What does Purple Day (Epilepsy Awareness) celebrate?

Purple Day (Epilepsy Awareness) is a day recognised around the world to increase awareness about epilepsy. The day encourages people to wear purpe and hold event in support in epilepsy awareness  throughout organisations and communities. This can be done through class discussions, providing your families with important information and facts regarding epilepsy. 

When is Purple Day (Epilepsy Awareness) celebrated?

Saturday, 26 March

Activities – How to celebrate

• Invite the children to come dressed in something purple and donate a gold coin for a great cause: https://www.epilepsy.org.au/donate/make-a-donation/
• Teach your children about Epilepsy Awareness and why it makes them special.
• If a peer in the room, teach the toddlers and preschoolers signs and what do if their happens to be to be having a seizure and signs they may notice:
  
  • Temporary confusion.
  • A staring spell.
  • Uncontrollable jerking movements of the arms and legs.
  • Loss of consciousness or awareness.
  • Cognitive or emotional symptoms, such as fear, anxiety or deja vu.
• Reading children stories in relation to epilepsy:
  • Sometimes I Get the Wiggles: Be a Seizure Hero Andee Cooper
  • Mommy, I Feel Funny! A Child's Experience with Epilepsy
• Organise online or workplace training for your staff to boraden their understanding and skills relation to Epilepsy Awareness: https://learn.epilepsy.org.au/w/eventsor https://learn.epilepsy.org.au/w/services/

What does World Water Day celebrate?

World Water Day celebrates water and raises awareness of over 2 billion perople living with out access of safe water. 

When is World Water Day celebrated?

Wednesday, 22 March

Activities – How to celebrate

• JOIN THE CONVERSATION (#worldwaterday) - campaign and will inform a document about what water means to people around the world.
• Learning about what water means to us in our homes, living, education and natural enviroment. I.e. discussing and learning how water isn't easily accessible to people around the world like we have here at home. 
• Intentional Teaching: Recycling water (rainwater) to water the garden and grass. 
• Experiment what is safe water v's dirty water and discuss how other around the world access water compared to us. 
• Allow the children to help create a routine of when they use water from the moment they wake up until they go to sleep i.e. Brushing their teeth, have a shower, watering plants, washing their dishes and clothes etc. 
• For more learning resources for World Water Day, click on the following link: https://en.unesco.org/themes/education/sdgs/material/06#early 

What does International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination Day celebrate?

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination Day is a global day that raises awareness in negatice consequences in racial discrimination. It also reminds us as humans to respect on another and the power to combat racial discrimation. 

When is International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination Day celebrated?

Tuesday, 21 March

Activities – How to celebrate

• Group discussion - Discussing Action against racial discrimination and right from wrong
                                  - How it makes a others feel
                                  - Inviting children to brainstorm onto a poster of how we should treat one another and how to make someone feel happy
• Feelings – talking about feelings through books, role play and short children videos.
• Reading stories about friendships and when children move from their home to create a new home around the country and how they may feel.
• Encourage children to play with other friends in the room that they haven’t play with before
• Group activities where everyone has a turn and cheer for one another – i.e. parachute activity
• Lay out emotions cards and puzzle and discuss feelings. 
• Sing songs with infant and toodlers - if your happy and you know it. 
• Discuss fairness and respecting one another
• Have you educators attend a seminar regarding Racial Discrimation and how to implement intentional teaching in their rooms. 

What does Harmony Day celebrate?

Harmony Day is celebrated every year on the 21st March. On this day we reflect and acknowledge on how far we have come as Australians to build a mutlicutural comminies across the country.  This day is to bring all communities and cultures together to celebrate through festivals, local events with food and music. 

The message of Harmony day is to spread the word that everyone vkind and aims to respect cultural and religious diversity in the communities that we live in. 

When is Harmony Day celebrated?

Tuesday, 21 March

Activities – How to celebrate

• Invite the children to come dressed in orange (freedom of ideas and encouragement of mutual respect) or in traditional dress that represents their culture.
• Host a mini festival welcoming children and parents to experience and enjoy traditional foods and music from around the world.  
• Learning to say 'Hello' and 'Thank you' in different languages used around the world. 
• Creating your own 'We Are One' or 'Harmony' posters to display around your centre.
• Displaying a world map for children to share where their families originated from and placing their name near the country on the map.
• Play music from around the world and learning traditional dance i.e. salso, dabke, folk dancing.
• Reading stories about children who live around the world or move around the world for a better living in multicultural communities. 
• Learning about the meaniing of immigration and the history of Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.
• Learning how many immigrants have opened up many cafes and restaurants to share their love of their culture and foods to welcome communities to experience. 
• Welcome parents to come share stories about their culture through pictures, music, traditional dress for the children to engaged and learn.
• Display cultural flags around your centre. 

What does World Poetry Day celebrate?

World Poetry Day is a day we appreciate poesta and old traditional poetry recitals. The day is aimed to promote teaching of poetry, identify the difference form poetry and art forms such as dancing, music paintings and also focusing on literature. 

When is World Poetry Day celebrated?

Tuesday, 21 March

Activities:

• Grouptime - Reading and discussing children poety books such as; Read-Aloud Rhymes for the Very Young by Jack Prelutsky
• Watch a poetry reading / song.
• Learn and recite poems that rhyme with the children
• Singing children rhyming songs 
• As a class, create a mini poetry book with the children's input and suggestions to take home and share with their families. 
• Encourage the children to participate in rehearsing and performing a play