Tag: Wellbeing Practices for Life

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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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Celebrating Children’s Rights this Children’s Week

Whether you’re an early childhood educator, a teacher or a parent, a huge part of your life is dedicated to caring for children and celebrating their achievements.

From October 22 – 30, the whole of Australia is encouraged to celebrate children’s rights, talents and abilities during Children’s Week.

A Caring World Shares

Children’s Week has a permanent theme that remains each year: ‘A caring world shares’. What a beautiful sentiment to teach to the children in our care!

In 2016 Children’s Week bases their week of celebrating around an article from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. In 2016 it is Article 17: ‘Children’s right to Reliable Information from the Media’.

Article 17 as written in the UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) is:

“You have the right to get information that is important to your well being, from radio, newspaper, books, computers and other sources. Adults should make sure that the information you are getting is not harmful, and help you find and understand the information you need.”

Perhaps you could be inspired by this to talk to the children in your care about the various places they can find information – and that information can be different because there is not always one answer or solution.

We live in a world in which we are bombarded by messages and information. Whether it’s via the TV, radio, internet, tablets, smartphones – the media and information sources are everywhere 24/7.

Resources for Celebrating Children’s Week

To further assist you in your discussions with children, the book ‘Beyond Remote-Controlled Childhood – Teaching Young Children in the Media Age’ is a valuable resource. Click here to read an excerpt of the book on the NAEYC website about how teachers can protect children and promote their development in a media-saturated world.

If you’re up for a song – and you know the team at Bonkers Beat is ALWAYS up for a song! – take a look at the Children’s Week song! It’s a bit long for younger children, but take a verse or two that you really love and try it in your centre. Click here to listen to the song or view/print the lyrics.

Children’s Week is all about children’s rights but also their talents – another way to celebrate might be to encourage children to discover their own special talent and share it with one another. Special talents may be a dance, singing, drawing or even just doing a funny voice! Have fun with it and enjoy celebrating children during Children’s Week – although no doubt you already do that each day.

 

 

 

People photograph designed by Pressfoto – Freepik.com

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Water – Life – Growth: National Water Week 2016

national water week

Water is an essential part of our lives each and every day.

Have a drink – water. Brush your teeth – water. Take a shower – water. Flush the toilet – water. Clean the dishes – water. Take care of plants – water. What would we do without it?!

Although it’s so important to us, it is also easy for us to forget how precious this resource is. National Water Week is all about reminding us that water must be used wisely and respected.

Taking place from October 16-22, National Water Week is recognised yearly in Australia and this year’s theme is water – life – growth. This is to highlight just how fundamental water is to our lives and the environment.

A Conversation about Conservation

So how do we share the importance of water with young children and help them to learn to conserve this resource?

We’ve come up with five ways for children to help save water. You could start by getting children chatting about where water comes from – and not just from the tap! Talk about what they use it for each day, just like the things we mentioned: brushing teeth, flushing the toilet… Then move the discussion to how we can save water:

5 Things Children Can Do to Save Water

  1. Don’t leave the water running while washing hands. Wet your hands, turn the tap off while you lather and scrub, then turn it back on to rinse.
  2. Turn the tap off while brushing teeth too! Again, wet your brush, brush your teeth until they’re nice and clean then turn the tap on to rinse.
  3. If you see a tap, shower, hose or sprinkler dripping make sure you tell a grown up so they can turn it off properly or fix it if needed.
  4. When using the toilet, only flush once and use the half-flush button when you can. And don’t flush tissues – they can go in the bin.
  5. Wait until the dishwasher is full before turning it on.

We bet you have some fantastic water savings tips that children can help with – share with us on Facebook!

There’s plenty more information about water sources, some pdf colouring in downloads and lots more to support you in your National Water Week activities here.

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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.

 

 

 

 

 

School photograph designed by Pressfoto – Freepik.com

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Be Fit, Stay Fit

physical activity for children

To optimise the wellbeing of young children, it’s important to give them the tools they need in life to achieve and maintain good health. Physical activity is an essential ingredient, contributing to a child’s development, ability to learn and mental health.

Physical Activity for Children Every Day

At Bonkers Beat we are dedicated to early childhood development incorporating a range of learning experiences that involve physical activity. Our Bonkers Beat Music Kinder in Aspendale, Victoria incorporates daily yoga for children as well as a variety of active fun.

In our upcoming school holiday program we organise incursions from Active Start Sports who specialise in sports programs for young children. These incursions are always a hit with children at the centre. The sessions equip them with new skills, get them working on their motor skills and allow them to release plenty of energy!

The Benefits of Physical Activity for Children

So what are the benefits of physical activity for children? Here’s our top 5:

  1. Improve children’s balance, coordination, flexibility and strength
  2. Group sports provide a valuable socialising opportunity to make friends and learn how to be a part of a team
  3. Improve cardiovascular fitness and endurance
  4. Maximise children’s ability to learn by improving concentration
  5. Promote relaxation and happiness through burning off energy and the release of endorphins (the happy hormone)

Getting Active Together

Bonkers Beat Music Kinder’s upcoming Working Bee has a physical activity theme too – Be Fit, Stay Fit!

With plenty of digging, lifting and tidying to be done around the centre, it’s an excellent example of how we can work on improving our physical fitness in daily activities. Plus, being active is always more fun when we’re doing it together!

Taking our commitment to staying physically fit and healthy even further, during this year’s Working Bee we will be installing bike racks at the centre! This is to encourage children and their families to ride their bikes to kinder or childcare.

A mini-gym is also a part of our Working Bee plan – another fun way for pre-school children to get active!

Be Fit, Stay Fit

As adults we know how challenging it can feel to embark on physical activity, especially when we’ve let our fitness levels lapse. What a wonderful thing to do for children to embed a love, understanding and appreciation of physical activity and its benefits while they are young. In fact, a commitment to physical activity won’t just benefit children now – it is a gift that can improve their futures and will also have a huge positive impact on their overall wellbeing as they move into adolescence and adulthood.

How do you encourage children to be active and stay fit? Share with us on Facebook!

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Smiles and Segways – Bonding at Bonkers Beat Aspendale

educators team bonding

A yearly staff retreat is a tradition at Bonkers Beat Music Kinder in Aspendale, Victoria, and 2016 was no exception.

The benefits of educators taking time for team bonding outside of the workplace are invaluable, and once again we’ve found our staff retreat to be a worthwhile event.

Taking time to relax and reflect

Educators work hard and dedicate so much to make sure that today’s children are ready for everything life has to offer. Giving them a special day to smile and have fun with one another allows them to relax, reflect and, in the case of this year’s staff retreat, ride on Segways!

In the past, we have incorporated yoga, massage and even laughter sessions into our staff retreat days. This year we took to the Yarra Valley to experience all the beauty the Rochford Wines vineyards had to offer.

Team bonding… on Segways!

Riding on board our Segways (if you’re not sure what a Segway is, take a look here!), the team of educators from Bonkers Beat Music Kinder Aspendale admired the Rochford Wines grounds and practiced this adventurous new skill!

Together we faced the rather daunting task of learning to ride these unusual two-wheeled upright vehicles. What a wonderful bonding experience it was as we all encouraged one another and took on the challenge together. Of course, there was plenty of laughter too!

Some well-deserved wine tasting was a delightful addition to the day, not to mention the beautiful food.

Unwinding for our mental health

The mental health of educators is vital for centres to provide the highest quality care to children. By taking on a new challenge together we strengthened relationships within our team and underpinned the foundations for a supportive environment for all educators.

Laughing, some exercise and enjoying beautiful food together – what better outlet for staff to relax and unwind.

Of course, we also used our staff retreat day to discuss and share ideas about how we can make our centre the very best it can be. An open line of communication is a key factor when it comes to cultivating a culture of motivation, inspiration and happiness in the workplace.

Take a look at the album on Facebook to see how much fun we had!

The hardest part is coming up with something just as great for next year!

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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

 

 

 

 

 

People photograph designed by Pressfoto – Freepik.com

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Assessing School Readiness and Tackling the Transition

school readiness

Starting primary school is one of the biggest transitions a child will ever face. It’s also a special milestone for children and for their parents and families!

Each state and territory in Australia has its own minimum and maximum age for starting primary school. In the lead up to enrolling and school orientation, it’s so important to assess each child’s school readiness individually.

School Readiness is More Than Age

Of course a child’s age comes in to play when deciding if they are ready for school, but there are so many other factors to consider.

Personality can dictate whether a child is suited to started school sooner or later, as well as their skills – this includes physical, social and emotional ability.

There are many checklists available online, like this one from renowned early childhood expert Kathy Walker. Kathy’s Early Life Foundations fact sheet on the topic talks about 7 key areas to consider whether children are ready for school, including

-Separate easily from parent / carer at preschool drop off
-Self initiate, engage and sustain engagement (6 – 8 minutes), have the skills to solve basic problems and ask for help from the educator if needed
-Have basic independence skills (able to put shoes and socks on, art smock on, toileting independently)
-Self regulate their emotional response when they need to do something they don’t want to (eg don’t tantrum when it is time to pack up).

We spoke to a primary school Prep coordinator and she was happy to share some tips with us too. These are some of the tasks that she recommends children starting primary school should aim to be able to do.

10 Tasks That Prep Children Should Know

  1. Take care of their belongings including books and uniform
  2. Put things away when they are no longer being used
  3. Pack their lunchbox with various compartments for different items
  4. Use the bathroom independently and confidently
  5. Tie their own shoelaces
  6. Write their own name
  7. Recite the alphabet
  8. Count from one to ten, and from ten to one
  9. Be confident with zips, buttons and velcro
  10. Listen and focus

If In Doubt, Wait It Out

Just because your child is able to start school because of their birthday, it doesn’t mean they have to. In fact, research has made it very clear that there are many benefits to starting school that little bit later (while there are no benefits to starting earlier). Read our previous blog on this subject here.

Australia has some of the youngest school entry in the developed world, so we certainly don’t need to be in a rush. Early childhood educators should be equipped to guide parents in making the right decision that is best for each individual child and their future.

Transition Troubles

Even if a child is competent at completing all of these tasks, the transition can still be challenging. Of course, for some children it is a simple process, but for others it can take a while to settle in.

In preparation there are things we can all do to help children.

Early childhood educators can help by:

-Practicing focus and listening skills
-Talking about school and what it involves
-Encourage children to create friendships
-Practicing buttons, zips, lids and Velcro
-Working on writing name
-Focusing on literacy and numeracy
-Showing children how to line up to go in/out
Parents and families can help children become school ready by:

-Allowing children more independence
-Increasing expectations around unassisted toileting, handwashing, eating and dressing
-Encourage children to create friendships
-Read books about children who go to school
-Practicing buttons, zips, lids and velcro

Even once children have started school, keep working on the skills they need for school so that the tasks they face become more familiar and easier over time.

School Ready, Life Ready

We like to think of being ready for school as being ready for beginning a life where children will be significantly more independent.

It’s so crucial that children are ready to take this step, and as Kathy Walker from Early Life Foundations says, we can’t assume that children will magically catch up once they begin as in most cases, they don’t. In fact the challenges and readiness issues often worsen over time, so sending a child to school hoping that they will just “cope” is not a good idea.

Starting school is an incredible step in children’s development and a memory that many of us will have for life. Making sure children are 100% ready to take this step can help to ensure this memory is a positive one.

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A Special Day for Dads – Celebrating Father’s Day in Early Childhood

celebrating Father's Day in early childhood

There’s no doubt that fathers play a special role in children’s lives. In fact, today’s dads are more involved with bringing up their children and children have stronger bonds with their fathers than in previous generations.

With more dads making the time to have quality engagement with their children, celebrating fathers in early childhood education, from childcare centres through to school, is a must.

While many children will be overjoyed to invite dad along to a Father’s Day celebration, there are many other children who don’t have their father present in their life. This can be for a variety of reasons, and with over 740,000 families in Australia headed up by solo mums, it’s something most early childhood educators will have to address.

Father’s Day is coming up on 4 September, so make sure you create an inclusive Father’s Day celebration that can be enjoyed by all children. This could be by inviting fathers as well as special male friends or role models. These can be family members like an uncle, grandfather or step-dad, or perhaps a sports coach or friend of the family.

When you’re organising craft and other fun activities to mark the occasion, try to leave it open for children to design for their chosen person rather than specifying ‘To Dad’ by default.

Father’s Day also gives educators a chance to have a conversation with children about family diversity – there are plenty of books on the subject that may be worth looking at to help you explore this topic.

Enjoy your centre’s Father’s Day celebrations and of course, we think every celebration is a good time for a song, so feel free to incorporate this poem, ‘My Daddy’.

If you’ve got some great ideas to share and help all of us celebrating Father’s Day in early childhood, please post them on our Facebook page!

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Let’s Get Reading For Life

Why Children Should Read More

Reading books is a favourite hobby for many, children and adults alike! Books can be great for learning, for escaping, for relaxing and just for fun.

More that this, books help young children to build vital literacy skills that will provide them with benefits throughout their lives.

Children’s Book Week takes place from August 20 – 26 in 2016 and gives educators, children and parents the chance to discover the magic of reading together or alone. This is a great excuse to relive the wonder of your favourite childhood book and share it with children in your care! The theme for this year is ‘Australia! Story Country’, so you might like to incorporate this too.

Read More, Learn More

Did you know researchers found that reading provides benefits to a child’s education? The NAPLAN (National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy) tests showed higher scores for children who were read to more often at age 4 and 5. But it wasn’t just reading that they scored highly on. Numeracy skills were improved too!

Literacy and Numeracy for a Better Life

Literacy is defined as the ability to read and write. Numeracy is the ability to understand numbers. These two areas are major pillars in our development and ability to learn throughout life.

The research shows that “reading to children 6-7 days per week has the same effect as being almost 12 months older”, and that “These differences in reading and cognitive skills are not related to the child’s family background or home environment but are the direct result of how frequently they have been read to prior to starting school”. With this in mind, we need to do everything can to encourage a love of reading in all children!

Try this list of great books for children aged between 3 and 5 to get even the least interested children engaged in reading. Sometimes if you start with the subject matter this can be a good tactic, for example a child who loves trucks could fall in love with pictures of trucks in a book and then the story about the trucks. It can be as simple as that to start off a love of books in children!

Why Children Should Read More

Need more reasons why children should read more? In addition to those measurable educational benefits, reading is great to:
-Help children learn about the world

-Stimulate the imagination and ability to visualise

-Increase children’s vocabulary

-Provide a form of entertainment that is relaxing and has no screen!

Reading is a simple way to enhance children’s love of books and in turn, enhance their ability to learn and have a positive impact on their lives well into the future.

In the interest of Book Week, we’d love to know what your childhood favourite was from the bookshelf… Share with us!

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