A WORKSHOP PLAN

Welcome

We’re so glad you’re planning to use the Glow resources within your community.

Glow is a digital subscription of creative
and connective moments for parents
and carers of new babies.

We’ve selected some of the most popular Glow moments that we think will work well in a group setting. We hope that it’s a useful resource for parenting groups, and public spaces where young families might gather like libraries, galleries and community centres.

Glow supports bonding and infant development by fostering moments of:

touch & skin to skin contact

singing, talking & dancing with baby

encouraging eye contact & mirroring

noticing & responding to baby’s cues and body language

As you work through the audio prompts below, we hope that you will witness these moments of intimacy and bonding in the families who attend your workshop.

Please note, Glow has been designed for pre-walking babies - and while some of the experiences might work for older children, the focus should be on providing an opportunity for parents and carers to connect in a new way with their infant.

PREPARING FOR THE SESSION

So you know how best to use this resource, take a listen to the audio embedded on this site.
Sometimes you’ll be able to play it through, other times you might like to repeat an instruction, and feel free to pause / fade out things if you want to.
Stay responsive to the needs of the participants around you, and do what you feel is needed in the space.
- Speakers that you can connect to your phone / computer to play audio through.
- Clear floor space so that parents and their babes have enough room to stretch out. If they can do that on carpet or a rug that would be preferred.
- Each family unit will need a muslin wrap or silk for the Under the Wrap moment. It might pay to have a few spare on hand.
As you set up for the workshop, take a look around and identify anything that could be harmful and take appropriate action.
Leaving the house with an infant is a big deal, so it’s important that people are acknowledged and cared for when they arrive. Some things we do when we run events for families:
- Let people know that we’re glad they’re here.
- Introduce ourselves - and find out the names of each person and their children.
- Be sure they understand that this space is for them and their children. Tears, laughter, feeding, nappy changes are all welcome!
- Let them know where to put their prams / nappy bags etc, and point out toilets or parents rooms.
Thank you for creating a safe space for parents and carers to come together and connect with their babies.
We invite you to take a moment to pause and take a breathe before the session, so that you can bring a calm and warm energy for each of the parents who will join you.
If you’ve got a few moments, you might even like to listen to Kettle over a cup of tea!

THE WORKSHOP

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY

We always begin our events with an Acknowledgement of Country. If you’re not sure what Country you are holding the workshop on - you might like to look it up HERE.

If you’re stuck on the wording, feel free to use the Acknowledgement below.

“We acknowledge that we are gathered today on the unceded lands of the (insert your Country / People here).

First Nations people have been caring for Country, Culture and Community for tens of thousands of years, and we Acknowledge their ongoing custodianship of the land that we now live and work on.

We recognise Elders past and present, and extend our respect to any First Nations parents and bubs who are joining us here today.

We acknowledge that his always was, and always will be Aboriginal land.”

A little bit about GLOW

Glow is an digital suite of creative moments that we hope will help you to connect more deeply with your little one.

Today we will listen to a handful of Glow moments togther.

We will slow down, notice and explore together with our little ones.

Connecting, playing, dancing and meditating through everyday rituals.

The audio will be offer invitations to you and your little one today. Take what works for you both and let everything else wash over you.

NOTICING TOGETHER

Let’s begin with a track that invites us to tune into ourselves, and our babies as a way to bring our focus and attention to this time and this place.

The noticing poem goes for 1.30 minutes, following that you might like to use the text below to guide parents / carers to connect with their body, breathe and baby as the music continues to play.

Place one hand on your heart

Notice your breath as you breathe in and out

And another breath, in and out.

And another.

Rest your hand on your baby’s stomach.

Notice their breath.

In and out.

And another.

Now, one hand on your heart, and the other hand on your child.

Both breathing together.

Both noticing each other.

SING TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR TOGETHER

Hold your diamond in the air with your fingers.

Can you look through the diamond at your baby?

Notice all those beautiful tiny details - as you move your diamond around their body.

What can you see?

Tell your baby the things you see.

I can see your foot.

I can see your eye.

I can see your ear.

Notice their fingerprints

Like no other.

Notice your baby’s toes

Hold them in your hands

Feel the softness of the skin.

Where will these feet travel? Over rough and smooth terrain.

When will they travel alone, when will they travel together?

Write your name of your favourite place on their feet?

Where would you like to take them?

SING TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR ONCE MORE

UNDER THE WRAP

For this moment, participants will need a muslin wrap or piece of cloth to play with their baby.

Ask parents and carers to lay their baby on the floor in front of them - making eye contact with them if they can.

If that’s not possible, no worries - listen and work through it as they can.

You might like to continue to play with the wrap for a while before moving on to the next moment.

Here is a link to an instrumental version of the audio, so you can continue to explore time under the wrap together with some gentle music in the background.

DANCE

This has been our most popular Glow Moment for good reason!

Dance invites parents and carers to choreograph a family dance, with baby at the centre.

Parents might feel less self-conscious about moving, if you as the facilitator also dance and move to the audio!

This might be easiest with the babies on the floor, but invite parents to engage with it in anyway they like.

If they would like to continue using the wrap, that’s great!

RESET

After all that dancing, it’s time for a moment of calm before returning to the outside world.

This one is for the adults in the room!

Invite parents and carers to lie down on their backs - or find a position that they’re comfortable in with their baby. It’s OK if the babies lie on top of them, sit beside them or move over them as they listen - they might even like to continue to play with (or suck on) the wrap!

When everyone has settled, press play on the audio below.

SAYING GOODBYE

As you prepare to leave, you might like to sing one TWINKLE TWINKLE once more together, or maybe you know a goodbye song that would work well!

Be sure to let people know that they can access all of the GLOW moments at home - and you can share the QR code below with them so that the can register for their complimentary pass.