8 Top Tips For Keeping Kids Safe At Christmas Time
Holiday season is upon us, and our kids are about to spend A LOT of time around people — family, extended family, friends, friends of friends, acquaintances and total strangers. They will be in amongst groups of people at family gatherings, Christmas parties, carol nights, NYE celebrations, camping grounds, parks, swimming pool or beach (or ski resorts if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere) , shopping centres, cinemas, etc. **** We cannot stress enough how important it is for your children to be educated in Body Safety — especially at this time of year! **** Give your kids: the gift of...
8 Top Tips For Keeping Kids Safe At Christmas Time
Holiday season is upon us, and our kids are about to spend A LOT of time around people — family, extended family, friends, friends of friends, acquaintances and total strangers. They will be in amongst groups of people at family gatherings, Christmas parties, carol nights, NYE celebrations, camping grounds, parks,...
Teaching Children about Gender Equality — Books and Resources
On this page we have collated all of our resources specifically for promoting Gender Equality in children. The resources include books, lesson plans, free posters and activities. Why is promoting Gender Equality important for young children? Promoting Gender Equality will empower all children to realise that they should have equal opportunities, and will also encourage our younger generations to be more tolerant of differences reducing the occurrence of violence, abuse and harassment. Domestic violence occurs where one (or more) members of a family unit believe that they are superior, stronger, more powerful than the others, and this is encouraged via...
Teaching Children about Gender Equality — Books and Resources
On this page we have collated all of our resources specifically for promoting Gender Equality in children. The resources include books, lesson plans, free posters and activities. Why is promoting Gender Equality important for young children? Promoting Gender Equality will empower all children to realise that they should have equal...
Empowering Children's Books: New Releases 2019!
Three great reasons to celebrate right now! We are very excited to announce the release of our three new children’s books to help empower kids with Social and Emotional Intelligence, and also to help promote Gender Equality. We’ve also recently migrated our online shop to a new system. We hope that you have a great experience using it! Please feel welcome to contact us with any feedback! About the new books: Hey There! What’s Your Super Power? A children's book to encourage a growth mindset of resilience, persistence, self-confidence, self-reliance and self-esteem. Written by Jayneen Sanders, illustrated by Sarah JenningsBest...
Empowering Children's Books: New Releases 2019!
Three great reasons to celebrate right now! We are very excited to announce the release of our three new children’s books to help empower kids with Social and Emotional Intelligence, and also to help promote Gender Equality. We’ve also recently migrated our online shop to a new system. We hope...
15 Key Communication Skills for Students
The following communication skills may be helpful for students when discussing or debating ideas in a group situation. Let everyone have a turn at speaking. 1. Allow everyone in the group a chance to speak and acknowledge what they said respectfully, e.g. “I hear and understand what you said and I agree/disagree. I think … because …” Don’t make fun or discount another person’s ideas. 2. Speak about ideas and not about a person/s. Listen to others when it’s their turn. Listening to other’s ideas is how we learn. 3. Do not dominate the conversation; allow each person a...
15 Key Communication Skills for Students
The following communication skills may be helpful for students when discussing or debating ideas in a group situation. Let everyone have a turn at speaking. 1. Allow everyone in the group a chance to speak and acknowledge what they said respectfully, e.g. “I hear and understand what you said...
If you are a woman, remember this...
This poem is dedicated to the young woman I met on the weekend. Don’t say sorry before you speak. Just speak. What you have to say is important. Don’t say sorry because you are taking up space. It’s your space, you own it.Don’t say sorry because you don’t want that drink he wants you to have.Don’t say sorry because you want a night in not out.Don’t say sorry because your boss screwed up, not you.Don’t say sorry because you love dessert and no one else does. Don’t say sorry because your test results were higher than his.Don’t say sorry because your body...
If you are a woman, remember this...
This poem is dedicated to the young woman I met on the weekend. Don’t say sorry before you speak. Just speak. What you have to say is important. Don’t say sorry because you are taking up space. It’s your space, you own it.Don’t say sorry because you don’t want that drink...
In This Classroom You Are Loved
I am writing this blog to acknowledge, honour and thank all the wonderful teachers out there who are beginning the school year in the Northern Hemisphere, and all my fellow teachers who are working so hard to ensure kids are loved, safe and nurtured in the Southern Hemisphere. Here’s what I know: a teacher can make all the difference to a child’s life. They can make a massive difference in a positive way, but conversely, they can leave a negative imprint as in the case of my own preschool teacher who stood my five-year-old self on a chair, in front...
In This Classroom You Are Loved
I am writing this blog to acknowledge, honour and thank all the wonderful teachers out there who are beginning the school year in the Northern Hemisphere, and all my fellow teachers who are working so hard to ensure kids are loved, safe and nurtured in the Southern Hemisphere. Here’s what...
Don’t Tell Me I’m Pretty, Tell Me I’m Smart
‘Don’t tell me I’m pretty, tell me I’m smart … and funny, artistic, kind, loving, friendly, unique, strong, fierce and clever. I am so much more than pretty.’ When relatives or family friends are introduced to a young girl, they will often open the conversation with something like this ... ‘Hello! You look pretty today. Your dress is beautiful.’ Don’t worry, we are all guilty of it; but by focusing only on a young girl’s physical appearance, what we are actually saying is this is what society values most about you. It is important for us to shift our focus...
Don’t Tell Me I’m Pretty, Tell Me I’m Smart
‘Don’t tell me I’m pretty, tell me I’m smart … and funny, artistic, kind, loving, friendly, unique, strong, fierce and clever. I am so much more than pretty.’ When relatives or family friends are introduced to a young girl, they will often open the conversation with something like this ... ...
Empowering Tweens, Teenage Girls and Young Women
As parents we want our girls to grow up confident, with an amazing sense of self-worth, a whole lot of resilience and respect for others and the world around them. In a world where gender inequality is still a major issue and sexual harassment of young girls is beginning younger and younger, we need empowered daughters. There is no easy fix for this, but as a mother of three young women here are a few suggestions. 1. From a very young age educate your daughter to understand her body is her body, and that people must respect her personal body...
Empowering Tweens, Teenage Girls and Young Women
As parents we want our girls to grow up confident, with an amazing sense of self-worth, a whole lot of resilience and respect for others and the world around them. In a world where gender inequality is still a major issue and sexual harassment of young girls is beginning younger...
10 Top Tips to Empower Kids
As parents we want our kids to grow up confident, with an amazing sense of self-worth, a whole lot of resilience and respect for others and the world around them. As adults, we know persistence and tenacity are important traits when the going becomes tough. Children are a blank slate when they are born. It is a scary thought, but in the early years, children will become what adults tell them they are. I have seen this both as an educator and a mother. The child who is told they are stupid and worthless will believe that is what they...
10 Top Tips to Empower Kids
As parents we want our kids to grow up confident, with an amazing sense of self-worth, a whole lot of resilience and respect for others and the world around them. As adults, we know persistence and tenacity are important traits when the going becomes tough. Children are a blank slate...
A Teenage Girl's Guide to Empowerment
1. Embrace your uniqueness and ignore anyone who tries to shame or bully you about your appearance. We all have a body and each body is different. Love yourself. 2. Do not slut-shame* other girls. Support each other. Women face many expectations from a male-dominated society. Lift each other up to fight gender inequality. 3. Pornography is not real. It is not what a loving respectful relationship looks like. What you may have seen are two or more actors. Even though the woman appears to enjoy sex that objectifies and degrades her, in real-life this most likely is not the...
A Teenage Girl's Guide to Empowerment
1. Embrace your uniqueness and ignore anyone who tries to shame or bully you about your appearance. We all have a body and each body is different. Love yourself. 2. Do not slut-shame* other girls. Support each other. Women face many expectations from a male-dominated society. Lift each other up...
Why I Wrote the Children’s Book ‘No Means No!’
About two years ago when I was a substitute teacher in a grade 1 class, I encountered a little girl of around 7 years old. For this blog, let’s call her Karli. Karli was a very shy child (unlike my own three outspoken daughters and myself as a child:)) but I respected this aspect of what I believed to be her innate nature. Karli was also one of those little girls that the boys seem to gravitate towards. Always buzzing around her and wanting to hug, kiss and hold her hand. Karli would respond with coy smiles and allow them...
Why I Wrote the Children’s Book ‘No Means No!’
About two years ago when I was a substitute teacher in a grade 1 class, I encountered a little girl of around 7 years old. For this blog, let’s call her Karli. Karli was a very shy child (unlike my own three outspoken daughters and myself as a child:)) but...
How Fathers Can Affect Their Daughters’ Take on the World
My husband and I have three amazing daughters, all young women now who are seeking out life’s adventures and their place in the world. In my recent children’s book on gender equality ‘Pearl Fairweather Pirate Captain’ I wrote the following dedication to my husband: “To my wonderful husband, Mark, because from the moment we met, equality was always a given.” And there it is! Equality! The key word to how we have always and will continue to parent. And from that basis, I will endeavour to list all the things I believe my husband as a feminist father has given...
How Fathers Can Affect Their Daughters’ Take on the World
My husband and I have three amazing daughters, all young women now who are seeking out life’s adventures and their place in the world. In my recent children’s book on gender equality ‘Pearl Fairweather Pirate Captain’ I wrote the following dedication to my husband: “To my wonderful husband, Mark, because...