Early Learning
Welcome to Kinder!
We have had a wonderful start to the year at our Early Learning Centre, welcoming children and families across our four Kinder groups. We have two four-year-old Kinder groups: Possum (Kooramook) and Echidna (Weelangkeel), and two three-year-old Kinder groups: Wombat (Meeyam) and Koala (Weengkeel).
We have been enjoying beginning to get to know the children and their families, and observing the creative ways children are using spaces and resources. One highlight has been our new pump, which allows children to access water from a well. Our 3 year old groups were able to watch Mr McNaughton install the well, which prompted a lot of excitement and questions!
Children have been starting to think about where we access our water from, and ways we can look after the resources God has given us. They have been using the water from the pump for some of their outdoor cooking, and also for taking care of our plants and trees.
It has been lovely to see lots of smiles and laughter as children (and educators) discover the unexpected and take delight in their environment and in other people. I am reminded of the phrase repeated in Genesis 1: "And God saw that it was good". It is good to be at Kinder, enjoying the space we have been blessed with, and learning about and exploring God’s world with the children.
Beth Parker
Head of Early Learning
Koalas
After watching Mr McNaughton mixing the concrete for the new water pump, the Koala Group watched a video of a new footpath being built out of cement from a cement mixer truck. The Koalas had lots more questions about the process and tools used to smooth out the cement for the footpath.
On Thursday we made our own mix of cornflour and water to form Goop - a substance that changes consistency like the wet cement we saw being mixed. The Goop could be pushed, squeezed and cut through, which meant we had to work hard to manipulate it and to adjust the mixture as we desired. The Koalas spent a lot of time exploring the Goop and were very excited about their discoveries (and the fun mess they made!).
Some ways they described the Goop as they created it were:
Spencer - "Disgusting! Sticky and gooey!"
Daisy - "Sticky!"
Oscar - "Clacky!"
Willow - "Really hard"
Bobby - "It looks like custard!"
We have had such a fun start to Kinder.
Sian Duggan
Early Learning Educator
Belonging, Being and Becoming in a Multimodal Puppet Theatre!
A broken and discoloured puppet theatre lying on the nature strip of a local house caught my eye. Mr Missen cringed as he saw my face because he recognised that look and knew he was going to have to pull over and put it in the car. “What are you going to do with it?” he asked. “I don’t know,” I said, “But the possibilities are endless!”
On the first day of Kinder in the Echidna room, the repaired and repainted puppet theatre welcomed families into the Kinder for a first day photo with their child so they could take a memory with them before they left their child with us for the first time. Families have started to feel a sense of belonging to our Kindergarten.
On the second day of Kinder the children became more familiar with the Echidna room, and the theatre became a place of being as the children relaxed and their little personalities started to show through explorative and fun play, as well as a place to do puzzles!
Finally, that once beat up and broken puppet theatre is now a fully restored place of becoming as children meet and make friends in it. As they convert soft toys to puppets to work together to create amazing and imaginative performances, the children are becoming active learners. All this belonging, being and becoming from something no one wanted. I hope that we never stop seeing the possibilities in all things, especially the children in our care! Welcome to Kinder!
Judi Missen
Early Learning Educator