Nina Marni little learners and their wonderful families. Welcome to our weekly blog.
This week, our outdoor space was transformed into a “Nature Colour Lab”, where children were invited to explore colour mixing and proportions using natural materials. This interactive experience encouraged hands-on experimentation, creative thinking, and collaborative learning — all while immersed in the beauty of the natural environment. Using a variety of resources such as coloured water, leaves, bark, stones, with recycled containers, children mixed their own vibrant potions. As they poured, measured, stirred, and combined, they began to notice how different amounts of each colour would change the final result:
| Learning Intention 1 To challenge children’s construction skills by providing loose parts and STEM experiences. 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
Sensory Play Meets Construction: Learning Through Glass Bottles
This week, our children engaged in a beautifully open-ended experience using small glass bottles to explore scooping, pouring, building, and balancing. What began as a sensory activity quickly evolved into a rich inquiry into spatial awareness, construction, and design thinking. As children carefully filled, stacked, and aligned the bottles, they were unknowingly engaging with several foundational learning theories: Play dough was also used as a vital tool towards our construction and design.
Constructing with Colour: Exploring Shapes, Sequence, and Creativity
This week, children engaged in a creative construction experience using coloured paper shapes, including some coloured shped blocks, glue, and vehicle-themed prompts to guide their thinking and expression. Through hands-on exploration, they created vibrant images and structures, experimenting with composition, order, and design. Children selected from a variety of shapes — circles, rectangles, triangles, and more — to build their own vehicles. As they glued pieces into place, they were supported by visual aids and guided prompts, helping them understand sequencing, such as placing wheels before windows or arranging shapes from bottom to top.
Building, Balancing, and Blowing: Exploring Towers Through Play
This week, our young learners explored the world of construction and physical forces using simple wooden cylinder tubes. What started as a fun building activity quickly turned into a deeper investigation of balance, measurement, with cause and effect. Children worked together to construct tall towers, carefully stacking the cylindrical pieces and adjusting their positions to prevent them from falling. As their confidence grew, they introduced new challenges:
Measuring height using their hands, blocks, and even themselves Blowing on towers to see how strong the structures were
Pushing them over to watch how and where they would fall
Problem-Solving in Action: Constructing with Puzzles
This week, our learning space was filled with focus, determination, and joyful moments as children engaged in constructing with puzzles. More than just matching pieces, puzzles offered rich opportunities for developing critical thinking, spatial awareness, and perseverance. As children turned, flipped, and tested different pieces, they used trial-and-error, visual discrimination, and pattern recognition to complete images and structures. Some worked collaboratively, negotiating and sharing ideas, while others preferred to quietly concentrate on solving the challenge independently. This hands on learning experience supported
Cognitive development – recognising shapes, solving problems, and planning ahead
Fine motor skills – grasping and manipulating pieces with precision, and
Emotional regulation – practising patience, resilience, and persistence
| Learning Intention 2: Children will begin to understand that Jesus is always with us and that we can talk to Him through prayer. They will be introduced to sacred symbols of our faith—the candle, the cross, and the Sign of the Cross—and develop a sense of reverence and belonging through storytelling, prayer, and song. Children engage respectfully in a shared prayer time. Children are introduced to and can begin to make the Sign of the Cross with support. Children show an emerging understanding that Jesus lived in a family and is present in their own lives. Children participate in simple prayer, storytelling, and song with quiet attentiveness. Sacred Gathering Children sit in a circle in the prayer space with soft music. Fosters calm, readiness, and community.(Come and join the circle) Candle Lighting- Battery-operated candle is lit with reverent language. Symbolises Jesus as the Light of the World. Sign of the Cross-Leader models the Sign of the Cross with slow, clear gestures and encourages participation. Felt board or picture books used.Supports understanding of Jesus’ life, family, and closeness to children.Symbol: The Cross -Wooden cross shown and explained simply.Encourages recognition of an important sacred symbol and its meaning. Prayer song response prayer followed by a familiar worship song with actions. Builds rhythm and routine in prayer life; encourages joy and expression. |
A Moment of Stillness: Prayer with Sacred Symbols
During our morning group time this week, the children engaged in a quiet and reflective prayer experience, creating a peaceful and respectful start to the day. The session began with the introduction of two meaningful sacred symbols — a wooden cross and a battery-operated candle — gently placed at the centre of our circle to signify the beginning of our prayer. With reverence and focus, the children made the Sign of the Cross slowly and intentionally, demonstrating their growing understanding of its meaning. A simple yet heartfelt worship song followed, with many children joining in with familiar lyrics and soft voices, creating a warm sense of togetherness and spiritual connection.
To conclude the prayer, the candle — symbolic of light and presence — was gently blown out by the group, marking the end of the sacred moment.
This experience nurtured not only the children’s spiritual development, but also their sense of community, stillness, and respect for shared traditions. Through consistent, gentle guidance, they are learning that these quiet moments are moments to be valued and cherished.
Exploring Our School Community: Movement, Play, and Connection
This week, our group embarked on a community walk through the shared spaces of our school, deepening the children’s sense of belonging and connection to their wider learning environment. As we moved through familiar and new areas, the children observed, joined in some open ended conversations with their peers and teachers. Our walk led us to the school playground, where the children had the opportunity to engage in physical exploration and group play. They eagerly joined in a variety of floor games, with a focus on ball play — rolling, throwing, kicking, and chasing — developing their gross motor skills, coordination, and teamwork.These types of experiences support:
Physical development – strength, balance, and spatial awareness
Social learning – cooperation, turn-taking, and shared enjoyment
Community connection – building confidence in shared school spaces
It was a joyful and active way to extend learning beyond the learning environment, helping children build confidence in navigating their world while having fun with peers and Teachers.
A sneak peak into our creative upcoming father’s day presents
Specks of Gold: A Week of Discovery, Nature, and Joy
This week, our learning environment was filled with wonder, exploration, and meaningful connections — the kinds of moments we call our “specks of gold.”
The children delighted in outdoor play, engaging deeply with sand and water, mixing textures, pouring, scooping, and creating. With droppers and small glass bottles, they explored colour mixing — experimenting with combinations, observing changes, and learning through hands-on discovery.
Indoors and outdoors, the creativity continued through mark making, with children expressing their ideas and developing fine motor skills using pencils, crayons, colour pencils and paper. We also shared special moments of story time with our teachers, enjoying quiet connection, language development, and a love of reading.
Physical play took centre stage as well, with laughter and movement flowing through the tunnel play — building confidence, coordination, and spatial awareness.
Perhaps the most memorable moment of all was a visit from some tiny living beings — snails from the garden! The children were fascinated, watching closely as the snails slowly moved across in a large bottle for the children’s view, prompting questions, wonder, and a beautiful moment of respect for nature.
These small, meaningful experiences are what makes our learning so powerful — where curiosity is celebrated, and each day brings opportunities to connect, explore, and grow.
Ngaityalya
Hope you all have a relaxing weekend.