginning of the task when experiencing difficulty, instead of just ‘getting on with it’ Have difficulty using tools – cutlery, scissors, pencils – lots of handwriting problems (although not all handwriting difficulties are the result of motor Dyspraxia) poor balance; Have poor fine and gross motor co-ordination Have poor awareness of body position in space Have difficulty with reading, writing, speech and maths Other signs/symptoms Child acts immature (cries easily, separation anxiety, etc.). Concentration difficulties / easily distracted by things/people/sounds around himself/herself. If a child is struggling with reading, writing, spelling, maths. If a child’s school progress is behind the other kids in the class. If a child has a physical impairment that is influencing his/her playing, walking, running, etc. Hurts himself or other children / appear to be aggressive – when children struggle with certain developmental skills they may become angry easily because of frustration. Kids who have poor self-control/impulsivity often cannot control themselves physically when angry. Hyperactive child / child who fidgets / cannot sit still / talks non-stop – this child may have ADD or ADHD Children who turn the paper when drawing/colouring/writing – this may be because the child is avoiding to cross the imaginary midline of the body A complete occupational therapy assessment will be

June 12, 2015

Alternative Therapy For ADD / ADHD?

Neurofeedback is a non-invasive learning strategy that works to improve the brains ability to produce certain brainwaves without the need for medication. You can think of it as “exercise for the brain”. By creating awareness about your own brainwave characteristics, you can learn to change them. Neurofeedback instruments show the kind of waves a person is producing, making it possible for the individual to learn to change in ways that improve attention and facilitate learning. It is essentially self-regulation training ideally suited to those with ADHD, ADD and specific learning disabilities. What are brainwaves? Brainwaves are the electrical wave patterns found in every person’s brain. Through EEG technology we can determine the strength and frequency of brainwave activity as it flows through the different areas of the brain. Beta is the fastest brainwave and is produced during focused activities and is essential for attentiveness and learning. Alpha is a slightly slower brainwave and is associated with a relaxed yet alert state of mind. Theta is an even slower brainwave and is associated with dreaminess, relaxation and sleep. Research indicates that children with ADHD are less able to produce Beta activity and experience excessive slow wave activity. In fact, when challenged with academic tasks, such children show greater increases in Theta activity and a decrease in Beta readings. In order for your brain to concentrate and learn, your brain needs to emit a high level of Beta waves, which the ADHD child is unable to do. No wonder children with ADHD have trouble concentrating! Other children become increasingly anxious in exam situations, generating too much Beta activity which also interferes with the learning and retrieval process, creating increased levels of anxiety. Assessment & Treatment The assessment procedure begins when a teacher / parent becomes concerned about a child’s ability to concentrate and learn. A thorough evaluation must be carried out in order to determine whether the clinical picture is consistent with ADHD. A useful tool for Neurofeedback practitioners is the involvement of a QEEG (quantitative electroencephalogram – computerized EEG evaluation). If the pattern of ADHD brainwave activity is detected, and fits in with the clinical picture, Neurofeedback training can commence. Through Neurofeedback training it is possible to increase Beta and decrease Theta, allowing for more focused learning in most children. How does one “train your brain”? Much like a clinical EEG sensors / electrodes are placed on the child’s scalp and fed through an amplifier into a computer programme. The child then proceeds to play computer games or watch a movie, the only difference is that the child must use their own brainwaves to control the game / show. When the child is focused in the correct way i.e. producing the perfect amount of Beta and Theta brainwave activity, the game / movie will play, if not, the screen will fade and the brain will know to readjust. The treatment is non-invasive and does not involve any medication. Individuals learn to voluntarily control their brainwave activity through operant conditioning. Is this a cure for ADHD? Neurofeedback never claims to “cure” any diagnosis. The goals of Neurofeedback are to teach the child to become increasingly self-aware and to train the brain to be more flexible. The goal of Neurofeedback training is not to change the child, but to make the child more self-aware and provide tools for the brain to re-organise itself and quickly shift into a more focused mode when required. It is important to remember that as humans we operate within a system and, as with more traditional therapies, additional support and guidance will be needed to treat the person as a whole. With Neurofeedback the child can still be the person they are, but with increased focus and awareness and an ability to “change gears” without relying on medication, thereby learning valuable and lasting skills. What are the results? • Finishing tasks • Listening better • Less impulsivity • Greater motivation and focus • Higher self-esteem

June 10, 2015

Understanding Your Child’s Concentration Problems

As the mid-year exams loom, children will write tests to measure how much they remember what they have learnt. Being able to concentrate in class is a critical step in the learning process and is fundamental for success at school. When a child struggles to concentrate, a worried teacher may approach parents to discuss types of intervention. “When it comes to lack of concentration in the classroom, there are various options available to help learners to focus their attention better. The difficulty however, is knowing which one will really help your child,” says Susan du Plessis, Director of Educational Programmes at Edublox. A research study to test treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) with prescription medication showed that “only 56% of the patients in the medication group met the definition of success at the end of treatment.”* Researchers list concerns about the use of such medication in children: side effects have been reported, for some serious and life-threatening; insufficient evidence of long-term efficacy of medication; and “symptoms of ADHD reappear after discontinuing drug treatment.” There are a variety of neurofeedback approaches offered for children with attention problems which claim to enhance concentration and optimise brain performance after multiple consultation sessions. In some cases devices like headbands are worn to measure blood oxygen levels in the brain; if these levels decrease below optimal performance when watching a DVD, the volume or brightness of the screen is reduced, sending feedback to the viewer that their concentration is waning. In 2013 the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry published the results of a clinical trial** that tested the efficacy of electroencephalographic (EEG) neurofeedback in reducing ADHD symptoms. Forty-one children between the ages of 8 and 15 years who were diagnosed with ADHD participated; one group received EEG neurofeedback treatment while a placebo group were given treatment with random feedback. If the results achieved in the placebo group are similar to the results achieved with the group who had proper treatment, it means that it was not the treatment that made them better. This was the result in the research study, and the researchers concluded that “EEG-neurofeedback was not superior to placebo-neurofeedback in improving ADHD.” Du Plessis explains that there are three types of attention: “When a child is easily distracted by a pencil falling off their desk or sounds outside the classroom window, they lack focused attention. Sustained attention is required to focus for long periods of time. Then there is divided attention,” says du Plessis, “which is quite similar to multi-tasking. It’s a higher-level skill where you have to perform two of more tasks at the same time. If the task is to write a story, a learner must be able to think about their characters and plot, as well as spelling and punctuation rules that apply.” Lack of concentration is often linked to poor memory, says du Plessis. Parents may think that their child has a concentration problem, du Plessis however cautions that the root cause is often a memory problem. Working memory is the cognitive system responsible for the temporary storage and manipulation of information. Du Plessis describes three other types of memory: “If a child struggles to copy work from the board into their workbook, they struggle with visual memory. If they find it difficult to remember a number of verbal instructions, their auditory memory may be weak.” Sequential memory, says du Plessis, is remembering the order in which events take place. There are practical cognitive development exercises that can be introduced in the context of a learning environment, which can help improve one’s memory and ability to concentrate with long-term results, says du Plessis. A research study conducted last year, sponsored by natural medicines company Flordis SA, and analysed by the Centre for Evaluation and Assessment at the University of Pretoria, showed a significant increase in focused attention among children who had participated in a five day cognitive development training course. The effect of such training on visual memory has also been examined in an unpublished study by Dr Jaiden May from the University of Johannesburg where children’s visual memory increased by 1.3 years after 22 hours of cognitive training. Du Plessis offers tips for parents looking for intervention programmes for their child: “Solve the cause of the concentration problem. Avoid programmes that operate in a secluded environment. Rather choose a programme that replicates a classroom because it is at school that your child’s concentration will eventually be tested.” In-house measures that track intervention performance are not sufficient, says du Plessis. “Intervention programmes should be based upon scientific research with proven results. Improved grades on a school report card are an excellent, unbiased indicator to show that an intervention programme is working.” There are a variety of ways to help your child improve their attention and memory at home, says du Plessis. “Parents can help their child improve sequential memory by asking them to re-tell a story that they have just listened to.” The Stroop Test helps improve divided attention. Du Plessis explains, “The test is to look at the words and say the colour of each word. You will struggle at first because you’re more likely to read the word.” Images for the ‘Stroop Test’ can be found by conducting an online search, an example of one is illustrated below. Edublox are leading specialists in cognitive development with 22 reading and learning clinics across the country. Edublox offers multisensory cognitive training, aimed at developing and automatising the foundational skills of reading, spelling and Mathematics. For more information about Edublox visit www.edublox.co.za. * http://repository.ubn.ru.nl/bitstream/handle/2066/125153/125153.pdf ** http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/24021501/

June 9, 2015

Your Role In Your Child’s Education

from Foundation Phase to Intermediate Phase The Parent: The first step, as a parent, is realising that your child is not an independent learner during foundation and intermediate phase. This implies that your child needs to be taught and helped in their learning. The second step is to realise that your role is to teach, guide and assist your child in their educational, physical, emotional and social development. This role is critical to your child’s growth. Your child cannot progress positively without your assistance. The third step is acknowledging that it is vital that you work with the teacher so that your child progresses successfully through school. Homework should be guided and checked by you. If your child is battling with concepts, you should work with them until they understand the concepts and can work with them independently. The parent, the phases and the teacher: Foundation phase: this phase is about developing a solid base of knowledge for your child and helping them further themselves in the school environment and life. Foundation phase is all about the basics in educational knowledge. Remember that your child has never been exposed to these concepts. They need to learn them and learn how to apply them. They need to be assisted at home to build a strong foundational knowledge that will assist them through school and later lead them to becoming independent learners. It is your job to reinforce the knowledge taught at school and to ensure that your child understands, and can apply, the concepts introduced by the teacher. Intermediate phase: this phase is about using foundational concepts to build their knowledge and learn new concepts. A child with strong foundational skills is more likely to succeed in this phase, and to develop a sense of independent learning. Your role as a parent in this phase is to guide and instruct your child, and for them to attempt the work individually without your continuous involvement. This does not mean your child is expected to work unassisted, but that they are required to work for periods independently, knowing that you are available should they get stuck. This phase teaches them how to use their previous knowledge to learn new concepts. Your child is now at a stage where they are learning to work independently and develop their skills, but they are still reliant on the teacher and yourself to teach, instruct, and help them. The parent and the teacher: The teacher’s role is to introduce and practice new concepts in school. It is your role to practice these at home, and to bring to the teachers attention any concepts your child cannot grasp. This is followed by a teamwork approach between the teacher and yourself. This may include extra lessons or extra work to do at home. This is time consuming but essential. The teacher cannot do this individually and relies on you as a parent to be involved in your child’s education. Some tips for Parents: If you are unsure of the concepts yourself ask the teacher to show you – remember the teacher works with these concepts constantly. If you are unsure how to teach or reinforce concepts at home, ask the teacher for tips, methods or recommendations. If your child is struggling, make notes and bring these to the teachers attention. Do not leave concepts that your child does not understand for the teacher to address – work with the teacher. If your child is struggling, invest in extra lessons – do not wait until the later grades for tutoring, because then the child has to return to the basics in order to understand the current concepts. Homework should be done in the afternoon. Do not wait until the evenings – most children are tired and unable to focus. If you are unable to do this ask a relative or friend. Another option is to hire someone who can assist your child. Also look into aftercare facilities that offer homework assistance. Do not ignore or underestimate the importance of the foundation phase. Intermediate phase homework should be guided, and the child should be able to do some of the work independently. By the end of grade 6 a child should be able to do the majority of their homework independently, but may still require some assistance.

June 4, 2015

Why Is Vocabulary So Important For Reading

Vocabulary plays an important part in learning to read. Beginning readers must use the words they hear out loud to make sense of the words they see in print. Children who have a wide vocabulary learn to read more easily as they can figure out unfamiliar words based on the knowledge of words related to the context. It is harder for a beginning reader to figure out words that are not already part of their speaking vocabulary. Consider this: when your little one starts learning to read and comes to the word cat in a book. She begins to figure out the sounds represented by the letters c – a – t and then very quickly realises that the sounds make up a very familiar word that she has heard and said many times. Thus the instant recognition is quicker and her recall of this word is better as she has the association reading strategy to use: all because the word is in her speaking vocabulary. Imagine now that there are hundreds of words in your child’s vocabulary so by the time learning to read comes along it is plain sailing. That’s what all parents want so BUILD VOCABULARY and you will BUILD A READER. Vocabulary also is very important to reading comprehension. Readers cannot understand what they are reading without knowing what most of the words mean. Therefore the more words a reader knows, the more they are able to understand what they’re reading or listening to. Talking to and reading to children are the two best way to develop vocabulary. As you introduce new words to your children, keep this in mind: Define the word in a child friendly manner: for e.g. ’enormous’ means really really big. Relate the word to the child’s life experience, ‘remember the big watermelon we bought in the shop, it was enormous’ Ask children to develop their own example of ‘enormous’ Use the word ‘enormous’ often over the next few weeks Parents please continue to read to your child long past the time they learn to read. The reason is that a parent is the fluent reader and can read vocabulary-rich text that a grade 1 learner is not yet able to read but is able to listen to and understand. Just because your child has starting reading, do not stop reading to him or her. Conversations are vital for vocabulary development, which in turn is one of the keys to unlocking reading. Are we talking enough to our children or are our hectic driven lifestyles and too much screen time creating an environment with less one on one dialogue between parent and child? With this in mind consider the following: The consequence of less verbal interaction between adult and child is a child with reduced vocabulary and the consequence of that is a poor reader! No parent wants that so I will say it again, BUILD VOCABULARY and you will BUILD A READER.

April 28, 2015

Mysmartkid – The Smart Choice

From the moment that you engage with the Smartbox from Mysmartkid, you will be hooked and more importantly, so will your little one! Mysmartkid has developed an exciting and interesting early learning development programme for young children specifically designed to cater for every stage of development. Boasting a panel of experts which includes an educational psychologist, occupational therapist, art psychotherapist, a counselling psychologist and a speech and language therapist, Mysmartkid affords parents an outstanding opportunity to establish all the very basic skills required for their future. Mysmartkid programme is based on six core developmental areas that address your child’s emotional, physical, cognitive and social growth. Each Smartbox contains carefully selected age-appropriate educational toys that will keep your child occupied for hours and at the same time stimulating and equipping them with skills and brain development necessary for a solid foundation for school. Because Mysmartkid is an interactive programme whereby parents are encouraged to play with their little ones, each Smartbox also contains a Parent Guide book. Each Parent Guide book addresses all of the six core developmental areas which are : Wellbeing Identity Creativity Concepts Communication My World These developmental areas are in line with the Department of Education’s Early Learning and Development Areas (ELDAs) making parents feel safe in the knowledge that they are purchasing and introducing their children to, a programme that has been well-researched and has the backing of an incredible panel of experts in the field of Early Learning. Mysmartkid philosophy is that a child’s early years are the building blocks for future success. The early years of a child’s life are the windows of opportunity for their future success. They fully understand that many parents and caregivers already know how important Early Childhood Development is, but that they may not be sure how best to help their child reach their full potential. Mysmartkid believes that the most fulfilling way for a child to learn is through play which results in a well-rounded, happy, confident and connected child who will become actively involved in the world. The beauty of the programme is that it not only guides parents in terms of each of the important milestones in a child’s development, but it also equips parents with expert tips on how to guide their child’s development in terms of achieving each of those milestones. Even more importantly, Mysmartkid totally gets that all children are different and that they each develop in their own time and because of this, encourage and advise parents to use the Parents Guide, but to not compare their child’s progress to others. They make parents feel comfortable knowing that their child will progress and reach each milestone at their own pace and when they are ready. Each Parent Guide book included with every Smartbox plays a vital role in making the most of the age-appropriate toys and educational tools in the Smartbox. Whilst the toys have been developed for children, adults too will find them intriguing. There is little more reward than spending quality time with your little one and what could be better than playing together with toys that will entertain your child while at the same time, stimulate those vital skills and brain development required at that specific time in their life. Being part of the Mysmartkid programme is a journey that parents can embark on with their young children – a journey of exploration and discovery. It is a journey where interest is maintained through the ongoing anticipation of delivery of the next Smartbox and the discovery of new and interesting toys. It too is a journey that begins with setting the foundation for your child’s future – something that every parent wants to achieve for their child. “Helping children to think and solve problems creatively is as simple as providing opportunities to paint, draw, invent, explore and play. Joining in the fun and spending valuable time together has amazing benefits for you and your child alike! The Mysmartkid programme is something we as parents could all use and I am excited to be a part of it!” says Debbie Mynhardt member of the panel of experts at Mysmartkid.

April 21, 2015

The Benefits Of Learning Sight Words

“One of the most important ways for a beginner reader to become a fluent reader is to be able to read & recognize sight words” What are sight words? Sight words refer to the words that are most frequently used and repeated in books. Emerging readers need to be able to identify words automatically (sight words) and have effective strategies for decoding unknown words (the reading toolbox). What are the benefits of a child learning sight words? Sight word recognition builds confidence When a child is able to recognise over half the words in a sentence their confidence starts to soar. Sight word recognition improves fluency When a child is able to recognise over half the words in a sentence their reading fluency improves. Sight word recognition assists the decoding process Once a child can recognise many sight words they can spend energy on decoding the more difficult words using their ‘reading toolbox’. Sight words are not easy to phonetically decode Some sight words are not phonetically regular and it is better for a child to memorise these words to aid reading fluency and pronunciation. The following 11 sight words appear frequently in sentences and are phonetically irregular – ‘the’ ‘of’ ‘a’ ‘to’ ‘you’ ’was’ ‘on’ ‘are’ ‘they’ ‘have’ ‘from’. Sight words benefit second language learners. The more sight words an English second language learner knows the better their reading chances. How does a child learn sight words? Sight word retention requires practise and repetition. The best way to achieve this without boring a young child is through games and sensory play. It’s repetition using diversity.

April 21, 2015

Solving The Math Problem

Shockingly low Mathematics results at Senior School level are cause for concern: the average score for Grade 9 learners who wrote the 2014 Annual National Assessment (ANA) Mathematics test was 10% and only 35.1% of last year’s Matric students obtained a final mark of 40% or above in Mathematics.* “These results are worrying, but there is hope. The key to solving the national Maths problem is in early intervention programmes for children in the Foundation Phase,” says Edublox Director of Educational Programmes Susan du Plessis. Poor results have been blamed on overcrowded classrooms, lack of scholar transport and underqualified teachers. While the Department of Basic Education plans to run training workshops for Grade 8 and 9 Mathematics teachers** and invests in school infrastructure, educational experts say that lasting solutions lie in the Foundation Phase. “It’s completely wrong to say that if there is a huge drop out in Grade 10 or 11 then the problem must be in Grade 9 or Grade 8. That’s not the case,” says Education Economist Nicholas Spaull. “We know that children aren’t acquiring these foundational skills in Grades 1 to 3 and therefore that’s where the focus needs to be. Matric starts in Grade 1.”*** Du Plessis agrees with Spaull and says, “The Mathematics problems seen at Senior School level are due to a weak foundational understanding of the subject in Primary School. Parents should not become despondent about the problem. If they are aware and look out for signs that their child is struggling with the subject, early intervention in Primary School can help to ensure learning problems do not persist to High School level. The saying, ‘Prevention is better than cure’ really is true.” “Before revision worksheets can be of any use, one needs to establish an in-depth understanding of Mathematical terminology. Foundational skills can then improve a learner’s ability at focussed, sustained and divided attention. Children need help in developing the cognitive tools for visual processing and deductive and inductive reasoning. Curriculum-based exercises including mental arithmetic, reading and word sums can further improve understanding. Children who struggle to learn require support in mastering visual, sequential and working memory,” says du Plessis. Working memory is described as “the engine of learning” because it has shown to be the primary indicator of academic performance. It is the cognitive system responsible for the temporary storage and manipulation of information. For example: to solve a problem like (3 X 3) + (4 X 2) in your head, you need to keep the intermediate results in mind (i.e., 3 X 3 = 9) to be able to solve the entire problem. Working memory is necessary when staying focused on a task and blocking out distractions. Learning Mathematics is a stratified process, explained du Plessis. “Certain skills have to be mastered first, before it becomes possible to master subsequent skills. Excelling at Mathematics can unlock many career opportunities in the future.” Parents with children in the foundation phase can easily identify if their child requires additional Mathematics support with this simple checklist: Does my child obtain low Mathematics results? Does my child struggle to do mental calculations? Does my child count using fingers? Du Plessis says that children still using their fingers to count in Grade 4 were at risk of missing out on learning more complicated elements of the subject, affecting their long-term chances of Mathematics success in the High School. It is commonly accepted that children should be able to count before they start Grade 1. To teach your child to count, du Plessis recommends that parents count forwards and backwards from one to 11 with their child. Once this has been mastered, a child should count forwards and backwards from 11 to 21 and then from 21 to 31. This technique should steadily progress up to 100. “Counting backwards demonstrates a thorough understanding of the order in which numbers are placed. Mathematics is all about counting. If a child cannot count properly they will not be able to move on to more complicated sums,” said du Plessis. “Mathematics is important for whatever career you want to do, if you cannot grasp the content then your choices are limited. It is critical to get the basics right from Grade 1. Once you have built a strong Mathematical foundation, it remains forever.”

April 16, 2015

Learning Difficulties Linked To Headaches

It is the start of the school year and many children are refreshed after the summer holidays. Unfortunately some children are frustrated by learning difficulties or Attention Deficient Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). A recent study found something noteworthy: There is an association between headache diagnosis and school achievements. The study, published in Pediatric Nursing, found that learning disabilities and ADHD are more common in children and adolescents who are referred for neurological assessment due to primary headaches than is described in the general pediatric population. Dr. Elliot Shevel, a South African migraine surgery pioneer and the medical director of The Headache Clinic, says the research shows poor to average school academic performance were more prevalent among children with headaches. “We should look deeper at poor performance. It might be more complicated than parents think,” says Shevel. A retrospective review of medical records of children and adolescents who presented with headache to outpatient pediatric neurology clinics during a one year period was done. Demographics, Headache type, attention deficit disorder (ADHD), learning disabilities and academic achievements were assessed. A total of 243 patients met the inclusion criteria and were assessed: 135 (55.6%) females and 108 (44.4%) males. 44% were diagnosed with migraine (35.8% of the males and 64.2% of the females), 47.7% were diagnosed with tension type headache (50.4% of the males and 49.6% of the females). Among patients presenting with headache for the first time, 24% were formerly diagnosed with learning disabilities and 28% were diagnosed with ADHD. When to see a doctor It is crucial that if your headaches persist, you should get to the root of the problem. The longer the headache persists, the more damage will be done to the underlying structures. “A multidisciplinary assessment will need to be done,” is Shevel’s advice. Contact The Headache Clinic for help in this regard.

April 8, 2015

The Benefits Of Multi-Sensory Learning

As human beings we rely heavily on our senses to process information. If children use more than one sense when they are playing and engaging with materials they will grasp and retain the concepts being learnt quicker and more easily. In other words young children learn best if they are feeling, seeing, hearing, touching and moving. Using multiple senses allows more cognitive connections and associations to be made with a concept. This means it is more easily accessible to a child as there are more ways the information can be triggered and retrieved from their cognitive learning centre in the brain. Children have different learning styles. There are 3 different types of learners: Visual learners and like bright colours, graphic organisers, highlighting material and fancy pens to scribble with. Auditory learners do well listening to material presented audibly. Kinesthetic learners need to be moving around as they learn – bouncing on the trampoline as they recite their times table, sitting on a pilates ball at a desk to do homework, throwing the ball at a target as they recite spelling words. The movement (no matter how incremental) helps them concentrate and learn. For very young children (under age 8), who have not established their learning style yet, it is important to use a multisensory experience to help children remember and retain information more effectively. The Raising Readers sensory kits were designed by Marian Bailey, a Remedial Therapist & Mom with just that principle in mind. Get in touch with Raising Readers by visiting their website – click here

April 3, 2015

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