After enjoying making our own mini volcanoes inside we decided to work together to make a giant outside volcano. We explained that there were dormant and active volcanoes around the world. The children built the giant sandcastle then waited eagerly to add food colouring and vinegar to the bicarb soda to watch it erupt. The children were unsure whether our larva was hot and were hesitant to touch it. They noticed and commented how it had melted away some of the sand sides just like a real volcano. They all loved the experience and we repeated it several times. Working together to build our volcanos was a great cooperative experience.

Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners

• Express wonder & interest in their environment
• Are curious and enthusiastic participants
• Use reflective thinking to consider why things happen
• Experiment with cause and effect

Nadine O’Brien

Our Red group have been making music any way they can using their body percussions. Some interesting band names came up in play like Motley crew and Roaring Rah Rahs . The staff addded some instruments to the play and introduced some music to the program play and group time experiences.

Listening to other teachers , having new materials and programs to participate in was a wonderful opportunity for the children . Our movement session was much loved as we got to pretend swim in the waves as well as surf on boards. After movement we ventured to the amazing art room with a tree right in the middle of the room. Here we got to use shaving cream and paint to make swirls then print it onto paper . Our waves looked unique and we got to take them home protected in a cup. PE was also great fun with us jumping like kangaroos balancing bean bags on shoulders and knees and then playing scraecrow tiggy and other fun running games.

We had an amazing time at Yarralinda Primary school in Mooroolbark and are very grateful for the experience provided to us.Dont forget to take a look and consider this option when choosing a school

Commuity :Children are connected with and contribute to their world.

* Engage in events and environments in a responsible and active way

*Introduced to different people and the idea of communities.

* Consider how and why other places are different from their own

* Begin to compare rules in games & sport

* Listen to others suggestions

We couldnt wait til our chicks were a little bigger and stronger so we could touch and hold them. We discussed being gentle and how chickens feel pain, also we discussed listening to them chirping very loudly to communicate they are frigthened or uncomfortable.

The children have been looking at books and joining in on conversations building knowledge about the lifecycle of a chicken. The children knew about hens and roosters and have enjoyed books like Cocka moo moo and Chickens arent the only one. This years children have been fascinated by what groups of animals are called such as a herd of seahorses and swarm of bees and school of fish and were very excited to learn that a group of egss is called a clutch.

The child get to go around the circle saying “duck” as they touch each person’s head until they get to the person they want to chase them then they say “goose”. This is a really fun game and the children really enjoy playing it. This type of game encourages the children to work together as a whole group, encourages fairness and turn taking whilst also allowing the children opportunities to develop their motor skills in a shared space safely and in consideration of the other around them. Discussions about fairness , inclusion and good social practises occurred supporting children in understanding and being considerate of others

We named each one including sweet potato , zucchini , plums etc and then got to vote whether we thought it would float or sink.

Our orange floated but l when l peeled all the skin off it sunk. The children were asked to consider why this happened and one child suggested that maybe the juice can escape without the skin causing it to sink. Experiences such as this are aimed to provoke thinking , questioning making suggestions and test theories. I passed the skin around so the children could notice the tiny air pockets, holes in the skin and this information was then transferred to their understanding of how a boat floats but if it gets a hole or is damaged water can enter filling up the air pockets or spaces causing it to sink just like our orange. A very clever comparison by the children.

Nadine O’Brien

As part of our healthy bodies, healthy lifestyle program at kinder we will continue to discuss which foods are best for our bodies and why.

We will talk lots about fruits and vegetables that are grown above and those that grow below the ground.

We will continue to discuss how foods grown naturally in nature are unprocessed and full of good nutrients for us. Having an understanding of where our food comes from is also a key learning outcome for children.

We will be making fruit salad this term and veggie soup next term and be looking at, touching and tasting many fruits and vegetables that were fully grown but we will also look at seeds and seedlings and how plants grow with sun water, and soil.

In our veggie garden we have planted carrots (to grow below the ground) and snow peas (to grow above the ground) lettuce, cauliflower and lots of different herbs that we can smell and taste.

Outcome3: Children have a strong sense of Wellbeing

Outcome 2 : Children are connected to and contribute to their world

Obviously the children have been collaging open ended pictures for pleasure and exploration but our program at Gray Court Preschool also plans specific opportunities to challenge children and support them through a variety of experiences. We hold high expectations for all children and believe they are often underestimated.

Take a look at the wonderful designs our red group children came up with. Lots of thinking , planning and implementing occured to be able to complete this task. After our shape story later in our day the children expressed they had more ideas they wanted to pursue so lets see what happens on Wednesday. Revisiting experiences is an important opportunitiy for young children.

Nadine O’Brien