Tag: Play based learning

Learning that takes place through play

Australian Animals and Nature Play Toddler at Moonlit Sanctuary Melbourne Australia

On By Maria GrujicicLeave a comment

It’s important to me that my child spends adequate time outdoors in nature each day. It doesn’t always work out that way so when we go on an outing we make the most of our time.

As bub gets older I feel more comfortable stretching the time outdoors. It’s not a hard thing to do because time goes so quickly with such an action packed day.

Toddlers love to move in different ways; they run, walk, jump, balance, and there’s so much space here to do all of that and more. They use their senses to hear the animal sounds, the sound their feet make as they stomp in the mud and the way this feel. They balance on logs and walk through trees and pieces of wood.

There’s a playground of different animals such as a snake, a crocodile and a turtle. I watched as the children tried to climb the turtle, showing each other how and eventually achieving this goal, and applauding one another.

The video is a tool I use to reflect on this experience with my child, and to further her learning. As she gets older I hope she will gain more and more from it.

The letters are colour coded; blue for vowels and pink for consonants. This is a Montessori teaching Method which makes the words easier to learn.

Children can learn the animal names which are so interesting. Imagine drawing an animal such as the Tawney Frogmouth! The texture on this animal actually looks like a rock. Perhaps this helps camouflage and protect the animal from predators as it sleeps.

Watching the kangaroos were my favourite. The way they were standing so still amongst the sticks, and suddenly hopping away. Just like they would in the wild. Which animal was your favourite? Children could build with the sticks at a separate area and imitate the animals as they play.

An experience that will leave a long lasting imprint in the mind. It was wonderful to see my bub wasn’t afraid of the animals. I feel that it’s important to have contact with nature as early as possible.

What kind of outings do you do with your family? What are some of the experiences you’d like to offer your children and why are they important to you?

A Toddler’s Day Out Bird Watching & Nature Play

On By Maria GrujicicLeave a comment

We were lucky because on our first visit to Grant’s picnic ground in Victoria there was no bird feeding and this attracted more diverse Australian birds, especially Lorikeets. Lyre birds also live here but are harder to spot. I was told they imitate the sounds of other birds.

This was an opportunity for my bub to experience the bird life and not be scared by the sounds they make. They can sound quite prehistoric; have you ever noticed that? It was also a chance for me to try out my new Nikon P1000 camera and its amazing zoom capacity. Bub tried it too.

I believe children learn the most from their parents. We are like one person as bub tries to imitate everything I do and say. They then develop the ability to interact with others. That’s nice to watch too. 🙂

The most fun was when bub explored the open space on her own and I watched her. It’s so important to know when to intervene and allow bub independence and opportunities to problem solve safely. Nature provides this because it isn’t designed for a certain age group like man made playgrounds. It’s for everyone. It builds self-confidence as bub tries again and again and is finally successful.

Properly fitted shoes are so important in these situations where bub is running, climbing and doing all kinds of physical activities for a long period of time. We spent 3 hours at the park! Get the proper size shoe fitted at a sports store or child’s shoe store specialising in this, is what I recommend. Or if the weather is warm and it’s safe to do so go bare foot.

Oh the possibilities nature has to offer. We don’t need to make anything up. It’s right there for us to explore. The textures and colours of vegetation, the size of the trees and their life cycle. Some have fallen over, others are just babies. The language opportunities as we talked about everything.

I talk in both Greek and English, and this preserves my mother tongue as well as giving my bub the chance to extend her languages. It’s so liberating to be outdoors and to feel what it’s like to be in nature. To breathe in oxygen and to sense the cold air around us.

Go regularly to sense different seasons and weather changes, and how this affects nature. Watch the sun come out through the trees and the rain drops fall and glow on the leaves.

Australia has so many different environments to explore. What’s it like where you live? It’s so different to watching nature on film or reading about it. I encourage you to do what we did. Just go unplanned and explore. Just prepare food and water. I prepare a lot more than what I think I’d need. I also leave a portion of it in the car for the long drive home afterwards.

Painting and Messy Play for Toddlers & Preschoolers

On By Maria GrujicicLeave a comment

One fine sunny day I decided to take out different coloured paints, some paper, brushes to paint. As most kids do, we started exploring the paint using our hands. I took the paper away and hung it to dry and added water to the mixture which covered the tray. At this point, I thought it fitting to add the flour. This was when the real fun began!

We started making squiggles, squeezing the mixture with our hands as we watched the colours and textures mix. We each took a brush and chatted away as we explored. It was relaxing.

A plastic breakfast tray is ideal for messy play because you could take it anywhere and it’s fuss free to clean up afterwards. If you want to preserve a painting just pop a piece of paper on top of the mixture to create a print.

Use what you have and mix in the colours, create different textures as you go along. Sand, flour, flowers, chalk and leaves are some ideas. Try different things. Look in your environment for new ideas.

Using hands and utensils is wonderful for sensorial and hand strength and coordination! It’s so therapeutic. As we played, our minds wondered.

The messier the better. Process is more important than the product. Take lots of photos of the play experience and talk about them afterwards. What patterns and marks did you make? What colours? How did you feel?

Each time we visit this activity it’s different. The weather, the materials we use, and what we feel like doing. Talk through your plan and ask questions like, ‘What do you want to do now?’ to foster decision-making skills.

Messy play fosters confidence and creativity. The end of the activity is just as fun. As I rinse the tray with the hose we can see all the colours. Subject areas such as Maths, Language and Science can be integrated too.

I believe we can create hands on activities that teach the academics in a fun, age appropriate way that also provides more scope for learning. Take a look at my other posts on my blog for more play ideas and subscribe to my Youtube Channel Maria’s Playground.

Thank you! And keep on playing!