Parenting Hub

Buckle up, because Cartoonito (channel 302) is about to turn every afternoon into movie night! Movie Star Holidays kicks off Thursday, 24 September, with a fresh blockbuster premiering daily — outlaws, pirates, aliens and rock stars all included. It all kicks off with a wild chase across Tasmania in Taz: Quest for Burger (24/09), before Tom and Jerry saddle up for ranch rivalry in Cowboy Up! (25/09).

Two nights. Four movies. Zero dull moments. Cartoon Network (channel 301) is stacking the schedule with a can’t-miss movie stunt from Thursday, 24 to Friday, 25 September, kicking off at 11:00 each day. Thursday goes wonderfully wrong from the start: in Storks, a delivery company that ditched babies for packages accidentally gets an order for an actual baby — and chaos ensues.

What if a family day out could help your child’s school raise money, without parents having to spend anything extra? That is the thinking behind the new beActive Schools Programme, an initiative that turns visits to beActive Life’s indoor play and adventure parks into a simple fundraising opportunity for participating schools. The concept is straightforward. Once a school signs up, families register their children through a personalised link.

The debate around online school and traditional school often focuses on which one is “better.” But that may be the wrong question. The better question is: which environment is better for your child? Every learner is different. Some thrive in a traditional classroom environment. Others perform better with greater flexibility and independence. That is why educational fit matters. A quality online school provides more than digital worksheets.

Many preschooler tantrums begin with a simple problem, the child feels something strongly but does not yet have the words to explain it. Dibber International Preschools South Africa is encouraging parents and caregivers to build emotional vocabulary in toddlers through ordinary conversations, stories and daily experiences, helping young children gradually recognise, name and communicate their feelings rather than relying only on tears, shouting or physical reactions.

Cartoonito (channel 302) is joining the Batman Day celebrations with a special stunt, Batwheels: Heroes vs Villains, airing Saturday, 19 September from 08:10. The Batwheels and Batman are teaming up to take on the villains of Gotham City in a lineup of fan-favourite episodes. In “Batcomputer for a Day,” the other Batwheels step up to help Batman battle Harley Quinn while Batcomputer is offline for a system update.

On 12 January 2026, Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube announced that the Class of 2025 had achieved an 88 per cent pass rate in the National Senior Certificate, the highest in South African history. More than 656,000 of over 900,000 candidates passed. For the first time, all 75 education districts cleared 80 per cent. That is a real achievement and it deserves to be read as one. It is also not the number a parent choosing a Grade 10 curriculum should be looking at.

One of the most important and least understood factors in breast cancer detection, is breast density. Dr Marna du Toit, a radiologist from SCP Radiology who recently obtained a European Diploma in Breast Imaging (EDBI), explains what dense breasts are, the impact on the kind of imaging that will be used and explanations of each one. Breast cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women globally and multiple factors determine a women’s risk of being diagnosed.

Every parent has heard it. “I don’t want to study.” “I hate school.” “I don’t understand this.” “I’m tired.” It can be frustrating when you know your child is capable of so much more, but they seem disconnected from their education. However, sometimes a lack of motivation isn’t about laziness. It may be a sign that something about the learning environment isn’t working for them. Some students enjoy a busy classroom environment. Others become overwhelmed by it.

The adventure levels up. Pokémon Horizons: Season 3 — Rising Hope premieres exclusively on Cartoon Network (channel 301) on Saturday, 19 September at 13:10 CAT, airing on weekends. Find out what Liko and Roy have been up to — and how they’ve grown alongside Floragato, Crocalor and Captain Pikachu.