Music and Movement
We value music and movement and find ways for this to be incorporated into each day.
Children gather to sing and are also provide with an array of instruments. In addition, we invite various musicians to share their knowledge with the children. The children have enjoyed African drumming, Aboriginal dance, expressive dance, Indian Bollywood and most recently specific music classes with Alicia.
Alicia provides the children with an introduction to music, rhyme, pitch, styles of music and access to the highest quality harp. Please slide down to read more 👇
Alicia Dawes-Salazar is an innovative and gifted harp player hailing from Scotland, now based in Byron Bay. She began playing at the age of 5 and has enjoyed a varied range of experiences. Alicia has an engaging and creative approach to teaching, using innovative techniques and complemented by ample experience and qualifications in Early Childhood Education.
Fundamental movement
Children have the opportunity to engage in soccer lesson and yoga classes at various times thorhgout the term.
We provide lots of exciting leanring opportunites for children to ubild on their fundamental movment skills daily.
STEM
Stem (Science, technology, engineering and Mathematics) is integrated through our entire program. Children are challenged everyday to engage in scientific processes such as observation, describing their observation, predicting, hypothesising , testing and retesting. Children are exposed to concepts and provided ample uninterrupted time to explore and experiment freely with materials and concepts. Children are encouraged to document their scientific investigations in various way like charts, diagrams and using symbols. We use a constructivist approach in which children and adults are co learners and construct shared understandings. Please slide down to read more 👇
We encourage the exploration of engineering strategies through use of construction materials, designing and building, heuristic strategies and utilising simple machines and real tools. Children are encouraged to become problem-solvers in all aspects of their life and play. Mathematics is embedded through every aspect of our day as children engage in everyday exploration of number, shape, patterns and concepts relating to mass, volume and length such as comparisons and informal measurement. Children learn about number as a communicative tool that helps us express concepts relating to quantity, size and relative size. This is done through carefully structure play environments, songs, games and stories as well as general everyday experiences like setting the table or playing on a see-saw. We also encourage the use of mathematics as a problem-solving tool which is ultimately used in our projects and construction.
Sustainability & Excursions
Our sustainability vision is to nurture a deep love and respect for our sacred Earth and each other.
We aim to cultivate a positive, peaceful, and respectful attitude for caring for all life & to nurture a deep connection to the natural world, working together for a sustainable future.
Monique ensures our program allows children to have the chance to learn about recycling, reusing and reducing. They are actively involved in caring for our gardens and conserving water.
We love to take the children on excursions to special places. So far our favourite Places been : Ballina Seabird and a rescue, Byron Wildlife Park, Rocky Creek Dam and Torakina . We also visit our local schools .Excursions provide children with a chance to learn hands on and build on our centre program and their sense of community .