Reddam Early Learning School Newsletter Vol 22 Issue 19 by Reddam House Sydney

REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER Principal’s Message

24th June 2022

By Mrs Simone Cooke

Dear Parents, There is something fascinating and magical about light, children are intrigued by the opportunities it presents. Whether they are delighting in the fairy lights, chasing their shadow or using torches to explore their cubby house, light offers opportunities to extend children’s discovery and exploration. You will notice when you walk around our classrooms that in addition to our large floor to ceiling glass walls, we also have many light tables. This is because light is a significant feature of our Reggio Emilia programme and is used quite intentionally in our schools. The use of light is inspired by a belief that both natural and artificial light, facilitates the children’s view of both the outside world and internal spaces of the classroom, allowing the environment to act as a “third teacher” and to promote magical experience where children can wonder at the world around them. When exploring the natural element of light, it becomes a material, much like a language, which offers new opportunities to communicate, explore and manipulate to make new meanings. The addition of light into the children’s environment transforms and stimulates the senses. Including mirrors allows our children to become more aware of themselves and develop their sense of identity. The children love exploring their reflections and shadows and are curious about how light and dark occur within their world. Using light tables, mirrors and reflective surfaces encourages our children to investigate the interplay of light and shadow. It provokes and encourages exploration and investigation, with endless possibilities. From creating rainbows, mixing colours, patterning, sorting, classifying and experimenting with light, our children make new discoveries about the world they live in. REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER

Principal’s Message Continued… This week in Stage 4 the children have been focusing on light and reflections and conducting a range of experiments on what surfaces are reflective. In Stage 2 the children have been using the light tables to build block constructions that are transparent and allow them to observe all parts of a 3D object. In Stage 1 the children have been playing a range of games such as “ Shadow Simon Says” and enjoying a shadow puppet theatre. At Reddam we use light tables in a variety of ways, for inspecting detailed objects, tracing images, improving fine motor writing and drawing skills or creating intricate patterns. Adding elements to the light table such as tissue paper, 3D shapes or found materials transforms the table into a completely new experience, where the 1st April 2022 opportunities are endless. This type of open-ended discovery is very important for encouraging problem solving and experimentation. Studies conducted by Lowenfield in 1975 found that integrating light tables into pre-literacy assisted children in being able to

REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER

break down complex forms by offering them opportunity to trace and imitate which increased confidence in their fine motor skills and promoted a greater willingness to ‘have a go’. Whilst teachers may provide the natural resources, materials and light source, it is the children themselves who guide the discoveries. We are constantly amazed at the creative ideas, inventions and discussions that emerge from their explorations with light. We must never underestimate the importance of offering our young ones a stimulating environment in which they can explore, discover and create.

REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER

Stage 4R

By Ms Emily Brazel

Today is the day to learn something new! This week the children are beginning to learn about technology as part of their STEM theme for the term. Technology in STEM education can be defined as educational or instructional technology that is used to enhance teaching and learning. Technology is touching almost every part of our lives, our communities and homes. It is a big part of our world today and our children are being born and raised in this digital world. It is a fact that tablets and other technologies are here to stay and will continue to develop and change the way we do things, particularly the way we educate and teach our children. Bee Bots Whilst the classroom was set up a number of table activities that allowed children to investigate STEM in their own time, teachers also began to introduce children to technology. Technology in STEM education can be defined as educational or instructional technology that is used to enhance teaching and learning. We started off by having a class discussion about what technology is. The children informed their teachers of a number of different devices that may be used around the home. Once we finished our group discussion, the children were invited to participate in a fun game that allowed them to gain an understanding of directionality. Directional awareness is understanding of the concepts of left a right, up and down, top and bottom and front and back. These skills are vital for the child’s development of movement awareness. Once this game was complete the children broke off into smaller groups are were introduced to the Bee-Bots. Bee-Bot is an appealing programme robot for children. It is an easy way to introduce control and technology into the classroom. Each child had the opportunity to press different arrows in order to make the Bee-Bot move in whatever direction they chose. This activity allowed the children to gain knowledge and skill set such as directional learning, trial and error and how to use an electronic device. Once we had finished teachers sat down with each child individually and asked them a number of questions relating to the bee bot and what they liked best. Some answers included: Ava- “I liked the directions it went. It went right and left and forwards and backwards” Felix R- “There’s some robot stuff inside. When the robot moves, it presses go” Betty- “It moves when you touch the buttons” Harry- “The wheels make it move” Mavis- “I like directing them. it went left and right and forwards. It’s the batteries inside that make them work” Celine- “I liked making it go straight. I pressed the go button. It went straight, left and right” Light Box This week the children were invited to engage in an activity that allowed them to not only develop a greater understanding of technology and battery powered objects but encourage them to practice their fine-motor skills, hand-eye co-ordination and cognitive skills to follow instructions. This fun, sensory play activity allowed the children the opportunity to use their fine-motor skills in order to follow instructions to create a shape or object whilst developing their understanding of pattern recognition and pre-writing skills.

REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER

Stage 4R

REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER

Stage 4R

REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER

Stage 4E

By Ms Sarah Ross

Silkworm Investigation After many weeks of eating mulberry chow our pet silk worms began cocooning! There was lots excitement in the room and the children spent lots of time watching the silk worms attach their silk to the walls of their cardboard box homes and then continue to move their heads back and forth as they complete their cocoon over a period of two days. Stage Four have loved learning all about how our beautiful silk worms build their cocoons and to extend upon this interest and excitement the children engaged in a teamwork building exercise where they used pieces of white silk to wrap up a friend pretending to be a silkworm. It was lovely to see the children come up with different ideas on how to wrap the silk and secure it so their ‘silkworm’ was completely cocooned. Afterwards as a class, we discussed what woven silk is used for and the children discovered that people make; blankets, clothes, and even toys out of silk! The children then decided they would like to make their own silk creations and were provided with large pieces of silk to paint with watercolours. The class spent extended periods of time painting and creating with their friends and demonstrated their ability to work collaboratively and alongside each other happily. Silkworm Drawings As this week was our last chance to get up close and observe the silk worms in their larva stage the children were invited to engage in a close-up observational drawing experience. The children looked carefully through magnifying glasses and used white pencils on black paper to draw whole families of silk worms, their food, and even complete life cycles. The children were very proud of their work as they shared their knowledge about silkworms and described their pictures to their peers and teachers. “My silkworms are crawling around and I gave them some food” – Amelia “There is a big cocoon, a small cocoon and food” – Winnie “He’s just crawling around” – Dylan “One is asleep, one is awake and they are me and my dad” - Augusten “The worm is sleeping” – Kai “My worms are big, fat and scary” – Flynn “I drew my Grandma as a caterpillar” – Lydia “One is long, one is medium, and one is a baby” – Ethan D “I wanted it to be an actual caterpillar so I added some legs” – Henry “I drew my Mum, my Dad, my Grandma, my other Grandma, my Grandad, my other Grandad and me” – Mihira “I like the long tail of the silk worm; their little short legs are cute” – Charlotte “They start off as an egg” – Yuno “This is me, my sister, my Mum and my Dad. They eat chow.” – Ethan A “There is the whole silk worm family, Mama, Thomas, Ava and Daddy” – Thomas “Silk worms crawl” – Helena “These silkworms eat mulberry leaves. Chow is dried up mulberry leaves” - Azure

REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER

Stage 4E

REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER

Stage 4E

REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER

Stage 4D

By Ms Emily Chacon

How Does It Work? This week was our final week of technology! The children had a wonderful time exploring through light and coding. Throughout the week we had discussions on what technology was and the important role it plays in our daily life. Our light tray table engaged the children in a fun fine motor experience. The children were encouraged to use various coloured pins to push in and create images. This experience provided further motor movement development as well as creativity and imagination. The development of muscles from the whole arm through to the finger tips provides children with the strength required to manipulate mark-making equipment. Creativity based experiments fosters the children’s mental growth by providing opportunities for trying out new ideas and new ways of thinking and problem solving. Our torch and CD table engaged the children in exploring light and reflection. We turned the lights out and the children were free to move the torch over the CD and watch the rainbows forming on the roof. The children LOVED this experience! Nicholas “The rainbow is all over the roof!” Alison: “There looks like a party up there” The Selfie Station was another huge hit among the children. A great way for the children to explore and have fun was to create a photo booth. On a tripod was a camera set on a 3 second timer, the children took turns in pressing the button and then getting into position with their friends. The results are unbelievably cute! When children find their photo in the school environment, they feel special. Seeing themselves with their friends and caregivers will make them feel part of the group and add to their sense of belonging. With technology and interactive media, learning becomes a multisensory and interactive experience! Photography is a fabulous, and instant, creative medium that can help children to express themselves and produce some fantastic and unexpected artwork. It’s an excellent way of delivering content for understanding the world and expressive arts and design.

REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER

Stage 4D

REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER

Stage 4D

REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER

Stage 3/4

By Ms Riina Andrew

Goldilocks and the Three Bears Our final fairy tale of the term was Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Again, as per the last few fairy tales we explored, the children were all very familiar with the story and how it plays out. We took turns at being each different character in the story and acted out our parts with another class member being the narrator. Again, each narrator put their own spin on the story and gave it their own twist. Making oats into porridge was a favourite activity relating to the story of the week. In a pretend kitchen, the children had the opportunity to play, create, hypothesise, discuss and ponder the best ways to make porridge. Using a recipe as a guide, the children took turns of reading the instructions and method used to create their own bowl of porridge. Children could be heard pretending to taste the porridge and claim it was ‘too hot’, ‘too cold’ or ‘just right!’.

Each child also took on the

character of father bear, mother bear or baby bear when eating the porridge and acted out a scene of the story as well. This activity was followed by an experience of lining up various sized bears in order of father bear, mother bear and baby bear (ie biggest to smallest). This experience then led onto counting the number of each size of bears, adding onto that number and also subtracting from that number as well. The artistic part of the program had us creating a collage of bears.

Using three

different sizes of circle shaped paper, the children made their own creation of the bear family from the story.

Each child added a face to their bears, which they

hand drew, before using glue to stick the bear faces on a piece of paper in order of biggest to smallest. The class all liked looking at each other’s collage creation when it was placed on the wall and explained how they put their artwork together. It was a great week of learning and exploring and the children have all really enjoyed exploring and participating in a fairy tale provocation. We may even try our hand at writing our own fairy tales in the future!

REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER

Stage 3/4

REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER

Stage 3/4

REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER

Stage 3E

By Ms Bianca Lazar

This week, Stage 3 children visited Egypt! Children have been actively engaging in multiple interactive learning experiences such as constructing Lego pyramids, decorating Egyptian necklaces called 'Wesekh', and exploring our Egyptian costumes on the dramatic play table. When you start to study ancient civilisations whether it’s the Egyptians, Mayans or Ancient Korea pyramids are a feature of them around the world. They are a great opportunity to combine a little history and a lot of maths in creative ways. Pyramids were a feature of many Ancient Civilisations from the Egyptians with the famous pyramids of Giza which were tombs of the great Pharaohs to Mesoamerican cultures like the Mayan found in Mexico. Before the children began building their own pyramid with sugar cubes, they reviewed the look and appearance of the pyramids using the visual posters. After, they got to work building and stacking a square base then gradually added on the different layers until 1 small brick remains at the top. Then, it was time to make it look even more like the Egyptian pyramids by colouring our white sugar cubes yellow. I combined water with 10-15 drops of food colouring, and the children used their fine motor skills to colour the cubes, one by one, with an eye dropper. This added a little science to the fun too and soon observed they could smash the cubes as the water began to dissolve the sugar. What can you notice about your pyramid? Sofia: "It's very nice. The blocks changed from that cup (pointing to coloured water). When there's holes, I like to put some more on". Henry: "It has a very yellow colour. It's melting because it's too much of this (pointing to coloured water)". Charlie: "It's fallen down. It's melting down". Stella: "Mine is broken and melting". Gisele: "Mine is not melting. I like when it melts because it makes me funny".

REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER

Stage 3E

REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER

Stage 3E

REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER

Stage 2/3 & 3R

By Ms Gabriela Guimaraes

Exploring the Role of Police Officers Creating a meaningful connection with the community Early childhood settings provide a place for children to develop connections with their local community. It is really important to explore the police officers role to build a positive relationship with the children to break down any negative barriers that young children may have developed from the community or media about the images of Police. During our group discussions we approached the following topics: - Police are the good guys. - Police role is to protect the community - Police officers are friendly and helpful - Police officers wear special uniforms - Call 000 in case of emergency It was important to explain about what an emergency might look like. A fire inside the house, a person who looks hurt and isn’t responding when you try to talk to them, etc. Then we taught the children that if something like that should EVER happen (and ONLY when something like this happens), they have a very, very important job. They need to go get the phone and dial 000. Obviously, an emergency in the eyes of a 3-year old might look vastly different than what an adult constitutes as an emergency. We set up phones along with some 000 cards for the children to practise dialling the number. We had a lot of fun with this activity, but at the same time conveyed the importance that it is NOT A GAME. This would also be a great time for your child to start learning your address and phone number. We learned about our fingerprints throughout different types of activities. We used magnifying glasses to explore our prints in mirrors; we printed them on playdough and on police cards. Our marks were everywhere especially in the school walls. Through this activities we were able to talk about the different types of prints, learn about the human body and learned that each person has their own fingerprints and that is what makes us unique. This week we also encouraged police officer role-play activities. The children absolutely loved dressing up as police officers and participating in solving crimes. The benefits of role-playing among children are fundamental in enhancing skills required for healthy development. Along with being fun, using imagination in their play improves their creativity and promotes better performance at school and it also helps them develop a strong problem-solving approach in dealing with issues. This is because it allows them to take up characters that act out real life roles. It was really important to teach the children the importance of personal safety and teach them about the dangers and how to avoid them. Being involved in the learning process for children with regards to their safety will prepare them for safety issues around going to school and being in the community.

REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER

Stage 2/3 & 3R

REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER

Stage 2/3 & 3R

REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER

Stage 2R

By Ms Madeleine Grant

This week we continued our exploration of the natural world, and also took a chance to look back at the wonderful landscapes and biomes that we have discovered throughout the term. We talked about our favourite topics we have covered, from the deepest oceans, the vast deserts, lush rainforests and deep, dark woods, and all the creatures that live in and support these ecosystems. During our outdoor play times we asked the children to relate their experiences in our playground to what we had learnt about in class. We went on treks through the desert of our wonderful sandpit, asking the children to feel the warm sand that had been in the sun, and digging down to find the cooler sand below. We used our climbing equipment to be our mountains, and the children set off together to reach the tops and scale down the other side. On a rainy day we watched the rain running off the side of the roof just like a waterfall! The beauty of the natural world is present even in our constructed environments, if we only know where to look. In the classroom the children were delighted by the earthworm sensory play experience! Last term our journey through the alphabet took us to W is for Worms, and the children were so fascinated by the activity that we brought it back to fit into our topic of nature. The previous activity was a more fantastical play experience where the children created their own brightly coloured ‘worms’, while this one aimed to extend on that knowledge and provide a more realistic look at the role of worms within their ecosystems. Here they found tubs of faux soil made of flour, baby oil and coloured a rich brown with food dyes, and burrowing within it were ‘worms’ made of pink-dyed udon noodles. They were given magnifying glasses and miniature tongs, and quickly worked out how to utilise these tools in their play. Some children found the set up a bit too realistic, and the tongs provided them a means of engaging in the activity while keeping their hands clean. Others loved having a chance to get their hands dirty in a fun and safe way. They dug around in the dirt until they found a worm, then carefully extracted them using the tongs and held them up to the magnifying glass to get a closer look. While the worms may not have been real, we wanted the children to experience the fragility of the rice noodles and relate that to how carefully and respectfully we should treat all living things. They were so gentle as they picked up the ‘worms’, taking care not to squish them between their fingers or break them apart in the dirt. Some demonstrated their social awareness by assigning them family roles based on their size, and even spoke to them by saying “Hello worm” as they picked them up and “Goodnight worms” as they tucked them into their beds by burying them back in the dirt.

REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER

Stage 2R

REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER

Stage 2R

REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER

Stage 1E

By Ms Justine Heydra

“Nature is a tool to get children to experience not just the wider world, but themselves.” - Stephen Moss As we head into our final weeks of term two, the children extended on our S.T.E.M provocation this week by exploring the natural world around them. Our focus this week was nature and exploring S.T.E.M in our playground. We used magnifying glasses and allowed the children to explore the plants, bugs and anything they discovered or found interesting. They also had the chance to build and play with our outdoor construction area. By providing hands-on experiences with openended materials that incorporate S.T.E.M components the children will become more prepared for the world they live in. At their age we are introducing them to the foundations of S.T.E.M, igniting their curiosity and eagerness to discover and learn. During this activity the children developed their communication skills and working together in pairs or groups, they were introduced to critical thinking by engaging and exploring how things work and had so much fun along the way. Combining S.T.E.M experiences with outdoor learning, children are able to discover, play and explore in a natural environment. Outdoor play also provides the children with a natural environment to develop essential motor skills like coordination, agility, balance and dexterity. Children who are encouraged to explore and play outdoors in a natural and safe unstructured/structured environment will put their abilities to the test and in doing so will constantly develop new skills through trial and error. Allowing children to explore and at times stumble teaches them to become resilient and learn much valued developmental skills. Outdoor play also encourages the children to participate in make-believe play and is an important source in building creativity and social skills. This week while exploring the outdoors we as educators were able to experience and see just how much the children have developed and grown this year. Many of the children showed a keen curiosity for the natural world around them after their educators gave them their magnifying glasses and encouraged them to explore our playground. Some children asked questions such as “What is this?” , while others could name the mini beasts they found in the garden by saying “Look snail !”. The children had a great week exploring our outdoor playground by finding many natural wonders as we focused not only on our play equipment and building gross-motor skills. Wishing you all a wonderful weekend with your little ones.

REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER

Stage 1E

REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER

Stage 1E

REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER

Stage 1R

By Ms Amanda Felton

As you know young toddlers learn through all their senses and sensory play is vitally important for them to understand how our world around them works. It supports their language development and offers hands- on learning opportunities. This week the children have been engaging in a wide range of activities playing with musical instruments, building with shapes and enjoying the joy of painting, collaging and building their fine and gross motor skills. During their gym classes they have been learning to balance and have been gaining a greater understanding of the position and movement of their body. Rolling, swinging, climbing all build confidence and self esteem. This week the children also had a lovely time in their Drama classes learning how to be expressive and use the imagination to develop their creative thinking skills. Well done Babies it has been another fabulous experience of our journey together.

REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER

Stage 1R

REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER

Drama

By Ms Laura Hudson

This week in drama we learned the importance of teamwork. We began the class by discussing how to work as a group. I then explained that everyone has a role to play in drama class or in a play. Each role is just as important. Stages 3 and 4 started with a game called "Huggy Bear". The children walked around the room and I called out Huggy bear and a number. The children then need to find and hug that amount of people. E.g.. 2 you need to find a partner or 5 you need to find and hug 4 friends. Serafina and Deyanna hugged each other and then joined with Evette and Evelyn. The next exercise was all about teamwork and using our bodies to create shapes. In groups, the children had to make a letter from the alphabet. Mark, James Marcus, and Hugo showed us how to make the letter M! We then played a game called "Wax museum". I turned into the cleaner at the museum and the children were the statues. When I turned away the statues came to life, when I was looking at them they had to be still. I tried to trick them and turn quickly. Next week we might try this and let the children have a turn being the cleaner.

REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER

Drama In Stages 1 and 2 we learned about the sky, stars, and planets. We sang the famous song "Twinkle Twinkle little star" and followed along with the actions. I brought in some stars for everyone to look at. Ari really enjoyed holding and squishing the star. I turned into a flight attendant and gave out circular mats for our launch pads. We went flying through space and discovered different planets. Mercury was very hot so we jumped all over it. Lincoln jumped so high! We even had some lava pom-poms for mars, we tried to touch them but they were too hot! Neptune was dark so we played peek-aboo and made cold noises. Stage 2/3 also went to Jupiter we found out that it spins the quickest, we all spun around and Allegra was really fast. Uranus was really stormy so Joud showed us how to sway like a tree. We got into our rocketships and found a new planet. Aadya named it Jelly bean planet because it was wobbly like Jelly! We got back into our spaceship and went around the room making a different sound for our launch pad. Everyone had a turn and together we made the sound space for our rocket ship! What a fun lesson learning about groups and space. Everyone had such a good time I wonder where we will go next week?