Four-Year-Old Kinder

Risk Play

At Windsor we believe in children exploring challenge within their environment as a way of extending their learning and development. What this can look like in our kinder environment is children engaging in risk taking experiences. Our yard is full of wondrous trees to explore, children will approach them, engage with them and climb them. We allow the freedom of this exploration without limitations as children are aware of their own limits. Educators are on hand to supervise and assess if children may need help however children are also encouraged to ask for assistance if they feel they require it. Within our environment we also engage with real tools again as it allows us to view children as competent and active citizens in their own right, an alternative version sets the foundations but the real thing allows expectations and respect to be truly explored. This also translates into our excursions where we welcome challenging environments for the children to explore such as going to the beach or adventure parks where children find their own ways of risky play such as sliding down a skate ramp.

Anti-Bias

A continuous journey for us at the centre is ensuring that Anti-Bias principles and goals are embedded into our curriculum. Here experiences, interactions and discussions with the children will be setting the foundations for positive social outlooks for community, people and the wider world. Children and families engage with respect and kindness around topics such as gender, racism, sexuality and disability. They share their understandings and explore resources that help to unpack the themes and working towards strengthening their voice to stand up to injustice when they are faced with it themselves or see others surrounded by it.

Reconciliation

Here at Windsor we ensure that children and families are an important part on our journey towards reconciliation. Each room is exploring their own welcome to country which can include singing a welcome to country song, engaging with different Aboriginal languages and paying respects to Elders, Communities and land that we work and play on. Our curriculum will also contain a number of resources and experiences that will explore the connection to Country. We will also be engaging with different organisations throughout the year to run sessions at the centre and have excursions which will help strengthen our knowledge and understandings. All of this coupled with our ongoing exploration of Anti-Bias principles are working towards the creation of our own Reconciliation Action Plan.

Mindfulness

In line with our philosophy we have a real focus on building children’s social and emotional wellbeing so that they are better prepared to self regulate, understand emotions and find new ways to display traits such as respect, kindness and empathy. To support this, our educators embed mindful practices into their curriculum. This can be seen in multiple ways including through practicing yoga everyday for those children that would like to engage, having sensory bottles available for children to promote self-regulation, encouraging breathing techniques and providing an environment of appropriate light, smell and sound that doesn’t overpower the senses.

Cultural Language

Within the centre we have a number of educators that are fortunate to speak multiple languages. Talking to the children and exploring these languages with the program are encouraged and celebrated. This allows for a stronger partnership between families and the centre as, in some cases, their home language is spoken to the children. This is further extended through some of the resources we have in the centre that promote different forms of the language such as books to read with the children or posters that promote different words and phrases. This allows the children to see that their culture is included within our space and gives different opportunities to showcase diversity and respect.

Excursions 

We are an active part of the community regularly attending excursions to our two local parks, visiting local business, for example, Op shops, pet shops, Australia post, etc. and in and around Melbourne.  Children are able to experience different learning environments, foster new friendships, develop road safety skills, create opportunities for discussion and understandings around social issues in the community and play in alternative spaces.  We allow children to understand their world first hand. In kinder we will also do larger excursions such as Brighton Beach, St Kilda Adventure playground and Royal Botanical gardens.

Transition To School

With this being most children’s year before starting school, our program in this room has a strong focus on ensuring that all children and families are prepared for the school environment. We believe that a strong focus within this is the social emotional learning and capabilities that we have been developing throughout our whole journey within the centre. We will engage with mindfulness and respectful relationships to ensure children have strategies within themselves to cope with the change. Complimenting this is our continued focus on preparing children for what the environment may be like. This is done through discussions and sharing ideas, we have excursions to local primary school, primary school children come to visit us to read stories and answer questions, we share stories that available for the children with a focus on school readiness and we work collaboratively with families creating goals and transition statements that will ensure that all parties involved are best prepared for the transition.