Taking Action in the Early Years

 


Dear Turtle Class Families,

We have continued to inquire into Causation and Responsibility in regard to taking care of our planet Earth. The children were asked the following question, "Where does all of our rubbish go?" We were very impressed with some of the children's prior knowledge who responded with, "A dumpsite!" We explored how lots of our rubbish cannot be recycled and therefore it is sent to a landfill, which can be a problem for our planet Earth. We watched a small clip from the Disney movie Wall-E, which also highlighted the importance of recycling and caring for our planet. 

These are some funny clips from the movie too:




The class then explored a variety of other ways in which we can help take care of our planet. Reading The Earth Book story written by Todd Parr, gave us lots to discuss and think about.




Through a number of recycling activities in class, the children were able to revisit and transfer the knowledge gained in our previous unit of inquiry (How The World Works) when we explored various types of materials. Observing and recognising the properties of different materials, helped us identify which items could or couldn't be recycled. The following recycling symbol also allowed us to discuss unwanted items, which can be reused, such as old clothes and toys. 




 

The class enjoyed reading the following story, which encouraged us to begin thinking about how we can reduce the amount of plastic that we use daily. The story Plastic Soup, written by Judith Koppens and Andy Engel can be read on Epic!





I would also like to share a useful resource where The Turtle Class can continue researching their inquiries - Epic! Hillside families can access Epic! for free through our school account during the following days and times: Monday - Friday, 7am - 3pm. Please find the Login details below. 


Throughout this Term, we have observed some children beginning to take 'action' with regard to what they have been inquiring into in class. But you may ask, "What is action in the Early Years?" and "What does it look like?" Action often emerges as children respond to real-life experiences that have meaning for them, e.g. recycling. At Hillside, the children are encouraged to explore different demonstrations of action, such as participation, advocacy, social justice, entrepreneurship and lifestyle choices. 

Here are some examples of what you might observe your children saying you doing when taking action:


  • recycling
  • watering plants
  • picking up litter
  • sharing their knowledge about plants/nature/conservation with others
  • choosing to use certain items based on their materials (reducing the usage of plastic)



If you notice your child 'taking action' during the Spring break, please feel free to share any photographs or videos of your child in the following Photo Albums:




Wishing you all a very 'hoppy' Easter and spring break! 





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