Button Batteries Since 2013, three Australian children under three have lost their lives after swallowing a button battery; four-year-old Summer Steer, 14-month-old Isabella Rees and three-year-old Brittany Conway. In addition to these tragic deaths, it is estimated that one child in Australia needs to be hospitalised every day because they have swallowed a...

This One Thing is the Answer to a Good Life From a young age, society tells us we need certain material things to be successful, to lead ‘the good life.’ To obtain the dream home, the respected career, the luxury vehicles, we need to constantly...

PIKELETS WITH FRESH FRUIT INGREDIENTS (Serves 6) Pikelets: 1/2 Cup Wholemeal Self-Raising Flour 1/2 Cup White Self-Raising Flour 200ml Milk 2 Eggs To Serve: Fresh Berries of your choice Honey, Sweet Date Syrup or Maple Syrup Plain Greek Yoghurt METHOD  Sift flours into a large...

DENTAL CARE FOR CHILDREN Caring for children's teeth is important It is important to look after your child’s teeth from the moment they start teething. Keeping your child’s teeth and gums clean will protect against infection, cavities and pain. Decayed baby teeth can damage the permanent...

HELP KIDS COPE WITH DISAPPOINTMENT & BUILD RESILIENCE Empathise first - We all experience disappointment at times and we tend to reach for our most trusted resources when we do. Remember that your child is coming to you because she needs empathy and understanding, not...

Chickpea & Beetroot Dip Ingredients (Serves 6) 100g Chickpeas (Canned) 100g Baby Beets (Canned) 1 Teaspoon olive oil *For extra flavour, you can add lemon juice and garlic to your taste. Method 1. Drain chickpeas & beetroot 2. Blitz in a food processor with oil...

Grounding Technique Whether someone is having a panic attack, experiencing a high level of anxiety or is struggling to fall asleep, finding a way to ease the mind and return to a place of calmness and clarity can be extremely difficult to achieve. That’s why...

Six important tools to raise body positive children In prior decades, body image issues usually didn't hit the scene until kids reached adolescence. But thanks to social media, and our culture's relentless pursuit of thinness, we now have to find creative ways to teach young children...

Pumpkin Scones *VEGETARIAN *NUT FREE Ingredients (Makes 12 Scones) 300g Pumpkin, de-seeded & peeled 420g White, Self-Raising Flour (3 Cups) 2 tbsp Brown Sugar 1 tsp Ground Cinammon 1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg 60g Margarine 1/4 cup Milk 1 Egg, lightly beaten Extra self raising flour...

Language, Literacy & Numeracy “Literacy is the capacity, confidence and disposition to use language in all its forms. Literacy incorporates a range of modes of communication including music, movement, dance, storytelling, visual arts, media and drama, as well as talking, listening, viewing, reading and writing....

The 'tricky people' lesson you need to teach your kids For generations, kids have been taught stranger danger: the principle that all strangers can potentially be dangerous. But a certified child safety educator says stranger danger doesn't work. In fact, it actually works against a...

Types of Play as your child grows Children love to play because it's fun—but it's also vital to a child's healthy development. In fact, during play, children learn and practice key social, cognitive, organisational, physical, and emotional skills, including creativity, imagination, and problem-solving. The benefits...

Pikelets *VEGETARIAN *NUT FREE *SOY FREE Ingredients 6 serves 25 serves 60 serves Wholemeal self-raising flour ½ cup 2 ½ cups 6 cups White self-raising flour ½ cup 2 ½ cups 6 cups Milk 200mL 800mL 2 litres Eggs 2 6 16 Fruit (see tips)...

Heat Exhaustion & Heat Stroke Babies and children need to be watched carefully during hot weather carefully because they are at a higher risk of becoming unwell than adults. Things to remember + Babies and children overheat and dehydrate quickly in hot weather + Breastfeed...

Summer Staycation  Have your usual summer holiday plans changed? Wondering what to do over the break? Perhaps 2020 is the year of the Staycation? Did you know: Most people who decide to staycation are happy they did. Think about it this way: When is everyone...

Food Safety Week 14 - 21 Nov 2020 Food Safety is an important part of maintaining good general health and well being. Nobody enjoys food poisoning, so let's do our best to avoid it at all costs. This year's theme is - Food Safety -...

A SunSmart Summer Wantirna South ELC is a SunSmart Early Childhood Centre. We are guided by the Cancer Council's SunSmart UV index APP (Download Here) and follow its recommendations each day towards protecting our children from harmful sun damage. When the UV Index is 3...

Muesli Bars Ingredients 1/3 cup honey 2 cups rolled oats 1/2 cup sultanas 6 Weetbix (crushed) 1 cup orange juice 60g dried apricots (chopped) 2 egg whites Instructions Combine oats, weetbix, sultanas and apricots in a bowl. Place honey and orange juice in a small...

Transition to School A positive start to school is important and depends on everyone working together to make it happen – family, community, early childhood service and the school team. Many states have now given the go ahead for school orientation to commence/resume in Term...

Water Safety Drowning continues to be one of the biggest killers of Australian children. Every year a number of children are killed and hundreds more are rescued from near drowning situations. It only takes 20 seconds and a few centimetres of water for a child...