You are currently browsing the tag archive for the 'South Africa' tag.
It’s strange, scary but also true how many children do not know how to read. I was watching a documentary recently on how children all over the world are being passed over from one grade to the next, without knowing the most basic of essential survival tools in our world today, how to read. This is especially true in South Africa.
So what is going on, why are children not reading, why is the learning process taking a turn for the worse? What can we do about it? For one thing, there are endless other forms of entertainment consistently available at their little finger tips. From TV, Videos, Games and the biggest technological culprit, the internet, games that talk to you so you do not have to read and in extremes it is simply a case of poverty or school classes so big that teachers cannot teach, and due to incentive based outcomes, teachers are passing the children as it is simply easier for them. Either way the least we can do for our children is give them a love for literature from a very young age. With it being proven time and time again, that children who read from a young age are likely to be more successful in life and are more likely to excel in whatever it is they do, reading should be a priority.
When is a good time to start reading to your child? Well from the moment they are born really. Even an infant finds the sound of mum or anyone talking, soothing. Not only does reading to your child increase their vocabulary at a rate you cannot even comprehend until they are much older, but teaches them that reading is important. Taking time out to read to your child can even be relaxing for you. It will instill a sense of curiosity and interest in your child and as they get older even help with your bed time routines.
The very best way to get kids to do anything is to teach them through example. Occasionally, turn off the TV and sit down with a good book. Doing so will help your children to see how important reading is. As your son or daughter grows, the two of you can read together. Take turns reading a story to one another, or read a page and then have your child read the next page and so on. Tell the story with enthusiasm and don’t be afraid to really get into it and make funny faces and voices. I have loved doing this over the years and have even taken it the point where I was doing a different accent and voice for every character in a story, which is a lot more fun than you think. If you enjoy reading time, so will your kids.
Personally I have been reading to my daughter since she was born and every night, as part of the bed time routine, we have read a story. From the time she was 2, she knew that bed time, meant story time and getting her to bed, even if I read the same book every day or the story was short, was never an issue. I am happy to report, that 8 years on, it has all been worth it. Just 2 days ago, she said to me ‘mum I think I am going to read to myself tonight’. I will admit, I love our story time together and was a little upset I wasn’t going to be included in this session. At the same time however, I was over the moon. So I put on her night light and just so that we had a little bedtime fun, handed her a torch and did a quick shadow puppet show for her. She proceeded reading ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ for 30 minutes independently for the first time. It was a moment I have been anticipating for years and I will never forget it. It made me the proudest mom in the world in that moment, for having successfully inspired a love of literature in my daughter.
Giving your child books for gifts instead of a steady stream of toys, they hardly play with, will signify how important books are to you. Even before he or she can read, you can encourage a love for books in your child. Purchasing classics and collections of books in all genres will definitely keep the interest high. Taking them with you to the book shop to choose their own will give your child a sense of control and allow him or her to explore his/her own likes and dislikes. Then by exhibiting curiosity in what your child is currently reading, and asking a few simple questions about each book can also encourage excitement and a natural inquisitiveness. When you do reach this stage though, remember not to push to hard. Understand that for your child, reading should be fun and something they want to do, not have to do.
Sometimes you will find your child may have trouble reading. By being closely involved, you will more likely be able to pick up where the issues are and stop them, in their tracks while any issue is still in infancy. To ascertain difficulties, asking your child to read out loud to you is the best bet, you will immediately see if they are struggling and with what aspects they are struggling. If you do pick up on an issue that goes beyond your capabilities, don’t be scared to obtain assistance, from teachers and other professionals. Once your child has a better grasp of reading, the desire to read will grow. Be encouraging and try not to show frustration at temporary setbacks that occur from time to time. Find books that are of great interest to your kids, and this will act as a source of motivation for further reading.
Even if your youngster does not require reading help, take him or her to the library to sign up for a library card. Visit the library regularly and encourage your son or daughter to try several different kinds of books. Make it an important, special occasion. You will both begin to look forward to these outings and the opportunity to relax and enjoy a good book in the calm, quiet atmosphere of the library.
If you praise your son or daughter whenever they read rather than watching television or playing video games, your praise will be rewarding to them and they will attempt to continue impressing you reaching new goals, slowly but surely, reading will quickly become a normal part of your children’s routine and one day you too will look back and say, ‘Wow, today I am the world’s proudest parent!’ as your child turns off the TV and heads to bed with their book, lost in a world of imagination and growing a strong and intelligent mind for the future.
You know, our website has always been a source of immense pride for me. Every word, page, article and piece of information has been created with love, thought and of course always keeping in mind that it should be easy for our clients to use.
I was beyond chuffed when Leroux from Artificial Studio sent me a mail that Louise at www.eduwrite.org had sent to him about Sitters4U’s website.
Hi there
I have just been using sitters4u. What a well-designed website! Usually these database-driven sites are slow, confusing and cumbersome. This site is a breeze.
All the best
Louise Sterling
Thank you Louise! You made my day.
As a follow up to one of our recent posts , ” Mom, make up, a freeway and no seatbelt.“, I thought it would be a good idea to load up this video I took yesterday at our First Aid course, which we host for both our candidates and the public on a regular basis. Michelle van der Merwe, popped in to give a 15 minute chat child safety around vehicles.
The facts are scary. 84% of children in South Africa do not wear a seat belt. If you are in an accident driving at 50 km’s per hour it is equivalent to throwing your child off a second storey building ( that’s when you are in an accident with a stationary object) or having 30 adults stand on top of him or her. It is our responsibility to ensure that we reduce 80% of the fatalities in children involved in vehicle accidents in South Africa. Child fatality in accidents is currently the 4th leading cause of death in the country. All it takes is a few seconds, and yet 84 % are currently not strapping their children up! Wake up South Africa, 80% of these deaths are preventable.
more about "Viddler.com – Your videos – Currently…", posted with vodpod
Recently I made a little discovery that you will be very interested to hear about. Firefly’s… What is a firefly? Well, you know that sinking feeling you get about buying your child a cell phone? Worried about the usage and whether it’s going to be a good idea? I certainly have been! I have been considering getting my 8 year old daughter a phone for emergency use but at such a young age I was worried about her abusing the phone and not understanding that calling your friends mom to organize play dates without asking me first is a no, no. The Firefly is set to change all of that for me, and it could for you too!
The Firefly phone - The Peace of mind Cellphone
For only R575.95 you can now stay in contact with your child 24/7! Its a 5 button phone, and you works purely on a speed dial basis. You can load mom and dads number, emergency numbers and anyone elses number that you think is important. It has a password protected phone book with storage for up to 20 numbers and you can even programme it to reject calls from numbers not in the phone book. No fancy cameras, MP3 player or video. They come in a range of fantastic funky colours and the entire phone lights up when a call comes through, talk about cool and safe!
Check out the firefly by clicking here or you could purchase one right now by clicking here and purchasing online, with 24 hour delivery its so convenient.
I just received an email from Petra Vonk. They have launched their new website and I was so impressed I had to let everyone know about it! If you are looking for something fresh, an environment that inspires your staff and gets your office on a permanent creative buzz, look no further. Petra Vonk , based in Cape Town, specialises in creating the most inspiring and creative working environments I have seen in a while. They do interior design, graphic design, creative and strategic development ( from concept to campaign launch) and project management.
Check them out by visiting their website: www.petravonkdesign.co.za. I particularly loved this boardroom.
Do you know of other creative interior agencies in South Africa? Tell our readers about them
Today I have to admit I have been feeling a little under the weather. Both my daughter and I have been at home, sick , and of course hubby isn’t feeling a thing, yet. I think I pulled through the day in fine form though.First there was coaxing my daughter to stay in bed, which was difficult but we survived with a few books, some drawing and more coaxing. Work was another story altogether… and I feel its my duty to tell you why, even though my head was throbbing and my temperature a little above normal, it was a great day!
What made it such a great day? Well normally its happy clients and candidates that make my work rewarding but let me bring your attention for a moment, and my praise, to a company that worked wonders with a smile for one of our clients this morning. About 2 days ago the client contacted me and told me she would be flying to Cape Town and would require a babysitter over the weekend. We sorted out for her booking for her quite quickly and then early this morning, she called. She had just landed at the airport and had to hire a vehicle but then she had a bit of a shock. She realised she did not have a car seat for her 14 month old son.
Frankly, I’m a little surprised to find that vehicle rental companies do not have car seats available for rent, apparently they don’t ( I know shocker right!). She called to ask me to find out if perhaps I knew of a place she could hire one from. Right off the bat I knew who to call…. Babylite , I found them a while ago and they are listed on our “Mom’s Link Directory”. They hire out a massive array of child related products including prams, car seats, baby monitors, toys , walkers, chairs, safety gates and more. Better yet is that they are everywhere from Cape Town, to Johannesburg, to Plett, to George, Durban and a long list of others.
To take some pressure off the client though, I called on her behalf. I got through to Shawn from their northern suburbs branch. Now just so that you can understand the magnitude here, the client is staying in town centre which is quite a distance in Friday traffic from the northern suburbs ( at least an hour and a half, both ways). I asked Shawn to give her a call and assist. Shawn called her right away, took her requirements down and Babylite then delivered the car seat to her at her guest house. A little while later she called me to say thank you. What superb service! Shawn and Babylite, on behalf of our client and myself, a big thank you! You and your company really made my day!
Recently my daughter and I have been on a bit of a Roald Dahl binge. It started with ‘The Giraffe, The Pelly and Me’ and slowly we have worked our way through a large array of them with more to come shortly:
- The BFG
- The Witches
- Matilda
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
- Fantastic Mr Fox ( one of my daughter’s favorites)
Since my daughter was very little (in fact from the time she was born) I have been reading to her. Its amazing how reading to your child at such a young age, even is he or she does not understand the wording at the time, extends their vocabulary at a rapid rate. I will never forget the day she came to me and said her first proper full sentence, it was “Mommy, the flower is beautiful” she was just over a year old at the time and it was one of the proudest moments of my life and it just keeps getting better. Why just yesterday, my daughter’s teacher came to me and remarked on her fantastic behaviour in the middle of the mayhem that transpired (I don’t have the exact details on this but it sounded pretty raucous). She got up, removed herself from the situation, quietly sat down and read a book until things calmed down with the other kids. I don’t know if I have mentioned it, but we don’t have DSTV or even normal free stations on our TV set. In fact the last time I watched TV was in March of this year. So we keep a large array of movies instead. Perhaps that is helping the interest in books along?
Besides Roald Dahl though, we have managed to sneak in a few lovely illustrated books which my daughter truly loves including:
Winnie the Witch who goes on the most absurd adventures and has the two of us shouting abracadabra every time we turn the page.
My Granny was a frightful bore( but she isn’t anymore) , one of my all time favorite story books, on finding this book in my local exclusive books I felt a sense of nostalgia creep over me, and it was as if my heart jumped. An absolute classic and a must have! If one day I am able to do even one of the things this granny gets up to at age 82, it would be amazing. The book has a bit of a rhyme to it and is a lot of fun to read together.
The Gruffalo’s Child , every bit as good as the Gruffalo itself, ‘The Gruffalo’s Child’ takes you on a journey through sights and sounds and descriptive words that your child will pick up easily due its rhythm and easy to read style of writing.
Now that she is getting older, and to encourage her to read on her own more, another little idea that recently spawned in my head was to buy her several colourful and illustrated encyclopaedia’s. Every evening now instead of her catching half a movie, I ask her to find out about something new, yesterday it was about Inca’s and today’s topic was Ancient Egyptians, she does this while I make supper and then we discuss it at dinner. It then becomes a family discussion and the resulting conversation brings us closer together as well.
A love and passion for reading and literature is a wonderful gift to give your child and something alot of kids are missing out on to easily these days due to being exposed to, too much electronic media, too young.
We are always looking for new books to read though, so my question is, what are you reading to your kids at the moment? What are theirs, and your, favorite children’s books and why? Sharing is caring after all, so please leave a comment for us to share with other mom’s ( and me too).
Hi Bianca
Thanks so much for arranging this on short notice. Please find attached pop.
Astrid
and,
Morning Bianca,
I am going to fax you a copy of the contract today. The original I’ll have to post;
So nice to be sorted out with home support so that I can actually get some work done! I have already recommended your company to a friend of mine.
Kind regards,
Alexandra
Hows that for a feel good way to start your day? Certainly put the shine back into mine even though it is overcast and raining.
I was just reading this article ” http://www.news-leader.com/article/20091005/OPINIONS/910050318/1006/RSS06″ online and it struck me to share! Domestic violence and child abuse are 2 things in this world I detest more than anything else and although this article is about these apparitions taking place in the United States, I feel it applies world wide.
Both these atrocities can be found rife in South Africa ( with almost 60% of relationships involving some sort of spousal abuse (and that’s the reported stuff), to say that its okay when it isn’t, to ignore this worldwide issue, which spans across all races, religions and classes is to ensure another generation where the issue continues.
What can you do to help?
- To find help sources click here
- What is Domestic violence? Click here to find out.
- What laws apply to protect children and victims of abuse, how can you report it or stop it? Click here for more information
- Where can you find help? Click here to find out
- Want to talk to someone now for advice? Call 08000 55555 at any time
I seem to have induced an insatiable need to write tonight and perhaps a little self induced insomnia? You have probably noticed, I have been a little quiet lately.
This tends to happen in Winter for just about every year, as far back as I can remember. We are just so busy, even though its been quiet season there have been a thousand things going on and every little job we do, requires the same top treatment and energy from me and the team to be placed, whether its simply a babysitting booking or an au pair placement, from an hours work to 30 or more per job, what to do? What to do! I am always amazed what sitting behind a computer screen does to me when its cold and raining! I just cant, and don’t want to move. I tend to get lethargic about exercising ( when you work behind a PC screen all day this can happen to easily) and my diet goes on a binge for all things scrumptious. From red wine and pasta dishes to really anything that’s loaded with carbs.
Now that Spring is finally in the air though, and I am waking up early again without needing 3 alarms and a cup of coffee. To top it off, today we also started our annual detox. That means; no wheat, no red meat, no refined sugars, no alcohol and worst of all no dairy ( okay, I always end up cheating a little when it comes to dairy, but at least I try) for the next 10 to 14 days. I know it will be worth it though ( hopefully so will the sudden need to clean everything until it shines).
I have been preparing for this annual migration to my favourite ‘food time’ of the year, spring+ summer= fresh fruit and veg= alot more energy. It may sound weird but about a month ago I started my Multibionta onslaught of multivitamins in preparation for today ( I found their 30 day challenge really useful with the free daily sms reminder, take the challenge on www.30daychallenge.co.za). Finally my daughter and I went shopping with a list as long as my arm. We had so much fun browsing for anything fresh from strawberries to baby carrots and making up recipes for the week as we shopped. For tonight I put together a fantastic rye pasta dish with mushrooms, chicken , spinach, tonnes of fresh herbs and ( oh dear I have been naughty already) a dash of cream.
It was surprisingly lovely and we all enjoyed it. Even my hubby did and he doesn’t take well to rye or fresh anything. Usually he gets through detox on roasted nuts, bananas,white meat and as few greens as possible.
I wonder how many other people out there also go through a similar phase at this time of the year?If you happen to know of any good recipes that I should try to make our detox time a little more exciting ,please let me know. I love cooking and would love to hear your favourites dishes ( links welcome).
Anyway seeing as it is back to school tomorrow, I guess its time for a good night’s rest, honestly if I don’t get to sleep soon I might need a midnight snack, and if I have a snack now, its another 30 mins on the treadmill tomorrow.
Hope you all have a fantastic week that puts spring back into your step!
