Malta friends,

I have some great news to share with you all! Have you heard of SED Hub* and the Reading Club International**? They organize some amazing things for children, so much so, that I trusted them to organize a workshop for my debut children’s book Where am I from? once it’s published. STEM subjects and literature CAN be fun and engaging for most children, and their unique approach can prove it. If you wish your kids to have great fun while simultaneously they develop important academic and life skills, then this post is for you. Please keep on reading and you won’t be disappointed!

Halloween fun

They have planned some super cool stuff with a twist. You should consider joining one of their sessions in Gudja this coming Saturday (26th), Sunday (27th), Thursday (31st)!

SED Hub

This Halloween, they are running a series of workshops where participants are encouraged to attend with their Halloween costumes. What could be scarier than a pot of hot, boiling slime, with eyeballs and frogs swimming in it?

Participants can attend multiple sessions, as all activities will be different throughout all of the sessions. Applications: http://bit.do/sedhub

Reading Club International

Participants can attend multiple sessions, as all activities will be different throughout all of the sessions.
Applications: http://bit.do/reading-club-international-application-form

*About SED Hub

Year after year, we hear how our students are failing the STEM subjects. SED Hub is here to offer a completely new twist to kids residing in Malta, allowing participants between the ages of 3 – 18 years of age to be engaged through workshops, experiments, and parties.

At SED Hub they run birthday parties, end of school parties, holy communion parties, and special events. Forget flying cars and talking robots. Professor Helix at SED Hub Laboratories has created the greatest invention ever… a Science Party! It’s a unique science party concept, involving science-themed party games for the first half, followed by a hilarious science show for the second half. Who said that science cannot be fun?

They also run summer school clubs which are very hands-on, and children get to make and take home something most days, including their own slime, fossils, model gliders, rainbow glasses and more. Their staff is passionate about bringing a love of science and learning to primary and secondary school-aged children. Their inclusive, hands-on approach is unique. This is not the case of an ordinary, boring science class. The children make and do their own experiments, wearing their lab coats and goggles, using real scientific equipment including a university grade Van Der Graff Generator. The students get to work and interact with scientists and moreover, they get to participate in A.I., Blockchain and Robotics activities. How cool is that?

They also run a number of workshops and experiments at various schools around Malta and Gozo, together with their after school activities, in Gudja. Their after school activities cover a multitude of experiments, projects, and workshops, where students have an hour a week, on Thursday at 4-5 pm and another hour on Saturday at 9-10 am to learn about new concepts, try their hands at various experiments and learn! SED Hub is here to bring back the fun in the learning of the STEM subjects.

Website: www.sedhub.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SEDHub/

**About Reading Club International

Reading Club International provides a space for children to spark creativity, language and life skills. Kids discover life skills on their own, through a handpicked story and a stimulating conversation.

Stories are at the heart of what they do, so let’s begin with one that they sent me.

”Once upon a time in a Reading Club International class, a bunch of kids read about a tired mum who wanted a break. Touched by the story, the kids went home and offered to help with chores. Parents were stunned! How did we teach their kids empathy in just one day?

We did not! Kids discovered this life skill on their own, through a handpicked story and a stimulating conversation. Since the discovery was self-driven, the learning was impactful, memorable. That, in a nutshell, is the power of stories at Reading Club International!“

Consider this. A rapidly evolving 21st century demands not just knowledge, but innovation and strong people skills. A host of challenges await children in the world beyond our home: fear, failure, pressure, ridicule. Are our kids equipped to meet them head-on?

At Reading Club International, kids learn through deep discovery of their favorite stories. Stories mirror life, featuring hurdles children may face growing up. Learning through experiences of story characters is a safe way to tackle real-world problems.

I cannot think of a better way to build life skills, can you?

Website: http://www.readingclub-international.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/readingclubinternational/

The post Halloween stories and activities for children in Malta first appeared on Maltamum.

If you could get a glimpse on my email, you would see that I am getting several emails per month asking me to promote products and businesses, link back to -often- dodgy websites, upload guest posts. The vast majority of these, get a negative response, and I refuse the proposed payment. I would never promote anything that goes against my ethics and values. And then again, there are those rare times when I come across some gems that truly deserve our attention. One of these companies, which is also recommended by friends of mine in Malta (I did my research), and which you should definitely check out, is SportsKidz.

Doesn’t it often feel that we are fighting a losing battle against the onslaught of screens when trying to keep our children fit and healthy? With the highest childhood obesity rate in Europe, we in Malta must be particularly concerned about how we challenge this trend in our children.

Helping them lead a sporty lifestyle is the key. SportsKidz – starting again in October – is an after-school club for children aged between 3 and 16. It introduces the kids to a wide range of sports and keeps them active, whilst having a huge amount of fun.

Participation Not Competition

We all know that one of the most off-putting aspects of many sports clubs is the emphasis on attainment and competition. SportsKidz challenges this mindset and allows children an opportunity to enjoy a range of sports and team-building exercises without worrying too much about how they compare with their peers. This, in turn, boosts confidence and encourages strong friendships among the children.

Good Habits

Research suggests that children’s activity levels plummet around the age of seven (as school becomes more academically-focused) and an antidote to this has to be a good thing for our children’s mental and physical health. After-school sports clubs are the answer as they encourage routine exercise with an emphasis on fun.

Communication, Communication, Communication

Often forgotten is the huge benefit sport presents with regards to building communication skills. Especially in a world where much of our communication takes place away from others and by looking at a screen, sporting activities allow children to practice clear and encouraging communication with others who are actually near them. This is an opportunity for children to interact socially, in a non-competitive environment, which, in turn, has many positive benefits in the home, classroom and other areas of their life.

An Emphasis On Variety And Fun

By giving kids the chance to try a variety of sports – there are 18 scheduled over the course of this coming year – SportsKidz ensures that participating children are working a range of different muscles and joints which is excellent for fitness, coordination, and development. All the while, the emphasis is on enjoying the sessions, which the children can confirm!

One of last year’s young participants says, “I have made many friends through SportsKidz. We have so much fun and we’re all excited to start again in October!”

Subscriptions are now open for this coming year. Children are divided into age groups of three-to-five (one-and-a-half hours a week), six-to-eight, nine-to-11 and 12+ (three hours a week). The sports on offer throughout the year include athletics, gymnastics, judo, table tennis, karate, taekwondo, handball, basketball, volleyball, football, netball, tag rugby, badminton, hockey, golf, tennis, pickleball, and kwiik cricket!

For more information about the SportsKidz program, visit www.sportskidz.com.mt, email edward@sportskidz.com.mt or call on 7942 2054. The program runs on weekends concurrently with the academic year, with this year kicking off on Friday 4 October.

The post Get Your Children Moving With Malta’s SportsKidz first appeared on Maltamum.

Aimed at young audiences, this eye-catching and stimulating production based on the musical language of avant-garde Italian composer Luciano Berio cannot be missed. 2 Children enter free with every guardian!

The 2019 edition of the Malta International Arts Festival is well underway – attracting both faithful and new audiences, and delivering on its promise to blend innovation with accessibility.

Zonzo Compagnie’s production titled ‘BerBerio’ fits in perfectly with both concepts of innovation and accessibility – and is guaranteed to offer families with children aged 6+ a night to remember. Based on the music of avant-garde Italian composer Luciano Beri and his muse – his talented wife Cathy Berberian – the musicians and artists turn the world of music on its head. They shake up musical borders, while the audience – children and adults alike – become participants on this innovative musical journey, as the eye-catching and musically-stimulating story of this colorful personality unfolds on stage. It is the perfect way to introduce younger audiences to the magic of performance.

Born in Liguria, Italy, on 24 October 1925, Luciano Berio was destined for a career in music – both his father Ernesto and his grandfather Adolfo were composers. Aged 20, Berio moved to Milan to study music at the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi. In 1952 he furthered his studies in the United States.

Berio launched his professional career in the early 1950s and, from the outset, he established himself as a prominent member of the avant-garde Italian music generation, with a lifelong fascination with the interaction between the voice, acoustic musical instruments, and sounds produced by electronic means. This specialization started in 1954 when Berio and fellow composer/conductor Bruno Maderna created Italy’s first studio of electronic music at RAI’s Milan headquarters; it was inaugurated the following year as the Studio di Fonologia Musicale. It was here that Berio produced what was considered the first electroacoustic work in the history of western music.

In the decades that followed, Berio worked prolifically, producing myriad works in which he continued to play with words and music, cementing his well-deserved place in the annals of modern musical history. Yet composition was not his only focus. From 1974 to 1980 he was the director of the electro-acoustic division of IRCAM in Paris and, in 1987, he opened Tempo Reale – a center for musical research and production based in Florence. Throughout his life, he also lectured in music at many prestigious educational institutions in the United States; and earned many distinguished awards and honors. Berio died in 2003 aged 77.

Zonzo Compagnie has built a reputation internationally for intriguing performances aimed at young audiences. The Belgian company has created wondrous and emotional works centered around the lives of fascinating musicians and composers; and their previous works introduced audiences to the music of legends John Cage, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, and Johann Sebastian Bach. It is an eclectic mix, certainly, – and it’s no wonder they honed in on Berio’s original music for their latest opus.

‘BerBerio’ was awarded the 2016 YAM Award, and is conceived by musical ensemble Revue Blanche and Italian multidisciplinary artist and stage director Letizia Renzini. It is directed by Renzini, with innovative and impactful light and stage design by Pieter Nys and costumes by Johanna Trudzinski.

Revue Blanche, who recently won the Klara prize for young talent, includes soprano Lore Binon, Caroline Peeters on flutes, Anouk Sturtewagen on harp, and Kris Hellemans on viola.

BerBerio is a production by Zonzo Compagnie, in co-production with Revue Blanche, Concertgebouw Brugge, Jeugd en Muziek Vlaanderen and KC Rataplan – with the support of the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union and Vlaanderen Verbeelding Werkt.

It is being performed on 12 July at 6pm at the Valletta Campus Theatre (ex-MITP) in Valletta. Tickets are available now. To view the full programme of the Malta International Arts Festival 2019, please visit www.facebook.com/MaltaArtsFestival/ or www.festivals.mt/miaf

The post MIAF and Zonzo Compagnie Present BerBerio first appeared on Maltamum.

A few months ago the the lovely people behind My Nametags sent me an email asking if I would like to receive their stick-on or iron-on nametags without any obligation to review them. As we all know, this kind of products are a must, especially when the little ones start attending daycare, playschool, kindergarten, school, so I obviously sent a positive reply. I opted for stick-on nametags, as these are recommended for all-round use (the iron-on tags are recommended for clothes), and because I thought this would be fun for our eldest as a ‘do-together’ activity.

The order process is really simple and straight forward, you simply visit www.mynametags.com.mt, pick your type (iron on or sticker), choose your design and text and away you go. Each order comes with 56 labels, the iron stickers are best for clothes and the sticker ones are for all-round use, and the cost is € 16.95 per set of tags with FREE postage in Malta. The process itself is quick as was delivery. Within a few days they popped through the letter box.

Our oldest is 4 1/2 and at this point he loves stickers and he loves to see his name on his things. Erik was thrilled to see his name on label stickers which he could stick on his belongings. I must admit that we did struggle a bit to make him understand that these are for limited use, for items he takes with him at the kindergarten and outdoor activities, and that no, he could not label his toys, books and all sorts of other belongings of similar nature

I waited for two months before writing this review, as I wanted to put them first on the test. The most frequently used item is Erik’s water bottle which he takes at the kindergarten and which I often wash in the dishwasher. I am happy to state that even the water bottle label is still intaked. The Mynametags labels appear to be super durable and are probably the best in the market. They launched their business back in 2004, and here come some super impressive facts:

• 10 year washing guarantee, unmatched in the name tags industry
• Almost 100% customer satisfaction rating
• Independently tested to have the best labels in the UK

What I loved the most about My Nametags personalised name labels

• Tons of designs and vibrant colours to choose from
• User friendly website
• Fast delivery
• Enough space to include Name and Phone number (in case the labeled item gets lost)
• The stick-on name tags can be used on a range of items and surfaces such as clothes, shoes, food containers and water bottles
• The stick-on name tags are waterproof and are suitable for use in dishwasher, microwave and even steriliser

What I didn’t like about My Nametags personalised name labels

We had a very positive experience till now. Nothing to complain about.

Overall verdict

If you are looking for some custom name tags, either for going back to school, or to get some peace of mind while you’re out and about, then I highly recommend the My Nametags stick-on labels.

Contact Details
E-shop: www.mynametags.com.mt
Facebook: My NameTags

Disclosure: We were very kindly sent some coloured nametags for the purposes of a review but the thoughts and opinions about My Nametags are all my own.

The post My Nametags Personalised Sticker Labels Review first appeared on Maltamum.

If your family holiday is looming, you’ll be feeling a mixture of excitement and stress. Travelling with children can pose a few difficulties, from organizing them to ensuring they don’t run amok at the airport, but the good memories will last a lifetime.

If you’re stressed about the upcoming event, be sure to follow these tips to help make the holiday (and getting there) run smoothly, so the whole family has a fantastic time.

Plan, plan, plan

The key to a stress-free holiday with children is to plan ahead. There is a lot to think about with children in general, so the more of your checklist you can tick off before you set off on holiday, the less likely you are to forget anything.

You should plan down to the smallest details – from your kids’ schedules for the week ahead of your trip, to what you’re going to eat before you set off. This way you’ll have a clear mindset and will be less likely to run into any problems.

Packing tips

Getting your packing right is the key to a successful holiday with the family. It may feel like children need to travel with twice as much stuff as adults (which is often proven to be true), so ensuring that you’re prepping their suitcases and clothes way in advance will take a lot of hassle out of the days leading up to the trip.

Keep their holiday-wear separate to their day-to-day-wear a week or two before you travel, so you know exactly how many tops/bottoms they have, and what needs to be washed/purchased prior to packing.

Also, be mindful of the climate you’re travelling to. Keep an eye on the weather forecast for your destination in the days leading up to your trip, and pack accordingly. Your children will become irritable or unwell if they are not dressed appropriately, so head-wear and lots of sunblock for sunny climates is a must, and thick jumpers, coats, gloves and hats are crucial for colder conditions.

Be sure to pack a first-aid kit as you never know what might happen, and how far you’ll be from the nearest pharmacy or hospital. Also pack a pair of chewing gums to ease the ear pain that your eldest ones might experience during the flight, and a dummy or breastfeeding on demand especially during take off and landing for the youngest ones.

Long-haul flight tips

If you’re flying far afield, it’s wise to book an overnight flight so your children are most likely to sleep through the most of it. Also, be sure to tire your children out in the day with activities and sports, to increase their chances of sleeping through the journey. You’ll probably be exhausted too and sleep most of the way!

It’s not a bad idea to pack your children blankets, cushions, snacks, a change of clothes and toothbrushes, to keep them as comfortable as possible.

Do you have a particularly hyper child who needs constant stimulation? Make sure they have plenty to do, from toys to coloring books and crayons. Be sure to pack your iPad or smartphone too, so they can watch their favorite films and TV shows or play their favorite games on the plane. What we normally do with our eldest, is to hide the iPad for a while prior to a trip, and present it on the airplane with the promise of unlimited access during travelling. Before this trip to Thailand for instance, our iPad hadn’t been used for about 3 months, so he was over the moon and stayed glued to his seat for quite a while.

A good tip is to pack each child their own carry-on bag full of their favorite things – this will teach them to take responsibility for their own possessions, as well as lightening your load.

Baby carrier

I cannot stress enough how handy a good baby carrier will be at the airport, the plane and at your destination. It will free up your arms, it will keep the youngest member of the family contained, save you lots of time especially at the airport -where you’re likely to be in a rush-, cries and unnecessary stress. At your destination, it will be your best companion for all places a pushchair cannot go to. As you already know, I am a BIG FAN of Ergobaby and Tula, the best carriers around, and which I sell through my e-shop here. I swear by them and have been using them with my children since 2013.

Double buggy

Finding the right buggy for your family holiday is crucial. If you have two small children, you could benefit from taking a double buggy with you on your trip. This means you can keep your children close to you while travelling and saves you from chasing them or carrying them all the time. Double buggies also allow you to store your own luggage or day bag, and most can be folded up to fit on a plane/in a car.

By following these travelling tips, you and your little ones can enjoy a stress-free holiday, with tantrums and tiredness at a minimum. The most important thing is to not shy away from big holidays that require a lot of travelling – they teach your children patience and strengthen your bond as a family.

Our travelling with kids background

We have taken our kids in many places, starting with a holiday in Gozo when Erik was just 1 1/2 months old. Since then, and two kids later, we have travelled with them to Greece (mainland and islands), Norway (even in a camper-van down south and with a big ship and plane all the way up north to the Lofoten islands and see the midnight sun!), to Port Blair, Kalkuta and Havelock island in India, Macao, and have been spending 3 European winters in a summery Thailand. Erik also insists he has been to Spain with his grandparents, he’s a Spanish doctor, and he simply hopped from Norway and got himself to Spain, but that’s a whole different story

Travelling with young children can be tricky, but it is doable, and rewarding.

Happy holidaying!

//Liza

The post Tips on How To Travel With Children first appeared on Maltamum.

 This article is a sponsored article by Remax Malta.

Everyone needs a comfortable home to raise one’s kids in and this is why choosing the right property is a must. When looking for a home, being a family or a single mother, one must keep in mind a number of things, starting from comfort, space and maybe a bit of outdoor space for the child / children to enjoy some outdoor time at the comfort of their own home.
 
In Malta there’s a number or real estate agents who offer properties, both for sale and to let, but one that stands out is REMAX Real Estate Malta, the 1st franchise real estate company established in Malta. Remax Malta was founded in 2004. Remax is a renowned estate agent company across the globe with some thousands of professional trained property negotiators to help one find their perfect dream home.
 
It’s not as easy as it looks to be a property negotiator but the good ones can immediately point out the type of client one is and suggest the ideal property for them. So, if you’re presently looking at a new place, make sure that the 1st thing you do is to give as much info possible as to what you’re looking for in order to help the property negotiator point out the ones that would be suitable for your wishes and also your pocket. Buying a property doesn’t come cheap and this is why one shouldn’t leave the task to look for your ideal home in the hands of anyone.
 
Malta offers a wide range of locations for different tastes. If one isn’t looking at a particular area to stay close to one’s families then the decisions falls on to what you’re looking for. If staying central is important for you, then there’s places like Attard, Mosta, B’Kara, Swatar, etc. would be best. In the case where one is looking for a quiet area, and where traffic and chaos is limited, then places like Mgarr, Rabat, Dingli and Mellieha would be ideal. Mellieha is surely an ideal spot if one is looking at enjoying more open space and some fresh air away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. The South of Malta does offer a mix of opportunities too.

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