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!

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!

Nikki will be discussing the importance of rhythms and seasons for children and families sometime after 6.15am tomorrow.  Tune in for some creative ideas.

(A Foundation Phase learner overheard speaking to her friends in the playground recently.)

One of the challenges of being a 21st century parent is that we are drowning in information and opinions around the raising of our children, largely as a result of technology and connectivity.  Information and knowledge are in plentiful supply but much of the inter-generational wisdom has fallen away with the rise of the nuclear family, and large geographic distances separating extended family.  Instead, we listen to experts “who should know”.  Empowered, intuitive parents and common sense parenting skills seem to be in short supply.

My theory is that we are parenting too much from our heads and not connecting with our hearts and our intuitive gut feel – our sense of ‘knowing’.  This is because head and heart have become disconnected due to our busyness and multi-tasking, fragmented lifestyles, affecting our own inner confidence and self-esteem around the more emotional issues of life.  Many parents fear making the wrong choices or suffering the consequences of any mistakes they might make.  Take heart, children are not quite as fragile as you think and you can make course corrections along the way!

Few parents have realised that parenting is about learning and growing with their children, on the run, as life unfolds in it’s often crooked line.  Spanish poet, Antonio Machado said: “We make the path by walking on it.”  No two parenting paths are the same and yet we mentally compare ourselves to others all the time. We wonder, “What does this look like from the outside?” instead of asking ourselves, “How does this feel on the inside, for myself and my child?”

So what should we do with all the information that we acquire on our parenting journey from books, TV and radio programmes, talks and workshops?  And never discount the car park chatter – the information that moves like wildfire along the school grapevine can have a very powerful effect on us when we are not feeling very confident.  The trick is to take it all in, internalise it, mull over it, chew on it, measure it against your value system, feel it in your gut and then keep what resonates for you and spit out the rest.  Let it go.  If you need it, your conscience will be pricked again and you can always go back to it and adopt it at a later stage.

Referring to the quote, or misquote, from the little girl at the top of this article, it should actually read two hours per day of total on-screen time and not only two hours of TV only per month!. I did have a quiet giggle when this comment was emailed to me a few days after speaking at the school, but I was also saddened by how disempowered parents feel that they have to actually tell their children word for word what they learnt in a parenting workshop, and from whom, quite literally giving away their own power and credibility in the eyes of their child.

Parents, you need to position yourselves as experts in your own homes!  Yes, none of us knows it all, and we all make mistakes.  Make them confidently, rather than tentatively, with all the skills, knowledge and intuition you have at your disposal.  All of parenting is an adventure with attendant risks.  Once you have acquired some new information and you have filtered it through your system – the head and heart of an expert (you are, after all, the perfect parent for your child), then own that information and find a way to incorporate it into your parenting without making a big thing of it in front of your child. Quietly adopt change as if it was any other day of the week and not necessarily something extra-special.  Then you will find that your children will accommodate the changes easier, possibly without even noticing, and will be following you as the leader and expert in your own home.

There is a saying, as within so without, which refers to the interconnectedness of all things and all people. If you want to see changes in your children, that change first starts with you.  Very often just a shift in your own perception about something, or your commitment to using your time slightly differently, can have a powerful knock-on effect without you actually having ‘to make your child do something differently’ or without having ‘to fix your child’.  It makes parenting a whole lot easier.  Perhaps you should give it a try and at the same time it will quietly position you as an expert in your own home.

I was recently reminded by Irish philosopher and leadership expert, Sean Weafer, that the essence of life is not about being perfect but about perfecting. We are all walking a unique path in the company of others. We must discover and uncover that uniqueness — and children will help you to do just that — if you give them half a chance to be their authentic selves instead of training them to play the looking good game too.

We fall in to this trap so easily because society supports it, and because we have become so numb to our own emotions, our own need to feel. So, when it comes to birthday parties, for example, do we allow our children to get involved in making the invitations, decorations, the food and wrapping the prizes? Or do we keep all these things to ourselves, calling it hard work, instead of fun? Do our children get to really live their parties — to breath life into them — which include the planning, the putting together as well as the enjoyment of the event itself, or are they just visitors dropping in for a while to attend a well-executed event?

They need and want to be part of the process, not just the pretty outcome. It’s part of how memories are made, and how lifeskills are acquired. It’s part of building a life and living it. It’s about living, loving and appreciating.

We will all do things differently and hold varying opinions, from birthday parties to our children’s education and how we spend our time and our money. On many issues there is no longer a strictly right or wrong or black and white answer. Rather, there are many shades of grey often due to diverse backgrounds, religions, circumstances, family make up, financial situations etc. These are the things that impact on our choices or our ability to make choices, and we need to honour our journey of perfecting that which we are, and that which we are becoming.

“Out on the edge of town, beyond the place of right and wrong; there is a field.

Let’s meet there.”

Rumi

I look forward to journeying with many of you at some of my up and coming workshops in May and June. Let’s move beyond the pursuit of perfection to authentic connection — with ourselves and our children. They can tell the difference! Click here for my diary, and here for May workshop dates and here for June workshop dates.

• Saturday, 11 June 2011
• 8am to 1pm 
• Venue: Miele Gallery of Fine Living, Bryanston GAUTENG
•  Cost: R350.00 per head including delicious refreshments & notes
•  Bookings: info@brightideasoutfit.co.za

In a modern world where the winking, blinking, noisy variety of toys get most of the attention, real active learning can be found in good old-fashioned construction toys, from wooden building blocks, to toys with nuts and bolts, the click together variety or even magnetic ones. Construction toys lay wonderful foundations for problem solving, pre-maths and language skills apart from the fine-motor co-ordination and many other skills that are stimulated. After this one and a half hour workshop you will never look at a packet of Jelly Tots in the same way again!

Suitable for parents of both boys and girls from 2 to 10 years of age. A wonderful Dad’s day out for “Fathers Day”.

BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

• Monday, 13 June 2011
• 8am – 1pm 
• Venue: Miele Gallery of Fine Living, Bryanston GAUTENG 
• Cost: R175.00 per head including delicious refreshments and notes
•  Bookings: info@brightideasoutfit.co.za

 Move beyond the hype and scary stories about technology and social media in this interactive, conversational workshop about our changing world and why our tweens and teens are so attracted to it. Click here for more info and movie clips.

 WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

Parents of 2 – 10 year olds

Monday, 9 May 2011                
9am to 12pm
Venue: Douglasdale, GAUTENG
Cost:  R350.00 per head including delicious refreshments & notes
Bookings:  info@brightideasoutfit.co.za
 

Join Nikki Bush for a fun and 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
• how to really be creative with your classic 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. Parents are encouraged to put their own stamp on their child’s play experiences by using their imagination, adding love letters, breaking the rules and combining games in order to create more games! Come prepared to play.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
Parents of 2 – 5 year olds

BIRTHDAY TALK

Saturday, 14 May 2011
9am – 12pm    OR     2pm – 5pm
Venue: Bryanston Sports Club, BRYANSTON, Gauteng
Cost:  R175.00 per head including delicious refreshments and notes
Bookings: info@brightideasoutfit.co.za
 
Birthday Talk  is for busy mums (or dads) of 2 – 8 year olds who attend a lot of children’s parties…….
Speaker and author Nikki Bush, will be chatting with you about the social issues and etiquette around birthday parties – from the value of gifts to party packs, whether to invite or not to invite siblings and lots more……. Nikki will also present her gift recommendations for the season, ranging from R75.00 to R175.00 per gift, as well inspiring you with lots of creative party ideas.
Join in the Birthday Talk chat, have some fun and leave with practical ideas on how to navigate the social, emotional and practical issues parties present. Be inspired with some fabulous party ideas and save your precious time by getting all your gift shopping done!

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

Parents with 2 – 8 year olds.

PARENTING ON THE RUN

Monday, 23 May 2011   
 6.30pm – 9.30pm
Venue: Miele Gallery of Fine Living, Bryanston GAUTENG
Cost: R350.00 per head  including delicious refreshments & notes
Bookings:  info@brightideasoutfit.co.za

Parents today are busy. Being able to parent creatively – on the run – makes your parenting journey easier and much more fun.   In this workshop, Nikki introduces the concept of cheating time and turning the ordinary into the extraordinary, helping parents to give away the guilt they so often feel.
 
She will show you how time spent in the car; doing household chores and activities or waiting for appointments, can be so valuable to both you and your child – it is never a waste of time! This insightful talk is peppered with personal anecdotes and you will leave armed with over 100 creative and practical ideas for converted wasted time with your children into quality time.
 
Nikki will also include her ever-popular suggestions on toys to pack for travelling, or for when you are simply on the run. Connecting and communicating with your child can be so easy, even for busy parents.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
Parents of 2 – 10 year olds Parenting on the Run™ Workshop

• Play value
• Packaging
• Size
• Price

Age guidelines have been included as well as sizes of items where possible.  This is a while stocks last promotion so do get your orders in soon.

Orders can be placed by email info@brightideasoutfit.co.za.  Deliveries will be made to your door or you may collect if you are in Johannesburg.

NEWIES:

MY GIANT STICKER HOLIDAY ACTIVITY BOOK (R99.00)

6 years and up

A magnificent book with over 300 stickers, a free CD and over 200 pages of beautifully illustrated and laid out facts, puzzles, drawing and colouring activities to keep your child busy for hours.  You will keep going back to this bumper book that is filled with fascinating general knowledge that you can share together too.

Size:  A4 x 3cm thick.

ZINGO TO GO (R150.00) (The very clever travel version of the very popular Zingo)

Ages 3 – 7 years

At last, a travel version of the very popular  Zingo, a classic bingo lotto-type game.  Fun for the whole family but easy enough that children can learn how to play without adult supervision very quickly. A drawstring bag is supplied for easy storeage of all items in Zingo to Goa when travelling.  There are 9 ‘robots/traffic lights’ which click/snap together to form a bingo board.  Three traffic lights each means three players can play, two each means four players can play etc.  The little car contains two picture dice. Shake it and see how the dice land.  If you have the picture on your board make sure you shout out quickly.  Then turn over the disc so that the picture is face down.  The first person to turn over all his discs is the winner.  As children get older you can play the first to turn over a horizontal/vertical/diagonal line is the winner etc.  10 – 15 minutes a game.  Size of box is 16cm x 16cm x 8cm.

FILO (R250.00) (Back by popular demand.  We can’t always get this product so buy while you can!)

Age 5 – adult

This light as a feather, beautifully and practically packaged eye-hand co-ordination acitivity will have your child engrossed for ages.  Under the age of 7 your child will just doodle, pushing the ‘pen’ which is filled with a lace, into the ‘holes’ on the rubbery board.  The holes trap the lace with no knotting required and voila, you are on your way to making a picture.  Comes with 18 double-sided pattern cards for older children as well as a complete booklet with even more complex patterns and pictures to copy.  Copying one of these pictures requires counting and spatial planning – a brilliant mathematical activity that also stimulates all the eye-hand and fine-motor co-ordination skills for good reading and writing.  Creating pictures with Filo exercises the tripod grip for handwriting and gives fabulous proprioceptive feedback to the brain via the muscles and joints.  “How hard do I need to push?” A very soothing and creative activity.  Great for travel, the size of an A4 page and 5cm deep.  All the ‘pens’, laces and pattern cards are stored in the plastic, basket-like container with a clip on rubber mat.  Size 30cm x 22cm x 4cm.

OLDIES:

BENDAROOS (R135.00)

Age 5 to adult

Amazing, flexible building sticks.  Shape them, wrap them, stick them. A 500 piece mega set including 250 rainbow colour Bendaroos and 250 neon Bendaroos, these wax covered super strong strings make for hours of creative fun.  Create flat constructions or 3D ones, stick them on your windows or patio doors.  Use your imagination.  We have seen some stunning ideas at our Toy Talk events.  Create small packets of mixed colours to take to restaurants etc or while travelling to keep boredom at bay.  Brilliant for eye-hand co-ordination and a real see, touch and feel experience.  Fun for the whole family and great when lots of children come to play.  Size of actual box 25cm x 25cm x 22cm x 5cm.

DINKIE BOOKS (R25.00)

Age 3 – 5

Lovely A5 size books that fit neatly into your handbag.  The following are available:

• Dinkie mazes
• Dinkie dots

FLIP-TO-WIN MEMORY GAME (R150.00)

Five to nine years.

A fabulous travel version of the memory game.  Flip the elasticated windows open to see the picture underneath. 14 reversible game cards that slot into the back of the game for safe-keeping.  Elasticated scoreboards at the bottom of the game board so you can’t forget who is winning.  10 – 15 minutes a game.  A4 size x 2cm thick.

FLIP-TO-WIN HANGMAN (R150.00)

8 years and up

Superb for travel.  All letters and parts of the hangman are on elastics so nothing can get lost!  A4 size x 2cm thick.

FUN ON THE RUN BOXES™  (R175.00)

Parents swear by Nikki Bush’s popular Fun on the Run Boxes™ for when they are travelling or are simply out and about.  They contain a number of items which translate into 25 different activities which are detailed on the information leaflet inside the box as well as listing the skills being stimulated.  Size 22 x 18 x 5cm.  Now available in three different age groups:

• 1 – 3 years
• 4 – 6 years
• 6+ years

Don’t leave home without one.  If you haven’t attended Nikki’s acclaimed Parenting on the Run Workshop yet then make sure you book for the next one which takes place on Monday, 23 May from 9 – 12am.  Email info@brightideasoutfit.co.za

MONSTER CASES (R95.00) (only available in red with yellow fasteners and stock is limited)

These are the best cases for the car as they not only fit perfectly at your child’s feet between the front and back seats, but they make a great little ‘desk’ too.  Fill them with activities and games for the journey. 35 x 25 x 12cm

Monster Cases are also ideal for toy storage at home.  I have had 15 of them for 15 years and they are as good as the day I first bought them.  I have one for Duplo, one for Lego, another for playough, plastic food, army, cars, doctor kit etc.  See how I have marked them with masking tape and a thick black pen.  It makes tidying up together with your child very easy, and toy storage is neat and tidy as the Monster cases interlock.  Stacking on top of each other at the bottom of a cupboard, for instance, uses up wasted space.  The handles lie flat when required.

These cases are not always available and we have waited six months for this consignment.  Buy them while you can.

NO SPILL BUBBLES (R45.00)

Ages 1 – 7

It’s a miracle – bubbles that can’t be spilt!  What a win for parents of toddlers who’s first reaction to bubbles is to pour them out.  Once the bubble liquid is finished, just replace with any cheap bubble solution of make your own.  Putting the wand in and out of the No Spill bubble container is fine-motor, eye-hand co-ordination, and blowing builds the foundations for the ‘p’ and ‘b’ sounds.

FOR ORDERS EMAIL info@brightideasoutfit.co.za.  Let Bridgid Thomas know what you want and she will send you an electronic order form and confirm stock availability with you.

PIPE CLEANER PENCIL BUDDIES

Such an easy way to brighten up old pencils or decorate new ones for use as party favours.

You will need:

• Pipe cleaners
• Plastic eyes (from a sewing or craft shop)
• Some coloured paper – red or green works well
• Glue eg. Bostik
• Pencils
• Scissors

What to do:

1. Make a loop at one end of the pipe cleaner for the snake’s head.
2. Now wind the pipecleaner around the pencil from the bottom of the tail upwards.
3. Place the pencil upright in a glass.
4. Using glue, stick the eyes onto the head.
5. Now cut out a tongue from some coloured paper.
6. Glue it onto the tip of the head. Now you have a snake with googly eyes!

EGGS IN A CHOCOLATE RICE CRISPIE NEST

This activity is fun, easy and very effective. A great idea for an Easter children’s party or to use as an alternative Easter gift, or just to eat because they are a yummy treat.

You will need:

• A large mixing bowl and spoon
• 1 cup of cooking chocolate
• 1 ½ cups Rice Crispies
• A muffin pan
• Paper cup cake holders
• Egg shape Smarties or any other colourful egg-shaped sweets such as M & Ms, jelly beans, or even small covered Easter eggs, etc

What to do:

1. Line the muffin tin with paper cup cake holders
2. Melt the chocolate in the microwave (stir every 30s, it should take about 2 minutes on 100% power), or in the top of a double boiler.
3. Stir in the Rice Crispies and place a heaped dessert spoonful into each paper case.
4. Using your finger, or the back of the spoon, make a hollow in the middle for the eggs.
5. Place a few mini-Easter eggs or egg-shaped chocolates or sweets in the middle of each nest and allow to cool and harden in the fridge.
6. Remove the nests from the muffin pan and place on some packing straw for an attractive Easter display.
7. Eat and enjoy. Makes 9 nests.

FINGER PRINT PEOPLE

You don’t have to be an artist to have fun with this activity. Create fingerprint people for fun or decorate gift tags with them to create some functional art.

You will need:

• Paper or cardboard for gift tags
• An ink pad used for stamps (a kiddie’s one with different colours works well) OR just plain disc paints in a box
• A black thin marker or khoki pen
• Crayons

What to do:

1. Practice on scrap paper before decorating gift tags.
2. Press your finger onto the stamp pad or the wet disc paint
3. Now press it firmly onto the paper. Voila, you have created a fingerprint.
4. Now allow the ink/paint to dry for a few minutes.
5. Then take your pen and add legs, arms, eyes, nose, mouth, hair, glasses etc. See pictures for some ideas.

WAX PAINTING

This is a blast from the past that you may have forgotten about. Get your child to create a picture using wax crayons. Then paint over it with black paint (or any other single colour) and the picture stands out because the paint can’t adhere to the wax. It’s like magic.

You will need:

• Paper
• Wax crayons
• Black poster paint
• Water
• Paint brush

What to do:

1. Get your child to draw a picture using wax crayons. Using a few different colours will make a prettier and more interesting picture.
2. Now instruct your child to paint over the entire picture with black poster paint.
3. Allow it to dry and then stick the masterpiece on the fridge for all to see.

There are lots of great toys and games on the market at the moment, you just need to know what to look for and where to find them. That’s what Toy Talk is all about! 

Don’t waste money this gifting season, make wise purchases after you have had a “see, touch, feel” of what I am recommendng at Toy Talk™.  As a professional toy judge and and educational game designer msyelf, I look at toys very differently to a retailer. Toy Talk is a fun and informative experience.  You’ll also be able to do some of your Christmas shopping  too. Credit card facilities available.

SUMMARY OF TOY TALK

They’re everywhere from cheap Chinese junk, to expensive brands such as Fisher Price, Barney, Ben 10 and Bratz. From Lego and Meccano to battery-operated, winking, blinking, noisy toys, Playstation, Wii and computer games.

 Is there still value in jungle gyms, pot, pans, wooden spoons and the Tupperware cupboard? 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.

Toy Talk is a presented by Nikki Bush and Justine Heydra who are both toy judges on the professional panel of the SA Toy of the Year Awards, as well as being educational game designers. They are absolutely passionate about play not only because it is fun, but because it is such an effective way of connecting with your child. Nikki is well-known for her recommendations on appropriate toys and games to buy for your children. If you want to know what’s on her list – both the classics for each age group as well as what’s hot right now, then join us for Toy Talk 2009. Suitable for parents from birth to age 12.

DATES OF WORKSHOPS: 

• Friday, 23 October 2009, 9.00am – 12pm
• Saturday, 24 October 2009, 9am – 12pm
• Saturday, 7 November 2009, 9am – 12pm
• Monday, 9 November 2009, 9am – 12pm
• Tuesday, 10 November 2009, 9am – 12pm

All above dates at the Miele Gallery of Fine Living, Peter Place, Bryanston, GAUTENG

COST: R175.00 per head

Bookings:

nikki@brightideasoutfit.co.za