Play Workshop

Measuring with Seeds Shaving Foam Fun Water Tray Investigations

Play and Inquiry at Southern Cross

At Southern Cross Early Childhood School we are committed to providing children with opportunities to engage in play and to inquire about the world around them. Our learning environments reflect our beliefs that children effectively learn through play, and we support them in their individual endeavours and interests.

Early childhood education is one of society's most important professions and areas of education. Research unequivocally demonstrates that if we can provide a strong, intentional, play based curriculum with a rich creative environment with highly professional educators in the field, children will receive a quality early childhood education that will influence and impact upon their lives and learning for their futures (Early Life Foundations- Walker Pedagogy).

Aren't they just playing?

Children engaged in play are never 'just playing'. Play allows children to explore their worlds, gather new information, practise skills, role model, create, communicate and LEARN! Educators are constantly providing provocations which allow the children to think, ask questions and wonder. These provocations allow the children access to a rich learning program where they develop a deep understanding and practical knowledge of all curriculum areas.

Play is such a crucial part of our development. As we get older, our play turns to inquiry, curiosity, noticing and wonder. At Southern Cross, our Play Workshops provide children with the opportunity to play, be curious and wonder about the big questions that are relevant to our children’s lives. Our teachers facilitate and orchestrate our Play Workshops to enable deep inquiry into an area of the Australian Curriculum and the Early Years Learning Framework to make the play relevant to the lives of each child in the classroom.

Learning spaces are set up to encourage exploration and provocations to stimulate learning. Teachers teach explicitly for one-third of the lesson time and children then have opportunities to explore, play and learn and for two-thirds of the lesson time. At the end of the workshop, children work with the classroom teacher to reflect on their learning.

Teachers guide and facilitate Play Workshops while children work individually or together on shared projects. Children are encouraged to step out of their comfort zone and show their learning in a variety of ways for example, drawing, plays, construction, dance, written expression, art etc. Festivals of learning occur as the final product to celebrate the learning that has occurred over a period. Families and school community are invited into these festivals to celebrate with children.

What does play and inquiry look like at Southern Cross?

We believe in play, so at Southern Cross you will see children:

engaging in a range of play types throughout the day, every day.
showing creativity with resources and their environment.
having their ideas values and their voices heard.
celebrating their success in play.
guided by adults in one on one and small group experiences.
connecting and transferring their knowledge.
engaging deeply in real life experiences.

We believe in agency, so at Southern Cross you will see children:

making choices in their learning, e.g. selecting resources, deciding how to demonstrate their learning, choosing working partners.
demonstrating their interests through play that are aligned with the Australian Curriculum.
contributing to their community and the ‘real world.’

We believe in the power of exploring and being curious, so at Southern Cross you will see children:

engaging in and extending on concepts, skills and processes.
thinking in critical and creative ways.
using a variety of resources.
taking their learning beyond the school gate.
utilising the indoor and outdoor learning environments.

We believe in social wellbeing, so at Southern Cross you will see children:

enjoying, appreciating and respecting others.
engaging in cooperative and co-constructed play.
sharing, taking turns and collaborating.
displaying a sense of connection and belonging to their peers, class, teachers/educators and community.

We believe in spontaneity, so at Southern Cross you will see children:

sourcing their own resources.
constructing and setting up their own spaces and displays.
taking multiple paths with their play and their ideas.
moving freely between spaces (e.g. between classrooms and courtyards).
taking and managing risks.
deciding how and to what extent they engage in being brave.
engage in differentiated opportunities.

Learning Assets

Learning assets are skills and qualities that learners need to be successful. Learning assets can be applied across a wide range of varying contexts and allow us to face challenges and opportunities with positivity and success.

The learning assets are used in our classrooms everyday to enhance the learning experience and to support young learners to grow and develop each of these learning assets. Our goal is to provide young children with the skills and qualities they will need to be successful at primary school, high school and college, and to be successful in society and life, beyond the classroom.

The following learning assets are introduced to the children in preschool and the language is used to support their learning across the day.

I am a collaborator

If you are a successful collaborator, you can:

Work together with others
Be a good team member
Be empathetic
Show kindness
Share and take turns
Communicate effectively
Show compassion and care
Play

I am a risk taker

If you are a successful risk taker, you can:

Problem solve
Investigate
Be brave
Be adventurous
Adapt to new ways of thinking
Be courageous
Play

I am an explorer

If you are an explorer, you can:

Use your imagination
Be motivated and help motivate others
Be creative
Demonstrate curiosity
Show resilience
Play

I am a thinker

If you are a thinker, you can:

Problem solve
Inspire
Nurture
Be independent
Reflect on your learning and actions
Play

What the children think at Southern Cross think?

I like that I can be creative and that everybody can do different things.
-Elizabeth, Year 1

I like Play Workshop because you can express yourself.
-Theo, Year 2

I like acting and pretending to be different people. We learn what it was like in the olden days by doing this.
-Hadlee, Year 2

I like to play dress ups, playing offices, weddings and school. I learn about these things by playing them.
-Lucy, Year 1

We collect, build, work with our friends and play in Play Workshop.
-Banjo and Iggy, Kindergarten

I like the arts and crafts. I make the things that I like.
-Ella-Rose, Year 1

I like that we get to learn about our homes, and we get to play. I like to play with craft and make things that I am learning about.
-Sam, Year 1

I like doing puppet shows with my friends. We learn about thinking, exploring and risk taking in play workshop.
-Elliott, Year 1