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Child Care News for Parents & Carers
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February 24, 2021
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Kia ora, this week new guidance and rules from the government on the steps early education services must take to reduce the risk of food related choking. Also, super fun water play ideas to make the most of the long and lovely days of summer.
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Reducing the risk of food-related choking in early learning services
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Eating comes easily to adults, but it's important to remember that babies and young children are still practicing how to bite, chew and grind food in a safe way.
Tasty morsels, like grapes, peanut butter and popcorn can get stuck in youngsters' small air and food passages, and children aged five and under are at an increased risk of choking on their food.
In the early learning setting, there is a risk of choking whether food is brought from home or prepared on-site, and we've seen the terrible impact that a piece of raw apple can have on a young child, with Neihana Renata suffering brain damage after choking on the fruit at his day care.
In recognition of this, the Ministry of Education has taken action to minimise food-related choking risks for babies and young children at early learning services.
It has amended the licensing criteria for services to help ensure a safe physical environment when eating and appropriate provision of food, so let's look at the changes in more detail.
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The benefits of water play and bucketloads of activities to try
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Water play provides oodles of fun for children, and it’s a splishy, splashy, sploshy way for under sixes to learn through play.
A simple tub of H2O provides endless opportunities for your child to observe, experiment, discover and feel. There is pouring, squirting, sponging, bobbing, sieving, melting, swishing and lots more to do, and even though we think of water play as a summery, outdoor activity, it’s easy to set up water play activities indoors and all year round.
Here we look at the benefits of water play in your child’s early years and provide some easy ideas for water-based activities.
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