Early Learning Centre

3-Year-Old Kindergarten

Over the past few weeks in ELC 3, our children have been enthusiastically exploring the fascinating world of minibeasts. Through hands-on experiences, discussions and play-based learning, the children have been developing their understanding of the small creatures that live in our gardens and natural environments. Their curiosity has led to many thoughtful questions and discoveries about how living things move, grow and survive.

Minibeast Incursion

A recent highlight of this learning journey was welcoming Christy from Mornington Peninsula Shire, who visited the children to share her knowledge about minibeasts and environmental exploration. Christy brought along a range of engaging resources, including minibeast puzzles, which helped the children identify the features of different insects and bugs.

Our investigations have also included learning about worms, an important helper in our environment. Through songs, movement and discussion, the children explored how worms move by stretching and squeezing their bodies through the soil. They also discovered that worms help the environment by eating organic matter and enriching the soil. The children were fascinated to learn that although worms do not have eyes, ears or mouths like we do, they can sense light and even have five hearts.

Experiences like these support the children as they begin to develop a deeper understanding of and respect for the natural environment.

Science Exploration – Colours in Action

The children explored primary and secondary colours through a hands-on science experiment using Bok Choy demonstrated by Miss Simpson. We dipped the white stems into different coloured dyes — red, yellow, blue, orange, green and purple, and left them for the day. By the end of the day, we were so excited to see the stems beginning to change colour. 

 The children observed how the dye travelled up the stem, turning the white parts into the colour they were placed in. It was a fantastic way to see science happening right before our eyes!

Harmony Day

Looking ahead, our ELC community will be celebrating Harmony Week, which provides a wonderful opportunity for our children to recognise and celebrate the diversity within our college community. At the ELC, we will be helping children understand that people all around the world are part of God’s beautiful and diverse creation. Each person is unique, with different cultures, languages and traditions, yet we all belong to one human family created by God.

“So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.” Genesis 1:27

Emergency Services

In the coming weeks, we will also begin introducing conversations about safety and emergency awareness, including learning about community helpers such as ambulance officers, firefighters and police. 

It continues to be wonderful to see the children demonstrating curiosity, confidence and care for the world around them as they explore, question and learn together in our ELC community.

Mrs Amy Hu, ELC Director

4-Year-Old Kindergarten

Exploring the College grounds

ELC 4 made the most of the student-free day in the Primary and Secondary school, and explored the south campus of the College. We headed down to the oval, however, it began to rain. Instead, we took the children into the Secondary gymnasium. The children played with balls and frisbees, throwing and kicking them to one another, running around and laughing together. Next, we went via the chicken coop area to the Primary playground. The children were delighted as they climbed, ran, jumped, hopped and explored the area.

Sustainable gardens incursion

The children had a visit from the Mornington Peninsula Shire Environmental Education Program to learn all about sustainable gardening and food production. Educator Christie spoke with the children about the importance of looking after the land, water and sky. Then she spoke about how food is produced, how plants grow, and pollination.

After Christie explained to the children how pollination works, they played a game. The children acted as insects and buzzed from bowl to bowl, carrying pollen (scrunched up paper) from flower to flower. Then the children took turns holding and smelling herbs and plants: parsley, basil, rosemary, lavender, and a sunflower. Finally, Christie introduced the children to our new worms for the worm farm.

The children were able to get up close to the worms and gently hold them. The children learnt that our worms need to eat food scraps, fruits, vegetables, and cardboard.

Harmony Day

This week in ELC 4, we celebrated Harmony Day. The children were invited to wear orange clothing, or clothing that represents their culture, to bring an item to share with the group, or to tell the group something about their family. In keeping with the orange-theme, we made ‘Honey Joys’ together, and the children were able to engage in many activities to explore how everyone belongs in ELC. 

Mrs Alyssa Cairns, ELC Teacher

Happy Families ELC Insights Article

Whose Cup Are You Filling?

Writer Derek Thompson recently shared a metaphor via his Substack… and it won't leave me alone. It wasn’t about parenting - but it’s something every parent needs to hear.

Thompson described a game where we have a pitcher of water. On the table in front of the pitcher are dozens of cups that want water. The game is to pour the water into the cups in a way that is satisfying to us but that also gives the right cups the right amount of water. 

Why would the cups want or need water? Those cups each have labels: work, children, partner, screens, dishes, regret, worry, and so on. And the water? It represents something we only have so much of: attention. It’s a simple idea, but with devastating implications. 

Read more in the article linked below:

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