healthy body Archives - Early Learning Childhood Education

16/05/201929/05/2019

Top tips for high health standards in childcare

As we all know, children aren’t always “naturals” when it comes to good hygiene habits! While we encourage playing in the dirt, exploring nature and getting creative, there should always be support for practicing good hygiene and safety too. Children often need extra support when it comes to creating and sustaining these habits.

Below are some tips for upholding high standards of health and hygiene in childcare settings. They will not only help everyone stay safe and healthy but they will also help you to meet Quality Area 2 of the National Quality Standard.

1. Handwashing should be second nature

Handwashing is a simple way to reduce the spread and potential ingestion of germs. Help children to get used to handwashing after playing, using the bathroom and always before eating.

Use images and signage around the centre as reminders
Set times for handwashing
Make soaps and taps easy to use
Have a handwashing song that encourages action and duration of adequate handwashing (here are some to try)

Ensure all educators and staff lead by example!

2. Covering your mouth to cough and sneeze

A simple but effective practice to embed in your centre is covering mouths when a sneeze or cough is ready to escape. Ensure tissues are readily available around your centre and are placed in the bin once used.

Another clever thing children can learn, especially for those coughs and sneezes come along when we aren’t prepared, is coughing and sneezing into the elbow. Here’s a handy poster you could print for your service that demonstrates this technique.

3. Have an illness policy in place

Getting sick from time to time is inevitable. No matter how healthy and cautious families and educators are, illness does happen. It’s important to manage it well. A good policy will ensure that if you are unwell you remain home so that others are protected from sickness. Take note of different exclusion periods for illnesses via Health Vic.

Help parents assess whether their child should attend childcare or kinder with these three questions from Care for Kids:

Will my child be well enough to comfortably and happily participate in the activities of the day?
Will my child’s care provider be able to care for my child without it affecting their ability to look after the other children?
Will my child pass the illness on to their playmates if I send them in today?

4. Avoid Sharing

Children often want to share cups and utensils, but it can increase the risk of germ spread. On top of encouraging children to keep their own cups, plates and spoons to themselves, labelling can be a useful approach. There’s nothing children enjoy more than spotting their own name on something and knowing they have a special item to themselves.

5. Keep the centre clean as can be

Staying on top of disinfecting toys, bedding, carpets, toilets and surfaces at your centre is the best way to ensure that your service doesn’t become a hub for illness spreading germs. Hospital grade disinfectants will be the best bet to kill nasty germs and keep everything safe for playing, resting and learning!

What hygiene practices do you have in place to keep children’s health protected at your centre? Share with us via Facebook!

16/11/201717/11/2017

Understanding and handling allergies

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

03/08/201703/08/2017

Immune system boosters: strategies to stay healthy

Throughout this time of year it can feel as though someone is always coming down with a cold, a virus or some sort of bug. A lot of it comes down to the fact that when the weather is cold we spend more time in confined spaces with one another. But whatever the reason, we all want to prevent the spread of illness – especially in childcare centres.

Immune system boosters: 5 approaches

These five strategies will help you to boost children’s immune system and ultimately result in less sick children – and educators!

Some can be used in centres and at home so this list is handy for families and educators alike.

1. Boost children’s immune systems through food: Fresh foods have phytonutrients which are perfect for kicking the immune system up a notch. They can be found in carrots, strawberries, beans and oranges, to name a few. Focus on fresh and aim for five serves of fruit and vegetables each day. But of course, any amount of fruit and veg is better than none! Handy hints for getting children to eat fruit and veggies here. And try this healthy immune boosting recipe the whole family can enjoy.

2: Encourage healthy sleep patterns: Sleep is when our bodies work hard to repair themselves. And not getting enough of it can make us more likely to catch whatever illnesses are going around. Learn how much sleep children really need.

3: Keep a clean environment: Coming in to contact with germs is something to avoid obviously! And the best way? Keeping your home and childcare centre germ free (or as close as possible!). Wipe down surfaces regularly, wash hands, use and dispose of tissues thoughtfully…

4: Water, water, water: Water is useful as one of your immune system boosters. Drinking water will help to flush your system and keep it functioning optimally. Water is also great warmed up with honey and lemon, and pop some in a humidifer or vapouriser to combat dry winter air in your home or centre.

5: Keep it to yourself: An obvious but important one – when you’re sick, try to keep your germs to yourself so others can stay healthy and the spread of illness is reduced. Avoid sharing things like cups and cutlery, cover your mouth when you sneeze and cough… Stay home if needed – give yourself or your child the time and rest you need to get better. It’s good for you and others in your life.

With these immune system boosters, you’ll be well on your way to a healthy, happy home or childcare centre!

Image Designed by Freepik

11/05/201712/05/2017

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!