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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
How to Encourage Creativity in Children
This article has been written by Dr. Gai Lindsay, School of Education, University of Wollongong It goes without saying that creativity is considered to be important and desirable – in life, art, engineering and architecture and, of course, in education. In fact, taking part in playful and creative activities is a human right (Article 31, […]
Top 5 Tips for Managing Food Allergies and Anaphylaxis When Starting Primary School
On the first day of Prep, as a parent, you have mixed emotions. On one hand, you’re excited for your son or daughter, who put their uniform on in a flash, ready to head off to school. On the other hand, you’re feeling a little anxious. Your child has lived with a food allergy or […]
Helping Children to Maintain Friendships
A parent’s wish is for their child to make new friends and be happy. Throughout each year in primary school, this wish does not change. There is one simple reason for this. The basis of happiness at school comes down to friendships. The ability to maintain strong friendships can affect a child’s happiness and if […]