We are a Christian based playschool. Caters for children aged 2 years to Grade RR. Small groups allow for individual attention. Teaching is our passion.
We accept a maximum of 12 children per class. In some cases an exception will be made for children between 18 and 24 months. The groups are kept small to allow for much needed special and individual attention. Activities will include:
Visual Art, Music, Movement, Drama, Construction work, Educational games, Sand and water play, Ball skills, Fantasy and free play, Stories
Operating as usual
MAKING LEARNING ORGANIC
Being an educator of twenty-two years and now a mommy of twin toddlers, I am a firm believer and advocate that the world is our classroom, and our learning and development should never stop, no matter our age or stage. So, when it comes to inputting into my daughters’ understanding and growth, my aim each day is to find ‘in the moment’ opportunities to broaden their learning. When I speak of learning, I mean holistic learning, not just cognitive. For me education in its truest sense is about the development of the whole person. Daily life is full of ripe, rich learning platforms that simply need an adult caregiver to give a nudge here or there for the child to gain from that moment. There is so much that could be said about this topic. Here are some ideas to add to your treasure chest of keeping learning with young children organic.
1. Observe your child’s interests and build on them.
As my children keep developing and being exposed to different contexts and experiences, so their interests take on new focus points. I try to go with the flow of their interests, without it becoming a fixation or all-consuming. If they are interested in something at a certain stage, they are more likely to be open to learning more about it. We aim as parents to find books, video clips, places of interest and so on, that link to their current interests. Even just conversations about their interests grow understanding and asking them questions pique their curiosity and desire to delve deeper.
2. Capitalising on nature’s bounty and diversity
I feel that Nature spoils us with the opportunity to explore her and learn from her. Just one outing in nature somewhere with my children can encompass all kinds of learning, from respect of how we interact with nature, to seeing a novel creepy crawly we’ve never seen before, to counting seeds, or packing sticks in a straight row. Gross motor, fine motor and sensory activities can definitely be optimised on nature outings. My daughters love trying to balance on fallen branches or to swing on a farm fence, to pick up tiny stones and plop them into water pools and to select and feel diverse bits of foliage and seed types that have fallen from local plants. Naming plants, rubbing their leaves and smelling them, all add to the stimulating experience.
3. Teaching respect and responsibilities
I feel that teaching respect and responsibilities from young is important. I believe a very powerful means of teaching these values is by modelling. Adult behaviour is most certainly mimicked by children. So, in daily life I aim to model to my children how we care for our possessions. For example, this is how we turn the pages of a book with care. We don’t stand on our reading books, nor do we throw our crayons on the floor to break them on purpose. Modelling manners is important in our household. A “thank you” to my child for waiting for my help or “please” when asking them to listen to me, goes a long way. We should not just expect “please” and “thank you” from our children, we should use the same language towards them.
Small, assisted responsibilities are already managed by my daughters of three years old. They help to give our cat fresh water and kibbles. They absolutely love helping me to water plants with their small buckets and mini watering cans. I always encourage them to help tidy up when they have finished playing and aim to make it fun with a song. Their faces beam when they help carry grocery items after a shop, to the kitchen for Daddy and Mommy. You can see how the responsibility builds their self-esteem and they feel set up for success.
4. Move, feel and remember!
Especially for toddlers who are so incredibly on the go, learning through movement needs to be a daily inclusion. Learning for the young one does not have to be compartmentalized into isolated boxes: “Now we are learning, now we switch over to playing.” No, learning happens while they move and while they play. Like most toddlers, my twins love nursery rhymes and moving to them, drumming to them or patting on their bodies while they say the rhyme. They love to dance together or in Daddy or Mommy’s arms, again, letting them feel rhythm. Having a feel of rhythm, I believe, is an important pre-literacy skill. Numbers and counting can also be taught kinaesthetically, and I believe the body holds that memory of the feel of the movement (let’s say hopping or jumping when counting), so that the brain holds the memory of the numbers more readily. “Let’s count the steps as we climb them up and down.” Or “Let’s draw numbers in the sand with our index finger.” Or “Let’s clap out the letters of our name to spell it out.” These are but some examples of how movement and sensory input can allow for more memorable play-learning.
5. Make the child the teacher at chosen times.
I have witnessed that one of the best ways to learn is to teach. You cannot teach something to someone else unless you truly understand it for yourself. It’s very empowering to a little one if you ask them to teach you or tell you as an adult caregiver about topic X or Y, no matter how simple. My little Grace loves to see what’s in the pots, pans and steamer when I am preparing food. I ask her to tell me what she sees, rather than me describing everything. Her ability to name items and describe processes in the kitchen, has grown as a result. I set up playdates for my girls with other children and if one of the friends knows a lot about a topic, let’s say about beetles, I ask them as much as I can on the topic, so that the friend can teach and consolidate her own knowledge, while my daughters can gain new knowledge. Asking a child questions about their area of interest is a powerful way to strengthen their own understanding.
In conclusion, this topic about making learning organic seems inexhaustible. But, here’s hoping that this blog has sparked some ideas and has made us as adult caregivers excited about learning through day-to-day activities with our children, rather than seeing learning as something we have to find space for in our day as an add on or tag on. Learning happens while we live life. We use the teachable moments as they present themselves. If we model to our children that we ourselves are always learning even as adults, that will, in all likelihood, excite them to be life-long learners too.
Copyright ©
Delia Swart
Photo of Mika and Grace exploring the waterways at Babylonstoren
Friday humor...so true!
Some Friday night humor 😂 Have a blessed weekend!
There was lots of fun learning about "Day & Night" this week. We even made our own suncatchers🌞
Some post long weekend humor😄
Happy Woman's day!
Our theme of the week was Reptiles. The children had great fun creating their own reptiles🦎🐊🐍🐢
Happy new year
Merry Christmas to our Secret Garden family
Happy teacher's day to all the amazing ladies at Secret Garden. Thank you for your passion and love for each and every child. May you be truly blessed.
Some hand print fun
Happy Woman's day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkUlCIFE45M&t=134s
In this special episode, kids will learn about the 2019 novel coronavirus and the good habits to adopt to protect themselves from it with Dr. Panda & Toto. ✌...
Can I tell you a SECRET? We are all ready! Can't wait for all our little people to come back and join us in our GARDEN!!!
The Theme for this week is Space. Here are some out of this world activities.
Our Theme for this week is Winter. Here are some fun activities that you can try at home.
Activities For Kids
Easy Painting Ideas for Kids 🙂
Good afternoon Secret Garden Family. This week we will be looking at Land transport. Here are some fun activities that you can try at home.😉
The Theme for this week is Air Transport. Here are some great craft ideas for the children to do at home.
This week we are looking at The Doctor and the Hospital. Here are some fun craft activities to try at home.
How to Make a Paper Plate Dinosaur | Paper Plate Craft I hope you have enjoyed this easy kids craft and if you like what you see don't forget to Subscribe an...
Paper plate craft ideas
Happy Mother's day to all the special ladies. God bless you all.
Monday | 07:00 - 18:00 |
Tuesday | 07:00 - 18:00 |
Wednesday | 07:00 - 18:00 |
Thursday | 07:00 - 18:00 |
Friday | 07:00 - 18:00 |
Registered Early Childhood Development partial care facility
Bubbalu Day Care Centre - Where Princes and Princesses come to play and learn. Early childhood education
Bubbalu Day Care Centre - Where Princes and Princesses come to play and learn. Early childhood education
Daycare center established in 2007. At Ghoempie our teachers and assistants take pride in looking after your little ones.
Daycare center established in 2007. At Ghoempie our teachers and assistants take pride in looking after your little ones.
Ons sien om na al ons sonskyn kinders met liefde en geduld,ons het begrip vir elke situasie en verstaan dat almal se behoeftes verskil.Kinders is elkeen spesiaal op hul eie manier.Ons glo dat ons hul help om n stewige fondasie te verkry vir die toekoms.
Tygerberg Children’s Sickbay caters for all children that are too ill to attend school but not ill enough to be admitted to hospital. Our goal is to fulfill your child’s every need while under our care, physically, mentally and emotionally.
Welcome to Jellybeanz Educare. As a dedicated pre-school we strive to provide a loving environment for your child – a home away from home.
Welcome to Jellybeanz Educare. As a dedicated pre-school we strive to provide a loving environment for your child – a home away from home.
Veilige plek waar kinders vanaf 12 maande tot 6 jaar nog kind kan wees en deur speel kan leer. Kom loer gerus by ons in of kontak ons vir enige inligting. 6 Goedehooplaan Brackenfell 021 9812434/ 084 400 2957 / [email protected]
Brackenfell Kiddies Campus is a specialist pre-school education and resource centre for babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers.
Pepper Tree Kidz -We give them roots to grow and wings to fly- Sonkring,Brackenfell Contact: 0729749756 [email protected]