As we come back together for term two, we reflect on the term that was for our new Forestview Kindergarteners. As our children come home each day with tired bodies and tired minds, we ask, “What did you learn?”. “Nothing” comes the response. Hard at work with the busy job of playing, they simply forgot all that they did that day.  Yet hidden behind the innocence of “nothing” is a carefully designed world where tuned-in educators have skillfully weaved together their understandings of children generally; the aspirations of the children and families; teaching pedagogies and practices; professional values; philosophies; and policy expectations to bring to life the C&K Listening and Learning curriculum through play.

If we look beneath the surface of all this serious play, we see the real learning that takes place. If only they had the words, instead of nothing, our Kindergartener’s would say:

“I learned about Belonging – about myself, and my identity within the context of my families and communities.

• When I shared my All About Me bag at show n tell, I was becoming more confident in my identity within this world.
• When I shared my ideas with the class and they formed part of our plan for the day, I was learning I am significant in this world
• When we rode together around the bike track travelling at a safe speed and all going the same direction, I was learning to interact with care and respect
• When Mrs Yuka shares stories of her culture and her language with me, I was learning I am a citizen of a global world and there is much to learn about other cultures”

“I learned about Connecting – becoming socially responsible and showing respect for the environment.

• When I placed my rubbish in the recycling bin and food scraps in our compost bin, I was learning about sustainability and how I can contribute
• As we planted sunflower seeds in our garden to grow flowers for our bees and food for our animals, I was learning about the dependencies of every part of our environment and how important it is to protect it.
• When I took care of our Kindy pets, I was learning a sense of responsibility “

I learned about Wellbeing – including good physical health, feelings of happiness, satisfaction and successful social functioning

• When working through our obstacle course and climbing on our playgrounds, I was developing control and coordination over my large muscles and my body’s movement in space
• As I explored the musical instruments outside, I was developing beat, tempo and pitch and stimulating the parts of my brain that music taps into

“I learned about Exploring – supporting my own learning through connecting with people, place, technologies and natural and processed materials.

• As I engaged in the flower drinking experiment and explored the magic star cups, I was learning to make predictions, test ideas and then qualify our results
• As we became superheroes and designed our own costumes to use in our play or recreate our visit to Australia Zoo in our play, we learned to plan, design and create inventions that represent things we see and understand in the real world.”

“I learned about Communicating – using different tools and media to exchange ideas, thoughts, questions and feelings

• As I explored letters, numbers and symbols in my play, I developed the pre-literacy and numeracy skills that will later help me to read, write and learn mathematical concepts.
• When I was running my fingers through slime, exploring shaving cream, representing my ideas through playdough, threading/beading and creating works of art, I was developing fine motor skills that will help me to write and engage with the world
• As we read books together day after day, I learned that reading is fun”

“And as I was hard at work getting lost in all this play, I learned that I am a powerful learner, an active thinker and theoriser and an active citizen of this world.”

…But they don’t say all of that, we just get the quiet mutterings of a simple nothing as they drift off to sleep. Thankfully we, as parents, have Storypark where we receive glimpses of the serious play, beautiful magic and complex adventures that go on each day at Forestview Kindergarten as they are developing across each of the five learning outcomes; Belonging, Connecting, Wellbeing, Exploring, and Communicating.

“Learn more about the C&K Curriculum: Listening and Learning Together here“