March 2016

www.mirambeenachildrenscentre.com.au

A message from our Director- A big thankyou to the following families who attended our working bee on Saturday: Downey, Low, Qadir, Wysel, Dove, Abbott, Kakei, Hyslop, Bach and Callachor and the following staff-Belinda, Louisa, Zai (and husband) and Kathy. Many hands make light work and it was so good to get new sand in the main sand pit, new veggie gardens installed and lots of other gardening jobs carried out. If you have administered any form of pain killers eg. panadol etc for your child before they attend the centre, please let us know. It is important that we are aware of what has occurred before drop off time as well as finding out the reason for this, just in case there is a worsening of your child’s condition. On that point, we ask that parents keep children at home if the child is unwell. Child care is no place for sick children. As well, we don't wish other children or staff to catch germs or an illness if a sick child has been sent to Mirambeena when clearly they were not well enough to attend. Sick children need the comforts of home in order to make a full recovery, either in bed or resting. With many Kookaburras’ children having a fascination for dinosaurs the group are having an excursion to the Cobb n Co museum where they will join in the ‘Little Cobbers session’ of Dinosaurs. Please ensure your permission slip is returned to the centre before Wednesday 16th March. Our lovely cook Julie is trying to raise some funds to enable her and her clever son Nick to travel to USA so that Nick can represent Australia in the World Softball championships. Being picked in the team is a wonderful achievement for Nick. Julie is currently organizing a lucky number board which is on the front easel, selling tickets at $5 each. We look forward to your support so Nick can travel. There is also a trivia night being held on Saturday 2nd April so, if trivia is your ‘forte’ please see Julie. If you don't have sufficient numbers to make a table please let us know if we can help you out. We thank those kind people who have been dropping off any produce at our community produce table at our entrance for fellow families to enjoy. I have been told the Eggplant was delicious, so thankyou to the mystery donator!! Harmony day will be held on Thursday 17th March. We are asking children to come dressed in clothing from their culture where possible and parents too please :) Staff will be dressed in different clothing and will be doing some other cultural cooking experiences with the children. Our Wednesday afternoon Tennis group is seeking more players. This is a social event, not stressful at all, so if you are interested in tennis and are free from 5.15 until 6.45 we would love to see you. Please see me for more details. For those of you who were so generous with your financial support for little Cameron at the end of last year from the Butterflies’ room, he and his mum Rita visited us recently. He has made a full recovery from his sudden stroke thanks to the attention he received during his hospitalization and the rigorous treatment afterwards. The family were extremely grateful for the financial support given to them through the Mirambeena community. Just a shame none of you were here to share the 2 huge cheesecakes Rita brought in for us!! Staff enjoyed them!! Contd page 2

We are privileged to have such kind families within our community. On helping others– one of my aspirations which I have mentioned at a working bee is to have some of our working bee volunteers help out our Mirambeena families for gardening or cleaning jobs, similar to jobs that are undertaken at the centre. If you would like some help at your home because you haven’t got the time and jobs are building up, please come and see me so we can see if we can help you out. The host family would offer refreshments for the 3 or 4 helpers and those volunteers would be covered by Mirambeena’s insurance. I look forward to hearing from someone who would like some help in this way. We are now taking bookings for the school holiday period. The activities will be up on the noticeboard as from next week. We take children up to the age of 9. Please see me if you would like your child booked in. The Butterflies’ Bush kindy experience has just begun in earnest for those attending Butterflies on Mondays. Mirambeena is the only centre in Toowoomba offering such an experience. Forest Kindies, Nature Kindies (or however the particular country wishes to refer to it) are very popular in Scandinavian countries, Germany and Scotland. Our climate here in Toowoomba makes the experience very do-able. Children worldwide have enjoyed the experience of taking risks, playing independently, using resources that nature has to offer, building their survival skills, developing resilience, knowing their own capabilities and developing self confidence. In a society that appears to becoming more risk averse, where we tend to wrap children in cotton wool, where children spend so much time indoors and lots of time in front of a TV or computer, having children playing in the bush will stand them in good stead for making real life choices concerning risks when they are older. The children have been preparing for their bush kindy by having had time playing out in the beyond (the area outside our fence). They know the expectations for playing safe and have developed and gained a sense of trust when they are given the freedom of space in the wild. So, unlike in Canada where they undergo risk assessments for bears, a benefit risk assessment has been undertaken to ensure the area at Preston where we are going is as safe as necessary. Whilst we don't have crocs, or bears to contend with, the children will be dressed appropriately with their closed in shoes and long pants just in case they come across snakes, scorpions and spiders. Educators and children know the method of applying a compressed bandage should someone get bitten by a snake. Currently this experience is being offered in the Butterflies’ room with the Monday children participating; just to begin with. It is anticipated that every Butterfly child will get the chance to play in the bush. At the moment it is for children attending Mondays, then it might be the Wednesday and then it will be another day so every child will have the opportunity to join in this experience. There is so much evidence which indicates the huge learning opportunities that nature can provide. Of course hiring the mini bus to transport the children to the area plus the extra staffing that need to be employed, all costs money. Therefore we are hoping parents will support us with the fundraising activities. These will be run with the idea of raising sufficient funds to cover our bush kindy expenses so we can offer this experience to families without any cost to you. The Butterflies’ room have been raising money and have organized activities to be held in the future in order to get sufficient funds together to cover bush kindy expenses. Zai’s curry has been on sale and a picture product activity will be held soon, along with having a stall on 16th April at the Multicultural Food Festival. We hope families will support such activities in order to raise sufficient funds so that our weekly bush kindy activity during school terms can be offered at no cost to families. We thank you in advance for your support. Eventually my vision is to extend the bush experience to other rooms, beginning with the Kookaburras if we can. I came upon the following articles and thought it would be of interest to you so please check it outhttp://www.sbs.com.au/news/dateline/article/2016/02/23/comment-its-important-children-learn-be-cold-wet-and-survive

The Butterflies are looking for a pot belly stove which they are intending to put in the barn at the bush setting. This will not only keep the children warm on the cold winter days but also enable some cooking of stews etc to take place to warm those tummies as well. Do you have a pot belly stove that you could either donate or sell to us please? That’s all from me, until next time, Lyn

Hello from the Gumnuts’ room. Time is flying very fast! March has approached already and what beautiful weather we are having. The children are all settling well into the routine and are getting to know each other. So we are having lots of fun!!

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The children have been exploring a variety of activities over the past few weeks. The most enjoyable activities have been outdoor ones, particularly the monkey bars slide and sandpit play. Children really like to go up on the steps from one end and then swing on the monkey bars to go down; Then climb up again and slide down on the slide from other end. While going up and down on the monkey bars children have learnt the words “going up” and “coming down”. The sandpit is another centre of attraction where children enjoy playing with the containers, scoops, plates and cups. They use containers and cups to fill up with sand and create different sand castles and perform dramatic play with them. During these activities they add some words of their vocabulary such as “big”, “small”, “full” and “empty”. During this month we have welcomed Edward, Evelyn and their families in the Gumnuts’ room. We hope they will have a really great time with us. Please note there is a folder (portfolio) for each child displayed next to the parent’s pocket. We have a partnership between children, parents and staff to make this folder complete. We will add some children’s photos, learning stories and art works throughout the year on each child’s folder. We highly appreciate some input from parents such as photos of family events, celebration or parties, and holidays, or drawing and painting etc. Just a reminder, the weather is getting cooler so please pack some long sleeve clothes or warmer clothes for our autumn days. Thanks Saru, Yan and Kabari

News from the Possums’ room. Hi to all our Possum Families and welcome to our new families, Our Possums have all settle d extremely well and are having a great time. Especially now that we are able to get outside again into our Playground after such a long time. The snake netting is all up and we feel much safer now! We have been doing a lot of gardening .The Possums have all helped with planting some vegetables and colourful plants. We all take turns in watering the garden and we are starting to see everything grow day by day. The POSSUMS are all familiar with the routine of the day which is giving them a sense of Belonging………. We have three Group Times a day and this is when we have discussions on different topics. We have been focusing on good listening .This is a hard one for this age group …but we are getting there ! Trying to use our words to communicate is our focus at the moment…the children are responding well to these discussions. All part of Sharing and Caring with our Friends. I would like to encourage parents to take your child’s PORTFOLIO BOOK home and add a special picture or bit of news in it so that your child can share this information at GROUP TIME with their friends. It can be as simple as helping in the house to a fabulous holiday or having dinner at Grandmas ……ANYTHING!!

This is a fabulous way for the children to extend their vocabulary. We have been experimenting with different textured painting techniques and enjoying the different effects we are creating… Doris is a great Music and Drama educator so we have been learning lots of new songs and lots of new dance moves…..so much fun.. I’m thinking the weather may start to change and get a little cooler soon so please pack a variety of light weight clothes in your Possums bag and PLEASE! PLEASE ! label their clothes including their socks and shoes, as it can be a headache for us at times.. Remember if there is anything you would like to discuss please feel free to do so . Cheers from Heather Punitha and Doris..

Kookaburras’ News What a busy start to the year we have had. It is hard to believe we have almost reached the end of our first term. We have been forming relationships with the children that are new to our room, as well as reconnecting with those who have been with us before. We have been establishing routines and expectations and fostering a sense of ‘community’. In the Kookaburra room, we believe that play is the medium that naturally connects children and encourages social skills such as: sharing ideas with others listening to and considering the ideas of others sharing space and materials working alongside and moving towards working together with others on a common idea/goal Each day play is encouraged, extended and supported in the Kookaburra room. Play as a context provides children with ...... time, space and resources to develop their sense of belonging within our kindy group. Through play, children are able to interact with others, allowing them to voice their own ideas and to also listen to the ideas of others. Play gives children countless opportunities to share ideas, negotiate roles, solve problems and simply enjoy being part of a "group". Our interests over the last few weeks have focussed on a number of areas. Many children have been involved in ‘small world play’ – particularly with the Australian animals. This interest has led to the investigation of types of Australian animals, the environments in which they live and how we can protect them from becoming extinct. We have discovered new terms such as ‘nocturnal’, ‘camouflage’, ‘endangered’ and ‘extinction’. Together we have investigated our impact on the animals’ environment and how we can protect them. We have looked at ways we can ensure our rubbish doesn’t make its way into the ocean and waterways. In the coming weeks, we will explore further how we can care for our animals through protecting their environment. This term, the children have enjoyed many different cooking experiences with Barbie. Cooking is a wonderful activity that can develop many different skills. Cooking inspires children’s curiosity, thinking, and problem solving, offering new opportunities to make predictions and observations. Additionally, cooking offers authentic opportunities for children to understand and apply their

knowledge of measuring, one-to-one correspondence, numbers, and counting. As they follow a recipe, children organise ingredients, follow a sequence, and carry out multiple directions. Over the weekend, some wonderful parents (and children) helped to build two vegetable gardens in our outdoor area which we will be planting out over the next few weeks. We are hoping to make this a ‘community project’ in which all children at Mirambeena can be involved in the planting, watering, harvesting and eating of our produce. We are looking forward to exploring in more depth, the concept of sustainability, with the children. As part of our endeavour to recycle, we are also hoping to create a vertical garden using a wooden pallet, in the next few weeks. This will also be a project undertaken with the children’s involvement and input. We are looking for volunteers who would be interested in creating ‘cardboard bricks’ using old boxes, for the children to use in their play. Please see staff if you can help us with this endeavour. If you have any questions, queries or concerns regarding your child or our program, please do not hesitate to see us. Kathy, Barbie, Cathy, Louisa and Beth

News from the Butterflies The Butterflies have been discussing the back garden bed and working out things to plant there. We short-listed some of the plants that were suitable for planting at this time of year and over the coming weeks as each bed is complete we will go through our list and determine what we will plant. The children are very keen to have a banana tree as that is one of the popular fruits that we serve at mealtime. I hope the children’s enthusiasm continues with the garden and that we will be able to utilise that interest to support the development of deeper knowledge of plants and their needs. Children are encouraged to share any gardening experiences they have from home and we hope that for some, that the garden may be a way to develop bridges between the two settings. Our visits to the field behind the centre, ‘the beyond’ are now referred to as ‘meandering’ or ‘foraging’ depending on our aim. When meandering children now know that we will walk slowly and quietly, looking down then up to see what’s around us on our way. When foraging, children, once again walk slowly and quietly, seeking natural materials of interest to them and ideas about where it came from. Children collect things that they wish to utilise or that they can use to talk to the class about. Since introducing this strategy we have been amazed at the things children have seen such as dandelion flower, different shaped bark, gumnuts, varieties of grass, feathers as well as things that are not supposed to be there such as plastic containers and drink cans. Children describe things they find such as a pinecone as sharp like dinosaur skin or a cloud looks dark because it holds water that will turn to rain and disappear into the ground for the plants to grow. We collect things the children are interested in and take them back to the centre to use in play. Our first bush kindy day happened on Monday 7th March and we all had so many great wonderful moments to share. When I opened the barn one word that I heard from one of the children was ‘wow…amazing’ and before leaving some of them said, ‘Can we stay here’. For morning tea the children preferred to eat whole apples, cut their own carrot into halves, eat whole bananas from the skin. The orange quarters were identified by one child as able to come together to make a whole. Uninterrupted play allowed the children to decide when to eat lunch which was around 1.30 in response to the recognition that they were hungry. After lunch the children continued to play until it was time to get on the bus and head for the Centre. We would like to welcome Sebastian as the new afternoon group leader in the Butterflies room. Sebastian is currently studying Early Childhood at USQ and is very enthusiastic to collaborate with the morning staff to provide a seamless transition across the day for children. Please introduce yourself to him and feel comfortable to ask questions if you have any concern or would like to know about your child’s day. Our regular reunion with the previous years Butterflies is fast approaching and will occur on the 23 rd of March. We look forward to seeing our previous students visit once again and catch up with how their first year at school is going. Thank you, Zai, Sepi, Belinda and Sebastian

Photos from our bush kindy

Up the slope towards the barn

Running up the slope

Then sliding down on boxes!

Our meeting place near the barn– the children suggested we made a campfire for a future idea

Exploring under the privet Negotiating lots of undergrowth, finding places to hide, foraging for items and discussing whether the safety aspects of playing on the log

A limb was the perfect balancing beam

Dates for your calendar: Wednesday 16th March—Kookaburras excursion to Cobb n Co museum Thursday 17th March– Harmony Day Wednesday 23rd March-Kindy reunion for our 2015 kindy children Friday 25th March– Good Friday– Centre closed Monday 28th March– Easter Monday-Centre closed

Don’t forget to add comments to our Facebook page. We are regularly trying to add new photos to this as well as to our own website page. We love seeing not only those who like us but especially those people who add comments !! Our facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/mirambeena and our website is http://www.mirambeenachildrenscentre.com.au/ A reminder to those who haven’t updated their immunisation record

A recent review of our records indicates that immunisation evidence for children attending needs to be updated. Also, we have been advised by C&K that approved documentary evidence is required to prove a child’s immunisation status and that our service must keep a copy of this evidence on file. Section 160A of the Public Health Act 2015 defines this statement as being: An official record issued by the Australia Childhood Immunisation Register (ACIR) or A letter from a recognised immunisation provider (e.g. a General Practitioner or recognised immunisation nurse). A statement from a recognised immunisation provider will need to clearly indicate whether the child’s immunisation status is up to date or not up to date as per the National Immunisation Program Schedule (Queensland). An up to date status includes cases where a child is on a recognised catch-up schedule or has a documented medical exemption. The Red Book (Queensland Health) or other state-based Personal Health Record is not recognised as an official record of a child’s immunisation status and is not an acceptable from of proof of vaccination. If a child’s immunisation status is unknown or the parent/guardian cannot provide approved documentary evidence (as details above), the child’s immunisation status will be considered as ‘not vaccinated’ (Section 160D of the Public Health Act 2005). Parents/guardians can obtain an immunisation history statement from ACIR for the child, free of charge, at any time: Through Medicare Online Services Through the Medicare Express App, available for download from Google Play and iTunes store By emailing [email protected] supplying the child’s full name, date of birth and Medicare number By calling the ACIR on 1800 653 809 In person at a local Medicare Service Centre PARENTS/GUARDIANS – As most of our immunization records are copies of the Red Book, we would now ask you to provide a copy of either an official record issued by the ACIR or a letter from a recognised immunisation provider as outlined above. We need to receive these as soon as possible.

Lyn will be away on holidays from 7th April until 1st May, ably replaced on Mondays and Wednesdays by Kathy. Kathy will also work in the Kookaburras room as per her usual duties on Thursdays and Fridays. Does anyone have ready access to large boulders as well a front end loader to bring them to the centre for another way to encapsulate extra natural resources into our setting ? Please see Lyn

Dental Care with children and dummies Sucking a dummy can help relax and settle babies but many parents are concerned about the effect of a dummy on their child’s teeth and mouth. Most oral health professionals will tell parents not to be worried about the effects of dummy or thumb and finger sucking while the child still has their baby teeth. However, a child’s teeth and the shape of their mouth may be affected if this behaviour continues when the permanent teeth begin to come through, at around six or seven years of age. Never put anything sweet on a dummy as this can cause severe tooth decay very quickly.

Problems caused by dummies Long-term dummy use may lead to:

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Incorrect positioning of teeth – upper teeth may be pushed more forward than normal. This can change the way the teeth meet when the child bites. Mouth breathing – your child may tend to breathe through their mouth rather than their nose. This is often linked to long-term dribbling. Speech and language problems – having a dummy in the mouth may not give children the opportunity to explore the full range of tongue movements to make all the speech sounds and they may have fewer opportunities to use sounds to communicate with a dummy in their mouth. Tooth decay (especially the front teeth) – if the dummy is dipped in sugary substances such as honey or jam.

Encourage a child to stop dummy use Children should be given a chance to stop their dummy habit when they are ready. Most children stop sucking habits between the ages of two and four. At about 12 months of age is thought to be a good time to start to give up a dummy. Trying to stop dummy use suddenly is not recommended, as it can lead to other oral habits such as thumb or finger sucking. Give plenty of encouragement and persist gently but firmly. It may take several attempts before the habit is completely broken. Try to be patient. The first few days without a dummy are likely to be the most difficult. If the habit continues into primary school years, seek advice from your oral health professional.

Dummy sucking versus thumb or finger sucking Studies of thumb or finger suckers show they have a greater problem in breaking their habit than dummy suckers. One advantage of the dummy over finger sucking is that the dummy can be gently taken away when the child goes to sleep. This helps form the habit of sleeping without dummy sucking.

Keeping dummies safe  Never dip dummies in sweet things such as honey, jams or syrups – this can cause severe tooth decay very quickly.  Avoid sucking your child’s dummy to clean it – this can increase the risk of tooth decay by transferring bacteria from your  

mouth to your child’s mouth. Follow good hygiene procedures – dummies may cause infection if they are shared with other children or picked up from the floor. Check that dummies are in good condition and meet Australian safety approval ratings.

Where to get help    

Your maternal and child health nurse Community dental clinics: To find your local clinic Tel. 1300 360 054 or search by postcode. The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne:

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Dental emergencies Tel. 1300 360 054 8.30 am to 9.15 pm, Monday to Friday, 9 am to 9.15 pm, weekends and public holi days Your private dental clinic:

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Look in the Yellow Pages under ‘Dentists’ or search the 'Find a Dentist' tool on the yellow pages web site. Visit the Australian Dental Association website, and use the 'Find a Dentist' search tool. Taken from https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/dental-care-children-and-dummies

Dads make a difference Being a father A father is a male parent or carer of a child�A father may not be

A father and his child building their relationship together is a special and deeply rewarding experience.

biologically related to his child or live with his child all the time�He may be a grandfather, step-father, foster father or adoptive father of a child�In this resource, the terms ‘dad’ and ‘father’ include these relationships�Some children might have more than one father or relationships with other males who undertake a significant portion of parenting and care giving�There is no one right way to be a father� Each father brings unique ideas and experience to being a parent

Why are fathers important? Children benefit from secure, loving relationships with their parents and carers�Not long after birth, babies start to notice that their mum and dad feel, sound, smell and look different from each other and from other people�In particular, a baby might notice that their father has a deeper voice and bigger hands, and may spend lots of time looking at their dad, fascinated, noticing everything that is unique to him� When dads bond, engage and spend time with their baby, they are introducing their child to something new and interesting— their dad!

or carer and has a lot to contribute to the mental health and wellbeing of his child and family� There are different ways families are constructed�For example, some families have many people, some have few people, some have people of different genders, ages, and cultural backgrounds� Some children have contact with a father, while others do not�It is not necessary for a child to have a father figure in their life for them to be able to feel loved, secure and happy in their family� Supporting a child and having their best interests in mind is what is important, as this has a positive impact on their mental health and wellbeing�

Information for families and early childhood staff Component 3 – Working with parents and carers

Did you know?  Young children who receive lots of affection from their dad will have a more secure relationship with him

 Children whose fathers are involved in their life are more likely to be emotionally secure, confident to explore the roundings, and have a better social connection with their peers

 Men who are involved in their child’s life feel more confident and effective as a parent or carer, find parenthood mor joyable, feel more important to their child, and feel encouraged to be involved

 When fathers are involved in their child’s everyday activities (eg, eating meals together, reading and helping with hom children tend to have fewerbehaviour difficulties and better social skills  How a father feels about being a dad and how he cares for his child has a large influence on

a child’s social and emotional development Children whose fathers feel good about being a dad and are sensitive a responsive to their needs tend to have better social and emotional skills

Dads being involved Fathers and families can get involved with their children and the early childhood service by:  becoming familiar with their early childhood service and getting to know the staff  sharing children’s developmental milestones with early childhood staff  giving feedback to the staff about experiences their child has enjoyed (eg a weekend trip to the zoo or a family picnic)  listening and talking to their children regularly to help their child learn, even if their child cannot understand words yet  explaining to their child how things in the world work and having a go at answering their questions

(eg‘ Why is the sk

the sky blue?’) Early childhood services can encourage father involvement by:  including dads when making contact with families (eg initiating discussions with mothers and fathers, fathers specific questions about how their child is going, keeping in regular contact with fathers via text messaging and email)  providing an environment that is friendly and welcoming to fathers (eg, having photos of children and their dads, putting up posters of children interacting with male adults)  creating opportunities for dads to spend time at the early childhood service and meet other dads eg, by organising specific father–child events such as a dads’ breakfast or a Saturday playgroup)  taking time to build trust and form relationships with fathers who are new to the service  promoting and getting involved in community events that may be of interest to dads

Taken from Australian Government Dept of Health and Ageing– Kidsmatter.edu.au

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