wellbeing Archives - Page 2 of 7 - Early Learning Childhood Education

15/11/201815/11/2018

6 Ways to Celebrate Christmas (plus FREE access to the Bonkers Beat songs!)

In case you didn’t realise, it is Christmas in less than six weeks! Have you got the remainder of the year mapped out in your centre? What about your plans for the New Year to get 2019 off to the best start imaginable? Well, you’re in luck. Not only have we got six special Christmas ideas to share with you, but also an extra special gift – free access to the award-winning Bonkers Beat Program!

We are giving you your free access as an early Christmas present, so you can utilise all that it has to offer from now until Christmas Day! Sign up here!

Sing, sing, SING: This festive time of year is a wonderful time to get singing! With free access to Bonkers Beat’s well-loved children’s songs, you have plenty of resources to get children (and staff!) singing all day long and feeling the excitement of this time of year.
Arrange an end of year concert: if you haven’t yet, there’s still time to put together a Christmas concert or end of year presentation with children. Use your free Bonkers Beat access to include three Bonkers Beat songs. It’s simple to implement: just watch the videos, print the words and even enhance children’s engagement with the songs through the suggested provocations. Children will love seeing out the year with such fun, and parents will go away raving about your centre.
Keep it inclusive and diverse: Have a focus on inclusion in your end of year celebrations. Explore Christmas the world over and even talk about the fact that not all cultures celebrate Christmas. Where possible, involve families and educators in discussing how they celebrate during the festive period. These books could help too.
Cooking to celebrate: Christmas and other celebrations often have many different cuisines associated with it. Why not get children exploring this? How do you make the food, what does it symbolise, what do their families eat when celebrating?
Special reflections: As the end of the year approaches, encourage children to reflect. What has been learned this year? How are things different now compared to the beginning of the year? Reflections can relate back to Christmas, other cultural celebrations or the year that was.
Inclusive craft: Fostering a sense of belonging is important all year round, so consider the diversity of your children and families when planning craft. It can be helpful to shift the focus to the giving of gifts and appreciation of family, so making presents for loved ones is a great idea.

And don’t forget to come and get your gift of almost 6 weeks of free access to our Bonkers Beat Programs! If you start embedding our programs immediately, you can see the year out with so many benefits:

Parents raving about your centre
Educators feeling motivated with improved practical skills
An enhanced curriculum that boosts children’s brain development
A centre with a fun and stimulating environment
Engaged parents and even your entire local community
Happy, confident children with tools to learn and express themselves

Discover more about the Bonkers Beat Programs here.

Ready to get started on your free, no obligation, no strings attached trial? CLICK HERE!

08/11/201808/11/2018

Inspiring ways to build collaborative relationships with families

In a busy, fast-paced world, to involve families with your centre when they are already juggling children, work, home duties and many other commitments can be a complex challenge. On one hand, we all understand being time poor, but we also know the positive impact collaborative relationships between centres and families can have on children’s outcomes.

The National Quality Standard has a Quality Area dedicated this very goal; Quality Area 6: Collaborative partnerships with families and communities. Here’s how it is officially defined as per the ACECQA website:

The aim of Quality Area 6 under the National Quality Standard is to recognise that collaborative relationships with families are fundamental to achieving quality outcomes for children and those community partnerships that are based on active communication, consultation and collaboration are also essential.

So, what is a collaborative partnership?

Running events that parents come along to is great, but it’s not quite a collaborative partnership. To be collaborative with families and the community you need to create opportunities for them to contribute to the curriculum and have active input into children’s education at your centre. Thankfully, collaboration doesn’t have to be a huge time-consuming commitment for families.

Many centres continue to struggle with involving families in their Quality Improvement Plan or decision making, but it can be done – and it doesn’t have to be as challenging as you might think. Let’s explore some ways you can inspire families and communities to work with you and your centre.

Simple ways to inspire collaboration

Not only will developing collaborative partnerships contribute positively to children’s outcomes, they can also play a role in the success of your centre and help you achieve an Excellent Rating under the NQS. In fact, services must be able to demonstrate that they provide exceptional education and care in a minimum of three of these six areas

Collaborative partnerships with professional, community or research organisations
Commitment to children that respects, reflects and celebrates culture and diversity, including place of origin
Inclusive partnerships with children and families
Positive workplace culture and organisational values
Practice and environments that enhance children’s learning and growth
Sustained commitment to professional development and support of educators.

Choose three that you want to focus on to get started. For Bonkers Beat, we have always been passionate about engaging families in the curriculum and empowering parents with reinforcing music and wellbeing practices at home.

Therefore, in the application for Excellent Rating, Bonkers Beat nominated three excellence themes, which are very close to our heart:

Commitment to children that respects, reflects and celebrates culture and diversity, including place of origin
Inclusive partnerships with children and families
Practice and environments that enhance children’s learning and growth

What will your three focus themes be?

Once you’ve chosen them, these are simple and achievable ways to start creating some meaningful collaborative partnerships with parents and your centre’s local community:

Active events

Social events like a family fun evening, family picnic, movie night, sports event, attending community festivals, or even try a working bee. Not just events where families come and watch. We want it to be collaborative and active rather than passive. A working bee, for example, gets everyone working together — planning, learning and being productive while having fun! Working bees are a fantastic way to bring people together in an active way. Here are some photos from our latest working bee.

Effective feedback processes

In addition to fostering an open line of communication with families which is a must, actively ask for their opinions and feedback on a variety of topics. Before making a decision, where possible try to get families involved in the process.

Ask for input into the curriculum

Maybe you’re celebrating a cultural date or want to open a discussion about a certain country? Send a note home or post on your service’s Facebook group to invite families to participate by speaking to the children about their culture. Want to talk about different jobs people have? Ask families if they can come and talk to children about their career.

How do you promote collaborative relationships with families at your centre? Share with us on Facebook and let’s continue to inspire one another to deliver the best education possible.

13/09/201813/09/2018

Getting ready for school holidays

With the school holidays fast approaching, now is the time to have some school holiday programs ready to go! For childcare centres, this could mean a few things so let’s explore what school holidays could mean for you.

Take advantage of school holiday offers

Many events catering to children take place in communities during school holidays and you can also get some great school holiday special offers. Do your research and plan a few special excursions during the school holidays for the children in your care.

Create a school holiday program

A school holiday program is something that can break up the terms for children and be a lot of fun. You might even use a school holiday program to introduce new themes for the coming term or new routines.

If you have the capacity to do so, create a school holiday program that can be offered to school-aged children who need some extra activities during the school break. After all, working mums and dads can’t always take time off, so you could really make life easier for your families.

Music and wellbeing every day

There’s no need to have a holiday from music and wellbeing, that’s for sure! Incorporate extra music and wellbeing into the school holidays and experiment with some new ideas. With the weather improving as we move into spring, take your music and wellbeing activities outside, or even to the local park.

Educators who are looking for extra ideas, or parents with time off over the term break, here we’ve got plenty of ideas, including a round up of the best activities in each capital city!

If you are a parent and would like to learn more about the holiday and educational programs at Bonkers Beat Music Kinder Aspendale, mark the date of our next free event – Information Night 2018 on Wednesday, 14 November.

09/08/201809/08/2018

Reaching for Excellence with the ACAV Conference

It’s not the first time we’ve said it and it certainly won’t be the last: providing early childhood educators with continuous, high-quality training and development opportunities is vital for many reasons. For educators’ wellbeing and motivation levels; for children’s development and quality of care; for the overall success of any childcare business.

For a while there with LDCPDP funding, we were free to test a range of professional development options and explore different styles of training to upskill and motivate early childhood educators. Now we need to be more selective, choosing training options and programs that work for us and give us real, tangible results for our centres and educators.

This year on 17 and 18 of August, ACAV is hosting the 2018 Excellence in Early Childhood Education and Care Conference and we’ll be there. As many of you are probably aware, excellence has been a theme for Bonkers Beat this year, with our Music Kinder in Aspendale centre receiving the honour of an NQS Excellent Rating!

We’re excited to have a stand at this fantastic industry event, featuring engaging keynote speakers such as Dr Justin Coulson, Fabian Dattner and Professor Ann Farrell, as well as a debate, exhibition and topics specifically covering NQS outcomes.

ACAV conference will have a wide range of topics covered and the program is organised in three streams:

Leadership & Viability
Educational Program & Practice
Partnerships & Physical Environment

Our innovative programs that we will be showcasing at the event take a practical and evidence-based approach to these areas, with a focus on positive outcomes, always. At our stand you can explore what makes our programs so effective, discovering the ongoing training and support we provide to educators all over the country both online and offline. So, come and chat with us at the Excellence in ECEC conference exhibition to learn why our programs are the key to excellence in childcare!

If you haven’t registered to attend the event yet, there’s still time! Head here to buy tickets. This conference is a must-attend for anyone with a passion for succeeding and achieving excellence in early childhood education.

Please don’t forget to come and say ‘Hi’. We look forward to seeing you at Bonkers Beat stand #38!

02/08/201802/08/2018

Becoming change makers with science, technology and creativity

Science, technology and creativity frequently go hand in hand. From medicine to smart devices and space travel, science, technology and creativity are behind the most amazing advancements the world has ever seen. Science Week is taking place from the 11th – 19th of August and this year’s theme is Game Changers and Change Makers. The theme inspired us to want to discuss how we can foster excitement in children for making a positive change in the world using science, technology and of course creativity.

Defining science and technology

In today’s tech-focused world, you’ve probably come across the term STEM. Or perhaps another variation like STEAM. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and maths. STEAM adds art into the mix.

Science and technology, or STEM, are a cornerstone of today’s learning and involve a holistic approach

For children to understand scientific terms, it’s important that we get hands-on and really show them. For many children, science is like a magic show so it’s a lot of fun too! Further in this blog, we’ll look at some great science experiments to try in child care centres and pre-school settings.
“For young learners, science is just an extension of their everyday world. We don’t have to teach young children how to wonder, discover, and explore through play because they do it naturally.” -Steve Spangler

Adding in creativity

Creativity is so unique to each of us. Each child can have a unique perspective, idea or approach and when you apply creativity to the power of science and technology, that’s where the magic happens. Science and technology can trigger creativity in children as it encourages them to observe and question what is happening while wondering ‘what if I do it this way’ or ‘what would happen if we changed this to that’?

Experiments to try

Magnet play: Fill a clear container with a range of objects that are metal such as paperclips along with some non-metal things like coloured beads for example. Use magnets along the outside of the jar to watch the magnetic magic happen!

Make oobleck:

Floaters and sinkers: Simple and fun, you just need a big tub of water and a range of different objects, some that will sink and some that will float. Get children to predict before testing and sort the floating objects from the sinking objects, discussing as you go!

Future-proof education

Today’s children truly are tomorrow’s game changers and change makers. In your class, you might have the next Elon Musk or Stephen Hawking! The beauty of the future we are building through technological advancements is that it encourages today’s children to become thinkers, doers and entrepreneurs, not just workers.

Let’s get children thinking about the world in an innovative way now, applying their creativity to the infinite possibility and power of science and technology.

If you do any excellent science and tech activities with children that you’d be happy to share with other educators, please let us know or share via Facebook!

26/07/201826/07/2018

5 things to celebrate about trees as National Tree Day approaches

Each year we encourage childcare centres and families to get involved in National Tree Day. Schools Tree Day is coming up on 27 July, followed by National Tree Day on 29 July – but any day is good to celebrate trees!

Trees do so much more than line our streets, but can often go unappreciated or even unnoticed. Yet there is so much to celebrate about the humble tree!

These are just five things to open up a discussion about trees with children in your care and to show them (and remind yourself!) just how important trees are to the world.

Tree facts to share with children

1. Trees clean our air

It’s no secret that there are many pollutants in the air that are harmful to our environment and health. We are lucky that trees work hard to reduce airborne pollution, with the leaves of trees catching the particles and filtering the air for us. Trees also create oxygen for us, turning sunlight, water and carbon dioxide into oxygen in a process called photosynthesis. This is how trees produce their own food too!

This is a fun explanation of the process:

2. Trees provide fruit and nuts

Children’s favourite fruits and nuts are produced by trees and plants. Encourage children to identify which plants various foods come from.

3. Trees mark the seasons

Currently, there will be many trees around with no leaves as it is winter. Talk about how trees show us the changing of the seasons, with leaves turning orange, red and yellow in autumn. Also discuss that some trees are evergreen, meaning they will keep their leaves and stay green all year.

4. Trees provide shelter

Whether we are looking for protection from the rain or the sun, trees are very reliable for shelter. When we are looking to have a picnic or relax at the park, we are often drawn toward finding a special tree that will provide us with shelter and even let us lean on its trunk!

5. Trees are home to wildlife

Of course, trees don’t just provide shelter for people… For many animals, trees are home. Talk about what animals use trees as homes, such as possums, koalas and birds to name a few.

If you can find the time to get planting for National Tree Day, take the opportunity! Watching children as they learn to plant and care for seedlings, helping them to grow, is a special activity. To help your centre celebrate National Tree Day and the wonder of nature, gardening and outdoor learning, they have compiled a huge number of engaging resources for early learning. Take a look here.

There are many ways to get involved in National Tree Day – find an event here or register your own.

Image Designed by Freepik

17/07/201818/07/2018

United we shape the future (for the better!)

The early childhood education is so crucial. For children, for families, for society — our work with children every day changes lives, shapes the future and supports families in their personal endeavours. We believe that our work in early childhood has the power to change our own lives and we should all support one another in reaching personal goals. United in our shared passion and common goals, we can achieve greatness!

It is this belief and passion that we pour into the ‘7 Stones’ events. (And if you haven’t attended yet, the opportunity is heading your way Sydney, Brisbane and Perth!)

Together we tackle our shared challenges, like occupancy, competition, effective programs, staff turnover… And together we share wins, uniting as a sector to inspire and support one another.

The power of collaboration should not be underestimated. This collaboration through our shared dedication to early childhood education is meaningful and empowering.

If you share our passion and commitment to shaping the future and doing your bit in creating the best early childhood education industry in the world, we need you to stand with us!

We want to connect with you, learn from you and share our wins and success of our Music & Wellbeing programs. We’re even going to delve deep into the reasons why we received an Excellent Rating under the NQS in the upcoming workshops.

Join us at the next ‘7 Stones’ event:

Sydney: Thursday 26 July

Brisbane: Thursday 9 August

Perth: Date TBC

Together we can do anything! Let’s make our industry the best it can be.

12/07/201812/07/2018

Reasons to get outdoors even when it’s cold and rainy

When winter just starts to seem too chilly to bear, a tropical getaway is a must… Of course, that isn’t always possible so for most of us we need to find other ways to warm up!

Parents and educators alike can relate to the challenge of keeping children entertained, engaged and warm in the winter months. Rainy days, in particular, can leave educators and parents feeling frustrated – not to mention children, most of whom love to run around outside!

Thankfully, avoiding heading outside when it’s cold and rainy is unnecessary! As we like to say, there is no bad weather, just bad clothing! In fact, spending too much time indoors is how many coughs and colds are spread throughout winter. Get your gumboots, coats, scarves, gloves and beanies and get outside!

Here are a few reasons why spending time outside (even in winter) is a great idea:

1. Mood booster

The winter blues is a real thing and is often attributed to the increased time spent indoors which translates to less exposure to natural light and vitamin D.

2. Fresh air

Fresh air and getting amongst nature can give your immune system a much-needed boost. Flush out your airways with some cool, crisp winter air and reap the rewards. In fact, babies in Sweden are almost always bundled up for naptime outdoors to gain the benefits of the fresh air!

3. Get moving

It’s no secret that we tend to be more active outdoors, and that goes for children and adults. With more room to move, getting outside means more physical activity which will benefit your health and mood right away.

An outlet for indoors

If the weather really is too severe to brave the outdoors, there are plenty of ways to get active and boost children’s overall wellbeing while indoors.

Daily yoga practice is something we do at Bonkers Beat daily, and it can be enjoyed indoors or outside. If you’re not sure about how to do yoga with children, start by checking out our Yoga Cards, designed especially for children with simple instructions and engaging illustrations.

Want an effective release for children’s energy while inside? Turn the music up! Get moving to your Bonkers Beat music CDs or any music that children enjoy! Music and dancing enable self-expression, a physical outlet for emotions and is just good fun! Take a look in the Bonkers Beat shop here.

21/06/201822/06/2018

Because of Her, We Can! NAIDOC Week 2018

NAIDOC Week will be held from July 8 through to July 15, with the 2018 theme ‘Because of Her, We Can!’. Each year we encourage centres to acknowledge NAIDOC Week and use it as a perfect opportunity to give children a complete understanding of Australia’s history and culture.

This year’s focus is on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women – their roles in community and as strong, resilient and influential pillars of society. Throughout NAIDOC Week we can open up discussion about Aboriginal culture, what we know about it and how we celebrate it (and why we should!).

Three tips for incorporating the 2018 NAIDOC Week theme in your centre

There are many ways to take a general approach to NAIDOC Week, but if you want to focus on the theme ‘Because of Her, We Can!’, you might enjoy these ideas:

1. This resource from the NAIDOC website depicts Aboriginal women taking a stand and fighting against injustice. Show the image to children and ask what they see and discuss.

2. Read a book about Aboriginal culture as told by an Aboriginal woman. Welcome to Country, How the Birds Got Their Colours or The Shack that Dad Built are great options to consider!

3. Ask children about what a woman’s role is in their lives. Use this opportunity to break down any gender stereotypes, using examples of men and women doing a variety of jobs.

You may find some useful educational approaches here: http://www.naidoc.org.au/resources/teaching-guides

For a more general approach to celebrating Australia’s indigenous people, try these ideas:

Draw the flag, paint the flag or even simply colour in printouts of the flag. Here’s one.
Talk about how Aboriginal people were here long before anyone else and take note of which people occupied the land where your centre or home is. For example, Aspendale in Victoria was occupied by the Bunarong people from the Kulin Nation. Perhaps you can take a walk around the block and identify some Aboriginal street names.
Aboriginal culture also has a distinct style of art, music and performance that children love. Share this with children by playing music, showing them a digeridoo, or doing their own dot paintings for example.

Enjoy celebrating NAIDOC Week with your children and remember – because of her, we can!

Image source: http://www.naidoc.org.au

14/06/201814/06/2018

Common challenges in childcare centres solved

When you’re running a childcare centre, it can feel like the same issues keep coming up. You wonder what on earth you’re doing wrong and start to doubt yourself and your contribution to the early childhood education industry. What we have found after a decade of working with centres is that other centres are facing those same challenges.

Some of the biggest challenges that centres are facing:

1. Low enrolments

Low enrolments are a very upsetting problem many centres deal with — after all, high enrolments allow you to run your centre more successfully, pay educators what they deserve and maintain a high standard of early childhood education. Never fear, because with the right approach, increasing enrolments can be achieved!

2. Too many new centres opening nearby

A lot of competition contributes to point 1 and can make you want to throw in the towel. But don’t! We can tackle this…

3. Lacklustre outcomes for children

Seeing children blossom and flourish in your care is incredibly rewarding, but to get the best outcomes you need an approach to early childhood education that is proven to get results.

4. Unmotivated staff and high turnaround

If your educators are far from enthusiastic and you find yourself hiring new educators more often than you would like, this can impact your centre on every level.

All the while you are trying to create a successful business, provide an optimal start for young children and work on getting the best NQS rating possible.

In a way, it’s comforting to know that other centre owners and directors are facing these same challenges… but it’s time to take action!

A free half-day workshop is the beginning of a fresh approach for you and your centre! Head along to tackle those four big challenges plus plenty more and walk away with practical tools and knowledge that can change everything for you, your centre, your educators and the families.

Do not miss out this rare opportunity to discover more about Bonkers Beat programs and see the centre rated Excellent by ACECQA in action.