Tag: environment

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You are a part of Bonkers Beat Music Kinder success story

Getting the Bonkers Beat Music Kinder and our award-winning programs to where they are today has not been an easy feat. Over the last nine years, long days (and nights!) of hard work and immeasurable passion have been behind the creation of something truly special that has impacted the early childhood education industry in Australia and beyond.

That’s why, when we found out we were one of only 55 early childhood services across the country to be honoured with an Excellent Rating from ACECQA, we had to celebrate!

Last week we invited families from our centre and local community along with highly regarded guests from within the early childhood sector, to attend Bonkers Beat Music Kinder to join us in marking this achievement.

Families and early childhood professionals came together for the celebration

What a lovely evening we had! Presentations and beautiful words were a delight to hear from a number of our wonderful guests. You can see the images from the night here on Facebook.

We kicked off the celebrations with some delightful singing from the Bonkers Beat Music Kinder children. The enthusiasm was undeniable! The children are the reason behind everything that Bonkers Beat stands for and so it was important to have them front and centre in our receipt of the Excellent Rating.

Rhonda Livingstone, ACECQA’s National Education Leader, was in attendance to officially present the award. She spoke highly of Bonkers Beat Music Kinder and our programs, particularly how they are having a far-reaching impact on children’s education all over the country. We were so touched by your recognition and kind words Rhonda, thank you!

Alina Dan, from Alina Dan Consultancy and Holistic Approach, has been a valued colleague to Galina and to the Bonkers Beat family over many years. Thank you, Alina, for taking the time to fly down to celebrate with us too! Alina made a speech applauding Galina’s commitment, the contributions of the parents of all Bonkers Beat children and their commitment to laying the best possible foundations for their children’s bright futures.

One of our current parents was brave enough to present to the crowd as well. Josie Katakouzinos talked about her experience as a parent with a child at Bonkers Beat Music Kinder and how the music and wellbeing-based programs have had an obvious and powerful impact on her son throughout his early childhood development. Josie noted the benefits of being able to carry through the educational and behavioural strategies her son receives through the programs at kinder while at home too. Thank you, Josie! And thank you to all Bonkers Beat parents and children, past and present. Your continuous support is amazing and invaluable.

Here are a few images for your from Bonkers Beat Excellent Rating celebration.

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Recognise, Reflect and Heal: National Sorry Day

National Sorry Day takes place this Saturday 26 May and this week we would like to take the time to acknowledge this day. Since 1998 Sorry Day has been an annual event for Australians to recognise and reflect on the mistreatment of the Aboriginal people.

Reconciliation and healing are vital to a bright future for all Australians and we must strive for it as united people. One very important part of this process is by educating one and all on the history of Australia, good, bad and in between.

For many of us recognising, reflecting and healing as part of National Sorry Day involves the acknowledgement of the trauma that took place during the white settlement in Australia. Reflecting on the experience of the Aboriginal people and considering how we can contribute towards the healing.

Let’s also look at how we can introduce children in early childhood education to the meaning behind National Sorry Day.

Recognising and reflecting on Aboriginal culture

For very young children the most straightforward way of recognising the Aboriginal people and their experience is by recognising them and their culture. We believe that children should be able to identify an Aboriginal flag as a first step in the right direction and to identify it as a core representation of Australia.

Achieving this is simple and fun. Draw the flag, paint the flag or even simply colour in printouts of the flag. Here’s one.

Talk about how Aboriginal people were here long before anyone else and take note of which people occupied the land where your centre or home is. For example, Aspendale in Victoria was occupied by the Bunarong people from the Kulin Nation. Perhaps you can take a walk around the block and identify some Aboriginal street names.

Aboriginal culture also has a distinct style of art, music and performance that children love. Share this with children by playing music, showing them a digeridoo, or doing their own dot paintings for example.

The journey of healing

Once we have shown children how to identify and enjoy Aboriginal culture, we are well on our way to enabling them to appreciate the meaning behind National Sorry Day as they get older and the importance of inclusion, acknowledgement, commemoration and the journey of healing.

Take the time to reflect this National Sorry Day or even take part in local community events and activities and let’s be a part of the healing journey together.

 

 

Image source: https://www.humanrights.gov.au/news/stories/national-sorry-day-2016

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Understanding and Enhancing Emotional Intelligence in Children

Emotional intelligence is an invaluable life skill and one that we can help children develop from a young age. We can do this at childcare centres and at home, ensuring children have the skills to understand their emotions and express them effectively. First, we need to have a solid understanding of what emotional intelligence is.

What is emotional intelligence?

Emotional intelligence is a complex concept involving several different capabilities. It can be broken down into the 5 following categories:

  1. Self-awareness: The ability to recognise your own emotions and their effects.
  2. Self-regulation: The ability to control your emotions.
  3. Motivation: The ability to motivate yourself to reach goals.
  4. Empathy: The ability to recognise how other people are feeling.
  5. Social Skills: The ability to communicate and interact with others, also known as having people skills.

Sometimes known as EQ, it is often argued that emotional intelligence is more important than IQ when it comes to achieving success in all facets of life, be it education, career or relationships. In fact, in any situation in life, we can all benefit from being aware of how we are feeling, why we are feeling that way and how this affects us and those around us.

Why emotional intelligence is so important

Learning how to deal with emotions is an essential skill that enables young people to communicate effectively and foster more productive and meaningful relationships. It also means that they will be well equipped to deal with stressors in life, which can assist in overcoming life’s challenges.

Emotional intelligence teaches childcare aged children how to discern their own and others emotions and can even help them to recognise the difference between right and wrong. For example, if Sarah pushes Tom on the ground and Tom begins to cry, Sarah will recognise that her actions have made Tom feel sad. With guidance from her parents and educators, Sarah will learn that it is wrong to push.

How to enhance children’s emotional intelligence

Helping children to develop their emotional intelligence in early childhood can start with simple activities, such as identifying different emotions on faces like anger, happiness and sadness. Once children understand what these emotions are, they will begin to align how they feel with the names of the emotions that they have learnt. For example, when a child falls over, they may realise that the emotion they are feeling is sadness or even embarrassment. Similarly, when a child gets to play in the sandpit or have their favourite snack, they may realise that they are feeling happy.

Using music and wellbeing to nurture children’s emotional development

It is never too early to start nurturing a child’s emotional development. That’s why the Bonkers Beat programs have a strong focus on feelings and self-expression.

We use music and movement to help children develop their understanding of the world around them and to express themselves. Yoga and meditation are other powerful tools we believe in to enable children to connect with themselves and come to better understand how their brains and bodies work.

Guiding children through developing emotional intelligence should be an essential part of early childhood education and there is no doubt that it will help to shape a brighter future for children.

If you have been thinking of introducing the award-winning Bonkers Beat programs into your centre, there is no time like the present. Get in touch about what Bonkers Beat Music and Wellbeing programs can do for your centre, your staff and the children in your care by emailing info@bonkers.com.

Find out more about Bonkers Beat programs, follow this link: earlychildhoodeducationalprograms.com.au

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The secret to becoming a thriving child care centre

As many of you know, ACECQA recently announced our ‘Excellent’ Rating under the National Quality Standard which was a proud achievement for Bonkers Beat’s flagship centre in Victoria. Now we think it’s time that you and your centre discovered how excellent you really are too!

We’ll let you in on a little secret…

The secret behind our ‘Excellent’ Rating is actually no secret at all.

The Bonkers Beat Music & Wellbeing Programs are the key to the success of Bonkers Beat Music Kinder in Victoria — and the success of many other centres across the country.

The benefits of the Bonkers Beat Programs are effective and proven.

Centres incorporating these tried and tested programs experience:

  • More enrolments
  • Increased engagement from children and families
  • A distinct and effective point of difference in the market
  • More motivated educators
  • Reduced staff turnover

These are only a handful of the benefits that Bonkers Beat programs provide for centres!

The Bonkers Beat Programs directly impact how your centre addressed the NQF, giving you the tools and support to improve your NQS Rating.

This is what the centres that utilise the Bonkers Beat Programs are already enjoying:

  • Daily Music Program
  • Daily Wellbeing Program
  • Exclusive conferences for the whole team
  • Online training for all educators
  • Educational resources
  • Weekly support for Educational Leaders
  • Management support
  • Educational resources for parents
  • Music & Wellbeing newsletters for parents
  • Live webinars for parents

A special offer for a special centre — YOURS!

To celebrate our ‘Excellent’ Rating and encourage you to take action towards your own centre’s success, we are offering you a special limited time offer!

You won’t believe what we are giving you FOR FREE!

Click here to take a look at this incredible offer and for the opportunity to grab it for yourself.

If becoming a sought-after, in-demand child care centre is on your to-do list, then securing this limited time special offer for yourself should be too.

Of course, if you do have any questions, simply give us a call on 1300 022 328 or email info@bonkersbeat.com.

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Bonkers Beat Music Kinder is Rated Excellent by ACECQA

We are thrilled to share with you the great news – Bonkers Beat Music Kinder & Childcare Aspendale has been awarded the ‘Excellent’ rating by Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority (ACECQA)!

The Excellent rating is the highest rating an education and care service can achieve under the National Quality Framework.

This acknowledges the exceptional standard of education and care that Bonkers Beat Music Kinder is providing and its commitment to improving outcomes for children and families.

As at 31 December 2017, 14,687 children’s education and care services in Australia have received a quality rating from ACECQA and only 50 services are rated as Excellent. Out of these 50 services, there are 25 long day care centres, and the others are Preschools, OSHC and Family Day Care providers.

Currently, Bonkers Beat Music Kinder is one of only two privately run long day care services in Victoria, which are rated Excellent by ACECQA.

We congratulate all our educators, current and past families and our beautiful children with this significant achievement and thank our followers who’ve been supporting us over the years.

We’re thrilled with the outcome and delighted that many services who run Bonkers Beat Music & Wellbeing programs are part of our success story.

To read the special report on ACECQA website about Bonkers Beat Music Kinder rating please follow the link below:
www.acecqa.gov.au/media-releases/excellent-rating-awarded-bonkers-beat-music-kinder-childcare-aspendale

To see our video submission to ACECQA, watch the video below:

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Engaging Easter experiences to try with children

easter-in-early-childhood

Easter is around the corner and many centres are getting ready to celebrate this much-loved holiday in early childhood settings!

Colouring in images of Easter bunnies is fun, but why not fire up children’s creativity this year and do something different? There are so many learning experiences for children around the subject of Easter – let’s look at a few of them.

Talking about religion at Easter

As we know, Easter is traditionally a religious acknowledgement. Perhaps your centre would like to explore the religious aspects of Easter this year.

While many Australians will celebrate Easter over the long weekend from Friday 30 to Monday 2 April, it’s worth noting that these dates are based on the Catholic Easter dates. Other families may celebrate Orthodox Easter on Sunday 8 April in 2018.

A simple way to share the traditional Christian story of Easter with children is through books. Easter Story and Tiny Tots Easter are suitable for children as young as 2 and can help start the discussion.

Perhaps other children and families could share their religious or cultural views on Easter and how they celebrate.

Engaging Easter experiences for children

There are plenty more creative, hands-on Easter activities to try when incorporating Easter in early childhood.

Get hatching

A big part of the meaning of Easter is around new beginnings, and what better way to learn about new beginnings that with new life?! At Bonkers Beat Music Kinder the Henny Penny Hatching Program is currently an exciting and engaging experience for children (and educators!).

Traditional eggs decorating

Egg decorating is a traditional Easter activity that is lots of fun. Any egg-shaped object is fine, but why not use natural resources by hard-boiling eggs for decorating and making your own natural dyes. This means fewer chemicals and an additional learning element.

The Easter Bunny song

There is a song and music for every occasion as far as we are concerned! Easter is no exception. As a Bonkers Beat follower, we invite you to access our special Easter song ‘Easter Bunny’. Watch the video for our simple movements and print the words if needed. Children always love this song! Access ‘Easter Bunny’ here.

Share your Easter celebrations and educational ideas with us on Facebook!

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Creating an ‘Ethical Curriculum’ in Early Childhood

Have you heard of an ‘ethical curriculum’? It’s an important and worthwhile topic to understand if creating the best early childhood education experience for children is at the top of your to-do list.

Catharine Hydon is an early childhood expert with extensive experience working in a range of early childhood settings. We were lucky enough to have Catharine as a speaker at our recent Wellness Summits in Melbourne and Sydney, and educators couldn’t get enough of her presentations. She shared invaluable insights with us about ethical curriculums and how to create one.

Catharine says creating an ethical curriculum is really about celebrating children’s right to participate within their communities.

“When we choose ethical dimensions to add into our curriculum, we’re really connecting with who children are and how they’re living their lives right now, at the moment”, says Catharine.

Catharine wants children to grow up knowing how to engage in the world and enjoying it, not fearing it. How we do that is by listening to the children and families and delivering back an inclusive early childhood experience for all to enjoy and learn from and within. That is at the core of an ethical curriculum.

Ethical dimensions to incorporate can be chosen by finding out what matters to families and children and creating a learning environment that reflects their cultures, individual circumstances and interests. Catharine is passionate about educators growing more confident and raising our voices about the decisions we make for children in our care. Open up and speak out to communities and families about what you’re doing in your centre and why, because the work we do has a real impact on entire communities.

A big congratulations to our Bonkers Beat educators across the country — Catharine noted the enthusiasm of you all and how willing you were to give things a go. What beautiful role modelling for our young people, so congratulations to you on demonstrating your passion and motivation for our special industry.

To learn more about what we got up to at our Wellness Summits, you can take a look through our event albums in Melbourne and Sydney on Facebook. If you’re interested in joining us with your team of educators at the next Wellness Summits, get in touch to find out how!

Enjoy our chat about creating an ethical curriculum with Catharine here:

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Thinking about having an Open Day at your centre? Here’s why you should

We know that the first five years of a child’s life are absolutely crucial when it comes to physical, intellectual, social and emotional development. It’s not surprising that selecting a child care centre or kindergarten is a big decision for families. If you’re thinking about having an open day at your centre, but keep putting it off or think it’s too much effort, think again.

Reading about a centre or hearing about a centre is great, but nothing is quite like visiting a centre. Families often speak about “the vibe” they got from a child care centre. They love to see the centre, meet the educators and director – even the owner! This is a place that they are trusting with their children during one of the most vital times of their development and it has to be perfect.

Why having an open day is a must

While tours for families are great and should be encouraged, holding an open day is proactive and encourages families to have a fun day out while at the same time getting a feel for your centre.

Dedicated time: An open day, especially on a weekend, gives families uninterrupted time at your centre to explore, chat with educators and ask questions.

A showcase of your offering: You get to plan the day from start to finish, so design something special that really shows families what you’re about and why you’re the best choice for their child’s early childhood education.

A fun day out: It’s certainly a drawcard for families when you plan a day of activities and perhaps throw in some refreshments. Even families who attend other centres could stop by and fall in love with your centre.

Show the local community and families what you have to offer. Planning an open day allows you to put your best foot forward and demonstrate to families why they should choose your centre for their child or children.

The next Bonkers Beat Open Day is coming up on Saturday, 24 March. Feel free to come along to Bonkers Beat Music Kinder at 49 Laura street, Aspendale for a day of family fun and enjoy an interactive tour and music show with Bonkers the Monkey!

We look forward to seeing you there!

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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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Understanding and handling allergies

allergic reactions in children

Did you know that allergic reactions in children range from a mild itch to full anaphylaxis? As an early childhood educator, it is useful to have an understanding of allergies, because prevention, identifying symptoms and responding effectively are all essential to protect children from allergies.

Allergies and what they are

An allergy is what occurs when the immune system reacts to a substance, the allergen, that a child has come in contact with. The allergen is something that is ordinarily harmless, like pollen from flowers, an insect bite or a type of food. The body reacts with allergy antibodies, which react with foreign substances.

The reaction could be minor and mild, or even life-threatening.

What can trigger allergic reactions?

A common trigger for children’s allergic reactions is food. You might find children in your centre who are allergic to foods like:

  • Milk or milk products
  • Eggs
  • Peanuts or other nuts
  • Fish or certain seafood
  • Soy products
  • Wheat

Another trigger you might find is animals, particularly those with more fur. A cat or dog with long hair is an example of an animal a child could be allergic to. There are also allergens like pollen from plants that can even be in the air, bites or strings from a bug or even medications.

What to watch for

Allergic reactions in children could have a range of symptoms. These signs might be:

  • A rash or itchy skin
  • Swelling of the face, lips or eyes
  • Stomach discomfort, nausea or vomiting

In the case of an anaphylactic reaction, the symptoms can be quite severe:

  • Difficulty with breathing
  • Tightness in the throat
  • Swelling of the tongue
  • Wheezing
  • Dizziness
  • Loss of consciousness

Preventing allergic reactions in children

Avoiding children’s allergens is the number one way to prevent allergic reactions in children occurring at your centre. While restrictions can seem frustrating at times, they can be life-saving if a child in your centre suffers from an allergy.

Make sure your centre has an action plan in place for any children who have allergies, and take care to ensure the environment, food and experiences at your centre don’t involve allergens for your children.

More helpful information about allergies, find below:
Developing an allergy policy and allergy action plans
Managing food allergy and anaphylaxis in child care

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