80 yourfamily.co.zaPARENTING NEWS
IDEAS AND TIPS TO MAKE FAMILY LIFE EVEN BETTER
DoyouhavealittleMasterChefinyourkitchen?Whynothonetheirskillsand
encouragetheirpassionthroughacookingclubwhilethey’reyoung?Who
knows,youmayjustbegroomingthenextZolaNeneorJamieOliver!Plus,
cookingwithyourkidsisagreatwaytospendfamilytimewhilecreating
wonderfulmemories.Teaching
them
patience
All Thulani wants
is a simple life
basking in the
sun. Tired of
milking the cow,
heexchanges it for
a goat – then the goat for a sheep, and the
sheep for three geese, etc. Finally, all he
has left is a pocketful of sunflower seeds.
Hesoonrealisesthatseedsfeed the hens,
helpingthemlaymoreeggsthan ever, and
beforelongThulani’senjoyingthe gift of
hisnew-foundfortune.Acharming, easy-
to-understandstoryteachingchildren the
conceptofinvestingandgrowing what
onealreadyhas.Italsoteachesthem the
valueofpatienceinordertoreap rewards.
Areworkingofaclassicfairytale, Dianne
Stewart’sstoryandJudeDaly’sdelightful
illustrationswillenchantchildren. The Gift of
theSunisprintedinisiXhosa,isiZulu, English
andAfrikaansandisavailablefrom good
bookstoresnationwideforR120.While it’s important for kids to have fun, it’s
equally important that they learn at the same
time. And since kids learn best through play
and technology, their educational toys should
strike a good balance between these two.
Spark their imagination through hands-on
technology that facilitates learning through
creation with DIY kits and hundreds of digital
tools and projects.
Tech Will Save Us (TWSU) has a range of
toys focused on STEM learning. Children learn
how to harness everyday technology such as
resistors, capacitors and LED lights. Although
targeted at kids aged four to 11, even teenagers
andadults
willfind this
entertaining
and
challenging,
whether
building
akitor coding
adevice.MORE THAN JUST TOYS
FOR LITTLE CHEFS
Cooking�clubs
LITTLE COOKS’ CLUB
This club has a Little Tasters’
Programme for children aged 16
months to three years. The idea
is to create a positive and healthy
relationship between kids and food
while they’re still young. The earlier
they start, the easier it will be for
them to make better choices later.
Kids aged two to six can choose one
of two classes: the Little Cooks’ Club
Cooking Programme and the Spade
to Spatula Cooking Programme. The
former also encourages children to
appreciate good food and a healthy
diet through understanding nutrition,
while teaching them to prepare a
variety of healthy dishes. In Spade to
Spatula, kids explore the origins of
different foods. At the beginning of
each class they’re given a seed and
instructed how to plant it, while also
receiving basic gardening lessons.
Afterwards, they make a delicious
dish using that ingredient. Visit:
Littlecooksclub.co.zaTOTS N POTS:
Tots n Pots split their classes
into three age categories: Sticky
Fingers Club (ages two to
three), Little Chefs’ Programme
(ages three to seven) and the
Master Class Programme for
kids aged eight upwards. The
Sticky Fingers Club focuses on
fine motor skill development
and tactile defensiveness,
where children work with their
parents to experiment with new
tastes and textures. The group
aged three to seven get more
advanced lessons about shapes,
textures, colours and tastes
through fun baking workshops.
They learn to follow instructions
and measure ingredients using
teaspoons, cups and other
kitchen tools. The older kids
learn to cook simple, nutritious
meals independently and also
work in teams to create their own
recipes. Visit: Totsnpots.co.za