This year for ClubGrants, Revesby Workers’ Club funded 15 different projects, supporting various local community organisations, sporting groups and charities. After two and a half years of online playgroups and corresponding craft packs, Kidsplay@revesby returned to face-to-face programs in March 2022, with regular families returning, and a huge growth in new families joining. In the past six weeks they have had seven new families register for playgroup. Current numbers are now capped and include 26 children, 23 adults including 11 grandparents who attend with their grandchildren.Their activities each week include, free play, story time, singing/musical instruments, morning tea and craft time. They also like to spend time in the garden and the children actively care for the new plants and bush tucker.

This term, Kidsplay@revesby has had a number of special activities including Book Week where children and adults thoroughly enjoyed the day coming as all types of characters (including the Hungry Caterpillar right) and doing lots of book-based activities.

The Playgroup embeds Aboriginal perspectives into their program, bringing attention to relevant days of significance. They read stories by Aboriginal authors and do art and craft related activities. They also took part in the National Great Book Swap run by the Indigenous Literacy Foundation to raise money to buy books for children in remote communities.

The children designed special personalised wrappers for a block of chocolate for Father’s Day which were greatly appreciated by the special men in the children’s lives.

They celebrated Winter by having songs, stories and hot Chocolate with marshmallows around their pretend Campfire and the children enjoyed the imaginative activity.

They finished the term with a Teddy Bears Picnic where they had songs, stories and crafts about teddies. The children and their teddy or toy friends packed their own little picnic boxes and had a picnic on the front lawn. “We are looking forward to a fun filled term 4 where we will focus on Spring, Australian animals and of course Christmas. We are hoping to be able to once again have our Friday night Dance Party which we have not had for two years”.

Kidsplay@Revesby has a wonderful community of children, parents and grandparents. “We are thrilled to have new families join us and also to see the return of others who now have new grandchildren to bring along. The group care and support each other both at playgroup and now in other contexts. The children love the time to meet and engage with friends through play. We also know that playgroup is a very important space for adults who enjoy time to chat and connect with others and build strong support networks”.

Their increasing number of grandparents who care for their grandchildren regularly, are always very thankful of the space Kidsplay has provided. “We are looking at new ways to support our grandparent community”.

“We are very proud of the work we do in our Kidsplay playgroup here at Revesby Uniting Church and we thank Revesby Workers Club for their continued support. You enable us to offer a community playgroup that brings joy to people of all ages in our local community”