Early Learning
Possums
Many children in the Possum group have a strong interest in bugs! We spot them around the Kinder, both inside and outside. Sometimes we need to research new bugs we haven't discovered before. This involves checking whether they are safe to touch! We are also interested in what they eat, and what sort of places they like to live (their habitat).
Children have been making some signs to help teach everyone at our kinder which bugs we can carefully touch, and which bugs we shouldn't touch. This is not just because they might hurt us - Dulcie pointed out that when we touch butterflies we could hurt them because of the special dust on their wings.
Maya explained that queen bees are safe to touch because her Dad has touched one. We were very curious about this so decided to read more about queen bees. We learned that Maya is right! Queen bees almost never sting people, and their stinger is smooth and doesn't hurt as much.
Outcome 4 of the VEYLDF describes children learning with their peers, sharing their feelings and thoughts about learning with others. In doing so, children begin to understand that listening to the responses of others can help them understand and make new meaning of experiences. At Kinder, children teach others and broaden their learning about the world through connecting with people, places, technologies and natural materials.
We have been learning that God made our beautiful world and that we can care for country, including bugs!
Beth Parker
Head of Early Learning
Wombats
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.
Ecclesiastes 3:1
The last few weeks has been a time of new adventures for each of the children beginning 3-year-old Kindergarten in the Wombat Group. For many of the children it is the first time they have experienced care and education outside of the home. We are very proud of the way all the children are settling in and participating in the program with enthuasiasm.
As a group we have had the opportuntiy for lots of outdoor play, as well as play indoors. Outside the children have enoyed the trikes, swings, climbing equipment, play in the sandpit and mud kitchen, while indoors the children have had the opportunity to engage in painting, pasting, play with playdough, imaginative play, building, looking at books and completing puzzles.
The children are starting to become familiar with the routine of a Kinder day and are beginning to be able to predict what activity comes next. Group times have been enjoyable experiences where we gather together to read stories, sing songs and share together. The children have been learning the names of their peers through regular singing of the Hello song at group time.
It is lovely to see the children engaging in play independently and beginning to make connections with some of their peers. The children are gaining independence and confidence as they practice self-help skills, such as managing their own belongings and going to the bathroom independently. We look forward to continuing getting to know each of the children and families and facilitating the children's learning through play.
Anna Chen & Hayley Pallister
Early Learning Educators
Koalas
The Koala three-year-old group have been busy singing familiar songs in English and in Tagalog. If we don't know the words we follow along with the actions!
We have been learning our new friends names with some Bus Pastings. "Dexter's driving my bus!" said Bobby. "You're driving my bus, Bobby!" laughed Reggie as he pasted a photo of Bobby at the front of his bus. The children were excited to find their own faces among the photos, too. Pasting is a favourite activity for the Koala Group.
Water play is another favourite activity. The children have learned how to squeeze and release to draw coloured water into a tube, then to squeeze it back out. This is great practise for hand strength and following a sequence of steps to achieve a result.
The children challenged themselves to draw water up as high as it could go in their tubes.
Water play is calming and invites us to spend long periods of time in deep concentration as we develop skills and muscles we'll need for writing one day.
Water play can also be exciting and can entice us to take risks, share humour and take turns... like when the children asked to use the hose on a very hot morning! The Koalas took turns holding the hose up high on the sunflowers while others took turns to run underneath the water. It's been a fun and busy fortnight in the Koala Group!
Sian Duggan
Early Learning Educator