Monday 24th June 2019
Welcome to this week at ELC. We had a wonderful day of exploration, learning and friendship.
GROUP TIME: WELCOME AND PRAYER
We began our day with group time. We welcomed and said good morning to each other by singing ‘We Wonder What Your Name Is?’ This is a wonderful way to build belonging as children learn each other’s names and take the time to greet one another.
Following, we engaged in prayer. We read the creation story and shared our thoughts about why God is special.
Tesi:He wanted to make all the animals.
Omelia:God has got hair.
William:God has a big beard and a big tummy.
Joel:He is a giant and he has a parrot and he made beaks.
We then talked about how God created all of us and because God is special, we are very special too. The question was then asked, what is special about you?
Joel:I’m old
Xavier:I special.
Omelia:I go to a party yesterday.
Tesi:My mum help me cook eggs.
Ivy:I had a birthday.
William:I make my car a big track and they go super fast.
Arabella:I got toys.
INDOOR AND OUTDOOR PROVOCATIONS
The children explored a range of provocations indoors and outdoors, including:
- Dress ups on the stage
- Playing musical instruments
- Taking care of the babies
- Building in the sandpit
- An obstacle course with hurdles, hoops and accuracy throwing on the grass
- Puzzles
- Building with Lego
- Creating with magnetic shapes
- Home corner
- Reading books
- Imaginative play with cars and trucks
- Block play
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- Cierra and William worked together for a long time to build a house with magnetic shapes. William continued with this learning after Cierra went back to class.
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- William then created a trap with rectangles and squares.
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- William: I am using octagons, triangles, square and rectangle to build my house.
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- Our buddy Cierra read to William
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- Tesi said ‘it’s a cube’.
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- Arabella was cooking eggs in the home corner. She said that she helps to cook eggs at home.
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- Williams made an ice cream truck with LEGO. He identified the different colours as different flavours of ice cream.
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- Emann used the LEGO to make a car
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- Emann enjoyed playing with the trucks.
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- Omelia and Xavier read ‘Have You Filled A Bucket Today?’
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- Omelia and Xavier demonstrated their bucket filling by sharing the maraca
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- Our buddy Rhoda played alongside Omelia
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- Xavier loves to dance
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- Tesi, Omelia and Xavier playing and dancing with the instruments
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- Omelia and Xavier were helping each other complete the puzzle. Xavier passed the zebra piece.
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- Emann, Joel and Xavier were taking turns playing with the trucks
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- Joel leaping across the hoops
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- Joel practice his throwing
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- Joel participating in the obstacle course
GROUP TIME: BUCKET FILLING
We read the story ‘Have You Filled A Bucket Today?’ by Carol McCloud. We all carry an invisible bucket. When we feel happy and joyful, our bucket is full. When we are sad and lonely, our bucket is empty. We can fill our bucket in many ways. Other people can fill our bucket and we can fill their’s too by being kind, sharing, giving positive comments, smiling, etc. We also fill our own buckets when we do things to fill up other people’s buckets.
We shared how our buckets have been filled today.
William: “Cierra read me a book”.
Eaman: “Share trucks with Xavier”.
Ivy: “I share something with Tesi”.
Omelia: “Tesi bring me a bucket in the sandpit”.
Tesi: “My mum help me get my knee better”.
Arabella: “Alexander came and see me”.
Williams: “Using the excavator. I fill my own bucket”.
MINDFULNESS
Following lunch, we practiced calming and restoring our mind and body with mindfulness. We practiced a breathing technique called ‘Rainbow Breath’ and also listened to some relaxation music.
VISIT TO THE FISH FARM
This afternoon we visited the school’s fish farm. We were met by Simon, a volunteer who works in the school’s fish farm ‘Kuyangani’ and MUDLA (Multi Disciplinary Learning Area). Simon showed us different species of fish including Barramundi and Silver Perch as well as crustaceans such as Yabbies and Marron. Some of us held a baby Yabby and we also fed the large goldfish.
GROUP TIME: GAME AND SPECKS OF GOLD
We ended our day by playing a cooperative game ‘Doggy, Doggy, Who’s Got Your Bone?’. We loved singing and pretending to be the dog. We practiced taking turns, listening and sharing.
Finally, we shared the best part of our day – our ‘specks of gold’.
William:Everything and the fish farm.
Williams:Playing with the dump truck and excavator
Xavier: the music
Eamann:dump truck and ‘brrrmm brrrmm’
Omelia: Tesi helped me the sand
Tesi: Making new friends
Arabella:Everything. I like mummy and toys.