I think people have this false thought that throwing a plastic free party is hard work and expensive, well I’m here to tell you it’s NOT! You CAN do it! It’s simple and will not only save you money in the long run; it will also help save our precious environment from all those single use plastics.

Do I want you to throw out all those single use plastic cups and plates you have left over from your last celebration? Absolutely not, use what you have and then stop there, no more!

Recently we celebrated my son Jett’s first Birthday, plastic free! I would like to share with you some ideas we used to ditch plastic at his party without taking the fun away! So here are my top tips to throwing a sustainable party!

1. Change your mindset

At your next celebration, don’t have the mindset that you are only planning and purchasing for that party alone, instead, ask yourself,  ‘will this product or item last me for the for the next 10 birthday parties?’ This will ensure any single use plastics are crossed off your shopping list and only good quality, sustainable products are going into your trolley and joining you through years of celebrations.

2. Invested in quality reusable dishes and cutlery

Yes, the initial outlay of money was higher than a $2 packet of plastic plates, however, this will most likely be the last time we need to purchase dining ware for parties, saving money in the long run! For the kids I opted for 100% plant-based reusable dinnerware (plates, cups and cutlery) and I’ll make sure it only comes out for celebrations to ensure its longevity.  Check out EcoCubs for plant based reusable dinnerware!

3. Plastic Free Party Bags

Wooden party whistles, wooden spinning tops, wooden maracas, pencils, activity sheets and mini grow kits are some of the party bag fillers we used at Jett’s party, and are all offered through The Eco Party Place. Themed parties are very popular at the moment that’s why The Eco Party Place now offers themed plastic free party bags. Choose from superhero, fairy, dinosaur, woodland and safari! More themes coming soon!

Would rather do some DIY? Get creative and gift some herb seedlings, a jar of home baked goodies, a children’s book or get the birthday boy or girl to grab the craft kit out and create a special gift!

4. Lollies from bulk food shop

If you have never wondered through a bulk food store you MUST! You would be amazed by what food and cleaning products you can buy that are packaging free, including LOLLIES! Gummy bears and chocolate-coated goodness everywhere!! We purchased a good mix of sweets, had some in a bowl and used some between the pass the parcel layers! 

5. Reusable decorations

Balloons scream ‘birthday party’ but there was no way real balloons were going to make an appearance at Jett’s party. Instead, I did a little DIY and made fabric balloons! To put it simply, they are balloon shaped cushions that you can hang from a tree or on the wall. Made from 100% cotton inside and out, making them biodegradable. Click here to open up instruction!

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Another great product on the market is fabric Pass the Parcel bags! So instead of wasting paper and a lot of time, use these different sized drawstring fabric gift bags available at Partyora!

If you have ran out of time to get crafty you could always buy paper lanterns. These can be folded flat and stored away until your next party!  

6. BeeDay Birthday Candle! 

Although candles don’t contain plastic, some contain toxins, for example, paraffin. These nasty toxins are released into the air while your candle is burning on the cake with little ones surrounding it.  This is why I chose to make beeswax birthday candles and is how our new ‘BeeDay Candles’ came to life! The Eco Party Place source beeswax from local Gold Coast beekeepers as we always endeavour to support farmers. So swap out your toxic candles for these fun and environmentally friendly candles!

7. Say no to plastic bottles

Instead of handing out little plastic pop-tops to the kids, use a large glass drink dispenser. You will actually find that kids love pushing the little nozzle down to fill up their cups, making them drink more healthy water! Win win! Another plus, you can use these for all your other celebrations and even lend it out to friends.

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Meet Jess, the founder of The Eco Party Place

She’s a mum of one, entrepreneur, lover of nature and is on a mission to reduce the amount of plastic and waste that ends up in our precious environment, one party at a time!

Through her environmental science background, Jess has spent time working with injured wildlife undergoing care due to the effects of plastic and waste in our oceans. This first hand experience fostered her passion for environmental conservation and she is now employed within the conservation industry. 

During the planning of her son’s first birthday party Jess discovered there was no easy one-stop shop for plastic free party bags.  If parents wanted to choose the sustainable option they would have to scoot around to multiple shops in search of quality, fun, sustainable and affordable party bag fillers. As a new mum herself she understood that parents are busy enough.

Her drive for conservation coupled with her creative side sparked the launch of The Eco Party Place! She now offers not only plastic free party bags, but also some incredible bespoke DIY Eco Creative Kits…plastic free of course!

So if you have little ones head over to The Eco Party Place and say G’day to Jess.  

Have you ever wondered why your child purposely knocks over your block castle, hides in small boxes, throws their food, lines objects up or collects rocks? These aren’t ‘bad behaviours’ but rather natural developmental urges (called schemas) that suggest a healthy child.

The repetitive action of a schema allows a child to practice and construct meaning until they have mastered the understanding of the schema. Being aware of play schemas helps in two ways:

1. It helps parents and educators to differentiate between ‘behaviour’ vs ‘natural urges’ which move past the belief that a child is just being ‘difficult’
2. It helps parents and educators to plan learning environments that support the development and mastery of schemas

To summarise, play schemas are NATURAL, UNCONTROLLABLE and totally NECESSARY urges that ALL children have at some point or another.

When and how do schemas appear?

Schemas usually become quite evident in toddlers and remain visible for a few years. Generally one schema is quite strong and as mastered, will be replaced by another. However children are always practising multiple schemas at once, and not all children appear particularly schematic. (In fact adults indulge in schemas also, however we have mastered these skills over our life and our schemas are no longer as visible.)

So what are the play schemas I need to know about in early childhood?

The following list explains some of the play schemas that you may have seen in your child. I am sure as you read along you’ll remember some of the moments your child was practising their schema.

Enveloping is a highly evident schema; involving the children covering themselves or objects. This might look like wrapping toys in paper, laying fabric on top of dolls, playing peek a boo with silks, climbing into boxes or kitchen drawers, or hiding your keys in a cupboard. 

Enclosure involves drawing or creating a barrier or enclosure. It may involve connecting items to build a fence or drawing circles around objects. At dinner time this might look like moving food to the edge of the plate.

Connection involves going objects together. It might involve taping things together, connecting blocks or lego or joining train tracks. This can mean a process of connection then disconnection also, such as building a castle then knocking it over.as we see them. We are able to provide resources and suggest activities to help develop and master our child’s play schema development. We can also shift undesirable behaviours (such as throwing food) into constructive play.

Rotation invoices spinning, twisting, rolling or turning. Children exploring this schema are generally attracted to and may benefit from things with wheels, spinning, playing ring-a-rosey, riding a bike in circles or using screwdrivers.

Trajectory involves dropping, throwing, kicking, swinging items; perhaps the most problematic schema of them all. A child experiencing this schema may drop their food at the table, throw toys, kick objects or people, enjoy swinging, or dropping things into containers.

Positioning involves lining up toys, position things into order, ordering books, turning cups upside down or obsessing over items being in an exact place.

Transporting involves moving objects from one place to another. A child may like to move objects using baskets, wheelbarrows, buckets, pockets, boxes or their hands.

As a parent or educator, one of the best things about having an understanding of these urges is that we are able to recognise and support them in our children as soon

In the next blog I will be exploring specific resources and activities to support schematic play. Make sure you are signed up to our mailing list to find out about our latest blog pieces.

The best place is to do a quick check in of your child’s speech sounds. I agree with the idea that each child develops at their own rate, but my training has taught me a few other important ideas to consider. Firstly, speech sounds are critical precursors for skills such as making friends, telling stories, and learning to read and spell. But also, the speech sound developmental expectation charts that you see are based on research that involves observing thousands and thousands of children over a long period of time, so they are actually pretty accurate. 

This chart outlines the age by which most children have developed accurate production of each speech sound. You might see your child develop some earlier or later than this chart suggests, but we would hope to see that the sounds emerge mostly in the order outlined on the chart. 

The sounds that aren’t mentioned on the chart are what we call consonant clusters. This is where two consonant sounds are next to each other e.g. /fr/ in frog. Typically, each individual consonant sound in the cluster needs to be mastered by the child, before they can begin to put them together as a cluster. 

Now, here is something that might surprise you. Let’s take a look at some colours:

Red

Yellow

Green

Blue

Orange

Based on the chart I showed you before, a three year old would not be expected to be able to say any of these words accurately. A four year old would only be expected to say blue and yellow accurately. And yet, children say their own version of these words and we might still understand what they are saying because many of them amazingly learn to compensate with other sounds whilst they wait for later ones to develop. 

Creating a positive environment for learning new speech sounds at home

It is so important that we keep our language around speech sounds as kind as possible and provide them with many opportunities to hear and see how sounds are made. My top five tips for a positive speech sound environment:

• Give them praise for clear and accurate speech sounds e.g. “I loved the way you said that /s/ sound”
• Don’t put pressure on your children to say sounds or words on command
• Get down on your child’s level, and I mean right down on your tummy on the floor with them. This is so that they can see your mouth, hear what you are saying and vice versa. Blocks and imaginative play are great for this.
• Read books together – ensuring that you sit so that you and your child can both see the book and each other’s faces – like a book-sharing triangle.
• Have fun making sounds with your mouth whilst you play – make animal noises, train noises, the whoosh of a silk or a ribbon, knocking or crashing sounds and more. So many of these sounds are great opportunities for practicing different tongue, lip and jaw placements. 

What can you do from home?

You probably know some sounds that your child is working on. The best thing you can do is take a look around and find those speech sounds naturally occurring in your child’s environment. For example, you might have the beautiful Crystal Discovery Kit or a rock collection. I can automatically see that there are so many opportunities to work on the /r/ sound in the words “rock, roll, round, rare, ring.”

Alternatively, you might have some drills that your child needs to practice. It can be a lot more fun to earn something for each drill, e.g. a puzzle piece for each attempted sound, and then they can put the puzzle together at the end. Alternatively, they could receive a small dinosaur for each attempt and then get 5 minutes of free play with them at the end as a reward.

Feeling concerned about your child’s speech sounds?

The age-old recommendation to ‘wait-and-see’ how they go is no longer recommended if your child should have already developed the sound at their age.  

By the age of 2, your child should be saying at least 50 words or more. By the age of 4, you, and other less familiar people, should be understanding 100% of what your child is saying. 

If you have concerns, I recommend that you speak to your GP or Child Health Nurse so that you can look into a referral to public services in your area (they differ from state to state in Australia and waitlists can be as long as two years in some states). If you are looking into private services, you will need a referral from your GP to access private health insurance rebates, but you can also access private services without a referral.

In the meantime, come and follow me so that you can keep up to date with developmental expectations and get new tips and ideas for working on your child’s speech and language at home.

Alex Trichilo

Speech Pathologist and Mum of three beautiful children

Growing Kind also recommends the following products for speech development: CVC Word Kit, Felt letters, Coloured Counting Rod Puzzle, Wooden Telephone or Memory Matching game.

As an Exercise Physiologist, this w-sitting position makes me nervous, because it is a red flag for children’s gross motor skill development.

What I mean by red-flag, is that it doesn’t necessarily mean that a child who w-sits, has a developmental delay. But what it can highlight, is that the child is finding it difficult sitting in a cross-legged or tummy time position for the following, possible reasons:

• Does the child have poor core strength? 

• Does the child need to have more support from their legs to hold their upper body up against gravity?
• We need more core strength to sit cross-legged than w-sitting, because there is less of our body resting on the ground in a cross-legged position.

• Is the child finding it difficult to cross the midline?

• Children who struggle with crossing the midline skills, may also find it difficult crossing their legs to sit down, because this cross-legged position relies on their brain to be able to cross their left foot over their right foot, or their right foot over their left foot.
• In a w-sitting position, their left foot stays on the left hand side of their body, and their right foot stays on their right hand side of the body. As a result, this w-sitting position doesn’t challenge their crossing the midline skills.

• Does the child have tight hamstring muscles?

• Children who have spent hours sitting in this w-sitting position, can have tight hamstring muscles as a result of tucking their feet underneath their knees.
• When children have tight hamstrings, they may also find it difficult to run, jump, climb, sit for long periods of time, and lay in a tummy time position with their legs resting flat on the floor.

Why do we need to worry about w-sitting?

In my own experiences, I have seen the poor gross motor skills of children who w-sit. I have also seen the discomfort on their face, when we try to sit on the ground with our legs stretched out in front of our body. If children are struggling with tight leg muscles already, I worry for what their muscles will be like as they get older.

My other concern about w-sitting, is that it encourages children to spend more time sitting still on the floor, further limiting their core strength. Children need core strength to be able to:

• Run, 
• Jump, 
• Climb, 
• Dance
• Balance on one foot, 
• Reach for objects without losing balance, 
• Avoid falling over when they trip on an obstacle
• Sit on the ground during circle time
• Sit up tall at a table during handwriting

How do we help children who w-sit?

For children who w-sit, the more we can avoid sitting while playing, the better. Until the habit of w-sitting is reduced.

For example, encourage children to:

• Play trains while standing up, by having all of the train accessories on a table
• Paint with blocks or natural materials at a standing easel
• Play in the sand pit, while standing at a mud kitchen bench
• Complete an outdoor obstacle course once a day
• Obstacle course to include:
• Crawing through tunnels
• Climbing up playground nets
• Walking across low beams
• Sliding down a slide
• Jump across hula hoops
• Climbing over an a-frame
• Throwing a soft ball into a basketball net

I also encourage children who w-sit, to spend more time playing in the tummy time position, because the tummy time position helps to:

• Lengthen out the hamstring muscles
• Build up core strength
• Stretch hip and abdominal muscles
• Encourage shoulder and neck strength

Some children who have poor core strength may be reluctant to play in tummy time position at first, because they may quickly fatigue in this position. What I encourage you to do, is start by encouraging 2 minutes of tummy time, then 5 minutes of tummy time, etc.

Children will also be more likely to play in tummy time, if you’re also playing in tummy time with them. After a few days, you may find that the children enjoy playing independently in this new position.

I also encourage educators and teachers, to remove small chairs from some of the play tables. This will encourage children to stand or kneel at the table, instead of slouch while sitting in their chairs. 

To learn more about w-sitting, and ways to help – click here

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A kind space takes into consideration the following:

• Space
  Ensure that there is enough space for your child to play. A learning environment doesn’t have to be a dedicated room, it can be a corner of the lounge room a backyard. Always ensure that there is enough space for your child to love and manipulate the resources in the room. For larger rooms shelves, room dividers, rugs or plants can define play spaces and guide children where one area ends and another begins. 

*The Education and Care Services National Regulations stipulates that early childhood classrooms have at least 3.25 square metres of unencumbered indoor space.

• Lighting
  Consider the natural and electronic lighting in the room. A poor lit room can negatively effect a children’s willingness to play, whereas bright lighting can be overstimulating for a child. Natural lighting from a window or skylight is always best.

*A UK study found that natural light (but not direct sunlight) and good air quality were by far the most significant factors correlated with high student learning outcomes.

• Temperature
  Similar to lighting, it is important to consider sources of air flow. Are there fans, windows or air conditioning available? Open windows with natural air flow are optimal.
  * Studies show that high classroom temperatures, as well as low classroom temps, can affect a student’s ability to learn and function, particularly with reading comprehension and physical tasks. 24 degrees is optimal.

• Resources
  When acquiring resources it is important to consider the abilities of your child and the environmental impact. Wherever possible source secondhand or reused items. For all new purchases consider a lasting material such as wood. Natural and open-ended resources provide the richest learning opportunities. A kind space considers children natural developmental urges and therefore supports play schemas. Resources should provide opportunity to connect, orientate, transport, throw, position, envelope and rotate (next weeks segment will explain schemas in depth).

• Accessibility
  Children should be able to access their learning materials, therefore consider the height of storage. Children’s movement should be challenged by having resources at different heights. Consider some activities on different surfaces for standing, horizontal, vertical play, kneeling or sitting.

• Age appropriateness

Resources should adequately challenge a child. If a child is provided with puzzles that are very easy then they can become frustrated with play and disinterested, similarly if resources are too complex. Also consider the use of small parts with children under 3 years of age, as these can be a choking hazard. Open-ended resources are wonderful for giving children creativity with their play and suiting a wide range of ages. Blocks can become a phone, a bridge, a fence and more.

• Minimisation

There is a lot of research that suggests children can become overwhelmed in classrooms that have posters hanging from every wall and rooftop. A kind space appreciates organisation and utilises strategies such as toy rotations or toy swaps.

Christmas is a beautiful opportunity to practice kindness and compassion, whilst spreading christmas cheer.

Growing Kind is the home of the ‘Kindnes Angel’ that is available to purchase online and comes with hard copy cards and reflection sheets.

However I wanted all families to have access to our daily kindness prompts, so have created a free download here.

In the month of December, the Kindness Angel likes to spread her wings and visit your home (you can use any soft toy at home to replace the angel).  She invites happiness to those around her by encouraging small acts of kindness for the 25 days leading up to Christmas.  The Kindness Angel also sprinkles energy around self-compassion.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Self-reflective, creative, intrinsically motivated beings with a balanced world view is the ultimate goal of holistic education.

Holistic education models celebrate the child for who they are, here and now. Acknowledging and supporting their life experiences and barriers and adopting a solution focused mentality that works with the child to explore what works and what went well, instead of placing an emphasis on what isn’t working.

Holistic education acknowledges that each child has their own learning style. ‘Success’ is measured independently, valuing a child’s own abilities; their passions, curiosities and personal goals, not against standardised testing and rigid curriculums.

When growing a tree you would not attempt to fix a damaged or broken branch by taping in back together. Instead you would likely consider the ground in which is grows and nutrients in needs to flourish. Holistic education provides children with a space in which they can thrive while providing them with a freedom to be who they are meant to be in this world.

 “Holistic education is a philosophy of education based on the premise that each person finds identity, meaning and purpose in life through connections to the community, to the natural world, and to humanitarian values such as compassion and peace. Holistic education aims to call forth from people an intrinsic reverence for life and a passionate love of learning” -Ron Miller

Holistic education supports intellectual, emotional, physical, psychological, creative and spiritual growth. It is varied, flexible and its’ multiple layers mirror the complex nature of our very being. It provides space for children to truly be connected to their natural environments. This connection to nature supports all aspects of wellbeing as well as fostering a respect for our earth that will help to save it. 

It is now more widely accepted that our earth is in need of help. We need to live more sustainably. However, there is an increasing shift toward a lifestyle that is predominantly spent indoors. Raising a generation of children who can support these changes cannot happen without first adopting a true appreciation and connection to our natural environments. 

A child who feels connected to their environment is consequently more likely to treat it with the respect it deserves.

Connection to the natural word serves to support emotional wellbeing too. Gardening and unstructured, outdoor play serves as a mindful, grounding practice within itself. Reminding little bodies to be in the present moment and be guided by their intrinsic ability to learn and grow through play. 

For example, gratitude can be fostered from deep understanding of what is involved in growing food when children are provided with a hands on learning experience to nurture a garden. Literacy and numeracy need not be taught within the walls of a classroom and the realms of worksheets. Nature provides a space for child led learning. Gardening provides a space for measurement as one sows seeds or quantifies the growth of a plant. Literacy can be explored within the context of books related to the knowledge needed to garden, through story telling or simple documentation. 

Unstructured play can often be referred to as “risky play”. Such terms perpetuate an attitude of fear. The reality is that such “risky play” provides immense value to a child’s development, including their ability to understand their own limits, problem solve and develop executive functioning skills.  

Nature play isn’t a trend, nor should it be seen an extra or bonus to standard schooling. Time spent in nature is necessary to our overall wellbeing and functioning. In providing and educational space that serves to meet the needs of the whole child, we are establishing foundations for them to lead a meaningful life. A life that gifts them with a freedom to be who they are meant to be, to follow their passions, to take awe in the natural world but also foster compassion to care for it and others.

Laying on the table of your second scan. Waiting to see you. Button undone. Gel applied. Wand hovers over. We saw you only three weeks earlier. Heartbeat flickering. Life. You were there.

OB removes wand. “I’m sorry. There’s no heartbeat. Take a minute and then we’ll talk.” 

And gestures to husband. “Hug her”. 

And my face crumbles and my heart breaks and I can’t breathe.

Numb shuffle to button up pants. Numb shuffle to slide off the table. Numb shuffle to join the men at the desk. Lots of talking but all I can think of is you. Where did you go?

I got to hold onto you a week longer. A little bean in my body before you had to leave. I placed my hands over you in the night when it was quiet and we were alone. What happened to that flickering heart? What happened to the life that you had? Why couldn’t you continue to grow and meet us the way you intended to? 

There was a birthday party.

“When are you having another?” Not sure.

“Do you want a wine?” No thanks. 

“At least you can drink now.” WTF?

My blood still runs through your little body. We are still connected. This time is our time. In a few days you will leave me and I will be alone again. I talk to you often. I hold you often. 

I asked for another scan to see you. I couldn’t accept that you were no longer there. I sat in waiting room with all the bellies and I signed the forms to let them take you away. 

And then the day came that you had to leave. I knew you had already gone. Your spirit was free but your body hadn’t let go. So we helped you let go. 

I often think about the day you went away. Should we have waited longer, should we have taken you home, should we have had a prayer or service? But it never would have changed the fact that you were gone. My belly was now empty. I tried to think of all the things you would have experienced while you were with me for ten weeks. Warmth. Love. Maybe felt my heart race as I rode a bike. Maybe felt your body jiggle as I paddled in the ocean. Devoured the fresh sea air in the form of oxygen through your placenta. Felt the excited rush when I opened Christmas gifts and more! But then I remember all the things you didn’t get to experience. And all the things I didn’t get to experience with you and it hurts too much. 

We later found out that you were genetically healthy and you were a girl. These things just happen sometimes. Maybe your heart wasn’t strong. Maybe something went wrong as you were knitted together. We shall never know. But a girl. You were a girl! I imagined the baby you would have become. The toddler. The child. Would you have had brown hair or blonde? Blue eyes or green? Would you have been quiet and content or loud and courageous? Would you have made a mark on the world? You made a mark on mine. 

When I was pregnant with you a dragonfly came to visit us and now whenever I see them it reminds me of you. I see them in the strangest of places. Even when there’s no water around. And people give them to me knowingly and unknowingly. A notebook in the mailbox. An item of clothing with them on. A card. A necklace. They visit me in the garden. They find me where ever I am. I’ve held them in my palm of my hand and watched them land on my near by. I’ve photographed them and videoed them and convinced myself that they visit everyone else too. 

But when I see them I think of you. The baby that went away.  

Written anonymously – Mum of Four (three earth side and one in our hearts forever)

If you are feeling unhappy then please get support:

Lifeline

PANDA

Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia supports women, men and families across Australia affected by anxiety and depression during pregnancy and in the first year of parenthood.

1300 726 306

Beyond blue

Need support or information around depression and anxiety, for yourself, a friend or family member?

1300 22 4636