children Archives - Page 6 of 7 - Early Learning Childhood Education

02/11/201702/11/2017

Creating collaborative partnerships with parents and communities

They say it takes a village, and we tend to agree. When it comes to raising children and providing a well-rounded childhood, parents, families, friends, early childhood educators and communities all play a role. To get the very best out of your village, working together and creating collaborative partnerships is a must.

The National Quality Standard emphasises the power of collaborative partnerships too: “The aim of Quality Area 6 under the National Quality Standard is to recognise that collaborative relationships with families are fundamental to achieving quality outcomes for children and those community partnerships that are based on active communication, consultation and collaboration are also essential.” (ACECQA)

There are three simple ways you can start to foster these partnerships.

1. Focus on communication

Communication is the key to beginning a solid, rewarding relationship, no matter who it involves. Encourage an open line of communication between parents and educators.

This can include posters, emails, Facebook groups, notes sent home, a welcoming space at centres and an invitation to call the centre as needed. Share ideas, feedback, concerns, reminders, invitations – you’re a team! The shared goal of educators and families is to provide children with a fantastic start in life.

2. Host fun events

Life can certainly be busy, but when something special comes up most people are willing to do their best to make it work. Don’t forget to create opportunities for families and centres to have a little fun outside of the normal day-to-day routines.

Picnic dinners are cost effective and simple. Everyone can bring a plate and share food at the local park – a great example of a family-friendly event that gets everyone together in a community-minded way.

3. Collaborate on something

At Bonkers Beat Music Kinder in Aspendale, we love getting together for a good, old-fashioned, Working Bee. We work with families on improving the centres’ environments, share a nice lunch and have a great time.

Most recently our working bee was a huge success. Educators together with families and children created a Community Garden! This was in addition to a new working bench, a teepee, landscaping, gardening and lots of tidying up of our centre’s spaces. Educators, parents and of course our clever children all worked together to create something wonderful – and that’s a collaborative partnership! Take a look at the photos of the day unfolding here.

How does your centre work on creating collaborative partnerships with parents and communities? Let us know on Facebook – we love to share ideas!

18/10/201719/10/2017

Celebrate National Children’s Week

Celebrate National Children’s Week 2017 as it takes place from October 21 – 29, drawing our attention to children’s rights, talents and citizenship.

The rights of the child are something that we are passionate about – you may have noticed our children’s rights posts on social media.

To celebrate National Children’s Week is to simply acknowledge children within our communities and to focus the attention of the community on children as well as their needs and achievements.

You can adapt this approach to your centre for a day or a week and celebrate children and their rights. For example a child’s right to explore or discover new things. The options are endless.

If you like, you could download a National Children’s Week 2017 poster from the official website to display in your centre. Click here to see the posters.

Each state has its own events to celebrate National Children’s Week. Select your region below to see what’s on in your state to celebrate children:

NSW / Victoria / Queensland / Northern Territory / Western Australia / South Australia / Tasmania / ACT

As a side note, while we are talking about celebrating children, let’s talk about this wonderful industry for a moment.

We are so proud to be part of Australia’s early childhood education industry, working with like-minded organisations who are committed to continually improve and raise the standard of education and care. As such, this year’s Early Years Award finalists in Victoria deserve to be congratulated for all their incredible work – well done!

You can see the list of 2017 Early Years Award finalists here.

12/05/201613/05/2016

How much sleep do children really need?

How much sleep do children need to play, learn and grow? It’s often underestimated.

Most experts agree on the following:

Toddlers (aged 1 to 3 years): From 10 – 13 hours, which includes a day nap of 1 – 3 hours. Young toddlers may still take two naps but late afternoon should be avoided to avoid difficulties getting to sleep at night.

Preschoolers (aged 3 – 5 years): 10 – 12 hours per night, plus an afternoon nap of 1-2 hours.

School aged (5 years +): 10 – 12 hours each night.

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.

Don’t Neglect Naps

To get enough sleep, naps are a must for most children right through to age 5. 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.

Naps are important for children to enjoy happy, active days – without a nap, children can become overtired, moody and even struggle with falling asleep at night.

Spot the Sleepy Signs

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.

Babies and younger toddlers may display the following:
Yawning
Crying
Eye rubbing
Irritated behaviour

Toddlers and young children may display:
Clumsiness
Eye rubbing
Yawning
Emotional distress
Irritated behaviour
We all know that sometimes it can be a challenge to get children to sleep even when they are obviously tired, but here are some strategies to try.

Four Tips to Promote Sleep

1. 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;
2. Try some relaxation exercises or reading a book in the lead up;
3. Make sure children get ample fresh air and physical activity;
4. 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 and/or rest is necessary right up to school age. Periods of napping, rest and relaxation are essential to maintain those high energy levels all day long.

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!

28/04/201628/04/2016

6 Ways to Make Mums Feel Special this Mother’s Day

It’s almost that special day in May that we all celebrate mums and mother figures in children’s lives! Making sure mums feel special this Mother’s Day on Sunday 8 May is easy with these six ways.

1. Create something to treasure

Many mums like jewellery, so why not make a real craft activity out of it and help children to make the beads and paint them for a bracelet or necklace for mum! Make them, bake them, paint them, thread them and VOILA a beautiful keepsake for mums to cherish over the years! Head here for instructions.
Other ideas are this gorgeous egg carton art, some lovely icy-pole stick photo frames or colourful tissue paper flowers.

2. Write something thoughtful

Homemade cards are a must (try this handprint card!). Help children to write something thoughtful by prompting them with questions like ‘What is your favourite thing to do with mummy?’, or ‘What makes your mummy special?’.

3. Make it personal

Mother’s Day can be a different, personal experience for many children. Don’t forget that sometimes mum may not be present, so aunties, grandmothers, step-mums and other mother figures may be more appropriate for some children.

4. Invite mums to celebrate

A Mother’s Day breakfast, morning or afternoon tea is fun for everyone! Plan ahead, let families know and keep it simple. And our next two suggestions make this even more enjoyable!

5. Make mums something yummy

These Jam Drops are a simple treat for children to help make for mums, aunts and grandmothers visiting the centre. Of course, there are the classic scones, fruit kebabs and many other options to explore.

6. Sing a special song

You may like to help children learn this short Mother’s Day poem as a special performance element for your Mother’s Day celebrations. It is always loved by children and mums! We’re sure you’ll find it is sweet and meaningful for every kind of mum. We always recite this poem with actions – they are quite obvious but if you’re not sure, create your own!

There you have it – six ways to make mums feel special. Happy Mother’s Day!

21/04/201621/04/2016

Want to prevent short-sightedness in children? Go outside

We all know that children aren’t spending as much time outdoors as they used to, but now we are beginning to see the impact on their health – most recently, their eyesight.

Ground-breaking research released this month from a Queensland University of Technology study indicates that more exposure to outdoor light is crucial to reduce the epidemic of short-sightedness in children.

Short-sightedness, or ‘myopia’, has often been blamed on sitting too close to screens, but optometrist and head of research in the study, Associate Professor Scott Read said: “While screens are contributing to children spending more time indoors than in previous years, the research shows they are not the direct cause of the increased incidence of myopia”.

With this new research, tomorrow’s Earth Day is beneficial not only to show children how to take care of the planet but also to benefit their health and renew their love for the outdoors.

Get Outside for Earth Day

That’s right, Friday 22 April is Earth Day – a day dedicated to our home! It’s no secret that the Bonkers Beat programs are passionate about sustainable practices and learning about the world around us, as well as creating amazing outdoor spaces at centres.

The official Earth Day website tells us that one of the easiest and most effective ways of contributing on Earth Day is by planting trees. Lucky for us living and breathing early childhood education, many children love digging in dirt!

If you aren’t able to locate somewhere to plant trees, even herbs and plants are simple ways of communicating the message and reaping the benefits of children getting close to nature. Register your event or find one here.

Trees are all around us, big, small, flowering, homes for birds and other animals – let’s get children talking about them, planting them, admiring them! Preventing short-sightedness in children in just one of the many benefits of spending more time outdoors. The more children love and appreciate the outdoors, the more likely they are to go outside – and we know how important that is.

Read more about the QUT study on outdoor light and short-sightedness here.

08/09/201510/09/2015

What’s Cooking for the Holidays?

Children love to be involved and entertained during the school holidays and cooking is a great way to do this. It is not often we blog about food but we feel very strongly that children should be involved in preparing meals and eating them as a family where possible. Of course, healthy meals are important, however as a treat a piece of cake or some jelly is also fun to make. Children as young as two can help by stirring, mixing, rolling and pouring. Older children can help by choosing ingredients, chopping and plating up.

Kidspot has a great list of how children learn by cooking and helping out in the kitchen:-

http://www.kidspot.com.au/schoolzone/Learning-games-How-cooking-helps-kids-learn+4696+316+article.htm

Responsibility
Children love the opportunity to feel grown-up, and cooking “just like mum and dad” makes them feel really special. Give them the opportunity to do as much as possible by themselves – if they’re closely supervised and activities are age-appropriate you’ll be surprised at how responsible children can be.

Science and chemistry
Why do cakes rise? How do egg whites turn from this clear, sticky stuff into glossy white peaks? When you think about it – baking’s a pretty cool science lesson. But the best thing is, you don’t actually have to teach – the activity does it for you. Actually, the best thing is that when you learn about why certain ingredients act the way they do (so you can teach your child) you end up being a better baker yourself.

Measurement and volume
Understanding measurement and volume is made simple when baking. A clear measuring jug makes things easy to see. Try using a variety of implements when measuring: cups, jugs, spoons, scales – just so children can help understand. Making a ‘pound cake’ can also be a great help – showing children how different amounts of substances (butter, sugar, flour) can look different, but still weigh the same.

Spelling
Sounding out the words in recipes, or reading ingredients from packets in the pantry can help children with their spelling and reading. It also helps when they need to recognise words and connect the word “flour” in a recipe with the word “flour” on a pack. Labelling your jars in the pantry can be handy – and can also be a learning tool for your child.

Nutrition
It’s surprising how a fussy kid will try a new food when it’s something he’s cooked himself. Give your child the option of two different veggies to include with dinner, find a recipe and let him help cut and cook up the vegetable – and hopefully try it all afterwards! Cooking helps children understand why we eat the foods we do – what foods go well together, and what we need to include for a balanced meal.

Cultural studies
Children can learn more about the world through cooking. Choose a dish each month from a different culture – and then spend a little time learning about that country and why they eat the way they do. Why is it that so many hot countries enjoy spicy, chilli-rich meals? What meats are popular in certain nations and how does the way they eat differ from ours? Start out with options such as Mexican, Indian and Italian (see our recipe section for menu ideas) and move onto other nations as your child’s tastebuds become more adventurous. You could be surprised at what you child likes.

Increases self-esteem
There’s nothing like a sense of achievement to improve self-esteem. Cooking is a great way too boost children’s confidence as the results are quick – and there for the whole family to enjoy. Remember to step back and let them do things themselves – after showing them the safest way to do everything of course!

Find fun recipes to help kids cook

Homemade pizzas – http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/25653/homemade+pizzas

Tacos – http://www.kidspot.com.au/kitchen/recipes/tasty-tacos-679

Pasta dishes – http://www.kidspot.com.au/kitchen/recipes/collection/pasta-recipes

Cakes – http://www.kidspot.com.au/kitchen/recipes/collection/easy-cakes

Biscuits/ gingerbread men – http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/9761/gingerbread+men

Scones – http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/24492/scones

Jelly – http://www.kidspot.com.au/kitchen/recipes/collection/jelly-recipes

Vegetables and dip – http://www.kidspot.com.au/kitchen/recipes/collection/dip-recipes

03/09/201515/09/2015

The Merits of Meditation

This week our article was published in the Mornington Peninsula Kids Magazine. Meditation is a topic, which we feel is very important. If children start meditating early, their brains and intellectual capacity tend to develop rapidly. They also stand to benefit emotionally, psychologically and physically.

Meditation is an excellent way to unwind after an eventful day. Life can at times be stressful, triggered by various factors such as work, family and life in general.

To see us on page 84, follow the link: http://issuu.com/peninsulakids/docs/spring_2015
or click below for the full article:

16/07/201516/07/2015

Celebrating Landscapes of Imagination

Last week Melbourne welcomed more than 1100 early childhood educators and professionals from all over the country. During the Reggio Emilia Australia Information Exchange (REAIE) event we had the distinct pleasure of receiving presentations from some of the most influential experts in Italy. This conference was a true celebration; an exchange of knowledge, passion, and a powerful message for childhood education participants. For some participants, some services are already being implemented. The conference was a real introduction as well as an eye-opener into the capabilities of children. The understanding that a child is a capable individual with a strong voice is inspired.

After the conference many people walked away with the feeling of a new beginning. The educators are now able to look at the child using this approach. The approach centers on talking to the child as well as actively listening to the child.

This conference sends an important message about how much we should listen to the children as well as help us to understand the true magnitude of the child’s ability to comprehend. The conference showed us how much we don’t know about the full magic and power of the child.

Celebrating landscapes of imagination early childhood educators believe that the child will continue to develop and progress and this fact is inevitable. By taking a proactive approach in making ensuring that all educators understand that education is not a destination, rather it’s a process; they are better prepared to enhance the growth capabilities for the children.

As educators we need to constantly learn and grow and truly enhance our knowledge of early childhood education. Now is time where we look into our approaches for early childhood education and start to understand our “approach” and our “sensors” philosophy.

If you would like to investigate and learn more about different approaches to teaching, follow the links below:

Different Approaches to Teaching

It is important to study and investigate to see how powerful messages can be absorbed and reach deep into our child’s comprehension.

Early childhood educators are in for an exciting journey. We need to help children grow, and develop. Children already know so much more than we tend to believe. They know how to listen, ask questions, and have meaningful conversations. As early childhood educators the focus should be on encouraging creativity, developing children, and helping them to become the future leaders.

We would love to hear your feedback and invite you to share your thoughts with us. Your comments and feedback are always welcome.

04/06/201516/06/2015

WHY CHILDREN SHOULD PLAY OUTSIDE

We read some astounding research recently that found that many children today have not splashed in puddles, stomped in mud or been on a picnic. In fact, this research even said that only 44% of children went on bike rides with family. How often do you see children flying kites these days?

Today’s children are opting to stay indoors with their favourite company often screens, from iPads to televisions, computers, games and phones. And while there is evidence out there to show some benefits to allowing some tech time for children, the incredible benefits of the outdoors are indisputable. Here’s a few reasons why we think it’s so important that we encourage children to play outside.

HEALTH
There’s no disputing that the fresh air is good for our health and that goes for kids too. Even if it’s a bit chilly, rug up and get outside and you’ll have a better chance of avoiding a cold as colds are most often passed around from being cooped up indoors too much over the winter rather than from the cold weather itself.

FITNESS
Dancing around the loungeroom is one thing, but running free through a park and climbing and exploring are quite another when it comes to developing a good level of physical fitness. Bike riding is another great way of having a great time perfecting a skill while bonding with family members along the way. With childhood obesity such a huge problem today, outside play is a great first step to overcoming it.

RESPECTING NATURE
What better way to learn about the natural world and develop an appreciation and respect for nature than getting up close and personal with it. Collecting leaves, rocks, flowers, sticks and experiencing the incredible variation of textures, scents and colours in the great outdoors is invaluable.

Many parents say that sometimes children simply aren’t interested in going outside to play, so perhaps try some of these tips to encourage kids to head outside:

Add focus – children love a mission, so try spotting plants and animals on your walk or do a treasure hunt to add some purpose to your walk.

Don’t rush – take the time to dawdle, jump in puddles and notice the signs of the seasons together and you’re guaranteed to build some memories that will last a lifetime.

Enjoy simple pleasures – many of the greatest pleasures are very simple, such as skimming stones, making daisy chains or blowing a grass whistle.

Be nature detectives – a nature scavenger hunt is a great way to explore your back garden, neighbourhood or any green space. A bug hunt can work well too.

Get crafty – children are natural collectors, so encourage them to collect everything from pine cones to leaves for a home craft project.

28/05/201528/05/2015

WHY POETRY IS GREAT FOR CHILDREN

We all know that children love stories, and it’s fair to say that many children love stories even more when they rhyme. Even reflecting back on childhood we are all sure to recall a poem or two that has stayed with us over the years and that is just one of the amazing features of poetry.

Poetry for memory and language

Poetry is closely linked with recognising and memorising patterns both audibly and visually – that is, through both listening to the sound of poems being read and through reading them on paper firsthand. This style of information processing can also be helpful when children are learning maths and new languages.

Poetry for emotional development

By producing sounds and beats, poems allow even very young babies and children to experience language and storytelling on a less cognitive and more emotional level. Some studies also show that poetry contributes to building resilience in children and expanding their capacity to experience and understand emotions.

Poetry for physical development

Clapping, turning around, hands up in the air – many poems and rhymes work alongside simple, fun physical movement, much like music. At Bonkers Beat many if not all of our poems and songs have movements to go along with them that not only improve children’s understanding of the content but get the blood flowing!

These are just a few of the benefits of poetry for children. One of the most simple and convincing reasons to make sure you expose children to poems at a young age is the first thing we mentioned – children love them!

Here are some useful links you to similarly minded articles that discuss the amazing impact of including poetry in children’s lives:

What is your favourite poem? Do you have a childhood favourite? Which poems do you use in your centre? Share it with us on Facebook.

http://timbuktu.me/blog/why-do-children-love-poems/

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/roger-mcgough/the-importance-of-introducing-poetry_b_1618100.html

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/five-reasons-poetry-needed-schools-elena-aguilar