Gorton House
Toddlers
Story by Educator Russell
Last week we had some arborists out and about on our grounds, tending to the trees and vegetation as part of The Infants’ Home’s commitment to ensuring that we maintain and tend to the environment in a manner that ensures its health moving forward. With all the action and noise around one morning, in Gorton House toddler room we thought it might be the ideal opportunity to explore just what it was that was causing all the noise and banging on our roof. So, we cut our morning group time short in favour of some exploration and investigation.
When we saw what our arborist friends were up to, we discussed why it’s important to cut down some tree branches, touching upon the fact that sometimes trees can get sick too, and that cutting away the sick parts of the tree helps ensure that it can continue to grow. We also discussed, and witnessed, the branches being cut off and falling onto the roof, which gave us an answer to what we were pondering earlier about the noise coming from our roof!
What did we get from our mini adventure? Well, aside from answers, we also managed to score some of the large branch pieces that had been cut off that we intend to incorporate into our environment as a new yarning circle and stepping course. Stay tuned for updates on those activities!
Johnson House
Toddlers and Preschool
Story by Centre Director Amy
‘Party Week’ has been happening this week at Johnson House to celebrate the end of the year!
Both the toddler and preschool rooms had loads of fun participating in a range of experiences such as face painting, dress ups, cooking, water play, sensory experiences and so much more. The children have been excited to come each day to see what new experience they can join. It has a been a busy, yet fun time as we begin to farewell the children heading off to school, plan for the holiday break and to recharge ready for 2024!
On behalf of the Johnson House team, I would like to wish everyone a very happy festive season. I would also like to thank the Johnson House community for their support, and we wish the children heading off to school all the best. We look forward to seeing many families return and some new friends and families joining our program next year.
Murray House
Infants
Story by Educator Cathy
Last week the Murray House infants’ room children were invited to explore some ‘loose parts play’. Loose parts play promotes child-led and open-ended learning. The children were observed manipulating the loose parts, turning, flipping, mixing, pouring and shaking the resources, and finding many ways to engage with the materials. The children were exploring textures and sounds as they tapped the resources together. Our Murray House children are also continuing to develop their social and emotional skills through interactions with others.
