Niina Marni Long Day Care-A children and families, welcome to week 6 learning reflection.
It is wonderful to observe children gaining confidence to communicate about their needs, interests and emotional states.
To support each child to recognise and regulate their emotional states, focusing to develop a strong sense of wellbeing.
Last week, children recorded their plan for this week. Going to the big play ground was the dominant experience that they all wanted. So, we started our week by going to the big play ground! They loved to explore the environment!
Learning Intention 2:
To support children’s participation in reciprocal relationships, expanding their skills of cooperation and negotiation.
According to Early Years Learning Framework, children develop a sense of belonging to group and communities and an understanding of the reciprocal rights and responsibilities necessary for active community participation. In small group experiences, children are provided with opportunities to learn and develop the social and language skills. They also learn to cooperate with others, wait for their turns, sharing and support others. They build on their own social experiences to explore other ways of being. With the experiences, children construct their own understanding of the world they live in.
Open ended Art and Craft experiences with a range of tools and resources support children to explore, imagine and investigate ideas. They learn to share the space and resources, collaborate with each other in creating and exploring.
Children initiate and contribute in their pretend play/role play from their own ideas and experiences. They express their wonder and interest in flexible and open ended learning environment.
Small world experiences with friends support children to know the names of different types of animals and creatures. They are also able to identify and describe in their own words farm animals, forest and/or zoo animals.
Benefits of construction play include the development of concentration, spatial awareness, shape recognition , problem-solving skills, social and communication skills.
Outdoor play provide opportunities to explore, discover and appreciate the natural world. It also supports children to socialise, be active, strengthen fine and gross motor movement skills, test their physical limits.
Book Making
Spotlight Term 2: ‘What’s your book about?’
We feel privileged to have ‘Book Making with 3-8 Year Old Mini-Course’ and regular coaching lessons by Lisa Burman. For 3 to 4 years old children, our everyday experiences include:
- Regular reading and discussions around the authors and the story.
- Creating stories in small group experiences.
- Draw on purpose.
- Oral story telling.
Book Making encourages children to use language to describe and explain their ideas. Reading picture books, looking at the illustrations and making meanings of them are embedded in our everyday activities.
Reading ‘WHERE is the GREEN SHEEP?’ by Mem Fox and Judy Horacek.
Book making – in progress!
Cooper: I am writing about big play ground. I am making the steps. And that is the red tunnel. I wait for Emily and play in the red tunnel. It’s my hand on the page (handprint)!
William: Mummy, she is playing with me.
Deklan: Mummy and my daddy. Mummy playing with me.
Evie: Mum and dad. I want Evie hand (handprint).
Children are also taking the initiatives to use different techniques and tools to create their illustration! Using wooden ring to draw a circle and holding different coloured pencils together for multicolour drawing are some of them!
Exploring different types of illustration.
Reading ‘What’s on my FARM? (slide and find) book and ‘Oh Dear!’ (a lift the flap book) by Rod Campbell could attract huge attention from children. They found it very interesting to see another picture under the flap or by sliding the paper. The educator showed them how they can also use the technique in their book making.
Extension of Learning:
- Discussing about different activities, such as, playing outside, going for a walk, reading books, painting, book making, playing with play dough/cars, construction experiences. Supporting children to identify their own play/tools to regulate their emotions.
- Supporting children to develop social skills, emotional confidence, imagination and creativity through social play involvement/participation.
- Creating stories in small group experiences.