Why do our children sometimes express some big bursts of negative moods after they come home from a seemingly fun day at childcare? This could be due to after school restraint collapse. Meanwhile, you expect them to come home happy and excited to tell you all about their day of crafts, books, playtime and outings, after all, you often get reports that your child was an angel all day. But when he or she comes home, that angel seems to have taken those wings and flown away, being replaced with something not so angelic.
Some child experts call it ‘after school restraint collapse’, and it seems to happen because children hold it together all day in childcare. Children use a lot of energy being well-behaved, following direction, sitting still, retaining information, and all of this without their primary attachment figures, their parents/caregivers. It can also simply be that some children meltdown because they are tired or overstimulated. Wanting to learn more about Little Scholars and how we deal with these big emotions? Contact us today.
This leaves your child’s best opportunity to release their emotions when they get to a safe place, their home. Those emotions can take the shape of crying fits, whining, screaming, disrespect or physically acting out to parents or siblings.
“I always say to parents, ‘do you have a best friend, someone you let all your emotions out when you see them? You are this to your child and when they see you after a big, busy day at Kindy, it all comes out,’” says Libby Kissell, a lead educator with our Redland Bay South campus.
“Rest assured they had an amazing day, but they let it all out when they see you because YOU are their person, their safe zone.”
Young children haven’t yet developed the essential brain wiring or had the necessary life experience to be able to calm themselves down from big feeling states, which is why they experience such frequent meltdowns. They know they can do this at home because they’re in a place where they’re loved and supported.
Your child is loved and supported by our team at Little Scholars, talk to us if you’re struggling and we can think and discuss how to make things easier for your little one.
“As an adult, we come home from a big day at work and we just want time to ourselves to zone out and not have to think,” says Holly Medbury, an educator from our Stapylton campus.
“We might even get annoyed if people want our attention, kids feel the same, but often have difficulty expressing it. Children are little people with big emotions, they too need some time to ‘chill out’ or a friend to be there and hug, with no expectations. It’s just reassurance for parents out there that they are doing an amazing job and providing useful strategies to help children cope with their big emotions.”
You can send them to their centre with a comfort toy or blanket that they can reach for when they need it. You could also send them with a picture of their family, or a note in their bag telling them how proud you are of them and how much you love them
Spend an extra five to 10 minutes with them before they start their day at Little Scholars. Just a few connected minutes with your child can make a significant difference in their day
Have a conversation with them on the way to childcare or when you get to their centre that focuses on what they can look forward to after you pick them up later, maybe that conversation looks like, ‘When I come to get you, would you like to go to the park or go pick out some new books to read at the library?’
Bring a snack for the trip home, sometimes hunger can be distracting for them and can stir up emotions.
When you pick them up, maybe all they need is a big reassuring hug. Maybe they need quiet. Maybe they’d like to tune out to some music they enjoy for a few minutes. Maybe they need to relax on a park bench or burn some energy at the playground. Follow their lead and take some time before asking questions about their day.
Again, feel free to talk to your educators about what’s happening at home. We have an open-door policy and we’re here for you. Your child’s educators, after spending time with your little one, may have specific ideas on how to help your child or can try to dedicate some quality time with your child to help them relax and feel cared for.
By understanding a little better why there are strong feelings coming from your child after a day of childcare, you are better armed to handle after school restraint collapse or even moderate reactions before their start.
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Are you a parent racking your brain trying to figure out how to get your little one to stop hitting, biting, or pushing other people?
The good news is, it’s really common. The bad news for you is, it’s still your child doing it and you have to deal with it.
For babies, this is a way to explore the world through cause and effect. Besides teething, babies bite to see what you’ll do. If you laugh, they might try it again to get the same reaction. If you get mad, that baby might be fascinated by your reaction, not quite understanding facial reactions and meaning.
For toddlers, they may have seen other children do it. They might do it because they’re angry, upset, hurt or excited and don’t have the means to express it differently.
Both babies and toddlers could be pushing, biting or hitting because they feel overwhelmed, bored, overtired or hungry.
No matter why your child is doing it, it can be frustrating and embarrassing for parents. But know that it’s not about you. It’s not your failure as a parent. When we think our child’s behaviour with us is a reflection on ourselves, we bring a lot of baggage with our response.
Now’s the time to manage it calmly.
“I like to explain to parents that these kinds of behaviours aren’t usually appropriate, but are age-appropriate and can come from a place of frustration in children,’ says Claire, an educator at our Nerang Campus.
“Biting is common around the age where children are beginning to learn how to talk and can’t quite get the words out and are frustrated.”
It is important to ensure when you are guiding a child’s behaviour to label the behaviour and not the child, Claire says. Telling them they’re being bad or naughty isn’t effective, and it isn’t likely to change the behaviour. Remember, every child is good. They are learning everything, including regulating and dealing with emotions and impulse control.
Claire also recommends not projecting your own feelings about your child’s negative behaviour. For example, try not to make statements like ‘Stop it, you’re making Mummy sad’ or ‘Look what you did!’ Try to remember that your child is learning empathy, so putting shame or guilt on their actions won’t fix the negative actions.
So how do you respond?
Stay calm. Your emotions can set the tone for how to bring down a heightened moment. By yelling or immediately punishing, you’re giving that undesirable behaviour attention. It’s also modelling explosive reactions, like what you as a parent are trying to adjust.
A calm, firm response could look like ‘Hitting/Biting/Pushing is never OK. I won’t let you hurt your brother.’ If the behaviour continues, a follow-up ‘I’ll move your brother over here to keep everyone safe.’
This sets and actions the boundary for behaviour. Once everyone is calmed down, that’s a better opportunity to teach coping skills, according to Sarah, an educator in our Senior Kindy studio from Deception Bay.
“Calm approach, sometimes for the older children, they need that time to themselves let them have their rage in a safe way, of course. There is no point in trying to get them to calm down when they are in the state they are in. It’s best to wait and then talk to them once they are ready,” she says.
If you feel your child is old enough to have a conversation about what happened, you could follow with, ‘You seem to have a hard time not pushing, I wonder why that is?’ If they tell you what/who is bothering them, you could tell/make up a similar story and tell them how you handled it. By modelling a response to a negative feeling, parents can help children understand and regulate their emotions.
Brooke, a Schoolies educator also at our Deception Bay campus also suggests asking the child what they need in that time can help.
“Every child is different and an approach that will work with one might not necessarily work for another or might not work every time which makes things difficult,” Brooke says. “I feel like asking the children what they need in that time is a big thing in diffusing a situation, because some children could want the space, where others may need a hug to feel safe and secure.”
Hayley, an educator also at Deception Bay in our toddler studio, agrees how the situation is dealt with is not a one-size-fits-all approach.
“I would say it would depend on the situation, age group and other factors,” Hayley says. “If it’s a child that’s not going to stop, I would then definitely redirect either to a different activity or to someone that they feel more comfortable with. For example, say it’s a child from the Senior Kindy room who’s just moved up to the Kindergarten room, you could ask them, ‘hey would you like to go see (previous educator)?’ if they say yes, it removes them from the situation, and it’s the child’s choice too.”
“I also like to give them a choice when redirecting so, ‘hey I know you’re frustrated, would you like to go run outside or do you want to do some painting?”
Some experts also recommend trying to fight the impulse to force your child to apologise. Children need to focus on learning to regulate those emotions, if you’re asking more of the child by forcing an apology, it’s likely to make them more frustrated or ashamed, and they won’t do what you’re asking, and certainly won’t feel like they’re being seen. They will learn apologies in time, but we don’t want them to think ‘when I’m sad I should say sorry’ but rather ‘when I’m sad I should think about what made me sad, take deep breaths, count to 10.’
However, it’s still important for your child to understand that other people have feelings too, so you could say, rather than forcing an apology, ‘Let’s see how we can make him feel better.” By involving your child in the resolution rather than ordering them to do something, you’ll likely see better results.
“Praise your children when they are doing something positive, even on the days it feels like all they have done is bite or hit,” Claire adds. “Soon enough they will be chasing the positive reinforcement and be replacing the negative behaviours with more positives.”
Guiding positive behaviour is a goal of Little Scholars by creating a safe environment for the children within our studios.
“This is guided by John Bowlby’s attachment theory,” explains Chloe, an educational lead at our Redland Bay South campus. Bowlby believed that the earliest bonds formed by children with their caregivers have a tremendous impact that continues throughout life.
“Every morning upon arrival, we create a warm welcome space for the children to be dropped off to. Once the children feel a sense of belonging within their learning environment, they are able to venture off and participate in the day’s learning.
“Respect and care are important parts of our day-to-day curriculum and is embedded in our learning by educating the children on their emotions identifying how they feel through use of conversation and cues, and guiding them in strategies that can assist with the way they are feeling,” she continues. “With these embedded practices, it helps to eliminate those rough behaviours.”
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Everyone knows or has a fussy eater. Whether it’s a two-year-old who won’t try new foods, a 10-year-old who is stuck on plain pasta or a ‘whitearian’ who only eats shades of beige, feeding children can become a real struggle. A period of fussiness is a normal part of a toddler’s development and is a sign that they are becoming more independent, but left unchecked, fussy eating can take over mealtimes making them stressful and unenjoyable for everyone.
Most fussy eating is behavioural, but it is important to check that there aren’t other reasons for your child’s fussiness. A really easy way to do this is to think about whether your child is fussy across different environments. For example, if they won’t eat this and that at home, but they will eat it at daycare, it’s a good indication that their fussiness is behavioural. Often, when a child is taken out of their usual environment, given a routine that they are expected to follow, and sit with other children, they will eat things that parents never thought possible. Are you struggling with a fussy eater? Contact our Little Scholars Day Care Centre to learn how we combat fussy eating during daycare.
Well firstly, the most important step no matter what the origin, is to take the pressure off. Although this may feel like a leap of faith, you won’t get anywhere while mealtimes are fraught with tension. Make sure that there are one or two foods you know your child will eat at each meal, but for the rest of the meal – make it something that you enjoy. The best way to get your child interested in a new food is to sit at the table with them and enjoy it yourself.
It can also help to let them know what is expected. For example, the mealtime routine might be to wash hands, come and sit at the table, stay at the table until the meal is finished, take the plate to the bench, leave the table and wash hands. This is exactly what happens at daycare and is an example of how routines work. It is important not to drag it out – a reasonable amount of time to expect your child to sit at the table is about 20- 25 minutes, beyond this, it gets really tiring for them and they won’t likely eat a lot more with extra time.
You can also help your child become a little more adventurous by breaking it down into manageable steps. Making small changes to their favourite foods such as cutting them differently, making them slightly crunchier, or changing the colour (eg. beetroot hummus) is a good place to start.
Interested in Child Care that assists with fussy eating and other areas of concern? Contact us today or book a campus tour.
AUTHOR: JACQUI PALMER, PAEDIATRIC DIETITIAN FROM MY NUTRITION CLINIC
Jacqui is paediatric dietitian who would like all children to have the opportunity to become ‘good eaters’ with the right support and guidance. Jacqui teaches parents and children these daily habits and strategies through her Fussy Eaters Therapy program. Jacqui welcomes children with sensory and developmental issues such as Autism to join the program.
Have you heard the term ‘frustration tolerance’ before? If you have a small child or work with them, you certainly know all about children struggling with frustrating emotions. Frustration tolerance is the ability to work through a problem, breathe, and figure out a solution.
You see your child trying out a task and not be able to get it to work the way they want to. They get frustrated and ask for help. You oblige because you just hate to see them mad at themselves.
When you see a baby getting frustrated and crying, you want to jump to her rescue and give her that item she’s trying to reach for. When your toddler is working to solve a puzzle, we want the child to get it done and get it done right on the first go. If not, we jump in to fix it for them.
But what is the underlying message we are giving the child every time we do a task for them?
‘I can do it for you, faster than you can, more efficiently than you can.’
How do they learn to do something on their own if they always have help? How do they have a sense of accomplishment if they never go through the trial-and-error process while learning to do something.
The next time the child struggles with something, they’ll just get you to do it for them. That frustration tolerance will dissipate, and they won’t struggle to get to an answer. They will look for instant gratification, instant solutions and that doesn’t come easily and quickly, they won’t mind quitting.
How does that baby learn to move her body to get that item closer to her if you’ll just pass it to her? How does always doing something for your toddler help him when he gets to school and there are several children who need the educator’s attention?
So much in society is already done for us thanks to technology. We don’t need to know basic math because our devices have calculators, or we can just ask the question in the search bar. We don’t need spatial awareness or how to read maps, because Google and Apple have taken away that need. But for your children, where there’s an opportunity to learn frustration tolerance, we should give it to them.
Patience and persistence are two components we all need to deal with frustration, and a certain amount of both will help your child stick with a problem or challenge to find a solution.
At our Stapylton campus, educator Holly Medbury teaches Senior Kindy, where there’s a lot of focus on independence, self-help skills, regulating and becoming aware of emotions, and providing risky and challenging experiences for the children to enable critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
There’s a yard at Stapylton called ‘The Natural Yard’ which has a cubby house, two large tunnels, and a musical xylophone wall. It’s mostly just surrounded by beautiful nature, just for a change where they can explore their imagination.
“With the two tunnels we encourage two children at a time to climb up the tunnel and sit up the top, which is a big achievement,” Holly says. “This is a challenging/risky play task that we enforce and provide lots of praise, encouragement, strategies if they are struggling to climb up.
Here are some of Holly’s encouraging words she provides with experiences like this:
“You are doing so well! I can see it looks quite tricky, how else do you think you can get up there?”
“Have a look around you and see if there is anything that can help you.”
“You’re doing your best and I’m so proud of you! Maybe you could use your knees going up the tunnel, as I can see there is room for your knees which might make it easier?”
By teaching our children that we can try again and that it’s okay to not get it right away takes some modelling from a parent and educator perspective. By adults modelling frustration in tasks and trying again in front of our children, by saying, “Oh no! It’s not working for me. Let me try again,’ normalises frustration tolerance and tells them that they can try again too. Children with greater frustration tolerance have been shown to grow up to be happier and more successful.
So how do we teach children to be more patient and persistent when it comes to tasks?
Learning patience
It’s never too late to encourage your child to try more, do more for themselves, which in turn builds their self-confidence, trust in their own abilities, and sense of self-efficacy.
As another year draws to a close, and we look forward to spending time relaxing and with people we love, we decided to ask our staff what some of their favourite traditions around the holidays are. Who knows, it might inspire some new holiday traditions for you!
“Every Christmas, we love to go camping at Tipplers on the boat and do Christmas Day swimming, eating, being merry and playing beach cricket as a family” – Renee, Campus Manager of Little Scholars Nerang.
“Each Christmas, we love to go down to my parents’ house in Tweed and spend time at as a family at Kingscliff beach after Christmas lunch.” – Carly, Campus Manager of Little Scholars Redland Bay South.
“Our family enjoys a special Christmas Eve dinner, then have an evening of watching The Polar Express every year!” Taylor, Campus Manager of Little Scholars Yatala.
“All the houses on our street (cul-de-sac) decorate the front of their houses and front gardens with Christmas lights. Every night in December all the children and families go out the front to play, talk (and drink) and look at the lights. We have lots of other people also visit our street. The kids love it!” Melanie Excell, Operations Manager of Little Scholars.
“Each December my circle & I organise a date for “Friendmas” prior to Christmas Day. Both Christmas and Friendmas is spent out in the sunshine either by the pool or at the beach. We love to end the year being surrounded by the people we adore and love!” – Sam Schmidt, Assistant Campus Manager of Little Scholars Burleigh.
“My Christmas traditions are always around food, my mum is Dutch/Indonesian, so our typical Christmas treats aren’t rum balls or White Christmas. Our favourites to bake/cook are spekkoek (cake), speculaas (biscuits) and soto ayam (soup) are our faves!” Samantha, Campus Manager of Little Scholars Ormeau.
“One of my favourite traditions stemming back from when I was little in Canada, was making gingerbread cookies and decorating them with my Nana, little sister, my dad and my aunt. Now, we head over to my husband’s family home and spend an afternoon making cookies and decorating with his nieces and nephews. This year will be the first year our toddler can help!” Christina, Social Media and Marketing, Little Scholars.
“My sister makes a Christmas event calendar for friends and family to participate in over December. For example last night she did Christmas trivia. Also, we usually go and get a Christmas photo together, my siblings and me.” – Alice, Campus Manager of Little Scholars Burleigh.
“Our perfect Christmas Holiday activity is to grab a blanket and head down to the Broadwater and watch the sun set. We love taking the fur babies, grabbing some freshly cooked fish and chips and hanging out with friends for the afternoon. Definitely fills our cups.” Andrew, Executive Director, Little Scholars.
“We always watch “Carols in the Domain” together with candles and sing along to the Christmas carols – whenever this is on. We would always go to our local carols by candlelight as well. We also always put aside one night everyone is free to go and spend a few hours looking at Christmas lights in the area.” – Jaimie-Lee, Enrolments Officer, Little Scholars.
Little Scholars wishes you a happy, healthy holiday filled with love and memories to last for years to come.
Super delicious and super healthy. Perfect to freeze. Here is one of our yummy morning tea items from our Summer Menu at Little Scholars. We wanted to share the recipe so you can try it at home. These are super tasty and packed full of healthy goodies.
Super simple to make and the little ones will love it. Here is one of our scrumptious lunches from our Summer Menu at Little Scholars. We wanted to share the recipe so you can try it at home. It’s a great interactive dish that will see the children eating vegetables so easily.
So, the questions that pop up often for a parent when their little ones are in their last year of kindergarten is; is my child ready for school, or what do I need to do to make sure my child is equipped for their transition to school? These are all totally normal thoughts to have as a parent, but we can happily reassure you that at Little Scholars, we offer an extensive Transition to School Program that will give your child the life skills they need and confidence to have a successful transition to big school!
What we believe makes a successful transition to school is our Little Scholars School of Early Learning service and educators working in collaboration with local schools and our community to make sure we are assisting children and families with this transition. Our Transition to School Program is based on the National Early Years Learning Framework and Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guidelines, as well as we have wonderful early childhood teachers (also known as ECTs) who teach the children and support their learning and development hugely.
School readiness is about the development of the whole child – their social and emotional skills, physical skills, communication skills, and cognitive skills. For children to thrive at school, they need to learn important skills like following instructions, communicating their needs, and getting along with other children. At Little Scholars, we are truly committed to ensuring that our little scholars are supported and motivated in all aspects of their learning and development so that our children in their last year of Kindy are ready for that next stage of their lives.
Some key points involved in getting your child ready for their school transition and that make up our Transition School Program are the following:
These are all fundamental steps we teach our children in kindergarten so that they can learn a comfortable school routine and most importantly, so they can adapt to this new transition period. At Little Scholars, we want their routine to feel as normal and as exciting as possible, rather than something daunting. It is important to support the children in every way imaginable during their Transition to School program, and the most rewarding part for us is watching our little scholars go confidently into their next chapter, blossoming and becoming a positive contribution to our futures.
Our Little Scholars’ Kindergarten studios integrate some small but very useful routines for the children which assist in getting them ready for school. We bring in programs for the children that start at 8:30 am, so we encourage you and your child to arrive before this time so they can become used to big school starts!
We focus on teaching age-appropriate independent skills in the kindergarten studio – such as packing their bag, carrying their own bag, opening lunch boxes and food containers, dressing as well as emotional regulation skills.
At Little Scholars, we offer a range of stimulating extra-curricular activities that give the children a firsthand experience into the diverse range of subjects they would learn at school. These extracurriculars include our Intergenerational program, swimming, sports and fitness program, languages program, yoga, and dance programs weekly, Lab Kids’ STEM, Bush and Beach Kinder programs, and excursions and incursions.
Wondering what else you can do with your child at home to assist in preparing them for big school? We can help with this! You can help your child develop a basic awareness of numbers by helping around the house – they could set a table and count the plates, match socks from the clothing line, or measure ingredients for baking.
It is beneficial to read with your child as often as possible, and try talking to them about the story, point out new words and ask questions – this will help with their comprehension, vocabulary, and language skills.
Let’s say you have some free time in the afternoons, or even on the weekends, you can play games with your child like Snakes and Ladders or Go Fish! These simple games are great for practicing developing basic numeracy, turn-taking, sharing, waiting, and learning to cope with not winning.
Finally, encourage your child to have conversations with you – ask them questions, listen to their answers, and encourage them to talk about what they think and feel so they can express themselves with new friends and teachers.
We are extremely happy to have you with us, if at any time you feel there is more we can do, please let us know as we are here to encourage and support your child to learn and grow in a fun, exciting, and stimulating environment.
Sadly, losing a pregnancy is a heartbreak many Australian families experience at least once in their lives. In fact, up to one in five pregnancies end in miscarriage or the loss of a child. When that loss happens, emotions can range from sadness, depression, anxiety, anger, and confusion. These feelings are not only limited to the parents but the whole family.
Even as their parent, it can be hard to figure out how to talk to your children about the loss of a baby, especially as you process your own feelings about it. How that talk happens will likely depend on your child’s age, developmental level, and temperament.
Even if they hadn’t been told about the pregnancy, your child may have the sense something sad has happened. How you handle this is up to you. This may be the time where you tell them what happened, or perhaps it’s something like ‘Mummy and Daddy are feeling sad, but don’t worry, we’ll be okay and nothing we feel takes away from how much we love you.’
If your child has been told about the pregnancy, use words and concepts that they can easily understand. For example, the word miscarriage isn’t a term many young children would recognise. Additionally, toddlers and preschoolers also may not understand a phrase like pass away, so try to steer clear of euphemisms and cliches.
You may choose to explain that the baby was sick and couldn’t live outside of Mummy’s belly. Or that while your child grew strong and healthy in Mummy’s belly, you don’t know why but this baby did not. Remind your child what happened was no one’s fault, and nothing could’ve changed what happened.
Tell your child there’s no shame in showing emotion. If you get upset while talking to your child, you could explain it by saying something like ‘Mummy was crying today because she’s sad about the baby,’ or ‘Daddy was frustrated today because there was nothing he could do for the baby.’ Children are better at ‘reading the room’ than you think. They can pick up on the emotions of the grownups around them and their behavior might shift – try to be patient and understanding while they process their feelings.
Remind your children that it’s something hard that’s happened to the family, and it’s okay to feel sad, angry, confused or any other emotions they may be feeling. Sharing how you feel demonstrates healthy coping skills, a valuable life-long skill for your child. Don’t be afraid to ask your child for a hug if you need one, they may like to know they can comfort you too.
Ask your child if they have any questions about what happened, they may have lots or may not say much at all. Give your child time to process what they’ve just heard and remind them that you’re always there if they have questions later or just want to talk. Offer coping strategies if that might work, either through conversations, books to read, art, or through play.
Check-in with them after a few hours or a few days. Once they’ve had some time to sit with the news, there may be follow-up discussions to have and let them know that’s okay. Encourage them to talk about it with you or someone they trust. If you’re comfortable let your child’s educator know there’s been a loss in the family or some changes at home, this allows your child’s educator to support them and to expect changes in behaviour and will ensure they can help your child navigate their emotions while in their care.
Depending on your culture or religion, you may want to host a grief ritual following a pregnancy loss, anything from a funeral to planting a tree in the baby’s honour. Invite your child to participate.
Don’t forget to look after yourself. Take time to grieve and to heal. It can be hard when you have other family members to look after, but it’s important for the whole family that Mummy or Daddy’s mental health is looked after. Do whatever self-care means to you. Take a bath, take a walk, embrace your emotions through writing or art. Talk to your partner, a friend or family member, a professional, or someone you may know who has gone through something similar. There are groups on Facebook or even hashtags to follow on Instagram or TikTok if those are spaces that work for you.
Finally, keep in mind a child’s grief can look very different from your grief, as well as how they deal with that grief. Let your child know they’re loved, there was nothing they did or didn’t do that could have changed the outcome, and that you’re here for them in whatever way they need you to be.
We all know that the sky is blue, but many of us take this fact for granted. Have you ever wondered why the sky is blue? Well, you’re not alone! It’s a question that lots of children and adults have (and one that has left many a parent stumped…).
In this blog, we take a close look at one of the most fascinating and beautiful natural phenomena – the blue sky. Think of it as a cheat sheet for when your little one starts asking what is a difficult and somewhat scientific question! From the science behind its colour to the different ways it can change, we’ll explore the many mysteries of the sky and how it has captivated people for centuries. So why is the sky blue? How does it change colour? And is the sky the same colour everywhere in the world? Let’s find out!
Little Scholars provides an attractive and safe environment to children in South East Queensland while giving you total peace of mind while your children are in our care. Learning areas include well-equipped playrooms and landscaped outdoor spaces for maximum learning opportunities. Book a tour today if you are looking for a childcare centre in South East Queensland.
Have you ever heard of something called “Rayleigh scattering”? It’s a fancy scientific word, but it’s actually a really cool phenomenon that helps explain why the sky is blue!
Rayleigh scattering is a type of light scattering that happens when light waves hit very small particles, like the tiny particles in the Earth’s atmosphere. The Earth’s atmosphere is made up of different things, like water vapour and tiny dust particles and pollen. When sunlight hits these particles, the light is scattered, or spread out, in all directions.
What is a particle? Well, a particle is just a really, really small piece of something, like air, dust, or water. When light waves hit these particles, they can bounce off in different directions. This is called “scattering” – think of rolling a marble into a group of other marbles. They all bounce off of each other and go every which way.
Did you know that this is also similar to how blue eyes get their colour? That’s right, blue eyes don’t have any blue colour in them at all. Instead, they get their colour from the way they reflect light. Just like the sky and the ocean look blue because they reflect blue light!
So, as you can see, Rayleigh scattering is a really cool scientific phenomenon that helps explain why the sky is blue and why our eyes are blue. It’s just one of the many fascinating things about light and the world around us.
But the sky isn’t always blue! Sometimes, it can be other colours, like orange, pink, or red. This can happen at sunrise or sunset, or just when the sun is low in the sky. Depending on where the sun is in the sky its light might have to travel through more of the Earth’s atmosphere to get to us, which means it has more time to be scattered. This can make the sky look orange, pink, or red. Have you ever seen a beautiful sunrise or sunset? Those colours in the sky are caused by the same process that makes the sky blue.
The sky can also change colour because of things like clouds, pollution, and even the weather. Clouds can block the sunlight, making the sky look grey or white. Pollution can also make the sky look hazy or yellow. And different types of weather, like thunderstorms or dust storms, can change the colour of the sky too.
According to an article by National Geographic Kids, the sky was actually orange until about 2.5 billion years ago. This is because the Earth’s atmosphere was very different back then, and it was filled with a lot of methane and other gases that made the sky look orange.
But about 2.5 billion years ago, something called the “Great Oxygenation Event” happened. This was when the Earth’s atmosphere started to fill up with oxygen, which is a gas that most animals need to breathe. The oxygen in the atmosphere caused methane and other gases to disappear, and this made the sky start to look blue like it does today.
One interesting example to look at is the Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis. The Northern Lights are a beautiful light show that can be seen in the sky in the Northern Hemisphere, near the North Pole. They are caused by charged particles from the sun that enter the Earth’s atmosphere and collide with gases like oxygen and nitrogen. These collisions create colourful light displays in the sky. The Northern Lights can be different colours, like green, red, yellow, and even purple.
You can also see something similar right here in Australia! These are called the Southern Lights, or Aurora Australis, which can be seen in the sky near the South Pole in places like Tasmania. Just like the Northern Lights, the Southern Lights are caused by charged particles from the sun colliding with the Earth’s atmosphere.
So, as you can see, the sky can be different colours in different parts of the world because of the different gases and particles in the Earth’s atmosphere. But no matter where you are, the sky is always an amazing and beautiful thing to look at.
At Little Scholars, located on the Gold Coast, we prioritise creating a warm and welcoming environment for children to grow and thrive. Since opening in 2014, we have offered educational programs and activities in a fun and nurturing atmosphere, including access to a spacious outdoor play area.
Our early learning campuses are designed to be both attractive and safe, with well-equipped playrooms and landscaped outdoor areas that provide ample opportunities for learning and exploration. We aim to give parents peace of mind while their children are in our care. Book a tour today to find out more.
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!
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