Newsletter
Drawing in our portfolios - March 2024
It has become a Kindergarten Room tradition at MPCCC to begin the year by inviting the children to draw on the front page of their scrap book portfolios.
As the children each sit down for their turn to draw, it provides an opportunity for connection and relationship building as an educator will sit and spend this special one on one time asking the child about their drawing, and gaining some insight into their individual interests and ideas.
The children are not told how to draw or what to draw. They make choices about what's important to them, and share this through their drawing.
Let's Dress Up!!! - February 2024
Dressing up is something we do often at MPCCC!
We have collected a variety of dressing up clothes over the years and these are offered to children as soon as they show interest (child-lead) or as a provocation (teacher-lead).
Dressing up allows children to extend on their ideas and understanding through role play. They can be princesses, policeman, doctors, the list goes on! We have also added to our collection an assortment of uniforms from the local schools. This further supports their transition from Kindergarten to School as they develop comfort and confidence with the familiarity which builds from wearing them in play.
Drawing - January 2024
Children like to draw. Around the age of two they discover the sheer pleasure of making marks. They pick up any crayon, pencil or pen and they scribble.
At around three or four years of age, the earlier straight line scribbles evolve into circular scribbles and this is a very important milestone. Their big, continuous, round scribbly lines begin to join up to make enclosed circle shapes.
Gradually the scribbles shift from simply being an internal visceral pleasure for young children as the adults in their lives search for messages in their marks.
Circular shapes become heads, or the sun, or flowers.
Through the encouraging conversations and modelling from adults, their scribbles have now become recognisable as “things” to others. This is also an introduction to the complex and abstract notion that written words are also symbols of meaning.
Children begin to understand the communicative power of their mark making.
Read more about make marking and the development of drawing skills at https://thespoke.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/can-learn-childrens-drawings/
Painting at the easel - December 2023
Our trusty easel has been a much loved resource for over 10 years at Mentone Park Childcare and Preschool. It is used daily in the Kindergarten Room and is easily moved from one learning space to another to accommodate the needs of the children and to provide different opportunities.
As we move the easel both indoors and outdoors, the children are able to play and learn where they feel most comfortable.
They are encouraged to explore their creativity by following their ideas and interests with paint, and are occasionally challenged to create still art or complete process art.
Beach Kinder - November 2023
How lucky are we to live and learn so close to the beach????!!!!
Every year our 3-5yo children and their families (and educators too!!) look forward to Beach Kinder in Term 4. Families are invited to drop their children straight to the beach to participate in the Kinder program for two whole days!!
We start and finish our days at the beach, exploring, playing and learning.
This year our children enjoyed yoga in the Yacht Club, learned about water safety from Splash Swim School and spent time with Seaweed Sally who taught us all about local marine life!!
Eggs!! - October 2023
We have created a space for chickens to roam in our back garden. We care for them, save food scraps from the kitchen, taking turns to feed them, and change their water.
How exciting it is when the chickens lay eggs for us to collect, and even more exciting when we can bake using the eggs laid right in our garden!!
The photo attached shows Centre Owner and Director, Tonia, about to enjoy omelettes on toast for breakfast, alongside educators and children!! Yumm!
Bunjil the Eagle - September 2023
A recent addition to our outdoor environment - Bunjil the Eagle!!
Bunjil was painted on the fence by Lalin, who has worked and been affiliated with Mentone Park Childcare and Preschool for over 20 years.
Within the Kindergarten program, the 'Acknowledgement To Country' was explored and discussed, in particular to what is in the sky, and on the land and country. The children brainstormed what we might find in the sky - "birds", "sun" and "rain", they suggested. Through storytelling, educator Lalin spoke about the wedge tail eagle which is known as the protector of the land.
This really captured the children's interest and enthusiasm!!The interest was explored through dream time stories which were read using our wonderful library of storybooks, and short videos were watched and enjoyed too.The children had the opportunity to explore the centre's native plants in the garden with renewed interest in how the Indigenous people used their plants.In consultation with Centre Director Tonia, Lalin painted Bunjil on the fence in the Indigenous garden. This has become such a special place to read and share stories, rest and relax, and further embed Indigenous perspectives in the program.
Sense of Community - August 2023
Building a sense of comfort and belonging is crucial in an early learning environment. When children feel safe, secure and supported they grow in confidence to explore and learn.
We have implemented many different initiatives to support children to feel comfortable, and in the Kinder Room one of these is adding photos of our children to blocks in our dolls house!
The children can interact with the blocks in their own time and space, finding the block with their photo, and those of their friends. They can re-enact play and interactions they have had, making sense of friendships and where they belong.
Pyjama Day!! - July 2023
On Friday 21st July it was National Pyjama Day!!
We like getting involved in the festivities every year raising funds and awareness for children living in foster care.
We were all invited to dress in PJ's for the whole week - ensuring no one would miss out on the opportunity to be involved.
Whilst cosy and warm we had teddy bear picnics, made iced biscuits, and snuggled up to read
All rugged up and ready to play - June 2023
In Scandinavian countries children play outside at every opportunity, even in the depth of their winter. In fact, there's a common Finnish saying about weather, which translates roughly to "There's no such thing as the wrong weather; just the wrong clothing."
With warm coats, long pants, beanies, and of course, a smile, our children are ready to play!!
Thanks to our wonderful Mentone Park Childcare and Preschool families who always ensure their children are dressed appropriately for outdoor activities all throughout the year!!
Special Persons Day - May 2023
Mothers Day is celebrated in Australia every year in May.
Our reflective thinking and practices have changed the way we acknowledge and celebrate special days such as this at our service. To be inclusive of all families, we now refer to Mothers and Fathers Day, as Special Persons Day. The events we plan for families to come along to in recognition of this celebration are open invitations to any family member, ensuring that all children can be included no matter what their family circumstance.
This year in May we held a Special Persons Day Morning Tea at our service, inviting families to spend some time with us on a Saturday morning. The children were encouraged to paint a silk scarf with their special person, look through their portfolios together, and share some delicious treats!!
Encouraging a love of books! - April 2023
With the help of children and families, we created a beautiful space to explore and engage with books in our Kindergarten Room.
Our educators will sit in this space and role model how to engage with books respectfully, showing how to carefully turn the pages, and place the books back on the shelf when finished. Educators will encourage the children to explore and engage in this space independently to ensure the books can be used for the purposes of self regulation..
Educators also demonstrate to children that books are precious and can be used in many ways - for play, research, relaxation, exploring imagination, and of course, for learning!!
Life skills - March 2023
How wonderful that our children take such pride in their environment!!
By having the tools available and with educators role modelling how to use them, the children learn to care for their environment, keeping it safe and tidy throughout the day.
We are guided by many theorists within our service, however when it comes to teaching life skills and responsibility we are guided by Montessori who believed children are capable of doing real work and that their work should be valued and seen as important.
Practical life skills develop motor control and coordination, independence, concentration and a sense of responsibility.
Name recognition and name writing - February 2023
At Mentone Park Childcare and Preschool educators provide opportunities for the children to learn to read and write their name in a way that is naturally progressing and not forced or structured.
From early on at their time in the centre, the children are exposed to their printed name, given opportunities to recognise their name cards for meal times and on their hat tubs. Educators invite and encourage the children to point to their names, and say their name often throughout their day.
As the children transition into the Kinder Room, they are then invited to access the name drawers. The drawers have each child's name printed in Victorian Modern Cursive Script, which is the font used in all Victorian primary schools. The children become familiar with the way their name is written using an uppercase to begin, followed by lowercase letters. The drawers are introduced to the children both individually and as a group through discussion and name games. The children are invited to access the drawers independently, opening their drawer and taking out their printed name to paste onto their artwork or collage. The names are also used to guide their own attempts at name writing.
Jumping on the Trampoline - January 2023
Jumping on a trampoline requires Bilateral Motor Skills - using both sides of the body and brain at the same time. This forces the body & brain to work together to maintain coordination & balance, therefore improving a child's motor skills.
We are very proud to have a large trampoline for our children to take turns using. Put together by one of our parents nearly 5 years ago, this is surely one of the most popular spaces to play in our outdoor playground.
Having the trampoline available to the children ensures they can bounce off any excess energy whilst enjoying the fresh air and some time to themselves. It has also encouraged our children to practice turn taking and following instructions, as together we developed a rule of one child bouncing at a time.
Celebrating Christmas at MPCCC - December 2022
What a wonderful month of creativity, discussion, exploration, and celebration we have had!!!
We have invited our children to engage in a variety of Christmas inspired art and craft experiences - displaying many of our art pieces for families to enjoy.
We have read Christmas books, shared personal experiences and stories through discussion, and written (and posted!!) letters to Santa.
Our centre (as per annual tradition) purchased a real Christmas Tree and placed it in our shared undercover outdoor space for all children, educators and families to enjoy, then before closing for the year we gifted the tree to one of our wonderful families so the smell and aesthetics could continue to be enjoyed.
How lucky were we to even have a visit from Santa!!!!
Merry Christmas from Mentone Park Childcare and Preschool!!!
Learning through play with recycled resources - November 2022
In our commitment to reducing our environmental footprint, we keep most of our empty tissue boxes, cardboard food packaging, plastic lids, and other recyclables, and save them from the bin!!
The resources are then used to provide play and learning opportunities for the children which are open-ended and flexible.
Our children have become such curious and enthusiastic participants in their learning, and through their engagement with these resources, they have developed a range of skills and processes, such as problem solving, inquiry, experimentation, researching, and investigating (EYLF Learning Outcome 4).
Developing A Strong Sense Of Wellbeing - October 2022
We know that many early learning environments have replaced their grass with soft fall and/or synthetic turf as it is easier to maintain, but we take pride in our natural environment, going to great lengths to keep our gardens and grass in great condition! We value our outdoor space and like to role model to our children how to show appreciation and care for natural environments. We use our large grassy space to set up obstacle courses, play ball games, have picnics and run!! Our gardens provide a lovely space for relaxation, exploration, and play.
Creating meaningful art - September 2022
At Mentone Park Childcare and Preschool we encourage our children to explore what they know and understand about the world in which we live in various forms, including through their artwork.
Through meaningful conversations we learn about their interests, their ideas, their feelings, and their individual personalities.
Often we learn that children have particular interests that they want to understand further, and we provide opportunities for these interests to be extended through intentional teaching. In the photos here you will see an interest in a magpie stemming from reading the book 'Waddle Giggle Gargle!' Acknowledging there was an interest, the educator demonstrated to the Kindergarten group as a whole how she might paint a tree then add a magpie to this scene. Colours were discussed, as well as shape and texture. This demonstration provided opportunities for the knowledge to be stretched!! The child was able to go and create her own art piece independently which reflected her own interpretation. As the educator was able to scaffold and extend on the learning here, the end result is just beautiful!!
Connecting with our Community - August 2022
We aim to broaden children's understanding of the world in which we live by giving them real experiences which connect them to our local community. We take regular walks to our local park and playground. We walk to our nearest post box to deliver letters to our families. We walk to our local supermarket to participate in Woolworths Fresh Food Tours. We catch the public bus to attend Bush Kinder at our local reserve. And this month, our Kinder children delivered invitations to our neighbours to visit our centre for a coffee!! We had a coffee van booked to attend as a special treat for Fathers Day and why not treat our neighbours too!!
Our children are learning how to actively participate within the community. They are learning communication and responsibility.
Outdoor Play in Winter - July 2022
At our centre we acknowledge that there are many benefits to playing outdoors in Winter, so to ensure this is possible we invite our families to bring their children to care with appropriate protective clothing (jackets, beanies, etc) and plenty of spare clothes!! We aim to spend time outside every day and our children love it!!!
Some benefits of outdoor play in Winter include:
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Building up immunity as we are out in the fresh air instead of indoors with heaters on, and doors and windows closed
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Keeping our bodies moving and active by running, jumping, climbing, etc
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Being problem solvers, as we find ways to play and enjoy the outdoor space even though resources may be limited or different due to weather conditions
Kinder Room Puppet Show - June 2022
After many years of hosting 'Dream Puppets' in our Kinder Room, we reflected on how much joy and fascination this Melbourne based puppet theatre company brings to not only the children but the educators too! We decided to extend the invitation to watch this show to our Kinder families so they could share in the magic too!! We planned an evening of puppetry and pizza!!
This year is the second year we have now shared this special night of black light and imaginative puppetry with our families. Having such a lovely night out provided opportunities for families to socialise with other families in an environment where their children spend much of their days, and feel so comfortable.
Community Involvement - May 2022
For the third year in a row Mentone Park Childcare and Preschool participated in The May 50k. This fundraising initiative encouraged those educators and families who joined to continue down the track of promoting a physically and mentally healthy community. By walking or running 50kms during the month of May our MPCCC team members were able to raise funds and awareness for the research into and prevention of Multiple Sclerosis. This year our centre raised a whopping $778 for MS Australia. We are so proud of all who participated!!
This month we also showed support to Scientist Erin who visits our centre every year with Scientist Jack conducting experiments and sharing knowledge with our Kinder children during National Science Week. Erin participated in the Dance for Sick Kids challenge and raised money for the Ronald McDonald House. We shared Erin's fundraising page through our centre's facebook page and made a donation on behalf of our Kinder group. We are so proud of Scientist Erin for being such an inspiration!!
Easter - April 2022
The children have been very busy at MPCCC engaging in many different art and craft experiences relating to Easter. Our younger children have used sponge brushes to stamp paint on Easter bunny foot prints. The children are developing their hand eye co-ordination through this experience, as well as, naming colours as they paint.
Our older children have painted paper plates at the easel, and demonstrated creativity as they turned these plates into baskets!! They are encouraged to practice their scissor skills and educators took the opportunity to observe whether the children were more dominant with their left or right hand. The older children also decorated their room with painted Easter Eggs, painted at the easel, threaded Easter Eggs and enjoyed several Easter Egg Hunts!!
Bush Kinder - March 2022
The Kinder children of Mentone Park Childcare and Preschool participated in the centre's first ever Bush Kinder excursion at a nature reserve located just a short distance away from the centre. This experience aimed to build connections with the local community, promote nature play and exploration, and increase children's respect for the natural environment.
To show appreciation to the Boonwurrung people, whose land on which we play and learn, the Kinder Group began their day by conducting their usual Acknowledgement to Country.
While at the park the group played Indigenous games, such as “Apwerte”, meaning “stone” in the language of Eastern Arrerente of Central Australia. This game involves rolling a ball in between two markers (they used tennis balls and sticks).
The group visited the Community Garden, which was bursting with fresh produce, including some yummy raspberries which they were allowed to taste.. Yum!
A nature walk around the Heathland trail saw the group collecting a variety of natural objects fallen on the ground, to be later used in art projects back at Kinder.
After a BBQ lunch, a rest in the fresh air, and a music session with Rachel from Little Feet Music, the children were very excited to explore the Adventure Playground. The group also had opportunities throughout the day to engage in open ended nature play such as constructing campfires and drawing in the sand with the sticks.
Our very first Bush Kinder experience is considered quite the success from all who attended and we can’t wait to do it again!!!
Celebrating 'Early Childhood Educators Day' - September 2021
This week we celebrated 'Early Childhood Educators Day'. We loved having the opportunity to thank our incredible educators for all they do to support the well-being and healthy development of all our MPCC children.
This week we also invited our educators to share their thoughts on why they love being an early childhood educator. We loved hearing their stories and their love for our MPCC children. We have decided to display these, as well as other messages to our wonderful MPCC family on our front door. We completely agree with one of the messages - not all superheroes wear capes......some are early childhood educators ;). Thanks to each one of our educators for everything you do, we appreciate each one of you.
Building with our 'Hot Chip' cups - August 2021
Last week our Kinder children spent time playing with one of our most treasured resources - our ‘hot chip’ cups! These cups were donated years ago and yet continue to be a favourite building resource in the Kinder room. The children use the cups to build castles, learn how to share and problem solve. We also love to teach our children about sustainability through these and other resources. The children know to look after these cups so we can continue to use them for many years to come. We love seeing the wonderfully imaginative creations that are inspired by these hot chip cups ;).
Little Feet Music - July 2021
Pyjama Week - July 2021
Our children in our 'Baby and Toddler' room had another fantastic week with so many exciting experiences. We had time to build many different lego creations, use our tongs to sort shapes and colours, play with playdough, and of course had a visit from Rachel at Little Feet Music which is always a hit! We also celebrated our lovely Dee’s birthday with delicious cupcakes. Happy birthday, Dee. A wonderful week was had by all.
Bread Making in the Kinder Room - June 2021
Our ‘Pyjama Week’ was a hit! We got the idea from a parent who suggested we try a ‘Slipper Day’. We adapted their idea to ‘Pyjama Week’ to make sure that all our children, families and educators could get involved by wearing their dressing gowns, PJs or slippers. Making it a whole week also meant that no one missed out . Our children absolutely loved getting dressed up and had a ball. Thank you to everyone who got involved - much fun was had by all!
Today we welcomed Riley's dad Tim to the Kinder Room. Tim showed us how to make bread dough. We took turns pouring, measuring and mixing. Tomorrow morning we will bake the dough - we know that we'll have some very excited little children. Tim was kind enough to bring some freshly baked bread with him this morning so we all got to taste some during lunch .
Baby and Toddler 'Meet and Greet' Picnic - May 2021
A few weeks ago our Baby and Toddlers room held their annual 'Meet and Greet' picnic at Peter Scullion Reserve. It was such a fantastic day, thank you to all the families who took a few hours out to be a part of it. It was a great opportunity for our families and children to get to know each other a bit better outside of the normal daycare routine. We hope that you enjoyed the day as much as we did!
'The May 50k' MPCC Challenge - May 2021
A number of our staff are participating in 'The May 50k' this month as
they work together to raise awareness and funds for research into
Multiple Sclerosis.
Staff are each completing 50km in the month of May by walking, running, and/or cycling. This week the Kinder children got involved by going for a walk around the block with educators Sarah and Vidooshi. The group walked down to the local park for a play, and then walked the long way back to Kinder, walking a total of 1.2km. Sarah and Vidooshi were able to add this team effort to their individual tally!
ANZAC Day in the Kinder Room - April 2021
Last week we invited our Kinder children to participate in some ANZAC Day art experiences. Our Educators demonstrated how to draw a poppy at the easel by drawing a circle for the flower and a straight line for the stem. The children were encouraged to have a go at drawing their own and it was wonderful to see their different interpretations as they took this task on independently.
The children were also invited to cut out a circle and paint it red and black to make a small poppy that could be added to a wreath.
We discussed ANZAC Day as being a day to celebrate all the brave soldiers who fought to keep us safe.
In the Kinder room we emphasize how much nicer it is when we all get along, and how we need to look after each other to stay happy and safe . We have listened to 'The Last Post' and practiced staying still and quiet.
Coffee Cart Wednesday- April 2021
This week we decided to treat all our wonderful families with a morning coffee. A coffee cart arrived at 7:30 am to make sure that all our hard-working mums and dads were able to get their caffeine fix before starting their busy days. Something that is so important to us at MPCC is that we are a community, and this small morning coffee ‘meet-up’ reiterated that! We hope that you enjoyed the morning as much as we did :)!
Celebrating St Patrick's - March 2021
On Tuesday we made Irish Soda Bread to go with our Irish Stew to celebrate St Patrick’s day.
We acknowledged the celebration a day early as one of our children, who has an Irish background, attends on Tuesday. The soda bread recipe we used was shared by his family as it was one his mum used to make as a child :). A few of our children also chose to colour in some Shamrocks from Clever Patch, our arts and craft’s supplier. Happy belated St Patrick’s day one and all :)!
Celebrating Purim - February 2021
Last week our Kinder children were invited to make a crown as we celebrated and acknowledged the Jewish festival - Purim. We read the story 'Sammy Spider's First Purim' to learn about some of the traditions, and on Friday 26th February we made our very own Hamantaschen with Ben's mum Naomi! The children helped to cut the dough into circles, then pinch three corners to turn the dough into a triangle!
Teaching on 'Recycling, Reusing and Re-purposing' - February 2021
In 2019 we began collecting resources for
Wyndham Rotary. We contributed to a small environmental education project in Werribee called Envision Hands. The aim of the project was to use plastic bottle caps to create children's mobility aids. Envision set a goal to collect 1,000,000 bottle caps and we are proud to have contributed to the success of the first stage of this project.
Now that Envision has reached their goal they are no longer accepting donations, so we began investigating other organisations that will be able to utilise what we as a centre continue to collect.
We are now going to collect ring pulls to donate to 'Melbourne Metal Recycling' in Braeside, our collected bread tags will be passed on to a local drop off point and sent to South Australia for 'Bread Tags for Wheelchairs', and our plastic bottle tops, we are yet to find an organisation which will take them and re-purpose them. If you know of anywhere or have any ideas, please let us know!
As always, we encourage all families to work with us to educate our children on the importance of recycling, reusing and re-purposing. We would love to see our families continue to collect the items listed above and bring them into Kinder to be put into our collection boxes in the Kinder Room.
Making Playdough in the Kinder Room - January 2021
Last week we made a fresh batch of playdough in the Kinder room. The children loved being involved in the process of creating the playdough. As a general rule, we avoid using food for play (for moral reasons as we don’t believe in wasting food), but we see great value in the use of playdough. Playdough is fantastic for building hand and finger strength, especially for our younger children who are not yet able to manipulate clay and plasticine. Moulding, squeezing and rolling the playdough dough is also very calming.
We teach our kinder children how to look after the dough so that we can keep using it for as long as possible (you’d be surprised how long one batch can last). This helps us to teach our children the importance of sustainability. This term’s batch was red to commemorate the Chinese New Year. As always, we make sure that all children wash their hands before and after play .
Santa Visits MPCC - December 2020
You won’t believe who visited MPCC last week! Our children were lucky enough to get a visit from none other than Santa. We knew he was planning a visit so our Kinder children were outside in the front garden and the babies/toddlers were in their room with their window open when we heard Santa’s bell ringing. Santa walked up the street and then down the driveway ringing his bell and waving ‘hello’. He delivered a big bag of gifts and visited every day until each child had received something special to unwrap. This is definitely one of this year's highlights. A big thanks to Santa for making sure he got here before our children left for their holiday ;).
Kinder Graduation - December 2020
At the end of last week we celebrated ‘Kinder Graduation’ to wish our children who are off to school next year well. We headed to Braeside park where each family was given a special picnic hamper to enjoy. This was followed by delicious graduation cupcakes. The Kinder ‘graduates’ :) were given a special gift, as well as a graduation certificate after our Kinder Teachers Sarah and Libby shared a few words about each of them. It really was a special night. We are going to miss you all but know you are ready for your next big adventures at school and are looking forward to some visits in the not too distant future.
Baby and Toddler Room 'Walking' Excursions - November 2020
As the weather warms up and the restrictions ease, we are excited to be able to start taking our children on adventures to the playground on Southern Road Reserve in our 4-seater pram. Last week we took our children from the Baby and Toddler for a play before lunch and during afternoon teatime. All safety procedures were followed, and the children had a ball.
We love planning activities around our children’s interests! Recently one of our parents let us know that their child was interested in giraffes, so we invited the child to help set up a giraffe habitat in the Kinder room. This new habitat sparked great excitement and interest from the other Kinder children. We have now extended this habitat by adding more animals to our "savannah". Last week we made some animals at the collage table to add to this space. The children were kind enough to leave their animal creations at Kinder so that everyone could enjoy them.
Building a "Savannah" in our Kinder Room - November 2020
This year our Kinder’s ‘Grandparents Day’ looked quite different. We couldn’t miss the opportunity to celebrate our very important grandparents, so we decided to Zoom them in instead.
It was such a wonderful time for both our Kinder group and their grandparents. It also meant that those who had grandparents overseas could join in on this special day. Thanks to all the grandparents that made this possible. Technology has certainly helped us stay connected!
Grandparents Day in the Kinder Room - October 2020
Science Week - September 2020
To celebrate Science Week, we welcomed Scientists Erin and Jack back to MPCC, but this time through Zoom! Our kids worked on three experiments: making ‘Talking Cups’, blowing up a balloon using just a water bottle, bicarb and vinegar, as well as making their very own lava lamp. It was a massive hit! The kids loved every second of using simple ingredients that can be found around the house for their experiments. A big thanks to Scientists Erin and Jack for making Science fun, as well as the kids and their parents for getting involved. We loved it!
Keeping Connected in Uncertain Times - September 2020
This year our Kinder’s ‘Grandparents Day’ looked quite different. We couldn’t miss the opportunity to celebrate our very important grandparents, so we decided to Zoom them in instead.
It was such a wonderful time for both our Kinder group and their grandparents. It also meant that those who had grandparents overseas could join in on this special day. Thanks to all the grandparents that made this possible. Technology has certainly helped us stay connected!
Keeping Busy during Lockdown - August 2020
Are you looking for an easy and fun activity to do with your little one during lockdown? One of our kids' parents heard about a '3-Ingredient Homemade Slime' and decided to give it a go. The toddler in question LOVED the process of making the slime (which felt like a science experiment) and the actual slime has kept him busy for hours on end. Slime is excellent for the development of fine motor skills, hand strength, and is also a great sensory processing activity. Take a look at the recipe from 'I heart Naptime'. We miss you all and hope you are finding moments to enjoy this time together. Please share pics of your Slime making fun in the comments below ;).
WARNING: Do not put this slime on any wooden furniture/objects - it discolours the wood. So instead use a placemat or plastic tablecloth.
https://www.iheartnaptime.net/homemade-slime/
Pizza Making in the Kinder Room - June 2019
Today the children were invited to make their own pizza for lunch, encouraging a sense of responsibility and independence.
The children used an English muffin as base and chose from a selection of healthy toppings. The children were encouraged to use tongs to pick up their chosen toppings, as using tongs is so good for building hand strength which is essential for when the children are at school and learning to write!!
The pizzas were enjoyed by the children outside, followed by a delicious cup of custard.
Mother's Day Morning Tea - May 2019
On Saturday 4th May the Kindergarten children were invited to attend Kinder with a family member to contribute to the making of their Mother's Day gift. They were invited to use fabric paints and/or fabric textas to decorate one side of a calico bag together.
The child decorated the other side of the bag during the week so it could be a surprise! The bag was gifted to mum, in wrapping paper made by them and with a card.
Links to EYLF.
Outcome 1. Identity. Children feel safe, secure and supported.
Outcome 4. Active Learning. Children develop dispositions of learning such as curiosity, cooperation, confidence, creativity, commitment, enthusiasm, persistence, imagination and reflexivity.
Update from the Kinder Room - Term One 2019
We began Term 1 in the Kinder Room reading stories and engaging in many discussions which related to how the children say goodbye to their families. We would like all children to feel happy about coming to Kinder, and comfortable in the learning and caring environment we have created together. Educators documented their perspective on their own way of saying goodbye to their families and began observing the children as they arrive at Kinder in the mornings. We are becoming aware of any children and/or families who require additional support with separation and putting strategies in place to support them.
We have introduced several experiences relating to the Chinese New Year. The children were invited to make red and gold lanterns which we are hanging in the Kinder Room. They are playing with the kitchen resources added to the home area (chopsticks and bowls, silk robes, and red envelopes and coins). The children have also been using small puppets to explore the Chinese Zodiac story. The children seem to have taken great pleasure in learning which animal they resemble according to the Chinese Zodiac.
Babies and Toddlers on the Move! - February 2019
What an exciting experience our children had in front of them; a ride in our new 4-seater pram!
The ratio for this experience is 1 educator to 4 children. We have two prams, allowing a total of 8 children to be taken out at one time.
Water bottles, snacks, nappies, sunscreen, hats, suitable clothing and will set us up on our journey.
As part of our excursion policy, parent’s will also be notified before each walk and upon arrival back to day-care.
We are so fortunate to have the prams and to be able to include them in our daily program; allowing children to go out on a walk with an educator whenever the chance is presented.
The walks may be (with one educator) along Acacia Avenue or (with two educators) to an open park space / footy ground, for a kick of a ball and a stretch of the legs.
The new prams will allow our children to experience their local community and the world around from their base here at day-care.
Investing in these prams was an important aspect of our Quality Improvement Plan (QIP); seeing where we can make improvements to better provide for and meet our children's needs.
The learning from this will be invaluable, including intentional teaching of; road rules and safe walking (stop the pram, look and listen, “look both ways (left and right) before crossing a road”, “red means stop, green means go, yellow means to slow”), categorizing vehicles, noticing colours, finding animals, language skills, socialisation skills, and so on.
Early Years Learning Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world.
“Broaden their understanding of the world in which they live.”
“Begin to recognise that they have a right to belong to many communities.”
“Broaden their understanding of the world in which they live.”
“Demonstrate a sense of belonging and comfort in their environments.”
Update from the Kinder Room - Term Three
The children have spent a lot of time drawing this term. They drew a friend for National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children's Day, they drew on tiles for their gift to dad or a special family member, they drew pictures of all the different things they could think of for letter of the week, they drew designs of a scarecrow to scare away the possums who are eating all the veges in our garden, and they were recently invited to draw themselves for our current display in the Kinder Room.
We have acknowledged and celebrated National Science Week, and had Monash University Scientists Jack and Erin come and conduct a Science Show, as well as a past parent Svetlana who has started her own business conducting Science Shows for children. The experiments they demonstrated led to many interesting experiences being explored. For example, magnets, bubbles and dish washing detergent were incorporated into our program.
We have been on several walks down to Southern Road Reserve (and hope to do this more as the weather becomes a bit nicer) to visit the playground, and just last week the Thursday group walked to Thrift Park Woolworths and went on a Discovery Tour. In the Kinder Room, we have been encouraging name writing, whole body listening and being kind and respectful to our friends.
Next term begins on Monday 8th October and we have our much anticipated Beach Kinder experience on Thursday 25th and Friday 26th October to look forward to! There will be no Show and Share next term, so please encourage your children to keep their belongings at home. Transition Statements for those going to school next year will be written in the next few weeks so please keep an eye out for those as there is a section that families will need to complete too, and if you haven't already please let me know which school you have decided on for your child so that we can support the transition the best we can.
As always, if there are any questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch. Feel free to have a look through your child's portfolio, just ask your child to show you if you don't know where to find it!! :)
Thank you for your ongoing support of our Kinder program.
The Kindergarten children participated in our 'Beach Kinder' excursion and experience.
They spent two whole days at the Parkdale Beach and Yacht Club enjoying and exploring the local sand and sea.
Aside from running on the sand, building sandcastles and dipping their toes in the water, the children participated in two incursions.
On Thursday the children were visited by Seaweed Sally who discussed and shared sea creatures that were both living and non-living. Children had the opportunity to see the creatures up close and touch them!
On Friday the children were visited by Bec from Core24 Gym in Frankston who used the 'Kids Alive - Do the Five' initiative to discuss and explore water safety. Children practised pretending to save each other using flotation devices and practised using loud voices to call for help!