First of all, rather than asking why this child won’t be still perhaps we need to ask ourselves “Why do I need this child to be still right now?”

Is it possible for us to adapt our expectations to allow a child to move and fiddle with something while they are listening to us, or writing, or working on a project.  Sometimes, if there are no other issues it will resolve the problem if we provide a way that the child can move and fiddle.  This is what I mean when I say “new era”.  Imagine classrooms and homes where children moved… where the “active listening posture” allowed  children to be active if they needed to.  Classrooms may not look as “neat” on the surface, but for many children learning and life would be a whole lot more fun and engaging.

To allow this to happen, at least for the children who obviously need it, it helps to have a couple of “tools” up your sleeve:

• First of all, providing opportunities for more intense movement can be a big help.  Movement breaks can be great for the whole class, or for an individual child.  I was recently in a  teacher’s class… and this teacher definitely thinks outside the square.  During the morning session when around Australia children are knuckling down with academics he suddenly burst out “We’ve been inside long enough… let’s all run outside for a quick play on the playground.”  I’ve been in other classes where I’ve heard students say to the teacher “we haven’t moved for a while… I think we need a stretch and move break.”  I love it when I see this because I know it means it happens often, and the children feel comfortable in requesting it when they are needing it.
• My favourite tool for allowing a child to move when they are working and sitting are seats or cushions that allow movement, and the one I like best is the worm bOble.  Sitting on this as a seat for the first time took me back to that lovely (but forbidden) feeling of rocking on my chair in primary school.  And when I work with children now I usually bring along a worm.  I don’t even need to explain to children how to use it – they just know.  And they’ll sit with me and concentrate well through sometimes quite challenging activities… gently rocking, swaying and wobbling as they sit.  A “move-n-sit cushion” is a cheaper option that allows a child to wiggle.  It is important that a child is given time to learn how to use these in a way that the teacher involved can cope with, as some teachers take time to adjust to having a wiggling child in their midst.
• I also love modelling beeswax for children to fiddle with while they are listening.  It is a beautiful sensory experience, as it has a silky feel, smells like honey and once it is warmed up in the fingers you can mould it into lovely creations.
• Soft cushions, textured cloths and bean bags can be helpful in making children comfy when they are sitting and giving them something to feel and fiddle with.

It can also help to explore “why” a child is moving.

And sometimes it is helpful to involve an occupational therapist in answering this question.  There are many reasons why a child may move, fiddle and fidget, ranging from:

• Their sense of balance may be still developing, and they move around, touch things and look around to compensate.
• They may have “sensory seeking” needs where they actually benefit from moving, rocking, rolling, spinning or fidgeting – and they need to do this proactively in their daily life to help them concentrate and make sense of the world.  This can be identified with a Sensory Profile assessment, or gathering information about a child’s sensory preferences.
• They may be reacting to the foods they are eating… gut health, microbes, blood sugar and fat levels can all influence how fidgety a child is.
• They may be bored… I’m being brutally honest here, but sometimes we are expecting them to do tasks which are unimportant to them, and if we are completely honest are boring and irrelevant.  These children push us to think outside the square and to question ourselves about why we are asking children to do tasks… is it just to tick someone else’s box about what should be done? Is there a way we can present it differently and turn it into a fun and playful game?  If it must be done how can we empower the child to do the task in a way that is achievable and positive?
• They may be hands on/kinesthetic learners.  These children learn best when actively engaged in tasks and “doing something”.  So learning tasks need to be adapted.  Classrooms are usually tough environments for these children, and unless teachers are aware of their needs they will likely cause frustration for the teacher with their deep yearning for hands on activity.

I find myself reciting this sentence so often that it has become a little mantra of mine “the child will show you what they need”.

If a child is listening and concentrating, but they are moving and fiddling then it is likely that the adults in that child’s life need to provide ways for a child to move and fiddle, proactively, positively and without using the movement/fiddling as punishment/reward system (i.e. “when you do this work, then I’ll let you have a movement break”).

I would like to see classrooms and homes where it was considered fine for a child to be wriggling, rocking moving or fiddling while listening, writing or even eating.  And it’s our job to find the resources and time to allow that to happen proactively, before children become disruptive… and before we are tearing our hair out!

If a child isn’t able to listen, concentrate and complete tasks because they are distracted by their need to move and fiddle then we have to look deeper and seek to understand the reasons for the wriggling.

I look forward to a new era, where we accept that children need to move and fidget, even older children… where classrooms look a lot more wriggly and fidgety… and where rather than punishing children for moving and fiddling, we seek to understand them and meet the need underlying what we see.

The post This child just won’t sit still!!! appeared first on The Whole Child Pty Ltd.

First of all why would you consider adding sole to your daily routine?  In my own self and in my clients I’ve already seen it bring astounding results… It can help with a wide range of issues including muscle cramps, joint aches and pains, headaches and migraines, constipation, and dryness to mention just a few.

To describe it simply, you are making your own mineral rich, saturated, ionic solution that has the potential to impact on cells throughout your body.

Here are just some of the ways in which it works:

• It helps support detoxification within the body, including heavy metal detox.
• It improves hydration and mineral absorption throughout the body at a cellular level.
• It helps balance pH throughout your whole system.
• It helps balance blood sugar and blood pressure.
• It helps balance hormones, and supports adrenal and thyroid function.
• It is a powerful anti-histamine.
• It helps increase energy levels at a cellular level but also for the whole person.

After reading that incredible list I really hope you’re inspired to grab a jar and give it a go.

Grab a glass jar with a plastic or glass lid (no metal as it will react with the salt solution if it’s in prolonged contact with it).  Fill the jar 1/4 full with either sea salt, celtic salt, or Himalayan salt (that is what I used in these photos).  It’s really important to use high quality, natural salt as table salt is a different composition and won’t have the positive benefits you are wanting.  Fill the jar to a couple of cms below the top.  Put the lid on a shake it a lot.  Leave it for 24 hours.  If it is all dissolved then you need to add more salt and repeat.  If there is just a little bit that couldn’t dissolve then your solution is “saturated” and very concentrated and ready to use.  Here is my concentrated solution.

I like to take mine on rising, and I take it according to taste.  It is generally recommended to take a teaspoon in a glass of water.  Occasionally I have more than that because it feels like I’m really yearning for it.  Most times I just stick with a teaspoon – as a little bit works wonders.  Trust your taste buds though.  I don’t think they will allow you to have any more than a tablespoon (as it does taste like sea water!)

And it’s that simple!

When your sole gets low just add more salt and make it again.  It lasts indefinitely as it is antibacterial and antifungal.

So give it a go, and let us know what you notice!

The post Will a salt water sole help those health challenges you are having? appeared first on The Whole Child Pty Ltd.

Lets back track a moment and explore what sensory processing means.  It obviously incorporates input from your five senses (vision, hearing, touch, taste, smell) but it also incorporates sense of movement and body position (vestibular system).

People who have challenges may be hypersensitive and aggravated by some types of sensory input e.g. they may find some types of touch or sound really disturbing.  Others may be “sensory seeking” where they are continually seeking various input to make sense of and interact with their world e.g. they may be moving or fiddling a lot of the time.  In treating the vast array of sensory issues we may come across, occupational therapists use a range of sensory techniques.  And they work very well in helping the sensory systems become more organised and regulated, and in helping a person function better in their daily lives.

Because of my passion for down-to-earth, natural strategies I began to question some types of activities/inputs that were commonly chosen in therapy.  I believe everything we do should be good for the whole person.  So I made slightly different recommendations to other OTs.  For example, a common recommendation for people who seek oral sensory input is to chew gum.  Now I know that chewing gum isn’t actually that good for your digestive system.  It gives your stomach a message that food is coming, digestive enzymes and acid are secreted but the food doesn’t come.  So over time the body produces less of those important enzymes/acids in response to chewing and we end up creating digestive issues.  There is no way I could join in with recommending chewing gum as a strategy!

Likewise, many therapists recommend a range of highly processed, very fake junk foods to improve sensory tolerance of textures of food for children who have sensory issues with eating.  I know that this food is just terrible for our gut health so I can’t standby while we make harmful recommendations!

So I considered sensory input and therapy from a different perspective.  I considered natural, healthy foods and their sensory input in making my recommendations.  And I broadened this to seeking out natural, back-to-basics input in regards to other types of sensory play.

I intentionally source materials that feel earthy, have a beautiful texture, are handmade, and have vibrant but natural colours.  For example, one of the most popular activities in my sessions is using modelling beeswax.  It is made from beeswax so it has a light honey scent.  And it feels real and lovely to play with. It’s so different from the usual theraputty.

Things children touch should be real, as close to nature as possible because we are wanting to ground them.  We are wanting them to reconnect with nature, with other people and with themselves.  Although enticing, screens, plastics, and brightly flashy items don’t bring that grounding and connection.  Now I’m not saying we need to eliminate those things from our lives or even from our therapy sessions.  But we need to be intentional about our choices.  When we are using screens we need to be in the mode of “voluntary attention” and intentionally active.  When we engage with plastic we can be mindful of the textures and colours we choose so that materials feel good to our fingertips, and so that the colours are those that really resonate with us.  When we are looking at flashy/noisy things we can notice how that feels compared to more earthy tones.  It’s time to think of the whole person when we think of sensory input.

It’s time to think of the textures that remind us of love… a crocheted toy might remind us of crocheted baby’s blankets and grandma…sounds of wood on wood remind us of the noises of a walk in the forest… walking on sand and playing with rocks reminds us of a special time at the beach…  Providing these types of materials for our children when we are wanting to meet their sensory needs will go far in grounding them, settling them and reorganising their sensory processing systems the way nature intended.

A comment by a client earlier this year about my garden inspired me to take a few steps to revive the neglected areas with sensory processing in mind, and so The Whole Child has a sensory garden which can be incorporated into sessions.  There is a balance stepping stones area with wishing stones.  There are brightly coloured flowers to discover, scented herbs in the vegetable garden, and different textures of stones, wood, stepping stones and grass to walk on.  I’ve had enormous amounts of fun with my own children and with children in sessions out there.

Making the effort to make sensory input special and natural values children in a very deep way.  It says to them “you’re special enough for me to go the extra mile, to think outside the square, and to explore natural, loving ways of meeting your sensory and developmental needs”.

The post Down to earth with sensory processing… appeared first on The Whole Child Pty Ltd.

The anonymous OT  gives a great breakdown of how an OT considers a child’s pencil grip in the context of their overall pencil skills.  But right now you have a child in front of you and they are holding their pencil in the strangest fashion… and you want to know if you should change it and how you can change it.

Well first of all, trust your child.  Research has shown that simply changing a child’s pencil grip doesn’t seem to impact on handwriting speed or legibility.  And if you start paying attention to the pencil grips you see adults use around your daily life, you’ll see that a very wide range of unusual grasp patterns are used by adults who are able to write functionally and well.  So, as a general rule of thumb, it’s not so much how a child holds their pencil, but it’s more important how well they can control the pencil.

How can you encourage your child to develop their pencil control?  Here are a few simple tips:

1.  Draw with small pieces of broken chalk or broken crayon.  This requires the child to use their finger tips only to control the drawing tool.

2.  Doodling patterns are fun to decorate drawings.

3.  Colouring in is actually a great pencil control activity.  If a child is frustrated with the quality of their work you can outline the edge with a really thick nikko.  Or to make it a fun activity with some tactile feedback you can outline the edge with aquadhere glue.

4.  Strengthen the finger tips.  My favourite medium is Steiners Modelling Wax.  It is resistive so children are required to work hard for their results.  Steiner schools use it instead of playdough to build strong fingers.  It is reusuable and lasts well.  I prefer it to the theraputty that OTs traditionally use as it is made of beeswax.  So it has a natural feel and mild honey scent.  And it can help children concentrate while listening to a story, or listening during a class teaching session.  I have to admit I absolutely love the feel of the wax myself and love making little creations.

5.   Holding a small rubber in the palm of your hand with the ring and little fingers while drawing or writing.  This helps the child stabilise the little finger side of the hand, as part of developing pencil control is learning to have very fine movement with the thumb side, while the little finger side stays still.

Sometimes it is helpful for an OT to come and have a look, as we are trained in detailed observation of all aspects of handwriting and pencil control.  Specific activities can help develop particular movements, or overcome specific challenges with writing and pencil control.

The post What a strange pencil grip! appeared first on The Whole Child Pty Ltd.

First of all take a deep breath… and make a decision that you will take the pressure off yourself and your child.  In the same way you wouldn’t force a child to walk when they were just learning to roll over, there is no need to pressure a child to draw.  You want to gently lead them with fun, shared joy, and enjoy each stage as they progress.

Here are some activities to enjoy together through this time:

1.  Collect sheets of cardboard from appliance shops and make easels.  Drawing on a vertical surface puts the hand in a position where the wrist is extended (bent back) and the arches in the palm are supported.  The fingers are then in a better position to be able to control a tool like chalk, crayons, markers or even a paint brush.  Remember the grasp pattern for painting is really different to drawing so try not to limit vertical drawing only to painting opportunities.

2.  Taking it one step further… I love to find a little, low table and tape some paper on the underside of it.  Then I take turns with a child drawing pictures or writing on the paper.  It can become a fun game.  Boys who hate drawing often love this activity, and pretend they are underneath a car fixing it.  You can draw things for each other to copy, or draw shapes or pictures to colour in.  Or do some rainbow writing under there.

3.  Rainbow writing is one of my favourite activities with a child.  You simply trace over a shape or letter in lots of different colours.  It’s a fun way to work on letter formation, but is great as an early drawing activity because at the end the child has a really cool picture that you have worked on together.

4.  Water colour crayons and spray bottles.  One of my children was allergic to drawing until he was about 5 years old!  He hated it and avoided it at all costs.  This was one of the activities that inspired him.  He loved doing rainbow writing with cool water colour crayons, then spraying it, and watching it melt.  But he also just loved drawing really big pictures of aliens and then shooting them and watching them melt (a great activity on those big sheets of cardboard you kept).  The spray bottles are also helping develop grip strength and preparing a child for learning to use scissors.

5.  Driving cars on roads in the sandpit… drawing doesn’t have to look like drawing.  Sometimes it can look like driving cars around in the sandpit.  If you don’t mind a bit of mess you can lay out one of your big sheets of cardboard, and dip old toy cars into paint and drive them around.

6.  Drawing with sticks in the dirt and sand is also a fun way to encourage drawing.  There is lots of feedback and resistance when drawing this way.  Large sticks use a paint brush style grip, and smaller rocks will use a more refined grasp.  And wet sand feels different to dry sand or dust – so vary it.

The main thing is that you have fun together.  This is about sparking an interest, not pressuring a child to hold their crayon in a certain way or draw particular pictures or shapes.

I would really love to hear your experiences about your child.  Have they avoided drawing and writing?  What fun activities have you tried to encourage them to draw?  What led to breakthrough for your child?  You never know,  your child’s experience may be just the key another parent is needing to help their child develop a fresh attitude about drawing.

Want to read more about what do do about a child’s pencil grip?

Would a bOble help my child have fun while they draw?

The post Help! My child hates anything to do with drawing! appeared first on The Whole Child Pty Ltd.

Feeling well equipped to deal with the tougher moments of parenting probably does make it seem that I’m very patient.  But I know in my heart that I desperately need good strategies that work, so that I can do my best in my most important job of raising my own 5 children.

One of my favourite tools comes from a well known therapist training program called Circle of Security. This is a relationship/attachment focused therapy program – and I frequently use their resources and principles in therapy sessions.  I love their parenting mantra “Be Bigger Stronger Wiser and Kind”.  They explain that we all have a tendency to miss a part of this mantra… but we need to practice all of it for our parenting to work well.  So breaking down the mantra can help us see where our own weak spots are, and help us to take the next step of adding tools to our toolkit to overcome our weak spots.

Where is your weak spot?

If we are just bigger, stronger and wiser but aren’t kind… then we are actually being mean.

Children are little, and to them we are huge!  So when we yell at them or use our harsh mother or teacher voice it can sound magnified and intimidating to them.  When we hit them we are scary.  Even if we just slap them on the hand it feels demeaning and demoralising on a big scale.  If we are angry, we need to learn how to express our anger without scaring them or hurting them… as ultimately we want to empower them to be them to do the same in their own lives.

Often a good test of whether we have ventured into mean territory is to consider how we would feel if a colleague or our spouse treated us this way.  How would we feel if we touched a colleagues brand new iPad and our work colleague hit our hand, or worse – our backside.  How would we feel if we’d had a rough day and burst into tears over our concerns, and our spouse sent us to our room to settle down and think about it?  There are lots of effective tools for implementing our boundaries and communicating our frustrations without being mean… but it takes time and practice to learn them.

If we are just being kind, but aren’t taking charge (bigger, stronger, wiser) then we are being weak.

I believe we as parents are responsible for our children.  I have limits and boundaries about what is expected and acceptable, and I do have an awareness of a child’s developmental stage and abilities in setting my expectations.  Sometimes, if it is acceptable to me, I am happy to negotiate on particular issues.  Other times my child might not be happy about the situation, but my boundary will remain firm.  In my experience, parents who are clear with their boundaries and who are proactive in implementing them are able to stay in a kind state… with the right balance of gentleness and firmness.  And sometimes we need more tools in our toolkit to help us do that in real life.

If we aren’t taking charge (we are doing none of the bigger, stronger, wiser and kind) then we just aren’t there… even if we are there.

It’s hard, there are just so many distractions… tell me about it!  But what our children yearn for most is to have moments through the day where we stop and just be with them.  Where we shut the screen down, where we turn and give them our full attention (eye contact, touch, listening ears) when they need us.  It’s tough, but responding and being responsive to their needs means that we don’t become reactive.

So I know I need all of these aspects (bigger, stronger, wiser, kind) to be able to do my best for our kids.

I have developed my own simpler mantra as a mother and as an occupational therapist: “firm and kind, firm and kind, firm and kind”  – in the busy swing of life it’s easier for me to remember a shorter mantra!  For me firm and kind sums up where I want to be.  And so yes, it may appear that I’m very patient.  But it is my toolkit of approaches that work that I’ve collected over the years that empower me.

The post Bigger Stronger Wiser Kind appeared first on The Whole Child Pty Ltd.

The other day my children and I were reading the ingredients on a friend’s organic energy drink… and my children were lamenting that I wouldn’t buy them some.  Jeepers – can you imagine!  Children drinking energy drink!  Enough to make me run the other direction!!!

But us mum’s and dad’s – we sure could do with some energy couldn’t we?  People often ask me “How do you do it all, and stay calm and positive?”  Well, truth is I don’t always.  But the times when I do I know the key is paying very good attention to my own health and well being.  These are my top tips for feeling energetic, positive and calm when I have a lot on my plate:

• Fermented skate liver oil  – can’t be without it.  Definitely gives me the level headed calm feeling I need to tackle things one at a time.  For me this is my daily “must do”.
• Probiotics – homemade or commercial  (sauerkraut, kefir, cultured cream or yoghurt, kombucha or my best summer day pick me up Nonna’s apple cider vinegar and honey cordial – equal parts of each and mixed with water to taste – and you can add a small amount of bicarb soda).  Taking care of my gut health is a key in ensuring that I feel healthy, that I’m digesting well, and that I’m able to absorb the nutrients I’m eating.
• Herbs definitely help, and my favourites are Astragalus, Withania and Korean Ginseng.  All of these herbs are well known for supporting you during times of stress, and giving you good energy levels.  I like Nature’s Sunshine herbs because there is nothing else added.
• Organic Liver – I personally had low iron levels over the years and that definitely waxes my energy.  I either cut up frozen liver into capsule size pieces and swallow as if it was a capsule.  Or I grate up to 2 tablespoons frozen liver into a smoothie – you can’t taste it at all, it just makes it lovely and frothy. But my kids hate the thought of it, so I have to be a little sneaky… or yummy liver pate.  I love my friend Miranda’s recipe, with carrots added for that natural sweet edge.  Ensuring liver is a regular part of my diet helps me maintain healthy iron levels.
• Power nap – as a Mum who has spent over 10 years waking up and caring for children through the night I’ve perfected the art of a power nap.  Even if you can’t sleep, just lying down, sinking your whole body into the mattress and resting restores your energy and helps you keep on going.
• A burst of the midday sun can give that energy boost you need… even if you just get out to hang out the washing.
• Playing chasy with the kids.  The sad thing is that some of my children are already faster than me… so I have to really work in a game of chasy.  But it gets the blood flowing, gets us all giggling, and helps us all to feel positive and energetic.
• And sometimes a piece of Loving Earth chocolate is the only pick me up that will do!  I like Loving Earth because it’s all organic, raw cacao, coconut sugar sweetened and no nasties.

A study once required adults to follow toddlers and mimic their movements.  It was intended the adults would do this for the whole day, but after just two hours the adults weren’t able to keep going.  It was so exhausting.  We do have to nurture ourselves to keep up with our kids.  It’s worth adding those little things that make a difference, just adding one at a time, to our daily routines.

Sacred foods to nourish the family

Free natural health care… oil pulling

The post Bottle their energy! appeared first on The Whole Child Pty Ltd.

Abiding by the principle “If you can’t eat it, don’t put it on your skin” will eventually bless you with glowing skin, as well as more money in your wallet. And if you are trying to reduce the toxic load on your children, and the whole family for that matter, the skin is as good a place as any to start.

Cleansing

• Milk cleanser:  Use milk, yoghurt, buttermilk, kefir or cream.  I usually head to the kitchen on the way to the shower, grab a handful of dairy product and warm it in my hands on the way back to the shower.  I gently rub it in and leave it on as long as possible, rinsing it off at the end of my shower.  These skin softening elixirs have a high fat content and restore the natural acid mantle on your skin.  This promotes a finer complexion and soothes reddened, dry or irritated patches.

• Make up remover:  If you want to be fancy mix 4 tablespoons sweet almond oil, 1 tablespoon apricot kernel oil, 1 teaspoon vitamin E oil and 3 drops of chamomile essential oil for a long lasting, sweetly scented, gentle make up remover perfect for the delicate skin around the eyes.  If you want to be simple (and we often are in our bustling home) just use almond, apricot or coconut oil by itself.

Exfoliating

• Very basic scrub: For an occasional deeper cleanse massage almond meal gently on face (with water).  Be gentle!
• Scrub starter mix:  ½ cup very fine oatmeal, ¼ cup organic collagen powder, 1 tablespoon white clay.  To this you can add whatever you like: mashed berries & yoghurt, leftover juice pulp, mashed papaya, milk & lemon juice, apple juice & powdered kelp are a few ideas.  You could also add essential oils to your scrub starter if you like (just add drop by drop and stir constantly to avoid clumps): 10 drops mandarin & 5 drops sandalwood is a heavenly combination.
• Skin polishing: Use 1 teaspoon of bicarb soda on your finger tips and very gently polish your skin before showering.  This may cause some initial redness, but once that settles your skin will be fine and smooth.

Toning

• Apple cider vinegar toner: Buy a good organic brand.  Dilute 5 tablespoons of water to 1 tablespoon vinegar.  Or instead of using water make a floral infusion with 2 teaspoons dried herb (or 4 teaspoons fresh) and 1 cup of boiling water… steep 15 minutes covering pot to prevent nutrient loss, strain and cool.  From our garden we use lavender, elderflower, or calendula.  Put on after cleansing and leave on.  The vinegar helps restore the skin’s pH and floral water will heal and balance the skin.

Detoxing and drawing out the nasties

The skin is a great tool for the body to shed toxins, and we can support our body’s ability to draw out.  Clay has remarkable drawing properties, and is really deserving of its own post.  But to get you started here are some simple ideas for making masks:

• Clay mask:  mix a few spoons of your choice of clay (white is gentle, suitable for everyone including children and sensitive skin; yellow for weary, dehydrated skin; red to soothe redness in skin; and green for deeper drawing properties – but not suitable for sensitive skin) with yoghurt and honey.  Add a teeny amount of water VERY slowly to make a paste like thick cream.  Put on and chill… as in relax, don’t go putting your face in the fridge!  This should leave your skin glowing for days and reduce open pores.  You can vary this mask depending what you have around (e.g. fruit juice pulp, avocado, very fine oatmeal, kelp powder, or peeled and grated cucumber).

Moisturiser

• Coconut Oil:    I can’t speak more highly of coconut oil as an all over body and facial moisturiser.  We’ve used it to heal and prevent school sores, to help heal and protect from sunburn and we’ve even found it to be anti-inflammatory and healing in the case of dry and inflamed eyes.  A friend of mine with Papua New Guinean heritage taught me a lovely ritual for my children – a daily coconut oil rub on their bodies and faces, taking a little moment to give them some healthy loving touch and connection.  We also teach them to do it for themselves as they learn what it means to nurture their own bodies and faces.  We’ve learnt this is a way to prevent school sores as well as nourish the skin. During very dry times we’ll replace it with almond, apricot kernel or even olive oil.

• Basic Jojoba moisturiser:  The jojoba desert plant retains moisture during the long hot summer.  The waxy oil does the same when applied to our skin.  Use alone or mix 2 ½ tab jojoba oil with 5-10 drops essential oil of your choice (chamomile, lavender, rose, ylang ylang, patchouli, sandalwood are a few lovelies).

The post What are you feeding your skin? appeared first on The Whole Child Pty Ltd.

We had just enjoyed a DVD by Sally Fallon (Nourishing Traditions) and were inspired by her discussions about regular cod liver oil use in children preventing diabetes in adults, among many other health benefits.

We had been taking another brand of cod liver oil, but were disheartened to learn that most brands of cod liver oil and fish oils were industrially processed, stripped of nutrients and had synthetic vitamins added back in. The better brands used natural vitamins… but still this wasn’t what we were wanting. We wanted real cod liver oil.

When we tasted Green Pastures fermented cod liver oil and butter oil blend we all said “Aaaahhh… that’s what cod liver oil is meant to be like.”  It actually tasted like you would imagine cod liver oil to taste… Yes, it took a bit of getting used to, but we all just knew that our bodies and minds were yearning for more of the stuff. And we haven’t looked back. We keep a basket of oils on the dining table and eat them with our meal, washing them down with a drink of raw milk, a smoothie, or a homemade fermented drink. And Tanya’s family, in amongst their nourishing diet, also enjoy them now too – each having their own preferred flavour.

Our family also enjoy Green Pastures Skate Liver Oil. Dave Wetzel, from Green Pastures, sources his cod livers from sustainable fishing in Russia. The Russians were intrigued by someone using traditional techniques to ferment their cod livers, but they kept telling him if he liked cod liver oil he really needed to try making skate liver oil – their traditional sacred food. For us the effects of skate liver oil is hard to put into words… except to say that in what from the outside probably seems like a totally ridiculous amount of pressure (running a business or two, homeschooling 5 children, cooking everything from scratch and being happily married) we are mostly calm and settled. Skate liver oil is definitely a big contributor to all of those things running smoothly.  We’ve had periods here and there without it, and we all notice the difference.

Based on our personal experience we would definitely recommend cod liver and skate liver oils for anyone who wants to improve memory, attention/concentration, mood and mental health, joint health and overall well being.

The post Sacred foods at our table appeared first on The Whole Child Pty Ltd.

First of all stay calm. Your skin is one of the primary shedding organs in the body, and natural health philosophy is pleased by skin rashes as it is a very effective way of detoxing the body. This is a healing process and needs to run its course without being suppressed if possible. On the other hand, it’s distressing and challenging to manage, so no one should ever be judged if they resort to antibiotic/antibacterial creams.

In all of our years of treating illnesses naturally, school sores was definitely a tough one. In the end we were able to bring healing to each person with only natural remedies. This was our treatment protocol:

• Our homeopath makes a mixed remedy especially for impetigo.  It is Ant Crud 6 with Ars Alb 200.  This remedy is available directly from Henny Beckert at Cairns Homeopathy or from Atherton Health Food Store.
• Treat each child with active sores 3 x day with diluted tea tree, calendula and hypericum oils mixed with coconut oil.  It is important to use good quality real tea tree oil in an oil base (not the cheaper tea tree in an alcohol base – it will hurt too much).  When our children had a lot of sores and they seemed to be spreading rapidly we ended up applying this mix to the whole body, and it stopped the spread and healed the sores.  This, along with plain coconut oil, was the most effective treatment for every member of the family.  And rubbing the skin daily with coconut oil prevents school sores.
• During the early stages we used green clay poultices with some of our children.  Sometimes we mixed tea tree and myrrh oils into the clay.  Poultices are made by mixing green clay with water to make a paste and spreading thickly over the skin.  Then leave till dry.  This can be done overnight but don’t cover poultices except just with loose cotton clothing.  For some of our children this was soothing and cooling.  Other children hated it.  I generally trust the individual child to show you what they need.
• Charcoal poultices worked well for some children, and others hated it.  Mix small amount of charcoal powder with water to make a paste and apply thickly to skin.
• If sores are on sensitive areas of the body e.g. lips/eye use manuka honey or coconut oil.  On privates you may use diluted tea tree (yes, some of our poor children had them spread into those areas).
• To heal and prevent scarring use calendula tincture or calendula oil.  We are lucky enough to have a vegie bed full of flowers, so we can infuse our own oil, and rub it into the skin for healing.

Don’t stress if infection spreads to other family members… they are also just having their system cleaned out via the skin and ultimately their overall health will be stronger for it. Just treat proactively and promptly to support their body to heal, and reassure yourself it will pass.

The post School Sores appeared first on The Whole Child Pty Ltd.