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With the approaching end of term, we conducted another round of systematic assessment of children’s wellbeing and involvement. After the first assessment at the beginning of this term, class teachers made relevant supporting measures, based on children’s specific needs, to improve their wellbeing and involvement. Therefore, at the end of term assessment, we are very glad to see that most children’s wellbeing and involvement has been enhanced.
Dr. Ferre Laevers’ words are particularly illuminating: “Enhancing children’s wellbeing has nothing in common with ‘spoiling’ children, giving in or permissiveness. The role of professionals is to offer the necessary emotional support and conditions for the child to learn and to interact successfully with his/her environment, people, places and objects. We know that experiences of true wellbeing do not weaken individuals but make them stronger: they empower and have a positive impact on the person’s self-image and self-esteem.”
One thing we must explain is that a high sense of wellbeing and involvement is not just about children not crying or "seeming" busy. For children to thrive, we must let them fully participate in all kinds of activities. To achieve this goal, we need to ensure that all people work together to support and help our early years children. We would like to invite you to observe and support your children's wellbeing and involvement at home to provide children with a more comprehensive and effective parent-school cooperation environment.
A resourceful environment enriches communication development
Huili Nursery is resourced in an exciting and stimulating way. Our EY1 children have expansive opportunities to develop their communication skills. Continuous provision, like construction resources, allows familiarity and practice, building confidence, developing fine motor skills and lends limitless communication scenarios; “Can you tell me about…? Can you add another red one? Can you give me one more? Can you find a way to…? What might happen…? I wonder if…?” Provocations and new resources are irresistible to our EY1 children. It is always delightful to see how the resources bring children’s natural curiosity and exploration to the forefront, igniting their excitement and interest to share their deep learning with friends and educators. Here at Huili Nursery, we are proud to offer layers of enrichment. Through our highly resourced and excellent teaching and learning space, we see each child’s unique communication journey grow and develop.
The relevant mathematical resources and investigation opportunities are everywhere in our animal project learning. During an exploration of space and geometry in the construction play area, children built very tall houses for animals with soft bricks and said, "Now, they can live in a very high place so that the bad guys can't catch them anymore." On the Magic Mathematic Carpet, children found a snake and the number "1" stacked together, along with several random displayed animals and numbers nearby. Based on their previous knowledge and exploration of animals’ bodies, our children spontaneously associated numbers with the animals’ body parts. What can you do with coloured blocks? Our EY2 children built different animal habitats by classifying different colours of the building blocks. These direct provocations and learning activities are not only applicable to children's concrete thinking, but also further promote the development of children's abstract and logical thinking.
Children in EY3B explored the secret of the pinecones. They were interested in the pinecones and put them in water to see what might happen. The next day, children were excited to find that the pinecones closed in cold water! Heated discussion happened around why the pinecones closed and why the water with pinecones changed to brown. Children also explored ice and temperature, including under what circumstances water would freeze. Children in EY3B are motivated to learn and explore the winter by observing, asking questions proactively, experimenting with cause and effect and solving problems with peers. Teachers ask open-ended questions purposefully to inspire children’s thinking and follow children’s lead.
Congratulations to our children on the success of their project research on dreams. We are impressed by the children’s enthusiasm and achievements during the whole exploration process. Many children have presented showcasing their talent and creativity in their exploration of dreams. We believe, in the future that our children will gain many benefits from the experience, knowledge and skills they have obtained during the project research. We really appreciate the support and cooperation of our parents, especially those who helped to organise the field trips on dreams to expand our learning. During the last academic week of 2020, many parents visited and participated in our children’s learning activities, such as sharing stories about festivals and making biscuits. When children are provided with this solid foundation they have the potential to progress higher and further. Therefore, I would like to express my sincere thanks to our lovely parents.
