Bonkers Beat, Author at Early Learning Childhood Education

17/01/201607/02/2016

Reflections and Resolutions

There’s nothing quite like a brand new year to start something new, set some resolutions and plan for success! Let’s not rush in too quickly though – first we should reflect on the year that was.

Here’s a video of the highlights of 2015 for the Bonkers Beat team:

While we note down those highlights as elements of 2015 that we’d like to replicate for 2016, it’s also important to reflect on things we could improve, things that need a fresh approach and things that were not worthwhile. This may include events, excursions, systems and procedures and many other areas. Ask questions: What worked? What needs to be tweaked? What caused us stress and how could we minimise that stress this time around?

Set yourselves up for success in 2016 by having this discussion about reflections and resolutions within your team, and perhaps even with your families, and find the lessons from 2015 that will help make this year even brighter and more successful!

On a final note as we reflect and look forward, we wish all 2015 kinder graduates a very special year as they begin their formal schooling! What an exciting time for many children and parents – the first day of school is a memory to be treasured for life and we are so proud of all the young children who are taking that next step in their educations this year.

Now, let’s get stuck into 2016! Keep up with us on Facebook and Twitter!

18/12/201523/12/2015

A Time to Be Thankful

Another year is almost over and while much has changed, it’s very clear that the importance of wellbeing at the heart of children’s education is a focus that is here to stay.

This can only be a positive thing, as we as educators, teachers, parents and human beings strive to nurture children’s wellbeing, build their resilience and teach them through the power of music.

For Bonkers Beat, 2015 has been spectacular – we’ve grown, we’ve learned and we’ve developed. We will continue to do all of these things, just as we all should. Of course, none of our success at Bonkers Beat would be possible without the early childhood education community and everyone’s dedication to the wellbeing of young people. For your commitment and passion, we say THANK YOU. Thank you to all of the Centres committed to the Bonkers Beat program and the parents. Thank you to all the attendees of our events. Thank you to the organisers of the conferences Galina was welcomed at and the participants.

We also send our best wishes to you all for a happy Christmas and New Year! At Bonkers Beat there is plenty we love about Christmas, but you won’t be surprised to learn that we find that there is something so special about the music surrounding this time of year! Everywhere you go there are those familiar songs and carols filling the air. Some of these songs take us back to childhood or remind us of a Christmas occasion from years ago, connecting us with the past.

With the exception of singing ‘Happy Birthday’ or the national anthem, we as a society probably don’t get together and sing with our families very often, but belting out Jingle Bells with your loved ones really does bring a smile to your face. And there’s science behind that – “Researchers have worked out that singing seems to produce the perfect mix of both calming and energising based on what it does to the brain” (Wendy Sadler, Science Made Simple) thanks to endorphins – the happiness chemicals produced by our bodies, and oxytocin – known as the love drug or cuddle hormone.

Whatever you love best about this time of year, we hope you enjoy it! As we push through this busy couple of weeks, reward yourself at the end of it all with good food, some extra rest, and plenty of special time with those you love most. Don’t forget to throw in a couple of Christmas carols for good measure!

We’ve collated a year of memories from our Bonkers Beat Music Kinder in a collage, so take a look on Facebook and if you have a special memory of Bonkers Beat in 2015, share it with us.

Our next blog will be at the end of January – our goal is to provide you with valuable resources for your journey in early childhood education or as parents, so please email us or get in touch on Facebook and give us your feedback, ideas and suggestions.

We can’t wait to see what 2016 has in store for us all and we wish you and your families nothing but laughter, light and love for Christmas and the New Year.

26/11/201526/11/2015

Healthy Habits for Life

Food choices contribute to children’s behaviour, brain development, digestion, weight, dental health and their attitudes towards food well into the future.

As early childhood educators, we must always focus on offering children a range of colours and textures in their meals and getting the healthy eating message across. In fact, this year at Bonkers Beat Music Kinder in Aspendale, our working bee theme was ‘Be Healthy’, which was a great way of keeping the conversation about healthy eating flowing between educators, families and children.

We find making smoothies is a fun and very tasty way of enjoying healthy foods and love watching children exploring a huge variety of tastes and textures as they work on developing those taste buds! In fact, at the working bee the children made 120 frozen smoothie pops to refresh everybody (with a little help from our educators too…)!

Bonkers the Monkey is a huge fan of eating healthy, delicious foods too. He has enjoyed many healthy eating adventures, and you can take a look at him enjoying delicious, nutritious food in this album: http://on.fb.me/1XpjMQm

TIPS FOR HEALTHY KIDS LUNCHES

As the end of the year approaches, it might be time for some parents to start thinking about how to put together a nutritious lunch for school in 2016! Sometimes we even need ideas for lunches for kids on days at home and weekends too.

The first step to a great lunch with lots of variety is a good lunch box. Aim for something with a few different compartments to minimise the need for wrappings. The Organised Housewife also suggests that lunch boxes are:

-BPA-free
-Sealed tight for freshness
-Easy to clean
-Not too big, not too small
-Dishwasher safe

Depending on your climate and choice of snacks, an option for a lunch bag or box that is insulated or able to be cooled is a great idea too.

From carrot sticks to crackers, popcorn to berries and everything in between – the options are endless for lunchbox snacks. There are plenty of creative and fun ideas available online for cutting sandwiches into adorable shapes and presenting fruit and veg as fun-size kebabs too – see our list of resources at the end of the blog and explore.

Healthy alternatives can take a little more planning and/or time, but it’s well worth the extra effort just to know exactly what is going into children’s little, growing bodies. Some muesli bar and slice recipes are actually incredibly simple AND incredibly delicious. For a healthy alternative that’s as easy as can be, fruit is always a winner!

Another great tip to consider when putting lunches together is to include children in preparing the lunch. Simple spreading, arranging and cutting of sandwich toppings is a useful life skill. Plus, children tend to be more interested in eating something they helped to make too! Eventually, children will be excited to make their own healthy lunches and might even come up with some tasty combinations you hadn’t thought of.

OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER

While you’re focusing on the wellbeing of children, spare a thought for the wellbeing of the environment too and aim for a rubbish-free lunchbox. This means less risk of flyaway wrappers not making it to the correct bin and chances are the less packaging a lunchbox item has, the healthier and more natural it is.

Another very important consideration is allergies – please make sure you’re aware of the allergen policy at your child’s place of education as this can vary. We all have to do our bit to protect young children from risks, and in some cases allergic reactions pose enormous risk to some children.

Some handy resources are listed for you below and we’d love to see pics of your lunchbox creations on Facebook – post yours on our page if you’d like to share and we can all inspire one another!

Handy Resources:

http://www.nudefoodmovers.com.au

https://www.ohsobusymum.com.au/category/all-recipes/lunch-box-recipes-all-recipes/

http://www.kidsfoodtalk.com.au/contents/en-us/d31_naked-wrapper-free-food.html

http://www.kidspot.com.au/Back-to-School-Lunch-box-nutrition-10-days-of-lunch-box-loving-recipes+7196+181+article.htm

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/collections/kids+healthy+lunch+box+ideas

02/11/201507/11/2015

Celebrating Cultural Diversity

With many of us excited about Christmas coming next month and celebrating with family, there are people of many cultures looking forward to different events and celebrations this time of year. This really got us thinking about the diversity of cultures and how we can celebrate these as well.

Here are just a few big events coming up soon:

Diwali Light Festival– One of the most significant festivals in Indian culture, Diwali, the festival of lights, sees millions attend firework displays, prayers and celebratory events across the world every autumn. The festival is celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains for a variety of reasons; although the main theme which runs throughout is the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil.

Christmas Day -Christmas Day is celebrated through many countries and regions – more than 2 billion people (over a third of the world’s population) will celebrate the birth of Christ. The most popular customs of the holiday include gift giving, singing carols, exchanging Christmas cards, church services, a special meal and a display of various Christmas decorations. The biggest being Santa, Father Christmas or Saint Nicholas bringing gifts to children during the Christmas season. For many it is a day to reflect at the end of a long year, celebrate with family and to start the New Year in good spirits.

Australia Day – Celebrated annually on 26 January, it marks the anniversary of the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet of British Ships at Port Jackson, New South Wales and the raising of the Flag of Great Britain at that site by Governor Arthur Phillip. In present-day Australia, celebrations reflect the diverse society and landscape of the nation, and are marked by community and family events, official community awards, and citizenship ceremonies welcoming new immigrants into the Australian community

Chinese New Year – This is an important Chinese festival celebrated at the turn of the Chinese calendar. It is also known as the Spring Festival, the literal translation of the modern Chinese name. Chinese New Year celebrations traditionally run from Chinese New Year’s Eve, the last day of the last month of the Chinese calendar, to the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first month, making the festival the longest in the Chinese calendar. In 2016 it will be celebrated on Monday, 8 February, and it is the year of the Monkey.

To help children to become involved in these celebrations, have a world map on hand, print out a list of the cultural dates and discuss the various festivities with them. The internet has, as always, plenty of resources, craft ideas, explanations, traditional dress ideas and information about all of these special days. Children enjoy seeing colour and movement, and expanding their mind about other cultures is a fantastic way to teach them. In addition, it is so important for children to be culturally aware and to enjoy other cultures and traditions.

Cultural and religious dates – https://www.dss.gov.au/our-responsibilities/settlement-and-multicultural-affairs/programs-policy/a-multicultural-australia/government-building-social-cohesion/calendar-of-cultural-and-religious-dates

Christmas Day around the world – http://www.officeholidays.com/countries/global/christmas_day_world.php

Kids craft ideas and how to celebrate diversity – http://www.thecraftycrow.net/cultural/

A handy list on how to Celebrating Cultural Diversity in Early Childhood Services – http://www.resourcingparents.nsw.gov.au/ContentFiles/Files/diversity-in-practice-tipsheet-2.pdf

http://www.resourcingparents.nsw.gov.au/ContentFiles/Files/diversity-in-practice-tipsheet-2.pdf

30/10/201530/10/2015

Galina Awarded for Excellence in Teaching

Congratulations!

Galina is officially a recipient of a 2015 State and Territory
ASG National Excellence in Teaching Award (NEiTA)!

Out of 1,100 teachers nominated across Australia, Galina is the only Early Childhood Educator in Victoria to receive this wonderful award.

The entire Bonkers Beat team would like to wish Galina the best of luck for the final round – to be a National award recipient!

View the State and Territory recipient teacher profiles here.

ASG NEiTA are the only community based awards, giving school communities, parents,
grandparents and boards of management an opportunity to recognise and thank teachers
for the crucial work they do and making a real difference in education.

Thank you to all the educators who follow Galina’s blogs, who come to her workshops, conferences and simply sing, dance and make music with children. Your ongoing support, enthusiasm and using music as a language to communicate, learn and grow helps children to develop. Keep up your great work with embedding music in your everyday lives, in your centres and in your homes.

We congratulate all wonderful teachers, and a Happy Children’s Week!

20/10/201523/10/2015

Three Reasons Why Some Educators Lack Motivation

Early Childhood education is crucial for children’s development and the profession of an Early Childhood Educator is one of the most important jobs. It can be very demanding and challenging both physically and mentally, but at the same time it is one of the most rewarding professions and many educators would not give it up.

Why people choose this profession when they begin their career and why so many educators leave their jobs?
Why is it so difficult to find the right staff and keep them motivated?

Many owners and directors have similar concerns about retaining good staff members, so these conversations prompted Galina to write about this issue.

Her article can be summed up into three words – Passion, Knowledge and Skills. Without these three things, educators cannot learn, grow and also enjoy their job. Working within the industry is hard, it is at times physically and mentally difficult. Keeping up with the daily demands can be very challenging without the right skills. To quote Galina – “…follow your passion, keep learning, look for ways to gain more practical ideas, work as a team, share your knowledge, your skills – and motivation will be there.”

Australian Childcare Alliance (ACA) magazine approached Galina and published the article a few weeks ago in their Spring Early Edition.

You can read Galina’s full article here:

hhttps://musicearlychildhoodpresenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/ACA-Spring-early-edition-2015.pdf

For more articles written and published by Galina, go to:-https://musicearlychildhoodpresenter.com/nique-story-aboutbonkers-beat-music-wellbeing-programs/in-the-news/

To find out more about ACA :- http://www.australianchildcarealliance.org.au

15/10/201515/10/2015

Nutrition Week – Every Week!

National Nutrition Week is all about getting all Australians to enjoy more fruit and vegetables every day with Pick Right. Feel Bright!

This week we celebrated National Nutrition Week as we always do: instilling the benefits of healthy eating, exercising, fresh air, outdoor play, yoga and meditation. The children at Bonkers Beat Kindergarten have also begun to really enjoy blending and making smoothies with our educators. This is a fun and interactive way for the children to learn about fruit and vegetables in a delicious way, and is great for the warmer weather coming up. With this activity and also incorporating exercise daily, the children have a great grasp on what nutrition and healthy living is.

So, what is nutrition and healthy eating for you? We recently put these two questions to our Facebook page –

Q1. What Does Good Health Mean to You?

Q2. What Do You Do or Want To Do More To Improve Your Health?

Answers varied, but mostly we all agreed that we need to eat more healthy food, exercise more and take better care of ourselves.

With the summer months upon us, now is the time to really take stock. Warmer days and summer fruit are the perfect way to kick start a healthy eating and exercise pattern to take us into 2016.

Here are is a little list of our top tips to healthy eating

Eat a variety of foods
Enjoy plenty of fruits and vegetables
Maintain a healthy body weight and feel good
Eat moderate portions – reduce, don’t eliminate foods
Eat regularly
Drink plenty of water
Meditation and stretching
Exercise regularly for a healthy state of mind
Start now! – and make changes gradually
Remember, its all-out balance

So, take the pledge to eat more fruit and vegetables: http://pickrightfeelbright.com

Here are some healthy smoothie recipes which are perfect for a warm day: http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/collections/smoothies

01/10/201506/10/2015

Three Cheers for our Teachers!!

World Teachers’ Day is a day that celebrates the efforts of teachers on a global scale, acknowledging the important contribution made to our community in an increasingly complex, multicultural and technological world. This year it is celebrated on Monday 5^th of October.

Teachers go above and beyond the call of duty to make sure the next generation has the best start in life possible. All of us know a teacher from our past who shaped who we are today or who had a great influence in our careers. This is why World Teachers’ Day is about appreciating the teachers in our lives. From the beginning at childcare, kindergarten, primary through to secondary and beyond, all are equally important and have a crucial role in shaping and guiding our children.

Here is a little list of why teachers are great

Teachers don’t accept failure. They try every angle and every strategy to help students learn and succeed.
Teachers care. Teachers love every student in their class, even the ones that make themselves hard to love, and sometimes especially the ones that are hard to love.
Teachers are fabulous communicators. They love to talk and listen to students, to other teachers, and parents. They choose their words wisely and can say anything with a smile and a positive spin.
Teachers are adaptable. They can change a lesson or an entire class in a moment’s notice, which comes in handy when the fire drill or unplanned assembly interrupts.
Teachers are positive. They know the work is challenging, but they’ve accepted the task and know they can be an amazing teacher because their attitude is great and no one can tell them they can’t do something.
Teachers work hard. They don’t show up and sit behind a desk. They stand all day, talk all day, think all day, interact all day, and learn all day. The corporate world may not get it, but teachers are busy people. Returning emails and phone calls are luxuries our days may not afford. But the important stuff – the teaching – that’s getting done.
Teachers are creative. The hallway, the playground, and the even the lunchroom are places where important lessons and connections take place.
Teachers are always thinking about teaching. They plan, they research, and they think about lessons all the time. They write down lesson ideas on cocktail napkins or receipts when they think of something great to include in an upcoming unit.
Teachers are resourceful. They know how to make the most of a lesson with no money, no supplies and little time.
Teachers don’t take teaching lightly. They’ve been trained in a field with few tangible rewards. The emotional rewards of teaching? The satisfaction of teaching? Those are so great it makes up for everything else and then some. The joys of teaching can be so overwhelming that they know it’s one of the greatest professions on Earth.

So, go and tell the teacher in your life how much you appreciate them and how valued they are.

To read the full list visit here:-

http://teaching.monster.com/careers/articles/7666-15-reasons-teachers-are-great

For more information about World Teachers’ Day:-

http://www.worldteachersday.org/map/index.php/main

Craft and present ideas for teachers:-

https://www.parentmap.com/article/15-homemade-gifts-that-kids-can-make-for-teachers

17/09/201501/10/2015

TEAM = Together Everyone Achieves More

The team at Bonkers Beat embarked on a weekend in the beautiful Mornington Peninsula to build on our relationships and to really enjoy the power of teamwork and team bonding. Building relationships and a passionate team of educators positively impacts the children in many ways. They see the strength and connection between colleagues and being role models, we show children how happy relationships and communication are created. They of course benefit from having happy educators and teachers who want the best out of them and support each other.

Everyone enjoyed the focus of the weekend, which was – Dare to Dream, Try, Grow & Have Fun Together! We all participated in yoga, partner yoga, a laughter session, meditation and of course lots of conversations about documentation and curriculum.

A highlight for all of us was the afternoon surprise of the Zipline flying fox at the Enchanted Adventure Garden. Many of us felt challenged by this activity, however with the entire team rallying around and offering cheers of support we all completed the course with big smiles on our faces. Without the support of each other many of us would not have finished this challenge, the support from each other created a sense of togetherness. Taking risks and pushing boundaries is healthy for all of us and the reward is feeling fulfilled and happy that you have conquered your fear.

Many of us were happily exhausted after the weekend and felt ready to take on the new week full of happy memories and closer friendships.

Team spirit is so important to us and that is why we would like to share with you this adorable clip from: – ‘Lessons from Geese’

To see the full range of photos from our weekend. Click here on our Facebook page: –

Bonkers Beat Staff Retreat 2015 – Dare to Dream, Try, Grow and Have Fun

15/09/201518/09/2015

Start the Conversation about World Peace Day

Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 September. The General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples.

It’s a big world we live in with hundreds of countries and thousands of languages, many different religions, time zones, and a slew of celebrations.

The symbol of the dove:
The peace dove flying with an olive branch in its beak is one of the most commonly featured symbols for the day. In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam a white dove is generally a sign for peace. The dove can also represent “hope for peace” or a peace offering from one person to another, hence the phrase “to extend an olive branch”. Often, the dove is represented as still in flight to remind people of its role as messenger.

So, how can you include this in your daily life?
You don’t have to organise or attend an event to participate in Peace Day. Individuals can observe Peace Day in whatever way is personally meaningful. Take time for quiet reflection, have a minute of silence at 12pm, volunteer in your community, commit to more peaceful communications in your home, share some peaceful time with someone who needs support, plant a tree, learn about a global issue related to people or the environment.

How can you embrace this day in your classroom?
Learn what makes us different and what makes us the same, and why!

Ask the children about what they think Peace Day is. Below are some links to some craft activities, which can start the conversations.

Some questions to consider:

1.Why do you think World Peace Day is so important?

2.What can we do to support this day?

3.How different would the world be if every day were World Peace Day?

Encourage the world to work together toward the goal of worldwide peace.
Just remember that knowledge leads to understanding…

For more information about World Peace Day:

http://www.un.org/en/events/peaceday/

Worksheet, craft and activities to use at home or in the classroom:

http://www.teacherplanet.com/resource/peaceday.php

http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/peace-day