Our Kindergarten children had the opportunity to visit The Volunteer Marine Rescue at Jacobs Well recently.
This was a great opportunity for us to further engage with the people and services within our community. The children got to visit the control room and listen in on some communication, they also got to explore one of the rescue boats that was parked in the rescue office. The children had a fabulous time and learnt lots about the great service that the VMR offer.
We have an exciting new program coming to our centres on Fridays… Bush Kinder!
Our bush kinder will provide a valuable natural kindergarten experience for 4-year-old kinder children enrolled at Little Scholars.
A forest kindergarten is a type of preschool education for children held almost exclusively outdoors. Whatever the weather, children are encouraged to take the lead in playing, exploring and learning in a forest or natural environment.
Bush Kinder is a special part of a Little Scholars’ total kinder experience. A model to suit our community’s and children’s specific needs. It recognises the place the bush has in Australian folklore and the significance of the land in aboriginal culture. It draws upon and extends the existing philosophy of Little Scholars to offer a unique educational program.
No toys, No tools, No art supplies
The children and adults benefit from using only what nature has provided.
“Outdoor spaces with plants, trees, rocks, mud and water invite open ended interactions, spontaneity, risk taking and a connection with nature” (NQS, QA 3 Physical environment).
Please speak to your Little Scholars Kinder teacher or Centre Manger for more details for your centre.
Parents spend countless hours trying to make sure their kids are behaving, eating their dinner, and doing their homework. But how often do we take the time to focus on how to boost your child’s confidence?
Yes, most kids are far more interested in the eating rather than the preparing of foods, but you’ll be surprised by how much one experience can turn things around. One morning we asked our son to be the “assistant chef” when we were preparing blueberry pancakes. Many mornings later, he now often insists on being involved in the kitchen, and he’s always incredibly proud of the end product.
Like adults, kids want to be taken seriously. When they get the sense they’re being mocked (or laughed at, to their face), their instinct is to get angry, shut down, and not share more ideas for fear of more of the same treatment. After all, kids naturally see the world through a different lens than we do. You might be surprised what you hear once you show your child that you’re listening and that you take their ideas seriously.
My 6-year-old expressed a legitimate interest in football, so I invited him to come with me to a friend’s Super Bowl party. No other children were coming, and I made him aware of that. He hesitated for a moment, but then agreed to join me. At the party, it was clear he wasn’t completely comfortable and was unsure how to act, especially since he only knew me and the host. But after a while, he was talking about “Star Wars” and lounging on the couch like one of the guys. The only way to establish a level of comfort is to first experience discomfort.
While I don’t believe in forcing your own personal interests or hobbies on your children, playing an instrument yields too many positive results for it to be ignored. Once they’ve reached an age where they’re dextrally and mentally capable, learning to play an instrument not only relieves stress (yes, kids have stress, too) but it can also boost self-esteem in a major way.
Yes, most kids are far more interested in the eating rather than the preparing of foods, but you’ll be surprised by how much one experience can turn things around. One morning we asked our son to be the “assistant chef” when we were preparing blueberry pancakes. Many mornings later, he now often insists on being involved in the kitchen, and he’s always incredibly proud of the end product
I’m not talking about giving them a gold star every time they eat a carrot. I’m not an “every kid gets a trophy” believer. But in my experience, children react favorably to receiving praise for going above and beyond—naturally, anyone does. However, it’s even more important to show children that extra effort will yield benefits in order to instill the idea within them that they’re capable of greatness and that hard work pays dividends.
Very little empowers a child more than having them believe they know something you don’t. A beginner’s card trick, a scale on the piano, or anything that positions them as the subject matter expert will work. Encourage them to share their knowledge (without bragging) with you and others. Odds are they’ll be brimming with confidence with their head held high.
I’ve found that most people don’t think they’re creative because they were never encouraged to be. I once overheard my wife reading to my son, and she stopped turning the pages and simply asked him, “What do you think should happen next?” His eyes lit up. Simple questions like this are what awaken a part of the brain that might otherwise sit dormant.
This one seems intuitive, but often gets overlooked. Whether we know it or not, we’re our child’s most pronounced role model. So, how can we expect our kids to have confidence when we’re the ones they look up to and we don’t even have it?
If you have a 7-year-old who recently started throwing a fit every time you make eye contact with her, odds are it’s for a reason. The easy, instinctive thing to do is to punish her and be done with it. The more forward-thinking approach also includes sitting down afterward to talk and figuring out the exact reason for the anger (or what I like to call “The Danny Tanner Method,” you know, from “Full House”?). It lets them know you’ll actually listen to them, which provides a certain stability within a household that children need in order to feel secure.
While success is pretty easy to deal with, learning to cope with failure is no easy task, especially when you’re not used to it. And in order to get used to it, you simply have to experience it, time and time again. It doesn’t come naturally to me, but I let my kids fail sometimes—while trying to build Legos or attempting to ride a bike without training wheels. It may anger them at first, but as Ann Landers said, “It’s not what you do for your children, but what you have taught them to do for themselves that will make them successful human beings.”
Wondering how Little Scholars can help boost your child’s confidence? Contact us today for more information.
Wondering how Little Scholars can help boost your child’s confidence? Contact us today for more information.
We are excited to announce the release of our 1st Edition of our Little Scholars Family Cookbook. In Conjuction with our families and the Little Scholars community we have gathered all of our favourite recipes for everyone to share. From our schoolies, to our Chinese teacher, everyone has been involved. We wish to thank everyone for their input and we hope you enjoy our Little Scholars Family Cookbook.
For your copy of the Little Scholars Family Cookbook, please speak with Tayla or Rachel today.
The natural environment is an integral part of our program at Little Scholars, our educators plan a wide range of experiences outdoors to allow children to explore nature and the environment.
There is a lot of information on social media of late about the importance of yoga and wellbeing for children. For many people it is often seen as ‘alternative’ or ‘new age’. However, there is real proof that yoga can improve academic performances, de stress children and encourage healthy food choices and eating. Yoga has so many health benefits, mental, physical and emotional, so it is no wonder more schools and kindergartens are making it a priority in their classrooms. At Little Scholars we have weekly yoga lessons for our toddlers. All children enjoy this weekly activity as much as the Emma our mums and bubs specialist yoga instructor.
Here are some reasons why we love yoga:
When we practice the physical postures or exercises (called asanas), we learn how to move more freely and with greater ease and awareness. These postures help our bodies become strong and flexible.
When we breathe deeply and fully (called pranayama) and become more aware, we can bring peacefulness or energy to our bodies.
When we practice yoga, we learn how to use the life force energy in our bodies (called prana) to feel more relaxed, focused, or motivated.
When we practice yoga, we learn how to be still. This helps us to listen with attention and make good decisions.
When we practice yoga, we learn to be more aware about the need for balance in our lives. This could mean equal stretching on the left and right sides of our bodies or making sure we balance our very busy time with equal quiet time and relaxation.
Yoga teaches us to listen to our bodies by modifying or changing poses that are too hard or cause pain. (We will talk about how to modify poses in a later section.)
Yoga is a great way to move our bodies and feel healthy. And teaching children how to take care of themselves is one way to show love. As with all forms of exercise, a good yoga practice can mean a good night’s sleep!
Junior Yoga started this week at Little Scholars Yatala and Little Scholars Stapylton.
We love having Emma run this program for us as she specialises in mother and baby yoga.
The Little Scholars loved the new activity including the big group hug at the end.
Our first week at Little Scholars Stapylton was amazing. It reconfirms why we do what we do. Watching the faces of the new Little Scholars as they set about exploring the centre was wonderful.
The Little Scholars got to feed the goldfish, plant vegetables seedlings, water the new plants and lots of fun activities. They loved breaking in all the new play equipment, using all the new craft supplies, meeting the local community and cooking fresh meals with our new chef.
We have new families starting all the time but places are filling fast.
For centre tours of Little Scholars Stapylton please call Rachel on 3804 7831, or email [email protected] or go to www.mylittlescholars.com.au for more information.
Interactive themed classes full of music, amazing costumes, props, magic games and laughter. Think Hi 5 meets the Wiggles.
We are excited to announce this will be a weekly class starting Thursday 26th Feb, 2015.
We are very proud of our Little Scholars team who have achieved Level 1 certificate for their sustainable practices .Small Green Steps has been designed to help embed sustainable practices into our service operations in order to meet National Quality Standard 3.3 contained in the National Quality Framework.
For more information on Small Green Steps program click here.
Well done Team- they are already working on level 2-4 and will be soon be advanced.
Let us hold your hand and help looking for a child care centre. Leave your details with us and we’ll be in contact to arrange a time for a ‘Campus Tour’ and we will answer any questions you might have!
Let us hold your hand and help looking for a child care centre. Leave your details with us and we’ll be in contact to arrange a time for a ‘Campus Tour’ and we will answer any questions you might have!
Fill in the form to join your local Pram Pals mums and bubs walk
