The children were very excited and energetic as they have begun to settle back into kinder life after a lovely two week holiday. We have already had a very busy first two weeks preparing for the upcoming Mother’s day and settling back into the transitions and routines of kinder.
In Koala group we have begun our Bush Kinder program heading out to the beautiful Braeside Park every Thursday for our session. Our last day of Term the children were able to have an orientation session as an introduction to what would be occurring throughout terms two and three. Despite the unfamiliar environment and conditions the children settled onto the bush kinder “tarp” that now takes place as the “mat”. To bring some familiarity to this program we followed our normal morning routine of our welcoming song and seeing who was here so that the children could see that this was still kinder and that they felt comfortable and secure. The weather in true Melbourne form was a mix of wind, light rain and some sunshine and was a really great opportunity to test out our bush kinder clothing as the children turned up in gumboots, beanies, wet weather jackets and warm clothes and an abundance of excitement. During the session and leading up to Bush Kinder we have had many discussions with the children about different things that are important for our safety at bush kinder and we are continuing to explore these learning’s with the children through discussions and in their play. During our Bush Kinder sessions children have used the opens spaces to run, move and walk freely encouraging them to explore their environments confidently and safely. The children have also shows creativity, imagination and curiosity in that we have not taken any resources out with us. Despite not having any resources the children have established many differing games for example the children found a stick that resembled a broomstick and used this to ride around the environment. The children have also had many opportunities to take risks for example the children have shown a lot of interest in climbing trees. The children have also found many differing bugs and insects; this has allowed us to explore how we can respect other living things and their environments and also shows their sense of wonder and interest in this new environment. The children are really enjoying this environment and we can wait to share all the learning that occurs throughout the term.
Over the coming few weeks we will be exploring identity with the children and what makes us who we are. We will also continue to support children’s social skills and encouraging children to interact verbally to express their feelings and ideas with others.
