Camp Australia

News & Blog

News & Blog

Showing search results for XXXXXX

Search results

Australia’s Biggest Handball Competition Returns

On Sunday 19 June, Camp Australia hosted Australia’s biggest handball competition, also known regionally as downball and four-square, for the second year in a row. The Regional Handball Championships saw over 350 children, between the ages of 5-12, come together across 10 locations around the country, to compete for a

How to Encourage Positive Thinking in Kids

In reality, we all experience challenging times at various stages throughout life. Helping kids with positive thinking involves developing in them a resilient mindset. This is the ability to rebound after times of anxiety or avoidance and to refocus on what is possible. Developing a positive and resilient mindset predicts

8 Ways to Exercise with Kids when Lockdown Restrictions

If your children normally get their exercise through their participation with organised sport clubs, it can be challenging to find ways to keep up their fitness at home while the restrictions during COVID-19 are easing and sports clubs have not reopened yet. Heading outside and giving your children room to

How to Boost Your Child’s Sense of Belonging in Primary School

Thinking back to when you were in primary school, was there ever a time when you felt that you didn’t belong? That dreaded feeling when you walked into the school gate hoping that the day will be better than the day before. As a parent, you want your child to

Handball Championships – Back for Second Year Running

After a roaring success in 2021 with over 12,000 children competing, we are back! Get ready for the Handball Championships. Whether you call it Handball, Downball or 4-Square, we’re back for round 2 of the Handball Championships. Serve, Slice and Smash your way to glory – exclusive to Camp Australia

Material Encounters: Ideas for Mark-making and Drawing

By Dr. Gai Lindsay, University of Wollongong When we value children as citizens with the right to experience “cultural and artistic life,” (Article 31, UNCRC) we will intentionally support them to engage in playful meaning-making, communication and self-expression through the arts. This requires that we provide children with quality visual arts materials

Connecting with Your Kids Through Art

Minnie Zammit is a Creative Arts Therapist and Counsellor working with primary and high school aged children. She writes about how to connect with children through art. As a Creative Art Therapist and Counsellor at Creative Kids Therapy and a Mum of two primary aged kids, one in Prep and

How to Make a Pompom Decoration

Who doesn’t love a pompom, right? Check out Pip Lincolne’s Pompom Decoration video and download the project sheet here. You will need … a few balls of wool thick cardboard scissors a stick from the garden some ribbon or string How To Make It Cut your cardboard into a rectangle shape as shown.

Connecting with The Arts is Good for Children and Important for Us All

“Children see before they speak, make marks before they write, build before they walk. But their ability to appreciate and interpret what they observe, communicate what they think and feel, or make what they imagine and invent, is influenced by the quality of their art, craft and design education.” (The

Australia’s Biggest Handball Competition Returns

On Sunday 19 June, Camp Australia hosted Australia’s biggest handball competition, also known regionally as downball and four-square, for the second year in a row. The Regional Handball Championships saw over 350 children, between the ages of 5-12, come together across 10 locations around the country, to compete for a share in the $10,000 prize pool. Participants were winners of Camp Australia’s in-service championships held during the Autumn school holidays and throughout Term 2. Over 20,000 total children participated in the championships. While designed to be fun and entertaining, the Handball Championships are a key motivator to get school aged children active and excited about sport following the impacts of

Read More

How to Encourage Positive Thinking in Kids

In reality, we all experience challenging times at various stages throughout life. Helping kids with positive thinking involves developing in them a resilient mindset. This is the ability to rebound after times of anxiety or avoidance and to refocus on what is possible. Developing a positive and resilient mindset predicts wellbeing and success. If life was ideal, our kids would spend all of their time having a resilient mindset, extracting the best moments of each day, amplifying these to bolster them if tough times occur in the future, expressing gratitude for every sacrifice their parents make for their future and setting goals and surging ahead to achieve great outcomes. Of

Read More

8 Ways to Exercise with Kids when Lockdown Restrictions

If your children normally get their exercise through their participation with organised sport clubs, it can be challenging to find ways to keep up their fitness at home while the restrictions during COVID-19 are easing and sports clubs have not reopened yet. Heading outside and giving your children room to burn off their extra energy is great when you’re free. However, if you’re trying to keep up full-time hours by still working from home or , you’ll need some indoor ideas too. Luckily, we’re used to finding ways to entertain even the most active of children in all sorts of indoor spaces. Here are our top tips for keeping kids

Read More

How to Boost Your Child’s Sense of Belonging in Primary School

Thinking back to when you were in primary school, was there ever a time when you felt that you didn’t belong? That dreaded feeling when you walked into the school gate hoping that the day will be better than the day before. As a parent, you want your child to fit in. You want them to feel like they belong. You want them to be happy. So, how can you help to boost your child’s sense of belonging in primary school? Know that Every Child is Different Being aware that every child had varying needs ensures that a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach is not adopted. School culture comes into play when looking

Read More

Handball Championships – Back for Second Year Running

After a roaring success in 2021 with over 12,000 children competing, we are back! Get ready for the Handball Championships. Whether you call it Handball, Downball or 4-Square, we’re back for round 2 of the Handball Championships. Serve, Slice and Smash your way to glory – exclusive to Camp Australia families. Towards the end of last year, we surveyed families to find out a bit more about how lockdowns and the pandemic affected your children and two thirds of families stated a decrease in physical wellbeing and loss of participation in sporting activities. Families indicated that they wanted to see more sport in OSHC. The Handball Championships are a great

Read More

Material Encounters: Ideas for Mark-making and Drawing

By Dr. Gai Lindsay, University of Wollongong When we value children as citizens with the right to experience “cultural and artistic life,” (Article 31, UNCRC) we will intentionally support them to engage in playful meaning-making, communication and self-expression through the arts. This requires that we provide children with quality visual arts materials that will make expressive and rich marks. Before expecting children to communicate and express their ideas through drawing, it is important to first provide them with repeated opportunities to ‘get to know’ the materials; to become familiar with the many expressive capacities of the materials and learn how to use them through experimentation, play, trial and error. The processes children

Read More

Learning, Connecting and Communicating Through Art: The Radical Idea of Art as a Visual Language

By Dr. Gai Lindsay – University of Wollongong “All people – and I mean scholars, researchers and teachers, who in any place have set themselves to study children seriously – have ended up by discovering not so much the limits and weaknesses of children but rather their surprising and extraordinary strengths and capabilities linked with an inexhaustible need for expression and realisation” (Malaguzzi, 1998, p.78). The quote above, written by one of the foundational teachers from the world-renowned educational project in Reggio Emilia in Italy, has inspired my 30+ year career as a teacher, researcher and academic and my passion for arts education. My research focuses on the visual arts skills,

Read More

Connecting with Your Kids Through Art

Minnie Zammit is a Creative Arts Therapist and Counsellor working with primary and high school aged children. She writes about how to connect with children through art. As a Creative Art Therapist and Counsellor at Creative Kids Therapy and a Mum of two primary aged kids, one in Prep and one in Year 6; I can understand the juggle and at times overwhelm with being a parent who works, manages the home, kids sports, homework and appointments. Introducing art into the home may not be the priority; I often hear parents don’t want to deal with the mess and think they can do it at school. What many don’t realise

Read More

How to Make a Pompom Decoration

Who doesn’t love a pompom, right? Check out Pip Lincolne’s Pompom Decoration video and download the project sheet here. You will need … a few balls of wool thick cardboard scissors a stick from the garden some ribbon or string How To Make It Cut your cardboard into a rectangle shape as shown. Tie your wool around the cardboard. Wrap the wool around and around the cardboard until you have a very thick layer. Tie a long length of yarn around the middle, very tightly. Tie it a couple more times to secure the middle of your pompom. Slide the unfinished pompom off the cardboard carefully. Knot once more in the middle to

Read More

Connecting with The Arts is Good for Children and Important for Us All

“Children see before they speak, make marks before they write, build before they walk. But their ability to appreciate and interpret what they observe, communicate what they think and feel, or make what they imagine and invent, is influenced by the quality of their art, craft and design education.” (The Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted), 2008, p.1) When I walk into an art gallery, I feel a sense of wonder, anticipation, and an almost inexplicable calm. I breathe in the atmosphere of aesthetic beauty, revel in the space, delight in the colours and prepare myself to experience the joy of engaging with the visual stories,

Read More
How to make slime | Your OSHC | Camp Australia

How to make slime

What is something that’s super fun to play with and even therapeutic? You guessed it – SLIME! The squishy, gooey and stretchy substance that’s full

Read More »

OSHC Hub Supports School Community Demand

With an increase in demand for before and after school care over the last couple of years, the Out of School Hours Care Hub Program was developed by the NSW Government to meet the needs of families. The custom-designed buildings cater for

Read More

Teaching with Screens Throughout the Years

There is no doubt the experiences of the last couple of years have culminated in a far greater uptake of screentime and online activities for our young people. Along with an increased amount of time tethered to a device, we

Read More

Managing Screentime Throughout the Years

Martine Oglethorpe from The Modern Parent is an expert in online safety and has written her top tips in a comprehensive guide for parents to help with managing screentime for children of any age. A video introduction by Martine Oglethorpe.

Read More

Australia’s Biggest Handball Competition Returns

On Sunday 19 June, Camp Australia hosted Australia’s biggest handball competition, also known regionally as downball and four-square, for the second year in a row. The Regional Handball Championships saw over 350 children, between the ages of 5-12, come together

Read More

How to Encourage Positive Thinking in Kids

In reality, we all experience challenging times at various stages throughout life. Helping kids with positive thinking involves developing in them a resilient mindset. This is the ability to rebound after times of anxiety or avoidance and to refocus on

Read More