Tag: kindergarten

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20 Must-Do’s These School Holidays

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

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

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

INSIDE

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

OUTSIDE

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

ADVENTURE

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

QUIET TIME

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

 

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

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

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Get Eggcited About Easter

You’re probably thinking “Easter already?!” and it certainly feels like that with Good Friday coming up next week on 25 March.

From Easter egg hunts to chocolate bunnies, decorating eggs and Easter bonnets – there are so many different ways that we celebrate Easter. Easter traditions are unique across many different countries, religions and cultures too – this might be something to bring in to your centre’s celebrations.

If there are families or educators in your centre who celebrate Easter a particular way, it can be wonderful to have them talk about – or even show – how Easter is recognised in their lives.

Regardless of whether you take a secular approach to Easter or talk about all the different ways Easter is enjoyed over the world, it is almost always a time that children get excited about.

Incorporate it for a day or have a whole Easter-themed week – whichever way you approach it, we’ve compiled a bunch of inspiration and activities that children will love!

Activity Inspiration to Celebrate Easter

Easter Bonnets/Easter Bonnet Parade – Try some Easter hat ideas listed here or come up with some wild creations of your own.

Easter Colouring Pages – These great Easter-themed printables make for a simple but always enjoyable activity. Make it interesting by adding glitter, cotton wool and other textures.

Craft For Easter – Get inspired to decorate eggs, create Easter baskets and more.

Easter Recipes – A homemade Easter treat can be yummy, educational and fun!

Our special Bonkers Beat song ‘Easter Bunny’ is a favourite for Easter too. You can access it here!

Share more Easter ideas with us on Facebook! Bonkers Beat members, you can share your Easter celebrations with us via our My Bonkers Beat Facebook group.

Stay safe and have a happy Easter break everyone!

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Strength Through Diversity – Celebrating Harmony Day 2016

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

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

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

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

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

-Explore Harmony Day stories via the Harmony Day app

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Invite families to share their traditions and culture

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

-Engage children in multicultural cooking experiences

-Use multicultural dolls and gender diverse dolls for dramatic play

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

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

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Sustainability in 3 Steps to Help Clean Up Australia

We are all striving towards creating the ultimate learning environment for young children. But what about the bigger picture? Making sure we take care of the environment in a broader sense is crucial, as is teaching the next generation about the importance of keeping the planet healthy.

Sustainability isn’t a buzzword – it’s the key to a happy, healthy future for us all. So how do educators and children make a difference? Our environmental sustainability program is a big part of the Bonkers Beat philosophy and practice. We understand the importance of looking after our planet and work together to raise awareness of the environment and a sense of connection to the natural world. Clean Up Australia Day is coming up on 6 March (Schools Clean Up Day, 4 March) and this is a good starting point to open up a discussion with children about the environment.

Encourage Sustainability in Three Steps

We’ve identified a three step pathway to showing children how they can make a different to the planet and the future:

  • Respect

If we can first encourage children to respect the environment and nature, we have made a good start. One of the easiest ways of doing this is through growing, cooking and eating. Once children see firsthand that nature is providing yummy food for them with just a little bit of care, they tend to look at a garden from a new perspective.
Practical Tip: Children should be taught care for plants and nature through activities like planting, watering plants, pruning, harvesting/picking and cooking.

  • Responsibility

Working from a basis of respect for the environment, children and staff can demonstrate their respect for their environment by becoming socially responsible. Promote awareness of wastage when it comes to water, electricity, paper and recyclable materials.
Practical Tip: Time handwashing, use compost bins, grow vegetables, fruit and herbs, maximise the use of natural light, minimise the use of heating and cooling.

  • The three R’s – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

These three R’s are practical reminders that we can apply to almost anything in life. If children have some paper we want them to think: can it be reused or recycled? They deserve to know that off-cuts of used scrap paper can be turned into tissues, newspapers, kitty litter and moulded cartons for eggs and fruit. We want them to opt for a reusable snack box rather than plastic wrappings, and to understand the impact of littering on animals and the world.
Practical Tip: Read more about how to action the three R’s – Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle – here.

Explaining sustainability to children can be tricky. The simple explanation we always use: it is just ‘Enough for Everyone for Ever’.

At Bonkers Beat we believe it is our responsibility to be role models and teach children to:

-learn about the environment
-develop skills to investigate and solve issues in the environment
-acquire attitudes of care and concern for the environment
-adopt behaviours and practices which protect the environment
-understand the principles of ecologically sustainable development

Remember, the upcoming annual event Clean Up Australia Day is on 6 March (Schools Clean Up Day 4 March)! Centres, you can register your Clean Up Day by clicking here. Alternatively, you might like to register to join an existing site clean up.

Here’s a sneak peak at our environmental sustainability program at the Bonkers Beat Music Kinder in Aspendale:

Inspire us by showing off images from your centre on our Facebook page, or Bonkers Beat members can share in the private My Bonkers Beat group.

P.S. As a loyal Bonkers Beat supporter, please enjoy this gift from Bonkers the Monkey – click here for your exclusive access to our song ‘Bonkers Rap’. A fun resource for talking about looking after the planet!

 

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Collaboration Central to Success

As early childhood educators we are continually encouraging children to work together, to be team players, to participate. From sport and games through to discussions, active participation is our goal for them. Rightly so, as working together is a fantastic way to accomplish great things. It’s about time we all took our own advice!

Collaboration Is Central To Success

As human beings at all life stages we are presented with situations where collaboration is central to success. In early childhood education, teamwork can go a long way and is something that is central to the success of centres across the country.

The importance of your centre’s ability to work as a team is reflective of their capacity to bond with one another, support one another and inspire one another. These areas will only serve to increase motivation levels in your centre, reduce staff turnover and create the most positive environment possible for children’s learning and development.

TEAM: Together Everyone Achieves More

The upcoming Bonkers Beat Wellness Summits are committed to embracing and encouraging collaboration and professional development as a team. We have invited every single one of the members of staff from centres who have embedded our innovative Bonkers Beat music and/or wellbeing programs to come along. Imagine the things that these teams of incredible individuals will be able to accomplish when they come together, learn together and are inspired together. Best of all, everyone’s attendance is included in the Bonkers Beat program membership! No need to carefully select staff members who will be best at relaying the content of the event – they can all attend!

Of course, teamwork and participation isn’t just about attending early childhood professional development events – it can be worked on from within your centre through:

-Staff meetings
-Social events/dinners
-Group projects
-Collaboration across Rooms
-Working bees
-Staff retreats

We spend our days facilitating children’s participation, so why not make sure we encourage each other and work as a team too!

 

P.S: Click here to learn more about the breakthrough Bonkers Beat programs or register for our new format program

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Facebook With Families – Social Media in Early Childhood Settings

Whether it’s to save paper or try a more interactive approach, more and more childcare centres and kinders are using online communications to keep in touch with parents.

While many in the early childhood field hold strong opinions about the use of iPads and computers for young children, this post is more interested in the use of Facebook for centre educators and management to keep in touch with families.

Facebook With Families

Plenty of early childhood educational services have Facebook business pages to publicise their centre, almost like an extension of their website. Other centres also have private ‘closed groups’ on Facebook. In these groups, only parents and immediate family members are accepted into the group to view the information posted. This information can be anything from reminders of upcoming events, to photos of children and everything in between. Parents can post questions that can then be answered by other parents or the centre’s staff. Sometimes parents may even post photos from an external occasion like a child’s birthday party, for example, to share with other families and the staff.

These closed groups can become an extension of the partnership between centres and families, and also facilitate bonding and communication between parents, and between staff and parents.

Plan It Carefully

The key is for it to be well managed. A plan or strategy can be helpful for a few reasons: make sure that there is activity in the group on a regular basis, ensure comments and questions are monitored and moderated in a timely fashion that the rules are adhered to.

What sort of rules, you may wonder? We recommend requesting that parents don’t save the images from Facebook that have other people’s children in them, but that they can make a request to have the image sent to them via email. We also advise that a consent form be signed by parents to allow images of their children to go on the Facebook group. Although it is private and can only be viewed by approved members, some parents may not want their children’s image posted for various reasons.

Pros and Cons

We are in favour of the use of Facebook Groups for centre, but here a few pros and cons we have identified in relation to private Facebook Group for you to consider:

PROS
-Increase communication between the centre and families
-Facilitate bonding between families
-Attract parent interest and increase participation
-Simple way to stay in regular contact with all families

CONS
-Potential privacy and confidentiality issues
-Takes some extra time for the educator/s and/or management to post and monitor

Does your centre use online methods to contact parents and families? What other pros and cons do you see when it comes to the use of private Facebook closed groups for centres? Have you had a particularly positive or negative experience with Facebook Groups as a parent, educator or management?

Join the discussion with us on Facebook.

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Reflections and Resolutions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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

 

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Spreading the Magic of Music

We were thrilled to be included in the latest edition of Kid Magazine.  It’s wonderful to have a chance to spread the word of music, yoga and wellbeing for children and this publication is a perfect outlet.

Aimed at families of young children we wanted to show how important those first few years are and how important music is for a child’s development.  Music is one of the few activities that involves the use of the whole brain and is closely connected to our wellbeing. Music has a universal and timeless potential to influence how we feel.

A study from the United Kingdom found that encouraging patients with active psychosis to express themselves through music improved their symptoms of depression, anxiety and social withdrawal. “It evokes feelings of contentment, reductions in anxiety, and feelings of calmness and security…”

Music affects the body in many ways, it is  powerful in helping children to develop social and emotional skills, become less stressed and enjoy learning.

In the article we identified a few reasons why it is so important that we encourage children to play and enjoy music and the benefits we see.

To see us on page 42, or to read the whole publication, click here – http://issuu.com/kidmagazine/docs/kid_magazine_issue_twenty_three?e=0/13288706

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WHY CHILDREN SHOULD PLAY OUTSIDE

We read some astounding research recently that found that many children today have not splashed in puddles, stomped in mud or been on a picnic. In fact, this research even said that only 44% of children went on bike rides with family. How often do you see children flying kites these days?

Today’s children are opting to stay indoors with their favourite company often screens, from iPads to televisions, computers, games and phones. And while there is evidence out there to show some benefits to allowing some tech time for children, the incredible benefits of the outdoors are indisputable. Here’s a few reasons why we think it’s so important that we encourage children to play outside.

HEALTH
There’s no disputing that the fresh air is good for our health and that goes for kids too. Even if it’s a bit chilly, rug up and get outside and you’ll have a better chance of avoiding a cold as colds are most often passed around from being cooped up indoors too much over the winter rather than from the cold weather itself.

FITNESS
Dancing around the loungeroom is one thing, but running free through a park and climbing and exploring are quite another when it comes to developing a good level of physical fitness. Bike riding is another great way of having a great time perfecting a skill while bonding with family members along the way. With childhood obesity such a huge problem today, outside play is a great first step to overcoming it.

RESPECTING NATURE
What better way to learn about the natural world and develop an appreciation and respect for nature than getting up close and personal with it. Collecting leaves, rocks, flowers, sticks and experiencing the incredible variation of textures, scents and colours in the great outdoors is invaluable.

Many parents say that sometimes children simply aren’t interested in going outside to play, so perhaps try some of these tips to encourage kids to head outside:

Add focus – children love a mission, so try spotting plants and animals on your walk or do a treasure hunt to add some purpose to your walk.

Don’t rush – take the time to dawdle, jump in puddles and notice the signs of the seasons together and you’re guaranteed to build some memories that will last a lifetime.

Enjoy simple pleasures – many of the greatest pleasures are very simple, such as skimming stones, making daisy chains or blowing a grass whistle.

Be nature detectives – a nature scavenger hunt is a great way to explore your back garden, neighbourhood or any green space. A bug hunt can work well too.

Get crafty – children are natural collectors, so encourage them to collect everything from pine cones to leaves for a home craft project.

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