Tag: childcare

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Go Purple for Epilepsy Awareness

March is Epilepsy Awareness Month, so we are all encouraged to show our support by wearing the international epilepsy awareness colour: purple.

The idea is to break down the stigma around epilepsy and talk about it. Learn what it is, what it means and show understanding to those who live with seizures.

The official Purple Day is March 26. This date falls on the Saturday during the Easter break this year, but you can get behind Epilepsy Awareness Month by encouraging children to wear purple any time throughout March.

It’s a good time to talk about the different health issues people live with. Discuss how we might not be able to see those health issues at a glance, but how they can affect people’s lives. Promote sensitivity and understanding, and highlight the importance of supporting one another.

Here’s a little bit of info about epilepsy to help us understand the nature of it and its prevalence:

“Epilepsy is a common brain disorder which takes the form of recurring seizures. It can develop at any age, regardless of gender or ethnicity. An estimated 65 million worldwide currently live with epilepsy – in Australia alone approximately 250,000 people live with epilepsy and one in 25 people will have epilepsy at some point in their life.” (Epilepsy Australia)

So pick a day, to GO PURPLE this month! You’ll be helping to raise awareness for epilepsy and support those affected by it. It’s really simple to host a Purple Day fundraiser at your centre too, so click here to find out more.

Together we can help shape the way a generation understands health issues like epilepsy and create networks of knowledge and support.

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Sustainability in 3 Steps to Help Clean Up Australia

We are all striving towards creating the ultimate learning environment for young children. But what about the bigger picture? Making sure we take care of the environment in a broader sense is crucial, as is teaching the next generation about the importance of keeping the planet healthy.

Sustainability isn’t a buzzword – it’s the key to a happy, healthy future for us all. So how do educators and children make a difference? Our environmental sustainability program is a big part of the Bonkers Beat philosophy and practice. We understand the importance of looking after our planet and work together to raise awareness of the environment and a sense of connection to the natural world. Clean Up Australia Day is coming up on 6 March (Schools Clean Up Day, 4 March) and this is a good starting point to open up a discussion with children about the environment.

Encourage Sustainability in Three Steps

We’ve identified a three step pathway to showing children how they can make a different to the planet and the future:

  • Respect

If we can first encourage children to respect the environment and nature, we have made a good start. One of the easiest ways of doing this is through growing, cooking and eating. Once children see firsthand that nature is providing yummy food for them with just a little bit of care, they tend to look at a garden from a new perspective.
Practical Tip: Children should be taught care for plants and nature through activities like planting, watering plants, pruning, harvesting/picking and cooking.

  • Responsibility

Working from a basis of respect for the environment, children and staff can demonstrate their respect for their environment by becoming socially responsible. Promote awareness of wastage when it comes to water, electricity, paper and recyclable materials.
Practical Tip: Time handwashing, use compost bins, grow vegetables, fruit and herbs, maximise the use of natural light, minimise the use of heating and cooling.

  • The three R’s – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

These three R’s are practical reminders that we can apply to almost anything in life. If children have some paper we want them to think: can it be reused or recycled? They deserve to know that off-cuts of used scrap paper can be turned into tissues, newspapers, kitty litter and moulded cartons for eggs and fruit. We want them to opt for a reusable snack box rather than plastic wrappings, and to understand the impact of littering on animals and the world.
Practical Tip: Read more about how to action the three R’s – Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle – here.

Explaining sustainability to children can be tricky. The simple explanation we always use: it is just ‘Enough for Everyone for Ever’.

At Bonkers Beat we believe it is our responsibility to be role models and teach children to:

-learn about the environment
-develop skills to investigate and solve issues in the environment
-acquire attitudes of care and concern for the environment
-adopt behaviours and practices which protect the environment
-understand the principles of ecologically sustainable development

Remember, the upcoming annual event Clean Up Australia Day is on 6 March (Schools Clean Up Day 4 March)! Centres, you can register your Clean Up Day by clicking here. Alternatively, you might like to register to join an existing site clean up.

Here’s a sneak peak at our environmental sustainability program at the Bonkers Beat Music Kinder in Aspendale:

Inspire us by showing off images from your centre on our Facebook page, or Bonkers Beat members can share in the private My Bonkers Beat group.

P.S. As a loyal Bonkers Beat supporter, please enjoy this gift from Bonkers the Monkey – click here for your exclusive access to our song ‘Bonkers Rap’. A fun resource for talking about looking after the planet!

 

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When 3 million Australians are living with depression or anxiety, wellbeing matters

You hear about wellbeing all the time and you know that it’s important, but if you’re wondering “what is wellbeing?”, you’re not alone!

Research indicates that wellbeing is “a state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy”. Collins English Dictionary defines wellbeing as “the condition of being contented, healthy, or successful; welfare“. According to the Macmillan Dictionary, wellbeing is “the satisfactory state that someone or something should be in, that involves such things as being happy, healthy, and safe”.

When we think of wellbeing we need to remember that it comprises all elements of wellness – that is good physical health and good mental health. These contribute to the bigger picture that is our overall state of wellbeing, which affects our day-to-day enjoyment and comfort.

The Bonkers Beat programs highlight music as a means to enhance learning but also to provide a pathway to improving the wellbeing of children and educators.

How Music Improves Wellbeing

PHYSICAL WELLBEING: Encourages physical activity; reduces muscle tension; stimulates feel-good hormones; boosts immunity
EMOTIONAL WELLBEING: Calming effect; reduces negative emotions; lyrics can function as positive affirmations; uplifts the spirit
SOCIAL WELLBEING: Facilitates teamwork; increases self-esteem; builds confidence; can embed social skills

 

Wellbeing Practices for Life

In addition to music and these amazing benefits noted above, the Bonkers Beat programs also focus on incorporating wellbeing practices every day. Wellbeing practices include: yoga, stretching, breathing exercises and meditation.

The positive results from these activities can often be noted immediately – and once again, they benefit educators as well children! The impact is both physical and emotional, from lowering cortisol (stress hormone) levels to increasing mobility and so much more.

 

Wellbeing Matters

These figures from beyondblue indicate why wellbeing matters for all of us, young and old:

  • 3 million Australians are living with depression or anxiety
  • One in four young Australians currently has a mental health condition
  • One in 16 young Australians is currently experiencing depression
  • One in six young Australians is currently experiencing an anxiety condition
  • Suicide is the biggest killer of young Australians and accounts for the deaths of more young people than car accidents

Furthermore, 6-38% of family day care educators met criteria for depression according to the findings from the research project ‘Work and wellbeing in family day care’, by the Melbourne Graduate School of Education, Deakin University, RMIT and The Jack Brockhoff Child Health & Wellbeing Program.

Enhanced Wellbeing for Children and Educators

While our role and passion is to enhance the wellbeing of children in our care, at Bonkers Beat we feel it’s important to make note of the importance of educator’s wellbeing too.

If we are not feeling good within ourselves in an emotional, physical or social sense, then we need to be supported by our team to improve our wellbeing.

By bonding and enhancing that sense of teamwork in your centre, as well as incorporating music and wellbeing practices each day, educators will have the tools they need to do what they do best, and be the best they can beWhile our role and passion is to enhance the wellbeing of children in our care, at Bonkers Beat we feel it’s important to make note of the importance of educator’s wellbeing too.

If we are not feeling good within ourselves in an emotional, physical or social sense, then we need to be supported by our team to improve our wellbeing.

By bonding and enhancing that sense of teamwork in your centre, as well as incorporating music and wellbeing practices each day, educators will have the tools they need to do what they do best, and be the best they can be. And that’s why wellbeing is so important, not only to children but to early childhood education.

 

The upcoming Bonkers Beat Wellness Summits are committed to the wellbeing of educators and children. We aim to ensure each educator has the tools and support within their centre to do the best job possible with children in their care and enjoy each day with a sense of enhanced wellbeing. The exclusive Bonkers Beat Wellness Summits are run in Australian capital cities and are included for all educators from centres who are members of Bonkers Beat Music and/or Wellbeing programs. If you’d like to learn more, click here.

 

 

 

 

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Collaboration Central to Success

As early childhood educators we are continually encouraging children to work together, to be team players, to participate. From sport and games through to discussions, active participation is our goal for them. Rightly so, as working together is a fantastic way to accomplish great things. It’s about time we all took our own advice!

Collaboration Is Central To Success

As human beings at all life stages we are presented with situations where collaboration is central to success. In early childhood education, teamwork can go a long way and is something that is central to the success of centres across the country.

The importance of your centre’s ability to work as a team is reflective of their capacity to bond with one another, support one another and inspire one another. These areas will only serve to increase motivation levels in your centre, reduce staff turnover and create the most positive environment possible for children’s learning and development.

TEAM: Together Everyone Achieves More

The upcoming Bonkers Beat Wellness Summits are committed to embracing and encouraging collaboration and professional development as a team. We have invited every single one of the members of staff from centres who have embedded our innovative Bonkers Beat music and/or wellbeing programs to come along. Imagine the things that these teams of incredible individuals will be able to accomplish when they come together, learn together and are inspired together. Best of all, everyone’s attendance is included in the Bonkers Beat program membership! No need to carefully select staff members who will be best at relaying the content of the event – they can all attend!

Of course, teamwork and participation isn’t just about attending early childhood professional development events – it can be worked on from within your centre through:

-Staff meetings
-Social events/dinners
-Group projects
-Collaboration across Rooms
-Working bees
-Staff retreats

We spend our days facilitating children’s participation, so why not make sure we encourage each other and work as a team too!

 

P.S: Click here to learn more about the breakthrough Bonkers Beat programs or register for our new format program

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Facebook With Families – Social Media in Early Childhood Settings

Whether it’s to save paper or try a more interactive approach, more and more childcare centres and kinders are using online communications to keep in touch with parents.

While many in the early childhood field hold strong opinions about the use of iPads and computers for young children, this post is more interested in the use of Facebook for centre educators and management to keep in touch with families.

Facebook With Families

Plenty of early childhood educational services have Facebook business pages to publicise their centre, almost like an extension of their website. Other centres also have private ‘closed groups’ on Facebook. In these groups, only parents and immediate family members are accepted into the group to view the information posted. This information can be anything from reminders of upcoming events, to photos of children and everything in between. Parents can post questions that can then be answered by other parents or the centre’s staff. Sometimes parents may even post photos from an external occasion like a child’s birthday party, for example, to share with other families and the staff.

These closed groups can become an extension of the partnership between centres and families, and also facilitate bonding and communication between parents, and between staff and parents.

Plan It Carefully

The key is for it to be well managed. A plan or strategy can be helpful for a few reasons: make sure that there is activity in the group on a regular basis, ensure comments and questions are monitored and moderated in a timely fashion that the rules are adhered to.

What sort of rules, you may wonder? We recommend requesting that parents don’t save the images from Facebook that have other people’s children in them, but that they can make a request to have the image sent to them via email. We also advise that a consent form be signed by parents to allow images of their children to go on the Facebook group. Although it is private and can only be viewed by approved members, some parents may not want their children’s image posted for various reasons.

Pros and Cons

We are in favour of the use of Facebook Groups for centre, but here a few pros and cons we have identified in relation to private Facebook Group for you to consider:

PROS
-Increase communication between the centre and families
-Facilitate bonding between families
-Attract parent interest and increase participation
-Simple way to stay in regular contact with all families

CONS
-Potential privacy and confidentiality issues
-Takes some extra time for the educator/s and/or management to post and monitor

Does your centre use online methods to contact parents and families? What other pros and cons do you see when it comes to the use of private Facebook closed groups for centres? Have you had a particularly positive or negative experience with Facebook Groups as a parent, educator or management?

Join the discussion with us on Facebook.

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Why Yoga for Children is Important

There is a lot of information on social media of late about the importance of yoga and wellbeing for children. For many people it is often seen as ‘alternative’ or ‘new age’. However, there is real proof that yoga can improve academic performances, de stress children and encourage healthy food choices and eating. Yoga has so many health benefits, mental, physical and emotional, so it is no wonder more schools and kindergartens are making it a priority in their classrooms. At Bonkers Beat Kindergarten we have recently finished building the second yoga deck in our garden for toddlers. All children enjoy this daily activity as much as the educators love teaching it.

Here are some reasons why we love yoga:

Yoga teaches us about our bodies.

  • When we practice the physical postures or exercises (called asanas), we learn how to move more freely and with greater ease and awareness. These postures help our bodies become strong and flexible.

Yoga teaches us how to breathe better.

  • When we breathe deeply and fully (called pranayama) and become more aware, we can bring peacefulness or energy to our bodies.

Yoga teaches us how to use our energy more effectively.

  • When we practice yoga, we learn how to use the life force energy in our bodies (called prana) to feel more relaxed, focused, or motivated.

Yoga teaches us how to quiet the mind.

  • When we practice yoga, we learn how to be still. This helps us to listen with attention and make good decisions.

Yoga teaches us about balance.

  • When we practice yoga, we learn to be more aware about the need for balance in our lives. This could mean equal stretching on the left and right sides of our bodies or making sure we balance our very busy time with equal quiet time and relaxation.

Yoga teaches us to be the “boss” of our bodies.

  • Yoga teaches us to listen to our bodies by modifying or changing poses that are too hard or cause pain. (We will talk about how to modify poses in a later section.)

Yoga teaches us about taking care of ourselves.

  • Yoga is a great way to move our bodies and feel healthy. And teaching children how to take care of themselves is one way to show love. As with all forms of exercise, a good yoga practice can mean a good night’s sleep!

The beauty of yoga is that children can practice alone, with a friend or with a group.

For more information about the benefits of yoga, click here:

Yoga Journal  and the Daily Burn

To follow our Facebook page for yoga, meditation and wellbeing updates.

Information supplied by :- http://www.pbs.org/parents/food-and-fitness/sport-and-fitness/why-yoga-and-kids-go-together/

 

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Pre-School is the Most Important Year in Your Child’s Education

As the world becomes more and more technologically advanced, it becomes obvious that within the next five to ten years, our world will change dramatically as well as our economy. The children who are growing now will be creators of our future and will need to develop a range of skills, which allow them to succeed in life on different levels.  The modern economy will require people who have strong identities, multiple intelligences and well-developed verbal and written communication skills.  As a result of this progress – the modern world will require new educational systems and dramatic changes within curriculum and assessment.

Pre-school is often undervalued and misunderstood. International research indicates that pre-school is the most important year and the quality of the program is reflected by educational programs and the qualifications of the teacher.

According to an article in the Sydney Morning Herald, the average school starting age in Australian children is 5.2, based on a study from 2012. This is lower than the majority of other developed countries.  One country, which starts school at 7, is Finland. They have a fantastic school system, one that is deemed to be the best in the world. They believe in  high quality educational programs and less testing and exams.  Dr Sahlberg, a Finnish educator and author, said “The first six years of education are not about academic success.”  “We don’t measure children at all. It’s about being ready to learn and finding your passion.”

At Bonkers Beat, we are devoted to the wellbeing of children and as such we keep up with the very latest and highest quality research from Australia and around the world.

Therefore, we have developed a policy and encourage parents to enrol their children into our funded 4-year old kinder program, particularly boys, who have turned 4 years old prior to January of the year they will attend.  We note this policy is especially important for young boys because of the time difference in the development of boys and girls brains, ‘and since the brain affects cognitive development, attention and emotional regulation, this impacts a boy’s overall “school readiness,” including activity, attention span, and academic development’ (via Earlychildhood News).

The argument that some children are moved into school because they are bored at pre-school is one that may unfortunately be valid at times, depending on the pre-school children are attending.  By ensuring that children are stimulated by their pre-school experience, there will be no need for young children to enter schooling before they are emotionally and socially ready and ultimately this will only lead to higher academic performance and educational success for all involved.

Another factor to consider is consistency.  An enormous amount of learning takes place when children are involved in daily routines  and experiences arranged by educators over a period of time. These daily events are so important because they provide opportunities for repetitive learning in a natural, enjoyable, fun yet structured way. We believe that consistent approach at kinder and at home helps children to build life skills, positive attitude and passion for learning. Its important for parents to understand that children’s confidence and leadership skills developed before school will help them to succeed anywhere.

Interesting research indicates that young children’s learning and development depend on the educational qualifications of their teachers. That is why at Bonkers Beat we feel that professional and personal development are crucial. We are proud of having highly qualified, experienced and passionate team. Leaning is the foundation of life. Therefore we are committed to continuous learning and provide many opportunities for our educators for in-house training and ongoing professional development.

School is an exciting time and there is no need to rush it. We all want our children to be capable, happy and one way to ensure this is to really think about their education before school which lays a profound foundation for their future.

Some helpful links about school starting:-

What’s the right age to start school?

School starting age: The evidence

6 Life Skills Kids Need for the Future

The Challenge of Boys in Our Early Childhood Programs

Experts warn starting school too young harms learning, wellbeing

 

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Demand for Early Childhood Programs Across the Globe

Across the globe the demand for quality early childhood programs is growing all the time, with research continuing to highlight their important role when it comes to providing educational value for children.

The National Quality Standard (NQS) is a key aspect of the NQF and sets a national benchmark for early childhood education and care, and outside school hours care services in Australia. To ensure children enjoy the best possible conditions in their early educational and developmental years, the NQS promotes continuous improvement in quality.

In many countries, including the United States, it is continually being highlighted that the early years of a child’s life are the building blocks for their future success in school and later in life: “Leading economists agree that high-quality early learning programs can help level the playing field for children from lower-income families on vocabulary, social and emotional development, while helping students to stay on track and stay engaged in the early elementary grades. Children who attend these programs are more likely to do well in school, find good jobs, and succeed in their careers than those who don’t. ” (White House) 

As such, it has been exciting that the interest in Bonkers Beat Music and Wellbeing programs has been experiencing its biggest boom yet. Bonkers Beat Music and Wellbeing is the most comprehensive educational program, covering all seven areas of the National Quality Standard and in addition to being incorporated into many centres across Australia, it is now receiving increasing interest from the USA, Japan and Singapore.

The interest has been so great that Galina was invited to speak at CAEYC’s annual conference. CAEYC stands for California Association for the Education of Young Children. This is an affiliate of the United States organisation, NAEYC – the National Association for the Education of Young Children. The 2015 Annual CAEYC Conference and Expo takes place in Sacramento, California from March 4 – 7, and draws nearly 3,000 attendees. It is the largest gathering of Early Care and Education professionals in California!

Needless to say, it’s a privilege for Bonkers Beat’s passionate creator Galina Zenin to have been invited to present at this event. If you happen to be attending the 2015 CAEYC Conference and Expo, Galina’s presentation ‘Learning Through Music’ is on Friday 6 March at 4.15pm and is incredibly valuable.

If you’d like to learn more about the CAEYC Conference, visit conference.caeyc.org.

Upon her return, Galina will be taking on Australia for another tour covering Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney and the subject of successfully implementing music and wellbeing programs. Equipped with a wealth of brand new insights from CAEYC as well as her own ongoing research and development in music and wellbeing programs, Galina’s 3.5 hour sessions can contribute to making positive change in your centre and staff right before your eyes. With small groups and a delicious lunch included, you’d be crazy to pass up these practical and informative sessions. Find dates, times and book online at nqsrating.com.au.

The need for quality developmental programs in the early years is only becoming more and more obvious. To quote the experts from the NAEYC, “Several decades of research clearly demonstrate that high-quality, developmentally appropriate early childhood programs produce short- and long-term positive effects on children’s cognitive and social development”.

If you are a passionate Owner or Director of a Childcare Centre and are interested in finding out more or booking in at the Adelaide, Melbourne or Sydney session, the up to date information about this upcoming tour can be found at nqsrating.com.au.

 

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Western Australia Welcomes Bonkers

Not only was November a very busy month, it also marked a ‘first’ for Bonkers the Monkey – his very first trip to Western Australia! While Bonkers and Galina travel a lot both in and out of Australia, this was an exciting maiden voyage for the Bonkers Beat team.

And what a wonderful, warm and welcoming place Western Australia is! From the moment we arrived until the moment we left, the trip was an absolute pleasure. The people, the views, the food, the climate – just beautiful.

The busy adventure in the West included attendance at a conference that was a highly successful event, as well as networking with many educators and centres from Perth and its surrounds.

If you haven’t already, check out our Perth album on the Bonkers Beat Facebook page to see what a great time we had enjoying as much of Perth as we could in the short space of time that we had.

Western Australia, a big thank you for having us and we can’t wait to come back and visit again soon!

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Sleep Well, Play Well, Learn Well

Most experts agree that children between 5 and 12 need about 10 hours, even 11 hours of sleep per night – children under 5 should be aiming for 10 to 12 hours of sleep each night as well as a nap or at the very least some quality rest time during the day.

As much as we tend to realise that the body needs sleep to physically rejuvenate us it also helps children to grow and assists the immune system. Our brains also rely on sleep to function properly – researchers often say that they believe the brain uses sleep to sort through information, solve problems, organise your thoughts and generally restore itself. It is safe to say that fulfilling the sleep and rest quota each day for children is imperative to their overall ability to function, both physically and mentally. It’s not surprising that children who don’t get enough sleep or rest time can be irritable and struggle to concentrate and perhaps feel clumsy.

Educators should remember that the National Quality Standards Quality Area 2, Element 2.1.2 specifically refers to centres making sure that “each child’s comfort is provided for and there are appropriate opportunities to meet each child’s need for sleep, rest and relaxation, which in turn directly supports Element 2.1 as a whole – promoting the health of the children. (See below from NQS Quality Areas).

The amount of sleep different children require is, as with adults, an individual thing. There should, however, still be an emphasis on ensuring that children are sleeping enough, resting enough and that these are quality sleeps and rests to maximise what your child/ren can get out of every day.

We all know that sometimes it can be a challenge to get children to sleep, but there are ways that you can make it easier for children:

-Keep up a regular routine where children can come to understand that rest or sleep time is approaching. Routine can help children mentally and physically prepare;
-Try some relaxation exercises or reading a book in the lead up;
-Make sure children get ample fresh air and physical activity;
-Ensure children are comfortable and not hungry, thirsty etc before they settle down to rest/sleep.

It is so important to remember that even if children are sleeping well overnight, a day nap is necessary right up until about the age of 3. While some 4 and 5-year old children may still take a short nap during the day, many don’t, but they should be having periods of rest and relaxation to maintain those high energy levels all day long.

You can find more information and tips about children and naps from the Victorian government website Better Health here: http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Sleep_children_and_naps?open

If you’d like to read more about different types of sleep and sleep across different ages, you may like to visit: http://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/children-and-sleep.

Don’t forget to look at your own sleep patterns too – even adults can improve the way we function in our daily lives simply from ensuring we get a decent amount of sleep and that it’s quality sleep and rest. After all, you need all the energy you can muster to keep up with the kids!

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