Inventors (3-6 years)
In our inventor room, we encourage the children to become the inventors of their own learning journey and to begin to explore ways in which they are able to put their findings and observations into practice.
Our inventor room is run by an accredited Early Childhood Teacher with over 5 years’ experience within the field of Early Childhood Education and Care. In this room, the program instils a love of learning in the children through a play based approach that is based around the children’s ideas and interests.
Our program is strongly linked to the Early Years Learning Framework, the National Quality Framework and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which all inform our practices.
Our inventor room offers a stimulating learning space with a team of dedicated and passionate educators and teachers who balance free choice and structured learning to assist the children with their learning, development and their transition to school.
Through our inventor program, children:
- Build confidence and become more independent
- Refine their concentration skills
- Explore natural intelligence and further explore these through brain processes
- Are provided with a tailored learning space that reflects their interests, learning, understanding and knowledge
- Develop emergent literacy and numeracy skills through story time, storytelling, exploring letters, letter sounds and writing as well as patterns, shapes, measurements and sizes, while exploring how these concepts relate to their daily lives
- Increase their social skills through small and large group experiences that encourage sharing, empathy mindfulness and kindness
- Develop a stronger sense of self through exploring emotions, forming friendships and participating in mindfulness activities such as yoga and meditation daily.
- Can express themselves and develop their creative skills through art and craft experiences such as dancing, drawing, painting, singing and playdough.
- Develop their physical skills through using fine motor resources such as pencils and brushes and gross motor such as balance, co-ordination and ball skills.
- Develop a greater understanding and appreciation of the world in which they live, through our exploration of cultural calendar events and daily yarning circle to pay respects to Indigenous Australians.
- Develop love, care and respect for the environment through exploring our beautiful outdoor learning space, contributing to garden care and maintenance and participating in sustainability practices such as using recycled materials in play.
Inventor Flexible Routine
Our inventor routine is a rough guide to what your child’s day may look like and is changeable based on the daily needs, interests and input of the children, as well as the weather.
7:00 am – Little Friends Early Learning opens
Upon arrival, children join us for family grouping and breakfast in the toddler room. Between 7:00 and 8:30, the children are free to explore the room and the resources it has to offer for some free play, as they settle in for the morning and get ready to start their day.
8:30 – Transition to the inventor room
Just before 8:30, the children are encouraged to pack away the toddler room so that their room is ready for the day. This assists the children in developing independence and a respect for their learning environment. We then make our way to the inventor room to commence our morning activities.eady to start their day.
8:35 – Free play and intentional learning activities
The teachers and educators in the inventor room will provide learning experiences for the children that have been pre-planned and aim to assist the children in the development of their skills and knowledge. These activities are play based, open ended and are catered to individual and small groups of children. They are in depth learning experiences and have an educator engaged to lead discussions, participate in the children’s play and scaffold their learning.
9:30 – Progressive morning tea and pack away
During a progressive morning tea, the children are free to come and eat when they are ready. This assists them in learning their bodily needs. All children are encouraged to eat before morning tea is packed away. For those who are not quite ready yet, they will assist their educators and peers in packing away the room to get ready for outdoor play.
10:00 – Outdoor play
The outdoor environment is designed to invite engagement and curiosity in nature. Resources and equipment are set up, based on the children’s interest and developmental needs. Outdoor play is a time for the inventors to socialise and explore, while building their capacity for exercise and developing their gross motor skills.
11:20 – Transition to the inventor room and start our yarning circle
We then transition back to the inventor room to engage in a small group time before lunch. Children are encouraged to put their belongings away, such as hats and clothing, to develop care for their own things. We then show our respect to the traditional custodians of the land in which we meet by conducting an Acknowledgement of Country. Following this, we engage in a yarning circle. During this time, the children are encouraged to contribute to our program by expressing things they would like to do, learn about or simply talk about. This encourages them to take responsibility for their own learning and engage in story-telling.
11:45 – Lunch time
The children are assisted in washing their hands, following the correct procedure, locating their drink bottle and finding a seat at the lunch table! The children are provided with a healthy, cooked lunch daily which caters to their dietary needs. We offer a rotating menu where the children have the opportunity to try foods from a range of different cultures. Lunch is a social time for the children and the educators often lead discussions about the meals, discussing favourite foods, healthy eating and encouraging children to try new foods.
12:30 – Rest time
After lunch, the children are provided with a space for a sleep while soft, relaxing music plays. Children who do not require a sleep participate in yoga or meditation, story time and colouring and a range of educational activities such as name writing and tracing, letter and number recognition.
2:00 – Rest time ends
Children wake up and pack away their belongings. Once they have packed away, they join the other children in their play.
3:00 – Progressive afternoon tea and pack away time
During a progressive afternoon tea, the children are again, free to come and eat when they are ready. For those who are not quite ready yet, they will begin to assist their educators and peers in packing away the room.
3:30 – Group time
The children then join their educators for a small group time where they reflect on their day so far, engage in show and tell or a story.
4:00 – Outdoor play
The children participate in outdoor play and activities such as gross motor games, dancing and dramatic play.
5:00 – Late snack and small group play
Children will engage in small group activities with their educators such as songs, counting and group games.
6:00 – Little Friend Early Learning closes
See you again tomorrow!