Starting From Scratch ...

I'm starting from scratch ... and I'm ruffling feathers ... I might write about this for publishing at a later date ... But I will focus on my work as a teacher and educational leader for this blog!

What I have been working on is a planning cycle ... The NQS says (and correct me if I'm wrong, or something somewhere says, but I'm too tired and weary to look it up, so just pretend we both know what I'm talking about, and that I'm right!) we need to have a cycle ... so I'm drawing up a cycle ... and in that cycle I have arrows that indicate link from one aspect to another  ... A cycle that is clear to understand and can be easily seen on a bulletin board ... I won't put up a "program" so to speak, but I can have a cycle with a link to possibilities!

I'm working in supporting staff to link the daily reflections to the children's portfolios (or journals) ... and then I'm trying to support staff in writing the links from yesterday's events with today's events and then think about where we might go for tomorrow. I'm also encouraging instead of saying LOC 1.2.3 or some such secret code, that we use the words and terminology of the EYLF without being arrogant and elitist about it ... We need to be understood by parents and the community!

I mean it's well and good to know in my head how everything will look ... but how will it look to others?

Being an educational leader is challenging especially when you are trying to not only lead a preschool team, but a whole service as well! What was I thinking??!?!?! I know the challenges will pay off eventually ... its just so exhausting!

Speaking of exhausting, I have a new awesome padded mattress overlay that I really must go and reaquaint myself with quicksmart!

Been lovely seeing you again!

XoXo

Taking A Pause ...

 

New Camera

+

New Job

=

Crazy Hectic Busy Time!

I've got a new job which is going to draw my atteniton away for a wee while ... I have so much on my plate with this new position and I have to focus on this in order to get the ball rolling in the direction I want it to go! On the Bright-Side I'm doing heaps of reflecting and practice honing!

 I also have a shiny new awesome camera and I am totally going to be using it to create stuff for this blog!

So MANY ideas! I just lack time right now ...

I will be hovering and pondering and I shall return!



Portfolio Ponderings ...

I was flipping through some portfolios at a service I was working in and I made some observations:

Firstly, the portfolios looked the same. There were a few differences, but for the most part, they were copies of group observations all put into the children’s individual books. And by differences I mean, there might have been one or two entries that I could see that were individual – and they were something that the family did, not the services. The other aspects that I noticed were individual were the art works – but they themselves were novelty art (splatter painting etc) which are fun, but really not, in my opinion, a truly artistic practice.  There were no detailed paintings like what my old kids used to create, as the children only had those short fat brushes with only 2 or 3 colour choices.

I read parts of a few of the observations, but they were describing what all the children had done, and there was little or no focus on the individual. I remember years ago working at a service and that was one of the criticisms of some of the educator’s portfolios – little focus on the child/ren, more focus on the larger group or the experience. I believe in a happy medium.

I didn’t bother reading what was written because it was just a narrative. I didn’t even see the educational point of the observation in the first place. Don’t get me wrong, the staff put a great deal of energy and thought into what they were writing, I just didn’t enjoy reading it.

The photos were not very inspiring either – they were photocopies of a print out or the child from a distance. I think that the photos should be really thoughtful – there should be intent behind the image chosen and the child should feature, or the child’s work.  Also, there were so many different boarders themed to whatever the observation was about. It was so visually busy and really detracted from the work of the children.

I know I’m being critical. I’m not questioning their motives or their dedication, merely their focus. It’s easy to make judgements as an outsider, I know this. But I like reflecting upon my own work, as well as others as it encourages me to think and be creative and evolve as a professional. I have also seen some awesome things that have made me feel at a professional loss! I’ve seen some wonderful observations! But this experience of sitting down with the has really led me to think about what I am going to be including in portfolios in the future. I see value in some old practices that I was pushed into doing at a previous service. I can utilise these ideas and weave in more of the EYLF into them...

What do parents and children want to see in the portfolios? The children and their engagement and their relationships!

The children should be a prominent feature in their own portfolio/journal/learning story ...

T.ink

(c) Teacher's Ink. 2012

De-Clutter-Bugging

I’m not working today and I thought I would take advantage of the off-time at home. You see, I moved rather suddenly about 9 months ago during a time of personal turmoil. While it took me 7 or so weeks to pack ... it’s taken me a great deal longer to unpack! I had a huge commute to work plus work drama plus work at home plus my responsibilities at home and I didn’t have enough life left in me to tackle the rest of the unpacking. It was much easier just putting things in the spare room to deal with later.

I’m a bit of a hoarder. I have so many teaching things and papers with ideas on them, or magazine articles or photocopies of sections of books that would have been great for teaching, university papers (most of them are gone now, but some still remain) blah blah blah ... lots of crap!

I’ve always been a bit of a clutter-bug ... but I found that through my years of tertiary education they were telling me to save this and save that for this and for that and ... yeah ...I need to change my thinking on the matter: Use it or lose it!

So, papers I want to keep are going into reorganised binders/folders with labels on the sides so I know what’s in them – I’ve given myself a shelf or two for those things ... then some shelves for books ... and then that’s it. If I’m not using it – it’s got to go!  I want clearly defined spaces.

I want life to be easier! I want more space to create! And right now, with clutter, I simply can’t do it!

Besides, it’s nice finding some treasures! I'm also finding alot of my portfolio ideas! See - something to inspire my writing!

Once there is organization, I can then play around with some creative projects - like the dolls! I found my patterns! Yay! And portfolio stuff!

T.ink!

Puppet Adventures

I have a case of finger puppets that live inside my teaching bag. I use these puppets to make stories - either typical fairy tales or ones that I make up as I go along. Anyway, I sometimes let the children use them under supervision. This has often led to a spontaneous experience of making our own finger puppets.

I have done this a couple of different ways.
1. I have cut out a template outline of a finger and then cut them out for the children to draw on. Then we've stuck two of the shapes together using sticky tape for the children to have their own finger puppets.
2. I have photocopied my finger puppets in b&w and the children  have cut them out on their own (with varying degrees of success) and then we have just used sticky tape to attach them to a popcicle stick.
3. I have used felt cut outs that are used for craft as well as foam cut outs to glue to sticks which then create a puppet character.
4. I have made a puppet theatre using a cardboard box, with coloured paper just sticky taped to it.
5. I have made a puppet theatre using a cardboard box with paper mache.
6. Let the children use your puppets under supervision! There is nothing more "special" than getting to use the teacher's things.

I like these quick and easy experiences because they are somewhat 'instant' and can be made quite quickly and used til they collapse or fall apart. It shows the children how to recycle and reuse materials. It shows creativity on your part (when we are always expecting it from children). It fosters creativity and story telling! The children can tell the traditional stories, variations of the traditional, or they can make their own stories up. I even did a 'group' where the children came up in pairs and shared a story with their peers (this was semi-successful as some of the children really werent intersted).

Here are what the puppets looked like photocopied

So all I did was cut them out, and then use some sticky tape and attach some paddle pop sticks for 'instant' puppety goodness ... The children used these for a couple of weeks but their interest did taper off a bit.

I have also colour copied them, and laminated them and attached velcro hook spots on the backs and used them as felt stories with and for the children. I often do this with my felt story resources as this way my personal property is protected, but it gives children another resource that fits within a tight budget.

A basket of random characters next to a felt board stand has been also a popular experience for the children - especially those who are creatively inclined! It helps to children to share, fosters negotiation skills, memory and story telling, imagination and language and literacy skills. I have also put felt characters into a basket at a table with four small felt boards for quiet time experiences. These lived on our manipulatives shelves and the children were free to select them as they wished.

And when I can find some paddle pop sticks in my stash ... I will show you the 'finished' products ... Right now I've put them someplace safe ... yeah I know ... NEVER do that! You're bound to lose it!

While the photos are my copyright - the images of the puppets are the property of Rainbow Educational. I highly recommend their puppet set as it has been a worthwhile purchase and has had much use over the past 3 years!

The link for the puppets if you're interested in purchasing them is here:

http://www.rainboweducational.com.au/cloth-books-bags/34-fairytale-finger-puppets-cloth-book.html

(c) Teacher's Ink. 2012 All Rights Reserved

The Gifts of Autumn

Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn.

~Elizabeth Lawrence~

I was inspired and reminded by my last block placement at a long day care service of the gifts that autumn has for us. In fact, nature in general gives us gifts each season that we can embrace in our teaching practice.

I've noticed that when I'm not attached to a service or to a group of children (you know, 'shackled' to their portfolios and the daybook: document document DOCUMENT!!!), you are able to just chill out and go along for the ride.

I thought I might play around with some ideas from my past as well as some new ones and put together documentation on leaves and quite possibly with an emphasis on autumn.

Now, this effort will not include any pictures of children, nor pictures I’ve taken at jobs. I am going to have to be creative with images from my collection and my environment. I am also going to have to use my memory from the past 6 years of teaching.

The photo in this blog entry is from the Liquid Ambar that used to live at my grandparents house. Sadly, my parents chose to remove the tree and replace it with a Manchurian Pear tree which is lovely in its own way ... but I do miss that beautiful Liquid Ambar. But unfortunately Liquid Ambars are not very sewer pipe friendly. I personally would have spent heaps of money changing the pipes and kept the tree! But that’s me! I’m a sucker for a gorgeous tree. In fact trees have played such an important part of my childhood:

*  the “oak” tree we used to climb as children and play helicopters (no idea if it was an oak tree, we just thought it looked like it might be one and that was that!)

* the giant sequoia we had growing in our backyard back home that I used to play  under ...

* the Japanese maple we had planted next to our fish pond ...

* the giant copper beech tree our neighbours had which had the most gorgeous plum coloured leaves.

* our fruit trees: apple, plum, apricot, lemon, lime

* the oak grove at the local botanical gardens we’d visit almost every weekend as a family

So as you can see, I'm a nature loving girl who has an affinity for trees.

So, I'm going to play with a mock-up documentation on leaves and see where that goes. I'm not professing that this will be the best documenation out there. I'm not claiming that this is how it should be done ... I'm just going to put together based upon events of my past and ideas that I havent yet followed up on. It's up to you to do your own thing. This documentation just sits within my experience, my personal practice and is part of my own professional development path. When it's complete, I'll turn it into photos and post them on the blog. Afterthat, I can convert it to a PDF and if you'd like a copy I can email it to you. Here goes!

The quote came from: http://www.quotegarden.com/autumn.html

(c) Teachers Ink. 2012 ~ All Rights Reserved

Creative Presentation of Resources

It seriously doesnt have to cost a fortune ... It will cost more than the plastic baskets at the $2 shop mind you, but they will last forever and they look warm and beautiful and inviting and they are natural materials to boot!

This set of wooden bowls + a wooden square plate I forgot to add to the photo cost $20. There is a little crack in the large wooden bowl, but that could be filled up easily enough with some filler and then sanded back then oiled. They are so warm and beautiful.

So even if you displayed plastic animal figurines in the bowls, at least they are presented in a beautiful way.

The "You'll Never Guess Game!"

I had an idea ... its something I've done for years ... but it just kinda found a 'place' while I was cleaning the kitchen ... cleaning out an old plastic jar actually for the recycling ... I thought this is a somewhat funky plastic container ... and then it hit me! I can (re)USE it! This is a simple, cheap, easily adaptable, transportable group experience!

I've used this guessing game since about 2007 ... but it kinda came and went in my teaching practice - I haven't used it for aaaaages ... I just started using it again last week and it was loads of fun! It's actually extremely useful for a 'bag of goodies' if you are doing casual teaching or you need something quick, easy, and portable to grab to hold the children's attention.
Gather your supplies:

You will need stuff ...any sorts of stuff ... I'll just create a random list: miniature plastic animals, insects, toys, buttons, beads, counting/sorting toys (you know those bears or dinos or fruit or insects, coloured ribbon, stones, sticks, pompoms - whatever you think will be interesting for the children to try and guess - and make sure that its not too abstract to start as you have to give clues to guide their guesses!

AND

A jar, box or other sort of easily tranportable container.

I start this game with:

"I bet I can trick you! I bet that you can't guess what's hiding in my hands!"

They love a challenge and they love a tricky-teacher!

I give varied clues like this:

It has four legs. It's a mammal, which means it has hair on its body and it feeds it's baby milk. It lives in two places in the world: Africa and Asia. It's very big. It has a long nose. It has grey skin and two big ears. Sometimes it has two long tusks. "Elephant!"

It has four legs. It's a mammal (this is often where you'll get "elephant" shouted out all over again!). It lives in the jungle. It hunts for other animals to eat. It has stripes (often you'll get zebra at this point!). It is orange and black and sometimes white and black (yeah, you guessed it, zebra again!). Tiger!

It's got 6 legs (spider! is the usual guess at this eager excited point). It is a type of insect, but its not a spider, its like a spider. Spiders have 8 legs! It hops! (rabbit! No, it has 6 legs! Rabbits have 4 legs and are animals). It makes a noise that is a chirp chirp chirp. (Insects are very tricky I've found for the children to guess. I find that I show them a part of the toy in my hand it helps).

Sometimes you'll get that "psychic" child who will just call out "horse" and yes, you have a horse in your hand. I make a melodramatic face and pout and carry on that its not fair that they guessed too well and I wasn't able to trick them! They love it.

I just pass the toys out as we go, if the children don't guess, I just give them a toy or item anyway so only one child gets one at a time ... This keeps little hands busy, helps focus their attention, helps to support them feeling engaged with the game depsite not guessing right.

I get my supplies from around the way ... I've got bits and pieces at home that I've just accidentally brought home with me over the years and they've ended up in the washing maching or under the lounge. Or I go to the discount stores and buy the toys for about $1-$2 a set. I then mix and match the toys inside. This way the game is always fresh. I actually got the animals I'm using now from Big W for I think $1 a pack - sea animals, insects, farm and wild animals etc. Just use whatever you think is interesting.

This experience is excellent for:
* problem solving and creative thinking
* learning about animals, insects, nature etc (which ever 'characters' you are using).
* this can be a follow-up to what the children have learned about whichever project they are using (eg vegetable gardening, or insects, etc) which helps to reinforce their knowledge base.
* language and literacy - introducing new descriptive words or creative language.
* classifying and sorting and describing.
* turn taking - sharing within a group.

Enoy!

Prescribed Curriculum & Professional Challenges

Today it was a challenge to be a professional when faced with a petulant self absorbed miserable little so-and-so ... on the bright side, all the children were gorgeous (even the challenging ones) ... pity about their carer (I wont even use the word educator to describe her) ...

I know that sounds harsh ... but it was like being in high school ... Passive aggressive bullying.

I'm there to be with the kids and to teach them ... I'm a teacher, not a stop-gap measure for ratios ... I'm a TEACHER and that is what I do ... I see what the kids might like, or what they need, and then I provide it.

And I'm struggling with the room which is all from a website ... its all prescribed and structured and boring ... Its all printed out in colour, laminated and then put on the walls and every which place ... That is not a project! They are following themes and then doing highly structured stencil craft on that theme ... I can't call it art. I just can't. And the room is so insanely visually busy that people dont even notice what is in there! It doesnt even tie in with their current play 'themes' ... I can tell you 3 different things that I am doing with them that they are really loving and really embracing (but due to being somewhat anonymous, I'm not going to at this point!)

I just don't appreciate people being nasty ... and I'm dealing with it as best I can ... but its such a struggle sometimes. In fact, this reminds me of another situation I was once faced with ... when someone you work with wants to be "best buddies" with you ... and you just aren't feeling it ya know? Then because you aren't as in to them, they then start getting petty and creating drama ... I wonder if its that? Or if perhaps its because the children are really engaging so well with what I'm providing for them?

Can't it just be about the children? Can't it just be about spending time with them, giving them wonderful memorable moments that support them to grow and be happy and enthusiastic? And these aren't "my" kids! I just met them not so long ago and they are just delightful - even the ones that are a bit difficult! They are so much more chilled out that my old group, and I might add there are more of them AND there are more developmental issues ... and this feels like a working holiday compared to the hair-pulling I went through before! I don't feel so bad as an educator now! They were a difficult group! I struggled. I'm human. I walked.

I just don't get it!? Its not about YOU! Its not about YOU standing there TELLING them what they should LEARN! Its not about interrogating them on a subject and then calling it "their voice" or "their ideas" ...

They say way more interesting things than "the sky is blue" or "cows go moo" just because you did a whole theme on such and such.

But hey ... each to their own ... She would so hate working with me on a long term full time basis ... I would totally upset her prescribed boat of blandness.

Ok, that was a bit narky. Oh scrap it, I'm feeling narky! So, I'm embracing it.

Rant over.

Thanks for this space to express.

T.ink

(c) Teacher's Ink.

Oh. So. Tired.

Just started back working full-time hours and I am exhausted!

Plus there has been other complications ...

But I've been having interesting experiences ... I'll have to do some reflecting!

Hopefully dramas go away, I get used to working f/t again ... and then I can play with this!

XoXo

T.ink

$1 Dinosaurs ...

I found some dinosaurs when I was wandering around BigW one weekend ... $1x4=$4 ... Not a bad investment ... Yeah I know, they're plastic not so fantastic BUT they're durable ... just imagine all the fun that would occur out in a rough patch of garden?

Four Dinosaurs Roar!

This is my favourite dinosaur ... Of all time! Its a stegosaurus! I think that its important that you have a favourite dinosaur. This is the dinosaur that one of my students from a couple of years back, dubbed the one that goes "ching-ching" with its tail ... I just LOVED that and I won't ever forget it. This is the Dino that goes Ching-Ching!

And this is Lukey's dinosaur ... Lukey LOVED the brontosaurus in our room ... it was a light blue ... lighter blue than this one ... it was his. His favourite, and his character when they played. All the kids knew it. They would find it after he'd discarded it, and they would take it to him even if he were playing in the sandpit or on his bed. Now that dinosaur belonged to Lukey, and Lukey belonged to him.

This makes me remember once something I'd wanted to do with the kids and the dinosaurs ... I never finished it mind you - things happened and time passed and the kids lost interest and I didnt have time to complete the project ... But we took the dinosaurs outside to the blushland reserve adjacent to our service. We set them up in different ways and took photos ... then we came "home" to school and we started to write a story using MS Publisher with the pictures ... I made speach bubbles for when the dinosaurs would have something to say ... it was hillarious!

So I share this idea with you ... Take some critters or creatures, dinosaurs or animals or people - set them up in spaces indoors or out and take photos of them ... Then write a story about it ... print and enjoy! Or you could be more organised than I was, and write the story first, then use the characters to illustrate it ;)

At some point (maybe) ... I will find where specifically this relates to the EYLF ... but just off the top of my head - this would be the children driving the curriculum - making choices, being creative, using technology, literacy and communication, as well as working collaboratively ...

Enjoy!

T.ink.



Just Another Day Book Sample

This is just another version of the same sort of thing that I would do from time to time ... I wouldnt write anything at all myself ~ I'd involve the children and interview them ... These are the sorts of things they would say ...

The Day Book ~ My Style Explained V.2

Like last time ... I've added numbers as reference points ... Numbers 1-4 are explained in my previous post as well as number 7 ... I'm hoping its not too confusing but I didnt want to cut and paste it and add numbers in different orders etc. I'm assuming you have read or will read V.1!

1.       See Previous Post http://teachers-ink.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/day-book-my-style-explained-v1.html

2.       See Previous Post http://teachers-ink.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/day-book-my-style-explained-v1.html

3.       See Previous Post http://teachers-ink.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/day-book-my-style-explained-v1.html

4.       See Previous Post http://teachers-ink.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/day-book-my-style-explained-v1.html

5.       This is where I got clever a couple of years ago when it was suggested that I show the children’s voice more – this was even before the EYLF ... So I would call some children over and simply ask them a few different version of essentially the same questions:

a.       What did you play today?

b.      What did you like playing today?

c.       What did you learn today?

d.      What was the best part of your day at school?

It really depended upon who I was talking to – their language and comprehension skills etc. But you get the idea ... ask an open ended question about their play and then write down what they have to say. This is their voice. Their words or voice reflecting upon their day.

6.       This is where the author of the daybook is acknowledged – and the staff for the day written as well. I’ve also previously written what types of music we’ve listed to, or what we had for lunch so it was all there for parents to read – a one stop shop.

7.       See Previous Post http://teachers-ink.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/day-book-my-style-explained-v1.html

So this is just another version of what my day book entries used to look like ...

Enjoy

T.ink.

The Day Book ~ My Style Explained V.1

I am titling this as "Day Book ~ My Style Explained V.1" because it's simply just that ... It's very general and I've written it using generic and nonsensical terms. I'm going to reflect more on this and either provide some different samples or some guiding questions. I have also done a few different things over the years, so I will create some mock-ups of those and post them in the near (or not so distant) future and title them V.2 and V.3 etc. If you notice, I have placed numbers in the sections. The numbers are used as reference points to explain my thinking behind those sections below the image.

1.   The Title ... You can say what you want here ... I used to say “Monday’s Story” or whatever day of the week it was ... You can have it focused on one aspect of your learning environment – you can use the terminology that you are familiar with for example I might have used “The Creative Child” (DOCS, 2005) and written about our experiences in collage or perhaps the buildings that were created in block area using stones, branches and pieces of fabric. The title can be simple, or it can be a headline designed to grab peoples’ attention!

2.   These are the =main= events ... it is not EVERYTHING that was engaged with on the day. This is just what was really important or where the most learning was observed by the educators ... It might not be the most important leaning that occurred – but you don’t have eyes and ears all over your head so you can’t see and hear everything that happens everywhere all day long.

3.    I don’t like being tied to a future idea ... or curriculum decision so I use “POSSIBLE future directions” ... Its just the ideas at the time of writing the day book entry ... overnight my ideas may change, indeed while driving to work the ideas may change – or the children may come up with their own ideas or in fact they may not want to move from the place of learning they were at yesterday. I think we get so carried away with: What are we going to plan next? When it is perfectly valid to just experience NOW! Notice that I used terms like: more, less, repeat, extend and then something new. Again, these are only ideas of where the possibilities might be. They are not set in stone!

4.   This is where I write about the main events in more detail. You can relate them to the EYLF (DEEWR, 2009) and the concepts held within the learning outcomes or any other aspect of the EYLF you’d like to refer to. You can paraphrase or you can quote directly. It’s up to you. There is no particular prescription about how this should look. What you do need to be talking about and reflecting up on is children’s learning – not so much the  specific outcomes, but the processes. I like writing this as a narrative because it means that its a story, its personal, its reflective, you are speaking to your audience and sharing your thoughts, but you are also able to refer to the past, present and future in your expression. And that is "linking" and making connections within your curriculum. Remember curriculum is:

"Curriculum encompasses all the interactions, experiences, routines and events, planned and unplanned, that occur in an environment designed to foster children’s learning and development" DEEWR, 2009 pp. 9).

5.   This is where there is a space for families to write a comment to the children or the service. They can share ideas or what they are thinking about what the children are doing. I would strongly encourage you to ask families to share their voice in the day book. I remember one mother’s comment about rainbows which to this day, touches me. She was one of the main parents to read the day book and be involved. Imagine how her child felt, knowing that her mother took such a strong interest in her school.

If you have any questions or comments, please post them here or email them to me! I'd love to hear from you: teachersink [at] gmail dot com

T.Ink

You're Programming Wrong!

“You’re doing it wrong” is what they were told about their programming ...

So who is telling them that they are doing it wrong? Well, it wasn’t the previous manager who has 15+ years experience working in children’s services. It wasn’t the “validator” who assessed the service last year and found them to be a service delivering high quality care and education (who liked the system and methods).

It’s the new manager. This is her first job as a manager. She is also young and hasn’t had her degree for very long, nor has she got a great deal of experience in a variety of services. I think they were desperate to hire someone consistent. It certainly doesn’t look good when you can’t find staff for your service. Out of everything she could have done to improve the team, the service, support the transition to the NQS, she chooses to attack the programming and planning and declare that its “wrong”? Really? Is that the best way of managing? Um, no, it’s not. The methods that she has suggested were also bulky, cumbersome, time consuming, not presented professionally and is just going to encourage people to return to scribbling decorations on a blank page to fill the empty spaces because they can’t think of anything substantial to write. If educators can’t fill one page of a daybook with reflections, how are they going to fill double or triple the space? I know that she’s simply getting them to work the way that she is used to, but it’s not about her.

The programming that a service does should be created by the team for that particular service – what works for them? What physical resources do they have available to them? (slide shows on photo frames or computer screens? Printers? Computers? Photocopiers? Time to write?) What is their philosophy? How is that reflected in the interactions with children? How does all this relate to the EYLF? That programming that a service does should not come from ONE person whoever that person is!

What’s wrong with this line: “You’re doing it wrong?”  ... That’s not great management. It’s insensitive and passing judgement upon others. Even if they were doing it wrong, you don’t put it to them like that! You work WITH them as a team and brainstorm ideas – that’s reflection. That ‘reflection’ sits within the EYLF and is what we are required to do. But to tell someone that they are doing it wrong? That’s wrong.

One of my previous interview questions related to this ... and my answer was – I tend to be quite reflective and have lots of ideas. I’m however not going to walk into a new space and start changing things just because I have a new idea. I don’t know what happened before in this space – I don’t know the history of the room or program. I need to work with the team and the children and in consultation make changes. Yes, there are changes that MUST be made at times, but there are also changes that can occur over time. So, yes, you get what you want as a professional, but you do it in a way that everyone comes on board with you, and together you create change. In the meantime, I’ll just write my ideas down and wait for a good time!

You certainly don’t tell people they’re doing it wrong. People will be invested in their way of “doing it” and if you tell them it’s wrong – well you are going to put noses out of joint and upset people. Not a smart move.

I'd also like to add, that from what I've seen on  visits to quality services, at previous work places, and on the internet about how different people are programming - there are so many different ways it can be done, and as long as you can show an understanding of what your system is, and it meets the requirements - then you are doing it right. You are doing it right for you!

End of rant.

Stepping off soap box.

T.ink

~*~ Indoor Gardens ~*~

Gardening ... I love gardening. I love nature and plants and animals. I set up a terrarium with my preschool group earlier this year. We used an old plastic aquarium. The kids really got into it! Unfortunately it didnt have an air-tight lid which meant it needed to be sprayed alot - and since I took some leave - everyone forgot and many of the plants died.

We also experimented growing wheat seeds in jars which was very successful. You could see the wheat grass, but you could also see the roots in the soil. I found that idea on the internet. The children then took it in a different direction and I remember Miss K suggested that we plant them in the garden ... we did, and they grew. Master X suggested that we grow them in water ... we did, and they didn’t grow. But it was a lesson learned.

I learned a lot and it didn’t cost much. It took time. It took thought. It took planning. It took minimal resources. It’s about being resource*FULL.

Acutally I think back to one of my managers - she wanted the lunch tables to look pretty ... with the three to four serving bowls that the current cook was giving us at each table it wasnt possible with the space we had on the tables and I didnt see the point of putting something on the table that would only get removed right away ... but I was just thinking - jars with plants in them would have been the perfect alternative to the vases with flowers that were suggested. Whether as jars of wheat grass or spider plants or ferns ... I'll keep this in mind for my next employment committment (if I make one!).

Here are some photos of the terrariums I made for myself at home ... They are pretty simple ... just google image "terrarium" and you will get so many awesome ideas! I found a great deal of inspiration for this through google ... I =heart= google.

Here is my assistant ... responsible for quality control and being generally curious about everything.

I used spider plants because they were accessible (i.e. in my garden) and they were small and affordable! I figured if the plants didnt make it, then I could replace them easily enough without disturbing the substrates.

So yeah ... it was pretty straight forward and easy ... I havent added little special things yet like painted stones or trinkets or little figureines ... I thought I would save that for the larger one I will do ... I found some jars at The Reject Shop for $5 with lids - including a funky cookie jar which was rippled ... not sure if it was the best option for a terrarium because the plants would be all distorted ... I ended up buying little mini tea sets  and a bird tote instead! But there are options out there that are super affordable! All the gardening materials I purchased at Bunnings. My assistant was found 12 months ago as a 12 week old kitten on the street at midnight by a neighbour. I'd be lost without him.

If you dont have a space in which you can garden - I know that some services don't have access to gardens - this is a way for you to do something on a small scale inside. And because they are enclosed, they are relatively easy to maintain - i.e. they don't dry out quickly.

If the plants do die, or fail to thrive, this is the time to have those conversations with the children about why that might be happening! Then you are really tackling hypothesizing and problem solving and really engaging with the natural materials!

Now in regards to the EYLF ...

"Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world: Children become socially responsible and show respect for the environment:

= explore, infer, predict and hypothesise in order to develop an increased understanding of the interdependence between land, people, plants and animals

= show growing appreciation and care for natural and constructed environment

= explore relationships with other living and non-living things and observe, notice and respond to change

= develop an awareness of the impact on human activity on environments and the interdependence of living things."

Educators can promote this through:

·        " provide children with access to a range of natural materials in their environment

·         model respect, care and appreciation for the natural environment

·         find ways of enabling children to care for and learn from the land"

EYLF, 2009 pp. 29

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~*~ My Philosophy ~*~

I've been thinking about my philosophy ... changing jobs will do that to ya! What is often one of the things that they ask you? Tell us about your philosophy!

When I was at Univeristy so many many years ago I had to write a philosophy and present it to the class ... I had an ingenious idea - to make a story book! So I did ... I used photos from the internet, my own photos, quotes, ideas etc and put them into an "old fashioned" scrap book (this is before the days of scrapbook popularity!). I then read the "story" to the class.

So I've been thinking about my philosophy today and how would I present it?

I came up with a montage of images that I've taken, resources I've made and I am creating a sort of picture book philosophy circa 2012 ...

So far I have two pages completed ...

I am going to do more ... adding to it ... I've just realised that the bottom image has a fault ... I'll fix it later ... its somewhat difficult with a 5kg kitten-cat sleeping on the desk in front of you leaning on the mouse and the keyboard ... I might even leave it there (fix it in another post) as homage to the little furry beast I love so much.

Breaking Bread ... & the EYLF

The Finished Product! A Scrummy Loaf of Warm Bread!!!

(a bit blurry but you get the idea!)

Well, the first batch of bread failed (the yeast didnt activate and I later realised that it was out of date!) ... So I bought more yeast and I bought a big giant bag of bakers flour which was way cheaper than buying the other stuff.

This time, because the weather wasnt very warm, I preheated my oven and then turned it off. I placed the plastic bag over the mixing bowl, and put it in the oven ... Whoah did the yeast activate or what! Then when I was making dinner, I remembered what an Italian friend said her mother did when making pizza - they'd cover the dough with the blankets and doonas from the beds ... So I put the bowl in my bed and covered it with my doona and pillows in a big mountain ... This really stayed warm and this is the result after a few hours:

After a few hours in the middle of my bed ...

The next morning

(I probably could have baked it last night b/c there wasnt much visible change from night to morning) 

I did as the recipe said, then formed a loaf shape ... then put it in the oven ...

 This is after the first bake with the lid on ...

And this is with the lid off and finished! YUMMO!!!

Bread will be devoured with home made vegetable soup ... my next project!

The awesome thing about this bread, is you dont have to work the dough ... you just mix, and let sit for a length time ... If you wanted to do this with kids (as I do with my next group) you could have a few of the steps on the go at one time ... You could make some in the morning or the afternoon, bake them early, or later (all depending upon your cook's schedule! Don't upset your cook!)  You could make  on Monday, bake and eat Tuesday, Make one Tuesday and bake and eat Wednesday etc. Or you could just bake traditional bread and get the kids to work the dough ... its all good, I just like this because its no-fuss and effective and it bakes the type of bread I like eating! I really like a chewy crust with a soft moist centre! You'd pay $4-$6 for a loaf like this at a boutique bakery! I should work out how much that cost me ... Not much at all ... So even if your services is on a tight budget - you use flour to make playdough? Well, all you'll need is some yeast - a portion of one packet, salt, flour, water ... done.

Now .. how does bread link to the Early Years Learning Framework? 

I think that cooking is such an important part of a curriculum. We ALL eat.  We don't all however cook. There would be some families who just re-heat and serve, so don't assume that all children will be exposed to cooking. Reheating is not cooking. So its your job to support children in learning about this. If children do cook at home, then if you cook at school you can involve those children to share their knowledge and experience - or involve the family either by sharing recipes, or having family members come in and help prepare if possible.

Cooking supports learning in so many different curriculum areas.

Here are some samples:

= science: how properties change - solid/liquid/hard/soft etc, ... also biology - yeasts, extend by making a sourdough starter culture? further extend by making yogurt?

= maths: measurement, addition, subtraction, weights, time ...

= health: nutrition - healthy foods to eat, healthy ways to prepare ...

= social: working together towards a common goal - bread! taking turns, sharing ...

= physical: hand-eye coordination, fine/gross motor (if you work the dough!) ...

= cultural: so many cultures make bread as a staple - explore all the different types (tortilla, chapati)

= literacy: reading a recipe, vocabulary relating to the recipe and cooking

= cognitive: following directions (what happens if you dont!?)

Ok that's just off the top of my head ... you get the idea ...

Cooking is a really great way to look at community. Think of social engagement as community. You gather your children and you have a community meeting about cooking ... what sorts of foods would they like to prepare? Why? If you ask them do they have any ideas of what healthy foods are vs unhealthy ones?

I remember once asking the kids this when I first started with them many years ago ... I got answers like pizza and MacDonalds ... not what I was hoping for ... I brought in my recipe books the next day and they went through the images and that really got their ideas flowing ...

Make a plan of action:

1. What would we like to prepare?

2. What CAN we prepare (i.e. what equipment do we have access to? what do we need to borrow or purchase?

3. What ingredients can we use? What do we already have? What do we need to buy? What allergies do we need to consider? (i.e. do we have children with egg allergies and can we use a substitute?)

4. When can we do it? (not wise to whip up a curry at 4pm or when the cook is preparing lunch either)

5. Who is interested in this? (remember some children might participate in the whole process, others might come and go and this is ok!)

6. Who will go shopping? Have you made a list? Money? (In a perfect world, the children could go to the local shop and buy what they need, but I know that not everyone can do this!)

I'd suggest you start simple and then complicate things ... that way there is more opportunity for success and less chance for failure! Then, you complicate things a little more and work your way up to other ideas and methods.

From a cultural perspective you can look at the socio-cultural groups of the room/service ... Just because someone is "white" doesn't mean they don't have culture ... They could be from any number of cultural groups. My old service was VERY multicultural ... in fact it was the most culturally diverse service I've ever worked in over 15 years of working in early education ... See what cultural resources you already have within your staff and go from there. Who likes cooking? Perhaps someone who works in the nursery section loves cooking, but the educators in the preschool aren't so experienced ... well, do a staff swap and have that educator share their skills with others (children AND educators).

I'd started a communal meal by asking the staff to bring a dish to share ... Some of my colleauges and myself were always sharing food and ideas at lunch ... It's a great way to bond and learn!  So for our staff meetings we'd bring something to share, Mexican dips, Indian rice and curries, tabouli, cakes, noodles and dumplings, pastries ... Everyone would bring something from their culture or something from another culture that they really enjoy eating/preparing! Maybe that is how you can weave some community into your team? And let it trickle down to the kids?

Cooking is awesome.

Cooking is curriculum.

Cooking is community.

Cooking is life.

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