It is difficult to believe that we are already at the end of term 3! And what a huge month we have had in the Possum group. We continue to explore and enjoy our cooking and music and movement elements of the program and have also been enjoying weekly visits from Nicole this term to participate in a ‘Playball’ incursion.
In August we organised for Valentina and Leah to visit us from Bunnings to assist us in creating a special gift. Initially a discussion was had with the children regarding how to use tools such as hammers and nails safely. Valentina then explained to the children they would each be building their very own wooden toolbox and then plant a strawberry plant in it. This was to be Dad’s special gift for Father’s Day. It was with great enthusiasm, gusto and (very loud!) banging that the children set to work! Once the children had constructed their toolbox they enjoyed exploring the concept of potting a plant. This was such a fantastic hands on experience for the children to participate in. It allowed them to explore and manipulate real world tools in order to create and construct a 3D object. The children explored elements of adult supervised risky play as they used sharp nails and hammers to connect the pieces of wood together. They also enjoyed meeting Valentina and Leah and connecting with members from their local community.
Thank-you also to all our wonderful Dads, Grandpa’s, Grandma’s, Mum’s and siblings who came to our special Father’s Day celebration. The children enjoyed organising the event – selecting the songs they would like to perform, as well as selecting and baking a variety of muffins to eat. It was a fabulous morning full of laughter, fun, games and cooking toast on the open fire.
On Tuesday 12th September the Possum group enjoyed going on a special bus trip to the McClelland Gallery and Sculpture Park in Langwarrin. The park showcases over 100 permanent outdoor sculptures located within the diverse settings of ti-tree forests, bracken paths, heathlands, landscaped gardens and lakes. The Possum group enjoyed participating in a tour of the grounds with our guide Imogen. We looked at the artist’s meaning behind the works they created as well as the different materials used to make art and the different ways it can be made. The children were encouraged to contribute their ideas and make connections to their own art-making practices, and enjoyed being able to connect to the different pieces through a variety of their senses. The children then spent time creating ‘Bush Bunyips’ using the medium of clay and natural materials. The children engaged in this creative process enthusiastically as they moulded the clay and explored shape, form, pattern and detail as they added natural materials. The children then enjoyed collecting sticks on order to explore the creative art of wool wrapping. These colourful creations, look delightful on their own but hung together make a wonderful collaborative art installation and we look forward to hanging them in our outdoor space at Elonera. What a wonderful day we had exploring this environment and observing the amazing sculptures, and then having the opportunity to create some of our very own to take home! A very big THANK-YOU to Ari, Ike, Amy, Deb and Carissa for volunteering their time to assist us on the day.
At Elonera the teaching team has a commitment to excellence and innovation in early childhood education and we strive to provide an inclusive, stimulating, high quality open ended play based educational program. The VEYLDF (Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework) underpins our play based program, while I personally also draw heavily upon and are influenced by the Reggio Emilia approach which comes out of Italy. Fundamental to the Reggio Emilia approach is the image of the child and viewing the child as an active member of society who is also the subject of their own personal rights and agency. Children are supported to be active participants in their own learning and learning itself is viewed as a hands-on and active process. The Reggio Emilia Project is a place of interaction and dialogue, provocation, self reflection and research which deeply values learning through relationships and is committed to sharing the child’s learning with families and the community. It is with great excitement that I can report that with the generous support of the Committee I will be participating in a Study Tour of Reggio Emilia in Italy in April 2018! I am so looking forward to the influence and challenges this will provide my own professional practice as well as the learning that I will be able to bring back to Elonera.
Elonera Preschool has a Facebook page that is run by the Teaching Team and Committee– we regularly post information and photos and videos of what the children have been exploring. While maintaining this page we also ensure that we respect the privacy of our families and do not post recognisable photos of the children. It is a fantastic way to engage in what is happening around the kinder. So please make sure that you take the time to ‘like’ our page.
I hope all our kindergarten families have a safe and happy holiday period and we look forward to seeing you all again in Term 4!
Gina
