Step 1: Turn Shower Time to Game Time

This worked best for auntie when my cousins were around that age. She simply turned shower time into a game. Mostly because when the cousins were younger, they used to have rubber duckies with them during baths, but as they got older and started taking showers, in the age of zero instant heaters, it became a bit tricky. So what she would do is present a reward for the children in her household who would take the shortest amount of time to get ready. Safe to say, it was a success! For a little while. I ran out of incentives and naturally, they got demotivated too so, I had to find another longer lasting solution. 

Step 2: Leverage on their Role Models

Remember my cool brother who saved up and got himself a bicycle at the tender age of 10? (Click here to see his story) My son really looks up to him. So I just randomly asked him why he’s so fascinated with the man and he said it’s because uncle’s got game but I wouldn’t get it because I’m old. He was right. I am older and wiser which is why when he said he would like to be like my brother when he grows up,  I just mentioned this to him.

“You know, your uncle probably has game because he takes really good care of himself. Showers daily, lotions up, cleans up nice. If you would like to get to his level of game, maybe you could also try out a few of these things. What do you think?” And just like that, my little man started taking his skin care routines a bit more seriously.

Step 3: Invest in his Skin Care Products

So much so that yesterday as I was headed out to the supermarket, he came to me with a  list of skin care items; the Imperial Leather Fresh Burst range (bathing soap, shower gel and lotion) Of course, shocked by this, I wonder why because to the best of my knowledge,  the kiddie soap in the bathroom is not yet over. But then he says to me instead, “ Mom, uncle and dad use these products which is why they are both trendy and always smell sooo good. “ So of course I try to counter this argument with- the kiddie soap also smells great but eventually he breaks into a loud “ But it’s not for men. I want to use products for men because I am now a man. ” He then proceeded in a tiny voice, “ Also, the ad for it on Akili Kids! plays just after that episode on Ubongo Kids where they talk about hygiene and caring for our bodies, so I’d like to be as cool as them too.” 

So obviously step 4 is Watch Akili Kids!

Not just because it’s a great TV station for children that I advocate for all the time, but also because some times, our children’s role models do not come from real life. Sometimes they come from the content they consume on TV. Kind of like my son’s role models are from Ubongo kids on Akili Kids! 

I would like to know, which shows on Akili Kids! are your children’s role models from?

And if you would like to know if I bought the Imperial Leather Fresh Burst range for my little man, check back for part 2.

The post How Do I Get My Teen Son To Shower? appeared first on Akili TV.

So, in a bid to change that, we came up with some saving hacks to help us prepare better financially not just for January, but for every other month. Here are a few:

You Can Save And Still Enjoy Life

Cake is my guilty pleasure. That meant every day after work, I would grab myself a slice on my way home. I was in a dilemma because as much as I knew that I need not be spending that much money on cake, I just could not imagine my days without some. Fortunately, I have found a balance. I now allow myself 3 cake days a week. So that way, I can save some money and still enjoy my cake.

Saving Requires Great Discipline

Of course, saving can be a challenging process that requires a great deal of discipline. If you belong to a chama, then you know what I am talking about. You may forget to changa your money sometimes, other times you have random needs that come up and other times you even question why you’re in the chama in the first place! I know this has been me over the past months but giving up is not an option. You have to keep going! The more you keep at it, the better you become.

Saving is Personal

This reminds me of an episode of Ubongo Kids that I watched on Akili Kids! TV while hanging out with my nephew, where this character called Kibena and her friends were saving up for a school trip. In this episode, one of Kibena’s friends is sad that she is not able to save as much money as her friends who receive more pocket money. But Uncle-T (my nephew’s favourite) is quick to remind her that we all have different saving abilities based on our lifestyle, our needs and income and so it makes no sense to compare ourselves to others. And I thought that was such an insightful lesson.

It’s Never Too Early or Late to Teach Toto How to Save

Start small, for instance, you could let them save that ksh.10 change they remained with after buying milk in the morning. And to prove how serious you are, you could consider getting them a ka-saving tin and then later, once they get the gist of it, you could introduce a piggy bank. This way, you help engrain a culture of saving in your kiddos right from a young age. Moreover, they can later on use some of their savings to finance their own projects and needs, like this guy did in the Math of Savings: Lessons from my Brother.

Which Savings Hack will you be practising this Njaanuary?

Happy Saving!

The post The Math Of Savings: Surviving ‘Njaanuary’ appeared first on Akili TV.

After ruminating on this for a while, I thought we could give her the benefit of the doubt, by concluding that maybe she simply forgot, just like how we simply forget to wash our hands in these instances:

After petting animals

Personally, I am guilty of this. And it’s because I really love dogs. I think they are super cute and so whenever I see one, I normally cannot fight the urge to pet them. And then once all that is done, I continue with my life like nothing happened when really, I should have done something about my hands…

After Touching Garbage

Thank goodness for modern technology, as we now have dustbins that allow us to drop things inside without touching them. And while that’s all great, how many times do we remember to wash our hands after we’ve deposited the garbage into the dustbin? Tafakari hayo.

After Blowing our Noses

Think about how disgusting mucus is. That’s why we blow our noses into Kleenex or handkerchiefs. Yes? But while we were blowing into the tissue or kerchief, we were holding the items with our hands, yes? And yet for some reason, we most definitely will get rid of the tissue or return the handkerchief to its designated area all nicely folded. But do we remember to wash our hands afterwards?

After Visiting the Washrooms

So later on, I met this lady somewhere at our workspace and instead of giving her the stinky eye, I gave her an elbow shake (Good thing we’re not doing handshakes now) but from her facial expressions, she knew that I knew…

And instead of bashing her, I instead challenged her to try forming a habit of remembering to wash her hands every time she leaves the ladies’ room. And since habits are generally formed in 21 days, that’s her Chapa Germs Chapa! Challenge for November. What is yours?

The post What’s Your Chapa Germs Chapa Challenge? appeared first on Akili TV.

Even though I heard all that stuff about saving, I couldn’t really save. I could save for a week, maybe two, but every time I had 20 bob, I bought candy. My brother didn’t; he saved and saved. I thought it was silly! Here I was with candy and he didn’t have anything. Imagine my surprise when he bought a brand-new bike, with his own money! What??? A bike??? It suddenly dawned on me. Saving is the REAL DEAL.

Fast forward to 2020. Now I’m supposed to set the example at home and get the kids to focus on putting their shillings away for a “rainy day”. Some of the key strategies I’ve learnt over the years:

Goal Setting

Using my brother as an example, the reason why his saving skills as a young child were better than mine were, was because he always knew what he was saving for before he started to put the money away. Unlike me who just liked to hear the clink of coin-on-coin when it landed in my Red Piggy Bank, he would compile a list of things that he wanted, and then go a step further to find out how much each cost.

It’s All In The Math

After which he would sum up the costs, then do the simple Math of Multiplication and Division to figure out:

If he was saving sh.20 a day every day, how many days would it take for him to be able to buy that pair of sneakers he had been eyeing, if the shoes cost, say, Sh.1000

The Art of Negotiation

Perhaps too long. Right! But that’s where his negotiation skills came in. Saving sh.20 daily would require him to save for up to 50 days, and that’s roughly a month and a half. But to a child 50 days of saving feels like an eternity. So, what he would do to shorten the days would be to strike a deal with my parents. The deal being:

If he was able to come up with half the money in 25 days, they would reward his efforts by topping up the other half.

Genius, right?

Patience Pays

And so, the journey would begin. Slowly but surely, sh.20 would go into his Piggy Bank every day for a month. And at the end of the month, he got that pair of sneakers! The efforts of his sweat and sometimes tears… because imagine not being able to buy chocolates and replace your ‘banos’ because you’re saving for a pair of sneakers? Si Rahisi!

But eventually his efforts paid off. When he got those shoes, he wore them everywhere. And this taught him patience, self-discipline and accountability. All qualities we would love our children to have.

The best part, as soon as he ticked this off his list, the journey to another bigger and better item would begin. So, while he ended up with a whole Sneaker Collection, I just had coins in a Red Piggy Bank that did not amount to much. Which is why I am taking my kids to him this weekend to learn the “Math of Savings”.

How about you? What tips and tricks have you been using to teach your kids the Math of Savings? What’s funny is I’ve been seeing some Jumbo Junior ads on the Akili Kids! TV Channel and it brings back memories for me. So much so, that I’ve also decided to bring them all to open Jumbo Junior accounts. I wonder if they still have the Red Piggy Banks?

The post The Math of Savings: Lessons From My Brother appeared first on Akili TV.

Read Them a Book

Growing up with old fashioned parents, I did all the reading myself because my parents only had time to read the newspaper, and not out loud, but silently, to themselves. My youngest has recently discovered Rapunzel, and it has been fascinating to watch her flipping through the pages and getting all wide-eyed. So, one day, I picked up the book and gave “story time” a try. And to switch things up, after reading Rapunzel to her, I asked her to write a story. Guess what? She delivered! And while it was not a bestseller, just getting a glimpse of her imaginative thinking and storytelling had my heart all warm.

Watch Good TV

Naturally, I applauded the young one for her efforts and out of curiosity just asked her how she had learnt to string her sentences together that well because I mean, she’s only six. And she gladly boasted to me about how she’s been watching Akili Kids! TV which has loads of programs like SuperWhy (her favorite) which teach language skills and vocabulary but by storytelling. And that this is what has had her dreaming all sorts of things that she was glad she could now write down.

Food-time is Playtime

In the spirit of all these discoveries and achievements, I just wanted to reward this beauty for all her hard work and knowing how much she adores sandwiches, we figured why not make one together. And so, into the kitchen we went and tried to replicate this sandwich I had seen earlier on the Kingsmil bread Facebook page.

To be honest, we didn’t get it right the first time but my little perfectionist can be passionate and so we gave it a few more tries. This has now become a thing in our household. We read them books, they write us stories, they watch TV for the great impact it has on them and we wrap it up with an artsy sandwich.

But that’s me. How have you been keeping the kids busy? Let us know. Cheers,
Banju.

The post Fun ways to keep the kids busy appeared first on Akili TV.

As a Mum of three, I look forward to this annual celebration, being recognized by my sons and daughter for my contributions and sacrifices for the year. I love every moment of it, but truth be told, when I think about my own Mum I always get introspective; all the things she did that I had no idea of, all the things she didn’t do that I wanted her to. There are tons of moments, good and not so good, that I think of when I think of her. I thought, maybe the best thing I can do for her is remember those things, and remind myself of the hardship she dealt with as I was growing up, and well just feel gratitude for what I received and that I am here on this Earth.

I asked some of my co-workers if they felt similarly, and well it’s no surprise they did. So, I decided I would collect some of the comments and share them in this post for all of you. At the end of the day, I think capturing that feeling of gratitude is important and when my kids grow up, if they have that same feeling of gratitude for my efforts that I do for my Mum, then it will all be worth it. Here goes:Jeff:
“My mother passed away at the age of 94 1/2 last Thanksgiving. She had a great and interesting life. The last line of her obituary was: “Life is short, eat dessert first”. Wanjiku:
“I love her dark sense of humor which is one of the things we have in common. She’s amazing!!” Lilian:
“If kindness is a person then it must be my mum. Love her to bits.” Fitz:
“You’re the groove my heart still beats to.”

Elizabeth:
“My mum is heaven-sent. I thank God for her. I love her very much.”

Gabriel:

“A mother’s love lasts forever and as my mom always said, “Always make sure you eat your veggies”Eddie:
“My mother is the most selfless human being on planet earth. She is responsible for moulding me into the person I am today.” Wabaiya:
“My mums are the definition of strength, love and kindness. I love them dearly and aspire to be like them.” Kevin:
“Thank you, mum, for always working hard for us.” Jesse:
“Thanks for giving me the foundation for everything I have become and everything I will ever be. Would not be here without you…” Esparencia:
“For all the times I never said thank you because I thought you knew, I thank you now more than ever, mom.” Anne:
“My Mum is a Crazy Super Woman! She taught me how to be responsible at a very young age! Being a first Born, I oversaw all my 4 siblings and that included taking responsibility when they made mistakes because…… Hey! I got the spanking on their behalf!” Ahmed:
“I only have one thing to say to my mother, you’re a superwoman.” Joëlle:
“If you look up cute in the dictionary, there is a picture of my mom.” Sam:
“You’re living through us every day and you would be proud of how far we have come together as you wished for us.” Gerry:
“We love you mum. I’m blessed to be your son. Thank you for all you do and for all you are. God bless you today and always”.

Happy Mothers’ Day,
Banju

The post Gratitude and Mum’s Day appeared first on Akili TV.

When it comes to the English alphabet, there are four components of letter identification. Mainly:

1. Letter recognition – the ability to recognize the shape and size of both the capital and small letter. Example: recognizing a big A and little a
   
2. Letter naming – recognizing that the shape of the letter is associated with a letter name. The letter A sounds like “Ay”
   
3. Letter sound knowledge (also known as phonemic awareness) – determining what sound corresponds to the shape or name of the letter. Example: the letter A has the sound “ahh” like when saying the word “avocado” or can keep the “ay” sound like in the word “ace”
   
4. Letter writing – the ability to trace or write the letter with a pen in accordance with its shape and direction. Can you draw a big letter A?

Bearing this in mind, I have grown to believe that the impact of educative television on our children is massive and having been without it for so long, our children have been at a disadvantage.

The Good News?

There are shows that air on Akili Kids! TV that use these strategies while making learning cool and fun. Boom! na Wabi on Akili Kids! TV uses strategies that include visual input (looking at the shape and size of the letter), auditory input (listening to the sounds of letters), and more.

Peep and see:

You can basically do everything that Wabi does here with your own kids… I think of this like a training moment for myself as a Mum. How can I engage my kids with the same approach that Wabi uses?

Even more Good News?

These same strategies can apply to learning numbers too! I will talk about this in another blog post… Cheers!
Banju

The post Key Skills Learned From TV appeared first on Akili TV.

It’s quite interesting to note that most of our television memories from when we were young seem to be centered around commercial advertisements. And especially, those that had great jingles. Do you remember any jingles from your childhood?

Fast forward to now. We are the parents. Our children are home and we are looking for the best ways to grow them not just psychologically, but mentally and emotionally as well. But in this great age of technology, how do we know what is best for our kids? I mean we could give them books to read all day every day, but that is for the older children. How about the younger ones who are in their formative years, still learning how to hold a pen, to read, to write?

And on the daily? Imagine all the possibilities that would have come with this. Exposure to programming that teaches HOW to think and not WHAT to think, programming that encourages active watching as opposed to passive watching, an understanding of basic emotions like happiness and sadness and most importantly, social etiquette.

There is a massive impact on learning from television when you are young. And our promise to you is that all the content we air has been carefully curated to create a secure destination for your child to have safe fun, learn and grow to view the world from more than just one perspective.

But just in case you need a little more convincing, here’s actual scientific research, for your perusal.

Love, Banju

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