First Five Early Learning Bundall

👩🏾‍🤝‍👨🏼 Several of the kindergarten children expressed a strong interest in slime and playdough. In response to this request, we provided two sensory experiences today, allowing the children to choose which activity they would like to engage with first. This choice supported their agency, independence and confidence as they followed their own curiosity and made decisions about their play. We read Matiu's book about slime- very fitting considering this was part of our sensory experience for the day!

👭 The playdough experience included a variety of natural loose parts designed to engage the children’s senses and encourage open-ended creativity. Dried and fresh herbs, seeds, leaves and twigs were made available for the children to explore and incorporate into their creations. The playdough was prepared in two scented batches, one with lemon myrtle and another with cinnamon. As the children investigated the different textures and aromas, some enthusiastically commented that the playdough smelt like donuts, demonstrating their ability to make connections between new sensory experiences and familiar memories.

👬 At the non-toxic slime table, the children showed great delight and curiosity as the experience gradually developed with stars, sprinkles, glitter and colour. They explored the stickier texture of the slime and compared it with the softer, more mouldable qualities of the playdough. Through hands-on investigation, the children experimented with sculpting, stretching, moulding, wobbling, pulling and shaping the slime. They observed how it could briefly hold different forms before slowly oozing through their fingers, sliding off their hands and forming large blobs.

👩🏾‍🤝‍👨🏼 This was a joyful and engaging group experience, with children showing enthusiasm, laughter and sustained focus as they explored materials in their own way. The opportunity to choose between activities supported children’s sense of belonging and ownership over their learning, while also encouraging patience and cooperation as they waited for turns and transitioned between tables. Through fun, sensory-rich play, the children were able to express creativity, practise social skills and deepen their understanding of the world through active exploration.

QKLG links

Identity 1.2.2 – Makes decisions about learning and chooses to join in a range of familiar experiences.

Wellbeing 3.3.4- Children use their senses to explore and discover.

Active Learning 4.1.1- Expresses interest in engaging with familiar materials and experiences.

Christina ECT and Remi 🌟
Kindergarten Team

🔸Today the Pre Kindy children were invited to engage in collaborative construction with a goal to experiment with cause and effect, gravity, and motion.

🔸Bean bags were provided along with various size and shape boards, planks and blocks and an example to show how we can create catapults to propel our bean bags into the air!

🔸Our clever and creative friends used fantastic problem solving skills to create their own catapults, experimenting with the force that could be created by using rectangle or cylindrical blocks with different boards or blocks on top, and activating them with hands or feet to see how high the bean bag would fly!

Early Years Learning Framework Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners:
4.2.1 Use trial and error to explore different possibilities through ‘cause and effect’.

Tammy and Aneta 🌟🔸
Pre Kindy Team

🚑 Today, First Five Early Learning Bundall was visited by Southport paramedics Meg, Nina and Bec and their ambulance.

🚑 The children from Toddler 1, Pre-Kindy and Kindergarten joined the paramedics in our carpark, learning all about their role in keeping the community safe and well.

🚑 Nina brought out safety gloves for the children to test and try out, whilst Bec sat inside the ambulance, giving children the opportunity to venture inside the van.

🚑 As they walked up the steps, the children observed the different types of equipment inside the ambulance, then checked their oxygen saturation, blood pressure and heart rate. The children were excited to lay on the bed, explaining their band aids to Meg, trying on the seatbelts and receiving stickers to remember their experience.

🚑 At the end of their visit, lights and sirens turned on, much to the excitement of everyone, listening to the familiar sounds we often hear driving past the service.

🚑 We waved a very thankful goodbye as the ambulance drove away, what a fantastic experience!

🚑 Opportunities for children to become familiar with emergency services are an important element of education, as children develop an understanding of members of safety within their community. Engagement with paramedics in the early years also forms a foundation for trust, positive interactions, and approachability. As children listen to and observe professionals within their work, they are presented with role-modelling, and the various duties and responsibilities involved with the occupation.

🚑 Thank you Meg, Nina and Bec!

EYLF
Principles: Partnerships – First Five Bundall works in partnership with members of our community, to support children’s learning, sense of belonging and understanding of occupational roles within their world.

QLD Child Safety Standard 3
Family and community - Families and communities are informed and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing.

NQF
Element 6.2.3: Community engagement - The service builds relationships and engages with its community.

🐘Today, the children in our Nursery space were using their senses and body movements to explore natural and built environments, through our safari-themed sensory tray.

🦒They manipulated the sand, feeling its rough texture with their fingers, and splashed the cool water.

🦓We incorporated natural materials, such as pinecones, stones, leaves, and wood rounds, providing a variety of textures, shapes, and surfaces for the children to investigate.

🐅Throughout this experience, the children were developing their fine motor skills, while encouraging curiosity and concentration as the children interacted with the different elements.

🦏Experiences that are presented on the ground engage children's core, neck and shoulder muscles, strengthening the control of key body components that enable balance, stability, energy and focus, as well as supporting children in their development of school-related skills, including learning and sitting comfortably at a desk.

Kirsten🌟
Nursery Lead Educator

EYLF Learning Outcome 4.4.2 - Children use their senses and body movements to explore natural and built materials and environments.

🩻 Over the past two weeks, the Kindergarten children have been exploring the theme of the human body.

🩻 What began with discussions about healthy habits and ways to reduce the spread of germs at this time of year has developed into a rich and engaging area of learning. The children have shown great enthusiasm for dramatic role-play, taking on a range of roles including doctor, nurse, surgeon, patient, and receptionist within the doctor’s surgery set up in the home corner.

🩻 Through this play, they have been recreating familiar real-life experiences, negotiating roles, and using increasingly complex language to communicate their ideas and interactions. This week, the addition of an X-ray machine and extra bandages has further enriched the play space, and we will continue to build on this area with additional props to extend the children’s thinking and imaginative exploration. This learning experience has supported the development of social skills, oral language, cooperation, and an emerging understanding of health, wellbeing, and the functions of the human body. It has also provided opportunities for the children to build confidence, express their ideas, and make sense of the world around them through meaningful play.

🩻 In addition to the role-play experience, children have engaged in a range of learning activities focused on understanding the human body and promoting wellbeing. They explored the skeletal system by learning the names of bones, and participated in a hands-on “germs” experiment, which helped them understand how quickly germs can spread and the importance of hygiene. The group also contributed to discussions about ways to keep their bodies healthy and safe, including identifying nutritious foods and “sometimes” foods.

🩻 Through this learning, they are developing the skills and confidence to make informed choices, meet their personal needs, and actively contribute to their own health and wellbeing.

QKLG: Active Learning - • Building positive dispositions toward learning • Showing confidence and involvement in learning • Engaging with technologies for learning and communication.

Christina and Remi 🌟
Kindergarten Team

🍉 This week Pre Kindy continued engaging in cooking experiences, last week, the children made delicious banana cupcakes for afternoon tea.

🍉 Today, we extended this experience by inviting the children to help make healthy watermelon ice blocks.

🍉 The children carefully cut pieces of watermelon into shapes of their choice and inserted sticks to create their own watermelon ice blocks. They demonstrated excellent concentration and focus while learning how to hold and use the blunt butter knife safely.

🍉 This hands-on experience supported the children's fine motor development, independence, confidence, and understanding of healthy food choices.

An Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) cooking experience engages children in hands-on, play-based learning. It promotes literacy, numeracy, fine motor skills, and an understanding of healthy eating. Cooking naturally addresses EYLF Learning Outcomes such as wellbeing (Outcome 3) and learning through inquiry and experimentation (Outcome 4)

Tammy and Aneta 🌟
Pre Kindy Team

✨ One of our children’s favourite dishes, made with love by our Chef Nan is:

✨BUTTER CHICKEN (serves 4)

2 cups of rice
500g Chicken
3 peeled and diced potato pre cooked
3 peeled and diced sweet potato pre cooked
1 can butter beans – drained
100 g mushrooms
100 g Butter
2 x 400g cans coconut cream
20g diced onion
1 tbspn minced garlic
1 can of tomato soup
1 tspn curry powder
1 tbspn smoked paprika
1/2 tspn garam masala
1 tspns mixed spice
1 tspns turmeric
1 tspns nutmeg
Salt and Pepper to taste
Fresh chives and parsley

Cook rice while preparing sauce
Steam potatoes while preparing sauce
Melt butter, add onion and garlic, cook until onion becomes transparent.
Add mushrooms, beans, tomato soup, curry, paprika, garam masala, mixed spice, turmeric, nutmeg and S&P to taste. Blend with blender stick
Mix thoroughly, then add in chicken, chives and parsley
Add cooked potatoes
Bring to a simmer then divide between dishes with rice.

Enjoy! 💛

In early childhood education, National Quality Standard (NQS) Quality Area 2 mandates that food and drinks provided by services are nutritious, adequate in quantity, and tailored to each child's dietary and cultural needs.

🍁 Today our Nursery One children were invited to participate in a learning experience designed to encourage them to investigate, experiment, test hypotheses, imagine and explore ideas. In a sensory tray, we provided leaves, coloured water, squeeze bottles and measuring cups to spark their curiosity.

🍁 The children explored the materials using their hands to pour, squeeze, scoop and stir, supporting the development of their fine motor skills. As they mixed the blue and yellow water together, they watched as the colour changed, helping them to begin exploring cause and effect, and by adding leaves, we encouraged the children to engage with different textures, adding another sensory element to their play.

🍁 It was lovely seeing the children interacting with the experience, splashing the water and manipulating the resources.

Early Years Learning Framework Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners:
4.1.4 Use play to investigate, experiment, test hypotheses, imagine and explore ideas.

Kirsten & Rika 🌟
Nursery One

The Humpback Whales Are Coming!

🐳Today our Kindergarten and Pre-Kindergarten children began a beautiful journey of learning about humpback whales and their yearly visit to our shores.

🐳Because the weather was uncertain, we brought our nature session indoors to the clay room, where the children gathered on the mat for our meeting song, our corroboree, and our moment of thanks to the land.

🐳We then invited the children to close their eyes and listen carefully. A deep, mysterious song filled the room, the song of a humpback whale. As the speaker was gently passed around, the children could not only hear the whale song but also feel its vibration through their hands. It was a very special moment of listening with our whole bodies.

🐳After some thoughtful guesses, one child recognised it: “A whale!”

🐳From there, we began exploring these incredible animals who travel from cold waters to the warmer waters along our coast to breed, give birth and care for their calves. We looked at where they travel on a map, watched a short video of whales visiting our shores, and talked about how baby whales drink milk from their mothers, just like other mammals.

🐳To understand the size of a baby humpback whale, the children helped stretch a long blue fabric across the room. When they discovered this was about the size of a whale calf, there was a beautiful sense of wonder and surprise.

🐳We moved like whales, listened to whale songs, explored books, painted with watercolours, and wondered together:

What does the ocean need so baby whales can grow healthy and strong?

🐳This was just the beginning of our whale learning journey. Together, we will continue discovering more about these gentle giants and how we can help care for the oceans they travel through.

🐳Next time you are at the beach, keep your eyes on the water. You might be lucky enough to see a splash, a spray, a tail, or a fin from one of these beautiful creatures. I am sure the children would be thrilled to share this special moment with you.

Rita🌟
Bush Kindy Leader

EYLF Learning Links:

Outcome 2:
Children connect with and show care for the natural world.

Outcome 4:
Children show curiosity, wonder, investigation and problem-solving.

Outcome 5:
Children communicate their ideas through movement, art, language and shared discussion.

Outcome 3:
Children use their senses, bodies and movement to engage with learning.

'When Play Takes the Lead'

🍃Yesterday at the Nature Yard, the Kindergarten children revisited familiar play experiences and extended them in new ways. This showed their growing creativity, confidence and ownership of their play.

🍃Leaf painting developed into making nature necklaces, as children used natural materials, made choices and shared their ideas.

🦔The echidna memory game was adapted into a game of SNAP!, supporting turn-taking, memory, communication and flexible thinking.

🦔At the mud kitchen, children prepared meals for our Australian animal soft toys, including the koala, echidna and platypus. The play extended into a delivery service, with a bucket attached to a zip line to transport food and materials.

🦔STEM learning was intentionally supported through trajectory play using the nature swing, hammocks, the echidna swing and zip line bucket. Children explored movement, direction, speed, force, balance and cause and effect as they tested ideas and adjusted their play.

Rita✨
Bush Kindy Leader

Links to EYLF Outcomes:

Outcome 1:
Children have a strong sense of identity
Children showed confidence, creativity and ownership as they made choices and adapted familiar play.

Outcome 2:
Children are connected with and contribute to their world
Children used natural materials and engaged with the bush kindy environment in purposeful ways.

Outcome 4:
Children are confident and involved learners
Children investigated, experimented, problem-solved and explored early STEM concepts through hands-on play.