Wellbeing Practices for Life Archives - Page 9 of 13 - Early Learning Childhood Education

01/06/201702/06/2017

Happy Birthday, Bonkers! – How Far We’ve Come

This month Bonkers the Monkey – the star of Bonkers Beat – is celebrating his birthday.

There’s nothing quite like a birthday to reflect on life… What you’ve achieved and the goals you have for the future. Same goes for Bonkers the Monkey!

Here’s a look at what Bonkers has achieved over the years, why he loves early childhood education so passionately and what he hopes to achieve over the years to come.

Reflecting on a journey and achievements of Bonkers Beat

Bonkers was born of a dream to share the power of learning through music and a focus on the wellbeing of children to enhance their development.

“Music is powerful. Through the power of music we can stimulate children’s brain development and enhance their life skills, we can further nurture and develop every child’s potential. I believe that music is not just an extra activity, but a language, which needs to be used every day.” – Galina Zenin

Since 2006, Bonkers and the Bonkers Beat Music and Wellbeing Programs have inspired and trained more than 10,157 educators to embed music and yoga into their curriculum. Their passion and daily practices ensured that more than 13,000+ children improve their overall wellness, sing and stretch every day.

Each day is so special – especially in early childhood

Bonkers loves spending his days with babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers. Each day represents something new, something exciting and something to learn.

Every day Bonkers the Monkey gets the great pleasure of guiding children on their journeys through these amazing early years of life. They are some of the most important years of life too, where we lay the foundation for children’s futures. In fact, it’s quite possible that early childhood education – including childcare and kinder – could be an influential factor in determining a child’s future.

With Bonkers and his passion for sharing music and wellbeing with children, children are given the tools they need to succeed in life and fulfil their potential.

So much more to accomplish to give all children the best start

Bonkers birthday wish is always the same… He wants to share the tools and knowledge needed to enhance the development of every child, every day with centres and educators all over Australia and beyond.

He is already doing so well with the Bonkers Beat programs helping children and centres (and educators) to thrive across Australia. Here’s a look at the magic Bonkers and his programs bring to Bonkers Beat Music Kinder in Aspendale:

Parents and families: If you’re interested in having your child/ren join childcare or kinder at the Bonkers Beat Music Kinder in Aspendale, Victoria, you can email aspendale@bonkersbeat.com.au.

Centre Educators and Directors: If your centre is ready to take a holistic approach and introduce the magic of Bonkers Beat to your children, email info@bonkersbeat.com or call 1300 B BEAT (1300 022 328).

Happy birthday Bonkers the Monkey! You’re amazing and we can’t wait to see what the future has in store for you!

25/05/201725/05/2017

Recognising National Reconciliation Week in Centres

It’s National Reconciliation Week (NRW) from 27 May until 3 June, with 2017’s theme ‘Let’s take the next steps’.

All over the country, we will see cultural, sporting, community and arts events recognising and celebrating reconciliation and its place in the story of Australia.

Centres and families might like to share some of Australia’s history reconciliation journey with children during NRW. After all, education is the key to changing the world.

The significance of the NRW dates

As explained on the official National Reconciliation Week website, the dates of NRW represent two very important dates in Australia’s reconciliation journey.

May 27 was the date of the 1967 referendum, resulting in the removal of two sections of the Australian Constitution, which discriminated against Indigenous Australians.

June 3 is a nod to the date of the historic Mabo decision in 1992, whereby Eddie Koiki Mabo fought for Australian land ownership laws to be changed. He succeeded, with the Mabo case going down in history as a landmark High Court decision recognising native title in Australia and the abolishment of terra nullius. (More about Mabo here.)

National Reconciliation Week resources for child care centres

It’s up to you what extent you celebrate the week, but to help you introduce it into centres (or your home), we’ve pulled together some resources for you.

You might like to print this official NRW poster. Access this pdf poster here.
Encourage children to take part in experiences that celebrate Aboriginal culture. You might find something local in your own community, like a Reconciliation Walk. You could even create your own community event! Find an event in your community here or even register your own event here.
Learning about the two Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags and their meaning in Australia is essential education. For example, the Aboriginal flag represents the Aboriginal people, the red earth and the spiritual relationship to the land and the yellow sun, the giver of life. The Torres Strait Islander flag is a symbol of the Torres Strait Islanders, the five white stars symbolise the five major island groups and how important the stars are for the seafaring people. The green stripes represent the land, black stripes represent the people and the blue is the sea.
Read books derived from Aboriginal culture. How the Birds Got Their Colours by Pamela Lofts is a wonderful story. Try The Naked Boy and the Crocodile. It is a unique in that it is a collection of short stories written by children from remote Indigenous communities. Very fun and interesting.

Teaching children about the history of the First Nations People of Australia and how far we have come is vital as we work together to take the next steps in the ongoing journey that is reconciliation.

Share your special ideas about celebrating Reconciliation Week with young children with us on Facebook!

P.S. Do you or a centre you know do amazing work relating to the recognition or celebration of reconciliation? Nominate them for a Narragunnawali Award!

17/05/201718/05/2017

Understanding Children’s Developmental Milestones

When did little Sarah start reading? Can Danny write his name yet? How many children are toilet trained by age 2? Children’s developmental milestones can be exciting, but they can also bring about needless stress.

As educators, we can play a big role in guiding children toward achieving milestones. We also support parents as their children continue on their developmental journeys in our care in addition to their families.

If you’re a parent who can be a little stressed about your child hitting milestones “on time”, this article has some useful information for you to relax and enjoy your child developing in their own time.

There’s no such thing as normal

Spending every day immersed in the early childhood industry, it becomes quite clear to most educators that there is a wide range of “normal” development timing.

There does tend to be a range that we can use to determine if any particular area needs special attention for individual children. However, if your child doesn’t stand on one leg by 30 months old, there’s probably nothing to worry about.

“Normal” doesn’t take into account your child’s unique strengths, preferences, past experiences and the countless other things that can have an effect on when they achieve certain milestones.

Watching children reach milestones can be exciting! However we all need to remember that children will achieve different things at different times – and most of the time this is all just part of their own developmental journeys.

Knowledge is power

While there really is a huge range of timing for various developmental milestones, it is worthwhile knowing what is expected at various ages and stages. This is so that if there is a legitimate development delay that requires special attention or even professional guidance, you can act fast and help children to overcome any challenges they may have on their developmental journey.

Some things will be grown out of; others may need therapies or medical support. If you’re really concerned, there’s no harm in getting a professional opinion from a children’s development specialist.

Literacy and numeracy are important, but there’s more to it

At pre-school age, the top developmental concerns we see from parents tend to relate to reading, writing and counting. And while these are all really important life skills, they are also skills that children take on at different times and at various speeds.

They’re also easy to work on through reading books and making mindful observations with children about their surroundings. Incorporate counting into the drive or walk to kinder by counting letterboxes. Read the signs around the streets: STOP, school, no dogs allowed. Make the connection between reading, counting and life and create an environment of incidental learning.

Your child’s ability to play with other children, kick a ball, dance and bang a beat on a drum are wonderful skills they have developed that should be celebrated too. Take the time to focus on their strengths.

Keep parents in the know

At the end of this month, Bonkers Beat Music Kinder is having a Children’s Progress Night. This is an evening for parents to come along and find out more about what their child is learning, how they are developing, what their strengths are and where extra attention could be useful.

These evenings are a wonderful tool for educators and parents to have some dedicated discussion time to go over their child’s development. We are passionate about creating collaborative partnerships with families at centres to give their children the best start.

Of course, always maintain an open line of communication between educators and parents to ensure the best outcomes for all children.

Enjoy your children’s individual journeys – it’s not a competition

By all means, take an interest in the development of all the children in your life. Don’t get sucked into making comparisons though. Enjoy the beautiful journey as children grow and flourish from babies to toddlers to young children and eventually teenagers and adults!

For more information on milestones as clues to what to expect around certain ages and how you can help you child’s development, try this resource.

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!

27/04/201702/05/2017

Say it with a poem this Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day poems can be one of the most treasured, meaningful gifts a mum can receive from her child.

Mother’s Day art, craft and morning/afternoon tea are all wonderful inclusions in Mother’s Day celebrations, but this year we’re focusing on poetry for the occasion.

Mother’s Day Poetry – The benefits

The benefits of poetry for children are many and varied.

We recently wrote about how poetry can benefit children’s development, including their memory, emotional comprehension and physical coordination.

In Reading Magic, fantastic Australian author Mem Fox says:

“Rhymers will be readers: it’s that simple. Experts in literacy and child development have discovered that if children know eight nursery rhymes by heart by the time they’re four years old, they’re usually among the best readers by the time they’re eight.”

There is a huge amount of research to support that poetry makes learning language easier and much more enjoyable for children.

Poetry is fun to learn and reading it aloud can help children to build confidence and self-esteem (along with memorisation and rhythm).

Roses are red, violets are blue, here’s a Mother’s Day poem for you

Use poem writing as an exercise in vocabulary development and self-expression with the children in your centre (or at home).

An acrostic Mother’s Day poem is a great one to try with young children. It is simple and places the emphasis on letter recognition, spelling and increasing vocabulary. Here’s an example from Kidspot:

Adapt this approach to suit whichever name children use to call their mother, including other languages or for relatives who fulfill the maternal role in children’s lives.

As always we remind centres to stay inclusive and open Mother’s Day celebrations to the special women in children’s lives, whether they are grandmothers, aunties, step mums and the like. Every family is unique.

Any child can read a poem to their mother. With a help of an adult, young children can say only some of the words or do actions to accompany the poem.

We would love to share the Bonkers Beat poem ‘My Mum’ with you all to use for this Mother’s Day.

Gain exclusive access to this Mother’s Day poem here.

If you have a special Mothers’ Day poem of your own to share, we’d love to see it on Facebook!

Image designed by Freepik

20/04/201721/04/2017

One City, Many Children – The history (and future) of Reggio Emilia

At Bonkers Beat we are big believers in the idea that we should never stop learning. That’s why we are looking for opportunities to continue our education and discover more.

For anyone who is passionate about early childhood education, the Reggio Emilia Approach is well worth delving into. In this blog, we’re going to take a look at what it is, how it started and why Reggio Emilia is so important now.

How did the Reggio Emilia Approach begin?

The city of Reggio Emilia in northern Italy was once recognised as the birthplace of lambrusco, parmigiano cheese and even the Italian flag. Today it is renowned for the early childhood education approach that began there and is being adopted all over the world.

The Reggio Emilia Approach was first developed in Italy in a very small city called Reggio Emilia. It was post-war times, with the people in this city looking forward to embracing a change for the better. Equality and hope for the future were front of mind for many.

What is the Reggio Emilia Approach?

Reggio Emilia harnesses the natural connections and curiosity within children’s lives – communities, family, nature – and builds on these to create a learning environment that allows children to blossom.

There is no ‘one way’ of approaching Reggio Emilia – rather than a set of guidelines or a strict pedagogy, Reggio Emilia is, as we refer to it, an approach.

Of course, with Reggio Emilia children flourishing, the approach was fascinating and coveted by countries all over the world. However, only in 70s that some Reggio Emilia values and guidelines were established and others could utilise the power of Reggio’s central elements, those being:

children’s relationships with other children, teachers, parents and their classroom environment;
documentation of the children’s learning as a way to make their thinking and theorising visible – and convey a strong image of an intelligent child;
project work, where children are engaged in explorations of their world, making choices about what they will investigate, and then together with their teachers and peers making meaning;
the many ways children express themselves called the “100 Languages” with a strong emphasis on the visual arts; and
active listening, where children’s voices, thoughts and opinions are valued (as much as the teachers’).

[Via The Conversation]

“What children learn does not follow as an automatic result of what is taught, rather, it is in large part due to the children’s own doing, as a consequence of their activities and our resources.” —Loris Malaguzzi, The Hundred Languages of Children

The Master Mind Behind the Reggio Emilia Approach

A local teacher, Loris Malaguzzi, played an influential role, even training as a psychologist in order to gain a better understanding of how to guide families and their children through early years of education. Malaguzzi was passionate about studying a wide range of pedagogies, using parts of theories he believed would best serve the early development of children.

It is safe to say that the Reggio Emilia Approach has been inspired by the likes of Gardner, Montessori, Freud and many others. Malaguzzi worked closely with a small group of educators over the years to develop the Reggio Emilia Approach and train others, ensuring that the focus always remained centred around the child.

Reggio Emilia’s Growth Beyond Italy

More like-minded centres were developed in Reggio Emilia itself and beyond, run with a heavy involvement from parents and communities – and this is at the heart of what the Reggio Emilia Approach is all about.

Play and self-guided exploration are also essential elements of the approach, returning to the idea of a holistic approach – educating the whole child and understanding that each child is unique.

Since its origins in that small Italian city, the Reggio Emilia Approach has been celebrated across the world. From the United States, to Australia, the UK – it has had a far-reaching impact on early childhood education.

It’s interesting to note that you cannot have a ‘Reggio Emilia Centre’ as such unless you are in fact in the city itself. Your centre can incorporate Reggio Emilia’s values and practices into its own philosophy, but there is no certification process to be an official Reggio Emilia centre because they really cannot exist outside of their own historical and cultural circumstances. This should not deter you from exploring and incorporating elements of this effective and fascinating approach in your centre and being a Reggio Emilia inspired service. The Bonkers Beat programs and our centre’s philosophy resonates with Reggio Emilia values and certainly has its roots in this progressive approach.

Why is Reggio Emilia so important today?

In the 21^st century the need for critical thinking, questioning and exploring what we are presented with is more important than ever before. In a world where we are inundated with information, the ability to sift through and find what applies to us and how it applies to us is vital to find our way through life.

The Reggio Emilia approach inspires educators and parents to enhance children’s ability to think and learn. It allows us to take a holistic approach, giving much-needed attention to social and emotional development as well as developing creativity and confidence while empowering children to find their way independently and at their own pace.

I have lots more to share with you about my personal experience of the recent Reggio Emilia Study Tour – so keep your eyes open for this in the weeks to come.

We’d love to know your thoughts and/or experiences when it comes to the Reggio Emilia Approach. Join the discussion on Facebook.

23/03/201724/03/2017

Celebrate Easter with Creativity, Music & Nature

Easter is fast approaching and for many centres that means lots of children getting excited about the Easter bunny visiting! If you celebrate Easter in early childhood, this blog has plenty of ideas for you.

As Easter’s dates are not fixed, it can be a trickier one to keep track of. Here are the dates at a glance for you to remember for Easter 2017:

Easter Dates 2017

Good Friday (public holiday): April 14
Easter Sunday: April 16
Easter Monday (public holiday): April 17

Does your centre celebrate Easter? If so, we have some fun ways to get children involved in Easter while enhancing their wellbeing at the same time.

Celebrate Easter with Creativity

Creativity is essential for children to express themselves – and Easter is a great opportunity to try some new creative ecperiences.

Decorate eggs

Decorate real eggs (Traditional)

Create Easter hats

Easter colouring printables

Make Easter baskets

Celebrate Easter in Nature

A classic Easter egg hunt is always a favourite for children, so why not take it outside and get children exploring the garden while their hunting for their special treat?!

If you would prefer to avoid giving children chocolate eggs, no problem. Try an Easter treasure hunt by hiding a selection of Easter-related objects around outside, then create a checklist for children to tick off when they find the items. You could even have children create or decorate items for this experience.

Celebrate Easter with Music

No celebration is complete for Bonkers Beat until we’ve incorporated some musical fun!

Click here to access our special Easter song ‘Easter Bunny’! You can watch the video to learn the actions and download and print the words if needed.

15/03/201716/03/2017

5 Reasons to Empower Children (and 5 Ways to do it)

Whether you’re a parent or you work with children, we all want the best outcomes for children. We want to see these young people flourish and reach their full potential.

Of course there are countless factors to consider in children’s lives, but today we’re going to explore one particularly powerful element that can have an impact.

What is empowerment?

The Oxford Dictionary defines empowerment as “the process of becoming stronger and more confident, especially in controlling one’s life and claiming one’s rights”.

To empower children is to guide them to feel valued, capable and to realise they play the role of creator in their own lives and futures.

It doesn’t mean children should have a say over everything – of course, children must still learn to work within rules and guidelines set by authorities, teachers, parents and so on.

What we do want it for young people to make informed choices for themselves, identify and take responsibility for the consequences of their actions. Children should be given the opportunity to engage with the world around them in a meaningful way.

Why we should empower children

1. Grow confidence and self-esteem

Confidence and self-esteem enables children to feel happy and comfortable with who they are, as well as try new things. They are more likely to manage their own behaviour.

2. Encourage independence

Allowing children to have a say in their lives and make choices that affect them helps them to be independent.

3. Build resilience

Empowerment is a key factor in building resilience, which enables children to bounce back from whatever life throws their way.

4. Develop self-respect

When children understand that they are powerful creators in their own worlds, they develop a sense of self-respect. Self-respect enables children to better respect and value others.

5. Make them better learners

A confident, independent child has the best chance of being an effective learner and shaping a fantastic future for themselves.

How to empower children

Give children responsibilities
Celebrate accomplishments
Involve children in family and classroom decisions
Lead by example
Support and guide children on their journey

For further guidance in empowering children, the Montessori Philosophy and Reggio Emilia Approach are well-known examples of how to encourage children and develop their skill and life confidence in early years. Incorporating empowerment is also an essential ingredient in our approach to early childhood education at Bonkers Beat Music Kinder and within our Bonkers Beat Music and Wellbeing Programs.

Let’s empower children today and help them to become more resilient, effective learners. What better way to set them on a path to reach their full potential.

09/03/201709/03/2017

3 amazing ways poetry impacts children’s development

It’s no surprise that at Bonkers Beat we LOVE music. Along with a beat and some fun instruments, music often includes lyrics or can be based around poems. For children’s songs these rhyming words focus on a message or a subject that they can relate to, escape within, express feelings through or simply enjoy.

On Tuesday 21 March, World Poetry Day takes place offering a special time to focus on poetry in early childhood education.

Children love rhymes, but there’s also three amazing ways that poetry impacts children’s development.

1. Poetry for memory and language

Poetry is closely linked with recognising and memorising patterns both audibly and visually – that is, through both listening to the sound of poems being read and through reading them on paper firsthand. This style of information processing can also be helpful when children are learning maths and new languages.

2. Poetry for emotional development

By producing sounds and beats, poems allow even very young babies and children to experience language and storytelling on a less cognitive and more emotional level. Some studies also show that poetry contributes to building resilience in children and expanding their capacity to experience and understand emotions.

3. Poetry for physical development

Clapping, turning around, hands up in the air – many poems and rhymes work alongside simple, fun physical movement, much like music. At Bonkers Beat many if not all of our poems and songs have movements to go along with them that not only improve children’s understanding of the content but get the blood flowing!

These are just a few of the benefits of poetry for children. One of the most simple and convincing reasons to make sure you expose children to poems at a young age is the first thing we mentioned – children love them!

Head over to Facebook and let’s come up with some of the best poems we’ve used in centres!

02/03/201703/03/2017

Everyone Belongs – Celebrating Harmony Day

Harmony Day 2017 takes place on March 21, celebrating cultural diversity throughout Australia and the world.

Nearly half of Australians were born overseas or they have a parent who was born overseas. In fact, in Australia we identify with roughly 300 ancestries! Now that’s cultural diversity!

Today’s young children are the key to embracing and nurturing a culturally diverse future – with so many different cultures between all of us Australians, there’s so much to celebrate!

Encourage family engagement

Families at your centre no doubt have many cultural backgrounds – so encourage them to share a bit about where they came from.

Harmony Day is perfect for exploring the special things that make us all different while acknowledging that we are all so alike as well.

Try getting families, children and even staff to share a bit about themselves including:

Different languages that may be spoken at home
Foods that are unique to certain cultural backgrounds
Special customs that are recognised in different cultures

Harmony Day art and craft

The Harmony Day official website has some simple yet meaningful craft activities to help you bring Harmony Day celebrations and discussions into your centre.

Harmony Day colouring in sheet

Paper Doll Chain

A Harmony Day hand tree is always a beautiful piece of art to create: simply trace around each child’s hand on a piece of paper or card and cut it out. Children can decorate their hand cut out to represent them and all hands can then be attached to the top of a painting or cut out of a tree trunk, making a tree top out of hand prints. Here’s a great example – you can make it as simple as you like though:

Everyone belongs

While we explore our differences, the key message to share with children as we celebrate Harmony Day is that EVERYONE BELONGS.

We are different in many ways, but we are also the same in many ways too – and it is great to celebrate all these things and to share and learn with each other.

Have fun with this special day and we would love to see how you celebrate Harmony Day – share with us on Facebook!