First 5 Forever staff spotlight, Travis Bambie from Hopevale IKC

First 5 Forever is 10! This month we’re celebrating Travis Bambie, another true champion of early childhood. His leadership, passion and commitment to community collaboration has brought connection and creativity to so many Hope Vale children and families through First 5 Forever.

Meeting families where they spend their time

One of the key challenges for families in Hope Vale is getting to the library. So Travis decided to find the families and bring First 5 Forever to them! He now delivers Story and Play sessions in the local Kindy and Daycare, enabling First 5 Forever to reach children and families in their familiar environments, making it easier for them to engage with the activities. These community collaborations have introduced families to the importance of talking, reading, singing and playing any time and anywhere. A whole of community approach and regular First 5 Forever playgroups will hopefully see more families visiting the library and connecting with each other.

Talk, Read, Sing, Play: A colourful success story

A recent First 5 Forever session held at the Kindy, highlighted the many ways to play and learn together. The session focused on colours and incorporated a variety of activities to encourage talking, reading, singing, and playing:

• Talk: The children were encouraged to call out the colours they saw in a book about rainbows and name the animals associated with each colour. This sparked lively conversations and helped develop their language skills.
• Read: Together, the group read a vibrant story about the colours of the rainbow, fostering a love of books and storytelling.
• Play: The children participated in a fun colouring activity, with sheets featuring different colours and animals. This hands-on activity allowed them to explore their creativity while reinforcing their understanding of colours.
• Sing: Songs about colours were incorporated into the session, adding an interactive and musical element that the children thoroughly enjoyed.

To top off a colourful session, children engaged in sensory exploration, making rainbow-coloured fruit sticks! The children explored the colours and flavours of different fruits, such as blueberries, oranges, red grapes, and honeydew melon, before assembling their own fruit sticks. Not only was this delicious, the activity encouraged healthy eating habits in a fun and engaging way.

Looking ahead: Strengthening community connections

Reaching families is a key priority for Travis, and the flexibility for diverse delivery of the First 5 Forever program will support collaborations with other local organisations including the Queensland Police Service, Queensland Health, the Hope Vale Arts Centre, and a local ranger organisation. These partnerships will help create even more opportunities for families to connect, learn and grow together, and help lay strong foundations for the children of the Hope Vale community.