Summer Sand Crafts

This is a really fun summer craft; you could pretty much do anything with it, it could also be really abstract and artistic. Take a look at what we did:

What you’ll need:
Construction Paper
Glue
Sand
Blue glitter
Green and yellow foam paper
Scissors
Shoe box

Draw a picture of an island and a palm tree on your construction paper. While you do that have your child mix blue glitter and some sand (word of caution, don’t overdo it with the sand like we did, you want the mixture to be a little more blue).

We had created a summer sensory box including sand, sea shells & beads to hunt for in the box, mini sand bucket and a mini shovel. I got the idea for a sensory box from a Montessori learning technique.

Once the sand is mixed have your child apply glue to the area of the sea in the drawing, place it into a shoe box and add the glitter sand mixture. Shake it all around until the sand sticks to the glue and remove.

Repeat the same with the palm tree. Add glue to the island area and the tree trunk, place back in the box and add clean sand. Shake around until it’s glued to the paper. Then glue green foam cut outs to the top of the palm tree for branches and the yellow foam for the sun.

If you like you could just add glue to the island and the palm tree and be left with a very simple creation. It would be great for an older child or an adult to experiment with that. For Emma I wanted to add other materials and colors to work with.
She loved the craft, and she ended up playing for quite a bit longer in her sensory box, adding sand from one bucket to another, burying and finding shells and beads, making swirls with her fingers.

Have fun!
Vanja
Emma’s Lunch 

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Budapest city-break with a toddler

My son is almost 3 years old and since he was around 8 months old, we regularly take him to his “other home” in Hungary,where I am from. Living in Larnaca with family is safe and easy, combined with a wonderful climate, but taking a trip from a small island to a real, big city is inspirational for both parents and children.

I decided to contribute to LPN with an article about my city, where I had lived, as some of you might decide that you would like to take your small ones and fly to Hungary, even just for a short break, a long weekend, as it is easily reachable now with two low-budget airlines (Wizzair from Larnaca and Ryanair from Pafos). The flight from Cyprus to the Hungarian capital is less than 3 hours, so it is easily managable with children. The thrill of being on an airplane wears out by the time we reach our travel height and soon after take-off, my son usually falls asleep and wakes up just by the end of the flight. Our latest trip was at the beginning of May and this period until late September is the best time of the year to visit for some great outdoor adventures in Central Europe!

Budapest is just buzzing with activities and there are uncountable cultural, culinary, shopping and just simply “fun-time”opportunities. I am always excited to see my old home again and for my son it is a new world to be explored. First of all, being a boy, he is simply thrilled by the various means of transportation: yellow trams, red trolleys, blue buses, electric trains, the underground, the funicular railway (taking you up to the Buda castle) and not even talking about the myriad of bike-rider everywhere. Through the various experiences, he acquires new words, expressions in Hungarian and hopefully learns how to live and survive in another country and culture.

Budapest offers various colorful programmes for families with children. There is a wonderful Zoo and Botanical Garden in the City Park, right next to the Circus and the Amusement Park. The unique Children’s Railway, which is operated by kids, is also definitely worth a visit, as well as the various green and carefully manicured parks, safely fenced, modern playgrounds throughout the city and the wide pavements are just ideal for walks and “rides” by a toddler on a small plastic motorbike, like ours.

On our first day we took the tram to the Children’s Railway and had a ride on an old steam engine in the Buda hills. TheChildren’s Railway is operated by 10-12-year-old children, who act as conductors and the ride takes around an hour each way.

 Being in the fresh, green forest, as the nostalgic train puffs its way through the hills, with a panorama on the city and the surrounding Buda hills, is a wonderful experience. One of the best adventure parks for older children in the country is on the train’s route as well, in the woods.

The second day we had tickets to the Circus in the City Park (a park with a lake in the middle, where you can also row your boat). The latest show at the Circus brings the world’s best acrobats, rope dancers or Italian clowns to the ring, until the end of the summer. The real highlights were the animals for us: tigers, pumas, Andalusian horses, Siberian huskies, etc. It was amazing to see five tigers standing up on two feet, following their master’s instructions, just a few meters from us!

After the Cypriot lifestyle of driving around in our car, in Budapest we normally move around using public transport and of course always have our plastic motorbike (see on the attached picture) with us. You can buy this light toddlers’ vehicle in any toy shops and then just carry it back to Cyprus in your luggage. Soon after we bought one, when my son was around 2 years old,we committed a mistake and visited the zoo without it and of course we regretted it! Every 2- or 3-year-old child in Hungary sits on such a motorbike and our son was very disappointed that we did not have it with us! We had to cut that zoo visit short last
year…

I cannot list all the great places in Budapest in my article, just wanted to give you a taste. As the summer is already here, there are several open-air performances and the numerous parks are simply inviting your toddler as you walk around and explore the city. The Hungarian capital is colorful, affordable, full of beautiful and child-friendly hotels, oudoor cafes, floating restaurant-boats on the Danube river with a dazzling panorama of the Castle in Buda. Take a seat in one of the most popular spots of downtown’s Liszt Ferenc pedestrian square for a great meal and then head for dessert, try the “krémes” (cream cake) in the newly opened Szamos café in the heart of the city in the Vörösmarty pedestrian square. In both of these places kids can run around and play safely as cars are not allowed in this part of the city. Jó utat!

Beáta Pál Christodoulou, an LPN mum and communications consultant at Action Global Communications (Nicosia)

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Roast Sirloin of Beef with Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes and gravy

Her Magesty Queen Elizabeth II came to the throne on 6 February 1952 and her coronation took place on 2 June 1953.

This weekend Diamond Jubilee celebrations will take place throughout the UK, across the Commonwealth and beyond.

To mark the occasion, I would like to share with you a Classic British recipe, that is truly fit for a Queen!!

 Ingredients

For the Yorkshire puddings

350g plain flour

4 large or 5 medium free-range eggs

800ml milk (you may not need all of it)

vegetable oil, for cooking

salt

For the beef

2 kg sirloin beef

1 jar English mustard

1 jar French mustard

2 onions

1 glass red wine

1 glass water

4 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves crushed garlic

1 small jar mixed herbs

For the roast potatoes

16 medium-sized Maris Piper or King Edward potatoes (each about 175g), peeled, cut into equal-sized pieces

8 garlic cloves

5 tbsp duck fat or vegetable oil

8 sprigs thyme

sea salt, to taste

For the gravy

pan-roasting juices

350ml red wine

4 tsp plain flour

Preparation method

First make the Yorkshire pudding batter. Sift the flour and a pinch of salt into a bowl, add the eggs and gradually whisk in enough milk to make a smooth batter thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. Cover and leave to rest for six hours or overnight.

Take the beef out of the fridge and allow it to come back to room temperature.  Preheat the oven to 195 degrees for 10 minutes.

Cover beef with English and French mustard, completely covering it.... then pour over mixed herbs, forming a crust and covering all the beef, upside, side and everywhere....

Cut 2 large onions in thick pieces into baking tray and pour over the onions a glass of red wine and a glass of water.... place beef on top and then pour over 4 tablespoons olive oil with puree of 2 crushed garlic cloves. Season everywhere with salt and pepper.

While the beef is cooking, prepare the roast potatoes. Peel the potatoes and parboil them in salted water for about seven minutes until almost cooked (they will still feel firm when pierced with a knife). Drain thoroughly and then shake them around a little in the colander until the outsides are fluffy.

Put the duck fat or vegetable oil for the roast potatoes into a small roasting tin and heat in the oven for five minutes. Add the potatoes to the tin with the garlic cloves, thyme and some sea salt and toss them around until well coated in the fat. Return the tin to the oven and roast for 30-35 minutes or so until golden and crunchy.

Remove the Beef from the oven and place on a carving board when cooked to your liking.  Cover with a clean cloth and allow to rest in a warm place

Next make the Yorkshire puddings. Pour 5mm/½inch of vegetable oil into the well of each Yorkshire pudding tin - eight individual ones or two four-hole trays. Place the tins in the oven to heat for a few minutes.

When the oil is hot, remove from the oven. Give the Yorkshire batter a stir and carefully pour it into the tins. Take care, as the oil may splatter. Fill each well up to about halfway.

Place the tins back in the oven and cook for about 25-30 minutes alongside the roast potatoes, until they are well risen and golden.

While the potatoes and Yorkshire puddings are in the oven, make the gravy. Place the tin with its roasting juices on the hob over a medium heat. Stir in the flour and the red wine. Scrape well to get all the bits from the bottom of the tin into the gravy. Leave to simmer for ten minutes, then season.

To serve, carve the beef into thick slices and pile on plates with the Yorkshire puddings and roast potatoes. Pour lots of gravy over the top.

Preparation time

25 minutes, plus resting time for the batter

Cooking time

For rare 50 minutes

For medium 1 hour and 10 minutes

For well done 1 hour 30 minutes

Do NOT cover with foil whilst roasting, plus resting time for the beef

Serves 8

The recipe for the Roast Sirloin of Beef was supplied by Celebrity Chef Gil owner of Nippon Japanese Restaurant in Larnaca and features in the American Academy Junior School Cook Book which is due for release in September 2012.

If you would like to pre-order a copy of  the Cook Book which includes 100 plus delicious International recipes (supplied by children, parents, family and friends ot the school), please do not hesitate to contact me.  All funds raised from the sale of the Cook Book will go directly towards equipment and fun activites for all the children of the school.

Enjoy!!

Marilyn x

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LARNACA FESTIVAL 2012

ALL EVENTS START AT 9:00 PM

Monday, July 2

Concert

MARINELLA - NATASA THEODORIDOU LIVE

MUNICIPAL AMPHITHEATRE LARNACA Pattichion

Entrance: € 35, € 30 & € 25

Friday, July 6

CYPRUS THEATRE ORGANISATION

"ELECTRA AND ORESTIS, the trial"

Adaptation / Director: Hanan Snir

MUNICIPAL AMPHITHEATRE LARNACA Pattichion

Entrance: € 17 & € 8 (students, soldiers, pensioners)

Sunday, July 8

POETRY NIGHT UNDER THE LIGHT OF THE MOON

Tribute to the Cypriot poet

PAUL VALDASERIDI

Actors recite

THEATRE "ladder"

LARNACA MARINA APOVATHRA

Admission free

Friday, July 13

STATE ACADEMIC BALLET MOSCOW CLASSIC

Ballet "SPARTAKOS"

music by ARAMKHATCHATURIAN

Artistic directors: Natalia Kasatkina & Vladimir Vasiliev

MUNICIPAL AMPHITHEATRE LARNACA Pattichion

Entrance € 30, € 25, € 20 & € 15 (children under 12 years old)

Wednesday July 18

THEATRE "ladder"

Premiere

"The MY FRIEND LEFTERAKIS"

Comedy Alekos SAKELLARIOU

MUNICIPAL AMPHITHEATRE LARNACA Pattichion

Director: Maria Mannaridou Karsera

Entrance: € 12 & € 7 (students, soldiers, pensioners, large)

Sunday, July 22

Concert

THEOPHANOUS - GLYKERIA - MAKEDONAS

AREA old aqueduct "Kamares" LARNACA

Admission free

Monday, July 23

LAKIS LAZOPOULOS

«SORRY I 'M GREEK»

Director: Lakis Lazopoulos

MUNICIPAL AMPHITHEATRE LARNACA Pattichion

Entrance € 50, € 35 & € 20 (children under 12 years old)

Tuesday, July 24

"ARISTOFANOUS ACHARNIS ARISTOFANOUS AND WEALTH

OTHER SONGS FOR YOUNG KANTADOROUS "

Concert with Greek singer

Dionysis Savopoulosand

Cultural Group "DIMENSION"

MUNICIPAL AMPHITHEATRE LARNACA Pattichion

Entrance € 25 & € 15 (children under 12 years old)

Tuesday, July 31

Concert

Haris Alexiou - Dimitra Galani

MUNICIPAL AMPHITHEATRE LARNACA Pattichion

Entrance € 35

Advance tickets:

Larnaca Municipal Theatre

Theatre Tel / Fund: 24665795

Hours :

Monday - Friday:10:00 a.m. - 1:00 pm & 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Saturday: 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 pm

Information:

Larnaca Municipality Cultural Services

Tel: 24657745

Organised by theLarnaca Municipality

Sponsor:

Ministry of Education and Culture

Cultural Services 

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Splash 'O' Colour

Saturday Kids Craft Club 11 - 12.30pm
ONLY 5 Euro per child

Splash 'O' Colour
Summer kid's Craft Club.
We will be running a summer kid's craft club every Monday, Friday and Saturday throughout the summer (July/August)
Time: 11 - 12.30pm
Cost: 5 Euro per child.
Start date: Monday 9th July
Call Leoni on 99095148 to book your child in, limited places!!

Splash 'O' Colour have children as young as 3 who attend, if they have a wide range of ages, they will adapt the craft according to age. Mum's are required to stay with children under 10 years of age!!!!!

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Table Top Sale & Fun Day

Saturday 16th June
10am - 4pm
Dhekelia Leisure Resort (Open to non military)

Face painting Bouncy castle children craft stall Music by BFBS Neil Skinner

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Twilight Theatre

Every  other Wednesday from 8pm to 10pm with Catherine Beger. An improvisation and theatre technique workshop for everyone (no experience necessary) to have fun and generally use the imagination and get creative :) to start Wednesday 19th September. Seven euros per session.


For Further details please call Catherine : 96216435

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Summer Fair

Where : GEC Grounds (opposite Larnaca Old Hospital)

When: Saturday 23rd June

Time: 11am - 4pm 

Free Entrance

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Larnaka Municipality Press Release 28th May - 3rd June 2012

This weekly press release is part of an effort to inform our citizens and the public in general about the activities of our Municipality. 

Cultural Events
English

Greek 

For more information call the Larnaca Municipality Cultural Department on 24657745 or 24629333

Construction work
The Department of Construction of the Municipality of Larnaca informs the public that between 28/05-03/06/2012, the following construction work will be in progress:

• Pavement construction in the Shopping Centre. 
• Drain repair on Kerkiras street. 
• Drain construction on the streets Konstantinou Kalogera and Filosofou Aristoteli streets. 
• Pavement construction in Stadiou street. 
• Works related to the Flood festival. 
• Support construction work on a listed building in St. Lazarus square. 

Finance Department
The Larnaca Municipality Finance Department informs the public that payment of the Municipal Property Tax, Corporate Tax and Business Premises Permit for the year 2011 as well as for the previous years is possible only at Larnaca Municipality Offices. A 10% fine will be added on the initial tax amount.

As far as the Refuse Collection Tax is concerned, the payment deadline has already passed and legal proceedings have begun.

The public should settle their payments to Larnaca Municipality on time and within the given deadlines to avoid added legal and court costs.

Visit the website: www.larnaka.com

Energy Team and Environmental Management Department: www.larnaka202020.eu

Contact: 24816559, 24816581/email: perivallon@larnaca.com

Translation kindly provided by 

Eri Constantinou 

www.greek4kids.eu

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Dogs + kids = best friends

We have 3 miniature pinchers in the house and an 18 month old daughter, as you may know. When I got pregnant we had to bring up the issue of dogs in the house and discuss it with my husband. It was not much of issue for me – dogs are our best friends, we love them like kids and I didn’t think something should change. It was a surprise for me to realize that my husband was not on the same page, and I’m putting it very delicately… If you are married to Cypriot you probably know what I’m talking about. And I’m not criticizing in any way; every nation has its beliefs and stereotypes. Having a dog in the same house with a kid is simply not in Cypriots’ culture.

I was fighting like a tiger defending the rights of “my babies” to continue living in the house. There were plenty of good grounds in my favor: I was raised with a cat and a dog in the house, the dog saved my life when I was a little kid, our dogs are not fit to live outside, it’s a pity to deprive our child of first true friendship, etc. It is worth mentioning that our pets are properly registered, we take a good care of them, taking them to vet regularly, bathing them every week and feeding them like little piggies.

Finally, after some days of passionate discussions we came to compromise: dogs will stay but under my strict control and supervision, not being allowed to touch or even come close to the baby for the first few month. Apparently it was a good thing to do because at first our dogs completely got insane with a little crying thing we brought home. Their eyes were glowing and we couldn’t calm them down for some days. I have no idea why they were this way, it could be jealousy, excitement, curiosity; maybe they thought we brought a cat or some other enemy.
My strategy was plain and simple: be strict when they do something wrong and show lots of love the rest of the time. In practice, it was a little more difficult. No problem with the strict part, but with the love… The baby was taking all my time, like it often happens with a first born. So, I wasn’t taking them out for a walk that often, we stopped playing loud games they love so much; I wasn’t petting them every free minute of my day, etc. And yet they understood and simply followed me everywhere, not demanding much.
After some months, when the baby started discovering the whole wide world, our dogs were there for her. They were standing still when she was touching them; they were barking if someone was approaching her, they were trying to lick her little hand every time she was pulling their noses. Ofcourse we are always there, never living our girl alone with the doggies, but it seems obvious to me that our spoiled pinchers are not dangerous.

In fact, the dogs are great entertainment for a little toddler. They run together around the house, playing very actively when mommy and daddy can simply sit down and enjoy the show. Our daughter learned all the body parts of animals with the help of the doggies; it is much more fun to point at the original eyes and ears then at the drawn ones. Not to mention how many useful things a child can pick up in between the lines when growing up with a dog, like the meaning of love, friendship, compassion, loyalty, being a leader, caring, being responsible for someone else and other priceless lessons of life.
I also learned something. Dogs are not like kids, they are still animals, which is a very positive thing. Their jealousy is not like human’s jealousy. They will accept another member in the family simply if you show that this new one is very important to YOU, because it’s you they love so much. Dogs are the best example of unconditional love - important concept which many people do not understand and therefore have difficulties giving or receiving it.

Irina Evangelou
LPN Mum

LPN is a pure community based site that adopts the true spirit of Blogging. As such we feature unedited raw content from our readers.

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Note from an older mum

Dear fellow LPN mums,
I am very happy to have found you all. This is a wonderful place to express ourselves and share information. I admire the enthusiasm and energy of those who have been mothers for 5 years or less and I thank you for letting me be a part of your world.

I have been a mother for 13 years now and I have benefited mainly from older mums who have put things into perspective with their wise comments and experiences. Now it seems it's time for me to get some fresh energy from younger mums too. I have 'been there done that' when it comes to searching for the information as to how best to prepare our children for their future. My first son was conceived and raised 'by the book' and it was hard work, done with much love (always been with all of our children) and it was yielding the expected results: baby slept through the night from 6 months, was introduced to foods on time, was trilingual at 18 months and responded to basic discipline rules. Then number 2 was born, another boy. NOTHING seemed to work: he even jumped out of his cot at NINE months when we were doing the 'by the book sleep alone in your room' procedure. So he shared our bed, stayed up late, couldn't speak clearly and seemed to be winging all the time! It was so tiring and as we tried harder and harder to put him into some kind of mould he rebelled more and more. At some point we started accepting him for who he was and not trying to make him some kind of preconceived toddler or child. He is a PERFECT 10 year old nowadays with a big heart and a loud voice that can be put to good use when needed (like when singing a happy song out loud!). After a 7 year gap we had our baby daughter who is now a toddler at 2 and a half. We have given up on books, rules and we have finally decided to simply ENJOY the ride. She is turning out quite normal, as trilingual as her brothers and as rebel as she naturally is.

I don't claim to be an expert, I just want to share my experience with you. What I would suggest is to enjoy parenthood. This is what I learned from older mums. They were smiling when I was complaining about how difficult potty training was or how much patience was needed to teach them how to write or make them read. I bought all the sticker books, the flash cards, the songs and the educational toys. At the end, each child is different and parents should make sure that they have a break too. I disagree with too much structuring. We should leave at least one afternoon - when they are at school age - just to be home and do simple things like watch cartoons (even if they are educational) or kick the ball. Let your children enjoy each other, interact as siblings like our grandparents did: the older can take care of the younger, they can all play with one ball, find snails in the garden and enjoy bilingualism, music, reading, sports or whatever it is that they are good at in a casual manner. I have discovered teaching my daughter the alphabet in English by singing while we change a nappy. The road is long and bumpy, sleepless nights come without a warning. We are only humans and we shouldn't get anxious on bringing up our children. Sometimes all you have to do is follow your gut feeling. Our children need to learn that we are not perfect and that we are humans just like them. We need our time and our space and as they grow into their teens there is a different danger of invasion into our already invaded space as individuals. It is our duty to help them with time management until their 20s (yes, twenties!) as found by recent neurological studies. Sometimes they will resist and we have to do it. But 20 or more years per child is too long to stress over perfection, don't you think?

Finally, I must to acknowledge that I have been very fortunate in being able to leave a routine that I had developed as a working mother for 10 years and left me EXHAUSTED. We went to a place where life goes on at a slower, more relaxed pace, where most families have 3 children instead of 2 and where mothers are forced to stay home with their children until they are at least 5. That gave me the opportunity to assess those 10 years and to wonder how could I have carried on like that for so long. There I could read more books on older children and I understood that after a certain point we cannot influence them anymore. So our initial efforts are very important and then the Community takes over, including teachers, sport teams, clubs, etc. So now I am using all my free time on bringing the spirit of community into the equation. This is a great place to raise children with a lot of individual effort into everything everyone does but when it comes to feel part of a community I think we are still far from where we could be. But that would be a topic for another note. In the meantime, get plenty of rest when you can, give yourself permission to make mistakes, say sorry when needed and ASK for 'me' time. Spoil yourselves because your children and your community need you happy, healthy and strong.
Thanks for reading.

Veronica Athanasiou
Ex Biology teacher and now full time mum with a particular interest on community issues.

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Larnaca Municipality Press Release 21st May -27th May 2012

This weekly press release is part of an effort to inform our citizens and the public in general about the activities of our Municipality.

Cultural Events for May
English
Greek
For more information call the Larnaca Municipality Cultural Department on 24657745 or 24629333

Construction work
The Department of Construction of the Municipality of Larnaca informs the public that between 21/05-25/05/2012, the following construction work will be in progress:

• Pavement construction in the Shopping Centre.
• Drain covers cleaning on Alithersi street.
• Premix construction on the streets: Georgiou Averof, Alkiviadou, Stavrou Poskoti, Patris Loumoumpa etc.
• Drain cleaning in Kalogera and Filosofou Aristoteli streets.
• Gutter construction in Makras Asias street.
• Work related to the Flood Festival.

Finance Department
The Larnaca Municipality Finance Department informs the public that payment of the Municipal Property Tax, Corporate Tax and Business Premises Permit for the year 2011 as well as for the previous years is possible only at Larnaca Municipality Offices. A 10% fine will be added on the initial tax amount.

As far as the Refuse Collection Tax is concerned, the payment deadline has already passed and legal proceedings have begun.
The public should settle their payments to Larnaca Municipality on time and within the given deadlines to avoid added legal and court costs.

Visit the website: www.larnaka.com
Energy Team and Environmental Management Department: www.larnaka202020.eu
Contact: 24816559, 24816581/email: perivallon@larnaca.com

Translation kindly provided by

Eri Constantinou

 www.greek4kids.eu 

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The challenge of introducing new foods to kids

Do you struggle to get your child to eat? Do you find it difficult to introduce new foods? It’s a common challenge which partly has to do with the way kids are wired. They want the familiar, tried and tested.

It’s normal and understandable, but we shouldn’t exactly let them have it their way all the time. Some kids will only eat carbs, some kids only eat food that is white, some kids eat no veggies, some kids eat no meat, some are a combination of all of the above.

Emma is the combination kind, and her desires change by the season. She loves broccoli but turns her nose up at cucumber. She will eat pitta bread but not if there’s cheese in it - she’ll only eat cheese in a regular sliced bread sandwich. But despite these idiosyncrasies she’s a pretty good eater. She will eat meat, and veggies and loves fruit, yoghurt, cheese…. But not every kind you put in front of her, she has her favourites.

I’m pretty happy with her diet and I truly believe it’s because of the way we introduce food to her. I make fun lunch boxes and try to include a new food like that. She loves the fun food picks, cute containers. Another really fun way we introduce food to Emma is by serving it in Muffin Tins.

It’s such a great way to serve and introduce new foods. You get 6 holes and a chance to fill each with a different food. And even if you don’t make cute shapes it’s already separated in child friendly compartments.

They will love the new presentation, they will love the mini sizes, and you could be sure that they will try that new food you added in one of the compartments. If they don’t, don’t despair. It could take 10 – 15 tries for your toddler to accept the new food. You just need to keep introducing the food and eating it yourself.

Now just imagine, you worked all summer to have your angel accept strawberries. You finally get her to eat them and after all that work, seasons change, strawberries go out of season; this may mean you will have to reintroduce again next summer. It’s kind of an out of site out of mind situation. Best thing I can recommend is keep introducing the food even in a different form. So get some frozen strawberries and make a strawberry yoghurt or a strawberry banana smoothie.

Good Luck with it! It takes patience and perseverance, but isn’t that what parenting in general is all about?

Vanja
Emma’s Lunch 

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Raising a bilingual kid: tips and techniques that work for us.

My daughter is bilingual… She is only 18 month old but I can already say for sure, she understands and speaks 2 languages – Russian and Greek. Her active vocabulary, meaning the words she can pronounce, in Greek is around 30 words and in Russian – around 35. And this is not including names, sounds of animals and few English words she sometimes happily throws around. I believe it’s a very good result and it’s reasonable to share some of the techniques my husband and I used, after having read tons of articles and opinions on this issue.

No. 1. We have eliminated the third language in between us – English. The reason is – none of us is a native speaker of this language so we couldn’t give the best of it. It was a bit tough on me because the second common language for us was Greek and I had to break a habit of communicating in English for so many years. At the end of the day it was the best thing I did because my Greek is on a very good level now.

No. 2. We “cleaned up” our languages. Seems strange but the truth is we do not realize how many slang words or words from other languages we use on the daily basis. When we started being careful about what we speak, it “slowed down” the way we talk. Don’t you sometimes forget the word in your language so you use a Greek/English one instead? Apparently that’s what I was doing all the time. Did you ever think of how it affects your child? It is common sense that if you cannot express yourself in one language – neither will your kid. So now, for the sake of my baby, I speak pure Russian and really enjoy the absence of long pauses in my speech.

No. 3. We sing and rhyme a lot. Even before Anna was born my hubby was singing his favorite Greek songs to the baby in my belly and so was I in Russian. By the way she still loves those songs and smiles every time we sing them. Music and poems prove to be easier absorbed by infants and develop their ability to pronounce words and make sounds.

No. 4. I developed a system based on the method of Glenn Doman. To put it down in a few words, according to this scientist a parent can teach a child from the age of 1 to read by showing him/her cards with pictures and words written with big red letters. By showing such cards with animals, fruits, vegetables, means of transportation, etc., you are giving your child a huge passive knowledge and vocabulary, which becomes useful once a child starts communicating. I found this theory quite reasonable and moved on to prepare my own cards, even though you can easily download those from Internet for free. I took same pictures but printed out one set in Greek and one in Russian. You are supposed to show the cards to your child very quickly (few seconds each) but very often (minimum 5 times a day) and stop before the baby gets bored. Guess what. Anna is never bored and many times she brings me to the table where I keep our cards and loudly asks for more. That is why I prepare new cards every little while.

No. 5. We are watching cartoons in both languages. It’s important not to show favoritism choosing your TV or Internet entertainment for a kid. It can be hard because I personally know lots of great Russian songs and cartoons and nearly nothing of a kind in Greek. Since I don’t know – I ask and search. It wouldn’t be fair if I only showed products of my native culture and leave the Greek part to my husband who works while I’m at home with the child all day long. I do my best to balance both languages.

No. 6. When my husband comes home we play a game which can be called “let’s read the same book in different languages”. Anna has a favorite book; she brings it to me and points at some characters, animals or objects, which I name in Russian. Then I ask her to go to daddy so he would read her the same book, naming the same characters, animals or objects in Greek. At the beginning Anna liked my version better, probably because I was showing more emotions while daddy was tired most of the times and his version was not so exciting. The solution came unexpectedly. Once daddy tried to get out of the reading and pretended to be asleep when Anna came to him. She was very surprised; poor kid turned to me with a puzzled look and asked me in a very dramatic manner: ”papa???”. I found it so funny that it was simply impossible to hold my laughter. In a few moments daddy “woke up” and also started laughing out loud and Anna really loved this part. We do the same scenario nearly every time and she started loving daddy’s version because she needs to earn his attention first, he is very good at playing a hard cookie! 

No. 7. Last but not least – communication with people of both nationalities. Luckily enough we have lots of friends and relatives from both sides, so Anna hears both languages not only from us. I think it’s very important because if she would hear other people speaking Greek only, eventually she would come to the conclusion: why do I need this other language my mum uses all the time? Thanks heavens I have my parents living permanently in Cyprus, but even having their help I’m still looking for more Russian speakers and gladly make friends with other moms, whose kids are in the same situation. Right now our babies simply enjoy understanding little words of each other. In a few years’ time these kids will realize that they have an advantage of speaking a language that other children do not know, like a little secret language! That’s a huge thrill and good motivation for them to use this language and not keep it in a passive stage.
Of course, everything I’ve mentioned until now, works for us in our particular case. Every child and family is different. Not all the parents can (or want) to eliminate a third language in between; may be some of the mums do not have time to create their own Doman Cards; it also happens that a mother is the only source of minority language and her relatives/friends are far away. Here is my point of view: the more you deal with the issue and try to work out your way, without letting it go or flow on its own, the more chances of success you have.

Irina Evangelou 
LPN Mum

LPN is a pure community based site that adopts the true spirit of Blogging. As such we feature unedited raw content from our readers.

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Lefkara

Lefkara is a village on the island of Cyprus famous for its lace and silver handicrafts. It is located on the southern slopes of the Troödos Mountains in the Larnaca District of Cyprus, off the main Nicosia-Limassol highway. It features cobbled streets and picturesque architecture. The village is split into two administrative regions: upper and lower Lefkara with around 1,100 inhabitants.
A common sight is groups of women who sit in the narrow village streets working on their fine embroidery, as they have for centuries. The village is also known for its skilled silversmiths who produce fine filigree work, and there is a small Turkish Delight factory. A folklore museum in the town shows visitors what life was like in Cyprus a hundred years ago. The museum is located in a restored house and exhibits the furniture and effects of a wealthy family, local costumes and examples of the Lefkara lacework.

Nowadays, people visit to learn of the rich Cultural history of Cyprus, and to admire the ancient architecture.
http://www.visitcyprus.com/wps/portal

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Hash House Harriers

Larnaca Hash House Harriers 
Every Monday 5pm For more Information call Fred on 24647175

Kition Hash House Harriers 
Wednesday evenings 7.30pm Join us and have some fun ! Tel 24647283 

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Social Insurance Services

Benefits and social insurance contributions and the EC - Information on claiming benefits

For Further Information : Social Insurance

Service of foreigners and immigration 24 804242
Child Benefit 22804010
Welfare Office 24800100

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Larnaca Municipality Press Release 14th-20th May 2012

This weekly press release is part of an effort to inform our citizens and the public in general about the activities of our Municipality.

Cultural Events for May 
English
Greek
For more information call the Larnaca Municipality Cultural Department on 24657745 or 24629333

Construction work

The Department of Construction of the Municipality of Larnaca informs the public that between 13/05-20/05/2012, the following construction work will be in progress:

• Pavement construction in the Shopping Centre.
• Work related to the Flood Festival.
• Premix construction on the streets: Mitropoleos, Ag. Lazarou, Kleopa Christodoulou, Nikolaou Rosou and Gravias.

Finance Department
The Larnaca Municipality Finance Department informs the public that payment of the Municipal Property Tax, Corporate Tax and Business Premises Permit for the year 2011 as well as for the previous years is possible only at Larnaca Municipality Offices. A 10% fine will be added on the initial tax amount.
As far as the Refuse Collection Tax is concerned, the payment deadline has already passed and legal proceedings have begun. The public should settle their payments to Larnaca Municipality on time and within the given deadlines to avoid added legal and court costs.

Visit the website: www.larnaka.com

Energy Team and Environmental Management Department: www.larnaka202020.eu

Contact: 24816559, 24816581/email: perivallon@larnaca.com

Translation kindly provided by

Eri Constantinou

www.greek4kids.eu 

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Baby Massage Classes

NEW BABY MASSAGE COURSE will start on THURSDAY, 17th of January at 10.00 am. Please book your place, only 2 more babies can attend. If your baby is between 8 weeks and before crawling age this course is just right for you. Please contact me for more details through FB or call me at
24 822 441 or 99 30 46 60, Tina.

For further details contact Tina 99304660

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FasTracKids®

The FasTracKids® programs are successfully running in more than 50 countries in 16 languages, all over the world, while in Cyprus are running since 2007. The FasTracKids® Enrichment Educational program for children aged 3 – 8, is a fun “learning adventure” that teaches children how to think productively, through a pleasant and full-of-stimulus environment, using various methods, means and techniques that are unique in Cyprus, by giving attending children the opportunity to maximally develop their potentials, their talents and special skills and to foster their social, communication and leadership abilities.

For more information on the FasTrackids Programmes please visit the international web page: www.fastrackids.com or contact me on florentia@cablenet.com.cy

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Spring Flower craft

I love spring! Its not too hot, or too cold. Its the time when everything comes to life again. Its a great season for spending time with the kids outdoors to explore, examine, run, plant the garden, look at the ants and other insects. A season full of educational possibilities!

Following our spring theme, here is another fun and colourful craft. This time we made a flower from felt.

What you'll need
Yellow felt
Felt of another colour for petals (we used pink and purple)
Green colour felt or paper
Glue
Thick piece of paper
Scissors

Emma chose the colours she wanted to use and of course she picked pink and purple, so here is how we did our flower.

Either let your child cut the felt into small pieces or do it yourself.

Draw a flower on a thicker piece of paper. Let your child add glue to the page, make sure its not too thick, so take off any excess glue with a brush.

Start with gluing the yellow middle and continue with the petals. If you choose two colours for your flower just let your child haphazardly add different colours to each petal.

Use glue to make a flower stalk and let your child glue the green felt or paper.

And voila! Your simple spring felt flower is finished! A fun craft done in no time to grace your spring wall!

If you'd like some more of our craft ideas visit Emma's Lunch

Vanja

Emma's Lunch

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The AA International Cookbook project

In the current economically challenging climate, it is refreshing to see community-based organizations pursue original ways to raise funds. Marilyn Simeou, Victoria Efstathiou and Litsa Neocleous, all parents of children attending the American Academy Junior School, have done just that by adopting a traditionally Northern Irish method of raising essential income, to produce a Cookbook. Moreover, the genius of this idea is that it involves parents, friends, family and children alike in the process. After all, the great American Motivator Steven Covey says, “without involvement there is no commitment”.

The brain behind the development of this captivating project is Marilyn Simeou who shares an active interest in catering and hospitality. Marilyn was strongly supported by Victoria Efstathiou who did much to coordinate and push the project along, and Litsa Neocleous who took care of the editing and graphics. This passion projected by all three parents is clearly reflected in the pages of the Cookbook.

More specifically, the Cookbook will feature a wide range of International dishes from starters to main courses and Desserts, which cover a plethora of cultural differences and tastes that represent the pupils within the school

We used the word “project” in the title of this article, as one can only imagine the time and complexity of communicating with parents, students and family to bring over 100 recipes together in a consistent format. It is also pleasing to see that the children from the school will contribute the artwork, which proactively showcases their work.

The fund raising part comes in the form of advertising within the Cookbook, which enables local businesses to generate awareness of their products and services to a targeted audience. All of the proceeds will all go towards the school and a wide range of equipment for the children. For any business owners or managers reading, the inexpensive rates and contact information are as follows…

Rates
Full Page: 100 euro
Half Page: 50 euro
Business card Listing: 30 euro

Contact Information
Marilyn Simeou
Tel: 99144336
e mail: marilynsimeou@yahoo.com

It is also worth to mention that the American Academy is a non-profit organization. As such the Cookbook is just one example of how to raise funds for the School. The AA International Cookbook is due to be printed and released in the coming month. There is a great sense anticipation among all pupils and parents alike to view the final product after nearly a year’s creative work in the making.

Written by

Sharon Mckinley
LPN

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Larnaca Municipality Press Release 7th-13th May 2012

This weekly press release is part of an effort to inform our citizens and the public in general about the activities of our Municipality.

Cultural Events in English for  May
Cultural Events in Greek for May

For more information call the Larnaca Municipality Cultural Department on 24657745 or 24629333

Construction work
The Department of Construction of the Municipality of Larnaca informs the public that between 07/05-13/05/2012, the following construction work will be in progress:

• Pavement construction in the Shopping Centre.
• Drain covers cleaning on the streets Ag. Anargiron, Mitropoleos area and Kilkis.
• Premix construction on the streets: Stavrou Poskoti and Mitropoleos area.

Finance Department
The Larnaca Municipality Finance Department informs the public that payment of the Municipal Property Tax, Corporate Tax and Business Premises Permit for the year 2011 as well as for the previous years is possible only at Larnaca Municipality Offices. A 10% fine will be added on the initial tax amount.

As far as the Refuse Collection Tax is concerned, the payment deadline has already passed and legal proceedings have begun.

The public should settle their payments to Larnaca Municipality on time and within the given deadlines to avoid added legal and court costs.

Visit the website: www.larnaka.com

Energy Team and Environmental Management Department: www.larnaka202020.eu

Contact: 24816559, 24816581/email: perivallon@larnaca.com

Translation kindly provided by

Eri Constantinou

www.greek4kids.eu 

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Kid Blogger - School meal shockers

Croquettes, an ice lolly and cucumber... lunch for pupils exposed online by 9-year-old campaigner Martha
• Martha Payne began adding daily photos of school lunches to own blog site
• Site chalked up 40,000 hits yesterday

It began with a snap of a similarly measly meal – a slice of pizza and a potato croquette, alongside a sprinkling of sweetcorn, a cupcake for dessert and a lot of empty space.
She posted the picture on an internet blog and began to add daily snaps of her lunches, rating and commenting on them.
When she first checked her NeverSeconds website for reaction, it boasted only three hits.

Yesterday her NeverSeconds blog was trending on Twitter – and chalked up an astonishing 40,000 hits. Martha, who is supervised by her father, said: ‘I was gobsmacked. I never expected to get so much interest.’
And the food? ‘It’s usually pretty horrible,’ she said.
‘I’d like them to serve more, and maybe let some people  have seconds if they want to... and not serve stuff that’s a wee bit disgusting.’
Her campaign to improve school dinners echoes the one spearheaded by Jamie Oliver

Because Martha’s home is on the west coast of Scotland, however, standards for school meals differ and widespread improvements in the rest of Britain appear not to have been applied.
But Martha’s fearless exposé of daily fare at her (unnamed) school prompted global discussion about shockingly unhealthy food being served.
One nutritionist branded the lunches ‘scary’. Another praised her for ‘speaking out’.
Martha, whose mother Rebecca is a GP, began the blog because she is interested in writing.
With permission from teachers, she photographed her £2 lunches and wrote about them.
Over to Martha, writing on the blog: ‘The pizza in the first pic was alright but I’d have enjoyed more than one croquette. I’m a growing kid and I need to concentrate all afternoon and I cant do it on one croquette. Do any of you think you could?’
She awards it six out of ten on the ‘Food-o-meter’ but it scores only four for health.
And later she wrote: ‘Today’s meal was on the menu as cheeseburger and ice cream/biscuit but as you can see I got an ice lolly. I prefer ice cream. I wish they had stuck to the menu.’
Her father Dave, who manages a smallholding at home, said: ‘It really seems to have touched a nerve. I joked that it would probably go viral. I really didn’t believe it would.’

Read more: Daily Mail

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Kindermusik with Anja

Our great experience

Dear mummies, from the beginning of my article I would like to tell you : “Take a Kindermusic course with your baby and don’t lose this chance to give such a great possibility to your little darling to enjoy it!!!

exploring the balls, their shape and how you can roll them

When Karolina was 10 months old we started Kindermusic with Anja Village classes where there were four other babies of the same age approximately. From the first two classes I noticed how my daughter reacted on sounds of music, various instruments like shakers, or drums, different timbers of voices, high and low pitches, etc. I saw how much Karolina loved atmosphere and company there, how much she enjoyed it. Week by week my baby was developing so fast that sometimes I couldn’t even expect new things from her, but my little diamond could do it already. And the influences of music, the impact from our Kindermusik classes were really great, I should say, I think it took and still takes even first roles.

playing in animals with different materials, voicing ducks or dogs, or cats was of a big interest for little gems

Every time when I tell Karolina “We go to Anja, to Kindermusik”, she starts dancing one of songs from previous semester “Jolly is the miller” which she likes a lot. And this really impresses me how much happiness and light you can see in her eyes from this music. Every day Karolina asks me to switch on the CD from “Cock’a doodle moo!” Village class (showing on music centre or just dancing)and believe me, CD runs not only one or two times even. It seems, she is never tired. Karolina knows movements for each dance we did during the class or she knows what she must do under this or that song. There is a rhyme about 5 cows (a kind of game for fingers), the first cow eats grass, the second- hay, the third drinks water, the forth runs away and the fifth lies down the whole day. Karolina makes the sound of chewing, drinking or sleeping. Or there is a song “Hop up, my baby“ which has “high and low” workout . Karolina raises her hands up when it must be because she remembers mummy was going up with her on refrain, or she voices horse which is actually one of the main characters in this song. She turns around, makes steps forward and back under her favourite song “Jolly is the miller”. It is really amazing.

exploring the bells, the sound of it attracts much attention

I also see how nice Karolina goes in contact with other babies who are younger her and how she watches them, their reactions and joy, and their exploration of new things. There is a small girl who was about 4,5 months when only started the group and now Sophia is almost 8 months . It was very sweet to see how she waved the first time her hand under “HELLO-HELLO!” song, she replied to others when they were waving their hands under the words “hello, hello, let’s sing together…”And such little moments you can enjoy together with other mummy, share her happiness as if it was done the first time by your little one. There are also 2 girls – Marilena and Maria - who sing like birds together when they listen to their favourite melodies. It is fantastic to watch their intercommunication, as if they really have a chat and understand each other. Later Sophia joins them and so does Lia. Lia is a very smiling baby and as we know from her mum Vanja, Lia makes her homework very well. She plays with spoons and bowls at home like she played drums during the class. There was also a boy Theo in our group who likes to roll the ball with a great joy or to play Peek-a-boo with scarfs, and you could even see sun shining from his blue eyes .His smile charges with lots of energy.

this activity was the BEST fun for both mum & baby

It is unforgettable to see how all our children get acquainted and learn different new things from this world of sounds. All of babies love when we take them on hands and go forward to circle, facing them to each other and then go back. Or how we trot or gallop under music around the room. Or when we play drums or with scarfs. You can see achievements in development for each baby and this is the biggest appreciation.

Each class is focused on something specific what we are told about from the beginning. Then a choice of songs from the whole course is devoted exactly to this or that element. Babies are given variety of instruments, items to explore. Everything is accompanied by music (recorded or we sing it). If you are shy or don’t remember the words, there is no need to worry since all text songs are on posters and you can easily join singing for your baby, what makes it more comfortable. We also have our home materials which include a CD with songs, a book, some posters and an instrument (by the way, we have a good collection with Karolina: a bell, a shaker, a scarf, etc.) We can do the same activities at home and if you forget something, Anja is always helpful and in time. We get email after each class with information what we did, what else we can do at home with our darlings and what must be in great attention, in focus.

Kindermusik is not only classes, it is already like meetings with your friends with music and some activities, jokes, sharing about what’s new is done by your baby, chatting. The only thing that I feel sorry that I didn’t know about such course before, when Karolina was 3-4 months, otherwise we could enjoy it much earlier. That is why I recommend all mummies to try it and see what kind of results your baby will have.

Last Thursday we started a new semester “Dews Drops” Village which we were waiting after 2 weeks of break. And we are all excited what new it will bring and give to our sunshines. May be someone will join us too, we are all waiting for more smiles and singing on our classes.

By Dina Proskurina
"stay at home" Mum
Please take a look at my My Blog  and Facebook

LPN is a pure community based site that adopts the true spirit of Blogging. As such we feature unedited raw content from our readers.

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Children’s books review #2

Before getting into the book reviews, I’ll start by plugging the weekly Soulla’s Saturday Morning Library to any Larnaca parent interested in finding new stories. Run by the indomitably cheerful Soulla Sophocli at the American Academy’s library, this gives your child the opportunity to sit with others for an English-language book-reading, followed by songs, dances, and the chance to let off steam in the playground.

The choice of stories is done very well to suit a wide age range (up to about 5 years old), and there’s
always a good turnout so it’s also a good chance to meet other English-speaking parents. The €1 cost
includes hot & cold drinks and biscuits for the kids.

Even better, you can also join the library itself at the event, which for a nominal per-annum fee gives you access to two books to borrow per child (though they also have a decent selection of books for grown-ups), which you can keep for a fortnight. It’s that great feeling of browsing with your child, and them getting to discover interesting books for themselves, which you just can’t get with internet shopping or catalogues. Soulla also introduces parents to commercial book-of-the-month schemes, runs regular events such as the upcoming Family fun Day (May 26 th, email soullassaturdaymorninglibrary@cytanet.com.cy for details), and is generally an all-round good ‘un.

Reviews

Hug
Jez Alborough
Walker Books, 2002.

Simply the best first book for children I’ve seen. Bobo, a young chimp, sees all the animals are getting hugs from their mummies and friends. But where’s his mummy to give him a cuddle? The genius of the book lies in the dialogue, which consist of just the one word, “HUG,” repeated over and over. This gives mummies and daddies a great chance to do active reading, since the whole book is brought to life by giving one “hug” a happy inflection, reading the next one as sad, the next as envious, and so on.

Meanwhile, children get to concentrate on the very expressive pictures of Bobo and his jungle friends. If
you are teaching literacy using whole word techniques (not something I’m personally terribly keen on),this would be the ideal book as any child will begin on multiple readings to recognise the shape of the
word HUG (or, in the follow-up books, the words “TALL” and “YES”).

Whoever You Are
Mem Fox
Harcourt Children’s Book, 2007

“Message” books for children are often pretty tedious, if only because as an adult you’ve hopefully
that it’s nice to share things, or that looking left and right before crossing the road is a good idea. That Whoever You Are is different is largely down to its epic scale. In its 32 pages it manages to cross four continents several times over, and follow a cast of dozens of children of different races and backgrounds through trials and triumphs. The narrator (the one in the sky-blue sort of cowboy hat on the front cover) hugs the children tightly and tells them, again and again, to understand that despite the many superficial differences between people, they are all the same underneath, with the same hurts, dreams and laughter. Love eventually emerges as the force that will hold the world together. The illustrations are superb, done in a naïve style that perfectly suits the narrative voice while still managing to mix in enough details to reward the repeated readings your child will almost certainly demand.

Mem Fox says on her rather brilliant blog (http://www.memfox.com/) that she was inspired to write the book after reading about a war crime perpetrated by a child. That, I think, explains the strength of emotion and passion in what could otherwise have been a very bland book.


Mr Pusskins: A Love Story
Sam Lloyd
Orchard, 2007

You only have to see the contrast between Mr Pusskins’ name and the expression on the face of this supremely grumpy fluffy cat to see where this story is going. Sam Lloyd, who both writes and illustrates,
has created a really brilliant character here, a pampered Persian who dreams of hanging out in alleyways
with the Pesky Cat Gang. His owner Emily, meanwhile, just wants to brush his fur and read him bedtimes
stories. Children will see the connection to their own meaner impulses, of course, and the classic hubris narrative brings Mr Pusskins to see the error of his ways. Although the plotting and voice are great, what really makes this book is the artwork, which is just stunning: a very thick line that could well have
been done with marker pen, and a fabulously twisting perspective that plays tricks with the reader’s sense of space. Original styles like Lloyd’s are few and far between, and it’s no wondet Mr Pusskins has
spawned a litter of sequels.

Please do share suggestions for your children’s favourites in the comment box underneath this article.

Happy reading!

by James Mackay
LPN Dad

“James Mackay is Lecturer in Comparative Studies at European University Cyprus”

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