Kornmehl

Terry Aizen – Director of Kornmehl Centre Emanuel Pre-school

Creating with natural materials

“Nature is important to children’s development in every major way—intellectually, emotionally, socially, spiritually and physically.” Kellert, 2005

In the Pre-school, we provide the children with many opportunities to engage with natural materials. These materials can be moved, carried, combined, re-designed, lined up, and taken apart and put back together again in multiple ways. Natural objects with open-ended possibilities often encourage children to engage in richer play experiences. Providing an interesting and ever-changing environment for children to explore is an ideal way to develop their curiosity, provide opportunities for them to ask questions, and to talk about things they have discovered. We often bring natural materials inside and allow the children time to explore, create, and make beautiful art installations using these natural open-ended materials. We refer to these art installations as ephemeral art – a term used to describe a work of art that only occurs once.

Natural materials have many benefits for children in an early childhood setting

They:

have a sensory benefit. They have different textures, sizes, colours and smells and enable children to learn by doing.
provide more tactile stimulation to children to help them improve their hand/finger awareness and co-ordination.
are accessible. Leaves, twigs and interesting stones can be found almost anywhere and make the ideal basis for a ‘naturals collection’.
encourage children to observe closely and use all their senses.
are perfect resources for use in heuristic play sessions when children are developing their creative and critical thinking skills.
foster a respect and knowledge of our natural world.
provide a fantastic way for kids to learn about concepts in literacy and numeracy in a fun way.
help to develop children’s curiosity, creativity and exploration.
stimulate children’s creativity and imagination as they can be used in play in many ways. For example, a seed pod can be a figurine in imaginative play, used for imprinting in mud or clay, or currency in a game.
are renewable; their creation and disposal has minimal harm to the environment.
help children to learn about nature and be resourceful. With the support of interested adults, children are learning about their local environment and strengthening their sense of place.

Natural objects relate to:

Belonging – natural objects are mostly found from the local area.
Being – children engaging in play instinctively with natural objects, thus demonstrating positive dispositions towards learning.
Becoming – children develop a connection to, and appreciation for, nature that stays with them as an adult.

Source: The use of natural objects for learning, links well to Belonging, Being, Becoming; the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia (2009)

Building Resilience – part 2

Tips for building caring relationships

Give attention and affection – lots of smiles and hugs. This makes your children feel secure, loved and accepted.
Play with your children. Playing together is a great way for you to connect, get to know them better and have fun. It’s also a great way for children to develop physical, imagination and social skills.
Comfort your children. When children are hurt or frightened, sad or angry, being comforted helps them feel as if they’re not alone with their big feelings. They will feel closer to you and learn healthy ways to comfort themselves and others as they get older.
Listen with interest to your children’s feelings, thoughts and ideas. This lets them know you think what they have to say is important.
Show empathy. Empathy means seeing things from other people’s point of view. This doesn’t mean you have to agree with them. It just means that you are letting them know you understand how they feel. When children feel understood, it’s easier for them to try to understand others. Empathy is the foundation for developing caring relationships with other people.
Help your children identify and express their feelings (glad, sad, mad, scared, etc.). Point out that other people have these feelings too.
Reduce TV time. Experts recommend that children under two years should not watch any TV. Children between 2-4 years should watch less than one hour per day. Instead, find things to do that build your relationship, like reading together or going to the park.
Read or tell your children stories about people who show compassion, kindness and understanding for others.

Being a positive role model

Young children copy what others say and do. Parents and other adults can learn to be positive role models by handling difficult situations with resilience.

When parents stay calm and flexible in dealing with life’s challenges, they are teaching their children positive ways to handle stress.

Tips for being a positive role model

Take care of your health. Show children that it is important to eat healthy foods, get enough sleep and exercise regularly. These reduce daily stress. They give us the mental and physical strength to deal with more serious challenges.
Show understanding, compassion and kindness. Imagine what it is like to walk in other people’s shoes.
Take three deep breaths when you’re stressed. Breathe in slowly to the count of three and then breathe out slowly to the count of three. Repeat three times to relax your body and get control of your emotions.
Be in charge of your emotions. It is OK to have all kinds of feelings. It is healthy to express them in constructive ways.
Be patient. Keep on trying even when things are frustrating. Show patience with your children when they are trying.
Let go of being perfect. Remember mistakes are just part of learning.
Stop and re-think. When things go wrong, try not to jump to conclusions. Ask yourself: “How else can I think about this?” “What parts can I control?” “What else can I do?” Take a moment before you respond.
Take responsibility for your own feelings and actions in front of your children: “Oops, I just made a mistake on this, but I can make up for it by doing…” or “I’m sorry I yelled at you. Next time I’m going to stop and calm down before I speak.”
Use humour. It reduces stress and helps us look at challenging situations with a positive outlook.
Stay positive. Enjoy simple pleasures. Look for the upside to challenges. This encourages us to keep trying. It also helps us learn from these experiences.
Reach out for support. Everyone needs help sometimes.
Reach out to help others who are going through difficult times.