Nina Marni preschool children and families. welcome to our weekly blog.
Children are continuing to investigate their environment and express their emerging curiosity.
This week in preschool we have been continuing our focus on supporting each child to deepen their understanding of Berry Street Principles within our learning environment, where we have been focusing on developing self-regulation strategies and positive dispositions. Some teachers and educators undertook training in Berry Street this term, and have had the opportunity to develop deeper understandings of the importance of wellbeing in a child’s learning. As a team we have established immediate points of action to support our community in their holistic development.
Some of the Berry Street Principles include:
-Recognising the importance of the mental state and perceptions of the child
-Acknowledging their ability to build social networks of support, feel confident as learners, and manage the challenging emotions that will arise when facing the unknown
-Fostering willingness and build self-confidence, enjoyment of learning and minimise the fears around taking a risk to learn.
-BSEM (Berry Street Education Model) strengthens the art of teaching. It recognises the critical importance of relationships, perception of self and the mental and emotional states of complete engagement.
One of the ways the children learn about their wellbeing through handwashing, and taking care of their bodies.
We have continued with our daily excursions to log park, MUDLA and the playground. The children enjoy exploring the various environments and further investigating our insect inquiry project.
At preschool, we have continued to deepen children’s understanding on book making. Educators undertook book making training, where they were taught how to introduce book making to the children and continue to support children in their literacy learning. This week our Term 1 Spotlight is: People make books and you can too! Through this spotlight we hope children will develop an identity that they can make marks and make books that represent their ideas. Children will develop a joyful connection to picture books, and children will gain confidence in using mark-making tools, such as crayons, textas, pencils, paint, chalk, sand (as they create texts during this process). So far, on our book making adventure we have witnessed and supported children to be involved in mark making in the indoor environment through drawing, painting, making books, in sensory play. In the outdoor environment we have supported children with their mark making through sand play.
This week we continued our insect inquiry through scavenger hunts, toy insects, insect videos showing how they eat and the noises they make, making dragon flies and reading stories about insects.
The children have continued their interest in construction play.
The children have also continued their interest in pretend play.
The children have been enjoying their time outdoors, engaging in pretend play, playing with bubbles and sensory play.
Trajectories:
- Continuation of inquiry project – Bug identification, bug scavenger hunt, flash cards, bug identification chart. Discuss about different types of bugs and insects, 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. Support children with book making and letter making.
- Wellbeing and health – support children to regulate their emotions