Posts in the Children Category at Mumwrites

Parenting 101: 7 Ways To Raise Eco-Friendly Children

02.22.2020 by mumwrites // Leave a Comment

Raising eco-friendly children has never become a necessity until today. With all the environmental issues we are facing, it is a must that we raise children to be more conscious about nature and the planet.

Although getting children to care about their surrounding may seem like a daunting task, it is highly doable. In fact, there are many simple ways to nurture the little ones’ interest in nature. Here are a few easy ways to help you in raising eco-friendly children:

Show them how to Save Water

Children learn by imitation and the best way to teach them to do something is by showing them. When you lecture them about saving water, show them how it is done. Show them how to save water by using a glass when brushing their teeth. You can also demonstrate the proper way of using the shower and saving water while taking a bath.

Adopt a Pet

Adopting a pet is an effective way to encourage empathy and responsibility in children. It is also a practical way to get them to care for nature. It might be a major decision for the family, but you can start by adopting a hamster or a rabbit. You can move on to adopting bigger pets, like a cat or a dog, when your child is older.

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Education: “No Place Like Home” Philippine Homeschool Conventioin 2019

08.26.2019 by mumwrites // Leave a Comment

announcement, children, events, children learning, education, homeschooling, press release

“There is no school equal to a decent home, and no teacher equal to a virtuous parent.” So goes a quote attributed to well-known nonviolence movement leader and Nobel Prize winner Mahatma Gandhi.

Indeed, truer words have never been said. After all, children first learn within the confines of their homes amidst loving parents and well-meaning caregivers. At home, children learn the basics of communicating, personal care, and proper conduct. It is within the safety of the home that they first learn about family, love, and security.

This is why we from Educating for Life or EFL want to gather together with our fellow homeschoolers as one community at the Philippine Homeschool Convention {PHC} 2019: to connect with and inspire one another to be the “teachers” and build the “schools” that Gandhi was talking about.

EFL, a group composed of four homeschooling moms, organizes events for homeschoolers and other individuals or groups that are into homeschooling and what we like to call “intentional education.” We have been organizing events for families ~ homeschoolers, in particular ~ since 2014.

This year, EFL, in partnership with Moneygment and SMX Convention Center, SM Aura Premier, is pleased to present the No Place Like Home Philippine Homeschool Convention.

Believing that there is no place like home ~ especially when it comes to teaching our children—we invite our fellow parents to gather together at this year’s PHC so we can equip ourselves and bravely forge ahead in the difficult but extremely rewarding task of educating our children not just academically, but in other aspects too.

Character. Virtues. Life lessons. These are things that children don’t normally learn from textbooks and within classroom walls.

It is the essence of home, of family, of this virtuous calling of educating our children that we celebrate in the upcoming No Place Like Home: Philippine Homeschool Convention 2019.

To be held on 07 September, 2019 at the SMX Convention Center, SM Aura Premier, Taguig City, this year’s convention will gather hundreds of Filipino parents and provide them with inspiration and encouragement to live out their calling as their children’s primary educators.

More Information About the PHC 2019

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Health: Talcum Baby Powder Products May Contain Asbestos

05.15.2019 by mumwrites // Leave a Comment

Baby products, like baby powder, have long been considered to be gentle and safe, but new information and a slew of lawsuits are proving your favorite talcum powder may be anything but. Moms and anyone who uses talcum powder need to know that some of these products have tested positive for traces of the carcinogenic mineral asbestos.

What is Talc and Asbestos?

Talc and asbestos are both minerals that can be mined and used in a variety of products and materials. Talc is ground down into a fine powder that provides protection against friction and moisture absorption, which has made it a desirable material for body powders and baby powders.

Asbestos is now heavily regulated and restricted, but it was once used extensively in a variety of industries, especially construction, manufacturing, and shipbuilding. It was found to be carcinogenic and to be linked to several health problems, especially the deadly and rare cancer known as pleural mesothelioma.

When fibers of asbestos are inhaled or ingested they pierce tissues in the body and may cause cellular damage that leads to cancer. Asbestos can cause pleural mesothelioma around the lungs, peritoneal mesothelioma in the abdomen, lung cancer, and a respiratory disease called asbestosis.

Is There Asbestos in Talcum Powder?

It is well known that talc deposits in the earth are often contaminated with asbestos. Manufacturers are supposed to ensure that their talcum powder products have been purified, that there is no longer any asbestos lurking in them by the time they get to consumers. And yet there is evidence that talcum powder products you buy at the store may contain asbestos. In fact, one study actually tested several different products made with talc and found that many baby powders did have asbestos fibers.

Talcum Powder and Ovarian Cancer

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Food: Do You Fall Into #MalnutritionTraps?

04.02.2019 by mumwrites // Leave a Comment

Is your child eating well enough and growing just fine? Is he too fond of eating rice or meat? Are you giving him well-balanced meal or are you falling into malnutrition traps? As they say everything must be taken in moderation and a little too much of something might be bad for our children’s health. Read on for more details on how to beat these malnutrition traps and for dibs on where to get healthy, well-balanced recipes you can prepare for your family.

The Pinggang Pinoy® Campaign

Our country has been facing the rise on the number of underweight and overweight Filipinos for more than 20 years. The World Health Organization {WHO} defined this phenomenon as the “Double Burden of Malnutrition” or the “prevalence of both under-nutrition and overweight in the same community, nation, or region.”

To address this problem, our government launched the Pinggang Pinoy® campaign in 2014. Pinggang Pinoy® is an easy-to-understand food guide showing proper food group portioning on a per-meal basis. This reflects the principles of MOderation, VAriety and BAlance {MOVABA} to promote healthier eating habits.

Solving the Philippines’ Double Burden of Malnutrition should be a collaborative effort between the public and private sectors. With this, Ajinomoto Philippines Corporation partnered with government agencies to conduct education programs to raise awareness and promote the practice of Pinggang Pinoy® in malnutrition hotspots, where incidences of Double Burden Malnutrition are high. This training was given to homemakers/mothers who have malnourished {underweight, stunting, wasting, overweight and obese} school-aged children.

The pilot run resulted to improvements of the knowledge and attitudes of households related to the practice of Pinggang Pinoy® within target areas. However, behavior changes towards healthier eating habits remains to be a challenge. The program uncovered a number #MalnutritionTraps that some Pinoy households easily fall into.

The following #MalnutritionTraps provide a picture of how unhealthy eating habits may lead to Double Burden of Malnutrition

Overconsumption of carbohydrates ~ Voracious rice eaters can easily fill half of their plates with rice. Others have pandesal and noodles as regular meal deprived of other nutrients derived from a well-balanced meal.
Under consumption of vegetables and/fruits ~ It is common for some to be content with rice & meat to satisfy their hunger and skip/take insufficient amount of vegetables/fruits. Fact is, the variety of colors found in Glow foods are important sources of vitamins and minerals. They help us to sustain our energy and keep us from getting sick.
Overconsumption of protein ~ Typical Filipino “SILOG” meals include double serving of proteins {e.g. Tapa+Itlog, Tocino+Itlog, Longanisa+Itlog, Bangus+Itlog}. Eating different kinds of protein is fine for as long as they are taken in moderation. We must also avoid protein dishes served high in fat, cholesterol, and sodium.

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