Catch Nikki’s interview with Marlon Abrahams tomorrow night, 29 October 2001 on DSTV Mindset Channel 319 live from 21:00 to 21:30. She’ll be sharing her views on the importance of kids being active physically, on child stimulation activities and the impact of social media and technology on all these things.
To order one of Nikki’s books Future-proof Your Child (Penguin 2008) or Easy Answers to Awkward Questions (Metz Press 2009), please contact: info@brightideasoutfit.co.za
TOY TALK is an annual event not to be missed. This three hour experience presented by creative parenting expert and author NIKKI BUSH will make shopping for your children a breeze and will help you spend your money wisely. Come and find out what’s hot in toys and games for 0 – 12 year olds this year. This is your chance to see, touch and feel before you buy! Nikki’s co-presenter is drama teacher, Justine Heydra. They are both toy judges and have designed a number of educational games together, including boardgames for brands such as Barney, Thomas and Barbie.
ABOUT THE TALK: They’re everywhere from cheap Chinese junk, to Fisher Price, Barney, Barbie, Hello Kitty, Star Wars, Lego and Meccano, to battery operated winking, blinking noisy toys to solid educational toys, to Play Station, Wii, Gameboys and balls, jungle gyms, pots, pans and wooden spoons.
Do children need toys? What categories of toys are there? How do children learn? Why is play so important? What are the classic toys every child needs? What’s new on the market? Where do electronic toys fit in? How to select a toy, and more. Armed with a little bit of knowledge about toys and how children learn, this fun, interactive workshop will enable you to make better choices for your child and will make shopping for games and toys a piece of cake.
BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL: info@brightideasoutfit.co.za
COST: R185.00 per head, includes light refreshments, a fabulous goodie bag and oodles of amazing lucky draws!
Wednesday, 9 November:
Morning workshop (9:00am-12:00pm)
Evening workshop (6:00pm – 9:00pm)
Venue: Bryanston Country Club, 63 Bryanston Drive, GAUTENG
Monday, 14 November : Evening (6:00pm-9:00pm)
Tuesday, 15 November : Evening (6:00pm-9:00pm)
Wednesday, 16 November : Morning (9:00am-12:00pm)
Venue: Miele Gallery of Fine Living, 63 Peter Place, Bryanston GAUTENG
SHOPPING: We have a limited selection of highly recommended games and toys on sale at the workshops (credit card facilities available). All recommendations and stock for sale are different to last year. Come and be informed and entertained, and get that Christmas shopping done while enjoying tea which includes our famous Scottish Flapjacks.
Click here to view the invitation!
Every parent has, at some point, had a picture in their mind’s eye of the perfect child. And when the reality doesn’t match the picture, then the journey to fix the child begins — to shape and mould the child to get them as close to picture-perfect as possible. We are usually unconscious of the game we are playing until someone points it out to us.
There are any number of ways to help a child to fulfil their potential, many of which are appropriate and well-intentioned, from extra sports coaching, to extra lessons to therapy, and of course a belief in one’s own child (all of which can be taken to extremes) Indeed, it is part of our responsibility as parents to provide a secure emotional environment and a physical environment rich with learning experiences and opportunities. However, in the words of a very wise teacher, there comes a time when parents must allow themselves to mourn the perfect child and accept who their child is with all their strengths and weaknesses too.
No child is perfect. No child has it all or does it all. Children need to be loved for who they are, for the very essence of their being, and not for what they can do or what they achieve. This can be a bitter pill for parents to swallow, especially around exam and assessment time when gaps, weaknesses or inadequacies tend to be highlighted.
Celebrate your child and work with what was left in, rather than constantly trying to put in what was left out. Be realistic. Be their best cheerleader and, no matter what, love them for who they are. Their time to shine might not yet have arrived. This is why we must also wait in wonder and watch with awe. Sometimes the best gift is that of a little more time. There is nothing wrong with being a late bloomer. Most of us are!
Did you catch Nikki on SABC 3’s eXpresso show this morning? If not, click on the link below.
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