Glen Education Sacred Heart

Learning Environment

By Glen Sacred Heart Educational Team

Contemporary theories and research informed by the Reggio Emilia approach recognise and value the environment as a ‘third teacher’. 

Behind educators and families, physical spaces hold the potential to influence what and how children learn.” (Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority, 2024).

At Glen Sacred Heart Kindergarten, we believe the environment indoor and outdoor play a vital role in children’s learning and development. The educational team work together to critically reflect on how the spaces are being used throughout the day. We consider how the children are using the space, what they are gaining from them, and how can we extend their interest and learning. From this daily reflection we are able to intentionally set up learning environments that extend on the children’s interest and allow them the opportunities to extend on their own learning.

“We intentionally set up learning spaces to provide provocation to the children, with the intention that it will expand or extend each child’s unique ideas, interest and theories. I love to see and hear how children interpret the space, giving insight into how they see the world around them.” said teacher, Jess Sloane.

Here, the child is using the kitchen space as a café. They have seen a fish puzzle and used the pieces as pretend food because we didn't have fish in our food set.

We view the outdoor environment as important as the indoor environment. In the outdoor environment we encourage risky play through climbing, digging, jumping and many other opportunities to learn and practice risk assessment.  Risky play helps children develop resilience, executive functioning skills, self-confidence, and risk-assessment abilities. There is an abundance of learning that happens through risky play, which is a large part of our outdoor learning environment.