Lock-down day 29. We are stressing, but we realise that we still have it very good. We still have a house over our heads. Although it is not our house anymore. We can't wait to move to our new lodgings. We are not sure if we will be able to move yet in Stage 4, but all fingers crossed. We can't believe it's been nearing a month of this. (This too shall pass!)
I am still on stand-by, and go into the office as required. Miss Fine has gotten into a good routine with her weekly homework. Which is a lot of work. I am grateful that we have the devices, and wifi, but we are struggling with printing stuff. (And then I think of all the learners who don't have any, and I feel very grateful that we are able to continue.) Miss Fine also loves the fact that she can sleep a bit later.
Miss Fine is a bit of a dawdler, but we get her moving with a bit of delayed gratification. "You do this, and then you can play, play with an app, watch YouTube, or connect with your friends on your phone." We also got the super cool link to the Mattel playroom, which has given us great ideas and apps of what to do during this time.
This video from Hasbro made me shed a few tears. Play time is extremely important for children. We are so busy in our daily lives that we do not have time for the most important thing: Playing. We also forget that we should make time to play with our children as well. They crave the attention of their parents in fun interactive playing.
We CAN make some time each day to engage more meaningful with our kids.
Thanks for the reminder, Hasbro! This weekend we will take out the Monopoly again. (I had to scroll back quite a few months to find the photo shared above. That's scary!)
Visit Hasbro Gaming @MonopolySouthAfrica on Facebook for more information.
Disclaimer: We are not paid to post this, but we got a Hasbro Monopoly as gift a while ago, and we have not played in quite a while.
Photos from the OMO Gallery of Stains #WashLessLiveMore
Wash Less Live More! This is a positive hashtag that we can all get behind!
Shout-Out to OMO for running with this great hashtag! We can use it for all live quotes:
Clean Less Live More
Tidy Less Live More
Dust Less Live More
Cook Less Live More
We were invited to an OMO GALLERY OF STAINS activation at Cresta this weekend. It was open and free for all to enjoy! (Next time you see an activation at Cresta, jump in! It is always so much fun!)
Play-Doh Kitchen Creation - Cake Party #PlayDohImagination
Hasbro has come up with another great range of creative play! Who would have thought that these little cans of Play-Doh clay can be used for so many things? The Kitchen Creation range is inspiring mini-chefs all over!
Little Miss was extremely excited when she got her box "Cake Party" last night. For once there was no whining (talking about the parents) and the homework was done in a flash! Before she started to play...
The new Kitchen Creation range consists of 13 playsets, such as Play-Doh Sizzlin’ Stovetop, Play-Doh Magical Oven, Play-Doh Frost ‘n Fun Cakes and Play-Doh Ice Cream Treats.
Play-Doh Cake Party time is all about making imaginative cakes to celebrate any occasion, using stories, decorative cutters and tools to make the most fabulous cake creations. Little Miss loves helping out in the kitchen and this is a perfect way for her to sharpen her decorative skills. (Without leaving the kitchen in a mess! WIN-WIN)
The upcoming blog posts will be divided into girl and boy toys, but there are also toys that both genders will definitely enjoy to play with! Of course I will be starting with toys for girls, as my little girl loves her girl toys. You can say what you want, but she's not really into cars or robots.
The new Cresta Family Room facility is a place I want to keep to myself. But... It would be selfish, and Little Miss won't be needing it that much any more. (I wish there was such a facility when she was a baby and a toddler.)
The Cresta Family Room is the oasis all parents want and need while they are shopping. A safe free haven for 45 minutes available to all to go to when you need to.
- There will be a concierge looking after the facility to only let parents with children through.
You are able to:
- Change the diaper
- Heat up food or a bottle
- Breastfeeding
- Playing
- Resting
- Family toilet (which won't be inaccessible because of workers or selfish adults using it!). This one we will also still make use of!
- Breathing space for the little ones (AND big ones!) This too!
- Cool "prize" to the little ones after a shopping trip!
I was invited to the launch of the Cresta Family Room, but that's not why I am sharing it here. I think it is my duty to notify all parents about something that should be in all shopping malls.
Cresta Family Room launch
Play area at Cresta Family Room
Virginia Bester, General Manager of Cresta Shopping Centre
Nikki Bush, the parenting expert, had a few good pointers (Commandments) when taking children to a shopping mall:
Nikki Bush about smart shopping as a parent
(OR: Parenting on the run)
1. Avoid rush hour if possible.
2. Make shopping an outing after nap time. Children need to have outings. Make shopping an outing!
3. Please work around your children's routine.
4. Be prepared like McGyver. Never take a hungry child shopping. Let child eat before taking him to a restaurant.
5. Keep refreshments on hand.
6. Hunt in pairs - mum, partner, etc - to help with watching, carrying, distraction.
7. Have a plan when shopping. Need to be strategic! Include children in planning. Get them to Memorize when 7 or 8. What shops did we visit? (Use their grey matter)
8. Remember to take a break. Just be with family.
9. Set rules/boundaries/scene before reaching the Shopping Centre - scenario planning as CEO of family. Predictability which gives security. Rewards that can dangle before kids. Go to pet shops, play area, toy store. Do not have to buy. Window shopping is fun! Need to learn to wait. Bubble gum machine also fine.
10. Need to be the boss of the show! Parents feeling stressed, guilty but not building emotional intelligence. Use your tone of voice! Calm. Assertive. Lower your voice! Keep your sanity and keep it secure! Stranger danger - opportunity to teach children. Do not play hide and seek!
According to Nikki Bush it is entirely possible to have quality time with children while you are "a parent on the run".
She inspired me to look at my shopping experiences with Little Miss in a different light! It is not always easier when they are bigger, because they want to have a say! About every-thing!
(Or is just us?)
Check out the Family Room at the Food and Entertainment Court at Cresta. I hope the signage will be up, but it is into the same passage as the general toilets. (You will know when you find it!)
It was a very low-down weekend here. The budget was low, and we chilled at home.
Luckily it started with a package delivered from Our Generations Dolls which I had won over on Blessed Barrenness' blog. Little Miss got Abrianna with a camping set! She could not wait to get home to open up the package. (That made our Friday afternoon drive much easier in traffic!)
That started a whole weekend of camping inside and out of the house. She even got me sleeping inside her tent on Friday night, and still believes we both slept there for the whole night!
Setting up the Our Generation Doll camp set
Her friends came over and they "camped" the whole of Saturday and Sunday. We usually have a rule that there is no playing inside houses and they had no issues playing outside this weekend!
It worked perfectly with this weather. It's summer here!
It's lovely summer again! (How I love Summer! I have to note it, again!)
Little Miss even complained when we went for an ice-cream at five today!
She still wanted to play!
Little Miss has been playing with three OT Toys from the Toy Kingdom OT campaign.
Toy Kingdom have identified a few guidelines on choosing OT toys, and also have compiled a list of OT toys that's available in their stores across South Africa. I have shared previously about how I have changed my mind completely about occupational therapy, and that I think it has worth for all children. Especially when they start with school!
It makes a lot of sense to have creative toys in the home. Dana Katz, a registered occupational therapist, believes that moderation and responsible use is key when talking about too much screen time for children. To counter excessive screen time children of all ages should be playing with traditional toys and play actively and independently inside and outside.
Little Miss chose the following from the OT toys available at Toy Kingdom. We based our selection on her age, and what she can use for a couple of years!
ZOOB
Zoob building set
The building set pieces are able to move after the kids have put them together. Children are able to play and manipulate their creations!
Little Miss was so excited when we got this, because she knows it already from school. She said she wanted to kiss it five times! (Definitely worth buying it!)
Anti-Virus from Smart Games
This IQ building set develops logical thinking skills, encourages strategic planning. It also develops visual and spatial perception. The game has 60 challenges on 5 levels.
Little Miss enjoys it and I know we are going to use for quite a while!
Grammar Wise from Chalk & Chuckles
We selected Grammar Wise from the Chalk and Chuckles series. It claims to exercise your colour and language muscles at the same time.
As Little Miss's home language is not English, this is still a bit advanced for her. But she is beginning to read English at school, and we are definitely going to use this in future!
She made a few good choices!
Give-away
There is another R750 gift voucher up for grabs for one reader of this blog.
It is unfortunately only open to South African readers.
The Rafflecopter starts on 26 April, and ends on 3 May at 12 am.
(The list of OT Toys from Toy Kingdom is saved in Google Drive.)
You are welcome to submit all the Rafflecopter prompts for more entries, but one prompt will also give you an entry.
We had such a great time doing an urban Picnic at The Workshop in Newtown on Saturday!
We are always searching for something different to do on a weekend, and this is is definitely ticking all the boxes!
The whole family are able to sit on grass, in-between train tracks, beneath shades and having lunch from The Potato Shed or Town at The Workshop. With live music for the whole afternoon!
There's jumping castles, swings and a colouring station for the children.
And there's craft beer!
We will be back!
It's on every Saturday from 11-4pm.
(There's safe underground parking at Newtown Junction)
Disclaimer: I received an email about the launch on Saturday, but we paid for ourselves!
We really had a great time!
Toy Kingdom is running an OT Campaign, and as part of the campaign they are launching OT Workshops in some of their shops. Check out Toys that Teach Workshop in Sandton City on Thursday 12H00-14H00 and RSVP as soon as possible as space is limited!!
Parents of children who are identified with development issues, do not always know what they can do to help. It is my view that all children need some help in one area or another of development, and it does not hurt to have toys that help children to participate successfully in their environment.
The workshop, which will be hosted by OT therapist, Stefanie Kruger, will focus on the following:
Definition of OT and when or if to take your child for an assessment?
Why is there an increased need for OT today? (Electronics, schooling, etc?)
Which skills need to be mastered in early development, and what are the consequences later in life if the development did not take place?
How to choose educational and traditional toys that help in assisting with development?
How to balance between screen time and traditional play and when it interferes with development?
Our kids do not get to play as much as they should any more, and they spend far too much time with electronic devices and watching television. A recent research publication in Britain identified that 25% of children aged 2-5 years have smartphones, while 56% are aged 10-13 years. More scary results of studies in the US revealed that over a third of children under the age of 1 year are using smart devices.
I would not mind taking my child for more OT therapy sessions. The OT therapist never used the same OT toy or technique with each session. I was amazed with the variety of toys she had available.
I am extremely pleased to hear that Toy Kingdom places strong importance on using educational toys to help children develop the skills needed to participate in their environment.
Grant Webster, COO of Toy Kingdom, says “Keeping traditional educational toys in the home for playtime is becoming increasingly important in this day and age of electronic devices, so that children can still spend time developing the basic skills associated with play.”
There are different types of toys that can assist in a child’s development at home.
Guidelines of what sorts of toys are suitable to assist in building skills:
Toys that encourage problem solving
Children’s motor and problem solving skills should be encouraged, as it gives them a chance to try and figure things out for themselves.
Examples: Lego and building blocks
Toys that will help build strength in children’s hands. (Prerequisite for writing)
Example play dough scissors.
A ZOOB creation by Little Miss
Smart Logic Game - Anti-Virus
Things that feel ‘weird’
Toys with sticky or slimy surfaces help children to experiment with texture.
Toys that require the use of both hands
Using both hands well can help with colouring, cutting and writing.
Examples: Winds up toys; simply tossing and catching a ball.
Toys that encourage pretend play
Fantasy and play stimulate creativity as well as social skills in children.
Example: Toy Kingdom’s Shopkins range is a perfect set-up for children to play with pretend food and enjoy make-believe scenarios.
Because toys are so expensive, it is definitely a bonus if it addresses developmental needs as well. Even more so when we can strike a balance between screen time and play time with challenging toys!
Play area at Toy Kingdom
One reader can win a Toy Kingdom voucher of R750 to spend on OT toys available at Toy Kingdom in South Africa. There are 12 stores in South Africa already!
I have saved a list of the OT Toys from Ideal Cycle Toys at Toy Kingdom on Google Drive.
It is only a small selection of the OT toys that are available at Toy Kingdom.
Unfortunately this give-away is only open to South African readers.
The Rafflecopter will close at 12 am on 20 April.
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. We got R1500 to spend on OT toys. A lovely lady Siza helped us at Toy Kingdom Cresta to select. We selected The Smart Logic Game - Anti-Virus, Zoob building pieces and Grammar Wise. I will do a follow-up with these specific toys, with another give-away next week.
Good luck!
A toy project that involves a Toy Library! This is definitely something that has been added to my online Christmas Shopping list!
Little Miss was sent a "Princess Jewellery"-item from the series of The Little Toys that Aren't - which are available for purchase on Spree. The donations are helping to stock a Toy Library in Mpumalanga.
We all know how important play is to our children, and that they do not play enough!
The Topsy Foundation is an NGO that cares for orphaned and vulnerable children in rural Mpumalanga. There is often not enough money to put food on the table and keep the household going, let alone provide toys for the kids to play with. These circumstances are robbing them of the opportunity to develop some of the vital skills they’ll need later in life.
The Topsy Toy Project is trying to right this wrong. Kids in the communities where Topsy work end up playing with whatever junk they find lying around. Their makeshift robots, dolls, cars and fairy wands inspired our own range of toys – The Little Toys that Aren’t.
Through a partnership with Spree and Your Parenting, these bits and pieces are being virtually sold online as real toys. Shoppers are able to make a donation by “buying” one of ten different toys, with the full amount going straight to Topsy to stock their Toy Library. Through the Topsy Toy Library, partnerships have been formed with twenty-three day care centres in the area, as well as a centre for physically disabled kids. With Topsy’s help, more than 1 400 children are now getting access to specialised educational toys and better-trained teachers. We’d like this campaign to also spark a bigger conversation about early childhood development and how important it is for parents, teachers and nannies to help kids learn through play.
Spree is available on mobile as well, and it is very easy adding one of these Little Toys that Aren't as a R20 donation on the site.
Spree on Mobile
Princess Jewellery - The Little Toy that Aren't
We are struggling to contain the overflow of toys in our house, and it is humbling to see that kids can play with make-shift toys like these.
I hope that this project will help more children to play with the real thing!
Making friends with other children and their parents can seem even harder than dating. Juggling the social interactions of your kids as well as your own is a complicated dance, and many parents often end up feeling lonely and without support. Here are some tips to planning play dates in your own home in order to foster friendship for you and your children.
Build a friendship group
If you’re searching for friends for you and your children, consider local playgroups and preschools. Your children are most likely to play well with friends and kids they see often, so utilise the resources you already have and chat to parents at the school gate or playground. Playdates are just as much for parents as they are for children, so invite parents you’d like to get to know better or have things in common with already. If you can, arrange to meet parents one evening without your children, so you can get to know each other properly and start to form the bonds without little ones tugging at your sleeves. A wine bar, casual dinner, or movie night are all great bonding opportunities, or choose another event you will all enjoy.
By setting up a playdate schedule, you and your children will feel a sense of regularity and come to expect and look forward to playdates. Scheduled playdates have the added benefit of spreading out hosting duties. When you play at other’s homes, offer to bring snacks or toys to help out other parents, but most parents will likely prefer to take turns and prepare their own snacks when they host. When your turn to host comes around, try to be flexible about your home: remember that the happiest homes are often the messiest, or your guests will pick up on your stress level. Keeping calm and relaxed helps everyone to have a great time!
Create a child friendly play space
If you have children, your home will likely already be set up for child friendly play. Designate a safe space for children to play semi-independently (a playroom or part of the living room work well) while adults chat and hopefully find a little time to relax. The best playrooms have separate areas for different kinds of play. Art stations, quiet/reading corners, dressing up areas, and building tables are all vital parts of the playroom. Set up a few activities at the separate stations to foster independent play for your children and their guests.
Theme playdates
Once your children have met a few times and are comfortable with each other, a regular playdate may start to seem a bit boring. Spice things up by offering themed meetups, such as teddy bear picnics, tea parties, or dressing up parties. You don’t have to go to too much trouble to satisfy your child’s imagination, but the little details do make a difference. Cut the crusts off some cucumber sandwiches, dress up with your fanciest jewellery, and get involved with your children during snack time to make their regular play dates feel extra special.
By planning your own play dates, you can control your social schedule and your children’s play environment at the same time. Find a solid and reliable social group, rotate play dates, and keep things interesting with themed events. With any luck, you and your kids might just make a few lifelong friends.
