The more funds and resources a school has, the better. Don’t get me wrong – I don’t think resources are the answer to this whole teaching and learning thing. I’m a firm believer that teachers and the quality of teachers, make a world of difference in schools. However,  funding and better resources help a whole lot.

I’m sure we all know, the more we support our children’s schools through fundraising, the more we are able to equip them with helpful resources – it’s not rocket science.

I am here, friends, to share with you the most easy school fundraiser I been part of, to date. A whole lot of school fundraising happens, with no meetings and no volunteering required. It was so easy, I participated in this easy school fundraiser at home, in my decade old trackies and t-shirt.

Super Easy School Fundraiser

Chalk Educated Toys is an easy school fundraiser that works. Here’s why it works:

1. Chalk Educated Toys is brought to you by Modern Teaching Aids, Australia’s largest supplier of educational resources. The Chalk Educated Toys website and catalogue is filled with high quality toys at great prices.

2. The chalk.com.au website is super easy to use.

3. 20 cents of every dollar spent will be donated back to your nominated childcare centre or school to spend on educational resources. Simply select or nominate your local school or centre when you complete your order and they will receive credit in the form of a fundraising voucher. No filling out a dozen pages, signatures, etc. So, so easy! Your school or centre can spend these fundraising vouchers on learning resources and equipment.

4. You can purchase from chalk.com.au all year round, anywhere and anytime that suits you.

I spent a good while browsing through toys, books, puzzles, games, art & craft, construction, sporting & outdoor equipment, electronics, educational products, etc. There were so many great items on there, many from leading toy brands and many of which have won industry awards from around the world.

Hassle Free Quality Toys

As an example of the great selection available at chalk.com.au, here is what I recently purchased:

Plan Toys fairy tale block set. Great for open ended play. The boys couldn’t resist bringing in their superheroes to this playscene. This block set just oozes with quality.

Think Fun Rush Hour Traffic Jam Puzzle Jr. Think Fun is brilliant. I love their puzzles and the way it engages and challenges children. A fail-safe option for any gift.

Think Fun Zingo! Sight Words Again, another Think Fun game that is fun and works. This particular game is so fun that kids don’t realise they’re learning and revising their sight words as they play this. Shhh…. don’t tell them – – – just let them play!

Think Fun Amaze Game I don’t know who loves this more, my children or me. I often find the twins lying on the mat trying to figure out a maze. This maze actually has 16 maze challenges and the paths change during play. Also, with no loose pieces, this toy is also great when travelling with kids.

Magnetic Drawing Twin Pack Miss K (almost 3) loves these. It’s her toy of choice when she wants some quiet time in our cardboard box. The colours make magnetic drawing even more engaging.

Melissa & Doug’s Magnetic Pattern Block Kit Mr E (4 y.o.) is obsessed with magnets. I find my fridge magnets all over my house in the most odd places – – – (like inside the fridge?!) I’m glad we finally have a magnetic pattern block kit so he has loads of magnetic pieces to create with.

Not only did we receive fantastic, high-quality toys at great prices; every dollar that I spent generated credit for our nominated school to spend on much needed educational resources.

Start Your Easy School Fundraiser

I have since subscribed to chalk.com.au’s mailing list so I can get my hands on some great toys and help my children’s schools in the process. So handy heading into Christmas too! To be part of a super easy school fundraiser for your children’s school, you can sign up here.

Seriously, easiest school fundraiser ever.

Giveaway! Five $50 Vouchers

I am thrilled to be giving away five $50 vouchers to spend on Chalk Educated Toys.

To win one of the 5 $50 vouchers, head to the Chalk website and tell me, “What you would spend the voucher on and why?”, in the comments below. Please note the terms and conditions of the giveaway. The closing date of the giveaway is 5:00pm AEST on Friday 31st October 2014.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment; I’d love to hear from you. If you are new here, you might like to receive updates direct to your email. We have many fun ideas to share.

The post Easy School Fundraiser: Chalk Educated Toys by Pauline appeared first on Lessons Learnt Journal.

This post is sponsored by Toyota for National Tree Day.

Five years ago, the closest I got to this thing called “gardening” was watching it on TV. Somehow, somewhere along the way, after having kids, I became a gardening convert. I’ve got loads to learn still, but I really can say, I love gardening and wish I had more time for it. Why am I a gardening convert? Put simply – everyone should garden because having plants around you is good for you.

Toyota understands this and have partnered with Planet Ark to help individuals, families and schools reconnect with nature by getting out into nature and having fun in their local environment.

Planet Ark’s Valuing Trees: What is Nature Worth? report focuses on the value of nature. It explores the financial, environmental, social, and health and wellbeing benefits of having trees, plants and other natural elements in the workplace, at home, in the community and at school. It found that “…having plants in and around the workplace and classroom helps reduce sick leave and stress; boosts productivity and creativity; and filters and cleans the air.”

Getting children involved in gardening not only provides plants around them, which is good for their health, it also gives children an important opportunity to learn through active participation and experience. Gardening allows children to investigate, experiment, manipulate, contemplate, problem solve and succeed.

Children love to grow things.

Just a year ago, I started gardening with my children. Since then, we have:

• Laid new lawn in our garden;
• Planted beautiful trees along our back fence;
• Had a surprise guest at our front door;
• Planted some snow peas and watched them grow;
• Harvested some snow peas and  planted a herb greenhouse and watch it grow;
• Bought new gardening supplies for our mini urban container veggie garden;
• Put the kids to work, gardening since they decided to give up on their afternoon naps;
• Planted sunflowers, dwarf sunflowers, carrots and corn.

Gardening with kids is a hands-on way to promote environmental and sustainability learning and connect children with healthy food and lifestyles. As my children have gardened, I have seen them adopt caring attitudes and values and demonstrate and apply a range of skills. 

Every child can garden. Here are 25 ways to get kids gardening:

Prepare a Garden Bed:

1. Mark out garden beds – Using pegs and string to mark out your garden bed.
2. Clear the surface – Where possible pull weeds by hand.
3. Loosen the soil surface – Break up the topsoil (about 20cms) to help aerate it.
4. Add organic matter – Add compost or manure thickly over the surface. Five to 10cms is really good covering.
5. Mix the organic matter with the soil – Using a fork or spade, gently mix the organic matter with the loosened soil surface.
6. Leave the garden bed to settle – A great time to release some earthworms into the garden. Leave the garden to settle for at least two weeks.
7. While the garden bed is settling – grow your seedlings; place boarders around your garden beds; place straw on pathways to suppress weeds.
8. When your garden bed is ready for planting – remove any large weeds; rake the soil surface; measure out the areas where each plant will be planted and mark them with pegs and string. 

Direct Sowing Seeds:

1. Moisten soil – Soaking the soil two days before planting is most helpful for new seeds.
2. Mark out rows – Using any long narrow stick, lie it along the garden bed where you wish to plant the row. Press the stick gently into the soil to create furrows to plant the seeds.
3. Place seeds in the furrow –  If the seeds are very small or fine, you can first mix the seed into a handful of sand and spread the seed/sand mix thinly along the furrow.
4. Cover the seed – Make sure the seed is buried to the right depth.
5. Water the seed – Use a fine mist spray.
6. Keep bed moist – During germination the soil should  not be allowed to dry out.
7. Thin out plants – Once the new plants have merged you may need to thin out the number of plants.

Transplant Seedlings:

1. Before planting – water the seedlings to be transplanted the day before planting. Make sure the soil in the garden bed is moist for planting.
2. Planting out – Mark where each seedling will be planted with a planting stick. Tip your punnet of seedlings upside down holding your hand over the top of the pun net to catch the seedlings. Gently tap the bottom of the punnet with your other hand until the seedlings and soil become loose from the punnet in one complete block. Be careful not to damage the fragile roots of the seedlings. Don’t plant too deeply.
3. Water the seedlings immediately. Don’t let the soil dry out.
4. Lay some organic mulch around the seedlings as soon as they are planted to keep the soil moist.

Container Gardens:

Growing plants in pots has been my favourite way to garden with my kids. It’s easier to weed, they are movable and because we can use quality potting mix, we aren’t limited to growing only those plants that will thrive in our (poor) garden soil.

There are many different types of pots for growing plants:

1. Hanging baskets
2. Terracotta pots
3. Planter boxes
4. Fabric bags
5. Wall pouches
6. Recycled materials – like old tyres, or eggshells.

Toyota and Planet Ark, have created wonderful resources and initiatives for individuals, families and schools to reconnect with nature.

 

Each year, around 2500 preschools, kindies, primary and high schools across Australia take part in Toyota and Planet Ark’s Schools Tree Day. Kids learn how to plant and care for the seedlings they grow. Check out the National Tree Day website for more fun ideas to get kids gardening throughout the year. Mums and Dads, you’ll find everything you need there to bring Tree Day home. Teachers, there are great lesson plans, learning resources and activity guides to connect kids with nature.

 

I saw National Tree Day in action at a school this year and was absolutely blown away by how much the children benefited from the event. They saw adults who were passionate about the environment and they had the opportunity to get outside and garden.

 

Schools Tree Day is on the last Friday of July each year, although events can be held at any time during the year. Each year, over 3000 people run Tree Day plantings as part of a nationwide project to help send a message that the environment matters. Toyota in partnership with Planet Ark offers planting resources and support to site co-ordinators. Schools can also post requests for assistance with labour and tools. 

 

This year, my children’s school was fortunate to receive support for Schools Tree Day from their local Toyota dealership with a donation of $200 towards purchase of plants. Some Toyota personnel joined Year 2/3 on Schools Tree Day to assist with planting. It’s as easy as registering your school for Schools Tree Day via the National Tree Day website, and getting in touch with your local Toyota dealership.

 

(If you’re reading this post in an email, click here to see some really fun activities from 2014’s School’s Tree Day. Yep – that’s me, nodding my head like a silly woman on way too much caffeine lol).

 

I saw this fun activity during School’s Tree day and loved it! To get kids excited about gardening, they each brought a seedling home to plant in their own gardens. They planted some parsley in an ice-cream cone so that it could be transported home and planted straight into their garden; ice-cream cone and all. The ice-cream cone will simply break up after awhile once the seedling has been planted. So frugal, simple and fun!

 

 

The post Gardening: 25 Kids Activities by Pauline appeared first on Lessons Learnt Journal.

October is Doc-Tober for Disney Junior! Your preschooler can see Doc McStuffins and her toy friends in new episodes on the Disney Junior TV channel and enjoy brand new Doc games and activities on DisneyJunior.com.au.

“She never stops. She’s go, go, go from the moment she wakes up till she goes to bed. Even in her sleep, she talks.” A friend of mine, that I have not seen in months was sharing what life was like with her four year old daughter. Sure enough, we watch her daughter happily run and play in the playground. She wasn’t the only child running circles around the playground. Children can be wonderfully, sometimes challengingly physical. 

Kids will often run, dodge and jump when given the space and opportunity to. Encouraging regular physical activity is key to keeping kids healthy. To celebrate Doc-Tober, we’re learning to care for others and ourselves. To stay fit and healthy, here are my top 5 easy to play running games for large groups. 

Five Easy Running Games For Healthy Kids

You only need a large space and some very simple supplies, if any, for these easy running games. 

BULLRUSH
I remember the adrenaline pumping through my body whenever I played this as a child. I’m pretty sure my 6 year old twins love this game and will love it even more as they get bigger (and faster!). For this game, players stand side by side on one end of the play area. Choose one player to be IT, and stand in the middle of the play area. Whoever is IT shouts,  “BULLRUSH!”. On this signal, all players have to try and run to the opposite side of the play area without getting tagged by IT. Whoever gets tagged, joins the IT team to help catch other free players. Players can only run to the other side when the IT team shouts, “BULLRUSH!”. The game continues until only one player is left. That player becomes the new IT in the next game.

STUCK IN THE MUD
Set out a play area for this game. Select one player to be IT. Once play begins, IT has to tag other players. Once tagged, players are stuck in the mud. They have to stay where they are when they were tagged, with their legs apart. Players who aren’t stuck, can free people who are stuck in the mud, by crawling through their legs. Once players are freed, they can run around again. Depending on the number or children and the size of the play area, it may be more fun to have a few people to be IT.

STUCK IN THE MUD PARTNERS
All players have to find a partner. Choose one pair to be IT. The IT pair has to try and tag as many pairs as possible. A tagged pair stay where they are, face each other with arms raised to form an arch. You can only be freed when another pair runs through your arch.

TURTLE TAG
Choose one person to be IT. Play begins when IT yells, “GO!”. IT chases other players. When IT comes near, players can avoid being tagged by quickly lying on their backs with arms and legs raised in the air, like a turtle on its back. As soon as IT has gone by, they can keep running again. If you are tagged, you are the new IT.

BACK-TO-BACK TAG
This one is great for team building. On the signal “GO!”, IT chases the other players. Players are safe for five seconds only when they stand back-to-back, elbows linked, with another player. As soon as they feel safe, or their five seconds are up, separate and run in free space until IT comes near again. Then find a new partner and stand back-to-back. If you are tagged, you are the new IT. 

Running games like these are so simple and fun. Do you have a favourite running game for kids?

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment; I’d love to hear from you. If you are new here, you might like to receive updates direct to your email. We have many fun ideas to share.

The post Healthy Kids: 5 Easy Running Games for Kids by Pauline appeared first on Lessons Learnt Journal.

“No… not like that,” she commands. In her mind, she lives in an organised world. I raise my eyebrows at her and smile. I like her and her organised ways. She widens her eyes then takes a handful of LEGO DUPLO bricks into her small cherub-caricature hands.

Every preschooler learns through play. There are so many ways to play.

Over the past few months, my almost three year old daughter, Miss K has displayed a big interest in constructing with LEGO DUPLO. She loves building at home and at daycare.

Here’s a snippet of documentation from her daycare: “This particular morning she sat down with Ms Preschool Teacher and started to construct. She kept building and building. “Look” she said to Ms Preschool Teacher. “It’s a tower,” she continued proudly and held up her tower so Ms Preschool Teacher could see. “So lovely,” Ms Preschool Teacher replied. Ms Preschool Teacher then began to ask questions about the colours that Miss K had been using. She was able to name all colours.

The documentation continues: In this experience Miss K demonstrated her creativity through construction of the tower. Through her sustained engagement we understand that she feels safe and supported- she feeling comfortable to explore for a longer amount of time. Furthermore, in the experience she used her fine motor skills and displayed her knowledge of colours.

Here, we see the beautiful embodiment of play-based learning. Rather than the teacher being the ‘expert’ who is required to fill children’s knowledge stores as if they are empty vessels, we see the child having the potential to learn complex concepts at any age.

LEGO DUPLO: So Many Ways to Play

Imagine my delight when we received a LEGO DUPLO Batcave Adventure Pack to review and give away! We’re big fans of LEGO DUPLO, and being parents who watch Comic Book Men, it’s not surprising that our children are relatively well versed in the Batman Universe. 

Build Stories & Make Adventures

When I placed the Lego Duplo Batcave Adventure box on the floor next to our giant cardboard box, as an invitation to play, I honestly thought because it was LEGO DUPLO, only Miss K (who is almost 3) and possibly Mr E ( who is 4), would be interested.

Boy, was I wrong. It didn’t take long for Mr M and N (who are 6) to scramble onto the floor to join in the play. Although I hadn’t expected or planned for Mr M and Mr N to be play with LEGO DUPLO, Mr M and Mr N were obviously motivated to join in, build stories and make adventures… so I let them be, and they all played together.

Play & Discover

Miss K was fascinated with the canon on the Batwing. Let them play and discover. She figured out how to load the canon but got stuck with how to fire it. She asked me to help her fire the canon. I showed her once, and that was all it took for her to spend the next good 15 minutes just firing the canon and loading it – over, and over, and over again. I love how LEGO DUPLO is specifically designed to be fun and safe for younger hands.

Create & Share

Being twins, Mr M and N (now 6) they have had, for better or worse, more than their share of chances to work and collaborate with each other. Let them create and share. There were squabbles about how to build certain parts. I generally leave them be and let them sort things out. If the frustration levels start to get a bit much and accusations become painfully whiny, I step in with my suggestions or observations of the situation. (The number of times the words, “I think the missing part is under the book,” has solved many squabbles is unbelievable!)

LEGO DUPLO Batman Adventure Giveaway

If you’re after a gift for preschoolers (or older), LEGO DUPLO Batcave Adventure is a winner. It’s fun, has easy to use gadgets for younger hands and offers loads of different ways to play for quite a wide age range; Miss K (almost 3) and her brothers Mr N and Mr M (who are 6) spent a good afternoon playing together (while I made dinner… priceless!).

To celebrate the importance of play, we are delighted to have one LEGO DUPLO Batcave Adventure to give away to one of our lovely readers.

For a chance to win, in the comments below, tell me “How does your child play with LEGO DUPLO?”. The competition is open to Australian residents and closes 5pm (AEDST) on the 27th October, 2014 . Please note the terms and conditions of the giveaway.

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