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

29/07/201530/07/2015

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Some helpful links about school starting:-

What’s the right age to start school?

School starting age: The evidence

6 Life Skills Kids Need for the Future

The Challenge of Boys in Our Early Childhood Programs

Experts warn starting school too young harms learning, wellbeing

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/

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.

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.

19/05/201519/05/2015

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

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.

16/03/201516/03/2015

Harmony Day – Gratitude and Thank-you

Harmony Day on March 21 is a celebration of cultural diversity and inclusiveness across Australia and last Thursday we marked the beginning of our Bonkers Beat Harmony Week at Bonkers Beat Music Kinder.

With this year’s theme ‘Gratitude and Thank-you’, we embarked on a community project together – our Gratitude Tree. Last Thursday we invited current and new families to come along to an Open Day at the kinder where they contributed to our Gratitude Tree and were able to see our centre in action. Coming together as a community is something that is truly reflective of the spirit of Harmony Day and Week, and we found it was a special way of celebrating inclusiveness and expressing gratitude for what we all bring to our Bonkers Beat family and local community.

We have been discussing many aspects of gratitude and giving thanks with children. Some of the questions that have been coming up are ‘Why do we need to say thank you?’, and ‘What are some ways we can express gratitude?’. Our display of clay ornaments depicted what each child was thankful for, and very sweet ideas flowed from the children, making it an enjoyable project for everyone.

As our Harmony Week continues this week, we anticipate more celebration of a sense of belonging for one and all through the inclusion of many parents who will be sharing their cultural diversity and traditions with our children and educators.

The Harmony Day website has some great ideas to celebrate:

-Sport, dancing and eating: play world sports together and involve everyone, learn new dances from countries across the world, or enjoy foods of different cultures.
-Arts and crafts: use your creative abilities to make something that symbolises the different cultures of your local community. You could even hold a poster or art competition.
-Music and sounds: apply your musical talents to reflect your experience of different cultures or traditions — rhyme, rap, or rock to a story about culture and experience. You could even hold a concert for everyone to enjoy.
-Listen and learn: invite an Indigenous elder or someone who has migrated to Australia to come and share their story and culture with your class. You could even research more information about their story or write about your own.

We’ve shared some great images on our Facebook page and hope they inspire you. We would love to hear how you will be celebrating Harmony Day in either your centre or your homes. Join our celebration and use social media to share with us!

02/03/201502/03/2015

Encouraging Gender Equality

Gender equality is frequently discussed in the media and is an important issue in society that deserves the attention. While boys and girls do have some inherent differences, learning that both genders are free to achieve whatever they choose regardless of whether they are male or female is something crucial for society moving forward.

Coming up on March 8 is International Women’s Day (IWD) and the theme for 2015 is ‘Make It Happen’, which we think offers a great message not only to young girls and women across the world but to all of us. That is, that all children can ‘make it happen’ and that anything is possible regardless of gender.

International Women’s Day aims to celebrate achievements of women from the past, present and future in various areas including politically and socially and is even a national holiday in some countries. It’s a fantastic opportunity to get children talking about things they might like to achieve as they grow up, and to empower them to know that in our great country they really can believe that anything is possible.

Gender equality is an ongoing issue that is strongly linked to women’s rights and it’s one that needs societal change. Through our work helping to guide young people in these crucial years, we must be encouraging them to strive to achieve their goals and support one another no matter whether they are boys or girls.

As the Human Education blog says, exploring gender identity, gender roles, stereotypes, and healthy views of gender and self can begin early. Their blog recommends talking about ‘When I Grow Up’ and allowing children to identify what jobs boys and girls might like to do, then discussing why both genders can do any job. This other activity ‘Boys Like, Girls Like, Kids Like’ opens the communication up about gender stereotypes too.

Keep it light, keep it fun, but let’s make sure that we do our best to make little girls believe they can join the police force if they want to and little boys are free to be nurses – or vice versa, of course! If you can dream it, you can make it happen.

P.S. Let us know your experiences with perceived gender roles in your Centre and how you encourage gender equality in children. Join the discussion by sharing with us on Facebook.

12/11/201421/01/2015

Participation for Sense of Community and Belonging

As educators and/or as parents of children, we regularly encourage these young people to participate and ideally to be an active participant where possible. Why? Because this is of course a fantastic way to learn and to work towards the goal of belonging, being and becoming. We are, after all, not solitary beings and frequently as both children and adults life presents collaborative situations with others.

The Bonkers Beat team believes in participation and community involvement and that’s why we were so excited to hold our recent working bee at Bonkers Beat Music Kinder in Aspendale, Victoria. Families, educators and friends came together striving towards the common goal of improving the Centre’s outdoor spaces and we were blown away by the commitment and passion shown by our community. Not only do events like working bees bring us all together and bring about great achievements, but what an important example to set for the children in our community, allowing them to see firsthand the adults they look up to working together.

Creating a sense of belonging and connectedness in your Centre’s community is in line with Outcome 2 of the Learning Outcomes for Children from Birth to 5 Years, and that is: Children are connected with and contribute to their world. Belonging is also an area that assessors will consider during the NQS rating process, paying extra attention to Quality Area 6 – Collaborative Partnerships with Families and Communities.

We have found that working bees, our Harmony Nights and various other special events in the calendar for Centres can have incredible and immeasurable benefits – we’d love to know what ways you encourage participation to facilitate belonging and a sense of community in your Centre’s families, so please share with us on our Facebook page or here on the blog by commenting.

22/09/201423/09/2014

How You Can Incorporate Mindfulness into Every Day

In early childhood education many approaches come and go when it comes to teaching children to handle their feelings, many of which they may be experiencing for the first time. One such approach that is prevalent at the moment is mindfulness.

You may have heard of mindfulness, but if you haven’t or you’re not sure what it means, this definition explains it quite well: “a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.”

On Reachout.com it is described as being “about training yourself to pay attention in a specific way. When a person is mindful, they:
-focus on the present moment
-try not to think about anything that went on in the past or that might be coming up in future
-purposefully concentrate on what’s happening around them
-try not to be judgemental about anything they notice, or label things as ‘good’ or ‘bad.’”

It is safe to say that practicing mindfulness is something that just about anyone will benefit from, no matter the age. One way that is frequently recommended is through one of our favourite things at Bonkers Beat and that is meditation.

We have talked about meditation previously on our blog, and often parents and other educators query how on earth it is possible to get very young children to sit still and partake in the act of meditating but it truly is possible through some gentle guidance. It only takes mere minutes of deep breathing and some thoughtful reflection each day for your children (and adults) to feel happier, more relaxed and more in control of feelings and life in general.

Practicing mindfulness works towards combating stress, dealing with all the obstacles life throws at us and ultimately (and crucially), building resilience.

Here’s three additional tips from ParentsCanada.com that are easy and fun ways of incorporate mindfulness into every day:

Mindful listening: Tell your child you are going to ring a bell or a tone bar. Ask them to listen carefully to the sound of the bell and raise their hands when they can no longer hear it.

Breath awareness: Have your child lie down on a mat on the floor, or on their bed, and place their favourite stuffed animal on their belly. Have them rock the stuffed animal to sleep with the movement of their belly as they breathe in and out. This is how they can begin to pay attention to their breathing.

Mindful eating: This is a time when playing with your food is OK. Give your child a piece of fruit and ask them to pretend they are from another planet and have never seen this piece of fruit before. Ask them to describe their experience using all five senses. What does it look like? Smell like? Feel like? Taste like? Does it make a sound when you bite it?

What can you share with us about mindfulness? If you have some mindfulness techniques that you have seen results from, we’d love if you would share them with our Bonkers Beat community here or on our Facebook page.