Tag: Christmas

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Nature-Inspired gifts for Christmas

If you haven’t had time to plan some Christmas craft for your centre yet, don’t worry – we have you covered! This selection of Christmas craft is engaging yet simple and produce a really great festive gift!

We also like to incorporate natural materials where possible, so you’ll find that some of the requirements for these Christmas craft activities can be sourced from the garden or centre’s surrounds.

Pinecone Christmas Trees

Parents will love to display these works of art! Get as simple or as complex as you like with these pinecone Christmas trees. They are fairly self-explanatory but if you need some guidance in creating them, click here.

Leaf art

We felt so incredibly inspired by the work by artist Elena Nuez and feel that children would love to create something similar. Collect a range of leaves, get painting, arranging and glueing. It’s up to you how Christmas-themed you go with this but you can arrange the leaves to be a Christmas tree or attach them to a circle to make a leaf wreath.

Paper roll reindeer

There’s rarely a shortage of empty paper rolls, so put them to good use by turning them into Santa’s reindeer! A few simple cuts and a black marker will have the legs sorted in no time. Then use some cardboard to create the shape for the head and antlers before drawing on the details. Create a stencil for children to use to create the head and antlers if required for the best result.

Twig Christmas Ornaments

A cutting of cardboard, a selection of twigs strategically snapped to size and a ribbon or pipe cleaner and you can create something this special with children for Christmas!

These are so easy and they look fantastic. For detailed instructions, head here.

Pinecone or Gumnut Ornaments

Adorable and fun to make, you can’t go wrong with something this cute! They’re a little trickier than the other craft activities we have listed here but if you have the extra time, they do look fantastic. Get the full information on creating them here.

Happy Christmas crafting at your centres everyone! If you attempt any of these craft activities, we would love to see the outcome! Share with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/bonkersbeat

 

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A Merry Bonkers Christmas (And thank you)!

As each year goes by we feel more and more grateful to work with passionate, dedicated early childhood education professionals and parents. I can say without a doubt that 2017 was no exception – and I’ve got a good feeling about 2018 too!

This year we have all worked together to the same very important and honourable goal: to deliver the best education to young children. The children we care for each day are the reason we keep working so hard, striving to improve and find the most effective ways to build their resilience, enhance their wellbeing and empower them to explore, learn and grow.

I think we all did a great job! And next year we will continue on this journey together as educators and parents, doing all we can for young children and their futures.

To our wonderful readers and supporters, from the bottom of my heart and from all of us at Bonkers Beat, we say thank you and Merry Christmas!

Enjoy our special Bonkers Beat Christmas song ‘Ring The Bells’ and spread Christmas cheer to all your loved ones including animals too.

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas and a New Year that is fulfilling, empowering, inspiring and full of happiness.

I hope you will have a well-deserved break.

Keep singing and stretching,

Galina

and the Bonkers Beat Team

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New ways to get festive this Christmas

christmas in childcare

In the lead up to Christmas, we are often all looking for new ways to celebrate.

Christmas in childcare is an exciting time – after all, no one anticipates the arrival of Christmas morning quite like young children! As early childhood educators, we get to contribute to that excitement and can help them create something special to share with their families.

If you’re looking for some fresh activities and craft ideas, look no further! We’ve done the research for you and gathered a bunch of resources to keep your centre Christmassy right through until December 25!

Ideas for Christmas fun

Handprint Christmas cards: A gorgeous, personalised Christmas card that doubles as a keepsake so parents don’t forget how little those hands once were.

Dancing Santa: Using these printables, cut them out and children can create a dancing Santa! Use your choice of paint, crayons, pencils or markers to create Santa’s iconic red suit. A bit of glitter is always fun too!

Tree decorations: There are a million tree decorations children can make, so let your imagination take charge here. Styrofoam balls can be a good starting point or try cardboard shapes, or even icy pole sticks.

Paper plate angels: A paper plate, folded in on each side, a card circle for a face and two card handprints cut out as wings. Perfect for the top of the Christmas tree!

Christmas colouring in: There’s nothing wrong with some quiet colouring in time, but why not make it Christmas themed this time of year.

As always, when celebrating the festive season in your centre, be mindful of individual children and their families’ varying beliefs and traditions. In some centres, it may be necessary to provide variations on your Christmas celebrations to ensure you are culturally inclusive.

Christmas songs: Christmas wouldn’t be complete without singing Christmas songs! This special song is a gift from Bonkers to you to help you celebrate the magic of Christmas with children. Click here to access ‘Ring the Bells’.

If you have some special ideas to share for celebrating Christmas in childcare centres, share with us on Facebook!

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Thank you for another inspiring year

this Just like that, it is almost time to farewell another fun, busy and exciting year! Throughout 2016 we saw educators and parents working together to guide and nurture children, using the power of music to enhance every aspect of children’s wellbeing.

I’d like to say thank you to each and every one of you for being a part of something so important – the shaping of the future. Your endless effort and dedication to the care of today’s young people is absolutely inspiring. I am immensely proud.

I’m very touched to have been given the privilege of presenting at early childhood events in multiple countries this year – I extend my gratitude and best wishes to all who invited me and attended these events. Your commitment makes me excited to see what is in store for the future of early childhood education.

Hopefully you are all enjoying the end of year fun – children really do love this time of year don’t they!

To our wonderful readers and supporters, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and to help you celebrate please enjoy a special Bonkers Beat Christmas song – ‘Ring The Bells’.

All the best for Christmas and the New Year! See you all in 2017!

Happy Singing & Stretching,

Galina

and the Bonkers Beat team

 

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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.

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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

 

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