Kid Time

At a time when many parents are trying to keep their kids away from screens, a new company has launched an app that changes the way children use technology. 

Elanation, the brainchild of Katherine Pace, has been designed specifically for kids.

It’s private, encourages children to get off the screen, and offers lots of different sports for kids to try.

Katherine breaks down how it works, and why it was so important to make something with children in mind. 

Listen to Katherine Pace on Feed Play Love:

Find more great stories and expert advice in the Feed Play Love podcast. Available in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen. 

Volunteers in Kids Ministry are the very best!  Kidmin volunteers make the whole ministry go smoothly. They are absolutely essential and without a doubt, they deserve all the appreciation we can shower on them!

So … have you hugged a volunteer today??

Maybe you are not a hugger, and that’s OK, you could still hug a volunteer and show appreciation. A wise kids ministry leader is always looking for ways to show volunteers that you care!

At this point, my guess is that your heart is in total agreement with me, but your brain may be saying “I don’t have enough time for an elaborate Pinterest creation!” Nobody does … so here is a list of quick ideas you can totally use in your own context. Add your own creativity and show your volunteers how much you love them:

1. Give a volunteer a hug. A high-five or fist-bump will suffice if you just aren’t a hugger.  Shake hands if you are into being super-formal. The point is to get in the same space, close enough to make physical contact. Don’t just rely on waving, texting, or emailing … get in there and make contact!
2. Write a Letter to Say Thanks. Hand-written letter-writing is such a rare thing for so many people. It doesn’t require any great expense, just a little thought and a pen. For those of you without a personalized stationery set, sticky notes will do if you write something nice on them!
3. Communicate the Vision. Everyone likes to know where the ministry is headed. Find simple ways to share about the “why” for the ministry and what you see on the horizon. Volunteers love hearing about how they contribute to something larger that makes a Kingdom impact!
4. Invest in Leaders. With volunteers in churches of any size, you can invest for future leadership. It may look different in different seasons. Sometimes just sharing a practical tip with a teen volunteer will make a huge improvement in their delivery of the lesson.
5. Ask a Question and Listen. You earn major points as a ministry leader when you have the personal buy-in from those who serve with you. Take the time to learn personal details or ministry feedback from those who serve with you. Lead relationally and personally! Listening is one of the best ways to show your heart and appreciation.

For the Kids Ministry leader looking to go the extra mile, step it up with these ideas:

• Plan to get away together for a conference, a retreat, or even a fun getaway.
• Share snacks they love, either collectively (think biscuit bar) or individually (based on which coffee or candy they enjoy).
• Plan a personal or family project to encourage your volunteer(s). Write an acrostic using a volunteer’s name and the things you love about the way they serve.

You can choose the best way to show your volunteers how much they mean to you, but the most important thing is to do it! Share this post with other leaders you know who serve with volunteers and encourage them to hug a volunteer today too!

Jeremy Echols leads the CentriKid Camps team and manages the LifeWay Kids events.  He, his wife Emily, and their precious daughter love their church, their neighborhood, and spending time together.  Jeremy loves to read, watch sports, and grill burgers.

This week’s Keeping Up With The Kardashians took viewers inside the delivery room, as Khloé Kardashian gave birth to her daughter True, with cheating partner Tristan Thompson by her side.

Catching up with the Kardashians

If you haven’t been following the story you should know that while a nine-months-pregnant and utterly-besotted-with-her-boyfriend Khloé nested in the couple’s home in Cleveland, that very boyfriend was captured on camera cheating with multiple women … in New York.

The cheating news broke across the internet and Khloé – who had NO IDEA the guy she thought was the man of her dreams was up to no good – received a phone call from her younger sister Kylie to fill her in on the terrible news.

The very next day, a shocked and distressed out Khloé went into labour and her family (who were still in LA) rushed to her side to support her.

They weren’t the only ones by her side. Cheating baby daddy Tristan was in the delivery room too and the target of some silent but deadly gestures from Khloé’s sister Kim.

  Read more about Khloé Kardashian:

Why tho, Khlo?

This all happened back in April and many people were surprised that Khloé allowed someone who had hurt and humiliated her to be present at such a special moment. But this week Khloé got to explain a little more about why she made the decision to have Tristan there.

Taking to Twitter, she tweeted her way through the episode giving fans a sort of blow-by-blow account of her mindset at the time.

“I made it very clear that I was still disgusted by his actions,” Khloé explained in this week’s show, “but I wasn’t going to let ANYTHING ruin this moment I’ve been waiting for my ENTIRE life.”

Big picture thinking

She said she was keen to think of the bigger picture, putting her own distress aside to ensure she was doing all she could to give True the very best start.

“Regardless of what Tristan did to me, I was never going to take that moment away from True or Tristan,” Khloé tweeted. “She should not be punished for his actions. He is her father and they both deserve to love one another as deeply as they possibly can.”

“A birth is not something you can ‘redo’,” she continued. “Once you make that choice you can never get it back. Think big people.”

Perhaps commenting on sister Kim’s observation that during her labour she was acting like nothing terrible had happened, Khloe noted “I was definitely and completely in shock. But I didn’t realize it until last weeks episode.”

“You deserve better”

Fans respond to Khloé’s experience with love and admiration.

“You deserve better than Tristan but I give you props for allowing him to still be a part of her life. Speaks highly of you. Way to be the bigger person beautiful.”

“Girl you’re made of steel, I would have smacked him into the next room!! What a mature big-hearted person you are Khloe. Tons of love for you and your baby always!!”

“I 100% respect your decision! In fact I admire your ability to not make permanent decisions out of anger. You are the perfect example for your baby to look up to. Way to keep it classy for everyone!”

“Too often kids are used as leverage and it only hurts the child. I believe that setting aside your pain to allow for that shows great maturity and stands to show the calibre of woman and mother you are.”

Never forget

Meanwhile, on Tristan’s Instagram, he was copping a well-deserved roasting in response to the latest KUWTK ep …

“When is Khloe dumping you??” and “We haven’t forgotten” pretty much sums those up (although there are many more very savage messages too.)

A range of popular bibs sold across the country have been recalled, with fears that they may prove a choking hazard to babies.

What’s been recalled?

Best & Less are recalling their 10 pack of Baby Berry bibs in colours medium blue, light green and medium pink

Why were they recalled?

“The care label is not securely stitched into the binding of the bib,” Product Safety Australia says. “If the care label becomes detached from the bib, it may pose a choking hazard if ingested by a baby.”

Where was it sold?

Nationally at Best & Less stores between 10 November 2017  and 10 November 2018

Which bib styles are affected?

Bibs with the SKU numbers 299463 (medium blue) 299460 (light green) and 299465 (medium pink) have been recalled due to this choking hazard risk.

The SKU can be found on the product packaging as well as on the bibs’ care labels.

What should parents do if they have these bibs at home?

Parents should cut off the care labels – or alternatively return the product to their nearest Best & Less store for a full refund or an exchange.

Need more information?

For more information or to discuss concerns, contact Best & Less Customer Support on 1300 135 766  or visit http://www.bestandless.com.au.

You can read more details about this and other product recalls at Product Safety Australia.

  More kids’ and baby products that have been recalled this year:

A quick-thinking mum saved the life of her choking baby thanks to a video she watched on YouTube.

“The colour changed in her face”

Lindsey Hughes says she was walking with her eight-month-old daughter Phoebe when she started to choke.

Thankfully, the mum recognised the signs of choking and managed to clear her daughter’s airway, using a technique she learned from a St John’s Ambulance video.

“The colour changed in her face. She went a reddish purple in seconds and her eyes started bulging. She looked really shocked, like she didn’t understand what was going on,” Lindsey told the Daily Mirror.

Lindsey said she was walking along the seafront in her hometown in North Wales when she decided to give her daughter a snack.

“I gave her a mango finger to chew on. She liked the juice and it helped with teething,” Lindsey explains.

Luckily, the mum sat on a bench to watch her daughter eat. Soon after, Phoebe went very quiet and “it looked like she was convulsing.”

“It was terrifying to see someone so small and delicate panicking,” says Lindsey.

“I put her across my legs, with her head by my knees and her feet by my body, I raised her bottom a bit so there was some elevation at her back.”

Lindsey then gave her daughter four big pats on the bag, which dislodged the mango and her daughter was able to breathe again.

“Within seconds her colour returned to normal and she was reaching out, asking for food again,” says Lindsey.

“I was shocked that it had worked. I started looking around for validation about what had just happened but there was still nobody around.

“I put her back in her pram because I wasn’t feeling very stable myself at that stage and I just sat there looking at her as she grasped out for food.”

What to do if a baby (under one year) shows signs of choking

1. Call Triple Zero (000) for an ambulance
2. Give back blows as follows:

• Place the infant with their head downwards on your forearm.
• Support their head and shoulders on your hand.
• Hold the infant’s mouth open with your fingers.
• Give up to five sharp blows between their shoulders with the heel of one hand.
• Check if the obstruction has been released after each back blow.
• If the obstruction is relieved, turn infant on their back and remove any of the foreign material that may have come loose with your little finger.

Last-But-Not-Least Lola: Going Green, by Christine Pakkala; Last Night at the Circle Cinema, by Emily Franklin; House of Charms, by Christina Cameron; Lies I Told, by Michelle Zink; Those Girls, by Lauren Saft;

There are also potentials for prizes among the ARC's I received. I didn't gather many, so most of these were ones that I requested that the publishers were able to give me.

The Murdstone Trilogy, by Mal Peet; Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods, by Hal Johnson; The Bamboo Sword, by Margi Preus; When Mischief Came to Town, by Katrina Nannestad; Samurai Rising, by Pamela Turner; Steve Jobs, by Jessie Hartland;

So I've got my reading cut out for me. Are you gathering your choices for the 48 Hour Book Challenge this weekend? If you haven't signed up to participate, there is still time. And remember, you don't actually have to read the whole 48 hours. Consider it more like blocking off the time to make reading a priority. Check out the 48 Hour Book Challenge info and read along.

Links to material on Amazon.com contained within this post may be affiliate links for the Amazon Associates program, for which this site may receive a referral fee.

Natalia Lewis Child Birth

If you’re considering a home birth, it’s important to understand what to expect and how to prepare. Instead of a hospital or birthing center, you will plan to give birth in your home. You’ll need to have a midwife or even a doctor to be present to make sure you and your baby are safe and healthy. Before deciding on a home birth, you need to be sure that there are no health issues or known complications that could arise during your birth. If so, you might be better served at a hospital to ensure you and your baby’s health. During your home birth, your midwife or doctor will monitor your vitals to make sure everything is going smoothly.

Women often choose home births for a number of reasons. They might want to be in a comforting setting surrounded by whoever they would like. Some women like the freedom to wear their own clothes and move freely, as well as eat and drink or take a bath during labor. You have the ability to control your labor positioning and your whole birthing process. Women who opt for home births also want to have natural births without being pushed to take medication. Home births also offer a lower cost, and sometimes can be chosen for religious reasons.

Home births aren’t recommended if you have a history of health problems or if you have had a C-section previously. If you develop any pregnancy complications, you should head to a hospital immediately. If you are pregnant with more than one baby or if your baby’s position doesn’t allow for a headfirst delivery, then a home birth isn’t your best option. If you are less than 37 weeks or more than 41 weeks a hospital setting is recommended.

If you have planned for a home birth and there are no health complications, then you can prepare for your home birth in a number of ways.

Be sure to choose a midwife or doctor who is very experienced and can easily navigate any issues or concerns you might have.

Create a birth plan beforehand that details how you will cope with pain, if you want a water birth, if you plan to breastfeed, and who will be present during your birth. You also want to have the necessary supplies on hand, such as towels or sheets and whatever you plan to give birth in/on.

Know the signs if a hospital transfer is needed.

Schedule a pediatrician appointment at least a few days after giving birth to be sure your baby is healthy.

Description

Sorting and classifying objects not only helps children make sense of the natural world around them, but it is also an important mathematical and scientific inquiry skill. When children begin to learn about different modes of transportation and think about how people move from place to place, it is a wonderful opportunity to introduce three geographical terms (air, land, and water). Use this printable to sort vehicles into these three categories while also strengthening those cutting skills. In the Playful Learning studio, we also love to have a collection of small vehicles nearby, perfect for tiny hands, to name, sort and classify. You can also use our Transportation Three-Part Cards.

Materials

Books to Inspire

Join us over at Teachers’ Lounge and enjoy or complete Transportation unit!

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AVA has recalled contaminated bottled water in Singapore after bacteria normally found in faeces, soil, water and sewage was detected...

The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) has detected the presence of bacteria in  Guang Li Liang bottled drinking water during a routine sampling of the product. The product was imported from Malaysia, said the AVA on 8 September 2018.

Contaminated Bottled Water in Singapore

The product was found to contain Pseudomonas aeruginosa, bacteria that is commonly found in faeces, soil, water and sewage. It can multiply in water environments and also on the surface of suitable organic materials in contact with water.

The AVA also adds that, “use or consumption of products contaminated with this bacteria can cause a range of infections but rarely causes serious illness in healthy individuals.”

Details of the implicated product are as follows:

Product name:
Guang Li Liang bottled drinking water

Size:
320ml

Details: 
Batch number – 18228
Expiry date – 040820, 260820, 290820

Photo: AVA

“Consumers who have the implicated products are advised to not consume them. Consumers who feel unwell may wish to seek medical attention.”

“For enquiries, consumers may contact BSY POWER OF LIGHT TRADING PTE LTD at 9756 8786 or via [email protected]”

Source: AVA