Children’s Week 2021 kicked off on Saturday, 23rd October, and finished on Sunday, 31st October. For our Centre, this is an extremely special occasion. On a daily basis, our Educators witness our children embarking on their early learning journeys. For this year’s Children’s Week, the theme is based on UNCRC Article 15, whereby children have the right to choose their friends, and safely connect with others.
UNCRC Article 15 explores the idea that children from any background should be encouraged to engage in different activities and discussions with those that are likeminded to them.
It is so important that our families see what our children do on a daily basis. Our Centre uses Educa as our online platform of exchange of their learning journeys, and what a week we have had celebrating just how capable and unique our children really are.
The Centre has been at capacity and has enjoyed events such as Children’s week preparing fun experiences from Babies to Kindy with the added celebration of Grandparents week too. The Centre Event saw families join us in the Wildspace with bouncy castles, sausage sizzles and cupcakes that were shared in a picnic play style celebration.
During this period of their lives, children are shaped and influenced exponentially by those teaching them, but also those who they surround themselves with. Children’s week supports the Centers focus on relationships.
In the Bambini (Italian for Baby)The Educators encourage our babies to join our interactive story time, singing and waving hello to other children and educators in the aim to build relationships and recognize different people. We have had a lot of new families join us in the Bambini room, so ensuring our children feel welcome and a sense of belonging to the environment is important. Story time and reading experiences fosters interactions that are, supportive and strengthening relationships between educators and children, having fun, and enriching children’s learning and their lives.
Pikanini One (Papua Nui Guinea for Baby) have been relishing in the sandpit and water play. Whilst it is a lot of fun, playing with water and sand increases their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination through actions like pouring, squirting, scrubbing, stirring and squeezing. Water and sand offer different textural and temperature experiences, helping children acknowledge sensory changes and respond to them. The weather has blessed us with some rainy days that have filled our water tanks ready for summer. The children are so capable in using the water tanks to fill up their buckets, adding rosemary and mint from the garden always changes the experience and their creations are always unique. It creates a wonderful feeling of community as they all work together to build their creations together.
Pikanini Two have focused on sociodramatic play. You will often hear our children in the afternoons on the microphone singing karaoke to their favourite songs. It is one big afternoon karaoke party accompanied by lots of dress ups for the occasion. They have also established their own little shop in their room where they work together as cashiers, picker packers, and customers. The opportunity to perform and pretend provides an outlet for children to interact with others. When combined with dance, singing and music, children can use language to understand and express more complex ideas. We have captured some lovely videos of their performances which really showcases just how connected and supportive they are of each other in their own community.
Pre-kindy Kodomo (Japanese for Child) have been busy in our gardens. Our garden beds are full of fruits and vegetables! Our carrots, spring onions and broad beans are ready for harvesting and now we wait patiently for our lettuce, strawberries, watermelons, cucumbers and sweet potatoes to grow. With love and care, our pre-kindys have been watering and harvesting their vegetables for the kitchen to prepare to eat. Our herbs, basil, parsley and mint will come in handy in the summer months for our lunch time meals.
Koorlongka Kindy (Noongar for Youth) children, have been focusing on their last learning goals for the year. Using the Diana Rigg resources for pronunciation, letter formation, speaking and comprehension. Numeracy work which explores addition and subtraction of small numbers and engaging in nature. Our children have also been preparing for their up and coming nativity performance which they will showcase to all of the Centre in December. Mrs Ralph has also been focusing on transitioning our students and preparing them for their graduation, which is always a bitter sweet moment for all of our team. Some of the children that are graduating started in the babies room. Time certainly goes by so quickly!
Our Minisan team (Japanese for Everyone) have released the program and we have received and overwhelming response for Vacation Care. We would highly recommend that families book in early as Miss Cull and her team have proven to be a very popular choice for children who require care during the school holidays!
