TALK ABOUT TOWN

How to have more time with your kids & be financially independent

Itís true that life changes when you have children. Isnít it wonderful to spend time with your children and watch them grow? It warms your heart when you see their first smile, their first step.

Children grow so quickly and it would be a shame if you canít be there for them. What would it feel like to spend quality time with your children and be financially independent?

ìI know what it feels like,î says Lisa Lin. ìI used to feel guilty when I had to leave my kids to go to work. But I quit my job and Iím spending quality time with my three beautiful children and enjoy every minute of it.î

Would you like to know how you can be financially independent without sacrificing the precious time that you can spend with your children and partner? If you would like to know more, contact Lisa Lin on 0414 537 015 and she will be delighted to share her experience with you.

Marvellous mothers arenít miracle workers

Mothers are doing more today than ever before ñ and should be proud of themselves!  Whilst Motherís Day gives others a chance to recognise your importance in your childís world, you donít have to do it all by yourself.

ìYou want the absolute best for your child, and often just want advice on how to take your kids to the next level,î says Christine Figueiredo, Specialist Speech Pathologist from Your Turn Speech Pathology, also a proud mother of two.

During May, Your Turn is offering a free 15-minute review of your childís communication skills.  What a great way to celebrate Motherís Day whilst putting your mind at ease and setting your child on the right path to achieve their potential..

Christine has extensive specialist skills and assists kids located in Belmont, Redcliffe, Rivervale, Vic Park, Mt Lawley, Inglewood, Bayswater, Morley, Bassendean, Swan View, Guildford, Lockridge and surrounding areas.  She can be contacted on 9477 3573 for more information.

Bright Future for families in the City of Gosnells

Families in the City of Gosnells can look forward to a Bright Future as the Cityís Town Centre Revitalisation Scheme draws to a close. To mark this milestone, the community is invited to join in the cityís celebrations at the Bright Future Festival on Sunday, 1 May from 10am to 6pm.

The Festival will be staged at key locations in Gosnells Town Centre, including Pioneer Park, The Agonis, Addie Mills Centre and Federation Parade. The SmokeFree WA event will be hosted by Channel 10 personality Tim Gossage and features a great line-up of live entertainment and fun for people of all ages.

Enjoy the Sambanistas street theatre, Tod Johnston and PeaceLove, multicultural foods at Food Fest, urban art and a climbing wall for the kids. For the green fingered or green-all-over, there will be the Gosnells Horticultural Societyís 56th Annual Autumn Flower Show and Green Scene, an interactive display dedicated to the environment and sustainable living.

Help set a world record and raise funds

Whatís the world record for the most number of people to have morning tea at the same time? There isnít oneÖ yet!

As part of Australiaís Biggest Morning Tea on 26 May 2005, the Cancer Council Western Australia is joining others around the country in trying to set the inaugural world record morning tea. The council urges West Australians to get behind the attempt and at the same time make a contribution to cancer research and services.

Registrations are now open for people wanting to host a morning tea at home, work or just about anywhere you can boil a kettle! To find out more about the world record attempt or to register as a morning tea host, call 1300 65 65 85, or visit www.biggestmorningtea.com.au

Early intervention

Kids who struggle academically often show signs of reading and learning difficulties from a very young age.  In fact, an experienced pre-school teacher can probably identify children likely to have difficulties once they reach school following only three days classroom contact with the child. 

The early years of zero to five are big indicators of learning potential. Research shows that the brain is particularly ìplasticî at this stage, with the greatest potential for growth.  If a child is not hearing properly for extended periods over these years, problems can surface in various areas and should be checked out.

Ongoing poor hearing can result in problems with understanding phonics, which so critical to learning how to read and spell.  Both concentration and paying attention are learned skills that should develop during the early years.  A child who cannot follow more than one instruction, who doesnít sit still and listen and instead relies on copying what other children are doing, may need help.

My best advice is first to have a hearing check-up and consult a speech pathologist for intervention to address these difficulties. Not all children who have hearing loss display problems with speech and language, yet this is a common indicator of sustained hearing loss over this period.  I recommend Fast ForWord Basics as a very effective tool for teaching young children the particular sounds which make up the English language. 

If your child doesnít meet developmental milestones, you need to find out why.  Call Sonic Hearing on 9271 7711 for more information.

Children and stress - what happens?
Frankie Needham Counsellor and Play Therapist

We tend to think of stress as something that affects adults, in the workplace or burdensome situations. Children also experience stress, however, as ìsomething on the outside that makes them feel something on the inside, (Stern 2002)î. Children can sometimes describe what happens inside of them as ìfeeling upsetî or places they ìdo not want to goî in situations that they experience as stressful.

Children are at risk of long-term problems when they experience any of the following: a parent diagnosed with a life threatening illness, death, the daily hassles of school life, tests, learning difficulties, difficulty making friends, low self-esteem, chronic illness, exposure to family violence, graphic news stories or pictures. Does this sound like you child? Does your child need help? 

If you are distressed about your childís ability to cope and are unsure about what to do, call Frankie on 9480 9429 for an appointment.

Catch up, keep up, get ahead!!

Kip McGrath Education Centres help your child to catch up, keep up and get ahead at school!  Professional tuition, by qualified and experienced teachers, is offered for primary and secondary students in reading, mathematics, spelling and all areas of English.

Students are given a comprehensive free assessment. An individual programme is then designed using the highly-acclaimed Kip McGrath Programmes.

The Kip McGrath method of tuition ensures that children experience constant and accelerated progress, leading to improved learning outcomes, as well as better study habits, increased confidence, independent learning and motivation.

The Australian-designed programmes have been successfully helping children overcome learning difficulties for over twenty-five years. Kip McGrath is Australiaís largest tutoring business with over four hundred and fifty centers around the world.

See the yellow pages for a centre near you or visit www.kipmcgrath.com.au

Mealtime Battles
Carol Smith - Clinical Psychologist, Child and Adolescent Specialist

Mealtime problems are a common difficulty, but one group of children can turn this challenge into a nightmare for parents. They are called ìselective eatersî, or more commonly ìfussy eatersî. These children, however, are more than fussy; they are downright obsessive. Selective eaters simply refuse to eat anything outside an extremely restricted range of foods.

Choices typically include bland foods such as white bread, crackers or plain pasta. They may eat cooked chips but only a certain kind; everything is very specific and only certain brands are tolerated. Cheese is often on the list but meat and vegetables donít rate a mention. Youíre lucky if they eat the odd piece of fruit. They do eat junk food but not all sorts.

Important news for parents with these children is that they are not attention seeking and it is not your fault. Some children are born with a very restricted range of tastes. We all have certain foods that we just donít like, but for these children that range is very limited. Typical management strategies, like star charts, or statements such as, ìno other food until you at least taste something on your plate,î do not work. If there are battles going on at dinnertime, you may be preventing you child expanding their range of tastes.

Selective eating is a big problem, not only in terms of impact on the family, but because later on it can impact on the childís social life. Self-esteem and general emotional well being may also be compromised.

The good news is that you can learn how to avoid mealtime battles and increase the range of foods your child eats. Contact Carol on 0407 828 944, or for appointments call 9328 2064.

Todayís simple moments ñ tomorrowís treasured memories

Do you love the thought of stress-free, fun and relaxed portraits of your children or family? Cringe at the thought of posed studio portraits? Love the thought of candid, portraits that capture the essence of your child and the fun and love of your family? Want to capture the beautiful memories of your pregnancy or have a romantic couple photography session just for your partner and you?

Nicole Boenig-McGrade specialises in true black-and-white photography on location: your home, the beach, by the river, favourite park... She works with soft and dramatic natural lighting, with a relaxed, candid approach to capture the inhibitions and natural beauty of your child and family.

Nicoleís craft represents fine art furniture for the home or office, with a timeless appeal. All of Nicoleís portraits are custom printed by hand and of the finest archival quality.

For further information or to make a booking, call Nicole on 0417 189 169 or visit her website at www.nicoleboenigmcgrade.com

Visit Perth Zooís new African Painted Dog exhibit

Perth families can now experience one of the worldís most mysterious and exceptional species, taking centre stage at Perth Zoo in a new exhibit as part of a major expansion of the zooís African zone.

It is hoped that the arrival of a breeding pack of African Painted Dogs and the opening of the exhibit, which forms a dramatic new entrance to the African Savannah, will lead to successful breeding of this threatened species at Perth Zoo.

The Zoo is part of an Australasian captive-breeding programme for this unique animal which has suffered a dramatic decline in numbers in its home range in Africa.

Perth Zoo Chief Executive Susan Hunt said the importance of the regional breeding programme for the African Painted Dog was underlined by the disturbing fact that until recently there were tens of thousands of Painted Dogs in Africa but just 3,000 were now left in the wild.

ìWe hope that this African Painted Dog pack, comprising two males and one female, will quickly expand with the addition of some precious offspring,î Ms Hunt said.

Perth Zoo is offering Adults at Kids Prices each Wednesday throughout May ñ a perfect excuse to discover the fascinating African Painted Dogs. For more information, visit www.perthzoo.wa.gov.au

Brand new kidsí super store for Perth

At last Perth has a true one-stop kidsí shop! Kids Central in Claremont offers a complete selection of the best products for newborns to seven-year-olds. Kids Central is a large and spacious store so parents can see the full product range of products in themed surroundings. Staff is helpful and knowledgable, and service standards make shopping a pleasure.

Kids Central is a unique retail concept. Unlike other stores, the individual brands stock and staff their own shops within a shop, which means that you are dealing directly with the owner of the brand.

At Kids Central youíll also find the Baby Central Gift Registryó just like a bridal registry but specifically designed for baby showers, christenings and birthdays. Expecting mothers will receive the best advice and be able to select from the best products for setting up their first nursery. After all, you wouldnít want anything less. 

To celebrate their arrival in Perth, Kids Central has a great selection of opening specials from OshKosh, Treehouse and Early Learning Centre, plus you can enter the draw to win a $1000 shopping voucher. So, get on down to Kids Central, located at 44 Gugeri St in Claremont (behind the Post Office). Call 9286 2188

Where the ìwild thingsî are

The WA Gould League has been nurturing a passion for nature in children for over 20 years. If you have not yet discovered ìwhere the wild things areî, why not get involved in the range of family and school learning experiences at Herdsman Lake Wildlife Centre?

Most contemporary learning models are based on the philosophy that if we provide the learner with knowledge, then we get a change in attitude and values. Experience tells us that this is largely ineffective. The WA Gould League offers ìaction-centred learningî, an experience centred on students engaging in hands-on activities. It has adopted the model in its school-based environmental education programs, with remarkable success.

The WA Gould League offers a range of family learning experiences including Bird Walks, Swamp Safari Holiday Adventures, Living with Tiger Snakes and a Family Freshwater Festival. The focus in May is on spiders with a presentation by an expert at 7.00pm, Friday, 20 May, at the Wildlife Centre, followed by a torchlight hunt through the swamp to see our own creepy-crawleys. Bookings are essential. Phone 9387 6079.