What might happen if you make the wrong choice of school and your child is unhappy? Read on to find out the 5 questions you need to ask yourself in looking for the right things that make the difference between great schools and ordinary schools.

Is it just me, or are our kids being sexed up and being forced to grow up quicker through media, television, peer pressure, marketing ploys?

I have had an extraordinarily powerful experience of late. It has evolved around belief and reality… and how your beliefs can create your reality.

“James finds it difficult to keep his room tidy. I keep telling him that his clothes will get ruined and his toys will get lost and I find myself telling him the same thing everyday. In my house, we all need to keep our rooms tidy.”

One of the questions I am most frequently asked is, “How can I effectively discipline my child? How do I put long-lasting boundaries in place?”

Putting a boundary in place is not about how loud you shout or that threatening look in your eyes. Effective boundary setting is best done in a respectful, consistent and understanding way.

When a parent is considering enrolling their child or children into a martial arts school, they have to consider both their motivation and the motivations of their child. In order for a child to learn to love and stick with martial arts training over a long period of time, they have to share common goals with their parents, and most of all, the parents and child all have to enjoy it. If a parent's goals aren't being met, then they may feel they aren't getting their money's worth. If a child's goals are not being met, then they will feel like they are being forced to train, and will never give 100%. The following are some of the most common reasons given for joining a children's martial arts class. Consider why you want your child to train, and have a talk with your child about whether they really are interested in classes, and what they hope to learn or do in class.

Clever Little Monkey was born in 2005 as an on-line shop designing and manufacturing interesting children’s products and making them available directly to the public.

Image, image, image… how do people see me? What do they think of me? Does size really matter? The real deal here is that being sexy comes from the inside, big or small, nice or awkward, it doesn’t matter..

Young people who communicate openly with their parents about difficult issues like sex, HIV/Aids, abuse, drugs and crime, are far less likely to engage in risky behavior.

As parents, one of the worst things we can discover is that our children are being bullied. But it's important to know that we can do something about it! What can you -- as a parent -- do if you think you're child is being bullied, and what should you tell your child?

There is no need to react with shock and horror at the mere mention of the word lice! At some stage or another, most children we know would have had, or currently have lice. There should be no shame or embarrassment associated with this and we must teach our children that it is a very common occurrence, especially in places where there are large numbers of people; like in schools.

In the sections that follow, we dispel some of the myths surrounding the pesky little critters and give you a few useful dos and don’ts of treating and preventing head lice.

Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris and Stephen Segal all do it. The "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" did it, too. And don't forget that you can see it every weekday on the "Power Ranger" episodes as well. Demonstrations of martial arts in movies and on television add an element of excitement and action. This action is often imitated by young children on playgrounds, schoolyards or at home with siblings. If a child shows an interest in "the moves," should a parent consider enrolling them in a martial arts program? What benefits would martial arts training provide? Is it worth it?

Whether in art, music, drama, fashion, design or architecture...you name it, we often stop to admire the creativity and achievements of others. We in fact willingly pay to enjoy someone else’s creation and in doing so contribute to their success.

The truth is that instead of copying and imitating others, many of us should be the creators. I believe that because we are created in the image of God, we are born with a Spirit of creativity and each one should be offering the world something unique. Creativity can be used for good or evil and the way we channel our children’s energy will influence the way their creativity is expressed.

Due to our hectic, modern lifestyles, we as parents often keep our children busy with activities that don’t necessarily benefit them. Sometimes we want our children to do the things that we enjoy and are confident with rather than to expose them to other experiences and possibilities.

& disobedience.

Responsibility at the expense of freedom produces repressive authority.

Today, discipline is something that even the leaders of countries and nations seem to be lacking. Everyone feels they have the rights to do exactly what they want to do without the responsibility that naturally go with those choices.

Parents try to shield their children from the consequences of their actions, blaming the ‘other child’; the schools or their friends.

The word discipline can invoke all sorts of negative connotations: being sent to the Principal’s office; waiting for Dad to come home; being made to stay in at break.

Discipline is often misunderstood. Many believe that it is the same as punishment – far from it. The word discipline comes from the word Greek root word meaning: to trim; to mould; to train (originally used when referring to the training of grape vines). That is the focus of Montessori discipline, to trim off human bad habits; to mould a child into an acceptable social being and to train them in becoming an independent member of society.

I was standing in front of fifty teachers at a traditional school that my grandfather had gone to. In fact, so had my uncles, my cousins and my brother. The teachers were all looking at me expectantly as I recalled the words their School Principal had said to me the day before in preparation for this workshop, “I promised my teachers they were in for real treat with you. It’s going to be great tomorrow!”

Well that tomorrow was now today and I did not feel those words particularly supported me in achieving the goal that he was wanting his team to arrive at. In fact, it seemed to place a lot of stress on me to achieve and perform to his expectations. Somewhere deep inside I knew that his intention was to convey his praise and acknowledgement that my skills might bring to this workshop. But it was not what he was saying that was important, but what I was understanding while he was saying it.

I am truly blessed to be a teacher. Its what I love to do! Today my classroom has evolved into something much broader but a teacher I am and a teacher I will always be! The ironic part of all my teacher training, I have a BA and diplomas in Specialised Education, Foundation Phase, Montessori Pre Primary Education, is that in all the time, I never once had the opportunity to explore or receive any training for my own personal development.

Interesting, considering what I know now as a trained Demartini Method facilitator and a qualified Life Coach.

In my work as a Life Coach and as a principal of a school that works towards the empowerment of children and people, I am often asked for the one golden rule which could support powerful change and transformation in the lives of children and adults.

And my answer is simply in four words: “Make and keep promises.” And the truth be told, it is not only my answer, but the answer of many people across cultures, religious beliefs and modern business leaders. But let me state that this does not mean it is the only golden rule. But it can be a very powerful tool in accelerating human transformation.

So lets look a bit closer at these four words: A “promise” is a commitment we are making to ourselves or to someone. It implies we are fully responsible and accountable for fulfilling on the action. It is a giving of a guarantee. “To make” something, implies an act of creating, or of bringing imagination into play. “To keep” implies a consistency that leads to trust, reliability and self discipline. And when you bring the two together, “make AND keep” promises, you are brining forth a process of change that is powerful and supportive.

Are you serious about your child’s future and just how active a role do you play in the career planning process for your child?

Most children and even teens have the weirdest ideas about the careers they would like to pursue. Their preferences are usually influenced by “what’s hot and not” through media hype and the latest fads rather than a realistic evaluation of the career and how it may suit them. In addition, there is not enough information out there to fully guide your child to explore a career that will maximise on their personal attributes and talents. Instead, our children tend to listen to their friends and peers, or even take a look at your career. All of these combined factors are why you find that many adults change their course in mid career thereby missing a lot of early opportunities.

Unfortunately in the case of most people career planning has to be done at an early age when they are not ready to decide for themselves independently. They may not have the necessary data and wisdom to make a wise career choice. Other than highly talented people the nature of career people pursue ultimately is decided by the college or vocational training they join. To prevent children from making wrong career choices parents must play an active role in their career planning.

By Robin Booth and Tahirih Cook, Synergy Schooling

They were all nodding their heads in agreement. Three hundred and fifty teachers, principals and educators at the International Education Conference on Integrated Human Values, India, were thinking along similar lines. They were responding to a joke I had made, “It’s the parents who influence the children most. They are the ones who need supportive education. We should therefore close the school to the children and open it up for the parents instead.” Suddenly my joke no longer seemed so funny as I gazed out over this undulating sea of consensus. Suddenly my joke became a serious proposition. If parents have such a powerful impact on their children's lives then surely they too need to be part of the schooling process. So should we be focusing on opening schools for parents instead of just trying to constantly alter the structure of a school, the curriculum we provide to the children or the demands placed upon educators?

At present I don't know of any other school which has a program for parents that is more than just an add on. Many educationalist and schools acknowledge this need and have provided parents with workshops, information evenings and support in varying degrees. But these have often been optional and sporadic. Public Parent-Centres have also been developed to support parents in becoming effective parents. Public schools often use their PTA meetings as an opportunity to impart information about effective parenting to those who attend. Generally speaking, these programs and workshops are voluntary and do not facilitate self-discovery and personal transformation. I have noticed in my own work that children tend to reflect their parent's emotional and behavioural patterns. For this reason. I feel that the education of parents needs to go hand in hand with the education of children. A sprinkling of voluntary workshops designed to impart information rather that facilitate self-discovery is inadequate.

The three hundred and fifty heads all nodding in agreement to opening up schools for parents, points to a sense of agreement that if we support parents in their development and relationship to their children, we will see the positive changes in their children naturally and automatically. It's often not the children who need to change, but first the parents and as a consequence the children's views and behaviour patterns shift. Parenting is about taking charge of the development of their child, but who is there to support the parent in exploring this commitment and responsibility? Who is to say that schools should only focus on the education of children?

So perhaps this leads to an awareness that the educational context could be broader than just 'child-centred' or 'parent-centred'. The next step may be to see the parents-teachers-children relationship as a triadic approach with neither one being seen as more important than the other. By doing this more emphasis is placed on the relationships between these participants opposed to on a specific individual and it seems that schools are the perfect place to support this process.

Saying “No!” to our children can bring up guilt for us or result in our children being angry with us. It doesn’t have to be that way.

‘No! No! No! And for the last time No!’ The words were out of my mouth before I realised. I wished I could have retracted them before they had reached my child’s ears. I could see by his angry face that these words had not only been heard but that they had also struck a deep saddened chord within.

In bed that night I lay thinking about all the different phrases that children keep repeating to their parents after hearing the fun-breaking word ‘No!’: ‘You never let us have any fun’;’ you get to do what you want, but we can't do what we want. This is so unfair’ or maybe even the personal attack, ‘you don't care about me anymore’ or ‘you’re the worst mom in the world.’

Anna Emm Productions is a multimedia production company based in Cape Town. We have been running for four years, producing theatre productions, children’s theatre, children’s CDs, 3D animation episodes, radio short stories and a series of therapeutic stories for children.

Our vision is to create stories in any form and for audiences of all shapes and sizes, in order to motivate, inspire, uplift and nourish people, and make them excited about their lives and their purposes.

Besides the skills of a very talented group of people at our full disposal, what separates us from other companies is our ability to create original stories because of the valuable skill script-writer Anna Emm brings to the table. There are many companies who reproduce without originality or relevance to the world we live in today, and others who create productions with weak storylines that take away from the quality of their work and cause it to be less effective. We build our productions around very strong storylines and excellent writing. The creativity, originality and standard of our scripts, is the secret behind our popularity with audiences and the success of our products.

When it comes to great children’s literature, kids have hundreds of books to choose from – everything from the enduring classics to award-winning, modern-day picture books and novels.

Addressing tens of thousands of people gathered to pay homage to the heroes and heroines of June 16, 1976 at last years’ 30th anniversary of Youth Day President Thabo Mbeki said, “We remember the youth of 1976 because they have left us a lesson that it is possible for young people to stand up and confront the challenges facing them. We remember them because they have left a legacy of bravery and determination in the face of what appeared to be insurmountable difficulties.”

Conception Teenage Girls and the youth in general throughout the world from all social backgrounds and ethnicity’s face enormous pressures as they graduate from dependence to independence.

The huge menu of life provides complex challenges, hurdles, and temptations, but sadly few young women are equipped adequately to deal with the overwhelming demands and pressures which our world dictates as well as live up to the more daunting unwritten rules set out by their “own" teenage “Girl" world.

In my last article I talked about what a parent should be able to see in an authentic Montessori school. In this issue I would like to address the matter of teachers.

In Montessori schools, the person traditionally, referred to as the teacher is called the directress or generically, the Montessori adult. This is because in human psychology and child development it is recognised that no one person can teach another – one can only direct! Unfortunately children do not come complete with a tap and funnel into which knowledge can be poured. They need to experience the world first-hand.

The Montessori directress is the dynamic link between the child (who has been observed carefully) and the next piece of material or exercise that the child has shown he or she is ready to use.

Reading with your child is a wonderful pastime with so many benefits. Not only does this special ‘together time’ strengthen the bond between you and your child, there are other positive results.

You’ll see the growth of your child’s vocabulary, awareness of the world, social behavior skills, listening skills, confidence, and many other developmental aspects.

However, in a busy day filled with work, chores, ferrying to and from school, where does the frazzled parent find time to capture those few precious moments called ‘free time?’ Here are a few ideas on how to incorporate reading together for the family with not much time to spare.

Reading doesn’t always have to involve books. Our world is full of text. Use it! A busy parent can create a fun game in the car where the child reads road signs, billboards, helps with a road map, or spots registration number plates and creates words with the letters.

Shopping? The supermarket is a great place for looking for labels, reading labels, helping with the shopping list, and checking the listed ingredients on a tin or packet.