Biz -E -Kidz Update
North Melbourne Primary School
From Libby Hanna, Coordinator
Title: Learning from our peers at Merri Creek PS OSHC
Hello families!
At Biz-E-Kidz we have been relishing the longer daylight hours and warmer temperatures of Spring time and Guling (orchid) season. Children at the Seniors and before school care programs have given feedback and suggestions for an order of new sports equipment which is due any day now, we will be playing sports until 6PM daily!
Recently our Assistant Coordinator and Educational Leader Harper and Educators Alice and Gabe went to visit and observe Merri Creek Primary School’s OSHC service. Merri Creek PS OSHC, like Biz-E-Kidz, is owned and run by their school council. They are also a large service and have a quality rating of ‘Exceeding the National Quality Standard’ so we were keen to visit and see what we could learn from them. A key finding from that visit that we have enacted is to train Educators to assist families to sign their children in and out using our enrolment management software, SmartCentral. Educators at Merri Creek all knew how to assist families with this and Harper, Alice and Gabe observed that it put less strain on the person in charge of the session to observe every parent and distributed authority well to Educators. Educators Eaden and Pippa from Merri Creek PS OSHC also visited us and they reflected that: It was great to see how you manage the three different spaces, the big walk, and how you prepare your own hot meals! I really liked the pre-shift briefing to ensure the whole team is aware of any additional needs for the children in their spaces.
Another finding we are looking into is purchasing an electric drum kit... Merri Creek had one and its use was managed very well... we'll keep you posted on that!
From the Captain’s Log last week (Educators’ documentation of the educational program):
Children enjoyed playing outside listening to music, and dancing, building houses for the BEK soft toy animals and drawing in chalk.
A child loved his ‘bird count’ week booklet! (From last week’s ‘The Big Aussie Backyard Bird Count’ national science event).
Three children were leading a game using the blocks and imaginative play, pretending to be at school - involving other children to play different characters for e.g. teacher, principal
Two children discovered slugs under a wooden log in the garden. They discussed how to play safely and respectfully with garden animals, ensuring they are in the shade with access to water and had plants to move around on. One child taught other children facts about slugs, showing how they can retract their eyes when they feel threatened etc.
A child did some very energetic watercolour painting and stayed engaged in the activity for 40 minutes.
We had a dance party outside and since it was so hot (30 degrees) we took a tub of water outside and I ‘made it rain’ by sprinkling water with my hands. They had lots of fun with this and communicated their boundaries well, some children saying they didn’t want to be sprinkled.
The dance party was great, everyone was greatly enjoying the preps playlist, so many fun songs! Lots of children loved to dance the macarena when that song came on.
Folding paper to make triaramas: mini habitats for animals. So successful. The folding airplanes from the last few weeks worked really well for this activity. Preps are loving origami and folding paper crafts and animals capture their interest very well in this triarama habitat activity.
A child made a circular rock creation to remember her friend who has moved to a different school.
Frisbee club at Juniors is going well with a child who was a quick learner at it helping others to learn the technique.
Finally, we have a couple of weeks remaining of planning our Summer Holiday Program. Please give us any and all suggestions and feedback so that we can design it according to what our community wants and needs!
