Rainbow Children's Centre in Ballina, New South Wales | School

Rainbow Children's Centre

Locality: Ballina, New South Wales

Phone: +61 2 6686 6621

Address: 4 John Sharpe St 2478 Ballina, NSW, Australia

Website: http://www.rainbow.nsw.edu.au

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24.01.2022 We have been celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children's Day which is a celebration of Aboriginal children and our future and next generation of leaders. We have been exploring the Aboriginal flag and talking about the colours and what they represent. Children have been using red, black and yellow paint to leave their hand prints on our path outside. We have also been exploring Australian animals and extending our curiosity, imagination and creativity with making Australian animals using clay. The echidna has been popular using the clay and natural materials for their spikes -Cathy

23.01.2022 We have been using natural black bean shells and the black beans inside to create art works and play resources. Children used different coloured paint to do dot painting, or create their own patterns on the black beans and shells. For extending the experience, we have also been using the painted black beans to do spoon balance activities. We also watched a YouTube video showing the ancient Aboriginal process of using black beans for food. We watched the process of how they prepared the black beans to remove poisons by soaking and roasting, so it’s safe to eat. We will continue to use natural resources for sustainable practice and teach children to respect our natural environment. Song Yan

20.01.2022 During our Ninginah (rest) time, the children in the Pippi room who do not have a rest on a bed, take part in a tea party. This is a beautiful ritual that we have created and that the children look forward to each day. During our tea parties, we read some pages from the book Breathe like a Bear which contains some mindfulness exercises for children; which are written in a simple, fun and engaging way. These support the children in learning to self regulate, increase their focus and concentration and demonstrate higher self-esteem. We have also begun reading this book some days before group time, once we have transitioned inside. This is supporting the children to calm their bodies after a busy morning outside. Gemma

19.01.2022 Just a reminder...we need the Parent Survey's for 2021 back asap so we can plan for your child's care requirements for next year. The due date to have forms returned is Monday, 2nd November 2020. Thank you for your attention to this.

18.01.2022 The Kids Eat, Move & Play FB page have lots of great healthy recipes and ideas for keeping children active. I thought this starfish breathing activity might come in handy while we are all stuck indoors over this wet weekend!

16.01.2022 Last week we incorporated some activities and conversations with children as part of Child Protection Week. Educators led conversations with children around feeling safe and who we can ask for help if we feel unsafe or scared. We also talked about taking care of our own bodies and keeping our bodies safe...these are important and sensitive conversations, if you would like more information about how we raised and led these conversations please feel free to talk to Peta and Shannon.

15.01.2022 Camp fires or fire pits have been popular conversations recently and reflect the family culture of many of our children, especially around the holiday season and cooler months. We have also been reading the book Baby Business written by Jasmine Seymour, an Aboriginal woman from Darug Country who shares the ritual of smoking ceremonies and how they are used to welcome new life onto country. Our belonging to family, culture and country are explored at Rainbow in many ways and are important learning opportunities for us all.

13.01.2022 The temptation was too great! We love our natural environment with so many opportunities for exploring, testing and just simply being a messy kid!!

13.01.2022 The children have been showing an interest in animals recently and to celebrate my African heritage we have been exploring wild/jungle animals. We have been doing this in a variety of ways, such as by reading books, playing with the toy animals and talking about the names of the animals and the sounds that they make and where they live and what they eat. We have also been using the puppets and singing songs such as "Old MacDonald had a zoo", "5 cheeky monkeys" and "5 grey elephants balancing." We also set up a pretend mini zoo in the room. Marion

12.01.2022 We have recently welcomed some visitors to Rainbow to spend time with the children and enhance our learning program. One of our visitors was Eli Cook who implemented some Aboriginal perspectives and experiences for the children to consider and learn about. Our other visitor was artist Kim Toft who demonstrated her silk painting and read some of her stories for us. You can read more about our visitors in the Kookaburra Learning Journal.

02.01.2022 Thank you Maven Dental Plateau Alstonville for the donations of toothpaste and tooth brushes, and for supporting children at Rainbow to have healthy teeth!