week 8 | Placement Potfolio 2

Week 8 – Day 1: Merging Rooms, Easter Fun, and Supporting Individual

📍 Only About Children Alexandria
👶 Toddlers Room

🐣 Easter is in the Air

As Easter approaches, the centre is filled with cheerful decorations, fostering a welcoming and festive atmosphere. This enhances the children’s sense of belonging and supports cultural awareness (EYLF V2.0, Outcome 2.1).

During morning discussions, the Educational Leader informed us that the nursery and toddler rooms would temporarily merge due to educator shortages. I raised thoughtful questions about developmental appropriateness and routine management. The Educational Leader clarified that while the children would be together physically, their learning opportunities would be based on age and developmental stages, and flexible routines would support individual needs without compromising child-to-educator ratios.

I appreciated this collaborative and communicative approach, which reflects ethical practice and professional responsibility (Early Childhood Australia [ECA], 2016).

Learning Experiences

Activity 1: Tracing Shapes with Sensory Blocks
Children engaged in a tracing activity using textured sensory blocks and shape outlines. This promoted:

Fine motor skills
Visual-spatial awareness
Hand-eye coordination

These activities align with Piaget’s sensorimotor and preoperational stages of development, supporting exploration through hands-on learning (McLeod, 2023).

Activity 2: Jump Like a Frog – Gross Motor & Yoga
We facilitated a physical movement session where children mimicked frog jumps. This encouraged gross motor development, balance, and turn-taking. Children encouraged one another, showing social development and teamwork.

These experiences reflect EYLF V2.0 Learning Outcome 3: Children have a strong sense of wellbeing (DEECA, 2022), particularly sub-outcome 3.2: Children take increasing responsibility for their own health and physical wellbeing.

Individual Observation – Child N

Focus: Fine Motor Skills and Confidence
In a cutting activity, Child N was curious but initially unsure how to hold scissors. I demonstrated correct finger placement and offered verbal encouragement. She gradually gained confidence and successfully snipped red paper bags.

This interaction exemplifies Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), where learning occurs through adult guidance and scaffolding (Vygotsky, 1978). It also supports EYLF V2.0 Learning Outcome 4.2: Children develop a range of skills and processes such as problem-solving, inquiry, experimentation, and investigation.

“Well done, N!” I praised, reinforcing her sense of achievement and persistence.

Lunch & Sleep Time – Flexibility in Practice

A toddler appeared distressed during lunch, preferring their usual toddler space. I observed an educator offer the child the option to eat outside. The child responded positively and finished lunch calmly. This action showed respectful and inclusive practice by allowing the child autonomy and comfort (Circle of Security, 2016).

Sleep time presented challenges as some children were unsettled by the shared space. Educators responded calmly and respectfully, supporting emotional regulation and security. These moments highlighted the importance of routines and adaptability in early childhood settings (EYLF V2.0 Practice: Responsiveness to children).

Easter Hat Parade – Inclusive Celebration

We were informed about next week’s Easter Hat Parade. Parents had already been notified via Storypark. However, the centre also planned to create hats for all children, ensuring no child misses out due to limited family participation.

This promotes inclusion, equity, and belonging, key principles of EYLF V2.0 and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC, 1989).

Reflection

Today highlighted the value of communication, flexibility, and responsive practice. The merging of rooms required adaptability, and I observed respectful collaboration among staff. Supporting Child N’s scissor use reminded me of the importance of intentional teaching and patient scaffolding. The centre’s preparation for the Easter Hat Parade demonstrates inclusive planning that values every child and family.

As I continue my placement, I aim to further build my confidence in navigating transitions and tailoring learning experiences to meet children’s individual needs and interests.

Week 8 – Day 2: Outdoor Play, Sustainability Project, and Easter Egg Hunt

📍 Only About Children Alexandria
👶 Toddlers Room

Outdoor Play – Easing Transitions

As the day began, I observed that many children were still unsettled from the previous day’s transition back into the nursery. The drop-off time was particularly challenging, with some children struggling to separate from their families. To support the children’s emotional regulation, I, along with another educator, initiated outdoor play. The shared yard between the nursery and toddler rooms allowed for a smoother transition, offering children a familiar, open environment that felt less confined than the indoor space.

This outdoor engagement helped children feel more comfortable and settled, reducing the usual distress that comes with drop-off time. It also provided an opportunity for children to observe and interact with familiar faces from the other room, fostering social bonds and easing anxieties related to new faces (Vygotsky, 1978).

Sustainability Project – Recycling and Growing Plants

After settling outside, we continued with our sustainability project. We repurposed fruit containers and Chinese dumpling containers to create environments for growing plants. The children were excited to participate, using red and green beans as "seeds" to grow bean sprouts. As they engaged with the materials, we explained that beans, though they may look different, can grow into edible plants.

The children practiced:

Fine motor skills: Wetting cotton with a spray bottle and adding beans with spoons.
Counting skills: Counting how many spoonful of beans they added.

Additionally, we emphasized social skills like turn-taking, sharing, and patience as they waited their turns to add the beans. This hands-on experience not only promoted sustainability by teaching the children about growing plants but also supported various developmental areas (EYLF V2.0, Outcome 4.1).

As the children explored, I noticed that they began asking questions about the seeds and their growth process, showing curiosity about nature and learning through direct, sensory experiences. This aligns with Piaget’s cognitive development theory, where children learn best through active engagement with their environment (McLeod, 2023).

Easter Egg Hunt – Building Language Skills

In the afternoon, we engaged the children in a fun Easter egg hunt in the garden. Child M was very engaged in collecting the eggs. Initially, I modelled the activity by hiding the eggs and using a bucket for collection. Child M observed, then enthusiastically joined in, naming the eggs by their colour, saying "bluuu" for blue and "geeen" for green.

This activity not only supported language development but also allowed Child M to practice color recognition and categorization, core skills in early childhood learning. The activity also supported social development as Child M interacted with peers and educators while practicing language and communication (EYLF V2.0, Outcome 5.2: Children interact verbally and non-verbally with others for a range of purposes).

Reflection

Today’s experiences demonstrated the importance of flexibility in managing transitions and creating an engaging, supportive environment. The outdoor play successfully helped children transition back into the nursery after a challenging drop-off, and the sustainability project allowed children to connect with the natural world while developing essential skills. The Easter egg hunt brought joy and excitement, while simultaneously fostering language development and social interaction.

Reflecting on the day, I see the importance of balancing educational content with the need for emotional and social support, ensuring that children feel secure and ready to engage in learning activities.