B u s i n e s s N a m e

N e w s l e t t e r D a t e V o l u m e 1 , I s s u e 1

Have your say This is your

newsletter!

Please tell us:

What you enjoyed?

What you would like to

hear more about in

future issues?

What you would like to

share about your

playgroup?

We are keen to hear

questions, requests, or

feedback.

Please share via the

playgroups email at

play@playgroupact.or

g.au

Next ACTive Play

edition: April 2020

ACTive Play Newsletter 1: 2020

Hello and welcome to another great year of playgrouping!

The last few months have seen the importance of volunteers in our community –

especially in times of need. By participating in playgroup, supporting other families and

being part of a local village in raising our children, you are part of one of the biggest

volunteer-led movements in Australia. Over 3000 families and 4000 children meet at

more than 200 playgroups across the Canberra region every week.

This year sees some changes to your playgroup association – including some new faces in

the team, as well as some new ways to support all the playgroups running each week

across the ACT. 2020 will see us partnering with programs in the town centres, changes

to our resources and support for playgroups and some exciting new events.

The first of these changes is this newsletter. At the beginning of each term playgroup

contacts will receive a hard copy of an expanded ACTive Play newsletter, playgroup

profile and an attendance sheet for the term. ACTive Play will contain lots of interesting

articles and information to assist in the smooth operation of all of our community

playgroups. If there is a particular topic or article you would like to see, please let us

know.

This year we have partnered with ACT Parentline for their trained counsellors to offer

free advice and support to playgroups and playgroup families on any parenting or child

behavioural issues you may experience. The ACT Parentline phone number is 6287 3833

and counsellors are available five days a week, free of charge (they even have face-to-

face counselling available).

As always, the office team is there to help you, so feel free to call or email about

anything. Our community playgroup staff will soon start work on re-registering

playgroups for 2020 and also offering any help or support you may need to get things running

again for the coming year.

Warm regards, Your playgroup team.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

. Making your

playgroup welcoming

. Promote your

playgroup

. Your playgroup

vision

. Start a playgroup

library

. Reading to babies

P a g e 2

Here are a few tips to get the word out about your playgroup Membership: Encouraging all

Playgroup families to become

members of ACT Playgroups and

maintaining membership ensures

members are kept up to date with

ideas, resources and activities that

ACT Playgroups has to offer.

Membership also provides

insurance and support.

Online Membership forms are

available on our website.

Register your Playgroup: Ensure

your playgroup is registered with

ACT Playgroups. Once registered

your playgroup’s details will be

added to the ‘Find a playgroup’ listing and

our database. You can find the registration

form on our website.

Facebook Notices: If your playgroup

needs more members you can also gain

extra publicity by letting others know

through our Facebook posts on ACT

Playgroups’ page. Send us an email or

Facebook message with information,

stories, and photos of your playgroup to

play@playgroupact.org.au or go to

www.facebook.com/PlaygroupsACT. We

will post this to our Facebook page.

Ads in publications: Many community newsletters and papers allow not for profit groups to advertise for free or for a small cost. These adverts need to be brief. Here is an example:

LOLLYPOPS PLAYGROUP: Come and enjoy some time with your child and other carers for songs, play and a chat. Wednesday 12:30-2:00pm during school term. A gold coin donation is appreciated towards afternoon tea. Contact XXXX

Brochures: Make a brochure for your

playgroup. Brochures are smaller

versions of posters with more details

added such as:

Playgroup name, ages of children, what

a playgroup is, where and when you

meet, contact person, what happens at

your playgroup, what to bring, cost, as

well as your Playgroup’s basic

guidelines and philosophy. Circulate

the brochures around the local area,

have a pram walk and drop brochures

in letterboxes or leave them at places

in your community such as libraries,

child health centres, doctors’ surgeries

or chemists. ACT Playgroups has

brochure templates for registered

Playgroups to use. Contact us for

details.

Word of mouth: Most families join

a playgroup because a friend

invited them. Word-of-mouth is one

of the best ways of finding and

starting a group. Introduce yourself

to other parents at the shops, park,

restaurants or even at the doctor’s

office.

Posters and flyers: A poster

about your playgroup can be really

useful. A poster should include

information about what to expect.

You could use a generic statement

or have dot points listing what

happens at a regular session.

Include contact details, the day(s),

time(s) and suburb.

Places to distribute or place your

poster, flyer etc could include local

shops, schools and preschools,

churches, Child and Family Centre,

health centres, doctors’ surgeries,

dentists, public notice boards,

Scout and Guide halls, libraries.

ACT Playgroups has some great

flyer templates for your playgroup

to use. Please contact us and flyers

can be sent to you to suit your

needs.

P a g e 3 V o l u m e 1 , I s s u e 1

Media Releases: Media releases help promote your Playgroup, publicise events and gain community support.

Ideas for using this resource include promoting a Playgroup fun day, inviting new members, encouraging community donations or announcing a new Playgroup.

ACT Playgroups can help you with media release templates for Playgroups. Once complete you can then distribute the media release to:

Local newspapers and radio stations

Community boards in supermarkets,

Shopping centres

Local schools and churches

Health clinics

Information stand: Set up an information stand at the local shopping centre, library, community centres etc. This is a great way to speak personally with people.

Have information that people can take away with them.

My Time Holiday program

Every school holiday break, ACT playgroups holds a playgroup for children with additional needs and their

families (no diagnosis required). The playgroups are held at ACT Playgroup’s Castle Playroom in Cook, and are

open to children with additional needs, their siblings, and parents/carers.

The groups run from 9.30-11.30 and are a firm favourite for many families (some of them have been coming for

years!). Here we meet with old friends or make new ones; we reconnect and have an enjoyable and safe space to

play with others, before school/day care/preschool goes back.

The children love the fenced nature playground, the opportunities to jump and roll and crash on the comfy crash

mat, to build, play with blocks, play in the sandpit and with water, with playdough and cars. We have fun! The

session has a general form – we generally play inside, share morning tea or a snack at the table and then play

outside. We end our time together with music and movement. But all this depends on who is there, how the

weather is and what are needs are on the day.

We welcome new families, and will hold our next My Time holiday

programme from 20th-24

th April. We ask that families book beforehand to en-

sure their place. A link will be emailed to you in good time.

During term time, we hold Early Intervention playgroups around the ACT.

Tuesdays at the old Lyons Preschool, Wednesdays at the old Scullin

Preschool, Thursdays at the Gungahlin Child & Family Centre and

Fridays at Tuggeranong Child & family Centre. Groups run from 9.30-11.30am.

All are welcome and we look forward to meeting old and new friends.

Professionals and groups: Ask for

help from your local community or

health centre, church leader, school principal or

preschool teacher. People working with families are often happy to

help or suggest ways of promoting Playgroup.

Newspaper stories: Getting publicity in local newspapers and

magazines (Chronicle, City News etc) is easier than you think.

Local newspapers are about local news and what better than a

story about a local Playgroup. Offer the newspaper a photo

opportunity. Try something different such as children making a

mural, a special event, a visiting Grandparents day etc.

If you have any more ideas for ways to promote your

Playgroup, we’d love to hear them!

Events: Plan an event to promote your

Playgroup. This could be an open day, a

teddy bears picnic or a bring a friend to

Playgroup event. Advertise widely. Possibly

organise special activities for families to

participate in. Maybe invite the local media or

write a story for ACT Playgroups and/or

community newsletters to publish and possibly

come to take photos. Make sure that the event

is well organised and that all visitors are warmly

welcomed and encouraged to join in. Be sure

to have information on hand about your

Playgroup including contact names and details,

session times and costs.

P a g e 4

From Your Community Playgroup Team

We warmly welcome you to a new year of playgroups. We hope you are as excited as us about the fun year ahead, and that your playgroup sessions are filled with joyful, messy, colourful and meaningful experiences for all involved.

Playgroup Activities As it’s the start of the year we thought we would suggest a few interesting activity ideas for your playgroup to incorporate into your calendars:

Action Bus wash tour Go for an adventure on a Action bus- you will get: an educational session on bus use and safety a trip through a bus depot an introduction on how to catch and use a bus a bus wash a small trip around a part of Canberra games and fun. To book a tour call: 13 17 10.

Bunnings Warehouse Contact your local Bunnings to organize a visit with your playgroup. What each store does in terms of activities will be different store to store, but expect some things like kid’s craft, playground plays and face painting. Bunnings can also come and visit your playgroup to run an activity. For more information, contact your local Bunnings: Bunnings Belconnen— (02) 6228 6000 Bunnings Gungahlin— (02) 6123 0000 Bunnings Canberra Airport—(02) 6234 9300 Bunnings Fyshwick—(02) 6206 2700 Bunnings Tuggeranong— (02) 6234 2000

Constable Kenny Visit Constable Kenny can come and visit your playgroup to talk about road safety and protective behaviours, contact the Constable Kenny booking line on 1800-2-KENNY (1800-2-53669).

ACT Fire and Rescue Visit As great as trucks and equipment are, the Fire Brigades’ attendance is about so much more than that – they take every opportunity to share important safety information with your playgroup, discussing how we can all work together to protect what matters most. For further information please contact ACTF&R Admin Officer on 6207 8645 or email actfbadminofficer@act.gov.au

Visit your local library If your playgroup would like to visit one of Canberra’s Libraries, you can contact them on 02 6205 9000 to request a specially-organised program.

P a g e 5 V o l u m e 1 , I s s u e 1

Playdough Recipe

Ingredients

1.5 cups of flour 1/2 cup of salt 1 cup of boiling water 1 tbs of oil Food colouring 2 tbs of cream of tartar

Directions

Mix all ingredients except the boiling water together into a large mixing bowl Add the boiling water and mix well (Note, the food colouring will mix in better if added to the boiling water) Please take care when using boiling water around children. Stir well until the mixture is well combined Roll it out on a flat surface, grab a few bits and pieces to encourage creative play and you are ready for some playdough FUN!

P a g e 6

What is the vision of your Playgroup?

Playgroups are unique and diverse and each is special. It is great to have a vision and mission for your Playgroup. Thinking about and working together to develop principles underpinning core characteristics of your Playgroup can help in providing direction, understanding and sustainability. Some ideas you may like to consider are below:

Our Playgroup is about play

We offer high-quality, fun, structured and unstructured play experiences for children and carers and provide opportunities for play-based learning to support positive child

development. We see play as freely chosen, largely self-directed, intrinsically motivated, spontaneous and pleasurable.

Our Playgroup is child-focused, inclusive and developmentally appropriate

At our Playgroup we look to understand and acknowledge each child’s needs and individual perspectives and experiences. We support child development (cognitive, social and emotional) by providing developmentally appropriate activities in a supportive, collaborative environment, where we all play and participate and further develop skills in supporting our children’s growth.

Our Playgroup is about connection

We believe connection is the key to our Playgroup. We look to provide support and opportunities for carers to connect with other parents/carers, for families to connect with their local community, and for carers and children to connect with each other through play. At our Playgroup we strive to be a platform for social and community connectedness through the development of social networks and by linking families together in our community.

Our Playgroup is safe and welcoming

At our Playgroup we strive to provide a culturally, physically and emotionally safe and inclusive space that is child safe. We work to make sure we are warm and welcoming, that our Playgroup is accessible (eg.low cost, adequately resourced), and that we all contribute and support each other. At our playgroup we are family.

Our Playgroup is flexible

Our Playgroup thrives on flexibility. We are responsive and adaptive to the needs of carers and children and the community. We are dynamic and ready to change as the

needs of families change. We are adaptive and able to focus on the specific needs of our group.

P a g e 7 V o l u m e 1 , I s s u e 1

Paint & Playgroup Term 1

Please see below for the ACT Playgroups’ Paint & Play locations and times for term 1, 2020. Check our website or contact us for details of other programs across the ACT.

Keep up to date with any cancellations on our ‘Paint & Playgroup’ Facebook page and on our main page ‘ACT Playgroups Association’.

Boundless Location: Kings Park, Wendouree Drive, Parkes Day: Monday (every week including school holidays) Time: 10:00am to 11:30am

Holt Location: Holt Community Hub, 80 Beaurepaire Crescent Day: Tuesday (weekly) during school terms Time: 10:00 am - 11:30am

Ainslie Location: Ainslie (Wakefield Ave) Day: Wednesday (weekly) Time: 10am to 11:30am

Franklin Location: Franklin Park and Play (Oodgeroo Avenue) Day: Thursday (weekly) during school terms Time: 10:00am - 11:30am

Isabella Plains Location: Isabella Plains Early Childhood School, Ellerston Avenue Day: Friday (weekly) during school terms Time: 9:30am - 11:00am

This term we will be exploring the following themes through a range of play-based activities, stories and song: Valentine’s Day, International Women’s Day, Autumn, Canberra Day, St Patrick’s Day, Harmony Day and Easter.

Playgroup—make yours welcoming What features of your Playgroup encourage new families to come and stay and what attributes cause new families to come once and not return? Welcoming families to Playgroup is an essential part of the playgroup experience. Think about how you felt the first time you went to playgroup. Did someone welcome you? Were you provided information about how the Playgroup ran, what to expect? Did you feel included? For a successful Playgroup the way new families are welcomed could be the deciding factor in whether or not they return. Some ideas for welcoming new families include: Welcoming Person: As part of your Playgroup roster have a weekly “welcoming person”. This person is responsible for looking after new members and spends some time introducing them to other families and provides them with information about how the Playgroup runs. At the beginning of the session, tell members about the visitor so everyone can make them feel welcome. Welcome pack: Develop an information pack for your Playgroup. New families may feel overwhelmed with information when they first start at Playgroup. Have a buddy system: Link a regular Playgroup parent to a new person for the first few weeks (in addition to having a welcome person) to support new families in the first few weeks. Notice board: Have a noticeboard display sharing what is happening at Playgroup for the day. Include a routine break-down (e.g. morning tea 10am) and some play ideas (e.g. play in the dolls area and visit the 3 bears, be ready to sing and dance at music time, explore the obstacle course outside, have fun dot painting on bark, etc.). Follow up: It’s often a great idea to have the “Welcoming Person” or buddy contact the family between Playgroup sessions simply to find out if they enjoyed themselves or if they had any questions. Taking that extra effort to follow up families can make all the difference. Set up a welcome table…. Have welcome table set up at your Playgroup and include things such as:

Sign in attendance sheet (you can find a version of this with each ACTive Play newsletter)

Name tags

Playgroup resources (rosters, routines, events).

P a g e 8

Start a Playgroup Library

Many studies emphasise

the importance of

reading books with

children from a very

young age. Playgroup

can be an

encouragement for par-

ents to use books. A

child’s book can be read

in a few minutes. But

using books with

children involves more

than just reading.

A parent-child

book-reading experience

can involve:

a comfortable

place to be

together

holding the book

and connecting

with each other

turning pages

sharing

observations

about illustrations

and the story

anticipating

what will happen

remembering

and repeating

familiar words and

phrase

Children choose

favourite books that

they love reading,

holding, looking at

and playing with

over and over. They

may outgrow other

books after one or two

readings.

Why not consider

developing your own

playgroup library. A

playgroup library can be

as basic as a book

exchange in which each

family brings a used

book and trades it for

another family’s book.

You could have a more

formal library — a

collection of books that

are available for families

to look at during

Playgroup sessions and

which families can

borrow and take home

for a week.

To create your

playgroup library you

may like to have:

a volunteer who is

keen to organise

and the library,

and

a reasonable

supply of books.

The volunteer may

establish a

sharing system

that works for the

families in your

playgroup.

arrange for

storage and

display of books.

Plastic play cubes

that fit in your

storage cupboard

are a good

starting point.

acquire and care

for books. Books

for the library The

library will consist

mostly of

children’s books,

but you might also

consider including

some toys,

puzzles and

games. You may

also include

parenting books.

A good library is not

books kept on a shelf; it

is books taken off the

shelf and read.

Why reading with your baby is important

P a g e 9 V o l u m e 1 , I s s u e 1

You’re never too young for books. Your baby learned to recognise your voice in the womb, and loves listening to you talk, sing and read aloud from the moment they were born. In fact, research suggests that the sooner you start reading to your baby, the more positive an impact it will have as he grows. Sharing stories, talking and singing helps your baby’s development in lots of ways.

Doing these activities every day helps your baby get familiar with sounds, words, language

and, eventually, the value and joy of books. This all builds your baby’s early literacy skills and helps them go on to read successfully later in life.

It's bonding time: Reading a book to your newborn is a one-on-one activity that you can really turn into a special time with your baby. It exposes the baby to the sound of your voice, which is soothing for them. A recent study in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics found that reading to babies in the NICU can help parents develop the same feelings of intimacy that parents of

healthy newborns cultivate in the days and weeks after a baby's birth.

Reading stories stimulates your baby’s imagination and helps them learn about the world around them.

It boosts brain power. Studies have also shown that children who were read to as newborns have a larger vocabulary, as well as more advanced mathematical skills, than other kids their age.

It introduces emotion Your baby is exposed to feelings through the different sounds you use when reading, whether it's doing a voice for a specific character or describing what's going on in the book. The spoken word conveys the idea that words have meaning and certain sounds mean certain things.

From when your baby is born, you might like to look for:

books with bright colours or simple, large and high-contrast pictures like black and white pictures – these are interesting and easy for babies to focus on

There are so many books to choose from that it can be hard to know where to start. In general, babies enjoy books that have good rhymes, rhythm and repetition. This repetition and rhyming helps children learn.

books with different textures so your baby can hear, see and feel the book

books with pictures of babies and faces

soft, waterproof plastic and cloth books that can go in your baby’s

mouth and into the bath.

change the tone of your voice as you read – this makes it easier for your baby to pick up on different

speech sounds, which is an important step towards learning to make sounds themselves.

Here are some general tips to help you make the most of reading time with your little one:

Set up a special reading space at home – for example, a chair, lounge or

beanbag that’s big and comfortable enough for you and your baby, with a box of books or bookshelf nearby.

Make a routine, and try to share at least one book every day. For example, sharing a book can be a relaxing way to end the day.

Turn off the TV or radio, and find a quiet space so your baby can hear your voice.

Try out funny noises and sounds – play and have fun!

Hold the book fairly close to your baby so they can see. You can hold your baby close, on your knee or sit in front of her while you read, so they can see your face too.

Even young babies can learn from the experience of reading books with you. For example, you can:

read slowly and spend time on each page after you read the words – this lets your baby focus on the shape of words and pictures

turn the pages when you read with your baby – this shows them how to use a book

point out and name familiar and new things your baby sees on the page, instead of reading the words – the more words children hear, the more words they learn

Sharing books with your baby

What to read with your baby

Cook Community Hub 41 Templeton Street COOK ACT

Phone: 1800 171 882 (Free call within the ACT region) Email: play@playgroupact.org.au Website: www.playgroupact.org.au

We have been tasked with providing a range of children’s activities at this month’s

Canberra Multi-Cultural Festival (22-23 February in Civic). We would love to see lots

of playgroup families at our activities at Glebe Park and also in the quieter space of

Civic Library. If you or your playgroup would like to help out by running a stall or

activity at the Festival, please contact Robyn in the office ASAP. We would love as

many diverse language and cultural activities as possible – and this could be a great

way to showcase your playgroup and attract new families for the coming year. We

can also make a contribution to any playgroup that participates to help you purchase

new resources or equipment for your weekly sessions.

ACT Playgroups

Playgroup naturally brings children, carers, and families together, creating and supporting meaningful connections

and relationships within and beyond playgroup. How do these building blocks of our community encourage, support

and promote experiences of inclusion? Is it possible that playgroup provides a place for inclusion that results in an

enduring influence for our communities and society?

The Playgroup Conference 2020 will be continuing the overall theme of Playgroup Makes a Difference with a focus

on ‘Inclusion’. This event is an opportunity for you to contribute to conversations and be a visionary of playgroup

practice. Help us ensure that acceptance and equity are standard, and not an exception in playgroup - children and

families first early years’ experience.

Event details:

DATE: Thursday March 19th 2020

LOCATION: Hawthorn Arts Centre, 360 Burwood Road

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:

Fadzi Whande: Inclusion Leader UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Alistair Gibbs: Vice President VICTORIAN BRANCH OF EARLY CHILDHOOD AUSTRALIA Dr Sally Smith: CEO PEEPLE UK

For more information and to purchase tickets head to - www.playgroup.org.au/conference