Creativity to the Rescue!
“Family life needs to be revived. It needs to provide meaning and possibility in order to restore hope to the future. For it is within families that hope lives.” Nikki Bush & Graeme Codrington, Future-proof Your Child: Parenting the Wired Generation (Penguin, 2008)
September 2008
Dear Clients & Colleagues
The count-down has begun – it’s only a few days until my book, Future-proof Your Child hits the shelves! This is the book I have co-authored with futurist and strategist Dr Graeme Codrington which combines my passion for play, and commitment to helping parents stay connected to their children, together with Graeme’s special interest in the world of work both now, and in the future. The result is a book that addresses what parents need to know about tomorrow today, why they need to know this and what they need to do about it for themselves and their children to thrive in the future. I did a quick count the other day and found that we have included over 450 creative and practical ideas to help you build your parenting framework, develop the X-factors for success in your child and develop your family brand. You can pre-order it at a special introductory price at Kalahari.net . The official launch takes place on 29 October. I will keep you posted with details when they are confirmed.
After presenting Future-proof Your Child to the South African Heads of Independent Schools Association (SAHISA) in Bloem last Wednesday, I raced home to prepare for my youngest son’s 9th birthday party – a Fun & Games Party. My mum, my sister and her 3 year old son came to help make the homemade hamburger patties (much nicer than bought ones) as the partygoers were going to Build-a-Burger and Create-your-own Ice Cream Sundae (easiest catering ever!) While we were busy, Declan played beautifully by himself for over an hour in his cousin’s bedroom with the crane, truck and train set and then it was time for lunch. He was starving but he wasn’t going to eat…….until that is, I created a gastronomic adventure for him. The ingredients were normal lunch fare that he had just declined, but the presentation and the name of the meal was what got his interest. “Come Declan, let’s make a Smorgasbord for lunch!” (he had no clue what I was talking about, but it sounded exciting). I whipped out a small square wooden chopping board and put out some little rice crackers, a squishy processed cheese triangle, sliced tomato and rolled up pieces of ham, together with a blunt knife. This child who said he didn’t want ham or rice crackers then spent the next 40 minutes spreading the cheese on the crackers (and his fingers) making gastronomic cracker towers that should get him onto the Bacon Kips TV ad. Declan landed up making his own lunch at age three, and he ate it all too! He had a fabulous sensory learning experience which was nutritious at the same time.
Sometimes just a tiny bit of creativity on the run does the trick. Children are engaged by our creativity (the simpler the idea the better), and they disengage when we lack creativity or are boring. Bear in mind that this is the wired generation who are used to being surrounded by fast-moving technicolour images against which we compete much of the time. We need to be unpredictable at times and be able to pull the cat out of the bag for maximum effect when necessary (try letting your primary school child do his/her spelling or times tables in flour on the kitchen table instead of in their jotter – works like a charm). Last Friday, none of us had time to negotiate with Declan. He needed to eat before becoming unplayable as hungry children do – creativity to the rescue!
As for my son’s party party, 15 nine year olds also enjoyed making their own food and this was interspersed with games of Bingo, Beetle and Brain Quest (general knowledge) which they found quite a novel experience!
FORTHCOMING TALKS & WORKSHOPS – GAUTENG
In between numerous talks at schools I will be presenting the following public workshops in October:
Nuts & Bolts Workshop
27 September 2008, Saturday, 9.30am – 12pm Douglasdale
R250.00 per person
Suitable for parents of children from 2 – 5 years. Minimum of 8 people required for this workshop.
A fun, interactive workshop covering the specific perceptual skills your child needs to acquire within the first 6 years of life in order to be ready for school. Learn how to be creative with your classic educational toys such as: shape sorters and stackers, threading and pegging games, matching and association games, puzzles, gross motor equipment, construction toys, etc. This workshop takes parents well beyond what’s in the instruction leaflets. Put your own stamp on your child’s play experiences by using your imagination, adding love letters, breaking the rules and combining games in order to create more games! Come prepared to play. For more info, click here.
Parenting on the Run Workshop
11 October 2008 Saturday, 9am – 11.30pm Miele Gallery of Fine Living Peter Place, Bryanston
R250.00 per person. Suitable for parents of children from 2 – 7 years primarily, but all activities will still be of benefit in the later years too. Minimum of 25 people required for this workshop.
Come and learn how to cheat time in this interactive 2 ½ hour workshop. Leave armed with over 100 creative and practical ideas for converting what you would normally consider wasted time with your children, into quality time. Far more detailed than the one hour talk, and includes my ever-popular suggestions for what to pack when travelling. For more info click here.
Official book launch of Future-proof Your Child
29 October 2008 Wednesday, 7.30pm Indaba Hotel Auditorium. Booking details to follow.
Bookings for talks and workshops:
TALKS AT SCHOOLS: I am speaking at a number of schools in October and November and already have requests for January and February 2009. Please do not leave bookings until the last minute. You need to contact me well ahead of time as Saturdays and evenings are at a premium. From October 2007 I will have a new presentation available for schools called Future-proof Your Child. It is a one hour multimedia presentation that all 21st century parents need to experience. Click here for the full synopsis.
TOY TALK AND TOY OF THE YEAR
The South African Toy of the Year Awards and gala dinner takes place on 25 September 2008 at The Wanderers. I have been involved in the judging again this year and will publish the official winners together with my own list of winners in the next newsletter. Toy Talk 2008 dates will be released shortly. These popular presentations will take place during November, showcasing my “classic collection” and my “hot selection” of toys and games for each age band to make your shopping a breeze.
Keep playing with your children.
NIKKI BUSH
