Mums in Cyprus | The Family Network
  • MAGAZINE
    • ARTICLES
    • BABY INFO
    • HOW TO
    • MiC ❤
    • MiC TESTING TEAM
    • SUPPORT GROUPS
  • WHAT’S ON
  • COMMUNITY
    • WHAT’S NEW
    • GROUPS
    • MUMS2BE & BABY DAY
  • LOGIN
  • REGISTER
Mums in Cyprus | The Family Network
  • MAGAZINE
    • ARTICLES
    • BABY INFO
    • HOW TO
    • MiC ❤
    • MiC TESTING TEAM
    • SUPPORT GROUPS
  • WHAT’S ON
  • COMMUNITY
    • WHAT’S NEW
    • GROUPS
    • MUMS2BE & BABY DAY
  • LOGIN
  • REGISTER
  • Home
  • children

Waldorf School of Limassol is Expanding

By MiC Carine 12/08/2020
Waldorf School of Limassol

Here at Mums in Cyprus we have always been strong supporters of the Limassol Waldorf School

It’s our pleasure to share with you the organisation’s latest news and let you know what exciting things are happening this year for them. Here’s what’s coming up:

After two years of operation Waldorf School of Limassol is excited to announce its expansion to one more location.

Thanks to many families who supported the school those years, the school decided to expand once again its space. This expansion allows the school to offer more places to the families who are interested in joining Waldorf education.

Waldorf School of Limassol

The new school will be operating as a kindergarten

Germasogia will be the new area whereWaldorf education will grow. In Germasogia area two big bright classrooms will be able to accommodate about 40 Kindergarten and Reception age students. Waldorf school of Limassol is planning to have two separate groups for 3-4 and 5-6 years old children. This new site will offer many advantages:

  • New larger rooms
  • A tree-shaded padded play area with new active elements
  • Attached private in-room toilets
  • Large shaded porch areas attached to each room

The satellite program in the Parekklisia area will continue to welcome the 3-4 years old children. Waldorf Family Club in Parekklisia is getting full fast and is happily drawing a diverse group of families. Also, the primary school in Limassol will continue to welcome children from 7 to 12 years old. Bellow, you can find all the locations of Waldorf School of Limassol.

Waldorf School of Limassol

Map of Waldorf School Sites

Site 1: Primary School for Grades 1-6 (Main school)- Lefkas 7, Limassol 3070

Site 2: Kindergarten (2 groups: 3-4 and 5-6 years old) – Xanthippis 12, Limassol 4046 (Angels Nest)

Site 3: Waldorf Family Club (a group for 3-4 years old – Apostolou Andrea 5, Parekklisia 4520

How to contact Waldorf School of Limassol

If you are curious and would like to learn more about Waldorf Education, please send a direct message to their official Facebook page, Waldorf School of Limassol. If you wish to schedule a meeting, please call directly on 96 116120.

Waldorf School of Limassol is looking forward to sharing Waldorf philosophy in more detail with you!

Tips for smoother lockdown living

By MiC Carine 05/04/2020
Lockdown Living

Congratulations to us all…two weeks of official lockdown are behind us

To be exact, it’s been three weeks of stay-at-home since schools closed down. What an achievement! (who would have thought we’d ever have to celebrate such a feat)

By now we will all have adapted to indoor confinement with various degrees of success – however we may define success for ourselves – and with previous comfort patterns no longer relevant, we’ve all had to carve out new parameters for our family lives to evolve in.

If you haven’t yet implemented some of these strategies in your home, you might find a couple of our suggestions useful.

Stop talking about corona virus all the time

Remember the never-ending news cycles about Brexit? Climate change? War in Syria? Migrant crisis? They don’t seem so important to the media anymore now, do they? Yet they all remain out there, none of these issues have suddenly gone away. There’s still more to life than the coronavirus. As much as possible, try to maintain a sense of new-normal in your home. Not just for your own personal mental health, but it helps provide a sense of stability and consistency for your children, no matter their age. We’ve mentioned the importance of limiting our use of social media in order to keep all that negativity and confusion out of our hearts. The same actually applies to the TV news channels, especially the overly dramatic ones. The situation is bad, and it will get worse before it gets better. As far as this virus is concerned, we don’t need anyone telling us over and over again.

Yes, school is important, but there’s more to life than that

If you have the privilege of your children being schooled online, you’re probably already in some sort of a set morning frame. Home schooling is undoubtedly filled with its very own multitude of new challenges…but let’s not get into those…just remember that children across the world are being kept home, a large number of them will fall behind academically, fact. The schools are aware and will adjust the course accordingly. It doesn’t matter so much right now, honestly. Let’s use the time to also teach our offspring the much lacking life skills. How to boil an egg, cook pasta, make a bed, change a tyre, sew on a button, manage our money – the list is endless, and these topics are just as important (if not more so!). Recap on the day, give everyone a chance to say what they liked and disliked, use the info to shape an improved tomorrow.

Everyone needs Me Time and personal space

No matter how much love there is to go around in your household, being on top of each other 24/7 can become ‘interesting’ for any family. Even more so if you haven’t got the added space of a balcony or garden, and/or have multiple children but not enough rooms for everyone to retreat to for a little privacy. Why not assign each member of your household a specific area in your home that’s exclusive to them, a safe space they can use if they do not want to communicate and prefer to be alone? For younger kids this can be a ‘cave’ under the dining room table, a ‘tent’ pitched over the bathtub or anything else that works for you. Time to let them get really creative and respect their choices, however crazy they seem to you.

Once the ‘novelty’ of home isolation wears off, establish a new routine

Who doesn’t love a pyjama day or two (or more)?! Pure bliss. Constant munching and grazing?! Bring it on. Maybe a wineglass, cocktail, beer or two? Or three? Yep. But about that…weeks into the lockdown, this really should stop for the sake of our mental and physical health. A structured day is an important contributor to feeling in control, despite the fact that nothing much is up to us anymore. Once you’ve binged on the new-found freedom from the alarm clock, timetables and to-do-lists (in case you’re not working from home), find a new routine to suit the needs of everyone in the family. The best way to do this is together. Brainstorm, prioritise and decide how to move forward, so that everyone’s basic needs are met. Determine a group hour every evening where one of you is in charge of entertainment and gets to pick the game to play, movie to watch or music to listen to – together.

Bend the old screen time rules and pick your battles

Let’s face it, screen time restrictions that worked in BC times (aka Before Corona) cannot be considered reasonable today. Online schooling already adds a considerable amount of computer hours to our children’s daily lives. Don’t feel guilty about allowing more online entertainment than you would normally – it’s not their fault that the quota is reached so quickly. Instead, maybe (if needed) fun screen time could be used as a positive motivator or reward for your kids’ morning class efforts. If you haven’t done so yet, research new websites, educational games and online courses for them to use productively. The internet is awash with free stuff like never before. Unusual times call for unusual methods, and as soon as our movement restrictions are lifted, the weather will be fantastic for spending entire days outdoors again. Save your sanity for the more important stuff that possibly needs addressing – whatever this may be in your home.

Make it memorable for the right reasons

This staying at home thing has to be considered a marathon in order to shift our mindsets out of a passive mode into an empowered one. You can finally learn Greek! Take that online course! Read that book! Learn to play the guitar that’s been in the corner all these years! Blablabla? Yes, it’s not all rosy. Because if we’re truly honest, when we finally emerge at the end of this tunnel, nothing will ever be as it was in this world. We’re living history, writing the pages of tomorrow’s chronicles, living a bit of the future even. And while the global economy will be redefined, some of us will lose our jobs and have to find new ways to sustain a living. But then again, ‘different’ can also become ‘better’. Give your lockdown a soundtrack and dance.

A note on what to do if nothing works

Should your personal circumstances be of a nature that makes this lockdown period mentally or physically unbearable to you, it is vital to remember none of this is your fault. Do not be ashamed or blame yourself. Please, please find the strength deep within you to ask for help. Take your phone to the toilet or bathroom for a personal moment if you can, and get in touch with these confidential helplines

Cyprus Samaritans phone 80 00 77 73

Domestic Violence phone 1440

Children and Teenagers until 18 years phone 116 111

Our favourite websites and apps – Episode I

By MiC Carine 25/10/2019

News-O-Matic

Would you like your children to become interested in the world around them (beyond your local community), but find watching the evening news together too daunting? I know we did when our boys were little.

I believe that when kids get to a certain age, we have an obligation to offer them insights into what living in this world is really like. We cannot shield them from the (ugly) truth forever, nor can we pretend bad things do not happen out there. Because if we do, and they find out the hard way, they may be unprepared to process their emotional response to negative events – however small or big, whether it affects them locally or not.

Children talk among themselves at school. Even if we don’t want to burden our own with the sad news that another terrorist attack / plane hijack / suicide bombing has taken place, they may hear it from a classmate in a way that may make them anxious and scared of going outside.

Controlling the narrative of daily life – while we still have the opportunity – is essential to preparing their malleable little brains for the realities that lie ahead, for all things positive as well as negative. But we don’t always know how, so a tool that helps us find the right approach can come in handy.

Enter ‘News-O-Matic’, which our two boys have greatly benefited from over the years.

 

 

News-O-Matic is the first daily newspaper just for kids, which provides an exciting and engaging, always age-appropriate experience for children. As they mention on their website ‘thanks to its unique combination of editorial and technology, News-O-Matic creates innovative solutions to help children become tomorrow’s responsible citizens. It gives young readers a window into the world — and a reason to love reading news.’

 

Totally true! A daily email for parents gives you the heads-up on the issues covered, along with meaningful conversation tips on the topics raised, whether good news or bad.

Here’s a screen shot of that mail from a week ago:

 

You can select the age range and the language (currently available in English, French or Spanish), and they have a version for use in schools. There’s a free trial period, then subscriptions are either monthly, for 6 months or annual. Best money ever spent!

We cannot recommend this enough, and no, this is not a commercial endorsement.

Just try it and let us know how you like it in the comments below, your feedback is more than welcome!

Access the website from here, with the app available on the App Store and Google Play. There’s also a version for Kindle.

You heard it here first 😉

What does your child really think of you?

By MiC Carine 08/10/2019

No matter what parenting style we consider ourselves to have, our children are bound to have their own interpretation of it.

The same goes for what they truly think about us.

We may think we know, but the reality of what actually goes on in their minds could be quite different.

Well, wonder no more…we’ve got some questions you can ask your kids that will help you uncover their true thoughts on mum (and dad too of course, just change the questions accordingly!).

You can make a conversation out of it, or you can ask them to write down their answers and go through the replies together. Either way, there will be loads of laugher, fun and enlightenment ahead. Promise!

Here we go:

11 Questions to ask Mum

  1. What makes mum happy?
  2. What makes mum sad?
  3. How do you know mum loves you?
  4. What is mum really good at?
  5. What is mum’s least favourite thing to do?
  6. What does mum always say to you?
  7. If mum were a character in a book, TV show or movie, who would she be?
  8. If mum won a million Euros, what would she do with the money?
  9. What is the most important thing mum has taught you?
  10. What makes you proud of mum?
  11. What do you most like doing together with mum?

Have fun!

…and please feel free to add your own questions for all of us in the comments section below, the more the merrier!

 

 

MiC’s #WednesdayWin – Workshop Participation

By MiC Carine 28/08/2019

It’s Wednesday, which means it’s #WednesdayWin day!

Yesterday’s article on how to help your child if they are struggling with reading has received a lot of attention, as it not only explains why some children struggle, but also suggests ways to support your child if she/he is affected.

One of the ways in which you can help your daughter/son is by increasing your own personal understanding of what they are going through in their hampered attempts at reading.

Reading Specialist Angela Charalambous is holding a workshop titled “Experiencing the Child with Learning Difficulties”, which will be taking place in Nicosia on Sat 7th September 2019 at 9.30am. Presented to parents, teachers and specialists, the attendees undergo various exercises which simulate learning difficulties. In this way, they come away with an enriched level of understanding of children that they parent, teach or remediate.

Topics cover: The process of learning to read, Specific Learning Difficulties and associated learning difficulties (including practical exercises), why difficulties occur, processing, concessions, ways to assist.

More detailed information can be found here.

Today we’re offering you a chance to participate at this workshop for FREE, via a seat kindly donated by Angela to you, our readers.

How can I win this amazing prize?

To enter the competition, simply email: carine@mumsincyprus.com with 

“Workshop” in the subject line.

Please also provide us with:

  1. Your full name
  2. The town you reside in (in Cyprus)
  3. Your mobile telephone number

THE COMPETITION WILL CLOSE ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 2019 AT 17:00!

The winner will be drawn and announced on or after Wednesday September 4th.

Participation will then be confirmed by Angela Charalambous, the workshop facilitator.

If you want to register your participation in order to secure your place in any case – should you not be the lucky winner -, then you can do so here.

Good luck 🙂

p.s. you’re welcome!

7 ways to help a struggling reader

By MiC Carine 27/08/2019

Reading and learning difficulties

Reading is defined as a cognitive process that involves decoding symbols to arrive at meaning. In our education system, it is a skill fundamental to learning.

 

The process of learning to read

Before formal schooling starts, children are exposed to language, and pre-reading skills by being spoken, and read to. They understand that print on a page tells the story represented by the picture in a book. They develop speech and vocabulary, learn to play with words by rhyming etc. They identify their names and prominent signage (eg. the McDonalds sign) by colour, shape and pattern.

With the onset of formal schooling, children learn that a shape (letter) on a page has an associated sound. This letter-sound association needs to be explicitly taught, and is of course, different for varying writing systems such as Greek and English.

Sounds are blended together to form words, and words are strung together to form sentences which hold meaning. It is initially labour intensive, using extensive working memory. We see this reflected in the static, stilted nature of early readers.

As skill develops, reading becomes more automatic and fluent. Decoding, blending and allocating meaning, happens in milliseconds for proficient readers. Working memory becomes available for higher order skills such as comprehension, analyzing and inferring information from the text.

Why do some children struggle?

Brain scanning research has allowed us to see what happens in the reading brain. For proficient readers, the areas of the brain that process both auditory and visual information (as well as the pathways that link them) are activated during reading. This explains why a child with an Auditory processing or Visual processing difficulty could have problems with reading. For a child with a difficulty eg. Dyslexia, these same areas of the brain are not activated in reading, resulting in slow, laboured reading that persists beyond the Foundation Phase, often with poor comprehension.

Reading is multifaceted, relying on various skills such as motor, vison, hearing, vocabulary, attention and working memory. When a child has difficulty in any of these areas, it can impact on reading, and subsequently, learning.

Like any skill, some children take longer to acquire reading, compared to their peers. In the early years, the difficulty may be developmental, or may persist requiring a more structured intervention and potentially concessions. Early intervention can prevent a reading problem from becoming a learning problem.

What can I do?

If you suspect that your child is not reading at age level, I suggest the following:

  • Check with the teacher what age-appropriate skills should be in place. Sometimes if you have an only child, it is difficult to know where they should be performing. A teacher has a classroom full of children and will be able to tell you if she feels your child is age-appropriate.
  • Check that your child knows her letter/sound association and can decode unfamiliar words. Often children with reading difficulties are extremely bright and develop coping mechanisms such as memorising whole words. These coping mechanisms generally serve them only in the junior years, and problems become evident when the academic workload increases, and children are required to do more independent work.
  • Mix up the school reader and cover the picture to ensure that your child has not memorised the sequence of the story or is relying on visual cues.
  • Check ears and eyes. Ensure that you get a visual and auditory processing assessment done. Visual acuity checks if your child can see, and a visual processing assessment checks what the brain does with the information received from the eyes. A child with a visual processing difficulty may have difficulty distinguishing between letters that look almost the same, difficulty moving eyes across, or keeping place in the text. A child with an auditory processing difficulty can hear, but may have difficulty distinguishing differences between sounds, struggle to block out background noise or make sense of the order of sounds.
  • Be aware if there is a learning difficulty or dyslexia in the family. Difficulties are hereditary.
  • If your gut tells you that something is not as it should be, seek help.
  • An assessment by a Reading Specialist or Educational Psychologist can give you a wholistic view of your child’s strengths and weaknesses and guide you to professional help.

 

My child has a learning difficulty, now what?

Learning differences are unrelated to IQ and have an impact on an individual’s ability to process, store, or produce information. Difficulties often co-exist. For example, research indicates that 30-50 percent of children with ADHD also have a specific learning disability, and that the two conditions can interact to make learning extremely challenging.

Read, read, read, read. Read material that is:

  • Easy – to build confidence
  • Age appropriate – to keep developing skill
  • Challenging (which you would read to the child)- to engage with your child, develop vocabulary, and maintain a love of the written word.

Be patient. Put yourself in your child’s shoes. Understand that if a task is difficult, he is going to be reluctant to do it. Encourage, support, highlight and develop his strengths.

Children with difficulties CAN SUCCEED. Concessions can be put in place as recommended by an Educational Psychologist. Additional time, readers or scribes can be implemented in order for children to achieve according to their cognitive ability and effort. It is very disheartening for a child to be trying and trying, and his results to not reflect this.

In our reading centre, child-parent-teacher-therapist work together as a team supporting the child with difficulties to get through their schooling with their confidence and self-esteem intact. These children are often out the box thinkers, creative, entrepreneurial, with a very good work ethic. They have much to offer the world.

 

Experiencing the child with learning difficulties

The workshop “Experiencing the Child with Learning Difficulties” will be presented in Nicosia on Sat 7th September 2019 at 9.30am. Presented to parents, teachers and specialists, the attendees undergo various exercises which simulate learning difficulties. In this way, they come away with an enriched level of understanding of children that they parent, teach or remediate.

Topics cover: The process of learning to read, Specific Learning Difficulties and associated learning difficulties (including practical exercises), why difficulties occur, processing, concessions, ways to assist.

For more information and booking   https://bit.ly/32ICA80

You can now win a place to this wonderful workshop by entering our #WednesdayWin competition here! Open until Tuesday, 3 September 2019.

Limited places

Presented by Reading Specialist Angela Charalambous

Based in Johannesburg, South Africa, Angela has a postgraduate qualification in Linguistics and is currently researching long-term efficacy of reading interventions. She established The Workshop Reading Centre in 2005 when she brought the Cellfield reading intervention to South Africa from Australia.  Since then, The Workshop Reading Centre has provided reading assessments, remedial intervention and workshops to children of all ages who struggle with reading.

How Waldorf Education benefits children

By MiC Carine 09/08/2019

Sending your child to a Waldorf school is beneficial, as Waldorf schools promote cooperation between the children, free – thinking and learning by experience. Waldorf schools are unique and if you ever visit a Waldorf classroom you will be surprised at what a Waldorf classroom looks like.

Imagine that some of the daily activities can be cooking, knitting and sewing.

Meet your child’s needs

It is a fact that every child is unique and different, with needs that are particular to their style of learning. Waldorf education meets the children where they are developmentally, and addresses their emerging capacities for various skills and lessons.  Not every child learns by picking up a book and studying a lesson.  Not every child processes verbal directions – or written directions. Very few children learn by filling out worksheets.

Children learn by doing, feeling and thinking. In Waldorf schools, teachers educate children by presenting lessons, which address different modes of learning. Each of the lessons contains movement and the arts, resulting in a stimulation of  the child’s intellect.

The unique feature of Waldorf is found in its philosophy, which tailors the curriculum to the stage of a child’s development at various ages.  Children have different capacities for learning at different ages, and so we teach the child lessons they will understand, at the time that they will understand it.  We teach to the child – not to the test.

Develop critical thinking

If you send your child to  a Waldorf school, you do it because you value the benefit of your child being an imaginative, free-thinking person; open to new experiences and differing points of view.

You send your child to a Waldorf School because you value an education which teaches your child how to think – not what to think and not to think like everyone else.

You send your child to a Waldorf school because you value freedom in education – not conformity to testing standards.

For example, a child may experience pressure to join his classmates in teasing another student. This is the time for the child to decide to follow or not follow the behaviour. Sometimes children are rushed into taking a decision rather than given space to think in their own time before deciding.  In Waldorf schools we allow them to make decisions in their own time instead and be responsible for their choices, then we are equally helping them develop the feeling of responsibility and equality. Critical thinking empowers the children in a way that  enables them to face challenges in their future life.

Limit technology

Have you ever imagined a school without computers? Waldorf schools do not use any computers or devices in primary school. The reason is that the Waldorf philosophy encourages contact with real people, in a real environment, in order to build a base of real experience. Therefore, computers are used only when it becomes developmentally appropriate.

It is a common belief in Waldorf schools that children learn better from experiencing the real world than watching a computer screen. Watching the cats, smelling the flowers, feeling the rain, listening to a duck’s call and patiently watching a hen eat her food. Those things are far more interesting and more complex to a child than a computer world.

Sitting in front of a screen becomes a bad habit that also restricts the child from moving and acting in the real world. Waldorf students will not suffer from lack of exposure to computers when they grow up however, instead, they develop essential capacities of imagination, thought and will power.

But do not think that Waldorf teachers believe computers and devices are always inappropriate. As a matter of fact, in a Waldorf high school, you can find students building their computers. In keeping with the philosophy, this is the way to develop knowledge of computers and technology. These students also quickly master computer technology and go on to enjoy a successful career in the computers industry.

“Overall, Waldorf education let the children learn in their own time, when they are ready developmentally. In addition, children obtain strong critical thinking skills and they learn through real life and experiences, which is essential.”

Come and see us!

If you are curious and would like to learn more about Waldorf Education, please send a direct message to our official Facebook page ,Waldorf School of Limassol. If you wish to schedule a meeting, please call us on 96 116120. We look forward to sharing our philosophy in more detail with you!

 

Μάθε πώς η Waldorf εκπαίδευση ωφελεί τα παιδιά

By MiC Carine

Τα Waldorf σχολεία προωθούν τη συνεργασία μεταξύ των παιδιών, την ελεύθερη σκέψη και την εκμάθηση μέσα από την εμπειρία. Αυτά, είναι μερικά από τα οφέλη που αποκομίζουν τα παιδιά από ένα Waldorf σχολείο. Τα σχολεία Waldorf είναι μοναδικά. Εάν ποτέ επισκεφτείτε μια αίθουσα διδασκαλίας Waldorf, θα εκπλαγείτε με το πώς είναι διαμορφωμένη μια τάξη.

Ξέρατε ότι, ορισμένες από τις καθημερινές δραστηριότητες των παιδιών μπορεί να είναι η μαγειρική, το πλέξιμο και η ραπτική;

Βρες τις ανάγκες των παιδιών

Είναι γεγονός ότι κάθε παιδί είναι μοναδικό και διαφορετικό. Οι ανάγκες οι οποίες έχει είναι συγκεκριμένες και το ίδιο ισχύει για τον τρόπο με τον οποίο μαθαίνει.

Η Waldorf εκπαίδευση εντοπίζει το αναπτυξιακό στάδιο που βρίσκεται το κάθε παιδί.  Βάση αυτό, διδάσκει ανάλογα με τις ικανότητές και δεξιότητες του μαθητή για κάθε μάθημα.

Δεν είναι δυνατόν κάθε παιδί να μαθαίνει πιάνοντας ένα βιβλίο και διαβάζοντας  το μάθημα. Δεν έχει κάθε παιδί την ίδια ικανότητα  στη λεκτική  μάθηση ή σε γραπτές οδηγίες. Πολύ λίγα παιδιά μαθαίνουν συμπληρώνοντας φύλλα εργασίας.

Τα παιδιά μαθαίνουν με να κάνουν πράξεις, να νιώθουν και να σκέφτονται. Στα σχολεία Waldorf, οι εκπαιδευτικοί μαθαίνουν τα παιδιά κάνοντας μαθήματα τα οποία απευθύνονται σε διαφορετικούς τύπους μάθησης. Κάθε ένα από τα μαθήματα περιέχει κίνηση, τέχνες και διεγείρει το νου.

Το μοναδικό χαρακτηριστικό του Waldorf βρίσκεται στη φιλοσοφία του η οποία προσαρμόζει το πρόγραμμα σπουδών στο στάδιο ανάπτυξης παιδιών σε διάφορες ηλικίες. Είναι γεγονός ότι τα παιδιά έχουν διαφορετικές ικανότητες για μάθηση σε διαφορετικές ηλικίες. Έτσι, διδάσκονται μαθήματα τα οποία τα παιδιά είναι σε θέση να καταλάβουν τη στιγμή που θα τα καταλάβουν  και που θα είναι έτοιμα να τα καταλάβουν. Το μάθημα γίνεται για το παιδί – όχι για το διαγώνισμα.

Ανάπτυξη κριτικής σκέψης

Όταν στέλνετε το παιδί σας σε ένα σχολείο Waldorf είναι επειδή εκτιμάτε μια εκπαίδευση που σέβεται την ανάπτυξη του παιδιού.

Όταν στέλνετε το παιδί σας σε ένα σχολείο Waldorf είναι επειδή θέλετε το παιδί σας να είναι ένα ευφάνταστο, ελεύθερο άτομο που σκέφτεται ανοιχτά σε νέες εμπειρίες και διαφορετικές απόψεις.

‘Όταν στέλνετε το παιδί σας σε ένα Waldorf σχολείο είναι επειδή εκτιμάτε μια εκπαίδευση που διδάσκει στο παιδί σας πώς να σκέφτεται – όχι τι να σκέφτεστε και τι  να μην σκέφτεστε όπως όλους τους άλλους.  ‘Όταν στέλνετε το παιδί σας σε ένα Waldorf σχολείο είναι επειδή εκτιμάτε την ελευθερία στην εκπαίδευση – τη μη συμμόρφωση με τα πρότυπα.

Για παράδειγμα, ένα παιδί μπορεί να νιώσει πίεση από τους συμμαθητές του για να πειράξει έναν άλλο συμμαθητή του. Αυτή είναι η ώρα για το παιδί να αποφασίσει να ακολουθήσει ή να μην ακολουθήσει τη συμπεριφορά. Μερικές φορές βάζουμε τα παιδιά να λάβουν μια γρήγορη απόφαση χωρίς να τους αφήσουμε χρόνο να σκεφτούν από μόνοι τους και να αποφασίσουν.

Στα Waldorf σχολεία αφήνουμε τα παιδιά να λάβουν αποφάσεις στο δικό τους χρόνο.  Έτσι είναι υπεύθυνα για τις αποφάσεις τους και έχουν το αίσθημα ευθύνης και ισότητας όταν μεγαλώσουν. Η κριτική σκέψη ενδυναμώνει τα παιδιά ούτως ώστε να μπορούν να αντιμετωπίσουν τις προκλήσεις στη ενήλική τους ζωή.

Περιορισμένη τεχνολογία

Έχετε σκεφτεί ποτέ ένα σχολείο χωρίς υπολογιστές; Το σχολείο Waldorf δεν χρησιμοποιεί υπολογιστές ή συσκευές στο δημοτικό σχολείο. Ο λόγος είναι ότι τα σχολεία Waldorf ενθαρρύνουν την επαφή με τους πραγματικούς ανθρώπους, το πραγματικό περιβάλλον  ούτως ώστε να δημιουργηθεί μια βάση πραγματικής εμπειρίας.  Έτσι, οι υπολογιστές χρησιμοποιούνται  στα Waldorf σχολεία όταν τα παιδιά βρίσκονται στο κατάλληλο αναπτυξιακό στάδιο.

Είναι κοινή πεποίθηση στα Waldorf σχολεία ότι τα παιδιά μαθαίνουν καλύτερα από την πραγματική εμπειρία παρά να περνούν την ώρα τους μπροστά από μια οθόνη υπολογιστή.

Τα παιδιά στο Waldorf μαθαίνουν παρακολουθώντας τις γάτες, μυρίζοντας τα λουλούδια, νιώθοντας τη βροχή, ακούγοντας μιας πάπια και παρακολουθώντας με υπομονή μία κότα που τρώει το φαγητό της. Αυτά τα πράγματα είναι ενδιαφέροντα και πιο περίπλοκα για ένα παιδί παρά ένας υπολογιστής.

Όταν ένα παιδί  κάθεται μπροστά σε έναν υπολογιστή αυτό μπορεί να γίνει μια κακή συνήθεια, εφόσον το παιδί δεν κινείται και δεν ενεργεί στον πραγματικό κόσμο. Επιπλέον, οι μαθητές Waldorf  δεν υποφέρουν από την έλλειψη υπολογιστή όταν μεγαλώσουν. Παρόλα αυτά, αναπτύσσουν σημαντικές δεξιότητες φαντασίας, σκέψης και θέλησης.

Εντούτοις μη νομίζετε ότι οι δάσκαλοι  Waldorf πιστεύουν ότι οι υπολογιστές και οι συσκευές είναι πάντα ακατάλληλες. Σε ένα Waldorf γυμνάσιο και λύκειο, θα δείτε μαθητές οι οποίοι φτιάχνουν τους δικούς τους υπολογιστές. Αυτός ο τρόπος συνάδει με τη φιλοσοφία Waldorf και είναι ο τρόπος που τα παιδιά αποκτούν γνώση για τους υπολογιστές και τη τεχνολογία.  Οι μαθητές αυτοί, κατακτούν γρήγορα την τεχνολογία των υπολογιστών και πολλές φορές έχουν μια επιτυχημένη καριέρα στη βιομηχανία των υπολογιστών.

“Γενικότερα η εκπαίδευση Waldorf αφήνει τα παιδιά να μάθουν στον δικό τους χρόνο, ανάλογα με το αναπτυξιακό στάδιο του κάθε παιδιού. Επίσης, αποκτούν γερές βάσεις κριτικής σκέψης και το καλύτερο μαθαίνουν μέσα από την εμπειρία στην πραγματική ζωή.”

Ελάτε να μας γνωρίσετε!

Αν έχετε απορίες και θέλετε να μάθετε περισσότερα σχετικά με τη Waldorf εκπαίδευση στείλτε ένα μήνυμα στην επίσημη σελίδα στο Facebook, Waldorf School of Limassol. Εάν θέλετε μια συνάντηση, καλέστε στο 96 116120. Ανυπομονούμε να μοιραστούμε την Waldorf φιλοσοφία μαζί σας!

This Mum Life

By Junebug 06/06/2019

What does a day entail?

Do you really want me to drag you through that?

About the time you think you will get to sit down, you may notice that one of your children wiped their dirty hands on the couch, or a pile of ants have appeared under the sink, or the laundry buzzer goes off, or all three at once.

Maybe you’re glad to finally be home after a three-hour play gym session of NOISE NOISE NOISE. You deserve to relax. After what you’ve endured, you should finally be able to put your feet up.

Walking through the door gives a sense of relief, until you realize the little one’s diaper needs changing. The other one calls you from the toilet also needing your assistance.

Your brain is going very fast prioritizing who to help first, how to get the milk from the car, and how to feed and bath them before bed. And it’s already nearly bed time.

And what about that sitting down part? After the urgent tasks are done, the little one is on the loose creating more and more work for you. You must get cartoons on ASAP, so you can at least get the groceries inside.

Finally, both kids are content, but then you remember that they didn’t drink enough water the whole afternoon and they were playing HARD. Get them water, then bring in the groceries.

Maybe this is your chance to relax, but they didn’t eat their chicken nuggets earlier. Should have gone with the pizza. Or maybe just leave it tonight? You imagine them waking up asking for a bowl of cereal, and so you turn on the oven, and begin to cut some fruit to get SOME vitamins into their growing bodies.

Sitting down is feeling far away, but getting closer. Going to skip the bath tonight. Tummies full, teeth brushed, stories read, and now they are fast asleep, which is the pay off you deserve for wearing them out.

And NOW you finally get to sit down. Your tummy growls and it’s time to feed yourself, and you decide to just skip it and go for the wine.

 

Author: junebug 

Stand up, speak up!

By MiC Carine 14/05/2019

I have never participated in a protest in my life. Well, at least not before last Sunday.

While assertive and determined when it comes to defending my point of view in a conversation, I was never quite passionate enough about a specific topic to literally take to the streets in order to convince others.

The burning urgency of Climate Change has changed that, and I am proud to have participated in Cyprus’ first Mothers Rise Up march on May 12th in Nicosia. The future of our children – and that of all the children in the world – is in grave danger because we are not listening to Mother Earth.

The more I research the matter, the more angry and concerned I become.

This morning’s shocking news that an American explorer has found plastic waste on the seafloor while breaking the record for the deepest ever dive dominated our breaskfast table conversation. Then later today, a Cyprus Mail article confirmed that our little island will miss its environmental targets for 2020 and 2030.

That takes us past the 11 years we have left to prevent irreversible damage from Climate Change.

Scary, right? We need to stand up and speak up, spread the word and raise awareness. You can contribute by joining Mothers Rise Up Cyprus today. Still not convinced? Read my piece on why Kat and I felt compelled to support this environmental conservation organisation.

There’re nothing wrong with letting our voice be heard, and even if organised protest seems a bit ‘extreme’ at first – we shouldn’t let it intimidate us.

We can be grateful that we live in a democracy, that we have voting rights, that free speech is honoured and that we can freely play a role in shaping our children’s future.

Let’s do this. Today.

 

 

Ask the Expert: Kirsten Levens-Spiliotou – Why we all need Happy Feet

By MiC Carine 06/05/2019

Did you know that the human foot is composed of 26 bones? Where you aware that, with every step we take, the heels of our feet hit the ground with a force equal to twice our body weight? That in our lifetime, we will walk up to 185,000 km? That’s roughly 5 times around the world! No wonder it’s so important to have happy feet! In our #AskTheExpert interview of the month we sit down with Kirsten Levens-Spiliotou of The Podiatry Centre.

 

Kirsten, hi! What does a Podiatrist do?

In podiatry we aim to prevent deformity in the foot and maintain normal function and mobility. If abnormalities are observed, we provide an initial diagnosis and suggest ways to manage the condition. We also treat infections and skin issues, and provide nail care.

What kind of abnormalities can occur in children’s feet?

Because a child’s foot is constantly changing, it is at risk from a variety of problems at different ages as the feet and lower limbs develop. These issues can be associated with growth or with activities that the children are involved in, such as dance, gymnastics, martial arts etc. In the case of growth, the main cause of trouble is often a badly fitting shoe, or even an outgrown shoe. In the case of activities, excessive unaccustomed exercise can lead to painful foot and lower limb issues. Weight gain and postural changes also affect the feet.

How can these problems be addressed?

Some foot changes can look like serious problems to the untrained eye but may just be appearing during the period of developmental change. Often these will not require any major correctional measures and can be solved with footwear advice alone. More serious conditions can be helped with the provision of orthoses, which are special tailor-made insoles that address the positioning of the foot.

What about skin and nail issues?

These are common and not a cause for serious concern, but they need to be appropriately cared for. Proper hygiene goes a long way towards preventing most issues such as sweaty feet (very prevalent in puberty), smelly feet, athlete’s foot (the fungus that affects the skin and nails) and infected blisters.

When should a baby get their first pair of shoes?

Ideally not until they can actually walk outdoors. The child should be barefoot for as long as possible in the first year for the feet to develop naturally and normally. Remember that the age at which a baby starts to walk unaided varies from child to child.

Is there a trick to knowing the perfect shoe size and fit?

Yes, you can have your child stand on a piece of paper and trace around the shape of their foot. Measure the distance between the longest toe and the heel. A newly fitted shoe will need to be approximately 12-16 mm longer than that distance in order to allow for growth and the foot elongating when walking. This can help guide you in the shoe shop, where you can then measure the inside of the shoe you are considering buying.

Should children wear the same shoes every day?

In the best-case scenario, different shoes should be worn on alternate days in order to allow the shoe to dry out, as children’s feet can get very sweaty. Damp shoes and socks make our skin more prone to athlete’s foot and verrucae.

What about trainers as a daily shoe? Are they unhealthy for children’s and teenagers’ feet?

As long as hygiene and good foot health is followed, sports and running shoes are fine. Allow for adequate room, depth and width in the toe area, ensure the fastening is tight and the heel is well fitting and firm, with shock absorbing heel and sole. Fashion trends should not take priority over the sensible choice, especially as some trainers are designed for a particular sporting activity. Either way, here too, it’s best to take shoes off inside the house to allow for the foot to breathe and the show to dry out.

Is there anything to look out for in socks?

The importance of proper socks is often underestimated. It should be the same size as the shoe and made from 100% cotton, especially if the child has skin problems. Avoid nylon socks, as that material will make the foot sweat and it does not absorb moisture.

How often should children’s toe nails be cut, and what is the best way to do this?

The rate of nail growth varies from child to child, but it’s best to do a weekly check. If they are left too long, they can split and become ingrown. Use proper nail clippers instead of scissors, as they are safer. Always follow the shape of the nail, keep the corners free, and leave approximately 1 mm of growing nail.

What is a ‘gaitscan’ and would you recommend every child has one?

A gaitscan system records the timing sequence as a person stands and walks across a pressure plate. This plate is linked to a software programme that produces data, which allows the podiatrist to accurately detect abnormal foot function and suggest appropriate measures to correct any developmental problem. It’s an amazing technology, and you know what they say: a picture is worth a thousand words!

Not every child has to have one. Check their feet regularly and ask your podiatrist for advice if any foot problems occur. Don’t rely on your child telling you if they have a problem. Take an interest in your child’s foot health especially if they are involved in activities that may damage the feet. My children are teenagers now and I still inspect their feet every now and then, it’s never too late to get involved.

Most issues can be addressed with special custom-made orthotic insoles, which the child will need to wear for about two years. While children will not feel pain in legs and feet at this stage due to the softness of their bones, any posture problems caused by the foot deformities will become more apparent in later life.

Here at The Podiatry Centre we can help you identify and correct any issues early on. Come and see us for a no-obligation evaluation of your child’s feet. We are delighted to provide a 15% discount on the consultation fee as an exclusive offer for Mums in Cyprus members !

 

Kirsten is a member of both the Cyprus society of chiropodists & podiatrists, the UK society of chiropodists and podiatrists, and is also a registered member of the health professions council, UK. After graduating from Brighton university Kirsten worked for 7 years in the UK for the NHS ‘National Health Service’ in both hospitals, health centres and the community settings. She then worked 1 year in the private sector before moving to Cyprus in 2002 where she established her own private practice comprising of all elements of podiatry.

 e: kirsten@thepodiatrycentre.com

fb:@thepodiatrycentre

The Podiatry Centre

Gropious 43

Evangelos Court 205

Limassol 3076

Tel 25 878708

 

 

Mental health: how to stop stigma and take action

By MiC Carine

Here at Mums in Cyprus, we spend large parts of the morning online and as a consequence, come across countless of websites every day. We see rubbish websites (loads of them!), out of date websites (how hard can it be!?) and even websites where we seriously wonder why anyone even bothered to put them up…

But once in a while there is one that stands out. The Perfect Find.

Professional, transparent, factual and supportive, yesterday’s discovery is one of these gems: childmind.org

The Child Mind Institute is dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families struggling with mental health and learning disorders. As an independent, non-profit organisation based in the United States, their teams ‘work every day to deliver the highest standards of care, advance the science of the developing brain and empower parents, professionals and policymakers to support children when and where they need it most.’

Ok, so Cyprus is not the US, but mental health is an issue on our island, too.

The website has a wealth of information, articles and tools for families. There are symptom checkers and parent guides, tips for teenagers and children.

Teachers can find resources for recognising learning disorders in the classroom, dealing with anxiety and ADHD in students, and browse though recommended strategies to address these.

One of the biggest obstacles to tackling mental health is the stigma attached to it, and this is where The Childmind Institute’s anti-stigma campaign #MyYoungerSelf comes in. That’s what got us to their website in the first place, as it was mentioned by Time Magazine.

‘This May actors, athletes, social influencers, businesspeople and more send a message of hope about their experience growing up with a mental health or learning disorder: Help us stop the shame and stigma. This is #MyYoungerSelf, the Child Mind Institute’s campaign to counter the stigma for the 1 in 5 children struggling with these disorders.’

We can ALL do our bit to stop the shame and stigma.

 

 

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4

Login with your Social Account

Want to receive MiC’s Magazine?

Notes

  • MiC – The Video

    Have you seen us on YouTube yet?

    Subscribe to our channel!

Facebook Feed

Social Media

Advertise

Let us spread the word about your mum-, baby- or family-related business and/or services with tailor made solutions. Request our Media Kit now and find out how we can help you!

 

Contact Us

Call us 7000 3077
Mail us hello@mumsincyprus.com

PO Box 56811
3310 Limassol, Cyprus

 

Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

 

  • Home
  • 7th Mums2Be & Baby Day
  • Account
  • Activity
  • Become a vendor
  • Browse and Buy
  • Categories
  • Children’s Charities
Copyright © 2020 Mums In Cyprus. All right reserved.

ΠΕΡΙΜΕΝΕ!

Join our growing international community of mums living in Cyprus and get weekly updates!
Join Us
Yes please - sign me up!

No thanks. not today.

Login

not a member? Register

This site uses cookies. By closing this banner, scrolling this page, clicking a link or continuing to browse otherwise, you agree to the use of cookies. Find out more.