With the year, already in full-swing we have been exposed to some rather interesting weather conditions such as extreme heat, bush-fires, wild hail-storms and downpours.  

Our educational leader, MJ Donnellan has some advice on keeping our children safe in these extreme weather patterns. 

“With Victoria’s air quality set to remain hazy and unhealthy for several days as bushfire smoke blankets the state, here at Aurora Early Child Education, we are providing the best possible care within our environment”.  

 

We are ensuring that the children are remaining indoors as far as possible. We are also making sure we stress on the importance of caring for the environment  As we say within the industry, “the environment is the 3rd educator, and plays an important and integral role within the centre”. 

On days when it is safe to go outdoors, we are providing outdoor experiences indoors such as water-play (tubs of water), sensory play (playdough), creating calm spaces for quiet reading, and construction areas, as well as other experiences. 

 

Protecting children from the heat? 

 

Here are a few steps which we take to ‘beat the heat’, and protect your child from heat-related illnesses: 

 

  1. Find an air-conditioned space – our centre is air-conditioned, and we provide spaces which are cool to ensure the children are comfortable in their environment and in their play. 
  2. Stay hydrated – the children have access to their water bottles within the room, and is also taken outdoors when the weather is permitting for outdoor play. 
  3. Dress lightly – we ask that on days where the weather is extremely warm, that children are dressed lightly in shorts, skirts, t-shirts, and closed sandals – so they are comfortable and are able to move freely within the environment. We do however ask that children are not wearing “spaghetti strap” tops/dresses as these do not provide adequate coverage of their skin. 
  4. Plan for extra rest time – It can be very evident that on hotter days, the children will show signs of needing extra rest/sleep.  These additional times of rest, provides the children with some extra opportunities to rest their bodies when needed, so to rejuvenate for the remainder of the day. 
  5. Cool off –  this can be done through a number of ways – one way in which we ensure the children are ‘cool’ is through Water play – filling tubs with water and adding bubbles, plastic animals, sponges and other materials all assist the children in staying cool. 
  6. Prevent sun exposure – when temperatures reach a certain level, we do not expose our children to the outdoor environment and sun.  Our duty of care lies in the appropriate supervision of all our children, and preventing them from extreme conditions is imperative to providing highest level and duty of care.  
  7. Ask about policies and procedures –  if you need more information please always check our policies and procedures for further information. Or, come by and talk to our centre managers and educators who, above everything else, are committed to ensuring the safety of all our children! 

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