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Once your child has settled into an early childhood education and care service, you can continue to support their development by: Maintaining a good relationship with the service’s staff and the director (if there is one) to continue the two-way communication Talking to staff about your child’s interests to see how they can be included in their day Letting the service know …

Safety at home has always been a major concern with families, especially when both parents are in the workforce, and technology makes our lives incredibly transparent. Having safety expectations with your child should start at a young age and should be reinforced through on-going conversations and role modelling. There is no wrong time to start teaching children about safety, potential …

The Medowie Gumnuts December 2025 news is ready for downloading. Stay informed with what’s happening, and how you can help us care and educate your favourite little humans!

The Medowie Gumnuts June 2025 news is ready for downloading. Stay informed with what’s happening, and how you can help us care and educate your favourite little humans!

The Medowie Gumnuts March 2025 news is ready for downloading. Stay informed with what’s happening, and how you can help us care and educate your favourite little humans!

The Medowie Gumnuts February 2025 news is ready for downloading. Stay informed with what’s happening, and how you can help us care and educate your favourite little humans!

The Medowie Gumnuts December 2024 news is ready for downloading. Stay informed with what’s happening, and how you can help us care and educate your favourite little humans!

The Medowie Gumnuts November 2024 news is ready for downloading. Stay informed with what’s happening, and how you can help us care and educate your favourite little humans!

The Medowie Gumnuts December 2023 news is ready for downloading. Stay informed with what’s happening, and how you can help us care and educate your favourite little humans!

The Medowie Gumnuts July 2023 news is ready for downloading. Stay informed with what’s happening, and how you can help us care and educate your favourite little humans!    

The Medowie Gumnuts June 2023 news is ready for downloading. Stay informed with what’s happening, and how you can help us care and educate your favourite little humans!

The Medowie Gumnuts December 2021 news is ready for downloading. Stay informed with what’s happening, and how you can help us care and educate your favourite little humans!

The Medowie Gumnuts March 2021 news is ready for downloading. Stay informed with what’s happening, and how you can help us care and educate your favourite little humans!

Medowie Gumnut Preschool operates, and is assessed, against a set of national standards; the ‘National Quality Standards’ (NQS). The National Quality Standard (NQS) has seven quality areas that are important for better health and education outcomes for children. Early childhood education and care services are assessed and rated against the NQS by regulatory authorities in each state/territory. This information explains …

Medowie Gumnut Preschool has been assessed and rated as ‘Exceeding’ National Quality Standards’. What does this mean? Education and care services across Australia are assessed and rated by their state and territory regulatory authority. All the approved services are assessed against the seven quality areas of the National Quality Standard.  1  Educational program and practice Your child is supported to participate …

Learning through play is one of the most important ways children learn and develop. Friedrich Froebel, a German educator who created the concept of the ‘kindergarten’, believed that “play is the highest expression of human development in childhood, for it alone is the free expression of what is in a child’s soul.” Educators at your child’s early childhood education and …

Children come into contact with many other children and adults in an early education and care service environment, which can result in the contracting of infectious illnesses. Quality standards require these services to put specific strategies into action to minimise the spread of infectious illnesses. Remember: While every reasonable effort is taken to minimise the spread of illness, it is not …

Once your child has settled into an early childhood education and care service, you can continue to support their development by: Maintaining a good relationship with the service’s staff and the director (if there is one) to continue the two-way communication Talking to staff about your child’s interests to see how they can be included in their day Letting the service know …

BUILD FINE MOTOR CO-ORDINATION Cutting allows a child to build up the little muscles in their hands with the open and close motion. These muscles are so important for writing, painting, and doing every day things like brushing your teeth, eating with utensils, and getting dressed. DEVELOP HAND-EYE CO-ORDINATION Cutting requires children to use their eyes and hands in unison …

Have you ever wondered how our educators encourage children to adopt lifelong healthy habits, or learn more about their wellbeing? One of the cornerstones of our teaching framework; the Early Years Learning Framework, is following children’s interests, and supporting them to explore all of their wonderful questions, ideas, curiosities and connections with the wider world – not too many children …

“Children are our greatest treasure. They are our future.” – Nelson Mandela In order to set our children up for a bright future, it is vital to give them a strong foundation from the very start. We do this by enabling them to completely immerse themselves in the world in which they live. To explore, create and marvel in magic. …

The Australian Government is changing the Child Care Benefit (CCB)/ Child Care Rebate (CCR) subsidy and implementing a new child care package called the Child Care Subsidy. It will make child care more flexible, accessible and affordable for families. Key Child Care Subsidy changes for families: Child Care Subsidy commences 2 July 2018 Single, means and activity tested payment Eligibility …

If you’re tired of stressful mornings with your child, you’re not alone, but we’ve got help for you! Use these tips to make a morning routine for your child that helps you get out the door with ease. Often Ive had discussions with parents where they say things like ‘….. from the moment I have to get my kids out of …

Have you been in this situation where you have asked your child to do something that’s difficult or unpleasant. Maybe it’s a new chore at home. Instead of meeting that challenge, your child might sulk, get angry, or otherwise act out. It’s so frustrating, isn’t it? It makes sense that we are tempted to jump in and just do the …

“Children are our greatest treasure. They are our future.” – Nelson Mandela In order to set our children up for a bright future, it is vital to give them a strong foundation from the very start. We do this by enabling them to completely immerse themselves in the world in which they live. To explore, create and marvel in magic. …

In this blog post, we will take a look at why sensory play is essential for developing physical, social, cognitive and many other skills in children.   What is the Importance of Sensory Play? The importance of sensory play cannot be understated. By encouraging the use of all of a child’s senses (sight, touch, hearing, taste, smell, motion and balance) …

A healthy lunchbox doesn’t have to be a masterpiece every day! But aim to choose a variety of foods; see Nutrition Australia for the latest version of the Healthy Eating Pyramid. Here are few simple, yet healthy, ideas: Different types of bread such as high fibre, flat bread, multigrain. A range of fillings, such as lean meats, eggs, cheese, tuna, …

Recently I’ve been exploring reasons behind why a lot of children seem to have weaker hand muscles compared to years gone by. The following article gives a great insight into why this could  be happening ….. Hand Grip: Weak Hands? Weak Body? Why Kids and Millennials are Losing their Grip This article provides helpful information regarding the necessity of strong hand …

On a typical Australian summer day, the temperature inside a parked car can be as much as 30 degrees to 40 degrees hotter than the outside temperature. Imagine even on day of approximately 20 degrees, the temperature inside a closed car could be up to 60 degrees! According to health experts, one of the most dangerous factors during excessively hot …

Being “sun smart” should be a habit that starts in childhood and becomes as second nature as putting on a seatbelt every time you get in the car. That’s the hope of Cancer Council Australia. In day care centres and primary schools around the country, kids are adopting sun safe practices like wearing sun hats and sunscreen. In fact, since …

Backyard pools can be the life of summer but they can also be unsafe for children if proper safey precautions are not taken. Follow these tips from Life Saving Victoria to ensure your pool stays a fun zone, not a danger zone. Proper supervision Never take your eyes off children in and around the pool. Active supervision means that your …

This week has brought a number of events that turned our minds to how to support you when young children in your care are made anxious or sad by personal or media news. We are all saddened by the terrible accident at Dreamworld. Nearly two million people visit Dreamworld every year, particularly families with children. Many young children are also …

Creativity is present in almost everything we do. So much more than simply paint on paper, creativity is an integral step in progress and invention. Without creative thinking there would be no planes, medicines, iPads or music. However, other than existing in specifically ‘creative’ subjects in the classroom – art, music and craft – creativity has been something mostly ignored …

Treatment Head lice are only found on the human head or hair. Head lice do not live on furniture, hats, bedding, carpet or anywhere else in the environment. Treating anything other than the human head does not eradicate head lice. There are two main treatment options to remove head lice: Mechanical removal Chemical removal Other information on this page includes: …

Social/Emotional Development Young children are  Sociable and want to be ‘Where the action is’  All different, so what works with one child may not work with another They also see themselves as ‘big boys’ or ‘big girls’ and want to do things by themselves . Physical Development Young children are Fast and can quickly move from safety into danger Small …

Children come into contact with many other children and adults in an early education and care service environment, which can result in them contracting an infection or illnesses. REMEMBER…. Be prepared to provide a medical certificate confirming your child is no longer infectious. Immunise your child. It is the most effective way to prevent serious childhood illness. Children should not …

What should your child be able to say and when? Oh listen to her. Doesn’t she sound cute? She says ‘wuck’ for ‘truck”. Do you, as a parent, do you often wonder when words move from the ‘cute’ category to the ‘is this normal’ category? Is it normal for a three year old to struggle with the word ‘truck’? The …

Preschools nationwide are embracing the nude food revolution and encouraging children to bring a rubbish free lunch to preschool. For the uninitiated, ‘nude food’ is food that comes to school without disposable packaging – extra plastic bags, paper bags, wrappings, plastic water bottles or cling wraps. Australia is the second highest producer of waste per person in the western world! …

At Medowie Gumnut Preschool, we are passionate about nutrition for children. Children have their own unique nutrient needs and meeting those needs is vital for a child to grow up big and strong (and healthy)! A child’s diet should consist of a variety of foods that contain a range of nutrients. Nutrients In Food When talking about food, you’ll often …

When to start your child in school is a major decision for parents, particularly for those with a child whose birthday is amidst the grey area of cut-off dates. Do you send at 4½ or wait until almost 6 years old? School readiness is not about being able to count or know the alphabet – these are skills that are …

LIGHTING Replace traditional light bulbs with energy saving globes which use 75% less energy and save $9 each per year Turn off lights when not in the room and use sensors for outside lights Replace energy hungry halogen down-lights with energy efficient LED or CFL down-lights Install skylights to let natural light brighten up dark areas of your house HEATING …

Younger children are most at risk of being bitten by animals, as they have limited understanding of animal behaviour and are more likely to aggravate or intimidate animals. Safety tips for animals and pets include: Teach children how to behave toward animals. Check with the owner if it is OK to pat the animal.   Safety tips for dogs: Ensure …

Winter is here! Here are some top tips for heater safety: Follow warning labels on all heating appliances Turn off all heating devices when leaving the house Allow for at least 1 metre clearance around the heater Anchor heater to wall or floor, if possible Keep heater away from flammable materials such as curtains and carpets Use guards for fireplaces …

Many children struggle in winding down and getting to sleep. They have been learning so much through play or learning at school throughout the day. They have been taking in social cues and learning about friendships and relationships. Some children find it difficult (as do some adults) in relaxing their body and their thoughts as they wind down ready for …

Last week I had the pleasure of attending a Cultural Competency workshop that was held at the Murrook Culture Centre. I thoroughly enjoyed this day as I learnt so much about the indigenous culture within our local community. Im hoping to attend more of these workshops and plan on sending more of our educators along as well so that we …

Many children know how to get the cooperation of others by asking for what they want or need. This means that they don’t throw tantrums, say no words at all, or grizzle in hope that their parents guess whats on their minds. When children are young, we as adults can help young children find the words they need to express …

I’m often asked  by parents how to develop responsibility in children. The answer is simple – give responsibility to them! Let them feed the family pet, empty the dishwasher, clean up their toys once they have finished with them. Most children rise to the challenge when it is given sincerely, and supported by realistic expectations. Often, we tend to give responsibility …

With this year flying by so fast, our educators at Medowie Gumnut Preschool have been very busy following the children’s interests. This ranged from learning about experiments, making snow, learning colours, numbers and shapes, developing  fine and gross motor skills along with social and emotional skills, learning about seasons, dinosaurs, different animals, how to protect our earth, hairdressers, gardening, sustainability, …