BILBY STORY TELLING AT SPRINGWOOD KINDY!

Today I went to Springwood Kindy to tell sing some Bilby songs and tell a story about a special bilby called Hunwick.  Sue Southey is the teacher at Springwood Kindy and is a special friend.  Last year I did a story telling session for the children and enjoyed it so I offered to come and share some Bilby rhymes, songs and a story just before the Easter holidays.

The children participated really well and were such a delightful group laughing, asking questions and offering some interesting answers to my questions.  I don't think they had heard of a bilby before so the bilby toy I took helped them to picture what a bilby looks like.  We talked about the bilby's ears, his paws, his long tail and his strong back legs!


Wilby the Bilby with his long pink ears, his long tail and his strong back legs so he can hop, hop, hop.

This Bilby toy had a name - Wilby - and we sang two songs about Wilby including Wilby the Bilby had a fly upon his nose (same tune as Little Peter Rabbit!)  I shared a finger rhyme called "Five little bilbies" - similar to "This little piggy".  First each child did it on their own hands touching each finger from bottom to top.  Then they shared the finger rhyme with a friend and there was lots of giggling as the Bilby went Hoppetty Hoppetty ..... all the way home as children tickled each other.  They all had to ask permission to touch each other's hands and to say thank you to each other at the end demonstrating some basic manners as well!!

Hunwick's Egg written by Mem Fox.  I retold the story from this book using some Hunwick, his friends - cockatoo, emu and echidna - and selected a special Egg Stone from my garden.

I then told the story of "HUNWICK'S EGG" written by Mem Fox.  I had some notes from the story as I was not very familiar with it.  At the beginning of the story there was a huge storm.  There was a huge storm in Logan the night before and lots of fun was had re-enacting the storm with rain pattering, thunder crashing and lightening flashing!! I had a Bilby puppet and also some Aussie animal toys - a cockatoo, an emu and an echidna - who were Hunwick's friends. 

Hunwick and his special egg which became a very good friend!!

Children listened to the story carefully and even asked why the egg didn't hatch!!  The egg was really a stone but became a special friend to Hunwick and Hunwick shared all his stories, his worries and his happy times with his "egg"  At the end of the presentation each child was given a "egg stone" to become their friend.



Some of the Egg Stones given to the Springwood Kindy children to be their special friend!

I only mentioned briefly the concept of having an Easter Bilby instead of a Easter Bunny as I was not sure of the audience.  I have been doing a Bilby Easter for over 20 years now and is much more appropriate for Australia - rabbits are a pest here!

I was presented with a beautifully decorated paper bag with a thank you note and box of Favourites chocolates.  I don't know who had the biggest smile - me or the children!  It is so much fun sharing a rhyme, song and story session with the children.

I am looking forward to providing another Bilby Easter song, rhyme and story session at one of my grandson's prep classes tomorrow.

BUTTERFLY WINGS - LAST DAY OF TERM 1

Last Friday was the last day of Term 1 at Butterfly Wings in Springwood.  It was a Favourites and Easter session and everyone was asked to bring a healthy food or Easter item to share after the program.  Forty mums, babies, toddlers, dads and grandmas attended and many of the Butterfly Wings favourites were rhymes from previous programs "Riding in a train" and "Walk my pony" were two fun ones requested.

The triplets sitting on Grandmas legs "Riding in a train!"  How wonderful but hard work for grandma

My favourite for Term 1 was "Rig a Jig Jig" and "Walk the horse". The bilby rhymes shared included "Five little bilbies", "Little Wilby Bilby" and a new, active call and response chant "A Bilby Bar". This was lots of fun for everyone all wiggling around the room with thumbs up, bottoms out, knees together and tongues out!!

Hickory Dickory Dock - rocking from side to side with grandma exercising their vestibular systems! This favourite Butterfly Wings rhyme has been a favourite since Day 1 nearly ten years ago.

Gwen shared the "NO RABBITS" rap story for the last time - until Easter next year and the session finished with the "BUTTERFLY WINGS" rhyme and we wished everyone a Happy Easter break!  The food was delicious and was also shared with all the staff and volunteers at Logan East Community Centre.  Everyone was provided with a Butterfly Wings Rhyme Mat which has all the rhymes and songs for Term 1 together with some fun Bilby rhymes and songs.

Dad and mum singing and playing with their baby son - lots of fun.

Peggy gave out some pieces of calico and instructions for the Butterfly Wings 10th anniversary in December.  Peggy has already completed her wall hanging square and it looks absolutely stunning with a underlying theme of Butterfly Wings and Aboriginal Culture.

This was the first completed Butterfly Wings square for a Butterfly Wings wall hanging created by Peggy.  It is beautifully stitched and the materials carefully selected to represent the theme of Butterfly Wings and the Aboriginal culture - I was very impressed!

Butterfly Wings in Term 2 starts on Friday 26 April at the same time from 9:30 to 11:00.  I will be facilitating the program for the first three weeks before flying off to Europe to attend two weddings!! Jennifer has offered to facilitate the program in my absence for the rest of Term 2

Mums, dads, grandmas, babies and toddlers all having a great time singing and dancing at the Butterfly Wings program.

AUSSIE STORY POUCHES - BLOSSOM POSSUM WORKSHOP AT IPSWICH LIBRARY

The Butterfly Wings Team presented another Aussie Story Pouch workshop at Ipswich Library funded by Communities for Children in Inala and C&K on Tuesday 19th March.  Over twenty people registered for the workshop including mums, dads, grandparents, library and childcare workers and school staff.  Fortunately Ipswich Library provide the laptop and projector and I just had to use my USB - so everything worked!!  The Powerpoint presentation was well received and people asked questions and made comments related to the importance of play and how to make an Aussie Story Pouch.  The retelling of the Blossom Possum was hilarious with Blossom (someone holding a puppet) was followed by all the other animals to tell Julie Gillard (the Prime Minister) that the sky was falling in. They went up the hill (up the steps) around the gully (around the chairs) across the creek (some crushed velvet) - round and round the room. Everyone then joined in the chanting of a retelling of the story - an easier version for small children,

The Blossom Possum interactive and fun activities were then held in the library area.  One group created a bush necklace using coloured pasta, beads and stick on flowers.  Everyone then wore the necklace very proudly.  The other group made a Bunyip - the Bunyip helped Blossom Possum escape from By Jingo Dingo - using a paper plate and some textured papers - they were very effective.  There was lots of chatting and sharing of ideas while they were participating in the activities.  Everyone had a go at each activity.  An outside activity was creating a storymap of Blossom Possum using natural items - but this was a bit of a disaster as the wind kept blowing the plastic sheet over everything. 

Parents were reunited with their children - children were supervised by paid child minders - and a delicious lunch was served.  Another successful Aussie Story Pouch workshop - I think that was the 15th! 

Here are some photos from the Blossom Possum workshop:

Colourful pasta necklaces – just like Blossom Possum wears.  Lots of repeating patterns

The Bunyip who helped Blossom Possum get away from the nasty Dingo-By Jingo.  The decorated paper helped to make these bunyips more realistic.

One of the mums wearing her very colourful bush necklace.

Sam was really pleased with her bush necklace – matches her outfit.



Grrrr!  A Bunyip with a body.  Mum and Dad took turns making this Bunyip and cuddling their very young baby!

The next Aussie Story Pouch workshop is on 12th April in Inala and will feature the book "And Kangaroo played a Didgeridoo" It will be a special workshop as we are going to have a "Great Aussie Do" This workshop will highlight the importance of movement and dance with very young children.  Please find details of this workshop on the Butterfly Wings website nearer the date at: www.butterflywingsearlyyearsconsultancy.com.au

Computer Jinx

The small AXUS is at Harvey Norman being repaired - or hopefully they will give me a new one.  On Tuesday this week I was facilitating a BRINGING PICTURE BOOKS ALIVE workshop at Springwood Community Centre with staff and community from Rosie's Early Years Centre in Daisy Hill.  I packed up the car with all the resources for the "Three Kangaroos Gruff" workshop including my laptop and digital projector.  The first thing I always do when setting up for a workshop is set up the slide show.  I plugged everything in and then switched on the laptop - something briefly happened and then it just went dead!!  Oh no!!  I tried and tried again following the normal advice of switching the computer off and then on again.  Nothing!  That is the second computer that has failed me in a week and it is so frustrating. 

I took a few deep breaths and decided that I couldn't do anything about it so told the group at the workshop that they were not going to watch the Power Point presentation.  The workshop went really well despite the lack of the presentation and feedback was once again 100% positive.  Here are some photos from the Three Kangaroos Gruff workshop:

Making a bridge for the biggest kangaroo using only paper and paper clips.  It worked

A 3D repeating pattern using large paddle pop sticks - a great idea

Using only 3 small paddle pop sticks - lots of different patterns.  A great problem solving activity.

Making a story map of the Three Kangaroos Gruff using natural materials and crushed velvet

I went along to the U3A blogging class again this week and borrowed my son's laptop so I could at least participate.  I forgot to ask how to switch the laptop on and that took a few minutes as I pressed every button.  I finally managed to switch it on and log into the wireless network and I was trying to write a new blogging post and .......the laptop just went blank!!  No battery!  That is now three times I have had trouble with a computer so I hope that is all it for now.

 

If you would like to view more photos from this workshop please go to: www.butterflywingsearlyyearsconsultancy.com.au

 

Well I have managed to set up a Blogging Site all by myself - well with help from Bill and Diane from U3A.  I went to the blogging class last Wednesday and took my new ASUS Vivo Tab computer which I had purchased for our trip to the UK in May this year.  I knew I should have played with it a bit more than I did but there just wasn't time.  I arrived at the class all ready to participate and no matter what I did the little computer wouldn't do anything.  It was so frustrating and in the end I just closed it up and decided to participate in the class without a computer.  Not as effective for learning how to set up a blog that is for sure.

The next day I took the computer to my son Nick to have a look.  The next day my daughter in law returned the computer to me saying that it wasn't working.  The right side of the touch screen had a fault and it just kept on draining the battery and it was not responding at all.  Part of me was relieved because I thought it was me!!  I took the computer back to Harvey Norman and told them it was not working and to fix it please!! This is the first computer that I have had in 25+ years that hasn't worked.  I have had the normal hard drive problems but this cute little computer was just not working and had a fault - I am not impressed.  Hopefully they will fix it and I can take it with me to do the Blog on our trip to the UK and Europe. Or else I will have to use the Ipad which has worked perfectly since the day we got it.