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Term 4, 2008
Welcome to Term 4
What a busy and fun time we all seem to be enjoying. It’s really great to see so many programmes participating in and relishing the challenges of OSCAR Week. I know many of you look forward to this time and unite with other OSCAR programmes to make it such an enjoyable, social success for your OSCAR Kids, not to mention staff . I love seeing the friendships and bonds created between programmes. OSCAR Week is an ideal way to interact and maintain these relationships within your community.
I have also been very impressed to hear that many attending OSCAR Network Meetings are now in contact without the coordination of their OSCAR Advisor. Many of you have opened your doors wide and invited others from the sector to come and experience your OSCAR environment. This is good for staff and children…creating those brilliant and rewarding bonds again!
Congratulations to Caitlin Burt Poloai from Bizzy Buddyz Whakatane. Caitlin’s design was selected as the winner for the “Go Kids!” Mascot Competition. Caitlin and the children of Bizzy Buddyz will each receive a small gift as well as a $200 “Go Kids!” voucher for the programme. Well done Caitlin!
More congratulations to our regional OSCAR Award winners:
- Most Outstanding Programme – Bkidz Individual Award – Mel Budge, Paeroa Carehouse
- Best New Programme – Allround kids
- Youth Award – Zara Thomas, Waihi Community Resource Centre
I had a great time visiting these programmes and presenting their awards. It was awesome to see so many community, media, management and family members turn out in support, and with so much pride of their OSCAR providers.
Our puppetry training in Mount Maunganui last term was a great success. A reminder to those who attended; Dan has supplied me with two training DVDs which include equipment requirements as well as puppetry instruction. Please contact me if you wish to borrow these for use with your staff or children.
I thought it may be a nice idea to hold Network Meetings within an OSCAR venue. This is a cool way to see and experience other OSCAR venues, pick up any ideas and just have the opportunity to view another programme. This term we will be meeting at Lavender House in Greerton, Tauranga. Thank you to Braden and Sandra for enabling this to happen. Look out for meeting details during the term. If you would like to off er your venue for a network meeting, please feel free to let me know. There is no reason we can’t begin to plan for 2009 meetings now.
It’s Term 4 – SUNBLOCK, HATS, SHIRTS and MORE SUNBLOCK, don’t get caught and burnt by our scorching sun (when it arrives!) Term 4 always flies by quickly, the daylight hours may be longer but it can still be difficult to fi t in all of our plans and goals for the term. Remember energy levels rise at this time, it can be a good idea to let the children in your programme instigate their own play and games or just rip around together outdoors rather than trying to operate to the usual structure and routine.
Play and learning go hand in hand; here are some thoughts on this topic that I sourced from 101 Life Skill Games for Children by Bernie Badegruber, I thought you would be interested in:
If a child doesn’t realise that they are supposed to learn something from an activity, the activity is play. Concepts like ‘learning games’ and ‘playful work’ exist only in the adult mind. By controlling the goal, an adult can turn a child’s game in to ‘work’ without the child realising it. That is, the adult knows that the child learns from playing, but the child doesn’t have to worry about it.
Play evokes emotional responses that are short lived. By emotional responses I mean feelings of joy, expectation, hope, anger, fear, relief, uncertainty, happiness, a sense of belonging, aggression and so on. On one hand these feelings can be intense; on the other, they can be defused by the thought that ‘it’s just a game’. This is a way of learning to deal with tensions constructively. Indeed if an activity has no tension built in to it, a child might not even consider it a game – it might feel more like an exercise or merely an activity.
A game is perhaps more of a game when there are several ways to play it. There can be diff erent play tactics, goals and rule interpretations. Experimenting is an opportunity to learn something new. Games that contain multiple possibilities for experimenting, inventing and creativity are ‘learning games’ in the best possible sense.
I believe play is the best way to promote inclusion within your programme. Play is a social exercise as well as a learning opportunity. Interaction and communication partnered with laughter and joy is the best ice breaker. It’s always good to kick off your holiday programme or the beginning of a new term, for before and after school programmes with games that introduce and include any new enrolments and staff to your already existing roll.
Whatever you have planned for this term; be safe, have fun and enjoy the good and often entertaining antics of your OSCAR Kids.
Sally
 Local Work and Income Childcare Co-ordinators
| Tauranga |
Lisa Sullivan |
07 928 8338 |
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Maria Prosser |
07 928 8366 |
| Thames/Coromandel/Paeroa |
Lisa Williams |
07 902 7092 |
| Rotorua |
Bridgette Mullins |
07 921 8165 |
| Whakatane/Opotiki/Kawerau |
Chris Thompson |
07 922 6300 |
Term Four Network Meeting
Network meetings are an ideal way to meet the many others involved in and around OSCAR. These meetings are free and refreshments are provided.
| Date |
To be confirmed |
| Time |
9.30am - 12noon |
| Venue |
To be confirmed |
| RSVP |
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Term Four Training
| Date |
To be confirmed |
| Time |
9.30am - 12noon |
| Venue |
To be confirmed |
| Cost |
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| RSVP |
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