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FRE E Issue 17 2013

Cardboard Box Play Little Diggers LEGO Champions Festivals

Why Kids should Learn a Language Ingnite Your Musical Spark Creating Confident Kids Precious Treasure

TODDLERS HIGH TEA

for parents, carers and their little ones On a Monday Twice Monthly, 9.30am – 11:30am

$25pp for High Tea, $7 per child over 12 months Stuart Park North Wollongong www.lagoonrestaurant.com.au

02 4226 1677

Bookings are essential.

Loads of kids activities to keep them busy.

Contents Features

4

Why should your child learn a second language? – the benefits of learning a language.

14

Igniting the Musical Spark in All of Us – learning to play music.

24

Creating Confident Kids – how to help your kids grow to be confident.

Regular sections

Features

8 Cardboard Box Play

2 Bits & Pieces – the latest news and events.

9 ArtSpace Studio for Kids in Corrimal.

17 #thegreatbiglifeoverhaul

11 Ferrets – all you need to know

22 Go Go Lego – The First LEGO League and our local champs.

28 Cooking with Charlie.

13 Paint the Town REaD Mascot Madness 20 Precious Treasure – discovering cicadas in your garden.

Early Years Magazine is published by The imagination Seed Creator: Marie Smith Editor Sally Odgers Design: Graham at Glue – gluestudio.com.au

Want to join in on the fun?

We are currently looking for suitable articles for our 2014 issues of Early Years and Kids & Families. If you are interested in writing for families why not share your story with others. If you have a great idea or something special to share, then please email marie@ earlyyearscare.com.au We are also looking for some colourful and imaginative covers for our magazines in 2014.Please email a

photo of your artwork to marie@ earlyyearscare.com.au for consideration. The artwork must be original and completed by someone under 14 years. Offensive or non ethical material will not be accepted.

Limited advertising space is available within each of our publications .Due to the limited advertising content and our selective advertiser screening procedures, your advertisement will have the opportunity to be promoted alongside quality, informative content.

Our readers want to learn more about play, early childhood ,families, art, imagination, health ,travel ,parenting and anything to do with children or raising a family.If that sounds like your target audience then please contact ads@earlyyearscare.com.au for a media kit or go to our website www. earlyyearscare.com.au

22 Festivals – Enjoy the festival season!

22 Little Diggers – Community Gardening for Kids!

Reproduction without permission is prohibited. All copyright is held by The Imagination Seed and Marie Smith

no liability if that information is found to be incorrect.

The Imagination Seed shall not be held liable for any damages resulting from any suggestions found within the articles published. The content of the articles is not necessarily the views of the publisher.

All information presented is correct at the time of printing.

Feature writers: Jenna Claire Fletcher Ann Lehmann-Kuit, Caitlan Marshall, Cherise Orvad, Lillian Rodrigues-Pang, Marie Smith, Jemma Towse.

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Get Ya Skates On!

and prices. All you need to do is grab those knee high socks for a cheap day out! www.oakflatsrollerskatingrink. com.au

School Holiday High Teas at The Lagoon Restaurant

If you’re looking for something to do these school holidays why not grab the kids and head on down to Oak Flats Roller Skating Rink? It is super fun and fantastic exercise for the kids, and what adult wouldn’t enjoy skating around to YMCA and Time Warp? They have learn-toskate classes for those that aren’t too confident in a pair of skates.

Check out their website for times

Storytelling High Tea Monday 6th of January 9.30am – 11:30am $35pp for High Tea $12 per child over 12 months As well as a scrumptious High Tea delights for both adults and children there will be loads of kids’ activities.

A bilingual storyteller, Lillian performs stories from around the globe. Enjoy folk tales, myth, and fairy tales combined with rhyme, percussion and language.

Circus Monoxide Presents... Heidi Hodeo Circus Rodeo Show Heidi Hodeo’s Circus Rodeo is the most imaginative, funniest and ethical hula hoopin’- cowgirl show in town.

Heidi Hodeo Rodeo has a vivid imagination, and she’ll need it to win the big prize. Heidi has to compete in the Annual Circus Rodeo Competition and the events include, whip cracking, lassoing and spinning hulahoops everywhere around her body including her hat! She also has a magic rope, a gorgeous make believe pony and a prize cow that will make everybody scream and giggle with delight.

There are no animals in this circus show but she’ll make you believe she’s a REAL cowgirl after all… soon

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you’ll be laughing and shouting, GIDDY UP, MOO and YAHOO! Show Times: Tuesday 14th - Friday 17th Jan, 11am.

Wednesday15th and Thursday 16th Jan, 2pm.

This is a 35 minute show and tickets are $10. Groups of 10 or more will receive a 10% discount by putting the “10PLUS” code in the promotions box before checking out.

For more info contact us at info@ circusmonoxide.com.au or (02) 4285 0066 Book tickets: www. circusmonoxide.com.au

There will also be market stalls to browse.

Superhero high tea Monday 20th of January 9.30am – 11:30am $35pp for High Tea $12 per child As well as a scrumptious High Tea delights for both adults and children there will be loads of kid’s activities provided by Super Hero Wrestling.

Benny Coles, Mighty Mel and friends will play Superhero games and entertain us all!

There will also be market stalls to browse.

Lagoon Restaurant Stuart Park North Wollongong www.lagoonrestaurant.com.au 02 42261677 Bookings and dietary requirements are essential.

Kids Club

Christmas Craft Idea

Check out the great kids’ club at the Lighthouse Wollongong these school holidays adifferentlight. com.au/portfolio/holiday-kidsclub/ There are so many great activities on for January for school aged children including an illusionist and laser skirmish.

From Bee’s Kindy Family Day Care (Early Years Care) at Barrack Heights. The children have been very busy!

Christmas Trees Our christmas wreaths To make our cute little christmas These wreaths are so quick and easy to make and are great for all ages. trees we used polyfoam cones (6pk at kmart for $3.00) We just wound wool You need ribbons, wool or pom pom’s. around and around until all covered.

We used a polyfoam ring ( $2.00 at We then stuck on a different coloured kmart) or you could cut out a circle buttons with a hot glue gun. from cardboard. If using ribbon or wool just wrap around until all covered, If using pom pom’s we used a hot glue gun to stick on. Then just use a ribbon to tie and hang.

Fancy a bit of horsing around?

There is a great riding school at Curramore just near Jamberoo.

There will be day camps from 10am until 3pm for kids. Activities will include a riding lesson, a trail ride, ground work, and all kinds of things to learn about keeping a horse safe and healthy. Lunch will be also included. For more information and bookings go to www. kidsatthereins.com.au

Artspace Take the kids to Artspace in Corrimal these holidays. The program runs from 15th to the 28th of January. Heaps of cool visual arts programs with a twist for kids aged 3-16 years. Hang out with the Artspace artists including special holiday guest artists - and get creative!

Go to www.bigfatsmile.com.au for more information and to book in.

Fun in the Gardens The Wollongong Botanic Garden’s school holiday program runs during every term break for five days. All the programs, and their interactive and hands-on activities, are planned around an environmental theme, and are focused on teaching kids about sustainability.

Captain Compost and the Chocolate Explorers 13 - 17 January, 10am to 1.30pm daily Join the pirates of the seas on their quest that unveils the discovery of chocolate. Kids will learn all about how chocolate was originally used and how they can use it today to

coat delicious fruit. Captain Compost will also be on board to show kids how they can turn uneaten holiday food into valuable compost for their garden.

Holidays of Discovery Daily Activities: f Chocolate Lovers Treasure Hunt f Waste Wise Pirate Crafts f Captain Compost Garden Show Activities suitable for children aged 3 to 12 years. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Participants are encouraged to wear appropriate shoes, a hat and sunscreen.

Cost $9 per child with parents free; family package $17 for two or more children.

Where: Wollongong Botanic Garden Discovery Centre - Madoline Street, Keiraville

Bookings aren’t necessary for families and individuals, but vacation care groups need to reserve a spot by contacting the Botanic Garden office on (02) 4227 7557 or emailing botanicgarden@wollongong.nsw. gov.au Sausage sizzle, sandwiches and cool drinks are available for purchase from the Lions Club.

Coffee and tea may be purchased from the Garden’s on-site coffee van, BeanzAround - located near the playground.

Homemade gifts also for sale from the Friends’ Frog Hollow Homemade Crafts Stall.

‘Like’ Wollongong Botanic Garden on Facebook and ‘Follow’ @ WgongBG on Twitter for exclusive updates about Garden activities

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Why should your child learn a second language?

It certainly makes sense that the earlier in life you can introduce a second language to a child, the more familiar they will become with it and the more motivated they will be to learn more!

After intense research on this topic it is said by experts that children should begin to learn a foreign language from a young age; the younger, the better. The most effective way to do this is by putting young children in settings where the second language will encase them. The flow should be natural and not forced. It must be playful and fun! Children should be able to interact and be themselves. Learning a second language must be positive and provided through communication, song, games music and dance.

So what are the benefits to children for learning a second language?

f Children not only learn the language but the culture and all this language has to offer f Greater grasp of the child’s first language, including a larger and extended vocabulary f Greater confidence f Greater opportunity in adulthood for careers and study and travelling f Increased reading skills and understanding of sounds and letters f A enhanced view of the world. It opens the door to other cultures and helps a child understand and appreciate people from other countries f Has a positive effect on intellectual growth and enriches and enhances

a child’s mental development These are just a few of the endless reasons why a second language benefits young children.

So where to from here?

Some of you may be lucky enough to have an adult amongst your family or friends that speaks a second language. Some of you may find the internet useful to teach your child a second language.

As a family day care educator I began looking around for something that could introduce my own children and children in my care to another culture; another community as well as a second language.

This is where I came across ‘Family Italia’. Giulia, Andres and Katrina have been visiting our family day care home once a week for Italian playgroup. Here children are introduced to the Italian language using themes such as colours, body parts, farm and jungle animals, fruits and more!

What is ‘Family Italia’?

Family Italia is ‘everything Italian and more’. Based in the Illawarra and Sydney areas, Family Italia offers children the opportunity to learn Italian in an exciting and interactive way. They introduce children to the Italian language and culture with opportunities for playgroup sessions, tutoring (for older children) and even pasta making (for children and adults).What an exciting way to get your child to learn a second language as well a chance to interact socially with others.

Family Italia is that opportunity for children to learn that second language. It is compelling;

education and entertaining for the children all at the same time. No better way to learn a second language!

Here is what Katrina, Giulia and Andrea (from Italy) have to say about their growing business Family Italia

What inspired you to start Family Italia?

Katrina: After the birth of our second child, I started looking around for an Italian playgroup, somewhere for the children to be exposed to the language. I had read that children being exposed to a second language as young as possible was a massive advantage as they would develop separate language centres in their brains, not just have one language built on another as we do as adults. So I started looking for some sort of Italian group for my kids. To my surprise, I couldn’t find anything even with large Italian community in the Illawarra.

Fast forward to April of this year when a good Italian friend of ours asked if his friends could stay with us in Australia. Of course we said yes...

Well Giulia and Andrea arrived. We all connected immediately. I asked them if they would consider doing an Italian playgroup for my kids and I would round up a couple of friends to join in too. They agreed and that is how Family Italia came to be!

When were you encouraged to learn English and who inspired you to do so?

Giulia & Andrea: We started to learn English at Primary School, like all the Italian students. At the beginning we learnt colours, numbers and that’s what we do in our playgroup. We have each studied English for fourteen years, and Giulia attended a High

School focused on foreign languages.

We really like travel and it was one of the reasons why we really wanted to learn English properly.

What can families expect when they join Italian playgroups?

Families can expect to have their children immersed in Italian fun, games & great activities. Our playgroups are led by native Italians, which allows for a richer environment to acquire a second language.

We connect very easily and very well with the children we have the privilege of teaching. Each playgroup follows a general process but we also follow the children’s lead. We arrive each time with a Scatola Magica (Magic Box) full of wonderful surprises for the children.

We provide take home materials (vocabulary sheet, lyrics to songs we learn, the actual songs themselves) for parents or Childcare Educators to help reinforce their learning until the next playgroup. And most importantly, parents and kids of all backgrounds are welcomed and encouraged to join.

You don’t have to be Italian or have an Italian background.

What other services do you offer?

We offer Italian tuition for school aged children. We can come in and support your child’s existing Italian studies or we can provide the course work.

We do Italian tuition for adults.

An activity of ours which is also much enjoyed is our Pasta Making Sessions for both

kids and adults. They are a lot of fun for young and old! The kids love getting in and getting flour everywhere. The young ones just enjoy participating in the process of cooking. Some of the older children who have a passion for cooking already, love coming as they are learning how to make pasta from scratch. We often get parents messaging us after a Kids’ Pasta Making Session and saying the child is making the pasta for dinner that night for the whole family.

Why do you think it is so important to teach your children another language?

Katrina: I think it is important for three reasons: One. To just ‘know’ another language. If kids start learning a second language now, they will have the enormous benefit of just knowing a second language. They won’t have to study it for years and work through their logical adult brains to acquire it.

Two. To improve brain function. The brain is a muscle, and switching between languages is like exercise for your brain. A brain that is being used for more than one language is being ‘exercised’ twice as much than one that is only functioning in one language. This is said to mean your child will be a better problem solver and will have a better understanding of their mother tongue language.

Three. Career prospects and travel opportunities. The benefits are also seen for those who want to travel and experience the world or those that have career prospects on the world platform. I think it is fair to say that our children are growing up now to be global citizens. Giving the gift of a second language is putting them one step ahead.

What do you enjoy most about teaching Australian children about your language and culture?

G & A: It’s incredible how quickly the children learn new things, not only with Italian Playgroup but also with our Pasta Making Session.

We really believe in learning through fun, games and songs because that’s what the children like. They always need to be stimulated so we try to have different activities every time.

We enjoy spending time with children and we find it so gratifying when they say Italian words after just a few playgroups or how they are surprised when they discover how easy is to make a healthy pasta meal.

You can find Family Italia on facebook www.facebook.com/ familyitalia or by visiting www. familyitalia.com Some great articles highlighting the benefits of children and a second language f Brain Gym neoskosmos.com/news/en/braingym-bilingualism f www.parents.com/toddlerspreschoolers/development/ language/best-foreign-languagefor-kids-to-learn/ (make sure to read the second page as well) f www.parents.com/toddlerspreschoolers/development/ language/bilingual-kids/ f wwno.org/post/new-study-showsbrain-benefits-bilingualism f ww.news.cornell.edu/ stories/2009/05/learning-secondlanguage-good-childhoodmind-medicine

Words: Jemma Towse

Igniting the Musical Spark in All of Us Words: Ann Lehmann-Kuit

Giving children the opportunity to find tools to express themselves is perhaps one of the greatest gifts.

Creativity and expressiveness is a way of being rather than something we have or don’t have. Children can be the greatest teachers of being in the moment, being in the now, rejoicing and playing.

In order for the creative musical spark to be ignited it can help to create an environment of playful openness where anything is possible.

Here are some approaches to nurture a child’s creative spirit and tap into your own inner musician. ff Play with feeling silly and practice being out of your comfort zone. It’s quite an exciting place to be where anything is possible. ff Sing because it is fun to sing ff Play because it is fun to play ff Dance when you play because it’s fun ff Don’t worry about it being good enough ff Learn musical skills because it is fun to get that feeling of mastery rather than needing to be ‘good at it’. ff Rejoice in creative offerings ff Make up silly songs when times get tough ff Make up gentle songs to rejoice in togetherness ff Have a music corner of instruments kids can access- things you can shake, hit, blow & pluck (handmade ones and bought/gifted ones i.e. shakers, bells, drums, mouth organ, glockenspiel, ukulele, recorder, kids button accordion, chimes etc).

We can share in the fruits of taking a creative musical journey with children. We mentors, parents and teachers can give children the space to

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share their unique experience of being and rejoice in their discoveries and insights along the way. Whether we like it or not, we are role models. We need to honour the “music child” inside ourselves and also those of our young charges.

Sharing our inner spark allows it to grow and flourish. Accept that there will be lots of resistance on the way and trust that we are all capable of arriving there. The spark can be nurtured by providing ample opportunities to engage where there is no possibility of doing it ‘wrong’. Having a safety net of humour can be incredibly beneficial.

Humour celebrates the unexpected.

Humour takes away the fear of not doing it perfectly. Humour is a great social connector. Most importantly humour can stop us taking ourselves too seriously. Making up a silly song can be much less threatening introduction to music making than writing a song that is deep and meaningful.

Are you ready to start your musical journey?

There is no right or wrong way to go. Once you have a starting note you are just faced with opportunities. You can stay on the same note, you can go up or you can go down. You can make big jumps, little jumps or stepwise movement. If you like the sound, maybe try repeating it. Repeated ideas can be your building blocks. Structure often helps creativity. Try having a verse and a chorus.

Song writing usually starts through improvising by trying out different ideas. If you like them, keep them.

Sometimes a song will pop out whole and other times it might be a gradually crafting of ideas. This crafting process can be a super-enjoyable hobby.

Exploring ideas of what will happen next can fill your mind in situations where you could be otherwise bored i.e. a traffic jam, or waiting for an appointment.

There are buckets of songs you and your kids can make up which will give enormous pleasure and satisfaction. Here are just a few: Welcome & gathering songs - Songs that acknowledge we have arrived. Often they can include children’s names to welcome them into their day.

Transition songs - changing

from one activity/ place to another can be very stressful for a child. Transition songs of what is about to happen can help reduce their anxiety. Even singing ‘I wonder what will come next?’ can get children ready for a change and help them to learn to cope with the unexpected.

Packing up songs - can motivate children to put instruments and toys away.

Problem solving songs/ Resilience songs - where something goes wrong and kids help find a way to fix the problem.

Lullabies - calming songs and tunes that often incorporate gentle rocking rhythm and help you and your child be calm through singing them.

Play songs - songs that just spontaneously emerge as children are playing.

Work songs - songs that focus on developing knowledge or a skill. Songs for learning the alphabet, times tables, how to tie your shoe laces, facts and formulas etc.

Did you know the ABC alphabet song is the same as Twinkle Twinkle?

Echo songs - listening and copying songs can celebrate individuality and group cohesion through call and response. Someone gets to be the leader and make up a song or rhythm or action and the group echoes it back.

Special interest songs - one kid may love cats, another trucks, and another ‘Abba’. Incorporating individual preferences can help develop an individual’s sense of identity.

With young children, having a song for every occasion- a morning song, a toileting song, a getting ready for the bus song, a goodbye song, a washing hands song etc can make your day run much more smoothly. You can even use the same melody and just change the words as needed.

possibilities and invites curiosity.

Gradually getting faster can build excitement. Gradually getting slower can build tension and draw you in.

Contrasts can stop it getting predictable. Play with mood (happy/ sad), tempo (fast/ slow), style (waltz/ march/ boogie/rap etc), volume (loud/ soft), texture (scraping/ tapping, one instrument/ lots of instruments) and above all play with possibilities and make friends with the basics- rhythm and melody.

Treat children’s songs seriouslyrecord them, write them down, and get them to draw their own CD covers, or even try making film clips. These days most smart phones have a ‘voice memo’ recording device on them which is a fantastic tool for recording little snippets of ideas. These ideas can then be developed into songs or they might pop out fully formed. They make brilliant presents for family and friends.

Once creativity and song writing is ignited it can be a life-long gift. In addition, encouraging and developing music making can assist people to: ff communicate expressively ff make and maintain personal connections through developing social interaction ff modulate emotions ff develop fine and gross motor skills ff attempt broad sensory experiences ff build on our sense of identity

Tips to help engage others in the musical journey:

Ann Lehmann-Kuit is a registered music therapist, guitar teacher, event coordinator and mum, with a passion for creativity and connecting through music. She’s writing a book on these themes together with the fabulous Janet Andrews which will hopefully be available in 2014. For more info email anndolin@gmail.com

Starting with questions like “Should we start fast or slow?” and “Do you want it to sound happy or sad?” can be a good way to engage people on a creative musical journey where anything is possible. If you want to gain attention and get a response you could try having unexpected pauses in the music and leave things unresolved. A pregnant pause brings many

Every child deserves access to musical expression. Too many people think they’re “not musical” or “have no rhythm” because they had an instrument taken away from them at school or got told they couldn’t sing. If you can breathe you have rhythm, if you can make a sound you have music. I believe having the opportunity to play, sing and create is a human right and should be available and accessible to all. Go play!

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ARTSPACE Studio For Kids in Corrimal Artspace’s unique contemporary vision really excites and inspires children.

An initiative of the not-for-profit Big Fat Smile, the Artspace studio on Railway Street in Corrimal offers innovative arts programs for children aged between 3 and 18 years during school term and school holidays.

Big Fat Smile’s Chief Creative officer, Jennine Primmer, said that the Artspace philosophy draws heavily from the Reggio Emilia approach to learning where it’s the creative process that matters in the context of learning and evolving.

“Our unique approach sees practising, degree qualified artists leading all our programs. I’m really proud of the quality of our artists/ educators in residence. They all have vast experience working with children and we have collaborated heavily with educators to make sure our programs are linked to the national preschool and primary school curriculums.

“Our main focus is to create programs that are fun and contemporary. We always have a context so children are never just creating and making art in a bubble – we draw heavily on the work of ‘real artists’ and we use modern and contemporary artists work to inspire and stimulate whenever we can,” said Jennine.

Artspace programs are also very often mixed genre - programs are created around books, poetry, film, old TV shows, architecture and traditional and conceptual art. The mainstream term program allows children to experiment with a range of media from sculpture to film making, to drawing, painting, ceramics, printmaking, design...you name it!

Artspace also offers specialist streams for kids wanting to study an ongoing technique in fine arts drawing, sculpture, film making or cartooning/ zine design. Next year sees the start of a new term program in song writing

and performance led by musician Penny Hartgerink.

“The big message for kids at Artspace is that there’s no right or wrong when it comes to creativity.

Children can relax and find their own style and way of doing things,” said Jennine.

The Artspace program encourages children to learn through risk-taking and investigation. It builds children’s confidence by encouraging them to develop their individual styles. The Artspace philosophy veers away from a formulaic approach where every child ends up producing similar-looking artworks.

Science shows that the arts help children to develop their interpretative, analytical and communication skills and many parents have also commented on how the Artspace program has helped with their child’s ability to concentrate over extended periods.

The Corrimal studio is also an excursion venue and Big Fat Smile has just opened a new studio in Miller to extend on their company vision of a ‘Brighter, Braver and more Creative World’.

For more info, programs and timetables check the website at www. thecreativityproject.com.au or join Artspace on Facebook via Big Fat Smile.

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! s s t e r r Fe Ever wondered about these furry creatures? They are cute, crazy and inquisitive. If you have the time for a special friend then a ferret may just be the pet for you!

Ferrets are domestic animals, each with its own distinct personality. Many people think that ferrets are from the rodent family but this is incorrect. They belong to the same family as otters, weasels and minks.

Ferrets live happily in a cage as long as they are given lots of time to run around. You can take your ferret for a walk with a leash. Ferrets must not be neglected. They love people and need lots of attention so please don’t buy a ferret if you can’t provide this. Lots of people think that ferrets bite and are bad to have around children. Ferrets that are loved and cared for properly and not neglected will not be vicious.

Ferrets do like to play a game involving mock combat so it’s best to train them from when they are young not to bite during play. Ferrets have strong skin and when they pretend play with each other it doesn’t hurt, so they don’t know it hurts you. Punishing a ferret will make it scared of you and more likely to bite. You can speak to a ferret trainer or practise holding your ferret’s jaw. If all else fails time out works for ferrets as they want to come out and play. They need rules and boundaries much like humans.

Words: Marie Smith Photos: Michelle Haynes

Ferrets have a meat based diet. You can feed them ferret food from the pet store or high quality kitten food. They need lots of water as they don’t sweat so can’t keep themselves cool. They need to stay out of high temperatures.

Males are much larger than females and all ferrets should be desexed. This will prevent the strong odours associated with un-neutered ferrets. They should not smell if you keep their cage clean and tidy. Many ferrets can be toilet trained.

Ferrets are clean animals like cats and do not require a lot of grooming. Some may enjoy infrequent baths. You can brush ferrets and should always check their skin for cuts and check their ears and eyes for any type of parasite.

Watch out for playful ferrets that hide in the house, as they love to chew on wires and hide in small spaces!

Ferrets sleep for around 18 hours a day but when they are in a routine they will come to know feed and play time and will be wide awake waiting for you.

A ferret is like having a permanent playful kitten. They are cuddly, loving and affectionate once they trust you. They are very intelligent and learn from their mistakes. They need hours of companionship for their whole life. So be prepared to have a long term bestie.

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Paint the Town REaD

Mascot Madness

Over the past four months, children across Wollongong have been involved in a competition to design a mascot and logo for the Paint the Gong REaD Early Literacy Project.

Paint the Town REaD is a universal early literacy movement active all over NSW and other parts of Australia, and is all about sharing the importance of reading, singing, rhyming and talking with children from birth.

Each chapter of Paint the Town REaD has its own mascot, brand, logo and identity. Here in Wollongong, we have been fortunate to get the support from Dapto Leagues Club to fund the design and creation of a custom-made costume that will be our very own Mascot.

In July this year, the Paint the Gong REaD team sent a “Reading Egg” out into the community. The Reading Egg

has been visiting playgroups, long day care centres, schools, preschools, family day care homes and community centres and has been read to by hundreds of children. The more children read to the egg, the more it grows! Children who have been visited by the egg have been encouraged to imagine what might be inside? A creature? An animal? Whatever it is, it will hatch out of the growing egg next March 2014. We can hardly wait.

We had over one hundred entries to the mascot design competition, from children aged 4 - 12.

A judging panel that included the Lord Mayor, Gordon Bradbury, local Children’s Art facilitator Lucy Lee, David Hiscox, CEO Dapto Leagues Club, John Bernadi, Manager of Dymocks Bookstore Wollongong; Ian Miller, Dean of Education at UOW; and

Mark Tyson, Branch Manager Bendigo Bank, had the tricky task of selecting the best entry to win first prize, and this design will go on to become the Paint the Gong REaD mascot and logo.

This November we held the esteemed award ceremony presentation, where 10 children received acknowledgement of their amazing entries: 6 highly commended, plus first, second and third prize. As the Reading Egg continues to travel around Wollongong until early 2014, the final and winning entry is under lock and key and the winner has signed a ‘secrecy agreement’ until that time!

It was wonderful to see children of Wollongong embrace the Reading Egg concept, and dream up incredible visions for the creature inside!

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Precious Treasure

Words: Charise Orvad

It had been another hectic day, culminating in the ‘just in time’ pick up from school. To say I live a busy life is a gross understatement, but it’s also one I wouldn’t change. I had visions of reclining on the lounge with a wellearned ice block and my children piled on top of me.

Then it happened. Stella and Lili burst into the house holding out their hands to display something as if it were a precious treasure.

A cicada shell. That’s all it took to dissolve my malaise.

“We found it on the tree out the front! Please can we go for a walk to the gnome garden to find some more?“ What could I say? It was the first shell of the season for us and how could I not pursue something that caused such great excitement for my children?

The walk around the block to the gnome garden proved to be one of ‘those’ moments. Memory making, relationship bonding, team building, character strengthening and fact finding was the natural consequence to a seemingly simple activity.

On a stump of a tree, Scarlett hit the ‘jagbot’. Four shells were clinging to the smooth bark. It took some convincing and an almost Freudian couch session for her to pluck up the courage to hold one, but with encouragement from me and her sisters, she overcame her sense of trepidation and finally held the fragile alien triumphantly in her fingertips.

The search continued. We walked and we talked, all the while searching for a prized shell. The pickings were few and far between, but my children were motivated. My reward seemed far greater. I was spending uninterrupted

time with my precious treasures. The topics varied. Nature and the amazing variety of creation was evident as we scoured every tree lining the street. We spoke about being responsible for our belongings and how it is important it was to look after our things. We held hands. This physical bond, so common when they were babies and small toddlers, slowly slips away as children become more independent. I felt fully connected as we playfully swung our arms back and forth.

We meandered home, taking in our surroundings and enjoying the moment. I felt privileged to be sharing this time with them.

The moment paused when we arrived home, but was picked up again the next day with a visit to Nanny and Pappy’s house. Their bushland park next door would prove to be a perfect place for cicada hunting. The excitement levels again peaked at the promise of hitting more ‘jagbots’.

Oskar, now suddenly such a big boy, called back to everyone at the table, “I’m going to find some bacardas too!”

Looking like wild children in whatever clothes they could find, they scurried out with containers and high expectations. I was caught up in the flurry, thrilled that my childhood obsession with these little creatures had been successfully transferred. I remembered all the feelings and enjoyment I had growing up next to bushland. Those feelings were renewed with the squeals of delight with each find. Better still, was the thrill of watching my little tribe of explorers working together in such an organised and productive way and giving each of them a sense of purpose.

They became inventors, ingeniously

selecting the perfect stick and technique for removing the highest of shells. Right in front of me, my children were demonstrating the life skills I had hoped they would grasp. Teaching, learning, role-modelling, leadership, respect and care; all wrapped up in a common experience. Each child’s personality and stage of life perfectly inter-related to create an environment where everyone could contribute.

The hunt continued as each tree was scrutinised and stripped of its delicate little decorations. The container had now been replaced with a plastic bag as my motivated children worked tirelessly to remove every available shell. Suddenly, on the last tree, Stella noticed a real gem. A live cicada (a rare White Ghost no less!) had just emerged from its shell and was in its final drying stages.

It was everything we had hoped for; a reward for hard work, perseverance and patience. Everyone was jubilant as we closely examined it. We discussed conservation and why we shouldn’t remove our find so we could give it the chance to breed and continue the cicada life cycle.

As a teacher, I could not have planned a more productive learning experience. As a parent, I could not have imagined a richer encounter with my children. Spending time with your children in a purposeful way and allowing an experience to unfold gives them space and time to learn and connect with you, their first teacher.

Make time for relationships to grow and flourish.

As excited I was about finding that cicada, my real treasure was in the time spent growing with my children.

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PureArt Creative Projects Creative~Learning~Experiences

Dream Magic Kids Club ‘Transition to School Classes’ is coming to Kanahooka, NSW in February 2014 Where: Koonawarra Bay Sailing Club at Kanahooka Point, Kanahooka Road, Kanahooka NSW 2530 Contact us by phone 0435 931 492 or by email at vanessa@dmtoysandgifts.com.au for a free no-obligation information package Ask us about our ‘Transition to School Classes’ Launch Party in February 2014 - we will have games, songs, stories, face painting, party food and a cake! Collect your free tickets now.

WE ARE TAKING BOOKINGS NOW AND PLACES ARE STRICTLY LIMITED Tutoring Programme Is your child frustrated with their school work? Does your child lack confidence in their class? Do you have a daily battle in your house when it is time to do homework? Ask us for help!

Children discover, learn and grow through play. Honora uses a variety of creative and performing arts methods and equipment as tools to engage children in fun learning experiences called, Creative Play Sessions.

Honora comes out to you pre-school, family day care, playgroup or other group with all the equipment and materials required.

To find out more or make a booking, phone: 0410 029 466, email: honora@openminddev.net or facebook: www.facebook.com/pureartcreative?fref=ts

My Great Big Life Overhaul I’ve had a few moments of awakening lately. Rude awakenings. I guess there have been several hints over the years that have been on the side of subtle of my life being out of control. Subtle simply meaning that I can ignore them. Buying clothes that are slightly larger than the last time I went shopping, eating less fresh food, working longer hours, sleeping with my phone (if I sleep)…the sad list goes on. I always have that thought of ‘I can do that later” maybe because I am someone who truly does live in the moment.

Unfortunately, most of the time they are bad, naughty, or greedy moments. No one ever specified that living in the moment had to be spiritual or full of eternal goodness.

Perhaps that’s another hint that I never quite got…must get to that yoga class next year.

Next year—that brings me to my next comment. I always make New Year Resolutions. I bound around on New Year’s Eve in ill-fitting Lycra promising that come midnight I will be on my way to ‘hotness’. I build all the fitness equipment that I have ordered from late night TV. I toss out any bad food and out I go on a healthy food shopping spree. Don’t worry; I have changed out of the Lycra into sensible sort of fitting clothes. My tent attire I call them.

I fill the fridge with fresh goodies for the coming weeks. I will be new. Brand new. I want to be skinny, not just lose a few kilos. New Year goddess make me skinny, just like Posh Spice skinny.

I had an experience recently, a very bad confidence rocking experience. It was horrid and my family still can’t talk about it. We went shopping and I had bought some artificial flowers for a craft project #Imth inkingofdoingbutprobablywon’t.

To celebrate my happy spending we went for a coffee at a local chocolate shop and no, I didn’t just

have coffee. As we left I heard the next table laughing, then another until the whole shop was staring and waitresses giggling. I hadn’t noticed that the rest of my family had disappeared and then I saw my reflection in a window as I walked into the mall.

Good grief. There in between my ever growing bum cheeks was a full bunch of artificial flowers popping out like they were sitting nicely in a vase.

Wedged in and they had taken my skirt along with them for the ride. My husband kindly appeared from his shadowed corner and helped me. Right then I vowed never to enter that shop again, never to eat chocolate unless faced with death and to buy better underwear whereby this would never happen again!

Surely Posh has never had a moment like this?

So I begin my journey. No New Year’s resolutions, no twenty lists ordered in priority by urgency, no more creases on my forehead from falling asleep on my phone. No more embarrassing my family.

I have just lost my keys for the last time, worn my last pair of #suckmeinundies and thrown out my lists. I am charging my phone in the kitchen and I am getting the Mars Bar out of my side table. Tomorrow I will even drive without the petrol light flashing empty. It’s a new day, a new me and not just because I have told people, lots of people and I will be accountable. It’s time to change my life for me.

Come with me on my journey. January 1st 2014 will not have me lying in pain from #suckmeinundies and crying because no shops are open and I threw out all of my chocolate.

This New Year I simply choose happiness and a better way of doing things.

Surely Posh has never had a moment like this?

EY17

Creating Confident Kids!

Self-confidence is the foundation of a child’s wellbeing and the key to accomplishment as an adult. How much kids value themselves, relate to others, perform at school and achieve in out-of-school activities, all stems from their self-worth.

We play a vital role in helping kids feel better about themselves, which in turn leads to the development of greater confidence. Our role is to nurture their sense of self and help foster their unique individuality. I believe we can do this in three ways; helping them to free their mind, love their body, open their soul.

caregivers, teachers or aids) we have an incredible influence on the development of children.

It is during childhood that kids form their core sense of self. Studies now show that our personality is fully developed by the age of seven years old. This alarming statistic highlights the importance of our responsibility as a role model and source of guidance throughout the early years of a child’s life.

We each have our own beliefs around who we are, how we look, what we excel at and what our weaknesses are. We develop these attitudes over time, beginning when we are very young children. Our level of confidence depends upon these beliefs.

As we know, feeling good about ourselves influences how we think, speak and act. When we go about our day loving who we are we radiate confidence. We have a natural glow about us as we shine from the inside out.

Negative thinking is a key contributor to low self-worth. When kids get in the habit of thinking/ speaking harmfully to themselves, they live in a constant state of sadness and discontent. We need to teach kids how to free their minds of negative thinking patterns, as it’s these negative thoughts that develop into damaging self-beliefs.

We need to instil positive self-talk.

Daily affirmations and mantras are an excellent way of embedding positive beliefs. Saying affirmations and mantras (such as, “I love being me”) builds self-worth and helps them to feel good about themselves.

Be careful of your words. We all know how it feels when someone criticises us or responds to our proud statements with dissatisfaction. We don’t like to be unnecessarily blamed or have negative judgments placed upon us. Kids are exactly the same; they need positive reinforcement and specific praise (when due of course).

Words: Jenna Claire Fletcher

I love seeing kids who aren’t afraid to be themselves; kids who are comfortable in their own skin and who genuinely love who they are as human beings.

How do your children feel about themselves?

Too often I see kids not participate in activities, have trouble making friends, hesitate when trying new things, make false generalisations about themselves, and express a general dislike towards themselves. It truly breaks my heart.

While teaching full-time I came to the startling conclusion that I was the decisive element in the classroom. It was my personal approach that created the entire classroom atmosphere. As a teacher I had a tremendous amount of influence on each child’s growth and development. I could be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I could humiliate or humour, hurt or heal.

As educators (whether parents,

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Freeing Their Minds

Loving their bodies Looking back twenty years to my childhood I notice the immense difference in media influence upon kids.

Today, the media plays such an enormous part in how children see, and feel about, themselves. It’s everywhere. The images we’re constantly bombarded with blatantly contradict everything we’re trying to teach kids.

Body image is a huge issue. The number of kids who want to change something about their body is phenomenal. There’s so much pressure on how kids ‘look’ these days, making them self-conscious about their bodies.

We need to teach kids the extent of how phenomenal their bodies really are, help them appreciate their body and what it does for them, and foster an unconditional acceptance of their individual body shape/type.

Be aware of how you treat your body. Do you criticise your body in front of the kids? Do you act in ways that display a dislike towards your appearance? Work at building your own body confidence and be a positive mirror for kids. They will then reflect this confidence back to you.

Opening their souls To open your soul is to be yourself and express the unique individual that you are. Kids get so caught up in being self-conscious and worry too much about how others see them. We need to teach them that they’re meant to be different, and are supposed to be their own unique beings. They also need to realise the value in being unique (something I feel is lacking).

Conformity is such a large concern these days. There is an enormous pressure on kids to conform to the norm, follow the latest trends and be like everyone else. This is the driving force behind what I do. I was never one to follow the crowd; I stood strong in my beliefs and who I was as an individual, and let my own inner light shine.

When kids free their minds, love their bodies and open their souls, they are what I call “living in flo”. When kids live in flo they are confident, healthy and happy.

My highlight of working with kids is seeing them flourish into self-assured

human beings – unique beings that genuinely love who they are.

Like growing a tree… our job is to nurture what’s there, do what we can to shape their environment so that they grow tall and proud, and avoid cutting away at the branches. It’s not an easy job, but it’s a vital one. With societal messages being powerful and persistent we have our work cut out for us. But we can do this. Let’s create confident kids!

Jenna Claire Fletcher is an Accredited Primary Teacher, Certified Health Coach, Holistic Life Coach and Meditation Teacher, and holds a Psychology Degree and Graduate Diploma in Education. With extensive experience in personal development,

and through radiating self-love and confidence, she is a natural inspiration.

Jenna Claire runs self-esteem workshops and programs that educate, equip and empower children to live in flo. Email: jenna@ flojennaclaire.com

EY19

Anyone who has witnessed a child on Christmas morning realises the importance of a cardboard box to a child and their world of imaginative play.

It can feel a bit heartbreaking watching your child love the boxes and wrapping paper much more than the expensive Santa presents within, but this shows us a snippet of the purity and honesty of children’s play.

It is adults who make children want materialistic items. We purchase all the techno gadgets and spinning toys that we think children want or they have been asking for because they have seen too much TV. It’s hard. We want our children to be happy, to fit in with others, to be aware of the world around them, and sometimes we want them to have all the luxuries we never had as children. Often it’s adults who

We are moving in the right direction. A simple cardboard box can be so much more. A box is the most versatile toy you will find. If you google “cardboard box creations” the images that come up are amazing. Play stoves, cars, cities and more have been created by adults with the humble box.

But what about the box just being a box? Does it need to become something? We always think about the end product. What are we going to build? We force ourselves into making the box look like what we need it to be.

Suddenly our box is the greatest creation ever and is a painted pirate ship. That’s great but it could have been so much more. With a piece of black silk or a few cardboard tubes it was always a wonderful pirate ship!

Could you not see it?

Then the pirate ship can become a

ff ff ff ff ff

ff ff ff ff

ff ff ff

inexpensive Creatively expressing ideas responding to ideas of others engaging and exploring environment development of knowledge and self -confidence through mental processing and skill development feel recognised and respected for who they are and what they can do use play to investigate, project and explore new ideas. demonstrate an increasing understanding of measurement and number using vocabulary to describe size, length, volume, capacity, and names of numbers.

Apply thinking strategies problem solve through investigation experience shared learning use resources to assemble, take

Cardboard Box Play are the ones promoting materialistic items and then we wonder why children are so easily bored and they cant make their own play. After all, children don’t go to the shop themselves and purchase the toys?

Of course it’s great to have toys but we should never take away the most valuable gift of all; the gift of imagination and a love of learning through exploration. What more do children need now or in the future if they have these capable skills?

We are moving towards a more natural child rearing parenting stage.

The obesity rate and general health of our children has forced adults to think more about active and outdoor play.

Our Earth’s resources have become somewhat limited and have a questionable future leading to more recycling and careful usage of materials. We encourage play sets filled with natural materials to encourage environmental learning for sustainability, but also to enhance imagination and give the child options of open ended play.

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submarine, then a truck, a shop, a cave, a raft, a fairy castle, a building…

Why not focus on the process and leave the box as it is for children? It’s a very valuable play tool.

See where your children’s imagination takes them. Let them rediscover REAL play and adventure.

Let them decide what extra materials they need like tape or paper. The planning and cognitive skills used will encourage your children to think for themselves; to enjoy creating, and to learn from their play. Isn’t that what we want for all children? A childhood filled with happiness, exploration , imagination and years of learning through play?

The value of box construction: ff using recycled materials

apart, invent and construct ff develop imagination, enthusiasm, confidence, curiosity. ff develop negotiation and sharing skills ff persistence when faced with challenges or when first attempts are not successful ff being open to challenges & discoveries ff imagination ff learning through process not solely on an end product ff working in 3 dimensions Now you can use the humble cardboard box that is normally discarded to not only recycle but inspire you’re your child with a host of creative and imaginative adventures.

Let the adventures begin!

EY21

Go Go Lego!

What is the First Lego League?

FIRST® LEGO® League is the FIRST program in Australia catering for the youngest group of students. Every year, teams of up to 10 students aged between 9 and 16, learn about a modern scientific problem and develop solutions for it, while having fun with robots. FLL® is a multi-part competition judged on three important elements: 1) Robot Teams design, build and program a LEGO robot to complete a series of challenges in only 2 minutes and 30 seconds. The challenge changes every year, and is always based on the year’s central theme. One year the game was called Senior Solutions and was based on solving problems that seniors face. Teams compete on adjacent tables to score as many points as possible, with the overall winner of the competition winning the prized Robot Performance award. Many tournaments also offer secondary robot awards judged on robot design, innovation and aesthetics.

2) Project Every year, teams identify problems regarding the theme for the year and develop solutions to solve these problems, which are always related to modern-day problems of the world. Past themes include senior citizens, food health & safety, climate change, medical science, nanotechnology, and others.

Through the project, teams learn more about the subject area and present their ideas to a panel of judges. The project and robot game combined teaches students to problem solve, think critically, work as a team and speak publicly. The project also has the potential to change the world, as if teams think of an innovative and successful possible solution, they can share it with their community, their school, their families, even all of Australia and the world.

3) Core Values Throughout the competition, teams are judged on their teamwork, cooperation, Gracious Professionalism®, kindness to other teams, and sportsmanship. This aspect of competitions is designed to encourage students to work together and well. Besides scheduled judging sessions, tournament volunteers and

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team coaches are always on the lookout for examples of these qualities. Good examples of Core Values can earn teams consideration for awards they would not otherwise be eligible for, and through this celebration of good qualities, FIRST seeks to make students the best competitors, citizens, problemsolvers and engineers they can be.

FIRST LEGO League is an incredibly rewarding program for young students, and teams can come from junior/high schools, homeschools, social groups, community groups, church groups, etc.

All Teams require a dedicated coach, a LEGO NXT or RCX robot kit, enough finances to pay the registration fee, and somewhere to meet. The game is released in August, and competitions in Australia are in November/December (exact dates depend on which regional you go to). The National competition is in December.

On November 11 a great team from Helensburgh competed in the Regional championships for this competition (NSW).The team have called themselves Komplete Kaos. They won the champions award and they were invited to compete at the National level!

What an achievement !

On December 7 the team, along with 3 other Wollongong based teams competed in the FLL National Championships.

There were 36 teams from around Australia on competition day ready to compete. Komplete Kaos won the

‘Research award’ on the day. Project Bucephalus (Wollongong home schoolers) also won the ‘Inspiration award’.

Overall Komplete Kaos came 2nd in the nation and they have received an invitation to compete in the FLL European Championships which will be held in Pamplona at the end of May 2014.

Komplete Kaos Inc is the name of a not-for-profit association that runs robotics lego activities in the library of Helensburgh Public School every Tuesday after school. The activity is supported by Helensburgh Public School although is open to all school kids who would like to attend. Currently the members are from three different public schools. The competition team is made up of 7 children who all put their hand up to be a part of.

The competition team includes; Jiah Pang (captain) aged 12 Nicola Pang aged 10 Marnie Parkinson aged 10 Matthew Wheatley aged 10 Max Hayes aged 11 Harri Lahtinen aged 10 and two coaches and a mentor (volunteer).

The club and the competition team are self funded but were lucky enough to receive a grant from Peabody to set up the club ($6000) and Ray White Helensburgh ($100) to purchase the initial lego kits. They are seeking funding assistance/sponsorship to be able to take up the invitation to represent Australia in Spain in 2014.

What an exciting team to support and be a part of ! If you would like to sponsor the team or be involved please contact Early Years Magazine and we will pass on your details.

EY23

FESTIVALS Festivals are back in fashion for families and are great for anyone who enjoys days filled with culture, fun, activity and intrigue.

So what is a festival?

Festivals celebrate life, ceremony, religion, the arts, seasons; anything that is important to people. Festivals are full of colour and energy and bring people together to share who they are, what they believe in, what they love, what they are grateful for, and what makes them a proudly united community. I have recently been to a pumpkin festival-such fun and so important to local community.

Festivals should be an integral part of family life as they are an opportunity for people to show their skill or talent and can showcase the vibe of a particular suburb. Festivals open up a world to children that they may not have previously experienced.

Someone who knows more than enough about festivals is Jamie Dawson, Creative Producer of Magictorch Productions in the Illawarra.

As a previous Art Director for the

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famous Sydney Children’s Festival he has experienced firsthand the impact that festivals can have on the public.

“Festivals are an essential part of community and creative life. They offer opportunity for communities to come together to celebrate, try new things, and to sample what is great about their local artistic environment. For children this is a dynamic, creative and unique social interaction that has a long lasting impact.”

These holidays, have a think about the role festivals play in the cultural lives of our children and consider the value of music in their lives. With these things in mind there is no better place to head to than the Illawarra Folk Festival.

The Illawarra Folk Festival originated at Jamberoo in 1985, and has grown to be one of the largest festivals in Australia run entirely by volunteers. Now nestled in the northern Illawarra escarpment at Bulli, the festival presents approximately 150 performers over four days.

Performers, volunteers and audiences alike continue to return to the festival to experience and participate in the diversity of music and performances, and enjoy the intimate, vibrant community atmosphere the festival has become renowned for.

As well as performances by some of the best national and international traditional acts, the program features a two day intensive folk school, workshops, sessions, dancing, the Youth Folk Traditions awards, instrument makers, poets’ breakfasts, the famous Mediterranean Lunch, the infamous Tripe Dinner and beautiful international cuisine and craft stalls.

“I think it’s important to expose children to cultural diversity early because it creates a sense of magic and joy that they grow with,” Ann Lehmann, performer and Artistic director of Kidsfest, says.

The Illawarra Folk Festival will be held at Bulli Showground January 1619 2014. You can buy tickets at illawarrafolkfestival.com.au/buy-tickets

Tips for heading to a festival Festivals require energy and a bit more organization when you have a family and small children. Gone are the days of running out the front door with a bottle of water and a ticket. The value of taking children to a festival far outweighs the cons of a bit of planning.

Many festivals have specific childfriendly areas and planned activities.

The best thing to do is to study a program. Most festivals promote their programs online or through the local paper. It’s better to be prepared rather than to be disappointed that you missed something.

Work out what is important for you and what is important for the family.

Pick the right festivals to go to rather than having ‘excited’ people who haven’t slept for three days tripping over your pram…

Make sure you pack lots of everything. You will feel like you are going on holidays with the amount of items you have packed but believe me (and I know) thinking that all festivals will sell dummies and Panadol will not serve you well and will end in tears – your tears.

You want to relax a little so make sure you have rugs, food, drinks, hats, change of clothes, nappies etc. Don’t forget anything you might need for rest time. Pack a healthy picnic!

While you are at the festival consider a few things.

Carrying so much stuff can be a real risk when it comes to losing your things or even having them stolen. You concentrate so much on not losing your child that your purse, camera etc. can be hanging out of your nappy bag unsafely.

Having a bag that sits close to your body and in which you can fit essentials can help with this.

Don’t forget to consider toilet time.

None of us likes to force children to ‘try before we leave’, but Portaloos and their long lines can be problematic.

(Should you have packed a potty?) My daughter still refuses to use a Portaloo because of a funny story she overhead me tell a friend once… it’s not so funny now.

Introduce your children to the music that they will hear at the festival.

Familiarity can go a long way for children. Don’t forget that you are an adult now with a small child. Think of

best sight vantage points for the children. Being right up at the stage might make you feel eighteen again, but many children fear loud sounds and this will have a negative impact on festival memories.

Making time for special interactions with your child will help with your day.

An hour at face painting then five minutes for you. You can negotiate with older children so everyone gets to do what they want to.

Wrist bands and stickers on a child’s back with your mobile number on them can help if your child is lost.

You can put your business card in their pockets. Talk to children about your plan if they do become lost.

Most of all, have fun! Festivals open up such learning opportunities that last far longer than the day itself.

Breathe in the culture of the day and try to relax. It will be worth it.

To stay up to date with current festivals go to www.visitnsw.com/events www.kidsfestshellharbour.com.au www.catapultfestival.com.au illawarrafolkfestival.com.au www.darlingquarter.com/about

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EY26

Little Diggers Community gardening is a place where a group of people, whatever their background, can meet and become involved in creating and maintaining a garden for themselves and their community. Community gardening is a way of life for many families in environmental sustainability.

All you need is a group of people with a passion who are prepared to work hard with its own resources.

A community garden provides so much more than gardening. It provides peace, solitude, ideas, friendships, learning, exercise and more. A community garden provides a sense of belonging to people and gives them a sense of ownership.

What we love about watching children in the garden. ff The joy they experience when watching a seed sprout or a flower bloom ff The fun of pretending to be a bird or a worm in the garden. ff Watching the excitement of growing food, cooking it and eating it. ff Watching them stop, be still and smell leaves and flowers, taking in every moment. ff The intrigue experiences when discovering a new creature or bug. ff The learning that takes place while discovering things that have grown or changed. ff Watching them care, take responsibility and look after their world. ff Watching them play without toys or equipment. A pretty stone can provide the basis for a morning of fun. ff The interest around recycling and composting that is formed by watching how the garden works. ff The pure adventure formed week after week with friends and nature.

We wanted a space to be. Yes that’s right just to “be”. No toys or fancy equipment to be able to play, discover, learn and just “be” in a space that was natural, accepting and full of learning potential. That’s when we found the Barrack Heights community garden; a space full of art, growth,

companionship and endless play opportunities. It’s a bush tucker garden, the start of a maze and an amazing abundance of natural resources, organic food in its rawest and most pure form, composting on a large scale happening right before our eyes. No fences, no rules; only smiles and working together for a combined cause. At Little Diggers Play School we use the environment as our teacher.

Each week we meet at 10am on Friday mornings with a clear and open mind.

Sometimes we decorate the trees or make a natural tee-pee. Sometimes we pick fruit or vegetables to cook or eat raw. But most times we follow the pathway and discover new things that have happened to the garden each week.

Last week one of the children found a strawberry with a hole in it. We began the conversation.

“How did a hole get there?”

“Who made the hole?”

“What will happen if all of the strawberries get holes in them?”

“How can we stop the holes?”

The children requested magnifying glasses and pens and paper after their investigation. They collected other clues to research when they got home.

They would look on the internet for information. Someone thought that they should consult their hungry caterpillar book to see if the holes in our leaves and strawberries matched the ones in his book.

Another week we found streamers and material hanging beautifully from the trees.

Who put those there? They don’t grow on trees like flowers and fruit.

Someone had to put them there.

We asked Aileen at Shellharbour Council. Maybe it was Tamar, a local artist who helps with the garden?

We contacted Tamar and yes it was her! Our investigation was complete.

Tamar came for a visit to make and create with the children.

We build such valuable community relationships while playing in the garden.

One week George, a member of the community, came and talked to us

about the plants that were growing.

Another week Terry popped in to tell us all about the Bush Tucker garden that he helped to create. He has even written a book about it.

The children gain so much from the garden and look forward to the session each week.

Why not join us in 2014? 10:00am Fridays CNR Wattle and Carrington Street, Barrack Heights.

All Welcome. Gold coin donation marie@earlyyearscare.com.au What skills do children gain from gardening? ff a connection with nature ff physical strength through muscle development, walking, digging, climbing ff a sense of curiosity. The garden is a place to learn and to ask endless questions. Some answers may need investigation ff mathematical concepts and cognitive skills. Children can match and sort colours and seeds, measure garden beds, classify foods and flowers, and learn how to compare , size and growth, measurement. ff eye hand coordination—digging where you need to, finding seeds and planting them. Cutting items. ff science-we learn about life cycles , food sources, the weather, the earth and about nutrition. We learn how to observe and investigate ff patience- we need to wait for things to grow and then have the responsibility of caring for them and ensuring they continue to grow ff social skills –turn taking, friendship, caring, responsibility ff a sense of community and use of a shared space ff bush tucker skills and learning about our local Indigenous land and people ff the chance to create transient art from nature ff simple cooking and self-help skills ff independence but also team building skills

EY27

Cooking with Charlies summer recipes Fruity honey compote 600g pears, peeled, quartered, cored 350g granny smith apples, peeled, cored, quartered 1/4 cup honey 1 tablespoon lemon juice Cut pear and apple into slices and place slices in a saucepan over medium-low heat.

Add honey and lemon juice. Stir to combine.

Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until fruit starts to soften. Stir occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes or until fruit is tender and liquid thick and syrupy.

Remove from heat. Cool completely and serve.

Apple, mint and grape punch 150g fresh or frozen raspberries, partially thawed 125g fresh or frozen blueberries 125g strawberries, hulled, thinly sliced 1 small pink lady apple, cored, thinly sliced 8 fresh mint leaves, torn 3 cups (750ml) chilled lemonade 3 cups (750ml) chilled sparkling grape juice Using a fork, lightly crush raspberries in a bowl. Transfer to a jug.

Add blueberries, strawberries, apple, mint, lemonade and grape juice. Stir to combine. Serve chilled

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Charlie Mango and Passionfruit Delight 2 large mangos 2 egg whites 300g vanilla yoghurt 4 passionfruit ¼ cup caster sugar 1. Cut the skin off both mangoes.

Scoop the insides of the mango out and slice into strips.

2. Halve each passionfruit and scoop the centre into a bowl 3. Next beat the egg whites until soft peaks form then gradually add the caster sugar and beat until stiff.

4. Then fold the yoghurt through the mixture until smooth.

5. Spoon some of the mango into each glass, top with some yoghurt, then passionfruit, then a few cubes of mango.

6. Repeat the layers again. Enjoy!

Fruity Iceblocks Portion sizes depend on quantity of iceblocks J Mango Blueberries Strawberries Watermelon/Rockmelon Unsweetened fruit juice 1. Peel the mango and chop the flesh into small pieces, chop strawberries and watermelon/ rockmelon 2. Then put pieces of fruit into the bottoms of the ice block moulds.

(The smaller the piece of fruit the more you can fit)

3. Fill each mould with juice- using a skewer loosen the fruit around the mould.

4. Fit the lid onto the moulds and freeze until frozen- around two hours.

Fruit Jelly Cups You can choose whichever fruit you like but Charlie made his with 1 kiwifruit 1 apple 5 strawberries ½ tin of pineapple 6 tsp gelatine 1 litre of fruit juice 1. First you need to prepare your fruit.

Peel the kiwifruit and slice, cut the tops off your strawberries and slice and cut up your apple (remove the skin if desired) 2. Then dissolve 3 tsp of the gelatine with ¼ cup of boiling water. Whisk well until completely dissolved.

3. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and then mix in 2 cups of fruit juice 4. Spoon half the amount of fruit into the base of your plastic cup followed by the fruit juice/gelatine.

5. Place a spoon in the cup and allow to set for about 20 mins.

6. While your jelly is setting dissolve the remaining gelatine in water.

7. Repeat with a layer of fruit and jelly Enjoy