Today for group time I planned to do a felt story about a mouse. The idea of the story is to teach the children colours while finding out which house the mouse might be hiding under. I started off by sitting the children down then I said to them "let's see if anyone knows their colours. Ok can anyone tell me which colour is this one pointing to the yellow house". Nathan popped up and said "yellow" that's correct well done. Next was green this time Hunter and Elya both jumped up and said "green" really excitedly while jumping up and down. I called Dyanjot to find the orange house he hesitated at first as he is a little shy but with help from his friends pointed to the orange house. The children were so eager to tell me the colours that it was hard to hear Aladeng call out the colour brown. I then calmed the children down to show them what we were going to do next. I put a mouse puppet on my hand and said to the children" Mm" I think we have a problem I don't know which house the little mouse is hiding in. Will you help me find her? The children started to get excited ok let's call for her , "Little mouse, little mouse, are you in the green house?" I asked Hunter to slowly peel back the house to see if the mouse was under the house. "She wasn't in that house, which house should we try next?" The orange house said Aladeng "No" not there. Elya yelled "here" pulling back the yellow house but not there Nathan said "the black house" again peeling back the black coloured house. "No" not there. Dyanjot was next he didn't want to have a go at first but then stood up and pick the colour blue but "No"not there. Then Aladeng got up and picked up the red house and their it was the little mouse in the red house. The children today loved singing and chanting out Little mouse, Little mouse while finding the right house that the mouse was hiding in.
Link to Pedagogical Documentation
EYLF Outcomes
Outcomes: 5: Children are effective communicators Elements: 5.2 Children engage with a range of texts and gain meaning from these texts. Children are communicating their words as they participate in this experience.
Theorists
This learning experience can be linked to Piaget's theories. He believes that children need to be able to see, touch, taste, smell, move and hear the things they are learning.
Interpretation
Critical Reflection: How do songs and rhymes help language development? Children love rhyme, rhythm and repetition. These three things found in songs and rhymes can naturally help to boost a child's language and literacy skills. Children's language skills are developing long before they're able to verbalise actual words. As the educator I was able to do intentional teaching with the children by helping Learn their colours. I was also able to interact verbally with them throughout the rhyme by asking them questions and letting the children respond. Follow up: More felt stories that engage children.
