As we begin an exciting learning chapter with our new Preschool 2 family, we are focussing on connection, relationships, and creating a sense of belonging within our classroom community. We have welcomed many new children into our classroom, along with familiar faces from our previous group. Our returning preschoolers have been wonderful at helping our new friends adjust to their new environment by showing them around, offering comfort, and inviting them into play.
As we get to know one another, we have been thoughtfully planning open ended learning opportunities for the children to explore throughout our classroom. These inviting provocations allow us to observe the children’s unique interests, ideas, questions, and ways of engaging with the world around them. Through these observations, we can begin to understand what captures their curiosity and use these discoveries to guide and expand our learning environment.
One day, we set up our tuff tray with flowers and colourful water, inviting the children to explore the properties of the flowers, experiment with the coloured water, and use their imagination and creative thinking to combine the materials in innovative ways. Some children spent time collecting, filling, pouring, and mixing the water using various containers and tools. Others pretended they were creating delicious recipes. Some children enjoyed splashing in the water, while others carefully picked the petals from the flowers. Some children incorporated animals and vehicles into their sensory play, creating imaginative scenarios and stories. Others paused to smell the flowers or experimented with colour mixing and creating new colours. As the children explored, opportunities naturally unfolded for them to question, wonder, collaborate, communicate, problem solve, and connect.
Through this simple learning invitation, we were able to learn more about each individual child and the ways they engage, communicate, explore, and express their ideas. These observations and inferences provide us with valuable insight as we continue to build meaningful relationships and plan responsive learning experiences. We look forward to scaffolding upon these discoveries throughout our Preschool 2 journey together.
