Water Play - 10th February 2022

Spontaneous: Today since the weather was hot the educators in the Joeys room decided to get out the sprinkler and a tub of water for the children to play in and with. We firstly got out a tub and placed some water in it. Nathan, Pilar and Hunter decided it would be fun and hopped in it and started to splash around with their feet. Then we hooked up the sprinkler and the Joey children were watching while it was filling up. We took their shoes and socks off and pants off and let them splash about in their nappies and t- shirts. Once the sprinkler was full the Joeys came over to it and Hunter, Jenayah, Nathan and Elya were the first ones to go in it. Nevaeh, Pilar, Abuk, Lucas, Huda all stood at the edge of the sprinkler and placed their hand out in front and touched the water and splashing the water with their hand. Kylie (educator) asked the children "is the water cold" Jenayah said" yes". It touch some encouragement from educators for Aarvi and Kavith to come and touch the water but once Aarvi touched the water she was happy to continue to play and splash the water with her hands. Kavith touched the water but did not stay at the activity for long as he did not like water play. Forin came wandering over and started to play with the water. While the Joeys were playing with the water Gok was watching from the Possums yard and the educators decided to bring him over and let him play in the sprinkler as well he was really enjoying it as he was making sounds as he was playing. Benefits of water play: Water play enhances concentration and focus When children are engaged in water play, they tend to lose themselves in the activity and can spend long periods of time exploring and playing. This can encourage children to focus, and any activity that holds a child's attention for a long length of time will contribute to increasing their attention span and ability to concentrate later in life.

Link to Pedagogical Documentation

EYLF Outcomes

Outcomes: 1: Children have a strong sense of identity Elements: 1.1 Children feel safe, secure, and supported. I was close to the water and encouraged the children to join in the water play which lead them to feeling safe and supported in their choice to play with the water.

Theorists

Piaget proposed that children need environmental stimuli and experiences to guide their cognitive development. Through sensory play, he suggested that children digest new knowledge and store it for later reference. In essence, he argued that this type of play was key to a child's brain development.

Interpretation

Critical reflection: Myself and other educators were able to encourage the children to touch and feel the water as some of the children were a bit hesitant at first. I was able to do some intentional teaching by asking if the water was cold. It was a great experience as it was an open ended experience and allowed the children to be involved in a sensory activity. Follow up: Continue with sensory activities- more water play