30/11/2020
Croydon Park: I arrived this morning just as the children commenced their morning tea. The National Quality Frameworks outlines standard such as âensure that the interactions, experiences, routines and events included in the educational program maximise opportunities for childrenâs learningâ.
The NQS also outlines standards to maximise and enhance each childâs learning and to also do this within their routines (Element 1.1.3 Program learning opportunities: All aspects of the program, including routines, are organised in ways that maximise opportunities for each childâs learning).
Routines are a valuable part of the day. Itâs NOT just about learning to wash your hands, eating good food and why, sleeping/resting for good health, learning through play and learning through intentional teaching. We can do more. We can jam pack MORE in a 10.5 hour day. Thatâs why we are exhausted at the end of the day and your childâs brain is overloaded with information communicated to them in those hours.
Today we discussed the weekend. Eleanor said that her Nan told her that Jesus is Godâs son and that Christmas is about kindness. âWhat is Kindness?â asked Miss Maria. Eleanor added, âWe donât smack. Itâs not very nice and makes you feel sadâ. She also added, âbut sometimes like (name of child withheld) smacks but she doesnât understandâ. Eleanor meant that she does not judge those that developmentally do not understand. Miss Maria said, âOften we judge people, and like you said as your Educators have explained many times (childâs name withheld) doesnât do it on purpose but we must be kind all the timeâ.
This sparked a deep conversation as we enjoyed our morning tea. âWhat does Christmas mean to you and your family?â We all had turns. Some answers are:
It means family.
It means happiness.
It means lots of food.
It means swimming.
It means holidays.
It means we pray lots.
It means love.
It means giving and getting gifts.
Miss Maria then read, âFair Dinkum Aussie Christmasâ. It was so funny and so was Miss Mariaâs BAD singing. Some of the words:
âOn the first day of Christmas a swagman at the gate said, Have a ripper Aussie Christmas, mate! Deck the shed with bits of wattle and get set to join Bucko and Champs for a corker of an Aussie Christmas singalong! It's a swag full of classics that have become part of every Aussie Christmas, including 'He's the Aussie Santa', 'Australians Let Us Barbecue' and the brand new song 'Fair Dinkum Twelve Days of Aussie Christmas'.
Back to our discussion about what Christmas really means to you and your family.
After another discussion we then illustrated our very own interpretation of what Christmas means to you and your family.
Miss Maria was talking to the children as we illustrated our Christmas meaning. âKindness is an important tool that we should instil in all. It should be a habit. Kindness comes from the heart and promotes happiness in all.
It is all about acceptance, diversity and love. This is done by taking opportunities to perform acts of kindness towards others.
Ashna totally blew us away this morning with her illustration. âWhat does it mean to you and who are these two in your drawing?â asked Miss Maria.
GET THE TISSUES READY FOR THIS!
âThis is me and this is my friend Ahana.
She is sad. She has no food.
She has no new clothes.
She doesnât even have nice things.
Iâm trying to cheer her up with some beautiful flowers and clothes.
I get photos and letters from her and I send her toys.
The Educators just stood in awe. We assumed that Ashnaâs family sponsor a child.
The Educators had a discussion earlier in the day about next years program. About the weekend bear each child would take home so we can have an insight into their interests outside of the service. We do this for the first half of the year.
After todayâs discussion we will be putting a twist on the weekend bear experience. We will introduce âKENNY KINDNESSâ. He will take it in turns to spend the weekend with you where he will witness your family doing a random act of kindness.
Here is a list of acts of kindness that children can complete.
⢠Hold the door open for someone.
⢠Do a chore for someone without them knowing.
⢠Tell a joke.
⢠Feed the birds.
⢠Leave happy for friends and family.
⢠Put a small bin in your car to collect recycling.
⢠Call your grandparents and ask them about their day.
⢠Pick up litter.
⢠Let someone go ahead of you in line.
⢠Compliment a friend.
⢠Write a thank-you note to your parents/teacher.
⢠Plant something.
⢠Bake dessert for a friend.
⢠Bury treasure at the playground.
⢠Set the table for dinner.
⢠Leave bubbles on a neighbours doorstep.
⢠Tell someone why they are special to you.
⢠Donate outgrown clothes and toys.
⢠Pass out stickers to kids waiting in line.
⢠Talk to someone new in class.
⢠Make a new friend.
⢠Write chalk messages on the sidewalk.
⢠Donate food to the food pantry.
⢠Bring flowers to your teacher.
⢠Call a friend you havenât seen in awhile to say hello.
⢠Read a book to someone.
⢠Donate a book to a doctorâs office waiting room.
⢠Tell someone how much you love them.
⢠Say hello to everyone you see.
⢠Make someone elseâs bed.
⢠Hold the door open for someone.
⢠Wave at kids on school buses.
⢠Sing songs at a nursing home.
⢠Invite someone to play on the playground.
⢠Donate a toy to Toys for Tots.
⢠Turn off the water while brushing your teeth.
⢠Fill a kindness jar with candy for another family.
⢠Make a busy bag for a family with young children.
⢠Bring cookies to your friends.
⢠Help make dinner.
⢠Make a get well card for someone.
⢠Take care of someoneâs pet while theyâre away.
⢠Share a special toy with a friend.
⢠Clean up your room without being asked.
⢠Tape a video message for faraway friends.
⢠Leave kindness stones at the park.
⢠Buy extra school supplies for teachers.
⢠Teach someone something new.
⢠Reuse paper when you are drawing.
⢠Give someone a hug coupon.
⢠Donate colouring books and crayons to the childrenâs hospital.
⢠Write a poem for a friend.
⢠Ask for donations instead of birthday gifts.
⢠Collect books for the library.
⢠Adopt an animal online.
⢠Make a homemade gift for someone.
⢠Clean up your toys without being asked...
⢠Give high fives to a friend.
⢠Make playdough for your class.
⢠Send a postcard to a friend.
⢠Smile at everybody. Itâs contagious.
⢠Say something nice to someone
⢠Decorate kindness rocks
⢠Share
⢠Tell your siblings how special they are.
⢠Say thank you to your parents.
⢠Hug your teachers.
⢠Help a friend up when they fall.
⢠Give a cuddle when someone is crying.
We can wait to introduce this in 2021.
Thank you to Eleanor for sparking this!
This week we will read âThe judgemental flowerâ each day to lead important discussions on tolerance, acceptance, prejudice, and racism to help children develop emotional intelligence skills in learning to accept and value differences in others