Kids on the Coast Magazine Sunshine Coast. Issue 71. November/December 2015. by Shore Media

ISSUE 71 November/December 2015 SUNSHINE COAST

www.kidsonthecoast.com.au

th�

spirit of

givin�

The gift of gratitude

Christmas gift guide

Make memories travelling

Earning your mummy stripes

71 Contents ISSUE

Happy Christmas!

November/December 2015 4

FROM THE EDITOR

THE SOCIAL GATHERING

WHAT’S NEWS

10 FEATURE: Christmas: Inspire your kids with the spirit of giving 16 THE P FILES: Give your child the ultimate gift – Gratitude 24 CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

Elliott, 3yrs

SPECIAL FEATURE: Travelling with kids: Tips and tricks 28 for your next family adventure 32 DESTINATION: A staycation with teens and tweens

Jacket and T-Shirt from Bardot Kids

34 C ALENDAR OF EVENTS: Find out what’s happening on the Coast during November & December 37 EDUCATION: Great Education: Lessons for Australian schools 40 BABIES: Earning your mummy stripes 44 TEENS: Getting a job 50 ONLY NATURAL: Fermenting foods: is it just hype? 54 GOOD HEALTH: Communication skills 58 WEB WRAP UP 60 PARENTVILLE: Easy healthy dinners for busy families 62 PARENTS TALK: Kissing kids on the lips 64 CONVERSATION: Heather McNeice & Krista Waddell – Supporting girls’ education in Bhutan 66 BOOKS – APPS – MOVIES

EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS: BELINDA HOPPER, DANNIELLE MILLER, LARA CAIN GRAY, PAM MOLNAR, MEGAN BLANDFORD, KERRYN ANKER, SANDRA SMITH, PENNY SHIPWAY, MELISSA MATTHEWS, LISA BARTON-COLLINS. COVER PHOTOGRAPHY: VERVE PORTRAITS

Printed with vegetable/soy based inks on paper supplied using pulp sourced from sustainable forests and manufactured to environmentally accredited systems. WE ENCOURAGE RECYCLING. Please keep this issue for future reference, pass onto your friends and family, use for craft projects or place into the recycling bin. www.kidsonthecoast.com.au

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015 – Kids on the Coast

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“ Things to do, places to go!”

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KIDS ON THE

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PUBLISHED BY

Guide

DECEMBER 2015

/ JANUARY 2016

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Mother Goose Media PTY LTD PO Box 491, Eumundi QLD 4562 PHONE: 1300 430 320 ABN: 86 473 357 391 WEB: www.mothergoosemedia.com.au www.kidsonthecoast.com.au www.kidsinthecity.com.au

It’s the lead up to the end of the school year and Christmas…already! I’m not quite sure where the past 12 months have gone, but I always love this time of year planning special Christmas activities and treats, and being a little more present with my daughters over the school holidays.

EDITORIAL / PRODUCTION PUBLISHER: Toni Eggleston PRINT EDITOR: Natasha Higgins

What are your plans for the school holidays? Are you heading off on a family trip? If so, you must read our special feature on travelling with kids, which offers heaps of ideas for ensuring your holiday runs smoothly so that everyone has a great time.

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT: Kerry White

Do you get frustrated by the excess at Christmas or worry that your children don’t really understand what Christmas is all about? Maybe you’re guilty like me of buying way too much for your kids for Christmas and are now wondering how to change that without having sad or grumpy little faces on Christmas Day.

SOCIAL MEDIA: Renee Wilson

If that sounds familiar, we have two wonderful articles that will help you start to make some changes. Our feature article looks at inspiring your kids with the spirit of giving and ways your family can help others at Christmas. The premise of this article is summarised perfectly in the following passage: “You may be surprised at how generous-hearted your children are when they learn about the needs of others and are given the opportunity to help. In so doing, we give our kids the change to experience the real joy of Christmas.”

DESIGN: Michelle Craik & Phoebe Browning

There’s also a thought-provoking article about teaching children gratitude and why it can be such a challenge, which is relevant every day of the year, not just at Christmas. I know I’ve learnt a lot from these stories that I’d like to implement with my family, and I hope you find something that resonates with you too. Before you turn the page and jump into some reading, just a quick reminder to look at the new Web Wrap Up section for the most loved stories, reviews and competitions on our website over the past couple of months. Be sure to head to our website to check out these and many more – you’ll be surprised at what you’ll find! We’ve also recently published our Babies eGuide on our website, a valuable resource for mums-to-be and new mums, with lots of informative articles and the lowdown on essential pregnancy and baby products. At the end of November, watch out for the summer school holiday eGuide for hundreds of child- and family-friendly events and activities in South East Queensland.

ADMIN: admin@mothergoosemedia.com.au PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT: Phoebe Browning production@mothergoosemedia.com.au PRINTING: Print Works, 07 3865 4433 All editorial and advertising in Kids on the Coast and Kids in the City publications are published in good faith based on material, verbal or written, provided by contributors and advertisers. No responsibility is taken for errors or omissions and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher. All material in Kids on the Coast is subject to copyright provisions. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. Feedback/ comments/suggestions? Send to: publications@ mothergoosemedia.com.au. We aim to reply to all correspondence but don’t guarantee to do so. Letters to the editor may be edited for length or clarity.

DISTRIBUTION Distributed directly to parenting hotspots across South East Queensland.

Please feel free to contact our team via our website or email and don’t forget to sign up for our What’s On eNews that comes out weekly at www.kidsonthecoast.com.au

Kids on the Coast (Sunshine Coast edition) is a free publication circulating over 20,000 copies from Caloundra to Noosa, including hinterland.

The Kids on the Coast team would like to wish you and your family a safe and very happy Christmas. See you again in 2016!

Separate editions cover the Gold Coast and Brisbane. Kids on the Coast (Gold Coast edition) is a free publication circulating over 18,000 copies from Tweed Heads to Coomera, including hinterland.

Natasha Higgins, Editor

BEHIND THE SCENES … at our Verve Portraits cover shoot

Kids in the City (Brisbane edition) is a free publication circulating over 20,000 copies from North Lakes to Springwood and covering all suburbs to Jindalee. For distribution enquiries phone: 1300 430 320 or email: admin@mothergoosemedia.com.au

ADVERTISING Call 1300 430 320 or email your Business Development Manager. SUNSHINE COAST Tanya - advertising@kidsonthecoast.com.au GOLD COAST Janet - gc@kidsonthecoast.com.au BRISBANE Christine - advertising@kidsinthecitymagazine.com.au

Lots of giggles from Elliott.

with helming it overw watching! It's a b le p o e pe all thes

Kids on the Coast – NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

Big cuddles wit h mum after.

- on the coast

- in the city

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NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015 – Kids on the Coast

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WE’VE BEEN INSTAGRAMMING!

Lara Cain Gray A regular contributor here at Kids in the City and Kids on the Coast magazine, Lara Cain Gray shares a little about what makes her tick. Describe your blog in 25 words or less. It’s ‘brain food for the baby brain years’! Mainly I write book reviews for you and your family, and the odd therapeutic rant about mine. I can't start the day without... Coffee. I’d really love to say ‘yoga’ or ‘the sweet smiles of my children’ but coffee is the first thing on my daily to-do list. The best mornings are the ones when I’m up before anyone else, sipping a long black on the front porch with no one talking to me but the birds. My favourite easy weeknight meal is... Scrambled eggs. If I get really excited I might throw in some spinach, mushrooms or tomato and a nice piece of wholegrain toast. Then the kids will drown theirs in tomato sauce until they can no longer taste the vegetables, but, hey, it’s still better than takeaway. I relax by... Reading. I’ve always been a bookworm, although work and family commitments mean I don’t always get as much time for reading as I used to. That’s really why I started my blog – to remind myself to read. My next challenge is to.... Learn to speak French! I actually studied French for years at school and university, but it’s amazing how quickly you lose your skills if you don’t keep practising. There are some great apps available now that make it really easy and fun to learn at your own pace.

Fun at the Brisbane Festival

Treasure Hunt at Ipswich Art Gallery

Colouring our spring downloadable

If you’re sharing some happy snaps on Instagram, let us know by using our hashtags and you could feature in the next issue! #kidsinthecitymagazine or #kidsonthecoastmagazine

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TIS THE SEASON TO START SEARCHING PINTEREST FOR CHRISTMAS IDEAS AND WE HAVE A CHRISTMAS BOARD TO GET YOU STARTED! Check out www.pinterest.com/kidsonthecoast/christmas-ideas/

14 EASY CHRISTMAS RECIPES Found on themultitaskingwoman.com

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15 DIY CHRISTMAS GIFTS TEACHERS WILL LOVE Found on cloudywithachanceofwine.com

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Good advice from The Queensland Museum

Kids on the Coast – NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRY CHRISTMAS TREES Found on lovelylittlekitchen.com

HAVE YOU SEEN OUR FAMILY FINANCES EGUIDE YET?

Scan to visit our website

It’s full of tips on budgeting, meal planning, saving on utilities and more. Find it on our website. www.kidsonthecoast.com.au

Assemble the Minions,

Santa’s coming!

Saturday 14th November It’s time to kick up your heels and get ready for some madness and mayhem as we celebrate the festive season with these wacky little yellow minions! See the FREE live show, get creative in the craft village and enjoy our Christmas Parade welcoming Santa himself! Parade: Live Show: Craft Village: Meet and Greet:

10.30am 11.00am 11.30am – 2.30pm 12.00pm and 1.00pm

Plus, free goodie bags on the day, your chance to win a $500 Noosa Civic Gift Card, and loads more! Visit noosacivic.com.au for full details.

www.kidsonthecoast.com.au

Big W • Woolworths • 100 specialty stores NOVEMBER 28 Eenie Creek Rd (Cnr Walter Hay Drive) Noosaville Ph 5440 7900

/ DECEMBER 2015 – Kids on the Coast

Stay up to date with your local community news. If you have any unique news that you’d like to share, please contact our editor at publications@mothergoosemedia.com.au

Whats news » Visit our website for more news, www.kidsonthecoast.com.au/news

NAMBOUR CIVIC CENTRE TO BE TRANSFORMED

The Nambour Civic Centre will be transformed into a multi-screen cinema complex, eventually offering more than 200 screenings each week. Nambour Civic Centre owner Centenary Square Pty Ltd (C Square) will partner with Majestic Cinemas, an independent and experienced regional cinema operator which operates a number of complexes in similar regional areas. From November, Majestic Cinemas will operate a two-screen cinema to offer greater selection and more sessions, seven days a week. C Square will undertake a major internal refurbishment over the next 12–18 months to eventually establish five cinemas. The current theatre will be modified to operate as both a cinema and performance space. “Once the development is completed in late 2016, this will increase to multiple sessions per day and more than 200 sessions per week. It is C Square’s aim to transform Centenary Square into a lively, vibrant and thriving hub, combining a commercial and busy retail centre by day and an exciting entertainment precinct by night," said Divisional councillor Greg Rogerson. Residents will no longer have to travel as far to see new releases, arthouse films and blockbuster movies. There is also hope that complementary businesses such as cafes and restaurants will follow the cinema.

YOUTH BAZAAR BUY, SWAP & SELL AT LAKE KAWANA COMMUNITY CENTRE A unique youth event is coming to Lake Kawana Community Centre these December school holidays where you can enjoy free live entertainment and a bite to eat at the canteen while browsing a variety of stalls where you’re likely to score a bargain. The difference with this Buy, Swap & Sell Bazaar is that the stalls will be run by youth aged 12–17 years old. It’s a great opportunity for young people to make some pocket money by holding a stall and selling old clothes, DVDs, jewellery, shoes…you name it. The Youth Bazaar will be held Wednesday, December 16, from 10am to 3pm. 3 metre x 3 metre stalls are available for 12–17 year olds. Simply email lkcc@sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au and the necessary documentation will be sent to you. Remember that applications must have parent/guardian consent. 8

Kids on the Coast – NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

DID YOU

KNOW ONE DUNG BEETLE CAN DRAG

1,141 TIMES ITS WEIGHT – THAT'S LIKE A HUMAN PULLING SIX DOUBLE-DECKER BUSES!

HOW SAFE IS YOUR POOL? Now is the best time to ensure that your swimming pool or spa are safe. All pools – including spas and some portable pools – must be registered and meet pool safety standard by November 30, 2015. Regional Planning Portfolio Councillor Christian Dickson said, “Swimming pools should be fun, however, drowning is one of the leading causes of death in Queensland for children under the age of five years. Supervising young children, teaching them to swim and having effective pool fencing can help save lives, which is why pool safety laws were introduced.” All swimming pools in Queensland must be registered with the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (www.qbcc.qld.gov.au). Pool owners can also search online to see if their pool or spa is already registered. Once you’ve registered, ensure you check the pool safety guidelines on the QBCC website to see if your pool or spa barriers comply.

Today, glaciers cover around 10% of the Earth's total land area. During the last ice age they covered 32%! CHRISTMAS TREES WERE FIRST DECORATED WITH FOODS SUCH AS APPLES, NUTS AND DATES.

UFO Research Queensland began compiling data in

1956

and has many reports originating from the Glass House Mountains area.

ADULT COLOURING CIRCLES ON THE SUNSHINE COAST

Adult colouring-in has fast become a popular pastime for adults to focus, relax and channel their inner creativity with many different adult colouring books now available. Sunshine Coast local Kristy Ainslie has recently organised a colouring circle on the Sunshine Coast where adults come along to unwind and de-stress through colouring in. The next colouring circles will be held from 6pm to 8pm on November 17 and December 8 at Oliver Brown Chocolate Café at Kawana Shopping World. For more information and to book your (free) spot, visit the Facebook page ‘Sunshine Coast Colouring Circle’ or email Kristy at sunshinecoastcolouringcircle@gmail.com www.kidsonthecoast.com.au

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SUNSHINEPLAZA SUNSHINEPLAZA.COM | / DECEMBER NOVEMBER 2015 – Kids on the Coast 9

FEATURE

CHRISTMAS: INSPIRE YOUR KIDS WITH THE

spirit of giv by Belinda Hopper IT’S A MAGICAL TIME OF YEAR FOR CHILDREN, COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS TILL CHRISTMAS WITH ADVENT CALENDARS AND RIPPING OPEN GIFTS EARLY CHRISTMAS MORNING. AS PARENTS, WE DELIGHT IN LAVISHING GIFTS ON OUR CHILDREN, BUT AMIDST THE TOYS AND TINSEL AND EXCITEMENT, IT’S EASY FOR KIDS TO THINK THAT CHRISTMAS IS JUST ABOUT RECEIVING ALL THE THINGS THEY’VE EVER WANTED. Somehow, the legend of old Saint Nicholas leaving a candy stick in the shoe of good children and a stick or lump of coal for naughty children has grown into each child leaving a sack under the tree for Santa to stuff full of toys. Gone are the days of writing a letter to Santa with a simple request and posting it to the North Pole. These days it’s more likely kids will write a list of gift ideas on one of the many Christmas wishlist apps, share it with family and track how many items have been bought and by whom. Out of interest, can you remember your child’s favourite gift last year? Can they? Where is it now? What about the ancillary stocking filler gifts they received? Or the gifts from their grandparents, aunts and uncles? Chances are many of them are already lost, broken or forgotten. Bah Humbug! Not that we have to be Ebenezer Scrooge to rethink the culture of Christmas. Whether we observe Christmas for religious reasons or see it as sacred time to share with family and friends, it is worthwhile pausing to consider the values we want to pass on to our children and whether the message of Christmas as a time of peace and goodwill has been swallowed up by the message of excessive consumerism.

Kids on the Coast – NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

Annie Leonard’s 20-minute animation The Story of Stuff shows how in the materials economy the first world not only keeps their resources for themselves, but also plunders the third world’s resources to meet increasing first world demands for more and more ‘stuff.’ And the real sting is that up to 99 per cent of ‘stuff’ we buy is thrown out within six months. So how do we teach our children that it is more blessed to give than to receive, while teaching them the real cost of buying unnecessary ‘stuff’? Christmas is an opportunity to recast the idea of ‘giving’ in a less materialistic mould, so that we also teach our children to be responsible citizens of their communities as well as the environment. A good place to start is by taking a look at the growing list of charities competing for our time and money to provide practical support for people in need; whether for children in foster care or sick in hospital; for those who find themselves homeless or families going without; for the disabled, the disadvantaged, or the elderly. And that’s just in Queensland! There are also many opportunities to give a little to make a huge difference in the lives of povertystricken families in the developing world.

www.kidsonthecoast.com.au

FEATURE

vin� HOW DO WE TEACH OUR CHILDREN THAT IT IS MORE BLESSED TO GIVE THAN TO RECEIVE, WHILE TEACHING THEM THE REAL COST OF BUYING UNNECESSARY ‘STUFF’?

www.kidsonthecoast.com.au

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015 – Kids on the Coast

FEATURE

SO IN THE SPIRIT OF GOODWILL AND GENEROSITY, LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT WAYS WE CAN ENCOURAGE OUR KIDS TO BE OUTWARD-LOOKING AT CHRISTMAS TIME. PUT A SMILE ON THE FACE OF SICK CHILDREN Every Christmas, the Starlight Foundation asks Australians to become Starlight wish granters to help grant once-in-a-lifetime Starlight Wishes for seriously ill children. Christmas is the perfect time to give the gift of joy to sick children and their families, and Starlight Wishes help sick kids and their families dream big and temporarily leave the pain of treatment behind to create fun family memories. The excitement of planning their Starlight Wish brings hope, happiness and increased wellbeing to sick children and their families. Perhaps your family might decide to help brighten the Christmas of a family facing serious illness by donating, fundraising or buying a virtual gift at www.starlightwish.org.au.

KIDS IN CARE CHRISTMAS APPEAL They say it takes a village to raise a child and this is particularly true for children who, for whatever reason, cannot live with their own families. To make Christmas a special time for the many children in foster care, the Queensland government runs the Kids in Care Christmas Appeal with the support of ABC Radio Queensland. In previous years, over 20,000 new wrapped gifts have been received and distributed to children in care throughout Queensland. Tune in to your local ABC radio station to find out about your local gift drop locations.

THE SALVATION ARMY CHRISTMAS APPEAL In the lead up to Christmas, The Salvation Army teams up with the Kmart Wishing Tree to collect around 500,000 toys to give to families in need. Kids can choose a toy (it doesn’t have to be from Kmart, but it has to be new) to leave under the wishing tree. They need to attach half a gift tag from the Wishing Tree, indicating on it the age and gender of who their gift is for. Then they hang the other half of the gift tag on their tree at home. The Salvation Army collects the gifts and oversees their distribution to children in need.

CHRISTMAS FOOD TREATS Together with the Salvos, some schools run a Christmas food drive, where non-perishable food items are collected and made into hampers to be distributed to families in need to help ease the financial burden of providing Christmas treats that many of us take for granted. You could enquire whether your child’s school participates in the food drive or drop non-perishables off at your local Salvos. On Christmas Day, the Salvos host a free lunch at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre for around 500 people in need. To find out if you can donate food or offer to help serve on the day, visit www.salvationarmy.org.au/en/get-involved/Christmas.

Kids on the Coast – NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD It is hard to imagine, but for children who receive a shoebox gift through Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, it is the first gift many have ever received. The idea is that families or school classes decide whether to buy for a boy or girl, and which age bracket, and then fill the box with a range of items such as something to love, something for hygiene, something to play with, something for school, something to wear and something special. Kids are encouraged to place a photo of themselves or their family inside the box so the child receiving the gift can see who sent it to them. It costs $9 to register each gift box which covers shipping and enables you to track your box so you can discover when and where it is hand delivered to a child – perhaps in Cambodia, Vietnam or another developing country. There are promotional videos on the website showing kids receiving their gifts, which will warm your child’s heart to see. You can also give the gift of time to help out in one of the regional drop off centres where the boxes are collected and processed. To find out how your school or family can get involved, visit www.samaritanspurse.org.au/campaign/operation-christmas-child

THE SMITH FAMILY TOY AND BOOK APPEAL It’s hard for families at a financial disadvantage to make Christmas a special time for their children. The Smith Family's Toy & Book Appeal provides an opportunity to help bring a smile to a disadvantaged child's face at Christmas. The Smith Family aims to deliver more than 43,500 new toys and 29,000 new books to children in need around Australia and there are three ways your family could help. You can buy a new toy and book from the Simply Giving website to be delivered directly to The Smith Family. You can make a donation, 100% of which will be used to purchase toys and books within the age/gender categories most in need. Or you can give the gift of your time by registering to collect or buy toys and books on behalf of your workplace, club, school or amongst your neighbours. By registering at www.thesmithfamily.com.au, you will receive an information pack containing everything you need to know.

A GIFT FROM YOUR SCHOOL FOR A DISABLED CHILD A staggering 28,656 Queenslanders under the age of 25 live with a profound or severe disability. Variety Queensland currently has thousands of dollars worth of outstanding requests for equipment and services from families who have children in need of expensive equipment such as communication devices, visual aids, modified tricycles, electric beds, wheelchairs and walkers. Perhaps you could enquire whether your child’s school could hold a free dress day with a gold coin donation for Variety Queensland so that a disabled child in their community might receive the equipment they so urgently need as a Christmas gift from the school. Variety Queensland relies on donations for all of their services, programs and equipment. All donations are tax deductible. Find out more at www.givenow.com.au/varietyqueenslandchristmas.

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NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015 – Kids on the Coast

FEATURE

A LOAN OF LOVE A good number of Aussie kids have enough money sitting idly in their money boxes to help a family in a developing country to start a business. And Christmas is the perfect time to give the gift of opportunity. Kiva is a non-profit organisation with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. By lending as little as $25 for a few months, with the expectation that it will be repaid by the business it helps to set up, your child can keep saving for their special something while they help a family to establish an ongoing source of income, which is surely more satisfying than counting coins in their money box. Learn more at www.kiva.org.

THE WORLD’S MOST USEFUL GIFT CATALOGUE In the first world, billions of dollars worth of unwanted Christmas gifts are returned to the shops every year. But you can be guaranteed that any gift you purchase from TEAR’s Useful Gift Catalogue will be received with gratitude by someone in the developing world. Be assured that your gift will be absolutely life changing, whether you give the gift of a chicken so a family can sell the eggs or a goat to sell the milk; whether it’s educational equipment or immunisation for a child, a clean water well or flushing toilet for a village; or whether it’s providing training for a midwife or funds for cleft palate corrective surgery. Perhaps your kids might decide that instead of buying each other something they don’t really need, they could pool their money to buy something to meet someone else’s need. You can check out the range of gifts at www.usefulgifts.org.

ROSIE’S FRIENDS ON THE STREET It’s a shocking statistic that over 40% of those experiencing homelessness in Queensland are 25 or younger. Rosie’s Friends on the Street depends on donations to provide basic necessities to the homeless such as food, clothing, hygiene items and sleeping bags. As a Christmas party activity or end of year break-up, your family, school, neighbourhood or sporting club could hold a sausage sizzle, a car wash or dog wash; get sponsors for a fun run, bike or swim challenge; or hold a school disco, sporting match, trivia night or treasure hunt to raise much needed funds to provide services to the homeless this Christmas. This teaches kids that giving to others is not only worthwhile, it can be a fun activity to share with friends. For more ideas visit www.rosies.org.au.

YOU MAY BE SURPRISED AT HOW GENEROUS-HEARTED YOUR CHILDREN ARE WHEN THEY LEARN ABOUT THE NEEDS OF OTHERS AND ARE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO HELP. CHARITY GIFT WRAPPING At the end of a busy day of Christmas shopping, you can take your gifts to one of Queensland Cancer Council’s gift wrapping booths that pop up around shopping centres in the month of December. For a gold coin donation for each gift, you can save yourself the trouble of buying paper and wrangling with the sticky tape at home, while supporting research into fighting cancer. The booths are run by volunteers, so if your teenager has some spare time in the holidays, they may like to volunteer for a few hours in one of the booths. They may even learn how to curl a mean ribbon.

THE GIFT OF TIME AND EFFORT It’s easy for the value of a gift to be diminished simply by the sheer number of gifts kids receive at Christmas. So if Santa brings toys, perhaps family members could put a little time and effort into making gifts for one another, to teach kids that meaningful gifts are not necessarily store-bought. Perhaps you could do a Kris Kringle and each make something for the person whose name is pulled out of a hat. It could mean cooking their favourite fudge or making coupons for acts of service to be redeemed throughout the year, such as washing the car, a foot massage, cooking dinner or breakfast in bed. Senior citizens are easily forgotten in the Christmas rush of parties and shopping. Perhaps your children could bake some shortbread as a gift to your elderly neighbours or their school band could arrange to visit the local nursing home to play some Christmas carols and give the residents a chance to have a singalong. The children will learn how far a small act of kindness can spread the spirit of goodwill. Each Christmas, the Basket Brigades Program sends gifts, food and even toys to needy families and the homeless. The Basket Brigades need volunteers to sort and pack gift baskets this Christmas season. So if you and your kids would like to help for a few hours, you can find your closest packing plant in Brisbane, Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast at www.magicmoments.org.au/basket-brigades

So, these are a few ideas to share with your children this Christmas, to help them see the festive season not only as a time of receiving gifts, but also as a time of giving. You may be surprised at how generous-hearted your children are when they learn about the needs of others and are given the opportunity to help. In so doing, we give our kids the chance to experience the real joy of Christmas. However, if you find that your family is in need of a little support this year, please contact a charity to ask for assistance. Your community wants to share their goodwill, to help make Christmas a special time for you and your children. Because that is the true spirit of Christmas.

Kids on the Coast – NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

www.kidsonthecoast.com.au

We are currently looking for people with patience, understanding and maturity to care for children in need. Our foster carers receive extensive training, have access to 24 hour support and work closely with our care team to make a difference in the lives of children and young people who need extra support. Our carers can be single or partnered, married or unmarried, with or without children, and/or same sex couples. Some have a background in health and caring professions. Some provide short-term care, while others are full-time foster carers.

BECOME A FOSTER CARER

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If you can share a place in your heart and home we'd like to hear from you. P: 07 5457 4300 E: carers@lwb.org.au www.lwb.org.au/fostercare

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Kids on the Coast

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GIVE YOUR CHILD

the ultimate gift – GRATITUDE by Dannielle Miller ASK ANY PARENT WHAT THEY WANT FOR THEIR CHILD AND THE ANSWER IS LIKELY TO BE, “I JUST WANT THEM TO BE HAPPY.” WELL, WHAT IF THE RESEARCH CLEARLY SHOWED THERE WAS A WAY IN WHICH YOU COULD NOT ONLY ENSURE YOUR CHILD WAS HAPPY BUT ALSO MORE OPTIMISTIC, FORGIVING, RESILIENT AND ENERGETIC – AND FOR THEM TO EXPERIENCE LESS LONELINESS, MATERIALISM AND STRESS? Welcome to the wonderful world of teaching our children to be more thankful. In recent years there has been a big growth spurt in the field of positive psychology, a discipline that extends psychology beyond the treatment of psychological problems and focuses on helping people to actively thrive. Essentially, it’s the science of how to be happier and have a more positive outlook on life. And when it comes to the research on what drives happiness and a healthy mental attitude, the standout is gratitude.

WE DO NOT ENTER THIS WORLD GRATEFUL But surely being grateful just comes instinctively? Most children learn to say please and thank you at a fairly early age – though at first they usually need a tireless parent to continually prod, remind and cajole them into it. The thank yous we

Kids on the Coast – NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

receive from very small children may sound token or half-hearted, but there’s a good reason for that: in order to feel true gratitude, our brains need to have developed to the point where we are able to recognise when someone has done something to benefit us and can appreciate the positive things in our lives. Children may begin to be able to say thank you without prompting between the ages of four and six, but they still have a long way to go. They need to be taught – kindly, gently and gradually – how to be grateful, because just as language and other cognitive skills take time to develop, gratitude is a way of thinking that needs time to grow and be nurtured. What this means is that as we make an effort to cultivate gratitude in our families, we need to have a little (okay, maybe a lot!) of patience, especially with children under the age of seven. By the age of twelve, children generally have the capacity to interpret situations and recognize when someone’s actions warrant their gratitude.

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“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.” -- A.A.Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh --

However, we should lay the groundwork for gratitude as early as possible. Psychologists Jeffrey Froh and Giacomo Bono say that by showing a high level of warmth and empathy to children in their early years, while also setting firm boundaries, parents can help put their kids on a path toward gratitude. It also helps to have ongoing conversations with children about their own and other people’s thoughts and feelings because, according to Froh and Bono, “Children’s comprehension of gratitude by age five is stronger if they have a better understanding of emotional and mental states.”

WHY GRATITUDE CAN BE A CHALLENGE Instilling gratitude in children can sometimes feel like an uphill battle given they are growing up in a culture that increasingly seems to forgive narcissism and even reward it if a quick glance at celebrity news websites and reality television is anything to go by. We need to concentrate on helping our children to build real selfesteem rather than false self-esteem. Real self-esteem is not something we give to children by telling them they are special. It is something that grows in children as they develop skills and become more competent and confident. It is all about connectedness, compassion and community – an ability to empathise with others. And from that empathy, true gratitude can arise.

I WANT IT NOW! Anyone who’s ever been on the receiving end of a child’s ingratitude knows that one of the most infuriating things about it is their lack of awareness of just how good they’ve got it. While it is easy for us as adults to see how absurd it is to be grateful in the midst of plenty, imagine for a moment what it’s like from our children’s point of view. Compared to any previous time in history, children in the developed world are growing up with far more stuff to want, far more channels by which that stuff is marketed and advertised to them, and more disposable income or credit cards in our wallets with which to buy that stuff. Only a few generations ago, at Christmas a

Kids on the Coast – NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

child might have been delighted to get a stocking filled with fruits, nuts, sweets and trinkets. Compare that to the vast array of toys, electronics, music, shoes, clothes and so on children are now convinced they need. Oxygen, water, food, shelter, love – these are what we really need. But thanks to sophisticated marketing and advertising, celebrity endorsements, and children’s strong and valid urge to fit in, high-price consumer goods can seem essential to survival. Even when children do receive the things they want, it doesn’t necessarily make them happy, because they are living in a state called the ‘abundance paradox’. Sociologist and senior fellow at the University of California Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center Dr Christine Carter says, “Their disappointment when they don’t get what they want is greater than their gratitude when they do get what they want.” This is because gratitude comes much more easily in times of scarcity. Carter uses the example of a child growing up in a home where there isn’t enough to eat. That child is likely to be more grateful and less picky about the food that is on his or her plate compared to a child whose fridge is full of goodies. Similarly, generations ago it would have been easier to please children with gifts because their closets weren’t already stuffed to bursting with consumer goods. Carter says, “Even underprivileged children in the West have more than most children who live in developing nations.”

TEACHING CHILDREN GRATITUDE The good news is that our children don’t need to be born with a particular personality to become grateful. Because a grateful outlook is something that is learned and developed, there is actually a lot we can do to help foster it in our children. Gratitude researcher Robert Emmons would agree. He believes that thankfulness comes more naturally for children than it does for adults. “As we get older, the give and take of life is driven by expectations around tit-for-tat reciprocity. Kids have a natural affinity to gratitude. They often teach parents as much or more about gratitude than the other way around.” Children need to develop a meaningful, genuine sense of gratitude over time; we can’t impose it upon them. There is no point nagging. And though heaven knows we’ve all thought it sometimes, there is no point in dragging out the old “Think about all the children starving in other countries” line. It’s a shortcut to guilt and resentment, not genuine gratitude. The last thing we want is to create robots who express gratitude without really feeling it. Once children are old enough to understand the concept of giving and thankfulness, it’s time to give them the chance to think about it and really mean it when they say thanks. A far less hair-pully-outy approach is to make gratitude a daily family habit so that over time it becomes a natural part of our children’s makeup. We are more help to our kids when we show gratitude to others, give our children fun opportunities to express gratitude and prompt them to think about the good things they have and where those things came from. Our job is not to force our kids to be grateful. It’s to be there to help them find their own way to a place of genuine thankfulness. And that may well be the greatest gift we can give them.

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WE LOVE A COASTAL CHRISTMAS

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NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015 – Kids on the Coast

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TIPS, HINTS AND PRACTICAL IDEAS FOR RAISING A

grateful child Write thank-you notes

Teach media literacy

Never underestimate the power of a simple thank you note. After the birthday party sugar high has worn off, involve children in writing thank you notes for the gifts they received. If they’re very young, have them tell you what they want to say and write it for them. It’s also great to get younger kids to draw pictures that convey their thanks.

Another way to head off materialism is to help your children become savvy media consumers. Help them deconstruct all the advertising and marketing messages that encourage them to want more and more products rather than to feel happy with what they already have. The job of advertisers and marketers is to encourage a sense of dissatisfaction. By questioning the assumptions in ads, you can help your kids see through the gloss.

Start bedtime rituals Like any other important values, gratitude is most effectively developed when it is introduced from an early age as a daily habit, so try and make it just a normal part of life. Try starting a nightly ritual in which you ask your children at bedtime to tell you about their ‘three good things’ from today – for instance, the things that went well for them that day, the things that make them happy and the things that fill them with love. What a great way to enter the land of nod – happy and mindful of all the good in life. This is a tried and true technique, developed and tested by Martin Seligman, widely considered the father of positive psychology. Design a gratitude board Have children draw or cut out pictures of things they’re grateful for, or write them down on slips of paper. They can then use these to decorate a gratitude corkboard placed in their bedroom or in a shared part of the house, such as the kitchen, so everybody in the family can take part. Recognise everyday heroes Ask your children to think about who their everyday heroes are and why. Turning our minds to the everyday people who spend their lives making a difference to our lives reminds us of all we have to be grateful for. Give to the community You probably have some neighbours, friends or family who need a little help – perhaps they are elderly or disabled, are struggling with their health or have a new baby. Children can lighten their burden by helping with gardening, cooking, household chores and running errands. For teens, community volunteering is a real win-win as not only will it connect them to others and help them appreciate how much good there is in their life, it is also the type of experience highly valued by employers.

Kids on the Coast – NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

Donate gifts Especially at Christmas, many stores take up collections for toys to give to children in struggling families. You may want to help your children select toys or other gifts to purchase to give to less fortunate kids. Create a Christmas gratitude calendar Christmas can seem like a relentlessly materialistic season, with decorations appearing in stores earlier every year and a barrage of ads everywhere you look. One antidote is to make a gratitude calendar, similar to an Advent calendar. For each of the 24 days leading up to Christmas, an Advent calendar has a little door for kids to open to reveal a message, a toy or a chocolate. The gratitude calendar has 24 empty pockets. Each day, children take a small piece of paper, write on it something they’re grateful for and slip it in the pocket. It could be a lot of fun to spend time on Christmas Day reading all the things everyone’s grateful for.

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them” -- John F. Kennedy --

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Children’s Dentist Dr Wei asks...

Is your child’s face “growing” the right way? Dr Wei Shen. B.D.S. Adelaide Principal Dentist

We want to avoid teeth that don’t line up properly by getting children to swallow properly and to breathe through their noses so that their face and jaw develop the right way. We try to ensure that they grow beautiful faces and, to do that, sometimes we have to look at habit correction, expansion of the space between teeth and other techniques so that when they become teenagers they will need minimal orthodontic work.

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21-day GRATITUDE CHALLENGE

In recent times families have been doing 21-day gratitude challenges and sharing their experiences online. In their research, Robert Emmons and David McCullough found that 21 days is the optimal length for a gratitude challenge, because it doesn’t get stale or turn into a burden. If you search online, you will find a host of 21-day plans, with different activities each day. Or the members of your family could take a moment at the same time each day for 21 days to name someone or something for which they are thankful from this list, and briefly explain why: Day 1: a friend Day 2: a treasured possession Day 3: a family member Day 4: someone who helped you Day 5: a teacher Day 6: something in nature that makes you happy Day 7: a part of your body that you like Day 8: a talent or skill you have Day 9: a type of food Day 10: a machine, gadget, or type of technology Day 11: something good that happened to you Day 12: something good that happened to someone else Day 13: a song Day 14: a colour Day 15: a book that means something to you Day 16: a character in a movie or TV show that taught you something Day 17: something you successfully learned how to do Day 18: a sport or other physical activity Day 19: one of the five senses (sight, smell, touch, hearing, taste) Day 20: a pet or a type of animal Day 21: someone or something that makes you laugh

GRATITUDE: A POSITIVE NEW APPROACH TO RAISING THANKFUL KIDS RRP $16.99 (eBook $8.99) Do you ever give in and buy your kids stuff they’ve been nagging you for… only to find that they’re still not satisfied? Do you sometimes worry that children are growing up in a narcissistic and materialistic world? Do you want to teach your children how they can focus more on what they are thankful for, and less on the negative? Children are not always very good at saying thank you or feeling grateful. This is because none of us are born understanding gratitude we have to learn and develop it. The good news? There is actually a lot we can do to help nurture thankfulness in our children and Gratitude is packed with practical, common-sense tips and hints that have been shown to work. It offers a positive new approach to nurturing thankfulness in children by making gratitude an everyday habit of family life. Instilling gratitude in our children is about so much more than politeness. Gratitude is linked to greater happiness, a more positive outlook on life, stronger social bonds and support networks, and higher achievement. This book shows how fostering gratitude in our children helps them develop the skills they need for fulfilling and successful futures – in their studies, personal lives, and careers.

Source: Enlighten Education www.enlighteneducation.com

Dannielle Miller is an author, educator and media commentator. Gratitude: A positive new approach to raising thankful kids is her latest title. Dannielle has been named the NSW/ACT Small Business Champion Entrepreneur, received an Australian Leadership Award and was nominated twice for an Australian of the Year Award. The media has named her one of Australia’s emerging leaders (The Australian), one of Sydney’s most influential people (The Sydney Morning Herald) and one of the most inspiring women over 40 (Prevention). She was a finalist for InStyle’s Women of Style Awards in 2014. Visit her website www.danniellemiller.com to read more about her work and purchase her books. Follow her blog at www.enlighteneducation.edublogs.org

Kids on the Coast – NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

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NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015 – Kids on the Coast

Christmas

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GIFT IDEAS FOR BABIES, KIDS & PARENTS

Kids on the Coast – NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

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JELLY SHOES FOR TODDLERS & TWEENS

Wendy & Holly Shoes welcome Miss Wendy Australia children’s jelly shoes! Tweens will love the wedge style in red, cream and silver sparkle (RRP $39.95), while toddlers will love the flashing lights in the soles of the blue, green, pink and silver sparkle Mary Jane ballet flats (RRP $29.95). Visit www.wendyhollyshoes.com.au to choose your favourite pair.

PERSONALISED TOTE BAGS

Enjoy shopping this Christmas from the amazing collection of personalised gifts at Iddy Biddy Boo. This beautiful tote bag is the pick of the bunch with your child’s name custom printed onto one of over 60 original designs. Beautifully sewn, they are great for books, toys or any other treasures your child likes to carry around. A unique gift for $39.50 from www.iddybiddyboo.com.au

FAIRY GARDEN MAGIC

Create a magical fairy garden with your family this Christmas. Nurture the imagination, inspire the heart and create precious memories with the finest fairy garden pieces. Choose the perfect gift from the handpicked range of fairies, miniature accessories, fairy houses and designer kits available at www.gardensparkle.com.au

GARDEN ACTIVITY CUBE

SWINGZ N THINGZ

This huge, highly stimulating and creative wooden learning cube by EverEarth has a maze, moving beads, shape sorter, abacus, moving cogs, counting blocks from one to ten and many more moving parts – no surface is left empty! RRP $159. Available online at www.woodenwonderland.com.au

These handmade canvas swings are ideal for kids from six months up to eight years, great for indoors or out. Handmade in Noosa since 1993, the swings are available in a wide range of fadeproof outdoor canvas colours or organic cotton and hemp in earth tones. For $145, purchase the swing including cushion, stainless steel hanging kit, seatbelt, carry bag and FREE DELIVERY Australia wide. www.swingz.com.au

CUDDLY GINGER KID TOYS

Exclusive to The Ginger Factory, the all-new Ginger Boy and Ginger Girl soft toys make the perfect children’s gift idea this Christmas. Finished in a furry plush fabric, the super soft, loveable Ginger Kid characters are perfect for cuddling. Prices from $6.95. Visit www.gingerfactory.com.au

HIDE AND SEEK CUBBIES

Children need to escape from the routine and structure of adult environments to allow their imaginations to flourish. Hide and Seek Cubbies offer the perfect balance of fun, affordability and safety to create and nurture a sense of adventure for your child. Check out their easy-to-assemble designs at www.hideandseekcubbies.com.au. Contact Annette Heath 0417 005 696

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FESTIVE HAMPERS

The Hamper Box has the perfect gift for family and friends this festive season. A mixed selection of the best seasonal fruits complemented by Christmas treats is guaranteed to please. Visit www.thehamperbox.com.au to see the range of great hampers priced between $85 and $145.

THE MAN BOX – GIFTS BUILT FOR EVERY KIND OF MAN

Say no to socks this Christmas and choose The Man Box. Filled with lots of awesome manly stuff and with different options available, you’ll find a Man Box that’s perfect for the man in your life. Check out the range at www.themanbox.com.au

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015 – Kids on the Coast

BALANCE BUDDY BALANCE BIKE

Strong, safe and light, Balance Buddy balance bikes are easy for kids to master and have fun riding while learning balance and confidence. The Balance Buddy is the perfect transition to a big bike for kids aged 2 to 5 years. Choose one in your child’s favourite colour for $129 from www.balancebuddy.com.au

RASHOODZ SWIMWEAR FOR BOYZ & GIRLZ

LEARN TO SWIM LIKE A FISH!

SwimFin is a unique swimming aid for anyone aged 2 and above. SwimFin is endorsed by Libby Trickett and supported by The Wiggles! Available in a range of 7 colours for $44.95 from www.swimfin.com.au

CHRISTMAS STOCKING BUNDLES

Looking for unique, quality Christmas gifts for 0-5 year olds? Then look no further than Inspire Stocking Bundles. All the hard work has been done for you with bundles sorted into age appropriate groups ranging from outdoor to eco to bath time. All gifts have been chosen by a qualified educator and are from exceptional brands. Watch your little ones eyes light up on Christmas morning! For bundles starting from $19.95 visit www.stockingbundles.com.au

GIVE MOVIES THIS CHRISTMAS

BCC and Event Cinemas have made your Christmas shopping a breeze with a variety of movie gift cards to suit everyone on your list. Movie gift cards are available in values from as little as $15 right up to $1000, allowing lucky recipients to choose the movie they want to see, and redeem the card for delicious food, beverages and more. There is sure to be something to please everyone at BCC and Event Cinemas this festive season. www.eventcinemas.com.au

Kids on the Coast – NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

Rashoodz Swimwear has the latest swimwear technology with attachable hats with clips to ensure your child’s head will always be protected from the sun – and they will never lose a swim hat again! For the perfect sun safe gift for a special little someone in your life, visit rashoodz.com.au and choose from a range of striking designs starting at $44.99.

SMART PHONE PENCIL SHARPENER

GIFT IDEAS FOR BABIES, KIDS & PARENTS

GET SET TO GO WILD!

Zoolu is a fun family card game that will entertain all ages with its colourful characters and strategic gameplay. Collect a full set of animal cards to win and 'Go Wild!', with target cards showing the card colour or type to collect and Kaos! cards adding strategy to the game. Developed by an Aussie mum, this take-anywhere card game is available for just $17 from www.zoolugame.com

Nothing’s cooler in a Christmas stocking than super cool stationery from 2 Kool 4 Skool. Their online store is filled with heaps of unique stationery like these awesome smart phone sharpeners, which look just like a real phone. Available in four cool colours for $4.95 from www.2kool4skool.com.au

CREATIVE, COLOURFUL TOYS & ACTIVITIES

Give the gift of creativity this Christmas! Rainbow Fun loves learning through play and has handpicked the best creative toys and activities for all the kids in your life. Check out the colourful range at www.rainbowfun.com.au. For free delivery on orders over $40, use code KOTC at checkout.

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BRUSH YOUR TEETH WALL STICKERS

Make brushing teeth fun with these wall stickers that are movable and reusable over and over again. Perfect for renters as no adhesive is left behind. RRP$3.99. Ideal stocking fillers. Choose from hundreds of MOVABLE wall sticker designs for girls, boys and adults. Buy direct from the printer and save with free shipping Australia wide. www.wholesaleprinters.com.au

I'M TOY MELODY MIX MUSICAL INSTRUMENT SET

Share the magic of music with your child with the I'm Toy Melody Mix, a wooden musical activity set with 10 instruments including xylophone, drum, tubular chimes, triangle, cymbal, bells, maracas, castanet, double guiro, pair of rhythm sticks plus 1 striker and 1 scraper. Purchase online for $95 from www.babyvegas.com.au

TOP SHOTS FUN FOR THE FAMILY

Give the ultimate fun gift, a gift voucher to Top Shots Fun Park, starting from just $20 for plenty of family fun! Putt two of Queensland's best 18 hole mini golf courses, climb the Indoor Rock Wall, bounce the Extreme Trampoline, battle the Cannonball Blaster, spray the Blaster Boats and slide the Inflatable Waterslide. Visit www.topshotsfunpark.com.au

HIMALAYAN SALT LAMPS

Bring the mountains into your home this Christmas with a unique Himalayan Salt Lamp, a great gift idea for the whole family with a range of various benefits to help nurture health and wellbeing. Choose from a range of styles and sizes starting at $25 from www.inspiremenaturally.com.au

Christmas gift guide

SURFER DUDES

Toss your surfer dude into the surf and they’ll catch a wave all the way back to you! Surfer Dudes are the world’s first self-righting, self-surfing toy with an internal ballast system, hydro-boomerang technology and unsinkable foam board with gnarly graphics. Collect all six from $19.99 each from Mr Toys Toyworld, Australian Geographic and other online retailers.

CREATIVE STORY STONES

Creative Story Stones will ignite your child’s imagination with over 10 million story variations. Each stone has a different picture for children to create their own stories or use as word recognition tools. A great gift idea for children 3 years & over, available exclusively at www.cuteas.com.au

MONTHLY ART PACK SUBSCRIPTION

Get them a gift that keeps on giving this Christmas with four different art projects delivered monthly and different themes each month. Smarty Arty art packs are available for a single child or a family from only $15 per month. Receive a bonus art box with all 6 and 12 month subscriptions. Visit www.smartyarty.com.au/kids-art-subscription

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NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015 – Kids on the Coast

SPECIAL FEATURE

TRAVELLING WITH KIDS: TIPS AND TRICKS FOR YOUR NEXT FAMILY ADVENTURE by Lara Cain Gray ‘TO TRAVEL IS TO LIVE’ SAID CELEBRATED CHILDREN’S AUTHOR HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSON. SEEING NEW PLACES AND TAKING A BREAK FROM ROUTINE INVIGORATES, REFRESHES AND INSPIRES US. OF COURSE, HANS PROBABLY NEVER HAD TO TRAVEL WITH KIDS SCREAMING ‘ARE WE THERE YET?’ IN THE BACK OF HIS HORSE AND CARRIAGE! TRAVEL CAN BE ONE OF THE BEST EXPERIENCES YOU’LL EVER SHARE AS A FAMILY, BUT IT CAN ALSO BE PRETTY CHALLENGING. FAMILY TRAVEL REQUIRES A LOT MORE PLANNING THAT TRAVELLING SOLO, BUT THE REWARDS ARE WELL WORTH THE EFFORT!

WHY SHOULD YOU TRAVEL WITH KIDS? QUALITY TIME It’s a term that’s a little overused, but ‘quality time’ really is invaluable for families with children of any age. Taking a trip together means switching off from work, school and household chores, and just being in each other’s company for a while. You might find time to talk about some of the things that get missed in the daily rush and get to know a little more about what’s important to your kids right now.

NEW EXPERIENCES Travel is also about sharing new experiences with your children. If you’re travelling far afield, encourage the kids to learn about the local culture, food and language as you do. If you’re staying close to home, keep in mind that even a spot you’ve visited 10 times before will still hold new experiences for growing children. Can they swim further this year than last year? Are there new kinds of shells on the beach? Caz Makepeace, creator of popular travel blog yTravel, explores the world for a living with her husband and young children. Travelling with kids “helps them become global thinkers”, says Caz. “It fosters a deep curiosity, which I believe is where all innovation starts. We want children growing up to be amazing innovators and open-minded thinkers.”

LIFE SKILLS Taking a trip also comes with a bundle of opportunities for bigger life lessons and skills development. Encourage the kids to help you

Kids on the Coast – NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

out with research, planning, budgeting and following maps. Once you’re on the road, there will be learning opportunities around tolerance, sharing, patience and resilience, especially if anything should not go to plan. In Caz’s experience, spending time discovering new places and stepping away from routine has made her kids more confident, adaptable and willing to try new things. “They learn how to stay connected to awe and wonder,” Caz says. And she believes they will carry a deeper appreciation of the world with them for life as a result of these experiences.

MEMORIES One of the most important reasons to get out and about with your family is that it creates amazing memories! We all remember the family holidays we took as children: from our first time on a plane to the camping trip when it rained or the day we visited a special museum or zoo. These memories become building blocks for the picture we carry through life of our childhood, as well as our experience of parenthood. Caz and her family are big believers in making the most of every day. yTravel blog is packed with the tips and tricks they’ve learned about travelling safely, on a budget, with the kids – not someday, but today. “Embrace each moment that you have now,” she says. Whether it’s a major overseas holiday or a weekend at the beach, travelling with your kids is a fantastic way to create and appreciate those extra special family moments.

www.kidsonthecoast.com.au

steve irwin day 15 November Australia Zoo will hold Steve Irwin Day to celebrate Steve Irwin’s passion for family, wildlife conservation and fun!

aduLt $99

CHiLD $59

robert’s 12tH BirTHday 1 December Our very own fossil fanatic is turning 12! All kids are invited to celebrate for FREE* and join in our awesome prehistoric activities for the whole family! *Kids 14 years and under FREE with a full paying adult.

summer down under 4 - 25 January Have fun in the sun with Australia Zoo’s own concert series celebrating the sounds of summer with live entertainment throughout January!

Enjoy the ultimatE wildlifE advEnture and our awesome events all yEar round.

australiazoo.com.au

1638 Steve Irwin Way, Beerwah, Qld, 4519 Open Daily 9.00am - 5.00pm

RELAX AND LAGOONS 1770 REJUVENATE RESORT & SPA

PH: 07 4902 1600 BOOKINGS@LAGOONS1770.COM.AU WWW.LAGOONS1770.COM.AU www.kidsonthecoast.com.au

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015 – Kids on the Coast

SPECIAL FEATURE

TOP TIPS AND ‘MUST-HAVES’ FOR TRAVELLING WITH KIDS Although travelling with kids can be a wonderful experience, it’s important to remember that kids will be kids – and holiday time is no different. They may get sick, they may get bored, and they may not enjoy or appreciate the same activities as you do. Be flexible, have patience and travel slowly is the advice from Caz, and other local families we spoke to agree. Slowing down the pace of the holiday is key, according to fatherof-two Shane, whose family recently toured Europe together. “Racing around to see as much as possible with the kids in tow just doesn’t work,” Shane says. “They need some regular time to just be kids – to play at a park or go get an ice cream.” Brisbane dad Greg travelled to the USA with his young family and recalls getting a lesson in patience when his children were completely underwhelmed by the Grand Canyon. As he and his wife admired the view, the kids saw only “a big hole in the ground”. Kids will always have their own personal list of the things they’ve found amazing on your holiday. It just may not be the same as your list! So, as much as you may be longing for a dream holiday yourself, remember that your trip needs to be enjoyable for the whole family. Whether it’s a major overseas trip or just a weekend at the beach, finding family-friendly options for accommodation and activities, as well as the big ticket tourist attractions, will probably make your trip easier for everyone. Here are a few ideas.

ACCOMMODATION > Sleep It’s always tempting to save money on a family holiday by opting for a one-room apartment or smaller sized beach cabin. While you may all physically fit in a smaller space, try to determine whether you’re likely to get a good night’s sleep there. Overtired children (or parents!) can really spoil the next day’s activities. > Security Nothing spoils a holiday like having your cabin broken into or feeling that you can’t allow the kids to safely explore the local area. While you can’t plan for every eventuality, you can take the time to ask your accommodation about their child-friendly safety features like fencing, balcony structures, pool rules and proximity to main roads or beaches. When it comes to valuables, check whether there are room safes or lockers at reception to avoid leaving things lying around while you’re out sightseeing.

Kids on the Coast – NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

> Sustenance Do you ever feel as though your children have bottomless pits for stomachs? Well, they are often hungrier than ever when they’re enjoying an active holiday! Choosing an apartment with its own kitchen or opting for camping puts you in better control of your meals. Plan each day’s dinners ahead and pack plenty of healthy snacks that can be grabbed on the way to the pool or tossed into a bag for a bush walk. Be sure you know where the nearest general store is for when you need to refuel. Eating out is fun, of course, and a great way to get to know the local area. Just keep in mind that it can become costly and unhealthy if you’re doing it every day. TOP TIP: Greg and Shane both suggest advantages to travelling with other families. This provides instant company for the kids, adult conversation for the grown-ups and potential babysitters if you’d like to take turns getting away for dinner or a show. Just be prepared to compromise on a few activities, give each other space when needed and get in early for tour or restaurant bookings to ensure the whole group can be together.

PACKING Packing for a family holiday can make you feel as though you’re moving house rather than getting away for the weekend. Gone are the days of popping a few things into an overnight bag and heading for the airport. Now you’re considering clothes (for all weather eventualities), toys (some for the pool and others in case it rains), prams, nappies…the list goes on. One good tip is to remember that you’re not (usually) travelling to Timbuktu; there will probably be shops where extra nappies or emergency toys can be purchased, rather than trying to squeeze absolutely everything into your suitcase. Other smart packing ideas include: • Pack washing powder. Do a quick load during the week rather than packing seven days’ worth of clothing. • Invest in a travel first aid kit. This helps avoid midnight dashes to the shops and takes up less space in your bag than whole packets of Band-Aids or Panadol. • Bring your prescriptions. Finding a doctor and then seeing a doctor who’s not familiar with your health history is stressful when you’re away from home. The more information you have to hand, the better. • With all the gadgets we now rely on, don’t forget your chargers, power boards and adaptors. TOP TIP: Caz says her must-have item for road trips is scooters for the children. “This will be a life-saver when you want to go for walks and will save your back from months of chiropractic work!” she says.

www.kidsonthecoast.com.au

SPECIAL FEATURE

TRAVELLING To enjoy travelling in a car, train or plane, kids really need to be kept engaged, fed or asleep! Plan ahead to ensure you have a few tricks up your sleeve to alleviate boredom and help everyone feel excited about the journey. Some ideas include: • Choose a flight or set off in the car at a time when the children would normally be asleep. This way they can nap through the most ‘boring’ part of the journey. • Space out meal breaks. Flights tend to do this for you, but if you’re driving, plan periodic rest stops for food and leg stretching. TOP TIP: For flights, if you have more than one adult in the group, Greg suggests ordering a special meal (i.e. vegetarian) for one of the parents. Special meals arrive with the kids’ meals, so one adult can eat in peace whilst the other helps the kids. Afterwards, when the regular meals come out, the other adult also gets to eat with minimal interruption. • Invest in a map or app that helps kids follow your travel journey. Some apps include nifty interactive tools that link from the map to local tourist sites or notifications if there is heavy traffic ahead. This way everyone knows exactly how much longer there is to go! • Speaking of apps, while tablets and game devices can provide excellent entertainment for short periods of your trip, they’re also very stimulating. Consider popping a few audio book versions of the kids’ favourites on their gadgets to keep them occupied, but still relaxed. • Browse online before you leave for easy travel games. Eye Spy is just the beginning! Consider downloading and laminating a free game of travel bingo or jotting down ideas for travelrelated word games. TOP TIP: Shane suggests comfortable clothing for the kids and keeping sugar intake to a minimum on long journeys. For entertainment, his family encourages journals where the kids can write or draw about the things they’ve seen that day – or the things they’re looking forward to seeing when they arrive.

IDEAS FOR ENTERTAINMENT EN ROUTE Travel Bingo: www.crayola.com.au Road Trip Word Game: www.crayola.com.au Roald Dahl Audio Book Collection: www.roalddahl.com Bound Round Kids’ Travel App: Visit the iTunes store There’s Nothing Like Australia Travel App: Visit the iTunes store

WHEN IT ALL GOES WRONG No matter how much planning and organising you do, there will always be unexpected challenges on a family holiday. Some survival tips include: > Role model patience! First and foremost, try to keep your cool when inconveniences impact your trip. For minor issues, take the opportunity to show your children that changes of plan are okay and little mishaps are not the end of the world. When it comes to more serious problems, remember that succumbing to road rage or abusing a flight attendant will only cause additional stress for your family, not to mention potentially landing you in legal trouble. > Have a ‘Plan B’ in mind It’s always disappointing if the weather turns nasty or the main attraction in the town is inexplicably closed for maintenance. Try not to hang all your expectations on only one aspect of your trip. For example, track down a list of local museums to visit on a day when it’s too wet for the beach. You never know what you might discover! > Don’t fixate on routines Some parents find it very stressful when their children stray from their usual home routine. It may be worth letting the kids have a little more screen time or stay up an hour later than usual if it helps the holiday run smoothly. Talk to them about the fact that holiday rules are different from home rules, and the usual routines will still apply when your break is over. > Make it special, no matter what Try to make the holiday ‘special’ even if it’s not what you expected. Grab some popcorn and settle in for a family movie night, or get out and take that bush walk even if it’s raining. Years from now, your family will thank you for funny memories of making the best of a bad situation rather than cancelling the whole trip. Most importantly, don’t write off the possibility of family travel because it seems all too hard. “My perspective is that parenting is hard regardless of whether you are travelling or not,” says Caz. “The difference is the parts in between. When you're at home you're trying to fit in busy schedules amongst the challenges and ordinary moments. But, when you travel you turn those ordinary moments into extraordinary ones.”

www.kidsonthecoast.com.au

For the latest advice and information about family travel, visit yTravel Blog: www.ytravelblog.com

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015 – Kids on the Coast

DESTINATION

A STAYCATION with TWEENS AND TEENS by Pam Molnar MY 12-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER CAME IN FROM SCHOOL AND ANNOUNCED THAT SHE WAS THE ONLY ONE STAYING HOME FOR THE WHOLE SUMMER HOLIDAY BREAK THIS YEAR. SHE WENT ON TO TELL ME HOW BORED SHE WOULD BE, HOW LUCKY HER FRIENDS WERE AND HOW SHE WOULD BE STUCK AT HOME DOING NOTHING. POOR GIRL! Contrary to what your teens and tweens think, not everyone goes on a summer holiday each year. Finances and parent’s holiday time are some of the reasons that a summer holiday may not be possible. In order to keep your teen or tween from driving you crazy, plan a week’s worth of activities that you can do around your own area. Enjoy a fun and relaxing week at home with a different theme for each day.

PYJAMA DAY – Most teens are exhausted by their constant on-the-go lifestyle. What they really need is a day off. Homework, extracurricular activities, social plans and family obligations leaves little time to just hang out. Reserve a day with no agenda. Let your child sleep in. Encourage a day of lounging on the couch in pyjamas. Buy easy self-serve meals and use disposable plates. Spend the day recharging for the week ahead.

VOLUNTEER DAY – Now that your teen or tween is well rested, start your staycation by helping others. Pre-plan a day of volunteerism and spend the day with those in need. Start with a morning at a homeless shelter preparing breakfast or cleaning up from overnight. Move on to walking dogs at the animal shelter in the afternoon or play board games with the residents at an assisted living home. Your choice of volunteering does not have to be limited to an organisation. Plan to help an older neighbour clean out their garage or babysit for a new mum who can use another pair of hands. ADVENTURE DAY – Plan to do something you have never done before. Enrol your teen in an adventure day camp in your area to try surfing, kayaking or scuba diving. Looking for an indoor activity? Check out your local sports complex to try a new sport, go rock climbing or take diving lessons. For less sporty teens, try a theatre

workshop, cooking class or sing at an open mic night. Encourage your kids to try something new – even if it scares them a little. You are building their confidence for the next adventures in their lives.

PARTY DAY – Have an Unbirthday Party like the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland and invite all your teen’s friends. Plan something as simple as a gathering place for multiple friends to hang out. Order pizza, plug in the iPod and shut the door. Consider including some of the parents to stay and have a drink with you. Socialising with other parents is a great opportunity for you to get to know your children’s friends better. SEE THE LOCAL SIGHTS DAY – There are probably a few spots in your area that you have never been to before. Get suggestions from your friends and neighbours. Visit local council or tourist information websites for tourist attractions as if you were visiting for the first time. Check out your local historical society, museum or a shop that you have never gone into. Take your camera along and snap silly pictures of your family visiting the sights. Share with friends on Instagram.

TODAY’S THE DAY – How many times has your tween asked if they could do something and your answer is “Maybe another time”? Well, today’s the day! Go to the pet store and take out a puppy to play with. Take your teen to get her ears double pierced. Stop for ice cream before dinner and spoil your appetites. Let your kids have a sleepover and stay up as late as they want. Show your kids that they cannot always predict what their parents’ answer will be. TICKET DAY – End your week on a good note. Get tickets to an event your tween or teen would love. Whether it is a concert, theatre performance or a sporting event, you can find something to do that your child will always remember.

Pam Molnar is a freelance writer and the mother of two teens and a tween. Much to their disappointment, they are all staying home for the summer break this year.

Kids on the Coast – NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

www.kidsonthecoast.com.au

SUNGLASSES for your children when they get their eyes examined by a Looking Smart Optometrist.

 Free pair of sunglasses (Up to RRP $19.95) for each of your children when they have a bulk billed eye examination with a Looking Smart Optometrist. (Age limit up to 12 years old)

 Tests are fun for children

The test takes approximately 15 minutes

 All staff hold a current blue card  Looking Smart Optometrists bulk bill

all eye examinations provided the patient has a Medicare or DVA card

 Easy parking

Did you know... 30% of children have some type of eye condition that affects vision? In most cases if the eye condition is detected early enough, exercises can be given to avoid it developing into a vision problem at school. In some cases vision problems exhibit themselves in children who have short attention spans but often are undetected by the parents or carers. At Looking Smart Optometrists we recommend a vision test for every child who is 6 months of age or older. We bulk bill all eye tests so it costs you nothing to have it done, and you can feel secure that you are looking after your child’s eyesight.

Phone: 5439 7844 Between Coles and Woolworths at the Pelican Waters Shopping Village, Pelican Waters Blvd, Pelican Waters. www.kidsonthecoast.com.au

Email: info@lookingsmartoptometrists.com.au NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015 – Kids on the Coast 33 www.LookingSmartOptometrists.com.au

SATURDAYS & SUNDAYS

GINGER FACTORY

NOVEMBER 12 TO 15

STREET SCIENCE

Where: Maroochydore Homemaker Centre, Maroochy Boulevard Time: 10am – 2pm Visit the Street Science interactive mini science lab outside Fantastic Furniture. With the help of trained scientists create your very own coloured flubber to take home! www.maroochydorehomemakercentre.com.au NOVEMBER 14 & 15

OCTOBER 31 & NOVEMBER 1

CONSCIOUS LIFE FESTIVAL

Where: Lake Kawana Events Centre, Bokarina This two-day event promotes health and wellbeing, lifestyle and environment, awareness and education, attracting those interested in conscious, healthy and sustainable living. www.consciouslifefestival.com.au

Where: Nambour Civic Centre, Nambour A two-screen cinema with a great selection of films seven days a week. www.majesticcinemas.com.au

Where: Mary Valley, Imbil Take a trip to Mary Valley and discover the scarecrow creations along the way. www.scarecrows.org.au

MARY VALLEY SCARECROW FESTIVAL

UNTIL NOVEMBER 14

Where: Nambour Library (Nov 2) / Caloundra Library (Nov 5) Is your child getting enough activity? Are you challenged with children and technology? Is your child eating the correct quantities of a well-balanced diet? As part of their Child Healthy Lifestyle Program, Queensland Health are helping parents with practical ideas. Details: Free. Book online at www.community. sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au

HEALTHY CHILD GROWTH

NOVEMBER 2 & 5

Where: Noosa Civic Shopping Centre Time: 10.30am – 2pm It's time to kick up your heels and get ready for some madness and mayhem as we celebrate the festive season with these wacky little yellow minions! See the live show, get creative in the craft village and enjoy our Christmas parade welcoming Santa himself! www.noosacivicshopping.com.au

ASSEMBLE THE MINIONS, SANTA’S COMING!

NOVEMBER 14

Where: Kawana Sports Precinct, Bokarina Come and cheer the athletes as they endure a gruelling swim, bike and run. www.qldtriseries.com.au

KAWANA TRIATHLON

november

MAJESTIC CINEMAS NAMBOUR

OPENING IN NOVEMBER

Where: Event Cinemas Time: 10am Looking for something to do with the family? Why not take them to the movies and catch a cheap flick? Details: $6 a ticket. www.eventcinemas.com.au

$6 WEEKEND FAMILY FLICKS

Where: Pioneer Road, Yandina Time: 9am – 5pm Enjoy educational tours, fun rides, tranquil gardens and great shopping facilities. Have a bite to eat in the cafe and browse the largest range of the world's finest ginger products. www.gingerfactory.com.au

DAILY

REGULAR EVENTS BRING YOUR BABY SESSIONS

UNDERWATER WORLD SEA LIFE MOOLOOLABA

Where: Lifepointe Baptist Church, 186 Wises Road, Maroochydore Time: 9am – 11.30am Annual inspirational and fun-filled morning tea, with guest speakers, Lisa McInnes-Smith (motivational speaker and best-selling author), Darren Percival (entertainer) and Caroline Hutchinson (from MixFM). Details: $30 per person. To buy tickets, call 07 5309 6128. www.facebook.com/ sunshinecoastpsychologyclinic/events

Where: North Shore Community Centre, 701 David Low Way, Mudjimba Time: 10am – 2pm An annual community Christmas event with Santa arriving by helicopter, face painting, balloon twisting, jumping castles, live entertainment, market stalls and more! Details: Free. www.northshorecommunitycentre.org

NORTH SHORE COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION

NOVEMBER 21

BE BOLD – PND AND A CUPPA TEA!

NOVEMBER 28

Where: Riverwalk Stage, Sunshine Plaza Time: 6.30pm Join us for a magical evening to celebrate Santa’s arrival at Sunshine Plaza! Enjoy a magic show, face painting, live entertainment and say hello to Santa and his helpers. www.sunshineplaza.com

CALOUNDRA STREET FAIR

LIBRARY EVENTS

Check out your local library! Did you know that council libraries have free events, classes, workshops and activities for babies and children? www.library.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au www.libraries.noosa.qld.gov.au/kids

Where: The Wharf, Mooloolaba Time: 3.30pm – 7.30pm Bursting with fresh local produce and hand crafted gift ideas, soak up the atmosphere while enjoying a bite from one of the many food outlets. www.underwaterworld.com.au

TWILIGHT MARKETS AT THE WHARF

EVERY FRIDAY

Where: Bulcock Street, Caloundra Time: 8am – 1pm There is something for the whole family with activities for kids, handcrafted locally made products and art, live entertainment and street theatre. www.caloundrastreetfair.com.au

EVERY SUNDAY

NOVEMBER 27

Where: Big Pineapple, Nambour Connection Road, Woombye Time: 6.30am – 1pm The biggest all-weather market with fresh fruit and veggies plus an array of art, amazing food, clothing and more. www.bigpineapple.com.au/saturday-growers-markets

BIG PINEAPPLE MARKETS

EVERY SATURDAY

Where: Big Pineapple, Nambour Connection Road, Woombye Time: 6.30am – 12pm Bring your pre-loved and new baby and kids gear to sell, or come along and find some great bargains. www.bigpineapple.com.au

BIG PINEAPPLE BABY & KIDS MARKET

SECOND SATURDAY OF EACH MONTH

Where: Noosa Leisure Centre, Noosaville Time: 8am – 11am Everything you need for your baby with pre-loved and new items. 35+ stalls full of toys, books, shoes, clothing, cots, prams, bassinets, breast pumps, bikes, maternity clothes and much more! Details: Book a stall online for only $35. Email natsmith76@hotmail.com. www.noosakidsmarket.com.au

NOOSA KIDS AND BABY MARKET

NOVEMBER 29 & DECEMBER 27

Where: Memorial Drive, Eumundi Time: Wednesday, 8am – 1.30pm / Saturday, 7am – 2pm You’ll find original artworks, sculptures, furniture, handmade toys, home wares, skincare as well as cutting edge fashion and jewellery by local designers, all guided by the ethos “make it, bake it, sew it, grow it”. www.eumundimarkets.com.au

EUMUNDI MARKETS

EVERY WED & SAT

MARKETS

CALOUNDRA BLUE LIGHT DANCE PARTY

Where: Model Railway Park, Florence Street, Nambour Time: 10am – 3pm Kids love riding on these mini steam trains and diesel locomotives. Details: Enclosed footwear must be worn when riding on trains. www.scrms.org.au

MINI TRAIN RIDES

NOVEMBER 22

Where: 2 Allora Dr, Maroochydore Climb it, play it, splash it and hit it! Book a party here for the kids or enjoy a day out with family and friends. Plenty of fun, rides, attractions and relaxation await you at Top Shots Fun Park. www.topshotsfunpark.com.au

TOP SHOTS FUN PARK

DAILY

Where: 32 Kayleigh Dr, Maroochydore It’s all about having fun, so bring the whole family and bounce on in to Inflatable World. It's not just for the kids! Details: 4 years and under $7, 5 years plus $14. www.inflatableworldoz.com.au/maroochydore

INFLATABLE WORLD

Where: Caloundra Rollerdrome Time: 7pm – 9.30pm Join us for an awesome dance party at the Caloundra Rollerdrome. Heaps of great prizes to be won. Details: Entry costs $10. For 7 to 16 years. www.caloundrabluelight.org.au

SANTA’S ARRIVAL

NOVEMBER 19

Where: Australia Zoo, Beerwah Time: 8am – 5pm Celebrate the extraordinary life of the one and only Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin. The day will represent the many things Steve was passionate about: Family, wildlife conservation and fun. Entertainment includes face painting, pony rides and animal clay workshops. www.australiazoo.com.au

STEVE IRWIN DAY

NOVEMBER 15

Where: Aussie World Time: 9am – 12pm Mention Tiny Tots Tuesday when you arrive and adults and children under 5 years will pay just $10 each! While the kids are having fun, adults can enjoy a free coffee. Details: $10 each. www.aussieworld.com.au/events/tiny-totstuesdays

TINY TOTS TUESDAYS

EVERY TUESDAY DURING SCHOOL TERM

Where: Event Cinemas Relax and catch a movie at the Bring Your Baby sessions. www.eventcinemas.com.au/ EventsPromotions/BringYourBaby

MONDAY, WEDNESDAY & FRIDAY

DAILY

FRIDAYS, SATURDAYS & SUNDAYS DURING SCHOOL TERM / DAILY DURING HOLIDAYS

- CALENDAR Where: The Wharf, Mooloolaba Time: 10am – 5pm Walk underwater through the glass viewing tunnel and see Australia's marine life like never before! Come within inches of huge sharks, rays and turtles and see some of the remarkable marine and freshwater animals that Australia is famous for. www.underwaterworld.com.au

Sun

as o C e hin

COAST / KIDS

Coast

IN THE CITY

RY 2016

to do, “ Things to go!” places

KIDS ON THE

/ JANUA DECEMBER 2015

ER M M U S LIDAeY O H L O O H SC Guid

Brisbane - Suns

hine Coast - Gold

Where: Maroochy Bushland Botanic Gardens, Tanawha Time: 10am & 12.30pm Children will be guided with sketching techniques to draw lines and shapes of the lovely red Lilly Pilly, and create gift cards. Details: For 5 to 8 year olds (10am) and for 8 to 12 year olds (12.30pm). Book online at www.community.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/events

BOTANICAL SKETCHING FOR AWESOME GIFT CARDS

DECEMBER 17

Where: Maroochy Bushland Botanic Gardens, Tanawha Time: 10am & 12.30pm Be inspired by the native plants of the botanic garden to create your own artwork for the 50 Years of Print children’s art exhibition in March, and use leaf printing to create a unique Christmas gift for someone special. Details: For 5 to 8 year olds (10am) and for 8 to 12 year olds (12.30pm). Book online at www.community.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/events

LEAF PRINTING EACH WHICH WAY

DECEMBER 16

Where: Maroochy Bushland Botanic Gardens, Tanawha Time: 10am & 12.30pm Using pre-made clay shapes and added natural and recycled decorations create your own special Christmas decorations or gifts. Details: For 5 to 8 year olds (10am) and for 8 to 12 year olds (12.30pm). Materials cost $4. Book online at www.community. sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/events

CLAY CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS OR SMALL GIFTS

DECEMBER 15

Where: The Esplanade, Mooloolaba Time: From 4pm This free, family friendly event is packed full of live entertainment and fun activities including live music, DJs, carnival rides, amusements, street performers, buskers, roving performers, face painting and two spectacular fireworks displays. Details: Free. www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au

NYE AT MOOLOOLABA

DECEMBER 31

Where: Kawana Sports Precinct Time: 9am – 2pm The Treehouse Initiative Christmas Carnival is targeted at children with special needs of all ages and abilities. Activities will include bouncy castles, face painters, sideshow alley, food, show bags and much more! www.stocklandpark.com.au

THE TREEHOUSE INITIATIVE ALL ABILITIES CHRISTMAS CARNIVAL

DECEMBER 19

Where: Aussie World, Frizzo Road, Palmview Time: 5.30pm – 9.30pm Enjoy Aussie World's Rides Unlimited at night as well as all the Christmas cheer under the stars. Visit Santa's Village where you can meet Santa and see the elves making toys in the workshop, and enjoy roving carollers, Christmas entertainers, write a letter to Santa and loads more. www.aussieworld.com.au

CHRISTMAS WONDERLAND

DECEMBER 18 & 19

Where: Maroochydore Time: 10am – 4pm both days Day one covers gaining confidence, first impressions, public speaking, presence, posture, body language and speech. Day two looks at acne, skin care and age-appropriate make up. Details: Costs $540.91 plus GST, including a high tea package, a beauty pack valued at $85, and a Beautiful Minds booklet. www.beautifulminds.com.au/courses

BEAUTIFUL MINDS TWO-DAY SIGNATURE PROGRAM

DECEMBER 17 & 18

Don’t miss out on any events!

Where: Luther Heights Youth Camp, Coolum Beach Finish the year on a high with a summer adventure at beautiful Coolum Beach. Enjoy the outdoors and experience surfing, tubing, paddle boarding or jumping off the highest flying fox on the coast, and much more with awesome Christian leaders! The Explode (Years 7 to 11) and Junior Explode (Years 3 to 6) cost $576 and Blast (Years 7 to 11) and Junior Blast (Years 3 to 6) cost $524. www.lyq.org.au/summercamps

LYQ SUMMER CAMPS

DECEMBER 6 TO 12 / 13 TO 18

Where: Currimundi Lake Time: 4pm – 8pm Live entertainment, supervised kids activities and a beautiful parade of canoes and kayaks lit with Christmas lights. Details: Free www.facebook.com/lightsonthelakefestival

LIGHTS ON THE LAKE

DECEMBER 6

Where: Kiah Park, Beenaam Valley Kiah Park offers an amazing horse-riding holiday for children, full of well-supervised activities and safe learning experiences from dawn to dusk and including full accommodation. Each child adopts their very own horse to take out on twice-daily trail rides through our stunning, hilly countryside. Details: $795 for a week. www.kiahpark.com.au

7-DAY HORSE RIDING CAMP

DECEMBER 5 TO 12 & 12 TO 19 / DECEMBER 26 TO JANUARY 2

Where: Wises Road, Buderim Enjoy a spectacular display of Christmas lights this festive season. www.lifepointe.org.au

LIFEPOINTE BAPTIST CHURCH CHRISTMAS LIGHT DISPLAY

DECEMBER 12 TO 24

Where: The Wharf, Mooloolaba Time: From 6.30pm Bring your family, pack a picnic and get yourselves ready for a magical floating light spectacular. www.christmasboatparade.net

MOOLOOLABA CHRISTMAS BOAT PARADE

DECEMBER 12

DOWNLOAD FROM OUR WEBSITE ON NOVEMBER 27

Every school holidays we publish a comprehensive activity and event eGuide, covering all of SE Queensland. Sign up online to be notified when the guide is launched and to receive the link to DOWNLOAD your personal copy.

Where: Eumundi Time: 5pm – 9pm Join us for retail therapy under the stars, with art and craft stalls, kids’ entertainment and a gift-wrapping service on site. There’s nowhere more relaxed for Christmas shopping. Your tastebuds will love the Eumundi Night Markets too, with delicious fare from all corners of the globe. www.eumundimarkets.com.au

EUMUNDI NIGHT MARKETS

DECEMBER 4, 11 & 18

Where: Beerwah Community Hall Time: 6.30pm – 9pm Join us for an awesome dance party in Beerwah. Heaps of great prizes to be won. Details: Entry costs $8. For all school-aged children. www.facebook.com/beerwahbluelight

BEERWAH BLUE LIGHT DANCE PARTY

DECEMBER 4

Where: Sunshine Coast Stadium The Tag World Cup is played every three years and this year it's being held at Sunshine Coast Stadium! This event will bring together teams from the United Kingdom, Ireland, Japan, South Africa, New Zealand and several South Pacific countries. www.stocklandpark.com.au

OZ TAG WORLD CUP

DECEMBER 4 TO 6

Where: Australia Zoo, Beerwah Time: 8am – 5pm Help Robert Irwin celebrate his 12th birthday. Meet a real Queensland Museum palaeontologist and enjoy the awesome prehistoric activities and entertainment including Jurassic Joe singing his dinosaur songs, face painting and animal clay workshops. Details: Kids 14 & under are free with a full paying adult. www.australiazoo.com.au

CHRISTMAS IN COOROY

ROBERT’S 12TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS Where: Cooroy Time: 4pm Christmas in Cooroy is right at the top of the Christmas tree in terms of festive season celebrations. Attracting over 10,000 people, this event has the biggest program of free activities on offer! One of the highlights is the Bendigo Bank Street Parade and the theme this year is ‘Fairy Tales and Legends’. www.christmasincooroy.com.au

DECEMBER 5

DECEMBER 1

- on the coast

CHRISTMAS DAY

DECEMBER 25

www.un.org/en/events/childrenday/index.shtml

UNIVERSAL CHILDREN’S DAY

NOVEMBER 20

* We publish information based on what is supplied to us - to the best of our knowledge all details are correct at the time of printing, however we do recommend you check event details with the organisers

www.panda.org.au/panda-events/postnatal-depression-week

PERINATAL DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY AWARENESS WEEK

NOVEMBER 15 TO 21

www.recyclingweek.planetark.org

NATIONAL RECYCLING WEEK

NOVEMBER 9 TO 15

The UnitingCare Christmas Appeal, is a gift giving campaign offering support to disadvantaged people of all ages. The campaign is launched in all Target and Target Country stores. www.givingbox.com.au

GIVING BOX

NOVEMBER 1 TO DECEMBER 25

nationaL

December 17 – North Shore Community Centre December 19 – The Old Ambo, Nambour www.facebook.com/redcarpettheatre

THE NAUGHTY CHRISTMAS FAIRY

DECEMBER 17 & 19

The Events Centre, Caloundra www.theeventscentre.com.au

THE FAIRIES ‘CHRISTMAS MAGIC’ CONCERT

DECEMBER 12

The J, Noosa www.thej.com.au

MAMMA MIA! THE LION KING IS FROZEN!

NOVEMBER 21

Nambour Civic Centre www.scvenuesandevents.com.au/nambour-civic-centre

ANNIE WARBUCKS – THE SEQUEL TO ANNIE

NOVEMBER 6 & 7

DECEMBER SHOWTIME

Our Come & See day's have a special theme with fun activities for the little ones to do. Some of the days coming up in Term 4 are Mad Hatter's Tea Part

FREE EVENT

11th November

Make and de enjoy a special tea corate a hat, party and decorate your own gingerbre ad man.

Come & See DayS every WeDneSDay 9.30 - 11am You are invited to 'Come & See'’our stunning centre surrounded by our very own farm. The morning is relaxing and fun for parents and children, where you can join in on the activities and meet our amazing educators. A delicious morning tea is provided and goodie bags to take home. Registrations required due to limited numbers. Click on the pop-up link at www.nccearlylearning.com.au

Jungle Adventure

Make and decora - 18 November rescue a friend fromte an animal mask, the ju some jungle instrumngle and play ents.

Balloons Galore

There’s balloon gam- 25 November es with balloons, wate, and painting wacky balloon face r balloons, s and more. th

Nambour Christian College | Early Learning Centre McKenzie Road, Woombye Qld 4559 | ph: 5451 3330 Email: earlylearning@ncc.qld.edu.au | www.nccearlylearning.qld.edu.au

Thinking.

PREP AT

GRAMMAR

Discovering.

Creating.

372 Mons Road, Forest Glen, Queensland 4556 Australia telephone + 61 7 5445 4444 facsimile + 61 7 5445 4345 email enquire@scgs.qld.edu.au web www.scgs.qld.edu.au A School of the Presbyterian and Methodist Schools Association

Kids on the Coast – NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

www.kidsonthecoast.com.au

EDUCATION

GREAT EDUCATION: LESSONS FOR AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLS

by Megan Blandford

There is no doubt that education needs to be one of the highest priorities for any nation. While we have a great education system in Australia in many ways, it certainly isn’t perfect, and for Australia to both serve its society and play competitively on the global stage, it’s vital that we aim to be among the top of the world’s education rankings. To do that, and ensure continuous improvement to benefit current and future generations of students, experts say we should look at the bigger picture of what’s working for our global neighbours. First, we need to understand the data presented to us and be realistic about what we need to improve upon. While the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) rankings and other tests run by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) show that Australia’s placing is dropping, that isn’t the whole story. “When we first started doing the tests in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, there were less countries participating so the field was smaller,” explains Dr Stewart Riddle, senior education lecturer from the University of Southern Queensland. “Back then, Australia came second in literacy in 2002 and by 2012 we’d slipped down to thirteenth, but there are other factors taking place.” It’s worth noting that the drop in score is minimal. “When we talk about the drop from second to thirteenth, the difference in scores

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is very slight,” says Riddle. “It’s not that we’re doing worse; it’s that other countries are doing better than they used to.” With that context in mind, let’s look at where we could improve in order to meet Australia’s stated goal of being in the top five by 2025.

THE BIG DIVIDE Chris Bonner, education expert and author of the book The Stupid Country: How Australia is Dismantling Public Education, says there are many layers to the problems we need to solve in our education system. “The biggest problem in Australia compared with higher achieving countries is the way we organise our schools,” Bonner explains. “PISA tells us something which is really handy to know: countries that don’t do as well tend to divide their kids into schools that are quite advantaged and schools that are disadvantaged. We do a lot of that in Australia, and we’re starting to suffer because of it.” Such advantages can include more subjects – and therefore opportunities – offered in higher socio-economic areas and the rise of academically selective schools. Even the home environment counts as an educational advantage, with the Australian Bureau of Statistics highlighting that Queensland children from families with English- speaking, coupled parents who are more highly educated generally perform better at school.

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015 – Kids on the Coast

EDUCATION

The problem with this is the divide it is creating socially, culturally and in education results. “When you start placing your kids into schools that are advantaged or disadvantaged, the disadvantaged ones do noticeably worse,” says Bonner. “There’s no net gain for the country as a whole.” Riddle adds, “We have a huge proportion of students, around 30%, who do really badly. They’re rural kids, kids in poverty, Indigenous kids, disabled kids and refugee kids. If we focus on trying to help those kids, our overall performance would end up skyrocketing.” In Australia, the access to quality education seems to be based on the luck of the geographical and socio-economic draw in which you are born. This divide, Bonner argues, is quickly widening. “The gap in Australia between schools that are advantaged and schools that are disadvantaged is increasing; the My School data clearly shows this,” says Bonner. He’s quick to add that this isn’t indicative of the quality of individual schools. “It’s not a gap created by quality or between good schools and bad schools; it’s a gap created because of who the schools enrol.” To improve on this system, Bonner says we need to learn from our northern American friends. “Canada is a very good example of how we could do better,” he says. Why? Well, Canada is the highest performing English-speaking country on the PISA and has only 6% of its students in private schools (with Catholic schools being part of the non-fee- paying public school system). This system – and certainly other layers within the nation’s education success – creates equality for students. While those from higher socio-economic areas perform on a par with those from Australia, they’re also on equal footing with their fellow Canadian students from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Canada isn’t our only strong role model. Europe, too, has some world-class examples of great education systems, and not just in the Scandinavian countries we often hear of. “Poland, for example, abolished all its selective schools in the early 2000s, and their national student achievement levels rose,” says Bonner. The PISA report concurs, stating: “(Poland’s) overall improvement has meant that disadvantaged students have greater chances of being resilient and beating the odds against them.” That’s a powerful motivator for Australia to analyse and consider action towards such a goal.

TOP OF THE SCHOOL CHARTS: ASIA AND SCANDINAVIA There are two geographic areas we are often told to try emulating, due to their consistently high global rankings: Asia and Scandinavia. There are pros and cons to the approaches of each of these regions, though. “One argument is that we should be looking to Asia, because they’re out performing us on these international tests,” says Riddle. “But, to generalise, the Chinese and South Korean education systems have large classes with teachers who are authoritarian, students are quiet and do what they are told, and there’s a highly competitive pressure on them to perform.”

Kids on the Coast – NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

While the pressure of long hours of schooling followed by daily private tuition in order to fight for the top place obviously breeds results, there are sacrifices. “This authoritarian approach stifles innovation, creativity, problem solving and lateral thinking,” says Riddle, adding that these nations are looking to other countries – like Australia – to find ways to incorporate these skills into their next generations. It seems that before we convince ourselves to follow other countries’ leads, we need to first decide the cultural statement we want to make towards education. This might mean the high performance of Asian countries is not our best role model. Turning our heads towards Scandinavian countries offers an entirely different perspective with similarly high results. “For a long time, Finland has been held up as the golden child of education, and what’s interesting is that they do things completely differently,” says Riddle. “They don’t start school until the age of seven and they don’t have centralised testing.” This approach is also vastly different to the Australian system and would require careful analysis before the adoption of any similar practices. What the top Asian and Scandinavian countries do have in common is the respect and high value held for the teaching profession. “It’s more difficult in Finland to become a teacher than it is to become a medical doctor,” says Riddle. Bonner adds that some Asian countries are leading in that field too, saying, “In Shangai, China, they do a lot better in the areas of teacher training and teacher development than us.” This in turn helps to create an education system that works for the country and its students. This level of teacher education and professional respect is, perhaps, a common ground of the top countries that needs to be analysed in our own education system. “We have the opposite to that in Australia; we’ve de-professionalised and demonised the profession,” Riddle argues. “Culturally, we don’t value education in the same way as they do in Scandinavia or south-eastern Asian countries.” Like anything that’s important, this isn’t a quick fix, but is a cultural shift that needs to be led from the top and, as such, will require strong policy change and direction. Change, of course, is going to take some serious policy overhaul. And while we may not be looking to replicate the specific system of any of our international friends, we could certainly take pieces from some of these high-rating countries and adapt them to our own nation. Whichever way we go the experts insist it is certainly time for some changes. “We’re continuing with school in the same way that we have for about 600 years and it’s a bit factory-like; kids have to jump through all these hoops,” Bonner says of the current system in Australia. It isn’t all bad news, however. We’re getting a lot of things right in our school system. Bonner says, “The curriculum, the teaching quality, the way we assess kids and the way we monitor standards; we do all that pretty well in schools.” Riddle adds, “Let’s not fly into a panic when new data is released. What the statistics tell us is that overall we have a fairly robust, quality education system.” But if there’s one thing the education system can learn from itself, it’s that there is always room to learn more and improve.

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www.immanuel.qld.edu.au NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015 – Kids on the Coast

BABIES

Earning your

mummy stripes by Kerryn Anker

UNEXPECTED CHANGES TO YOUR BODY AFTER BUB

Kids on the Coast – NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

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BABIES

For new mums, information on what to expect when you are expecting normally only extends to your bundle of joy and how you can both navigate through this unfamiliar territory unscathed. But in the haze of the early days you may stop for a second to look in the mirror, wondering where that radiant pregnancy glow went, why your favourite pair of shoes is now one size too small and why earning your stripes has a different connotation now that your body has been stretched to its limits. Expectations and preconditioned imagery of what a woman’s body will look like after having a baby don’t always match the reality, from that belly bump that doesn’t seem to want to budge to shedding more hair than the family cat. Knowledge of what to expect, the longevity of these changes and how to embrace these newfound womanly curves can make the transition into motherhood a little less rocky and the road forward a lot smoother. Obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Robyn Aldridge says there isn’t a strong focus among expecting mothers to discuss or seek information on the changes that occur to their bodies after birth, with many understandably more focused on the labour. Dr Aldridge says changes in the size and shape of the abdomen, breasts and shoe size, as well as hair loss and a weak pelvic floor are particularly common occurrences for most women after having a baby. “It is important for women to expect some or all of these changes and recognise that they are part of the process,” she says. “It will take time to recover, but if you’re worried about any particular ramifications, it is a good idea to discuss them with your obstetrician at the postnatal visit – usually six weeks after birth.”

A LITTLE EXTRA BAGGAGE Feeling like a so-called ‘yummy mummy’ in the early days is a phrase many new mums don’t feel they can relate to. After the abdominal muscles have stretched and strained over the ninemonth pregnancy, what’s left for many women is a little extra, unwanted baggage. Mater Mothers’ Hospital in Brisbane encourages women to move well and get plenty of rest during their pregnancy to help with the recovery of their body post-birth. Reducing excess strain can help protect the tummy and pelvic floor muscles. Sunshine Coast author and mother-of-two Rebecca Mugridge says adjusting to life as a mum was a challenge in itself, let alone dealing with the visible changes to her body after giving birth to her daughters. “My body was very different and I didn’t feel like myself anymore after putting on more than 30kg during my first pregnancy. I felt ugly, overweight and extremely stressed,” says Rebecca.

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“I had this expectation that my body would bounce back, like the celebrities bodies do. I felt this pressure to look like I did pre-pregnancy and was surprised by the many changes that had happened to my body.” After feeling like she was trapped within her own house and her own body, Rebecca decided to start walking with her baby in her pram to get some fresh air and a new perspective. Building back up her confidence with each step she was taking, Rebecca used her personal experience of the changes to her post-birth body to write the parenting book, The Pram Diet. “Even after all the walking there are still saggy bits on my tummy and stretch marks, but I have embraced these changes and have let go of that image I had of my younger self pre-baby,” Rebecca says. “I became more realistic that, as a mum, I am going to look different and that my tummy is going to be a little saggy from now on.”

WHAT GOES UP MUST COME DOWN In life what goes up, in most cases, has to come down. As a new mum, this isn’t something that you expect to relate to your cup size. With increased levels of hormones pumping through the body during pregnancy, many expecting mums may notice that their breasts have gotten bigger. Despite all the stretching and growing the body goes through during this time, some mums notice that they have a smaller cup size, months after giving birth. Writer and mother Jenn Rian has seen the humorous side to the change in her cup size, creating the hashtag #ThingsThatLookLikeMyPostBabyBoobs. Using everyday items and placing them on her chest to illustrate how her body has changed, Jenn has likened her breasts to such things as deflated balloons and bread dough.

WHEN THE SHOE DOESN’T FIT A big surprise for some new mums after having their baby is the discovery that their favourite pair of heels no longer fit. This is extremely confusing for a sleep-deprived mum who can’t quite work out why all the shoes in her wardrobe have now shrunk. Doctors believe that due to the extra weight and increased looseness of joints during pregnancy, the arch of the foot can in fact flatten out. Rebecca says after making peace with all the changes to her body after giving birth to her two girls, she was shocked to discover after her second pregnancy she could no longer fit into her shoes. “I knew that sometimes your feet swelled during pregnancy, but I was unaware that your feet can increase in size completely and even become wider,” she says. “There are all these heels and boots that I can no longer wear. It could be seen as a good excuse to go shoe shopping.”

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015 – Kids on the Coast

BABIES

HAIR LOSS During pregnancy, most women are thrilled to witness their hair growing at a rapid rate and, in some cases, becoming thicker. This is caused by an increase in oestrogen levels in the body, which prolong the growing phase of your hair and result in less hair falling out. A pregnant woman will lose less hair on a daily basis compared to what she did beforehand. However, once bub is born, it is very common for these luscious locks to shed as the hormone levels in the body drop. Doctors find this to be a real concern for new mums who are fearful of going bald. But they assure new mums that this is a temporary phase and should calm down when bub is around six-months-old.

DON’T FORGET THOSE PELVIC FLOOR EXERCISES It’s drilled into you from the start of your pregnancy right through to after bub is born, but those simple pelvic floor exercises you do while brushing your teeth actually make a world of difference. Exercise physiologist Esme Soan says 50% of women have some degree (symptomatic or asymptomatic) of pelvic organ prolapse postpartum. She says it is very important to do your pelvic floor exercises every day with 92% of mums with stress urinary incontinence at 12 weeks postpartum still having issues five years down the track. “The pelvic floor is a complex web of muscle, fascia and fibrous tissue. It functions to support the pelvic organs and help control bladder and bowel function,” Esme says. “At the end of pregnancy the weight of the baby on the pelvic floor has been found to be equivalent to a 100kg man standing on a trampoline. “Many mothers I see are really keen to get back into shape and exercise after having their baby, but steps should be taken to repair and protect the pelvic floor prior to engaging in any high impact or high intensity exercise.”

Our guide to

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It is important for women to expect some or all of these changes and recognise that they are part of the process.

Kids on the Coast – NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

Esme says five great exercises that are appropriate and pelvic floor safe for pregnancy and postpartum include: • squats (can be onto a chair or with assistance from a Swiss ball) • any aerobic work such as bike, walking, deep-water running, aqua aerobics, swimming, dancing, jogging or whatever you enjoy • wall push-ups • side planks • belly breathing – inhale and let your belly expand and pelvic floor relax. Then exhale and gently draw up your pelvic floor and imagine drawing your belly button to your spine to engage your lower abdominals. Personal trainer and mother-of-two Cassandra Porter runs a ‘me time’ mums fitness class in Brisbane, encouraging women to dedicate some time to themselves, nurturing and empowering their bodies. Cassandra says the ‘me time’ class is about mums looking after and caring for themselves, while releasing those feel-good endorphins that make you feel calm and relaxed. “As women, we spend so much time devoted to our children and our family. It’s equally important to look after ourselves as well as feel positive about our bodies,” she says. “My body went through so many changes after having my two girls, but I acknowledged that it was all part of the process. At the end of the day you have created this amazing human being – that’s what is most important.”

RESOURCES

Dr Robyn Aldridge, obstetrician and gynaecologist (Eve Health): www.evehealth.com.au Mater Mother’s Private Hospital: www.matermothers.org.au Esme Soan, exercise physiologist (Pear Exercise Physiology Pregnancy & Women’s Health): www.pearpregnancy.com.au Rebecca Mugridge, author: www.authorrebeccamugridge.com Cassandra Porter, personal trainer (Positive BODY Personal & Group Training): Email positivebodypt@live.com Raising Children’s Network: www.raisingchildren.net.au Pregnancy, Birth & Baby: www.pregnancybirthbaby.org.au

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Caring for women through all stages of their life

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NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015 – Kids on the Coast

TEENS

GETTING A JOB

by Sandra Smith WITH HIGH YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT AND A CHANGING JOB MARKET, LOOKING FOR WORK ISN’T EASY, ESPECIALLY FOR TEENAGERS APPLYING FOR THEIR VERY FIRST JOB. THE PROCESS OF CREATING A RESUME, HUNTING FOR A JOB AND GOING FOR THE DREADED INTERVIEW CAN BE DAUNTING FOR TEENS. HOWEVER, THERE ARE MANY PRACTICAL WAYS THAT PARENTS AND CARERS CAN OFFER SUPPORT DURING THIS TIME. Parents and carers can help teens look at job prospects, as well as discuss with them how to approach a potential employer and what to wear to the interview. After landing their first job, teens may also need help with transport to and from work, getting a tax file number or lodging their first tax return, and guidance on budgeting and saving money. Starting work is an important milestone for young people, whether it’s part-time work while still at school or full-time work after completing their studies. It gives teens the independence they crave, they acquire many new skills and often find themselves in positions of trust in the workplace. When they step up to the challenge and cope well with the new responsibilities, it’s a proud moment for parents and carers.

Kids on the Coast – NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

THE RESUME Creating a good resume is an important step in the job search process. Parents can help by reviewing the draft resume, suggesting referees and having a discussion with the child about their personal attributes and key skills.

THE JOB MARKET Young people may need to tap into the hidden job market, which means enquiring about a job that hasn’t been advertised. Parents can help by encouraging teens to network amongst friends and family, and people in the local community. Cold calling is another way to apply for a job, as is handing in the resume to a prospective employer.

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NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015 – Kids on the Coast

TEENS

THE INTERVIEW

CAREER PLANNING

Making a good impression at the job interview is important, thus being well-prepared increases the chances of success. This means researching the company, wearing the right clothes and practising interview questions beforehand. Parents can help kids with interview techniques, as well as advising on what to wear, for example, conservative clothing, minimal make-up and jewellery.

There is a lot of pressure on teens to choose a career direction and program of study. It can take time for young people to find their career pathway and they may change jobs or course of study several times before finding something they are passionate about.

LANDING THE JOB Sunshine Coast student Coco, aged 16, was recently successful in finding part-time work at a discount department store after a few months of handing out her resume to various employers. She eventually filled in a job application at the department store and was selected for a group interview. Her persistence paid off when she landed the job. The first step in Coco’s search for a job was preparing a draft resume at school and later having it checked by a relative. She advises other teens that if they have a good resume and keep handing it out, they will get a job eventually. Coco enjoys the freedom that comes from earning her own money, but it’s a big commitment. During the school holidays she gets more hours and may be rostered to work all weekend, as well as during the week. She finds it tough having to go to work when she would normally be socialising with friends. “You just want to hang out with your friends on a hot day and go to the beach,” she says. A Year 11 student, Coco manages to fit in her work schedule with getting her schoolwork done, though she has to work four-hour shifts mid-week. “It can be hard sometimes but I always seem to have enough time to get everything done,” she says. While Coco has been spending all her earnings so far, she plans to save for Christmas and for a car after that. She is undecided about her future, which could include further study at university or TAFE, or travel. Having retail experience and skills in customer service and cash handling will be a real advantage for Coco in the future.

We need to provide our young people with a different set of skills – to allow them to navigate their way through a diverse employment journey that will include around five career changes and an average of 17 different jobs.

Kids on the Coast – NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

Young people can talk to school guidance and career counsellors, visit job expos or contact a private recruitment firm. The Job Outlook website (joboutlook.gov.au) has a useful career quiz that will help teens identify the type of work they most like doing. Parents or carers are able to show their support by accompanying teens to job expos, where young people can connect with career advisers, employers, education and training providers. At these events, students and jobseekers can find out about possible career pathways and job opportunities. The trip to a job expo can be followed up with a chat about short-term and long-term goals. It’s helpful to discuss options, but ultimately young people must be able to make their own decisions and parents need to trust their choices. Parental acceptance helps teens with their sense of belonging and instils the self-confidence they need to find their own unique career path.

JOB SKILLS FOR THE FUTURE Youth unemployment is 14% in Queensland, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures released in September 2015. This means the job market is highly competitive and presents a challenge for young people looking for work. Employers are looking for energetic, innovative communicators who are confident with technology. Core skills include communication, problem solving, planning and organisation, self-management and information technology skills. These employability skills go beyond the technical skills needed to do the job, according to myfuture (myfuture.edu.au), Australia’s free online career information service. Over the next five years, Australia’s main job growth will occur in the industries of health care and social assistance, construction and professional, scientific and technical services. Reasonable job growth is expected across most other industries, including education and training, transport, retail trade, mining and accommodation and food services. (Source: Parents Talking Career Choices, myfuture.edu.au) A 2015 report from The Foundation for Young Australians (FYA) states that we need to help equip our young people with the skills and expertise for the jobs of the future, not the past. The future of work for young Australians will be characterised by flexibility and continuous change in how, what and where they will work. “We need to provide our young people with a different set of skills – to allow them to navigate their way through a diverse employment journey that will include around five career changes and an average of 17 different jobs. We must start thinking differently about how we back young people for the jobs and careers of the future, so they don’t get stuck in the past,” FYA CEO Jan Owen says.

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