The way you measure a society’s soul is by the way that it treats its children.
Nelson Mandela
Kidz Newz #177 – 16th December 2019
Welcome to Kidz Newz, especially all new subscribers. Kidz Newz is a regular newsletter with information and teaching tips for anyone involved with young children. You are receiving this because you have attended one of my workshops, purchased a product, or you have requested to be on the mailing list. Thank you. Please forward this to anyone you feel it may be of interest to. Feedback is welcome. Don’t forget to stay in touch on our Facebook Page and watch out for our exclusive fan page competitions.
FREE BOOKS & CDs!
‘Tis the season to be jolly and why wouldn’t you be with free books and CDs? A lot of these have flown out the door and my apologies if my inbox was full and you couldn’t get through. The offer still stands as I still have some stock left. Here are the details again in case you missed it –
KFB Multicultural – FREE!
KFB Scarf Magic Pack – FREE!
KFB Scarf Magic DVD – FREE!
Because you are loyal supporters I am offering you as many of these as you would like. All I ask is that you pay for postage. Please contact me directly via email – info@kidzfizbiz.com – to get these resources.
Let It Go
At this time of year when we can feel somewhat overwhelmed by all our obligations, we often start thinking, or hoping, that next year will be better. I think it is more valuable to just let everything go. Let go of any stress, negativity, hostility or perceived failure during the year and instead let the new year just unfold. You never know what’s around the corner.
That said, it’s not a bad idea to plan for the future while reflecting on the past. The problem with ‘new year’s resolutions’, as such, is that we tend to set ourselves up for failure by setting unrealistic goals. It is said that most people vastly over-estimate what they can achieve in a year but vastly under-estimate what they can achieve in ten years. So think back ten years and look at all that has happened and all that you have achieved. You may think you haven’t done much but think of all the children you have had contact with and how they have benefited from being with you. Not to mention the esteem with which your colleagues hold you. And who did you meet and how did that affect you? A lot happens in ten years, even without births, deaths and marriages.
People find thinking ten years ahead too difficult, which is why they only think one year ahead. I have heard many people say they won’t study because it would have to be part-time and that would take at least six years to complete. They can’t think that far ahead. The years are going to pass anyway so why not have that degree or doctorate or whatever it was at the end of that time? There is actually nothing stopping you other than fear of the unknown.
Now is not the time for such thoughts, however. Now is the time for letting it go. We can’t think straight with too much clutter in our heads. Now is the time for gratitude for the year (we are still alive, after all) and it’s the time for celebration. Whether you perceive the year to have been good or bad it’s done now and we can still learn from the ‘bad’ experiences. Next year is a different thing entirely. It will happen soon enough.
Meantime, I wish you all a wonderful festive season and look forward to hearing from you if you’d like books, or anything else for that matter.
Quotes of the Week
Plan ahead – it wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark. (source unknown)
One hundred years from now, it will not matter what kind of car I drove, what kind of house I lived in, how much money I had in my bank account, or what my clothes looked like. But one hundred years from now, the world may be a little better because I was important in the life of a child. Anonymous
Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck. Dalai Lama
Don’t be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of. One man gets only a week’s value out of a year while another man gets a full year’s value out of a week. Charles Dow Richards
Testimonials
ASME Summer School 2018 – What was the most important thing you learned today?
The Maori song.
The incorporation of other languages in Early Childhood.
Simple and consistent activities are most effective.
Scarves and layered learning with them.
Songs and skills for ECE setting.
How to use music and movement to teach the whole child.
Hands-on activities, use of scarves, use of other languages.
How to use the equipment in the classroom and where to source it.
Lots of new ideas.
French song about the Little Black Cat. Good refresher as I’ve done Marlene’s session before.
Actions to songs and language songs and how it helps motor development.
A range of physical/movement activities and new songs.
Entertainment
The Magician
A magician working on a cruise ship had been doing the same routine every night for a year or so. The audience appreciated him, and they changed often enough so that he didn’t have to worry too much about new tricks.
However, a parrot sat in the back row and watched him night after night, and finally figured out how the tricks worked. When the magician make a bouquet of flowers disappear, the parrot squawked, “Behind his back! Behind his back!”
The magician was really annoyed, but the parrot belonged to the captain, so he couldn’t get rid of him.
One day, the ship sprang a leak and sank. The magician managed to swim to a plank of wood floating by and grabbed on. The parrot was sitting at the other end of the plank. They just stared at each other and drifted. They drifted for three days, still not speaking.
On the morning of the fourth day, the parrot looked over at the magician and said, “OK, I give up. Where did you hide the ship?”
(From Rachel Green’s Emotional Intelligence newsletter Engage – http://www.theEIinstitute.com
Rachel says – Thanks to Katherine in Western Australia at the Kalamunda Learning Centre for today’s funny. Help your team laugh more. Laughter helps build resilience and boosts our immune systems.)
About The Author
Marlene Rattigan B.A., Dip. Ed. (ECS), CELTA
Marlene Rattigan is an Early Childhood teacher, a teacher of English as a Second Language, and from 1987-2000 was a nationally accredited fitness leader. Her background is in music education. A keen interest in motor development in children led to the creation of Kidz-Fiz-Biz which she taught successfully for 13 years. Marlene also conducts workshops for children, teachers and parents at schools, in the community and at conferences. She has produced teaching manuals complete with audio CDs which are an extension of her ‘Kidz-Fiz-Biz’ program.
Kidz-Fiz-Biz
PO Box 6894, East Perth WA 6892 Australia
T: +61 8 9355 4890 M: +61 (0) 410 64 2781 E: info@kidzfizbiz.com
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Until next time … continue being a legend in your classroom.
Marlene Rattigan, Editor
Kidz Newz
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