Mummy Musings and Mayhem

I'm a Mum...and this is my addiction...

2014-12-02T00:31:00.000+11:00

Hi, my name is Jodie, Mum to a teen and twins.....and I have an addiction.

I know it's not good for me, I know I can't sustain it forever, but at this moment in time I know beyond a doubt that I NEED it!

Yes my friends....I might be an early childhood educator and Mum but I have an addiction I can't quite break....I crave the peace and solitude of midnight...every single night.

I get up for work at 6am each morning so as you imagine I'm often tired. But it's worth it, it truly is. You might have gathered I'm not a morning person though...ever. Do those people actually exist?

Why do I do it? Let me walk you through my reasons. They all make perfect sense so of course it's not really an addiction is it?

12 Reasons why I love midnight

1. Because I can go to the toilet by myself...no hands under the door, no little voice asking me what I'm doing...I can even sit there for a minute JUST BECAUSE I WANT TO!

2. Because I don't have to make breakfast, morning tea, lunch, dinner or afternoon tea for anyone...I can even have a snack just for myself if I want to. And EAT ALL OF IT. And not even clean up...even though I know it will be me doing it in the morning.

3. Because I can listen to music...my music...not kid's music, not teenagers music, not my partner's music I pretend to like...mine...on repeat if I want to. I know, such a rebel!

4. Because I can start a job and actually finish it before someone needs me to do something for them....now.

5. Because I can look around and appreciate my family...as they sleep ever so quietly and aren't bugging me. They are all cute yes...but damn hard work.

6. Because I can put the house back into order, get all my 'housekeeping duties' done and see it stay that way for a few hours. I like to tell myself what an awesome homemaker I am at this time of night...I mean, just look at my clean house!

7. Because I love to write and to do this I need to be able to form a thought and actually get it down on paper without being interrupted constantly. This usually only happens at midnight in this house.

8. Because in the midnight hours I feel like an adult....not a Mum or partner or educator...just me. Sometimes I so desperately need to find that person again. Sometimes I fear I have lost her and then the sanity of midnight rolls around again and I can grab her and hold on tight for a few hours.

9. Because I don't hear any sentences starting with "Mummy why does..." "Jodie where are you?" or my personal favourite "I done a poopy, you can wipe my bum now" Great stuff.

10. Because I can drink a hot cup of tea before it turns to iced tea or (and we all know this is more likely) a nice glass of red without thinking of those guilt inducing parent drinking in front of the child and messing them up for life ads.

11. Because it gives me a cheap thrill to stay up later than the teen in the house. Hey, you have to get your kicks where you can people!

12. But seriously, the main reason is because I can dream, I can hope and I can let myself just be me.

It's the time I can safely think about what I have achieved and what I could still achieve if only I had more of the magical midnight time. I can let myself be selfish and put my own thoughts first. I can remember the me before children and before wrinkles but I can also appreciate the path I have travelled and how lucky I am to have them in my life...and I can do this because they are quiet and sleeping, let's not ever forget the sleeping.

In this magical midnight place I often dream up my next project or teach myself something new, I chat with special friends online that I have never met but I know are always up embracing the same time of night as me. I know they are there if I need them and in return I am there for them.

It truly is a magical time of the day for me and no matter how tired I am the next day I cannot give it up. I am addicted.

I know I'm addicted because you don't want to see what happens when one of the kids deigns to interrupt this precious time of mine by waking up or even worse... being sick. At least the earphones can drown out the other half's awful snoring.

But none of that is worth giving up this addiction...it would probably be safe to say though that I won't be going back to the early morning gym classes I used to do before kids anytime soon.

I'm the one hiding my head under the pillow until I absolutely have to turn into that partner, Mum and Educator person again. She's not a bad sort but she has nothing on that familiar person that visits at midnight!

How about you? Do you have a special time of the day just for you? What sacrifices do you have to make to ensure it happens?

If this is your first visit to Mummy Musings and Mayhem and you like what you see you can follow me on Facebook, Bloglovin and Pinterest for more inspiration, frugal fun, recipes and mayhem!

Warm Wishes...

10 Reasons why I'm NOT sending my twins to school yet....

2014-11-11T14:47:00.001+11:00

As the end of the year speeds towards us I seem to be answering the same question over and over .....

Are your girls going to school next year?

Quickly followed by a sharp intake of breath when I say "no, they will be doing another year in their preschool room".

I haven't been asked a question so much since the whole "are they IVF" one everytime I poked my head outside during their first year. I really do despair sometimes that other people seem to feel the need to question and judge others so rudely. But I digress...as I often do.

In NSW Australia children can legally begin school if they are turning 5 on or before 31st July in that year. My girls Birthday is in July so they would indeed qualify as did their now 18 year old older sister 'Miss Teen' many years ago as she has a Birthday in June.

Miss Teen graduated high school last year and is just about to complete her first year of university. She has always done very well academically and I am very proud of her. I sent her along to school when she was 4.5 and it has really only been in the last few years that I began to question that decision.

Miss Teen spent her early childhood coming to work with me in long day care centres and pre school rooms. She was very bright and everyone told me she would 'be bored' if I didn't send her. I did have some concerns because at that time she didn't have the greatest attention span, found it hard to connect socially and was a very sensitive child...but she was clever and ticked all the school readiness boxes. And so I pushed aside my Mummy and professional instincts and sent her to kindergarten and although I don't regret that decision I often wonder if she might have had an easier time if I had just waited that extra year and not given in to pressure from others.

As the years went by there was a fair bit of angst about all her friends being older than her and 'always being the youngest in my class'. She also watched them all getting their licenses and being able to go out to legal venues without her. She always seemed that little bit younger than many of her friends through Primary school and I believe this often led to issues with self esteem and confidence as well as making those important social connections.

I didn't think about any of this when I made the decision all those years ago.

I never thought I would be in this position as a parent again but we were blessed with our beautiful twins and the years seem to have flown and suddenly I am being asked about sending them to school. This time around I have given it a lot of thought and am feeling really good about the decision not to send the girls to start their 'formal education' until they are 5.5 yrs.

So what factors have helped me come to this decision? Many in fact - this hasn't been a decision taken lightly but I'll share what I think have been the 10 most important reasons for my partner and I.

Why won't my twins be going to Kindergarten at 4.5 years?

1. Because I don't think they are ready emotionally or socially

I think we often underestimate the importance of children's social and emotional wellbeing. I've considered all of the following..

I've thought about how well the girls are able to take and follow direction, interact with their friends, cope with differences of opinion or things not going their way.

How well they are able to communicate their needs and feelings with the use of words rather than actions and meltdowns and how confidently they currently share and take turns.

How confident they are with their self help skills, toileting and responsibility for self without others around to help them. How not being as confident in this area might impact them emotionally and socially.

All of these factors impact on children's social and emotional wellbeing over time and to me this has been the area that we have focused on exploring the most.

2. Because I want them to play, enjoy outdoors and just explore childhood for another year

Childhood is fleeting and I fear we are expecting our children to grow up far to quickly now. I grow a little despondant when I look at the small amount of time children are allowed breaks from classrooms to play and explore outside and get their bodies and minds moving. They seem to be asking them to make a choice between time to eat lunch and time to go and play before they are rushed back indoors again and told to 'focus'.

I know I attended school many (many) years ago now but I remember outside activities and games before classes when I was at school. We came in and sat down having already run around and 'shaken the sillies out'. We then had recess and then at least an hour for lunch.

There was plenty of time to play and also eat. I'm pretty sure our attention spans were a lot better after all that physical activity too.

I worry about the children who are now being given so many labels because they won't sit still and focus in class. I know Ruby will be one of those children because she learns in a different way to her sister due to her sensory processing needs. It doesn't mean she isn't as 'smart' as her sister, it just means she needs lots of breaks to move her muscles and send information to her brain via her senses in different ways before she can sit for long periods and focus.

I fear that she will be labelled as 'one of those kids' because she won't sit still or focus in the way that she needs to in a classroom. I know just by looking at her when she needs to go and jump on the trampoline for 10 minutes or do some swinging or dancing before she can come back and focus.

I know many will say that I am her parent so of course I know that but how is a teacher expected to?

And what I say to you is that they should know because looking at the whole child and teaching in the way that they need to learn is their job. Unfortunately this aspect of teaching in formal schooling is rarely encouraged or embraced in Australia as yet and I firmly believe that it is the early childhood educators working in family day care and long day care that are leading the push in this area and trying to educate both the Government and the education department about the importance of listening and acting on the information being passed on by early childhood educators.

The Educators in Ruby and Tara's long day care pre school room understand the unique ways every child in their care learns and interacts. They use play based learning, a wonderful environment, resources and intentional teaching opportunities to support the girls growth and individual journey.

They understand that some children need to run around before they can sit still for periods of time and they work with schools to ensure they pass on as much of this information as possible to support the children as they move onto formal learning. Unfortunately I also know that often this information isn't seen as important or dismissed as 'too difficult or requiring time that isn't available''.

3. Because I believe they will learn more attending their current preschool

I know we are lucky to be able to afford to send our girls to their preschool. I know that many find this difficult and so sending children to school when they become eligible is a huge drawcard for many parents as it means no more expensive childcare fees.

But I will say that we have made a lot of sacrifices to ensure that we can do this. We have gone without things because I know how very important these early years are to the foundations of a child's learning.

I searched and searched and sat on a waiting list for ages so that I could send the girls to this wonderful place. There are many educators all across Australia (and indeed the world) providing the same important experiences for children though...in both long day care and family day care.

The search can be lengthy but I urge you not to give up as it is so important to get it right!
I've shared tips for parents choosing centre based care here and home based care here if you are interested in more information about my thoughts on this.

I realise that this isn't an option for all families but I'm just sharing the reasons behind our decision.

4. Because their 18 year old sister started when she was 4.5yrs

As I mentioned above....having the benefit of hindsight and a glimpse into the future of the schooling world has been a huge factor in our decision!

5. Because I don't like how NSW kindergarten has become so focused on young children meeting academic outcomes and stages.

I don't want this article to become a debate, these are my personal thoughts and reflections and obviously not those of all educators or parents or indeed school systems.

But what I do know is that there seems to have been a huge shift toward expecting kindergarten children to jump from play to meeting unrealistic academic expectations.

I've read the NSW Kindergarten syllabus and let's just say it doesn't inspire confidence. I know there are some brilliant schools and teacher's out there following and implementing this syllabus but the trick for parents is finding them.

I could write a whole post on this topic as I feel quite strongly about it but perhaps for now I will just encourage you to do a little research about the syllabus and curriculum in your area when deciding what age to send your child!

6. Because my girls will struggle to get through a full day of school physically

Ruby still often needs a afternoon nap. At the very least they need some quiet time in the middle of the day to recharge or trust me it gets very ugly very quickly! They don't sleep at preschool but they don't go to preschool everyday...schooldays are very long for a 4 year old!

I have heard many people over the years talk about how their kindergarten children always seem tired or fall asleep in the car every day on the way home. I'm not sure why this is considered by many as a good thing?

7. Because they do not currently have the attention span, concentration and focus required for the current system of formal education (and I'm ok with that..they are only 4!)

Not much more to say about this point really, I think the whole focus and sitting still to listen for long periods is an expectation that is often a little misguided when we talk about 4 and 5 year olds. It's something I don't want to force upon my girls especially when I know the opportunity for physical play will be lacking in school

And please keep in mind I am talking about concentrating for extended periods, I realise of course that they do need to be demonstrating some focus and ability to concentrate by this age and my girls both do.

8. Because it doesn't matter that they can read, write, count and name colours. It doesn't matter that they can tick off all the boxes on a school readiness checklist. They aren't going to be 'bored' or 'left behind'.

Just because they can write their name, count numbers and talk about colours doesn't mean they are ready. I know there are many 'school readiness' checklists and these do play an important role but they shouldn't be your sole indicator of whether a child is ready for school as you can see from the reasons I have already discussed above.

Even if a child is excelling cognitively it doesn't mean they will be bored if they don't attend school, it just means they are ready to be further challenged in their play based learning. There are always ways to extend a child's learning journey that are appropriate to all areas of their development...not just one.

9. Because they are going to be in school for a long, long time...I'm not concerned about this being a race to the end, I want it to be a slow continuation of their learning journey...and when they are ready it will.

There are 13 years of formal schooling ahead of them, I'm not convinced that waiting until they are 5.5 yrs will ensure they are left behind or alternatively ensure they will excel academically.

Neither forms a basis for our decision, what does is the fact that I am able to give them a little more time to find the pace they are comfortable with. I don't see the point in rushing them, I'm just aiming to give them a better chance to learn in the way they need to in the years to come.

10. Because I know my children, I know what they love to do at the moment, how they explore and learn and why they enjoy doing it this way.

And because it is our decision as their parents.

The points above are our personal thoughts and reasoning, you might totally disagree with me and that is perfectly fine, you don't know my children and I don't know yours.

The age you send your child to kindergarten (or kindy, prep, reception, transition, pre primary depending on what area of Australia you live in!) varies across our nation and I have absolutely no idea why but it makes it an even more difficult decision for parents to make unfortunately.

Ultimately though, no matter what part of the world you are parenting in, it is a personal decision that should be made based on your children and your family's own unique needs, values, interests, strengths and perspectives!

And please don't think I am against formal education or teachers...that is most certainly not the case, I just think it is an important decision with many different factors to consider and we shouldn't feel pressured into thinking otherwise.

I wish you luck on your journey....just quietly I'm also pretty happy not to be sending my 'babies' off through that school gate just yet..

Do you have a middle of the year Birthday child? How did you decide when the time was right?

If this is your first visit to Mummy Musings and Mayhem and you like what you see you can follow me on Facebook, Bloglovin and Pinterest for more inspiration, frugal fun, recipes and mayhem!

Warm Wishes...

Analysis, Reflection and Evaluation in Early Childhood Programming.

2014-10-25T22:31:00.000+11:00

As early childhood educators we are expected to develop and follow a planning cycle to ensure that all children in our care are supported to follow and extend their learning journey. There are principles, learning outcomes and different guidelines according to where we live that must be taken into account but for the most part it is important that educators develop a planning cycle and method of documentation that suits their own individual style.

You can read more about my own planning cycle here but today I wanted to explore the evaluate and extend part of the cycle as I have been receiving quite a few messages from readers asking for help in this area.

As always with my posts for educators, please remember that I share how I interpret things and how I have previously learnt through my own formal training but also through my own personal experience in different care environments. It may not be what you have been told or what your Director or Coordinator or Scheme requires so you need to be aware of that as you read.

I do always encourage educators to question methods and procedures if they are being forced upon them though. You are a professional and as such have the right to question and seek clarification for the work and processes expected of you. But to do this means coming from a place of knowledge and understanding and confidence in your own planning style and systems so that you can confidently engage in debate.

So you've done your observations on the children in whatever format suits your style...now what? An observation isn't much use to your overall planning if you haven't reflected, asked yourself questions about the observation you recorded and then evaluated the answers. Without this step it is just an observation and that my friends has been a waste of your time. And no one wants that.

So let me break it down for you.....

What does evaluating/analysing an observation mean in simple terms? How do I start?

Well here's what I always ask myself when I reach this step. I learnt to do this over 25 years ago now during my training but I still think the questions are relevant, I have just incorporated a little of the language and context of the Australian EYLF now as well.

5 questions to ask when you make an analysis of your child observation.

1. What learning took place here? (This is where I now reflect upon the EYLF outcomes and use the language of that document to guide my my responses...not listing specific numbers though.)

2. What strengths and interests can you identify from this observation?

3. Is there anything in this observation that concerns you from a developmental perspective? What can I do to support the child's learning in this area? Who do I need to speak to about this?

4. How could I further support and extend this child's interest/strength/learning journey?

5. Is this learning observation significant - can I plan future experiences from this observation?

I personally think the last question is very significant. There is no point trying to plan your environment and experiences for a group or individual child if the observation or learning that took place isn't meaningful.

When you first start taking observations it can be easy to fall into the trap of writing down every little thing a child does. With experience though you will see that it is more worthwhile to think about what you see happening in front of you first, engage with the child and if you feel it was significant write it down later.

I like to take lots of photos, I never take notes as i'm not there to just observe every day. A child doesn't want to see someone sitting there with their head down writing notes as they play. They want you to engage and be involved in their play even if that just means knowing you are there watching them and not actually directly involved.

I can hear many of you saying now "But how do I know if it's significant?" (I know, uncanny aren't I? )

Ask yourself....

1. Did I just wish I had the camera with me to capture that moment or did I just take 50 shots of that experience/group/child/activity because it blew me away?

2. Did I want to share that moment with a co - worker or the parent/carer?

3. Did I think of a particular EYLF outcome (or they suddenly made sense) when I saw this particular interaction?

You'll need to think about how you want to document your observation evaluation. Some people do this underneath or beside their observation. I use my forward planning form as I find it easier to keep a sequence going and show clear linking if I keep all steps together. It makes it a little clearer in my mind (and I need that as there is usually so much going on in there lately and frankly I usually do this program step with a glass of wine in hand...!)

It doesn't matter how you do it, just be consistent so you always know where to find the information when you need it.

So now you have a written observation (in the format you prefer e.g learning story, anecdotal, photo collage etc), a review and evaluation from this observation of the learning outcome/strength/ interest that took place....now what do you do with it? You plan and extend!

Still with me? Hang in there, it's not an involved process, I'm just breaking it all down for you into easy to understand steps ( I hope!)

So let's explore how we extend from our observation and evaluation of learning.

6 Questions to ask yourself when planning extension activities

1. How can I further extend this child's learning or interest in this area...where can we go from here?

2. What specific activities could I plan that might fit into the program for not just the individual child but also the group?

3. Do I need to plan for an intentional teaching experience or just provide the environment and resources required?

4. What is my aim by providing these extension activities? (You might like to reflect on the learning outcomes and area here)

5. When do I plan to put this particular extension into the program?

6. Is this extension a short term or long term goal?

I write a summary answering these questions on my forward planning form and then add to my fortnightly plan in the 'Individual Focus" box. No codes, just the name and extension activity planned. Parents or others reading my plan don't need to see all the specifics, I have the information all in one place on the forward planning form if I need to pull it out.

Ok, final step in the cycle.

Planned Activity Evaluation/Reflection

This is usually pretty brief for me. I come back to my forward planning form, write down the date the extension activities were completed and anything significant I observed. You might ask:

1. Was the child interested in the experiences provided?

2. Did the group join in the planned activity, experience, intentional teaching opportunity? How?

3. What would I try differently next time?

4. Was there any parent feedback or input regarding this experience?

5. Can I extend or further challenge?

6. Were there learning outcomes achieved?

Now you are back to the beginning of the cycle of individual planning! If you are able to keep reading without falling asleep I will take you step by step through how I do the above cycle. But please keep in mind that this is a system I have developed because it works for me. You could do something entirely different but the principles are the same overall.

Ok, deep breath people, stay on your learning journey (ha...see what I did there?) ...here's one I did on one of my own twins as an example for you...I hope it helps.

Step 1 - Do your observation

This is an example of my photo observations - pretty simple, the photos really tell the story.

Step 2 - Complete Analysis & Forward Planning

Complete an analysis of the learning observed in your observation - decide whether the observation is significant and extension would be useful to the child's learning journey. (blue column)

Step 3

Think about and document possible future planning/extension activities (purple column)

Step 4

Plan for when you will provide your extension activities...it might be in one week, it might be over a number of weeks. Make sure you write the dates down. (green column)

Step 5 - Plan and include on program

I then add the planned activities into my 'individual focus activities' box. No numbers or codes, just the activities.

Step 6 - Complete the cycle

When the activities have been completed I go back to my forward planning form and do a short evaluation of the activity/intentional teaching. (yellow column above).

I hope that made sense! If you have any questions just ask in the comments section below.

I'd love to know if you have a similar system or have been struggling in this area!

If this is your first visit to Mummy Musings and Mayhem and you like what you see you can follow me on Facebook, Bloglovin and Pinterest for more inspiration, frugal fun, recipes and mayhem!

Warm Wishes...

Recycling Fun with Rubbish and Pallets!

2014-10-22T22:21:00.004+11:00

You know we love to make play resources from recycled pallets and this one has been on my list for quite some time. Well if I'm honest, not my list, Daddy's list!

He has again made my vision become a reality and says it was one of the easiest of my 'bright ideas' to build. When I posted a picture of our finished pallet sink a few weeks ago on my facebook page it proved very popular so I promised to share with everyone how we made it.

I think it turned out beautifully and I had just the right spot in the sandpit ready to go!

I'm often asked where we get the items we use in our recycle and upcycle projects so I thought I would take you on a little journey through one of our favourite places to visit on a weekend.

I know that probably sounds awful to most of you reading but I just love looking through other peoples trash and finding something I can turn into treasure for very little cost and i personally think it is an important learning journey for children to be involved in to.

We live in such a throw away society at the moment I like to show my girls that you don't always need to go and buy something new. We wander around our local revolve store and talk about what things might have been used for and why people might have brought them to the dump (tip, trash). It's not hard to spend an hour there!

Our twins Ruby and Tara love to explore and investigate and tell me how we could use things if we take them home...they are ever hopeful and never see trash, just treasures to be rescued!

The revolve centre is located in a big shed at our local dump. It is an initiative of our local council and houses an eclectic collection of used goods that people have disposed of but that have been rescued from the rubbish pile and offered for sale at usually very reasonable (dare I say cheap!) prices.

It's not pretty but serves such an important role in the sustainability practices of our community...and is a magical place for early childhood educators like me!!

There are indoor and outdoor areas and with a bit of creativity and imagination you can find a use for most items there. Some weeks there is a lot to choose from, other weeks not so much but that is the fun of the hunt!

On this particular visit we found this little beauty and my dreams were finally realised...yes I know I really need to get out more but stay with me, it gets more exciting!

We dragged out a few pallets from the stash under the house (doesn't everyone have a stash of pallets under their house?) and began to lay out the pieces.

Doesn't look like much here does it?

Let's break construction down to a few easy steps...

Step 1

His patient self took a few boards off another pallet and measured them against the sink length. You'll need two long pieces of pallet timber to form the length and two shorter pieces to form the width.

Step 2

Lay your pieces out to form a frame as shown below, check measurements again

Step 3

The frame should fit the sink easily, test by laying it inside your makeshift frame before screwing your frame together to form a secure tray.

Step 4

Now you will need 4 short pallet lengths and 1 long length to make a frame with legs like the one shown below. Notice that the front boards of this pallet have now been taken off to use.

Screw together at the legs, the back of the pallet will form your kitchen sink cupboard/splashback.

Step 5

Screw the frame to the standing pallet and you are ready for the final few steps already! His patient self also added a pallet length to the top to form a small shelf and neaten the look a little.

Step 6

Now secure the sink frame you made earlier to the stand and cross your fingers that the sink still fits!

Drop the sink into the frame and you are ready to 'dress' your sink. We use a bucket under our sink holes if we are playing with water so we can recycle it onto the garden.

Even if you don't fill the sinks with water though there are so many ways to use this new resource.

Have to say my girls do love to wash their dishes in the sandpit though and who am I to stop this beautiful role play...certainly saves the sudsy mess normally following these same helpers in my own kitchen!

Yes, I do love it when a plan comes together and yet again we have managed to turn someone else's trash into a little treasure for our backyard playspace.

Does your council have a recycle centre where you live?

If this is your first visit to Mummy Musings and Mayhem and you like what you see you can follow me on Facebook, Bloglovin and Pinterest for more inspiration, frugal fun, recipes and mayhem!

Warm Wishes...

Children's Cardboard X-ray 'Tablet'

2014-10-14T23:38:00.001+11:00

October is Doc-Tober for Disney Junior! Your preschooler can see Doc McStuffins and her toy friends in new episodes on the Disney Junior TV channel and enjoy brand new Doc games and activities on DisneyJunior.com.au.

My twins have reached an age where they are very interested in their body parts and how things work. They also love playing Doctors and I have to hide a chuckle or two when I hear them say things like "I'm going to fix your head bone now".

To support their learning journey with this interest we look at books of skeletons and muscles, research pictures and facts on the internet and sing songs about the body making sure to incorporate lots of actions requiring certain body part movements.

The lightbox has been popular and we have been examining skeletons of both animals and people and naming the parts. Even my family daycare toddlers love to do this!

There is also lots of craft but as I am in favour of more process based art activities we don't do a lot of stencil or 'end product' type craft about bones.

However, sometimes it's nice to start a project together and complete it with a set goal in mind. Given that they have been showing such an interest in bones and skeletons and being little Docs lately I decided we could work together to make our very own X-ray tablet using some recycled materials and a little creativity!

Now I know you are wondering if I have lost the plot a little...of course the X-ray tablets aren't real but they are lots of fun to make and seeing the excitement on my girls faces when their x-ray machine lit up pictures of the bones they cut and pasted was just priceless!!

You can place them on a light table for a great effect if you have one but you can also just hold them up to the light outside or near a window and they will work just as well!

Want to make your own x-ray machine with your budding little Docs?

Let's do it!

Children's Cardboard X-ray Tablet

Here's what you need....

Cardboard - we just cut up some cereal boxes from the recycle bin
Scissors
Paste
Pictures of bones - large enough to fit on an A4 piece of paper
Paint for your frame colour
White A4 paper

Here's what you do....

Cut out a frame shape from each side of a large cereal box (or plain cardboard) as seen in the photos below. 1 box will make 2 frames which is what you will need to make one x-ray tablet.

Keep the cut out pieces from the middle of the frame to paint or craft with later.

Neaten up your edges so that one frame fits perfectly on top of the other.

When you are cutting out your frame template ensure that you can fit a piece of A4 paper on top without any gaps.

Now it's the children's turn...lay out some darker coloured paint, place the frames with the blank cardboard side up on a flat surface and let the the kid's create their masterpiece.

My twins started out with purple as it is their favourite colour at the moment, I think their current fascination with Doc McStuffins might be encouraging the love of all things purple and pink!

Apparently though the purple in your sister's paint pot is always better than the one right in front of you!!

Now it's time to cut out some bones! I copied these bone images from some activity slides we have been using on the lightbox but you could also just do a search online and download some skeleton or bone images, paste into a document and then print out...easy and cost effective!

My girls love their cutting activities and this one was a nice challenge for them. Tara decided to cut out very precisely around each finger bone while Ruby chose to cut all the way around the picture.

They possibly would have done this all day if I had had enough bone pictures. Now there's a sentence I didn't think I would ever say!

When your little helpers have finished cutting out (if you have younger children use larger pictures with not as much detail and guide them around the bone outline like Ruby did above) it's now time to paste!

We pulled out the A4 paper and stuck all the bone pictures down onto the paper, we then left them to dry in the sun

When your frames are dry as well as the bone pictures, lay the paper down onto the frame (which should be lying painted side is down) and has been given a coat of glue....try to get picture lined up in the middle of the frame area if possible.

Now lay another piece of paper on top of the bones and paste to frame as before.

We're onto the final step, lay the other frame on top of the white paper and press hard to keep everything flat...you are nearly done!

The picture or drawing of your bones should be sandwiched in the middle of the frame pieces,

You could let them decorate their frames any way they want, perhaps with some collage materials, natural materials or some writing or drawing. My girls chose to do theirs just with paint.

Remember to use darker colours to hide any printing or pattern on the cardboard.

Now the fun part, put on those Doctor coats and hold your x-rays up to the light

Seeing the bones started lots of questions and had me trying to find the answers! Tara wanted to know why she couldn't see her foot bones when she put them over the x-ray tablet.

This project has led to an exploration of the role of radiologists and Doctors which has been interesting, I'm not sure if they totally understand the concept of x-rays as yet but they are well on their way!

Tara kept trying to make the tablet show her hand bones when she lined them up with the shadow on the x-ray and was adamant it would work because she was a 'real Doctor' now!

Obviously a clearer, larger image of bones will create a better result, if you can't find any suitable pictures why not just draw some basic bone outlines freehand.

The girls immediately set up their Doctor's clinic and gave all their toys an x-ray as well as bandaged broken limbs when needed...which apparently was often!.

A moment to check the x-rays and then it's time for the all important diagnoses.

Then we headed to the other side of the house to catch the last rays of daylight and hold up the tablets which then caught the glow of the setting sun.

I can't wait to see how they play with their x-ray tablets again tomorrow!

What is your child's favourite piece of Doctor equipment to play with?

If this is your first visit to Mummy Musings and Mayhem and you like what you see you can follow me on Facebook, Bloglovin and Pinterest for more inspiration, frugal fun, recipes and mayhem!

Warm Wishes...

This post is part of a Nuffnang native advertising series.

Easy to Make Doctor's Kit Play for Kids!

2014-10-11T18:45:00.003+11:00

My twins have been engaging in lots of hospital play lately, inspired by the Doc McStuffins TV series they love to watch at the moment.

They have been having lots of fun with the felt bandages, stethoscopes and bandaids we made the other day but there have been a few fights over whose 'Doctor tools' are whose (as always seems to happen eventually with twins!). So we decided to make some personalised Doctor kits to keep their special pieces in ...they both engage in dramatic play in very different ways so I like to encourage and support their individuality as often as I can.

They were so easy to make but have already provided hours of fun, I do love when the simplest of activities keep children busy because they are allowed the opportunity and scope to use their imagination and self expression to create.

Our Doctor's Kits are a great way to introduce some recycling into play too - I don't know about you but I never throw out shoeboxes, they hold so many possibilities!

Want to make your own special Doctor's kit?

Here's what you need to make your box...

Empty shoeboxes - large or small
Craft paint and brushes
stickers or Clip art collection of your child's favourite Doctor, my girls love Doc McStuffins as you can see!
Printer if using clip art images

Here's what you do...

It really is a quick and easy project that children of all ages will enjoy being a part of from start to finish!

Let each child choose their box and paint colour, my girls chose their favourite purple, darker colours are preferable as they give a better coverage but no need to worry about that to much as they will be putting pictures all over the box anyway.

When they finished and were happy with their efforts we hung them out to dry in the sun. We decided not to paint the inside but you could of course or even add some material as a lining!

That afternoon I set up a table for the girls to get busy with their boxes. I printed off some Doc McStuffins pictures and gave them a sheet each to practice their cutting skills. Ruby is currently learning to use her 'helper hand' more effectively when cutting with scissors and turning the paper to help her to cut.

Coordinating her fine motor skills can be a bit challenging for Ruby so I try to include activities using these skills at least once a day to support her learning journey.

Tara absolutely loves working with scissors and is always very precise, I love watching the different ways children work, each way is unique and just as important.

When supporting children to work with scissors it is important to..

Guide but not do the cutting for them. Show how to hold the scissors, a sticker on the thumb can help remind them how to place their fingers
Have sharp kid friendly scissors but not blunt ones - they will do more damage.
Supply a mix of easy to cut out pictures as well as smaller more difficult ones to build up their confidence
Guide them to turn the paper or picture they are cutting with their 'helper hand'.
Keep your expectations age appropriate - first let them learn to snip and cut along lines before expecting them to cut out a picture.

Use cutting activities as conversation prompts and reflective listening activities.

Ask what they are cutting, why, is it big or small, give them some easy directions to listen and follow. Tara could talk underwater I am certain of it....she spent 10 minutes here telling me what she was cutting and why she was doing it!

She is the typical 4 year old chatterbox full of questions about how and why things work which can be exhausting (as parents of 3 and 4 year olds will know!) but I also know every time I answer her or help her to find the answers she is learning something new and storing that information for later.

As they cut out their pictures the girls glued them onto their boxes, each with their own sense of style and individuality.

I just used some of my cornflour paste/paint which is so easy to mix up and does the pasting job well! If you would like to give it a try yourself you can find the recipe here.

When the designing was done we left them to dry and then got down to the fun part of stocking their Doctor's kit.

We also collected some little soft friends and made a hospital table with the help of a few blankets.

We have lots of hospital props due to my Family Day Care Service but you really don't need to go out and buy special equipment, the idea of this activity is to use what you have and turn it into something fun!

As well as the toy props I used some craft wadding and cotton balls, old medicine syringes, cut up pieces of old bandage to make smaller bandages and some homemade bandaids and plaster casts made from felt scraps which I showed you how to do in this post.

We also made some easy DIY stethoscopes with old headbands, some ribbon scraps and baby jar lids!

You would be surprised at what children will want to include in their Doc boxes and what they will use everyday items for in their dramatic role play games. Just add a few basics and let them take it from there!

I must say having their own boxes has kept them very busy and no longer arguing about who is using what and who had it first! And when they want to move around they just throw everything back in and close the lid. They are light enough to cart around easily for small hands.

Their list of patients kept growing and they continued to play side by side but in very different ways and that's just what I was hoping for when I set out to make these Doc Kits with each of the girls.

I also liked that they had been involved from start to finish with the process and were very proud of their efforts.

You know what I always say....simple is usually best when it comes to fun!

If this is your first visit to Mummy Musings and Mayhem and you like what you see you can follow me on Facebook, Bloglovin and Pinterest for more inspiration, frugal fun, recipes and mayhem!

Warm Wishes...

This post is part of a Nuffnang native advertising series.

Easy Felt Hospital Fun...and a Disney Doc McStuffins Giveaway!

2014-10-07T19:48:00.001+11:00

Brought to you by Nuffnang and Disney Junior

Can you believe it’s October already? I’ve noticed that everyone now keeps telling me how many weeks are left until Christmas arrives. I can’t say it fills me with a whole lot of excitement just between you and me, such a hectic time of the year (and dare I say often stressful), especially when you have 4 year old twins!

No, I think I will just hang onto October a little longer thanks and please don’t tell me if you are one of those organised parents who has already picked up their Christmas layby because I seriously do not want to know!

Let’s get back to October because if you have budding little Doctors in the house like I do they might be excited to hear that October is Doc-Tober for the Disney Junior channel on TV. There will be new episodes of Doc McStuffins and her toy friends throughout the whole month which I’m personally quite pleased about because my girls absolutely love Doc.

I think they truly believe she brings her toys to life with that magical stethoscope and is a real Doctor just like her Mum and the Doctor we visit when they are sick. I like that Doc McStuffins shows such kindness to her toys and promotes teamwork, which is often something we talk about here in my family day care service.

Regular readers will know that my girls love their outdoor play and it is something I am very passionate about. We really don’t watch a lot of TV but I do believe there can be a healthy balance if shows are chosen wisely. I allow them to watch the Disney Junior channel mainly because I know I will be able to trust the content and to be honest every now and then I love being able to sit with them and watch some of the classic Disney movies that I grew up with.

Their current favourite show, Doc McStuffins, encourages them to role play and use their imagination and I so enjoy watching my girls get out their Doc kits to fix their poor toys whenever an episode finishes. Usually the play moves to outside and we often have hospital clinics set up in some very odd places!

Disney Junior has just introduced a range of new games and activities to their website and I particularly like the just released Doc-Mobile game .

The twins have really only just begun to explore games on the computer, I figured I can’t keep them away from technology forever but I’m pretty choosey about sites I let them visit. This one was easy to understand, didn’t require a lot of mouse control and it led to a wonderful afternoon of imaginative play outside near the trees. Win win!

In the Doc Mobile game, Doc has a mobile clinic she hooks up to her bike to go and visit those toys that need her help. Tara absolutely loved this concept and asked if we could set up our own mobile hospital just like Doc.

We have been doing a lot of ‘hospital play’ lately and have quite the medical collection of bits and pieces in our hospital prop box but I have noticed them getting frustrated when they try to wrap the big bandages around their toys (or me!)and we have been going through more bandaids than I would like just because their toys have a sore that needs fixing (repeatedly apparently) so I decided we would make some felt bandaids and bandages that would be easier to use for little hands and could be reused over and over.

Since they are loving the Doc at the moment I thought I would put a little McStuffins inspiration into our creations. We made our crafty treasures for the medical kits in the morning then headed out in the afternoon to pick a shady spot to set up the Doctor Clinic (tables)…the closest I could come to meeting Tara’s ‘mobile clinic’ wish. Ruby said it was like Doc’s ‘backyard hospital’ which I figured was high praise from a 4 year old!

I set up a few calculators and old phones as well as some folders and pebbles for money. The girls decided that one table was the clinic and waiting room and the other end was their office. I made the mistake of putting a few of the toys on the office table and was severely reprimanded…don’t mess with two 4 year olds in their imaginary world!

Here’s what we made (well mainly me to be honest, but the girls had fun making their own creations with felt, glue and pens….and more glue and they did enjoy helping me with some of the easier parts of the crafting). They are all quick and easy projects that anyone can do and the girls were absolutely delighted with them.

Felt Bandaids

Aren’t these cute? I was really pleased with them and they were so easy to make – no sewing involved!

I simply cut out bandaid shapes from brown felt then glued a white square of felt onto the bandaid to form the pad. I added a felt heart to the front (just like Doc McStuffins of course) and cut a Velcro dot in half (the rough side) to stick to each end of the bandaid. The rough pile of the Velcro will hold onto soft toys.

If you want to make them stronger you could sew the felt pieces on but I wanted the girls to be involved and they loved gluing the pieces on to help with the project.

Their toys were given the very special heart bandaid treatment and I didn’t have to raid my own first aid kit!

Large Bandages

To make large bandages that would wrap easily around the girls own limbs I cut strips of various sizes from felt scraps, added a few Velcro dots to the end and they were ready to go! The Velcro presses and sticks to the felt and the bandages are then easy for little hands to open and press closed.

Like all good doctors they had to stop and fix themselves for a while before turning their attention back to the toys. Quality assurance in action…

Plaster Cast

I also used a piece of white felt and some stick on Velcro dots to make a pretend plaster cast. The girls absolutely loved this one and Tara informed me she would be wearing it to preschool to show everyone her ‘sore arm’.

Such a quick and easy little project but they found so many ways to put that cast on each other. The beauty of the Velcro dots only along one edge is that you can pull it snug to fit the skinniest little arm or let it out a bit for those a little bigger.

It will literally take you 2 minutes to make I promise!

Doc McStuffins Magic Stethoscope

We did already have some stethoscopes in our doctor’s box but I decided to make some special ones that looked a little more like the one their favourite Doc wears.

Very easy to make, I just used materials I already had. First I wrapped some old bias tape around a couple of headbands that have been languishing in the bathroom cupboard for ages. I glued the edges down with some PVA glue but a decent glue gun would make the job easier and probably help the stethoscope withstand more love!

The girls then stuck some circles of felt to a couple of baby food jar lids (I never throw those beauties out!) and then added a heart to make it look a little more ‘magical.’

The last step just requires a little ribbon glued to the headband and then to the lid as shown in the pictures. It’s a good idea to wrap the ribbon around the band a few times before gluing into place just to make it a little stronger when small hands are tugging on it. Told you it was easy.

The girls wore them all afternoon and liked that they didn’t need to stick anything into their ears which they don’t like about the other ‘real’ stethoscopes.

A Doctor’s Boo Boo Notebook

My girls just love writing in books at the moment so of course we had to have a boo boo book just like Doc McStuffins! I simply used a couple of notebooks they already had and glued a few little pieces of felt onto the front cover.

Their use promoted a lot of reflective language and conversation and were a fantastic way to practice those pre writing skills. I was in awe of how professional those two were writing down all the signs and symptoms and then coming back to fix each toy after making a diagnosis, it was too cute!

They were busy being Doctors all afternoon and every toy had to wait their turn to be fixed in the waiting room. It was very important work!

Why not make some of your own felt bandaids and bandages; you might be surprised at how long some little bits of felt can keep them busy!

If you have been inspired by our Doc McStuffins clinic play but can’t view the Disney Junior channel on your TV why not share more of her adventures at Disney Junior website or on i-Tunes?.

You can explore more games like Doc-Mobile with your children here and also find lots of creative activities to keep them busy here

To ensure you are able to see the full range of new games and activities available online at Disney Junior make sure you view the site on your laptop or desktop computer.

You too might soon hear the phrase “The Doc is in” from your own cute little doctors!

Do you have some Doc McStuffins fans at your house?

The wonderful folk at Disney Junior are offering Mummy Musings and Mayhem readers a Doc McStuffins prize pack which includes:

1 x Magic Talking Doc and Friends (RRP $59.99)

AND

1 x Doc McStuffins ‘A little cuddle goes a long way’ DVD (RRP $14.99)

Excited?

Just answer the following question to be in with a chance to win this fantastic prize pack.

The most creative answer as decided by myself and our Disney Junior representatives will be chosen as the winner!

What toy would your child most like Doc McStuffins to come and fix if she could and why?

Entries will close at 5:00 pm AEDST on Tuesday 14 October 2014. Full terms and conditions of this giveaway can be seen here.

If this is your first visit to Mummy Musings and Mayhem and you like what you see you can follow me on Facebook, Bloglovin and Pinterest for more inspiration, frugal fun, recipes and mayhem!

Warm Wishes...

15 Creative Mummy Hacks to keep children entertained!

2014-10-04T17:16:00.001+10:00

I've been a parent for over 18 years and an early childhood educator for over 23 years now. In that time I've learnt to have a few tricks up my sleeve to ensure the children don’t mutiny on me! They are the little time, money and sanity saving ideas that have helped me to become the parent and educator I am today (well if we are being honest that would be old, tired and just a touch crazy now obviously – no just joking, I’m still sane I promise….just)Those little tips, tricks and ideas that we all have rolled up our sleeves now have a new name MUMMY HACKs …Don’t you love it, makes us sound a little wise and clever I think!

DAIRYLEA , the cheese brand that is much loved in the UK is making it’s way to Australian shores and they are celebrating the launch of their new range by asking the Mums of Australia to share their own MUMMY HACK ideas…just like the ones that have helped keep me partially sane as a parent for the last 18 years!

I know you have some of your own and by sharing and submitting your own fabulous Mummy Hack to the DAIRYLEA site you could win yourself a fantastic Queensland family holiday! Oh yes please!(Does *family holiday * mean I have to take the kids though you think?)

A MUMMY HACK might come from your own experience as a parent juggling the demands of a busy family life or it might be a treasured piece of wisdom passed down from Mum or Grandma! Your MUMMY HACK might just provide some emotional and practical support to another busy ,time poor parent if you share with us all!

Over the years I have found many ways to save time and money but still keep the kids busy even on the rainiest, temper tantrum filled day and I thought you might like to use a few yourself so here are my top 15 MUMMY HACKS for keeping the kids entertained!

15 Creative and Budget Friendly MUMMY HACKS to keep the Kids Busy!

1. Clean out your pantry

Any dry, out of date ingredients make perfect fillers for a sensory bin. I use one of those under the bed storage containers with a lid, pour rice, beans, lentils or whatever you have that has reached its best before date into the tub, throw in a few plastic cups, spoons and bowls and you now have time for that cuppa in peace as the kids explore.

2. Turn empty roll on deodorant bottles into paint applicators

3. Empty the baking cupboard and use those muffin trays as paint pot holders to keep the spilt paint at bay.

4. Cut the side of plastic bottles to make scoops for sand, rice and gravel play just like the brilliant Learn with Play at Home did with this measuring activity

5. Make your own cornflour paint and glue that lasts a week and saves you money

6. Don’t want to clean up another mess but your toddler is in a creative mood? I’ve got you covered with this ‘mess free’ painting activity.

7. Put a kitchen sponge into a recycled takeaway container to make your very own paint sponge pad – perfect to make sure toddlers don’t use more paint than they need to!

8. Store liquid paint in recycled sauce bottles and ensure you only need a quick squeeze to get the paint you need for craft time rather than a huge dollop from the bottle that will probably go to waste

9. Turn old bath sponges and fruit/onion net bags into a fun sensory painting tool

10. Explore more mess free painting using the chalkboard and some water

11. Turn the washing basket upside down on the ground and use it to offer some fine motor fun

12. Use a cork pot board, some thumbtacks and a few rubber bands and older children can make their own geoboard like this one over at An Everyday Story.

13. Wash your empty juice bottles and turn them into a fun paint squirting activity

14. Cut up your empty paper towel rolls and they quickly become an easy toddler threading activity

15. Add a few non slip sticky dots to the bottom of those really annoying little dress up shoes that every child seems to love but cause heartache when you have slippery floors!

The DAIRYLEA products are an easy way to get kids eating finger food and save you time on the dreaded lunchbox packing saga at 10 pm on a week night (or is that just me?) I really like that they are free of artificial colours and flavours and the range includes a little bit of fun in its packaging and presentation which we all know can go a long way to getting kids to eat the food we provide! There are Cheesy Pops, Strip Cheese, Fridge Sticks and Cheese Pods. Pods…I love that name for some reason!

But I would love a Queensland holiday more and I bet you would too so why not stop by the DAIRYLEA competition website now and share your clever #MUMMYHACK . The best #MUMMYHACKs submitted will also feature on the Facebook page and Website. Remember, a MUMMY HACK can be anything that makes life easier or provides some practical help for parents!

I can’t wait to read yours….I have 4 your old twins and a teenager…I need all the help I can get!

This post is brought to you with thanks to Dairylea Cheese

DAIRYLEAand MUMMY HACK are trademarks of Mondelez International group used under licence.

DIY Fine Motor Board Fun for Toddlers

2014-09-21T21:24:00.004+10:00

This weekend we finally got few little DIY jobs completed....not for us of course but some upcycled resources for the kids to play with...which is almost as good...well that's what I tell myself anyway!

This little fine motor board stems from an idea I had a few months back when I observed how much the toddler group attending my family day care service were enjoying playing and creating with washers and bolts whenever I brought them out.

As most toddlers do they also have a love of trying to figure out how things work and putting things on and off. So I thought I would extend upon those interests and make up a simple board that would also challenge their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

I'm simply calling it a fine motor board....pretty clever huh? Yes I know it's not that exciting but hey at least you know what I'm talking about!

Now I'm pretty sure you don't need my instructions to make one for yourself but let's take a wander through the process just in case you have a question or two and frankly I took some photos so I have to show them somewhere ;)

I started off cutting a few boards from some pallets we had stored downstairs, if you want to be fancy you could measure and cut specific sizes but I personally don't think your toddler is going to care either way...just sayin!

We then went on a bit of a scavenger hunt in His Patient Self's shed to find some cuphooks because I just knew I had seen a stash of them somewhere, that man collects everything I tell you!

Tara thought it was great fun to help me find them and then pick out the ones she thought were the perfect match. And doesn't she have just the perfect outfit for the job? Love that kid's individual sense of style!

The wood we used is pretty rough as it was just recycled pallet timber so it needed a little sanding and then some clear lacquer over the top. We did try some old stain we had on one of the boards but it was too dark so the others just got some lacquer over the top to give them a nicer finish and protect them from the weather as I will be using them outdoors as well as indoors. You could of course add a stain of your choice but this project was all about using what we already had and the only leftover stain we had was too dark for this project!

Older children will enjoy trying to help you make the boards, they can select different hooks, choose where to put them and even try to screw them in if your timber is soft like the pallet wood pieces we used.

It really doesn't matter where you place the hooks, I used a few different sizes and tried to leave enough room for small fingers to maneuver .

Once you have the hooks where you want them all you need to do is add a little bowl of washers that can be placed on the hooks. I also added some bolt nuts to provide an extra challenge.

Try to include different textures and sizes to encourage and support problem solving and sensory exploration.

At the moment I am just leaning the boards against the wall or some rocks outside so they stand upright and slightly back but I intend to add a few screws to the back so I can add a rope for hanging. Either way works!

Some toddlers will find it more difficult to choose the pieces that fit easily over the hooks, others will just enjoy making patterns and taking the washers on and off and rearranging.

However they choose to play with the board you know they will be strengthening their fine motor and problem solving skills as well as challenging their hand/eye coordination and understanding of the concepts big and small and spatial awareness.

An easy little DIY project that incorporates sustainability and is of course budget friendly.

What else could you use to hang on the hooks?

If this is your first visit to Mummy Musings and Mayhem and you like what you see you can follow me on Facebook, Bloglovin and Pinterest for more inspiration, frugal fun, recipes and mayhem!

Warm Wishes...

Effective and Safe Green Cleaning for Home and Daycare!

2014-09-20T20:40:00.002+10:00

As a parent and also an early childhood educator I feel a great responsibility to ensure that not only my own children but also the children in my care are not exposed to harmful cleaning chemicals as they play and learn.

I know many of you reading will agree and say that it is important to keep harmful products locked away out of children's reach and it's something you do routinely...but have you also considered the effects to children (and you!) while you are using those products?

Growing numbers of children - (including my own so I have done a lot of research the last few years about this topic) have a sensitivity to many of the cleaning products on the market today. They may worsen asthma, allergies and other sensory sensitivities and they can also contribute to behaviour issues and heighten some learning difficulties.

One of my twins, Ruby, gets an awful asthma cough when exposed to cleaning products that have a distinct smell, this includes some of those that are essential oil based. She once threw up when I sprayed lavender oil/water in her room "to promote a restful sleep"! yeah, lavender didn't calm me that day I can tell you! She is ok with the lavender picked from the garden though.

She also cannot tolerate commercial air fresheners. I cannot use laundry powders with perfume as she breaks out in rashes, as does her twin. This is when I first began to make my own laundry liquid.

Tara displays quite aggressive behaviour and meltdowns if the air is thick with the smell of cleaning products. Took me a while to work it out and I know some of you will be sceptical but I know what I see. I highly recommend a read of Sue Dengate’s book ‘Fed Up’ which not only explores the chemicals in our food but also our cleaning products. it is certainly an eye opener! To find out more you can visit her here

So when you spray that air freshener everywhere or wipe over surfaces with disinfectant, use 'special' cleaning cloths already coated with a cleaning product, clean the shower with that potent smelling 'bathroom cleaner' or wash your floors with the 'germ free' solution consider what a child's senses might be experiencing. Think about what they are smelling, touching, tasting. There is often residue left from all these strong cleaning products so they don't need to be actually drinking the stuff for it to be harmful to their little systems!

Advertising campaigns are very good at playing on our mummy guilt, we want that germ free household and will use whatever product it takes to make that happen. We don't want sick kids, we want our home to be a hygenic environment, we want the best and are willing to pay for it right?

Am I telling you that is wrong? No, not at all, this blog is about my opinion and how I parent and educate, what is right for me may not be right for your household and that is perfectly ok. What I do want to do though is provide you with some information that you might not have considered before, that might encourage you to take some baby steps into what I believe is a safer and more budget friendly cleaning option for your family or home daycare service.

“But we have to use those products to keep things clean!” I often hear from other parents and educators. They have been told they must clean in a certain way to provide a hygienic germ free environment and that's what they do.

But is there an alternative? If you are talking about the family home then it is easy to incorporate some greener cleaning methods straight away...for those working as early childhood educators it can be a little more fraught depending on who you work for (self or centre) and the environment you work in (centre/home based). There are regulations, rules, policies and procedures to follow. A shame though that they often seem to be interpreted in many different ways. No wonder so many are confused!

I personally think many in the early childhood sector are going overboard with the cleaning they do, the products they choose to use and the expectations of staff.

I know we want to maintain a hygienic and relatively germ free environment but there are ways to do this without spraying toxic chemicals and wiping disinfectant and antibacterial agents over everything. The aggressive advertising campaigns around germ free households and child care environments certainly have a lot to answer for in my opinion.

So let's get to the bottom line....please keep in mind that I am talking about this issue from an Australian perspective, obviously regulations and other considerations will vary in different countries and even different states within Australia....but I believe it is well worth you investigating a little so you can make some informed decisions.

Cleaning requirements in early childhood services

When we discuss sustainability in early childhood practice I think we need to explore and consider some safer and greener cleaning practices to reduce our chemical load and what we are exposing young children to on a regular basis.

How can we use fewer products and safer alternatives? Can we do that according to current health and safety regulations?

Let’s explore what we really need to do according to the 5th edition of Staying

Healthy in early childhood and education care services. which is a guide that many early childhood educators should be familiar with and many home based child care coordination units and long day care centres base their policies and procedures regarding health and hygiene on here in Australia.

Cleaning effectively in early childhood

For nappy change mats – use warm soapy water, wipe with paper towel or a single use cloth that must be then put in the wash, rinse and wipe dry with more paper towel
If possible, at lunch or rest time put out in the sun to dry
For toys – use the dishwasher or warm water and detergent. Make sure to rinse and then leave in the sun to dry if possible. If a toy can’t be washed then don’t buy it is my recommendation. Keep a box for mouthed toys and wash at end of each day if you have babies.
For bathrooms and toilets – Wash surfaces with detergent and warm water. There is no need to use disinfectant unless you know that the surface has been contaminated with potentially infectious material via body substances or blood.
Disinfectant is useless unless a surface has been cleaned first. It cannot kill germs if the surface is not clean so use your detergent and dry first. Most disinfectants must also soak the surface for at least 10 minutes to be effective (check the back of the bottle and read fine print if you don't believe me!)
If using bleach because of a gastro/contagious outbreak, blood spill or similar then you need to apply it after you have washed and dried the surface first as above. Disinfectant is only required during reportable outbreaks.
Vinegar is unfortunately not a suitable ‘alternative’ disinfectant – it does not kill enough germs in a short space of time to be an effective surface disinfectant, it has not been tested or registered as a disinfectant. I do often use it in a spray bottle diluted well though to freshen up surfaces (and it makes a fantastic fabric softener for the washing!)

Interesting right? Seems you don't need that bright pink wash and smelly floor cleaner to ensure you are following best practice procedure. One reason I found it very difficult to wash my hands when working in child care centres was because many of them used that awful bright pink handwash that would leave me with severe dermatitis on my hands! I really hope that stuff has long gone now but I know it was a cheap option so it's probably still out there lurking!

It might surprise you to know that I very rarely use disinfectant here and I certainly don’t spray Glen 20 (or similar) everywhere, especially on things children will touch and possibly mouth. As you can see from the points above, it will not be effective if applied in this way so you are just wasting your hard earned dollar or (50 cents after tax obviously ;) )

Well that's fantastic Jode I hear you say (you know I often like to pretend I can hear you all reading along with me so just indulge me ok!) but how do I clean effectively then? What do I do in my home and family day care service?

My Green Clean Kit & Practices for Home and Daycare

Colour coded cloths that can be washed and reused over and over - blue for bathroom, green for kitchen, purple for tables and yellow for dusting. I use paper towel for floor spills.

Plain eco friendly/low sudsing washing detergent diluted in water in spray bottles and bleach for cleaning bathroom surfaces, kitchen and eating surfaces and nappy change mat. I apply with paper towel and dry with paper towel. You can use reusable cloths as another option when wiping down the change mat but keep in mind that you will then need to wash them after each single use so by the end of the day you might have a lot of extra washing (if also using handtowels and washers for the children) so that is more water and electricity being used which may or may not outweigh the cost and use of paper towel. Paper towel works most effectively for me so that is what I stick with but it's a personal decision.

If I need to use bleach I dilute it only as needed as it loses it's effectiveness if stored diluted so don't put it into a spray bottle and leave it ready to use!
I use orange or lemon essential oil diluted well in spray bottles as air freshener (Ruby isn't as sensitive to these two essential oils as long as they are diluted well)
I always ventilate the bathroom and house as much as possible as part of my green clean plan.
I fill my bathroom sink at nappy change times with warm water and apply detergent via spray bottle onto the mat then wipe with paper towel and the warm water.
If I want to give the bathroom areas a good scrub I make a paste with bicarbonate of soda and a little vinegar and use a scourer or rags wrapped in those orange net bags work really well too.

If I feel I absolutely need to use some jif or other commercial cream cleanser I do it when there are no children are in care that day and my own kids are out of the house therefore not exposing any children to potentially harmful chemicals.
I generally avoid products with a fragrance if I can.
1/2 teaspoon olive oil in 1/2 cup vinegar makes a lovely wooden furniture polish, if you want to add a little fragrance without being overpowering in the home some lemon juice or essential oil works well. store in a jar with lid or recycled spray bottle and use an old tea towel or rag for applying.

I like to make my own laundry liquid or powder when I can. It lasts for ages and is therefore very cost effective. It also has a lovely subtle 'clean' smell!

I use vinegar in my washing machine as a cleaner and also fabric softener.
1/4 cup of homemade (clothes) washing liquid in warm water makes a fantastic floor cleaner.

My Top 6 Cleaning Essentials

Colour coded washable cloths for cleaning surfaces, bathroom and kitchen
Eco friendly dishwashing detergent
Vinegar
Orange essential oil (in very small quantities)
Bi carb of soda
Sunlight pure soap bars or lux pure soap flakes

I like to keep them all together in a little caddy so I am ready to go when I need something.

So if you work as a home educator or in centre based care or are the parent who does the cleaning in your home why not consider getting rid of some of those toxic chemicals you have locked away and try a little detergent and elbow grease instead!

Obviously for educators reading this guide, check the recommendations and regulations with your own governing body but I'm sure there is at least one of the practices above that you could incorporate into your service. Every little bit helps and perhaps it is up to you to raise the question of the effect that toxic cleaners and even some 'natural cleaners' are having on the sensory systems of the children in our current germ phobic society.

Would you consider some greener cleaning alternatives in your home or workplace?

If this is your first visit to Mummy Musings and Mayhem and you like what you see you can follow me on Facebook, Bloglovin and Pinterest for more inspiration, frugal fun, recipes and mayhem!

Warm Wishes...

6 Fun Fine Motor Play Ideas with Tongs

2014-09-16T11:25:00.002+10:00

I love to come up with fine motor activities for children, especially toddlers as it is such an important pre writing skill to practice and strengthen.

One of my favourite tools to encourage the use of fine motor skills and hand eye coordination is the small tong. There are just so many ways to use them and although most toddlers will find them difficult to master at first they will keep persevering because they love a challenge at that age.

As they grow the tongs can still provide many challenges. Once they have mastered the squeeze and release action you can also introduce smaller items to pick up and games that require them to squeeze and hold for a period of time while they transfer items.

They are also fantastic to have in home corner as they encourage real life role play while they practise an important skill.

The use of tongs in play really does showcase the importance and ease of play based learning.

I've collected 6 of my twins favourite tong activities to share with you. Why not give one a go...they are all budget friendly and very easy to set up.

I buy my tongs in packs of two from the local supermarket or pick them up from the op shops whenever I see them. I *might* have too many but at least there aren't fights over them!

Click on the pictures below to visit the activity post for more information.

Kangaroo Tong Treasure Hunt

Goopy Tong Bear Hunt

Slimy Baubles

Meatballs & Spaghetti Fine & Gross Motor Game

Edible Sensory Fine Motor Tray

Toddler Tongs and Water Play

How does your child like to have fun with their fine motor skills?

If this is your first visit to Mummy Musings and Mayhem and you like what you see you can follow me on Facebook, Bloglovin and Pinterest for more inspiration, frugal fun, recipes and mayhem!

Warm Wishes...

28 Fun Ideas to try with Recycled & Upcycled Resources!

2014-09-07T14:09:00.002+10:00

Creating fun experiences for children doesn't need to be expensive or difficult. I love to involve my children in experiences with recycled materials or in helping us to upcycle items we find that might look like rubbish but in fact can provide hours of fun with just a little effort.

I believe that introducing the concept of sustainability in play and in their day to day environment is one of the most important learning opportunities you can provide for children in today's busy and often throw away society.

I know it can sometimes seem a little daunting though which is why I have collected some ideas and inspiration for you below. Some of the resources and activities require a little more preparation than others but there are plenty of quick and easy ideas too.

There is fun for both indoor and outdoor play...I hope you have fun exploring!

1. Explore some sensory fun with Bubble Wrap & Cardboard Rolls

2. Make your own musical shakers

3. Build a Bus...or Train...or Plane!

4. Get busy with old Deodorant Bottles

5. Dye and Thread with egg cartons

6. Use eggshells for craft and sensory fun

7. Make a musical 'tree'

8. Use pallet wood for block play

9. Use more pallet wood to build a sand kitchen

10. Use even more pallet wood to make a kid's garden

11. Make a plastic bottle bell

12. Build a seesaw

13. Recycle baby food jars for some fine motor fun

14. Use op shop potato mashers for stamping fun

15. If you're handy with pallet timber....why not build an outdoor cafe?

16. Or some outdoor scales for the sandpit

17. Build a teepee with fallen tree branches

18. Use spice jars to challenge toddler fine motor skills

19. Turn plastic bottles into painting tools

20. Recycle some cardboard to make a name or two

21. Gather your baskets for sorting fun

22. Cardboard rolls make perfect first threading tools

23. As do egg cartons and straws

24. More sensory fun with beautiful bubblewrap!

25. Explore and create with recycled items from the toolshed

26. Use some jars to create a glowing keepsake

27. Explore the many possibilities of wooden planks

28. Use tin cans to make some music outside

Which recyclable activity or material was your favourite?

If this is your first visit to Mummy Musings and Mayhem and you like what you see you can follow me on Facebook, Bloglovin and Pinterest for more inspiration, frugal fun, recipes and mayhem!

Warm Wishes...

Exploring Wood and Tools - Ideas & Inspiration for all Ages AND a Q Toys Giveaway!

2014-08-18T08:00:00.000+10:00

This is a sponsored post in partnership with Q Toys. I assure you though that all opinions are my own and cannot be brought

For the past few months my own girls as well as the children attending my family day care service have had a real interest in working and playing with wood and tools.

It doesn't matter whether it is construction, craft, indoors or outdoors there seems to be always something we can do with our toolboxes or some wood! I've had to get a little creative in my extension activities to keep them busy but it's also been interesting to watch what they come up with as well.

It's a good idea when working with kids to remain as flexible in your ideas as you can. Just because I put a box of tools out with some wood doesn't mean they will use them in the way I intended. I have enjoyed setting out different "invitations to play' over the last few weeks though for both the toddler and preschool ages.

Construction, wood and tools make a great activity base for multi-age groups as they are materials that are easily modified for safety and age and keep a toddler's short attention span really well as this age loves to figure out how things work!

I think it's important to keep their play props as 'real' as possible so they can really engage with how they have seen wood and tools being used in their everyday environment and community. It makes for a fantastic sustainable activity as the children can help you collect branches, wood offcuts and other materials from around the home to use in their construction. If you are purchasing resources to promote play with wood and other natural materials then I really urge you to choose quality wooden products like QToys offers over the cheap plastic versions. You and the children will get much more use out of them.

I've also added a few well made and obviously well loved tools from my local second hand market. There's nothing wrong with having a mix of resources but try and make sure you are buying a quality product for your money.

And when you have spent the money make sure you are thinking outside the toolbox (see what I did there?...Hilarious!) to use those resources in as many ways as possible. Combine them with some second hand favourites and some recycled materials from around the yard and you have all the tools (I know, hilarious aren't I?) that you need for many hours of fun!

Here's a few ways we have been playing and learning with wood and tools in the last few weeks. I warn you, some of these photos are seriously cute!

Wood offcuts and glue...fun for all ages! I added real hammers for the older children and wooden hammers for the toddlers....

Why not set up a 'toolshed' outdoors? We used our climbing frames as sawhorses, a pallet wall and lots of our favourite tools and wood pieces collected from around the house, this kept the toddlers busy for a whole morning!

Invite tools and wood into imaginary play and see what the children come up with...on this day our outdoor bus needed some repairs and the wood needed to be transported to 'the shop' for building apparently.

Use what you have to create opportunities for role play and exploration - here we used a baby doll change station as a workbench....

Explore the use of real tools and props from around the yard...toddlers are perfectly capable of working with tools if closely supervised and it provides so many opportunities for learning. On this particular day it lead to a discussion about the indents and patterns the hammers made on the soft wood.

Don't forget that girls love to work and play with tools too..no matter what their age! Don't miss these sort of opportunities

Use wooden planks , tools and wooden construction blocks to invite the imagination in...

Explore the concept of big and small with the use of natural materials and tools. Here the toddlers had lots of fun working with the big logs and we talked about big and small as I introduced the smaller tree blocks.

The Quins Group (Q Toys) is a Melbourne-based, Australian owned company that designs and manufactures educational toys, teaching equipment and children's furniture. Every design of Q Toys has a specific educational function in order to foster children's physical and mental development and they believe that a child's skills of self learning are critical for the child's future success in this information age.

I really like that Q Toys do not employ and exploit unskilled labor in production lines in poorly equipped factories as sometimes reported in the plastic toy industry. Q Toys ensure highly skilled workers who work with them get a fair deal and that is important to me and should be important to you too!

Although this is a sponsored post for Q Toys regular readers will have seen many of the Q Toys products featured in my blog and Facebook photos over the past year and know that I am being honest with you when I say I really do love their products! I obviously spend a tad too much money there but let's just keep that between you and me as we wouldn't want to give His Patient Self a mini heart attack now would we? And really, when you find something you love you stick with it.

Here are a few pictures of some of my toys and resources from Q Toys that we have been playing with recently (Am really hoping Daddy doesn't read this ;) ) They are all available now through Q Toys.

How would you like to own one of these beautiful Q Toys wooden toolboxes ?

We absolutely love ours here and my Tara definitely isn't giving hers up, (she repacks it neatly every day would you believe) but if you head over to the Q Toys Facebook page right now and tag a friend you will get the chance to enter a fantastic giveaway and give your budding builders the opportunity to get creative with their very own wooden toolset. There are 2 up for grabs for lucky readers!

Are you excited? Got to be in it to win it friends so head over to their page quickly and enter now. Entries close 30th August 2014.

Tell me...How did you last have fun with wood?

If this is your first visit to Mummy Musings and Mayhem and you like what you see you can follow me on Facebook, Bloglovin and Pinterest for more inspiration, frugal fun, recipes and mayhem!

Warm Wishes...

Working with the Framework Learning Outcomes - Part 1 LINKING

2014-08-17T11:05:00.000+10:00

Can we have a little chat for a moment about linking the early years learning framework (ELYF) outcomes and your programming cycle? Because from what I can see this topic is causing educators an awful lot of angst at the moment!

I have received some really heartfelt messages and emails lately from educators asking me to please help them to decipher the EYLF outcomes and advise how to link activities to the outcomes. Some educators have told me they are leaving the profession because they just feel to overwhelmed with this part of the planning cycle.

This really makes me sad because there are so many myths and unrealistic expectations floating about in the early childhood profession at the moment and unfortunately not everyone has the time, inclination or even the thought to challenge these myths or the expectations being placed upon them.

Knowledge and understanding can empower you in many ways, it can give you the confidence to ask questions, challenge directives that aren't explained well, engage in self and service reflection and most of all give you the confidence to ask for support or clarification so you can again feel in control.

I know that to find a path to this knowledge base and the clear answers that you seek can be difficult and frustrating. People who should be supporting and explaining often get caught up in explaining expectations with the use of lots of 'important speak' and flowery jargon to help justify their position. I have found that often they do not fully understand why they are asking someone else to do something a specific way, they just 'know' it must be done this way and therefore you must follow.

Now I'm not saying you should always challenge your boss, director, scheme or management committee but you should endeavour to find the information you need for yourself first in a way that you can understand easily, not through another person's "cheat sheet" or directive. When you understand WHY something is being asked of you then you are able to ask informed questions and seek some clarification. What I'm trying to say is don't give up, just find someone who explains things a little better, in a way you are able to understand and feel confident with. Then come back ready for a discussion with the powers that be about more support or information or even offer an alternative suggestion for a way you would prefer to meet the expectation required of you.

Now that I have that off my chest I'd love to try and be that person for you when it comes to understanding how to best use the learning outcomes. Remember that these are only my thoughts and interpretations and stem from my research on expectations surrounding the eylf and the document itself. They might not be what your management team believes. But hey, not going to let that stop me, it's always good to have a healthy debate and reflect on best practice (I am right though...hehe)

Enough waffling, let me try and break this down a little for you and answer some of the questions I have been receiving lately....

Take a deep breath.....here we go!

How do I plan using the Learning Outcomes?

The NQS says in Element 1.1.2 that “Each child’s current knowledge, ideas, culture, abilities and interests are the foundation of the program” .
Element 1.2.1 states that “Each child’s learning and development is assessed as part of an ongoing cycle of planning, documenting and evaluation"

I believe this indicates that we draw on children's ideas and interests as well as their knowledge, culture and abilities and to be able to do this we must know children well. How do we get to know the children in our care this well? We can do this many ways but one important way is through a form of observation and reflection/evaluation and then being able to use that knowledge to plan for future experiences.

The EYLF talks about about a cycle of planning, documenting and evaluating.You can see what I have written about the planning cycle in this previous post - but really all you need to remember is that the observations and assessment you are recording must be meaningful, they must be specific and they must support you to support the child's learning journey and their steps forward. If it doesn't then you have wasted your time and the child in your care hasn't benefited either. I tend to take a photo of a moment I know is important and then come back to it later to analyse. I also take photos that I know a parent will find important for general parent communication. It is vital to include parents in your planning cycle too and this is why I firmly believe that when talking about outcomes and including them in your programming it should be in a way that everyone can understand.

The learning outcomes are an important part of the early years learning framework, not only because they help you as an educator to identify some key aspects of what you are aiming to achieve for each child but also because they support us to think about learning over the long term. Do you reflect on the outcomes in relation to long term planning or just to fit an activity into a slot?

I like to try and use the outcomes to guide my planning over the long term. To help me look ahead and forward plan. I don't do this by simply stating I have covered outcome 1 on Monday or outcome 2 by the end of the week as I feel this could be very limiting to an individual or groups potential. I work towards including them holistically by ensuring my program template covers all outcome areas without needing to constantly list outcome numbers or colour code.

If I have a few activities in each area I know that I am working toward ensuring that the children in my care are receiving access to play and learning opportunities and experiences that encompass all of the outcomes. I might have an idea of the outcome I am focusing on with individual focus activities and intentional teaching activities but it really does evolve from there and I think about the outcomes usually only when analyzing and evaluating experiences.

I guess what I am trying to say is that 'meeting outcomes' is not my sole focus when planning my program. I don't let that take over the importance of the observations and experiences I have seen and extended upon over the week or fortnight. I don't believe you should let it take you over either.

The EYLF outcomes are broad enough to capture the essence of what most educators are trying to achieve but not so general that they end up being meaningless. Interpreting them with your own insight and vision is the key. I don't really see them as a limiting resource but as a broad guide to programming decisions - inviting us to watch carefully and listen closely to children rather than planning a set program based on something we, or others expect to see. I think when you are constantly trying to 'match' outcomes to experiences you can easily loss the genuineness of the children's experiences as you seek to ensure they are meeting the outcome you intended.

Don't let them overshadow the importance of your own experience and knowledge of the children in your care, don't try to plan according to the outcomes...follow the children and your instincts and then reflect upon which outcomes you and the children explored. The same activity might actually yield different outcome opportunities for each individual child and that is the beauty of the EYLF as I see it! If you have already labelled an activity with an expected outcome then you might miss the bigger picture and narrow your focus.

I program and plan with the EYLF in mind but it is certainly not the only factor. Well, especially since I usually program with a wine in hand on a Sunday night...just joking...sort of.

How do I interpret the Learning Outcomes?

I'm sorry that I don't have a magic answer to this one for you as I know many find the wording and categories of the framework difficult to understand and interpret.

Really, the only thing that worked for me was reading the framework and focusing on the dot points rather than the headings. It is not enough to just read the principles and main headings of the outcomes. You need to read through the dot points underneath and think about how the activities you currently offer might fit into those areas.

If you find it difficult to understand the examples given then step away from the boxes and think about the children you currently have in care in relation to a learning outcome, use your own words. For example...How do you ensure that the children have a strong sense of identity? How might you see this? How can you support them and promote their learning in this area? Think about these questions in the context of your own service rather than what is written in a book.

The most common mistake I see is educators trying to slot one activity into just one outcome. Why do we need to be so rigid? Why put that pressure on yourself? Why not think holistically and consider that the activity might actually fall under a few outcomes and that is perfectly ok? Also consider that one activity might meet different outcomes for different children. It does not need to be an exact science.

I'm going to explore a few more strategies for interpreting the outcomes in part 2 of this series.

How do I know which activity goes with which outcome?

As I mentioned above, please step away from needing to'match' activities with outcomes and check off the boxes as you do so. If you are offering a wide range of activities, incorporating natural playspaces into your environment, and offering the use of quality resources and natural materials then you are more than likely already covering the majority of the outcomes and principles with just your everyday activities.

I tend to plan my program with outcomes in mind but I don't try and match activities or ensure I cover a certain number of them each week. The children's interests and child led activities will also form an important part of my planning cycle over a 2 week period.

For example a simple activity with scissors can fall under a number of the outcomes when you consider the children are cutting 'everyday food ' pictures from recycled paper to explore healthy eating and sustainability. They are also practising colour recognition, eye hand coordination, fine motor skills, problem solving and communicating.

I pretty much use my learning outcomes after the fact. I'd rather not box myself into an outcome per experience, because really I think that many children get many different things/outcomes out of one particular learning experience, so I think its hard to say "ok for this experience I'm hoping to get x outcome. When in fact I'll end up getting a, b, c, m and n, for different children. So I tend to use my observations and other documentation to explore the outcomes met. I incorporate the EYLF wording into this documentation rather than a specific number (eg. 1.1 etc)

I tend to just observe something interesting from a child and then think about which outcomes it matches up with and record/assess that way. In terms of my program I sometimes write up my intentional teaching with a planned outcome in mind but everything else I just add after its happened.

So how do I do that? Here's a brief example of a short observation using the wording of the eylf instead of labelling the experience with an outcome number...

Ruby asked if she could pick the mandarin from the tree as we sat eating morning tea outside. She has been demonstrating a growing appreciation and care for plants in our environment recently through watering and weeding. She has been showing an interest in incorporating the plants and vegetables from the backyard gardens into her social and dramatic play allowing her to investigate, project and explore new ideas, especially in the sandpit and outdoor cafe. I asked Ruby which mandarin she would choose for morning tea and she replied "the orange one because it is not green" demonstrating that she is able to observe, notice and respond to changes in the environment around her. As she sat down with her mandarin she requested a bowl and then began squeezing the juice from the mandarin while telling us "this is how you make some juice for the shop". I observed Ruby putting the seeds aside on the table and when I asked what she planned on doing with the seeds she replied "I'm going to plant them with my Daddy in the garden to make more trees".

This observation clearly demonstrates Ruby has a growing understanding of sustainable practices as well as an increased understanding of the interdependence between the land, people and plants. Through everyday access to a range of natural materials in her play environment Ruby is showing through moments like this that she has an emerging respect and appreciation for the natural environment. I'd like to explore and challenge this emerging interest in growing food and eating it and introduce the basic concept and importance of our interdependence of living things.

Did you connect this observation with Outcome 2 - Children are connected with and contribute to their world? I've basically combined a observation with a part analysis here for the purposes of showing you an example. I would include the same sort of wording when planning my extension activity based on this observation.

The order I completed this process was first to be in the moment with Ruby, discuss and problem solve with her, listen to her learning journey, I took some photos as I always have my camera close by for these moments. I remembered her words because I thought they were so very significant so they stuck with me. I didn't turn away and lose focus because I was writing something down, I was actually joining in and experiencing. Later at rest time when I loaded photos onto the computer I was reminded of this special moment and saved a few photos relating to this moment in Ruby's observation folder in her electronic portfolio on my computer. Sometimes I also add some notes at this stage but not often.When I began to write my 'Our Day' daily reflection/communication sheet for the parents (and my own records) I included this moment briefly as a dot point with some of Ruby's own words included along with a picture. This then acts as another record I have to use for next week's forward planning even if I haven't as yet completed the formal observation. I just include the date along with the planned activity relating to this day of the Our Day form onto next week's program under 'children's interests' or 'individual focus activity'. So it's like a shortcut really and another way that I use my Our Day forms to cover many documentation areas if i am short on time.

Later in the week I arranged the photos quickly into a collage and added the observation above while sitting with the framework beside me. By using the language of the outcomes in this way I have gained a much deeper and clearer understanding of the EYLF and the terminology used. If I have time I will then add a short analysis to my forward planning form but often this gets done at a later time and then I will plan an extension activity from this analysis...again including the wording of the EYLF. To me this means a lot more than just putting the outcome number next to an observation. You still have to write an observation, you aren't making more work, by including the wording in your observation you are actually saving yourself time further along the planning cycle...and others will understand what you are recording.

Obviously, I have just tried to explain this as briefly as I could but it's hard to explain everything when writing. Please ask any questions you might have and i'll try to answer. Remember though that this is the system that works for me, it might not for you but I hope it helps in some way! Take what you find useful and modify it to your own needs.

Why don't I like the use of 'cheat sheets'?

Look, I understand the attraction of them. Someone lists a whole lot of activities next to an outcome and you just write the number of the outcome beside the activity on your program.

But can I ask you whether they have helped you to understand the outcomes, whether you have questioned why that activity fits with that outcome, whether it is actually the same for 2 different children or whether that activity actually crosses over to a number of learning outcomes? Do you have to rely on these cheat sheets to program? If you answered yes then I wonder if you are actually meeting the needs of individual children and also understanding that it is the activity that provides the learning experience not the outcome number you have decided upon.

If you are spending so much time just linking the outcome number to an activity using this method then I believe you are possibly missing out on the joy of the planned experience and other learning possibilities because you have already made your decision according to your cheat sheet. A cheat sheet is also someone else's interpretation of the framework learning outcomes and may not reflect your own philosophy, environment or children in your care.

Just something to think about next time you look at a cheat sheet.

Do I need to link my planned activities to the learning outcomes?

The short answer is no. Nowhere does it say you need to do this. Your planning cycle does need to show that you are providing activities and learning opportunities that support children to progress in all of the outcome areas but there is no requirement to link everything you put on your weekly plan to an outcome unless you really feel it helps you to do this.

So no you don't need codes, boxes, numbers or coloured dots unless it's something that supports you in your planning cycle and saves you time somehow.

As I explained above I designed my program template with the principles and learning outcomes of the EYLF in mind so that I know at a glance whether my planning is meeting all areas. Some weeks I might have more planned in one outcome than another but there is nothing wrong with that, it is all about balance and looking ahead on the journey rather than just focusing on each week.

I am also confident that my indoor and outdoor environments, resources and interactions with the children also demonstrate my commitment to learning journey's across all of the eylf learning outcomes.

I personally don't have the time or energy to worry about writing numbers and linking activities but because I have read and interpreted the document in my own way I can now easily keep in mind the activities that will fall under each outcome. And seriously, if we get it wrong (because we all interpret in different ways) the world is not actually going to come to an end is it? The children will still be having fun, there will still be learning opportunities provided and you will still be a good educator. Cut yourself some slack.

I think this phrase from the EYLF Myths and Realities factsheet is important to note "The emphasis in the EYLF is on planning for learning—not just planning activities. Some activities and resources may regularly be available to children, but as well, educators need to plan and organise particular experiences that support children to make progress towards each learning outcome. Educators may also plan other strategies, such as specific one-on-one interactions, to assist each child’s learning and development."

Keeping this in mind let's talk about observations in regard to showing links to the outcome areas.

Do I need to link my individual and group observations to the learning outcomes?

I cannot find any evidence in the NQS or EYLF that supports the notion that educators need to physically link their observations or other information they have collected about individual children to the Principles and Practices on their documentation.

If you look at the Early Years Planning Cycle which you can find in the Educators’ Guide to the EYLF it explains clearly what you do need to be doing:

1. The Question Step - Educators should analyse what they know about individual children in relation to the framework's learning outcomes from the information that you have worked towards collecting (your observations, learning stories ,portfolio info etc). Have you identified group or individual strengths, interests and goals?

2. The Plan Step - You must then be guided by the framework's learning outcomes, principles and practices to support further learning in those areas. It might be one or all of the areas. Have you clarified what you want to now extend or focus on for the group or individuals learning journey? Have you identified what role you as educator will take in this extension? Have you made a plan for how you will present and evaluate the learning activity?

3. The Act/Do Step - My personal favourite! Keeping your planning in mind, set up your environment for the activity, consider the framework areas you are focusing on or others that might now come to mind as you observe and document the learning taking place. Have fun with the children while implementing your plan!

3 The Reflect/Review Step - And finally use them again when evaluating or reflecting on the activity and the child's engagement and learning progress. How did it go? Did other learning opportunities arise? Did you notice a focus on a particular outcome or principle?

Read more about each of the steps here

If you want to read more about how I personally approach this planning cycle you can read this post and this post from my educator series. You can also download the document I use to forward plan and make my links as described above.

So yes we must always be guided by the framework's learning outcomes and principles when considering our individual and group planning but that does not mean we need to be rigid in always writing down the specific outcomes in our documentation and only focusing on those because they are there in front of us on a plan.

I think it is important to remember is that as educators we must always use a range of different ideas, prinicples and outcomes to understand what learning is taking place. If you are just focusing on linking it might not be enough. For example...2.1 written next to a planned activity or experience doesn't tell anyone much (least of all parents) but by planning, describing and analysing in your own words what the children in your care know, do and understand then you can do some clear assessments about where the children's learning falls under the 5 learning outcomes.

I fear many educators are now focusing too much on interpreting their observations with the use of a learning outcome number. It has become the 'thing that must be done' and is causing an awful lot of stress for many while actually not being very helpful to anyone!

Perhaps these words again taken from the EYLF Myths and Realities document might put this into focus for you because I fear this is where many educators have fallen into the trap of becoming to outcome focused...

"The NQS suggests that assessors may need to sight ‘documentation demonstrating that the five learning outcomes are evident in documentation of children’s learning’. (Element 1.1.1) The information gathered about the child should be analysed and linked to the Learning Outcomes.However, when analysing a child’s learning, educators assess progress over a period of time, rather than ‘leaping to a judgement’ linked to an Outcome.Young children will be ‘working towards’ the learning outcomes and documentation should make this progress visible to the educator and others."

Documentation demonstrating that the 5 learning outcomes are evident in your planning and the children's journey does not mean limiting yourself or a child to an outcome number. Your documentation just needs to show their progress towards the learning outcomes over time. There are many ways to do this rather than just focusing on what outcome was met for one specific activity last Monday. You need to shift your thinking and focus on the child's overall journey. If you let go of the expectation that you need to first link everything correctly to the framework you might be able to get back to just being in the moment with the child as you work together and begin to collect your 'evidence' holistically.

You might realise that you can actually use the language and ideas of the framework outcomes as you write your documentation (learning stories, obs etc) rather than trying to add numbers everywhere to show your brilliance ;) Using the language of the outcomes but with your own style will truly save you so much time yet you will be meeting all documentation expectations I promise! Read through the example I gave above. I also try to use this wording in parent communication and daily reflections so it can all form part of my evidence of working towards the outcomes and principle of the EYLF

Using your own words will help you understand the EYLF more deeply and also enable you to see the outcomes being expressed differently between children. Try to write in a way that will enable your 'word pictures' to clearly identify all outcomes with not a number in sight!.

Consider also the other ways you can demonstrate a commitment to the EYLF outcomes....Your policies should reflect them, your behaviour and interactions should reflect them and they will be evident in your professional reflections. Just because you can show someone an observation that identifies an example of a particular principle, practice or outcome doesn't convince me that they are applied consistently.

Why is it important for others to understand 'my system'?

I firmly believe that your planning and documentation should be transparent to all and easily understood.

A pretty program with lots of linking numbers , colours or coded symbols may make perfect sense to you but not to anyone else. Do you have the time to continually explain your system to work colleagues, parents, coordinators? Why do you need to I hear you ask. Thanks, I'm glad you asked (trying to pretend I'm not just talking to myself here!)

I feel that we need to be sharing the framework and it's outcomes with parents so that we can all be working towards the same outcomes and embracing parent input and communication.

I try to ensure my documentation is written simply and often include the name of the outcome and some of the indicators underneath it and then write about how I are seeing this displayed. This provides a clear link to the outcomes, keeps the langauge of the EYLF used but speaks to parents in a manner that is clearly understood. I am not only an educator but a parent of twins and when I pick my girls up from their pre-school I am usually pretty time poor as I know most parents are. If understanding what had happened in their day meant searching for and understanding a code I just wouldn't bother!

You might be getting the idea that I really dislike seeing codes on programs, especially those detailed ones that families do not understand. My other concern with them is that the time spent looking for the code can be so much better spent on the floor with the children. I much prefer to see the language of the outcome being used. It gives so much more depth to planning and reflection.

I think writing about the outcomes supports us as educators to find lots of other examples of how the outcomes are expressed by children. We know that the listed examples in the EYLF or 'cheat sheets' are just that - examples! We need to find and demonstrate other ways that the children show us what they can do and know.

Coded observations and reporting often only means something to the person who invented it. I have worked in services who follow a fancy system but can't explain it - so in the end its of no value really. If you want to engage everyone in this - staff, parents, coordinators, then you need to try and make your systems a least a little transparent. It doesn't take too many extra words to provide an observational example and then add this to demonstrates an outcome " is met because ....." Not only will you, your centre colleagues, relief worker or visiting coordinator understand that, but so will the parent, who might then see other examples of their child demonstrating learning at home.

I think that if we want parents and the broader community to have a greater understanding of the value of a quality early childhood experience then we need to be more open, more articulate about our practice and far more transparent in what we know and how we show we know about children and their learning. The outcomes provide an excellent way of demonstrating that if used effectively. If you can learn to write your documentation with an understanding that it has to "speak" to lots of audiences then I think you will have a better sense of how to write and share your documentation. I know some educators will say that writing in this way will cause more work than just coding but if you look at it in the context of your overall planning picture I think you will be surprised at how much time it can save you...and others.

But when it all becomes to overwhelming and you feel that documentation and meeting the framework learning outcomes and principles is just to much...turn around and look into the faces of the children surrounding you, they are so very important and so is your role in their life. Step back and find a way that does work for you. You can do it I promise!

In part 2 of this series exploring the Learning Outcomes I'm going to try and 'unpack' or break down each of the 5 outcomes a little more for you and also demonstrate in more detail how to write your documentation using the language of the EYLF.

As always I welcome your feedback and thoughts below in the comments section (you are welcome to remain anonymous) or on my Facebook page.

If you are interested in more information on programming and planning you might like to visit some of the previous posts in my educator series...

If this is your first visit to Mummy Musings and Mayhem and you like what you see you can follow me on Facebook, Bloglovin and Pinterest for more inspiration, frugal fun, recipes and mayhem!

Warm Wishes...

Plunger Painting - Fun for all ages!

2014-08-06T10:07:00.000+10:00

When I saw these small plungers while out shopping last week I knew I had to have them. Now I realise not everyone would look at sink plungers and immediately think 'yes, I need 5 of them!" but it's the way my mind works!

Actually the look the cashier gave me as I plonked them all down at the checkout was indeed quite priceless. Is it just me or do you find yourself often saying "I run a family day care service they aren't just for me".

I've actually got a few ideas in mind for these little beauties but I decided to do the obvious first. Well I thought it was obvious when I saw them!

I grabbed some plastic bowls, added some paint and we were ready to go...

A little word of warning...this activity is best done outside as they can get rather 'exuberant' with the plunging and paint.

The activity appealed to the mixed age group with the preschoolers enjoying it as much as the toddlers.

It encouraged lots of communication about colours and big circles. The older girls also worked out they could make patterns and representations like caterpillars.

The toddlers just loved being able to use their muscles and push down hard on the paper to make circles and splatters.

Having to grasp the longer handles and push down hard was a very different movement from using a brush to paint with. The old children soon worked out that they had more control if they grasped the handle lower down toward the plunger.

This activity is not only lots of fun but it's really easy to clean up. Just a quick rinse of the plungers in a bucket of water and some plastic over the trays to keep the paint for another day.

They make lovely prints and the children were very excited to show their parents their 'circles' that afternoon.

I've got some more ideas for ways to use the plungers coming up soon.....in the meantime let's see what else I can find to shock the checkout operator!

What is the strangest thing you have used for painting with kids?

If this is your first visit to Mummy Musings and Mayhem and you like what you see you can follow us on Facebook and Pinterest for more inspiration, frugal fun, recipes and mayhem!

Warm Wishes...

Sustainable Fun with Kids - Making Lavender Perfume

2014-08-03T22:01:00.005+10:00

My 3 and 4 year old family day care group have been showing a lot of interest in the lavender growing in the garden the past few weeks. We have done a few activities with the lavender but I had promised that we would make some special perfume as soon as there were enough flower heads so one beautiful Winter's morning that's exactly what we did and I think I enjoyed it as much as them!

You don't need much to set up this sort of activity. I am always saving jars so I looked in my stash and found some old spice bottles with lids that I knew would make perfect perfume bottles.

After peeling the labels off I displayed them in a rack I recently found in the thrift shop and encouraged the girls to pick the bottle they wanted to make their 'perfume' in. I added a few baskets for collecting our lavender treasure (I love baskets and find them at markets and thrift shops quite cheaply).

With the important work of choosing the right basket behind us we began our nature walk around the gardens...Don't you just love the fact that my Ruby decided she needed to be a pirate with one glove to go picking flowers!

It's always an adventure to get outside the family day care gate and head off to explore....

These two are the best of friends...gorgeous aren't they?

There was rose geranium to smell, lavender flowers to find and leaves to rub to see if they had a smell. The senses were really getting a workout and filling their baskets with just the right fragrant treasures was important work

We explored the wheelbarrow herb and flower gardens as well as the larger gardens around the house....

With the booty collected we headed back to our table to begin the creative process...

Now it was time to challenge those fine motor muscles as the girls stripped leaves, scrunched flowers and rolled stems to fit into their bottles.

I also added some dried lavender I already had and a few tools to challenge them a little!

There were tweezers, small measuring spoons and recycled scoops from formula tins. Each tool provided a different challenge and worked different muscles. They had to really focus on their eye hand coordination and spatial awareness skills to successfully fill their bottles.

The girls decided what they wanted to put in their bottles and I loved watching as they made their decisions.

They were totally engrossed in the process of selecting the leaves and flowers and fitting everything in. There was a little problem solving as some realised the jars were too full..

There was much opportunity for group discussion and sensory exploration as well as focusing on a job from start to finish.

Such confident and involved little learners!

When each girl decided their jar was full they moved over to a bucket of warm water I had ready nearby and used the teapots and jugs from our outdoor cafe to scoop up some water and pour carefully into their jars.

This was really tricky and I could see they were concentrating very hard to make sure the water was poured into their jar.

When the water reached the top of the jar edge it was time to screw the lids on and give them a good shake. I have also done this with olive or another carrier oil oil to make a fragrant massage oil and half water, half oil works well too if you give it a shake before opening each time.

I explained to the girls that we would be leaving them on the rack in the sun while we had a rest and by then the water would have taken on the smell of the lavender and rose geranium leaves.

When they got up from their rest time I handed them some sticky labels and they each made their own unique design to stick onto their bottle.

They also make lovely gifts with a little extra 'wrapping'. The girls had lots of fun unscrewing their lids and poking a finger into the water in their jars then dabbing the scented water onto wrists and behind ears.

The collection and creative process in this activity was just as important as the end product (perfume) though.

In the afternoon I decided to use up the rest of the fresh and dried lavender to make some scented bags to put under their pillows at sleep time!

I used some little bags left over from the twins recent Birthday party and pulled out the trays of lavender and tools again.....

They were soon very busy selecting their leaves with tweezers, scoops, spoons or fingers and filling their special bags.

At the end of a very busy day they took home a lavender sachet for their bed or clothes drawer and some homemade perfume for Mum.

Let me tell you we all smelled so beautiful by the end of the day...some might even say a tad overpowering ;)

I really enjoyed setting up and participating in this activity with the girls. They showed such excitement and yet took the process and their creations very seriously.

Nature has so many treasures to offer us, I love being able to introduce this concept to children and watch them grow to love the outdoors and natures gifts as much as I do.

What could you do with something from the garden this week?

If this is your first visit to Mummy Musings and Mayhem and you like what you see you can follow us on Facebook and Pinterest for more inspiration, frugal fun, recipes and mayhem!

Warm Wishes..

Ideas for promoting and advertising a home day care business.

2014-07-24T17:56:00.001+10:00

I never underestimate the importance of promoting and advertising my day care business in the community...and neither should you.

I know many coordination units or schemes send parent referrals to their educators but I really think if you are relying on this as your main source of advertising then you are doing your own business and sense of worth as an early childhood professional a disservice. If you want to look professional and stand out from the other many child care options these days then you need to act professionally and that means branding yourself and doing a little old fashioned legwork. Yes you will need to spend money on your promotion but you don't need to go overboard and you can do a lot of it yourself. AND it will pay itself off after those new families begin rolling in !

I thought I would share some of the ways I have promoted my service since beginning and after a year I am now starting to see the benefit of branding myself and standing out a little from the crowd. Word of mouth has begun to spread to and I always think this is the most valuable form of advertising. Parents like to know what other parents have experienced, they want to be reassured and know that others have felt comfortable leaving their children this care environment.

So here are my top tips for getting yourself out there.....just like the centre up the road or the preschool around the corner. You are not a babysitter, you are a qualified early childhood educator, a professional and as such you have the right and the need to compete with those people who usually have the big (or at least some) advertising budgets. Don't sit there waiting for families to just knock on the door...get yourself out there and visible now!

12 Strategies for Promotion

A Logo

Seriously, just because your scheme might give you a little sign to stick on your fence doesn't mean that is saying much about you. Why not come up with a business name you are happy with (I kept it simple and friendly) and then play around with a few clip art pictures or ask an arty friend to draw you up something. It really doesn't need to be a huge production, just something that helps you to stand out from the other child care services in the area.

I was lucky to have a wonderful and talented friend in Kate from Picklebums (if you haven't checked out her blog please do, it is one of those that originally inspired me to begin a blog myself!) design my logo. The brief was pretty much outdoor fun, chickens, kids and trees. Nailed it I thought ;)

If you don't feel you can do a logo then at least settle on a name and a picture that sums up the individual service that you offer.

Once I had my logo sorted I was ready to create and distribute!

Business Cards.

Obviously. Not really much else to say about them. So many places do them cheaply now, you can upload a file online, get them to design you one or go into a shop to pick a style. Whatever you decide to do promotion wise at least get yourself some business cards. While you are there get some fridge magnets too. I put them in all my parent enrolment packs and they weren't much more than the cards. And whose logo is everyone looking at on their friends fridge when socialising with the kids? Yours!

Put cards in your purse, your pockets and your car. ALWAYS have some on you. My girls wear their FDC yellow hats with my logo (no picture because I know if you read this blog or my facebook page you are probably tired of seeing them in every photo!) to the park and I am often asked for details there by other parents so I just whip out a card.

When going to the park or child orientated places I also take my trusty canvas bag which advertises my business everywhere we go! You never know when an opportunity will present itself, that's the beauty of having your own business to promote. Can't be shy when you are poor ;)

Please make sure to have your contact details easy to read, no one wants to squint to see a phone number people. Ok, just get them, that is all.

Stickers

Ok, these aren't essential, but goodness they have come in handy! I used the same design I did up for the cards and again they were really cheap. I got mine as part of a package with Vistaprint. That place makes things so easy for small business owners!

I use them on books and folders and anything visible really. The main use though is on the front of parent information packs. They look awfully professional on my nice yellow folders if I do say so myself and what are you? A professional. That's right, just checking you are hearing me! Anyway, not essential but they do help give your service a quality look.

Parent information & Enrolment Packs

Please take the time to make up one of these for your service. Don't hand over bits of paper to a busy prospective parent who is wrangling a child. More often than not it will be lost when they get home...or that could just be my own parenting experience talking...in any case, it doesn't look professional and what are you? That's right, so look like one. You want to stand out, you want to show that you take pride in your service and put effort into all that you do. In short you want to make a good first impression.

I wrote mine up as a Word document and also have a PDF copy saved so that I can email them out to parents when they call or email and request information. I find it saves you time because I include my philosophy, hours, fee schedule, routine etc and rather than telling my life story to a person enquiring on the phone while I have toddlers demanding attention I can exchange some basics and forward this onto them. If they don't like the price or information they see then I haven't wasted my valuable time but I have been professional and courteous. My tip is to be thorough in your information in this book as it will save you a lot of time and angst with parents down the track! I also hand out my scheme's handbook for parents but my own showcases my unique service.

I include these in a bright yellow folder with all enrolment forms, a business card and fridge magnet. Upon actual enrolment I also give the children a logo hat so that they can also be advertising my service at friends houses and at the park on the weekend!

Photo Books

Photo books are a wonderful tool for promoting your service. They are easy to put together and relatively inexpensive. I made one up with lots of photos of our different activities and indoor and outdoor environment. Happy engaged children's faces will always promote your service better than anything you can say!

I like to have mine on display in my sign in area to show new parents as they wander through on a visit. The children also love to look at themselves in a book and share with new children! Pictures can be such a valuable tool for your advertising.

Brochures, Pamphlets and Notices

The second thing I did after making up my business cards was to develop a brochure. I just did mine in publisher, if you don't want to create your own, places like Vistaprint can help you with basic designs etc.

If you do your own try to make them immediately visually appealing....you want people to want to open them up to see more - I prefer pictures over large blocks of text because I know what being a busy parent is like!

I included photos of my indoor and outdoor environment, a few crafty activities and some of my girls to add a welcoming family touch. I also added a little bit about me, my experience, my philosophy and what children can expect when they come to play and learn. This might be your first point of contact with potential clients so make your business stand out from the others...make it bright, make it fun, make it happy, make people want to pick it up.

Don't forget to add your contact details to the front page so they are easily accessible to readers or when displayed on noticeboards and fridges. I think it is nice to have a little tagline that sums up your service and what you are offering too. Mine is "Inspiring and encouraging children to play, learn, experiment and get messy"

Once you have those beauties all printed up and ready to go get out into your community and do some letterbox drops...I have a few more ideas for you below about where to distribute them (and I mean that in the nicest possible way ;) ).

Signs and Banners

Not really rocket science here...get one, get two, get them up!

The one on my fence is just a canvas banner that we tied securely. Tied it even more securely after the first storm came through and pulled it off the fence unfortunately. Actually His Patient Self ended up screwing it (or something handyman like) to an old bit of board we had and then screwing that to the fence to give it greater longevity.

It cost less than having a sign made up and I think it does the job well. I get a lot of enquiries from people driving or walking past so never underestimate that potential. It all helps. It also helps when directing new parents to where the house is located..don't want them getting frustrated and giving up before they even find you!

I just did my design up in Word and then uploaded the file to Vistaprint. No I'm not getting paid to keep mentioning them (although that would be lovely Vistaprint) but I know I will get questions about where I got things printed so best to mention it now!.

I also used this design to get a few car magnet signs made up. They work well too, especially when at the park or shopping centre although sometimes I wish I had taken them off when my twins begin throwing a huge tantrum or do something equally embarrassing that doesn't look good for a parent let alone a parent and educator. Same for wearing my work shirt with logo. Sometimes you need to pull a jumper over the top if your kids begin to implode on you in public...just a little tip ;)

Social Media & The Web

This is another area well worth focusing on. Get an add on Gumtree if you can. It's free and I always receive a lot of enquires from there. Make sure you present yourself as a professional and try to stand out from all the other ads a little if possible. If you want to see how I wrote mine up you can check it out here.

You can also advertise in Facebook parenting groups for your area as well as the buy,swap,sell pages. My only caution here though is not to give out to much personal information in the main forum. Ask people to message or email you for further details.

The Care for Kids website is another avenue for advertising and also handy for seeing what other services in your area are charging so you can make sure you aren't over or under pricing yourself.

I also advertise on the Family Day Care Network Australia site which reaches a wide parent audience

Print Advertising

Once you have your basic business card size design you can also use that for placement in print media advertising. Community newsletters and papers as well as local 'family' type magazines are often a wonderful source of potential families and I have advertised in both. I find advertising in the local papers a little too expensive for the returns I get but it might work better in your area.

Also try school newsletters (just email or call the front office, most will have a small nominal fee to include your business size ad or some will do it for free as part of a community service to their families.)

Keep an eye out for or ask what media parents in your own circle often read and then advertise there.

Community

This is where your brochures or postcard size advertising material really come in handy. I also do an A4 size noticeboard type poster that has less information than a brochure but works well on community noticeboards and other pinboards or poles or walls or whatever else you can find! Obviously seek permission first...or at least try to...it's your name going up there and remember that you are a professional!

Some other places to leave brochures or posters in your community might include:

Playgroups

Toy libraries

Market stalls

Mummy groups
Kids sporting groups

Open Day/Morning Tea

This is another idea that can work really well. Put some notices up around town or in your local newsletters and places listed above inviting people to come to your service for a morning tea and play. Set up a few activities (ideally outdoors I would suggest), a fruit and cracker platter and water. Be prepared with parent information and enrolment packs and to sell yourself!

Be Unique

When advertising think about things that might make you stand out from the crowd a little...what makes your service unique? What is important to families in your area? Do some research and see what other family day care educators are offering in your area. Meals? Nappies? Bedding? Perhaps you offer a dedicated Waldorf, Montessori or Reggio education method or environment. Maybe you have a focus on outdoor play and sustainable practices like I do. Perhaps you offer a little of everything. Look at your market and what does well in your area, think about offering something that separates you and makes you unique.

Often parents are willing to seek out those that match their own values, philosophies and lifestyle.

Above all...DON'T GIVE UP! There will be times you have no vacancies and times you do. You are self employed and you are running a business. Work is never guaranteed but by being consistent and always being prepared to promote yourself you will get there. Don't rely on others to get the work for you.

Now I know some educators are reading this and saying "But my scheme doesn't let me advertise - I have to rely on their referrals" I can't really advise you what to do in this situation except to suggest politely that you look around and find another scheme in your region. You would be surprised how many coordination units will tell you they are the only one in your area when this isn't actually true. Just saying...be proactive and assertive, don't just give up.

For those that are always asking me I am currently registered with Multitask and enjoy the support of an experienced and lovely coordinator (CDO) which makes my job a lot easier.

I hope some of these tips help you to promote your new or existing home day care service. If you have other suggestions or something that has worked for you why not share it with everyone in the comments section below. You can post as anonymous if you like!

Good luck, you can do it and do it well. Because what are you? That's right....A Professional Educator!

If this is your first visit to Mummy Musings and Mayhem and you like what you see you can follow us on Facebook and Pinterest for more inspiration, frugal fun, recipes and mayhem!

Warm Wishes...

Our Weekly Wanderings - Ideas for Play Based Learning at Home!

2014-07-22T22:46:00.002+10:00

Welcome to another Weekly Wanderings where I share some of the fun we get up to each week in my home based child care service and with my own 4 year old twins. The aim of this series is to provide a little inspiration and hopefully a few ideas for parents and also those working with children.

I am a huge believer in play based learning, outdoor exploration and letting kids be kids while they can. I also believe that play and learning does not need to be expensive nor time consuming to set up and pack away. Above all it should be fun for both you and the children.

Let's take a wander through our days last week.....

I picked up some little whiteboards calling to me from the clearance bin last week in our local Officeworks and the kids have been loving expressing themselves creatively on a different medium.

We went on an outdoor 'Bear Hunt' on a beautiful Winter morning....

There was the discovery of lavender flowers in the garden....

Which we collected and then added a little dried lavender to for a fairy tea party....

I set up a little fairy picnic invitation to play in the imagination circle outside for my 3 year old group of girls.....

Some coloured gems and stones made perfect food for scooping and mixing and pouring. Lavender was added to pots and cups and we chatted about how it smelt and what it might be used for.

Fairy and gnome friends were found under rocks and in the flower beds...

I decided to extend their interest in the lavender and added a bowl of dry and fresh lavender to the craft table.

Squeezing some coloured glue onto shapes cut from wading that was used as packaging. To make coloured glue I just added a little edicol powder dye to some glue squeeze bottles along with a little water and then gave them a good shake.

The 3 and 4 year olds always love using squeeze bottles to get creative as they can use them in so many different ways and they give their fine motor muscles a good workout at the same time!

Sticking lavender to their creations was very important work and took longer than you might think!

The trucks are a huge interest area with the toddlers at the moment so I have been trying to find different ways to extend their interest and skills using them.

The corrugated plastic pipes proved popular to load their cargo into trays....

Treasures in the quarry and vegetable patch to explore...

Stones, sticks, more recycled treasures hidden on the path and 'boulders' all loaded into trucks and picked up with diggers....

And a little patch of dirt kept them busy all morning!

There were roads made for cars inside with gems, squares of fake turf, sticks and tree blocks.

Different ways of working and playing with wood...a step made an excellent 'workbench', gems and sticks were fun to post into cardboard cylinders and hammers held everything together!

The passionfruit shop was very popular. Last week the kids helped me to pull the passionfruit vine off of the apple trees it was strangling. I brought down some of the pruned vine and weaved it onto a pallet leaning against the wall, added the cash register, a basket of fallen passionfruit and our outdoor scales then stood back to see what the children would do with it.

I wasn't disappointed as the play evolved in so many different ways and they were so busy in the world of the passionfruit shop!

There was weighing on the scales, a cauldron to add the passionfruit too, trucks to transport them in, baskets to fill at the shop and excavators to find and scoop the runaways!

I extended their interests by adding the tube placed on a chair so it was on a slant. We then began experimenting with what would roll down and what would get stuck. Why did the spoon get stuck but the passionfruit go through easily?

Lots of problem solving and experimenting with such a simple resource!

To work those toddler fine motor skills I set up a tray with sand and added a few items randomly. I handed out spray bottles with water and edicol dye to make some bright colours and then encouraged them to point and spray at their target!

This activity kept them busy for a long time and offered much scope for challenging their hand-eye and fine motor muscle skills.

We talked about trying to hit them from far away and then how it was easier to move closer to the target. They used the spray to knock over the little people, clean sand off the gems, paint wood blocks and plates and of course themselves!

There was of course a fence to be spray painted too!

At the end of the week on my day off I decided to rearrange the furniture in the main playrooms and rotate all the toys. I made some new spaces and blocked a few of the running areas that have been causing some concern!

It's a little sad how much I enjoy rearranging furniture and playspaces...but I really do!

The end of the week saw some much needed rain drop by....and my planned 20 loads of washing for the weekend had to be hung out downstairs. Ok I exaggerate, it was probably more like 15 loads. Shame I had all the daycare bedding and blankets to wash this week!!

But this is the vision that made the hard work of the whole week seem somehow worthwhile. Ruby showing such joy to be outside playing with Mummy and friends in her 'pretty playing dress'.

And another week begins...

What fun did you get up to with the kids last week?

If this is your first visit to Mummy Musings and Mayhem and you like what you see you can follow us on Facebook and Pinterest for more inspiration, frugal fun, recipes and mayhem!

Warm Wishes...

Toddler Fine Motor Whisk and Sieve!

2014-07-15T21:42:00.001+10:00

I love to offer simple activities to toddlers that are fun but also support their emerging interests and strengths.

Fine motor muscle strengthening and hand/eye coordination are skills that are important to focus on , especially for toddlers, but that doesn't mean that we as educators and parents need to provide detailed and expensive activities to target these skills...you can always do it through the magic of simple play based learning!

Here's one of the activities that is always very popular with the toddlers and is easily modified to make it a little harder for the preschoolers. Even Miss Teen has been known to have a play with this one but don't tell her I told you!

Here's what you need...

A few medium wash bowls/tubs or a large water play trough/tub
Different shaped and sized whisks
Dishwashing detergent or hand soap
Warm or cold water
Paint powder dyes or food colouring (optional)

Here's what you do.....

Half fill your tubs or trough with water, we used warm as it was a cool day and it added to the sensory experience.

Squirt in a little soap or dishwashing liquid

Hand the whisks out and first watch to see what they do. I like to ask a simple question like "How could we make bubbles in the water?" or "What can we do with the whisk?"

There is usually a little experimenting but then bubbles start to appear as they stir faster and then begin whisking and they know what they need to do. It's great watching their eyes light up when they realise what they are achieving!

If you have a very young toddler you can model using the whisk or encourage them to splash and stir with their hands to begin making their bubbles. A little help from you to whisk a few first will keep their focus and interest in the activity.

When they have made some bubbles you can make it a little more interesting by sprinkling on some powder paint dye (I use edicol vegetable dye as it goes a long way and washes out easily!)

I ask the children to mix the colour in with their whisk or hands and watch as the water changes to a bright colour.

Some of the toddlers enjoyed making patterns in their friends tub using the different colours. They were fascinated with the effects they made!

You shouldn't need to keep intervening in this activity, there is no wrong or right way, it's about the process and letting them experiment and problem solve to get the outcome they want. While they are having fun doing this they are of course working those hand and wrist muscles as well as practising their hand eye coordination.

You can talk about the colours they are making and how they could make other colours too.

I find a few separate tubs for a small group works well and really allows them to explore their own creativity and purpose. It is a good exercise in turn taking though if using a larger trough.

When there is a bit of foam and bubble from the whisking I like to introduce a few small sieves to the play as well.

The sieve is good for trying to catch the bubbles and for transferring one foam colour to another colourful tub. They encourage scooping, twisting, spatial awareness and hand control and balance.

Some will also just prefer to use their hands...and this is perfectly fine, it is a wonderful sensory activity especially when you have warm or cold water!

Older children will enjoy trying to take prints of their bubble foam colours. They will need to first whisk up a good froth and then you can support them to lay a piece of white paper over the tub without immersing it. Give it a wiggle and this will take a "print" of their creativity to keep.

I always like to involve toddlers in the packing up/cleaning process as this is also an important skill to learn and one that they usually enjoy as they love to feel useful!

When we were nearly finished I gave them all some pieces of sponge I had cut into shapes from some packaging we received in a box.

We talked about the shapes and how to clean the paint colours from the table. They loved it and were so busy wiping down the tables and then finding the sponges in the bottom of their tubs after dropping them in there!

In reality they did of course make more mess than was originally there but look at that concentration and focus on getting the job done! When they went down for their rest I just came back and hosed the table and sponges and left everything in the sun to dry...easy!

And although the prints look just like water colours they were awfully proud of them and they acted as a conversation prompt when parents picked them up and asked them questions about their day.

What does a child experience with this simple activity?

A sense of pride and self worth as they explore a new skill.
They are practising their pre writing skills
They are expressing themselves creatively
They are strengthening their fine motor muscles, control and coordination.
They are learning about cause and effect
They are using their thinking and reasoning skills to problem solve.
They are communicating and using descriptive language.
They are recognising and naming colours
They are exploring with their senses
They are happy and HAVING FUN in their own way...but they are learning!

How does your toddler like to play with water?

If this is your first visit to Mummy Musings and Mayhem and you like what you see you can follow me on Facebook and Pinterest for more inspiration, frugal fun, recipes, educator tips and family mayhem!

Warm Wishes....

Our Weekly Wanderings - Ideas for Play Based Learning at Home

2014-07-08T15:10:00.002+10:00

I've decided to start up my 'Weekly Wanderings' series again so I can share regularly some of the fun we get up to each week in my home based child care service and with my own 4 year old twins. There will hopefully be some inspiration and new ideas for parents and also those working with children.

Let's take a wander through our days last week.....

I added some wicker decorator balls and a tablecloth to the pallet kitchen area and Tara decided we were having 'meatballs' for breakfast. She spent a lot of time getting everything ready too!

A few 'new' props added to outdoor play can spark the imagination and prompt communication and role play in a way that is entirely different to indoor play.

Making meatballs in the kitchen for breakfast turned into a whole 'outdoor cafe' experience as they bustled around setting up chairs and tables, teapots and saucers, baskets of goodies and the keyboard and phone to attend to customers......

Toddlers made and investigated the prints made in the sand by new gumboots......

There was lots of just plain soaking up the sunshine on cold Winter's mornings....free play is just as important to a child's learning journey and if you watch closely and listen carefully you will often notice magical moments occurring....like the flying of an airplane to save your sister in the boat cause she might hit a rock soon.....on a seesaw.

There were impromptu morning teas and lunches on the mats in the sun as the group decided how they wanted to proceed with their shop play.....meal times don't always need structure and routine or even a set time!

We incorporated many activities to support shape recognition, naming, counting and colour this week through the use of puzzles, books, craft and song....but not a stencil or worksheet was in sight...

The older children helped me to cut out the shapes and the toddlers had fun painting them and arranging patterns.

There were activities to extend upon the current interest in tools and fixing things.....

And playdough Birthday cakes to be made with straw candles and then served on special red paper plates ...I think the twins upcoming 4th Birthday might have prompted this particular play ;)

There were mats set up in the sun ready for play....a different invitation was offered each morning even though I only used the same materials throughout the week.

There is always something new to explore with old materials when you allow yourself to think outside the box.

Coloured gems and pebbles were a huge hit last week. There was a treasure hunt using the trucks to collect them from around the yard, they were used to decorate cakes in the sandpit, They became money for the shop and they even served as baby food at the outdoor highchairs.

A simple resource that offered hours of fun and learning. The different activities provided opportunities for problem solving, exploration, communication, counting, sequencing and imaginary play.

And best of all it even kept the toddlers busy for a whole morning!

There was an outdoor vet surgery set up to help all the soft animals.....

Bandages were applied....

Sores were washed with cotton balls and medicine was given by syringe....

Beds for the animals to sleep in were made in baskets, boxes and chairs with blankets and cloth nappies.....

There was lots of opportunity to talk about the role of vets in our community, the animals being fixed and the noises they make, the injuries and illnesses, what the animals need to eat to feel better and lots of team work and role play to explore.

Invitations to Ruby and Tara's Fairy Princess Garden Party were finished and handed out to friends....

Our belonging tree had a makeover with activities from the previous week now added to the display through the use of photos...

And a new display wall featuring collages of our favourite activities from the last month proved very popular with the children who proudly showed their 'work' to interested parents. There's always time to look at photos!

We looked at the pictures in my new story book for toddlers and talked about the fun we can have outside....You can purchase the Aussie edition of the book here and the American edition here if interested.

We went on a little hunter gatherer walk around our vegetable garden and fruit trees....amazing the things a child's eye will see that an adult's does not!

We picked and tasted mandarins, lemons and passionfruit....although lots of fun it was also an activity that challenged our senses and offered opportunities to practice fine and gross motor skills as well as opening discussion about the colours of the fruits and how we get inside each one.

It was an adventure in sustainability as we pulled passionfruits off another tree to reveal new apples growing underneath and bananas beginning to turn yellow as they nestled in their bunch. Both would soon be ready to eat...but not yet it was decided after much chatting!

It also tired us out nicely before rest time!

And at the end of the week there were toys to wash and surfaces to clean...but we turned that into a learning activity too as the twins helped me wash in the tub and spread toys out in the sun to dry.

We talked about why we need to wash the toys, remembered how we had played with them and wondered what opportunities for play next week might hold....

What did you play with last week?

If this is your first visit to Mummy Musings and Mayhem and you like what you see you can follow us on Facebook and Pinterest for more inspiration, frugal fun, recipes and mayhem!

Warm Wishes...

Mini Mac n Cheese Vegie Muffins - Easy Food for Fussy Eaters!

2014-07-04T12:59:00.001+10:00

From one parent to another...I am really, really over dinner times at the moment. One twin will eat one thing, the other rejects it, one likes finger type food, the other likes to use a spoon, fork and knife....yes, usually at the same time!

For those of you that have read my earlier posts about Ruby's sensory issues and oral aversions to certain foods it might give you hope to know that she is now my star eater compared to her sister Tara! So don't give up on the sensory food journey although I know it can be tough. You can read more about my strategies to get my sensory twin eating foods here and here.

At the moment though I am just dealing with 2 nearly 4 year olds who have obviously decided it is great fun to not only exhibit really annoying behaviour at dinner time they also rarely eat what I cook anymore.

So I have gone back to some old recipes and invented a few new ones to keep in the freezer and currently add them to the plate of whatever we are eating as a family. Sort of following the old adage of including one thing on the plate that you know they will probably eat, one new thing to try and whatever the family is having.

At the moment though what they will tend to eat only consists of pasta, oven baked chips, egg and chicken. Time to get tricky again and include a few of those with some vegies and present in a child friendly 'fun' little morsel.

These little gems have gone down a treat and they freeze really well. Still not the healthiest option I know but I figure it's better than chips, they are quick and easy, they like to help make them, they have some texture and there is scope to keep adding more vegies!

Does your toddler or preschooler love mac n cheese but you worry about it being boring and not very nutritious? Why not give this option a try...it won't take much longer to make than the traditional version I promise.

Here's what you need....

1 1/2 cup grated tasty cheese
1 Tablespoon parmesan cheese (optional)
3 Cups cooked macaroni or pasta pieces (I just use any I have in the fridge or freezer)
1 Tablespoon cream cheese (I used Philadelphia)
2 Large Eggs or 3 medium (beaten)
200ml Milk
200ml Cream
1/2 Cup grated Carrot *
1/2 Cup grated Zucchini *

1/2 Cup frozen or fresh peas
1 small tin creamed corn *

* Please choose the meat and vegetables you want to include, it won't really affect the base recipe...you may choose to leave them out first and just get them used to the pasta and cheese taste

Here's what you do.....

Put all ingredients into a large bowl (reserve a 1/4 cup or so of cheese) and mix through well. If you are pushed for time why not pull out the food processer with the grater blade attached instead of the hand grater to get those vegies prepped in no time!

Now put spoonfuls into a large muffin tin...try to get a fairly even mix of pasta and eggy mix so that it holds together after cooking.

I had enough to fill 12 muffin cups and then added the rest of the mix to some small gratin dishes as one twin prefers dinner from the bowl remember...bless them and their unique personalities! I might just add that the teen also enjoyed one of these and I just noticed another has mysteriously disappeared from the freezer...does anyone else find their food seems to disappear regulalrly with a teen in the house?

Sprinkle a little of your reserved cheese on top of each muffin cup and bake in a moderate oven 15-20 minutes for the muffins and around 20-30 minutes for larger dishes.

If you want to just put the whole mix into a large casserole dish (because obviously your family is less high maintenance than mine!) then it will probably need around 45 minutes. It's really just a case of keeping an eye on them and when they begin to go brown and crispy on top and feel solid when you give them a little shake you know you are done.

Told you they were easy didn't I? They are a great way to use up leftover pasta, I usually keep a ziplock bag of frozen cooked pasta in the freezer now to throw into dishes like this. You could add whatever vegies your kids will tolerate or grate the ones they don't like a little finer, mix them through and hopefully they will be none the wiser!

The family also liked them cold in their lunchboxes too. They go well with some oven baked chips and crunchy salad sticks.

Do your fussy eaters have a food they will always eat?

Need more ideas? Check out these previous posts for some inspiration!

If this is your first visit to Mummy Musings and Mayhem and you like what you see you can follow us on Facebook and Pinterest for more inspiration, frugal fun, recipes and mayhem!

Warm Wishes...

Understanding the use of Observations,Reflection and Linking in Early Childhood Settings.

2014-06-29T21:31:00.000+10:00

I still remember learning about observations when I was studying my Diploma over 20 years ago now. The best piece of advice I was given was to find what works best for me because that will probably be what then works best for the children in my care.

Simple right? I hear you snorting derisively but stick with me, observing and reflecting doesn't need to be a difficult process and I'm going to try and demystify it a little and help you to find what also works best for you with the minimum of stress.

We can do this together I promise! But first let's explore what observations are and why we need to do them when working as an early childhood educator.

What are Observations & why do we do them?

Such a simple term but when using this term in early childhood settings it can become a little confusing as to what is really expected when we talk about 'observing children'. Observing is obviously the act of looking and watching but in our profession we need to take that one step further. It also encompasses the skills of listening, questioning, reflecting and documenting what we actually see and then interpreting succinctly in order to identify and support a child's strengths, needs, interests and development.

When writing observations keep in mind that you cannot know exactly what a child is feeling so you should be writing or noting what you see and hear...not how you think he/she is feeling. Be factual, it might help to remember the two words below as I go into further detail about observation styles.

Objective — writing what we see and hear.
Subjective — writing what you think the child feels

You also want to be aware of 'setting the environment' because you know you want to do an observation on a child. To be able to observe the authentic child and associated play you need to be unobtrusive and observing the play in your usual setting. As adults we feel uncomfortable when we know someone is following us around with a clipboard and pen as they observe....consider that a child will feel the same way!

As well as gathering information on a child's development you are also aiming to gather information on a child's emerging skills

Let's break that down....or in training speak 'unpack it'!

You are basically gathering information about a child to inform your programming and ensure you are planning appropriate activities, strategies and experiences for each individual child and also the whole group. You are aiming to foster their development.

First watch and observe....look for significant moments...not just moments to meet this week's observation quota - that is a waste of your time and does nothing to extend a child's learning journey. It needs to be authentic to be useful as an observation.
Listen to what the children and other staff are saying
Record what you see and what you hear using the format/template/style that suits the situation, the time you have to observe, but also your particular skill and comfort level.
Incorporate visual or audio tools into your observation if you are comfortable doing so and it helps to build your overall picture or story.
Briefly reflect and interpret what you have just observed...identify strengths, interests, needs, developmental skill, emotional state, potential. Recall and reflect upon the EYLF outcomes as well as the primary developmental areas of social, emotional, physical, cognitive, language and creative. (don't worry, more about this below!)
Use your reflection/evaluation summary to now plan your experiences, environments and focus activities. Some might call this 'Forward Planning'

So we OBSERVE, RECORD, REFLECT & INTERPRET then use all of that to PLAN our PROGRAM.

When you add an activity/environment or experience to your plan that has evolved from an observation you make a note of that in your programming(more on how to do that below) and you have then 'linked'. Told you it was simple!

But now I hear you saying "But what about the EYLF?" It tells us we need to do observations in a certain way and I don't understand it, it's too much work". Going to stop you right there and gently prod you toward re reading your Early Years Learning Framework because there is a lot of incorrect information out there regarding what you need to do to meet the new requirements.

The reality of the EYLF/NQS in regard to Planning & Documentation

I'm going to bust a few myths for you right now....although as always keep in mind that this blog is purely my own interpretation and reflection based on my own reading of the document and service practice.

If you trained before the EYLF came into being then you can still draw upon the knowledge and experience you already have, you don't have to 'relearn' everything and do the same as everyone else. What you do need to do is just incorporate some of the language of the EYLF and it's important outcomes. You will find if you read them closely that many are the same as the things you learnt years ago, there is just a slightly different focus with how to approach learning and the language that is used.
You do not need to use numbers, colours or confusing codes to link your programmng and documentation to eylf outcomes, quality areas, standards or elements. You do not need to link your activities to the EYLF! What you need to ensure is that you have an understanding of the 5 outcomes and the activities that fall under the different categories....many will cross over so don't feel you need to make them fit in one box. Your planned individual and group activities should clearly show that you are meeting all areas of the EYLF. This might be seen in your planned activities, your spontaneous child led activities, your environment, your resources, your intentional teaching moments, your language and communication with the children,your program template/method, how often you follow and build upon a child's interests and there will be a clear link to a child's ongoing learning journey (or "distance travelled")through their individual records. Let me just repeat again for those that think I might be losing it....there is no need to link each and every one of your activities and experiences to an outcome area...it should already be clear!
Your planning doesn't just need to be child-initiated. Planning learning experiences based on children's interests and strengths is important but so is using some planned opportunities for intentional teaching. I use a combination of both in my programming, some weeks there may be more focus on intentional teaching, other weeks more focus on children's interests or individual focus activities. What I'm trying to say is that although the eylf does place a level of importance on experiences being child initiated it is still best practice to incorporate a combination of planning methods. The idea is that you are continually documenting their learning journey but also increasing their content knowledge.
The EYLF and NQS do not tell you how many observations you need to be doing. This will depend upon the number of children in your care, the environment you work in, your centre or scheme expectations. You do need to show an ongoing method of collecting and evaluating observations and then using the information to inform your program. But there is no set magical number for compliance. Try and think about telling the child's story though and how often you might need to be adding observations and reflections to keep the story rolling along without big gaps!! An observation here and there is again a waste of your time and does nothing to support the child on their learning journey.
Observations DO NOT need to be linked to theorists or quotes from theories. When I first heard "the eylf says we have to" floating around I don't mind telling you I said a few choice words...no way was I doing that...who has the time? So I went back and read the document again and what I noted was that you need to be aware of and understand the different perspectives, theories and theorists as they should inform your practice in different ways as you continually reflect on your service (exactly how I was first taught 20 years ago so nothing different there I promise ;) ) But no need to cross reference with your observations...unless you are some sort of over achiever I guess...which I am but I'm also realistic (and I have twins).
You don't need to outcome number everything people...stop it, stop it now, you are stressing out about it way to much judging by the questions I am getting....‘documentation demonstrating that the five learning outcomes are evident in documentation of children’s learning’ (Element 1.1.1) This does not say 'put an outcome number next to your observation so we can see a clear link to that outcome now being achieved'. YOU need to know what area the focus is on but please think about it in terms of a journey rather than one activity or observation ticking a box. You should be demonstrating a child's progress through your documentation which then reflects the learning outcomes rather than worrying about what numbers you need to add to prove you are analysing the collected information correctly.
The EYLF does not tell you which method of observing and documenting you must do. There are many types of observation styles and all have something to offer when used in the right context. You will find you get the most useful results from exercising your judgement and the method that you understand the best and also suits the children you have in your care. You don't just need to do learning stories or anecdotal obs or checklists. You can use a little of everything to capture the children's learning...just make sure it is significant! If you tell a story make sure it is adding to a child's journey not just stating the obvious.

So what are the most used observation styles and methods? Well I'm glad you asked! Best grab a cuppa and a snack about here.... a little intermission if you will...

What Observation Style suits me best?

Before you try to answer that keep in mind that you don't need to just settle on using one format....remember you can combine a few different methods or you can just stick with one until you are confident with that approach. It really is about your 'system' as a whole. Yes I know I keep saying that in all these programming posts but that should be telling you something! If you do not approach your observing and programming systematically it becomes easy to miss parts of the cycle or certain children and that is when it becomes easy to get overwhelmed or frustrated.

Let's explore a few of the more popular formats...there are more but these are the ones I am most familiar with and have used over the years so that's what you are getting! The key is to try a variety of styles to build a picture of the child, a group of children and whole of service to inform and support your planning.

Keep in mind that no matter the style you use you should always include the following information if possible...

Name of child
Age
Time of observation
Setting of observation
Date of Observation

Running Records

Running records are quite detailed and often take quite a bit of time to complete. They are written as the activity or event is occurring and are usually quite descriptive. You write a running record in the present tense so that means writing exactly what the child is doing or saying. They obviously need to be written while you are there observing the moment so this can take you away from other children and your participation in the activities and play occurring. I personally have not used a running record in many years mainly because they are so time consuming. They are however particularly useful when you want to focus on language development or have suspicions about risk of harm as the child's voice and exact actions are very important in these situations.

Anecdotal Records

Anecdotal records are similar to running records except they are written in the past tense. Anecdotes describe what happened in a factual, objective manner, telling how it happened, when and where it happened, and what was said and done. You can therefore write these observations up after the event occurred making them a little more user friendly for busy educators. You might like to jot a few notes in your diary or on a sticky note or two to give you little prompts for later when you are able to sit down to write up the observation.

I use this type of observation when I want to record a little more detail about a significant learning event. I usually also like to include a few photos to add to the text. When using this format I try to use the language and context of the EYLF so that correlations can easily be made to the outcomes. In previous training (or the 'olden days' ) we were taught to focus more on the developmental learning or achievments taking place, I still focus on this but I also incorporate elements of the EYLF and identifying current strengths. It's really not hard, just a shift in thinking and language.

This is the format I currently use for recording anecdotal records for individual children. I file them in the children's computer folder portfolio.

You can download a pdf copy of this form here

Learning Stories

First let me say I am not a huge fan of learning stories but I know many are and they do play a valuable role in many programs so I thought I should give them a mention.

Learning stories involve educators detailing the general learning of the child which is occurring in an observation but it is presented in a more creative way, often accompanied my photos to provide further evidence of a child's learning. They are usually also a little easier for parents to understand as they aren't too technical but they do take more time to read and time poor parents often prefer more visual examples of their child's progress (in my experience).

When writing a learning story you don't need to worry about using subjective terms or including your own interpretations when writing about the child's actions which is why many educators like them.You can write in a storyteller (narrative) format to capture the meaningful elements you are observing within the learning process before you.

Learning stories usually focus on what the children can do rather than what they can't whereas the running record and anecdotal records often focus on identifying gaps in development (which they actually don't need to, it has just been the traditional way in years past). The idea is that you are recognising and describing the learning you see and writing about it in a story type format.

If you want more information about how to write learning stories this article explains the process in an easy to understand format. I will just say that if you choose to use learning stories then you should be aware of not spending too much time writing a lovely story but at the end not really have anything concrete to work with. I have seen some wonderful stories but struggle to understand the reason behind them or how they can be used to further support the ongoing journey of learning for the child. Just something to consider as they can be very time consuming. Some people love to do them though!

Photos or audio of learning taking place

This is pretty self explanatory but don't underestimate the power of photos or audio snippets of the child's voice!

Many people now like to compile a collage of photos relating to a specific experience or activity accompanied by short blocks of text further detailing the learning or journey taking place. You can make them simple with few words therefore allowing the photos to tell the story or you can add more text if you see the need to tell the story in more detail.

This format also makes it easy to include 'the children's voice' which immediately sets the context of learning. I like this method because I can take photos of significant moments as we play, no need for notes and clipboards!

Here's a few examples of how I do mine.....obviously I write text in the blank space. Sometimes I fill a space, sometimes not.

I know many people also use apps on their phones or programs on their computer which can be very helpful for those who embrace these methods and find they save time. I prefer to make my own templates and use photo programs such as picmonkey.com to put together the collages. You can just insert some photos into a word document though, add a little text and it will be just as useful!

Another thing I love about using photos is that they are an instant record but I don't need to put them together into a document until I have the time to do so. The photos act as a prompt and sometimes I don't get to them until a week or so later but I immediately remember the significant moment I wanted to record when I see the photos.

Visual Displays of Work

I like to send the majority of the children's craft and artwork home as it is important to them and to me that they share their hard work and tell the story of their learning to their family at the time it happens. But with their permission and involvement I often put together some visual displays so they can share their journey with friends and family within the care environment. Parents really enjoy spending some time looking through the displays and making the connections to learning.

For some inspiration on making your learning visible visit this page and watch the powerpoint!

There are also some great examples on my Pinterest board Happy Home Day Care

Artwork samples with the children's voice included

Just because I send the majority of artwork home doesn't mean I don't keep a record of it and the process and learning that was involved! Again, photos are a valuable resource here and I often compile photos of the children's work and accompany with some very brief anecdotal text of what was happening or even just the children's voices which goes toward displaying the children's progress as they travel the path of their learning journey.

The samples might be individual or group projects. I then save these in the children's computer portfolio folder as well as my own children's files.

Daily journals or reflections

You can use your daily reflections and journal jottings to provide observational evidence. You don't need reams of paper to tell a story. I often refer to my 'our day' forms in my forward planning and it comes together over time to tell a story.

You can download a copy of this form here

I also use the weekly reflections on my program which I complete at the end of each week (obviously) ;) As I said in my previous post, there is no reason why one document or form can't meet a number of goals and therefore make your job a little easier.

You can download a copy of my fortnightly template here

Everyone will reflect in different ways and it would take to long to go into detail here but just know that you can use these reflections to form part of your evaluation and ongoing planning. I'll be following up with a post about reflective practice soon.

Checklists

Developmental checklists are often seen as 'old school' but they can still be incorporated into today's programming guided by the EYLF and NQS. I think it always helps to draw up your own checklists based on your knowledge of developmental milestones and age appropriate behaviour (I really hope they are still teaching the milestones to students today!)

This way you can include the milestones you want to check or observe and also include a space for a brief comment...this allows you to put the abilities or deficits of learning into context. You would also add the date each particular milestone or goal was met.

Checklists aren't as popular as an observation tool as they used to be but I still believe they have their place and can easily be modified to embrace the elements of the EYLF. If you want some guidance on how to incorporate the developmental milestones in the tone of the EYLF visit here to download the Department of Education resource, it's handy if you need a little more support in making the correlations between the two. There is no reason why you can't use checklists to identify both strengths and weaknesses and use them to form part of your evaluation of a child's learning.

My advice if using checklists though is to develop your own and not just rely on ticking and crossing off milestones...you want to add some details so that you get a clear picture of the learning or struggle that is taking place. Just something brief, a line or two. This is how you can then use checklists to document the progress of a child's journey and help inform your future planning and therefore incorporate elements of the EYLF at the same time.

Reflections/Interpretation - what does it mean?

This is a question I have been asked a lot in the last few weeks. This blog post is already too long (again!) but I am going to try and explain quickly as it really shouldn't be a difficult process for a trained educator. Perhaps it will help though to put it into simple terms.

You've written an observation and gee it's good....but what does it mean and what purpose does it offer? To ensure you didn't just waste your time you now need to reflect upon and evaluate your observation. Now you get to use your ninja early childhood skills (hmm, bit tired sorry) but you do!

Read over the observation, look at the photos, try to recall the moment as often you will not be completing your evaluation at the same time...well I rarely do as I like to break up things into blocks, you might be different. Either way, now you want to write down what is taking place.

Consider asking yourself what is happening, why, when and how? Evaluating children’s observations allows us to identify the children’s strengths, interests and opportunities for further development. Interpreting an observation is not just writing a summary of a child's development, you are interpreting developmental skills, capabilities, potential, emerging interests and preferences. This is how you will then be able to plan future appropriate experiences, activities and environments.

When interpreting and evaluating a child's learning and capabilities consider not only talking about the child's development in the traditional main areas (i.e social, emotional, physical, cognitive etc) that were demonstrated but also using the Early Years Learning Framework. I believe both can play an important role in today's evaluations and provide a more holistic picture of the child.

So you understand how to talk about the developmental learning taking place but not how to incorporate the framework principles as well? You could list the outcome numbers if you want, I know that many do but often a child's demonstrated learning can overlap into a number of areas so I find it easier to just 'use your words' (yep, a little educator humour there...stick with me).

What I mean by that is finding the outcomes you feel correspond to the learning that you observed and write about it in that context without having to actually list the numbers and make it to formal.

For example "Ruby showed a willingness to persist with the task of drawing up the coloured water into the baster even though it took quite a few tries and she found this particular skill difficult" She clearly demonstrated that she is beginning to "manipulate equipment and manage tools with increasing competence and skill"

Did you recognise the two framework outcomes the above phrases refer to? Let me know in the comments below! So you look at the outcomes and decide what might be important to note in your interpretation, then include some of that wording. I also try to include the language in my reflections and parent communication forms too if possible.

Interpreting just the important or significant events within an observation does take a little practice and at first you might find you write a fair bit so that it is clear in your mind and you might try to include everything you think is important. Over time though you will come to recognise the significant learning as you are observing instead of after and only need to add a short summary to outline the child's learning and abilities.

It is important to remember that you are not rewriting the observation to tell a story but are just trying to highlight the area of skill or need that the child has demonstrated. You need to interpret then summarise the skills, development and

behaviours which are included in the observations you have taken. There should be a direct link...not flowery wording of what you think *might* be important to add. This will then form a valuable part of your programming cycle or system and help your future planning for the child or group.

We then move to the final step in the observation/planning cycle and here you will tie it all together!

When you have evaluated your observation and confirmed where the child's progress is, you can then think of their next steps. You don't need to feel you have to write reams of next steps; if it is a short observation you may just add 1 activity or experience in your forward planning. If it was a detailed observation you might add a number of activities to do over a few weeks.

So let's bring it home (I am meant to be bathing children and cooking dinner right now although even this is more interesting than that I admit).

The final frontier.....forward planning and linking this to your programming!

Forward Planning & Linking effectively.

I know a lot of people struggle with this part but i actually find it the easiest part of the cycle so hopefully I can help. With your interpretation and summary complete, you can now think about which skills, capabilities, potential, interests and preferences you wish to focus your attention on for the sake of program planning. You can also look at a deeper level, linking the learning the child has completed in the documented observation to the EYLF which should be guiding your program planning.

When using your interpretations and summaries to devise experiences, activities and environments which will foster the child's development, be sure to look closely at the skills the child is already showing and then plan for an activity, experience or environment which would further develop the demonstrated skills. Make sure you are offering different experiences in your forward planning, not just a extended version of the activity you observed previously. You need to plan from your interpretation and summary not just the observation.

This will ensure that the child, the group and you as an educator are not getting bored, that the experiences you continue to provide are varied and foster different skills. Planning is more than just the next activity on a program. Your future planning should be looking at resources, materials, people, routines, expectations and strategies .Try to think outside the box a little and also how you could incorporate the activities into group learning experiences and not just individual focus activities.

When you have listed the activities you want to plan, you then need to find a way to make sure you are linking that activity back to your original observation so that you can come back and reflect upon how the planned activity went. Did it meet expectations, challenge the child etc?

This is where a lot of people use initials, dots, colours, symbols etc as well. Personally they all do my head in so I added an area to my program where I add 'focus children activities' with the corresponding observation date. I then come back to my forward planning form when the activity is completed and write a brief summary of how the experience went and date when it occurred. If I have forgotten when that was I just look back at my 'our day' reflection forms from the week. It's hard to explain so I am going to finish this novel by showing you my observation/forward planning cycle. But I developed this system because it suits my style and works efficiently as a system for me...it might not for you but you might be able to take something away from seeing it in action. If symbols etc work best for you then stick with it!

You can download a PDF copy of this form here to refer to when developing your own template if you like.

My Documentation System in Summary

First I observe using one of the following informal or formal styles......

I also use my individual "My Day" communication sheets as well as my "Our Day" daily reflections record which are emailed to parents and also filed in the children's folders on the computer.

Then I use my individual analysis and forward planning record form to begin the process of interpretation, forward planning and evaluation. Click on the photo to download a PDF copy.

You can see on the form that I have listed the above observation styles down the left side so when I come to use the form I just tick which method I used and add the date.

I then add my interpretation or analysis of learning, jot down some future planning ideas and activities and then add a date corresponding to the program I will be adding them to (in the focus children activities box on the fortnightly plan)

When the activities are completed I come back to this form and write the date activity was observed and a brief evaluation of how the activity proceeded...not a story just a few notes, no need to go overboard, it's really just logging another stepping stone in the child's ongoing journey.

Please keep in mind I am sharing the system that works for me, it might not for you but I do hope there is something here that you might be able to take away that makes your life a little easier when it comes to working out your own planning cycle. There are many more ways that I haven't covered but there is only so much writing a gal can do on her weekend!

If you have any questions you can always comment on my Facebook Page or below in the comments section and i'll do my best to get back to you.

Finally, when considering your observation and reflection techniques perhaps ask yourself these 2 questions....

1.Am I gathering information on children’s learning and development using a range

of methods?

2. How am I using this information to extend and enrich learning for each child?

I'd love to hear about your system too...if you leave your thoughts in the comments section other educators can also benefit. The more we support each other the easier this job will seem.

If this is your first visit to Mummy Musings and Mayhem and you like what you see you can follow us on Facebook and Pinterest for more inspiration, frugal fun, recipes and mayhem!

Warm Wishes....

Easy DIY Toddler Shakers - Sustainable Fine Motor Fun!

2014-06-26T15:05:00.001+10:00

This easy activity evolved from an emerging interest in musical instruments and sound by my family day care toddlers. They are particularly excited by the homemade shakers and glitter bottles I have around on the shelves so I decided to extend upon their interest by helping them to make their own mini music shaker bottles.

Now i'm pretty sure you don't need me to tell you how to make the shakers in great detail. Put some beans or rice into a bottle, seal and then shake of course! However, why I wanted to share this activity is to show how you can turn something simple into a wonderful learning experience offering so many possibilities.

You can share the same concept at home with your child or with a group of children if you are working in the early childhood field. It works for all toddlers and is easy enough for anyone to pull together quickly.

Here's what you need

Beans, rice or anything else you have going out of date in the cupboard that makes a noise!
Some small bottles with lids (make sure the opening is wide enough for little fingers to poke through though)
Tweezers/spoons/tongs/scoops (formula scoops are great by the way!)
A tray to hold the bottles steady while they fill is a good idea.

I also added a few old medicine cups and baby food storers with attached lids. This gave those toddlers getting frustrated with the bottles an easier option and allowed for some fine motor practice and task achievement while still participating. The baby food containers (I use to freeze the twins vegies in them) made great shakers too.

Always important with toddlers to work with their skill and comfort level...work from one level and support them to reach the next level by offering more difficult options with any activity you offer. By adding just a few different options to this tray I could include everyone immediately and then work with everyone at their own particular level.

When a toddler gets frustrated they will just give up and walk away...your job as parent and/or educator is to ensure you can support them to problem solve, communicate and participate in a way that keeps them interested and experiencing a sense of self worth.

The skill I was focusing on with this activity was for the toddlers to try picking up a bean with the tweezers and then transfer the bean into the bottle. Tricky. But
immediately they all had a try and used them in different ways.

Squeezing and releasing to pick up the beans was the first goal, the next was squeezing and holding using their fine motor muscles to transfer.

Another important thing to remember when playing with toddlers is to allow them to explore and experiment...it might not be the 'right' way to achieve the goal in your mind but it is their way of problem solving and completing a task. If we jump in to early we run the risk of missing a valuable learning opportunity.

I found it fascinating to watch how they each approached the task in different ways. Some spread the beans out on the table for easier access before trying the tweezers again....

They watched each other and tried to copy actions...

Some abandoned the tweezers and just used fingers to achieve their goal faster...

But the common theme was that they all began to fill their bottles in various ways and with much concentration....the tray really helped when some were getting frustrated with them falling over as they added beans.

It was a good learning opportunity to show them how they needed to support the bottle with one hand as they filled.

Another little tip...you'll notice we are doing this outside. Why? Because it was glorious in the warm Winter sun so why wouldn't we? But also because they are toddlers and they spill, tip, run off and drop. And beans go everywhere on a wooden floor. And I do mean everywhere, I was finding those suckers for weeks after I last did an activity inside with them and that was with the older kids!!

You'll often hear me say I prefer to do messy and craft activities outside. It's not just so I don't mess up inside it's because it allows them to come back and forth to an activity, explore the materials, make a mess, problem solve and usually add things from the environment around them as they find them!

As they filled we talked about the beans and what we might be able to grow with them. One of the boys wandered off to 'plant' his in the garden and sandpit so we shall see what happens there!

When they were happy with the sound the shakers made I helped them try to screw on the lids and then they were off around the yard to make some music....

And the parents looked so pleased at pick up time when they were handed a child making lots of noise...and even more pleased when I said they could take them home!

Just joking, I have lovely parents and so enjoy the opportunity to share moments like this with their precious children! They might have hidden the shakers though now for a while ;)

What does a child experience with this simple activity?

A sense of pride and self worth as they explore a new skill.
They are practising their pre writing skills
They are expressing themselves creatively
They are extending upon an interest and actually finding a way to achieve an end goal.
They are strengthening their fine motor muscles, control and coordination.
They are learning about using sustainable materials and recycling.
They are using their thinking and reasoning skills to problem solve.
They are communicating and using descriptive language.
They are making music and different sounds.
They are counting and naming colours (beans)
They are happy and HAVING FUN in their own way...but they are learning!

What does your toddler like to use to make music?

If this is your first visit to Mummy Musings and Mayhem and you like what you see you can follow us on Facebook and Pinterest for more inspiration, frugal fun, recipes and mayhem!

Warm Wishes....

Sensory Fine Motor Magnet Fun with Recycled Materials

2014-06-21T15:27:00.004+10:00

I'm always looking for new ways to incorporate old materials into the activities I provide for my family day care kids and also for my own children. I think it is important for children to realise we don't always need new and fancy materials to have fun. I like to include them in my scavenging and then see what we can come up with...sometimes they have much better ideas than me (but we'll keep that quiet).

I wanted to share this activity with you because the children absolutely loved it and it also evolved in so many different ways....and they were so proud of their end result and that means a lot.

I provided this activity for my 3 year olds but it could quite easily be adapted for younger children by using larger metal pieces so as not to provide a choking hazard.

Let me take you though the set up...it was so easy!

Here's what you need.....

You'll need a tub of rice (or other fine sensory material...will work with sand, beans, pasta etc)
Some magnets (I used some large horseshoe ones but smaller will work fine too)You could also use small tongs.
A tray for sorting (I just used a cutlery tray)
Some metal O Rings and Bolts from the garage...the older and more rustic the better!
Wood off cuts
Watered down pva glue and brushes

Here's what you do.....

I used my current sensory tub which already had some coloured pasta in it from a previous activity...you don't need to add pasta but if you have other things already in there no need to take them out, I'll tell you how to incorporate them into the learning later.

Ask the children to help you place the rings and bolts into the tub, don't let them bury them as the magnet will need to be awfully strong to find and lift them out! My girls really loved this part and took their role very seriously!

Then ask them to see if they can pick up the objects with the magnets. It can be a bit tricky and really works their coordination and fine motor skills. You can also use some small tongs if you don't have magnets, we used them as well.

If you have other items in the tub like I already had pasta you can engage the children in discussion about why some things are magnetic and some aren't and can they find just the ones they think the magnet will pick up?

They had so much fun finding their 'treasures' in the rice and showing me how they stuck to the ends of the magnet.

Once they had them on the magnet they had to carefully transfer them to the sorting tray on a table nearby (I wanted them to have to walk a little way to extend on their hand eye coordination and balance skills)

We sorted the bolts as 'long' and 'short' and the rings into different slots for 'small', 'medium' and 'large'.

They spent a lot of time getting their sorting just right and worked together to make sure the tray was 'right' according to them. I let them decide what pieces were which size and stood back as they corrected each other or changed their mind. There was lots of communication, problem solving and teamwork.

When every piece had been removed from the rice tub they took the pieces out of the tray, placed them back into the rice tub and then started all over again. It really did hold their interest for quite some time!

Using these sort of recycled and older materials also opens avenues for discussion about their original purpose, how they might have been used before by people and the discovery of different shapes, sizes, textures and colour.

When interest finally began to wane in the collecting and sorting I brought out a box of wood scraps we had collected earlier in the week for our woodworking, a little watered down PVA glue and the sorting tray of rings. The old bolts and screws were a little too bulky and heavy to use for this part of the activity so I left them out.

They were so excited to be creating their own little recycled masterpieces and I thought they did such a lovely job. We talked about small, large and medium as they worked and they told me which ones they were choosing and all about the patterns they were creating. Such self expression!!!

There was a LOT of glue used but that was part of the fun and it dries clear so it didn't matter how much they used. And of course we were outside so I didn't need to worry about mess!

Ruby and Tara (my twins) took great pride in decorating a piece of woodwork that their big sister made when she was in school. They presented it to her that afternoon and were so excited to share their creativity and gift with big sis!!

It was a wonderful morning of creative self expression and didn't cost me a thing!

The possibilities are endless when you incorporate recycled or repurposed materials and resources into learning activities for children...why not have a look around the home and garage for something you could recycle into fun too!

What learning does this activity encourage for your child?

Strengthening of fine motor muscles and control
Investigating size and length
Sorting and classifying
Encouraging communication and language development
Problem solving
Opportunities to incorporate counting skills
Basic science concepts of magnetic fields, magnetic, not magnetic.
Using teamwork to reach a shared goal
Discussion and research around the recycled materials and how they were originally used. An awareness of items in our environment.
Opportunity for self expression and an appreciation of the process over product.

For more fun ideas with recycled materials you might like to click on the photos below to visit my other posts in this area....

What recycled material did you last incorporate into play and learning at home or in a care environment? Would love to hear your ideas!

If this is your first visit to Mummy Musings and Mayhem and you like what you see you can follow us on Facebook and Pinterest for more inspiration, frugal fun, recipes and mayhem!

Warm Wishes....

Child Portfolios in Early Childhood Settings - Are they Necessary?

2014-06-17T22:30:00.001+10:00

One of the questions I am most often asked by other educators working in the early childhood profession is "Do you do child portfolios?" The short answer is NO. But then I find I need to explain that answer in more detail because I suddenly have people looking at me like am a nutter or at the very least a little unstable with no clue about documenting children's learning.

I am constantly told..."But the EYLF (Early Years Learning Framework for Australia) says we have to. Does it really? Have you ever questioned that or just taken others interpretations as gospel without thinking outside the box?

When I decided to re enter the early childhood field as a Family Day Care Educator I began to question my decision the more I read and heard about the new EYLF document and the extra time and workload it was apparently causing educators. Perhaps everything had changed to much in the years I had crossed over to the human services sector. Perhaps it was all too different to what I had previously studied all those years ago, perhaps I wouldn't be able to do it as well as I used to. Perhaps it was now all about the paperwork and not the children as I was reading and hearing. I got scared. And then I realised it was up to me to research, read and understand the process for myself. So I did...and I still am.

I read the EYLF document front to back a few times and stepped through the flowery wording to underline the essential themes and expectations. I put sentences into my own words and drew on previous experience to apply outcomes to activities and experiences I used to plan.

And you know what I realised? The principles and heart of the EYLF and NQS weren't that different to what I first studied and practiced over 20 years ago. I began to feel a little enthusiasm and excitement returning... I could do this! The key for me was interpreting what was required and what was suggested.

Through my facebook page and reading many educator forums I noticed a lot of people seemed to be struggling with the 'extra paperwork' now required which had me a little confused as I couldn't see anything additional to what I used to do many years ago, just in different formats with different names and less structured.

I began to get a little worried again (I'm good at that apparently) and did more reading...had I interpreted things wrong? Did I really need to do portfolios as well as learning journals as well as learning stories as well as observations as well as a mind map, floor book and weekly program? And link every activity to an
EYLF outcome or theorist? Oh my goodness when was I going to be with the children? And what the heck was a floor book?

And then I came across this document outlining the planning cycle and I began to draw breath again. This is what I needed to see because it confirmed I could still use my own system of planning as long as I was following the principles of the EYLF and good early childhood practice. I could use what I was comfortable with, what helped me to manage my time most effectively and what I could see as worthwhile and useful.

And for me that means no portfolios to mess around with, no long winded learning stories and no confusing symbols, codes and colours on programs (those things do my head in just quietly).

It also meant providing the parents using my service with lots of information that was easily understood, highly visual and that would encourage them to spend a little time with their child at the end of each day looking at photos, artwork and involving their child in a little chat about what they had been doing. The photos, meaningful text and art/craft all taken home on the day provided prompts for sharing and communication ...in the moment. Not 6 weeks down the track or even the end of the year. The child's voice would be heard while they remembered their story and to me that is important, that is meaningful, that is meeting requirements.

Another trick I have is to make sure my documentation can cover a few different planning cycle requirements from just the one piece of work.

For example, my "Our Day" daily reflection form includes photos of the children engaged in activities, a brief list of some of the most enjoyed activities from the day as well as why we did those and what learning those activities encouraged. I also include the children's own voice where I can if it is relevant e.g " Sam said chicken for the first time today when we went to feed them the morning tea scraps" There us also a space for a picture of each child's favourite activity from the day. At the bottom I have a section that allows me to add a few ideas for further extensions based on the play and learning I observed that day. Simple ideas not needing a lot of explanation but enough for me to refer back to when planning.

So how does putting all this onto what is basically my parent communication form cover more than just parent interaction? Let's break it down...

Parent communication
Child's voice/brief observations of importance
Daily reflection of planned and spontaneous activities
Ideas for forward planning
Photographic evidence of activities and interactions
Fostering a sense of belonging
Sustainability as I email these to parents rather than print. I print one each day for my record folder for easy reference when planning.
Dated so I am able to link to this document easily in my fortnightly program
Even if I don't do any formal observations in the planning fortnight i still have these documents to refer to and plan individual focus activities from.
There is no specific link to outcomes because I believe this should always be evident to anyone reading or viewing the pictures. Parents aren't concerned with what outcome that activity linked to so I provide the information they want to know. My coordinator or an assessor should know the EYLF and NQS well enough to be able to see how I am meeting all areas through reading my documentation. I don't have time to spell it out for everyone.
Saved in each child's computer folder as a record of their year at Jode's.

So can you see that just because you have to meet lots of documenting requirements it doesn't mean you can't be smart about how you choose to do it and how much time you spend on different areas. This is just one example and obviously I do family day care so there are less children to fit into this particular form but I used to do something very similar when I worked in centres too. It's just a matter of playing around a little until you find what suits you.

Portfolios and learning stories do not suit my programming style or the amount of time I have to spend on out of care hours work. They aren't necessary so I don't use them. Yes it is as simple as that. What I do do is make sure I am meeting requirements in other ways like I have listed above.

You can read more about my programming and planning methods and download examples of my forms here if you are interested. Briefly though this is what I do to meet what I perceive are the requirements of the EYLF and NQS

A fortnightly program with boxed interest and learning areas that I have developed from my understanding of the eylf. They all cross over and aren't rigid in their entirety. I also have spaces for spontaneous activities as they occur during the period and parent/coordinator feedback. There is a box for focus children activities and it is here I link to my observations/interpretations and daily reflections using a date (no dots, no colours, no blooming confusing symbols).

A space at the end of my fortnightly program for me to jot down a few points about what worked well, what didn't, what we didn't get done, how some of the spontaneous activities evolved. Underneath that is a section where I can add a few extension ideas for next week's plan or perhaps link a date to an our day form to help with forward planning.
My daily reflections/parent communication form titled "Our Day"
A separate form called "My Day" that is specific to each child and includes information about their day, highlights, any difficulties, photos and general wellbeing information such as sleep, bottle etc. This is emailed to parents at the end of each day along with the "Our Day" group form. Parents wishing to receive the group form sign to say they give permission for their child's photo to appear.
I mainly use photo collages with short observations that tell a story briefly. I also have developed a formal observation form for more detailed records but to be honest I prefer to use photos and not get caught up in writing about every single detail. I let the pictures tell the story and highlight just the important facts with text.
My final bit of paperwork is a my "Forward Planning" that basically just ties everything together so I can see it in the one place at a glance. It has the observation date, a brief interpretation of the learning occuring and suggestions/ideas for extending on this learning focus. After entering one of those activity ideas into the "focus children" box on my program and completing the activity with the child I come back to the forward planning form and write the date of the activity and a few sentances about how it worked and what happened. And that is linking done. I do something similar if it is a group focus activity.

All forms are kept in a child's folder on my computer. I have separate folders that I save their photo collage observations, my day and our day forms, photos of their artwork (and a few lines if it needs explanation), and lots and lots of photos of their learning journey with me. At the end of the year I place this folder onto a USB stick for the parents to take home and flick through at their leisure. Some choose to print things out to make a little book, some burn to disk and send to relatives and some just look at it on the computer with their children. Their progress over the year is easily seen without a whole lot of useless information that is important to us as educators but no so important to a parent. I know, I am one of those too.

So no, I don't use portfolios but yes I think I am covering what I need to without giving myself a stress attack and being able to fully engage with the children which to me is more important than any pretty scrapbook or learning journal.

Please don't get me wrong, if using a learning journal or portfolio is working for you than stick with it. If keeping portfolios however is eating into your down time then i would say put them down and back away. You don't need to do them, they are just one way of documenting a child's learning journey with you as either a home based or centre based educator.

If you are trying to work out whether to use them or if you really need to then perhaps ask yourself some of the following questions to ensure you are making an informed choice. Obviously if your scheme or centre director is telling you you have to do portfolios then I guess there is not much you can do but you can ask them why and if they would consider another option or two...especially if it is really stressing you out!

Questions to ask about using Child Portfolios in Early Child Care Environments

1. What do you consider a child portfolio?

Is it an art scrapbook, does it show clear evidence of a learning journey or is it just a collection of 'time at the centre' photos and text snippets, a glorified memory book? Is there documentation that might not make sense to parents or that would be better kept in a child's record file?
You need to work out the answers to these questions before you begin to use a portfolio as your preferred system. Be very clear about what it is you are spending your precious time on!

2. Do you know why you do portfolios?

Did someone just tell you too or do you think it is a regulation or expected practice? Ask yourself if you really need to? Does the EYLF and NQS really state you have to to meet your obligations (I'll help...the answer is no, you can choose to document in any way you want to as long as you are meeting the requirements of the basic planning cycle.

3. Are your methods of keeping portfolios sustainable in terms of time management and skill?

Parents might love them the first time you present them but it will set up an expectation, be realistic and decide whether they are something you can confidently continue doing in the time you have available.

4. Are they really just a pretty form of parent communication in summary form?

Does it demonstrate the parent and child's 'voices' as part of that child's learning? Is there more to the contents than just memories, pretty pictures and artwork? Do you inform parents of the portfolio purpose and how they are used?

5. Does your portfolio document and identify learning throughout ..."a child's progress or distance travelled?" If not then you are going to have to double up and keep those records elsewhere using a different format.

6. What does the information in the portfolio tell you, tell the parents?

Will what you put in there today be useful to you tomorrow or next month for your planning? Overall is it a meaningful tool that supports individual and also group learning especially for the time you are putting into it? What does it actually tell you about the child?

7. Do you think in terms of quality over quantity?

Do you get overwhelmed with the quantity of documentation you feel you must do? Do you feel you need to make portfolios bigger and better to meet requirements and satisfy parents and management? Could you manage the same quality with less work?

8. Do you show that not only have you understood and documented the child's learning but also extended it?

How do you show that?

A portfolio is just a simple communication tool if you are only showing what the child/service/centre has been doing over time, it is a useful tool when it also shows extensions to a child or group's learning and links to your programming in some way. Have you considered how you actually use the portfolios to make links within your program or is this not a consideration?

9. How does the portfolio help support you to plan for further learning?

If you aren't using the content but spending an awful lot of time working on them then why do it? Why not direct your energy into what you need to do, find another way that perhaps suits you better and covers the areas you need to rather than just being an extra "thing to do". Do you regularly check to see the connections between the child's interest/s and their progress as learners is evident within your portfolio document?
If it is just a parent communication tool for the end of the week/month/year then there are many ways to achieve this without the time involved in keeping pretty portfolios (see ideas further below).

10. Do you find you are holding onto children's artworks or other special moments because you need them for the portfolio?

Do you consider the child's 'voice' in this action? Are you supporting them to share their day with their parents and fully participate in the moment rather than filing it away in the scrapbook/folder/portfolio? This is one thing that really bothers me about portfolios and they way they are often used. I have seen many a child get upset because they are not allowed to take their precious artwork home because it needs to go into the book!

11. Do you think there are other more meaningful ways you could share the term or year of a child's care with the parents rather than giving them a book/folder at the end of the year?

Is the whole folio relevant and of interest to the parent or is it more aimed at making the service or educator feel good? As a parent would you really want to read lots of text and learning stories, reflections and observations or see visual and tangible evidence of a child's learning and progression in 'real time' as it occurs?

12. What other ways are there to document learning and share with parents if I don't use a portfolio?

Perhaps you could consider some of the following ideas...

Digital portfolios put on a USB at the end of the year
Powerpoint slides emailed to parents
Communication books sent home each day
Photo observation collages displayed around the environment or emailed to parents to share
Wall displays of photos, special moments and activities that a parent can share with the child at drop off and pick up time.
Photobooks and photo collections (including pics of artwork on disc)
Computer and phone based apps and programs for sharing information (although personally I think you could save your money and just do your own system)
Digital photo frames at sign in area
Powerpoint slides live on the computer for parents to view
Video or audio clips shared with parents

13. Are there other recording/documenting methods and techniques besides portfolios that would work better for you as an educator?

Some of these might include a combination of a few of the following ideas....

Observations—recorded through video, annotated photographs or audio clip
Observations—formal, written, learning stories
Basic Checklists
Discussions with families, documented in children's files
Discussions with colleagues and then documenting for professional use only
Conversations with children documented regularly in communication sheets or forms to keep in the digital folders
Specific testing (where issues of concern are raised, sometimes undertaken by a specialist.)
Reflection book , diary or space on the program
Photos of work samples

Don't try and do all of these all of the time...there is absolutely no need, use your time more effectively and really think about how you can record learning within the planning cycle without having to repeat yourself. Your time is precious so use it wisely.

I know some of you will say "Yes I do all the above but that's what I put in a folio...that's great but again....reflect upon whether the information added to your portfolios is also being used to inform and link directly to your program and individual focus activities. How are you incorporating information from the portfolios? Is there a clear review loop?. If not then you need to be doing that somewhere else....and that is more work and time out of hours for you.

14. Could you keep digital portfolios instead?

I do a version of this but just call them my children's 'All About Me" folders and find them so easy to maintain and add to daily without the need to fill pages or scrapbook!

In my digital folders I include photo observation collages, group and individual daily communication forms, group event collages, recorded children's conversations, photos of artwork with accompanying learning and other photos with annotations of the learning occurring or outcome being demonstrated or working towards. Because I'm doing it digitally I am also able to add video and audio clips if I want and as I provide a copy of each folder to the parents at the end of the year I think it provides a great keepsake. Parents often add feedback or comments via email or in person and this is documented as parent interaction. It's easy to drop copies of the same forms into different folders I have set up on the computer for different purposes and for ease of showing documented evidence in my own records. In terms of my observations I only record purposeful moments or interactions, not every little thing a child does.

I am loving this digital method as it allows me to share with parents and children each day and yet it is also building a valuable record of learning and progression. I can easily look at the folders to help inform my program, notice new skills and support analysis and review.

15. Finally, ask yourself if compiling and adding to portfolios is taking away from your love of working with children.

If the answer is yes then you need to find another system. I am hearing too many stories of people giving up on a profession they love because of myths and perceived 'regulations and requirements'.

Ask for support from your leaders in exploring other methods or at the very least make sure you are well informed and know why you are doing portfolios and ensure that they are meeting a number of documenting expectations rather than being a lot of work but in reality not very effective.

This blog post may or may not prove helpful to you but at the very minimum I hope it makes you at least reflect on your current practice whether you are considering using portfolios or already using them.

I don't have anything against keeping portfolios, if it works well for you and doesn't cause you to spend a lot of time out of hours doing work on them then I say well done and keep up the great work....but please make sure they are effective and helping you to enhance all areas of your programming and documentation.

I could add so much more but i'm sure you are already on the way to a strong cup of coffee or a snore.....if there is anything you want to clarify or question please ask in the comments below, you can put 'anonymous' if you don't know how to comment. I welcome healthy debate and would also love to hear how you put together your portfolios if you use them.

If there is one thing you take away from this article let it be this....all you have to do is document children's learning in the best way that you can and demonstrate that children are learning and are on a continuum of learning "the distance travelled".

In my next post I'm going to be discussing different methods of observing...and how to save some time and ensure you are being effective with the time you have. See a theme here? Less work....more quality (I might get that printed on a shirt come to think of it).

As always keep in mind that this is my blog and as such I express my opinions and offer what has worked for me over my years in the early childhood profession. They might not work for you and you also need to consider your own scheme guidelines and management decisions. What I hope to do is help you to feel empowered and informed because we all deserve that.

I'd love to know if you found this helpful or thought it was more boring than a staff meeting out of hours on a Friday night!

As for me....I'm off to do some invoices and accounting....I really hate accounting....give me programming anyday!

If this is your first visit to Mummy Musings and Mayhem and you like what you see you can follow us on Facebook and Pinterest for more inspiration, frugal fun, recipes and mayhem!

Warm Wishes....