| "Won't you come and play?" |
| Pandatime is a joyful festival of song, dance percussion and kindergym, with programs professionally designed to engage and please children - from one to five years old. |
| We are here to provide experiences full of fun and connection between children and grown-ups. |
| Pandatime programs will utilise and assist to develop the social and motor skills of your child in a caring and non-competitive environment. |
| Pandatime presents a unique and balanced format combining song, percussion and dance in the music room, followed by activities in the kinder gym hall. |
| The Pandatime team |
| Collectively, the team has extensive educational and musical experience with graduate qualifications and experience in Education, Training and Assessment, Music and Arts. |
| Pandatime leaders, Trish and Teresa, are qualified Kindergym teachers and also lecture and train many of the Kindergym teachers coming through the Gymnastics Australia program. |
| Along with the wisdom and experience gained over 20 years delivering Pandatime, we keep up-to-date with the current knowledge and trends in teaching and equipment. |
| Dolly and Jenny are involved with administration and team-teaching. |
| Step-by-step Pandatime for 1-5s |
| Getting started |
| When your class is called, have your child come in, take their shoes off and sit down on the mats. The session begins with a cheerful and welcoming song acknowledging every child present. |
| Next, we will cover a series of children's songs suitable for the age group, which are acted out with simple actions. Children love props and accessories, so we introduce finger puppets, shakers, clappers, streamers and other things to add interest and encourage involvement. |
| For those new to Pandatime, parents may have to be patient for a few weeks. Your child may want to stand back and observe for a few sessions before joining in. This is normal and can happen at any age. Don't push; we suggest that the best thing for you to do is to participate yourself, and lead by example. Soon enough, your child will be right in amongst the action and enjoying themselves. |
| Feel the beat |
| One of the major goals of the music sessions is helping children to feel and express the beat. |
| To do this, we clap the beat, stamp the beat, walk to the beat, play the drum to the beat, and beat rhythm sticks, castanets, woodblocks and other simple percussion instruments. We start and stop to given signals. We play loudly and softly to the beat. We listen to when the beat speeds up and slows down. We listen and learn to recognise pitch. |
| Teachers tell us that they can often identify Pandatime children in their music classes as children who pick up the beat and clearly identify with the joy of music. |
| Now for the gym |
| The gym equipment is set out in the hall in the same configuration for two weeks in a row. |
| Many different and exciting challenges are presented. This may include equipment for climbing, swinging, sliding, logrolling and trampolining; as well as more fine motor oriented activities such as threading, pegging catching and puzzles. |
| The children get very busy enjoying themselves and trying things out. |
| At the same time the children are utilising and developing the full range of their gross and fine motor skills. Often, a child will be more confident and coordinated with a particular skill in the second week. |
| Do not worry about your child's level of expertise alongside everybody else. We have found that children progress differently in all the various skill groups at Pandatime. Some children have excellent ball skills right away; some children develop a sense of rhythm right away. Some children continue to enjoy one aspect of Pandatime over another. Pandatime is here to offer all these experiences to your child in a non-competitive atmosphere. |
| Cool-down and farewell |
| The Pandatime session concludes with a 'cool-down' activity and a farewell song. Pandatime is over, See you next week. |
| Pandatime Gym Skills Program |
| The Pandatime Gym skills program is an integrated part the program. Older children, and those younger ones who are interested, will receive instruction on a new gym skill every week. They will be encouraged to master it, or at least make a good attempt. |
| This may include 'possum hangs', side-jumps, forward rolls. Every effort is acknowledged and rewarded. |
| Grown-ups' role |
| Parents and caregivers have an important role in Pandatime, both as supervisors and role models to the children. We find that sessions work best where parents are enthusiastic participants and attentive supervisors. Pandatime is hands-on. |
| Parents new to Pandatime may have to be patient for a few weeks. Your child may want to stand back and observe for a few sessions before joining in. This is normal and can happen at any age. Don't push; we suggest that you lead by example and participate yourself, encouraging your child join in when they feel comfortable. |
| Supervision and safety |
| All children must be supervised by their parent/caregiver for the duration of Pandatime. The parent/caregiver should be within arm's length distance from their child at all times, particularly in the gym. The Pandatime teacher will provide instruction on ways to supervise your child to minimise any risk of injury and maximise their experience of fun and achievement. |
| Kindergym teachers hold current Senior First Aid certificates. |
| What to wear |
| Comfortable and safe clothes, such as shorts/track pants and simple tops, are recommended for everyone. Skirts and dresses are not suitable for the gym as they get stuck on the slide, cover their faces when they hang upside down on the trapeze and obscure their vision on the ladders. Bare feet essential in the gym. |
| Our venue and facilities |
| Pandatime is held in the North Wahroonga Scout Hall at Cliff Oval, located at the end of Cliff Avenue. |
| Schedule of fees 2012 |
| We aim to make Pandatime an affordable experience for families. Please contact Pandatime for a current schedule of fees. |
| Term fees are due in full by the end of week two. |
| Term fee |
| $130.00 (10 weeks at $13.00 per session). The insurance fee for 2012 is $40. |
| Fees are payable on the first day of term or earlier. |
| For those who commence Pandatime later in the term, a pro-rata fee will apply. |
| Methods of payment |
| Cash, Direct Deposit or cheque accepted. Please make cheques payable to Pandatime. |
| Direct Deposit Details |
| Pandatime |
| BSB: 082389 |
| Acc: 047036537 |
| After depositing payment, please put your full name in the comment section, and send an email to info@pandatime.net stating your name and class time. |
| Late payments |
| Fees that have not been paid by the third week of term attract a late fee. |
| Family discounts |
| Where two or more children attend Pandatime, a family discount applies. Please contact Pandatime to discuss your needs. |
| Missed and replacement classes |
| If you are going to be away on holiday, or you experience illness, you may request to make up a class or two. If you take a holiday during term time, full fees are still payable. If you are not able to attend, it is not necessary to phone a teacher. |
| Free introductory sessions |
| Please contact us to book your free introductory Pandatime session. One session per family. |
| Please contact Pandatime to discuss your needs. A family discount is also offered. |
| Registration |
| Whilst participating in Kindergym, each child MUST be registered with NSW Gymnastics. This registration will also cover the parent/carer for insurance purposes. However it will not cover any unregistered siblings. |
| All Kindergym participants MUST complete a registration form before commencing the class. The registration form and fee MUST be finalised prior to entering the gym for the second lesson. |
| Please print off form, complete and post or present in person to Pandatime. |
| Click here to open the registration form. |
| Session timetable |
| The year is divided into four terms in line with the public school timetable. Pandatime does not run during school holidays or public holidays. |
| The Kindergym program runs Tuesday to Thursday with the following age groups: |
| Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
| 9.25 (1-2 yrs) |
9.25 (1-2 yrs) |
9.25 (under 2 yrs) |
| 10.20 (3-4 yrs) |
10.20 (3-4 yrs) |
10.20 (2-3 yrs) |
|
|
11.15 (3-4 yrs) |
|
| Themes and special events |
| Throughout the year a variety of themes are presented. The may include jungle day, the circus, superheroes, colours, fairies and elves. The purpose of different themes is to structure the music and the gym layouts in a variety of interesting ways to keep the children excited. Those who wish to dress in accordance with the themes are welcome to do so. A few weeks notice is always given about forthcoming themes. |
| At the end of the year Pandatimers put on an end-of-year Christmas concert to show friends/grandparents/dads some of the skills that they have gained during the year. The children all dress up and have a party. The concert is for many Pandatimers one of the highlights of their year. |
| Contact us |
| Email: info@pandatime.net |
| Telephone |
| Trish 02 9489 7814 |
| Teresa 02 9457 8161 |
| Venue |
| North Wahroonga Scout Hall, Cliff Avenue Wahroonga |
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