Play dough has been a staple in an early childhood setting for decades and there is a good reason why! Play dough is a great tactile resource, holding a number of benefits including encouraging creativity in Kindergarten, boosting fine motor skills in Junior Kindy, and discovering new senses with Toddlers.

As an incredibly loved resource for both children and Educators, play dough is often used for free play time and scheduled learning activities. During this blog, we will be sharing the many ways we find joy in using play dough across our Grow Early Education centres and share some insight on how you can replicate our play dough recipe and learnings in a home setting.

How to make your own home-made playdough!

What is needed:

Measuring cup

Mixing spoon

Tbsp

Mixing bowl

1/2 cup table salt

1 tbsp of oil

Food colouring

1 cup of flour

2 Tbsp cream of tartar

1 cup of water

Instructions:

• Combine flour, salt, and cream of tartar together in a bowl.
• Mix well with mixing spoon.
• Add in the oil and mix together.
• Add food colouring and water together in a separate bowl.
• Once the colour has spread in the water then add the now coloured water into the other bowl combining all ingredients together.
• Mix all ingredients together with a mixing spoon.
• Once the mixture becomes firm use hands to mix and finish blending together - this will enable it to become more of a dough texture.
• Place on the table for the children to use.

Using this recipe as your play dough base, you can get creative and add your own variations to build on the sensory elements. Try adding a few drops of essential oils to discover new smells or add herbs to further develop the sensory aspect of texture and touch.

Across our Grow Early Education centres, there are a number of ways that our Educators incorporate play dough into our educational programs.

1. Pattern Reognition

The Kindergarten children at our Grow Early Education Darling Heights centre used play dough as the base to their pattern making as a part of their introduction to pattern recognition. Pattern recognition in early childhood education refers to the ability young children have in identifying, understanding, and predicting sequences in their environment. It is a fundamental skill that lays the ground work for more complex problem-solving and mathematical solutions.

By adding the element of play dough and beads to this task, they are working on their fine motor skills, pincer grip skills, and hand-eye coordination.

2. Indigenous Culture

The Toddler children at our Grow Early Education Riverton centre learnt about the temporary shelters traditionally used by Australian Indigenous Peoples as a part of the Toddlers introduction to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

This by utilising play dough in this activity, it allowed the children to learn in a more hands-on way, while also encouraging further development of their comprehension, hand-eye coordination, and fine motor skills

4. Educational Programming

Grow Early Education Bundaberg used play dough to create blue birds nests as a part of their discussions on the Bowerbird Blues book that was this year's pick for National Simultaneous Storytime.

This activity allowed the children to discuss certain parts of the book they enjoyed with their peers, while also talking about what they know about birds and their nests.

By making your own play dough, you provide a wonderful sensory experience for children and also create lasting memories through shared activities. We hope this guide inspires you to experiment with different textures and colours, and most importantly, to have fun. Stay tuned for more exciting tips and ideas to enhance your playtime adventures.

Find your own printable version of our home-made play dough here!

We would love to see your at home play dough creations, tag us in your creativity on Instagram @grow_early_education or on Facebook @growearlyeducation

 

The 2024 theme for International Yoga Day is “Yoga for Self and Society.” Providing a holistic approach to health and well-being, yoga has been proven to assist in restoring balance in our busy lives.

International Yoga Day was officially adopted by the United Nations in December 2014 after the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, gave a speech proposing that the day fall on June 21^st to align with the Northern Hemispheres summer solstice – the longest day of the year.

While yoga has been known in the past for bringing improved posture, flexibility, and balance to adults, it has grown increasingly popular for children over recent years with benefits proven to encourage physical health, build on emotional regulation, improve concentration, boost confidence, and increase social skills.

 

 

Unsurprisingly, children’s yoga is very different to any kind of yoga session you would attend as an adult. Most children’s yoga sessions incorporate games, storytelling, and singing to assist with their shorter attention span. Children’s yoga sessions often are a mix of practicing yoga poses suitable for younger children and song and dance.

At Grow Early Education, we believe so strongly in the benefits we have seen through children’s yoga that we have yoga as a weekly extracurricular at 15 of our centres located across Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria – and it is included in our daily fee.

Grow Early Education Tarneit have weekly sessions run by Yoga Bears where they start their week on a Monday with a yoga class ending in guided meditation. Guided meditation reduces stress, improves sleep, encourages resilience, and boosts emotional regulation.

At Grow Early Education Gunnedah, instructor Dee walks the children through their weekly session, working on their emotional and physical skills. By practising yoga regularly, we are promoting flexibility, coordination, strength, and posture.

Grow Early Education Maroochydore involves sound healing in their weekly children’s yoga sessions with Yoga Bears. Sound healing in combination with yoga promotes a sense of wellbeing in the children while further developing body awareness and mindfulness practices.

At Grow Early Education Dalby the children enjoy moving their bodies with Miss Linda, while they practice their mindfulness, strength, balance, and coordination.

Are you looking for ways to celebrate International Yoga Day with your family? Why not try out some of these common yoga poses and test your skills!

We are proud to provide children’s yoga as an extra-curricular included in our daily fee at the following centres:

• Grow Early Education Bridgeman Downs
• Grow Early Education Tarneit
• Grow Early Education Narre Warren
• Grow Early Education Toowoomba
• Grow Early Education Riverton
• Grow Early Education Bundaberg North
• Grow Early Education Darling Heights
• Grow Early Education Gunnedah
• Grow Early Education Dalby
• Grow Early Education Maroochydore
• Grow Early Education Nowra Central
• Grow Early Education Frankston
• Grow Early Education Bushland Beach
• Grow Early Education, Park Ridge
• Grow Early Education Hervey Bay

By incorporating yoga into our weekly routine, we are providing children with invaluable tools to navigate life’s challenges with grace and resilience and guiding them towards a healthier, happier, and more balanced future. Namaste!

If you are interested in finding out more about our children’s yoga program and other extra-curriculars we offer as part of our early education program, please phone us on 1300 934 769.

 

 

As we bid farewell to 2023, it's time to take a moment and reflect on the journey we've collectively experienced over the past 12 months.

From opening eight new Grow Early Education centres, to triumphs in professional development for our team members, this year has been progressive with lots of lessons and growth.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our Grow families for choosing us for your child’s care and allowing us to celebrate educational and development milestones with your family throughout the year.

Join us now for the highlights and milestones that made this year truly progressive for our Grow family.

Our Growth

As we continue to support families across Australia, we are proud to say we opened eight new long day care centres this year and expanded our footprint in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.

We take enormous pride in delivering communities with a personalised approach to childcare through our local Early Childhood Teams, establishing community connections and empowering our centre management teams to raise the bar in early education.

Our new childcare centres and the local communities we are now part of include:

1. Grow Early Education Riverton
2. Grow Early Education Hervey Bay
3. Grow Early Education Maroochydore
4. Grow Early Education Dalby
5. Grow Early Education Frankston
6. Grow Early Education Bushland Beach
7. Grow Early Education Heathmont
8. Grow Early Education Nowra Central

We are also pleased to reveal that Grow Early Education Park Ridge will be opening early 2024!

Our Team

Passionate and caring, our Educators are the heart and soul of our childcare centres. They are dedicated to supporting every child on their individual learning journey, and ensuring their time in our care is a rewarding one.

In 2023, we employed 346 passionate early childhood professionals to nurture, educate and support the children in their care.

To ensure our Educators keep abreast with current developments and research in the area of early childhood education, Grow Early Education runs ongoing training and professional development programs across the year.

In 2023, we ran a robust training program which saw an incredible 351 courses delivered so our Educators have the most up-to-date knowledge and certifications.

Our Service

 For the convenience and peace of mind of parents, we operate all-inclusive fee childcare centres. This means we have thought of everything children will need to thrive at our centres and included it in our daily fee, including nappies, wipes, sunscreen, meals and more!

In 2023, we supplied the following as part of our service offering:

• 378,573 Nappies
• 956,616 Baby Wipes
• 320 L of sunscreen (we take sun safety VERY seriously)
• 1,320 Hats and drink bottles were provided to families as part of our free enrolment packs
• 2,106,225 healthy and nutritious meals, all prepared by our Centre Chefs in our onsite kitchens

Another one of the amazing benefits we provide as part of our daily fee are extracurricular activities. In 2023, we organised 1,040 extra-curricular classes, with popular activities at our centres being multi-sport classes, music and movement, Japanese lessons, children’s yoga, cooking and gardening lessons.

Whilst we’re here to nurture the children in our care, our free barista coffee was there to care for our parents! Drumroll please… in 2023 we made over 38,254 barista coffees for our Grow parents to enjoy!

Our Families

We view parents and families as invaluable collaborators in a child’s educational journey. Open, transparent, and collaborative communication is fundamental to creating a supportive and enriching experience for every child.

A strong partnership establishes a crucial bridge between home and early education, fosters holistic development and also contributes to a child's sense of belonging and security.  In 2023 we were fortunate to partner with 1,356 amazing families and inspire 1,665 little ones to learn and grow!

Again, we would like to thank our Grow families for entrusting us with your child’s education and care. We wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season and we look forward to sharing this wonderful learning journey again with you all in 2024.

 

 

As the festive season gets into full swing, what better way to embrace the holiday spirit than by engaging in delightful Christmas crafts with your children?

Crafting is not just a fun way to spend quality time with your little ones; it's also a crucial component of a child's development and comes with a myriad of benefits.

At Grow Early Education, we recognise its role in nurturing various skills in children. So throughout the year, arts and crafts is a significant component of our educational programs at our long day care centres.

Why are arts and crafts beneficial for children? Engaging in craft activities fosters communication, attentiveness, imagination, and crucial developmental skills!

Here's a short outline of the skills children can grow through doing arts and crafts:

Fine Motor Skills:

• Enhancing hand-eye coordination
• Developing manual dexterity

Identification of Shapes, Colours, and Texture:

• Exploring materials to comprehend colours, shapes, and textures
• Learning about the workings of things and how they interconnect

Creativity:

• Fostering a playful and experimental spirit in an enjoyable and laid-back setting

 

In this blog, we've curated our top five favourite and most popular Christmas craft ideas for you to enjoy at home with your children:

1. Paper Plate Baubles

This versatile craft allows you to use a variety of materials to decorate and hang paper plates, creating your own unique Christmas baubles. Whether it's stickers, paint, or coloured felt, choose materials that suit your child's age and development.

Here are some finished creations to give you and your little one some visual inspiration:

2. Popsicle Stick Ornaments

Transform ordinary popsicle sticks into festive ornaments, ranging from stars to Christmas trees and snowflakes. The possibilities for shapes and decorating ideas are infinite.

See below for different shape constructions and decorating ideas:

3. Hand Print Christmas Tree

Combining sensory play with craft, the handprint Christmas tree design is simple yet effective. After creating the tree on paper, canvas, or even a Christmas card, once it is dry it is then time to decorate your tree.

Here are some different designs you can make using your hand print:

4. Christmas Cookie Decorating

Perfect for baking enthusiasts, you can also involve your children in the baking part to extend their culinary skills. Use Christmas-themed cookie cutters or a cherished family recipe to start a lovely Christmas family tradition.

See below for some cookie decorating ideas and even how to create a Christmas cookie decorating board:

5. Pine Cone Ornaments

Incorporate natural materials into your arts and crafts by turning pine cones into mini-Christmas trees or creating unique figures like reindeers, angels, or owls. The natural texture of pine cones adds a unique element for children to discover and explore.

Here’s some amazing pine cone creations for you to see:

As Christmas Day fast approaches, our aim is to populate this month with festive experiences and activities for the children to enjoy in our childcare centres.

Follow us on Facebook for regular updates on our Christmas arts and craft activities, and get ready to be inspired by the wonderful Christmas creations from our Grow Early Education centres.

The holiday season, particularly Christmas, holds a special place in our hearts. It's a time for reflection, gratitude, and it’s also a chance to extend a helping hand to those less fortunate.

This sentiment is widely shared among Australians, as evidenced by the significant number of people planning to contribute to charitable causes this Christmas (47%). This makes the holiday season an optimal period for our childcare centres to perform philanthropic activities and community support work.

Since 2014, our Grow Early Education Centres have actively participated in the Salvation Army Christmas Appeal, or selected local charities to support. This annual tradition serves as a valuable connection to our local communities, fostering a sense of unity and shared responsibility.

In November of this year, we launched the Grow Early Education 'Annual Christmas Food and Toy Drive.' This initiative involved selecting charities, creating donation hampers, and gearing up for the generous contributions of books, toys, and non-perishable food items.

While supporting the Salvation Army and their Christmas Appeal remains a priority, some Grow Early Education centres have chosen to back other not-for-profits, such as Angel Paws, Ronald McDonald House, Give a Little Hope, Defenders for Hope, and Act for Kids to name a few.

With our childcare centres spread across Australia in Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales, each hosting their own Christmas Appeal, the collective efforts of the Grow Early Education childcare centres can make a significant and positive difference.

Moreover, our Annual Christmas Food and Toy Drive demonstrates our commitment to making a positive impact locally and instilling a sense of community contribution in children. It serves as a crucial opportunity to initiate and expand conversations about generosity and gratitude with the children in our childcare centres.

At Grow Early Education, we firmly believe that it's never too early to instil the value of giving back in little ones. Nurturing generosity and teaching children about the significance of charity from an early age empowers them to have a meaningful impact on the lives of others.

For parents wondering how to introduce charity to their children, simple actions like dropping money into charity boxes, involving them in selecting canned foods for a drive, or taking them to fundraising events can be impactful. Plus, these moments offer an opportunity to discuss the importance of giving and the joy it brings.

If you're interested in joining your local Grow Early Education centre's Christmas Appeal, there's still time to get involved. You will need to be quick though, as donations and hampers are set to be collected by December 12th from all centres!