wellbeing Archives - Page 3 of 7 - Early Learning Childhood Education

07/06/201807/06/2018

Connecting with the environment and self through yoga

Connectedness is a powerful feeling for adults and children alike. Creating connections with ourselves and others is important for development on many levels. Connecting with the environment is vital too. So how can we make these connections? One enjoyable and a highly beneficial way is through yoga.

The benefits of yoga anywhere, any time are amazing. While we have explored the many benefits of yoga for children before (take a look here!), taking yoga practice outdoors can offer further rewards. Let’s explore a few of them.

Three notable benefits of yoga outdoors

1. Reset an overloaded brain

Yoga is always a useful tool to relax, but taking it outside can actually enable the brain to recalibrate. Our bodies see nature as our natural environment and adding in the mindful activity of yoga or meditation while outdoors takes that calming effect to the next level.

2. Boost immunity

Fresh air is essential for good health, even in the colder months. In fact, many common colds are caused by spending too much time in confined indoor spaces. Take your deep yoga and meditation breathing exercises outside with children to gain the benefits of that fresh oxygen in their systems and yours.

3. Feel at one with nature

Children can use their observations of the outdoor environment to inspire their yoga. Standing tall like trees, stretching to the sky. Stretching to the side like a tree in the breeze. Many yoga poses use animals and nature so it makes sense to combine the two in real life!

International Yoga Day is coming up on Thursday 21 June — if you don’t currently practice yoga with children in your centre, maybe this could be a good day to start. Our Bonkers Beat programs are incredibly valuable tools to help you bring the benefits of yoga for children (and adults) into your service too.

Enjoy your yoga practice and watch for yourself as children experience the physical, mental and emotional benefits of yoga and meditation combined with being outdoors.

24/05/201824/05/2018

Recognise, Reflect and Heal: National Sorry Day

National Sorry Day takes place this Saturday 26 May and this week we would like to take the time to acknowledge this day. Since 1998 Sorry Day has been an annual event for Australians to recognise and reflect on the mistreatment of the Aboriginal people.

Reconciliation and healing are vital to a bright future for all Australians and we must strive for it as united people. One very important part of this process is by educating one and all on the history of Australia, good, bad and in between.

For many of us recognising, reflecting and healing as part of National Sorry Day involves the acknowledgement of the trauma that took place during the white settlement in Australia. Reflecting on the experience of the Aboriginal people and considering how we can contribute towards the healing.

Let’s also look at how we can introduce children in early childhood education to the meaning behind National Sorry Day.

Recognising and reflecting on Aboriginal culture

For very young children the most straightforward way of recognising the Aboriginal people and their experience is by recognising them and their culture. We believe that children should be able to identify an Aboriginal flag as a first step in the right direction and to identify it as a core representation of Australia.

Achieving this is simple and fun. 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.

The journey of healing

Once we have shown children how to identify and enjoy Aboriginal culture, we are well on our way to enabling them to appreciate the meaning behind National Sorry Day as they get older and the importance of inclusion, acknowledgement, commemoration and the journey of healing.

Take the time to reflect this National Sorry Day or even take part in local community events and activities and let’s be a part of the healing journey together.

Image source: https://www.humanrights.gov.au/news/stories/national-sorry-day-2016

17/05/201817/05/2018

Understanding and Enhancing Emotional Intelligence in Children

Emotional intelligence is an invaluable life skill and one that we can help children develop from a young age. We can do this at childcare centres and at home, ensuring children have the skills to understand their emotions and express them effectively. First, we need to have a solid understanding of what emotional intelligence is.

What is emotional intelligence?

Emotional intelligence is a complex concept involving several different capabilities. It can be broken down into the 5 following categories:

Self-awareness: The ability to recognise your own emotions and their effects.
Self-regulation: The ability to control your emotions.
Motivation: The ability to motivate yourself to reach goals.
Empathy: The ability to recognise how other people are feeling.
Social Skills: The ability to communicate and interact with others, also known as having people skills.

Sometimes known as EQ, it is often argued that emotional intelligence is more important than IQ when it comes to achieving success in all facets of life, be it education, career or relationships. In fact, in any situation in life, we can all benefit from being aware of how we are feeling, why we are feeling that way and how this affects us and those around us.

Why emotional intelligence is so important

Learning how to deal with emotions is an essential skill that enables young people to communicate effectively and foster more productive and meaningful relationships. It also means that they will be well equipped to deal with stressors in life, which can assist in overcoming life’s challenges.

Emotional intelligence teaches childcare aged children how to discern their own and others emotions and can even help them to recognise the difference between right and wrong. For example, if Sarah pushes Tom on the ground and Tom begins to cry, Sarah will recognise that her actions have made Tom feel sad. With guidance from her parents and educators, Sarah will learn that it is wrong to push.

How to enhance children’s emotional intelligence

Helping children to develop their emotional intelligence in early childhood can start with simple activities, such as identifying different emotions on faces like anger, happiness and sadness. Once children understand what these emotions are, they will begin to align how they feel with the names of the emotions that they have learnt. For example, when a child falls over, they may realise that the emotion they are feeling is sadness or even embarrassment. Similarly, when a child gets to play in the sandpit or have their favourite snack, they may realise that they are feeling happy.

Using music and wellbeing to nurture children’s emotional development

It is never too early to start nurturing a child’s emotional development. That’s why the Bonkers Beat programs have a strong focus on feelings and self-expression.

We use music and movement to help children develop their understanding of the world around them and to express themselves. Yoga and meditation are other powerful tools we believe in to enable children to connect with themselves and come to better understand how their brains and bodies work.

Guiding children through developing emotional intelligence should be an essential part of early childhood education and there is no doubt that it will help to shape a brighter future for children.

If you have been thinking of introducing the award-winning Bonkers Beat programs into your centre, there is no time like the present. Get in touch about what Bonkers Beat Music and Wellbeing programs can do for your centre, your staff and the children in your care by emailing info@bonkers.com.

Find out more about Bonkers Beat programs, follow this link: earlychildhoodeducationalprograms.com.au

03/05/201803/05/2018

Sing and Play for Father Child Engagement

While every family is different, quite often it is the mother of the family who has the most engagement in children’s early childhood education. This is for a variety of reasons and sometimes cannot be helped, but where possible it is really important to encourage fathers to grab hold of opportunities to participate in this crucial period of children’s development.

Research has demonstrated that high levels of positive father involvement result in higher levels of self-esteem in children and a range of studies have found favourable social, emotional, behavioural and educational outcomes. This is in addition to nurturing a beautiful father-child relationship that can flourish for a lifetime.

To help create more opportunities for fathers and children to engage and spend time together while enhancing children’s development, we invite dads to join us at Bonkers Beat ‘Sing & Play’ Group!

Offering educational and enjoyable experiences centres around music, wellbeing, Montessori and art, ‘Sing & Play’ Group takes place on Saturdays from 9.30am-10.30am and is suitable for children from 15 months to 3 years old. And your first session is FREE!

Get ready to:

build your child’s confidence and social skills through music
enhance creativity through art
improve wellbeing with stretching and breathing exercises
stimulate brain development with Montessori experiences
Have meaningful, quality FUN with your child!

It’s worth noting that increased father and child involvement benefits dads too. Fathers who spend quality time with their children feel more satisfied with their lives and experience more empathy, increased relationship happiness and overall improved sense of wellbeing.

Of course, mums are welcome too, as well as uncles, aunties and grandparents — the more loving and engaged adults in a child’s life, the better!

Try your first session free of charge then continue each Saturday throughout Term 2 at $12 per session. Around the same price as coffee and cake at the local café but with way more benefits for your child!

To register for our 1st session free, email info@bonkersbeat.com or call 9587 8786.

Can’t wait to see you!

Sources:
https://www.dss.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/op22.pdf
https://www.kidsmatter.edu.au/families/about-families/dads/fathers-connecting-children

26/04/201827/04/2018

3 of the best team building activities for your staff

A team that plays together stays together — that’s what we believe. That’s why last week the Bonkers Beat team headed off on our latest Staff Retreat. We’ve done a lot of different things together, from delicious meals and hot springs to wineries and laughter sessions. One thing we always include are some team building games to strengthen bonds and add to the fun!

For the latest Bonkers Beat Staff Retreat, we went sailing! You can see all the fun we had in this Facebook album. Of course, sailing was a relaxing and enjoyable experience, but we had to add some team build activities in too.

While some of them are just for fun, others help us to get to know each other a little better. Some games are even designed to help teams learn to work together effectively and solve problems.

To help you plan your next staff event or even just to add something fun to your next staff meeting, we’ve gathered three fun team building activities that we know your team will love.

1. Observation

Similar to spot the difference, this exercise has everyone stand in two lines facing each other. One team begins and should be instructed to observe the other team for around 1 minute or any preferred time allocation. Then they must turn around and face the other way. The other line (who was being observed) is given 30 seconds or one minute to change a designated number of things about themselves. This could be rolling up sleeves, removing a bracelet, swapping shoes — anything!

Once the time is up the other line turns around so the lines are facing one another again. They must then pick the designated number of changes that have taken place. Once they pick them all, the teams swap.

This game is fun, stress-free and encourages teams to work together.

2. A case of need

This game requires a large number of one item. It could be a big bowl of paper clips, coins, rocks – anything. The team is instructed: ‘Take as many as you think you will need”. They don’t know anything else about the game. Once they have each taken their chosen amount of the item, the team is instructed that they must now share one fact about themselves per item they took. For example, if five items were taken, five facts must be shared!

This is a quirky way of encouraging team members to share things about themselves and helps everyone get to know each other better.

3. Game of possibilities

An effective team building game, Game of Possibilities can also be hilarious. You’ll need a few random objects for this one and should break into small groups or participate as individuals. Give the first participant one of the random objects. They then have to stand in front of the group and silently demonstrate a use of the object. Get creative and aim to be original. The rest of the team needs to guess what the player is demonstrating.

At any childcare service, your team is your greatest asset. Creating opportunities for your team to bond, grow and thrive together is vital to their success and can improve the culture within your centre.

To see our amazing photos from our Staff Retreat this year, click here.

Do you have any favourite team building games? Share with us on Facebook.

15/02/201815/02/2018

Building strong teams and positive culture

Working in early childhood education, collaboration is essential. Not just between centres and families, but also among staff. Building teams and a positive culture in early childhood education paves the way for a centre and its educators to thrive. Of course, a thriving centre means the best experience for families and children too.

Over the years we have asked countless educators what their biggest challenges are, and we frequently hear that one of the challenges is staff motivation, culture and turnover. Sound familiar?

In 2016 the Queensland University of Technology surveyed 1,200 early childhood educators across Australia about their jobs. Of those surveyed, one in five planned to leave their position within the following year. The reasons cited for this included feeling undervalued and not enjoying the working environment.

Creating a positive culture in your workplace can help your team feel bonded, supported and appreciated. A little effort can go a long way to keep your staff turnover low, and your centre’s culture brimming with positivity and happiness!

A team that is motivated and appreciated is one that will help your centre and its children reach their full potential. Take a look at these ways that you can build teams and a positive culture within your organisation and consider giving them a try:

Focus on the positives:

Often when we have staff meetings or changes, the focus is on what we can do better. While improvement is important, try to shift the focus to the positives. Hearing what is being done well will encourage everyone to want to do it more.
Make responsibilities clear:

Clashes in teams can arise when there is uncertainty over who is responsible for what, or if someone feels they have an unfair share of the workload or have drawn the short straw. Keep it clear and make sure everyone feels comfortable in speaking up in the right way if something is displeasing to them.
Involve your team in decisions:

A democracy is always better than a dictatorship, so make sure your team feels they have some say in the workplace. Friendly negotiations, votes, team discussions – it’s important changes happen from within a team, not to them. That way, they’ll feel they’ve accomplished something together.
Spend quality time together:

Don’t let it become all work and no play! After all, in early childhood education, we are experts at playing! Organise some team dinners or even a yearly staff retreat! Don’t forget to mark the end of the year with a celebration too. Some centres have a list of all staff birthdays so that if that member of your team is in on their special day, you can all sing happy birthday to them. A lovely gesture!
Group professional development:

A team that learns together can grow together, in the same direction. This is one of the reasons the Bonkers Beat programs and our Wellness Summits are so effective for centres and their culture – because we work with the entire team together. Take a look at teams having a great time and growing as educators together at our recent Bonkers Beat Wellness Summits here.

We’d love to hear how you help your team to bond and create a positive culture in your early childhood education service? Share with us on Facebook!

20/12/201720/12/2017

A Merry Bonkers Christmas (And thank you)!

As each year goes by we feel more and more grateful to work with passionate, dedicated early childhood education professionals and parents. I can say without a doubt that 2017 was no exception – and I’ve got a good feeling about 2018 too!

This year we have all worked together to the same very important and honourable goal: to deliver the best education to young children. The children we care for each day are the reason we keep working so hard, striving to improve and find the most effective ways to build their resilience, enhance their wellbeing and empower them to explore, learn and grow.

I think we all did a great job! And next year we will continue on this journey together as educators and parents, doing all we can for young children and their futures.

To our wonderful readers and supporters, from the bottom of my heart and from all of us at Bonkers Beat, we say thank you and Merry Christmas!

Enjoy our special Bonkers Beat Christmas song ‘Ring The Bells’ and spread Christmas cheer to all your loved ones including animals too.

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas and a New Year that is fulfilling, empowering, inspiring and full of happiness.

I hope you will have a well-deserved break.

Keep singing and stretching,

Galina

and the Bonkers Beat Team

14/12/201714/12/2017

The Best Start in the New Year with the Starter Program

Do you want to start the year off right? If you’re looking for a cost-effective and practical way to get your centre on track to shine in 2018, this is it.

The Bonkers Beat Starter Program is the way forward, enabling you to complete 5 modules of training for a leading holistic early childhood education program. All from the comfort of your centre or home.

Whether you’re a centre owner or director, you’re running a family day care, or you work in occasional care, the Bonkers Beat Starter Program will empower you to run an exciting, comprehensive quality music program that will enhance your curriculum.

5 weeks to transform your approach

Throughout the 5 modules across 5 weeks, educators will learn:

Musical Experiences to enhance your curriculum
Transitional songs during daily routines
Art Experiences to Make Learning Visible
Rhymes & Musical Games to Support Children’s Social and Emotional Skills
Effective Documentation to Reflect on Children’s Progress

The Bonkers Beat Starter Program is based on the award-winning Bonkers Beat Music and Wellbeing programs. The approaches used in this early childhood education program have been proven over the course of a decade and are used ongoing by many centres across Australia and the world.

This training will help you to motivate educators, boost your business, strengthen your team, but most importantly, enhance children’s brain development and their multiple intelligences.

What other educators say

Here’s an example of the way you could be feeling in your centre in 2018!

Bonkers Beat Makes Children More Focused and Happy

“Since we started the Bonkers Beat program, our children are happier, more settled, and started to love music. The program helps us to develop our room routines. Our children are now more focused, active and happy. We have a new program that we are proud of and excited to share it with our parents.”

– Marwa Zeyada, Billy Bear Preschool and Long Day Care Centre

Children Enjoyed Singing, Dancing and Playing!

“Throughout the whole year children have been captivated by the Bonkers Beat Music Program. They greatly enjoyed singing the songs, dancing and playing all sorts of instruments. I would highly recommend this music program for any family day care, kindergarten or school.”

– Tatiana Petrove, Family Day Care Provider (Bayside City Council)

Starter Program for the best start!

To make your Christmas super special, we’d love to give you a 50% discount so you can access the program online at half of its price. A New Year’s resolution to make 2018 your best year ever begins with the Bonkers Beat Starter Program.

Let’s make a mark in 2018!

16/11/201717/11/2017

Understanding and handling allergies

Did you know that allergic reactions in children range from a mild itch to full anaphylaxis? As an early childhood educator, it is useful to have an understanding of allergies, because prevention, identifying symptoms and responding effectively are all essential to protect children from allergies.

Allergies and what they are

An allergy is what occurs when the immune system reacts to a substance, the allergen, that a child has come in contact with. The allergen is something that is ordinarily harmless, like pollen from flowers, an insect bite or a type of food. The body reacts with allergy antibodies, which react with foreign substances.

The reaction could be minor and mild, or even life-threatening.

What can trigger allergic reactions?

A common trigger for children’s allergic reactions is food. You might find children in your centre who are allergic to foods like:

Milk or milk products
Eggs
Peanuts or other nuts
Fish or certain seafood
Soy products
Wheat

Another trigger you might find is animals, particularly those with more fur. A cat or dog with long hair is an example of an animal a child could be allergic to. There are also allergens like pollen from plants that can even be in the air, bites or strings from a bug or even medications.

What to watch for

Allergic reactions in children could have a range of symptoms. These signs might be:

A rash or itchy skin
Swelling of the face, lips or eyes
Stomach discomfort, nausea or vomiting

In the case of an anaphylactic reaction, the symptoms can be quite severe:

Difficulty with breathing
Tightness in the throat
Swelling of the tongue
Wheezing
Dizziness
Loss of consciousness

Preventing allergic reactions in children

Avoiding children’s allergens is the number one way to prevent allergic reactions in children occurring at your centre. While restrictions can seem frustrating at times, they can be life-saving if a child in your centre suffers from an allergy.

Make sure your centre has an action plan in place for any children who have allergies, and take care to ensure the environment, food and experiences at your centre don’t involve allergens for your children.

More helpful information about allergies, find below:
Developing an allergy policy and allergy action plans
Managing food allergy and anaphylaxis in child care

09/11/201710/11/2017

Revisiting sustainable practices in centres

Recycling Week is coming up from November 13 – 19, with this year’s theme ‘What goes around: Why buying recycled matters’.

Sustainability is really important to us and we think it should be to everyone. The Bonkers Beat programs have a focus on sustainability and showing children how to take care of the planet, as well as each other. This is also a focus area for the National Quality Standard, with Standard 3.3 of the NQS stating: ‘The service takes an active role in caring for its environment and contributes to a sustainable future.‘ (ACECQA)

Sustainability in action

Bonkers Beat Music Kinder in Aspendale was filmed by VEA for training purposes on how to incorporate sustainability into early childhood services. Take a look to get some ideas and inspiration for sustainable practices.

The cycle of recycling

The theme of this year’s Recycling Week, ‘What Goes Around: Why Buying Recycled Matters’ inspires us to think carefully about where we source the things we need, and what we do with things we no longer need.

The message is simple: if you no longer want or need something, don’t just dispose of it. If it works, chances are someone else wants or needs it! And the item you’re looking for could be the very item someone else no longer requires.

When it comes to electronics, homewares and clothes, don’t throw them out. Offer to your friends or on Facebook, pop them on a buy/swap/sell website, sell them in a garage sale, donate to an op shop.

Same goes when you’re considering a new purchase. Ask around for the item as someone may have one sitting somewhere unused. Check op shops for items that have been tested and certified as being in good working order. You’ll save money too!

Dispose thoughtfully

Of course, sometimes things have been used to death and really must be let go. But think carefully about how you dispose of it. Recycling can contribute enormously to reducing the impact of pollution on our planet.

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.

Another tip is that 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. All of these acts of recycling and reusing contribute to sustainable practices in centres.

A valuable free resource for sustainable practices in centres

We all know music helps to convey messages in a memorable and engaging way, so please enjoy an access to the Bonkers Beat song, ‘Bonkers Rap’. This song is a great resource which is about taking care of the environment and sustainable practices in centres.

Planet Ark’s Recycling Week website has some great resources for you too, including lots of tips and posters to show the right ways to recycle. Explore these resources here.