Little Wallabies Early Learning Centre

This week, the Joeys explored Wombat Stew with a fun and creative collage experience! The Joeys collected natural materials from outside including leaves, sand, sticks, and flowers to use in their own unique "stews."

Inside, they got busy with glue, glitter, insect stickers, and matchsticks, combining everything to make their own version of Wombat Stew. Some carefully placed stickers, others explored textures, pulled apart petals, and even experimented with how glue felt on their fingers.

A messy, imaginative activity that brought the story to life in such a sensory and engaging way! 🐾

Got a plain pasta lover? Many parents I work with share that their picky eater won’t accept any sauce on their noodles or pasta. Here’s a tip that can help your picky eater slowly learn to accept something other than butter or cheese on their pasta. This strategy is called ‘fading’ and makes small changes to your child’s accepted food. In this example, we’re slowly adding sauce to their favourite pasta noodle in teeny tiny amounts so they’ll be likely to accept it. ✨The key is gradually increasing the amount of sauce added to the bowl as your child becomes more comfortable. ✨ Would you try this, let me know in the comments! #pickyeater #pickyeaters #pickyeaterproblems #pickyeatersolution #feedingkidshealthy #kidsmeals #kidsmealideas #healthykidsfood #healthykidsmeals #foodforkids #kidshealth #dinnerforkids #kidsmeal

What happens to a child’s brain after just 20 minutes of walking? 🧠

Dr. Chuck Hillman’s widely shared brain scans show a powerful contrast: one image after a child sits quietly, and another after 20 minutes of walking. The difference is dramatic. Blue areas represent low activity. Red/orange show high activity.

After walking, the brain lights up—especially in areas responsible for focus, memory, and executive function. This isn’t just about "getting the wiggles out." Movement actually prepares the brain for learning.

Hillman’s research found that physical activity boosts cognitive performance almost immediately. Children perform better on attention and memory tasks right after they move. Just 20 minutes of walking can improve focus and self-regulation.

Yet, we often operate under the misconception that children must sit still in order to learn. Stillness is praised, fidgeting is corrected, and movement is treated as a disruption. But neuroscience tells a different story: sitting still may actually suppress the brain activity needed for learning. By emphasizing quiet compliance, we may be unintentionally discouraging the very behaviors—like movement and play—that fuel thinking, focus, and growth.

But here’s the problem: kids today are sitting more than ever. Screen time is up, recess is down, and physical activity is often viewed as a break from learning—not a part of it.

We need to shift that mindset.

Movement is essential for brain development. It strengthens the neural pathways that support learning, emotional regulation, and long-term academic success. And it doesn’t have to be complicated—nature walks, active play, and short movement breaks during the day all make a difference! So get out there and move - EVERYONE! 🏃🏾🏃‍♀️🏃🏿‍♂️🏃🏻‍♀️

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We all took turns dressing as carrots in honour of International Carrot Day. The children were so amused that they started eating and chasing after the carrots. As well as chanting a carrot anthem “ CARROT CARROT CARROT “ what a fun Friday. Hope your carrot day was as fun !!

The wallabies explored technology through creative digital drawing, as they each took turns drawing on the center smart board and created their own ideas.

The Kangaroos have been discussing how to look after their environment. They have been learning about the 3R’s - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. We started a weaving project by reusing food boxes to make weaving looms out of wool that someone was about to throw away, giving these household items a new purpose rather than going to waste.

As part of our school readiness program we split into smaller groups to focus on different skills needed for our schooling journey. Today the Grey Eastern Kangaroos explored the mathematical concept of graphs. They used a graph to collate what flavour ice cream is the most popular. To gain a wide consensus they visited the Wallabies room and asked the children and educators in there as well as the Kangaroo peers. The group discussed the results together, developing the ability to understand how graphs can be used to collate information.

In recent weeks, the joeys have been investigating their interest in cars and wheels, utilising this to expand their learning into new domains, including positional schemes and cognitive development through various activities that examine positions such as in, on, and under objects.

Tomorow is random acts of kindness day, Share the love with everyone!

Happy Valentine's Day! Wishing you a beautiful day filled with all the love and happiness you deserve.

The Wallabies and Kangaroos came together to explored the chemical reaction between Bi-carb Soda and Vinegar, adding food colouring to make it more visual and fun. This stimulated the children's hypothesising and fostered their sense of curiosity and wonder. They were so excited to pour in the vinegar and watch the magic happen.

The Wallabies examined patterns during their play today, utilising rollers and stones with indented and protruding designs to create markings in their play dough. The stones and rollers featured safari animals, insects, and nature patterns.