Month: July 2013

Into the Wild

One of the exciting things we are exploring at Flinders is nature play; the idea that getting out of the everyday spaces and into the wild offers children an opportunity to take risks both physically, emotionally and cognitively. The Sturt House children recently did just that; took a risk (after an extensive risk assessment) and left the centre, heading into the wild space between the Flinders and the university. The educators planned this experience believing that leaving the centre and entering the wild would build learning dispositions in children, such as resilience, persistence and risk management. And it is obvious these opportunities did present themselves when you look at the photographs taken during the walk. The children left the path and tackled long grass, muddy puddles and slippery hillsides, all of which required dedication, commitment and team work to overcome. Perry commented; “See, I just go straight through; nothing stops me!” demonstrating the positivity and persistence the children experienced. The biggest challenge the children faced was getting up and down the steep hill. They shared theories with each other; walking sideways, not running, taking your time and being careful, going down on bottoms, and walking on the grass instead of the track as it had more grip. “Hey take my hand and I’ll pull you up!” one child called to the next. The children were then able to test their theories and discover which one worked best for them, then test this result on the next hillside. Science is aRead more

Playful Numeracy

We’ve been very interested in a collection of wild peach stones that Sturt House shared with us in Preschool House over the last couple of months. Initially, I set up the lovely little balls in a tray with a collection of spoons and some different sized glass jars. I wasn’t sure what would happen, but I predicted it could become a space for some playful numeracy.  And playful numeracy did emerge. Children were intrigued from the first morning the provocation was offered. I observed their play over the morning, noticing how children combined the different resources in different ways. Some children filled each jar using handfuls of stones that they dropped in masses, and some carefully and methodically moved one stone at a time into the jar using a spoon. Some children took delight in pouring the stones from one vessel to another, and some children worked to ‘trap’ the stones underneath the upturned jars. But all children were deeply engaged with what they were doing. That afternoon, I took a moment to sit quietly with the children at the table. Saffron was beside me. She had two jars, one big and one small. She filled the small one first, and as she filled it, she counted the peach stones. She made it to twenty before making eye contact with me and asking what comes next – “21” I answered and she continued on. “27. 27 peach stones fit in the small jar” Saffron announced. “Now how many fit inRead more

Framed

The other day I was washing the dishes whilst having a conversation with two of the children, Violet and Perry. We chatted about many things, and eventually our conversation led to their families. I suggested they might like to do a painting for their families, and Violet informed me she had already done so. “Would you like to make a painting for Preschool House then? You see these frames here? We could put your paintings in there when they dry” I offered. Violet and Perry smiled wide and turned around to the easel to begin painting. It was interesting to watch them. Both Violet and Perry are very capable artists who regularly paint, draw and sculpt. Today, however, watching them paint, I felt there was something different in their focus, some deeper level of attentiveness. I regularly noticed them taking the time to step back and look at their work, perhaps considering where to make the next mark or what colour to add. I wondered if it was the offer to frame their work that had made a difference to their focus, or if it was my focus that had changed; was I watching them in a different way, knowing that their work would be displayed on the wall? We hung the paintings up to dry once they were finished. When it was time to go home, Perry checked his work and said; “It’s dry now! You can put it in the frame!” His mum looked at me questioningly, andRead more