Niina Marni preschool families and children and welcome to our weekly blog.
Learning Intention 1: To continue to develop children’s cutting and pasting skills using a range of natural and manmade materials.
Why : Cutting and pasting activities for kindergarten children have many benefits. For example, cutting and pasting can help the development of fine motor skills. They can cut images, shapes and drawings and paste them into various shapes Cutting and pasting activities can also be used as creative channels for children’s self-expression.Cutting and pasting is an important first skill to master for children to then be able to design, ideate and successfully create artwork and objects.Cutting and pasting is a necessary skill for many school-based activities and will support school preparedness for children. An intentional cutting and pasting table set up in the room everyday so support consistency, predictability and development of this skill Use of different types of scissors to support inclusion of all children Use of various types of joining materials such as; glue sticks, PVA glue, hot glue guns (with appropriate supervision), staplers, split pins, sticky tape, masking tape etc Use of collected natural materials from community walks Use of collected recyclable materials provided by staff and families Pattern making with shapes and different materials Discussion about aspects of visual art such as line, texture, shape and pattern
Learning Intention 2: To support children’s understanding and development of a growth mindset, especially when faced with challenges
Why? According to Carol Dweck, Growth Mindset researcher, “the view you adopt for yourself profoundly affects the way you lead your life”. With a growth mindset, students continually work to improve their skills, leading to greater growth, competence, and confidence. A growth mindset supports children’s self-esteem, enables them to learn new skills, and helps them to accept new challenges and see new opportunities. Supports the development of agency. To demonstrate trust and confidence. Supporting children to co-operate and work collaboratively with others. Maintaining high expectations of each child’s capabilities. Being aware of children’s developmental milestones, particularly emotional and social development, helps educators understand what to expect at different ages and stages in children’s lives
Sacred symbols are special and important.Why?
Doctrinal Insights from the Catholic Tradition that support this Enduring Understanding include:Sacred symbols remind us that God is close to us, and with us.In my Catholic learning environment, I can see many sacred symbols.Candle flames remind us that God is with us.The Bible reminds us of God’s love for us through special stories.The Cross reminds us of Jesus.Water is used for special blessingsSacred symbols are used in my school/ELC and in church celebrations, prayer and liturgy. (CCC1145)Other faith traditions also have sacred symbols
The Sign of the Cross is a prayer to God.Doctrinal and Content Elaborations:Doctrinal Insights from the Catholic Tradition that support this Enduring Understanding include:The Sign of the Cross is a prayer with actions and words.The words remind us that God is called Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
This time of the year is always exciting as we start the preparation to celebrate Christmas. In preschool room, children are busy practicing for Christmas carols performance, creating the decorations and being joyous with the season’s delight.
Construction experiences :
Literacy Intentions (our hopes for their learning)
- Reading picture books regularly. Children will enjoy a joyful connection to picture books.
- Continue using mark-making tools, such as crayons, textas, pencils, paint, chalk, sand (as they create texts during this process).
- Children will build symbolic functioning, sharing something about the marks they have created.
Outdoor fun!!
Trajectories:
- Christmas songs practice
- Continuing supporting children’s understanding and development of a growth mindset, especially when faced with challenges
- Supporting children to understand Preschool expectations (gentle hands, inside voice, walking feet inside, kind words)
- More nature play