Dates: Tuesday, March 18 & Wednesday, March 19
Location: Al Qibliya School, Kuwait City behind Mubarakiya, Adjacent to The National Library.
Time: 4:00 to 5:30 pm (ages 6 to 12)
6:00 to 8:00 pm (13+)
Loyac is organizing an "Art of Juggling event" we are holding at Al Qibliya School in Kuwait City in cooperation with the French Embassy. The event is free to all and kids from ages 6 can take part to learn to juggle. Dates: Tuesday, March 18 & Wednesday, March 19 Location: Al Qibliya School, Kuwait City behind Mubarakiya, Adjacent to The National Library. Time: 4:00 to 5:30 pm (ages 6 to 12) 6:00 to 8:00 pm (13+) Engaging children in afterschool activities and sports is great for scaffolding what they are learning in school and to encourage their physical as well as emotional, intellectual and social development. Among the many afterschool activities now available in Kuwait, a popular activity for girls is ballet. Graceful poise and movement and a healthy, athletic lifestyle are something most moms want for their little girls. Ballet has long had a bad rap for teaching girls unhealthy ideas of beauty and thinness but the reality is that with the right teacher and a balanced approach, ballet can be a great way to teach girls self confidence, flexibility, strength, coordination, focus, discipline and team work. To learn more about the dance, Kuwait Moms Guide spoke with Yulia Svechnikova, a well known Russian ballet instructor living in Kuwait who has 12 years of experience teaching ballet to children. Also be sure to check out KMG's full list of ballet studios, resources and classes in Kuwait. KMG: What are the benefits of ballet for girls? Yulia: The first thing is posture. It’s important not only for looking graceful, to see your daughter sitting and walking with her back straight, a long neck line and chin up, but also very important to have the right posture for a child’s healthy growth. Ballet also helps girls keep their weight within normal limits. KMG: Is it very difficult for children to learn at first? What if my child has a limited attention span? What are the challenges? Yulia: It all depends on the ability of the child to react to what the teacher says. Girls who already have experience at day care or school will be able to follow instructions and won’t find it difficult. If the child has a limited attention span, it is highly recommended to enroll them in an activity such as dance. These lessons can help children to develop concentration skills. A good teacher will also use special methods to help children get used to the structure of class such as with teaching repetitions of basics steps in different variations. This helps develop “body memory” as well. Ballet classes on a regular basis prepare the child to concentrate his attention on movements and music which helps to prolong the ability to listen at school and other activities. Movement also helps improve a child’s mood. KMG: How long does it take and what is the process a child will go through? Yulia: In my classes, the youngest group by the end of a 35-week course is able to dance together ‘en ensemble’. They can feel the rhythm of the music and move accordingly. Classes are once a week, but even at that pace children learn all the basics of dance. Later on, they will develop more professional skills which will allow the child to choose what direction she prefers such as jazz, modern or classical ballet. KMG: Should girls be interested in dance or performance in order to take ballet? Yulia: Yes KMG: At what age should my child start ballet lessons? Yulia: Three years old is a good age to start. In my experience, however, if the child wants to learn and has passion, regardless of the starting age they will grow into a dance star. KMG: What should parents consider when choosing a ballet course / instructor for their daughters? Yulia: Any choice is hard to make. As a mother of two children myself, I will always look at the facilities first and then I would advise to go and see the recital of the dance group or an open class. Do get advice from friends or family members whose kids are already attending ballet classes. It is important to ask what kind of experience the teacher has not only in her dance background, but also working with young kids. I also think it is nice if the proper uniform is required to attend a class. KMG: What other advice would you suggest? Yulia: Find out the class size (about 12 to 15 students is best), consider how affordable the studio is (Do they charge extra for costumes, tickets to shows?), Consider your own time. Are you able to dedicate hours to bring your child for rehearsal, extra practices and dance events? Go to the studio and watch the little girls - do they like being there? This is a good indicator of how happy any age dancer will be there. I would like to thank Kuwait Moms Guide for all the questions and hope that learning ballet and dance will bring happiness to all mothers and daughters in Kuwait who try it. Biography of Yulia Svechnikova A choreographer and ballet mistress, Yulia studied at The Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow and has been dancing most of her life. From the moment her mother put her in her first tutu at three years old, creativity and movement have been center stage. Yulia has been teaching ballet for over 12 years at various schools and youth centers in Moscow (Russia), UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Her genuine love for dance and the desire to create something for all levels led to the creation of her popular My First Ballet Steps program, mainly inspired by Russian classic ballet technique. Adding to her credits, she also choreographed with the Ahmadi Music Group in Kuwait for operas Semele (2012) and Dido&Aeneas (2013). Originally published in the Kuwait Moms Guide Newsletter Issue #3 - January 7, 2014 One of the most difficult but fun things to crochet are toys - known as amigurumi. They are small and every single stitch counts so mistakes show easily and can really throw the project off. This baby owl, however, is really super easy and doesn't take too long to make. If you have tried amigurumi before and given up, I'd say this will change your mind. It's really easy to make and only takes about two to three hours (for a beginner). Very important to note that you should use a stitch counter to mark each round so that you don't lose the count. I used Excel yarn and a size 4 hook. The smaller the hook, the tighter the stitches and the less the fiberfill will show through. Pattern (Thank you for sharing Muna) Start with a magic circle. Round 1: 1 Ch, 6 sc Round 2: 1sc, 3 sc in the next stitch, 3 sc in the next stitch, repeat. (1,3,3,1,3,3). Total 14 stitches. Round 3: 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc, 3 sc in the next stitch, 3 sc in next stitch, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc, 3 sc in next stitch, 3 sc in next stitch, 2 sc. Total 22 stitches. Round 4: 1 sc, 1sc, 1 sc, 1 sc, 2 sc in next stitch, 2 sc in next stitch, 2 sc in next stitch, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1sc, 1sc, 1sc, 1sc, 1sc, 1sc, 2 sc in next stitch, 2 sc in next stitch, 2 sc in next stitch, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1sc, 1sc. Total 28 stitches. Round 5: 1sc, 1sc, 1sc, 1sc, 1sc, 1sc, 2 sc in next stitch, 2 sc in next stitch, 1 sc in each of the next 12 stitches, 2 sc in next stitch, 2 sc in next stitch, 1 sc in each of the next 6 stitches. Total 32 stitches. Rounds 6-12: 1 sc in each stitch. Total 32 stitches. Round 13: 1 sc in each of the next 10 stitches. 1 sc2tog (decrease), 1 sc in each of the next 14 stitches, 1 sc2tog (decrease) 1 sc, 1sc, 1sc, 1sc. Total of 30 stitches. Round 14: 1 sc in each of the next 14 stitches, 1 sc2tog (decrease), 1sc, 1sc, 1sc, 1sc, 1 sc2tog (decrease), 1sc in each of the next eight stitches. Total of 28 stitches. Round 15: 1 sc in each of the next six stitches, 1 sc2tog (decrease), 1sc in each of the next 18 stitches, 1 sc2tog (decrease). Total of 26 stitches. Round 16: 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc2tog (decrease), 1 sc in each of the next nine stitches. Total of 24 stitches. Round 17: 1 sc, 1 sc2tog (decrease), 1 sc in each of the next eight stitches, 1 sc2tog (decrease), 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc2tog (decrease), 1 sc in each of the next six stitches. Total 21 stitches. Round 18: 1 sc, 1 sc2tog (decrease) 1 sc in each of the next four stitches. End with slip stitch. Leave a long tail of yarn to use to sew the owl closed. You will need fiber fill (you can find it at any of the crafting or yarn shops in Kuwait ) to fill up the owl. Once you have it full, sew the owl's top together with the points at the edges. Eyes Using white yarn, crochet 5 ch, slip stitch to join and then double crochet 12 stitches around. I used safety eyes in the middle but you can crochet a small colored circle using a magic circle to fit inside the white. Leave a long tail to use for sewing the eyes onto the body of the owl. You may also want to use a stitch marker to hold the eyes in place on the body as you sew them on to keep them even and in place. Wings Using a different colored yarn, start with a magic circle. Round 2: 12 dc, join with slip stitch and tie off. You can pinch the sides of the owl as you sew on the wings to help them stand out more. Leave a long tail to use for sewing onto the sides. Nose Using another colored yarn or the same as the wings, single crochet three, turn and 2sctog (decrease) and then turn and one 2sctog (decrease) and tie off. Leave a long tail to use for sewing on the sides. Hair Cut about 2 inch lengths of different colored yarns, pull through the pointed edge of the baby owl at the top and then tie in a knot. I mixed in several colors yarn to get a nice look. Abbreviations Ch - Chain SC - Single Crochet DC - Double Crochet 2sctog - Decrease The smartphone has become the central processing unit of our lives. We use it for phone calls and messaging, for photos and videos, for chatting and FB and Instagram. We keep track of our periods and write our grocery lists there. We entertain our kids, watch videos, read books and do research on it. There are zillions of apps now available but which ones will make life easier for moms in Kuwait? Which ones are the most useful and helpful? We asked moms here, added some of our own favorite and compiled a list of the top 50 most awesome apps for moms and kids in Kuwait. Here they are, enjoy! Apps for moms WhatsApp - Free texting app that allows you to text message for free anyone anywhere in the world. You can also share photos and videos. Uses wifi so you can use it to communicate while traveling or abroad without having to pay roaming charges. Instagram – Photo app that allows you to post and like photos and follow others’ photo feeds. Follow @kuwaitmomsguide for news, information, updates and everything else moms in Kuwait need to know. Pinterest - Post and share photos via your mobile. Search for ideas for children’s crafting projects, recipes, home decorating, crochet projects, weekend fun and more. Artkive - Great for organizing and keeping your children’s drawings and art work. DropBox - If you haven’t heard of Dropbox or aren’t using it, trust us, it’s a must! Store on the cloud your photos, music, notes, files and access them anywhere. You can share with anyone by sending an email and configure Dropbox to update automatically so you can save all the images and videos from your phone without having to go through the hassle of downloading and deleting them. Kindle App – Great for moms on the go who love to read. You can pick up wherever you left off in the book you are currently reading without having to tote your kindle with you. Evernote - This free app that helps you remember everything across all of the devices you use. Evernote lets you take notes, capture photos, create to-do lists, record voice reminders--and makes these notes completely searchable, whether you are at home, at work, or on the go. Goodreads – Share your favorite books with friends and find books for kids (there are categories like ‘emergent readers’ ‘books for babies’ ‘parenting books’ and more). Get real recommends and reviews too. Houzz App – This app is the equivalent of clipping design magazines to a scrapbook — making home design ideas easier to search, save, and share. Period Tracker - Track your period, ovulation days, fertility dates. Especially useful for moms trying to get pregnant or for those who want to keep an eye on their monthly cycle. Closet+ - Takes a bit of work to set up as you have to go through your closet and take pictures of your entire wardrobe. But you can then use it to match when you are shopping and you can create outfits and save them so you know what you were wearing with what. Skype - Talk to anyone around the globe for free (they must have Skype too) or call phones or mobiles relatively cheap. XE Currency Convertor – Absolutely necessary for anyone who lives in Kuwait, travels frequently and hates math! Apps for babies Baby monitor & alarm – Baby monitor that will alert you with a phone call whenever there is a noise in baby’s room. Can play moms voice or other soothing songs to help baby sleep and even has a night light. Baby sign - Baby sign and learn app to help moms teach babies and toddlers basic sign language. Peekaboo Barn - A fun app for the very little ones. Game lets them tap on the barn door to see the animals pop out. Good for helping them learn the name of animals. (Try explaining even what a farm or a cow is to a child being raised in Kuwait is not as easy as one might hope.) Apps for toddlers Animal Piano - Piano app that plays different songs and animal sounds. The lite version has several animals and songs and the keyboard lights up. Musical Me – Let Mozzarella the Mouse teach your little ones the fundamentals of music like notes, rhythm and pitch. Kids Songs Machine - Little ones can sing-along and interact with their favorite songs. Talking Tom - Animated cat that repeats whatever he hears. For some reason kids love this app though to be frank it can drive a mom a bit crazy with the repeated purring and copycat sounds. Shapes – This app matches the shapes to the ones on the screen and they have a few other games on there. Apps for kinder kids Montessori Crosswords - Three levels of crosswords for children learning to read, uses phonics to help them learn words. Endless Alphabet - Kids will have a blast learning their ABCs and building vocabulary with the adorable monsters in this app. Endless Reader - Endless Reader introduces “sight words”, the most commonly used words in school, library, and children’s books. Elmo Loves ABCs - This app has songs and videos about letters, coloring pages and games about letters. Elmo Loves 123s – This app does for numbers what the previous one does for letters. Arabic Letterbox – Kids can learn the Arabic alphabet, with instructions in English. Dora Skywriting letters – This app uses Dora and Boots to teach your little ones to recognize letters, write letters and associate letters with sounds. UmiZoomie – This app has several games that focus on teaching fundamental math concepts to preschoolers like identifying numbers, rote counting and basic addition and subtraction. Human body - Explore a working model of the body. Every part is animated and interactive: the heart beats, guts gurgle, lungs breathe, the skin feels, and eyes see. Reading Raven – This app helps your children learn to read with their own personal reading adventure guide! Subway surfers – A fun game that involves high speed chases and hoverboard surfing and paint powered jetpacks. Super Why! - Help your child achieve the Power to Read with this collection of four interactive literacy games. Children can practice the alphabet, rhyming, spelling, writing and reading. Origami app - Shows you how to fold dozens of shapes with step-by-step instructions. Great way to help improve children’s fine and gross motor skills. Hairy Letters - A great for kids to practice writing letters and the formation of the letters. Flashcardlet – This app is great to make up or download hundreds of flashcards on different topics like astronomy, vocabulary, literature, etc. and learn on the go - or even great to play Trivial Pursuit with or knowledge games with older kids. Apps for Kuwait Talabat.com - One of the most useful apps in Kuwait, Talabat is available for download free for android and iPhone. They are the largest online food delivery service portal in Kuwait. Kuwait Finder - Incredibly useful app from the Kuwait Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI), Kuwait Finder provides information on any location in Kuwait. Currently only available in Arabic, it will be made available in English in early 2014. Kuwait City Map & Walks – This app comes with a detailed and fully functional city map to assist you explore the city and locate sights. Kuwait Times - Updated version of the Kuwait Times Newspaper with news and information on life in Kuwait. NBK Mobile - A great app for managing your bank account, loans, phone payments, etc. Pretty much all the major banks NBK, Gulf Bank, KFH, have apps so choose the ones that you use. Missing your favorite app? Email us at kuwaitmoms@gmail.com and we'll add it to the list. Outdoor shopping and fun fest for moms and kids on Saturday, March 8. Mommy’s Market, the first of its kind market just for moms in Kuwait and the Middle East, will host some great baby boutiques, children's furniture, health & nutrition products for the family, beauty products for moms, and yummy foods for mommy and kids. There will be lots of fun and games for kids including an activity area that will include a drawing and painting workshop, a soap factory where kids and parents can make their own soap-bars, box-creations booth where kids can have fun with their imagination using cardboard fixtures, Golden Catchers where kids can go fishing with rods and much more. There will be onsite babysitting so that mommies will have time to shop, lots of great food and picnic tables and live music throughout the day. Come out Saturday March 8 from 10am to 7pm for a fun family day and some mommy retail therapy. The Mommy’s Market will be held at the Lilly Center in Shuwaikh. This video literally made me laugh, smile and cry. Whether you have lived in Kuwait all your life or are new here or a long time expat, it is totally up to all of us to make this a fun, happy and joyful place to live for ourselves and our children. Thank you to Mohammed AlSaeed and all those involved with making this film for giving Kuwait another great reason to be happy! Happy Kuwait (#HappyQ8) Filmmaker & Editor: Mohammed AlSaeed Director: Taibah AlQatami Sound Design & Ending Vocals: Omar Afuni Crew: Dana AlJouder, Faisal AlHumaid, Ahmad AlQabandi, Haya AlEssa, Nasser AlQatami, Shaikha AlQatami, Athba AlEssa, Noor Behbehani, Fatema Behbehani, Abdullah Abdulrahman Song: Happy by Pharrell Williams Video Copyrights: Weoritu Love love love this! Very cool way to see all the different types of women's shoes and more importantly, plan which ones to buy next! Its time to start planning for the weekend. Luckily there are lots of fun events happening this weekend but also don't forget to make time for a walk on the seaside, a trip to the beach, a bike in the park or a nice manicure and pedicure. Have a lovely weekend. March 7 – Ibimby Infant Massage class for babies 5 weeks to 6 months old. Learning Steps, Egaila, Block 1, Street 126, House #27 from 9am to 10am. KD 25 for three on hour sessions. Telephone Daniele Hunt at 9736-0655 March 7 - Fitness classes for girls from 9:30 to 10:30 at Al Salmiya Sports Club, Kansaa Street, Block 3, Kuwait Center for Diving. KD 15 per month (no registration fee). Email ninapilates@yahoo.fr or call 6044-8673 for more information. March 7-8 - McDonald's on the Gulf Road (in Salmiya) will hold a carnival for kids. Games, activities and more. Friday 10am to 11pm and Saturday 10am to 8pm March 7-9 – Balloonyland Events organizing a Family Art Festival at Gallery Tilal with products, balloon sculptures, interactive arts and crafts for kids and food. Friday 1pm-10pm & Saturday 10am to 10pm. March 8 – Mommy’s Market – Activities, games and fun for children including a drop off nursery and shopping for moms, street food, live music and more. At the Lilly Center in Shuwaikh, on 6th Street from 10am to 7pm. Pass by the Kuwait Moms Guide table and say hi. Map March 8 – K’s Path Shelter Open Day – Take a tour of the shelter, adopt a dog, cat or other pet. KD 1 per person. At the shelter in Wafra, from 11am to 2pm. Telephone 6700-1622 for more info or visit website for map and directions. March 8 - Breitling Wing Walker Air Show - Marina Crescent at 1pm. March 8-12 - Parkour workshop at LOYAC where adults and kids interested in Parkour will learn tips, tricks and see live demonstrations from visiting Parkour stars from the UK. Telephone 9729-6784 to register. We will continue to update list as events are announced. There is a growing list of places in Kuwait now offering yoga for ladies, expecting moms and kids. We recently put together a handy list of some of our favorites and want to share. Keep checking back as we will be updating it regularly. See the full list here. Editor's Note: This list was originally published in the Kuwait Moms Guide Newsletter - Issue #4. One World Theatre productions invites children ages 7-12 to audition for the upcoming show Bugsy Malone. |
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