Indoor and outdoor play - 30th May 2022
Spontaneous: This morning the Possum and Joey's children were given the option to play indoors or outdoors. Tevita and Laye asked Massa, (educator) to make them orange playdough. Laye and Tevita were both keen to help make the orange playdough. We didn't have orange food colouring, so we decided to use orange paint instead. Daphne came and helped set up the playdough table by adding cookie cutters, sticks, rolling pins and boards. Allure, Daphne, Tevita and Laye sat at the playdough table making different shapes with the playdough. Baby Ezkaiah was doing tummy time on the mat and I picked him up and encouraged Ezkaiah to feel the playdough with his hands. At the drawing table, Lucas and Sophia were making scribbles and lines using texters, and Kavitha and Everleigh were engaged in onlooker play. I encouraged both children to choose an activity, Kavith responded non-verbally by pointing to the drawing table. Kavith sat next to Nahad, and Everleigh went outside to the sandpit where she played with her brother Blake, Aladeng, Daniel, Sean, Marlee and Asna, and started to make sandcastles. At the door, Elya and Hunter enjoyed dancing to Disney songs. After free play, the children were encouraged to sit together for group time before lunch and we read the story called, 'There is a hippopotamus on our roof eating cake'. The children enjoyed this story and were able to justify that the hippopotamus was eating a sometimes food, which they learnt from participating in the possum rooms project, 'healthy food'.
Link to Pedagogical Documentation
EYLF Outcomes
Outcomes: 4: Children are confident and involved learners Elements: 4.1 Children develop dispositions for learning such as curiosity, cooperation, confidence, creativity, commitment, enthusiasm, persistence, imagination and reflexivity. These activities allowed the children to explore and participate in a variety of rich and meaningful, inquiry-based experiences.
Theorists
This learning experience can be linked to Piaget's theories. He believes the child is an active learner and that the child must be given opportunities to explore, discover and experiment. These principles underpin all cognitive development.
Interpretation
Critical reflection: The children enjoyed exploring both indoor and outdoor environments and were able to make their own decisions about what they would like to do. Exploring both indoor and outdoor environments allows children to engage in both individual and collaborative learning processes and creates a calm environment. The educators supervised, extended children's interests and encouraged children to participate in an activity. Follow up: More indoor and outdoor learning opportunities.
