Bonkers Beat, Author at Early Learning Childhood Education

16/08/201817/08/2018

What’s your favourite childhood book?

Book Week is coming up from 18 – 24 August, bringing the perfect time to focus on the incredible benefits and positive impact of books and reading on people young and old.

A special childhood book can be a beacon of joy throughout your entire life. Think about your own early years and you can probably recall one or more books that have stuck with you ever since. To celebrate Book Week, why not get educators to share a favourite childhood book with children at your centre?

Three reasons we love reading

1. Literacy is vital

Learning to read and developing reading comprehension are essential skills for life. If you can encourage a love of reading and books in children, you are giving them one of the most valuable tools possible.

2. Reading benefits other areas, like numeracy

Researchers found that reading provides benefits to a child’s overall education, not just literacy. Even formal tests showed higher scores for children who were read to more often at age 4 and 5, including improvements in numeracy!

3. Books are full of knowledge

Reading books doesn’t just improve your ability to read — books are full of knowledge and facts that enable children to learn just about everything! In fact, for a child who isn’t overly interested in books, start with books on their favourite subject to spark their interest.

Three books with a positive message

If you need some extra inspiration for new books to try in your centre, here are just five that are not only a great read but also have a really positive message embedded within them:

The Way We Have Fun: This book isn’t just about a family holiday — it tells the story of a family who takes off on a family trip armed with devices like smartphones tablets and laptops. But only when these ‘essentials’ go missing do they realise where the real fun is!

The Rainbow Fish: A beautifully illustrated story that takes the reader on a journey to discover the true meaning of beauty and friendship.

Little People, Big Dreams: This series of books takes you through the stories of the lives of some of the world’s most amazing and inspiring people, such as Marie Curie or Mother Theresa. Educational and full of inspiration!

Make Book Week a time for your centre to focus on the importance of literacy and the magic of reading for children and adults alike!

We look forward to finding out more about your favourite books, so share them with us on our Facebook page.

09/08/201809/08/2018

Reaching for Excellence with the ACAV Conference

It’s not the first time we’ve said it and it certainly won’t be the last: providing early childhood educators with continuous, high-quality training and development opportunities is vital for many reasons. For educators’ wellbeing and motivation levels; for children’s development and quality of care; for the overall success of any childcare business.

For a while there with LDCPDP funding, we were free to test a range of professional development options and explore different styles of training to upskill and motivate early childhood educators. Now we need to be more selective, choosing training options and programs that work for us and give us real, tangible results for our centres and educators.

This year on 17 and 18 of August, ACAV is hosting the 2018 Excellence in Early Childhood Education and Care Conference and we’ll be there. As many of you are probably aware, excellence has been a theme for Bonkers Beat this year, with our Music Kinder in Aspendale centre receiving the honour of an NQS Excellent Rating!

We’re excited to have a stand at this fantastic industry event, featuring engaging keynote speakers such as Dr Justin Coulson, Fabian Dattner and Professor Ann Farrell, as well as a debate, exhibition and topics specifically covering NQS outcomes.

ACAV conference will have a wide range of topics covered and the program is organised in three streams:

Leadership & Viability
Educational Program & Practice
Partnerships & Physical Environment

Our innovative programs that we will be showcasing at the event take a practical and evidence-based approach to these areas, with a focus on positive outcomes, always. At our stand you can explore what makes our programs so effective, discovering the ongoing training and support we provide to educators all over the country both online and offline. So, come and chat with us at the Excellence in ECEC conference exhibition to learn why our programs are the key to excellence in childcare!

If you haven’t registered to attend the event yet, there’s still time! Head here to buy tickets. This conference is a must-attend for anyone with a passion for succeeding and achieving excellence in early childhood education.

Please don’t forget to come and say ‘Hi’. We look forward to seeing you at Bonkers Beat stand #38!

26/07/201826/07/2018

5 things to celebrate about trees as National Tree Day approaches

Each year we encourage childcare centres and families to get involved in National Tree Day. Schools Tree Day is coming up on 27 July, followed by National Tree Day on 29 July – but any day is good to celebrate trees!

Trees do so much more than line our streets, but can often go unappreciated or even unnoticed. Yet there is so much to celebrate about the humble tree!

These are just five things to open up a discussion about trees with children in your care and to show them (and remind yourself!) just how important trees are to the world.

Tree facts to share with children

1. Trees clean our air

It’s no secret that there are many pollutants in the air that are harmful to our environment and health. We are lucky that trees work hard to reduce airborne pollution, with the leaves of trees catching the particles and filtering the air for us. Trees also create oxygen for us, turning sunlight, water and carbon dioxide into oxygen in a process called photosynthesis. This is how trees produce their own food too!

This is a fun explanation of the process:

2. Trees provide fruit and nuts

Children’s favourite fruits and nuts are produced by trees and plants. Encourage children to identify which plants various foods come from.

3. Trees mark the seasons

Currently, there will be many trees around with no leaves as it is winter. Talk about how trees show us the changing of the seasons, with leaves turning orange, red and yellow in autumn. Also discuss that some trees are evergreen, meaning they will keep their leaves and stay green all year.

4. Trees provide shelter

Whether we are looking for protection from the rain or the sun, trees are very reliable for shelter. When we are looking to have a picnic or relax at the park, we are often drawn toward finding a special tree that will provide us with shelter and even let us lean on its trunk!

5. Trees are home to wildlife

Of course, trees don’t just provide shelter for people… For many animals, trees are home. Talk about what animals use trees as homes, such as possums, koalas and birds to name a few.

If you can find the time to get planting for National Tree Day, take the opportunity! Watching children as they learn to plant and care for seedlings, helping them to grow, is a special activity. To help your centre celebrate National Tree Day and the wonder of nature, gardening and outdoor learning, they have compiled a huge number of engaging resources for early learning. Take a look here.

There are many ways to get involved in National Tree Day – find an event here or register your own.

Image Designed by Freepik

17/07/201818/07/2018

United we shape the future (for the better!)

The early childhood education is so crucial. For children, for families, for society — our work with children every day changes lives, shapes the future and supports families in their personal endeavours. We believe that our work in early childhood has the power to change our own lives and we should all support one another in reaching personal goals. United in our shared passion and common goals, we can achieve greatness!

It is this belief and passion that we pour into the ‘7 Stones’ events. (And if you haven’t attended yet, the opportunity is heading your way Sydney, Brisbane and Perth!)

Together we tackle our shared challenges, like occupancy, competition, effective programs, staff turnover… And together we share wins, uniting as a sector to inspire and support one another.

The power of collaboration should not be underestimated. This collaboration through our shared dedication to early childhood education is meaningful and empowering.

If you share our passion and commitment to shaping the future and doing your bit in creating the best early childhood education industry in the world, we need you to stand with us!

We want to connect with you, learn from you and share our wins and success of our Music & Wellbeing programs. We’re even going to delve deep into the reasons why we received an Excellent Rating under the NQS in the upcoming workshops.

Join us at the next ‘7 Stones’ event:

Sydney: Thursday 26 July

Brisbane: Thursday 9 August

Perth: Date TBC

Together we can do anything! Let’s make our industry the best it can be.

12/07/201812/07/2018

Reasons to get outdoors even when it’s cold and rainy

When winter just starts to seem too chilly to bear, a tropical getaway is a must… Of course, that isn’t always possible so for most of us we need to find other ways to warm up!

Parents and educators alike can relate to the challenge of keeping children entertained, engaged and warm in the winter months. Rainy days, in particular, can leave educators and parents feeling frustrated – not to mention children, most of whom love to run around outside!

Thankfully, avoiding heading outside when it’s cold and rainy is unnecessary! As we like to say, there is no bad weather, just bad clothing! In fact, spending too much time indoors is how many coughs and colds are spread throughout winter. Get your gumboots, coats, scarves, gloves and beanies and get outside!

Here are a few reasons why spending time outside (even in winter) is a great idea:

1. Mood booster

The winter blues is a real thing and is often attributed to the increased time spent indoors which translates to less exposure to natural light and vitamin D.

2. Fresh air

Fresh air and getting amongst nature can give your immune system a much-needed boost. Flush out your airways with some cool, crisp winter air and reap the rewards. In fact, babies in Sweden are almost always bundled up for naptime outdoors to gain the benefits of the fresh air!

3. Get moving

It’s no secret that we tend to be more active outdoors, and that goes for children and adults. With more room to move, getting outside means more physical activity which will benefit your health and mood right away.

An outlet for indoors

If the weather really is too severe to brave the outdoors, there are plenty of ways to get active and boost children’s overall wellbeing while indoors.

Daily yoga practice is something we do at Bonkers Beat daily, and it can be enjoyed indoors or outside. If you’re not sure about how to do yoga with children, start by checking out our Yoga Cards, designed especially for children with simple instructions and engaging illustrations.

Want an effective release for children’s energy while inside? Turn the music up! Get moving to your Bonkers Beat music CDs or any music that children enjoy! Music and dancing enable self-expression, a physical outlet for emotions and is just good fun! Take a look in the Bonkers Beat shop here.

05/07/201805/07/2018

Adjusting to the new CCS

Here we are in the second half of 2018 (when did that happen?!) and with it comes the new Child Care Subsidy system.

It’s been really interesting speaking to centres about their thoughts on the new CCS, with some finding it to have been a relatively smooth transition, while others have found it stressful in one or more ways.

If you’re one of the centres who hasn’t had a positive experience with the new CCS, know that you are not alone! Of course, everything new can take a while to settle as we all adjust to new systems along with handling queries and concerns from families.

CCS stress for some centres

One of the reasons centre owners, directors and educators have been feeling stressed about this transition is because of how it has affected families who attend their service.

For some families, the CCS changes have seen the cost of their child care increase and at times the reaction to this has been directed at centres. Of course, it is unpleasant to see families feeling distressed while we are unable to offer any solution for their predicament.

In some cases, the extra cost for some families has even meant centres have lost enrolments as the cost of the care no longer feels worthwhile to them. (Don’t worry – we have just the fix for this! If you haven’t seen our current special offer yet, click here!)

Other centres have mentioned the IT side of things to be hard to get their heads around, while others have been overwhelmed with the admin of everything during the switch.

Adjusting together

Thankfully we have a beautiful community of like-minded, passionate centre owners, directors and educators who support each other. As we all move into the second half of the year, please know that we are committed to supporting all in the early childhood industry.

If you need support or guidance at any time, call us on 13000 BBEAT (1300 022 328) or email info@bonkersbeat.com and we’d love to help wherever we can.

28/06/201829/06/2018

Special offer for your new financial year resolutions

For centre owners and in fact any business owner, the end of financial year is a time for assessing financial and business goals.

The new Child Care Subsidy has meant further challenges for a number of centres too, with some potentially losing families as a result of their change in subsidy.

With the busy admin of getting tax time sorted and switching to the Child Care Subsidy system nearly over, it’s time to focus on your new financial year resolutions!

We think every business should take the opportunity to create new financial year resolutions – it’s a perfect halfway point in the year to consider how your child care centre can be even better.

To help you take your centre to the next level, we’ve got a special offer for your new financial year resolutions!

Make the next financial year your best year ever!

Parting with a lump sum of money is never fun. We don’t like to do it and we’re guessing you don’t either! So, don’t! We’re offering you the opportunity to start the new financial year right by implementing multi-award-winning music and wellbeing programs in your centre with a simple, affordable monthly fee.

Special Offer: New Financial Year Resolution

This offer enables you to avoid paying an upfront fee and only pay an affordable monthly fee to secure the Bonkers Beat Music and Wellbeing programs in your centre from 1 August 2018 through to December 2019! That’s 18 months of the highest quality, ongoing professional development, training and support for your entire team!

No upfront fees
Easy monthly payments
Award-winning programs
High-quality training and support for your whole team for 18 months!

NOTE: This offer is only available to centres who join the program before 1 August! Submit your interest now.

Embed the most innovative, world-class music program in your centre to boost your occupancy, enhance curriculum, motivate educators, improve NQS rating, engage parents and stand out in this crazy busy marketplace.

The increasing number of child care centres across the country means that standing out from the rest is more important than ever. Bonkers Beat Music and Wellbeing Programs ensure you do just that! Increasing occupancy is just one of the many outcomes of our educational programs.

Families and communities now understand the incredible benefits of music, movement, yoga and meditation, and our programs enable you to expertly embed these powerful benefits into your centre immediately!

Remember; if you want to incorporate a world-class award-winning program in your centre for an affordable monthly fee and enjoy amazing benefits for your centre, your staff and families and children for 18 months, you have to register before 1 August 2018!

Head to http://www.earlychildhoodeducationalprograms.com.au/ to read more about what is included and the benefits and make the next financial year your best year ever!

Or email us at info@bonkersbeat.com

21/06/201822/06/2018

Because of Her, We Can! NAIDOC Week 2018

NAIDOC Week will be held from July 8 through to July 15, with the 2018 theme ‘Because of Her, We Can!’. Each year we encourage centres to acknowledge NAIDOC Week and use it as a perfect opportunity to give children a complete understanding of Australia’s history and culture.

This year’s focus is on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women – their roles in community and as strong, resilient and influential pillars of society. Throughout NAIDOC Week we can open up discussion about Aboriginal culture, what we know about it and how we celebrate it (and why we should!).

Three tips for incorporating the 2018 NAIDOC Week theme in your centre

There are many ways to take a general approach to NAIDOC Week, but if you want to focus on the theme ‘Because of Her, We Can!’, you might enjoy these ideas:

1. This resource from the NAIDOC website depicts Aboriginal women taking a stand and fighting against injustice. Show the image to children and ask what they see and discuss.

2. Read a book about Aboriginal culture as told by an Aboriginal woman. Welcome to Country, How the Birds Got Their Colours or The Shack that Dad Built are great options to consider!

3. Ask children about what a woman’s role is in their lives. Use this opportunity to break down any gender stereotypes, using examples of men and women doing a variety of jobs.

You may find some useful educational approaches here: http://www.naidoc.org.au/resources/teaching-guides

For a more general approach to celebrating Australia’s indigenous people, try these ideas:

Draw the flag, paint the flag or even simply colour in printouts of the flag. Here’s one.
Talk about how Aboriginal people were here long before anyone else and take note of which people occupied the land where your centre or home is. For example, Aspendale in Victoria was occupied by the Bunarong people from the Kulin Nation. Perhaps you can take a walk around the block and identify some Aboriginal street names.
Aboriginal culture also has a distinct style of art, music and performance that children love. Share this with children by playing music, showing them a digeridoo, or doing their own dot paintings for example.

Enjoy celebrating NAIDOC Week with your children and remember – because of her, we can!

Image source: http://www.naidoc.org.au

14/06/201814/06/2018

Common challenges in childcare centres solved

When you’re running a childcare centre, it can feel like the same issues keep coming up. You wonder what on earth you’re doing wrong and start to doubt yourself and your contribution to the early childhood education industry. What we have found after a decade of working with centres is that other centres are facing those same challenges.

Some of the biggest challenges that centres are facing:

1. Low enrolments

Low enrolments are a very upsetting problem many centres deal with — after all, high enrolments allow you to run your centre more successfully, pay educators what they deserve and maintain a high standard of early childhood education. Never fear, because with the right approach, increasing enrolments can be achieved!

2. Too many new centres opening nearby

A lot of competition contributes to point 1 and can make you want to throw in the towel. But don’t! We can tackle this…

3. Lacklustre outcomes for children

Seeing children blossom and flourish in your care is incredibly rewarding, but to get the best outcomes you need an approach to early childhood education that is proven to get results.

4. Unmotivated staff and high turnaround

If your educators are far from enthusiastic and you find yourself hiring new educators more often than you would like, this can impact your centre on every level.

All the while you are trying to create a successful business, provide an optimal start for young children and work on getting the best NQS rating possible.

In a way, it’s comforting to know that other centre owners and directors are facing these same challenges… but it’s time to take action!

A free half-day workshop is the beginning of a fresh approach for you and your centre! Head along to tackle those four big challenges plus plenty more and walk away with practical tools and knowledge that can change everything for you, your centre, your educators and the families.

Do not miss out this rare opportunity to discover more about Bonkers Beat programs and see the centre rated Excellent by ACECQA in action.

07/06/201807/06/2018

Connecting with the environment and self through yoga

Connectedness is a powerful feeling for adults and children alike. Creating connections with ourselves and others is important for development on many levels. Connecting with the environment is vital too. So how can we make these connections? One enjoyable and a highly beneficial way is through yoga.

The benefits of yoga anywhere, any time are amazing. While we have explored the many benefits of yoga for children before (take a look here!), taking yoga practice outdoors can offer further rewards. Let’s explore a few of them.

Three notable benefits of yoga outdoors

1. Reset an overloaded brain

Yoga is always a useful tool to relax, but taking it outside can actually enable the brain to recalibrate. Our bodies see nature as our natural environment and adding in the mindful activity of yoga or meditation while outdoors takes that calming effect to the next level.

2. Boost immunity

Fresh air is essential for good health, even in the colder months. In fact, many common colds are caused by spending too much time in confined indoor spaces. Take your deep yoga and meditation breathing exercises outside with children to gain the benefits of that fresh oxygen in their systems and yours.

3. Feel at one with nature

Children can use their observations of the outdoor environment to inspire their yoga. Standing tall like trees, stretching to the sky. Stretching to the side like a tree in the breeze. Many yoga poses use animals and nature so it makes sense to combine the two in real life!

International Yoga Day is coming up on Thursday 21 June — if you don’t currently practice yoga with children in your centre, maybe this could be a good day to start. Our Bonkers Beat programs are incredibly valuable tools to help you bring the benefits of yoga for children (and adults) into your service too.

Enjoy your yoga practice and watch for yourself as children experience the physical, mental and emotional benefits of yoga and meditation combined with being outdoors.