We’ve had a wonderful July so far at Grow ELC Killarney Vale! We kick started the month by learning about NAIDOC Week. Our educators planned and prepared lots of fun and educational experiences for the children to engage in and learn about our Indigenous Australian culture.
During the week, children listened to dream time stories and learnt about how Indigenous people used them to explain how the land came to be. Children created wonderful artworks and used natural materials in their play and for their art. The children also had opportunities to explore the Aboriginal flag and its colours; learning the meaning behind the flag with their educators. Children made their own damper and learnt about the concepts of processes and science as things mix and take shape to create something new. Children played with Australian animal toys and recreated snakes using stones. Children also explored Indigenous symbols and learnt their meanings. Here at GROW, we take pride in this special week-long celebration. We do our best to incorporate multicultural celebrations where possible, as this helps to support respect for one another and the diverse cultures within our community and our world.
During this week-long learning spree, it became apparent that our experiences involving Australian animals and natural items were the highlights of the week, therefore, we noticed an interest emerging and have since planned for our educational curriculum to focus our learning topics on Australian animals and nature.
Our Little Explorer’s Room (0 – 3 years) have begun the learning about animals and nature by setting up an Australian animal project area for our little ones to explore with native animal books and animal toys. They have also incorporated natural sensory exploration by setting up a sensory path with flour, dirt, leaves and grass in buckets for the children to walk in barefoot.
Our Adventurers Room (3 – 5 years) have incorporated Australian animal role play with natural items into their programs, and the children have enjoyed exploring the area whilst engaging in fun interactions with their peers. The natural items have been used to create landscapes and caves for the animals. It has also encouraged the children to use their creativity and imagination whilst building on their relationships with one another and learn how to engage in cooperative play.
We are excited to see how long this learning topic will run for, as the children are the ones who guide the learning and education in our little childcare centre.
