Early Learning
We have been loving connecting with our Kinder families this year, and have been so excited to be able to have parent helpers again. It has been lovely to see children showing their parents the things they do at Kinder, and parents getting involved in their play. We appreciate all of the ways parents support our Kinder, donating things when we need them for a particular activity, or thinking of us when they have something to give. We were blessed with a large donation of LEGO from one of our wonderful families. We are looking forward to celebrating Easter with children and parents as we finish off the Term with some fun Easter Egg hunts.
Bees
The Bee Group have been thinking about what we can do when we work together as a team. Each child in the Bee group is special and brings exciting and fun ideas to our group. Lewis has made up a song that we now sing at group times, and George, Walter and Shivaansh made up their own verses to make it even more fun. We worked together to create a colourful mural, with each child adding a self-portrait or hand print on their favourite colour, and then collaborating to add more to the mural. This thinking reflects the Early Years Learning Framework outcome of Community, as children learn different ways of contributing through play and projects. It also reflects Romans 12:4-5:
For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
Working collaboratively is a great skill to practice at kinder.
Tuesday Wombats
The Tuesday Wombat Group are learning the Kinder routines and enjoying exploring different activities inside and outside. Children have been working together to create a city, adding their own ideas and talking about what they are including. So far we have a hospital, a doctor, cars, houses and roads. Children have also been exploring colour mixing through their play. They quickly worked out which colours to mix together to make new colours, and learned that red blue and yellow mixed together makes brown! At the end of our Kinder day, children are showing they remember what usually happens by asking for relaxation time and requesting favourite songs and stories.
Beth Parker
Head of Early Learning
Friday Wombats
The children are excited about Easter approaching and are currently enjoying Easter related craft activities at Kinder. The children have had the opportunity to decorate a cardboard 'chick' using scrunched up pieces of tissue paper, as well as begin creating an Easter basket. We are looking forward to our upcoming Easter Egg hunt and taking home our completed (and filled!) Easter baskets next week. At group time we read a picture story book about the life of Jesus and have discussed the reason behind our Easter celebrations - Jesus came to bring new life!
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Hayley Pallister
Early Learning Teacher
Ants
This fortnight the Ant Group have been exploring maps in different forms and purposes. This has followed our interest in treasure and digging for hidden gems in our sandpit. We shared the story Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins, and then retold the story by making our own Story Map. The Ants created a 3D map of the farmyard to assist their story sequencing. We’re also beginning to map out our learning at kinder, using our program diary to record our experiences and reflect on our learning. Several children are going travelling around Australia, and even as far as Sri Lanka and India this season. We have investigated the map of Australia and the World Map, and worked out how we might travel across land and seas. The Ants can often identify Warrnambool and Melbourne on maps, and are beginning to grasp concepts of size and distance. They are beginning to understand a map as a smaller representation of a larger place.
“Warrnambool is a very little place. But it’s not when you look up close to it” - Owen
“I live there, in Warrnambool!” - Zoe finds her town location on the map
“A map shows you how to get to the treasure. My map shows you how to go past a lot of volcanoes” - Eli draws a map
“In Queensland you have to go to Melbourne in the car. You have to get your bags and put them in the car, then carry them when you get there. You have to get the plane and it takes a long time. Then you have to drive in a car to the holiday place. It takes a long time!" - Ava
Sian Duggan
Early Learning Teacher