TALK ABOUT TOWN

Newsflash: Fairy Queen appointed WA Ambassador for Children's Week 

Fairy Queen Caroline will be performing her magical hand-clapping, toe-tapping interactive show at a variety of events in celebration of Children's Week. Beginning Sunday 23 October, Children's Week highlights the role, rights and needs of children within the family, the community and the world.

WA families are invited to participate in a variety of activities featuring The Children's Week Awards of Recognition 2005 ceremony on Friday 28 October at the WACA and culminating with the Children's Multicultral Festival at Hyde Park on Sunday 30 October. Visit the Children's Week page at www.meerilinga.org.au to find out how you can be involved.

Can't wait that long to see your favourite fairy? 24 September to 1 October sees Fairy Queen Caroline at the Perth Royal Show with performances at 11am, 1pm, 3pm and 5pm in Kiddieland. Meet Fairy Queen Caroline and Beehive the Bear, and enjoy a free story in Lillybrook, Fairy Queen Caroline's fabulous fairyland. Fairy Queen Caroline will be delighted to personally sign her books, song CDs and DVDs which will all be on sale at special prices.

Audition and ëSing, Sing, Sing!í ñ great prizes to win

Perthís leading performing arts school is launching a new singing competition that offers a range of prizes across five categories, including recording a specially written song, a yearís free tuition, and $500 cash per category, with an extra $500 for most popular singer. 

Stage Door School of Performing Arts will run a series of knockout heats commencing in October and culminating with a concert featuring the five finalists in each category. There will be four categories and three stages: Under 12s; Under 15s; Under 18s and Under 25s.  

Each person will audition with one song on 2 October at Stage Doorís premises in Subiaco. The next heats will be on the 23 October, with each participant performing their song to a backing track. The final five for each category will perform at Penrhos College on Sunday, 6 November.
An experienced panel of judges will be at the eliminations and final concert.

For details, visit: www.stagedoorschool.com or call Stage Door on 9381 6190.

Wildflower Festival has something for all ages

This yearís Kings Park and Botanic Garden Wildflower Festival promises to entertain parents and children alike.

For the little ones there is free fun provided by art tutor Natasha Stone, who will show them how to make fairies, goblins and cute Australian characters from nuts and leaves, or bush creatures from clay.

Meanwhile, the science marquee has in-depth displays of plants that will fascinate older children ñ orchids, trigger plants with their curious mechanisms, and sea-grass, the only plant that flowers while permanently submerged beneath the ocean.

Young scientists will enjoy exhibits that explore the complexities of plant DNA, the intricacies of conservation ecology, and the techniques that are used to make Western Australiaís most stubborn seeds germinate.

For parents, there are a dozen colour-coordinated, themed landscaped bays to inspire home gardeners ñ particularly those who want to grow specimens of our unique local flora in containers.

Other attractions include plant sales, free guided wildflower walks, camel rides, Aboriginal dance, a performance by the Australian Girlsí Choir, and talks on subjects ranging from photography to how to pot up Australian plants.

The 2005 Kings Park and Botanic Garden Wildflower Festival is open daily from 9am to 5pm, from 22 to 26 September.

Fun down on the farm

New to the picturesque Swan Valley, the Cuddly Animal Farm is a wonderful place for children and grown-ups alike to visit. Visitors can experience the joy of getting ìclose and personalî with a variety of farmyard animals in an outdoor country atmosphere.

Not only are the beautiful baby animals a big attraction, but thereís also a bouncy castle, playground, train rides around the farmyard and lots of other things to do. The Swan Valley Cuddly Animal Farm is also a fantastic place for birthday parties (catered or non-catered), school excursions, playgroups, family, seniorsí, club and corporate events and fundraisers. Barbecue facilities are available and you can even stay overnight at the farm B&B.

Balancing family and finances: the solution

Balancing family time and money demands challenges all parents. Those making good money have little time with the family, those who spend more time with the family donít have as much money. Thankfully there is a solution.

Building a part-time business from home is a trend allowing parents to have both time with the family and money.  Opportunities are available to work with an award-winning Business Week 2004 Top 10 Growth Company, which is publicly traded on the US share market and has been voted the best company seven years in a row by MLM Insider.

Find out how you can start your own business that generates multiple income streams on a shoestring budget, without the expensive overheads of employees, rent, or stock, and without the headaches and stress of creating your own products, marketing or administrative systems. Call Lisa Lin at Financially Secure Systems and Coaching on 9381-1188.

An interesting parenting idea!

Ever had trouble with children not listening? Imagine if you had a class of 30 kids! Adrian Coufos, a teacher at Hillarys Primary School, has come up with an interesting solution: the Prize Factory. He rewards well-behaved students throughout the day with tickets giving them a chance to spin the wheel for a reward!

If it works well in classrooms across Perth, imagine the Prize Factory helping out in the home. Never again will you have to nag for chores to be done, or motivate children to good behaviour with threats. Instead your child will naturally strive to be good to get a chance at a special reward. Imagine the peace and quiet, the completed chores and tidy rooms!

Awesome International Arts Festival for bright young things
18 ñ 27 November

The tenth annual Awesome festival descends on Perth in November, with a feast of events that lift all limits on imagination, innovation and excitement. A 25-foot-long sleeping sow, two amazing bouncing kangaroos on stilts, and giant astronauts in inflatable suits are just a few of the fantastic free things to see and participate in.

The highlight of the 2005 Awesome Festival, and the only ticketed event, will be the Jigsaw Theatre Companyís critically acclaimed adaptation of ëThe Lost Thingí, WA author Shaun Tanís best selling book. A young boy finds a surreal looking creature, lost in a world that only looks straight ahead and has no place for anything that is different. The Boyís search for a place for The Thing leads him into mysterious, unknown parts of the city. This production features beautiful puppetry, live action and multi media in an installation set that surrounds the audience.

Hand printed black & white photography
by Nicole Boening-McGrade

Would you love photographs of your newborn, child, family, couple or other friends and family as a special Christmas gift for loved ones this year? Nicole Boening-McGrade specialises in hand-printed, black and white fine art photographs, which have a unique quality all to themselves.

Nicole has achieved an enviable reputation Australia-wide for her artistic approach to photography. Her ability to capture a unique personality in each portrait, and her talent for using her camera to create art has always set her apart.

Auditions for classical ballet training

WAís leading classical ballet school, Terri Charlesworth Ballet Centre, is holding auditions for its 2006 Professional Course on Sunday, 23 October 2005.  Applicants from 8 years of age are invited to audition.  

The 10-year course uses the Vaganova method of training, considered the finest syllabus for classical ballet.  Other subjects studied include Repertoire, Contemporary, Composition, Drama, Spanish, Character, Music, Dance History, Anatomy and Pilates.  Successful applicants become members of Youth Ballet WA Inc, Perth's largest full time youth company, comprising 90 members. 

There are two training options offered:
* After-school hours from eight years of age, or
* Full-time study from 12 years of age, combining academic and ballet studies on the premises.
Students can enter at any level on either option.
To register for audition, call Carole on 08 9444 6457 or e-mail tcbc@bigpond.net.au.

Bedtime and toilet training solutions 
by Margaret Saunders

Is bedtime bedlam in your house? Would knowing how to have your child begging to go to bed, falling asleep fast and other secrets, feel like heaven?

Is toilet training or the very thought of toilet training giving you the #@*%!? Would knowing how to toilet train your child in just one day be a lifesaver?

ìI should have had your manuals a long time ago,î says Julie. ìIt would have saved so many tears in our house.î