McKellar Cottage Childcare Centre in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory | Nursery

McKellar Cottage Childcare Centre

Locality: Canberra, Australian Capital Territory

Phone: +61 2 6162 2840

Address: 2/14 Bennetts Close, McKellar 2617 Canberra, ACT, Australia

Website: http://mckellarcottage.com.au

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• Nursery

25.01.2022 Dramatic play encourages children to put themselves in someone else's shoes. Role-playing will see children use inspiration from a real-life situation they have experienced, which helps draw on memory recall skills. Children learn important social skills, such as empathy as they play and can further develop language skills as they communicate with people around them. Children can use their imagination when helping set up small world experiences. By allowing children to collect their own resources they can think about what they need for the environment they are setting up and use symbolism for example: a rock - may represent a volcano for dinosaurs to a child.

25.01.2022 McKellar Cottage is a boutique childcare centre offering small class sizes, large natural play spaces and nurturing, experienced educators. If you, or someone you know, is looking for childcare next year please get in touch on (02) 6162 2840 to book a tour and experience the McKellar Cottage difference for yourself.

25.01.2022 Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of riding a bike. John F. Kennedy, former US President Bike Day at Mckellar Cottage, and our yard was filled with lots of bikes, scooters and smiles everywhere. Riding bikes are great for children in so many ways, it has been proven to help children’s mental health, and riding a bike to school has shown to help children prepare their minds for a day of learning. ... Not only is it a great way to get around, it's environmentally friendly and a great family activity, it’s just good fun!

25.01.2022 How is everyone going with the At Home Educational Program launched last week? For those who haven’t seen it yet - It’s full of educational activities to help you support and guide your child’s development from home. It’s available in KindyHub announcements. We have picked out a few of our favourites from the Week 2 program which kicks off today (although you can do any of the activities anytime!)... Swipe through the pictures to see our highlights, and don’t forget to send us pictures of your family getting involved with the program or tag us McKellar Cottage Childcare Centre.

24.01.2022 Gross motor (physical) skills are those which require whole body movement and which involve the large (core stabilising) muscles of the body to perform everyday functions. These skills impact a childs endurance to cope with a full day of school (sitting upright at a desk, moving between classrooms, carrying heavy school bag). They also impact a child’s ability to navigate their environment (e.g. walking around classroom items such as a desk, up a sloped playground hill). Developing gross motor skills through physical challenges, promotes key fundamental movement skills, confidence and self-esteem for children when participating in physical activity. Practicing gross motor skills also helps build on complex movement skills that children may use in sports such as soccer, cricket, netball or dance.

24.01.2022 Did you know there are 45 activities per week in the At Home Education Programs? There are currently 4 weeks of activities available, with more to come in the future. These are completely free and available for you in KindyHub! We have handpicked just a few of the fun and educational activities available during week 3, check them out below.

24.01.2022 Happy Easter from McKellar Cottage We hope you are having a wonderful day spending time with family and enjoying some (or many!) Easter eggs.

24.01.2022 With a growing interest in dinosaurs this past month, the children in the nursery have been extending their learning through cooking Dinosaur fossil cookies. We made delicious brown sugar cookies and stamped dinosaur imprints into the biscuits, fostering the children's sensory skills.

23.01.2022 How are you spending your weekend? There are so many amazing family friendly activities in and around Canberra each weekend. One such event is the Trash and Treasure Markets in Jamison, it’s a wonderful day out where you can find anything from fresh fruit and vegetables, fresh produce and second-hand goods. ... Who know you might find a hidden gem amongst the stalls. When: Sunday 7th February 7am 1pm Where: Jamison Centre, Macquarie ACT 2614

23.01.2022 EDUCATOR PROFILE: EMMA How Long have you been at McKellar Cottage? 1 year... Nickname? Em What made you decide to become an Early Childhood Educator? I wanted to work with children Tea or Coffee? Neither Favourite Travel destination? I haven’t been very far but I would like to go to Queensland Your Most used saying in the classroom? Oh Dear the children sometimes repeat this back to us! Favourite part about the job? Working with the children and watching them grow Any fun hobbies or unique skills? I love to ride my horse which I’m not working. I also enjoy camping and four wheel driving Favourite Food? Tacos Favourite TV show? I don’t watch a lot of TV

23.01.2022 All set up and waiting for our little friends to arrive for a day full of learning, socialising and fun!

22.01.2022 What is mixed-age play? Mixed age play is when children are given the opportunity to play with children from older or younger age groups, rather than in their more traditional age groupings. At McKellar Cottage we encourage mixed age play in a variety of ways, in the mornings and afternoons all the children gather together to begin and end their days with each other and participate in activities such as reading and singing with the educators. ... Our yard also encourages mixed age play, we have a big, beautiful yard for all of the children to use, the children have time to explore and investigate the yard at various times of the day but are not separated by their age groups, everyone can go outside and have some fresh air and fun at anytime. There are so many benefits of mixed age play for both older and younger children. For the older children it teaches them how to be gentle, increases empathy and gives them an opportunity to practice their leadership skills. For younger children it helps to grow their confidence, cognitive skills, language and motor development.

22.01.2022 Lest we forget.

21.01.2022 How are you spending Valentine's Day with your family this year? In Canberra, we are lucky to be surrounded by some beautiful nature and landmarks, so why not make use of them this Valentine's day and have a picnic by the lake? Picnics are an enjoyable family bonding activity, good for mental health and have shown to assist in positive behavior in children. ... Spend the morning preparing a picnic basket together as a family, use some of the recipes we have attached for inspiration. Getting children involved in food preparation and cooking is not only a wonderful sensory experience for them but promotes healthy eating, math and numeracy skills, creativity and so much more. DIY Lunchables: https://www.centsablemomma.com//mv-/v1/creations/131/print Chicken Ceasar Wrap: https://lilluna.com/wprm_print/recipe/104596 Picnic Cake: https://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/wprm_print/20289 We currently have places available in our service please call McKellar Cottage on 02 61622840 to find out more

21.01.2022 WHAT ARE FINE MOTOR SKILLS? WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT? Fine motor skills are necessary for many aspects of self-care as children, for example: putting on shoes, feeding themselves, cleaning their own teeth. Fine motor skills are also critical for the development of emergent writing. Developing fine motor skills enhances small muscles in our hands that enable children to hold a pencil properly, be able to handle scissors and glue sticks which are important skills for school readiness.

21.01.2022 EDUCATOR PROFILE: JANE How Long have you been at McKellar Cottage? 8 years... Nickname? Janey What made you decide to become an Early Childhood Educator? To work with children and keep them safe Tea or Coffee? Coffee Favourite Travel destination? I want to travel around Australia Your Most used saying in the classroom? Uh oh Favourite part about the job? Definitely watching the children grow and learn Any fun hobbies or unique skills? I love all crafts Favourite Food? Seafood Favourite TV show? Outlander

21.01.2022 Messy Play This week the sun decided to peer through the cold winter clouds to provide us with some warmer weather and we took full advantage of it. The Nursery, Toddler children and educators put on their artist hats, wrapped some cling wrap around two of our pillars, collected their paints and brushes, and got creative!... The children were not given any guidelines on what to paint, they were just given the tools and were free to let their creativity run wild.

21.01.2022 Today is R U OK?Day. It’s a reminder to start a conversation that could change a life today, tomorrow and any day it's needed. Learn what to say after R U OK? so you can keep the conversation going when someone says they're not OK. Visit www.ruok.org.au/how-to-ask... #RUOKDay #theresmoretosay #RUOK See more

21.01.2022 Today the children in the toddler's room are using natural resources to paint with (leaves, pine cones, and flowers), they manipulate these tools to create their wonderful artworks.

20.01.2022 Sensory play includes any activity that stimulates your young child’s senses: touch, smell, taste, movement, balance, sight and hearing. Sensory activities allow children to explore different sensory information, helping their brain to create stronger connections to process and respond to sensory information. Using science is a fantastic way to assist in sensory development, as children create their own paints, playdough and volcanos they will be able to hypothesise about re...actions that will be created within the experiences. Open ended questioning will play an important role and children and families will be able to engage in these conversations by asking what do you think will happen next?

19.01.2022 Mindfulness develops the whole brain and helps children to understand their emotions and feelings. Practicing mindfulness helps children to notice the positives, and develop a sense of appreciation, gratitude and contentment. Learning these techniques will help young students focus better in a school environment and experience lower levels of stress. ... Examples of Mindfulness exercises include Yoga, quiet balancing, deep breathing with bubble blowing and a blindfold taste test for older children.

19.01.2022 Resilience is a vital skill to be taught in early education, it not only gives children the tools and techniques to deal with difficult situations in their current environments, but also sets them up to be able to strengthen these skills as they grow and face more challenges head on and with confidence. One of the methods we use at McKellar Cottage to help build resilience is teaching the children deep breathing techniques. They are encouraged to use the techniques to calm th...emselves when feeling strong emotions such as anger, pain or sadness. Deep breathing is not only a wonderful way to calm strong emotions but has also been shown to strengthen children's attention spans, ability to focus and even lower their blood pressure. We currently have places available in our service please call McKellar Cottage on 02 61622840 to find out more

18.01.2022 Including Music into the everyday happenings in Early Childhood Education is not only a way to fill the centre with beautiful and lively sounds, but music has also been shown to greatly assist in children’s development as well. Music supports language development by encouraging development in the left side of the brain and in particular the centre of the brain that is responsible for language processing, music is also a great way for children to work on and develop their fine... motor skills and coordination in a fun and easy environment because who doesn’t want to get up and dance when they hear some good music. Here at McKellar Cottage music is a big part of our everyday programs and routines. This past week we had two families come visit us in the Junior Preschool and Preschool rooms to show off some of their musical talents, they played instruments such as the flute and guitar and even did some singing with us. Our Babies room have been getting musical as well and have even been making their very own shakers using recycled materials, paint and various items from our kitchen to fill them. Throughout the day music can be heard all around our centre, from calming piano music at rest and sleep times to lively instrument filled songs during music and movement, music is a big part of our learning here a McKellar Cottage.

18.01.2022 *Alert for Parents Regarding Social Media* There is an extremely graphic video circulating on Social Media including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tik Tok. We strongly recommend keeping your children offline today and tomorrow if possible, and heavily supervise all social media interactions until this content is removed. Check with your children to determine if they have viewed this clip. They are likely to be extremely distressed. Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636 Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800

17.01.2022 We currently have places available for your child to join the McKellar Cottage family Call us on (02) 6162 2840 to book your tour today.

16.01.2022 Gross Motor skills are a fundamental part of a child learning how to perform everyday movements such as walking, running and climbing. Through activities that promote and encourage gross motor play children are able to practice and strengthen these skills. In the Toddler room each morning part of the routine is our movement song. This is a song that encourages the children to get up and move by stretching their muscles, balancing and moving each part of their bodies plus so much more.

16.01.2022 Need some new inspiration on how to keep your children entertained this week? We have selected a few of our favourite activities from week 4 of the At Home Education program (downloadable via KindyHub). Not only are these exercises fun, they are helping your child's development too.

15.01.2022 Today marks the start of National Reconciliation Week - an opportunity to reflect on our shared histories, cultures, and achievement, and to explore how we can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. In the words of Reconciliation Australia 'we stand on the shoulders of those who came before us, and Australians now benefit from the efforts and contributions of people committed to reconciliation in the past.' We acknowledge and pay our respects to the traditiona...l custodians of the land on which we work, the Dharawal speaking people. We pay our respects to their Elders, past, present, and emerging. We will be undertaking some fun and education activities this week. Keep an eye out for some photos! #NRW2020 #InThisTogether2020

14.01.2022 In the Nursery each morning before beginning our group time we recite our Acknowledgement To Country. In our room the acknowledgment is short, simple and in the form of a song. Music and songs are implemented into our daily program to promote memory, language and coordination.

13.01.2022 EDUCATOR PROFILE: CHELSEA How Long have you been at McKellar Cottage? 6 months... Nickname? Chels What made you decide to become an Early Childhood Educator? A new career path Tea or Coffee? Coffee Favourite Travel destination? I’d love to go to Israel, New York, Greece or Morocco Your Most used saying in the classroom? Are you being kind? Favourite part about the job? Helping the children learn new things Any fun hobbies or unique skills? Playing piano and violin Favourite Food? Spaghetti Bolognese Favourite TV show? Sons of Anarchy

13.01.2022 Our Families have described the natural environment at McKellar Cottage as Park Like and we proudly embrace this. McKellar Cottage’s outdoor play environment is filled with beautiful trees of many different varieties - from Pine to Gum trees and even a Mulberry tree that the children love to assist their educators is picking the fruit from. We encourage the children the interact with the natural world around them and show respect for each and every creature that is p...art of it. One of the ways we do this is by feeding the birds that come to visit us with feeders placed around our yard. We currently have places available in our service please call McKellar Cottage on 02 6162 2840 to find out more

12.01.2022 Kids: they dance before they learn there is anything that isn't music.- William Stafford In the nursery we have been having daily dance parties because the children love getting up, moving and grooving. Music is a big part of our program, we learn our numeracy, colours, language and so much all through song.

12.01.2022 At-Home Education Program - Week 3 & Week 4 are now available via KindyHub. If you haven't had the chance, these programs are a fantastic resource for you to help your child's development continue during their time away from the centre. You can use them as a base for a routine, or simply as a really giant list of activities to choose from when you have some time to fill. ... If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch with the centre, comment below or message us.

12.01.2022 There are lots of fun and creative videos on KindyHub uploaded by our educators. Have you seen any yet? Which was your child's favourite? Comment below any videos you would love to see posted

12.01.2022 EDUCATOR PROFILE: APRIL How Long have you been at McKellar Cottage? 1.5 years... What made you decide to become an Early Childhood Educator? In high school I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do for work experience and I decided on childcare and really enjoyed it. I decided I wanted to become and Early Childhood Educator. Tea or Coffee? Coffee Favourite Travel destination? I would love to go to Hawaii, Bora Bora and Bali Your Most used saying in the classroom? Uh oh and hello Favourite part about the job? My favourite part about the job us helping and watching little one’s grow and learning new things Any fun hobbies or unique skills? I enjoy doing make-up and colouring. I am also great at wrapping presents! Favourite Food? Sushi Favourite TV show? Stranger Things

11.01.2022 EDUCATOR PROFILE: MIA How Long have you been at McKellar Cottage? 5 Months... What made you decide to become an Early Childhood Educator? I just enjoy working with children Tea or Coffee? Tea and coffee Favourite Travel destination? African Countries and I would like to explore South America. I have been to: America, Canada, France, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique, Fiji, Vanuatu, England, Nepal, Singapore, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Bali and Bangladesh. Your Most used saying in the classroom? Walking feet please Favourite part about the job? Interacting with the children, especially listening to them talking and telling stories Any fun hobbies or unique skills? I love walking, painting and travelling Favourite Food? Thai Food & Steak Favourite TV show? MasterChef (when it’s on air)

10.01.2022 Three Little Duck went out one day over the hills and to McKellar Cottage. Meet Chewquacka, Lucky and Sirus Quack our visitors to the centre on Wednesday morning, the children enjoyed learning about what they eat, where they live, how they are taken care of and just feeling how soft and fluffy they are.

10.01.2022 Getting creative with Home Learning programs. Enjoying Edible paint and Cloud dough experiences.

07.01.2022 At McKellar Cottage the children always enjoy their project work, this month the preschoolers are exploring the human body starting with the digestive system. The children extend on their knowledge by drawing coloured representations of food travelling from the mouth to the intestine inside the body.

07.01.2022 In this experience the toddler educator placed paper and paint into a zip lock bag, the children are invited to pick their favourite colours to go into the bag and move the colours around on the paper, the children were quite intrigued and made comments "Look, there's no paint on my hands"

06.01.2022 Outdoor play is a vital part of the early years learning structure. Giving children the opportunity to play and explore their outdoor environment has been proven to strengthen their problem solving skills, foster creativity, assist in developing their imagination, inventiveness and resourcefulness among so many other amazing benefits. Each outdoor environment we create takes all of this into account and aims to extend and enhance on it in as many different ways as we can. ... We currently have places available in our service please call McKellar Cottage on 02 61622840 to find out more

06.01.2022 EDUCATOR PROFILE: PAMELA How Long have you been at McKellar Cottage? 9 years... What made you decide to become an Early Childhood Educator? The need to care for people in aged care/ child care Tea or Coffee? Tea Favourite Travel destination? America Your Most used saying in the classroom? Oh I love that Favourite part about the job? Those little faces! Favourite Food? Chocolate Favourite TV show? Supernatural

06.01.2022 Thank you so much to all of our families for the wonderful feedback about the At Home Education Programs! We are very pleased to share that week 5 and 6 are now available via KindyHub Weeks 1-2 and 3-4 remain available too - that's over 270 activities for your family to try

03.01.2022 EDUCATOR PROFILE: STEPHANIE How Long have you been at McKellar Cottage? 3 Years... Nickname? Steph What made you decide to become an Early Childhood Educator? I was always playing Teachers with my younger sisters when I was a kid, and I was always the teacher. Tea or Coffee? Tea Favourite Travel destination? Fiji I would love to go again in the future Your Most used saying in the classroom? Walking feet inside Favourite part about the job? Being able to watch the children grow Any fun hobbies or unique skills? I have just started making cookies Favourite Food? Stir-Fry Favourite TV show? McLeod’s Daughters

03.01.2022 Happy Mother's Day to all of our beautiful mums! Comment below how your Mother's Day looks so far in emojis. We hope it's a bit like this...

01.01.2022 EDUCATOR PROFILE: HANNAH How Long have you been at McKellar Cottage? 5 Years... Nickname? The children call me Nana What made you decide to become an Early Childhood Educator? I always wanted to work with children Tea or Coffee? Coffee Favourite Travel destination? New York Your Most used saying in the classroom? Oh dear Favourite part about the job? Watching the children grow Any fun hobbies or unique skills? Sign language (and I’m learning more) Favourite Food? Lasagne Favourite TV show? Brooklyn 99