Next Steps Kindy - Everton Park

Our Kindy children were excited to welcome Claudine from Reptile Adventures and her wonderful reptiles and amphibians for a hands-on wildlife experience.

The children met a fascinating range of animals, including a green tree frog, saltwater crocodile, shingleback skink, river turtle, python and bearded dragon.

Claudine shared interesting facts about each animal, teaching the children about their habitats, unique features and how they protect themselves in the wild.

Most of the children gently patted the reptiles and explored their different textures. Following the visit, the children reflected on the experience by painting their favourite reptile and sharing what they had learnt.

At the end of May, we celebrated National Reconciliation Week which is a significant time to honour and respect all cultures.

This year, we focused on kindness through various activities, including reading books, showing acts of kindness in our community , making lemon myrtle playdough, making wattle seed biscuits and more.

We were blessed to have Mrs. Mac, a proud Aboriginal woman from Kunindiri/Wambaya in the Northern Territory share insights into their cultures and family.

Additionally, Josh, a proud Torres Strait Islander descendant from Poruma Island within the Kulkalgal Nation, visited to teach us dance moves accompanied by a song about a grandfather fishing, enriching our understanding of his heritage.

Some of our team attended the National Sorry Day Ceremony where we presented a wreath of painted gum leaves handmade by the children.

We also made lemon Myrtle play dough and delivered it to Nexus Care for other children and families to enjoy. The children were excited to share something they had made and experienced the joy of giving to others.

In reflecting on our experiences, we are reminded of the words from Psalm 133:3 “Where there is unity, God commands a blessing” and 1 Corinthians 13:6–7 “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

Let us carry these values in our hearts and actions, fostering an environment where love and respect for all cultures to thrive.

This term, Kindy has been exploring the beautiful message that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” from Psalm 139:14.

Through reading Made by God by Tony Evan’s, meaningful discussions and creating self-portraits using mirror and crayons, the children reflected on their own unique features and celebrated their similarities and differences.

We have loved seeing the children embrace and celebrate the uniqueness God has given each of them!

“Her children rise up and call her blessed.”
Proverbs 31:28 🤍

Last week, we loved celebrating the amazing mums in our Kindy community at our Mother’s Nights! From Paint & Sip fun and Westfield-inspired shopping experiences to “You Are My Sunshine” sunflower celebrations and Mum’s Favourite Things display, each classroom was filled with love, joy, and special memories.

Some classes also enjoyed reading A Mumma’s Heart — a beautiful story reminding children that a Mumma’s heart is always with them.

We feel so blessed by the wonderful mums in our community and loved celebrating each one of you. Happy Mother’s Day! 💐

We would love to invite you to our Kindy Open Day!

🗓️ 30th May, Saturday
⏰ From 9-11am
☀️ RSVP here: https://forms.gle/epYUjTuaoAhxT77v5

This is your chance to join us for a play, explore our Kindy environment, meet new families and our friendly team.

We hope to see you there!

We loved celebrating with our Kindy families at our Easter Picnic - coming together as a community and reflecting on the true meaning of Easter - Jesus, the story of his death and resurrection.

Through sensory play, our Flourishing Hearts Program, devotions and meaningful conversations, the children have been learning about Jesus’ love.

We wish everyone a lovely Easter weekend!

Psalm 117:1-2 “Praise the Lord, all you nations, extol him, all you peoples. For great is His love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.”

At Kindy we celebrated Harmony Week, recognising and embracing the diverse cultures that make up our Kindy community.

The children loved sharing special parts of their culture, from bringing along meaningful items and photos to talking about their families, traditions, and cultures.

“ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

For our Flourishing hearts program, we have been focusing on understanding emotions through the bible story of the Garden of Eden.

We’ve learnt that God loves us so much; his love is constant and that he never leaves us.

Imagine spending your whole day feeling like you are standing on a moving floor or a rocking boat. For many of our three to five year olds, this is their daily reality because their vestibular system is under active. This often happens because they are getting too much screen time and not enough of the heavy active movement they need each day.

The vestibular system is an inner ear system that is supposed to be our internal GPS. It tells us our direction and our position in the world and it helps us understand our space in relation to other people and furniture. But when the vestibular system is not firing properly children feel fundamentally unsafe in their own skin. The world and their own body start to feel like one of those warped mirrors at a carnival.

This is exactly why we are seeing so much dysregulation in our rooms at the moment.

These children with undeveloped vestibular systems are not being naughty when they push or shove their peers. They are often just trying to find a physical boundary around their own body because they feel lost in space.

If we keep ignoring the need for vestibular play we are going to keep seeing children who are on edge and tripping over their own feet. They will continue to be reactive to other children coming into their personal space because they simply don't know where they end and the other child begins.

Dr Jane Williams and Tessa Grigg have shown through their research that this physical foundation is non negotiable. They explain that movement like spinning and rolling and climbing is what builds a steady internal vestibular system. Without it a child cannot focus on their play or follow instructions because their brain is too busy trying to keep them upright.

I have put together some vestibular resources on my website to help you turn this around in your room and I will put the link in the comments.

There are some free activities that are perfect for children aged 3 years to 10 years to help them feel grounded. We need to get children moving so they can finally feel safe and ready to learn so please share this post.