Tag: early years learning

Posted on

How a Child’s First Five Years Can Change Everything

first five years

The research is pretty conclusive – the first five years of a child’s life are the most important. This means early childhood education could be one of the most significant factors in life when it comes to determining a child’s future.

As National Youth Week approaches where we celebrate Australia’s youth aged 12-25 for a week-long initiative (April 8-17, 2016), it seems like a good time to consider the impact of those earlier years on how children will develop, and who they will become.

Laying Life’s Foundations

According to Goodstart Institute of Early Learning, 80 per cent of a child’s brain develops before they reach age 5, and the experiences they have during this time will shape the rest of their lives. With a child’s brain developing more rapidly from birth to 5-years old than any other time in their life, it is not surprising that, as Raising Children explains, this is when foundations for learning, health and behaviour throughout life are laid down.

During these first five years of life, various factors will influence a child’s development. Genetic factors, relationships, environmental elements… The latter two can both be impacted significantly by early childhood education, including both the educators themselves, the approach to learning and the facilities provided.

Holistic Approach – Teaching the Whole Child

With so many areas of a child’s development for parents and educators to nurture and optimise, it can seem almost impossible to support every area of learning for a child – let alone every day for those first five years! This is where music steps in. Countless studies show that partaking in musical activity in childhood helps to develop the whole brain – with amazing emotional, social and academic results (not to mention physical, through movement and dance!).

Music Every Day Made Simple

While many of the studies on the impact of creating music on the brain are based on learning an instrument in one or two lessons per week, it is clear that creating music with our voices and bodies via singing, clapping, clicking and stomping is closely related. I am dedicated to delivering a way that children can experience music activities from age two not only for 30 minutes twice a week, but every day.

The result of children’s involvement in making music is evident in their academic ability, behaviour and wellbeing. I see these outcomes on a daily basis, as do the educators at other centres implementing the Bonkers Beat music program across the country.

Find the Time to Enhance the First Five Years

Many educators feel that their days are just too busy to incorporate music into their daily routines, but these are just a few ideas of when you might use music. Here are some times when music can be slipped into the day with little to no effort to enhance children’s brains and learning:

-Smooth classical music – on arrival during family grouping time
-Transitional songs – during transition times
-Nursery songs and musical games – throughout the day
-Relaxation music – during rest time
-Classical music including Mozart – during art/craft sessions to stimulate creativity
-Yoga music – during stretching or yoga sessions
-Meditation music – during meditation, relaxation and breathing time
-Smooth classical music – on departure during family grouping time
-Multicultural and folk music – to encourage spontaneous dancing and bonding during family grouping time or community events

Make the Most of the First Five Years; Make Music

Incorporating music into early childhood can affect almost every aspect of children’s learning, from literacy and numeracy to coordination, wellbeing and everything in between. These benefits can last a lifetime. With the knowledge of just how incredibly important those first five years are, introducing singing and musical experiences designed to enhance children’s development is essential and will change a children’s lives for the better.

Posted on

20 Must-Do’s These School Holidays

School holidays can be fun, but by all accounts, the best way to ensure the school holidays don’t drive everyone crazy by the end is to have a plan!

It can be particularly challenging for working families who can’t get time off over the holidays and may not have a support network for taking care of their child/ren, however there are many school holiday programs that offer fantastic experiences for children.

To help make these school holidays easy and enjoyable, we’ve compiled a list of 20 things to do over the break – we’ve split them into four categories to make it even easier: INSIDE, OUTSIDE, ADVENTURE and QUIET TIME. Best of all, most of our suggestions won’t break the bank.

INSIDE

  1. Make something yummy to eat – sweet cupcakes or savoury pizza
  2. Get dressed up and dance to music or role play
  3. Art and craft – paper, glue, pencils, feathers, wool etc. Self portraits can be fun!
  4. Build a fort/cubby under a table
  5. Do a room clean out and discover some forgotten toys

OUTSIDE

  1. Have a picnic (real or pretend) in the backyard or at a nearby park or beach
  2. Fly a kite (learn how to make a DIY kite here)
  3. Get gardening – weeding can be fun, or try planting some herbs
  4. Create a scavenger hunt – Kidspot has a great nature treasure hunt list
  5. Play ball

ADVENTURE

  1. Visit the zoo
  2. Head to the library (you can sign up and take books home or just check it out)
  3. Catch a train or bus (the destination can be a park, cafe, beach – anywhere!)
  4. Visit a shopping centre (do some research as many have great free activities!)
  5. Go for a nature walk and try to spot some wildlife

QUIET TIME

  1. Get comfy and do some reading
  2. Play a card game (snap or go fish with playing cards, or Uno or memory)
  3. Watch a movie – an old favourite or something new
  4. Tackle a jigsaw puzzle
  5. Play a boardgame

 

Hopefully our school holiday activities list comes in handy for a quick reference guide these school holidays! You could even write the activities down and get children to pick one out of a hat or container when the “I’m bored” begins!

If you do find that everyone needs to relax a little, we always recommend some quiet deep breathing in a quiet place – get started with basic mediation with children with our tips here.

Posted on

Strength Through Diversity – Celebrating Harmony Day 2016

In music the definition of ‘harmony’ is: the combination of different musical notes played or sung at the same time to produce a pleasing sound; a pleasing combination or arrangement of different things (Merriam Webster dictionary 2016).

When we think about Harmony Day these very same musical principles come in to play. It’s about different people and different lives coming together and being embraced. It’s about finding a sense of belonging. And like all different musical instruments and singing, when we come together we can do beautiful things!

Harmony Day 2016 is Monday 21 March and this year’s official theme is: our diversity is our strength. Encourage children to talk about their differences, what they have in common and what makes them special as individuals. Help them to understand that it is because they are different that they can each bring something unique and awesome to the table.

At Bonkers Beat we have chosen our own theme for Harmony Day that is closely related: Harmony Every Day. We want to celebrate our diverse and wonderful Bonkers Beat community.

If you’re thinking of celebrating Harmony Day this year in your centre, education is the key in an early childhood setting. Here are some things you could incorporate, as found on the Harmony Day website:

-Explore Harmony Day stories via the Harmony Day app

-Create some DIY Harmony Day materials via the official templates here

– Painting to music: Listen to a diversity of music styles and paint what you hear with different colours and brushstrokes.

-All the same: What things make us the same?

-Diverse mates: Find out the many ways in which your classmates are diverse eg hobbies, favourite colour/food/music/TV program, things they dislike.

Here are some of our own provocations for thinking and possibilities for learning:

-Share educators’ ethnic backgrounds and by using a pin or string connect to countries on a map

-Identify children families’ backgrounds and by using a pin or string connect to countries on a map

-Invite families to share their traditions and culture

-Introduce a variety of songs and dances from around the world

-Engage children in multicultural cooking experiences

-Use multicultural dolls and gender diverse dolls for dramatic play

Have you registered your Harmony Day event yet? It can be anything from a morning tea to a massive community event! Register and you’ll get some great free promotional products to help you celebrate: harmony.gov.au/celebrate/register

One last thing: click here for a special gift for you centred around belonging and togetherness from Bonkers the Monkey.

Posted on

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.

Posted on

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!

 

Posted on

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.

 

 

 

 

Posted on

Reflections and Resolutions

There’s nothing quite like a brand new year to start something new, set some resolutions and plan for success! Let’s not rush in too quickly though – first we should reflect on the year that was.

Here’s a video of the highlights of 2015 for the Bonkers Beat team:

While we note down those highlights as elements of 2015 that we’d like to replicate for 2016, it’s also important to reflect on things we could improve, things that need a fresh approach and things that were not worthwhile. This may include events, excursions, systems and procedures and many other areas. Ask questions: What worked? What needs to be tweaked? What caused us stress and how could we minimise that stress this time around?

Set yourselves up for success in 2016 by having this discussion about reflections and resolutions within your team, and perhaps even with your families, and find the lessons from 2015 that will help make this year even brighter and more successful!

On a final note as we reflect and look forward, we wish all 2015 kinder graduates a very special year as they begin their formal schooling! What an exciting time for many children and parents – the first day of school is a memory to be treasured for life and we are so proud of all the young children who are taking that next step in their educations this year.

Now, let’s get stuck into 2016! Keep up with us on Facebook and Twitter!

Posted on

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.

Posted on

From Stress to Harmony Through Meditation

It’s no secret that many of us, if not most of us, live very busy lives on a day-to-day basis. This can leave us feeling stressed, rushed, tired and disconnected. But escaping to peace doesn’t have to mean expensive day-spas or anything that will cost you more of your precious time than it’s worth. What if we said that as little as ten minutes a day can make a difference and it’s free?

Meditation is something that our Bonkers Beat philosophy values greatly. While our programs are designed with children in mind, we are also incredibly passionate about the merits of meditation for adults and the role it can have in helping parents and children reconnect in a positive, relaxing way.

Our free wellbeing event ’Harmony Night’ is coming up on April 29 at Bonkers Beat Music Kinder in Aspendale, Victoria. We welcome everyone to join us in learning about the positive impact that meditation, yoga and music can have on your life, your health and your children’s and how it can be incorporated each and every day.

The benefits of meditation are countless and incredibly valuable. In fact, here’s a link to 100 benefits of meditationif you still need convincing! Meditation is a fantastic way to increase children’s focus and concentration and to reduce stress and anxiety. It helps build self-esteem and confidence and encourages children’s imagination and creativity, helping them to explore their inner world, to focus and connect their mind and body.

Galina looks forward to sharing her latest findings in early childhood following her recent trip to the USA as a presenter at the CAEYC Conference (California Association for the Education of Young Children).

Physiological, psychological and spiritual rewards await and it’s simpler and less intimidating than you may realise. Even getting children involved is far easier than perhaps seems possible! You’ll learn all about this and much more at our upcoming Harmony Night.

You can book online here. And please, feel free to share the event with others. The more the merrier!

Posted on

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.

 

Powered by WishList Member - Membership Software