Holy Family Preschool Reflection – Term 1/Week 9

Niina Marni to our lovely little learners and their wonderful families. Welcome to our weekly blog.

Learning Intention 1:

To support children’s expression of ideas and identity through mark-making and art experiences (continuation from the previous weeks).

Building on from the previous weeks and following children’s interests, the children were provided with ample opportunities to draw, paint, colour and make their marks in preschool. The children were provided with open-ended materials like chalk, crayons and paint to freely express themselves without any constraints. Additionally, at the maths table, children were able to trace the different patterns using markers which helps them focus and follow the lines with much precision. Mark-making opportunities not only develops children’s fine motor skills, but also enhances their creativity and aids in language development as children make meaning of the symbols and patterns around them.

Joanna – this is small and this is big (pointing to the two circles she drew)

Asher – I’m drawing circles

Alice – my circles are big

Lena – mum and me

Learning Intention 2:

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.

The Sign of the Cross is a prayer to God.
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.
The actions represent the symbol of the Cross, and that prayer involves our head, heart and body.

As we engaged in prayer this week, we reflected on what we were thankful for. It was lovely to listen to children share so beautifully about the people and things they were thankful for. Most children were grateful for their parents and siblings, while others mentioned their friends, dogs and toys too.

Literacy intention

To build connections to picture books

We set up a story table to go along with the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and the children absolutely loved the experience. They had so much fun using the hand puppets to bring the story to life, especially when it came to feeding the hungry caterpillar. It was amazing to see how engaged they were, and the language they used while role-playing at the table was fantastic. It was a wonderful way to enhance their creativity and language skills.

Inquiry – Bees

Since the children have shown such a great interest in bees, and following on from our discussions last week, we decided to explore the parts of a bee through a fun craft activity. We had the different parts of the bee’s anatomy separated, and the children worked together to assemble them and create a whole bee. They absolutely loved this activity and were so proud when their work was displayed for all to see. It was a fantastic way for them to learn about the different parts of a bee’s body while being creative and hands-on.

We also read a book about bees, which helped the children learn that there are actually a few different types of bees. It was a great way to expand on their curiosity and deepen their understanding of the bee world. The combination of the craft activity and the book really sparked their interest even more.