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Hotspot: Pinball Wizard

Pinball Wizard
Rochor Canal Rd, #B1-29
Sim Lim Square, 188504
pinballwizard.sg

Pinball Wizard can be a little elusive to find, but don’t let that put you off – head to Sim Lim Square’s Prinsep Street entry and look for the basement staircase entrance – the bar is located next to Subway. An unassuming door is a portal back in time. Step inside to discover wall-to-wall pinball and arcade machines, lava lamps and neon lit interiors.

Banana Julius Flip
Glitter shooters

Order Up!

We order two rounds of glitter shooters (10 shots for $80) The Peanut Butter and Jelly is a blend of black raspberry and hazelnut liqueur, vodka and cranberry juice. Crouching Tiger is an Asian inspired concoction of tequila, lychee liqueur and chrysanthemum tea. Both shots sparkle with edible glitter. Fancy! After a few rounds of pinball, we move onto the Signature Cocktails. The Yellow Submarine ($18) is a tropical mix of white rum, advocaat, lavender syrup, soda and mint. Flower Power ($18) is served in a tall glass, with butterfly pea infused gin, apple juice, ginger, lemongrass, lime and sour plum powder. We finish with the Banana Julius Flip ($18), a dessert cocktail of vodka, crème de banana, maple syrup and buttermilk and the Salty White Russian ($18) spiced rum, Kahlua liqueur, salted caramel and milk. With a nostalgic buzz on, we reminisce about our 90’s days with an excellent house DJ spinning nineties and noughties tunes at the resident DJ booth.

What’s to eat?
When we visited there wasn’t a bar menu, so come having already eaten!

Did you know?
Pinball Wizard was created by the folks behind retro arcade bar and discotheque NINETEEN80 at Tanjong Pagar.

ANZAC Day DIY: Felted Wool Poppies

With ANZAC Day services cancelled this year, a felted poppy craft project is a thoughtful way to mark respect from your home base.

If you need to order in some supplies you could try Spotlight, Lazada, Shopee or Amazon.

Nancy Ballesteros, owner of Australian felting supply company, Treetops Colour Harmonies suggests that the Poppies could then be hung outside from a tree, similar to the old idea of ‘tie a yellow-ribbon to the old Oak tree’ for ANZAC Day.  They could also be placed in a window.

Felting is a wonderful way to get children involved in craft and it’s fun for the whole family!

Download the 17 step felting instructions below – supplied by eight-year-old Sam Freegard, Heather Davis and Nancy Ballesteros from treetopscolours.com.au

PDF Sam’s Remembrance Poppies – Felting Instruction

Interview: Author Neil Humpheys

Bestselling author Neil Humphreys

How have you and your family adopted a green lifestyle?
Pretty much everything is reused and recycled in our house. No food gets wasted or thrown down the chute. We prepare what we need, and any excess gets put in the fridge and eaten for supper or the next day. We have reuseable containers we take to hawker centres and coffee shops nearby (hawkers are happy, we don’t use their takeaway cartons). I avoid plastic bottles as often as possible, taking my own bottle everywhere.
I take public transport every day and cycle if I need to make local trips. As a family, we minimise plastic waste and won’t buy a load of presents for birthdays and Christmas just for the sake of it. I’m also vegetarian, which is obviously the easiest and most measurable way to reduce one’s carbon footprint. Go for an extra veg dish instead of a meat/fish dish at the economy rice stall. It’s cheaper and your body will thank you for it. Just eating less meat and doing all the above – day to day – are simple, easy ways to reduce our carbon footprints. We’ll save money, help the planet and reduce the cockroaches in our rubbish chute because they’ve literally got nothing to eat. What’s not to like?

How do you lower your power bills?
We only do full loads of washing and I’ll tend to wear the same clothes far too often before washing! We keep the air con to a minimum and our showers very short.
I take my utilities bills very seriously. I’m way below the national average and my neighbours average. I see it as a personal challenge!

Can you list a few hawkers around Singapore that offer great vego food?
These days, just about every hawker centre has a non-meat option. If they don’t, I won’t eat there. My hawker centre in Sengkang, opposite Compass One, has at least six stalls I use regularly (two vegetarian stalls, a North Indian stall, economy rice stall, and a couple of zi char stalls for veggie hor fun). Really, if you have a zi char stall, you should never go hungry.

What are your favourite veg dishes?
I’m a simple foodie really. Tofu in soya sauce with brown rice, broccoli and curried vegetables and I’m a very happy man. Or a good paneer makhani, or palak paneer, malai kofta, aloo gobi with some garlic naan is close to food heaven for me. If I had to pick a last meal, it would just be an enormous buffet of North Indian dishes. I’m a big fan of the original Komala Villas and Gokul restaurants in Little India.

With daughter Abbie Rose at the Income Eco Run last year

Tell us about your work with World Wildlife Fund?
My children’s book series – Abbie Rose and the Magic Suitcase – about a young, feisty, independent eco-warrior who travels the globe with her trusty sidekick trying to save endangered animals and their fragile environments. One book was about the Sumatran tiger. The WWF has done great work helping to save the Sumatran tiger, so we collaborated on it. I’ve done several talks on endangered animals at schools.

How do we best educate kids on the importance of sustainability?
By entertaining them, rather than lecturing them. Kids are always smarter than adults give them credit for. They’ll remember a joke long after they’ve forgotten some dull PowerPoint presentation on biodiversity. Make them laugh. And they’ll remember the eco-message behind the joke.

Is your daughter an eco-warrior?
She’s a vegetarian…by choice! She tries not to eat, drink, wear or do anything that will put the environment at further risk. The ironic thing is, she’s terrified of just about every living creature.

What are you writing now?
I just finished my third book in the Inspector Low crime thriller series, published in the UK in June. A third book in the Princess Incognito series, for middle grade readers, is keeping me busy now. Then I’ll work on a TV series for both Inspector Low and Abbie Rose and the Magic Suitcase.

Finish this sentence…‘We can save our planet if we all…”
…get involved. That’s it. Seven million vegetarians won’t save the planet. But seven billion people that decide to eat less meat and recycle/reuse more can save the planet. It really is that simple.

neilhumphreys.net

HSBC Premier Banking Benefits

Looking for the smoothest banking transition? HSBC makes it easy for expats to open an account and enjoy tailored expat banking services. From remittance and currency exchange, searching for housing and schools, and even health and lifestyle – their comprehensive and affordable solutions will help you get settled in the Lion City in no time. HSBC also have lots of local tips to help their expat customers in Singapore, including financial, housing and lifestyle advice.

Premier Banking benefits:
A dedicated Relationship Manager (RM) will put together a holistic view of your finances and create a bespoke financial strategy, designed just for you.

Comprehensive Premier wealth products, including Unit Trusts, Securities Trading, Foreign Exchange, Structured Products* and Bonds*. HSBC Premier has a full range of wealth products for you to choose from based on your investment goals. Invest according to your preference/risk tolerance and diversify your investment portfolio easily.
*for Accredited Investors only

HSBC Wealth Dashboard provides a unified overview of your holdings with HSBC, and control over your finances in a simple-to-use interface. It allows you to track and analyse the performance of your investments and adjust when needed.

Market update and insights. Tap into HSBC’s market insights and investment analysis to stay informed about the latest trends and regional news.
-Stay ahead with real-time updates, research and insights from HSBC’s FX specialists.
-Access dedicated guides and insights from local and global citizens to help you through your relocation and financial journey.

HSBC Premier Family banking
Your family can enjoy all the benefits of HSBC Premier:
1. Your spouse and children (ages 18-28) can join HSBC Premier at a preferential Total Relationship Balance, with their own sole-named Premier accounts, and a dedicated Family Relationship Manager.
2. In addition to preferential rates and services, your entire family will enjoy seamless international banking. This includes being able to transfer funds to each other internationally, instantly and fee-free, as well as having access to 11 currencies within one account, with complimentary cash withdrawals from HSBC ATMs worldwide.

International solutions: 
Everyday Global Account (EGA^) Hold 11 currencies within one account and enjoy complimentary cash withdrawal from HSBC ATMs worldwide*.
International health insurance It’s no secret expats love to travel. Protect your family from unexpected surprises on your trips around the globe with worldwide medical coverage.
Global Transfers (GTFF) Send funds instantly to and from your HSBC account to your family and friends’ HSBC accounts worldwide, free of charge.
International mortgage Finance your overseas property locally with an HSBC international mortgage at attractive Premier Mortgage rates. Wide coverage in Australia means you can buy residential properties as an investment in Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne or Sydney.
Overseas Education Free pre-arrival international account setup, ease in fee payment and allowance transfers via Global Transfers.
^Singapore dollar deposits of non-bank depositors are insured by the Singapore Deposit Insurance Corporation, for up to SGD75,000 in aggregate. per depositor per Scheme member by law. Foreign currency deposits, dual currency investments, structured deposits and other investment products are not insured.

Get started:
Join HSBC Premier by placing a minimum of S$200,000 in your Total Relationship Balance.Extend your Premier privileges to your spouse and children at a Total Relationship Balance of only S$30,000 each. T&Cs apply. Please visit hsbc.com.sg/premier/family-banking/ for more details.

For more information: hsbc.com.sg/expat
To talk to friendly HSBC staff about their banking services, or to open an account, send an email to sapsgh@hsbc.com.sg.

Raffles Staycation

It’s high on most people’s ultimate bucket lists: spend a night at the elegant Raffles Singapore. With our family postponing overseas travel plans due to Covid-19, there was no better time to tick the Grand Old Dame off mine. The heritage hotel has recently emerged from a meticulous two-year renovation, overhauling its guest rooms and public spaces. While retaining all its heritage charm, the designers have managed to bring modern flair and new energy to the 133-year-old building.
Arriving in the circular stone driveway and walking the Raffles red carpet, our overnight bags are swept away by a white suited doorman. The care and attention to detail of the restoration is immediately apparent. An oversized chandelier hangs high above the expanded Grand Lobby – its 8,142 twinkling crystals a mere centrepiece for the towering ceiling and grand double staircase.
Opened in 1887, Raffles Singapore is one of the great 19th century hotels in the world and it’s rightly proud of its long history and ‘A List’ guest roll. We’re given a Raffles Butler for the duration of our stay, and he escorts us to our personality suite in the Palm Court wing, overlooking an expansive lawn and manicured tropical gardens.

Personality Suites
We’ve been upgraded to the James Michener, one of 12 suites which pay tribute to renowned guests who have visited Raffles over the last century, including Charlie Chaplin, Elizabeth Taylor and Somerset Maugham. We discover more about the debonair Michener, who penned more than 40 books, including Tales of the South Pacific. “To have been young and had a room at Raffles was life at its best,” said Michener, who became a regular guest after his first visit in 1949. Being so close to literary greatness inspires me to get back to my neglected novel. But first, I have a staycation to attend to…
The three-room suite is both a time capsule, and a tech wonder. Overhead fans, a four-poster bed, laden bookshelves, wooden floorboards and a deep bathtub combine with an iPad which controls every feature of the space. A finger tap on the screen can turn on and off TV’s, lights and air con. It’s a feature my 10-year-old finds endlessly fascinating! She also appreciates the unlimited free snacks and soft drinks in the mini bar.
Before we explore the hotel, my butler has arranged a visit to the new Raffles Spa. He accompanies me to the appointment, located in the Raffles Arcade, dropping me safely with the welcoming staff for a 60-minute Absolute Relaxation treatment. The glorious full body massage turns me from tense to liquid jelly. I float from the treatment rooms to the plush lounge for cut tropical fruit and herbal tea, followed by a dip in the hot pool. I would stay for a few hours and soak up the wellness vibes, but I have a dinner date waiting.

BBR by Alain Ducasse
Lobster, sweet bell pepper and tomato bisque

Drinking and Dining
What was formerly the Bar & Billiard Room has been transformed into a hip restaurant and bar – BBR by Alain Ducasse. Helmed by the celebrated chef, the vibe is chic and relaxed, with splashes of burnt orange tones, a vibrant open kitchen and separate bar and alfresco terrace. Every Monday to Friday from 5-9pm BBR bar celebrates the tradition of the Italian Aperitivo and offers $18++ Italian cocktails and complimentary tapas bites. I order the Fruit of Summer – Botanist gin infused with kusmi tea, tawny port and fresh lemon juice. It tastes of summer, with hints of rose and citrus freshness. My husband goes for the classic Negroni – gin, Campari and Mancini Rosso, served over a branded ice block. We nibble moreish Spanish tortilla and tender paprika spiced octopus but save room for the main event in the impressive main restaurant.
Our host recommends sharing a few dishes from the Mediterranean-influenced menu. We start with two forks and a house made gnocchi with delicate truffle shavings. The server also suggests, ever so politely, that we use the fresh table bread to mop up the juices left on the plate. So, we do! The bread comes in handy for our mains – a lobster, sweet bell pepper and tomato bisque ($72) and juicy pork chop with olives ($88) – accompanied by a light chianti. We finish with Churros Con Chocolate ($9) – fluffy doughnut bites, dusted in cinnamon and dunked in rich, nutty chocolate dipping sauce. They are the best churros we have ever tasted. After dinner we walk past the Bustling Long Bar but alas, we can’t fit in another thing – not even a famous Singapore Sling!

Heritage and History
In the dark cave of the Michener suite, we sleep for a solid nine hours, waking just in time for a relaxed breakfast at the Tiffin Room, followed by a Heritage Tour. Our guide is a Singaporean in his 60s, who has worked at the Hotel for many decades. As he recounts Raffles rich history, he drops in details about attending to Queens, Kings and Pop Stars. The highlight of the tour is getting a peek into one of the Presidential Suites – a huge two-bedroom apartment, with a wraparound veranda. At S$10,000 a night, I imagine it’s been the scene of quite a few wild celebrity parties!
For lunch we sample the famous curries at Tiffin Room. Part of Raffles’ history since 1892, Tiffin Room continues to serve up delectable North Indian cuisine for lunch and dinner. In celebration of Holi, the Indian festival of colours, Chef Kuldeep has dreamt up a special tasting menu, featuring vibrant vegetarian and meat curries, buttery roti and naan, and a melody of desserts, including carrot pudding, sweet dumplings and steaming chai. There’s just enough time before we check out to take a dip in the rooftop pool. Relaxing in the saltwater and gazing at Marina Bay Sands in the distance, we agree that this hotel stay will be very hard to beat.

raffles.com

More staycations!
Now is the time to stay and play in Singapore. Many hotels around the island are offering added extras like late checkout, dining, spa treatments, champagne, and more. Try these two offers…

LUXE: Sofitel Singapore City Centre
From S$370++ per night enjoy a luxury room, daily breakfast, and a 3-course Chef’s Signature Dinner for two people at Racines, plus late checkout until 6pm.
Valid for stays between now and 1 Jan 2021 on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday only. (Max two-night stay) Book by 31 Dec 2020. For more info visit all.accor.com

BUDGET: ibis Singapore on Bencoolen is offering $130++ per room, twin share, and they’ll throw in a $15 dining credit per room each day. Valid until 1 Jan 2021. Book by 31 December 2020. For more information visit all.accor.com

Stop the Rot: Preventing Tooth Decay in Kids

  •  Sponsored Content 

Many parents have a tough time judging how much dental care their kids need. They know that they want to prevent tooth decay in their little ones, but don’t always know the best way to do so. Kids will often put up a fight when it comes to caring for their teeth, but the reality is if they don’t, tooth decay can set in, along with a host of painful problems.

The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research states that 42% of children from the ages of two to 11 have had cavities in their baby teeth, and 21% of children from the ages of six to 11 have had decay in their permanent teeth. This makes tooth decay the most prevalent chronic disease in children. To stop your child from being a statistic, prevention starts with you. Here are five basic components of a good preventive program for your child.

Good Home Care – A Team Effort

A good home care routine is essential. Even before teeth appear, your baby’s gums can be gently cleaned with a washcloth. Once teeth appear, you can clean them with a soft baby brush and water. From ages 3-6, a pea-sized amount of kid’s toothpaste can be used – parents should ensure that their kids are spitting out, not swallowing their toothpaste. From 7 years, a pea-sized amount of adult’s toothpaste can be used. Your kids should be brushing their teeth twice daily.

Flossing is necessary in kids, especially if they don’t have gaps between their teeth. This should be done once daily. As your child grows, so will their independence, but don’t be too quick to let them brush and floss on their own. Children are not coordinated enough to clean their teeth thoroughly until they are about eight to 10 years old. Until then, you will have to work with them as a team.

Start Dental Visits Early

Make your first dentist visit when the first tooth becomes visible or when your child turns one – whichever comes first. While you might not think it’s necessary to book an appointment until your baby has a full set of teeth, which occurs at about age three, the earlier your child visits the dentist the better. This allows your child to get used to the dental clinic and your dentist to check the growth and development of their teeth. This also is a great time to ask questions about teething, fluorides, home care, pacifiers and thumb-sucking. Children should visit their dentist every six months.

Fight Acid Attacks with Healthy Snacks

When the bacteria in your mouth are fed sugars, they produce acids which break down your teeth. These acids are produced approximately 20 minutes after eating and are responsible for dissolving tooth enamel and causing cavities in children.

To prevent baby bottle tooth decay, avoid putting any sugary drinks in the bottle, limiting the contents to formula, milk and water. Avoid putting your baby to bed with a bottle containing anything other than water. The sugars in formula and milk can damage their teeth while sleeping.

Try to limit their consumption of sugary foods and drinks such as lollies, soft drinks and even savoury biscuits, snack bars and muffins. If you do give your child a snack- its best to stick to mealtimes only and limit grazing. Choose unprocessed foods such as vegetables, cheeses and lean meats. Your child’s diet plays a significant role in the prevention of tooth decay – discuss your child’s diet with your dentist at their next check-up.

Fluoride Makes Strong Teeth

Fluoride is a mineral that helps strengthen tooth enamel and makes teeth more resistant to decay-causing acids in the mouth. There are many sources of fluoride: Community water supplies, fluoride toothpastes, rinses and gels, fluoride supplements and fluoride treatments at the dentist. If your child displays a high risk for dental decay, your dentist will recommend a fluoride treatment as part of their six-monthly check-up.

Seal Out Tooth Decay

The chewing surfaces of a child’s back teeth often have very deep grooves where food and bacteria can hide, and cavities can start. The good news is that your dentist can place a clear barrier, called a fissure sealant, into the grooves to protect them from decay. Sealants lasts several years and are a highly effective and important preventative therapy.

If you want to protect your child’s teeth from decay, try to adhere to these five basic preventive strategies. There’s no denying that the payoff will be well worth it: You will have a child with a great smile that is cavity and pain free.

Dr Yasmin Huber 

Dental Essence

 

Planet Friendly Furniture

What is Flexisnug?
We offer sustainable, affordable furniture rental solutions to people in Singapore with temporary furnishing needs. Our high-quality pieces reflect our values of eco-consciousness and sustainability. Whether you’re renting for a few days, months, or years, we’ll take care of the delivery and removal services.

How does it work?
You select the rental period and the products you would like to have delivered. The longer the rental period, the lower the monthly price. At the end of period, you can extend, buy, return the products or even change to other products. You can also buy the products at any time and all payments made will be deduced from the retail price.

What brands do you offer?
We offer solid wooden furniture from Ethnicraft, accessories from Notre Monde, outdoor metal furniture from Fermob, chairs from Woven +, rugs from Grey House, cushions from Mae Woven. We are working hard to source few new brands. All products go through our dedicated workshop for maintenence and professional cleaning before being rented again.

What is the eco benefit of renting over buying furniture?
It helps to reduce furniture waste that will end up in landfills. It also reduces pollution from furniture production and international transport. When Flexisnug is repacking items, we do all we can to avoid plastic use. Our movers use reusable blankets during the moving process, and we reuse our carton boxes as many times as possible. We also work closely with our suppliers on how they can limit the amount of plastic and foam used in their packing materials and opt for recycled or recyclable materials instead. All our wooden products come with eco-certification such as 100% FSC certified – wood harvested from forests that are responsibly managed, socially beneficial, environmentally conscious, and economically viable.

Jonathan Roelandts, MD of Soul & Tables and Flexisnug

Why is sustainability important?
It’s the main reason we launched it! Being a nature lover, I wanted to start a company with a strong sustainability purpose. I studied a few other options, such as plastic recycling, but I eventually came up with the concept of sustainable furniture rental.

What are the waste problems in furniture/home decoration?
Consumers are increasingly buying poorly and cheaply made furniture that they dispose of after a few years, rather than quality products that pass from generation to generation. Unfortunately, this is not without consequence for Mother Earth and contributes to one of the major current ecological challenges: waste management.

How do you personally live a green lifestyle in Singapore?
I do a lot of errands by bike and avoid single-use plastic as much as I can. I’m also a conscious shopper and don’t excessively consume things I don’t really need or won’t use regularly. For a few years I’ve also drastically reduced my meat consumption.

Finish this sentence: ‘We can save the planet if we all…’
…do our part.

flexisnug.com.sg
facebook.com/flexisnug
instagram.com/flexisnug
9011 1149

Feeling Crafty?

Crafting is known to be therapeutic and with the Easter weekend ahead we found some great ideas around the internet for you and or the kiddos to try.

May they bring you a moment or two of peace, joy and happiness.

Happy Easter!

Some ideas from Mud Mates in NZ

The Kidspot Easter Craft Collection will have you busy for days

20+ Easter Crafts for Kids from the team at Woman’s Day

14 Eggcellent Easter Crafts & Activities from Bright Star Kids

And from the team at bhg.com.au

Surviving COVID-19 with Teens at Home

The current pandemic is unprecedented for us all and although the physical risk is less extreme for teenagers, their mental wellbeing may well be affected. Teenagers tend to value peer group interaction highly and teen years are a key stage in emotional and social development. Interactions with friends have been curtailed and they find themselves back in the family home, just as they were stretching their wings. Furthermore, parents have found their homes occupied by teenagers that would normally be at school, playing sport and or seeing friends. This can be an unsettling shift in the normal family dynamic which may cause challenges. Below is some advice on how we can help our teens cope with this shift in circumstances:-

1. Be positive role models
Teenagers will be watching their parents to gauge how to react to the current health crisis. This is a challenging time and they will be looking to their role models for cues. It is difficult to strike the right balance – if parents are lax and blasé, they will fail to grasp the seriousness of this situation.
Similarly, if parents are over-anxious, it will heighten their anxiety. Talk to your teenagers to see how they are coping and answer their questions honestly. Explain to them we do not know how things will evolve but measures are being taken to keep us all safe. No- one knows what the future holds and we cannot control macro events – however we can control our reaction to these events and our own environment. It is best to focus on what we can control.

2. Educate them on fact vs fiction in news
Use this opportunity to discuss the difference between fake and real news. Guide them towards evidence based trusted resources (for example; Ministry of Health (MOH), UNICEF, World Health Organisation (WHO) websites). Explain to them not everything they see on social media is true and the best way to keep informed is by looking at credited resources as a counter balance to unreliable content.
Discuss the use of memes and gif’s. As adults we know that humour can help us manage our emotions in times of uncertainty and stress. However, to teenagers they can be confusing by sending mixed messages. We can all enjoy the fun content (and may need it at times) but its role is as a counter balance to the seriousness of the situation.

3. Social distancing
With more stringent measures teenagers will not be able to spend with friends. This is especially trying for adolescents who actively crave peer group interactions. There are many apps which enable virtual communications (Houseparty, Facetime, Skype etc.) and these tend to work better than texting as they require face to face verbal communication. These will address feelings of isolation and anxiety.

4. An opportunity for family time
Although this situation has been imposed on us all, try to shift your perception to view this as an opportunity to reconnect, talk and develop deeper connections with your teen. This may be challenging – adolescents do not always want to open up – but the situation gives parents more chances to find that moment when connection is possible. It is entirely normal that your teen may thwart parental attempts to connect (they are a teenager after all) but most importantly they will take note that their parents care. This expression of care and love provides the key message of ‘safety’ at this unsettling time. We may never have this much time to spend with our loved ones, and as life goes back to normal, our busy lives will no doubt once again take over. Grab this opportunity.

5. Physical Exercise
Taking daily exercise is very important for our ongoing mental health. Physical exercise helps feelings of anxiety, decreases stress, increases self-esteem, releases endorphins (which create feelings of happiness) and enables better sleep. All of these benefits are important at the best of times, but certainly in the midst of the current situation.
It can be hard to galvanize teenagers to take exercise if they are not inclined. Explaining how it can help their physical and mental well being will help. In addition, find what format of exercise appeals to your child (maybe ‘going for a walk’ will always be met negatively but ‘lets go shoot some hoops’ or ‘lets do online family workout’ will be more positively received). Lastly, some practical suggestions on how to navigate this time:
– Ensure your teen goes outside at least once a day
– Ensure your teen takes at least 30 min exercise a day making sure to follow social distancing rules (walk,  bike ride)
– Suggest your teen video calls his / her friends (not just texting) and ask about how each
other are feeling
– Talk to your teen about the health crisis and role model helpful behaviours

– Look out for signs of anxiety and seek medical assistance if you are concerned

Some resources that may help:
UNICEF: https://www.unicef.org/coronavirus/how-teenagers-can-protect-their-mental-health-during-coronavirus-covid-19
Centre Disease Control: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/managing-stress-anxiety.html
For art lovers: https://www.voicesofyouth.org/campaign/covid-19-and-youth-mental-health
Raising Children, an Australian website on teenagers and anxiety: https://raisingchildren.net.au/pre-teens/mental-health-physical-health/stress-anxiety-depression/anxiety

Dr Gina Dahel is a paediatric doctor based at IMC Children’s. Call 6887 4440 to make an
appointment.

Let’s Keep Our Players Active!

As we practice social distancing in line with government guidelines, we want to help everyone keep their kids active and fit, both for their current health and for future game-readiness. For some of our players who are now distance learning, these soccer-related workouts may also help fulfill daily gym/PE requirements.

Below are some resources to help your players stay fit, practice ball skills, and continue having fun through soccer. Searching online will yield many other options to fit your children’s needs and circumstances. We do caution that parents keep an eye on their children’s searches, as of course tech companies’ algorithms can lead to kids viewing endless videos rather than getting up and exercising!

Some of the following workouts may require parental supervision. Some can be done at home, while others require a wall, grassy area, pool, or space to run. Of course, many require a ball! We remind everyone NOT to go to The Cage, Turf City for workouts, as the entire venue is closed to use. However, public parks, park connectors, and other open spaces are all available. Parents serve as kids’ primary role models, so we encourage the entire family to get active!

Encourage your kids to set themselves some goals for improving their skills. Possible goals might be:

  • complete a certain number of one-touch passes with a partner
  • improve your left-foot skills (or right-foot, for our lefties)
  • juggle to a certain number, or with feet or thighs only, or with only one foot/leg
  • run farther, or faster, or both
  • learn or improve your throw-ins
  • learn basic goalie skills to be a more versatile player
  • shoot at and hit a target multiple times in a row

While ANZA Soccer teams should not physically practice together at this time, we encourage teams, via team chats, to share players’ goals, create team challenges, or just connect with each other socially. 

With best wishes for continued health and fitness,

ANZA Soccer Committee

 

Links to stay active and improve soccer skills

Ball Skills

Throw-ins

Goalie skills

Cardio fitness for soccer players

Muscle fitness for soccer players