Early Learning Centre

Welcome back Mrs Whiteside

All of the ELC staff and children were very excited to welcome Mrs Whiteside back from her honeymoon this week!

3-Year-Old Kinder

Making playdough

The children worked in a small group with their teachers to make some playdough. They took turns to add in the ingredients and mix it all together. Mrs Nadarajah showed the children how to knead it and roll it. The children investigated what happens when blue and pink colouring are added to each other: purple playdough!

Obstacle course

Whilst it was raining outside, the group engaged in an obstacle course through the ELC building. The children were invited to practise their gross motor skills of balancing, jumping on a trampoline, jumping and hopping and crawling through a tunnel.

Investigation

The children investigated, explored and engaged in inquiry as they weighed, measured, poured, scooped and arranged natural materials in their environment. When children engage in investigation and inquiry, they are developing the learning dispositions that they will use for life-long learning.

If you go down to the woods today …

Last Friday, the ELC3 children were joined by some very special friends for the day to have a Teddy Bears’ Picnic. The children brought in their teddy bears and were able to take each of their teddy bears around in a parade. The teddy bears then joined the children for their morning tea picnic outside. The children sang a teddy bear picnic song and read a special book called “The Best Loved Bear” by Diana Noonan.

4-Year-Old Kinder

During one of the warmer weather days, the children noticed that the weather was “warm”, “sunny”, “hot” and “very hot”. Outside in the yard we turned on the water fountain and tap, so that the children were able to play in the mud kitchen, to create with wet sand in the sandpit, and jump in puddles. 

The children took turns to fill up their containers and used them to fill a doll's bath with water. When the children tipped the water out, they noticed it made a stream which flowed down the yard. The children showed joy and wonder as they explored their natural environment and investigated the natural world.

Extending on this during the next warm day, the children worked together to construct a complex network of rivers, streams, pools, bridges, tunnels and dams. The children experimented with pouring water from different containers into their creation, predicting what they thought would happen. The children were introduced to the terms of “erosion”, “force” and “gravity” during play as they engaged in scientific inquiry.

Xavier brought in a very special picture story book to share with the group called “Springtime in the garden” beautifully written and illustrated by Megan Clark- his Mum! The book told the story of some birds that laid eggs in a nest, which hatched into baby chicks. The chicks then grew up into adult birds who came back to lay their eggs in the garden too.

Earlier this term, some of the children showed interest in measuring a vehicle that they had created out of “Mobilo”. They had measured the length of the vehicle using a ruler. To extend their learning, we provided the children with surveyor’s wheels, so that they could walk around their classroom and practise measuring distances.