Niina Marni Long Day Care A families and children, welcome to week 7 learning reflection.
Ryden, we are absolutely delighted to see you!!
Learning Intention 1:
Support children in strengthening their social-emotional skills, creating foundations for respectful and trusting relationships with others.
According to the Berry Street Education Model, human beings are hardwired for connection. Emotionally, physically, mentally, and neurologically, we depend on connections with others to grow, develop and maintain our wellbeing.
Preparing students with life skills such as: optimism, resilience, growth mindset, engagement, and mindfulness amongst others.
Evidently, children have built secure attachments with the educators as well as a strong sense of belonging. They have established and are maintaining respectful, trusting relationships with other children and educators.
Learning and discussing about feelings and emotions are included in our everyday experiences. Children are developing their understanding regarding self regulation, expected and accepted behaviour, care, respect and empathy.
They used different resources and materials to create a face with emotion. They looked excited and interested to create a face with different emotion!
Cooper: Scary face! I am making a scary face.
Ajak: I am making a happy face!
William: Happy face.
Children like to explore all the learning experiences, activities, toys, resources available in their environment. During quiet time, they choose to be engaged with their preferred ones. It is absolutely amazing to observe how they learn and apply their knowledge in real life.
Jaxon: This is yard. I like to play. (Showing the pictures)
Children also discussed about expected and accepted behaviour. They like to use their kindy writing to record their ideas.
Cooper: I pack up my mess. I don’t bring toys from home. Because I may lose it.
Jaxon: No pushing. no smacking them.
Deklan: No pushing.
Children used recycled items, such as cardboard tubes, boxes, and masking tapes, glue sticks, coloured papers, scissors, and paint to create. They are always engaged with interest when the experience is open ended art and craft experiences.
Active involvement in learning builds children’s understanding of concepts and the creative thinking and inquiry processes that are necessary for lifelong learning.
Book making
- Children will investigate a range of picture story books written by Mem Fox. Such as: Koala Lou, Sleepy Bears, Time for Bed, The Magical Hat, Winifred Gordon McDonald Patridge, and Sail Away.
- They will create a range of artistic murals to represent their understandings of the texts as well as their favourite characters from the texts.
- After reading each text, children will be encouraged to discuss what they think of the text and how it relates to their own feelings and emotions about familiar experiences and memories.
- Children will learn to listen and form questions based on their prior knowledge and newfound knowledge.
- Children will learn to create artwork using favourite memories and favourite parts of a book.
- Book making station always on offer.
- Regular reading and discussions around the author and the story.
- Creating stories in small group experiences.
- Draw on purpose.
- Oral story telling.
Learning Intention 2:
To support children’s understanding and development of a growth mindset, especially when faced with challenges.
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.
Bailey: Rainbella!! Farah, it’s raining. I need my Rainbella!!
Bailey accepted new challenge in his outdoor play time and saw rain as an opportunity to use his Rainbella!
Building experience with wooden blocks was not limited in construction area. Our children built a completely functional bridge that day, and they crossed the bridge with excitement !! They tried with a small piece of board which did not work as a bridge. So, they thought and discussed about it. Then brought a bigger one, put it on the rocks and went one by one. The educator explained that it was a small bridge so they needed to wait for their turn to cross it safely. They showed patience and understanding, waited for their turn.
Children are able to challenge and extend their own thinking and that of others. They create new knowledge in collaborative interactions and negotiations.
Children are capable of applying a wide variety of thinking strategies to engage with situation and solve problems, and adapt these strategies to new situations – Early Years Learning Framework, learning outcome 4.
Magnetic tiles provide opportunities to manipulate objects, and experiment with cause and effect, trial and error. The small group experience also encourage children to use language to describe and explain their ideas.
Extension of Learning:
- Explore more construction ideas with a range of different tools and materials.
- Encouraging children to find out tools to regulate their emotions.
- Supporting children to ‘read’ the behaviours of others and respond appropriately.
- Supporting children to cooperate with others and negotiate roles and relationships in play episodes and group experiences.