Under Eights Week 2013
'Celebrating community - sharing music, movement and culture. Think locally!'
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Click here to view the Under Eights Week 2013 poster for more information.
Download your invitation to join us in person or online here!
View the competition announcement here!
Download the 2012 Under Eights Save the Date Flyer
The 2012 theme of “Language – Actively connecting children to their world” provides an opportunity for children to learn through hands-on experiences to reinforce their competency in expressing themselves and connecting to their world. This year’s theme is reflective of the National Year of Reading. Hosted events would relate to language, reading, and/or events highlighting the rich diversity of our own individual language story, not just the spoken or written word. Inclusive in the event could be the many ways language is passed from one generation to another.
Each year, many events, activities and gatherings are organised by local communities, child care centres, kindergartens, libraries and schools across Queensland.It is this local focus that gives Under Eights’ Week its strength – giving young children a forum to shine in their community and to enhance the community’s awareness of the rich and competent contribution young children make to that community.
If you have not yet organised an event for Under Eights’ Week 2012, it is not too late!Get together with children, parents and colleagues and make a plan (a great opportunity to forge those partnerships you may have been thinking of establishing in your community).Remember it doesn’t need to be a grand event – often it is the low key experiences that give children the greatest opportunity to express their connection to their own environment.Here are some suggestions for getting organised:
Host a planning session and invite representatives from some of the following:
- child care centers and kindergartens
- primary schools
- family day care schemes and playgroups
- local community organizations/centers
- local universities/TAFE institutes
Work together to brainstorm possibilities
The following are only suggestions so let your ideas flow:
- An activities day – located in one site or across multiple sites where children are located, invite families to share a favorite family story in their first language. Display the many forms that language takes as we welcome a new baby.
- Host an indigenous story teller from your local community.
- Host a bedtime story night. (Come in your PJs and bring a torch.)
- Return to Kindy or Childcare to share the story of “where are we now”.
- Organise a return to Prep night.
- Organise a storytelling session at the local library.
- Host a family picnic. Use a multiple language theme.
- Host a language of dance, music, and drama event.
- Display the rich diversity of language sign, music, science, math’s, love celebration etc.
It is important to note that ECA Queensland Branch Inc and it’s Under Eights Week Coordinating Committee are not and cannot be responsible in any way for any events you may hold during this week. Therefore we advise you that if you are holding an event you check that you have the appropriate insurance.
When your event or activity has been held please provide us with some highlights.You can do this via email by visiting the ECA website www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au selecting the Under Eights’ Week page.Our hope is to compile a Queensland-wide story of this special week to further promote children and their valuable place in our communities.
Download Language - actively connecting children to their world, fun songs and rhymes to share with Children in Your Care, specially developed for Under Eights Week by the Butterfly Wings Team.
Thank you to our sponsors: Queensland Government; ECTA and Village Roadshow.
The 2011 theme of “Bush to Beach: Let them Grow” provides an opportunity for children to learn through experiences that acknowledge our environment. This year's theme is reflective of the International Year of Forests. Hosting an event that relates to Australia?s connections to both bush and beach allows children to „enhance their awareness of ways in which the environment can be supportive of their own growth. The events and activities of an Under Eights? Week focused on the bush and/or the beach can provide children with many rich experience related their environment.
Each year, many events, activities and gatherings are organised by local communities, child care centres, kindergartens, libraries and schools across Queensland. It is this local focus that gives Under Eight's Week its strength—giving young children a forum to shine in their community and to enhance the community's awareness of the rich and competent contribution young children make to that community.
If you have not yet organised an event for Under Eight's Week, 2011, it is not too late! Get together with children, parents and colleagues and make a plan (a great opportunity to forge those partnerships you may have been thinking of establishing in your community). Remember it doesn't need to be a grand event—often it is the low key experiences that give children the greatest opportunity to express their connection to their own environment. Here are some suggestions for getting organised:
Host a planning session and invite representatives from some of the following:
- child care centres and kindergartens
- primary schools
- family day care schemes and playgroups
- local community organizations/centres
- local universities/TAFE institutes
Work together to brainstorm possibilities—the following are only suggestions so let your ideas 'flow like the leaves on a tree' or the 'waves in the ocean':
- An activities day—located in one site or across multiple sites where children are located, including beach or bush activities, such as, sand painting, tree plantings or a tree collage.
- Host an Open Day, Grandparents' Day, Children's Art Display.
- Organise displays at a local shopping centre, library, etc. (this could include children?s creative work and information about organizations that support children and their families).
- Organise a storytelling session at the local library.
- Host a family picnic.
- Instigate the idea of 'keeping our beaches and bush clean'.
- Plant some Australian native trees and watch the progress with your children.
- Initiate a group that addresses issues of sustainability and the importance of this to our own environment and others.
It is important to note that ECA Queensland Branch Inc and its Under Eights Week Coordinating Committee are not and cannot be responsible in any way for any events you may hold during this week. Therefore we advise you that if you are holding an event you check that you have the appropriate insurance.
Under Eights Week is coordinated by Early Childhood Qld Branch Under Eights Coordinating Committee.
When your event or activity has been held please provide us with some highlights. You can do this via email by visiting the ECA website www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au selecting the Under Eight's Week page. Our hope is to compile a Queensland wide story of this special week to further promote children and their valuable place in our communities, along with the significance of our beaches and the bush and how important these places are for children and their families.
Download Bush to Beach, fun songs and rhymes, specially developed for Under Eights Week (and beyond!) by Under Eights Week committee member Gwen Rayner.
Yours sincerely
Under Eight's Week State Planning Committee.
The 2010 theme of Living Diversity – Act Locally – Think Globally provides an opportunity for children to celebrate, value and live the diversity of both their local communities and their world.It is important for children to learn through experiences that acknowledge multiple diversities of their communities. These diversities include cultural, social and environmental factors.Young children live and learn through everyday experiences so an Under Eights event or experience that relates to diversity, in its many forms, could provide children and their families with opportunities to develop their awareness of their local community and the global village. The events and activities of an Under Eights Week theme focused on diversity enables children to experience the many diverse elements of their environment, as well as, tolerance of others and respect for all people in their communities and their world.
Each year, many events, activities and gatherings are organised by local communities, child care centres, kindergartens and schools across Queensland.It is this local focus that gives Under Eights Week its strength – giving young children a forum to shine in their community and to enhance the community’s awareness of the rich and competent contribution young children make to that community.
If you have not yet organised an event for Under Eights Week 2010, it is not too late!Get together with children, parents and colleagues and make a plan (a great opportunity to forge those partnerships you may have been thinking of establishing in your community).Remember it doesn't need to be a grand event – often it is the low key experiences that give children the greatest opportunity to express who they are and how they experience their world. The opportunity to express feelings, thoughts and individual perspectives on diversity, in a supportive and familiar environment is an important component in children’s constructions of their identities.
Here are some suggestions for getting organised:
- Host a planning session and invite representatives from some of the following:
- child care centres and kindergartens
- primary schools
- family day care schemes and playgroups
- local community organizations/centres
- local universities/TAFE institutes
- Work together to brainstorm possibilities – the following are only suggestions let your unique community guide your plans:
- Organise an event that involves the community contributing to the development of a garden that represents the bio diversity of your area
- An activities day – located in one site or across multiple sites where children are located, including activities related to celebrating environmental diversity and/or cultural diversity, such as, plants and wildlife, cooking, musical and art activities from your local area and around the world.
- Host an Open Day, Grandparents' Day, Children's Art Display or family picnic and share visual and oral stories of your local area.
- Organise displays at a local shopping centre, library, etc. (this could include children's work that represents their diversity and information about local, national and global organizations that support children and their families).
- Organise a storytelling session at the local library that focuses on what is special about your community and connections you can make with other parts of the world.
- Instigate the idea of 'litterless lunches' to your service – incorporate the idea of sustainability and the importance of this to your own environment and others
- Plant some Australian native trees/plants and watch the progress with your children.
- Above all have fun and celebrate the diversity of the young children in your community
Download Living Diversity, fun songs and rhymes, specially developed for Under Eights Week (and beyond!) by Under Eights Week committee member Gwen Rayner.
It is important to note that ECA Queensland Branch Inc and the Under Eights Week Coordinating Committee are not and cannot be responsible in any way for any events you may hold during this week. Therefore we advise you that if you are holding an event you check that you have the appropriate insurance.
When your event or activity has been held please provide us with some highlights.You can do this via email by visiting the ECA website www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au selecting the Under Eights' Week page.Our hope is to compile a Queensland wide story of this special week to further promote children and their valuable place in our communities.
Yours sincerely
Under Eights Week Committee.
The theme for 2009 was Creativity – Let it happen.
Under Eights Week 2009 was a big success. Read this special Story Board of events held during Under Eights Weekto find out more!
Creativity is simply the act of making something new.
Under Eights Week is an event organised annually by the Early Childhood Australia Queensland Branchthrough its Under Eights Week State Planning Committee. The committee is comprised of individuals who are members of Early Childhood Australia, representatives from early childhood organisations and community members concerned with the care and education of young children.
All over Queensland, schools, kindergartens, childcare centres, family day care schemes, libraries, councils and other organisations will be holding events to bring to you a fun week for children and an informative week for parents.
To continually publicise your support we need your feedback.Please fax your feedback to (07) 3352 3256 or email undereightsweek@earlychildhood.org.au
Following your 2010 activities please send us stories and photos (with permission to use) that you would like to put up on our website and printed in our newsletter. Stay tuned to this site as we post up some of the happenings of the week.
We hope you have a wonderful Under Eights Week 2010 celebrating with children in your communities.
—Under Eights Coordinating Committee
- Promote quality early childhood activities
- Highlight the needs of young children from birth to age eight
- Increase public awareness of the importance of the early childhood years
- Increase awareness of issues concerning young children
- Arouse public awareness of the range of early childhood services within the community
We continue to look for representatives to join the Under Eights Committee.
If you or your organisation feel you could contribute in this way, please contact ECA Qld Branch:
T: 3352 4640
F: 3352 3256
E: undereightsweek@earlychildhood.org.au
Early Childhood Australia – Queensland Branch webpage
NB. Although ECA Qld Branch encourages the involvement of organisations and individuals in this week they cannot be and are not responsible in any way for the actions, philosophies and opinions of the participants and presenters in the program.
Under Eights Week is coordinated by the Queensland Branch of Early Childhood Australia's Under Eights Week Committee.
ECA gratefully acknowledges the contribution of all organisations and individuals who have supported, sponsored and presented activities and events during Under Eights Week. Under Eights Week is celebrated state wide and is an important week for all Queenslanders.
