Dressing up, collecting treats and exploring the neighbourhood are all part of Halloween fun. But a little planning can help parents keep excited trick-or-treaters safe. Halloween is an exciting time of year for children. Combine dressing up with going out to collect treats and you have...

This month there is an interesting collection of new picture books;  some with an important message and one raising money for Rural farmers suffering from the recent effects of floods and drought. A Flair for Hair by Bilyana Di Costanzo & illustrated by Mauro Di Costanzo (New...

Without some of the structures of days gone by, today’s mums can feel all at sea, writes Angela Rossmanith. “The bottom line is that women want someone to listen to their needs and concerns and help them address these needs. When a midwife who knows the...

This is the easiest cake because you don’t even need to turn on the oven, just your handy thermomix. Try this no-bake carrot cake recipe....

Dr Karen Brooks wonders what lessons our kids are learning from modern adaptations of classic children’s stories. What lessons are these sumptuous, happily-ever-after tales of beautiful and very stereotyped boys and girls, ethnicity, love and romance really teaching our kids, if they’re teaching them anything at...

World Chocolate Day is celebrated annually on July 7th.  This is a day to indulge in your favourite chocolate, whether it is chocolate milk, hot chocolate, a chocolate candy bar, chocolate cake, brownies or something covered in chocolate. Fermented beverages made from chocolate date back to 450 BCE...

Ingredients: 4 Tbsp raising flour 2 Tbsp sugar 2 Tbsp cocoa 1 egg 3 Tbsp milk 3 Tbsp vegetable oil 1/2 tsp vanilla essence 1 Tbsp chocolate chips Method: In a large mug, place all the dry ingredients and mix well with a spoon. Use the spoon to grind all the cocoa against the...

Elizabeth Bate is driven batty by cultural confusion over her son’s superhero party. When my husband, Martin, offered to dress up as Batman as a surprise for our son Sam’s fifth birthday party, I was enormously relieved. In this modern age of competition, children’s birthday parties...

Dianne Krissansen lets the humble balloon become her party entertainer! Fortunes: Provide a balloon for each guest. Pour confetti into each deflated balloon. Write a ‘fortune’ or message on a small strip of paper and roll it up so it fits through the funnel too. Blow the...