Terry Aizen – Director of Kornmehl

What have we been learning about…

Over the past few weeks all three groups have been concentrating on developing secure relationships and a sense of belonging in the groups and the Pre-school. The Early Years Learning Framework takes the view that the lives of children are characterised by belonging, being and becoming. From before birth, children are connected to family, community, culture and place.    

At Kornmehl we have a strong focus on relationships, collaboration, communication and developing a sense of belonging. Ways in which we begin to get to know the children and to develop positive and trusting relationships are by listening to their stories, experiences and ideas; acknowledging how they might be feeling and supporting them in ways that are caring, nurturing and respectful, such as joining in their play; having fun together as well as sharing moments of just being, showing a genuine interest in what they are doing and celebrating their learning.

This is done in many ways:

• We establish routines that are predictable and constant, helping children develop a sense of trust and familiarity that makes them feel secure and safe. This influences a child’s emotional, cognitive and social development and helps children understand the expectations in the environment.
• We are learning who is in our group and how to play safely and fairly, sharing and taking turns.
• We are learning about our environment, where things belong and where to find materials we are looking for, and how to tidy up together – team work! It is delightful to see the children starting to initiate their own learning by self-selecting resources to use or choosing learning areas in which to investigate and play.
• We are becoming independent in looking after our belongings and knowing where our locker and bags are kept.
• We are learning how to use materials and equipment respectfully, and the importance of leaving areas tidy and looking beautiful for the next person who comes to play.
• We have been singing and playing name games and learning to find our name cards in the morning and sign in.

We are learning about healthy eating. Each week we set up a learning experience of different coloured foods. The intention of this activity is to expose the children to a wide variety of nutritious foods and make these visible to the children through the use of their senses of taste, touch, sight and smell. The children have been invited to the table to look closely at the foods and use the art materials to represent their thinking and understanding.

Identifying different fruits and vegetables and their properties provides children with opportunities to explore and develop an interest in different foods, assisting in the development of life-long healthy eating habits.  (Munch and Move, 2015)

Chinese New Year has been a focus for the Dolphins and Starfish. We have been learning about the Year of the Rooster and that the colours red and gold are lucky. We learnt that lanterns are hung at the front door of homes as well as inside. One of the most important parts of the New Year is a time of sharing and celebrating together. Families have a dinner which includes traditional foods such as dumplings, noodles, fish and sticky rice cakes. As a sign of good luck, money is put into red envelopes and given to the children.

We watched a dragon dance on a YouTube clip and saw the dancers move and leap to the sounds of drums and gongs. We have also been watching YouTube clips of Dragon dancing and then have represented these visually using charcoal and paint as well as through drama and dance.

Building relationships and partnerships with families

During these first few weeks of the year a great deal of time and thought are devoted to developing relationships with the children in our care and their families. This is done through informal chats, Parent Partnership forms, discussions, the Daybook, the Parent Information Night, communication books and formal meetings if required. The Parent Club also provides opportunities for parents to network and to be involved in the daily life of the Pre-school.

Through a widening network of secure relationships, children develop confidence and feel respected and valued. They become increasingly able to recognise and respect the feelings of others and to interact positively with them.

Educators who give priority to nurturing relationships and providing children with consistent emotional support can assist children to develop the skills and understandings they need to interact positively with others. They also help children to learn about their responsibilities to others, to appreciate their connectedness and interdependence as learners, and to value collaboration and teamwork.

Learning outcomes are most likely to be achieved when early childhood educators work in partnership with families. Educators recognise that families are children’s first and most influential teachers. They create a welcoming environment where all children and families are respected and actively encouraged to collaborate with educators about curriculum decisions to ensure that learning experiences are meaningful. Partnerships are based on the foundations of understanding each others’ expectations and attitudes, and build on the strength of each others’ knowledge.

In genuine partnerships, families and early childhood educators:

• value each others’ knowledge of each child
• value each others’ contributions to and roles in each child’s life
• trust each other
• communicate freely and respectfully with each other
• share insights and perspectives about each child
• engage in shared decision-making. 
(EYLF p.g.13)

Parent Information Night

We held an informative Parent Information Night on Thursday, with a great turnout of parents, who joined us to learn about what their children do during the day, how the program is run and what our expectations are.

The evening was a most important event for parents to understand why we do what we do and to feel connected to their child’s day and learning in every way possible. Feedback from parents after the event was positive and parents commented how they felt much more aware and in touch with what their children were doing. This also enabled them to reinforce what we do at Pre-school and work collaboratively for the benefit of their children.

Purim

The children have begun learning about the festival of Purim with all its traditions, stories and fun. We will be telling the story of Purim with all its lively characters – Haman, Mordechai, King Achashverosh and Queen Esther. Parents are invited to join us for our festive and colourful Purim parade at 9.30 am on Friday 10 March. This will be followed by a Purim puppet show by Puppetoons. The children will also be making their own Hamentashen and will perform the mitzvah of swapping Mishloach Manot with a friend. This is a good time to start thinking and discussing with your child what they would like to wear for Purim – please no Superheroes. Please keep costumes simple and not too overwhelming for your child. Parents are invited to dress up too for the parade.

Happy Birthday

We wish a very happy birthday to Aria Matera (4) and Zella Benko (4). We hope you had a very special day. We also wish our special educators Laura Meltzer and Danielle Gerber a very happy birthday.