Eastside MamaMag Aug/Sept 2017 by MamaMag

EASTSIDE

mamaMAG Aug/Sept 2017

WIN famIly passES to the royal melbourne show Things my father taught me Red is the new black Help Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a tweenager Girls from the Go Sally Rippin

free Local fun for the Eastside mum 1

Chris Humfrey’s

ZOO kEEPER experience AS seen on

Great School Holiday Fun! Program runs from 9am to 4pm (selected dates). Suitable for kids aged 5-17 years.

Spend a day with zoologist Chris Humfrey, from Animal Planet’s new series “Chris Humfrey's Animal Instinct”, at his very own private zoo in Mount Macedon, just 50min from Melbourne’s CBD. Get up close and personal with over 2000 animals with this hands-on experience which is offered nowhere else. Chris has personally designed this exclusive program, with strictly limited numbers of children, to ensure your child gets the best WILD experience possible!

Bookings and Enquiries ww.wildaction.com.au Phone 0419 385 245

oh baby It Is cold And when I say baby, I really mean baby. While my kids have just celebrated their 7th and 9th birthdays, Northside editor Kirsty has her second bundle of joy due any minute now, and our Eastside editor Kara is also expecting a visit from the stork at Christmas time! I promise I not to get clucky but you’ll be seeing my face here from now on. And speaking of birthdays, mama is turning the big 40 at the end of August. Whilst I’m totally fine with being 40, I’m not exactly where I expected to be at 40. When I turned 30 I’d just spent 7 weeks travelling the world on my honeymoon and 2 months later I was pregnant with Lachie. 10 years on and I’m single and I just managed to scrape enough money together to visit Hobart in the school holidays! But we are happy and healthy and at the end of the day that’s all that matters. We’ve got some extraordinarily talented and local supermamas in this issue. We invited Sally Rippin for a chat about her brand new junior fiction series, Polly and Buster. If you’ve got kids who read I’m sure you’d know her from her Billie B Brown and Hey Jack! series. Sally is mum to three boys and step-mum to three girls – hello Brady Bunch! Claire Halliday, mother to four kids, shares with us some of her latest book titled ‘Things my father taught me’ just in time for Father’s Day, and we met not one, but seven amazing business mamas from Bendigo. While we are on talented, the wonderful team at Yarra Trail thought that I was exceptional enough to be featured in their new #yarratrailblazer campaign featuring 3 fab mums being trail blazers in business! I was so thrilled to be chosen and I had the most awesome day on set playing model and being photographed, videoed and interviewed about my MamaMag journey. You’ll catch all three of us in a national campaign launching in August and I’ll be sharing these other fabulous mums stories with you soon as well. So I hope you’re keeping warm this Winter. We had some fun adventures in chilly Hobart and ice skating at River Rink in the holidays and made the most out of scarves and gloves. Love, hugs and hot chocolate. xxxx

@localmamamag

Local fun for everyone • Bayside • Eastside • Northside • Westside

WIN

Contents Help I’m a tween-ager

Rosie Luik’s book for tweens

Thanking Kalpana

win 1 of 4 family passes to the

Saving lives in rural Nepal

Royal Melbourne Show

WIN 1 of 4 family passes

Turn the page

This month’s picks from Story Mama

Things my Father taught me

Claire Halliday’s new book

Parklife 16 Markham Reserve Ashburton

Red is the new black

Paint your diet red

Wide open spaces

Education outdoors

Sally is Rippin it

Sally Rippin’s new book and more

Lovely locals

Exploring Brunswick Street, Fitzroy

Reinventing children’s books

MamaMag is published bi-monthly for the mums of Melbourne’s East by Grizzle Design Pty Ltd

ABN: 26 042 138 550. PO Box 8018 Brighton East 3187 Phone: 1300 771 446 Email: info@mamamag.com.au www.mamamag.com.au | www.grizzledesign.com.au

Some of Bendigo’s finest biz-mums

Being school ready

The importance of ELC

We love a mother

Vinita Baravkar, Bhumi Organic Cotton

Mama can cook

Authentic Rice Kitchen Vietnamese

A royal drama

Navigating dramatic fun

A Kombi adventure

Following your travel dream

Colour to WIN

WIN the new Monopoly ‘Gamer’ edition

Cultured kids Arts and culture at a young age

MamaMag Aug/Sept 2017

Entries are open to Victorian residents only. Competition starts August 1st 12.01am and closes August 31st 2017 at 11.59pm. Entries and prizes are not transferrable or redeemable for cash. Visit www.mamamag.com.au for full terms and conditions.

Our favourites again

Girls from the Go

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10,000 copies per issue across Melbourne’s East including Stonnington, Boroondara, Yarra and Melbourne. 40,000 copies across all four areas: Bayside • Eastside • Northside • Westside Editor in Chief: Sarah Cavalier: sarah@mamamag.com.au Eastside Editor: Kara Wilson Local Eastside Advertising: Georgia Place: georgia@mamamag.com.au or download media kit from our website National Key Account Manager: Justine Whatmore: justine@mamamag.com.au Want to write for us or have an article idea? submissions@mamamag.com.au The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the publishing staff. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited without permission of the publishers. Health related articles are designed to be informative and educational. They are not intended to provide specific medical advice or replace one-on-one advice from your health practitioner.

help I’m a t Aussie author, model, mum to four and surrogate mother to twins, Rosie Luik has just released her coming of age book, Help I’m a Tweenager: A Girl’s Guide to Puberty. This fun and informative book explores and explains the issues surrounding adolescence among girls where no question goes unanswered. From physical and emotional changes to health and social media, Rosie has created an easy to understand book that raises issues relevant to the modern day tween.

Elvie is our ‘little one’ who is not so little anymore having just turned 5. She is extremely shy around new people but knows exactly how to get what she wants from everyone. As she gets older it becomes a little more evident that she has picked up a few character traits from each of her older siblings which makes for interesting viewing!

Rosie believes that a successful discussion of puberty involves honesty and reassurance and says her book will be an aid for parents and their daughters who are about to embark on this journey.

Having raised three daughters of your own I’m sure you are no stranger to tough conversations on the topic of girls and puberty. Any funny stories you wish to share? Over-awkward moments?

Hi Rosie, thanks for chatting with us today. Tell us a little bit about your four kids, Ava, Aston, Coco and Elvie:

I was a surrogate when the kids were quite young, however old enough to explain to them what it was all about. It opened up a whole new world to our family so we’ve always been very open about everything to do with babies, bodies and emotions. As you can imagine the kids had so many questions and they still do, we always make sure to answer them truthfully, the best we can and in the most age appropriate language.

Thank you so much for having me! Ava is our oldest child, our first born and is nearly 12 (as she reminds us almost daily). Ava is extremely bright and possibly equally as stubborn. She is an avid reader and keeping a fresh supply of books for her is about as much trouble as she gives us these days. We say it’s the calm before the proverbial storm! Aston is our only son, he is 9 and is very laid back and calm. He is quite cheeky when it comes to tormenting his sisters though. Other than that he is a typical 9 year old boy, his world revolves around Minecraft, Pokemon and an active imagination. He loves filling his ‘Adventure Backpack’ and heading out to the great, wondrous lands of our backyard.

Coco is nearly 8 and is our sensitive one. She is confident, has a great imagination and a huge heart. You will find Coco wherever animals and babies are present. She is the only one out of the four who ended up with a throwback of blonde hair and blue eyes.

The kids have had a funny discussion more than once about how they came into the world. With the complications that I had, Elvie was the only one born by caesarean. One time, we were in the shops (usually the place where all embarrassing kid stories occur!) and they were having a talk about it all. Elvie became quite upset and proceeded to tell the store that “No! Listen! I came out of mummy’s tummy, you all came out of her giney!” (Our word for vagina just for clarification) It was awkward but so insanely funny.

tween-ager What about your own journey through puberty? Tell us a little bit about your own childhood. Do you remember this being a hard time?

The book is lighthearted, full of fun illustrations, uplifting quotes and tackles all the important information a girl may need. But it doesn’t cover topics like sex or drugs.

I was always so awkward as a kid and it was an overwhelming time for me. I was last to have my period and for my body to really change. I was an extremely naïve tweenager about most things. I remember it being a challenging and embarrassing time and I would love to help as many young girls as I can embrace this period of their lives. (pardon the pun).

Help! I’m a Tween-Ager, covers topics relevant to girls aged 9-14. Although our kids are learning about things earlier these days with thanks to the internet, these topics seemed too overwhelming and not a necessity at this age. After talking to many mums about this, I found a lot of them were struggling to find a book suitable for tweens that didn’t contain this unwanted content. I felt the same, girls are hitting puberty much early and although it’s all relevant, I didn’t want my 11 year old learning about the effects of drugs and sex. What’s happening to them, their emotions and bodies is enough for them to deal with, I felt adding any additional information would not be beneficial at this age and my research has showed this is the case.

Tell us about what made you write “Help! I’m a Tween-ager”. I wrote this book to provide comfort to young girls, to give them a bit of a heads up about what to expect and as much information to help them deal with the scary time that is puberty. As a mum, I wanted to provide as much detail about issues as I could, without being too overwhelming. I realised the reason a lot of girls, including my own daughter, were asking so many questions was due to varying levels of anxiety about what’s happening, or about to happen, to their bodies. It was the scary and unknown that was eating at them. Giving these girls the safety of a book to help them learn and deal with what’s going on, was my way of helping them through this difficult time. By adding my own experiences and other women whom I grew up with, I wanted to help quell the fear, even just knowing what’s around the corner can be really beneficial when it comes to this age group.

The Frequently Asked Questions section is excellent and really tackles some of the questions I’m sure girls might not want to discuss, even with their own mothers. How did you go about sourcing these from other girls around the world? The book started out as I had a daughter fast approaching 12 years old, who was bombarding me with so many questions relating to puberty. I’m very grateful to have that type of relationship with her. I’m also very fortunate and grateful, as an influencer model, to have a large loyal Instagram following, a lot of as are young girls. I received so many private messages from these girls asking questions and advice from me. I take that responsibility extremely seriously, talking to them and offering advice as I would do with my own daughter and am lucky to be able to share their questions in my book.

Tell us a little bit about your modelling. You only started this after giving birth to 6 babies! Talk about career change! I know! Modelling was always something I was passionate about and never thought I would get the chance to do it after kids. I never had the confidence to pursue it full time, in school or before we started a family. I bundled that dream up and put it in the back of my mind. I was very happy as I’d always dreamed of being a mum too and was loving the new chapter in my life. In early 2015, I started promotional work to help bring in some extra money as we had a lot of medical bills and a few rough years to sort out. I started being approached for modelling work, I had to step waaaay outside of my comfort zone, work hard, be persistent and when I did, opportunities started to grow. There have been hurdles but they are far outnumbered by the positives. I’m so insanely grateful to have worked with such incredible people, industry professionals and brands, who have embraced my age and the fact that I am a mum. I cannot wait to keep growing and building the momentum. This isn’t your first foray into writing… Tell us a little bit about your other two books, An IVF Story and 21st Century Guide to the Birds & the Bees: I co-authored these two books as we wanted to explain to children in an easy to understand way about the world of IVF. An IVF Story explains how a child is conceived through IVF from a child’s point of view.

A 21st Century Guide to the Birds & the Bees came about because we wanted kids to understand that there is more than one way to make a baby. We explore surrogacy, IVF, IUI and donor eggs. The books are aimed at kids 4-10, they are beautifully illustrated and are easy conversation starters. Any parting words for the beautiful tweens in our lives? I feel it’s important to give our girls something to help guide them and to help them not feel alone. The message throughout the book is to be kind, be kind to others and themselves, to be proud of themselves just the way they are and to embrace what is happening through sound knowledge. My book is a conversation starter between parent and child, however, the book is written for a tween to read themselves. Parents can rest assured that they are giving their child a safe and informative book that is age and information appropriate and will bring a few laughs along the way. You can purchase your own copy of Help I’m a Tweenager: A Girl’s Guide to Puberty and other titles by Rosie Luik from http://rosieluik.com/

win 1 of 4 family passes to the royal melbourne show 2017 worth S88 Each Enter at www.woobox.com/gcq5qz or www.facebook.com/localmamamag The 2017 Royal Melbourne Show will be held from Saturday 23 September to Tuesday 3 October at Melbourne Showgrounds. The Show is a unique and unforgettable day out with family and friends, packed with hundreds of entertaining and educational activities. Open daily from 9:30am to 9pm the Show has a variety of great value ticket options available online at www.royalshow.com.au Entries are open to Victorian residents aged 18 and over only, between 12.01am August 1st 2017 and 11:59pm August 31st 2017. Entry is via the Woobox competition page on the MamaMag Facebook and/or website and entrants provide their name, phone number, postcode and email address to enter. Winner will be announced on the MamaMag Facebook page on September 1st 2017 and notified by phone. The Promoter is Grizzle Design Pty Ltd ABN 26 042 138 550, trading as MamaMag. MamaMag will not share private information with any other businesses unless you opt in to the Royal Melbourne Show mailing list. See www.mamamag.com.au for full terms and conditions.

Thanking kalpana Saving lives in rural Nepal Every 103 seconds a mother dies in childbirth, with 99% of these deaths happening in developing nations. Globally, 2.7 million babies don’t make it through their first month of life every year because they don’t have access to basic health care.

She told us about the high death rate of mothers and children giving birth in their homes or while travelling for up to two-days by foot to get to a hospital — which is the current situation for any community without access to a Birthing Centre in rural Nepal.

In their first 8 months of launching their baby range, Thankyou helped fund child and maternal health services for 77,314 people and that number keeps growing every day. 100% of the profits from their baby range goes to help programs like One Heart in Nepal where women like Kalpana help others.

“There are many complications in home delivery. If they come here [to the Birthing Centre] after home delivery, there is much tearing and bleeding.”

Learning about the Skilled Birth Attendants in the One Heart programs before making the trip to Nepal, I felt a little like a child hearing stories about heroes in storybooks. I was in awe, and had a nervous excitement about meeting them They’re on the frontline, saving the lives of mothers and children in rural communities. Every. Day. Many have to relocate their families or spend weeks away from home to do this.

“I wished to enter into this profession because… in this village…my own friend died in delivery. My friend was studying in class nine and only 15 years old at the time of her marriage.” Kalpana’s friend fell pregnant at a young age, and when it was time for her to have her baby, Kalpana and her friend found themselves alone together in a field.

If you’re looking for Kalpana, one of One Heart’s longest-standing Skilled Birth Attendants, you’ll find her at one of two places: the birthing centre at the top of a mountain, or at her general practice at the bottom of the mountain, where she works as a doctor. If she’s not at either of these two spots, it means she’s running up or down the mountain between them.

Their remoteness compounded with their age and inexperience in delivering a baby meant the situation turned critical for Kalpana’s friend.

When we arrived at the bottom of the mountain we parked our 4WD and started the steep walk to the top to get to the Birthing Centre. 20 minutes and one just-look-downand-keep-walking climb later, we arrived

She put herself through school to become a Skilled Birth Attendant.

We saw Kalpana, gracefully waiting for us out the front of the Birthing Centre. Being in her presence was like being around a motherly figure — she’s warm, reassuring, safe, comforting and five steps ahead of every situation. “I have lived here for 12 years. I have two children, a son and a daughter.” 10

Like all medical professionals, the work that Skilled Birth Attendants do is both mentally and physically tough. I asked her why she decided to go into this profession.

“My friend was giving birth and had a retained placenta and heavy bleeding, and she died. After that, my teacher suggested that we study nursing. I wished to enter into this profession.”

“The One Heart training is very good. It gives encouragement to improve. I got trained. We were successful to save many women and many children. They have provided training in many places, that’s why the programs are so successful.” At school, she met Surya. She told him her heart to help people in her community. Together they championed to build a Birthing Centre in Gawlichaur, and when Kalpana graduated, she was appointed as the center’s first Skilled Birth Attendant.

“I tell a mother she should come to the Birthing Centre when she knows she is pregnant. That they should eat greens, not do heavy work at home, consume iron and calcium. Then I say to visit the Birthing Centre for check-ups in four months, six months, eight and nine months. Come here anytime they face a problem. Come for delivery, don’t do it at home. If in-laws tell you negative things, call them here, and I will convince them. I’ll counsel them.” It’s clear to see that it’s her passion and knowing her ‘why’ that drives her to keep going in the face of adversity. We start to walk around the community. As we did, women came up to Kalpana to give her a hug. With excitement and joy she introduced us to mothers and babies in the community that she had delivered. “We have to look after mothers and children and provide them with whatever support we can.” Listening to and seeing Kalpana talk to every person with care, love and detail, I’m reminded of a quote on the wall of the Thankyou offices by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, it says: “All labour that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be done with painstaking excellence.” Painstaking excellence. A beautiful and easy thing to say, but an action and way of life that is far from easy, especially when popular opinion and ‘the way things are done’ are blocking you at every turn. But what’s the alternative and cost? For Kalpana, the team at One Heart and Thankyou, it’s a matter of life or death. We left that meeting with Kalpana in awe of the magnitude of the mountain she has dedicated her life to climbing. And pumped to keep bringing our painstaking excellence and passion to the mountain we have to climb to get the baby range off the ground to fund training, education and equipment for people like Kalpana. Words by Melissa Morris, Senior PR and Communications Manager, Thankyou Photos by Jessie Brinkman Evans. Thankyou have just released a new nappy with improved absorbency. Find out more at www.thankyou.co

turn the page Mr Chicken arriva a Roma by Leigh Hobbs “Welcome to Rome.” says Mr Chicken’s guide, Federica. “Climb aboard my Vespa and hold onto your hat.”. Mr Chicken’s childhood dream is about to begin. In Rome he tries gelato, and sees the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Vatican, and the Trevi Fountain. He eats tagliattelle with an authentic Roman family. Then with a “Ciao” it is time to head home. Australian Children’s Laureate Leigh Hobbs has given us a great gift with the Mr Chicken series. It gives children a little taste of foreign countries, cultures, landmarks and food. Hopefully it will inspire a curiosity to see the world and its people. Mr Chicken is a quirky but loveable character. This is a great read aloud for kids age 4-8.

Billie B Brown The Bad Butterfly by Sally Rippin Billie has started ballet classes. She is sure she’ll be a great dancer! But is Billie really cut out to be a ballerina? This is a great series by Sally Rippin for beginner readers. It contains four chapters with big print and plenty of black and white illustrations for kids moving on from picture books. In this story, Billie and Jack take up ballet dancing. The girls are butterflies and the boys are trolls. Billie faces some coordination challenges and often hurts herself and the other students with her clumsiness. Billie and Jack realise that he makes a better butterfly and she makes a better stomping troll! We like how this story challenges gender stereotypes. Highly recommended for ages 5-8.

Ruby Red Shoes Goes to London by Kate Knapp Ruby and her grandmother love to travel and now they are in London, the home of red buses and letter boxes and where Ruby’s red shoes fit right in. There is so much to discover in London and Ruby spends many happy days exploring the sights. This is a CBCA 2017 notable book full of exquisite detail capturing the smells, tastes, sounds and architecture of London. Ruby rides on the Tube and meets her cousins. She eats crumpets and marmalade and bubble and squeak. She travels on a double decker bus to tour around the London sights like Buckingham Palace, the Tower Bridge and Liberty Department Store. She even meets the Queen! And it snows! We love how Ruby enjoys her adventures but carries her love of home in her heart. Recommend for ages 5-8.

The Very Noisy Bear (Board Book) by Nick Bland There is music in the air in the Jingle Jangle Jungle. Can Bear’s friends help him find the perfect instrument to play? Will it be the drums, the guitar, the trumpet? The Cranky Bear and his friends make music together in this fun picture book by Nick Bland. This board book is full of noises for kids to join in on and is an excellent read aloud. We love the funny ending. This board book format is suitable for ages 1-4.

Debbie Hatswell is the Founder and Director of Story Mama. Story Mama is an online children’s bookstore featuring a huge range of carefully curated, parent recommended, high quality books for children ages 0-9. You can shop online by age, by interest, by award winners or even by milestone. Buy these titles online or find out more at www.storymama.com.au 12 12

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SAT 23 SEP CLOCKTOWER CENTRE, MOONEE PONDS SUN 24 SEP ARTS CENTRE THEATRE, FRANKSTON GO TO LIVENATION.COM.AU Horrible Histories® is a registered trademark of Scholastic Inc. and is used under authorisation. Based on the bestselling books by Terry Deary and illustrated by Martin Brown © All rights reserved. Illustration © Martin Brown.

Things My Father I never planned on looking for my ‘other’ dad.

In hindsight, I know I had dodged a bullet.

Even on nights when I’d lie awake and think about those first weeks of my life spent in a hospital as a newborn, with no mother to feed and cuddle me, in my mind, Dad was still Dad. He was there for me. He was the guy with the shoulder rides and the one who’d carry me to bed when I pretended to fall asleep in the car after a night out. He did everything a father should do, really.

We exchanged letters and photos and I met him a couple of times – I’ve got the photos to prove it on those occasions when it all seems like a bit of a dream I’ve had. He rang me from a public phone box once at about 7 a.m., because he didn’t want his wife to know he was in touch with me. The call stretched on for way too long and back on the other end of the line in Melbourne I was dealing with a little girl who just wanted her breakfast. Meanwhile, I had this man, who was pretty much a stranger in so many ways, telling me he loved me and that he was just going to keep talking until the money ran out. Eventually it did – and I hung up the receiver and just sobbed.

But when you’re adopted – well, for me, at least – something still feels different, even when you don’t want it to. I knew I had other ‘people’. I wanted to see myself – the way my face looked, the colour of my hair, the shape of my eyes – in someone else. And that wasn’t Mum. And it wasn’t Dad. I would have come to it eventually – I think a lot of adoptees eventually get tired of looking at family photos and not seeing any resemblance to themselves. But back then, my main motivation for being curious about my birth father was a reaction to the sadness I felt when I finally realised the birth mother I’d been desperate to connect with didn’t want that happy reunion with me – and so I asked her who my father was.

Once I had my birth father’s name, he was easy to find. He came from small town Tasmania and he was a local councillor. So, I picked up the phone and rang him, and we talked, and I found out a lot of things about him – and myself. That Dad was bipolar. And around the time I connected with him, he was alive with it – right in the middle of an intensely manic period. I got all the regretful, ‘I wish...’-type conversations. He told me he would have married my mother. He told me he would have kept me. What he was telling me was essentially good – but it wasn’t good for me to hear. 14 14

My third child was a newborn when I got a call from a woman in Tasmania who had barely introduced herself before shouting down the phone to me: ‘Dad died.’ But my dad had died in Adelaide years earlier. It took a few times of her saying it – she was crying – before she took a breath to answer my questions about who she was. My half-sister. Dad had died. Both of them. In her new book, Things My Father Taught Me, Melbourne-based writer and mum of four, Claire Halliday, shares stories about the impact dads have on our lives. The book features interviews with a range of interesting Australians, including George Calombaris, Anthony Callea, Jo Stanley, Danny Katz, Catriona Rowntree, Em Rusciano, Neil Mitchell, David Koch and Ann Peacock – and Claire’s own story about growing up as an adopted person and eventually looking for her birth father. Things My Father Taught Me is published by Bonnier Publishing. $29.99 Clairehalliday.com.au

Taught Me Stern, playful, encouraging, hard-working, tough or loving – no matter how we describe our own father, he leaves an indelible imprint. Claire Halliday spoke with a range of well-known Australians who shared their stories about the way their dads shape their lives. From memories of deep warmth and closeness to stories of difficulty and tragedy – everyone’s story is unique. What’s common in these stories, from some of Australia’s much-loved comedians, singers, radio and TV personalities, chefs and authors, is that fathers have a defining impact on our attitudes and choices in life.

More things my father taught me… Mum and Dad’s relationship had a huge impact on me – massive. They weren’t perfect; they argued, just as Lib and I argue all the time. When the kids were growing up at school they’d say to us, ‘We don’t hear our friends’ parents argue as much as you guys’, but I said to them, ‘It’s who we are.’ We don’t take it personally, we don’t hold grudges, we just believe in being open with each other, and Mum and Dad were very much like that. – David Koch My relationship with my dad is still a close one. To this day, if Tim and I go out to dinner together, I will often call my parents and say, ‘What are you doing tonight? Do you want to join us?’ We also venture out to bars too. It doesn’t take them much to say ‘yes’. The next question Dad will ask is ‘where?’ Really, I think they socialise more than me. – Anthony Callea All those years ago, when he and our mum had separated, I remember him coming into the house one night and saying, ‘I want to speak to you girls.’ He took us all into the formal room – the good room. We were very excited because we thought something fantastic was about to happen, but then, unfortunately, it was the opposite. I don’t remember the words, exactly, but he told us that he and Mummy were separating and I remember crying and my sisters crying too. It must have been so hard for him to tell us. – Ann Peacock

Parklife Markham Reserve Ashburton This park is one of those gems that’s hard to believe you’ve never been to before, but you will definitely visit again and again. The next time you’re in Ashburton (or at nearby Chadstone Shopping Centre), you must visit this playground, which has been dubbed a ‘super playground’. It’s just the place to be inspired to get in some outdoor playtime, even on those chillier Melbourne days. This reserve has everything a child of any age and ability could wish for. Bring your bikes, skateboards, basketball, soccer ball, scooters, and sandpit toys. Don’t forget your picnic or BBQ lunch. The surrounding facilities include a fantastic two lane bicycle track as part of the Gardiners Creek track, a skate/bmx park, plenty of seating, picnic tables, shelters, a toilet, a BBQ, water fountains, bike racks, a few shade sails, and ample parking.

The fully-fenced playground itself is only a few years old and has some excellent features including five swings, several climbing apparatuses, a huge elevated boardwalk/ bridge running the length of the playground, a mechanical digger in the large shaded sandpit, many slides, a family-sized see-saw, chalkboard, birds nest swing, and so much more. However, what really stands out are the amazing artistic elements. It has an Aussie bush feeling, boasting giant wooden carved kookaburras, a forest of tree branches that can be used as a maze, a path of orange pipes, and wooden bongo drum carved seats. With this much on offer, you are all bound to leave this place happily exhausted. Markham Reserve - 80 Victory Blvd, Ashburton

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red Is the new

Painting your diet red isn’t a health fad. It can potentially help fight chronic disease.

We are what we eat, we already know that. The human body is incredible in its capacity to protect our cells from damage. Our diet provides us with a host of nutrients (such as vitamins A, C and E) as well as phytochemicals – such as polyphenols – that are powerful sources of antioxidants. Put simply, antioxidants help fight potential damage caused to the body’s cells by free radicals. These free radicals can be made by the body’s own immune system or from outside factors like pollution, cigarette smoke and UV radiation. When antioxidants are outnumbered by free radicals, it creates an imbalance called oxidative stress, which can trigger inflammation. It is now believed that the basis of all modern chronic disease is low-grade inflammation. Too much damage to the cells can lead to premature ageing and chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. Polyphenols, natural compounds found in plants, are particularly effective antioxidants. Numerous studies (mainly done on animals) suggest that polyphenols may be useful as part of the prevention and treatment of chronic disease. “The benefits of polyphenolic foods as medicine is not a new concept,” says Jean Hailes for Women’s Health naturopath Sandra Villella. “During WWI, British fighter pilots reported improved night-time vision after eating bilberry jam.” Polyphenols also provide powerful antiinflammatory actions. “When we think of inflammation we think of pain, heat and swelling,” says Ms Villella. “But inflammation is also an invisible process that underlies chronic diseases, from cardiovascular disease to diabetes to some cancers.”

black Seeing red Red foods are a particularly rich source of polyphenols. When we refer to red foods, it covers the full spectrum—think of deep purple plums and eggplants, bright red strawberries and cerise-coloured raspberries. All berries are part of the so-called red family, but so too are watermelon, cherries, red apples and grapes, prunes and tomatoes. Vegetables such as red cabbage, red onion and beetroot are also packed with polyphenols. These red foods also have other benefits. Cranberries, for instance, can help reduce the incidence of urinary tract infections, and tomatoes are associated with reduced risk of prostate cancer. Many of these red foods are also prebiotic– they feed our gut bacteria (microbiota), which is vital not only for our digestion, but our immune system. There is also growing evidence showing that gut microbiota plays a key role in modifying behaviours such as anxiety and depression. Polyphenols can also be found in other foods such as red rice, olive oil, tea, herbs and soy foods. Ms Villella stresses the importance of eating fruits and vegetables just as nature intended for the best results. Where possible, don’t peel fruits and vegetables, as much of the goodness comes from the skin.

“In nature, the whole food contains a perfect balance of plant chemicals that work in harmony with each other,” says Ms Villella. “We ca’t just isolate one and then try to take it in a tablet and think we can get the benefit. Simply aim to get more fruit and veg on your plate, and ensure at least one is red.” So remember to eat the colours of the rainbow, says Ms Villella. “This ensures you’re not only getting a variety of nutrients, but valuable phytochemicals, including polyphenols.“

3 things to know 1. Red foods have antioxidants and antiinflammatory properties that may help fight chronic disease. 2. Polyphenols in plants are rich in antioxidants. Red food are rich sources of polyphenols. 3. Foods in their natural state have more health benefits than a supplement. Naturally-occurring antioxidants in foods are more effective. Published with the permission of Jean Hailes for Women’s Health jeanhailes.org.au 1800 JEAN HAILES (532 642)

Also, eating foods in their natural state has more health benefits than a supplement. Naturally-occurring antioxidants in foods are more effective.

wIde open spaces For the four-year-olds at Melbourne Girls Grammar (MGGS), accessing acres and acres of wide open spaces is – quite literally – child’s play. Weekly visits to the Royal Botanic Gardens (RBG), just footsteps away, are an adventure the little ones love. For their ELC educators, it’s an opportunity to expand girls’ curiosity about climates, plants, foliage … and so much more.

Environmental research In his book Last Child in the Woods author Richard Louv points out that time spent outdoors helps children develop skills in problem solving, critical thinking and decision making. Louv goes on to suggest that childhood experiences outdoors stimulate creativity. In fact, there’s a raft of research that links outdoor play with better concentration, increased memory skills and positive social and emotional outcomes.

Open spaces • open minds Squeals of sheer delight can be heard from the girls as they run, skip and hop their way through the RBG’s generous grassed areas. For girls who live in busy urban environments, the opportunity to endlessly walk and wander is met with incredible enthusiasm. Spontaneous games of hide and seek, along with tree climbing, help girls develop a deeper understanding of how best to strategise and navigate new environments.

A work of art Fossicking in the gardens is not only great fun for the girls but it is also the impetus for developing their creativity. Inspired by the gardens’ flora and fauna, girls gather natural materials from which they fashion collages and other handmade works of art. As they closely examine bits of bark or lines in leaves, their awe and wonder grows. The result is a deeper connection with their natural world. This attachment manifests in a commitment to honour, protect and respect their environment.

Investigating and navigating Naturally, the gardens are constantly evolving as the seasons change and climate conditions vary year on year. Consequently, visits to the RBG spark different observations from week to week. With great interest and inquisitiveness, the girls note any falling foliage, tree felling, regrowth and new plant life. This often leads to further inquiry when they return to their learning studios. Stories and sightings are exchanged between different groups of girls and frequently they share hand-drawn maps to help each other locate particular plants or trees dotted throughout the gardens.

On home soil In addition to easy access to the RBG, ELC girls have their very own garden where they grow assorted vegetables. They tend to all sorts of produce from carrots and cauliflowers, through to spinach, strawberries and beans. The ELC is a sensory rich environment that includes a bamboo forest, water features and surfaces that span wood, sand and gravel. Here, thanks to such flexible and vibrant outdoor spaces, girls are constantly challenged to explore, investigate, create and experiment. Written by Melbourne Girls Grammar Director of Early Learning and Junior Years, Kellie Morgan, and Head of Early Learning, Margaret Sellar. For more information, visit www.mggs.vic.edu.au/ early-learning

GEOLOGIST Early years are critical in developing her self-confidence and nurturing big dreams. Our Early Learning Program encourages inquiry, excitement and a connection to the natural world with the aim of sparking curiosity, exploration and discovery in our girls. Developing foundations of self-confidence is paramount, and we provide safe and secure environments to enable students to flourish as the individuals they are. Learn about our leading ELC Program Phone 03 9862 9200 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; www.mggs.vic.edu.au/early-learning

SALLY IS RIPPIN IT! If you’ve got a school aged child, it’s fair to say you might have some Sally Rippin books in the house. Sally is one of the big names in Australian children’s books, best known for her Billie B Brown and Hey Jack! series which give young readers their first taste of chapter books and introduce them to characters who think and feel like they do. We caught up with Sally to ask her what she loves about writing for children, how she goes about creating a new story, and what readers can look forward to in her latest series Polly and Buster. Aimed at a slightly older readership than the smash hit series Billie B Brown and Hey Jack!, Polly and Buster explores the importance of empathy and belonging with Rippin’s trademark humour and lightness of touch. Even more special for fans is thatRippin has illustrated this series herself.

Firstly, you’re a mum, tell us a little bit about your family and where you live. I have two beautiful big boys out of home and one 14 year old son, half-time. My partner has three daughters a couple of nights a week. We all live in Brunswick in a jumble of love and chaos with a crazy, stinky rescue dog recently thrown into the mix.

We love following clever mum’s stories to success. What were you doing before you wrote your first book? I’ve been making books since I was a child. My first book was published at 26 and I have done lots of other things to fund my writing, but writing has always been the through-line: my love, my distraction, my sanity. Everything else was just to pay the bills.

What prompted you to sit down and write your first story? I think I have always just loved books so much it wasn’t enough to read them, I wanted to be in them! Stories have a way of connecting me to the world, while sheltering me, too. In reading I can see myself and understand others; explore parts of the external world I may never have the chance to see, and internal worlds that I could never have conceived of. Reading is an act of compassion. A step towards understanding the ‘other’. I can’t imagine a life without books.

How do you go about starting a new story concept? I begin by carving out time for day-dreaming. Little pockets of time on public transport or between meetings, or long afternoon walks on my own, preferably along creeks or among trees. If I am patient and do my best not to fill my mind with distractions, a story will come.

Do any characters in your books reflect real people in your life? All of them. Every character I have ever written is a mash-up of myself and the people around me; just a heightened, potentially more interesting version. Though we are all infinitely fascinating when we really show ourselves.

The first book of your new series, Polly and Buster has recently launched. Can you tell us a little about the series and how it came about? Polly, the witch, has trouble with spells because she has difficulty reading. Buster, is a feelings monster and changes shape and size depending on his mood. They have grown up next door to each other and have been best friends forever, but now that Polly attends an elite school for witches they have to hide their friendship from the outside world as “witches don’t mix with monsters”.

For a young child, this is a playground story about an unusual friendship in a magical world. But for a more sophisticated reader, my hope is that this series will provide opportunities for conversation starters about the importance of kindness, compassion and integrity. I often feel pretty helpless when I look at the people who are in charge of our world today, but if I can go some small way in influencing the leaders of our future to stand up against racism and bigotry, I figure this can’t be a bad thing.

You have illustrated Polly and Buster yourself. Tell us a bit about your artistic background. At school the only two subjects I was ever really any good at were Art and English. I studied painting, printmaking and sculpture at RMIT, then moved to China to study traditional Chinese painting for three years. All this time I continued to write and many of the stories I wrote while living in China became the basis for my first novel Chenxi and the Foreigner.

If you could be any character from any book for a day who would you be and why? I had always loved the idea of Eloise’s life, living in the New York Plaza, but now I spend so much time in hotel rooms, the novelty is wearing off. Max, from Where The Wild Things Are, is also appealing, but I already to get to live in my imagination most days. Polly, the character from the books I’m writing now, rides a broomstick and has a Feelings Monster as a best friend. But my partner is pretty much my real-life feelings monster, so I guess, in all honesty, I’d have to say I’m pretty much happy to be just who I am.

What do you love the most about writing for children and what’s the worst thing about being a writer? The best thing about being a children’s author is that yours may be among the first books that switches a child onto a lifelong love of reading. The worst thing about writing for children is being taken less seriously than adult writers. But even that doesn’t bother me that much. When I meet my young readers and feel a genuine connection with them I know they are the only people I want to impress.

What books are sitting on your bedside table right now? I’m currently on a book tour so I’m sitting writing this in a hotel room in Perth. I have brought with me “Lincoln in the Bardo” by George Saunders, which is completely extraordinary, plus a couple of Kate DiCamillo children’s novels for inspiration. I also have a copy of Arundati Roy’s new novel in my suitcase, which I bought in a bookstore in Adelaide and just picked up a book about Helen Garner today – one of my absolute favourite authors. So many books and so little time! Polly and Buster: The Wayward Witch and the Feelings Monster written and illustrated by Sally Rippin, RRP $19.95, published by Hardie Grant Egmont. You can find out more and purchase Sally’s latest book at www.sallyrippin.com

I’m sure you get lots of people telling you they want to write a children’s book. What advice do you have for them? Write from your own experience as a child. Read a lot of children’s books and spend time with children. If this triggers authentic memories and feelings from your own childhood, this is always a great place to start.

lovely locals 1.

AUBURN VILLAGE, HAWTHORN 1. The Counter - Indulge your sweet tooth This café’s compact and bustling with locals, but kids are very welcome and catered for. Its namesake counter is piled high with enticing housebaked slices, cakes, biscuits, tarts, and macaroons. Head to the tranquil courtyard out the back, sip on your latte, and tuck into something delicious. The kids will love the rocket gingerbreads. You can also pick up a number of scrumptious meals to take home for later. 96 Auburn Road. www.thecounterespresso.com

2. Peony - Haute Parfumerie Melbourne’s delightful smelling home for anyone looking for the perfect fragrance for themselves, a gift, or their home. The world-renowned store stocks beautiful fragrances from all over the world, but it’s not just the products that set it apart. It’s the atmosphere, which is reminiscent of a time when shopping was an elegant experience (maybe don’t bring the kids!). Also offering home, bath, and body products, and luxurious gifts, Peony is an absolute pleasure to the senses. 107 Auburn Road. www.peonymelbourne.com.au

3. Mallalieu Boutique and Artisan Deli - Fashion meets food This beautiful French-inspired boutique, deli, and café is run by mother and daughter duo, offering carefully curated Australian fashion and food. Wander through the boutique, and then venture out into the perfectly overgrown, peaceful pet-friendly courtyard. The Deli and Café will tempt you with a selection of fresh, wholesome foods where local artisan producers are supported. Enjoy a coffee, a wine, a bite to eat, or pick up some more ingredients to make your own cheese platter at home. 113 Auburn Road. www.mallalieu.com.au 4. Can Do Books - For the crafters

This unique bookshop is a creative mama’s dream! Boasting the best range in Australia, at great prices, you’ll find the shelves lined with sewing patterns and books for crafters, artists, gardeners, quilters, DIYers, and woodworkers. They even have books for the kids; check out their catalogue online. Gift certificates available. 608 Burwood Rd. www.candobooks.com.au 5. SWOON - Boutique design The owners of this exquisite and whimsical store scour the world for collections and objects, and have found many in our own backyard - their Melbourne & Australian based designers offer individuality, sustainability, and quality. Apart from the fashion, you’ll find a little bit of everything, such as plates, tea towels, cards, and bunting - each piece showcased is something to be coveted and cherished. Those special things that make a room stand out from the crowd. 109 Auburn Rd. www.swoonlifestyle.com.au 24

E FRTRE OR F Y 16 EN DREN L R CHI UNDE &

CHILDREN’S DAYS MON 25th - THU 28th SEPT Peppa Pig show daily

BTICUKEYNTSE LI

MON 2nd - THU 5th OCT Trolls show daily

www.tulipfestival.com.au

Tesselaar Tulip Farm, 357 Monbulk Rd, Silvan Vic 3795. OPEN 9AM TO 5PM DAILY.

Arts Centre Melbourne presents a CDP Kids Production

AGES

3–8

A play by Maryam Master

Adapted from the books by Leigh Hobbs “The kids show you must see that’s anything but horrible” E L L A’ S L I S T

27–30 SEPTEMBER BOOK NOW | artscentremelbourne.com.au

Reinventing Our Favourite Here in Australia there are no shortage of magnificent children’s books. In celebration of Book Week, which is August 18th to the 25th, and the Premier’s Reading Challenge, an annual event that encourages students to read from a long list of titles from Australian authors, I created a program called ‘Books Alive’.

3. You Do The Talking:

There are lots of ways that you can nurture and encourage your child’s creative expression and love of books. I have created a list of activities to help you bring these stories to life with your children in a way that honours their voice.

If you see talking marks in the text you can say to your child, “You see these marks this means someone is talking. I wonder what their voice sounds like? Let’s try on silly voices. What do you notice about the character’s face or body language? How do you think they feel? What would their voice sound like if they feel happy, sad, etc.?” Alternatively, turn the sound down on the TV. and get your child to choose a character and you choose a character. Take turns speaking along with your chosen characters.

1. Read the Pictures:

4. Create the Pictures:

During the workshop, the students and I bring the story to life through drama, movement and music. We turn the story on its head and make it our own. I weave in mindful moments to keep us calm, clear and connected.

Instead of reading the words tell your child, “Let’s pretend the words have gone missing. We are going to use the pictures to help us predict what the words may be.” Stories where the pictures show the characters expressing a range of emotions are a wonderful opportunity to start discussing what different emotions look and feel like. You can prompt your child with, “I wonder how the main character is feeling in this picture?” At the end, you can read the story with your child and compare your version with the authors.

2. What Happens Next?: Using questions to keep the story going is a wonderful way to spend more time with our favourite characters. “I wonder what the next story is going to be about? Where is the main character going to go? What are they going to do?” This next chapter may be based on your version of the story or the author’s. Maybe they go to the park or the shop. Help create these spaces in your home and then let your child run with the story. Try real-world settings like the park, beach or shop. My oldest child, who is now six, was in character everywhere we 26

went, from ages three to five. We received lots of smiles. It’s amazing how a little person in a pirate suit can brighten someone’s day.

Take pictures of your child while they are acting out the story. Print the pictures and have your child retell the story while they are looking at the them. Record their story by writing under the pictures or create a word document or a PDF for printing or saving. Stories I have created with my kids became presents for their grandparents, other family members, friends or they became a prized a creative keepsake.

5. Bed Time Visualisation: After you have read a bedtime story have your child close their eyes and tell them the story is going to continue. Describe a setting. Make it someplace familiar the bush, the beach or a special place you have travelled to before. Making a connection to their prior knowledge of a familiar place makes it easier for them to get a picture in their head. Then say, “There is a special friend who is walking down a path towards you. As they get closer you realise it’s (insert character’s name here). They walk up to you and they have a special message for you. In your dreams tonight, the two of you are going to go on lots of adventures. I can’t wait to hear all about it in the morning.”

Children’s Books When children enter primary school, they learn reading strategies to help them comprehend the text, such as making predictions, questioning, making connections, using their prior knowledge, visualisation, and retelling the story. As parents, we can easily start this process before they get to school. Bringing a story to life through imaginative play can support your child in understanding these concepts on a deeper level.

Cathy Koman is a mother, primary school teacher and workshop facilitator. Her program Mindful Storytelling is delivered at primary schools and kinders around Victoria. cathykoman.com

I am passionate about creating scenarios and spaces where children can explore, enhance and develop their creative expression, because validating their unique ideas increases selfconfidence and happiness. I see many children come to school and have trouble connecting to the well of creativity that exists within. The list above is a good start to wake up your child’s creative genius, inner author, and hidden interests and set them up to be book worms who shine bright!

The 2017 CBCA Children’s Book Week theme is Escape to Everywhere, on 18 - 25 August 2017. The Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge is now open and will run until 8 September 2017. 27

gIrLSfromthego One of the great things about running MamaMag is the opportunity to meet so many other amazing mums in business. Mamas who share the day-to-day struggle of trying to grow a business and juggle it all with children and well, life in general. It’s fabulous finding tribes of like-minded women and while you know I love local, I’ve recently discovered a whole bunch of clever mums a bit further afield. I first met Emma Clohesy from Happy Hands Happy Heart at Finders Keepers last year and was excited to hear she had come down from Bendigo. Turns out there is a whole tribe of fabulous business woman up there, who affectionately call themselves the Girls from the Go! They even have their own hashtag! With SO many great brands (you may already recognise a few) and amazing female business owners in Bendigo (and surrounds), I just had to go up and meet some of them. #roadtrip #GirlsFromTheGo

Georgia Taylor - Talking Red

Georgia started Talking Red, a unique and fun handmade children’s clothing business, in 2012 when she noticed a gap in the market for girls clothing that didn’t follow the traditional, pink frills style and boys clothing in general. A full-time Mum to Xavier and Maria, Georgia sews and manages business affairs during afternoon nap time and at night to ensure she has as much family time as possible. She credits most of her business success to Instagram which drives 90% of the traffic to her website and her pieces have captured the attention of celebrity mums like Rebecca Judd, Sophie Cachia (The Young Mummy) and Megan Gale. We’re not surprised though; her clothes are simply adorable. Check them out at www.talkingred.com.au

Kaitlin Wright - The Caravan Bar Bendigo

A qualified teacher, mum Kaitlin (to three gorgeous kids), was floating ideas for an alternative to full time work in between babies when she and a friend came up with the idea of converting a 1970s caravan into an on-trend mobile bar! A mobile bar tending service that was unique and took the stress away from those planning a function. They bought a van locally, completely gutted it and transformed it into the bar it is today with the amazing help of local businesses, family and friends. The Caravan Bar caters for weddings, birthdays, engagements and all types of parties and provides everything you need except the booze! www.thecaravanbar.com

Issy Kerr - Seriously Milestones

You’ve no doubt seen these before! If not, you’re totally missing out! The funniest milestone cards going around! Issy, mama to Zoe 4 and Angus (or Fat Man) 2, created this brilliant business just over a year ago and has been going from strength to strength since. What started out as quirky monochrome baby milestone cards has now grown to include toddler, pregnancy and fur baby ranges. And don’t forget the gift cards. My favourite is “Sucks you can’t enjoy the champagne and good cheese, but happy baby shower”. Talk about keeping it seriously real! www.seriously.net.au

Morgan Macdonald - Morgi Mac Design

Morgan is a graphic designer and of course the creative mind behind the design of several of these clever Bendigo girl’s brands! She runs boutique graphic design studio Morgi Mac offering personalised, tailored branding, print, web to social media solutions as well as some uber-gorgeous wedding stationery. She’s mama to two boys Callan (3.5yrs) and Rhys (18mo). www.morgimac.com

Leah Ladson - Leah Ladson Photography

Mama to Missy (5) and Audrey (2), Leah describes herself as a visual storyteller for weddings, families and her love for photography started at just 10 years old whilst looking through the car window and pretending that when she blinked her eyes she was taking a photo! She started her business in 2008 focusing on weddings and families and in recent years has moved into commercial photography as well. Today she is one of Bendigo’s leading photographers providing gorgeous imagery for love, life and business, and of course most of the images for these clever girls here! www.leahladson.com

Emma Clohesy - Happy Hand Happy Heart

When mum of three Em realised that she needed a creative outlet to help manage her anxiety she came up with the answer while playing with her children, playdough. In late 2014 she launched Happy Hands Happy Heart, a range of natural scented playdoughs, created using plant based dyes to mimic flavours found in nature and scents that encourage general wellbeing and calm. The smooth soft texture of her playdough creates a perfect medium for little ones to explore and create. www.happyhandshappyheart.com.au

Lotte Dubyna - And The Rest

Lotte’s journey is similar to so many.... the excitement of becoming a new mum (Archie 3 & Finn 1) and with it, the joy of setting up the new little babe’s room. She had a vision but couldn’t quite find what she was after and that’s how ‘And The Rest’ came about. All products have ‘rest’ in mind. The all-consuming sleep (or lack thereof) when having kids becomes a huge focus, so that’s where And The Rest’s focus lies. Wraps to snuggle, linen to snooze in and poufs to unwind – all in bold bright prints and organic cotton. www.andtherest.net.au

Great education starts early at St Catherine’s L i m i te d p l a c e s ava i l a b l e i n 2 0 1 8 !

EARLY LEARNING CENTRE FOR GIRLS AND BOYS 17 Heyington Place Toorak VIC 3142 T: (03) 9822 1285 | E: admissions@stcatherines.net.au

play

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learn

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BEING SCHOOL READY The Importance of Early Learning for Lifelong Education When deciding to send your child to school how do you know if they are ready? From birth to eight years of age children experience more rapid brain development, and acquire more skills and knowledge, than in any other period of their lives.

Without these skills children will not have the necessary resources to absorb the learning taking place in the school classroom. There is a real hierarchy of skill progression at this age.

By the time children have entered school they have already developed key communication, learning and thinking skills, learnt to build and maintain relationships, and formed a strong sense of their own identity. These skills and knowledge are the foundation for learning at school and throughout life.

Children at St Catherine’s School ELC, in both the three year old and four year old programs, are empowered to do things for themselves with educators guiding the children throughout the day with planned activities that foster the development of these four important skill sets.

Whilst the family unit is the first and foremost educator in the early years of a child’s life the provision of early learning programs for children aged three to five is an important aspect of consolidating the necessary skills for children to be ‘school ready’.

Children are encouraged to dress themselves, pack their bags and take responsibility for their own belongings. The children are also instructed to have a go first and ask for help once they have tried to complete a task independently.

School is where you learn a lot over a long period of time. The early learning environment provides children with a wonderful start to this lifelong pathway of learning. Pre-schoolers are naturally curious and naturally striving individuals. They are competent and must be viewed as such. Children want to conquer all things. An effective Early Learning Centre (ELC) must make children feel safe, secure, cared for, happy and respected for their individual characteristics and learning styles. Educators must harness and treasure the natural inquisitiveness and desire to learn of every child – in doing this, effective learning is possible. An enriching early learning experience provides children with the necessary skills to not only commence school with competency and confidence, but also equip them with skills they will use throughout their lives. 32

To be ready for school children need to be physically capable, emotionally and verbally prepared, able to actively listen and already have a degree of resilience.

One of the greatest skills a learner can possess is the courage to ask for help – to put your hand up and say you do not understand. This is a learned skill that can be taught and reinforced at a young age. If children are not encouraged to ask for help they may start avoiding challenging tasks by participating in unproductive behaviour. Understanding their own feelings and respecting the people around them is also a focus for children in our ELC. Gaining a strong sense of self, knowing your limits and learning how to respond in challenging circumstances are all skills that children will use throughout their life from the sandpit to the workplace. Finding the right ELC can be daunting for parents. For most parents selecting your child’s ELC is the first step in an educational journey that can endure for fifteen to twenty years.

When deciding if their preschooler is ready to take the step from early learning into school Mrs Moor encourages parents to ask themselves the following questions:

This can sometimes be worrying for parents who obviously want to provide their child with the best possible start to their education. If parents remain vigilant, responsive, proactive and have an ongoing relationship with their child’s educators they will reap the rewards throughout the school years. By Mrs Alana Moor, Head of St Catherine’s School Early Learning Centre and Junior School. For further information regarding St Catherine’s School Early Learning Centre please call Ms Amanda Bennett, Registrar on (03) 9828 3917 or go to www.stcatherines.net.au/early-learning

• Physical Preparedness and Independence: can your child dress themselves with little or no assistance? Are they able to pack their bags and take responsibility for their own belongings? • Emotional and Verbal Readiness: can your child express themselves and ask for assistance when needed? Do they know their own limits and understand personal space? • Listening Skills: does your child know when to stop talking and actively listen? • Resilience: does your child have the determination to problem solve?

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we love a mother Eastside mama Vinita Baravkar has been fortunate to travel to many exciting destinations on the planet, and experience the beauty of nature and cultures of the world. She was working in international public health when she travelled to agricultural regions in India and Bangladesh. Here she saw firsthand the disastrous health and environmental impacts of traditional cotton growing, and knew it was time for positive change. Vinita then combined her deep love for the Earth, humanity, and sustainable design to create Bhumi Organic Cotton. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve ever thought about starting your own business, we ask Vinita everything you would want to know. We ask her how she went about opening her store, and how she juggles running a business with a child; she offers some fantastic advice to mums who are thinking about doing the same.

Can you tell us a little about yourself and your family? My husband and I have a daughter who is now 6 years old and we are all passionate about creating a lighter footprint on our beautiful planet. We are vegetarian and outside of professional life I love doing yoga, meditation, cooking and classical Indian dancing with my daughter.

How did you come to opening a store dedicated to organic, sustainable cotton? What were you doing before you had your daughter? I have a background in international public health. It was through my travels and time overseas before my daughter was born that my journey began of learning about organic cotton and its benefits to the earth and humanity. I experienced first-hand the disastrous health and environmental impacts of traditional cotton growing with farmer suicides, pesticide poisoning, birth defects, harmful dyes and toxic chemicals. Nobody deserves these adverse effects and it is not seen or heard or talked

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about much in the mainstream. I wanted to create a line of products that we need and use daily that tell the story as well as help the earth, humanity and us as consumers. I combined my deep love for the Earth and humanity to create Bhumi Organic Cotton.

How do you juggle running your own business with motherhood? What is your favourite part of what you do? Undoubtedly the greatest challenge is balancing time and responsibilities of being a good Mum, Wife, Sister, Friend and Business Owner. Prioritising, being organised and taking some time out to reenergise and rejuvenate, even if it means something small like a soak in a tub. It is important you time which is critical to remain motivated and grow the business, along with fulfilling my family responsibilities. My mantra is being a Mum first but also being a Mum to the business to love it, nurture it, grow it to help make a difference to the world, to the community and know that I am teaching my daughter about the world and how to nurture the earth and humanity. I love the creativity behind the business - the design process, seeing products come to life, and the flow on with the photo shoots and creating the visual content. And I love talking about my journey and the education component of the truth behind the textile industry. I have thoroughly enjoyed many speaking engagements at schools and universities and I strongly believe that with knowledge comes power, with power comes

choice and with choice comes change. Through education and awareness I feel it is helping to build foundations for dreams in the minds and hearts of young people who are the change-makers of tomorrow.

What amazing products can we find in your store, and what is your bestseller? Bhumi means Mother Earth in Sanskrit and our mission is to be the home for sustainable bedding and basics that reflect the natural beauty around us and provides the building blocks for greening your life and home. Everything we offer is designed to comfort, nurture, revive and sustain – it is a way of living and our products are there to help you turn your home into a blissful sanctuary. All of our products are designed with respect for the Earth and sustainable design and manufacturing practices. We have recently launched Australia’s first fairtrade certified yoga and activewear line. The best sellers are bedding and basics which are items that are close to one’s skin so it gives people the reassurance to know what lies close to your body is non-toxic and has a journey from seed to shelf that does not cost the earth or humanity.

What other advice would you give mums who are considering starting a business? I would say believe in your dream and take the plunge. There will be many moments of stress and worries but have faith in why you started. Don’t give up – things may take time, you may feel disheartened, you may question everything, but persist and surround yourself with your dreams and visions to keep you going. Mistakes are perfectly okay, embrace them, acknowledge them and analyse them to help navigate and strengthen the direction you wish to go.

Where can we find Bhumi? To experience the beauty of organic cotton, head to the store at 138 Commercial Road, Prahran, open every day 10am - 5pm (closed on public holidays). Shop online at bhumi.com.au

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35 35

mama can Cook! Caramelised clay-pot fish This is the ultimate comfort food for Vietnamese. The sweet-spicy-savoury, gooey caramel sauce and the soft fatty fish are great combination and make rice taste so good.

Method:

Total cooking time: 40 minutes Servings: 4 - 6

Cut the white part and green part of spring onion separately.

Ingredients:

Heat the clay pot on the lowest heat for 5 minutes, gradually increase the heat to medium high. Add garlic, and the white part of spring onion. Stir fry until fragrant. Add the caramel sauce and coconut juice.

1kg silver perch or barramundi cutlets 4 tablespoons fish sauce 2 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoons black pepper 3 spring onions 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons caramel sauce 400ml coconut juice Chilli (optional) Cooking oil

“We think food is fun and we want to put the fun back into cooking and hosting a dinner party” Lili & Anh - Rice Kitchen

Clean the fish cutlets, rinse well and pat dry. Marinade with fish sauce, sugar and pepper for about 30 mins.

Bring the mixture to the boiling point. Add the marinaded fish. Cover and turn to medium low heat and allow to simmer for about 25 minutes. Check after 10 minutes to make sure that the juice doesn’t reduce too much. Pour the sauce over the fish using a spoon so the fish brown and caramalise evenly. Taste the sauce and adjust to your liking. Take off heat and add additional fresh cracked pepper, green onions, and chilli.

These authentic Vietnamese dishes are from the clever mamas at www.ricekitchen.com.au

Savoury Sticky Rice ‘Xôi man’ authentically consists of steam sticky rice, Chinese sausage, little shrimp, chicken, pate and shredded pork. This is a simplified version with less ingredients and preparation but still packs with all of its best. Total cooking time: 30 minutes Servings: 4

Method: Soak the rice overnight in cold water. Drain the rice and rinse until the water runs clear. Sprinkle the rice with salt and put the rice in a steamer and steam for 20 minutes. Place the Chinese sausages on top of the rice and continue to steam for another 15 minutes. The rice is fully cooked when it tender all the way through.

Ingredients:

Remove the sausages out of the sticky rice then slice thinly.

2 cups glutinous rice ½ teaspoons salt 500g Vietnamese pork loaf 2 Chinese sausages 3 eggs Fried shallots 2 cucumbers 1 tablespoon vinegar 1 tablespoon fish sauce ½ tablespoon sugar Soy sauce to serve

In the meantime, beaten the eggs in a bowl, season with salt and peppers and pan-fried to make a couple of thin omelets. Roll and cut the omelets into strips. To make the quick cucumber pickles, cut the cucumbers in half, length way then slice. Combine the vinegar, fish sauce and sugar with the cucumber and leave it for 10 minutes. Unwrap the Vietnamese pork loaf and slice into thin slices. Serve sticky rice warm with pork loaf, omelet strips, Chinese sausages and a sprinkle of onion flakes. Serve the cucumber pickles and soy sauce on the side.

a royal drama There is a regal air about most children, and it has nothing to do with that grubby smell, no. It is that natural Drama Queen and Drama King swagger that makes them so like royalty. They can give a decree like nobody’s business, and their demands must be met, or else you risk a tantrum akin to a world war. Luckily there are diplomatic ways of navigating these dramatic tendencies that give the little royals the tools they need to rule wisely. It’s all about channeling that inherent dramatic energy that so many children don’t know what to do with (or know all too well what to do with) into creative, fun and instructive activities that compliment their innate talents. Here are a few of those very games that together, will give the kids the majestic training they need if they want to rule their kingdom.

Lounge-room Ball – You might turn on Rage or find a Spotify playlist that suits the family’s taste in music, but whatever your cup of tea, kids love to move, and dance is the most expressive way to get their blood pumping and creative juices flowing. In keeping with the royal theme, your dance party could be a magnificent ball, where your queens get to frock up in their favourite gown. Or, you could throw more of a disco-ball if your kids are in a funky mood and feel like dressing up in some vibrant sparkles. Court Jester – You can’t have a royal

family without an entertainer. This is where you and your kids can get really creative. You could write and perform a play for a royal wedding, or put on a comedy act as the jester of the court. The play could be a comedy or tragedy – think Shakespeare for kids. Let your young actors design their characters. They can choose their own costumes; this is sure to add some unintended and likely hilarious juxtapositions and ironies to your play. If your performers are more spontaneous, they might find improvisation more their style. Or have a script but dare to veer from it! There are endless ways for your kids to bring to life their dramatic

abilities. You could even help them build a set for the stage and get as crafty and detailed as you care to pack away afterwards.

The Triple Threat – Now your stage is

set and the kids have refined their dance and acting skills, it’s time to add the final touch, song! You may wish to start your young triple threats off with a sing-along. Find some songs that you all know the lyrics to and give those queens and kings some microphones. We’ve all used hairbrushes, but making your own can be half the fun. For those kids who have something important to say, you could even write your songs from scratch. It’s not hard to find instrumental tracks online, but if you want to form a band, craft some percussion instruments for accompaniment. With any luck, such games will foster the confidence, skills and insights in your young drama queens and kings. And if this is the kind of fun that they resonate with, check out the Beginners OnStage programme – a song, dance and drama course that gives young performers the chance to explore the world of the performing arts. Beginners OnStage is an avenue for children to engage their imaginations and develop skills, confidence and character. Visit the website for more information www.beginnersonstage.com.au

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CamberwellShopping.com.au

Food Fiesta with Free Family Fun Camberwell Junction’s premier food festival, Dine In Dine Out, returns for its fifth year on Saturday August 5 with pop-up parks, food tastings, food stalls, in-store promotions, market family day and free entertainment for families.

10am to 3pm: You will find pop-up parks on either side of Burke Road. Camberwell Market have a family day with free children’s rides, animal farm, kids crafts and games, while Evans Place has slot car racing and free kids cooking classes in The Well. There will also be face painters, balloonologists, a Caribbean Steel Band, plenty of roving performers in the streets and kids and parents can ride the antique fire engine. 6pm to 10pm: Evans Place park transforms for the grown-ups with a live jazz band, fire twirlers and dancers and out comes the craft beer and wine vendors. Call in on your way out to dinner or the Rivoli Cinemas or stay until 10pm and join the fun. Find out more at DineInDineOut.com.au

MEET THE AUTHOR EVENTS: Chef Darren Purchese [Burch & Purchese] will be signing copies of his book at Dymocks as part of DiDo – 11 to 11.45am. Tickets are on sale for Dinner Events: Tony Jones, best known from the ABC’s Lateline and Q & A programs, is presenting his new novel on August 2. Kerry-Anne Kennerley will be talking about her memoir on November 8. ELYROS WINTER FOOD EVENTS - 871 BURKE ROAD Winter Warmer Deal: Tue - Thurs night until 31 August. To celebrate winter Elyros are extending their Tuesday night special to include Wed & Thurs. Relax and enjoy a 3 course sharing menu for $50 p/p inc. a glass of wine or beer. Father’s Day Lunch: 3rd September at 12pm. Book Dad’s table now and stay in the good books all year round! Price: Four courses for $55.

Find out more about Camberwell shopping precinct, including shop news, store offers, community events and competitions at Camberwellshopping.com.au

Dine In Dine Out Saturday, August 5 Join us at Camberwell’s annual food and wine fiesta to sample delicious cuisine, learn new ways to cook, enjoy live music and dancing, find fun for the kids and experience our energetic After Dark Jazz Park.

Details: DineInDineOut.com.au

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Jessie McPherson Private Hospital has been delivering babies for over 80 years. We manage both low risk and high risk pregnancies and have a long and proud history of caring for mothers and babies, being co-located with Monash Medical Centre and now the new Monash Children’s Hospital. If you choose our hospital you can be comforted by knowing we provide specialised, high levels of care to both mothers and babies, 24 hours a day. When you choose to have your baby with us, you will have access to: • Ante-natal and post-natal care • Specialist obstetricians and paediatricians • 24 hour on-call theatre and anaesthetics • Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Monash Children’s Hospital • Special care nursery (SCN) at Jessie McPherson Private Hospital • Breastfeeding support To find out more about giving birth at Jessie McPherson Private Hospital, visit jessiemcpherson.org or email enquiries.jmph@monashhealth.org

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A kombi adventure Have you ever had a dream to run away in a Kombi? Travel the country wherever the wind blows? Salt in the air, sand in your hair? Me too. For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to travel in a Kombi! A similar dream became a reality for Alyce when she bought ‘Applejack’ the Kombi off George. He didn’t want to part with his beloved van but something within told him he must. He restored Applejack, delivered the beauty to Queensland and taught Kombi mechanics 101 to Alyce in a few days so she could follow her dream and travel Australia. There was instant connection. They parted ways and followed their own adventures, but the road would lead back to each other’s hearts. George got his Kombi back and Alyce got a permanent Kombi mechanic. They had babies and got hitched. And Hire A Kombi was born. After knowing the nostalgic love-story of AppleJack, I was keen to feel the 1979 camper’s magic. However, having never driven a Kombi before, and although holding a manual car license, a late cancellation on Mango saw me jump Kombis. Mango’s smooth auto drive became the best option. I too was that girl, like Alyce, who had dreamt of the life traveling in a beautiful Kombi without a care in the world. I’m a gypsy soul at heart you see. And finally the perfect opportunity came for a taster. The inaugural Lost Lands Festival in October last year. I was a huge fan of Falls Festival and knew Lost Lands would be something magic, having Falls founder Simon Daly at the helm. It was to be a gentle type of Falls Festival, with the same great music vibes but with a distinctive family-friendly edge. Mango would be the perfect partner in crime to get me there. My husband Heath and I headed towards the Bellarine Peninsula to pick up Mango. He absolutely shined and beamed and my heart skipped a beat. It was love at first sight. As we pulled up the country driveway, a fleet of rainbow Kombi’s greeted us. It felt like a pure 42

oasis. Alyce and George’s kid’s were playing in the open land, free and happy, just like kids should be. The sun was beaming. Little Mae was first to welcome us and alert the camp to our arrival. Alyce, who I’d spoke to on the phone and emailed a few times gave me a warm embrace and showed me the keys and some of Mango’s quirks. As George came over and checked everything, showing me how to put up the camper for the fold-out bed up top and the gas bottle, you could feel his love for the Kombi. It made me feel pretty special to be taking his baby out for an adventure. As we were finalising things, Clancy, a handsome orange lad with original seats dating back to the 70s, came rolling home and Mae screamed “Clancy, Clancy, Clancy is home” as if he were a brother returning to the family. The Kombis really are part of the family here. We bid our farewells and promised to take care of Mango like a second child and started off slowly down the dirt track until we hit the highway. Even though my husband is the furtherest from a car person I know, it was just comforting to have his support for our first Kombi moment! He didn’t understand my Kombi obsession but he indulged me in my fantasy. We took the ferry back across from Queenscliff to Sorrento to get back to our South Eastern suburban home, and pulled up camp for the night out the front. We picked up Lotte from Kinder in Mango and her little eyes lit up like I’ve never seen before. It was like Christmas and Easter all rolled into one! Lotte’s excited squeal confirmed that this was going to be an unforgettable weekend. It was as if she had a genetic disposition to love a Kombi; her excitement levels were almost as high as my own. I quickly noticed that when you drive a Kombi, you get instant love and attention from everyone on the road! Mango was quite the head-turner and would spark up a friendly conversation from strangers wherever we stopped. As we parked in front of our house, I kept looking out the window and couldn’t believe he was all ours (for a few days anyway).

There was no way we weren’t going to sleep in him overnight. We traded our warm and cosy beds 5 metres away and set up Lotte’s unicorn and rainbow doona and fairy lights for our first night with Mango. It was pure bliss and so cosy. We told stories and fell into a blissful slumber dreaming of the adventure to come when we woke. We packed our flares and boho wares and hit the road for Werribee Mansion, to the Lost Lands, a place where we went back in time and technology was forgotten, replaced with presence, workshops for the kids and activities. And the most amazing line-up of musicians to shake our festival hearts. There was so much for the kids to do, it was so thought out and well prepared, and you never saw kids having meltdowns as there was so much stimulation for them. From recycled toys to play with, to circus acts, juggling and circus tools, to a ferris wheel, drawing and art stations. I’d picked up a couple of friends for the adventurous weekend and my cousin Courtney, even at 25 years old managed to sleep atop the fold out bed in the roof area of Mango. She has the same gypsy soul as me and the Kombi adventure was part of her calling also. My childhood best friends who we camped beside had kids who played within Mango, she was like a big cubby house for them to hide and make up secret games within. Quite a few people in the camping grounds came up to us and asked about Mango. He certainly knew how to make friends. A weekend away in Mango was one of the best adventures we have ever had. It was like camping in comfort. And Mango became part of our gang, like a dear friend. It was very hard to say goodbye as we took him back to Alyce and George. We bid farewell and promised to visit again soon. It’s easy to see how Kombis have their own personalities and how they make magical adventures unfold. I’m now on a mission to find a Kombi of my own, and one day, I will pack up my family and follow the Australian Kombi dream. The love story continues. By Kirsty Chick, MamaMag Make your own kombi memories at www.hireakombi.com Lost Lands Festival will be back next year at Werribee Mansion, November 3-4 2018. 43

Building better futures

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Do you want to talk to a professional about your child’s development or behaviour?

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CULTURED KIDS The benefits of exposing your kids to arts & culture at a young age Sometimes we leave education to the schools that our kids attend, which isn’t necessarily the best approach. While schools do a good job at teaching technical aspects of subjects, there are so many areas that aren’t addressed in most education systems. For example, a child may be learning a language, such as French, and not being educated on the culture or history of the country where this is the people’s native tongue. Similarly, kids should be made, to some extent, to engage with subjects such as music, drama and dance. Such subjects are in their own way just as important as maths and the sciences. If children aren’t thoroughly exposed to arts and culture throughout their prime period of development, it is likely that a good deal of potential talent will go to waste, and never be realised. So for the sake of the next generation of painters, ballerinas, award winning directors and openminded and culturally aware human beings, let’s not forget to introduce our children to this beautiful part of the human experience.

There is an abundance of pop culture lacking in diversity In today’s day and age, children can grow up listening to music and watching videos with highly questionable morals. To balance this out, it’s a great idea to expose them to art, music and movies from different times. Without this, they are likely to have a very one-track view of the world. They should constantly be exposed to different opinions, ways of seeing life and people from different backgrounds. Besides travel, the easiest way to do this is through exposure to a variety of art forms. There’s nothing wrong with being immersed in popular culture, as long as there is a healthy diet of other ideas and opinions scattered

into their brains as well. You can also pick and choose what you would like to expose them to and which ages, or stages of development at which to do so, bearing in mind that watching and listening to things is a form of subliminal messaging, and they will unconsciously be shaped by these experiences.

They will be more likely to get involved in creative & artistic activities Kids who are exposed to creative and artistic pursuits outside of just school subjects are more likely to engage in such endeavours themselves. If not introduced to the likes of these pathways, they are unaware of various hobbies (which could one day materialise into potential career options), and may be able to develop their creativity far beyond the level it would otherwise have been at.

How early is too early? Many believe there’s no such thing as beginning too soon. Some people even sing or read to their babies while they are still pregnant with the growing foetus. Although it may sound crazy to you, there are studies that show positive effects of doing so on the resulting baby. Definitely begin reading and singing to your little one while they are still an infant. Feed your baby comfortably in a nursing chair and perhaps have some soothing music playing in the background. Cots are really convenient as you can lay your toddler or young child down to nap, and read them a story as they nod off to sleep. Who knows, maybe you have the next Whitney Houston or Ernest Hemingway on your hands?

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A fantastic outlet from academic stresses We often hear awful stories of children who get extremely anxious and stressed out at school - and frequent exposure to other activities of a different nature can definitely help to alleviate some of the pressure they feel throughout their youth. Learning a language (that they aren’t assessed on), taking a trip to the local museum or watching a theatre performance are all great examples of how to do so. You may find your child grows to have a maturity about them unlike those who only engage in screen-based entertainment (ipads, televisions, phone games, Xboxes etc.) and thus tend to have shorter attention spans. The benefits are endless and the implementation is easy. Some kids may engage in such activities with excitement and interest right off the bat, while others may have to be coaxed into it. Either way it’s good for them have some exposure to various forms of arts and culture, through performances, galleries, festivals and the list goes on. You’ll undoubtedly find something that takes their fancy. It’s imperative for a well-rounded education, childhood experience and to discover aptitude and talents you never knew they had. By Monisha Iswaran Content Writer at MyDeal.com.au

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On-site car parking and pram parking

Science, art and construction ateliers