Johnson House
Waratah Room
Story by Educator Shelley
Educators Shelley and Sarah have been supporting the children in the Johnson House Waratah program to learn about sustainability.
A few weeks ago, some of the children noticed that at the back of our site a pile of broken toys and furniture had been gathered by our volunteers, in preparation for a hard rubbish collection. The children were curious to know what was going to happen to the rubbish.
This discussion led to the children to write a letter, with Sarah’s help, to Akhil, our Corporate Partnerships Lead who works with our volunteers, to find out more. Akhil was thrilled to receive this letter from our young eco warriors and to learn of their interest in sustainable practices. An informal Q&A was set up with Akhil for when the rubbish removalists arrived. The children were quite fascinated, firstly with the rubbish truck and then with the items inside—it didn’t take long for the questions to flow!
What happens to the rubbish? Where does it go? What’s a sorting facility? What does ‘refurbish’ mean?
Akhil explained that the rubbish will be sorted so that it won’t all go to landfill. For instance, some will be refurbished, recycled or re-used. The children shared their own stories about not throwing out old toys or clothes but giving them to siblings or friends instead and reusing plastic food containers. This was so wonderful to hear and makes for a more hopeful future!
Family Day Care Sydney Wide
Story by Educator Support Officer Alix
On Saturday 23 November the Excellence in Family Day Care Awards Gala Dinner took place at the PARKROYAL Parramatta, with more than 120 guests in attendance.
Family Day Care Sydney Wide Educator, Gabriela Gasinska, who was previously announced as the 2024 Regional Educator Award Winner for the CBD, Inner West & Eastern Suburbs region, was also up for nomination for the National Educator of the Year award, which was being announced at the event.
Family Day Care Sydney Wide’s Children’s Service’s Manager, Catherine Jackson and Educator Support Officer, Maureen Coleman also attended the event, and cheered Gabriela on. Although she did not come away as the National Winner on this occasion, it was still a wonderful event for Family Day Care Educators from across Australia to come together and celebrate the fantastic work that they do and to advocate for the importance of Family Day Care within the Early Years sector.
Community Playgroups
Story by Playgroup Coordinator Rebecca
At our playgroups we often use natural materials in our activities. Natural materials are items that are not man-made, and can include anything that comes from plants, animals, or the ground. Things like sticks, stones, flowers, dirt, leaves and sand, just to name a few, are some of the materials we use.
We use leaves with scissors to practice our cutting skills and help strengthen our fingers and hands. Digging in the sandpit utilises our bigger muscles and helps our gross motor skills to develop. Playing in sand also gives us opportunities to practice our math and science skills. When pouring sand from one container to another we see and investigate different cup or container sizes, “How many cups of sand will it take to fill this bucket?”. Adding water to sand is a lesson in how wet sand differs to dry sand—to feel the difference in consistency and texture and to see how it holds together so we can create sandcastles and other structures.
This week, using flowers and leaves collected from the ground, we created a ‘potion centre’ where the children were able to use their creativity and natural curiosity to make potions from natural and man-made ingredients.
By helping them to engage with natural materials, we support our children to care for the environment and to develop respect for living things. This environmental awareness also has sensory benefits for children as they experience different textures, sizes, colours and smells.
Natural materials are easily accessible and encourage children to learn about nature, while fostering creativity, imagination and discovery.
