Mental Health Awareness Week: 18-24 May

The theme this year is kindness and we would love your help to create a kindness mural!

The Direct Action Project at The Peel are creating a photographic mural to showcase acts of kindness big and small that Islington folk are getting up to whilst isolating. 

To take part:

• Send us photos which show or represent acts of kindness. For example shopping bags to show shopping for a neighbour or of a picture in a window to thank your postman. No people please
• Photos should be in portrait view and clear with a high resolution. 
• Tell us the name of the photographer, plus age if under 18.
• Tell us a few words about the photo. 
• Photos must be received by this Friday 15 May
• Email your photos to charlton@peelinstitute.org.uk or use the free file sending service WeTransfer
• We will create a wall on our website to display the photos.

Mental Health Awareness Week is organised by the charity the Mental Health Foundation, who say about this year's theme:-

"One thing that we have seen all over the world is that kindness is prevailing in uncertain times.  We have learnt that amid the fear, there is also community, support and hope. The added benefit of helping others is that it is good for our own mental health and wellbeing. It can help reduce stress and improve your emotional wellbeing." The Mental Health Foundation

Happy snapping and we look forward to adding your photos to our Kindness Mural! 

Health advice for parents during Coronavirus

Whilst coronavirus is infectious to children it is rarely serious. If your child is unwell it is likely to be a non-coronavirus illness, rather than coronavirus itself.

Whilst it is extremely important to follow government advice to stay at home during this period, it can be confusing to know what to do when your child is unwell or injured.

Remember that NHS 111, GPs and hospitals are still providing the same safe care that they have always done. 

More advice

Glorious gnocchi with tasty tomato sauce

Children will love making this fun and tasty recipe

• Prep time: 30 mins     
• Cook time: 10 mins           
• Serves: 6

Ingredients for gnocchi:

• Two medium potatoes
• 250 - 300g all-purpose flour (can use gluten free flour)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Pinch of nutmeg (optional)
• Grated cheddar cheese (optional)
• Ingredients for the sauce:
• One onion, finely chopped
• One clove garlic, finely chopped
• One can chopped tomatoes
• One teaspoon of (mixed) herbs
• One tablespoon oil (olive oil)
• A handful black olives, sliced (optional)
• Vegetable such as courgette
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Chopped fresh herbs such as basil or parsley (optional)

Method:

1. Peel the potatoes and cut into chunks. Add to a medium-sized pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil. Boil for 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes feels soft when pierced it with a fork.
2. Once the potatoes are cooked, drain well and put the potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer, potato masher or fork to mash the potato until smooth.
3. While the mash is cooling down, start making the sauce.
4. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Cook the onion for about 5 minutes on a medium heat, add any vegetables you are using, and cook for another 2 minute. Add the garlic, chopped tomatoes, mixed herbs and olives, if using. Rinse the tin of tomatoes with a little water and add to the pan. Bring to the boil and then let it simmer on a low heat while you are making the gnocchi.
5. Add most of the flour, salt and a pinch of nutmeg to your mashed potatoes. If the mixture is cool enough you can knead it with your hands. Keep adding flour until the dough forms into a ball but is still soft. Don’t over-knead the dough as the gnocchi will become chewy.
6. Bring a wide based pot of water to the boil.
7. Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces by cutting it in half, and in half again and in half again. Using your hands, roll out one section of the dough at a time into a long a “snake”. Using a knife, cut the “snake” into 1 cm pieces to form little dough cushions (about the width of your finger). Use a fork to press into the “cushions” to make ridges. The ridges hold the sauce.
8. Check the tomato sauce from time to time. Give it a little stir and check it is thickening but not burning.
9. Drop one gnocchi at a time into the boiling water until there is a single layer of gnocchi at the bottom of the pan without them touching each other. Once they start to float, boil for an additional 2 - 3 minutes (about 5 minutes in total). Test one gnocchi to make sure that it is soft all the way through but be careful not to burn yourself as it is hot!
10. Using a slotted spoon or strainer, remove the cooked gnocchi and put on a plate or bowl. Use the same water again to cook the next batch of gnocchi until you have cooked enough gnocchi for the everyone. One portion is about 20 – 25 gnocchi.
11. Add salt and pepper to the sauce to taste. Once enough gnocchi have been cooked, add them to the sauce and warm through. Serve with some grated cheese or chopped fresh herbs if using.
12. Any leftover uncooked gnocchi can be kept in the fridge for a few days or frozen for another time. Sprinkle a little flour in a tub and over the gnocchi to put in the fridge or on some baking paper on a tray to put in the freezer. The following day, take the frozen gnocchi and put in a bag or tub to keep in your freezer until required.

Variations:

Replace potato with sweet potato or butternut squash and add dried herbs. Gnocchi can be served with different sauces such as pesto or fried garlic and spinach.

Get Set for the Tokyo Olympics!

The Tokyo Olympics may have been postponed, but you can still try Olympic and Japanese themed games from the comfort of your home

Play Tee Time:

1. Each player has an object they can roll, if you don’t have a ball, try a ball of socks or string for example
2. Start anywhere in the house.
3. Choose 1 player to roll their object into a space a few metres away
4. Then the rest of the players take it in turns to try and roll their object as close as they can to player 1’s object.
5. See who is closest and they win a point
6. The winner of the previous round starts the next
7. Keep playing and try making a trial through the house or outdoors
8. This can be played with 1 player. Roll your first object out as a target, then try to get as close as you can with your next attempts

More games

Arsenal FC Stay at Home Challenge

Arsenal football club have created home learning kits for primary aged children 7 - 11 years

These Player Packs contain activities that are suitable for children in Key Stage 2 (aged 7-11). Younger children may require additional support. 

Coming soon: resources for 11 - 16 years and 16+!

Arsenal

Fun learning ideas to try at home

Islington's schools team has put together lots of resources for children and young people. Check out their website and sign up to their newsletter for more ideas

This week’s highlights:

• Imagine you need to grow the food yourself, when would you need to plant them? Which months of the year and when would they be ready to harvest? Use this website to find out more. Draw your own seasonal food guide.
• Roald Dahl loved to be silly with food and he even wrote his own ‘revolting recipes’. Write your own revolting recipe. There is also a rather clever recipe in George’s Marvellous Recipe. Why not write your own medicine recipe. Be as silly as you like! Here are some ideas.
• Chemical reactions with food: Chemical reactions are useful in cooking and help to improve the taste of food. Cooking and chemistry have quite a bit in common. Watch this video to find out more. Watch cooking throughout the week and record any chemical reactions you notice to the food.
• Islington public libraries have produced a list of young adult fiction suitable for secondary school pupils with titles available as audio or e-books via the BorrowBox service. Books have been selected for their entertainment value, strong themes and relatability. Please visit here to browse titles.
• If you are not already a library member, you can still join to use eBooks, eAudiobooks, online magazines, newspapers, comics and other resources by visiting here, emailing informationunit@islington.gov.uk or phoning 020 7527 6952.

Women's Resilience Awareness Programme (WRAP)

The Women’s Resilience Awareness Project offers a variety of free courses and groups for women in Islington who have experienced domestic abuse and have children. During lock-down WRAP groups will be delivered online via Zoom. 

Stress Rescue with Yadiksha – Tuesdays at 11am: 

Our new volunteer Yadiksha will be running an online stress relief session. You will receive tools and techniques to support you in your life and create change that could impact your future thoughts, words and actions. All you need is the zoom App , a pen and paper. 

General Chat – Tuesdays at 12.30pm:   

Break the isolation of lock down and join us for a social chat -everyone welcome and you will be under no pressure to chat if you’d rather just listen to others.  

Meditation – Thursdays at 11am 

Join our online meditation session with our wonderful volunteer Yadiksha - reduce stress, relax your body and mind and learn other benefits of meditation

Movement for Anxiety – Tomorrow - Wednesday, 13 May 2020 at 2pm  

Learn how to reduce anxiety through movement with Hannah our qualified yoga teacher - you will learn simple tools and techniques using the body and the breath that you can use to support yourself. 

For all these workshops you will need to have downloaded Zoom on to the device or laptop you will be using.  You can choose to have your camera switched on or off https://zoom.us/support/download

To book your place: contact Anat on 7717 707 157 or email a.toffell@solacewomensaid.org

The best way to get along at home is to do activities that help us enjoy one another’s company, have fun together and feel cared for. This can help make those difficult moments a little easier!  

Here’s some suggestions to help create a positive mood at home: 

Got an idea?

Let us know about it.

We'll then include it in our next issue.

Email

Find Things to Do on the Family Directory

The Family Information Service has information and advice for families, including a regularly updated list of Things to Do.

Follow IslingtonFIS on Facebook for all the latest news and updates!

IslingtonFIS