2005 Newsletter - Issue 1

Play Frees Language

The young child learns through play. As soon as children can move they use their bodies to express emotions and ideas. Through this play children learn forms of effective behaviour. They use their bodies in intent exploration of their physical and social environment and gradually come to the use of language.
There are four basic ways by which children come to know and understand their world through play:

Imitative play

In early infancy children imitate their parents in simple copying of sound e.g. the mother imitates the baby’s sucking and this may induce the baby to reproduce that sound on a voluntary basis. Simple games like Peek-a-boo see the young child reproducing the parent’s action and sound. As children grow older they move into pretence and tend to copy the whole person, usually the most important and powerful figure in their lives. i.e. mother and father.

Exploratory play

Children explore their environment through movement. They play firstly with their tongues and lips, hands and fingers, feet and toes. As they grow more active they explore more widely – tasting, scribbling, mixing, filling, throwing, pulling, climbing into and under small spaces. In later exploration they use objects e.g. saucepan lids, boxes, blocks. They arrange these and the objects become toys that are played with in many novel ways with novel effects creating novel relationships. As children play they put words and sounds together in all sorts of combinations – children explore language through play.

Testing play

Children test themselves out in innumerable ways. As they crawl, pull, lift, push, hammer, splash, they directly test what they can do in a given situation. They show the ability to adapt their play to suit the situation available. As children grow older they play with other children and obtain their own self-validation by using others as their standard of competence. In the games that children play together, particularly the traditional games such as hide and seek, What’s the time Mr. Wolf the child tests their ability to hide, to escape, to capture and to rescue.

Model construction

Children build their own world as they play with blocks, building houses, cars and trucks, dolls and “teddies”. This is most obvious at about the age of four. Alone or with others, children attempt to put their understanding of their experiences into the creation of play situations that are unique and significant to them. This play may take the form of fantasies about novel human relationships seen in films and on television. Children try to make sense out of their observation of their environment through their play.
It is essential that adults understand that children’s playing is really the activity of intelligence and that there is great value to the perceptive adult in watching the child at play. If the adult understands the importance of play in the child’s development, they will gain an understanding of the individual personality and the ways in which the child can be helped to learn.

Play is unique in specific ways.

Children begin to play because they want to and once they are playing they make their own choices and put their behaviour together in their own personal way. When children enter play there is a definite relation of feelings, but as it continues there often arise new forms of feeling and tension.
The play may take on a more dramatic form which will need a more intensive and involved participation on the part of the player. Children become absorbed in their creation and are able to produce through play imagination, invisible companions.
The ability of children to express themselves through play enables them to gain a true sense of identity that implies the process of self- discovery, self- expression and a communication of self to others. This sense of identity is demonstrated by actions in which children see themselves making things happen and being a true participant. The more completely and positively this process takes place in children the more successfully they will be able to cope with and enrich their society.
One cannot assume however that all children when they come to school have had a rich experience of play. There are many reasons why this may be so and it is essential that the teacher actively encourages play activities which can be seen as essential for the child’s intellectual, emotional, physical and social development. If the emphasis in language learning is placed too quickly on the formal modes such as reading and writing and there is inadequate provision made for the speaking and listening aspects of language the child’s language acquisition will be affected negatively.
If children are truly involved they will want to talk. In the security of the situation structured by the understanding carer, children will have the freedom to learn from other models, to explore with confidence, to test themselves against themselves and with others in the safety of the play and building their own model of reality.
Through movement activities the carer can create an atmosphere, an environment in which the children will be encouraged to look more closely at the things around them that may normally be taken for granted.
When movement is accompanied by sounds and speech, children can learn that language is fun, experimenting and exploring language is acceptable, that sharing sounds and speech with others is enjoyable.
An important factor for movement activities is that without co-operation and sharing of space and ideas there will be little enjoyment for children or carers. Through this sharing the whole group comes to support each individual and with this caring support the individual gains security and emotional well-being. There is a growth in sensitivity to others and an increasing ability to establish sound relationships between individuals, the group and the environment.

Ideas for movement

When children are sharing space and moving freely, the surface they are working on becomes the structural limit to their creative movement. If they are working outside, the surface may provide a natural variety of slope, texture, balance and safety. Carers should look for interesting areas in the play ground that will provide a variety of surfaces and area. Natural playgrounds, adventure playgrounds, standard playground equipment, all provide for a range of activities.
In this environment there may be things to hold onto, to push, to pull, to climb through or under or over, to hang from to hide in – all of these and many other factors will influence the creativity of the movement and the children should be encouraged to see the possibilities for variety.
In the playroom, the floor becomes the most important factor in movement.
Allow the children to remove their shoes and socks so that they can really feel this marvelous floor that takes their weight, that supports them, that will never let them down. Talk about how the floor feels – let them move freely and imaginatively and encourage them to talk to one another about the floor and what they can do with it and on it. Let them explore individually, with a partner or in a small group to see how many different ways they can move on this firm surface.
Suggest different ways in which they might balance their weight on their own or with others. As they move always encourage the caring for others, the sharing with others that the activities involve.
Bring the children together in small groups. Ask them to form circles and in this formation work with each other on the floor. Let them lie on their stomachs, looking at one another, touching hands, touching feet. Ask them to lie on their backs and see how they can move, stretching arms and legs. Ask them who they could be, how did they get there, why are they on their backs, what is going to happen next? Give them time to relax, experiment, talk and laugh together. Encourage freedom of individual interpretation but don’t pass judgement on performance.
Use the cymbal for control or you may use it as a percussion background noise to assist in the development of the activity. Give the children time to talk to one another when they are resting, ask them to plan another way of working together.
They may like to work in sitting, kneeling or standing positions instead of lying down. They may like a mixture. Suggest alternatives and allow the group to make its own decision.
Children feel differently about themselves as they explore situations. They can be involved in an individual movement and yet be aware of others moving and how they look as they move. The child’s perceptual skills can be stimulated as motor skills are developed. A child looks, observes, concentrates, and extends their original ideas.
The carer can reinforce this learning by emphasizing the movements she observes with her accompanying flowing narrative; e.g. “Some children are going in, some out.
I can see hands low to the floor, twisting and turning. I can see thrusting, pushing heavy movements and I can see gentle, flowing smooth movements.”
The adult doesn’t direct or stop the movement, demonstrate or praise or condemn, but becomes a supporting background voice suggesting alternatives that the children can ignore or adapt as they will. The child’s body becomes the medium, the creator and the critic. Children can explore movement and sound with confidence because as long as they are sincerely involved they cannot fail.

Further information from:The Playgrounds & Recreation Association of VictoriaTel. 9388 1066 Fax 9388 1838 Email: prav@alphalink.com.au

Never turn your back

Position, Circulate, Affirm

Pretend you are giving a party. As host, how do you make your guests feel welcome and make your party a success? Even more than the food and music, the most important ingredient in your party is you. You will position yourself so that you can see everyone in the room and be ready to help any guest who is in need. You will circulate around the room to make contact with all your guests, so each is special and you’re glad they came. If there is a problem, you will deal with it warmly and respectfully. This is how we treat guests. These same guidelines apply to supervising children.
Positioning: Your position as you watch children is extremely important. Depending on the shape of the room, the number of children, and whether you are the only caregiver, stand, kneel, or squat where you can see everyone at the same time. Be aware of which areas are trouble spots. For instance, you may want to stay close to the easel when it’s in use, or near the puzzle area where there are lots of pieces, or close to an indoor climbing frame. If a particular child is a biter you will want to stay near that child. Avoid turning your back to anyone; a conflict between children can occur at any time without warning.
Circulating: If there is more than one caregiver with a group, it may be tempting to huddle together and socialise. This happens frequently on playgrounds, where safety may be the greatest issue. Caregivers should always be
alert and concentrate on the children. You can accomplish this by moving among the group, still positioning yourself to see every child. It’s almost like a dance, where every step counts. In time, circulating becomes second nature and you won’t even have to think about it.
Affirming: As you circulate, it is natural to make contact with every child. This is when you can say a word, smile, or gently touch the children in your care. Give them positive messages, reinforce the kind of behaviour you appreciate, notice the child who is playing alone, give recognition to each, and narrate what you see them doing. Affirmations are an important part of supervision because children behave more appropriately when they feel important.
If there is a problem, such as a child forgetting to put away toys or a conflict between children, treat children as you would your guests, with warmth and respect. Set limits firmly to teach responsibility, but always remember that our role is to teach children the skills they need to get their needs met appropriately. This is the essence of effective supervision.

Sensory Experiences... Ooey, Gooey Fun

Sticky, slippery, gooey, heavy, bumpy...that’s what sensory experiences are made of. Learning and retention improve depending upon how many of our senses are engaged. Many of our favourite memories involve multiple senses. When thinking about my grandma, for example, I remember the smell of the flowers in her garden; I can see her wearing her favourite outfit; I remember how her apple pie tasted; and even how the sofa felt.
Sensory activities provide children with another meaningful avenue for learning. Sensory tables or several tubs rotated regularly with wondrous sensory materials are worthwhile investments for hours of learning, exploring, and fun. Because children learn best by having “hands on” experiences with materials, sensory experiences are vital to young children’s learning. Imagine trying to teach a group of four-year-olds about melting by having them watch an ice cube melt in your hand or as a grown up, learning how to use a new computer program without actually working on it!
While sensory materials are very rewarding for young children, they also present unique challenges for carers.
Supplies for sensory exploration are usually easy to gather and inexpensive. The following list provides suggestions for mediums to fill your sensory table or tubs with and materials to add to the experience. Select items that compliment your program, and are of interest to the children, as well as being safe for the age of the children involved.

Mediums

Water
Sand (dry and/or wet)
Dirt (dry and/or wet)
Fingerpaint with additives (sand, sawdust)
Fingerpaint in sealed plastic bags
Scents (almond or mint extract)
Shaving creme (not mentholated)
Playdough
Clay
Confetti
Shredded paper

My name is???

We often find ourselves at work complaining about unnamed jumpers, lost hats and missing socks. Have you ever had the conversation with some of your parents about the importance of naming all of their children’s items of clothing and toys? Or have you felt frustrated when a parent angrily confronts you because their child’s t-shirt has gone missing again? You ask the parent respectfully, “but was it named?”
If you look around your room at work, there is probably a basket of odd unnamed clothes and toys that struggle to find owners.
This is a situation that trainers have found is an ongoing problem with assessments that we receive, not just via the mail, but even assessments that participants hand to trainers.
It is impossible for trainers to remember who has given them what, when assessments are unnamed. Sometimes we can guess handwriting, or piece the puzzle together to find an owner. At times participants write their names on the envelope in which they send their assessment, thinking that this is sufficient. Trainers do not open the mail, your assessments are sorted and placed into the relevant trainer’s assessment filing tray by our administration staff.
This is not an ideal situation and thus assessments are not recorded correctly.
You may be one of the participants that are asked to send back a copy of an earlier assessment that a trainer may not have recorded the correct result. It is your responsibility to ensure that you keep copies of all your work and name each assessment accordingly.
PLEASE take extra responsibility in ensuring that you name your work to eliminate any misunderstandings, just as you expect parents to name their children’s belongings please identify yours as well.

Magic Moments

By Pinky McKay

Nourish children’s imagination. Take time to share some magical moments...
Make up magical stories about seasons. Become aware of the uniqueness of nature each season and share this with children: sprout a seed in spring; talk about elves spring cleaning each petal on all the little blossoms to make the garden sparkle in Spring; In Summer, watch the waves melt a sand castle; roll and jump in the Autumn leaves; watch the rain fall in Winter.
Encourage children to make fairy houses in the garden. Let them make little gifts for elves and fairies - tiny cakes, little hats from playdough; a miniature picture or a tiny sleeping bag.
Leave little gifts from the elves and fairies in return - an acorn, some chocolate chips, a fairy sticker, a daisy chain decoration left in the children’s playroom. Perhaps a little gift could be placed inside a daisy chain. Of course, you’ll know if the fairies have visited because there’ll be a trail of fairy dust (glitter).
Don’t always READ stories to children. Make some up and tell them. Wonder isn’t only created by magic. Little ones love to hear about nature, the weather and the ‘olden days’ when you were a child.
Try making up a pass-along story. These are a great group time experience. One person begins, then each person takes turns adding on to the story, until……”they lived happily every after”.
Make the most of unstructured time, to tell stories or jokes and share a moment of wonder. Notice the rainbows and sunsets and remember, Santa Clause and the tooth fairy are REAL!

Visit our unique centres

Many training participants have had limited opportunities to discover the wonders of other child care centres. Although most training participants are comfortable within their working environments, it is always a fascinating occasion to see just how unique other centres are.
Whilst visiting over 130 child care centres state wide, it is clear to trainers that there are no two centres alike. All centres have individual policies and procedures which determine their individuality.
It is with excitement that we have been able to arrange a visit for One World training participants to:

Wattletree Early Childhood Centre 256 Wattletree Road, Malvern

Wattletree Early Childhood Centre is an amalgamated service of the Malvern Wattletree Kindergarten and the Wattletree Child Care Cooperative. After fire destroyed the building in 1995 the centre was rebuilt to a purpose built facility to cater for 72 children offering care in an infant room, toddler room, pre-school room and kindergarten room.
The Wattletree Early Childhood Centre is truly an inspiration to quality child care programs. Environments are set up with an emphasis on incorporating the natural environment. This experience is sure to capture your imagination…
We are planning a visit to Wattletree Early Childhood Centre
Saturday 27th August. 10:30am – 12:30.
RSVP Wednesday 17th August carol@oneworldforchildren.com.au or 03 52 722714

One World Chidren’s Centre 407-411 Thompson Road, North Geelong

One World for Children would also like to invite all One World participants to an in-service held at its childcare centre in Geelong. This in-service session will enable participants the opportunity to meet each other, as well as gain new practical ideas to take back and implement at your own centres.
Come to Geelong for the day, and you can be assured that you will leave inspired.
There is NO COST for this in-service to all One World participants. If there are any other staff members at your centres that would also like to attend, feel free to invite them as well. (if they come with a One World participant, there will also be no charge.)
This session will take place on Sunday 20th November 10:30am- 1:30pm.
RSVP Wednesday 9th November carol@oneworldforchildren.com.au or 03 52 722714
Both of these sessions are of significant benefit to all training participants. It takes many hours of planning and preparation for such events to take place, therefore we would require a minimum of 20 interested participants for either event to take place.

Open ended materials

Some playroom materials can be used only one way. Tops, wind-up toys, talking toys, worksheets, and colouring sheets are generally considered convergent materials. They lead children to think that there is only a single correct way to use them, and they require little, if any, higher-order thinking.
Other playroom materials like clay, water, blocks, and other manipulatives have many possible uses. These materials are considered divergent (Isenberg and Jalongo, 1997). Open-ended or divergent materials encourage original thinking, creativity, and experimentation.
Open-ended materials are valuable for active learning. Any safe use is acceptable. As children carry manipulatives from area to area, they engage in creative thinking. They can change the material’s identity to match the activity in a play area. Bristle blocks, for example, become combs and brushes for a doll’s hair in the dramatic play area. Pattern blocks can become green beans when a child in the dramatic play area uses a wooden spoon to stir them in a pot on the stove. Pieces from an alphabet puzzle go to the writing area so children can copy the letters. Bottle caps become number covers in a BINGO game or a pirate’s treasure when they are hidden outside in the sand.

How to play with children

Here are some of the best ways to make play with children.

•    Follow the child’s lead but make sure the game is safe, don’t allow it to get out of control.
•    Play with the child but don’t take over, let the child change the game.
•    Listen but don’t tell what to do.
•    Talk about what the child is doing and encourage eg “It looks like the spaceman wants to rule the world. What are the people going to do?”
•    Allow plenty of time.
•    Allow for experimenting and mistakes.
•    Don’t compete with young children; this can discourage them from wanting to play with you.
•    Appreciate and encourage the children’s effort by praising them.
•    Play and feelings
•    Play is one of the important ways that young children, who do not have good language skills, can express and work through their feelings.
•    Play is the language of very young children. Play can show you how a child is feeling.
•    By playing out situations that have been stressful, children can learn to cope with their feelings. If you provide dolls or puppets, mud, paint and water, children can
     express their feelings through these.
•    Children who are very distressed and angry may like to play messy games with mud and water.
•    With dolls and puppets children can go over the things that upset them until they feel better about them.
•    Doll and puppet play can also help children to deal with expected events, such as; starting school or going to hospital. The puppets or dolls can play through what is
     going to happen and help the child be more prepared.
•    Games where children can dress up or play as someone powerful (like superman) can help them to cope with feeling powerless and unimportant.
•    As children get older playing games of skill helps them to learn to control their impulses and to be patient. For example children cannot do well at ball games if they
     become impatient and do not use all their skills.

Hand washing - Keep healthy with clean hands

Infectious diseases can spread in a variety of ways. One common way is when hands that have picked up germs carry those germs to the mouth or nose. Hand washing is the single most important way to stop the spread of many infections. Here is some practical advice on preventing illness in yourself and those around you. When to wash your hands:

BEFORE:

• preparing and handling food
• eating food

AFTER:

• going to the toilet
• handling raw food and cracking raw eggs
• using a tissue, coughing or sneezing
• smoking
• handling rubbish
• touching ears, nose, hair, mouth
• changing babies’ nappies
• touching objects that are soiled by blood or other body fluids
• gardening
• touching animals

5 STEPS TO CLEAN HANDS

• Use soap (a plain bar soap or liquid soap is suitable) and running water, disinfectant soaps are usually not needed
• Rub your hands vigorously under the water for 10-15 seconds
• Wash all surfaces: backs of hands, wrists, between fingers, under nails
• Rinse well
• Dry hands thoroughly (wet hands promote germ growth)

The Food Safety Information Council (previously known as the Food Safety Campaign Group) is a group of organisations with a mission to stop Australians getting sick from food poisoning. Its members include representatives of government, the food industry and professional associations. The Food Safety Information Council observed 200 people washing their hands in the public toilets of a food hall on the 11th October 2002. These were their findings:

• 8% of females and 29% of males failed to wash their hands at all after going to the toilet.
• Only 23% of females and 15% of males washed their hands for more than 10 seconds.
• Only 31% of females and 27% of males used soap and rubbed it all over their hands.
• Only 17% of females and 3% of males dried their hands on paper towel for more than 10 seconds.
• Only 3% of females and 4% males that used hand dryers used them for the required 20 seconds or more.
• Best performers were primary school aged girls who all washed their hands (but only 50% for the correct time) and also 55% used soap correctly.
• Worst performers were males of all age groups where 29% failed to wash hands at all and only 31% used any soap.
• 6.5% of those observed were noticeably food handlers (eg they wore a uniform or apron), of those only one washed their hands for more than 10 seconds, used soap and dried their hands correctly.
• Young children of pre-school or early primary age were observed to try to do the right thing with hand washing and drying, using soap, but were often hurried by their parents.

With hand washing being such a vital aspect of controlling infection it is extremely important that as carers of children, you too not only promote correct procedures but role model accurate techniques yourself.
As trainers this is still an issue that is being constantly reminded to training participants, as an area where vigilance is not being adhered to.
Make hand washing a priority!

For more information contact: info@foodsafety.asn.au

Social Skills Children Need to Make and Keep Friends

At age four Rachel became “fast friends forever” with her child care playmate, Meagan.
At least, that’s how Rachel’s mum describes it. Back then, the girls had been casual playmates for a few months. But one day, a particular event cemented the friendship bond. You see, Rachel could get up into and climb an apple tree in the play yard all by herself. It was only about four feet off the ground, but to young children, that’s a Mt. Everest moment.
Rachel’s achievement impressed a lot of the children, but no one more than Meagan. Meagan longed to be up in the branches with Rachel. But she just couldn’t muster up the confidence. That is, until Rachel took her under her wing. Rachel, perched pleasantly in the tree, looked down to see Meagan standing nearby, gazing up at her. Rather than ignoring her, Rachel eagerly encouraged her to climb up, too. At first, Meagan was hesitant. Her self-doubt made her hang back. But Rachel persisted. She began to patiently walk Meagan through her first successful steps of tree climbing. She pointed out the lowest branch and the sturdiest branches from there. She helped Meagan analyse when and where to move a hand or foot “just so” to maintain her balance.
With Rachel as her personal coach, Meagan succeeded. She overcame her nervousness and gained a whole new perspective on her abilities. Rachel learned she could be a good teacher and friend to someone in need.
For weeks, both girls beamed about the cooperative achievement, at home and child care.
But that was all years ago. The girls are now in grade six. And they still regularly meet at each other’s houses, so mum’s prediction of “fast friends forever” held water.
That story reveals many of the social skills children need to possess in order to form rewarding, mutually enjoyable friendships. Below I highlight how Rachel and Meagan’s experience represents each one.

To make and keep friends, children must be able to:

• Recognize shared interests: Both children recognized that they enjoyed outdoors.
• Gracefully join into play: Meagan was brave enough to show interest in tree climbing by watching Rachel. Rachel accepted Meagan’s wish (invitation) to engage in a mutual activity.
• Pay attention to non-verbal communication cues: Rachel “read” Meagan’s body language well enough to know that Meagan envied Rachel being able to climb the tree. She picked up that Meagan was a bit anxious about it.
• Identify common goals: Both agreed the goal of climbing a tree was a good one.
• Listen to and respect feelings: Meagan risked telling Rachel she didn’t think she could climb a tree. Because Rachel listened to Meagn’s “I don’t think I can do it,” she responded with patient encouragement to support Meagan’s confidence. If she hadn’t listened to Meagan’s total communication, Rachel would have overwhelmed Meagan with rapid-fire, overwhelming directions. That probably would have lead Meagan to failure rather than success.

Compromise and negotiation skills help children build upon each other’s ideas for mutual enjoyment.
But of course, that’s not all there is to making and keeping friends. Human’s social relationships are much more complex than that. Like those of adults’, children’s friendships are full of ups and downs. Every child must learn how to navigate them with poise and a positive attitude. As you reflect on your own childhood friendships, I’m sure you’ll agree that’s easier said than done.
There are many more social skills children must develop. For instance, they must learn to tactfully stand up for their wishes and to express their own point of view during social play. And children must learn how to get their own play needs met without resorting to aggression, unethical manipulation, or name calling.
To function in the real world of social relationships, children must also be able to cope with rejection from time to time. It’s hard to hear a child being told, “No, I don’t want to play now.” But it’s a reality that some people want alone time when others don’t. To face such rejection without taking it too hard, children must be able to de-personalize statements and learn that people’s moods vary. If one child declines an invitation to play, children can learn to seek out another playmate.
Sharing, negotiation, and compromise are skills that come into play as children interact with others. Children will be left alone and isolated if they don’t gradually learn to adjust and tweak ideas to keep play partners actively engaged and mutually satisfied.
During play, children must learn to express their ideas and reasons for them. But at the same time, they must be responsive to the ideas of others. Compromise and negotiation skills help children build upon each other’s ideas for mutual enjoyment. Children who dictate play or only issue commands to others quickly become isolated or rejected as play partners.
The ability to form relationships begins during the earliest months of life. That means mums and dads lay the foundation for children’s lifelong friendships.
Written by: Karen Stephens, Director of Illinois State University Child Care Center and instructor in child development for the ISU Family and Consumer Sciences Department.

Taking dress-ups outside

Some dress-up items tend to stimulate more active, noisy, or aggressive play than is usually desirable indoors. Articles such as boots, superhero, or circus accessories may be used outdoors with fewer limitations than would be necessary indoors. Since children’s outdoor play is generally more active and dirtier than indoor play, outdoor dress-up materials should be sturdier to withstand frequent washings.
Capes, for example, are particularly effective outdoor dress-up items and can be quickly made from a rectangle of fabric. Using the selvages as the sides, gather one end and cover with a strip of wide bias tape to finish the neckline. Attach Velcro to enable children to put on and remove the cape easily without help. Hem the bottom and the cape is ready for use. A fake fur cape becomes an animal costume; nylon net or other sheer fabric creates a bride or princess; black cotton allows children to be a witch or a magician. And the inevitable superhero play will result from capes of plain or printed fabrics.
For safety, never allow children to use climbing equipment while wearing dress-up clothing. Select a location for the dress-up interest area well away from climbing equipment to reduce the temptation to combine the two activities. Always avoid long dresses that might induce a fall since children tend to be more active outdoors.
To keep the dress-up items reasonably clean, teach children to return them to the open suitcase or basket when they are not being worn. Setting up an outdoor dress-up area is so easy, effective, and fun you will wonder why you have not done it before!

Starting a New Apprenticeship at School

Many schools now offer the option for students to start a New Apprenticeship while at school. School-Based New Apprenticeships (SBNA) enable participants to gain a national vocational qualification while continuing school studies. They have a number of features including:

• attendance at school and work
• attainment of a senior secondary certificate and a vocational education and training (VET) qualification
• to earn a wage for the time spent in productive work

School principals, careers advisers and teachers can assist in planning for a New Apprenticeship by helping participants to select the most appropriate subjects.
One World for children deliver training to school based new apprentices and would like to congratulate all SBNA’s for choosing children services as a career path for your school based new apprenticeship. We are sure that you to will find the children services arena rewarding.

STAFF SWAPS

The possibility of staff swapping centres has again been bought up for discussion. It has been requested that staff do “staff swaps” into other neighbouring child care centres. As you are aware, in undertaking a traineeship, there is no requirement of placements into other services, unless you are required to do an “infant placement”. A staff swap in essence would be organised between employers and their employees but facilitated by One World. If you are interested in doing a “Staff Swap” then let One World know and we will put you in touch with the other centres that also may be interested and you then can make the relevant arrangements. Contact Carol on 52 722 714 or email carol@oneworldforchildren.com.au

Valuing Diversity

Diversity means the range of differences among people that we need to take into account if we are to work effectively with children, families, and communities. The concept of diversity includes the perspectives of multiculturalism and non-sexist and anti-bias education. Diversity encompasses children’s individual interests and capabilities, racial and cultural differences, age and gender differences and language differences. It also includes the social realities that affect children and communities, including availability of economic resources, access to technology, health and safety concerns, demographic make-up, and environment.
Think about the concept of “family,” which is a universal human experience, and consider the diverse meanings it may have for children:
n For one child, “family” may mean a mum and a dad and siblings; for another, “family” may mean the grandmother and aunt who raised her; for a third, the two dads who adopted him.

n “Family” may be a mum or a dad, or two households where a child divides his week - mum’s house some days, and dad and his new wife’s house other days.

n In some situations, “family” may include a person who is hired to care for a child when parents travel or work away from home; in others, “family” may describe three generations who live in the same building and speak a language other than English.

Knowing and recognising the diversity of family experiences affects the way in which caregivers make decisions in planning appropriate programs. Some decisions may affect how you think and relate to the children and families in the program; others may affect the content of the curriculum choices. To value these diverse family experiences, you need to think about:

• n when and how to speak to children about families;
• n how, when, and with whom to plan family meetings;
• n in what language to communicate with the children’s families;
• n how families prefer to describe themselves to their children and others;
• n how to interpret children’s play, especially around family themes
• n how to select materials that reflect different kinds of families.

Diversity represents the richness and uniqueness of human life. It is something we want to value and share with the children we work with.
Why include diversity in early childhood?
There are many reasons to include consideration of diversity as a central theme in early childhood programs. When you value diversity, you maximise the positive impact of your program for all your children by:

• n building children’s positive self-esteem (when you do this you give them the confidence to reach out to new learning experience);
• n affirming children’s identities with regard to race, ethnicity, gender, religion, handicapping conditions, class (when you do this you pave the way for children who are ever fascinated with how they are alike and different from one another - to appreciate human differences as a natural part of life);
• n strengthening ties with families (when you do this you promote families’ involvement with their children’s early childhood programs).

Further, when you include diversity in your work with children, you are preparing them for citizenship in a society where people speak different languages, practice different customs, and embrace different values. By starting in early childhood, you will be helping individuals learn to work together, communicate across their differences, and value just and fair treatment for all. You will also be preparing children to fight bias and discrimination directed toward themselves or other members of society. Preparing children for active participation in a democracy is an important educational goal.
Making consideration of diversity a major part of your program is particularly important in early childhood because it is during this period, and especially between the ages of 2 and 5 that children become aware of gender, race, ethnicity, disabilities, and other differences among people. Because young children are aware of diversity, you need to be prepared to address it in your work with them. You need to treat their questions and comments seriously and respectfully, just as you would if they were expressing curiosity about nature or other phenomena. Young children also acquire attitudes and values from their families and society about which differences are positive and which are not. How you respond to the ideas they express will influence the feelings and judgments they will form.
When you value diversity, you too become a learner. You learn about the children you work with and the communities they live in. You may also learn about the educational theories, practices, and policies that will strengthen your program’s response to diversity. For example, you might choose to learn about second language acquisition or legislation pertaining to low-income. As a caregiver, you need to be aware of the laws that challenge unequal practices and policies and promote equal educational opportunity.
If you work with children and families from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, the opportunities for valuing diversity in the curriculum may be quite apparent. But if you are working with children from similar backgrounds, you also need to address diversity in the curriculum. You may need to counter stereotypes or misconceptions they have. All children need to be exposed to new experiences and broaden their understanding of how people live.
There are many ways for caregivers to help children learn about human differences. Margarita, a carer of 4 and 5-year olds, encounters chronic illness for the first time in her room. Two children have diabetes and three others have severe allergies. At first, she worries about how to remember who can eat or drink what kinds of things. She thinks of her curriculum and how she can incorporate these aspects of diversity into the children’s learning experiences. She begins with a class discussion of favourite foods; she writes down children’s responses on a chart “Our favourite foods.” Then she leads the children into further discussion about their eating habits, and from these emerge other charts: “Snacks some of us should not have” and “Snacks we can all have.” The charts are put up in the room for all to see and are a reminder of the similarities and differences in this group of children. With these charts as a beginning, Margarita develops a curriculum study around health and nutrition, helping the children learn to take good care of themselves and each other.
Underlying a commitment to diversity is a set of beliefs and values. Caregivers like Margarita share these:

• a sense of trust in others;
• a sense of justice;
• a belief in cooperation and shared learning;
• a belief that all children can be competent;
• a belief that all children can be proud of their culture and heritage;
• a belief that all children can be curious about and learn to accept human similarities and differences;
• a sense of the individuality of each child;
• a sense that a group of children is a small society where there is fairness, opportunity, caring, and satisfaction for all its members.

When you value diversity, you are addressing the needs of the “whole child” and promoting both affective and cognitive development. You are recognising that children live in diverse social and physical environments. You are imparting a sense of shared humanity.

Teaching Children to Share

“Miss Harper! Miss Harper! Willard won’t share the blocks! He has them all!” Emily cries.
Every early childhood carer has heard similar complaints from young children. Many of us move in quickly to insist that the “greedy, selfish” child share some of the coveted item with the newcomer. Refusing to share is often treated as a crime in the eyes of adults. While our intention is good, we may be teaching children that others’ rights are more important than their own and that problems should be resolved by adults rather than between the children themselves. We want children to be generous, kind, and cooperative, so we demand that they share.
Demanding that children share ignores their feelings and does not truly teach them to share. It more likely teaches children to feel angry and resentful toward adults and to believe that sharing is always accompanied by emotional pain. The irony of sharing is that when children know that they are not required to share, they are most likely to do so!

What is sharing?

Sharing is agreeably giving one’s possessions to others. However, when a child is forced to give up his or her possession, it is not true sharing but rather surrender of property. When Miss Harper uses the office copy machine she is not required to interrupt her task and relinquish the copier to a coworker just because she has had it long enough. She may finish her task, even though the copier belongs to everyone in the building. Yet when Willard is using all of the blocks, engrossed in building a small city, some carers believe it is their responsibility to make him relinquish what is at that time his property, because it belongs to everyone in the class.
Rather than label Willard as “selfish” or “greedy,” the teacher should see his refusal as assertive self-protection. Forcing him to give us the blocks will only make him want to protect future possessions more energetically. Too often we take the side of the newcomer. Instead, we should give children choices. Miss Harper should give Willard the choice to share or not. There are many other activity options for Emily in a well-equipped early childhood playroom.

A Better Way to Respond

Miss Harper can encourage Emily to solve her own problem by responding, “Emily, you’d like some blocks. Ask Willard to please give you some as soon as he can.” If Emily resists this suggestion, Miss Harper can go with her and give the message to Willard herself on Emily’s behalf, thereby modeling one method of problem solving. Both children benefit from this approach. Willard learns that he has authority and control over the blocks, because he was playing with them first, and that his rights will be protected. He can be the one to decide when he is finished and ready to give up some blocks. When Emily must wait, she learns to deal with disappointment and frustration, two of life’s realities.
Miss Harper might also say, “Emily, you want the blocks right now, but Willard is not ready to share them. I’ll help you find something else to do while you wait.” Such a statement makes Emily feel supported and understood by the carer, not abandoned. When this strategy is used, children often do not have to wait long. Willard, given the power of authority, is eager to exercise his right to decide who gets some of the blocks and when. Soon Emily will hear him say, “Hey, Emily! You can have some blocks. I don’t need them all.”

Children Who Habitually Cannot Share

Occasionally there are children who head for the same material every day and refuse ever to give it up. Several approaches may be appropriate in this situation.
Consider why the child must possess this item. Children who come from large families or impoverished homes may feel a strong need to claim something as their own. Perhaps it is an object or material the child never has a chance to use outside of the playroom. A duplicate or equally attractive item can be provided for other children to use. It is important not to label this child as a “problem,” but to try to understand the behavior and the child’s need to possess the object.
Establish a system for equitable use of an item. Use a clock or timer to show children they can use the favoured item for five minutes. A child might be allowed to ride the popular tricycle four times around the concrete track and then give it to the next person. If a system such as this is in place from the beginning, no child feels singled out.
Sue Grossman, Ph.D. is an assistant professor of early childhood teacher education at Eastern Michigan University.

Sue Grossman, Ph.D.

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One World For Children Pty Ltd

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