"I'm not your friend!"

Hey friends,

Today I want to focus on the topic of friendships, particularly “I’m not your friend,” or, “you’re not my friend.” In today’s day and age the phrase has such a negative impact, especially on children. “Why aren’t you my friend anymore?” I’ve had children come up to me crying and telling me that their friend has claimed that they’re no longer friends. It’s hard to comprehend and accept, but it’s the way of life.

To children, it’s be all and end all. It’s the most heartbreaking thing to hear and hurts our feelings.

So, why do we say it?

There may be many reasons we say it, but there’s one important one: children need space, or time out, but they can’t articulate it any better than to say, “We’re not friends.” Yes, it hurts to hear and it’s confusing. Why are they no longer my friend? What did I do?

They’re not saying it to mean that they’ll never be friends again, just that they’re not friends at that very moment. It’s not such a bad thing to not be friends at that moment, but it’s their way of expressing that they may need some space, some breathing room. It’s hard to say how much space they’ll need, whether it’s only five minutes or for the entire day, and it’s our job to support both parties in this.

I have heard many child care workers, and some parents, say that, “We’re all friends here.” I admit, I have been guilty of saying it, too. But is it right? Are we all friends? No. Should we forced to be friends with everyone we meet or are in close proximity with? Absolutely not! There are many reasons we may not be friends with people.

Sure, we start off our lives being friends with a lot of people, but as we get older we realise that, for whatever reason, we don’t want to be friends with that person who we’ve grown up with. We might not have an explanation as to why we no longer want to be friends with someone; it might just be, “I don’t want to be friends with him or her.” That explanation is perfectly valid.

We, as adults, want reasons for everything, but as explained above, we don’t have a detailed explanation for it, and it’s okay. We don’t need one.

Do we go to supermarkets and see our parents interacting with everyone they see, calling them their best friends, or ‘old chum,’ or even, ‘mate’? No. So, why should we, or the children in our care, be forced to?

I know that “I’m not your friend,” or, “We’re not friends,” is a hurtful thing to hear, so we need to give the children tools to better express themselves and deal with hearing this. We need to let them know that it might not be forever, just for a certain time.

We should never say, “She didn’t mean it,” because that’s not validating the other child’s feelings, and basically calling her a liar; of course she meant it, but it’s not for the long run; it’s only for a short while.

As I said, we’re not friends with absolutely everybody and the reason varies.

Ø  We have different personalities, which clash;

Ø  We prefer to stick with our own gender;

Ø  We have different interests;

Ø  We have different religious views;

Ø  Our religion, for whatever reason, don’t like or agree with one another, and frown upon us interacting with one another or being friends.

Children have more simple views and reasons; they aren’t defined by all of these biases, nor do they hold grudges against one another. It’s not that they don’t remember; they just forgive more easily – tomorrow’s another day.

Anyway, I hope that all makes sense.

I will do another post on inclusion.

Until next time,

Tokana

A little about me...

Hey guys,

I went down my blog list and realised that I haven't written a blog post introducing me. So, please let me get right to it.

My name's Tokana and I'm 26 (soon to be 27) years of age, and I live in Victoria, Australia.

I am originally from Victoria, but moved up to New South Wales at a young age with my mother and stepfather, where we stayed for the majority of my life. I went to primary (elementary) and high school (middle and high school combined) there and made friends. Before moving back to Victoria, where most of my family are located, I started to volunteer in child care centres and began studying for my Certificate 3 in Children's Services, which I finished down here in Victoria. I graduated at the end of 2012, and have been working in child care since.

Have I done anything else before I realised that I wanted to do child care? Yes. I did work experience at a video shop, which was nice, but I needed more interaction with people, and also at my local vets. In a small town we all know each other, and because my dog had some special needs, and also picked up by people who thought she had run away from home (they picked her up in front of our house), she was well known at the vets. It's through there that I birthed a calf (I helped, not actually giving birth to it). It was the greatest experience of my life! No, it wasn't glamorous (far from it), but it was life changing. I also did work experience at a canoe adventures place, but nothing was as memorable as the vets.

I've had some wonderful experiences volunteering at child care centres in New South Wales and met some truly great people. I wouldn't change that experience for the world!

Once graduating, I looked for work and then began working in the child care industry as a casual through an agency.

During that time, my mother convinced me to do my Diploma in Screen and Media, because I was always fascinated by technology, in particular cameras and film making. That took two years to complete, and even though I've finished the course, I'm about to officially graduate from the course next month. It's exciting!

I decided to take a break from working this year because I'd made the decision to further my career in child care and study for my Diploma in Early Childhood and Care. It should take me about two years to complete that, as I'm studying part-time.

I have a boyfriend named David, and he's lovely. We've been going out for nearly a year now.

In case you're wondering, I don't have any children yet, and neither does he. Hopefully there will be the pitter-patter of little feet one day!

Now that you know a little more about me, what about you? Let me know a little something about yourselves. It doesn't need to be too personal, or long. One or two paragraphs about yourselves will suffice.

Just so you know, any and all comments containing bullying will not be tolerated and will therefore be deleted.

As a side note: while I am a qualified child care worker, I do not consider myself an expert, nor am I a doctor. Any advise that I give is purely my own and nobody else's, unless stated, and should no way substitute for that of your child's teacher or medical professional.

Until next time,

Tokana

Who knows more?

Hey friends,

I want to talk to you about who knows more about your child. You, the parent, or the child care worker?

Some parents think that their child's worker knows more about their child than them. Other parents think the exact opposite. Are they wrong? No, they're not. The parent almost always knows more than the child care worker, but there are some things that the parent(s) can still learn, and they can do that by listening to their child's teacher's advice. Effective communication is extremely important for both parties to properly care for the child!

As child care workers, we can't tell someone how to raise their children (we have no right to), but we can give advice on what may and may not work best. As I addressed in my previous post, "Goodbye burp cloths and exhaustion!", I can advise you to rub your child's back instead of patting him or her, which results in their food being thrown up all over you and/or everything around you.

We all know how much pregnant women hate receiving advice on the birth and how to raise their babies, mostly because all pregnant women are told is the bleak side of things; the negative impact of birth and after birth. For example: "Enjoy your sleep now, because you won't be getting much of it once the baby's born!" And other mothers (and in some cases, fathers) tell grueling, graphic tales of labour. But sometimes it's good to take the advice of other mothers, families and even child carers. No, I'm not suggesting really listening to the graphic horror stories; I'm talking about the helpful advice, like "to avoid throw up, avoid patting a child on their back; instead, rub their backs." "Every child is different, but I'd advise bringing a handful of clean nappies with you wherever you go, along with a change mat, wet wipes and nappy bags into which you can put your dirty nappies."

There are even classes for new parents where you can get more advice from mothers, nurses, and carers. I'd advise even going whilst still pregnant; you never know what handy advice you can get!

My advice for everyone who's already a mother, it's okay to give expectant mothers some useful advice, like resting up before the baby arrives, but just do it in a nice way and leave out all the gory details. It's good to leave some things to the imagination and allowing them to experience them for themselves. Also, please don't tell someone that they look "as big as a whale" or "as big as a house" - if I was told that while pregnant... well, let's just say that I would respond very well. Blame it on the hormones.

So, instead of blatantly telling a pregnant woman any horror stories, try to give some soft, friendly advice to guide her through pregnancy and the early stages of pregnancy. Also, suggest taking her to your mother's group where she can get some more advice from fellow mums and professionals.

When your child's carer gives some helpful advice, keep all ears open.

Tokana

Goodbye burp cloths and goodbye exhaustion!

Hey friends,

Sorry I haven't been writing for a while, but I haven't been inspired to talk about anything before, but now I finally am.

My friend has just had twins and has been posting different articles about twins and how to deal with them, as well as posting her thoughts and asking for advice via her Facebook timeline. They are adorable twins, and despite one of them being scarily thin, they are now relatively happy and healthy.

My friend posted another article recently and it's about the struggles (and pleasures) of raising twins. The author described getting up throughout the night and even though one twin was easy to 'get down', the other wasn't and would be up wailing his little head off for hours on end. The mother, a single parent, was feeling so tired that her head felt as if it was made of lead, and she knew that her eldest child would require her to be up in a matter of hours to tend to her needs and entertain her, and so forth.

The mother then went on to explain that she was constantly covered in regurgitated milk after burping her twins, and it wasn't hard for me to figure out why. I grew up thinking that the only way to burp your baby was to pat it and jiggle it, and the ultimate result was your child not only burping (hip, hip, hooray!) but for them to basically throw it all up, and not just all over itself, but you and everything around you. The whole process would begin again shortly after since the child's tummy is once again empty.

Since completing my certificate in child care I have learned another method, and a puke-free one, of burping your child. Instead of patting and jiggling your child (and you) up and down, gently rub your child's back. Make slow, gentle circular motions with your hand, which is flat against your child's back. I have burped a few babies this way and presto, no more throwing up! Goodbye burp cloths!

You may feel weighed down, exhausted, and looking forward to that light at the end of the tunnel. But I assure you, it does get better and it'll all feel like a distant memory.

But don't take my word for it; just believe.

This is all advice. Do what feels comfortable for you and your child.

I have never had children myself, so I don't have any real, first-hand experience with this. The only relative experience I have with this was with a Maybe Baby, which was named Buffy. I was really excited! What I didn't know was that it was 'faulty', but it provided me with a very real experience. Every child's different, and this one was no exception. Buffy reminded my mother of me: never being able to be set down or sleeping for a long period of time. Buffy was a newborn baby, not being able to support her head. A friend of my mother's held Buffy and accidentally let go of her head, snapping her head back and making Buffy wail. Buffy came with two cloth nappies and we were shown how to put the nappies on. I put the nappy on the right way, and it sometimes worked, but at other times it didn't. If it didn't, I reversed the nappy and it worked. Other times, neither way worked, so I tried feeding her, which didn't work either. I then tried singing to her while I rocked her. She fell asleep! Yay! She woke up day and night and I couldn't get any sleep. I eventually gave her to my mum so I could get some sleep. It was finally time to give her back to the school, and while I didn't want to give her back, as we'd bonded (can you really bond with a robot?), I was also looking forward to getting some sleep. I told my librarian, who was conducting the test, that I tried everything I could, but at times it wouldn't work and that my mum's friend accidentally dropped her head. The librarian was very understanding, went to get the results and came back to tell me that the baby is faulty. Ha! Aren't all babies 'faulty' at one time or another? The end result was that I passed with flying colours. However, I don't feel as if I passed with flying colours; I feel as if I failed by not being able to staying up at all hours due to exhaustion. Also, I love my sleep! I guess I just wasn't ready to have a baby. I don't know if I am at this point, either.

Looking after children in child care, feeding and changing nappies with the support of my fellow carers is vastly different than getting up at all hours of the night as a parent. I can say that looking after children and infants is easy, but I know that's not the case when it's your baby and you're waking up at all hours of the day and night feeding, burping and changing the baby. All I can do is feel empathy for the parents who are showing signs of exhaustion.

So to all of you who are exhausted and covered with milky puke, I may not have a child of my own, but I empathise with you, and I can tell you that it gets better.

Tokana

It's Easter ALREADY?! Arg! Last minute Easter ideas for the family. For adult/teenage eyes only!

So, worse has come to worse and the unthinkable has happened: you've been working a lot and haven't had time to do that rather important and, as far as the kids go, unforgivable piece of shopping, so you're in a mad rush and get to the store at the last minute, but the store has run out of chocolate Easter eggs and Easter bunnies. The Easter Bunny's not coming this year? This is unbelievable! Easter is ruined! How could this possible be salvaged?! Well, there is a way to salvage Easter and I know the way. It's not so much of a secret, as many people in different parts of the world do this, especially those who want to save a few dollars here and there, but it's new to those who spend hundreds of dollars (or more realistically, $50) on chocolate Easter eggs and bunnies for the children.

Many festivities have become really commercialized these days: Christmas, Valentines Day, Easter, the Fourth of July, Halloween... we've lost the true meaning of these holidays!

Well, enough with the true meaning of these holidays like spending time with the family and celebrating both Jesus' birthday, the day He died and His return from the dead, and more about salvaging Easter for the children (eg. CHOCOLATE)! We go crazy for chocolate, don't we? Or at least children do.

So, what you're going to want to do is buy a Silicone Egg Mould for $6.99, which has been reduced to $3.49 from Spotlight (and get as many as you can!), cooking chocolate from your local supermarket, and get a recipe off the Internet (unless you're so resourceful and you just pour the melted chocolate straight into the mould and either into the oven or fridge to set). I came across a few recipes for Easter eggs. Here they are):

This one is simply called "Home Made Easter Eggs"

This one is called "Marbled Easter Eggs"

This is a recipe for hollow eggs simply called "Chocolate Eggs".

There's a delicious Easter egg (and bunnies) made out of Nutella for you to try.

You can also use the above recipes for Easter bunnies, just modify the recipe to suit.

I hope you have found this tip useful and you have a merry and safe Easter weekend!

I will try to post more after the Easter long weekend (Tuesday).

Tokana

Time, money and tidiness

Dear families,

Today we're going to speak about three topics: Time, money management and tidiness. This is to teach them about the three subjects.

A good way to teach your children to read the time is to give them a toy analogue clock where they can manipulate the hands of the dial and make it go to any number and time. Teach them about their hours first (eg. 12:00, 1:00). I've always found digital clocks easier to read, especially when I was younger and just learning to tell the time. (I still find digital clocks easier to read than analogue, but it's like that for everyone, isn't it?)

Children usually learn by doing, so to better teach them about time, associate a particular hour to an event/their usual routine. For example: Lunch time is at 12:00 and dinner time is at 7:00. If bedtime is on a particular hour, use that too, but if it's at 7:30, leave that until a later date.

The next step is to teach them about their halves (eg. 7:30), so if bedtime is at 7:30pm, this would be a great opportunity to involve it.

The third step would be trying this with an analogue clock. Forget the minutes in between, as it can be too confusing, especially at first; we're focusing on every 30 minutes.

I was babysitting three children at once and one of them had autism (I've included this in a previous post about Autism). The middle, Autistic child loved to play video games, whether it was on the computer or via the TV, but I had to limit his video gaming because of three reasons: you're suppose to limit their screen time, he had a brother who also wanted to play a game on the computer and he would get overstimulated and easily frustrated when exposed to video games for too long. In keeping with this rule and to stop him from getting overstimulated, I would give him and his brother fifteen minutes in front of the screen at any given time. This was a great opportunity to teach him how to tell the time, whether it was on the computer or the analogue clock hanging up directly opposite him on the wall! Whenever he'd begin his screen time, we'd look at the clock and tell the time, after which I'd tell him that when the big hand got to a certain number (fifteen minutes later), he's time would be up and he'd need to move away. Ten minutes after, I'd remind him that he only had five minutes left and needed to finish his game (save and quit), by asking him what the time was and how many minutes he had left, and again at two minutes. As soon as his time was up, he'd try to convince me to allow him to play for a few minutes longer and sometimes I obliged, but most of the time I'd say "no."

Now we're going to learn about money management. It is good to start teaching children about money management, but do it in a simple way suitable for their age.

The first step is teaching your child how to count up to 10 and then up to 20, if not higher.

If your child is three+, you can buy a toy cash register, some plastic food and pretend money. If you want to be more cost effective, you can either buy a toy cash register, some food and some coloured cardboard that you can get from craft shops, Kmart, Big W, Bunnings and Masters, from which you can make denominations. Or you could go the entirely cost effective route: get a money box or cardboard box that's been lying around the house, make some bank notes (or bills, as Americans might say), and use any food items that you might have lying around the house.

Present the child with the food item(s) that you you wish to "buy" and ask them how much it costs, listing the denominations that you have. If they say that an apple costs $20 (how expensive is that? You'd hope it's a very good apple for $20!), but you don't have it, tell them what you do have, or if the money that you have adds up to $20+, add it up in front of them ("$5... plus $5... plus $5... plus $5 equals $20.00.")

If the child is older (say, 7+), you can enhance the experience by taking them shopping with you and putting them in charge of the shopping list and money. Set your limit, though. Supply them with a shopping list and calculator, and at every item you ask them how much it's listed as (they write it down), and add that denomination to the total cost. Once you've collected each item on your list, get your child to use their calculator and add up all of the prices to come up with the total price. If you're on a tight budget and an item takes you a few cents (quid or dimes) over your budget, notify your child that you'll have to put that item back. This helps them with their cognitive learning (thinking, maths, reading, and hand-eye-co-ordination) as well as their fine motor skills (writing and crossing items off of the list).

To teach your child how to keep their spaces (craft area as well as bedroom) clean, buy a tiered trolley on wheels (like this ClosetMaid Mini 6 cube storage organiser) and baskets or storage bins like this these ones: Small Smart Store System Tote (compartmentalise your craft items such as pencils, rubbers (aka erasers), stamps etc.), Small Weave Bin. Or you could even look around and buy an old wooden ladder (four round rungs with plenty of space in between) and some hanging baskets, or you could buy some ladder shelves, some magnets, glue and wire or plastic lattice baskets. I would recommend making all of your baskets, buckets or containers clear, if not open, so your child can see exactly what's in there (the items aren't going to get used if they are not clearly visible). 

With the ladder shelves, glue some of the magnets onto the ladder and the opposite magnets onto the baskets, and then place the baskets onto the ladder. Make sure that all of the magnets on the ladder are of the same, and the opposites on all of the baskets so you can place the baskets on any of the magnets and they are easily removable.

If you're going to go the hanging baskets way, you can easily buy some S shaped hooks at your local building supply warehouse.

You can even buy some blackboard labels so you can label each basket with what they contain, and you can easily change their titles when you change or rotate the items. This helps with your child's literacy.

To make your storage ladder more colourful and fun, include some spools of ribbon, some spools of wrapping paper, baskets of colourful paddle pop sticks, cotton balls, glitter, glue, glitter glue, textas, pencils, colourful paper, stamps and stickers. If there aren't enough room for the spools of ribbon you can use a picture frame (remove the front and back and screw some rods into it, hanging your ribbons off of it, or you can even use a multi-tiered hangers, which you can hang off of your ladder shelves. You can even place the spools of ribbon in an old shoe box and put an elastic around it to contain the end of your ribbons. You can use glass jars and wrapped around little squares of cardboard, but it's better if the ribbon's easily accessible and your child could just snip the required amount of ribbon off.You could even use an old, pull up straw dispenser that you can get from op-shops to store your spools in.

For the wrapping paper, you can screw some hooks into the wall, or into the ladder shelves, buy a few rods, thread your wrapping paper onto the rods and place into the hooks. Making everything colourful and easily accessible is key when enticing and entertaining children, and encouraging them to explore their imagination.

Well, they are my tips for now. I hope you and your children enjoy these educational and creative ideas.

Tokana

Ribbon ideas: http://www.livesimplybyannie.com/97-ways-to-store-your-ribbon/ 

*All of the blue and underlined words are links to where you can find the products. Some of them are Australian stores/websites and some are American, for example Dollar Tree.

Just when you thought they couldn't do it!

Hey Families,

Have you ever looked at someone with physical, mental or emotional disabilities (or, the more PC term "handicaps") and excluded them from an activities purely on the basis that they "just couldn't do it"? I'm sure you have (no judgement)!

I've always come across someone who was handicapped, whether they were hard of hearing or they had a physical handicap. I love working with all children, but my passion is looking after those with a handicap, whatever it may be. Maybe it's because I've got a disability myself (Asperger's Syndrome and Chronic Granulomatus Disease, which is an immune disorder). I don't mind using the word "disability," mainly because I don't let it define me; it's just a word.

I've had the prejudices that those with disabilities/handicaps couldn't do everything that 'normal' people could, depending on your handicap, but as I grew up and was surrounded by these people who were handicapped, I started to realise that they could do everything "normal" people could, and I started to seriously question the word "normal." Why is it in our dictionary? Nothing is normal, is it, especially when describing someone, a thing or a lifestyle.

I went to high school with a young woman who had a physical handicap, but she didn't let that hold her back in life. She still doesn't. At first I doubted that she could do everything we could, especially lifting weights with her arms, as she didn't have enough muscle mass to write and such, but she opened my eyes and made me realise that she wasn't incapable of doing the things that we take for granted, like lifting up weights, or walking around. Of course, she can't physically walk, but she can crawl/wriggle along. I was amazed, but I shouldn't have been. Of course she can get around without her wheelchair or anyone's help! Even though she can only verbally say a few words, she communicates by her hands and her head, as well as making sounds.

As soon as I found out that she could pick up weights, any doubts left my minds. I knew that it was impossible to be incapable at doing something, and no excuse was acceptable to be excluded from any activity.

I've met a couple of children with physical handicaps while working in child care, and I can confidently say that while they need more supervision and help with the simple tasks that we take for granted, they can do everything. I learned that you don't just need to sing 'the Wheels on the Bus,' but you can use your body to do physical exercise while singing it. People with physical handicaps can also do it. I guided his legs in a cycling motion as we pretended to ride bicycles; I helped him press an imaginary horn, reach up to the stars; pretend our hands were windscreen wipers, so we were washing the windscreen; read a newspaper and so forth.

Children tend to exclude or bully those with physical or intellectual handicaps because they're ignorant; no-one's explained to or showed them that those with handicaps can do anything and basically everything they can; they just need some patience and understanding.

I remember that when I was in school (starting from primary school going through high school - elementary to secondary school) I was bullied for "being different," but when I was in the compulsory anti-bullying (or whatever it was called) class, I mentioned to everyone that I had Asperger's and the room went silent; none of the students had ever heard of Asperger's! I was still bullied by some people, but not for having Asperger's Syndrome.

I think there needs to be more information and exposure to those with handicaps in order to fully understand them and their abilities, and to eliminate that prejudice.

If you work with someone with a handicap, or your child goes to daycare or school with a person with a handicap, take the time to speak to them and get to know them for them, and not for their disability. Treat them like normal people, while still understanding that they have their limits, which may be different from ours, and they may need extra help with certain activities.

Go up to that person, introduce yourself, ask them if they need any help (if it looks like they're struggling), and share your interests with them. You never know, they may have the same interests as you, or can open your eyes to a new interest.

People with one or more handicaps are people just like us with feelings.

Take care of yourselves and others.

Tokana

Your very own future Picaso!

Hey Families,

Every child is individual, and as child care workers we try to encourage it, but in (nearly) every one of us there's a little Picaso waiting to come out and make its presence known! Or, in child care, our presence is already known, as we're given ample opportunity to express ourselves through art, whether it's painting, drawing, pasting, or even drama. As their parents, we love showing them off! Am I right or am I right? I know, that the exact same thing, just said twice. But it's true; we like to encourage our children's artistic abilities and expand on them. Why like to show them off to our friends. Not in the 'my child is better than yours' way. No, that would be wrong! We want to encourage them in the 'Michael, look at Ava's artwork. She can create masterpieces as well. Maybe you would like to create something with her; just imagine what two little artists can do together!' kind of way. You're encouraging them both, not putting anyone down. Of course, they might not be the next Picaso or Da Vinci, but it's important to encourage them all the same. 'If you really put your mind to it, you can achieve anything!'

Here's an idea on how to encourage your child to be artistic:

I mentioned in a previous post that your child is really proud of what they've done, whether it's right or wrong, and it's always important to encourage something positive, and display their artwork. Like I suggested in the same post, why not create a board to display their artwork, and then a folder in which to store and preserve it? It'll definitely encourage your child to create more, and it'll let them know that you're proud of them, especially if you praise them. When you get home, encourage your child to fetch their artwork from his or her bag and pin it up onto their art board. Upon them completing it, tell them that they've done a wonderful job and that you're so proud of them! Praise their artistic abilities. Their chests will puff out and they'll feel mighty proud of themselves. And so they should!

If they don't want to hang it up, though, ask them why not. If they tell you that they're not proud of their own piece of artwork, accept it, but don't let them feel discouraged. I ask them if they'd like to put it into their artwork folder to keep, but if they say no and want to put it into the bin, let them. They're not going to want to keep it if they don't feel good about it or it's "not their best painting."
If you want to keep it as you think it looks good, tell him that you like it and ask him if you can keep it in his folder or hung up in your bedroom to look at. You always need to ask because it's his artwork; he's the artist. Respect his wishes and whatever he's response is. If he insists on throwing it away, you can always fish it out of the rubbish bin and stash it away, keeping it for later. Of course, this is a sneaky, underhanded thing to do, but he might thank you for it some day.

You might want to assign a corner or entire room to their art, and then you can call it the 'creative corner' or 'creative room.' It doesn't have to be just for painting, drawing or gluing - it can be for puzzles, fixing or constructing machinery like CD players, or anything else that's creative.
Always praise your child on his or her artwork, or his or her efforts, even if they don't feel proud of it straight away. Words of encouragement are important to a child's wellbeing, so is being an active part in the child's life. I don't mean fixing him dinner, giving him baths and tucking him into bed, but also stopping what you're doing to listen and talk to him or her, playing with them and even to praise them on their efforts at whatever they're doing. Taking time out to spend with and focus 100% on them is important.

If you own your own house, or have permission from the landlords, you can paint one wall with blackboard paint and let your child's imagination go crazy doodling away, and best of all, it's on the wall - a designated part of the wall, but still on the wall.

If your child has always wanted his or her own cubby house, you can build one and get your child involved in painting and decorating it. Or just let your child paint and decorate it him/herself while you watch on smiling at his/her joyous smiles and laughter.

Another thing, throw out the colour-in books (or keep them for a long car or plane trip), give them blank paper instead and let their imaginations go wild, watching the crazy, creatives things that they come up with!

Have fun creating!

Tokana

Saying goodbye for the day

Hello, Parents/families!

Right now we're going to discuss saying goodbye to your little ones for the day. I know that a lot of parents/family members are quite busy and are often running late for work, for whatever reason, and so most parents just drop their children off and go without a thought for the child's feelings. If the child is distressed, some parents just roll their eyes and plead the carers to take the child off of them. They're so clingy, right?

What most parents/family members don't realise is that this is one of the most important part of the child's daily routine. Instead of just saying, "Bye, Ollie!" try saying, "Mummy's got to go to work now, okay, Ollie? Have a great day! I will be back once you've finished afternoon tea time, okay? I love you, Ollie!" This reassures the child that you are in fact coming back, and it also gives your child a time frame for your return.

In an ideal world, you'd drop your child off at least 15 minutes before you need to rush off to work, which means you can stay and change your child's first nappy for the day (there are instances when they will need a nappy change) or take them to the toilet, read them a book, play a game with them and just socialise with them, making sure they settle in. Of course, you still need to make it clear that you will only be able to play with them for fifteen or so minutes before you need to leave, and tell this to the child's carer. Once it is time to go, calmly tell them that you will be back (if not you, tell them who will), and at what time. Children need to know what to expect and feel like they're in control, and giving them a time frame will do both things. 

When it is time to leave, suggest that they watch you leave from the window, either by themselves or with a carer. I know this seems sad ("Where's Mummy going? She's leaving me!") but it's really not; it gives them some security, because if they physically see you leave the grounds, it means that you've actually gone to work and not just hiding around in the centre. Before you hop into your car, or go beyond their view, turn around and wave to them, even blowing them a kiss. Don't worry if your child seems distressed at first, as they will settle and enjoy the rest of their day. It's normal to feel guilty about leaving them, and the guilt is worse when you see your child crying hysterically, but there's no need to dwell on it. If you're feeling extra worried, ask if you can give them a call in 15 to 30 minutes to see how they're doing, and most centres will be understanding and know what you're going through (most carers are parents themselves), so they'll not only be all too happy to oblige, but they'll encourage it. Of course, if you call too often, they will question whether or not you're really ready for them to be in child care. It's a good question to ask yourselves, but I've already mentioned that in another post, so I won't repeat myself.

When coming back to the centre, most children will want to stay and play, so why not sit back and have a cuppa while your child plays, or even play with them, allowing them to show you what they've done? Children are proud of what they've achieved, and it's important to encourage them.

Of course, not all parents/families have the luxury of staying back to allow your child to continue playing, but what you can do is go and say hello and then tell them that they can finish up playing while you're signing them out, collecting their bags and speaking to their carers. This way you're announcing your arrival and giving them a nice, gentle transition from child care to home, and they don't have to say an immediate goodbye to their friends who are still there.

If you haven't had time to ask them about their day at the centre, why not ask them in the car? It's a perfect opportunity! Once you get home, the child can show you any projects that they've happened to bring home. It's a good idea that you have an activity board for each child, showcasing their brilliant artwork and skills, and it encourages them to continue and to improve. Once their boards fill up, put their artwork into folders to keep for when they grow up. You can look pack on past projects and see how they've improved. They can also reminisce on their childhood when they get older, and maybe show it to their own children.

Well, that's how to say goodbye to your children for the day.

This is an example of saying goodbye and what to do afterwards:

YouTube | WA Career Centre: Child Care Worker, try it for 5

Have fun!

Tokana

Thank you!

Hey folks,

This is a quick post to thank you all for sticking with me. Or if you're all new to this page, thank you so very much for coming and visiting, despite my posts only occurring sporadically.

We've gotten 1,289 page views since this page has been created a few years ago and I want to thank you so very much!

I know I'm not on here and posting that regularly, but I am so very grateful to you all who have viewed this page, and to the new people who are yet to discover this page!

While we have no specific target audience, whether it be age or gender, we're being viewed nationwide, starting with the United States of America, followed by Germany at 76 views, and then my homeland of Australia at 71 views. The other countries that we have reached are Russia, United Kingdom, India, Ukraine, Canada, France and Malta.

I hope we can reach more countries and even build up our page views, so please spread the word to all of your friends, family and acquaintances, especially other families, whether their children are at home or in child care.

I will try to keep posting, but I also need your input on what you'd like to see/read on here. I aim to make this blog a support network for families and their their friends.

Again, thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart, and, please, keep the views coming!

Tokana

My Resource Box - things you can play with children

I have finally finished my Resource Box - it only took about two weeks (I was resting doing bugger all for a few of those days, though)!

My teacher was impressed, to say the least. Some of the items I made and some I bought.

Remember, toys with many purposes (can be used for many activities) is the best, and most are multipurpose.

My entire Resource Box splayed on the coffee table.
Photo taken by Tokana H . S.
Tokana's Child Care Blog 2012

I needed to collect resources for all ages from 6 weeks to 5 year olds, but I started from 6 months.
The above is the entire collection, and now I'm going to display them separately.

Homemade skirt
Photo by Tokanahs
Tokana's Child Care Blog 2012

One of my requirements was to include something homemade, so my teacher provided me with an elastic band and a few pieces of sparkly fabric to make a skirt, and we had to add to it.

I sew the ends of the elastic bands together, attached the bells to wool, and sew both the fabric and yarn to the elastic bands, to make the skirt.

It originally suited any age group, but now I would give it to the two and over age group, because of the bells, but you need to constantly supervise children with this item, because they could swallow and choke on the bells and/or wrap the yarn around their necks and strangle themselves.

You can give the three and over age group(s) chalk and add a blackboard to it so they can draw on the blackboard, or even on the concrete outside.

This activity develops their fine motor skills as well as their pincer grip.

They are exploring the texture of the chalk, the variety of colours, and their environment. They're also exploring the cause and effect.

This activity is improving their cognitive skills as well as their language (they'll usually converse to one another - and you - what they are drawing.

Plastic Hour Glass
Photo taken by Tokanahs
Tokana's Child Care Blog 2012

I don't know why this image came out sideways, because it's not that way on my computer. Oh well.

I made an hour glass with sand from the beach, two Wicked bottles and cloth camping tape.

This activity promotes cause and effect as well as sensory (touch, sight and sound), and palmer grasp.

Children are also exploring the hour glass, as well as their environment (hopefully enthusiastically), and they may be communicating their findings.

I would give this activity to 1-5 year olds.

I made this coloured water with aluminum foil for the younger age group, but my teach said that the amount of foil in there is too much, so put in less.

I bought pre-packaged coloured aluminum foil from Riot! Arts and Crafts, and used a juice (I think) bottle, as well as cloth camp tape and super glue to secure the lid.

It's good for exploration, communication (verbal and none verbal), identity (expressing joy, or maybe frustration), and good for palmer grasp.

You can shake this yourself and place it in front of a baby 1 - 6 months, they can lie on a mat, look at it and smile or gurgle at all the colours.

Children love playing in home corner and pretending to make food for themselves and other people. Set up a space in your home or centre specifically for home corner (next to the dolls, which is also apart of home corner) and add a plastic or wooden stove, oven and fridge (maybe even a sink), a shelf, table, chairs and a table cloth with menus (even if they're in another language, or ask them if they'd like to create their own) with this, and see what they'll come up with.

This is called dramatic play when they are petending to do something and be somebody.

It also depends what age they are.

If you've read my blog Types of Play, you'll know about dramatic play.

This 90 piece food container cost only $15 at Target, which was a bargain compared to other things, which only had 10 - 15 items for $9.99.

Blowing bubbles is a great activity and improves their palmer grasp and gross motor skills.
They're also exploring  their environment (Learning), and expressing their joy with the activity, as well as (hopefully) interacting with other children (community).

Encouraging play.

Before filling your home with toys, or even borrowing toys, you need to consider what your child's age group or development skills are.

For 0 - 12 month old's you want something simple like a mirror - if you have a full-length mirror, you can carry your baby and stand in front of it, introducing your child to his or herself. You can ask, "Where's Mummy?" or "Where's Daddy?" You would then point to yourself. After which you would ask them where they are, allowing time for them to point to themselves. If they did, you'd clap. If not you'd point to them yourself. While still in front of the mirror you might want to pull some funny faces and see them smiling and/or laughing.

Maybe you want to lay them on a mat and play peek-a-boo, play with their rattles, soft toys and/or read them books. Some infant books don't even have words, so it's always a good bonding experience and opportunity to expand your imagination and make up stories. Eg. "There was once a princess who..." Make sure the story's a maximum of five minutes long and they aren't too complex. A baby's attention span is very short and they won't be able to understand complex words.

For a 12 - 24 months old you can buy or borrow stackable boxes (take this one for example), duplo, dinosaurs, sandpit, bicycles....

To encourage children to play, put all activities at shoulder high so it's easy for them to access. Provide a variety of activities that they're interested in.

Sorry I have been M.I.A.

Hello families,

So, I have been M.I.A. for quite a while now. I am studying for my Diploma in Screen and Media for the last year and a bit. That doesn't mean that I am done with child care, or coming up with awesome ideas, but it just means that I am busier.

This course involves learning how to shoot a live-to-air program, as well as pre-shot packages (also known as segments). Think "Sunrise," "the Today Show" or even news programs. "A Current Affair" is supposedly live, but all of the packages that they air are, in fact, pre-shot. It's the same with programs like "the Project," (formerly known as "The 7pm Project"), "60 Minutes," "Sunday Night," and "Nine News," among others. My fellow classmates and I have to come produce our own individual episodes of a magazine-style show, which all have a running theme or format.

This series may end up being broadcast on the community-based Channel 31, depending on whether the boss of the channel deems our series broadcast-worthy (meaning that the quality's good etc.), and the fact that the future of Channel 31 is uncertain - hopefully it'll remain, whether on TV or online, and we'll be able to broadcast live.

For my episode, which I'm not only producing, but directing, I need to produce two packages before my air date. Since all of the packages need to be shot within the Greater Melbourne area, I thought about doing a segment (package) on Scienceworks in the suburb of Spotswood. It's difficult, as we can't promote a business, but there are stories we can do within businesses such as Scienceworks.

I have no idea what I'm going to base my second pattern on. Looking after children is my passion and I would love to do my second package involving children and the joy they get out of doing something. However, I'm drawing a blank on the rest. If any of you parents/families/carers have a story which you'd like some light shined upon (no political stories, please, as bad as the child care benefit and stuff may be), please let me know.

What to consider when enrolling your child in child(ren) care.

Enrolling your child(ren) into child care is an extremely important thing, as it contributes to your child's welbeing, and it gives you peace of mind, assuring you that your child, who is your prize and joy (or the light of your life, if you will), is being looked after. Having your child in care also ensures that you can go to work, clean your house, catch up with your friends over coffee or go shopping, whether it be for groceries or clothes, and just have 'me' time.

There is one ultimate thing on making your relationship between yourself, child and centre work: you need to be comfortable with leaving your child with that centre. You would think that the first would be your child's happiness, wouldn't you? Yes, it is, and it's important, but first and foremost you need to be comfortable with it. If you're nervous about being introduced to this centre, or for another reason, it's most likely that your child's going to be as well, as he or she is picking up on your mood. If you're calm, your child is too.

Child care centres' not only cater for the child, but the family, too.

These are the things you'll need to consider when trying out a new centre:

How are you feeling about going to the centre?

As a parent, who constantly cares for your child, your gut feeling is very important! It not only tells you how you're feeling, but it radiates on your child. Don't get me wrong, feeling nervous or anxious is normal, as is feeling happy and calm. It's also normal for your child to pick up on this and act the same way.

If you're feeling anxious or scared, ask yourself why; maybe there is a good reason for this. Once going to the centre and meeting the staff, though, your nerves may subside. If not, or they are made worse, get out of there. If you're not comfortable there, your child won't be either.

Is the staff friendly?

First impressions are extremely important - they must be welcoming, warm, give off lots of (natural and genuine) smiles and be someone who loves her job, and the children he or she cares for. If you get the impression that this is just a job to them, it's most likely that s/he doesn't value the children.

It may feel intimidating but look out for centre's that treat the children in their care like children - they're welcoming and affectionate (giving hugs when needed, and even kissing their boo-boos). However, they should still respect that you're the parent, not them. Child carers shouldn't encourage children to call them "Mum," even though you'll encounter one or two children who insist on calling them so, but that shows that the child carers are doing something right - they're doing everything a parent would - make each child feel like they belong, give them the attention and affection they need and deserve, and make them feel safe.

I've become used to being called "Mum," even though I don't encourage children to call me so. It assures me that I'm making them feel safe, as if they belong, and I'm kind to them. I'm always happy to see them.

What's the atmosphere at the centre like?

Is it a laid back, happy and welcoming environment? Is it stressful and the staff couldn't be bothered with the children? If it's the former, that's great! If it's the latter, it's really not the right place for you and your child. You'll be constantly stressed and dreading leaving your child there, and your child's going to pick up on it, making his or her experience a bad one.

Confidentiality is important. If your child carer, whether prospective or current, gossips to you about another family, then it's a wonder what they're saying about you and your family, and to whom.

They should never talk about any family, whether in their care or not - doing so is absolutely unprofessional and should not be tolerated.

If they do gossip to you, pull them to one side and tell them that you're not interested in partaking in such behaviour, and that it unprofessional of them to do so.

"Audition" time.

Look at it as an audition. Instead of you auditioning for them, though, they're auditioning for you. This is the most vulnerable time for both you and them, but you've got the upper hand.

When you're looking and prospective centres, expect to spend 30 to 60 minutes of your child at each of them. So, I would suggest clearing your schedule for the day. Okay, maybe not the entire day, but at least 90 to 120 minutes. You want to spend that time familiarizing yourself with the centre, the staff, their policies and routines. After spending at least 30 minutes with your child, settling him or her in and seeing how the staff interact with the children in their care - yours included. You then want to excuse yourself and go to the kitchen for anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes to get a cup of tea and have a break. During this time, though, you're going to be assessing a number of things - how your child reacts to you leaving the room for an extended period of time (make sure he or she knows where you're going and the duration of which you'll be gone), how the staff respond to your departure, and how they interact with the child for the duration of your "departure". If your child's distressed about your departure, this is a time to see how the staff deal with your distressed child - whether they try to sooth your child, or just leave him or her to his or her own devices.

If the staff don't make the effort to sooth your child or even interact, preferring to keep his or her distance, maybe it's not the right centre. Maybe you want a centre that has more interaction and initiative or maybe you'll want one that leaves that all to you.

Age-appropriate activities.

You also want a centre that provides your child with activities appropriate to his or her age, and staff who are willing to play that activity with the child, encouraging him or her to use their imagination or brain. It's important to encourage the child to problem-solve than to have the adult solving it for them.

Partnership.

It's important that the centre works with you to care for the child. They should also try their hardest to comply with your suggestions or requests, considering they're reasonable. If your requests aren't reasonable or they contradict their policies, they most likely won't do it. If they cannot do it, they should politely explain why. The staff should always be looking out for the child and their wellbeing.

Here's an example: If you say that you don't want your child to sleep, they will comply as long as the child doesn't appear tired. However, if the child looks tired, they must provide a bed for the child to rest on. If they fall asleep, they cannot wake them for 30 minutes. This is for the child's wellbeing. The child is obviously tired and needs a sleep. They cannot in good conscious deny that fact and deny them an opportunity to sleep and on a bed.

If you have dressed your child in layers of clothes and don't want your child to remove it, the staff will comply as long as the child's not overheating. If it is hot outside or your child is partaking in some physical activity, and it is evident that he or she is going to overheat, it is well within the staff's right (it's actually their responsibility) to remove the clothing. If it happens that they leave it on and your child has heatstroke, they can be held responsible. The child carers will then put the clothing back on once it's home time, but they must tell you that they had to remove the extra layers of clothing and why.

Honesty is the best policy.

Staff and families need to be honest with one another in order to better care for the child. If you feel that a staff member is not being honest with you, ask them if it has anything to do with your child, and what it is. If it has nothing to do with your child, leave it alone. If it does but they are unwilling to say anything, ask the coordinator. If they're not willing to say anything, ask for your child's daily observations and/or the centre's medical folder. However, for them to be honest with them about your child, you also need to be honest with them and tell them anything they may need to know, even if you feel that it's not important. Don't ever feel stupid or a particular question is stupid; even the most important of questions may be important. If the staff makes you feel stupid, make an appointment with them and the coordinator, tell them that you're feeling stupid and why, and if they're doing this intentionally, ask them why. If they don't give you a satisfying answer, or they apologize and say they didn't realise it was happening and that they promise to stop doing so, but it keeps happening, maybe it's time to move on (aka. Move centres).

Daily communication. 

This also comes under the "honesty is the best policy" subheading. To better care for your child, effective and daily communication is key. Fill out your child's "All About Me" honestly, even if you feel that your answers may be stupid or unimportant (they aren't stupid and they are important), tell your room leader that your child hasn't slept well, hasn't had breakfast, is emotional because of something important (tell them what it is), or has had a little accident either in their bed or in the car. It might be embarrassing, but your child may be emotional throughout the day and it's best that the staff know about it so that they can appropriately sooth your child, and assure him or her that it's perfectly normal to have those accidents. Tell the staff member if your child's fallen over, so therefor he or she has a bruise. If he or she has been hit by someone, tell the centre, so they know what's going on. They can be your confidante. If you and your partner is having a fight, tell your room leader, as it may be having an emotional affect on your child, who has to also experience it. If you have a court order on your partner and/or the child's father, tell your coordinator and room leader and bring in the court order so your centre can appropriately deal with it.

The staff are there to support you through anything and everything.

In return, the staff will tell you whether or not the child's had his or her midday sleep and for how long, if he or she's eaten and how much, and at what time he or she's needed a nappy change, and whether it was wet, poo-ey or dry.

Policies.

Familiarize yourself with the centre's policies - each centre has slightly different policies. They should be on display, easily accessed by parents. If they're not, ask the receptionist or coordinator for them. Every family member (parent, guardian and sibling who's over 18) has a right to view them. Even students who are doing their work placement there has a right to view them.

The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF)/Victorian Early Years and Development Framework. 

To assess the centre, also look out as to whether they follow the Early Years Learning Framework, or alternatively, if you're in Victoria, the Victorian Early Years and Development Framework (VEYDF). (You can download both by following the links). If you like, you can download both of the documents, but they're much the same, just a little different. Each outcome is colour-coded, which the child carers should follow. If you see some activity and/or outcome colour-coded (eg. Child can feel safe and supported: with the support of Tina, Annabelle has become familiar with her routine, which assists her to transition from one activity to another well.) You'll know it comes from one particular outcome (the example above comes from "Identity," which is, as you can see, red under the VEYDF).

If the centre follows either or both frameworks well, you can rest assured that they're doing their job and they're teaching your child well.

Song and games.

See how the staff interact and teach the children in their care. Remember that staff aren't singing songs, playing games and reading stories to the children just for the fun of it; they're actually teaching children life skills that they'll need later on - maths, science, language skills and social skills, as well as motor skills (picking up trucks and running, etc.), fine motor skills (drawing, pasting, etc.) and congnitive skills (problem-solving, etc.)

If the staff are teaching them this and allowing them to explore these areas both assisted and unassisted, then they're doing their jobs well.

If you want to add any more, please feel free to leave them in the comments section.

Separation Anxiety

I'm going to speak to you about separation anxiety and how to deal with it appropriately. I will also speak to you about an experience I had with a child who suffered from separation anxiety.

It's not only children who suffer from separation anxiety, but the parents too, especially mothers. This is commonly because the mother's carried the baby for nine months in the womb, has bonded with their child and is worried that their child might not cope with being away from their mother (or father) for a period of time. This is a common feeling and concern for a parent. Separation anxiety, whether from a child or parent, is absolutely normal - it's nothing to be ashamed of whatsoever!

Some concerns parents may have is that they're returning to work too soon, therefore separating from their child too quickly; that there child isn't ready to be left in another person's care, especially a stranger. A parent wonders if their child will miss them and cry.
Do you remember mother's intuition and that they know whether their child is sad or angry? It's the same for children as far as their parents are concerned, especially their mothers.
When trying to find a child care centre in which to enroll your child, make sure you're both satisfied and comfortable with it. If you're happy and content and get along well with the staff, your child will too.
If you're unsure or uncomfortable with the centre and/or staff, your child most likely will, too. If you're feeling anxious about leaving your child with a carer, your child will know it and will probably want to stay with you to comfort you and make it all better again.

The child care centres are usually understanding and will accommodate the parents' anxiety/concerns and allow you to call a few times a day for updates on your child's progress. More than likely your child's progress will go something like, "Sam was a bit anxious when you first left, but settled in quite nicely once he got to know the other children, the routine and played some games."

The case of putting your child into someone else's care is always stressful and you need to do what is right for the both of you. If you're worried, you can always enroll your child into playgroup, where you stay with your child throughout the play session while your child gets to socialise with other children his or her age.
If after a while you feel comfortable about leaving your child, you can consider normal child care where you leave for a certain amount of time.
If you're breastfeeding, you can rest assured that most child care centres welcome mother's to come in at certain times and breastfeed your child. This is also a good way of slowly separating for certain amounts of time, and being assured that your child is being well looked after. I work at a playhouse and I can assure you that it's a great arrangement for both parent and child. I work with the over three's, though, so only one parent is there helping while there are at least two permanent staff present. The under two's group requires all parents to be present with their children.

I worked with a child who had separation anxiety and the first day I met her, she was clinging to her mother, not wanting her to leave. Once she'd said goodbye and her mother left, she was still unsettled, so I made myself available to her. She slowly came to me and the next day I was with her she'd transferred all of her separation anxiety from her mother to me - at least at child care. I then comforted her and made her feel secure and cared for. After a while, I began the process of trying to eliminate the separation anxiety.

She preferred to just play with me and not her peers, so I encouraged her to play with her peers whilst sitting on my lap, which went over a few weeks. Once she felt comfortable enough to get off my lap and play with them, I started distancing myself little by little, still assuring her that I was close by and she could come to me if needed. After about three months, the progress we'd made became very evident - she let go of her family member and run over to the set up tunnel and play in that for ages without a worry in the world!

When you're transitioning from parent to child care for the first time, do an orientation lasting for two or so weeks just to get the child used to the centre, staff, children and routines, and then after one or two days, or when you feel comfortable, excuse yourself for a few minutes while making yourself a cup of tea.

Once the child is finally settled, set a routine: arrive at child care at the same time each day and tell them when you'll be back (eg. "after lunch," "after nap time," "after afternoon tea time") and make sure you're consistent. If you say you're going to do something, follow through with it. If you have time, get to child care 15 minutes early so you can spend that time with your child, settling him or her into care for the day. Read a book, change his or her first nappy (diaper) for the day.
If you're going back to work full time, gradually reduce the time spent there until all you need to do is drop the child off. It's always good for both the parent and child to do one activity at care together before you leave, whether it be read a book, sing a song or two, changing his or her first nappy at care, doing a puzzle or playing in home corner together. An important thing for both parent and child is to say goodbye, even if the child's busy with what they're doing.

It is also important for the child to bring in something from home, whether it be a toy, their blanket, their favourite dummy, book or even your favourite shirt that you wear. This will act as a comforter for the child. A child care I worked at also had a 'about me' board, where they had pictures of the child and his or her immediate family. They also had a picture from a special event the child had, whether it be a birthday party, holiday or getting a new pet. The child can point at it and identify their family, what they did or their pet.
This 'about me' board contributes to their identity, sense of belonging and importance.

These are some descriptions of separation anxiety and some tips on how to deal with it. I hope they help you, a friend or family member.

Tokana.

Page Views - awesome!

Hey guys,

I just want to update you that we've had 202 blog views, which is an awesome feat and more than I could have ever asked for! I created this page thinking only one or two people would view it, and hoping it'd help/inspire them; but I didn't expect for this many blog views!

I'd like to make this experience even better for us all and provide you with even more information. I would also like to know what you'd like to see on this blog? It can be some observational videos, songs, a list of child rearing books?

I'll share with you more of my personal and professional experiences from separation anxiety, dependency, independence, working with children with ADHD and special needs.

In conclusion, thank you for visiting and making this blog popular. If you're someone who checks back regularly, thank you for doing so, and please, keep checking, as I'll be trying to make regular posts, and trying to answer any questions that I may get.

Tokana

Allergies and Diets

As I mentioned in my previous post, Elana's Pantry has quite a lot of gluten-free. Elana's Pantry is actually a treasure trove in some ways, as it has many recipes catering to a handful of diets, whether it be gluten-free (Coeliac Disease), the Paleolithic diet (abbv. Paleo aka the 'caveman' diet), the Agave diet (Agave is a sweetener that comes from the flower agave. To read more about Agave, visit WebMD - the truth about agave), Candida diet (a fungus of yeasts), dairy-free, egg free, and nut free.

As I have said, I enjoy discovering new recipes and trying them out, whether they're gluten or lactose (dairy) free. I made poppy seed and orange cupcakes for my 21st from a poppy seed and orange cake recipe, and I replaced the plain and self-raising flours with almond meal and some other kind of meal. I can't remember the name right now. I will update this once I remember. I haven't made them for a while, so my memory's a bit hazy. Anyway, I'd look up recipes from magazines, books and websites and decide to make them.

For my 21st I had invited a high-school friend and her son to my party, which was held beside the river. Her son was Coeliac (gluten intolerant) and so to accommodate him I made the gluten-free cupcakes. They didn't end up attending, but we all enjoyed the cupcakes.
It is recommended that you don't have a lot of gluten-free products if you're not supposed to be on the diet, but a bit isn't too bad. I love gluten-free products. As it turns out, I'm supposed to be on the gluten-free diet, but I'm not because even though I love the gluten-free products, I love my dairy products way too much to give them up!

For some more information about the Candida Diet, including recipes, you can visit The Candida Diet website.

For more information on the Paleo Diet, as well as recipes, you can visit the Paleo Diet webpage here.

Don't worry if you're finding it difficult to find a restaurant or food products in supermarkets to cater for your and/or loved one's needs; it's easy to make your own food from scratch, and it's much cheaper, too!
You can get your specialty flour from health food shops. Of course, supermarkets have some packets of almond flour, but they're small 250g to 500g bags, whereas you can buy in bulk from health food shops.

In conclusion, it's simple to make meals that cater for all diets and allergens; just substitute one or more ingredients, especially the flour! It's easier and costs less to make your own food than it is to eat out.

Until next time.

Tokana.

* I'm in no way a doctor and nor do I claim to be. My tips should not in any way be used in place of a dietitian's advice. You should always follow your doctor/dietitian's advice!
If you think you should be on a diet please consult your local GP.

Get involved!

Why not donate your unwanted goods to your local child care centre, or the one your child currently or used to attend instead of donating them to charity?
You'd be surprised at what would be useful to the child care centres!

You could donate your old clothes, toys that your child no longer plays with, plastic jewelry, plastic cups, saucers, plates and bowls, bedding, children's movies, books, puzzles, bikes, shoes, hats and sunglasses.

My mother had a little treasure trove (suitcase) of clothes and props that she'd use for drama, and which I brought along on one babysitting job. The children whom I was look after loved to play with the clothes, the handbags and sword!

Just before we moved from New South Wales to Victoria, we had a garage sale to rid ourselves of 80% of our possessions. As well as selling a good amount at the garage sale, we donated quite a bit of appropriate clothes and things to the local child care centre, at which I also volunteered. Among the things I donated was a big teddy bear.

Remember to keep all things you're donating appropriate to child care and to specific age groups and to remove all small toys, as they're choking hazards.

A lot of parents are always looking for new recipes and foods to try and ways to make their children eat their vegetables and fruit. There are even parents whose children are coeliac disease, which an intolerance to products containing gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and oats) and children with lactose intolerance. These parents are always looking for recipes that cater for their children/family's needs.
You can always gather parents that you know and share recipes and tips and tricks with one another.
You can gather and share recipes that cater to those allergens and intolerance's  You could even create your own recipes to cater to these specific needs. Parents of all backgrounds will be grateful for this and, depending on their schedules, be willing to participate. You can even put aside one night a week and cook seven meals in bulk and divide them among you, which has been done all over Australia.

You will be able to divide the cookbook among you, and you could even take it to the child care your child attends and have a meeting with both the director and cook, tell them what you've been doing and suggest that they could try one or two recipes out on the children and maybe incorporate them into their daily menu.
The director and/or cook may not agree to this, though, but hopefully they'll think that this is a brilliant idea.
You could even discuss with parents about doing a cooking experience with the children once a week and running this past the director. If the director agrees, she or he would then ask the cook for their opinion.

I made some gluten-free poppy seed and orange cupcakes for my 21st birthday (this was three years back) and they tasted fabulous - even better than the gluten-laden version! This is when I really fell in love with gluten-free products! As it appears, I should be on either a gluten-free or lactose-free diet anyway, but I love my dairy products to damn much to give them up!
Making the cupcakes were easy - I just substituted the plain flour and self-raising for almond meal and something else. Of course, I needed to use a smidgen self-raising flour to make it rise, but not a lot.

A great website that caters for the gluten-free diet is Elana's Pantry; which holds many gluten-free products ranging from breakfasts (muffins, scones, biscuits and cereals, etc.), soups, salads and dinners to desserts (cookies, cupcakes and pastries, etc.), even covering bread!
I haven't yet tried any of her recipes, as I've only used normal cake recipes, which I have molded into gluten-free cupcakes, but I intend to. I want to try the Deviled Eggs.

I have gathered many cake recipes from magazines, books and websites like www.taste.com.au. One cake I got from a book was a marble chocolate cake, which was absolutely scrumptious, if I do say so myself! It wasn't gluten or lactose-free, but it was... magnific!
Another dish I like to make is a chicken, ricotta and lemon pie. Again, it's not gluten or lactose-free, but it is good with spinach! However, I replaced the spinach with silverbeet, which works just as well.

That's all for this post, but if you have any questions or suggestions on anything in this post, please feel free to contact me (comment).

Until next time.

Tokana