Early Years Learning Framework
2.4: Children become socially responsible and show respect for the environment.
This doesn’t only apply to our environment as a whole but also to their environment at childcare, school, family day care
and home. We need to teach children to be responsible for their
belongings, their artwork, the equipment they use, their books, toys
etc. Be patient with them and teach them how to do this!
With
regard to the environment, do you have recycling stations in your rooms?
Do you sing songs about the environment? Have you got a vegie patch?
Do the children understand why we turn off fans, lights and air
conditioners? Do you know what’s happening globally so you can educate
your children?
There is so much we can teach our children about saving our planet – get involved!!!
3.1: Children become strong in their social and emotional wellbeing.
HUGS, HUGS and more HUGS!! That is a great place to start. Children
need to know they are safe when they are with you so by showing them
affection and using comforting words they can then become more confident
and secure. From this children then have the confidence to explore and
understand new relationships both with peers and Educators.
Remember:
When children feel as though they BELONG and have opportunities to BE
children, they BECOME confident learners.
3.2: Children take increasing responsibility for their own health and physical well being.
So often we underestimate what children can do and tend to take over as its quicker – slow down, look at your environment, think about your age group and your pace.
We are talking about self help a little here so make sure children can
access water on their own, can go the bathroom on their own, wipe their
faces, assist with cleaning where possible, choose what they want to do
within the room etc. Give them time to dress themselves, put their own
shoes on and celebrate these wins. They are gaining confidence with
every small step they take.
Barbecue Sauce (Dairy Free)
Quick and delicious, this is an easy sauce to make for burgers.
Makes 1 cup
Ingredients:
Olive oil, for frying
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped ½ cup tomato paste (concentrated puree)
½ cup apple juice
1 teaspoon dry mustard
Pinch ground cinnamon
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 teaspoons tamari
3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
3 teaspoons honey
Method:
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Add
the onion and garlic, cover with a lid and cook gently for 3 to 5 mins,
or until soft (a heat diffuser is useful here). Add all the other
ingredients. Cover again with the lid and continue to cook over low
heat for 15 to 20mins. Blend in a food processor or blender until
smooth.
Source: Wholefood by Jude Blereau
PLANT A TREE
It's good for the air,
the land, can shade your house and save on cooling (plant on the west
side of your home), and they can also improve the value of your
property.
Make it meaningful for the whole family and plant a tree every year for each member.
USE YOUR CRUISE CONTROL
You paid for those
extra buttons in your car, so put them to work!
When using cruise
control your vehicle could get up to 15% better mileage. Considering
today's fuel prices, this is a bonus not only for the environment but
your budget as well.
Basic Vinegar Clean and Shine
Antibacterial Formula
Use this solution as you would any other store-bought antibacterial cleaner. It’s safe and saves a bundle!
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 cup water
- Five drops of liquid soap
Add mixture to a spray bottle and use for cleaning kitchen and bathroom
surfaces such as appliances, mirrors, stainless steel sinks, laminate
counter tops and tile. You can add a tablespoon of coarse salt directly
on your sponge to act as an abrasive when using this formula on kitchen
and bathroom sink fixtures. Vinegar can be irritating to the skin, so
please use gloves.
Important note about special counter surfaces such as
granite: please do not use this mixture on stone surfaces, as acids can
etch and damage the stone. Follow your particular manufacturer’s
cleaning instructions.
How to Remove Permanent Marker... It’s Not Permanent - by Jessica
Recently, my son found his way to the only permanent marker yet to be banished from our home.
Upon finding said marker, he feverishly decorated my kitchen and himself.
After weeks of tweeting, googling and testing products, I have
ultimately gotten the marker out of everything. AND due to his efforts, I
now have a nice little list of how to get permanent marker out of
pretty much anything in your home.
From clothing and pretty much everything else: hand soap
and if that doesn’t work…
From painted walls: toothpaste
From carpet: white vinegar, pour on area and cover with a towel, gently
blot with towel, do not rub (courtesy of @stayathomebabe)
All-Natural Home made scouring powder!
Ingredients:
2 parts baking soda
1 part salt
1 part borax powder
To Make:
Pour ingredients into jar or bowl.
Mix or stir until well mixed.
If you want to make a shaker, put in a large jar and poke some holes in the top (carefully) with a sharp serrated knife.
To Use:
Lightly wet surface with water or undiluted white vinegar (for really bad messes)
Sprinkle powder on and let sit 5 minutes
Scrub with sturdy brush until clean
Rinse with water or vinegar (for really bad messes)
National Quality Framework
Quality Area 1.2: Educators and co-ordinators
are focused, active and reflective in designing and delivering the
program for each child.
A key word here is reflective! Do you reflect on your practices, your beliefs, your philosophy, your teaching methods, your environment and your relationships just to name a few!
Working collaboratively with co-Educators is an important part of the
NQS and it relay assists you as an Educator and team mate.
Make
the time to reflect each week and make sure this is documented. Also
make some time for group collaboration as part of staff meetings.
We sometimes get stuck in our way of doing things so by engaging all
those around you can ensure you are creating a wonderful space for
children to grow and learn.
We all have different strengths – use the people around you to help make your program the best it can be!
Fresh Tomato Sauce
Get rid of the tommy sauce people and make your own!!
The best flavoured tomato sauces are generally made from well-ripened,
organic tomatoes, preferably roma. They can be peeled and seeded first,
although this is not absolutely essential. The keys to developing a
deeply flavoured sauce are a good length of time to saute the onion and
herbs, using well-ripened toms and a
long, slow reduction time. Canned tomatoes can be used to make a good
sauce, particularly in Winter but when tomatoes are in season fresh ones
make a far superior sauce.
Makes 2-3 cups
10 large well-ripened roma tomatoes
Olive oil for frying
1 onion
1-2 garlic gloves, crushed
7-10 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
1 sprig fresh oregano (optional)
2-3 teaspoons apple juice concentrate (or to taste)
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
If using fresh tomatoes, cut an X at the bottom of each one, to pierce
the skin. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Put 2-3
tomatoes at a time in the water for 15-20 seconds. Remove and allow to
cool just a little. Using a sharp knife, peel off the skin. Cut
tomatoes into quarters – if you would prefer to remove the seeds, simply
remove them with your fingers, into a bowl, and then dice the flesh
into another. Put all skins and seeds into one bowl (this is later
squeezed, or put through a sieve to extract all remaining liquid. Some
tomatoes will have a lot of liquid, others virtually none.) If
retaining seeds, simply cut the tomato quarters, dice and add to a bowl.
Heat 1 tbls of olive oil in a frying pan. Add onion and saute for 5
mins over a very low heat, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and
continue to cook for a further 5 mins. Add all the other ingredients
(with 2 teaspoons of apple juice concentrate to start). If using fresh
tomatoes include all the liquid squeezed from the tomato skins and
seeds, cover with a lid and simmer slowly for 30 to 40mins. If using
canned...
Pesto (Gluten Free)
To make a good pesto you need good ingredients. It is important to buy
fresh parmesan cheese and fresh garlic, and the olive oil you use
should be the absolutely best quality – unrefined and unfiltered.
Makes approx. 1 cup
2 handfuls fresh basil leaves
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup pine nuts
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/3 cup olive oil
Put all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well
incorporated. Try not to blend for too long; it should be chunky, not
smooth, homogeneous blend.
Pesto will keep in the fridge for about 2
weeks, and can be used in so many wonderful ways – dolloped on top of
minestrone soup, spread on toast, or as a topping for a quick pasta
meal.
Source: Wholefood by Jude Blereau
Basic Muesli (Wheat free)
Makes 7 cups
You will need:
4 cups rolled (flaked) grain (barley, oats, rice, rye or spelt)
½ cup hulled sunflower seeds
½ cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
½ cup sesame seeds
1 cup roughly chopped almonds
1 cup chopped dried fruit
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Fresh fruit, to serve
Plain yoghurt, to serve
Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl and serve with fruit and yoghurt.
Variations:
• Add roasted seeds and nuts (such as walnuts, hazelnuts and macadamia nuts).
• Store the muesli with a vanilla bean for a subtle vanilla flavour.
• Add flaxseed.
• Add ½ cup flaked coconut, preferably fresh.
Source: Wholefood by Jude Blereau
RECYCLE GLASS!!
Recycled glass
reduces related air pollution by 20 percent and related water pollution
by 50 percent. If it isn't recycled it can take a million years to
decompose.
CHANGE
YOUR LIGHT...
If every household in the Country replaced one regular light bulb with one of those new compact fluorescent bulbs, the pollution
reduction would be equivalent to removing close to one million cars
from the road. There are now so many to choose from so get to your local
shop and make the switch!
Don't like the colour of light? Use these bulbs for closets, laundry rooms and other places where it won't irk you as much.
