As parents we always want the best for our children and so we strive to do the right thing to ensure our children grow and develop into well rounded little humans. Experts say toys are one thing parents could use to improve brain development, but do we really know what kind toys to use for this purpose?
For a learner to get information from the textbook into their long-term memories requires many cognitive functions. In this blog article, we’ll explore the role of a dedicated study space for a homeschool learner and try to answer why this is important. To answer this question, we look to cognitive load theory.
Tip – prepare for successful breastfeeding by learning what to expect and how to do it! Attend a class if possible during pregnancy. Don’t wait for things to get better on their own. Ask for help from a skilled professional in the first few days if you need it.
Sugar Bay is a luxury holiday camp in Kwa-Zulu Natal, for children between the ages of 7 and 17 years old. We offer over 100 activities, including surfing, skate boarding and ropes courses. Our newest activities are airsoft (which is similar to paintball) and tie dye. None of our activities are compulsory and children are given the freedom to choose what they would like to do. We have qualified staff known as camp counselors, who look after the children 24/7. No child is ever left alone and we have a strict supervision ratio of one counselor to every three children.
With every new generation of school going kids, comes the important topic of healthy school lunch boxes. What are some of the healthy things to include in the lunchbox? Why is it important for kids to eat healthy foods while they are at school? What are the best drinks for lunchboxes?
“You strike the women, you strike the rock” – inspiring words from the famous resistance song have come to symbolise the courage and strength expressed at the Women’s March of 1956 as South African women refused to give in to increasing oppression without some form of protest. The Women’s Coalition https://www.womenscoalitioninternational.org/, an international NGO founded in 2003 in the United States to fight against a legalised industry which routinely takes children away from loving mothers and gives custody to controlling and abusive fathers, has elected Kara Fox (surname withheld as minor children are involved) as their leader in South Africa. Kara says that the local coalition’s mission is to raise awareness about the crisis that is happening in South African Courts and to unite with other women’s groups fighting Gender-Based Violence. Importantly, it gives mothers who have lost their children via South African courts, a voice and a support group. Women are increasingly coming forward with their tragic stories and information about lawyers, ‘hired gun’ experts, judges and trial outcomes. Legalised gender-based violence in our courts “Children are being greatly harmed and women are being emotionally and financially devastated by losing contact, their parenting rights and being unable to protect their children”, says Kara. “In South Africa this is facilitated by what Americans call the cottage industry, an unholy trinity of attorneys, advocates and ‘hired gun’ social workers or psychologists (“experts”). They work together as teams in a proven model to play the legal system and sway our judges. The way it works is that someone on the team identifies a wealthy litigant and shows them how they will win sole custody of children in exchange for eye-watering amounts of money,” she says. “This problem does not arise in the case of a divorce between two parents who genuinely want what’s best for their children, where both parties do their best to separate in a way that takes the least emotional toll on everyone. It arises when vengeful, abusive men use the legal system to “buy” back control over ‘their’ women and children, who they see as their possessions and they are furious that they have dared to leave the abusive marriage,” Kara says. While children have an undeniable right to live with their primary attachment figure which is what’s best for them and for their healthy development, according to The Women’s Coalition International website, both male and female judges routinely enforce systemic male entitlement and take children away from their mothers. The pervasive pattern is that women, who start out as primary nurturers of the children, end up with little, supervised or zero contact after litigation. It doesn’t matter whether the father is a narcissist, sociopath, abuser or just selfish. He will get what he wants in court because he’s the father and he’s got money to spend on winning at any cost. How children and mothers’ rights are crushed by “hired guns” in South Africa “Unfortunately, few South African women entering a highly contested divorce know about the cottage industry nor about getting help from the Office of the Family Advocate,” says Kara. Instead, she says, mothers find themselves coerced into assessments by private practitioners in social work or psychology, ostensibly to establish the best interests of the children. This “consulting expert” is paid by the father and works with the father’s legal team to ensure the report produced at the end of the assessment process is damning against the mother. “However,” Kara says “what happens next is nothing but an ambush. The expert submits a damning report of the mother, alleging mental instability and suggesting she is a danger to the children, while the father is never assessed. The mother then faces an urgent application to appear in court with little time to instruct an attorney or get a second opinion from any other more suitably qualified expert. Based on the biased report of a sole ‘expert’ the judge makes a judgement removing the children from their mother’s primary care and placing them with the father. Then follows her endless nightmare of fighting for unsupervised contact, enduring expensive and traumatic assessments by forensic psychiatrists and clinical psychologists, psychometric testing and bringing of court applications to regain her right to parent children.” Kara voices the pain of all mothers in this situation: “She has to attempt this without access to funds, often unrepresented, when the father has been the breadwinner and is in control of the finances. There are no words to describe the heartache and grief of witnessing your children’s anguish and confusion: “Why can’t I live with you mommy? Why can’t we sleep at your house anymore?’ and hearing their screams at the end of supervised visits as they are dragged away by their fathers. “Maternal fears, grief, and suffering are compounded by seeing them change from happy, confident little children into crushed, anxious shadows of their former selves, and seeing their neglect from uncaring paid child minders and au pairs,” she says. Guidance for South African women facing this situation Do not allow you and your family to be assessed by anyone paid for by your husband, no matter how it is described, without advice from an attorney specialising in Family Law. Insist on involving the Office of the Family Advocate. Do not move out of the family home. If necessary, lay a charge at the police station if the husband is violent, and do not be dissuaded from this course by your sadness at his behaviour or hopes that he will change. The Women’s Coalition in South Africa would like to see a standardised structure implemented for reports submitted by “experts” to the courts. Currently there are no rules and these “experts” can and do frequently say whatever their client needs to win custody at any cost. These reports should follow a specific set of standards and be reviewed by other impartial experts before they are allowed to be filed in court. The Women’s Coalition International regards ‘shared parenting’ as a deceptive
There it is, that mind blowing feeling! I smile to myself as the feeling of joy sweeps through my body from my toes up. That feeling is my baby boy Rogan’s kick in my tummy! It gets me every time I feel it. It reminds me there is life growing in me and the feeling of the unknown excites me this time. You see it’s been a year since we experienced baby loss, our identical twin girls, Storm and Logan were born on the 10th of January 2019, Storm, a still born and Logan an NICU baby who survived two and a half days.
Pregnancy may seem daunting to first time moms, so knowing what to expect at all three stages is essential for a safe and stress-free pregnancy.
The Chicco range of cutlery starts when your child first begins to accept a spoon. Beginning with the Silicone Spoon, perfectly suited to small mouths and delicate gums, to the older fork and spoon sets for when baby can start feeding themselves, gradually introducing metal child-sized cutlery for baby to eat just like the grown-ups.
Instead of going into a decline about load shedding and feeling unable to cope, show your teenager how to manage load shedding to her advantage. Our load shedding can be used as a practical and hands-on way to teach our kids to plan ahead and be prepared for any eventuality. Instead of moaning about it and considering emigrating, embrace load shedding to demonstrate valuable life lessons.
It’s no exposé that the breakup of your marriage is tough on your kids. It can be stressful, sad, and confusing. At any age, kids may feel uncertain or angry at the prospect of mom and dad splitting up. Yet as a parent, you can make the process and its effects less painful for your children. Helping your kids cope with divorce means providing stability in your home and attending to your children’s needs with a reassuring, positive attitude. It won’t be a seamless process, but let us show you how to lend comfort — not confusion — to an already difficult situation.
An amazing study done by Loewy J et al. [1] in 2013 showed that soothing music may encourage premature babies to feed better, as well as improve their vital signs (like their O2 saturation levels as well as heart rate). It is speculated that this is one of the reasons why singing lullabies to babies comes so naturally to parents and carers.
Muscle tone is the amount of tension (or resistance to movement) in muscles when they are at rest. Our muscle tone helps us to hold our bodies upright when we are sitting and standing. Changes in muscle tone are what enable us to move. Since tone only describes a muscle when it is inactive or resting, it is quite possible for a child with low tone to still be very strong when they exert themselves and activate their muscles. There’s a big difference between muscle tone and muscle strength.
Most parents will agree that teaching children about money is important, but there’s more to it than telling them that saving is good or to be careful of debt.
Allergic reactions are becoming more prevalent around the world, especially in more developed countries. This heightened sensitivity may be due to increased exposure to harmful environmental factors, such as air pollution and cigarette smoke, as well as cleaner living environments with fewer micro-organisms and bacterial exposure
TikTok is taking over the world, or so it seems! It’s an app that allows users to share short videos. It enables the user to be incredibly creative with the use of stickers, music tracks, filters and augmented reality. As a result, so people find the creative side really enjoyable and because videos are only 15 – 60 seconds long, they’re incredibly consumable from a viewers perspective. This is why it rocketed to being the most downloaded app worldwide at the end of 2019.
All babies deserve something truly special, and Vital Baby offers just that. New to South Africa, this family-focused range will soon be making a wave in the baby care industry.
The human baby is born with an innate curiosity and a seemingly insatiable need to learn. Toddlers and young children seem to find anything and everything interesting and they never run out of questions! Why is that…? How does…? Where is the…? What is…..? They are also determined to ‘do- it-by-myself!’ In fact, they insist on it!
The weaning period provides the baby with more nutrients and is also an important step for the psychological, emotional and educational development.
Breast-feeding is a special time for mom and baby alike. It creates excellent bonding, and is a primary immunity-building mechanism, but above all else, is the best way to issue nutrition to an infant. Yet it’s not always as simple as others would have us believe and most breast-feeding moms will admit to needing a little help along the way. Chicco has a fantastic range of breast-feeding accessories that can reduce some of the pain and keep breast-feeding a pleasant experience for moms. Chicco Nipple Shields are a silicone shield that fit naturally over the nipple with a tight, natural vacuum adhesion. The slit in the outer nipple allows milk to flow without pooling and the soft silicone is silky smooth, making it almost impossible for baby to tell the difference. They assist with chafing and rawness and allow nipples to recover without the risk of developing of spreading infection. Chicco Nipple Thermogels are perfect for sore, engorged breasts that would benefit from either a cold or hot compress. Easy to apply, the thermogels can be popped in the fridge to cool down, or heated in warm water, and fit perfectly around the breast inside a bra or just while mom rests. Anti-Bacterial Breast Pads from Chicco’s Natural Feeling range is most reliable and gentle way to remain dry all day whilst still breast-feeding. Made from breathable materials, the pads have anti-bacterial properties that help neutralise any bacteria that forms. They are available in packs of 30 or 60. Available at Baby City, www.takealot.com, www.loot.co.za, selected Kids Emporiums & www.Thekidzone.co.za
Socialising is often a big concern for prospective home schoolers as well as the family of home schoolers. However, these students often get to socialize with a greater variety of age groups when compared to learners who attend mainstream schools.
The Philips Avent breastfeeding range is designed to support you through every step of your breastfeeding journey. Whether you want to develop your milk supply, take care of your breasts, or simply fit more into your day, our breast care accessories make breastfeeding easier.
With an automated future ahead of us, the workplace will require a different way of thinking with an emphasis on problem solving, through mathematics as a vehicle, we can cultivate this skill in children from an early age.
When my beautiful baby girl arrived, I was determined to breast feed, but, as many new moms will agree, it was far more complicated than I expected.
‘Innovation has paved the way for an alternative form of education and with the latest technology, Brainline is bridging the gap to accommodate the digital age. In 2019, the focus was on masterclasses to prepare learners for tests and tasks. This year saw the introduction of Brainline Cloud School, the hub of teaching. Here, the focus is on the learner and innovation regarding teaching and facilitation,’ says Coleen Cronje, Brainline Chief Executive Officer.
Surely, with how the world we live in is changing, and with all of our technological advances, something as old fashioned as nursery rhymes should be a thing of the past? Toddlers now have access to televisions, Ipads, cell phones and YouTube, and some even know how to operate these on their own…..so should nursery rhymes (which have been around for centuries) be given the boot?
When little ones teeth start popping through, drool and irritation are par for the course. From as early as 4 months, small ‘baby’ teeth start appearing on the bottom gum line, causing symptoms that range from fevers, pain, upset stomach and drooling.
Even if your child sometimes tests your patience, the point of being their parent is to help them grow. Everything that you teach your child should come from a place of love. Children need affection. Show your kids that you love them with smiles and hugs. While love is not enough to be a good parent, it is a vital part of raising happy and emotionally healthy children.
As sleep consultants we rarely advise on nutritional problems and always refer our clients to registered dieticians when we do pick up on problems as we are sleep experts after all and NOT feeding experts. However, when we’re working together with parents who have smaller babies, we always address the feeding issue before addressing the sleep.
Think back to when your mom raised you, or perhaps when you had your oldest children in some cases. In those days we often co-slept with our babies out of sheer exhaustion, or found it was a guilty pleasure that made moms life easier, but ultimately it wasn’t deemed ideal for mom, nor baby.
