Learning Across the ELC

Banksia Room 

Caring for our Garden- Our Banksia Garden is flourishing!

The children have enjoyed caring for our seedlings and doing daily checks with Gemma to ensure that the plants are getting enough water. The gardening project has created many opportunities for the children to learn about respecting the environment and being responsible for looking after the seedlings they have planted.

The children have continued to work in small groups to care for the plants, which has enabled them to share their ideas and hypotheses about how the seedlings are growing. On Monday, the children commented that over the weekend, the weather had been 'sunny.' From this, we observed that the soil was looking rather dry. We used the watering cans the children made previously from recycled milk containers to water all the fruits and vegetables.

Charlotte, Anthony, and Abby made a surprising discovery: something has been eating our broccoli! "What could it be?" asked Gemma. The children pondered for a moment and confidently communicated their ideas:

"Snails." Charlotte and Anthony

"Caterpillars." Abigail

Self Portraits -The Image of the Child

“Self Portraits are windows into the children’s identities. They are a bold declaration by an artist to express their identity” -Ann Pelo (Pedagogical leader and author)

Creating self-portraits allows children to express various aspects of their identity and fosters a sense of belonging within their environment. Self-portrait provocations provide children with a glimpse into their individuality and unique characteristics, affirming them as valued citizens of the world. Over the last few weeks, Mrs De Alwis invited the Banksia children to draw self-portraits using mirrors to observe their facial features. The children were excited to explore their reflections, adjusting the mirrors to examine the colours of their eyes, hair, and skin before beginning their drawings. Afterwards, they enthusiastically shared their thoughts on self-portraits.

“I can see my face in the mirror”. Joshua

“Happy face. Round face. Light skin. Two eyes. Green eyes. It’s curly (Hair). I have two legs”. Ivy

“I got cheeks, eyebrows, a mouth and two legs”. Stirling

“I can see my beautiful face. I got ears. I can see my mouth. I got brown eyes.” Alice

“Circle (Face). Black (eyes). I am three. Green (Hair).” Raffaele

“I have earrings. Two eyes. My face is here”. Kendah

Ms Alicia Carr

Early Childhood Teach