Education Safety- Schools are being targeted by criminals for equipment
While school violence is prevalent and widespread, schools are also being targeted by criminals for electronic devices such as computers and IT equipment.
January 14, 2020
Advice from the experts
CHICCO NATURAL FEELING GIFT SET (PINK OR BLUE)
Every expectant mom wants the very best for her baby. Chicco, leaders in baby products for 62 years, know the importance of ensuring parents only top quality products, whilst making their lives as easy as possible.
January 13, 2020
Safe sleeping practices for babies
According to the CDC [1], every year about 3,500 babies die from sudden unexpected infant deaths (SUIDs). While we still don’t know that much about it, it has been shows that practicing safe sleeping habits can reduce the risk greatly.
January 10, 2020
Sleep: Teach your baby to self-sooth
Sleep is a very complicated part of early parenting, which is part of the reason that it presents such a challenge. There are simply so many variables, from nutrition and health to anxiety and sensory needs. One variable that simply cannot be overlooked is self-soothing. In order to sleep through the night independently, a baby needs to learn to self-sooth.
January 9, 2020
STARTING TO SELF FEED WITH THE BOON PULP
Once your baby can sit up and bring their hands to their mouth you can start with the Boon Pulp. Munching and crunching, all require lots of practice for babies who are just learning to self-feed, and the results can be messy. The Boon Pulp Silicone Feeder is a tidy solution: it works like a mesh feeder, but it’s sturdier and keeps the mess more contained, so your child can use her brand-new teeth to gnaw away at healthy snacks without requiring an entire roll of paper towels for clean up afterwards. Self-feeding offers a great way to teach babies dexterity and hand-eye co-ordination.
January 8, 2020
Child Maintenance
When it comes to children, strong commitment and love are not negotiable. Unfortunately, not all parents honour this duty, specifically their legal duty to maintain the well-being of their children. Considering this, the child maintenance system ensures that all parents honour their duty to maintain/support their children.
January 8, 2020
CHICCO NATURAL FEELING NEWBORN STARTER SET (NEUTRAL)
The Chicco Natural Feeling Newborn Starter Set is a wonderful introduction package of Natural Feeling nursing products. Natural Feeling as a bottle range has been one of the most widely accepted ranges by babies on a global scale, with a 96% latch rate on teats and excellent anti-colic functionality.
January 6, 2020
The robo saving for your child
As December rolls around, many parents get to breathe a momentary sigh of relief that a monthly school fee payment won’t be going off this month. That is until you remember that you’ll be expected to re-start payments again in January and this time it will come with new text books, school stationery, uniforms and for the bigger “kids”, you might even be paying boarding school or accommodation fees.
December 20, 2019
Breastmilk reserves critically low
The South African Breastmilk Reserve (SABR) has issued an urgent call for breastmilk donations as reserves run critically low.
December 20, 2019
Teach your children to develop a growth mindset
We all tell ourselves stories about who we believe ourselves to be and what we believe we are capable of achieving! “The trouble with these stories is that we accept them to be true, even when they are not!” says Cindy Glass, Owner and Co-Founder of Step Up Education Centres. She adds, “We make decisions and choices based on what we think we deserve, so if our stories comes from a fixed mindset, we are unlikely to achieve the successes that we dream of. If, however, the stories we tell ourselves are based on a growth mindset, we are going to be set-for-success.”
December 19, 2019
FIRST DREAMS LULLABY SHEEP
The First Dreams range features pastel pink and blue variants of a series of toys that are all fundamentally multi-tech driven, with gorgeous aesthetic and cleverly thought-out practicality.
December 17, 2019
Considering starting solids? – what to look out for
Starting solids can be an exciting time. I remember when we started our son on solids. We had my brother and the grandparents over. He was propped up in a chair and we all watched as my husband and I fed him some mashed butternut from a spoon. The video is so cute, the words of praise about how clever he was is quite impressive, and his outfit was cuter than cute. However, now when I watch the video, I shudder. I shudder because I can now see all the non-verbal signals that he was sending, saying he was not ready. We could have waited a week longer, just to give him time. If I had known better, I would have done better.
December 16, 2019
Parenting Plans
When co-holders experience difficulties in exercising their responsibilities and rights, they must agree on a parenting plan to regulate the exercise of their rights and responsibilities as a prerequisite before approaching the court. They must first seek the assistance of the family advocate, social worker or psychologist; alternatively, they must go for a mediation facilitated by a social worker or other suitably qualified person.
December 16, 2019
How to Survive Your Child’s First Sleepover Camp
You may have already imagined your child’s first sleepover camp, and everything you could get done. A week or two without your child may sound like a dream come true. However, when you finally get the solitude you have been craving, the house seems dreadfully empty and too quiet.
December 12, 2019
FIRST DREAMS NEXT2STARS PROJECTOR
The First Dreams range features pastel pink and blue variants of a series of toys that are all fundamentally multi-tech driven, with gorgeous aesthetic and cleverly thought-out practicality.
December 11, 2019
How To Use a Car Seat Harness Correctly
It’s Child Passenger Safety Awareness Week and I have decided to talk a little about the car seat harness. The car seat harness holds a child down in the car seat so they cannot slide up, forward and out the car seat in the event of a crash.
December 9, 2019
FIRST DREAMS GOODNIGHT BEAR
The First Dreams range features pastel pink and blue variants of a series of toys that are all fundamentally multi-tech driven, with gorgeous aesthetic and cleverly thought-out practicality.
December 6, 2019
Have baby – will travel
Travelling with babies and toddlers can be stressful, whether it is navigating public transport, such as the underground in London or simply a domestic flight in South Africa – you are bound to find a pram a mission to contend with. That why I have always chosen to travel with my baby carrier. There are a few good reasons for this:
December 6, 2019
Don’t dread the dentist
Most of us are scared of the dentist which means dental care can easily be overlooked but, taking good care of your teeth will not only leave you with a brilliant smile, it will also keep your mouth healthy. By following a good at-home care regime and regular dental visits, you can decrease the likelihood of health problems in the future.
December 5, 2019
Playing music to help your baby sleep
Sleep is one of the most essential aspects of a baby’s development. It helps their bodies and minds develop, and the truth is that music can play a major role in both the development of your baby, as well as helping them achieve a more restful sleep. Even though your baby’s brain is not yet fully developed, the reality is that they are actually not much different from adults when it comes to the basic structure and functionality of their brains. This also applies to the auditory cortex portion of their brain. The auditory cortex forms part of the temporal lobe of the cerebral cortex. This is one of the first parts of the brain to develop, meaning that playing music to your unborn baby can already have benefits. In fact, some studies have shown that playing music for your baby in utero (while still in the womb) can help create a better foundation for their reaction and appreciation for music once they are born. In other words, playing music for your unborn baby can make it easier to eventually use music as a means of helping your child fall asleep. Heartbeat is the ideal music stimulation for in-utero and newborn babies. Within the womb, from as early as six months, the unborn child experiences many sounds, including the ever-present heartbeat. It is important to note that not all music is suitable for helping your baby fall asleep. Music with high pitches or deep bass should be avoided. These types of sounds act more as a stimulant than a relaxant. This is why lullabies are a popular and good choice by most parents, as most of these are designed to instil a sense of comfort. Another popular choice is classical music. As these contain no lyrics, it can be much less distracting. It also contains more soothing and gentle instrumental sounds, rather than heavy percussion as is found in other genres of music. All our albums are suitable for helping your baby fall asleep. On top of helping your baby fall asleep, playing music during playtime and bedtime routines, as well as during sleep, can also help their overall brain development. Studies have shown that the correct music introduces your baby to emotional stimuli which will help to increase their emotional intelligence. As your child gets older and starts to interact and understand a more complex world, this gentle emotional stimulus will help your child to better understand herself, as well as recognise patterns. Pattern recognition is one of the fundamentals of child development, and a cornerstone of both critical thinking and problem solving. There are a few important things to take note of when playing music for your baby to help them fall asleep. The first of these is volume. It is very important to not play the music too loud. Even if you have the correct music, turning up the volume on any kind of music will stimulate your baby and cause her brain to enter an active phase. Secondly, placement of the music source. The further away the music is, one instinctively tend to make the music louder. Rather try placing the source closer to the crib (or right next to it), and turn the volume down. Lastly, how long should you play the music for? Most psychologists and experts will suggest not playing music to your baby throughout the night. This can cause the music to become a crutch for your baby in that they will become dependant on the music to fall asleep. What is suggested is to start playing music a few hours before bedtime, and then switch it off after your baby has fallen asleep (or as they are falling asleep). This is dependant on your baby, as some will never form the attachment while other might. An example routine would be to start with Playtime and Bedtime with Bach a few hours before starting your bedtime routine. Put on some Symphony of Sleep during bath time to help your baby get into a calm state of mind ready for sleep, and then finally Classical Music Lullabies to help them drift off into a restful sleep.
December 4, 2019
FIRST DREAMS NEXT2MOBILE
Chicco, leaders in children’s development for the past 62 years, have the perfect toy range for newborns, making your little ones introduction to the world as soft as a mothers cuddle.
December 2, 2019
Eight reasons why Impaq is the best choice as a curriculum provider
In our previous article, we looked at how to choose a curriculum provider and what Impaq offers in that regard. In this article, we are looking at Impaq as a provider of preference within the community and the home education learning environment.
December 2, 2019
Thinking processes
Thinking processes,I define as the manipulation of information. Problem solving requires reflective thinking; reflective thinking encourages critical thinking and develops a range of thinking skills. According to Scheffer and Rubenfield (2000), the critical thinking skills are; analysis, applying standards, discriminating, information seeking, and logical reasoning, predicting and transforming knowledge. Analysing, defined as the ability of separating or breaking a whole into parts to discover their nature, function and relationship, is understood as a critical thinking skill (Scheffer & Rubenfield, 2000). When making a drawing, both the content and concept of the drawing are actively analyzed because they must be broken into parts so that they can be understood before the concept can be drawn in a student’s book. Through this engagement each student processes, understands, explores, and integrates, the content and concept they are interacting with in the drawing. For example, ‘global warming’ can be represented visually, left, Examples of how two elementary school participants represented features after learning about global warming, (Katz, 2017, pg. 238). The child draws the factory, water in solid or liquid form, while the symbols for temperature are communicated and thus concepts are mapped through the visual mode of language. In the second example an abstract concept is drawn, how the students feel about global warming. Left, Examples of affective interpretations of two elementary school participants in relation to global warming content, (Katz, 2017, pg. 239). In the drawing, the child wrote ‘Don’t cut me!’ Drawing operates to present two different types of information. In this case, the way the task is directed impacts the way a drawer analyses the content. Since alphabetic language, symbols, numbers have intersubjective meaning drawing a diagram brings together different codes of symbolic thought in a focused ‘slow thinking’ method, because drawing takes time to represent content and concept on the white page. See Daniel Kahneman for thinking fast and low. The literate person develops practices in code breaking, text meaning, pragmatic text use and text critique & analysis (Luke & Freebody, 1997) with the use of critical thinking skills. Discriminating, the ability of recognizing differences and similarities among things or situations is understood as a critical thinking skill (Scheffer & Rubenfield, 2000). Logical reasoning is the ability to make inferences or conclusions that are supported in, or justified by evidence (Scheffer & Rubenfield, 2000). In 1988, Johnson developed a task where students select one English language rule that they want to illustrate in a poster to communicate its conventions to the class. The freedom to select a rule empowered student with agency. “[S]tudents` explain how their drawing represent the rule” (Van Meter & Garner, 2005, pg. 295). Later the visual stimulus is put up in the classroom, arguable to aid memory, support student’s motivation and application of knowledge. This task is an example of concepts being translated across linguistic modes from the verbal linguistic mode of reading the rule to the visual mode of representing the rule. Secondly, encouraging thinking skills to remember because the rule was visualised for memory retention. Also apply knowledge, as the rule was designed in a poster, and problem solve as the child was asked to convert written to visual mode. The development of higher order thinking skills was practiced in this task. Predicting, as the ability of envisioning a plan and its consequences, is understood as a critical thinking skill (Scheffer & Rubenfield, 2000). I propose that ‘innovating’ designs is part of visualising a plan, for example envisioning architectural structures which is a structural example of composition planning in EGD. Also, to predict experiment outcomes in science or colours in art for paint colour mixing. Reflective thinking is part of the critical thinking process defined as analyzing and making judgments (Scheffer & Rubenfield, 2000). Creative thinking is considered as holistic thinking where various parts are considered in unison. One part develops in unity with another part in relation to the problem being solved. Transforming knowledge, as the ability to change or convert the condition, nature, form or function of concepts within contexts,is understood as a critical thinking skill (Scheffer & Rubenfield, 2000). Barbara Tversky from Teachers College, Columbia University explains the benefits of “messy lines [that promote] discovery of new ideas” (Tversky, 2011, pg. 16). She explains how a variety of different marks on a page have “context dependent meaning related to their mathematical or Gestalt properties” (Tversky, 2011, pg.16). She clarifies that marks, which make up the drawings, represent externalized symbolic thought. The act of drawing is a union between perceptive skill and cognitive skill where the perceptive skill involves ‘seeing’ in context of the object and the cognitive skill involves ‘thinking’ in context of the idea. She refers to this as “constructive perception” (Tversky, 2011, pg.16). It seems that when perception and thinking processes operate in tandem creative thinking is operating to innovate new ideas and products from existing knowledge and context. Tversky explains that messy lines aid thought because they are ambiguous, “pre-categorical, so they allow for many interpretations” (Tversky, 2011, pg.16). Messy lines are evident in Michelangelo’s Horse Composition (right, and detail a, Studies of a Horse and a Sketch of a Battle Scene, authors photograph from Ashmoleum Museum Oxford). The lines look like they were drawn quickly to visually externalize memory or observation and understanding of the structure of the horse for manipulation in a new composition. It could be argued that the horse was moving while it was being drawn. Interestingly, the observation of the horse (an uncommon subject for Michelangelo who focused more on the human body) is visible as two different poses from observation drawing on the same leaf of paper. A plan drawing for arranging the subject of the person and the horse is visually explored alongside the detailed horse representation. The drawer is creating from perception towards innovation thus using ‘constructive perception’. According to Ewa Grabska “Although designers during design process can form mental images in their heads, the majority of them do much better when those images are out of
November 28, 2019
Ambulances are for emergencies only
Too often we read about emergency services and the police force spending hundreds of thousands of Rands on wasted resources due to prank or non-emergency calls. Some emergency services report receiving up to 50 abusive or hoax calls every day. Not only does this waste valuable time for the highly trained personnel but it also causes disruptions to responses to real emergencies and puts people’s lives in danger.
November 28, 2019
Technology in the Classroom – A South African Perspective
Early introduction of technology in schools is important to close the gap between our current situation and where we need our future graduates to be. It is predicted that by 2031 all repetitive tasks will be replaced by robots, so it is no longer enough to merely teach a child how to use a computer. Children need to be taught those skills that robots cannot do. According to Michelle Lissoos, Managing Director of Think Ahead, these skills include empathy, creativity, and higher cognitive thinking. Using technology to teach these human characteristics might seem contradictory, but technology can open doors for children which would otherwise be impossible in certain home situations.
November 26, 2019
DISNEY BABY MINNIE & MICKEY FIRST ABILITIES PLUSH DOLL
Christmas is just around the corner and choosing a toy that will not only entertain, but also help develop young minds has become more important to parents than ever when deciding what to get the little ones.
November 26, 2019
Developmental Milestones…What’s the fuss?
If you are a parent or are around parents of young children, there is a high chance that you’ve heard about developmental milestones. You may have even read about it in a baby book or an article, heard from your paediatrician or from any other professional specialising in early childhood development. You may have heard parents proudly speak about the fact that their child has skipped certain milestones, such as crawling and has gone straight to walking, and so they’re now “ahead of the pack”. You may have seen the complete opposite, parents in a frenzy because their child is one month behind in some of their milestones. You may have heard others completely disregard milestones all together. So what is the fuss all about? How important are milestones really?
November 25, 2019
The importance of exposing your child to the arts
As a father of two boys, I am constantly inspired and challenged, to expose my children to the variety of cultural avenues available to them. For those who are not aware, I am both a music educator and performer and have spent many years collaborating with, or working alongside, artists of many kinds. Being involved in the cultural department here at Crawford La Lucia, I have to been exposed to the various arts disciplines on offer and have been privileged to work alongside colleagues who invest in their pupils with determination, creativity, and excellence.
November 25, 2019
Toddler Christmas Toy Guide
With Christmas only a month away, we asked Chicco South Africa to put together a Toy Guide for Christmas. CHICCO BABY SENSES PIRATE SORTER A pull-along treasure chest that encourages children to start puzzle solving from young. Place the shapes in the corresponding holes and store the treasure in the chest. Perfect from 1 year upwards and a great aid for motor skills. Retailers: Takealot, Lilliputs, Thekidzone, Loot and selected Kids Emporium stores. 2. CHICCO BABY SENSES ANIMAL COTTAGE Teach your baby puzzle solving and motor skills with a shape sorter. Five colourful, decorated shapes can be inserted into corresponding holes while 5 different keys open the corresponding doors. Helps develop hand/eye coordination. Strong contrasting colours and popular animals make this a winner with young toddlers. Retailers: Babies R Us, Takealot, Lilliputs, Thekidzone.co.za, Loot and selected Kids Emporium stores. 3. CHICCO MOVE & GROW BABY RODEO A high-end toy for people that want to really splash out on their child. The Move & Grow Baby Rodeo is a child’s first indoor pony and the coolest ride-on. The electronic toy comes to life with sensors and moves his eyes and neighs when stroked or fed with a carrot. 3 functions include rocker, ride on (where child can push themselves) and activity centre that includes buttons, music and sounds. Suitable up to 25kgs. Retailers: Takealot and Thekidzone. 4. CHICCO FIT & FUN MONKEY STRIKE The Fit & Fun range from Chicco keeps toddlers active no matter what the weather may be like outside. Monkey strike is a 2 mode game that is a modern take on 10 pin bowling. It aids creativity, teaches numbers and helps learn colours. Comes with soft bowling ball. Pins can also be split to create stacking towers. Retailers: Takealot, Lilliputs, Thekidzone and Loot. 5. CHICCO FIT & FUN MISTER RING An electronic toy to keep your child active no matter what the weather, Fit & Fun Mister Ring is a unique take on the traditional ring toss. The base rotates at two different speeds, challenging the child’s attention every time. Comes with 8 coloured rings of lightweight plastic which make it safe for indoor play. 6 different melodies play while base is spinning. Great for stimulating manual coordination and motor skills. The perfect toy for toddles with aim. Retailers: Takealot, Lilliputs, Thekidzone and Loot. 6. CHICCO FIT & FUN JUMP AND FIT PLAY MAT A fantastic take on the old classic Hopscoth, with a new and modern twist. An electronic toy, the playmat has two game modes and players can increase difficulty as child develops. Lights, sounds and music make it a highly entertaining way of staying fit whilst playing and developing manual skills. Retailers: Takealot, Lilliputs, Thekidzone and Loot. 7. CHICCO HAPPY MUSIC BAND DRUM A colourful electric drum that lets children develop through the joy of music and musical expression. 3 electronic activities including free drumming, ‘keep-the-beat’ and composing to really let the rock star in your baby come out. Includes 4 LED lights to keep baby entertained as they express themselves. Retailers: Takealot, Thekidzone and Loot. 8. CHICCO HAPPY MUSIC BABY STAR GUITAR An electric toy guitar full of fun features to bring out the rock star in your child. Select from three different musical styles (Rock, Pop and Blues) and choose among 3 play modes (short tunes, pre-recorded melodies and follow me). The 23 pre-recorded melodies can be enriched with the 3 different mixer functions: drums, vibration and acceleration of the rhythm. Retailers: Takealot, Lilliputs, Thekidzone, and Loot. 9. CHICCO HAPPY MUSIC DJ MIXY A first around the world – a DJ consol for babies. Let them scratch it like a real DJ, create their own backing tracks and select a melody and add different sounds to it. Increase or decrease the speed of the music and have the most fun playing with real sounds, in their own style. Allows for complete free expression. With two game modes and 3 lights that change colour for them to enjoy. Retailers: Takealot, Thekidzone and Loot. 10. CHICCO BABY SENSES STACK N FUN CUPS Create a fun tower with Baby Senses Stack n Fun Cups, the easiest way to learn numbers by seeing how the size of the cup goes up with the number that comes next. Simple puzzle solving makes this a great aid to get a toddlers mind school-ready whilst having fun. Includes a hole at the top of the tower where balls are placed to slide down the tower to the base. Retailers: Babies R Us, Takealot, Thekidzone and Loot.
November 22, 2019
The secret to speaking teen
Whilst modern technology and its increased usage is seen as a boon to teenagers, most parents have a total opposite view of this. The question then remains…… Is technology to be blamed for poor communication between parents and teenagers? The answer quite simply is NO since a lack of communication between parents and teenagers is an age-old issue.
November 22, 2019
