You can spoil your child and bless another at this year's kids expo

It’s time for The Herald First Choice Kids and Baby Expo again.

We will be going and I’m pretty excited because I think Aidan will finally be able to get involved and enjoy what they have to offer (play area, meet Barney, that sort of thing).

He was too young last year so this one should be more “him” orientated than us getting ready for him, if that makes sense.

I’m also very chuffed with the charity aspect of the expo because there are just so many kids who can do with our assistance 🙁 So this year instead of just taking things home we will be taking things there . . . Allow me to explain

Visitors are encouraged to bring along a toy to donate to the Uviwe Child and Youth Service’s Care Zone Toy Library. Aidan is very blessed to have in abundance so we will be packing a few things in to take along… He is probably to young to fully “get” what we are doing, but I wan’t to instil the importance of charity in him from a young age so this is an awesome start.

The Toy Library stall will focus on the importance of play and what their toy library is doing in the community. They would definitely make use of any and all donated toys, games, puzzles and books – for all ages.(Their youngest child using their toy library is 2 and the oldest 13)

So if you have anything extra DON’T BE SHY 🙂

If you don’t have, you can still get involved by purchasing Story stones (R2.50 per stone or R45 for a set of 20 stones) and their Uviwe beaded bracelets ( R7 each)

The stones lend themselves to story telling games but can be used for much more…

“They can form the foundation of literacy skills when used as story writing prompts for older children and building vocabulary for younger children; and early maths skills when used to group stones, make patterns, match, sequence, count and order.

Through story telling children learn to distinguish make believe from real life and can explore fears and problem solving for real life experiences. Story telling also promotes language and vocabulary development, sparks a child’s imagination and gets them talking about what they see, think, feel and understand about the world. In short, they are awesome.”

They will also be running a raffle where people stand a chance to win one of two Uviwe Teddy Bears

You can also support the Thandu’sana Babies Safe Home for abused and abandoned babies by donating a R100 to their ‘Feed our Babies for a day’ campaign.

(The Feed a Baby for a day campaign is a roster where for R100 you can feed the babies in the home their milk formula. It’s a great concept to give on a loved one’s birthday or special day, they receive a card saying that they fed the babies at Thandu’sana for a day, thanks to their friends donation.)

Alternatively visitors can volunteer to actively participate in the charity by visiting the home and assist with feeding the babies. “This simple act allows these little bundles of joy to experience the kind of affection that is so much needed, the love from adult to child that will help them grow as individuals.” Said Thandu’sana co-ordinator Lorna Lamerton. Donations such as nappies, baby toiletries, wet wipes, examination gloves, clothes, toys, any groceries or cleaning items and even cash which is a big need will also be welcomed with open arms.

– Efa Bamboo nappies will be running a special in aid of the Thandu’sana Babies Safe Home, every 12^th nappy sold will be donated to the Charity; they welcome any nappy donations to the Charity as well.

Hope to see you at the expo at Moffet on Main lifestyle centre between Oct 3-5