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Educator Resources
Welcome to Bellbird's Educator Resources Centre. Here you will find articles, recipes, ideas and inspiration to add to your early learning program. Many articles are written by Joanne Harris, Bellbird's resident Educational Advisor, who draws on her 26 years of experience as an Early Childhood Teacher and industry contributor. We frequently add new articles to this collection, and invite you to check back regularly for updates and new insights.
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Empowering Educators
We Are Family
Although each family is different, the basic tenets for each are universal. Through collaboration and a genuine desire to connect with families, children learn how to participate in groups within the construct of the wider society.
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Curious about Play
Role Play & the Importance of the Home-Corner
Often in the home corner and dramatic play areas of the early childhood settings are easiest to set up play spaces that lend themselves to the exploration of families.
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Curious about Play
Resources to Inspire Connection and Belonging
Embedding the Being, Belonging and Becoming within your curriculum and making an annual event that encourages closer inspection and focus upon the family and communities that are integral to early childhood development.
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Curious about Play
Curating Play Spaces that Ignite Curiosity
Looking for ideas on how to combine resources to become play spaces that feed natural curiosity? Read on...
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Curious about Play
Rethinking Resources to Inspire Curious Minds
Looking for ideas and reasons to incorporate more loose parts items into your resources? Our Educational Advisory explores the topic of loose parts and their role in fostering children's natural curiosity.
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Empowering Educators
Exploring Curiosity in Early Learning
Looking for inspiration on how to fuel children's natural curiosity? Jo Harris discusses what it means to be curious, to ask questions, seek answers and explore the amazing world around us from the eyes of a child.
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Curious about Play
Setting Up Life Cycle Play Spaces
With just a few resources it is possible to replicate those found in nature all around us. When setting up Cycles Of Life play spaces it is important to choose materials that are authentic to create the provocation for authentic learning.
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Curious about Play
Resources To Discover Life Cycles
Choosing to focus on the cycles of life over longer periods of time is an important part of learning who we are and why we are here, co existing with animals and plants that sustain our lives.
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Empowering Educators
Teaching The Circle Of Life
Many children are naturally enticed by the allure of creatures great and small, so it is an invaluable opportunity to begin to teach them about the delicate balance of life within the cycles of nature.
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Empowering Educators
Ideas For Integrating Inclusive Practices In Early Learning
Inclusion means different things to all of us. At its core, is the concept that everyone has the right to feel included and represented in any setting, and the Early Learning sector plays a vital role in bringing this to the fore
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Curious about Play
Setting Up An Inclusive Play-Space - The Reading Corner
Building a diverse library of books can lead to information within them translating into practical experiences in which children have the chance to live what they learn.
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Curious about Play
Adding To Existing Resources To Foster Inclusion
Carefully chosen resources can help to create an inclusive setting for all children. The best materials are those that reflect open ended and divergent thinking and are often simple and understated.
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Empowering Educators
5 Reasons Why Summer Is An Important Time in Children’s Lives
During the summer holiday season there is a subtle shift on early learning, with the focus on ‘being’ rather than ‘doing’. This can become an opportunity to experience a greater depth within relationships with all living things in the world around us.
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Empowering Educators
More Reasons To Love Nature Play
There are even more reasons to love spending time in nature with our children - here are some practical suggestions for advocating outdoor play and learning into high quality programming, with an emphasis on creating time and space.
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Curious about Play
Setting Up Your Portable Sensory Space
Many play spaces are not purpose built which can make planning a learning environment a challenge, in order to include enriching activities which include sensory play spaces. The Fun2 Activity System is here to help!
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Curious about Play
Reviewing Resources To Extend Play Options In Summer
There are often unusual and unique ways that support a child’s eye view in which they set things up that most educators would not have considered -but this is a golden opportunity to be inspired!
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Empowering Educators
The Benefits of Heuristic Play for Infants and Toddlers
Heuristic play is when babies and toddlers use real world objects, such as wooden spoons, containers, pots and pegs in their play to explore the properties of the objects. Is the object heavy or light? Does it make a sound? What is the texture?
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Empowering Educators
Why Friendship, Connection and Safety are Vital To Children's Development
Children have the right to choose their own friends and safely connect with others.
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Empowering Educators
Playing Games Are Serious Business
More than just a chance to have fun, playing games is serious business when it comes to a child's health and development.
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Empowering Educators
Literacy - More Than Reading and Writing
Literacy is more than learning to read and write. Becoming literate also incorporates the development of essential language, cognitive, social and emotional skills as children interact and explore the world around them.
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Empowering Educators
The Joy of Mud Play
While playing with mud, children are learning and testing theories, as well as developing foundational understanding of maths and literacy.
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Empowering Educators
A Guide to Choosing the Right Table and Chairs for Your Child's Needs
Good ergonomics needs to start at an early age for health & wellbeing for life!
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Empowering Educators
Nurturing The Future World with Nature Play
Spending time in nature is essential for children’s health, development and support the intuitive disposition to becoming future conservationists. Children who feel connected to the natural world are more likely to preserve and care for it.
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Empowering Educators
Outdoor Play For All Seasons
Outdoor play has many physical benefits - but it is also essential for social and emotional development too.
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Empowering Educators
Learning Life Skills Through Pretend Play
Role play may appear to be a very simple activity, yet within it, young children learn practical life skills such as dressing themselves and learning how to care for and interact with others.
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Empowering Educators
Self Expression Through Art & Craft
Making art and fostering creativity is important for the development of fundamental social and cognitive skills, including self expression.
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Empowering Educators
Keeping Kids Connected Whilst Apart
Friendships nurture the soul. They provide us a listening ear, understanding, compassion, connection and joy. Regardless of our age, we all need a friend.
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Empowering Educators
Challenging Our Minds With Puzzles
From early childhood right through to adulthood we love to play with puzzles, and the way they exercise our minds.
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Empowering Educators
The Wonders of Discovery & Science with Children
Science education activities provide children with opportunities to develop and practice many different skills and attributes.
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Inspiring Tutorials
Easter Inspiration
Looking for simple, but fun activities to plan for Easter Craft? Here are a few fun projects that may help to inspire your next craft activity, using simple resources that you may already have or are easy to find.
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Inspiring Tutorials
Easter Craft
Paper plates are a great template to make the perfect Easter craft that children will enjoy because they’re so easy and the design options are endless!
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Empowering Educators
3 Ways Sensory & Tactile Play Supports Children's Emotional Development
We all know that sensory activities can be fun, but there are many benefits and learning experiences that support social and emotional development too.
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Inspiring Tutorials
Yarn Easter Eggs
These yarn Easter Eggs are a fun, messy and beautiful decoration children will love making. Mix up your colours to create a stunning effect.
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Inspiring Tutorials
Decorated Photo Frame
Photo frames make the perfect gift. Now mum’s favourite photo can be placed in a handmade frame! These plain, paper mache photo frames are easy for children to decorate and are made with a strong material allowing the frame to stand upright.
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Inspiring Tutorials
Hand Decorated Pots
Flowers are the most popular gift to give Mum on Mother’s Day - even more popular than on Valentine’s Day! These handmade flower pots will steal mums heart as she grows her favourite flowers and herbs.
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Inspiring Tutorials
Painted Calico Bag
These cute and personalised calico bags are the perfect (and functional!) Mother’s Day gift. Environmentally friendly, reusable and durable, these calico bags are perfect for groceries and every day use.
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Centre Fitouts
Centre Fit out: McKenzie Street Children's Centre Wonthaggi
McKenzie Street Children's Centre provides the Wonthaggi community quality education and care, from birth to 6 years of age.
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Empowering Educators
Elements of the Perfect Block Play Areas for Children
Block Play is a favourite area for children's play, both indoors and outdoor. Read all about how adding a few key elements to these spaces can extend imagination, creativity and engagement between children and their peers.
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Centre Fitouts
Centre Fitout: Alphabet Preschool
Bellbird completed a full fitout for this boutique early education centre in the heart of Geelong, welcoming children from six weeks to six years.
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Centre Fitouts
Centre Fitout: Whiz Kids
Bellbird completed a full fitout for this purpose built centre children's centre in Craigieburn that incorporates all aspects of child development.
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Centre Fitouts
Centre Fit Out: Paisley Park Malvern East
This full centre fit out was for a modern 2 storey centre is nestled in busy inner city Melbourne, providing care for children aged 6 weeks to 6 years
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Centre Fitouts
Centre Fitout: Galada Kindergarten
Profile: 3 Room Kindergarten Hub 33 place
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Centre Fitouts
Centre Fitout: Jindi Kindergarten
Profile: Kindergarten and Extended Long Day Care Centre
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Centre Fitouts
Centre Fitout: Whittlesea Childcare
Profile: Brand New Purpose Built 111 Place Childcare Centre, 5 Rooms
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Recipes for Creativity
Goop Recipe
Goop is a creative mess that appears to be a liquid and a solid at the same time. Children can have fun and benefit from a playful science lesson while learning.
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Recipes for Creativity
Playdough Recipe
There is something very therapeutic about playing with play-dough. Whilst improving fine motor skills, building imagination, fostering co-operative play, even helping with maths skills.
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Recipes for Creativity
Rainbow Rice
Easy peasey Rainbow Rice - ideal for setting up in a tray for exploration and a wonderful sensory experience. Add cups, funnels or spoons to mix and measure - or cars and small figurines for sensory play with a twist!
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Recipes for Creativity
Salt Dough Recipe
With just 3 ingredients salt dough is very easy to make and is ideal for creating air dried ornaments with shape cutters. They can be sealed and painted with your own unique designs to share as gifts or as a keepsake.
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Recipes for Creativity
Salt Glitter Recipe
Salt Glitter is an eco friendly alternative that is less sparkly, but much kinder to the planet. Any unused glitter can easily be stored in a salt shaker.
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Recipes for Creativity
Slime Recipe
Combining Lux Flakes with food dye and warm water, create oozy goozy fun that can last for hours. An ideal activity for both relaxation that also promotes mindfulness.
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Recipes for Creativity
Soap Crayons
Non toxic and easy to clean these Soap Crayons are a fun way to create art on wet surfaces.
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