9 tips for a more environmentally sustainable centre

These great tips are really easy to implement around your centre. The children will learn so much from being involved in these experiences. 

🚰 Recycle water the children have left over after they have a drink. Get them to help empty their water bottles or cups on to indoor plants or in the garden and watch the greenery grow!

🥕 Start a small veggie garden, you can even grow something in small ice cream containers, old gum boots or milk bottles. The kids will love eating what they’ve nurtured.

🍳Ask families to donate clothes, kitchen utensils, and other household items for the children to play with in the home corner or sand pit.

🐛 Start a compost bin.

🗑Transform the home corner into a recycling depot, complete with items to sort into recycling bins

🌱Organise an excursion to buy seedlings from the local nursery, let the children choose their own and then watch them grow together.

♻️ Recycle paper in a box for children to use in their art experiences.

🖼Encourage the use of natural art experiences.  Drawing in the sand or using fallen leaves to create a mosaic for example .  Take photos and digitally display these art works.

💻Strive as a centre to be a paperless as possible. Email newsletters and notes rather than having paper versions. Like this email (Don’t print it!)

Let’s work towards introducing more sustainable practices into our centres where we can. It’s an amazing way to introduce the concept of sustainability to the kids, and it also helps our planet. 

Behaviour Guidance - The three simple steps

When a child’s behaviour requires addressing it can be difficult for even the most experienced educators. For many of us, Behaviour Guidance may not come naturally or we may need to seek advice and support from management or co-workers and this is ALWAYS ok.  

In fact we encourage it.  

Getting other perspectives on a situation is a great way to formulate a plan of action.

Here are 3 simple steps you can follow when approaching Behaviour Guidance

1. Work as a team.

Supporting the team is the main priority when you have challenging behaviors in a room. Get your room staff together and listen to their concerns. Clarify what concerns they feel are most important.

2. Build Your Plan.

Be clear about a plan and how to support the child and other children in the room. This needs to be implemented as soon as possible. This plan of action needs to be revised and assessed often. 

3. Observe and Evaluate.

After implementing a plan of action, take note of what happens before during and after the event.  Continue these observations for a few days. Bring the team back together for an open conversation about it. 

These 3 steps will ensure your team is on the same page, and the child is getting the support they need. 

Megan Sharman