Nina Marni preschool children and families. welcome to our weekly blog.
Children are becoming more comfortable and confident within the Early Years learning environment. They have established strong, respectful relationships with teachers, educators and peers.
This week in preschool we have been learning about insects. The children have been interested in learning about insects as they often find them in the outdoor preschool environment. Learning about insects has become our inquiry project with the children. Experiences have been set up to cater for the children’s emerging curiosity and learning. Children have read book about insects independently and with educators at group time and in small groups. They have also drawn insects, painted insects, watched educational videos about what insects look like, gone on insect hunts in the outdoor environment and engaged with the small insect world in the preschool at the inquiry table.
This week in preschool, we have been going for daily community walks in the school. We have explored MUDLA, the oval, sandpit and log park. The children enjoy going for community walks and they are able to explore their outdoor environment.
Children develop their emerging curiosity when we attend community walks. They often inquire about the animals in MUDLA, and are able to make connections with our preschool inquiry topic – insects. Such that the lizzards in MUDLA eat crickets.
Furthermore, this week our learning intention was to challenge children’s construction skills through using loose parts and STEM experiences. The children were engaged in using natural materials to write numbers and letters on a template. They were also engaged in building towers with the blocks and many more resources. The children were creative with their construction and worked together with their peers to accomplish their towers. The children were also able to colour code the insect counters to the matching coloured strip. The children were able construct various combinations of figures on the coloured strips, and use their counting skills to determine what colour had the largest amount of figures.
To challenge children’s construction skills using loose parts and STEM experiences by extending on their emergent interest and
learning about cause and effect, comparison and problem-solving skills.
Why:
• STEM education in early childhood allows children to begin to learn and retain a knowledge base that they can build on as they get
older.
• Loose parts play encourages children to make, create, problem solve and hypothesize. Loose parts have no instructions and no
predetermined rules.
• The concept of ‘loose parts’ supports children to become critical thinkers as they use these open-ended materials to plan their work
and create whatever they want to without an adult telling them what should be done. It helps children to be imaginative.
• Loose parts give children the freedom to arrange and rearrange, essentially using the parts to create their own rules and designs,
which allows the focus of the experience to be on the process rather than the product. Fine motor skills are developed and
strengthened when children grasp and pick up small objects.
• This learning intention incorporates the pillar of ecology as children will interact and experiment with natural and man-made materials,
recycled materials and deepen their engagement with understandings of the natural world through science-based experiences.
• Children have shown a keen interest in comparison and cause and effect through measurement and the building of ramps in the
construction area.
Regarding literacy, this week we have set up natural materials and letters for the children to trace with the natural materials. The children engaged in book making, where they were able to be the author of their own story. We also began to create a preschool letter box, where we will write letters and practice writing skills.
Children engaged in a range of experiences throughout the week at preschool, where they were able express their interests.
Trajectories:
- Numeracy – counting- use counters, continue to engage in counting when packing up, counting children. Shape identification – light table resources, magnetic shapes
- Inquiry project – Bug identification. Use picture books, flash cards, bug identification chart. Discuss about different types of bugs and insects, such as ladybugs, butterflies, bees, and ants. Painting and creation of bugs at the art table.
- Continue to support each child to deepen their emergent literacy skills, aligning with their individual developmental stage, interest, and dispositions.