Bucket List? Someone give it a new name!

Started my childcare course on Monday, and had quite an enjoyable, if very busy, week. Monday - Wednesday was all orientation, and classes didn't start until Thursday, but they sure packed things into that orientation week. Getting-to-know you activities, presentations by student services, forms and administration, timetables and class lists, it was all happening. I won't dwell on orientation, because it wasn't that much fun. The real fun happened on Thursday and Friday, when I started classes.

The course is structured differently at VU than it was at SuniTAFE, and I actually like the VU structure a lot better. At SuniTAFE, each unit was a different subject, which was why the course took a year to do, as there weren't enough hours and days in the week to do all the subjects over six months. VU does the Cert III course over six months as they group all the different units into six clusters: Professional & Legal; Community & Diversity; Health & Safety; Wellbeing; Play & Learning; Development. There's also a subject called Prac Support, which we do on Mondays when we're out on placement, but my first placement isn't until the week beginning March 11. I have two clusters a day - AM and PM - and have Friday afternoons off, which is an added bonus. A morning class run from 9am till 12pm, and an afternoon class from 1pm till 4pm. We have an hour break for lunch from 12 till 1pm, and one half hour break in the middle of our morning and afternoon classes.

My morning class on Thursday is Play & Learning, which is a practical class covering the units: Provide experiences to support children's play and learning; Support sustainable practice. In a children's services course, a practical class involves making toys, singing songs, reading picture books, and making presentations to and with our classmates as if they were children in our care. My teacher has us start the class by singing a song, and finishes by reading us a picture book. The song we sung last Thursday was Rock-a-Bye Your Bear by The Wiggles. The song has actions to it as well, so we had to do those too. I'mm not particularly familiar with The Wiggles, but I think I'm going to have to start familiarizing myself with them, and other children's entertainment groups. I'll probably have to start watching children's TV again too, and familiarize myself with the songs and characters from popular children's shows.

My afternoon class was Development, which covers the units: Develop an understanding of children's interest and developmental needs; Support the development of children. While my tutor said the class could be quite dry, I actually found it particularly interesting. Human development, as a topic, is inherently fascinating to me, and is part of what drew me to Children's Services. The most rapid development in humans happens between birth and seven years of age, and working in Children's Services involves caring for children during some of the most crucial developmental years of their life. We talked about toys and objects to support children's development, and how, for example, infants need different forms of play and activities to stimulate their development than, say, three-year-olds.

My Friday morning class was Wellbeing. This cluster comprises of three units: Provide care for children; Provide care for babies; Contribute to the provision of nutritionally balanced food in a safe and hygienic manner. This class was pretty fun, we got into groups and made posters about what wellbeing meant to use, and to children, by cutting out pictures from magazines. The posters are up on the walls of the classroom, and my tutor said that we'll be using them in her classes for 'inspiration' as the lessons progress.

I haven't had any of my other clusters yet, but I'll be posting when I do. Watch this space if you're interested.

Now, what about the title of this post? It's called 'Bucket List', isn't it? There's been nothing about a Bucket List so far! Well, here it comes now.

My 'Bucket List' (I hate that name so much! I know where it comes from, and what it means, but still...) is ever expanding and progressing. s of 2013, several more things have been added, and I've removed those things from previous Bucket Lists that I have already completed. So, without further ado, and in no particular order, allow me to present my bucket list:

• Finish my Cert III in Children's Services
• Find full or part-time employment in the Children's Services industry
• Teach ESL in Australia
• Work a winter season at Mt. Bulla in their creche
• Celebrate my 21st Birthday in New Zealand with my extended family
• Go on a TEFL internship to China or Vietnam
• Own a house rabbit
• Publish a novel
• Ride a train to the end of the line and explore the new area
• Experience my first kiss
• Be a bridesmaid
• Travel to Europe; especially Greece, England, Ireland, Turkey and Italy. 

I know it's not very long, but, as I mentioned already, my bucket list is a work-in-progress. Ever expanding and developing as I find new things I want to do.

Well, that's enough blogging for now, my fingers are tired of typing, and I think I'd like to go and read my book for a while.

~ Australian Kiwi