Nature Play at Wittunga
Exploring the beautiful grounds of Wittunga Botanic Garden in the autumn sunshine was an absolute highlight of our year! This very special place provided a rich and meaningful provocation for our ‘Where we are in time and place’ unit of inquiry as we find out about ‘Places can be special to people for a variety of reasons.’ The girls enjoyed a picnic on arrival before setting off for a sensory walk through the winding paths to a great grassy field. The talented and enthusiastic Nature Play SA educators led us on a journey through the grounds of Wittunga House, exploring local flora and fauna, storytelling through nature, sensory play, and conservation from a young child’s perspective.
On the way back to Wittunga House, we noticed different plants and flowers. In the garden were three play provocations set-up to explore: mud kitchen clay modelling and loose parts play. This 90-minute nature immersion invited our nature explorers to engage in play-based discovery, creative expression, and meaningful connections with nature. The girls mixed mud tea and carefully created mud cakes garnished with crunchy, colourful leaves, scented flowers and herbs. They presented their creations on beautifully presented platters, cake stands and tea cups. The loose parts play offered an open-ended story-telling opportunity to build and balance with wooden objects of different sizes and colours. The girls loved rolling and designing with the clay to make their own creature creations which they brought home as a memory of this amazing experience.
Playing in nature supports wellbeing and fosters deeper connections with the environment and ourselves. And as curiosity and wonder transform into a desire to learn, a new world of understanding, appreciation, and respect can unfold. This is just the beginning of an incredible term of learning!
Kathryn Clark and Michelle Liddy
Reception Teachers
Sustainable Toymaking Workshop
As part of the continuing EDGE focus this term on entrepreneurialism, sustainability, and design thinking, in Week 3, we had an exciting sustainable toymaker incursion for our Junior School students. Our EDGE program provides student learning experiences using the iterative design thinking processes of empathise, define, ideate, prototype, test, and evaluate. Design thinking focuses on creativity, critical thinking, and curiosity – essential skills for real-world problem solving.
We welcomed leading toymaker, Simon Till, from Mecruious with his team, David and John. Simon, originally from Germany, moved with his young family to Australia to pursue his passion for making values-based, sustainable toys. It was wonderful to see the students’ interactions with Simon’s team and the critical and creative thinking they used at the toy stations. Simon’s presentation included videos of his toymaking travels through Europe, as well as child-friendly discussions on sustainability, toymaking, and business modelling. He shared his definition of sustainability as “helping the earth stay happy and healthy so that people, animals and plants can live happily now and in the future.”
In subsequent EDGE lessons, students have initiated additional discussions about learnings from this workshop. They have been impacted in considering the lasting values regarding our world’s common good that are important in toymaking and toy purchases.
Successful Scholastic Book Fair
We would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who purchased books and stationery at our Scholastic Book Fair. Your generosity made a meaningful difference, and we are truly grateful for your support.
This year, the Mid-Year Reception classroom was transformed into a vibrant pop-up bookshop. It was amazing to see so many familiar faces browsing the shelves.
Not only did this event bring joy to readers, but it also provided a fantastic opportunity to support the Solar Buddy Service Learning Initiative, helping to provide solar study lights to children living in energy poverty areas.
We hope everyone enjoyed this year’s Scholastic Book Fair!
Cyber Safety Parent Information Session
Dear Junior School Families,
On Tuesday 17 June, we will be holding a Cyber Safety Information Session for all Junior School families (Reception to Year 6) to be held in the Jeffreys Linn Arts Centre at 6pm.
The session will be run by Cybersafe Families, a provider endorsed by the eSafety Commissioner, who will share the latest research and best practice approaches to online safety education for families. The presentation will include practical strategies and useful guides to help make home environments cyber safe.
All Cybersafe Families presentations are delivered by professionals in the field, who have an understanding that all children are at different stages in their online journey.
The parent information session will include:
- Introduction to the most popular and current social media platforms
- Tools to recognise and manage cyber bullying
- Information about online grooming and other risks
- Communication strategies – how to start difficult conversations
- Strategies for supporing positive online behaviour, including guides to manage screen time
Please register your attendance via Trybooking link by 5pm on Monday 16 June.
Warm regards,
Marika Taylor
Head of Junior School
