early childhood Archives - Page 17 of 18 - Early Learning Childhood Education

13/08/201513/08/2015

The Gift of Reading – Celebrating Children’s Book Week

“Reading should not be presented to children as a chore or duty. It should be offered to them as a precious gift.” —Kate DiCamillo

This year the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) will celebrate its 70^th Anniversary from Saturday 22 August – Friday 28 August 2015.

Researchers have proven what parents and educators have intuitively known all along – the more often you read to your children from an early age, the greater the positive effect on their reading and thinking skills. The study shows that there is an important role for parents/ educators in the development and educational performance of children. This early-life intervention seems to be beneficial for the rest of their lives. (More information about the research can be found here: Reading to Young Children: A Head-Start in Life

We all want our children to grow up with a strong grasp of literacy and numeracy, to have vivid imaginations and to enjoy curling up and getting lost in a book.

A recent article by Lori O’Keefe, published in the American Academy of Pediatrics, 5 Benefits of Reading To and With Your Kids, explains how reading together makes a difference.

Build Relationships: Sharing the experience of reading a book together allows parent and child to create deeper bonds between them. Snuggling up with a book is a great way to spend time together and creates a unique, shared experience even as kids get older and ‘grow out of’ cuddling.
New Experiences: When kids read, they get to experience new situations before they encounter them in real life. If a child is scared about attending kindergarten, reading about it beforehand can ease the transition. It’s also a great way for kids to experience diversity and branch out from the environment and culture they were raised in. Reading about and relating to the experiences of other people is extremely helpful in the development of empathy.
Improved Communication: Reading together allows kids to be exposed to an increased vocabulary, speech patterns and enunciation. This superior command of language also affords children better communication skills.
Improved Concentration: Sure, kids don’t typically like to sit still and listen, but by reading to them, parents can help their children learn to focus and discipline. Story time rewards kids for stronger self-discipline, longer attention spans, and better memory retention. No one wants to miss “the good part” because they were squirming!
A Lifetime’s Love of Books: It’s never too early to start showing kids the joy to be found in a book.

Children’s Book Week is a great time to discuss books and encourage children to read more. Another way to celebrate is to dress-up as characters and act out favourite books verses in character. This allows children to really be involved and engage in dramatic dress-up play.

To incorporate craft and reading together here is a great list of costumes and craft activities children of all ages can be a part of : Kidspot, Pinterest and The Book Chook.

To read more about the importance of reading to young children click here: https://www.earlymoments.com/promoting-literacy-and-a-love-of-reading/why-reading-to-children-is-important/

To see the list of winners and shortlisted books click here: http://cbca.org.au/awards.htm

Make sure you check your local paper for Children’s Book Week activities near you.

23/07/201524/07/2015

The Importance of Road Safety Education

With traffic on our roads becoming increasingly busy it is important for all of us to teach children from a young age to be aware of the traffic rules and regulations. Years ago children could ride down the street without a care in the world but times have changed and with more cars, scooters, bikes, motorbikes, buses and trams on the road than ever it is imperative we all stay safe.

There are many fun and simple ways to teach children both at home and in the classroom. In your local area there may be a little traffic school where they can ride their own bikes or scooters and learn the rules of the road. Or you could ask a volunteer policeman/ woman or road safety group to come and talk to the children in a class environment. In Victoria alone there are many groups who support Road Safety and it is coordinated by the Victoria Road Safety Education Reference Group.

Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD)

Department of Justice

Department of Transport

Public Transport Victoria

Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV)

Transport Accident Commission (TAC)

VicRoads (Chair)

Victoria Police

According to the Road Safety education website ‘There is evidence that children start learning about the road system from a very early age and that this can lead to safer behaviors in later life.’

Road safety education plays an important role in shaping the attitudes and behaviors of children and young people – ensuring they become responsible drivers, passengers, pedestrians and cyclists.

As the old saying goes; you are never too young to learn.

To see who supports Road safety in your local area or state click here: – http://www.australianroadsafetyfoundation.com

For more information and some useful links:-

http://www.kidsandtraffic.mq.edu.au

http://www.constablekenny.org.au/parents/road-safety/

Road Safety craft ideas. Fun to incorporate at home or at kindergarten:-

https://www.pinterest.com/klmartino/cars-and-road-safety-ideas/

09/07/201516/07/2015

The Important Role of Grandparents

There can never be too many special people dedicated to being a part of a child’s life, and in many families grandparents play an important role.

Just as we celebrate mums and dads, we believe that grandparents and other important adults in children’s lives should be invited to have some level of involvement in their education, even if it is just a few days in the year where they can pop in to see where the children spend some of their time. Best of all, we love to see the joy it brings children to share their learning environment with other people in their lives.

At Bonkers Beat we always find that a great time to celebrate Grandparents Day is somewhere between Mother’s Day in May and Father’s Day in September.

We also believe it beneficial to name the day ‘Grandparents and a Special Friend Day’, so as to ensure we are inclusive of all children and families. As we all are likely aware, families come in all different shapes and sizes, and family dynamics and relationships can vary greatly. This gives families the opportunity to celebrate grandparents if they wish or celebrating someone else special in children’s lives if it’s more appropriate for them.

We revisited our Grandparents Day brainstorming from last year to provide you with some fun ideas for your celebrations:

– Create an ‘I Love You because…’ card and children can offer a special reason
– Create a photo frame as a gift
– Create a collage together of things that remind them of their relationship
– Sing some special songs together
– Play instruments together in a music session
– All children act out a favourite book for the grandparents/special friends
– Yoga and wellbeing activities with grandparents/special friends
– Grandparents/special friends may enjoy sharing a snack with the children
– Children might like to give grandparents/special friends a tour of their room

Click here to find some great printables and other ideas for your Grandparents and a Special Friend Day.

As always, we would love you to share your tips and tricks for the perfect Grandparents and a Special Friend Day with us on Facebook.

01/07/201513/11/2015

Learn, Respect and Celebrate – NAIDOC Week 2015

In 2015 the National NAIDOC theme is We All Stand on Sacred Ground: Learn, Respect and Celebrate.

Taking place from July 5-12, 2015, NAIDOC Week, as always, presents educators across the country with the opportunity to discuss and celebrate Australia’s rich indigenous culture.

If you haven’t celebrated NAIDOC Week before, NAIDOC originally stood for ‘National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee’, who would organise the events for this week of celebration, but has since become the name of the week itself. The week is dedicated to activities centred on supporting and celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.

The NAIDOC website suggests a few points on how you can go about celebrating this year’s theme:

Invite elders or others to talk about local sacred sites or Indigenous culture
Learn the Traditional names and stories for places, mountains, rivers etc around your region

To celebrate Indigenous culture in a more general sense you might like to:

Read a Dreamtime story
Create your own Aboriginal art
Listen to Indigenous music
Take children to visit local Indigenous sites of significance or interest if possible

Expanding our knowledge and understanding of our history and culture is such a special part of learning, and being Australian we have a rich Indigenous history that deserves to be recognised and celebrated.

Here we also have for you some ideas, that can be used for celebrating NAIDOC week at home, in a centre, for a school holiday program or an incursion.

NAIDOC Week is the perfect time to do this and you’ll find plenty more information and resources via their website: naidoc.org.au

26/06/201526/06/2015

Teaching Children Through Music Today to Create a Better Tomorrow

There are many articles written about the subject of music. At our Bonkers Beat Music Kinder, we see daily how children, as young as 2yo, are developing by learning through music.

The Australian Childcare Alliance Queensland (ACA QLD) just published an article, written by Galina; which is very close to her heart.

When music and movement are taught, children benefit greatly in many areas of life. Literacy, memory skills, concentration, social interaction, fine motor skills, listening, problem solving, teamwork and coordination are all positively impacted. We have many parents coming and sharing with us their positive feedback about their children’s development and how music connects their family and becomes part of their daily lives.

For all educators attending the 2015 National Childcare Conference in Brisbane, the program is packed with an array of exceptional speakers and workshops dedicated for educators, early childhood professionals, and approved providers. The conference’s theme is ‘Don’t Stop Believing’. It’s clearly emphasises the importance and the passion for the role that we, early childhood educators play and continue to believe in the contribution we make to the lives of young children.

For more information about the conference, visit: www.childcareconference.com.au

Galina will be presenting on Saturday and would love to meet as many of you as possible. So please say ‘Hi’ or visit her presentation to learn more about teaching through music.

To read her full article, follow the link ‘Teaching Children Through Music Today to Create a Better Tomorrow’, or click on images below.

19/06/201525/06/2015

Making the Most of the Holidays

Sometimes it can be a challenge to keep children busy during holidays. So, we have written a list of a few ideas to help you get the children away from the devices and engage them in creative and exciting activities.

Craft

Craft is always a winner! NAIDOC week this year will be celebrated from the 5^th-12^th of July with a theme – ‘We all Stand on Sacred Ground: Learn, Respect and Celebrate’. It is a great opportunity for all of us to learn more and highlight Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ strong spiritual and cultural connection to land and sea. We encourage all Australians, young and old, to embrace the 2015 National NAIDOC theme and celebrate it with children.

For craft activities you can use general recycled items like magazines, paper cereal boxes or natural materials.

We like these NAIDOC week craft activities and ideas:

http://www.goldencarers.com/calendar/naidoc-week-activities/65/

https://www.pinterest.com/greenwoodearly/naidoc-week-for-kids/

http://www.teaching.com.au/activities?category=naidoc-week

Winter is also another great topic to incorporate into your classrooms and centres. There are a lot of sites out there with winter activities suggestions so here are a few of our favorites:

http://handsonaswegrow.com/32-snow-theme-activities-kids/

https://www.pinterest.com/debchitwood/kids-winter-activities/

Baking

Baking is always exciting for children of all ages. Make some simple scones, biscuits or cupcakes and any child will be happy. Make sure they get to ice and decorate, roll, beat and shape the dough thus, increasing their vocabulary and their independence.

Write a letter and post it

Everyone loves receiving mail in the post. So design, color in and write a card to a loved one, a cousin, an aunty or a friend. Walk to the post office, buy a stamp and send it. You could also send yourself a fun letter and see how long it takes to arrive. This could be a great excursion for your children at your centre. Ask your post office for a behind-the-scenes tour of the post office for extra interaction and excitement.

Make mud pies and collect leaves

Getting into nature and exploring the messiness of it all is what childhoods are made of. Make mud pies, use sticks and leaves as candles and host your own backyard party. Collect leaves, sticks or flowers to use for a craft project. Use two large books as a flower press and use the flowers for cards or mementos. There is a lot of craft and fun in your yard if you look carefully.

Puzzles and games

Drag out some old family favorites or, make up your own game. Design and colour in some cardboard cards to play matching cards or go-fish. Something easy to begin with then you can build it up to play a more intricate game.

Catch a train to somewhere or nowhere

This is a fun way to see some our your city or your local area. Set aside a morning or afternoon to hop on a train and get your children to be the navigator for the day. Hop off the train perhaps one or two stops from your usual suburb and explore the shops or parks of that area. Depending on where you are living the city is always an exciting place for a little ones. Visit a museum, a new café, a cobble stone street or a skate park. The options are endless and the fun part is exploring your hometown together. This is a great excursion for a small group of older children; you could incorporate the theme of money and math’s. Buying a train ticket, a drink from a café, counting the train stops or counting the shops on a strip

There are many great ideas, and not all of them need to be expensive or difficult. Children will remember these moments of pure fun

For more school holiday ideas visit these great websites

http://www.kidspot.com.au/SchoolHolidayZone/?gclid=Cj0KEQjw-tSrBRCk8bzDiO__gbwBEiQAk-D31d8rTJN4oTXKM36WrDQj3wFgTcV0Sf-2-_xOUS5XvD8aAj-g8P8HA

http://beafunmum.com/2011/06/100-school-holiday-activity-ideas/

http://theimaginationtree.com

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.

19/05/201519/05/2015

Four Key Reasons to Attend Upcoming Conferences

When it comes to professional development, we are huge advocates of ongoing training that involves the whole team. However, there are many conferences that take place each year in the early childhood education sector where it is only viable to send one or two people from your team, and we still believe that these offer a brilliant opportunity to continue the professional development of your educators and your centre.

We have identified 4 key reasons why it just might be worthwhile sending some members of your staff along to an upcoming early childhood education conference:

LEARN

It’s an obvious one, but there is absolutely no doubt that any member of your team who attends a conference is going to learn something. And what they learn will only be maximised by making sure you offer the right conference opportunities to the right people. There has to be a willingness to learn, and as we discuss later, the ability to share what you learn.

NETWORK

Who knows when a fantastic opportunity will pop up? What we can say with a degree of confidence is that fantastic opportunities are likely to pop up at places like conferences – large gatherings of likeminded professionals coming together to learn and share. What better place for your team to network and find new opportunities for your centre to explore.

GET INSPIRED

No matter how much anyone loves his or her job, there are times when we all need a boost to motivate us. Conferences can offer a huge amount of inspiration, especially if the right people attend the right conference at the right time. Speakers often come from all corners of the globe with insights to share about approaches to early childhood education.

SHARE AND MOTIVATE

We’ve mentioned it a couple of times already – send the right people who are willing to learn and willing to share. This is crucial to maximise the return on investment. Through effective note-taking and resource gathering, hopefully the team member/s who do attend will be able to convey what they learn to your team, making it all the more worthwhile.

Here are a few upcoming conferences you might like to consider attending. Galina Zenin will be presenting at the first two we’ve listed, so if you do attend be sure to say hello!

UPCOMING CONFERENCES

The 2015 Early Childhood Education Conference, Melbourne

WHERE: Caulfield Racecourse, Caulfield North, Victoria
WHEN: May 29 & 30
WHAT: The theme this year is ‘Together we grow – investing in our future’ and the conference will host over 30 speakers from across the whole spectrum of early childhood, including Galina’s presentation: Healthy Minds – Healthy Future: Promoting Educators’ and Families’ Wellness. You can find more information here: https://www.togetherwegrow.com.au/

2015 ACA Queensland National Conference, Brisbane

WHERE: Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, South Brisbane
WHEN: July 17-19
WHAT: ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ is the theme and the speakers and workshops will be dedicated to educators, teachers and approved providers. Galina Zenin will be speaking at the event on learning and teaching through music. More info here: http://childcareqld.org.au/2015-national-conference/
Also coming soon: ECMS Beyond Tomorrow Conference and Early Childhood Education and Care Conference. Read more about these via our calendar at musicearlychildhoodpresenter.com.au

30/04/201530/04/2015

Every Mum is Special

Mother’s Day is around the corner – Sunday 10 May is the day to show mums extra TLC in 2015 (in Australia, that is).

No doubt you are all planning your Mother’s Day morning or afternoon tea events at the moment, so to give you a helping hand we’ve trawled the internet to put together just a few ideas for you… (Parents – all of these ideas are just as fun for celebrating mums are home too!)

FOOD: There’s the standard Mother’s Day treats likes scones and tea, then there’s these fantastic super fun suggestions including choc fruit kebabs, mint chocolate chip pancakes and flower sandwiches.

DECORATIONS: Getting children to create personalised placemats is a simple craft activity that can double as an extra little gift for mums. Yoghurt pot flowers make a great table centrepiece.

GIFTS: There are some gorgeous craft ideas to inspire you here. Of course, you probably have many of your own so please let us know your extra special DIY gift ideas by commenting on the blog post or sharing with us on Facebook.

The beauty of mothers is often in their uniqueness – as such, each child may have a different idea of how they would like to let their mum know that they love them. Get talking with children and find out before embarking on a production line of love heart cards – let’s make sure we open up to children’s ideas too. Of course keep in mind that in some cases it will be more appropriate to direct Mother’s Day gifts to grandmothers or aunts of some children.

Speaking of gifts, we would love to share this short Mother’s Day poem with you which is always loved by children and mums! We’re sure you’ll find it is sweet and meaningful for every kind of mum and perhaps you’d like to utilise it in some way during your Mother’s Day celebrations. We always recite this poem with actions – they are quite obvious but if you’re not sure, create your own!

We’d love to hear how you are celebrating Mother’s Day… Whether you’re a parent or an educator, share with us: facebook.com/BonkersBeat.

Happy Mother’s Day!

21/04/201527/04/2015

Supporting Early Years Learning Through Professional Development

For many if not most centres, the Long Day Care Professional Development Programme funding has been allocated and while it’s clear that this presents incredible opportunities for centres it can be overwhelming working out what to target to maximise the benefits for your centre, your educators and of course your children and families.

Your centre may have been required to report on the use of your funding at this stage too, which can certainly make you reflect on the worth of your investments whether you have made any yet or not.

In the interest of providing you with some answers to frequently asked questions pertaining to the LDCPDP funding, we advise that you take a look at this FAQ document from the Australian Government education website: http://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/ldcpdp_faqs_0.pdf

It’s so crucial to know what to look for when considering how to allocate your funding, and this is a key point mentioned in the official FAQ: What type of training/ courses/ qualifications can I claim for? The answer:
Providers must ensure that the training undertaken by an educator is relevant to the requirements under the National Quality Framework (NQF) and the National Quality Standard (NQS). For information on the NQF and the NQS, go to: http://www.acecqa.gov.au/au/national-qualityframework. The Department may request this evidence as part of a random audit or may request the additional information as part of the acquittal process.

Comprehensive in-house professional development is the key to providing world-class early childhood education and the LDCPDP funding plays a pivotal role in allowing us as early childhood educators to support our industry, our fellow educators and our families.

This Thursday 23 April, Galina Zenin will be presenting to a group of dedicated Melbourne early childhood centre owners and directors to discuss the opportunities that LDCPDP funding presents, the NQF and NQS areas and how every centre can improve their NQS Rating. Only two places are left, so don’t miss out – click here to register.

Galina will also be taking her presentation on this subject to Sydney on May 4, 2015. You can register to join us at the Sydney event (subject to availability) or attend this week’s Melbourne event by clicking here or visit: http://nqsrating.com.au/#register

Brisbane, watch this space as Galina will be headed your way soon too.

With the LDCPDP funding presenting so many incredible opportunities not only for children and our individual centres, but for us as early childhood education professionals and an industry as a whole, it makes sense to put some serious effort into considering your professional development options and your overall goals to achieve with this funding. Comment here or on Facebook and share your goals, concerns and queries in regards to using your LDCPDP funding.