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Learning Through Play with Young Academics 🛝 Wiggle Talk - The Wiggles Podcast for Parents 🎧 | Wiggle Talk - The Wiggles Podcast for Parents | YouTubeToText
YouTube Transcript: Learning Through Play with Young Academics 🛝 Wiggle Talk - The Wiggles Podcast for Parents 🎧
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Core Theme
This podcast episode of "Wiggle Talk" emphasizes that play is fundamental to a child's learning and development, exploring various types of play, their benefits, and how parents can foster these experiences at home, with a special focus on managing risk and transitions.
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hello and welcome to Wiggle talk a
podcast for parents each week we dive
into topics that matter most to parents
of young children I'm Simon price the
red wiggle and you're 6'4 thank you Loy
and I'm Loy Gillespie the purple wiggle
and we have blue wiggle Anthony in
studio with us today and I'm only about
6 foot but here's the thing uh we're
talking about play today and I remember
going through University and play is the most
most
important it's a big big it's a big word
it's all encompassing it's a little word
but it's all encompassing and that is
plays where children learn the most I me
there's all types of play and I'm sure
our experts going to talk about all the
different types of play some of them
challenge people like um if someone's
very neat like I'm not saying it's you
you get into messy play and things like
that like it's going to be great talking
to our expert about all the different
types of play it's so exciting and
children learn so much from play and you
Anthony have been messy playing your whole
whole
life so true mate so true oh we'll be
great to have you in this chat Anthony
because you know you you started your
career at a at
likeo and and uh I I still remember all
all the wonderful challenges uh you know
when you have a a class full of you know
23 year olds and um and the fun and
Adventures that can happen the mishaps
and uh uh but it's all play based and um
and they are learning and I think uh
parents out there have got got to
understand that too that they're not
just playing they're learning yeah you
know it is where the magic happens and
you know they're running around or
building and creating and just being
their Wiggly Little selves but the
incredible thing is as you just said
through all the giggling and Chaos it it
isn't just a break from learning it it
it is learning that's right mate yeah I
think that's that's such an important
part of this isn't it to know for a
child at a young age that play is
learning Y and it's not about your one
123s and your ABCs that's it you know
and that's a really thing a great thing
I think for parents to remember that
your children are learning just through
play and we've got some help to explore
this topic we're joined by Jenny Gaffney
the director of operations at Young
academics Early Learning Centers they
create fun and engaging learning spaces
for children across Sydney Jenny's going
to share why different kinds of play are
so important for our children and how we
can bring some of that fun into our
homes as well Simon I saw a social media
post where ash was dressed as Spider-Man
but it seemed like you and Lauren were
having more fun than Asher yeah we were
instructed to dress up now I luren was
Elsa from Frozen so was Spider-Man
Lauren was Elsa and now I don't know if
I got this performance across but I was
dressed up as Anna from Frozen but I was
actually Rhino from Spider-Man
disguised Anna that is brilliant I was
the bad guy yeah yeah there you go but
yeah yeah we had a lot of
fun well let's get into it well Janie
welcome to Wiggle talk today we're we're
talking about the role of play and
learning but you're from Young academics
would you just love to tell our audience
about young academics first yeah well
first of all thanks for having me I'm
I'm pleased to be here um young
academics is a uh privately owned Early
Learning business we currently have 37
um Services across Sydney um we employ
approximately a thousand Educators in
our business um and we cater for
thousands of families a day um in all of
our learning environments so you haven't
got a lot going on no it's pretty quiet
where I work that's amazing that's
fantastic and well a lot of what you do
then is about we're talking about play
within your Learning Centers um and so
you have free play structured play uh
are the the benefits of both I'm
assuming absolutely balance of
everything um I think free play is a
misunderstood term Yeah by families in
in our sector um free play is still
intentional from an Educator's
perspective so okay whilst you might
look at a classroom environment and
there's toys their educational toys or
resources um but the Educators have put
them out with intent for learning um and
that intent could be linked to a group
of children or an individual
child so um so for example you may walk
into a classroom and see an art Table
and there may only be red paint um now
obviously the child's exposed to the
color red and so most people would think
oh you're learning about the color red
today the Educator's intent might be
that little Johnny is having trouble making
making
friends and so the teacher has set up a
painting experience on a table with two
chairs and red
paint and so the teacher will invite
another uh child to come and sit with
little Johnny and therefore encourage
them to have a conversation so my
teaching intent was socialization okay
but they're also exposed to un learning
the color red right so painting is kind
of the distraction for them to get
together to to engage we would and I
tell me if I'm wrong the old days we'd
call that parallel play correct y y um
there's also you set up dramatic play
wow tell me that is dramatic play still
great oh absolutely dramatic play is one
of the hot spots in the learning
environment what what's what's dramatic
play uh dramatic play is just uh
providing resources to children or
opportunities so for example you might
bring in old computer keyboards and an
old computer screen and set up an office
environment and so the children are then
being Mom or Dad mom or dad at work um
and there's a lot of learning that goes
on in that in that space on on all
levels across all domains but also
they're um copying what they're seeing
in real life jny the young academic
teachers do they ever uh uh do a guided
dramatic play where oh drama yeah with
drama like is that [Music]
[Music]
always well Christmas concerts maybe
well well where where you take uh uh you
you do this group activity where um you
know you you've asked the child where do
they want to go today we're going to the
Moon okay and um okay robot put on your
space suits what else do we need and and
you guide it and they take you
everywhere and um that's a lot of fun
some some really inspirational Educators
would definitely be engaging in that but
not everybody's got that great
imagination to do that but um we've we
do projects a lot in our services as
well so one service recently did a
project on space and the children made
this most amazing space station in their
classroom out of a whole range of
resources and that became part of their
dramatic play space for probably two
months before the children Chang to on
so the Educators then used that play
Space Station to then do other learning
opportunities for the children and
extend on that learning it was just
amazing and actually they also had a
farmyard set up as well and they had
like made all these cows with little
glove utters and you know like just
amazing yeah what what is uh tell me
about cooperative play yeah so it's
interesting because uh the six stages of
play obviously go across the age
progressions and developmental um
abilities of the children but a
cooperative play is the final stage yeah
because the younger get centc so that's
right so so before cooperative play is
assertive play and H sorry not assertive
associate play um which is really from
that 3 to um six-year old age range and
then corpor play comes in from 4 to 6
and again it's independent on dependent
on each child's um transitions through
those stages but really if we're
expecting children to play nicely
together it's really not happening in
that early learning space until they're
four maybe five and so our role in that
is to make sure that there's resources
and opportunities for children to be
involved in solitary play which is
they're playing on their own or parallel
play where they're playing next to
somebody but they're not actually
playing together um uh and then um then
they start to work together and have a
common goal in cooperative play so until
they're on a common goal they're going
to fight over the choice you you might
see that with with h boys or girls um
working on blocks that that's cor replay
when they work together get to make the
big building and then of course someone
crashes it over that's right that's the
child in solitary Play Just knocks it
down does that um uh coincide with the
friendships as as well then absolutely
so friendships really don't start
forming till they're a little bit older
yeah because they well yeah they kind of
have colleagues I suppose yeah or their
little mate that they hang out with all
the time because they've got a common
interest maybe yeah but the cooperative
play and and you know play with purpose
um is is really not something that they
can do until they're older um back when
I was teaching we used to call
cooperative play games with rules and
that's where you could actually sit back
and and say to the children okay we're
going to play D duck
goose um an oldie but a goodie um and
you know expecting a 2-year-old to
follow the rules of duck duck goose is
UN it's not developmentally appropriate
um so you wouldn't introduce that but
you would expose those younger children
to that game because they're seeing it
and they're learning from it so then
eventually when they're ready to do
games with rules they understand the
concept what what you saying that there
which is the developmental approach
which parents can use which is like um
looking at the 2-year-old and saying
well I can't put the child in the
swimming pool by themselves because of
course it's safety
concerns they're not ready for it and as
parents there there are a lot of uh I
guess you go out into the playgrounds uh
this at the local park yeah and they
they're built for 10 year olds 12 year
olds 8y olds um not necessarily for the
three-year-old so how do he go about
when you're a parent and you're you're
not uh a young academic teacher yeah um
how do you go knowing or trying to work
out what's appropriate for my child or
what's too advanced how do you what does
a parent do when they go yeah I think um
that's a really good point I think the
the community playgrounds are a a
different Beast because they are built
for all ages everyone yeah um and if we
talk about risky play you know you don't
want to set your two-year-old free in a
community playground that's got a huge
big climbing net in it because that's
not safe for that child but in an early
learning service our playgrounds are
designed with the strin standards for
Early Childhood Services so exposing
children and to risk at our services is
um easier for us to do than for families
in the community space yeah um I think
fear holds a lot of families back from
letting their children
explore um because we don't want to hurt
our children but if we don't allow them
to test the waters and to practice
climbing and
falling uh then we're stunting their
learning so yeah it's hard to find line
is it yeah it is Asher has really a
little bit more now but particularly
when he's younger no fear because he
didn't understand the consequence so you
know that term helicopter pairing or all
that kind you know I've kind of felt was
that because I just couldn't afford to
allow him to in know in a we're talking
about a community playground really
experienced that fall cuz he was really
going to hurt himself absolutely so you
feel like you kind of where you see
other children of similar age where the
parents are sitting back on their phones
don't really engaging in there you think
you know I'm more worried about other
people's children as well as my own I'm
like that I'm like a hawk I'm looking at
every but I think it's the um assessing
the risk right as a parent is the first
thing and understanding what it is that
comfortable to let your child experience
in that environment but also the way we
question children can even if you are
feeling like you're a helicopter parent
because you're there as the safety net
to catch if he falls if you question
your child around the decisions he's
making when he's climbing that empowers
him to think about am I safe and what am
I going to do next so instead of saying
don't go too high you'll
fall you'll you might say something like
um have you thought about how high you
might like to go okay right or if
they're paused at a point you might say
I wonder where your next foot's going to
go like you know what I mean so you can
you can help them think
through that even though boys are pretty
fast and they're probably at the top of
the climbing net by now but you can
encourage them to think safety and to
take risk but still feel like you're
there to support them if you need to
yeah how are you with that
Anthony I I you know I actually suffer
from anxiety and one of the anxiety
I have and the guys with my my poor
children um is I I think every time a
child's going to play something they got
to break their leg they're going to do
so I uh Mickey my wife worked out that
when we go to a playground leave Anthony
at home I have to I have to walk away
and the children are great now because
they're not but I but the worst thing
about me was I would extend that to
other children at the play and sometimes
I'd say to the parent oh look maybe you
shouldn't be and I just had to go I it
understand I have I have a fear of water
um and uh it's a really unrealistic fear
I can't even walk out on a WF right and
I'm getting better now y I have anxiety
as well um but my fear of swimming pools
and drowning and the beach um has
impacted my child's development because
I have have been over dramatic and my
son my youngest son's 15 and he went to
the beach a couple weekends ago with his m
m
and I can't let him go without reading
him all of the rules that are in my head
for what you do when you go to the beach
and he just sits there and he looks at
me and he's like Mom I know and I'm like
I have to say it yeah because I have to
make sure that you're safe so there are
there's there's risk and there's Hazard
y right so when we have to assess the
risk and the hazard obviously if you're
going to climb up a a large climbing net
there's a risk
there so you going to manage that risk
right it's negotiable we can work out
how to get out of it if we need to the
hazard if the net was ripped you
wouldn't let your child take that risk
right so Hazard and risk are two things
in an early learning environment that we
manage all the time yeah but I think
what you've said there Jenny and what I
recognized in myself okay this is how
how it's over the top for me I can't go
to a shopping center the es
escalators um I look at children on the
escalators not not with the parent
holding their hand yeah and I have to
put my head down and close my eyes
because I'm thinking all the things that
can go wrong and I recognize that in
myself um and sometimes I do say can
you I can't help it U but I recognize
that that it's just I'm a bit over the
top about all that so and you guys have
seen of it do you I do that with Asher
or or every now and then you'll just
scares the
child climbing out of the big red
car so yeah oh yeah on the big red car
on stage I think Lo's going to drive
yeah I just and everybody sees um still
talking about risk but we we have a
multiple array of different sized struct
built structures in our playgrounds and
we have move equipment as well and it's
interesting because um parents uh
understanding of risk or danger is so
different to between parents themselves
so we might have Sandstone edging in our
garden bed right now that provides a
natural safe risk of climbing on
undulating surfaces and negotiating
different heights and you know your your
step treads and all those kind of things
yes if you fall you might split your lip
Okay um
some parents will say I don't want to
enroll in your service because I don't
like the Sandstone edging okay others if
you don't put the Sandstone edging in
will'll say where is where is your
natural environment where are the
children going to take risk and that's
why it's important for parents to choose
a service that that resonates with their
beliefs um you know some of our
structures are quite high in our early
learning environments for the three to
five year olds obviously within
Australian standards um and some parents
won't like that height and that's okay
that's their choice um but we provide
the Environ we make sure that we've got
high supervision points on you know the
end of the slippery dip if it's a high
slippery dip so so and the two-year-olds
wouldn't go up on that they're not
allowed to go so it's a separate
playground so the by Design we've
created a
risk risky safe risky environment yeah
and what about um when uh do you guys at
at the Young academics do you have uh
where you bring in uh where you might
plant um you know a veggie patch or uh
or uh have a pet for a week or what sort
of things do do you yeah so I love
vegetable patches I'm a gardener um I
love gardening love vegetables um
unfortunately you have to have Educators
who have that passion to make it
successful so we have garden beds in all
of our services y um the Educators who
are passionate like me about growing
vegetables and plants we have amazing
and we'll do um you know use the
vegetables out of the garden in the
cooking in the kitchen and and what do
the children do and I know firsthand how
much they love being part of it but so
what do they do what we if you you say
we're going to have a veggie patch what
do they learn what do they do yeah so we
would talk to them about what kind of
vegetables we'd like to eat or what kind
of you know um herbs we'd like to put in
our salads and we might do some research
around that or do some research around
how to plant them what's the best time
to water them in the day and um I'm not
big on irrigation systems in the
childcare services I'm really big on
children having watering cans and having
access to watering the plants um not
just the vegetables but also our
Greenery that we've got um you know your
Lily pillies and all of those kind of
plants um and then it's it's you might
have a vegetable monitor so you're the
person this week that's in charge of
making sure the vegetables get watered
so it gives them a sense of ownership
over the the keeping the plants alive um
and then obviously we
would take the veggies and then cut them
up and eat them do they see the Do The
Children See go from you know seed right
up to the and they understand do you
remember the mung bean do you remember
doing That's a classic intruction to to
how a seed works yeah yeah and that you
could do those at home too absolutely
yeah there's so many things that you can
do with children around um plants um and
to animals we have a couple of services
that have
chickens um again I love chickens I'm
actually chickenless at the moment I've
normally got chickens at my house but um
it's so valuable it teaches children so
many things not just about eggs and
animals and food chains and things like
that but caring for the animals you know
feeding the animals my one of my
chickens was called Fat
Steve was my children were very young
when we had them and um fat Steve was
part of the family um you know he'd come
out of his Coupe and we built a huge big
chicken Co yes but it was pretty big um
and you know my son would get home from
school of an afternoon and what he'd go
out and let the chickens out and carry
Fat Steve around and fat Steve was his
chicken you know so brilant that's I
don't want to ask what happened to Fat
Steve yeah we w't talk about that
actually let me tell you it's a funny
story We went on holidays and my the
neighbors girls looked after the
chickens for us and they had a greyhound
oh no and that Steve dug under the fence
and ended up in the Greyhound's mouth
luckily um the neighbor got it out but
um I got home from holidays and the
little girl next door was jumping on a
trampoline up and down and she's Jenny
Jenny Fat Steve I had a heart
attack and I'm like wait I can see fat
Steve what is she talking about um and
she said that he nearly she was meant
that he nearly had a heart attack
because he ended up in the dog's mouth
it was so cute but um yeah that that it
did die two days
later from stress yeah but anyway well
that's a poor old fat Steve had some
risky play didn't he no it was a
hazardous play that one through the it's
good for parents to be able to model at
home what is happening yeah at preschool
as well right but messy play is a whole
other it is a whole other things it's
messy especially when you're bringing
sand home in your shoes and you children
empty the shoe in the backseat of the
car yeah there's so so many benefits of
messy Play It's if we think of the time
when we were kids you know I remember
being in my backyard and our neighbor
has uh a mury tree and we used to just
get the pots from the kitchen and pull
all the mbes and make mury pies and like
we were just like covered in mury stains
right um obviously you can't do that
every day in um Early Learning but messy
play is um the sensory experience from
the messy play um and the sensory
receptors in your hands and your eyes
and your nose and all of those things
they actually
um obviously impact on your brain growth
and your development right so children
learn through
sensory contact so if you think of a
baby chewing on
a chew toy they're not chewing on it
because they want to chew on it they're
chewing on it because they're exploring
what what is this yeah and they're
learning from that they're receiving
information from that contact and so if
you're exposing children to a range of
different messy play so mud play which
is a favorite of children not from
parents and I respectfully understand
that um and you know you've got um
different slimes that we use with the
children which you know are not going to
stay in the bucket when you're having
slime play it actually really um
encourages children's um cognitive
development messy play start from quite
a young age babies okay it's interesting
when I work with um developers of
childcare services when we're doing new
builds and they never put a craft sink
in the nursery room and I said to them
why do you not put a craft ink in the
nursery room and it goes babies don't
paint I'm like hell yeah they do um so
they do if you when they
eat it that's sensory that's a whole lot
of information texture feel
smell everything um so it's it's messy
and parents can prepare for messy play
especially if they're sending their
children to care send them in old
clothes send them in the beautiful dress
that grandma gave them that's practical
and pack extra clothes and be prepared
for them to get dirty because if your
child's coming home dirty they've
actually had a really great day yeah
I've only just learned to do cold wash
because it doesn't set the stains yay
well done a warm wash what does it do
warm wash which are you just is normal
setting on the machine where it sets the
stains in does that really whereas if
you do a cold wash gee I would have
thought the opposite I thought so would
I I did it for quite a while well done
lucky we we've noticed such a dramatic
uh lift in the girls creativity since
going to their their Center up in up in
Brisbane but it's it's so nice but it it
it is messy like they love painting the
other day they literally filled it
entire bowl with paint from the bottle
but you see how much they get out of it
yeah how creative they are from the
play at preschool that they bring home
so it is so good for them it is so good
for them and um getting them involved in
in all aspects of play asking them what
do you want to play with today goop is
their favorite thing I don't know if
you've ever made goop before but goop is
their favorite thing to play because
it's like um corn flour with water and
you get it to a certain texture and it
stays like solid piece okay but if you
then break off the corner of it it melts
so you're changing a solid to a liquid
and then it going back to a solid all
just because you've you know so get my
head around so much learning that goes
on with sensory play right and it's not
it's not a a it's not an outcome driven
activity so by that I mean you're not
like a puzzle is an outcome driven
activity you you complete the puzzle
your activity is finished messy play is
open-ended and will last for as long as
the child wants to stay engaged with
that that messy play are you a a clay
person or a Play-Doh person um they they
have both have
a um depends what I'm making now um it
they both have a place because Clay is a
different texture it is yeah um it's
harder to work with than Playdoh so
again for a fine motor skill experience
it's strengthening more strengthening
for you the muscles in your fingers it's
more preparation for the teacher more
preparation for the teacher yeah um one
I one that I don't like is plasticine y
i find plasticine is too hard for
children to successfully play with they
give up too quickly in my experience
yeah because it's really hard um yeah so
we have we have a general rule at Young
academics you have to have Playdoh in
every classroom every day oh great you
have to have it like non-negotiable we
call it um Captain feathers sword Paul
Paddock um he is very uh ordered in his
life and he and I hope he doesn't mind
me saying this he's here today I'm sure
he will um he's he wouldn't let his son
mix the Play-Doh colors my sister was
the same my sister was the same the
first thing they
do I'm like cuz my nephews came to my
house right cuz my children grew up with
their nephews are very close and my
nephews at my house and they're like
they call me Anie peny they're like Anie
peny are we allowed to mix the colors
and I'm like of course that's the whole
point no my sister would never let them
mix it after the podcast let's go talk
to C I let that go as well all play no
well yes but no I've let it go because
there was no point do you make your own
Play-Doh no we don't hard to get the SC
all Playdoh Brown in the end is get
mixed together it's that greeny brown
color and then you leave the lid off and
it dries out fls everywhere and causes a
massive mess around the lro and I'm fine
with that but but but it is there's so
much learning if you do combine children
are what learning all about you know but
yeah so very much on the on the captain
feather sword yes but I did I did let it
go I didn't stop my child's learning
yeah with um with the girls are four
that you know with the messy play and
and at home but at also at the centers
and I don't know this but is there an
age which you can I love the mess I love
the tiny tiny Bits of Paper that they've
cut up into a million pieces but is
there a point that you can encourage
that but then also encourage the cleanup
oh 100% is that an important lesson do
you do that in the centers too so yes so
absolutely children need should be
taught from a very early age to
contribute to to cleaning up so where
you have pack up songs for example um so
when it's time to transition to another
part of the program it's right we sing a
transition song um or a pack up song
Sorry and all the children have to
participate in in the cleanup um we
reset learning environments as well so
that if we're going to go outside when
we come back inside it's nice nice and
ordered and clean and we can we can get
back to work again without having to be
in a mess all day Childcare Services get
messy don't get me wrong you are walking
at any given day and there'll be toys
all over the floor resources blocks Lego
but once we finished with that session
we reset we pack away but definitely um
and of course asking for for them to
help is all has to be age appropriate so
for for the little I like I know can
visualize a little pieces of paper that
you're talking about absolutely get the
dust pan and broom and you help them
sweep it up they can help you it up yeah
but then recycle that don't put it in
the bin put it into a little tuab and
then they can use that
forever as a teacher you you put out
different environments you change those
environments every week or every day
whatever you you know as as parents um
it might be a good tip to remember um
that you can sit you know while the
child asleep and they wake up the next
day they walk down and if you change
something in the house uh it can really
stimulate uh all sorts of language and
uh different play absolutely yeah often
we have a toy box in our home and has
all of the children's toys in it um it's
a good idea to take some of those toys
away and then limit the choice because
if it's overwhelming for a child to look
into this big big tub of toys and go I
don't know what I want to play with
today if you limit it and then you
reintroduce the toys so it's like it it
reinig durat more thinking and more
learning or a new creative idea
yeah yeah someone explained to me once
because I mean Ash's got a lot of toys
you think we' think we'd have four kids
all the same age but um someone said to
me once you take them away store them in
the garage or something and then pretend
that's the shop and then you take your
child down to the shop and you go choose
another toy and you take one so do that
process because yeah we need to do we
need to declutter to the other thing as
well is um like children being outside
and being creative like my boys um were
always outside boys like they would
never be in the house playing they were
always outside um and
just knowing that they've got access to
use materials around the house I
remember I came home from work one day
in my um eight or nine it must have been
eight or nine at the time um was in the
backyard with a hammer and nail and he
was building a bird house a bird Hotel
I'm sorry it wasn't a house it was a
hotel he corrected me it had several
levels on it now his confidence in being
able to make that bird house with nails
and a hammer was because he'd been
exposed to risky
play um and today I can come home from
work and he's in the garage building a
skate ramp right W that's brilliant um
so exposure and giving children
opportunities to follow their ideas and
be creative and not saying no don't use
the nail and don't use the hammer um you
know when I was started teaching we had
um the uh workshops the do you remember
the big old workbenches with the Vice on
them yeah um and we use real Hammers and
real nails but we don't do that anymore
because it's considered to be too
dangerous but I guess under supervision
at home with your parent then that's
something you can do absolutely yeah and
I've got photos of um when my children
were little building guinea pig huts and
chicken coops and things like that and
vegetable gardens vegetable gardens um
and so they know how to use those tools
because they've been experienced I do
remember coming home day my son was
using the
um um what do you call it
it
Chainsaw the dropsa uh I can't remember
what no the grinder it was the grinder
and I said to him okay that one's
probably just a little bit dangerous
like don't use that until we get home
from work you know what about the uh the
challenge at the preschool or at home
with the digital play how do you is
there a place for children to be on an
iPad or learn about the world or so we
do we do use um technology for learning
yeah um but it's not an open um slather
of opportunity to to for children to
have access to the iPad um we might use
it for research purposes that will help
guide our program with the children um
and in the home environment uh it's
really important to have limits um and
time frames um and I know it's easy I've
done it many times I mean my children
used to be sitting in front of the TV
watching The Wiggles when I was cooking
dinner cuz you sometimes you need that
right that's reality um but if you
establish rules with children about when
they're allowed to have access to the
iPad in the home um what they're allowed
to watch on the iPad and when it's time
to give it up it's
non-negotiable because I know a lot of
parents struggle with oh they're going
to have a tantrum so I'm just going to
let them keep it so as long as the
children know it's a non-negotiable when
your time's up your time's up you might
have set on that iPod a timer that gives
you a a 5 minute a 3 minute a one minute
warning that it's time to hand it back
because children are never going to uh
not want to be on it longer than yeah
that's right there's a direct link
between that now and then how much
longer it takes them to then get back
into play I think whereas if you there
is just isn't that the play just starts
and it's from the moment they wake up as
opposed to that's right and it's not
it's not a decision that they can have
to go and watch that it's not going to
enter their mind um you know
the most creative child is the boor
child Sor it's the Bor you know your
children come up to you and say I'm so
bored I'm so bored it's like great
you've got so many choices in your life
why don't you go outside and find
something to do yeah right because
they're wanting they want wanting
instant gratification or instant
activity or you know so I used to say
that to my children all the time you're
Bor amazing go outside find something to
do yeah that's a um it's a real Ro uh
it's an answer a lot of children give
their parents uh you know cuz they're
used to the high stimulation right
children need to be by themselves they
need to have quiet time to think yeah
yeah yeah well done yeah I mean I love
nothing more than hearing Asher with his
own little stories in his playroom you
know playing and probably talking to a
Steve so that's his own individual play
his own imagination but then um the
benefits in of in your environment the
group play yeah that huge benefits right
with children at a certain age after
parallel play where they get to a
certain age that they're in groups and
they're playing together yeah absolutely
and we set up our environments to um
both reduce opportunity for conflict so
we might have um two prams in the home
Corner section because we know that the
children in that age group aren't able
to share yet so we provide to but then
we support the children to negotiate
when they want to have a turn in the two
us um and so that's where we start to
introduce the skills that they need for
group play and um cooperative play um
and then the other thing that we do as
well is we challenge them so um one of
my staff gave us a great example the
other day of we might have Playdoh on
the table and we might have two Play-Doh
rollers and we might have four
chairs okay so that's a
deliberate intention instead of putting
four right but if it was the
two-year-old classroom I would put four
M yep because I'm not expecting them to
be patient and wait for a turn right so
everything is done with intent to either
provide opportunities or
challenge it's very hard for a a adult
to share sometimes let alone a child so
sometimes we we expect children to do
things that we're not doing ourselves
like you know what what sort of uh you
know that that's Dad's whatever it is
that you can't touch it that you expect
I'll share that with so there's a lot
the same with expecting children to all
sit down for group time at the same time
that you've got children who are not
able to not interested in the topic I
didn't want to sit down and listen to
some people talk sometimes why should we
make children do that so children should
have Choice as much as possible there
are things they have to do um you know
you have to have your lunch or you know
that kind of stuff but where they've got
choice they should have Choice do you
provide meals at yeah we do yeah all
meals five meals a
day by cooked by a chef yeah yeah that's
fantastic yeah yeah and um the children
do they this is going to sound crazy but
do they know what they're eating um they
know what they like yeah so we we have
our um menus been designed by a
dietician yeah um and I love it it's
it's so unique we have what we call
switch out menus so we have um obviously
a range of cultural um cultures across
all of our services across Sydney so the
menu has been designed that you can
switch out if you're not um serving pork
or beef or whatever you can switch it
out to a a menu that's still providing
the same nutritional outcome for the
children in that week right um and so we
can also use that to tailor it to the S
of the likes of the children in the
service yeah um a lot of our kitchens as
well the children can see the Chef
cooking oh that's great yeah we talk to
them about the meals that we've gotten
um whether they like it whether they
don't like it um we yeah so they I don't
know if they all know exactly what every
single piece of meat is in in their menu
but they know what they like and they
tell us what they don't like oh that's
really good and we change the menu
accordingly yeah yeah that's awesome how
do they learn about like what they're
eaing all that sort of thing of where it
comes from does does that happen yeah it
does we have um as I said chefs across
our services um and we have they often
get involved in the education program
with the children so Jordan from our
West m center um runs a program a a
cooking program with the children um she
also attends our param Center as well um
and so she spends time talking to the
children about the food um doing cooking
experiences with them um and also
talking about the nutritional value of
the food that the children are eating
wellow is she on U
eats it's you know it's interesting when
you first walk into a service the first
thing that you smell is what the chefs
are cooking for lunch right you feel
that and that gives you an instant sense
of wow like my children are having an
amazing meal in this service today and
it having the chefs on site it actually
then um makes the children hungrier
because they're smelling the food being
cooked and do the children ever work
together with the chef to make food that
they actually will eat eat yes yes we do
yeah so they might make cakes or they
might make the salad um yeah so they and
did they learn about you know the
hygiene and all that sort stuff
absolutely wash your hands now you
touched your hair go wash your hands
again yeah Y definely and and do you if
a a child says they're not hungry do you
keep trying encouraging to eat or you
just allow them to eat whatever they're
willing to eat we yeah that's right so
we give them Choice our meals aren't all like
like
um mixed in walk kind of scenario we try
to keep the food a little bit separate
they don't it mixed yeah they don't like
it mixed and and then that way if if I'm
serving a mixed bowl of stir fry and you
don't like the noodles then you're not
going to eat any much but if I serve the
noodles and then I serve the meat and
then I serve the vegetables and you can
selfs serve your food and you can choose
which pie of that you eat that's more
successful we also will um if the
child's still not hungry we'll keep them
a serve that they can have later yeah
okay uh the etiquette of eating uh
manners and all that sort of stuff how
are you how do you set uh how a child or
how the table is uh works and what
expectations do you have of children um
with the with the eating and so my my
biggest thing is really around the
social aspect of meal times for me I get
frustrated if I hear Educators say to
Children stop talking and eat your lunch
because I'm like no eating is a social
in Social space like we should be
encouraging these conversations doesn't
matter if it takes an extra 20 minutes
to have lunch Educators should be
sitting with the children and
encouraging conversations in terms of
the etiquette you know using a spoon we
just encourage children we provide them
with the tools if they choose to use
them they do if they use their fingers
they use their fingers right no that's
good yeah yeah at home of course you can
you can cooking experience with your
children is is something that that is a
great bonding experience that's messy
play as well there also a lot of
mathematics and Mathematics language
it's it's and and at the end you get
something a reward which is to eat that
food that you help Mom or Dad cook yeah
it's great because you can get Asha has
the the child siiz utensils the whisks
and the things so if we're making
pancakes he's got his own bowl of flour
water you know so part of it and we have
um plumbed in mud kitchens in our sand
pits okay so the children absolutely
love them because they're out there
pizzas at home I'm sort of changing the
top back to play again at home with play
if we were talking about I'm going back
to Messi play because I F I'm I'm I like
Asher doing it I mean we've got a table
out there where he paints on and after
he' paint the first few times i' wipe it
down and be spark and clean again and
now it's just a total mess until the
other day he said dad why is there so
much paint on this table oh that's funny
yeah right I M I'll clean it but um is
it is it good to have an envir like an
area like where that's that's where your
messy play area is that's where abely
yeah and if you're prepared to leave
that area messy um in between play
sessions and it not be perfectly spot
clean then that's the best way to do it
glitter is the worst thing to clean up
oh oh so oh I remember once I was um
making paint um liquid water paint um
edol die and um it's like one little
piece of powder feels like a whole
bucket of Blue Water right I dropped the
whole thing on the floor in the
preschool room it took me hours and
hours to clean like right this is now
the Craft
Space let's move the craft area to here
because this is now going to be a
permanent mess that we're just going to
have to deal with and not all uh not all
paints waterbased either I discovered uh
right which is
good I mean I think it's great for for
parents to be able to of course
Implement all these levels of implement
all these levels of play at home and
it's not always
possible you're making dinners you're
doing all kinds of things and so that's
where the beauty of like your Learning
Centers um in all preschools come into
play where you do that's right take some
of that load absolutely and there's
nothing wrong with that like and and
that's what's one great thing about
coming to Early Learning is that you can
have your child experience AR range of
things that you can't deliver at home um
and you know not every body's got the
space to do craft at their house you
know you might live in a unit and you
don't have the space for that and so
that's why having it available at the
service is important do you have um a
policy on uh pretend gun play things
like that um we don't have a policy on
it um it's if pretend Gunplay comes in
it's it's discouraged but it's not a
it's not a big red no um but it's not
also something that we encourage yeah
because guns are guns are real guns it
is reality and hiding the fact that
they're in society from children is not
useful because then when they get
exposed to them but what um Can
preschool children bring in a toy gun no
no they can't no but if they were um
they had sticks and scks yes then we
would discourage that and say hey how
about we how about we turn that into I
don't know something a kite or something
put a bit of string on and turn into a
kite yeah yeah that that's an
interesting point that yeah they are
part of the world and and through play
children learn about their world um we
don't we don't buy um cowboy and Indian
costumes or anything like that so yeah
yeah yeah I remember when I was teaching
we had a policy no guns no and the kids
still did it they did they got natural
part of and then you'd ask them they say
no not that's right but you go bang bang
bang you know yeah and and you just just
have to have real conversations yeah
conversations and the bigger deal you
make out of it then the bigger deal the
children will make out of it yeah right
yeah it's the the superhero thing is a
big thing too isn't it I mean that's
we're in the superhero Zone yeah and
that's a lot of superhero play happens
at and and superheroes invariably fight
yeah but they're always against the
baddies so that's kind of it's always
framed that way but if if uh superhero
is fighting another superhero and it
actually they start does that happen or
not well it hasn't got to that point
with Ash he doesn't talk about it in
that sense they run they they chase the
bad or they chase the Badd away not
actually fight the the bad yeah agree
with that bad guy the bad guy the bad
guy um yeah I agree with that I think
it's usually that and actually that's
when you'll see two people come together
in yeah to to play with a purpose right
they're going after the the bad but uh
in my experience they're not hitting
each other or no no yeah when um Power
Rangers when the Power Rangers were out
um my preschool was like um world
championship wrestling it
was we had to so yeah that's all I was
watching on telling you know yeah very
true well it's good I mean look I think
there are a lot of learnings as parents
with regards to risky play to know that
there there are boundaries around it but
it is important to allow some of that
risk because that's how development
happens and and like your your son who's
now you know in the garage hammering
things and Building Things and that's
really important so there there are ways
but as parents we do need to manage that
as best as we can and thankfully have uh
centers like yours who kind of help us
as parents manage it all and the messy
play and all the stuff that we can't
always do we want to do as parents but
you just don't physically have the time
to do and like you're saying all the
space so it's it's great Jenny talking
to you yeah man about all these levels
of play and and and and really good for
us as parents to think about other ways
we can do things so thank coming thanks
time well that time again our favorite
blue wiggle Anthony field is here with
us now Anthony you're ready to tackle
another parenting question um I'll do my
best Simon I don't know mate I hope so
well here it comes now this one was
submitted by a voice note which anyone
can do by jumping on The Wiggles decom
podcast and hitting record so let's take a
a
listen hi Anthony it's Gemma here from
Melbourne I have two daughters Maddie
who is 2 and a half and Claire who is 5
months old I was wondering if you had
any tips for overcoming the concept of
one more whether it's one more book at
bedtime one more song before you go to
sleep one more minute at the park seems
like a bit of a procrastination tool
that the kids use to not do something
they don't want to but if you've got any
tools to help overcome them asking for
one more I would be most appreciative
thank you so much big Wiggles fan love
love your stuff bye oh good on you J
that that's that's a a really good
question because that happens all the
time um if they're in the swimming pool
just one more um if they're you know
watching a show just one more you know
episode or one more that goes on that
doesn't end at um preschool that goes
for the rest Just One More Story at at
night time have you guys experienced oh
yeah that's constant everything a negotiation
negotiation
everything's you're trying to set up
early to go okay we've got two books and
then it's bedtime you're trying to set
it all up and still I want one more I
want more one more and the and you know
you don't want that meltdown to happen
do you so you no a lot of times you give
in but you need to stay firm it's such a
tricky tricky tricky thing to deal with
yeah I it's um it's it's something that
um parents uh have got to really uh set
a boundary and stick to it and your
words got to be right okay um One More
Story okay we'll do one more story and
that's it that has to be it and then
it's time for bedtime or you know we'll
do one more um one more song um but
we'll make it a real special song and
we'll end with a lovely uh Slow Soft
ending all about you going to bed
something like that or um you might like
to throw a reward in at the end of it
I'm not talking you know a food reward
yeah like you you get to um uh choose
the the the story you know it's the last
story but you can choose which one it is
and that's it and you can close the book
um things things like that that um that
have a have a finality to it you know um
uh okay um one more Splash around in the
pool and then you can come up and you
can choose which towel you want to use
or you know things that might work or
may not work but you've got to try
yeah giving giving Children Choice it's
something that uh Jen mure has spoken
about as well when you know you're going
to deal potentially with that meltdown
is if you you stay firm they say for one
more you said no we've had one more and
then they get upset then you have then
you acknowledge you go okay I understand
you're upset because you wanted one more
we we can't do that now because it's
time for bed but we can do one more
tomorrow or we can you choose the book
you want to do tomorrow so
acknowledge yeah acknowledge their
feeling big emotion about it and
hopefully then you can move through it
while you're still staying firm that
you've you you've cut off and it's it's
the end now if if it if you're at a um
it one more can be also be um you I've
got I bought my little boy a toy at the
um at the supermarket a little a car and
I remember Anto once going one more one
more one more and I said andto we can we
can't we've only got one we've only got
space for one but he had a meltdown and
and I still had to stick to that or you
know one more time on the big red car
ride at the at the supermarket that's
when it's going to happen but you've got
to stick to you yeah I mean I don't know
if this is right what we do or not but
we Sorry mate you're
right like I don't know if this is right
what we do or not but with those rides
for example with with one more always
set it up early I say okay we're going
to have you know two goes or whatever it
is but when I say to you it's time to
finish what are you going to say to to
me and Asher will go I'll finish I'll go
okay so when it's that time I'm going to
say to you Asha we're finishing now it's
time to go and what are you going to say
Daddy I'll go and does he do it a lot of
the time now so I just set it up early I
explained how many times how many books
how many things and that that's going to
be the end of it and he gives me the
response about what he's pre- response
to it and it seems to work now I don't
know any other experts going to say
about that really good that's that's
that's thinking head to the transition
of the the right ending and going back
to um you know walking around the
supermarket without without the ride and
um you you've really you've given him uh
an answer you've given him the response
and he he feels empowered because you're
you're saying but like you need to you
know I think it's a real good uh uh you
negotiation I think yeah have you had
that that happen Lo have you got sort of
a one more one more everything
you got two to start with two more um no
Jasper Still Still does it with with
everything um but I was just thinking
particularly with bedtime and with with
what Jen said but we we tried for a bit
of letting the girls put the book they
wanted to read the one more book next to
the bed y that we can read in the
morning or we can read so then it's
there that which I think then helps them
go okay well that's the one we we will
read but then also I think what's could
work is you know way um then changing
the thought
to about sleep and getting ready and how
nice it will be to get tucked up in your
bed and a big sleep will help you feel
really good in the morning then we all
wake up and I'm just down the hall you
know kind of changing their focus on on
something else might help too yeah with
rather than yeah you know know I know
you want more book let's put it here but
then let's now let's talk about sleep if
that helps too which we' we've tried but
yeah I think that that does help isn't
it it's trying to flip it and change the
focus onto something else which then
takes away from the the one more book
and focusing on something positive
they're going to do tomorrow or the next
thing that they're going to do or and
you know give choice or Alternatives I
think that's also routine if you know
okay one more book okay but you know the
meditation happens after that which
which is you know okay we're going to
have a fun meditation now close your
eyes and let's start dreaming about
whatever you know like well you know you
don't have to say the word medit but but
but you know things like that where
where it is a transition to sleep then
yes so you you You' you've thought ahead
um same thing is what s with with with
Asher on the ride it's if they know this
is the routine yeah accept because one
more book doesn't mean it's the end of
the excitement or you know not
excitement but what what's happening you
know you're making it um there's a
really good thing happening next which
is when we close our eyes and I'm
involved because I can talk to you about
suggesting where you're going in your
dream all that sort of you know yeah and
leaving the park which is what Jim has
mentioned as well that's brilliant
that's a tricky one is that one more
swing yeah well I always I do the on the
if it's on the swing okay 10 more swings
let's count down from 10 to get every
you hear all these parents counting from
five 10 and it's still the results the
same at the end that they they're still
having that negotiation with their child
to leave but I I think it is that it's
it's making them focus on the next thing
y about okay let's ride your bike if
it's a bike along the path because we
got to go down that way around that
corner there to get back to the car or
or or so set up a new little adventure
for them to help sort of change that
Focus for them yeah yeah so you've had
fun on the swing but guess what there's
more fun coming we're going to walk um
this way you know there's um let's look
for kangaroos or you know something like
that you know making if you can and so
how old Jasper's nine yep so still got a
lot of this to work through hav
we and it happens yeah it doesn't stop
no it doesn't stop okay JMA well I'm
sure we've cause you a lot of anxiety
now but I hope we've helped oh Antonio
is 17 and he's one more game see now
comes the games of course always one
more well I hope uh that's giving you
some little uh advice there Jer and
managing it and uh getting through it as
best you can good luck and again as a
parent just know that every parent go
through this it's it's a challenge for
all the parents all over the world so um
all the best with it well that's all for
Wiggle talk this week we'll be back in
your ears next week if you have any
questions for Anthony head to the Wiggles
Wiggles
docomo and record your voice message or
docomo it thanks for listening to Wiggle
talk a podcast for parents bye bye why
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