Goldilocks and the Three Bears

 During group time one morning, I read the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears to the children. They loved it! As an extension of this interest, I set up a table activity where they could create the bears' faces using loose parts. 

Combining creativity with classic literature - love it!

Indigenous symbols

 For National Reconciliation Week 2021, my colleagues and I setup a table activity where children could explore, interpret and re-create Aboriginal symbols using loose parts. We used a combination of simplified symbols that we had hand-drawn on paper as well as round colourful discs which had Aboriginal paintings on them. This activity allowed them to see the symbols separately and then how they are used in art. It encouraged them to make meaning of these symbols.

Indigenous themed play space

 For National Reconciliation Week 2021, my colleagues and I set up an indigenous themed play space.We used old cardboard boxes as pretend caves. We painted the boxes with Aboriginal symbols such as Bunjil and Wa and included Aboriginal dolls around the campfire. This space was an invitation to role-play, communicate and develop social skills by playing in small groups. 

During group times, we read Indigenous stories such as Dunbi The Owl, How the Birds Got Their Colours, When the Snake Bites the Sun and Rainbow Serpent. 

I love to support play spaces with literature as that provides a different dimension to the children's understanding and appreciation of Indigenous culture.

Writing in sand

 As a way of incorporating writing into my Kindergarten program, I set up a sand writing tray. This provided children with a sensory pathway towards letter recognition and writing formation.

Back to Blogging!

 I am very excited to be back on my blog after 7 years of being away! I have been busy moving countries, getting my masters degree and raising two children and dealing with covid-19 at the same time. Over the last three years, I have had the experience of being a Kindergarten teacher for 3-5 year olds, implementing a play-based program that incorporates art, role-play, fine motor skills, literacy, numeracy, and social-emotional skills with a view towards school readiness.

End of Year Gifts

I have to admit, I am a little late with this post! It was that time of the year again when you come to reflect on the many months of teaching and learning that has gone by and you can't help but think of all those people who have supported you on their own way. The photocopier, the security guards, co-teachers, assistants, facility managers to name a few. 

I decided to give them all a bar of chocolate beautifully wrapped up with a little Thank You note. Who doesn't like chocolate right? I took the time and effort to wrap each chocolate bar myself down to even sealing the edges of the ribbons with a flame! I wrapped and made flowers for 33 gifts in total.

Instead of giving them out face to face, I decided it would be even nicer to leave the gift on their desks so that they would see it first thing in the morning. It's a wonderful feeling to unexpectedly receive a little pressie from a co-worker. Yes, I did get loads of thank you emails after!

 What do you do to thank those who helped you? I would love to hear your suggestions for next year!

Clay Tiles

My last unit of work every year focuses on 3D artwork and clay is a great option for me to do this. Students absolutely love working with clay and they get to take their creations home at the end of the lesson.

The learning objective for Grade 3 students was to recognize and explain the meaning of texture. They also had to differentiate between above and below the surface textures and eventually create a texture board of their own that would demonstrate their understanding and skill of working with a 3D material.

Materials required:
- clay
- black card
- white labels 

Duration:One lesson of 80 minutes

Prep: Stick labels onto black card (in a corner) for students to write their name & grade.

1. We started talking about texture and all the different kinds of textures we can find in the world around us such as soft, spikey, rough, smooth, pointy, fluffy, etc. I showed them real work examples of textures on a powerpoint  such as the road, a dog's fur, a pineapple and so on.
2. Through questioning, students learned the difference between above and below the surface textures.
3. I then did a demonstration for them on how to roll the clay into a ball, flatten it out to the shape of a pancake, neaten the edges and/or cut it to their desired shape, and how to smooth out the ridges with some water. I also showed them two examples of how to create above and below the surface textures. Once they saw that, they were eager to get some clay into their hands and start working.

How do you think they turned out?