Reddam ELS St Leonards 27th October 2023
Principal's Message by Ms Vicki Bakes Dear Parents and Caregivers, Collaboration in every stage of life nurtures social skills, problem-solving and a sense of community. When arriving at school on my very first day, I was presented with a beautiful artwork from the children in Stage 4. The purpose of the gift was to welcome me to Reddam Early Learning St Leonards, and it certainly worked. What was most striking about the piece of art, apart from the enticing colours was the way in which each individual had been involved and made ‘their mark’. The collaborative art piece was formulated earlier in the year. At the beginning of each term, teachers sit down with each child and ask them what they would like to find out. This inquiry-based cycle of learning drives the weekly provocations for the term, as children are given the opportunity to ask questions and investigate a topic. This particular experience allowed the teachers to gain an insight into each child's writing ability and encouraged them to practise their tripod grip, hand-eye coordination, and fine motor skills. A number of collaborations happen incidentally and are very powerful, like spontaneous dancing, teamwork or a shared “aha” moment. The harmony of everyone working together is just wonderful and is a common occurrence at our school. The artwork is now proudly hanging in my office and is valued and appreciated every single day by myself and everybody who visits.
I am looking forward to celebrating Halloween with everyone next week and seeing the children demonstrating a strong sense of self as they arrive to school in their elaborate costumes. Enjoy the weekend with your fabulous children!
Stage 4R
Moving On Up … To Bigger Things by Ms Riina Andrews Starting school can be very daunting and exciting for children, so to make this a smooth process, we have incorporated this into our learning provocation. This new path can be an exciting and nervous time as children are not sure what to expect during this transition. Over the next coming weeks, we will be talking about going to big school, reading books that relate to transitioning to big school and talking through our worries that are associated with this time of change. As some of the class have older peers who are already in primary school, these children are able to answer simple questions and queries that the class may have during this time of kindergarten prep, where we can all share information and knowledge to assist in making this a smooth transition as possible. This week, the children participated in an experience of looking at school uniforms that they will be wearing next year then they start kindergarten. We then completed an art work of ourselves wearing these uniforms and the colours that they will be. To foster this experience, we read a story called ‘First Day’ by Andrew Daddo and Jonathan Bentley. This is a story about a girl who is starting school and the feelings she experiences and the new routine that she will follow every day when going to school. We also practiced our letter writing and sounding out skills surrounding CVC words. Using picture prompts and our learnt skills of phonics, each child had the opportunity to sound out each word and match that word to the corresponding picture using a white board marker. Some children preferred to work alone at this activity and others preferred to work in a pair and assist each other with the activity. At our gross motor experience, this week the children participated in an activity of rolling a dice and jumping that same number of circles towards the end of the line. Each child had a turn of jumping and rolling the dice. This experience allowed the children to be the leader and the follower during the
activity and also fostered the children in working together and playing fairly as each child was encouraged to have their turn!
Stage 4E
Investigating Lunchboxes by Ms Emily Brazel This week children continue on with their discussions and learning about school readiness. The benefits of a school readiness program really are invaluable. It builds a solid foundation for later learning which will help your child to thrive academically. But beyond that, it develops confidence, independence skills and the emotional stability children need through the promotion of healthy behaviour. Developing independence for big school This week the children continued in their school readiness with our provocation this week investigating lunchboxes and learning about healthy foods for school next year. Learning and exploring healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle is integral to a child's well-being, health and self-confidence. Investigating and packing our own lunch boxes for kindergarten Children were asked to bring in a lunchbox from home in order to develop their independence for kindergarten. The children were able to develop and strengthen their fine motor skills, engaging in the real-life experience of opening and closing lunch boxes correctly to support their independence during meal times at school next year. Children were able to practise walking up and down the stairs for meal times, and carrying their lunchboxes and drink bottles. This is a great way for children to develop their hand-eye coordination when walking up and down the stairs and as well, develop the confidence to let their teacher know if they need help. The children thoroughly enjoyed eating their packed lunch for meal times.
Let's find something healthy to pack in our lunchbox- A cutting experience As an extension of the class's provocation; healthy eating, the children had the opportunity to practise their cutting skills, scissor grip and fine motor skills, as they participated in a cutting experience. Teachers provided the children with Coles magazines and a shopping trolley for this activity. This experience encouraged each child to practise their fine motor skills, cutting skills and hand-eye coordination when cutting. It is important that children have the opportunity to practise their scissor grip and cutting skills in a preschool environment as it gives young children independent movements of each finger. Cutting with scissors works on the separation of two sides of the hand and strengthens hand muscles. What are some rhyming CVC words? This week the children in Stage 4E focused on rhyming words through a variety of CVC words. This was a great opportunity for the children to focus on their literacy skills such as their tripod grip, letter formation, word structure and letter-sound relationships. Each child in the group had an opportunity for their voice to be heard and inform their teacher of what rhyming word they think belongs. It was beautiful to see the children work as a team and collaborate throughout this experience. Great work Stage 4E!
Stage 4D
Ocean Life Study by Ms Sarah Ross Stage Four continued with their ocean life study this week through a range of exploratory experiences including reading, listening, viewing and factual texts on sharks, sea snakes, crabs, and whales! The children were then invited to extend upon their ideas and knowledge in a socio-dramatic water play experience with sharks. This was an experience that was continuously revisited throughout the week that saw the children practice turn taking, sharing their knowledge with others through play and naming different species of sharks. Invitations to write! In our creative drawing and writing learning station the children were provided with white boards and markers alongside writing prompts in the form of labelled pictures of an array of sea creatures. As the children engaged and revisited this invitation to write the children explored different techniques for drawing and created lists to represent the names of each sea creature of interest to them. Providing children with tools and prompts to write and create texts is an important opportunity for selfexpression in early learning. As the children continue to experiment with letters and words, they practiced sounding the initial letters as they wrote them down, left spaces between words, and worked to refine their handwriting skills. Rock Pool Art As an extension of our rock pool investigations last week the children were invited to create their very own rock pool using a range of art tools including, pencils, crayons, water colour, glue, and sand. Firstly, the children mapped out the size and shape of their rock pool using a pencil and used crayons to fill it with coral, sea creatures, shells, and seaweed. Next, the children used watercolour to fill their pool and waited for their art to dry. Once dry, each child pasted glue around their rockpool and sprinkled sand to create a beachy effect. From this experience the children demonstrated their ability to uniquely express their own ideas and interpretations of what they have learnt through mixed media artworks. Each child expressed pride in their art to their families, teachers, and peers! Dress up days for Halloween! Next Tuesday the 31st and Thursday the 2nd we are inviting the children to dress up to celebrate Halloween. If your child brings a costume, please ensure it is sun safe and covers their shoulders. We look forward to seeing all their fantastic costumes!
Stage 3/4
Expressing Me by Ms Emily Chacon This week the children explored colours, primary and secondary, as well as emotions through colour. According to colour theory, colours can soothe emotional problems. Also known as chromotherapy or colour healing, colour theory suggests that specific colours and their frequencies have a physiological and psychological impact on your feelings and behaviour. Throughout our group sessions the children learnt about the three primary colours, red, blue, and yellow. As we flowed through our learning, the children began to ask about the colours pink, purple and green. This led us into the discussion about secondary colours. Miss Emily pulled out a large vase and poured plain water inside. She then had three small containers of red, yellow, and blue dye. The children were encouraged to first discuss with their peers about what two colours they thought would make other colours. It was interesting to hear the children’s hypothesis and was wonderful to observe their confidence in publicly speaking their opinions. Miss Emily then poured the yellow and blue together and the children were amazed to see it change to green! She then poured the water out to mix red and blue, the children laughed with joy as they observed the water change to purple! Then the last two to be mixed were yellow and red, which then created orange. The children really seemed to enjoy this science activity! To further expand on the children’s learning, the children were broken down into groups of 8 and sat at the table. In front of them was the same set
up as the group time. The children were then invited to mix their own colours to have their own handson experience. Playing with colours shows us all the crazy combinations that occur when we place, overlay, or mix all kinds of hues and tones. Understanding colour theory can enhance one's eye for art and design. Teaching students about colour in three dimensions leads to a deeper understanding of how colour works, and that knowledge can be used to create and discover. To further engage the children in colour creations, our table was laid out with a round paint tray with plain water and coloured water. The children were encouraged to use the pipette to move the coloured water to the round tray and mix in the plain water. As the children began mixing different amounts of each water, they began making different shades of the colour. Learning about colours helps children sort, organise, categorise, and compare objects. Early identification of colours helps children to create a cognitive link between visual clues and words. Learning to identify and describe colours improves the children's ability to communicate and express themselves.
Stage 3E
Dinosaurs by Ms. Carolina Machado This week’s provocation approached the dinosaurs as part of our ‘Exploring Nature’ topic. The children were interested in exploring dinosaur fossils and they learned more about paleontologists and how they discovered the fossils around the world. Aydin contributed to the mind map saying, ‘Dinosaurs were here when humans weren’t’, and Sienna completed by saying ‘Dinosaurs are really loud!’ as Ellyse and Skye shared ‘I like them!’. Ryan, Travis and Lucas participated saying ‘T-rex eats meat’. Travis and Reyansh shared that they have been to a museum where they saw giant dinosaurs! Artwork – Dinosaur fossils The artwork of the week was the dinosaurs’ fossils made of salt, white flour and water. Transformed into a dough and the children chose their designs to stamp the dinosaurs into it. It turned out great and the children were interested in learning more about fossils. Numeracy – Sticking Dino Following a picture of a dinosaur skeleton, the children got to do a numbered puzzle to match the picture. Literacy – Fossil find In between finding fossils, the children had to find alphabet letters to write ‘Dinosaur’ as our literacy activity of the week. Sensory – Dino dig
The containers were full of leaves, dirt and dinosaurs miniatures to be found by the children. They could work with bare hands or use tongs to excavate the dinosaurs out of the dirt. Family input If you would like to share any photos of activities related to our provocations such as exploring nature, visiting dinosaurs’ exhibitions, or visiting museums to see insects, or wildlife in Australia, please email me at carolina.machado@reddamels.com.au. We would love to see your weekend's adventures and share them with the class. Next week we will explore ‘Wildlife’ in and outside of Australia, exploring animal habitats, spelling words and spelling names of animals. Wishing you a lovely weekend full of nature adventures!
Stage 2/3 & 3R
Konnichiwa (Hi) by Ms Gabriela Guimaeães This week our Wonderful World provocation took us to the beautiful land of Japan. There is more to Japan than meets the eye. The Japanese culture is very rich, and the children were very curious about the new room set up. There’s no denying that authentic Japanese food is like no other – colourful, nutritious, delicious, and made with care and attention to detail. The children were invited to dine at our sushi bar. Using their fine motor skills to hold their chopsticks they pretended to make and eat delicious sushi made of cotton balls and felt. The children also had the chance to make real sushi. This child friendly sushi activity not only introduced the children to different foods and cultures but also encourages fine motor skills and creativity. Everyone enjoyed your delicious and safe homemade sushi with your preschoolers! The arrival of cherry blossom in Spring in Japan is a signal for getting outdoors, enjoying picnics and visiting parks with friends and family. In the art atelier the children were invited to paint their very own cherry blossom trees. Using bundle Q-tips with a rubber band they dipped into the paint and pressed onto the paper. We made different shades of pink for the children to choose from. A Japanese Zen garden is traditionally a rock garden made up of just rocks and sand. Patterns are made in the sand to represent rippling water. Zen gardens are supposed to be peaceful, serene places. To create this atmosphere in our room the children were invited to relax in our very own Zen garden. Using a fork as a rake they liked to create patterns and add some rocks to the garden. Of course one of the best-known Japanese crafts is origami, and it is a wonderful craft to explore with children. It takes concentration to get the folds right and sometimes the traditional diagrams can be confusing. The children were introduced to this very unique technic and watched their teachers in awe while their demonstrated some origami making. We also introduced to the children the Japanese calligraphy. They looked at the different symbols and tried to reproduce their own using black paint on a long piece of paper. A special thank you to Akiko (Manami’s mum) for sharing beautiful Japanese resources with our class. I am sure there will be some sushi requests over the weekend!
Stage 2E
Being by Ms Madeleine Grant "Being recognises the significance of the here and now in children’s lives. It is about the present and them knowing themselves, building and maintaining relationships with others, engaging with life’s joys and complexities, and meeting challenges in everyday life. The early childhood years are not solely preparation for the future but also about the present." - The Early Years Learning Framework This week our focus was on the second component of the Early Years Learning Framework - Being! Drawing My Reflection For our first activity, the set up used many mirrors to allow children to look at themselves from all angles! They loved playing with the mirrors, making funny faces and moving back and forwards to watch their reflections appear and disappear. We asked them to make different expressions - happy, sad, angry, silly, scared, and think about the way their facial muscles were used to convey different meanings. We then gave them textas and asked them to draw directly onto the mirrors! We asked them to draw the different expression and emotions they were making, either by drawing a face, or getting creative with their artistic expression. Self Portraits in the Art Atelier Once they were confident in their portrait making, we asked them to paint their face onto the mirror. This was a more structured activity, and we asked them to again look at their face in the reflection and identify what exactly made a face. They names features such as two eyes, a nose, mouth, ears, as well as tongues, teeth, necks, and even their whole bodies. We gave them a palette of six colours, and asked them to choose each colour to represent a feature, and paint it over their reflection. It was incredible to see their artworks emerge! Once they were finished we used a piece of art paper to press against the glass to make an imprint of their 'face'. My Name Starts With This week we revisited an activity from the start of the year, using our large alphabet wall display. The children were given pictures of themselves and their friends, and tasked with putting their picture on the first letter of their name. Their progress in letter recognition and phonics is astounding! Every child can recognise their own letter, and many can correctly place all their friends. If we place a child on the incorrect letter, they are sure to let us know and move them to the right place! Reminders Next week we will be celebrating Halloween, by hosting Trick-or-Treating around the school. Please dress your child in a costume, and they are welcome to dress on Monday, Thursday and Friday too! And remember our class photo is scheduled for Wednesday 1st November at 9:30am!
Stage 2R
Celebrating My Culture by Ms Malini Joseph This week, our focus has been on celebrating the rich tapestry of cultures. Our provocation centred on recognizing and celebrating the diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds of both our young learners and our educators. The goal was to foster a sense of identity and pride among the children. Cultural Dress-Up The children came to school adorably dressed in their cultural attire and were encouraged to describe the patterns and commonly used words in their home languages. The children enthusiastically shared their favourite colours and designs, creating a wonderful opportunity for them to connect with their peers. It was fascinating to witness the children noting both the similarities and differences in their clothing, which, in turn, led to a deeper appreciation of diversity and unity. During this time, we introduced the children to a song called "Hello in Different Languages," which we all enjoyed singing along with joyful actions. Flag Boats and World Map Children had the opportunity to explore a world map and learn about the continents. They used multicultural dolls to place on the map and even created imaginative stories about their journeys, selecting their favourite modes of transportation to travel between continents. To further enhance their understanding of global diversity, the children engaged in water play with flag boats and sensory globe balls. This activity helped children recognize the different colours and patterns on flags from various countries. Getting to Know Our Homeland
Followed by our World map and flag boat learning experience, our young learners were excited to learn about their current home, Australia. To support their interest children were engaged in sensory play with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags, as well as the Australian flag, which led us to revisit our earlier lessons about Aboriginal culture through songs, such as "Inanay Capuana”. Additionally, we conducted a coloured rice sensory activity, allowing children to explore and understand the colours and symbols of the Australian flag and the Aboriginal flag. It has been a week filled with exciting experiences, cultural appreciation, and meaningful learning. We are proud of our young minds curiosity and open-mindedness in embracing the diversity that makes our world so vibrant. Important Dates Halloween Dress up: 31st October 2023. Class Photo: Stage 2R – 1st November 2023 at 9:00 AM. Christmas concert: Stage 2R - 5th December 2023 at 3:00 PM Stage 2R’s loving educators wishing you all a great weekend.
Stage 1D
Exploring Different Countries and Different Cultures by Ms Pamela Dela Cruz To continue encouraging children to learn more about themselves, this week's provocation was all about different countries and cultures! Stage 1D was able to explore and enjoy different activities that help them understand and appreciate differences among individuals as well as learn and embrace their country of origin. During our group time, we incorporated a discussion about each one's background and which country are they from. We also learn some greetings used in different countries while singing the "Hello Song" from ET littles which consists of greetings in different languages such as "Hi, Hello, Bonjour, Hola, Ciao, Konnichiwa". Children were encouraged to use these greetings to their friends and teachers every time. Everyone enjoyed the sensory water play with boat flags as our first activity! Each one of them got the opportunity to explore while learning different flags. During the activity, children were able to recognize and identify what colours they could see from each flag. This kind of water play helps children improve their motor skills and sense of touch. Additionally, it enhanced their focus and concentration. For our next activity, children were able to get familiar with the world map. During this activity, we explained to the children how each colour they see represents different countries all over the world then asked them to put the coloured wooden people on the map. This kind of activity helped the children to develop their listening skills, hand-eye coordination as well as helped them makes sense about our world. This week we aim to help children recognize differences and value diversity as well as to encourage them not only to accept it but to respect and celebrate them.
Important dates to remember: Class Photoshoot - Monday, 30th of October at 9:50 am sharp Halloween Celebration - Tuesday, 31st of October Christmas Concert - Monday, 4th of December at 4:00pm Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend!
Stage 1E
Hands on Nature Playing with Sand We had the opportunity to observe a group of child during morning drop off enthusiastically engaged in a free sand play. Based on this interest this week the children in Stage 1E have been involved in exciting sensorial activities. At Reddam we believe in creating a stimulating and immersive learning environment that encourages your child's curiosity and creativity. Why Sand Play? Playing with sand is more than just a fun and messy activity; it is a valuable educational tool that offers numerous developmental benefits for your child. Sand play promotes sensory exploration, fine motor skills, social interactions, and a deep connection with the natural world. It allows children to engage with the world in a hands-on and imaginative way. The children had the opportunity to engage in various sand play experiences with Hands on nature focus. We introduced materials like shells, rocks, twigs, and leaves to the sand table, offering a tactile and multisensory experience. The children had the chance to create sandcastles, explore textures, make a sand collage and even learn about different elements of nature. Learning Goals Sensory Exploration: Engaging with sand allows children to experience different textures and temperatures, promoting sensory development. Fine Motor Skills: Scooping, pouring, and moulding sand helps enhance fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Nature Appreciation: Through interactions with natural elements, we hope to foster a love for the natural world. Through sand play the children exhibited a developing understanding of cause and effect. They observed the impact of their actions, such as dropping rocks into the sand or crumpling leaves. Some children even began to sort objects into categories. Showcasing the beginning of basic cognitive organisation. Thank you for another week of fun filled activities. Have a lovely weekend!
Stage 1R
Exploring Nature by Ms Amanda Felton Our little ones have taken a shine to our Term 4 nature provocation. Exploring flowers and their scents has taken the children's interest to a new level of understanding. All plants have a scent, whether they are subtle or strong as well has having an interesting texture. Children investigated what the flowers feel like by grasping them and bringing them close to their faces. There were some interesting reactions. There were a lot of unsure looks, but with lots of reassurance from our dedicated teachers each child embraced the learning experience and displayed motivation and words of encouragement. We also crossed over our learning to natural materials that have a significant impact in nature and our lives. This is where we expand our intentional teaching to sand. Each child explored the sand boxes, one with yellow sand and the other with black sand, both having similar texture to touch. A lot of the children found the sandboxes interesting and really enjoyed exploring through their sense of touch. Picking up and dropping the sand back into the boxes and lots of squishing through their little fingers was fun for everyone. Observing the reactions on each of their faces was amazing to watch. One of our learning focuses for 1R is to teach them to be sun smart with their hats. As summer is just around the corner, we kindly ask that parents reinforce the concept of wearing hats every time our little ones go outdoors to play or just going for a walk down the street. By working together, we can make a difference in our journey of learning here at Reddam.
Drama
Piano
My Gym