Family Times Dunedin Spring 2016 by Family Times Magazine

I.T and science Why HTML is as important as English

Reclaiming fatherhood “Dadding” is the new cool

New Zealand's leading parenting resource

Beating bullies How to talk about bullying with your child

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ISSN 2324-450X (Print) ISSN 2324-4518 (Online)

DUNEDIN / ISSUE 69 / Spring 2016

play space STORYTELLING WITH NAMAKAU Namakau Nalumango is bringing a touch of African joy to Dunedin for the school holidays! Bring your little ones along for some delightful stories to keep them entertained and learn about a new culture.

FREE Wednesday 28 September | 10.30am Children’s Storypit | City Library

i spy

t ys! Make your way through Toitu Otago Settlers Museum to spy toys and games Dunedin children have played with through the decades. Can you find the bed post doll, the Ghostbusters car and Mickey Mouse? Finish your visit with some fun and games with old fashioned toys in the NZR Foyer. Friday 24 September – Monday 9 October 10am – 4pm | Free event

L E V A R T TIME CIENT CHINA! INTO AN These school holidays children of all ages can travel back in time to explore some of China’s ancient traditions and customs. • • • •

Add bricks and watchtowers to see the great wall of china grow Ancient China tiles challenge game and monkey hunt with prizes Dress-up costumes and movies in the Tower Room Kung Fu and fun games in the courtyard

Open daily 10am – 5pm | Admission charges apply, children free

Toitu– Otago Settlers Museum 31 Queens Gardens | 03 477 5052 www.toituosm.com 2 www.familytimes.co.nz

Dunedin Chinese Garden | 03 477 3248 Corner Rattray and Cumberland Streets www.dunedinchinesegarden.com

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Welcome! y first thought when the Family Times team asked me to cover bullying – again – was, “yawn.” I wasn’t going to do it. We’ve been there, we’ve done that. We’ve written about cyber bullying, when your child is a bully, how to overcome bullying and any other angle that you can think of. I’ve talked to child psychologists about bullying, asked teachers about bullying and parents who tear-up talking about their child’s bullying experience. So what changed my mind? It’s simple and devastating all at once: a 13-year-old American boy called Daniel Fitzpatrick took his own life after he “gave up” trying to beat bullying in August. His story went world-wide and tore to the heart of the issue: what should schools do in bullying cases and how can parents stop a bullying situation from spiralling? Research shows that in the majority of bullying cases, parents simply don’t know because their kids aren’t telling them. They’re ashamed, afraid, and don’t believe that their parents will act. The same goes for other authority figures such as school teachers. That’s a real concern for a country like New Zealand, which has some of the worst bullying statistics in the world – just check out our main feature article on bullying for the figures.

Contents

Spring 2016

It’s devastating for parents to hear that their kids don’t believe they’ve got their back. Most parents would go to hell and back for their kids, so what’s going wrong? We talk to some of the country’s top anti-bullying campaigners to try and get some insight to help parents learn how to tackle bullying with their kids. Also in this issue we look at the jobs of the future and how the education sector is adapting to train Kiwi kids for them. To give you a hint, we’re talking about information technology and science. These disciplines are more about teaching kids how to think rather than what to think, as opposed to traditional reading, writing and arithmetic. Schools are implementing lots of exciting initiatives in these fields and that’s only going to grow. Of course we’ve got all of our regular features too including games, competitions and giveaways. Relish the spring season and start turning pages. Enjoy!

vanessa

0 15 How to talk with your child about bullying.

6 Teaching kids self-control

It’s the single most important skill for growing successful adults.

7 Dadding

Guys are reclaiming fatherhood with bloke-ish hilarity.

13 Science and IT – education’s future

Future proof your child’s job opportunities with an I.T and science education.

Kids’ Time 8 Puzzles and competitions

Resource information 10 School term dates 10 Calendar of events 11 Entertainment 14 Help is at hand

14 Preteen corner

LARNACH CASTLE

Kids’ Corner

4 Beat bullying

Eva-Maria talks about overcoming her own bullying experience.

15 Allergies

Is it a cold, hay fever, or a more severe allergy?

New Zealand’s Castle

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FEATURE STORY

Tackling bullying head-on he clean-cut and smiling image of 13-year-old Daniel Fitzpatrick is haunting now. The New York teenager’s photo was spread across newspapers and websites world-wide last month after he took his own life. He had been mercilessly bullied over a period of months. Worse still, his suicide note claimed that he tried to reach out for help to his school, but Holy Angels Catholic Academy did nothing to stop the bullying. A senseless and preventable death serves no purpose, but if there is a lesson to be learned, it’s this: bullying needs to be taken seriously. That’s something that a group of Lyttelton Primary School parents pushed in July after several of their kids were physically attacked in the school’s playground over the period of a year, taking their cause to the media when they felt the school hadn’t taken them seriously. So when should a school step in?

Schools’ responsibilities

The Ministry of Education released a Bullying Prevention and Response guide for schools in 2015. To meet the national

4 www.familytimes.co.nz

administration guideline requirements for a safe physical and emotional school environment, all schools should have a policy that defines bullying and sets out how the school community will address it. In short, the school needs to let parents know if their child is being bullied. The grey area is around the definition of bullying.

What is bullying

Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behaviour among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behaviour is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumours, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose. However, we have to get beyond definitions and to the heart of the issue according to former teacher and studentled anti cyber bullying Sticks ‘n Stones project facilitator Karla Sanders. “The terminology becomes the focus, which means that we are not focusing on the hurt that has been caused. That’s something that we need to address. If

the child is being harmed, let’s deal with that first before we define exactly which category the behaviour falls into.”

She’ll be right

Part of the issue, according to Karla, is New Zealand’s culture. “One of the things that concerns us is there’s a “she’ll be right,” a “tough it out,” and “it’s part of growing up” attitude, and that’s really not helpful. It’s not like puberty or first love. It’s not something that we should expect kids have to go

through. Bullying can impact people for the rest of their lives.”

Working together

Karla says solving bullying requires schools and parents to work together rather than feeling like they are on opposing sides. “Some parents connect with other parents first without addressing the issue with the school. I think that they genuinely believe that they’re doing the right thing for a quick resolution. But in our experience, that normally escalates

FEATURE STORY the situation and makes it worse, especially for the child.” It was complicated for schools, Karla said. Teachers were being asked to deal with a lot in regards to bullying disclosures and did not necessarily have the skills to do it effectively. “They need support and training for how they can positively deal with bullying or harassment disclosures. I mean, if you have a class of 32 nine-year-olds and one boy doesn’t want to come into the class because of bullying, you need the skills to know how to gather the information and provide the support before you make decisions and take action.”

New Zealand’s track record

In the 2012 world-wide survey The Trends in Mathematics & Science Study, only two countries scored higher than New Zealand for bullying among year five students. NetSafe statistics indicate that up to one in five people have been cyberbullied, but Sticks ‘n Stones’ own survey of more than 1400 youth revealed a much more interesting picture: cyber bullying was the least common form of bullying in the data that they calculated for 11 to 16-year-olds: between 6 and 12 per cent of individual cases, compared to 32-60% experiencing verbal bullying. However, that figure grew when it was combined with verbal bullying: 14-21%. That was concerning said Karla, because of the speed, anonymity and audience reach that digital communication afforded. While bullying was once contained in the playground, it was now sprawled across

social media for all to see, with seeming impunity.

SIGNS A CHILD IS BEING BULLIED

Not every child will exhibit warning signs that they are being bullied: that’s why learning to talk with your child about bullying is so important. However, in many cases there are tell-tale signs. Some signs that may point to a bullying problem are:

How to talk with your child about bullying

When a parent learns that their child is being bullied, the response is often, “Why didn’t they tell me?” There are several reasons for this according to the U.S Committee for Children. The first is that children don’t believe that adults will act. In fact, research shows that adults rarely intervene. Many adults believe that young people need to “work out” bullying problems on their own. Blenheim-based life coach Erena Oliver said that kids she had counselled often expressed that they didn’t believe their parents would listen to them. “When you have a busy lifestyle, kids sometimes have the belief system that “Mum and Dad don’t have time for me.” I even had one boy whose mum was at home full time and he honestly believed that she didn’t care or listen to him. So it’s about communication and feeling connected with each other.” Other reasons that kids don’t speak up are fear of retaliation, getting a reputation as a tattle-tale, not being aware of subtle forms of bullying such as spreading rumours, as well as feeling ashamed, afraid or powerless. The Office of the Children’s Commissioner recommends that if parents learn that their child is target of bullying, they should: • Stay calm.

• Unexplainable injuries. • Withdrawing. • Makes negative statements about themselves. • Lost or destroyed clothing, books, electronics, or jewellery. • Frequent headaches or stomach aches, feeling sick or faking illness. • Changes in eating habits, like suddenly skipping meals or binge eating. Kids may come home from school hungry because they did not eat lunch. • Difficulty sleeping or frequent nightmares. • Declining grades, loss of interest in schoolwork, or not wanting to go to school. • Sudden loss of friends or avoidance of social situations. • Feelings of helplessness or decreased self-esteem. • Self-destructive behaviours such as running away from home, harming themselves, or talking about suicide. If your child is displaying one or more of these behaviours, there is a real risk that they are in a bullying situation.

• •

Work out how to deal with the situation together. Reassure your child that they have done the right thing in talking about it, that the bullying is not their fault, and that you will work with the school to make things better. Agree on a plan of support for your child. Regularly check with your child to see how they are doing.

Prevention – the best cure The best possible way to protect your

child from bullying is to prepare them for how to deal with it before it happens. Education is key, experts say. Talk about what bullying is, why it happens, how to recognise it and ways that you will deal with it together. Your child will come to you if you have regular, open communication with them and they know in advance that they can talk about bullying with you. WE’VE GOT PARENTING COVERED. VISIT US AT WWW.FAMILYTIMES.CO.NZ FOR ALL YOUR UP-TODATE PARENTING ADVICE.

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FEATURE STORY

WHY SELF-CONTROL

is so important

he Dunedin study is a long-running cohort study of 1037 people born over the course of a year between 1972 and 1973 in Dunedin. Its researchers found that young children’s self-control skills — such as conscientiousness, selfdiscipline and perseverance — predict their health, wealth and criminal history in later life regardless of IQ or social background. The research provides the first hard evidence that childhood self-control does influence adult outcomes in the general population. The findings suggest that even small improvements in selfcontrol for children and adolescents could yield important reductions in costs of healthcare, welfare dependency, and crime to a nation. The researchers assessed the selfcontrol of the study’s participants during the first decade of their life and then examined their health outcomes, wealth outcomes and criminal conviction history at age 32. Research Professor Moffitt says that even after accounting for study members’ differences in social status and IQ, children as young as three who scored lower on measures of self-control were more likely than children with higher self-control to have the following outcomes as adults:

The good news is that the researchers also discovered that self-control can be improved in childhood and also adolescence. By learning self-control, kids can make appropriate decisions and respond to stressful situations in ways that can yield positive outcomes. Here are a few suggestions on how to help kids learn to control their behaviour:

“By learning self-control, kids can make appropriate decisions and respond to stressful situations...” • • • • • •

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Up to age 2 Infants and toddlers get frustrated by the large gap between the things they want to do and what they’re able to do. They often respond with temper tantrums. For kids reaching the 2-year-old mark, try a brief timeout in a designated area — like a kitchen chair or bottom stair — to show the consequences for outbursts and teach that it’s better to take some time alone instead of throwing a tantrum. Ages 3 to 5 You can continue to use timeouts, but rather than setting a specific time limit, end timeouts once your child has calmed down. This helps kids improve their sense of self-control. And praise your child for not losing control in frustrating or difficult situations.

A recently-aired documentary on New Zealand’s Dunedin study highlights the importance of teaching self-control to children. Ages 6 to 9 As kids enter school, they’re better able to understand the idea of consequences and that they can choose good or bad behaviour. Encourage your child to walk away from a frustrating situation for a few minutes to cool off instead of having an outburst. Praise kids when they do this. Ages 10 to 12 Older kids usually better understand their feelings. Encourage them to think about what’s causing them to lose control and then analyze it. Urge kids to take time to think before responding to a situation. Compliment them as they use their selfcontrol skills. Ages 13 to 17 Remind teens to think about long-term consequences. If necessary, discipline your teen by taking away certain privileges to reinforce the message that self-control is an important skill. Allow him or her to earn the privileges back by demonstrating self-control. LOVE THIS ARTICLE? THERE’S PLENTY MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM: VISIT US AT WWW.FAMILYTIMES.CO.NZ.

“Dadding” - THE NEW COOL ad’s have taken a bit of a bad rap in the parenting stakes – absent dads, non-involved dads and dads who just don’t fit the modern “sensitive new-age guy (snag)” expectations of today’s society. To be fair, it’s pretty tough for dads today to know how they are supposed to dad. But somewhere between the macho, authoritarian figures of the past and the super emotionally connected snags of today, a new breed of post-modern dad is emerging. These dads are celebrating “dadding” big time: you can even buy “Dadding it” sweatshirts. The dadding craze seems to give guys an opportunity to be involved in taking care of their kids but in a wholly masculine way. Gone is the feminisation of fathering – there are no expectations to bake cookies and sing lullabies. Instead, guys are posting blogs and videos online with their most recent dadding accomplishments. These include the delicate art of holding a sleeping baby while playing Xbox, seeing how many Cheerios (a round ring breakfast cereal) they can balance on their sleeping baby’s face, and innovative uses of duct tape to restrict the geographical area of their baby’s travel. If you’re still not quite sure what dadding is, the online urban dictionary has got it sorted for you:

“A new breed of postmodern dad is emerging.” “To care for offspring in a very male way. Often, but not always, accomplished with beer, TV and half-truths. Successful dadding involves the child being whole and unmarked, clean, fed, in diapers and PJs, and napping/asleep by the time the partner returns from whatever they were doing.”

It offers these examples: “I didn’t get the chance to clean up the apartment, repair the front porch, or wash the cars. I was dadding.” “Our child is fed, bathed, and asleep. Nice dadding!” (Alternate usage: “Our child is still alive and in one piece. Nice dadding!”) The internet is where dadding has truly gone viral. We’ve even got our own Kiwi dadding expert Jordan Watson, whose first video, How to Hold a Baby, has had more

than 2 million views on YouTube. Along with baby daughter Alba, he’s gone on to make a slew of video hits including How to Travel With a Baby, How to Get Ready in the Morning and How to Build a Castle for Your Kids. His videos encapsulate the heart of dadding: he washes his daughter in the kitchen sink with the dishes and pretends to hypnotise her to sleep, all the while taking a laid-back, Kiwi bloke-ish approach to the role of fathering. Watson has been contacted by media across the globe, appearing on the Huffington Post and Daily Mail, and he’s just one of hundreds of dads out their proudly displaying their dadding nous. More than just humour though, dadding has opened up a whole online world in which dads can find and relate to other dads who go through the same dadding challenges as them. It’s like the equivalent of a mother’s Plunket group without the emotions. So if your other half is looking for dad hacks, shortcuts, gimmicks and workarounds, along with a healthy dose of connecting with other dads just like them, a quick online search for dadding will get them on the right track. WE’VE GOT PARENTING COVERED. VISIT US AT WWW.FAMILYTIMES.CO.NZ FOR MORE PARENTING TIPS AND TRICKS.

Your oats, NZ! BEN SMITH NZ RUGBY STAR

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KIDS' TIME Welcome to Kids’ Time at Family Times. Enjoy the fun activities and competitions. For competitions, enter online by visiting www. familytimes.co.nz and click on the competitions link.

PUZZLE TYPE: SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

perfectly groomed poodle leads a double life! TITLE: Rocking Out! / Split Personality / Pooch up theThis volume!

Looking for some rainy day activities for your children? Click on the For Kids section on our website for answers and for further activities your children can print out and complete.

When Leonard’s owner goes out, Leonard whacks

TEXT: This perfectly groomed poodle leads a double Leonard’s owner goes out, Leonard onlife! the When stereo and unleashes his inner rock dog. whacks on the stereo and unleashes his inner elegant and Leonard rocking out. SECONDARY ACTIVITY TEXT:

Spot 10 differences between Leonard looking elegant rock dog. Spot 10 differences between Leonard looking and Leonard rocking out. Colour a bar on the volume control for each difference that you find.

IN CINEMAS 2016 1

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Design competition This edition, we want you to share your favourite spring flower designs with us. Design, draw, paint or collage a piece of paper with everything that means spring and happiness for you and your family. When you’re done, send us your picture and be in to win an amazing $50 prize pack from Crayola! Three entry age groups: preschool (ages 1-4), 5-8, 9-12. Create your design on an A5 sheet. Post in to PO Box 36 004, Christchurch 8146. Entries close 21 October 2016.

MAX & DUKE

IN CINEMAS 2016

The Secret Life of Pets

Ever wonder what your pets think about and what they do, when you’re not home? Come 15 September all your questions will be answered on the big screen with this new Paramount Pictures movie. Taking place in a Manhattan apartment building, Max’s life as a favourite pet is turned upside down when his owner brings home a sloppy mongrel named Duke. They have to put their quarrels behind them when they find out that an adorable white bunny named Snowball is building an army of abandoned pets determined to take revenge on all happy-owned pets and their owners. To celebrate, Family Times is giving away five fantastic prize packs courtesy of Paramount. Visit the competitions page at www.familytimes. co.nz to enter and for prize pack details. Competition closes 18 September 2016.

Hi-5 House Hits tour

Hi-5 House Hits bring you all of your favourite Hi-5 songs this October school holidays to sing and dance to. You will learn how to do the coolest Hi-5 dance moves and feel like a Hi-5 star with classic hits like L.O.V.E and Making Music with the whole Hi-5 gang, to sweet solos, duets and trios from your favourite Hi-5 friends. Of course Chats and Jup Jup will be joining in on the fun! Family Times has 3 family passes for Christchurch and Dunedin, and then 1 family pass each for Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton and Napier. A family pass: 4 tickets: 2 adults, 2 children or 1 adult, 3 children. Visit our competitions page at www.familytimes.co.nz to enter and for tour dates. Competition closes 22 September 2016.

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Cooking 4 Change

The Cooking 4 Change cookbook, launched 26 August, is a collection of tantalising recipes shared by 101 of New Zealand’s most loved celebrities. It’s the brainchild of artist Dick Frizzell, his business partner Christian Kasper and TV presenter Erin Simpson. All profits from this beautifully designed, hard-covered book will go to the Cooking 4 Change Foundation and be distributed to the Auckland City Mission, Leukaemia & Blood Cancer NZ, Paw Justice and the Starship Foundation. To enter to win one of 5 copies, check out our competitions page at www.familytimes.co.nz. Competition closes 10 October 2016.

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COOL ACTIVITIES

Calendar of Events

It’s time to put away the winter woollies and get excited about all that the new season has to offer. For more event and entertainment ideas, visit www.familytimes.co.nz and enjoy our large, family-friendly resource.

18 September

● More FM Baby & Child Show. A fun day out for families of bumps, babies and big kids. Edgar Centre, 10am-3pm, $8 adults and children under 12-years free.

23 September

● Toddler Time. Stories, songs and activities at Toitu Otago Settlers Museum. Gold coin entry, bookings required. Email toituosm@dcc.govt.nz or phone 03477-5052. At 10am, Toitu Otago Settlers Museum, 31 Queens Garden, Dunedin. Visit www.toituosm.com.

24 September ongoing

● Space Station Kiwi. Join Captain Cornflakes every week for stories, music and fun aimed at a pre-school audience. Dunedin’s children’s radio programme is broadcast live every Saturday morning from 8–9am and repeated on Wednesday evenings from 5–6pm. Visit www.oar.org.nz.

25 September

● Colour run. The Night’ n Day Rainbow Confectionery Rainbow Run is the most colourful event these school holidays!

Wear a white t-shirt to get the full effect! At Logan Park. Visit www.sportotago.co.nz.

30 September–9 October

● Arts Festival Dunedin. This festival celebrates the excellent and the extraordinary; a boutique festival in a boutique city. This year’s programme offers several family-friendly theatre and dance events. For a full programme visit: www.artsfestivaldunedin.co.nz.

SEE HI-5 IN CONCERT WITH ALL OF YOUR FAVOURITE SONGS!

8 November

● Hi-5 House Hits Tour. A big Hi-5 singand-dance-a-long concert for the whole family with all your favourite songs. At 11am, Regent Theatre, 17 The Octagon, Dunedin. Tickets priced from $32.90. Visit www.regenttheatre.co.nz.

22–24 October

15 November

● The Extravaganza (Gypsy). A unique style of market stalls, arts and craft, food and musical entertainment. From 9am– 5pm, The Oval, Princes Street, Dunedin. Email gypsyextravaganza@gmail.com for more information.

2016 - 2017 primary and intermediate school term dates

2016 - 2017 secondary and composite school term dates

Term 1, 2017 Between Monday 30 January and Tuesday 7 February to Thursday 13 April

Term 2, 2017 Monday 1 May to Friday 7 July

Term 3, 2017 Monday 24 July to Friday 29 September

Term 4, 2016 Monday 10 October to no later than Friday 16 December

Remaining public holidays 2016 24 October Labour Day 25 December Christmas Day 26 December Boxing Day

10 www.familytimes.co.nz

17 November

● Shu’s Song. Step inside the imaginary world of Shu: this show uses movement, puppetry and light to create a nonverbal, visual theatre experience. Tickets $9. Shows at 9.30 and 11am. Kings and Queens Performing Arts Centre, 270 Bay View Road, Dunedin. Visit www.capitale. org.nz.

5 October

SCHOOL TERM DATES

Term 4, 2016 Monday 10 October to no later than Tuesday 20 December

For more event and entertainment ideas, visit www.familytimes.co.nz and enjoy our large, familyfriendly resource.

● The Gruffalo. This charming tale returns to the theatre with a cast of three bringing the story to wonderful life and getting rave reviews. At 11.30am and 1.30pm, Regent Theatre, 17 The Octagon, Dunedin. Tickets priced from $22–28. Visit www.regenttheatre.co.nz.

● Mothers on a Mission - For a Real Food Revolution. Tools, tips and tricks to help mums transition their families to more real food with minimal stress. From 7–9pm, Dunedin Public Art Gallery, 30 The Octagon, Dunedin. Phone: 0800-289849.

20 November

● Victorian Fete. Take a step back in time and sample the nostalgia of the Victorian era in the heart of Oamaru's Victorian Precinct. Admission $10, children under 18 free. From 10am–4pm. Visit www.victorianoamaru.co.nz.

27 November

● Fête Dunedin. One-hundred-plus amazing stalls, live entertainment and delicious local cuisine. From 10am–4pm, Taieri Showgrounds, 320 Gordon Road, Mosgiel. Early bird price $10, general admission $15, under 15-years free. Visit www.fetedunedin.co.nz.

COOL ACTIVITIES

ENTERTAINMENT Spring is here, and it’s a great time to get out and explore the plethora of exciting events and entertainment destinations around the city. Here are a few ideas to get you started, and we’ve got heaps more at www.familytimes.co.nz. ● Gone Potty Gone Potty provides a fun and entertaining studio environment where the creative talents of young and old can be unleashed. Simply choose your ceramic piece and get painting. Open weekends and school holidays. Visit www.gonepotty.co.nz. ● Megazone Megazone Dunedin is your one-stop shop of fun with laser tag, mini-golf, arcades, pool tables, game store and a cafe. There is something for everyone, big or small. Phone 03-474-9179 or visit megazonedunedin.co.nz. ● Leap Indoor Trampoline Park A great family activity that’s fun for all ages! Visit www.leapnz.co.nz. ● Otago Museum Pick up a combo pass to Discovery World Tropical Forest and the Perpetual Guardian Planetarium to enjoy hands-on science, exotic butterflies and a journey through our universe. Visit www.otagomuseum.nz. ● Combat Zone Get a group of your friends together and come and blow away the mid-year cobwebs at Combat Zone. ● Toitu Otago Settlers Museum Trace the technological innovation, art, fashion, domestic life and transport of indigenous Maori, the early Chinese, and the following waves of migrant groups at Toitu Otago Settlers’ Museum. Visit www. toituosm.com for details.

● Dunedin Public Libraries From books for babies through to solid reading for your little bookworm, Dunedin Public Libraries have got plenty to keep the pages turning at your house. Visit www.dunedinlibraries.govt.nz for details.

● Lanarch Castle Visit Larnach Castle over the school holidays and kids enter free with a paying adult. Conditions apply. Phone 0800-5276224 for more information.

● Dunedin Art Gallery There’s always a lot to do at Dunedin Art Gallery. Bring the kids and come to explore art and culture. Visit dunedin.art. museum for exhibition, workshop and kids’ activity details.

● Wal’s Plant and Fun Land Enjoy mini-golf, driving range and ride the mini trains. Plus there are plants, giftware, local fresh produce, The Topiary Café, a barbecue function area and marquee. Phone 03-484-7319, visit www.walsplantland.co.nz.

YOUR SLICE OF LIFE: PUT YOURSELF TO THE TEST THESE SCHOOL HOLIDAYS AT TOITU OTAGO SETTLERS MUSEUM. MONDAY 26 TO FRIDAY 30 SEPTEMBER, 10AM-2PM. ● Hi-5 House Hits See the biggest Hi-5 concert yet these school holidays, featuring all of Hi-5’s best loved songs for you to sing and dance to. Visit www.ticketdirect.co.nz or phone 0800-842-538.

● Arts Festival Dunedin 30 September – 9 October Arts Festival Dunedin has a swag of family entertainment on offer during the school holidays. Book now at the Regent or online, www.artsfestivaldunedin.co.nz. ● M*A*S*H Dunedin central - WINZ subsidy available. Enrol for our exciting holiday programme - “The best fun your kids can have!” Phone 0800-420-520, admin@mashkids. co.nz, www.mashkids.co.nz.

Holiday specials

Party at Chipmunks for

● Rialto Cinemas Come to Rialto Cinemas during the school holidays for kids’ films and a great deal on family passes. Visit www.rialto. co.nz.

• Hot party meal & drink for each child • Your own party room • Stay & play all day Adults entr y is • Chipmunks lollies ALWA YS * • Party loot bags free • Ice cream cake* • Party game & prize* ive All inclus om fr • Special premium gift packages for your birthday child* per child • No clean up charges

Here are some great holiday ideas designed to keep you and your little ones entertained during the school break.

● Basketball Otago Basketball Otago offers school holiday programmes that include basketball skills and other fun activities. Programmes run from 26-29 September and 3 October for various age groups. To register, email development@basketballotago.co.nz or phone 03-456-4063.

safe, guaranteed fun!

$19.95

Your choice of 5 popular party themes!

Remember to bring your socks! (No socks, no play)

Book your party now!

373 Princes Street, Dunedin Phone 03 477 6762 dunedin@chipmunks.co.nz *Party “loot bags”, party game & prize, premium gift for birthday child, are inclusions in bash & bonanza packages.

www.chipmunks.co.nz

VICTORIAN HAVE A GREAT DAY OUT AT THE

OTAGO MUSEUM Free entry into the Museum's inspiring galleries and exhibitions. Buy all day family combo passes to Discovery World Tropical Forest plus one show in the Perpetual Guardian Planetarium from $45. Buy tickets and more at www.otagomuseum.nz FREE WI-FI, OPEN DAILY, 10am–5pm 419 Great King Street, Dunedin PH 03 474 7474 www.otagomuseum.nz

FETE

SUNDAY 20 NOVEMBER FROM 10AM UNTIL 4PM $10 CHILDREN UNDER 18 : FREE ADMISSION :

WWW.VICTORIANOAMARU.CO.NZ www.familytimes.co.nz 11

12 www.familytimes.co.nz

Why I.T and science are king We’ve all been taught that reading, writing and arithmetic are the foundation of education. But in today’s world it’s more like HTML, JavaScript and Python. or the non-tech parents out there, these are web coding languages, and they’re languages that your digital native child is likely more fluent in than you are. If they aren’t, there are plenty of good reasons to get them into it, none-the-least that tech is one of the fastest growing sectors and a key employer of the future. What’s more, Business Insider claims that several wellpaying jobs in tech are primed to expand dramatically in the next decade. In New Zealand, www.careers.gov.nz suggests that occupations such as web developer, social media manager, 3-D animator, sustainability manager, carbon emissions trader and mobile phone applications developer are the jobs of the future, and that New Zealand’s fastest growing export sector is information technology. Biotechnology is also a key emerging industry. That makes science and information

technology super important for kids’ education today according to New Zealand Education Institute executive member and May Road School principal Lynda Stuart. “The world that our children are going to be in is a different world to the world that we have known. Science and technology needs to be an integral part of the day-to-day teaching and learning programme.” Lynda said that New Zealand schools were on track with science and IT curriculum. Kids started with iPADbased learning from new entrant age, and May Road had four fully integrated digital immersion classrooms. The thought behind that was to prepare kids for a digital world not only in terms of technology skills, but in creative problem solving, being risk takers and being able to work collaboratively. “That’s what employers are telling us that they want.”

Getting girls on board What employers also want is women in tech and IT. They’ve long been the primary domain of males, but that’s something that Girl Code is trying to change. Girl Code runs coding courses for girls in schools and as evening courses. Girl Code co-founder Alice Gatland says that women are underrepresented in the IT sector, to the detriment of innovation. “If you want to have good problem solving, we need a diverse workforce for a diverse series of thought. If we want good technology solutions for women, we need women to work on them.” Part of that is breaking the mentality of IT as an isolationist career. “It all comes down to how it is portrayed,” said Gatland. “We focus on the more collaborative aspects; it’s helping people, you don’t do it alone, you work in teams. It’s creative.” Gatland said that coding was a core literacy in today’s world, and important for kids to know whether they go into an

IT career or not; in the workforce they will be working with techies, and it’s helpful to speak their language. But given the opportunities to travel, work great hours and earn a high-paying wage, it was a career well worth considering. Girl Code has recently received additional government funding to roll out their programme in more schools. Gatland said it often made sense to run IT training outside of the regular school structure. “Teachers find it really difficult because technology changes frequently but it’s difficult to change a curriculum to keep up with it. In saying that though, some schools are doing some really, really amazing programmes – things like robotics and other projects. If you do have one keen teacher, that’s all it takes.” GOT QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR CHILD’S EDUCATION? CHECK OUT OUR WEALTH OF EDUCATION RESOURCE ARTICLES AT WWW.FAMILYTIMES.CO.NZ.

A new Hellers CoCktAil sAusAge rAnge for tHe wHole fAmily.

Hellers new Gluten free Cocktail Sausages are perfect for any fun occasion, as a treat or even as a handy and simple meal idea for kids that they’ll be sure to love. They come in 3 great varieties - Skinless, Cheese and Original. These tasty original kiwi classics recapture the fun of yesteryear, and with the great new flavours there’s a Cocktail Sausage to suit everyone. They’re also gluten free and with Hellers renowned quality, they will as sure as Hellers be a huge hit with the whole family. Available in all good stores now!

www.familytimes.co.nz 13

SAY NO TO BEING A

PRETEEN CORNER

BULLYING VICTIM ack in the 90s, when PE consisted of a heated bullrush game and the only offence that was frowned upon by teachers was bringing a knife into school, my days as the new, quiet foreign girl were filled with hiding from bullies during lunchtime. I’d come home with the odd black eye and know that the gossip and laughter from the girls behind me had something to do with the weird food I brought in for lunch. We never had anti-bullying

HELP IS @ HAND Sometimes you need some information or an answer to a curly question. Why not pick up the phone and call the relative support agency? You’ll find professional caring people ready to assist you.

speakers come in, and the playground was literally survival of the fittest where you’d have to outrun your bullies otherwise, well…hello, black eye! The greatest thing I learned through this is that just like bullies have strength in numbers, those who may be “victims” can also use this tactic against them both online and offline. For example, a boy in our class was always being bullied in every aspect imaginable for being fat. He would try to fight classmates, which only fuelled the fire, so I just started being nice to him and we became friends. Of course we both knew the other person was being bullied and we didn’t want to join forces only to be bullied together two-fold, but somehow it worked; after initial romance rumours, the bullying stopped because we simply ignored it and carried on with our friendship. Fast forward almost 13 years on: he got his weight under control and now works

as a police officer with strong connections to schools with anti-bullying talks. From my experience, 95 per cent of bullying cases go away in minimal time if the one being bullied simply rejects the idea of being put into the “victim” spot. A good thing to ask your preteen if they come to you with a bullying problem is: “how did you handle the situation?” Turn the tables to illustrate to them that they hold power in how the situation plays out. Analyse with them: talk to them about what they can do differently next time. Is there an opportunity to ignore it? Befriend someone? Or maybe it’s just about understanding that the bully themselves may be going through a rough time and just being nice to them (weird, but it works!). These days, the word “victim” is widely used, and I hate that this is the word used to describe the person being on the receiving end of a bully. The word

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Plunket Area Office (03)474 0490 PlunketLine 24 hours 0800-933-922 OtagoPlunket | www.plunket.org.nz 14 www.familytimes.co.nz

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“The playground was literally survival of the fittest...”

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“victim” almost puts the assumption that this person has no control or power to change the situation, which I believe is not the case. The greatest asset you can give your preteen is the strength and problem-solving skills to assure them that if they ever get bullied, they do not fall “victim” to it, but instead take control of the situation and take the high road to get out of it without any damage to their selfesteem.

how to help yourself! We can help so please call us at Phone: 474 0582 or Email supergrans.dunedin@ xtra.co.nz

E: admin@carateam.co.nz www.carateam.co.nz

Parent Helpline 0800 568 856 Available from 9am-11pm 7 days a week

We listen! For all parenting issues from those everyday situations to the most serious issue of child abuse. Professional and skilled Telephone Support Workers are there to help you and offer:

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MARKETPLACE

Dealing with

seasonal allergies How do you know if your child has mild hay fever or a more serious allergic reaction that may require medical help? What is hay fever?

Hay fever is one of the most common allergic reactions, particularly in the spring. Sometimes it’s just a sniffle here and there, but other times it can become more serious, resulting in days off school. Seasonal allergies, sometimes called “hay fever” or seasonal allergic rhinitis, are allergy symptoms that occur during certain times of the year, usually when outdoor moulds release their spores or trees, grasses, and weeds release tiny pollen particles into the air to fertilise other plants. The immune systems of people who are allergic to mould spores or pollen treat these particles (called allergens) as invaders and release chemicals, including histamine, into the bloodstream to defend against them. It’s the release of these chemicals that causes allergy symptoms.

Seasonal allergies can start at almost any time, but they usually develop by 10 years of age and reach their peak in the early twenties, with symptoms often disappearing later in adulthood.

Signs and symptoms

Allergy symptoms, which usually come on suddenly and last as long as a person is exposed to a particular allergen, can include: • Sneezing • itchy nose and/or throat • nasal congestion • clear, runny nose • coughing

These symptoms are often accompanied by itchy, watery, and/ or red eyes, which is called allergic

Childcare

Counselling

conjunctivitis. If your child develops wheezing and shortness of breath in addition to these symptoms, the allergy may have progressed into asthma.

Medical treatment

There is no real cure for seasonal allergies, but it is possible to relieve symptoms. Start by reducing or eliminating exposure to allergens. During allergy season, keep windows closed, use air conditioning if possible, and stay indoors when pollen counts are high. Have your child wash hands or shower and change clothing after playing outside. And don’t allow a child with seasonal allergies to mow the lawn (this

tends to kick up pollen and mould spores). If reducing exposure isn’t possible or is ineffective, medicines can help ease allergy symptoms. They may include decongestants, antihistamines, and nasal spray steroids. If symptoms cannot be managed with medicines, the doctor may recommend taking your child to an allergist or immunologist for regular allergy shots (immunotherapy), which can help desensitise kids to allergens. FROM A TO Z, WE’VE GOT FAMILY HEALTH COVERED AT WWW.FAMILYTIMES.CO.NZ. SEE YOU THERE!

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Support Services

Free counselling

Relationship, parenting, child and family counselling available

Family challenges > Relationships Parenting > Grief and loss > Stress Self-esteem > Planning and goal setting Life changes Services on campus or weekly in East Otago. Phone 03 479 6198 (please leave a message) Email Kowhai.Centre@op.ac.nz

J02041

At the Kowhai Centre, our Bachelor of Social Services (Counselling) students are supported by lecturers and experienced counsellors to provide you with a free service which is professional, respectful and accessible.

www.op.ac.nz/ kowhai-centre

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KIDS eat FOR $7

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