We all love to celebrate Children’s Week, after all supporting children’s happiness and wellbeing and helping them to thrive is the foundation of quality early childhood education. This year’s theme looks straightforward, but it actually contains many layers which we unpack with the help of the National Children’s Commissioner. The Theme for Children’s Week 2019 […]
Sharp knives. Raw meat. Cooking on the BBQ. Does this sound risky or does it sound like real cooking experiences for children? John Stewart shows services how to bring more risk into the kitchen, and beyond. In an early childhood education and care setting, educators may well be challenged by the thought of cooking with […]
Educators need education. The focus on both entry level and ongoing professional development is a fundamental requirement of participation in the National Quality Framework and, more generally, one of the hallmarks of a true profession in the modern world. But sometimes it’s easier said than done. Time, money, confidence, employment, location and awareness can all […]
Grow safely this Spring There’s no doubt that many Australian services have a long tradition of gardening and natural surroundings for young children. Equally, there’s no doubt that through the 1990s and Noughties there was an explosion of ‘plastic fantastic’ outdoor areas for early childhood education, driven in part by a community-wide fear of insurance […]
Mother’s Day is only a fortnight away and many educators are reflecting on how – or if – they should help children celebrate the occasion. Instead of craft templates, today we’re introducing you to Beth Sebesfi, an early childhood teacher and writer who also happens to be the ever-learning mother of three girls now aged […]
If animals can be a child’s fourth educator, have you thought about a two legged beastie becoming a bestie for children at your service? We’re looking at hens this week, one of the closest living relations of dinosaurs and yet also one of humanity’s longest running domestic animal companions. Amplify editor Bec Lloyd checks out […]
Great conversations make us feel good about ourselves and our place in the world, no matter how old we are. Orders, directions, and demands for information, on the other hand, make us feel at best dutiful and at worst, resentful and annoyed. Often we fall into a pattern of verbally directing and demanding without intending […]
“Just how much a child is put at risk by their parent’s mental health difficulties depends on how much support the family has.” A new analysis shows early childhood educators are especially valued by parents with mental health difficulties, who are less likely to have other trusted adults to turn to for advice about their […]
Welcome back to Amplify in 2019. We’re starting the year in traditional style, looking forward and back. Looking ahead, there’s a story tapping into the New Year resolutions many of you are making to improve your own and the children’s physical activity and guess what? Research is saying that improving educator and parent activity is […]
Happy new year! We’re resuming publication with a story that is probably close to your heart right now: what makes an exercise or physical activity program really ‘stick’ so it goes beyond a new year’s resolution and becomes a daily part of your life. In this case, we’re talking about children’s programs and Amplify editor […]
