Karuah River Speech Pathology

16/06/2026

✨ Child-led play in action! ✨

Child-led play doesn’t mean there is no learning happening - it means the learning is driven by curiosity. Sometimes the best outcomes come from letting go of the original plan and seeing where the child takes it.

A great example: during a kinetic sand making activity, the child’s interest shifted towards using a dropper with water and colours. By following that interest, the activity evolved in a different direction, with lots of experimenting, mixing and exploring along the way.

The result? A very messy (and very fun!) potion-making experience using water, food colouring and various pantry items! 🧪🌈

Why follow the child’s lead?

🔹 Increases engagement and motivation
🔹 Supports problem-solving and creativity
🔹 Encourages communication and language naturally
🔹 Builds confidence and independence
🔹 Creates meaningful learning opportunities based on the child’s interests

Sometimes the best learning happens when we put aside our plans and follow the child’s curiosity instead. 🌈✨

16/06/2026

💙🤍 We love Speech Pathology Australia’s Book of the year awards! This year is extra special as our wonderful local author Rachel Barry Author’s book ‘Where ripples rise’ is amongst the shortlisted titles!!! Check out the shared post for all the shortlisted titles 💚🤍

15/06/2026

📣 Parent Education Opportunity

We love seeing opportunities like this for our local families. Parent education sessions play such an important role in helping parents and caregivers build knowledge, confidence and practical strategies to support their child’s development in everyday life.

Access to quality education and support can be especially valuable for families in regional and rural communities, where services and learning opportunities are often harder to access.

A big thank you to the organisers for helping make information and support more accessible to families. Be sure to check out the details in the shared post if you’re interested in attending! 💙🌱

Please register by completing the form by following this link: https://form.jotform.com/261187414290052

Please note, this is a community event for parents and families only. Not open to providers for promotion.

Parents are welcome to bring a dish to share for a light potluck lunch. However, this is not mandatory.

14/06/2026

🌈 Happy Monday 🌈

This weekend we made some rainbow rice for sensory play activities.

Rice play is a simple activity with lots of developmental benefits:

🔹 Builds vocabulary (colours, actions, concepts)
🔹 Encourages conversations and turn-taking
🔹 Supports following directions and listening skills
🔹 Develops imaginative play and storytelling
🔹 Provides sensory input and regulation
🔹 Strengthens fine motor skills through scooping, pouring and transferring

Most importantly, it’s fun! Looking forward to seeing what the children create with it this week. 🌈✨

04/06/2026

🐸🌿 Build a Frog Hotel with Stroud Jr Landcare! 🌿🐸

Join us for a fun morning of nature, creativity and conservation as we create cosy frog hotels and help improve habitat for local wildlife.

📅 Sunday 28 June
⏰ 10:00am – 11:30am
📍 Lions Park, Mill Creek, Stroud
💚 FREE event

During this hands-on session, children will:

🐸 Build their own frog hotel to take home
🌱 Learn about local frogs and wetland habitats
🌿 Plant native plants to help restore creekside habitat
🦗 Discover how healthy habitats support native wildlife
💬 Develop communication, social and problem-solving skills through nature-based activities

Please bring:
🧢 A hat
🍎 Morning tea
🌧️ Wet weather gear (it may be muddy!)

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 All children must be supervised by a responsible adult for the duration of the event.

We can't wait to see you there! 🐸💚

24/05/2026

A big thank you to everyone who joined us today at Stroud Jr Landcare! 🌱🐝

Today we revisited the plants we put in last month, caring for them by covering exposed roots with fresh soil and checking on how they are growing. We then learned all about bees and the important ways they care for us and our environment.

The children gathered sticks, decorated recycled plant pots, and carefully filled them to create their own bee hotels. Shout out to the grown ups who helped cut the tibouchina and branches to size - thanks for your help! We also had some great discussions about where we could place the finished hotels around our homes to help support our local pollinators.

The teamwork, creativity and problem-solving on display today was wonderful to see.

Thanks again for another fantastic morning outdoors learning together! 🐝🌿

21/05/2026

Rainy days doesn’t have to mean staying indoors 🌧️💦

Jumping in puddles, splashing through mud and exploring wet weather play can support so many important skills for children, all while having fun!

💬 Language & communication
Children learn new words like “splash, muddy, slippery, pouring”, and practise conversations, storytelling and asking questions.

🤝 Social & emotional skills
Taking turns, sharing space, coping with unexpected splashes and laughing together all help build connection, confidence and resilience.

🧠 Problem solving & thinking skills
“How deep is this puddle?” “Will this float?” “What happens if I jump harder?” Wet weather play encourages curiosity and experimentation.

🌿 Sensory development
Different textures, sounds and movements help children explore and regulate their sensory systems in a natural way.

Sometimes the best learning happens when we step outside, get a little messy and embrace the rain ☔💙

19/05/2026

🐝 Happy World Bee Day! 🐝

Today we are celebrating our tiny pollinators that make a BIG difference to our environment 🌼🌱

At Karuah River Speech Pathology, we love linking nature, play and learning through our work with Stroud Jr Landcare. Activities like creating bee hotels, planting native flowers and exploring the outdoors give children opportunities to build:
🌿 Communication skills
🌿 Social interaction
🌿 Fine motor skills
🌿 Teamwork and confidence
🌿 Curiosity about the world around them

Bees help our gardens grow, support biodiversity and remind us how important it is to care for our environment, something we are passionate about encouraging in local children through hands-on community experiences 🐝💛

Come along to this weekend's Stroud Jr Landcare 'Build a Bee Hotel' workshop to learn, create, and connect with nature alongside us!

16/05/2026

🌱Stroud Jr Landcare: May Session 🐝

Join us for a fun and hands-on Build a Bee Hotel Workshop!

📅 Saturday 24 May
⏰ 10:00am – 11:30am
📍 Lions Park, Mill Creek, Stroud

Learn how bee hotels support bees and local ecosystems while building fine motor, communication, and social skills through hands-on play and nature-based learning.

What to bring:
☀️ Hat
💧 Water bottle
🧴 Sunscreen
🌧️Gumboots and raincoat in case of wet weather

All children must be supervised by a responsible adult at all times.
We’d love to see you there! 🌿

16/05/2026

To all our fellow speechies:

Michelle will be facilitating an upcoming online event - PD Gems: What’s Worth It? as part of her role as the Regional, Rural and Remote Coordinator for NSW/ACT branch (Speech Pathology Australia).

This will be a great opportunity to share professional development courses, programs, podcasts, literature, conferences or training that you’ve attended and genuinely found valuable in practice. So bring along your best PD gems to share, and hopefully leave with a few new ideas for your own learning journey.

For more information and to register, visit this link https://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/EventDetail?EventKey=26NSWV11