Insect Water Play - 21st February 2022
Room Project: This morning we gathered the Joey's together and decided to continue identifying and talking about insects. Massa then introduced each insect as it came out providing a small description about each. She asked Jack if he knew what she was holding up and he replied with "beeto" suggesting 'beetle'. Marlee shouted "butterfly " when she saw it and Nathan roared when he saw the scorpion. Each child had a go at answering our questions like "do you know what this is? as well as "What colour is it?" and having a hold at the insect they chose. We then transferred the insects into a tray and filled it up with some water for them to splash around in. They thoroughly enjoyed this as the weather was getting warm. Overall this was an effective activity to promote both the children's learning and enjoyment.
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. Children display engaging qualities in their learning through cooperation and curiosity.
Theorists
Nature promotes a more abstract way of thinking. 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 and discover and experiment. These principals underpin active cognitive development.
Interpretation
Critical reflection: As an educator I thought this activity thoroughly covered our two themes this month which is about insects as well as water play due to the hot weather. It explored their sensory development feeling objects through water as well as a simply learning aspect of identifying animals, colours and sounds. Follow up: To follow up we can continue talking about animals in categories such as sea creatures, flying animals, zoo animals etc.

