This term in St Anne’s, our learning will be guided by the Inquiry topic: How do we care for ourselves, our friends, our resources and our world? An inquiry offers a meaningful opportunity for children to have their evolving curiousities, passions and theories acknowledged and reflected in the learning program. Throughout the inquiry process, educators and the environments play an integral role in the scaffolding and co-constructing of children’s knowledge. Moreover, social interactions and learning relationships are seen as the basis of all learning in early childhood education. Through meaningful collaboration and co-operation children are therefore supported in developing an authentic sense of belonging to their communities and the world around them.

A current passion driving our inquiry is investigations into the abstract portraiture of the visual artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo. This has encouraged children to express their knowledge through multiple forms of expression including collage, mark-making and designing 3D model arrangements. Throughout these experiences, the children have experimented with and explored the artistic concepts of colour, shape, symmetry, position and balance. Furthermore, the underlying theme of healthy nutrition has supported children in considering and developing meaningful understandings about healthy nutrition being one way that we can care for ourselves.

We look forward to exploring new ways of expressing our knowledge over the coming weeks.

Welcome back to term 3,

This term, our learning will be guided by the Inquiry topic: How do we care for ourselves, our friends, our resources and our world?

In week one, the children have been encouraged to explore a range of open-ended play opportunities to express their ideas and knowledge with new and existing learning materials and play resources. The educators have closely observed how the children have interacted and shared their knowledge in collaboration with those around them. This information will be used to inform future planning for our inquiry.

In the classroom, the children have thoroughly enjoyed exploring our new light room resources. They experimented with making shadows, puppets and investigating the scientific concepts of reflection and refraction whilst moving the torches at different angles in front of the transparent, coloured sensory blocks.

Some children were eager to shared their ideas:

Eva – “It can make a crocodile shadow with the lights.”

Lovenne – “When I put the light in my hand it can look like blood because it’s red.”

Joel – “That glows on the wall. Because it’s like see through but glowing.”

The children have also experimented with loose parts materials that Steve collected from ‘It’s not Garbage’. The children used their imagination to create ‘spinning tops’ (Ryan and Kabir), ‘bracelets’ (Jon and Ojasvi) and ‘music strings’ (Xavier) using items such as CD’s, elastic strings, piping rings and pipe cleaners.

In the outdoor classroom, the children have been exposed to new physical activity equipment. They have used the scooter boards to move around the play space using their developing gross motor strength, balance, control and co-ordination. Resources, such as scooter boards are a safe way for children to expand their energy in a safe way, whilst also capitalising on the existing playground design. The children were also intrigued by the new bike which they helped Steve to build. We look forward to using these bikes in the coming weeks.

We would love any feedback on how your child(ren) care for themselves, their friends, their resources and their world to help support our inquiry over the course of this term.

Thank you in advance.