Kornmehl

Alex Levy – Acting Director of Kornmehl

Playball

The Seashells had an Open Session of Playball on Monday for parents to come and watch. Our visitors were all amazed at the great skills the Seashells have developed since the start of the year and how good they are at listening to instructions from their coaches.

Buddy Reading

Our Year Two buddies join us every Monday afternoon to read stories together. It is always so heartwarming to welcome back many ex-Kornmehl students into the Pre-school. They are equally excited to come back and show us how well they can now read.

It is lovely to witness the start of some beautiful relationships and friendships that will continue to develop throughout the remainder of the year. This is a lovely program encouraging both a love of literature and a strong sense of belonging within the school community.

We asked the children what they enjoy about this activity:

Year 2 comments

Alessandra: I’m excited to see the Kornmehl children as I haven’t seen any in a long time.
Leeshie: I’m excited because I love to read to people and to do stuff with people.
Jack: I’m excited because my sister is in Kornmehl, and she says that all the Kornmehl kids are nice.
Isaac: I’m looking forward to seeing my cousin, to seeing Kornmehl and what else has happened down there.
Jake: I love reading and finding out what’s happening next and watching how the story goes.

Kornmehl comments

Cleo: Sometimes my sister and I feel happy when she comes to read. And I don’t mind if my sister doesn’t come because I know some of the other kids.
James: I like it because they read to us. It makes me feel good and happy.
Freddie: I like listening to the Year 2s reading books, it makes me happy.
Tahlia: I like it that the Year 2s come down to read to us because it’s fun and makes me happy.
Harriet: I like that my sister Abigail comes, it makes me feel good and my sister lets me choose the book.
Matteo: When my brother Kobe goes away from Buddy Reading, he hugs me and kisses me.
Noah S: My cousin, Amelie’s sister, is coming to read to me. She is in Year 2. I like them reading to me.
Grace: I like it when some of the big kids try to read to me.
Charlie: We get to go with our big brothers and sisters and get to read together.
Lexi: If someone reads to me, then that makes me feel happy.

A note about play

“It is a happy talent to know how to play.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Play is self-chosen. Children were born to play. They love to play. They will play all day if they’re allowed. If you have to coax them into doing something, then it’s not play. Play never feels like work or an obligation. Play is enjoyable, fun and has no agenda. Play is not the purpose of meeting adult goals. Play is inherently valuable. All play is learning. No matter what it is. Whether you can clearly see the skills being mastered or not. There is no hierarchy of play. Play is unstructured. In play, children make the rules. They decide how long they play for and what direction their play takes. Children should feel free to play and use what is available however they like, with no expectations. There’s a lot of work involved in play — problem solving, skill building, overcoming physical and mental challenges — going on behind the scenes.

There are many different types of play: solitary play, risky play, sensory play, parallel play, dramatic play, rough and tumble play, constructive play, active play, and co-operative play. Play builds the imagination, promotes social skills, advances physical development and helps children work through emotions.

There are 7 basic characteristics of play:

voluntary: something children choose to do, but other children can be invited to join in.
pleasurable: a deep sense of enjoyment, which will vary from child to child.
symbolic: usually includes some type of make believe or pretend and objects assume new meanings and purpose for the player/s.
meaningful: to the player/s, but the meaning may not always be clear to an observer.
active: it requires active mental, verbal or physical engagement with people, objects or ideas.
process oriented: it’s enjoyed for the activity itself, not concerned with an end product.
intrinsically motivated: it is its own reward.

In our Kornmehl Philosophy we have the following statement about play:

We believe that children learn best through play. We see play as being the “heartbeat” of our Pre-school program. Play provides opportunities for children to learn as they experiment, explore, discover, create, improvise and imagine. When children play with other children, they create social groups, test out ideas, challenge each other’s thinking, explore language and build new understandings. Play provides a supportive environment where children can ask questions, solve problems and engage in critical thinking. In these ways play can promote positive dispositions towards learning.

We embrace and acknowledge that children come to the Kornmehl Centre with a richness of experiences. We believe that childhood is a time to be, to seek and make meaning of the world.

We wish everyone a safe, happy, and restful holiday. We look forward to seeing you all back at Pre-school next term on Tuesday 19 July 2022.