All rooms participate in School Readiness programs and group learning activities that supports children’s inquiry, academic, social skills and critical reflection which are part of their school experience.
At Alphabet Cottage, school readiness does not just mean being able to write your name or sit in a group. We believe that children need to be equipped with the ability to ask questions, critically reflect on information and present their findings to others. We believe that fundamental themes such as literacy, numeracy and science should be incorporated into the children’s learning holistically. Alphabet Cottage is also a strong believer in supporting child-led learning, which forms the basis of each rooms programming and assessment cycle.
Our ongoing fundraising and charity programs also link to our School Readiness program. Our children have collected books for a library in Papua New Guinea, raised awareness about the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and is collecting donations for victims of the recent NSW floods through an Easter raffle. We believe that these types of programs develop important skills that will give every child graduating from Alphabet Cottage an advantage in their school classroom. Compassion, empathy and an understanding of social issues are fundamental in our centre's curriculum.
Alphabet Cottage has a robust STEM program that supports all children from eight months to 5.5 years old to participate in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics activities. Children have built solar powered cars, explored chemical reactions, tested flying machines and helped designed their classroom mascots.
The children are supported to use their senses and document their learning. Science experiments are performed regularly in every room and we are always encouraging families to share their home STEM learning with us.
Alphabet Cottage has created a Bush Kinder program that aims to support children to regularly engage with their local outdoor environment through regular adventures to outdoor spaces. All these adventures will endeavour to instill children with knowledge of the natural world that will support their independence, confidence and ability to learn by connecting with nature.
Being outdoor in the Bush helps children get a closer look at wildlife and the lifecycle of plants. They observe the textures of tree bark, flower petals, plant stems, and leaves. They notice and compare the shapes, sizes, and weight of insects, local birds, and natural materials. The children use STEM, Risky Play and Indigenous Perspective in this program.
Bush Kinder, otherwise known as Forest School, is an Early Learning program held outdoors. In these settings, children are encouraged to explore, learn and play in a natural setting. Alphabet Cottage will be commencing a series of short park excursions to introduce this program to both educators and children. These excursions will gradually extend over time and is incorporated into every room’s curriculum.
Every child deserves to be in nature, to seek adventure, explore the wilderness, connect with nature and our earth. Children need to be encouraged to climb trees, build nature dens, search and identify bugs and fungi, jump in puddles, share stories, create nature art, and explore the wilderness, whilst experiencing the ever-changing landscapes and seasons that nature has to offer.
We believe every child has the right to explore and play in a stimulating natural learning environment. Everything Alphabet Cottage does in the classroom can be replicated in a Bush Kinder environment.
Alphabet Cottage has embedded outdoor learning and play into every room’s curriculum. All families are supported to provide wet weather gear and spare clothes so their children can enjoy the magic of playing in the rain.
One of our goals is to embed a joy of nature in children. All children are drawn to puddles, want to play in the rain and have the desire to form a deeper connection with the natural world.
Alphabet Cottage has a ‘Rainy Day Play’ program that teaches children to navigate on slippery terrain, explore the outside in the rain and use these experiences to create amazing sensory learning experiences.
Our program also supports children to learn about rain through first-hand experience. Playing in the rain gives children an opportunity to learn about where the water we use comes from, that rain comes at different rates of intensity, wind affects the direction of rain and that water seeks its own level.
Responsibility for belongings that get wet in the rain. We want to provide many opportunities for children to grow in their independence and responsibility. Playing in the rain provides meaningful chores including moving items that can be ruined by rain to dry areas, placing rain gear to dry after play, and wiping spills from coming indoors after playing in the rain.
The term ‘Risky Play’ is often used but is still either not fully understood or put into practice. So, what does risky play actually mean? At Alphabet Cottage we believe Risky play is providing opportunities for all children to encounter or create uncertainty, unpredictability, challenging materials and themes as part of their play and learning. We do not mean putting children in danger of serious harm. We aim to create an environment full of excitement that is driven by the philosophy that ‘children can do anything’ with the right support.
An example of this is conducting dissections, using screwdrivers to explore the electronics of a computer, building a human size crane, teaching the children to use flint fire sticks and explore themes of democracy in classroom voting.
Good risks and hazards in play provision are those that engage and challenge children, and support their growth, learning and development. Children do recognise that ‘you can’t make everything safe’ and that a balance is needed between risks, fun and learning. Children recognise that knowing about risks and how to manage them is an essential part of growing up. Through our curriculum children are able to learn about risks and use their own initiative. If children are not allowed to explore and learn through playing and taking part in positive activities, they will not learn how to judge risks and manage them for themselves.
Risky Play is any activity that challenges children to extend themselves both physically and mentally. These activities also develop children’s confidence, ability to assess risk and deal with challenges.
Educational research from the Australian Department of Education has found that ‘an inability to cope with challenges’ as one of the main reasons for children developing educational problems at school. Risky Play when supervised and developed by educators provides a perfect environment for children to learn how to cope with and overcome challenging situations. Providing them with the skills they need for the stressful environment of school.
Some of the examples of Alphabet Cottage Risky Play activities:
Alphabet Cottage philosophy states that all children are tactile and sensory learners. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many of the children’s opportunities to breathe in the fresh air, interact with soil and care for plants. We want all of our children to have the opportunity to care for plant and harvest the gardens.
Alphabet Cottage is also committed to embedding an Indigenous Perspective into our curriculum that values the culture, practices and ways of learning of the Aboriginal community. This is especially true of Bush Tucker plants and knowledge. Alphabet Cottage is working to embed an appreciation and knowledge of Bush Tucker plants into every room’s curriculum. We have established a number of Bush Tucker gardens and incorporated the produce into the children’s meals. A number of educators have also participated in a Bush Tucker Walk with members of the Indigenous community to expand their knowledge.
Our Bush Tucker program helps develop motor skills to hold and use tools; an understanding of the food-cycle and an appreciation of Indigenous knowledge. These skills are connected to our STEM, Risky Play and Bush Kinder programs. Our herbs and vegetable garden also encourage children’s healthy eating habits that help them understand why being healthy helps their bodies grow.
The children are supported to care for and harvest our garden and Bush Tucker plants. These are incorporated into our daily meals. This is an ongoing program that is also linked to sustainability and Munch & Move goals.
Families are also encouraged to contribute recipes that incorporate our garden produce.
Alphabet Cottage has been a participant in an NSW health initiative that supports the healthy development of children 0-5years old. We promote physical activity, healthy eating, reduced screen time, drinking water and breast feeding. This program fits within the National Quality Framework and Early Years Learning framework.
Alphabet Cottage has been given the ‘exceeding’ rating for our Munch & Move program for two years running. We encourage families to bring in fruit and vegetables to share, participate in charity fun-runs and cook healthy meals with the children. This program is also connected to our Bush Tucker and sustainability garden programs that is continuing to expand to increase our ability to be self-sufficient in regard to vegetables and herbs.
Sustainability is a core principle at Alphabet Cottage and is embedded into every element of the children’s learning. We are working hard to increase the amount of food we grow on site to be more self-sustainable. We have an active Return & Earn, E-waste and compost program that is part of our daily routine. Families are also supported to bring in recyclable materials to be incorporated into our program.
Alphabet Cottage believe that children learn best by connecting with their local community. We ensure that all excursions undertaken by the Service are planned and conducted in a safe manner, maintaining children’s wellbeing at all times in accordance with National Legislation. We believe excursions provide children with the opportunity to expand and enhance their skills and knowledge, while gaining insight into their local community.
These adventures consist of trip to local businesses to explore ideas of economy and numeracy; visits to the local library where the children can borrow books with their own library card and expand their literacy development; trips to the METRO where the children will learn how to safety catch a train and navigate a map; visits to the local police station and a retirement facility where they will be able to form relationships with new members of the community. They will also participate in regular trips to local natural spaces where they will participate in ‘Bush Kinder’ practices.
All rooms will be able to participate in all these adventures because we at Alphabet Cottage believe that with the right support all children are capable and active agents of their own learning. An example of this is our purchase of four-seater prams for the AA and BB rooms.
Alphabet Cottage also has on ongoing community competition programs that encourages our families to participate in community activities that are connected to children’s learning and what they are doing in the Centre.
In connection to national Bee Week, families were asked to take a photo of their local bees and the winners won a number of Native Bee houses and local honey. To support our Auslan program, families were encouraged to record themselves doing the Auslan alphabet and won special Auslan story books.
The current community competition is based on the learning experiences each room participated in throughout the week of Australia/Survival Day and our Bush Tucker program. Every room explored the Indigenous Perspective through a number of engaging activities.
This month we are asking our families to show us how they engage with the Indigenous community. This is based on our Survival Day activities.
Here are some examples of what you can do;
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