Learning Across the ELC

Learning in the Wattle Room

Over the past two weeks, the Blossom children have been actively engaged in exploring the natural world. During visits to Nature Garden and Omer Lawn, children eagerly collected natural treasures.  Building on their curiosity and observations Ning led the children in a hands-on exploration of the 3Rs — Reduce, Reuse, Recycle — through a series of purposeful and engaging learning experiences.

We created an inviting and intentional learning space featuring clearly labelled, colour-coded bins for sorting waste: red for landfill, yellow for recyclables, and green for organic waste. This visual setup became a central part of our environmental inquiry, offering children a clear and consistent way to participate in daily sustainable practices. 

Alongside the bins, we placed everyday materials such as bowls, paper towels, paper, utensils, water, and plants, to help children connect their real-life materials with environmental care. Posters and visual cues supported the concepts we introduced, helping toddlers to begin to recognise the role they play in reducing waste.

During group time, Ning engaged the children in a guided discussion using objects and storytelling to introduce ideas about sorting, reusing, and recycling. The children were invited to explore the items, sort them into the correct bins, and talk about what they noticed. Even at this young age, the children demonstrated a keen interest, listening attentively and asking simple but insightful questions.

The children also practiced reducing waste by using just one paper towel after washing their hands; reusing materials by drawing on both sides of a piece of paper, then cutting their drawings into fish shapes, and later using the leftover paper scraps to create vibrant collage art. Leftover water from handwashing was thoughtfully repurposed to water the potted plants in the Wattle Room. Recycling was shown through used paper that was placed into the classroom recycling bin.

These moments were small but powerful, reinforcing the message that everyone can make a difference, even the littlest hands. To further deepen the children’s understanding, we read two informative books: Let’s Learn About Recycling and Recycle It! These stories introduced the concept of recycling, what materials can be recycled, how the process works, and how recycled items can be used again in new ways.

Children’s voices:

What bin does the paper towel go in?

Henry: green 

Mia Z: green

How many paper towels should we use to dry our hands?

One- Mia Z, Henry, Viktor, Jordan, Harper

Which bin does the glass go in?

Viktor: yellow, open the lid and wash it then chuck it into the yellow bin

Jordan: yellow bin

Henry: we put it in the yellow bin and we can recycle 

What is this? 

Viktor: glove, put it on your hand, goes in the red bin,  watering the plants 

How many cans could use for building a cubby house?

Henry: showing his both hands up and said: this many

Eleanor: 1, 2, 3….12

Viktor: showing his one hand up and said, this many

Manasi Kewlani

ELC Team Leader 

Learning in Preschool

As part of our storytelling inquiry this term. Our focus has been on the wonderful illustrations Eric Carle created in his stories. Children had the opportunity to recreate Eric Carle's illustrations. This is a wonderful, hands-on way to reinforce story comprehension and inspire creativity! His unique style is perfect for young children because it emphasises colour, texture, and imagination over precision. We dove into the colourful world of Eric Carle. After reading his stories, we looked closely at his beautiful illustrations made from painted paper and collage. The children noticed how he used shapes, layers, and texture to bring his characters to life.

After reading Little Cloud and The Very Hungry Caterpillar, the children engaged in a creative art activity inspired by the themes and illustrations in the stories. Using a variety of collage materials such as tissue paper, fabric scraps, and textured paper, the children created layered scenes reflecting elements from the book. Some children chose to recreate the journey of the caterpillar through different foods, while others depicted the whimsical cloud shapes from Little Cloud. This activity encouraged students to recall story details, express their interpretations visually, and explore storytelling through art.

 Children engage with a range of texts and represent their ideas symbolically.

Preschool Gold