Parents and Kids Magazine
6FEELINGS
ISSUE: Feb 2022
135
TOWNSVILLE
MINDFULNESS Tips for Calming Big
FREE
Where Focus Goes Energy Flows Inspiring Women in Science
How to Tackle Tricky Topics with Children What’s in My Food? Understanding Food Labels
3 Key Elements for a True Connection More than
Community Notice Board
WIN Prizes for the Whole Family
100
Family-Friendly
EVENTS
5
The Thing Is
6
Where Focus Goes -
Energy Flows
8
Inspiring Women in Science
Hello and welcome to our very special edition of PakMag, created to inspire you to embrace more self-care.
10 Dare to Imagine Her Future 11
Why Choose an
All-Boys School?
13 Deeply Connecting with
Your Family
17 Tricky Conversations with
Our Kids
Next thing you know you are a robot on Groundhog Day, cooking, cleaning, working, and having memories of the times you used to do the things you love. You are a shell of who you used to be and that’s no good for you, or those who love you. If this is you right now, it’s time to put yourself first. You will be a better human for it, so there should be no guilty feelings around doing so. Give yourself permission to love and care for yourself more than you do for everyone else. And guess what - the benefits to everyone in your world will be amazing too. With the school holidays extending, and Covid making its way through FNQ, I feel the strain so many parents are going through trying to juggle it all.
19 Mindfulness Tips for
Like they say on a flight (if you even remember what one of those is!) you first have to put your own mask on before trying to help others. Being a parent, it’s so easy to put everyone else first, and your own needs last.
Calming Big Feelings
22 Bump, Bub and Beyond 24 Parent’s Puzzle 25 Mini Mag 29 Adult Colouring 31 Safety of the Child a Priority 33 The Sandwich Bag Dad Story 35 Know What’s in Your Food 39 Developing Your Child’s
Hand-Eye Coordination for
Success at School
41 All Things Health 43 Daddy Diary
One small change can make a huge difference, so whether it’s going for a 30-minute walk instead of wasting 30 minutes on social media, or lying in bed reading a book instead of jumping up to clean, or putting the kids to bed a little early and having a special dinner at home, self-care is best when it’s a lot of little things done often. It doesn’t have to be big like a holiday or day spa, it can be a night away or doing your own nails! If you’ve been looking for a kick up the backside to get you started, take this as your cue. You have full permission to do more self-care. You got this. Until next time, happy parenting, and don’t forget to tell everyone, you read it in PakMag.
Bree
46 What’s On
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44 Community Notice Board
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PakMag would like to acknowledge the First Nations people of North Queensland; the first storytellers and Traditional Custodians of all the lands on which we work, live and enjoy. We pay our respects to their Elders, past, present and emerging. Disclaimer: No part of this magazine, including the advertisements within it may be reproduced, in part or in whole without the expressed permission of the editor. Whilst the greatest of care is taken to ensure that the information in the magazine is correct at the time of going to press, readers are advised to check details before visiting. The publishers cannot accept responsibility for errors, inaccuracies or omissions. The ideas expressed within PakMag are not necessarily the views of the publishers, but those of individual writers. We have done our best to ensure all events and information was correct at the time of going to print. Please check with individual businesses and authorities during these uncertain times. Net Distribution Per Issue 10,000. Most recent CAB Publisher Statement Conducted September 2019. 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.
families www.pakmag.com.au | February 2022 3
The Thing Is
The Thing Is with Bree James Perception versus reality has always given me some really good belly laughs. Often when I speak with people, they have this perception that my life is very glamorous, that I have a million friends and a huge social life. As I write this, I am laying on the floor next to my child at the hospital while he sleeps. I am wearing the same clothes that I’ve had on since nearly 24 hours prior. I smell bad, I look bad, and my other child is home recovering from gastro; where I spent the night prior to this one cleaning pools of bodily fluids, and binning underwear holding my breath so that I didn’t add to the artwork on my floor. Sure, my life is reasonably together, but a huge social life and friends? Well, let’s just say my friends circle is very small, most of which are in another city or state, I haven’t been invited out for a very long time, and I spend a lot of time with my family or alone. I think people’s perception is that I am too busy, so they don’t invite me, when in reality this is not true at all. The thing is, we never truly know what someone else has going on in their world, and our perception is unlikely to be the reality. Just because your friend Nicole is constantly posting photos out with friends having a good time, doesn’t mean that she isn’t having her fair share of tough times too. Maybe, because of those tough times (now or in the past), she realises the importance of celebrating every day, and enjoying life as much as possible; her posts on social media - a journal to share with those keen to observe or ignore. Many of us, myself included, use social media to share the most positive moments happening in our lives, and silently deal with the tough times. It’s easy for people to think that your life is perfect if you only share the good stuff. Sure, I often feel twangs of sadness and jealousy when I see I missed out on being invited to something, or I am working away and it seems everyone else is off
enjoying life. We are all human and these feelings are normal. Where we come unstuck though; is when we fall into self-pity thinking we have no friends, and we start comparing our lives to others. Comparison really is the thief of joy, and when we have these negative thoughts, we need to ask ourselves: Is this my perception or is this reality? Or more simply “is this really true?”. Whenever we think something negative, these four words- “is this really true?” is a great question to ask ourselves. What you see as real is only defined by your belief structure. Your version of what is real - is determined by your perception of it. Life perception is that happiness leads to gratitude, whereas life reality is that gratitude leads to happiness. Life perception is that success is about achievement, whereas life reality is that success is about self-growth. Life perception is that the quality of relationships is measured by their length, whereas life reality is that the quality of relationships is measured by their depth. Life perception is that how people treat you is a reflection of you, whereas life reality is that how people treat you is a reflection of them. Life perception is that eventually, we “find” ourselves, whereas life reality is that over time, we create ourselves. Just like the perception that once our children are toilet trained our days of cleaning up poop is over; however, as parents find out, the reality is that crap happens, and we never know when it’s going to hit.
Bree www.breejames.com www.myvisionbook.com.au
www.pakmag.com.au | February 2022 5
Feature
Where Focus Goes - Energy Flows STORY Bree James Don’t you love that feeling of being in total flow with your life? You feel energised, positive, and calm - totally in love with the life you are living. However, many of us don’t stay in this ‘state of being’ for very long. We each face a lifetime of challenges and transitions, and there is always another problem to be solved, or an issue weighing us down. As the old saying goes; “what you focus on grows”. For instance, if we focus our minds on all of the negative behaviours of our children, that’s what we will see and experience. If we focus on their positive behaviours and praise them, that is what we will nurture and experience - what we focus on grows. Did you know that your brain is conditioned to look for the negative? Have you ever found yourself dwelling on an insult or argument, or fixating on your mistakes or poor judgement? Have you noticed that criticisms often have a greater impact than compliments, and bad news frequently draws more attention than good?
As Humans, We Tend to: • Remember traumatic experiences better than positive ones. • Recall insults better than praise. • React more strongly to negative than positive stimuli. • Think about negative things more frequently than positive ones. • Respond more strongly to negative events than to equally positive ones. The reason for this is that negative events have a greater impact on our brains than positive ones. Psychologists refer to this as “the negative bias”, and it can have a powerful effect on your behaviour, your decisions and even your relationships. We have around 12,000 - 60,000 thoughts every single day. Shockingly, 80 percent of our daily thoughts are negative! That’s a lot of negative thoughts. What’s funny, yet not funny at all, is that 98 percent of the negative thoughts we had yesterday are the same ones we will be thinking about today. Negative thinking will never
6 February 2022 | www.pakmag.com.au
make your life positive, so how do we focus our energy and attention on the things that make our energy and life flow better? First and foremost, we need to get a clear vision of what we really seek in our lives. When we have this vision, it’s much easier to devote your energy, time and focus to achieving it. Sometimes we focus so much on what we don’t want – that it’s what we keep getting served. Our focus acts as both a magnifying glass and a magnet. In other words, whatever we put our attention on, expands in our life. Whatever we talk about, we see more of. Whatever we think about, we experience more of. How does it all work? Our brains are trained to look for what we are thinking about. Have you noticed when you decide to buy a new car, suddenly you see that car everywhere? Our focus acts as reinforcement and our brains are very clever at filtering the information we don’t need and delivering what it’s been asked to focus on. If you want more flow, peace of mind, clarity, and joy in your life, it’s time to have a look at where you focus your mind. • If you want to achieve or do something it starts with a decision and focus (like our goal weight). • If you want to be more, we decide and focus on improving ourselves (like learning to be more positive). • If you want to have more, we decide and focus on making that happen (like wanting to buy our first house).
What You Focus on Grows It takes practice to notice and retrain ourselves to stop our negative self-talk. Being aware of our own tendency towards negativity and consciously elevating happier thoughts is one of the best ways to combat negative thinking. We are the creators of our own life. It is our choice as to what we focus on every day - because where our focus goes, energy flows.
7 Tips To Help You Focus Your Energy 1. Savour positive moments - when you experience one, stop and take a few moments to really feel it. 2. Practice daily gratitude - gratitude turns what we have into ‘enough’. What we appreciate, appreciates. 3. Meditation - meditation allows you to quiet your mind and take control of your thoughts. 4. Journal - journaling reminds us of our goals and learnings in life. 5. My Vision Book - is a system to help you clarify your thoughts, goals, and desires so you can focus on achieving them www.myvisionbook.com.au
6. Sound Therapy - music expands our cognitive range, helps us increase energy and focus and can lead to impressive insights and breakthroughs.
7. Exercise - it’s proven; people have ground-breaking ideas while they’re exercising.
www.pakmag.com.au | February 2022 7
STEAM
Meet Three Inspiring Local Women In Science To celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science on February 11, we chatted to four women working in science in North Queensland. We find out what drives and inspires them in their research, as well as what it takes to have a career in STEM. So, if you’ve got a young one eager to learn and explore the world we live in, show them that’s possible!
Dr Abbi Scott – Marine Biologist
Rachael Walshe - Human Geographer, PhD Candidate
Harriet Spark Grumpy Turtle Creative
What is your job? I’m a marine biologist working on the Great Barrier Reef, in my role as a researcher at James Cook University, I work on monitoring and research in seagrass meadows and coral reefs. How did you get here? I studied marine biology at university, after this I worked on some citizen science and seagrass monitoring projects in England before deciding to do a PhD researching seagrass ecosystems. Since finishing my PhD I’ve continued researching and working on other seagrass and coral projects with the JCU TropWATER team. What advice do you have for girls wanting to work in science? Find what you are passionate about and go for it! There are so many inspiring women in science who you can follow on social media. Follow scientists in your field of interest, get informed and get as much experience as you can. What inspires you? Having the opportunity to find out more about our marine environment and doing research that can help to protect the environment for future generations. What made you get into science? I’ve always loved the ocean and started scuba diving when I was 14, from that point on I knew I wanted to work to help conserve the marine environment. You can follow Abbi on Instagram @abbi.scott.science and Twitter @abbilscott
8 February 2022 | www.pakmag.com.au
What is your job? My field is human geography, so I explore people in relation to the environment. I research how our society influences our food resilience, education, sense of place, and well-being. I often work with schools, learning about the effects gardens at schools and in communities have on us. How did you get here? I grew up in a super rural town in the middle of nowhere. We had to be self-sufficient -food production is deeply ingrained and a way of life for me. I studied sustainability and agriculture in undergraduate studies and began to focus on the role urban agriculture could play. What advice do you have for girls wanting to work in science? Be bold and ask questions. There’s no way I would be doing what I am if I hadn’t developed the confidence to always take up space and ask a question. What inspires you? The basic need for food for us all to live. No one deserves to be hungry, and I believe everyone should have the skills to own our food production. What made you get into science? It gives me a sense of purpose. I don’t really feel like sitting by and watching the world suffer when there’s something meaningful that I could do ... gardening, thinking, and researching gives me a sense of purpose.
Dr Lizzy Joyce – Evolutionary Plant Biologist
What is your job? I’m a botanist, and love everything to do with plants, but am most interested in plant evolution in northern Australia and Southeast Asia, and taxonomy - the science of discovering and naming new species. I’ve recently moved to Munich, Germany to continue my research at Ludwig Maximillian University. How did you get here? I’m a very curious person and have always loved the natural world and was drawn to botany and zoology so studied a Bachelor of Science at the University of Western Australia. Having a career in research has taken a lot of hard work, resilience, persistence, and collaboration with clever, good people. What advice do you have for girls wanting to work in science? Don’t be intimidated. Absolutely awesome scientists of all genders do incredible work! There are some unique challenges faced by women in science, so do what any good scientist does and educate yourself. Let your curiosity and passion drive you, work with respect, humility and integrity and you can have the most fascinating and fulfilling career, no matter your gender. What inspires you? Every day I’m inspired by the natural world – how can you not be when living in Cairns!? There is always something to be discovered and learned. I am motivated by that desire to understand the world around me and how it came to be the way it is today. What made you get into science? My grandfather, who was a brilliant man and prize-winning carnivorous plant collector, and my mum, a kooky geologist that brought me up with that appreciation and fascination for the natural world. You can follow Lizzy on Twitter @e_m_joyce
For anyone curious and eager to learn more about STEM, check out these great resources! www.scienceandtechnologyaustralia.org.au www.stemwomen.org.au www.thegist.edu.au
Advertorial
Dare to Imagine Her Future STORY Mrs Amber Hauff – College Principal St Patrick’s College Townsville has earned its reputation as the school of choice for young women in the North. With an innovative, inclusive and positive learning culture designed especially for girls, our College encourages young women to do more and be more than they thought possible. The benefits of an all-girls’ educational experience are well documented. When children learn with samegender peers, they are more likely to speak openly in the classroom, excel athletically, show greater focus in their studies and pursue leadership opportunities. The friendships forged in all girls’ schools are longlasting; our Alumni are bonded in meaningful ways. In short, they are confident and with confidence comes the promise of opportunity. Our tagline is “Dare to imagine her future” and St Patrick’s College Townsville is committed to helping young women challenge the status quo and believe in
10 February 2022 | www.pakmag.com.au
their ability to make a difference in the world. We unapologetically shift the narrative: a challenge is an opportunity, not an obstacle. Our academic and extracurricular programs teach girls to develop critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills to ensure they accept those challenges with confidence and determination. Our Twilight Open Evening is the perfect opportunity for prospective families to discover our difference. Held on St Patrick’s Day from 5.00pm – 7.00pm, visitors will be able to immerse themselves in a variety of presentations, displays, performances and workshops across a range of curriculum areas. They will have the chance to meet our staff and talk to our girls. They will see firsthand how the confidence derived from an all-girls’ education can pave the way for unlimited opportunities. The Twilight Open Evening will show you that St Patrick’s College Townsville is the place where your daughter can “Dare to imagine her future”.
Advertorial
Why Choose an All-Boys School? Schools for boys understand and celebrate boys. Recognising that boys think and learn differently from girls, schools for boys are able to tailor curriculum and teaching strategies to boys’ learning styles. Boys’ schools provide: • A tailormade curriculum designed for boys • Schedules and programs with boys in mind • Freedom to be who he wants to be • Lifelong friendships extending beyond the school gates Since opening in 1969, Ignatius Park has proudly educated boys. As Townsville’s only high school for boys, the College focuses on the intellectual, physical, social, and emotional lives of boys and young men. The College is built on the strong tradition of academic, personal and sporting excellence by providing the highest standard of staff, facilities and opportunities for students with a strong focus on pastoral care. Schools for boys help students discover and explore their full potential. Research shows that students in an all-boys’ school are more likely to explore their strengths and interests. An all-boys’ education can provide the freedom for boys to pursue their chosen interests whether that be sport, art, languages or music. Ignatius Park College offers a large range of subjects and co-curricular activities for students to explore their passions.
Ignatius Park allows students to choose their path by having a large range of study options available. Students can choose subjects with a university degree or job in mind, choose to study a vocational education pathway in readiness for an apprenticeship post school, or a blended mix of both. “Our VET subjects offer boys the opportunity to gain credits towards certificates and apprenticeships, giving real world advantage before they have even finished high school,” Grant Rossiter, the Dean of Pathways at the College said. Schools for boys foster lifelong friendships. It is this connectiveness in boys’ schools that allows students to develop a strong sense of ‘brotherhood’, to teach the next generation how to improve, to nurture respect, have respect for women and by respecting others to build a better society. This brotherhood extends beyond their years at school, with a strong network of Old Boys providing opportunities for future career and personal growth. Schools for boys seek first to build good men. An all-boys school lays the foundation in an environment that understands and celebrates boys, allowing them to unpack their emotions, reveal their inner self and be open to what they are and what they feel, understanding that they learn in different ways and how they best learn.
www.pakmag.com.au | February 2022 11
Parenting
Deeply Connecting with Your Family STORY Dr Justin Coulson, Parenting Expert and founder of Happy Families Take a moment to reflect on a recent positive experience you have had with one of your children; one where you felt truly connected. Perhaps it was an instant of joy as they made a new discovery. Maybe it was a flash of laughter as their joke landed perfectly on your funny bone. Or it could have been a tearful or heartfelt embrace, a moment of deep reflection, or a twinkling of peace as you simply sat together and felt… safe. Brené Brown says connection is “the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard and valued.” It feels good to belong. To know that you matter. To feel worthy. But connection is an impermanent state. That beautiful energy between you and your child ebbs and flows. You’ll note that I described an “instant”, a “flash”, a “moment”, and a “twinkling” to describe how true connection occurs. That’s because connection requires intention. Each interaction requires us to re-connect with our children and partners to maintain the experience of being connected. And this explains why parenting – and relationships generally – can be so hard. The obstacles to maintaining connection are endless, but the effort and attention you give in order to maintain and nurture that connection pays huge dividends for your relationships.
Connection is Not a Luxury Item – We Need It! Whether labelled as relatedness, responsiveness, warmth, or nurture - research evidence points to the connection between parent and child as a necessity for our children. It’s not a luxury item. It’s a must-have. Researchers have found children are more curious, more competent, more resourceful, and more likely to initiate behaviour (rather than waiting to be told) when parents are responsive and empathic. Kids are better at regulating emotions, solving problems, and are more resilient when parents are connected with them. And they act out less. The old-school parenting trope that when our children are behaving in a challenging way, “they’re just doing it for attention” is comprehensively rejected by today’s best science. We now know that children are seeking attention because they need it to be healthy and happy. In fact, it may be less about “attention” and more about “connection”. If your child is seeking attention, give it to them! Seriously. The research shows it matters more than we can possibly know. It’s less that you’re dealing with a challenging child, and more that you’re helping your child deal with a challenge. This re-frame is important. Dr John Gottman calls our children’s choice to reach out to us a “bid for connection”. When we respond to those bids with warmth, acceptance, and engagement, we build life into our relationship with our child.
www.pakmag.com.au | February 2022 13
Parenting
Key Elements for True Connection If connection is so important, but also so transient, how can we create and maintain connections? Intention – On a typical morning, in any typical home, the juggle is real. Our parenting responsibilities compete with our personal to-do list, we search for our child’s missing sports uniform or library book, we check our social media feeds and news headlines, all while the clock is ticking in the background, counting down to that moment we scream, “we’re late… hurry up and get in the car!” We operate on auto-parent. If LOVE is spelled T-I-M-E, what does HURRY UP spell? And are we thinking about this as we interact with our kids? Our reactions are, at best, a response to unexpected and unforeseen difficulties and at worst, the equivalent of an emotional bomb blast because we aren’t intentional and mindful of what needs to happen to make the morning function well. Mindfulness, according to Ellen Langer, a Harvard psychologist and researcher, is an active state of mind, characterised by being: • in the present, rather than 20 minutes in the future • sensitive to context and perspective, rather than screaming that “I don’t care what your sister said to you! You should know better!” • rule and routine guided, rather than governed by how it “ought to be” • engaged in the moment-to-moment interactions of the family Unless we are intentionally and mindfully watching for them – we will miss those instances, flashes, moments, and twinklings of connection. Involvement - When I’m researching for an article or typing out a book chapter, my attention is on my laptop, my books, and my thoughts. My seven-year-old’s best efforts to connect are ineffective when I fail to be involved in her bids for connection. Connection doesn’t exist – until I turn away from what I’m focused on and involve myself in her conversation, her play, her world. Autonomy Support - Studies show that for us to help children live life fully, we must allow them to make choices. Some of the best connection occurs when we give up our desire for control of our children. For them to make those choices in healthy, safe, wise ways - they need our connection, but not our control. In fact, control may be a reliable disruptor of relationships. Relinquishing control in a connected way means we: • consider our child’s perspective (which usually requires connecting through curiosity and questions) • provide meaningful and helpful choices (where they are not developmentally capable of developing solutions on their own)
• encouraging and supporting our child’s initiative and voice • minimising our controlling language • offering meaningful reasons for our behavioural requests.
Ideas for Connection To build stronger connections, consider these ideas:
1. Do what’s important but unspectacular over and over again. We often get caught up in planning the perfect party, the heavenly holiday, or the exciting event so we can all connect and make memories. This can be a useful strategy, but a focus on consistent small episodes of responsiveness and connection will do more for happiness, wellbeing, and growth.
2. Review the way you use your time and set time aside for connection. The time that people with lousy relationships spend on Netflix, social media, excessive work, or with other distracted pursuits, people with extraordinary relationships leverage into opportunities to be present, mindful, and connected. Build your catalogue of connection experiences, not your catalogue of movies to watch on your streaming service. Set aside time to spend together, and consider the quality of the activities and interaction during this time. Also consider establishing positive routines and rituals in your home like family dinners gathered around the table, with an opportunity to discuss each other’s days, or family game nights to increase the opportunities to reconnect daily.
3. Allow your worlds to cross-over. Our children are desperate to enter our world and connect with us. Even more, they crave the opportunity to bring us into their world and share their experience of life with us. Let your children know that you are interested in what they’re interested in, and pay attention to their lives. Seek ways to communicate; learning their communication style, trying to speak their ‘language’ or at least understanding it and listening will help bridge any gaps.
The True Meaning of Connection Strangely, while we study connection, calling it by so many names, the one thing I’ve not seen it called in science is the one thing we most need to call it: love. It is love – or loving connection – that draws us to others because it is the truest way we can feel seen, heard, and valued. If every interaction comes from a place of love, positive connection will follow.
Dr Justin Coulson is the co-host and parenting expert on Channel 9's "Parental Guidance", the founder of www.happyfamilies.com.au, and one of Australia’s most trusted parenting experts. Dr Coulson has a PhD in Psychology, is a best-selling author of six books and father to six daughters. Justin writes and speaks about parenting and family – because nothing matters more.
14 February 2022 | www.pakmag.com.au
Parenting
How to Have Those Tricky Conversations with Our Kids STORY Jayneen Sanders, award winning Author, Educator, and Advocate Teaching kids ‘tricky topics’ can be easy if you have the right tools. And the right tool is often a children’s book! Kids are visual learners, so a story book is ideal to broach tricky topics and help encourage ongoing and open conversations. Whenever I have been teaching (or parenting for that matter) and I want to unpack and discuss a difficult topic, such as bullying, kids touching each other or crossing body boundaries, I always wish I had the ‘perfect’ book with me, complete with engaging illustrations and simple language that kids can understand. I remember teaching a class of 8 and 9-year-olds and being told by the girls in the class that they didn’t want to go to camp because the boys would tease them and spy on them, and maybe even look at them in the toilets. I wished I had a book on respecting body boundaries and consent, it was in that moment that I decided to write, ‘Let’s Talk About Body Boundaries, Consent And Respect’. Children’s books are the perfect medium to unpack difficult topics. All my books have Discussion Questions for parents, teachers, and carers to help them scaffold the learning. All parents worry about tackling difficult topics. My advice is to do your homework. Find books and resources that help explain the topic before you broach it, so you feel more confident about the upcoming conversation. If you are worried about discussing a certain topic, your kids will be too. So, relax. You’ve got this! Tricky conversations don’t need to be so tricky if we begin talking about consent and body boundaries from a very early age.
As soon as your child is born, talk to them about what you are doing with their body, e.g. ‘I am just putting your socks on now so your feet will be warm.’ Call genitals by their correct names from day one, so this is no big deal when later in their lives you talk about puberty and sex. It’s also important in case they are ever touched inappropriately. Topics I suggest you cover are body safety, consent, body boundaries, respect, diversity, gender equality, racial equality, empathy, talking about feelings, and diversity in families.
Top Tips for Having Little Big Chats with Your Kids • Start early • Have ongoing conversations and revisit topics regularly • Answer questions honestly • Let your child know they can ask you anything • Express that you don’t have all the answers, but you will find out more • Encourage curiosity • Develop your child’s vocabulary around feelings, and encourage them to verbalise theirs • Ensure family and adults respect your child’s body boundary and agency • Listen with empathy and patience to questions and concerns For more helpful information, books (including the Little BIG Chats book series) and resources visit www.e2epublishing.info
Jayneen Sanders is an experienced author, publisher, primary school teacher, mother of three, and an active advocate for body safety, gender equality, and respectful relationship education being taught both in homes and in schools. She is also lead author of Engage Literacy published by Capstone and has published over 130 stories for children. Jayneen feels passionately that we can do so much more to keep our children safe by teaching them age appropriate and empowering prevention education. Follow her on Instagram: @jayneensandersauthor
Check out page 22 for details on how to WIN the Little BIG Chats book series valued at $69.95.!
www.pakmag.com.au | February 2022 17
Bump, Bub and Beyond
Mindfulness Tips for Calming Big Feelings STORY Dr. Rosemarie Truglio, Senior Vice President of Curriculum and Content at Sesame Workshop With today’s unprecedented uncertainty, children may be experiencing a range of big emotions like sadness, anger, frustration, disappointment, and nervousness. It’s okay to have big feelings and children may experience more than one emotion at a time. What’s important is developing the skills and using self-regulation strategies to help them manage these emotions. As adults, we can sometimes get overwhelmed by our emotions, so imagine how difficult it is for young children who may not yet have the words to understand, express, or an ability to calm their emotions. To help children manage their emotions, it is important to recognise, validate, and label how they are feeling and provide a range of strategies to help them calm down their big feelings. The ability to understand and label the emotion, be more reflective, and behave in a more purposeful way during emotional moments are important resiliency skills. One great tool to build resiliency and help young children manage their emotions is mindfulness. Mindfulness is being in the present with what is happening around us, what’s happening inside us, what we are doing, and how we are feeling. As children become more skilled at thinking calmly, they are more likely to understand the perspectives of others, be more empathetic to another’s feelings, and think flexibly about a situation. Simple mindfulness practices such as taking slow deep breaths, shifting your attention to another activity, or repeating affirmation self-talk phrases can help kids to focus their attention to what is happening around and inside of them.
Belly breathing is a wonderful physical strategy to re-centre and calm down, and is a quick way for a child to regulate any overwhelming feelings. Watch: Sesame Street Monster Meditation #5: Belly Buddy Breathing with Rosita and Headspace on YouTube
WATCH THE VIDEO IN OUR ONLINE MAG
Goodnight Body To help your child transition to sleep, start with a few belly breaths as they are lying down in bed. Then have your child do an exercise called ‘Goodnight Body.’ Model for them how they can say goodnight to each of their body parts, starting with their feet, moving to their legs, and moving all the way up to their eyes and head. Ask them to wiggle each part of their body as they say goodnight and then relax. Have them finish with another deep belly breath before it’s lights out. Watch: Sesame Street Monster Meditation #2: Goodnight Body with Elmo and Headspace on YouTube.
Here are some simple mindfulness techniques that parents and caregivers can model and teach their young children:
Belly Breathing Belly breathing can be done while your child is standing, sitting, or lying down. If lying down, have your child place their favourite toy on their belly, and as they slowly breathe in through their nose and out through their mouth, they can watch the toy move up and down. Or just have them place their hands on their belly.
WATCH THE VIDEO IN OUR ONLINE MAG
www.pakmag.com.au | February 2022 19
Bump, Bub and Beyond
Play I-Sense If your child is growing impatient or anxious (just as Cookie Monster grows impatient waiting for his cookies to bake), shift their focus by playing a game of I-Sense, similar to I-Spy, but using all of their senses. Ask them to spy something first with their sense of smell, then touch, then with their eyes, their sense of hearing, and then taste. By focusing on each of their senses, they’ll shift focus from their feelings of worry or impatience. Watch: Sesame Street Monster Meditation #1: I-Sense with Cookie Monster and Headspace on YouTube.
clear jar that closes tightly, warm water, glitter glue, and glitter.
1. Pour warm water into the jar until its three- quarters full.
2. For every cup of water used, add one or two drops of glitter glue to the jar.
3. Fill the bottom half-inch of the jar with glitter. 4. Secure the lid on the jar. For extra protection, you can put regular glue on the inside of the lid before closing. Allow the glitter to dry.
5. Your glitter jar is now ready to shake whenever your child needs to calm down.
Self-Talk If your child is feeling scared or worried, self-talk is a terrific tool to help calm them down. Statements like ‘Today is going to be a great day!’; ‘I can do it’; ‘I am proud’; and ’I am special’ can be used to turn negative thoughts into positive ones, and build your child’s self-confidence.
The Power of ‘Yet’ WATCH THE VIDEO IN OUR ONLINE MAG
Make A Glitter Jar When a child is having a big feeling, a glitter jar can be used as a calming strategy to help regulate an emotion. The glitter inside the jar symbolises the feelings swirling around inside. Have your child take deep belly breaths as they watch the glitter slowly fall and settle down – and they calm down too. Once they can see through the jar, you can talk about their emotion and what you can do next now that they are in a calmer state. Making a glitter jar is a simple and fun activity you can do with your child and all you’ll need is a
The power of yet is another great way to encourage perseverance and manage frustration. Your child may not be able to do something now but will with practice and hard work. Have your child add the word ‘yet’ to statements and positive self-talk as a reminder to keep striving to reach their goals. For example, ‘I can’t do this yet’, ‘I don’t understand this yet,’ or ‘I’m not good at this yet.’ Model and practice these simple mindfulness tools to help your children understand their emotions, and cope with their feelings by regulating those big emotions. Giving your child a toolbox of strategies will help them as they grow smarter, stronger, and kinder and navigate the world around them.
Dr Rosemarie Truglio Ph.D. has been a vital presence at Sesame Workshop for more than two decades. She is the Senior Vice President of Curriculum and Content at Sesame Workshop, overseeing content development across media platforms and product distribution and is a authority on child development. Dr Truglio is author of “Ready for School! A parent’s guide to playful learning for children ages two to five.”
Sesame Workshop, the non-profit educational organisation behind Sesame Street, has joined forces with Headspace to create “Monster Meditations,” six animated shorts to help children learn the fundamentals of mindfulness, meditation and social and emotional learning. Monster Meditations can be found on YouTube and YouTube Kids.
Learn more about the magic of Sesame Street and all of the good they are trying to bring to the world including their Caring for Each Other initiative by tuning into episode 115 of the PakMag Parents Podcast with Dr Truglio joining Bree.
20 February 2022 | www.pakmag.com.au
Bump, Bub and Beyond
Bump, Bub and Beyond Featured products, reviews and prizes. Visit www.pakmag.com.au/win for your chance to win!
Little BIG Chats Book Series www.e2epublishing.info The Little BIG Chats children’s book series has been written to assist parents, caregivers and educators to have open and ageappropriate conversations with early learners around crucial, and yet at times, ‘tough’ topics. And what better way than using children’s picture books! Suitable for ages 2 to 6. There are 12 books in the Little BIG Chats series: Empathy, I Always Try, Feelings, Everyone is Equal, Around the World, Mindfulness, Families, Consent, My Safety Network, My Early Warning Signs, Private Parts are Private, and Secrets and Surprises. WIN the Little BIG Chats series valued at $69.95.
Tummy Time with Tumzee
Naked Life Non-Alcoholic Spirits
www.tumzee.com
www.nakedspirits.com.au
Tumzee allows for babies to be positioned on their tummies on a 15-degree incline, letting them engage with toys, games, or books and easing the frustration that many babies feel during tummy time. Tumzee is designed for babies who are old enough to hold their head up on their own. Tumzee is built with a unique T-shaped support to prevent baby from sliding down the incline, plus raised sides to prevent baby from rolling off the side. These features provide a secure environment for your child, allowing them to play and develop in safety.
Naked Life Non-Alcoholic Spirits is Australia’s largest range of ready-to-drink cocktails and mixed drinks free from alcohol, sugar and low in calories. Crafted with distilled botanicals, they are unmistakable in taste. So as a mum (to be) you don’t need to miss out on any celebrations when you are pregnant, breastfeeding or looking to reduce. Redefine your moments!
WIN a Tumzee and Comfort Pad worth $45.98 USD.
22 February 2022 | www.pakmag.com.au
WIN a $100 sample pack of their full range of nonalcoholic cocktails and mixed cocktails including 2 glasses.
Bump, Bub and Beyond
Don’t Miss the Moment: Baby Moments to Capture “They grow up so fast” – we’ve all heard it and we’ve likely all said it!
The first 48 hours is a whirlwind love-bubble and it really goes without saying – getting a good quality photo of your newborn in those first few days is essential. It’ll be the pic you’ll frame and hang on the wall in your home and share on their 18th birthday. Similarly, capturing their newborn stats is also a good idea, as well as the monthly growth photos. Using something like a big teddy in each photo will help you gauge how much they’ve grown. We’ve even seen a pizza box used for reference. You’ll also want to capture those tiny feet and hands, including the token pic of their little hand wrapped around your finger. Besides pictures, creating footprints and handprints using plaster moulds are a great idea too. As is getting special jewellery made with their fingerprint. Other great moments in that first year include, their post-milk bliss, their sleep smile, learning to clap, early smiles, first chuckles and laughs – is there anything more blissful than a baby’s laugh?
Did You Know? The age of technology and smartphones have made capturing moments a lot easier. However, for those newbie and soon-to-be-parents we thought we’d share a list of the moments you won’t want to miss, because these will be the times that you’ll look back on for years to come. Plus, they’re perfect to bring out for those big birthdays!
Babies are born with an innate reflex known as Bradycardic Response. It allows them to naturally adapt when submerged in water. A baby’s heart rate will slow down, and they will instinctively hold their breath. They can also, unlike us grownups, simultaneously breath and swallow, but they grow out of this after a few months once the womb becomes a distant memory.
We all know how magical those ‘first moments’ are. Although you can’t always plan for them, there are some that you can be prepared for The first skin-to-skin contact, the first feed, the first bath, first steps, first tooth, first taste of new foods, and of course the first Christmas and birthday!
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Puzzle
Parent's Puzzle: Criss-Cross Fill in the blanks with the words. To help you get started, two letters are already in place. 4 Letter Words ROOT TREE 5 Letter Words BASIC CHALK CLASS CYCLE EAGLE EIGHT FABLE FENCE KNISH MAORI PLAID PLANE SCRIP SUGAR 6 Letter Words CLOSED SISTER 7 Letter Words ALMANAC ALRIGHT ANTHILL BRIOCHE CEILING CERAMIC COCONUT CONCERT
WIN a vivo Y33s Smartphone $299.00 - www.vivo.com/au - The vivo Y33s is the perfect smartphone for parents and teenagers! Designed with a slender frame, the 5000mAh large battery is elegantly engineered to fit snugly in its ultra thin body. The 50MP AI triple main rear camera redefines high definition photography. Capture life’s greatest moments effortlessly with pristine clarity whether you zoom or crop. Equipped with 128GB of storage, never worry about deleting photos or apps again - plus you can power up in a flash with 18W fast charge! Visit www.pakmag.com.au/win for your chance to win! Competition closes 28/02/2022. No need to submit answers to enter.
24 February 2022 | www.pakmag.com.au
CRICKET DIALECT FREEBIE PARAPET PICTURE PIPETTE SNORKEL TEXTILE THYMINE TURTLES TYPESET VOYAGER 8 Letter Words CALVADOS COMEDIAN EQUATION PARALLEL 9 Letter Words COLUMNIST HIBERNATE PLAYMAKER RAIN CLOUD STATEMENT STRONTIUM 10 Letter Words INSTRUCTOR VOCABULARY 11 Letter Words CELEBRATION DESTINATION
Pull-out kids activity mag! Colour in cover
Use the grid to copy the picture then colour it in!
Find the 10 objects in the picture
WIN a Wahu Hole in Won $24.95 - www.wahu.com.au - Round up your mates for an ultimate game of Wahu Hole in Won! This inflatable game set includes 1 Hole in Won game board plus 4 sandbags. The waterproof PVC base floats and moves in the water for an added challenge. The Wahu Hole in Won can also be filled with water in its’ base to play on land too! Ideal for up to 4 Players. Age: 6+ Players: 2+. Available from all leading retailers. Visit www.pakmag.com.au/win for your chance to win! Competition closes 28/02/2022. No need to submit activities to enter.
Find the
Find the 10 hidden objects in the picture
WIN a Wahu Pool Pets Croc Racer $19.99 - www.wahu.com.au - Kids will love these awesome new inflatable pool racers in bright funky Wahu colours. Perfect for racing up and down the pool against your mates or try and balance on them, the possibilities are endless. Wahu Pool Pets will be a hit all summer long! Age: 6+. Available from all leading retailers. Visit www.pakmag.com.au/win for your chance to win! Competition closes 28/02/2022. No need to submit activities to enter.
Let the Winter Games Begin! Just like Summer Olympics, the Winter Olympics take place every four years. From February 4 to February 20, 95 countries will compete in the XXIV Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. XXIV is 24 in Roman numerals – which means it’s the 24th time they have taken place. But it’s the first time a host city has held both the Summer and Winter Olympics! The motto for the games is “Joyful Rendezvous upon Pure Ice and Snow”, you can find out more about the games at www.olympics.com/en/ beijing-2022. From March 4 – 13 the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games will take place, find out more at www.paralympic.org/beijing-2022
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Escape the heat and have a cool time with family and friends at Townsville’s’ very own ice skating rink. Test your abilities or simply have a fun time sliding and gliding around on the ice in one of their general sessions or for disco sessions on a Friday or Saturday Night. Beginner skate sessions are also available Sunday mornings. It’s a perfect way to give a winter sport a go. You can also try Tobogganing for only $5.00 for six whole slides! Cost (includes skate hire): From $16.00 - $65.00 (Family Pass: 2 Adults + 2 Children). www.warrinaiceskating.com.au Warrina Ice Skating Rink Head to www.pakmag.com.au/WIN and enter for your chance to WIN a family pass to a skate session of your choice at Warrina Ice Skating Rink. Competition closes 28/02/2022. No need to submit activities to enter.
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WIN a Joode Socks Gift Box valued at $79.99 Joode is a new Australian sock brand, with quirky, colourful, ethically-made socks, which are designed in Australia. With cute patterns and a beautiful colour palette, Joode socks are all about happy feet. They look good, feel beautifully comfortable, and raise money for Chronic UTI Australia, funding essential research into helping chronic UTI sufferers like Joode’s founder, Sarah Wilmott. Made from a combination of 86 percent premium combed cotton, 12 percent polyamide and 2 percent elastane, they’re an absolute treat for your feet. www.joode.co Visit www.pakmag.com.au/win for your chance to win! Competition closes 28/02/2022. No need to submit colouring to enter.
www.pakmag.com.au | February 2022 29
Advertorial
Safety of the Child a Priority The Mary MacKillop Childcare NQ vision for safeguarding children is a critical component of our education and care services. We provide quality education and care in an environment that safeguards and promotes children’s health, safety, and wellbeing. MMCNQ Operations Manager Tanya Amos said “we have established policies and procedures in place to ensure our services align with the current child protection legislation whereby early childhood education and care professionals are mandated by law to report child safety concerns.” “All our services maintain positive relationships with our families to provide support and access to services at every possible opportunity to support each child’s growing competence, confidence, and independence” Tanya said. Having robust procedures in place within our operations ensures anyone coming into MMCNQ is suitable to work with children, understands their role in relation to child protection, and is able to work within our organisational culture of safeworking practice.
All MMCNQ staff participate in face-to-face professional development training to provide confidence and capacity, to readily identify and respond to child safety or wellbeing concerns. “This includes ways we can work in partnership with families to enable children to learn and thrive in a safe and supported environment” she said. Mary MacKillop Childcare NQ services maintain close relationships with all families and key service providers. Tanya said “we believe that all children within our care have the right to an education that lays the foundation for the rest of their lives, maximises their ability, and respects their family, cultural and other identities, and languages.” “The rights and best interests of children within our care are paramount. Therefore, we strive for every child in our services to experience quality education and care in an environment that provides for their physical and psychological wellbeing.” To find out more about the services offered by Mary MacKillop Childcare North Queensland, visit our website www.mmcnq.catholic.edu.au or contact us on 4726 3299
www.pakmag.com.au | February 2022 31
Feature
The Sandwich Bag Dad Story By day, Dave Blumenthal is a (mostly) normal guy, working in finance and doing his best to survive the trials and tribulations of parenthood. By night, Dave is a cartoon artist. Drawing under the moniker ‘Sandwich Bag Dad’, Dave combines his love of art with his passion for wordplay and dad jokes.
Over the ensuing four years, Dave’s daily lunch bag workload doubled and then tripled as Sharni’s younger sisters, Tia and Milly, started school and began to demand their own customised sandwich bag art. All the while, Dave continued to post his designs to social media, gradually building a growing band of loyal followers.
The Sandwich Bag Dad story began in 2012. Dave’s eldest daughter Sharni had started school just weeks after the birth of her baby sister. To make Sharni feel special and loved, Dave’s wife started carving little love hearts and other shapes into Sharni’s school sandwiches.
In 2019, Sharni convinced Dave to go green (or ‘brown’, to be precise) by swapping plastic sandwich bags for more environmentally friendly paper ones. “I was really happy to make the switch,” Dave chuckles. “Not only was I doing my bit for the planet, but this was clearly a sign from my daughters that it was perfectly okay to recycle my dad jokes!”
After a few days, Dave took over the sandwich-carving duties, and from there things quickly escalated. The daily sandwich cut-outs became more and more intricate, and Dave was soon fielding ‘carving’ requests from Sharni’s friends and teachers. One day, as Dave was about to slice up a new sandwich masterpiece, he spied a marker pen on the kitchen benchtop and was struck by an idea. Instead of cutting shapes into the actual bread, why not draw his designs onto the actual sandwich bag itself? And the rest, as they say, is Sandwich Bag history. From that point on, drawing on Sharni’s lunch bags became a daily ritual. Over the next few years, Dave’s artwork steadily gained popularity, not only amongst Sharni’s classmates, but in the school staffroom as well. The bag drawings even became a regular discussion topic at parent-teacher interviews: “Sharni is doing great, but can we talk more about your sandwich bag drawings?” In 2016, after much prodding from Sharni’s teachers, Dave finally joined the world of social media. He established his ‘Sandwich Bag Dad’ identity on Instagram and Facebook and began to share his work online.
In 2020, Dave’s quirky ritual went global. His drawings were featured in numerous newspapers, global entertainment websites and radio talk shows. His lunch bags even had their very own exhibition at Australia's National Cartoon Gallery. To this day, Dave creates daily lunch bag drawings for all three of his daughters. He usually draws them at night, with each taking around 10 to 30 minutes to complete, depending on their complexity. Once finished, Dave duly photographs his work for social media posterity and then places the bags in a pile. The next morning, the Sandwich Bag Kids raid the stockpile to select their bags, toss their sandwiches inside and head off to school. While very occasionally one of Dave’s lunch bags will be hung up on the classroom wall, the vast majority end up crumpled and tossed in the recycling bin. Dave doesn’t mind, though. He knows the bags have served their purpose: bringing a smile, an eye roll… and a sandwich to school lunchtime.
WIN a Copy of The Cartoon Chronicles of Sandwich Bag Dad What started out as a quirky ritual has now evolved into a collection of thousands of sandwich bag cartoons, a social media following spanning the globe and an exhibition at Australia’s National Cartoon Gallery. The Cartoon Chronicles of Sandwich Bag Dad is a collection of Dave’s most popular and endearing lunch bag drawings. Witty, pun-filled and 100 percent ‘dad-jokey’. The accompanying sandwiches are, however, sold separately! $34.95 www.sandwichbagdad.com/book Visit www.pakmag.com.au/win for your chance to win!
www.pakmag.com.au | February 2022 33
Health
Why You Need to Read Labels and Know What’s in Your Food STORY Luke Hines, Author, Functional Nutritionist, and Personal Trainer When you’re setting out to make positive changes to your diet and lifestyle, there’s a few things you can do that can be really helpful. The first thing is to clear out any unhelpful snacks or ingredients from your pantry, so you’re not tempted to slip back into old habits. Instead replace them with nutrient dense healthy ingredients that support your health journey and allow you to thrive. Anyone who has done this before knows it can be quite daunting, knowing what to keep, what to avoid, and what we should be looking for can be overwhelming. With all the catchy buzzwords on packaging it can be difficult to decipher what some of them really mean, and what the nutritional panel is truly trying to tell us.
So How do We Make Sense of it? The first thing we want to be mindful of is to not be tricked into thinking something is healthy when it’s not. Some brands will go to great lengths to appear as a cleaner option, when in fact it’s not much healthier than
their counterparts. Green or brown packaging, words like ‘fresh’, ‘real’ or ‘wholesome’ don’t mean much at all, you need to be looking at the numbers - and they’re found on the back. So, when we are looking at the nutritional panel, there are a few things to take note of. The first is serving size. At a glance a block of chocolate or a packet of cookies doesn’t appear too bad, but once you notice that it’s only for a single (not to mention small) serving, you’ll realise just how quickly it can add up. The same thing goes for crisps and chips. Often the packet, which appears to be a single serve that we eat in one sitting, is in fact comprised of 4 or 6 serves, so you can see how easily and quickly calorie intake creeps up on us.
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Health
Secondly, the three key things to look at are protein, carbs, and fat. As a rule, I like to keep my ingredients and snacks higher in protein, moderate in carbs, low in added sugars, and discretionary when it comes to fats. Because not all fats are created equal. Olive oil, avocados, and nuts are high fat but great for your health, whereas I’ll avoid foods with added hydrogenated fats like sunflower oil and canola oil. And thirdly, the best rule of thumb is to stick to foods that don’t need a packet. That means fresh fruit and vegetables, and well sourced ethical and sustainable proteins from animal and plant sources. Mother nature knows best when it comes to well-balanced nutrition, so real food doesn’t need nutritional labels or fancy buzz words. Realistically in 2022 we are all going to need packaged foods in some way or another, so steer clear of added fillers, numbers, artificial colours or flavours, or words you can’t pronounce.
In my book ‘Guilt-free Snacks’ I offer people healthy alternatives to their favourite snacks, take-aways, and fast food! The way I achieve this is by subbing out the original ingredients for healthier versions. Instead of high sugar low-nutrient chocolate, I show people how to make chocolate from scratch. Instead of high refined high carb pizza bases, I show you how to make low-carb keto versions in no time at all. And I think my favourite recipe showcases my favourite simple switch out, its swapping standard corn chips for easy to make pumpkin versions in my no-fuss nachos. The exciting part of each and every day is when we wake up, we have the chance to make positive decisions about how we fuel our body, being mindful of what we put into it, and how in turn that makes us perform and feel. Food has a profound effect on us, from the inside out, and if you can navigate your ingredient choices a little wiser, you are well on your way to living your happiest and healthiest life.
Luke is the bestselling author of 13 cookbooks, the Host of Channel 7’s The House of Wellness, and a qualified functional nutritionist and personal trainer. Since his stint as a finalist on My Kitchen Rules he has established himself as one of the most popular health and wellness personalities in Australia. Luke’s experience and credits include working alongside Angelina Jolie as her food and training consultant, being a trainer on Australia’s Next Top Model, hosting Channel 7’s Live Well and The Food Network’s The Good Cooks, and regularly appearing on Sunrise, The Today Show, and Studio 10. www.lukehines10.com
WIN a copy of Guilt-free Snacks by Luke Hines Looking to up your healthy snack game? Look no further! Snacks are where many of us fall down when it comes to healthy eating. We are often too busy, too tired or just too plain uninspired to have an array of healthy options at the ready. Luke Hines comes to the rescue with Guilt-free Snacks, a delicious collection of 60 sweet and savoury snacks and simple ideas for eating well. www.panmacmillan.com.au
WIN a Wholesome Market Membership and $80.00 Voucher Want to start saving money on your grocery bill? Wholesome Market is offering a lucky reader the chance to win a 1-year membership and $80.00 shopping credit ($140.00 value) to shop online with them. The membership will allow you to enjoy 15 - 50 percent off all items that they stock. www.wholesomemarket.com.au Visit www.pakmag.com.au/win for your chance to win!
36 February 2022 | www.pakmag.com.au
Advertorial
How to Develop Your Child’s Hand-Eye Coordination for Success at School Writing, getting dressed, holding cutlery, tying a shoelace, and computer work are routine tasks that we might not give much thought to, but these simple tasks can be challenging when a child has poor handeye coordination.
Examples of such toys or activities include:
Apart from the ability to perform everyday tasks, children need to develop hand-eye coordination because it is linked with academic performance. In a study published in the journal of Psychological Science, researchers observed that children who performed better at hand-eye coordination tasks tended to have higher scores in reading, writing and mathematics. If children don’t develop their coordination skills, they may: • Avoid physical activities • Be slower than their peers when it comes to mastering physical skills • Be clumsy • Have difficulty learning academically • Have trouble developing their social skills The good news is there is an easily accessible, engaging way to help your child develop their hand-eye coordination: playing with purpose. If you want to help your child develop their coordination skills, incorporating hand-eye coordination toys and activities into their daily routines is essential.
www.apricushealth.com.au • www.sisu7.com.au
• Building blocks
• Colouring/Painting sets
• Puzzles
• Cutting with scissors
• Shape sorters
• Threading beads
• Balls
• Doing up buttons
Toys and activities that prompt your child’s eyes and hands to work together teach them how to respond to tasks quicker and more efficiently. Hand-eye coordination toys help systematise the way a child moves, thus enhancing their productivity and skills in school-based tasks. Because their hands and eyes are working in sync together, they are multi-tasking, a skill that’s important for everyday activities. Children’s eyes are one of their main tools for learning, and hand-eye coordination toys can help develop their visual acuity. As a result, instead of having to put conscious effort in the mechanics of activities such as reading, writing and interpreting information, they can perform these tasks with ease. Fortunately, hand-eye coordination toys can be easily integrated into children’s everyday routine. If you think your child might need some extra assistance in developing their hand-eye coordination, Apricus Health is here to help. We can provide Occupational Therapy services and have our own in-clinic and online store, Sisu7, selling educational and therapeutic toys and products, with a purpose that addresses a wide variety of developmental and educational skills.
www.pakmag.com.au | February 2022 39
Health
All Things Health The Benefits of Meditation
Jana Gorski
After the past two years, people are turning to meditation to help ground themselves and relax. Meditation is used to encourage a heightened state of awareness and focused attention, through the use of techniques such as mindfulness, to achieve a stable state with psychological and physiological advantages.
Naturopath - Calanna Whole Health Pharmacy
Meditation allows for better focus and concentration as well as lower levels of stress and anxiety. Sleep meditation increases the natural melatonin levels to help with a most restful sleep and reduces cortisol levels, which is the hormone associated with stress. It allows the body’s heart rate to lower, increasing the ability and quality of a night’s sleep; as you rest your mind simultaneously with the body. Meditation doesn’t come easily, it takes practice and patience with yourself, but the more you do it, the more comfortable you get. To help you with sleep and relaxation, Morphée is a nondigital, effective and portable device with 210 combinations of guided sessions carried out by a team of relaxation experts to suit everyone. My Little Morphée is for your little ones and has over 190 meditative journeys including visualisation, breathing and relaxation exercises to prepare children before bedtime, or even during the day to wind down. Morphée is available for purchase from JB HIFI, Amazon AU, Temple & Webster, and Officeworks. $149.00 - www.morphee.co
Dear Jana, How will a Food Detective Test help me? Fatigue, bloating, irregular bowel habits, tummy pain, aches, pains, brain fog and headaches are common complaints that can have a variety of causes. Sometimes, it’s a food intolerance. While the gold standard for food intolerance testing is the elimination diet which can take many weeks, the Food Detective Test gives you results for and IgG immune reaction to 48 foods in 40 mins. Removing foods from your diet may resolve your symptoms but risk inadequate intake of essential nutrients. After identifying your food triggers, your Naturopath can advise you on how to maintain a diet for optimal health. Calanna Whole Health Pharmacy www.calannapharmacy.com.au
Visit www.pakmag.com.au/ win for your chance to win!
IgG Food Detective Test Is your gut not what it should be? Are you struggling with fatigue or frequent headaches? Your symptoms may be triggered by an intolerance to certain foods and the IgG Food Detective Test may help you identify which ones. Food Detective is designed to identify IgG antibodies produced in response to a range of foods, including meats, nuts, fruits, vegetables, grains, and more. Unlike a standard elimination diet which is restrictive and can take weeks, the results from Food Detective are available within an hour. Book online for a test with one of our Naturopaths today www.calannapharmacy.com.au/naturopathy
Consult your local health practitioner, doctor or pharmacist for advice on these topics first to ensure the best health outcomes.
www.pakmag.com.au | February 2022 41
Daddy Diary
Daddy Diary I hate to admit it but my mother was right all along… veggies are good for you, looking directly into the sun is bad for you, and watching your children grow up does happen far too quickly. It’s that last one that has got me all emo lately. How is my baby boy nearly three and my baby girl now in Grade 3! Where did the years go? The start of the school term hit me like a ton of bricks. Matilda (our little “Miss 7”) isn’t even one of the little kids at school anymore. You know that awkward time when their backpack is bigger than their actual back, and the uniform always seems kinda baggy. Those days seem so long ago. That cute, pudgy little preppy has been replaced with a cool and confident young lady. I’m just not ready. At the end of last year my seven going on 17-year-old was all made up (red lipstick and all) for her end of year dance concert. This image actually brought on tears. STOP GROWING.
But it’s not just Matilda that has me feeling like a senior citizen. Charlie, our “Mr 2”, is equally responsible. Mate you are supposed to be my baby boy. What happened? It honestly feels like yesterday that we piled your heavily pregnant mother into the car to welcome you into the world. Now you’re screaming towards birthday number three and absolutely ruling the roost. It’s Charlie’s way or the highway at the Clifton residence. The Boss Baby movies could have been your biopic. Our big, bold, bossy boy. I once heard parenthood described as the longest breakup a person will ever endure. With each year that passes, our children become just that little less reliant on us… and eventually they will fly the coop. But we parents need to rest assured - they will always be our kids, and I believe they will ALWAYS need us. It’s just what they need from us that changes. In the meantime, if Matilda and Charlie could cool their jets a little we might be able to stop my hairs from greying at rapid speed. Your mother and I love you both to the moon and back. Cliffo Hit 103.1
www.pakmag.com.au | February 2022 43
Community Noticeb o ard
Come and Try Parents and Partners Information Session
Looking to kickstart your fitness journey in 2022?
JCU is hosting a free information session for parents and partners of new students. The afternoon will provide information on student support services, the university experience, how you can best support students, and the associated costs of going to university. The session will be held at the Sir George Kneipp Auditorium, JCU Townsville Campus, at 2.30pm - 4.00pm.
The Townsville City Council has created a jam packed calendar filled with chances to showcase and get involved in community sport, recreation, health, and fitness sessions for everyone. Trials will be running until Sunday 20 February so there’s plenty of opportunities to try your hand at something new. Check online for the full calendar, get active, get healthy, and get the whole family involved!
www.jcu.edu.au/events
www.activetownsville.com.au
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g D ay When: 9 Febru ary Where: Animal Care & Centre Adoptio n More in fo: The c ouncil is free mic offering rochipp ing to re dogs an gistered d appro ved cats Townsv in ille. Find out more book at and www.to wnsville .qld.gov .au
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The Veronicas Live When: 4 February Where: Townsville Entertainment & Convention Centre More info: The Veronicas are back and hitting the road. They’ll be supported by an all female gang including Hope D, Yorke, and We The Wild Ones. www.tecc.net.au
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Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 It’s time to get that Olympic spirit going again as the Winter Olympics kick off on 4 February. This time held in Beijing, we’ve got high hopes for the Australian team, plus we’re eager to see all the sports we don’t get too much of up here in North Queensland. Our favourites include all sorts of skiing, figure skating, and bobsleigh because that’s some serious speed! You can follow the Aussie team online at www.olympics.com.au and on facebook @AUSOlympicTeam and check out olympian profiles, sports info, and schedules. The Winter Olympics will run through until 20 February, so you’ve got plenty of time to catch an event or two www.olympics.com/en/beijing-2022
Chinese New Year Chinese New Year Celebrations kick off in February to celebrate the year of the Tiger - king of all beasts. The last time we had a year of the Tiger was in 2010 and it was Gold, however this time around we are living in the year of the Water Tiger, a symbol of learning ability, self-esteem, strength, and bravery - we’re taking that as a good omen for the year to come! This year’s celebrations will begin on 1 February, and can last up to 16 days. Due to the current situation you’ll need to check online for event updates and any celebrations that may arise. And remember, it is said that wearing hats or shoes with tigers on them will bring you good fortune it’s worth a shot!
Get Involved! We’d love to hear from you! Head to www.paktownsville.com.au/community to submit community news or a notice, and also view the full community noticeboard online.
www.chinesenewyear.com.au
Please confirm the above details are correct before visiting during these uncertain times. We have done our best to ensure all details are correct at time of print.
www.pakmag.com.au | February 2022 45
What’s On TUESDAY 1 FEBRUARY Chinese New Year Keep up to date on events to celebrate the Year of the Water Tiger chinesenewyear.com.au North Queensland Camera Group Photography Club meeting monthly on the first Tuesday of the Month. QWCA, Denham St, Townsville 7.00pm - 9.00pm / first meeting FREE / G www.nqcg.org.au 66th Townsville Art Society Awards Runs until 13 February Perc Tucker Regional Gallery 10.00am - 5.00pm (Monday Friday) / FREE / G www.townsville.qld.gov.au/ptrg Fresh Material Exhibition Runs until 6 February Perc Tucker Regional Gallery 10.00am - 5.00pm (Monday Friday) / FREE / G www.townsville.qld.gov.au/ptrg Come and Try Tai Chi for Beginners Riverside Gardens Community Centre 5.30pm - 6.30pm / FREE / All ages whatson.townsville.qld.gov.au Come and Try Introduction to CrossFit Movements CrossFit North Queensland 5.30pm - 7.30pm / FREE / All ages whatson.townsville.qld.gov.au After School Art Club Runs weekly until 29 March Perc Tucker Regional Gallery 3.30pm - 5.00pm / $60.00 $90.00 / Ages 7 - 12 www.townsville.qld.gov.au Under The Hood - Workshops This is a hands on workshop where all students will learn about the mechanical trade. Runs until 3 February Oonoonba Road
9.00am / FREE www.uniquepartnerships.com.au WEDNESDAY 2 FEBRUARY Zumba with Merryl Runs weekly until 22 June, except public / school holidays Heatley Community Centre 6.00pm / $10.00 per session / G - All ages whatson.townsville.qld.gov.au Junior MyGolf Stars Runs weekly until 23 February Townsville Golf Club 4.45pm - 5.30pm / $79.00 / Ages 8 - 10 www.townsvillegolfclub.com.au Kidzfit at Genesis Health + Fitness Runs every Wednesday Genesis Health & Fitness Thuringowa 3.45pm / $5.00 per child, $45.00 for a 10-class pass / 5 10 years (fully-supervised) Genesis Health and Fitness Thuringowa P 4723 1490 Junior MyGolf Rookies Runs weekly until 23 February Townsville Golf Club 2.45pm - 4.30pm / $79.00 / Ages 5 - 7 www.townsvillegolfclub.com.au Business in Heels Picnic Breakfast & Networking Kala Wellness Studio 7.00am to 9.00am / $60.00 - $90.00 Beyond Beginner/Intermediate Cuban Salsa Choreography 9 week course, runs weekly BFITT – Townsville 8.30pm - 9.30pm / $125.00 / M globaldancecollective.com.au THURSDAY 3 FEBRUARY Small Business Workshop The Ville 8.30am - 10.30am / FREE / 18 + www.employsure.com.au/ seminars Yoga for Happiness 5 week programs, run weekly until 15 December Townsville South State School
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With HIT 103.1’s Cliffo & Gabi
6.30pm - 8.00pm / $100.00 / M www.employsure.com.au/ seminars Playtime at the Library With First 5 Forever Runs weekly Hinchinbrook Shire Library 10.30am / FREE / Ages 0 - 5 www.library.hinchinbrook.qld. gov.au FRIDAY 4 FEBRUARY Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Runs until 20 February www.olympics.com Come and Try - Wheelchair Basketball The Strand - Basketball Half Court 4.30pm - 7.30pm / FREE / All ages www.activetownsville.com.au The Veronicas TECC 5.00pm / $63.00 - $83.00 www.tecc.net.au/event/theveronicas Anna Weatherup The Drawing Room 6.00pm - 9.00pm / $35.50 www.eventbrite.com.au Summer Sounds - Ocean Alley Also runs 5 February CPAC, Cairns 7.30pm / $80.00 / PG www.cairns.qld.gov.au/CPAC SATURDAY 5 FEBRUARY Lehmo Live Comedy TECC 8.00pm / $45.00 / PG premier.ticketek.com.au
Come and Try Learn to Swim Lesson Long Tan Memorial Pool 9.00am - 11.00am / FREE / All ages whatson.townsville.qld.gov.au Come and Try Football Sign on Day Charles Moroney Park, Kelso 9.00am - 12.00pm / FREE / All ages whatson.townsville.qld.gov.au Anna Weatherup Amaroo On Mandalay, Magnetic Island 6.00pm - 9.00pm / $30.00 www.eventbrite.com.au Jennifer Board Carnival Runs until 6 February Victoria Park 8.00am - 7.00pm / $180.00 per team / 15 + E: jenniferbmfc@gmail.com Parents and Partners Information Session Sir George Kneipp Auditorium, JCU Townsville Campus 2.30pm - 4.00pm / FREE www.jcu.edu.au/events Stuck On Auto - Beginner Photography Class Camera House - Townsville 9.00am - 12.00pm / $149.00 / M E: townsville@camerahouse. com.au Fun Flower Workshop Design, create, learn and enjoy a drink on arrival with platters. 12-18 Village Dr, Idalia 6.00pm - 8.00pm / $130.00 www.psnq.com.au SUNDAY 6 FEBRUARY
Isaac Butterfield Outlaw Kirwan Tavern 7.00pm - 8.30pm / $65.00 / 18 + www.kirwantavern.com.au
The Wiggles - Fruit Salad TV Big Show Tour TECC 10.00am and 1.00pm / $39.90 $42.00 / G www.thewiggles.com
Establishing the Basics 5 week programs, run weekly until 17 December Townsville South State School 8.00am - 9.15am / $100.00 / M www.yogaaspirations.com.au
Come and Try Scouts Sign on Day Kirwan Scout Den 10.00am - 2.00pm / FREE / Ages 5 - 26, and Scout Leaders 18 + whatson.townsville.qld.gov.au
Junior MyGolf Boys & Girls Runs weekly until 27 March Townsville Golf Club 8.30am - 9.15am / $89.00 / Ages 5 - 12 www.townsvillegolfclub.com.au
Come and Try Junior Ice Hockey Warrina Ice Skating Rink 5.00pm - 6.30pm / FREE / Under 18’s www.activetownsville.com.au
Come and Try - Martial Arts Oceanic Martial Arts 9.00am - 2.00pm / FREE / Ages 3 + www.activetownsville.com.au
Come and Try Junior Ice Hockey Townsville Bridge Club 9.15am - 12.00pm / FREE / All ages www.activetownsville.com.au
MONDAY 7 FEBRUARY First day of school term 1 Come and Try - Wheelchair Rugby League Mates4Mates 5.30 pm - 7.30 pm / FREE / All ages www.activetownsville.com.au Under The Hood - Workshops Runs until 11 February Oonoonba Road 9.00am / FREE www.uniquepartnerships.com.au TUESDAY 8 FEBRUARY Safer Internet Day www.esafety.gov.au/sid Toddler Time Runs weekly during school term. Townsville Stadium 9.00am / FREE (bookings required) / for carers and toddlers aged 24 + months whatson.townsville.qld.gov.au Baby Rhyme Time Runs weekly during school term. Townsville Stadium 10.30am / FREE (bookings required) / for parents and babies 0 to 24 months whatson.townsville.qld.gov.au
Gnocchi Cooking Class Also Runs 9 February Simply Italian 6.30pm - 9.00pm / $90.00 / www.simplyitalian.com.au/ An Introduction to Mindfulness and Meditation 4 week course Inner Light Meditation Centre 7.00pm / $145.00 / M www.mindfulnessworks australia.com.au WEDNESDAY 9 FEBRUARY Free Microchipping Day Animal Care and Adoption Centre 9.00am - 2.00pm / FREE / Bookings essential whatson.townsville.qld.gov.au TheatreiNQ’s Orphans by Dennis Kelly Runs until 20 February, excluding 14 and 15. The ClubHouse - TheatreiNQ 7.00pm - 8.30pm / $30.00 $36.00 / M www.theatreinq.com iActivate Showcase Learn about the latest businesses for good emerging in North Queensland 143 Walker St 5.30pm - 7.30pm / FREE / G www.spnq.org
Please check with individual businesses before visiting during these uncertain times.
Townsville Business Networking Breakfast Bringing Australia’s business owners and leaders together. Hotel Grand Chancellor Townsville” 6.30am - 9.00am / $35.00 Business Networking Events Health Science Toolkit To help you prepare for university study in health science degree programmes. Runs until 10 February. JCU Townsville Campus 9.00am - 3.00pm / $50.00 www.jcu.edu.au
Frenchy - Ruthless Returns Comedy Tour Otherwise Bar 7.30pm / $47.50 / 18 + www.frenchycomedy.com Summer Sounds Vera Blue CPAC, Cairns 7.30pm / $70.00 / PG www.cairns.qld.gov.au/CPAC SATURDAY 12 FEBRUARY
THURSDAY 10 FEBRUARY Baby Rhyme Time Runs weekly during school term CityLibraries Thuringowa Central 10.30am / FREE (bookings required) / for parents and babies 0 to 24 months whatson.townsville.qld.gov.au Storytime Runs weekly during school term CityLibraries Thuringowa Central 9.30am / FREE (bookings required) / for carers and children aged 3 years + whatson.townsville.qld.gov.au Townsville Influencers (Women in Building) An opportunity for women, and the people who support them, to discuss a range of building and construction industry business topics. Master Builders Queensland 9.30am - 11.30am / FREE www.mbqld.com.au
FRIDAY 11 FEBRUARY
Come and Try - AFL Riverway Stadium 10.00am - 11.30am / FREE / Ages 5 - 12 www.activetownsville.com.au Come and Try Dragon Boating Loam Island Boat Ramp, Rasmussen 8.30am - 11.00am / FREE / 18 + www.activetownsville.com.au Townsville Hockey Sign On & Exhibition Day Townsville Hockey Association 4.00pm - 6.00pm / FREE / G Townsville Hockey Association MONDAY 14 FEBRUARY Valentines Day JCU Orientation Week Runs until 18 February JCU Townsville www.jcu.edu.au TUESDAY 15 FEBRUARY Come and Try - Ice Hockey Warrina Ice Skating Rink 5.00pm - 6.30pm / FREE / All ages www.activetownsville.com.au
www.pakmag.com.au | February 2022 47
What’s On
With Triple M’s Pricey
TUESDAY 15 FEBRUARY
THURSDAY 17 FEBRUARY
JCU Postgraduate Students’ Orientation Night Informal information session for students. The Science Place, Townsville Campus 5.00pm - 7.30pm / FREE / Students www.jcu.edu.au
Come and Try Figure Skating (Ice) Warrina Ice Skating Rink 6.00pm - 7.00pm / FREE / All ages www.activetownsville.com.au
Under The Hood - Workshops Runs until 15 February Oonoonba Road 9.00am / FREE www.uniquepartnerships.com.au WEDNESDAY 16 FEBRUARY Come and Try Fitness Games Bootcamp Connect4 Railway Estate State School 5.10am - 6.10am / FREE / 18 + www.activetownsville.com.au Townsville Campus Forum Information session for principals, career advisers and guidance officers. CQUniversity Townsville Campus 8.00am - 10.30am / FREE www.cqu.edu.au Recovery of the Great Barrier Reef Expedition Runs until 20 February Great Barrier Reef, Magnetic Island $795.00 / 18 + www.earthwatch.org.au The Ripple Effect: Empowering Men’s Movement Share conversations surrounding Men’s health and wellbeing. Inner Light Meditation Centre 6.30pm - 8.30pm / FREE www.therippleeffect.com.au Digital Advertising Workshop - Facebook Ads TYTO Conference and Events Centre 5.00pm / FREE www.hinchinbrookway.com.au
Townsville Animal Health Workshop Professionals event JCU Vet Building 8.30am - 1.00pm / FREE www.eventbrite.com.au Digital Advertising Workshop Youtube Advertising TYTO Conference and Events Centre 5.00pm / FREE www.hinchinbrookway.com.au Townsville Fire v Sydney Uni Flames TECC 7.30pm / $15.00 - $25.00 / All ages www.firememberships.com.au FRIDAY 18 FEBRUARY Riverway Movie Screening Missing Link Runs every third Friday until 17 June Riverway Oval 7.00pm - 8.30pm / FREE / G whatson.townsville.qld.gov.au Vainei Poly Social Night Vainei is having another Island Night with more entertainment and music meeting pacific Islands, reggae, and old school all in the one night only. Mansfield Hotel 6.30pm - 11.30pm / $30.00 www.trybooking.com SATURDAY 19 FEBRUARY Come and Try - Table Tennis Townsville Table Tennis 10.00am - 3.00pm / FREE / All ages www.activetownsville.com.au
Please check with individual businesses before visiting during these uncertain times.
Come and Try - Disc Golf Harris Crossing Disc Golf Course 3.00pm - 5.00pm / FREE / All ages www.activetownsville.com.au Come and Try - LV Dance Zumba Session Heatley Community Centre 9.30am - 10.30am / FREE / All ages www.activetownsville.com.au Come and Try Discover Sailing Townsville Yacht Club 10.00am - 2.00pm / FREE / All ages www.activetownsville.com.au Cool Change – The Little River Band Story A Tribute to the Aussie Rock Legends who became The Little River Band TECC 8.00pm - 11.59pm / $49.00 / G www.tecc.net.au Arcadian’s Aussie Family Fun Day Arcadian Surf Life Saving Clubhouse 11.00am - 12.00pm / $20.00 / G www.arcadiansurfclub.com.au Alpha Wolf a Quiet Place to Die Tour Dalrymple Hotel 7.30pm / $29.90 / 18 + Alpha Wolf
1.00pm - 3.00pm / $5.00 / M www.pechakucha.com 2022 Aquathon Series - Race 2 The Strand Various times / FREE $20.00 / 7 + Townsville Tri Club MONDAY 21 FEBRUARY Under The Hood - Workshops Runs until 25 February Oonoonba Road 9.00am / FREE www.uniquepartnerships.com.au TUESDAY 22 FEBRUARY Nourishing the Heart and Spirit 8 week program, runs until 12 April Townsville South State School 6.30pm - 8.30pm / $192.00 / 18 + www.yogaaspirations.com.au Epilepsy Queensland Dinner and Chat Brothers Leagues Club 5.30pm / FREE entry / G E: livingwell@ epilepsyqueensland.com.au THURSDAY 24 FEBRUARY Kevin Bloody Wilson Townsville RSL Club 8.00pm - 10.30pm / $63.00 / 18 + www.townsvillersl.com.au FRIDAY 25 FEBRUARY
FRIDA - Pinot & Picasso Pinot & Picasso Townsville Venue 2.00pm - 5.00pm / $59.00 www.pinotandpicasso.com.au SUNDAY 20 FEBRUARY Sooshi Mango - Off The Boat TECC 7.30pm / $60.00 - $167.00 / Recommended for ages 12 + www.tecc.net.au PechaKucha Night Townsville The Heritage Exchange
PechaKucha Night Townsville The Heritage Exchange 6.00pm - 8.00pm / $5.00 / M www.pechakucha.com Hockey Dad Dalrymple Hotel 6.30pm / $45.00 / 18 + Hockey Dad Summer Sounds - RocKwiz LIVE! Also runs 26 February CPAC, Cairns 6.30pm / $80.50 / PG www.cairns.qld.gov.au/CPAC
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What’s On SATURDAY 26 FEBRUARY Understanding and Managing Epilepsy The session is open to all people living with or impacted by epilepsy - including parents, carers, employers, community support workers, allied health and support providers. CityLibraries Thuringowa Central 1.00pm - 3.30pm / $100.00 myimpact.epilepsyqueensland. com.au SATURDAY 5 MARCH The Celebration of Swing Townsville Civic Theatre 7.30pm - 9.30pm / $55.00 -
$85.00 / G whatson.townsville.qld.gov.au FRIDAY 11 MARCH The Cathedral School Prep Open Day The Cathedral School Townsville Register online www.cathedral.qld.edu.au SATURDAY 12 MARCH Townsville Grammar School Family Fun Morning Townsville Grammar School Annandale & North Shore 9.00am - 11.00am www.tgs.qld.edu.au
MONDAY 14 MARCH
SATURDAY 19 MARCH
Open Day Ignatius Park Ignatius Park Townsville 3.15pm - 6.00pm www.ipc.qld.edu.au
LOST & FOUND Music Festival Townsville Turf Club 12.00pm - 10.00pm / From $99.00 / M whatson.townsville.qld.gov.au
THURSDAY 17 MARCH St Patrick’s College Twilight Open Evening St Patricks College Townsville 5.00pm - 7.00pm www.stpatscollege.qld.edu.au
Moulin Rouge Runs until 17 December Stage Door Theatre Restaurant Various days and times / $80.00 - $95.00 / PG www.stagedoortheatre.com.au
Ocean Film Festival 2022 Townsville Civic Theatre 7.00pm - 10.00pm / $25.00 $32.00 / G www.oceanfilmfestival australia.com.au
Regular Markets Renegade Handmade Markets Date: 2nd Sunday of the month Time: 8.00am - 12 noon Location: Marian School Hall
Bluewater Twilight Markets Date: 2nd Saturday of the month Time: 4.00pm - 8.00pm Location: Bluewater Community Centre
Balgal Beach Markets Date: 1st Saturday of the month Time: 8.00am - 1.00pm
Location: The Esplanade, Balgal Beach.
Strand Night Markets Date: 1st Friday of the month (runs from Feb to Dec) Time: 5.00pm - 9.30pm Location: Strand Park, North Ward
Mundingburra Markets Date: 3rd Sunday of the month Time: 7.30am - 12.00 noon Location: Mundingburra State School
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Willows Rotary Markets Date: Every Sunday Time: 7.30am - 11.30am Location: Willows Shopping Centre Car Park
Ingham Raintree Community Markets Date: 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month Time: from 7.00am - 12.00 noon Location: Rotary Park, Ingham
Elliot Springs Market Date: 2nd Saturday of the month
Time: 8.00am - 12.00pm Location: Elliot Springs Blvd, Julago
Cotters Markets Date: Every Sunday Time: 8.30am - 1.00pm Location: Flinders St
Wulguru Markets Date: Every Sunday Time: 7.00am – 12.00 noon Location: Wulguru Soccer Grounds 14 Edison Street, Wulguru
Please check with individual businesses before visiting during these uncertain times.