by Fiona Ingram, a  South African writer who loves books, travel, animals, antiques, and adventures of all kinds! Read Fiona’s

The theatre production of Jock of the Bushveld will open at  Joburg Theatre this week. There’s also an animated full-length  3D  feature movie in the making. For those of you who haven’t read this well loved book,  let me tell you something about this wonderful children’s book.

Jock’s History

Jock of the Bushveld is a true story by Sir Percy Fitzpatrick, recounting his adventures in the Lowveld in the late 19th century, with his dog, Jock. The book tells of Fitzpatrick’s travels with his dog, Jock, during the 1880s, when he worked as a storeman, prospector’s assistant, journalist and ox-wagon transport-rider in the Bushveld region of the Transvaal (then the South African Republic). Fitzpatrick later recounted these adventures as bedtime stories to his four children. Rudyard Kipling, a good friend of Fitzpatrick, also took part in these storytelling evenings and eventually persuaded him to collect these tales in book form. Illustrations for the book were done by Edmund Caldwell, a brother of Mary Tourtel, creator of Rupert Bear.

The book was first published in 1907 and had an extremely warm reception, being reprinted four times in that year alone. Since then it has achieved the status of a classic South African book and has been also widely read abroad—more than one hundred editions have been printed and it has been translated into Afrikaans, Dutch, French, Xhosa and Zulu, amongst others. Jock was saved by Fitzpatrick from being drowned in a bucket for being the runt of the litter (he would ruin the litter if left with them). Jock was very loyal towards Percy, and brave.

Sir Percy’s History

Eventually after five years of transport riding, tsetse fly infected all Sir Percy’s oxen and he was ruined. He walked penniless into Barberton, all the way from Louw’s Creek, found a job and also a wife, Lilian Cubitt, whom he married. After that Sir Percy relocated to Johannesburg and was then employed by the Johannesburg mining group, the Corner House. He gave Jock to a friend of his, who in time gave the dog to a trader who had a store in Mozambique at a place known as Old Pessene. There Jock was killed one night when he rushed out to attack a stray dog that was raiding the fowl run. Jock killed the thief but was then shot when his master mistook him in the darkness for the other dog. Jock permanently lost his hearing when a kudu cow kicked him. Loss of hearing is attributed as one of the main reasons he died, as he could not hear Tom Barnett when he called him, and was mistakenly shot, because he was thought to be the dog killing chickens on the farm.

Jock was an English Staffordshire Bull Terrier. There is a statue of Jock in front of the City Hall in Barberton, Mpumalanga, South Africa.

Jock at the Movies

The 3D animated feature film of  Jock of the Bushveld is in the initial stages of production, with 26 artists, animators and technicians busy in their Johannesburg studios. Some 59 scenes have already been completed using the latest computer-assisted animation, and soon the project will be marketed abroad. Another big scoop is the involvement of some big names in the entertainment industry such as musical writing superstar Tim Rice, and local singers Johnny Clegg and Nianell. A major coup for the filmmakers is Archbishop Tutu’s involvement. He’ll be lending his sonorous voice to a small but key part involving spirituality.

An important part of the movie marketing plan is to focus on education in the Mpumalanga Lowveld, which is the setting for Jock’s story. Corporate sponsorship will contribute to community upliftment and awareness.

Books vs Movies or Theatre

Kids love movies of books, and sometimes see the movie first. Although parents may worry that the movie is a substitute for the book, this is generally not the case. It’s a golden opportunity for parents to suggest that they add to the enjoyment by getting the book/s. Similiarly with the theatre production. Parents can encourage their children to get onto the computer and look up everything they can possibly find about the movie, the plot, the characters, the actors—it’s all reading, whether in book or electronic format. Once hooked on a great book, any child will return to that beloved adventure time and time again. I will be seeing the show next eweek and doing my review.  So watch this space for more

Kerry Haggard is mom to Daniel (5) and Matthew (2), the two most beautiful boys that ever there were. She spends her weekends hunting the suburbs for that elusive combination: a restaurant with good food where her boys can play without breaking the furniture and crockery. Follow her on Twitter: @KerryHaggard

As a point of principle, a while ago I refused to go to the Twigs restaurant at the Garden Centre on the corner of Jan Smuts Avenue at the lower side of Rosebank – even though it has one of the nicer kiddies’ playgrounds in a restaurant near my home. The food was good when they got your order right, but the service was indifferent at best and shocking at worst. Apart from my own bad experiences, I could no longer deal with my husband’s grumpiness about the place, as it was his orders that they seemed to mess up the most.

So when I saw that the restaurant had changed to munch, I took a deep breath and arranged to meet my friend and her grandlets there on Saturday afternoon. What a pleasant surprise!

The covered patio now goes around two sides of the building, and the décor is mostly white with touches of lilac. All very elegant, and very Parktown North. The menu is much smaller, but I think that allows the chef to be more focused. The hamburgers are still to die for, the roasted butternut and beetroot salad special was hearty and tasty, and my friend’s fish and chips looked outstanding. They still have the pizza oven, and although pizzas are not on the menu, it seems that they have pizza specials each day according to inspiration or available ingredients.

Munch also has a kiddies’ menu, with classics like toasted sarmies, fish fingers and baby pizzas (which looked big enough to satisfy my appetite) – basic food, but the kind of food that little people love.

The staff are interested, attentive and friendly, although it took a lot of waving to attract enough attention to get the bill.

Main courses for adults are between R50 and R70 per plate on average, while the children’s food is around R30 per portion.

The good: The playground has been updated a bit, and is still a huge hit with the littlies.

The bad: There isn’t a bad – we had a great time, ate good food, and look forward to going back.

The ugly:  You need to use loos which belong to the GardenShop nursery.  They are  dingy, dark and far away from the restaurant, and there are still no changing facilities to cater for littlies with junk in their trunk.

Click here for more info about munch

by Tanya Kovarsky mother of baby Max, a magazine editor, and 8-time Comrades Marathon runner. Aside from her family and friends, she considers chai tea, her Blackberry, running shoes, baby jogger, Grey’s Anatomy, Glee and Twitter among the great loves of her life. Follow Tanya on Twitter @TanyaKovarsky

PUTUMAYO KIDS: AFRICAN DREAMLAND

I’ve long been a fan of the Putumayo World Music (particularly Africa and Reggae), and I wasn’t disappointed by African Dreamland, a collection of gentle and calming songs from ex Africa. The album kicks off with our very own Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s Nomathemba,and is followed by equally rhythmic and enchanting sounds from Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Guinea, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Equatorial Guinea, Mali and Cape Verde. The songs are beautiful and relaxing, and we found them a good part of our bedtime routine. I think the album’s appeal extends beyond children, and I found it as enjoyable with my little one, as I did relaxing after a dinner party with friends.  Visit Putumayo Kids to find out more.

Good to know: A portion of the proceeds of the sale of this CD will be donated to NextAid (a non-profit organisation that helps African children).

BABIES LOVE COLLECTION

It’s widely known that classical tunes have a huge impact on the cognitive development of fetuses and babies, so when it comes in the form of Michael Jackson, Abba, U2, Madonna and The Rolling Stones, then that’s music to my ears! (and my baby’s). The Babies Love Collection features the “best of” certain artists in classical form, and it’s brilliant for adults and babies. As if to test the soothing nature of the albums, my baby had a few midnight wake-ups, and this music definitely calmed him – and me – and seemed to lull him back to sleep a lot easier than usual. If you’re wondering how amazing I Can’t Get No Satisfaction, or Don’t Stand So Close To Me sound in classical form, then you must give Babies Love a listen. Beautiful stuff. Click here to find out more about Babies Love

BEAUTIFUL LULLABIES: BY ED JORDAN AND ALAN GLASS

Just as I was wondering how Beautiful Creatures could possibly add another album to their collection, along comes Beautiful Lullabies, which is a collection of their top lullabies from all their albums, and so worth having. Lovely lyrics (words included in the CD insert) and beautiful tunes make for a great album, and they’re catchy – I found myself singing some of the choruses days after! As with the other CDs, I loved the “localness” of this CD, and the fact that it’s “parent friendly” – no cheesy tunes or lyrics here. I look forward to singing along and winding down to this CD through the toddler years and beyond. Click here to find out more about Beautiful Creatures

by Tanya Kovarsky mother of baby Max, a magazine editor, and 8-time Comrades Marathon runner. Aside from her family and friends, she considers chai tea, her Blackberry, running shoes, baby jogger, Grey’s Anatomy, Glee and Twitter among the great loves of her life. Follow Tanya on Twitter @TanyaKovarsky

EXPLORE  PLAY – Year One

I have long stopped reading about where my baby “should be” with his milestone developments, so I was a little nervous about watching Explore Play, frightened that the experts would be telling me that my baby would be ruined for life since he wasn’t crawling or feeding himself with a spoon. I needn’t have worried, for on Explore Play, it felt like I had found friends, who encourage humour rather than strict rules when playing with babies, and who give extremely useful advice that any mom, new or experienced, can benefit from.

Explore Play sets out to encourage play and support milestone development, and features the producer Tanya Haffern, along with Ann Richardson (of Baby Sense fame), and Shannon Eggers, a play therapist. The DVD is divided into four sections (0-3 months, 4-6 months, 7-9 months and 10-12 months) and features discussions and play ideas relating to each baby stage. The play section is divided in outdoor, kitchen, water and general, plus there are safety tips, and a helpful ingredients list (ie what you need for each game). Before each game, we are also told which skills are developed (eg physical, intellectual, language).

One of the first bits of expert advice is that your baby is an individual with his own strengths, that no two babies develop the same way, and that milestones happen along a natural path of progression. My favourite advice though was that we should relax, take pleasure in our babies, enjoy playtime, and never make it a mission or chore.

There are great discussions and advice around stimulation and overstimulation (echoing Ann’s BabySense philosophy), and how to understand your baby and read their cues. I felt it would have been useful to cross-reference to pictures or real babies while the experts were talking so that the viewer could have visually “got” what they were talking about.

I liked many of the games, and appreciated that most of the materials can probably be found at home. The games are age-appropriate, though I’ve already tried some of the younger games with my baby, and he loved them, while two or three of the games in his category are a little bit too tricky. But as the experts in Explore Play say, if babies aren’t ready or enjoying a game, move on, and try again the following week. Our favourites have been water balloons and syringe squirting in the bath, a play drawer in the kitchen, and flowers in floating water.

I will definitely follow Explore Play Year Two when we’re ready for more fabulous advice, reassurance and play ideas that come with no guilt or big expense!

Click here for  information about Explore Play

BABYNASTICS (3-6 months, 6-9 months, 9-12 months)

With so many baby stimulation classes out there, I often worry that as a working mom, I don’t have the op portunity to participate with my 10-month-old son in them, plus I’m sometimes concerned that maybe he is not reaching his development potential. So I was ecstatic (and relieved of the guilt) when I came across a DVD that offers easy and accessible stimulation exercises at home.

The exercises, formulated in conjunction with a paediatric occupational therapist, are aimed at encouraging brain and body development, and can be followed straight from the TV (think Jane Fonda aerobics for parents and babes!). The three DVDs have exercises and advice for each respective age group (eg learning when to stimulate for 3-6 months, developing skills for sitting, rolling and crawling for 6-9 months, developing gross and fine motor skills for 9-12 months). The DVDs don’t assume that your baby will definitely be at a certain stage, and so exercises are adapted, for example in cases where babies are crawling, and when they’re not.

What I loved is that the exercises are easy to watch and do – they’re gentle and fun, and often done while singing songs or using basic equipment such as different textures, boxes, paper or a stability ball. What’s more, you’ll probably find that you do some of the exercises already, without realising it. The exercises aren’t too overwhelming, but when my baby did get tired or lose interest, I simply stopped and started when he was ready again, as per the suggestion.

Another reason why I liked this DVD series is that there’s “real talk” from mom to baby – no baby talk or cootchie coos. My baby’s childminder has also watched the series and enjoyed it, and it feels like we’re effortlessly adding more stimulation exercises daily. Now if only there was an adult version of the DVD that could help one shed those last few post-preggo kilos!

Click here for more information on Babynastics or to order accessories

by Axel Bührmann, a journalist, publisher, and aspiring photographer, with a long-lasting interest in Geekdom (that’s the world of computers and consumer electronics). He takes far too many photographs, but is willing to share them on Flickr You can also visit his website

Made our second trip to the Simba Delta Park Playground yesterday – still impressed at how neat and clean it seems to be, etc. (Went there on the day of the opening – did wonder, this being Jozi and all, how long it would last!). Even risked a boerie roll (at only R15 – this is not Cape Town, that’s for sure!), and am still alive to tell the tale. Should have been someone selling coffee – the li’l place was humming. In fact, a Simba chip or two would not have gone astray.

A minor concern; just to the right (facing north) of the playground is a little bridge and beyond that a small dam – we can see how easily it may be for kiddies to wander off in that direction. Just seemed a bit unsafe.

Other than that, a good time was had by all, as you will see via my “spy cam”

People were braaing and picnicking to such an extent that I started looking around for the Ayoba sign somewhere (Rainbow Nation/World Cup spirit and all)

Echoes of Wallace and Gromit (you can see I’m the parent of a toddler!),  as there was even a lady who took her toaster out for a day in the sun
Guess we’ll be back, but next time with some more of our own sustenance.

Does anyone have any idea how many more of these will be going up? I seem to recall reading about quite a number, but judging by the quality of the playground, I’m sure each sends the Simba chaps back a bit in the wallet region.

Corinne Lamoral is a freelance writer and media consultant, practicing part time corporate communications. She lives with her husband and three children on a koppie in Johannesburg where she pretends the distant hum of traffic is the ocean.

Perfect family movie -Marmaduke (NuMetro)

Marmaduke is a well-meaning, lovable Great Dane trying to make friends in a new neighbourhood when his owners move from Kansas to California. Just like his owner, who is trying to impress his new boss, Marmaduke gets caught up trying to impress all the cool dogs in the neighbourhood.  With a hilarious depiction of the dog park as a microcosm of a typical high school complete with geek dogs, drama dogs, jock dogs and bimbo dogs (Afghans), the script is clever and fresh with a huge cast of memorable doggy characters. Voiced by Owen Wilson, you can just imagine Marmaduke’s big goofy grin as he talks.  There are some corny, over the top moments, but on the whole it’s a good family movie with a sweet, down to earth message about friendship and family. Oh and the surfing scene is great fun – my children could not stop laughing and they all refer to Marmaduke as the surfing dog movie, even though it’s just a small part of the overall action.

Age Restriction: All ages.

There have been a couple of children’s movies out during the holidays but it’s not always easy to find one that is perfect for a range of children, especially ones under 10.  Marmaduke is my top dog, if you’ll pardon the pun.  My children aged 4, 6 and 9 all enjoyed it.  While Joe (4) really loves the slush puppy and popcorn most, he laughed and thought the dogs were funny.  I found myself laughing out loud at times, so you won’t mind having to take the children for an outing either.

Trying to merge South African history and theatre into an entertaining musical that appeals to a wide range of audience members is no easy feat, and unfortunately the creators of the current Shaka Zulu musical were not up to it. Whilst the narrator, Lindani Nkosi, and actresses Candida Mosoma and Nobunthu Mpahlaza, who play Nandi and Mkhabayi respectively, gave outstanding performances, other characters fell flat during the show that lasts over two hours.

The production, performed in English, shows the life of Shaka Zulu from birth to death and the set design and costumes are excellent. However, the story which includes Shaka’s brutal battles, family feuds and ongoing turmoil has lost a lot of historic value and impact in its now simplified form.

The first half  is fast-paced and exciting to watch whilst the second half drags on a bit as Shaka’s life draws to a close. There are a few funny lines that helped lighten the mood.

The music is original work composed by Johan Voster and has breathtaking moments as the cast harmonise. The solos by Mosoma and Mpahlaza are definitely worth going to the production and hopefully as the cast get more settled into their roles they will be able to give a performance worth remembering.

I don’t recommend this play for children below 12 years of age if you’re wary of introducing your child to the concept of violence too young. However, high school students may find the musical interesting especially if they are studying Shaka Zulu in their history lessons. As for adults, this isn’t the ideal date night production but if you’re keen on watching something different give it a try.

What: Shaka Zulu – The Musical
Where: State Theatre – Pretoria
When: From 26 June 2010
Cost: R145 – R245 (Computicket)

by Sheena Gates, 

My boyfriend and I don’t have kids, probably because we’re still children at heart ourselves.  So it was no surprise when Jon suggested on Saturday morning that we go see Toy Story 3.  I was a little sceptical at first, “but shouldn’t we rather stay in bed and rather watch the movie when it’s out on DVD?” did not escape my thoughts, let me tell you.

An hour later, popcorn in hand and sitting down in the movie cinema, I had my goofy 3D glasses on and I was giggling away at the opening scenes of Woody, Buzz and crew and I remembered why I love pretending to be 12 years old.  Kids’ movies are just so much fun, and Toy Story 3 does not disappoint.

Andy is now an all grown up, car driving young adult off to college and has forgotten about playing with his toys.  Woody and Buzz Lightyear, his trusty old favourites are trying to convince the rest of the toys that their job is to still be there for their owner, even if that means being stuck up in the attic until Andy has children of his own one day.  Of course, Toy Story wouldn’t be Toy Story without some form of mishap or adventure, and soon the toys find themselves accidentally on the curb, heading for the big, scary toy-squashing rubbish dump.

Woody jumps in to save the day and suddenly the movie really kicks off.  With new characters brings new villains, and in this segment of the trilogy, the villain happens to be an old, cuddly teddy bear smelling of strawberries.  Another new addition to the storyline would be Ken and Barbie.  Oh my word, they bring such comic relief their intelligence questioned and more particularly, Ken’s sexuality being totally compromised, which definitely leaves the adults reeling with laughter at in-jokes that were made specifically to go over the kids’ heads.

The character development and story line is believable, it sucks you in so that you’re on the edge of your seat, cringing when necessary, and hoping against hope that our heroes will once again come out successful and happy survivors.

I am not afraid to admit that the ending, although totally predictable, had me in tears of joy and just the right amount of wanting more without feeling dissatisfied.  I also love the fact that they’ve left room enough for more movies in the franchise to come.

All in all, I’d give it a 7 out of 10.

One tiny little bit of criticism; the 3D element of the movie only really shows in the first five minutes of the movie.  I’m sitting here on my bed now trying to think of when else in the movie I noticed it and I’m drawing a blank.  So, honestly, I’m not sure it was worth the hundred and forty bucks we paid, when we could have easily seen Toy Story 3 for half that price and not missed out on any 3D effects, but still enjoyed the movie.

by Nikki Bush, a self-confessed parenting adventurer and mum to two boys. She is also an inspirational speaker, best-selling author, game designer and toy judge.   Her company is called the Bright Ideas Outfit.

During the next few crazy weeks of 2010, make time to connect with your child through play. Whether it’s a quick 10 minute game or a 30 minute one, it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you want to share the play space with your child for a while.  If you engage in this way playfully with your child on a regular basis, they will also be okay when you say, “Not now sweetie, because I have some work to do.”

Here is a short list of some of my top 20 game recommendations that would be great “bridge-builders” during the long Soccer World Cup holidays.  I have chosen them specifically because they:

For more information about the games listed below  click here.

2 – 4 YEARS

1. Mega Peg ‘n Play (R145.00)

A fabulous giant pegboard with large plastic shapes.  Great for matching, stacking adn first stage threading (threaders have a plastic needle on the end for easy use) - a must for all preschoolers.

2. No Spill Bubbles (R45.00)

3. Zingo (R150.00)

4. Bear Pairs (R75.00)

4 – 6 YEARS

1. Throw & Blow, a fun first boardgame for the 3 – 5 year olds that is versatile (can be played by 1-4 people) and is unique in that it is a speech game – you blow your way through the game! Players must blow their tokens around the board, picking up matching action cards and following the fun instructions such as:  “Lick your lips as if they are covered in sticky chocolate,” or “Meow like a cat.”   Throw & Blow is great fun for everyone. 15 – 20 minutes a game. **Special on this month, click here for details.

2. Flip to Win Memory Game (R150.00) Five to nine years.

3. Zingo (R150.00)

4. Hungry Caterpillar card game in a tin (R120.00)

6 – 10 YEARS

My First Brain Box (R150.00)

An outstanding visual memory game.  Take a look the picture side of the card until the timer runs out.  Throw the dice and answer the question with the corresponding number on the back of the card.  You have to remember what you saw in order to answer the question, eg. how many teddy bears were in the picture, or what colour was the ball?  10 – 15 minutes a game depending on the number of players.

Ducks in a Row (R140.00)

Question Mark Junior (R140.00)

Flip to Win Hangman (R150.00)

10 – Adult

Sketch-a-Story (R199.00) Eight years and up

Think, draw, tell, laugh like hell! One of the few games that really requires you to use your imagination by throwing stories or tales together in seconds.  This two-part boardgame is played in teams of two. One member of each team is the drawer and the other the storyteller (they alternate with each turn).  The storyteller has to come up with a wacky tale using the pictures drawn by his/her team mate.  For a long game move around the board according to the rules.  For a speedy game, times the number of correct words used by 2, 3 or 4 and move that many number of spaces.

Ducks in a Row (R140.00)

Brain Box World / Maths (R150.00)

Number Rings (R265.00)

Indahoo (R150.00)

Smart Ass in a tin (R120.00) Teen to adult (R120.00)

Smart Mouth (R150.00) Eight years and up

Bananagrams (R185.00)

Blokus Duo (R175.00) Seven years and up

Why not join me for one of my playful and insightful parenting workshops in July Beyond the Nappy Bag™, Parenting on the Run™ and Big Kid Fun™. Click here for more information

If you have ideas of great games to play with kids please share them with us.

by Melanie Minnaar who works in corporate marketing communications and is currently enjoying her maternity leave.  Mother to ‘archangels’, Michael and Gabriel,  wife to an IT consultant she is an information-junkie,  hooked on technology and online social networking. You can tweet her @MelanieMinnaar

I try to make dedicated time to spend with my son, Michael, as often as possible. Just the two of us – no daddy – no Gabriel. We were debating options this week when I saw an ad on Jozikids for a puppet show at the Bryanston Organic Market. He asked if it would be a ‘nice’ puppet show versus a ‘scary’ one. I reassured him that it would be the kind he would enjoy and crossed my fingers. (Win for mom too as I love exploring the market!)

Turns out that there was no finger-crossing required as the show was absolutely wonderful and by the show of delight on the young critics faces, it was definitely right on the money.  The audience actively engaged with the puppets spurring each other on to participate in a fun and lively manner.  Some parents also became quite engrossed with the story,  which kept the other adults entertained.

The story was themed around the soccer world cup where a little boy named Vuvuzela did not keep his promise to not kick the soccer ball that he was asked to look after, and did – all the way to the Kruger National Park!  The animals in the game reserve didn’t know what this foreign object was and tried to make sense of it all with hilarious results.  Eventually, Vuvuzela finds the ball and returns it to its owner, promising to keep his promise in future.  There are songs woven into the story-telling which captivated the minds of the children, some very good songs which I really wish I could remember the words to now.

The show lasts about half an hour and is followed by a puppet-making workshop. The audience ranged in age from 2 years to about 9 years of age. Michael left the show asking what the next story would be. And, did I mention that it’s FREE. In Sandton. Bonus!  The only unfortunate thing is that they only put on puppet shows once a quarter – but we’ll definitely be making a return visit for the next one.

Anyone interested in finding out where Spellbound Puppets will be performing their next puppet show, click here