Wellbeing Practices for Life Archives - Page 13 of 13 - Early Learning Childhood Education

05/05/201606/05/2016

Why Children Should Do Yoga

Our lives today can be busy and fast-paced – this goes for children too. Many adults now use yoga as a way of unwinding and taking care of their bodies, but did you know that children benefit from yoga too?

At Bonkers Beat we often talk about the benefits of music and our music program, but we are also passionate about our Bonkers Beat Gym wellbeing program. The wellbeing side of our program has a focus on incorporating meditation and yoga into children’s lives, so let’s take a look at why children should do yoga.

Self-Awareness

Yoga encourages children to be aware of what their bodies are doing and what they are capable of. The focus on the breath and actions encourages children to connect to their bodies and minds. They can learn how their different mindsets and approaches can bring about varying outcomes in their lives.

Focus

With so many distractions in our busy lives, it can be difficult to get children to focus – yoga can really help. Yoga teaches children to be present in taking each breath and moving between each pose, taking it slow to reach their goals.

Strength and Flexibility

Children’s bodies are naturally agile, so it’s a great time to continue to keep those joints and muscles limber. It’s not just about flexibility though. Yoga builds strength and balance, which will benefit children’s coordination, energy and the overall functioning of their bodies so they have fewer injuries and avoid many health issues.

Confidence and Self-Esteem

In a world full of images, children’s self-esteem is crucial and yoga teaches children to love themselves and be proud of what their bodies can do. Best of all, it’s a non-competitive form of exercise that demonstrates to children that we are all the same inside as we focus on breathing in and out all together, then standing tall to face the day.

Relaxation and Stress Management

The breathing exercises that accompany poses assist in lowering the heart rate and calming the body and mind. Children are quick to learn the calming, soothing nature of yoga and can be encouraged to use the breathing techniques in stressful situations.

Enhance and Support Wellbeing

As educators and parents, children’s overall wellbeing is our priority, and that’s why children should do yoga – there is no doubt that yoga gives children the tools they need to feel happy and healthy.

At Bonkers Beat we believe in the benefits of wellbeing practices for life for all children – we also see educators enjoying the benefits of yoga too! Learn more about our wellbeing program and the learning outcomes it delivers here. For more information about becoming a member of the Bonkers Beat Music & Wellbeing family, click here.

21/04/201621/04/2016

Want to prevent short-sightedness in children? Go outside

We all know that children aren’t spending as much time outdoors as they used to, but now we are beginning to see the impact on their health – most recently, their eyesight.

Ground-breaking research released this month from a Queensland University of Technology study indicates that more exposure to outdoor light is crucial to reduce the epidemic of short-sightedness in children.

Short-sightedness, or ‘myopia’, has often been blamed on sitting too close to screens, but optometrist and head of research in the study, Associate Professor Scott Read said: “While screens are contributing to children spending more time indoors than in previous years, the research shows they are not the direct cause of the increased incidence of myopia”.

With this new research, tomorrow’s Earth Day is beneficial not only to show children how to take care of the planet but also to benefit their health and renew their love for the outdoors.

Get Outside for Earth Day

That’s right, Friday 22 April is Earth Day – a day dedicated to our home! It’s no secret that the Bonkers Beat programs are passionate about sustainable practices and learning about the world around us, as well as creating amazing outdoor spaces at centres.

The official Earth Day website tells us that one of the easiest and most effective ways of contributing on Earth Day is by planting trees. Lucky for us living and breathing early childhood education, many children love digging in dirt!

If you aren’t able to locate somewhere to plant trees, even herbs and plants are simple ways of communicating the message and reaping the benefits of children getting close to nature. Register your event or find one here.

Trees are all around us, big, small, flowering, homes for birds and other animals – let’s get children talking about them, planting them, admiring them! Preventing short-sightedness in children in just one of the many benefits of spending more time outdoors. The more children love and appreciate the outdoors, the more likely they are to go outside – and we know how important that is.

Read more about the QUT study on outdoor light and short-sightedness here.

24/02/201625/02/2016

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!

18/02/201618/02/2016

When 3 million Australians are living with depression or anxiety, wellbeing matters

You hear about wellbeing all the time and you know that it’s important, but if you’re wondering “what is wellbeing?”, you’re not alone!

Research indicates that wellbeing is “a state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy”. Collins English Dictionary defines wellbeing as “the condition of being contented, healthy, or successful; welfare“. According to the Macmillan Dictionary, wellbeing is “the satisfactory state that someone or something should be in, that involves such things as being happy, healthy, and safe”.

When we think of wellbeing we need to remember that it comprises all elements of wellness – that is good physical health and good mental health. These contribute to the bigger picture that is our overall state of wellbeing, which affects our day-to-day enjoyment and comfort.

The Bonkers Beat programs highlight music as a means to enhance learning but also to provide a pathway to improving the wellbeing of children and educators.

How Music Improves Wellbeing

PHYSICAL WELLBEING: Encourages physical activity; reduces muscle tension; stimulates feel-good hormones; boosts immunity
EMOTIONAL WELLBEING: Calming effect; reduces negative emotions; lyrics can function as positive affirmations; uplifts the spirit
SOCIAL WELLBEING: Facilitates teamwork; increases self-esteem; builds confidence; can embed social skills

Wellbeing Practices for Life

In addition to music and these amazing benefits noted above, the Bonkers Beat programs also focus on incorporating wellbeing practices every day. Wellbeing practices include: yoga, stretching, breathing exercises and meditation.

The positive results from these activities can often be noted immediately – and once again, they benefit educators as well children! The impact is both physical and emotional, from lowering cortisol (stress hormone) levels to increasing mobility and so much more.

Wellbeing Matters

These figures from beyondblue indicate why wellbeing matters for all of us, young and old:

3 million Australians are living with depression or anxiety
One in four young Australians currently has a mental health condition
One in 16 young Australians is currently experiencing depression
One in six young Australians is currently experiencing an anxiety condition
Suicide is the biggest killer of young Australians and accounts for the deaths of more young people than car accidents

Furthermore, 6-38% of family day care educators met criteria for depression according to the findings from the research project ‘Work and wellbeing in family day care’, by the Melbourne Graduate School of Education, Deakin University, RMIT and The Jack Brockhoff Child Health & Wellbeing Program.

Enhanced Wellbeing for Children and Educators

While our role and passion is to enhance the wellbeing of children in our care, at Bonkers Beat we feel it’s important to make note of the importance of educator’s wellbeing too.

If we are not feeling good within ourselves in an emotional, physical or social sense, then we need to be supported by our team to improve our wellbeing.

By bonding and enhancing that sense of teamwork in your centre, as well as incorporating music and wellbeing practices each day, educators will have the tools they need to do what they do best, and be the best they can beWhile our role and passion is to enhance the wellbeing of children in our care, at Bonkers Beat we feel it’s important to make note of the importance of educator’s wellbeing too.

If we are not feeling good within ourselves in an emotional, physical or social sense, then we need to be supported by our team to improve our wellbeing.

By bonding and enhancing that sense of teamwork in your centre, as well as incorporating music and wellbeing practices each day, educators will have the tools they need to do what they do best, and be the best they can be. And that’s why wellbeing is so important, not only to children but to early childhood education.

The upcoming Bonkers Beat Wellness Summits are committed to the wellbeing of educators and children. We aim to ensure each educator has the tools and support within their centre to do the best job possible with children in their care and enjoy each day with a sense of enhanced wellbeing. The exclusive Bonkers Beat Wellness Summits are run in Australian capital cities and are included for all educators from centres who are members of Bonkers Beat Music and/or Wellbeing programs. If you’d like to learn more, click here.

03/04/201227/09/2012

Harmony Nights at Bonkers Beat Music Kinder, Aspendale

Relaxing and meditating with other parents at Bonkers Beat Music Kinder and Childcare Aspendale

Over the years we have been working tirelessly to engage our parents and families in our Bonkers Beat programs.

The Harmony Nights were a huge success, taking our relationship with parents to another level, allowing them to understand the kinder philosophy and giving them opportunities to implement our music and wellbeing programs in their everyday lives with their families.

[margin30]
[fancy_images]
[image]http://bonkersbeat.com/mwb/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Singing-and-damcing-to-the-Bonkers-beat-e1348723822298.jpg[/image]
[image]http://bonkersbeat.com/mwb/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Harmony-Night-at-Bonkers-Beat-Music-Kinder-and-Pre-school-helping-to-parents-to-unite-and-bond-e1348723900293.jpg[/image]
[image]http://bonkersbeat.com/mwb/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Relaxing-and-meditating-with-other-parents-at-Bonkers-Beat-Music-Kinder-and-Childcare-Aspendale-e1348724006599.jpg[/image]
[/fancy_images]