Hajra Omarjee recently hosted a conversation about homeschooling on her Power Drive radio show on Power FM.

Omarjee cites a newspaper article which suggests that violence, overcrowding and poorly trained educators in schools have resulted in more and more parents deciding to homeschool their children. In 1997, 2 000 children were reportedly taught at home, and by 2011 the number had reached 57 000.

Coleen Cronje, the CEO of Brainline Learning World, was on the line to speak about homeschooling. She says that “many homeschoolers are very active in the community”. Distance learning allows many learners to compete in sports or keep up with school despite illness.

Listen to the podcast:

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For more information about the hows and whys of homeschooling, read Homeschooling High School by Shirley Erwee.

Book details

• Homeschooling High School by Shirley Erwee
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  EAN: 9781432303662
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Leandri van der Wat, co-author of the beautiful new cookbook TWO, recently chatted to Pippa Hudson on CapeTalk’s food show.

TWO is a collaboration between Leandri and her sister Seline, showcasing recipes where they use the same main ingredient to create different dishes. South Africa first met these siblings in 2013 when they came second (Leandri) and third (Seline) on the second season of Masterchef SA.

“The book plays to our strengths. Seline always likes to complicate food and see how much she can challenge herself, and I enjoy approaching food in a simple almost therapeutic way. I like to relax while cooking, and Seline likes to be challenged,” Leandri explained.

Listen to the podcast for more about the Van der Wats and their new book:

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Book details

• TWO by Seline van der Wat, Leandri van der Wat
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  EAN: 9781432304393
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Inè Reynierse het onlangs by Susan Botha in die GrootFM-ateljee gekuier om te gesels oor haar boek, Low carb is lekker, ook in Engels beskikbaar as Low Carb is Lekker.

Reynierse vertel dat graan en verwerkte suikers inflammasie in die liggaam veroorsaak, wat op sy beurt die hoofoorsaak is van ‘n “hele lang lys” siektes en kwale, onder meer diabetes of breinsiektes soos aandagafleibaarheid-hiperaktwiteitsindroom (ADHD).

“Jou brein het weer ‘n kans om te kan dink en te funksioneer,” sê sy oor wat gebeur wanneer jy begin om koolhidrate en verwerkte kosse uit jou dieet te sny.

Botha wil weet: “Hoe maak jy tradisionele boerekos, en nou praat ek skaapboud, sonder gebakte aartappels? Wat vervang jy?”

Luister na die potgooi vir Reynierse se antwoord:

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Lees ook:

• Vind uit hoe Ine Reynierse se Low carb is Lekker-dieet haar familie se lewe verander het (Video)

• Van ontbyt tot poeding – Probeer vier smullekker Low carb is lekker-resepte deur Inè Reynierse

Boekbesonderhede

• Low carb is lekker deur Inè Reynierse
  EAN: 9781432305468
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• Low Carb is Lekker deur Inè Reynierse
  Boek se tuisblad
  EAN: 9781432304782
  Spoor hierdie boek met BOOK Finder op!

Lizelle de Kock, party planner and author of Party Time, was recently featured on Pippa Hudson’s radio show on CapeTalk to speak about the business of children’s birthday parties.

In the podcast, De Kock shares some of her tips for planning parties and how she got into the business. She says that “with everything, even with weddings, things can go over the top”, but there is definitely space to cater for personal preference.

Because most mothers work these days, De Kock says time for planning children’s parties is hard to come by and so there is a gap for creative help.

Listen to the podcast:

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Book details

• Party Time by Lizelle de Kock
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  EAN: 9781432304645
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Sam Gates follows a simple food philosophy: The best meals are those shared with the people we love. Her latest cookbook, Food for your Brood, contains practical and innovative recipes for the whole family.

Gates recently shared a recipe on the Mommy Matters show for a “Broodsters Breakfast Wrap” which consists of avo, egg, sweet chilli and cheese.

In the podcast, Gates says the breakfast wrap is one of her favourite meals because it requires virtually no cooking. “It’s an absolute brilliant breakfast,” she says, explaining how to prepare this wonderful meal.

Listen to the podcast and read the article for the complete recipe:

In this vegetarian beauty, avocado mash creates a cool base for chilli, cheese and other goodies piled high to make one enormous wrap. It will feed two if you’re unlucky enough to have to share, otherwise it makes a mega treat just for you if no one’s looking.

1 egg
5 ml (1 tsp) butter
1 large white wrap, the biggest you can
find
½ripe avocado, gently mashed

• Complete recipe: OFM

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Related link:

• Try Sam Gates’ Solution for Catering for a Large Family – a Baked Egg Bar (Podcast)

Book details

• Food for your Brood by Sam Gates
  Book homepage
  EAN: 9781432303273
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A recent study conducted by the Policy Studies Institute at the University of Westminster in London has concluded that South African parents are the strictest in the world.

When it comes to play and travel, South African parents are the more restrictive than parents from any of the 16 nations surveyed.

John Maytham of CapeTalk recently took a closer look at why this is and what is means for children in this country. To this end, he spoke to Joan van Niekerk, president of the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect.

Van Niekerk said that being strict in order to protect children from danger in this unsafe country is understandable and even commendable. But, in order to allow children to acquire “levels of independence and responsibility associated with being allowed out alone”, so freedom needs to be allowed.

Van Niekerk outlines some of the benefits of freedom for children, and suggests some creative ways of maintaining supervision while allowing some freedom.

For more ideas about how to equip your children to cope with a dangerous world, check out Bully-proof by Gail Dore and Change Your Child’s Behaviour by Anchen Witthuhn.

Listen to the podcast:

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Book details

• Change Your Child’s Behaviour by Anchen Witthuhn
  Book homepage
  EAN: 9781432304607
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• Bully-proof by Gail Dore
  Book homepage
  EAN: 9781432303648
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Carla Grobler, an occupational therapist who specialises in paediatrics, was recently featured on OFM’s Mommy Matters radio show to speak about her book Early Childhood Development Checklist (available in Afrikaans as Mylpale vir kinderontwikkeling).

In the podcast, Grobler speaks about the aim of her checklist, and how it can help parents and preschool teachers. She says it allows role players to see where children are in their development, and “it also gives you quite a nice idea of which skills area you as a parent or teacher can work on to stimulate your child”.

Grobler reminds people that children all develop differently, and they need not worry if their child seems a little behind. However, help and therapy is always available.

Listen to the podcast:

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Book details

• Early Childhood Development Checklist by Carla Grobler
  Book homepage
  EAN: 9781432304829
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• Mylpale vir kinderontwikkeling by Carla Grobler
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  EAN: 9781432304836
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Gail Dore recently said that more than 15 percent of children “face some sort of violence at school”.

In an interview on the OFM Mommy Matters show, the Bully-proof author says there are numerous reasons why children do not speak out against bullies:

• Children are afraid of retaliation, that the bully will find out about it and then the bullying will get worse.

• Children don’t trust that adults or school authorities will handle the matter properly.

• They feel a profound sense of shame: If they were smarter, prettier, or more adequate in some way they wouldn’t be picked on.

• Initially children think they can handle it.

Dore shares her advice for parents on how to curb bullying. She says it is important that parents find opportunities to help children feel confident about themselves and foster a healthy self-esteem. Body-language conveys a lot to a bully, she says, adding that when a child is attacked they must know that the bullying is not their fault.

Listen to the podcast for more advice:

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Book details

• Bully-proof by Gail Dore
  Book homepage
  EAN: 9781432303648
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Food for your Brood author Sam Gates was a guest on OFM’s Mommy Matters show recently, to talk about catering for a large family.

When you have a lot of people living under the same roof, deciding what to eat can be a nightmare. Gates has the perfect solution to this problem – a baked egg bar.

This type of meal takes the form of a buffet and is perfect for breakfast with the family. It’s really simple, everyone eats eggs, but they can choose how they want them done and what fillings to use.

Try Gates’ recipe for a baked egg bar. She also shares different options for fillings:

OPTION 1: Mushroom, garlic and thyme
2 mushrooms, thinly sliced
and gently sautéed in butter with 2.5 ml (½ tsp) crushed
garlic and a sprinkle of fresh thyme leaves
Prosciutto and truffle oil
15 ml (1 Tbsp) shredded
prosciutto and a dribble of truffle oil

• Complete recipe: OFM

Listen to the podcast for more tips and tricks:

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Gates was also a guest on the Mommy Matters show last month when she talked about the importance of getting your children involved in meal times. Both of her kids are skilled cooks, because she taught them to be confident in the kitchen from an early age.

Gates says that she found that praising children’s efforts can go a long way. She also shares a memory of baking gingerbread biscuits with her mother.

Boosting your kids’ cooking confidence is one thing, but how do you encourage them to eat different types of food?

Listen to the podcast to find out:

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Book details

• Food for your Brood by Sam Gates
  Book homepage
  EAN: 9781432303273
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Gail Dore was recently interviewed by Sam Cowen about her book Bully-proof.

In the interview, Dore tells Cowen about how the book came about. She says she started writing it when she was teaching a grade four lifeskills class. One of the girls came in “in floods of tears” because she was being bullied. Dore decided to shelve the lesson she had planned and speak to the class about bullying instead.

Dore says during the course of that lesson two questions came up that she could not immediately answer: “Why do bullies do it?” and “Why do they pick on me rather than anyone else?” It was these questions that led to research about bullying and her anti-bullying campaigns.

Listen to the podcast:

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Book details

• Bully-proof by Gail Dore
  Book homepage
  EAN: 9781432303648
  Find this book with BOOK Finder!