Cassowary Kids Family Daycare

10/05/2022

CASSOWARY KIDS IS CLOSED FOR A PAUSE AND IS NOT TAKING ENROLMENTS.

31/01/2022

Buttons and water 💦 what a magnificent way to explore transferring urges.

25/01/2022

This post from Integrated Learning Strategies explains so perfectly why we need to ensure our babies get lots of tummy time and aren't propped into "baby containers" all the time.

THIS IS WHY WE NEED TUMMY TIME FOR OUR KIDS!
"Babies NEED tummy time! At 11 months old, this little cutie should have a nicely rounded head, developed S curves in his neck and low back, and flexible legs that move in and out of various sitting positions. But, largely due to lack of time on his tummy and OVERUSE of "baby containers" such as bouncy seats, swings, and car seat carriers that go from car to grocery store to restaurant, he has positional plagiocephaly (flat skull) a big ol' C curve in his spine preventing him from getting on hands and knees to crawl, and hips and legs so tight he can't even straighten his knees! And these are only the outwardly visible problems...too much pressure on baby's spine and vision centers of the brain from lying on their backs are detrimental to development! So....tummy time, tummy time, tummy time! Do it!"

19/01/2022

We took the opportunity while the baby was sleeping 💤 to make cupcakes 🧁. There was lots of batter tasting and team work going on and I am sure they will be nice and tasty once they are cooked

18/01/2022

Cassowary Kids has a vacancy coming up! If you have an over 2 who is looking for an awesome environment to learn, grow and be loved in then drop us a message.

05/01/2022

With the mask mandate in place and our community having so many cases of covid it has been a tough start to this year. But when a wee heart 💜 holds on to you with all her might so you must sit and cuddle her rather than put her to bed you know the universe is telling you to rest, take a breath, and focus on these babies hearts ♥️

06/12/2021

Monday means tired children! Our Mondays always need a lot of flexibility as the children often have busy and exciting weekends. There is more cuddles and often more tears as weary little people let me know their body and minds are tired. We had a play in the sprinkler to cool down, then fried rice with gooey eggs and a Christmas 🎄 story before everyone got a cuddle 🥰, and tucked onto their mattress. I had barely sat down before everyone was blissfully asleep and recharging their bodies. ♥️🌈

29/11/2021

It is not only our words that are important for children. Children are in a constant state of observation! How we act & communicate is downloaded by children moment by moment. When educators do what we do with joy and pleasure it touches the heart and speaks to the soul of the child (heart school). Today we began inviting the Christmas fairies to visit our Cassowary Kids Nest,we wore our Santa hats, reindeer ears and danced to Christmas music 🎶 I was all in decked out as a reindeer sharing the joy of Christmas 🎄 with the children, present and engaged, truly being in the spirit of Christmas with them.

27/11/2021

When we threaten children to behave/comply, what is actually happening?

Kids’ brains are underdeveloped. When they’re struggling, particularly with something you’ve asked of them, they often don’t have the words to say “Can you help me?” or “I don’t know how”. They say this with their behaviour.

Yet, often we are expecting them to oblige or comply because we said so, or at this time of year, because otherwise Santa won’t bring them a present, a fun holiday event will be cancelled, the Elf on the Shelf is watching, or they’ll go on the naughty list.

The thing is, using these threats do not give a child the tools that they need to do better. And sometimes we’re expecting change that their age and stage of brain development suggests isn’t possible.

The threats do not do anything for a child but break down their connection and trust with the adult who has these expectations, and make them feel bad about themselves for not meeting them, when they literally can’t. It teaches kids that they are loved and accepted based on their outward behaviour, and that the way they behave is dictated by the rewards they receive.

Of course, a “well-behaved” child would make the festive season much easier for us, especially when we’re often under a lot of stress ourselves. However, as adults, we're the ones with the mature brains capable of emotional regulation and problem-solving (even though we won’t be able to do this 100% of the time), not our toddlers; not even our teenagers.

I understand that a simple reminder that the Elf of the Shelf is watching can quickly make a child “behave”.

But remember that a child who has been threatened and looks “well-behaved” on the outside, is likely still feeling stressed on the inside, and is trying to keep it together for the sake of pleasing others, and for the sake of Christmas. We talk about behaviour as if it were a choice - but oftentimes, it isn’t.

You’re not a bad parent if you use these threats. This is just some information based on what we now know about child development that you might like to consider.

What can you do instead? It’s the same as any other time of year. Remember that all behaviour is communication. Empathise. Connect before you correct. Reframe attention-seeking to connection-seeking. Co-regulate. I’ve covered this in many previous posts and on my blog. And yes, you can still use Elf on the Shelf without the behaviour patrol aspect!

Also, don’t forget, you’re not going to get it right 100% of the time - no one can. Doing what you can with the resources you have is enough.

18/11/2021

Our outdoor toys get pretty dirty so we all pitch in and clean 🧼 them regularly. The children love it and it shows them how important we all are in playing a role to keep our environment here at Cassowary Kids nice. There is also plenty of crossing the midline as they use their cloth and bubbles. Oh and then the hose comes out which adds a whole new element of fun learning.

18/11/2021

Carrying on from yesterday’s post about providing children with the opportunity to develop foundational skills for handwriting through play. The establishment of hand dominance is an incredibly complex brain process. We typically see the proficient use of one hand over the other for handwriting, feeding, and performing other functional activities in daily life usually emerges between 4½ and 6 years of age. While it may be tempting to help a young child “decide” which hand will be the dominant mover and which hand will be the nondominant stabilizer, research strongly supports a facilitative role for educators and parents. Encourage children’s use of hands in play and daily activities where two hands are performing different jobs in order to develop hand dominance. Presenting resources and one-handed activities or implements at the midline allows young children to use the preferred hand to grasp and use the object spontaneously, which reinforces hand dominance.