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Remembering the days after the Christchurch earthquake on the 5th anniversary

22/2/2016

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On the eve of the February 22nd Christchurch earthquake I couldn't help but look back at an article I wrote for The Natural Parent magazine just days after it happened.  So much has happened since, but in some ways it feels like much less than five years.  I'm looking forward to the next five years in Christchurch and am excited about what may become of our beloved city.  We have such an important opportunity to cultivate the culture of our city to be one that is seen as a centre of mental health excellence internationally.

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February 22nd began as a very ordinary day, we are after all a very ordinary family.  At around 11am I finally got the kids engaged in an activity and had a shower.  I remember being really nervous, it was the first time I’d relaxed enough to have a shower since Sept 4th without another adult in the house, just in case.  The children and I began tidying up and making lunch.  We were expecting my mother in law at 1pm and the children were excited to be seeing their Nana.  Maia asked to play cards in her room, while Lachlan, who had a raised temperature was curled up on the couch watching TV.  I had a strong sense of wanting us to be in the same room, perhaps because I had aftershocks on my mind from the shower.

We dealt out the cards when out of nowhere Maia was thrown from her chair.  I leapt behind her, shoving her along the floorboards to the door frame, screaming at Lachlan to come to me. 

He froze.

It amazes me how much you can think in just 18 seconds, at how fast our thoughts can move through our minds.  I knew I had to get to him, but to do so I had to leave Maia, and I had to time it just right to avoid the huge teetering TV or cracking chimney breast that could crash on us at any moment .  I was also acutely aware that the floor boards were shifting under Maia, moving apart and back together again.  I moved and reached for him, still screaming.  I have no idea how I got to him, how I grabbed him or how I got him back to Maia and the doorway, where Maia lay across him and I braced myself over them both.  Everything was crashing and smashing around us. I thought I heard the hot water cylinder hit the floor. 

It eased. The house kept swaying and swaying.  I remembered to breath.

The floor was littered with broken pieces of our lives.  Amazingly my shoes were within reach and I pulled them on, scooping up both barefoot children to get us outside.  The force had thrown the back door open and I ran to the front gate.  The staff of the business next door were climbing over the rubble of the shop fronts, screaming to the people inside, all of whom escaped unharmed.  Dust, smoke, wailing and sirens, broken buildings and fallen houses. The absolute terror threatened to overwhelm me.  The children were curled up against the fence as small as they could be, staring ahead and trembling.  I cuddled them close as a huge aftershock swept over us, causing more bricks to fall and glass to shatter.  Hundreds of people started to appear through the dust, some dirty and bleeding, some carrying their shoes in total shock.  The horror of their experience etched on their faces.

I don’t think until that day I ever really put together that the way I feel about my children is the same way my parents feel about me.  The messages on my phone in the minutes afterwards are filled with fear and longing.  What I didn’t know when I heard them was that at the time my mother was moving her staff and clients through their broken building to the chaos outside.  My father was frantically messaging while manually operating the water pump outside the hospital’s Emergency Department.

The text  ‘I’m coming’ was from my mother in law,  who’d just stepped out of the lift from the 6th floor in the Ballantynes car park when the force of the shaking had thrown her to the ground.  Minutes earlier she had been catching up with an old friend.  Her friend went one way, she the other.  My mother in law to me, her friend to her death. 

Wave after wave of aftershock, wave after wave of terrified people filed past like zombies in a horror film.  Many stopped to report news, many times I cut them off as they talked of severed limbs and body bags in front of my trembling children.

I waited for my husband.  We watched the helicopter filling its monsoon bucket over and over, back and forth from the river to the CTV building.  Ash and dust filled the air.  A friend arrived, and then my mother in law, we kept the children warm, still no news from my husband. After 4 hours he appeared, head down from around the corner, I flew down the street into his arms.  We sobbed and held on to each other for dear life.  We still had no real idea about the extent of the devastation.  We didn’t know then that 78 000 would immediately flee the city, that the 58 000 people with jobs in the CBD wouldn’t be able to go to work, that 10 000 homes would be too broken to live in, or that hundreds of people would be trapped, missing or dead. 

Maia and Lachlan consider the central city to be their neighbourhood. It has their pool, their library, their Fire Station and their ducks. They are mourning the loss of the familiar, and are anxious about their present.  They have cultivated an intent wide eyed and wary expression.  At times I wonder who they are, and how to soothe them. 

We have returned to co-sleeping and I often find them entwined in each other’s limbs.  Their sleep is restless and often interrupted by nightmares.  They whimper and sweat and its difficult to draw them back out of the grip of the dream.  They have begun to settle to sleep more easily in their father's arms with the help of a sleepy aromatherapy blend kindly sent to us by a fabulous Wellington practitioner.  Thank goodness for the favourite stories and songs that have been so repetitive we can dozily spout them to soothe them back to sleep with new, more pleasant thoughts.

Lachlan was out of day nappies several months ago and I believe the return to day wetting signals his loss of focus, and his sudden pre-occupation with noises, and what makes them.  He’ll be 3 in June and I worry and wonder what impact this experience may have on his brain development.  I have, perhaps, read too many studies on the effects of adrenaline on the brain and am acutely aware that for him this isn’t a one off event but the continuation of what has been thousands of aftershocks, each as startling to him as the last.

I watch the children’s frustration at their loss of control and marvel at their ability to accept we’re not at home anymore.  I wish they were still small enough to carry in their sling, and I can’t stop thinking about how helpful it would be if they hadn’t weaned, although they spend so much time tucked under my arms that at times it still feels as if we are still physically one. 

We have visited our old home since the cordon was lifted and they have seen the neighbour’s houses without walls, and the shops on the corner, now rubble.  It has been a series of hard decisions about what to allow them to see and what to shield them from.  Its times like these that you realise how much the smallest members of our communities do see, how much they absorb, and how many questions it leads them to ask.  We have had many conversations about death, about life and about uncertainty and loss.  Maia is nearly five and wants to know it all, and she wants to know the truth and will call you on a watered down version of events that she suspects may contain half truths.  This is a child that announced the whole concept of Santa as ridiculous. 

So this is their reality and while I will continue to shelter them from what I can they have been back to the house, they’ve seen the diggers, the tanks and the men and women in uniform, all of whom have stopped to speak to the children, answer their questions and show off their equipment.
We work hard to bring them back to balance, allowing them choices without responsibility.  They feel a great sense of responsibility for others, and expect that others feel the same way about them.  They have learnt about basic necessities, and it gives them comfort to check that people have them.  They have developed relationships with our neighbours and in the last few weeks seem more at ease in adult company.  I worry about their isolation from other children as we all focus on our families and homes and I look forward to making visiting their friends a priority this week. 

They have been drawing prolifically, helped immensely by the thoughtful care packages full of clothes, toys, books and treasured art supplies that have arrived almost daily for them.  They have drawn their worries, their hopes and their fears.  Some reduce to me to tears, others fill me with hope that these resilient little people will come through this unscathed, stronger and more empathetic. 

I am aware that I’m failing to provide them with a model of self care.  Parenting is exhausting at the best of times, but trying to be effective through crisis while meeting the children’s basic needs, looking for a new home and keeping the business afloat is all consuming.  I have 4 contractors, their invoices and the families they support on my mind, thank goodness for the quick and decisive action from the Ministry of Social Welfare and their wage support package.  I’m short tempered, frustrated and forgetful.  I comfort myself that at least I’m demonstrating how to self correct your own behaviour when I scoop them up and apologise for shouting, again.

Our small, ordinary family is forever changed, and for the most part for the better.  A feeling of lightness is settling and I have a far greater sense of clarity.  I can’t remember the worries I went to bed with the night of the 21st February and so I can only assume they weren’t important, not important enough to still have an impact only 3 weeks later.  I don’t know what will happen next, no-one in Christchurch does.  We have been shaken awake and we will rebuild our city, our lives and our dreams, one brick at a time.
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Top 5 Tips For Sleep For Little Worriers

19/2/2016

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Worries plus hot Summer nights can make for some pretty stressful bedtimes.  We've heard from lots of parents this week asking help for their little worriers.  For many children in Christchurch the 5.7 mag earthquake on Sunday was their first experience of an earthquake and it made their emotions wobble as much as the ground did. It doesn't take a natural disaster to shake up a child's worries and bring them flooding to the surface.  All children benefit from a consistent bedtime routine, and having one can make the harder nights a little easier on everyone.

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You've Gotta be kidding right?

18/2/2016

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What? We launch a 5 minute film about managing anxiety and parenting through tough times like earthquakes...and there's a whopping great earthquake.  I try hard with the marketing but this was taking it a bit too far!

Many of us can take it our stride, we've seen worse however there are a large amount of small children who have just experienced their first earthquake, or the first one they remember.  There are also many families who are newer to Canterbury and for whom that would have been their first experience of an earthquake.

After yesterday’s quake, we can expect that the Worry Bug will be visiting a lot of households today and especially tonight.  He will be getting tricky with families, getting them feeling upset, scared and nervous.  He might suggest that the kids stay home from school, that they don’t do their normal activities, that they stay up all night worrying.
 
The kinds of thoughts he will be putting in people’s heads are
 
                                    What if there’s another quake?!!
                                    What if the house falls down?
                                    What if I’m not with my children/parents when it happens and I am scared?
 
It’s really important to start squishing these ideas before they get a hold, and for many of us that wont be easy.
As a parent, you are an expert on your child, so you will know what works for them.  Here’s some more ideas.
 
Get your child to name their fear, and to discuss it logically. 
For example, “What if there’s another quake?”  Try to pin down what is the actual fear here; often children have a vague sense of disaster, getting them to actually name what the fear is means that you can then move on with dealing with it. 
 If your child really wants to talk about the quakes all the time, schedule a specific limited time for this. 

Limit the media reports they're exposed to
           
Keep your adult worries away       
Provide a calm  and loving response;  from children.  If you are particularly upset, don’t talk about it with your children, get support from other adults you trust.
 
Story it up
For example “Ruaumoko just rolled over as he settles back to sleep” or “it’s just the earth settling back into it’s bed, still trying to get comfortable.”
 
Let them talk about it,but limit it.
Don’t let it take over, use distraction and play to get their minds off it.
 
Re-read “Maia and the Worry Bug” , the book dealing with earthquake anxiety provided free to all year 1-4’s in Canterbury.  Remind teachers about “Wishes and Worries” for use in the classroom. 
 
Watch the movie “Everything is going to be alright”
Watch it as a family together and talk about your responses to it.    https://youtu.be/HDFDlqPbSzk
 
Look for opportunities to have fun
Over the next few days, do things that you and your children enjoy, purposefully.
 
Live mindfully, be aware of the moment you are in right now.
 
Be aware that most of these symptoms in most children will be temporary, they should abate with time and thoughtful management.  If they don’t, get some help sooner rather than later. 
 
Sleeping tips
Don’t discuss earthquakes at night.  If children insist on it, say that you will discuss it at a specific time tomorrow, but not tonight.  If you want to talk about safety aspects, do this prior to bedtime and give children only the responsibility that they can manage for their age.
 
Keep routines
Turn off tv, devices, screens an hour before bed
Do a wind-down activity, reading together, talking quietly about calm things, before bed
Whilst lying quietly, spend some time thinking of the things that you are grateful for that have happened today.
Use a guided meditation from the internet or on a tape/cd.
Use relaxation techniques such as squeezing and relaxing each muscle in turn.


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Everything Is Going To Be Alright

12/2/2016

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So here we are, nearly five years on from the earthquake that devastated Christchurch on February 22 2011, and the 30 000+ wobbles that followed.  I'm cant sugar coat it, there have been some really trying times, for many, many people.  For some the pain of loss will stay with them for their life times.

We have learnt to parent differently here.  We've had to.  This video is full of wisdom borne of experience, by parents and children in Canterbury.  

Special thanks to the beautiful and insightful Noah, Aniwa, Nevaeh, Ari, Mia, Lia, Lox, Alex, Grace, Ben and Seraphine. Sarah, Jess, Clint, Michelle, Sarah, Ciaran and Tonya; I know you will inspire us all to reflect on protecting our mental health and that of our children and young people.

This project wouldnt have been possible without the generous support of The New Zealand Red Cross.

We cant speak highly enough of the creative and technical skills of Simon Waterhouse of Resonate who took our ideas and made them beautiful.



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Bloom Exhibition, The River of Flowers and Reflecting on Earthquakes

5/2/2016

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February 22nd 2016 marks five years since the 6.3 magnitude Earthquake that so dramatically and instantly changed the lives of Cantabrians.  Each year on February 22 people of all ages are invited by The River of Flowers to visit selected sites along the Avon river to place flowers in the river.  Its a beautiful time of community and individual reflection.

Today River of Flowers, Poetica, Flourish and The Canterbury Museum, under the vision of Michelle Whitaker, open
ed the Bloom Interactive Exhibition to mark the anniversary but to also celebrate all the writing that has come from the experiences of the Earthquakes.  The poems by Canterbury children displayed are remarkably beautiful, the importance of the author's mothers are a central theme is very moving.


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 You are invited to visit the exhibition, view some samples of the writing, write some poetry and to make a paper flower to add to the river in the museum, as well as to attend the sites along the Avon on February 22nd. The Arts in all forms have been a hugely healing part of Christchurch's recovery.  

The beautiful water colours by award winning illustrator Jenny Cooper from Maia and the Worry Bug and Wishes and Worries are displayed as part of Bloom.  Julie Burgess-Manning and I are so honoured to be part of this event and we will be attending a reading session on February 21st.  We'd love to have you in the audience.


I hope you can make some time to come into the museum during February and add you poems, flowers and hopes for the future to the interactive exhibition.  There is a lot more than is shown in the pictures above but we wanted to leave some surprises.

All the books featured in the exhibition are available for sale in The Museum Gift shop.


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For more information about other events please visit Flourish

​​5th Anniversary ​​"BLOOM"

In 2016, River of Flowers will again commemorate the 22 February 2011 earthquake. This will be the fifth 

anniversary and an important milestone for our people and city. For many this anniversary will be a poignant and significant time to reflect.
 
River of Flowers are partnering with Poetica and Canterbury Museum to produce a month- 
long interactive 

exhibition in February 2016 called Bloom. This temporary exhibition will tell the story of the Canterbury 
earthquakes, through messages of hope, flowers, stories and poetry tributes made by the people of 
Christchurch. 


The exhibition runs from 1 to 28 February 2016. 

On Monday 22 February, River of Flowers’ sites will be across the city to host local community commemorations. The exhibition at Canterbury Museum is designed to provide a space for people to reflect on the last five years and to explore the good in our recovery journey.


The exhibition is accompanied by three public programmes:

The Bloom Poetry Competition: 

Entries were run through schools and closed on 9 November. The topic of the poem, to be no longer than eight lines or 40 words, is “Who or what gave you strength to carry on after the earthquakes?” A panel of judges has 

chosen the five best poems which have been posted on the Poetica Facebook page.

The winning poem will feature in and inspire a mural created on a wall in the exhibition. The mural will be revealed on Monday, 4pm, 22nd February. The competition received over 100 entries.


Hand crafted River of Flowers: 

Primary school children have been invited to create a handcrafted flower that will form a river of flowers 

running through the Visitors Lounge in the Museum. Whole classes can take part and they can be brought into 
the Museum during the month of February. Alternately, individual children and families are welcome to bring 
theirs in or make them on site in workshops. 
(No living flowers can be brought into the Museum or be part of the handcrafted flower as they can carry bugs 
that could harm the treasures in the Museum).

River of Poetry: 

Poetry can be written directly onto the walls of the Visitor Lounge in designated areas combining to make a 

river of reflective poetry on the Canterbury earthquakes, the last five years and the future of our city. All High 
Schools and Youth Groups are welcome to work with students and bring them in to write up their poems on the walls. Individual young people, friends and family can also come into the Museum and get help on site to create their poem during the month.

Readings from local authors: 

We have an abundance of great authors and poets who have reflected beautifully on the earthquakes and our 

story since. A curated sample of writing from each of our nine invited authors will be exhibited. This gives 
visitors a chance to read and reflect through other’s powerful words throughout the month. On Sunday 
afternoon’s author’s and poets will read from their books phrasing our collective experience in a powerful way. Sessions will have authors, poets and children’s book authors with time at the end for questions and 
open mic for budding poets.

The River of Flowers facebook will have up to date information about the events and activities before and during February 2016 

Readings by local authors and poets
2.00 pm - 3.00 pm every Sunday on February
Question time and open-mic for poets follow all sessions​

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Minimising Starting School and Back to School Worry and Anxiety

31/1/2016

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Most New Zealand school children are now enjoying the last few days of summer holidays.  Many children are raring to get back to school, however some children will be apprehensive, even a little bit (or a lot!) anxious about the first few days.
 
Kids who are starting school for the first time or moving to a new school have to cope with the biggest adjustment, but even moving up a year level means facing more academic demands, a new teacher, making new friends, or re-establishing old friendships. For some kids, this is a breeze, but for others the last few days of the holidays can be stressful.  They may show their worry by struggling to get to sleep, challenging behaviour or tearfulness.  We’ve put together some simple strategies to support you to support your kids.  If you have any more that you’re happy to share please leave them in the comments section below.

Have a play in the school playground
Playing alongside your kids can be an easy way to get them talking about what they might be worried about.  This creates an opportunity to offer some strategies for if their worst worry comes to fruition.  What if they have no-one to play with?  Where will they eat their lunch? 
It’s a bonus if you spot some other children there at the same time.

Create or increase your child’s familiarity with their new teachers, or teachers
All kids need to feel connected to their teacher to feel comfortable in the classroom, and in a team teaching environment this is just as important. Until they do, they are not ready to learn. Teachers know this, and “collect” their students emotionally at the start of the school year.
Print a photo of the teacher from the school website, or email the office and ask them to send one.  Stick the picture to the fridge and speak positively about her/him.  This adult is going to be hugely important to your child this coming year, supporting your child to feel like you, the teacher and your child are on the same team will make everything more manageable.

Practice saying goodbye
For many children, the biggest challenge will be saying goodbye to you. Talk about what you’ll say and do when it’s time to leave on the first day.  You might like to invent a silly saying or rhyme that will be part of your routine, for example”
“I love you, you love me, have a great day and I’ll see you at 3!”
You might give your child a small keepsake to hold on to that reminds them of you, such as a cut-out heart with a love note, or a small stone you found on the beach together, that she can keep in her pocket while you’re apart and give back upon your return. A book that my children particularly like is ‘The Kissing Hand’ by Audrey Penn.  It the story the little raccoon is afraid to let his mother go at school so she places a kiss in the palm of his hand for him to hold onto in case he needs it.

Get your bedtime routine back into action
If your house is anything like mine bedtimes slip in the holidays.  In the next few days get the bedtime routine back into action to support the night before school starts back with a familiar rhythm.

Let your child choose his own stationery
As much as possible support your child to choose their own school stationery so they feel some ownership and control

The day before school starts, talk about exactly what will happen the next day
Talk through what will happen from when they wake up.  Talk about how their friends might also be feeling nervous, but also excited.  Remind your child how you will say goodbye and reassure them that you will be fine too.

Be prepared for after 3pm meltdowns (and 4pm, 5pm and 6pm...)
Starting something new is exhausting, especially for children.  Holding it together all day can result in some pretty challenging behaviour at home.  Be prepared for some tears, it won’t be just your house it’s happening in!

Take care of you too!
Believe me when I say it won’t just be you with tears in your eyes when you drive away.  Trust that you’ve prepared your child for today, trust that the teaching staff have your child’s best interests at heart and trust that your child has the inner resilience to make it to 3pm. 

For worry and anxiety that is causing problems in families,  we recommend our book 'Maia and the Worry Bug' Written by Julie Burgess-Manning and illustrated by Jenny Cooper.  This book deals with the cycle of worry within families and has suggested conversation topics and exercises for the whole family in the back.

For worry and anxiety about school and things happening outside of the family we recommend our book 'Wishes and Worries' Written by Sarina Dickson and illustrated by Jenny Cooper.  This book addresses the overwhelming feeling some children experience with worry and anxiety and has lesson plans in the back for teachers.

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Sarina Dickson is a Christchurch-based writer, teacher, artist and mother of three. She is passionate about the regeneration of Christchurch, education and the well being of families. Sarina co-authorsThe Worry Bug Project which produces books for children, families and schools focusing on positive classroom culture and mental health. Sarina participated as an artist  in Christchurch Wild in Art event Stand Tall in 2014 and is currently working on a owl for Auckland's Wild in Art event The Big Hoot 2018.

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The Making of The Worry Bug Project Short Film-Resiliency, mental health and anxiety.

19/1/2016

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Today we started shooting the interviews of children, parents and teachers for our short film.  The were  asked about how they protect their own mental health and the mental health of their family members and classes.  They also shared with us their experiences of anxiety, stress and worry and the ways in which they parent and teach differently since the Canterbury Earthquake sequence.
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We shot the film in iconic Christchurch spaces, that are also open to the public.  First up we were in Spectrum and if you're visiting Christchurch these holidays we strongly recommend you pay them a visit.  In the afternoon we changed scene completely and shot at The Cardboard Cathedral.  While seemingly polar opposites both of these places share the common theme of resiliency.  Both the arts and places of worship have been pillars of recovery for post earthquake Christchurch.  Over this week we'll also be visiting New Regent St, Cathedral Square, The Art Gallery and Rapaki.  Follow us on our Facebook page to view the completed work in February.
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What's happening in 2016 for The Worry Bug Project?

7/1/2016

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Lots!   The New_ Zealand Red Cross have generously offered us funding for the next year to extend the scope of The Worry Bug Project. The funding will support Kōtuku Creative to extend the current work, and also to produce two exciting new resources.  

​Maia and the Worry Bug and Wishes and Worries will be offered to all four year olds, their families and their Early Childhood Education teachers.  We're very excited to share that the funding will also mean that Maia and the Worry Bug will be translated and available in Te Reo Māori.

Early Education Centres, including Playcentre, Kindergartens, In home care organisations etc will be contacted over the next few weeks, by Kirsty, to get numbers and the appropriate contact person.  The teaching notes at the back of Wishes and Worries, and He kanehe, he manatunatu will be amended for use with Te Whariki (the New Zealand ECE curriculum) 

We will also be producing a short film documenting the ways Canterbury children and their teachers and families have developed and learnt to build their own resilience and support their own and other's mental health over the last 5 years.  The film will be shot in and around Christchurch by Kōtuku Creative and Resonate.  While the voices will be Cantabrians we believe that the practical advice and experience the participants share will be of value universally.  This short film will be released at the beginning of February 2016 and will be available to all mental health agencies, schools, families and everyone via social media, our website and YouTube for free use.  We will be inviting people to participate in this over the next few weeks via our Facebook page.

In February, to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the Feb 22, 2011 earthquake the Canterbury Museum is hosting an exhibition of art and writing produced about, and related to, the earthquakes.  We were honoured to be included and Jenny Cooper's beautiful original water colour illustrations which are reproduced in the books will be exhibited.  the exhibition opens on January 31 2016.  The public is invited to attend throughout February.  This wouldn't have been possible without the work of The River of Flowers, which again has significant events happening on February 22nd.  As part of the exhibition children are invited to craft their own flowers to add to the model river of flowers in the museum, and of course to attend the events with their families on February 22.

That brings us to the research project that Benita Stiles-Smith and Massey University are completing on the efficacy of The Worry Bug Project.  This is ongoing and Benita and her team will be inviting participants who have used the resources to meet with her for focus groups to gather further data about the project in the new year.

And last but by no means least we are thrilled to announce a new resource is on the boil, also funded by New Zealand Red Cross.  We were contacted by many teachers and parents when the first books came out asking us for something for the children that are 8-12 years old.  The NZRC agreed that this was worthwhile work and have funded the writing, production and free distribution of a book for this age group.  The book will be targeted at children, their teachers and families in Year 5-8 in Canterbury.  It will be available in Te Reo Māori and will have an online version/audio book.  We expect this to be available in Term 4 2016.

Another wonderfully busy year for us at Kōtuku Creative and we're very grateful for all the support we have received so far.  We're excited about all the year will bring for us.  Please be in touch with any queries or suggestions theworrybug@kotukucreative.co.nz



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The Worry Bug Short Film Shoot

4/1/2016

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We are inviting individuals and families to take part in the making of a short film showing techniques, knowledge and experience that Cantabrians have gained over the last 5 years for dealing with anxiety and growing resilience. Please consider if you would like to be involved, talk to your family about who would like to be involved and talk to us some more too so that you feel fully informed.  You can sign up by emailing us at theworrybug@kotukucreative.co.nz

When?

 18 and/or 19 January 2016.  Individuals and families will be given a time slot and won’t be expected to be available both days
 
Where?
 3-4 locations around Christchurch, more details to come
 
Why?
 The aim of the movie is to show the ways that ordinary people have developed, experienced and used to manage worry and stress in the last few years in Canterbury.  We hope that this will be a resource not only to celebrate resiliency in Canterbury, but a tool for people round the country and internationally to benefit from the experience and wisdom of Cantabrians.
 
Who?
 We would like to get a cross section of people represented, many generations and some whole families on the movie. The movie will be broadcast on social media, and will be freely available for sharing online.  It may become part of an exhibition during February at The Christchurch Museum specifically commemorating the February 11 earthquake.
 
How?
The movie shoot will take the form of an interview in front of a camera.  The interviewers will be either Simon Waterhouse (videographer) or Jo Scott, (journalist and PR expert). Some of the interviews will be with whole families, parts of families, groups of kids, couples etc.  We would like a diverse mix of conversation to be able to draw from.  The video of the interviews will then be edited by Simon (Resonate) into more of a story using clips from these interviews.
 
What?
We intend these interviews to be free-flowing, so it is impossible to predict all the questions, however we have a general framework the interviewers will be working from.
 
There will be some general questions you might like to talk about with your children before the shoot 
What does your family worry about?
When your Mum/daughter/sister worries, how do they behave?
Does worry stop you doing things?
What do/did your family do to get through?
What do you tell your children when they’re worried?
 
There will be questions directed at individuals about themselves, and also at individuals about other people, for example:
 What do Mum and Dad worry about?
What advice would you give to other kids to stop themselves worrying?
 
Questions that help you imagine a different situation;
 If you were braver, what would you do to beat your worries?
 
There will also be some light hearted questions
 What would superman do?
What silly things do your family worry about?
 
 
Participants will be able to ask for edits or cuts of their answers on the day of filming, but after this the content cannot be changed in order that the videographer can do his work.
 
We would love you to be a part of the movie, but it is important of course to consider the consequences for your family.  Sometimes just talking about these sorts of things can change things for people - in good and bad ways.  Some people get more anxious talking about things, some people will hear new ideas or opinions from their family they have never heard before and that can make a change for them.
 

Please consider if you would like to take part, talk to your family about who would like to be involved and talk to us some more too so that you feel fully informed.  You can sign up by emailing us at theworrybug@kotukucreative.co.nz
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So how is Canterbury going?

8/11/2015

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In many ways, great!  The rebuild is in full swing and suddenly the cranes that filled the skyline that were tearing things down have been replaced with cranes that are building things up again.  Christchurch is a vibrant city with an explosion of creative and artistic things happening all over the place.

For some families though there is still ongoing stresses and anxiety.  In the article linked below the Christchurch Press reported that there is a huge increase on adults and children seeking mental health support.
"The really unexpected thing we noticed is the level of maturity of new school entrants. The 5-year-olds that come to school now are not the same level of maturity than 5-year-olds that entered school before the earthquakes. The common theme among schools is there's a lot of anxiety, insecurity and disruptive behaviour. Not just the kids, but the parents as well ."
Child, Adolescent and Family (CAF) clinical director Dr Harith Swadi said help was needed.
"We are at the point where you can't change anything you can't keep changing models. There's nothing else we can do," he said. He said rates of mental illness in CAF would continue at the same levels, or more likely increase over the coming years. 
While research showed the third year post-disaster as the worst for mental illness, Canterbury was different because of the number of aftershocks and indirect issues like insurance problems.
In this instance, it was more akin to the effects of a war, Swadi said.
More children were presenting with "fear and anxiety" — a product of the environment they were in rather than genetics. 
Canterbury District Health Board chief of psychiatry Sue Nightingale said a significant increase "we weren't prepared for" was the number of middle-aged women using mental health services.



Read the rest of the article
here
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Celebrating Jenny Cooper

31/10/2015

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We were so lucky to have Jenny Cooper illustrate Maia and the Worry Bug and Wishes & Worries.  Jenny is a prolific and much loved illustrator of New Zealand books.  She understood our stories and was able to create characters that children could easily relate to.  It was such a pleasure to work with her.

Today it was announced that she has another award recognising her talent. She is the 2015 Mallinson Rendel Award recipient which is part of the Westpac New Zealand Arts Awards 2015.



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Booksellers NZ Review of Maia and the Worry Bug

10/10/2015

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Maia and the Worry Bug- Written by Julie Burgess-Manning, Illustrated by Jenny Cooper

Maia and the Worry Bug was thought up by a Christchurch psychologist, Julie Burgess-Manning, and teacher Sarina Dickson. This book is part of a programme which assists families in managing anxiety. Children and families affected by the Christchurch earthquakes are the target market (and in fact, junior and middle school children in Christchurch have been provided with a copy). Anxiety is not, however, just related to natural disasters, and as such, this is a really useful family resource. It has been reviewed by other psychologists and is recommended by the Children’s Commissioner, Russel Wills (a pediatrician).

Maia’s family has a worry bug come to stay. It is quite small, and gets to work on Maia’s Mum, getting her to start compulsively checking on the soundness of the house and the wellbeing of the family. The bug feeds on the worry and the worries spread to Maia’s Dad, and then to Maia. The now rather large worry bug enjoys the family spending all their time worrying, and eventually the family feels better just staying at home together and cross-checking all the safety checks that they each make. Nell the neighbour points out that all the checking and staying at home is not making them feel any better and the family addresses the worry bug.

The story is concluded with a family toolkit – good questions to ask each other to check on anxiety levels and to explore how each family member reacts to anxiety. Children are encouraged to draw their own worry bugs and to explore the anxieties that might feed them. There are a list of resource organisations at the end of the book and a link. This website has a tool to measure anxiety, and further suggestions for people and organisations to contact if you need some help managing anxiety.

Having experienced the odd family crisis myself, I really value the idea of resources being available in the home for parents to use with their children during difficult times. I have sought out such resources previously and have a couple of books hidden away in the wardrobe in case of crisis! This though is a book useful to keep close by, as it is quite easy for anxiety to get out of hand. Using the tool at the back of the book I learnt (one) of the reasons why my daughter had trouble going to sleep – she didn’t believe that we would hear the smoke alarms while we were asleep. She had jumbled up some information learnt in her school based fire safety programme! We were able to provide her with the correct information and help make her worry bug a little smaller!

Review by Emma Wong-Ming

Maia and the Worry Bug
by Julie Burgess-Manning, illustrated by Jenny Cooper
Published by Kotuku Creative
ISBN  9780473319250

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Booksellers NZ Review of Wishes and Worries

10/10/2015

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Wishes and Worries- Written by Sarina Dickson, Illustrated by Jenny Cooper

Wishes and Worries is part of a home-school resource for teachers and parents to use
when wanting to help children who are experiencing mild to moderate anxiety. The concept came about as a response to the aftermath of Christchurch earthquakes, when many children were demonstrating a need for help managing their worries. Utilising cognitive behaviour and narrative therapy, the book helps adults to help children in an easy-to-follow way.

Wishes and Worries is the part of the resource for teachers to use at school (Maia and the Worry Bug is the book for parents to use at home). It is designed to be read aloud, and then for NZ Curriculum-linked activities to follow within the classroom.

Dan has a constant stream of self-talk going – although for him it feels like it’s coming from external sources. He feels under pressure to let his mum get to work even though he’d like her support at school, as he finds it a high-stress environment. He really doesn’t want to be there, but he knows his mum will be frustrated with him if he tells her about it. The adults in his life don’t get what’s going on for him. Dan is carrying so much worry and fear (a rumbling truck causes him to hold his breath before he realises it’s only a truck) that it’s affecting his concentration. Luckily, he discovers an almost magical way to take control of his worries and turn them into something wonderful.

The follow-up activities are well-thought through and would be very easy for a teacher to use with no adaption required. They help children to identify their own worries, to think about how it affects their thinking and their bodies, and ideas for how they could address them within the classroom in a safe and supportive way.

While the book was written in response to the Christchurch earthquakes, it could apply to just about any situation that I can think of, including children who are anxious about lots of things, rather than in response to an event. Children have all sorts of worries, and adults often dismiss them with comments like “You don’t need to worry about that” or “You’re just being silly” – and these sorts of responses really don’t help, they just drive the worry underground. It’s so much healthier for children (and adults!) to identify their anxieties, realise their mental and physical responses, and deal with them accordingly. Wishes and Worries will definitely assist caring adults to help the children in their lives.

Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Rachel Moore, primary school teacher

Wishes and Worries
by Sarina Dickson, illustrated by Jenny Cooper
Published by Kotuku Creative
ISBN: 9780473319250

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All Gone!!

8/9/2015

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This afternoon we're dropping the last of the funded copies of the books off to one last school.  Over 23000 copies of the books went out to Canterbury schools and families.  Once again we'd like to thank The Canterbury Community Trust and The Christchurch Appeal Trust for their generosity.  They made this project possible and have been a real pleasure to work with.


There is one box left, which is heading to Seddon in the next week or so.  We're very much looking forward to hearing from families and schools in Canterbury and Seddon about how they used the books.  

We're excited about the research Massey University is carrying out.  Parents and teachers are asked to submit their baseline data over the next week or so, prior to using the resources.

There is a limited amount of unfunded copies of the books still available for sale on our website.


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Calming yoga poses for children-Katie Louw, Over the Rainbow Yoga

7/9/2015

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Yoga Poses to help with Anxiety

Child's Pose (Balasana)

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Benefits:

·       Calms the mind and body

·       Encourages strong and steady breathing

·       Releases tension in the back, shoulders and chest

·       Flexes the body’s internal organs and keeps them supple

·       Recommended if you have dizziness or fatigue

·       Helps alleviate stress and anxiety

·       It lengthens and stretches the spine

·       Relieves neck and lower back pain when performed with the head and torso supported

·       It gently stretches the hips, thighs and ankles

·       Normalizes circulation throughout the body

·       It stretches muscles, tendons and ligaments in the knee


Tree Pose (Vrikasana)
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Benefits:

  • Calms and relaxes your mind and central nervous system.
  • Develops balance.
  • Increases your mind / body awareness.
  • Strengthens your thighs, calves, core, and foot muscles.
  • Strengthens your posture.
 

Legs Up The Wall Pose (Viparita Karani)
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Benefits:

Legs up the Wall Pose is a restorative, relaxing and gentle inversion:

  • Eases anxiety and stress
  • Calms the mind
  • Relieves lower back pain
  • Relieves tired or cramped feet and legs
  • Gently stretches the hamstrings, legs and lower back
  • Therapeutic for arthritis, headaches, high blood pressure, low blood pressure and insomnia
  • Eases symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, menstrual cramps and menopause



Benefits of Yoga for Children


·       improves flexibility, strength and body awareness

·       encourages kind peer and social interactions

·       enhances self-expression and imagination

·       increases self-esteem

·       helps increase awareness of breathing

·       teaches discipline and responsibility

·       cultivates a peaceful, relaxed state of body and mind

·       gives tools for stress management

·       provides a playful, fun way for children to learn how to relax



All photos used with permission of Over The Rainbow Yoga

Katharine (Katie) Louw
 is a specialist Family & Community Yoga Teacher & a trained Mindfulness Curriculum Teacher, in Christchurch, New Zealand. Katie founded Over the Rainbow Yoga over two years ago and has worked with a number of kindergartens, schools  and community groups in Christchurch, with her yoga programme based in mindfulness, community and fun. 

www.overtherainbow.com          www.facebook.com/OvertheRainbow


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Over The Rainbow Yoga for Children- Katie Louw

31/8/2015

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As the pressures of modern life (school, peers, technology) weigh heavily on their shoulders, it seems anxiety in children is on the rise. Some children are natural worriers. I was one of them and carried it into adulthood. It literally felt like I carried the weight of the world within my body.  

Over the past two years, I have run Over the Rainbow Yoga offering playful yoga and mindfulness classes for kids to develop flexibility, strength, body awareness, coordination, balance and motor skills in a fun, non-competitive and encouraging environment.

Classes include structured activities and the opportunity for spontaneous play, which allows for imaginative expression.  Each class is an adventure using props, music, dance, yoga games and relaxation time.  These classes facilitate self-discovery and interaction with other children, and encourage kids to unwind and have fun while they develop body awareness, focus and a sense of well-being. 

During this time, I’ve worked with a number of young children (on a one-to-one basis in Christchurch), with anxiety related symptoms, which include: not sleeping well at night, tired/unfocused during the day at school, unable to share what it feels like, feeling sick when a change or event happens, either at school or in the home to name just a few of what each child may be experiencing at any given time.

Here are few things that have worked with the kids I teach:

Start with the breath – Mindful Breathing

Explain to your child how to use her breath to calm herself
By breathing in through the nose deeply (inhale) pause for 2 counts
and breathing out through the nose slowly (exhale) out for 4 counts
By breathing in and out through the nose we activate (or switch on) the parasympathetic nervous system (calming system) and within 3 breaths we begin to feel calm. Also by breathing in deeply and slowly we expand our lungs and give our heart a massage! Nice!



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 Active/Mindful Listening


Practice slowing down the breath (as above) and bring awareness (notice) sounds around you. Close your eyes (if this causes more strain keep eyes open but hold an unfocused gaze, as if you are staring through something) and listen to a sound furthest from you. Tune (block) everything else out for a couple of moments. Then bring your awareness to a sound closest to you. Again tune everything else out, focusing on the sounds around you and your breathing. Finally, place your left hand on your heart and your right hand on top of your left. Tune every sound out and turn your attention to the beat of your heart. When the worries arrive you always have your heart beat to keep you calm. The safe, steady comforting rhythm.


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Affirmations

Validation of their fears or concerns is important. What we as adults’ find silly are very real to them. Let them know you understand and repeat back your understanding of how they are feeling.

Let your child know they are safe by saying: “You are safe; you are well.” Get them to repeat it back you. “I am safe; I am well.”
A few others that work well are:
All is well in this moment.
I am whole, I am safe, I am loved.
I am patient with myself.
I use my breath to be calm.


Gratitude Circle

As a family, sit together in a circle holding hands. Each person gets a chance to say thank you for something in their lives or something nice about someone in the circle. You can use a ball to give it some fun and pass the ball to anyone, randomly in the circle to ensure everyone is focused and paying attention. 


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Family Sharing Circle

A lovely way to share important family time is to have a Family Sharing Circle. As a family, sit together in a circle holding hands. The American Indians have a tradition of a ‘talking stick’ that is passed around the circle and you share your story or voice your opinion only when you have the stick – everyone else remains silent, respecting the person with the talking stick. This is a non-judgemental and safe way to approach difficult or happy times as a family. Instead of a stick you can use a lovely paua shell or a singing bowl passed around the circle. 


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All photos used with permission of Over The Rainbow Yoga

Katharine (Katie) Louw
is a specialist Family & Community Yoga Teacher & a trained Mindfulness Curriculum Teacher, in Christchurch, New Zealand. Katie founded Over the Rainbow Yoga over two years ago and has worked with a number of kindergartens, schools  and community groups in Christchurch, with her yoga programme based in mindfulness, community and fun. 

www.overtherainbow.com          www.facebook.com/OvertheRainbow


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How will we know if it worked?

23/8/2015

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We are excited and proud to announce some really exciting news!  Massey University are about to begin research on the Worry Bug Project!  All the teachers and parents that use the resources will be given the opportunity to give feedback about using it, and how effective it was in their classrooms and homes.

Research of this scale and size is rare post-disaster, and especially as it focuses on children, families and mental health.  We are all hoping that as many people as possible participate to make it a really effective and useful piece of research.



Please visit www.massey.ac.nz/worrybug to find out more and to participate or watch this short clip.



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Such stunning pictures!

15/8/2015

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We were so please (and excited and honoured!) when Jenny Cooper agreed to do the illustrations for Wishes & Worries and Maia and the Worry Bug.  She's done such a beautiful job and every time we show the books to someone they always comment about the quality of the book, and the stunning pictures.


https://www.flickr.com/photos/booksellersnz/20363561150

We were so thrilled this week to learn that Jenny Cooper had won yet another award for her thoughtful and beautiful art.
Best Picture Book in The New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults was awarded to Jim’s Letters, by Glyn Harper, illustrated by Jenny Cooper. Based on the relationship between two brothers and their correspondence during World War 1, this book is a heart-wrenching story, testament to the pre-internet written word as a means of recording and retelling history. The judges say Jim’s Letters has exceptional balance, pacing and design. 

Who knows what the future holds for the illustrations she did for our books, but we cant wait to find out!
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Excitment is Building...

29/7/2015

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The countdown for the books going into the schools is on!  We've had such a wonderful response so far but after our latest status update using this tile we've been really blown away by the support from the families that will receive the books.  We've had lots of emails and requests for the books for other parts of the country and for 4 year olds transitioning to school.  Lots of teachers have been in touch to check their schools are getting the books and we couldn't be happier about that.  The relationship between a child and their teacher is often under-valued but its usually a secure and attached relationships that children really rely on.  We've got our thinking caps on for ways we can thank all the amazing teachers of Canterbury for playing such a large role in helping families and communities to hold it all together through these post quake years, through rebuilds, and house moves, school merges and school closures, EQC battles and flooding, they're truly amazing!
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Holding the Universe in our Hands-Calming activity

23/7/2015

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Transitions can be tough for everybody and the transition from holidays to going back to school is no exception.  Many children will be excited about going back to school tomorrow but for those children that get anxious about change or the potential unknown holding themselves together today might be a struggle.

This easy to prepare activity gives children of all ages (and their adults) an opportunity to sit, relax, chat and be creative together.  Its specially ideal for a before bed wind down, and a way to busy hands so that its easier to discuss any worries and plan some strategies around how they might manage them.
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Easiest No Cook Play Dough Recipe 

2 cups flour
1/2 cup salt
2 tablespoons cooking oil
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
2 cups boiling water
1 teaspoon black food colouring 
A few drops lavender essential oil

Mix all dry ingredients, add oil and boiling water with food colouring, mix well. (Store in an airtight container.)


Add a few treasures collected from pockets, kitchen drawers and under the bed and create an ever changing solar system that fits in your hand.

Teachers, perhaps this could be an easy, low key story starter literacy activity for the start of the new term, especially if you add a few rockets and aliens to the mix.


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Support from the Children's Commissioner

15/6/2015

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We were so thrilled this morning to receive this feedback and support for 'Maia and the Worry Bug' and 'Wishes and Worries'.

"Both books are terrific resources for helping young children and families to better understand anxiety and how to deal with it. They are age-appropriate, engaging, well written, and well-illustrated. The exercises at the end of each book provide great guidelines for further exploring anxiety, its effect on us, and how to manage it more effectively. The exercises are clearly based on cognitive behaviour therapy, which if done well, has been shown to reduce anxiety. I would whole-heartedly suggest that Christchurch schools and parents make use of these great resources."
- Children’s Commissioner Dr Russell Wills




Just over three weeks until the books are launched!
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Exciting Times

9/6/2015

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Its a big week here at Worry Bug HQ.  The first run of 'Maia and the Worry Bug' are on their way down to Christchurch ready for the launch.  They'll be arriving in all schools in Christchurch City, Selwyn and Waimakariri districts in the beginning of term 3.  Invites are on their way out to all of the wonderful people that have supported the project so far, agencies that work with children, teachers and principals.

We're also very excited that 'Wishes and Worries' is heading off to print.  'Wishes and Worries' will also be printed in Te reo for bilingual units and Kura Kaupapa Maori.
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In the beginning...

16/5/2015

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Welcome to The Worry Bug blog.  Here you'll find ideas to help you discuss and explore anxiety and worry with your children.  We'll share some craft ideas, hear from experts in child development, child mental health and parenting, and from parents dealing with anxiety every day.  We'll also have guest posts from children about how anxiety effects them and the strategies they use for home and school.

You can connect to new blog posts easily through our Facebook page too.
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    Author

    We all worry and feel anxiety at times in our lives.  Anxiety can impact on children and their families in many ways. The Worry Bug Project seeks to support parents and teachers to recognise and address mild to moderate anxiety.
    ​Sarina Dickson is a parent, author and educator, Julie Burgess-Manning is a parent, author and registered psychologist.

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