At our Narooma presentation last year we met many wonderful and passionate early childhood educators and we were really excited to meet a couple of the passionate men working as educators too.

One of the participants named David was very keen for us to pop out to his preschool in Moruya on our way home to see what it was like.

You can find out all about Moruya Preschool right here!

If you would like to be included on our Education Directory please email us at … fun@playbasedlearning.com.au

We were thrilled to be invited up to beautiful Narooma on the coast of N.S.W. last year, where we presented talks to a faboulous and passionate bunch of early childhood educators.

Their outdoor space is fantastic and so inspiring!

You can see more of the beautiful Narooma Preschool right here!

If you would like to be included on our Education Directory please email us at … fun@playbasedlearning.com.au

Well it was supposed to be for the children – an installation called “Tangle” in the forecourt of the Arts Centre here in the heart of Melbourne. It has been entertaining the public here in Melbourne before heading over to Adelaide for a session in February and is put together by Polyglot Theatre.

We arrived half an hour before the session began and families were already lining up.

By the time 2.30pm arrived there were so many people in the queue that they had to run two 30 minute sessions instead the usual 70 minute one!

When the hordes were let in they were given a big squishy ball of soft elastic each.

Then they raced over to a grove of wooden golden poles and wound that elastic around and around.

It went round poles and people’s bodies. Everyone ducked under and over the quickly growing mat of elastic. They swung from it and pulled it out as far as they could – it was frenetic, but controlled.

There were youngsters, and oldies and all those in between.

They also catered for babies with a mini version …

and entertained the people patiently waiting on the street for their turn.

When it was time for a change over, everyone was invited to push the elastic right down to make a mat, probably to make it easier to get out as many looked seriously tangled up in there.

Before the next group came in excitedly clutching their ball of elastic, the whole mat was pushed up to join the mats from the other sessions to create a thick, multi coloured roof.

We didn’t go in but rather were observers and photographers on the edges, and as the families went past us the ADULTS were saying, “WOW, that was SO much fun!!”

 Adults love to play too – seriously!

We can’t resist a challenge, and when we had the opportunity to have fun in the DOT MAD challenge, with our U.K. friend and freelance play consultant Marc Armitage, well we were there with bells on!

We needed to find something white ….

and we were lucky enough to find an abandoned basin.

Then we needed some spots and …

some children and we were away!

There was a lot a talk between about who should stick where and what patterns they wanted to make.

They made round shapes …

and lines.

It was a fabulous fine motor activity, creative, caused lots of discussion and involved good solid team work.

The big children finally let the littlies have a go near the end …

and they loved joining in too!

We ran out of stickers eventually, but we reckon the finished product is pretty fantastic – well done guys!!!

Are YOU up for the challenge?

Staff, students and families at Manchester Primary School are extremely proud of their brand new, custom-designed building especially built to accommodate their Preps, Year 1 and Year 2 children to support their early years play based learning program.

It was all made possible through the ‘Government Economic Stimulus Grant’.

You can find out more about Manchester Primary School right here!

If you would like to be included on our Education Directory please email us at … fun@playbasedlearning.com.au

Prep teachers Hayley, Meg and Katherine were very keen to show off their purpose built classroom which they all share together …

as they team teach their prep students through a play based program at Tinternvale Primary School in Ringwood East Victoria.

You can visit Tintern Primary School right here!

If you would like to be included on our Education Directory please email us at … fun@playbasedlearning.com.au

We have just had heaps of fun bringing in one New Year and now we have another excuse to celebrate with Chinese New Year!

We were looking at a cooking magazine trying to get some inspiration for food and realised that it is the Year of the Dragon which of course sparked the children off with the idea of creating their own dragons! We pulled out the construction basket and bits and pieces we had around the place and let them go to it.

We loved the cardboard cylinder with the egg carton spikes down its back. Look out for the flames!

The use of a fan folded body, paper plate tail and cylinder head was also really effective. They taped skewers on both end to make a moving puppet.

When we ran out of cylinders, one enterprising person rolled some firm paper to make an interesting head. With the addition of some sticky foam circles, it looks pretty fearsome!

As we still had heaps of sticky foam pieces the children thought outside the square and created …

quite a …

different looking dragon.

The left over foam shapes didn’t go to waste as there was a big storage box just crying out to be decorated.

Even the littlies could join in happily here.

Happy Chinese New Year!!

Thanks to Art and Sustainabilty teacher, Ruth Bode and the amazing support she recieves from her school principal, fellow teachers, families and students …

CWPS has won many awards from Gould and the Victorian State Government for their sustainability program. In fact they are a Five Star Sustainable School!

You can read more about Croydon West’s sustainability program right here!

If you would like to be included on our Education Directory please email us at … fun@playbasedlearning.com.au

The teachers from Croydon West Primary School invited us to visit their classroom in the first week of school last year …

in order to see how well a play based program assists their new prep students to transition into the new routine of school life.

You can see what we saw right here!

If you would like to be included on our Education Directory please email us at … fun@playbasedlearning.com.au

Stockdale Road Primary School in Traralgon, down in Gippsland, is a governement primary school which follows the Kathy Walker Learning Approach.

They run a play based learning program all the way through from prep to year 6!

You can learn more about ‘Stocky’ Road Primary School right here!

If you would like to be included on our Education Directory please email us at … fun@playbasedlearning.com.au