Poutama Newsletter

Edition 07/12July 2012

There was not a dry eye in the house when Child Matters paid Marina Jury, our Finance Director a surprise visit to honour her work in making footsteps the first organisation in the country to be able to train its own staff in Child Protection. To find out more go to page 2.

June saw the official opening of footsteps first ever drop in centre in Papakura, named Te Pōtiki. To celebrate, we held a Kids Day Out themed around Matariki, Maori New Year as the centre opened on the first day of the festival. Although the rain was meant to fall, someone was looking down on us and it stayed away ensuring we had a great turnout! Everyone had a great time getting involved in the different workshops including face painting, gardening kit giveaways, hand mural painting to display on our wall and mini photo key rings. Kevin and Marina J kindly nourished everyone’s puku with a sausage sizzle too! We are running weekly playgroups at the centre, kicked off the first one with a flax paintbrush workshop. Two more will follow themed around Matariki and we also plan to run monthly caregiver workshops. It will also be a place for parents, caregivers and of course the tamariki to come, play and enjoy as there is nothing for the Papakura community currently like this.

Contents:Page 2 - What’s happening in the footsteps whanau?Page 3 - Ask our expertsPage 4/5 - Ara Poutama KetePage 6 - 10 things kids need the mostPage 7 - Top tips to help children who are afraid of the darkPage 8 - Sport BOP Active Movement

footsteps.co.nz 0800 366 878

footsteps becomes the first organisation enabled to train its own staff in child protection

© footsteps education ltd.

Clockwise from top left,

footsteps kaiako and

tamaiti enjoy a hand

painting workshop,

canvases with their

handprints will be hung

on the walls, footsteps

tamariki show off their

painted faces

footsteps open drop in centre for Papakura Community

What’s happening in the footsteps whanau?

Kia ora and Winter Greetings,We hope you are keeping wrapped up warm with all the cold weather that has drawn in! As usual, it’s been a busy time for the whanau, with the start of our childcare service, our very first drop in centre in Papakura, and becoming certified as the first organisation in the country enabled to train its own staff in child protection. We have also been working hard to create lots of new learning resource ideas to keep you entertained in the home which you can find in the Ara Poutama section on page 5-6. If you have any ideas for the next edition, comments about our service or would like to ask a question to our early learning experts, get in touch at stacey@footsteps.co.nz.Ngā mihi nui, Kind regards, The footsteps whanau

From the family...

Continued from front page...In June, we were delighted to have been awarded the first certificate qualifying an early childhood education organisation to train their own staff in child protection by Child Matters. Currently, we are the only organisation in New Zealand to have achieved this level of training and certification. We have been part of a pilot programme for 2 years, firstly training all staff at a half day workshop. All teachers/kaiako then completed the 5-day comprehensive programme. Kevin,

footsteps Founder/Director said “At the heart of the footsteps philosophy is an attitude of care. This is not merely about saying ‘we care’ but actually doing something about it. That’s why, in conjunction with Child Matters, we have put a robust plan into place to train every staff member in child abuse prevention.”

footsteps teachers/kaiako from our Central North Island region Waimaunga, put their best foot forward this month when they visited the children at Tauranga Hospital’s new multimillion-dollar Children’s Ward. Their mission was to cheer up the children that were unwell by offering them fun learning activities to put a smile on their faces. These included making collage feet, beaded art and lots of bedside storytelling as well as an afternoon tea with personalised cupcakes. You can tell from Olivia Parks (photo opposite), it was ‘mission accomplished’

footsteps visit Tauranga Hospital’s New Children’s Ward

Mr foot puts a smile on Olivia Parks face

2© footsteps education ltd.© footsteps education ltd.

As we mentioned in our last newsletter, we believe that children/tamariki deserve the same quality care that we have devoted to the footsteps ‘learn’ programme since 2001. That’s why we have been working away to get our childcare service ready. We are almost there and are currently registering anyone who wants to become a nanny or in-home caregiver with our service. If you are interested in doing so, please speak to Marion or Christine on our Customer Service desk. We already have caregivers registered so if you are looking for care, please do not hesitate to get in touch and we will endeavour to help you. We will have more to share with you on this in the coming months so watch this space!

footsteps dip their toe into childcare1st organisation to train its

staff in child protection

We really care about the future of your child/tamaitiThat’s why we’ve introduced childcare to compliment our in-home education service.

footstepsintroduceschildcare

Akolearn

3

What do I do if I think my child has special needs?

As a mum to be I had dreams about what my children could and may be, well before they were born. As parents we all dream about the possibilities for our children long before they ever realise them. However what happens if your child does not develop like the other children of his/her age. What should you do if you have a worry about your child’s learning or development?

How do I know?Sometimes parents may have a nagging doubt that there is something not quite right. Trust your gut feeling and talk to someone you can be honest with about your fears. Parents are usually the first to notice differences between their child and others of a similar age. A trusted friend, neighbour, family member, or early childhood teacher are good people to talk to about your worries. The person you talk to may agree that your child is having difficulty. Perhaps make some written notes about what you have noticed; this helps to get an accurate picture of what is actually happening. The difficulties that parents notice could be; not having the same language as similar age children, difficulty with understanding and concentrating, sensitivity to temperature and touch, extreme anger or passivity, difficulty with coordination and balance, or finding it hard to get along with others. Always remember though that children develop at different ages and it may be quite normal for a child to not be talking when their peers of the same age have an extensive vocabulary. This is also relevant for other areas of development and that is why talking with friends, relatives and professionals is important.

What do I do if I think my child needs help?If you have concerns about your preschool age child’s learning and development you can talk to your doctor, Plunket nurse, iwi health provider, or an early childhood service like footsteps. With your approval these agencies may make a referral to the Ministry of Education, Group Special Education (GSE). GSE staff will then visit with you and your child at home and at your child’s early childhood service, to get a clear picture of what is happening and discuss your concerns.

Why is a referral needed?All children regardless of their abilities need the same things; love, warmth, limits and boundaries to guide their behaviour therefore is getting a diagnosis of a special need really necessary? Some parents have commented that they feel having a diagnosis has placed their child in a box. They feel that other people judge their child upon their special needs rather than see the individual person behind the label. Because their child is labelled autistic other people tend to think that their child has exactly the same characteristics and

needs as of all children with autism. The other school of thought is that diagnosis is very helpful. Some parents wonder where their child’s unexpected behaviour comes from and start to think that they are inadequate parents. For these parents a diagnosis gives them the reason for what they observe. An identification of needs is helpful because it allows your child to be able to access extra help to reach their true potential.

What is the role of Group Special Education (GSE)?GSE have a team of teachers, speech- language therapists, psychologists, specialists with deaf and visually impaired children, and teacher aids. During the first visits your family and child’s needs can be assessed and then the appropriate support staff put in place. Parents are the experts with their children so GSE staff rely upon what you have noticed about your child to get an accurate picture. GSE can support families and early childhood services to understand how your child best learns. They can help to make a learning plan for your child and help with extra teacher training or suggest that your child would learn better if a teacher aid was available. GSE staff can also offer you ideas as to where you may get further support through parent groups.

Other places to get help and supportParent to parent is a support group run by parents for parents at parent2parent.org.nz.

The Ministry of Education have a website with information about the service offered by Group Special

Education - minedu.govt.nz/NZEducation/EducationPolicies/SpecialEducation/ServicesAndSupport/EarlyIntervention.aspx

You can find lists of support groups on the Family and Community Services national directory at familyservices.govt.nz

All children have different needs. Parenting a child with special needs is very much like parenting any other child. All children need their parents to give them love, attention and to recognise their strengths and abilities. Sometimes children with special needs just require that little extra bit of help to reach their potential. Children with special needs often do reach the same milestones as their peers; it can just take a little longer.

Sue Hunter (footsteps Teacher/kaiako, Palmerston North)

Ask Our Experts

At footsteps, we have made a conscious decision to start using the natural environment and recycled

materials to create our learning resources. By using the things around you that are easily accessible and of

little cost, it has less of an impact on the environment and is lighter on the purse strings. So check out the

following resource ideas and get creative. We know you will have great fun making them and your tamariki

will love them too. For more ideas, visit our website at www.footsteps.co.nz/learning_resources. Please

remember to take care when doing these activites and supervise your child/ren at all times.

Ara Poutama Learning Kete

Kia ora ano whānau!

Māori Language Week – Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori is almost

here. It begins on Monday 23 July through to the 29th of

July. This is a week when all of Aotearoa are encouraged

to give Māori language a go and set some real goals to

use the language wherever and whenever you can for the

rest of the year.

The theme for this year is ‘Arohatia te Reo’ or ‘Cherishing

the language’. It’s never too late or too early to learn

Māori – Learn it, Live it, Love it!! Here are some ideas to

help you.

Learn it – find a class, buy a CD, get the kids a book,

look online, give it a go!Live it – learn a song, greet each other say ‘Kia ora’ and

‘hei konā’ (goodbye), involve the whānau, help someone,

teach the kids! Learn the correct pronunciation for some

place names near youLove it – Ask questions, be proud, have a laugh, enjoy

yourself, play games, don’t be shy!

Visit http korero.maori.nz/news/mlw for more ideas

and to see what is on in your region for Te Wiki o Te Reo

Māori 2012.

Kia kaha whānau - give it a go and have fun!

Ara Poutama

Here’s a great resource to encourage learning and discovery

by making natural dyes.

What you will need:• Vinegar and beetroot juice• Yellow onions• Can of blueberries in natural

juice• Fresh spinach• Tea bags• Water, pot and stove• White paper• White wool• Eggs

Instructions:

Red/purple - Add 2 tsp vinegar to

1 cup of beetroot juiceYellow - boil skins of 5-6 yellow

onions and allow to coolBlue - juice from 1 can of blueberriesGreen - boil fresh spinach leaves

until water turns green, then strain

the water and coolBrown - boil tea bags in some water and cool

Finally, explore what happens to

white wool or egg when it is dipped

in the different natural dyes.

Learning• The knowledge to try things

out, explore and be curious are important ways of learning

• The knowledge that playing with ideas and materials, with no objectives in mind can be an enjoyable, create and valid approach to learning.

You can extend by:• Allow the child to experiment

with colours, mixing primary colours to create secondary colours.

• Show the child how you can make colours brighter or softer, but adding darker or lighter colours.

• explore the outdoors and look at the colours in the child’s environment … trees, flowers, grass etc. Encourage the child to name the colours and talk about what they see.

Natural Dyes

4© footsteps education ltd.

If you are looking for some

fun ideas to entertain your

little ones, why not spend an

afternoon coming up with photo

ideas to go into our annual

footsteps calendar. You could

maybe try one of our learning

resources and then send in a

photo. Please send any ideas to

marion@footsteps.co.nz.

footsteps Calendar

Competition

Natural dyes are a great source of

learning and discovery

haporicommunity

Get banging with the kids with this awesome way to

make a cheap, sustainable drum from an old tin can.

Maybe you could have a concert in your living room!

Ingredients:• Collection of tin cans, containers all different sizes

and shapes.• Balloons • Rubber bands• Tape • PVA glue• Paint, stickers colour paper to decorate (optional)

• Wooden pegs – these make excellent drum sticks

Directions:1. Ensure the top of the can you have chosen is

smooth with no sharp edges- this is dependent on

the type of can opener used2. Cut the top of the balloon off, and then stretch the

balloon over the open end of the can

3. Once the balloon is stretched over the top of the can

then tape the balloon onto the can - this will keep the

balloon stretched tightly over the top of can and secure

for drumming4. Stretch 3-4 rubber bands over the top of the can, on

top of the tape5. Glue some plain or coloured paper around the can.

6. Decorate the paper with paint, stickers, pens, and/

or crayons to personalise the drum - your child can also

place their name on the drum if they wish to

Learning• Familiarity with a variety of types of music, art,

dance and drama and expression of feeling, mood

situation, occasion, and culture

• Strategies for actively exploring with the use of

tools, materials and equipment

• Encourage the child to use their drum while listening

to their favourite music• Talk about rhythm and beat, allow the child to

express how they are feeling with their drum beat…

happy, sad, excited• Encourage the child to explore the different sounds-

this will help extend good listening skills

• Talk about the music they are making- is it loud,

soft, fast, and slow

You can extend by: • Explore the history of drums and talk about what

drums are used for e.g. marching bands, tribal

cultures, the calling of people to gatherings for

announcements and/or events.

• Take a visit to the local library for further info on

drums, what they are used for and different types

• While the child is practising with sounds and

tunes, they will naturally be encouraging their own

language skills.

Drum making

5

This resource is an early math activity and makes the best use of all those bottle tops you normally throw away. Who would have thought they could be used to teach your little one about sorting, counting and matching!

What you will need:• A selection of different lids, of different sizes, shapes

and colours• A set of tools e.g. tongs, scoops and spoons

Instructions: Encourage your child to do the following activities with

the different lids and utensils:• Sorting - sort the lids by size, colour or numbers• Matching - match all the similar colours• Seriation - line the sizes up from big to small, or

small to big• Counting - count the lids out as you scoop them up or

grab them with the tongs• Picking - with the tongs, scoops, and spoons

Learning• An understanding that they are capable and able to

acquire new interests and abilities

• Strategies for actively exploring with the use of tools, materials and equipment

• Confidence to explore and make sense of the world such as setting and solving problems and looking for patterns

• Familiarity with numbers and their uses by doing activities that have meaning and purpose

You can extend by: Why not get the playdough out and use the lids as

cutters or decorations to stick on once a shape is made. Or you call out the colour and get them to grab the correct one or they grab one and you tell them which colour it is.

Colour Me Happy

10 Things Kids Need Most

6© footsteps education ltd.

Four: Plenty of praise

Your children want to please you. If you praise them

when they do well at something or are trying hard,

it will make them want to do it again.

Two: Feel safe and secure When children feel safe and secure, they learn to trust other people.

Three: Love and hugs Hugs and cuddles help children to feel safe and comforts them. Holding your children, picking them up, sitting them on your lap, kissing and cuddling, are all good ways to show that you care.

One: Meeting their everyday needs Babies and children need to know there is someone who loves them and that their needs will be met as soon as possible. This means:• Feeding them when they’re hungry • Keeping them warm, dry and safe from danger • Helping them if they are in pain, scared or

upset • Providing family routines • Making sure there is always someone you trust

to look after them.

All kids need the basics of life – like food, warmth,

shelter and clothing. But they also need to feel

loved and secure. By giving our children all the

things they need, we can help them to be safe,

strong and thrive in our care.

Five: Smiles Smiling is one of the

simplest ways of helping

children feel happy and

safe. Smiles work even better

when you are looking into

your child’s eyes.

Six: Talking A gentle voice helps your child to feel relaxed and secure. It helps them to get to know you, and to know that you are there to look after them.

Seven: Listening As they get older and more able to use words, children begin to ask lots of questions. By listening carefully and doing your best to answer their questions, you will show them that learning is fun.

Nine: Take care of their feelings Babies and small children can be frightened by

anything new and different, when there is no real

danger. What they need is for you to comfort them and

give them a simple explanation.

Raising children to be happy and healthy is a

great job. And it’s also a big job. Being a parent is

something we all learn about on-the-job, so don’t

be afraid to ask for help. You can read more details

of ‘10 Things Kids Need’ and more helpful hints at

www.cyf.govt.nz

Eight: Learn new things You don’t need fancy toys or

equipment to give your child

new experiences. You can use

everyday things around you,

go for walks or explore the

beach or park.Learning

Smiles

Ten: Rewards and special treats The best reward for being good is getting your time and attention. Taking time to play and have fun together doesn’t have to cost money. Why not try some of the ideas in our learning resources kete

Special treats

7

“I can’t sleep there’s a monster under my bed Mum”. Sleep is such a precious commodity when your children are young that I was most annoyed with the monsters that insisted on disrupting my four year old son’s bedtime routine. How could my child become so upset about something that does not even exist?

Why does this happenFears of the dark and monsters are common in preschool age children. As a parent you shouldn’t worry unless your child’s fears are stopping them from

leading a normal life such as, often preventing them going to sleep. From around the age of three years children are learning the difference between what is real and what is pretend. Children can be influenced by books or TV to believe that what they are seeing and hearing is real. Fears can also be influenced by an

event which causes your child stress such as moving home, a new sibling, an illness or death, or parents separating.

How to respondParents should show sympathy and understanding when helping their child cope with fears. It is best to work with your child to overcome fears otherwise they may linger to disrupt sleep and cause anxiety. As you talk to your child about their fears show them that you are calm and in control of your emotions. This provides a model for your child to follow. Listen to your child’s fears and show understanding but that you do not necessarily share their fear. Reassure your child that the monsters are not real and they are safe. Avoid focusing on your child’s fears in front of other people otherwise your child could become more anxious. As you talk together try to establish why the fears have happened now so you can minimise the stress. It is important that parents give their children ways to cope with their own fears rather than try to solve the problem themselves. This is the way that your child will learn that he can conquer his own fears so he feels in control and therefore feels less stress. When children get into a parents bed to cope with fears this becomes a problem not only for everyone getting sleep but for children feeling their parents are the only ones who can sort out their fears.

The Monster fighting kitMake up a monster fighting kit with your child. Ask them what they need in their kit that will help to fight the monsters. It is important that your child is actively

involved in making this kit so they are more likely to feel part of the solution to the monster problem. You may like to include a torch in the kit because monsters

like the dark. A favourite teddy bear or blanket for security. Maybe make up some monster spray that your child can squirt under the bed to banish the

monsters. Involve your child in making a special box for the monster kit and finding a place for it to live where they can reach it when required. If your child feels frightened they can then reach for whatever they need from the kit to help them cope. This way your child feels in control of what happens and learns that they can overcome their

fears.

The monster rulesPerhaps make up some rules together about monsters; this does not diminish your reassurance that monsters are not real. Make up a bedroom door sign together “no monsters”. Perhaps suggest that monsters do not like the smell of minty toothpaste so if your child brushes their teeth really well at bedtime the smell will keep the creatures away. Monsters don’t

like the light so put a night light in the hallway or bedroom.

Physical exerciseRegular physical exercise helps to reduce stress in children as it does in adults. If you child’s fears are in response to a stressful life event as well as trying to minimise the impact of the event, try to increase activity levels for your child. This could be a daily walk

to the park or your child being able to get outside when they need to. In cold or wet weather provide suitable clothing and outside times can be short. Perhaps make up suitable inside games like skittles or “Simon says”.

Your child needs your acknowledgement that their fears are real even though the monsters may not be. Fears can be brought on by a stressful event or exposure to TV or books. Parents should give their children the skills to be able to control their own fears rather than parents doing it for their children. In life we want children to gain mastery over dressing themselves, learning to dance, reading, and counting. Therefore we should give our children the skills to be able to control their emotions.

Sue Hunter (footsteps Teacher/kaiako, Palmerston North)

Top tips to help children who are afraid of the dark

footsteps.co.nz 0800 366 878

Fun on the Floor!

You may have seen articles in the National Press on the hazards of putting babies in baby walkers. A survey carried out by consumer.org.nz found nine out of ten baby walkers failed at least one of their safety tests!This might make you think twice about using these “baby aids” and there are lots of other good reasons why we shouldn’t use them for our littlies!

Children are born to move – movement in the early years helps children develop intellectually, emotionally and socially while building the foundations for learning and communicating. Time spent in jolly jumpers, baby walkers or other gadgets takes away from valuable time on the floor.

Time on the floor allows babies the freedom to roll; rolling helps develop balance and muscle tone. Rolling enables baby to get from his back to his front and into a position on all fours where movement can start.

Next children learn to crawl; this is important as moving opposite legs and arms is vital for brain development; these “cross patterning” movements integrate the left and right sides of the brain ‘hot wiring’ the connections between all areas of the brain which allows learning to take place.

Crawling develops strong muscles in baby’s arms, fingers, shoulder, neck and legs. Crawling on the floor gives children an understanding of “how big am I?” “do I fit in this space?”

Crawling also leads to independence, discovery and development of visual skills.

Some parents believe using these baby aids will help their children learn how to walk – they aren’t necessary – babies need to spend time rolling, crawling and stretching.

Fun floor/tummy time activities for you and your baby:• Lie on your back with baby facing you on your tummy;

babies love to look at faces!• Your face is the most attractive stimulus for baby to

follow with her eyes. • Dance to favourite music while holding and supporting

her on her tummy• Read a book to him while he is on his tummy• Blow bubbles so baby can watch while on the floor• Lying on the floor looking at a goldfish• Crawl over and around the furniture – over different

surfaces – carpet, grass, wooden floors• Place toys out of reach to encourage rolling or

crawling forward• Chase her as she crawls around, play and chase• Crawl through boxes/make tunnels out of chairs• Pretend to be four legged animals or play crawl tag

For more fun ideas or further information on the importance of movement for children’s development; please contact Kirsty Carling, Early Childhood Advisor at Sport Bay of Plenty on 07 348 4125 (extention 609)

Active Movement

It’s our way of saying thank you when you refer a friend to footsteps. We are offering you a $50 shopping voucher when you refer a child/tamariki to our quality learning service Spread the word to family or friends about footsteps and if they enrol a child/tamariki, we will reward you with your voucher after three months - it’s as simple as that!

Refer a friend and receive $50

footsteps is all about giving children from birth to five new learning experiences at home. That’s why we are giving you the chance to win a brand new bike and helmet for your little one. Just enter your details at our Facebook page facebook.com/footstepsnz and you could be in with a chance to win one of 2 new kids bikes and helmets. Good luck and we will announce the winners in our next edition of Poutama.

Win a kid’s bike