Sun Room Curriculum

Here we are at the end of Term 2!  Let's take a look back together at all the learning, fun and growing we did together . . .

Our Inquiry Project - Australian Animals

This term, we have loved exploring our inquiry project all about Australian animals! Together, we discovered so much about the unique animals that call Australia home through stories, art, sensory play, discussions and hands-on experiences.

A very special part of our learning was our take-home Australian Animals Program. The children enjoyed taking home Melly the Koala, Bounce the Kangaroo, Puggles the Platypus and Russell the Wombat, helping to build confidence, responsibility and a strong connection between home and our learning environment. The animals will now stay in Sun Room so every child will have the opportunity to spend time with them throughout the year.

Our creativity truly shone as we explored a wide range of art experiences. We created koala faces, cockatoos, emus, echidnas and even jellyfish, while also experimenting with water colour paints to create beautiful artworks of koalas, wombats, kangaroos, echidnas, reptiles and birds. One of our highlights was collaborating on a paper mâché echidna, beautifully created by Nai. Every child contributed to the project, and together we proudly named our new friend Prickles, who will remain in Sun Room as a reminder of our teamwork and creativity.

To finish our inquiry, we read Wombat Stew and brought the story to life through a hands-on tabletop storytelling experience. We also enjoyed exploring our Australian animal discovery sensory table and our Outback Train sensory experience, which inspired imaginative play, storytelling and lots of meaningful conversations.

This has been such a fun and memorable inquiry project. We have learnt so much together, shared many laughs, explored with curiosity and creativity, and developed a deeper appreciation for Australia's amazing wildlife. We are so proud of everything the children have achieved and can't wait to see where our next learning adventure takes us!

Supporting fine motor development  (By Ann-Maree)

This term, our Sun Room children have been busy developing their fine motor skills through a range of engaging, hands-on experiences. 

Fine motor development is an important part of early childhood, helping children strengthen the small muscles in their hands and fingers that are needed for everyday tasks such as drawing, cutting, dressing themselves and eventually writing.

To support this learning, the children enjoyed threading colourful beads onto sticks and pipe cleaners, as well as wrapping ribbons around sticks. 

These activities encouraged concentration, hand-eye coordination, problem-solving and perseverance, while also providing opportunities for creativity and exploration.

It was also a way for us to connect this learning with our Indigenous perspectives by using the colours of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags throughout our experiences. The children also revisited the story of The Rainbow Serpent, inspiring conversations about Australia's First Nations cultures and traditions by making their own rainbow snake. 

By weaving cultural learning into everyday play experiences, we continue to foster respect, curiosity and a sense of belonging while supporting children's developing skills.

Balance Bikes! (Ann-Maree)

This term, we have also placed a strong focus on developing the children's gross motor skills through active outdoor play. Gross motor development involves strengthening the large muscles in the body and supports important skills such as balance, coordination, strength, confidence and body awareness. These skills form the foundation for everyday movements and help children build healthy, active lifestyles.

To support this learning, we introduced two new balance bikes to our outdoor environment. The children have enthusiastically embraced the challenge of learning to balance, steer and manoeuvre the bikes while navigating around their friends. 

As they ride, they are developing coordination, spatial awareness, risk assessment and confidence, while also practising turn-taking, patience and encouraging one another. 

It has been wonderful to watch the children's skills and confidence grow as they challenge themselves each day through active play.

Connections with nature (By Nai)

During Term Two the children have been very lucky to learn all about Australian Animals. 

As we brought our classroom to life with artworks and engaging activities, we wanted to invite some of our local Australian birds to come into our garden so the children could observe them more closely. 

We started by purchasing some wild birdseed and hanging it from a tree branch to attract local birds and see what would visit our yard. 

After a little while we started getting some interest from Cockatoos, then a few Cockatoos turned into a lot, and the children LOVED this. 

They were so fascinated with the way they would hold their food, make loud noises, ruffle their feathers and fly around to different spots, and the Cockatoos were not phased with the children sitting close by to get a better look.

We also were very lucky to have a closer look at a pair of Tawny Frogmouths. As they look very similar to a tree branch, it did take the children a few minutes to spot them but once they did, they couldn’t get enough. 

Not only have we had amazing birds, we have also been lucky to have a very close look at a Skink that was walking around our yard. The children were very fascinated by its fast movement and thought it was very funny.

These incredible natural learning opportunities help foster curiosity, respect and appreciation for our local wildlife. 

Through this engagement, we have transformed our outdoor area into something truly magical for all the children to enjoy, it has created endless opportunities for exploration, discovery and meaningful connections with nature.

Shapes and Colours (By Charlotte)

This term we were working on our shape and colour recognition. To support this learning I set up a painting experience that combined the two. 

Using sponges that were cut into shapes, the children dipped the sponge into the coloured paint and pressed onto their paper to make a beautiful artwork. 

Whilst painting we were talking about the colours and shapes they were using each time, even having a laugh at the colour combinations they were making as they overlapped the shapes on their paper. 

This activity was such a fun and purposeful way of learning about their shapes and colours and I just know that the children each got something out of their time painting with me.

Our Garden (Jane)

The children have really enjoyed gardening this Term.

We love their enthusiasm with helping to look after our Sun Room garden - watering the plants, planting seeds and also sweeping the pathway are very popular activities to do with the children.

The children also love tasting the grown produce from the garden. We have tried lemons, radishes, strawberries, celery, parsley, and lettuce. 

We have had great success with our giant pansies and beautiful blue and yellow violets which are still continuing to flower.

The flowers and vegetables have grown in the new hanging baskets, planter boxes and pots. These are looking very beautiful.

We can’t wait for the tulips to flower that Issy brought in for us to plant.

Last week we added a new mandarin and feijoa plant which grow well in pots. We are already looking forward to them fruiting.

Another great addition to the garden are the colourful flower chalk boards and the metal colourful birds on the fence which all look fantastic! The children have enjoyed drawing with chalk and also using water and paintbrushes to make art.

The worm farm has also been enjoyed. The children love to feed them our leftover fruits and visiting them often with Mel.Our future plans for the garden is to introduce Bob the indoor Monstera Plant. We will also make hoola hoop outdoor hanging decorations - one with ribbons and the other with artificial leaves and flowers.We will also be looking at brightening the outside brick walls with paper Sunflowers, using crepe paper to add a touch of colour. The outside fairy garden has also been very popular. It will be getting a makeover with some new figurines, pebbles and plants. 

Our garden is really starting to take shape and I’m so proud of the hard work Sun Room is doing! 

We look forward to all of the discoveries we're going to have together in Term 3.  We will be supporting our group goal of 'Emotions' and our inquiry project 'All About Transport'.  Thanks for all your support.

Your Sun Room Team,

Ann-Maree, Nai, Mel, Paris, Maggie, Jane, Issy and Charlotte