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For our children who are 2.5 years to 3.5 years old

Our classroom is designed to inspire wonder, curiosity and exploration. Through working together, we have built a positive learning environment, where children feel empowered and confident to discover their identity and to build a sense of agency.

We seek to provide all children with the opportunity and time to develop their emotional intelligence and love of learning. We continuously provide occasions for the children to develop their independency as they strive to become active members of their community. We wish for all children to take part in our school readiness program as we consider this to be the foundation towards a positive transition to school.

A Snapshot

Ruth Landau Harp (6)

Growth and Development

Guided by the Early Years Learning Framework and our own centre philosophy, our programs acknowledge and reflect the importance of play. It is how children learn to investigate, question, role play, explore, problem solve, strategise, socialise, reason, predict, converse, collaborate, compromise and so much more.

Educational research supports (beyond a doubt) the value of providing open ended learning opportunities that encourage children to test and explore their environment in a ‘hands on way’ that focuses on the ‘journey of discovery’ rather than an end product.

We are seeking to inspire and encourage learning in all that we do but one of our main outcomes is to guide the children and facilitate the acquirement of life skills, that will assist them throughout their educational journey and into adulthood.

This happens across all areas and stages of development, at an individual and a group level.

While here children will be working on:

Social and emotional skills

through sharing, turn taking, role playing, collaborating, negotiating, compromising, listening, empathising, expressing themselves and their feelings.

Physical (fine and gross motor) skills

through opportunities and experiences that develop control, coordination, body awareness, spatial awareness, physical strength, dexterity, balance.

Language and literacy skills

through conversations, a structured phonics program, daily group reading, access to a variety of printed materials, songs, topic specific vocabulary.

Thinking skills

through open ended experience and provocations that encourage problem solving, spark curiosity, require investigation, incorporate number concepts, challenge and build on prior knowledge.

Our Day

After opportunities for un interrupted playing in both the indoor and outdoor environments in the morning, and after majority of the drop offs, children gather to daven together, celebrating the new day with singing and movement in English and Hebrew.

The children transition in to a progressive morning tea, with opportunities for socialising and discussions on healthy eating while also practising their self help skills.

Children then move to a block of uninterrupted play with intentional teaching opportunities set up outside inspired by a variety of physical developmental skills. There are opportunities for the children to practice and further develop their fundamental skills, with our Educators guidance and role modelling. For example,  throwing a ball in the basket from a distance, jumping inside and outside of a hoop circle , as it’s placed on the ground. This not only helps build their gross motor skills but also encourages taking turns and helps with children working on their social skills and to paricipate in team work with the activities being held in small groups with 3-4 children.

During this block, we provide a range of opportunities, including giving the children the option to par take in a mat session exploring the current topic and children’s current interests. This is usually run by one of our Jewish Studies Educators. There are stories, puppets, role play, songs and dancing to name a few experiences. Our environments evolves as our topics and children’s interests change and careful consideration is given as we believe they are the third teacher for our young ones.  We will have table top activities set up with a mixture of independent and teacher-led experiences. Our construction area which dominantly includes blocks, magnetic tiles, magnetic blocks magnetic shapes, and books are available for the readers and puzzles are available too.

Each educators in the room focus on different skill along with some table top provocations. We focus on fine motor skills and literacy, we focus on early numeracy and numbers, we focus on STEM which includes learning and investigating about science, technology, engineering and mathematics in early years, we also have an Atelier in the classroom which is the platform for our children to communicate through art as they demonstrate their creative and imagination skills.

Pack away time – Children contribute to their world through different ways and one of them is keeping their surroundings and environment clean and organised. As we get ready for lunch all children help in packing away and work as a team learn to keep the things where they belong.

Mat discussion time – We all gather in a circle where we focus on songs, reading books and having discussion and reflections on our day so far. Some of the songs we sing include whole body listening and midline crossover, with our stories being inspired by the children’s interests. It is an opportunitiy for all children learn together.

Progressive Lunch time – another opportunitiy to chat with the educators about eating a healthy nutritious meal and to catch up with their peers and chat in a group dining setting.

Rest and relaxation time – In a calm and relaxing space, children are given the opportunity to sleep or relax and give their bodies and brain some rest. Our non-sleepers have opportunities to engage in some quiet time play and make the choice on how long to rest their bodies on the mat prior to this.

As some children start to wake, we switch on warm lights in the classroom. there is a slow transition to getting ready for the afternoon play with children putting on their own shoes and socks, sunscreen on working on and becoming more independent.

We all gather on the mat for a goodbye song as we finish the day inside, we talk about how our day was, what we did today, what did we like to play and learn with and get ready for afternoon tea.

Children gather again in the sukkah to eat and have endless discussion, giggles and laughter as we fill in our tummies with the yummy afternoon tea.

un interrupted opportunities for play with their friends until pick up time