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Sustainability In The Early Years

Laura Bombara

Young children in many early childhood settings around the world are demonstrating awareness of their impact on the environment and ways to minimise it. A five-year-old in Ireland reportedly explained to an international research group that sustainability means ‘to save the world for later’

The Proud Foots Adventure Series: Q&A With Author Lucas Proudfoot

Lucas Proudfoot

Lucas Proudfoot is one of Australia’s most versatile children’s performers, playing guitar, didgeridoo and stomp box to over 120,00 kids each year. He is a multi-platform storyteller, sharing stories through his music, books and live performances. Following the release of his first book, Shaka Shaka Hawaii, from his five-part adventure book series, The Proud Foots,

Young girl exploring whilst walking over tree roots

Magic And Wonder: Creating A World Where Children Lead

Neville Dwyer

“Drink in the beauty and wonder at the meaning of what you see.” Rachel Carson I recently watched the film ‘Mary Poppins Returns’, and as the film came to a wonderful and uplifting end, I was struck by a couple of strong elements that weave their way through the film and demonstrate how we

Girl playing on swing outside facing grass and trees

Fostering Independence

Sonya McIntyre

We often think of independence in young children as an end goal, something to work towards with the finish line being adulthood. What we often don’t consider, however, is that there is no magical point in time where we think, “AHA…we passed the line, independence has been achieved!”

Building Resilient Kids One Classroom At A Time

Sonja Walker

In its recent review of early intervention resources for children from birth to 12 years, Australia’s National Mental Health Commission found that 83 per cent of experts agreed that ‘increasing resilience among children aged 0–12 could potentially prevent mental health issues during childhood and/or later in life’. As teachers, we know that our students’ well-being

Incorporating A Digital Reading Program Into My Primary Classroom

Gary Matthews

Gary is a year 3 teacher who works in a large public school in Sydney which has over 1000 students. He has been teaching for 20 years and has used Wushka successfully with years 3, 4 and 5 over the past two years. Gary currently uses Wushka in a co-teaching learning space with 60 students.

What Does STEM Mean In Early Childhood?

Brea Brand

The term ‘STEM’ is often a grey area for educators and parents alike. What exactly is it? How do I incorporate it into my curriculum planning or home? What resources do I need to help me do this? Well, STEM refers to the integrative exploration of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. The focus on STEM

Sensory Play For Children….Why Is It Important?

Mel Ishkhanian

Children gain information from the world around them from the moment they are born. They use innate reflexes to respond to external stimuli such as the sucking reflex to feed. As they grow and develop, babies and children continue to process and respond to their environment using their senses. Often we see very young babies

School playground, children whispering and crying

Positive Ways To Manage Playground Politics

Sonja Walker

As teachers, we play many roles. Educator, counsellor, first aider and, occasionally, referee when children come into conflict with one another. Playground politics can be tricky. There are always at least two sides to every story and it can be hard to work out what went wrong and how to help children fix it.

young boy holding up a black board with the sign risk and safety

Increasing Risk Taking In The Classroom

Ashleigh Underwood

No doubt we have all experienced the anticipation; waiting patiently, tapping a red pen, possibly even nervously biting our nails, eager to tick or cross our answers to that test. Whether it’s the weekly trivia quiz or a Year 5 spelling exam, all of us have experienced the desire to find out whether or not