My youngest son is in year six at the local public school and this year the school was lucky enough to receive a grant to support an initiative that enables the student to visit the local farmers market one class per week.

My son’s class went to the markets for their final visit last week and I went in to help them cook what they had bought.  The teacher’s aide who is responsible for making it all happen had come up with a very tasty menu of beef kabobs, fried rice and smoothies.

When I arrived a few keen cooks were in the canteen kitchen with two teachers.  The boys were skewering meat and tomatoes and cutting fruit for the smoothies.  The children were then rotated in and out in groups of three or four to do their share of the preparation and cooking.  Some of the students preferred to stay in the kitchen to going back to class so they we kept busy with washing dishes, wiping down the kitchen and taking the compost out to the worm farm.

Earlier that morning the entire class discussed the menu and worked out the budget then traveled by bus to the farmers market.

As a regular market goer I know that the farmers love to see the school children on Tuesday morning.  Because it is a different class each week, the stall holders get to interact with children of all ages and shopping abilities.  The children’s shopping and food growing experiences also varies greatly.  All of the children would have some veggie growing experience from the garden at the school but there are definitely children who have very little knowledge of where their food comes from.

Finally after everything was all cleaned up and the food was served by the children, everyone sat down together and enjoyed the fruits of their labour.  A program like this is such a fantastic way to teach children about a variety of important things.  Not only the obvious ones like where their food comes from, budgeting and cooking skills.  The children also learn how to work together and the basic social skills needed to share a common meal. The children learn about  other cultures, whether it be the culture of the country where the meal is from or of the person sitting next to them who may have cultural dietary restrictions.

What a wonderful way to spend a morning at school!

Michele Dennis
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image courtesy of suzettesuzette under a Creative Commons licence.

Love Is Not For Cowards
Birgit Weber
Finch Publishing

Do you sometimes feel like you have hit a brick wall with your partner?  Are you wondering what happened to the love you felt when your relationship was fresh and new?   Birgit Weber’s book is for those people who are ready to take their relationship to another level.  This book encourages readers to get out of the blame game and take a look inward, in particular the influence our childhood experiences have on our adult relationships.

When we can fully accept ourselves, we can accept others and our relationship with our partner will be more comfortable.  Once we can stop the cycle of either trying to change the one we love or constantly trying to change ourselves for our partner, we can grow closer and have healthier relationships.

Weber is a psychotherapist and she brings insights from her practice and some very practical advice.  This book is perfect for people who are ready for a shift in their approach to relationships and are also ready to put in the work to make that happen.

Michele Dennis
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Donna and her family lived on the North Coast of NSW for two years when things with her oldest daughter, Kaitlyn, reached a crisis point. A usually vibrant and happy girl, Kaitlyn was showing signs of depression. She was struggling with her schoolwork and having trouble fitting in with her peers at school. Kaitlyn did not want to go to school and there were regular arguments over homework. Though she was bright and creative, Kaitlyn often called herself stupid.

‘It was as if her intelligence was locked inside her and we had lost the key. I had no idea how to help her, no amount of tutoring or help we gave her seemed to make any difference,’ says Donna. ‘I felt like we had failed her as parents. I knew we had to do something but had no idea what that something was.’ Donna was concerned that Kaitlyn, now in Year 5, would not be able to cope with the academic workload of high school.

As a toddler, Kaitlyn was struggling with her speech. On her paediatrician’s advice, Donna took her to a speech pathologist, which seemed to help. It was never mentioned that this could be part of a much larger issue. Kaitlyn had struggled at her first school, a private school in the northern suburbs of Sydney. It was at this school that a counsellor told Donna that Kaitlyn was experiencing learning difficulties. ‘We were shocked and set out on an expensive and concerning journey, wading through a sea of professionals all claiming they could help,’ says Donna.

When they moved to the North Coast, Donna decided on a Steiner school where she felt Kaitlyn would enjoy the focus on the arts. However, this shift didn’t seem to help. Kaitlyn was unable to keep up with the other children. Her reading level was well below her age and it seemed almost impossible for her to do even the most basic maths problems. Donna took Kaitlyn to even more professionals and tutors. She was desperate to make things better for her daughter, to somehow take away the pain and frustration Kaitlyn felt every day. ‘Eventually we could no longer drag Kaitlyn to any more appointments, it was starting to affect her confidence and school was such a challenge for her. So many tears were shed and frustration felt,’ she says.

Because Kaitlyn was so unhappy at school Donna decided to home school her temporarily. She felt Kaitlyn would benefit from the one-on-one attention, hoping that she could help her with her reading and maths before she started at another school. Donna was very worried that Kaitlyn would be ostracised for not being able to read at the same level as her peers and that would affect her already plummeting self-esteem.

It was at this point that Donna discovered the Extra Lesson. ‘Julie recommended an initial consultation to evaluate Kaitlyn’s situation. We were reluctant at first because of the thought of having to put Kaitlyn through all that again. Julie assured us that the initial assessment was not intimidating and Kaitlyn would most likely enjoy the experience. Eventually out of curiosity we attended.’

Julie explained that Extra Lesson is essentially a movement program where the students recapitulate the movements of early childhood. Learning difficulties can be experienced as a result of children not performing some of these movements in their early years. The movements of early childhood fire the neurons in the brain and prepare the child for academic learning later in life.

Donna taught Kaitlyn at home and brought her to Julie for weekly sessions. Special exercises were incorporated at home into their daily routine. ‘Within months Kaitlyn’s confidence grew and learning, reading and writing became easier for her,’ says Donna. ‘After six months of Extra Lesson and home schooling she went back to school and attended Year 6 at a small local school and thrived.’

Kaitlyn continued her weekly sessions with Julie for several months.  When Kaitlyn finished her Extra Lesson program, her grades had improved dramatically, her self-confidence was back and she was happy to go to school. Donna feels grateful that her daughter no longer suffers daily, feeling challenged by activities that come easily to most children. ‘Kaitlyn has just embarked on her second year at high school and we are so proud of her. As, Bs and Cs (nothing less) appeared on every page of her school report. Now that brings a smile to any parent’s face but especially ours, as we have personally felt every challenge she has been faced with.’

How The Extra Lesson works ~

The Extra Lesson is an assessment and intervention program originally developed by Audrey McAllen in the UK and is based on the holistic developmental perspective of Rudolf Steiner’s philosophy of education. Recent research is supporting the link between learning difficulties and development in early childhood.

The first seven years of the child’s life are primarily focused on the physical and sensory development of the child and lay the foundations for all later academic learning and behaviour. When a child’s early development and initial sensory learning experiences are disrupted, this can interfere with the subsequent development and learning as the child grows older. The analogy can be made of a house with faulty foundations, in that the house looks to be structurally sound; however, cracks in the walls may appear. If the child has ‘faulty foundations’ then later learning may require additional effort and the learning process for the child may not be an easy or enjoyable one.

Learning is a spontaneous process in most children that comes from curiosity, so a child who finds learning difficult or has to put in extra effort all the time may end up feeling frustrated and the end result is low self-esteem.

Common interferences to early child development include:

• Problems or accidents during pregnancy
• Difficult, prolonged, too quick, or interrupted birthing process
• Illness eg ear infections, tonsillitis or the need for a lot of antibiotics
• Time in a walker, jolly jumper or limited movement opportunities
• Excessive passivity eg lots of TV, Game Boy, computer games
• Trauma or emotional upset in the family life
• Adverse reactions to medication or immunisations
• Allergies and food sensitivities
• Post-natal depression
• Accidents in childhood

There are many other ways in which early development can be disrupted and sometimes the cause is unknown and often the circumstances were unavoidable. The main focus is identifying what the developmental issues are for the student and doing something about these rather than focusing on the past that cannot be changed.

Some of the common characteristics of children or adolescents who could benefit from Extra Lesson are:

• Diagnosed as ADD, ADHD, dyspraxic, dyslexic, an auditory processing difficulty or as gifted and underachieving
• Performing below age level academically or in other areas, appears to be bright
• Avoiding reading and handwriting tasks
• Difficulty with social relationships
• Easily frustrated or blames others, anger attacks or outbursts
• Awkward or tight pencil grip, poor handwriting
• Skips lines when reading, loses place
• Reversals in handwriting/reading or reversals persisted longer than peers
• Easily distracted, short attention span
• Behaviour problems at home and/or school
• Disorganised and/or loses things
• Clumsy or accident-prone
• Poor balance, lack of co-ordination, low muscle tone, car sick as youngster
• Difficulty remembering or following instructions
• Appears not to listen (no hearing problems), needs things repeated, difficulty with phonetics
• Over-emotional or hypersensitive, mood swings
• Low self-esteem• Confuses signs in maths
• Ambidextrous or mixed dominance for different tasks
• Difficulty learning or performing new tasks

Three or more of the above indicates that your child has some developmental difficulties and would benefit from an intervention such as Extra Lesson. Note that adolescents may have had some of the characteristics at an earlier age and have found ways to compensate.

Parents have found that children and adolescents with dyspraxia, dyslexia, ADD/ADHD, fine and gross motor problems, auditory processing, reading, maths, and spelling difficulties, have greatly benefited from doing Extra Lesson. There are numerous examples of children whose lives have improved dramatically through Extra Lesson.

• A boy of 14 with ADHD symptoms, with the reading level of an eight-year-old and on the brink of suspension started Extra Lesson and after just one term was reading at his age level. By the end of three terms he was doing his homework and achieving good results at school. Home life had also improved dramatically. IQ testing before and after his Extra Lesson program showed an increase from average to high average.
• A dyslexic nine-year-old boy who was very withdrawn and reading at a six-year-old level was brought to Extra Lesson. After one year he had gained confidence in his schoolwork and was reading at his age level. His school report showed he had improved in all areas. He was also considered a popular and social member of his class.
• A young boy of 12 was admitted to hospital, showing signs of being suicidal. He had been diagnosed with ADHD about four years prior to this. His mother reported that he had been disruptive at school since he began pre-school. He could not be left alone at home for fear that he would tip everything out of the fridge or empty all the products in the bathroom. He had to be under constant supervision. By the time he finished his Extra Lesson program he was doing well at school, participating in class, was no longer suicidal and his behaviour at home had greatly improved.

Parents often comment that they have been able to understand their child better and at last move forward. For children with attention problems, Extra Lesson provides the option of a ‘drug-free’ approach.

Extra Lesson is a holistic approach that provides an accurate picture of what developmental gaps exist in a child. It helps parents understand that their child is doing the best they can with the way they perceive the world. As parents it means you can let go of some of the frustration you have often been experiencing with a child that is not ‘fitting into the system’.

Michele Dennis
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Article first published in Kindred magazine, Vol 29 December 2008 – February 2009.

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Working with children and families for over 16 years as well as raising her own two sons in these increasingly hectic times has helped shape her idea that family life can be kept simple.

Michele was a regular contributor to Kindred magazine for many years and she supports children who are struggling academically and socially as an Extra Lesson practitioner.

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Image courtesy of Eddi 07 under a Creative Commons license.

Flight of the Bumblebee
by Hazel Edwards
Illustrated by Mini Goss

Bumble is having trouble.  How is a bee supposed to do his job when he can’t fly properly?

The Queen sends him back to flying school where a kind drone tries to teach Bumble the necessary skills.  Nothing seems to work-then the flight instructor has an inspirational idea!  Bumble tries using the song Flight of the Bumblebee to get his wings flapping.  It works!  Bumble is successful; moving his wings along with the song he is able to fly.

Antonia Kidman reads the story and Flight of the Bumblebee by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov is mixed in as background music and highlighted so children can hear how the story was inspired by the music.  There are also short lessons on bees, the composer and the music.

Also in the Music Box Series – The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.

Michele Dennis
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What is Spiritual Aromatherapy?

Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils through various applications for example inhalations, bathing, anointing or using a diffuser or oil burner.

Essential oils are pure plant extracts taken from plant material, they are seventy times stronger than the original plant they are derived from and are therefore very potent. Like any living thing Essential oils have energy! They have physiological, emotional and spiritual properties.

Fragrance can influence us on all levels from our etheric to our physical bodies enhancing awareness on a higher level.

We can use them to balance our chakras, work with Spirit, uplift our emotions, meditate, and enhance our psychic awareness. Essential oils can be used for protecting the self and the environment against negative energies. They are beautiful for working with Angels, crystals, astrology and a wide variety of healing modalities.

Champa, Neroli and Jasmine are very spiritual oils and are attuned to the Angelic realm.

Frankincense, Myrrh and Sandalwood have long been used for meditation, gatherings and rituals. They are very grounding, and aid in connecting with spirit.

Cypress, Juniper, Spruce and Grapefruit are energetically cleansing and invigorating.

Pink Lotus, Rose, Tuberose, Lavender, Neroli, Jasmine and Ylang Ylang for a blossoming heart.

Essential oils have the potential to initiate the awakening of the Soul, rekindle our passions, draw beauty into our lives, deepen our awareness, influence our physical and emotional health and connect with our Spirit.

Take time and pause… breath in deeply and out …relax your body… think about your favourite Aroma … what do you see…how do you feel…

“Smell is the potent wizard that transports you across thousands of miles and all the years you have lived” ~ Helen Keller

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A creative and very passionate Aromatherapist,  Julie Nelson founder of Aromatique Essentials creates personalised perfumes and therapeutic and beauty products to suit your specific needs. Julie also does on and off line training on Aromatherapy for home use, beauty, pet care and Aromatique Energatics.

www.aromatiqueessentials.com.au

Lavender image courtesy of K.Hurley under a Creative Commons license.

Everyone is busy these days and feeding the family can get very monotonous.  I am always on the lookout for new recipes I can make for my family on those busy weekday evenings.  These two potato recipes are both easy and affordable to make.  The soup can be made in advance and the casserole can be prepared earlier and popped in the oven when you get home.

Cheesy Potato and Broccoli Casserole

6 medium potatoes, cubed
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp butter
handful of chopped parsley
2 cups broccoli florets
1 small onion, sliced
1 cup shredded cheddar or tasty cheese

Preheat oven to 350f/180c

Cook potatoes until tender in a large saucepan, drain and smash with butter and season to taste and add parsley.

Meanwhile steam broccoli until just tender.

Spread potato mixture into a lightly greased oven proof dish, top with broccoli, onion and cheese.  Bake covered for 10 minutes, remove cover and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

recipe from toptaste.com

Mixed Potato Chowder

2 tsp cooking oil of choice
1 onion finally chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
500g baking potatoes, thinly sliced
375g red potatoes, cut into small chunks
250g sweet potatoes, cut into small chunks
1 cup stock, chicken or veg
2 cups water
1 tsp thyme leaves
1 cup milk
2/3 c corn kernels
1/2 cup chopped parsley

Heat oil in a medium saucepan and cook onion and garlic for about seven minutes or until onion is tender.  Add all potatoes and stir to coat.  Add the stock and water, thyme and salt to taste, bring to a boil.  Reduce to simmer, cover and cook for 25 minutes until potatoes are tender, baking potatoes should be soft and creamy.

Stir in milk and corn and cook until corn is cooked through, about four minutes.  Stir in the parsley just before serving.

I got the original recipe for this soup in an old vegetarian cookbook which I have since lost but this recipe has stayed with me because it is so simple and easy to adapt to whatever I have on hand.  The corn can be replaced with peas, kale or whatever vegetables you have in the fridge. It is also important to note that you can use whatever potato combination you like or happen to have or prefer.

Michele Dennis
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image courtesy of Victor Bezrukov under a Creative Commons license.

I’ve been writing an article in my head for months now, about how toxic our world is, how hard it is to avoid the chemicals in our foods, our water supply and our air.

Each week that goes by I read more about what industry is doing to our poor little planet – our chicken is bleached with ammonia, Australian salmon are apparently fed dyes to make the flesh ‘nice and bright’ and it is a rarity to find a cleaning product without some form of poison destined to kill our water creatures.

I think this week’s prize goes to this little beauty which popped up on my facebook newsfeed:

The caption read: “Say hello to mechanically separated chicken. It’s what all fast-food chicken is made from—things like chicken nuggets and patties. Also, the processed frozen chicken in the stores is made from it.”

Basically, the entire chicken is smashed and pressed through a sieve—bones, eyes, guts, and all. it comes out looking like this. There’s more: because it’s crawling with bacteria, it will be washed with ammonia, soaked in it, actually. Then, because it tastes gross, it will be reflavored artificially. Then, because it is weirdly pink, it will be dyed with artificial color. But, hey, at least it tastes good, right?”

As if Jamie Oliver’s demonstration of how chicken nuggets are made isn’t bad enough..

It’s pretty overwhelming really, and most overwhelming of all is the relationship between these toxins and our kids.

So with several drafts of articles rattling around in my mind and scrawled on pieces of paper around my house (as they usually are!), I found another article in my newsfeed recently, called ‘Toxins and our children’. The article was posted on a website called ‘Natural Vitality Kids’. Hmmm, nice website name – felt familiar, I read the article which went like this:

“Once in a great while, a video gets online and goes “viral” that contains so much truth it cannot be ignored: 10 Americans is one such video. It is a live presentation given by Ken Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group, detailing the hundreds of toxins found by analyzing the blood of ten average Americans.

The real impact of this video comes from the fact that these ten Americans, at the time of the analysis, had yet to be born. And the number of chemicals found in their umbilical cord blood was astounding—287 of them, to be precise…”

I watched this video, which I have now embedded below. The video – and the article on the Natural Vitality Kids website is so extraordinary, I felt completely under qualified to comment on this myself at all.

What is extraordinary about this to me personally, is the fact that Natural Vitality Kids is a website created by a man called Peter Gillham in the USA. Peter Gillham was best man at my parent’s wedding…The world works in mysterious ways!

I recommend you watch this video – even just some of it – and read the article at www.naturalvitalitykids.com It is truly mindblowing.

But in the words of a recent Australian TV ad campaign about terrorism, the key to all of this is to be alert, not alarmed!

We have to all become aware of this, and to take actions that we can take at home, and teach our kids important life lessons for their future and the future of our little green planet.
Watch the videos on Kristen’s website.

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Kristen Morrison’s first career was in the fashion industry, where she founded and designed a label suitable for women during and after pregnancy. When Kristen’s third child was born, she and her husband were devastated to find that he had Down syndrome.

Faced with the traditional bleak prospects for her new baby’s diagnosis, Kristen embarked on intensive research into natural therapies and implemented many of them with her son. The results have been very significant in terms of health, development and even appearance. The successes they achieved inspired Kristen to write a book about her discoveries and experiences.

This book, Naturally Better, is now available in paperback & ebook, and together with a website, Kristen now helps parents all over the world to improve the lives of their children with brain-related special needs – not just Down syndrome.

Kristen, her husband Joseph and their three children live in Melbourne.

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Article reproduced here on theCloverPages.com with the author’s permission.

Sweet, Sweet Chilli

Sweet chilli sauce is a staple in my family.  It seems almost every meal someone will go to the fridge and get it out to add to something.  My younger son is particularly addicted to it at the moment.  His favourite after school snack is whatever crackers or corn chips we have with cream cheese and chilli sauce.

Given this information you can imagine I wanted to stay away from the commercial brands of sweet chilli sauce, with all it’s additives, colours and thickeners.  Luckily for us there is an amazing Davidson Plum Sweet Chilli Sauce at my farmer’s market.  It is made by Tuckombil Native Foods and has a delicious slightly spicy and very sweet flavour, making it perfect for stir fry, eggs, marinades and of course the  cracker/cream cheese/ chilli sauce after school obsession.

However as every sweet chilli sauce expert will tell you, there are times when you want something a little less sweet and with a bit more kick.  It is really easy to make your own sweet chilli sauce and it lasts a long time.  There are countless recipes for chilli sauce on the internet, you can make just about any variation of it that you wish.

Years ago i found this easy and basic chilli sauce recipe and I make it regularly, especially when the chillies are in season and everyone has plenty to share.  I usually make a big batch with a friend’s chillies and give half to them and keep the rest.  Unfortunately I didn’t document the site where I found it so all I can say is thanks to Phil from Higgins for the excellent recipe.

Chilli Sauce

4 handfuls of the chillies of your choice
1 red capsicum, seeded
2 large brown onions
1 head of garlic, peeled
2 cups raw sugar
2 cups white vinegar
4 cloves

Blend all ingredients together except the sugar and cloves.

Bring to a boil in a stain proof pan, adding the cloves and sugar.

Turn down the heat and simmer until the sauce reaches the thickness you desire.

Place in sterilised jars, no need to refrigerate.

For a milder sauce remove some or all of the seeds from your chillies before adding to the mix.

Note-please take care when handling this much chilli, rubber gloves are recommended.  If you don’t have gloves, wash your hands very carefully and avoid touching sensitive areas such as eyes and nose.

Michele Dennis
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Remember the old saying ‘Too bad kids don’t come with a handbook’. Well we all know that’s not true anymore, in fact there are probably too many parenting books out there.  Not that this makes one bit of difference, sometimes us parents can still get caught unawares.  I’ve shared a few of the times where it’s happened to me in this very article and guess what?  This school holidays, it’s happened to me once again.

To parents of primary school children, term break means spending more time together, letting go of the routines and relaxing.  As many parents of teens could have told me, school holidays means a pack of teens spending as much time together as humanly possible and a parent’s job is to get the kids together, make sure they have enough money to do whatever is on the agenda and occasionally it is your turn feed everyone who happens to be present at the time.

When the pack is at my place I like to remind them that they have parents who may actually like to know where they are and that a phone call might be appreciated.  In a brief moment of insight i bought a huge car about a year and a half ago and am now able to ferry the pack from house to house and take my turn driving them to the beach or the movies.

For the most part, it is a lovely thing to see young people hanging around, free to do what they want and just happy to be together.  My mistake was not having the boundaries in place at the beginning of the term break, so I have felt like I’ve been playing catch up the whole time.  Who knew three boys would want to be together 24 hours a day for a week? Those of you who have been down this path before me did, I did not.

So the question is how do we teach our younger teens about balance in life? Is it even possible? Should we even try?

Given the amount of media attention that is given to work-life balance and how often we hear ourselves say how busy we are, I guess it would be worth trying to spare our children some of the stress we all feel when it comes to our lifestyle choices.

Quite a few of the teens I know have busy schedules, especially when they get older.  Even some young teens have a heavy schedule during the school year so I can understand the desire to relax and be with friends while school is out.  Those of us in Australia have a different schedule from our readers in the US and having grown up in the US I must say I prefer the four shorter breaks to the endless summer.  However this means that three times a year our children have a couple of weeks to catch up with friends and enjoy themselves if their families don’t have holidays or other commitments planned for them.

Looking back at the first ten days of the break, I must say my son has had a fantastic time.  But dispersed between the exciting events and days of hanging out have been some pretty unpleasant conversations between him and his parents.  I feel most of them could be avoided if any of us had know what to expect.

Since turning fourteen my son has become incredibly social and thinking back to a couple of years ago I remember a friend of mine marvelling at the same thing in her son when he was the same age.  I remember thinking to myself ‘oh that sounds fun, what’s the big deal?’. Now I know.

I think it’s great to hang out with friends and I certainly remember being a young teen and all the great times my friends and I had. I also think it’s important to recharge your batteries during term breaks and also to get prepared for the next term.  There must be time spent at home relaxing and also time spent with family.  If I had known my son was going to ask to spend every day with friends, I could have let him know that there would be days and evenings when I expected him to be at home.  We could have spoken about this in advance, setting out the guidelines so he would know what the limits were.  But I don’t think either of us had any idea that this was how it was going to play out.

Nothing went seriously wrong but it could have been a lot more pleasant.  We now know that he needs to check in with us, away from friends so we can speak freely about our concerns and that he needs to accept that sometimes the answer is ‘no’.  Another interesting thing that I remember about being young is the feeling that everything that someone has planned is a ‘must attend’ event. The fear that you might miss even one little thing is always there.  Trying to convince teens that life will go on, that your friends will always be there or as my dad always liked to remind me, they never were.  It is an anxious and uncomfortable time in life as much as it exciting and life affirming.

Another thing I learned as we went along was the importance of getting all the facts about what’s happening.  The kids get so excited that they forget to check with parents and some even give the permission themselves, even if it’s not their house!  Teens will need to calm down, take a breath and get all the relevant information when asking permission to do something.

Now maybe not all teens are as excitable as mine and maybe some parents have an easier time than I did over the past couple of weeks but I’m not too worried.  My parenting style has always been to admit to the fact that things could have gone differently, sit down together and discuss what we learned and try to be ready for the next lesson in life.  Which is bound to be completely different from the last one…..

Michele Dennis
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A recent report from the US has found that playing outside helps to promote the physical and mental wellness of children.

How often do your kids play outdoors?

What do they like to do?

Do you have to encourage them, or does it come naturally?

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