Early Learning Model

Brimbank Children's Circus Project

The Brimbank Children's Circus Project structures a rich environment where children aged 3-5yrs are immersed in physical play, oral language, visual stimulation and interaction with a key adult in their lives. The combination of circus activities, a strong literacy and numeracy concept and a community learning approach, enables children and their families to experience literacy through a positive and universal approach and responds to the National Strategy for Literacy and Learning in a new and exciting way.

Alongside each 10-week workshop Westside runs one Professional Development workshop for teachers and project workers and one Community Circus Day for the wider community.

This project sits within an initiative called Communities for Children in the 3020, Brimbank postcode delivered by Westside Circus as part of the Federally-funded Strategy-‘Stronger Families, Stronger Communities' facilitated by Isis Family Care and The Smith Family.

This methodology has been nationally recognised as a 'Promising Practice' by the Australian Institute of Family Studies (website: www.aifs.gov.au/cafca/ppp/profiles/cfc_brimbankcircus.html).

Please contact the Westside Circus Program Manager to find out more about this innovative program and how Westside Circus can adapt this model for your organisation!

Full of Beans: A circus and literacy project with children and parents

Through the ‘Brimbank Children’s Circus Project’ in 2008, we discovered the real benefits of combining circus and literacy training and wished to create our own children’s circus storybook which illustrated Westside’s values of trust, teamwork, integrity and heart - and ‘Full of Beans’ was born.

“Full of Beans” targets at risk, newly arrived families and disadvantaged communities, with 3-5 year old children in Brimbank in the Western Suburbs of Melbourne in fun, educative circus and book making & reading activities.

Working with 20 refugee and newly arrived families from MacKillop Family Services, 2 circus trainers (Sarah O’Donoghue and Ailsa Wild), Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership (Victoria Ryle), award winning writer (Martine Murray) and one work experience student (Liz Stagg), this project has built a cohesive community group and increased the literacy development, socialization and physical development of both children and adults.

Martine Murray has drafted a gorgeous fictional story inspired by the participants which is soon to be presented to publishers, and Victoria Ryle has published a series of beautiful mini story books made by the families “I like Circus” and “What can you do?.” Books are available for purchase at Westside Circus.

With a recent injection of funding from the “Protecting Australia’s Children Fund: FHaCSIA” we are able to extend this project to work with 60 new families our through partnerships with Salvation Army, Holy Eucharist Church, and ISIS Primary Care - VISION Vietnamese in our support network Playgroup.

Our team has expanded to include 3 more circus trainers (Kate Barnard, Christian Parr and Briar Seyb-Hayden) and 2 more Book Making Facilitators (Sarah Kreigler and Briony Barr) in addition to the existing team.

A professional development program for playgroup facilitators will also be delivered in September 2009.

With thanks to the generous funding from Brimbank Council, Sidney Myer fund and FHaCSIA.

For enquiries please contact the Westside Circus Program Manager.

Full of Beans Project: Our 2nd Mini-book (click image to enlarge)

MacKillop Family Services Multicultural Playgroup celebrate their new book (click image to enlarge)