Tag: environment

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Revisiting sustainable practices in centres

sustainable practices in centres

Recycling Week is coming up from November 13 – 19, with this year’s theme ‘What goes around: Why buying recycled matters’.

Sustainability is really important to us and we think it should be to everyone. The Bonkers Beat programs have a focus on sustainability and showing children how to take care of the planet, as well as each other. This is also a focus area for the National Quality Standard, with Standard 3.3 of the NQS stating: ‘The service takes an active role in caring for its environment and contributes to a sustainable future.‘  (ACECQA)

Sustainability in action

Bonkers Beat Music Kinder in Aspendale was filmed by VEA for  training purposes on how to incorporate sustainability into early childhood services. Take a look to get some ideas and inspiration for sustainable practices.

The cycle of recycling

The theme of this year’s Recycling Week, ‘What Goes Around: Why Buying Recycled Matters’ inspires us to think carefully about where we source the things we need, and what we do with things we no longer need.

The message is simple: if you no longer want or need something, don’t just dispose of it. If it works, chances are someone else wants or needs it! And the item you’re looking for could be the very item someone else no longer requires.

When it comes to electronics, homewares and clothes, don’t throw them out. Offer to your friends or on Facebook, pop them on a buy/swap/sell website, sell them in a garage sale, donate to an op shop.

Same goes when you’re considering a new purchase. Ask around for the item as someone may have one sitting somewhere unused. Check op shops for items that have been tested and certified as being in good working order. You’ll save money too!

Dispose thoughtfully

Of course, sometimes things have been used to death and really must be let go. But think carefully about how you dispose of it. Recycling can contribute enormously to reducing the impact of pollution on our planet.

At Bonkers Beat Music Kinder we have rubbish and recycle bins arranged in each room and discuss with children the importance of using the correct bin. Needless to say, children are fascinated to learn that their off-cuts of used scrap paper can be turned into tissues, newspapers, kitty litter and moulded cartons for eggs and fruit.

Another tip is that using refillable containers for drinking as well as for handwash, toiletries and more minimises waste. Washed plastic containers from takeaway, egg cartons and milk bottles can all be used in centres and homes to store things and as the basis for art and craft projects. All of these acts of recycling and reusing contribute to sustainable practices in centres.

A valuable free resource for sustainable practices in centres

We all know music helps to convey messages in a memorable and engaging way, so please enjoy an access to the Bonkers Beat song, ‘Bonkers Rap’. This song is a great resource which is about taking care of the environment and sustainable practices in centres.

Planet Ark’s Recycling Week website has some great resources for you too, including lots of tips and posters to show the right ways to recycle. Explore these resources here.

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Creating collaborative partnerships with parents and communities

creating collaborative partnerships

They say it takes a village, and we tend to agree. When it comes to raising children and providing a well-rounded childhood, parents, families, friends, early childhood educators and communities all play a role. To get the very best out of your village, working together and creating collaborative partnerships is a must.

The National Quality Standard emphasises the power of collaborative partnerships too: “The aim of Quality Area 6 under the National Quality Standard is to recognise that collaborative relationships with families are fundamental to achieving quality outcomes for children and those community partnerships that are based on active communication, consultation and collaboration are also essential.” (ACECQA)

There are three simple ways you can start to foster these partnerships.

1. Focus on communication

Communication is the key to beginning a solid, rewarding relationship, no matter who it involves. Encourage an open line of communication between parents and educators.

This can include posters, emails, Facebook groups, notes sent home, a welcoming space at centres and an invitation to call the centre as needed. Share ideas, feedback, concerns, reminders, invitations – you’re a team! The shared goal of educators and families is to provide children with a fantastic start in life.

2. Host fun events

Life can certainly be busy, but when something special comes up most people are willing to do their best to make it work. Don’t forget to create opportunities for families and centres to have a little fun outside of the normal day-to-day routines.

Picnic dinners are cost effective and simple. Everyone can bring a plate and share food at the local park – a great example of a family-friendly event that gets everyone together in a community-minded way.

3. Collaborate on something

At Bonkers Beat Music Kinder in Aspendale, we love getting together for a good, old-fashioned, Working Bee. We work with families on improving the centres’ environments, share a nice lunch and have a great time.

Most recently our working bee was a huge success. Educators together with families and children created a Community Garden! This was in addition to a new working bench, a teepee, landscaping, gardening and lots of tidying up of our centre’s spaces. Educators, parents and of course our clever children all worked together to create something wonderful – and that’s a collaborative partnership! Take a look at the photos of the day unfolding here.

How does your centre work on creating collaborative partnerships with parents and communities? Let us know on Facebook – we love to share ideas!

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The Benefits and Beauty of Bush Kinders

There’s something so special about children enjoying nature. And while we love to see children enjoying the summer sun, seeing them pull on some gumboots to splash in puddles and explore soggy wetlands is fantastic.

Early childhood education has many approaches, each with its own benefits and advocates. We are all continually developing and adapting, and that goes for educators too. One early learning approach that has been growing in popularity of late is the incorporation of the great outdoors. And with so many learning experiences to offer, this is very exciting!

Danish Forest School Approach

Just this week a great article about the Danish Forest School approach was featured in the Australian Scholarships Group (ASG)’s publication ‘Early Horizons’. Galina was featured in this edition too, interviewed about children’s wellbeing and the magic of the Bonkers Beat programs. You can read the whole publication here: http://bit.ly/2sL7k5P

The Danish Forest School approach is truly unique and special – and there is no one type of ‘forest school’… no two are the same. The Early Horizons article talks about how the Danish Forest School Approach uses its deep understanding of informal learning environments to promote creativity and critical thinking in its young students.

This forest pre-schooling approach has caught on internationally, including in Australia with the rise of Bush kinder programs.

The benefits of the bush

The research around kinder programs that take to the bush shows many benefits:

  • Increased confidence, motivation and concentration, increased social, physical and language skills, deeper conceptual understandings and respect for the natural environment
  • Increased social and imaginative play
  • Teachers understandings of and relationships with the children are deepened, while families and wider community attitudes towards natural places for play and children’s risk management can be enhanced
  • Positive outcomes for many diverse communities including disadvantaged or challenging youth, children with autism and drug addicted adults

Read more here.

Nurturing nature – the rise in outdoor learning

Bush Kinder is growing in popularity in Australia for good reason – the immediate and long-term benefits for children are undeniable. It’s an exciting time in early childhood education. Doug Fargher, the founder of Bush Kinder in Australia is joining us at the upcoming Wellness Summits in September and we cannot wait to learn from him.

Doug, in line with the forest schools of Europe, believes in nature’s potential to create a space for children to flourish in their period of critical early development.

Joining our award-winning Bonkers Beat community can provide you with many benefits and give you all access to our Summits on 2, September 2017 in Melbourne or 9 September 2017 in Sydney. You have to act fast to join us though – email info@bonkersbeat.com now or call 13000-B-BEAT (2-2328).

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Healthy Mind, Healthy Body

healthy mind, healthy body

Education Week is coming up from 21 to 27 May in Victoria. The theme for this year is one very close to our hearts at Bonkers Beat – Healthy Mind, Healthy Body.

For many years – and still today for some – a healthy mind was viewed as being a separate issue to a healthy body. We are big believers in the relationship between mind and body and the need for a focus on wellbeing.

In fact, we are committed to enhancing the wellbeing of every child, every day!

Happy, healthy, resilient children

Happy, healthy and resilient children are the goal of the Victorian government’s education sector, and while Education Week is aimed at Primary schools, we think it’s a theme worthy of us all taking on board.

Ask yourself: How does your centre work on developing healthy minds and healthy bodies for your centre’s community? Can you do better or do more?

There are many approaches you can incorporate to increase your focus on healthy minds and healthy bodies. Bonkers Beat educational programs allow daily wellbeing routines to be embedded effortlessly into a centre’s curriculum, and the rewards and results are amazing.

In light of Education Week’s Healthy Mind, Healthy Body theme we decided to make a list of how we contribute to healthy minds and healthy bodies. You might like to do the same in your centre!

How we encourage Healthy Mind, Healthy Body…

For Children: Daily yoga, meditation and dedicated wellbeing routines.

For Educators: Professional and personal development for entire teams, Wellness Summits, support, hands-on workshops, annual staff retreats and training that can be accessed online.

For Families: Wellbeing resources for home, newsletters, information nights for parents, children’s progress sessions and monthly educational webinars for families.

A daily focus on healthy minds and bodies is brilliant, but there’s no harm in throwing in some extra activities from time to time as well.

Try these within your centre community:

–Smoothie making

-Bike riding to kinder

–Get close to nature

And please share your ideas and the wonderful things you do to encourage healthy minds and bodies with us on Facebook!

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A Holistic Approach to Educators’ Wellness

If you focus on the wellbeing of the children in your care but perhaps don’t do enough for the mental health of your educators, you’re not alone.

As early childhood educators it’s only natural that our emphasis on wellbeing and health usually focuses on the children in our care. However, the wellness of educators is vital too and can have an impact on children in their care.

Thankfully, you can tackle both with the one holistic approach.

The importance of educator wellbeing

In order to deliver the best outcomes for children, we need to ensure the health and wellbeing of educators is taken care of.

According to a 2014 paper on the subject of childcare providers’ mental health, is it essential that we prioritise educator wellbeing. The paper specifically states:

“Childcare providers’ mental health is important for their well-being and its potential impact on turnover and care quality”.

This is alarming, yet not entirely surprising. If an educator’s is physically unwell, we understand they will not be capable of performing to the best of their ability. Mental health should be considered similarly. That is, if an educator’s mental health needs attention, their work will suffer too.

How can we do better?

The mental health of educators impacts staff retention, quality of care delivered to children – not to mention the personal overall wellbeing of the individuals themselves.

With this knowledge, we as an industry must consider how we can do better.

We believe a greater focus on the mental and physical wellness of children and educators is a must.

A priority of our Bonkers Beat training is to help educators to learn the knowledge and practical tools they need to improve the overall wellbeing.

The wellbeing education of children should start from educators self education and their own wellbeing.

A focus on wellbeing practices in centres

We see more and more centres promoting yoga, meditation and music to attract families, but the key is in how we embed these practices in centres.

The benefits of these approaches to enhancing wellbeing in children – and educators who take part alongside children – will not have the profound impact we desire without consistent, regular, ongoing routines.

At Bonkers Beat we believe that wellbeing practices deserve a daily time slot. Over the past decade we have developed a program dedicated to this. We have now successfully incorporated the wellbeing-enhancing approaches of yoga, meditation and music into various centres across the country. And the results speak for themselves.

Each day we hear about staff becoming more motivated and inspired, children’s behaviour improving dramatically and boosts in family engagement.

Prioritise wellbeing for your educators (and centre) to thrive

For your educators to thrive and flourish, along with the children in their care and of course your centre, switch the focus to wellbeing.

Our Melbourne Bonkers Beat members did just that at our Summer 2017 Wellness Summit last week – click here to take a look.

If you need guidance in doing this, rest assured this is what the Bonkers Beat community does best. You can register your interest in joining us here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Soothing Separation Anxiety in Children (and Parents!)

separation anxiety

Many children have just started in new centres, new schools or perhaps new rooms with an existing care provider.

For some families and educators it will be all smiles and a smooth transition. For others it can be very upsetting as children can be distressed, particularly at drop off time. Sometimes we see parents feeling separation anxiety around this time too. This is nothing to be concerned about.

Separation anxiety is not unusual – in fact, it’s quite common. With a few tried and tested strategies, educators and centres can help families to overcome separation anxiety and make drop off time easier for everyone.

What causes separation anxiety?

To understand it best we need to know what brings on bouts of separation anxiety.

Two of the most common causes of separation anxiety we tend to see in early childhood education are directly related to:

-Change in surroundings eg moving house, changing schools/care providers

-Manifestation of parental separation anxiety.

Strategies to soothe separation anxiety

As educators, there are things we can do to help parents and children feel less anxious at drop off time and keep separation anxiety under control.

1. Get ready

A good orientation process can be really effective at reducing the onset of separation anxiety.

Whether it’s a new room, new educators or a new centre, we should guide parents and children to prepare for the impending change in advance.

2. Create a routine

It’s not just children who love routines – adults benefit from them too! Parents and children should be encouraged to create a regular, reliable routine for childcare/kinder days. This helps everyone understand what to expect.

On arrival, knowing what will be happening in the centre will assist children to be even more confident and settle into the day better. (This will help parents to relax too!)

3. Focus on relationships

We believe that collaboration with families is essential for the best outcomes for children in early childhood.

Communicate with parents and reassure them. Parents need to know that educators are capable of identifying signs of discomfort or distress in their child and that their wellbeing is your priority.

4. Incorporate transitional songs

The Bonkers Beat Music Program harnesses the power of music in many ways for centres and children – one such way is through the use of transitional songs.

A transitional song is a great way to facilitate a smooth transition between activities in childcare settings. This same approach could be applied to the drop off period for parents and children. A simple song to be sung by families on the way into the centre each time could be a valuable addition to the routine to help everyone to adapt to the approaching shift in environment.

Your support counts

Separation anxiety isn’t enjoyable for anyone, however your support as an educator can go a long way to help families through it.

Calm voices, reassuring words and body language and a positive attitude paired with our strategies will help guide you through as children settle in to 2017.

If you feel you would like more tips, this ACECQA resource is very handy and full of information to help.

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A Practical Approach to a Positive and Stimulating Environment

In 2016 we launched Wellness Works! The Complete Early Childhood Leaders Conference – and what an inspiring response we have had for this practical professional development for early childhood educators.

Our Newcastle event was no exception, taking place on Monday 14 November. If you haven’t heard about Wellness Works yet, it’s a collaboration between Bonkers Beat creator and innovative early childhood expert Galina Zenin with international early childhood presenter and renowned Early Childhood Business Developer Alina Dan.

Galina and Alina (or the “Duolinas” as they were dubbed at one event!) have dedicated their careers to improving the quality of care in early childhood in Australia and overseas, taking their holistic approaches to the masses. The goal? Well there’s not just one.

Tackling the Challenges Faced in Centres Together

Earlier this year we revealed the top three challenges faced by early childhood educators: motivation, transitions and documentation.

This remains true. Here’s a few things we identified during the year:

-Management find their educators are struggling with motivation, and management are struggling to find ways to motivate them.

-Everyone feels overloaded with documentation.

-The lack of practical knowledge found in centres reflects the need for more hands-on training – both initially and through ongoing professional development.

-Educators find themselves focusing on managing behaviour – this needs to shift with new strategies in place.

We address all of these areas and more at Wellness Works, so if you haven’t signed up to be among the first to learn of new dates for this event, please do by heading to the registration section: bonkersbeat/wellnessworks

Creating a Positive and Stimulating Learning Environment

We need to create a shift in our approach to children’s behaviour and the way we manage it. This is a key area because managing behaviour is a major source of stress for educators. If we can use more effective strategies for this we can simultaneously tackle behavioural issues while improving educator wellbeing – and in turn, improve the wellbeing of children.

Empowering educators and managers to create of a learning environment that is positive and stimulating could be an important first step, incorporating a holistic approach that caters to every child’s needs.

We can’t wait to continue this early childhood revolution with you all in 2017!

Don’t miss out on our next Wellness Works event – sign up in the registration section of our website and you’ll be the first to know about our next Wellness Works! The Complete Early Childhood Leaders Conference: bonkersbeat/wellnessworks

P.S. A HUGE congratulations and thank you to our inspiring, passionate and AWESOME attendees! You all make us so proud to be working together and we can’t wait to create positive changes through practical professional development.

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Good Habits Start Young – National Recycling Week

From November 7 – 13 it’s National Recycling Week – the week for paying extra attention to the way we take care of the environment by avoiding excess waste. Teaching children about the three ‘R’s and how they can take care of the world around us is essential for a healthy, sustainable future.

The three ‘R’s are Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. It’s a simple and memorable way of thinking about how we can all make a difference by making small changes and by being mindful and aware.

To make your recycling discussion more engaging – and just because we love music – 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!

Recycling can be fun, especially if you do it creatively. After all, in many centres the majority of craft activities are born of recycled cartons and containers!

Let’s look at the three ‘R’s in more detail, as well as how adults and children can make positive changes at home and in centres.

Reduce

Look at all the packaging on everything from food to toys and it’s not hard to imagine that a huge amount of waste is created in every household year in, year out. Christmas and birthdays are always an insight into this as the bins are overflowing as packaging fills them to the brim in one day. When just one kilogram of aluminium generates more than 15kgs of greenhouse gas, we can’t ignore the impact of packaging on the environment.

Between us all we can make a huge difference by aiming to minimise the amount of packaging-heavy products we buy. The less we purchase things that are excessively wrapped, the better example we are setting for children and for these companies that reducing waste is important to us and the planet.

Avoiding individually wrapped items is an easy one to stick to. Skip the plastic at the supermarket and put the fruit and veg straight in the trolley or basket. Don’t forget to take a plastic bag alternative when you go shopping.

Reuse

Reusing things is an excellent way of helping to reduce waste. There are so many ways we can do this.

Using refillable containers for drinking as well as for handwash, toiletries and more minimises waste. Washed plastic containers from takeaway, egg cartons and milk bottles can all be used in centres and homes to store things and as the basis for art and craft projects.

When it comes to electronics, homewares and clothes, there’s no doubt another family who needs these things so rather than throw them away in your next clean out, consider donating or offering to people you know.

Food scraps are often suitable for pets or for compost. Maybe a neighbour has a garden that could utilise your organic waste.

Recycle

Recycling goes a long way to reduce the impact of pollution and helps to keep the planet in good shape.

At Bonkers Beat Music Kinder we have rubbish and recycle bins arranged in each room and discuss with children the importance of using the correct bin. Needless to say, children are fascinated to learn that their off-cuts of used scrap paper can be turned into tissues, newspapers, kitty litter and moulded cartons for eggs and fruit.

A good key to recycling effectively is to always aim to buy recyclable items. This means avoiding things that are packaged in materials that need to be separated and make recycling challenging.

Children might enjoy watching this video, How Recycling Works: http://www.getitrightbinnight.vic.gov.au/how-recycling-works/

Work with children to feel the different textures of plastic and paper and how to separate them for optimal recycling – as always the key is to make it fun. Creating a sustainable future is something that should be engrained in children in a positive way and now is the time to begin!

If you’d like to learn more, these links may be of interest to you:

http://www.1millionwomen.com.au/blog/10-ways-make-recycling-fun-kids/http://www.cleanup.org.au/au/Campaigns/reuse–recycle–reduce.html
http://www.cleanup.org.au/PDF/au/putrubbishaway.pdf
http://www.wwf.org.au/get_involved/change_the_way_you_live/sustainable_shopping_tips/

 

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Supporting One Another – Mental Health Week 2016

mental health of educators

With one in four adults experiencing mental health challenges at times in their lives, raising awareness of the mental health of educators is hugely important in early childhood education.

Held from October 9 – 15, 2016, Australia’s national Mental Health Week coincides with World Mental Health Day on October 10. The aim? To promote social and emotional wellbeing to communities.

Mental Health Impacts Care Quality

Mental health issues can affect people from all walks of life – including parents, educators and even children. In fact, recent research in the early childhood sector found that up to 38% of family day care providers met the criteria for depression. Alarmingly, the mental health of the early childhood educators was seen to have an impact on care quality and on the children in their care.

Educators, particularly educational leaders, need the support of families and their workplace to deliver the best outcomes for children’s wellbeing and learning.

Supporting Our Educators’ Mental Health

We recognise the importance of the mental health and wellbeing of educators, and it’s a focus in our professional development day: Wellness Works! The Complete Early Childhood Leaders Conference.

We have developed a range of effective strategies for educators and centres to employ to improve the wellbeing of educators, children in their care and even the families and community.

Our approach is a holistic one and a necessary one to tackle the issue of mental health in our society and to offer the best support to those who need it.

Through making wellness, music, yoga and meditation work for us, we have so many powerful and natural tools. These can assist in the development of resilience to protect against and deal with mental health issues, and the mental health of educators.

Support Mental Health Week, Support One Another

To give children the best start, we need to support the mental health of educators and educational leaders. Professional development that uses wellness and wellbeing as its focal point to enhance educators’ ability to educate, and children’s ability to learn effectively is just one option available.

Let’s use Mental Health Week to start making more effort to support those around us. Beyondblue has some fantastic resources, including some specifically for families, to guide you through how to offer support to others.

 

 

 

 

 

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The Purpose of Play in Early Childhood

play-based learning

When we try to think of something happy, children playing is often one of the first things that comes to mind. The simple idea of children playing and laughing epitomises joy. That’s pretty powerful. Even more than just happiness, play and play-based learning are essential to any early childhood pedagogy. Let’s go back to basics and explore.

What is ‘play’?

To get us started with our discussion on the topic, let’s look at the meaning of the word play.

Merriam-Webster dictionary defines play as: recreational activity; especially the spontaneous activity of children.

Look up play in the Oxford Dictionary and is says: Engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose.

Adding to the above, there are several definitions that expand on the above. Early Childhood Australia (ECA) outlines some of these various meanings for us:

-pleasurable-play is an enjoyable and pleasurable activity. Play sometimes includes frustrations, challenges and fears; however enjoyment is a key feature

-symbolic-play is often pretend, it has a ‘what if?’ quality. The play has meaning to the player that is often not evident to the educator

-active-play requires action, either physical, verbal or mental engagement with materials, people, ideas or the environment

-voluntary-play is freely chosen. However, players can also be invited or prompted to play

-process oriented-play is a means unto itself and players may not have an end or goal in sight

What is play-based learning?

Play-based learning is just that – learning that is based in play. But let’s not oversimplify it as it is a research-based approach that has a lot of thought behind it.

The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia describes play-based learning as “a context for learning through which children organise and make sense of their social worlds, as they engage actively with people, objects and representations”.

The benefits of play-based learning

We love that play-based learning works with children’s interests while opening children up to a range of learning experiences.

These learning experiences can be related to so many areas of importance, including:

-Wellbeing

-Relationships with others

-Negotiation and conflict resolution

-Problem solving

-Curiosity

-Creativity

The benefits of play-based learning have been studied extensively, with many researchers finding that children learn best in child-directed settings accompanied by adults.

Of course, it’s up to educators to gently direct children’s play by providing stimuli and activities that will bring about the intended learning. This is where intentional teaching is so important. That is, educators being purposeful and thoughtful about how a centre’s program and learning outcomes are approached.

Let’s not forget about documentation either. Documentation is a vital element of play-based learning and in fact all learning within an early childhood setting if we are to have any chance of meaningful reflection about our curriculum and learning outcomes.

Creating positive early childhood programs

-A play-based approach is best for optimal learning

-Your play program should be child-led by educator-guided and well planned

-Provide children with an early childhood program that takes a holistic approach

-Focus on the learning outcomes and intentional teaching in all that you do as an educator

-Learning – and especially play-based learning – should always be fun so keep it light and enjoyable

-Don’t forget about documentation and following each child’s unique learning journey through play

 

 

 

 

 

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