Learning and Teaching Should Not Stand on Opposite Banks and Just Watch the River flow by; instead, they Should Embark together on a Journey Down the Water.
Ladyfinger Playschool & Day-Care Program has been lovingly and carefully crafted to purposely deliver on the basis of Our Curriculum, The Formative Year Learning Curriculum (FYLC) for Ladyfinger Playschool & Day-Care. Our practices and program connect directly to the foundation stages of the School Curriculum, from which students will be taught when they enter the Formal Schooling system.
Our Curriculum Formative Year Learning Curriculum (FYLC) is our very own inspirational guide for excellence, drawing from world-leading research to ensure The Highest Quality of Teaching and Practice.
Elements Of The Formative Years Learning Curriculum (FYLC)
We don’t just do this preparation work in the final year before formal schooling starts. In fact, we’re homing in on these Innate Skills from the Very Moment Your Child Joins Us; from as young as six weeks of age!
We want to Spark a Child’s Natural Curiosity, inspire them to ask questions and show them that knowledge can be gained in all sorts of wonderful ways. Through play, we encourage children to:
- Build their knowledge.
- Develop Confidence.
- Refine Practical Life Skills.
- Explore.
- Discover.
- Solve Problems through Play.
Learning through Play, Listening and Observation.
Children are always Watching, Listening and Absorbing Information. Daily Experiences are how they learn about the World Around Them – How to Communicate, Problem-Solve and Work with others.
The importance of Play is central to the Ladyfinger Playschool & Day-Care, Early Learning Philosophy as it works with the strengths of children to develop their Social, Physical, Emotional and Cognitive Development in a Positive Way.
By listening to and observing children of all ages, we encourage their Natural Ability to Wonder and Inquire. In the schools of Reggio Emilia, it’s referred to as the ‘Hundred Languages of Children’. We focus on the Child, Creating Rich Learning Experiences, in unique learning Environments, through genuine relationships. Key to this is a partnership with families so that our Educators and Teams can inspire a love of learning in all children, in the Centre and at home.
Day-to-day, all of these factors combine to give children a level of control over the direction of their learning. Our Educators and Teams guide them through a range of experiences that include Touching, Moving, Listening and Observing while encouraging relationships with other children and with open-ended resources.
What are Open-Ended resources?
When a child is using Open-Ended Resources, they are free to use their Creativity and Imagination. There is no Right or Wrong Way, and no set endpoint to the play. A set of wooden blocks is a good example: One moment it’s a pirate ship sailing the high seas; the next moment a maze or puzzle to be solved. Open-ended resources inspire curiosity and support discovery – the building blocks for successful lifelong learning.
Play-Based Learning
Childcare providers talk about ‘Play-Based Learning’. But What Does it Actually Mean?
In its simplest form, learning through play encourages children to build their Knowledge, Develop Confidence and Embrace Curiosity. Along the way they naturally Refine Practical Life Skills as they Explore, Experiment, Discover and Solve Problems through Play. and importantly, they build their Confidence and come to understand that learning is Fun and can take many forms.
At Ladyfinger Playschool & Day-Care, Children are guided by their Natural Interests and Curiosities, while being supported to make meaningful connections to The Real-World. We don’t believe in learning through Repetition or the Isolated Recognition of Numbers and Letters. We teach in Real-World contexts to set your child up for Success.
- We build sandcastles and explore why wet sand and dry sand behave differently.
- We bake and have conversations about why things go into the oven cold and wet and come out hot and dry.
- We grow herbs and vegetables and learn about the natural world around us.
Our practices and programs, while based in play, prepare your child for formal schooling and beyond. We’re
not just about preparing them for school, but for life – because learning is a journey that never ends. And the
world is changing before their very eyes so, we make them GLOBAL CITIZENS.
