Our Day – Tuesday 6th August and Wednesday 7th August 2019

COLOUR EXPERIMENTS

We have been exploring colours and the colours of the rainbow. We conducted an experiment using different coloured water to see what colours could be made when mixed together. Paper towel is placed in the coloured water which then transfers into the adjacent cup.

Aicha: There’s yellow and blue and red.

Frankie: It’s (the colour) is going up and down.

Liam: You put yellow and blue make green

Will: Yellow and red make orange.

Ambrose: Red.

Arielle: Orange with yellow and red.

Tesi: Purple is blue and red.

COLOUR MIXING

Children have also been mixing primary colours to make secondary colours of orange, green and purple.

BIRDS AND NESTS

We watched the following video about the life cycle of birds. We had a discussion about this story.

Ellara: I found a bird with one eye with Uncle Mark and Lucy. I put it in my new shoe box
Will: birds to lay their eggs to keep them warm.
who would live in it?
Ellara: Birds when they want to get food they fly and get food
Tesi: they eat worms
Shruti: Birds are fly, in the sky.
Aicha : I had a bird at my old house.

Tesi: They eat worms.
Will: There were 6 eggs.
Joel: Then they hatched.

Tavae: The red bird is the daddy.
Liam: Why do birds lay eggs? How do they make eggs?
Will: Why do they have wings?

Some children have been using clay as a language to express their knowledge, understanding and experience of birds and their lifecycle.

Aicha: I make a worm because I need to feed the bird. I making the bird house. I squish, squish.

Olivia: Mine is really squishy. I’m a little bird. Birds eats the worms and they actually lay eggs and they fly and play like that stuff and one I’m a little bird, I like being with the other bird’s.

Aicha: And now I’m going to squish and make a house. The nest. Im going to make a lot of eggs inside and then they crash, I look after them. Nicole, you know at my old house I had a bird but it died.

Olivia: I making a cloud because the birds flies to the cloud.

Aicha: Nicole, this (nest) is like this, a circle.

We watched another video, of a bird hatching. We recorded the children’s comments as they watched the bird.

Tavae: It’s making a door to come out
Krisha: It’s a bird
Will: When it’s in its egg it doesn’t have its feathers yet
Frankie: The eggs wobbles
Aicha: The bird is wobbing the egg to go out
Frankie: It’s getting out
Omelia: A crack
Kanal: Crack
Frankie: It’s hatching
Aicha: It’s getting out.
Xavier: It’s getting out.
Ambrose: A egg.
Olivia: It looks like chicken trying to get out the egg

Tavae: The bird is coming out.
Frankie: It’s a girl.
Aicha: The head has come out.
Liam: It try to crack and it used its beak so it can get out the egg.
Frankie: It stuck
Tavae: It like a monster. The bird got a foot.
Will: The bottom still stck
Aicha: It don’t fly
Frankie: And the feathers make it fly.

NAMES

Some children have been working in small groups with Nicole in Home 2 on identifying and writing their names.

PLAY BASED LEARNING

Using their skills of creativity, curiosity and imagination, our children have engaged with different materials and resources in their play.

PRAYER

SPECKS OF GOLD

EARLY YEARS LEARNING FRAMEWORK

OUTCOME 1: CHILDREN HAVE A STRONG SENSE OF IDENTITY
• Children feel safe, secure, and supported
• Children learn to interact in relation to others with care, empathy and respect

OUTCOME 1: CHILDREN HAVE A STRONG SENSE OF IDENTITY
• Children learn to interact in relation to others with care, empathy and respect

OUTCOME 2: CHILDREN ARE CONNECTED WITH AND CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR WORLD
• Children develop a sense of belonging to groups and communities and an understanding of the reciprocal rights and responsibilities necessary for active community participation

OUTCOME 2: CHILDREN ARE CONNECTED WITH AND CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR WORLD
• Children become aware of fairness

OUTCOME 2: CHILDREN ARE CONNECTED WITH AND CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR WORLD
• Children develop a sense of belonging to groups and communities and an understanding of the reciprocal rights and responsibilities necessary for active community participation

OUTCOME THREE: CHILDREN HAVE A STRONG SENSE OF WELLBEING
• Children take increasing responsibility for their own health and physical wellbeing

OUTCOME 4: CHILDREN ARE CONFIDENT AND INVOLVED LEARNERS
• Children develop dispositions for learning such as curiosity, cooperation, confidence, creativity, commitment, enthusiasm, persistence, imagination and reflexivity

OUTCOME 4: CHILDREN ARE CONFIDENT AND INVOLVED LEARNERS.

  • Children resource their own learning through connecting with people, place, technologies and natural and processed materials

OUTCOME 4: CHILDREN ARE CONFIDENT AND INVOLVED LEARNERS
• Children develop a range of skills and processes such as problem solving, inquiry, experimentation, hypothesising, researching and investigating

OUTCOME 5: CHILDREN ARE EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATORS
• Children express ideas and make meaning using a range of media

OUTCOME 5: CHILDREN ARE EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATORS
• Children interact verbally and non-verbally with others for a range of purposes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Day – Monday 5th August 2019

Today we enjoyed the beautiful sunshine and engaged in a variety of provocations that have all been designed around children’s interests and curiosities.

BIRD’S NEST PROVOCATION

A few weeks ago, the children found an abandoned bird’s nest in the park adjacent to the ELC (Grevilia Park). This morning, we took some time to observe the nest and share our knowledge, understandings and theories about the it.

What is it?

Liam: Nest

Omelia: Mud

What is it made of?

Joel: Dirt

Will: Sticks and grass and mud and dirt

Tesi: Plastic

Arabella: mud

Arielle: rubbish

What do you think is it used for?

Will: Birds to lay their eggs

Joel: Chickens make eggs and cows make eggs

Is it a bird’s nest?

Liam: Yes

What makes you think so?
Will: I see feathers so it’s a bird’s nest
Tesi: Feathers

What do you think it’s used for?
Will: For eggs to keep them all warm.
Tesi: So they can lay chicks, birdy chicks. So the mama chick put one of the little birdy chick and then she can fly.
Simon: Birds
Xavier: Bird lay the egg

Where do you think the birds are now?
Arabella: Flying
Tesi: In the trees

TARUN – BUILDING WITH BLOCKS

Nicole and Tarun spent lots of time building a garage for Tarun’s cars. He used different length blocks and manipulated them by stacking them and balancing them to build his structure. He also used different coloured window blocks and mirrored blocks. Tarun was able to name the different coloured blocks and shared the blocks with Nicole and gave directions as to where he would like the blocks placed. Tarun did a magnificent job!

PLAYING INSTRUMENTS, SINGING AND DANCING

We borrowed a box of instruments from the school including tambourines, castanets, maracas and clapping sticks. Outside, we enjoyed singing songs and learning the ‘1-2’ beat. We played our instruments and enjoyed moving to the music we were making.

PRAYER

During prayer, we set up our prayer circle and sang ‘Come Join the Circle’. We then each chose an instrument and created a ‘rainbow of sound’ as we sung our prayer song ‘Beautiful Rainbow’.

SPECKS OF GOLD

EARLY YEARS LEARNING OUTCOMES

OUTCOME 2: CHILDREN ARE CONNECTED WITH AND CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR WORLD
• Children develop a sense of belonging to groups and communities and an understanding of the reciprocal rights and responsibilities necessary for active community participation

OUTCOME 4: CHILDREN ARE CONFIDENT AND INVOLVED LEARNERS
Children develop dispositions for learning such as curiosity, cooperation, confidence, creativity, commitment, enthusiasm, persistence, imagination and reflexivity

• Children develop a range of skills and processes such as problem solving, inquiry, experimentation, hypothesising, researching and investigating

OUTCOME 5: CHILDREN ARE EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATORS
• Children express ideas and make meaning using a range of media

 

A Week in the Life – Alive Catholic Early Care and Learning Parafield Gardens

We have had a wonderful week of fun, adventure, curiosity, friendship and learning.

PLAYGROUND

We moved our bodies and had lots of fun on the playground.

MUSIC AND DANCE

We love to move, dance and sing! This week we have been exploring movement to music through games and improvisation. The children loved playing musical statues, singing nursery rhymes, playing musical chairs and moving like different animals to the music.

PAINTING, DRAWING AND EXPRESSION

Children share lots about their experiences, understandings and interests through drawing, painting and expression. They communicate their understanding of the world and their curiosities. Educators use this knowledge to plan and program provocations that will engage children and contribute to their development as learners and citizens.

SEEDS

Brianna has been saving seeds from different vegetables when cooking. We used our senses to learn more about pumpkin and capsicum seeds. The ELC is contributing to the Spring Fair which will be held at the school in October. We are going to grow some plants to sell at the Spring Fair. We had a discussion about what we should grow and in the end decided on carrots, flowers and strawberries.

SPECKS OF GOLD

Each afternoon, we share our specks of gold. These are the best things about our day. This helps to build an ‘attitude of gratitude’ and a positive mindset.

MINDFULNESS AND PRAYER

During prayer, we have continued to learn the sign of the cross. We have read stories from the bible and prayers from ‘Pray with Me’. We have shared our own prayers of gratitude and sung songs.

In mindfulness, we have continued to practice our ‘rainbow breathing’ and relaxation.

FRIENDSHIP

It is so heart warming to see the many relationships and friendships that are being established between children, thus developing strong emotional and social wellbeing.

COUNTING

Children have been exploring number to 10 this week, including:

  • recognising numbers
  • ordering numbers
  • counting collections of objects
  • matching numerals to collections of objects

Thanks for sharing our learning with us. Please leave a comment for your child if you wish. Happy weekend and we look forward to next week’s learning and wonder.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Visit to the MUDLA

This morning we visited the MUDLA (multi-disciplinary learning area) in the school.

The children explored and viewed the many different animals such as hopping mice, green tree frog, long-necked turtle, yabbies and a variety of fish.

Some children documented their observations through drawings.

Our friends in year 5/6 showed us Memphis, a bearded dragon. We had the opportunity to look closely at Memphis.

What can you see?

Aicha: I see his tail.

Omelia: and legs.

Will: It’s sticking to his body (the dragon was attached to Asher’s jumper)

Kanav: He’s stuck

Liam: His legs are moving.

Some of us then stroked and patted Memphis gently.

What does Memphis feel like?

Aicha: Spikey

Arabella: Bumpy

Hani: I don’t like lizards

Tavae: I didn’t touch it.

Kanav: Feeled good.

Olivia: I touched it on the back. It was spiked and rough at the back.

We love exploring our environments and learning more about animals.

EARLY YEARS LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world.

  • Children become socially responsible and show respect for the environment

Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners.

  • Children develop dispositions for learning such as curiosity, cooperation, confidence, creativity, commitment, enthusiasm, persistence, imagination and reflexivity
  • Children develop a range of skills and processes such as problem solving, enquiry, experimentation, hypothesising, researching and investigating

 

 

 

 

Inquiry: Growing from Seed …… Continued

This week we have been observing and documenting the growth of the seeds we planted a few weeks ago. The children have been using magnifying glasses to look more closely at the changes and growth in their seed and documenting their observations through drawings.

Through shared reading experiences of non-fiction books such as ‘From Seed to Sunflower’ we have also been learning about the different parts of a plant (such as root, stem, leaf and flower) and stages of seed growth (e.g. root, shoot, seedling, plant).  This has helped children to develop and use the language and terminology to describe plants and their growth.

 

Our children have been in awe of the growth of some of our seeds, particularly the snow pea seeds which are almost ready for planting.

Throughout the week, our children have been taking care of our garden by watering our lettuce and herb plants. They are becoming more aware of the needs of plants such as sunlight and water to grow.

Early Years Learning Framework:

Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world.

  • Children become socially responsible and show respect for the environment

Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners.

  • Children develop a range of skills and processes such as problem solving, inquiry, experimentation, hypothesising, researching and investigating

Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators.

  • Children express ideas and make meaning using a range of media

Who Am I? Developing an Identify of Self – Part 1

This term, children will be exploring their identities (such as physical, social, emotional, spiritual and cognitive). Our identities are shaped by our experiences and relationships. Therefore, we will be exploring important people, places, family and community in our lives through different provocations, experiences and reflections in order to build a culture of being and belonging in our Early Care and Learning Centre.

This week the children have been drawing their own self portraits. Using the mirrors, they have been looking closely at themselves, particularly their faces and the ways in which their expressions can change from a smile to frown to a silly face!  The children identified different parts of themselves such as their clothing and the features on their face such as their eyes, eyebrows, ears and nose. They then drew what they could see. These self portraits are an expression of what our children recognise in and about themselves. What a joy!

Early Years Learning Framework

Outcome 1: Children have a strong sense of identity

  • Children develop knowledgeable and confident self identities