• Objects boxes, blocks, buckets, balls, hula hoop, trays, milk crates, PVC pipe
The natural world provides a diverse variety of loose parts that display patterns and sequences that can’t be manufactured. Everything in nature has a different and unique texture, smell, temperature, taste, weight and design. Their play possibilities and affordances are endless. Their uniqueness encourages children to problem solve, and to be creative in how they use these items.”
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL
When children have plenty of loose parts to manipulate, children seldom become bored.
“ Loose parts can be natural or synthetic and might be considered ‘junk’ to some people. They are often inexpensive and can be found in nature, in a home recycling bin, or in charity or craft stores. While the list is endless, examples of loose parts include:
Children usually prefer play that stimulates their curiosity and gives free reign to their imaginations and creativity. One of the best ways to enhance their natural curiosity is to introduce a wide variety of materials into their play.
• Materials ribbon, fabric, cushions, chalk, pom poms
LINDFIELD NEWSLETTER
https://www.education.sa.gov.au/sites/default/files/npsa familyday care loose parts.pdf
16th September 2022
Loose parts can be defined as beautiful objects that are open ended in their use and that children can move, control and change while they play. Loose parts can be manipulated, and managed by children together in almost endless ways.
Loose parts are open ended and provide infinite play possibilities. They offer multiple rather than single outcomes and have no specific directions.
• Natural resources rocks, sticks, seedpods, shells and leaves
As we approach the end of term 3 the educators have been reflecting on the learning areas in their classrooms and you may see some slight changes or your children may discuss some new items used in their play at school. Including the addition of more natural items and recycled resources into learning areas for children to use during their play. The term used in the early childhood learning for these collection of items is” Loose parts”
Wednesday 26th October 2022
Class photos dates are as follows:
Thursday 27th October 2022
Principal’s Message Continued...
There has been a slight change in the Vacation care program. We have had to flip the weeks to accommodate our special visitors including the Farm, Fire Fighters, dentist and the police.
Class photos
2023 enrolments
We have booked in some special visitors during our vacation care program. Please watch your email for a copy of the Vacation Care program that we will send out shortly.
Here at Reddam Lindfield, the team is always on the look out for loose parts to add to the learning areas for children’s play . Whether it’s a collection of shells and pebbles to create patterns or adding ribbons and pine cones to the construction area to add to that castle or their village with a train track running through it. Loose parts play stimulate children’s imagination and are wonderful additions to our classrooms.
Tuesday 25th October 2022
Week 1 VCP - 26th Sep – 30th Sep – Our Local Community
By Chrsitine Irwin
We are now looking at enrolments for 2023 , an email will be sent to all current families within the next week in regard to positions for next year.
Christine Irwin Principal
We will be taking group photos this year in October. The photos will be taken by our team and added to your child’s portfolio which will be given to you at the end of the year. We ask that Stage 3 and 4 children wear their school multiform on the class photo days.
3
Vacation care dates 26th September – 7th October
Looking forward to chatting with you soon.
Week 2 VCP – 3rd Oct – 7th October – Spring Has Sprung
4
Of course summertime is not complete without some of those wonderful fruits that we are lucky enough to have access to in Australia. The children have been enjoying the various taste testing experiences we have been offering them and naturally this was the same. Who wouldn’t enjoy some fresh cut Mango, Watermelon, cool crisp grapes, Papaya, Pineapple and Banana? We showed the children what the fruits looked like before cutting and discussed the skin of the fruits, and a few questions: Is it smooth or rough? Is it brightly coloured or multiple colours? After cutting it in half we looked at the inside and asked: Can you see the seeds? Of course this was followed by the taste test and naturally there was not a lot of fruit left over. Yum yum our little fruit bats!
Wow, we have had so much fun celebrating Summer this week, which will be important because if our summer weather this year turns out as predicted, there won’t be one.
The children have embraced all that is summer from getting trendy with some wild dress ups, minus the budgie smugglers, no need for those! However, lots and lots of sparkly beads are always a favourite. I think that the children have a sneaky contest to see who can wear the most beads at once.
Stage 1R
By Heather Gaskall
We have been tempting the children with experiments again and it's wonderful to see just how interested they are in observing and participating in these events. Miss Jenny demonstrated summer rain, remember those refreshing showers we get sometimes on those hot days? Miss Jenny filled a large cylinder glass with water topped off with shaving foam which represented the fluffy clouds. She then dripped blue food colouring around the shaving foam. The children gathered around the table and watched in amazement as the blue colour seeped down through the shaving foam clouds and sunk to the bottom of the vase. This looked just like rain falling from the sky.
Another of our delightful sensory setups involved some more fluffy shaving foam clouds, something I enjoy during summer, when the sun can be a little hot. In a shallow container we filled shaving foam and then as part of our ongoing colour recognitions we dripped various colours over the top. The children were then given coloured paddle pop sticks and after talking about the colours they were able to mix the colours in the tray to see what other colours we could produce.
Wishing all our families a wonderful weekend! Heather, Doris, Jenny and Jaycel.
Hello our dear families
3 Stage 1R:
Charity, Resie, May,Rowel, and Mary
6
Our creative way of extending learning about bodies of water was through frozen coloured water painting. This activity allowed the children to increase their sense of touch and creativity in mixing colours and making patterns on their papers.
During our outdoor play, we improved on our following instructions and listening skills through play. Using bean bags, we encouraged the children to practice their throwing skills against the fence and aiming at a target spot. We also had more fun outside enjoying a wonderful drawing experience of using jumbo chalk sticks as we practiced our hand eye coordination and wrist manipulation skills scribbling on a piece of paper. So much fun for today, learning and building, beautiful interactions amongst each other!
Thank you all for taking the time to read and enjoy this week’s school’s experiences.
To give children the full understanding of this topic, we prepared varying small world displays of a river, pond, and ocean. We explored sustainable practices such as using some natural loose parts such as pebbles, dried moss, real grass, toy figurines and natural coloured fabrics to create an imaginary display of these bodies of water. These set ups also allowed the children to not only increase their social interactions alongside their peers, but also improve their fine motor skills as they used fishing rods, fishing nets and their fingers to manipulate all the elements available in the set up.
Stage 1E
We also offered the 1E children to extend their learning about this topic through a rain cloud experiment using shaving foam, blue dye and dropper. Demonstrating the dynamic of a raindrop allowed them to have an introduction of how raindrops fall on Earth. A cognitive challenge of sorting fishes according to their colours was also participated in by the group. Using the recycled sushi fish soy containers filled up with different coloured dyes improved children’s basic counting and at the same time increased their mathematical skills of sorting and matching.
Continuing our exploration of the Earth, this week was all about learning the various Bodies of Water. The children investigated the water cycle and learned how the water on our planet evaporates into the clouds before falling as raindrops. Water sustains life. It is very important that we teach the children how vital it is for their bodies and the environment.
‘Water is the driving force of all nature’ Leonardo Da Vinci
By Charity Acera
7 Stage 1E:
8
Our little engineers enjoyed building structures using a variety of wooden blocks in different shapes and textures which assisted them to improve their math skills, and even learn about gravity, balance, and geometry. They continued creating bridges using craft sticks and cups. The teachers added extra challenges by asking open ended questions and helped 2R to work through these problems together and encouraged their critical thinking.
By Sara Haddadi
This week, our engineering based experiences provided opportunities for 2R to grow and mature and made a difference in the way they think and complete tasks. It allowed the children to think outside the box and come up with solutions to problems through experimentation. 2R little engineers were empowered to see themselves as problem solvers and discovered that there are various approaches to problem solving and that it is acceptable to attempt and fail over and over
Stage 2R
Makeagain.yourweekend shine with smiles and happiness! Happy Weekend!
We discussed the engineering of boats and ships and created some sailboats using pool noodles for our water sensory trays which encouraged 2R's problem solving skills, language development, social emotional growth and science and mathematics learning. Moreover, 2R enjoyed learning about the engineering of planes and how the plane's engines are designed to move them forward at high speed. Inspired by that we created popsicle airplanes for our artwork. We also made a parachute which led us to have discussions and trials of an air resistance experiment. We observed that when we released the parachute from a height, the weight pulled down on the strings and opened the parachute and used air resistance to slow it down.
Inspired by the scientific week we had last week, this week our focus was on engineering and engineers. Engineering boasts numerous benefits for young brains. It encourages problem solving, promotes questions and even inspires budding inventors. By enabling children to investigate and look into how things work and why we can actively encourage STEAM based learning. Allowing children to experience different forms of engineering helps them understand more about the processes that go into making up so much of the world around us.
"Science can amuse and fascinate us all, but it is engineering that changes the world.” Isaac Asimov, an American writer, and professor of biochemistry
9
10 Stage 2R:
Clara: “I sneeze in my elbow”
Ashley: “When my tummy is sore, I go to the doctor.”
We discussed our experiences and how to keep ourselves safe and healthy in different situations:
Have a joyful weekend,
Aaron Z: “I go to the doctor sometimes.”
By Mia Doan
Jasper: “I wear a helmet, and knee and elbow pads when I drive a scooter.”
This week we honored medical professionals such as doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and veterinarians who contribute vital roles in society. This helped children to understand what medical professionals do and to appreciate their hard work in keeping everyone healthy. Besides the exploration of career choices, the children learnt about how our bodies operate and how to keep a healthy lifestyle.
During group time, we read a gentle story called, A sick day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead, and Erin E. Stead. Amos McGee, a friendly zookeeper, always made time to visit his good friends. But one day "Ah choo!" he woke up with the sniffles and the sneezes. Though he didn't make it into the zoo that day, he did receive some unexpected guests. We also discussed feeling sick which is a very unpleasant feeling and makes our bodies exhausted. The children positively expressed their interest in non narrative texts and were curious about the human body system, especially the skeleton.
On the provocation table, the children engaged in a range of stimulating sensory play activities. 2E doctors in training had fun playing with waterbead red blood cells and used a syringe to take blood tests and transferred them to testing tubes. On the day of learning to be a dentist, our children experienced how to extract a tooth from our gum from the playdough model. Another day, to provide opportunities for our children to explore relationships with animals and develop an awareness of the impact of human activity on animals, we opened up our very own vet clinic. Our children looked after the sick (stuffed) animals by gently patting them, applying bandages around them, and checking for ticks in their ears and paws. The children were showing their respect and care for the animals as they tried to help them feel better at the clinic.
“An apple a day keeps the doctor away” Benjamin Franklin
Jasper: “I go to the doctor to get some medicine.”
Hamish: “I go to the doctor with mummy.”
Noah: “My mum takes me to the doctor to check my ears and eyes.”
Mia, Shandie, Chloe, Jing and Xanthe
Stage 2E
The children had a great chance to celebrate Moon Festival sensory trays. The children observed the lanterns and used Asian printed spoons and dishes to scoop and transfer brown rice. There was a bunny and the moon that was associated with the story behind Moon Festival. Next, 2E excellent bakers had an opportunity to show off their skills by making mooncakes using the wooden mold and cotton sand. The children were satisfied with the sophisticated prints of their cakes. After practicing molding the mooncake, Miss Chloe invited the children to make some healthy mooncakes with rice flour, pumpkin, sweet potato, and honey. We rolled our dough and rolled it over a thin layer of flour before pressing them onto the wooden molds.
11
12
13 Stage 2E:
Next week we look at Ways of Storytelling.
Stage 3R
In our small groups we continued to extend the children’s cooking skills, this time making Possum Magic vegemite crackers. The children were shown how to spread the butter and vegemite on the cracker without breaking it and to ensure that it covered the whole surface. This proved challenging as the children had to concentrate on their hand eye coordination as well as extend their fine motor skills as they manipulate the butter knives. All the children persevered with the challenge and were proud of their achievements.
Another small group used physical movement and literacy skills as a base of a game. The children were asked to practice different kinds of walking galloping, skipping, stomping and walking in a single file around chalk circles with letters inside them. Once the whistle blew the children jumped into the nearest circle and had to identify the letter, the letter sound and make a word association. The children were great at recognising letters that started in their peers'
Using the story Possum Magic we were able to extend upon the children's understanding of stories, narratives as well as incorporating it into our dramatic play and cooking experiences. Through our Morning Meetings we are able to explore the children's knowledge, gain insight into their lives and their likes and dislikes. The children are still very interested in food, cooking and sharing with each other what they cook at home. As a result, we continued with our sensory ‘Pizza Shop’ as well as adding more elements into the home corner for the children to create their own shop with.
Observing the children, we can see an emerging interest in dinosaurs, and as a result, we have included small world dinosaur play as well as numeracy dinosaur counting. By including dinosaurs in numeracy experiences, children are able to engage in furthering their understanding and skills of counting, or use them in free play.
14
this week was adapted from last week, with small easels set up for the children to paint their very own possum. The children were provided with grey and pink paint, from there teachers explicitly modelled how to make shapes to create the possum, however the children were invited to explore painting, shapes and colours in their own way.
Ournames.artwork
By Grace Nolan
15 Stage 3R:
16
Throughout the week the children were invited to engage in group discussions about the Japanese culture, where we brainstormed different ideas and thoughts about what we may already know, while finding out new information for example the children discovered that ‘sushi ‘ is a big part of the food culture in Japan as well as traditional clothing they were to celebrate special occasions.
Natalie & Laura & Kai & Margaret
Stage 3E
Next week we will continue with Japanese culture where the children will be able to build upon their existing knowledge and understanding. We hope you all have a lovely weekend
“Language and culture are the frameworks through which human experience, communicate, and understand reality” Lev Vygotsky, 1968
Welcome to Week 7. This week we are exploring the culture of Japan, and how we can describe Japan as very picturesque. The children were provided with the opportunity to continue their exploration of the culture by observing and analysing the significant landmarks. Throughout the week the children have been looking at Mount Fuji which is a live volcano and the cherry blossom trees. We also looked at Sensoji temple in Tokyo. The children were able to contribute to a brainstorming session to determine what the temple is made from, why people visit the temple and other things they notice about the structure.
By Natalie Horstman
This week we introduced the children to counting 1 10 in Japanese and will continue each day in group time for the children to be able to repeat each number in Japanese.
The children were able to engage in different table activities such as a memory card game with different pictures and Japanese words written on them. This allowed the children to make meaning and sense of the world surrounding them. The children showed great levels of enthusiasm and interest towards the inspired Mount Fuji sensory tray, which was filled with different ingredients and objects to resemble the mountain and cherry blossoms. The children proceeded to engage in purposeful play where they were able to explore and experiment with other materials to represent a traditional Japanese temple, surrounded by a pond, fish and other natural elements. Cherry blossoms, also known in Japan as 'Sakura', are an emblem of love, and they also symbolise good. Cherry blossoms occupy a special place in Japanese traditions. The 'Hanami' festival in Japan is marked by the presence of cherry blossoms. It is a time to celebrate life's beauty, regain perspective and appreciate the good things that happen in life.
17
18 Stage 3E:
David Attenborough
Stage 4R
By Rebecca Kim
Cherish the natural world, because you’re a part of it and you depend on it.”
“
We learnt that these rainforests have been subjected to deforestation, leaving many animals without a home in their natural habitats. The land is cleared to make way for farming agriculture and the expansion of cities.
Inspired by these lush, green rainforests, the children created their own rainforest collages featuring a tiger. They used paint, pencils and crayons to colour in their pictures. The children also experimented with blowing watercolours (blue, green and purple) to create the features of a Nextpeacock.week, we will explore the rainforests of Africa and on the Island of Madagascar.
Rebecca, Jenny, and Ling
19
This week, the children investigated a variety of rainforests around the world, categorising the animals that inhabit the four distinct rainforest layers the forest floor, the understory, the canopy and the emergent layer.
We ventured to the Amazon in South America, the largest rainforest on our planet. We read a funny story book called Poo! Is That You? by Clare Helen Welsh and together we identified many smelly animals including an anteater, a skunk, sloth, stink bug, stink bird and the smelliest flower in the whole world the giant pelican flower. We also learnt that many of these animals use their scents to mark their territories, warn predators away and to protect themselves from being eaten. The children were then invited to participate in a scavenger hunt on our school veranda. They paired up to find 18 Amazonian animals and there was much excitement as each animal was located. It was wonderful to see the children working cooperatively together. The next rainforests we investigated are located on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. We discussed how deforestation is one of the leading causes of how animals are becoming endangered. Logging, land clearing and palm oil businesses are just some of the threats to these Southeast Asian animals, especially to orangutans. Wildlife poaching and trade is still occurring with baby orangutans and tigers being captured and sold as pets.
20 Stage 4R:
“There is no such thing as a failed experiment, only experiments with unexpected outcomes.”
This week we conducted many experiments to investigate solids, liquids and gases. We started with a discussion about what each of these mean during our morning group times.
Inspired by another story about experiments called ‘The Barnabus Project’ by The Fan Brothers, we explored how water and oil cannot mix. First, some vegetable oil was poured into three jars and coloured water was added on top. We watched as the water and the oil attempted to mix together, but then it separated into two distinct layers. The children wondered why the oil had floated to the top when it was poured in first? Even though water and oil are both liquids, the water is heavier than the oil, thus why it sinks to the bottom and the oil rises to the top. Alka seltzer tablets were then added to the jars, creating a fizzy reaction, very similar to a lava lamp. The children said the blue jar reminded them of waves in the ocean, the red jar was filled with volcanic lava and the green jar had bubbling monster slime in it. Our “Magic Milk” experiment was also very exciting as we used a tray of full fat milk, and added a few drops of green, yellow, blue and red food colouring. The children then took turns to dip toothpicks into dishwashing soap and touch the surface of the milk. The food colouring spread and moved in all different directions due to surface tension, making the most amazing, swirling patterns. Towards the end of the week, we conducted our final experiment with bicarbonate soda and vinegar. We already knew that they produce bubbles when combined, but they can also create a gas when trapped. Bicarb and vinegar were carefully placed inside a bottle and a balloon was quickly secured around the top. We watched the two ingredients fizz, create an invisible gas, and blow the balloon up.
R. Buckminster Fuller
We started an investigation into liquids after reading ‘Who Sank the Boat’ by Pamela Allen. The children engaged with a ‘sink or float’ experience where we used a sheet of foil and made a boat out of it. We tested the foil boat in a jar of water and placed marbles on top to see how many it could support before they sank. Our next story was ‘Mr Archimedes’ Bath’ also by Pamela Allen. We read how a man was frustrated when the water always overflowed when he took a bath with his animals. Even though the bath was only filled a quarter high to begin with, the water kept rising as each animal got in. We discussed how a solid affects a liquid by taking up space. If the container the solid is in can't expand, the liquid has nowhere to go but up. Our class conducted our own experiment with a jar of water, where we added large ice cubes to see how the water would rise to the rim of the jar. We also added blocks which made the water overflow.
What a busy week of scientific experiments in our classroom! Next week we will investigate machines, inventions and food technology, where we will use a different kitchen appliance each day to make a yummy treat.
Lauren, Priya, Marlon, Marlon and Yali
21
Stage 4E By Lauren Hall
- Solids keep a fixed shape and volume, can't be compressed easily and don’t flow easily. Liquids take the shape of the container they are in, can't be compressed and flow easily. Gases take the shape and volume of their container, can be easily compressed and flow easily too.
22
Stage 4E: 23
By Chloe
Mandarin By Chloe Lin
Dear families,
I share the new words about Mid Autumn Festival with my children: Chang'e, Moon cake (月餅Yuèbǐng,their favorite!), Lanterns （燈籠 dēnglóng ）,Full Moon（滿月 mǎnyuè) . At Stage 4, a child shared with me that her mother's mooncakes are the best in the world! Children who have never tasted moon cakes also asked where to buy them. They also want to eat and see. Food really is the best cultural exchange without borders!
Afterwards, we experienced the traditional activity "throwing the pot (投壺Tóuhú . It is a game in which people take turns tossing the arrow shaft into the wine pot. It was a game popular among the Han people in ancient China from the Spring and Autumn Period to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It has also spread to the Korean, Japan and Vietnam. Each child took turns using the bunny ear arrows I made and throwing them into the vase and they all had a great time! Everyone wants to play again and again! I'm so happy to share my favourite holiday with you: Moon Festival.
25
We were celebrating the Mid Autumn Festival( Moon Festival )this week. Celebrating the Mid Autumn Festival has a history of three thousand years in East Asia. In Japan, Korea, Vietnam, China and Taiwan, the Mid Autumn Festival is an important festival.
After singing the children's favourite Chinese songs, we watched a video about the Mid Autumn Festival and the origin of moon cakes. The story of the Mid Autumn Festival comes from a distant legend: Once upon a time , there were nine suns in the sky, so all humans felt very hot, and plants could not grow. There was a hero named Hou Yi, who shot down eight suns with a bow and arrow. And then the gods gave him and his wife Chang'e two elixir of immortality. When Hou Yi went hunting, some gangsters wanted to snatch the elixir. Chang'e ate all elixir and flew to the moon. To commemorate her, the day she flew to the moon became the "Moon Festival". Everyone was very curious about the story of Chang'e and Hou Yi. They also asked how they could get the elixir that flew to the moon. Children's imaginations always surprise us!
