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Dreamers and Explorers Family Day Care in Ballarat, Victoria | Childcare service



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Dreamers and Explorers Family Day Care

Locality: Ballarat, Victoria

Phone: +61 427 288 896



Address: 298 Larter Street 3350 Ballarat, VIC, Australia

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24.01.2022 Celebrating Harmony Day today The children were invited to come along wearing something orange, the colour which symbolises Harmony Day. Whilst we played this morning we listed to some culturally diverse music. The children intermittently moved along to it and asked, which song is this? as they recognised the tune to some songs in other languages. Wonderful opportunities to discuss and appreciate languages all over the world ! ... We made a lovely canvas with prepared images of the children in care and children from ethnically diverse backgrounds. We discussed everyone belonging together. For lunch, the children were invited to try some fried rice. Audrey said, mmm! This is good!



23.01.2022 It is a scary time in our world at the moment. To many, a very unfamiliar time also. Our youngest generation sense the changes that this pandemic brings to their lives, our worries and also the ever-present news and conversations about coronavirus. I love this quote from Fred Rogers. Well be here with you every step of the way little ones, providing all the stability, security and love that we have

22.01.2022 Did you know that today is Social Justice Day? I had a big think about an issue that I feel that young children face and I remembered a family survey response about how her child isnt really acknowledged in public, particularly when she uses her manners at cafes. She felt that people see her (then 2-year-old) as perhaps too young to interact. So today I did something that Ive never done before! I took our group out to lunch. Two three-year-olds and two two-year-olds. My a...im was to have the community see the children using public spaces that adults enjoy also and to see them in ways where they are capable e.g. exercising road safety, making thoughtful decisions and ordering their own food. And what a success it was. We talked about the place that we were visiting, what we would be able to do there and what responsibilities the children would have. We went to the Healthy Hub. It has a great menu and play space! The children looked at the menu together and made their choices - two cheese toasties and two pancakes! One of the children came with me to place the order on her own and make payment. Her peers were captivated by the little imaginative play space! One of the children set the table for her peers and pointed out their places to them when they came to the table. She introduced herself to someone nearby with a little toddler and tried to comfort him when he was upset The group loved drinking from glasses and using the lovely cutlery. They really enjoyed their food and sampled some of each others with their permission. The waitress engaged with a couple of the children and asked if they were all yours? It was a great opportunity to promote family day care and the possibilities the program has, whilst talking about why we visited the cafe today. She commented that they are great to take out arent they? I hope today we shifted some perspectives on how capable and pleasant young children are and can be

22.01.2022 How exciting to have created a mini zoo at family day care for next week!! Our Thursday group visited Melbourne Zoo this week and they just loved it!! It ignited many conversations, interests and new learning opportunities that I am excited to build upon. One of our little Dreamers is particularly fond of maps at the moment so I have added a laminated zoo map with a whiteboard marker to the play space, inviting her to tick off animals as she visits them ... Pictured is my little late sleeper tonight who helped with the set up!



22.01.2022 Strawberry milkshakes and love heart biscuits on Friday at the farm for Audreys birthday

22.01.2022 Teddy bear songs and dances We have been singing and moving to a range of teddy bear related songs in our online sessions, which reflects the community interest in bear hunts at the moment (walking around and spotting teddy bears in windows). So lovely to have families joining in and connecting. ... Here are some weve used recently: - Ive got a teddy bear by Julie Wylie - Teddy bear teddy bear turn around - Rock-a-bye your bear - The Wiggles

21.01.2022 Hello! I am continuing to reflect on the value of our current play spaces. Today we are stepping outdoors to see whats on offer, why and what the children are getting out of the experience! This morning our little group are doing some digging in our mud pit and creating some mud cakes in the mud kitchen. This sensory experience is a wonderful addition to the program. Children learn so much through their senses and activating the senses really adds so many layers to an exper...ience! How does the mud feel? How does that change when I add water? How hard is it to dig? Does this change when I add water or stand differently? How much water do I need to add to be able to mould the mud? The cooking play is a great element. It gives children a gateway to dramatic play - an advanced type of play where children step into roles and develop scripts and ideas with others e.g. a child becomes a chef and takes orders for customers. The children are becoming so independent and excited about increasing responsibilities. Therefore, we do lots of cooking, play dough making and I support the children to help to cook and prepare their own food. This space gives the children a space to practise these skills, opening them up to the world of skills involved in food preparation whilst helping them to feel capable and confident - theres no wrong way to make a mud pie!!



21.01.2022 ROUTINE OUTINGS Our new routine outing schedule for 2020 sees us starting our own nature playgroup, starting music class and continuing to visit the Indigenous Play Space and the Childrens Farm! I will be reflecting on these and communicating their value in my posts next week

19.01.2022 A 2-minute snippet into parallel and cooperative play between two of our little dreamers today. What busy zoo animals with so many things to express!! Amazing language following this! Just loving these gorgeous dramatic play resources and the opportunities that they present our children

19.01.2022 A popular area outdoors at the moment is the playground equipment ! The only piece not pictured is the trampoline. The 2-3 year olds are enjoying exploring balance, weight and problem solving on the rocking equipment from the toy library. One provides a solitary experience while the crocodile provides the opportunity for two children to work together, similar to a see-saw. The climbing, trampoline and tunnel provides great opportunities to develop gross motor skills and strength. The tunnel also provides a nice sensory experience with its enclosed space. Feeling where the body is in space is something that young children are learning about. Its a sensory progression that allows them to dodge obstacles when running, move out of the way of a flying object and engage in sport and recreational activities more effectively!

19.01.2022 Hello followers Amidst the rising rate of the coronavirus in our community, yesterday I made the difficult decision to close our service until further notice. With an immunocompromised child, its a risk Im not comfortable continuing to take. Hopefully my decision will support others to stay at home as well - the best thing we can do to protect us all. ... Keep well and safe and hopefully we will meet again on the other side

18.01.2022 Fridays farm outing continues to ignite curiosity, kindness and new learning opportunities for our group! The children chose to start the outing with a tour to see all of the animals. We got up close with the delightful pigs and felt the warmth of some freshly laid eggs. The children offered grass to the goat that came and greeted us and explored the surrounds in the sensory garden, which provided opportunities for balancing, digging, smelling, touching and social play. We spotted a very fast moving frog and two of the children started jumping around like frogs! Some excellent starting points for building on these interests to develop the childrens natural ability to express wonder and delight in the world around them and gain knowledge about animals



18.01.2022 Look at these delightful photos of this little dreamer soaking up the foam at our messy play date last week! We will have a similar sensory experience out next week in response to her delight with this one! Sensory play is fantastic and provides so many learning opportunities for children! ... Here are just some of them: * It directly contributes to brain development. Think of all of the thoughts, vocabulary and comparisons that a child has running through their mind when they engage with different textures * It provides a wonderful opportunity for motor development as children engage with activities like mixing, pouring, squeezing etc * It directly benefits body and spatial awareness * It provides wonderful problem-solving opportunities! When providing a new sensory material, I tend to provide the material on its own first so that the children can experiment with and learn about it before adding materials that may enhance the above learning. Cant wait to reflect on this little ones learning here next week!

18.01.2022 After closing Monday due to the prevalence of the coronavirus, I just couldnt pack our program away completely. Ive poured my heart and soul into this! Therefore, today we began a weekly half hour online program! The children and families can go to our private Facebook group to watch it live on Fridays at noon or watch it later! It was great having five families watching along today! I felt their support of our program and could respond to their childrens comments right a...way when families typed them in ! We are continuing our program where we left off - building on some basic Spanish and also modelling some conversational skills (in English) to support friendship development. Today we did this through song, puppets and storytelling. Much more to come in this little mini program - watch this space !

18.01.2022 World Wildlife Day Our groups have been very interested in the beautiful bird life that surrounds us for a long time now! We have observed birds around our home and maintained a bird feeder and bird bath for them. We have observed various types of ducks across the road at Lake Esmond and researched them before turning our findings into a book for children to take home. We have visited the local Bird World and more recently observed bird life at Poverty Point. Last week, the children made some bird puppets to add to the puppet threat red and to take home. For World Wildlife Day this week, the children are beginning to make collages of bird life with the message leave some water out for me please! This is one action that we can do to help our beautiful bird life every day

18.01.2022 Today I did something new and broadcast a live, online parent session! We are exploring feelings and emotional wellbeing and I thought it would be a great opportunity to give insight to parents about the direction Im taking in relation to this and support them to be the wonderful emotional leaders that they are for their children! I spoke mostly about supporting children to deal with fears. Here is the post I shared to our private parent group after the session ~ Dealing ...with fear ~ Thanks for tuning in to our live parent session! Im just going to summarise some key points below to support you to help children to process fear: 1. There is no shame in fear Acknowledging children fears as they occur is a great way to show them that there is no shame in being afraid and that youre a trusting person to turn to in their fear. 2. Support children to understand their fear. Here you can begin to break down childrens fears with them. What is it that scares them about it? Youre really giving children the floor here and not attempting to eradicate or minimise any fears. 3. Build a culture of openly discussing feelings in your home. Talk about things that frighten you and encourage other members of the household to do this also. 4. Over time, explore fears through story, puppets, toys etc. Empower your child to be the one to problem solve e.g. the toy dog is worried about losing his mum when he goes out to the shops with her. What could he do to feel more safe? If your child isnt able to articulate, you can jump in and model. 5. Fear actually has great benefits! Its teaching the children to trust their feelings, build their own personal boundaries and to keep themselves safe. Your job isnt to eradicate fears but to give children the power to understand and deal with them. Hope this is helpful to you

17.01.2022 Dramatic play spaces (where children are encouraged to take on roles e.g. teacher, doctor, shopkeeper and develop a play script) provide tremendous opportunities for language and social development. Look at this snippet of our shop play today. The young children are taking on roles, negotiating, turn-taking, communicating, resolving conflict, asserting their ideas and making meaning of the world around them e.g. what do you need to buy something (money or card), what is the ...cash register used for, the importance of having a tidy shop. This beautiful set was borrowed from the toy library and was Scarletts idea Charlie Wood Kate Zakynthinos

17.01.2022 Water Play! Water play can offer so many benefits! It can be a soothing, therapeutic, sensory experience It encourages social interactions and offers opportunities for problem-solving, mathematical engagement and fine motor skills with the materials that Ive added! I love how the children weave natural elements into their experience, using sticks to mix in the photo but also adding things like sand, soil and leaves to enrich the experience

17.01.2022 After some careful planning and consultation with a local Elder, our group set out to Black Hill Lookout today to search for some ochre to use as a base for our new acknowledgment of country. Taking the children to new locations teaches me so much more about them. All children felt a little afraid by some features of our bush walk (a cave we passed, uneven ground and a dog going past). It was important to acknowledge these fears with the children and support them to work thr...ough them in a way that they felt comfortable e.g. some children wanted to explore the cave and some preferred to wait near the entrance. We talked about ways to help us to be safe in this environment e.g. watching where we walk, touching the side of the rock on the inside of the path as we walked (away from the edge) and not engaging with the dog - we stopped and looked down as it approached us. The children responded wonderfully to these strategies and I watched as their resilience and faith in me (and themselves) shone through with this little bit of support. The group were really interested in the ochre and replicated my actions of scraping it into our container. We added water to it back at the house to create a paste for our acknowledgment. Children who wished to had their hands painted as the Aboriginal flag to print onto the acknowledgment, symbolising reaching out in friendship and kindness.

16.01.2022 One of our lovely families suggested fruit kebabs as an option on our menu, which her children enjoy at home. The children are loving these delicious kebabs! Lovely to see this familys child pipe up with delight and say, I have these at my house! Sewing together the threads of family culture and experiences into our program makes the most beautiful, diverse and meaningful program

15.01.2022 Home-crafted mini takeaway learning packs for my little dreamers & explorers this week. The packs contain materials that extend the current online learning program that the families have access to. They also contain materials for an Easter activity that I had already sourced This is a wonderful way for us to stay connected whilst also supporting families and children with the continuation of their early learning program. Note: They will be hand delivered to doorsteps and are new resources that have been disinfected with glen20 spray

14.01.2022 My favourite video this week!! Sometimes its hard to hold ourselves back from helping the children to achieve something. Its such a balancing act - finding the pull of when a child may become overwhelmed and frustrated and benefit from some physical support vs when a child is struggling but is likely to succeed on their own. I naturally wanted to help with this task but Im so glad I didnt. Even though she doesnt give much away, I can tell Amelia feels very satisfied ...when she eventually pours the eggs into the mixture! Look at her problem-solving, adjusting her hands and feeling the pull of gravity either side as the jug balances on the edge of the bowl. And beautiful Phoebe giving her encouragement is just heart-warming ! What a beautiful little friend she is Having high expectations of all children is something that I am really focusing on at the moment within the service and with families.

14.01.2022 Some gorgeous photos of todays family day at Kirks Reservoir Thank you everyone for coming and celebrating family day care and the wonderful families that you are Todays extended family celebration was planned as a reflection of a family survey that valued grandparent participation in the program and with the vision of strengthening family relationships. It was wonderful to meet some new family members and welcome them into our service, include extended family and se...e everyone enjoy the beautiful, relaxing space that is Kirks Reservoir! Please feel welcome to come and visit us anytime at family day care!!

12.01.2022 I have been implementing joint mini planning sessions weekly with different groups of children to give them a formal opportunity to contribute to the program planning. I ask them questions such as: * what activity would you like to play with next week? * what do you like to do after mummy/daddy/Nanna drops you off? * what do you like to do before home time? ... * where is a place that you would like to go with family day care? * what would you like to learn about? Audrey voiced that she would like to play with ducks. She helped me order this gorgeous 5 Little Ducks set today online whilst her peers slept. We cant wait for it to arrive!

11.01.2022 Im so glad that I splurged on some colourful, soft cushions for our reading nook not long ago. It was just the thing that was missing! They have added such a snuggly feel to the area and have supported the children to spend longer reading and engaging with books with their friends

10.01.2022 ~ Indigenous Play Space ~ One of my favourite spots to take our group! We visit this space each Thursday morning and have been coming here for a long time now!! The children are super comfortable here and engage with the beautiful traditional symbols and art of the Waddawurrung Peoples with curiosity, enthusiasm and confidence ! The simple play equipment adds joy to their play and they have increasingly built their capacity to support each other on the equipment. The sandpit, bird life and beautiful surrounds enriches our experiences with plenty of opportunities to learn and develop respect and a sense of wonder and admiration for the natural world

09.01.2022 Today I was fortunate enough, along with my colleagues to receive a little care package from my coordinators. It is the most thoughtful and kind thing that I can think of. The time this must have taken..! At first I felt guilty and unworthy of its contents as I have closed my service temporarily. My colleagues are grappling with more than I am. However I am trying to be VERY kind to myself at the moment. I am doing what I can to deliver meaningful, quality learning experien...ces to my group from afar, to keep connections strong and to check in regularly with my families. To be recognised for this is something that I didnt expect but something that really made my heart swell. Thank you so much * My favourite quote pictured

09.01.2022 Be careful Mummy, be really careful Mummy. Bit hard. Milla be careful Mummy. Mummy, I did it! My did it self! My little poppet was a bit worried about the uneven ground today at nature playgroup. She has had some falls that have really surprised and hurt her recently, which I imagine have hindered her confidence. ... However she was still keen on conquering the rocky path so I began the balancing act of being her voice of calm, reassurance and support and providing a steady hand whilst also building her confidence (look how well youre balancing! Look how strong and brave youre being!) and celebrating her achievements. A big part of celebrating is actually helping her to celebrate her own achievements too (even though Im her biggest cheer squad!) I try and say, wow! You climbed up the hill even though it was so tricky, how does that make you feel/are you so proud of yourself? Being intrinsically motivated is extremely rewarding and supports children to be more successful, committed, persistent and creative compared to being motivated by external factors. Keep on climbing little Amelia Faith

08.01.2022 Sometimes toddlers get a bad rap I think. I observed this special moment between two 2-year-old friends this week and was compelled to capture it whilst remaining uninvolved. A: my foot sore. Ow. Amelia touched her foot as her friend and her enjoyed a yummy breakfast. ... Scarlett left her seat and came to kneel beside her friend and touched her foot. S: sore foot, here? Amelia nodded sadly. S: my kiss it? Scarlett looked at Amelia, waiting for her answer and holding her foot in her hands. Amelia nodded. Scarlett lifted Amelias foot and planted the softest little kiss on it. S: all better? Scarlett was hopeful and smiling, genuinely proud of her potential to make a difference. A: Yeah. All better! Amelia smiled and both girls went back to chatting and enjoying their breakfast. Young friendships just bring out the most profound opportunities to empathise, make a difference and respond with genuine care. I really love how, with young children theres no problem too small for a friend to stop in their tracks and care, provide comfort and try to make a difference

07.01.2022 Today was an exciting day! We started our music class with Branch Into Music ! Our group were enthralled right from the beginning, where they were able to engage in some free instrument play before starting the program. They each had the opportunity to sing hello with the teacher before engaging with several small props to support their understanding and active engagement as they sung along to songs such as Fuzzy the Clown. They observed the teacher closely and copied the ...way she changed her tempo and volume with instruments. The children explored fast and slow and loud and quiet. They joined in with the book If youre happy and you know it and shared stories about their holidays. Delighted was an understatement when the music session finished with dancing and bubble catching in time with the music! They each had a turn of saying goodbye in the music microphone before enjoying the sunshine outside in the playground! What a lovely way this will be to start our Wednesdays !

06.01.2022 Virtual story-time began today online for my little Dreamers and Explorers family day care group It was lovely to have a little group watching along with us and joining in! Today we focused on emotions! I read Theres a Hippopotamus on the Roof Eating Cake with the help of some props. We talked about:... ~ anger ~ happiness and ~ sadness We identified these feelings in the book and then attempted to make faces representing these feelings! Please send through any expressions you catch on camera families! Id love to see them! We looked at some pictures of emotions and talked about what we can do to take care of ourselves when we are feeling sad. One thing I identified is that doing things that you like can help you to feel better. One of our little dreamers said that her lollipop makes her feel happy as well as giving me cuddles! Please share anything else that brings you or your child joy! What a pertinent time to share this. Sources of joy in our house at the moment tend to be sharing favourite foods, watching movies, going for walks and bear hunts, bath time in the middle of the day and playing with toys

05.01.2022 ~ Counting ~ We have been doing lots of counting in our online sessions ! We have been counting in English and Spanish. Counting in two languages actually builds childrens ability to count effectively in their first language, did you know that?? Amazing! We have been counting items in stories Ive read together and also engaging in fun and interactive counting songs. It was great to get a childs number song request last week, 5 little ducks or mother duck. When ideas come from them, the experience is so much more meaningful and engaging!

04.01.2022 Currently I am working on supporting the children to have increased decision-making opportunities within our service. One way that I am doing this is creating a monthly roster of children choosing an excursion destination that they would like to visit with their family day care group. We are instilling weekly meetings with our little group (on rotating days) where children will have a specific space to be involved in the planning of the program - what activities they would like available, when they would like to go on outings and do structured sessions in the day like music and story time and what they would like to learn about at family daycare. Within theses sessions each month, we will do our excursion planning! I cant wait to hear these innovative childrens ideas!!!

04.01.2022 Im loving watching the children engage with the laminated map and whiteboard marker in our zoo set up! This is something we havent tried before. Here one of our little dreamers is marking off and asking about what animals she is seeing on the map. She started to search and mark off animals that I named and I connected these to the ones that we saw on our recent zoo trip. Lots of great learning here! ... * Making connections between past and current learning experiences enhances current learning and helps to form strong neural pathways * Recognising and engaging with symbols and making meaning from them builds on childrens communication skills * Being exposed to print rich material supports children to build strong literacy foundations (even better to engage with them!) * Building fine motor skills Exciting to watch where this engagement takes us!

03.01.2022 Our first nature playgroup today! What a wonderful morning we had. The children had been interested in the bird life when we visited this space a fortnight ago, particularly the kookaburra we heard! Therefore we sourced some of the childrens books from home that featured bird life and kookaburras and shared one of these at the beginning, Snugglepot and Cuddlepie. We saw some woodchoppers cutting down trees and the group were concerned about this. We talked about why the...y might be cutting down trees and the children spotted an old trunk of a tree that has been cut nearby and explored it. As we moved away from the woodchopping, we explored the creek bed and the children collected stones, feathers and flowers to bring back to family day care. One child said, lets follow the path! It was great to see how quickly the children are developing confidence in new spaces. We continued our learning and investigating in the afternoon back at the house, creating our own kookaburras and painting the rocks we had collected. The children shared their treasures and creations with their families with excitement at pick up time! I wonder what adventures next weeks playgroup will bring!

03.01.2022 The children are beginning to take increasing responsibility for menu choices, food preparations and serving food at family day care. Todays lunch was spaghetti bolognese with corn and cheese - voted in by one of our tribe! Together we set the table up and the children chose their places by putting their placemat where they would like to sit. The skills they used in this mealtime are just endless! Waiting their turn, learning through observation, fine motors skills and dev...eloping control over tools, sharing, self-help skills...its hard to choose a best part but I LOVED seeing the children say, I did it! when mastering those tricky tongs and turning to me with a big smile. They know that Im always waiting to celebrate their achievements alongside them. I love that they know that. I loved watching them eat and enjoy so much food, maybe because they had such a hand in preparing it, they ate more of it! The social element of sharing a meal together is such a special part of eating. Pausing to talk about the food, our day and laughing together are beautiful everyday moments that we celebrate. Children being empowered and viewed as capable, helps them to become exactly this - capable, resilient and self-believing individuals. Bon appetit!

02.01.2022 I am excited to announce that our online program has moved to TWO weekly sessions! Story time will be on Tuesdays 12-12:30 Music and movement will be on Fridays 12-12:30... It was so wonderful to see 7 out of 9 families tuning in to our live program today and getting lots of comments about the program. Im loving how this is keeping the program alive and connecting everyone in song Audrey joining in with our music session at home today

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