Early Learning Centre

Firstly I must say a HUGE thank you to all the Early Learning Centre staff who have all stepped up this week to fill in where necessary as I am in isolation at home recovering from COVID.  Thank you to Gabbi, Katrina, Angel, Silvina, Bernie and Jess for helping where they could.  A thank you to Peta Alexander too who worked with our Piccino’s on Thursday morning to ensure we could run our program that day. We are so lucky to be a part of learning community that is there to support our staff, students and families.

A reminder that Monday 1st August is Sheepvention and this is a student free day for our entire College community, including the Early Learning Centre. We hope to see you up at the Showgrounds.

Piccolo (ELC3)

Our Piccolo’s read Where is the Green Sheep by Mem Fox, in celebration of the up-coming Sheepvention.  This is such a well-loved book that many children know well.  It is a great book to invite their participation in the reading of the book, as the illustrations support the text beautifully. 

Piccino (ELC4)

Our Piccino’s have had some illness and so our group has been small this week.  As we move into the second half of the year, we want to create many opportunities for the children to work together and support each other’s learning and curiosity. We do this by presenting our learning environment in a way that supports small group encounters which afford staff the opportunity to scaffold the children’s learning through their play.

In play a child always behaves beyond their average age and above their daily behaviour. In play it is as though they are a head taller than themselves – Lev Vygotsky

Developing a Positive Bedtime Routine

A positive bedtime routine can help soothe and calm your child so they are ready for sleep. It can help your child develop good sleep habits for the future. A good bedtime routine involves doing similar activities each night about 20 minutes before bedtime. 

Most bedtime routines include bedtime tasks like bathing and brushing teeth, as well as enjoyable activities like listening to a story. The aim is to keep the atmosphere calm and positive, using positive attention and praise. Screens should be turned off during the bedtime routine.

If your child is settling to sleep later than you’d like, start the routine a bit earlier every few days, gradually moving towards your preferred time. If your child is having difficulty settling, it’s best to start with the bedtime that’s closest to when your child naturally falls asleep. This increases the chance that the bedtime routine will work and become strongly linked to sleep time. For example, start by putting your child to bed at 8:00pm and do this for two nights. Then move bedtime to 7:45pm for the next few nights. Continue this gradual ‘fading’ process until you achieve the optimal bedtime. 

We look forward to a more settled week next week, with all our children and staff in good health.

Frances O'Brien

Director Early Learning Centre