Sensory Play

Sensory Play for Children Link

Notes: Sensory Play For Children…. Why Is It Important?  By: Mel Ishkhanian

• Children gain information from the world around them from the moment they are born. They use innate reflexes to respond to external stimuli
• children’s earliest interactions with the resources we offer are creating the foundations for future learning.
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• As they touch and explore sensory objects, these young children are learning about texture, shape and the physical properties of these objects, classification, differentiation, spatial awareness.
• They develop the understanding that they have arms and legs to reach for and grab items that can then be placed in their mouths to determine if they are hard, soft, smooth or rough.
• They use repeated cause and effect as they practise and develop the ability to see, interpret information and then respond appropriately. As they practise these skills, their attempts at grabbing and holding objects become increasingly successful.
• Language development, vocab, descriptive language: cold, fluffy, smooth, soft, rough and hard all enable children to further differentiate between objects and materials.
• Sensory experiences are calming for children - positively impacts self-regulation.
• This state means that we do not become either over or under-stimulated by sensory input, feeling calm and ready to respond effectively to the world around us.
• Regardless of learning styles most children benefit from sensory experiences.
• We know that the more senses a child can use, the greater chance they have of being able to interpret, make sense of and retain information. 
• Clay/playdough: creative expression as well as trial and error, while also developing persistence to achieve the desired outcome. Younger children enjoy the calming sensation, while also building upon and developing their fine motor skills.

SENSORY SYSTEM =

1. Visual
2. Tactile
3. Auditory
4. Gustatory taste
5. Olfactory  smell
6. Vestibular motion balance located inner ear activated by movement of head, downward force of gravity.
7. Proprioceptive  body awareness force, push/pull

Ideas for sensory play:
Mirrors, lights, playdough/clay, sand water mud, natural objects, filling emptying containers, sound garden, objects that move.

Mana whenua - Te Paeroa-a-Toi Thames / Coromandel

Marutūahu = Ngāti Rongoū, Ngāti Tamaterā, Ngāti Whanaunga, Ngāti Maru and Ngāti Pāoa.

They are all located in the Hauraki region, and trace their descent from a common ancestor, Marutūahu. Marutūahu’s forebears came to New Zealand on the Tainui waka.
Te Ara Link

Hauraki itself means the north-west wind, which brought many raiding parties to the region
Coromandel Peninsula: Te Tara-o-te-Ika a Māui (the jagged barb of Māui’s fish), or Te Paeroa-a-Toi (Toi’s long mountain range)
Whitianga: Te Whitianga-a-Kupe (Kupe’s crossing)
Mercury Bay: Te Whanganui-a-Hei (the great harbour of Hei)

Hauraki Gulf: Tīkapa Moana (an allusion to ceremonies designed to protect Tainui and Te Arawa tribes, which took place at a small island off Cape Colville known as Tīkapa or Takapū, which means gannet).

Tikapa Moana - Firth of Thames
Waihou - river
Parawai - Thames

Covid 19 - Distance Teaching / Whānaungatanga / Professional Learning

https://learningfromhome.govt.nz/

Covid 19 Government Response - Learning From Home

 Homeschooling is Not the Same as Crisis Schooling - Link

Preschool Learning Apps Link


Educational Psychologist Nathan Wallis - Advice to families during lockdown. Resources put together by colleague Amina Davis.

Some of our whānau would have heard about one of New Zealand’s well-known educational expert NATHAN WALLIS or have been to his brain development seminars. We believe that his knowledge and research is invaluable and at this crucial time would benefit our whanau to connect with their family members.

A bit of background about him:

Nathan Wallis is an ex-university lecturer in human development and a specialist in neuroscience. He has a background as a child and family therapist, primary school and early childhood teacher. He has served in the past as lead trainer and board member for Brainwave Trust – which disseminates neuroscientific research findings.

Nathan is currently Managing Director of X Factor Education and works in New Zealand and Australia training professionals and parents in the application of neuroscience. As well as his own three children, Nathan has a history with, and a passion for foster children.

Here’s some of his YOUTUBE video links that maybe useful for your family during the COVID-19 LOCKDOWN. There’s also one of his Q & A links that may answer some of your questions.

Coping with kids at home during COVID-19https://www.facebook.com/nathanwallisxfactoreducation/videos/2801819516712042/

Q & A on child resilience
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_2LIPgfFG0

COVID -19 Home school for parents PART 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l59Vi04u-3E

COVID-19 Home school for parents PART 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pstBmsG2eLk

How am I connecting with whānau and colleagues?

Creating online learning tool website for families with the purpose of sharing media content we use at the centre. Children can make home - school connections. Gives families ideas of educational content available online. TECEC - Online Learning website link

Communication with whānau through the Thames early Childhood Centre Facebook page. Sharing ideas for playbased / educational activities that families can do at home. Encouraging participation and interaction with our page. Also support and feedback to other colleagues providing learning content on our FB page. TECEC FB Page Link

Educa - contributing Learning Stories using Educa. Feedback from parents and colleagues. I have only begun to use Educa this year since starting at TECEC. I've used the opportunity of working from home to really familiarise myself with Educa and the Learning Story format of monitoring/reporting on learning progressions. I'm taking time to read the previous Learning Stories of our tamariki, thus understanding the interests and needs of my learners more. Extensive reading of learning stories written by my colleagues is helping upskill my knowledge of Te Whariki Principals, Learning Dispositions, Schema/Working Theories and stages/needs of my learners. Example of Learning Story Educa

Transitioning Between Primary School & Early Childhood Education Settings

This year I have moved from Primary School teaching to Early Childhood. I am grateful for being able to transfer my skills from the junior primary school to an early childhood setting. I believe there should be more flexibility between education settings for our young learners. Research shows the early childhood years are vital and range from 0-8 years, that's plenty of scope for more fluidity and cooperation between early childhood centres and primary schools.

More and more junior primary schools are interested in incorporating play-based learning in their curriculum, based on research that shows the developmental benefits of young learners being engaged in self-directed explorative style learning. Primary schools are trying to upskill in this area and find ways to monitor learner progress, so they can prove learning is happening if they incorporate a play-based setting. Primary teachers have concerns regarding how to prove learning is occurring compared to the standardized testing and reporting / national standards approach. Whereas - Early Childhood Centres have been using play-based practices for years and have well-established systems for monitoring progress in individual learners. Their format is the 'Learning Story' which outlines what learning dispositions children are exhibiting in their different learning activities. Learning Stories are a record of your teacher observations and highlight key learning in relation to the developmental stages,  and next steps for your individual learner. I love the format of learning stories as they are so personal, full of anecdotal evidence,  and are a great way to educate parents on the importance of play in our young learners.

Transitioning from a single cell classroom to a collaborative teaching / play-based environment. I had much more control in a single cell classroom. I miss the thrill of delivering a well-planned lesson to the class or a group, then seeing my students engaged in their independent learning that follows. But I have to say it's nice not being the only adult in the space. I am learning a lot from my colleagues. I am able to watch them interact with our learners as well as see them set up a variety of provocations in our learning environment. I am seeking advice on behaviour and communicating as incidents occur, essentially we back each other up, as well as support learners with clear boundaries and expectations as they move between different learning areas. I'm coming to see that though there are great catchphrases in teaching positive behaviour, but as always there are no magic solutions. Being able to work with challenging behaviour relies on forming strong relationships with your tamariki.  And at 2-5 years they all have challenging behaviour being that they are only just developing social/emotional skills. Some teachers at our centre have long-standing relationships and trust developed with learners as a result of caring for them since they were under 2 years old. I am discovering that effective social coaching relies on children trusting that you're there for both of them, that you care for both of their interests when helping them work through a conflict.

Learning Focussed Culture / Design for Learning
I am documenting learning by taking many photos during the day, as well as observations and note-taking in my diary in regards to individual interests in my learners and ideas for resources and provocations that would further stimulate these interests.

I have had some professional learning with my colleague Amina Davis regarding Learning Stories and using Educa to format these. I have begun to read up on the learning stories of my learners -getting to know them better.

List of professional reading to support my transition, Feb-April 2020

Play based Learning - Reading Link

Urges / Schema Link

Te Whāriki

Neurodiversity

Behaviour - Social/Emotional development

Pick-a-path stories go digital

Link to step-by-step slide presentation

Amazing tool for narrative writing. 

Planning / building the many paths develops computational thinking.

I loved the example below the student writing a short novella!

I can see why you may prefer the multi-choice format of forms vs hyper-linking using google slides.

Digital Fluency Intensive DFI #4 - Collaborate / Sites

Modes of engagement

• Multi modal Sites - have a range of media / activities to cater for learning styles or what will attract a variety of learners.
• Multi textual

Websites with links to a variety of sites that students can use to explore further.

Wonderopolis May be at a better level and more engaging for my learners than Kiwi Kids News.

Great safe way for them to practise writing search questions.

Link watch later - movie reviews

Multi Textual Reading 

• Provide "Main" text
• Add complimentary text - to build up knowledge (go wide)
• Scaffolding text - glossaries or Junior Journal, unpack etc
• Extension - in-depth text focussed on one element 
• Student choice - pick a text (boxes of books provided or websites)
• Additional texts - videos/images "multi modal"

Plan and create a multi-textual / multi-modal reading lesson.   

BFG - Multi-textual Lesson Plan Link

Really excited about using the Mutli-textual model to extend and scaffold my readers. Really relevant as we have just started reading The BFG and I was wanting ideas on engaging my learners and helping them access and understand the text more. Some need basic comprehension skills and some are ready for extension and exploring concepts and themes with more depth

Ideas Financial Literacy / Enterprise