19-20 August 2010 - Playgroup Victoria

C6 Oral foundations
for literacy: story-play
and rhyme
Claire Jennings and Amanda Merryfull
Reading Discovery, Beyond The Rainbow
and Rainbow Rhyming
This workshop will include demonstrations
from the Rainbow Rhyming and Beyond the
Rainbow programs with props and stories that
show how play, stories and oral language is
the foundation for literacy readiness by school
age. Handouts of activities to help develop
story-play in playgroups will be supplied.
Extensive reference lists for stories will be
provided. Presented will be results from
longitudinal research with Deakin University
as well as the learnings of parents who
participate in these programs.
D1 Afghan family settlement
and supported playgroups
Shaima Shahbaz
Advocacy Disability Ethnicity
Community (ADEC)
The Afghan Supported Playgroup (City
of Casey) was established in 2007 with
one family attending regularly. Employing
strategies that were culturally and
linguistically appropriate, the playgroup slowly
grew and 11 children and their mothers now
attend. This workshop presentation will cover
the experiences and strategies employed
by the playgroup facilitator to make families
aware of the benefits of the Australian
playgroup experience and the on-going
growth of the group. The presentation will also
cover a comparison between the way children
socialise and learn in their early years in both
Afghanistan and Australia.
D2 Supporting parents to
manage stress and anxiety
Frances Eyre
PANDA
Practical strategies for how time out can
help new parents deal with day to day
stress, anxiety and postnatal depression
will be provided in this workshop. Be taken
on a meditation journey to help calm your
mind, relax your body and experience a
technique that can help with mental clarity,
depression, tiredness and increase one’s
ability to deal with day to stress.
D3 ISP Dandenong Plaza
Playspot Playgroup
Janine Regan and Paula Jormakka
Playgroup Victoria
This workshop showcases Dandenong
Plaza Playgroup, a playgroup in a shopping
centre. This playgroup was formed from
a partnership between Playgroup Victoria
and the City of Greater Dandenong, and
aims to engage vulnerable, newly arrived,
CALD, Indigenous and transient families
who are not accessing services. The session
will cover how the playgroup operates,
strategies used to engage families and link
them into their community and the strong
partnerships formed through the playgroup.
D4 Map your area for
healthy outdoor fun
at playgroup
Narelle Debenham
Natured Kids
This workshop explains how to map your
area for happy, healthy, outdoor family
playgroup fun. Young children need to
explore, experience and observe nature,
with daily doses of free play. Early outdoor
discoveries allow children to feel the world
is a safe, interesting and friendly place.
This workshop will examine how through
the Natured Kids Playgroup, children
have participated in activities to develop a
sense of empathy, wonder and creativity.
Children’s health and the future of our
environment depend on restoring the
connection of children to nature.
D5 Together we Play
and grow (see C5 for details)
D6 Oral foundations
for literacy: story-play
and rhyme (see C6 for details)
E1 Engaging with families from
refugee backgrounds
Sharon Shaw
Brotherhood of St Laurence
The need for sensitivity to family needs and
an understanding of culture differences
when engaging with families from refugee
backgrounds will be explored in this workshop.
Covered as well will be the importance of
building a trusting relationship with a parent;
opportunities playgroups offer to strengthen
the parent-child relationship and to link the
family to local support services and how
refugee experiences impact a family’s ability to
engage and participate in playgroup.
E2 Play Expo
Fiona Miller
City of Whittlesea
This workshop is a presentation, overview
and discussion of the success and experience
of City of Whittlesea Play Expo days and
training. Discussed will be how partnership
and ownership from a variety of organisations
brings families and professionals together
to discover experiences and opportunities to
enhance play in children’s services.
E3 Successful supported
playgroups: critical elements
Rupert North and Roisin Rizzo
Save the Children
An overview of Save the Children’s supported
playgroup programs will be provided at this
workshop. Using experience gained from over
20 years across Australia, Rupert North and
Roisin Rizzo will examine the critical elements
of a successful playgroup model: building
strong community partnerships, helping
families’ access local services, play, building
parents’ confidence, and program evaluation.
E4 Importance of play at
supported playgroups
Fiona Witheridge
Playgroup Australia
Fiona Witheridge will explain who supported
playgroups are for and what they are designed to
do. Discussed will be how supported playgroups
provide opportunities for families from six distinct
target groups to participate in play activities that
respond to their children’s needs, and at the
same time develop social and family support
networks within their local community.