NOVEMBER 2014

Back to basics:

simplify your life

Being

empowered

as a mum

Empowering parents to be the best they can be!

Technology

take-over

November 2014

Special Features

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Things to do during the hot weather Paint the Town REaD - a community event in the Hawkesbury

Articles

Technology takeover Empowering mums Cultivating a love for music Simplify your life 2014 money challenge

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18 20 24

Regulars

Letter from the Editor Ask a professional - questions from readers Make a Change Monthly Recipe - LCM Bites Your Story - I needed a change to be a good mum Small Steps to business - with Chris Crowe Something Extra - by Carolyn Galbraith Kid’s fun

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10 11 14

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Contents

from the Editor

Julie-Anne England

All articles in Small Steps are for editorial purposes and not necessarily the opinion of the publisher. Small Steps does

not represent or endorse the accuracy or reliability of any of the information, content, or advertisements contained on,

distributed through, or linked, downloaded, or accessed through this magazine or the corresponding website or face-

book page, nor the quality of any products, information or other materials displayed, purchased, or obtained by you as

a result of an advertisement or any other information.

In no event shall Small Steps be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, punitive, or consequential damages of any

kind whatsoever with respect to the service, the materials, and the products. You are encouraged to exercise discretion

while browsing the Internet. No part of this publication or the corresponding website is to be copied or reproduced

without permission.

Dear Reader,

The countdown to Christmas is on

and our lives tend to get a bit more

hectic rather than calmer. This

month we have articles on simplify-

ing your life and dealing with the technology take-over.

We would like to introduce to you Chris Crowe, our new contributor this month

who writes for those of you who run their own home businesses. Her articles are

informative and relevant and we are excited to have her joining us.

This month is an exciting month for us here at Small Steps as we are looking at

ways to bring you more content and researching what you actually want in the

magazine each month. We would love to hear from you and hear your comments

and opinions.

Kindly,

Letter

Technology takeover The interference of technology on family

life.

Being both a ‘Technology Coach’ and a

parent to two girls under the age of 7 has

definitely brought its own challenges. I

started ‘Tech Coach HQ’ last year and my

background is in education and has been

since 2003 in both primary and secondary

music education.

Having the perspective of both a parent,

educator and technology expert has given

me perspective on different sides of the

‘tech’ with kids debate. I am not saying it

is easy and there are more things to con-

tend with in 2014 than I dealt with growing

up in the 80’s.

Steve Jobs, his kids and screen time I heard once in a keynote that Steve Jobs

and a few other leading technologists limit

their screen time (even though you would

think this be the opposite case). I have

noticed especially this year the ‘retro’ trend

of living a more ‘simple’ life with more

families choosing to have ‘Tech Free’ Sun-

days or weekends or even removing ‘tech’

altogether to focus on ‘play’ and spending

more quality time as a family unit.

What research is showing:

Technology just like with anything else can

be addictive. Boundaries are very impor-

tant at a young age and this needs to be

consistent (not saying that the occasional

time isn’t bad, just not to sit in front of the

iPad, computer screen or TV all the time).

With a recent study by the American Acad-

emy of Pediatrics suggesting ‘screen free’

zones in the house and limiting screen time

for one to two hours per day (this includes

television, computers and mobile devices)

over the age of two. Under the age of two,

it is recommended to have no screen time.

Iemma Family rules For me personally, screen time has always

been educational (and yes Play School and

ABC2 were are still something that I let my

kids watch). I do have a rule on a weekend

that television is not allowed to come on

until 4pm and even then it is only till 5.30

which is roughly when dinner coincides. If

my daughters use the iPad, then television

time becomes limited.

Television in our family home goes off

after dinner and often we read to our girls

and play board games before bedtime.

Challenges of ‘Screen Time’ There are always going to be challenges

with ‘screen time’ especially if your child

is at school and they are also using devices.

It is up for individual parents to decide

what is a good balance for their family.

Written by Megan Iemma, Mum of two and

owner of Tech Coach HQ which solves and

educates businesses about using technol-

ogy. Learn more on the website

www.techcoachhq.com.au

What are relevant bounda-

ries for children?

Here are my five boundaries

for children/teenages:

1. Work out a time limit

based on the age of the child.

2. If it is a school night

(and there is homework to be

done) try and get that done

first and then have ‘screen

time’.

3. No ‘tech’ at meals

(unless it is needed for spe-

cific communication such as

a child with communication

needs)

4. Tech needs to be visible

at all times (i.e. keep in fam-

ily areas if possible)

Set timers/passwords where

applicable

What are relevant boundaries for the

family unit?

1. Again, keep ‘Tech’ away from meal

tables (unless essential for communication)

2. Be present. It’s hard to have a conver-

sation while you are on Facebook checking

your updates and trying to listen to your

kids after school.

3. Model consistency using technology.

If your kids see you set boundaries for

when you use technology, it will be easier

for them to follow the boundaries you set

for them.

4. Limit tech when you are out for family

outings (unless you need to for specific

purposes). I used to take the iPod touch out

when we went for dinner and about a year

ago, I stopped this practice as my two girls

then were expecting the iDevices if we

went anywhere! Yes, they did have to go

‘cold turkey’ for a while but they don’t ask

anymore for a device to magically appear

out my handbag.

Have a chart if needed to explain when

‘screen time’ is allowed in your family.

7

Empowering mums

Emma Marks always knew she wanted to

be an active Mum. But playing games on

the floor with her kids for five hours was

not part of the plan. Emma had another

plan, and it was supposed to keep her busi-

ness brain active for a few hours a day; but

life doesn’t always turn out the way you

think it will.

Motivated by the conversations she had,

and heard, at her children’s pre-school,

Emma started an on-line forum for women

with children in 2010. “Mum’s Lounge was

designed to provide a safe place where

women could relax and be themselves,”

explains Emma, “they didn’t need to pre-

tend they were super mums.”

Emma saw a gap in the on-line market for a

lifestyle site targeting women… oh, and

they just happen to have children; not a

mum’s site where everything revolves

around kids.

“Having five children doesn’t define me as

a person, only as a mum,” says Emma, now

Managing Director of Mum Media Group.

“Women who become mums often lose

their identity because everyone sees them

just as a mum, especially their children.

And hundreds of thousands of Australian

mums agree with her. Since it launched,

Mum’s Lounge has amassed a huge en-

gaged following of women with up to 9

million sometimes reached on Facebook.

Mum’s Lounge has 100,000+ Facebook

followers, 85,000+ e-news subscribers and

450,000+ unique monthly visitors. In a few

short years Mum’s Lounge has set the

benchmark for websites of its type .

But that’s not all. Emma has overlayed the

highly successful business model for

Mum’s Lounge onto six other sites which

now make up the Mum Media Group

(MMG) including parenting, fashion &

beauty, house & garden, bridal, food &

employment & upskilling for women re-

entering the workforce.

Thousands of Australian women from teen-

agers & brides to mums & homeowners

now log on every day to at least one MMG

site. With over 300 writers nationally,

every site posts new material every day

which is in turn promoted nationally via 19

separate social media sites.

Emma says MMG sites are highly popular

vehicles for national advertisers who want

to sell to a variety of the female demo-

graphic or who need to survey large groups

of women for marketing intel. “We have an

engaged audience who talks back to us; this

is marketing gold for companies who want

to engage women with no wastage in their

media spend.

MMG has now successfully evolved into

one of Australia’s leading digital marketing

channels with a full-time staff of 10, plus

contributing journalists and other writers.

As a successful business model with end-

less cross-promotional abilities, MMG is in

the unique position of being wholly pri-

vately owned with an audience of millions

of women and homeowners across Austra-

lia. Written by Megan Iemma, Mum of two and

owner of Tech Coach HQ which solves and

educates businesses about using technol-

ogy.

8

Ask a Professional...

QUESTION: I am a stay at home mum and I struggle to think of things to do with the kids

each day. My children are 2 and 4. What can you suggest that will keep them busy but not

cost me too much money?

9

Combos Slides Obstacle Castles Slushie Machines

Phone: (02) 4571 1240 or 0402 100 681

Email: tomcatjim1@bigpond.com

Birthdays/Corporate Events/Preschools/Fetes/Christmas/New Years

The days can seem long and overwhelming when you have young children. Planning

experiences for them during the week can help to break up the day and promote learning

through play.

Try setting up craft activities such as paper with water paints, tear up tissue paper and

glue it to paper or try some finger painting. A funny and non messy idea is to use clear

contact paper and have your children stick sequins, ripped up paper and small pictures

to it. When they have finished simply stick it to another sheet of paper.

Activities that are outdoors are also a great idea. Try water play - a large bowl of water

with some plastic cups and maybe some plastic animals. You can add cubes of ice on a

hot day for more sensory feeling. Sand is also fascinating play for young children. If

you don’t have sand why not try making some moon sand (directions in our May issue,

page 25). Following us on Facebook will have a variety of ideas on a regular basis as

will our blog in the website.

This answer has been supplied by Julie-Anne England who has years of experience

working with children pus childcare trained and mum of two. Learn more about Julie-

Anne on our "About Us" page on our website.

This world is full of so many great causes - non-profit organisations and charities to

help people, animals, save the environment, raise money for research and more.

There are so many causes that you could choose to support and at times it can be over-

whelming not being able to do it all.

This month we don’t want to acknowledge a charity or organisation, we want to ac-

knowledge those of you who are doing it tough. A lot of the time we do quite well but

there are times when all of us need a helping hand. This may be during a financial strug-

gle, dealing with the death or illness of a loved one (or ourselves) or something else.

If you know someone who is having a tough time right now way don’t you write in to

us and let us know. We would like to extend our hand to help by offering a $50 grocery

giftcard or a pamper session or a gift basket to meet their current need.

Simply send your emails through to info@smallstepsparenting.com and impact a life.

It only takes one life to make a difference.

Change Change Make a

Here at Small Steps Parenting Magazine we believe

that each one of us has the power to make a difference

in our world. Make a change is about that. It is about

doing one thing each month to make a difference in

someone else’s life and create a change in the atmosphere

in our own community.

11

Monthly Recipe

This recipe comes from Trendy Lil Treats. For more healthy recipes check out their

website www.trendyliltreats.com.au

Ingredients

4 cups of rice bubbles

2 cups of desiccated coconut

1/4 cup of Sugar Free Kids Drinking

Powder (Chocolate, Strawberry or

Banana)

2/3 cup honey (or rice malt syrup)

1/2 cup of coconut oil or coconut butter

Method

1. Place dry ingredients into a mixing bowl.

2. Melt the coconut oil and rice malt syrup/honey over a low heat until it’s a smooth

consistency, not hot, then add to bowl of dry ingredients

3. Mix it well until it’s combined

4. Using rice moulds, fill to the top and then press down firmly to create a firm LCM

bite. Otherwise if you don’t have rice moulds firmly press into a lined baking tray

so it’s approx 1 cm thick and flatten with a chopping board to get a nice firm bar.

5. Place in the refrigerator to set.

6. Once set, slice into bars and store in air tight container in the refrigerator or freezer.

LCM Bites

Things to do when the weather is hot

Slip, slop, flop?..

12

We’re coming up to that time of the year

again that we all just love: summer! Yep,

days when you and the little munchkins can

never have too many zooper doopers, when

you pack a delicious healthy picnic and head

to the beach, journey on long bike rides that

the kids will remember when they’re older…

the list is endless.

While nothing can replace these fun sum-

mertime activities, sometimes, that sizzling

Aussie sun is just too hot, forcing you and

the kids indoors. We all know how easily

kids can get bored so being stuck inside

means that you need to think a little outside

the square in terms of entertaining your kids

all day (and night) long. Before you flick on

that television and invest in a summer’s

worth of Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob

SquarePants DVDs, STOP.

Have a read of the following suggestions

that’ll make time fly! They’re loads of fun

and will help your children to stay fit and

healthy beyond summer.

Grr argh! It’s time for an indoor treasure

hunt!

There’s nothing like an indoor treasure hunt

to get those creative juices flowing. All you

need to do is set up clues that force your kids

to work out where the hidden treasure is.

You’d be amazed at how hours can blast by

as your kids try to figure out the clues and

hunt down the loot.

Need hidden treasure ideas? How about a

new set of crayons, markers, or stickers –

anything you want really!

Who said kids can’t cook?

In recent times, it’s been well-documented

just how many of our Aussie kids are strug-

gling with their weight. And hey, it’s not

hard to believe given today’s time-poor cul-

ture. So, when the weather’s too hot outside,

stay cool inside and plan family meals to-

gether. It’s just another way that you can

encourage healthy living.

You’d be surprised at how getting your kids

involved in planning future meals can save

you ending up with large quantities of

wasted food. Most importantly, working

alongside your kids in this way will help you

to keep your entire family’s health in check.

The key here is encouraging your kids to

come up with their own flavour combina-

tions: even if they do seem a little outra-

geous, go with the flow. If they do tend to be

choosing too many unhealthy foods, simply

discuss with them what ingredients could be

used instead.

Challenge them with an obstacle course

Every household has those odd items that are

just lying around, not doing much else but

gathering dust. Well put them to good use

and get an indoor obstacle course happening.

Sure, this will take some creativity and time

on your end to put together but once it’s all

up and running, you can enjoy watching

those little minds ticking over, wondering

how they’re going to solve whatever chal-

lenge is on-hand.

Hide and Seek

Okay, so there’s nothing new about this

game but it’s a classic for a reason! Just in

case you’re unfamiliar with the aim of the

game, one person (they’re called ‘it’) has to

cover his or her eyes while counting aloud.

In the meantime, everyone else hides – when

‘it’ is finished counting, he or she begins

looking for those that are hiding. Prepare

yourself for a heap of fun and giggles.

Indoor bowling

Instead of braving the heat outside or spend-

ing a heap of money to head down to your

local ten pin bowling centre, simply grab

some empty bottles (water bottles or big

juice bottles will do) and line them up at the

end of a corridor or living room. From there,

grab an indoor friendly ball (make sure it’s a

little soft so that no one gets hurt and noth-

ing is damaged) and start playing. Fill up the

bottles with water if you find that they’re

falling down when they’re not supposed to.

So there you have it! It’s a simple list but

that’s exactly the point: beat the heat indoor

and have some serious family fun even when

the weather isn’t at its friendliest.

Breakout box

Is it too hot to brave the heat?

If you notice that your kids are displaying

any of these signs, get them indoors into

cooler weather immediately as they may be

close to dehydration:

They seem tired and lethargic.

They’re growing agitated.

They don’t want to eat or drink.

Their eyes are sunken / dark.

They have a high temperature.

Sarah Cannata is the Communications Man-

ager at HelpMeChoose.com.au, an insur-

ance, energy and home loan comparison

service. For more family related news, read

the HelpMeChoose blog – you can email

Sarah at:

sarah.cannata@helpmechoose.com.au

13

14

Your Story

Dina’s Story - I needed a change to be a

good mum

Sometimes I marvel how far I have come

in a relatively short space of time as a

mum and sometimes I feel like I am be-

ginner – do you ever feel like that?

My kids are now age 5 and age 7 and I

feel it is such a privilege and a joy to be a

mum. But I haven’t always felt this

way…

I’ve always tended on the worrying side

of situations, I guess it was my default

and my parents often said to me, “don’t

worry so much, you are always worrying

about things”. So it kind of became an

identity. It is no longer part of my identity

– sure I worry about things but it doesn’t

govern me the way it used it.

In 2002, we immigrated to Australia with

a then 6 month old and 2 year old. 10

days after we arrived we had a home in-

vasion. My 2 year old was in our home

being looked after by his elderly grand-

mother. Devastatingly our home was in-

vaded and his grandmother, my dear mum

-in-law was brutally attacked. Fortunately

my dear child was uninjured but the event

shook us all.

My mum-in-law has since recovered and

is stronger than ever. Having newly set-

tled in Australia, this event plus blood,

forensic dust and the ill repair of our

home prompted many moves. The end

result was we moved 5 times within 18

months with two young boys and my

mum-in-law.

It was the fifth move that broke the

camel’s back so to speak. After packing,

unpacking, sorting, changing addresses,

change utilities, the list goes on and

barely keeping our heads above water

with the everyday cooking, cleaning,

feeding, bathing etc. I had an emotional

breakdown.

This particularly day, my mum in law

who suffered trauma and depression fol-

lowing her attack had barricaded herself

in her room and for the umpteenth time

the kids wanted to go in and see her and I

had to say she is not feeling well. This

coupled with a rental house that was un-

safe for my then 1 year old was all getting

too much and I broke down. The tears

kept coming and I had nothing left to

give…to anyone… including my chil-

dren. I had hit rock bottom.

We slowly rebuilt ourselves and over time

things got better and we moved back to

our repaired, renewed home and I got the

help I needed and my mum-in-law got the

help she needed and things began to settle

down.

It was sometime later, when the boys

were 2 and 4 that I was sitting with them

at their blue IKEA dinner table and real-

ised that I was ok but I wasn’t ecstatic, I

wasn’t LOVING being a mum. And al-

though I was so grateful as to how far we

had come I found it difficult to step into

the natural joy and fun that occurred with

children.

The kids were having their usual banter

and I remember saying to myself – “is

this it? Is this what life with kids was go-

ing to be like, constantly cooking, feed-

ing, cleaning up and the cycle would go

round again” It really was groundhog day.

Where was the joy and laughter with chil-

dren – enjoying their company and being

silly with them at times? Where were all

of these things that I had anticipated par-

enting to be like? Why was the reality of

my parenting journey and relationship

with my children so different to what I

had imagined? I went searching for ways

to answer my questions and to somehow

close this gap and that’s when I found out

a friend had been to see a coach. Since I

was a coach prior to having my kids I

wondered why I hadn’t made the connec-

tion before.

Coaching helped me to transform myself

and I have turned things around dramati-

cally and permanently. I became aware

of how it was the way that I was thinking

that was creating my experience with

children and creating the way I was wor-

rying about things. I discovered there

was a clearly defined way for me to

change the way I think to get the out-

comes I want. My program finished in

2011 and I now truly feel the full joy of

being a parent – through the highs and the

lows and the joys and challenges.

Fast-forward to today, the relationship

with my children is one I am proud of.

This morning we had a little banter be-

cause I had an appointment with my hair-

dresser and I asked them their opinion on

the style of cut I should have. They re-

sponded, “oh mum, you should have it

like this” and “cut it all off mum and be

bald.” I laughed. I was fully engaged, not

in my own head and I could really follow

the energy of the conversation. In reality

this means I have the relationship I want

with them, we have less argument and

disagreements and all round we enjoy our

time together – it’s a win win for every-

one! Not to mention all the things I can

now think about and enjoy because my

headspace is not taken up with worrying!

Dina Cooper is mum to two and a trans-

formational coach for mums. You can

learn more about Dina and what she does

on our blog on 5th November.

15

16

Running a business from home is fantastic

for work life balance, especially when you

want to be around for your small children.

But the very people you want to be there

for (your children) can be the very people

who can make it so very challenging to get

things done in your business and your

home.

So how do you manage your time and get

the best of both worlds? We all have the

exact same number of hours in a day –

have you ever wondered how it is that

some people seem to cram so much more

into their days than others?

The answer is time management. We ob-

viously can’t manage time itself, but we

can manage what we do within the time

we are given. The key to unlocking amaz-

ing time management is planning and

communication!

If you have small pre-school age children,

plan to do the tricky work or the work that

needs the most concentration while they

are having their daytime nap. If you have

a baby or toddler, this is easy to plan as

they generally have some sort of a routine.

If you have children who are slightly

older, but not yet at kinder or school, get

them into the habit of having “quiet time”

for 45 minutes to an hour or so on their

bed with a book, or watching a short dvd.

Before they go down for their nap or rest,

have everything planned and ready to go,

so that you can just smash out some work

and be amazingly productive!

If you have kinder aged or school aged

kids, of course it is a whole lot easier as

you have a very set number of hours

where they are not around. About 30 min-

utes before you are due to leave to pick

them up at the end of the day, celebrate

what you have achieved during that day

and plan what it is you are going to get

stuck into the next day. Then as soon as

you get home from dropping them off the

next morning, you can get stuck into com-

pleting your To Do List as it’s all ready to

go!

If you’re like me, you might prefer to wait

until the kids are in bed and get stuck into

some work in the evenings. I am most

productive between 2:30pm – 10:30pm, so

I make sure that I do the really important

work during these times. Other people are

morning people and just love to get up

early and can be amazingly productive

before the rest of the house has even

woken up! Find out what works best for

you and go for it!

What about school holidays? Some busi-

Managing your time when you

work from home

17

ness owners simply put their business on

hold for the short term holidays. Or they

work like the clappers and are super flat

out the week before and the week after the

holidays, so that they are able to spend a

bit more time with their kids. But this can

be a bit more challenging over the longer

summer holidays.

Utilise school holiday programs – the kids

usually love a few days in the program and

if you plan your tasks carefully, you can

get so much done in those couple of days

that you can easily take the remaining days

off to spend with your kids.

A great tip is to “child swap” with other

working mums where you mind their kids

for a couple of days, and they return the

favour so that work gets done by everyone

concerned.

Of course, if you’re in the position to do

so, having a nanny, even for a short time

can be extremely beneficial! And there’s

nothing wrong with using childcare – it’s

great socialisation for the kids and if you

have planned effectively, you may just

surprise yourself with how much you can

get done!

Another great obstacle to having awesome

time management is well meaning family

and friends dropping in because they know

you are at home. Make sure you let family

and friends know that this is your uninter-

rupted work time – guard this time fiercely

and don’t let anyone tempt you away!

Remember that if you were working in an

office at a job, they wouldn’t be able to

drop in for a cuppa, so the same should

apply while you’re working from home.

This can be a challenge sometimes, and

you have to find a gentle way to “train”

your families and friends – it’s all about

communicating to them that you are run-

ning a business.

Housework of course is another thing

tempting you away from work – let’s face

it, we all have housework and it just never

ever seems to

end! What I’ve

found helpful to

do is to do it all

as I go. It may

work better for

you to get it all

done in one

day, but I find

that a massive

chore, so I do a little bit each day.

For example, Friday - bathrooms, Monday

– kitchens; Tuesday – vacume, sweep,

mop; I have four kids, so I do laundry

every day; and so on – each of these things

only takes a short time separately, and I

find that if I try to do them all on one day I

get cranky and resentful because it’s my

day off and I should be doing something

more fun!

I absolutely get the kids to pitch in as they

are getting a bit older, they are doing the

vacuuming and the bathrooms – once a

month I do these jobs myself so that

they’re done “properly” because they just

can’t do it to my standards!

Someone once suggested that this was

perhaps slave labour, but I totally disagree

because if they don’t pitch in and I do all

the work – who’s really the slave? We are

all residents of the home, so we should all

have simple jobs to do. They have been

making their own beds since they were six

and setting the table and doing the dishes

since they were about 10.

Something else that can be helpful to some

people is to turn your phone off (or on

silent if you just can’t bear to turn it off!).

Just turn it off for an hour or so and return

calls when you’ve completed a steady

block of work. Same goes for anything

that may distract you, like social media

etc.

Until next month,

Chris

18

You are your child’s first and favourite

teacher! From you, they learn by watching

and then imitating, they learn what is accept-

able and what is not. There is much to be

said of a child’s perspective on what parents

are comfortable participating in and what

they are not. Some families love to get out-

side and kick a ball around, while other

families prefer to stay inside and do quiet

activities. If they observe you loving and

participating in something, they will love

and want to participate in it too. If you desire

to expose your child to music early, a simple

way to start is by either having music on at

home, or by singing in front of your chil-

dren. This can be very beneficial in teaching

them to be comfortable with their own

voices and enhancing their self-confidence.

To use singing as an example; it comes natu-

rally and can be performed any time, any-

where. Singing is a very useful tool in teach-

ing new information, enhancing memory and

grasping pitch and rhythm. It is also useful

to add that confidence to sing will serve

them enormously later on if they do pursue

the piano.

One way that music helps children respond

to instructions is by singing a simple song

when it is time to pack things away. I know

of many Childcare Centres that do this and I

have always used a “Pack Away” song in

my Early Childhood Music Classes. The

response is incredible! When used fre-

quently, this often tedious task becomes rou-

tine and even joyful. You could sing: (To the

tune of “Heigh Ho the Dairy-O”) “It’s time

to pack away, It’s time to pack away; Heigh

Ho the Dairy-O! It’s time to pack away”.

I found this method very helpful when trying

to teach my older children our phone num-

ber. I picked a simple, well known melody

and had fun experimenting with the rhythm

until I made the two fit. There was more fun

to be had singing it to the kids in the car over

the next few days and it didn’t take them

long to catch on!

If singing just isn’t your thing and you are

not comfortable singing out loud, there are

other ways to cultivate an appreciation of

music at home. Clapping your hands along

in time to The Wiggles for example, is effec-

tive because you are identifying the beat. I

recall that a piano student of mine once was

uncomfortable clapping her hands to pro-

duce a regular beat, because she had never

clapped in time to a piece of music before.

What I took for granted as a basic skill, she

found strange. She was unfamiliar with the

concept and was uncomfortable to even try.

Again, this is a priceless skill that can be

practised in everyday life and can serve them

well later on. This concept will work for any

music going on around you – even the ads

on television! You could model tapping,

stamping, dancing or humming to tunes or

rhymes. All of the good old Nursery Rhymes

are fantastic for this sort of thing. For exam-

ple; vocalising “Mary had a little lamb, its

fleece was white as snow” is a perfectly ac-

ceptable way of introducing early rhythm

concepts. Your child will hear a regular beat

and have lots of fun with the anticipation of

rhyming words. As well as increasing their

memory capability, they don’t necessarily

have to be sung. A side note about Nursery

Rhymes... I have noticed that we don’t seem

to use as many anymore and I find this sad.

They are excellent tools for many musical

concepts and children find them very enjoy-

able. The predictability is comforting and

they create anticipation. Many Nursery

Cultivating a love of music at home

19

Rhyme books for children exist and of

course there is always the internet.

Finally, there are always opportunities to

make observations about the music that sur-

rounds us every day. Ask your child ques-

tions about what they hear. “Is this song fast

or slow? Is it loud or soft? Does it make you

feel happy or sad?” Our emotions are

charged by these very facets and we don’t

usually take time to identify them. Helping

children recognise them assists the both of

you in understanding what music you like or

dislike, and why. Wouldn’t it be exciting if

your child felt creative enough to make up

their own songs or rhymes! The latter might

come when they are a bit older –

my eldest son is now very quick at

popping out rhyming words

consecutively (Oh my... A

rapper in the making?!).

Regarding when is the right age to

start an instrument, well that is a topic

for another time. But today, sneak a

little of your own music education into

the home – even

around the

ones that

don’t seem

to be musically inclined. It’s a universal lan-

guage that reaches even those who don’t

sing, move, rhyme or clap. We all have our

favourite styles and genres that we love to

listen to from time to time.

Rhiannon is a mum, music lover and teacher

of piano, music and movement. She runs fun

music classes for children called Jiggle n

Jam with Miss Rhiannon. You can learn

more at www.smartymusic.com.au

You are your child’s first

and favourite teacher!

From you they learn by

watching an imitating.

Simplify your life

Life is getting more and

more stressful. Nothing

around us is going to

change, in fact it is only

going to get worse. We

are currently in the

quickening, which is a

way of describing the

world today as getting

faster and faster and eve-

ryone is being asked to

do more with less, more

with less every year.

One of the ways I recom-

mend you get focused on

what is important is do-

ing this simple exercise,

whereby you write your

own Eulogy.

I know, it sounds bad.

However the exercise is very profound and

should be emotional.

Write the speech from your child's point of

view, that they would read out at your fu-

neral about you.

It should be a half page to a full page of

what kind of person you were, what kind of

life you lead, and your major accomplish-

ments and / or special achievements.

To help you, think of the many roles you

will play in life:

Parent

Child

Sibling

Love Partner

Business Partner or Work Colleague

Friend and Confidant

Community Leader or Spiritual Ad-

visor

Take a moment to read, rewrite bits or edit

slightly, until you are touched by what is

written there.

This exercise is designed to have you real-

ise that it is the simple things in life that are

important. Nobody ever states at a funeral

how hard someone worked, how respon-

sive they are on email and social media and

how many hours they weren’t there for

friends and family.

Do this exercise every year to keep you

focused on what your life is going to repre-

sent.

It is very emotional and a great way to get

a feel for what is really important in life.

In one easy step...

20

McGraths Hill Children’s Centre Inc

69 Andrew Thompson Dr, McGraths Hill Ph: 4587 7141 or email: mhcc@westnet.com.au

Open 6.30am-6.30pm

From birth to 6 years

Nutritious meals daily

Community based - Not for profit centre

Preschool transition programs

Remember, the 7 wonders of the world are

to see, to hear, to touch, to taste, to feel, to

laugh, to love. The things we think of a s

simple and ordinary, that we take for

granted are the miracles of our daily lives.

As I write this article, I have lived 16,696

days, I wonder how many days I have left

and whether or not I will waste the rest of

my time on things, that just won't matter on

my death bed.

Blessings to you and your precious family.

Give them the only gift they really want.

Give them the only gift that is irreplace-

able.

TIME.

There is a mother in a hospital right now,

who has just lost her baby and will never

have any more time with her child. For her,

the only wish she has for you is to treasure

the time you have with your own flesh and

blood. The crackberry just isn't that impor-

tant.

Written by Katrena Friel from Refresh your

Thinking. Learn more on her website

www.katrena.com.au

21

22

Back in the 80's, the subject of Computer

Studies was introduced into our high

school. We were all excited, imagining

spending the lessons playing games and

tinkering around with machines. Did it

happen like that? No - we studied the his-

tory of computers, and learned to type.

A lot of things at school are like that -

learning *about* a subject rather than

learning a subject. The Chinese classes

which involved colouring in pictures of

food and costumes, rather than actually

learning the language. The science classes

which talked about other people's discov-

eries - and if you did an experiment, it

failed unless it had an outcome the teacher

had already predicted. Even maths classes

involve doing sums over and over again

without actually finding anything new.

Learning by Making is the opposite of his.

It's an idea (called Constructionism, by a

mathematician Papert who worked with

Piaget) which says - People learn best

when they're making meaningful things

to share with others. And this is especially

true of children.

My 3 year old doesn't really write. But she

went off into her room the other day and

made her brother a birthday card on which

she'd carefully written, "ilovu". I had no

idea she could do that. If I'd asked her to

do it, I don't know whether I would've got

much more than a scribble - but it was

important to her, important to share.

Learning by Making comes about when a

child has a lot of things to make with -

blocks, craft supplies, and later on real

tools - and the confidence that he or she

can make things. They gain this confi-

dence by seeing people around them mak-

ing things; by making things alongside

others; by being given specific time each

day to make things. Our society tends

to promote buying things (well, the media

& business do), but we can value

making things in our own families -

whether that means making a cake, mak-

ing a sculpture, making a computer pro-

gram, making a song or a dance.

What can children learn through making?

They can learn how to do things, such

as how to cut, how to balance, how to

measure, how to wait, and how to try

Learning by

Making

23

again. They can learn how to discover new

things, by reading or googling or asking

people or observing.

Dancing is learning by making - learning

different ways a body can move and

how to listen to a beat. Learning an instru-

ment is about making a sound. Building

with blocks is about making a story, mak-

ing a world, making things balance and fit.

One of the key idea of Constructionism

(learning by making) is that people learn

best when sharing with others. Having a

place to making things together is great.

There are maker spaces popping up all over

the world, places equipped with the tools to

make things and people to share with.

This is why I've decided to create my own

Learning by Making space in the Hawkes-

bury. Called Kids Build Together, it's a

place for kids 0-7 and their families to

come and build blocks together. It's a quiet,

airconditioned space in Richmond where

children can come together and make

things, from train stations to mermaid cas-

tles to ice cream shops. There's no need for

appointments, and there's no charge for

carers or siblings under two - just a space

which has been created for playing and

sharing.

I'd love to see you there.

My 2014

Budgeting and saving money is much

harder during the holiday seasons or around

birthday’s. As a parent you want to create a

special time for your child even when

budget restrictions exist.

With my eldest turning four this month I

wanted to create an enjoyable princess

party for her for under $100.

There is a lot that goes into planning a

party starting with invitations.

As she is only turning four I didn’t invite a

stack of guests as I didn’t want to over-

whelm her. I invited a handful of children

her age plus our family members (who are

all adults).

The invitations I created myself on the

computer and printed them out. I used prin-

cess graphics and stuck diamontes on the

printed invitations. (Party invitations will

be available for free download from our

blog this month). All up they only cost me

time and the A4 paper they were printed

on.

For the actual day

I planned all my

own games, made

the cake myself,

and used simple party

food.

The biggest expense was the

food and the cake but all up I

came out at just under $100.

Here you can see our menu,

the games we played, the

party loot and more. All of

these will also be available on the

website this month.

Money Challenge

24

The Menu Choc-dipped bread stick fairy wands

Watermelon stars

Fresh strawberries + grapes

Egg sandwiches

Fairy bread

Potato chips

Cheesy crackers

Cocktail frankfurts

Cake for dessert (or for the kids to take

home)

Food

25

Fairy Scavenger hunt - the fairies left a letter for the chil-

dren to find leading them on a fun nature scavenger hunt

which lead to an exciting surprise and lots of treasure!

Princess bingo - A twist on the classic bingo game in that

the matching pictures are all hidden around an area. Finding

the picture lets you cross the corresponding item off your

bingo card.

Crown decorating - a cardboard crown was supplied along

with sequins, diamontes, glitter glue, stickers and pom poms.

The kids used their creativity to complete the crowns and

wear them.

Fairy dust necklaces - tiny glass bottles with plug stoppers were used to create keepers for

fairy dust. We simply had the children choose what colour glitter and tiny stars they wanted in

their bottles. We inserted a tiny piece of paper with their names on it and then we glued the lid

on and used a silver ribbon to tie it around their necks.

Our favourite games

Cake

The loot

You can get great cheap

party prizes from places

like dollar shops. For our

treasure after the fairy

scavenger hunt we used:

Plastic necklaces

Plastic jewelled

rings

Fake gold coins

Other prizes we had were:

Mini bubble wands

Loopy straws

Bouncy balls

As I have two girls, the party was very pink and prin-

cess and girly but it is easy to transform this to a boys

party….

The scavenger hunt could be as explorers or pirates

or knights

For a knight party, you would still create the castle

cake but use blue for the top tier and use cream

filled rolls instead of turrets wrapped in fondant

icing. Add a dragon toy and lose the flowers.

We created some castle party boxes that work for

either boys or girls depending on what colour paper

you print them on. Find them on our blog later this

month (or request them via email if you are in a

hurry).

Make an obstacle course to use up some of that

little boy energy - make them climb under tables,

over stools, through tunnels and around chairs.

If you have a sandpit, try burying items for them to

find as part of the treasure hunt

When you have boys...

26

PAINT THE TOWN REaD

Paint the Town REaD is an

early literacy community

scheme that encourages the

whole community to read,

talk, sing and rhyme with

children from birth, so that

they will be ready for reading

and writing at school. It runs

on a grassroots basis, with

local groups and services

organising their own year-

round events, as well as an

annual Reading Day bringing

the whole community to-

gether. They are usually

driven by a collaborative

group, such as partnerships

between local school principals, Councils and NGOs, Community Health staff, and

Early Childhood directors.

Paint the Town REaD was first developed in the rural Australian town of Parkes in the

1990s, by Rhonda Brain then Principal of Parkes Public School. She saw an increasing

number of children coming to kindergarten with delayed language development. She

developed this program to involve the whole community in improving their children’s

literacy and language skills.

There are two key features of Paint the Town REaD:

1) an annual Reading Day engaging the whole community where young children are

read to in their local shops by shop staff, celebrities, High School students and volun-

teers, and

2) year-round activities encouraging everyone to think smarter about how to include

early literacy in all aspects of their life and work — from having a reading tent at the

local markets to ‘Have you read with your child today?’ coasters in a local pub

For more information check out PAINT THE TOWN REaD website at:

http://paintthetownread.info

KIDS AND LITERACY

Research shows that the early literacy skills (such as: attention, listening, language,

awareness of sounds, symbols and alphabet recognition, book-handling skills, drawing

and shape copying) developed before starting school are the foundation and therefore

vital for attaining competency in reading and writing at school – and future success and

happiness in life..

Local Event

27

LAST YEAR’S EVENT

Last year on Friday 29th November (2013), Paint Hawkesbury REaD held its first

CHILDREN’S READING DAY at Richmond Oval (in Richmond Park) from 10am to

12noon to launch the program in the local LGA. There was free entertainment, activi-

ties and morning tea with the mascot being introduced to the children at 11.30am.

A naming competition was held in the lead up to the event through the local childcare

centres. The winner was revealed on the day, when the dragon was born – she was

named Puddles.

THIS YEAR

Paint Hawkesbury REaD is celebrating

PUDDLES’ FIRST BIRTHDAY

with a children’s reading fun day

On: Friday 14 November 2014

At: Richmond Oval

From: 10am — 12noon

Storytelling, craft, face painting, jumping castle! Free morning tea for children.

Highlights of the morning:

Activities for children including face painting, craft, singing and dancing.

Jumping castle

Reading Tent with storytelling all morning

Puddles arrives at 11.30am for her birthday celebrations

FREE MORNING TEA FOR CHILDREN (Grown ups can purchase tea or coffee

and a selection of yummy cakes from the CWA)

This event is presented by community

based early literacy program PAINT

HAWKESBURY REaD.

Our aim is to encourage

everyone to read, talk, sing

and rhyme with children from

birth so that they will be ready

for reading and writing at

school.

Kids Fun!

28

Penny is already for a cool swim. Help Penny find her way

through the maze to meet her friend Sarah at the pool.

This resource is available for download from

the resource page on our website.

29

Use some nice

bright colours to

colour in Laura and

her beach ball so

she is all ready for

the beach.

Don’t forget to tell

her to put on

sunscreen!

What’s happening

www.smallstepsparenting.com

On our blog... There is plenty of fun to be had through

our blog this month. Find

Free play dough mat printables

Planning the perfect kids party

Fairy scavenger hunt game

Castle party favour boxes to make

Fairy (or monster) dice game

Plus lots more

Join us on Facebook Join our growing parenting community on

Facebook and share your comments and

thoughts on being parent.

Plus join our Christmas competition and get

your kiddies on the front page of our Christ-

mas issue—perfect gift to send to family and

friends.

There are also games and activities and more

Plus get your free daily activity

plan for the school holidays

Grab your copy next month..

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