THETHINKING

OUTSIDE

Disability andMental Health2019 Early Childhood

Conference

2019 Early Childhood Conference

THE BOX

Saturday 20th July 2019 – 9am to 3pm

Come to experience creative sessions that will inspire and empower you to think outside of the box within your child care environment.

Key note speakers:

Andrew King & Sue Lewin

THINKINGOUTSIDE

Time Session Room

9.00 - 9.45Conference Open

Welcome to Country

9.45 - 10.30Andrew King & Sue Lewin

Key Note AddressUHL Hall

10.30 - 11.00 Morning Tea - Browse Trade Stalls

Option Session 1 Room

11.10 - 12.30

ALibby Yee

Collage for CreativityLittle Marchants

BAndrew King & Sue LewinEngineering through Literacy

UHL Hall

CKirrilee Murray

Inspired Kids YogaConference Room

DCarly GarnerWeaving Place

Emmaus Gazebo

EBelinda Ross Programming

Club Lounge

FSarah Dunston

Body Percussion & Rhythmic PlayNABS Room

GAmelia Kalifa

LGBTIQ BSG Training

Room

HKatja Kotaniemi

Kids Matters - ASD Tools - Managing BehavioursLittle Marchants

12.30 - 1.30 Lunch - Browse Trade Stalls The Village Green

Option Session 2 Room

1.40 - 3.00

ALibby Yee

Collage for CreativityLittle Marchants

BKym Groth

Grow your own businessUHL Hall

CKirrilee Murray

Inspired Kids YogaConference Room

DCarly GarnerWeaving Place

Emmaus Gazebo

EBelinda Ross Programming

Club Lounge

FSarah Dunston

Body Percussion & Rhythmic PlayNABS Room

GAmelia Kalifa

LGBTIQBSG Training

Room

HKatja Kotaniemi

Kids Matters - ASD Tools - Managing BehavioursLittle Marchants

Libby Yee Collage for Creativity

Option A – Morning and Afternoon Session

Presenter Bio

Libby Yee has worked in the early childhood sector for over twenty years. Her past roles have included Preschool and Kindergarten teacher. Since 2009, she has been employed as Art teacher for the Toddler through to Kindergarten groups at Margaret Cribb Early Learning, based at the University of Queensland Campus. During this time she has been the key driver in developing and implementing an original Art program, which has been heavily influenced by the philosophy of Reggio Emilia centres and other contemporary pedagogy. This Art program complements and enriches the children’s learning in their regular Kindergarten and Pre-Kindergarten programs, and supports the children’s agency, choices and influence.Collage for Creativity

Outline of presentation

This hands-on workshop will provide participants with skills and teaching strategies for rich, rewarding visual art experiences that they can implement in their own classrooms. Participants will learn how to empower children to develop creativity and self-expression. Using easily accessible and recycled materials participants will create their own collaged artworks incorporating 2D and 3D design principles. We will explore pattern, symmetry, shape and balance and learn how to enable children to make their creations their own.

Dr Andrew King & Sue LewinEngineering through Literacy

Option B – Morning Session

Presenter Bio

Dr Andrew KingAndrew is an engineer and teacher. He is passionate about the role that Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (the STEM subjects) will play in our sustainable future and equally passionate about the importance of STEM education. With illustrator Benjamin Johnston, Andrew has created the Engibears picture book series including three books: Engibear’s Dream, Engibear’s Bridge and Engilina’s Trains. The books introduce children to engineering through friendly characters and story and they are designed to encourage children to try engineering - to Dream, Draw and Develop.

Sue LewinSue Lewin is an early childhood educator, singer and song writer. She has produced 10 CDs for young children including Heave ho and over we go and Those things we do. Collaborators include Peter Stewart, Sharron Lindh and Mike Jackson. She co-wrote the children’s musicals The Little Pirate’s Adventures (which was performed by a 200 strong children’s choir at The Rose Theatre in London) and The Angel in the Garden with UK composer Roz Adamson. This musical is being performed in 2019 in London. Sue’s children’s musical (with Narelle Oliver) Dancing the Boomchacha Boogie was performed in London in 2016 and launched at the Brisbane Writers’ Festival.

Young Engineers

In creating ‘that which has never been’ engineers require ingenuity, knowledge and skills and they follow design processes to ensure suitable outcomes. Consequently, we think it is important that young children appreciate both the creative and technical aspects of engineering. This hands-on interactive workshop explores the integration of engineering and the arts in the Early Years’ curriculum. Engineer and writer Andrew King and musician and early years’ educator Sue Lewin combine their knowledge and experiences in their chosen fields to lead participants through practical activities, philosophies, songs and creative thinking for young children.

Conference Paper Presentation

Young EngineersYoung children love engineering; they enjoy creating and building their worlds. This natural link between play and engineering is useful for early engineering engagement. Through building on play we can introduce children to the way engineers work and the things that they make. The skills and knowledge children gain will extend their play and carry through further education. We may even encourage some budding young engineers.

Workshop Skills and Knowledge for ParticipantsParticipants will be introduced to a simplified version of the Engineering Design Process which has been created specifically for Young Engineers. In addition, the presenters will discuss the behaviors to observe and encourage when Young Engineers are working together; the Characteristics of Young Engineers.

Practical engineering activities, reference materials and songs will help with skill development and will provide project ideas to engage Young Engineers.

Presenters Relevant Skills and ExperienceAndrew King and Sue Lewin are collaborating to produce an activity book for educators, parents and children that melds music and engineering concepts.

Kym GrothGrow your own business

Option B – Afternoon Session

Presenter Bio

Kym is the Relations and Sector Development Manager at Family Day Care Queensland. Kym is responsible for engaging with the National Law, Regulation and Family Assistance Law. Policy development and sector learning and development. Kym has worked more than 30 years within the FDC sector in a range of roles including as an educator, coordinator and resource and support manager.

Session Outline

This session looks at the new operating environment of FDC and explores what this means for educators, their business model and future success. The notion that ‘we are not what we were yesterday’ and the need to embrace our new future is the foundation of session.

Kirrilee MurrayInspired Kids Yoga

Option C – Morning and Afternoon Session

Session Description

Learn how to bring simple yoga techniques into your classroom. Help children to engage in mindful movement; calm breathing exercises and guided relaxation to lower their stress response, and increase emotional self-regulation.

During the workshop, you will be guided through Yoga techniques to help children transition into a calm state. You will have practice teaching 2 simple breathing techniques; a scripted relaxation; and simple yoga sequences to help maintain healthy spinal movements, posture, bone density, balance, co-ordination and flexibility.

Carly GarnerThe Weaving PlaceOption D – Morning and Afternoon Session

Who We Are

Based in Black Mountain in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, Nature weavers have been working with children from age 1-16 in wild spaces since 2010. Our programs include the award-winning bush kinder (QORF Best Nature Play Program in Queensland, 2015), a nature playgroup, seasonal learning and celebrations, overnight camps and holiday programs.

Carly Garner is the founding Director and teacher at Nature weavers. A forest dwelling being, Carly spends her days wandering in and wondering about the wild spaces around her, following the lead of the children she is with at the time, exploring the exchange between the children and the forest. Carly is a qualified nature pedagogue and member of the International Association of Nature Pedagogy.

She works directly with children and families through the range of Nature weavers programs, as well as building the capacity of educators, teachers and those who live, work and play with children in the practical and theoretical ways of learning in, with and from nature. Carly is the one showing educators how to light fires and use knives in childcare centres; advocating for the sustainable use of natural resources in increasingly popular nature play programs, and providing practical support to enable educators and parents to let go of the need to control their children’s play and learning experiences and allow them to access their innate wild child! She is a Claire Warden Associate Trainer, a Nature

Play Qld Activity Provider, a member of the Australian Association of Environmental Educators and advisor to the Forest School Learning Initiative.

Workshop Overview

This workshop will be a yarning circle, where we will share the slow art of working with Bangalow palm, discuss the remarkable power that place-based education offers us as educators of young children in our pursuit for environmental sustainability, reconciliation, and quality early childhood education. Participants will come away with an ignited and/or invigorated sense of their role as activists, practical skills with local plant fibres, and the ability to apply this in their work asearly childhood educators.

Participants will experience first-hand place-based learning in action, through a nature pedagogy lens. They will discover how the place-based educational (PBE) approach can be used as a starting point to teach concepts and curriculum, utilising hands-on, real-world learning experiences, using the local community and environment.

Belinda Ross Kindy Portal

Option E – Morning and Afternoon Session

Presenter Bio

I have presented many workshops over the last 6 years ( up to 20 per year) all over Queensland on the topic of documenting children’s learning and the curriculum. These workshops are for between 10 and 100 attendees, and have been attended by educators from Lady Gowrie, C&K, Independent Schools Qld, QLECS, and privately owned child care centres.

I have also presented at the C&K Conference ( 2016), and to the QLECS (Qld Lutheran Education) services in regional Qld (2017, 2018, 2019)

I have worked as a guest lecturer, Coarse Coordinator and tutor at University of Queensland in the Bachelor of Education (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018).

Workshop Overview

Curriculum interpretations and discussions.... When was the last time you unpacked the EYLF and the QKLG? The why’s, the how’s, the what’s, and the where of documenting children’s learning. I will unpack intentional teaching and play based learning, assessment and the continua, alongside critical reflection versus evaluation. We will explore the relationship between the planning cycle and how to progress children’s learning forward. What does all this look like every day? Let’s work together to grow our skills and knowledge as early childhood professionals to better understand children’s learning and our documenting of this learning.

Sarah DunstonMusic 4 HealthOption F – Morning and Afternoon Session

Presenter Bio

Qualified as a teacher with a Grad Dip Ed in 2006. She first worked as a music and drama teacher in High Schools before gaining her Masters of Music Therapy in 2014. Since getting her Masters, she has continued to work in schools in different contexts, initially finding work as a Music Specialist and Therapist in two different Special Schools around the Brisbane area including setting up specialized music therapy program to help develop skills for mainstream schooling in the ECDP of Mount Ommaney Special School. At that time, she also worked running a music group in Community Mental Health and that is where her interest in drumming and rhythmic play really began. In 2015, she joined an organization called Sing and Grow where she began delivering Transition to Schooling Music Therapy programs in prep classrooms in Brisbane schools identified as being high needs/ disadvantaged. In this capacity, she worked to create music therapy programs designed to help children engage with learning, aide development ( social, cognitive, motor, literacy) and strengthening literacy and numeracy skills. Music in general is a wonderful way to engage children and aide development, however, it was when she began researching and focusing on rhythmic play as a primary area in this work, that she felt she really began getting results in this area and this is the knowledge she wish to share with participants in this workshop and is the basis for beginning a research masters at QUT this year.

Workshop Overview Benefits and Applications for using Body Percussion and Rhythmic Play in an Early Years Educational ContextIn this workshop, participants will learn some basic body percussion techniques and activities designed for use with students in pre prep and prep. Utilising a music therapy and neuroscience framework, participants will also learn about the benefits of rhythmic play for young children, and how it can be used to prime the brain for learning, enhance language development and increase capacity for physical and emotional self-regulation.

Amelia KalifaLGBTIQ + Awareness for Educational Settings

Option G – Morning and Afternoon Session

Presenter Bio

Amelia Kalifa is an educator and facilitator with extensive experience in community engagement and a deep passion for social justice. Her workshops are designed to inspire new thinking and share practical ways to create inclusive workplaces and services. She is an active member of Rainbow Families QLD and the Queensland public sector LGBTIQ+ employee network. She is also a panel member on State Library of Queensland’s Rainbow Network who are currently leading a process of organisational change and working towards Rainbow Tick accreditation.

Session Description What does LGBTIQ+ actually mean? And how do I talk about it in an inclusive way? What can I do to make my service a welcoming and inclusive place for all my colleagues and clients? In this practical workshop, you will develop a clear understanding of the LGBTIQ + community and walk away with a range of strategies to apply in your work. The session will provide a safe space to ask questions and handy resources for further reading.

Katja KotaniemiKids Matters Occupational Therapy

Option H – Morning and Afternoon Session

Presenter Bio Katja graduated from the University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours Class 1). Since then she has pursued her passion for working with children, working at a private paediatric practice in Grafton NSW. In this setting Katja primarily worked with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), sensory processing issues, developmental delays, ADHD, motor skills challenges and learning difficulties.

Katja is highly passionate about working collaboratively with children and their families, to allow children to experience success in daily activities such as play, self-care and learning.

Introduction to Managing Emotions, Meltdowns, & Behaviour in Children with High Functioning Autism.Autism Spectrum Disorder now affects 1 in 100 Australian children. Many of these children struggle to manage their emotions, develop and maintain friendships, and engage at school. Many also have unique skills and abilities which set them apart from their peers and, if understood and embraced, can create endless possibilities later in life.

Session Description

This workshop aims to help caregivers understand their child’s unique profile, create strategies to manage challenging behaviours and meltdowns, and foster their child’s unique abilities for lifelong learning. It covers areas such as emotional control, sensory sensitivity, social understanding and behaviour, learning differences and anxiety. Strategies for home and school will be covered, along with a brief look at professional treatment techniques.