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"Wilam: A Birrarung Story"
Written by Aunty Joy Murphy & Andrew Kelly
Illustrated by Lisa Kennedy
Wilam, a Birrarung Story is filled with brilliant pictures telling the story of Birrarung, (also known as The Yarra River). ‘Wilam’ means home in Woiwurrung, the language of the Wurundjeri clan. Wurundjeri Elder Aunty Joy Murphy and illustrator Lisa Kennedy, a Trawlwoolway descendant, collaborated with Andrew Kelly, who is a Yarra Riverkeeper to write and illustrate this book.
The book follows Birrarung and reveals the beautiful native wildlife that calls the river home. As you turn the pages you will see detailed large double page spreads of illustrations. Children (and adults) can learn about the diverse wildlife who live along the riverbank. Dulai wurrung (platypus) stays hidden in her burrow with newly hatched babies while waa (the crow) flies high in the sky calling out with his brothers. The book contains a glossary, with Woiwurrung words, which are included in the English text.
Click here to watch the book being read online:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jm2YhpsECX0
Please note: Melbourne Child Development is in no way affiliated with this book and we do not receive any financial incentive to promote it (we just love this book!).
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Mr. Potato Head is a fun and exciting game that many of us will remember from our own childhood! This toy is a fan favourite and is a priceless resource in any Speech Pathologist’s toolbox.
Some fun ways to use Mr. Potato Head:
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Early Language- Vocabulary: Mr. Potato Head is great for learning and labelling parts of the body, clothing, and colours. For example, eyes, nose, shoes, green, etc. It can also be used to learn about the function of body parts and clothing e.g. “what do we smell with?”, “what do we put on our feet before we go outside?”
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Early Language- Pronouns: Pronouns are words like he, she, his, hers, etc. For example, make two potato heads- labelling one a girl and one a boy and take turns deciding what each would like e.g. “she wants the purple lips!”, “he wants the orange shoes!”. You can also ask questions: “who has orange shoes?... he does.”
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Social Skills- Whole Body Listening: Mr. Potato Head is helpful for teaching children how they can listen with their whole body. For example: “Mr. Potato head uses his ears to listen to me, he keeps his arms resting by his sides and uses his eyes to look at me”.
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Early Language- Prepositions: Prepositions are words that describe location e.g. under, on, next to. Hide Mr. Potato Head pieces around the room and find where the parts have been placed: for example, “next to the door” or “on the table”.
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Following Directions: Focus on following directions using the language first, next, last etc. For example, “First put the hat on, then put the ears on.”
The best part about the game is that it can be learnt while playing and does not require a huge explanation. My clients request to play this game often!
This game can be purchased online here or at many good toy stores.
Please note: Melbourne Child Development is in no way affiliated with this resource and we do not receive any financial incentive to promote it (we just love it!).
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I want my child to still feel connected to their extended family and friends even in times of isolation and distance.
What can I do to support my children?
Belonging and love are two vital elements to developing a child’s emotional security.
Family affection and quality relationships help to feed this need and children learn that their world is safe because they belong and are deeply loved. Many of us, including our children, have been experiencing high levels of anxiety and uncertainty whilst we discover a new way to live. It has been a whirlwind of a past few months, with families learning to homeschool their children and somehow continue to juggle work demands. Many of our families have continued to provide for their children’s needs including nutritious food, clean clothes and a warm bed and now, even a homeschool education; but perhaps more easily pushed to the side has been fostering their child’s emotional security.
Challenging times and changes in routines can bring about big emotions, which, in turn, can contribute to difficult behaviours. It can be hard when our tolerance and patience are low to be able to understand why our children may be behaving in challenging ways that push our buttons more than usual. Our children’s patience and tolerance are also likely to be low, and they may be having big reactions to small problems that they usually would have been able to manage.
It is important during these times to remember that our children’s behaviour is their way of communicating. During moments of difficult behaviours (e.g.: outbursts, tantrums, meltdowns and defiance or attitude) I encourage you to take some time to consider, “What is my child trying to tell me?”. Whilst it is tempting to jump right into problem-solving mode, sometimes it is important to remember connection before correction, and view your child’s emotional expressions as a chance to connect, learn and grow together.
The process is called emotion coaching and involves 5 key steps:
READ MORE (links to our website)
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Often, we take fine-motor-skills for granted, especially living in a world full of technology, where these skills can sometimes appear to be irrelevant. However, let us not forget that fine-motor-skills are needed even for typing.
Fine-Motor-Skills are needed everywhere from play, to self-care skills, using cutlery, turning pages, using scissors, drawing, and handwriting.
Handwriting itself is a complex process as it involves the ability to form letters with consistent letter size, proportion and spacing so that others can read words and sentences. However, there are countless fine-motor-skills that are prerequisites before a child even picks up a pencil or pen.
4 of the key necessary skills are:
READ MORE (links to our website)
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