EDO BLACK SOUP

Hello people, it's been a while. Decided to show us how to make black soup- Edo style. If you are from Edo state or married to someone from Edo state or you just love Edo recipes continue reading because of going to share with you how it is made as le from grandma. Ingredients Scent leaf Bitter leaf Uziza leaf Ebewawa otherwise know as wide leaf Fresh pepper Palm oil Meat, dryfish, pomo, periwinkle, crayfish Salt and Maggi. Method of preparation Boil the little quantity of bitter leaf to reduce its bitter taste about 5-7 leaf piece. Then blind or grind all the vegetables with 1 cooking spoon of palm oil and fresh pepper (little quantity) because the Uziza leaf is hot already. Then pour the blended mixture into your pot with all your washed meat,fish, pomo, pereinwinkle, dry fish and crayfish. Allow to boil, then add your salt and Maggi to taste. Keep an eye on your cooking pot as the soup will be ready in 40-50mins. Thats it. Best served with fufu(akpu) or pounded yam.

Child's First School

Is it the right time or age to start your child in school? Which school is best suited for your child as regards standards? What class should your child start from and the cost of enrolling the child are some key questions you try to answer in finding a balance.  

So I went to different schools, far/near, government/private, to scout for what I term a good school for my child and to answer some questions we might have been asking ourselves. A lot of parents are full with anxiety when it comes getting their first child to start school, be it play group, preschool or nursery.  It’s a lot easier for parents with 2 or 3 children. Even though there’s much anxiety, it doesn’t have to stop you from taking your child to school.

Drop those fears and worries, because am sure you would be a lot calm after this article.

FACTORS TO CONSIDER BEFORE ENROLLING YOUR CHILD IN SCHOOL:

WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE TO PUT A CHILD IN SCHOOL?:

It is most idle for a child to be enrolled at age 2 years by which time they can express themselves better to their instructors / minders at school. The basics are most often learnt from home with proper guidance from the parents from age 0-2 years. Kindly note though that this doesn’t mean all 2 years children are ready for school. There are signs to check like Physical readiness (can your child walk already and how is the walking stamina), Talking (has your child started talking or repeating after you or trying to say daddy, bye, mummy however they can pronounce it), Does your child associate well when with other children, is your child potty trained….anyway most pre nursery assist in teaching them to use their potty so no problem.

WHAT CLASS LEVEL SHOULD YOUR CHILD START FROM?:

It’s best to start your child in pre-nursery, there’s no need to rush it except both parents are tied up with office jobs or businesses that doesn’t give them time. Prenursery exposes them to better interaction with other kids (which is what is still done in play groups).

DECIDING BETWEEN PRIVATE and GOVERNMENT SCHOOL: Personally I prefer the private school. I mean in this country where  most public/government schools are neglected and overcrowded , children would be left to themselves at such stage and exposed to vices which may include injuries unlike the private schools where greater attention is given to because of the controlled number of children per class and the facilities meet up to standard.  

My argument for a private school over the government owned school is as detailed below:

·         The public schools had large class size with large population of students about 30+ in a class meanwhile the private range was 15-25. Some people would ask what the size has to do with your child but it good you know this affects most children as they won’t be monitored properly and there won’t be extra attention given to their educational needs

·         Public schools unlike private schools have unkempt environment and bad structures exposing children to not only infections but injuries.

·         Bullying is more in public schools. The other day I was checking in some govt. school and I saw a boy bullying a girl of about same age just because of her snack and because of the large number of children in the class, the class minders were attending to others and this skipped their attention. I had to come in on this and the answer I got was ‘na so dem dey do’. Quite sad.

·         As a parent you have little say about how your child is cared for in govt. school, if you complain too much they’ll ask you to take your child elsewhere unlike the private school where they pay attention to every little detail you bring to them….this one I really love because if you notice any change in your child you work on him/her and then instruct the school to do theirs.

But most persons would say because of money they prefer to choose the public schools as the fee is almost free but remember there are good private schools with reduced cost. It’s wise to make the best decision for your child. Go out to  scout for schools yourself and not depend on a friend or neighbor referral to pick one for you adorable child.

SCHOOL DISTANCE/ LOCATION:

Although this is not a big issue for most parents because most schools have school buses to convey the children to and fro. It is also important to consider it and my opinion is to pick a school close to the house as it makes it easier to pick them up or to check on them, imagine living in the city with traffic ……you don’t want to experience the frustration when the school is far.

Other factors you may want to consider are:

·         Class size, School environment/structure

·         Discipline in the school

·         Other children performance

·         Quality of teachers/method of teaching

·         School fees.

PREPARING YOUR CHILD FOR FIRST DAY IN SCHOOL

·         Download, buy and allow your child watch elementary cartoons where nursery rhymes are sang.

·         Buy alphabet and number toys for them

·         If your child had been with you all through and is not used to been alone with strangers, learn to leave the child for a couple of hours with grandma or your sister to see how they would cope and then practice a goodbye routine with them, like a kiss on the chick or forehead or hi5 and say ‘bye’ pick you up soon.

·         Take your child for tour to the school you have chosen to enroll him/her , probably 4-5 times while the school is in session to get familiar with the  environment.

Then purchase the following:

·         Backpack, shoe, lunch box, water bottle, pencil/eraser, others (depending on school requirement).

Others:

·         A day to start of school make sure the child goes to bed early.

·         On the first school day let your child go with his/her favorite toy to school. It helps them during this transition.

·          On that first day in school, stay with your child in the class for 5-15mins until he/she is relaxed with other children and attention a little shifted from you, ask the teacher to stay with your child while you you’re your leave. That way when he/she cries as your absence is noticed, they can turn to the teacher for support.

·         Most importantly resist the urge to go back and rescue your child when he/she cries.  It hurts to hear your child cry but if you keep running back when you hear them cry it makes the child over reliant on you and therefore lack the necessary independence.  Instead wait outside the classroom for a few minutes to ensure all is well and then call the school later to check in.

MUMMY  ROUTINE CHANGE

Now mums your routine will change slightly especially if this is your first child. You may consider the following:

·         You have to wake up earlier than usual to prepare your child for school and start other house chores.

·         Add an extra alarm to include time to pick up your child.

·         If you do not bath your child in the afternoon before now, you need to add it now because of the germs they are exposed to in school.

Kindly share your opinion of this write up , probably covering and mentioning areas I ignored

Cheers.