Category: Children

Body image, Children, Education, Health, TechnologyLeave a comment

Your Kid & Smartphones – What’s the Big Deal?

Hayley Simmons

So your child or teen wants a smartphone. Well that’s easy, you’ve probably got a spare one from your last plan or can get one from someone else secondhand. It will be great for them to learn how to manage their data spending, it will be great for them to be able to communicate with you whenever you need. And they’ve been begging you for Instagram for months now.

So why not, then? What’s the big deal, everyone’s got them, right? We are a technology-centric society so it’s only natural to want one, right? Hey, they even need them nowadays, don’t they?

And so begins the slippery slope.

As you know, parenting is not easy. This is one of those decisions that you could be easily swayed on. In fact, it’s going to be pretty bloody difficult to hold any kind of a stand against giving your teenager a phone, isn’t it?

So, why not give them one?!

Let me tell you why – because it’s as dangerous as giving them alcohol or letting them drive your car. You may as well order them mental health issues on a plate, with a side serving of sexual exploitation and irreversible privacy invasion for-afters.

Go back up and read those first couple of paragraphs. See how easy that was to agree with all of those statements? See how easy it is to follow the path of least resistance? Yes, that part is easy. But dealing with the multiple, daily fallouts that occur as a result of a child having a smart phone, now that is not easy at all. Not now, and not when they are still dealing with the social, emotional and mental consequences as an adult.

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Children, Dance, EducationLeave a comment

Why dance fitness is more than just ‘Strength & Flex’

Hayley Simmons

I’ve been involved in dance long enough now to see some trends come and go.

In recent years, the explosion of dance talent shows and the Web 2.0 has exposed more people to dance than ever. Dance is a growing sport/art and we have mainstream media to largely thank for it! What it has meant, however, is that the regular everyday person or dancer is exposed to the ‘wow’ factors like gravity-defying acrobatics, bodies stretched to the extreme and youngsters performing moves most could never dream of achieving at their peak.

As a result, we are entering a concerning territory where people think they need to stretch to the extreme and force their bodies into doing things it is not capable of on a physical, technical or even anatomical level. Whilst I know it will fall on deaf ears to say that it is not necessary to aim for these extremes, I hope it does not fall on deaf ears to say that Flexibility is not the be all and end all of Dance! Especially when it is to the exclusion of all other Dance Fitness Components.

Some genres of dance such as calisthenics, cheerleading and acrobatics (and others I am sure) are providing an increased focus on the development of adequate strength to perform advanced movements, and this is a great start.

However, there is much more to ‘dance fitness’ than strength and flexibility. There are a number of other fitness components, such as:

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Children, Dance12 Comments

The benefits of Calisthenics for young dancers

Hayley Simmons

Calisthenics is one of the best forms of dance for all-round dance technique and performance development. Other than probably becoming hooked for life and having the confidence to spread their wings into other dance styles as they grow, there are numerous lifelong benefits for young ones participating in cali. Have I forgotten any? Continue reading The benefits of Calisthenics for young dancers

Children, Education, HealthLeave a comment

Why Physical Education is the most important subject of all

Hayley Simmons

If you want your child to have a head-start and go far in life, involvement in and enjoyment of Physical Education studies should be a priority. Think I’m crazy? Humour me for a minute and read on. I declare a bias up front. I loved PE in school and studied it up until Year 12, going on to do a degree in Human Movement (sport and exercise science). I’ve always thought the sporty types had an advantage. That confidence they ooze (whether it be extroverted or quiet confidence) developed within the white lines, transfers into work and life. I recently … Continue reading Why Physical Education is the most important subject of all