Interview with Tammin Sursok, Ambassador
Hi Tammin! Thank you so much for joining us today at Baby Hints and Tips to tell us about your latest role as ambassador for online reading program ABC Reading Eggs Junior. Before we start though, we’d love to know a little more about you – many of us know you as an actress, but you are definitely a super mum with many talents! Can you tell us what you’ve been up to over the last few years?
Well I moved to the US over a decade ago and have been lucky enough to have long-running stints on some really popular shows such as The Young and the Restless, Hannah Montana and Pretty Little Liars which this year wrapped up its series finale.
My husband Sean and I also started a production company called Charlie Baby seven years ago and just wrapped two weeks ago on our first film through it – Whaling. It stars Tom Felton from Harry Potter as my brother as well as Taylor Swift’s brother Austin. We also finished a TV show called Aussie Girl about a girl who’s successful in Australia, moves to the States and finds that no-one gives a crap! She then has to deal with the twisted absurdity of La La Land. I play the Aussie girl – the experience is definitely something I can relate to! Right now we’re at the editing stage with both of those projects. I’m also going to direct a feature in the coming year so that’s exciting.
We’re also now doing the second collection of my kids’ clothing line Stella.Phoenix which is doing well. My friend Kellie and I wanted to create a clothing line that our daughters would love. The collection has really cute but chic designs in high quality fabrics. All the pieces are practical but have real long-lasting style. We wanted to introduce that sense of style to little girls early on so they could develop a love for quality fashions. Plus there’s my blog Bottleandheels.com which is also going really well.
Wow, sounds super busy! You are a mum to a beautiful four-year-old girl, Phoenix. Can you tell us what your life has been like since becoming a mother?
My life has been always dominated by work so to suddenly stop that and become a mum was a hard transition at first. I felt like I lost a little bit of my identity for a while. However now four years later I feel like more of a real mum. I think I know what I’m doing a bit more now! I reckon I’m now about 50 per cent of the same person I was before I had Phoenix.
You’re really passionate about reading and literacy with Phoenix. What does this look like in your home?
We have always read lots of books to Phoenix, particularly at night before bed, but also at other times during the day. We like having a ‘cosy reading time’ with her where we get to chill out together. By making this regularly time to read to her, she really looks forwards to the stories. I also think it’s important to have lots of books constantly around so kids can just pick them up whenever so we always have loads of kids books.
This ties in beautifully with your new role – you’ve recently signed on as ambassador for ABC Reading Eggs Junior. Congratulations! Could you tell us a bit about this program?
When I first heard about ABC Reading Eggs Junior I really wanted to be involved because I think education is so important from a very young age especially when it comes to reading. I wanted to make sure that reading was also fun and exciting so ABC Reading Eggs Junior was the perfect fit for Phoenix as it’s specifically for kids aged two to four. She just loves the animations, games and electronic books. She’s learning so much about letters, sounds and phonics and it’s really helped spark her interest even more in books.
How does Phoenix interact with this program? What are some of her favourite activities?
She loves the online library. Her favourite books are The Giving Tree, The Cat and the Caterpillar and The Airport Book.
The ABC Reading Eggs Junior program obviously provides many benefits to younger children in building their phonemic awareness, alphabet knowledge and language development. However, there are some parents who are concerned about the use of screen time with their children. What is your take on this, particularly with regards to using this new program?
I try to limit screen time just to weekends as I don’t want Phoenix’s face constantly stuck in a screen. However, I also think that we need to move with the times – apps and computers are constantly used now in schools so I think all kids need to get a little tech-savvy. So I was thrilled when I heard about this app because not only is it lots of fun, it’s also educational.
Is there a program option for children older than 4 years of age? What does this program include?
The main program, ABC Reading Eggs, is for kids aged 3 to 13. It’s really easy to follow, with structured lessons, activities, games and online books. Kids love the competitive nature of going up levels and getting rewards. Anything that encourages them to read more is a great thing.
Thank you so much for joining us today at Baby Hints and Tips Tammin! We cannot wait to see your role as ambassador for ABC Reading Eggs Junior take off!
ABC Reading Eggs Junior is the brand NEW early learning program for toddlers aged 2-4. Filled with delightful activities, videos, songs and e-books, the program transforms the way toddlers use technology – turning screen time into learning time!
This interview was sponsored by ABC Reading Eggs.
