News from our Early Years
Learning for Life: Nature Play
What a blast we had this week at Learning for Life!
We explored Lambert Park Reserve and went on a nature scavenger hunt, searching for items on our checklist. “Let’s find the snake!” one student exclaimed, excitedly pointing at a pink worm.
At Mount Carmel College, we are incredibly fortunate to have access to such beautiful natural spaces right on our doorstep. Our Early Years Programs make the most of this, with regular visits weekly.
Learning for Life runs from the Early Learning Centre building every Monday morning during school terms (from Week 2), between 9:15am and 10:15am. It’s a fantastic opportunity to come along and discover if Mount Carmel’s Early Learning Centre or Kindergarten is the right fit for you and your child.
The program is led by our Early Years Coordinator, Jasmin Reynolds, alongside our ELC Centre Manager, Michelle Miles.
Year 1
In Year 1 Science we've been learning about push and pull forces and how they are used in our everyday lives. We have focussed our thinking around these learning intentions:
I know that objects can be moved by a push or pull force,
I can describe a push, pull and twist,
I recognise that the shape of objects may be changed by pushing and pulling,
I can describe the movement of objects, including how an object’s shape may influence its movement.
We started by looking at moving and still things, forming and answering questions about what makes them stationary or moving. We learned about the forces of push, pull, gravity and friction and explored a range of real life situations. A lot of us were surprised when we realised that so many of our toys require pushes and pulls to work.
We viewed the Play School opening credits and noticed all the pushes and pulls which make things move in it. You can watch it by clicking on the link below.
Best of all, we conducted a lot of simple experiments to test for friction and investigate how pushing and/or pulling an object might change its speed or direction when moving.
2026 Enrolments for ELC
We are taking enrolments for 2026 into our Early Learning Centre.
Our ELC provides a warm and welcoming start to a child’s educational journey. We believe that play fosters a child’s imagination enabling them to explore the world at their own level.
Our programs have a play based approach to learning and aims to support young children to individually grow and develop their love of learning.
Our rich and meaningful learning experiences promote exploration, creativity and curiosity among all children. The fun, supportive and stimulating program ensures every child is celebrated at their own stage of development.
Our educators are guided by the Early Years Learning Framework who provide children with a safe, secure and nurturing environment across all programs. Each child is encouraged to learn through exploration and extend their imagination, problem solving skills and creativity.
Our students also participate in weekly specialist classes, utilising the College’s resources in Dance, Japanese, Library, Music, Nature Play and Sport.
Our ELC is available for girls and boys from 3 years of age running 5 days a week, Mondays through to Fridays, from 7.30am until 6.00pm.
Contact our Enrolments Officer to discuss ELC enrolments.