Future Smart Parent

Jude Foulston

The Future Smart Parent podcast provides resources for parents and kids who want to be ready for all the ways in which the future is going to be different from today.We will explore this future together, bringing insights from top futurists, resources from smart people working on making our lives better, and most importantly, stories of parents who are parenting a little differently, yet very much intentionally, for a changing world. These stories, insights and resources are all there to provide you with the tools needed to parent in the 2020s, and beyond. read less

Unleashing EdTech: Transforming STEAM Education with Cheryl Williams
Aug 8 2023
Unleashing EdTech: Transforming STEAM Education with Cheryl Williams
Today, I’m thrilled to talk with Cheryl Williams, an exceptional STEAM Based Learning Educator. With a teaching journey that began in 2000, Cheryl has gained invaluable experiences in various grades and leadership roles - however, her true passion lies in the Edtech world, where she has been wholeheartedly dedicated for the past decade.Cheryl's days are immersed in the world of technology, exploring innovative approaches like the Internet of Things, Computers, iPads, Robots, and Coding to enhance learning. She is passionate about inquiry and experiential-based learning, understanding its potential impact on preparing children for the future of work.We had a really interesting conversation about different modes and methods for teaching, as well as the ways that AI tools, such as ChatGPT, can help teachers! It’s not that these technologies are going to take over teaching or replace teachers, but more than they’re going to give teachers an edge. AND - they will help teachers save time!  Free Bootcamp for teachers!The Future Smart Parent team is also hosting a free boot camp especially for teachers, helping you to jump in and embrace A.I. to save you time and mental space & shape an educational experience that prepares our students for success in a rapidly evolving world.Sign up for free today! https://www.futuresmartparent.com/teacherbootcamp Thank you so much for listening! Please like and subscribe to join our community. If you enjoyed the podcast, consider leaving a review and sharing the episode with your network. Join the Future Smart Parent Community:Instagram | Newsletter signup | Facebook Group
EFT Tapping for Kids and Parents
Jun 21 2023
EFT Tapping for Kids and Parents
Today I got to speak with Rebekah Clark from Happy Marlo. Happy Marlo is an organization dedicated to helping children build skills for dealing with their emotions and being empowered to find their calm space. While these tools and resources are designed specifically for 3 to 11 year olds, the holistic approaches to emotional well-being can, and should, also apply to the parents, guardians and carers of these children. Some of us parents also need to learn some emotional regulation skills and find ways to ease our anxieties and centre ourselves. Happy Marlo is a wonderful resource for parents and kids! In this episode, Jude and Rebekah speak specifically about EFT - Emotion Freedom Technique, aka Tapping. EFT can help children process emotions and take control of their own wellbeing. The positive effects have been so widespread that some schools are starting to introduce it into the curriculum. Benefits include: Helping children recognise, understand and express emotions Significantly reduce stress levels Increased self-esteem and self acceptance Increased happiness, energy and overall sense of wellbeing Reduced perfectionism, fear of failure, or procrastination Improving academic performance or managing learning difficulties Supporting friendship dynamics, anger issues, bullying-related events or self-harm Overcoming fears or phobiasConnect with Rebekah:Website: www.happymarlo.comEmail: hello@happymarlo.com / rebekah@happymarlo.com IG & FB: @happymarlolifeIf you want to read more about the science behind tapping as a calming and healing technique, look at Dr. Peta Stapleton’s book: The Science Behind TappingAnd here are some free Happy Marlo resources for you.Thank you so much for listening! Please like and subscribe to join our community. If you enjoyed the podcast, consider leaving a review and sharing the episode with your network. Join the Future Smart Parent Community:Instagram | Newsletter signup | Facebook Group
3 Tech Habits for Families to develop to keep everyone safer and saner online
Apr 19 2023
3 Tech Habits for Families to develop to keep everyone safer and saner online
Today we’re talking about tech habits - specifically tech habits for families because I don’t know about you, but I find it incredibly difficult to break some of my own bad tech habits.  Yes, I'm also acutely aware of the saying that goes 'More is caught than taught' and so I'm acutely aware that I need to try a little harder!  For example, I know I sleep so much better when I read a physical book before going to bed, but too many nights I’m on my phone right before bed. Even as parents we get sucked into our phones when we’re bored rather than finding something to do etc and then get frustrated with the time that we’ve wasted..  Saying all that, in today’s episode Kate, from our 'online safety and well-being' partners, Be in Touch, shares some tech habits that we can (and should) implement into our parenting strategies. And to be honest these habits will help us adults too!No phones in bedrooms overnight. Charge phones in a communal space.No phones (for anyone) during meal times. Use this time rather to connect and catch up as a family.Check in and check up on your kids’ phones regularly. For their safety.They seem like simple points, but being consistent and demonstrating these tech habits will be beneficial for everyone in the family. You’ll all sleep better, and us parents have the chance to really engage with our kids and understand them, while also creating boundaries that are meant to protect them from online dangers.Connect with Kate from Be in Touch:Be in Touch ResourcesFamily Tech RulesWheel of LifeSmartphone ContractParental ControlsThank you so much for listening! Please like and subscribe to join our community. If you enjoyed the podcast, consider leaving a review and sharing the episode with your network. Join the Future Smart Parent Community:Instagram | Newsletter signup | Facebook Group
Helping Our Kids Through Transitions
Mar 29 2023
Helping Our Kids Through Transitions
Zanele has built her profile as one of Africa’s brightest organisational change & learning influencers. She’s known to her clients as 'The UnLearning Lady', and is a global leading voice on using key unlearning principles to help companies build cultures that support change & transformation. She’s worked with companies such as Visa, Coca-Cola, The South African Reserve Bank, Deloitte & Discovery.In this episode, Jude and Zanele talk about how to help our kids manage transitions. Dealing with disruption and change is a natural part of life, but it’s also difficult. If we’re not setting our kids up with the skills to deal with life’s transitions, then we are setting them up for struggle. Empowering them with tools and coping mechanisms to deal with the disruptions and change that is inevitable will give our kids the confidence they need to thrive.Zanele recommended the book “Managing Transitions” by William Bridges and Susan Bridges. You can get it on Takealot here.You can subscribe to Zanele’s weekly newsletter, where she shares weekly tips on building a culture of learning, unlearning and relearning. Sign up here.Connect with Guest:Website: Zanele NjaphaEmail: info@zanelenjapha.com Social Media: LinkedIn Thank you so much for listening! Please like and subscribe to join our community. If you enjoyed the podcast, consider leaving a review and sharing the episode with your network.Join the Future Smart Parent Community:Instagram | Newsletter signup | Facebook Group
Sextortion and how to protect our kids online
Mar 16 2023
Sextortion and how to protect our kids online
Sextortion might sound like the name of a really bad movie, but in fact it’s a lot more serious than that and it’s affecting all of our kids online. Essentially “sextortion” is a crime, classified as cyber extortion under the South African cyber laws, and occurs when predators blackmail our children into sending them sexual or nude pictures and videos. This is obviously child pornography, which is a criminal offence, and these predators need to be caught.This might be scary, but as parents we cannot bury our heads in the sand and pretend it doesn’t exist. And we definitely cannot just say “Oh, but not my kids… My kids would never do that.” Because as much as we say that children shouldn’t be taking and sharing nude images of themselves, the predators who are engaging with them are exerting an extreme level of power over our kids and are coercing them into doing such things. Our children are victims. So yes, it could happen to your kid. That’s why this topic is so important for parents to be aware of and to prepare ourselves and our kids to deal with. It’s happening on all social media platforms. Predators will lurk in social media and gaming apps, such as Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok and Discord. They will follow your kids, message them and then move to more private apps like Whatsapp, where they will send unsolicited nude images and coerce your children to reciprocate, leading to your children being blackmailed and threatened for sexual favours or money, once your child has sent them photos or videos of themselves.So let’s be cautious with our kids online. Put protections into place as much as possible and really engage with our children often so that they know that we are a safe place for them to come, if something like this ever happens. If something like this does happen to your kids, make sure that there are screenshots of the conversations (on the social media platforms and on Whatsapp), as this counts as evidence to the police. And then, before blocking the predator, send this simple message:“I have spoken to my parents. They are reporting it to the police for investigation because you are in possession of child pornography.”Although the predator might try to contact your child in another way, this simple message can deter them or slow them down (as they are often preying on multiple children at one time).Settings to keep your kids safer:SnapchatTikTok InstagramYouTubeFor more info you can sign up for our 90-minute workshop on how to keep your kids safer and saner online for just $37 here:You can also book a device advice consultation with Kate from Be in Touch, if you’re finding this all too overwhelming.Connect with Kate and Be In Touch:Website: https://beintouch.org.za Join the Future Smart Parent Community:Instagram | Newsletter signup | Facebook Group
The Changing Gender Landscape
Nov 15 2022
The Changing Gender Landscape
In this episode, I chatted with Christy Herselman from The Chat. We spoke about the changing gender landscape, and what this means for both our children, and for us parents as we all try to navigate and understand this phenomenon that's unfolding so quickly.  We spoke about the massive rise in transgender and nonbinary teens, and touched on how the world got here. I think what I loved the most from this conversation is the way Christy helps us parents think about this topic. She doesn’t come in with all the answers, but rather helps us understand this changing landscape, acknowledging the many complexities on this subject. This conversation was another reminder to me as a parent of the fundamental job we have to just love our children, provide them with the safe space that they need, and to have these sorts of conversations with them. Christy is a speaker, teacher, researcher, author, wife, and mom to 3 kids with a passion to help cultivate deep connections, facilitate healthy dialogue helping raise a generation who are secure in who they are and where they are going.8 years ago Christy founded a movement called The Chat. The heart of THE CHAT is to empower parents, organizations and communities to confidently dialogue around big topics like sexuality, digital healthy and social media in a natural, open manner that creates safe spaces for ongoing conversations.  She also equips tweens and teens to make healthy, future-focused decisions around their sexuality and identity and does workshops at schools, helping children and teens become healthy, wise digital users. Resources mentioned during the conversation: Upcoming Zoom for parents with Christy on Sex & Gender: Understanding the Conversation. 24th November. 5-Part Video Series for schools: The Gender Project: A 5 Part Video Series for schools, to help orientate and prepare South African teens for the Gender Conversation.Book: Irreversible Damage by Abigail ShrierBook: Untangled - Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood by Lisa DamourBook: The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable and Compassionate Adolescents by Lisa DamourPodcast: Ask Lisa - The Psychology of Parenting. [Podcast] To connect with Christy from The Chat: Website: www.thechat.co.zaEmail: info@thechat.co.zaFacebook:  thechatdurban Stay in touch with the Future Smart Parent team:Website: www.futuresmartparent.comEmail: jude@futuresmartparent.comFacebook: /futuresmartparent Instagram: @futuresmartparent
Understanding neuro-development and the 21st century child
Jul 22 2022
Understanding neuro-development and the 21st century child
Episode Summary:Today I spoke with Dr Beulah van der Westhuizen, who is a specialist in neuro-development, education and the founder of EduExcellence. In this episode, we discussed the education system, and where traditional schooling stems from and how it functions. The institutionalisation of schooling first appeared during the Industrial Revolution, when children needed to be somewhere while their parents were working in factories. School became a place to train children for their future working in factories, following rules and training their minds and bodies to a 9-5 structure.We discussed how this traditional model doesn’t apply to 21st century children. Our world has changed! We’re in a new era of technology, and of information, an era that is constantly evolving. And so shouldn’t schooling and education should evolve too? Mainstream school didn’t work for either of my children, but it was only during COVID that we took the opportunity to move away from traditional school. Something interesting that came up in my discussion with Dr. Beulah is that we have to treat each child as an individual and try to find the form and structure of learning that stimulates and encourages them as individuals. Some children shine in mainstream school – enjoying sports, competition and community. But not every child will thrive in such an environment. We also talked about neurodiversity. There are different types of intelligence, different ways of taking in and processing information, and different sensory processes. If we can understand our kids and their diversity, we can nurture their neuro-processing and allow them to come out of their shells. There is no “one-size fits all” approach when it comes to schooling. Enjoy listening to our conversation, which challenges our ideas around education and offers alternative approaches we have for educating our children. Let’s learn how to bring out the best in each of our children! Connect with Dr. Beulah:EduExcellence Website: https://www.eduexcellence.co.za/home Find out more about EduExcellence’s Eduation Offering: https://www.eduexcellence.co.za Dr. Beulah’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-beulah-van-der-westhuizen-professional Thank you so much for listening! Please like and subscribe to join our community. If you enjoyed the podcast, consider leaving a review and sharing the episode with your network.Join the Future Smart Parent Community:Instagram | Newsletter signup | Facebook Group
Diversity in Schools - a conversation for white parents
Apr 8 2022
Diversity in Schools - a conversation for white parents
In today’s episode, I talked with my colleagues, and fathers themselves, Buhle Dlamini, global speaker and expert on why Diversity and Inclusion are essential in business, and Graeme Codrington, an expert on the Future of Work and author of the book “Future Proof Your Child”For this episode, we turned the focus away from business and onto our children. We discussed the importance of diversity and inclusion in schools and our education system. Learning about diversity, and having it visibly represented in our schools is extremely important, especially for white children where previous generations have been the perpetrators of racism, colonialism and discrimination against People of Colour. We discuss the fact that racism is a system that is still operational, despite the fact that we are living 30 years post-apartheid. And in understanding this key fact we hope to engage in conversations with parents about the damaging effects of racism and how we might attempt to solve these problems for our children, and for the future of our country. While this is a difficult discussion, it is absolutely one that we need to be having. Diversity is at the root of resilience, empathy and innovation and should be an ideal that we are pushing for. Let us stay committed to this ideal, and work every day towards antiracism and inclusion on all levels. Connect with Buhle: Websites: https://tomorrowtodayglobal.com  or  www.buhledlamini.com Email: buhle@tomorrowtodayglobal.comConnect with Graeme: Website: https://tomorrowtodayglobal.com  or www.graemecodrington.com Email: graeme@tomorrowtodayglobal.com Graeme’s book “Future Proof Your Child”Available on TakealotAvailable on AmazonThank you so much for listening! Please like and subscribe to join our community. If you enjoyed the podcast, consider leaving a review and sharing the episode with your network. Join the Future Smart Parent Community:Instagram | Newsletter signup | Facebook Group
MoneyWise Kids with Donna McCallum
Mar 10 2022
MoneyWise Kids with Donna McCallum
In this episode, I speak with Donna McCallum, aka the Fairy Godmother, who teaches us about money and magic, and how as parents, perhaps we have some mindsets to shift that we haven't realised yet!Donna is running a workshop on March 17th with Meike Lovemore, called MoneyWise Kids, which will walk parents through good money habits that they can teach their children, including practical tools to implement immediately so that your kids are delighted to learn about money. We also spoke about how Donna’s focus, as the Fairy Godmother, is to teach people modern day practical techniques to help you create your best life! If you feel like money and finances are tricky topics to deal with as adults, imagine how overwhelming it must seem to our kids. In my conversation with Donna we discussed many ways we can overcome this challenge as parents wanting to be innovative and future-smart. And for those who want the extra guidance, Donna has a Money Magic Program, which is a 9-week long program, that equips you with tools to be financially confident, secure, and ensure financial freedom. So don’t miss out! Money is not an easy topic, but in this episode we’ve discussed many different ways to make money something that works for you, rather than against you. Connect with Donna:Email for more: info@fairygodmotherinc.com Details about the MoneyWise Workshop and to Book >>https://bit.ly/MoneyWiseKidsWorkshop Fairy Godmother Website >>   https://www.fairygodmotherinc.com/ Details about Donna's 9 Week Money Magic Program >>https://moneymagicprogram.com For more on Money Magic >>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdMNnYWUfWc Thank you so much for listening! Please like and subscribe to join our community. If you enjoyed the podcast, consider leaving a review and sharing the episode with your network. Join the Future Smart Parent Community:Instagram | Newsletter signup | Facebook Group
How to raise entrepreneurial kids and why it's important for them
Feb 27 2022
How to raise entrepreneurial kids and why it's important for them
Episode Summary: We talk about reframing entrepreneurship and the skills that are most valuable to instill in our children. Some of these skills include self-awareness, confidence, resilience, learning that it’s okay to fail (something some parents could also learn!) as well as, innovation, independence, and critical problem-solving! Without these ‘soft’ skills it becomes almost impossible for us to empower our children to become successful entrepreneurs. We need to break away from the conventional mold that has been built, despite how easy it is to slip into. Although our education system is flawed, parents need to understand that the way the system has been set up is not the only way, nor is it the best way, for our children to be set up for success. The world of business and the world of work has shifted dramatically, and unfortunately, the schooling system in South Africa has not seen that same shift. But as parents, we have the opportunity to push the boundaries for our children, to open new doors for them, and to help them build the self-confidence and capabilities to thrive and succeed in this new socio-economic climate. Be bold enough to allow your children to break out of conventional norms and push boundaries. There are so many pathways and avenues that lead to success that children no longer need to follow ‘traditional routes’. So be brave, be bold! Connect with Danie Jacobs and Young Entrepreneurs:Website: https://www.younge.online Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YEEntrepreneurs Email: info@younge.co.za Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/yeyoungentrepreneurs/ Thank you so much for listening! Please like and subscribe to join our community. If you enjoyed the podcast, consider leaving a review and sharing the episode with your network. Join the Future Smart Parent Community:Instagram | Newsletter signup | Facebook Group
Innovation and Adventure in Learning - join the learning revolution with LearnLife
Jan 6 2022
Innovation and Adventure in Learning - join the learning revolution with LearnLife
Discover a way of learning, backed by science and research, that is learner-centred and focuses on self-determined, purpose-inspired and personal learning.In this episode I speak with Bryan Gibson, who is the Research and Design Lead for the learning innovation elements at Learnlife. Learnlife is leading the education revolution aiming to empower learners, educators, and governments worldwide to take on a fresh approach to learning. Today we chatted about what learning can look like in the modern world. Innovation in learning takes us away from the need for standardized testing, and formal learning settings that haven’t changed much since we, parents, were in school. Rather their approach is to bring in adventure, discovery and curiosity into a new way of learning. Enjoy this episode where Bryan highlights how Learnlife is continually pushing the boundaries of what education and learning can be. Learnlife envisions collaborative learning communities that will become the problem-solving champions in a world where agility, creativity, and innovation will be needed to solve future challenges. Hopefully this episode will leave you inspired to keep learning, keep being curious and seeking out knowledge - no matter how old you are. Connect with Bryan and Learnlife:Website: http://www.learnlife.com/teamFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/wearelearnlifeEmail: hello@learnlife.com or bryan@learnlife.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearelearnlife/ Linktree: https://linktr.ee/learnlife Thank you so much for listening! Please like and subscribe to join our community. If you enjoyed the podcast, consider leaving a review and sharing the episode with your network. Join the Future Smart Parent Community:Instagram | Newsletter signup | Facebook Group
Keeping families safe and sane  online
Nov 30 2021
Keeping families safe and sane online
Jude Foulston is joined by Josh Ramsay from Be in Touch  - a digital wellness consultancy and they discuss how families, parents, teachers, and schools can improve their digital interaction and capitalize on the limitless potential of the online world in a safe and productive manner using principles and tools to improve our digital life together. Josh highlights some common and obvious problems where parents hand over devices without limit causing detrimental long-term harm to our kids ever-changing futures. He clearly and honestly highlights the need for parental controls on our digital lives.  The discussion advises that parental controls start with building a positive and open relationship around digital control and developing a family digital alliance as well as setting education and entertainment goals to every app or software used. Jude and Josh insightfully define 3 areas software or tools can reduce harm namely: Monitoring content Managing screen time Filter content and websites Maintaining curiosity through the parent/child relationship asking better questions, listening intently and putting kids in the driving seats of their own digital lives. This episode is brought to you by Bark. The Best Comprehensive Parental Control Tool for Families now available in South Africa. Try Bark for free here. Thank you for listening and we look forward to your engagement. Please like and subscribe to join our community. If you enjoyed the podcast, please would you consider leaving a review and sharing with your network.
Skills for the Future of Work
Nov 15 2021
Skills for the Future of Work
“But more than half of all the people I know in their 30’s, their 40’s, their 50’s, half of all the parents are not doing what they formally studied to do.” This week Jude Foulston and Graeme Codrington discuss the future of skills at work. Challenging parents and teachers to a paradigm shift in their young learner’s educational journey apart from the traditional, narrow path to a university academic career and toward practical, usable and a range of skills relevant to every organization five years into the future. The insightful discussion touches on artificial intelligence and algorithms potentially replacing most human menial tasks at a lower accumulated cost and quicker speed emphasizing the need for learners to develop future work skills in a combination of the following areas:Complex adaptive thinking Entrepreneurial skills Emotional intelligence Problem solving Curiosity Communication Tech savvy Diversity intelligence And many more internal human centered skills not easily replicated by a large computer. IMF and Mckinsey articles in links below: Defining the skills citizens will need in the future world of work (McKinsey)The Jobs of Tomorrow (IMF)Thank you for listening and we look forward to your engagement. Please like and subscribe to join our community. If you enjoy the podcast, please would you consider leaving a review and sharing with your network. CONNECT WITH Graeme:LinkedInWebsite: www.graemecodrington.comEmail: graeme@tomorrowtodayglobal.comJoin the Future Smart Parent CommunityNewsletter signup | Facebook Group | Instagram
Innovating traditional education systems in South Africa
Aug 7 2021
Innovating traditional education systems in South Africa
Welcome to episode 8 where I chat with Kim Day about the work that the school she teachers at is doing, and has been doing for decades, to provide a child-centered holistic system of education - and why adapting our current educational system is so critical, as well as totally doable, for the 21st Century.We chat about how we can make education relevant for the 21st century, about how we let children craft their own learning pathway, and no, we're not talking about homeschooling here, we're talking about an ex Model C, Government School getting this right in Durban, South Africa.We talk about using the curriculum and how schools can customise it to individual interests, strengths, and needs. We talk about how Manor Gardens assesses their kids as well as how they cover the curriculum using a language across the curriculum approach and project-based learning. Kim is a teacher with a passion for learning. She’s curious about the possibilities for creating learning environments that engage children and help them to flourish. Kim is involved in projects that innovate within traditional systems of education and is a teacher at Manor Gardens Primary School, a government school in Durban.Full show notes over at www.futuresmartparent.comFollow Kim Day:Email: researchwhizz@gmail.comWebsite: https://www.mgps.co.zaFuture Smart Parent Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/futuresmartparentFuture Smart Parent Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/futuresmartparent/