Senior Kindy is such an important year in Early Childhood Education. It is a year where Educators create learning bridges for our children, individualising their experiences as they leap ahead in independence.
Caring for their own belongings (especially hats, shoes, sheets etc.) is a key area of focus. Enhanced social skills, developing empathy and respect of oneself and others are all important factors for this age group.
Children are usually toiled trained by this time and can benefit from an even greater understanding of personal hygiene, as conveyed by our Educators.
With the ability to concentrate for longer periods of time, this age group is able to enjoy more complex pursuits in areas such as art, literacy, numeracy and the sciences with more complex materials and resources made available for their experimentation and learning. Home corner continues to be a favourite source of engagement, so our play kitchen and laundry are stocked with well-crafted home-like items. The children can ‘prepare a meal’, ‘do the washing and hang out clothes’, ‘put baby to sleep’ and so much more. Dress-ups engage their imagination as does our reading corner with soft pillows and blankets for cosy rest times, available at all times of the day.
Messy play is always important at Bay Explorers, and our Senior Kindy children love diving into paint, slime and various other concoctions to fully immerse themselves in play and learning.
Messy play continues outdoors in our custom designed and made mud pit. Don’t worry there’s a hose nearby for cleaning off, but this is an area of outdoor play that our children and Educators thoroughly enjoy. With a stronger sense of balance and co-ordination, our Senior Kindy children make great use of our huge two-story fort, mastering the different slides, climbing wall, rock climber, spiral staircase, bridge, periscope and more. There’s even a Captain’s bridge for those with natural leadership abilities(!).
If the children have been at Bay Explorers in the younger age groups, they’ll be excited to demonstrate more independence as they ‘work’ in our veggie patch, showing a developed understanding of nurturing our plants. Cooking experiences led by our Educators include making salads and vegetable muffins etc. from our own Bay Explorers’ produce.
Mature trees casting lovely shade, bike paths, a huge shady sandpit, and extensive verandas round out an outdoor adventure playground that engages our children and gives them endless opportunities to explore.
