The K1 children are well into the "tuning in" stage of their new Unit of Inquiry Sharing the Planet. All learning supports children to understand and process the world around them, and this unit is especially opportune in providing them with the opportunity to tap into their curiosities and develop an appreciation for the ever-changing natural world around them.
If you would like to learn more along with some concrete examples of what the learning might look like for your child, feel free to hear me walk through the unit in finer detail. It's a 3-min video and you may press the full screen button for a clearer view.
A main focus of this unit is supporting children to develop their research skills by learning about various topics of interest using different sources of information. Children can do research by reading, watching videos, interviewing others, and directing lots of questions at their peers and teachers! One of the best ways to support this at home is for parents to be curious alongside them, and to model wondering and questioning. When children state their own theories or facts, we can ask them "How do you know that?" or "What makes you say that?" to encourage them to reflect upon their thinking. Here are some question prompts you may consider when having open-ended conversations with your child:
We learn best when we are HANDS ON, MINDS ON!
Why is messy play important for learning?
During these Sharing the Planet playful inquiries, your child is going to be hands on, minds on, and part of that process is getting messy! Paint-splattered hands, sticky fingers, wet sleeves—sometimes it feels like chaos. But here’s the secret: those messy moments are pure magic for your child’s development and learning!
We get it— it’s not the easiest scrubbing paint out of clothes or cleaning up stained fingers, but remember, these messes are signs of learning and growing. So, the next time you see your child with dirt under their nails or paint smeared across their face, know that they’re gaining important skills that will last a lifetime! Thanks for letting us support your child’s messy adventures. If they didn’t get dirty, they didn’t play!
Dear Panda Class AM & PM Parents, Welcome to our first Panda Class blog of the term! The children have been doing so well and we are very happy to see them settling in day by day! 🎉 I will keep you updated once we start delving into our first Unit of Inquiry, but for now, we are focussing on settling in, building our class communities, learning new routines and having lots of fun with various learning engagements such as playdough, painting, music & movement and new toys! We recently visited our neighbours, the Frog class, and enjoyed playing with their toys and meeting new friends. We will soon be exploring the sand pit, and we'll venture to the outdoor playground for the first time, too! Here is our daily routine for each AM & PM session for your reference: Friendly Reminders: *We will be starting Library Day next Monday . Please ensure...
Dear Panda Class Families, We hope you are having a good week so far! The children are very excited about dressing in their choice of outfits tomorrow (Thursday 31st October)! Please note that we are continuously encouraging independence in terms of toileting and in general, so it would be helpful if the children don't wear one-piece outfits or 'onesies', to make it easier for the children to manage. We would like to wish you all a Happy Halloween for tomorrow! Diwali is also tomorrow, so we are also sending Happy Diwali wishes! There's lots to celebrate at the moment! Thank you to those of you who joined the Parent Teacher Conferences last week, it was great to meet with you. This week, the children have been observing our plants. The grass is growing very well, and we are delighted that the beans are sprouting. The lemon and tomato seeds are still a work in progress, but we are hoping that they might start to grow soon! The children have been discu...
Dear Panda Families, We can't believe this is our final blog post, as we mark the end of Term 3. It has been a fantastic K1 year! We have loved teaching your children and are so impressed by all they have achieved! We look forward to seeing you tomorrow for our Art Day! The children are welcome to express their unique style and personality through their own outfit choices! The Pandas are showing they are ready and raring for a summer holiday, and also that they're ready to embrace their new learning adventures and journeys in K2! Thank you for supporting them, and us, every step of the way! Some of our Panda friends are leaving Hillside, so we'd like to take this opportunity to say: it's not goodbye, but see you soon, and please stay in touch with us, we will miss you! The children have been very resilient with our open play plans due to the weather (heat and rain), and have adapted to the changes well! We've been enjoying marbling in the Frog Class, ...
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