Isla is about to transition to nursery 2, and her Mum and Dad brought in a thank-you card and gift for Sharron and myself. When I joined the nursery one team, I became Isla's primary career, taking over from Sharron. During the last few months I built a relationship with not just Isla but with her parents as well. It is a lovely feeling knowing that we are appreciated.

Planning a sand activity

After observing Jack exploring in the sandpit, sand was provided inside on the table for him to explore in another context with his peers. The photo story of the sand session was then posted on the Natural Steps blog to share with others.

I believe, based on Jack's abilities and interests that I have seen, that this was an appropriate learning activity for him. It enabled him to continue exploring the control his body had over the sand, but in another context, and allowed him to experience this alongside his peers. This links to the teacher dimension Professional Knowledge 6: appropriate learning activities, programmes and assessment. It also links to the teacher dimension Teaching 13: uses a range of teaching approaches. I provided an outdoor activity indoors set on the table rather than in any containers. It was really enjoyed by all involved.

Aug Teacher Registration Meeting

The Learning Environment part two

I spoke with Wendy about rearranging the room and we both discussed our ideas and needs. The furniture has been rearrange, and I placed shelving at a right-angle to the wall, and placed the sofa as a third wall to create another area. This has already proved itself to be popular with the children. We've used it for animal play, story-time with velcro characters on the wall, etc. The rocking chair swapped places with the armchair, creating a softer corner which will be a suitable area for the younger children. A lot of the toys that were in the room have been sorted and put away. We had found that there were so many toys out at one time that they would end up everywhere. I am of the opinion that if children have too much choice then they can become over stimulated and not focus on anything. This way, we have toys displayed on the shelves which children can choose from, and also provide more 'focus' pieces of equipment. For example, yesterday and today we brought out metal bowls, plates, ladels and spoons - items that made amazing sounds when banged together. It was brought to my attention that by placing the sofa where it was, this was creating a blind-spot in the room. I replaced the sofa with two low carpeted room dividers, but after trialing these, decided against them. I noticed that as children leaned against them for support, they were prone to sliding forwards, and they didn't seem as asthetically pleasing as the sofa. So the sofa returned and the staff will need to position themselves appropriately. I will continue to monitor and check in with Wendy (and Sharron next week when she returns).

The Learning Environment

This week a new child started in Nursery one. He is five months and is immobile. At the same time, there are two boys who are currently real explorers. If there is an open door, they are there. If there is a toy they want, they will make their way to it - regardless of whether something or someone is in their way or not. Pippa and I have decided to take another look at the set up of the room, and possibly rearrange the furniture/equipment in order to create a safe, calm area for young Charlie, whilst still providing exploration opportunities for Jack and Dylan. Through looking at this situation pro-actively, I believe I will be creating an environment of respect and understanding, I will manage the behaviour positively, and I will establish a safe physical and emotional environment.

Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity

After watching this clip and listening to Ken Robinson, two quotes stood out for me 1- "Many highly talented, brilliant, creative people think they're not, because the thing they were good at at school wasn't valued" 2- "Our task is to educate their whole being." These reinforce the importance of early childhood education, knowing that we do approach education from a holistic point of view - teaching the 'whole being' rather than separating out the different learning areas. It also reminds me to value the children's different strengths and interests. His example of the choreographer shows how easily a gift can be misinterpreted.

Recipes for play

I posted this item on the Natural Steps blog as examples of what parents could create at home for their children. This is evidence of dimention 19: communicates with families, whanau and caregivers